No Southern-fried Southern boy wants to be called a Yankee, but we share the characteristics of shrewdness and thrift. Thus, each month we include a money-saving tip. It’s OK if you call me “cheap.”
How cheap can a project get? Let’s look at the mobile grinding station featured in this month’s 1st tip. It starts with a free Craftsman tool stand from a Sears dumpster. Then, use some 2x2s salvaged from a friend’s trash down the street.
All of these 2x2s were already cut and painted, sitting by the side of the road for someone to pick up and give them a home. I was happy to oblige. To boot, I got them on my predawn walk; no pride was sacrificed in the making of this project.
Add a scrap piece of plywood for the top.
Some of my best finds occur in the dark. I toted this back home one morning, adding calorie burn to my walk and a beautiful half-sheet of CDX plywood to my collection.
A half-price grinder, a full-price mobile base, a few bolts and the rest was free. Not a bad deal for a mobile grinding station.
Jim Randolph is a veterinarian in Long Beach, Mississippi. His earlier careers as lawn mower, dairy farmer, automobile mechanic, microwave communications electronics instructor and journeyman carpenter all influence his approach to woodworking. His favorite projects are furniture built for his wife, Brenda, and for their children and grandchildren. His and Brenda’s home, nicknamed Sticks-In-The-Mud, is built on pilings (sticks) near the wetlands (mud) on a bayou off Jourdan River. His shop is in the lower level of their home.Questions and comments on woodworking may be written below in the comments section. Questions about pet care should be directed to his blog on pet care, www.MyPetsDoctor.com. We regret that, because of high volume, not all inquiries can be answered personally.