I am truly in awe of the organization and clarity of your presentation. The explanatory notes and diagrams were extremely helpful. You can definitely know that you helped me understand how to use an angle grinder to cut and smooth concrete, so thank you very very much. I will never let flip-flops fool me again-- apparently you guys are geniuses!!😊
For the first time I am sure, a 12+ minute video went by real fast. That's because it was exceptionally good and clear and useful as an instructional video. Thank you for setting the bar so high and sharing you great work. Just one thing though: no flip flops for jobs using tools and it would be best to kneel on one knee with your body/legs the "safe" side of the jig for added security.
Best video I found to "shave" away concrete on a driveway. I have a sloping driveway down to my garage in a 120 year old house and it the driveway at the top. I have be grinding flat for days, but will now do you like you, get a diamond blade and cut lines into the concrete and chisel away with a hammer. I was thinking about renting a concrete grinder, but I just need to smoothen the top edge. Wish me luck! And thanks for your video!
I have a degree as a shop teacher., You did a good job on the video. Appreciated the time lines - that was excellent. I just needed part of the vid and that helped
Hi Dadofsix, Thank you very much for your kind comments. As dad of six, how do you find the time to work on projects? ;) Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
This video doesn't get any clearer than that. No room to get anything misconstrued. And all done in the comfort of sandals and simple tools. Gives me the confidence to attack my issue. Much appreciated keep up the great work 2 thumbs up
Ha, ha Muppet. When editing this video I wished that I had worn my shoes for the whole thing. Thanks much for your kind words and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great work! I admire those who are able to analyze and figure out what they need to do to accomplish a task. It takes imagination and inventiveness. The cutting jig was well thought out.
A+ Amazing instructional video. I’m concreting stairs, but you’re video gave me a few takeaways that I can incorporate into the job I’m doing in my backyard.
Not sure why you got thumbs down on this. It maybe the best explained video I have seen. Well done sir. Your detail needs to be learned by others. Great job.
Trade your minivan in for a vehicle with a higher clearance. Your in America, aren't you? You should be driving around in an F100 truck or something similar. Seriously though, great video. Very resourceful. And certainly achieved the end goal without spending too much money. Cheers from The Land Down Under.
This is a fabulous video! I love the table of contents! This is exactly what I need to lower a high spot on a concrete slab to allow for adequate draining!
Wow 🤩 this is in a lot of detail very interesting showing how and why you are doing each step with diagrams you have went to a lot of effort on this educational video
UG: a great - succinct - presentation that lives up to your site's name: Useful! Thanks for the "chapter" timeline with accurate descriptions. I used it to find out what tools, specifically the blades for the angle grinder, you used. Thanks for the both the precision and the ease at which it was presented! I'm guessing you're from the great state of Hawaii and you certainly have the Aloha spirit!
Mahalo Michael for taking the time to post such kind comments. Am so happy that you found the video to be useful. Keep safe and best of luck to you, ... Usefulgizmos (Hawaii)
Nice project execution. However, there is a much simpler way of dealing with this driveway problem. A concrete scarifier could have been rented from Home Depot or other rental store then the concrete could have been shaved down in less than five minutes.
Great job on fixing the issue. Can't imagine driving the new van home and getting the catalytic converter scratched and dented. I find it's a dumb design for honda to hang it that low and who ever built that drive way was dumb too. Two dumbs create a disaster.
Hi ChemE. Thanks for your kind comment. The driveway came as is when we bought the house over 35 years ago. All the cars and vans that we owned over the years never even came close to scraping anything under the vehicle. I believe that any credit for dumb design can be solely awarded to Honda. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Thanks R. Stayed with stock size tires to avoid accuracy problems with speedometer and odometer. Also, I don't want to give my car insurance any reason to not cover an accident because of non stock tires being on the car. Insurance is not for the fender benders (I can handle those repairs) but it is for the big accidents where law suits may be involved. I stay 100% stock always. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
No protection on feet when cutting was really disturbing - one slip or oops and ... you know what. This was a cheap fix and more work was required to fix the poor state of the concrete and strange levels but if you just wanted to fix the car clearance problem then you did well with the exception that after grinding you had a smooth surface that is slippery when wet so that needs work also.
Hope doing that didn't void your vehicle's warranty, or affect the speedometer, odometer, antilock braking system, or other possible computer related things. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
The jig allows a consistent clearance of 7/16 inch for the muffler (mistakenly called it the catalytic converter in the video). Without the jig the cuts in the concrete would have varied quite a bit resulting in a wavy cut and maybe not deep enough in some places. Please note that an angle grinder is probably the most dangerous power tool in a home owner's tool box.
Did you measure with the van half and fully weighted this way if you have people in the van the weight of the people don’t cause the scrape to continue?
Hi Tendonitis. No scraping with my wife, me and heavy loads like bags of sand and top soil. All good. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
excellent narrating and visuals. Are you an engineer? That is actually just a exhaust resonator/muffler not a cat. Cat is more upstream, closer to engine.
Thanks Sean. I'm not an engineer, just a retired computer tech/manager. Thanks for the clarification about the cat. Muffler is easier to pronounce ... (wink).
How were you able to tighten the diamond turbo grinding cup wheel to the Makita grinder?....I have the same grinder but the tightening nut cannot be used to secure the wheel.
Hi David. I always use a filter bag in my shop vac so that helps contain the concrete dust. If concerned, can use a hepa filter bag. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Thanks for your kind words. I just used the standard shop vac disposable filter bag along with the Shop Vac's internal filter for the motor. It did minimize the amount of grinding dust being blown into the air which would have happened if I didn't use my shop vac. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
@@spencerwhealy9945 You can also purchase a dust shroud for the grinder. it has a port to connect to the shop vac and allows you to control the dust very well. You can use a HEPA type vacuum filter.
Just wear an A1/P2 half face mask respirator and you will be fine. If your employer won't supply you with one, then buy them yourself. They really aren't that expensive and will provide you with a great deal of protection.
Just saying you may want to break up the concrete where it was cut and dig deeper and add rebar so it doesn't fail quickly. Might not tho anyone got thoughts on this?
Hello Joe. Thanks for your concern. It's been 1.5 years and no concrete failure what-so-ever. I only cut down 1/2 inch at the ridge and the concrete is 3 inches thick so I'm confident that no reinforcement is necessary. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Hi NightMusic. Bigger tires won't be compatible with the electronics in modern cars. The tires need to be the same diameter as the factory tires. ..... As to raising the exhaust system higher up, that would be a huge job. ..... Cutting down the ridge in our driveway was simple and is working well. It will also work if we change to a different van with a similar problem later. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Now I see why Honda always rates the ground clearance of the Odyssey at 4.5in. That is insanely low. Lower than most sports cars. Kinda dumb they couldnt figure out how to get 5-7in like most other minivans. At least its only the exhaust system and not the actual underside of the car.
Yes, the designers of the exhaust system for the 2018+ Odysseys should all be fired. It's the muffler, not the catalytic converter (I mistakenly called it the catalytic converter) that protrudes well below the underside of the van. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
@@RAPTOR8ASDF Agreed. Actually older Odysseys are also rated to be extremely low and have similar problems I believe. Actually a simpler fix would be to get taller tires and maybe even wheels for the car. Your speedometer would be off but that is the only major downside.
I am truly in awe of the organization and clarity of your presentation. The explanatory notes and diagrams were extremely helpful. You can definitely know that you helped me understand how to use an angle grinder to cut and smooth concrete, so thank you very very much. I will never let flip-flops fool me again-- apparently you guys are geniuses!!😊
Thanks a lot Christopher. Much appreciated. Have a great day! ..... Usefulgizmos
i don't have this problem and idk why I'm here but that's some hard work great job sir
Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Wish you were my calculus professor 30+ years ago ;) Your instruction is clear and precise. Thank you!
Hi M Couture, Thank you for your humorous and kind comments. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Anyone else cringe when they saw the flip-flop? Bold footwear for concrete work, my friend! Nice video, thank you!
For the first time I am sure, a 12+ minute video went by real fast. That's because it was exceptionally good and clear and useful as an instructional video. Thank you for setting the bar so high and sharing you great work. Just one thing though: no flip flops for jobs using tools and it would be best to kneel on one knee with your body/legs the "safe" side of the jig for added security.
I still have all of my toes 😉😁. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Best video I found to "shave" away concrete on a driveway. I have a sloping driveway down to my garage in a 120 year old house and it the driveway at the top. I have be grinding flat for days, but will now do you like you, get a diamond blade and cut lines into the concrete and chisel away with a hammer. I was thinking about renting a concrete grinder, but I just need to smoothen the top edge. Wish me luck! And thanks for your video!
Appreciate your comments and all the best for your project. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great work on the comprehensive explanation and diagrams. Very much appreciate all the work that must have gone into this.
Thanks Marcoosianism. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
I have a degree as a shop teacher., You did a good job on the video. Appreciated the time lines - that was excellent. I just needed part of the vid and that helped
Hi Dadofsix, Thank you very much for your kind comments. As dad of six, how do you find the time to work on projects? ;) Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
This video doesn't get any clearer than that. No room to get anything misconstrued. And all done in the comfort of sandals and simple tools. Gives me the confidence to attack my issue. Much appreciated keep up the great work 2 thumbs up
Ha, ha Muppet. When editing this video I wished that I had worn my shoes for the whole thing. Thanks much for your kind words and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
a well done Video, organized, to the point, useful illustrations. (So many how to videos on youtube are a bunch of hand waving talking head.)
Hi jk King, Thank you very much for taking the time to post your kind words. Very much appreciated. Have a great day! ... Usefulgizmos
Well organized and documented job! Although my job is slightly different your video sets me in the right direction.
Hi Rick. Thank you for your kind comments and good luck with your job. Have a great day! ... Usefulgizmos
@Sohail Ahmad Thanks!
I loved this. The attention to detail of the video and the work being done made compulsory viewing - who needs Netflix 🤓
Appreciate your comments Steve. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great work! I admire those who are able to analyze and figure out what they need to do to accomplish a task. It takes imagination and inventiveness. The cutting jig was well thought out.
Thanks for taking the time to post your kind and encouraging words Hat Bpto. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
A+ Amazing instructional video. I’m concreting stairs, but you’re video gave me a few takeaways that I can incorporate into the job I’m doing in my backyard.
Thanks for watching. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Thanks so much for your careful explanations and excellent diagrams. And thanks for all the time you put into this helpful video.
The preparation alone is worth the watch - great work, sir! Mind the sandals though :)
Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great video. Thank you. Explained and shown so well.
Thank you very much Brenda. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great and organized video. Considerate to have a menu. Thanks!
And thank you Rotorgust. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Not sure why you got thumbs down on this. It maybe the best explained video I have seen. Well done sir. Your detail needs to be learned by others. Great job.
So nice of you to take the time to post your comments. Thanks and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Because he drove the catalytic converter into the driveway
@@Banjoandguns LOL that is why he fixed the issue. Your probably the one that cant drive out of the drive way LOL.
Thank you! Smart way to cut concrete
Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
I am glad I found your video. I have a similar problem inside my garage. I love the leveling jig. Thanks!!
Glad you found the video to be useful J. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great video. Thank you for all the detail
Thank you TV JordanJayden for your kind feedback. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Trade your minivan in for a vehicle with a higher clearance. Your in America, aren't you? You should be driving around in an F100 truck or something similar. Seriously though, great video. Very resourceful. And certainly achieved the end goal without spending too much money. Cheers from The Land Down Under.
Very brilliantly made video with shorcuts and explanation. Thanku so much
Appreciate your kind comments Ahmed. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Amazing job with the detail and lots of effort put into it. Very helpful!
Thank you sir. Thanks for watching and have a great day! Usefulgizmos
Excellent vidieo! I like your jig idea and seeing the diamond tools in use helped me understand how to attack my projects. Thanks
Glad you found the video to be useful. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great stuff. Thanks for taking the time to put that together.
Mahalo Terry. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Amazing video sir. A person of your caliber needs to be teaching young people.
Thank your for your kind comments Earth. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Amazing video and instructions!
Thanks much. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
This is a fabulous video! I love the table of contents! This is exactly what I need to lower a high spot on a concrete slab to allow for adequate draining!
Hi Joel. I'm happy that you found the video to be useful. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great video! Really like how you provide excellent details of your jig and especially all of the tools and accessories...great job!!
Thank you very much Lake. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Brilliant technique sir 🙏
Very well done.
Thank you Shreyas. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Fantastic! Your video has detail like no other - this has been so useful for my project and will have saved me so much money. Thank you!!
Hi Thalia. Happy that you found the video to be useful. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Wow 🤩 this is in a lot of detail very interesting showing how and why you are doing each step with diagrams you have went to a lot of effort on this educational video
Thank you Lee. Appreciate your kind comments. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
You are a very crafty person. I like your ideas!
Thanks much Tropical. Have a great day! ... Usefulgizmos
UG: a great - succinct - presentation that lives up to your site's name: Useful! Thanks for the "chapter" timeline with accurate descriptions. I used it to find out what tools, specifically the blades for the angle grinder, you used. Thanks for the both the precision and the ease at which it was presented! I'm guessing you're from the great state of Hawaii and you certainly have the Aloha spirit!
Mahalo Michael for taking the time to post such kind comments. Am so happy that you found the video to be useful. Keep safe and best of luck to you, ... Usefulgizmos (Hawaii)
Nice work! This was very helpful. Thank you
Appreciate your comments. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Very well made video! Thank you so much for sharing!
And thank you very much Ken for watching and for your nice message. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Excellent video! Thank you for making it!
Thanks for watching and your kind words. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Very well organised and presented video.
Thanks for taking the time to post your kind comments uzeir. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Thedadofsix is right! Great instructions, thanks.
Thank you Kathy. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Very well done! Thank you!
Thank you for your thank you and thanks for watching. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Awesome video.
Patients is a virtue:)
Nice project execution. However, there is a much simpler way of dealing with this driveway problem. A concrete scarifier could have been rented from Home Depot or other rental store then the concrete could have been shaved down in less than five minutes.
Excellent! Thanks!
Thank you very much for your kind comment. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Well done video and instructions.
Hi Nicholas. Thanks for taking the time to post your kind comments. Have a great day! ... Usefulgizmos
Makita's a beast
good job man!!!!!
Much obliged for your kind words. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Impressive work. This is very interesting
Thanks. Wasn't sure whether it would be interesting so your comments help a lot. ... Have a great day! Usefulgizmos
awesome video..very helpful.. thank you!!!
Thank you Iconoclast for posting your kind comments. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Good job, great jig!
Thanks a lot David. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Very very clear and comprehensive, great video
Thanks so much Logan. Appreciate your taking the time to post your kind comments. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
This looks like Hawaii. Maybe Aiea? Uncle is wearing his slippers too.
Great job..
Thanks! Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Could you specify which version of the Honda odyssey EX you drive? I’m kidding. Nice vid.
I like this
Thank you A. Yerkes. And thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Nice thanks
You're welcome Manoj. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Nice safety flip flops 👡
Great job on fixing the issue. Can't imagine driving the new van home and getting the catalytic converter scratched and dented. I find it's a dumb design for honda to hang it that low and who ever built that drive way was dumb too. Two dumbs create a disaster.
Hi ChemE. Thanks for your kind comment. The driveway came as is when we bought the house over 35 years ago. All the cars and vans that we owned over the years never even came close to scraping anything under the vehicle. I believe that any credit for dumb design can be solely awarded to Honda. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great video. Did consider getting bigger tires? Because there are roads, bumps, and parking lots that are not flat causing the same issue.
Thanks R. Stayed with stock size tires to avoid accuracy problems with speedometer and odometer. Also, I don't want to give my car insurance any reason to not cover an accident because of non stock tires being on the car. Insurance is not for the fender benders (I can handle those repairs) but it is for the big accidents where law suits may be involved. I stay 100% stock always. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
No protection on feet when cutting was really disturbing - one slip or oops and ... you know what. This was a cheap fix and more work was required to fix the poor state of the concrete and strange levels but if you just wanted to fix the car clearance problem then you did well with the exception that after grinding you had a smooth surface that is slippery when wet so that needs work also.
That’s the muffler, not catalytic converter
Yes, that was pointed out in a previous comment. But the problem was still the same. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
I did enjoy your video, great details
Very helpful and professional. Can you tell me what drawing program you used to draw the jig?
Hi Samson. I used Google Sketchup Make which is a free program. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Why spin the blade up ? Cut down avoid chips and kickback 😢
I just put bigger tire on my van. It clears the concrete. And it gets better gas mileage.
Hope doing that didn't void your vehicle's warranty, or affect the speedometer, odometer, antilock braking system, or other possible computer related things. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
The speedometer is off by 5 miles an hour. It runs great and rides better.
I have never used an angle grinder. How necessary is the jig, or to have straight lines in this situation?
The jig allows a consistent clearance of 7/16 inch for the muffler (mistakenly called it the catalytic converter in the video). Without the jig the cuts in the concrete would have varied quite a bit resulting in a wavy cut and maybe not deep enough in some places. Please note that an angle grinder is probably the most dangerous power tool in a home owner's tool box.
@@usefulgizmos Thank you for saying that last part. I have some ideas that need an angle grinder, but I'm still working up the nerve to buy one.
Did you measure with the van half and fully weighted this way if you have people in the van the weight of the people don’t cause the scrape to continue?
Hi Tendonitis. No scraping with my wife, me and heavy loads like bags of sand and top soil. All good. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
excellent narrating and visuals. Are you an engineer? That is actually just a exhaust resonator/muffler not a cat. Cat is more upstream, closer to engine.
Thanks Sean. I'm not an engineer, just a retired computer tech/manager. Thanks for the clarification about the cat. Muffler is easier to pronounce ... (wink).
Great work ! I wanted to ask you did you use the same grinder to smoothen out the concrete at the end
Yes, I used the same angle grinder described in the introduction for the entire job. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Update: his cat got stolen. Shoulda left the concrete where it was.
How were you able to tighten the diamond turbo grinding cup wheel to the Makita grinder?....I have the same grinder but the tightening nut cannot be used to secure the wheel.
Why?
Is there any risk in using a shop vac to suck up the concrete dust?
Hi David. I always use a filter bag in my shop vac so that helps contain the concrete dust. If concerned, can use a hepa filter bag. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Great job! just curious what type of vacuum filter did you use and how did you safely dispose of the silica dust? Thanks!
Thanks for your kind words. I just used the standard shop vac disposable filter bag along with the Shop Vac's internal filter for the motor. It did minimize the amount of grinding dust being blown into the air which would have happened if I didn't use my shop vac. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
@@usefulgizmos Thanks !
@@spencerwhealy9945 You can also purchase a dust shroud for the grinder. it has a port to connect to the shop vac and allows you to control the dust very well. You can use a HEPA type vacuum filter.
Setup by my employer worry everyday I will die from silicosis from drilling into concrete the dust is fatal with no hope please spread awareness.
Just wear an A1/P2 half face mask respirator and you will be fine. If your employer won't supply you with one, then buy them yourself. They really aren't that expensive and will provide you with a great deal of protection.
Just saying you may want to break up the concrete where it was cut and dig deeper and add rebar so it doesn't fail quickly. Might not tho anyone got thoughts on this?
Hello Joe. Thanks for your concern. It's been 1.5 years and no concrete failure what-so-ever. I only cut down 1/2 inch at the ridge and the concrete is 3 inches thick so I'm confident that no reinforcement is necessary. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
@@usefulgizmos awesome thanks for the reply 😁 have a great day
what attachment are you using :)
Hi DontSlapFlies. I guess the smile emoji means that the tools description was OK. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
Get some bigger tires or get ur exhaust secured higher up
Hi NightMusic. Bigger tires won't be compatible with the electronics in modern cars. The tires need to be the same diameter as the factory tires. ..... As to raising the exhaust system higher up, that would be a huge job. ..... Cutting down the ridge in our driveway was simple and is working well. It will also work if we change to a different van with a similar problem later. Have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
hawaii?
You don't have a driveway problem. You have a vehicle design problem.
Or, buy a taller car.... or bigger tires.... or have a muffler shop raise that converter a bit... or just move to a different house... :)
Better solution was to fit some wood on way to increase height
The wood could slide causing severe damage to the converter. A bridjit ramp could have solved this but would have cost way more.
Soon as I seen this guy using that grinder while wearing flip flops? Oh my God! I moved on.
I just thought the same thing.
Now I see why Honda always rates the ground clearance of the Odyssey at 4.5in. That is insanely low. Lower than most sports cars. Kinda dumb they couldnt figure out how to get 5-7in like most other minivans. At least its only the exhaust system and not the actual underside of the car.
Yes, the designers of the exhaust system for the 2018+ Odysseys should all be fired. It's the muffler, not the catalytic converter (I mistakenly called it the catalytic converter) that protrudes well below the underside of the van. Thanks for watching and have a great day! .... Usefulgizmos
@@RAPTOR8ASDF Agreed. Actually older Odysseys are also rated to be extremely low and have similar problems I believe. Actually a simpler fix would be to get taller tires and maybe even wheels for the car. Your speedometer would be off but that is the only major downside.
Recommends proper safety gear, wears sandals
Probably been easier to give your van a 1 in lift or getting rid of the converter....than again you are in hawaii.....
There has to be a better way.
I'm not to listen to a guy who wears saddles when using a grinder.
Too long introduction.
I probably would have just got some air shocks that you can pump up the height of your car:) just sayin:) peace