Another Weekend

Another weekend has passed, and I didn't accomplish the tasks I set out to do. It was way too cold to work on the hutch in the garage--we had sleet, snow, and freezing rain this weekend, plus very low temps. Since our garage isn't heated, I'd have frozen my fingers off trying to rout the shelf sides, and it was too cold to prime or paint.

When we first bought this house 10 years ago, my husband mentioned that one day he would like to build a workshop in the backyard, just beyond the garage. I was appalled at the time. His site was exactly where I wanted my vegetable garden. Of course, there was an old, diseased pecan tree in the way, but we both envisioned it coming down to accommodate our respective but conflicting dreams.

Fast forward to now. I got my vegetable garden a few years ago, but it ended up being in the back corner of the yard. We finally cut down the ailing tree last fall. Except for our Sheltie's gravesite next to the fence and a poor substitute for a compost pile, the site we both coveted is now bare.

Of course, now we both want the workshop, but we haven't got the money to build it. Isn't that always the way things go??

The idea of a heated place to work on my projects is so appealing, especially right now when it's so cold that I can see my breath. Think of how much I could get done! I could build things in the evenings instead of watching TV, doing laundry, or surfing the Internet. And I could do it year-round, not just when we have Daylight Savings Time. Why, both my husband and I could spend hours out there together--him, tinkering with his dirt bike and me, routing and sawing. What a pair we would make!

I guess that's what we have to look forward to in our retirement. No sign of that money tree growing in the backyard just yet.

Take the Plunge

What's with toilets these days??????? It seems that every other day, we have a stopped up toilet in our house. Downstairs or upstairs doesn't seem to matter. All three toilets get choked up fairly often.

Fortunately, they don't all go at the same time. (Nor do we!) But for the life of me, I can't figure out why this happens. I've done everything but put a sign up in each bathroom saying to use as little TP as possible, flush twice, etc. But it still happens.

I see these new toilets in Home Depot that say they never clog. I wonder if they work. Do you need hearing protection? I would imagine they're rather loud if they've got that power-assisted flush.

Of course, my power-assist comes in the form of a plunger. We're so besieged that we have a plunger in each bathroom. Ouch.

Tearing Out

One of my upcoming projects is to update the downstairs half bath. I need to strip the wallpaper and paint, replace the vanity/sink/faucet combo, and replace the old tile floor with floor tile that matches the kitchen backsplash.

This tile flooring is ancient and looks horrendous. It's so out of style, it's funny. No--it's not funny. It's embarrassing! It's also the same tile that's in both upstairs bathrooms.

When the kitchen tile man was here last year, I had him look at the bathroom floor to confirm that it was, indeed, tile on it and not linoleum or vinyl. He said it was tile and that it would have to be removed before anything else could be put down.

Now I understand that tiling a floor is a relatively good project for a beginner, and I know that both Home Depot and Lowe's offer "classes" for newbies like me. Also, these bathrooms are small, which should mean that I would be able to complete a floor in less time than it's taking me to do my daughter's bedroom :-)

But first, the old gunk has to come up. I found this site today that shows, step-by-step, what needs to be done. And you know what? I actually think I could do it! When I was in Mississippi on our hurricane relief trip, one of the things we did was rip out tile. We even had one of those tile scrapers. And though the guys I was with did most of it (there were several large rooms of it!), I did enough to know that I could handle my bathroom.

Maybe this will be a good project for the summer. When everyone else is outside in the sun, I can be inside with a scraper. At least it'll be air conditioned.

TV Debut?

I read in today's paper that "Extreme Makeover" is coming to our town. They're auditioning families to be the recipient of the makeover.

I don't watch that show, but I hear that it's a bit over the top. They don't just make over your house, they bulldoze it! Then they build you a completely new house, much bigger and fancier.

The good news is that they pick someone who's had a bad string of luck or someone who's always helping others--people like military veterans coming home, someone diagnosed with a deadly disease, etc. At least those people deserve something nice.

Fortunately, that lets me out. Not that I don't deserve it! I just don't think I'd trade up for that gig if I had to be in such dire straits.

Besides, how would I feel after all the hard work I've put into this house if someone came along and flattened it? The new place would be nicer, I'm sure, but it wouldn't have that special something--it wouldn't have so much of me invested in it. It would be a house but not necessarily a home.

Now, if I could just upgrade a few more things around here, I could have the best of both worlds!

Correction

Well, I found out they do make something that will fit my table saw, but it replaces the stand that I already have. It also costs more than $200, just for the basic model. You do get a nicer, sturdier fence and an extended cutting area, but that's a hefty price for my budget.

I guess I'll just learn to do better with the circular saw on those cuts that are too long for the table saw.

Now, if I only had a separate workshop for all this stuff so it wouldn't take so long to set up each time I want to work on a project!

What's the Point?

I was so excited when I got my table saw for Christmas over a year ago. It seemed that nearly every woodworking project I wanted to do required a table saw, according to the project plans. I couldn't wait to get started.

What I found out fairly soon was that the table saw isn't as multipurpose as I originally thought. In fact, there are darn few times when I can use it as I intended.

The problem lies in the width--or lack of it--of the table. Mine is 13 inches from the blade to the furthest edge of the fence. That means you can't set the fence any wider, so if you have a 14 inch width cut you need to make, you can't use the fence as a secure straight edge.

There are ways to get around that problem--that is, if your raw piece of wood is about 17 to 25 inches long. You can flip the board and cut off all of it except your 14 inch width cut.

But if you have a longer piece of wood, you're out of luck. You either have to get out the circular saw and straight edge, or you have to "eyeball" the cut on the table saw. The former takes a lot of time and trouble to set up, and the latter ensures your cut will not be completely straight.

I say all this because I thought I had a relatively simple, quick project to finish today. I wanted to cut a 14 inch wide piece of board from a 48 inch length board. The wood was the white laminate shelf that I was going to trim down as supports for the shelves in my younger daughter's room.

But as soon as I pulled out the table saw and marked my cutting line, I realized that the fence was too short. And the board was too long to flip. I thought about the circular saw, then decided I didn't want to fool with it today. It would've been fine if I had a lot to cut, but this was all I had planned to do today. And I didn't feel like setting up sawhorses, planks, etc. Besides, I had already set up the table saw!

After wasting too much time, I finally tried to clamp the shelf to the table saw miter gauge so that it would stay as still as possible. Even still, the shelf wobbled a bit because the miter gauge is not tightly fitted.

In the end, the cut was fine until I got to the last 3 inches. It wavered about 1/8 inch the rest of the way. After getting out the power sander and sanding the cut as evenly as I could get it, I realized I probably would've spent just as much time--and maybe less effort--if I had used the circular saw to begin with.

I think you can buy table extensions for many table saws, but I haven't found one for my model. In the future, I guess I just need to think through my task more carefully to start with and determine if my cut is suitable for the limited size of the table saw. If not, I won't waste my time with it. I've got precious little of that to begin with!

SNOW!

So, I guess this weekend isn't the best time to plant lettuce, huh?

The Fix-It Woman

A little tidbit from the Chicago Sun-Times caught my eye today:

And did you know that women rival men when it comes to do-it-yourself projects? A recent national study by Ace Hardware found that of the 1,000 homeowners who responded, men had an average of 8.2 projects on their "to do" lists, while women had 7.8.

Is there anyone more empowered than the fix-it woman?

The "fix-it woman." I'd never heard it put like that. It makes sense, though. That's what women do, whether they're mothers, wives, executives, secretaries, teachers, or homeowners. We fix things that are broken. We just don't often take time to do that for ourselves.

Little Steps

I've finally come to the conclusion that I have to accept my life in bits and pieces. In other words, I need to grab small pockets of time here and there, whenever they become available. If I wait for an entire day, I'll never get anything done.

So last weekend, I made it a point to stop by Home Depot and pick up some of the wood I would need to start on Kate's final hutch. Notice I didn't get all of the wood--with me, you never know how much you'll end up needing because you have to allow for all the mistakes!

I also got a melamine shelf to trim down for extra supports in my younger daughter's bookcases. They're really starting to sag in places, especially with all those heavy books she has. (At least she likes to read.)

That was it--my huge accomplishment for the weekend, at least in the woodworking world. I spent the rest of "my time" helping my younger daughter with a science project, substitute teaching Sunday School, cleaning house, and entertaining company--all while suffering from a cold that seems to be getting worse.

I have great plans for this Saturday. I'm going to get the wood out and cut it! Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even be able to slap a coat of primer on it. But I won't get my hopes up too high. The science project is due Monday, which means we'll be working all weekend on it, I'm sure.

Ah, to be the parent of school-aged kids in today's world!

Being Particular

I've been in withdrawal lately because the winter has meant a dearth of garage sales to browse--one of my favorite pasttimes. Last Saturday, I found one sole sale in my town, and I made it a point to drop by.

Now, one thing I have learned in recent years is not to buy everything that strikes my fancy, no matter how good a deal it is or how much I think I might use it in the future. (That's how our attic got so full, in addition to my tendency to never throw things away . . . one thing I inherited from my mother.)

At any rate, a cabinet at this sale caught my eye. It didn't have a tag on it but was being used to display things. Since I could tell that the owner was moving by the "for sale" sign in the yard, I asked if the cabinet, too, might be for sale. The owner said it was and told me I could have it for $50.

Now, that was a mighty fine bargain for this cabinet. It was an Ethan Allen piece of furniture, and though it needed refinishing or painting, it was in remarkably good shape. It also matched an entertainment center that I had purchased for my mother a few years ago. I paced back and forth, trying to decide if I should get it.

I finally decided that I didn't have a place to put it at mother's house. But it was such a good find that I thought I should get it for myself. I could refinish or paint it and put it in our music/craft room. We needed something on which to set a TV, and this would fit the bill.

After quite a while of hemming and hawing, I chose to give myself a "time out." For me, that means leaving the scene and thinking about the purchase in a less pressured atmosphere. (If I stay there, I'm afraid someone else will buy the item I want, and I might jump at the buy when I shouldn't.)

As I drove off, I mentally checked the list of "to do" projects still pending at home. I had the desk hutch, the cabinet doors, and the checkerboard. I also knew that I shouldn't take any more furniture in the music room until I had time to paint the walls. That might be a while, too. On top of that, there was the garden, which is already calling my name after this mild winter.

I also thought about the amount of work it would take to bring the cabinet up to par. Refinishing would be a nightmare, since the doors were the shutter type, with lots of louvers. It would also be a pain to paint, for the same reason. Once finished, it would be a nice piece, but did I have the time or energy to do that right now?

I finally made my decision to pass on the cabinet. It was tough, but in retrospect, I think I made the right choice.

But I couldn't help driving by the house the next day, just to see if they had put the cabinet on the curb for the "trash." If it was free, by golly, I was gonna get it!