Tomsalwasser Asked For It

[reubenjames]

db5, I am well aware of user awareness (or lack thereof). I work in software and have worked in both a support capacity and now as a business analyst, translating user requests into requirements developers can use to code, and translating the features the developers coded into documentation the users can use to use it (among other duties). My ability to document software processes clearly for the average user are quite adequately proven, and are something of a source of pride for me as I have spent much of my time converting bad documentation into good documentation. That being said, I think it was quite clear I was giving a suggestion, not instructions. I would not want to waste everyone's time, mostly my own, writing detailed documentation on usage of three different file sharing systems, without knowing if the suggestion would be heeded or which one someone prefers. The only reason I listed three popular ones was in case you knew of one but not another--i.e. they were broad suggestions. If you wanted to follow up on the suggestion and didn't know how to do them, I figured you could simply ask. I'm happy to provide detailed steps if I know them to be useful. I had assumed someone harboring that many self made PDFs simply might not need it. I'll write up instructions tonight.

[reubenjames]

And I meant easiest as in easiest for people to access without wading through a bunch of attachments on the thread. Not easiest to implement. There are much lazier ways to implement.

[reubenjames]

Here is a link to a document with instructions on converting your typed list to a list of links that lead back to the individual documents, housed on Dropbox.

Dropbox (or OneDrive, or Google Drive, or a host of others) are file storage and file sharing services in the cloud. You hear a lot about the cloud, but it's just a fancy term for stuff being stored on somebody else's hard drive on somebody else's computer (usually big hard drives on big computers), and usually denotes the fact that those files can be accessed from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.

So, in the case of services like Dropbox, you are uploading files from your computer onto their servers, which have more storage space than you would believe. Some of the *main* advantages of a service like Dropbox (not just in the our case here, but in general) are having the ability to backup files from your computer to a server which is offsite, secure, and probably has more disaster recovery and data backup plans than would ever be necessary. (e.g. a lot of people keep copies of important files, pictures, etc. on a service like this in case something like flood, fire, or computer malfunction causes their local files to be lost.) Another advantage is the ability to access the files from any place you have an internet connection, with most any device (phone, tablet, computer, etc.). Also, you can share files with other people, not just so they can *view* them, but you can also choose to let other people *edit* those files, which is nice for people who may be working in different locations and collaborating on a document.

Specifically, why would you use a file sharing service and links in the ShopSmith forum as I suggested and described in the document above? I see a couple of reasons:

1. It's easy for someone to just look at the first post in this thread, find the link to the document they want using your alphabetical list, click on it and the download starts (or the PDF opens in their browser, depending on how they have their browser configured). It is a simple and intuitive method of getting to the files you are trying to share. It functions very much like some of the longer threads where people went back and created an "index" for the thread with links to the relevant posts in that thread (e.g. Mickyd's restoration thread, etc.). Simply attaching PDFs to a post is not always as convenient or useful--you can't necessarily control if they are in alphabetical order, sometimes you can't see the entire name of the file, etc. Additionally, as you noted in your first post, there is a question as to how many files one may post in any given individual post or thread.

2. Somewhat related to the last sentence above, and in response to your question about why you should care about not uploading a bunch of PDFs to the forum and/or why you shouldn't just let Admin care about bandwidth: the answer to both of those questions is courtesy.
Allow me to explain. All things considered, Mother runs a pretty small operation. Most website hosting contracts charge you based on two factors: how much hard drive space you are using on the web servers, and how much traffic goes through (i.e. how much data is transferred). By uploading a bunch of files to the forums, you are adding to the amount of hard drive space being used, and as more and more people download the files, they are adding a lot of extra traffic (a lot more data is being transferred). This one thread probably won't be the tipping point, admittedly, but the point is that it's a courtesy to Mother and a small way we can help keep costs down and help the company. Services like Dropbox are designed to store data and to transfer it (at high speeds and with 100% availability--i.e. no down time) and the relative cost for them is a p-ss in the ocean. Note--this is likely one of the main reasons we have restrictions on file size of pictures when posting, to help keep control of the amount of hard drive space Mother uses on the hosted web servers, and to cut down on the amount of data traffic going through when people are viewing said pictures. Of course, restricting the size also helps to improve the page loading times, which is probably also a consideration taken into account.

Finally, you stated:

Now, not to offend you, because your answers were great but didn't address the issue which was how to accomplish this. I just didn't know how to do it and just need a simple answer.

The answer I initially gave was a simple answer (i.e. use links with Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive). It was a high-level suggestion. I would not consider the "how-to" to be a simple answer. Each individual step in my PDF may be simple (or not, that's pretty subjective), but I can't control if the entire process is simple or not (or if you consider it simple or not). That is, if the steps I've attached above are lengthy, I believe there is a point where, after a certain number of steps, a process probably isn't considered "simple" anymore, by virtue of its length, and I can't really control that. So while the steps I gave in the PDF may tell you how to accomplish it, I don't necessarily think it is a "simple answer". Moreover, you said the issue that wasn't addressed was how to accomplish this. Again, I didn't realize in your *initial post* that you were ever asking how to accomplish anything. There are no question marks in your original post, no questions directly being asked. The closest thing I see is:

I can post them here but don't know where they should go nor if how many can be posted at once

But "I...don't know where they should go" could very well simply mean that you don't know what sub-forum to post such a list to, or it could mean you literally don't know where the files should be uploaded to, or potentially something else. Likewise, "I...don't know...how many can be posted at once" isn't a direct question, but even assuming you were fishing for an answer, your question assumes that you are decided on uploading the files to the forum itself. That is, the only way a concern of how many files can be posted at once would arise would be if you were posting them directly to the forum.
I saw my initial suggestion as unsolicited advice about an alternate method, not as explaining the process for some question you didn't ask. I wasn't trying to assume you bore too much tech savvy, I was trying to offer alternatives. If you said you were unsure about some aspects of making dadoes with your router, and I came back and suggested making dadoes with a radial arm saw instead, and you didn't own one, I would expect you to inquire further about the process. If you did own one and were comfortable using it, and just hadn't considered using your RAS for dadoes, then I would expect you to take my suggestion into consideration and make an informed decision, without asking me about the process of how to use the RAS that way. In either case, my suggesting to use the RAS wouldn't be assuming anything. I wouldn't offer up detailed instructions for using a RAS to make dadoes in my post which merely suggests you consider doing so. Also, in that hypothetical case, I wouldn't expect you to accuse me of assuming too much simply because I didn't provide you with a documented process of cutting dadoes with a RAS right off the bat, when I don't even know if you want to use the RAS!

[db5]

Shop Tips PDF Files
45 Degree Jig
Align the Rip Fence
Band Saw Adjustment
Band Saw Fence
Box Joint Jig
Concrete Anchor for Jacobs Chuck
Cutting Circles with a Table Saw
Cyclone Dust Collector DIY
Dado Blade Template
Dial Indicator for Shopsmith (DIY easy and cheap to make)

[db5]

Disc Sanding
Dovetail Jig
Feather Boards
Floating Table
Hand Scrapers
Hexagon Chisel
High Speed Adjustment
How to Create Icons for Folders
How to Reset the Speed Control Dial
Inches to Decimal Conversion Chart

[db5]

Installing a Link Belt
Lubricating the Shopsmith
Main Table Alignment Jig
Peg Board 1
Peg Board 2
Replacing the Speed Changer
Router Edge Guide
Router Table Insert
Saw Sharpening (hand)
Sharpening Drill Bits

[db5]

Shopsmith 510 Extra Table & Carriage (exploded view)
Shopsmith 510 Saw Guards (exploded view)
Shopsmith 510 Work Table (exploded view)
Shopsmith Common Problems
Shopsmith Date of Mfg. (chart)
Shopsmith Headstock Rebuilding Checklist
Shopsmith Mark VII Motor Test
Shopsmith Setscrews (chart)
Squaring a Fence to a Blade
Shopsmith Miter Gauge (exploded view)

[db5]

Missed a couple:

Compound Miter Gauge Chart
Drill Press Gauge

[reubenjames]

See, this is why I didn't write steps in my first post. Last night I spent 2 hours of my time, having to even sign up for another Dropbox account from another email address, I make a PDF with simple instructions and pictures, and it's ignored. Ask me again why I didn't provide detailed steps to begin with.

[JPG]

See, this is why I didn't write steps in my first post. Last night I spent 2 hours of my time, having to even sign up for another Dropbox account from another email address, I make a PDF with simple instructions and pictures, and it's ignored. Ask me again why I didn't provide detailed steps to begin with.

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.

Ditto shrinks!

Perhaps he simply does not like 'clouds'.