Creeker's Weekend Accomplishments.....

[Dennis Peacock]

22 Jun 2009

Yes, it's HOT here.!!!
85º F at 07:10 hours and this is the "cool" part of the day!
Been working on cutting up a large Oak tree that we had to have taken down as it was dieing and we've been working in the yard and garden as well. Since both A/C units are broken on the shop, I'm spending precious little time in there as I just can't take the heat like I used to and without A/C in my shop it get well over 100º F and stays there until very late at night. Many are already saying "come on fall"!!!

I've been spending a good bit of my "free" time with my boys teaching them how to do various things like changing oil in the lawn more, sharpening the blades, how to handle a tiller, how to safely run a chainsaw, and such things as that. Nobody ever taught me how to do all that and since I'm the dad of the house, it's my responsibility to teach my kids how to do things as well as how to take care of themselves.

The day job is hard and heavy. I've got a Disaster Recovery exercise to do in Philly sometime next month and then another one in October. I'm not looking forward to it, but hey, it means I will still have a job then and that pays the bills.

Well, that's it for me for this week. What did YOU do this past weekend?

Best of weeks to you all.

[Larry Browning]

Hey Dennis,
Did you ever get that workbench built? Or are those ash timbers you got from me still gathering dust in the corner of your shop? I sure hope you put them inside somewhere.

My son is looking at getting a big flat panel TV and is wanting me to build him a cabinet to sit the thing on. He likes the look of cherry. This plan I have calls for a full 1" thick top. I have been trying to plane down some of the cherry I have from my cache. This is really a sad situation. I found a couple of boards that should have worked, but when planed down there are just enough bad places that the stuff seems to be un usable. What a shame! The good parts of this wood are beautiful, but I cannot seem to find enough good wood to make much out of it. I am really considering just burning it, because I can't seem to find a project that I can use it for.

[Matt Meiser]

Saturday I made a long-term temporary headboard for our new bed. We didn't like not having one since the bed sits out from the wall a little bit due to partially being in front of the windows. Since I am days away from starting on my parents' kitchen I didn't want to start a permanent one. So we bought a piece of plywood, some batting, and LOML chose some fabric she liked and I made something quick. The "legs" are oak with a few quick coats of shellac. In the afternoon I answered a craigslist ad and picked up 6 sheets of MDF, plus several large pieces equivalant of 1+ more for $25 from some guy who needed to get his garage cleaned up (wife's orders I suspect) Should last me several years but very useful for jigs, shop fixtures, etc. Then I spent an hour and a half reorganizing my plywood rack to get it in.

Sunday morning was spent being lazy and trying out the Keurig coffee machine I got as a father's day gift. Sunday afternoon was spent at my parents' working on several things for them with one of my brothers. First we put in their window AC. Then we replacing a part on my dad's truck. Easy job but it didn't solve the problem and I also learned that hand cleaner and grease come in similar containers and are similar colors. Then we tried to put up a new DTV antenna for them but had trouble with one of the chimney mounts (after Radio Shack closed) so we had to abort for another day. Came home and started the lawn mowing by doing all the edges, then did some other work around the yard while LOML finished.

[Dan Gill]

I didn't get any woodworking (or even painting done). My son didn't get the grass cut until yesterday evening, and I needed that done before I could paint the pergola. Yes, it was that tall.

I did put a new rotor and brake pads on my motorcycle Friday, shoot two sporting clays matches Saturday (shot my overall high score in one), taught and worshipped Sunday, and had a great Father's Day. But no woodworking.

[Mike Wilkins]

I thought about woodworking this weekend, but that is as far as it got. The youngest daughter that just got her degree at UNC got moved into an apartment, and my father's day gift was to help her move in. On the 3rd floor on the hottest day so far this year. My knees are still mad. But you know we do what we must for the offsprings. Got treated to a great Father's Day meal at my favorite joint-Outback Steakhouse. Stay cool out there guys.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Saturday I worked on my pickup, washed it and then went to the local Borg and picked up the new bathtub and toilet we special ordered.

Sunday, I made a drawing of the backwall in the shower of our upstairs bathroom and spent the day playing with tile designs. Sunday evening, I went to the local Borg and bought $350 worth of tile. I sure wished the LOML was here to help pick out the tile!

It rained Saturday and Sunday so I didn't get any yardwork done.

[Chris Kennedy]

I finally got back into my shop after a long time away. I have been battling a wrist injury, which has made work hard. Sunday, though, I made a face frame for a kitchen cabinet (the old one had to be removed to fit a slightly larger fridge than the kitchen was designed for).

For Father's day, I received a tape measure from my little boy, who then promptly thought it was the best thing to play with. I got a DW734 planer as well (little bit of a gloat!) from the LOML, and have started to work on some deck chairs from a PW design.

Cheers,

Chris

[Bill Schmitz]

My wife and I got our new vise installed on our workbench. I played with my new handplane (a Record No. 5 jack plane with a Lie-Nielsen iron); and I made progress on my first cutting board, following Mike Schwing's tutorial:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/articles/2/

I even have pics to prove it.

Bill

[Bill Schmitz]

A couple more pics that were supposed to be in the first response, too.

Bill

[Lee Koepke]

assembled and tested out my new 6" jet jointer !!! it was a birthday/fathers day present to myself !!!!

[brent warner]

spent most of the day muttering to myself
brent

[Eric Larsen]

Finished installing roll-down solar shades on the west side of the house. Roughly 50 linear feet of plastic, see-through "sail cloth" that blocks 90-something percent of the heat from reaching our walls and windows. It was breezy when I installed them. That was a fun project. And when I say, "fun," I mean "not fun at all."

The shades hang from the patio cover, and are kept from blowing around by low-tension wires running the lengths of the patio-shade columns. That was fun to install, too. And when I say, "fun," I mean "not fun at all."

Then I bought and installed an evaporative misting system that will keep the patio below 90f all summer long. I think it was a grand total of 100 PVC joints. That was really fun. And when I say, "fun," I mean "not fun at all."

At least it's done before the temperature hits 110f and stays there.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

My buddy gave me a tree...all I had to do was go cut it down and haul it home. Easy right? Yep, actually it kinda was. Hardest part was getting the two 14" & 18" diameter x 20' onto the 16' car hauler....

The Eastern Red Cedar had three huge trunks. Two of them are going to be the gate posts out at the wildlife center and the rest is a log bed for my buddy and his wife. The rest will be mine to play with and there will be quite a bit.

Now I have to let it dry out for 9 months to a year.

[harry strasil]

Oldest daughter showed up from Indiana to get her Maternal Grandpas lil "H" JD tractor she had stored in my back yard to take home and restore and the combination Lister/Planter too. Real Power House, 15 hp on the pulley and 9 hp on the drawbar. The fluid in the tires finally ate thru the rims, so I had to pick it up to load it on her trailer. I balanced it out after the picture was taken. A small tricycle and a pedal tractor also left. LOL

[Jim Becker]

Dennis, be sure an let me know when you're back in the area next month... ...you can meet Elvis and have some nosh with us again.

Not too exciting a weekend. The normal equestrian activities and a lot of re-grading to the driveways (to fix storm damage and so forth) as well as some landscaping work. Plus, getting the girls ready for the first day at their respective camps...which was yesterday.