Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

I call it the Flying Saucer.

It started as a much larger block of wood. But it shaped itself into this. And as I was finishing it, it bit the knuckle on my right index finger. So I speedily brought matters to a conclusion. 

One in the afternoon and no call from the laundry, who swore they would call as soon as the clothes were ready for collection. Went down and the laundry was all done and waiting. 

Got the OK to take the chair to Brighton tomorrow. Must make sure it suffers no damage at all! Not a scratch! Will wrap it in a thick cloth for protection. 

Mo has been avoiding me all day. Last night when 8 found my Beall tap I picked it up, and wordlessly showed it to him. He hung his head and has been avoiding me ever since. I think he is expecting some sort of punishment. It is so bad I ate a packet of Teatime biscuits and he never came for his share! Of course, nothing stopped him coming for the little trip in the car...

I will give him some mackerel with his chow tonight.  

Edited May 12, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Showered, shampooed and ready to go. Car loaded and a warm, fuzzy puppy asleep between my legs. Essentially trapping me in this place until he wakes up. Clothes all laid out, $92 in my pocket. Black jeans and a choice of two tee shirts: one is red with the wording "Body By Bacon" on the front. The second is black with writing across the back which says "Wond'ring aloud.../Will the years treat us well?" I will pick in the morning.

Listening to Billion Dollar Babies, the title track from the Alice Cooper album generally considered his best. There is no doubt it's excellent, but School's Out holds a special place in my heart as well. 

My finger hurts. I sprayed the wound with alcohol (ouch!) And rubbed a styptic pencil in it to halt the bleeding. Then I took a piece of surgical tape and wrapped it around the knuckle. When I get back home tomorrow I will remove it to check for infection. 

Mo stirred but gave no indication he was planning to move. 

WX report suggests that there is less than 5% chance of rain prior to 8:00 and 0% after that. There should be good cloud cover, though, which might help keep the sun out of my eyes.

Spent so much time on that little chair I basically made nothing to actually sell. Other than the Flying Saucer, which is not well made (since I hurt my finger and finished the piece quickly). So, not realistic to hope for much in sales, but if there is interest in the little chair it might be worth while investing in some wood and making a few more. A few sales would also be nice, but I need to stop with the all-consuming projects and knock out a few things like pencil boxes, beer carriers, phone stands, and so forth. Stuff that may not sell for big bucks but is quick and easy to make.

I'd like to try some sort of intarsia project, but I don't have a wide range of coloured woods to pick and choose between. Maybe I could cut and shape each piece and then stain the pieces appropriately?

I've gradually disentangled myself from Sleepyhead. I will slip out and lock the door and get off to bed. Alarm goes in six hours! Mo will probably pass me before I get halfway down the passage.

Let me try that...

Edited May 13, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Up at 3:51 because the puppy thought I'd slept enough. But I did get half an hour of very sweet snuggling as I dozed, waiting for the 4:30 alarm. 

Home again. I thought last week was dead, but this week was twice as bad.

Anyway, I went with $92 and came away with $192, so a Grantley made for the day. Which isn't great but at least I could stop on the way home and buy a box of teabags... And I got rid of two of those planters as well, which is good because they were difficult to transport back and forth.

Toni was not present so once again I didn't get to share with her. They tell me she is sick, so I will try to locate an e-mail address for her and send her well-wishes.

Several people showed interest in the chair but nobody asked me to make one for them. The other woodworkers were very complementary which I take as a good sign. Heidi says she will come this afternoon and collect them (the old and the new) but with Heidi a delay of six months is not unusual. Never agree to go to the cinema with her. You will inevitably hear the words, "The first fifteen minutes of a movie are not important, anyway!" Me? I want to see the first 15 minutes, and the trailers for other movies that come before that, and all the adverts for local services that come before that! If I'm going to pay to go to the cinema, I want the whole experience!

Might try zooming up my pattern and making a full-sized version, just for the hell of it. But my old friend Pete makes full-sized Adirondack chairs on his massive CNC machine, and the parts come off the machine accurate to within a thousandth of an inch, with all the screw-holes pre-bored, etc, etc, so I can't compete with him, since it is a labour-intensive build for me, but not so much for him.

My injured finger was hurting all morning and I was sure when I got home and took the sticky tape off it would be infected and icky! But no - the tape is off, the pain has stopped, the wound looks clean and good and I only feel pain if I bounce it against something, I try to bend the joint to the max, or Mo decides to play with it.

Contemplating linguine with a sauce of Cream of minced beef, Mushroom soup Cream of Mushroom soup, minced beef, lima beans, orange sweet pepper and onion. Actually, if I make enough sauce I can have half with linguine for lunch and the other half for dinner, over some boiled potatoes and carrots. Or just cook more linguine...

I sure hope Heidi comes and gets her chair(s) because I want to take a solid nap this afternoon. Right after gorging on linguine.

Edited May 13, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Anyway, I went with $92 and came away with $192, so a Grantley made for the day. Which isn't great but at least I could stop on the way home and buy a box of teabags... And I got rid of two of those planters as well, which is good because they were difficult to transport back and forth.

Several people showed interest in the chair but nobody asked me to make one for them. The other woodworkers were very complementary which I take as a good sign. Heidi says she will come this afternoon and collect them (the old and the new) but with Heidi a delay of six months is not unusual. Never agree to go to the cinema with her. You will inevitably hear the words, "The first fifteen minutes of a movie are not important, anyway!" Me? I want to see the first 15 minutes, and the trailers for other movies that come before that, and all the adverts for local services that come before that! If I'm going to pay to go to the cinema, I want the whole experience!

 

Glad you made some money today! I totally agree with you about the movies. My son and I are going to see Guardians of the Galaxy 3 today and I like to be there early to get my snacks and see the previews. The line for snacks will be long enough!

[Netfoot]

Heidi came to collect the chair a short while ago. She was on the way to Nora's birthday party, so she said she will give the chair to her as a present. (Nora is my great, grand niece for whom the chair was made; she is Nina's baby sister.) I also got another Grantley to add to my collection so no complaints from me.

Had sandwiches for lunch, will prolly have some more (or porridge) for dinner. Laying in bed all afternoon, wondering where Mosie had got to, and when Heidi arrived, there was an earthquake centered under my bed and guess who came rocketing out from under, to go say hello?

Anyway, it's approaching time for tea. I think there is a small packet (5 biscuits) of Shirleys remaining. 

Found what I thought was an e-mail for Toni and sent a Get Well Soon message. It didn't bounce, but no response, so I think I just e-mailed a stranger.

Tea!

[Netfoot]

Just woke up. Found a puppy asleep on my knee. 

Don't remember going to sleep. Don't remember eating dinner. Don't remember much of anything. Quarter to three. Last thing I recall it was about 10:00 and we went on our Garden Patrol.

Heidi said that someone at Nora's birthday party expressed an interest in having a chair made, and asked what I would charge. I said $300 plus the cost of the materials (choice of wood will affect price). Heidi said she didn't think they would want to pay that much. 

For someone who is pretty switched on, she always thinks that what ever I'm asked to build, I should never charge more than ten bucks and a stick of gum. When I built her folding table (which used about $140 in lumber alone, plus another $30 in screws & dowels) she expressed surprise that I would charge more than $100 for one like it. It took me three weeks to make!

I want to build a bread-box with a tambour top. Never tried that before. Maybe I should build a small version to get the kinks out of it? Must see if I can get a fresh supply of pallets. Hopefully similar to the deluxe ones I had last.

Last week someone gave me six Julie mangos. They were just on the edge of being ripe. They told me to put them in a dark place and they would ripen to a nice red/orange/yellow. Peeped at them this evening and I think I will be having mango for breakfast, lunch & dinner tomorrow!

Did I take my evening meds? Also, I think my pill boxes would be empty and I don't remember if I laid out meds for the next few days or not. And I don't know if I locked the door.

I'm going to have to get up, aren't I?

[andidante]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Heidi said that someone at Nora's birthday party expressed an interest in having a chair made, and asked what I would charge. I said $300 plus the cost of the materials (choice of wood will affect price). Heidi said she didn't think they would want to pay that much. 

For someone who is pretty switched on, she always thinks that what ever I'm asked to build, I should never charge more than ten bucks and a stick of gum. When I built her folding table (which used about $140 in lumber alone, plus another $30 in screws & dowels) she expressed surprise that I would charge more than $100 for one like it. It took me three weeks to make!

 

I think $300 plus cost of materials is more than fair! Maybe she is not taking into account the labor that goes into what you make. And materials are very expensive nowadays. 

[luv2lurk]

On 5/12/2023 at 10:48 PM, Netfoot said:

but I need to stop with the all-consuming projects and knock out a few things like pencil boxes, beer carriers, phone stands, and so forth. Stuff that may not sell for big bucks but is quick and easy to make.

There is a man at my church who makes beautiful wood items every year for the Christmas market. Mostly bread/cutting and charcuterie boards. I think they just involve cutting, sanding and glueing; finishing with mineral oil (food safe) but they are beautiful because he uses different woods.

But the most ingenious thing is his toaster tongs - they are wood with a magnet - so they will attach to the toaster. Looks like 3 pieces plus magnet. Here is an example of one I bought (board and tongs). Price is in Canadian dollars - the tongs alone sell for $10.

If you are interested I can PM you with the tong measurements.

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by luv2lurk

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, luv2lurk said:

There is a man at my church who makes beautiful wood items every year for the Christmas market. Mostly bread/cutting and charcuterie boards. I think they just involve cutting, sanding and glueing; finishing with mineral oil (food safe) but they are beautiful because he uses different woods.

But the most ingenious thing is his toaster tongs - they are wood with a magnet - so they will attach to the toaster. Looks like 3 pieces plus magnet. Here is an example of one I bought (board and tongs). Price is in Canadian dollars - the tongs alone sell for $10.

If you are interested I can PM you with the tong measurements.

 

Genius!

[Netfoot]

Woke in the dark, disoriented. "Hey, Google! What time is it?" "It's 6:51." Did I hear right? It shouldn't still be so dark at nearly seven in the morning... Oh.

Didn't remember going in for a nap, but obviously... Maybe it was my large, linguini lunch? Minced beef & onion, lima beans and cream of mushroom soup, with thin strips of pak choy to add green stripes to everything. Why didn't I include the sweet pepper? Because I clean forgot, that's. Why.

So waking at seven, I put some potatoes g carrots to cook and warmed up the balance of the sauce from lunchtime. Clean forgot the sweet pepper again, but the meal tasted wonderful. Both meals. 

Now, Mo sleeps with his head on my inner thigh again, and I keep dozing off with this message unfinished. 

Appointment at QEH tomorrow, to arrange a biopsy. An appointment to make an appointment. The doctor, from past experience, is an asshole. 

Straightforward Garden Patrol. Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight & The Pips. Eyes closing down again. 

[Netfoot]

Sitting in QEH right now, waiting for the chance to see the doctor. I have an 8:30 appointment but around here that just means they open for business at 8:30 and I have to take my chances with the crowd. Which is 51 strong at this moment.

When I arrived I presented my card to the first nurse I saw, and she said drop it in the box. I must have looked a little confused (which I was) because she asked "Is this your first time?" To which I answered "Yes." And I swear it was in a perfectly normal tone and at perfectly normal volume. She recoiled back in fear, then recovered enough to tell me that "the energy in your voice" frightened her.

I wish I had some energy in my phone as it now sits at 7% because in all the confusion last night I must have been tired enough to forget to put it on charge. So I can't even entertain myself for however many hours I have to sit here and (6%) the phone will probably run out of batteries anyway, meaning I have to reboot after charging, which means the "FastBoot" menu and the usual rubbish to get it to work again...

So I am powering down everything on the phone, going to airplane mode and putting it in my pocket.

[Netfoot]

Back from QEH. After 1:30 I saw the doctor who told me that he couldn't contact the surgeon, so he would call me with the details of when/where the biopsy would be done. But if he could call me to deliver that information, why did he insist I go to the hospital with an 8:30 "appointment" at all? When they called to give me the appointment, couldn't they simply have called to say that I would receive the info by phone, at some date in the near future?

Back home now, with the phone on charge. Made it with 3% to spare. Probably onl;y because I switched on Airplane mode and turned off wifi & Bluetooth. The three radios burn most of the juice, as far as I know...

Breakfast! Mangoes! (Who decided that the plural of "Mango" needed an "e"?)

Edited May 16, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

 

When I arrived I presented my card to the first nurse I saw, and she said drop it in the box. I must have looked a little confused (which I was) because she asked "Is this your first time?" To which I answered "Yes." And I swear it was in a perfectly normal tone and at perfectly normal volume. She recoiled back in fear, then recovered enough to tell me that "the energy in your voice" frightened her.

 

For the love, she is ridiculous! I'm sorry you had to wait so long to be seen.

[Spunkygal]

Have you heard anything else from pushy cupboard door lady?

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Have you heard anything else from pushy cupboard door lady?

Nothing yet, but the week is young.

ETA: Did I mention che called me from her landline? 

Perhaps I should explain: All my days, local calls were free. Your monthly rental fee covered unlimited local calls of unlimited length. This changed when cell phones were introduced.

Local calls are still free providing they are landline to landline. But once a cell phone is involved, then somebody pays, and it is always the cellular customer. Landline to cellphone, the cell owner pays. Cellphone to landline, the cell owner pays. cellphone to cellphone then the person who initiated the call pays.

As a result of this, it is common practice / expected phone etiquette  that if you are calling someone's cell, you use your own cell to place the call. So you pay instead of them. Obviously it isn't cast in stone, and if you have to call someone and your cell is dead (say), you don't have to feel you can't use the landline. But if you make a habit of it, people will simply  conclude you are a cheap bastard, and stop taking your calls.

Anyway, she called my cell from her landline and drew the conversation out until I had a whole 38¢ left on my phone. That certainly didn't make me feel I wanted to do her any favours!

Edited May 16, 2023 by Netfoot

[b4pjoe]

You have to pay for calls? I can’t even remember the last phone plan I had that you had to pay for calls either local or long distance.🙂
 

edit to add: I have not had a landline for a few years. Cell only.

Edited May 16, 2023 by b4pjoe

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, b4pjoe said:

You have to pay for calls?

Well.....

You can pre- or post-pay for phone services. I pre-pay and currently have $33.67 credit on the phone. From this they deduct for every minute I'm on a call, for any mobile data I use or any texts I send. (But I don't pay for incoming texts or incoming calls from other cell phones.) Unless some idiot calls and burns through my balance, that could last a couple of months. I could switch to a post-paid system where I select a phone plan that has a predetermined number of minutes, texts and gigabytes, and they send me a bill at the end of every month. But the minimum I'd be paying would be $90 for hundreds of minutes, unlimited text and 20 gig of data every month. In fact, I'd use 20 minutes, zero texts and ¼ gig of data. But I'd pay for the full package none the less. So I prefer to pre-pay. 

I'm lying in bed. My back has been killing me all afternoon so I gave in and took two Panadol. Mo was here earlier but he has wandered off. I'm listening to Cast No Shadow by Oasis. I will pop off to sleep soon. Urgh! Just rolled over and it was incredibly painful. I wonder if lifting those baulks of mahogany today is the reason why? I didn't use my back, I used my legs. 

Raf came around for a short visit this afternoon. He and Mo had a good cuddle; they've been best mates from when Mo first came home with me. In fact when I told him that Mo had a brother that looked just like him, Raf rushed down to the ark the next day to get him, but was disappointed - he had gone home with someone else by then.

Raf has to rush back to Canada tomorrow. His remaining daughter has to go into surgery on Wednesday to remove some of the bullet fragments from her leg. He is obviously very protective of her. I knew she had been shot, but I didn't know any details. I'm not sure how she got fragments? A ricochet? Frangible loads? Don't know and out of respect I don't intend to ask. They are good folks and I just wish them well. 

Got to make some stuff to sell at the market. Produced this today:

Nice little piece of figured mahogany. About 4½" across and 1" deep. Not large but someone was asking for a bowl like this so I had a bit of mahogany the right size, and did my best. 

Tomorrow I will try and get a bigger block on the lathe and see what's hidden inside. I've contacted my pallet guy and if/when I hear from him I will go get some more pallets.

Going to lock the house now. Hopefully Mo will choose to be inside tonight. And stay inside. With my back feeling the way it does I don't need to have him waking me up time and again!!!

[Netfoot]

My table saw is a monster. It is over 500 lbs, has a 3 horsepower, 240 volt motor driving a 10" blade at 4,200 RPM. It can kick back a 2x4 at over 100 MPH.

It is a terrifying beast and I am super careful when using it. But today I managed to screw up and my right hand ended up in the blade.

I am so lucky I can't even start to say how much.

The ugly wound on my knuckle was caused by the lathe on Friday. The table saw caused the other wound, center of the finger. 

Ok, that's good, but I will have to be even more careful around that monster!

[Netfoot]

Sex And Drugs And Rick And Roll by Ian Dury and The Blockheads. Dury would have made a good Trini calypsonian. He loved a cheeky double entendre! But his music was by no means confined to such. A man who looked like a thug (or a teddy bear, depending on your point of view) but was a real gentleman through and through, despite . In the 90s, his death was reported on a radio programme hosted by none other than Bob Geldof. Several listeners called in to express their sorrow, but one listener called in and expressed only surprise - Dury himself, who happened to chance upon the broadcast and was somewhat taken aback to hear his own impromptu obituary! But he treated the situation with his usual good humour, staying on the air with Geldof for some time, joking about the incident and reassuring other callers. 

I had biscuits and cheese for breakfast (like all good Bajans I refer to crackers as biscuits. And I rarely eat breakfast), macaroni with tuna and sweet peppers for lunch and porridge for dinner. If I'm honest, I quite like the porridge if I pour some milk on it and sprinkle on some sugar. The macaroni tasted very good as well. 

After the incident with the table saw I did no more work outside with the tools, working on a small plywood box inside instead. Didn't get it finished in time for bed so I may work on it tomorrow. 

Mo has been particularly affectionate today, but right now he has disappeared. I hope he comes in when I go in a few minutes to lock up. He woke me several times last night for no apparent reason. He didn't want the door open or anything like that. I will just say that so far at least, Mo's English is nowhere near as good as that of Buddy or Dotty. But he is still a little puppy so I'm hoping his language skills improve as he matures.

Arranging for some new pallets. Also, a friend says he might pop by tomorrow because he is looking for a little bowl...

Oh, look who it is! He seems determined to get his nose between my phone and my finger. Now he's curled up.agsinst my leg, panting.dunno why. It isn't particularly hot tonight. But he is, after all, wearing a black, fur coat!

Back is a little painful. Nothing as bad as last night; no painkillers taken. But I'm tired, so maybe .  He's gone again. 

[Netfoot]

On 5/14/2023 at 8:01 PM, luv2lurk said:

There is a man at my church who makes beautiful wood items every year for the Christmas market. Mostly bread/cutting and charcuterie boards. I think they just involve cutting, sanding and glueing; finishing with mineral oil (food safe) but they are beautiful because he uses different woods.

But the most ingenious thing is his toaster tongs - they are wood with a magnet - so they will attach to the toaster. Looks like 3 pieces plus magnet. Here is an example of one I bought (board and tongs). Price is in Canadian dollars - the tongs alone sell for $10.

If you are interested I can PM you with the tong measurements.

 

Sorry it's taken a while for me to respond.

There is a chap who has his own tent at Brighton who makes and sells beautiful bread boards and charcuterie boards. They ae made from mahogany, white oak and various species of wood that allow him to assemble boards with beautiful multi-coloured patterns and designs. It's all he sells. His entire tent is nothing but these.

Another fellow also makes and sells cutting boards, etc, that have been cut into the shape of the island. These are a favourite of visitors who want to take home a souvenir.

Alison frowns upon vendors who are duplicating products. She does allow it, but only to a limited degree. Now, I might get into cutting boards by producing end-grain cutting boards which neither of the other two guys seem to make. I could make end-grain cutting boards except for the final step in production which is to smooth the top and bottom until they are perfectly flat. With a side-grain cutting board this could be done by Mr. Noisy, but you really can't plane end-grain, and unfortunately I do not have a drum-sander, which is how it would usually be done. I've been trying to find someone with a drum-sander for quite some time now, but I've not been able to locate anyone who owns one, far less would be willing to let me "borrow" it, even for a fee.

I think the problems stack up to make cutting boards out of my reach for now, at least until I can get access to a drum-sander.

Now, the toaster tongs look like a real possibility. They look to be about 6" long with an inch between the "arms". I intend to make a small number of these (perhaps four?) and see how they are received. 

Unfortunately, I've spent the last two weeks (more?) working on the chair for my great, grand niece Nora. And all that time a good buddy has been nagging me to make him a bowl of a specific size and shape (4" x 1" with sloping sides) which I attempted on Monday afternoon. I offered it to my friend who complained that it is 4½" and not the 4" he requested. He is supposedly coming here today to look at it to see if he could possibly accept that piece, otherwise I will have to make another one exactly 4" just for him. 

But as soon as he is satisfied I will try to make a few toaster tongs. I am thinking purpleheart for the "fingers" and mahogany for the center piece. I have some magnets here and I should have epoxy as well. Otherwise I can try hot glue (perhaps not the best idea for something that will be stuck to the top of a hot toaster) or CA glue. I will post progress photos when available.

I don't think they will be as pretty as the one in your photograph. But we will see.

Thanks for the idea. I intended to respond before now, with photos of completed tongs, but every day has been one more delay and it slipped away from me. My apologies for not at least acknowledging the idea!

[luv2lurk]

@Netfoot I am just happy you saw the post - I was afraid that with all the chaos earlier this week you might have missed it.

My original idea was the tongs - I included the board because it makes a nice set. However with two other vendors selling them it makes perfect sense for you to not make them also.

The tongs in the picture are 8 inches top to bottom (although I have an older pair that is 7 inches however it has a smaller centre piece than the pictured one). The "fingers" are just under 1 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick.

I am glad you have the magnets - that was one part I was worried about since I have no idea where to get them.

As for glue - I never thought of that. However I always remove the tongs from the toaster when using it and wait until it has cooled before re-attaching them.

Good luck!

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, luv2lurk said:

The tongs in the picture are 8 inches top to bottom (although I have an older pair that is 7 inches however it has a smaller centre piece than the pictured one). The "fingers" are just under 1 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick.

Thanks for the dimensions. 

I am across the road at the mall, waiting for the telephone fix-it lady to come to work at 10:30. (It is now 11:27) had an issue with the phone this morning and it is now stuck in "Safe" mode -- which means no apps installed by me will work. WhatsApp, my favourite calculator app, my choice in music player, etc. I am going to have to pay to get this phone fixed. She said she could do it for $125, which is a quarter the price of the cheapest phone I could buy new. My only concern is that she take my money, and a day later she tell me that the phone was much more broken than originally thought, so it can't be fixed, but thanks for the $125....

While I wait in the food court for her to get to work, I am sitting just outside IV Play, which specializes in Guyanese & Trinidadian dishes. I think I may buy myself a roti for lunch. I'm sure Mo will approve. It's $17... But I can't eat corned beef and rice/macaroni with every meal, can I?

John never showed up at the house. He does this all the time. He might come around on Wednesday, so you spend the day waiting around for him, and no show.

He has issues with staying in touch. He will send a message to say "I need Jim's phone number urgently!!!" so I drop what I'm doing, quickly look the number up and send it to him in a reply. Then it takes him three days to read the message!

IV Play isn't open for business yet so I should move away and avoid temptation, but my back is absolutely killing me again and I am not looking forward to standing up. Besides, a boneless chicken and channa roti with cabbage in it is really appealing to me, right now.

[Netfoot]

Lying in bed, after a dinner of macaroni elbows, and a short, sweet Garden Patrol. Listening to: nothing. Because the phone is stuck in Safe mode and the only music player that it will run is Google's Play Music. But that only displays a banner which says "Google Play Music is no longer available. All the best Google Play Music features live on in YouTube Music." And YT Music is another app I can't use in Safe mode.

Was falling asleep at the computer until Mo came and gave a sharp Yip! to make me come out with him. Laying on the lawn: a 13mm open-end & ring spanner, and a bronze bristles brush intended to go in the drilling machine. 

I'm really bushed,so I will end here. My back has been killing me these last few days especially. And especially on the left side. I must contact Dr. K. and find out which kidney has the growth on it.

Bed!

Edited May 18, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Spent the day working on my table saw - specifically the fence. I noticed something when adjusting the fence to a measured distance from the blade. I'd hold the measure and bump the fence with the base of my palm, shifting it a hair at a time until the distance from the fence to the side of a tooth on the blade was whatever size I wanted. But then, when I push the locking bar down to fix the fence immobile, it would shift sideways in one direction or another by a small fraction. So I would have to 7nlock it again, bump the fence a bit more, lock it, rinse, repeat... until the fence would end up where I wanted it, when locked.

That obviously wasn't correct, so I got out the manual and went through the entire process of setting and aligning the fence. First, adjust it so it is square to the table top vertically. Which it was, but the second adjustment was to make sure the fence hovered over the table by only a sixteenth at most. It was over an eighth at one end and more than twice that at the other. So I lowered the fence to just a hair over the table surface, but this affected the vertical squareness. But after resetting that and locking the three adjustment screws, the table was vertically square and the correct height over the table. 

Next, I marked a tooth of the blade and measured the distance between that and the fence. After rotating the blade to move the marked tooth to the rear of the slot, I adjusted the angle on the fence to be 0° in relationship with blade.

Then some final tweaking to the locking mechanism and the fence now remains where you put it, after you push on the lock.

One thing my saw has lacked from the beginning is a graduated scale to allow setting the spacing of the fence without using an external rule. The fence came with a self adhesive tape rule but it was damaged.

I recently ordered a set of four replacement rulers, imperial/metric right-to-left reading, 40" long. One to use and three spares. Went to collect these rulers today and will try to install one and adjust it tomorrow. 

Mean time Mo has joined me in bed so I will call it a day. Was hoping for a bunch of pallets today, but maybe tomorrow instead.

 

[Netfoot]

Heard that some pallets would be available today. Just waiting for a call before I go and collect. In the mean time, 

I turned this out of a chunk of mahogany with a craggy edge. It is sort of an art piece with the craggy, worn looking piece of wood, but it is also functional as it could hold peanuts or something like that. I will put some sweets in it when I am set up tomorrow. 

Still no phone call, so I will see if I can get another piece of mahogany on a faceplate and try to turn another bowl by days-end so I can take that to Brighton tomorrow as well.

[Netfoot]

Got the call, went to collect the pallets. Mo is an excellent supervisor. He speaks constantly with a loud, authoritative voice. And the workers, for the most part, ignore him!

In this case, the workers in the factory where I got the pallets came out to see who it was shouting orders. Mo's rear end was swishing vigorously from side to side when he realized he had fans! Mean time, Yours Truly loaded twelve super-pallets into the van. Eight in the back...

...and four more in the side doors. 

It looks like there would have been room for at least one more on top of the ones in the back, but 12 is sufficient for now.

So now, I will drink a cup of tea, unload the van, and continue with the bowl I was making when the call came through!

Edited May 19, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Went out to finish the bowl, and it turned out rather well, all things considering.

About 5" maybe 5¼" and standing 3" tall. A bit dusty. I will wipe it down when I put it on display.

On the way out to the lathe, I caught this snapshot:

This literally brought tears to my eyes. My sweet little baby Mo! How could someone so naughty and so ornery and a kleptomaniac to boot, be so lovable and sweet and amazing?

Anyway, I have been eating plenty of carbs these last few days. Pasta, rice, biscuits, so tonight I will eat oatmeal. Tomorrow morning I will test the blood sugar before departing for Brighton. It would be nice to get a couple of sales but frankly, I don't know what will happen. Last week was predicted to be busy, after the quiet Coronation day. But last week was even worse! You could milk a rat running!. (I don't know what that means, but my mum used to say it.)

Because the van was completely unpacked to get pallets, now I must load up everything again. Then a good shower, a bowl of porridge, a pair of Panadol, and sleep. Maybe a movie first?

Here is why Mosie (pictured above) brought tears to my eyes:

Taken 5th of July, 2016. Nearly three years old.

[Netfoot]

Nine o'clock and I'm in bed, with no tunes playing. I thought I'd get YouTube to play something but it seems that you can't play YT videos in the background while doing other things on the phone. I should get a Raspberry Pi, set it up to use a NFS share of my music folder on my desktop and play me some music via Bluetooth. 

Went out to have our Garden Patrol and discovered the entire disk from my homemade disk sander out lying on the grass. Thank goodness it had not been rained upon because it is made from MDF and the only thing that MDF hates worse than water is a woodworker with healthy lungs.

All packed up, togs laid out, EDC moved over, porridge eaten, showered and shampooed and ready to sleep. There is a pleasant breeze in the window, I refilled the pill boxes for the next three days, took a couple of Panadol and I've got $30 in my wallet. 

Received a nice photo showing my great grand nieces Nina & Nora sitting in their Adirondack chairs. Nora loves her chair, and although it was as identical to the original as I could make it, she has insisted that the new chair is hers and Nina has to sit in the old one. Also, she has decided she doesn't want it painted white to match, so the family is planning to give it a clear-coat. I would recommend water-based polyurethane varnish but nobody asked me and I am not volunteering any information lest I get roped into the process.

I'd share the photo except I have long since been banned from sharing any images of those girls with friends online. And in fact, I very rarely even get to see a photo. And of course, I have never been invited to meet either child so I've never laid eyes on them in person. 

I wonder if they are even aware that they have a great, grand uncle, far less that he made the new chair for them. 

Mo is outside making a ruckus so I will read a chapter of my book. If he doesn't come in by time I'm done, I will lock up. Now, usually when Mo sleeps outside, I go and open up at break of day, around 4:30 to 5:00 and he comes shooting in and wants to spend the next couple of hours snuggling up. But tomorrow, if he comes shooting in at 4:30 I will not be laying abed to snuggle! So I hope he chooses to sleep inside instead.

You know, looking at that stack of pallets, I can just imagine how much my back will suffer, breaking them down!

Edited May 20, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Photos of Cutting-board Guy's wares:

He makes 1 or 2 things other than, but cutting boards are his thing.

[luv2lurk]

They are beautiful boards. Maybe you should do a cross promotion with him and the tongs.

[Netfoot]

Home again! No sales today so I'm actually out the entrance fee of $10 plus a bit of gasoline. 

Everyone is saying how they don't understand it. Coronation weekend, Ok. But the weekend after that was supposed to be big and it was very poor. Then, after two weeks of poor attendance everyone was expecting a bigger crowd, but quite the opposite!

Anyway, I had a good time chatting with regulars. I was between Sally and Haley. (I had a popsicle in Iced Coffee flavour. Good!) Beano was there as usual telling everyone what they were doing wrong. Every week he comes and tells me how to modify one of my offerings by drilling holes in it and filling it with Potpourri.

"But real men don't buy Potpourri."
"The women will buy it!"
"But where will I get it from?"
"You can buy it in town!"
"But I just told you, real men don't buy Potpourri..."

It's the same every week. I'm afraid to make something to satisfy him, because it just might sell! Then I'd never hear the end of it...

Just heard the kettle click off so I will go brew a cuppa to go with my iced water. Then maybe a lengthy cuddle with Mo (who came running in at 4:30 expecting a cuddle and not getting it), followed by something for lunch.  Boiled potatoes and carrots mixed with fried corned beef (for a change), onion and pak choy, and also diced, raw cucumber.

Did you like the pictures of Cutting-board Guy's stuff?  Maybe I should do a similar thing for a different vendor each week. Or you could just surf on over to the market's FecesBook page...

Edited May 20, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Been thinking about all the woodwork I've been doing to help make ends meet. A lot of bowl turning, some planters, pencil boxes, a chair, etc, etc. Plus other items that I am thinking might sell, if I made them for sale... Dice, toaster tongs, potpourri boxes, whatnot.

Should I make a sign with the name of my woodworking endeavour? I hesitate to call it a "business", but what ever it is, should I give it a name and use that name on a sign for my display and for cards, etc?

[Netfoot]

Tired. I seem to live my life tired. Was nodding off at the computer this afternoon. Should have taken an actual nap.

Mo and I are back from Garden Patrol and Mo is now bathing my feet while I lament the absence of music.

 I cooked up my lunch pretty much as described earlier save for the cucumber which I left in the fridge. But I cooked a larger than usual batch of potatoes and carrots and also the remainder of the pak choy and my last onion. I ate about ⅔ of that for lunch. The only improvements I can think I might have made would have been somevred butter on top, but we're out, and I decided not to follow through with my plan to stop on the way home and buy some.

Now, for dinner, I took the remaining ⅓ and added a diced cucumber and a tin of red kidney beans, plus a little bit of a roux to change the consistency a little. So dinner was not exactly the same thing as lunch. Close, but with the addition of the beans and cucumber, pleasantly different.

I now need to go shop for pak choy, cucumber, onions, red butter, raisins and cheese, all of which we're out of. And I'm running low on rice, potatoes, pasta and corned beef. Not to mention garlic, pepper (both cayenne and red pepper flakes and pepper sauce) and stock cubes.) Plus, I'm down to my last liter of milk and my last bag of brown sugar. 

Should have made a sale, then, right?

Mo has gone out again.

Just had a look at the recent booklet/pamphlet on hurricane shelters in the island. They are divided into categories 1 and 2. Each shelter has a listed capacity. Cat 1 shelters are considered strong enough to withstand the storm whereas Cat 2 shelters can only be used after the storm... assuming they don't blow down during the storm. In other words, Cat 2 shelters are a waste of time because by the time it's safe to use them, the danger has already passed and they may not be fit for use anyway.

Now, there are public and private shelters. The public ones are owned and operated by government and the private ones by organizations like churches, the Red Cross, etc. I don't know what are the criteria to enter a private shelter (a member of the congregation? A donor to the organization?) But ignoring that I have added up the capacities of all Cat 1 shelters and it comes to 2,177 persons. Which, for a nation with a population of 281,200 people is a whopping 0.774%. 

Now, you are encouraged to bring all your valuables with you from home, so the Cat 1 shelters will be full of cash, jewelry and so forth. What you are not allowed to bring is weapons of an sort. No guns, no pocket knives, not even a cricket bat. Which makes those shelters easy pickings for any gangs of looters which swing into action once the wind dies down. Of course, while encouraging you to bring your valuables they disclaim all responsibility to help you protect those valuables while denying you the ability to protect them yourself!

But the funniest joke of all is: I have to leave Mozie at home because no pets are allowed. I can lock him in the house and hope it doesn't collapse on him (and if I thought the house would withstand the storm, why would I go to the shelter in the first place?) Or I can open the gate and chase him outside to seek his own shelter and otherwise fend for himself.

Bollocks! If the best place I can find to shelter is a wheelie bin, Mo and I will be sheltering in it together. And they can push their Cat 1 shelters where the monkey pushed the charcoal!

He's back and washing my feet again! Ooof! Tummy Trampoline.

Gotta go, unless I want to keep typing with my nose...

[Browncoat]

Pets not being allowed in shelters is a HUGE problem in the States as well.  People will not leave their pets at home -- I most certainly wouldn't -- no matter the severity of the storm.  My state has given lip service to the issue, but as far as I know, hasn't really come up with any solutions. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Browncoat

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

People will not leave their pets at home -- I most certainly wouldn't -- no matter the severity of the storm

If course not. I wonder if that is a deliberate policy to reduce the number of people trying to use the shelter?

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

And they can push their Cat 1 shelters where the monkey pushed the charcoal!

(Quoting myself) I reread my post and I think I should address this part of it. It comes from an old, rude song that people used to jokingly sing, back when I was a nipper, living in Trinidad. It goes:

I had a little monkeeee
an' I len' him to a ladyyyyy
so she take he in de parlour,
when she went to buy bread.
An' he tek a piece of charcoal
an' he shove it up he a$$hole.
Oh Lord! Now muh monkey goin' dead!
Mama! Oh Lord, now muh monkey goin' dead!

"Parlours" were little shops, usually no more that shacks, that were all over Trinidad, selling household essentials. Like flour, loose matches, lard, salt (by the 'twist'), charcoal for your coalpot stove, loose cigarettes, salt kine and so forth.

When singing before polite company you can substitute the word "Nosehole", but everyone will know what you mean.

I wish I could think of a way to let you hear the accompanying tune. Not heard anyone sing that for must be 40-50 years. But you do occasionally hear the expression. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Netfoot

[b4pjoe]

There is a manufacturing facility right across the street from where I live that manufacturers what are called Safe Sheds. Tornado shelters but could be used in a hurricane as well. I think they make 2 sizes. 8' x 10' and 10' x 12'. They are made out of concrete reinforced with rebar. They run about $5000 to $8000 though but they sell a lot of them all over the USA.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, b4pjoe said:

Tornado shelters but could be used in a hurricane as well.

Once upon a time, houses were built to withstand a storm. Even the wooden "chattel" houses had design features that were specifically intended to be hurricane "proof."

The roofs were steeply pitched with no eve to blow off. Instead a separate false-eve would be attached to the house where shade was needed. In a storm, the false-eve would blow off, but because it was not a part of the roof, that would be saved.

Plantation houses had walls made from "sawed stone" which were 1'x1'x2' blocks of vital stone sawn out of the ground in the quarry. The walls would be two feet thick and every window had hurricane shutters built right into the window frame.

Many houses had a "yam cellar" that would be used year around to store ground provisions but could be used as a hurricane shelter. More modern houses sacrificed security for comfort and relied on insurance as a recourse against storm damage. But they would insist on one room in the house, usually a room with a water supply, built solidly and secure against a storm. For many it would be a bathroom, but in my mother's house it was the laundry room. 

Recently, the houses are built with no thought to hurricane defense. The house I live in has a roof that will come off in one piece, leaving every room completely open to the elements. 

And insurance is a complete waste of time. In a small storm, with a dozen or two houses damaged, they will pay out. But when tens of thousands of houses get blown down, they will declare bankruptcy and leave everyone up to their eyebrows in crap.

[andidante]

20 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Been thinking about all the woodwork I've been doing to help make ends meet. A lot of bowl turning, some planters, pencil boxes, a chair, etc, etc. Plus other items that I am thinking might sell, if I made them for sale... Dice, toaster tongs, potpourri boxes, whatnot.

Should I make a sign with the name of my woodworking endeavour? I hesitate to call it a "business", but what ever it is, should I give it a name and use that name on a sign for my display and for cards, etc?

I think that's an awesome idea!

[Netfoot]

Just finished a cup of tea, and in the bottom of the mug...

I have no clue. I swear, no clue.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Essential iron? 

[Netfoot]

1 minute ago, Superclam said:

Essential iron? 

🤣 And zinc too!  

But the question is, how many were in there when I started drinking the cuppa?

[Mr. Sparkle]

I hope you don't find out tomorrow! 

[Netfoot]

Okay, been looking at something like this for a card:

The name Splintered Dreams was one of about 15 suggested by ChatGPT, after I explained what I wanted and asked for ideas. I chose that one because I considered that most of the stuff I dream up ends up as splinters and sawdust on the floor. I can't see Sawdusted Dreams making any sense (but Sawdust City was another suggestion made by the AI), so hence the name I chose. The yellow coloured background is because the cards I've previously had printed were yellow but I have a choice of colours available to me like orange, purple, blue, pink, red, green & turquoise. In fact, I'm thinking of having a dozen of each colour printed so as to establish that no particular colour is representative.

I would really appreciate any comments on the name, particularly if there is a good reason not to use it. Like, say, it is the name of a well-known group of political extremists or something like that.

The fonts are all Google fonts so they are in my computer for editing further documents, and they can be displayed on the web. The majority of it is a font called "Permanent Marker" with the phrase Woodworker's Creed: in "Condiment". These were pretty much decided in advance since it's what I've had on the sign & cards I've handed out to date.

The new name is in a font called "Black Ops One" and was chosen because it looks fairly conventional but it is a stencil font. I wanted a stencil font because I may choose to use the scroll saw to cut the letters out of a board and leave the vacant spaces behind. If I do this, I will need a stencil font otherwise the centers of the A, E, D and P letters will simply fall out. There are prettier stencil fonts out there, but I thought I would avoid putting excessive strain on my scroll sawing ability.

At some stage I may build a web page, and if so, I will have the next batch of cards printed with a QR code on the back that leads to that web page. And perhaps a large QR code for use on my display. But for now I will keep it simple.

Comments please! I will try to get a small number of these printed tomorrow afternoon, so I need to hear about the political extremists (or what ever) before I go and do that.

Someone has called up and said they want to come and buy some stuff from me at home, tomorrow. (I hate when people do this and after talking with the other vendors they all do too. But a sale is a sale, after all.) If this does not fall through I will have a little cash to burn at the supermarket. So good times, I hope!

[andidante]

6 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

 

  comments on the name, particularly if there is a good reason not to use it. Like, say, it is the name of a well-known group of political extremists or something like that.

Comments please! I will try to get a small number of these printed tomorrow afternoon, so I need to hear about the political extremists (or what ever) before I go and do that.

 

From what I can see, there is no political issues. There is a book called Splintered Dreams: A Guide to the Apocalypse. There is also an album by someone named Rick Street called Splintered Dreams. I think you are safe to use the name unless someone finds something else before tomorrow. 

[Netfoot]

In bed, soaking wet from my shower. Lying here hoping for a cooling/drying breeze from the window but there is hardly a breath. And the fan is not moving much air. This usually means I have to take the screens off and wash them to get off the ultra-fine dust that builds up.and clogs them.

Mo was outside barking at something (there is nothing notable to see) but I whistled him in and he came running. But after waiting a minute to see if there would be a treat, he has returned to the outdoors and is barking again. One of these days the neighbors will poison him. It's rare but it does happen occasionally.

Did bugger all today, and I've just remembered I should have put out the wheelie bin, but forgot. Well, I'm not getting up and going out to do that now. 

Of course, I will have to get up eventually, because I will need to lock up the house. And a short while after that Mo (who has just arrived back in bed) will wake me to let him out like he did at 2:09 last night. (He's gone again.)

I need to get to work tomorrow and start making stuff. Phone stands, toaster tongs, etc. But tomorrow is yet another day when I will spend half the day doing other stuff. Got to greet a guy and sell him some stuff, then go bank the money, then do some shopping. And got to print and cut out some cards.

And at some point, I need to put on the ruler/scale on the table saw.

Mo is really barking a ridiculous amount, so I will have to fetch him inside and lock up. I was planning on a late cup of tea but the time got away and I never brewed one up. And I'm not going to do so now. 

He's back again, but for how long, I don't know...

[Netfoot]

Last few days. I've been working on a small project on evenings, working with small (modeling sized) hand tools. I cut the six main pieces to size on the tablesaw, but the rest has been done mostly by hand.

It isn't all that pretty, but it will suffice for purpose.

It's made from some 6mm birch plywood, which is overkill. 4mm would have been fine, but a sheet of 4mm birch ply is $49.99 and it is 4' x 8' -- way more than I would need.

All the box joints (on all 12 vertices) were cut by hand using a razor saw, and carved to exact size with a sharp blade. What may not be easily  noticeable is that each joint is glued and pinned with cross-pins of wood. Cross-pinning makes the joints very resilient. 

Look and you should see the ends of the pins, cut flush and sanded smooth.  The pins go in horizontally as well as vertically. There are 44 wooden pins in total.

And why have I built this? Remember some days ago Mo stole my Beall tap and matching Forstner bit, and chewed the tap's container to bits?

Now I have a new, sturdy container for the tap, and it has room for the Forstner bit as well! Each piece has it's own slot to keep it from rattling about side to side, wood blocks on the inside of the box stop the pieces from sliding back and forth too much, and a crossbar in the lid (just visible) stops the pieces from rattling up and down.

The lid is a lift-off type, because I don't have any small hinges or closures. I am thinking I should buy a batch from Amazon, but...

Now, I'm contemplating staining the wood. Probably black, because I have black stain. Not the iron stain I make, but some actual black stain that I used on my black walking staffs. (You wouldn't believe how many people believe there is such a thing as "Chinese Black bamboo", LOL!) I just don't know how this will look, once the stain has been applied. Maybe I will test on a scrap and then decide.

Of course, over-built as this is, there is no way it would survive for long if Mo got his choppers on it.... The little rascal woke me four times in the night! What is it Dr. K. calls him? Oh yes: A Handsome Ruffian.

[Spunkygal]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Last few days. I've been working on a small project on evenings, working with small (modeling sized) hand tools. I cut the six main pieces to size on the tablesaw, but the rest has been done mostly by hand.

It isn't all that pretty, but it will suffice for purpose.

It's made from some 6mm birch plywood, which is overkill. 4mm would have been fine, but a sheet of 4mm birch ply is $49.99 and it is 4' x 8' -- way more than I would need.

All the box joints (on all 12 vertices) were cut by hand using a razor saw, and carved to exact size with a sharp blade. What may not be easily  noticeable is that each joint is glued and pinned with cross-pins of wood. Cross-pinning makes the joints very resilient. 

Look and you should see the ends of the pins, cut flush and sanded smooth.  The pins go in horizontally as well as vertically. There are 44 wooden pins in total.

And why have I built this? Remember some days ago Mo stole my Beall tap and matching Forstner bit, and chewed the tap's container to bits?

Now I have a new, sturdy container for the tap, and it has room for the Forstner bit as well! Each piece has it's own slot to keep it from rattling about side to side, wood blocks on the inside of the box stop the pieces from sliding back and forth too much, and a crossbar in the lid (just visible) stops the pieces from rattling up and down.

The lid is a lift-off type, because I don't have any small hinges or closures. I am thinking I should buy a batch from Amazon, but...

Now, I'm contemplating staining the wood. Probably black, because I have black stain. Not the iron stain I make, but some actual black stain that I used on my black walking staffs. (You wouldn't believe how many people believe there is such a thing as "Chinese Black bamboo", LOL!) I just don't know how this will look, once the stain has been applied. Maybe I will test on a scrap and then decide.

Of course, over-built as this is, there is no way it would survive for long if Mo got his choppers on it.... The little rascal woke me four times in the night! What is it Dr. K. calls him? Oh yes: A Handsome Ruffian.

 Netfoot’s a genius! I love it!

[Netfoot]

It's five to four and I have done virtually nothing all day. 

I sold $120 worth of stuff this morning, at around 10:30. Then I slung Mo in the car and set off for the mall across the street. 

First, I had new cards printed. I took eight coloured pieces of card stock, but the print guy advised that the red, navy blue and dark green sheets were a waste of time. He pointed out that the black ink from the printer would be very difficult to see on dark card stock. So I settled for five different coloured sheets, a dozen cards each. It will be a while before 60 cards run out. I mean, it isn't like people are beating a path to my stand, begging for a card! 

Later, I thought that since I could have asked for a colour print, all I would need was a copy of the sheet with white (indtead instead of black) lettering. I must talk to that guy and see if that would work. 

Next the bank, to deposit the money from this morning, and the hardware store to get a little keyring. 

This little torpedo storage unit came with a ring on it, but it was very flimsy. I replaced that with a smaller but sturdier ring, and will add a snap-hook. Every Saturday when I go to Brighton, I have to remember to take one of my pill boxes with my morning meds. Last Saturday when I returned home, the box was not to be found! With this black container I can snap the pills to my keychain so the pills won't be left behind by accident (which has happened one time) and the container can't get lost. 

On to the supermarket. No sooner we arrived in the parking lot, Mo released a prodigious fart that fogged up the windshield and threatened to blister the paint on the instrument binnacle. Believe me when I say I shopped fast and hurried him home at top speed! I spent the $120 on pasta, rice, Idaho potatoes, onions, cucumbers, red butter, cheddar (English rather than NZ, for a change), pigeon peas and red kidney beans in tins, six tins of corned beef (they had a special price, 50¢ off each tin), milk and sugar, and if there was anything else, I've forgotten about it. Oh, six tiny tins of mackerel in tomato sauce, which can be stirred into Mo's chow as a sweetener.

We got home "in time" and thank goodness. The last time I had to deal with an accident in the car was the day Buddy came home. Little Bud graced me with two deposits, one from each end, both teeming with round-worms. Yeeech!

While we speak of puppies, I will just say that yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Dotty's passing. I think of him often. He was a very loveable boy. Anyone who ever met him agrees he was an angel. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

To bed, after a dinner of rice with things in it, like cucumber, carrots, cabbage, corned beef & cayenne. Lunch was macaroni with a very simple sauce. 

Mo is looking out the window, but every few minutes he runs out and there is a flurry of barking. It only takes someone to walk past the house on their way home. Hell, truth be told, it only takes a cloud to move across the sky a little bit and my little Mohican is immediately on the warpath!

Found a 12" blade for my recip-saw and tried cutting a mahogany log. After about 30 minutes with the log only halfway cut, I gave up. That's when Mo and I went out. I will return to it tomorrow but at the going rate it will take me all day to cut the ends off and divide the remainder in two. The problem is, it's a fine-toothed blade. 

When you are cutting a big chunk of wood, you generate lots of sawdust and this needs a place to go. Normally, it collects in the "gullets" of the blade - the scooped out area in front of each tooth - and is carried out of the log to fall on the floor.

But the blade I have has tiny little gullets because it is such a fine-toothed blade. What's more, unlike a bandsaw or table saw, the blade does not exit the wood and re-enter it with each rotation. Because a reciprocating saw does not rotate. The blade strokes back and forth about 1 to 1½ inches per stroke. So when cutting something a foot thick, the teeth in the middle (or more to the point, the gullets in the middle) move back and forth but never exit the wood. So the sawdust accumulates in the gullets until they are full and never has a chance to fall out on the floor, emptying the gullets. And with the gullets all clogged, the saw won't cut. The answer is less teeth and therefore larger gullets. But the blades for this saw are in the region of $100 each.

Mo snuggling, my eyes closing, door still open so I guess I'd better go close that. After a couple carb-heavy days, I will test blood sugar tomorrow. Last time I was at 4.2 mmol/L so let's hope we didn't go a whole lot higher than that!

ETA: Popped out to check something and put the music player to random. Got You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Nights) from Bat Out Of Hell by Meatloaf.

Forgot to buy raisins for my oatmeal!

Edited May 23, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I am an idiot.

14 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Later, I thought that since I could have asked for a colour print, all I would need was a copy of the sheet with white (instead of black) lettering.

It should have been immediately obvious that I couldn't just use a colour printer to print on dark paper using white ink. Colour printers generate white areas in their prints by not using ink, so the underlying white paper shows through.

If I wanted, I'd have to use a different colour such as pale yellow or light blue or something like that. Or print the dark background colour onto white stock.

All of which is far too much work for a lazy guy to actually contemplate doing. I think the five colours I ended up with are more than enough to give the "rainbow of colours" idea to any observer.

But now I come to think of it, I may not want to put the "rainbow of colours" idea into anyone's head...

I'm up early because there is a guy who has set up a little stall just outside my front wall to sell drinks if some sort to passing motorists. This morning being a little damp, he has set up an umbrella which is visible over the top of the wall. Mo objects strongly and vociferously to this! Very vociferously!

Edited May 23, 2023 by Netfoot