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Tag: solar

Woodworking off the grid: upgrades to my DIY solar workshop

Posted on February 17, 2023January 8, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Built to Last

Two years ago, I set out on a little mission: to build an off-grid solar array that would power my woodshop. This array needed to charge all my cordless batteries, but also drive my table saw, miter saw, circular saw, and the big router on my slab flattening jig. But there was a catch. The entire system could cost no more than one American Recovery Act stimulus check. 

That first build can be found here: I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.

It worked. I beat the heck out of that set up and, other than in the dead of winter when it was too cold for the battery, it could handle most everything I threw at it, pretty well. It wasn’t perfect, and it had some issues with overdrawing, but the safety stops I put in place ensured that when I did push it too hard, it shut itself down rather than compromising components. There were limits, though, as I added bigger tools like a bench planer and started hogging through much tougher stock, I began to run into more and more issues. 

So here we are, 2 years later, with all the upgrades and modifications that I made to my off-grid workshop to keep things running hard. 

Read More “Woodworking off the grid: upgrades to my DIY solar workshop” »

I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.

Posted on June 21, 2021January 8, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.
Built to Last, Conservation

This is Part 1 of Built to Last: A Reflection on Environmentally Conscientious Woodworking.

  • Built to Last: A Reflection on Environmentally Conscientious Woodworking
  • Part 1: I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.
  • Part 2: Getting a handle on workworking chemicals, or sometimes we all need to vent.
  • Part 3: Furniture as Revolution.
  • Part 4: The best tool for the job is you
  • A good joint is built to last: archaeologists uncover evidence for the earliest structural use of wood.

Note: there is an update to this project, here: Woodworking off the grid: upgrades to my DIY solar workshop.


For almost a decade, I’ve dreamed of building an off-grid solar system to power my woodworking, provide reliable back-up power for my home, and reduce the number of 2-stroke engines in my life. This was finally the year where I had the time and resources to do it. 

My workshop isn’t big. The 12-foot by 16-foot shed houses not just my tools and workbenches, but also all our yard and gardening supplies, storage for assorted seasonal gear and decorations, and a pile of robot parts. So I needed a compact system that still delivered the amps. 

Building a small off-grid solar system is simpler than you might think. Building a small off-grid solar system that can run power tools is a bit more complicated. 

Read More “I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.” »

2 minutes to midnight, 3D printed turtle eggs, awkward fiddlers, Egyptian welders, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: January 29, 2018.

Posted on January 29, 2018January 29, 2018 By Andrew Thaler
Weekly Salvage

Fog Horn (A Call to Action)

  • Good morning. The time is now 2 minutes to mid-night. Doomsday Has Never Been Closer. Good luck.

Despite the fact that we live in extremely dangerous times, the scientists in charge of the clock said there is hope. The clock has been wound backwards before, in the wake of the Cold War or during times when nuclear superpowers expressed interest in not mutually assuring destruction.

The scientists argue that civil society should turn the screws on government to reduce carbon emissions and push for even more ambitious climate action than what the Paris Agreement calls for. That sounds like a more fruitful plan than huddling in a bunker.

Source.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

  • Some technology is pretty good, though: Cracking down on poaching with 3D-printed fake turtle eggs

Read More “2 minutes to midnight, 3D printed turtle eggs, awkward fiddlers, Egyptian welders, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: January 29, 2018.” »

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