This hard labor thing is taking some getting used to. Again. It’s been a while since I’ve done any framing, and the windows that I’m installing are not light – they measure 4×6 (feet, not inches!), double pane, and it takes the help of another person (in this case, Pastor Mike is helping) to set them in place.

I started working on the West Wall first:

Step one was to frame the windows, using existing studs as the framework to stay within:

As usual, once I got going I forgot the camera for a bit. After framing, the cut was made in the exterior:

This shot shows the framing that was done:

You can see the window ready to be placed next to the cut.

Since the exterior was already finished, I needed to cut through stucco and chicken wire, tar paper, and half-inch OSB (while not knowing where the nails and staples are). After experimentation, Pastor and I figured out that two cuts would be needed. The first cut with a diamond blade set for 1/2″ deep takes care of the stucco and wire; a second pass with a wood blade set at 1 1/4″ takes care of the OSB. The tar paper just gets eaten up in a combination of the first and second cuts. An unfortunate side effect is that the wood blade is pretty much ruined after one opening.

At this point, the West wall has all four windows in it (I’ll post pictures later – I forgot the camera completely yesterday) and today I will be starting on the East wall. That is, provided I can get MEG up and moving.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

1382 and a wake up! (less, if impeachment happens)

There are people you meet in your life, and they move in and out and don’t really affect you much.

Then there are the types like Bloviating Zeppelin and Greybeard, who make a huge difference, even if you don’t get to see them nearly as often as you’d like.

(I have yet to meet BZ in person, and I look forward to the time; I have met Greybeard when he was out here visiting his son at college. Good man, good conversation – when are you going to be out here again?)

A little background, and to catch everyone up to speed: Wednesday I posted about the little remodel job I was working on, and mentioned during that post that it was time to retire the current flag. I was rather rueful in the fact that I could not, at this point in time, afford to replace the flag. In the comments, BZ asked for my address, because he had a brand new flag to send to me, and Greybeard popped in with a “ya beat me to it.”

The thing is, that my wife, whom I love and cherish more than anything or anyone with the exception of our Lord and Savior, worked a little search engine magic and found a source for flags at the incredible price of about $10.00 each – and she ordered two 3×5 US flags and a 3×5 USMC flag. She told me about it, and we were just happy as two clams in the mud flats of Morro Bay that we were able to get three flags for less than the price of one in a brick and mortar store. (as soon as I know where they came from, I will pass that on)

UPDATE: the flags are coming from FlagsMart in Walnut, California.

So, I leave it to you, BZ (and Greybeard): I have flags coming, so it’s up to you if you wish to send one. I certainly won’t refuse them, and they would be flown with honor and pride. If the size is as you state, BZ, I’ll have to trim the tree a bit, and I may fly it on Sundays and Holidays, as a Holiday flag. Again, it’s up to you if you still want to send it. My appreciation for the offer will not change, and my respect for you will not lessen either way.

Oh, and before I forget – I finished the install Thursday, and then ended up running to Casa Grande with my Pastor to pick up some culvert for a project at the church. Here’s the hall bath, finished out and trimmed:

And the Master bath installed:

Sharp-eyed readers will notice the sizable gap on the left side of the master vanity. The moron who measured the job mis-read the tape (twice!) and ended up nearly an inch short of the wall. To make up for this, I have fixed up a piece of special “wide” trim (actually a piece of cut-down stop stock) to cover the grand canyon of a gap. I will be doing that about the time you read this, or Friday morning for those who may not be by here the day this posts.

Again, a very heart-felt Thank You to BZ and Greybeard for their offers.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

1394 and a wake up…

Got half the install pretty much complete this morning. The customer has two baths, and only wanted one out of commission at a time, so the hall bath was ready for the new cabinets when I got there:

…and that’s the last picture I took at the jobsite. For some reason, I put the camera back in the vehicle, and forgot about it until I got home. It’s OK though – I’ll be back up there to install the rest of the cabinets and all the trim pieces, which means that I will have finished product pictures soon.

No, it’s not time for me to retire. When I got home, there was a stiff breeze blowing (has been for a few days, but this is the first time I’ve been out front and looking in the right direction to notice…) and the flag was standing out. I have GOT to pay more attention to the flag I’ve kept flying since the Global War on Terror (just because Obama doesn’t want to say it doesn’t mean we can’t!) started; my plan was to keep it flying until the ridiculous islamists are finished with their little temper tantrums. This flag won’t be the one to finish out the watch, though.

It has now been folded and will join the rest of the flags (seven so far) that have worn out and are awaiting a trip to the American Legion.

Downside – TMBWitW was out and about at the time, and we talked. She checked in a flag store where she was, and to replace the 3×5 American Made United States flag would cost upwards of $50.00. That’s a lot of money for a guy without steady income. So, unfortunately, there will be no flag on the front pole until I get some income. I sure feel bad, though – being a patriot as I am, it pains me to not have a flag up and waving.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

I’m going about this part a little backward – I should have drilled the doors for the hinges before I started applying the stain, but sometimes you get in a groove and forget where you need to be…

The first step is to remove all the sanding dust (you did remember to sand everything down to a smooth finish, right?) since the fastest way to mash up a finish is to try to apply it over sanding dust. On smaller projects I would use a tack cloth, but the air hose took care of the dust this time around.

I am using Minwax English Chestnut on red oak for this project. It’s got good color, good coverage, and is kind of forgiving if you leave it on too long – you can do a little extra rubbing to pull some color out, as long as you aren’t trying to pull it ALL out – which makes it ideal for hand application.

The sink bases are what is referred to as “linen” bases – there are no false fronts over the doors. Both doors and drawer fronts have a 1/2″ overlay to them, meaning the edges of the doors and drawer fronts overlap the openings by 1/2″ all around. The option was to have a larger overlay (probably 1 1/4″) and show even less of the beautiful oak frames.

The customer chose a flat panel door, and I fancied it up a bit with mitered corners. The inside profile is a Roman Ogee, about 3/8″, and the outer profile is a simple yet elegant 3/8″ round over. I used the round over on the outside edges of the drawer fronts also. The customer is picking out door and drawer pull or handle hardware, so I did not put a finger route or finger pull groove on the doors and drawer fronts.

The next set of pictures will have the doors hung and the drawers installed, for an almost-finished look. Just before I add the hardware, though, I will be using the Minwax Polyurethane clear semi-gloss spray as a top coat and to give the Chestnut just a bit of a glow.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

A while ago I mentioned that I was working on some cabinets for a remodel project. Saturday I got to the assembly portion (the customer would not be ready for the cabinets until this week; they hadn’t picked out the new faucets as of Sunday morning…) so I figured I would start taking pictures.

Start of the assembly of the first cabinet (a drawer bank):

Bottom in place:

Frame is on:

While I was putting the frame on, I managed to curl a 1″ wire brad through the face:

It’s kind of tough to see the nail. Next, I got to practice my “make it disappear” skills:

Today I will be staining the frames, doors, and drawer fronts; installation is scheduled for Wednesday and I will be sure to get lots of pictures from that, too.

As a side note, at my nephew’s wedding about a month ago I was weighing in at around 230. In the photos all you can see of me is my huge gut.

This inspired me to cut out my favorite soda beverage (and, I might add, my last source of caffeine) Coca Cola about two weeks ago. I weighed myself on Sunday morning before I headed for church. 214. Cool. I’m going to keep watch and see how low that will go…

How was your weekend?

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

1398 and a wake up!