Tips & Tricks

I Bought a LONG Shop Vacuum Hose

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I just bought a 20-foot hose for my shop vacuum and I wish I’d done it decades ago.  I never realized it before, but my shop vacuum is probably the tool that I spend the most time using and a longer hose makes it much easier to use. 

The hoses and electrical cords that came with my shop vacuums aren’t unreasonable short, but over the years I’ve spent many hours moving my shop vacuum from one electrical outlet to another in order to reach every corner of my workshop. … Read the rest

Dial Indicator Helps Set Z-axis Height

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I bought an old Federal dial indicator from a retired machinist that had a big flat donut-shaped magnet glued on its back.  I almost passed it up because it was kind of ugly, but it has turned out to be one of the most useful tools in my workshop.  It is particularly useful for adjusting the Z-axis height on my Harbor Freight mini-mill.… Read the rest

How I tram my mini-mill

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This is how I tram my mini-mill.  I think the method I use is fairly common, although I may use slightly different equipment than others.  There are other ways of doing it and some people have strong opinions about which way is best.  I’ve included links at the bottom to some interesting discussions I found if you would like to learn more. … Read the rest

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