DIY Gripper

I've been working on my large project between rain and family needs. I thought it would be nice to post something I've been able to fit in between these other commitments to show I'm still here.

Purpose:

I think most of you will have heard of the GRR-Riper, or something similar. It's main purpose in life is to safely help push a plank of wood through some type of table saw or router, while maintaining constant pressure to the work peace.

With a little inspiration from the internet, I have come up with this way to achieve the same ends without the super high price tag. Have a look on Amazon, and if you could find someone to ship to Thailand, it would cost you an arm and leg, maybe two legs.

Preparation:

While strolling around the super market, keep an eye out for the generic brand bathroom floor scrubber. Don't go for the 3M brand one, you can do it cheaper. Pick it up, and put in shopping trolley. Pay for it, and take home.

The Build:

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Remove packaging.

Remove scourer pad from handle. You might find that you are left with quite a bit left behind with the glue. I used a box cutter to clean the area, but I think a sharp chisel would be have been better and easier.

Find a piece of scrap wood that is a bit larger than the base of the handle around all edges. This will be the sacrificial material and give a safety margin. I used something approx 18mm thick.

Using hot glue, attach wood to handle. Again using hot glue. attach the non slip sponge to the underside of the wood.

Let it all dry and give it a go.

Material List:

Materials and Price List
QTY	Size	Description	Price
1	n/a	Bathroom Floor Scrubber (from Tops Supermarket.)	12 baht
1	n/a	Foam Non-slip Matt (from 20 baht shop.)	20 baht
1	9 x 16cm	Scrap Wood	free

Tool List:

Tool List
Box Cutter (Chisel would be better.)	Saw & Miter Box
Hot Glue Gun

Cost:

The exorbitant cost of 22 baht.

Didn't break the bank and will be very useful.

Summary:

I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. When I do, I'll update this blog with my findings.

Chilindo - Online Auction

Ratings
Selection
Service
Staff
Value
Parking

Location:

Online.

Description:

I have been doing a bit of online shopping recently. I'm trying to fill my workshop with the needed tooling I require, but as inexpensive as possible.

I am a believer in owning quality tools. I am also believer that you must get value from it. This needs you to be honest with yourself and ask a few questions. Don't worry if you start talking to yourself, I do it all the time. Just look at this blog.

• How often will you use the item? If you only use it 1 or 2 times a year, you don't want an expensive asset sitting around going rusty.
• To what precision do you need it to operate? 
• Is a guarantee really worth it? ie. I find most item's guarantees expire before you can use them, or it costs more than it's worth to send back to get fixed.
• Can you upgrade any deficiencies at minimal cost and effort? eg. Upgrade to a better quality blade. You would probably do this anyway.

So, along came Chilindo. Discovered through a Facebook advertisement, I followed the link and watched what was going on. The site auto updates as auctions progress down to their end, or when bids change.

The site is very easy to navigate. Comes in Thai or English. You can watch and search by Ending Now, For Her, For Him, Home & Garden, Kids & Toys, Electronics & Gadgets, Travel & Sport, Health & Beauty, Car & Moto and Tools. The last one being where I spend most of my time. As always read the User Agreement. Boring, but......

You have to sign up. It's free. Ensure your address info is updated and correct.

So, find what you want and click on the image or the Place Bid button. It will display the Ending Time and the Current Bid. Also a minimum Place Bid amount. You can just click this button, or enter your maximum amount. It will automatically place your bid and place further bids until your maximum is reached. The page updates as the bidding changes.

There are some basic product details etc lower down the page. Also links to Return Product, Shipping and Payment information.

There is a 10% surcharge. Also on some larger, heavier items, they may charge a further fee. Have a good look before committing to the bid.

If you win the auction, a message is displayed and the item is added to your cart. Here you make payment and check address info etc. Once done, the shipment will be carried out. You will receive several emails regarding the shipment. Also emails about your winning bid and if you have unpaid items in your cart. It is best to buy several items at once before making payment. You will save a bit on shipping costs.

Cash On Delivery 20 baht extra.

At checkout, there is an option to add some delivery notes or instructions. I have found that they don't take any notice of this. I suppose English is there specialty.

My experience has show that delivery very good. Although the site indicates that they use Thailand Post for delivery, all my items have been delivered by Ninja Courier. Cost for delivery starts from 39 baht to anywhere in Thailand.

I haven't had the need to contact them regarding service, deliveries or any problems with damaged or missing items. Let me know it you have any issues via the comments.

Please remember, you must be careful though. As with all auctions, one can get a bit carried away and go over the bargain price. Do your research, and only bid as high as you want to pay. Don't worry, from what I have seen, most items keep coming up for auction.

General Info:
Owner:	Chilindo	Contact:	(+66) 02-105-4207
WiFi:	N/A	Website:	YES
GPS:	N/A

Thai Watsadu - Siracha Nong Kham, Chon Buri

Ratings
Selection
Service
Staff
Value
Parking

Location:

Nong Kham, Si Racha District, Chon Buri 20110, Thailand
 

Description:

Another large home improvement supply store. Part of a major national chain.

Has good selection of tools.

Services:

Staff are not the best. Many stand around using mobile phones and appear angry when approached for assistance.

Parking:

Plenty of parking available.

Hours:

7am to 7pm daily

General Info:
Owner:	TBA	Contact:	033 000 100
WiFi:	NO	Website:	YES
GPS:	13.141379 100.985098

Google Maps:

Mega Home - Bowen, Chon Buri

Ratings
Selection
Service
Staff
Value
Parking

Location:

Located in Bowin,  Chonburi.

บ่อวิน Tambon Bo Win, Amphoe Si Racha, Chang Wat Chon Buri 20230

Description:

Huge home improvement centre.

Not a lot of English spoken, but staff eager to please. Just be aware of the typical "mai mii" when asking for things. Might be correct, but I have on several occasions found what I was looking for even after the "mai mii".

Services:

Good selection of tools and home improvement products. Major brands covered.

Very large bulk section out the rear. I only discovered this on my last visit and ran out of time to investigate further. I will update this posting when I check it out.

Extra
Has a restaurant with very reasonable prices on Thai style food.

Parking:

Plenty of off street parking. Some undercover available.
 
Hours:
8am to 9pm daily

General Info:
Owner:	TBA	Contact:	038 110 900
WiFi:	NO	Website:	YES
GPS:	13.024563 101.06944

Google Maps:

Let's Try Something Different

I thought I would try something a bit different. I have a need, and haven't been able to come up with an easy solution. I'll explain more on the need a bit later. What I thought would be interesting and fun, is to start the process, and have my viewers, that's you, assist in the design and build process which I will update in the post as things progress.

So, my need is I want to build a cross cut sled for my table saw. I have a few obstacles to overcome, and build issues due to lack of tools and equipment.

I have been looking all over the web. YouTube and various woodworking sites, and nothing I can find helps people like myself in this situation. For example, most designs require you have a jointer or router. I have neither.


I have taking a liking to the sled by Steve Ramsey over on YouTube. This is one of his older projects, but I like it for it's simplicity. This design still requires the use of a router for the T Track, but I believe I can do this with my table saw.

So, here we go. Let's see if I can generate some interest in this project and get some good feedback and suggestions to make this idea a reality. Add anything you like into the comments at the bottom of this post. If something good and useful is added, I'll add this as pert of the project and update the post.

The Need:

To build a cross cut sled for my Table Saw.
As it is a work-site / portable saw, the table is small when compared to the larger fixed base units. I need to have the largest sled I can without loosing stability. Of course, it must be accurate as far as being set plumb with the tables fence and saw blade. Will need to be made from material I can easily obtain in my area of Thailand.

The Plan:

The Base:

• Might be made from 12mm ply wood.

• Most other projects made in other countries prefer 19mm (3/4") ply as it is a bit stronger, and readily available. Not so in Thailand. For whatever reason, the sizes available here seem to be 12mm and 25mm.

Front Fence:

• Might be made from 2 pieces 12mm ply wood.

• Layup 2 pieces and glue making it 24mm.

Rear Fence:

• Might be made from 2 pieces 12mm ply wood.

• Layup 2 pieces and glue making it 24mm.

Nice Bits:

• T Track

• This is tricky bit that Steve used his router for. I'll try using my table saw to make the dado.

• Stop Block

• This is part of the T Track setup. I think it will be very useful if incorporated.

So, please have a go at posting a comment or two or three on my idea.

I look forward to your input.

Dog Fence

SketchUp of my Dog Fence

The Need:

You may have read about my two old dogs. Well, little Cha Cha and developed a heart condition cough. More like a dying goose. It goes on day and night, and it's frequency is dependent of the ambient conditions such as temperature and humidity.

Normally, both dogs will sleep in either the kids bedroom, or our bedroom. Well, they are part of the family, so don't say "oooeeee yucky yuck". With Cha Cha's worsening honk, it has become necessary to move her out of the bedrooms for the sack of a good nights sleep. Sorry, but poor Cindy must go too. Not fair you know.

So, the NEED is to construct some type of fence to keep them locked away in the kitchen at bed time.

The above SketchUp drawing is what I intend to make for this project.

Materials and Price List
QTY	Size	Description	Price
1	120cm x 60cm	Wire Fence (2nd Hand)	Free
4	120cm	1" x 4" Recycled Pine (these sizes were very approximate)	108B
18	1.5"	Screws	Minimal
5	5/16" x 3/4" long	Bolts	Minimal
5	5/16"	Nuts	Minimal
10	5/16"	Washers	Minimal

This is the recycled pine. Various widths and lengths.

Tools Required:

Table Saw. 

Miter Gauge. (Or Cross-cut Sled)

Cordless Drill.

Drill Bits.

Counter Sink Bits.

Square. (I used a medium framing square)

Tape Measure.

Pencil.

Clamps.

The Build:

The build started with trying to achieve some type of true angles and flat surfaces on the recycled wood. As you can see from the photos, there were a few knots, splits and damage that I didn't want in my finished job.

Knots

Damage

Using the table saw (because I don't have a jointer), I ripped along one length of each plank ensuring only to remove the smallest amount. From this side I measured to obtain the widest plank size I could, but remove the damage and knots

I was able to finish with 2 lengths 3" wide (for the vertical members) and 2 lengths 3 1/4" wide (for the horizontal members). Not bad going. These would make the base.

The Rabbet

Wanting to get a better bonding surface for the glue, I cut out a small rabbet on the upper face of the horizontal members along one edge. About the thickness of the saw blade.  (Photo right)

Using some 1 1/2" wood screws I had in my screw box, I glued and screwed the vertical member to the horizontal one. I drilled the pilots holes with counter sinking to prevent splitting of the cheap wood.

Utilizing some G Clamps to hold it together while doing so. Not the best, or correct tool for the job, but it's all I have at present. Damage to the finished job was negligible. (Photo below left)

I then needed to drill the bolt holes that would go through both vertical pieces of the base with the wire fence pressed firmly between them.

To ensure all bolt holes were aligned, I temporarily stood the wire fence between the base, and mark the positions of the bolt holes so they would go through the wire without hitting it. I estimated that five would be sufficient.

Removing the wire, I then clamps both feet of the base together and drilled the holes.


The next step was to put it all together.
Putting the wire in place and bolted them together using the bolts I had on hand. A bit over kill, but didn't want to make a trip to the shop.

One thin I forgot to do before assembly, was to cut the 45 degree pieces off from the lower members of the base. These are needed to give some clearance with the walls etc at the location the fence would be used.

Didn't matter too much. My trusty hand saw did the trick in no time. (Photo above right)

A quick sanding to remove splinters and there we have it.

Summary:

I am reasonably happy with build. As it is only temporary fix until we move into our new place, a quick and dirty, cheap, cheap job is all that was required.

With the use of recycled material I was always going to have a so-so end result. Bowed, twisted and splitting wood etc.

A few things I discovered during the build:

1.  The Miter Gauge that came with the table saw is CRAP. Worse than useless, very, very dangerous. Check my review of this table saw. I will be updating it as appropriate.
2. Need proper wood clamps, and lots of them. Added to my shopping list.

So you tell me what you think.
Before and after shots..... 

 

Plumbing Tools - Long Reach Tool for Plastic Mount Nut

Plastic Mount Nut Tool

I've been doing a bit of research into the tools required to fit / remove basin or sink faucets.

There are various types of attachment nut and hoses being used these days, not just the standard brass nut.

I've discovered, through some local forums, that these special tools can be difficult to find in Thailand, and if you can, they are expensive for a tool you would only use a few times.

In my research, I found a couple of references to special tools from America that can handle most, but not all, of the fittings used. Again, expensive.

Through our old friend Google and YouTube, I've come up with a few designs that might help out.

So, I think I will need the following types of tools.
1. Something for the standard plastic mount nut that hold the faucet in the basin. Seems there are at least two different style / size that I can see. Maybe more.
2.Something for the standard brass nut. It must have a long reach and be of crows foot or box socket style.
3. Something to attach the metal braided flex pipes used these days.

Here is the first tool.

1. Long Reach Tool for Plastic Mount Nut:

Credit for this one goes to masguapoako for his YouTube video. I have used his basic design, and tried a couple of my own ideas to make it a little more easy to use.

Materials:

50cm length PVC Pipe nominal 1" Blue - 40 baht for 2m off cut from local hardware.
2 x TS Socket nominal 1" Blue - 15 baht each from local 20 baht shop.
4 x small screws - From Screw Box

Total cost = 70 baht

How It Was Done:

1. Cut the PVC pipe to approx. 50cm.
Using a cutting disc on my angle grinder, I cut a slot the full length of the pipe approx. 12mm wide to allow the flex hose to be passed through.

2. Taking one of the TS Sockets, I marked out the location of the 4 slots using a spare plastic mount nut. Extending the marks perpendicular along the outside surface long enough to allow the nut to be fully encased by the pipe when fitted, I then drill 4 holes the diameter of the slots. Using my hacksaw, I cut from the pipe end to the drill holes. Not as easy as I thought to get them equidistant. Bit of filing required. Again using my angle grinder, I cut a similar slot of 12mm the full length of the socket for the hose to slip through.

3. Using the 2nd TS Socket, I filed out the ridge inside smooth to allow the 1" PVC pipe to slide through without restriction. This was done with a rough half-round file.

4. The removal of the material in pipe and sockets for the hose slots, allows to pipe to twist and collapse when exerting force to tighten or loosen the mounting nut. I have tried to over come this by using a couple of small screws in each socket to hold them in place and make the tube more rigid. The mounting nut socket at the end of the pipe, and the other approx. in the middle of the pipe. The screws in the top socket also prevent it turning when using the tool.

Testing and use of the tool was done recently during a faucet change in the kitchen.
The tool worked a treat. Looks a bit rough, but does the trick.

I'll be making a few minor alterations. I'll manufacture another pipe without he slot for the hose. This feature is not always needed, and the rigidity of the pipe will make it's operation easier. Probably the same for the top socket. Also another socket of different dimensions will be need for the varying sizes of mount nuts.

I'll be designing and building the other tools mentioned here. Come back and check them out

Ratings
Ease Of Build
Usability
Value
Total

Links:

uPCV Pipe (Thailand)
Thai & English available
This site has a good table with dimensions and specs.
Interesting to note that measurements printed on pipe outer surface are nominal measurements. ie. a 1" dia pipe is actually lager, approx 1 11/16".

Stanley STDH7213V Impact Drill Set - 13mm

Out of the Box:

The set came in a hard plastic case with all components held into their various locations. The quality of the case was as expected from a Stanley product, OK, but not great. Some of the components failed to be held securely in position when opening or closing.

Some versions of this kit come with a tape measure. This was not supplied, and didn't seem to have any location in case for one.

List of Components:

STDH7213V 13mm 720W Percussion Drill Kit
Components
1 x STDH7213 13mm Impact Drill	(incl Chuck & Chuck Key)
4 x Wood Drill Bits	4 / 5 / 6 / 8 mm
5 x Masonry Drill Bits	4 / 5 / 6 / 8 / 10 mm
4 x Metal Drill Bits	2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 mm
5 x Philips Driver Bits	#0 / #1 / #2 / #2 / #3
4 x Slot Driver Bits	#3 / #4 / #5 / #6
1 x Square Driver Bits	AD
7 x Sockets	4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 mm
1 x Pliers
1 x Box Cutter
1 x Driver Handle - Magnetic
1 x Driver Extension - Magnetic
1 x Small Claw Hammer
1 x Spirit Level - Magnetic
1 x Drill Side Handle
1 x Drill Depth Guide

Table Lazy Gekko Graphics

The Manual and Assembly:

No assembly required. Can be used straight from the box.

The manual supplied was the usual thing recycled paper black & white affair. English and Thai supported. Mostly safety information.

Digital Version. English only, is available at manuaslib.com.

Operation:

As as expected.

I drilled several holes through tile and concrete to hang something in the bathroom. I used a not supplied tile drill first without hammer and the drill operated smoothly with no strange noises etc.

When using the supplied masonry drill to drill out holes for the wall plugs, again, all went well.

Summary:

I actually have 2 of these kits. I bought one some time ago and left it with family to carry out some work for me up country. Most of the contents of the kit were misplaced, so I bought another to use myself. Lesson to be learned, don't lend tools!

The drill itself seems quite robust and up to the job of normal handy man type tasks. I'm sure, if looked after and used properly, I will get years of service.

The other components are typical quality that can be used for their intent, but how long they might last will be seen over the years.

Issues:

None at this time.

Specifications:

STDH7213 13mm 720W Percussion Drill
SPECIFICATION
VOLTAGE	720 W
CHUCK CAPACITY	1.5 – 13 MM
NO. LOAD SPEED	0-3.000 RPM
SWITCH	2 FINGER VARIABLE SPEED
REVERSE	YES
MAX DRILLING CAPACITY
METAL	13 MM
WOOD	32 MM
MASONRY	16 MM
SPEED DIAL	YES
CHUCK	KEYED
REVERSE MODE	YES
WEIGHT	2.4 KG

 Table courtesy of Stanley Power Tool Blogspot.

Links:

Stanley Website (Thai)

Stanley Power Tool Blogspot (English)

Price:

2,621 baht

Where:

Hardware House in Rayong District GPS 12.833066 101.126942

When:

May 2017