Installing a Range Hood (or Why I Decided to Cut a Hole in my Roof)

My range hood finally died. I had been waiting for it to happen since we moved in. The hood was from the '70's and despite a white coat of paint to cover the awesome brown color, I still didn't like it and it didn't work well.

Before removal, I flipped the circuit breaker and confirmed the hood was not live by testing the light. Upon removal, I discovered that it was not vented properly. The first indication was the insulation that not only fell out of the opening, but was also stuck in the vent opening. I guess that explains why it never worked well.

Installed roof cap.

Installed range hood, now properly vented too.

Cardboard Box Projector

For a project I'm working on, I created a projector using my phone, a cardboard box, and a magnifying glass. I wanted to trace an image onto a larger canvas.
Granted, it's not the best projector in the world and I would have been better served to print out a bunch of letter size sheets and tape them together instead of tracing with this projector. Still, it's a fun, cheap, and quick project.

The cardboard box projector.

Your Bathroom Fan Should be Vented

Every bathroom should have a fan. The building code requires that the fan vents directly to the exterior. Even if the attic space is vented, the fan must vent to the exterior to prevent moisture accumulation. This is how you can vent your fan.

Installed soffit vents that duct bathroom fans to the exterior.

Build a Star Wars Jedi Light Saber

Jedi Light Saber
In a couple of days, you could build your own Star Wars inspired light saber. All you need is a few items from a home improvement or hardware store.

Foam Proton Pack

I needed a lightweight pack built quickly. My solution was insulation foam. It's easy to cut and sand.

I did one foam pack at 50% scale for my son, and a true scale pack for my wife.

The mini-pack.

Halloween 2014: Ghostbuster

It's never too early to start planning for Halloween. I started writing this blog post in July.
Forever trying to top the previous years costume, I finally decided on a Ghostbuster. We're coming up on the 30th year anniversary, and who doesn't want a proton pack? Follow me as I walk you through my build.

No Job is Too Big - A Proton Pack Build

No Ghostbusters costume would be complete without a proton pack build.
I have a month to build the pack, finish the rest of my costume, and finish my son's costume.
I'm cutting it a bit short and will have to shortcut some details (which I will fix after Halloween).

The pack on Halloween.

The wand on Halloween.