Newbie from Missouri...

[David Sallee]

Hey all, My name is David and I'm from SW Missouri. Although I'm 40ish and did take wood shop in HS and built a gun rack (which is long gone somewhere, LOL) I am very new to woodworking. My wife bought me a TS 2 weeks ago and I jumped right in a built a window seat for our 21 yr old cat, CoCo.

We have a bay window in our living room that only has a 3 inch ledge and CoCo has been trying sooo hard to get up there but with his arthritis, he WAS unable to! NOW he can thanks to the kitty seat I made for him along with stairs for him to get up there with ease. :) I covered the steps with 1 inch padding and the top where he LOVES to lay and watch outside has a 2 inch padding for comfort. (Megan is our new 8 month old gray tabby)

Here's a few shots of it.

I know, pretty simple but hey, I had to start somewhere... LOL

All wood sanded smooth, all edges rounded by sanding, all screw countersunk (wanting to plug them), padding glued, covering stapled.

CoCo trying out the new Kitty seat!

http://www.dsalleephotography.com/images/woodworking/kittyseat1.jpg


Closer view...

http://www.dsalleephotography.com/images/woodworking/kittyseat2.jpg


Now that I've found this forum and have read a LOT here, I can think of better ways to attach the stairs... LOL It's all a learning process.....

Thanks for looking
Dave

[mark page]

Welcome to the Creek, from another Missourian. A lot of good info here if you look or ask from a lot of qualified individuals. You will make many a friend here. We are for the most part 99.9% humble people and amass a very large library of information betwixt all of us. Also a fellow cat lover here. I recently lost my house/shop Maine Cooney lately and still haven't replaced him. Was starting to kind of get over the loss of him till David J Marks last show had his shop cat on tv. :(
Welcome aboard again!

[Kelly Anderson]

Hey finally, someone close to me. I am in Joplin. Good to see someone close.

[David Sallee]

Thanks for the welcome Mark... sorry to hear about your kitty :( ... CoCo actually got hit when he was only 9 months old and crawled 100 yrds to get to the house so we would find him... I mentioned crawled, the reason was he had a broken hip, broken leg in two places, fractured skull, broken jaw, 3 broken ribs AND his left eye was hanging out of it's socket :eek: ... plus numerous cuts and bruises ... the doc said he probably wouldn't make it but kept him overnight pumping meds in him ... to everyones surprise, he was a little better the next morning so the doc went ahead a pinned his leg and hip and patched him up ... didn't charge us a dime! Said he was the strongest willed cat he had ever seen ...... now he will be 21 yrs old on July 4th....

Thanks for the welcome Kelly... good to see someone close to me on here, I'm sure I'll be hitting you up for a little help in the future.. LOL That is if ya don't mind :rolleyes: ... BTW, where do you get your wood at? I went to Lowes last weekend and looked over their 3/4" selection and wasn't impressed ... Only seen Oak and Birch and not really in good shape... LOTS of warping and edge damage... Planning on going to HD this weekend to look theirs over ...

Dave

[Mark Stutz]

Welcome from another Missourian. I would only buy wood at HD or Lowes as a last minute, 8:00 PM, /sat. night, got to have it done tomorrow AM, LAST RESORT. I would bet you can find a small mill or hardwood dealer around that will have better prices and a much better selection. Check out http://www.woodfinder.com/

Mark

[David Sallee]

Welcome from another Missourian. I would only buy wood at HD or Lowes as a last minute, 8:00 PM, /sat. night, got to have it done tomorrow AM, LAST RESORT. I would bet you can find a small mill or hardwood dealer around that will have better prices and a much better selection. Check out http://www.woodfinder.com/

Mark

Thanks for the welcome and tip Mark. I searched for this area and the closest is Tulsa, 100+ miles away :( ... We have got a few mills close to us, I think I might contact them to see if I can get something from them... worth a shot anyway...

Thanks again for the welcome
Dave

[Gary Herrmann]

Nice job on the cat seat. One of mine keeps following me downstairs and getting me in trouble because of all the sawdust in her fur. :rolleyes:

[Greg Cole]

Hi Dave,
'Nuther one here living in MO, but I'll always call myself a Vermonter :rolleyes:.
Good to see ya put the new tool to use and betcha are looking for the next project (which will of course require another tool or 3 :D).
Welcome to the Creek....

Cheers.
Greg

[Greg Muller]

Hi Dave,
Welcome!! I'm also in MO. I Live in Independence, just to the east of KC, but like Greg Cole, my heart is elsewhere. I miss Minnesota!

I have a BNL who lives down in Bolivar- Dave Cole. Are you around that area, or farther south?

Greg

[Matt Woessner]

Welcome David to the Creek!! Good to see another MO boy!! Looks like you have a nice kitty, I myself am a cat lover. Although mine is a little mean and likes to bite and scratch, any way I like your kitty perch you have made. I have been wanted to make a kitty gym with the tall posts and perches wrapped in carpet for mine but have never got around to it yet.

As far as lumber, I know that this may be a little far, but Smiths Lumber in Lebanon is a good place. They are one of the few that carry hard maple in the area as well as many other varieties. If you are ever in the Rolla or St. Robert area there is a guy that I use that does it from his house. He does not advertise or anything really, and is a little off the beaten path, but his prices are really cheap and normally has a good selection. He carries walnut, QTS white oak, red oak, cherry, ash, and a few others. If you are interested PM me and I can give you this guys contact information.

[Belinda Barfield]

Welcome Dave! Looks like there are enough of you guys in Missouri to have a little Creeker Meet and Greet.

Your story of how you came to have CoCo touched my heart. Thanks for sharing. I have a rescued kitty who rides to work with me everyday and is our mascot. He was sitting on my desk when I was looking at your photos and now, thanks to you, he is in a bit of a snit and won't even look at me because he doesn't have anything nearly so nice at home! ;) We also have two shop cats here at work and I'm trying to keep them out of the office for fear that my cat will show them your photos.

We have a cell phone tower next door to our shop and it has very recently become a much favored roost for buzzards (eeeew!). This morning the two shop cats and two buzzards were standing about three feet apart in the parking lot just staring at each other. It was sorta' creepy. The buzzards didn't seem too afraid so I'm guessing they won't leave just because we have cats.

Again, welcome. Keep the photos coming!

[David Sallee]

Nice job on the cat seat. One of mine keeps following me downstairs and getting me in trouble because of all the sawdust in her fur. :rolleyes:

Thanks Gary, haven't let my kittys in the shop yet.. LOL

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Hi Dave,
Good to see ya put the new tool to use and betcha are looking for the next project (which will of course require another tool or 3 :D).
Welcome to the Creek....

Cheers.
Greg

Thanks for the welcome Greg C ... yep, trying to pick my next project as I type.. :) ... AND of course it DOES require a few tools I do not have yet... like a Router.. LOL

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Hi Dave,
Welcome!! I'm also in MO. I Live in Independence, just to the east of KC, but like Greg Cole, my heart is elsewhere. I miss Minnesota!

I have a BNL who lives down in Bolivar- Dave Cole. Are you around that area, or farther south?

Greg

Thanks for the welcome Greg M ... Bolivar is northeast of us about 100 miles. I'm just south of Joplin about 20 miles...

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Welcome David to the Creek!! Good to see another MO boy!! Looks like you have a nice kitty, I myself am a cat lover. Although mine is a little mean and likes to bite and scratch, any way I like your kitty perch you have made. I have been wanted to make a kitty gym with the tall posts and perches wrapped in carpet for mine but have never got around to it yet.

As far as lumber, I know that this may be a little far, but Smiths Lumber in Lebanon is a good place. They are one of the few that carry hard maple in the area as well as many other varieties. If you are ever in the Rolla or St. Robert area there is a guy that I use that does it from his house. He does not advertise or anything really, and is a little off the beaten path, but his prices are really cheap and normally has a good selection. He carries walnut, QTS white oak, red oak, cherry, ash, and a few others. If you are interested PM me and I can give you this guys contact information.

Thanks for the welcome Matt. Boy the things we do for our cats.. LOL ... Lebanon is about 110 miles from us also... might be worth the trip though... Next time the wife and I are in Springfield, I might just shoot on up to Lebanon and check them out.... If I can't come up with a good supplier locally, I'll sure give you a shout for that guys info in Rolla. Thanks for the tip;)

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Welcome Dave! Looks like there are enough of you guys in Missouri to have a little Creeker Meet and Greet.

Your story of how you came to have CoCo touched my heart. Thanks for sharing. I have a rescued kitty who rides to work with me everyday and is our mascot. He was sitting on my desk when I was looking at your photos and now, thanks to you, he is in a bit of a snit and won't even look at me because he doesn't have anything nearly so nice at home! ;) We also have two shop cats here at work and I'm trying to keep them out of the office for fear that my cat will show them your photos.

We have a cell phone tower next door to our shop and it has very recently become a much favored roost for buzzards (eeeew!). This morning the two shop cats and two buzzards were standing about three feet apart in the parking lot just staring at each other. It was sorta' creepy. The buzzards didn't seem too afraid so I'm guessing they won't leave just because we have cats.

Again, welcome. Keep the photos coming!

Thanks for the welcome Belinda ... Yea, CoCo's a trooper alright! If I had to pick one living thing in my life as my hero, it would be him hand down! Sorry about getting your kitty mad at you..:p ... I guess this mean you need to get to work on making your kitty one... :D ....

About the buzzards, boy that would be a cool pic, of them staring each other down.. LOL

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Thanks again for the warm welcomes everyone... looking forward to leaning and sharing new ideas.

Dave

[Keith Cope]

Welcome to the creek, David!

Just say NO to the 'borg, any decent wood there (rare) will cost waaaay too much!

I'd bet there are a lot of small sawmills around there--check the yellow pages. I grew up around an hour east of springfield and there are still a couple there--generally very good prices, too. You might also reach out to local cabinet shops and see if any of them can recommend a local source.

Best of luck!

Keith

[Belinda Barfield]

Will try to get a pic of the stare down tomorrow. Along the lines of cool pic, but no camera handy, on an early morning drive to Hilton Head one day (part of the drive is still pretty rural) I passed a little boy waiting for the school bus. He was looking up. On the electrical wire right above him were four buzzards looking down . . . as if he might be the next meal. THAT was really weird. I'm sure there would have been lots of money and awards for that photo but alas, I'm typically a day late and a dollar short.

[David Sallee]

Welcome to the creek, David!

Just say NO to the 'borg, any decent wood there (rare) will cost waaaay too much!

I'd bet there are a lot of small sawmills around there--check the yellow pages. I grew up around an hour east of springfield and there are still a couple there--generally very good prices, too. You might also reach out to local cabinet shops and see if any of them can recommend a local source.

Best of luck!

Keith

Thanks Keith, I went to our local "Borg" and they had some *decent looking 3/4 x 4 x 8 birch at $68.00 :eek: ... Last time I priced 3/4 it was MUCH lower! Of course that was quite a few years ago.. LOL

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Will try to get a pic of the stare down tomorrow. Along the lines of cool pic, but no camera handy, on an early morning drive to Hilton Head one day (part of the drive is still pretty rural) I passed a little boy waiting for the school bus. He was looking up. On the electrical wire right above him were four buzzards looking down . . . as if he might be the next meal. THAT was really weird. I'm sure there would have been lots of money and awards for that photo but alas, I'm typically a day late and a dollar short.

Yea, THAT would have been the shot to have!


Dave

[Steve Clardy]

Wheres Missouri? :confused:

Ha ha

[David Sallee]

Wheres Missouri? :confused:

Ha ha

Ummmmm .... isn't over by Idaho somewheres..... ya know.... the Missouri Idahos .... LOL

DISCLAIMER: This comment is in no way bashing the fine folks of Idaho or Missouri or the native Missaho's from both states. :eek:

[Greg Cole]

Dave,
The local stick stores are pretty expensive (Schutte, Paxton & Liberty Hardwood). There's also a new store Metro Hardwood or something like that.... ask the "other Greg" as he lives just up the road IIRC.
There's a decent source in Pomona KS (Mark Frieden, 785-566-3702). decent prices on various lumber in common species. He's a decent guy and if you call you can sort of schedule a time to run out on a weekend.
Also keep your eyes on the KC Craigs List, I've snagged a few good scores locally. The smaller sawmills don't always have material surfaced on all 4 sides (S4S), but once you get "tooled up" you can save a BUNDLE buying rough cut lumber and mill it yourself if ya get serious about WW'ing....;)
And if ya don't like Borg prices on "good plywood" go to Schutte and look at a sheet of the cherry or walnut ply.....:eek:
FYI, I'll stick my neck out a ways and offer to help out with milling some lumber for ya if find some rough cut stuff. FYI, I'm north of the river close to KCI Airport.

Cheers.
Greg

[David Sallee]

Thanks for the tip and offer Greg, small catch though, I'm straight south of you about 200 miles... :eek: Although, if I can't find something local other than the borg stores, I'll hit ya up on the offer;)

Dave

[Greg Cole]

Hi again Dave,
Guess I didn't see the SW Missouri part upon first glance....
There's a bunch of us here in the KC area so if ya come to town, let us know....

Greg

[Carol Esh]

David,

Great work on the cat perch! As another owner of a cat that is also almost 21 (she turns 21 in April) I just know he is going to really enjoy it. What an incredible story about your cat surviving such a tramatic episode.

Welcome to the Creek and thanks for sharing.

[Calvin Hobbs]

David,

I live in Overland Park, KS now (Kansas City area) but I lived in Springfield from 2005 to 2007. The local wood selection I found to be pretty slim. OP Hardwoods in Springfield has some decent selection, but I always walked out of there a little aggravated at the people in there, thus I rarely bought anything there. I did find a neat little sawmill in Aurora, kind of in the woods off the main drag. I can't remember the name, but he let me have a pile of walnut for $50, nice material, turned out to be around 75 bf. Good luck with your continued search. Cal

[Kelly Anderson]

Hey David, as far as wood in this area goes there is a place on 59 between you and Diamond, I think that it is just called Hardwood Lumber. I think he gets his stuff from Paxton. It looks like nice stuff and they are really nice people but I have never bought anything from the store itself. There is a place, if you know Joplin, just east of Duquesne Rd. on 7th named "The Lords Forest". It is on the south side of the road in a metal building. It is just before the bridge. They have rough stuff, Oak, Walnut, Ash, Maple, some nice spalted Maple, most of the regular suspects. It is owned by a really nice family and they will give you great prices. They have some nice stuff. Let me know if you need better directions.

[David Sallee]

...as far as wood in this area goes there is a place on 59 between you and Diamond, I think that it is just called Hardwood Lumber. I think he gets his stuff from Paxton. It looks like nice stuff and they are really nice people but I have never bought anything from the store itself. There is a place, if you know Joplin, just east of Duquesne Rd. on 7th named "The Lords Forest". It is on the south side of the road in a metal building. It is just before the bridge.....

Thanks for the tip Kelly... I'll have to go check them out on 59 ....

The one on 7th, isn't that right across the street from that little car lot? ... if it is, I know exactly where it is... My only problem with "rough cut" is that all I have is a Table Saw, hand drill and 4x4 palm sander... :( ... will be getting more in time AND money, LOL .... but I don't think I can really do anything or experienced enough to do much with rough cut wood at this time..


Thanks Calvin, might have to check them out....


Thanks for the welcome Carol, he's up there every day when I get home from work just watching outside, I think he really likes it ....

I got to tell ya... I have joined many forums over the years (none wood working) and THIS has got to be the friendliest forum I have ever joined... everyone is sooo helpful and welcoming.... I'm glad I'm here!;) Thank you all!

Dave

[David Sallee]

Hi again Dave,
Guess I didn't see the SW Missouri part upon first glance....
There's a bunch of us here in the KC area so if ya come to town, let us know....

Greg

Sure will Greg ....

[Kelly Anderson]

Yeah that's it. He has a planer and is willing to clean it up some.

[David Sallee]

That's cool! I'm definitely going to go check him out then.

Thanks!
Dave

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ummmmm .... isn't over by Idaho somewheres..... ya know.... the Missouri Idahos .... LOL

DISCLAIMER: This comment is in no way bashing the fine folks of Idaho or Missouri or the native Missaho's from both states. :eek:

UH.......David...............Missouri is kinda over near Idaho........At least they are both on this side of the Mississippi......Of course the 1700-1800 miles between them don't make them kissin' cousins or even close neighbors!:D

Welcome to the Creek!

[David Sallee]

LOL... Thanks for the welcome Ken....

*ducks from flinging wood chips....:eek:


Ha... I just noticed you are FROM that great state of Idaho... LOL

Dave