Making it through another year, '23-'24

[Old Greenhorn]

Hilltop, I'm sorry, probably just too tired, but I am not following what you are suggesting.

Doc, maybe it's just me, but I don't care to see the dado's. I don't know why I didn't think of that when I came up with the design. This is why I'm not a woodworker. You thinkk the dado's are fine, I don't. I think the color contrasts are fine, 21 doesn't. As you say, the client holds the trump card (well I think that the expression, but I don't play cards, so I don't know what a trump card is, I just know it has nothing to do the 'THE Donald'. :D)

 Between sawmill work, fixing the wife's van and helping her setup at the craft show I hate the most, I had no time to work on that shelf unit today. Just as well, couldn't focus on it anyway and this is not the time to make a mistake. ;D I did look for beading router bits but can't see myself spending 50 bucks on a bit right now. Maybe later.
 I got to the mill before 9am to run off the emergency order, but not before doing three other logs I had on the deck. Man those 12' 6x6 hemlock are killing me, glad they are done. Carrying them to the stack makes my knees nearly buckle. I looked up the weight tonight, says they are about 160 pounds, can that be right? I also cut some 6x6 pine, and it was lighter but not a LOT lighter. The 1x10 jacket boards were a LOT lighter. ;D The blower is working really well on the mill and it's great to be able to walk along the backside and not climb over a pile of sawdust. Today, for the very first time ever I dumped a 6x6 off the backside because I forgot to put the stops all the way up. If that was a month ago with all the sawdust piled up, it would have been a bear to get out. Instead it was pretty easy, just go and pick it up. Another plus is at the end of the session, I pull the hose off the chute on the mill head and use it like a vacuum to clean all the residual sawdust off the mill. Now I have to make time to work on a collection system so we can collect the dust, keep it dry, and sell it off. We have nothing bagged now and the requests will be coming in again soon. We are planning on doing firewood 1/3 cord bags to minimize the handling. Mostly it goes to chicken raisers. I don't know what they do with it. Maybe they make powdered eggs? :D

 I'm just bone tired tonight. My biggest victory of the day was that I didn't screw anything up. I just did work for others today, maybe tomorrow I can do some of my own work. The temp hit 78° today and I soaked through my t-shirt twice. Tomorrow should be similar. The attic 'kiln' hit 98° today, so there is still some hope for drying up there. Sunday the temp won't break 50, so here it comes, fall has arrived. I'll be earlier in bed tonight for sure.
 Let's see what tomorrow brings.
 

[doc henderson]

that is the point.  we all have our tastes and designs.  Heck some guys even trim the legs of benches....  on a sawmill!!!!  :D It is all good

[Hilltop366]

Make the shelves less depth than the cabinet (inset) then you can trim the cabinet front independent of the shelves.

Using a stopped dado for the shelves will hide the dado end. (can be used for flush or inset shelves.

[WV Sawmiller]

that is the point.  we all have our tastes and designs.  Heck some guys even trim the legs of benches....   on a sawmill!!!!  :D It is all good

Sawing bench legs on the mill sounds like a genius idea to me. ;)

[Old Greenhorn]

Well genius or not, that comparison does well to point out that we all have different tastes, approaches, and senses of what 'looks good'. The client in this case is looking for a nice looking and solid custom sized shelf unit to hold specific appliances in her treatment office. She did not ask for a 'Tule Peak', or 'Larry' quality piece of furniture. :D ;D If she had, the price would have been 4 or 5 times what it will be and I would have sub-conned it out. ;D

 This conversation has served me well to get me thinking on alternatives. (called 'learning' in the old days.) For instance, now that I understand what Hilltop was suggesting, I can consider that for the next time. Too late for this one, too far along. But his idea also gave me a different idea on how to joint the trim on the shelf edges to the trim on the upright edges to make it look clean. I'll try that as a 'plan B' if I screw this one up.

 Still not sure if I will get back on it today. This is the last day of the current heat wave (78 yesterday). The wind is low, the wife is out of the house, and her craft show 'pile' is also out of the house for today. This makes perfect conditions to get the chimney cleaned out. I'd rather do this now and have it done, so that when she puts away her 'stuff' for the season, I can at least start making evening fires to raise the comfort level in the coming weeks.

 It's a special group here. I often wish we all lived closer (at least for short periods) so we could hang out around a campfire drinking coffee (or whatever) and shooting the breeze, or visiting each other for work projects, or skills sharing, or whatever. I know we get that or rare occasions, but we can't get everyone that would like to be there and those visits are always too short. We are a disparate group with a lot in common.

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom,

   Is that disparate or desperate? :D

   I agree on the get togethers. I call it cross-pollination.

[SawyerTed]

Sounds like a good time up until the cross pollination part!   :D :D :D

[WV Sawmiller]

   You are a sick man, Ted! I hope you are not one of those self-pollinators. :D :D :D

   

[SawyerTed]

 

:D :D :D

[doc henderson]

BOYS?  ....   BOYS!  ... "Knock it off" as my dad used to say.

[Resonator]

I often wish we all lived closer (at least for short periods)

Like the disclaimer.  :D

[SawyerTed]

Doc, you know I'm as happy to share ideas as the next guy... :D

[Old Greenhorn]

Geez guys! Turn my back for a few hours to try and get some work done and this is what happens? Shame! :D
 Howard, I said "disparate group with a lot in common" you might have to ponder that a bit. I typed it slower this time. I did not say anything about and 'pollinating going on'.
 Ted, shame on you, Preachers son an all. ;D
 Doc, thanks for trying to restore order.
 Resonator, my disclaimer was in reference to the thought I had that most of us live where we do by choice and and would not want to change locales. Imagine asking someone from the glaciated north to endure the summers in Grits country, or or have the Grits Group suffer through a northern winter. That just cruel on both sides of the coin. :D
 Now y'all listen up. I am going to go back out the the shop for another hour or so of work, can you guys behave while I am gone? ;D

[SawyerTed]

 :D Tom, everything I learned, I learned it from the members' kids!   :D :D :D

[21incher]

Just boils down to grits again . Seems like we have 3 genders whenever threads head south. southern grits likers, northern grits haters, and closet grits lovers.  Have to write a song about this to sing around the campfire while drinking fermented grits ;D.

[Nebraska]

Tom I liked the cedar edging. I just got caught up on the thread.  The beaded curved edging reminds me of very nice furniture pieces (very formal)
...but not what seems to be in favor taste wise to dare I say my kids.... as I sit in here in a room with lots of gun stock Red Oak /pecan stained wood. It looks nothing like the gray imitation barnwood, "imagined" rustic look many crave today, but my wife and I like it.  The cremation boxes are well received,  I know they have given some comfort to some pretty sad folks.

[Old Greenhorn]

Nebraska, I do what I can with what I have. I do like the beaded look and will try it at some point but I thought some simpler would look better here (in spite of popular opinion  ;D) . We'll see what the client says when the moment of truth comes. I am sweating this one out a little bit.

 21, I think there are more than 3 sub-groups, don't forget the 'grits deniers' and the 'closet grits lovers' and others.
-------------

Well yesterday I had a full day in the shop and got a lot done on that unit. I glued on the trim and fitted all the shelf trim pieces then routed it flush all around and sanded everything. I took a break and cleaned the house chimney while the wife, and her craft show pile was out of the house. Good to go for when she puts her stuff away. I went and helped her load out of the show, came home and unpacked the truck after dinner, then went back out in the shop and worked a little while longer putting in fill glue on the trim. Glad to see that order was restored here in my absence. ;D
 This morning I went and sanded all the dried glue off and then put a little 45° edge break on all the trim. I think that will look good. I put on a coat of sanding sealer on all the faces trying to avoid the joints. After lunch I flipped and did the other sides. Later in the afternoon I hand sanded everything, then put a coat of urethane on all the inside facing surfaces. I figured finishing would go faster if I did all the insides before I assembled it. It's much easier to see and work on when it's flat. After dinner I got on a second coat. I know I am rushing it, but I'd like to move this along. I am trying to get one paying project completed each week, and I am now a week behind. Tomorrow I will likely decide which project(s) are next and get started on that (those). Meantime I will also keep moving on the finishing of the current build, but drying takes time, so I can get going on the next 'thing'. In the meantime, I am encouraged by the intiial appearance.



 
 Tomorrow is another day and I am glad to see I am averaging 9-10 hour workdays and haven't needed or taken a nap in over a week now. But I am tired by 9pm.

[doc henderson]

looks great!

[Nebraska]

I agree with Doc, looking good. 👍 

[Old Greenhorn]

Well it was looking good. :D
I am having that annual issue of getting my finishes right during the season change and remembering how I did it best last time. Between the temp swings in the shop until we get into full heating season, the high humidity, and my memory lapse I am having to relearn, and lose time...again.
After a promising start Sunday, it got worse on Monday, so I did a lot of sanding but the finish isn't hardening up fully, so sanding is a rough go. I sanded last night again and am hoping I can get back to a better start today as soon as the shop hits temp. It just takes time.

[Old Greenhorn]

The finishes finally hardened up and sanded easy and quick this morning, so I did that, wiped all the parts down and after it dried I thinned out some fresh poly and brushed that on. It's a little bit better this time and I will wait again until tomorrow and hopefully just a light sanding before I lay on a second coat of very thin stuff. Then I can start assembling.
 To fill the rest of the day I made a start on one item off my long list of 'gotta do's' for the winter season. That was to unpack, organize and repack the lumber rack upstairs in the shop. I didn't unpack the whole rack, but I started pulling oddball pieces, some I milled when I first started and they are VERY ugly. ;D I had some with horrendous taper, sweeps, way out of square, you name it, I did it. :D So I took a half dozen of these pathetic boards and trimmed them chucked any junk split parts in the BTU pile and planed out what was left. I need to make device stands to replace what I sold so I chopped a lot of these junk things into about 4x4" pieces and made a bunch of them, then what was left as usable straight, flat lumber, went back in the rack. To be fair I was surprised to find some nice WO in there that I can make use of. After that I set up the table router and chamfered or radius all the non live edges on those blocks. On some other day I will set up for putting the slot in. Eventually they will get done and finished as I finish other projects. I'll try to pull some boards once in a while and get them planed trimmed and back in. some of them take a LOT of planeing to make useful, but they are well dried and settled, so make good building lumber. Getting them all done will add room in the rack, and when they are done, I can pull and repack the whole thing then plane out the ERC I have over in the garage and get that in the rack or at least a bunch of it. It gives me a good chance to see how far my milling skills have come along. Some of that stuff is brutally ugly. I will have to figure out an accelerated plan for burning or disposing of planer chips. ;D

 Last evening Bill dumped off a dump truck load of logs so I have more bucking, splitting and stacking to do. Just in time for the snotty weather. ;D

[Old Greenhorn]

Not a bad day today, but not a great one. Progress was made. I have been fighting a badd battery on the splitter and charging, then trying to start it, then repeat, since yesterday morning. Finally got that started mid-morning today, but I had to go to the mill so I let it run for a while, then shut it down. I did a light sand on one of the cabinet sides that needed a better coat (I missed two spots) so I did that this morning also. It looks like I am, as of today, back in full time heating the shop, no more morning fires, I am back to feeding the stove for full overnight burns to keep the building warm. So I was out there at 9:30 tonight packing the stove, lets see if I remember how this works. :D
 It hit about 27 here this morning and didn't warm up past 47° all day. BUT, the sun came out around 10am and when I headed to the mil at noon or so it was a beautiful day. I was making lumber for about a half hour when the clouds came back and it cooled off and got snotty right quick. I finished the pending order in about 4 hours and my fingers were uncomfortable as I cleaned everything up and packed out.
 Got hom around 4:30 and checked my finishes, and stoked the stove. Had some phone calls with former co-workers, apparently the shop is on strike as of Tuesday, so things are getting interesting. I'll be interested to see how this goes. Last time the contract came around, I was involved, but they avoided a strike. This time, it's different and the union is trying to make up a little of what they got screwed out of during the covid years. (Taking one for the team, as it were.) I won't say much except that when I started there they had $28 mil in annual sales. This year they had $58 mil in sales with 30 less people on the payroll. The facility is delivering record revenues to the corporation and shareholders, but they are crying poverty to the union. Whatever, I'm retired, right? But I hate the way these corporations are screwing the working people. The only ting that matters is money, in there own pockets, at any cost. Burns my butt.

 Tomorrow is another day, and I'll be in my nice warm shop working on that shelf unit and might get a visit from one of my former, now striking, co-workers on his way to picket duty. But that's another story. :D ;D

[thecfarm]

Burns mine too.  >:(
Then the one in charge makes 2.3 million dollars a year.    ???
Plus a company car, plus meals, .........

[WV Sawmiller]

   Maybe we should have all just played professional sports. :

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I guess it's time for an update whether you guys are ready or not. ;D End of last week one of the grandsons was ill so he got sent home form school and spent the day here. I could see he really was ill, mostly he slept and had no energy. I did my usual odds and ends, shop work, etc. Saturday we went over to Bill's place for our monthly potluck (carefully planned) dinner with them and my daughter and SIL. Lots of hard laughing and good fun. One of the topics of conversation was the upcoming elections and I felt a little bad that I had not done a bit more to help get Bill's name out. He did not seem concerned, "It is what it is" and we will see what happens. Still I was hoping for the best. I thought he had a good shot.  Anyway, we had an outstanding dinner of roast beef, some fancy veggie stuff
 Sunday I did some firewood and put better than half a load on the trailer. Monday I overfilled the trailer but my energy was sapped for some reason and had no interest in stacking it. Almost all the wood is past what we would call 'prime' but it was a load of logs Bill had, and I figured it was better than dumping them in the woods to finish rotting out. BTU's are BTU's right? I'll use it for the fall season and just burn more of it. It's real pithy, but not wet and rotten, if that makes sense. I still have a bunch more to split.



 
 So Tuesday I moved the trailer over and started stacking but the energy was still way down. About halfway through I started feeling light headed for no reason. Then I got woozy and had to grab on the trailer and squat down for a minute. No reason or idea why. I was stacking wood, not working hard at all. So I went in the shop sat by the stove and sucked down a bottle of water. Then I went out and finished it off. My stomach didn't feel well since Monday and I just felt 'off'. I think I was enjoying a gift from my grandson. :D
 So Tuesday was election day and the wife and I got off to vote in the mid-morning. One of my old friends working at the polls said the turnout was heavier than he expected for a 'just local' election. Bill got started late in the campaign and I was hopeful he would pull it off. When the results started coming in a bit after 9pm it didn't look so good at all. He only got 15% of the vote. It was hard to tell from the info I could get if we had all the votes in our town counted or not. As time went on I was pretty sure that they were all in. (Only 2 polling places, plus the mail-ins). We had a chat on the phone and I gave him the bad news. (He does not have internet, so was literally in the dark.) Well, at 10:30 when I hit the refresh button again the numbers changed...a LOT. So I called Bill (and woke up his household) to let him know that he was was no longer 4th , but now third in a ballot where the top two are elected, and he was only a few votes from actually being elected. No, he didn't win, but he ran a respectable race and was very close to getting in. This made him very happy (as well as finding out we replaced out town supervisor) and a few other results. He is already planning on running again next year and from what we learned this time, I'm pretty confident we can get him in. Today I started collecting some of his signs for use next year. ;D

 So in between all this other stuff I have been working on finishing off that shelf unit. End of last week I finally glued and screwed to together, glued the plugs in, cut those off and sanded everything flush and pretty. 



 

 I started out with my usual issues of lousy finishes and re-doing it all over. But at some point I began to re-teach myself, got the thinning right, worked on my brush techniques and overall approach and it is coming along, very slowly, but very nicely. I haven't been doing much 'backing up' at all, but I have a lot of surfaces and face to do. I am approaching the end though and it's not looking too bad.





The above photo is right side up, but the shelf is upside down as the bottom dries.  Those ID coins that Doc made me continue to make my stuff look good.



 

 Hopefully this will be done by next week, but the finishes are coming out so good I want to continue that and get it all to look like that. The edges are my next focus. Not fancy, but it's a very long way from where I started a couple of years ago. This is almost like real woodworking. :D (I said 'almost'.)
 Ah, tomorrow is another day.