House Project: Cabinets Going In!
I spoke to my builder this morning. He confirmed that except for some touch-up work in the master bedroom and my office, the interior painting is done. The cabinet installers were in today, and may be done tomorrow. We are working on details of counters (the vendor where my wife carefully picked selections seems to have lost the information) and backsplashes for the jetted tub and kitchen sink. These are the sort of details where I don't have an opinion--even a weak one. I just let my wife call the shots on color and shapes, since she has much better taste than I do.
We are still looking for a solution for how to surround the tub--and yet still have access to the pump, in the unlikely event that it ever needs repair or maintenance. Oddly enough, the makers of this jetted tub haven't a clue about access--they say that just about everyone just tiles it all over, on the assumption that it will never require maintenance. This seems unlikely to me, but then again, I'm one of those guys who uses screws or hex head bolts, not nails. One possibility is to use greenboard (the water resistant form of wallboard) with tiles mounted on it, and then a wooden trim piece at the corner that uses two screws to mount the trim piece--and the trim piece holds in the greenboard-mounted-tile surround panel.
We still have not received an estimate for the sprinklers. The only guy my builder could find wanted about $3900 for what is really a tiny lawn area. The sprinkler guy that we used at our current house seems to have a much less exorbitant notion of the value of his time, and he did a good job, so we are having him come take a look as well.
There's definitely need for more road mix, both to even out some areas where water is collecting, and to enlarge the area in front of the house where people will park. (Since we have effectively no friends in Boise (we've only lived here about four years), this is a source of considerable humor between the builder and me--the enormous parking lot that may never get used!)
I also heard from the appliance store--somehow I managed to ask them to spec a GE Profile front-loading washer (saves water, generally cleans the clothes more thoroughly) and a GE Profile top-loading dryer (didn't know they made them). We straightened that out quick enough.
Last house project entry.
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Things That Don't Scale: ScopeRoller Manufacturing Experiments
You are probably aware (or at least, should be aware), that lots of objects don't scale up or down the way that you expect. There's a reason that eight foot long ants that can pick up automobiles (as you might expect, if ants were eight feet long) don't exist. It is this amazing thing called the square-cube law.
If you double the length of an object, and change no other design characteristics, its surface area quadruples, and its volume (and therefore its weight) octuples. That ant's muscle attachments have gone up with the square of its increase in linear dimension--but the amount of mass involved in moving those muscles has gone up with the cube of the increase in linear dimension--so it is no longer so amazingly strong for its size as the ant you can step on. If you have any question as to whether this is a good thing or not, go watch the 1950s science fiction classic Them.
This is also why the smaller and less oxygen-demanding insects can get by with surprisingly unsophisticated systems for distributing oxygen through their bodies--the surface area of the breathing tubes in the thorax is, relative to the total number of cells, huge. An eight-foot long ant couldn't get enough oxygen distributed to all of its cells without the complex system of lungs and blood that us larger creatures use, or a vastly more complex breathing tube system.
This square-cube law applies in all sorts of unexpected ways. Mars has a much smaller diameter than the Earth--about 45% of Earth's diameter. This means that Mars has about quite a bit less material inside it, relative to its surface area than the Earth--and is probably why Mars is a dead planet--there's more surface area relative to the contents to let heat leak out.
I've been selling this clever (if I do so say myself, as do my customers) Quick Release Toe Saver gadget for Losmandy mounts. I'm starting to look at making versions of it for other equatorial telescope mounts, and my first experimental victim was a Celestron CG-4. The same design doesn't work here, partly because the diameter of the plastic component that holds the quick release pin is much smaller, and so there's a bit less rigidity to the part. The other problem is that instead of a 3/8"-16 threaded stud, I have to use an M6-1.0 threaded stud, which has much smaller threads relative to the diameter of the stud. The total surface area grabbing onto plastic is quite a bit smaller.
The "let the counterweight slam down the shaft under gravity" test caused the plastic carrier to separate from the threaded stud--not because it stripped the stud out of the plastic, but because the plastic flexed enough for the threaded stud to slip out--even though it is a tight fit under ordinary conditions.
I may have to go with either a single piece of Delrin for this, or make it out of brass or aluminum, to avoid the problem of flexure under dynamic load.
You are probably aware (or at least, should be aware), that lots of objects don't scale up or down the way that you expect. There's a reason that eight foot long ants that can pick up automobiles (as you might expect, if ants were eight feet long) don't exist. It is this amazing thing called the square-cube law.
If you double the length of an object, and change no other design characteristics, its surface area quadruples, and its volume (and therefore its weight) octuples. That ant's muscle attachments have gone up with the square of its increase in linear dimension--but the amount of mass involved in moving those muscles has gone up with the cube of the increase in linear dimension--so it is no longer so amazingly strong for its size as the ant you can step on. If you have any question as to whether this is a good thing or not, go watch the 1950s science fiction classic Them.
This is also why the smaller and less oxygen-demanding insects can get by with surprisingly unsophisticated systems for distributing oxygen through their bodies--the surface area of the breathing tubes in the thorax is, relative to the total number of cells, huge. An eight-foot long ant couldn't get enough oxygen distributed to all of its cells without the complex system of lungs and blood that us larger creatures use, or a vastly more complex breathing tube system.
This square-cube law applies in all sorts of unexpected ways. Mars has a much smaller diameter than the Earth--about 45% of Earth's diameter. This means that Mars has about quite a bit less material inside it, relative to its surface area than the Earth--and is probably why Mars is a dead planet--there's more surface area relative to the contents to let heat leak out.
I've been selling this clever (if I do so say myself, as do my customers) Quick Release Toe Saver gadget for Losmandy mounts. I'm starting to look at making versions of it for other equatorial telescope mounts, and my first experimental victim was a Celestron CG-4. The same design doesn't work here, partly because the diameter of the plastic component that holds the quick release pin is much smaller, and so there's a bit less rigidity to the part. The other problem is that instead of a 3/8"-16 threaded stud, I have to use an M6-1.0 threaded stud, which has much smaller threads relative to the diameter of the stud. The total surface area grabbing onto plastic is quite a bit smaller.
The "let the counterweight slam down the shaft under gravity" test caused the plastic carrier to separate from the threaded stud--not because it stripped the stud out of the plastic, but because the plastic flexed enough for the threaded stud to slip out--even though it is a tight fit under ordinary conditions.
I may have to go with either a single piece of Delrin for this, or make it out of brass or aluminum, to avoid the problem of flexure under dynamic load.
House Project: Interior Painting Complete?
I'm not sure. We went up there this evening, and all the windows and door frames were masked, and it appears that everything had been painted--at least one coat, perhaps more--hard to tell.
Click to enlarge
Capturing color with any camera can be a struggle, especially with artificial lighting. The walls really aren't white, but bone (and the toilets and bathroom sinks have been ordered in bone as well). The dining room is the only exception--it is a light pink--much less pink than it appears in this picture!
Click to enlarge
Cabinets, toilets, sinks, vanities, and carpets are next!
Oh yes, we were up there about 7:00 PM, so it wasn't utterly dark yet--and the Moon is just reaching first quarter, so it is still putting out a lot of light--and we could just make out the Milky Way running through Cassiopeia. That's dark!
Last house project entry.
I'm not sure. We went up there this evening, and all the windows and door frames were masked, and it appears that everything had been painted--at least one coat, perhaps more--hard to tell.
Click to enlarge
Capturing color with any camera can be a struggle, especially with artificial lighting. The walls really aren't white, but bone (and the toilets and bathroom sinks have been ordered in bone as well). The dining room is the only exception--it is a light pink--much less pink than it appears in this picture!
Click to enlarge
Cabinets, toilets, sinks, vanities, and carpets are next!
Oh yes, we were up there about 7:00 PM, so it wasn't utterly dark yet--and the Moon is just reaching first quarter, so it is still putting out a lot of light--and we could just make out the Milky Way running through Cassiopeia. That's dark!
Last house project entry.
Sunday, November 6, 2005
House Project: Interior Painting Under Way
We drove up there this afternoon, and it was a gender-transformational moment--just about the entire work crew was teenaged girls. Apparently, our builder's daughter recruited all of her friends at church to come up and finish the prep work.
At this point, they are painting the interior trim. I was expecting them to do the walls first, and then come back with a brush to do the door frames and window trim, but no, they sprayed the trim. After it is dry, they will mask it off, and paint the walls.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
It was wet and rainy up there--as our builder put it, an opportunity to figure out where we need more gravel, and whether we need roof gutters or not! My wife has wanted more land around us, so that we don't have neighbors looking in our windows. On a day like this, I would not know if we even had neighbors. We could be the last people on Earth.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Last house project entry.
We drove up there this afternoon, and it was a gender-transformational moment--just about the entire work crew was teenaged girls. Apparently, our builder's daughter recruited all of her friends at church to come up and finish the prep work.
At this point, they are painting the interior trim. I was expecting them to do the walls first, and then come back with a brush to do the door frames and window trim, but no, they sprayed the trim. After it is dry, they will mask it off, and paint the walls.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
It was wet and rainy up there--as our builder put it, an opportunity to figure out where we need more gravel, and whether we need roof gutters or not! My wife has wanted more land around us, so that we don't have neighbors looking in our windows. On a day like this, I would not know if we even had neighbors. We could be the last people on Earth.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Last house project entry.
House Project: The Importance of Insulation & Preparing To Paint
I drove up Saturday to see how things were going. It has been cold and rainy here in Boise--and if there was any question as to whether spending the extra $1400 to raise the insulation level in the roof from R-38 to R-50, and insulating under the floor, these pictures of the surrounding mountains should tell you the answer--and it is only November!
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
My builder tells me that when arrived Saturday morning, it was 32 degrees outside, and not much warmer inside. He turned on the thermostat, and within 15 minutes, had to go turn it down, because it reached an uncomfortably warm temperature inside. I guess that tells us the furnace is highly effective, and the insulation is holding in the heat once produced.
You can see prep work around windows in the master bedroom:
Click to enlarge
I was both pleased and just slightly surprised at the attention to detail as the builder and his family went around preparing all surfaces for interior painting, using wall patch to seal gaps between moldings and walls, and removing door hinges to make sure that the paint went everywhere.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
The plan was to paint the interior Saturday afternoon, and have the kitchen cabinets, vanities, toilets, carpets, and appliances done this coming week. He is waiting for the temperatures to rise a bit so that he can finish the exterior paint. If the electrician ever gets back from elk hunting, he can install the outlets and light fixtures.
Last house project entry.
I drove up Saturday to see how things were going. It has been cold and rainy here in Boise--and if there was any question as to whether spending the extra $1400 to raise the insulation level in the roof from R-38 to R-50, and insulating under the floor, these pictures of the surrounding mountains should tell you the answer--and it is only November!
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
My builder tells me that when arrived Saturday morning, it was 32 degrees outside, and not much warmer inside. He turned on the thermostat, and within 15 minutes, had to go turn it down, because it reached an uncomfortably warm temperature inside. I guess that tells us the furnace is highly effective, and the insulation is holding in the heat once produced.
You can see prep work around windows in the master bedroom:
Click to enlarge
I was both pleased and just slightly surprised at the attention to detail as the builder and his family went around preparing all surfaces for interior painting, using wall patch to seal gaps between moldings and walls, and removing door hinges to make sure that the paint went everywhere.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
The plan was to paint the interior Saturday afternoon, and have the kitchen cabinets, vanities, toilets, carpets, and appliances done this coming week. He is waiting for the temperatures to rise a bit so that he can finish the exterior paint. If the electrician ever gets back from elk hunting, he can install the outlets and light fixtures.
Last house project entry.
Thursday, November 3, 2005
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Distributed Research & Development
I've decided to start making the ScopeRoller Quick Release Toe Saver for mounts other than the Losmandy--but I don't have ready access to any other mounts, except for a friend here in Boise with a Celestron CG-4 mount. So I've decided to do a "distributed research and development" activity. I'm advertising on Astromart.com that:
I've decided to start making the ScopeRoller Quick Release Toe Saver for mounts other than the Losmandy--but I don't have ready access to any other mounts, except for a friend here in Boise with a Celestron CG-4 mount. So I've decided to do a "distributed research and development" activity. I'm advertising on Astromart.com that:
I've decided to start making them for other mounts as well--and if you are the first customer to request a quick release toe saver that fits your particular mount, and if I decide that there is likely to be enough future sales, you, being the first customer (and guinea pig), get it for free. All you pay is shipping charges, which will be under $1.50 in the continental U.S. (I ship these by first class mail.)One lucky person per telescope mount type will get to beg or borrow a micrometer to measure the counterweight shaft diameter, and determine the threading of the slow to remove factory toe saver nut. In exchange, they get one free!
I already make these for the Losmandy mount, and the Celestron CG-4 mount or similar. I would especially be interested in hearing from those of you with any of the mass market mounts.
If you aren't the first customer for your mount, well, it's still a bargain at $30, postage paid in the U.S.
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