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Making Sawdust

Now that the workshop is finished, Hubby has started his first real project.

He is building cabinets for the closet in our bedroom. It’s a walk-through closet (the idea of which we hate) between the master bedroom and bathroom. The builder installed shelves that were of shoddy construction and poor design. Plus, despite having a tile floor in the bathroom and hardwood in the bedroom, there was carpet on the closet floor.

The whole closet was just dumb. So Hubby is correcting it by building cabinets. We’ll still have to walk through the closet to get to the bathroom, but it is sure going to look WAY better when he is finished.

Step one of the closet project was buying the lumber. He got it a month or so ago. Wood needs time to acclimate to its surroundings (adjust to the humidity level).

Hubby with his pile of lumber.

As you can see in that picture, he bought lots of lumber. The darker wood (from his hand down to just below his hip) on top is soft maple. He’ll be using that for the cabinet faces. The lighter lumber at the bottom is poplar. He’ll be using that for one of the closet drawers and another project.

He purchased rough, unfinished lumber. It is WAY cheaper than buying finished wood, especially when you get into hardwoods.

The lumber most of you are probably used to seeing is the finished, dimensional lumber sold at places like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Builder’s Supply, etc. The most-common size of dimensional lumber is the two-by-four.

A two-by-four, which is sold in various lengths, actually measures 1 1/2 inches tall by 3 1/2 inches wide. It is sold by and referred to as its nominal or starting size.  The finishing or smoothing out of the wood takes an average of a quarter inch off of each side.

How do you take a quarter inch off? Sanding is one way. But that would take a LONG time. When you need to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and create a smooth surface on a rough piece of lumber, you use a plane (when done by hand) or planer (when powered by electricity).

While I was away on my girls’ weekend at the end of February, Hubby spent the weekend making sawdust. Literally.

Hubby running a piece of unfinished lumber through the planer.

Get this… he filled NINE, 42-gallon trash bags full of sawdust.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of those bags filling about a quarter of our garage.

"Ze Planer, Ze Planer!"

It takes multiple passes on each surface of the wood to get it to the right smoothness/thickness. But even just one pass makes a huge difference.

A side-by-side comparison.

You have probably figured out that the board on the left is after being run through the planer while the board on the right is the rough wood.

Like most people, I’m more used to seeing the finished stuff. When Hubby showed up with trailer full of rough lumber, my first thought was, “What’s he doing with that junky wood?”

Finished vs Unfinished

There’s the same wood from a wider angle.

Rough lumber is much thicker than the finished piece.

In that last shot, you can see how much thicker the rough wood is when compared to the finished piece. The vertical piece of wood upon which the rough lumber rests, which is 3/4″, is an example of the thickness Hubby had to take each board down to.

Scroll back up to the first shot of Hubby with his lumber pile and perhaps you can imagine how he ended up with NINE bags of sawdust.

What does one do with nine bags of premium sawdust? You could take it to the dump, or you could do the responsible thing (like Hubby) and give it away.

Another unique aspect of horse country is that sawdust is actually in huge demand. Farmers use it as horse bedding. Perhaps other large animals need it, too? Not sure. What I do know is that the lady who responded to Hubby’s ad on Craigslist for free sawdust was THRILLED. Turns out she has some young sons in 4H raising chickens, and chickens love sawdust. Sawdust isn’t cheap.

It was a win-win situation. We got our garage back and she got plenty of free sawdust. She called a couple of days later to report that her chickens, which hadn’t laid an egg for months, were now laying in the sawdust.

Next time we amass a collection of sawdust to share, she’ll bring us some fresh eggs in trade.

Step two of the closet project, which I’ll address in the near future, is demolition.

Any idea how long this entire process is going to take? Let’s just say we’ll be living in a construction zone for a while.

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Our Little Adventure

Back in the day, before we bought motorcycles, before we decided to build a house, when we had lots of free time on weekends, Hubby and I used to like day-tripping together. We might go to a state park for a walk in the woods, along the beach, etc. Or maybe a nature center/wildlife sanctuary (because you know how I love critters). We might visit a town just because we’d never been there before. Perhaps we’d visit a home and garden show. Or craft show. Sometimes it was a simple country drive, with no specific destination in mind.

We haven’t done anything like that for a long time. So, when Hubby asked me if I’d like to go to the woodworking show in Fredericksburg, I said yes. Honestly, my first reaction was, “Uh, no thanks.” Because woodworking is his thing, not mine. Then I remembered the good old days and had a change of heart.

Also, I knew we’d be heading into civilization, i.e., town much bigger than ours, and could run some errands while out.

One of the secrets to staying happily married for a long time (almost 19 years for us!) is realizing that it isn’t all about me. My partner’s interests, likes and dislikes, feelings, and all that other stuff matter, too. Really. Marriage is all about compromise and sometimes sacrifice. But in a way that’s healthy for both of us.

Hubby posing (at my insistence) with a large cross-section of one REALLY old tree.

So off we went to Fredericksburg…

Our first stop was Hardee’s for breakfast. We both love their made-from-scratch breakfast biscuits. Then we went to Petsmart to stock up on dog food. (There’s a Petco here in Warrenton, but I just don’t like them as much.) We stopped at Harbor Freight Tools, too, so Hubby could get some things he needed. He even bought me a new tool box. My girlfriend, Carol, gave me one years ago for Christmas or my birthday, I can’t remember which. It’s pink. All the tools are pink and mostly functional for very small jobs. It’s in a flat, plastic case and stuff is constantly falling out because the clasps worn from being used so much. He also bought me a screwdriver with interchangeable bits. So one screwdriver is all I need to grab. Which is awesome because, invariably, if I needed a flat head, I’d grab the Phillips and vice versa. And I’d have to go back to the toolbox to get the other one…

Anyway, after that, it was off to the big show. That was all before 10:00 AM by the way. Neither of us are morning people, but we have three dogs, two of which insist on getting up before the crack of dawn. Even on weekends. Need I say more?

I, being female, was definitely in the minority at the expo center.

One of Many Tool/Technique Demonstrations

It was really quite interesting and entertaining, too. There was all matter of odd stuff on display and for sale.

Like these large things that, to me, looked like coral. At first glance, anyway. But once I looked closer, I realized what they were.

Burls for Sale

Large burls. Those are those knotty-looking growths on trees. They are actually quite prized for their unusual shape and intricate grains. (If you are really curious to see the many uses for burls, I did a Google search for pine burl images and this is the result. If that link doesn’t work, you can Google it yourself.)

Another Demonstration

I thought the Crazy Canadian poster/display was funny. So I couldn’t resist snapping this pic later when the Crazy Canadian himself showed up.

 The very wide array of stuff for sale was quite fascinating.

Because I like to observe people, I was quite amused by the fact that most of the merchants there pretty much ignored me. Usually, at events like that (crafts fairs, pet expos, home and garden shows, etc.), if you even look at someone’s display out of the corner of your eye, they are all over you with “can I help you?” Or, “if you have any questions, let me know.”

I was openly gawking at stuff, taking pictures, being left completely alone.

I’m guessing they all just knew I was clueless. In fact, as I told Hubby later, I’d estimate that about 95% of the stuff that was there, I had no idea what it was, what it might be used for, etc. It was like I was in a whole different country trying to understand a foreign language.

There was a Dadowiz tool, used for cutting dados. A variety of pocket hole machinery. Feather boards of varying sizes. I think I remember seeing a bastard file or two. Bench dogs, biscuit joints, plunge routers, rabbets (no fur involved). The list goes on.

I could have asked, and Hubby would gladly have explained. But I didn’t really want the translation. It was more fun imagining what the stuff might mean, could be used for, etc.

Some things conjured up entirely different images and/or lines of thought I really did NOT want to explore.

Um, what?

Obviously some man named that one.

It really was intriguing.

Embarrassingly enough, I was the only one who spent money at the show. (Bought some special paint remover.)

After we left there, we headed further south to an unfinished furniture/antique reproductions store I’d found online. Fredericksburg is one of those towns that appears to have nothing but shopping malls, strip centers, car dealers, fast food restaurants, and TRAFFIC. Ugh.

You know you're in the south when you see one of these.

We did not stop at the KK as we are both dieting again. Sigh…

Daffodils!

It is not the most picturesque place. In fact, all the parts we saw were downright UGLY. And the furniture store was a huge disappointment. Huge. Overpriced and poorly constructed junk.

I did capture a cool image on the way home.

Do You Look at the Moon?

All in all, it was a good day.

Are you still awake? Sorry, but it doesn’t take much to qualify as an “adventure” around here.

Now, let’s see what we can get into today!

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Handiest Hubby Ever

I’ve been meaning to write about this topic for a very long time. What better time to write about the love of your life than Valentine’s Day?

Mike (aka Hubby)

This isn’t about him per se as much as it is about his workshop.

Now, if you are thinking “mancave,” STOP. I hate that term. I think it is one of the silliest, most overused terms out there. Maybe if we didn’t watch HGTV and TLC so much, with shows like House Hunters, Property Virgins, Property Brothers, Curb Appeal, Sell That House, etc., it wouldn’t be so bad. But terms like that, as well as open concept, open floor plan, granite counters, and en suite, drive me crazy.

Anyway, back to Hubby’s workshop…

Before we moved, Hubby had a workshop in the basement of our Maryland house. It was okay, but it was also cold, cramped, sort of dark, and the stairway was too small, which made it hard to get long boards, 4 x 8 sheets of material, and other stuff into the shop.  It also made getting large, finished projects out of the shop. Having spent so much time over the last seven years at the WV place, he didn’t get much use out of the workshop. So, when we decided to sell the house, he moved all of his tools aside and converted that space into a little apartment. By himself. Well, we paid some guys to hang and finish the drywall, but he did everything else. Really. The man is quite handy.

Once the WV place was finished, and riding season was over, he missed his workshop. He’s not one to just sit around. He’s a tinkerer. So we knew that the new house had to have a space for his workshop. Not in a dark, cramped, cold basement either. In a separate building, with heating and plumbing. And maybe even some windows for light.

That was the plan.

You know what they say about the best-laid plans, right?

Not only did the house we fell in love with not have a separate building for his shop, the garage is sort of small, and the basement was completely finished. There was rather nice carpeting, nine-foot ceilings, built-in shelves (small), a pool table, and even a full bathroom. It also had a workable entryway from outside. The door was small, but could easily be replaced.

We both loved the house, but Hubby didn’t know what to do about his workshop. He needed his shop back.

“Well, just unfinish the basement,” I said.

“That’s crazy,” he replied.

I agreed that it did sound a bit strange, but the two of us have no use for a fully finished basement in a house that’s already a tad large for our needs. So he ripped up the carpet from about two-thirds of the space, built a wall to separate that area from the rest of the basement, had a larger door installed, installed a special PVC tile floor, arranged his tools and added a…

Wait, I can’t tell you about that until later. It’s something Hubby has wanted for YEARS. Years, I say.

First, I think I should show you some pictures of the recently completed space.

Welcome to Mike's Workshop

When you enter from the basement, that’s what you see. A very large work-bench, which is actually his first building project here at the new place. He needed a large surface to work, put it’s primary purpose is to support material as it comes off of the table saw (at the end of the workbench).

Workbench from Another Angle

As you look around, you’ll notice that he is very organized. Proof that opposites do attract. 🙂

View from the Other End

There’s a shot from the opposite end of the room. That big teal thing in the middle of the room is the table saw.

Bandsaw

All of these tools have a specific purpose. I’m not going to go into all that detail, though.

Drill Press

He’s been working on this space since the day we moved in. Actually, he started planning the layout before we moved in. Before we even closed on the place.

Smaller Workbench

These are some of his older accoutrements. He’s been amassing this equipment slowly over the years.

Storage Closet

This storage closet now has much brighter lighting thanks to the new fixture he installed sometime within the past few days.

L-R, Jointer, Sander, Shaper

That electrical panel you see hanging on the wall is another recent addition. All of these big-ass tools require lots of power.

The green thing hanging from the ceiling, which you can’t see very well, is an air filter. It collects airborne dust particles. You know, so our house doesn’t fill up with dust.

Table Saw and Workbench

There’s a better shot of the table saw/bench combo. That should give you a better idea as to how wood sawed on the table saw will easily feed over on the workbench.

Miter Saw

That cute little thing is the miter saw someone very special got Hubby for Christmas.

Behind that is a planer, which belonged to Hubby’s grandfather.

Air Compressor

The air compressor is actually for woodworking and auto repair. Yes, he can fix cars, too. And motorcycles. Come to think of it, he knows how to fix lots of stuff.

I told you the man is handy.

And now… for the pièce de résistance. The thing Hubby has wanted since forever.

The Cyclone

That’s the cyclone dust collector. It’s the heart of the dust collection system.

Have you been wondering what all the weird pipes are for?

Finally, a two-stage Cyclone Dust Collector with all the features of the larger systems, but in a compact size that requires less headroom. Aside from the safe and efficient operation of a two-stage system, this Dust Collector features a pleated filter system with internal shaker paddles for maintaining filter efficiency, remote control switch for activating the Dust Collector from across the room, roll away collection drum for easy dumping and a 6″ inlet for handling larger duct systems. If you’ve always dreamed of a Cyclone Dust Collector, but didn’t have the space, this is the one for you!

That text is from the Grizzly web site. (What, you’ve never heard of Grizzly? I guess you don’t have a Hubby like mine.)

The cyclone is basically connected to most of the tools via those pipes. Think of it as a giant vacuum. When Hubby uses a tool that makes sawdust, he uses his remote to activate the cyclone, which sucks up all the dust as it is being created. The air filter hanging from the ceiling captures all the minute, airborne particles that the cyclone misses.

Cool, eh?

Hubby is quite proud of his workshop. And I am quite  proud of him. He designed and installed the entire system.

Are you wondering why a man needs so many special tools? I could save that for another post since this one is already REALLY long, but let me just show you a few examples of his work.

Bookshelves

 

Entertainment Center (open)

 

Entertainment Center (closed)

 

Headboard

He’ll probably cringe when he sees I posted that headboard because it’s something he just sort of slapped together. But it’s a perfect example of one of those things where I said, “Honey, can you build me a …” and within days it was done. That is Eric’s bed, by the way. Which is why it’s sort of plain.

Unfortunately, most of that stuff stayed at the old house. Except for Eric’s bed, which went with him.

My favorite “project” of Mike’s, which we brought with us, of course, is the bedroom set.

King-sized Bed with Matching Nightstands

The picture is from the old house, but the stuff is here. Trust me. I would never leave that behind.

His first big project at the Virginia house, I think, will be building the dresser to match the bedroom set. Or the cabinetry for our closet. I’m not sure which will come next, but I’ll be sure to share pictures of the finished products.

I got very lucky when I married that guy, eh?

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It’s Hubby’s Birthday!

Happy birthday to my Hubby, the love of my life.

My handsome Hubby.

I couldn’t have asked for a better husband.

I hope you have a fabulous day!

 

 

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Down Time

Hubby and I FINALLY took a much-needed break.

Farnham Colossi

Wednesday evening we headed for the WV place for some R&R. It was wonderful.

On Thursday, I went to visit the Farnham Colossi (follow that link to read all about it on my other blog).

Friday, Hubby and I went for a LONG ride through the VA countryside (230+ miles).

Here I am with a serious case of helmet head.

It was fabulous. The weather was gorgeous, though it did get a bit hot by the end of the day.

My handsome Hubby.

One day soon we’ll have to try for a shot of both of us together.

On Saturday we went to visit our friends Kathy and Barry and we did some off-roading.

My first off-road adventure.

This is their driveway. They’re in the midst of improving the property. It doesn’t look too bad in the picture, but trust me when I say riding my motorcycle up and down that thing AND remaining upright made me quite proud of myself. I never would have attempted that on the cruiser. It’s way rougher than I should have attempted on the GS. But I keep telling myself people ride these things through the Amazon rain forest, I should be able to do a steep, rutted dirt driveway in Maryland for gosh sakes. And I did. 🙂

Seriously, I was amazed I made it to the top without falling. It was like riding a bucking bronco. I knew there was a very good chance of crashing on the way down, i.e., falling over at about 3 mph. A tiny little part of me was thinking I should have one of the guys get my bike back to the bottom, but I quashed that stupid, small voice of reason and went for it. And I survived!

Afterward, we rode into Frostburg and had a nice Mexican dinner at El Canelo.

Yummy Mexican fare in Frostburg.

I really wanted a margarita. Really, really. But alcohol and motorcycles don’t mix. Even when I was young and stupid (I got my motorcycle license at 18), I never so much as sniffed a drink when riding.

Sunday was a homebody day. I actually gave both bikes a much-needed bath. In addition to that off-roading, we’d hit quite a few dirt roads of late. They were both pretty dirty. Then I hacked a path through the trees, something I have wanted to do since forever, so I can walk the dogs without having to duck under a bunch of low-hanging branches.

Today (Monday) we did a short two-hour ride and found some cool new roads. Isn’t it amazing that we can still find roads near here that we’ve never ridden before? I mean, really. We’ve been here for SEVEN years now.

Tomorrow we’ll need to straighten up and then head back to reality. The break was good while it lasted! I hope you’ve enjoyed a nice, long weekend, too!

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Nothing is Cooking

One of my readers once said they enjoy my little quizzes or guessing games. So here’s one for you…

Any idea what this is?

Did you guess?

I’ll give you a hint. Look at this next picture.

Our concrete counter in 2007.

The kitchen counter at the WV place was the one thing we did that really didn’t work out very well. Hubby and I are NOT concrete finishers. We’ve never liked it, but we’ve lived with it.

Until now.

Our concrete counter in 2011.

Hubby spent last weekend in WV alone, using a jackhammer to dismantle the concrete counter. Then he removed the rest of the cabinets. (I’d helped him remove the wall cabinets the weekend before last.)

Here's what is left of the old kitchen.

He spent most of last week there, alone, so he could work on installing cabinets in the evenings. (A wife and three dogs would have totally been in the way.)

He actually got a heck of a lot done all by himself. But that’s my Hubby. He’s quite handy and way more motivated than anyone else I know.

The kitchen on Saturday morning.

Hubby loaded all of the boxes of unassembled cabinets and hardware onto the trailer by himself. He drove it to the WV place. Well, almost. He drove it to the community, but the roads were VERY icy. After a small incident where the truck and trailer jacknifed on the very first steep hill, blocking all traffic into and out  of the community for a couple of hours, he had to park the trailer. He wasn’t injured. In fact, it was over the course of the next two days that he had to make multiple trips back to the trailer, transfer the cabinet stuff into the truck, drive to the house, unload the cabinet stuff, and then repeat a couple of times. There were appliances, too.

I tell you, he’s awesome.

My amazing Hubby.

While he continued doing the hard stuff like building a small wall, assembling and installing more cabinets, hooking the appliances up to the electricity, etc., I once again assumed my customary unskilled laborer role. I got to do drywall finishing and painting.

This is what the kitchen looks like now.

There’s quite a bit left to be done, but that’s not too shabby for one guy over a week’s time.

The weekend wasn’t ALL work and no play. The girls were there after all. And they had a visitor.

Their friend, Buddy, came a calling.

I was happy to see a couple of bluebirds.

A bluebird!

I took the girls for their walks as usual. This is one of the two bluebirds I saw. He was sitting on the power line above our driveway.

Meg waiting for me to walk up the hill.

It’ll probably take a few weekends to get the kitchen completely finished. But it will be SOOOOO nice to have a dishwasher, new cabinets, and nice cooktop.

Belle and K waiting in the truck as we prepare to leave.

All in all, it was a pretty productive weekend.

Can you believe how much work Hubby got done all by himself?