MadModder

The Shop => Our Shop => Topic started by: awemawson on January 28, 2016, 10:20:14 AM

Title: A Blackboard at last
Post by: awemawson on January 28, 2016, 10:20:14 AM
At my last place, the walls were covered in flat faced kitchen wall cupboards, and the one near the lathe and Bridgeport got a coat of blackboard paint - very handy to mark down measurements or notes when working.

New place (well not so new now I've been here 8 years!) again lined with kitchen wall cupboards, but no use for use as a blackboard as they are 'plank effect'. So I made up a bit of 19 mm chipboard, gave it several coats of blackboard paint, fixed 4 very powerful rare earth magnets on the back, and stuck it on the metal doors of the Beaver Partsmaster CNC Mill. Nice and convenient for the Bridgeport and lathe.

Yes but - it started slipping down the door  :bang: I added another set of magnets but again it would slowly slip down the door  :bang:

Well it's been kicking around unused for probably four years - propped against various things - constantly having to be shifted. Well I'm on 'light duties' at the moment, so an enforced period of not doing much has triggered loads of mooching about in the workshop plotting, scheming, and tidying up. And I kept tripping over this blackboard - then it dawned on me - bend up a bit of galvanised sheet to act as a 'top hook', incorporate a shallow shelf for chalk and rubber, and not only will it be usable, but I can stop tripping over the bally thing  :ddb:

... so a few folds in the Edwards folder, a few screws into the chipboard through the bent bit and hooray - it works  :ddb: :ddb: :ddb:

Not a huge achievement but at least I've done something other than  :coffee: :coffee:


.... now where is that box of chalk sticks - I KNOW that I have it somewhere ....  :scratch: :scratch: :scratch:
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: Pete. on January 28, 2016, 12:45:10 PM
Nice!


I have a whiteboard behind my milling machine with a dry wipe marker hanging on a string. Damn handy it is.
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: mechman48 on January 28, 2016, 01:00:48 PM
Nice!


I have a whiteboard behind my milling machine with a dry wipe marker hanging on a string. Damn handy it is.

Same here; one beside the mill with magnetic wiper & one above tool trolley / bench area much better than blackboard.
George.
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: awemawson on January 28, 2016, 01:11:05 PM
White board pens always seem to dry up too soon in my experience - then there was the incident when I gave a presentation in the board room and used a permanent spirit marker by mistake .... :doh: Tried all sorts of spirits to erase my notes but they were still there years later  :bang:

What could be greener than chalk - an inert natural resource, and water to erase - no nasty solvents and pens to dry up  :ddb:
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: Pete. on January 28, 2016, 01:15:29 PM
I will admit, when the writing has been on the board some time it takes a puff of brake cleaner to shift it. Haven't had any problem with the pen drying out and it's been there a couple of years but I am always careful to keep the cap on it.
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: Spurry on January 28, 2016, 01:41:35 PM
Those are Very smart cupboards. I'll give the blackboard idea a go when I install the new mill. Thanks for sharing.
Pete
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: awemawson on January 28, 2016, 01:57:43 PM
Those are Very smart cupboards. .
Pete

They were the cheapest I could find - Wickes had them on special offer and I bought rather a lot  :ddb:
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: Spurry on January 28, 2016, 06:01:24 PM
Wickes had them on special offer and I bought rather a lot  :ddb:
Yours are obviously larger than mine.  :clap: I went for the smaller option. This pic from when I had just started moving stuff into the new building.
Pete
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: DavidA on January 29, 2016, 04:52:14 AM
Spuury,

Just looked at the picture of your workshop.

Makes me want to go out and shoot myself.

Dave. :(
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: RussellT on January 29, 2016, 05:18:54 AM
Makes me want to go out and shoot myself.

Because you don't have room to do it inside? :D

Russell
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: DavidA on January 29, 2016, 07:11:00 AM
Exactly.

Dave. :D
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: mechman48 on January 29, 2016, 07:45:46 AM
Spuury; that isn't a workshop,  looking at the choppers on the bench that's an assembly shop...  :jaw: ... niiiiiiiice.

George.
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: Spurry on January 29, 2016, 02:39:24 PM
Thanks for the kind comments....but you did not see what I had to leave behind. I took a few pix before the removal men set-to, to pack it all up. This one shows the chaos surrounding the lathe, necessitating the tool stand shown in another thread.

The thing I miss most of all is the underfloor heating as we were on mains gas. This kept everything rust free and always comfortable to work in. Here in Norfolk, the only viable heating is by oil or electric, both of which are an outrageous price, so the new shed was a heady 10° today with no form of heating. I might just get used to the cold... :scratch: ...and the rust over my tools.

Pete 


Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: charadam on April 07, 2016, 05:41:11 PM
".... now where is that box of chalk sticks - I KNOW that I have it somewhere ...."

They are over there - behind the cigar humidor - no, left a bit, over towards the rifle range firing point - no, not that far, back towards the rocket motor - back a bit - there it is! In the 12-axis CNC lamb castrator control ........... oh no, sorry, it's behind the blackboard.

Well, you have everything else in your workshop!
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: awemawson on April 08, 2016, 03:47:08 AM
No automation in the Castration Department I'm afraid - purely a manual process  :bugeye:
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: j1312v on April 08, 2016, 08:48:03 AM
Love the contrast Andrew one minute you are adding bits to machinery and the next you are taking bits out from live stock  :lol:
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: awemawson on April 08, 2016, 09:55:35 AM
A true Engineer is expected to be able to turn his hand to almost anything .......   :lol:
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: John Stevenson on April 08, 2016, 12:12:08 PM
 :jaw:

Can you remember that invitation to come visit ?

Well it's been rescinded. I'd sooner keep the bits I have left............................ :thumbup:
Title: Re: A Blackboard at last
Post by: Joules on April 08, 2016, 02:58:12 PM
John, I thought you kept your marbles in a jar   :scratch: