Hey Dave,

I'm only Allison on the weekends.

:-)

Yeah, as a kid was always envious of the wood species on the east coast of the us. Stuck with mostly conifers up here on the island. Yeah, some exceptions but still...

Alistair

> On Jul 5, 2017, at 2:39 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Allison, the gadget is of course, as you hinted on your blog, a third
> hand.  So, when working on something on the van (or any vehicle, or
> anything ferrous that can't be gotten to a vice or clamp, just use this to
> hold it in place against a ferrous background.  The work item wouldn't even
> need to be ferrous, if thin.  Wood, plastic, non-ferrous metal, any could
> be held in place against a ferrous base.
> 
> Regarding dogwood, excellent for walking sticks and for mallets.  Gavels
> are typically dogwood.
> 
> Another wood besides lignum vitae that sinks is Osage orange, also known as
> bois d'arc, hedge apple, and horse apple.  It also will not rot, and many a
> house in the lower midwest and Texas is on bois d'arc posts rather than
> concrete piers.  It was the favorite wood of Native Americans for bow wood,
> hence the French name bois d'arc (arch wood).  Woodworking tools are ruined
> quickly trying to work it, however.
> 
> mcneely
> 
>> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 2:01 PM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:
>> 
>> The cup provides a path for flux lines from backside of magnet to get to
>> the front, creating intense flux in the gap between them.
>> 
>> Yrs,
>> d
>> 
>>> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 4:34 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Old shipwright gave me some scraps, wasn't from broken mallet.
>>> 
>>> Yes, could use it for all those purposes, but isn't the primary use.
>>> 
>>> The metal cup for the magnet I got from lee valley but must be available
>>> from many places. Sized for the magnet and has countersunk hole for
>> screw.
>>> I think they now have a notch in the side so you can get the magnet out
>>> again. Pretty well impossible to pry the magnet out of my version.
>>> Supposedly the metal cup alters the magnetic lines of flux enhancing the
>>> attraction on that side.
>>> 
>>> Alistair
>>> 
>>>> On Jul 5, 2017, at 1:18 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Very nice. Lignum vitae scraps? You must have had a woodcarving mallet
>>> come
>>>> apart on you. Also sticking notes, maps and such to the dash of a
>> diesel
>>>> vanagon! Where'd he get the magnet with the pocket on one side, or is
>>> that
>>>> just the way it appears?
>>>> 
>>>> Jim
>>>> 
>>>>> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 3:03 PM Edward Maglott <emaglott3@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> to prop open a too loosely swinging vent window?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Edward   (who once made a much less attractive magnet with stick glued
>>> on
>>>>> for this purpose.)
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 3:57 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca>
>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> This little gadget might be too small for Felder industries to bother
>>>>>> with. It might be even considered silly, but it works.
>>>>>> But just having a magnet on a short handle is handy for finding
>> screws
>>>>> etc
>>>>>> dropped in the gravel or dirt.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Most every van owner could use this, not saying many will, but they
>>> could
>>>>>> :-)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> https://shufti.blog/2017/07/05/vanagon-whats-this-gizmo-used-for/
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Alistair
>>>>> 
>>> 
>>