New additions – an iPhone 6+ and …
First off I wanted to apologize for more time between posts, than I would like. I’m hoping things are about settled back down, so I get back to a more consistent stream of information for you folks.
Now for the new stuff. I’ve had an Apple iPhone 5 since they first came out, and often that’s what I have available, when taking photos while working on a project. The photos it takes are much better than most of my earlier cameras, and certainly better than any previous phone, but it still leaves a little to be desired. Enter the new iPhone 6 plus (I know it’s not just breaking into the market, but I just got mine), whose photos look much better to my eyes. I took a quick photo of my mountain bike, after I took a ride last week, in a sense documenting both the ride and the iPhone.
For those that don’t know, I continue to spend time with my exercise programs, which now includes putting in some miles on my mountain bike, and I’m getting closer and closer to feeling as if the last three years (primarily the two back surgeries) never happened. I personally find it is much easier to complete the exercise routines, if you can either find one mode you really love, or if you alternate between a number of modalities. I have almost always been one of those people that just loves to do anything exercise related, and even more so if it connects to a sport. I also found a really cool app for my iPhone that keeps track of my rides, giving me a breakdown of details after I’m done, including a nice little map showing where I rode. The app is called MapMyRide (my best friend told me he uses a sibling app called MapMyRun, which also sounds very useful) and all I need to do is click the orange “Start my ride” button in the lower portion of the screen. That’s it! I just click my iPhone’s power button to shut off my screen and put it into my pocket, and then start riding. It is super simple and FREE! They do of course offer an upgrade, which does have fees attached, but the basic version is absolutely free. Below is a screen capture of one ride.
I have another addition to tell you about, other than the iPhone, and its back in the woodworking arena. I got a Festool Kapex KS-120 for the shop. I’ve owned an old Craftsman chop-saw for almost 30 years, and it is one the old 10″ guys that hinges, but does not move along any rails, severely limiting the size board it can cut. For smaller pieces of wood, this can still perform the basic function, but if any have much width to them, you’d better have an alternate solution.
This new Kapex (also a 10″ saw) can cut up to a 12″ wide board, is amazingly accurate, produces a glass-smooth cut, and has just gobs of functionality. Festool just seems to understand what is needed in a tool, and then translate their team’s findings into a tool that is easy to use, yet has world-class abilities. Oh, and when it is connected to a Festool dust collector, it is in the 94% captured range. Very similar in fact to their Domino and my Rotex 150 (6″ rotary sanding tool) has even less escaping dust. I realize I regularly lean towards hand tools, but I like to have an integrated shop. Power tools and hand tools work together very nicely, and I use each for what they do best.
Thanks for stopping by and please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Lee Laird
Had to help a friend
Ok, so the title of this article sounds like I’m being all noble and stuff, right?? Well, that is how I try to live my life, but you may think it is a bit misleading, after reading the next part.
A great friend offered some nice wood, in different species, to me the other day. What was the catch? Simple, all I had to do was come and get it. (Actually, being the super nice guy, if I had no way to get it, he’d very likely have brought it to me!)
So I show up in my little Nissan Cube (lost some acreage in that thing, compared to my old Isuzu Rodeo, but I know it’ll pass inspection, hehe), and we start loading, and loading, and ….
So that was all I could take on this trip. I’ve since made another run with a van, and will likely rent a U-haul in the near future, so I can get the remaining booty, er, I mean to say, complete helping my friend.
I was going through the wood, after unloading it at home, and I’m planning on a couple of upcoming builds. One thing will likely be a hanging tool cabinet, which has been on my list for way too long. I’m hoping I’ll have some time available for this cabinet, before I go to Germany this summer, but I have a lot on my plate that could prevent it from happening. I’ll update, like that’s a surprise, as the other “planned” and unplanned projects come to fruition.
It’s great to have great family and friends, but really sucks when they are moving across the country! (Or the world! You know who you are…) So, make sure you don’t take your friends for granite, as you never know how long they may be around.
Thanks as always for checking out my articles. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts.
Lee
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