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[AU64 10,122]

Some people have great sunsets....we have spectacular sunrises too.. Sun rising over Thicketty Mountain. in Upstate South Carolina from my deck

[AU64 10,122]

On ‎1‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 11:08 PM, Mike4AU said:

Impressive work, especially around the door frames!

Beautiful...I need a son like you...my kids call me when they have a home repair project.  Most times when I go for a visit I just take my tool chest with me since they typically have jobs but rarely the correct tools to do them. 

That's great work....

[Tiger Refuge 6,663]

2 hours ago, AU64 said:

Beautiful...I need a son like you...my kids call me when they have a home repair project.  Most times when I go for a visit I just take my tool chest with me since they typically have jobs but rarely the correct tools to do them. 

That's great work....

Thanks! I love working with my hands. Always have. Definitely makes it easy to stay busy when “free time” arises.

[AU64 10,122]

4 minutes ago, Tiger Refuge said:

Thanks! I love working with my hands. Always have. Definitely makes it easy to stay busy when “free time” arises.

Agree there is something special seeing your own handiwork.  I always had inside jobs, mostly pushing paper but also pretty high stress so my woodworking shop over the garage was always my stress reliever.   Built a good part of the wood furniture in our house and stuff for my kids.   And, until my joints objected, loved going on building missions with a church group and working on flood or hurricane damaged houses.   Not as engaged now but still keep my tools ready for whatever arises locally for our church or the kids.  

That's a great job you did.   We actually had someone re-construct our bathroom last fall.....really hurt me not to do it myself but I never did tile work so best that I let the pros do that one.  

[Tiger Refuge 6,663]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

Agree there is something special seeing your own handiwork.  I always had inside jobs, mostly pushing paper but also pretty high stress so my woodworking shop over the garage was always my stress reliever.   Built a good part of the wood furniture in our house and stuff for my kids.   And, until my joints objected, loved going on building missions with a church group and working on flood or hurricane damaged houses.   Not as engaged now but still keep my tools ready for whatever arises locally for our church or the kids.  

That's a great job you did.   We actually had someone re-construct our bathroom last fall.....really hurt me not to do it myself but I never did tile work so best that I let the pros do that one.  

That’s awesome! It is definitely a creative and sweat equity outlet.

I have just started messing with building “things”. I have put in floors, built decks, etc. Jist always loved seeing something, them making it happen. My ancestors were furniture builders by trade, so I have sawdust in my veins.

Just started working on this cooktop cover for my wife. Still have a ways to go.

[McLoofus 35,182]

10 hours ago, Tiger Refuge said:

That’s awesome! It is definitely a creative and sweat equity outlet.

I have just started messing with building “things”. I have put in floors, built decks, etc. Jist always loved seeing something, them making it happen. My ancestors were furniture builders by trade, so I have sawdust in my veins.

Just started working on this cooktop cover for my wife. Still have a ways to go.

[Barnacle 9,064]

8 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Ferrreal 

[Barnacle 9,064]

19 hours ago, Tiger Refuge said:

That’s awesome! It is definitely a creative and sweat equity outlet.

I have just started messing with building “things”. I have put in floors, built decks, etc. Jist always loved seeing something, them making it happen. My ancestors were furniture builders by trade, so I have sawdust in my veins.

Just started working on this cooktop cover for my wife. Still have a ways to go.

Reclaimed heart pine is so sexy

[Tiger Refuge 6,663]

2 hours ago, Barnacle said:

Reclaimed heart pine is so sexy

I love working with reclaimed wood. This came from my best friend’s family property in central MS. Same wood I used to build my countertops. 

I may end up starting a little side business out of all of this. Working on a table now...

[McLoofus 35,182]

13 hours ago, Tiger Refuge said:

I love working with reclaimed wood. This came from my best friend’s family property in central MS. Same wood I used to build my countertops. 

I may end up starting a little side business out of all of this. Working on a table now...

I built a farm table for our back deck- probably shared pics in here at some point- and Wifey posted pics on FB. Some rando asked her how much we would sell it for. I had no interest in selling it- sumbitch was a TON of work and it came out exactly how we wanted and this offer was made before we'd even gotten to really use it- so I said to tell that person we'd take a grand for it. That person never responded, lol, but I was still pleased that I built something and somebody offered me money for it. Maybe after the kids get a little older I'll get back into it. 

Oh, sorry, it was built out of reclaimed wood and it is beautiful. I desperately need to sand and refinish it though. And I didn't know what I was doing and laid one of the boards on the wrong side and have some cupping now. But it's one of those things that I notice a lot more since I built it. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,663]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

I built a farm table for our back deck- probably shared pics in here at some point- and Wifey posted pics on FB. Some rando asked her how much we would sell it for. I had no interest in selling it- sumbitch was a TON of work and it came out exactly how we wanted and this offer was made before we'd even gotten to really use it- so I said to tell that person we'd take a grand for it. That person never responded, lol, but I was still pleased that I built something and somebody offered me money for it. Maybe after the kids get a little older I'll get back into it. 

Oh, sorry, it was built out of reclaimed wood and it is beautiful. I desperately need to sand and refinish it though. And I didn't know what I was doing and laid one of the boards on the wrong side and have some cupping now. But it's one of those things that I notice a lot more since I built it. 

Heck yeah man! That's awesome! It's funny how you notice those little things when you do the work yourself....

 

Post up a pic when you get a chance!

[McLoofus 35,182]

16 minutes ago, Tiger Refuge said:

Heck yeah man! That's awesome! It's funny how you notice those little things when you do the work yourself....

Post up a pic when you get a chance!

Amen. And you're very kind.

2 pics of the table and also the patio I built, also out of reclaimed stone. Well, the pavers came from a friend and the fireplace/border stones came from a granite wall that somebody tore down in Grant Park. I'm pretty sure it was quarried local to Atlanta and dates back at least 75 years. The wall, not the stone. The stone probably dates back a little longer. Those are planters dropped down into the table to use as ice buckets, or to put flowers in, or to fill with decorative stones and candles. Oh, and the bamboo privacy screen/fence in the background. A neighbor had a bamboo patch next to their house that they "pruned". So I did that so we didn't have to look at the neighbor on that side and so he didn't have to look at us. It eased the sting of selling that house when the buyers said they wanted us to leave it in place.

[Tiger Refuge 6,663]

15 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Amen. And you're very kind.

2 pics of the table and also the patio I built, also out of reclaimed stone. Well, the pavers came from a friend and the fireplace/border stones came from a granite wall that somebody tore down in Grant Park. I'm pretty sure it was quarried local to Atlanta and dates back at least 75 years. The wall, not the stone. The stone probably dates back a little longer. Those are planters dropped down into the table to use as ice buckets, or to put flowers in, or to fill with decorative stones and candles. Oh, and the bamboo privacy screen/fence in the background. A neighbor had a bamboo patch next to their house that they "pruned". So I did that so we didn't have to look at the neighbor on that side and so he didn't have to look at us. It eased the sting of selling that house when the buyers said they wanted us to leave it in place.

DUDE! Love it! All of it! Got dangit, got my blood flowing now. Love the seating as well! Man, there are endless possibilities with the reclaimed materials. 

When one is actively engaged in that stuff, it makes driving from point A to point B like a scavenger hunt. Especially in rural areas where all sorts of outbuildings are falling to pieces.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, Tiger Refuge said:

DUDE! Love it! All of it! Got dangit, got my blood flowing now. Love the seating as well! Man, there are endless possibilities with the reclaimed materials. 

When one is actively engaged in that stuff, it makes driving from point A to point B like a scavenger hunt. Especially in rural areas where all sorts of outbuildings are falling to pieces.

Holy crap, that is so true! It's like you can't turn your brain off and every discarded item is a piece to a puzzle. You just have to figure out what the puzzle is, lol. Drove my wife CRAZY for so long and then I did a few projects and she was like, um, I just got that new new for free. You do you, Loof.

Thanks for the kind words. And if you're ever looking to kill time in Atlanta, check out a place called Lifecycle. Basically a Home Depot-sized facility with nothing but reclaimed materials of every possible variety. I got all of the wood for the table and chairs there. Some mornings I would grab a huge cup of coffee and just go walk around, with no projects or preconceived notions. It's like you were saying about the scavenger hunt. I'd just go look at stuff and use my imagination. I more or less stuck to my plans but I also freestyled some stuff. Like the bamboo thing. Had no idea I was going to do that until I saw the bamboo while on a dog walk. So rewarding.

I hope this encourages other folks to share stuff.. 

[AU64 10,122]

Enjoyed the handiwork from both of you.....some great stuff... 

I'm mostly retired from building furniture....no place to put it now though kids have some of the nice pieces.  Here are a couple ….both are about old enough to be antiques.....desk from about 1990 and lowboy from 1980   I mostly do walnut but have a few cherry pieces 

Oh...also designed and built the little clock, one of about 6.     My workshop such as it was consisted of a radial arm saw and a good variety of power hand tools.  I confess that I cheated on the Queen Anne legs....bought them rough sawn and finished them for the lowboy cabinet   The desk has all the little cubby holes and is where I do my check writing.  . 

Edited January 29, 2019 by AU64

[McLoofus 35,182]

49 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Enjoyed the handiwork from both of you.....some great stuff... 

I'm mostly retired from building furniture....no place to put it now though kids have some of the nice pieces.  Here are a couple ….both are about old enough to be antiques.....desk from about 1990 and lowboy from 1980   I mostly do walnut but have a few cherry pieces 

Oh...also designed and built the little clock, one of about 6.     My workshop such as it was consisted of a radial arm saw and a good variety of power hand tools.  I confess that I cheated on the Queen Anne legs....bought them rough sawn and finished them for the lowboy cabinet   The desk has all the little cubby holes and is where I do my check writing.  . 

64!!! WOW!!!! You seriously built those? AND A CLOCK?!?!?! 

I don't even know where to start. I'm seriously just staring at the screen wide-eyed. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,663]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

Enjoyed the handiwork from both of you.....some great stuff... 

I'm mostly retired from building furniture....no place to put it now though kids have some of the nice pieces.  Here are a couple ….both are about old enough to be antiques.....desk from about 1990 and lowboy from 1980   I mostly do walnut but have a few cherry pieces 

Oh...also designed and built the little clock, one of about 6.     My workshop such as it was consisted of a radial arm saw and a good variety of power hand tools.  I confess that I cheated on the Queen Anne legs....bought them rough sawn and finished them for the lowboy cabinet   The desk has all the little cubby holes and is where I do my check writing.  . 

Good heavens man! That is awesome!!!

Beautiful work!

[AU64 10,122]

4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I don't even know where to start. I'm seriously just staring at the screen wide-eyed. 

Self taught but read a bunch of wood crafting books along the way and worked my way up from small projects like your patio table...to book case units, then a simple gun cabinet for a friend who paid me in the form of buying the materials and a belt sander.   My major investment was the radial arm saw and otherwise everything is pretty much hand made using a variety of power tools.    

Your story about the friend wanting to buy your table and the thousand dollar price tickled me and reminded me of when a neighbor saw one of my cabinets and wanted me to build one for him.   He had no idea how many hours  I had put into the project and no way I could ask him for enough $$ to get a reasonable hourly rate....and was not going to give my work away either......so all my things are in the family.

I started when I was about your age .....1976 was bicentennial and I lived near Williamsburg....lots of magazines and stuff with colonial emphasis so I started seeing what I could build, within my capability  and would go down to a local furniture store...take pix, measure the items, make up my own drawings and then build tables, desk, corner cabinet, ete. over the years....some to fit special places in the house. 

[AU64 10,122]

A with you  bathroom project which I really like.....  What I learned from doing this work was patience and attention to detail.   Took me a while to accept that if something was not right, just toss it and do it again. 

This little exchange today inspired me to do a little project I've been putting off....using scrap materials (of which I have plenty).    I love the smell of sawdust....especially walnut  

Edited January 29, 2019 by AU64

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Self taught but read a bunch of wood crafting books along the way and worked my way up from small projects like your patio table...to book case units, then a simple gun cabinet for a friend who paid me in the form of buying the materials and a belt sander.   My major investment was the radial arm saw and otherwise everything is pretty much hand made using a variety of power tools.    

Your story about the friend wanting to buy your table and the thousand dollar price tickled me and reminded me of when a neighbor saw one of my cabinets and wanted me to build one for him.   He had no idea how many hours  I had put into the project and no way I could ask him for enough $$ to get a reasonable hourly rate....and was not going to give my work away either......so all my things are in the family.

I started when I was about your age .....1976 was bicentennial and I lived near Williamsburg....lots of magazines and stuff with colonial emphasis so I started seeing what I could build, within my capability  and would go down to a local furniture store...take pix, measure the items, make up my own drawings and then build tables, desk, corner cabinet, ete. over the years....some to fit special places in the house. 

Even more impressive that you're self-taught. I couldn't imagine getting to that level of craftsmanship without apprenticing. Really remarkable. 

Can sooooo relate to your story about the neighbor. People have no idea how much time goes into those projects and like you said, nobody's going to pay you what those things are actually worth when you factor in what you put into it. Especially when you're building things in your own home. Not many people have a shop that they just walk into when it's time to do some work and then turn off the light and leave at the end of the day. And when you have a job and a family you might only get to work on it for 15 minutes at a time sometimes. Not to mention the time and effort that go into the procurement of the materials. 

No, friend/neighbor, you're not going to get a deal from me. My work is going to cost quite a bit more than you're going to pay at Pier 1, because I don't care what it's worth to you, and I know exactly what it's worth to me. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, AU64 said:

A with you  bathroom project which I really like.....  What I learned from doing this work was patience and attention to detail.   Took me a while to accept that if something was not right, just toss it and do it again. 

This little exchange today inspired me to do a little project I've been putting off....using scrap materials (of which I have plenty).    I love the smell of sawdust....especially walnut  

I trust you'll share with the group once completed? 

Patience... it likely comes as no surprise to anyone that it is not my forte 

[AU64 10,122]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

. No, friend/neighbor, you're not going to get a deal from me. My work is going to cost quite a bit more than you're going to pay at Pier 1, because I don't care what it's worth to you, and I know exactly what it's worth to me. 

Most of my good projects were done while I was in Greensboro...had a bonus room over the garage and made it into a work shop that was off limits to everyone..only had an outside entry so no real problem on dust into the house.  And as you say, had the advantage that I could leave the work right where it was if I needed to be out of town for a week or whatever.   Had two children....after they were in bed and wife crashed, I'd go up and work an hour or so....'make sawdust"....which was very relaxing to me.    I'd always start with a detail plan, all parts, etc and B/M before I did anything.....my AU engineering (well 3 years of it) was handy in making up plans which I still have for most of my projects.  

[AU64 10,122]

6 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I trust you'll share with the group once completed? 

😄    not this one.....will only take about a couple hours and is just to make better arrangements for my wife to use the DVD players.....just a little something to raise the TV set and slip DVD player within it....but it will be nice, trimmed out and stained to match the antique table that we use for the TV. 

I'll poke around and see what pix I have of some other stuff though.

As for patience....I did not have much of it by upbringing but over time I learned not to rush things and take time to do the work well. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

15 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Most of my good projects were done while I was in Greensboro...had a bonus room over the garage and made it into a work shop that was off limits to everyone..only had an outside entry so no real problem on dust into the house.  And as you say, had the advantage that I could leave the work right where it was if I needed to be out of town for a week or whatever.   Had two children....after they were in bed and wife crashed, I'd go up and work an hour or so....'make sawdust"....which was very relaxing to me.    I'd always start with a detail plan, all parts, etc and B/M before I did anything.....my AU engineering (well 3 years of it) was handy in making up plans which I still have for most of my projects.  

That's awesome. When I built that table, it was all outside, which meant that I had to string a tarp over it and get out all my tools and put them back up every time I worked on it. Not efficient.

Wish I had an engineer's brain for plans.

[AU64 10,122]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

That's awesome. When I built that table, it was all outside, which meant that I had to string a tarp over it and get out all my tools and put them back up every time I worked on it. Not efficient.

Wish I had an engineer's brain for plans.

Those engineering drafting courses I took paid off....and that's how my brain works...but makes things easier.  Essentially I just make a "kit" before I start putting things together.     Just start small and work you way up.   I built a couple things under my carport ...kept the saw in the storage room and just rolled it out to do the cutting ..which is how I developed the kit mentality....try to cut everything all at once. ….and then cleaned up .   Might have to cut and fit some things like shelves so maybe cut them slightly oversized but otherwise, no assembly til all the parts are ready....learned that from building balsa wood model planes when I was a kid.

Here is a little steeple clock that's in the basement bedroom....built from leftover wood......bought a spring wound movement and built the clock around it using a design/style from one of my antique clock books.