Creekers Weekend Accomplishments....

[Dennis Peacock]

21 July 2008

Good Morning!!

Well, it's been HOT here lately and the temp-o-meter out my back door read 100º F today and it felt like it was 150º F. Hot and humid.!!! The kids and I made it an "inside" day today and since I was oncall for work, it was just fine for being inside since I had to be in any way.

Been riding my motorcycle to / from work every day. Spent $24 on fuel cost for my commute to / from work for the entire month of June. We just got our fuel bill in from Exxon/Mobile today and the total bill was down by almost $400.!!!! A HUGE savings in fuel cost and I love the ride TO work the best because its in the cool part of the day. It's been 27 years since I've been on a motorcycle and I'm glad I'm back on a bike and I'm also glad that I took the Motorcycle Safety Course. I learned so MUCH about riding on the road during the course. I've spent most of my cycling days riding in the dirt and very little on the highways, but now it's all highway and no dirt. A whole new perspective on riding motorcycle around from the old "dirt" days.

The shop temp this afternoon registered 114º F and because I only have one A/C unit working in the shop, it would do no good turning it on. The heat load is very high and it will be next year before I can get a larger new unit to install in addition to the remaining working A/C unit.

The wife is at her parents place in Alabama taking care of her mom since she had surgery this past Thursday and also taking care of her dad as he nears the time to start doing dialysis(sp?) because of his poor kidney function.

I still need to cut firewood for this coming winter and I still need to get a sawmill to mill those 6" x 12" x 9' hickory timbers I got from Larry Browning a while back so I can also start my woodworking workbench this coming winter.

Well, enough rambling on about me and what's going on here....What about you???

What did YOU do this weekend?

Best of weeks to you all.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Last week at work....well let's just say it was all this old man could take physically. Saturday, I paid some bills and just relaxed. I did manage to mill and glue up my first inside-out blank.

Today, I got the laundry caught up, mowed and trimmed the yard. I was going to attempt my first inside-out turning but my glue up slipped in the clamps so.....I remilled it and reglued it. Maybe later this week.

I did water out tomato plants and the neighbors garden.

I've been batching it since early June. The LOML gets back Tuesday evening. If you have an hour I'll tell you how much I hate my own cooking and how much I hate eating my own cooking.

It was supposed to get up to 99 today? Don't know how high it actually got but it was hot.

[Joe Mioux]

Friday evening, mowed the yard and weedeated.

Saturday worked all day, as usual.

Sunday, had to make a couple deliveries, but by 3 or so I walked out in the garage. The radio was on and the KMOX newsperson told me that it was hot outside. I didn't need to be told that. I figured that out on my own. The weather person said 99 d and heat index 105? or something close.

I started to move some equipment around to plane some boards, but decided instead to sweep and blowout the dust and dirt in the garage.

so not much accomplished this week.

joe

[Denny Rice]

Last week I removed my old workbench, and started to build my new workbench....The NYW workshop Hutch. I have to say the plans are very straight forward and easy to follow. In less than 4 days I have it done execpt to qoute a very good craftsman: "now let's build some drawers"....... LOL
I hope to have all the drawers done and installed by the end of this week.

[Tyler Howell]

Played some music Friday night. They have these impulsive jam sessions that happen at wonderful settings. Lakes, woods, and lodges.
I was a small dog there but held my own.

Toured a number of cabins, cottages, and lodges along the North Shore of Lake Superior by architect Edwin Lundie. Saw some fabulous construction and WW details.
Authorities on Lundie, home owners and historians were available to answer questions.
Had a first date with a local lady too. Very nice!
Finished framing the bath of the new master Suite.

Have a safe week.

[alex grams]

I didn't get much done this weekend. Some texturing touchups in the new bathroom to match wall textures in spots (which is always a pain to match).

Started on the carcass for the new bathroom vanity, and did lots of reading on shellac/lacquer and such (going to branch out my finishing skills on the vanity project).

[Matt Meiser]

Saturday morning my daughter and I dropped my wife off at work and went to an antique tractor show, had lunch, and went mini-golfing. When we got home it was pouring down rain and they took naps while I headed out to the shop to clean up. Once that was done I started cleaning up the ancient Allen-Bradley starter for my planer, getting it disassembled, the front cleaned up and primed, and the main part of the enclosure into an electrolysis bath. Then I tackled installing the Wixey readout on my saw.

Sunday morning it was still raining so I headed back out to the shop and painted the front of the starter and got the rest cleaned to bare metal on the outside so I could start to refinish it. Got the lawn mowed, ran some errands before getting an early start on the work week.

[William OConnell]

Barbeque on the 99 percent finished deck
The only time I cook around here is for bareques so the bride was loving life

[Michael Schumacher]

I managed to get 20 miles of biking in Saturday morning before it turned hot. After that, I managed to get downstairs into the shop - did some cleaning. Although I did get a top created for the jointer dust collection - what a difference that made on all the little bits of dust and chips coming out. Managed during the week to get my blades nicked in a few spots on the jointer from some very hard knots on some cedar - DOH! Went shopping with the family - managed to get 7 shirts at Kohl's for $65 - a few plants at K-mart and planted those last night - also got some balls for my 7 month old to play with. So it's been a good weekend.

Michael

EDIT: Oh, I also confirmed that the planner with really hard wood (this time was walnut) makes my 7-month old son upset and he starts crying. This time he was in his crib asleep on the second floor while I was in the basement. Guess I'm going to have to move the planner outdoors when I need to run hard wood through it. Kind of a bummer - hope he grows out of it, but just 2.5 weeks ago he had tubes put into his ears, so he has a lot better hearing and I'm sure that it's sensitive too.

[Ed Breen]

Spent six hours on Saturday driving home from Horshoe Bend on lovely scenic 412. Did some junking along the way, Saw a 38 Barretta machine gun (not working) which I bought for my grandson to play with since he is at the stage where he's constantly playing war. Probobly will hang it on the shop wall if I can find any room. Got home to find that my wonderful neighbors had mowed and weedwacked the front and rear lawns (about 2.5 acres) Went out to the shop to deposit a Sandvick cross cut and a Diston back saw that had magically screamed to be bought. All-in-all we just rested and vegged on Sunday. Wonderful way to end a holiday.
Ed

[Larry Browning]

21 July 2008

I still need to cut firewood for this coming winter and I still need to get a sawmill to mill those 6" x 12" x 9' hickory timbers I got from Larry Browning a while back so I can also start my woodworking workbench this coming winter.

Dennis,
I was thinking those timbers were ash. Do you think they might be hickory?
BTW: I am really on the downhill side of my bench. I think one or two more coats of finish on the top and I can poke it with a fork and call it done. Now to decide where i'm going to put it. I am thinking it will go where old workbench is now, in the outfeed area of the table saw.

[Ed Sallee]

'Nuf Said!

[Jim Becker]

Well, Saturday was a family reunion down in Lincoln University, PA...around the corner from Hearne Hardwoods, but unfortunately no chance to sneak out and smell the lumber. LOL But it was a nice event and great to re-connect with cousins I rarely see or hear from. Fun thing was, a few of them have grandkids the same age as my own girls. Oy! I was a little bummed that none of my brother's kids attended, but at least he was there with the 'rents.

Sunday morning and part of the afternoon I did get some time outside working on the landscaping before we headed off to a barbecue with another adoptive family in Philadelphia's Mt. Airy section. I started out with the big orange power tool, getting rid of some old, musty log sections an unusable firewood, but after awhile, I unfortunately "upset" a very large nest of burrowing yellow jackets. They were not amused. One of them, in particular, decided to alight on the back of my knee. He's quite dead now. But I have a lovely red spot on the back of my knee to show for it. Of course, that also meant that the tractor was quite unusable from that point until darkness fell, so....I spent the rest of the time weeding, moving big rocks around by hand and screening top soil for the garden area just off the new front porch on the addition. Lot's of fun when it's 96º and 98% humidity. But there was a little breeze...

[mark page]

Had to work till mid-afternoon Saturday. Sunday I "just had" to mow the lawn in 100 degree temps. Then someone had the bright idea of grilling Sunday eve. Thought I was going to have to call the 'medics on myself from heat exhaustion. Took off work early today for still feeling miserable. A word of caution for anyone in 100 degree heat, never do anything today that you can put off till tomorrow. The only time procrastination works to your advantage.

[Chris Kennedy]

Saturday, I did some yard work and general chores around the house in the morning. In the afternoon, I started with the first steps in closing in my shop walls -- hanging the insulation.

Sunday, the boy was sick (and still is), so I didn't get much else done.

Cheers,

Chris