Walk with us through spontaneous and unapologetic adventures. Join us in budget minded Sprinter DIY successes and failures: Sleeping 4 in a Sprinter 144.
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We went on a road trip without our Sprinter. We keep the Sprinter stocked and ready to hit the road at a moments notice. Consequently, it also serves as a storage locker for our most important travel items.
Here are a few of the things we forgot to pack.
Solar panel
Portable battery charger (This was a huge fail for us)
Sunscreen
Plates
Cups
Shoes (An entire box full of spare shoes)
Board games
BC map
Rain jackets
Tea
Hiking poles
Spare pens
My ski boots (This was a miscommunication more than the fault of a vehicle change, however)
Here is a partial list of items we packed.
Christmas tree stand
2 strings of Christmas tree lights
Box of Christmas ornaments
Ingredients for reindeer food
Knives, spoons, forks, sporks. Cutting board
Hot cocoa
Gloves (Equal numbers of rights and lefts but not matching)
Embroidered red flannel Christmas hats
Power strip
Tins of cookies (As gifts, not for eating)
4 pairs of Holiday Specs glasses
Mexican blanket
Karo Syrup (For making ginger bread house icing. CD gets credit for this one)
3 Jackets per person (Only CD had a rain jacket)
2 swimsuits per person
Work clothes and dress jacket (For Molly’s 2 hour meeting at the bar)
Neck warmers, scarves, hats
Flip flops, sandals
Slippers and flannel PJs
A gift wrapped used DVD (For re-gifting)
Here are a few things we picked up along the way.
2 winter jackets
Icing sugar (The first store was sold out)
An edgie wedgie
Advent calendar (I thought they would be on sale by December 21st, but they weren’t)
An elf on the shelf (HB wanted one and we put it in the condo. Grace cried because it is creepy. She doesn’t want it watching her. I agree, it is creepy)
2 sets of Karate pads
A baby doll car seat
Rental skis and boots (Ha!)
Cheese puffs
“Winter Jack”
Christmas tree
A gallon of organic local cider
18 frozen spring rolls. 4 frozen pizzas. 36 eggs.
Just in case you wonder how our tree fared. Here it is.
It didn’t fit in the parking garageIt was a tight fit in the elevatorA mere hour later, here it is.
I tend to make packing lists, give ideas, and load suitcases. CD tends to be in charge of packing the van. We check out of Big White on the 26th. He thinks he can get everything back in the car if he starts on the 24th.
CD’s shirt today. I think he is suggesting ideas for future packing.
I have been fishing for ideas as to how to dispose of our Christmas tree. I wonder if Big White has a plan for this.
We made it from Vernon to Kelowna and are now basically waiting to check into the condo at Big White.
It snowed last night. Huge awesome snow flakes. CD picked me up from my meeting at the Tree Brewery. The drive back to the hotel was reminiscent of drives in Summit County. I was disappointed to wake up to rain.
CD’s parents arrived last night and Grace had them in the pool by ten. Two hours later they were just getting dried off. I think I made a snack plate for lunch but honestly can’t remember if I fed them lunch or not.
The last few weeks have been busy. I wasn’t ready for Christmas at all. At home, I pulled out our boxes of Christmas tree ornaments, looked at them, and packed them directly in the car.
So, here we are in Kelowna with all our of Christmas decorations packed under ski boots, jackets, and hats.
Well, I am pretty sure everyone was skeptical of my plan but today was the day to cut our Christmas tree. I called every place that popped up on my internet search. One answered the phone.
It was pouring rain but we put on our boots and drove 7 kilometers to the edge of town to K & J Pacific Peaches (and tree farm, I guess). They looked surprised when we pulled in but quickly welcomed us with fresh hot cocoa. We were told that trees to the left were $30 and trees to the right were $40. They all looked the same to me.
These trees were different than any I have seen. As we walked around we came up with tons of theories as to why the trees were so unusual.
This is how pretty much every tree looked: A perfect Christmas tree shape on the bottom, a long bare spot and then another little mini Christmas tree shaped spot.
In any case, we chose a six foot tree with all of the characteristics specific to this tree farm. I gave them the $30 and they gave me twine and two bags of apples. Apparently each tree comes with one free bag of apples but since we were the only people there that day, they just gave us two bags.
It was still pouring rain. We dropped the kids off and changed to dry jackets. We still had to do most of our Christmas shopping. CD, the tree, and I went all over town. I realized later that it may have been funny to take a picture of each place we went with the tree on our car. The list included two sporting goods stores, a martial arts school, Walmart, Toys R Us, two bike stores, the mall, and a fancy restaurant for dinner.
Later the same day: CD and the tree pulling up to the sidewalk to get me. #vanlife
Tomorrow, CD, his parents, the kids, the tree, and I will go to Safeway, Costco, and then finally to Big White. I hope to have the tree up, a fire on, and an Irish coffee in hand by dinner time. We will see how it goes!
We don’t give our kids electronics when we travel and sometimes I wonder what we are thinking.
I didn’t watch movies or have fancy electronics in the car when I was a kid. It was okay. I also didn’t have a car seat so I am not sure that the “good ole days” philosophy is really the way to go.
In any case, our Sprinter trip timer total from last summer was over 190 hours. That is 190 hours of sitting in a van. I find that number a bit alarming. At the very least, it can’t be healthy.
They also don’t sleep in the car. Their refusal to sleep in the car may be an entirely different blog someday.
Two days ago we drove a mere 600 miles from Corvallis, Oregon to Vernon, BC. We left in the dark and we arrived in the dark. They didn’t sleep.
What did they do?
Talked
Asked questions
Argued
Ate snacks
Kicked my seat
Sang songs
Argued
Invented a new version of the “Florida or Bust” signs that I used to see in car window’s on I-75 South Bound during spring break. HB used most of a pad of sticky notes writing messages to passing cars. The notes included “Merry Christmas”, “Big White, here we come”, “We the North”, and “I love adventure.” The notes are still there.
Engineered a pulley system to lift HB’s “toy box” from the floor to his lap. Grace was involved in pulling the rope when he needed both hands to secure the box on his lap
Reviewed their license plate list from last summer. (60 license plates, spanning 4 countries)
It is unlikely that there was a consecutive sixty seconds of silence at any point during that 600 miles. There may have not even been thirty seconds of silence. At least they still talk to us I guess. Until they find out that other cars have DVD players, I think we will continue to travel the more old fashioned way.
We don’t give our kids electronics when we travel and sometimes I wonder what we are thinking.
I didn’t watch movies or have fancy electronics in the car when I was a kid. It was okay. I also didn’t have a car seat so I am not sure that the “good ole days” philosophy is really the way to go.
In any case, our Sprinter trip timer total from last summer was over 190 hours. That is 190 hours of sitting in a van. I find that number a bit alarming. At the very least, it can’t be healthy.
They also don’t sleep in the car. Their refusal to sleep in the car may be an entirely different blog someday.
Two days ago we drove a mere 600 miles from Corvallis, Oregon to Vernon, BC. We left in the dark and we arrived in the dark. They didn’t sleep.
What did they do?
Talked
Asked questions
Argued
Ate snacks
Kicked my seat
Sang songs
Argued
Invented a new version of the “Florida or Bust” signs that I used to see in car window’s on I-75 South Bound during spring break. HB used most of a pad of sticky notes writing messages to passing cars. The notes included “Merry Christmas”, “Big White, here we come”, “We the North”, and “I love adventure.” The notes are still there.
Engineered a pulley system to lift HB’s “toy box” from the floor to his lap. Grace was involved in pulling the rope when he needed both hands to secure the box on his lap
Reviewed their license plate list from last summer. (60 license plates, spanning 4 countries)
It is unlikely that there was a consecutive sixty seconds of silence at any point during that 600 miles. There may have not even been thirty seconds of silence. At least they still talk to us I guess. Until they find out that other cars have DVD players, I think we will continue to travel the more old fashioned way.
We live in the Willamette Valley. The coastal range is to the East and the Cascades to the West. It rains; it is wet. Lichen and fungi are prolific.
CD and I met in the high mountains of Colorado. The high desert is a comfortable climate for us. With that being said, we both enjoy the Willamette Valley. It is not typically until I leave the valley that I realize how much more comfortable I am with brown pine needles than with banana slugs and trees chocked by lichen.
It was CD’s birthday weekend. We had been home from our summer trip for less than a month. Our Oregon to Oregon odometer reading for the summer was 8528 miles and our trip timer reading was 190 hours and 55 minutes. Even with just having returned home, we missed the Sprinter life. The kids and I suggested an overnight camping trip for CD’s birthday. It needed to be a quick 1 night get-away.
We all agreed to drive East towards Sisters. CD had eyed up a few places and chose Suttle Lake mostly because we were short on time. It wasn’t as far as Sisters or Bend but was still on the dry side of the pass. There were several National Forest campgrounds and had easy access from the highway. Although he is not a fisherman, CD was kind enough to suggest that the kids and I bring our fishing poles and try our luck. We were sold.
If you have even driven Highway 20 from I-5 to Sisters, you may remember that there is a tipping point were the lichen stops and the high desert begins. I can’t tell you at exactly which mile marker this happens. This time, I didn’t think much of it until we pulled in to the campground. The ground and the air was dry.
The campgrounds were only a few miles from the highway. We drove through Blue Bay campground. It was nice but we kept going and settled on Link Creek. There were plenty of sites available. We chose a central site so that the kids could fish from the dock and we could see them from the van. There was a dirt boat launch, fish cleaning stations, and pit toilets. The sites were plenty large and it was generally clean.
It was CD’s birthday so he was calling the shots. CD was happy to sit on the picnic table, strum his guitar, and enjoy the air. The view wasn’t anything spectacular.
Sprinter DIY. #vanlifeSprinter DIY. #vanlife
I set up the kids fishing poles and started dinner. There were a few boats on the lake. From where we stood, it was shallow and not very inviting for swimming. It may be noted, however, that I was born and raised in Michigan and have high fresh water standards.
In any case, it wasn’t long before we heard a motor revving. Some sort of race boat with two exhaust pipes sticking up launched at the adjacent dock and was driving around the lake. This lake isn’t huge, by the way. The boat would speed around the lake two or three times, then idle for a bit. When it was driving it was so loud that we could barely talk to each other. I am sure other campers were irritated but I was more amazed, interested, and surprised. The whole thing went on for an hour or so and then they loaded the boat on the trailer and drove away.
The second most interesting thing we saw was a good sized cabin cruiser. It was anchored off shore a bit. Again, this is not a huge lake. I assumed they would sleep there but rather than doing so, they pulled into the dock at the campground and slept in a tent.
I guess people really love boating on this lake. Based on our lack of success fishing and the fishing equipment on their boat, it occurred to me that you may need a boat to get to the fish.
Several campers had kayaks pulled up on shore and easily accessed by walking paths from their campsites. This seemed like a nice idea to me.
By the time the kids and I got back, CD was fully immersed in his much anticipated awning experiment. Years ago he made an awning for our minivan. He had been wanting to try it out on the Sprinter. Rain was expected over night and I guess he decided this was his chance.
Here it is. Don’t trip over the guylines. Sprinter DIY. #vanlife Sprinter DIY. #vanlife
Well, he did it. It was set up and surprisingly solid. I was curious about the sag in the middle but it sounded like he had a plan. The guylines were a bit of a hazard but I was willing to humor him and give the thing a try. It was his birthday after all.
He told me to walk around the van to see how he secured the awning. I really hadn’t thought much about it and wasn’t really that curious but, again, I humored him. This is what I found:
Sprinter DIY. #vanlife
He seemed to know it was ridiculous and not any sort of ground breaking invention. Since we couldn’t open the driver’s side door, it was barely even a short term solution but he was so happy.
HB woke up around dawn. We found a bridge that we had failed to see the night before. There were fish rising and jumping all over the place. We headed over the bridge and ended up on the dock for the larger boat launch. We tried every fishing trick I knew but they just didn’t bite. We watched the sun come up and saw trail runners. We walked some of the trail. It may be worth mentioning that you can see and hear highway 20 while standing on the shore. We didn’t notice this from our campsite.
Shortly after CD and Grace woke up, the skies opened up. The awning held. We ate oatmeal in the van and broke camp.
CD was curious about the Suttle Lake Lodge. It was near Highway 20 and not far off the road. We walked into the main lodge and were greeted by a crowded room of happy lodge guests. There was shelf after shelf of board games. The dining area was community style with big long tables next to sofas and coffee tables. Dogs were welcome and everyone was smiling. Big windows and glass doors offered a lake view. A large patio and lawn were beyond. There were docks with row boats and fishing boats for rent.
I am quite sure that CD didn’t intend to spend time or money here but it was just too tempting. I ordered fresh squeezed orange juice, grapefruit juice, and an egg sandwich with aged cheddar.
We already had breakfast at camp but the opportunity to drink fresh squeezed juice while playing board games by a hot fire with tons of happy people just seemed like the right thing to do. The kitchen was slow but for good reason. The place was packed and they were obviously making every order one by one. We didn’t mind the wait.
Would I camp at Suttle Lake again? Probably not.
What would I do differently if camped there again? I would walk, boat, or bike to breakfast at the Suttle Lake Lodge. I would spend time playing corn hole and drinking fresh juice. I may consider happy hour at the lodge too. I may consider just staying at the lodge if I need an easy to get to lodging location for a few people that like that kind of thing.
We live in the Willamette Valley and enjoy camping in Oregon.
The coastal range is to the East and the Cascades to the West. It rains; it is wet. Lichen and fungi are prolific.
CD and I met in the high mountains of Colorado. The high desert is a comfortable climate for us. With that being said, we both enjoy the Willamette Valley. It is not typically until I leave the valley that I realize how much more comfortable I am with brown pine needles than with banana slugs and trees chocked by lichen.
Birthday Weekend Camping: Oregon
It was CD’s birthday weekend. We had been home from our summer trip for less than a month. Our Oregon to Oregon odometer reading for the summer was 8528 miles and our trip timer reading was 190 hours and 55 minutes. Even with just having returned home, we missed the Sprinter life. The kids and I suggested an overnight camping trip for CD’s birthday. It needed to be a quick 1 night get-away.
We all agreed to drive East towards Sisters. CD had eyed up a few places and chose Suttle Lake mostly because we were short on time. It wasn’t as far as Sisters or Bend but was still on the dry side of the pass. There were several National Forest campgrounds and had easy access from the highway. Although he is not a fisherman, CD was kind enough to suggest that the kids and I bring our fishing poles and try our luck. We were sold.
If you have even driven Highway 20 from I-5 to Sisters, you may remember that there is a tipping point were the lichen stops and the high desert begins. I can’t tell you at exactly which mile marker this happens. This time, I didn’t think much of it until we pulled in to the campground. The ground and the air was dry.
The campgrounds were only a few miles from the highway. We drove through Blue Bay campground. It was nice but we kept going and settled on Link Creek.
Link Creek Campground
There were plenty of sites available. We chose a central site so that the kids could fish from the dock and we could see them from the van. There was a dirt boat launch, fish cleaning stations, and pit toilets. The sites were plenty large and it was generally clean.
It was CD’s birthday so he was calling the shots. CD was happy to sit on the picnic table, strum his guitar, and enjoy the air. The view wasn’t anything spectacular.
Sprinter DIY. #vanlifeSprinter DIY. #vanlife
I set up the kids fishing poles and started dinner. There were a few boats on the lake. From where we stood, it was shallow and not very inviting for swimming. It may be noted, however, that I was born and raised in Michigan and have high fresh water standards.
The Boats, Oregon Camping at Suttle Lake
In any case, it wasn’t long before we heard a motor revving. Some sort of race boat with two exhaust pipes sticking up launched at the adjacent dock and was driving around the lake. This lake isn’t huge, by the way. The boat would speed around the lake two or three times, then idle for a bit. When it was driving it was so loud that we could barely talk to each other. I am sure other campers were irritated but I was more amazed, interested, and surprised. The whole thing went on for an hour or so and then they loaded the boat on the trailer and drove away.
The second most interesting thing we saw was a good sized cabin cruiser. It was anchored off shore a bit. Again, this is not a huge lake. I assumed they would sleep there but rather than doing so, they pulled into the dock at the campground and slept in a tent.
I guess people really love boating on this lake. Based on our lack of success fishing and the fishing equipment on their boat, it occurred to me that you may need a boat to get to the fish.
Several campers had kayaks pulled up on shore and easily accessed by walking paths from their campsites. This seemed like a nice idea to me.
The Great Awning Experiment
By the time the kids and I got back, CD was fully immersed in his much anticipated awning experiment. Years ago he made an awning for our minivan. He had been wanting to try it out on the Sprinter. Rain was expected over night and I guess he decided this was his chance.
Here it is. Don’t trip over the guylines. Sprinter DIY. Oregon camping oregon camping
Well, he did it. It was set up and surprisingly solid. I was curious about the sag in the middle but it sounded like he had a plan. The guylines were a bit of a hazard but I was willing to humor him and give the thing a try. It was his birthday after all.
He told me to walk around the van to see how he secured the awning.
This is what I found:
oregon camping
He seemed to know it was ridiculous and not any sort of ground breaking invention. Since we couldn’t open the driver’s side door, it was barely even a short term solution but he was so happy.
HB woke up around dawn. We found a bridge that we had failed to see the night before. There were fish rising and jumping all over the place. We tried every fishing trick I knew but they just didn’t bite. We watched the sun come up, saw trail runners and walked some of the trail. It may be worth mentioning that you can see and hear highway 20 while standing on the shore but we didn’t notice this from our campsite.
Shortly after CD and Grace woke up, the skies opened up. The awning held. We ate oatmeal in the van and broke camp.
The Suttle Lodge
CD was curious about the Suttle Lake Lodge. It was near Highway 20 and not far off the road. We walked into the main lodge and were greeted by a crowded room of happy lodge guests. There was shelf after shelf of board games. The dining area was community style with big long tables next to sofas and coffee tables. Dogs were welcome and everyone was smiling. Big windows and glass doors offered a lake view. A large patio and lawn were beyond. There were docks with row boats and fishing boats for rent.
I am quite sure that CD didn’t intend to spend time or money here but it was just too tempting. I ordered fresh squeezed orange juice, grapefruit juice, and an egg sandwich with aged cheddar.
We already had breakfast at camp but the opportunity to drink fresh squeezed juice while playing board games by a hot fire with tons of happy people just seemed like the right thing to do. The kitchen was slow but for good reason. The place was packed and they were obviously making every order one by one. We didn’t mind the wait.
In Summary,Oregon Camping Review:
Would I camp at Suttle Lake again? Probably not.
What would I do differently if camped there again? Walk, boat, or bike to breakfast at the Suttle Lake Lodge. Spend time playing corn hole and drinking fresh juice. I may consider happy hour at the lodge too. I may consider just staying at the lodge if I need an easy to get to lodging location for a few people that like that kind of thing.
I could write dozens of blogs about products we use and love in our Sprinter. Each time we change the layout of the van or try a new design, we end up with new products. Some last the test of time; others are quickly proven ineffective and re-purposed or passed on to the next person. The most important products are best discussed in detail with friends on a Friday afternoon. In any case, here is a minimalist’s Sprinter shopping list.
Disclosure: Please note that this post contains affiliate links. This means that we may get a small commission if you click a link and purchase something that we recommend. Clicking these links will not cost you extra money but will help us grow our website. Thank you for your support!
Light My Fire Titanium Spork
Light My Fire Titanium Spork: We stand by the titanium model but please beware that if you pair stainless steel plates with a titanium spork, you may have to tolerate the metal on metal scraping noise.
For those of you that are not quite ready to commit to titanium, there is a plastic model as well.
3 mm Accessory Cord
3 mm accessory cord: CD’s exact words are: “3 mm cord is handy“. It may be because CD knows every knot and when exactly to use every knot but I actually am starting to believe that string is an important travel accessory. Regarding everyday use, we have a piece approximately 6 inches off the floor of the van, extending from one end of the kids seat to the other. This cord keeps the storage boxes under each seat from sliding across the floor and it is quite effective!
Plastic Soap Dish
Plastic Soap Dish: When CD recommended this, I laughed. It reminded me of going to the community pool in 1985. That led me to consider going to garage sales looking for one. I don’t really like shopping, however.
I soon admitted that the best option was to just spend a few dollars, sacrifice a little plastic, and buy a soap dish. Wow, what a game changer. Our Sprinter has a hand washing station and now our bar of soap stays nicely in its soap dish.
CD has commented that he is glad we didn’t have one of these before we had kids or else we may have doubled the length of all of our trips by just driving around to get our stamps.
Hydroflask
Hydroflask: We live in Oregon. This is standard equipment. It really keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. It doesn’t leak. Try it!
Dustpan and Brush
Dustpan and Brush: This is another one that I thought I would never use. CD had this in his Honda Civic when we met. I never used it and was actually against using it. I just thought it was crazy and the car would be sandy anyway.
My opinion has since changed. Last summer CD caught me brushing out the van floor, step, and seats. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. I keep this next to the sliding door, secured by 3 mm climbing cord, of course.
A quick brush of sand or dirt off the step or floor is super satisfying. It may be the mom in me speaking but I just can’t see traveling without it!
All The World by Liz Garton Scanlon
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon.
We travel with the smallest version of this book. We love it. It inspires us. The full size edition is great for a baby shower, grandparents gifts, or just anyone that appreciates a pick me up.
“Hope and Peace and Love and Trust, All the World is All of US”.
Headlamp
Head Lamp: The kids and CD love their headlamps. I prefer to use my “night vision”. Ha! I am sure we couldn’t travel without these!
Notebook
Notebook: An old fashioned lined notebook . There is just something great about it!
Portable Charger
Portable Charger: We charge this each day using our portable solar panel. Then we charge our cell phones or whatever else. It has saved us tons of times. We have the Jackery Bolt 6000 mAh
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Portable Solar Panel
Portable Solar Panel: We have the Biolite Solar Panel 5 and we like it. It even works on cloudy days.
Small Wooden Cutting Board
When you eat cheese and crackers everyday you need a good cutting board!
Have fun out there!
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CD was sure that a MaxxAir fan would significantly improve our #vanlife experience. He presented a convincing argument. He laid out his plan.
Step one: cut a hole in the roof of our van.
Step one is pretty much where I got lost. Did he really say he wanted to cut a hole in our van?
To be clear, our van roof was perfectly fine. It functioned as it should; it kept the rain out and our things in.
The fan arrived in Oregon. As any skeptical wife would do, I recommended that he consult a professional.
We were headed on a road trip for most of the summer so we packed the fan. Another great advantage of driving a huge van is that we were able to tuck the van in behind our bikes, fishing gear, backpacks, toy box, jackets, and shoes. I barely remembered that we had it until two weeks later when we arrived in Michigan.
CD took the fan and headed over to a family members body shop. I was fully confident that they would have the tools and the inclination to cut a hole in our perfectly good Sprinter. Well, they had the tools and gladly offered them to CD so he could cut the hole himself; they weren’t willing to do the cutting. I wondered if they were afraid of facing me if our van started leaking. In any case, I was starting to appreciate the less intense but more ridiculous side of saving a few hundred dollars by cutting a hole in our Sprinter.
In any case, CD went back to the drawing board.
He read blogs and watched Youtube videos.
Ultimately, he decided to invest in a custom adapter by “DIYvan” (impactproducts). The vent adapter served as a template for cutting, as well as a filler to occupy space in the roof ridges. Hopefully this would ensure a level and snug fit.
As usual, our timeline was tight. We were headed to our cottage in Canada the following week. It occurred to me that If we didn’t get the adapter before leaving for Canada, we would just driving it back to Oregon with our other luggage.
Working with “DIYvan” was great. The adapter arrived just in time. We packed the fan and the adapter and drove to Canada.
After much anticipation, CD was ready to cut a hole in our van. He borrowed a jigsaw and bought new blades. I knew things were serious when he recruited one of my oldest friends to stand by as moral support during the cutting.
While CD sometimes does projects like this with friends around, I have not known him to recruit help just for support. In any case, the kids and I went down the road for dinner and CD headed off to do the cutting. The rest of the installation account would be pretty much second hand at this point. You can email CD directly for specifics. Here are my take-away points:
Safety glasses should be used, starting with the first cut
Rubbermaid bins stacked floor to ceiling may be helpful in catching metal shavings
You will have a hole in your van roof all night while the sealant dries
A plastic bin over the hole is a good way to keep out the dew
Cocktails come after
The anticipation is the hardest part
New blades are worth it
You may scratch the roof of the van but no one ever looks up there anyway
A MaxxAir fan really does improve the #vanlife experience
The first cutsApparently this was an effective way to catch metal shavings