Vintagezx

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As you will see in this post, I like spiders. Unlike the box elder (sp?) bugs that crawl around on the front of our house when it’s warm, they serve a purpose I can see. The first pic is one of my favorites because of the snack that awaits in the web.

In the house there is no room for spiders (I am the exterminator), but outside I don’t bother them. I just like to watch them work.

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Well, there are no big pieces left.

I have cut everything down to length and am looking at which pieces to glue up to make each of the larger pieces. It’s all easy when I run it through my head, but when you pull out the glue it all seems to come undone.

Because Nate is so interested in getting his night stand done, I decided to pick a few tasks along the way to let him take part in the build. How hard can it be to put some glue on the edge of some boards? Putting it on was easy, but keeping it on the board and not on Nate was the trick. We had glue on all the parts and I turned my back long enough to grab a clamp. Oops…….he knocked over the first board and stuck it glue side first onto his shirt.

Yes, in the last picture of Nate he is picking glue out of his belly button.

Rough glued

Rough Planed (still needs work)

After waiting a full day, I used a power planer ( thanks Todd) and belt sander to plane it down. Still needs a lot of work, but it’s starting to look like something.

More chips to come.

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Lisa and I have in the past few years bought some furniture. For the first few years our taste ran in the “early, mid, late, American garage sale category. It was an eclectic pile of rubbish! When we decided to get our bedroom set, we got the “Good Stuff”………. Basset! Well, they don’t make’ em like they use to. It is not bad stuff, but the use of veneer and plastic is notable. I still love it, but I’m not excited to pay good money for things I don’t see as quality.

When Elli needed “big girl” furniture for her room, I ran across a wooden girls bed that was being tossed and repaired it. With that under my belt I ventured into some overly elaborate book selves to match the girlish theme. It was fun, but a bit daunting. Having had some successes with this and a few other projects, I find myself on that doorstep again. Nate needs a nightstand and eventually a bed.

While talking shop with my grandpa and Dad, I discover that I may have access to some old mahogany. After getting a few pieces and working with them I am sure I can create from solid wood, not veneer or MDF the bedroom set I want for Nate.

The sawdust pile grows!

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While trying to be frugal, I am rediscovering some things I have not done for a long time. One of these is working with wood. With out the right tools, it’s no fun and the end result is less than desirable.

For my birthday my wife bought (let me buy) a Shop Smith. While most have never heard of this tool, the rest of you won’t care what it is….. but it’s something that I have heard about for years from my Dad.

My new antique

It is a wood working tool that combines 5 or 6 tools into a single machine. It is a table saw/drill press/lathe/surface sander, and with a few add ons it can be a jointer/bandsaw/shaper. Pictures don’t do a toy like this justice, though I realize the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Shopsmith 10ER

And so, for just $75 I got a working antique. It was sold by Montgomery Ward in the late 30’s and early 40’s. It was rusty and dirty and when I plugged it in……………nothing happened, and for that I am glad. The wiring had completely disintegrated. After a couple of hours of rewiring it now purrs like a kitten. Now if I want to do something that requires some cutting drilling or turning, I can just step into the garage and get to work.

I’ll keep you posted on the sawdust pile as it grows.

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