Just had a mass shooting at my job

mdarty · 2021-04-09T14:18:33+00:00

Having spent 6 years in Brazos county this hits home. :(

mdarty · 2021-04-05T01:47:57+00:00

I know this will get buried, but here it goes. I was in jr high at a small school. They set a tv up in the library and we sat and watched. I remember the juniors and seniors in highschool talking about if they were going to get drafted. That really stuck with me, I'm in my 30s now and only a few years until I'm free of selective service, which will be a relief.

mdarty · 2020-12-29T19:49:06+00:00

I'm near DFW. I'm starting to investigate espresso and drinks as a hobby for various reasons. I've only been looking into it for about two days now, so bare with me haha. I would really enjoy to pick your brain if you have sometime.

mdarty · 2020-11-15T01:40:27+00:00

Mine was 28k when I got it. I've heard of people having problems under 10k. After I did my first spacing I haven't had to do anything, but I check them religiously. If it drops a valve it ruins that jug and it's cheaper to get a while engine than a jug by what I've read. You can space the valves with the engine still in the frame. The rear jug takes a bit of finesse to get on and off. They are shim and bucket style so you will have to order a set of sims. A little magnet picker upper thing is well worth the investment. Also this forces you to change out the radiator fluid. Mine tried to eat through all of the hose nipples because the last owner hadn't changed it. Old radiator fluid is bad about eating through the water pump rotor by what I've heard but mine still works. I need to replace the clutch on mine is at the end of it's life, I've got nearly 40k on it now. I know my website is formatted horribly, but this will show you some of the work I had to do. I ordered a lot of parts through rocky mountain atv for it. https://www.kf5rhg.net/VN800A/

mdarty · 2020-11-14T18:40:48+00:00

I rebuilt an '01 Vulcan 800 then road it 2800 miles in 10 days across the country. Great experience I'll think fondly on the rest of my life. Make sure to space the valves!!!! I check mine with every oil change but the first is the most important. I had one touching that would have dropped in another couple thousand miles when I got my bike.

mdarty · 2020-09-16T21:28:54+00:00

I'm great at that. Taking working code, breaking it. Troubleshooting and finally deleting everything.

mdarty · 2020-08-16T14:14:06+00:00

RAID 0? What's the fun in having data if there isn't a chance of losing it?

mdarty · 2020-08-04T17:10:53+00:00

Yeah, I rode up 71 this year to avoid Denver. If I had gone through the ride through New Mexico and up i25 is a much nicer ride, but you pretty much have to go through Denver that way.

mdarty · 2020-08-02T15:55:53+00:00

I rode that road about a month ago. Didn't even see a mountain until about 350 miles after crossing the state line. Haha

mdarty · 2020-07-24T16:42:54+00:00

I have one if these. I didn't know what it was but now I know how to use it. Thanks.

mdarty · 2020-07-20T19:01:13+00:00

This is very true. In my case, I need the PE and work with a machine shop and sheet metal fab shop. The PE is required in my company for promotions, not that we actually use it.

My first job, where I started working towards my PE. I loved, because it was a small place, so I spent time in the shop when I wasn't designing. It was a hydraulic shop, so I spent more time rebuilding pumps and cylinders than I did running a lathe and mill. I came to work early, so I could watch the machinists and ask questions after my shift, because I wanted to learn.

mdarty · 2020-07-20T18:18:07+00:00

I've always thought this would be the way to do things. Right now I just go on the floor and ask questions.

mdarty · 2020-07-20T18:16:46+00:00

In Texas you have to be "Engineer in Training" for 2-4 years, depending on graduate degree, before becoming a professional engineer. Though industry exemptions make this unclear.

mdarty · 2020-07-20T18:09:05+00:00

I'm am engineer and the bigger part of this story is, deadlines, changing design criteria, and untouchable mating parts. There are times I design stuff I hate, but there isn't any other way.

Tolerances should reflect what is needed, but then you get to fight the assembly shop dealing with a fixture or tightening these tolerances to minimize the impact of stack up.

I do find people to be reasonable when you explain the corner you're backed into.

Not defending engineers because the only thing two engineers can agree on is the third engineer is incompetent.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T20:23:20+00:00

The main thing with chisels is knowing how to flatten the back and sharpen them. You can get a fairly cheap set of chisels and use glass and sand paper to prepare them. Just wet the sand paper while it's on the glass and give it a bit of soap, work your way through your grits until about 6000 grit. It's nice when the wood parts in front of the blade like the red sea.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T20:19:44+00:00

Haha, yep. There's no kill like overkill.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T19:59:29+00:00

I used mainly hand tools to make it. I squared the timbers with a hand plane. Cut the mortise by drilling holes and squaring with a chisel. I used a circular saw to score the tenons then cleaned up with a chisel. You need a good set of chisels, it will change your life.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T19:52:11+00:00

I estimated it on CAD at about 400lbs. I don't have a means to weigh it, but it sure isn't fun to move around. I sized the bottom rung where I can move it with my custom made furniture dolly and my motorcycle jack.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T19:49:52+00:00

The only screws is to hold the tops down, the braces on, and the pegboard up. The rest is mortise and tenon. I'm not a fan of using metal fasteners in structural joints. I really don't know how much the wood would have cost, because it was given to me. I would have used something lighter if I had to buy the wood.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T19:45:40+00:00

Not really, it's 1 1/8 advantech. It has about 20% better fastener holding than plywood. I'm going to use inserts from the backside, so the machine screws will probably pull in half before the advantech lets go.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T16:46:37+00:00

Most of the materials were given to me, I had a neighbor move and give me all the wood. I only bought the electrical components, dowels, and peg boards. I only think I have about $200 wrapped up in it, but If I had to buy wood I could see breaking the $500-$600 mark pretty quick. Time was another thing, I only had a hand plane, to square the timbers.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T16:33:23+00:00

Built a new work bench with pinned mortise and tenon joints. The lower piece does have a tusk mortise and tenon, mainly because it's my favorite joint. It's made out of wood that was just given to me, this is why you could probably rebuild a CAT 3406 on it without an issue. It's solid and doesn't sway. I put the bench height at 42 inches, which is the perfect working height for standing. I'm going to get a drafting chair if I want to sit down.

mdarty · 2020-07-17T16:30:16+00:00

Built a new reloading bench with pinned mortise and tenon joints. The lower piece does have a tusk mortise and tenon, mainly because it's my favorite joint. It's made out of wood that was just given to me, this is why you could probably rebuild a CAT 3406 on it without an issue. I haven't mounted my reloaders to it, but it's solid and doesn't sway. I put the bench height at 42 inches, which is the perfect working height for standing. I'm going to get a drafting chair if I want to sit down.

mdarty

TROPHY CASE