Ornaments

I've taken pictures of 2 more of the ornaments that I turned. One was finished with a varnish, the other LSO and a wax. The bodies of both are Myrtal wood. I'm still fighting the finials, but the one with Olive turned easy. The other one I don't know what the wood is.


Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Been a while...

Lots to cover today. I did get my new table saw as you can see in the pictures. Got lots of cardboard too. Had a friend help get it out of the truck into the shop. I put it together, then coaxed it onto a mobile base I got with the saw. It was heavy and I could only lift a portion of the saw at a time. But I finally got it there. I had it for over a week before I got to turn it on.

Next up I finally took pictures of 2 cypress knee Santas that I carved over the summer. These are 8" tall. I took them both to work for our annual Holiday auction. The silent bidding was today and the one with the bag went for $75. The other is to be auctioned off tomorrow night at the party. Barb wanted to keep the one with the bag, but we had created so little this year that we sent it in anyway. I promised I'd carve another one.

Next up are 2 Christmas ornaments that I turned. I took 2 different ones to the auction today, also, which had the bodies that I posted earlier. One went for $35 and the other will be in the auction tomorrow night. Of the two pictured here, the one with the body of Myrtal wood was the first one I turned. The other uses a piece of a trunk from an ornamental tree I cut down to make way for the shop. It cracked in several places on one side, but I added a top and bottom anyway and I think it looks pretty good. Nice grain pattern. The finials probably hold it together.

Last but not least, they had a Jet sale (15% off) the week I picked up my saw so I also bought this Jet thickness sander to put in the shop. It is very nice, saved me a lot of time already on one of the projects that I did.

You can see 2 pieces of plywood in the background of the Jet thickness sander, which I need to use or get rid of. They were used a garage doors for most of the building of the shop and they aren't flat any more. I need to be careful where I use them as they will probably warp what ever they are attached to. Sigh.

The holidays are upon us, but be careful of the splinters.

Ornaments

Hi y'all. I have been moving wood from one storage place to the old shop. That and I turned an ornament last week for fun. Took me a while. Barb liked it though and asked if I could turn about 20 more. Here are 2 pictures of the first 10 globes. As you can see they are about 3" by 1" tall. I hollowed them out to make them lighter, and as typical, the last one is much lighter then the first one. In fact it was only taking about ½ hour each when I finished the last of these. Imagine how I'll be doing after another 40.

On the side view shot, the 2 nearest the camera show the side I hollowed them out and the back side which I only guessed at. I'd eyeball using a square and 'that looks like an inch,' so I drilled that deep and use that as my guide. One globe I put a reverse on the bottom and just caught the edge of the hollow. I'll need to fix it. Also note, these were all cut from the same piece of wood.


Tomorrow I'll turn some black walnut finials for the top and bottom. With any luck I'll get another picture so you can see the progression.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

The Palm Pen

Sounds like another phone knock-off. Well this palm is often used for texting and sometimes as a pointer. It's one of the first batch of pens I turned in the shop.

It's been almost a year since I've been able to turn, or make anything. This one is made from a palm tree and its actually the second one. The first palm blank blew the sides out 'cause I put to much pressure on the drill when drilling the hole. You can see where the sides ruptured on the block holding up the pen. The fibers tore easily as I turned it, so I started coating the blank with super-glue, turn off a layer, add another layer of glue down and so on until I got the pen in shape. Needless to say, the finish is super-glue followed by BLO in rapid succession, then another layer of super-glue and BLO. After letting that dry I did a final sanding of 8000 - 12000 grit paper and put on a layer of walnut paste wax.

I turned 5 pens, the palm, which I may keep a while, and 4 others, 2 of which I have already given away. It nice to get back into the shop.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Been a week

I'm skipping the personal stuff. I've moved a lot more stuff/tools into the shop this week and I've been cleaning out the old shop. Went ahead and got a rolling cabinet from Sears. It's the cheap one, but it will get some of the tools and supplies into drawers for now. Also went to the Woodworking show this weekend. One of the local tool retailers, Barbo Machinery, was there selling tools, including the General International line out of Canada. They had a cabinet saw there at the show that I liked real well. Smooth running gears, nice size (not to big), plenty of power (2HP), rifing knife as well as a splitter with the blade guard. The model is the 50-220R, and a big point is that Barbo Machinery does support the products here locally and carry parts. While they do sell the same saw with a granite top for about $200 less, the rep wasn't sold on them yet. They add weight, but they also stain and chip.

The bad news is that I need to wait 2-3 weeks for one to get here. General International is putting a distribution center in the USA this next year, so in the future that will speed things up.

I also get wheels under the table and a sliding miter gauge as free accessories. I'll try and write a review when I get it set up.

I also decided it was time to pick up a pair of the 'Gr ripper' hold-down tools and keep my fingers away from the fast moving parts.

Tons to look at. Lots of stuff being pushed, but as a hobbyist it is hard to justify owning it all, or finding a place to put it. Next I'm looking for a thickness sander.

All together I spent about 6 hours at the show, did go to a few seminars, but after buying the saw and picking up the Grripper tools, decided I'd better stop spending money this year.

Yes I had a good time, lots of stuff I wanted but left alone.

Enjoy and be careful of the splinters.

Movin' In

I've been moving tools and supplies into the new shop all weekend. So I've included a few pictures to show how it is coming. First is one of me hanging a French Cleat along the south wall of the shop. As you see later this is where I'll put all of the shelves that I've made over the years. The second shot actually is me after another hand-full of screws.

The final 3 shots is how it looked when I quit Sunday night. I've moved most of the tools in already, still need to move my Radial Arm Saw and a wheeled air filtration unit that I made (3 filters and a furnace fan). There are still some loose tools (like specialty drills) I need to move, but I need some drawers to put them into. The wire rack on wheels is new, from Costco, and it can be one tall rack or 2 short racks, but only one gets the wheels.


I still haven't moved the Sheetrock and plywood laying in the middle of the floor. I had to put a longer power cord (was 3' now a little over 6') on the heater today, but at it's lowest setting it was keeping the room at a balmy 62 degrees. The mount for the heater is the only new thing I made today, hanging with a French Cleat, of course.

I have more to clean and re-arrange in the old shop, including tearing down the wall between the garages.

Start the Party

I have now passed the final electrical inspection. Whoo-hoo. I'm moving in. All of the paper work is done. I did call and check to see if I needed a Certificate of Occupancy, but for an outbuilding I was told it was not necessary. I'll be moving stuff in in minutes, oh where to start... I know, pray that it will stop raining long enough for me to move my tools.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

The Building Inspection Passed

But apparently it is not the final inspection. The building final passed dependent on the electrical final. I called and scheduled that for tomorrow....did you hear me scream? So I have one more inspection to go.

Enjoy, but be careful of the splinters.

Bricked Up

Or is it bricks down. In the driveway ramp I put just over ½ ton of bricks, and so far about ¼ yard of masonry sand. I put down 1-2 inches of sand down, tamping it tight to get a better base, the screed it level. The I started placing all of the bricks and I got lucky, not one cut brick here. After laying down the bricks I tossed sand across the surface to sweep it in. The sand was wet when I first started sweeping it in, so not a lot fell into the spaces. I spread some sand across the top and let it dry some (it's only in the low 60s today) then I swept it in, and gaps kept showing up as the wet sand dried out and fell in, and the dry sand feel through. It is supposed to work that way, but I don't know if I'll get a full week of dry weather for the next 4 months, which is what I'll need to pack it in. I went around a few times with the tamper too, to try and get the sand to settle. Here's two views, one from the inside, the other from out.

While the sand was drying, I stacked bricks along the backside of the shop to help keep the dirt away from the sides. I looks good, hopefully good enough for the inspector.

I'm all worn out, so I'm quitting for a while.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Bummer

I called Thursday night to schedule the inspection, since the system is automated. The county no longer does inspections on Fridays due to budget cuts. I'll need to schedule the inspection for Monday, but I won't be here for the inspection to see if there are any problems.

Ouch, I got a splinter.

Up The Hill

Okay, so I'm still getting cute with the phrases. What I have been working on this week is the ramp that goes from my gravel parking strip up to the garage door shop entrance. This requires the removal of a lot of dirt, separating a lot of gravel from the dirt, and trying to dig into stuff that wasn't meant to be dug into. I made the ramp 8 feet long, with a total rise of 8 inches. The pictures shows the ¾ minus gravel I put down and compacted with one of those hand tampers (heavy steel plate on a stick). I've got a full yard of rock in there, and below that is some ¾ gravel and cement chunks left after they poured the slab. The ¾ minus is at least 4" deep, but below that is the other stuff. The blocks on the side are from Western Interlock as will be the bricks I put in center. I still need to get the bricks, and the sand that goes between the gravel and the bricks. Unfortunately they close a t 4:30 PM PST and I can't get there until Saturday. I suppose I could put in the bad with the good, the width between bricks at the top is 78" and at the bottom 76", but I ain't going to change it.

I think I'll be putting bricks down for the next 5 years, one section at a time. It looks like I'll call for the final inspection for Friday, as I have that day off. I'd get the bricks then, but you never know when the inspectors will come by. If he is early enough, I'll get them then. I'm ready to move in and would like to be there before the month is out. Wish me luck.

Enjoy, but be careful of the splinters.

A Quick Post

I was able to level the ground in front of the shop door last night, so the porch is now sitting on solid ground. Unfortunately, the rototiller decided it was tired and I was unable to finish the job. Looks like it will wait until next week. Once I get the ground level and compacted, I'll call for the Final Inspection. I'd say soon, but I know that I'll be out through Monday, so it may still take a couple of weeks. I'm trying to get where I can move in and the only task that I know of is pushing the dirt back up against the building. I still need the rototiller for a while, so I'll replace the plug, see if it has oil, and try to look for water in the gas. It has been a trouper and I need it to keep running a little longer.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Pushing the dirt

Well, I've included three shots I took late tonight that shows the current progress. Inside I've trimmed the windows in a more bungalow style. But the stark white was getting to me so I painted them 'Desert Caravan' according to the can, although 'dark gold' works for me, or 'baby shit yellow', depending upon your thoughts. I made the bottom ledger a little wide so I could use it as a shelf.

The next two shots are from the outside, the front showing the fascia boards added, and the side where you can see I've started pushing dirt back up to the walls. The porch is not set yet, as I need to rototiller that area yet, so for now I've shoved a couple of boards under the porch to keep keep it from wobbling.



The rototiller throttle cable broke last week, while I was trying to loosen the soil, so on Saturday I went down to the neighborhood lawnmower shop. As I walked up to the guy at the counter he said "we don't carry that." Hell, I was still halfway across the shop. He suggested I try a choke cable at the auto parts store, and in fact, AutoZone had a generic push-pull cable that was perfect for what I needed. After fixing the machine I got to talking with the wife and we realized that the rototiller was over 35 years old.

Enjoy, but be careful of the splinters.

Gutters are up

Well, the title says most of it. I finished the gutters this morning, although I may need to shorten one of the downspouts. I did get the wood for the garage door fascia, but have not cut nor painted it yet. I also got the wood for the window trim, and one is in, the other is coming but I needed to call it quits for the night. Pictures after I complete the windows.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

A little more color

I have a little time now. I've finished the first coat of paint all of the way around. I need to touch up some goobers, but the paint needs to dry first. I rolled the darker green on the peaks, but need to take a brush and trim along the corners. Can't get the ladder up there until it drys. The rest is done (mostly) except for touch up work. It will at least last the winter okay. I haven't hung the trim around the garage door yet, and I need to get gutters and trim the windows inside the shop. I'm going to try and get that all done this weekend (ya, right). I also need to swing by the Woodcraft store as they are having some specials today.

So much to do, so little time.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Here is a quick shot of the house after I painted it. Well, most of it, I still have to work on the ends near the top. Got to go to Oktoberfest tonight, so I needed to clean up.

Gutters by Sunday, since it is supposed to rain.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Still painting

Since the weather was bad, I worked inside and painted the inside walls of the shop, using a roller this time. After that dried I added the outlet covers and rehung the power panel cover. I also put molding outside of the garage door so it now seals, and looks good.

The next day it was dry and warm, so the outside has been primed (spray) and I'm ready to put on a final coat, probably this Friday. I finished priming the outside tonight, but I did not take pictures. It is now getting too dark to do too much in the evening. I did fill in most of the ditch, so it has been progressing well.

Still looking a cabinet saws, found a Grizzly G0690 ($1250) that looks good and has a riving knife. All new saws are supposed to have the riving knife per some federal mandated safety code. It is a smart thing, as it keeps boards from pinching the blade and getting thrown back into your face. Apparently the Grizzly, and Laguna saws are made the same, in the same plant, with a different logo put on them.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Let there be lights

We got back from vacation a day early, so I painted the ceiling of the shop. That allowed me to install lights. I had originally planned on putting up 11 light fixtures, but I had not thought about the height of the garage door, so I ended up with 8. I also got the best T8 light bulbs I could find. The ballasts are electronic and supposed to go down to 0 degrees. As it turns out 8 lights are probably enough. They are on 2 switches so I can turn off half. Last night I painted the walls, since I can now see at night and it is getting dark so much earlier. The place glows.

I'm getting ready to go out and get seals for the garage door. I'll cut the trim for the frame of the garage door from plywood and mount the trim on it. I was looking at prices of wood last night and still can't get over how high some of it is. Of course I was at a big box store, which already makes it a little high. It's raining today, but will be nice tomorrow, so tomorrow looks like a day to prime the outside.

I've included a view from one of the windows, and as you can see I've been filling in the trench. Also, the Wisteria has almost completed the tear down of the guard rails.

The local Rockler store is having their annual gar(b)age sale where the let people sell personal stuff, also 10% off on some power tools in the store, so I may swing out there. I've been looking at table saws, and currently thinking about the Grizzly G1023S. This is a cabinet saw that does not cost much more than most hybrids, which is what I was looking at, and the reviews are great. I like the idea of a SawStop, but I just don't want to spend that much money at this time. $1K vs $3K.

Well, I've got a whole list of things to do today, so I'd better get in gear.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Primed and Ready

I have new picture today. I cleaned out the shop and started painting it today. This first coat is a wallboard primer and sealer, in white of course. I doesn't cover the walls real well, but I don't think it is supposed to. I bought a sprayer/roller tool to help get the job done. I wanted to use the roller so I wouldn't make a mess. I made a lot of messes, paint dripping off the shield, not covering evenly, dripping through almost every joint. I finally gave up, and just sprayed, and that worked great. Yes I have some over-spray on the floor, but it was still less than the roller was leaving. Unfortunately, everything in the garage has a layer of paint spray on it. I hadn't moved the chair and table you see in the picture out of there, 'cause I was planning on rolling and didn't need to move them. They all came clean, well mostly clean.

Things missed is I added access to the attic as the code requires it if the space is greater than 30 inches, and I'm at 40 inches. you can see it above the garage door. I trimmed a hole to the required size, added trim to hold it up, and put the sheet rock up on top of the trim.

Next is another layer of white, and then lights. but I'll be gone next week so it will be a couple of weeks before I get to them. I hadn't planned for the garage door height, so I have to reduce the number of lights down from 11 to 8. Two lights in each row from the garage door towards the back wall, but I'm keeping 4 in the row nearest the windows. I also had to move where the power comes through the ceiling on the back set as the hole was over the garage door. After the lights I have wall plate covers and need to decide if I cover the floor or not. I've seen floor coverings that look nice but they don't add much except looks and a seal. My original choice was epoxy, which means I need to remove all of the paint I left there. :-(

Anyway, Enjoy and be careful of the splinters, and box cutters; stitches come out on Tuesday.

The Wallboard Passed

I just had the wallboard inspection, and it passed. I think there is only one more and that is the final. I need to paint, hang lights, and gutters and place the outlet covers all around. I already have GFIs, and all of the fixtures will be florescent. At this point I think I can do the ground level too, keeping the dirt 6" below the bottom of the wood paneling. This will actually be the most work, but I still need to take it easy for the cut on my arm. Oh, did I mention that. I planted a box-cutter in my left arm deep enough when the doctor was looking at it, he called over the technician and said " see how the tendon and muscle move when he flexes his wrist...". I just wanted him to sew it back up. It didn't hurt but it was ugly. Took 3 stitches to pull it back together. Didn't lose any feeling or coordination in my hand, so it was a good cut. Stitches out in 7 more days.

I put together a craftsman project table to put my pop on. It goes well with the chair and is surprisingly stable. I've had the table in a box for over a year, with no room to set it up. So while healing I put it together to be able to contemplate the shop, and drink my pop.

Sorry, there are no pictures tonight, spent the evening at a, "surprise, your retiring" party for a friend of ours.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Behind the Garage Door...

Well, behind the door I have been plastering. But here you can see the door. I haven't completed putting the door up yet, only the lower track is in place, so it won't fall over. There is a 1" gap between the frame and the door itself, which I'm not real happy with. I need to get another piece to seal the opening. The company that makes the doors sells a 'doorstop' with a big rubber flange that is supposed to lean against the door to seal it. I guess they leave the gap for discrepancies in the ways the opening was framed.

I still need to trim the front opening. the 2 pieces there are just temporary, as I need to install a wider piece, 6" wide that is, naturally a size that is hard to get. Technically I could use plywood since the both edges will be covered. I'll do my best to make it look nice. I've been toying with some ideas for the outside trim on the face of the shop. Maybe I'll post a couple of sketches. Not tonight, already too tired, so I'm hitting the sack.

Enjoy, but be careful of the splinters.

Taping and Muding

All of the sheetrock is up, and I've been taping and muddying the seams. I've started the second coat on the walls, but I gave up on trying to get a second coat on the ceiling tonight.

Been looking at garage doors. A plain, no windows, insulated door (4.4R) runs about $300 at the HD. I can get a door installed for about $600. Well, I need 3 doors, so I'll probably install it myself. The insulation thickness determines the type of mount that is installed on the inside of each panel. It looks like I can yank out their insulation, put in a 2" layer, add a plywood skin for the back, and double the insulation to R13-14 for little cost.

I've also been looking at lights. I want to install 11 4' florescent fixtures. The simplest with an electronic ballest is still over $20 a piece, which adds up quickly. One with a reflector and a wire cover is $38, way to high. I'll probably go cheaper and hope I don't break any lights.

Time to go, enjoy and be careful of the splinters.

SheetRock'in!

Okay, so I'm trying to make it sound more exciting then it is. I almost have all of the Sheetrock up. I rented a lift to help with the ceiling, but I still did all of the work myself, except loading it into the truck. A 4x12 piece of Sheetrock is heavy, and you hope there is no breeze when you pick it up. While the work isn't perfect it is up there. It took me a full day to do the ceiling, and I thought it would only take 4 hours.

The next day I started on the walls. The walls and ceiling are 1/2 inch, except for the walls by the garage door. Those are 5/8 inch to meet fire safety code. I went ahead and loosened each power outlet then stuffed then inside their own box, cut the openings for the holes and screwed everything in.

I work only about 2 hours after I get home, which translates typically into 2-4 sheets a night. I still need to split one sheet for 2 spots about 21" wide. Then I need to tape all of the joints.

I'm also looking for a garage door. We've been talking about getting windows on top of the door, but usually takes 4-5 weeks to get the door. Without windows I can pick up a door at Lowes or Home Depot tomorrow. We need 3 doors, but only one right away.

Anyway you can see wire hanging down from the ceiling for the lights, but most of the rest is in. I managed to take these pictures without showing the incomplete spots.

Enjoy, but be careful of the splinters.

Hey, I only got 2 answers from the survey, is anybody out there?

Finally, some pictures.

I finally uploaded some pictures of the progress and changes to the shop.

First up are some from right after the electrical inspection. The shop panel with the inspectors signature, and two shots showing the connections to the panels from outside, and the trenches I dug to run the conduit through.

The second set shows the interior of the shop after removing everything except a couple of extra batts of ceiling insulation. I even swept, vacuumed and mopped the floor to help pick up any loose dust and fiberglass. It seems to hold the temp well, but since it is expected to reach over 100 degrees this week, I'm not too excited about leaving the house. I now have another inspection, one for insulation. I was told this is just to see that I put the correct thickness in both the walls and ceilings. That should take longer to sign the paper then to perform the inspection. Note that one of the pictures appears in black-and-white. It was actually a color shot, but the background glare from the windows and doors made the image appear almost black. The gray-scale was an attempt to save the image.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Electrtic Passed

I passed the electric rough portion of the inspection. The trenches that hold the pipes can now be filled in and I started putting in the insulation in the ceiling. Actually it's done now. I used of R-38 sheets up there. First I cut 22.25" x 4' sheets of waferboard out and installed them to keep the insulation out of the vents. Then I placed foam spacers in the other sections to keep the stuff away from the roof. What I did wrong was I was cutting the insulation at an angle to actually fit against the spacers. That was nasty work.

I finally called a friend who said that I only needed to run the batting up to the ceiling spacers and leave dead air space. I was already half done, and being anal I put the sections in like he suggested, then put up stuff to match what I had already started. I just tried not to be too 'perfect' about the fit.

Anyway, the ceiling is in and the next step is to insulate the walls. Tomorrow, oh joy.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Time for the Inspection

I've made all of the suggested changes for the electrical inspection, so it's time to call. The GFIs are all in place, cables nailed down, conduit attached to the wall and metal plates over the holes I passed the wire through. I think it's good. It will be 2 days before the inspection (if I can get it off) and I'll take a last run of pictures before filling in the trenches.

The electrician suggested that I run an extra pipe, or 2, through the trench while it's open, and cap the ends. Not sure what the advantage would be, although he suggested water or may be a signal wire of some kind.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

We have Power

No pictures today, but I just had the main power panel replaced, and I now have power to the shop! The inspection hasn't been done yet, and there are a few things to complete/redo, but after I get back from vacation I'll get the panel and shop inspected. I did a test run today and verified that the power is in the shop. Hooray! Because this is an out-building, I need to put a GFI on each power leg (4). I also need to put in a few more wire staples to hold the cables tight and some cable protector plates. Also I have an outside GFI outlet that needs to be replaced, but one of the local blue big-box stores does not carry one that is required by the new Electrical code. I tried the best one they sold but that does not meet the current spec. The orange big-box store does have the part, according to the electrician. That covers the gist of it.

Dennis came over and helped pull the power cables through the conduit. After the panel was mounted I waited until the holes were punched through for the final cable fitting. I needed to dig a the trench two feet further to give a place for the conduit to drop down. Of course there was a large rock in the way, about 1 cubic foot in size, what a pain.

I'll get the inspection done as early next week as I can, but I do have some work to do, then I can start filling in the trenches. This is exciting for me. The shop is getting close to reality.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Dug-gone Tired

Well, I hand dug the trench today, at an average of about 18" deep. I still need to go to 20" to keep the top of the conduit greater than 18" below the surface. Some spots are fine but some are only 16". I was going to rent a machine, but by the time the last guy came by today to make sure that I wasn't digging into any thing important, I'd already dug 10' by the shop itself, at a 45 degree angle to meet the straight run you see in the first picture. I thought that this seemed easy enough, I'd save $150 and do it myself. Actually it went pretty good until I swung around the patio. That section had gravel in the top foot and was killer. That 15' took as long as the other 75'. (I already had the 10' next to the house done.)

I've taken 2 Aleve and expect to be sore tomorrow. I'll finish it up next week in the evenings and start laying conduit.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.

Sore Thumb

Okay, I finished hitting my thumb with the hammer. The plywood is nailed up all of the way around. Tomorrow I start caulking the seams. Actually they aren't too bad, but it will help keep the creepy crawly things out. I did take pictures tonight, one outside, and a shot of the mess I've made cutting plywood inside.

On the outside I took a corner shot showing the front of the shop. There is no garage door as I need to get the sheetrock up first. But it is trimmed a looking pretty.

On the inside it is very unfinished. I need to keep the electrical wiring exposed until the inspection is complete, then I'll insulate and hang sheetrock. The tote you see is a great birthday present from my wife. Actually the saw next to it also is a birthday present from previous years. I'm not using the shop vac inside yet, mostly just sweeping up and dumping the sawdust in the trash. I haven't even cleaned up the extra pieces of plywood yet. Some much to do and such a good procrastinator.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.