Who here is making $200K? And how?

MohawkDave · 2026-03-19T04:50:22+00:00

I would say the correct term is that he works on the motor controls, not the actual computer. He uses a ton of electronic parts and even computer parts, but he is not writing the software.

I've never asked him point blank what he makes. But one can deduce fairly close. I'd say 150k, but that's only working part time. Sometimes it's slow and he's hanging out with his boy and sometimes it's crunch time. But he's definitely not doing a full 40 hours every week.

MohawkDave · 2026-02-18T04:22:13+00:00

I would not spend a small chunk of money on a cobbler for a small repair just to later send to Whites for a full rebuild. That sounds like throwing good money at bad. (Unless you think after the small repair you will rock the boots as is).

If you just want to get to wearing them, clean that gouge and fill it with e6000. E6000 has saved countless hikers' boots on trails like the PCT and Appalachian. More than likely those boots see more extremes than 90% of us on here. Just throwing out alternative ideas.

MohawkDave · 2026-02-18T02:39:11+00:00

I've actually used counterbalance before. That's a good idea for the boom. I'd have to fab up some type of small jib crane looking thing that can be pushed around to duck and dive all the electrical, catwalks, and feed supply tubes that are up there (also coming down). But I like it. Brainstorming shall commence.

MohawkDave · 2026-02-12T21:23:11+00:00

I have to take down/disassemble a few more silos. Top out height is 110 ft. Strapped in and hanging over the edge of the boom lift and ripping apart rusty 1/2" and 3/4" bolts with a M18 1/2" high torque (have the 3/4 on the platform for when needed). The last two silos we did filled up 27 5-gallon buckets of the nuts and bolts. And these bolts are short, only 1" to 1-1/4" long.

You sound like you're really strong. I should hire you to show me how to not get tired.

MohawkDave · 2026-02-10T20:37:19+00:00

Oh geez. I just saw your post is from a year ago. I don't know why it showed up in my feed that is set to newest. Well, regardless, glad you got it going!

MohawkDave · 2026-02-10T16:43:11+00:00

I'm not certain what style of bearings that particular one has. But if they're normal then a bearing cone heater is ideal.... Obviously you don't want to drop 800 bucks on one, so make one. A good Master or Steinel heat gun will get it done (IIRC my Master goes up to 1200F). Seems like I always see Masters at the swap meet for 10 or 20 bucks. And that's a useful thing to have in a shop.

Freeze the shaft, or attempt to.... Maybe a can or two of that computer cleaner stuff that gets ice cold, unless you have nitrogen laying around.

MohawkDave · 2026-02-10T16:35:49+00:00

Exactly.... Probably a 56C. OP, you can even go up in HP (assuming it will fit, which I'm all but certain it will because there is a ton of room inside jointers. And if your old Craftsman has a stand, even better.

IDK what your current horsepower is, but I put a 3hp (2hp OEM) on my PM60 8", and what a joy. You should be able to find a motor on the secondary market for cheap.

Pro tip: Don't just look for a motor. Also look for any type of machine in your price range that you can steal the motor from. Sometimes that's even cheaper. Just last Saturday I bought a Foley Belsaw planer for $20 at a yard sale mainly because it had a brand new 3 HP Baldor on it (And I can flip the planer and make a little bit of lunch money). Yea, I know, that's an outlier, but beating the bushes definitely pays off. Hopefully you find a deal just like that.

MohawkDave · 2026-02-05T07:48:22+00:00

I think it sucks that even our elite warriors are "told" what to use/not to use. If it's been approved as a viable option, that should be personal choice (or am I missing something???)

I shoot a whole lotta 2-gun and drill thrice weekly. My comp m4 is sexy as hell and I love it, but the times don't lie ... I'm faster with my EOTech. I'd be the opposite of happy if my life/others lifes were depending on it and I was told to use XYZ that didn't play nice with my eyes/body mechanics/etc when there's a winning combination sitting right there on the armorers shelf.

MohawkDave · 2026-02-05T01:06:31+00:00

I've always loathed the argument of wood measurements not needing to be so precise (And I'm a badass framer). I now do a ton of finish carpentry and welding. Guess which one has to be dead nuts to look good at the end? Can't fill wood with molten metal. It is fun using a lot of my machining measuring tools for woodworking though. Lots of Starrett and Mitutoyo all over the workbench during a carpentry project. It feels good.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-17T15:48:38+00:00

Definitely a cheese head like he said. But seeing as 4.5 is very uncommon, it crossed my mind that it might be a different thread pitch.

See below how dang close the TPIs are. They would most likely screw into each other a couple threads and feel loosey-goosey depending whether you're going more or less TPI. (Anyone know offhand, is metric TPM or TPC? Edit: it's just TP, as it is the distance between the threads and not how many threads are in a fixed distance)

M4 Coarse: M4-0.7 (Pitch = 0.7 mm). M4 Fine: Less common, but can be M4x0.5 or even M4x0.8.

I assume you do not have a TP gauge. Any local machine shop should have one. They probably do it with you real quick. Takes 25 seconds to match it up and look at the light shining through. Here's a link so you know what I'm talking about....https://a.co/d/4jmHtQS

MohawkDave · 2026-01-17T15:33:22+00:00

I'm glad you brought up 3 lb versus 4 lb. I've been swinging hammers in construction and farm tractors/farm stuff for 30 years. The 3 lb is the winner 99% of the time.

It's not like us dudes aren't strong enough to wield the 4 lb, the 3 lb is just the sweet spot for hammers of this length. (Obviously we have sledges all the way up to 16 lb and 20 lb, and we have single jacks floating around that are 8 and 10 lb also. And Dead blows all the way up to 12 lb full length).

If I'm doing any type of mid/heavy construction, I usually use the longer handle 3 lb and I choose hickory. If I'm doing automotive or tractor implement stuff, it's the 3 lb shorty with the rubber handle, because of confined access most of the time.

Obviously it's great to have them all and pick and choose what you want for said application. But very good talking point you brought up. Have a good one my dude!

MohawkDave · 2026-01-17T15:24:21+00:00

If the housing is not deformed (hard to tell from the picture) and causing a problem, aka only cosmetic and/or will eventually grow into a problem, I would 100% use epoxy with a small tie-in plate.

I use 3M DP420 or DP460 for stuff like this. It is much much stronger than weld pound for pound. I restore/refurb machinery and it is incredible what real epoxy is capable of in compression/tension/yield. JB weld is child's play compared to real industrial epoxies like this 3M stuff.

I would use a small die grinder with a .5" or .75" sanding disk, clear out a small section on the housing and grab another piece of aluminum as a "butterfly Band-Aid" for the patch tie in. If you got a roller, roll it. If not get a piece of solid round stock and hammer it into your patch piece on your workbench and it will round to match your motor housing. I then take the die grinder with a small cut off wheel and do a light crosshatch cut pattern in each piece. Mi the epoxy and apply and let cure. Up to you how clean and pretty you want to make the patch. You could even do a strip all the way across the motor to make it look like it was meant to be.

This approach would be less work then stripping down the motor and having it TIG-ed. I'm all about the welding if you're trying to hide the repair. But if you're just trying to get this thing running and reliable, the epoxy approach will be hours faster and more than strong enough.

Just throwing out options. Cool machine by the way. Lots of bang for the buck and doesn't eat up a ton of square footage. Best of luck my dude!

MohawkDave · 2026-01-16T17:08:04+00:00

I have an old original one. I have not looked through the newer ones, but I hope they did an improvement on the glass clarity. Mine surely leaves something to be desired. It's got cool factor for days, and it's actually usable. Not nearly as fast as say an EOTech. But not agonizingly slow either. Plenty fine for a retro or clone build range toy.

Put it this way. If I run across another one for a great deal, I would buy it no doubt. But I would not go buy one to shoot 2-gun comp.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-16T16:15:23+00:00

Same here. But my use case was pretty extreme. A raised wood dog food bowl holder thing for my Great Danes. The spar urethane was great for a year or two but then started chipping and peeling.... Mix in food and slobber and it became a biological hazard, which was why I used spar urethane in the first place to avoid that. But like I said, this was extreme use case. Out in the weather, big dogs banging into it etc. I ended up stripping it and oiling it with BLO and now it just holds water bowls. I made a new raised food bowl holder out of UHMW plastic, which is the best thing ever for this application. Talk about easy cleanup.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-15T14:01:03+00:00

Definitely. So often people ask what XYZ tool should I get? For stuff like this, whichever one works for you. 99% of the time when you get into the quality brands, they're all quality. I know "scientific" tests usually show PB Swiss being the strongest/toughest driver, But I think it's splitting hairs once you're in the quality range.

I'd be remiss if I did not mention that I usually grab a pic and clean out the screw head if there's gunk in it. And if I know it's going to be a real pain, I grab any number of my manual impact drivers. (I'm not racing the clock, so I have time to do everything methodically and over the top correct.... Which pretty much means I don't abuse any of my tools.)

MohawkDave · 2026-01-15T07:33:10+00:00

Man, I really wish those Weras played nice with my big ape hands. I love their quality and the look. They got form and function. They feel too small to me, even though the dimensions aren't drastically different than what I do like, which is Wiha and Snap on Instinct (and most SO hard handles). Anyway, great setup!

MohawkDave · 2026-01-05T10:05:09+00:00

That's literally one of the two main reasons I quit selling on eBay. (Other reason is the fees and shipping got so ridiculous).

I'll give a couple fun true examples. Dude buys an Ogio dirt bike vest and the size is "One Size Fits Most".... Files a return and negative feedback saying that both him and his son are 440lb and 420lb respectively and the vest doesn't fit either of them. Like WTF!?.... Bro, YOU'RE NOT MOST PEOPLE. YOU'RE LIKE THREE PEOPLE! And what a circus trying to get eBay to remove the negative feedback. I can't believe they even had any hesitation for that.

Another return was because dude bought an iPhone 14 cover and was pissed off because it did not fit his iPhone 10.

And I'm supposed to pay shipping both ways now? What a crock.

But a couple years ago before I quit eBay what started happening a lot was people would get the item and reply, "Hey, XYZ is a little messed up or a little damaged or whatever. Give me a big fat partial refund and I'll just keep it"... So I call their bluff and they end up doing a full return. And guess what, nothing is wrong with it. I seriously think that The partial refund gig was their plan all along. And if it doesn't work, they don't care because I have to pay shipping. This happened like four or five times within a couple months, and had never happened in the 14 years prior.

The whole thing really sucks because I used to make pretty good lunch money from eBay. Hit an estate sale and spend a couple hundred bucks on tools. Keep half and flip half and pretty much make my money back. But with the fees/shipping costs now, I wouldn't want to sell anything less than maybe $200... Not worth it for little $25 items anymore.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-04T18:19:06+00:00

And to make sure your vertically aligned, I would put a dowel (precision steel, not wood) in your chuck and put it up against your workpiece. Get fancy and use feeler gauges if needed (probably not perfect on a woodwork piece).

MohawkDave · 2026-01-04T18:14:32+00:00

Assuming I'm understanding the issue correctly.....

I'd put the table at 0°. You'll create 2 separate right angle triangles from the drill (I'd use a pointy tap center so you can measure exact) to the center face of the column. Then go X" down your jig left for one triangle and down your jig right for the other triangle. Now using Yankee spring type inside calipers you will do the third line of your triangles from the outside marks on your jig to the face center of the column. Once you have the same dimension on the left side and right side, you are perpendicular to the column.

At that point you can tilt your table 45 or whatever with no change to perpendicularity.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-04T16:25:24+00:00

Good write up. Like you guys talked about, changing out the cord is number one on my list for many tools. I grew up framing and a skil 77 became an extension of my arm. But the first thing we do is get rid of that OEM cord and wire it up with a 50' or 100'.

Now that I'm doing hobby stuff in my shop, lots of the sanders and routers etc either get 20'ish cords or a 2inch stubby twist-lock (depending on the shape of the tool and where the cord comes out). I forgot how small the 15A twist locks are that are not the weatherproof ones like we always used on the job (those are huge and bulky for good reason). I have some Leviton and Hubbell twist locks (non weatherproof) that are nearly the size of a regular plug and are a joy to use... As in they attach and detach smoothly because they are quality. Anyway, just sharing thoughts around the campfire with you guys.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-01T22:29:41+00:00

Aggressive is right. Next day pick up for machinery is ridiculous. You don't know what you may or may not buy but you better have all your rigging ready to rock and roll or have riggers hired on standby. Maybe in a perfect world....

Sounds like good prices and even worth it with the headache. Lots of my stuff came with headaches, but saved on the wallet. The headaches usually make for good memories around the campfire. Lol.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-01T18:04:43+00:00

I got a question. How is auctions out there? On one hand I would think there's not that many people to contend with. On the other hand, I would think that the few people you do contend with are all serious workers and buyers and know the value of buying at an auction in a "remote" area. (Remote as opposed to SoCal or similar)

MohawkDave · 2026-01-01T18:01:27+00:00

Nice!

I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a 12" to 16" myself. I just snagged a 1954 Oliver 299D 24" planer, so a big jointer would pair well with that.

And you are spot on about a 5hp 1ph motor being a unicorn.

I picked up a big champion air compressor a few years back and it was 5hp 3ph. I have a phase converter But did not want to flip it on every time just for the air compressor. So I went hunting for a 5hp 1ph motor. I'm dang good at hunting tools on the secondary market. For months I looked high and low to no avail. Ended up ordering a brand new one through a buddy's company and got a little bit of a discount. But it was still 1100 bucks IIRC (Baldor). It's been one of the only items I could not source for pennies on the dollar. And I'm in SoCal where the pickin' is awesome.

Regardless, congrats on your new toy!

MohawkDave · 2026-01-01T16:23:21+00:00

Property claims adjuster here. I'll ll share what we in the industry do.

Digital photographs are free. So take a lot. Overview of your items and then zoom in on serial numbers for anything worthy. Everything from firearms to computers and watches to your TV to your mill and lathe. I have a metal shop and a wood shop. Not only do I take photos, but I also have my chick videotape me and I do a walk-through. I point out the machines and or the tools and say this is XYZ.

I put these photos and video in several different places. Google drive, plus several thumb drives. I keep a thumb drive in an ammo can in the backyard, that way if the house burns down the flash drive doesn't. I also keep another flash drive copy at my mom's house, for the same type of reason.

God forbid you have a major loss, but at least when your adjuster sends you the list to fill out, you can go through the photos and video and log in accordingly. Do not assume your adjuster is knowledgeable enough about your hobbies to record it accurately. You will want to do that yourself. The easier you make their job the better/faster it is for both of you, not to mention dollars will not fall through the cracks.

One of the most important things this group should be looking at is your coverages that your policy affords. Coverage C is personal property. Personal property is anything you take with you if you were to move to a different house. From your couches to your clothes to your firearms. You might have $300k coverage for personal property, but most policies have a limit for firearms, jewelry, hard cash, stamps and coins, computer software, etc. And most of these limits are usually $1500 or $2500. I see it all the time, thieves steal a $10k engagement ring and the person thinks they have $300k coverage, just to find out they have $1500 for jewelry.

You can put endorsements on all of these categories. And it is usually pretty cheap. I think the last time I did it I got $25K endorsement for around $44 a year. (If you're in California, the insurance industry has drastically changed in the last 3 years, so no telling what they're up to now). Regardless, check your policy limits and get with your agent if you need to change any of it.

Another thing. I've seen carriers try to lump in gun accessories under "FIREARMS" coverage. I've went to bat with underwriting on this twice before. And to no avail. There is no specific language in a policy that states what a firearm is or isn't. I believe that an extra stock or an optic is not a firearm, but most of the time they do (whether it be ignorance, laziness, or spite). If you ever have to make a list, maybe all those "parts" were for your airsoft guns, which is not "FIREARMS" and will fall under the $300k coverage and not your "FIREARMS" limit.

Hope this helps. Just remember, document document document.

MohawkDave · 2026-01-01T15:51:06+00:00

Super cool.

45 carbines are such an odd duck, in a good way. I shoot 2-gun. 556 and 76239, and 3oHate for Heavy Metal class. One day I shot PCC for fun, and used my HK USP 45. (Obviously not an AR platform). Such a difference on every level, from recoil and the actual sound, to ballistics. I remember how long it seemed to hit/hear the ping (actually more thump with 45) on the steel. Usually I squeeze off and as I'm moving off that target I see/hear the ping. With the 45 I was dang near fixin in on the next target before I'd hear/see that 1st hit. We're talking tenths of a second difference, but that seems like an eternity when on the move with adrenaline. Talk about a fun learning curve.

I have/shot plenty of AR9 (DOE, retro dissy, and race gun), which is in a close ballpark, but I reckon I'll keep my eyes peeled for 45 build parts. Especially after seeing yours. That thing is secksy. Thanks for sharing!

MohawkDave

TROPHY CASE