100 Docks Served!

This morning, dock numbers #99 and #100 hit the post office! taym is the (un)lucky recipient of dock number 100, for which he receives some original Empeg stickers and a copy of the Saturday comics secton.

So much for my original idea of building perhaps 50 or so max! Thanks to all who ordered!

The store is now closed.



Heh heh.. just kidding.

But we have only four more sets of docks cut out and ready for assembly, and notifications for those were sent out this morning. The next 100 orders will now wait for a few weeks while we retool and cut out the wood parts for the final big batch.

There are still about 10 docks in the final batch which have yet to be claimed, so if you want one, please sign up Real Soon Now! These will begin shipping by late June, and should all be finished by the end of August.

Cheers!

Now, if we could just invent an inflatable workshop that you can pack in your backpack when you go climbing...

I think climbing may need to wait for a week or two...

>I think climbing may need to wait for a week or two...

Yeah, my finger tip is gonna take a bit to competely heal. Nice clean cut from one of those terrorist tools -- a box cutter! I should really stick to safer activities, like.. rock-climbing!

So instead of climbing this (long) weekend, I may end up starting the woodworking for the next 100. SWMBO is already started on the wiring for them, and is nagging for more back panels so she can preinstall the connectors and stuff.

Cheers

...a box cutter! I should really stick to safer activities, like.. rock-climbing

The box cutter could still come in handy for the occassional self amputation!

Rob

The box cutter could still come in handy for the occassional self amputation!

Yeah, I've read about that guy. Talk about character !

This morning, dock numbers #99 and #100 hit the post office! taym is the (un)lucky recipient of dock number 100, for which he receives some original Empeg stickers and a copy of the Saturday comics secton.

D'oh! Just one later and I would have had my own copy of the Saturday comics! (well, and some sort of stickers too, I guess)

Well, what can I say?

Thank you so much, Mark I am honored for getting nr. 100 (and Saturday Comics section gives it a whole different special taste!)

I'll take a picture and post it here as soon as I get the docking station!

Thank you!

The status page on the dock website ( http://rtr.ca/docks/ ) has now been updated with new text and photos. Basically, I'm starting the woodworking for the next 100 or so docks finally. It will be a while before any complete docks emerge from the lengthy pipeline, though.

Meanwhile, I have two unclaimed docks here waiting for responses with payment, and may find new prospective owners for them Real Soon Now.

Cheers

I've updated the status page again today with a new photo from the shop (http://rtr.ca/docks/). As I work through the various milling processes, there'll be similar regular photo updates to amuse/pacify the 90+ folks waiting for docks!

This weekend's project was to cut out 115 pairs of top/bottom pieces, and to hollow out the undersides of the tops for the hidden airflow channel.

Cheers

I'm glad to see you're gearing up for another run. I'm loving my dock and I'm looking to get another one for DJ work.

How hard would it be to add a On/Off switch kind like Loren (I think it was him, been awhile) did on his own docking station that was rackmounted?

Yeah, that was me... and it's funny you mention that. I was thinking the exact same thing the other day at work. I'd rather turn it off when i go out for long lunches or the like than to leave it in standby. I think it would be very easy to do yourself... just pick up a switch at a rat shack or electronics store and put it in the path of the AC socket and mount it on the back. I'll probably get around to doing that someday soon... i've got a few switches laying around that would be perfect.

As Loren says, adding a switch to the rear is not overly difficult, if you want to power-cycle the player more often instead of just leaving it in standby.

At present, I am not offering this as a "factory option" though.

Cheers

I've added a new shop photo from today to the docks site.

And.. sent out five new "requests for payment". No, the new batch of 100+ docks is nowhere near ready for assembly, but now that the tops/bottoms have been completed, I was able to use a few of them together with some "leftover" sides/backs from the previous run to glue-up a few more docks.

These will be the final ones completed for several weeks, until the new side pieces, backs, and docking panels are cut and milled -- those are ALL very complex items and will take some time to make.

Cheers

I've added a new shop photo from today to the docks site.

<workshop envy> *DROOOL* </workshop envy>

I think the only thing he's missing in that shop is an empeg controlled milling machine...

..an empeg controlled milling machine...

Ooo.. with useful visuals!

Uh, oh. I shouldn'a said that 'til after I got my docks.

/me waits for the announcement in the Programming forum.

And yet another shop photo today, this time including the lovely and talented.. SWMBO!

Cheers

SWMBO!!! Nice glove! It is a good thing that you both share the same hobbies - that is probably one of the reasons why you (plural - both yourself and SWMBO) have such a great workshop!

So who took the photograph, then?

Camera on tripod w/self-timer!

Cheers

Why does it take my ISP's DNS servers so long to find your site? Does anyone else experience this?

Stu

Dunno. My site is self-hosting for DNS, with granitecanyon as the secondary. As long as the ADSL link is up, it ought to respond fairly rapidly. But the link has been up and down sporadically of late.

Cheers

Mark, you have a very nice shop. Mine is dual-purpose (garage/shop) but I would like to someday have a dedicated shop with dust collection, etc. Right now I have to sweep every week or so because the only tool I have dust collection on is my router table and that is only a shop-vac. I make sure and save all the dust hoods for my other tools, for the day I do get my own dedicated shop *dream*.

Nice router setup you have there! Wish I had space for a dedicated setup, in ADDITION to my saw-table mounted version! Lovely bench there as well.. S.Yellow Pine? Or Doug F. ?

The dust collection I have is essential for an in-home shop -- I cannot just open the garage door (there is none) to air things out like you. Most of the tool "hoods" are shop-built improvements over the manufacturer's parts (if any).

Cheers

Another day, another photo. And a status update as well.

http://rtr.ca/docks/

Cheers

I don't know why, but I checked earlier today and just now but I don't see any change in the photos that I saw last week.. I did a refresh too. [shrugs]

Try flushing your browser's cache.

If using Mozilla, "shift-reload" generally overrides most upstream caching as well.

Cheers

My bench is yellow pine, I just picked up some 2x4's at the lumber yard and put it together from those. Took me a while to find nice wood, but I just ran them through the jointer and I was good to go. It was the first thing I built when I moved here, because a workbench is so useful. Someday I'll build one out hardwood, but my budget was small for this bench.

I know what you mean with the dust hoods. A few of mine I can see would suck pretty hard (pun intended) when attached to a dust collection system. Machinery aside, I find some of the best tools you use you can make yourself (like your dust hoods).

I find some of the best tools you use you can make yourself (like your dust hoods).

I suspect that's because if you made it yourself, it's exactly what you want. Assuming, of course, that you can build exactly what you want, which I, sadly, cannot. Yet. I blame the lack of a workshop.

Hmm.. a slight glitch today. I had previously cut out around 135 rear panels for docks, and bored the cooling holes and audio jack holes into them.

Then I goofed -- drilled the power jack holes, but with the panels flipped, so the holes ended up in the wrong locations. Aw fudge! So, I figure, I could just use the holes in their new spot, and not worry about it. WRONG.

Everything is interelated. The holes are roughly where the serial ports belong, which means the serial ports would need to be moved. But we've already cut and crimped the wiring for the serial ports, and it won't reach if they are moved..

So.. scrap heap for those.

On the plus side, this presents an opportunity to find better quality material for the rear panels. The first 20-30 docks constructed used my remaining stock of tempered hardboard. Once we ran out of that stuff, we purchased and used hardboard from the Borg. While adequate, it isn't nearly as stiff or even as good looking as the tempered stuff. The problem is, nobody stocks the tempered stuff around here, and heck.. most of the salesfolk have never heard of the stuff and assume I'm bonkers for asking about it.

I have located the Good Stuff down around the Toronto area, but shipping from there would be rather expensive. One hope though -- a local wholesaler claims to have the stuff in Montreal, and is having a couple of sheets put on the next regular inter-office shipment for me. Hopefully it really IS tempered hardboard, but so few people know the difference that I'll only believe it when I see it.

Meanwhile, I'm working on the inner panels, that hold the docking connectors.

Cheers

Maybe try calling it pressboard or masonite? You might also try an art supply store, as they might have it as a ``canvas'' or as a pallet, even though it's likely to be expensive there.

Tempered hardboard is very different from pressboard, though try convincing the salesfolk at the Borg of that.

Masonite is the premier brand for hardboard. This Chicago based company makes the best stuff. Their "basic" hardboard is as good as most companies' "tempered" hardboard, and true tempered Masonite "Duron" is about twice as hard as that.

Anyway, we'll see what comes in the truck on Friday.

Cheers

Well, my point is, as with all such supplies, each person has his own names for each thing, and those names often contradict each other. The only other way I can think of to ask for it is to ask for the stuff that's slick on both sides.

I've taken to visiting with a chunk of original (smooth on one side only) tempered Masonite Duron, from 8 years ago.

One place had smooth two sides hardboard, but it was the same mushy material that the Borg sells. The yard workers recognized my sample, though, and said "Yeah, that's the stuff we had back maybe 5-6 years ago, before the change in ownership" (of the lumber yard).

Cheers

One place had smooth two sides hardboard, but it was the same mushy material that the Borg sells.

I've never seen any such thing. Weird.

Just to make sure that we're talking about the same thing, you're talking about that stuff that they used to make clipboards out of, right? (Except probably thicker stuff.) Like pegboard without holes.

This is 1/8" thick (the size I use), and very very dark in colour. I did find one place that still makes clipboards from it, but they're too far from here -- delivery would cost more than material. This stuff is normally smooth on one side, and can also be found smooth on both sides. It is made by adding oils to the mix and then heat treating the works as it is pressed into sheet material. Regular "hardboard" (aka mush-board) lacks the oils, and tends to approach a light blonde colour.

Cheers

I still say use black acrylic. It may be harder to work, but you can get bits and blades for plastic that surely work better in a production setting than general purpose or wood tools.

Stu

Well, a big day in the shop today. Completed the first six milling operations on all 270 side pieces -- only five more cuts (per piece) to go! That really adds up after a while -- happily all my fingers are still there and wiggling (for now).

Meanwhile, got so carried away with making sawdust (and drill dust and router dust etc..) that I forgot to check the dust collector bins.. major overflow into the filter bags as a result.

(the shop has a dust collection system, like a massive built-in vacuum, with a cyclone separator that normally dumps EVERYTHING into a waste bin, and then passes the 99.99% clean air through 100 square feet of filter bags just to make sure -- when the bin overflows, everything ends up in the filter bags instead, which are trickier to empty -- http://rtr.ca/workshop/ ).

Anyway, last act of the day was to swap out the overflowed bin for an empty one -- I'll clean out the bags some other day.

No photos cuz SWMBO was out and about (pronounced "oot and aboot" up this way), and I was just "in the groove" happily cutting away (thus the overflow). But there is a pic from yesterday.

And now things are at the point where I can assemble three more docks -- payment notices just went out for those.

Cheers

Oh, and for Bitt (and others):

This photo -- http://rtr.ca/workshop/z0000572.jpg -- shows tempered Masonite (smooth ONE side only) as used on the shop dustbins -- visible on the one in the rear.

Cheers

The fact that your workshop has its own faq is just too cool

You might be a geek if...

-Mike

You know... here I am waiting in the queue, and it's like, every day there's an update, and I dunno, but it just doesn't seem to fit with all the other projects. I demand to have to wait 6 weeks between updates -- it just doesn't feel like you're being part of the community, here. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to cancel my dock orders!

Oh, wait... I forgot... this is the same guy who wrote hijack as an excuse to inflate his post count.

Your shop is insane. That is the only word i can think of to describe it.

Beautiful insanity

Uhmm, yeah.. so embarassing, that. I mean, like, what will I ever do now that Hijack is complete?

>Your shop is insane.

Thanks. But one must remember that it isn't the size that matters, but the production..

Generally speaking, the larger the shop, the fewer completed items that emerge from it. I try and get around that by having a small shop (388 sq.ft.), jam packed with goodies.

Cheers

what will I ever do now that Hijack is complete?

Says who?

Speaking of which.. another day, another update (and photo).

Cheers

> I try and get around that by having a small shop (388 sq.ft.), jam packed with goodies.

Hmmm, your *small* shop is 70% of the size of my flat!!

Phil

And half the size of my office!.

Heh: "New Hotness".

Nice work.

Wow, look at all that space! Perhaps you need an Empeg dock or two, to help fill some of that!

Speaking of which.. two more docks are being glued up now, so I've just sent out more payment notifications.

Cheers

I've updated the Home Docks page again with the latest news and photos.

Basically, the two sheets of "tempered hardboard" (for the back panels) arrived today and.. it's the real stuff!. I wish I'd had material this nice for all of the earlier docks, as it is so much easier to machine and handle in the shop -- nice crisp edges, clean cuts with no sanding/clean-up, and it looks rather handsome as well. Plenty stiff enough, even better than the really old stuff was.

Folks are going to be very happy with these back panels!

We now have over 130 complete sets of dock parts cut out and machined to final form. Still gotta notch out the serial port connector holes, and drill for screws, and cut biscuit slots.. but the end is in sight! Or rather, the beginning of gluing up new docks is in sight!

Cheers

How hard is it to open up one of your docks for adding extra components/replacing the panel? Is there anything glued together or any other impediment that would make doing so exceedingly difficult?

Stu

*laughs* Your docks are awesome, and I'd buy one or two, but I'm a DIY kind of guy

Besides, my two docking connectors and the power pins from Digi-key came today via UPS. The smaller pins (I ordered 50) are on back order until June 22 . That's OK though, I still have enough stuff to do until they arrive. My router table is really being put to use now, I'm making new thresholds out of maple for the borders between my carpet and the ceramic tile I installed last year.

Hi Stu,

The docks open up with four screws from the bottom. Everything inside then lifts out except the docking connection -- have to remove all of the gold pins to get it completely out, but there's no need to do that.

Adding a connector to the rear is very easy to do. I think you'll get some practice soon, as one of the docks here is being sent via you next week.

Cheers

one of the docks here is being sent via you next week

New delivery option? Stu-back?

Well, today SWMBO pulled out some of the new back panels to begin wiring them up, and .. pointed out that I had cut the RJ45 jack slots in the wrong orientations.. oopps..

So, much of today was spent back in the workshop (yay!) milling an entirely new batch of back panels yet again (boo..). Third time lucky? Yup!

Now.. about them 2000 biscuit slots..

Cheers

oh man. triple check before you cut anything eh? =]

Bah... measure once, cut twice!

Okay,

As of today, I'm finally back into "glue up" mode for the docks. This means they'll begin shipping in quantity in a few days! I might even pack a few extras for Amersfoort..

In the meanwhile, I'll be sending out payment requests to the next dozen or so people on the list, for shipment next week.

Cheers

The Home Docks status page (see link at top of BBS pages) has now been updated as of today, with status info and two new photographs -- once again, the Lovely and Talented SWMBO makes a stellar appearance!

Cheers

Fifteen (15) payment requests went out in email today. So if you were near the top of the Home Docks queue, check your email!.

Cheers

You know you've cut a lot of biscuit slots when..

when you can build a big enough stack to rest your priceless empeg on. lol

(the bag in the photo is full of sawdust from the slots..)

just out of curiosity, what do you do with all your bagged saw dust Mark?

just out of curiosity, what do you do with all your bagged saw dust Mark?

Reminds me of an episode of Cheers where Sam was thinking about buying a big suburban house. He talked about having a workshop in the garage: "I've always loved the smell of sawdust... Wonder where I can get some of that?"

Make his own MDF if he gets enough epoxy?

- Trevor

When it's mostly just wood dust, it often ends up as garden mulch to keep the weeds down. But this MDF dust has too much glue in it for our liking, so we bin it.

In the past month, we've emptied about 10X that quantity of dust and chips from the central shop dust collector. The bag in the photo is from a rather small shopvac dedicated to the biscuit (plate) joiner -- takes a heck of a lot of biscuit slots to produce that quantity. Not done yet, either..

Cheers

The Continuing Saga of Mark's Manufacturing Misadventures.

So, there I am, happily gluing docks together, when I decide perhaps to think a step or two ahead, and count the remaining shipping containers on hand.

18. Oh oh..

I knew I should have bought the whole lot of 200 boxes when I had the chance, five months ago. Oh well. So, to make a long story (lots of telephone calls and emails) shorter, I eventually found these guys, who offered to make a lot of 100 custom-sized cardboard shipping containers for the docks at a reasonable rate.

Using the Right Size boxes can make a huge difference in shipping costs -- it is very worthwhile to pay more for a custom box than to use cheaper off-the-shelf sizes that cost $4 more (each) to mail a dock in (due to larger than necessary volume)!

Whew! Should have them long before I return from Amersfoort, so shipments can continue uninterrupted then.

Cheers