DFB's Garage

Swung by my friends workshop this morning, and with his large panel saw, the plywood was cut to size in no time. Two 1840mm x 600mm sections.

IMG_4735 by D B, on Flickr

In Year 10 I did a week's work experience with the gentleman above. At the time, I was mad on woodwork and cabinetry, which started in Year 7 woodwork class. Funnily, I started out hating that class, which was mandatory for all Year 7 students and. If I'm honest, it was simply because of a lack of confidence and a high amount of self-consciousness that was holding me back. But................somehow woodwork ended up being one of my favorite classes, of which I carried right through into Year 12. Go figure.

Anyway, I remember on day one of that work experience being set up to apply laminate edge banding on "white board" (melamine). Back then, this was done by hand using a hot iron to activate the adhesive, smoothed over with a cork block, then trimmed with a hand file in a very specific technique, as shown below. Well, being a ball of anxiety, the first stroke of the file was an instant failure, to which I let slip "I fu.ked it up"..................to hysterical laughter from my mentor. I did eventually get the hang of it, I actually enjoyed the task in the end and could probably still do it now.


Of course, there are various methods of applying and trimming edge banding these days, depending on the shop volume and budget. No more "fu.king it up"................... ;)



I had originally planned on making these cuts myself using a circular saw that dates back to my mid-teens, anyone remember GMC tools, basically what Ozito is today. Anyway, I didn't have a long enough straight edge to make a perfect cut, nor did I want to buy one for the mere three cuts I needed it for, then have to store the bloody thing somewhere.

gmccs1 by D B, on Flickr

Once cut to size, I cleaned up the plywood edges with the sander, then a final sand of the facing sides. I really love this M18 palm sander, so convenient to use and seems to be quite efficient in terms of power usage/battery life.

https://www.totaltools.com.au/124405-milwaukee-18v-125mm-random-oribital-sander-m18bos1250

IMG_4739 by D B, on Flickr

It was then out with the paint brush to continue applying the polyurethane.

IMG_4736 by D B, on Flickr

Once I have the painting done, one piece of the plywood will provide a sturdier surface for my work bench, the existing sheet metal panels are just too thin and end up clanging as the deforming under weight. The second will become a backing piece for a unique splash back I have in mind.

IMG_4684 by D B, on Flickr
 
Ah the memories, year 7 for me was back in 1982, and I remember 1 term of woodwork, I made a pencil box which might still be packed away in the garage somewhere, 1 term was plastics in which we made a letter opener, still have it somewhere, and metal work for the last term, and I cannot remember what I made there, other than throwing stars which we weren't supposed to be making of course.

I also had that same circular saw, which I finally threw out when we moved house, I have a Ryobi cordless which is fine for what I use it for.
 
Big Dave said:
Ah the memories, year 7 for me was back in 1982, and I remember 1 term of woodwork, I made a pencil box which might still be packed away in the garage somewhere, 1 term was plastics in which we made a letter opener, still have it somewhere, and metal work for the last term, and I cannot remember what I made there, other than throwing stars which we weren't supposed to be making of course.

I also had that same circular saw, which I finally threw out when we moved house, I have a Ryobi cordless which is fine for what I use it for.
Click to expand...
1982 i was 2 years old. Woodwork art class were my favourites
 
Big Dave said:
Ah the memories, year 7 for me was back in 1982, and I remember 1 term of woodwork, I made a pencil box which might still be packed away in the garage somewhere, 1 term was plastics in which we made a letter opener, still have it somewhere, and metal work for the last term, and I cannot remember what I made there, other than throwing stars which we weren't supposed to be making of course.

I also had that same circular saw, which I finally threw out when we moved house, I have a Ryobi cordless which is fine for what I use it for.
Click to expand...

My high school years were 1999 to 2004. The year I joined, the school had changed its name, moving away from the old Tech School name. Having said that, it was still a school with a heavy trade focus, including woodwork, metal engineering, even automotive. Sadly, a few years ago they closed all but one of the four state schools in town, rebuilding just the one for what they call a "super-school". I was dead against it, mainly from a historical point of view, but also from a behavioral sense because every single bad egg went to the same school, rather than being spread out, which had a lot of parents concerned about bullying.

I used to catch up with old teacher who would come into the nursery. Two years before the amalgamation, he told me they tore down all of the DUX and sporting achievement boards displayed in the office foyer, which I thought was extremely disrespectful to those who strived for and achieved excellence, like somehow they were an embarrassment to the super-school model. The boards were thrown into a storage, probably thrown away now.

Anyway, my first woodwork project was a pencil holder like this.....................................its floating around somewhere. I also made the customary spice rack.

echid by D B, on Flickr

We'd do a semester of woodwork, then switch to a semester of Tech, which was basically arts and crafts with metal and plastic. I think the favorite thing I made in that class was an old-school toolbox, same as below using galvanized steel sheet, all folded and spot welded together. I still have it down in the back shed.

266665dff9e0b23cbaa9515c1cceb35b by D B, on Flickr

My grandfather would always tell me that your school years are the best years of your life.............................its funny how you figure that out for yourself many years after the fact. I wouldn't say my high school years were the best, I was too shy and self-conscious to feel comfortable within myself, let alone around others. I don't think I got that until year 12. I did however enjoy my early to mid 20's and the freedom you have at that age. For me, that came to screeching halt at in feb 2014, shortly after turning 27. That was the day I woke up with this strange, localized pain, something I have had to live with every day since, it basically ruined my life. Before that, I was killing it.
 
It's funny how these things happen, in year 7 I went to Meadowbank Boys HS, just a few hundred metres from home, at the start of year 8 they announced they were closing it at the end of the year, so the parents all took their kids and jumped ship, by the third day there was only 10 or so of us left. But then a nearby school got burnt down, and they took over my old school, while it got rebuilt. So I just enrolled with them, and stayed till year 12. In the meantime we moved a couple of times and they moved back to their original school when it was rebuilt, and it was now taking me between an hour and an hour and a half to get to school on multiple buses and trains. And that's why I absolutely hate public transport, and why I like to drive everywhere.
 
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1994-1997 although year 10 was hard due to bullying from some mullet bogan. I still see him around town, but we grew up living across the road from a primary school (Hillcrest Primary school) Lawrence Drive Devonport. And some of the best memories were made there, jumping around the bushes, riding out BMX bikes and skateboarding the stairs curb/gutters. And chasing girls of course.

No internet no mobile phone's no problems just fun! The late 80s early 90s were good.
 
Feel like I making progress now!

Yesterday I was waiting for a second coat of polyurethane to dry, so today I got around to installing the plywood pieces. First, after being squared up, pre-drilled and countersunk, the bench top section was secured to the metal frame. I love how that Surge Impact can be used to drive drill bits as well as driving home fasteners. And because of the hydraulic gearset, its super smooth doing it, none of the typical noise and vibration from a conventional impact driver.

IMG_4743 by D B, on Flickr

For the backsplash, this piece tucks slightly behind the bench and was secured directly to the concrete wall. After applying some adhesive, I actually had to prop it up from underneath to hold the board in place while I pre-drilled and countersunk the plywood, then plunged through with the SDS drill into the concrete, then used tapcons to hold it in place. You can wind in tapcons with an impact, but they are easy to strip, so I used a 1/4-inch socket wrench to play it safe.

After vacuuming up all the concrete dust, I went over the worktop with 320-grit sandpaper to level down the finish, ready for another layer of polyurethane.

IMG_4746 by D B, on Flickr

At this point, looking at what I had just done, I was wondering if the planned next step was something I still wanted to do? But, while it looked clean, I felt it also lacks character, so I decided to follow my heart and took the plunge......................

As always, the Ranger proves its worth in being an excellent work bench.

IMG_4749 by D B, on Flickr

A lot of additional work, but hopefully it achieves the look I'm going for. I've also ordered some shelves to break up the backsplash.
 
Sorry to hi jack your thread Deyon but I can't seem to send pictures via a PM. This is what I'm was talking about. 🙂
20250328_153323.jpg20250328_153347.jpg20250328_153358.jpg
 
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DFB said:
Where did you get them from in the end?
Click to expand...
The Gerni adapter i had the hex nipple was brought from Autobarn

I was thinking maybe stainless next time but I don't want the brass to fuse.

Edit: Autobarn
 
Last edited:
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Back into it this morning, determined to get the bulk of the bench project done today!

Yesterday I broke down several pallets, sorting them into size and finish. These will be used to clad backsplash, the idea being to add some "character" while still having a "finished" look. So, I then sanded down the boards, removing any splinters, rough sections and rounding over the edges. Now, after messing with pallets last year, I discovered its best to strip down more than you need, that way you can pick and choose what boards you want to use or will be happy with.

Last night I plotted out a pattern for the boards. Quite often with this sort of effect, the boards will be randomly arranged at varying lengths........................but I'm too regimented for that and wanted to have some uniformity. So, alternating layers consisting of two 920mm smooth boards and three 613mm boards in a rougher finish.

Screenshot (355) by D B, on Flickr

With the prep done, it was time for some saw work. This is where having plenty of boards broken down comes in handy, allowing you work around imperfections and select enough of each finish.

IMG_4752 by D B, on Flickr

After a quick layout check, I went ahead measuring and pre-drilling pilot holes in each board. Again, from experience, this timber can be prone to splitting, so pre-drilling helps prevent this. It was then time for fun part..................have I mentioned how much I love the Milwaukee M18 Surge? :D

IMG_4757 by D B, on Flickr

With the boards secured, time for paint......................

IMG_4758 by D B, on Flickr

The finish will lose some of the sheen once the polyurethan has dried. I also sanded and applied another layer to the worktop, and tomorrow I will apply another to the backsplash.

IMG_4766 by D B, on Flickr

IMG_4762 by D B, on Flickr

IMG_4768 by D B, on Flickr

Very pleased with how the backsplash turned out. Once the paint has dried, I will attach a couple of shelves for aerosol cans such as carb spray and WD40. I'm also on the hunt for a vice.

A simple task, but it's been nice working with timber again.
 
DFB said:
Back into it this morning, determined to get the bulk of the bench project done today!

Yesterday I broke down several pallets, sorting them into size and finish. These will be used to clad backsplash, the idea being to add some "character" while still having a "finished" look. So, I then sanded down the boards, removing any splinters, rough sections and rounding over the edges. Now, after messing with pallets last year, I discovered its best to strip down more than you need, that way you can pick and choose what boards you want to use or will be happy with.

Last night I plotted out a pattern for the boards. Quite often with this sort of effect, the boards will be randomly arranged at varying lengths........................but I'm too regimented for that and wanted to have some uniformity. So, alternating layers consisting of two 920mm smooth boards and three 613mm boards in a rougher finish.

Screenshot (355) by D B, on Flickr

With the prep done, it was time for some saw work. This is where having plenty of boards broken down comes in handy, allowing you work around imperfections and select enough of each finish.

IMG_4752 by D B, on Flickr

After a quick layout check, I went ahead measuring and pre-drilling pilot holes in each board. Again, from experience, this timber can be prone to splitting, so pre-drilling helps prevent this. It was then time for fun part..................have I mentioned how much I love the Milwaukee M18 Surge? :D

IMG_4757 by D B, on Flickr

With the boards secured, time for paint......................

IMG_4758 by D B, on Flickr

The finish will lose some of the sheen once the polyurethan has dried. I also sanded and applied another layer to the worktop, and tomorrow I will apply another to the backsplash.

IMG_4766 by D B, on Flickr

IMG_4762 by D B, on Flickr

IMG_4768 by D B, on Flickr

Very pleased with how the backsplash turned out. Once the paint has dried, I will attach a couple of shelves for aerosol cans such as carb spray and WD40. I'm also on the hunt for a vice.

A simple task, but it's been nice working with timber again.
Click to expand...
Looks great, well worth the effort. Every time you use it, the satisfaction of knowing it's your own creation will be there.
 
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Despite having the saw set up out in the driveway yesterday, the Falcon got showered with a layer of sawdust. In hindsight, I probably should have moved it out of the garage, but then I wouldn't have had something to do today! 😉



Soap of choice today was NV Snow.

If I had to name my absolute favorite soap, the response would be a very quick Carpro Reset. But you certainly pay for Reset's top drawer user experience. However, when you throw purchase price into the equation, the balance shifts towards NV Snow for the following reasons......................

- The consistency of the soap is thin, so it's easy to pour, just like Reset.

- A unique but subtle fragrance..............also like Reset. Both differ from the usual berry or bubblegum scents used in most soaps.

- The foaming ability is seriously impressive, producing slightly thicker foam compared to Reset.

- Slickness is exceptional, not quite Reset slick, but not far off. If Reset was 10/10, Snow would be 9.5/10.

- Free rinsing, like Reset.

- Excellent cleaning ability, if not more so than Reset.

- Snow is significantly more cost effective in the 4-litre size.

AUD
SIZENV SnowCarpro Reset
500ml$21.95$24.95
1-litre$33.95$39.95
4-litre$78.50$129.95

USD
SIZENV SnowCarpro Reset
500ml$15.99$15.99
1-litre$22.99$26.99
4-litre$64.99$89.99





After the wash, ADS Amplify was used for drying aid duties (paint, engine bay, door jambs and wheels), OG Tire Dressing on the rubber, ADS Pilot for the interior. On this occasion, I also had to get after the interior glass. For this, I went with Carpro Eraser to hopefully deal with the light film that had built up. After the detail, the XR6 swapped place with the Mustang and then covered up.

I've been using the Falcon as my daily over the last two weeks, which after a short acclimatization, has been so nice due to the comfortable seats, decent ride quality and that smooth, torque rich engine. Despite the 8-year age difference, jumping back in the Ranger is such a downgrade in drivability. Just the other week, I nearly got t-boned due to the horrendous turbo/throttle lag in the Ranger, how Ford signed off on the 2.2's calibration beggars belief! Apparently the 6-speed automatic is even worse.

And it's not due to a lack torque as both produce similar numbers, 385 Nm for the Ranger and 391 Nm (420 Nm on 98-ron) for the Falcon. Where the Barra builds torque very naturally off idle, absolutely nothing happens till 1800 rpm in the Ranger, then it falls on it's face at 2200 rpm. Now, 1800 rpm might sound reasonable for peak torque to arrive, but the problem is how long the engine takes to reach that number due to the turbo lag and the throttle being absolutely dead. And with such a narrow 400 rpm power/torque window, it means you are constantly shifting gears to keep it productive.

Speaking of the Ranger, due to it doubling as a sawhorse, it too has that layer of sawdust. However, the workhorse will have to wait until after my mowing run next week for a wash.
 
DFB said:
Despite having the saw set up out in the driveway yesterday, the Falcon got showered with a layer of sawdust. In hindsight, I probably should have moved it out of the garage, but then I wouldn't have had something to do today! 😉



Soap of choice today was NV Snow.

If I had to name my absolute favorite soap, the response would be a very quick Carpro Reset. But you certainly pay for Reset's top drawer user experience. However, when you throw purchase price into the equation, the balance shifts towards NV Snow for the following reasons......................

- The consistency of the soap is thin, so it's easy to pour, just like Reset.

- A unique but subtle fragrance..............also like Reset. Both differ from the usual berry or bubblegum scents used in most soaps.

- The foaming ability is seriously impressive, producing slightly thicker foam compared to Reset.

- Slickness is exceptional, not quite Reset slick, but not far off. If Reset was 10/10, Snow would be 9.5/10.

- Free rinsing, like Reset.

- Excellent cleaning ability, if not more so than Reset.

- Snow is significantly more cost effective in the 4-litre size.


AUD
SIZENV SnowCarpro Reset
500ml$21.95$24.95
1-litre$33.95$39.95
4-litre$78.50$129.95


USD
SIZENV SnowCarpro Reset
500ml$15.99$15.99
1-litre$22.99$26.99
4-litre$64.99$89.99





After the wash, ADS Amplify was used for drying aid duties (paint, engine bay, door jambs and wheels), OG Tire Dressing on the rubber, ADS Pilot for the interior. On this occasion, I also had to get after the interior glass. For this, I went with Carpro Eraser to hopefully deal with the light film that had built up. After the detail, the XR6 swapped place with the Mustang and then covered up.

I've been using the Falcon as my daily over the last two weeks, which after a short acclimatization, has been so nice due to the comfortable seats, decent ride quality and that smooth, torque rich engine. Despite the 8-year age difference, jumping back in the Ranger is such a downgrade in drivability. Just the other week, I nearly got t-boned due to the horrendous turbo/throttle lag in the Ranger, how Ford signed off on the 2.2's calibration beggars belief! Apparently the 6-speed automatic is even worse.

And it's not due to a lack torque as both produce similar numbers, 385 Nm for the Ranger and 391 Nm (420 Nm on 98-ron) for the Falcon. Where the Barra builds torque very naturally off idle, absolutely nothing happens till 1800 rpm in the Ranger, then it falls on it's face at 2200 rpm. Now, 1800 rpm might sound reasonable for peak torque to arrive, but the problem is how long the engine takes to reach that number due to the turbo lag and the throttle being absolutely dead. And with such a narrow 400 rpm power/torque window, it means you are constantly shifting gears to keep it productive.

Speaking of the Ranger, due to it doubling as a sawhorse, it too has that layer of sawdust. However, the workhorse will have to wait until after my mowing run next week for a wash.
Click to expand...
BARRA SWAP! the Ute 🤔
 
Tasmania said:
BARRA SWAP! the Ute 🤔
Click to expand...

That would be perfection!

Those Barra's are huge though, far too long to fit in the Ranger's engine bay. It's just one of the reasons why the Barra never got exported or utilized elsewhere, they were just too long and too tall to fit anything but the biggest engine bays. And the big iron block made them heavy too, about 240 kg / 525 lbs. A 2JZ weighs in at 199 kg / 440 lbs.

I'd say it would be easier to fit the Raptor's 3.0 V6, although more expensive.
www.jeffersonfordparts.com.au

Genuine Ford Ranger Raptor Engine 3L V6 Twin Turbo Motor

Buy Genuine Ford Ranger Raptor Engine 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo Motor 2022 - 2024 online. Genuine parts, genuine protection. In stock & Australia-wide shipping.
www.jeffersonfordparts.com.au www.jeffersonfordparts.com.au
 
DFB said:
That would be perfection!

Those Barra's are huge though, far too long to fit in the Ranger's engine bay. It's just one of the reasons why the Barra never got exported or utilized elsewhere, they were just too long and too tall to fit anything but the biggest engine bays. And the big iron block made them heavy too, about 240 kg / 525 lbs. A 2JZ weighs in at 199 kg / 440 lbs.

I'd say it would be easier to fit the Raptor's 3.0 V6, although more expensive.
www.jeffersonfordparts.com.au

Genuine Ford Ranger Raptor Engine 3L V6 Twin Turbo Motor

Buy Genuine Ford Ranger Raptor Engine 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo Motor 2022 - 2024 online. Genuine parts, genuine protection. In stock & Australia-wide shipping.
www.jeffersonfordparts.com.au www.jeffersonfordparts.com.au
Click to expand...
Raptor engine wouldn't be hard to find one at the wreckers.....Powerrrrrrrr
 
First use of the new workbench, a backdrop for images.



In this case, I'm show casing a couple of specific Stihl tools, which are designed to allow adjustment to the carburetor tuning screws, bypassing the limiter caps.

STIHL Carburettor Limiter Cap Special Tool. # 5910 890 4500 | Outbushman
STIHL Genuine Octagonal Carburettor Adjustment Driver # 5910 890 2314 | Outbushman





Also included was a bottle of Stihl press fluid, which is designed to make installing gromets, fuel lines and filters easier. I learnt about this via the video below (from the 43-min mark), the idea of using this over oil is that press fluid evaporates away and prevents the fitting from popping off.

Stihl MS362 Chainsaw! HARD TO START! Let's Find Out WHY! - YouTube

STIHL Genuine OELHELD Press Fluid for AV Buffer / Fuel / Oil Line Fitment etc... | Outbushman



I also decided to give this foam air filter oil a try. Normally, I'd just use 30 weight oil, but its a messy job. This would be useful for old 3.5 - 4.0hp side-valve Briggs engines, as well as the newer entry level OHV Briggs with the primer bulb (300E, 450E and 500E) which have oil-soaked foam filters.

LUBE ASSIST Spray Air Filter Oil For Flock and Foam Air Filters in All Machinery | Outbushman





The backdrop is exactly the look I was aiming for! I'll probably need some supplement lighting though, which I'm thinking of fitting rechargeable under cabinet lights, mounted underneath the backsplash storage shelves.
 
Apparently, my garage isn't a real garage. I had a guy suggesting that his garage is a "tool not a display", that he "makes shit happen" in his garage and that its "not beautiful but its extremely functional". So yeah, my garage is dysfunctional and shit doesn't happen in there...........................................























Yeah, not a real working garage.
 
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