Staying Busy and out of trouble, 2020-21?.

[Old Greenhorn]

Interesting thought Doc, I don't know that the music would add much stress thought. But you put me onto and idea, the real test would be to bring one up to my camp at the Grey Fox Festival. It would get good use and testing at all levels of sobriety, weight, and loading scenarios.

 "It isn't a band without a bass" Bill Keith

[doc henderson]

toe tappin and head rocking.  sounds like a real test to me.  it looks great, and sounds like you tested it well.  go for it.  maybe a little dancing on top with the lady that sings at the end.  ...   ...!  

All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version - YouTube

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, it's not quite that elegant Doc. I had something more like this in mind, in fact this video was shot in my campsite in the artists camping area. All pros and very good. It's a shame you don't get a better look at the bass player in the second tune or the young gal in the bikini (careful what you say, they are both friends ;D). The cellist is my good friend Rushad, one of the best in the world, and the banjoist is Ron Cody, just super technical player. The bassist is (was) his wife Wendy. I can't recall the guitar player's name, and the video was done by another good friend Fred Robbins who has an amazing archive of recordings of the best of the best in Bluegrass and beyond spanning back 40 years.
Rushad has a habit of acrobatic moves when he is playing and would actually be a good test of the bench. I have a funny story about that, but some other time. Anyway, 'my crew' back in 2013 when times were simpler:
Campsite Jam 5 - Foggy Mtn Special, Jerry's Breakdown - Grey Fox 2013 - YouTube

[Nebraska]

Enjoyed that one, you can post more.   Looked like a good time. Congratulations  on the teaching gig as well you have much to offer to other people.

[farmfromkansas]

I enjoyed that one, it was great!

[beav]

Get wv's 500 lb brother to dance to some kick@ss bluegrass on it and I'll give in

[Old Greenhorn]

The world that these high end musicians move in changes fast, that seems like such a long time ago but they were wonderful great memories and I am still close with Rushad and follow his life turns, Ron is traveling a different path for the time being and I look forward to when we can ne together again.
 Rushad is a fascinating guy, he plays everything fluently from classical, through heavy metal. Folks who like one genre can't seem to tolerate the others. He can has and often played hanging upside down from a tree branch, played while crowd surfing on his back, jumped up on speaker stacks, hung from rafters, and a few other 'odd' things. I have been with him walking into a new performance space and he looks around for things he can use, or perhaps hang from. When I hosted him for a house concert on short notice I knew I would have to build a stage. I framed it with 8/4 maple and decked it with 2 layers of 3/4 ply and supplied him with a 40" 4 legged maple stool I knew he could stand and dance on, and he did, of course. I made the mistake of using 1/4 round filtches for the corner posts on the stage to hold the lighting up and told him he could NOT hang from those. Instead during the show he took some bites from the bark on the filtches to make a point in the story he was telling the little kids in the audience. When he arrived and saw the stage he said 'Aw man, you didn't need to do that for me, it's beautiful!" I said "Ru' I know your shows, if I didn't build you a strong stage my homeowners insurance would never cover the costs." He looked at the ground and said "Yeah man, I guess you are right."  :D :D Anyway, it was a night I will remember for a long time. I could post some of his other stuff, but a lot of folks here would likely not care for it at all. ;D By the way, for anybody that knows something of modern Bluegrass, Rushad was one of the founding members of Crooked Still. You can find very many videos of his work on you tube, just search 'Rushad Eggleston'.
 This video was shot the day before Rushad arrived in camp. More really good players. Big Scotia is a standard we all like. I am actually sitting in a chair in the background on this one. Staying out of the way is the least I can do when good folk are playing.
Campsite Jam 1 - "Big Sciota" - Grey Fox 2013 - YouTube 

[Old Greenhorn]

Get wv's 500 lb brother to dance to some kick@ss bluegrass on it and I'll give in

I'm only 183 but if I jump up and down on it and wiggle a lot will that work for ya? (It may not look to pretty.)

[Old Greenhorn]

Ah, you guys threw me down the rabbit hole looking for videos and I got sucked in. Reliving some very good moments that will always be dear. I found this one, Farewell Blues, which is one of my favorites and I remembered that I was suffering from the heat and taking some recovery time in the camp while this jam was going on. I am in the background of this one too which is how I remembered my issues that day. Average temps were 95 that week and I worked out in the sun for much of it. SO I took an afternoon off, had a shower and sat in camp. Most of the time I miss this stuff while I am put working. That was a superb year.
 Farewell Blues:
Campsite Jam 3 - "Farewell Blues" - Grey Fox 2013 - YouTube 

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom, neat videos. good music. Congrats on the teaching gig. I bet you are going to enjoy that. My wife retired a little over 10 years ago from her high school band teacher job when she got an offer to take over a local college and community band as an adjunct professor. She did that then asked them to let her teach photography classes and they agreed and set up a class or two each quarter. She had a real free hand with them and the students would help pick where they'd go for their "labs". Once they went to a local State park with an old water powered grist mill in a snow storm and met a well known professional photographer working on a Travel Magazine article and he had waited a year or more to catch the weather right for that shot. He talked to the class at length sort of like a workshop or such. Another time they visited a local junkyard and took pictures of trees growing through old wrecked cars and such. She had a blast with that job. The kids wanted to be there and were interested and anxious to learn and no small town politics to contend with. One quarter the college called the day classes started and asked her to teach a photoshop class as the teacher quit that morning. She did and had 3-4 ex-cons in there as part of their program to learn to be tattoo artists. She called them her jailbirds but they were all respectful to her and were good in her class. The college folded and sold out and the new one who took over did not offer those classes but it was good while it lasted. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, that test bench isn't finished but nearly so. I figured out how to get the leg bottoms final trimmed so it sit with no rock and a dead flat floor. I may put some thin glides on it when it is done, just because. I keep doing some small epoxy holes and cracks (I can't seem to let it go) and those are still curing in a few areas. but it is looking pretty good.



 It is rock solid stable, very pleased with that.  
I could wait to see if/how the ambrosia colors would come through with some tung oil, so I did most of the top and sides. The camera messes with the colors whether I use flash or not, but it looks pretty nice.


 
The flow of the grain came out pretty spot on and flows nicely.



 

I still have a lot of sanding and finishing to do on this one after the epoxy finishes curing (I am done....I think) and I sure would like to find a different finish to put on this besides urethane. I'd like something more clear.
 Anyway, I also was filling tiny cracks on the cherry slab and tomorrow I will likely start cutting on that now that I have some things figured out.
 We have a new fridge being delivered tomorrow, so I figure that will take a chunk out of my day. There will also be a fella in my shop welding on one of my son's plows so I have to get some stuff covered up. All in all, it looks like a lower output day than normal, but tomorrow is another day, we shall see how it goes.

[jeepcj779]

How did you do the trimming to get it dead flat with no wobble?

[Old Greenhorn]

How did you do the trimming to get it dead flat with no wobble?

Well, I fell back on my machinist ways. I don't have granite surface plate big enough to handle this bench, so I used MDF on my table saw to give me a flat reference plane. I flipped the bench over and shimmed it to take out the wobble (top has a slight twist, remember, it's a test bench), then I took a vernier height gage and checked it, turned out one leg was just fine but the other had slipped during gluing/clamping and was out almost a 1/4" on one corner. 


 
SO using the gage I scribed a line to fix the errant leg, I flipped the bench up on end and carefully aligned it in my RAS and clamped it in place then cut to the line. 


 
It came dang close, but still a tiny bit of rock, so I just worked with the belt sander on the high spots, checking, sand a little more, check again, etc. This last part could drive a boy crazy, but this time it took only 5 minutes for it to set solid. When I was sanding, I did relieve the center sections of each leg just a tiny bit so there is only contact at the 4 corners. Not my finest hour, but it all came out OK. I think I mentioned, I may still add some glides depending on the end user needs.

[Hilltop366]

Would it need feet or the centre of each leg scooped out a bit or the floor it sits on will have to be perfectly flat too?

[Old Greenhorn]

I lightly mentioned in my last post that I relieved the center while sanding leaving 4 basic bearing points. Yes a 4 legged thing will almost never sit flat so I am considering some thin plastic glides to absorb a little of imperfections in the bench or the floor.

[Hilltop366]

Your right, I seen the words but it did not register in my brain. ;)

[doc henderson]

little brain... got it!  

[WV Sawmiller]

   I don't want to hurt you architect and engineering expert's feeling but when I want my bench legs to sit flat I turn my bench upside down on my mill. clamp it securely, set my band height at 17" (my normal bench height), open my blade guides out past the maximum width of the bench and make one pass. For me this cuts all (2, 3, 4, 5 or more if used) the legs exactly 17" high and all at the same angle and they will sit square on a level concrete or wood floor every time. No fuss - no muss. Hey, but that's just how us laymen do things.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well Doc has his box method with the pull saw and that obviously works for him, but I have never tried it, and you have your sawmill method, which I have used often and plan to continue because it works well (until it doesn't). However, in this situation it seemed to me that it required a different approach. With stick legs I don't think you can beat the sawmill method, but these are 2" thick slab legs being end cut. I thought (first) that this would cause chatter on the mill either in the blade or leg movement, and second, as these legs have a parallel set of edges (the top edge and the bottom edge) I could could easily run them against the fence on the table saw to make them identical, and third, It was dang cold outside (20°) and 70 in the shop, so given these choices, which way would you go (not withstanding your close relationship with tables saws ;D (sorry, I could not let that slip by))?
.....
 Today was a very productive day all around. I went out early and stoked the stove, it was 52 in the shop and my epoxy from last night didn't cure fully. >:( Came in the house went over the daily plan with the boss, and read some forum stuff before getting to work around 7:30. Tried sanding the test bench, no joy with that soft epoxy so I put it to the side and threw more wood in the stove. ;D
 I brought the Cherry slab upstairs and start laying out my cuts but something was bothering me. It looked like, because of the curve in the wood, it might tend to tip over backwards (or forward depending on orientation). This bothered me enough that I kept laying out CG diagrams in my head and looking at it from all angles. I finally used my option to 'call a friend' and got hold of @nybhh and we had a zoom session so I could show him my concerns in living color. We talked it through and came up with some options in case it turned out 'not so well'. I had to cut the call short because of new fridge arrived, and I helped those guys get it in after getting the old one out. Then I went back to the shop and laid out my real cut lines, went back in the house for lunch and after lunch I went out and did the sanding on the test bench. I took off all remnants of the Tung Oil I tested last night. Didn't like it. I applied a full nice coat of Watco Danish Oil and like that better, then I set that aside with a loose cardboard cover over it, for dust. Then  I did the basic cuts on the Cherry. My sons welder showed up as I was getting ready for the joints cuts and I knew he would be grinding and welding and I was trying to minimize anything that would land on my stuff. I hooked up a dust collector for him to use. He liked that a lot. I got through most of the cuts, but had to run in the house at 5pm to help the wife re-load the new fridge (don't ask). Went back out, finished the miter cuts and set up the router for the mortises. Got all of those done but one by dinner time. Went back out after dinner and finished the last one and dry fit the bench. Looks pretty good, the miters are about 1° off but I have an idea that will deal with this and if it works, it is a non-issue (remember, its epoxy, not glue, some gaps are needed). Just with the bench dry fit and no clamps I can sit on it and it's rock solid. There is very little rocking issue, so all that worry was for naught (mostly), but worth exploring. Tomorrow I will make the clamping blocks I have in mind, trim the legs (on the table saw, sorry) before the glue-up and get it done. Didn't want to start that tonight, so I pulled the test bench out and put another coat of Danish oil on it and it is beginning to look pretty good. Looked at the Cherry one again and realized I will have an issue with the long leg clamp because the legs are not parallel to each other. I will figure that out in the morning, just make some fitted blocks to match the angles. There is a chance I won't need that clamp, but I want to be prepared. I can't 'wing it' when I have wet, but rapidly curing, epoxy.
 Photos for the day. You can see my clamping issue here.


 

The front (or back) of the cherry bench.


 

The Back (or front) of the cherry bench.


 

 The test Bench is looking pretty nice, still not sure what finish I will put on it.



 

The colors don't show too well here and they are subtle, but the ambrosia is there.



 
 
 I cranked up the wood stove during the final work session of the day and had it cooking and finally got the temp upstairs over 70°, then I choked it down and filled it, hoping I can manage to keep it warm so that the Danish oil works in. I should have moved that bench to the back of the shop where it is warmer, but I ain't going back out now.
 In general I am really happy with the test bench, it is super strong. and starting to get pretty. I am fairly happy with the cherry thus far. Not concerned anymore about that rocking and it depends on which face is the front. Personally I like having the bumps (some have another term they use for those, but I won't use that on this forum even though it fits well) in the front, I expect they will be the 'features' on this bench and in that case there is zero issue of rocking it and falling over backwards. In the other direction, it is a very minimal risk.
 A good solid 14 hour day and I have been on my feet all day, so I am a bit tired. As I was typing this post my daughter called. They have an acrid odor coming from a downstairs closet near the service panel and it's getting worse. Wondering what they should do? I told her to call 911 and gave her the details she needed to give the dispatcher over the phone then hung up and turned on my radio. It took a little while for the dispatch to go out, but the Chief called out responding in under a minute. I called my daughter back to tell her who the Chief is and what he needed to know when he pulled up. She said 'He's already here'. I noted his response time as under 2 minutes. I told her to 'say Hello to Chris for me' and I hung up knowing she was busy. It's been 20 minutes and all I know is that they have canceled the FAST team on standby and have 2 Firefighters working in air packs. I assume they have a TIC and are checking walls looking for a source. I also assume in a few minutes I will hear they found the source and mitigated it. I further assume I will be making a drive out there to help them fix the issue in the next day or so. ;D Here's to hoping my assumptions are accurate to some extent. I know the Chief there, he is one of the best and very sharp. He has a great crew, I worked with them many times on major jobs, structure fires, swiftwater rescues, etc. Finest kind of folks with big hearts. BUT, this waiting is a tad stressful and now I am thinking of all the times it was my job to make the calls and be thorough and make folks wait and felling just a tad guilty. But now I am just another bystander. Dang but I hate getting old. It's been 40 minutes now, so I guess they are tracking it down and figuring it out. AT least I haven't heard a second alarm. That would get me in my truck pretty quick. Here's hoping.

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom,

  I don't think the sweep in your cherry bench is going to be severe enough it is going to give you any stability issues as to tilting over backward or forwards. It looks real good to me.

    Remember when we are talking leg cutting techniques I am making primitive benches while you guys are crafting high end, gallery worthy, furniture pieces and also that free advice is worth wat you paid for it. :D Keep that fire stoked, the coffee warm and spirits high. smiley_bouncing

[Old Greenhorn]

Aw shoot, you just reminded me, I don't think I brought the coffee pot in from the shop for washing and prep for tomorrow (no running water in the shop, on the list for 2022). I wash it in the house in the evening and fill it with water in the morning, then bring it out to the shop when I stoke the stove and put coffee in it, takes about 40 minutes to reach perking temp, then I notice it when I hear it boiling over if I don't notice the smell of fresh coffee perking first. ;D
 It's 11pm, it can wait until the morning. :D
 As for the bench, it is what is is. You pays your money, you takes your chances. :D I just like to try new things, and this is new to me. It's all good. Someday maybe I will develop some skill at this stuff, but for now, I just make do.

[Nebraska]

Tom by the looks of that bench you are making do just fine. Work like that and that cookie table you just did should put a little "walk'in around" money in your coffee can. Nice work.

[nybhh]

I think they both look amazing and I really do love that look of the clean simple design (not simple to build though) coupled with the organic flowy shape of the live edge slab.  The whole thing is just very attractive to me and I think your idea to do a single waterfall with a pin leg on the other end would be very cool too.  Perhaps that is an option for the "brother" slab?  (That one is clearly the female ;)).

The sap wood/heart wood of the cherry really does remind me of a river as well so I think the waterfall effect of that corner detail will look amazing if the finish is able to bring out that contrast in the wood.  

Hope everything is ok at your daughter's house.  Looking forward to my tutorial!

[Old Greenhorn]

Update on my daughters place: They are all fine. It took the FD over an hour to find the problem even with a TIC, It turned out to be a crack in the wall thimble where the woodstove chimney exits the basement. It was likely a defect in workmanship on the chimney builders part (who happens to be the same guy the owns the place and rents to my daughter and SIL). The crack was allowing heat to leak out of the thimble and into the sill, the gasses traveled along the sill until they reached an uninsulated closet where they entered the structure. Had they not found it, the sill would likely ignited at some point. Close call for sure. The building inspector condemned the chimney until repair and inspection, but the house is safe to stay in. 
 They have lived in this house around 10 years and are trying to buy it, but the landlord/owner/builder really didn't know what he was doing when he built it and there are a lot of critical errors around it's construction. It's a log cabin. Add this one to the list. In these COVID times, they are having a hard time getting by and having to use propane just adds to their expenses and makes it tougher. I am dubious that their landlord will be fast acting on this.
 But everyone is safe and will live to fight another day.

[doc henderson]

glad all is well.  can you make a couple blocks that match the angle.  stick on with double sided tape to give just a little force on glue up.  If you get a joint you do not like, after it has set up, you can run a saw or router to create an even space to fill with epoxy, and "accent" the joint.  yours look good, but if you ever get and uneven joint gap, this could be a fix.