Bath renovation

As you may or may not know, high school graduation is nothing more than an excuse to renovate as much of the house as humanly possible just to keep the peace. As the days click by and the big date draws near I have undertaken the task of the bathroom renovation. Originally I figured that if I was busy tearing out drywall and installing tile I would escape from the other social tasks such as writing invitations, deciding on a menu, and other unspecified tasks that as a man I am totally incapable of.

So here is the before pictures of the bathroom.

Back To Work

I finally finished the built-in components for the end wall of my living room. there is still a few little things to do, like some crown molding at the top of the book cases and a cushion for the window seat. Other than that its finished!

One Confession

One confession.

(To you professional writers out there who got me into this silly thing, I apologize in advance for this post, please be nice in the comments.)

It was a dark and stormy night. The pitter patter of raindrops was punctuated with a blinding flash and the rumble of thunder. The wind could be heard whining and moaning through the exhaust vent as we both stood there looking at the crime scene.

                "Why did you do it." She demanded of me, standing there in her bath robe.

                "Just what are you talking about?" I replied in a tone of voice I usually reserved for small children who are unusually dense. "I heard you screech out and thought you were being attacked by a vampire or something".

                "You know exactly what I am talking about, there isn’t anyone else with access to this room", she countered with hands on hips and a snarl in her voice.

During the next lightning flash I glanced around the room, taking in the usual collection of implements and products designed for some sort of female ritual or diabolical torture. Everything was in its place, as near as I could tell, but with the thunder in her eyes I knew the storm was not the most dangerous thing in the area.

                "Ok, its 3am and I’m jolted from sleep, I don’t think we are communicating very well here. Do you think you can take it from the top and explain to me just what I am guilty of?"

                "Give me your hand", she stated.

                "Why" I replied

                "Just do it",

                "Ok, now what"

At this point she proceeded to take my hand and guide it, down, down to the bottom of her robe where I felt that it was dripping wet.

                With a glimmer of hope that this situation could turn out to my benefit, I asked with the utmost of sincerity "What happened to you? Are you ok?"

                "I fell in you asshole! Some jerk left the seat up again!" Her whiplash reply dashed any thoughts of a late night rondevu.

At this point in a married mans life you come to the realization that anything you say, is wrong, dead wrong. My first thought was to deny any knowledge, because honestly I have no recollection of perpetrating the crime.

Everyone should know that marriage is all about trust and sharing. She trusted that the seat would be down and now she will not be sharing for quite some time.

To make a long story even longer I will make my one confession.

                "Honey, I am so sorry but yes, it was I who left the toilet seat up!"

Two Images

Catching up today with FWG's who am I challenge. Here are my two images that describe my life right now.

A river passes through my life, ever changing, always moving. Bringing new ideas and people, friends and family along the way. Sometimes flood, sometimes drought, ever moving, always changing.

Perfect weekend

I had to think about this one for quite some time. would my weekend be a romantic get-away? A night out with friends? A cruse though the Caribbean?

nope, I don't think so. Those things would be fun and I would jump at the chance to go, but if i had my way....

I would like to spend the weekend in my wood shop. The smell of fresh cedar, the whisk of the plane, the shavings piling up along the workbench. The current project taking shape, be it a kayak, a cabinet or wooden toy. The solitude of working alone, and being happy with that. The only pressure is coming from the clamps as they hold glued up pieces to dry. The mundane tasks that keep the body busy but allow the mind to roam a bit, thinking about the future, the past, or even whats for dinner.

Yes I think that is my favorite weekend.

Day 11 My perfect house

How much space do we really need? How much stuff do you really have to have? As a disclaimer I do have a large garage and a large woodshop that are both separate buildings. But if I ever found myself alone, I would build and live in  a house like this.

This is the Weebee house plan from www.tumbleweedhouses.com

House width:	8'	Porch:	2 ½' x 2 ½'
House length:	15'	Main Room:	6' x 6 ½'
Trailer Size:	7' x 14'	Kitchen:	4 ½' x 4'
Road Height:	13' 5"	Bathroom:	4' x 2'
Dry Weight:	4900 lbs	Ceiling height:	6' 3"
all measurements are approximate		Loft height:	3' 8"

The Weebee boasts the wonderful bump-out windows in the front. The interior is completely finished in pine with stainless steel counters. The exterior of this house is finished with cedar plank siding and an corrugated aluminum roof. Yes, when it rains, you can hear it. The Weebee can also be finished with board and batten siding or corrugated aluminum.

Living Room

The "living room" is flooded with light from all the windows surrounding the front of the house. The stainless steel fireplace warms the house amazingly well. The nook is large enough to store a day bed, futon, or small couch.

Kitchen

The kitchen features a sink, 2 burner stove top, refrigerator, and ample shelving. Below the sink, there is a small water heater, and the refrigerator. There is also space where you can store a small toaster oven or microwave if you choose.

Can I add a dishwasher or laundry to the kitchen?
The kitchen is too small, but a washer/dryer combo can be placed in the lower half of the closet (back left of living room).

Bedroom

The bedroom is in the loft. It is large enough to fit a queen size bed, but that said, this house is a little small for 2 people. The mattress is foam (or like kind) so that it can be rolled up and fit through the loft opening. The loft also has shelving for clothing. At its peak, the loft height is 3'-8".

Bathroom

Like on many boats, the bathroom is the shower … and it is called a "wet bath". We use metal diamond plate finishing on the walls that leave it with a modern look. The shower water is heated from the small water heater under the kitchen sink, and can last about 5 minutes.

The toilet is a low flush RV toilet designed to conserve water. You can easily substitute a composting toilet.

Day 10

I am really surprised I have stuck with this as long as I have. We are in the back stretch now folks so stay with me and it will all be over soon.

Three turn-offs.

1. Excessive drama.
2. Poor personal hygiene.
3. Fluffing the covers.....

hmmmm, yep that should do it...

Day nine?

And we continue on with the who am I challenge. Today's topic is to list four turn-ons (interpret as you wish). Being a healthy male with normal tendencies, four items doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg. You know what they say "Every time the wind blows" and I do live in South Dakota.

1. Smile.
2. Peak-a-boo tattoos.
3. Tall boots.
4. Show up naked, bring beer.

Day Eight of the FWG who am I challenge

Finally these assignments are getting easier. For today I need to list:


Five ways to win your heart.

1. Smile.
2. Be honest.
3. Show you care.
4. Don't over do it.
5. Good food is never a bad idea.

Easy Cheesy Lemon Squeeze

Day Seven, still going...

Ok, today's challenge is to list out six things you wish you'd never done. Wow this is a tough one. and just like the list of people who mean a lot to me, this list is a hell of a lot longer than six.


1. Traded my Telecaster for three acoustics, never should have done that.
2. Started smoking, I've quit a few years ago but that path was a rough one.
3. Dropped out of school, I should have made college a priority.
4. Stopped playing my trombone, like they say, if you don't use it you loose it.
5. Shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die, oh wait, that wasn't me.
6. I have stepped, tromped, slandered and walked all over some people.

Gee, thanks FWG, this is turning into a nice little guilt trip. Naa, just kidding. I have learned from these poor choices and I hope have made me a better person for it.

Day Six

Today's challenge is to list seven things that often cross your mind. Perhaps I am a simpleton, I don't seem to have great revelations or deep inspirations very often. My mind is not a complicated thing, when left to its own devices it tends to idle its time away with many random observations...

Seven things that often cross your mind.

1. Is it friday yet?
2. Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle
3. What should we have for dinner....
4. Hellooooo nurse!
5. I could fix that by simply _________.
6. If the answer is 42, what really is the question?
7. There you go, another shining example why stupid people shouldn't breed.

Day Five

Another little mind game in the FWG reflections challenge. of course I'm a day late with this one but here we go.
How to spend 5 million dollars that were won in the lottery....

I think the first $200K would go to paying off the mortgage and all of the bills and perhaps a new car for the wife. Next on the list would be the immediate family's greatest needs, I think I would tell them that I would cover their biggest obligation. I have no idea how much cash that would take but just for fun lets call that a cool million. Then I would start looking at farm ground, in our area it could average around $3,000 an acre, so 640 acres is going to cost $1,920,000. Machinery and tractors are not a cheep item so we are looking at another $1,000,000. And that would leave about $800,000 for operating expenses and the rest goes in savings.
Pretty depressing when you think about it... 5 million just doesn't go as far as it use too..

Day Four of the FWG's who am i challange

Today’s assignment is to list out the top 20 albums that I would want with me on a deserted island. No easy task that as I have moved into he 20^th century and don’t play records anymore. I tend to pick and choose what sounds good at the moment and go with that. Anyway without cheating here we go.

20. The Baddest of George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Nothing gets the blood pumping like one bourbon, one scotch and one beer.

19.  Santana’s Supernatural. It soothes all my Latin cravings.

18. Prince, Ultimate Disk 1. Because in every life a little purple rain must fall.

17. ZZ Top, Greatest Hits. Yes I embarrass my son when I sing along.

16. Chilliwack, greatest hits. I like the beat and the tunes and “my girl” is the first song I ever heard with a Walkman in stereo.

15. Zac Brown Band, the foundation. Them boys can really play.

14. Enigma, hard to choose but I would have to go with Voyageur.

13. Nickelback, Dark horse

12. Lady Gaga, The Fame

11. The Cars, Greatest Hits.

10. Train, Save me San Francisco. My heart will always be in that City by the Bay.

9. I think this is where I want to cheat otherwise this is just turning into all my favorites oldies. For number 9 I want to burn my own CD and load it up with a little Flock of Seagulls, Golden Earring, Toto, Journey, Steve Miller, Dire Straits, and other greats of the same era.

2. Will Brady’s Album named Boxwork. If you have ever played an acoustic and want to hear a master, this one is for you.

And the number one album to be stranded with on a deserted island is…….

The sound track from Wayne’s World! Why you ask? Of all the other choices? Why this one? The answer is simple my friends….. I will need to start the fire with something….

Day Three

Today's challenge was both harder and easier than the previous two. The question is to list eight people who mean a lot to me and why (no particular order). How does do you choose just eight? There are at least a hundred more that I could list, but here are eight of them.


1. Mr Spock, who taught me logic.
2. Dad, who taught me engineering.
3. Uncle Sam, who taught me leadership.
4. Mom, who still collects newspaper clippings of me.
5. Family, who keeps the drama rolling.
6. Magnum P.I. good guys always win.
7. Mr Irons, who taught me music.
8. McGuiver......yea! I Know!

Day Two

Today's question is....


What are nine things about me that might surprise those that know me.

1. I snore after drinking or when extremely tired.
2. I have a tattoo of an eagle on my right shoulder.
3. I once attended the Columbia School of Broadcasting.
4. No, I do not think about sex 24/7.
5. My left foot is a half size smaller than my right.
6. Yes, I do like green eggs and ham.
7. I have an Army Achievement and a Commendation medal.
8. I can do a believable impression of Master Yoda.
9. I am unable to float without a life jacket.

Day one

Ten things to say to ten different people right now. In no particular order and without any context..

1. You know it might just be easier to be normal than to use so much energy to add drama to everything in your life.
2. Just because you don't want the hassle, doesn't mean that a project can't be done.
3. You have to want the help, before it will mean anything to you.
4. Please speak in full sentences, I can't read your mind.
5. Really? been there and done that.... didn't turn out so well did it?
6. Lets make this reunion a great party.
7. Darling it would never work out between us.
8. Shut it.
9. Just be a kid.
10.Working every day isn't the end of the world and the paychecks aren't bad either.

A Different Direction

The FWG has challenged everyone who reads his blog to participate in two weeks of reflection.
Everyday for the next two weeks we are supposed to respond to various questions about ourselves, some are fun and some are sort of touchy. This might be kinda fun and totally different than how I usually run this blog but for the 6 people who actually read my blog on a regular basis, this might give you another view into the man inside the workshop. So what the heck, the questions are as follows and I might even try to answer them..

Day 1: Wednesday March 7: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.
Day 2: Thursday March 8: Nine things about yourself that might surprise people who think they know you.
Day 3: Friday March 9: Eight people who mean a lot to you and why (in no particular order).
Day 4: Saturday March 10: List your "desert island" top 20 music albums, or whatever number works for you, preferably in order! Should anthologies qualify? You decide.
Day 5: Sunday March 11: You win five million in the lottery. How, specifically, do you spend (or save) each dollar?
Day 6: Monday March 12: Seven things that often cross your mind.
Day 7: Tuesday March 13: Six things you wish you’d never done.
Day 8: Wednesday March 14: Five ways to win your heart.
Day 9: Thursday March 15: Four turn-ons (interpret as you wish).
Day 10: Friday March 16: Three turn-offs.
Day 11: Saturday March 17: Build your dream home. Describe it room by room.
Day 12: Sunday March 18: Describe your ultimate perfect weekend from Friday night through Sunday.
Day 13: Monday March 19: Two images that describe your life right now and why
Day 14: Tuesday March 20: One confession.

Update

Spent the weekend finishing up the final bookshelf for the B-man's built in bed project. We should get it installed sometime this week and I'll get some pictures up. the next project is an additional bookcase for the living room with a under window seat. I have the materials on hand and am ready to start that one.

Skinning the Yack

With this non-traditional skin on frame kayak, made on the cheap, what could be more appropriate than using duct tape to use as the skin?
First we wrapped the yack in shrink wrap, you know the stuff they wrap pallets in. This will give the tape something to stick to and keep the adhesive from drying out. A couple of layers should do the trick.

Frame complete

The framework is now complete. And because I cant decide what type of skin to put on it, I am thinking about duct tape. First a layer of shrink wrap then over that with silver and black tape. It should hold up good enough for a couple of paddle trips... we will see when the ice goes out..

Skin on Frame Kayak

is nearly done...

K2

 I started this kayak last weekend by cutting out the forms and splicing together the stringers. Its a pretty simple design, the speed of construction is fantastic. I got the basic information from http://yostwerks.com/. He provides free plans for non-traditional skin-on-frame kayaks. As this is my second kayak ever, I don't really have the experience to tell you if the plans are good or not (ill let you know if it floats!) but so far there has been a little frustration but overall I have been able to figure it out. I'm thinking that one more weekend ought to finish up the frame. Just for fun I think I will skin this one out in duct tape for its maiden voyage. Length is 13 feet, width is 21" and height is 10". Materials are cheep pine and drywall screws with Tighbond II wood glue. Skin will be a layer of shrink wrap and then a layer of collored duct tape.

Feels Good

to accomplish a couple of projects. The book cases are finished and installed, looks pretty good if i do say myself. of course there is always a few things to tidy up but the main work is done.

I had a great weekend, not only did i start a new skin on frame kayak but i caught a fish through the ice! tasty!

More progress

Couple of projects going on and should be wrapping them up before the end of the week. First is one side of the book case project that will be placed on either side of the fireplace and a dresser module for the b-man's built in bed system.
I used a pocket hole jig for the face frames and was very impressed with the results.

Next Project?

could this be the next project? not according to my spouse. but perhaps in early spring..

where to start

I spent an hour between dinner and the next meeting I had to attend, starting to clean up the shop and get it ready for winter and the next round of projects. I tell you that I have abused everything and there is not a clear counter top or work bench anywhere. There is even some rust on the table saw and the band saw table.(shudder)

hello September

Wow, that was the quickest summer I can ever remember. I havent been in the shop much at all since the kayak was finished. The weather is cooling off and soon the ground will freeze and the snow will fly. I have a lot of projects lined up and ready to go, I just need a little time to get them started and let the sawdust roll....

Canceled

After five months of preparation, countless hours in the shop, 175 miles of travel... the race was canceled due to unsafe water conditions.
i do need to make some modifications to the kayak, the foot braces are a little to short and i had to hot glue on a skeg to get it to track straight. a little fiberglass and a couple more coats of varnish should finalize it...
 next projects?

B-man needs help finishing up a gun cabinet he built in shop class for Mr. Wong.
I'm not sure what I'm going to work on... i have some small engine repair to do, but ill be back in the shop soon...

Finished

ok is a project like this ever really finished? the weather has been terrible, low temps and high humidity. the spar urethane i was trying to use just wouldn't dry. i ended up putting on a couple of coats of polyurethane on top of the sticky spar urethane to cap it off.

there will be a few more pictures as i get it in the water, im waiting for the wind to drop down below the stupid level to launch..
if we ever get some 90 deg days, i will sand off the drips and sags and put a nice hard coat of something on it... but for now, i need to get it on the water!

shhhhh.......

its done..... but the camera wont download...

Crunch Time

Between late last night and early this morning, I managed to get the inside seam fiberglassed and epoxied. We will see tonight, when I pull off the packing tape if I did a good enough job. I couldnt sleep for the nightmares of the sides going SPRONG!!! if that happens I'm gunna go buy a tupperware boat..

12 days to go...

I don't know what i did wrong. I put some spar varnish on the seat back on Thursday, just to check the final look, as of Monday morning it is still sticky. The SD kayak challenge is in 12 days, do I dare varnish the boat and pray that it is hard enough to transport and paddle? Perhaps i didn't mix it well enough and the humidity has been terrible and the weather cold....
meanwhile.....
The coaming lip is finished and fiberglassed, I just smoothed out the ends and fiberglassed them. in the future I can add fancy looking stem pieces (did I mention that the race is in 12 days?)
Next step is to put the two halves together and fiberglass the seams... time is running out, I don't want to use the word panic but.......

stuff to do:
glass seams, inside and out
do end pours
install toggles and coords
get boat checked out by Game Fish and Parks
purchase licence
figure out how im going to manage to haul the dam thing around
apply final finish
pray that it drys
did i miss anything?

Epoxy has arrived

so the epoxy finally showed up last night and i wasted no time in gluing up the coaming lip and fiber glassing on the foot brace supports. late last night i got to thinking, what if my plastic clamps become stuck in the epoxy permanently? so i had to run out to the shop to make sure i avoided that catastrophe..
next step is to attach the cheek plates permanently and glue down the little dammits that hold down the deck shock cord.

Seems to quiet

yes, things were going really fast there for awhile, then i ran out of epoxy. with a 10 day shipping speed i wont be able to put the last of the fiberglass on until Tuesday. my goal is to get the boat in the water by next weekend. that will give me a good two weeks to tweak it before the big race on the 28th. today i finished up the woodwork for fitting, cut strips for a lip on the coaming. i had to soak them in water to get them to bend around the curves. i finished up the day with yard work, always a crises this time of year.... but it was still a good day.

Fiberglassing

The last of the major fiberglassing has been completed! And I ran out of epoxy. I still have lots to do, the next step is to install the footbraces inside the hull and finish the coaming lip. Here is a sneak peak at what the final boat will look like when finished.

Inside glass

i got the inside of the hull glassed last night. now to do the inside of the deck.

Easter weekend update

On Saturday I managed to sand out the inside of the hull, put on a seal coat of epoxy and a fill coat of epoxy on the outside of the deck. On Sunday I spent the entire day with the wife, kid and family... They were starting to wonder who I was and why I keep coming in the house for sandwiches...

Cockpit

Ok, I chopped a hole in the deck last night. It was surprisingly easy to do.  I am gluing on about 100 - 2" long walnut strips around the hole to build up the coaming. that is another task that is surprisingly fast and easy. The next step is to smooth out the insides enough to get the fiberglass to lay flat. I'm pretty sure that is going to take a couple of days. When I pulled the hull off the forms, I was amazed how light it is, cant wait to put it together.

Glass on hull

The weekend went rather well, I was able to put on a seal coat of epoxy on the hull Saturday morning and it was dry enough by Sunday morning to put on the fiberglass. The roll of fiberglass that I ordered isnt wide enough to cover the entire bottom at once so I put on two pieces to cover, it should add some extra strength anyway. I think if I was to do it again, I would wet out just one layer of glass at a time, as doing two was a real pain. I dont know if I got the glass pressed down against the hull tight enough and it took about two hours to do. Good thing it was only 65 degrees in the shop, it gave me extra time to work with the epoxy before it set up.

Ramblings

I now understand why boats have female names...

Glass on deck

the glassing process is really simple, and its kind of fun. i thought the deck looked good with just a sealer coat of epoxy on it, but wow, the clear glass adds depth. i spent about an hour last night doing a final sanding, cleaning a little and fitting the glass to the deck then putting on the epoxy.

only 44 days until the SD Kayak Challenge!

Sealer Coat

now the true beauty of the wood shines through. after another day of sanding and preparing, i have put on a sealer coat of epoxy on the deck. with the temperatures and humidity in my shop, i expect it to take days to dry enough to put on the fiberglass.

Saturday Update

things are moving faster now, the final sanding is about complete, the hull is ready for fiberglass and i should get that on today. the shop is at about 65 degrees and the suggested temp for epoxy is at least 75.... but the race is getting closer and i cant wait for warmer weather....no fear, just get it done!

thursday's note

just a quick note that the fairing is complete, next step is to fill in  a couple of blemishes and do the final sanding. i might even get to some fiberglass this weekend... woohoo!

Quick update

yesterday i bought a random orbital sander and started using it on the kayak.... why did i not buy one of these years ago....

all righty then..

So the fairing is nearly complete. I spent about 12 hours doing nothing but sanding, planing, shaping... and I'm still not happy with it. I'm thinking that i need to start on the final sanding and touch up any other spots i missed or messed up. I also glued up some panels for the cheek plates and the seat back. If anyone wants advise about this process I suggest that you walk away from it every once in a while and come back fresh... that helps a lot.

Sanding

The instruction book suggests that I start the fairing process with a scraper to knock down edges and remove the glue squeeze out, then spend lots of quality time with a hand plane to create the nice fair curves... I started with the belt sander and the high speed air sander, this is going to take some serious grinding..

More progress

Talk about awesome weekend take 2! The deck has been stripped, after 20 hours of painstaking cutting, fitting, planing, trimming, fitting, swearing, fitting again. I think I have it done. This is not a perfect, museum quality piece.... This is a boat that I will paddle, drop, scrape, bang around in all summer, and its looking pretty dam good too!

still lots to do, next step is the sanding and fairing....... woohoo!

Progress

what a great weekend, it all started Friday night when i replaced the starter on the old motorcycle....... and it worked! after that i spent about 16 hrs working on the deck of the kayak. as you can see there is a bit of a wiggle on the center line, I'm still thinking of a way to fix it without tearing it all apart. but I'm happy with what i have done so far. only 67 days till the SD kayak challenge!

a better day

I did get some quality time in the shop yesterday. I finaly managed to finish up a couple of wood boxes that have been sitting on the bench for awhile. Thanks to the equilizing factor of a great air sander, smooths out all of the mistakes. And now that there is only 85 days to the SD kayak challange, im getting antsy about finishing the boat. I made more cedar strips for the deck and prepaired some more walnut. I still dont know what the final look is going to be, but I feel a design growing somewhere in the back of my head. I think the hardest task I have done yet is fitting the shear strips for the deck. Getting the bevels right and maintaing the twist is a little tough. Once these strips are inplace and solid, the remaining should go pretty quick.

Frustrating

ok some days you just shouldnt go out to the shop. i was attempting to use my plunge router with my dovetail jig and was just making a mess. i should have used the other router with the fixed base, the plunge kept slipping even when locked tight. then to add to the fun, the straight bit decided to slip down making the cut even deeper. the moral of the story is.... use the right tool, and replace that collet when it starts to slip...

To Cold

Its way to cold to be working in the shop today. I dont want to waste the propane to heat it up. So im working on some plans and specs in the house where its nice and warm.

Stripped hull

The hull is stripped, now to move on to the deck. i did the final closure strips with walnut, im thinking it looks pretty cool if you ask me. next step is to flip it over, release the forms and then start on the deck. im still thinking about a pattern for the forward end, but i have to see the shape of the deck first.

Wisdom?

I do believe that a boat takes on some characteristics of its builder during construction…. mine is just a little twisted…..

Still working on it

Another eight hours spent in the workshop, planing, shaping, gluing, clamping and tapering. I now have the deepest respect for those people who build a lot of kayaks. As this is my first build, each piece, each joint is a new skill i don't yet have. work progresses in spurts, sometimes slow, sometimes quickly, but never quick enough.

I have run out of ceder strips again and will have to pick up another board this week.  I am going to fill the final closures on the bottom with walnut, should look cool. I'm not sure what the deck is going to look like, pattern wise. I still have a lot of walnut that I can make smaller strips work with ceder fillers but we will just have to see.

A kayak can truly start you on a journey, even before it gets wet.

134 days till race day

Its tough to get time to warm the shop up to do more work on the kayak. When the temp is down in the stupid range, it takes a lot of propane to keep my fingers working. Anyway im still working on the keel strips, I have the first one almost ready to install, I just need to steam in a little twist for the bow end to get the point right. I figured out that if I cut out the straightest parts of the warped walnut strips and nail them together, I can run them through the plainer and straighten them out, then I can scarf them together to make the length i need. Its working but slow going...

Keel Strips

I'm working on the Keel strips now, I'm thinking these will be pretty important to keep straight and fitted tightly.

oh yea 140 days till the SD kayak Challenge

Sunday's Update

Ok, so this is not going as fast as i thought it would. 143 days till the SD Kayak challenge and my boat still leaks, big time. slow and steady wins the race right? I have installed the strips up to the chine and am now ready to do the bottom....
i know, i know, im going to take my time and do a good job....

Wensday's update

Didn't get to far on the kayak today, put on two more courses and filled in the bow area. The weather was just to nice to stay inside wile the forecast calls for lots of yuck. so we went fishing for the afternoon and enjoyed some sunshine. to bad i got the truck stuck and spent all my time shoveling....

Tuesdays update

Today I didn't make as much progress as I wanted. Had a couple of distractions and a trip to town to run some errands. Beveling the strips take a little more time than I planned. I am using an old Stanly block plane that has seen better days. The shoe is flat but the iron was dull so I ran it through the grinder just to brighten it up a bit. It has been a long time since I set one of those up so there was a bit of a learning curve. So here I am, three rows up the hull, first two are cedar and the third is walnut. The walnut is a pain because everything is warped badly, I have to straighten and splice a lot.

Here we go...

Ok, things are going good in the shop today. I have taken the week off and am concentrating on the kayak. I spent most of today just cleaning up previous messes and getting things ready for the next project. I did manage to get one sheer strip on, kind of tricky, you need to bevel the connection between the deck and the hull. Looks like I still need to make some adjustments. I am finding that I need more clamps (who doesn't) and one of those fancy pull saws would be cool.

The design is a Great Auk by Nick Schade, who also wrote "the strip-built sea kayak" book i am using for a reference.

Observations

It is difficult to photograph the first real snow of the year with today’s cameras. With the auto focus and flashes the picture never turns out the way you see it. A picture can never capture the quiet, the closeness or the lazy way the big flakes wander to the ground. Defining shadows are washed out and the world is blanketed in soft slumber. The leaves are gone, the grass is gone, and the evidence of human meddling is hidden for another season. The air feels fresh and although the visibility is reduced, the clarity of our surroundings is sharp with contrasting white and black. As the depth increases even the large objects of our daily lives take on new perspective as mounds and shapes change from mundane to fantasy. For a short time the expanse lays undisturbed, free from tracks and smooth from the breeze driven snow, waiting.

Changes

196 days or so until the South Dakota Kayak Challenge. A 72 mile race down the mighty Missouri river between Yankton SD and Sioux City IA....
as of right now..... I'm not ready..

new ideas

im working on a new marketing idea that might be great for our area. ill let you know if it works..

Fall Update

the shop is quiet for a little while, we are putting the yard to bed for the winter. Fixing - painting - caulking - cleaning... all those things that need to be done before ol man winter starts blowing from the north.......soon, i hope, ill have things ready to fire up the tools and start building stuff again. the list of stuff to do is getting longer...

Another Etsy Project

I took on a custom project through Etsy, this lady asked for 100 crafty style 1/2" thick cutouts in various shapes. I do love my bandsaw, its a beautiful thing. I have them all cutout and am now doing the final sanding. Then a shot of primer, drill a hole and off they go..

Disapointment

The weather was not cooperating this weekend, with 90% humidity, i was afraid that if i cut dovetails into my next box, when it dried out the joints would be to loose... so I'm waiting for things to stabilize a bit.

How to Build a Box

Start out with a board

cut it into pieces

cut some dovetails and sand untill board

glue it all together and apply a finish of your choice

add hardware and vola! you are done!

nice job, can we do it again?

Complete the Deck..... Check!

ok is a project ever really finished? i still have a couple of lights to install and to tear down the brown fence. and i might tweak the post heights to give it more flair, and im thinking a step might be important.... but other than that.... im done!

Time to Play

This summer the main objective was to fix or replace about 10 siding boards on the house. We have some rotting going on in a couple of places and we need to plug the holes. So as long as we are doing that, we might as well put a fresh coat of paint on as well. And you know if you are going to paint the walls you should paint the soffits, and a couple of the fascia boards need to be replaced. That, of course, leads into the leaking gutters that should be taken down and repaired/replaced and painted as needed. In order to get the scaffolding to sit level around the front entry area, we have to build the deck that we have purchased the material for last year. Just the plain deck isn't good enough without a fancy hand rail, that we can install and then, tear down the fence that blocks all of the snow in front of the door every winter.

I think I'm going to pick up a 12 pack of Linnies and go fishing!

Summer Time

Summer is here and the projects are coming fast and furious. i had to rebuild my sheep trailer, chop up a tree that fell down in the yard, started painting the house, new deck going in. a couple of projects for a couple of friends, and then through in a vacation and camping weekends.... whew it might be winter by the time i get back in the shop!

Shop Time

the wife and kid are off playing for the weekend and have left me to my own devices.. woo hoo! so im firing up the shop, packing some sandwiches and no one will see me until sunday night! i have some fence orders to fill and perhaps i can spend a little time on the kayak.... have a good weekend, i know i will!

Maintance

being a happy home owner there have been a few things i have had to take care of, i know its just life, but it sure keeps me from playing with some fun stuff... shower head needs repair, snow blower needs gear replaced, scout wouldn't start, gotta hang curtain rods. gotta make more kindling and haul firewood. everything is starting to melt so we have water issues everywhere. gotta start plans for 3 different projects... good thing daylight savings time starts soon, im gunna need all i can get...

Slow Day

not much going on in the shop for now, we are setting up for 4-H lambs and the wife is working on a new piority list for me. somehow i dont think that the kayak will make it to the top of that list.

Feburary

Its farm show time again and i think im going to submit this box in the adult division. bman has been to busy to put anything together so im going to give it a shot. the etsy shop has been pretty slow after christmas, but i am enjoying the break. i need to finish some work items for the booth my office mans during the farm show week. not much else going on, we are working on an built in entertainment center plans.. we will see how that turns out..

January 2010

what a lovely time of year, as the temperature plummets into the ludicrous zone, i am planning on revamping the ETSY shop with new products and hopefully new techniques that should sell a little better. i still have a few custom projects to do for friends and relatics, and i swear on a stack of bibles that I'm going to finish the kayak this year!