What did you do Today 2024

[Nicholas Farr]

On Nicholas Farr Said:

Hi, finished making and erecting guard rails to two of my builders trestles, so I can replace my security lights safely.

Regards Nick.

Good job on the platform Nick, but I can’t see anything to stop the trestles folding in parallel and collapsing.  Perhaps hidden at the base? If not already addressed, easily fixed with a diagonal cross brace, or maybe two:

Dave

 

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Dave they look to be based on a pair of builders “bandstands” these have feet and two diagonal braces to each. Have been used for years on building sites without any issues.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Dave, well these types of trestles have been used for donkey’s years, Builders Trestles by builders, and others, and myself, and I’ve not, and I don’t know anybody else who have used this type, for them to have encountered or tendency for them to fold and collapse as you have shown, plus the ones shown, would have to shear off eight bots which are holding the corner posts onto the trestles.

Regards Nick.

.

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

Dave they look to be based on a pair of builders “bandstands” these have feet and two diagonal braces to each. Have been used for years on building sites without any issues.

Of course they have.  Problem is I can’t see any braces in Nick’s photo.  Are they hidden somehow?

Dave

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Dave, they are the same as those in the link in my above post.

The whole thing will be tied to the green post, while working on the platform, for extra security anyway, and that post is in the ground by about 1100mm or so.

Regards Nick.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Finally restored my PC, complete with renewing the Norton subscription after fighting off a rather stranage attack from something calling itself “trustedrespones.co.in”. It was a series of noisy pop-ups pretending to be from all MacAfee, Norton and Microsoft itself, warning me about “viruses”. I did not of course, “respone”, let alone respond as they demanded!

Is “in”, India, Indonesia or Iran, I wonder?

Tried a little CAD toe-dipping while the PC was safely offline, to revise it. I have purchased an “up-date” to replace the lost TurboCAD 2021 with TC 2024. And restored Alibre Atom. (I use them for somewhat different things.)

 

Slowly crystallising how to overhaul the smokebox on my loco. The slot cut in its floor seems to have been made by free-hand angle-grinding, so I want first to mill its rough-cut sides parallel to enclose a fill-in piece to be made to be screwed to the saddle. This to halve the open area needing sealing.

======

Nick –

I would strongly suggest not relying on just clamping or lashing that platform to the light pole. Fit a pair of diagonal braces from the outer corners of the platform itself, back to secure anchorages in the ground.

I would also turn the two outer feet and their ground-pads through right-angles to put their thrust outwards.

Those light trestles are indeed used by builders, but normally on level, solid ground; and even full scaffolding is given such external bracing wherever possible.

 

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, a couple of photos for the benefit of Dave (SOD)

Nigel, I’ve used ratchet straps, just as a precaution, should for any reason it falls away from the lamp post, but I think it will be highly unlikely to do so, it is actually on concreate, all be it on wooden timbers, which will prevent it sliding in all directions.

I’ve managed to get up onto the platform today, when the whether was better, and have succeeded in removing the old lamps from their brackets, but the bracket bolts don’t want to come undone, so a cutting disc in my mini grinder, will have to sort them out.

These trestles are rated at a 450kg load each by the way, so I don’t see any reason they should collapse, with just myself on them.

Regards Nick.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

And yes you can see the tops of the braces in Nick’s original photo.

I really don’t see the need for any additional bracing but I’ve been in the construction industry and seen them used all my life without any other bracing or tieing in to the structure or outriggers as you see on the aluminium towers over a certain height which Nick’s bandstands are below as they look like No 3s.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi,  yes, way below some of the towers that I’ve put up and worked on.

Regards Nick.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

The tower looks like a pair of trestles which are safe to use with boards and have been for many years. All that has been done is to add a guard rail system. If this did not have the feet, then yes, diagonal bracing would be required.

For all of 27 years in the tool hire trade I have not come across any problems with this design except those that choose not to use them correctly.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

(Strange – I’d turned the PC off but it came back on with me still logged in here. Perhaps I’d not logged off.)

I wasn’t questioning the structure itself but the photo made it look as if standing a bit out-of-vertical, on boards, but those on a garden.

I’ve just recently had to erect a sort of scaffolding stile about six feet high to go over a wall to paint the end of my workshop. Any more conventional access was barred by a massive thicket of brambles and other vegetation. For stability I added short poles with clips on that acted as wall-hooks.

On corroded bolts, it’d be worth the new ones being of stainless-steel, but if the nuts and bolts are of the same grade, apply anti-seize grease and don’t over-tighten. Though perhaps not if going through aluminium alloy, because stainless-steel loves to eat that in the right conditions.

 

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Plasma –

Your kit-model Series 1 Landrover…

I did look at Amortek’s catalogue and it is strange that it names all its vehicles properly except the Landrover – it calls that a “Series 1 car“.

What did it tell you, if anything, and would a claim against naming a small-scale model truthfully, really have any legal basis?

Frankly if I built one I’d always call it a “Series One Landrover” even in an exhibition, although I would also credit it properly as “built from an Amortek kit”, in the same way I describe my “Hemingway-kit ‘Worden’ Tool-&-Cutter Grinder” as such.

Perhaps I should label my steam-wagon, if I ever get the thing finished, as “Representing a 1908 steam-lorry built by a certain company”, lest some remote descendent of the H*****y or M***s families goes running to some jumped-up but starving solicitor desperate to find a case to take!

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Nigel, the trestles are near enough vertical according to my level, the leaning  look is probably due to the angles I was taking the photo at, on my phone.

Regards Nick.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Those trestles are ok ‘cos they are old. From experience don’t trust the welds on a new pair.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, let there be light, that’s to say my new security lights are now working, and my platform / trestles didn’t let me down,

Regards Nick.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

You can even leave the trestles up for a machine gun post. 😀

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Woke (in its proper meaning… given the other thread on here!) this morning to wind, rain, sleet and cold.

No conditions for work on a garden shed I’ve started building, and at only 1ºC in the unheated workshop I was not keen on handling very cold steel.

So took the plunge and bought an official IMSI-published TurboCAD “introductory” tutorial to match my recent up-grade to TC 2024 “Deluxe”, following a computer breakdown that had removed all software. I use the adjective advisably, from what I’ve seen of it so far. That’s the problem with an on-line technical publication: unlike a physical book in a shop you can’t look through it first to determine its range and suitability.

 

The weather cleared to bright sunshine so I took a bus ride to view an exhibition on Portand about the “Great Gale” in November 1824, with very destructive, hurricane-force winds (not “hurricane” – we don’t have those tropical storms, fortunately). Only to find it had been cancelled for today due to “adverse weather”! Oh, really! Come off it! Further inland maybe but not here. The hills inland did look beautiful with a layer of snow sparkling in the afternoon sun, viewed from perhaps six miles away.

Nothing for it but to wait for a bus home, in the convivial comfort of my usual spa when I lived not far from it. The ale was, as usual, excellent.

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

Went to the opticians today to collect my new readers.

Chatting to the lovely assistant we were discussing tinted glasses for glaucoma, which she didn’t know much about.

She said we have to have tinted lenses for kids with ADHD and stuff. And don’t get me started on the new lenses for children who’s eyes are so weak because all they do is stare at their phones for hours on end. Their eye muscles get no exercise at all.

Wow, who new that kids health was being compromised by new technology lol.

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

I’ve had a Badger airbrush for many years, always been a fantastic tool.

But the tin plate lid of the spray jar has seen better days and I can’t source a replacement.

Having had a coffee and a scone at my local tea room I found they had a huge supply of empty miniature jam jars, about the right size for my air brush.

I didn’t like the idea of trying to modify the flimsy steel lid by fitting a threaded insert into it for the paint pick up.

So I set out to turn a whole new lid from brass complete with an integral threaded boss to take the pick up pipe.

Turning was easy and a dremmel tool cut the material away to create the female “thread” to fit the jar.

Looks good and works a treat.

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

Those trestles, I recently scrapped a pair!

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Good tip Plasma, just wish you had said on Thursday.

Meanwhile

CONDENSATION
Everyone look out the temperature is rocketing overnight from the zero of recent days to +15 in England. This means every bit of metal in every unsealed outdoor shed IS going to get wet.

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

I work in at attached garage, even though it’s dry i always had issues with condensation due to temperature changes.

One day I extended the central heating circuit in there with two decent sized radiators.

Now I can wander in at any time and it’s just perfect. Constant temperature and no rust to be seen.

I fitted Hive radiator valves in the rest of the house so the heating can just tick over for the workshop without heating the whole place.

Mick

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

Yes, nothing like a good warm front.. ..But I did get some work done nonetheless and have only got a few bits and bobs to finish before seeing if I can get my engine to run..

Edit – not suds, just everything wringing wet..

[old foolParticipant @old-fool]

Hi all. A red letter day. I’ve been building an automatic control for a cooling fan on my Land-Rover and this morning tested it on the bench, and proved it works! It’s electronic and is controlled by the temp gauge sender.

Michael drew our attention to one old stalwart of the electronics world, i.e:- the 555 timer. The other cornerstone is the 741opamp. Are better ones about now but these “do” for many jobs

Bob

[Plasma]

On Plasma Said:

I’ve had a Badger airbrush for many years, always been a fantastic tool.

But the tin plate lid of the spray jar has seen better days and I can’t source a replacement.

Having had a coffee and a scone at my local tea room I found they had a huge supply of empty miniature jam jars, about the right size for my air brush.

I didn’t like the idea of trying to modify the flimsy steel lid by fitting a threaded insert into it for the paint pick up.

So I set out to turn a whole new lid from brass complete with an integral threaded boss to take the pick up pipe.

Turning was easy and a dremmel tool cut the material away to create the female “thread” to fit the jar.

Looks good and works a treat.

These may not be metal tops but having a set means that if you are spraying different colours at the same sitting save cleaning out after each spray.

[Author]

Posts