January 17, 2021

Yesteryear
One year ago today: January 17, 2020, lead players wreck your band.
Five years ago today: January 17, 2016, this no-brain town.
Nine years ago today: January 17, 2012, MDBA
Random years ago today: January 17, 2004, Manfreya.

           The Kreg pocket hole jig was quick to prove itself. I built the carcass for the rear van storage area first try in around 20 minutes. My only advice is plan ahead. The apparatus is sturdy and the gauge markings are correctly done for the size of the lumber, not convenience of manufacture, a rarity these days. Keep level headed about which holes to drill and you get results first time. The kit comes with just enough screws to make one square frame of each size. Um, make sure you know which you will use most before buying in bulk. They are chrome-colored and require a mid-size Robertson (in millennial-talk, a #2 square bit).

           This a special-purpose tool that works best with proprietary parts and extras, The screws I am likely to use most are around 20¢ each so beware of runaway costs. There are also other clamps and add-ons, but forget these until you know you can’t live without them. There is a temptation to use ordinary screws for cheap projects, but be aware you need a special six-inch long driver or extension so your drill chuck won’t bump the wood before the screw is buried, and much of the strength comes from the screw design which has a built in washer.

           I finished the frame and cutout for the minivan deck, it involved working with a 3.-7/16th inch variation in height, losing that much headroom. It doesn’t make that much difference, since the interior is the same size as a half-ton pickup truck. The 2 feet at the back will hinge up to access the bins, I’m not sure if I’ll do anything fancy with that. The foam mattress is four inches deep, which is not quite plush enough to avoid pressure spots when laying any position but prone. I may consider cutting it so the leg area is thinner and the shoulder and hips doubled up.

           For clarity, shown here is the cutout in the floor of the van that was where the third row of seats was retracted. The seats are thrown out and the space is just too big to ignore. I build this frame first try with the pocket drill jig, no muss, no fuss. The plywood lid lays down flat to the van floor.
           Next on the agenda was more rat traps. There’s at least one smart one who avoids all bait, so it has to be a trap. I see glue traps have dropped in price but I somehow find them less humane than a quick snap. Anyway, I got all of the critters except the one who is able to get the bait without triggering the trap. So I filed the latch to hair-trigger and the bait is irresistible, it is called raspberry jam.

           My latest discover on the van is that the sun roof does not work. It does not retract or open to the vent position. This is usually broken when somebody tries to close it while some object is blocking the path. I did not notice immediately, and tried to work the button. Then I crawled up there to notice a bead of silicon had been run around the perimeter and I just wrecked that. If it leaks I’ll fix it. I’m okay with it closed and just the roof shade open.

Picture of the day.
Whale watching.
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           The 8” planks are all on the sawhorses drying from a coat of linseed oil. That took a couple hours to do right. That made the afternoon look non-productive, but I know better. I think I have an idea how to make a perch for Sammy. He’s used to the seat in Reb’s car, where he can lean out the window. This is a task in the Smithsonian van, where the distance to the bottom of the window is taller than he is. I’ll hang it on the back of the seat from the head rest supports. His personality has changed since the big dog is gone. If the window is not open, he paces back and forth continually.

           The neighbor was over immediately when I began sawing. I demonstrated the pocket hole device. He wants me to build some picture frames. I declined showing him samples of my work which are barely adequate for window screens and jigsaw puzzles. He knew somebody who had one of those custom frame franchises and showed me a couple of specialty frames. They were fastened in the corners by a right-angle staple system, which he told me he had once priced out. It was $800 back then.
           There should also be a picture of the hardware brackets needed to level the van floor. I had to drill into the deck to mount these, which will hold a slightly trimmed 2x4 spacer needed to bring the deck up to flat across the whole usable length. The plywood cannot go right up to the rear of the seats, as that would block the front cargo hatches, also designed for fold-down seats. This added assembly can be removed very quickly if need be.

           Anyway, the neighbor remains a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, and is oblivious to any version except the mainstream at its worst. He thinks there was an insurrection and that the Democrats barely managed to contain it. He believes the CNN claim that Trump’s popularity has dropped 30%, and that America is finally returning to normal, unaware there has been a communist takeover. Well, I should not say that. Real communism isn’t going to work worth a damn in this country, too many armed citizens and they would have to do something about that first.
           They are trying to disarm everybody, which won’t happen. I hear the NRA has moved its headquarters to Texas. The second Amendment was meant for times like these. The fake news only says the NRA is filing for bankruptcy, not that the reason for this is New York politicians have abused their power to continually file nuisance suits against the organization, making them spend a fortune defending themselves. The NRA said to hell with that, the Democrats say the NRA is “fleeing”. The answer, of course, is to make it illegal for certain types of people to own guns, we know who they are and what they look and act like, even where they live, but nobody has the guts to do it.

           Be aware that the Left does not operate in the open. The tactic being pursued now is to have anybody who supported Trump labeled as a right wing terrorist. Then change the so-called Homeland Security law to make it illegal for anyone deemed to be a terrorist to own a gun. That would mean 85 million people become criminals overnight. This is more likely to happen than a challenge to the right to bear arms.
           Win 10 is still mucking around with crap they should have dumped long ago. Like sticky keys. The default is on, a gimp feature. The problem is, there is no easy way to disable it. If you open control panel, there are at least five options that have to be set in combination. If you just disable the one that says ignore a key held down, it also ignores when you want to repeat a character. Up yours, MicroSoft. I say again, if you want to play do-gooder, do it on your own time and leave my computer alone.

ADDENDUM
           Ghostery has plainly reached some kind of deal with Google. There are at least two Google trackers that will not block. They are the Customer Interaction tracker and the Essential tracker, both Google operatives. You might want to look at who owns and operates Google before you think these people will ever understand or accept your cultural values of privacy and respect. Folks, I’ve been where those people come from and they can’t even think that way, it’s not in their DNA. You done been told.

Last Laugh