Good Week

It’s been a good week for lots of reasons. Christmas was really enjoyable, even more so than usual. All the kids and grandkids came by for a little pre-Christmas party. We’re up to 3 daughters, two sons, two sons-in-law and 5 grandkids so far. Makes for a houseful when they all show up at once.

It’s nice having two 3-day weekends in a row, too. Since my honey bought me a bicycle tool kit (Park AK-32) for Christmas, I’ve been having a great time tinkering on my bikes in the garage. I’ve completely stripped, cleaned, overhauled and adjusted the old Bstone 200. All I need to do tomorrow is put the cables back on and adjust the brakes and deraillers. Then I’ll take her for a spin. That old bike must have been hanging in the previous owner’s garage for a long time, because the grease was really dried out in all the bearings. Everything spins nicely now, though.

A couple of days ago I threw together a bike workstand. Since I claim to be a woodworker and have neither the attitude nor aptitude for metalworking, I sensibly made it from some old plywood and a two-by-four. I already had bike storage hanger, a sort of bolt-on wall hanger with fold-down arms. I’d been clamping that hanger in my bench vise and using that as a workstand for a few months, but it was really in the way. The hanger works well on my new stand, and it’s now portable and height adjustable.

Shaker Oval Boxes

Every year I plan to make at least some of the family presents in my woodshop. Ok, so I don’t really have a dedicated woodshop, but I do have a garage, and sometimes the garage is a woodshop. I can re-configure the garage in about ten minutes from parking garage to bike shop to woodshop. So, anyway, this year we decided that my honey’s mother and sister should each receive a set of Shaker oval boxes.

Now, I’ve made these oval boxes before, and if you’re careful they’re pretty easy. One year I made five sets of five boxes for different family members. My problem is one of timing. Like, I don’t give myself enough time. I had planned to start this little project in September and finish early. But, no, I didn’t even order the materials until around Thanksgiving. So again this year I worked to a tight schedule. But as you can see, they turned out ok. Hope they like them!

Hello BOB

I've been advertising in the local on-line swap shop for a touring bike. The prospects are slim I know. There probably isn't even one real touring bike in this small town, especially since I live on the windy plains where sane people don't ride bicycles. So, I probably won't find a used touring bike this way.

But ... look at the nice little Bridgestone 200 I did pick up. It's not top of the line by any means, but I kinda like it. I think it's about a 1986 model. I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet, but hey, a guy can't have too many bikes, can he? If nothing else I'll use it as a loaner or end up giving it to someone in need of a light roadster.

Maybe this weekend I'll rebuild the hubs, and maybe the bottom bracket and headset. It's been sitting a while, so the grease is probably dried out. If I find anything interesting it post it.
(By the way, yes, the picture is upside down ... it was taken while the bike was hanging in the previous owner's garage.)

Rescue Mission

I got to work early today. Within about 45 minutes my ol' buddy Maggot (his real name is Glenn) showed up and we started the usual early morning banter. We had both thought about riding today, with the temperature in the 30's and all, but had changed our minds and burned a few gallons of gasoline instead.

Glenn had picked up an old bicycle from his brother over the weekend and still had it in his pickup. We straggled outside for a look. There, lying on its side in the bed of the truck was an old ladies-model Flying-O, a Chinese import 10-speed made for the now defunct Otasco store chain. It looked pretty sorry with a rusted chain and crank arms, sponge rubber peeling off the handlebars, and dull no-name components. It was immediately obvious that the bike had seen better days. It was also obvious that even back when it was still in its factory-fresh splendor, it had been just another cheap import from the far east.

Back inside the office we talked about what he could do with the old bike. His first inclination was to strip any usable parts and discard the rest. But as we discussed what could and could not be saved, a strange thing began to happen. The conversation begin to drift toward how the various parts could be cleaned, lubed and adjusted to work again. Slowly and imperceptibly our conversation turned to salvaging the entire bike, until before long we were planning the complete restoration of this cheap old derelect in minute detail !

What is it about an old bike that brings out the rescuer in us? During the summer garage-sale season, my garage seems to fill up with good and not-so-good bikes I've rescued. Can't explain it. Not sure I need to. Guess I'm just a Re-Cycler.

Workspaces

If you like bicycles or woodworking you probably really like tools. It seems like those who gravitate toward mechanical avocations love gadgets of all kinds. It goes without saying that if you own a bicycle you must also own at least a few tools. The same goes for woodworking. (By the way, it is NOT true that I merely pretend to be a woodworker just so I can collect the tools.)

So, I’ll take it for granted that you have tools. But that’s only half the story. You also need a place to use those tools, whether it’s in your apartment living room, or in an air-conditioned multi-thousand-dollar workshop. For tool lovers, having a good workspace and storage space for your tools is a premium. One of my “as yet unattained goals” is to create separate workspaces and tool sets for the different types of work I do.

First, there’s the mechanic stuff. Since I don’t do much work on my automobiles anymore, the mechanic work is generally related to yard and gardening equipment. There’s always a need to maintain, service and adjust the lawn mower, weed eater, edger and other gardening tools. This is messy work which is best accomplished with good floor space and a sturdy workbench. The tools required are simple SAE mechanics tools – stuff like sockets, wrenches, pliers, hammers and cold chisels. About the only power tools required are a hand drill, a bench grinder for sharpening, and perhaps an air compressor.

Secondly, there’s the home carpentry work. The carpentry work I do is pretty self-explanatory, consisting of whatever work is required to maintain, repair and improve the house and other structures on the property. As any homeowner can verify, there’s always something that needs to be fixed … whether it’s framing, finishing, painting, wiring, plumbing, or masonry. It can be something as simple as a sticking door, a broken sprinkler valve, or an overflowing toilet. Or it can be as major as a house addition, a backyard shed, or a workshop.

The workspace for handyman carpentry will usually be wherever the work is, but one essential is what I call a “staging area”. That’s an area, like the garage, where temporary benches can be placed, where my miter saw can be set up and available, or where a door can be laid across sawhorses for planing or painting. The tools needed include a toolbelt with general handtools (tape, hammer, nailsets, pencil, etc), power tools, and special purpose tools for wallboarding, plumbing, and electrical work. All these tools should be segregated and readily available. You can never have too many carpentry tools.

Thirdly, there are bicycle tools. Now, the main thing you need to know about working on bicycles is that any tool that works on a bike won’t work on anything else. Every bike tool is unique, from crank removal tools to spoke wrenches. Your bicycle tool collection will by necessity be separate from your other tools, and therefore should be kept in a separate toolbox. The work area consists of a general bench and a floor stand for the bike.

Lastly, there’s my handtool woodworking addiction. After several years of messing with woodworking handtools I’ve come to the conclusion that this habit-forming activity is one part woodworking and one part tool collecting. The number of tools and the amount of workspace can vary over a wide spectrum, from a simple toolkit and a bench to a massive shop stocked with every archaic hand tool that had ever been known to man. For me, the challenge is to start with nothing and to hand make nearly everything I need to work wood simply and elegantly. The one tool that is an absolute necessity is a sturdy bench. Almost equally important is a good tool box. So, why not combine the two? One design in the back of my mind is a bench which surrounds and contains the toolbox. The toolbox could be removed from the bench for transport, but would normally reside under the benchtop and provide stabilizing weight for the bench. (We’ll see how that goes).

Right now, my entire work area consists of about one-third of a two-car garage. And the surprising thing is that it works! The secret is being really creative with storage and being really adaptable with the work area. So, I’ll dream of the day when I can walk across the back yard to a spacious building with separate storage and work areas for all my interests. But in the meantime I’ll continue to do what most of you are doing – using what you’ve got and having a blast!