You mentioned your house being wired I wouldn't bother with mesh. I would go hardwired 100%. Look at the new FlexHD if your using a regular wall jack since you can just sit the AP on something then.

 

Odds are, I'd maybe put another AP in the closet where the networking equipment is, but it's not a really priority, it'd mainly just give a boost in the front of the house, moreso outside. When I mow, I switch off the wifi on my phone, as the signal drops too much for consistent music streaming when I'm at the edges of the yard.

 

If you have jacks throughout, I'd recommend just setting up a bunch of the In Wall AP's instead so you don't have to worry about counter space.

https://store.ui.com/collections/uni...ucts/inwall-ap

 

So with all the trees on my property, I do monthly walkthroughs to find dead trees that might need to come down so they don't fall on the dogs. Found 4 trees this weekend I needed to take down. I cut two of those into firewood length sections as well as some more of a 50ft pine I had someone come in and take down almost 2 years ago now. I spent a good bit of the weekend then splitting those pieces to restock my firewood supply. Wasn't really smart though to stack it all on the top though. I should have cleared a section of my rack of the old and stacked the new on the bottom.

 

I still need to split a bunch of wood in my backyard, but I've been way too lazy. I'm also working with the woman on a place to put a fire pit, and since we can't seem to agree, I won't split the wood now if I end up just having to move it.

 

Looks like an awesome workout...

I have some nice dry elm scraps in case you want to swing up and get them.

 

I feel your thread needs an update then with the two options so we can all help you solve the problem

Doing it in small 30min times I honestly find it rather relaxing. I plan to do some more this coming weekend. Unfortunately, it is all some crappy pine. At least it has dried out for 2 years though.

I found a tree that was already down and it appears to be some type of hardwood with a slight red tint to it. I cut it up but no way I can split that. I cut two 3/4 thick rounds off of it with the chainsaw. Have you even run something like that through your planer? I would love to make natural cut tree rounds into coasters.

 

Nope. Running end grain through a planer is a recipe for disaster. I can, however, flatten them with the CNC machine and a flattening bit pretty quick. That plus some good sanding and you'd have some coasters.

 

Good point - maybe I'll sketch up some options

 

Ok good to know. Thinking of trying to take some of the smaller pieces and building a support for them in my saw and trying to cut much flatter sections with it. Will have to get some pictures.

 

Do some research on log fixturing jigs, they're pretty neat and can yield some good results! They're mostly used with band saws but I can't see why they wouldn't work with a miter saw.

 

We need to burn that wood

 

you should think about getting a hand saw. they make precise cuts and are the best for this sort of work.

 

I have been burning tons of wood during this stay at home thing. Hopefully, soon enough we will be able to have a get together and burn it.

 

Everytime we get a surprise shower like last night it makes me want to stain just the top of the cabinet and let the rest turn grey. I love the dark look of wet cedar.



There was a sale on this the other day at Lowe's. The reviews for it are either really good or absolutely terrible with the motor going or the plunge base not working. It was only $89 and I was able to use credit card points to get a gift card to pay for it. I honestly, don't plan to really use the plunge base. I was mainly after a variable speed router as mine is single speed which I blame for sometimes being the cause of blowout on the end of a piece when I run it through my router table. I also can finally use my tongue and groove bit set I bought before realizing my single speed router was too fast for it.

 

Variable speed won't fix your blowout issue, it will fix any issues with burning and being able to use various bits though. Nice pickup though! $89 is a steal for a router like that. Plunge base is definitely useful in the future though so don't get rid of it.

Blowouts are caused by unsupported material at the trailing edge of the cut. To fix it you can route right up to the edge and then climb cut back a bit or put a backer board on the trailing edge to support the material.

 

I will save the base for sure but many people report most of the problems are with it. They say the springs bind up and then without any notice let go so you end up slamming the big into your material which seems really dangerous. So at some point maybe I will give it a try and see if it works for shallow plunge work maybe but going to try my tongue and groove bit to make some no fastener picture frames in a couple of weeks.

 

Use the depth stop turret to prevent any issues if it slams down like that. It'll prevent you from taking too deep of a pass. Most routers don't have a smooth plunge anyway, the depth stop is key.

Also, you one brave MF if you're going to freehand a T/G bit...

 

Your through about the depth stop is the same I had. Are these people just not using it.

No, I plan to mount this router in my craftsman table and run the boards through that way. I am absolutely not trying to free hand it haha.

 

Most people are dumb, they blame the tool on their own error. I think you'd be fine if you use the depth stop.

And yes, please don't free hand it lol. That's a great way to get your finger taken off.

 

Jason, when you find the dead trees to you shake them until they crack and fall? I do that a lot when i visit my parents house. It's fun! Just rock it back and forth and eventually it will fall. Some of them are a bitch though lol.

 

Depending on the size I do haha. I also have to make sure the way they are going to fall is not near my fence. It is fun though and makes life easier.

 

So finally got around to unboxing the Metabo router I picked up on sale. I am extremely impressed with all the accessories it comes with for the price. To be honest I am not even sure what all some of it is for. I testing moving the plunge base and it seemed really solid so far so maybe it is just a case of bad quality control and it either completely works or just fails and that I got a good one. Hoping this month to get around to building my next set of picture frames so I will get to test it out. That will just be testing it in my table though so it won't be a huge test.

 

So made a big purchase recently after inheriting some money. John Deere X738. I spent more than I probably needed on it but it should last me a lifetime. Ordered it May 18th and it was delivered today. It is the highest level garden tractor you can get but also the first tractor without going to compact farm tractor that can take hydraulic attachments and has a driveshaft fed mower deck instead of a belt drive which was a huge desire. I grew up mowing on a 2003 model of basically this same tractor. Not a lot has changed to be honest. It is AWD with a 25.5hp Kawasaki engine. Got the 54in plow blade and hydraulic kit, 54in mow deck with full time mulch kit, and 6 - 42lb suitcase weights for ballast. I will be ordering a grapple for the hydraulic front to help with moving downed trees on the property so need the ballast in the back. The grapple can lift some 700lbs you don't' want all that on the front axle. I didn't really need the plow blade in NC but I needed the hydraulic angling kit that goes along with it and can be purchased as a kit vs buying all the parts separate. If you buy them separately without the blade you are only saving about 1/4the cost of the blade itself costs so might as well have it for the once every 5 years that we get 5-6in of snow.





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It barely fits in the workshop part of the garage. This is temporary though. I plan to ceramic coat the entire thing as well as the mowing deck to help keep the dirt from sticking to it.
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congrats on the purchase ... thing looks legit! my company is HQ'd in Moline, IL ... the home of John Deere. JD park, JD museum, JD streets/ave, only reason we have an airport is JD! Green/yellow is worth souls around these parts LOL

 

Hey Vinny, I hope all is well with you.

I have grown up around JD my entire life. My dad owned 2 different JD tractors. I have a picture of me 2yrs old sleeping in my dads lap while he drives around the yard (not mowing of course) on the tractor. I have used his very first one for the last 5 years which he bought in 1987. Going to restore it after this now. I mowed many of hours of grass and plowed tons of snow on the older version of the one I now bought. I love the green and yellow so guess I would fit in there. Funny that they are the only reason there is an airport.

 

daaaaayum. I am so beyond jelly of that tractor. Slumming it with a Honda push mower over here.

 

I hope they threw in a trucker hat too.
It's cool...and clean and pretty. I dig it.

 

J they threw in two hats and a t-shirt

 

Fuck yeah, 2 of them? They knew I would want one!

 

So did a bunch of work on the tractor this weekend. I wanted to protect it but more so hopefully make it easier to clean over time so I applied CQuartz UK 3.0 ceramic coating to the entire tractor. I did two coats on the tractor paint and the mower deck top surface. I coat on the frame, wheels, and underside of the mower deck. All of it was then followed up by CQuartz Reload which really makes the surface slick.

One of my favorite parts of this tractor which makes it useful for other projects besides mowing is the ability to easily remove the mower deck with the quick connect and drive over deck feature.






The underside of the deck with the full mulch kit installed. You call also see where unfortunately the dealer had not put the deck the entire way up before installed the front blade so when they pulled on and backed off the trailer they scratched up the deck in several places.


The wheel bolts have super short heads to them so I made an anti-scratch insert out of a piece of 3/8 fuel line to keep the socket from hitting the wheel.


Wheels off so they could be coated and I could get at the frame and underside of the fenders.


Remove the rubber footpads. I had to remove the pedals to get the other side off.


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Ceramic coating complete. The gloss now is fantastic but hard to really see in pictures.


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I sealed and UV protected the rubber footpads and pedal rubber. The stuff I used from Chemical Guys completely dries and does not make them slippery.


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I also bought new bulbs for the headlights and taillights. The headlight bulbs didn't seem any brighter than the stock ones. They just were a more pure white color but actually had worse light dispersion so sending those back. I ordered some new ones that should be here this week to see if they are better. The taillight bulbs are amazing. I wish I could use them for headlight bulbs. They light up my entire garage. They are 1500 lumens each while the factory ones were around 650 I believe. There will be no problem with light behind the tractor when needed. Hopefully, the new headlight bulbs I have ordered are at least as bright. They say they are 2500 lumen so we shall see when they arrive this week.
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The old John Deere Hydro 185 my dad bought back in 1987. I plan to try and restore this over the next few years. It needs a new seat, new drive control, some new decals, paint touched up, and I need to figure out why the hood doesn't align correctly and close the entire way.
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A better shot showing the gloss over after the ceramic coating and with the front brush guard finally installed.
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I of course had to grab a picture of the two tractors together. The Hydro 185 could use a bath and a new picture afterward so maybe I will get to that this week before I mow with the X738.
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My shed that was already at the house when I bought it doesn't have a ramp level with the floor of the shed. It is a pain but from all the ramp builds I have found online you have to modify the doors to make a level with the floor ramp. The other issue is the bottom hinge is so far at the bottom of the door I would have to move that as well so that I could then remove the bottom trim and then cut the door flush. So I have these 2x10 ramps the previous owner had used with his tractor. I always found that they bowed too much so I support them in the middle with two logs. I was worried with the new tractor weighing more than double the old one that they wouldn't work but at least yesterday I had no issue getting the tractor in.
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I am hoping that my Heavy Hitch weight bracket and my Innovative Grapple should ship this week so I can get to my projects in the woods soon. With the incoming heat we are now getting the grass should slow down for a bit on growing.

 

I never looked into a baller status mowers, but those things go for $13k?

 

You have done more mods and detailing work to your garden tractor than I have to my car.

 

Once you get into tractors that have shaft-driven attachments instead of belt-driven, AWD, and also hydraulics the prices go up pretty quick. For not much more I could have gotten into an entry level sub-compact tractor with a front loader. However, they don't mow as well as this will which is what its primary duty will be. I wanted hydraulics though as it really increases the ability to do other things with it like the front pickup grapple I have coming. I can add a front loader down the road for this from a third party company as well which I might with as much mulch as I put down each year, typically around 16-20 cubic yards but if I increase the landscaping in the back it could be closer to 25 then. It would be like having a driveable wheelbarrow that fills itself.

 

Nice mowers!

 

I actually felt like I need to detail my cars now that I did all this work to the tractor as two of them are probably due a paint correction at this point in life right now and some fresh wax. Almost like I feel like I am neglecting them or something in comparison. That said this is honestly the first new thing I have ever bought. All the cars have just always been new to me but never brand new.

 

Thats crazy. These have come a long way!

 

Wait until you put your first ding or scratch in it...
gonna be awesome.

You are so detail oriented, Jason...very amazing work...
looks so cool.
NOW...I will be more impressed when you do everything you did the to new one
to the old one.

I actually have a little cquartz and all the supporting product my neighbor gave me to
fuck with...
I haven't decided what I'll try it on but I am looking forward to the results.

 

Deere has actually offered a line of tractors called garden tractors for a long time which is the level above lawn tractors but before the sub-compact tractors which is actually a newer item for John Deere but not other brands. I think garden tractors from them with hydraulics have been around since the 80s.

They are not super common but the first generation of these particular models came out in 2003 and my dad had one for our property growing up since 2004. They had the x400 series that was 2wd and x500 series was 4wd with a selector lever. They had gas and diesel options for both as well. They also offer then with four wheel steer but that greatly reduces ground clearance and with wanting to use it for work in the wooded part of my property I quickly ruled that out. It is amazing the stuff they sell when you go and check out the dealer. The 1 series and the x700 series are almost the same size but you can get a backhoe and a front loader for the 1 series if you want as well as a rear full time hydraulic 3pt hitch for rear attachments. The upper models though should last a lifetime. I hope to still be using this tractor 30+ years from now.

 

I am looking forward to getting it muddy and dirty and putting it to work.

I am with you though I am excited to start the rebuild at some point in the coming years. I search eBay and forum here and there looking for cheap parts I know I will need for sure so I can start on it. I have a buddy who does his own paint work at a body shop his dad owns who has already agreed to spray it for me when I am ready.