bodner015

I had picked up an old headboard and footboard at a garage sale for $3.  Maybe I could use it at the cottage; maybe something else.  I had seen beds into  benches on Pinterst and had made plans to do the same  -some time in the future! I had taken the old bed home, stored it in my workshop and didn't notice it until I was doing a major cleaning recently.  The need to do something with these random project pieces reared its head.  Sometimes it doesn't pay to clean up because, as in my case, I found those project pieces I had intended do and now am doing -all in one time span it seems. Here is what it looks like on the work table.  Notice I have not cleaned it as I have a lot of sanding to do.  I put wood filler everywhere as I like things without gaps and in cutting the footboard in half I had left gaps that could not thoroughly be sanded out at the time. The 3/4 inch oak plywood seat was cut from a piece I had around the workshop.  I cut it a...

I took my wife's idea to teak oil the pew-like bench I had made from an old solid wood door. I painted the teak oil all over the bench -even the painted wood parts.  All the nicks and scrapes were covered and seemed to disappear.  The freshly cut areas still remain lighter but I'll work it out. Now, after letting the teak oil stay on the bench for 12 hours (6-8 recommended) I found that where the teak oil lay on the painted part of the bench it had not penetrated and had become sticky  -not nice.  So, I took a cloth and mineral spirits (varsol) and wiped the bench down with the varsol and then used a clean cloth to wipe away the varsol.  (Need to deal with the varsol smell -help me if you know how.)  Nevertheless, the bench looks pretty good. The bench sits in the garage by the back door.  Our boots fit underneath and make a great place to put the them on.   If you look closely you can see a hinge area and the place where the door knob had been.

I had some time -not enough to start a piece of art.  I had to clean up the workshop as I have a mess and a number of projects on the go. While cleaning up I came across an old door I had picked up at the side of the road.  It was a solid door with those lovely panels. I then found a site, http://lovegrowswild.com/2016/01/old-door-new-bench/,  that made a bench out of such a door. The site shows how she cut the door and her steps to get a pew like bench. Now I have a pocket hole tool and have used it often.  On the site she also used pocket holes.  So off to work I went. The cutting of the door was a little different but I worked it out.  To start, I cut the door in half -across the width.  Then I cut the two halves in half down the lengths.  Later I made further cuts to adjust to fit. When joining my seat to the sides I cut into the side panels to create a groove to take the seat panel.   All parts to be connected were glued and then pocket ...

We had the fireplace in the studio replaced.  In doing so I tore the fireplace surround apart leaving the understructure.  After a committee of two debate Mannie had me buy and install the stone facing to the fireplace one the new fireplace was installed.  Needless to say, the DIY project interfered with art work getting done, but, it needed to be done. I looked chic covered with a plastic bag as I cut the stone on the tile wheel that threw water at me with every cut. But, I could do the work outside as the March day was sunny and warm. Later I put the pics into my comic life program and have a short moment of the event. I'm not so sure I want early sunny and warm days as then the projects will begin to add up.