Friday, February 4, 2011

Project Wrapup

  Finally!  I finished final assembly of the stationary motor cart this morning and am very pleased with it.


I had to wait for *C* to come home from school since the cart and motor are both more than one person can handle.  I figured he'd like to see the two mated together using only simple machines.  The cart was a royal pain coming up the stairs from my way overcrowded shop in the basement but we managed without getting any hernias.


I thought I would try out the block and tackle that you see hanging in the above picture to lift the motor.  It's a set of single/double wooden blocks.  I've seen them in museums but have never had a chance to seriously try one.  *C* and I lined up the motor under a scary looking rafter in the garage and I gave a test heave.  We actually had the camera out there to take a few shots but the whole operation was so spooky that we forgot to snap some pics.  In the end the, we decided that it was all too risky so we set up a tripod with some eight foot landscape timbers and the come-along.  I was able to move the motor with the block and tackle but, again, it just felt too scary.  We ended up getting the motor up on the cart and it is a thing of beauty.



I don't think *C* had ever seen an operation like this and he thought it was pretty cool.  Not sure if his mother would have felt the same way.

  We went to the wheelchair clinic at Children's Hospital yesterday for *J* and ended up choosing a very nice chair.  Its got a much smaller frame and is much more convenient for transferring.  *J* tried it out and really zinged down the hallway.  In fact, it took off so fast that it actually initially scared him.  Now we just  need to convince the insurance company that *J*'s present chair is totally unsuitable for him even though we haven't reached the normal five year span dictated by them.  Everybody say a prayer...this will really improve *J*'s quality of life and he'll really be crushed if he doesn't get it!




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