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Apartment luthiers club.

A

Arx

Jan 22, 2008
1,025
2
#1
This is a club for any apartment dwellers out there who build instruments at home. I'm sure there have to be at least a few of us on here. To join, the only rules are:
1. In order to claim a number and be a full member, you must have built at least one bass in your apartment, or if not yet completed, have an active build in progress (not abandoned). Numbers are first come first serve and should be in numerical order so we can have a good count of the membership. Just call out your number with a brief explanation of what you've built. if there's any collision lower post number gets it. the other poster(s) should repost another try with the next number.

2. Provisional memberships are available to anyone who is thinking about building an instrument in their apartment, but who hasn't yet started. You don't get a number, but you can still put your membership in your sig.

I'm going to get it started here.

#1 is mine. :D:hyper:
 
#3
I'll most likely hold a temporary membership while I'm in an apartment and between shops. does it count if I need to travel three hours to my bro-in-law's place for any kind of major woodworking activities? should I surrender it when I get my new shop, or hold onto it as a badge of the tough days of interim?

* one active lefty 4-string build in very s-l-o-w progress with a targeted completion of Dec this year

* two builds being planned with an anticipated start date of mid-October

all the best,

R
 
#4
Rodent said:
I'll most likely hold a temporary membership while I'm in an apartment and between shops. does it count if I need to travel three hours to my bro-in-law's place for any kind of major woodworking activities? should I surrender it when I get my new shop, or hold onto it as a badge of the tough days of interim?

* one active lefty 4-string build in very s-l-o-w progress with a targeted completion of Dec this year

* two builds being planned with an anticipated start date of mid-October

all the best,

R
Click to expand...

Nah, It's cool. If you do some work on it in the apartment, you're good. You can hold onto your membership indefinitely once you've earned it.

BTW, I forgot to mention my creds.

I built one bass already (Body and fretting for a prebuilt fretless neck)
Working on the second one right now, from scratch.
 
#10
I'm about to end my apartment dwelling season and move into a rental condo at the end of this month. after what seems like forever I will once again (finally! :hyper:) have a private garage where I can keep/use many of my woodworking tools. I won't have a full access shop, since I won't have and 15A 220v circuits ... but I will be able to have access to my router table and be able to craft an assembly workbench :cool:

my big test at the end of the month is to learn if the 110v circuit is really a 20A breaker (and not just a 20A recepticle installed in the j-box and to see if I can run both my drum sander and dust collector at the same time

all the best,

R
 
#11
Rodent said:
I'm about to end my apartment dwelling season and move into a rental condo at the end of this month. after what seems like forever I will once again (finally! :hyper:) have a private garage where I can keep/use many of my woodworking tools. I won't have a full access shop, since I won't have and 15A 220v circuits ... but I will be able to have access to my router table and be able to craft an assembly workbench :cool:

my big test at the end of the month is to learn if the 110v circuit is really a 20A breaker (and not just a 20A recepticle installed in the j-box and to see if I can run both my drum sander and dust collector at the same time

all the best,

R
Click to expand...
Nice. I miss having easy access to a shop. (or even garage)

Re: the circuit. Just look at the breaker. Running 2 10A devices doesn't necessarily tell you you've got a 20A breaker. You would be surprised how much you can overload some breakers before they trip. Here at work, I've measured 24A on a 20A breaker where a client has improperly wired their equipment. It ran that way for a couple days after I measured it (and who knows how long before)

It will tend to weaken over time though from overheating, and eventually it'll probably start tripping below its rated output.
 
#12
I'm speaking more of me forgetting to check the breaker when I viewed the new place's garge. it has two 15A recepticles on the garage opposite side walls, and a single 20A recepticle on the garage back wall shared with the kitchen

before I added proper circuits to the place I sold, I was using a single 15A recepticle for my bandsaw and dust collector - I had to start the bandsaw first, and once it was to speed I could then start the dust collector. start them in the opposite direction would blow the breaker because the bandsaw needed that extra umph when the motor was in start-up mode

I'll be in blissful luxury if I do indeed have two circuits (15A & 20A) instead of some dolt simply using the wrong recepticle type hardware (20A style instead of 15A style) on the wall box

I do need a 20A circuit to run my 22-44 thickness sander


I still won't be able to spray a finish due to the gas water heater sharing space in the garage

all the best,

R
 
#14
Arx said:
Depends...

If you've got any kind of a proper shop attached, then no.

If you're running a router in your dining room, yes. ;)
Click to expand...

No, it was while I was single and could make a mess in the living room while watching TV. Did all my spraying from rattle cans out on th porche. New wife just doesnt understand the concept of making sawdust and just vacuuming it up-works just fine.

I'll take #3
 
#16
Arx said:
Nice. I miss having easy access to a shop. (or even garage)

Re: the circuit. Just look at the breaker. Running 2 10A devices doesn't necessarily tell you you've got a 20A breaker. You would be surprised how much you can overload some breakers before they trip. Here at work, I've measured 24A on a 20A breaker where a client has improperly wired their equipment. It ran that way for a couple days after I measured it (and who knows how long before)

It will tend to weaken over time though from overheating, and eventually it'll probably start tripping below its rated output.
Click to expand...

Speaking of breakers, it seems like my breakers get nudged closer and closer to the edge of tripping over time. When I reset the breaker I can even start up my bandsaw normally. But after a few weeks it will eventually trip the breaker even if I spin it up by hand first. Is this my imagination?
 
#17
Son of Magni said:
Speaking of breakers, it seems like my breakers get nudged closer and closer to the edge of tripping over time. When I reset the breaker I can even start up my bandsaw normally. But after a few weeks it will eventually trip the breaker even if I spin it up by hand first. Is this my imagination?
Click to expand...

yeah, the breakers work thermally, there's a bimetal strip in them that bends as it heats up from the current. when you reach some point a little over the rated current it will bend far enough to release the spring, and it'll trip.

If the connections inside are worn out, they'll heat up faster than they should and trip at a lower current.

Usually though, you would have more of a problem resetting just after tripping the breaker, since it'll still be hot from when it tripped.

It's possible that it's just randomly tripping depending on the alignment of the phase when you flip the switch (chance) and you're just seeing a false corelation.

Regardless, if it's tripping at a load below its rating you should probably replace it (or have it done for you depending on how handy you are and local regulations)

If you have the circuit overloaded, you should try and find an alternate circuit for some of your equipment, or upgrade the breaker as necessary. Running a breaker near its limits will weaken it over time, and you'll get more and more nuisance trips.

-Nick
 
#18
Yep breakers do wear out,

FWIW I do envy you apartment guys, being a bachelor and living in an apartment man those were the days! I could go all month on food with $30 and my electric bill was never over $100.00 with the AC glued on 65, That may have been different if I had all of my power tools then.... Wow times have changed in such a short time.

But alas I can't be part of your club....I did once paint a motorcycle tank in my apartments walk in closet! The smell of paint (and maybe socks) was still in it when I moved.:p
 
#20
One apt. build complete. 3 BR apt. and yes I run a router in my kitchen,dining room and also
my son's BR while he is at his moms house most of the time. I am very glad that I can even run my planer,table saw,router table and everything else without my (now happily married) wife even giving me a single complaint as long as I clean up before the kids come on weekends. I have been woodworking for years and figured it was time to build one at home and I am thinking of my next already. Cant wait to drum up a whole new pile of dust.

BTW when did this become a thread about circuit breakers
If it's open I'll take #3
 

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