Elegant Entertainment Plans

I’m excited! I created a set of plans for an entertainment center I created for myself and put them online just to see what would happen. Yesterday I got a text message from the lady who ordered them. This is what the text image showed:

Sharon & John's Creation

I am in Kentucky; Sharon and John are in Northern Illinois. I can’t wait to take a trip to meet them.

GOT PLANS?

Custom furniture plans like you’ve never seen before complete with color coded instructions, cut lists, cut sheets, tons of illustrations, optional kits, and more! If I can build it, so can you. This is not rocket science; anyone can build a box or two, or 20. I’ve taken the learning curve out of the equation and created plans that are sure to make you an instant master! Want the kitchen of your dreams? Do it yourself, build it yourself! I’m here to help.

Elegant Entertainment Center Plans

Order plans online at CherrywoodCustom.com. And no worries, I am here to help you through your project, not just gonna leave you hanging.

When you are finished creating your project from my plans, send me photos of your finished project for submission on the Cherrywood Custom Projects page.

Good luck and remember, I’m here to help.

Ryan

P.S. If the measurements shown for TV openings are too big or too small, plans can be “formatted to fit your your screen.”

http://www.cherrywoodcustom.com/Plans_Available.html

On A Mission to Master the Craft

If you are new to the world of architectural style and design, you may have heard terms like Mission, Craftsman, Arts & Crafts, Tuscan, Roman, Gothic, Romanesque…

Ooh, those are all pretty words, but what exactly do they mean? Well in terms of style they refer not necessarily to “style” itself, but more so to an era of a period of time in which the resulting styles became real.

The following is my collection of articles that I have encountered across the web, although the nuts and bolts, meat and potatoes and true grit are underlying and more present in the books of knowledge where most of this history has been captured.

Mission or Craftsman? I found this article (and many other fine documents) at The Arts & Crafts Society website. True story, last night I recieved an email from one of the community forums I am a member of that a new member, Ralph, has joined the group. He had posted some photos of one of his latest creations which featured the exact same McIntosh cabinet hardware that I had used the year before on a beaded face frame project.

So the next morning I wake up and check my email. A post came across about an Arts & Crafts Kitchen project that one of my community buddies had finished. I grabbed my coffee and went about exploring the subject of Mission style furniture and found this quite interesting Origins of Mission Style article. As I am clicking around the website, I quickly come across a forum and low and behold, the first user image I see is Ralph. Now I don’t know about you, but here lately I’ve been following those mysterious and subtle leads and some pretty neat things have been happening. I’ll fill you in on the details later, but for now, enjoy the Origins article and the Arts & Crafts society website.

This report will be updated as I conduct more research on the subjects of style.

Have a nice day!

Ryan

Work/Time-Efficiency: Where is it?

This is a really quick primer: NOT. Time efficiency is an important part of anything we do. Your success WILL BE determined by the time you have to spend looking for sh–, I mean, stuff. This is true not only for your own progress, but even more importantly when working with another person, or team or crew or group or whatever. Everything must have a place. Where is your time spent? Let me share some of my success in the workshop with you.

When I have a place for everything it is easier to stay focused on the tasks. Ease of consistent access to common tools and supplies, such as drills, bits, screws, sandpaper, pencils and notebooks, etc. is primary; those are items used on a regular basis: ALWAYS .

Second, not so common but often used items like jigs, extension supports or routers should also be easily accessible yet have a home away from the working area, not on the table, in the walkways, etc. When using vertical space, small custom-made racks, shelves or cabinets need not be enormous in size, but must be able to bear the size and the weight of the items to be placed upon them. You will, in time, upgrade your working environment. There is nothing like that personal touch!

Everyone, including me, gets the best my team and I can deliver. Being organized allows us to perform at such high standards and being able to perform like that is awesome.

Utilizing your space for more than one process at a time is also to be of focus. Constructing large cabinets hogs up an exorbitant amount of useable cubic feet. It is imperative that we keep our “Finished Worx Department”  away from our unfinished processes…

Short and sweet, those are just a couple of the working characteristics of our workshop. I was going to include a few photos with this report, but I decided to just let you use your own imagination for your own operation. Yours will be yours, not mine. We don’t try to work with what we need; it’s not there. We work with what we have; it is all ready for adaptation and active use.

My goal is to assure that your project will flow more easily than what it would have if you just tried to wing it with everything scattered about. Here is a link to my first couple of videos on my website. Watch whenever you want how ever many times you want. I will add more as I create it, but rest assured, I have a lot of visual material to edit and share.

This is my gift to you, my contribution to your progress.  You are already in the classroom at this very moment. Attend my classes; it’s free. I am up to bat; I hope you can catch! Enjoy the game.

I look forward to meeting you.

Ryan Bruzan

Cutlist 4.1 for Google SketchUp, an Introductory Tutorial

In This Tutorial We Will

• Download the Plugin
• Create and Properly Label a Sample Project
• Create a Detailed Parts List and Cut List

The program I work with for designing my projects is Google SketchUp. It is, hands-on, an amazing program.

Hi, Ryan Bruzan here, www.CherrywoodCustom.com.

I downloaded the Cutlist 4.1 plugin, but found that one important feature was missing: an Introductory Tutorial. There are many good notes about using the program, but I could not easily locate an in depth, detailed instruction manual on how to get the program up and running, so I created one! This is it.

I downloaded the program, dug in and learned the basics and took detailed notes along the way, but with the mindset that my notes needed to be in pinpoint detail so I could not only come back to them for reference, but also to share them with everyone.

It was and is a group effort to make this project what it is today. This tutorial is my small contribution. This program is definitely worthy of continued development. Once I figured out how to use it, I realized that creating cut lists and cut sheets got a heck of a lot quicker, easier and accurate, HOURS quicker! That’s why this plugin is important, especially for a professional custom project designer, woodworker and cabinet/furniture maker. It is a tool I will use on every project from this point forward and I am certain you will too.

Secondary Benefits: If you are not aware of the many other programs out there, the price tag and ongoing support costs are ridiculous for a small operation like mine. Those programs are great in their own rights, but Cutlist 4.1 only costs the time it takes to learn how to use it. Not only will this program produce parts and cut lists, it will also help you refine your labeling methods. This plugin is FREE. It’s easy to take the time to come back and let everyone know how this program has helped you and what else you would like to see. Add a comment below and I will make sure to deliver the message to Steve; your support keeps him busy improving the program.

Big thanks to the Cutlist 4.1 creator, Steve Racz. Great job; you just made my life easier! That said, let’s get right to it.

Using Cutlist 4.1 Plugin in SketchUp 8 for Windows 7  (It will run wherever SketchUp runs, not only in these current versions that I use)

If you’re a cabinet and furniture maker like I am, you are always looking for ways to tweak your operation to make things easier and make the many processes quicker. You do not even need to be a professional woodworker to use this program. Even if this is your first project, this SketchUp plugin will help you tremendously. It will compile detailed parts list and cut sheets to take to your woodshop for processing. A professional woodworker, cabinetmaker or designer knows precisely how much time those lists take to create.

Step 1: Download the Plugin

The first thing we want to do is download the Cutlist 4.1 plugin and put it in the SketchUp plugin folder. Download the plugin from the link provided. NOTE: If you have a previous version, you will need to remove the old version files and folders replacing them with the new. Mac users follow these instructions.

1. Click the link. A pop up will open. Pay attention to the icon and file name where it says “You have chosen to open…” Select “Save” and hit OK
2. If your Downloads window does not pop up, then open Win Explorer, select the Downloads folder and find the file (remember the icon and filename?) Double-click to unzip and open the file location. Or double-click the recently downloaded file in your popup. One or the other.
3. The file folder will still be in the Downloads menu. You need to move it to the Google SketchUp Plugin program file folder. This is the easy way.
4. Right Click on the file(s).
5. Select Cut.
6. On the Locations/Folders list on the left of the screen, under Computer double-click C:
7. SketchUp program will likely be in the “Program Files (x86)” folder. Double-click this folder to open.
8. Locate and double-click the “Google” folder and open it (double-click).
9. Locate and open Google SketchUp 8 folder.
10. Locate and open the “Plugins” folder.
11. Place your cursor under the last item in the list (not on a folder or item) and right click.
12. Select “Paste”. If you do not have anything to paste, then the downloaded materials folder was not selected and cut properly. Use your Back button arrow to go back to the file in the Downloads folder.
13. Right click and cut the folder.
14. Use the forward button to go back to the Google SketchUp 8 Plugins folder or follow the process listed above to get back to it.
15. You might get a popup that says “Provide Administrator Permission.” Select Ok or Continue
16. That’s it. Open the SketchUp 8 program and look in the Menu Bar under “Plugins” to view the Cutlist 4.1 plugin.

Open SketchUp 8 and begin creating your masterpiece, but before going Gung Ho, you will need to setup your components to be recognized by the Cutlist 4.1 plugin.

This is a little different than simply creating components. You will have to nest the many components under one complete component. Follow this example to familiarize yourself with the process.

Step 2: Create Your Project

1. Let’s create a component. First select your SketchUp dimension output. The Cutlist 4.1 plugin recognizes metric and imperial outputs. For this example I will use inches.
   

   Figure 1. Draw component

2. Let’s create a panel. Starting at the default axis center point, sketch a panel that is ¾” wide x 12” deep (Figure 1).
3. Triple click the sketched item to highlight the entire part.
4. Right click.
5. Select Make Component.
6. This is important. We know that this part will be cut out of a sheet of Birch Plywood. We need to describe the part accordingly. The Cutlist 4.1 plugin will identify default words, but you can add your own. We’ll touch on this shortly.
7. We will label this primary component as a finished module and name it “Base Cabinet 01″. In the description box of the component popup, type in a detailed description using whatever codes or identifiers you commonly use, but be sure to add “Birch Plywood” in there somewhere.
8. For example, I create all of my modules from a starting point in the room and go clockwise around the room. I will describe this module as “Base Cabinet 01, Wall A, Birch Plywood” Select Create.
9. Now we need to nest each individual component within the primary component we just created. Double the component to work on it (Figure 2).
   

   Figure 2. Component Working Mode, Nested Component

10. Triple click the component to highlight it again.
11. Right click.
12. Make Component.
13. Call it “BC-LP-S1-A”. To me that means that this component is Base Cabinet (BC)-Left Panel (LP)- Section 1 (S1), Wall A. I know where I am starting in the room.
14. Describe the part as “Base Cabinet-Left Panel-Section 1-Wall A-Birch Plywood”
15. Create.

Now let me show you what we just did. Click outside the part we are working on so that we are outside the component editor. Click the part once. It now appears to be a component. Double click the visible part to go into the component for editing. Click the part once again and it still appears to be a component. That part is now a nested component (Figure 2). All the components that we create inside the primary component will be nested components for this module, therefore it is important to create all other component for this module under the primary component, “Base Cabinet 01, Wall A, Birch Plywood”. You can create separate modules with nested components or create all nested components in one component module.

Figure 3. Duplicate panel

Now let’s create a few more components and make the module case. Let’s duplicate the component instead of creating another of the same (Figure 3). Click the Move tool, hit the Ctrl key (shows a ‘+’ over the Move cursor to signify duplication) and move the new component to the right slightly on the red axis and type “23.25” and hit Enter. Measure from outside panel to outside panel to make sure we have 24”. NOTE that we described this component as a Left Panel, therefore when we duplicate the component we will have two Left Panels. We are going to want to label it as a Right Panel.

1. Right click the new panel.
2. Click “Make Unique”.
3. Right click again.
4. Select “Entity Info”.
5. In the “Definition Name” box, change ‘LP’ to ‘RP’ and delete the # and anything after it.
6. Close the “Entity Info” popup.
7. Click the ABC tool. Place the cursor on the left panel. Click once and move the cursor away. Notice that the component is identified as “BC-LP-S1”.
8. Press the Esc key; we are not going to show the label at this time.
9. Now with the ABC tool still selected or select it again if you closed the tool, place the cursor on the Right Panel. Click once and move the cursor away. Notice that the component is identified as “BC-RP-S1”.
10. Press the Esc key; we are not going to show the label at this time.
    

    Figure 4. Raise the panels

Now your parts are properly identified and described to be recognized by the Cutlist 4.1 plugin. Let’s go ahead and raise the panels to their proper height (Figure 4).

1. Click on the left panel all the way into component working mode.
2. Select the Push/Pull tool. Select the plane to be raised and raise it up a bit.
3. Type 36 and press Enter. This will bring the panel to 36” height.
4. Repeat the process for the right panel.  Panels are done.

Let’s create a few Euro Shelves (ES), or butt-joint shelves (Figure 5).

1. While inside the primary component, select the Rectangle tool.
2. Draw a shelf between the two panels diagonally from corner to corner.
3. Triple click the part to highlight.
4. Right click and “Make Component”.
5. Name it “BC-ES-S1”.
6. Describe it as “Base Cabinet-Euro Shelf-Section 1-Wall A-Birch Plywood”.
   

   Figure 5. Make the top ES

7. Create.
8. Open the component
9. Select push/pull tool, select the plane, lower the surface and type “.75” and press enter.
10. Exit the component working mode for that component, but stay inside the primary component (Base Cabinet)

Duplicate the part (Figure 6). We want the top of the bottom ES to be at 3” from the bottom of the panel. Using the Tape Measure tool, mark the location accordingly. We are now going to duplicate the top ES creating and moving it into place, but we also want two adjustable shelves in this module.

1. Select the part. Select the Move tool, press the Ctrl key. Click the top corner of the part on the same line where you placed your measure mark.
2. Move the part to its reference point and left click once to set in place.
3. (Figure 7) Immediately press the ‘/’ key and the number of openings between the shelves (in this case there will be three openings in this module so we will press ‘/3’ then press enter).
   

   Figure 6. Duplicate ES

Now that the case components for the module are done, but just before we are ready to open the Cutlist 4.1 plugin, we need to select a material and paint all of the parts accordingly. Paint each individual part within the primary component. If you paint the entire module at once, the plugin will not recognize the materials.

Figure 7. Add shelves; Ready for Cutlist 4.1

Step 3: Open the Cutlist 4.1 Plugin

1. Now that our project is ready for cutlist, highlight the primary component (in this example the Base Cabinet module) and open the Cutlist 4.1 Plugin from the SketchUp 8 menu bar at the top of your screen.
2. In this example we will only be working with sheet goods. When the plugin opens, under the “CutList” tab, uncheck “Parts”.
3. The “Sheet Material Words” box includes default words. Clear the box and type “birch plywood” in the box. Clear the “Part Words” box as well since we are not working with parts.
4. Click the “Layout” tab.
5. We do not want to split and parts so uncheck the first two boxes (Split Wide Parts & Split Thick Parts).
6. Check Layout by Material box.
7. Uncheck “Display unplaced parts” box.
8. Type “1” in the first box next to “Saw Kerf Size:”. Select your blade kerf size (usually 1/8”).
9. Select the “Sheets” tab.
10. Select the sheet sizes you are working with. In my case 4’ wide x 8’ long.
11. At this point, if the materials you are working with are most common, you can select “Save Settings.”
12. Click run. Two windows will pop up. One will be the optimized cut sheets, the other will be the detailed list. Print both lists and take them to the workshop.
13. LABELING NOTE: Depending on how you label your parts, you may have to cross reference the two files to determine the rip and cut sizes. Otherwise, label your parts similar to “BC-LP-S1, 12W x 36L”. When labeling your parts, only use general labeling, i.e. “plywood,” “board,” “MDF,” etc. Do not label parts with specific material or they will not show in the lists, such as “¾” finger joint poplar,” or ½” cherry stock. (Update Jan. 15, 2012)
14. NOTE: If you have worked with other cut lists or have laid out hand drawn cut sheets, when you see the final cut sheets created by the program, review to make sure the sheets are optimized for the way you process your sheets. If you wish to make modifications, you can but I am not aware of how that can be done in the program. You can also check and uncheck “Minimize waste” and “Line up parts to cut lines” under the Layout tab to reconfigure the program outputs, although I recommend leaving them checked.
15. LABELING NOTE: If you are using various materials in a single project, group all like-material parts into single components nested in the entire unit component. Example- I am building a mantelpiece and my columns are poplar face frames and sides, my arched frieze and mantle top are MDF, and my column face panels are ¼” plywood. With all my parts exploded as individual components, I will highlight all the MDF parts and combine them as one single component. I will do the same with my MDF parts, plywood parts, etc. The Cutlist 4.1 plug-in will automatically separate parts of various thickness, thus it is not necessary to make separate components for various thicknesses of materials. (Update Jan. 15, 2012)
16. CSV NOTE: If you are going to export as a CSV file for spreadsheet such as Excel, do not use commas to separate words in your descriptions as they will skew the CSV input dividing each comma-separated word into separate cells .  (Update Jan. 15, 2012)

Figure 8. Cutlist 4.1 Uncheck "Parts"

Figure 9. Cutlist 4.1 Cut Sheet labeled with dimensions. I went back into the SketchUp program and changed the entity info to reflect the measurements to easily identify my rips and crosscuts upon sheet materials processing.

Figure 10. Cutlist 4.1 Detailed Parts List

Figure 11. Final dimensions and labeling

Now you have a general understanding of how to use the plugin. As your proceed with various components and other materials in your creation, the program will recognize those parts and components. You just have to label and identify them accordingly.

Credits and Sources

The Cutlist 4.1 Plugin for Google SketchUp, Steve Racz (http://www.steveracz.com/joomla/)  (Original post location) http://lumberjocks.com/daltxguy/blog/5143

Dave Richards is a contributor to finewoodworking.com and has plenty of useful reports for using and playing with Google SketchUp.

Ryan Bruzan wrote the instructions in this blog post.

SHEETS NOT SHOWING? It seems that by default, the Cut List 4.1 plugin identifies parts as board parts. Add the word “Plywood” to your plywood parts descriptions. To do this, left-click each part. Click “Entity Info” at the top of the popup. In the “Description Name” box, add “Plywood” after your label. Duplicate parts will change automatically, but verify that all you parts are accounted for.

The Cut List 4.1 plugin also accounts for part thickness and distributes sheet parts accordingly, so be sure to label any and all sheet parts with “Plywood.” If you have various types of materials (i.e. Cherry and Walnut), be sure to paint those parts accordingly. In plugin, under the “Layout” tab, be sure the “Layout by Material” box is CHECKED!

How to Rip and Cut Sheet Goods

Rip and Cross Cut Ideas (Click images to enlarge)

DISCLAIMER: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SAFETY. READ AND USE MY TIPS AND INSTRUCTIONS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY.

Ripping/Cutting Full Sheets of Plywood

Before making the first cut, there are a few preparations you will need to make. You do not have to do this exactly how I do it, but these are some ideas to help you through the process.

MAKING RIP CUTS

This method assumes you will be using a circular saw and not ripping on a table saw. Considering that you will be working on a large table of sorts, start by building up your working surface using sacrificial or scrap materials for clamping and cutting clearance. 2 x 4’s work well, but will more than likely be good for C-clamps only. You may have to build-up a bit more for quick-grip type clamps. In that case attach some 3/4” scrap plywood strips to the bottom side of the 2 x 4’s.

Make (4) build-up boards 4’ long so that you will not have to cut different sizes as you process and cut the parts to size. These boards can be set aside and used for future projects if desired. Use the second and third boards as catch boards placing them near, but clear of the cut line to prevent the boards from falling and pinching the blade after the cut is made.

Lay a full sheet of the plywood on top of this built-up surface. Now you are ready to mark and rip your plywood sheets. The factory edges on finish grade plywood are usually straight enough to make a good initial rip cut. For economic purposes, to get a good first cut, use another piece of plywood as a straight edge to make your first rip cut. Use your first ripped panel as a straightedge for all succeeding rip cuts.

• On your circular saw, the base, or shoe assembly is the flat, rectangular part of your circular saw that glides across the material surface and keeps the blade angle correct. Set and check the angle using a combination or speed square and set your saw stop bolt accordingly.
• Determine your blade offset on your circular saw for the cut[i]. In other words, depending on how you intend to pass your saw across the materials to make the cuts, how much will you have to add or subtract from your final cut measurements to achieve the straight edge placement measurement? This offset will be the same for every similar cut to be made using that particular circular saw.

o   NOTE: Always cut using the same process as your first cut. I.e. if you cut from right to left and on the inside, for instance, make all the other cuts the same way.

• The blade cutting depth should be no more than 1/8” past the bottom surface of the plywood. 1/16” is even better, but your working surface must be straight. You will NOT have to tape the cuts before cutting as tear out will be minimal assuming that your blade is sharp and the power output on your saw has not been compromised. Try to plug your power tools into an electrical socket that in not overloaded with wattage from other electrical items in use.

o   VERY IMPORTANT: If your circuit breaker trips while making a cut, STOP the cut, hold the saw firmly in place until the blade stops, then remove the saw, turn the power off, unplug the saw, turn the circuit power back on and make temporary adjustments to the power being used on that circuit either by unplugging or turning off other devices or use a different electrical socket on a different circuit. To continue the cut, tilt the saw on the front edge of the base assembly, start the power then gently lower the blade back into the cut while holding the saw firmly and finish the cut.

o   VERY VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure that your separated pieces will not fall after any cuts are made.

• As your sheet shrinks as a result of ripping, it will become difficult and dangerous to make other rips. At that point the sheets are more manageable to rip in your table saw.

MAKING CROSS CUTS

For cutting parts from the panel sections that you previously ripped to size, you should have a few pieces left from the rip cuts (96” long or the sheet length); use those pieces as sacrificial build-ups for making your crosscuts. Again, these pieces can be set aside if desired for future projects.

Lay the two pieces across the build-up boards used for the rip cuts. Lay a ripped board on top and you are now ready to measure and make your cross cuts.

If you made a crosscut jig like the one I use, follow the same procedure for determining your blade offset. Add or subtract that measurement to or from the final cut measurement and check to ensure the cut is true.

Here is a video I made on how to make a crosscut sled. The results are pretty doggone accurate.

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[i] To determine your blade offset, I explained how to do an accurate offset determination in the “Make a Crosscut Jig” video. Otherwise, mark for and make your first cut line. Put an ‘X’ on the side to be cutoff (the side that is NOT the finished part). Set you straight edge on the side that the base, or shoe assembly will ride against. When the straight edge is clamped down, it will then become a fence. Line up the saw blade so that the cut will be made on the ‘X’ side of the material. Make a pencil mark against the base, or shoe assembly on the side that the straight edge will be clamped to. That mark will be used to determine your blade offset measurement. Measure the difference between the cut line and the straightedge mark. This is your rough offset measurement.

Measuring from the starting edge you used to mark your cutline, measure to the straightedge mark. Make another mark on the opposite side of the material. Align and clamp your straightedge to those marks. Measure from the starting edge to the straightedge on both sides making sure the measurements are exactly the same. Make adjustments as necessary.

Start the cut. Make a staring cut about a ½” and verify that the blade is cutting in the correct path. I like to use the center of the pencil line as my reference. If the blade is off a little, make the necessary adjustments to both sides of the straightedge measuring to new placements like before. Once you determine that the placement is true, measure the difference again. This is now the true offset you’re your saw. Write I down somewhere you will remember it, like on a piece of masking tape attached to the side of your saw. NOTE: Every time you change the blade, it will be a good idea to repeat this offset determination process.

I Am A Consumer, Too

In any transaction where value is exchanged for value, the agreement is mutual, not one way. I’ve heard too often that the “customer is always right.” If that is the case, then this is the truth:

If I, a provider of consumer goods and services (value) exchange my goods/services (value) with another consumer for his/her currency (value), then I, too, am a consumer purchasing his/her currency (value) with my goods/services (value).

The exchange is value for value under the terms of agreement and the agreement is mutual. So then as he/she who buys my goods/services is a customer, then I who buys his/her money am a customer, too, and the customer is always right.

Arts and Crafts Style Door Casing Project and Video

I posted a weekend project video that I did recently. With the cold weather I noticed a cold draft coming through the front door and felt it might be wise to fix it. As I began to assess the project, I knew I was going to have to remove the cheap, everybody-else-has-it door casing. Instead of putting the same door casing back up, I decided to take it a step further.

Starting with the design,

Then the installation,

And finally the finish!

Use More Wood to Tackle Climate Change?

Believe it or not, this is an interesting study done about the effects of wood on carbon emissions, absorption and footprints.

http://www.sawdustsoup.com/video/save-the-planet-build-with

 

Did It Myself: Now I’m a Pro…

Ball of Hope: Changing Ball Joints on my 1998 Ford 150 XLT.

When I turned 16 and got my first car, I recall having had a similar experience as is about to be revealed, but rather than having it looked at I decided to just do it. I bought a Chilton’s Manual, got the parts and went to work. Success. Didn’t know a lick about cars, but I did it myself; now I’m a pro (honestly far from it).

A few months ago I took my truck in to have the tires changed. Afterward, the mechanic told me it was probably a good idea to have the ball joints changed as they were worn and posed a potential threat to the front drive system. Naturally I asked how much it would cost. The written estimate came in at around $1250.  Huh? I’m a woodworker; what do I know about cars, right? I supposed I would start saving and get the joints changed in slow season, but then I thought about my experience when I was 16.

I decided to go ahead and bravely attempt to change the joints myself. When I was 16, there was no internet chock full of courteous others who post photos, videos and articles showing how to get the job done. We all know that is different today. After an hour or two searching online for a how-to guide, I went to my local auto parts store and got what I needed to get the job done. The total with taxes was less than $300 bucks, a tremendous savings and a well-earned hands-on education.So greeat of an education that anything else I need to do to my truck I will do it myself, but I also have a few game plans in the event something goes horribly wrong. A few of those backup plans include several phone numbers to local tow truck driver and mechanics with garages.

As I went about getting those joints changed, I often considered and prepared myself as best I could for “when” something would go wrong. After replacing the upper control arm and ball joints, I checked my work to ensure I was not missing anything, you know, like loose nuts, missing parts, etc. Tightened at proper foot pounds? Check. No broken lines? Check. Easy cheesy.

Now let me tell you what I learned about torque wrenches. I picked up a manual torque wrench, one where you have to watch the dial as you turn the fastener to ensure proper tightness. It only registered at 150 foot pounds and I needed a bigger gauge for the axle nut. My neighbor, the amateur mechanic, was sure to has one, and a good one at that. He had one that had the aid of “clicking” when you reached the desired pressure. Yeah. I started slowly cranking the axle nut. About three cranks after I thought it should have clicked already, I decided to stop, remove the nut and start all over. I grabbed my smaller wrench and when I began to remove the nut, I realized the nut was turning, but it wasn’t backing off the axle spindle. That could only mean one thing and sure enough that is what it meant. Yep, a little too much muscle and I stripped the threads.

The first problem: Getting the Nut Off. The nut wasn’t coming off. I feared the worst of having to call someone with tools to cut or melt the nut off. I grabbed my vise grips and pulled as I turned the nut. Thank goodness it came off. My fear was confirmed; I stripped the threads on both the nut and the spindle. My initial fear-building thought was (of course, different verbiage was used), “Aw, shoot, now I have to get a new spindle.” Replacing it was not the issue; I already removed it once. I knew I was a pro when I picked up a tool and chucked it across the garage and cussing like a Marine (I didn’t really do that). I headed back over to the auto parts store and told them what I needed. About 5 minutes later, the clerk came back with a box that was about 3 feet long. My axle was not 3 feet long.

1998 Ford F150 XLT, Axle Spindle Assembly

I told the clerk that it didn’t look right. I grabbed my handy dandy camera and showed him a picture of the part I needed. As he began to search his system for the part, and few other clerks gathered to look at the computer monitor. Again I thought, “Aw, shoot!” That could only mean either they did not know what they were looking for or it simply wasn’t in the system. It wasn’t in the system. My first instinct, like may others, was to find something to throw in hopes of quelling the intensity of my ferocity (again, I did not do that), but the only things I threw were a few “Aw shoots,” “S.O.B.s” and “Damns.”

My fears started to build as I thought about how long I would be without my truck, where I was going to get stiffed for that part (like the dealer store), how much it was going to cost, etc.

Right Place, Right Time. A short man with a cast on his arm, long black and gray hair, crooked glasses and somewhat dirty complexion walked into the store. Like almost anyone else I suffered a brief moment of judging a book by its cover. As he approached the counter and before I could further infuriate myself into mechanical oblivion, I heard the attendant ask him if he, by chance, had a 98 F150 on his lot. The man said he was supposed to be getting one that night, but didn’t think he had one presently on the lot. Naturally, I approached the conversation. I showed the man my photo. He said he might have an Expedition or two on the lot and that I was welcome to come over and see if he had what I needed.

This was Saturday afternoon. I knew if he didn’t have what I needed, I wasn’t going to get anything done on Sunday. I followed him to his small junk yard. He exited his vehicle as I was parking and waited for me to approach him. I followed him through thew lot all the while thinking how this experience was a pain in the butt learning experience. Keeping my fingers crossed, I noticed an older model F150 as we were walking towards the vehicle. I didn’t get my hopes up. As I walked around the to the side of what was left of the truck, both front wheels were still on the vehicle. The mangled and beaten remains of the vehicle in front of this F150 was even more assuring as right there before my very eyes was the part that I needed still connected to the F150 XLT, same exact truck as mine. I looked at the mud-crusted part and checked to be sure in was still in serviceable condition and it was. The yard keeper loans me a few tools, I removed the part and $25 bucks later I was on my way back to my garage to finish my project all the while being careful not to repeat the scenario on the second part of my task.