Boy, ever have one of those weeks where you you spend way more time dreaming about being i n the woodshop than actually getting to spend in the woodshop? Well, I didn't even get that far. It was a rough week with the day job which kind of stretched into the evenings too. Couple that with a long holiday weekend and an extra day of vacation (in which you'd think I'd have more shop time) and a desire to get away a bit and my shop time was very slim. But I saw Deadpool 2, so there's that.
What did I do? Well, a bit. I made a second top for the engagement box out of some scraps so I can work out the locking mechanism for it. I tried one mechanism and while the movement would unlock it, it would re-lock itself. That was frustrating as I had hoped it would work. But alas, no. So, back to the drawing board. I think I'll switch back to more key driven ideas while what I was trying was a piece slid to the side when an angled wedge was pushed in. A more traditional key would rely on the turn to move slider methodology.
Having gotten stuck on the lock, I did spend a few hours fitting existing pieces of the engagement box. I wanted to make sure everything was working perfectly and a few pieces movements were still just a bit fiddly. Bit of sanding here, curve an edge slightly there, widen a gap just a tad. The lock that holds the side door shut wasn't working the way I wanted. So I decided to remake those pieces and change the mechanism just a bit. At first I thought the new ones were a no go because they were too wobbly, but then I realized my gap was just a tad too large. The gap was about .26 inches and the piece was around .238 inches. I know, that seems tiny but it left a noticeable wiggle I didn't like. Once I reduced that gap, it's snug but still movable.
I did some sort of woodworking. I mean, I was working, and wood was involved. I've had a stump from a pine tree that blew down over a year ago in the barn lot. My last chainsaw died and I bought a nice shiny Stihl 311. But, this stump eats chains. I'm just trying to make the stump small enough to move, but these things grow around all kinds of rocks and dirt which means by the time you see the chain smoking in the cut, you know the blade is gone. So, I got mad and picked up an axe. It's going surprisingly fast, actually. I just swing for 5-10 minutes when I'm free and I should have the stump cut down in another few chopping sessions. Old School!
On the digital side of the business I added a new page to the cipher wheel section. I didn't get time to record a new video even though I have an interesting one to do on a numeric rotation symbol cipher. That should be fun!
Until next week, stay dusty!