Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

No movement with my package since it arrived in the destination zip code at 2:11 this morning. It's minutes to midday. Surely that should be in a truck and "Out For Delivery?"

Guess what I found?

I've looked here several times since this went missing, so I'm assuming he had it stashed somewhere and moved it to here since my last check.

It may look completely frazzled but it still scours pots like it was brand new. I remember the old Brillo pads. They were rusty by the second use and would disintegrate by the end of the week. Since I discovered these Stainless Steel scourers, it has been a game changer. They last for months (if not half-inched by your son) and when you do throw them away it will most likely be because it has gotten grungy. Not because it is worn out in any way.

Glue-ups continue. I've got #6 in the clamps now, and will pull that out in 15-20 minutes. Then only #7 and #8 still to do. Unfortunately, since I'm using the table saw as a work surface, I can't do anything else with it until the last one comes out of the clamps between four and half-past. And honestly, I'm enjoying the day off. Weather permitting we will go to the club tomorrow so nothing will get done after around 1:30.

Good news! I think I've found the material for the leg stretchers; eight pieces 1x4" and 25" long. I've been gluing together 4" boards to make a 12" board. But now, I will cut 12" boards down to make 4" boards!

You are probably wondering why I'm gluing up 4" boards if I had 12" boards to hand. Answer: because the 12" boards were cracked and split. But I can "cut around" the cracks and splits to get clean 4"ers. And the width can be a little less than 4" if necessary to make this work. Also, thinking of "beautifying" some of them. Will try a few ideas on scrap wood and see what I think.

Nearly time to glue up another top (#7). Then chow for Raffles and a pot of rice for me!

[Netfoot]

I'm a complete idiot and deserve all I get.

The USPS website told me that my package had reached the distribution center at 2:11 this morning. I spent the day rechecking their site hoping to see the status go to Our For Delivery and then Delivered. But no change all day, and now at 11:22 there is still no change.

Here comes the stupid bit.

At 8:30 this evening, I thought to check my forwarder's website. And there, posted at 9:30 this morning, was a message saying the package had been received, and would I please authorize transshipment? The package was sitting there for eleven hours waiting for onward shipment to be approved, and I failed to notice for all that time. So, instead of the package being processed today and maybe stuck on a flight this weekend, nothing happens until Monday. 

😡

Well, the table top boards are glued up and ready for planing and final shaping. That process took me two whole days. Working in artificial light I also rough cut eight boards that I will convert into leg stretchers. So apart from the dowels, all parts are accounted for.  To buy them will cost about $75, therefore I must explore some options to make my own. Might have to buy some hardware but hopefully a lot less than $75!

Mo snoozing near the door, while Elton sings All The Girls Love Alice, a song which I recently discovered was far darker than I'd previously realized! Mozzies are eating me alive, so I am forced to turn to a spray can of Off! for some respite.

Cool breeze in the window, but I think I need to take another shower. I'll go do that now, then shut up the house and retire once more to read and snuggle my puppy until the candle burns low. May post a picture of a cute puppy, if he allows me to take one...

[Netfoot]

Ok, Mr. Noisy has been going for most of the day. I've planed 8 table top boards, 8 bottom stretchers, 16 legs, and 16 support boards. Both faced, which means 96 faces. Each face went through the plane about 10 times, but the top boards went through at least 16 times to reduce thickness to ⅝". That's over a thousand passes through the planer. The top boards took longer because they are almost the full width of the planer, and are unweildy in comparison to the other pieces. I can pick up four legs, or stretchers, or supports, hold them in my hands as I feed them through the machine one by one, put them down and grab four more before continuing. Tht tops had to be done one by one, and because each top is made up of three boards edge-glued together, the three parts were not perfectly aligned in thickness. So they had to go through the planer more times. 

It wouldn't be so bad, were I trying to make do with some beat up old wood, instead of buying fresh, new wood the appropriate size.

About halfway through, I heard someone using a hand-saw next door.  Peeking through the fence, I saw a guy ripping boards by hand. He had about a dozen boards about 16 inches long. He was not cutting across the boards, he was ripping them along their length.

I called out to him and told him to bring the boards and come. He said he had to rip all of them from about 3¾“ down to 3". I set the fence at 3" on the table saw, and bzzzt! The board was cut, clean, smooth, straight and accurate. Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! ...all done. In about 30 seconds. Guy picked his jaw offthe floor, took his boards and left. I enjoyed those 30 seconds more than anything I've done in the last 3-4 days. Not counting puppy-cuddles. 

Now I've found the stacked dado set, I'm itching to go play with it. Instead I am trapped in table mode. 

Lunch today was supposed to be peanut butter on crackers. Then I remembered that just recently, someone stole the pot of peanut butter, burst it open outside and scattered/smeared the stuff all over the lawn. So lunch was crackers on their own. The worst part was that The Hot Breath complained bitterly that his share of my lunch wasn't up to his standard, due to lack of... well, peanut butter, for example.

I think I will go out and see what I can do about making my own 1⅛" dowels. No idea how, but I will poke about and see how I manage.

[Netfoot]

It's only just gone eight PM and I'm in bed. I'm feeling really whacked.

Can't figure a simple way to make 1⅛" dowels, and each table needs a dowel of its own. Why 1⅛"? Well, no particular reason, other than in my opinion, 1⅛“ gives the best feel in the hand. Looking around I realized I had four 1" dowels that I might use. To go and buy the 1⅛" dowels will cost me $17+ each! So I will use the 1" dowels instead and should I need to build more tables, new 1" dowels will only cost me $9.95 to buy. Eventually, I will be in the correct space where I can build up some jigs and fixtures to simplify working with the tools. Hopefully with good quality plywood, like Baltic birch or aircraft grade. Then I will go to the trouble of building a sophisticated dowel making jig and make my own dowels.

Hoping to go to the club tomorrow afternoon with baby Mo. He is going stir-crazy and so am I. Fingers crossed for nice weather.

Dinner tonight was home made soup. Starting with chicken stock, I added tomatoes and beans, and seasoned with cayenne and rosemary. It would have been great with toast but alas, no bread. So I opened another packet of crackers which in small pieces, added a little crunch to each spoonful of the soup. One moment I was thinking I'd made too much, and the next moment the bowl was mysteriously empty. A significant portion of the crackers, soup-dunked, went to THB.

Obviously, no movement on the package. It's the weekend. They will get around to it on Monday morning. Unless the weekend was tiring, in which case it will be Tuesday. 

Ballerina Girl by Lionel Richie & The Commodores plays. I will turn to my book in a minute. Mo has just arrived and his face is covered in cobwebs. I shudder to think what he might have been up to. He is now attacking the phone and the hand that uses it. 

Ok, book for a chapter or two, then the Garden Patrol, then a shower maybe. Mo just gave a bark and a snarl and departed with rocket-assist. Dunno who he saw, but it doesn't matter. It could be Mother Theresa and she would be in the wrong for walking past Mo's house.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

[Netfoot]

So far this morning, all I've done is repair my spectacles. For maybe the 8th or 9th time. Each time, the glue fogs the  lenses more and more. Can barely see through the right hand lens any more!

This is all the milled and sanded wood from yesterday's efforts. 

Doesn't look like much. But it left a snowstorm in the garage. On the saw,.

In the crosscut sled,

And on the floor.

Gonna have to get the ShopVac out. And gotta get that dust collector working, too!

Mo insisted in sleeping outside last night. Until about a quarter past five. Then the annoying barking under the bedroom window began. Mo is a very clever little boy. Dotty and Buddy never worked it out for themselves and had to be shown. Now, I wish there was a way to make Mo forget.....

But daddy gets kisses!

And daddy needs to shave.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Went up to the club today, and Mo went total Rocket-Boy immediately. I tried to get a video, but he shot off up the track and disappeared. A minute or two later, he came rocketing back, and I still couldn't get him on video, but I was able to get this snap of him rocketing back.

There was a bit of excitement on the way home, but I will give details in a later post.

A lovely day, so much so that there was hardly any sunset because there was hardly any cloud.

Five aircraft took to the air. There was one crask crash that resulted in no damage whatsoever to the model. 

Loveliest flier today was this electric powered glider. A spectacular launch using a dolly, a near-vertical climbout, then power off and fly around for ages using thermals to keep aloft. 

That is a 5M wingspan. Yes, five meters. More than 16 feet.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

When we go about in the car, Mo is on a lead. It allows him to move around between the front passenger seat and the rear seat, but prevents him getting into my lap while I'm driving. Well, he can still get into my lap - see below.

The two front seats have electric windows, with the switches to operate them mounted in the armrests on the doors. The right (driver's) armrest has switches to control both windows, but the left (passenger) side has one switch only, controlling only the window on that side. The driver's side also has a button that disables the passenger switch.

I open Mo's window a few inches, so he can poke his head out as we drive along. This allows him to bark excitedly at every pedestrian we pass. But he stands on the armrest, inevitably pressing the button and lowering the window from a few inches, to wide open. For this reason, I have to keep the button pressed to lock out that switch on his armrest.

After a very pleasant evening at the club, we set off home, using our alternate route. Kevin's Crossroad, aeroport, highway and home. This evening, as I turned onto the highway by the aeroport, Mo fell out the window! 

I immediately shit a brick, and hammered on the brakes. We had only just come off the roundabout and were traveling slowly, so the car stopped in 20-25 feet. 

I was sure he was a gonner. I thought he might have broken his neck, with the collar and lead acting as a noose. Failing that, he must surely have been run over by the van. Or, if he managed to escape the collar, he would be wandering the highway, waiting for the first car to come along and run him over! At very least, he would be injured from being dragged.

I jumped out of the car and raced around to the other side to see what had happened.

Mo was standing next to the van, with a bewildered expression on his face. He was completely unharmed! At worst, he was a little shaken by the experience, and nothing else.

I picked him up and put him back through the window. Returning to the driver's seat, we continued home in the normal way. 

It seems the window lock button had not been depressed on my side of the van (mea culpa), he had stood on the switch, lowered his window, and leant out far enough to go tumbling @sshole over breakfast, out of the car.

On the remainder of the journey he found a way to get into my lap, by reversing into it. I didn't object too much because I thought he might like a little reassurance after the incident. I certainly did.

Got him home and examined him from the tip of his tail to the sweet nosie. No cuts, scratches, abrasions or any sign of injury whatsoever. I poked and squeezed gently at every inch off him. Nowhere seems to hurt, he appears completely normal in every way. He ate his dinner with gusto, demanded some of mine, stole a Croc, was running around when we did our Garden Patrol, jumped into bed a short while ago and have me a very sweet cuddle, then departed again, all as usual. He gives every indication that he is perfectly fine. I'm watching him very closely, and if there is the slightest sign of an injury I will take every step to ensure he is properly looked after. 

In the mean time, I think I will remove the door panel and physically disconnect the wires to that switch on his armrest. Then, I will be able to control the window from my side, but there will be no way for him to lower that glass again, no matter how long he stands on that switch.

I can hear him barking at the moon from here. I will go out in a minute and check on him again.

After the racket all day yesterday, I decided to take a rest from noisy woodworking today for the neighbors sake. All I did today was glue up some wood scraps in pairs, and I'm leaving them overnight to let the glue cure.

Tomorrow first thing, I will use the band saw to cut them into specific shape. Then I will get back to the tables. 

Dinner tonight was rice with carrot, channa and a very small amount of corned beef. Spiced with cayenne, basil and a spoonful of Bajan seasoning, it tasted pretty good with a pat of red butter on top. The fact that I skipped lunch entirely probably enhanced the taste.

Quite tired. Will stop now. What will be first on the speaker when I press the button? The Boy With The Moon & Star On His Head by Cat Stevens. Check on Mo, lock, read a page or two and then choose the dark side!

No, really! He's fine!

Edited October 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

He's making himself comfortable.

[Netfoot]

This black, plastic thingy is a push-stick, which came with the saw.

You use a push-stick to advance wood into the blade, while keeping your fingers clear of said blade. Inevitably, push-sticks get chewed up at the business end, and have to be replaced.

Push-sticks come in all shapes and sizes, from basic to highly complex and/or stylish. I already made a pair which not only push the work forward but can hold the wood down as well.

Those pieces of scrap I glued up yesterday?

These need a little sanding to remove splinters but otherwise they are perfectly functional push-sticks made on the pattern of the original. They are better because when the business end gets chewed up, the end can be recut to give a new push-stick that is only a little shorter. This uses wood that would otherwise be thrown away. 

This is a puppy. 

He is in good health, high spirits and congenial frame of mind. He slept with me last night, snuggled and cuddled untile until 5-ish when he demanded to be let out, roused the entire neighborhood, then returned to bed. 

He is fine. Will continue to observe him to make sure he is well. I do this every day normally.

Now, let's get back to the tables, and see how we can progress the build.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Back to the tables. There are 16 legs and 16 supports that need to be cut to a shallow point at one end, by making two 22½° cuts. So 32 boards at 2 cuts each, or 64 exactly similar cuts. That could take ages!

I made one careful 22½° cut across a small piece of plywood. This gave me two pieces with a 22½° cut in each. I put one aside. Another bit of plywood was squared up and a mahogany runner glued to the bottom. With the angled piece glued to the top, I can hold the leg (or support) board against the angle, bzzzt, flip it over, bzzzt and the end is cut to the desired shallow point. 

To ensure the point was in the center, I brought up the fence with a wooden  stop-block clamped to it, and above the bottom board (so it will slide freely under). Bring the leg/support up until the corner touches the block before each cut, and the point automatically centers. Providing the end was square to start with, which I made sure it was.  By adjusting the distance of the fence I was able to get the centered, shallow point without losing more than ¹/¹⁶" of length off the end.

Now I'm thinking that the other (bottom) end of the leg is also to be cut to a point with two 22½° cuts but with the point off-center so it is about ⅓ to ¼ of the way from one edge. And obviously all the legs need to be cut to the same length. So I am considering adding another stop-block at just the right position so that the cutting of the foot-end of the leg can be as speedy as the top end. Two stop-blocks actually, to give the offset to the resulting point.

Ideally, I want a series of jigs that accommodate trimming to length and shape of both ends of both legs and supports. Better yet, one jig that does it all! With that, I could prep the stock to width and thickness, and then use the jig to cut all four legs and all four supports to shape and length, in 2-3 minutes per table. 

I have to give the design some thought. There are two angles involved, and four lengths. I may have to ditch my current jig and start over. But I won't do that now. I will expand my current jig as far as it will go, meanwhile moving towards finishing the four tables in progress. I will also need a drilling guide for the dowels, but that is another issue. 

If the four tables are positively received and there is a need to make more, then I will spend a couple of days (if necessary) making up a new super-jig that will allow me to cut everything in extra quick time. The experience of using this jig will stand me in good stead should the super-jig be needed. 

Expect to finish cutting all leg and support boards quickly tomorrow. Got to go out and buy some ⅜" dowels. I was shocked to learn what they want for a dowel plate on Amazon! Left me wondering if I shouldn't try to make one.

I was hungry around midday so I had two glasses of iced water for lunch instead of one. I'm contemplating rice with a difference tonight. I will cook plain rice (well, it will obviously have a spoonful of Bajan seasoning in it) and a separate dish of beans with onion, cabbage, beef, etc. Then I will have rice on the plate with meaty beans on top. By cooking only plain rice with no channa, etc, I should be able to cook enough rice for two meals without overflowing the little pot. Also, it's been a while since I had  dumplings so I may cook a simple soup and add some to that.

Edited October 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Dinner was as previously described. Meaty bean stew seasoned with cayenne and cilantro over plain rice. Tasted fine and really hit the spot after I skipped lunch. Even plain rice tastes great with a spoonful of Bajan seasoning in the pot as it cooks. 

Only mistake was, as a creature of habit I only put the ingredients for one meal in the rice pot, so I don't have any ready-cooked for tomorrow. Mind you, with no microwave I don't know how I was planning to reheat it...

Once upon a time, I used to eat one large meal every 48 hours. Sometimes one meal every 24 hours. I can't tell you the number of people who told me how unhealthy that was. Including Dr. Kristi (who I have not seen for ages, now). But the time I spend cooking and eating two meals a day, I've always found it a waste of time. One meal every two days is really all you need. But you do tend to be a little hungry, going to bed on the evening of the first day...

Earlier this evening, Mo disappeared. He is very good at disappearing and always had been. Anyway, I went looking for him to give him a cuddle, which I do several times a day. And I couldn't find him. But I found out why he had disappeared...

This is my CG Machine. Extracted from it's safe place of storage, opened and contents on the floor in a heap. 

Aeroplanes must balance. If the Center of Gravity is too far forward the aircraft becomes ultra stable, making it difficult to maneuver. Stall speed also increases requiring higher speed to fly and land. Drag also increases, tending to reduce speed (just when more speed is needed) and increase fuel consumption. On the other hand, if the CG is too far aft, the aircraft becomes highly unstable and very difficult if not impossible to control. CG too far aft has crashed many a model and full-sized aircraft, and killed many people. I remember when I was a nipper the cabin crew would sometimes ask people to relocate to another part of the plane to alter the CG. (My first flight was in a Douglas Dakota DC-3 from Trinidad to Tobago. The Tobago strip was unpaved.)

There is usually a recommended range from furthest forward to furthest rearward to set your CG. This CG Machine is one of several ways to find out where the CG of your model is, and by adding weights in the nose or tail, adjust the CG to fall within acceptable range.

I picked up all the bits and assembled the machine to make sure it was all there and nothing was broken. It was fine, and while I was taking it apart and packing it away, Mo showed up with a contrite expression on his face. I gave his ridge a scratch and his head a tousle, and he gave me a kiss on the nose.

Later, during our Garden Patrol, I found this in the grass:

He is incorrigible. He is outside barking at the universe. He is such a sweet boy, despite his naughty nature. When I am working in the garage he tiptoes in, selects a small offcut of wood that has fallen on the floor, and tiptoes out again, with it in his mouth. I pretend not to notice. If he wants a little piece of scrap wood, I am happy for him to have it. So long as it isn't my phone stand. Which has remained untouched ever since I built a long strip, anticipating I would need to cut replacements on a fairly regular basis. 

Tomorrow I will go to the hardware store and buy the ⅜" dowels I need. I will be going with the 1" dowels I have for pivots and handles. Will also look at some carriage bolts in ¼-20. And see if I can obtain four with nuts or even wingnuts, and a couple small, cheap hinges. Useful for making the jig I'm inventing in my head.

Chuck key is now manifested and "Assigned to Next Flight". Don't get excited! It frequently goes from here to "Flight Delayed" and after that the system breaks down and you lose the ability to figure out where your package is and what's happening to it. So let's just hope there is a flight tomorrow (Tuesday) and it gets here and is released by the end of the week. But frankly, I'll settle for them not losing the contents of the package.

Caravan by Van Morrison (the Grandfather of Grump).

Just had a very welcome shower. Will read a bit then lock up and get some shut-eye. Mo just joined me in bed.

I'm getting into my book. The setting is so weird. The world of 2079 is very strange. A generation ago, America was devastated by the eruption of the Yellowstone super-volcano which buried about ⅓ of the country under 300 meters of ash and lava. The economy of every country in the world fell apart, with the USA suffering more than anyone else as a result of being closest to the eruption. Most young folks with no family fortune to support them sign themselves up for a period of indenture and end up virtual slaves for one megacorp or the other. Terrorism is a common occurrence and anti-terrorist services are constantly and visibly active on a daily basis. Everyone must attend frequent anti-terrorism seminars and those who do poorly on the accompanying examinations can expect the burden of daily life to become heavier as a result.

With this as a backdrop, lives our hero, an American indentured. Americans are universally hated because Yellowstone, which killed millions of people and  essentially destroyed the way of life of every surviving person on the planet, was an American volcano. He works at menial jobs at Pompeii, the entire ruined city of which has been turned into a huge theme-park. Now, we hear of small groups of people around the world contracting an unknown necrotizing, flesh-eating disease. The only thing these people have in common is that they all recently visited the Pompeii theme-park...

[Netfoot]

I've modified my jig. First of all I screwed on this long extension with a doo-hicky on the end. More later. 

Also, I screwed on this small wood block with the X on it. 

Pushing a leg up to the right until the corner touches the block, the cut can be made at 22½°. Flipping the board over and repeating the procedure will rest result in a flattened point.

This procedure is good for one end of each leg, and one end of each support. That is half the shaping.

The block should be adjustable left/right as the double-headed arrow indicates. The adjustment will support legs/supports of different widths. The centering of the shallow point is not affected, but the amount of waste that is lost will vary, so an adjustment is desirable. Never know when I will decide to make one of these out of mahogany, right?

Edited October 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Now, the long thing sticking out carries a stop-block. With the previously cut shallow point touching the stop block, 

A cut can be made which will add a long 22½° facet to the other end. 

Then by flipping the hinged piece out of the way, the stop-block is effectively moved out a fixed amount.

Turning the board over allows for a short 22½° facet can be cut.

That completes the second end of each leg. The stop-block arm (or the stop-block itself) should he adjustable to allow for longer or shorter legs for tables of different heights. At present it is screwed in a fixed position.

[Netfoot]

Using the jig, I was able to cut the foot of each leg (16 of them) in 7:14. The top ends with the shallow point had been previously been cut. 

Here are the legs, stacked side by side on the top of the saw.

The eagle-eyed will notice that one leg (#6 from the left) is mysteriously short. I have no idea how this happened! And I now find myself one leg short (heh!) For the completion of the fourth table. 

But there is a very tiny silver lining. Have a close look at the end of the short leg.

Notice a large crack on the bottom which also runs up the side of the keg leg. I wouldn't have been able to use this leg anyway. 

So there is some positive news in that the jig will allow rapid finishing of prepared leg and support boards. However, the second end of the support boards also needs to be cut and I will need to devise a separate jig or possibly an addition to the same jig to complete that.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Puppy and I went out to make a few purchases this morning. ⅜" dowels, and so forth. 

Here he is, giving everyone we go near a loud, imperative greeting.

And here is his foot, on the suicide switch!

I have to get this panel off and disable the switch. Hopefully, without destroying the car in the process!

I wish Raf was here. He is the wizard with cars!

[Netfoot]

Addition to the jig:

When this is flipped down on the hinge, the precut shallow pointed end of the support can be butted up against it:

This allows the supports to be cut square (90°) at 14½" easily and repeatably. 

Only thing the jig can't do (yet) is make the final 45° cut on the square end of the support. I can't think of a straightforward way of doing that with a simple addition to the jig. I think if I had given enough thought to this when I started building the jig, I would be able to incorporate it easy enough. But in the mean time I will make the last 45° cuts manually, taking care not to screw up, and then look at boring the holes for the large (1") dowels.

[Netfoot]

A simple, 45° cut across the corner of a scrap piece of plywood, and a block of wood clamped at just the right place. Rides against fence. The support board is offered up so the corner  touches the block. Bzzzt! Last 45° cut is done.

All boards now cut on both ends, and ready for drilling.

I have to design and build a jig to drill the dowel holes consistently. The legs need two holes, one at the top (end with flat point) and one at the center point. The support boards also require one hole at the flat point end.

Once all holes are drilled, then the sanding will begin.

Edited October 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

A few posts back I mentioned a leg that mysteriously ended up shorter than all the rest. A leg with a crack at the bottom. Well, I was able to cut a good 32" piece out if the middle of a 96" 2x4, and thanks to the jig, turned it into a leg in about 10 minutes.

If you look back at the photo of the 16 short support boards, you will see one that has a very rough surface. It is 4th from left. It is so rough I wouldn't like to try and sand it out. So I retrieved the cracked leg from the junk pile. I will cut it down and make a replacement support board.

I did not have iced water for lunch today. I had iced tea! And it was quite sugary so it gave me the energy I need. Dinner was my last packet of 45¢ Ramen soup. The price jumped to 99¢ right after I bought. 

Anyway, I will make a pot of rice or of macaroni elbows for lunch tomorrow, with corned beef, onion and maybe some beans or some tomato. Or beans and tomato. Or maybe I'll just have sugary iced tea. If I'm making progress with the woodwork I probably won't want to take the time to cook and to eat.

Coming Into Los Angeles by Arlo Guthrie, recorded at Woodstock. 

Heard from Dr. Kristi. She was traveling overseas, which is why I got my last prescription from Dr. Gabby. But she is back now. She got in touch to enquire about my "crazy dog." Don't know when I will see her next and get a chance to ask about her trip. 

Will pop out later and see if I can acquire the latest episode of TAR. Won't watch tonight, though. Will save it for tomorrow.

Common People by William Shatner. Yep. Captain Kirk. Produced by Ben Folds, this is a cover of the original by Pulp (with Jarvis Cocker on vocals). The spoken-word delivery of The Shat is juxtaposed with the singing voice of Joe Jackson results in a duet which is surprisingly good! Even JC praised the cover.

Mosie is here getting tummy rubs. Ooof! Now he is alternating between leaning on my ribs with his elbows, and playing trampoline on my tummy.

Now he peeped through the window and shot off outside again. 

So as I was saying, I'll attempt to acquire the latest episode before going off to sleep, but I will read my book now. 

[Netfoot]

Got up this morning and cut down the cracked leg into two support boards. Don't need two but it was made so easy with the jig that I used the full length of the leg and so I now have a spare support.

Was going to start on drilling the 1" holes for the dowels, but turned to the table tops instead. Used the crappy jointing sled I made (gotta dump that and do a better one ASAP!) I straightened one edge of each board, then trimmed the other edge parallel. Some boards were wide than others. Rather than trim them all to the lowest denominator, I paired them and trimmed each pair as wide as I could. 

Next, using my trammel, I scribed a curve on the end of each pair. On the bandsaw I cut as close as I dared to that line and then to my lathe-powered disk sander. With a new sanding disk, I sanded down exactly to the line. The table tops are now done, apart from final sanding.

In the midst of this, I nipped to the bathroom, kicking my Crocs off in the passage. As you do. On the way back, only one Croc was to be found.

You know as well as I did who had it!

When I approached, he retreated. When I retired, hobbling with one shoe on, he returned with the Croc to tempt me. 

Leading me further away with each foray, the little scamp was having a great old time, but much as I love him and enjoy playing games with him, I just wasn't ready to spend the morning chasing footwear.

So I resorted to some dastardly cheating. I gave him his lunch. 

While he was chowing down, i retrieved my errant shoe. He was not pleased at being outmaneuvered. 

But that's too bad for him. I will make up for it later with mega-cuddles, but I must get on! Going to cook some lunch and then devise a hole-boring jig.

[Netfoot]

Simple jig built to constrain the shallow point of a board and hold it still for the 1" Forstner bit. It clamps to the drill press table. It is a modification of the jig I built for Heidi's table but adjusted because the legs of this table are a slightly different width.

The hole must be equidistant from all faces of the end. Both sides and both 22½° facets. This point took some working out and once marked on a board, the jig was positioned so the bit decends directly onto that spot and clamped firm. From this point, each piece can be placed in the jig, pushed up to touch the block at the end, and drilled.

It took an hour to get it all set up but after that the holes were quick to drill. It took me longer to put down the last boards, pick up the next one and fit it to the jig, than to drill the actual hole.

Here are the 17 support boards (16 plus one spare) drilled and fitted on to a 1" dowel. 

(When I look at this I have an urge to make something.  Maybe a heavy, wood work-table. There are so many things I would love to make, like a storage chest, a clothes horse using bentwood laminations...)

Now, with the jig unmoved, the same setup will be used to drill the hole in the top end of the legs. But I'm an old timer and have to take a rest before drilling the top holes in the legs. Glass of water and all that.

I will also have to drill holes in the center of each leg. The same jig should be good enough, but it will have to be carefully repositioned and reclamped in the correct location before they can be drilled. The second hole must be centered on the leg and the same distance from the first on each leg. If not, the table will be wonky. 

Puppy is helping my efforts by lying on the steps so I have to step over him while ascending or descending, carrying a pile of boards in my arms.  What a sweet boy!

[Netfoot]

Ok, the top pivot holes on the legs have been drilled and all fit symmetrically on a  1" dowel.

I spent some time with pencil and combination square, marking up the right spot for the other pivot hole. I made a little punch hole with an awl, right on the spot (bottom left). 

Now, with a ¹/¹⁶" bit in the drill press, I lower the quill and move the jig so that the drill bit drops straight in the awl hole. Then the jig is clamped on the table, the quill lowered again to check the bit still drops in the hole and adjustments made until it does. Then the clamps are drawn up tight and the ¹/¹⁶“ bit swapped out for the 1" Forstner bit. At that point, all the boards can be drilled, one after another, for the dowel. 

Now look at the other board. It's the support board I rejected because if how rough it looked. Using it as a guinea pig, I cut two chamfers on the bottom edges of the board. Did it on the table saw. Took one minute to set up. When I did the table for Heidi I wanted to keep all the edges sharp and crisp. But that is a choice, not a requirement. An alternative would be chamfers as shown. The top edges which attach to the underside of the table would be left square. But the bottom edges of the supports and all four edges of the legs can be chamfered. 

An alternative to the chamfer would be to set up my router and run the boards past one of these round-over bits. (They look like crap but they are still sharp enough to cut my finger when I handled them just now.) The choice would be either ¼“ or ⅜" round-over, or a flat chamfer of width determined by the fence in the saw, or a crisp edge.  Interested in your opinion.

As I have been going in and out and up/down the steps, Mo has been lying stretched out fofvmevto for me to step over. He started on the tip top step and each time I went past he had moved down one step from the last time. Most recently, he was on the very bottom step, then he vanished like magic. But fear not! He will reappear soon. It's nearly dinner time, after all...

Edited October 19, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Done! All 16 legs (four tables) drilled at top and center. Holes line up perfectly and an appropriately sized dowel slips through with ease. I pushed each leg onto the stack and there was no binding.

It's a real pleasure when you devise a method for doing a job, and it works out just like you planned 

Ok, this means the woodwork is essentially done. The leg stretchers have to be cut to length but the length will be determined by the spacing of the legs, which I won't know for sure until assembly begins. I also have to drill holes up from under the supports and into the table tops for attachment screws. Again, best wait until assembly is under way. And the stretchers will need to have shallow pockets drilled as well so their attachment screws can be covered with plugs. But essentially all the woodwork is done. All that remains now, is sanding.

And sanding.

And sanding.

So I guess I know what I will be doing tomorrow.

[Netfoot]

Just back from Garden Patrol, where I recovered an expensive roll of tape that had been thoroughly chewed, then left out for the rain to fall upon.

Had a very necessary shower, now I'm lying under the window, still damp. The breeze is cool, but very light. Listening to Day After Day by Texas. I like Sharleen Spiteri! Why a Scottish musician would call her band "Texas" is obscure.

Rice with black beans for lunch. Bannock with red beans for dinner. The second part of the bannock was eaten with pancake syrup as a desert. Mo likes his bannock either way, but preferably portions of each. The last of the bannock and the beans went into the fridge for lunch tomorrow.

Package still "Assigned to Next Flight" which could easily be next week. The last key I ordered was held in Florida for 6 days before being flown out. Then it was held here for another six days before it went to customs. (Who held it for 43 more days, but that doesn't apply to this latest package.) So it could be delayed 6 days there and another 6 days here before they decide to release it. It's already 72 days since I first ordered a replacement key...

So tomorrow I have an enormous job of sanding to do. And my back is killing me from today! I need a drum sander, like the Jet JWDS-1632. Only fifteen hundred bucks. Plus unknown shipping. Or the Grizzly G0458Z drum sander for only $1,050 plus another $240 shipping. So if you were wondering what to get me for Christmas, now you know!

I keep dreaming up ways to decorate and 'beautify' my tables. Scrollwork on the leg stretchers? Some fancy knotting on the handle? A profile taper to the legs? Or distal? A purpleheart accent strip along the edge of the table top? Or across it? Stain? I have some black and some red stain that I used on my bamboo walking sticks and some green stain that I've never used at all. But I think I will just get them finished and start a major cleanup of the bombsite  that used to be my garage. Plus a bit of rearranging, too. And maybe get dust-collection going.

Dunno what Mo is up to. Will go looking for him if he doesn't put in an appearance soon. May also get a cold drink. Feel like I need one.

Anyway, my book is awaiting my attention and the sooner I get to sleep the sooner I will find myself sanding. Yay! 🫤

[Netfoot]

Listening to some Oasis while a cool breeze in the window dries me from the shower. 

Mo has been sulking all day. This morning, maybe 10 minutes after a short but heavy shower of rain, I heard him calling me from the bedroom. I went in to see what he wanted. It was to show me how well my sheets and pillowcases wiped mud off his feet! I gave him a very stern talking to. 

Later, I glanced out to see another expensive roll of tape lying chewed, in a puddle. That was the third this week. Well I gave his botty one smack for that and the sulking began in earnest.

There was detente around lunchtime. He got his lunch as usual and he crawled out from under the far, ate it and crawled under again. Later, I had the balance of the bean stew and bannock from last night. After considering several ways to warm it up, I ate it cold. First, I broke off a piece of bannock, took it outside and put it on the ground next to the van. Seconds later a puppy came slithering out, seized the bannock and followed me inside. The Hot Breath was with me for the entire meal, until the plate was empty. Then, detente came to an end. There was another brief period when he ate his dinner and then again when I ate mine. I had channa and rice with corned beef. Seasoned with dried chives, red pepper flakes and Bajan seasoning.

Time for bed. The now-dry caked on mud came off (mostly) of the sheets and pillows with the application of a stiff-bristled brush. Then I went for a shower. I returned from that to discover that Mo had peed in the bed. 

I called him, showed him the damp spot, put his nose in it and smacked his botty once again. He has run off now, and I doubt I will see him again tonight. When I go to lock the door I won't be wheedling him inside. 

I sanded for half the day, but my back was hurting quite a bit by 3:00 so I abandoned the sanding for now. I had realised that with this many legs and supports, I didn't have anywhere to put them. They were getting piled up,  knocked over and marred and had to be sanded again. Digging around I found some small 1½" square sticks of wood with weird notches cut in them, and fashioned a sort of rack that will carry a dowel across, so the legs & suports can be hung safely. 

My back was really killing me by then. I've suffered with back pain from as early as my teen years but this is different to what I am accustomed to. Some while ago Dr. Kristi warned me that my arthritis (mild so far) could manifest itself at any point around my body and I think that may be what's happening here. Compounded by the work I've been doing in the garage. 

Anyway, the sanding continues tomorrow. It is going well, but is slow and painful. Then we can move to final assembly. Don't know what type of finish to apply. BLO again? Water-based polyurethane varnish? Depends on how much of each I have. I had some wipe-on poly but it got hard in the tin. Pity. I will avoid paint. 

My package status changed to "In Transit to Destination Country" mid-afternoon. Don't get excited. All that means is that the van carried the mailbag containing my package to the air-freight receiving dock at the air carrier. Who knows when it will actually get on a plane? Hopefully without too much additional delay. I won't get excited until I see the status change to "Received At Destination Country."

Mo is back, clawing at me to stop what I'm doing and concentrate on him. It's a bad habit he has. And his claws are sharp. Ooops! He's gone again. 

Just dismantled a gizmo that was attached to my bed. made it years ago and it ceased to be useful/functional years ago. But now I want the star-knobs for use with any improved jig I may build in future, to make certain parts adjustable. I can and in the past I have made my own star-knobs from scratch, out of wood. They work fine but they are a pain in the butt. Unless you build a star-knob jig, which I didn't..

Will get back to my book now, then lock up and go to sleep. Thirsty again, so maybe a glass of water while I read. I still have TAR E5 to watch. For some reason, I spent all Wednesday searching for the episode and couldn't understand why I couldn't find it. It's only today I realized that it wasn't available yesterday because it didn't air until last night! Maybe my next project should be a comfortable chair to spend my doting years in.

Hey! That reminds me I built a prototype Adirondack chair years ago out of crapwood, to perfect my design. I never did build a decent version of that chair! But if I build one, I will have to perfect a series of jigs to make the build fast and easy. Either that or make sure Heidi doesn't see it. Because for sure, she will say "Build more!"

Mo is back again. Will go shut the door and get that glass of water.

[Netfoot]

Here is my parts rack, knocked together and glued up last evening, and allowed to set up and cure overnight. 

It's as rough as a bear's arse. The rack stands 33" tall, including the top of the legs/supports which stick up. The legs hang about ½" above the ground. It was deliberately built at this height so that it would stand below the level of the table saw top and the fence rail. This is so it does not foul any activity taking place on the saw, should the rack be moved near the saw.

The two side frames are held apart by two rails at the rear, glued into slots cut in the rear legs. If you were to look closely you would see similar slots in the front legs. I decided to skip adding front rails, at least for now. This way, I can lift a bunch of legs or supports out the front, instead if having to lift them out the top!

I am thinking of adding some sort of removable top that will allow this to be used for other purposes as well. But right now, I will leave it as it stands.

All parts now sanded, but I want to go over the table tops themselves one more time that's the part people will be most exposed to so I think it might be worth the effort. Then a quick application of the sanding bar to break all the sharp edges. But my back is killing me, so I thought I'd take a break, brew up, and watch a TV show. 

Have not seen Mo since he woke me up at five, demanding to be let out. Will go find him and see if he is still as cute as I remember. 

LOL! No, he doesn't have fleas!

Edited October 22, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Table tops laboriously re-sanded, and the edges broken by hand with a sanding bar. Started looking at ways to speed up final assembly. Playing with several ideas. Didn't go any further today because of back ache. It reached the point where I decided to take a couple Panadol. So back at it tomorrow. 

Garden Patrol revealed that my last kitchen funnel had been stolen by the puppy. He chewed it to bits. 

Don't remember what I had for lunch. Did I have any lunch? Dinner was corned beef and beans with tomatoes. I also made 80-100 dumplings which I put in to pick up the flavour. Had half tonight and will have the balance for lunch tomorrow. But having eaten 40+bdumplings I wonder about my blood -shugar. I will test in the morning.

Very tired. Kept falling asleep and dropping the phone. Will listen to some Sophie Hawkins but will lock up and get some shut-eye soon. I wonder if it's the Panadol that is making me sleepy?

Will close my eyes now.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Had a mishap. Should have known my luck wouldn't hold. Was setting up a set of legs/supports when the center dowel proved to be a bit too tight. So I pulled it out and inserted another. This one was not tight enough. By time I figured that out, the entire assembly collapsed. 

This might be a little difficult to sand out! To make matters worse, I cut myself (only small) and got blood on a support board.

Mo woke me up at 3:58 this morning. Standing on my chest, barking and yowling and scratching with his talons.  Assuming he wanted out, I staggered to the front door... to find that it was already wide open! It seems I fell asleep last night without locking up! And the nasty little Monster didn't need the door opening. He just didn't think I should sleep any more. 

Anyway, finally got the legs rigged so I could take some measurements. Handle 20½" long. Table top offset 7½". Outer support 4¼" in from each end. Still got to measure the spacing between inner supports. Or the end-spacing, which amounts to the same thing. But right now, I am drinking some iced water and contemplating an early lunch.

Went looking for Mo for a cuddle. Under the car or under the bed? Bed is easiest to check, and I was lucky 

Peeping out from under the bed. Notice the little bedside knife (in a Kydex sheath with a ball-chain). Stolen by a puppy from the bedside table. Recovered the knife. Mo jumped into bed and gave me a lovely little cuddle!

He really is a sweet boy, behind the bad-boy facade.

[Netfoot]

I took my fasted blood sugar this morning, expecting it to be high due to last night's dinner being dumplings aplenty. 4.2 mmol/L, which was quite a surprise! The other half of the dumplings in sauce was supposed to hdvfof have been my lunch. But I only had half of that for lunch and left half of the half for dinner. And I only had half of that for dinner so there is still a little left over for tomorrow.

Mo had his own lunch, and a sampler of mine. He also had his own dinner and a samer sampler of mine. Then, complaining he was still hungry, I gave him a small portion of extra chow which he inhaled. While hecwas he was eating that, I made up an unusual drink. Fancied spicy tomato juice but had none in the house. So I opened a small tin of tomato sauce, added vinegar, garlic powder, cayenne, salt. Flung in some ice cubes and topped up with water. It was pretty much what I was craving. Not as good a (say) a Clamato with extra seasoning, but quite palatable. Mo demanded some if of that too. He often comesctonvksim comes to claim a bit of whatever food I'm eating. This is a first for him demanding some of what I'm drinking...

Turning on the tunes, first thing out of the box is... Ai Du by Ali Farka Touré. Nice breeze in the window. Had my shower earlier (because after the work in the garage today I was stink with dirt and was scraping it off like a Roman with a strigil!) So I am dry and comfortable.

Not sure what to do about the chunk out of the leg from this morning. If I had a ½“ round-over bit for the router, I could round all edges, and the wound would be removed. But the biggest round-over bit I have is ⅜" and even if I had the price of a new ½" bit which could be anywhere up to $129.99, I have checked around and nobody has one in stock. I could get a big Forstner bit and drill out the flaw, but I don't have a plug-cutter anywhere near big enough to fill the gap. Of course, I could make one if any desired size, if I had a lathe....

My package has been "in transit" for 56+ hours, now. As it happens, a Sopwith Camel from WW-II would have arrived at five in the morning yesterday, and even a Blériot XI with a top speed of 46 MPH would have got here by now! So, it's either sitting in a cargo bin in Florida waiting to be put on the plane whenever, or it is sitting in a cargo bin here, waiting for someone to finally notice it's presence.

Monster is in and out. He comes in, hustles to the window careless of what/who he steps on in the process, peers out, then suddenly says "Bwuff!" And departs even more carelessly than he came. He is currently out, but I expect him back soon. I should find a way to keep him from looking out that window. Then maybe he wouldn't wake me 2-3 times a night to be let out to bark at shadows.

I don't think I can take him to the club tomorrow. There is precious little gas in the tank. I will have to look carefully at the bank balance and see what can be done. And in any case, I want to finish these tables without any more delay than I necessary. I keep coming up with things I want to build fur for for me!

Pretty tired tonight, but nothing as bad as last night. Dunno what that was at all! Anyway, I will go read my book now. 

Edited October 23, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Remember a huge chunk of wood that got chipped out of a table leg? Photo up-thread. Well, I have begun the repair. I hope it ends up good enough to be usable. Here is the repair so far:

Still ugly, but much better than it was.

Meanwhile, I have begun assembling tables using a different setup. The idea is to make these easier & faster to put together.

Here are two supports being glued to the underside of actable top board. 

Each top board gets two supports. The these are spaced differently. The supports also overhand the inner edge of the top boards.

This setup allows me to get the desired distance from the end of the table to the support using a precut spacer. I have two spacers, one for each top board. Another precut spacer holds the edge of the top board from a wooden fence. The shallow point on the support board touched this fence, setting the overhang to the correct distance. A square ensures the supports are perpendicular to the edge of the top. Two extra support boards (the inner pair) allow gravity clamps to hold the glue joints until they set up. The dowel confirms that the pivot holes in the supports are concentric. 

The two boards are glued up exactly the same except with different end spacing. The difference allows for the addition of the legs.

When the glue has cured I will be able to drill down through the supports and screw into the tops. The holes can then be plugged with small dowels. The long dowel-handle and six pivots also need to be pinned with smaller dowels.

[Netfoot]

Second stage of the repair.

Not too bad. Or at least, it could be worse. Hope to finish it tomorrow or even tonight. It will need sanding in daylight, of course.

The last of the table tops are glued up. By tomorrow they should all be cured. I also want to supplement the glue job with screws. I want a long reach drill with a small diameter but don't have and can't find at any hardware store. Trying to locate a suitable piece of piano wire to make a drill bit. Wayne says he has a piece I can have but Wayne is sick not leaving home. He lives way across the island and I don't want to drive out there. Besides, I don't want to expose myself to his bugs!

Edited October 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Garden Patrol went quickly. The grass was very wet, and as I lie here listening to All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, the sound of the whistling frogs is coming through the window along with a light, cool breeze which brings the smell of rain. 

All table tops glued up and curing overnight. Damaged leg mended as best I can mend it and will be sanded tomorrow, hopefully leaving an acceptable surface finish and little or no sign of the damage.

Last of the dumplings for lunch. Dinner was a rice dish with  black beans and tomatoes as the principle additions to the rice. With the tomatoes it was difficult to know how to adjust the quantity of water. I got that a bit wrong, so by time the rice was cooked it was still quite moist. It was bordering on Risotto territory, but I thought it still tasted fine, and Mo agreed.

This is the first Sunday in yonks that Mo and I have not gone up to the club for a break. Mo, of course, has no idea that it is Sunday, so he is not aware he has missed out. I, on the other hand, am quite well aware that we didn't get our weekly fresh-air break today. But gas was low, and those table tops needed gluing.

It wasn't hard. The pieces went in the jig and alignment and positioning was easy, taking only about 10 minutes. But only half a table top could go in at one time, then I would have to wait at least 40 minutes to an hour before I could pull it out and glue up the next one. It took some time to set up this morning, so the last one went into the jig at 8:00 PM this evening.

Mo just swept into the room and is pretending he came to give me cuddles. But he can't stop looking at the window and easing ever closer to that opening. Some times I wake up in the dead of night to find him standing on the bedside table, looking out. I'd take his picture but he isn't cooperating. 

Asked Heidi how best to cook half a chicken and a small pork loin. "In the oven, together" she replied. "In a baking pan." I asked her if she wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday (in about 3 weeks). She said, "No." Oh, well. 

The rain is down. The breeze is cooler and damper. Had to pull the window sash down a bit, much to Mo's annoyance. But rain was falling on me in my bed!

Anyway, I'm going to have a shower (to the sound of Joe Satriani), lock up the house and do a little reading, before getting some shut-eye. 

[Spunkygal]

Do you save some sawdust for repairs? On a few shows that I watch, they brilliantly mix sawdust and wood glue to fill in for certain repairs.

[Netfoot]

The table tops are all glued to the supports now, and would probably be OK if just left like that. But if Uncle Charlie gets drunk at the beach picnic and slams down a conch shell he found, I don't want the glue joint to fail and the entire picnic to go catapulting into the sand! So I will add some screws to reinforce the joint.

The screws must enter from underneath so as not to spoil the clean look of the table top. The supports need to be pocketed so that extra long screws are not required. This also gives the opportunity to plug the pockets afterwards, concealing the screws completely.

The depth of the pocket must be enough that the tip of the screw penetrates into the table top but not through the table top.

I made a block of wood and added a screw. The screw can be driven in or backed out to adjust the overall height. Using this, I set the height of the Forstner bit so that the flat underside of the screw head would sit in the bottom of the hole with the tip of the screw protruding ⅜" into the top board. (The top is ⅝" thick.)

With the depth stop locked at this height I drilled the holes. With bated breath I drove the screws in, hoping I had not screwed up.

All went well. Nothing poking up through the top!

9 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Do you save some sawdust for repairs? On a few shows that I watch, they brilliantly mix sawdust and wood glue to fill in for certain repairs.

That's exactly what I did. First, I glued in large pieces to fill up as much of the void as possible. Then using some very fine dust from the sander, I mixed it up with wood glue until it was like peanut butter. Pressed that deep into the remaining cracks and left it high. Did that last night. This morning, it looked like this:

 After sanding back, we end up with this. 

The surface is flat so there is nothing more I can do. The slight visual blemish could only be eliminated by painting over it, but I'm not painting these tables.

Anyway, more to do!

Edited October 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

@Spunkygal, this is a picture of the inside of the door to my saw:

The actual cabinet contains about 20 times as much as this! 😁 If you ever figure out acusecfor a use for vast amounts of sawdust, woodworkers around the globe will fall down and worship at your feet!

But that stuffvis stuff is not what you need for patching cracks. This stuff out of the sander us is  the ticket!

Fine like talcum powder, it is just what the doctor ordered.

Anyway, I drilled all the tops, screwed down (er, up, actually) into the table tops and dowel-plugged each hole. That's when I realised the expensive 48" dowels I bought (because they didn't have any 36" ones) were not circular! 

Now, I am waiting for the glued dowels to set up before trimming and sanding flush. Then I get to make more peanut butter and fill those crescent moons and wait again for the glue to set up then sand flush again!

Well, in the mean time I'm going to have a glass of iced water for lunch (no food in the house) and watch a double episode of DCI Banks. I've also figured out I don't have enough screws to complete this job. 

Each table takes 16 screws. A box of 100 should have allowed for the construction of 6 tables. (The extra four will fall on the floor and get lost.) With Heidi's table making five. I needed 80 screws. However, when I count up I find I am 3 screws short. Oh, wait! I just found one here on my desk. But I will still have to go out and buy some. They are 19¢ each at Kooyman but sold by the 100. I hope they will sell me a half-dozen. Carter's sells them for 31¢ but stainless. Since these will be completely embedded in the wood and the heads hidden under plugs, galvanized is sufficient.

Have hardly seen my boy all morning. Will go peep under the bed. Yep, there he is!

And he's purloined the bedside knife again... Wait! Why does he smell strongly of curry?!??

Edited October 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

After being "In Transit to Destination Country" for 97+ hours (over four days), the package is now "Received at Destination Country." This is Monday, so they have four days to process it and tell me to come to collect it, if I am to have it this week. There is no need for customs to be involved because the value is only six bucks US, well under the U$30 cut-off.

It's been 77 days since I ordered a replacement key. Eleven weeks!! And I am still not sure if I will get it in my hand before next week.....

[Netfoot]

In bed early. Had a row with a lamp and at first I thought the lamp had lost. But now I realize I have to fix the lamp, so maybe the lamp wasn't the loser after all!

I'm feeling very low, today. I've been struggling to complete these tables for so long now, and the harder I work, the more there seems remaining to do. My back is killing me despite having taken Panadol again. I need to shower, and will go do that in a minute, but I'm listening to Artificial Flowers by The Beautiful South.

Mo got a double-sized dinner tonight, just because. Then he gave me hell for not sharing my dinner with him, despite the fact that I didn't have any dinner. As usual I am regretting not eating any dinner (nor lunch, for that matter) and I imagine I will make up for it by eating a lot of beans and dumplings (or bannock) tomorrow. I am thinking that I might be able to roll out the bannock thin for a change. I would get several thin ones instead of one thick one. Hopefully it/they would cook more quickly.

Unfortunately, I don't have a rolling pin. Now, if I had a lathe, especially one with a working chuck, I could make myself a rolling pin. Just kidding! I could easily turn a rolling pin "between centers". Not sure if I have a suitable piece of untreated pine. And besides, I'd like to do one with alternating diagonal stripes of mahogany and purpleheart. Unfortunately, it would take quite a while to lay up the blank, and since every minute of my day is tied up with these blasted tables.... Wait. I had a handle I'd made for a lathe chisel. No longer in use, but I could repurpose the handle. It was mahogany with diagonal stripes of purpleheart and Casuarina. Where did I put that?    

Going to take my shower now. Then I will get stuck into my book. There is less than a quarter of it left to read and since it's still early, I may get through much of what remains before I kill the lights and go to sleep.

Mo just arrived and is giving me a bath. Now he is out the window. What a big, strapping lad he is! Not so long ago he was a tiny little mite! The 16th marked one year since he came home to stay. He really is a character.

I know I've said it before but if you don't have a pupper in your life, go get one tomorrow. Your pupper might not be a kleptomaniac. Perhaps your shoes will be safe. Maybe they will let you get a solid night's sleep occasionally. Get a pupper. You won't regret it.

Shower. Book. The arms of Morpheus.

[Netfoot]

[Netfoot]

Found a piece of 1¼" dowel with a very crusty end. Cut it down to 12" in length. Used my center-finder

to mark centers on each end.

Tapped a drive-center into one end and attached it to the headstock. Brought up the live-center in the tailstock to support that end.

Spinning between centers with a strip of sandpaper applied underneath (never on top) with an old rag to stop my fingers being burned. You can see a cloud of fine sawdust coming off the dowel.

The same rag applying homemade wax/oil finish. The heat warms the wood and melts the wax, helping it soak into the wood.

Still between centers but soon to be transferred to the kitchen, my new rolling pin! Simple design and no longer than it needs to be for my needs.

None of this would have been possible, without the assistance of...

...The Supervisor!

Edited October 25, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo and I are just back from shopping.

Previously, I decided to use 1" dowels instead of the 1⅛" that I prefer, because I had four 1" dowels on hand. This morning, I discovered that two of them were actually smaller than 1" by a hair. They are probably 25 mm rather tan than 25.4 mm (1"). The tiny difference makes them undesirable for this project. 

You may also recall that I discovered I was short of sufficient screws to complete the tables. Only 2-3 short, but too few is too few. So, I went to Kooyman's where I picked up 20 extra screws. That would let me finish my tables and I should even have 16 left over in case I wanted to build another! Unfortunately, their 1" dowels were not right. I carried a size gauge that I made for the task, and the dowels should have been snug, but they all were slack enough to rattle around. So, off to Carters, where I found the right size dowels but only in 48" length; more than I needed. Had to buy one anyway, and paid $14.69!

Now, there was little in the cupboard at home but fortunately I got hold of some cash today, so I went to the grocery store. I was out of virtually everything so I got a bunch of staples. A bag of nice looking potatoes, several packs of macaroni, a two bags of rice, a 2Kg bag of flour, a bag of onions, several tins of corned beef, teabags, milk and sugar, a block of NZ cheddar, and a pot of red butter. I also bought a small bottle of cooking oil. I have a large, virtually full bottle here, but it is an unwieldy 3L and when I try to pour a little into a pan, it is not unusual for more to end up on the floor ot or the counter than in the pan. Once the small bottle is empty, I will decant from the large bottle to the small, with a funnel. Should have bought cabbage and carrots, but the cabbages were tiny, and I had hit my spending limit before I picked up the carrots. Somehow, when I hit the cashier, it was $7 less than my mental total, so I could have got the carrots anyway, but I decided not to turn back at that point. Next time some cash comes my way, I will consider carrots. And plantains. (The plantains were very few and didn't look all that appealing, today.)

I also bought myself a treat, which I will have with my dinner tonight. An evil, forbidden treat! I'll tell you what it is later. You will be gobsmacked!

My back is killing me, and although it is only just four, I don't think I will do any more in the garage today. I was wondering what finish to use on these tables. I used boiled linseed oil on the table I made for Heidi but I don't have enough to do four additional tables. I considered water-based polyurethane varnish, but I am not sure I have enough of that for four tables either. So, I will used my homemade wax\oil wood finish. Same as on the rolling pin. It's food-safe, it's even vegan! And I have more than enough for the job. So that's what I will use.

Now that I've acquired the extra dowel at a true 1", I can make the remaining short pivot dowels and the extra central pivot\handle dowel as well. Tomorrow, I will drill and pin the pivots into place, trim the stretchers to length and drill, screw and plug those into place as well. 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Dinner tonight was macaroni in a sauce made from corned beef, tomatoes and onions, seasoned with red pepper flakes and dried chives. I grated a little NZ cheddar on the top. And alongside, that forbidden treat I mentioned earlier:

I was told I must never drink one of these again, ever. By a doctor who decided that my occasional arrhythmia, discovered in 1991, should suddenly be a concern. Not Dr. Kristi, of course. So my first in about 4 years. And the only thing wrong with this bottle of coke is that it wasn't a 2L bottle!

Anyway, there is some sauce left over from dinner which I will have with potatoes tomorrow for lunch.

Lying in bed with Beetlebum by Blur playing and a dog sleeping on my feet. Or resting, if not exactly sleeping. We did the Garden Patrol but first:

We had to have a little treasure hunt. But location was not difficult nor was recovery. 

I notice that Mo makes the Garden Patrol more perfunctory as time goes by. I will regret when it is no longer a part of our nightly routine. It started when he was tiny, weighing in at about the same as a good, large plantain and he was a little afraid of the dark and all the crapauds that lived out there. We have never missed a night. Now that I've gotten rid of all the crapauds and Mo has become a marauder in the dark, he hardly needs me to take him out for a pre-bedtime stroll. He still leaps at the chance to go out with me each evening. But he stops along our patrol route, and waits for me to complete it on my own, picking back up as I make the return journey. And as I said, he is gradually reducing the amount of our patrol that he participates in.

Nothing further with the chuck key. Tomorrow, I hope. Just as I've been hoping for over 10 weeks. Also tomorrow, a guy supposed to come by and give me some money. Not much, so I hope he doesn't make a production of it.

I gave a different friend some sheets of balsa (9 sheets different sizes) and he said he would look up the prices online and bring the cash for me. I told him I was giving them to him, but he insisted. Checking online, I see balsa sheets like those are between 3 and 5 bucks US per sheet. Averaging 4 bucks a sheet and converting to local dollarettes it's over $70 total, before shipping and duty. But I did offer it to him at no cost. So I will say nothing, and if he insists on giving me something, I will take it, what ever it is.

He looked at my tables and said he would like one but with different dimensions (height, length, width) to suit his needs. I really wasn't looking to build more in any hurry, but he is a buddy. Still, I won't push him to make up his mind.  Maybe he will want it made with something exotic! Cherry? Mango? Sea-grape? Masaranduba?

Anyway, I am really hoping to get the bulk of the remaining work done on the tables tomorrow. Maybe even finish one or two completely. (But note that remarks like this are usually harbingers of previously unconsidered difficulties and delays.)

I did pass a milestone today and I am really relieved. I am assembling these tables quite differently. Rather than setting the legs/stretchers up and clamping them in the 'open' mode then gluing & screwing the tops on, I am starting with the tops. I place the tops upside down on the saw-top and glue/screw the supports on to the undersides. Then I add the legs and finally glue/screw on the stretchers. In essence, assembling the table uʍop ǝpᴉsdn. This method is preferred for two reasons. First, the original way was a real PITA and took ages, with collapsing legs & supports the norm. Second, this way allows me to finish the wood most conveniently. Instead of having to wax, oil or varnish the whole table at once, I can do each piece as it sits flat on the bench, before it is added to the assembly. I never tried this before and was pleased to see the method work today in a dry-run assembly. It would have been typical of my luck to find out that having glued part X into place, it was now impossible to attach part Y. But it all went together without issue and I will confirm by doing another dry-run tomorrow, first thing. 

No shower before bed tonight. No need. Had two showers already this evening. (Autocorrect just changed "evening" into "DVD ingredients". I'm not buying no self-driving car from these people!) Been trying to wash this dirt off my tummy for days now. 

Only realized this evening (now that it has started to fade) that it isn't dirt. It's a big black & blue bruise, now starting to tinge yellow. No idea how it happened.

Mo is here cuddling up against my back. His ridge is tickly! I'm going to shut the door now, and read before hitting the hay. Mo has just shot off at high speed. I guess someone had the affrontery to walk past our house without permission. He's back again. And looking out the window...

[luv2lurk]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I was wondering what finish to use on these tables. I used boiled linseed oil on the table I made for Heidi but I don't have enough to do four additional tables. I considered water-based polyurethane varnish, but I am not sure I have enough of that for four tables either. So, I will used my homemade wax\oil wood finish. Same as on the rolling pin. It's food-safe, it's even vegan! And I have more than enough for the job. So that's what I will use.

Just a thought, but maybe use different finishes on the tables (one linseed oil, one polyurethane, one wax/oil, etc). Gives the buyers more choice.

[Netfoot]

51 minutes ago, luv2lurk said:

Just a thought, but maybe use different finishes on the tables (one linseed oil, one polyurethane, one wax/oil, etc). Gives the buyers more choice.

Good idea.

I'm hoping to get rid of these four as a batch, to a local hardware & housewares store, or a gardening shop. What I will do is get a few scraps of pine and finish them each differently. Stain some, varnish, BLO, wax/oil... Even Shou Sugi Ban, a Japanese technique that involves singing or scorching the surface of the wood before oiling it. If they are going to want additional tables, they can choose how they want them finished without my risking a whole table by finishing with a method nobody likes. Also thinking of doing simple inlays and/or scrollsaw additions. Adding a relieved area on a leg (say) and putting some decorative cord-work in the relief. A small Turk's Head for example. They would most easily be added to the dowel handle. 

There are lots of ways to trick up tables like these. But before I start making plans to implement any of them, I want to know that they can be sold. I have no confidence that anybody will be interested in buying these tables from me. I also have no idea what I should ask for them. I will probably have to find four friends to take one each as a Christmas gift!

Times are hard and getting harder every day. The number of people with disposable income to spend on something like this is diminishing every day.

Also, would like to try making other things besides tables. There is a ton of stuff I'd like to make just for myself! Today's simple rolling pin is just a scratch in the surface. 

But before anything, I will need to buy materials. So I just hope I can get these sold. Woodworking is a hobby that should pay for itself. 

[Netfoot]

Did another dry-run assembly this morning and it went perfectly. The new assembly method works just fine. And it's a better method than the previous one I used. It allows the two halves of the table to be kept separated until the very end. This means as I assemble, I am dealing with half the weight, and can more easily complete the steps necessary to finish each half. When they are both finished, I only have to putvthectwo put the two parts together and drive home the axle dowels that the legs pivotbon pivot on. These then need two holes to be bored and pinned, but that is only a comparatively tiny job to be done.

When looking for properly sized dowels yesterday, I had to use a size-gauge to be sure I wasn't getting undersized dowels. Here it is:

Made by drilling a hole through a scrap of wood then shaping it to what you see here. By using the same drill I used on the tables I can guarantee that what ever fit the dowel in the shop has on this, it will have the same fit on the table.

It is the funny shape it is because I initially thought of drilling a hole in it so it could hang around my neck on a string. Discarded that plan later when I realized I should make one of these with three holes, to check ⅜", 1" and 1⅛" dowels.

Also really considering making myself a dowel-plate for those sizes plus ¼" as these are sizes of dowel I use regularly. Trouble is I don't have drill bits to make those size holes in steel. And I'm not sure about heat treating the steel afterward to harden it.

Anyway, drinking a cuppa tea and watching meme videos in YT. You guys have some sort of interim elections coming in a few days time, and the funny videos are multiplying like rabbits. So I will try to have a laugh while finishing my cuppa, before returning to the tables. (Moderator will prolly ban me for simply mentioning the upcoming elections...)

Edited October 26, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Robbed!

Went out in the garage and couldn't find my tape measure, Searched everywhere. Inside the house, in the car, everywhere. Started wondering is if someone had come in during the night and stolen the tape.

Then I noticed I couldn't see my drill & driver set. Another thorough search and no sign. The drill & driver were fitted with my expensive high-capacity batteries. And most critical, the drill had the 1" Forstner bit in it from when I made the size-gauge yesterday!

A replacement drill\driver set will be U$300 minimum, probably closer to U$400. And a replacement Freud FC-007 bit at 1" diameter will be a minimum of U$30. Of course, I don't have this cash handy. And I really can't afford to wait while these items get processed by the customs department.

And I don't know what else they may have stolen. It could be several days if not weeks before I reach for X and realize X is missing too!

Where is my puppy? I need a hug.

Edited October 26, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Long post just eaten by this crappy mobile editor. Not retyping that whole thing. Will just say a friend came around at 8:00 PM and lent me an older drill, so I should be able to proceed with the tables tomorrow. (Today obviously was not very productive.) Got to go out to the bank, but should get one table finished first and hopefully the remaining three by end of day. Fingers crossed.

Listening to Norwegian Wood by Cornershop, recorded in Punjabi. Feeling unexpectedly tired so will have a shower and try for some shut-eye.

Made a dough tonight and rolled it out into four thin, flat disks and fried them in a pan. Served with the last of the sauce from yesterday's macaroni. Delicious. Mo thought so too. 

Will go shower now.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Ta-daaaaaa!!

Works perfectly! (of course.) Only thing is, I wanted the shiny gold finish, so I'm going to send it back... LOL! That and rocking-horse sh|t you will never see.....

Unfortunately, I can't actually use this right now. Busy with the tables. But if I skip lunch and ignore back pain, I think I can finish them today. (Famous last words...)

Eighty days from first order to my hand. And not counting the cost of the first one that was lost, plus the shipping and duty on that one, the cost for this one was $38.49 total.

Took Mo with me and we collected our package. On the way back, as I was passing a gas station and the yellow "Low Fuel" light was burning particularly brightly, I stopped for gas. But their computer was "down" (obvious Microsoft involvement) so on to the mall. Made a deposit at the bank, and on the way back to the car, passed by an optician. Bought a new pair of readers to replace my very beat up pair. Can you guess which is the old pair and which is the new?

You can see where one arm (leg?) had broken off and repaired with wire, string and CA glue. Right after this picture was taken, the other arm/leg fell off as well. So, not a moment too soon.

On the way home the yellow light was brighter than ever so we diverted to another gas station and put in a couple of gills of fuel. 

Anyway, Mo has had his lunch, I am skipping (and goodness knows what for dinner) and getting back to work. But I will take two Panadol first...

[Netfoot]

They stole Mo's food!

😡

He eats chow, mostly. Plus what ever I am eating, he gets a taste. But I also get tinned puppy food and add a couple spoonsfull to his chow to flavour it up. Not every time, because I don't want him to decide he can't eat chow without 'gravy'. 

So I had a case of I believe 12 tins, but with one tin already taken out. Sitting in the garage amongst much junk. But the burglars found it and took it along.

Didn't even realize until moments ago when I went to grab a new tin to sweeten up his grub. 

Trouble is, if I were to catch the thief, and beat him with a bamboo pole until gray, brain matter leaked out his arse, there are people who would say I was wrong to do it.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Netfoot

[luv2lurk]

This sounds like very strange things to steal. Whoever did this knows you well. Any chance you pissed off a neighbour lately?

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, luv2lurk said:

This sounds like very strange things to steal. Whoever did this knows you well. Any chance you pissed off a neighbour lately?

Don't think so. I go to considerable lengths to keep things good between the neighbors.

Funny thing about the dogfood theft: I buy 12 tins at a time, and they come in a cardboard tray with a shrink-wrapped plastic covering. I had slit the covering and taken one tin out, so I thought they had only got 11 tins. This evening, I noticed the cardboard tray and shrink-wrapped covering, empty, discarded in a pile of rubbish that needs cleaning up. So they took the tins and not the packaging? A little later, I discovered three individual tins, lying on the floor, partially concealed by a pile of sawdust.

I think they picked up the package not realizing it had a slit in the top. Perhaps they turned it on edge to carry it, but in any case I think the tins went flying in every direction. They discarded the now empty packaging, picked up what cans they could see, missed three and stole eight. Maybe more tins will turn up rolled away to hide in some unusual spot. 

Anyway, Mo is not entirely without gravy for his chow. He has decided to sleep outside tonight. I will no doubt be woken by his imperious barking under the bedroom window at some ungodly 'fore-day hour. 

Despite what this picture seems to show, 

I didn't finish any of the tables. Taken at nearly 1:00 AM because I worked until long after midnight on them, these only appear to be done. (I hate working after dark; the lighting is not adequate!)

In truth, they are fully functional. Last thing I did was plug some screw holes with glue and dowels. Tomorrow morning, with the glue dry, I will have to 1) sand the dowels flush, 2) apply wax/oil to the ends of the dowels and immediate surrounding area, 3) give the tables a good wipe down and dust off. So like I said, virtually done but not 100% yet. 

The sharp-eyed will notice no sign of table #4. The sharper-eyed will observe four table legs still hanging in the rack I made for that purpose. I really didn't get any chance to work on it today. All parts need to have the edges broken, and to be waxed. Leg stretchers need to be trimmed to length, pocketed, glued and screwed in place, and plugged. The large dowel pivots have to be inserted, cross-drilled and pinned with small dowels. So a fair amount of work. 

I think it is fair to say that if I hadn't spent a whole day twiddling my thumbs with no drill/driver to work with, all four tables would have been finished today. And no burning the midnight oil necessary!

My problem is that with my back playing up nasty, I can only work for 20-30 minutes at a time, before I have to go sit down. It then takes nearly as long to recover enough to resume. And to make matters worse, a familiar but (thankfully) infrequent complaint has decided this is the perfect time to flare up. 

No idea what causes it, but too much standing up can cause a burning pain to flare up on the surface of my right leg. It feels like hot water is being poured on my right thigh, just above the knee. The longer I keep standing, the hotter the water gets and it spreads up the leg, and into what I would describe as my appendix area. This started yesterday, got worse as the day progressed and was quite bad today. Add this to the back pain, and a low level of productivity is the result. Anyway, I'm I bed without little Mo 😥 and looking at another hard day tomorrow. 

Skipped lunch but hunger called too loud to ignore, so I had a dinner of corned beef and beans with pak choy and boiled potato. No spices whatsoever and it still tasted just fine. I'd have liked to have a nice cuppa sweet tea for dessert but that plus the potato would blow out my blood sugar. So I will have it for breakfast instead, before going out to complete tables #1, #2 and #3, and to try to finish #4 as well. 

Paper Bag by Fiona Apple playing and a sweet breeze in the window but no little cuddly friend snuggling up with me. So I will douse the lamps and see how early he wakes me in the morning.

By the way, anybody want to buy a folding table?

Edited October 28, 2022 by Netfoot