Saturday, July 29, 2017

Suet Solution and More

I'm a huge fan of the "Squirrel Buster Pro" birdfeeder: it's so much fun to see the litter varmints try to figure out how to get to that delicious seed--and to see them thwarted at every turn! 


(The seed doors also slam on the heavier birds--blue jays and grackles. My only problem was the clever raccoon who managed to empty the feeder at night--not sure how. But thanks to my friends Vinnie and Debbie, I learned that weighting the feeder shut at night solves the issue.)

But how to solve the suet problem? I decided to hang the basket from a tree branch to keep it out of reach. Take a look at this sneaky devil figuring out how to get to the suet.


Yup, he figured out he could climb the rope and get to the suet. Back to the drawing board.

Here is my solution:


I took the dome off a defunct feeder, added old phone wire I had sitting in my workshop, and attached it to the rope. So far, no varmints have been stealing the birds' suet. 

Now, how do I get the big blue jays and grackles to share with the little guys--like the woodpecker in the picture above? Advice welcome.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Davis Chair Project


Description: The following post will chronicle the adventure of restoring and reupholstering the Davis dining room chair set.



Day 1, Friday, June 23, 2017

















                Here are 4 of the 6 chairs. I numbered the chairs and seats to make sure the seats end up in the right chairs. Began with number 1.    





First, I took apart the loose joints and began to reglue the chair. While waiting for glue to dry, I began taking apart the seat.

  

Discovered that the last person to work on the seat simply covered it with a new needlepoint fabric.



Once all the material and webbing was gone...



I discovered that the frame needed to be reglued.




Day 2, Saturday, June 24, 2017












Day 3 & 4, Saturday, July 1 & 2, 2017


 


Seat work



Coat of Restor a Finish shines it up.





Finished product...




Only 5 more to go...


Day 5 & 6

Discovered a rookie mistake--glued the top rail on backwards! A few small drill holes, hot water and vinegar solved the problem.





Three done, three to go...




Day 7

Some photos of pre-existing conditions & repairs



The repairs were still firm, so I didn't mess with them.


Day 8:   Four done, two to go...