Harvey Alpha HW110S-36 Review

[Julie Moriarty]

Yesterday I was able to do some unpacking (today is garbage day) and prepared for getting the saw down off the two pallets it arrived on. One from the factory and another underneath added by the trucker. But hey, 500 pounds for an old lady is nothing, right?

The shipment arrived about a week ago with several boxes shrink wrapped together. Something had fallen on one corner but everything was so well packed there was no damage to anything other than the box. Included on the pallet was the Compass ST-1500 sliding table.

I first had to get the saw on its mobile base because it had to be moved out of the way so I could roll my old saw over to the neighbor's garage. First step was to get it off that big blue plastic pallet.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456339&d=1618942530

Yeah, the garage is packed to the gills. But I got it off the big pallet
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456342&d=1618942578

The mobile base is a Portamate 3550. All wheels swivel.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456343&d=1618942578

After assembling half of it, I slid the saw to the end of the pallet and put the base half under it.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456346&d=1618942612

Then I installed the other half of the base
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456347&d=1618942612

And inched it down. I was able to set it down softly.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456348&d=1618942627

[Julie Moriarty]

Some pics of what came with the saw
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456338&d=1618942530

Overarm dust collection
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456340&d=1618942553

A very nice miter gauge and some other goodies
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456341&d=1618942553

The insert can be screwed down in front
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456350&d=1618942637

A look at the TECF 4HP motor. The motor glides on a dovetail trunnion system
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456349&d=1618942627

Like their G-700 dust processor, I'm finding this thing built like a tank.

[richard poitras]

Looking good new toys are always fun. How long did it take to get from order date?

[Thomas Gregory]

Very exciting to see this! I actually ordered the Ambassador C300-30 about a week and a half ago and am told it will ship this week and can't wait to officially join the owners club! Good luck with the rest of the setup.

[Alan Lightstone]

Looks really good, Julie. I love your trick for assembling half of the mobile base, sliding the saw onto it, then assembling the other half. Never thought of that.

I'm sure you'll love the 4HP motor.

[Julie Moriarty]

According to the instructions, the front rail needs to be cut to accept the sliding table. I will admit to being apprehensive about this because it can't be undone, but, after looking at this from every way but Sunday...

I ran blue tape around the rail and drew a pencil line to follow.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456503&d=1619053548

Tomorrow the bandsaw comes out...

[Ronald Blue]

Following with interest. Other's will know much better than I but I'm certain that other's have shifted the rail(s) to the right in situations like this which adds a lot more potential capacity on the right. That being said it's also entirely possible that the way your rails mount that can't be done. Just wanted to mention that possibility. Looks like a nice saw. Looking forward to your continued progress.

[Julie Moriarty]

Following with interest. Other's will know much better than I but I'm certain that other's have shifted the rail(s) to the right in situations like this which adds a lot more potential capacity on the right. That being said it's also entirely possible that the way your rails mount that can't be done. Just wanted to mention that possibility. Looks like a nice saw. Looking forward to your continued progress.


I thought about sliding the rail over but the router table extension doesn't go out far enough and the fence would slip off the end. I still haven't made the cut. I've been at my neighbors the past three days working on walnut live edge slabs for his kitchen bar.

[Edwin Dodds]

Congratulations on the saw, Julie!
I'm interested to see how you like the sliding table, as I may get the Harvey slider for my saw. It looks a lot like the Sawstop sliding table, but with a better miter gauge and better work stops.
Keep us posted!

[Will Blick]

Harvey table saws looks very feature rich in the ads I see in email...
and very cost competitive for sure!
I have not heard much feedback though from end users...
glad this thread started...

[Julie Moriarty]

Congratulations on the saw, Julie!
I'm interested to see how you like the sliding table, as I may get the Harvey slider for my saw. It looks a lot like the Sawstop sliding table, but with a better miter gauge and better work stops.
Keep us posted!


Thank you, Edwin. I still haven't assembled the whole thing. Waiting for the router wing to come plus some modifications to do. As for the sliding table, that's one of the mods. Harvey supplies a couple of legs for the slider but that anchors the saw in place. I need it to be mobile so I'm working on legs that will attach to the mobile base and come up to secure the slider.

Right now the slide unit is bolted on but not the extension. The motion seems very fluid. In the instructions, they show how to mount it to several other saws, including both the PCS and ICS. The also include some extra parts specifically for the Sawstop.

[Thomas Wilson]

You are about to become the Harvey spokesperson for the US. Have they approached you with a paid sponsorship?

Their stuff looks great. Looks like it has a shroud around the blade for dust collection. That is a big plus. Thanks for showing off your cool tools.

[glenn bradley]

I believe you can just move the large tube over one set of holes and avoid cutting. I have done this on Biesemeyer and Beis-clones in the past. Might be worth a look.

[Frank Pratt]

Those Harvey machines do look like they're "a cut above". Nice to have more high quality choices.

[Doug Colombo]

Julie

Do you know what the distance from the front of the blade (fully raised) to the front of the table is ?

[Julie Moriarty]

Those Harvey machines do look like they're "a cut above". Nice to have more high quality choices.
I wouldn't say cut above but certainly it seems for the price they are a pretty good deal. I'm not all that impressed with the cast iron tops. The cast top on my old saw are smoother and seem to be more "tightly" cast. There's a cord from the switch to the cabinet that is seriously in the way of accessing the tilt handwheel. That will have to be replaced with a longer one so it can be moved out of the way. The paint job on the rail is pitted and the bevel on the main table and the cast extension are of different sizes. No reason for that in this day of CNC machines.

On the other hand, their newer products, like the miter gauge and the dust processor, really do seem a cut above.


Do you know what the distance from the front of the blade (fully raised) to the front of the table is ?

From the front edge of the cast iron table, it's 14" to touching a fully raised 10" blade.

[Jacques Gagnon]

There's a cord from the switch to the cabinet that is seriously in the way of accessing the tilt handwheel. That will have to be replaced with a longer one so it can be moved out of the way.


Julie:

Very interesting post - thanks for sharing.

Since you will be playing with the wires, have you considered installing a safety cut-out (not sure if this is the right term) so that you do not need to plug/unplug when changing blades?

Regards,

J.

[Julie Moriarty]

Since you will be playing with the wires, have you considered installing a safety cut-out (not sure if this is the right term) so that you do not need to plug/unplug when changing blades?

Yes. On my other saw I installed a box with separate switches for the router and the saw. Then I put a 10' long SO cord on that for mobility The box was mounted to the front of the table so I could switch either tool off and have a secondary means of disconnect. This setup will be the same except for needing a 2 pole switch and a second cord for the 240v feed.

[Julie Moriarty]

Legs for the sliding table were modified and secured to the mobile base. I used Unistrut angles for 900 brackets. It's pretty solid.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=457016&d=1620134605

Once the slider fence is on, the overall length is 95"
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=457015&d=1620134605

Still waiting on the router table. which comes with legs. I have the extension for the mobile base already here.

[Robert Mayer]

The dust collection on that thing must be really good, grizzly is putting those dust collection brackets right under the blade too. Wish they made a retrofit kit for my older grizzly saw.

[Julie Moriarty]

The dust collection on that thing must be really good, grizzly is putting those dust collection brackets right under the blade too. Wish they made a retrofit kit for my older grizzly saw.


On everything I've seen to this point, dust collection was accomplished by sucking up whatever fell down from the blade into the cabinet. This saw has a shroud around the blade and a 3" hose that runs from the shroud to the 4" inlet, which shares overhead dust collection.

BTW, I think Harvey makes tools for Grizzly, among other brands.

[Rod Sheridan]

"I used Unistrut angles"

Spoken like a true electrician:D

Hope you enjoy your new saw..........Regards, Rod.

[Julie Moriarty]

"I used Unistrut angles"

Spoken like a true electrician:D

Hope you enjoy your new saw..........Regards, Rod.

And originally I was looking at using Unistrut for the legs. Old habits die hard. :rolleyes:

As for the saw, I gave it a tiny workout yesterday. Not much ripping but enough to see sawdust collect on the inside of the cabinet. There is no way for that dust to be extracted from the cabinet other than opening the cabinet door and removing it manually. The only dust port is connected directly to the dust shroud surrounding the blade. So in order to collect that dust too, another dust port will need to be added. Maybe installing a 2" port at the base of the cabinet will help. Right now there is a 4" duct running to the saw. I'll change that to 6" and install a Y split to 4" and 2". The 4" connecting to the existing port and the 2" to the new port.

I also noticed the 3" hose, that runs from the blade's dust shroud, seriously rubs against the edge of the cabinet door when setting the blade bevel past 350 or so. You can feel the resistance when it hits that point, then it pops past the door edge. Over time that will probably wear a hole in the dust hose. Part of the problem is the port on the dust shroud is poorly located, requiring a severe bend in the 3" hose as it works to get past the electrical connection box on the motor.

And the short cord problems became more obvious during operation. With the sliding table attached, there is no way to plug the power cord into a wall outlet unless the table is angled toward the wall. I've got some SJTOW cord on order.

The ripping I was doing required the blade guard to be removed. That meant no overarm dust collection (which seems to work pretty well) so I got to see how much dust is spewed out above the table. It was noticeably less than the old saw. And this saw definitely needs a zero clearance insert. That dust shroud collects narrow cutoffs, with no way to clear them out. I was ripping 10" long strips of walnut. The narrow cutoff was pulled into the dust shroud and the blade ended up rubbing against them. Other pieces were violently ejected out the top, fortunately away from me.

Something about the fence didn't feel right so I switched that out with the fence I had installed on the old saw. I think I bought that from Peachtree years ago when I upgraded the old saw. It's longer and has slots on the top for attaching hold downs as well as a UHMW insert running along the face of the fence.

I'll do more updates as I learn more, if anyone is interested.

[Robert Hayward]

I'll do more updates as I learn more, if anyone is interested.

Yes, please do more updates. I find your thoughts and views of the saw very interesting.

[Tony Shea]

Yes keep posting how you like this saw. It is def on the list of potential buying options for me. I'd love to just get a Sawstop but the prices these days are just a little excessive when compared to brands like the Harvey.

[Julie Moriarty]

OK. Here's the latest...

The loose cord situation has been rectified. Now there are no hanging cords to get snagged on. 120v & 240v boxes added to the rear of the saw and their respective cords secured to the DC hose. No loose cords for the roller wheels to get jammed on.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=457469&d=1620763139

After cleaning up the wiring, I reinstalled the DC hose from the blade dust shroud. Wow, is that in there tight! After putting the cabinet door back on, I found the overarm tubing prevents the door from opening all the way.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=457470&d=1620763139

Still no shipment on the router table extension and no idea when it will be shipped. But yesterday I ordered their zero clearance insert and it shipped the same day.

[Julie Moriarty]

While I don't move as fast as I used to...

One thing that bothered me about the cabinet saw was the dust collection was pretty poor. Even with the new Gyro dust processor. An awful amount of dust was collecting inside the cabinet and there was no way to remove it, outside taking a vacuum to it.

This weekend I tried to tackle the problem by drilling a 4" port into the cabinet.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=459878&d=1624148608

Then I removed the 4" ducting and replaced it with 6" down to the cabinet saw and added 6" flex to the 6x4x4 splitter seen above.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=459877&d=1624148608

Admittedly, this was a gamble. And it was a lot of work, at least for a 70 year old woman.

Fingers crossed, I took a 1" piece of bloodwood and, without the aid of overarm DC, proceeded to rip it.

I was shocked to see almost no dust above the table. The addition of the second 4" port took dust collection from lousy to amazing. And I was amazed that happened.

[Warren Lake]

I ran the SCM one day and forgot to hook up the dust collector. comes from working for 40 years often without it. When I walked past the saw there was dust behind it Realized I had not hooked up the small portable dust collector. The past general saws dust just fell in the bottom of the saw. The SCM on its own shot it out the back where the pipe hooks up up to six feet from the saw. Impressed.

[Alan Lightstone]

I added a second dust collection port to several of my tools including my SawStop contractor's saw in the past. They all helped.

BTW, that boombox big enough for you? I can hear it up in Tampa. :D

[Edwin Dodds]

Hi Julie, hope you're enjoying that nice tablesaw!
Just a couple of questions, if you don't mind. When you pull the sliding table all the way out to the front of the saw, is there any noticeable side to side play in it?
Also, if you remove the miter fence from the sliding table, when you re-install the fence does it reference itself perfectly back to 90 degrees, or do you have to play with it a bit?

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi Julie, hope you're enjoying that nice tablesaw!
Just a couple of questions, if you don't mind. When you pull the sliding table all the way out to the front of the saw, is there any noticeable side to side play in it?
Also, if you remove the miter fence from the sliding table, when you re-install the fence does it reference itself perfectly back to 90 degrees, or do you have to play with it a bit?


I haven't noticed any play at all in the sliding table. It's pretty rock solid.

As for installing and removing the slider fence, once it's locked to the miter base, it's been square every time I've checked it. My only issue with the fence is the way it's secured to the base. They provide square head nuts for the track slot on the fence and Allen screws to secure the fence to the base. The square nuts are small enough that they occasionally get jammed in the slot. I sent this info to Harvey to let them know:

As for the sliding table fence issue, my setup measurements:
Slot on fence - 12.05mm high x 5.04mm wide
Square nuts - 9.7mm high x 4.92mm wide.
Measurement at the widest point of the square nut = 12.7mm

There's too much slop there. They said they would look into it. I sent them that info on June 23, 2021 but haven't heard anything back from them since.

What I did was find some 1/4-20 nuts that fit in the slot and drilled out the miter base holes to accommodate 1/4-20 screws. That works just fine for now, except the part of aligning the hex nuts in the slot when putting the fence on. Also, I install and remove the slider fence a lot and looking for a tool every time I do is getting to me. What I'm working on now is replacing the nuts in the slot with T-bolts (the heads will have to be ground down to fit the slot) and using cam handles on the other end.

I've made some other convenience modifications that I'll post later. Gotta take some pictures first.

[Rod Dilyard]

Hi Julie, thanks for your posts and pictures. I'm thinking about adding a sliding table to my PM66 and really like the features and price of the Harvey unit when compared to the Excalibur and Powermatic sliders. I'm looking forward to seeing the other modifications you mention. I've tried downloading the installation manual from Harvey's website to get a better picture of what you've described above, but of course, the link is broken. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to keep us updated.

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi Julie, thanks for your posts and pictures. I'm thinking about adding a sliding table to my PM66 and really like the features and price of the Harvey unit when compared to the Excalibur and Powermatic sliders. I'm looking forward to seeing the other modifications you mention. I've tried downloading the installation manual from Harvey's website to get a better picture of what you've described above, but of course, the link is broken. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to keep us updated.

I probably should have used the term "carriage" in place of "base" when describing the part that attaches to the sliding table and slider fence. Anyway, here's some images that will hopefully describe the problem better

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=461736&d=1627068747
The yellow lines outline the fence slot where the hex nut I installed slides into the slot. Above that is the factory supplied Allen bolt and square nut.

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=461737&d=1627068747
The slot on the other side of the fence is the same size as the mounting slot. You can see how much the square nut rotates. At times the square nut would rotate enough to jam. On the other end of the carriage (there's three points of connection), the nut sometimes just spun in the slot. Maybe if the corners weren't rounded... But Harvey agreed with me that a T-nut would work better.

As for tool-less removal and adjustment, look at the location of the hex nut - from the center of the nut to the top of the saw table is only 7/16", which makes a cam about the only tool-less means I came up with that would work. I couldn't find any threaded knobs small enough for that space but large enough to get a decent grip for tightening.

[Julie Moriarty]

Some other convenience modifications

Brackets to mount the included miter gauge and a place to hang the dust shroud for the overarm collector
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=461734&d=1627067627

And a place to keep the slider fence when not in use
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=461735&d=1627067627

I'm working on some drawers for saw blades and router bits, plus any other needed items like GRR-rippers and table saw inserts.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I was seriously looking at a Harvey a few weeks ago when I knew my old saw was going to another home.
Unfortunately they have no local (Canadian) outlet, and the shipping, customs clearance and brokerage fees killed it in my mind.
Too bad, they sound like a viable alternative.

[Julie Moriarty]

I was seriously looking at a Harvey a few weeks ago when I knew my old saw was going to another home.
Unfortunately they have no local (Canadian) outlet, and the shipping, customs clearance and brokerage fees killed it in my mind.
Too bad, they sound like a viable alternative.

Give them a call. I did and it saved me several hundred dollars over what they charge if ordered online.

As an example, since I wanted the sliding table I asked them to delete $319 from the cost of the saw and not ship the Compass miter gauge. They took the $319 off the price. But when the saw arrived, the Compass miter gauge was included.

I also said since I was ordering several items together, I wanted another couple hundred dollars off their sale price on the G-700 dust processor. I think they were advertising $2299 for the G-700 at that time. They came down to $1999.

So call them and drive a hard bargain. You never know...

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Thanks Julie; I may yet end up doing that.
Still, not having a Canadian source for spares, plus if I DO someday get a sliding table etc., I’m going to run into the same importation issues.
And as you said, the modifications you’ve made are extensive so that tells me the saw may need more tweaking than I have the interest in doing. My local saw stop distributor is 4 km away.
But an 1-800 phone call won’t hurt………

[Julie Moriarty]

You really appreciate all the work that goes into years of personalizing your tools when you decide to duplicate it all at once. But for now, I'm done.

A look at Harvey's router table extension.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=461937&d=1627394270
Glad I went with this rather than doing a DIY on their extension table. But if I had to do it over, I'd probably cough up the extra money and go with their router fence, too. Had to dig into jig stock to make the Woodpecker fence work.

Needed a place to store, blades, router bits and accessories so I built this setup out of plywood and covered it with black matte Formica.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=461938&d=1627394300
The slides are 100lb rated, soft close. Tried to find red knurled knobs but all I could find was brass and silver.

Now I can get back to doing stuff.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=461939&d=1627394327
And the dado set finally has a real home. :D

[Jacques Gagnon]

Julie:

Your setup looks great. The time you took to plan and fabricate your storage units yielded beautiful results and the integration of the sliding table and router table is impeccable.

I am sure that pieces of wood are lining up outside the garage waiting impatiently for an opportunity to get acquainted with your new tools. :D

Regards,

Jacques

[Adam Herman]

wow.

impressive set up. the Harvey stuff is tempting. Beautiful mods as well.

thanks for the in-depth review.

[Charles Vochatzer]

According to the instructions, the front rail needs to be cut to accept the sliding table. I will admit to being apprehensive about this because it can't be undone, but, after looking at this from every way but Sunday...

I ran blue tape around the rail and drew a pencil line to follow.
https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=456503&d=1619053548

Tomorrow the bandsaw comes out...

Did you end up needing to cut the rails?

[Julie Moriarty]

Thank you, gentlemen.

Jacques, yes, much wood has been reduced in size on that setup and it's a pleasure to work on.

Adam, I have been really impressed with the Harvey equipment I've purchased. I no longer wonder if my equipment is up to the task. Though their prices have risen quite a bit from what I paid, it's still not a bad deal. I would recommend anyone considering purchasing more than one piece from them to call them first and see if you they would offer you a better deal. I was able to save several hundred dollars doing this.

[Doug Walls]

I have been really impressed with the Harvey equipment I've purchased. I no longer wonder if my equipment is up to the task.
Thanks for all your information on Harvey I've been saving up funds for a new table saw & the Harvey is one I'm really considering.


Though their prices have risen quite a bit from what I paid, it's still not a bad deal.
It seems like the price of everything has sky-rocketed these days!

Doug

[Charles Vochatzer]

Thank you, gentlemen.

Jacques, yes, much wood has been reduced in size on that setup and it's a pleasure to work on.

Adam, I have been really impressed with the Harvey equipment I've purchased. I no longer wonder if my equipment is up to the task. Though their prices have risen quite a bit from what I paid, it's still not a bad deal. I would recommend anyone considering purchasing more than one piece from them to call them first and see if you they would offer you a better deal. I was able to save several hundred dollars doing this.

Hi Julie, took your advice and reached out to them. Torn between the Alpha 3HP and a SawStop. I really like some of the features of the Harvey with the one exception that I would need to build a base similar to what you did. Would you mind sharing in detail a bit more about the support you built for the Sliding Side table?

Thank you in advance and for the excellent write up you already provided.
Charles

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi Julie, took your advice and reached out to them. Torn between the Alpha 3HP and a SawStop. I really like some of the features of the Harvey with the one exception that I would need to build a base similar to what you did. Would you mind sharing in detail a bit more about the support you built for the Sliding Side table?

Thank you in advance and for the excellent write up you already provided.
Charles

Take a look at post #19. I used the legs that came with the slider for support. One had to be cut and rethread. Other materials used were Unistrut angle brackets and cap screws and washers. With two brackets at each end of the legs, I was able to pivot the legs into place and make adjustments to get the slider on plane with the table. There's another picture that might help in post #34.

While it might have been easier to add a mobile base extension like on the other side, the slider could come out of plane with the table on anything but a perfectly level floor. Mine is in a garage and the floor is pitched for drainage forcing me to support the slider off the mobile base.

Hope this helps...

[Justin Rapp]

Wow - that is one heck of a setup.

[Tabetha Lockwood]

Did, (https://powertools-en.com/harvey-table-saw/)you end up needing to cut the rails?

Judging by the markings, it seems so. I would like to know that too.

[Julie Moriarty]

Judging by the markings, it seems so. I would like to know that too.

Yes, I had to cut the rail for the slider to fit.

[John Kananis]

Hi Julie, I was hoping you wouldn't mind checking something for me. I'm about to drill mounting holes into my st-1500 slider to fit on my unisaw. The front hole lines up at the proper distance to the saw's first mounting hole but the slider sits just a tiny bit higher than the saw's table. The other two holes need to be drilled.

My question is: does your slider sit a tiny higher than the tablesaw?

I found this video and at the 41 second mark, it says it should be but the square looks like it's sitting flush.
https://youtu.be/ZSmnT55oLYE

[Jim Becker]

John, Julie hasn't been here since September...likely because of being smack in the path of the hurricane that hit SW Florida.

[John Kananis]

Oh... hoping all is well for her then. Thanks.

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi Julie, I was hoping you wouldn't mind checking something for me. I'm about to drill mounting holes into my st-1500 slider to fit on my unisaw. The front hole lines up at the proper distance to the saw's first mounting hole but the slider sits just a tiny bit higher than the saw's table. The other two holes need to be drilled.

My question is: does your slider sit a tiny higher than the tablesaw?

I found this video and at the 41 second mark, it says it should be but the square looks like it's sitting flush.
https://youtu.be/ZSmnT55oLYE

Hi John,

Yes, the slider is a bit above the saw table. Taking a straight edge from the saw table to the slider, the straight edge hits about half way up the chamfer on the slider.

[Julie Moriarty]

John, Julie hasn't been here since September...likely because of being smack in the path of the hurricane that hit SW Florida.

Jim, yeah we took it on the chin with the eye passing right through our house but we did surprisingly well. Power was out for less than a week and cable was reconnected in about three weeks.

I've been absent mostly because I'm working on a new construction project for the wildlife center here. We're trying to get that first shovel in the ground and with all the hoops you have to jump through, it's time consuming!

[John Kananis]

Thank you, Julie. That helps a bunch. I hope you fared well with the weather in your area.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, yeah we took it on the chin with the eye passing right through our house but we did surprisingly well. Power was out for less than a week and cable was reconnected in about three weeks.

I've been absent mostly because I'm working on a new construction project for the wildlife center here. We're trying to get that first shovel in the ground and with all the hoops you have to jump through, it's time consuming!

SO glad to hear you are doing ok, Julie!! There were a few folks wondering awhile back...

[Alan Lightstone]

Jim, yeah we took it on the chin with the eye passing right through our house but we did surprisingly well. Power was out for less than a week and cable was reconnected in about three weeks.

I've been absent mostly because I'm working on a new construction project for the wildlife center here. We're trying to get that first shovel in the ground and with all the hoops you have to jump through, it's time consuming!

I was out of the country, and missed this post, Julie. We were worried about you, as the eye passed right over you. I'm thrilled to hear that you are OK.

We just evacuated to Tampa for a few days, but luckily didn't get any storm surge. Not a Clearwater thing, it turned out.

My daughter went to FGCU, and the pictures of all her college haunts at the beach being destroyed just stunned her.

[Julie Moriarty]

I was out of the country, and missed this post, Julie. We were worried about you, as the eye passed right over you. I'm thrilled to hear that you are OK.

We just evacuated to Tampa for a few days, but luckily didn't get any storm surge. Not a Clearwater thing, it turned out.

My daughter went to FGCU, and the pictures of all her college haunts at the beach being destroyed just stunned her.

We evacuated to Tampa, too. Ended up staying an extra day because I-75 was closed due to flooding. All the rain Ian dumped up north made its way down and created a second storm surge, long after Ian had left Florida.

Now another hurricane season is on the horizon. I'm just finishing a long live edge table and for the legs I used white oak and plantation teak, in case of storm surge! Kinda crazy to live with that possibility.

[Alan Lightstone]

Yeah, hurricane season gets your attention if you've lived here long enough. Too many newbies with no real knowledge/respect for the dangers make for some pretty dangerous decisions. In my community, right on the Gulf of Mexico, everyone said they were evacuating, but we were the only ones who wound up doing that. And with the peninsula here, and the low lying bridges, when things get bad, all the bridges close, and you're going nowhere. And vast numbers of people evacuate to Orlando. Which is always right in the path of all the storms (East Coast, West Coast. They always cut through the middle of the state. 4-6 hour traffic jams, no gas, hotels with no power. Really bad move, but we see thousands of people do it every storm.)

Interestingly, this year we evacuated in my Tesla. I used to say that after great thought, I figured out that the only use for a Tesla in a hurricane evacuation is that it's the World's best iPhone charger. :) That being said, on the way back after the storm, I took note of the 50 or so gas stations closed with no power. As I had noticed before, despite a state law requiring gas stations to have generators for use after a hurricane, none of them buy them. But interestingly, I saw 4 Tesla superchargers with power, including one at a Wawa who had no power, and non-working gas pumps. So the Tesla wound up being a pretty good choice. And the company sends software before a storm increasing the range that your car can maximally charge to. Kudos to them for that.

Storm surge is our main issue in our house, only being at 7ft elevation, and separated by the Gulf of Mexico by only an acre of mangroves. Our main living area is at 25ft elevation (interesting house, 17 ft ceilings on ground floor), but the workshop and garage would be history. Pretty sure the windows would withstand it. The solar panels?? Roof?? If Pinellas County or Tampa would get an EF5 storm with 20+ ft storm surge, the damage would be catastrophic. The photos from Fort Myers Beach look like that.

We wound up in a hotel with some of the news crews. I was tempted to stand behind some of their news shots and wave, but thought that was silly. At one point, walking our 13 lb dog, she became airborne like a kite. Last outdoor walk she took.

You never know what bad weather can hit you. A very good friend's house was badly damaged and car destroyed on the East coast of Florida this week from a freak EF2 hurricane. Was only on the ground for a couple of miles, but went directly over their house. Being built to Miami-Dade building codes (strengthened several times after Hurricane Andrew) helped, but they weren't home, so the hurricane shutters weren't down.

How is the rebuilding going in Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and Punta Gorda? It's stopped being a news story up here, so we hear nothing about it. I was really glad to hear that you were okay. When you went dark, we tried to contact you, but of course couldn't. And seeing that the storm track gave you a direct hit made it more worrisome.

[Julie Moriarty]

How is the rebuilding going in Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and Punta Gorda?

The eye went right over Punta Gorda so there was a lot of wind damage. But nothing in comparison to Fort Myers Beach. Wind can do a lot of damage but storm surge can be devastating.

There's still a lot of blue tarps on roofs here but everything is up and running. To the south of us, where storm surge was catastrophic, it may be a very long time before they can say the same. Some areas will never be the same.