Equipment – Modern Anachronist

Band saw cabinet electrical

The band saw project was almost as much electrical work as wood work. I replaced the power cord & switch for the saw and added lighting .

It’s Grillin’ Time

Just a couple quick thoughts that jumped into my head while grilling up some steaks tonight.

Some of you have outdoor kitchens with countertops & covered storage. Not me. I’m old school – charcoal and a Weber kettle is perfect for me.

A game of inches

With the Excursion, the barn doors opened above the trailer crank handle. I’ve been worried about getting into the bed of the Ridgeline with the trailer hitched.

Box joint jig for the table saw

I’ve gotten to the point where new projects don’t always* require purchasing** new tools. But as I work on more ambitious projects, I am building more tools & jigs.

When I built the drawer for the drill press cabinet, I was very dissatisfied with my results, so I started looking for something better.

Enter the box joint or finger joint jig.

First trip with the tonneau.

We decided to take advantage of the President’s Day weekend, and the generosity of some family friends and head to Cape May for a two night getaway.

Pouring rain for the two hour drive, but thanks to the tonneau cover, all our luggage stayed dry*.

Think outside the box (or range)

Another holiday tip – you’ve got a slow cooker. USE IT! (And if you don’t have one, get one.)

Back to is your kitchen big enough? Do you have enough burners on your stovetop? And the answer is always no, even if you’re kitchen could be a studio for a cooking show.

So how can I make this hosting the family thing easier? If you’re like most Americans, you’re trying to include traditions from all sides of the blended family, while taking care of special dietary needs, and trying to one up your sibling who hosted last year, but in a low key friendly way. And you have to do all this without breaking a sweat with a smile on your face and a jig in your step.

Welcome (back) to the Smoke Show

It’s been a long time since I’ve used the smoker, but Thanksgiving next week has me dusting it off.

I purchased a new grill thermometer and tested it out on some turkey tenderloin in the oven.

I got the ThermoPro TP25 which comes with four probes and a grate clip. Bluetooth connectivity to your phone lets you remotely monitor the cook.

Ain’t tech grand!

Yet another way that 23 years of technology have made trucks easier to manage. Yesterday morning, I had to move the trailer around the yard.

Normally, I ask my wife or son to direct me as I back up to the coupler.

The downward view on the backup camera makes hitching up a one man operation.

Be prepared

As an Eagle Scout, I still try to prepare for any contingency. One of the common roadside emergencies is a flat tire.

For the past 35 years of driving, I’ve carried a traditional four way tire wrench to remove & install tires – but the Ridgeline doesn’t have a good place to store it!🤬

The good folks at The Ridgeline Owners Club have given me some sound advice.

Picking Nits on the Ridgeline

I’ve had the Honda for just over a week now, and the development in automobiles from 2001 to 2024 is astounding. When Fessick rolled off the assembly line, neither mobile phones nor USB were widespread technologies, streaming audio wasn’t even an option, and high end cars had CD changers. Now with wireless CarPlay, my phone and all its associated connectivity is integrated into the car, I’ve got USB-A and -C ports, but the CD player has found the end of it’s road.

When I sit down, press a button to start the engine without unclipping my keys from my belt, the audio I was streaming to my phone routes to the car speakers, and directions to my doctor’s appointment show up on the dashboard, I feel like I’ve stepped into the future. (Also, I know that these features aren’t really high end these days. I’m driving a Honda, not a Rolls.)

That being said, I’ve found a few flaws that really bug me.