Am I Getting Old and Loosing it?

[Mike Goetzke]

Have to admit I'm now in my late 60's. Couple years back I couldn't wait to get a Nova Voyager drill press. I actually bought a Viking drill head and mounted it on my old Ridgid floor standing DP post and used it while I waited. I know the Voyager has soooo many advantages but the Viking user interface was simpler and easy to use.

I retired about a1-1/2 years ago and have been busier than ever. Sometimes I don't use the DP for a month or more. Then I go to drill something and I stand there staring at the display on this magnificent machine. I especially like to use the auto depth stop (there are a few ways to set it) and I'm stubborn so even though I could drill my hole much quicker manually I'll stop and look at the manual or go on the internet to figure out how to use the feature I'm trying to figure out. There are other features that I like that are berried under some unobvious section. Think I need to write myself a cheat sheet.

Ha - time for a nap.

 

[cider]

I have the benchtop version.  It's a lovely tool, but I agree that the interface isn't the most intuitive thing in the world.  Man, I wish it had a quill lock too.

 

[4nthony]

Think I need to write myself a cheat sheet.

Ha - time for a nap.

That sounds like me every time I want to use my Incra Box Joint Jig. I need to reread the manual and/or rewatch the video for how to use it. I just don't use it often enough to get the hang of it.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Anyone know the procedure for bleeding excess air from a hydronic heat zone.
I've done it before but can’t remember…

 

[peter halle]

Well for me, every time the LR-32 system comes out to play the iPad plays a YouTube video first.

Peter

 

[festal]

Anyone know the procedure for bleeding excess air from a hydronic heat zone.
I've done it before but can’t remember…

I had that done when I my hot water storage tank developed coil leak and had to be replaced.  Guy who did it used a hose and bucket to hook up to the drain plug on the closed loop side (radiant heating).  Don't know the details of what was done exactly but he pinched the hose waited for something to happen then released it on each zone and that cleared up the air bubbles

 

[Steve1]

Sometimes I don't use the DP for a month or more. Then I go to drill something and I stand there staring at the display on this magnificent machine. I especially like to use the auto depth stop (there are a few ways to set it) and I'm stubborn so even though I could drill my hole much quicker manually I'll stop and look at the manual or go on the internet to figure out how to use the feature I'm trying to figure out. There are other features that I like that are berried under some unobvious section. Think I need to write myself a cheat sheet.

Reminds me of when I try to use my Leigh Dovetail Jig.
Only use it about once a year.
Normally budget about a day to figure out how to set it up.

 

[Sparktrician]

Reminds me of when I try to use my Leigh Dovetail Jig.

Hear, hear!!!  [unsure]

 

[woodbutcherbower]

[member=4518]Mike Goetzke[/member] You think that's losing it? I find myself sitting in the van, not being able to remember if I've just got into it, or whether I'm just about to get out of it.

 

[Cheese]

I find myself sitting in the van, not being able to remember if I've just got into it, or whether I'm just about to get out of it.

Well at least you're not yet at the stage where you MUST retrace your steps to remember...that could make for some extended customer projects.  [big grin]

 

[jujigatame]

Have to admit I'm now in my late 60's. Couple years back I couldn't wait to get a Nova Voyager drill press. I actually bought a Viking drill head and mounted it on my old Ridgid floor standing DP post and used it while I waited. I know the Voyager has soooo many advantages but the Viking user interface was simpler and easy to use.

I retired about a1-1/2 years ago and have been busier than ever. Sometimes I don't use the DP for a month or more. Then I go to drill something and I stand there staring at the display on this magnificent machine. I especially like to use the auto depth stop (there are a few ways to set it) and I'm stubborn so even though I could drill my hole much quicker manually I'll stop and look at the manual or go on the internet to figure out how to use the feature I'm trying to figure out. There are other features that I like that are berried under some unobvious section. Think I need to write myself a cheat sheet.

Ha - time for a nap.

I've got a really good friend whose dad is suffering dementia.  My friend starts to panic that he's developing it every time he forgets where his keys are or can't remember someone's name. I told him "at our age (55) it's totally normal to forget WHERE your keys are, you don't have to worry about that until you forget WHAT keys are."

It's kind of the same here.  You know what the Nova does (BTW I have one too), but can't remember exactly how it does it.  It's not a problem until you forget what a drill press is.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Reminds me of when I try to use my Leigh Dovetail Jig.
Only use it about once a year.
Normally budget about a day to figure out how to set it up.

This ^^^ is the one for me. I absolutely hate machine-cut half-blind dovetails where everything is perfectly equal. We have a Grizzly machine for them at work, set-up and ready at all times. It's very quick/easy.....and I still hate them.
I only ever cut through dovetails, which is where the Leigh jig shines. But it's one of those "things that are very adjustable, take a lot of adjusting/fiddling." After I get it going though, the look much better.

Box joints on the Shaper Origin are far easier, and I can make the pin size whatever I want.

As far as drill presses. I have a 1936 Delta floor model. It is the most basic thing ever, but it works. The quill-travel is much longer than anything modern and the depth stop is as solid as a rock. None of that fancy variable-speed stuff, 5 step-pulleys. Simple.

 

[luvmytoolz]

[member=4518]Mike Goetzke[/member] You think that's losing it? I find myself sitting in the van, not being able to remember if I've just got into it, or whether I'm just about to get out of it.

I'm the same at home, go into a room to get something, get distracted by something shiny, and then forget why I went there!

 

[jcrowe1950]

[member=4518]Mike Goetzke[/member] You think that's losing it? I find myself sitting in the van, not being able to remember if I've just got into it, or whether I'm just about to get out of it.

I'm the same at home, go into a room to get something, get distracted by something shiny, and then forget why I went there!

The other day I walked into a room and remembered why I entered....of course it was the bathroom

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Eureka! Not totally loosing it - I think [big grin].

I know there was a feature to set the electronic depth by setting the bit to the desired depth and pushing a button. I like doing this if I have say a counterbore I want to duplicate. For the life of me I couldn't figure this out on the Voyager...

Ends up this was a feature on the Viking DP I had for a few months and not the new Voyager!

I messed around for a few minutes and found if you set the bit to the depth you want and zero it you can then set the electronic depth on the Voyager to 0.000".

 

[grbmds]

It's just something to cope with during the aging process. I don't have problems with tools I use everyday, but tools like my Domino, my Incra router table/fence when I do dovetails, and anything which isn't an everyday or frequent thing requires some thought.

Making a sheet with relevant instructions helps. Printing it out and mounting it near the tool helps. Even keeping a list of things I forget about a tool on my phone helps. Patience is a good thing to practice also.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I put a DRO on my rip fence. It keeps its calibration pretty well, but once in a while it drops it and when the batteries die it always drops it. The button sequence you go through to calibrate is NOT intuitive. I finally gave up and taped the instruction sheet to the top of my rip fence.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

It's like the universe is listening. Just this afternoon, the WoodWhisperer's newest video was about dovetailing drawers.... and the first thing he said was about having to read over the directions every time he uses it.