2.28.2025

 While I was visiting Mom and doing grocery store errands, Jim got busy assembling the upper laundry cabinet...

Attaching the top...

The back is on and Jim is putting in all the screws...

Attaching the top frame...

And the bottom frame piece...

It's done!!!  And so gorgeous!  

The inside look...

Jim has to make an alignment block for attaching to the lower cabinet, and then it will be ready to bring up and put into place.

In between these jobs, Jim unearthed the Bobcat bucket - it was encased in all the ice and snow from the past storm and the bucket was filled with ice.  He then just went over the driveway a bit to even out some of the ruts in the ice, but it's colder today and mostly frozen.  Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow so we'll see.

Jim finally sold his old iMac computer on Craigslist, so he met someone nearby in the evening for the exchange.  Nice to have that gone.

High 37/Low 30.8

2.27.2025

Jim went with me to visit Mom after lunch today, but he still managed to get some work done in the shop.  Sanding...

Final coat of polyurethane...

Jim had bought a couple more pieces of wood when he went to Northern Hardwoods yesterday, so he brought them into the shop from the 4Runner today...

New wood...

High 36.7/Low 29.3

2.26.2025

More sanding and more polyurethane... 

The door pieces are starting to come together!

Because some of the thick stock Jim bought was so bowed, it required more sizing than Jim anticipated, so he needed one more piece of wood.  He called Northern Hardwoods to see if they had any and then went out this afternoon to pick it up...

He's gluing three pieces of wood together to form another piece - he never wastes anything!

High 43.5/Low 33.3

2.25.2025

Jim got more polyurethane applied to the back of the cabinet and the shelf...

Straightening wood for the stile of the barn door...

Then putting it through the planer...

Back to the jointer...

High 43.7/Low 33

2.24.2025

 Jim got the front side of all the cabinet pieces painted today...

Then doing the requisite cleaning...

First coat of polyurethane on the middle shelf...

High 43.2/Low 27.3

2.23.2025

The days get away from me lately and I've been remiss on updating the blog over the last couple of days.

On Friday, Jim got the other side of the cabinet pieces primed...

Then he continued working on trying to make the wood for the door straight...

Preparing to glue...

Lots of clamps to hopefully hold it straight while gluing...

Speaking of doors, Jim had originally drawn up the door design we used in the Ohio house as well as our interior doors here in an old version of AutoCad that no longer works.  He spent a good bit of time trying to incorporate it into his Rhino software so that he would have all the measurements and could then draw it in 3D as opposed to 2D.  

On Saturday, Jim had to spend time working on the driveway outside the garage doors.  It was pretty much a mountain of ice from the fallen snow from the roof and then the rain we had last weekend.  He had to chip at it enough so that he could use the Bobcat to help clear it.  Right now, much of that area is a skating rink.  We're due for a little warm up this week, so we're a little nervous as to how all that will affect the driveway.

Jim took down the light sconce in the hallway.  The switch operates both this light and a light when you first walk in the door, but lots of times we don't want the sconce on.  So Jim bought a push button switch so that we could turn it on/off when we want it..

Success!

I got new cabinet paint after I visited with Mom on Friday, so today Jim got ready to paint.  Lots of sanding...

Starting to paint...

First side all painted...

While this paint gun does a fabulous job and it only takes a few minutes to get all this painted, Jim has to spend the next 1-1/2 hours doing a thorough cleaning of the gun.

2/20 - High 27.1/Low 0.1
2/21 - High 30.9/Low 13.4
2/22 - High 35.4/Low 2

2.20.2025

Did you celebrate National Muffin Day today?  Muffin day at our house is Wednesday, but Jim always keeps one back for Thursday, so he definitely celebrated! 

Jim's starting to spend time every morning working on taxes, but once he got in the shop, he continued working on the cabinet.  Putting the new hinges on to test the fit...

Going to be so gorgeous!

Cabinet all taken apart...

Now he has to final sand all the pieces...

Putting a coat of primer on...

We ended the day by going and visiting with mom and then heading to The Local.  Does this picture show why we like it there so much?  And the people are wonderful too!

High 27.1/Low 0.1

2.19.2025

Jim helped me with a lot of computer work this morning.  Once he was able to be in the shop, he got the first glued plank out of clamps and another board prepped...

Then gluing another board onto the plank...

Jim got the Corian top for the laundry room cabinet cleaned up and a first rough sanding done...

High 28.4/Low 2.1