I bought one from Klingspor and chucked in my drill press to sand some factory made balusters I was installing in my last house. It didn't seem to do much at all, I was pretty sour on it. I'm thinking I didn't know what to expect.

None whatsoever. When we lived in Olathe we had our grill hook to nat gas, the ultimate in convenience. You will have to change to orifices on the burners, If I had the option, I'd change in a heartbeat. You can get a kit (HD, maybe) that has a 10' flex hose to connect the grill to the line, giving you some mobility with it. Word of caution, critter like to chew the cover off the SS hose, then it leaks....so if you choose it, watch for chipmunks, squirrels, whatever. I think it my case it was one of those 2 creatures.

Jack, check out this link . It gives you some basics and a couple of projects to walk you through to get started.

Just checking because in the past I have found "Wood magazine" to be highly confusing. Did you contact customer service from a number found inside the magazine, or from information from a mailing? They are presented by a bunch of companies selling subscriptions, and I am not so sure many of them know what the word ethical is. I don't subscribe to Wood any longer because of it, rather I look at them on the newsstand, and generally pass.

Benjamin Moore Advanced (Dove White or is it White Dove)
Don't put anything over it.
My 2
Rusty

Thing of beauty!

I have embarked on a VERY long term project - restoring a little town house. There is a double interest here, one is simply to make some of my savings (essentially earning nothing at the bank) work a bit by buying/restoring/letting the property, but at a second level, the land belonging to the house adjoins our garden at the rear and overlooks our rear courtyard, so I've had my eye on the land for some time. The house is located in a street at right angles to ours, so it is not actually next door, but because of the corner, the two plots meet at the ends.

The owner inhertited it from his grand parents and had vague plans to do it up, but is now in poor health himself, so I thought he might be open to an offer. I contacted him as it was not on the market (no agents fees) and in the end I got it for next to nothing. Given the low price and with me doing a lot of the work, it should be quite a profitable project. It has to be a rental as reselling other than main residence attracts punitive capital gains tax here. For the moment, contracts are signed, but the admin wheels grind slow and we have not completed yet, so I cant make a start except to remove the fences (which were on our land) and arrange better access.

It has stood empty for 15yrs or more, so nothing left of any value inside, kitchen and bathroom are both "rip out and burn". Wiring and plumbing are rudimentary to say the least, but it is on mains drainage. The roof needs attention, basic timbers (some old oak, some replacement sawn timber) seem sound, tiles and laths are shot, so are windows and doors. However, the walls are solid, 18th C stone built - basically, I'm buying a plot of land and a shell - the rest is to do.

Isabelle thinks I'm crazy - I'm retired and have no need to do any of this, but I do like to have a project...

I'm sure this has been discussed in the past, but I could not find a recent thread through the search feature.

Are folks that installed, happy with it? Why, why not? Any brand recommendations? Any maintenance required after installation?

Thanks in advance for the input!

Good info: http://nealaddy.org/node/39

Alex - we have an umbrella stand that looks just like it or very similar at home (E-sale find) don't know if its a Stickley or not - I can measure it and send ya dim's & pic's if you want?