What did you do in your shop today?

What you've done is something I need to do.

Living in the country 30 minute drive from nearest hardware store means you always bought extra and or bought extra sizes just in case. To make matters worse I also have all the tools and hardware left over from a lifetime of Mom and Dad farming. In the garage alone there is a storage unit 8 ft tall, 6 ft wide and 3 ft deep that is full of plastic storage totes, coffee cans, coolwhip containers and anything else that will hold hardware stacked full of nuts, bolts, nails, staples, plumbing, tile, ....

Know anybody who wants to come organize?
 
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What you've done is something I need to do.

Living in the country 30 minute drive from nearest hardware store means you always bought extra and or bought extra sizes just in case. To make matters worse I also have all the tools and hardware left over from a lifetime of Mom and Dad farming. In the garage alone there is a storage unit 8 ft tall, 6 ft wide and 3 ft deep that is full of plastic storage totes, coffee cans, coolwhip containers and anything else that will hold hardware stacked full of nuts, bolts, nails, staples, plumbing, tile, ....

Know anybody who wants to come organize?
Do you have a farm pond I can fish afterwards? Then count me in.
 
Roughly a year after its completion, my shop was getting to the point where walking through it was like navigating a maze. Monday I started cleaning, rearranging, organizing, tossing, shuffling, cleaning, tossing, cleaning..... I think I'm making some headway but I'll know for sure by Friday....

Alan
 
Roughly a year after its completion, my shop was getting to the point where walking through it was like navigating a maze. Monday I started cleaning, rearranging, organizing, tossing, shuffling, cleaning, tossing, cleaning..... I think I'm making some headway but I'll know for sure by Friday....

Alan
I did the same thing about a year ago. Just keep at it, one pile at a time. It took me awhile but I finally got it to an operational shop. It was very rewarding to get it done.
 
I picked up a couple of root balls of manageable size, (most I find are too big to deal with) and they have pretty good symmetry, which is hard to find too. Decided to give one a go today, I got it drilled out and started hollowing today, will finish tomorrow. encountered lots of rocks and dirt of course, The wood is eucalyptus, red gum I think, seasoned and very hard... Got my fingers crossed it will hold together. I have stretch wrap around it for hollowing....
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Can I come and be your assistant wood scrounger?
 
I milled up a couple of pallet boards to use as a filler for a window sill. Cherry on the left.
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Finished out at about an inch.
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New hoseless nail gun works great!
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I milled up these 2 ash boards for the sills but one finished up to short. I have another ill see if it will work. Trying for knot free for the sills.
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Neighbor found out my wife knew what headboard looked like... decided we needed to make a country barn door style to match her dresser.
To be fair, said neighbor did gift me a full carport frame in pine just for picking it up after they did the hard part and got it on the ground.

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Mine was spent first on researching online on how to sign my creations and the other half was finally applying what I found from here. Have to say, using a chisel for signing has turned into one of my favorite activities.
 
Mine was spent first on researching online on how to sign my creations and the other half was finally applying what I found from here. Have to say, using a chisel for signing has turned into one of my favorite activities.
So ... let's see an example or two :smile:
 
Mine was spent first on researching online on how to sign my creations and the other half was finally applying what I found from here. Have to say, using a chisel for signing has turned into one of my favorite activities.
That link doesn't show any how-to stuff, so I guess you just figured it out by trial and error?
 
Well today the work continued on the window trim for the bedroom windows. Jointed and ran some stuff through the planer to thickness it. Routed a profile on the boards after that. I made new sills that where wider, 6"
So this built up mounding will help support it when one of my fat cats jumps up on the window sill. :sarcastic:
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Yeah I know the color isn't a match but it's all ash out of the same tree.
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I didn't like this with the top board so I gave it the same return end as the other board.
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Then I tested two ways to put it up. I asked my friends for their input on this as I just couldn't see it.
Flush to the end is the winner.
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No one liked this so I scrapped this idea.
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So here's everything all sanded and ready for some finish. It'll get some clear water based poly. But I think I want to rattle can spray it this time.
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Then I cleaned the shop up, put stuff away and ran the shop vac around the place.
 
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Concur with flush! Such a practical build! Did it replace an existing sill? Chuck
Yes it is replacing an old sill. We got new windows and I ripped out the old sill. I had to build the sill up to the correct height as well. It will look much better than the 70 year old sill and trim that was in the room. Plus my kitties will dig the wider sill, lol. They love to lay in the windows, especially when the windows are open.
 
So I would really like to start spraying water based polyurethane but I just don't have the cash to by a good sprayer right now, especially after buying a new table saw. So polycrylic is about 9 or 10 dollars a can. I have gallons of finish on hand and I want to use it. So do I buy a p.o.s. Wagner, nope, I know what that will do. So I thought I'd give the preval sprayer a try, at 4 bucks a pop its worth the risk.
Here's one kit, and I purchased an extra gas bottle.
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I prepped an area for spraying by laying out some paper and putting the pieces to be sprayed up on some sticks. Got a couple of replacement shelves for the kitchen pantry to be sprayed too
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This is the finish I want to use. Water-based polyurethane in semi gloss. Water based poly has become my go to for most projects.
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A light coat on one cedar shelf.
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I got one coat on everything with one gas cartridge. It works so so. Had to thin the finish quite a bit, it's about 3 parts finish to one part water. It does spray but it's not the greatest and kinda slow. We'll see how the next coat goes, I may end up brushing the tops of the sills anyway.
A good hvlp sprayer is on my short list but not for awhile yet. I'm not real sure on the employment situation at this time either.
 
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Second coat went on better. I thinned it a little more, now it's somewhere between 50/50 and 3 to 1.
This is very wet just after spraying
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Sprayed the ceder shelves heavy as this side is rough sawn and it's soaking up the finish like a sponge.
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All this little experiment has taught me is that I want to get a quality stand alone sprayer.
 
Does that poly have some UV protection? Those will be beautiful sills but exposed to sun quite a bit.
 
Does that poly have some UV protection? Those will be beautiful sills but exposed to sun quite a bit.
No uv protection. Not to concerned about that. They are all natural and if they fade a little that will be ok too. Most of the boards where closer to white until I put the finish on and then they turned to the redish in color.
 
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