I got a little bit more work done on my intake manifold, but it's slow going.... as expected with polishing.  Unlike most of the other parts I've worked on, this will actually be visible!!

There are ugly mold part lines between the runners, here is the "before"

Here is the part line removed from the first runner

I also had a chance to visit IMTS in Chicago earlier this month.  It's all about manufacturing, which is right up my alley!

All of the companies bring the most flashy displays they can create, like this shoe machined from a solid block of aluminum.  This one was complete while the next shoe was being machined inside.

DMG Mori always brings an impressive setup.  They make some of the best CNC machining centers in the world, and want to make sure everyone knows!

A lot of the 3D contour milled parts on display weren't as perfect up close as Instagram would have you believe, but the stuff at the DMG Mori booth was pretty damn nice.  The "decals" on this race car are the same surface as the surrounding part, but machined with toolpaths orthogonal to the toolpaths on the primary surface so they exist only as reflections.

Lista unveiled their new drawer latch mechanism that I'm really excited about.  It's similar to the Craftsman Griplatch or Snap-on Epiq drawer latch, and considerably better than their shitty old design.  This is one of their technician series boxes, which retails around $4,000.  The display model had a mixture of old and new drawer latches for comparison.

I also got a chance to visit Cloud Gate, or "The Bean" while in Chicago.  I had always assumed that the seams would be visible up close, or that the surfaces wouldn't be very true, but I was wrong!  The whole thing appears to be seamless.  I learned that the entire piece was 3D milled to extremely close tolerances, transported to Chicago, welded using specialized processes to minimize distortion, then hand-blended to near perfection.  It's made from stainless steel, likely 316 though I found conflicting info.  This link explains in further detail, which I find fascinating: http://imgur.com/a/4Bz8B

For almost a year, I've been searching for a new tool cart to match my new box.  I had a narrow list of criteria: it had to be 32" wide, Snap-on, red, either a KRSC323 or KRSC326, in mediocre condition for a cheap price.  I didn't want to buy a new one, both because of the price and because it will be used for bodywork and paint... essentially it will always be dirty.

So this popped up on Craigsist, and I jumped on it!  A KRSC326FPBO in shitty condition, covered in stickers and grime, for less than 35% of a new one!

Unloading.  I'm spoiled rotten.

Here it is next to my old Harbor Freight cart

Woof.

After a serious round with Goo Gone and Awesome, it doesn't look too bad!  It certainly looks better in pictures, but it's exactly what I need.

I threw away the old nasty drawer liners and replaced them with McMaster #6181T85 drawer liners.  It's currently $3.07 per foot, and perfect for drawers up to 24" deep.  It's much better than the Snap-on KRA style liners (which were original in this cart), but not quite as good as the Snap-on KRL or Epiq liners.