Creeker's Weekend Accomplishments.....

[Dennis Peacock]

5 Dec 2011

Good Morning Everyone,
It's been raining enough here to make me want to think about buying a boat for local commuting.!!! We are supposed to get another Inch of rain today and I expect we will get more than that estimated 1 inch.

The good news for today is that "I'm off of oncall duty" as of this morning!! Yea.!!!!! I worked all night every night last week and all day Saturday and Sunday. I just wished I got paid hourly so I could have made a little more money. Anyway, I'm tired, exhausted mentally from the long hard week and I'm glad its over. Now I can start thinking about doing something in the shop.

I hope that all of you are getting well on your way to being prepared for Christmas and the coming new year.

That's it for me, so what did YOU do this past weekend?

Best of weeks to you all.

[Matt Meiser]

We are getting a lot of rain too. At one point last week we were getting worried that I might get water in my shop. There's a lot of flooding along a river near us and several bridges including a pretty major state highway were closed for at least a few days. The bad part about that closing was that the detour routed people into our town--where we had our annual "Christmas in Ida" festival which usually attracts 20-30,000 people for the light parade which usually has about 150 units. Luckily they re-opened the highway about 4 hours before the parade started.

I was out of town for work last week so I took it kind of slow this weekend. Saturday we went to Motawi Tile's open house, had a good lunch, then went home for a couple hours before heading to the parade. My wife and daughter walked behind the Girl Scout float--I just watched. The weather was the best in years (we've gotten freezing rain a few years) and I'd guess there is a new record attendance.

Sunday I sprayed 2 coats of WB shellac on the dining table. Hopefully at lunch time today I can get started on spraying 2 coats of WB lacquer. The top also gets sprayed with Target's Superclear product for scratch resistance. Its getting down to the wire--I need to get everything sprayed by the end of next weekend to give everything a chance to cure before going into service. My parents' first guests arrive on the 18th.

[Mike Goetzke]

Thanks for some added help here I met my personal schedule (for once) on 12 drawers for our kitchen!





I used my new Omni 55160 DT jig - very easy to set up and use & I got better joints than Norm did in his demo video. Ha, it sat for almost two years before I used it. Our kitchen project was a complete house remodel. That break down door drying rack came in handy - just removed a few pipes and it fit my tall drawers.

I took vacation this week and hope to hang the cabinet doors and install these drawers.


Thanks,

Mike

[David Hostetler]

Sorry about the day late reply...

I have been very busy this weekend. On Thanksgiving eve, the power steering pulley and drive belt on my Saturn exploded into countless pieces of shrapnel. I spent the weekend yanking the pump, hauling it into a shop to have the old pulley hub pressed off, and a new pulley pressed on. Once that was done, reinstall, fill, and bleed the system. Wait, not so fast, reinstall the BELT... Ugh... Now I remember why I despise front wheel drive cars! I know my pickup sucks gas like Gabriel Iglasias sucks down Chocolate Cake (he drinks diet soda so he can eat regular cake...) but man are these small spaces hard to get my big hands into!

I managed to get that done late Saturday afternoon, had enough time left to finish putting up the exterior Christmas decorations, the animated deer, the candy canes, snow flakes, and enough lights that I can't use my shop for the next month for anything power hungry...

Sunday came yet another challenge. The dryer popped a thermal fuse again. I verified all the ducting is free of restriction. I am thinking it is probably related to the hose between the dryer and the wall as there is way too much hose, and it tends to bend around too much, probably causing a restriction and keeping the heat in the dryer, and thus melting the fuse... So a new fuse, and some fresh dryer hose are on order. Until then I have to drip dry, or go to a laundromat... I'd rather drip dry... Hate those places...

I spent a couple of hours finishing up the refinishing job on my Grandmothers old recipe box. My Dad made it for Grandma back in 1965, I inherited it back when I was in college... I remember that box as far back as I can recall, at every single family / holiday gathering... I have yet to show the box to my Dad. I hope he will be pleased with the work I did to it... The original finish was mostly gone, and the original hinges had failed, so it was time for a redo... I left as much of the character that this thing gained over the years as I could. But I wanted it to be something Oma would be proud to have in her kitchen as well... Trying to keep the family traditions alive you know!

I spent a little bit of time cleaning the shop up from the recent projects. I am mostly there, but need to be all the way there. Might finish up tonight...

[jeff . whitaker]

Hmmm.. I think the biggest thing that happened ...I wasn't alone in the shop, let me explain.
I have two kids both grown, the oldest , my son, is only intrested in video games and the like..bring him in the shop and all you hear is that it's "dirty" and hot/cold here...yada yada yada...
My daughter takes an intrest in other hobbies that I have ( guitar, plastic models and RC cars) but she has a husband and child and only shows up in the shop to bring Dad his coffee and a little one on one talk.
Saturday she and her husband James came over to borrow the weedeater. He wandered out to the shop to get the keys to the garden shed and found me at the lathe turning Christmas ornaments .... What cha' up to?? That looks cool ... can I try one??

Long story short he never got the weedeater.. was back over in the shop Sunday at 8AM and went home with 5 ornaments HE turned.. today I have had 6 phone calls about different lathes he found on the web.....
Hallelujah I think the boy is HOOKED!!