Box Joint Project

In June 2024 I took the "Fixins Tray" course offered by the  Philadelphia Furniture Workshop and had a great time learning from Craig and Greg.

• They gave us four pre-cut cherry pieces, and we used the table saw to cut box joints.

• We used a drill press to cut out the handle openings and a sander to smooth out the bumps.

• We used a router to cut the dado that holds the bottom panel in place.

• Lots of hand sanding.

• I chose to finish my tray with boiled linseed oil.

• Finally, I applied a coat of carnauba wax.

 

Building Shelves

The process of building shelves for a new bathroom closet

Lumber from Lowes

Created a jig on my miter saw stand so that I could cut all the boards and rails to the exact same size without having to measure for each cut

Used a biscuit cutter, glue, and clamps to join boards to the desired depth

Sanding and painting...

Final construction -- putting it all together

She's not a Lazy Susan...She's a Puzzle Susan!

So named by my niece, this Puzzle Susan sits atop a card table and swivels when you need to sort pieces that are out of reach. If you want to make one, here are the directions and some photos.

Supplies:

 

1. Order a Lazy Susan, 18 Inch Plastic Rotating Turntable (Icasa brand with Steel Ball Bearings, ABS+PC Material, 66 lbs Capacity) from Amazon.

2. Lowes will cut a 4x4x 1/2 sheet of plywood down to 36 x 36 inches. Pick up two 8ft by 3/4 inch pieces of pine trim for the edges. You will also need a small can of Minwax Wood Finish, color of your choice. 

3. Amazon also sells 36x36 pieces of green felt, wood glue, and spray glue.

Steps:

First, paint the underside of the plywood.

Second, cut the first piece of trim to size by holding it in place and marking where to cut with a pencil--you're making a beveled miter joint. Remember to adjust your cut for the kerf--carefully sized trim will make great looking corners.

Third, glue and clamp the first piece of trim onto the plywood. Gluing tip: Put strips of clear packing tape under the edges when gluing. This enables easy separation once the glue has dried. Here's a photo of how I clamped the trim to the plywood.

Fourth, rotate the plywood and repeat steps two and three above (three more times). It's important to cut and glue the pieces individually so you can measure against the previously glued piece of trim for accuracy

Fifth, stain the trim with Minwax Wood Finish. If you prefer, you can paint the trim (I recommend a gloss finish).

Sixth, glue the felt to the board. Use spray glue for this step. Fold half over, spray glue on board and the back of the felt; fold other half and repeat.

Sixth, attach Lazy Susan hardware to the bottom -- and it's done!

Next -- add puzzle.

Second and third 2023 projects: piano bench and cutting board

Seven years ago a friend gave me a beautiful live edge black walnut board that he had finished. We have been using it as a table top on an ottoman.

This week, I turned the board into a piano bench. I found the four iron legs on Amazon.

Our cutting board of 20+ years came apart for the second time. Because it's such a great design -- reversible with lips to catch the edge of the counter -- I decided to fix it.

My attempt to use my hand planer failed, so I ask for help from a friend who is also a woodworking expert.

He used a table saw to rip apart some sections that were unsound and to square up all the edges. 

And he gave me great advice for gluing up the pieces: put clear packing tape on all the supports so once the glue dries it will be easy to separate them from the board.

After a careless mistake using my biscuit cutter, lots of sanding, and a coat of Walrus cutting board wax, the board is back on our kitchen counter.

 

A Novice Caner's First Project in 2023

The previous owner of this chair gave it to me because the seat had a large hole in it. Glued up the wobbly parts and on to the caning.

Three tips for novice caners like me:

    1. Save time along the way

    2. Final stage advice

   

    3. Listening to audio books helps me through the tedious stages. I highly recommend  the Bloody Jack series written by L.A. Meyer and read beautifully by Katherine Kellgren.

January 9,2023 

Project is done!

Special thanks to Peerless Rattan: I learned caning through their excellent video, "Weaving a Cane Chair Using the 7 Step Method."

I buy caning supplies from Peerless Rattan and Amazon. 

Turning Lawn into Meadow

First, I chose a small section of lawn and mowed it as short as possible.

Next, I removed grass from three areas to plant 50 agastache (anise hyssop) deep plugs. I also began covering parts of the lawn to kill grass and weeds near the plants.

I was impressed by the quality of the plants I bought from Izel Native Plants, an online supplier recommended by the Mount Cuba Center.

Made space for two black adder agastache plants we had in pots. 

We want to see how the agastache fares before adding grasses and other plants to the meadow. I will to continue to cover the grass around the plants to prepare for spring plantings.

 

DIY--I replaced my broken garbage disposal. You can too.

Our garbage disposal of 20+ years finally died. 

I decided to replace the disposal myself, and here are some lessons learned:

• The parts in the sink and the mount are still in good shape--I just needed a new machine. Replacing an Insikerator with the same brand saved lots of time.  All models attach to the same mount.

• The drain pipe and dishwasher hook ups were a breeze because the measurements of both Insinkerator machines were the same--even though the new disposal is a different model (Evolution Spacesaver XP).

• Stainless steel grinders are worth the extra cost if long life is a value.

• Horsepower also matters: I chose 3/4 hp for grinding power.

• I applied some of the the money I saved from hiring a plumber to purchasing a higher-end, more durable, and quieter machine.

• Not all "how-two" Youtube videos are equal. Here are links to the two videos that I found most helpful:

• How to take out the old machine
• Step by step installation

New model installed, and and a sink full of water is draining so I can check for leaks.

All done! Here's a video of the completed installation so you can hear the noise level.