Review Campbell Hausfeld Air Hose Reel

CH Hose Reel

I purchased the Campbell Hausfeld PA500400AV  Retractable Air Hose Reel recently, and am quite pleased with it. This air hose reel review is what I have experienced. It comes with 50 feet of 3/8″ air hose on an enclosed reel. The hose feeds out and retracts smoothly. That is important to me. I have been using a regular hose for years and cursed it every time. Unless you twisted it to get the curl out, it would not lie flat. It was a hassle every time. This hose is a breeze to use. I can pull it out to my driveway. Hold on to the hose when it retracts though!

After using it for some time just sitting by the compressor, I finally mounted it on the wall. It does have a handle on top for portability, but it is better mounted to a wall. It does come with several lag bolts. Remove the bracket from the reel and bolt it down then reattach the reel.

IMG_1468It can swivel side to side. Sticks out from the wall 20″, 15″ tall and 8″ thick. I read an online review that they were concerned it does not have hose guides on the sides, just on the bottom. I don’t think this is a problem as it pivots in the direction being pulled.

IMG_1472I was concerned that it would not be able to provide the volume of air necessary for the impact wrench I use to remove lug nuts on my car. It had to be 3/8″, but I could not find the hose diameter anywhere. Even on the Campbell Hausfeld website.  From the pictures it looked smaller and it was not available in a “brick and mortar” store to look at. So I took a chance and it turned out to be 3/8″. Runs my air tools fine.  You can get it at Amazon  through  this link Air Hose Reel .

After mounting it to the wall I attached it to my compressor through a regulator/moisture filter. In the past I have had problems with the cheap regulators that attach directly to the compressor, so I got a better one, but it didn’t come with a bracket. I made a little holder for it and some accessories with 2 pieces of 1/2″ plywood. Coated it in polyurethane. The regulator just sets in it and seems stable since there is no stress on it.

So after getting everything mounted I am quite happy with my setup and no more cursing. At least at the hose.

air accessories

 

air accessories 2

How to Build a Funny Bird House

Miesel Creature Birdhouse
Miesel Creature Birdhouse

I bought these plans from Meisel and thought I would review building this funny birdhouse. My bird house is called “City Beatnik” and there are two different plans included for $15. They have many “old man” type plans. Even more animals. These are full size drawings.  Here is a book by the same designer on Amazon, but they are not full size drawings except for the smaller parts.

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Plans Funny Face Birdhouse
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I found the full size plans useful and they include a cutting guide to get the most from your wood. It can be cut from a 1″x 10″x 8′ piece of pine or cedar. I used rough-cut reclaimed lumber, which caused me a bunch of headaches, because it was cupped. I did like the rough surface.

Let me first say  I use power tools that I have acquired over the years. I understand that many do not have the room or money for these. I think this birdhouse can be built using a jigsaw. With it use a straight edge and a protractor to set the angle of the blade for the bevel cuts. Sandpaper, glue, nails and a way to bore the 1 1/4″ hole and you are set. It would great to build with a kid . I still remember building a birdhouse with my grandfather and that was long ago.

I started by cutting all my pieces to the correct length. Using a crosscut sled I made for my table saw made this easier. Remember to cut to the waste side. Then cut to width. Theses are your blanks to cut the required angles and bevels on. I used my miter gauge to cut the angles for the end pieces. I actually cut the first end, then traced it on the second blank, cut it on the band saw to save time. Since I made mine out of reclaimed lumber and had to glue two pieces together to get the width, I needed to keep the seam centered so it looked right. This made it more difficult.

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Cutting Birdhouse Roof
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To cut the bevels on the sides, I set the bevel on my saw and used the sliding mitre gauge with an extended wood fence to get the piece close to the gauge while keeping my hand far away. Since the piece was already the correct length, I gradually cut the bevel with repeated passes until the bevel was completed.IMG_1431IMG_1429

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I found it easiest to work directly off the main drawing. I got a bit confused how they     measured the angles, so I just used a protractor to measure them.
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Assemble the sides and ends. I used 18 gauge nails and glue. Titebond II is weather resistant. As you can see my sides are cupped. Custom fit the bottom. If you are going to actually use it for birds to live in, then you need to be able to remove the bottom to clean out the old nests. I put a screw in each side to hold it in place. In the picture, the bottom is square, the sides are not. Drill the hole next.

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Next comes the part that makes this more than just an ordinary birdhouse–adding the face. I had read about using Glad Press’n Seal to transfer patterns to wood and gave it a try. It worked great! Posted about it here. Using a scroll saw, I cut out the pieces, sanding them smooth on a 1 inch belt sander.

Transferring image with PressnSeal
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After I had all the parts cut, I rounded the edges slightly. I used a 1/4″ router bit to round over the nose. Looking back, I wish I had rounded it over more. A file and sandpaper can get the same results. Now it is time to attach the face. I had an uneven surface to attach the pieces to. I glued the nostrils and the bottom of the eyes to the nose first. I actually drilled two holes and used screws and glue to attach the nose. I worked from inside the house using a stubby screwdriver. If you have a smooth surface, the screws probably are not necessary. Attach the rest of the parts as in the plans. I didn’t use the ears, because I did not like them.

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Attaching face to bird house

After the glue has set, attach the roof. I found it easier to join the two roof pieces before putting them on the house. Lastly, attach the two acrylic eyeballs. These you have to buy from Meisel when you buy the plans.

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Funny Face Birdhouse

In the end I am pleased with the results. The plans include a second birdhouse. I will make that one too, using new wood, saving me a lot of headaches.

Hope this has been helpful. Please post comments below. Especially if you have built a character birdhouse.

Easy Transfer of Patterns to Wood

 

IMG_1464This is an easy way to transfer cutting patterns to wood. Instead of using carbon paper, use something you may already have in your house, Glad Press’n Seal plastic wrap. I think this was a reader tip in Wood Magazine. I filed it away in my brain for future use. I used it when building a Funny Birdhouse.

Take a piece of Press’n Seal and smooth it down on to a dust free drawing or picture you want to transfer. Make sure the sticky side is down.  If the print on the film is readable you have it right. Really smooth it down using some pressure so it sticks. Now using a Sharpie, trace the pattern. When you are done peel it off.

Transfer it to the wood. Make sure the wood dust free so the film will stick. Smooth it downIMG_1463 using pressure. Work from the centre out. The film has a texture to it that acts like suction cups. When you have it down, cut off the excess with a razor knife.

Using a scroll saw or band saw cut out the pattern. I haven’t tried a jig saw. The film sticks well, but I don’t know if dragging the base of a jig saw across it would peel it off.

Don’t forget to peel of the film before gluing up. Like I almost did.

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