BTW, Trailtag's results is wrong for the 45. It compensates for the B batch riders starting 5 minutes later according to the official schedule, yet at start they decided that A and B must start together. They must not do things like that. Mess up things for the people keeping timing and results. I know it is just a fun ride, but these things keep on happening with Dirtopia races.
Bliksem. 3 of our family did the 45. I came in just over 3h. I was hoping to break 3h. My eldest son was 3rd Junior in the 45. Nice ride this. Rode hard today. Managed to get home with a dust seal that popped on the air side. Also took a little tumble as I rode too fast around a bend on the farm roads coming back.
If you are willing to spend the money. http://www.leevalley.com/us/Wood/page.aspx?p=42607&cat=1,41182,43698&ap=1 I have replaced 3 of my Stanleys' blades with these.
I have spare blades for a No 5, 6 and 7, but not for a No 8. I only have one Record No 8, and it was in a deplorable state when I rescued it. Unfortunately it has a small crack in the sole in the one corner of the mouth, so I might even have to chuck it. I am not sure I have the skills to fix the crack with my TIG welder. Cast iron is a bastard to weld. Yes, my Ryobi has a geared height adjustment. A pain in the arse that thing. Have pinched my fingers with that bastard a few times.
yes, mine will be chucked soon. I will probably get a bench drill press next. I have never needed the height that the standing drill offers. But absolutely I will make sure the run-out is perfect when I get one. That is the most important feature in a decent drill press. And the height adjustment on the Ryobi sucks. It has so much slack. Just as frustrating as the blade adjustment screw on the Made In England Stanley planes.
It depends. Maybe that is true for old tools picked up cheaply, or the odd new cheap tool. But I have in my garage an engineers square that is only good for using as a hammer. And a cheap router that only starts when all the planets line up. And a tape measure that don't want to retract back in anymore after a year's use. Aaand a Ryobi Stand Drill that have terrible run-out, that I can't seem to get fixed even after getting an aftermarket chuck. Sometimes you are lucky with cheap tools, most of the times...bleh. They become kids toys.
Why are people so reluctant to spend good money on tools? Have we become so used to cheap Chinese tools that we forget that many years ago our grandfathers spend a month's wages on a good Stanley plane (when they were still built in the USA) and a Rabone or Starret combination square. No wonder then that these days you can only find cheap Chinese tools in the big stores.
My go to workhorses are my No 6 Stanley and my Veritas LA Jack with both normal and toothed blade. The Veritas is splendid with preventing tearout around those massive pine knots where the grain goes nuts. If you have not yet got a Veritas LA Jack, save money and get one. You will be so glad you did. It is not without reason one of their hottest sellers.
Hell, you bunch of wussies! What is wrong with using a Jack plane? (Says he who has been sweating the past few days trying to true a bunch a warped and bowed pine beams).
Get as many clamps as you can, in all shapes and sizes. I have 10 pipe clamps, 6 alu bar clamps (gonna get more soon), some G clamps, quick release clamps, 2 sash clamps (crap Afritool stuff, will never buy again). Soon I will get some Bessey parallel jaw clamps (very expensive).
Hi all I need 3 Pine beams, 100mm X 70mm X 2.4m. If you have any laying about that you want to get rid of please let me know. Must be straight and without defects please. Willing to plane it down to size if need be. Willing to collect within 50km from Strand. Just checking before I lay down cash at the timber merchants, where most of their Pine is still wet anyway. PS: Not expecting it for free, but will surely be cheaper than the 350 bucks the timber traders want.
Had my first puffy encounter ever today on Helderberg. The bugger was lying still playing dead right across the trail at the start of the Upper Bikini Beach climb segment. First thought he was dead, and was about to get a stick to move him when he decided to head back into the bushes. This was my second snake encounter at Helderberg in 2 weeks. 2 Sundays ago I rode over the tail of a big ass Cape Cobra on the lower part of Highway 61. I was coming at speed around a corner (the section just as you pass over the little bridge) and saw the bugger too late. If I applied brakes then I would have stopped right on top of him, so I took my chances and went over the tail as fast as I could. His front body was already in the long grass so he probably saw me too late to strike.
Finally I have been vindicated on my assessment of the Boks, now that we have played against a team that can actually play rugby. We are currently not even close to what we can be. Way too many passengers and token players in the team. No wonder that Lambie decided to throw in the towel and further his career in the EU. When are our coaches going to learn that forwards in the backline is a bad, bad idea.
