The Do-it-Yourself Thread: A Home for Handymen and Artisans - General

Any fun projects I could do with a slightly softbroken Galaxy s4?

[t]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/1_zps9c84f168.jpg[/t] [t]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/2_zpsef2ab1d8.jpg[/t] Built a cat-house out of old pallets and scrap wood, didn't cost a dime, even recycled a magnetic cat door I found. It's a 3/4" Plywood box fully sealed, with an outside layer of 1/2" foam, cladded in maple siding, and lined inside with another layer of 1/2" foam, the roof is removable, and seated in with a foam gasket for a full seal. The bottom of the cat-house has a third layer of insulation, and boards. This thing is built like a house, and fully caulked, sealed and painted so you could take a pressure washer to it and not get any penetration. Inside it's got a nice heated cat mat, roofing was plywood, covered in roofing felt, then roll roofing cut in strips and then fixed with adhesive. We've got pretty severe weather here so this helps me feel better about Spider, my girlfriends outdoor cat. The thing weighs about 60 pounds, very sturdy. Also the little back roof thing is to cover the opening for the extension cord, and inside it's got a circular hole with a foam seal.

For a while there people were concerned about me turning into a hippie, because I was growing a rather large beard and growing my hair out. But I fear I may be turning into something else entirely: A forty-niner. I've recently taken interest in panning for gold, not for the money, but because it looks like it could be fun and interesting. Problem is there's, like, two places in my state that allow for public panning, and they're on the other side of the state. (that and my work place doesn't believe in vacations apparantley)

What state do you live in?

New Mexico.

Damn, panning looks fun, there's quite a few places in my state to do it, and although Indiana doesn't have gold naturally, it does from glacial runoff, so people do find some. I'd love to try it one day.

If you guys were further south, my dad's friend has a big Christmas tree farm in North Carolina that we've sort of coerced him into letting us pan on. My aunt goes up there occasionally, finds the occasional gem and bit of gold.

I need more lifetimes to do crazy things like gold panning.

Ugh, my phone spiderwebbed from the initial crack making it more useless. I need Wednesday to come faster so I can have the parts to fix it.

Get on my level. [t]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/scrub1_zpsacdff171.jpg[/t] [t]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/ajackss/scrub2_zpsb6112fd1.jpg[/t] I could have repaired it months ago, but I really, somehow, don't care.

I honestly wouldn't mind the cracks if the touch functionality still worked. Right now, maybe 2 square inches work and with some careful maneuvering, I can unlock my screen. I'm mildly infuriated right now.

[QUOTE=ToastedBread;46813964]I honestly wouldn't mind the cracks if the touch functionality still worked. Right now, maybe 2 square inches work and with some careful maneuvering, I can unlock my screen. I'm mildly infuriated right now.[/QUOTE] Yeah mine's still fully working, now if I cracked my camera lens I'd replace it or the screen wasn't responding it would have been long fixed.

It's odd though. My phone was laying face down on what looked to be one grain of sand when I dropped the tape dispenser on it. Ironically, I was packing a box to return a broken screen protector. Eh.

I don't know how I've managed it, but I've never shattered a phone. I had a 4S for two years without a case other than the Bumper, and I've had my 6 since launch. A few scratches, sure, but the screens are always in-tact. I've dropped them my fair share of times too, so they should have been long broken.

I broke the screen on my xcover when it fell from my pocket to asphalt, just over 1m distance I guess. Before that it had suffered a lot more worse hits without no damage to the glass. So I guess it's really about luck

Well damn, I was messing with the record player and somehow put a scratch in one of my girlfriends new christmas Lana Del Rey albums that she loves, and it was pretty bad, so I just ordered her the album again off Ebay, NIB but it stinks because it's out of stock everywhere and running about $25-$35. Also the first crack on the face was from me sitting on it, the ones on the back are from dropping it on concrete.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;46814451]Well damn, I was messing with the record player and somehow put a scratch in one of my girlfriends new christmas Lana Del Rey albums that she loves, and it was pretty bad, so I just ordered her the album again off Ebay, NIB but it stinks because it's out of stock everywhere and running about $25-$35. Also the first crack on the face was from me sitting on it, the ones on the back are from dropping it on concrete.[/QUOTE] Ouch... Guess you know where your flipping money's going this week.

[QUOTE=woolio1;46814652]Ouch... Guess you know where your flipping money's going this week.[/QUOTE] Yeah, literally a baby gate I bought two days back that I'm selling today at 4 is paying for it, so I can't complain to much to be honest.

I tried to make a DIY stand for my tablet, it's not the greatest looking thing but it works. I'm not really that great at woodwork nor do i have many tools, so I want to do a better revision when my skills are better. All was spare wood from the shed aside from the hinge though. [t]http://i.imgur.com/gl7mM4T.jpg[/t] [t]http://i.imgur.com/ak8FOg4.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=rhx123;46816612]I tried to make a DIY stand for my tablet, it's not the greatest looking thing but it works. I'm not really that great at woodwork nor do i have many tools, so I want to do a better revision when my skills are better. All was spare wood from the shed aside from the hinge though. [t]http://i.imgur.com/gl7mM4T.jpg[/t] [t]http://i.imgur.com/ak8FOg4.jpg[/t][/QUOTE] Man if you stained that thing and sanded some of the edges a bit more it would look classy as hell

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;46816618]Man if you stained that thing and sanded some of the edges a bit more it would look classy as hell[/QUOTE] Thanks! I've never this is the first time I've used the sander ([URL="http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/bosch-psm-100-a-electric-100w-multi-sander-289928?_$ja=tsid:18771%7Ccc:%7Cprd:289928%7Ccat:Diy+%3E+Power+Tools+%3E+Sanders&_$ja=cgid:15270796336|tsid:49590|cid:322932136|lid:54826713773|nw:g|crid:56069243776|rnd:4225185454613571070|dvc:c|adp:1o4|bku:1"]this one[/URL] but at a lower wattage I think) and I've never stained before, no idea where to start on that.

[QUOTE=rhx123;46816612]I tried to make a DIY stand for my tablet, it's not the greatest looking thing but it works. I'm not really that great at woodwork nor do i have many tools, so I want to do a better revision when my skills are better. All was spare wood from the shed aside from the hinge though. [t]http://i.imgur.com/gl7mM4T.jpg[/t] [t]http://i.imgur.com/ak8FOg4.jpg[/t][/QUOTE] Looks great, but it seems like it could get a little bit tippy sideways.

Projects seem to throw themselves on me out of the blue. My new project is rebuilding a air-over split-phase blower motor, for my furnance blower. It's bearings are shot and it might need new brushes but I won't know till I pull it out of the system. Good thing my girlfriend made me fleece lined pajama pants...

[QUOTE=Ajacks;46822507]Projects seem to throw themselves on me out of the blue. My new project is rebuilding a air-over split-phase blower motor, for my furnance blower. It's bearings are shot and it might need new brushes but I won't know till I pull it out of the system. Good thing my girlfriend made me fleece lined pajama pants...[/QUOTE] If it's a furnace blower it shouldn't need brushes, as they usually don't have any. The wonders of induction motors.

I made some banana clip-terminated speaker wire today. That's about the extent of my DIY projects, if I'm honest. Woo. :v:

[QUOTE=Zero-Point;46822801]If it's a furnace blower it shouldn't need brushes, as they usually don't have any. The wonders of induction motors.[/QUOTE] I was just basing what I read off a HVAC forum talking about that same model and they were talking about it being a brushed motor, but I'm actually thinking the motors not original, as it doesn't match the age of the furnace, it's this motor, a GE 5kh39qn5514at, [URL]http://www.grainger.com/product/GENERAL-ELECTRIC-Motor-3K111[/URL] Yeah the motors not original, it's a 2000's motor. [editline]30th December 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=woolio1;46822905]I made some banana clip-terminated speaker wire today. That's about the extent of my DIY projects, if I'm honest. Woo. :v:[/QUOTE] What kind of banana clips? I've been trying to find a good deal on some locally and haven't been able to, always way to expensive. Get this, Guitar Center didn't have plain speaker wire, what the hell is that about? I need an insulation megger to test this coil on the motor. I hope my brother in law has one, he should, he's a industrial electrician who works with motors, I just hope he has a personal one that I can borrow. The flukes run about $700.

It's time. [img]http://i.imgur.com/Q0D4LLP.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=ToastedBread;46824816]It's time. [img]http://i.imgur.com/Q0D4LLP.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Best of luck! Words of advice, do not rush, if it doesn't come apart easy take a step back and see why, and keep your screws in a little container, also take a ton of photos as you do it so you can back track for assembly.

[QUOTE=Ajacks;46824843]Best of luck! Words of advice, do not rush, if it doesn't come apart easy take a step back and see why, and keep your screws in a little container, also take a ton of photos as you do it so you can back track for assembly.[/QUOTE] Well, shit. They didn't give me any mounting tape..

Well, shit. The motors still toasted. Luckily a new one is only $85, that wouldn't even cover the HVAC house call fee.