Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[Sally PB]

After taking some measurements, she decided that she wants a 20X24 inch square planter.

I'll try to put together a 18X22 inch pallet wood planter tomorrow and see how that works for her. I'm not quite certain why she wants such large square planters

Somehow, they lost their squareness too?

 

[Molpet]

Goldilocks's Pallet Wood Planter Project

First of all, I have to say that Dear Wife is the love of my life. She is never wrong. I guess sometimes I don't hear too well, or maybe just have not read her mind correctly. It's entirely my fault that some details need to be refined before I get it right.

The other day, Dear Wife asked me if I could make some pallet wood planters to put on top of the tree rounds that she has out in her wildflower garden. She has been putting a plastic pot on top of each round for a number of years, but now she wants to get rid of the plastic pots and put wooden planters out there. The rounds are in groups of three, and each round is at a different level - low, medium, and high.

She has three groups of three rounds like that out in her flower garden. So, I ask her if she wants to put a planter on each round instead of the plastic pots. Yes, she says. OK. I go outside and measure the rounds and think an 8X8 inch planter would be a good size to put on each round. Maybe a little bigger, or even maybe smaller.

I go back into the house and show her how big an 8X8 inch planter box would be. Fine, that looks good to her. Yesterday, I built a quick 8X8 inch planter out of pallet planks, used brad nails to slap it together, and showed her how it looked on the tree round. I'm thinking I will probably build another 8 of those planters, more or less that size.

Here is a picture of that planter. It's looks all cattywampus in this picture due to the angle of the camera, but I assure you that it is built square.

View attachment 4104339

And if you are wondering, everything is indeed dry and dead in that picture. We had snow on the ground just a week ago, so springtime growth has yet to arrive where I live.

Anyways, I show the planter to Dear Wife and, much to my surprise, she exclaims that it is way too small! Contrary to what I remember hearing or showing her how big an 8X8 planter would be, what she wanted was one large planter to sit on each group of three rounds.

Well, that changes everything, doesn't it? So, I took her outside and made her explain to me what she had in mind. Mind you, a group of three rounds makes more of a triangle than a square. But she wants one big square planter to span all three rounds. Fine by me, but I tell her that we will have to level the rounds to the same height so that the planter box does not slide off.

After taking some measurements, she decided that she wants a 20X24 inch square planter.

I don't know how you can go from an 8X8 inch planter to a 20X24 inch planter on the same project. I suspect she may have changed her mind, but, for now, I guess I failed to understand her instructions.

Today, I put together a 20X24 inch planter and had it ready for her inspection and approval before I make the other two planters. Turns out, that 20X24 inch planter was too big, so now she wants one that is 18X22 inches. It really is a Goldilocks's planter project with the first attempt too small, the second planter was too big, so maybe my third try will be just right.

I'll have to find a good use for the other planters. It's just not worth my time to take them apart. Maybe they will be perfect for something else.

Actually, it's not a big deal for me to make some pallet wood planters and then finding out they are not the correct size. That's one of the things I like about using free pallet wood. No crying over a project that does not turn out exactly the way you wanted. Just build a new one with some modifications until you get it right.

I'll try to put together a 18X22 inch pallet wood planter tomorrow and see how that works for her. I'm not quite certain why she wants such large square planters, but maybe it's a great idea that I cannot yet see. In any case, it's her wildflower garden and if the pallet planters don't work out, we can try something else.

I don't mind. Pictures to follow when I get the correct sized planters built and put into the garden.

 

[gtaus]

Somehow, they lost their squareness too?

True that!

But they are not triangular, which would make more sense in my mind because a group of three tree rounds seems more like a triangle to me. But I'm just the hired help in this case, so I will remake them to order.

 

[gtaus]

Update of my Ryboi Miter Saw Warranty Issue

I'm still working the warranty issue with Ryobi on my 18v miter saw. I just got an email from them telling me that they have decided just to send me out a replacement. No tracking info yet, just a promise at this time, but it's a big step forward. Estimates are another 3-4 weeks for processing the warranty replacement and shipping the new saw out to me. But at least I got the promise in writing in an email, so I think it will happen.

In the meantime, I went into town today and stopped by Home Depot to follow up on the manager's promise to send me out a $50.00 check or gift card for all the problems that I have been getting with this warranty issue. The manager told me that the check was in the mail.

Anyways, last week, I ended up buying a water heater and install from Home Depot. That was about $1,500.00 on the bill. So, I told her that I don't just come to Home Depot to complain when things go bad, but that I actually buy stuff from them, and showed her my receipt for $1,500.00.

I don't know if that melted her heart, especially since our conversation a few weeks prior did not go so well, but she smiled and told me that she would give me a $150.00 dollar credit on any purchase today. That was halfway on that Ryboi miter saw purchase and she said it was to ease the pain. Plus, I could keep the $50.00 check when it comes.

I found some tool kits on clearance that I could use. The Brushless impact wrench was on clearance for $70 (from $140) and the drill and one-handed reciprocating saw kit was $80 (from $160). Both kits come with extra batteries and chargers.

All those brushless tools are upgrades from my older tools that have brushes. Well, except for the one-handed reciprocating saw which I did not have. I know Home Depot is listing the highest price ever on those kits to make the clearance price look better, but just the batteries alone would cost that much at current retail prices.

I tossed in a drill and driver kit and a replacement chain for my 6-inch Ryboi pruning chainsaw. At full retail price, about $350 for everything. But the clearance price at 50% off the kits, plus my 10% military discount, my final purchase was less than $8.00 after the $150.00 store credit from the manager.!

I am celebrating today. Now I'm just waiting out the warranty replacement from Ryobi, but that seems to be on track. Things are looking up for me today.

 

[gtaus]

DIY Auto Vacuum Switch for Table Saw

The other day I mentioned that I dug out an old 5-gallon shop vac that was downstairs. It fit perfectly into my new adjustable height pallet wood workbench I built for my new table saw from Menards. The vac works really great in collecting the sawdust from my cuts. So, I think I may have a permanent place and function for that old shop vac.

Here is a picture of that setup to refresh your memory...

I mentioned I was considering buying an automatic vacuum switch for the table saw and vac...

There are a number of different models ranging from $30-$50. Basically, you plug the table saw into one input and the shop vac into another. When you turn on the table saw, it has an automatic 1 second delay before it turns on the shop vac. That prevents both units from starting at the same time and tripping your breaker. When you shut off the table saw, it continues to run the shop vac for 7 seconds to clear the hose and then automatically turns it off. That sounds pretty good to me.

But then I started thinking... What if I put everything on a power strip with a toggle switch? Would everything turn on at the same time when I hit the toggle switch on the power strip? That would not be so good, because the surge of both units starting up at the same time might trip the breaker. But, if the table saw did not come on automatically when I switched the toggle on the power strip, the vac would start first, and then I could turn on the table saw with the switch on the front of the table saw itself.

I had a used power strip with a toggle switch on it that I got from our local charity Thrift Shop for 50 cents...

I knew the shop vac would start up if I had it turned on the top of the vac and then turned on the toggle on the power strip. But I did not know if the table saw would also start up if I gave power to the strip.

Turns out, there are two different types of switches in the table saws. You can have a mechanical power switch on the table saw, so if the power goes out on the line, the saw stops. But when power is restored, the saw immediately starts up again. That's not so safe.

The other type of switch is a magnetic switch. If the power is disrupted, the magnetic switch turns off. When the power is restored, you have to press the on button again before the saw will run. That's much safer. It's called an anti-restart switch.

My 30-year-old table saw has the mechanical switch. That would not work so good on my power strip idea. But I was happy to discover that my new table saw has the magnetic type of anti-restart switch on it.

So, my DIY auto vac switch setup is to have both the shop vac and the table saw plugged into the power strip. The shop vac is turned all the time. When I switch on the toggle on the power strip for power, the shop vac comes on immediately, but I have to press the on button on the table saw for it to start running. Perfect! That's enough of a delay that I won't trip any breakers. When I am done cutting wood, I can simply turn off the toggle switch on the power strip and everything shuts down.

Well, it's works good enough for me, and I probably won't need any automatic vac switch for my small setup. I just need to find some good place to mount the power strip on my workbench. But I hooked up everything and it works like a charm.

Of course, you could just turn on/off each unit as needed, but then I would have to bend down and reach in to turn on the shop vac every time. Who wants to do that? Now, I can mount that power strip in a better place, easier to reach, and have it turn off both units at the same time. That's just so much better!

 

[fuzzi]

DIY Auto Vacuum Switch for Table Saw

The other day I mentioned that I dug out an old 5-gallon shop vac that was downstairs. It fit perfectly into my new adjustable height pallet wood workbench I built for my new table saw from Menards. The vac works really great in collecting the sawdust from my cuts. So, I think I may have a permanent place and function for that old shop vac.

Here is a picture of that setup to refresh your memory...

View attachment 4105193

I mentioned I was considering buying an automatic vacuum switch for the table saw and vac...

View attachment 4105192

There are a number of different models ranging from $30-$50. Basically, you plug the table saw into one input and the shop vac into another. When you turn on the table saw, it has an automatic 1 second delay before it turns on the shop vac. That prevents both units from starting at the same time and tripping your breaker. When you shut off the table saw, it continues to run the shop vac for 7 seconds to clear the hose and then automatically turns it off. That sounds pretty good to me.

But then I started thinking... What if I put everything on a power strip with a toggle switch? Would everything turn on at the same time when I hit the toggle switch on the power strip? That would not be so good, because the surge of both units starting up at the same time might trip the breaker. But, if the table saw did not come on automatically when I switched the toggle on the power strip, the vac would start first, and then I could turn on the table saw with the switch on the front of the table saw itself.

I had a used power strip with a toggle switch on it that I got from our local charity Thrift Shop for 50 cents...

View attachment 4105198

I knew the shop vac would start up if I had it turned on the top of the vac and then turned on the toggle on the power strip. But I did not know if the table saw would also start up if I gave power to the strip.

Turns out, there are two different types of switches in the table saws. You can have a mechanical power switch on the table saw, so if the power goes out on the line, the saw stops. But when power is restored, the saw immediately starts up again. That's not so safe.

The other type of switch is a magnetic switch. If the power is disrupted, the magnetic switch turns off. When the power is restored, you have to press the on button again before the saw will run. That's much safer. It's called an anti-restart switch.

My 30-year-old table saw has the mechanical switch. That would not work so good on my power strip idea. But I was happy to discover that my new table saw has the magnetic type of anti-restart switch on it.

So, my DIY auto vac switch setup is to have both the shop vac and the table saw plugged into the power strip. The shop vac is turned all the time. When I switch on the toggle on the power strip for power, the shop vac comes on immediately, but I have to press the on button on the table saw for it to start running. Perfect! That's enough of a delay that I won't trip any breakers. When I am done cutting wood, I can simply turn off the toggle switch on the power strip and everything shuts down.

Well, it's works good enough for me, and I probably won't need any automatic vac switch for my small setup. I just need to find some good place to mount the power strip on my workbench. But I hooked up everything and it works like a charm.

Of course, you could just turn on/off each unit as needed, but then I would have to bend down and reach in to turn on the shop vac every time. Who wants to do that? Now, I can mount that power strip in a better place, easier to reach, and have it turn off both units at the same time. That's just so much better!

I learned something today, mechanical vs. magnetic switches.

 

[gtaus]

I learned something today, mechanical vs. magnetic switches.

That was something I learned in this process as well. When you think about it, the magnetic anti-restart switch is safer. If, for any reason, the power goes out in your shop, the magnetic switch turns off the saw. When the power is restored, the saw is in the (safer) off position and would have to be restarted via the switch before it runs again.

On my 30-year-old table saw with a mechanical switch, if the electric power goes out, the saw stops, of course. However, when the electric company restores the power, the saw will immediately start up again whether or not I am in the shop at that time. Let's hope no one has hands around the blade when the power comes back on!

FYI, the new magnetic switches are now common on higher end table saws, but not so much on budget table saws or older table saws like I had. I just bought a budget table saw from Menards and it has the safer magnetic switch.

Again, I believe Menards repackaged a higher end table saw from China and sold it under their house brand. Feature for feature, it is the same as other saws costing about $200.00 more.

Knowlege is power, and with my new learned insights, I was able to put together a DIY auto vac type power strip for 50 cents with a used power strip instead of having to buy that auto switch power supply for $30-$50 on Amazon. I think it will work good enough for my purposes. My DIY power strip setup just turns on the shop vac first, whereas the auto switch turns the saw on first.

 

[chickengr]

Again, I believe Menards repackaged a higher end table saw from China and sold it under their house brand. Feature for feature, it is the same as other saws costing about $200.00 more.

they don't repack anything. it has already been packed in china with their name.

I always buy house brands. they will never sell garbage with their name on it. learned that in italy. there was a buffalo mozzarella cheese costing 4000 italian lira (before they switched to euro) and the very same house brand cheese cost 2000. I knew a person who worked there and was told that first hand. they all were packed at the same factory.

 

[gtaus]

they don't repack anything. it has already been packed in china with their name.

Yes. They rebrand/repack the item in China at the factory. I did not mean that it was sent to the USA and then Menards rebranded it.

As to house brands, when I was in college, way back in the 1980's, my roommate worked at a dairy. He said the same ice cream was put into the high dollar value brands as the economy house brands. Same formula, same vat of ice cream. They just target different buyers with the different packaging price points. But, it was the exact same recipe.

More to pallet projects, when I was comparing the Menards house brand Performax table saw to other name-brand models, it was almost the exact same thing as a Skil table saw that was double the price. Are there differences? None that I could see.

Anyways, I have used my new table saw a number of times and it works great. I'm happy with it so far. Plus, it has a 2-year warranty in house at Menards. I suspect I'll get my money's worth out of it long before then.

 

[gtaus]

Tool Battery Rotation System to Extend Battery Life

I was online this evening studying up on tool battery designs and chemistry and how to extend their useful life. Batteries are expensive. I found out that one of the main reasons batteries die is because they don't get used and slowly self-discharge over time to the point where they cannot be charged back up again. It's better to use and recharge those batteries to keep them healthy.

Some time ago I posted my pallet wood shelf that I built for tool batteries. I have been in the Ryobi line for about 20 years. I now have over 50 18v batteries of various Ah sizes and ages. Here is a picture from a few years ago...

In order to ensure that all my batteries get cycled, I take them off from left to right, top to bottom on the first half, then go to the next shelf and repeat. In order to know where the next battery to be used is at, I have a wooden block that I put on the shelf and move as a marker. So, the next battery to be used is on the right side of the wood block marker, and I put the freshly recharged batteries on the left of the block.

One of the things I learned tonight is that it is better to recharge a Li-Ion battery before it's fully depleted. If you recharge a Li-Ion battery when only half empty, you actually extend the battery's life. So, now if I am done with the tool and still have half the battery left, I'll just throw it on the charger and take the next one off the shelf when needed. At present, I was always running the battery down to empty before recharging it. But if I start recharging them when only half empty, I'll just cycle through my batteries 2X faster which should actually be better for them.

I grew up with Ni-Cad batteries. With Ni-Cad batteries, you always wanted to run them completely empty before recharging them. If you recharged Ni-Cad batteries when only half empty, the battery would develop a memory-effect over time and only give you half capacity, thinking it was full capacity. Li-Ion batteries do not have that memory-effect problem. But I still was using my old habits from back in the Ni-Cad battery days.

I also learned that the expected loss of health on a Li-Ion battery is ~5% per year of its capacity. Believe it or not, I have some Li-Ion batteries in my rotation that are 15 years old! I think they still have more than 25% capacity left in them, but I'll have to check them somehow.

Well, I'll keep on using my old batteries until they die. Even at a reduced capacity, an old battery will run a low power device like a job site radio, fan, or light for a long time. No need to toss them into the landfill/recycle if you can still get some use out of them.