Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Well, the wood got here...

But some of the screws are missing. Mis ordered, more correctly.

Most of the screws go through ¾" boards and into something thicker. So 1½" screws are ideal, giving ¾" engagement in both pieces. But some screws go through ¾" boards and into other ¾" boards. A 1½" screw would be breaking out on the other side. That's why I asked for 50 screws at 1½" and an extra dozen screws at 1¼". For a total of 62 screws. What I got was 60 screws q½" long. So I will have to go out and buy the extra dozen shorter ones. So why didn't I just go buy the screws myself? And the wood for that matter? 

I think in future I will insist I go pick up any materials. 

[Netfoot]

This is a piece of Padauk:

I think this is African Rosewood:

This is a piece of Marblewood:

This is a piece of Palm:

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Of course, I blame @Spunkygal for this:

Not finished yet (some final sanding on the top, trimming of the foot and creation of a finial) but not too ugly and sort of interesting. I am trying what to use for the finial. Mahogany? To tie the top back to the base? Tamarind, for a touch of the exotic? What other pieces doni do I have around here? I will have to dig out my box and see if I can decipher the labels.

I happily accept the blame. That is a freaking gorgeous piece! I would tie the finial to the base. But what do I know? 😘

[Netfoot]

This is Madagascar Ebony:

This is Bloodwood:

Some Ambrosia Maple:

Some Eastern Red Cedar:

Zebrawood (very pretty!):

Some Sassafras:

Bocote:

[Netfoot]

Some Argentine Osage Orange:

This is Jatoba:

[Netfoot]

This is Honduras Redheart:

This is Rainbow Poplar:

And Black Walnut:

[Netfoot]

A light sprinkle of rain delayed the patrol this evening, but after only screw a few minutes we were able to proceed. The breeze was just on the cool side, but there was very little of it. The leaves on the trees were all still. There is little breeze in the window tonight.

Mo came to join me in the shower, but I was just finishing so he didn't get much wet.

Had some very tasty rice for lunch. Pumpkin and pak choy were involved, but I think half a tin of pigeon peas went a long way to making it what it was. Dinner on the other hand, was two cutters.

Parklife by from the album of the same name, by Blur. I quite like this band, and have several of their albums. I think my favourite track is Song 2 which is from a later album. Front man Damon Albarn was in a relationship with Justine Frischmann (formerly of the band Suede) for several years, while she was the leader of the band Elastica. Elastica's first album bears a suspicious similarity to Albarn's style of music and lyrics. But the relationship also influenced his music as heard in later albums from Blur. Albarn was also one of the creators of the "virtual band" Gorillaz.

Mosey just joined me in bed so I will play with him a while before locking the house up. Hopefully with him on the inside.

Banks really are bastards. And the Credit Card aspect of banking is about as bad as it gets. I have to make a payment every month on my CC. They give me a due date and they slap a huge "late fee" on me if I am even a day late. My due date for April was actually the 2nd of May. I actually made the payment on 7th April, so that's not the problem. The problem is, they compute interest somewhere between 2nd & 4th of the month. Now, I have the cash to make the payment for May. If I make it too early, it doesn't get recorded as the payment for May. It goes into the books as an additional payment for April, and I have to pay again in May or get hit with the "late fee".  But if I delay payment, they assess interest on the balance which is higher than it would be if I'd paid a day or two earlier! So they have you by the goolies. Your choice is double payments, interest on a higher balance, or a late fee.

Tried making a finial for the mahogany/purple heart box. Two or three had to be abandoned because they went from too tight to fit, to do so slack it falls out, all in the space of a split second on the lathe. Finally got one that fit pretty good. Not beautiful, but practical and I could have lived with this:

Unfortunately, as I pushed it into place for a test fit, the little flange around the bottom just crumbled away as you can see. This would have needed some sanding and a wax finish, but now, I gotta make another one.

Ok, I'll try to lock the door now. But by time I get out of bed Mo will probably be out by the front gate....

Edited May 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Listening to Autograph by Bernard Butler, from his first solo album, I think. He was first guitarist with Suede (alongside Justine Frischmann, mentioned yesterday). 

Just back from an uneventful Garden Patrol. It has been hot in the house, and it wasn't much cooler outside. There is a little breeze in the window, augmented by the fan, but while not uncomfortable, I wouldn't describe things as cool. A hot-blooded puppy snuggling up against my left leg isn't really helping but I firmly believe that it is a bad thing, to reject any affection your puppy demonstrates. Besides, in a minute he will look out the window and go scampering outside.

Ok, I computed (with the help of some online software) that I'd need two 2x6"bat 8 feet. But that didn't leave much margin for errors, so I told Heidi to get three of them. But by carefully following the cut plan, I was able to get all 25 pieces cut from the two boards with a little bit of scrap left over. 

And it's a good thing, because I messed up two pieces. Twice! Fortunately, they were the two smallest pieces in the whole chair and I was able to remake them (twice) with the little scraps left over from the original cut. The two pieces are three inches square and it's only after I'd cut them out I realized that the planer won't handle pieces that small. So I planed the scrap and cut replacements out of the scrap board after it was planed. The other pieces were all lightly planed as well. I didn't push it too far, as I wanted the boards to keep as much of their original thickness as possible. 

Tomorrow, I will trace the templates of the eight shaped pieces onto their rough-sized counterparts and cut them out on the bandsaw, and finish them with disk and spindle sanders. I also have to find the box with my router bits in it. I thought I knew exactly where it was but I couldn't find it today. I hope it doesn't take as long for me to find them as it did to find my dado stack!

Mo is outside barking at something. If he decides to sleep outside tonight I can't say I'd blame him. Ooo! A nice little breeze just blew in. A dro of rain wouldn't be a bad thing, so long as it stops by tomorrow. 

Cooked a slightly different pot of rice today and it tasted pretty good again. But it had the other half tin of pigeon peas in it. Dinner was a simple meal of macaroni with a little corned beef and the last of the pak choy. Grated a little NZ cheddar on it which was a pleasant inclusion. But with meals of rice, bread and pasta, I better have a couple carb-light meals and then do a test. Maybe more oatmeal?

Anyway, time to read a little before my eyes start to close down spontaneously.

[Netfoot]

Been working to finalize the 25 pieces needed for the baby Adirondack chair, so as to get closer to the point where I can begin assembly. But I ran into a couple of problems. For example:

I had cut 5 long, skinny rectangles to make the "fan" back. These are to be tapered so that they are larger at the top than at the base. I was just about to put the first piece onto my homemade tapering jig, when I noticed something.

Seen here on the table saw (next to a home made push-stick) there is a gap between the rightmost  piece. But only on the middle! The board touches it's neighbor at top and bottom, but there is a gap in the middle. This because it has a bigger bend in it than Robin Hood's favourite toy! And if I align the bottoms of these boards...

you can see the deflection at the other end is about ¼" or even a little more! I had to go and cut a new piece that was flat, from the spare board I recommended Heidi buy.

[Netfoot]

Ok, so here are the 25 pieces. From left to right

2x Seat support. 2x Armrest. 2x Front Leg & 2x Armrest Brace. 5x "Fan" (tapered but not yet cut to length). 1x Upper Back Support & 1x Lower Back  Support. 2x Rear Strut. And 8x Seat Slats.

Now, these have to be rounded at the edges and then be final sanded. But there will need to be some other fettling of certain parts before the final assembly can be made. For instance, the length of the Seat Slats and the Lower Back Support have to be cut to final length on the table saw.

Also, if you look at this photo which shows the rear end of the two Armrests, stuck together with double sided tape to allow simultaneous sanding to endure they are identical. You will note a rectangular cutout for the Rear Struts and a triangular cutout which gives clearance for rearward lean of the back.

On top of the two near-finished pieces is the plywood template. You can see that the triangular relief cut has to be angled. And I must make sure to make a left and a right, rather that two lefts or two rights.

So some progress for sure, but the next big hurdle will be to find my router bits!!

[Spunkygal]

My head is spinning! How in the world can you keep this straight!?? Too deep for me.

[Netfoot]

Bitter Sweet Symphony from the album Urban Hymns by The Verve. Urban Hymns is a great album. I have four of theirs and this is my favourite. I also have three solo albums by their front man Richard Ashcroft, of which I like Human Conditions best.

Mo is here with me, warming my knees. We had a Garden Patrol which was uneventful except for the loud, manic cackling, coming from a house across the road to my west.

Mo joined me in the shower again. One of these days I will step aside and let him experience the full deluge from the rose! No, I won't, because Mo is my baby and I don't want anything to happen to him which distresses him unnecessarily. And he would not find it an enjoyable experience. So, no.

Went to the bank today and made a deposit. Bought the missing 1¼" screws and a dowel (for another project). And on the way back a gravitational anomaly dragged the van into the parking lot of a nearby grocery. (Tuesday was Book-tent day, BTW, and we clean forgot!) Anyway, scored forty bucks in groceries. Went looking for carrots and pak choy, but didn't find any. Instead got onions and cucumbers. Plus two tins of bully, one of pigeon peas and a tiny one of mackerel to spice up Mo's lunch. A piece of cheese, two bags of macaroni elbows and some bread brought the total to $39.37 which included 37¢ in VAT on the pigeon peas for some reason. The screws were 15¢ each (stainless) and I bought 20, so three bucks. 

18 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

How in the world can you keep this straight!??

That's why I spent time making templates. The chair is made of three types of boards. Rectangular ones, like the front legs (2) and the seat slats (8). Tapered ones like the back struts (2) and the back fans (5). And irregular shapes like the seat supports (2), the armrests (2), the armrest braces (2) and the upper and lower back supports (1 each). The rectangular ones I cut to measurement. The tapered ones are also cut fo measurement, but then get tapered in a simple tapering jig I made. The irregular ones get traced from the templates into suitably sized pieces of wood and cut to shape on the bandsaw. I cut just outside the line, then use a disk sander to sand down to the line. For inside curves I have to use the spindle sander. For parts in pairs like the armrests, I stick two boards together, cut and sand both at once, then prise them apart. 

How the 3D jig-saw goes together becomes completely obvious, after you have spent a day or two measuring and drawing patterns of each piece of the original chair, making templates to match the patterns, and then fettling the templates so they can be assembled into a fullh-sized mockup of the chair. 

By the way, I found the router bits (and demolished about 40% of the house doing so, I think). I fished out my two round-over bits (⅜" &¼") but when I went to examine the original chair, I found that most of the pieces were not rounded over anything like as much as even the smaller one of those. I can probably do the rounding over with my little slickplane and a sander. The exception being the seat slats which will need serious round-over. I might apply a ⅜" round-over to the top edges and a ¼" to the bottom edges. Maybe ⅜" to both top & bottom alike. We will see. But enough about that chair for now.

I feel like a cup of tea. But I am too lazy to get out of bed and boil the kettle. Maybe I will have it in the morning. After I test blood sugar. 

And it would be nice if I could finish that lidded box with a finial of some sort, before Saturday market. 

Gotta go and find Mo and see if he wants to be in or out tonight. This morning he demanded I open the door just after 4:30 but he was soon back in bed, and snuggling up so sweetly until after six when I finally got up. Oh, here he is now. Last night he curled up on top of my cover sheet and I had to sleep without any cover until he went out at 4:30. But it was not a cold night and I didn't need a cover, so I didn't roust him off my sheet!

Sleep time.....

[Netfoot]

Here is my ½" router. This is a device that is specifically designed to mangle your hands and destroy your fingers. If you make the slightest mistake using it. And here it is, safely clamped to the bed of my lathe by the smallest, weakest clamps I own.

The reason it is so dangerous is because it is essentially a blender with a hardened, carbide-edged blade with no sort of protective surround. Powered by a V8 engine, just about!

So why are these things so popular? Why do so many people have these? Why is it that I actually own two of them?

It's because it can convert a seat-slat from like the one at the top, to like the ones underneath, in about 10 seconds.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have one more slat to do...

[Netfoot]

Ok, I am now officially dunnn!

Last of the chair parts sanded. Not driving another stroke today.

Went to the lathe and knocked off another finish finial to replace the bad one in the little dish (bowl, box, whatever). 

Shown ready to be loaded into the van and posing with the rejected, spoiled first attempt at a finial at its feet.

You know, it would be nice if I could sell this.... But tomorrow won't be as much fun as usual. Sarah is traveling so Jim won't be there to buy me a coffee. And Toni won't be there either, so she won't be buying me a bacon & egg butty... Hey! It seems I'm like so many others! I just go there for breakfast! Free breakfast! But I do have two free popsicles coming my way. I want to try her coconut as well as her coffee flavours. Not on the same day, of course...

Edited May 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Mr. Sparkle]

That purple lid is 🔥🔥🔥

[b4pjoe]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Here is my ½" router. This is a device that is specifically designed to mangle your hands and destroy your fingers. If you make the slightest mistake using it. And here it is, safely clamped to the bed of my lathe by the smallest, weakest clamps I own.

I have that same router and it is a pain to use. It really needs to be mounted in a good router table. LOL at the V8 engine comment but yeah....I get it. I think you could dispose of a body with this thing pretty quickly.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

That purple lid is 🔥🔥🔥

Yes, pretty nice. And I just came across that piece of purple heart lying in the bottom of a box of sawdust...

1 hour ago, b4pjoe said:

I have that same router and it is a pain to use. It really needs to be mounted in a good router table.

I would love a halfway decent router table! Then I might not be so hesitant to use the router, and could produce all sorts of nice things. But router lifts start somewhere north of US$200 and at US$499 they are still going. And I'm yet to find one that will fit this old monster, so I'd have to buy a router as well. 

It would be nice, but I have to carefully budget for a liter of milk for my tea. So a new router & lift is probably going to be delayed. Even if I do build the table myself to save money.

1 hour ago, b4pjoe said:

I think you could dispose of a body with this thing pretty quickly.

You'd only have to chuck the body in a bathtub and throw the router in after it. But you would need to buy a replacement bathtub when you were done, because this thing would eat that up as well. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Just returned from our Garden Patrol which went without note. Other than the light bill I found lying in the yard. Still sealed in it's envelope. Or should I say half a light bill, still in half a sealed envelope... 😕

I 5eied tried to have a shower earlier but the hot dried up on me so I didn't go any further. I will try again around 11 and hope I get hot water then, otherwise I will have to bathe in cold. I am not going to gamble on hot water at 4:30 and be forced to take a cold shower at that hour!

Had oatmeal for dinner, with a cuppa. Fingers crossed for some customers because I am out of sugar and milk and low on tea. Also low on rice, potatoes, pasta and corned beef and out of red butter, pak choy, carrots, oatmeal, tinned beans of any kind. 

On top of which the bulb that hangs over my desk is blown so I will need a replacement. And the yellowy, incandescent bulb that's been hanging over my bed for weeks now? I'd like to replace that too.

Tomorrow I'd is Heidi's birthday and I'm sorry I couldn't deliver a complete chair as her gift. But I will send her this picture 

to reassure her that progress is being made.  

Listening to This Is Hardcore, from the album of the same name by Pulp. On another album, the band introduced the song Common People which was covered quite creditably by William Shatner (yes, Captain Kirk) and Joe Jackson! You can easily find this cover on YT and if you doubt that it could possibly sound good with The Shat participating, I urge you to find it and give it a listen. The girl from Greece at St. Martins College were a personal experience of Jarvis Cocker (front man of Pulp and author of the song) who praised Shatner & Jackson's cover.

Mo was here snuggling me up a moment ago but has departed to go bark at the moon (which Is just past full) so I have an opportunity to pick my attire for tomorrow and transfer my EDC to those trousers.

Not heard much from Dr. K this last week or more, so sent her a message. She responded that she was taking a well needed break on the UK! I told her a wise friend once recommended (prescribed, really) scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves....

A while back I discovered a tiny little grub-screw broken off one of the chuck jaws. Fortunately I had a screw in the house that matched the thread and could be modified to make a replacement. It's now happened again with a different set of jaws. Only I can't remember what screw it was. M3? M4? I scanned waaay back to see if I posted about it in this forum, but can't find any such post. Oh, well. I'll have to go through the laborious process all over again. And then, it might make sense to buy a dozen replacements so I don't have to modify a regular screw to do the job...

Ok, will lay out my togs for tomorrow, then check on the hot water pressure and (hopefully) take a shower!

ETA: Shower & shampoo completed! Water pressure was not quite "firehose" but was more than enough to give me a good drenching and  allow me to wash away the filth. You wouldn't believe how dirty you can get doing woodwork!

Got my togs all ready. Mo came and helped me transfer the EDC then demanded the clothes brush as a toy. Sorry, Mo!

Edited May 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's dead up here! Mind you, it's early, but still! Done Some are saying we will have a terrible turnout because of the coronation and that may be the case. However you feel about the monarchy, the coronation should be a good show!

The sun is harsh today. Normally you get a bit of morning cloud that eases the eyes, but not this morning. It is also hot as hell and it isn't even 7:00 yet. Plus there appears to be a plague of flies. Well, it's not that bad. There are always flies (probably because of the large number of food stalls). I may be imagining that it is a bit worse this morning.

Sharing a tent with Marva (AKA Betty) of coconut bread game fame. Jim did show up despite Sarah traveling. I think he came just to get me my coffee! Just saw Tony who was the man behind the filming last week. He says they want a little more footage so they will try to get that today. Here's hoping he doesn't point that camera at me! I wanted to ask when/where the final film will be available, but he shot off so quickly I didn't get half a chance.

I will report again later.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Hot! But windy, in gusts. Each gust is a relief. The mahogany "helicopters" are flying today:

The pods split into five segments on the tree, and these rain out, to be blown away on the breeze. 

Very low turnout. Lots of people making inquiries, but no sales. And time is almost up!

[Netfoot]

Home again. Went with $54 and returned with $109. Or I would have, if I didn't stop on the way back. 

Two 12 watt LED bulbs: $25.22 but at least I am not in the dark, and I can also ditch that yellowy old incandescent from the bedroom.

And I popped through the supermarket and spent $52.74 to get out again. 

So $65 made and $78 spent. Thus a net loss of $13. But I got milk & sugar for my tea, some carrots, a white cabbage (no pak choy), a pot of red butter, a bag of rice, and two tins of bully beef.

The turnout was very low, and I heard people asking "Where are the wife & kids today?" Only to be told "Watching the Coronation!" So, much as anticipated. 

I was hoping to sample a popsicle, but Haley has gone down to Grenada for a little holiday so maybe next week, if she is back.

Beano was there as usual, telling me to ignore the recommendations of Dr. K., And take the medication he told me to. So obviously, I will do that!

Best (or worst?) Part of the morning was getting raided by a pair of she-pirates. This guy came around and I offered him a sweet for his little daughter. She took one up and said "I already took one, so now I will have two!" This was a child of about three feet high, if that. 

Off they wandered but about 3 minutes later she returned with a friend about the same size. They both helped themselves to as many sweets as they could carry with two hands, and departed, leaving only a few remaining. I replenished from stocks. Two or three minutes later the two of them were back, and again they departed carrying as many as they could carry, leaving only a sparse few in the bowl. I did not bother to replenish again, because it was almost time to start packing up. 

Back they came for the fourth time, and complained that the few remaining sweets they had been unable to carry last time, weren't enough, and did I have any more? I sent them away with a flea in their ear! I'd imagine they probably got 3-4 dozen sweets apiece.

Now, I have to ask what sort of parent(s) would see their kid(s) appearing with dozens of sweets, and don't think to ask "Where are you getting all of these?!??"

Anyway, I'll be on the lookout for them in future. 

Messaged a birthday greeting to Heidi and showed her what progress I've made with the chair. No response at all. Well, I have decided not to work on it today. I've already done enough for the day. I have to consider lunch and then take a nap to recover from my 4:30 wake-up. 

Mo is annoyed at me because I patted another puppy at the market. However, I suspect he will cease to be annoyed when lunchtime rolls around. Which is now, actually...

[Spunkygal]

Maybe you need to put a sign on the sweets “two per person! As many as you want if you buy an item!” 

[Netfoot]

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) covered by Cornershop, and sung in Punjabi. Always a little jarring to hear a tune so easily recognized and yet simultaneously indecipherable!

Had rice for lunch. Cooked with carrots, cucumber and a little corned beef. Oh, and some belly pumpkin. Garlic and red pepper with a knob of red butter on top. Tasted good! But I didn't get around to it until after 5:00 PM. So with that, I skipped dinner. And now, six hours later, 8m I'm hungry again but have no intention of going into the kitchen at this hour. However, I predict I will have an early lunch tomorrow....

You may remember my friend Raf who suffered a tragedy and went back to Canada to be there for his daughter? I was sending him occasional WhatsApp messages asking how he was going, but have not had a response from him since before Christmas. Well, I contacted unka Aussie to ask if he had heard from Raf at all, only to discover that he is here! And may go to the club tomorrow afternoon. Well, I haven't been up for ages myself, and I know Mo would absolutely love a chance to get out into the country and run around a bit.

So tomorrow I will try to get Raf on the phone and see if I can convert a may into a will. Of If he will (and Aussie has already said he will) I may throw caution to the wind and go up there myself!  Now, cognizant of the twist that life has thrown his way since last I saw him face to face, I understand he may not want to socialize with a great mass of his old mates. But hopefully I can read his mood over the phone and hopefully he will be up for a meet-up and a chin-wag. 

Had a little nap this afternoon (which is why lunch was late) but still feeling a little tired, so I will read for a short while only, under a brilliant daylight/white bulb before executing an orderly shutdown and power off. 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Got Raf on the phone this morning, and he seemed pretty relaxed but said he was working very hard to complete some business down the west coast.  It was a brief convo. and he said he would do his best to come to the club in the afternoon, but I got some sense of that being a remote possibility rather than a concrete promise.

Anyway, after swearing I would not do any work on the chair until Monday, I spent the morning building jigs to help make for a perfect assembly. Stopped for lunch (macaroni elbows & tuna with onion in rings and cucumber cut into matchsticks) around 11:30 and then around 2:30 I slung Mo in the van and we set off for the club. It didn't take him long to realize we weren't popping down to the supermarket so I had a very excited puppy keeping me company for the drive. 

You may remember the road repairs that went on and on and kept sending me into more and more crazy detours? Well the road was always awful and for years all they ever did was throw some tarmac over the worst bits and roll it down flat. Well, they took their sweet time about it, but they really fixed the road! They dug right down and replaced the road from the foundations up. So we had a lovely new road to run over to the club on.

When we got there Mo decided he was tired of hanging with me and took off for the north country in a hurry! (Short video - 11 secs. -  of Mo departing for ever more!) I 2as was very perturbed. What would I do with the 10 lbs. of chow I have at home? But I needn't have worried (Short video -12 secs. - of Mo remembering where chow comes from).

So Mozie got a good run around all afternoon, and at one point I went for a walk right around the property and of course he came with me.

We were the first to arrive, but next came Austin, then Kev showed up. Had a long chat with Austin about chair making and how noisy a planer could be, plus selling at Brighton (his daughter in law has a tent up there). Aussie has a problematic engine so he, Kev and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon discussing fuel mixture and air leaks, plug heat and engine timing, but eventually he got the thing running well enough to have a good flight. Meanwhile Kev took several flights with his Waco, a pretty aircraft. A model I brought into this island for Ian, who sold it as-is to Kev who assembled and now flies it.

And just because Mo puts in a very small cameo, here is the Waco, pretty in red, taking off for a flight. (Short video - 8 secs.)

Anyhow, we all had a good afternoon and I'm sure Mo is somewhat tuckered out and will sleep soundly, esp. after a meal of chow with "hearty chicken" added. And if he isn't tuckered, I surely am.

My dinner was a bowl of oatmeal porridge and now I'm listening to 10cc's Art For Art's Sake after an uneventful Garden Patrol. So, I'm going to lock up and go off to sleep without even trying to read. 

Mo and I had a great day at the club and I was pleased to see him enjoying himself. 

Alas, Raf never showed.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo is here, curled up against my tummy. Uh, now he's looking out the window. Together we are enjoying the sound of Joe Cocker singing  With A Little Help From My Friends. This is the Woodstock cut, and I recall from watching the movie that he was so out of his head he could barely stand up. I recall an interview with Roger Daltrey made years later in which he said that everything was doctored with drugs at Woodstock. Acid in the OJ, PCP in the coffee, hash in the pastries, speed in the water... When ever I see Joe Cocker's performance, I remember that interview!

I remember when the movie showed here. I was a very young man, back then. Like just barely 13 or something. Up until that time, if I wanted to see a movie, an older family member had to be selected to accompany me. When I expressed a desire to see Woodstock, there was some discussion as to who would come along to look after me. I informed the family that I did not need a nursemaid to sit in the cinema and watch a movie. There followed even more discussion before it was finally agreed that I could go alone, so long as someone dropped me there in the car and collect me again afterwards. And so it was that I went to see my first movie unaccompanied by adult supervision. Woodstock. Mind you, I think they parked around the corner and waited for the show to end....

Ever since then, every couple years, I watch the movie again. It's probably time for me to watch it again now!

Mo has rushed out to do... godnozewot.

I had a nice bowl of rice for lunch and I enjoyed it so much I cooked another like it for dinner. Only difference was I washed my lunch down with a Coke and my dinner with water. (I generally only allow myself one Coke every few weeks.) I think it was when I was drinking 10 cokes a day that my heart reacted badly and I got stuck on a batch of heart medicine that I can probably do without. Speaking of meds, I need a new prescription and last I checked, Dr. Kristi was gallivanting around Britain! I guess I will have to ask Dr. Gabby to do it for me. 

Spent the day building jigs. One to speed the assembly of the base of the week chair, and one to speed the construction of the back. When those two sub-assemblies are done, I will see what is needed in the way of jigs to put the two together the armrests will go on last to give a whole chair.  I really want to get this finished but I don't want to rush and screw it up. And the jigs may be necessary later. I mean, Chloe could have another baby! Messed up a jig and only realized it while having dinner. Had to rush out and quickly correct it with a Japanese pull-saw, because as we've learned, if you have something to do but you sleep before you do it, you probably won't remember to do it come the light of the next day!

Mo's back. Straight to the window and looking out. He will be off again in a minute. Don't know why he bothered to come in. Hello... He has curled up against my back again. I can feel.him panting heavily.

I would sorely like to have a shower and call it a day but I can't face getting wet wight right now. Actually the jumping into the shower is not the problem. It is the jumping out again, wet from head to foot. Mo is now helping me by washing my feet. 

Find The Cost Of Freedom by CSN&Y. They did this at Woodstock as well, but this cut is from their album So Far, which was their first compilation album. Originally, it was released as a single, and they did a live version which was featured on 4 Way Street, their live, double album released in '71. This track would obviously make a fitting requiem but I think I will stick with Way Over Yonder from Tapestry.

He's back and... Oooof! Tummy Trampoline. And he's gone again, just like that! And I think I will call it quits as well.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I've done nothing all day except add a tiny modification yo to my jig. And lose my mind, shopping.

I'm drinking a cup of tea. Went out to Kooyman and bought a 4x8' sheet of 6mm birch ply. It is 35 thou. (About 1/32") smaller than quarter inch. It cost $74.99 and I picked up a couple bags of sweets to replace the stuff pirated last Saturday.

Then I went to the supermarket to buy oven cleaner. And I also bought a bunch of other stuff I will regret! Right after I eat it.

I mostly eat bully beef. Which is made from real beef. They say it is all lips and assholes (plus the off odd horse, dead coyote and maybe Jimmy Hoffa?) but it's what I can afford. 

So I bought 93% lean, ground beef. And I thought I'd buy a tin of Cream of Mushroom soup to start a sauce. But no such thing to be found in the store. So I bought dark red kidney beans to make a sauce with the beef, and some linguini linguine to put it on. Also a bag of russet potatoes to put the other half on. I bought some pak choy, because they had it and it looks good. Then I bought an orange sweet pepper ($17.99 per kilo, the single pepper cost me $5.22). 

At this point I realized I was being dangerously unreasonable about the expense, I added Eclipse crackers, cheddar and cream cheese, pigeon peas, a liter of milk and 2 lbs. of sugar, four rolls of butt-fodder, two salted pigtails, a small tin of mackerel in tomato sauce (Buddy did not like the tomato sauce version but I suspect Mo won't have a problem with it). Also a Coke, a Sprite, a Tiger Mslt Malt and a Grapefruitee. Plus a tiny bottle of Chubby Banana because I want the bottle. Total came to $126.40 which is insane, because it leaves me with $72.14 after rent is paid. 

So I'd better make a sale on Saturday! Which will be hard, because I don't have the time to work on anything except this damned chair!

So why am I sitting down, I hear you ask? Because carrying the groceries up the steps and over the immobile puppy at the top put my back out. And the one thing I didn't buy was Panadol! So I am relying on the pain-killing properties of sweet tea to get me back on my feet.

Oh yes! I forgot one other thing I bought. It is Sunshine Snacks "Ignite" Chee Zees. Big sign up saying how hot they were (they weren't) and how cheap they were (they weren't). So, I opened the package thinking "Where has Mo got to? He can taste-test these as well!" And as I was looking over to the top of the steps where the immobile puppy was last seen... I felt The Hot Breath On My Hip...

Edited May 10, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I forgot to mention that the pigtails were for Mo.

[Netfoot]

Listening to Sophie B. Hawkins sing Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover. This is from her Album Tongues & Tails which was released about 30 years ago. I was watching a TV show once and one character was listening to some SBH and her husband (boyfriend?) Came in and said something like "Man, her music is almost pornographic!" I laughed because some of her songs are pretty direct, but the song I'm listening to right now is not one of them. However, I heard that the original music video for the track was refused airtime by MTV. I tracked it down easily on YT and I can't imagine why. I mean, even for 30 years ago, I don't see why they thought it unsuitable for air!

I can hear Mo outside barking at I know not what. I will have to go and shut him up if he doesn't quiet down! We had our Garden Patrol as usual and there was nothing amis. It's been hot in the house and I was glad to get out in the breeze. Now that breeze is in the window and it is much more pleasant than the heat of the day.

Mo ate one of his pigtails for dinner. It was served on a bed of chow, but after eating the pigtail he wasn't interested in chow. He will get around to it in the morning, I expect. Meanwhile, I had corned beef & cabbage and would have had Eclipse crackers and cheese if I'd remembered I had them!

My two main jigs are about as done as they can be, so tomorrow I will assemble the base and the back. This will require some fettling of the seat slats and also the pieces of the fan back. These were cut and sanded a little oversize in length and will need trimming. When the base & back are done, I will see what, if any, jigs are required to put the two together. The last thing to go on will be the armrests which require minor fettling themselves. With all the test fitting and jig building I've done, I certainly hope it all goes together without incident and that I don't screw anything up. As I was writing this it suddenly occured to me that the little armrest braces will have to go onto the front legs before they go onto the base. Because the chair is so small, there is no room to get a screwdriver between the legs after they go onto the base, so it would be impossible to get those braces on. But I will sleep before then so I prolly won't remember.

I am going outside to have a word with Mo who won't shut up. BRB...

OK, there was a cat waaay over the other side of the grass pasture. I only know he was there because I saw his eyes shining in the light of my torch. Mo didn't have a torch, so I don't know how he new. He's in with me now, and we're all buttoned up for the night. 

Sprayed some oven cleaner on the stove and will leave it overnight. There were some spots that I couldn't get clean without scraping with something sharp, and I didn't want to do that. Hopefully this stuff works and I can just wipe it off in the morning.

The spray can was a little amusing. It had two areas on the back. One titled 'Hot Oven' and the other titled 'Cold Oven' and since the stove top was cold, I followed the set of instructions for a 'Cold Oven'. It said "Follow instructions for 'Hot Oven' starting from step #2". Which I did. But out of curiosity, I read step #1 to see what it said: "Let oven cool".

Need to get some laundry done tomorrow. Also need to refinish three small mahogany bowls. And it would be nice if there were time left in the week to maybe turn a couple of items?

Will try to get some sleep now, feeling fresh from a hot shower and with a cool breeze in the window. 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Started on the chair. Plagued by a hundred little issues like clogged glue-bottle nozzles, slipping bits in the drill/driver chucks, and the 1¼" &1½" screws being mixed together, despite being in separate bags.

Here are the parts and the jig plus a few tools. The jig is as rough as a bear's arse, but it doesn't have to be pretty - just work!

Some notes on the jig itself helps if I sleep before building a chair.

So first thing is to attach the armrest brace to the top of each foot:

Drilled, countersunk, glued and screwed.

Next, place the leg supports into the jig and use a block in the seat notch to square them to each other:

Once square, the two leg supports can be clamped in place and the lower fan support temporarily put in place. This allows us to pre-drill and countersink the holes that will later hold the fan/back to the base.

This is then removed and put aside with the other parts of the fan.

At this point the alarm went to say "Take your 8:00 meds!" So I stopped and I'm brewing a cuppa. While in the kitchen I remembered the stove had oven cleaner all over the top and I approached it with a rag and a dubious feeling. I should not have worried. That stuff is miraculous! All the crud that I couldn't get of with boiling water, detergent and a (plastic) scouring pad? It just wiped away! The stuff must be poisonous, carcinogenic and probably radioactive. Because nothing works that well without having a serious downside or two. 

Now I will drink my cup of tea and get back to the chair.

[Netfoot]

You can see why the armrest braces had to go on first. The drill/driver barely fits between the front feet, and if you add space for an 1½" screw (before it is driven home) there is no way it would work. 

But before attaching the front feet, I checked the fit of the seat slats. Admittedly the slats are ½" oversize on length and have to be trimmed, but even after trimming they must overhang.  This slat is prevented from overhanging by the block that supports the foot.

I had to use a hand saw to cut it back (on both sides) so slats can overhang when being glued/screwed onto place.

Here is the jig after modification:

The legs can now be glued and screwed onto place:

[Netfoot]

Slats trimmed to 11½" except for one which is 10⅜" to fit between the legs. First slat attached with two screws, because people will grab that to lift the chair. The others only need one, because sitting pushes the slat on to the chair and doesn't try to live lift  it off.

Third slat had to be hand-fettled to notch the ends so it wraps around the front of the leg. Fourth slat is the short one between the legs.

Because the leg gets in the way the screws on the third g forth have to be driven by hand. 

Ouch. I am going out later to get a longer driver bit that I can use instead of using this screwdriver! Maybe a long drill bit as well? Unlikely.

Mean time I'm easing my back for a few minutes. This is taking much longer than I expected...

Edited May 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Best $9.99 I ever spent. But for somecreason these just walk away and I have to keep buying them. 

Removed the slats I'd done by hand and redid them. Next slat will have to be fettled to fit. But first, Eclipse biscuits, cream cheese, onion, cucumber and a sprinkle of salt. Must buy a bottle of pepper sauce some time.

And a Tiger Malt to wash it down...

[Netfoot]

All slats now fitted. #5 required fettling to fit the front feet, but everything else was simply glued/screwed onto place using a spacer to keep things consistent.

You can see the lower fan support (with the slight curve at the front) which is drilled and countersunk but not glued/screwed as yet. This piece will go into the other jig to facilitate the assembly of the fan/back.

The base is essentially done, now and come out of the jig. I will leave it in place for now to give all glue joints a chance to cure a bit.

Just got a call from Raf, who sounded his old self and asked me if I'd like to come up to his house. He has some mahogany he says I can have. We decided he will bring it down to my house tomorrow in his Landy, instead of me having to unload my van to hold it. 

Going to try the other jig, now. Will report back with any progress. 

[Netfoot]

Ok, here is the jig and the parts for the fan/back.

There are parts of the jig that should hold the top and bottom supports in the correct relationship with each other.

Here is the bottom support clamped in the jig:

And here is the top support also clamped in place. The top support has a rounded bottom so it sits on two pegs instead of a flat ledge:

Now to attach the fans. The middle fan fits between the two fingers on the top/bottom of the jig. 

[Netfoot]

Ok, one fan (the middle one) installed between top and bottom supports.

Shown here with the holes drilled and countersunk but not glued/screwed as yet. Stiff card (blue) acting as shims to hold the fan snug.

Next, the two outer fans are added with careful measuring to ensure they are spaced equally.

All are now glued & screwed at this point. Remaining two fans lying across the top for now.

Final two fans placed between the center and outer fans. Spacing done by eye. 

You can see my trammel compass, used for drawing the curve that needs to be cut into the top with a jigsaw.  I could have computed the radius that would give the desired shape but instead I asked ChatGPT to work it out for me. Zoom in and you might see the pencilled curve across the top of the five fans.

Bottom of the fans looks a bit snaggle-toothed. These are to be cut flush before installation. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

A bit of a mock-up to whet your imagination:

The back is not attached. It's only sitting in place and propped up by the green gas cylinder. Top is not yet cut into the curve.

Rear strut and armrest on this side just balancing in place. The strut is cut to rough length only. It's too long to fit under the upper fan support properly. (Notice the strut is outside the rear part of the seat support. Original chair shows it belongs inside.) It must be trimmed to final length then glued & screwed. The back can be screwed down via the pre-drilled holes at the same time. 

And finally the armrest can be added. A small amount of fettling will be required here.

I thought I'd have this chair assembled in one morning. I was wrong. So I will not claim that I will complete it tomorrow. 

Right now, I'm done for the day and a cup of tea is drawing at my elbow. 

Got the chair to do, Raf says he will visit briefly, and I must get some laundry done as well. 

[Netfoot]

Naturally, I didn't leave it there. I went back and trimmed the back of the chair on the bandy, cutting the snaggle-toothed bottom flush and implementing the curved top by cutting just outside the pencil line. Then the ends were brought down to the line on the home made disk sander. It looks good. A touch of the random orbital sander and a little hand sanding and it will be fine. 

Take The Long Way Home off of Breakfast in America by Supertramp. A good album, considered their masterpiece by many. And while I do like it an awful lot, I have to say that I have a soft spot for Even In The Quietest Moments....

Dr. Kristi was not  back as of yesterday, and I only have two days meds remaining, so it looks like I have to pay Dr. Gabrielle a visit to get a new prescription. That plus laundry, Raf delivering wood, the chair needing to be finished and so forth, it looks like it will be busy tomorrow.

I was so anxious about this damned chair I woke at 5:30 this morning and stared at the ceiling until 6:30 before getting out of bed and taking a chill-pill. The time taken to make templates to help with cutting parts and making jigs to help assemble them seems to be paying off. It did allow me to essentially build the chair in a day, despite a number of issues cropping up. That may just be luck. I was waiting for the "gotcha!" moment all day. Where something jumps up and bites you in the arse. just the rear struts and the armrests to go on now, so hoping that those go smoothly.

Think I will try for some hot water again tonight. Fingers crossed!

[Netfoot]

Two rear struts are attached, glued & screwed. I clamped them into position and let the excess length stick out the bottom. Marked a line, cut close to the line on the bandsaw, and used the disk sander to bring it perfectly to the line.

Then I put them both in place with glue only. Clamped tightish, checked for square vertically and horizontally across the struts and drew the clamps properly snug. After half an hour, the glue was holding well enough for the clamps to come off and for the drill, countersink and screw process to go ahead.

Of course, for this all to happen, I had to glue & screw the bottom of the back/fan onto the base. Two screws went in with the driver but close quarters required the other two to be done by hand.

A couple of women appeared at my gate to talk to me about God. I sent Mo to deal with them. It is surprising how fast his barking and leaping three feet in the air can drive people away.

And so to the arms. As expected some fettling was required to get the arms to fit so this was done with a fresh blade in the knife and then I began to plan the process of attaching them. There are too many curved surfaces to allow straightforward clamping so I had to clamp three blocks of wood onto the armrest and chair so I could clamp across those blocks.

If it looks complicated it's because it is a little complicated, requiring six clamps and four spacers to get it all into place. But after an hour, I was able to get the arm glued and clamped onto place with all joints looking good and flush. And as the wixey shows

the arm is at 0.4° fore 'n' aft to the milled cast iron top of the saw. I don't have a hot to prove it, but it is at 0.0° left 'n' right. In a while I will add the screws, with the three in the top of the arm being the easiest and the one at the rear being a nightmare.

Then the other armrest will also need to be attached but the fettling is already done so I should simply have to follow the setup I worked out for the first one. I'm looking for 9⅜" space between the arms so as to match the original chair.

But first, I have to go and get a prescription from Dr. Gabby and fill it at the poly clinic. And while I'm out I may as well drop off a load of laundry. Which means I'd better go and get that load of laundry ready to go!

[Guest]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:40 PM, Netfoot said:

Months ago, my niece asked me if I could build her an Adirondack chair. Her daughter had a child-sized chair which her [grand] daughter uses regularly. But now she has a second daughter and the two girls fight over the chair. Would I duplicate the chair so they have one chair each? Of course! Those girls are my great, grand nieces, after all. Just bring the original chair for me to take measurements from. Well, months passed, I asked repeatedly when I was going to see the chair, and eventually gave up on it.

Now, suddenly, the chair is a priority and Heidi would like the new chair completed within the next 10 days.

I hope your niece Heidi is following this forum.  IMO it’s so important to see and understand how much time and labor is involved in creating a duplicate chair at her request.

[b4pjoe]

13 minutes ago, Silent Scream said:

I hope your niece Heidi is following this forum.  IMO it’s so important to see and understand how much time and labor is involved in creating a duplicate chair at her request.

Agreed. If she was paying him for labor she could not afford the chair. 😄

[Netfoot]

6 hours ago, Silent Scream said:

I hope your niece Heidi is following this forum.  IMO it’s so important to see and understand how much time and labor is involved in creating a duplicate chair at her request.

Highly unlikely -- I certainly hope not!

Adirondack chairs are far more complicated than you would imagine. That little chair consists of 25 pieces and required over 60 screws. An adult sized chair would almost certainly require more seat slats and more "fans" for the back. Plus more screws to assemble the extra pieces. 

What has made this more difficult is that I'm not just building a chair. I am replicating a chair that already exists, trying to make it as identical as possible, even if that means including some dubious design features that were used on the original. 

I had to go out to get a prescription and to the poly clinic to fill it. And to drop off some laundry for collection tomorrow. I also bought some groceries. The other day I forgot to buy oatmeal. So, I popped into the shop and came home with $53.08 worth of groceries including Panadol... but forgot the oatmeal again! So I had to go back a third time, and this time I got the oatmeal.

Currently cooking some rice for a late lunch.

The left arm of the chair which I had glued and clamped before I went out is now screwed finally in place. The complicated clamping scheme was transferred to the right arm which is now glued in place and waiting for the glue to set up enough that I can add the screws. I know I'm speaking before time but it looks like it has come out pretty well. The Wixey shows that both arms are level fore 'n' aft and left 'n' right and also that the two arms are sitting at the same level at the front and the back. All correct to within half a degree. 

Quote

If she was paying him for labor she could not afford the chair.

To be fair she paid for the lumber and most of the screws. Plus she gave me $300, of which I spent $185 on wood, etc, to make the jigs. Plus $10 for the driver bit yesterday. So I get to keep $105?

She would not accept the need for the jigs, and she is right. I could have built the chair without them, but  it would never have gone together as tight and level and flat. (It does not rock one hair, BTW!)

And now, my rice with bully beef, pak choy, carrot and pumpkin awaits! 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Highly unlikely -- I certainly hope not!

Adirondack chairs are far more complicated than you would imagine. That little chair consists of 25 pieces and required over 60 screws. An adult sized chair would almost require more seat slats and more "fans" for the back. Plus more screws to assemble the extra pieces. 

What has made this more difficult is that I'm not just building a chair. I am replicating a chair that already exists, trying to make it as identical as possible, even if that means including some dubious design features that were used on the original. 

I had to go out to get a prescription and to the poly clinic to fill it. And to drop off some laundry for collection tomorrow. I also bought some groceries. The other day I forgot to buy oatmeal. So, I popped into the shop and came home with $53.08 worth of groceries including Panadol... but forgot the oatmeal again! So I had to go back a third time, and this time I got the oatmeal.

Currently cooking some rice for a late lunch.

The left arm of the chair which I had glued and clamped before I went out is now screwed finally in place. The complicated clamping scheme was transferred to the right arm which is now glued in place and waiting for the glue to set up enough that I can add the screws. I know I'm speaking before time but it looks like it has come out pretty well. The Wixey shows that both arms are level fore 'n' aft and left 'n' right and also that the two arms are sitting at the same level at the front and the back. All correct to within half a degree. 

To be fair she paid for the lumber and most of the screws. Plus she gave me $300, of which I spent $185 on wood, etc, to make the jigs. Plus $10 for the driver bit yesterday. So I get to keep $105?

She would not accept the need for the jigs, and she is right. I could have built the chair without them, but  it would never have gone together as tight and level and flat. (It does not rock one hair, BTW!)

And now, my rice with bully beef, pak choy, carrot and pumpkin awaits! 

That is a glorious piece of work!  You deserve more than 105 bucks for that, but I get it; family is family.

I'd suggest you consider doing some of these to sell at the market, but I suspect you couldn't charge enough to make it worthwhile.

[Netfoot]

It's done!!!

Mo likes it too.

I'm rather pleased with the outcome. But it's nerve-wracking. Right up to the last screw being driven home, I was listening for the wood to go crack! and ruin the whole thing.

35 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I'd suggest you consider doing some of these to sell at the market, but I suspect you couldn't charge enough to make it worthwhile

Now that the patterns and jigs are done, I could build one much faster. But yeah, they would not be cheap. They would cost almost the same as a chair built for an adult, because the the same assembly steps would be needed and same amount of effort would have to be expended. Only the materials cost would change.

I might score some wood and build one or two to take up there, and hope they sell. What would be nice is if I took this one up on Saturday and see if anyone is interested. But I doubt that is going to happen.....

Edited May 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[chitowngirl]

You could always take orders, with a down payment…

[Notabug]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

It's done!!!

Mo likes it too.

I'm rather pleased with the outcome. But it's nerve-wracking. Right up to the last screw being driven home, I was listening for the wood to go crack! and ruin the whole thing.

Now that the patterns and jigs are done, I could build one much faster. But yeah, they would not be cheap. They would cost almost the same as a chair built for an adult, because the the same assembly steps would be needed and same amount of effort would have to be expended. Only the materials cost would change.

I might score some wood and build one or two to take up there, and hope they sell. What would be nice is if I took this one up on Saturday and see if anyone is interested. But I doubt that is going to happen.....

Take photos of the one you just built and display those to see if there's any interest.

[Netfoot]

The business end of my lathe (known as The Headstock) contains a drive system for rotating the workpiece to be turned. The drive is in the form of a spindle.

It has a standard size, which is one inch  diameter with eight threads per inch (8 TPI).  This is how all the accessories attach to the lathe. (The hole in the middle is made with a taper and is another way to connect things to the spindle, but that is not a part of my tale.)

So here is a 2" faceplate and it has a 1" 8 TPI hole in it. It screws directly onto the spindle. The lathe can then spin it, And anything screwed to it via the smaller holes.

And here is my old Barracuda chuck, also 1" 8 TPI. 

[Netfoot]

Now, sometimes you want to attach something to the lathe, like a jam-chuck, or the disk of a homemade disk sander... One way to do that is to buy another faceplate and make it a permanent part of your disk sander. So instead, you can put threads directly into the disk or what ever it is. Like this:

This is the back of the sanding disk, and it has a block of wood securely glued to it. On the other side, a 9" disk of sandpaper is glued on. (It's marked "green" because sometimes in charge the edge with green polishing compound.)

Note the threads in the block of wood. These are also 1" 8 TPI. So it just screws right on to the spindle.

But how do you get a 1" 8 TPI thread in a block of wood? Well, first you use a ⅞" Forstner bit to drill a clean hole into the block. 

The white ring on the Forstner bit is how deep the hole must be drilled for full engagement.

Once you have drilled your hole, you use a Beall tap (so called because it's made by the Beall tool company) to cut the threads in that hole. I bought a Beall tap in 1" 8 TPI years ago, and keep it in the sturdy plastic box it came in, to make sure the cutting surfaces of the tap remain clean, devoid of rust and sharp. Here it is:

I found it out on the lawn during our Garden Patrol. The two halves of the box have been bitten to buggery and the tap itself was difficult to find. Eventually I located it lying in the grass, wet and already starting to rust. 

Now I have to use 3-in-One oil and a little toothbrush with bronze bristles to try and clean this tool up so I can put it away safely. Although, the little box in which it normally lives is no longer going to keep it protected from the moisture in the air, nor will it save the cutters on the tap from being damaged by simply knocking against other things. And as my desk (where it has lived since 2013) is obviously not as safe as I thought it was...

[Netfoot]

Some people can't say no. I guess I tend in that direction. I like to help people when I can. Sometimes that gets me into trouble because I get told off for interfering or called stupid if I try and fail to help...

Now, some people can't hear no. However you try to decline to assist in what ever it is they want, they hear it as an agreement to do what ever they want done.

A couple weeks ago at Brighton, a woman came up and started telling me about some sort of cupboard she had at home. Apparently it started off as a simple shelf unit, but she was in the process of having doors made & fitted by a professional carpenter.

So why is she telling me this? Because she wants the doors stained, and the colour she likes is the colour of my 12-sided planters. So she wanted to bring the doors to me so I could stain them for her.

The stain I use is a simple, home made stain that uses the darkening power of iron in solution combining with the tannins in the wood. The final colour depends on the wood in use, the amount of tannin in it, the concentration of the stain, etc, etc,... I can't guarantee the final colour of anything I stain, only that it will be darker than when it started.

What if I agreed to stain these cupboard doors, and the colour came out notably different to what she had pictured in her minds eye? Would I be responsible for having new doors made? Suppose a puppy gnawed on one? I told her I don't do that sort of thing, and suggested she get the same carpenter who made the doors to stain them.

She must have taken a card, because she called today, to say she was ready to bring the doors to my house so I could stain them. Once again I told her I don't do that, suggested she get her carpenter guy to stain the doors, and if she can't find a suitable stain to buy, I will tell her how I made my stain. 

So she informed me she will come to the house with a scrap of the wood she is using, so she can see what it looks like with my stain, and if she likes it then I can make her all the stain she will need...

I told her once again that I won't stain her cupboard doors nor will I make her the stain she would need. I agreed to her bringing a couple scraps to me so I can test them with a fan dab of the stain. And if she likes the appearance I will tell her how to make her own stain.

But I suspect she will arrive with her completed doors, to test the stain on them.

Zombie by The Cranberries. Dolores O'Riordan wrote and sang this track, I believe. Dead in her forties, drowned in her bath due tom alcohol intoxication. 

Guess I will have to try and turn something on the lathe tomorrow. If I remember how. And I got to go collect my laundry too. 

Someone tooted their horn at me as they went past today when I was on my way to see Dr. Gabby. I didn't see who it was, but the only person I know with a car that colour is Toni. 

Told Heidi the chair was finished (and sent her a photo), but that some of the glue joints would not have fully cured until tomorrow. She replied "Looks great. I am in no hurry. Let me know when it is finished." I wonder if she would let me borrow it to display on Saturday? I will ask her tomorrow.

Locking up and going straight to bed. If Mo runs outside he will get locked out. I'm too tired to play games tonight.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

Well, when pushy cupboard door lady brings the scrap of wood or doors over, she’ll have a chance to meet the Monster for herself! Maybe then you can impress upon her the danger of leaving the doors in your possession because vandalism by said furry Monster is a certainty! 

[andidante]

Always remember: NO is a complete sentence. 😁