Creeker's Weekend Accomplishments

[Dennis Peacock]

20 April 2015

Good Morning Everyone,
Well, it's been an eventful weekend and I'm not just talking about the weather. The LOML had to have emergency surgery Friday night due to an inflamed appendix. All went well and she is home now. I am now practicing being a care giver and I am trying to figure out how to feed everybody without them having to eat my cooking!! I'm a decent breakfast cook but outside that....I'm not so sure. :)

That's it for me and I'm off to take care of the LOML and get ready for work.

So what did YOU do this past weekend?

Best of weeks to you all.

[Charles Taylor]

Hope your wife heals quickly.

As a hobby woodworker, I have more practice starting projects than completing them. I spent a little time Friday evening working on a glass case, one of the projects that has been waiting a long, long time to be finished up.

When I got some shop time Saturday and Sunday, I diverted my attention to building a crosscut sled. (This is why some of the other projects wait so long for my attention.) I haven't had anything resembling a decent crosscut sled since a panel cutter I made years ago finally got too worn from use and from too often being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A sled would make some of my work on the glass case easier, so I took some time for this long-needed accessory.

I got as far as determining the error in my fence alignment using William Ng's five-cut method. Then I discovered that what I thought were feeler gauges in my toolbox are actually bent-wire gap gauges, not thin enough to finish the job. A quick run to Sears or the auto parts store at lunchtime today should solve that, and I can zero in the sled this evening.

In his video on the five-cut method, William Ng goes through the entire process of building a sled. He makes a clear plastic guard to cover the blade area. I built my sled without providing for a guard. After noticing where I'm prone to grasp the sled and especially the workpieces in it, I will add one.

[John Sanford]

My son's car died the true death recently. A car junkie with a spare GM 6 cyl engine could have saved it, but as a general rule it makes no economic sense to rebuild the engine of a 1996 Chevy Lumina with 230k miles on it. So Saturday I was running him around to look at assorted replacement options. He is now the proud "owner" of a 2002 Nissan Xterra w/4wd and 138k miles. Well, him and the bank.

On Sunday I shaped the dog block for my tail vise. Took a bit more off the sides than I wanted, but functionally it makes no difference. Installed the vise, screwed the dog block in place, and planed down the excess. I also busted down a pallet I've been carrying in the bed of my truck for about 2 months, swept and vacuumed the shop, made a run to the dumpster to offload some large cardboard boxes and put up one of the LED shoplights that I picked up from Costco a while back.

The front slab of my Split Top Roubo is now done except for the leg mortises, deadman groove, dogholes, and cutting to final length. I think I may do the deadman groove this coming week. That and resume work on the base.

[Bill Graham]

Dennis, I hope the wife heals well and quickly, my best to you both. Feed the kids take-out, they'll love you 'til the end of time. :)

I spent the weekend milling tiger maple for a couple of Shaker side tables. I annoyed the wife enough that yesterday I found a spray foam contractor that will come over and shoot the main floor joists over the shop with 6" of acoustic foam(basement workshop) and ordered 3 doors with a decent STC/OITC rating. Today was spent with a neighbor moving stuff to a newly rented storeroom so the foam guy can do his thing next week, I'm beat!

The real fun starts this weekend, I have one of my framing crews coming Saturday to complete the moving of the rest of the non-essential stuff(about 4 wire-rack shelving units worth, a substantial stock of lumber and plywood and a couple pieces of furniture), seal between the floor joists over the block wall, take down the overhead lumber rack and strip the drywall from the stairwell walls so I can foam them as well. Then it's hang and finish the stairwell, bring the clamp collection back from the neighbor's garage and figure out where to put them(they mostly hang from the floor joists). Oh, and re-hang the lumber rack and bring the lumber back from the storage unit.

As they say "Happy wife, happy life!". I sure hope so....

Best again,
Bill

P.S. I hope she doesn't expect those side tables to show up for a month or so.

[Shawn Pixley]

Dennis,

I am sorry to hear about your wife. I wish her the best of recoveries. PM me if you want ideas for meals anyone can cook.

Friday, I went to the doctor about my knee which has been buckling under me. I worried about that as I worked on the shoe rack I am building. I completed the pin boards, the rebates on the shelves and glued it up. I have only the feet, and the back to fabricate.