Get Woodworking Ideas on the Internet

Get woodworking ideas on the internet. I did a demonstration at the Woodworkers of Whittier meeting, showing the usefulness of the internet for the woodworker. It is a great research tool for finding out information. I covered three ways to use it:

Get Ideas, Learn Techniques and Get Information on ToolsToy wood tugboat

Google is the best known way to find information on the internet. What many people don’t know, is that when you do a search, it will also do an image search. Recently I wanted ideas for a toy tugboat. By doing a Google search I got pictures of toy tugboats. Click on the picture and you can get more information . Another popular way to see pictures of woodworking projects, is to go to www.pinterest.com . This is a site where people put together collection of pictures they like from the internet. This is called “pinning”. These collections have themes. One collection I have is “Things I want to make”. You can see other peoples collections and search them.

www.youtube.com is an excellent place to learn woodworking techniques and get ideas. There are probably a million videos there. Some are great and some lousy. Here are a few of the people I follow. Steve Ramsey (does wood projects weekly, John Heisz, Mathias Wandel, The Wood Whisperer, April Wilkerson and Izzy Swan. Most of these people also have associated websites where they post plans. I find if I need a jig for my workshop, doing a search on Youtube finds me someone who has already made one.

The woodworking magazines have websites and Facebook pages where they post free tips, plans and videos. Wood Magazine is a good one. Woodworkers Guild of America often posts free short videos.

Before buying a tool, do a google search for reviews. It will lead you to websites with information on that tool. Also go to www.amazon.com and look up a tool. Even if you don’t buy it there, looking at the reviews is most helpful.

If you have and old tool without an owners manual, do a google search with the make and model number. You can often find a site that has a free manual in pdf format that you can download for free. Craftsman is really good about this.

So, use the internet to help in your woodworking endeavors.

Makita 2012NB Planer Blade Change

Makita 2012NB Planer Blade Change- How to change or flip the blades on a Makita 2012NB Planer using rare earth magnets to hold the blade. I bought this planer used and did not have the tools or manual for replacing the blades (knives). Makita gives you a magnetic blade holder, but I did not have that. Turns out it is easy using small rare earth magnets from Harbor Freight  to hold the blades in place and install them.

Here is a good deal on blades for almost half the price of Makita  on Amazon Powertec Blades. Watch my youtube video above to see how I did it. The blades are 2 sided  so often you can just flip them.

Makita 2012NB Magnet Blade Change
Makita 2012NB Blade Change using magnet

Best Way to Kill Argentine Ants

Amdro Ant Block

This is the best way to kill Argentine ants I have found, and I have tried many things over the years. Pesticides that did work were outlawed. Borax in sugar water did not work. All the different type of baits, they were not attracted to them. Amdro Ant Block Bait is the only bait they would take back to their nest. Especially works good around citrus trees, where the ants would “farm” aphids on the leaves. I am in Southern California where the Argentine ant has become a big problem. I also find it works on Black ants that build mounds in the lawn.

Over 9 years I have found the best way to use this bait for me is- I use it as spot treatment. The bottle shows using it as a house perimeter block, spreading it around the whole house. I just sprinkle it lightly along ant trails I see, or where I see ant activity. I could see doing the entire perimeter thing if you have them bad in the house, but I don’t. I have more of a problem with them in the garden now. In the beginning the ants would climb the trees and plants and get in the house. By killing them in the planters, they stay out of the house.

Sprinkle it lightly where you see ants. Do not pile mounds of it, the ants will avoid it and pets could get into it. Sprinkle just enough so you barely see it. Don’t let the bait get wet. Put it out in dry weather or after watering. Don’t worry that the granules look big as an ants head (like my neighbor did), they got strong jaws. After opening the container, the bait can get old and loose effectiveness. I find it lasts about a year before it doesn’t work as well and I have to get a new supply. Be patient! It takes about a week to see results. By being patient and not using a spray that kills just the ants you see and leaves a toxic residue, the nest and queen will be destroyed. Amdro is not cheap, but it works. You can get it at Amazon, all major home improvement centers and Walmart.

Great Carpet Cleaner Shampoo Substitute

Carpet Cleaner Soap

Save Money:

You can make your own great carpet cleaner shampoo substitute cheap and easy. You can even make substitute de-foamer to keep the water picked up in the recovery tank from foaming up.  I did it and it is easy. You can use what you already have. Also known as carpet shampoo, solution, soap, detergent- it is all the same.

I have a Hoover carpet cleaner that I use several times a year to clean  high traffic areas. Works good  and I like the results. The price of the fluid adds up though, at $12 or more a bottle. Then you add on  the de-foamer and the spot treatment, it really adds up. I knew there must be a cheaper way, so I searched the web and saw it mentioned you can use laundry detergent. Made sense to me, since you are cleaning fabric.

Make your own:

After using it for a couple years, this is what I do. I use a teaspoon or less of powdered laundry detergent to a gallon of hot water. Think about how much you use in the clothes washer to a gallon of water. I don’t see why you couldn’t use liquid soap instead. If you use scented, your carpet will smell like your clothes do. You wouldn’t use something with fabric softener in it. May attract dirt. As always put some of the solution on a rag and test a concealed part on the carpet for color fastness.

Defoamer and Spot Clean too:

For de-foamer in the recovery tank, just put a small piece of bar soap in the tank. Fish it out and use it again. Works great! For the spot pre-treatment, I just spray some Formula 409 cleaner on the spot and rub it a little before going over it with the carpet cleaner. Spray some on a cloth first and rub a carpet area to make sure no color from the carpet transfers to the rag.

These are the three ways I save some money cleaning my carpets. It adds up over time.

How to Add Knife to Knife Block

Knife block add knifeHow to add knife to knife block easily using magnets. The key is to use the new high strength neodymium magnets. I used these from Harbor Freight –Magnets. These from Amazon will work too 20 Neodymium Magnets 3/8 x 1/16 inch Disc N48   Don’t be fooled by the small size, they are magnet on fingervery strong and will slam together when pulled apart. They can chip when hit, leaving a sharp edge. Keep away from children. You want just enough magnetic force to do the job. Too much and you will pull over the block when taking the knife away.

First hold the knife you are adding to the side of the knife block. Make sure it doesn’t interfere with any of the existing knives. Determine where the magnets should go to evenly hold the knife. If you Magnets on knifefind later more force is needed, you can add a magnet in the center. Put some masking tape in the area you want the magnets and mark on the tape. Drill a shallow hole slightly larger than the magnet, When glued in place, the magnet should be slightly above the surface. The tape also protects the area from glue slop.

I used 2 part epoxy. I don’t think super glue would work as well on the porous wood I had.

epoxy mix

Epoxy Mix

Drilling Knife Block

Insert epoxy sparingly and gently push down magnets until they are just above the surface. Knife block magnetKnife Block Magnets inserted 2

 

Let epoxy set and remove tape. You are done. If magnets do not hold knife secure enough, add another magnet. BE CAREFUL if the knife blade edge is exposed beyond the block- you could get cut .Knife block add knife

Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower Repair

Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower

Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower repair for loose impeller. I have had this leaf blower for 6 months, using it once a week with no problems. I like that it is rather quite, starts easy and works well. The other day when I was starting it as usual, it kicked back on me. It backfires and whips the starter cord out of your hand. It has never done this before. My old leaf blower did it all the time. It started on the next try and I used it on the yard as normal. Half way through I could hear something plastic rattling. I finished, turned it off and shook it. The impeller was loose hitting the housing. I got out the drill driver and took out the 8 screws that held the housing on.Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower repair

The nut holding the impeller on was loose. I took it all the way off, fearing that the plastic impeller was damaged. Turning it over I saw it was undamaged. Putting it back together I put  Permatex 24200 Medium Strength Threadlocker Blue, 6 ml
on the bolt threads hoping to prevent it from happening again. I don’t know why they didn’t do it at the factory. Holding the impeller I tightened the nut snug. Anyway the repair only took 5 minutes. I think what happened is when it backfired, going in reverse, it loosened the nut. Even though it needed tightening, I would still buy this tool again. Starts easy and does the job quickly.

Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower repair