Creeker's Weekend Accomplishments

[Dennis Peacock]

6 June 2016

Good Morning Everyone,
It's been a challenging oncall week and I'm glad I got several things done and also glad this one is over. One day, our hopes are that oncall will get easier and things will settle a bit.

No woodworking for me at all this past weekend. All I did was work for the day job.
Still working out at the gym and weight loss is now at 31 pounds down and I'm making plans to run/walk/crawl my first unofficial 5K really soon....just to see if I can do it.

That's it for me this time, so what did YOU do this past weekend?

Best of weeks to you all.

[Mike Ontko]

...weight loss is now at 31 pounds down...

Way to go, Dennis. I've been using my latest shop project as an excuse for not getting my bike off the stationary trainer (where it's been collecting more dust than mileage this winter) and back outside onto the road. It's a shame too, because the weather has been fantastic...and I could really use the exercise.

And speaking of shop time, I made it over a couple of hurdles this weekend after figuring out my setups for getting repeatable mortise and tenon angles on the 23-degree leg-to-rail connections of my bunk bed project (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/album.php?albumid=872). Taking a tip from an earlier article in FWW, I created a couple of wedges matching the angle needed for the leg-to-rail joints. One wedge gets used on the table saw, referencing the miter gauge off the fence so I can easily cut the tenons using a stacked dado head. The other wedge-with-a-ledge is mounted on my drill press table (pics below), where I'm using a Forstner bit to hog out most of the corresponding mortises. This weekend, I was able to finish the posts and rails for the full bed ends (pic 3). Picture 4 below shows the twin bed posts stacked on top of the full ends, the whole thing stands just over 67 inches.


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[Garth Almgren]

About the only productive thing I did this weekend was wrestle with a sod cutter for about 4 hours on Saturday in 90 degree heat. Still easier than digging it by hand!

[Jim Becker]

Due to Mother Nature's rain schedule, most of Saturday was spent outside mowing and then continuing work on the landscaping. I got more weeding completed and more stone "mulch" laid down, including in the area where beehive(s) number three and four will be going. (You think tool purchases are contagious? Hiving honey bees is, too. LOL) Sunday, I spend a little time outside before the rain came and then did some odds and ends work in the shop for both Professor Dr. SWMBO's beehive woodenware needs and some other things. Hopefully, by the middle of summer, I'll be done with the landscaping and can get back to my projects list...which is getting longer. ;)

[Adam Herman]

I had a wonderful weekend with friends in a cabin down by Salida CO. also was able to get more cabinet doors finish painted and installed. 4 left to paint, and 10 to install of 30 doors.

[Daniel O'Neill]

I've been rough milling some lumber for the pallet wall that the Mrs desires. Slow going but the wood is nice. Was used in crate shipping then sat at a friends house for years so it's pretty dry... and warped :-P

[Jay Larson]

I can add myself to the 'landscaping' crowd. Even though it was just mowing.

I just got a new to me riding lawn mower and had to get the yard mowed before we got a letter from the town... We don't really have a yard yet, we are getting bids on getting a lawn in. But the back was over 2 feet tall, and needed to get taken down. Well, five hours later I can say the mower is pretty good.

Then we had my daughter and her boyfriend over for a cookout on Sunday. Got the grill and everything in just before the sky opened up.

[Robby Tacheny]

Completed our kitchen renovation after a little over 3 months. We took it down to the studs and installed everything except the gas line (we had electric stove before) and quartz countertops / undermount sink. I did hand dig the trench for the gas line though.

Our kitchen has new sheetrock, new electrical, hickory cabinets, LED lighting, garbage disposal, stainless appliances, tile floor and tile back splash, and everything else you might see on HGTV. :)

Next project is to upgrade our outdoor shed and have locking doors so that I can get bikes and kayaks out of the shop.

Robby

[Jim Becker]

I did that in 2003, Robby...totally worthwhile project, too. Like you, subbed the gas work (already in the house) and the soapstone counters. I also subbed the drywall as I had limited vacation time available and wasn't really up to that task...the pros are fast and out of there quickly. I watched them work while I was on conference calls... :D

[Wayne Lomman]

Sitting in Melbourne airport waiting for the flight into helI. Severe floods at home in Tasmania. My wife has been isolated for 4 days and will try to get out today to pick me up in Launceston. Two feet of rain has stripped the quarter mile farm access road back to bedrock. The dam has held though. Still, they are all alive which is better than many others who are missing or dead. Google Tasmanian floods for pictures.
I was on the last three days of work before heading home for two weeks. The main kitchen in the house I am completing is ready for bench tops - Australian Messmate - and high gloss white doors. This was my goal and I managed to achieve it. Cheers

[Mike Ontko]

Severe floods at home in Tasmania. ...in Launceston. Two feet of rain has stripped the quarter mile farm access road back to bedrock. The dam has held though.

Saw the photos--it looks like a real mess. Texas has been experiencing some of the same. Hopefully, the damages to people and property are minimized and things will dry up quickly.

[Robby Tacheny]

I watched them work while I was on conference calls... :D

Its hard for me to watch other people work. I have always done most things myself, so the overall concept is foreign to me when it comes to my own house.



I also subbed the drywall as I had limited vacation time available and wasn't really up to that task...

Drywall is tedious for sure. The worst part is that we had a textured plaster ceiling that I had to moisten and scrape off, then ultimately skim coat because it was too bad off after the scraping. Never again will I even bother with scraping. It would have been easier to do a heavy skim coat over it, or just rip it out entirely and replace it. I spent many evenings on that ceiling. We only worked during evenings and on the weekend. I had help from my father in law throughout when I needed a hand or help brainstorming.

I included an image below that shows cabints, tile, countertop, etc.

Robby

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[Garth Almgren]

That's a really beautiful part of the country you live in Wayne - when it's not underwater that is. I wish we could have spent more time exploring the Launceston area when my wife and I were there in 2011. Good luck and safe travels to both you and your wife.

[Jim Becker]

Robby, we did all the demolition, etc., down to bare. But the drywall was just too big of a job for me for the kitchen and the adjoining eating area to both do and get done in a reasonable amount of time. So yea...I watched. But I also learned while I watched and subsequent (smaller) jobs that required drywall got done quicker and looked professional when I was done. I did the drywall in a full basement finishing many years ago at a previous residence and when that was completed, I decided then and there I was not going to do a big drywall job like that ever again. I enjoy carpentry, plumbing, electrical, tile, flooring...even painting..but...not that drywall stuff! BTW, thanks for the photo...looks GREAT!