480volt

Very nice work!

On the rare occasions I need to wear bags, I like my tape in a holder in front, facing up, where your belt buckle would be. If I'm working overhead, a lot of the time I leave the tape in the holder and just pull out what I need.

In case you don't hear it often enough, we users appreciate the thankless task that you moderators perform.

I very rarely groove for stitches, but when I do I use a Douglas Versagroover

Just speaking for myself, I try to buy from makers that I hope will stay in business, price be damned. This is not driven by a "Buy American" mindset, it's driven by the hope that the traditional manufacturers like Blanchard and Osborne don't get driven out of business by low-cost competition. I think the custom makers like Douglas, Beard and many others exist in a niche market that is somewhat insulated from this, and I hope others will fill the void when they retire. Do I own Chinese tools? Of course I do, sometimes I wind up having to buy the odd tool from Tandy. If I were looking for traditional Chinese tools, I'd want them to come from a traditional Chinese maker. If I want really good knives I'd buy Japanese. If I'm looking for tools for leatherwork as I understand it, I want them to come from a traditional maker, with decades or generations of experience. I'm sure Wuta, Amy Roke, etc, are finely made, high quality tools- but I'll never know because I'll never buy 'em. Just my 2c worth

Rattan cane can is quite strong, I believe SCA weapons are designed around it and it can be steam bent.I have used fiberglass rod for LARP weapon construction, very strong but you you cannot permanently bend it.

Thanks for posting that! Curious to see if they will round out the rather limited selection of irons that they make, but if they match what I have, I'd buy 'em.

I agree, the tool should fit any manufactured length of rivet. Maybe QC problem with the far eastern manufacturer?

I've never bottomed out the setting tools I use (Douglas). Since you already own them, I'd use them like they are, just cut the stem after you've driven the burr as far as you can. If you cut the stem first, it will be more difficult to start the burr without the taper. Alternatively, once the burr is past the taper, it's easy to drive, you could set it with a piece of tubing and finish as normal.

Arya has a little list....

Just out of curiosity, since you turned it on a lathe, how is it not concentric with the shaft that was in the chuck?

I can't speak to lawnmower motors, but a variac cannot be used to control AC single phase motors. The speed of AC motors is a function of frequency and the number of poles. As you lower the voltage, the motor speed will try and remain constant and the current will increase proportionally till eventually the windings fail. A big enough variac won't care, it'll just keep feeding the load till the motor burns up. Lower airflow may contribute, but the main cause is excessive current. A variac should feed a rectified DC motor with no problems, but it would be cheaper to go find a used treadmill and take the motor and controls off of it. You should have a good understanding of motor nameplate ratings, wire ampacity, grounding, and overcurrent protection if you're going to build something up from scratch.

A bit off topic, but someone posted a link to these folks a few months ago: http://windfiredesigns.com/Products/index-products.html Sexiest circle templates I've ever seen.

This is practically the same as a stump, but I use a 6"x18"x42"-ish piece of glue-lam beam standing on end. No problems with sap, cracking or knots. I use it standing, where I can get nice and close to the work. I use HDPE where that doesn't work.

This is a set of Bob Douglas' rivet setting tools, does sizes 8,9,10,12&14. These are made from stress-proof rod and are beautifully finished on all surfaces. One sets the burr, one peens the head and the last domes the factory formed head, though I usually leave it flat. Sometimes I prefer the look of just peening the rivet with a ball-pein hammer, just looks more appropriate on some things.

I prefer to have the peened side visible. The flat factory head, even if you dome it, looks like it belongs on the inside of a pair of Levi's to me.

I've heard it referred to as "Mauschwitz". Maybe not the happiest place on earth to work.

Awesome!

Bob Douglas makes very fine tools, and he and his wife are great to deal with.

Do you mean "fid", the rope splicing tool?

Is Jar-Jar Binks on the B-side?

I stitch with a pricking iron and awl. Pricking irons are used only to lay out stitch locations, not actually punch through the work. I own a couple very old sewing palms from when I used to sew Axminster and Wilton carpets and a several sizes of thimbles. I will occasionally wear a thimble while stitching, if the going is tough, but a traditional sewing palm just doesn't work for how I stitch: too clumsy, wrong angle.

I had a bottle of 98% methyl alcohol from a chemical supply house in its original plastic bottle for over 30 years. Can't say what kind of plastic it is.

Contact info?

I've haven't seen quite that style of closure before, I'd love to see pictures of both ends, open and closed. Nice work on your part, as always. Ken