Tom likes to keep a close eye on all of the surplus auctions and sales that occur near the shop. The University of Wyoming usually has several items either up for bid or on sale several times a year. Tom looks for items that he can either use right away or transform into something usefull. Last winter a simple electric conveyor was offered through the surplus website. The electric conveyor was located in the basement of one of the buildings and served as a transport for books and other items from the storage area in the basement up to the main level of the building.
Tom picked up the electric conveyor for less than fifteen dollars, with the stipulation that he would remove it from the basement. The conveyor had to be removed shortly after the sale. Needless to say, Tom removed the long elevator with a little help from family.
With a little ingenuity, Tom transformed the electric conveyor into a wood elevator for use outside his metal and welding shop.
The first thing Tom did was to weld angle iron up the sides of the conveyor so that the wood could travel up the rubber belt with out falling over the edge. Tom used one inch by two inch steel angle iron.

The conveyor came equipped with a 208 three phase motor that needed to be converted to 110 single phase. The first step was to remove the 208 motor from the gear box. The gear box had a spline shaft so Tom had to take the 208 motor with a dual shaft and fit a shaft coupling on the output end to add the 110 motor onto the electrical conveyor belt. The 110 motor now runs through the dead 208 motor into the gear box to run the electric log elevator.
One other unique feature to the log elevator is its ability to raise either end for easy access to difficult locations.
The new log elevator now comes in handy when Tom is splitting and piling fire wood.

Tom ordered floor anchor pots from Auto Body Tool Mart. Normally, an anchor pot is installed into an existing concrete floor. If that is the case, the concrete needs to be core drilled before installing the floor anchor pot. This article will describe how Tom poured floor anchor pots into the concrete slab he formed for his new building addition.
Tom began by welding rebar onto the anchor pot. Tom then placed the anchor pots so they were flush with the finished grade of the concrete floor. Wet concrete was poured around the anchor pots to secure them into the floor. Blue tape was used to cover the anchor pot. The tape served to protect the anchor pot as well as aid in finding the pots after the concrete floor was dry.
Anchor pots are used regularly for chaining cars to the floor to help do body work. They can also be used to help straighten axles.

A popular way to prepare holiday turkeys is to deep fry them.  Tom purchased a deep fry kit from Bass Pro Shop for under $40.  The kit came with a burner, stand, hose and regulator with a 20 minute timer, a large pot and lid and a hanger for the turkey.  It is important to follow all directions that come with any deep fry kit.

It is best to use the fryer kit out of the wind.  Tom set up frying operations inside the shop.  Remember, frying indoors is not recommended, but Tom cleard a wide perimeter around the fryer.  A study shop table was handy to hold all the necessary items including a fire extinguisher, marinades and seasonings.  It is a great idea to fry up some mushrooms, cheese sticks and other battered hours’devous while you have your deep fryer out and ready to go.

Tom decided to cook two smaller turkeys that each weighed about ten pounds.  Smaller turkeys are easeir to monitor during the frying process.  An added bonus is that you can flavor each turkey with different seasonings.  Tom ordered his marinade kit from Bass Pro Shop.  The kit came with four different flavors as well as an injector.

Stainless steel welding wire works great when tying the turkey legs together.  It is extremely important to start out with a clean, well thawed, dry turkey.

When the oil reaches temperature the turkeys can be submerged.  A set of welding gloves helps protect Tom from any hot oil that may splatter.  It is also important to slowly lower the turkey in the carfully measured oil.  Most fryer fires occur when too much oil has been added to the pot.  When the turkey is added, the oil level rises and spills over onto the fire below.  It is also a good idea to be aware of pets who may be hanging around as well.

Frying a turkey can be a great way to share the holidays with family and friends.  Several extra precautions should be observed for a successful fry.

Remember

1.  Start with a clean, dry, well thawed turkey.

2.  Fry out of the wind and away from other objects.

3.  Follow directions on the fry kit.

4.  You might want to fry two smaller turkeys, instead of one large one.

5.  Welding gloves work for oil protection.

6.  Use stainless steel  welding wire to tie legs together.

7.  Be aware of pets and children in the area.

It’s that time of year again when the roads get a little snowy. What inevitably comes with snow are the plow & sand trucks. Small pebbles of sand and rock are sometimes left on the interstates and highways. Cars and trucks passing by often shoot those pebbles and rock onto windshields causing cracks that could lead to further windshield damage. If this happens the best thing to do is to stop the crack from splintering by either having it repaired or repairing it yourself. Tom had this happen a few weeks ago on his way back from Colorado. Rather than take his Dodge pickup into a repair shop and spend around sixty dollars, Tom thought he would try a windshield repair kit that can be picked up from any local auto parts store for around fifteen dollars. Tom started by isolating the small pit by incorporating a stop drill technique using a dremel tool. Small holes are drilled into the ends of the cracks to limit the spread of the damage. A small LCD light can be placed on the inside dashboard for better viewing. Tom then used a Permatex Windshield Repair Kit to seal up the crack and hopefully prevent continued damage. The kit comes with a small syringe and plunger, a tube of repair compound, an adhesive disk,pedestal, curling strip, push pin, razor blade, an alcohol towelette, and a set of instructions. The entire process takes about an hour. Allow for a little longer curing time if it happens to be a cloudy day. Watch our short video for the simple steps it takes to repair your windshield yourself.