Welcome to “Tips From Sticks-In-The-Mud Woodshop.” I am a hobbyist, not a professional, someone who loves woodworking, just like you do. I have found some better ways to accomplish tasks in the workshop and look forward to sharing those with you each month, as well as hearing your problem-solving ideas.
The building in which our clinic is housed is over 125 years old. That is evident when we climb into the attic, as the framing members are visibly full-dimensioned two-bys.
At only 824 square feet, we’re not expansive, we’re cozy. Our clients and patients feel right at home when they visit.
During one of the many times I’ve painted in 36 years of ownership, I took up the baseboards and replaced them with new boards. The varnish on the old boards was simply impossible to clean up, so it was much easier to just start from scratch. I couldn’t bring myself to throw them out and now I’m using those boards to make children’s stools for the two sons of our receptionist. I like using wood with a connection to the project. Their age is exhibited in grain that one cannot buy in today’s pine.
The wood cleaned up beautifully with a little planing, after which I began gluing up panels. The Festool Domino made panel component alignment simple, after which I began sanding. I began with Festool Rubin 60 and determined the panels would need four passes on each side, alternating between vertical and horizontal patterns.
Between watching a decidedly un-presidential debate and the evening news, I found the mindlessness of sanding needed just a bit more mindfulness. I couldn’t seem to remember how many passes I’d made. To remedy that problem, I found some scratch paper on the table and tore it into four roughly equal-sized pieces, writing on them “1,” “2,” “3” and “4.” Now all I had to do was remember to flip over a number at the end of a pass.
Or, was it at the beginning of the pass?
Four little scraps of paper. Save ‘em for next time if you’re really cheap, like me. Or, make new ones next time and it’s one less thing to remember where you put them!
Jim Randolph is a veterinarian in Long Beach, Mississippi. His earlier careers as lawn mower, dairy farmer, automobile mechanic, microwave communications electronics instructor and journeyman carpenter all influence his approach to woodworking. His favorite projects are furniture built for his wife, Brenda, and for their children and grandchildren. His and Brenda’s home, nicknamed Sticks-In-The-Mud, is built on pilings (sticks) near the wetlands (mud) on a bayou off Jourdan River. His shop is in the lower level of their home.Questions and comments on woodworking may be written below in the comments section. Questions about pet care should be directed to his blog on pet care, www.MyPetsDoctor.com. We regret that, because of high volume, not all inquiries can be answered personally.