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Inside The Secret Underground Laboratory
- Thread starter Bruce Johnson
- Start date
I expect to see a little bracket made from machined aluminum and West System epoxy holding the box in it's final location.
Bruce, I've always appreciated your tips, Thanks !
Seeing you guys talk about belt-driven mills and older tech in manufacturing, this came to mind:
Here's a piece about Falls Mill in Belvidere,TN, a water-wheel driven, stone ground corn meal mill, driven by all those old belts by a water wheel. It's a piece from our local PBS travelogue series TENNESSEE CROSSROADS. Thought it was appropriate to your comments.
Seeing you guys talk about belt-driven mills and older tech in manufacturing, this came to mind:
Here's a piece about Falls Mill in Belvidere,TN, a water-wheel driven, stone ground corn meal mill, driven by all those old belts by a water wheel. It's a piece from our local PBS travelogue series TENNESSEE CROSSROADS. Thought it was appropriate to your comments.
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That could happen, and aluminum and West Systems epoxy are two of my favorite materials. Right now, the little Verizon cube is sitting on top of the MDF plenum box of my spray booth ventilation fan system, which is mounted in the window of my shop above the spray booth. It's a convenient location, and it seems happy there. Good reception, only 20' from my office and the computers.
More good reports on the Verizon 5G Home Internet system. Last night, we officially unplugged the old AT&T modem and re-connected the building's whole ethernet network to the Verizon cube.
We had a few initial problems with two of the router switches in the network. At first, the connection wouldn't go through them. Like they didn't understand the new code pouring through. It seemed that we needed to first get one computer connected directly to the cube. Get it talking through the cube. Then, we could unplug it and put the switches into the circuit, and they worked fine. Scott got several test runs over 300mbs through the ethernet, so the cube is definitely able to operate at those speeds.
My computers are still operating through Wi-Fi, until I get a new cable strung up. But just now, I got a speed test of 180mbs/20mbs through the Wi-Fi. That is surprisingly good!
I'm very happy with this system so far. High performance, low cost and simple self-installation. I recommend it if you are having problems getting good internet service somewhere, and you get good cell phone reception.
We had a few initial problems with two of the router switches in the network. At first, the connection wouldn't go through them. Like they didn't understand the new code pouring through. It seemed that we needed to first get one computer connected directly to the cube. Get it talking through the cube. Then, we could unplug it and put the switches into the circuit, and they worked fine. Scott got several test runs over 300mbs through the ethernet, so the cube is definitely able to operate at those speeds.
My computers are still operating through Wi-Fi, until I get a new cable strung up. But just now, I got a speed test of 180mbs/20mbs through the Wi-Fi. That is surprisingly good!
I'm very happy with this system so far. High performance, low cost and simple self-installation. I recommend it if you are having problems getting good internet service somewhere, and you get good cell phone reception.
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It's amazing in that these technologies can eliminate so much in the way of hard-wired infrastructure (poles, wire, buried conduits) via wireless, and this has been a blessing and game changer in the Third World ( . . . . and parts of California . . . . ) where they have phone and internet service out in the bush where they'd have hardly been able to afford a traditional wired pole infrastructure.
Yeah, one question I considered is: Do I want to rely on my internet service coming through the cell phone network? How reliable will it be?
Reality is: I've had cell phone service here in the Lab for 8 years. Tracfone, which runs through the towers mostly run by Verizon. I don't think I've ever experienced a cell phone outage over those years. Even during earthquakes and those big wildfires, the cell towers kept working.
Meanwhile, the AT&T service through the old copper phone lines was very unreliable. Regular interruptions and shutdowns, every month. Sometimes for a day or two. Local neighbors who have Spectrum fiber optic service report that they have occasional interruptions in service, although they are usually fixed pretty quickly.
Overall, the cell phone network in the US has become quite extensive and strong. And they are continuing to improve it. My biggest worry is that they pile so much traffic on it, that they exceed capacities. It's astounding the number of cell phones are operating in dense urban areas. And most of them are operating continuously these days, as walk-around computers. That's a hell of a lot of data flowing through those towers! I have respect for the technical complexity of the system.
They are pretty much considered critical infrastructure. The various companies have mobile emergency cell sites, too.
Indeed. More towers with smaller coverage areas are implemented.
My primary phone number has been on wireless for over 20 years. I can count the outages (excepting those times I've knowingly gone where there's no coverage) on one hand and have enough fingers left to hold a beer. The last time was a couple years ago when somebody drove their car into a utility pole about half a mile from home that coincidentally carried the main power, phone and cable trunks -- it not only killed our cable and power, it took out the lines for the three closest cell towers. They had to block the street for a few hours while a half-dozen trucks, each representing a different company, took turns on repairs.
The main problem with 5G (and future wireless protocols) is that they're not going to catch up any time soon with what landlines are *capable* of.
When Google Fiber first entered the market here, they were promising 1G downstream for half the cost that Spectrum, AT&T, et al were charging for 100M. Five years later, they've backpedaled quite a bit, and now their promised speeds top out at 300M. Optical fiber is easily capable of 1G or even more to the home, but the hardware to support that fiber over the last mile is expensive and difficult to deploy cost-effectively when single-family houses are spaced 20-50 meters apart.
The main problem with 5G (and future wireless protocols) is that they're not going to catch up any time soon with what landlines are *capable* of.
When Google Fiber first entered the market here, they were promising 1G downstream for half the cost that Spectrum, AT&T, et al were charging for 100M. Five years later, they've backpedaled quite a bit, and now their promised speeds top out at 300M. Optical fiber is easily capable of 1G or even more to the home, but the hardware to support that fiber over the last mile is expensive and difficult to deploy cost-effectively when single-family houses are spaced 20-50 meters apart.
Another update on the Verizon 5G Home Internet white cube system: I now have my main computer (the one I use to write on TalkBass) connected directly to one of the ethernet ports on the cube, through a shiny new cat6 cable. Holy Cow! The speed test shows 300mbs down/28mbs up! That rivals the specs of what Spectrum and Starlink have been promising us. That's a surprise. I didn't think this setup was going to be that powerful.
We now have it connected to almost the entire building. On a typical daytime, we might have four of us online at a time. Maybe a max of eight. None of us are real heavy users or uploaders. One of our guys may be getting into doing Zoom teaching later this year; he says he may just get his own Verizon cube then.
We were just talking about the reliability of the cell network. Thursday night around midnight we had a brief blackout. The internet connection just went down for a half hour. No error message. Quick troubleshooting determined it wasn't our computers or our cube. Scott went online through his phone hotspot (through the cell tower) and found a Verizon Trouble Map. The outage was all around the LA area. Then suddenly, it came back on. It's been working fine today. Hmmm..
We now have it connected to almost the entire building. On a typical daytime, we might have four of us online at a time. Maybe a max of eight. None of us are real heavy users or uploaders. One of our guys may be getting into doing Zoom teaching later this year; he says he may just get his own Verizon cube then.
We were just talking about the reliability of the cell network. Thursday night around midnight we had a brief blackout. The internet connection just went down for a half hour. No error message. Quick troubleshooting determined it wasn't our computers or our cube. Scott went online through his phone hotspot (through the cell tower) and found a Verizon Trouble Map. The outage was all around the LA area. Then suddenly, it came back on. It's been working fine today. Hmmm..
Meanwhile, back at my herd of machines.....
Here's a cool machine that's waiting in line to become operational: A 1950's Powermatic 24" Scroll Saw. A nice strong machine, heavy cast iron frame. This is one of the machines that I kept for myself from Brian Hay's estate. Some pages back on this thread, you saw how I had to clean out and dispose of a whole shop full of machines and tools. A huge job, and I kept a few machines and tools as my payment for the cleanup.
This is a sweet old saw that you don't see around much these days. It's an industrial duty Scroll Saw, made for fairly heavy cutting. Not hobby stuff, like those modern tabletop ones. And that's what I want this for: heavy cutting of openings in thicker wood. Like 3/4" MDF routing templates. We do a lot of that around here. I'm fitting this saw up to use sections of 1/4" x 10tpi bandsaw blade stock, same as I use on my Davis & Wells 14" bandsaw. I'm going to make up a simple quick-release thing for the blade. This will be just the machine for quick work on templates.
I don't think Brian ever got this saw running. I think he bought it at an auction, and parked it away in the corner of his shop. It has Santa Barbara School District plates on it, so it probably came from a high school wood shop.
It has a 3 phase motor, even though it's only 1 hp. And a heavy industrial magnetic starter switch. Typical school machine. I have 3-phase power here, but I'd rather not wire it like that. I have this saw on a caster base, and I'd like to be able to move it around to different locations easily.
Switching to a single-phase 120v motor normally isn't a big deal, but.....Check out the knob sticking out the back side of the motor. It's a double-shaft motor, with shafts sticking out both ends. And that knob is important. You need to be able to easily turn over the scroll saw by hand, to set and check the blade. The pulleys on the other side are all covered with a big steel belt guard, for good reason. That's the guard sitting there on the right.
The problem is that double-shaft motors aren't very common, particularly in 1 hp single phase. So, this saw has been sitting in the corner while I was trying to figure out how to solve this. Use the existing motor with a phase converter or VFD? Modify the saw by putting the knob on the other side, going through the belt guard?
But, patience paid off! Over the weekend, the motor I need turned up on CraigsList! A 1950's Craftsman 1 hp, double-shaft, single phase motor. Heavy cast iron frame, cute engine-turned aluminum cover, beautiful condition. $65 and well worth it.
I think this motor will bolt right in with no modifications. I want to get this fine machine running and in service here.
Here's a cool machine that's waiting in line to become operational: A 1950's Powermatic 24" Scroll Saw. A nice strong machine, heavy cast iron frame. This is one of the machines that I kept for myself from Brian Hay's estate. Some pages back on this thread, you saw how I had to clean out and dispose of a whole shop full of machines and tools. A huge job, and I kept a few machines and tools as my payment for the cleanup.
This is a sweet old saw that you don't see around much these days. It's an industrial duty Scroll Saw, made for fairly heavy cutting. Not hobby stuff, like those modern tabletop ones. And that's what I want this for: heavy cutting of openings in thicker wood. Like 3/4" MDF routing templates. We do a lot of that around here. I'm fitting this saw up to use sections of 1/4" x 10tpi bandsaw blade stock, same as I use on my Davis & Wells 14" bandsaw. I'm going to make up a simple quick-release thing for the blade. This will be just the machine for quick work on templates.
I don't think Brian ever got this saw running. I think he bought it at an auction, and parked it away in the corner of his shop. It has Santa Barbara School District plates on it, so it probably came from a high school wood shop.
It has a 3 phase motor, even though it's only 1 hp. And a heavy industrial magnetic starter switch. Typical school machine. I have 3-phase power here, but I'd rather not wire it like that. I have this saw on a caster base, and I'd like to be able to move it around to different locations easily.
Switching to a single-phase 120v motor normally isn't a big deal, but.....Check out the knob sticking out the back side of the motor. It's a double-shaft motor, with shafts sticking out both ends. And that knob is important. You need to be able to easily turn over the scroll saw by hand, to set and check the blade. The pulleys on the other side are all covered with a big steel belt guard, for good reason. That's the guard sitting there on the right.
The problem is that double-shaft motors aren't very common, particularly in 1 hp single phase. So, this saw has been sitting in the corner while I was trying to figure out how to solve this. Use the existing motor with a phase converter or VFD? Modify the saw by putting the knob on the other side, going through the belt guard?
But, patience paid off! Over the weekend, the motor I need turned up on CraigsList! A 1950's Craftsman 1 hp, double-shaft, single phase motor. Heavy cast iron frame, cute engine-turned aluminum cover, beautiful condition. $65 and well worth it.
I think this motor will bolt right in with no modifications. I want to get this fine machine running and in service here.
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We had one of those scroll saws in wood shop at Sleeping Giant Jr High School
I finally got some time today to get going on the Powermatic Scroll Saw!
I pulled off the old 3 phase motor. It's a good quality motor. I'll keep it for something.
The tag on the back of the saw says Beverly Hills High School. It was a school saw. Brian probably got it in an auction. I'm sure a lot of kids have traumatic memories of using this saw. And hopefully many had happy memories. It's a nice high quality machine.
A change in plans on the new motor. When I looked over the big 1 hp Craftsman motor that I found a few weeks ago, a problem emerged. The motor's base plate mounting holes are one size larger spacing than the saw. I would have had to make up an adapter plate, which is not a big deal. But the adapter plate would raise the motor up high enough that the top of the housing would be higher than the saw's table. That wouldn't have been good, because it would have reduced the space to swing larger boards around in that throat.
Coincidentally, the guy who sold me the motor sent me a message that he had another similar motor; a 3/4 hp double-shaft Craftsman. Just a little smaller. He brought it by, and it's a perfect fit. I'll use the bigger 1 hp motor on some other worthy project machine.
So I went about mounting the motor. I ended up having to lift the saw's frame off its base to get to the steel nut plates of the motor mount. Not a very maintenance-friendly design.
But fortunately, I have my handy gantry crane parked one bay down the hall! Exactly for handling machine problems like this. I rolled it down and hooked it up, and took out three of the mounting bolts....
And swung the frame around to the side, pivoting on the one bolt. Then it was easy to get the new motor bolted in....
Back in the shop, frame and motor bolted down, pulley and belt installed, all turns freely. I had already tested the motor to check its direction of rotation. It hums smoothly and sounds good.
Next up is to pull out the old 3 phase contactor and wiring, and wire up a new switch. I also need to check the blade installation carefully before I fire it up. This new motor is 3450 rpm, whereas the old one was 1750 rpm. I've got the belt on the slowest speed on the pulleys, and it will probably stay there. But it still will be running somewhat faster than it was. I want to make sure everything is good mechanically before I fire it up. I don't want to break something on a fine old machine like this.
I pulled off the old 3 phase motor. It's a good quality motor. I'll keep it for something.
The tag on the back of the saw says Beverly Hills High School. It was a school saw. Brian probably got it in an auction. I'm sure a lot of kids have traumatic memories of using this saw. And hopefully many had happy memories. It's a nice high quality machine.
A change in plans on the new motor. When I looked over the big 1 hp Craftsman motor that I found a few weeks ago, a problem emerged. The motor's base plate mounting holes are one size larger spacing than the saw. I would have had to make up an adapter plate, which is not a big deal. But the adapter plate would raise the motor up high enough that the top of the housing would be higher than the saw's table. That wouldn't have been good, because it would have reduced the space to swing larger boards around in that throat.
Coincidentally, the guy who sold me the motor sent me a message that he had another similar motor; a 3/4 hp double-shaft Craftsman. Just a little smaller. He brought it by, and it's a perfect fit. I'll use the bigger 1 hp motor on some other worthy project machine.
So I went about mounting the motor. I ended up having to lift the saw's frame off its base to get to the steel nut plates of the motor mount. Not a very maintenance-friendly design.
But fortunately, I have my handy gantry crane parked one bay down the hall! Exactly for handling machine problems like this. I rolled it down and hooked it up, and took out three of the mounting bolts....
And swung the frame around to the side, pivoting on the one bolt. Then it was easy to get the new motor bolted in....
Back in the shop, frame and motor bolted down, pulley and belt installed, all turns freely. I had already tested the motor to check its direction of rotation. It hums smoothly and sounds good.
Next up is to pull out the old 3 phase contactor and wiring, and wire up a new switch. I also need to check the blade installation carefully before I fire it up. This new motor is 3450 rpm, whereas the old one was 1750 rpm. I've got the belt on the slowest speed on the pulleys, and it will probably stay there. But it still will be running somewhat faster than it was. I want to make sure everything is good mechanically before I fire it up. I don't want to break something on a fine old machine like this.
Hey, I'm not the only one here in the Secret Underground Lab with cool machines! Tim has a shop down the hall where he embroiders logos in baseball caps with a very cool and high tech CNC embroidery machine. It does complex logos with fine lines and text, in up to 16 colors of thread. A fascinating machine to watch at work. Tim's booked up with steady work, making custom caps for local sports teams.
Today he took delivery of a new 4-head embroidering machine! $32K of Quad CNC coolness! We used my handy gantry crane to lift it up off of the crate base and set it down on its casters. It's now down the hall and in his shop, and basically powered up. Full testing begins tomorrow. Soon Tim will be sitting back in his chair watching 5 hats at a time being sewn by his machines. He just multiplied his hourly pay by 5!
Meanwhile, upstairs, Allan is building up a custom cabinet shop. He bought a huge CNC router. It's about an 8' x 12' bed with a 20 HP spindle! He's looking at jobs like large carved solid wood doors. The machine is in place, but it's not up and running yet.
This place is actually becoming kind of high tech. I'm the greasy longhaired old guy in the basement with all the old-timey machines. They come to me for help when their fancy machines don't work right....
Today he took delivery of a new 4-head embroidering machine! $32K of Quad CNC coolness! We used my handy gantry crane to lift it up off of the crate base and set it down on its casters. It's now down the hall and in his shop, and basically powered up. Full testing begins tomorrow. Soon Tim will be sitting back in his chair watching 5 hats at a time being sewn by his machines. He just multiplied his hourly pay by 5!
Meanwhile, upstairs, Allan is building up a custom cabinet shop. He bought a huge CNC router. It's about an 8' x 12' bed with a 20 HP spindle! He's looking at jobs like large carved solid wood doors. The machine is in place, but it's not up and running yet.
This place is actually becoming kind of high tech. I'm the greasy longhaired old guy in the basement with all the old-timey machines. They come to me for help when their fancy machines don't work right....
Bruce is hand filing small parts in candle light when cnc is running in all other shops. I call that old school craft art!
Freekmagnet
Commercial User
I’ve actually suggested to Bruce that he get a steam engine to power his shop or we get a bench top CNC router to do some of the really stupid, non-critical and repetitive tasks we do from day to day. He seemed more open to the idea of a steam engine.
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