Grant.
After writing the above, I went to the mill/drill to complete the
repair of an aluminum block that had almost become part of a roof
bracket to hold a mast for a new ham radio antenna I am putting up.
Yesterday while tapping the very last hole, 3/8X16, the tap broke. I
worked most of the rest of the day milling down close to the tap, then
1/8" on each side, finally breaking out the remaining aluminum. The tap
came out easily, then! I milled a 1/2" slot for a patch and proceded to
epoxy in a piece of 1/2" aluminum. This morning I sawed off the excess
patch and milled down the two faces. Next I drilled and tapped, using
the mill/drill to start the tap. All easily done, again. I knew I
should not have started the first tapping by hand! And I paid for it.

Anyway, as I was working, I remembered one more thing for you to
examine before commiting to a home based business. If you have a
mortgage on your property, read over, again, the agreement you signed.
Most mortgages require you to maintain the property so it can easily be
sold if you default on the loan. I am not sure what this might include,
but your property may be subject to inspection at anytime. Any you
would be forced to clean it up to their satisfaction. Usually the
inspections occur when your mortgage is being sold.

Best regards, Paul