If There Were a Purgatory......

The bottom level would have you installing tile for eternity.

I spent the weekend being MsBubba's gofer and tile cutter as she finished installing the sitting room tile. I had the easy job, at least most of my day was spent upright not on my hands and knees.

The good news is this is the last major project. We brought this house five years ago knowing that while the house was solid it needed major updating but felt it would be worth the effort because of the land the house is on. It is close to both our work places (less than fifteen minutes) very close to downtown yet peaceful and quiet with total privacy and a great view from our back garden of the valley and the Santa Catalina Mountains to the Northeast with the Tucson mountains to the West.


The view to the Northeast:

Not as good a photo but its what I have. The view of the Tucsons to the west:

There have been times over the last few years I've questioned that decision.

Bottom line....every room in the house has had a major redo, the sitting room is the last.....No mas, no mas. Well except maybe I'll have time to spiff up the shop. Everything in the shop with the exception of my work benches was either pocket hole built or repurposed junk cabinets pulled out of the house. It is time to make the Taj Mahshop.

But in the meantime, because I can't sleep, I think I'll go sharpen some iron or maybe make a little box.  Of course Sam the Wonder Dog has other ideas, I think they involve treats or maybe just an ear scratch.

My Part of Vanity Build Is Finished

Title says it all. Done, the fat lady is singing, I've put the kickstand down, whatever, the vanity is installed and finished. MsBubba is going to install a Mexican tile splash guard once she finishes doing the sitting room tile but my part is done.

The base is Cherry, top is Walnut, drawer boxes are Soft Maple with Spalted Sycamore fronts. All finished with BLO based finishes.

On to making a hanging wall cabinet.

See you folks on down the road.

Damn The Plumbing Kicked My Ass

The headline says it all. After two days and I'd guess $200USD the plumbing is finished. BTW, I missed the estimated number of trips to Ace and Home Depot by at least a dozen. In the end I did it the way I wanted to from the get go, using PVC instead of the crap they sell for sink install. PVC is cheaper (less than $20USD for the whole install), easier, and with no slip joints there is zero chance for leaks.

Some day I will learn.

On to making drawer fronts and a small wall cabinet.

Installed

It's done. The bath vanity is out of the shop. There is still a bit of work to finish, I'd guess about three more trips to the woodstore/Home Depot worth of work. It needs the plumbing hooked up, drawer faces made and fitted. I still haven't settled on pulls, do I make 'em or buy some ready mades. MsBubba will install a tile splash guard and I need to make or buy a mirror and build a wall hung cabinet. Whatever it is damn good to get the vanity out of the shop.

Casa Chaos is living up to its name, currently the gas company is digging up and replacing the gas lines to the house. It has been going on for most of two weeks with big ditches in both the front and back and piles of dirt every where.

Before I could finish the bath, MsBubba decides to refinish and paint the hall along with change the dining room to a sitting room. So out goes the carpet and tile and of course the "popcorn" ceiling has to come down (the house was built in the 70's, may the inventor of popcorn ceilings roast in hell, if there is a hell) and the paint buckets come out to play. I feel like I'm living in a war zone.

Here's MsBubba kinda beavering away, I call it "Still Life with DeWalt".

Vanity In The Short Rows

After the disaster of the composite top I dug out some Walnut and glued it up. Out of the clamps it is flat with no wind so clean up shouldn't take long.

I finally broke down and let a Festool track saw of my very own follow me home from the wood store. I'd been borrowing their demo unit for a couple of years every time I needed to cut a table top to size....It was time to step up and do the right thing.

Here is the Walnut slab on my bench with the vanity base in the background:

I don't know if I had mentioned before that I decided on metal runners because it is going into a bathroom. They are ugly as granny panties but they work well no matter what the case does. 

The bath is painted and tiled, the vessel sink is waiting in a box, all that is left is to fit the slab and make a couple of drawer fronts. It will be good to call this one finished.

As posted yesterday I received a new Bad Axe saw in the mail. I had thought my saw collection was complete until Mark came up with this one. It hits all my dovetail "log into PayPal" hot spots, a narrow 12" saw plate, with an aggressive tooth filing, a open tote, and just enough bling to put a smile on my face with every glance.  

Anyway here is its glamor shot:

It saws true and fast. I expect the other dovetail saws will gather a lot of dust.

A quickie, More Tomorrow

It has been a strange week or two. I ended up in the ER last week because of atrial fibrillation. It's not bad but it has caused times of zero energy. Long story somewhat short, pills and more pills, some of 'em inhibit clotting. Which make my normal "If I'm not bleeding I'm not working" even bloodier. I tried to fill my shoes with blood this morning after dropping the bath vanity top on my shins.

BTW, the bath room re-do is almost completed, the vanity top is in glue up, the tile is down, the room is painted and just waiting for me to finish the vanity.  Maybe finished in a couple or three days.

The mail man left a couple of nice things today...A new dovetail saw from Bad Axe and a name stamp from Finest Engraving LLC. I've wanted a name stamp for awhile, they are not easy to find.

Here is a photo of both the stamp and the new saw.

More in a post when I have some time,

ken