Yeah IKEA had great prices on them, but obviously there's plenty of other shops to get them at. For the wall mounts I used these bad boys from rockler

http://www.rockler.com/heavy-duty-steel-shelf-brackets-black-finish

The truth is, I ONLY used pipes because the far wall desk is drilled into the foundation of the house and the right side is tapped into studs because that wall backs up to my garage. If I had studs on both sides I wouldn't even think of the pipe legs. Those brackets hold a good amount of weight, but everything is only as strong as the weakest point, so the legs are there just in case. I'm also getting file cabinets and plan on building a small cubby to sit between the cabinet and the desk which will make the pipe legs a thing of the past. The corners where the two tops meet I bonded using one of these.

https://m.lowes.com/pd/USP-5-in-x-1-13-16-in-Nail-Plate/3374506

I then drilled holes for the wires and finished them off with these.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I4OWQEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apis_1494894211474

All in all I'm super happy with the design and how it came out. Don't forget to seal the counter tops with some clear polyurethane. Good luck pal.

You're welcome! :) If things get away from him, you might also get a two-sided clip -- I've seen them in the utility section of Walmart and had to resist getting one. But essentially, something like this, or even better, this (the chain one), where it has little clips so he could rapidly clip the vortex ball or the rolly fidget to each other, or to a belt loop, or etc. I have a double-sided clip that has a very short chain between it and I very much enjoy how versatile it is! :)

Gonna stop getting all worked up about buying things now though, ha. :P

Also, I was realizing last night after making my comment that I never said -- this is really cool, and such a thoughtful gift! :) I got excited about making suggestions, but other commenters are right -- this is a very kind gesture and I am sure he will appreciate it. Especially if he is working hard to manage his time and his money. But even outside of that, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I had a friend give so much thought into getting me gifts like this.

Best of luck, and if you think of it, let us know what you end up getting and if he likes it!

Normally trail riders want easy access to these tow points. Yes, they absolutely can be used, but standard OEM mounts are a hassle.

Generally if they aren't easy to see and get to on the trail without climbing under a rig, the average cable puller will not consider them tow points, and some trail leaders might not let you go on a trail without purpose installed after market hooks. Usually vehicles only have one front and rear tow point and you need two front and two rear for safety and convenience. Hooks are considered basic off road items.

However, all this depends on how you plan to use it off road. Are you wanting to trail it, or camp, light excursions?

They are cheap and easy to install and can be tucked under the bumper if you like. Just bolt them to the frame, don't weld them there. Welds will generally fail before bolts because lets face it, you will be "snatched" more than pulled if you are stuck and not high-centered.

Get at least one (or two) good tow rope(s) and attach it before you go out and just toss the free end in your window, or on your roof. This way when you get stuck, you can climb out and just toss the rope to the rig in front of you and your are out in a jiffy. This will really go a long way to good karma on a trail if you aren't asking others to come get you, or slowing down the others because you unhook after every pull. You will end up using your rope 4x more than a winch anyway unless you are alone on a trail.

Any wheeling will be horrible on gas milage, but if you want to be tidy and keep your rig looking clean, I have seen more than a few people use hitch-mounted winch mounts with handles and only have the winch there when wheeling. And you can toss it in the back and lock it up when your not using it as a daily driver.

Installing a tow hitch in the front and rear to move a winch from front to back as you need is not perfect, but it is very acceptable when done safely, so you get two-for-one winching. Make sure you take good measurements, or have one custom made, or even just go to your local 4x4 shop and get them to help you with the measurements. Never significantly cut/alter an OEM hitch for obvious reasons.

A secondary benefit to a tow hitch on both ends is you can use it as a tow point instead/in addition to tow points and move this around as needed also.

As far as a winch, you don't need a 18k monster, but enough to tug yourself out. General rules are 2-3x your vehicles weight. On a trail, most often if you are in a caravan, a good trail leader will put you sandwiched between two experienced trailers, so about 1/2 the time you will just pull rope to the rig in front and use it as your anchor. So weight shouldn't be a big issue.

Also get a snatch block and a tree saver so you can pull yourself out if you need to. This way you don't harm the tree, but still use it to get yourself out.

1. tires
   
2. tow points (however you want) and ropes
   
3. winch
   
4. lift?
   
   But first, tires.
   
   Ask anyone that has been on a trail, MT tires (not AT's) should be your first investment. You can get a really good MT that will last a very long time as daily use if you do not get an overly aggressive tread. And they look badass.

I use a 48" x 30" stainless steel prep table on casters, like what one might find in a restaurant kitchen or science lab. It was about $130 on Amazon (IIRC). I don't regret the expense one bit. I love it, and I almost wish I had gone with a 5' table rather than the 4'. Whatever you choose, be sure to give yourself plenty of room to set down things like your pizza peels, serving trays, tongs, gloves, etc.

More on why the prep table is awesome: The stainless wipes clean easily and looks nice with the Ooni Pro, which is also stainless. It has a shelf that hovers several inches above the ground and holds a plastic tote full of grilling tools, plus two types of charcoal and two bags of wood. As the table complies with NSF standards, there are many extra shelves and hooks available to customize the storage space, though I haven't availed myself of those yet. Casters allow me to roll the whole setup inside during the winter to prevent rust, but I can just as easily roll it outside to light up the oven anytime I want.

In short, the ease of use and attractive appearance of the stainless prep table option might keep you from ever getting out your bricks and mortar. Enjoy your oven!

Edit: added links in first paragraph.

We use the hanging Planet Wise wet bags in place of a diaper pail. Same as someone mentioned: just hang a small hook off the side of the changing table (this was the bigger pain to find) and bring it into the bathroom anytime we needed to spray down a diaper, then down into the laundry room once full. Since kiddo is a little older, I only do laundry roughly every 5 days, so I have 4 of these, 2 for each cycle of laundry. Planet Wise's medium and large bags are great for travel/day trips, plus we have a small or 2 for quick excursions when we don't want to carry a lot. The smalls also are great for when clothing needs to be changed, but we don't want it in with diapers.

Upfront, the smell wasn't too bad, so we could leave the wet bags hanging open. Now that we're all into solids, we leave the bag zipped closed. If it's been an extra smelly few days, I'll switch out the bags before they're full, but otherwise the smell seems to be contained. I have an extra sensitive nose, which hubby can attest to.

Also as someone said, Nikki's diapers tends to have great sales on this brand, plus earth day is coming up. They're also available on Amazon if you want more variety of prints.

Good luck, easy and speedy delivery wishes!

Here's the hook we grabbed for the changing table:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0794ZNLGF/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_fuPTCbQK0QBEV

The downstairs needs more acoustic treatment! So does the upstairs!

On a more serious note - not to say I wasn't previously serious - I would suggest simply moving the computer further to the left. Try and get it as close to center between the long walls as you can. That will help immensely with your stereo imaging. You've got the right design so far by firing your monitors down the long dimension of the room, and by having them well spaced from the wall behind them.

It even looks like the distance from the wall behind the user of the computer is well above 10' away. Diffusion. These designs are among the best diffusers a DIY could hope for, but they're a lot of work. Making any diffuser is, really. All about that time-cost ratio.

As for the ceiling... Is that corrugated metal, or thin strips of wood? Eh, that doesn't really matter. Either way, you're probably gonna want to find some way to put broadband absorption up there. The hardwood floors are amazing for recording and mixing - the ceiling not so much. If you're ever gonna mic up that kit with overheads, you'll absolutely need absorption above it all. Nasty, horrid comb filtering happens otherwise. Same thing at your listening position in your chair. You would ideally, for what the dimensions of your room appear to be, want a nice cloud above the chair, extending back to above the monitors.

This is an excellent write-up on how to build broadband absorbers for very little cost, other than initial tool investment. They're extremely light compared to their wood framed counterparts. I wouldn't even shy away from building them 6" thick instead of 4". It looks like you've got the room. You can also somewhat modify the tutorial to build the corner "superchunk" bass trap frames out of the same material, reducing the weight on those significantly.

Fabric upholstered couches would act as excellent bass traps with a bit of low-mid absorption. Couches finished in a non-breathable material such as leather are still going to get that bass absorption - to a lesser extent - but reflect a ton of high frequencies.

Yes to floor lamps.

Sorry for the massive wall of text, but you had a few question marks there. Cheers!

• Edit: So, I saw in another previous comment you made that the ceiling is "tin." Chances are, it's steel, and magnetic. You could get some fairly small neodymium magnets, and hang your acoustic treatment from them with some jack chain that you hot glue to the magnets, and hook through eyelets you install into the back of your panels. This is assuming your panels are relatively light. If you don't have a ladder, certainly somebody you know does.
  
  
• Edit 2: Don't get the jack chain linked in the previous edit. It's too weak for just about any wood framed panels, methinks. This would be much better.
  
  
• Edit 3: And so I had deceived you once again, by suggesting that you use hot glue to attach the jack chain to the magnets. These magnetic hooks would be wicked. With four of them per panel, the pull capacity is 60 lB. If you scaled that back to 80% in order to have some tolerance in your system, that's still a hefty 48 lB.

Unfortunately, those minimalist tanks are all I have right now. It's really tricky to get the second grommet on if there is already liquid in the tank.

The tanks in the pic are totally simple. I had a few vivi nova shells laying around so I drilled a fill hole in the side, threaded the hole for the smallest screw i had, found those white grommets randomly and a pipe shop, and assembled. It's just a few components- carto, grommets, tank, screw.

To fill and refill, I unscrew the screw, which can be done by hand, luckily. I have a blunt tip needle filler that I use for this. Then I put the screw back in.

I would like to get a nice carto tank here soon, but i have yet to pull the trigger on a certain one. it's a tough choice with so many nice options.

I like being able to have up to a half dozen flavors, each with its own tank, to keep a variety of flavors at my disposal.

If you're interested in building some DIY tanks, polypropylene is popular because it holds up to any juice and won't crack. http://hoopsupplies.com/ is where I got mine. I got clear but they also have a variety of colors. http://www.amazon.com/Vinyl-Grommets-Bore-Diameter-O-D/dp/B0040D0QKM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1369408397&sr=8-8&keywords=5%2F8+grommet these are the grommets I purchased. Enough for 50 tanks here.
I went to home depot, got the smallest, shortest screws I could find, which actually weren't all that small, and grabbed a threader from the next isle over. And that's it, other than the cartos. Let me know if you want any info I left out. It's really nice to have the parts around to build unlimited tanks. Like yesterday when I got six new flavors in the mail from Captivape....

there are sprays but they don't last long. i would recommend getting a roll of spiked deep pile carpet protector and putting it on the floor spike side up. it will be fine for you with shoes on, while discouraging the cats completely. this stuff is easy to clean, while home depots and lowes have this on sale for a few bucks per yard. obviously you'll need to put enough distance down along their path so the cats don't simply jump over it. don't worry, it won't hurt their paws, it's simply uncomfortable for them.

http://www.amazon.com/27X75-PROTECTOR-Multy-Industries-5300057/dp/B000M7S4EK

another idea is to use an air or water spray device that motion or collar key fob activates. put one of them on each side of the doorway standing sentry to keep the cats out, while you the human step over it's detection grid. after a few hits they won't come back for more, so the spray and battery should keep for a while.

http://www.amazon.com/Contech-StayAway-Motion-Activated-Pet-Deterrent/dp/B000DZFFN4

of course, the simplest solution would be to install a door and keep it closed. if you need to keep the door open a crack to hear what's going on upstairs and for air exchange, simply put a long hook and eye door lock on the inside and purposely mount it so keep the door open a few inches while locked. sound & air exchanges, but the cats won't squeeze through. if the gap is ~3" you can still lock/unlock the hook from the eye even from the opposite side of the door by inserting your fingers through the door crack. a door chain or hasp works well, but this hook does a better job of keeping the door ajar if the doorway gets drafty.

http://www.amazon.com/6-Gate-Hook-and-Eye/dp/B00004Z0TU

this is what i use to keep my cats out of the bedroom, while still being able to exchange fresh air and loud conversation between rooms.

.

BTW if you keep cats in the same home as a high sanitation work space, you may need to invest in a good mechanical HEPA filter. I have a similar need as you, and got an;

http://austinair.com/products/healthmate-series/

it's expensive upfront, but it's low filter replacement costs over time will make it cheap and low maintenance over the lifetime of your cat. I've had mine over a decade, and it's whisper quiet and works as good as new as long as i replace the drum filter every 5 years, and wash out the nylon pre filter annually (or semi annually depending on the environment) replace the pre filter with a new one every 5 years too. one is included with that replacement filter drum.

http://www.bestfilters.com/Austin-Air-Healthmate-Standard-Replacement-Air-Filter_p_251.html

http://www.bestfilters.com/Austin-Air-Healthmate-Standard-Size-Replacement-Pre-Filter_p_239.html

if you are *coin mining using multi-GPU servers, a HEPA filter may dramatically reduce the amount of fan/heatsink cleaning you will need to do over time.

Hi! I actually set one up. It's ghetto as hell but, here is what I did.

This little net is cheap on Amazon.

Then I went to Home Depot and bought a section of astro-turf for about $17. I had an old grommet kit so I put 4 holes about an inch in from the corners and grommeted them. I use old tent stakes to keep it tight on my lawn.

I stacked a welcome mat on top of a large cutting board and slid it under the Astroturf for a solid flat surface.

[Wiffle golf balls.] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RFSTN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_x2qRzbG1HV3QH)

I use a lid from a storage container tub as a ball feeder, propped up at the perfect angle by an empty 12oz LeCroix.

Creative lighting and my 60° Mizuno, the little Bose Bluetooth speaker for the Spotifies and I got a pretty fun night going on in my little back yard.

The result: https://imgur.com/a/SMfnQ

Though not exactly what youre describing
I just bought an incipio faraday (advance)
and the cover that covers the screen flips around back
and creates a flat surface for your kickstand to stand on.
and makes it far more "lapable".
And you dont loose any functionality.

to be honest I doubt youd be able to ind something like that because the surface is marketed around the kickstand and I doubt that it would be a good business move for case designers to create a case that impeded with the basic function of the tablet.

Though I imagine making your own using some friction hinges like this and a few sheets of plastic http://www.amazon.com/Friction-Hinge-Stainless-Height-Torque/dp/B005P0H0HQ made to grip the top and bottom of the tablet wouldnt be impossible to make.
Then again it wouldnt be nearly as robust or good looking unless you had access to a cnc machine or a 3d printer.

Either way good luck.

you could get an automatic coop door:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TONTHRG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We have a coop run that is highly secured, and a main coop that is also secured. We close the coop run manually, and the main coop house closes automatically. All it took was closing the girls in the main coop run then letting themselves get locked out overnight a few times for them to learn to get in the house. Now we have gone down after dark more than once and all the girls are in the house and the door closed.

you would need to secure the main run area better to use our approach though. Our run is enclosed on all sides (including bottom) with 1/2" hardware cloth. Right next to the main house door (where the girls tend to sit if they get locked out) is #8 mesh. All mesh is secured between pieces of cedar framing with screws running through the cedar and the mesh.

We use the slide type doors which I feel are more secure than other options. one I made myself with diamond plate aluminum (if you can get flat aluminum I recommend it) that slides between rails of flat bar aluminum that have a gap created by washers. You can also buy a very similar design if you want to:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018KIVUC0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The biggest thing you need to do to secure your coop/run area is enclose the entire thing in hardware cloth. It needs to be the small 1/2" hardware cloth like here: https://www.amazon.com/Hardware-Galvanized-Chicken-Supports-Poultry/dp/B015PD9F52/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1499439834&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=hardware+cloth&psc=1.

When I say enclose, I mean fully enclose on all sides including top and bottom. The cloth must be screwed/anchored in place (not just stapled). If you use larger cloth then animals such as racoons can reach through and grab the chickens. You should include the house in the enclosure. If you do not secure the bottom then they will just dig under and in.

I've had animals try and fail to get into my coop. I came out one day to find blood all over one side of the coop where an animal had tried to scratch its way in and lost claws. I also have come out to find that animals had tried to dig under the coop only to find hardware cloth there as well. you MAY be able to get away with just putting a hardware cloth skirt a few feet out from the coop but I prefer to just have the floor be hardware cloth.

Finally, all latches that allow us to get into the coop are safety latches since racoons can figure out normal latches. we mostly use hook and eyes like these (I use stainless though): https://www.amazon.com/Zinc-Plated-Wire-Safety-4-Pack/dp/B01LYNKFIL/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499440049&sr=1-1&keywords=hook+and+eye+safety+latch

Though our main coop door does have this sort of latch (which we intend to add a padlock to if there are signs of animals getting in through it): https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-National-Hardware-CD1271-Sliding/dp/B009YNW3QS/ref=sr_1_12?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499440093&sr=1-12&keywords=gate+latch+lock

I'm also looking to build a custom desk and shelving unit in my office once it's refurbished; I'm by no means an expert but I have done a good few hours research into it.

I'd use a veneered melamine personally (at least 18mm thick). You can pick up some pretty large sheets and cut them down and there's a whole bunch of finishes to choose from.

I'd be inclined to fix as much batten to the wall rather than trying to make the desk freestanding - it'll help take the weight and make it a lot more secure.

Also, pick up something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007POFFYU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=479289247&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0050GEOU6&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0DB39A6JVR17YGVBMQ85 for the cable cut outs.

If you're going to acquire some tools, you'll need a couple of workmates or saw horses; probably a circular saw and straight edge to make the long cuts; most likely a jigsaw if you're set on the curved edge; and also a drill to make the holes in the wall, pilots in the wood and then screw it together.

After that you'll need to apply the edge banding with an iron, sharp knife and sanding block. There are a tonne of YouTube videos demonstrating this, watch an hour of them before you try it.

Good luck!

These are the shelves I bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A0ZFRW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The wheels are plastic and snap together. If you can find a shelving system with wheels that are really wheels, like hard rubber library car wheels or heavy duty casters that mechanics use to move their toolboxes, then I would think they would be just fine. Also, the wheels aren't screwed in, they just slide into holes in the bottom of each leg. They have a lot of positive reviews at amazon, but I wouldn't buy them again.

These http://www.amazon.com/Weber-70360-Locking-Caster/dp/B00JSVRNOI/ref=sr_1_54?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1425341758&sr=1-54&keywords=casters

are very similar to the casters that came with the shelves.

I would suggest something more like these that I have been considering replacing the old wheels with:

http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Caster-Swivel-Bearing-Capacity/dp/B003E7ECMI/ref=sr_1_9?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1425341997&sr=1-9&keywords=casters


Or just go to your local home improvement or hardware store and explain what you want and why you want it. Sometimes they can be helpful

A cleaner option would be to run the cables to jacks in the room, then run short cables from the jack to the TV. Otherwise you end up with a hole in the floor with a bunch of wires just coming through it. I actually have my coax and cat5 running through a hole in the floor, and it looks stupid. So I can't blame you for going the same route as I, but can recommend a bit cleaner solution. I would at a minimum pick up a grommet of some sort to run these cables through so it looks a little nicer, even if it is behind an entertainment center or something. It should also protect the cables from rubbing against sharp wood in the floor.
http://www.amazon.com/Master-Caster-Wire-Organizer-Systems/dp/B004E3EEII/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1333463538&sr=8-13

If you can do it, trim/sand the hole shiny (top and bottom, inside and out!), prime & paint it. Seal it well! Then use body plug or grommet plug... Bondo would be better, but a waterproof body grommet would work IF you’ve removed all rust and SEALED it well.

Like these.

They come in 1.5” and can be found at car stores, like Napa, O’Reilly’s, AutoZone, etc.

Buy the plug first. Use a metal file and make the hole exactly fit the plug. Then seal it well, let dry, insert plug.

If you are going to reuse the old dynamo, stick with one wire. I was mistakenly under the impression you were building it up with a new dynamo. Just check that the lights you have (if not the originals) can work properly with a grounded wire.

Grommets I normally just buy from Amazon. Wire from the local auto electrical or hardware (if they have an auto section), you can also buy it online, but typically it is going to be twin core. You could just run both cores and utilise only one.

If you are going to upgrade the dynamo, then an online bike shop is your best bet. I would save up and go for a hub dynamo over a bottle if you can wait, they are far (far, far, far.....) superior.

Thanks so much!

Unfortunately those birds are no longer in stock, but I got them at Create for Less and they still have lots of varieties in stock and they're all pretty cheap. AliExpress also has a lot of options.

In order to get the birds ready to hang I pushed back their little wire legs, drilled a hole in their back between the wings, and then inserted a screw eye hook. Once those were all done I cut identical lengths of very lightweight fishing line to hang them from. Instead of trying to tie a knot, I threaded on a crimp, put the end of the line through the screw hook, and then back up through the crimp. I used a crimping tool to seal the crimp and then they were good to go! Let me know if you have any other questions :)

These are what I use. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B079N759Q7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gCM5CbDFBNKWH. They work well enough and I reckon they’re a good price. I also use a grommet kit to punch a decent hole in them to hang off my belt. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076Q95X7W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tHM5Cb4CM3TY5 It’s also useful for other bits of kit to make a decent job of creating holes that won’t fray etc. Hope that helps.

If you are using a traditional jacket style BCD, many have built-in pockets on the sides. But yes most of the SMBs have built-in D-rings or something that you could attach a double ender to and then clip onto a D-ring on your BCD

As for size they are pretty varied since the size of the SMB can range from 3 feet to 10ft (obviously taller marker means easier to see over waves and such but bigger to store on your person). I'd just google image search scuba SMB or something like that to see some images. Having an instructor demonstrate and instruct is a good idea, as it changes your buoyancy when deployed underwater.

Some other low cost/tech/weight items that might be a good idea are a storm whistle (ie get boat crew's attention) and/or a signal mirror.

I'm a big fan of the Chibi tank. They hold 3ml and come with Boge 3.0 cartos which is wonderful on a LavaTube at 4.8v. They're cheap anyway but you can build your own for about a buck apiece in materials. All you need is some polycarbonate tubing, grommets, a saddle valve, and a pipe cutter.

EDIT: DIY link to ECF fixed.

It's a rubber grommet or wire ring. Normal ones are usually either always open in the middle or completely closed. I've found this one but I don't know if it fits.

Also, talking to a few people I've found that these work well...

Danco #9 O-rings - http://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-9-O-Rings-10-Pack-96722/100299667#.UdRhmvkUrEk

with

Vinyl Grommets - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040D0QKM/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00&tag=r601000010-20

I am not sure where the list is. But I can pull up my amazon shopping and let you know in a minute

Edit: Tubing here
Grommets here
And O-Rings here

No affiliate link