The Tool and Die Guy

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The Tool and Die Guy

I had been following Phil Kerner and his YouTube video series for about a year.  His videos detailed a lots of experience regarding machining in the tool and die industry.  In this industry a lot of skills and knowledge get passed down from machinist to machinist. 

I am an engineer, but I think like a machinist in my designs.  It makes my solutions practical and ultimately take less time and money to produce.  Since taking on machining as a hobby I I found the skills valuable as they transferred directly to my career.  

Phil Kerner (thetoolanddieguy.com) takes 35 years of his experience and now puts his videos on a pay version of his site.  You can get an annual subscription for $48 and a “lifetime” for $68.  I recommend getting the lifetime now.  The information you get from this is a fraction of the cost to attend a machining course.  Its high quality and he’s telling you everything you need to know in a clear and concise manner.  $68 is a steal in my opinion – I don’t know how long he will keep the price as his courses are getting very popular, so I would jump on it if you think it is worth your time. 

Rack building

Modified the rear rack with a light mount and fixturing. I used brass and an oxy acetylene torch for this build.

Chiba cabinet finished

China cabinet with wallpaper – finally fonished

South Florida MS 150 Ride

Its been a busy 2013, where I haven’t had a chance to do things that mean a lot to me. By some quick twist of fate, I was able to do the MS 150 ride. I had no training and not much riding recently, so I was nervous to even try it. 150 miles later, it was done. This was the first real ride with the double top tube Sam Hilborne. I’ll post a little more about it in the future. I was glad to participate in this great cause.

Machine Shop of the Gods

I recently visited a hydropower facility in the South East. They had a very nice machine shop. Bridgeport, Clausing and neatly organized storage.

Bridgeport Series II

Rack building

I got a good deal on a Nitto front and rear rack. It didn’t have all of the mounting
hardware, which is fine as I was going to modify it any way. Here are some shots of the brass brazing oso far.

New furniture

More house projects… This is a repainted china cabinet.

Homemade boring tools

Needed to deep bore out UHMW.

Couch on a Friday night

So this is my Friday night in Miami, buying furniture for home. I have owned the Honda element since 2005. It’s my favorite car, I can’t seem to find anything that replaces it. As you can see, I fit two love seats plus the couch in the back. I seem to keep pushing the limits on the carrying capacity if this vehicle.

Canon 10x42l IS binoculars

I had been on a quest for some really good binoculars. I had a pair of Steiner, 7×50 commander V’s. it was the first pair that showed how well things could be with a quality set. It was well built and has an ability to brighten objects in low light conditions, almost like night vision. While it was a good pair I kept wondering if what I got was as good as it gets, or could it be better.

I got a chance to compare it with the Canon 10x42l IS. It featured a 10×42 magnification and image stabilization. What I immediately noticed was the depth of view, it was like having bionic eyes. Like the Steiner, it also had an ability to brighten low light conditions. I would say it was almost equal. The best feature was the image stabilization combined with the increased magnification of 10x. You don’t realize how necessary it is to have them until you turn it off. Image stabilization makes objects clearer and text legible. Following planes with it looks like flight tracking that you would see in rocket launches. Overall, I am very impressed.

In an attempt to show the image of the Canons, below are some shots with the iPhone by itself and then with the iPhone through he binoculars.