since I last posted! Hooray!
So, these last few weeks since the last entry, few things have changed, but they've been a good few things.
Big Dummy suffered from my doting attentions in a bad way. Last month I had done an annual maintenance including taking the bottom bracket apart and repacking the bearings, and it appears that
I didn't bother to tighten the pedals when i was done.
So this:
Which is the stoker side crank arm,
Turned into this:
Because I didn't tighten the pedal, the pedal threads stripped out clean. This was pretty sad. tandem style crank arms aren't exactly off-the-shelf items most places. After casting about for quite some time, it was of all things, Amazon to the rescue. Whoda thunk?
So, after getting Big Dummy back up and running again, I was able to think clearly. Having one's car deadlined for a while can be pretty upsetting for folks, but I was surprised at how crippled I felt without my bicycle at hand. Anyway, it all ended well. A wee bit more broke, unexpected expenses and all that. But no matter.
Attention got turned to the bedroom, as there was an outside chance of guests for Ag Progress days. Was my hope to get the bedroom more or less done. Didn't happen, but the ball got rolling anyway.
The drywall actually got beat up from the time the room was acting as a woodshop. The chicken coop project was a big help in moving the woodshop out of this room. Some time spent patching drywall, and repainting the ceiling, then finally deciding on a wall colour. Again, using milk paint. Figured out how to get a decent mix. The trick, use a flour sifter to add the paint to the water while mixing. Don't end up with a bunch of chalky chunks in the paint this way.
Then laying to floor begins. This went pretty well, I ran out of supplies just shy of finishing of course. Was a bit smarter on this floor and generated a lot less waste than before. Of course, this floor is straight forward, no tricky cut-ins required.
I am out of that really nice sassafras, but I did have a few pieces of sassy that had been epoxy coated. So, a few hours with the belt sander, and I had some more sassy without an epoxy coating. The finish doesn't match the rest of the addition, but it will be fine. I really like working with this stuff.
This window is a crazy old (70s?) Pella from the ReStore. I think I paid about $50 for it. If you REALLY want to open the window, you can really open the window.
Next up, completing and finishing Eagle Spirit Door. taking classes in the old school.
With some help from some new old friends from the ReStore. A bit of effort and these old planes are performing pretty well.
The hand-rubbing with the Formby's begins. Sanded to 250 with the old makita power block, the rubbed with 0000 steel wool, then tack clothed, over and over, and on with the finish.
This goes on for days.
I am really impressed with folks who can make a 'real' door. These things are a lot of work, even done the chipper way.
Not sure how I'm going to do the baseboards and the trim for the rest of the windows, as I am now out of stuff I've been using.
And I can understand why folks go with pre-hung doors and 'clamshell' but seriously, is it really worth it? I know, it's just a door. I'm not a great, or even a good carpenter, but if it's something you are going to have to live with, it seems worth it to me.
