Help me spend my $$!

D

deker

Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Messages
3,496
So, I came into about $600 of "fun money" yesterday (hooray yearly bonus!) and I'm having some real issues deciding what to do with it. My wife says "use it for something you wouldn't ordinarily spend the $$ on". I like that idea, but I'm still going crazy with the options! Here are some of the thoughts I've come up with so far:

- "Pile o' shop stuff" (5 gallons of good quench oil, steel, handle material, good set of calipers, misc. little tools, etc)
- Parts for a hydraulic press (if I'm smart, I could probably get almost all of it, but my hot shop doesn't have real power yet so I could wait a while on this one)
- Small Mill
- Small Lathe
- Good (used) HT oven
- A good hunk of one crazy custom knife purchase from a favorite maker (I'd love to hand this particular guy $1000 and tell him to "go hog wild" on something HE'D like to make)
- Most of the tuition to the ABS Moran School (Clearly the best VALUE for the $$, but it requires burning 2 weeks of vacation and my $$ doesn't cover travel expenses)

Stuff I already have:

- Forge
- Anvil
- Tongs/Hammers/etc
- Small Power Hammer
- 2x72 Grinder
- 16" Drill Press
- 4x6" HF bandsaw
- 18" wood bandsaw

Any more ideas folks? Thoughts on the already listed stuff?

-d
 
I'm going to the Bill Moran school march 19-30th and there are 2 slots left :D You can stay in the bunkhouse for 15$ a night!! Guess what I suggest that you do with the money!!
 
i change my vote to the rocketmann suggestion.

rocketmann choice = 2 votes
your choices = 0 votes

well there you have it. majority wins :D
 
You could buy jewelry for your wife...........and hope it comes back to you ten fold in the future.........................................hmmmmmmmmmmmm.........nawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww......go to the Moran school, if you can swing it!
 
scottickes said:
You could buy jewelry for your wife...........and hope it comes back to you ten fold in the future.........................................hmmmmmmmmmmmm.........nawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww......go to the Moran school, if you can swing it!
Click to expand...

In all honesty, my wife would probably get mad at me if I spent it on her...(UPDATE: She says I'm right and I'm not allowed to spend it on her...:D)

As much as I'd LOVE to get to the Moran school next month, I don't see it happening, and I'm sure I'll be able to justify the $$ for it later (heck, my wife just told me to take tax refund money for it and go later in the year....I told her the tax refund was for new kitchen appliances...I'm not a stupid man... ;)). So, for now I'll strike the school from the list...

Keep the opinions coming!

-d
 
Deker, you already have a bunch of the equipment, the ability to forge properly, and a good deal of knowledge, from what I've seen on these forums. Maybe you should go with "pile o' shop stuff". The "intro" course may be mostly stuff that you already know. Not saying that you wouldn't learn anything or that it would not be worth your while, but maybe one of the other courses like damascus, handles and guards etc, would be more value for the money for a person of your skill level. Just my $.02 worth. What ever you decide, I wish you the best of luck. -Matt-
 
You sneaked that last post in while i was typing mine! :D If you are going to strike the school, then my vote is either "pile o' shop stuff" or money toward a good HT oven, like Phillip said. Your shop can never have too much "stuff" in it! -Matt-
 
Deker,
I gotta go with Mr Patton on this one. Have you ever checked your temperature before quench with an accurate pyrometer? It is truly a humbling experience to learn how much you are off compared to where you THOUGHT you were in temp. Not to say that anyone not using an oven is not heat treating effectively...but that's one area where I don't want ANY mystery!
Matt Doyle
 
You could just send it my way! I can spend it with the best of them!:D
 
i like that idea. share the wealth. im still needing a bench vise and some supplies to build a 2x72 belt grinder. i also need a forge but that can wait. heck id be happy to get some black linen or canvas micarta scales for my tactical knife. lol. i know its wishful thinking. if i were you i would go for either the HT oven or the pile o shop stuff. you decide what you think is more important between the two choices there.
 
Throw a few more $$$ in and get an Evenheat Oven.
 
How about getting some real power to your shop so it will allow you too buy more power tools in the future.
 
warrior24 said:
How about getting some real power to your shop so it will allow you too buy more power tools in the future.
Click to expand...

Already in the plans, but I have to get the excavator here with the electrician once the ground unfreezes...That one is more timing than anything else.

-d
 
I'm watching a digital process controller on eBay that's identical to the one I'm using on the forge as a pyrometer. I can make a HT oven with it, some fire bricks, heating elements, and relays. I priced that all out once at $300-400 total. Even better, the DPC can be plugged into a computer...and I'm a computer geek....Computer controlled HT oven anybody? :) Maybe I could build an oven and still have $$ left over for some more "shop stuff"...Hrmmmmm

-d
 
I'm gonna comment a little different and say start gathering pieces for your press with the left over $'s from the oven project. I think you'll get the shop stuff anyway, and if you dig around you probably have shop stuff that you forgot about.
Have fun, Craig
 
I would go with 5 gallons of good heat treat oil and see about getting an oven. That's next on my list. The oil will eliminate one variable and the oven will open a can of variables!:D I mean the oven, I've got 5 gallon of type A.
 
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