Friday Fun Foto

Let’s take a fun trip down memory lane. The date? June 2002. Location? Corpus Christi, TX.

This was my first wood shop. Not nearly as roomy as my last one but it was workable. Our 2 car garage also double as general storage. I had to pull the tools and projects out of the garage to work on them. Working outdoors in the sun was not fun, especially in the middle of summer in Texas. And rain meant no work, period. The little table saw was my first one. I’ll tell you about Sheba in my pet share on Tuesday 2/24.

The frog house was the first project I completed using finger joints. The gizmo (or jig) to the right side of the frog house frame is a box joint jig.  This allows the user to make very precise, evenly spaced cuts on the ends of the boards making the interlocking finger joint. This project required the fingers to be 1/4″ wide.

The fingers are a bit long by design. The protruding fingers are sanded smooth after the joint is glued. This technique is much quicker than attempting to cut the fingers to the exact length.

After sanding, the corners are perfectly aligned.

Next I cut a six-sided polygon (hexagon) and made support pieces so the hexagon would appear to float in the center of the box frame.

I intentionally omitted a top support so there would be a useful seat for a frog. The back is open so the small spaces inside the frog house would seem larger. I did not want the frogs to get upset because of crowding. At this point the frog house is complete and ready for the finish coat of polyurethane.

Here is the finished project, complete with frogs and a couple of bears. The frog house was made for a friend who worked with me in the Education Department at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi.  Rebecca loved frog knick-knacks and had them scattered around her cubicle. I am glad I was able to make a home for her frogs and other critters.

Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.

 

 

 

 

Carol’s Corner

Today’s post is about my better side, the one who keeps me straight and is available to call 911 when I am climbing around on roofs. My wife Carol has been my better side for 47 years now. As I stated in my Who We Are page, I think I’ll keep her. Carol loves craft projects as long as they require the use of needle and thread. When we bought our first RV, we had one strict requirement.  we had to have space for Carol’s Corner.

Here we sit in our first home on wheels. May 4, 2011 we drove to Elk City, OK to complete the purchase of our 2008 Cedar Creek 38 foot fifth wheel. By the time we got it back to our house in Corpus Christi, TX we determined that this very uncomfortable couch would have to find a new home because that is where Carol’s Corner would go.

By October 2011, this is what the space looked like with the couch removed.

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Then the pieces came in. I am sure glad I practiced the principle of measure twice and cut once as I squeezed the carcass through that narrow RV door. Carol was on the inside steering the carcass. We only had a couple of inches to spare. Once it was in and turned, it was easy to lay it down to position it in the space where the ugly and awful couch once resided.

With the top in place, it is beginning to look like a decent work area. The top is from a standard 6 foot long folding table similar to what is available at Home Depot, Lowes, CostCo, Sam’s or where ever you prefer to shop. For a closer look, click here to see the table Home Depot sells. I removed all metal legs and frame from the table. So all that is left is the light weight top.

Now Carol can begin to load up Carol’s Corner. Carol’s embroidery machine fits into the slot on the left when we travel and the roll out bins are turned around for travel so the drawers do not open.

We were in Blue Ridge, GA workamping at Windy Valley Llamas during the summer of 2012. Carol is deep in thought about the project she is working on. You can tell from this photo that we moved Carol’s Corner to the rear of the fifth wheel. It only made sense because it gave her a bit more floor space and much better natural lighting.

Carol’s Corner was doing just fine until on a whim, we decided to trade the Cedar Creek fifth wheel in on a 38 foot 2004 Winnebago motor home. The only way the deal could work is if we had space for Carol’s Corner. As you can see, the bedroom had this nice little sitting area. As with most RV furniture, we decided the uncomfortable chairs had to go. This is where Carol’s Corner would find a home.

We had fun squeezing the carcass into the motor home door. We did determine the magic number for RV doors is 28″. The 8 foot width of the motor home is the same as the 8 foot width of the fifth wheel. That made it easy for everything to fit just fine.

Carol is happy as a queen working away in Carol’s Corner. Her small ironing board is on the left, The red case on the left is her embroidery machine’s embroidery arm. She even has a scrap bag just to her right. Under the TV is her DVD player so she can catch her favorite movies while stitching away. On the right you can see her Ott light. It has seen better days. It got caught in the bedroom slide one day as we were setting up the motor home. Now we pay attention to where it is when we close everything up for travel. The crutches — we won’t go there.

When you have a sophisticated high-tech embroidery machine you always need a back up. She recently discovered that the feed dog on the embroidery machine will not come up to operate as it should. While in embroidery mode, the feed dog drops since the embroidery arm moves the fabric every which way. Carol’s backup machine also works well when she is going to a sewing class.

I know the one question you are thinking – “Where does Carol keep her fabric stash?” Well, the fabric stash is under the bed. To be a happy RVer, you must be use all available space where ever it is found. I have my tools outside in compartment under the motor home, Carol has her stash under the bed.

The only problem with Carol’s Corner is she cannot be working on projects while I am kicked back in my recliner writing blogs. We were together in the fifth wheel but in the motor home, we are in separate rooms. The other problem is if Carol wants to work on a project and I want to go to bed, I get the recliner while she sews away. It works for us

I am sure you can figure out what this is. We call it the birth of a new project. Carol’s Corner will be busy for a while.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for stopping by, y’all come back now.

 

RV Mods

The other day Carol said she was ready to move the craft center in to the RV.  That is a good sign because our days remaining in the house are numbered. Moving from 1700 square feet to 400 square feet is not something you do over night.  It has to be done in stages. We are fortunate that we have a little time to complete this move.
When we bought our RV, we decided the couch would have to go. It was nice but was not something we needed when we get on the road.  Yes, it folds out to make a bed for overnight guests.  We did not need the extra seating when considering what we wanted in that spot.  Carol loves quilting and crafting. The idea of replacing the couch with a craft center was the solution.

So, off I went to my woodshop to make a crafter for Carol. I removed the legs from a 6 foot folding table and built a more suitable frame using the same construction technique found in RV’s Here is what I came up with. The only thing I had to purchase was a couple of 4×8 sheets of 1/4” oak plywood. Home Depot had some on the rack marked as “damaged” for $2 per sheet instead of $13.00 per sheet for the good stuff. Since the plan called for cutting the sheets, I was able to find 2 sheets that would work. Now all I need to do is get it into the RV.

Our daughter took the couch from the RV so that left a nice spot for the craft center.
Yikes! Pretty tight fit. Sure hope it fits through the door.  That sucker is glued together and will not come apart without damaging it. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

      

YEAH! That’s what I’m talking about. Once I figured out how to get it into the door and get it turned, the rest was pretty easy.

   

Now to accessorize it a bit. The bins on the right are on wheels so they roll in or out as needed. Carol has not seen this in the RV yet, but I think she will be pleased.

When traveling, the bins will be stowed with drawers facing in and pushed all the way in. The sewing machine will fit under the center section on the floor. The space on the left will be filled with stackable containers. And it weighs less than the couch.

PS – When you come for an overnight visit, you will be sleeping on a air bed on the floor. Hope that is OK.