# Gulf Island Building.



## cocobolo

I should mention that I have barely one year of computer use under my belt, so if something goes wrong there is no doubt it will be my fault. But I'll do my best.
Just happened to catch a rainbow over the bay, which I thought you might like to see.


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## cocobolo

My neighbor is from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He has had his property here for over 40 years. This a picture of the small deck in front of his cabin.


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## cocobolo

At the other end of the spit of land we live on is a very small bay. The wind has been blowing from the south for awhile, and as you can see the bay is choked with logs.


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## cocobolo

To give you an example of the sort of cabin you may find here, this one belongs to our friend Chris. He is about 100 yards away from us on one of the inside lots. They are typically about two acres in size.


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## cocobolo

Just around the corner from the small bay above is Nayler Bay. It is surrounded by cabins of all sorts.
This one belongs to our friend Peter and his wife.


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## cocobolo

Admittedly, most pathways are wider than this one over near North Bay. But it is typical of the smaller side paths.


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## cocobolo

Just so you have an idea who is posting this, here is a shot of me doing some planing of cedar boards inside the house.


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## cocobolo

I don't always look that grumpy! Honest!
A few years ago, a very good friend of ours - and indeed of almost everyone on the island here - passed away prematurely. His name was Ted Long, and in his honor the island folk asked that the pathway from where he used to moor his sailboat up to his cabin be named "Long Way".
It was my privilege to carve this sign in his memory.


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## cocobolo

OK, last picture in the opening salvo. This is the original surveyor's cabin built sometime in the 1960's.
The charming sloping roof was not part of the original structure, but was built by a local "carpenter". Nice job.
Tomorrow I will get on and show you some shots of the actual cabin and house that I have been toiling at for lo these many years. Unfortunately, I did not get a digital camera until after I got the computer, so I can only show you photos dating to around a year back.
The preceding was to show you what is typically here. I must say that very recently some substantially better buildings have been going up. None of them are anywhere near finished yet though. The problem is mainly one of logistics.
How to get materials over here in conjunction with the tides and the weather.
That's a real story all by itself.


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## pokerdonkey

Fantastic!
I too am facing the challenges of remote island construction (saltwater island off the coast of Florida).
There are a lot of unique problems to solve...


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## Bondo

cocobolo said:


> At the other end of the spit of land we live on is a very small bay. The wind has been blowing from the south for awhile, and as you can see the bay is choked with logs.http://www.diychatroom.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6953&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1230957792


 
Ayuh,... Looks like Plenty of raw material, Right There...

You say you've already got a planer,...
I'd say all you're lacking is a portable Sawmill....


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## cocobolo

Me again:
I busied myself with an archeological dig this morning, and unearthed the original model I made of the future house. I'm not exactly certain when I did this, maybe around '98 or so.
I hope it won't come as too much of a surprise to you all, but the house as built, isn't quite the same as the original model
This photo would be taken from the east - roughly.


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## cocobolo

In the above pic, the small room off to the right is my wife's studio. That was the first part of the house that got put up. We had been using a storage locker over on Vancouver Island to keep a lot of our stuff in, and as soon as the studio was up, that became our new storage area. As much as I hate to admit it, the studio is still serving the same purpose!
OK, this pic is taken from what would be the south. You can see that highly technical piece of cardboard on the roof, well that represents the solar panels.
The round area in the middle on the ground was going to be a small pond - never happened. I'll be able to show you what happened there as we progress.


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## cocobolo

Roughly from the west, the stairs going up in that nice curve were to wrap around a hot tub. It turned out that the outer part of the stairs would have encroached beyond our setback requirements. Not by much, just enough to annoy me. However, not to be deterred, I have shifted the tub location and altered the stairs to fit within the requirements. That is not done yet, but the material for the tub is all cut out and awaits assembly.


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## cocobolo

Last model pic from the north.
The plywood base does not accurately represent the ground here, which slopes very substantially. When you see the actual photos of the house as built, the changes will be obvious. The basic plan was followed, with alterations made as we went along to fit either the terrain or the budget! Ever notice how that always seems to get in the way?
This side of the house faces the bay shown at the top of the thread. The ground falls away a lot, and there is a series of decks which step down on the bank there, as you will see later.


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## cocobolo

Pokerdonkey:
I wish you well with your project. Are you far off the coast, or reasonably close? We aren't too far from Vancouver Island, about 4 miles by boat. From there it is a 1/2 hour drive, mostly on a fast highway, to get to our main building material suppliers.
The actual transport of materials is about the biggest headache here. It may sound crazy, but you literally spend as much time moving materials as you do building. You cannot just call up your local friendly trucker and have him drop the load off later this afternoon.
We have some pretty big tides here, so it is necessary to work with both the tides and the weather condition. 
We found out early on that it was a good idea to have something to move bulk materials in. So I picked up an old Reinell powerboat, 24 footer, and gutted it.
It has paid for itself several times over. It can be towed with anything. It will carry around 5,000 pounds of freight.
One thing I should mention quickly while I am thinking about it, only use galvanized nails - or stainless if you are terminally wealthy - for everything. Even inside. An ordinary steel nail will rust surprisingly quickly. 
And where you are, the rusting takes place at least twice as fast!
If you have any oddball questions about this insane offshore building, please ask. I likely have run into the same problems you will, and may have an answer.


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## cocobolo

Bondo:
You must have been reading my mail.
In order to get logs out of the ocean here, it was necessary to devise a way to do it. So I built a log lift from some recycled steel tubing. It is 8' long, and the same width as the short railway I built. It has a 1 ton chain hoist at each end, which carries a homemade grapple. On a high tide, a log is floated into the log chute, the chain fall with grapple attached is dropped over the log, and the hoist raised - hopefully with the log in its' grasp.
This is the log lift.


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## cocobolo

And here is the log chute into which the logs are floated.


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## cocobolo

At the other end of the railway is the sawmill. One of the very first mills made by Norwood, before they changed their name. It has done yeoman service. When I bought it, the previous owner had all but destroyed it. So $2,500 worth of parts later it was almost good as new. I guess I have cut maybe a quarter million board feet on it.
When I was out shopping for a mill, one of the main criteria was how much did the heaviest single piece of the mill weigh. I had to be able to pick it up and carry it from the boat to where it would be used. I wanted a Woodmizer, but that weight figure was over 300 lbs. The norwood I think was around 100 lbs. for the heaviest part. Everything else broke down nicely. There are now two other Norwood mills on the island as a result of me having this one here, new ones, of course.


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## cocobolo

Not to be outdone, my wife ventured into the world of DIY construction.
This is her version of "Toad Hall" in the bottom of an old hollow arbutus tree.


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## cocobolo

Remember when I said there are no services here? I meant it. This island brings a whole new meaning to the term DIY.
The one thing that the original developer did put in back in the '60's, was a series of water wells. Some are OK, others not so much.
There is a well about 200 yards away from us which we did use for several years.
Many years ago, I understand in 1975, there was a huge storm here. Just behind the well was a massive Western Red Cedar tree. It got blown over in the storm and broke the well casing some 20' down. Ever since then, the well has been silting in. As a result of this the well depth has declined from just over 120' to about 90'. Plus, there is an ever present very fine pink colored silt in the water. We noticed that our water filters were not lasting at all.
All this prompted me to build twin water tanks to collect rainwater. Best thing I ever did!
The tanks look just like a small building, which in reality it is. 10' by 20' with a dividing wall in the centre. The walls are built up of 2 x 4's, cut on the mill. We have very heavy duty potable liners in each side. 
The two tank idea was just in case something happened to one side, either contamination or a leak. That way, there was still a reasonable chance of having a good water supply. Each side holds 3,000 imperial gallons, or about 3,600 US gallons.
I am in the process of installing a separate 1,500 gallon tank for the exclusive use of a fire pump.


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## pokerdonkey

cocobolo said:


> Pokerdonkey:
> I wish you well with your project. Are you far off the coast, or reasonably close? We aren't too far from Vancouver Island, about 4 miles by boat. From there it is a 1/2 hour drive, mostly on a fast highway, to get to our main building material suppliers.
> The actual transport of materials is about the biggest headache here. It may sound crazy, but you literally spend as much time moving materials as you do building. You cannot just call up your local friendly trucker and have him drop the load off later this afternoon.
> We have some pretty big tides here, so it is necessary to work with both the tides and the weather condition.
> We found out early on that it was a good idea to have something to move bulk materials in. So I picked up an old Reinell powerboat, 24 footer, and gutted it.
> It has paid for itself several times over. It can be towed with anything. It will carry around 5,000 pounds of freight.
> One thing I should mention quickly while I am thinking about it, only use galvanized nails - or stainless if you are terminally wealthy - for everything. Even inside. An ordinary steel nail will rust surprisingly quickly.
> And where you are, the rusting takes place at least twice as fast!
> If you have any oddball questions about this insane offshore building, please ask. I likely have run into the same problems you will, and may have an answer.


Your place looks absolutely gorgeous. 

We're relatively close in; actually, we're on an interior barrier island off the coast of the FL peninsula between it and the gulf of Mexico. From our location to the public launch it's less than 15 minutes, even factoring for the no-wake zones for the manatees. I actually have a power pole on the site running from the mainland (I think it's an old Army Corps pole from years ago) and it is hot, but the rest of the island doesn't have power. Lucky me. 

The build site itself is located off a bay that is only navigable by shallow draft vessels- airboat or skiff only at low tide with a bit more room at high tide. 

I'm going to be filling in some of the front portion of the lot to make a beachhead; we needed a towable, waterborne "dumptruck" type vehicle to haul stones and fill but with a skimpy enough draft to traverse shallows- here are some concept drawings (in no way accurate) 


















An older post I made about it on another forum



> Basically, you load up the payload deck with the materials (stone, sand, soil, loose reclamation vegetation, etc).
> If you want to dump the payload into the water (as would be needed for shoreline and aquatic renourishing), you simply open the valves on the ballast tubes. The frontal weight of the water and the miracle of gravity causes the deck to pivot forward, thus dumping the payload wherever you aim it. When you want to return the deck to it's upright position, you simply pump the water out of the ballast tubes and viola- they're now acting as buoyant floats!
> Of course, if you were hauling building materials, supplies, etc, you wouldn't want to dump those into the water. In that case, the platform would simply act as a tow skiff capable of traversing the shallows. Its main purpose, though, is to be a shallow water cargo dumper. It would be way easy to motorize too, although I'm not going to motorize mine when I build it. Version 1.0 is going to be a tow vessel only. I'm just going to rig it with some kind of a rudder for steering, some trim plates to reduce water speed and an anchor.
> (For you engineer types out there- the above pics are simply concept renderings. Obviously, things like the interplay between the rigid aluminum frame and the front float are going to be fully integrated for increased structural integrity, the draft depth of the floats isn't to scale in the pics above, etc)


I've done some math and the design has changed a bit, but the basic concept is the same. I anticipate welding will start this summer. 

I love love love the structural model you made... It's totally inspired me to make a scale model of our own place according to the plans. Great idea. As the hammers start flying on ours, I'll definitely have some questions for ya. Us island builder types aren't exactly a dime a dozen and the unique problems we face aren't understood by most...


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## cocobolo

When we originally came here in '96, the land was totally undeveloped.
There were several large Douglas firs, all just over 200 years old. They were about 32" in diameter at chest height. I thought this would be a great source of lumber, since we were going to have to clear some of the lot for building.
Unfortunately, almost all the firs on the island, particularly the big ones, are suffering from root rot. And these were no exception.
Not being able to use them for structural purposes, I chainsawed off a big chunk from one of them, and my wife and I collaborated on this sign in front of our house. She is the artist, I just do the wood carving.


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## cocobolo

Pokerdonkey:
I don't know if this might assist in any way, but up here they have massive great self-dumping log barges. I believe they are flat bottomed, and tip over to one side to discharge the load. What you are making looks like a much more complicated version.
We were over in Ladysmith harbor several years ago, and one of the barges was trying to dump the load, but got stuck half way through the process. The logs just didn't want to fall into the water. It took them a couple of days with several tug boats pulling in opposite directions to get the logs off. It may be easier to make a smaller version of this sort of thing. I imagine if you were to go on the web you could get information about this. 
And I'm not certain about this, but I seem to recall another type of self dumping barge which opened up in the middle on two pivots. I believe this type was used for rocks and the like, much as you will do.
When the tunnel was built here under the Annacis slough about 50 years ago, they used this sort of barge to cover the underwater sections of roadway. If you don't put lots of weight on the tunnel sections, they actually want to float!
The old tugboat used for the job was named the "Fearless". Built in 1898 in New Westminster. It very nearly got burned up in the great fire which destroyed a huge part of the waterfront then.
How do I know all this? I bought the tug from the fellow who dumped all the rock on the tunnel. It had no engine by then, and I converted it to a liveaboard.


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## cocobolo

Speaking of the model, that is a great way to see what works and what doesn't. I think I used about 1/2" to the foot. Big enough to see what things look like, not too big that it gets unwieldly. Actually, I am very surprised it has survived this long. When I first made it, we took it outside and set it on the ground, facing the way it would be when built. I took several pictures - the old film type - as the sun went round during the day. This way, I could check in advance whether or not I had the roof overhangs correctly calculated.
As it turned out, the passive solar ideas work beautifully. The sun pours in during the wintertime, well, when there is any sun that is, and is kept out in the summer when it is much higher.


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## cocobolo

When we first came here, I had to throw up our small cabin (18' x 24') as quickly as possible. Before we could do that we had to do some land clearing, as this was virgin forest. Worst of all there was a terrific amount of tough vines everywhere. Strong enough to trip you over if you got your foot under one.
We got the roof on the cabin in a month.
In the picture you can see the greenhouse which was added a short time later, and the generator shed on the right.


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## cocobolo

Another shot of the cabin taken from the back steps at the new house.


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## cocobolo

Off the back of the studio I made a solar heated shower for summertime use.
The black plastic tank holds about 30 gallons of water, which is circulated through the solar heater on the studio roof by a 12 volt bilge pump. Don't laugh - it works!


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## cocobolo

A better picture of the studio. Now you can also see how the house is attached. The front entrance to the house actually sits between the studio and the house proper.


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## cocobolo

In the summertime we are inundated with rufous hummingbirds. So we hang a few feeders here and there. Always have one by the shower. The humming birds have their babies here before heading off for the meadowlands in later summer.


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## cocobolo

OK, back to the real business of DIY.
After a lot of back breaking clearing, we picked a small spot toward the rear of the property to site the cabin on. This was to be our "temporary" home for a couple of years while I built the house.
I bet you've heard that before.
Going on our 12th year of living here, guess where we are still living. Right.
Well, at least it is comfy, and nice and warm in the winter. But it's none too big.
This is a shot from the back side.


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## cocobolo

As you can clearly see in the above shot, there isn't much siding on the back wall. The siding on the lower right was put on in mid summer this year, after many years of procrastination. The original tarpaper has all but disappeared. It has new 15 lb. roofing felt on now. The siding still is not done though.
Around to the left of that shot I built a water tank, barrel style. The wood was cut with a chainsaw, and was just stuff off the beach. This was before I got the sawmill. The inside liner was just some 6 mil poly. Another "temporary" thing which was supposed to last us for a couple of years. Just this past summer, I cut the top half of the tank off. We were going to still use the rest for water storage for the garden in the summertime. Remarkably, it still holds water!


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## cocobolo

Being, as we are, on a remote and very small island, it is necessary that we have the facility to generate our own power.
We decided right from the start that we would use solar power, and possibly a wind generator. With a gas powered generator for backup.
Over a period of time, we bought solar panels in pairs, and installed them as we could afford to buy them.
Originally, I built a tower which got the panels quite high up in the air. Four of the panels were mounted on a revolving pole. I welded up a device to which I was able to bolt the panels. I was able not only to rotate the pole to follow the sun, but also to tilt the panels up and down. This was necessary, so that in windy conditions we could turn the panels flat to avoid being buffeted hard by the wind.
Our neighbors' property is blessed with several 100 foot tall Douglas fir trees.
As he is to the south of us, this interferes with our solar input during the winter months. Hence the necessity of getting the panels as high as possible in the air.
Currently, they are mounted on the roof of the new house, and are tiltable for the seasons.
We did try a 500 watt wind generator for awhile, but we found out that there was not enough wind getting at the unit to produce any significant power.
This was simply because we would have needed a tower 130 feet tall to do the job. Financially, it was out of the question.


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## cocobolo

Knowing that we would need access to the solar panels on a regular basis, the house was built with a tower to provide a walk on roof access. We have a height restriction here on houses, and as a result of this, the tower was built a foot shorter than I would have liked. You have to duck as you come out of the door to the roof, otherwise you will crack your noggin.
The door is made from 2" thick cedar.


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## cocobolo

This is what the cabin looks like from the roof of the house. This side of the cabin faces the ocean to the west.


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## cocobolo

The shakes covering the cabin were all handsplit from cedar we found locally.
I soon discovered that you need old growth cedar to be able to split it nicely. If you want to make sawn shingles, as opposed to split shakes, then it doesn't matter which cedar you use.
I did make a gadget for the sawmill with which to saw shingles. However, by the time I had got that welded together, we had decided to use cedar siding to finish the rest of the cabin. So I still have not used the shingle cutter.
That skylight you see at the lower left is on the wife's studio. It is covered with Lexan sheeting.
At $120 a sheet it was cost prohibitive. However, I got a call from a friend down in Bellingham, Washington one day, and he told me that one of their local building material clearance type stores had about 20 sheets of this stuff left for only $10 a sheet! Incredible! I gave him our visa number and asked him to buy all they had ASAP.
He went in to the store pleading poverty and got the lot for $6 each!! You just never know what might pop up!
Over the years I have used most of it, still have a couple of sheets left I think. Later I will show you the inside of a barrel vault ceiling in the front entrance. The window in the end had been glazed with Lexan for the inside layer.
The curved top by the cabin is also done with Lexan. Looks like it needs a good cleaning there. This I have since done. Honest!
On the right side of the cabin you can see some of the greenhouse roof. And just beyond that is a kiwi fruit arbour.


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## cocobolo

Back on the ground again, here is the shower from the other side. The wife likes to have all sorts of geegaws everywhere, so things like concrete seagulls and yellow rubber duckies would be her idea.


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## cocobolo

From time to time, I have been called upon to give a little help here and there building other places on the island.
I got a visit from a family one afternoon asking if I could design and build a house for them here. Sure, I'd be happy to.
Oh, by the way, we are leaving for home tomorrow morning, so could you just drop everything and come up to our property now to check out what we would like? Certainly, I only had a few dozen things I was trying to get done today anyway, what's one more?
Oh, yes, could we pick up the plans in the morning before we go?
Of course. The difficult we do immediately, the impossible just takes a few minutes longer.
The upshot of the story is shown here.


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## cocobolo

The house was set on a long, narrow bench at the top of a cliff. I am part way down the cliff in order to take the picture. The bench actually looked reasonably flat at first glance. Fortunately, I took a laser level with me when first checking the house location, and the bench actually had a 4' slope to the north.
The story of this one is way too long to bore you with here, but it was an interesting exercise in overcoming problems.
They are very happy campers now!


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## cocobolo

Another project I was involved in - still am actually - was for an older couple who had a pan abode type house at the other end of the island.
It seems that when Al would get over here for his frequent visits, he would open up a bag of M & M's onto the kitchen table. Unfailingly, they would roll off and travel right across the kitchen floor. Now he may not have known much about building, but he certainly did know that the M & M's should have stayed on the table. Evidently, there was some sort of problem.
Upon receiving his call for help, I did a cursory inspection of the house foundations. Problem solved instantly. There were none!
Over the course of the next year or so, I was able to get under the house and piece by piece get some proper reinforced concrete footings in place.
It was discovered that the fireplace was built on a massive rock. Probably a part of the actual bedrock on the island. It was the only part of the house which had not moved. 
A good thing too, as it gave me a place to line up the balance of the house with. The northeast corner had settled 8", the southeast corner 11". The other two corners lesser amounts.
I gathered up several large wood blocks and started the long process of leveling the house.
There were signs that the roof peak had opened up slightly, so it was important that the leveling process would take place in a specific order.
Using a dozen hydraulic jacks everything was finally brought into line for the day of the big test!
Al had arrived with a bag of M & M's!

Ceremoniously, he deposited the candies on the kitchen table with great flair!
We all watched with bated breath to see what would happen.
Wonder of wonders, they stayed put. Al was ecstatic.
One thing led to another, and we found all sorts of rot.
The last thing to get replaced was the deck facing out over the channel.
The old one was so rotten that Al had actually put his foot right through the deck. It had to go.
This shot is of the lower part of the stairs from the deck.


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## cocobolo

The posts were made from both red and yellow cedar. I laminated the posts up and added the rounded edges using a power plane and sander. This was followed by 7 coats of spar varnish.
The installation was delayed for awhile because Al wanted stainless steel cables installed using special fittings on the ends. They were made in Australia, and we had to wait two months while they were ordered and shipped up to Canada.


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## cocobolo

On the west side of the island, all the lots have quite a slope to them. Here again I am down on a small bank below the deck looking up. The deck is just over 40' long and 12' wide.


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## cocobolo

One of the other minor problems with Al's cabin was the skylight the original owner had put in.
He had left a triangular opening in the roof, and had just laid a piece of plexiglass over the opening, securing it with some sort of caulking and a few screws. No flashing. The skylight was flat with no slope at all.
Apparently, the skylight had leaked right from the very first rainfall, and had never stopped.
Al thought it might be an excellent idea if it got fixed.
I designed and built a raised triangular double sided skylight, shown here.


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## cocobolo

Same guy from the inside. It is about 8' long.


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## cocobolo

Back to the house - here is a shot of the siding I put around the window over the front entrance. Not properly glazed yet. Has the ever popular 6 mil poly!


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## cocobolo

On the side of the wife's studio, she decided to hang a small flower box.
The windows are real windows, but not installed. Just nailed on to the wall with the glass painted black.


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## cocobolo

Way up high on the west side of the house, I decided to try and install some sort of roof cover for the windows. Here is some of the framing for that.


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## cocobolo

Remember from the pics of the model where I originally wanted to put that round pool?
Well, here is what got put there instead. Everything here is on rock, and I just was not able to dig enough out for the pool. Actually, that is the main reason that the house has to step down. It follows the rock.


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## cocobolo

Here's looking up at the front of the place. All those soffit boards are tapered and then dadoed. Once you get a good jig setup for something like that it goes reasonably quickly.
All the cedar for the soffit came out of the ocean. In fact almost all the wood came from there. Only recently did I have to break down and buy 10,000 lineal feet of cedar from a local mill.
My failing health doesn't permit me the luxury of running the mill much any more. Maybe for the odd log if I just need a small amount.


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## retro

Simply amazing. Thank you for taking the time to write and post the pictures.


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## cocobolo

Thank you very much retro.
Both the house and the postings are a labor of love.
I hope you continue to enjoy them.
Here's a different look at the front of the house.


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## cocobolo

In the picture above, you can just see the front entrance to the house.
When I originally designed the house I had this completely insane obsession with curves. Still do actually.
So the front entrance has both the front and back walls curved on about a 10' radius. Quite a tight radius.
When I went to build the front door and the sill and head jamb, I thought it might look better if I tried to match the door to the curve of the front wall.
Think of it as just a small part of a giant barrel, and that is the method I used.
First made up a mould to match the curve of the wall, then cut the staves from 2" thick western red cedar (again borrowed from the ocean) made sure that I cut the angles on the sides of the staves so they would match properly.
Then I used a good quality glue and 3" long screws, the holes for which were all pre-drilled. If my memory serves me I went through a couple of boxes of screws before I was done.
It must have worked because the door is still there. The only catch is that it weighs a ton! I have it hung with 4 very heavy duty hinges.
Having spent a few years building wooden boats, I brought my old sanding talents to bear on the door. You need a good random orbital sander with about 60 grit to get the thing into basic shape. Then follow on down with ever finer grits until you're happy. There are about 7 coats of spar varnish on the door.


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## cocobolo

The small deck in front of the entrance is also curved - what else?
So when I went to put the handrails around the deck, they too needed to be curved. The one on the left above is an "S" curve, and if you have never laminated wood into an S curve in place, rather than in some sort of mould, I can tell you it is not quite as easy as it looks. A single curve is OK, nothing to it.
The rails are made from both red and yellow cedar. Once again courtesy of Ocean Lumber Supply.


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## wrangler

Just wanted to say that I loved reading your posts about your house and your friends on the island. Sounds like a nice community. I used to live in Seattle/Kirkland and we would often go camping in your area. Very beautiful, but I could see how it would offer many challenges, especially with a task the size of yours, but from the pictures, it appears you like a good challenge! 
I was curious, however, about your source of potable water? It doesn't sound like a well would be an option. 
Thank you for sharing and look forward to more posts.
Brett


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## cocobolo

What we have done for our water supply is the twin 3,000 gallon tanks up behind the house. The water is collected off the roof through a coarse filter, and we regularly add the oxygen type bleach to the tanks. We have a 45 gallon barrel inside the cabin, into which we pump this water as needed. There are two more filters between this barrel and the taps in the cabin, the final one being a 5 micron carbon filter.
So far, so good.
Thanks for asking.


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## cocobolo

Going inside that curved front door now, this is the barrel vault ceiling.
Don't ask me why I do these things, must be for the sheer fun of it , I guess.


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## cocobolo

Moving around to what we call the back of the house - even though it faces the bay - this is it from the third deck level.


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## cocobolo

Last pic above, that odd looking screen is to protect the solar panels from the north winds.
Note that it is not solid, but has noticeable spaces between each board. This breaks up the wind very effectively, rather than trying to stop it dead.
Here another view of the back.
The studio is on the left, the curved part next to that is the back side of the front entrance and then the stairs which go into the kitchen.
If you remember the model, it appeared to be all flat, which of course it is not.
There is a single step down between the upper living room and the kitchen/dining area. Plus the additional 9 steps outside. So the slope is quite considerable.


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## cocobolo

Let's go inside for a second. I'm going to show you the master bedroom, and some of the fun I had in there. No, not THAT kind of fun. The building kind.
The front curved wall of the MBR is just over 40' long. The back wall is about
25' long. This would make the room a fan shape, sort of.
This is the front side of the ceiling, which is separated from the back ceiling by a large compound curved beam. This beam is a trace over 35' long, and about 6' high in the centre. Both sides of the ceiling are obviously vaulted.


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## cocobolo

When I was trying to design this beam, I wanted to have it unsupported from end to end. I hunted high and low for anything on curved wood beams, but came up with a total blank. I did not have access to the web at the time, as this was about '98 or so.
I thought maybe I could hang two stainless steel cables between the front and back walls in a couple of places to take the load.
You see, if the beam had been straight there would have been no problem.
Although you cannot see the construction, essentially it is a 2 by 6 wall with cross bracing along the entire length. I was not concerned about the strength of the beam, however, when the weight of the beam falls completely to one side of the supports, it needs help to stay in place.
Now, the rafters on the front side meet the beam in a long gentle arc. They
connect below the high windows.
The rafters on the back side of the room sit on top of the framing immediately above the windows.
Theoretically, it should be able to stay in place unassisted. But I never had the guts to try it.
There are two posts which split the load into thirds, and these posts are further supported down in the dining area below by even bigger posts.
Better safe than sorry I think.


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## cocobolo

Front side of the same thing. I have just put the chimney through the roof. Woodstove soon!


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## cocobolo

A fairly recent pic of the "War Zone" up in the master bedroom!


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## cocobolo

See the hole in the floor?
Below that is what we call the solarium area. If and when I ever get all the pile of wood out of there, my wife will fill it up with plants. Then if the plants decide to grow too tall, they can carry on right through the floor.
At least, that is what my wife thinks.
In reality, it is a "divorce hole". Never heard of that before?
Here's how it works.
I will build a seat height curved bench all around the hole. Then when she annoys me too much one day I just have to give her a hip check into the hole. Instant divorce! Just kidding.


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## cocobolo

In front of the bedroom is a narrow (4') deck, about 40' long. We have hummed and hah'd about what to cover it with for ages. If it ever sees any use at all, it will only be very sporadic. It is there more or less to provide the appropriate shade for the solarium in the summertime, and to give access to the windows for cleaning and any other maintenance.


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## cocobolo

Still standing on the studio roof after having installed the window frame for the front entrance, this is looking down at the front decks.


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## cocobolo

The window frame I made for the top of the barrel vault ceiling is about 7' wide. Finally got it installed this past summer. Here it is unglazed, except for the ever popular 6 mil poly. It has since been done with regular glass on the outside, and the tinted lexan on the inside. I hope this may provide some U.V. protection for whatever may be inside.


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## ponch37300

wow. sounds like you have had a fun 12 years building this paradise. I just spent the last 30 minutes or so reading your thread and you do some amazing work. Keep the story going and good luck!


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## cocobolo

Thanks ponch:
I'm not finished yet, but I am at least in the more or less finishing stages.
I am hoping to be done this year. But I have to wonder out loud whether or not one is ever truly finished with a project like this.


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## cocobolo

I have a question for all you clever guys and gals out there.
In the kitchen, the island will be a fairly big curved unit. Here's the problem.
I have built the subframe for a matching valence, which (I hope) will hold 5 LED lights.
The valence is something like 150"+ in length, and the height of the curve is 
about 4'. Not exactly sure on that one. You can judge from the pic.
I am going to have to figure out just exactly how to get this thing up in the air by myself. There is no help at all here. Wife is not able, and there is nobody else around at the moment. I can just lift the whole thing, but there is no way on this green earth that I could lift it in the air, never mind fix it exactly in the right place. I have put the requisite spacers on the top side of the valence, and the intent is that these will be screwed, using either 2 1/2 or 3" screws (as required) to keep the whole shebang in place.
Any brilliant ideas?


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## cocobolo

This is what the valence assembly looks like. The sides will be finished with red cedar boards.


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## cocobolo

I was just going through the pics on the computer, and ran across a few that I just have to tell you a story about.
We see the big hovercraft come past the island fairly often in the summertime, usually on its' way to help some poor soul who manages to get themselves into trouble on the water.
Anyway, it is a hot summer day, and the hovercraft comes by the head of our bay.


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## cocobolo

The wife and I are busy down on the beach, and as usual I have the camera handy.
Without any warning or apparent reason, the hovercraft starts to turn around. So we figured they have a rescue to go to in the other direction.


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## cocobolo

Not quite. They keep on turning until they are headed into the bay. Now this is most unusual, as this thing when it is going creates one almighty spray, and anything and everything within 30 yards gets instantly wet. They have come into the bay maybe twice since we have been here. Both times soaking our boat. Thanks, coast guard.
By this time, wife is getting extremely anxious and just doesn't know what is going on.
"They are coming to get us!" she yells.
"No." I say, "I don't think so, or at least I hope not."
You see, once a year, we have a massive bonfire down on the beach right at the head of the bay. We burn all the slash that has accumulated from the sawmill during the year. Only on this day, we had a two year supply of slash to burn. Any fool coming by the head of the bay in any boat, would have to be blind not to see this huge fire we have going. Even the coast guard aren't THAT blind.
When I tell you we have a massive fire, I am not joking. Many of the boards are 16' long, and the fire gets pretty high at the peak. And VERY hot.
We always do it when we know there will be a high enough tide that it will get put out completely when the next tide comes in.
So, wife number 2's concern may have had just a little bit of legitimacy.
However, on this day, there was not yet our normal summer burning ban in place, so I was not that worried. Or, at least that is what I told her.


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## cocobolo

So, with the C.G. aiming squarely at us, we decided that it might be an excellent idea not to add any more fuel to the fire, as it were. After all, the flames were a good 30' in the air, and it wasn't exactly something you could stand in front of to hide.
So, our only option was to ride it out and see what happened.
Well, it turned out that the boys were just getting hungry and wanted to stop for a lunch break.
We have this lovely little island out at the head of the bay where the entrance marker is. At high tide it is covered, but at lower tides, there is a beautiful shell beach there. Very popular with swimmers and sunbathers - especially sunbathers - in the summertime.
They stayed for 2 1/2 hours, by which time our fire had burned down just enough that we could get at it again.
One of my hobbies is astronomy. As a result of this, I always keep at least one telescope on the back deck in case of something interesting to watch.
Just in case anything untoward was going to develop, I kept an eye on them while they were here.


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## cocobolo

Remember earlier I was trying to explain how the rafters on the front side of the roof were attached to that big beam? 
Here you can see somewhat how the roof curves. Not the best shot, but you get the idea.


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## cocobolo

Sometime last summer I took the skiff around the island to get a series of shots for our community website that I try to look after.
This is the house and cabin from out in front of the island.
We face a south-westerly direction on this side of the island. Definitely the best side for sunshine! This should put everything into perspective a bit better for you.
You see down on the bank in front of the house there is a sundeck.
Remember the Long Way sign?
We call this deck Longview.
Our good friend Ted Long used to come up and visit us frequently, and I always had to make sure I had a stock of Mars bars on hand. Ted loved his Mars bars.
So we would make a cup of tea and bring out some cookies. Then I would always offer Ted a Mars bar.

"Oh, I really shouldn't" he would say.
But, of course, he always did.
I'm not quite sure if you can notice it, but yes, even that deck is curved.
Will I NEVER learn???
The bench type seats done out in that delightful purple color are two big chunks of arbutus.
Arbutus trees usually grow in any direction but straight. So I had the chunk from the bottom of a tree with a big curve in it, and had no idea what to use it for.
So after the deck was done, it just so happened that the chunk of arbutus was nearly the same curve as the deck. 
On to the sawmill it went and I sliced two thick chunks out of it and Bob's your uncle. Instant seats.


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## ponch37300

Cocobolo...This looks like a dream come true. I would love to be able to retreat to a self sufficient island like yours and build my own house from scratch. You truly are a craftsman and hope you are enjoying every minute of your journey, I know i would be. Maybe someday i will be as lucky as you are. I really like following these stories and will continue as long as you post. Best of wishes for you and your wife in your paradise.


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## wrangler

cocobolo said:


> I have a question for all you clever guys and gals out there.
> I am going to have to figure out just exactly how to get this thing up in the air by myself. There is no help at all here. Wife is not able, and there is nobody else around at the moment. I can just lift the whole thing, but there is no way on this green earth that I could lift it in the air, never mind fix it exactly in the right place. Any brilliant ideas?


Could you possibly use block and tackle to get it close to the height needed, and then brace and position from below with T braces? I do not recall any pictures of the kitchen to have a better idea of just what you are dealing with.
Brett


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## cocobolo

Wrangler:
I did think of something like that, but there is a bit of a problem. Because of the shape - that annoying curve again - I would need three B & T's so it would balance OK on the way up. And I would think that the valence would only manage to get within about a foot and a half of the ceiling. Then again, I only have one block and tackle.
I really need some sort of cunning system which will let me raise it up slowly and carefully, while at the same time allowing me to get it ever so precisely in place for the final attachment.
Since this is rather a specific question, I think I might try a thread just for that. I don't think too many people are going to read all the way through this oddball stuff just to find that question.


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## cocobolo

Took this one a few days after our first big snowfall of the season. We actually had some sun at the time!
Then later that evening, also a semi-decent sunset. Very rare in the winter.


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## cocobolo

With sincere thanks to those who offered help, I have the valence up.

It ended up being far easier than I thought.
Here's what I did.
First lifted the valance, one end at a time, onto three upturned buckets. Forgot to take a pic of that.
Then I got three 8' 2 x 4's and clamped them onto the valence as in the picture and from there, just moved one end, then the middle, then the other end up several inches at a time. In order for the valence not to come crashing down on my beleaguered head, I also tied a short piece of rope around each end of the valence and the two posts. Voila!
Once it was more or less in place, I was able to jiggle (specialized construction term for those of you unfamiliar with such language) it into line and get the screws in.
Here is the unit going up.


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## cocobolo

And just to show you that it really did work that easily, here is another going up and one in place. It took about 15 minutes to do the lifting and about the same to do all the fastening.
When I was cutting out all the curves for the valence and the counter, I worked out how many pieces of wood I would require for the whole lot.
I did the cutting with a router on a long trammel, with the adjustment for the various radii being done by the simple expedient of either shortening or lengthening the trammel as necessary. It actually took me a couple of evenings to get all the curved pieces cut.
So, now that the valence is in, the base will be a cinch.
I have also pre-made all the pieces of cedar for both the valence and the base, and good wife has been spending the past number of days with a varnish brush in hand.
Basically just have to glue, nail, screw and/or gun things into place.
I'm gonna be burning the midnight oil tonight.
Thanks again to all who offered help.


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## iMisspell

I don't mean to be rude, but i didn't read everything which you have wrote here in this thread, but the pictures are just amazing !
Everything is just great, all the best to you finishing this project.


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## ponch37300

It looks like you finished the inside of the floor joist with cedar or something? Are you planning on wrapping every joist?


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## cocobolo

Hi Ponch:
On the main floor area of the ceiling, there are two large built up beams which hang 2" below the ceiling itself. The ceiling of course being the bottom of the joists.
I still have some wiring to finish inside the ceiling, and as soon as that is done I will cover the ceiling with - of all things - OSB.
I would much have preferred to use drywall, but it was simply a question of what I could get transported over here. If I can't move it, then I can't use it.
Since drywall sheets need to be moved in pairs, unfortunately for me that is not possible.
So we tried a test piece of OSB which we painted with two undercoats of Kilz as a primer. Then two coats of CIL Dulux semi-gloss latex. It has a different texture to it, as we are using the "wrong side" down.
We have already pre-painted some of the sheets, so I should be able to get the first up sometime today.
As well as the two big built up beams, there are two other beams which finish this area off as a form of enclosure. So just the area above the kitchen and dining area will have the OSB treatment. The rest of the ceilings, and this applies to almost the whole house except for the bathrooms, is being done out in western red cedar.
I shall see if I can get a pic for you later today to better explain this.
With all these weird angles words don't quite seem able to explain it.
But you are right to a degree, where the beams do hang down that 2", I will be doing that out in cedar.
As you can probably tell, I like cedar. And it would have been my choice for that part of the ceiling also. But since this was over the kitchen area, and since the kitchen is in the middle of the house, we decided to opt for the light colored ceiling to make that area brighter. The dull color of the cedar tends to darken a room somewhat.
We have lots of windows in the house, 91 at last count if I remember rightly, so generally speaking, the house is quite bright inside.


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## cocobolo

Hi iMisspell:
I can hardly expect everyone to read all this lot, it is turning out to be a book!
So, no, I certainly don't think you are being rude. And I thank you for your kind comments.


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## ponch37300

This is what i was wondering about? At first i thought maybe it was the floor above it but it looks like shadows, like the finished wood is installed between the joists?


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## cocobolo

Gotcha!!
OK, I guess I didn't quite get it right, did I?
Those "shadows" are in fact not shadows. Let me explain.
When the house was going up, I knew it was going to take a very long time before the roof got on. Therefore, I knew things were going to get wet.
What I had to do was cut wood on the sawmill for whatever I was doing, then install that, then go get more logs to cut more wood for the next part.
When I made the trus-joists, it was obvious to me that they were going to get their fair share of rain, and so I cut strips of 15 lb. roofing felt and covered them over. That shadow you are looking at is roofing felt. The joists are constructed of 2 1/2" wide lumber top and bottom, with verticals about every 2 feet or so I think. Then the OSB was cut at 9 1/2" wide, and attached with construction glue and many nails. If you ever need to get yourself some really tough joists for cheap, this is as good a way as any.
The boards you see above the joists are the subfloor.
I actually have two layers of wood up there now, and it appears that I may use some sort of wood flooring as the finish.
That's not quite cast in stone yet, but likely.
I have to say I envy you guys who can add all these little bits and pieces to a picture. My computer knowledge is almost up to kindergarten level...almost.
I just got some pics of the ceiling from different places so you can see the general shape better. Nothing around here ever seems to be square!
Here you can see how that big beam hangs just below the ceiling. The side which is done in cedar will be the living room.


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## cocobolo

Now we are looking at the same place, but from the other side.


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## cocobolo

Going to the opposite side of the ceiling, where the valence is, you can also see more lumber which will hang just below the finished ceiling.


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## cocobolo

I finally was able to get a shot of the enclosed ceiling area so you can see the whole fan shape.


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## ponch37300

I see now. That is a monster beam in between the living room and kitchen with a ton of lags. Did you have any construction background before you started building your house? You mentioned that you couldn't use drywall cause it has to be transported in pairs? I have many times ripped the strip of paper that holds the two sheets together off at the lumber yard and moved them individually. Just a thought. Keep up the good work!


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## cocobolo

Yes, I've had a little.
Did my first residential building in 1967, and my first industrial construction in 1969 when I moved to Whitehorse.
I've had my ticket since the '70's.
It has been my good fortune to work on a wide variety of buildings in the Yukon and throughout British Columbia and Alberta.
Everything from building a set of cabinets up to a damsite, and everything in between. It's been a fun ride.
Can't do the heavy stuff anymore though.
And as for ripping off the paper from the pairs, we most definitely thought about that. But we have to load the drywall at the store, move it by van down to the marina, unload it from the van onto the boat, motor it across the channel (4 miles), unload it from the boat and then lug it up the bank and into the house. That last bit is 30 steps going up. As you and I both know, sliding sheets of drywall over one another has a nasty habit of ripping the surface paper off and rolling it up into little pieces.
We are not permitted to have a dock here, so the boat is anchored out in the bay. All in all it boiled down to being essentially impossible.
And when I say we, I really mean I. There is no other help here, and my wife has never been physically able to help with anything heavy. She's quite happy to stain and varnish, or work in her garden.
There are a couple of places here that have been drywalled.
They are on the other side of the island where there is one good access spot to unload. Plus there are a couple of trailers and ATV's available to move materials on that side. Here, we are on a spit which is strictly accessible only on foot.
And besides, those guys over there always make sure they get lots of help!
Can't say I blame them.


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## cocobolo

There will be something like 300 of the short cedar boards going on to the valence. This is the first batch of 50 or so, couldn't wait to see what they were going to look like. I think it might be better when the whole thing is done.


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## cocobolo

In between bouts of painting and varnishing I managed to get a bit done on the curved island. Here's what it looked like as I started. Now, remember that I already had all the curved pieces pre-cut, so this goes quite fast.
Here is the base I had to start with.


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## cocobolo

What you see above are the curved pieces which make the base of the island, and they are made from a couple of layers of plywood, with spacers semi-evenly spaced. The thin plywood covering the front is 1/4" mahogany. Well, Philippine mahogany, which is really Luaun and not a mahogany at all. I wonder why we call it that? I glued and gunned that on.
This one is a bit more of the base progressing.


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## cocobolo

The preceding shot shows where the countertop stove and the sink will be going. This simple guide let me place the cabinet dividers appropriately.
One of the problems of doing a curved unit, and there are a few, is that the curve must be made wider than a standard counter, which typically does not exceed 24". The curve reduces the usable space for the stovetop or sink as measured in a straight line. You apparently waste those few inches which are used up by the curve.
In order to overcome this glitch, I started with a base which is 24" to begin with. As soon as you start to build up the cabinets proper, you will see that the bottom boards are more like 30" across. This will give me sufficient room to fit the units in place.
Here some of the dividers are in place and cross-braced while the top curved backing pieces are glued and nailed in place.


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## cocobolo

Good thing I have a few clamps at my disposal......
You will note that the partitions are not all square with the curve of the cabinet.
I will be mounting drawers where possible, so the partitions are put in with parallel pairs to facilitate the mounting thereof.
I will use the full extension slides, which reminds me, I haven't got them ordered yet.
Don't get old boys and girls. The memory keeps forgetting things.
I have clamped 4 pieces of the vertical cedar which will be used to cover the front of the cabinet. Just as a test fit.
When I did this, I saw that I had managed to cut the dado on the top of the boards about 3/32" too long.
Quite a lot of the boards were left over from a section of the solarium I had to cover in this fashion, and we had used the diamond Varathane on the boards.
Wife decided that these were to be varnished, so she tried a coat over the Varathane. Didn't work.
So what I had to do was to run the whole lot (150+-) through the planer just enough to clean off the finish, something like 1/64".
In order to make sure all the boards were exactly the same thickness first, I decided to skim a hair off the back side as well. So, another 1/64" came off
there too. Problem solved, now I am waiting for the varnishing to get done.


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## cocobolo

In the meantime, this planing of the boards had resulted in the dadoes becoming just too shallow. So now I will have to run the whole lot - both ends - through the tablesaw again.
Here I have cut a part of the dado to the thickness required. It didn't take much, but as the boards themselves will carry a portion of the countertop load, I thought it best that there be enough of a "seat" to do the job. The cedar boards will be glued and gunned in place.


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## cocobolo

Looks like it will be a few days before there is any real change to show you in the kitchen. When you are on a small island, and when you are trying to make an effort at self-sufficiency, you need to do a few basic things.
First, you need a woodshed, or two.
The first one I put up was made from slabs that were chainsawed off the side of logs. Before I had the sawmill, I made an "Alaska mill" using a big old Husky chainsaw. After cutting loads of boards, the old saw finally bit the dust. It got replaced with a Husky 394. Great machine and still going strong, although it is no longer used with an alaska mill.


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## cocobolo

The second woodshed is right alongside the original one. Although these days it seems to be full of everything except wood!


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## cocobolo

And attached to the left hand side of that woodshed are compost boxes.
I fear I might have made a mistake covering them up with a roof. Probably better to let the rain get at the compost.


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## cocobolo

Just a few feet away from there is my Japanese potting shed.
I built this little guy last summer to use with my Japanese garden. Right after I put it up, I found out how to build the roof properly, Japanese style that is. Oh well, live and learn.
I have the door made for it, just not hung yet. And it still needs some benches inside to make it useful.


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## scoggy

Funny, I am 'over the water' here in Ladysmith, but now know from your photos, exactly where you are. Do you know the Mottishaw cabin, proly NW of you along the channel? Wow, what an incredible undertaking to construct....will watch frequently. Cheers
Syd:thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Mottishaw. I know the name but cannot place the cabin. Do you have a first name? That's how I know most people over here.


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## scoggy

Dave and Cheryl Mottishaw


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## cocobolo

Gotcha: They are over on the other side near Lloyd and Dana's place.


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## wrangler

I know you have to be very busy, but I/WE would still love to see more pictures and words about your progress as time permits. 
Thank you again, and look forward to your posts!
Brett


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## cocobolo

Hi wrangler, consider it done. Had to make a couple of trips across the water to town for more stuff. Brought back some sample granite tiles for wife number 2 to have a look at. I'll get a pic in a bit. Also one of the inside of what will be the utility room. Sounds exciting, I know. I'll give you an explanation of what will happen in there. As well I guess I should get a shot of the kitchen counter as it is now.
Back in a little while.


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## cocobolo

I do realize that utility rooms rank right up there in the excitement department, comparing to something like the superbowl. But I'm going to show it to you anyway, so there.
Over in the cabin, we do not keep the fridge in the kitchen. We keep it in a cupboard outside. Huh?
Living as we do on solar power, it only makes sense to keep the fridge in an outside environment. Think about it, all you guys keep your fridges right next to the stove. Great idea! The electricity company loves you!
Ours is on the north side of the cabin, so in winter, with the cooler temperatures, the fridge runs very little. Good thing too, as we get precious little insolation (that's what it is called) in the winter. Whereas in the summer, when it is warmer, the fridge is on the naturally cool side of the building, but we get lots of insolation to cover it easily. All in all, not such a bad idea. It has worked for us for going on 12 years.
The original plan for the new utility room in the house (as opposed to the cabin) was to leave the outside wall UNinsulated, but to insulate the walls which surrounded the room. Plus the ceiling would be insulated as it is under the ensuite.
The reasoning was that way the room would not be heated by the wood stoves in the house, and thus would stay cool. And it may well have worked out that way but for one thing. We have had one SOB of a cold winter, and it sure ain't over yet. I still do not have a door on that room, so it is pumping cold air into the rest of the house just like a good air conditioning system. So enough was enough, and today I insulated both the wall and ceiling to try and eliminate yet one more source of unwanted cold air.
The walls that surround that room are both insulated and vapor barriered (on the warm side) so I will not be putting a vapor barrier on the back wall.
I will probably cover it with OSB.
Have you guessed yet? The fridge is going in here when we move it over from the cabin.
The room will also have the water inlet from our tanks outside, that went in today. The water pump - it is a 1/3 HP shallow well pump. The pressure tank which they laughingly call an 80 gallon equivalent.
I ask you, how on earth do they get away with this nonsense? I doubt that it holds more than 30 gallons, and that would be those little US gallons at that.
Then there will be the instantaneous propane fired water heater, washer/spin dryer, laundry sink and as much shelving space as I can put in to keep canned goods. Before the winter sets in, we like to start getting case lots of stuff, and we need a place to put it all.


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## cocobolo

Dropped in at the tile store and picked up samples of three granite tiles.
This one is called Blue Pearl. Looks more like grey oyster here, but I assure you in daylight, it is the deepest most magnificent blue tile I have ever seen.
Not for the kitchen, but there will be a very small counter in the bathroom and I will put them on there, plus the backsplash I guess.


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## cocobolo

Got a couple of the brown types for the kitchen counter. The one on the left was a bargain at $3.95. On the right, $11.95. Do I have to tell you which one the wife wants? Of course I don't.
Thankfully, it will only take about 45 tiles to do the job.


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## cocobolo

And this is what I will have to cover.


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## cocobolo

That odd looking chunk of plywood you see hovering above the counter is actually going to be a brace located in the middle of the back side of the cabinet. It is just there to provide a small extra nailing surface for when I put the cedar strips on.
And here's the back side of the valence with all the cedar strips done. The front isn't started yet, hopefully tomorrow, unless I go over to town again.


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## cocobolo

I have to pick up three more doors. One for the utility room, next for the bathroom downstairs, and the last for the broom closet which will go under the stairs.


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## scoggy

Very nice work...do you saw all that wood from 'washups" on your beach? What type of solar are you using? Is the well water adequate for your needs..as in amount of? Do you have electricity there? Cheers
Syd:thumbsup:


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## Shamus

My My! 

I've taken the better part of the hour to read through your thread. Good stuff indeed!

My Granddad was a finish carpenter and he too could not stand to see straight lines where there *could* be curves. Work he did in Banks and Post offices are still around in smaller communities. These date back to the 20's and 30's. Many of them show the aftermath of his conversations with the architect. The end results include curved counters, walls and arch's.

Your living the dream of many. And most of us, who would love to be doing what you are, just don't have nearly as much talent. Thanks for posting and keep up the excellent work.

Richard


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## cocobolo

Shamus, I am truly flattered that you would elevate me to the league of your granddad. I thank you for that. It sounds like he and I would have got along just great!

Scoggy: The wood comes from whatever logs happen to be floating around when I need something. As you know, most of the north American waters have two sets of high tides each month. One at full moon and the other at new moon. So generally, these will always fall about two weeks apart. It is these high tides which lift the logs off the various and sundry beaches, thus making them available to sneaky folk like myself. If the barometer is high, which usually brings good weather, then that forces the tide down and not so much wood comes off the beaches. Conversely, a low barometer brings a very high tide, and anything and everything will float off.
After a while, and especially after having destroyed several bandsaw blades at $40 a pop, you learn which logs to avoid.
And lastly, the first set of high tides in January usually provides the best yield. That is when I have got most of the logs in the past.

Solar system. I should do a short bit on that as it is quite involved. Once you learn the basics of how a solar system works, it really is remarkably simple.
We have 8 64 watt Unisolar panels, which feed through a Trace 40 amp controller, then through the inverter, then a 250 amp DC breaker and finally to the battery bank. Our meter which we keep tabs on all this is an E-meter.
I will very shortly be changing our battery bank over to a different one, so when I do that I shall get a few pix of the setup. One thing I will say for it, the whole system has been totally reliable. Unlike regular utility company customers who routinely get to put up with power outages, we have no such worries. With 11 years experience living off the grid, all I can say is I'm happy we did it.

We don't use well water here. There are wells on the island, 6 I think, but the one near us has a very fine silt in it, and it was clogging our filters. So we use a roof catchment system. Currently we have 6,000 gallons of storage for household use, another 1,500 gallon tank designated for fire pump use should it ever be necessary plus another 6 or 700 gallons of miscellaneous storage for the garden.

Electricity? That's what our solar system provides, along with a backup generator. There are NO services of any kind here. No ferries, no docks, no roads, no municipal water supply, no garbage pickup, no mail delivery, nothing. If we want it, we must do it for ourselves.
Hope that explains it a bit.


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## scoggy

Jeez, I feel like an old mouse...after a "new scent of cheese"!! If I came over in my 12 foot 'tin' boat...would I be welcome...just to see your 'creation? I will understand...no...because an "island experience" is beautified self experience combined with creativity, and perhaps, like me, you want to be 'doing', not explaining. Cheers.
Syd


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## cocobolo

Any time you want to drop on over is OK with me. Just send me a p.m. and I'll let you know exactly where we are. Actually, if you head for Herring Bay, you will see our place from the water before you get here.


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## scoggy

Was just googling your site????...if it is 49 04 07 99 N Lat...and 129 41 49 94 W Long... the photo was a bit fuzzy, but looking at your pixs and 'mock up"... looks close...? I am at 684 Hillview Ave in Ladysmith.. but then I have time to do 'nonsense items', such as this, and it can become a terrible addiction! Off to lala land. Cheers.
Syd:wink::wink:


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## cocobolo

Pretty close. According to my GPS right here at the computer, I am at 
49 04.912, 123 42.768. You have to put up with decimals on this one.
Enough fog here for you? 
Another trip to Nanaimo this morning for more bits and pieces. Discovered that you need a different and 2 1/2 times more expensive thinset for granite and marble tiles. Found a nice ultra light weight tile backer at the House of Pot. Makes a big difference from moving the concrete type backer. About the same price.
When I insulated the utility room ceiling last night, I realized that I had better get the drain in place from the soaker tub upstairs. Forgot that I had not got the fittings for that, so over to town for that as well. Plus some taps for the tub. Thought it might be not such a bad idea to be able to put some water in it.
Heres the tub out of its' hole.


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## cocobolo

Wife had another box of the short cedar boards for the valence ready when I returned, so here they are all gunned up. Still need lots more to finish up, but it's starting to take shape.


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## cocobolo

Not quite as interesting as the valence, but I also managed to get the plywood curve in place in the center of the back side of the cabinets. To be used as an additional support for the long cedar strips which will cover the outside.


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## cocobolo

If you have read this far, you know that I cut the bulk of the wood that went into this house on a small sawmill here. Most of what shows is cedar, so I thought I might try to offer a brief word or three about this wood.
Cedar is commonly used to do such things as fences, deck surfaces, siding, hand rails and the like.
Depending on the quality of the cedar at hand, you may also find it doing service as an interior finish wood.
On the west coast, we have yellow cedar, a wood quickly becoming very uncommon. The yellow cedar is a tree which can grow to truly biblical proportions. The wood itself is a very fine grained and consistent color. In fact, in many cases the grain - to all intents and purposes - does not show at all. It almost looks artificial it is so uniform. It is a favorite of wood carvers universally.
Yellow cedar logs are not commonly found floating around in the ocean, as they are too valuable to lose from a boom. The log salvors will usually grab any they see quickly.
I have perhaps found one log a year in yellow cedar. I use it as an accent wood in combination with red cedar. An example of this would be in the railings outside the front entrance.
It is a reasonably dense wood, and the locally found yellow is about twice the specific gravity of red when fully dried.
Red cedar is drastically different from yellow in many ways.
It too grows to gigantic sizes and can be a magnificent tree when left alone for 1,000 years or so.
It is considerably more common than yellow, and this is demonstrated by its' much greater availability.
Red cedar is often the choice of the British Columbia natives when carving totem poles, as well as a variety of other smaller items.
For the builder, red cedar represents an easily worked and generally long lasting wood. It is naturally resistant to decay. It is light when dry, and bears quite a striking array of colors when cut and planed.
Just looking at a small piece of red cedar will give you a good hint as to what sort of tree it came from.
"Red" is perhaps a misnomer, although that is the name it is referred to as.
It is more generally a light brown.
A young tree, say up to 150 years old or so, will show fairly coarse growth rings. The outer portion of the log may be decidedly creamy in color. There may be a much darker heart wood, and this delineation will likely come at one specific growth ring. The difference in the two colors will be striking.
As the trees age, there tends to be more of the darker wood. Sometimes, when finding a chunk of old growth cedar, the entire log may be very dark right through. One other important factor is that the older the tree, the closer the rings tend to be. Not always 100% of the time, but generally.
If you should run across a cross section of an old cedar, it makes for interesting study. You will find periods of very slow growth, wherein the rings are extremely close together. Conversely, periods of rapid growth, which usually indicates a wetter and warmer period, will be farther apart.
You may find these time capsules extend over many decades.
When we first came here in '96, there was a huge round washed up at the head of the bay here. It had 486 rings. So a fairly old tree, but nowhere near as old as they will grow. There was one stretch of rings that extended for over 100 years at less than 1/32" per ring.


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## cocobolo

In the picture of the samples above, you will see both young and old wood, flat cut, 45 cut and edge cut. There is no finish on these pieces. This is right out of the planer.
When applying a finish, the edge cut boards will show the most consistency, while the flat cut will show off the wilder grain patterns. So, depending on what you are doing, you can cut the wood to suit the job. Comes in handy sometimes to be able to do that.
Until a finish is applied, red cedar tends to look rather bland.
I'm waiting for some varnish to dry on 100+ boards, and when it is I will show you a pic of pieces similar to the above for comparison. The colors really pop with varnish.


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## cocobolo

I was so happy to finally have all the long boards varnished for the back of the kitchen counter that I almost forgot to take a picture of them varnished before they got nailed on.
So here are just a random few that I quickly got a pic of.
Now perhaps it is a little clearer where they got the name Red cedar from.


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## cocobolo

This is not the long curved counter in the middle of the kitchen, this one separates the kitchen from what we call the breakfast nook. Although right now it is full of piles of wood and floor tiles.
Before I put the cedar on the back side of the cabinet, I added four rows of backing so there was something to glue and nail to.


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## cocobolo

And here are the first few boards on and also the glue spread ready for the next batch. It was a bit of a messy job.


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## cocobolo

And in what seemed like only a few minutes the whole lot were up. Hope the wife likes it!
Still have a shorter section to do on the other side of the steps. Just a bit under 3 feet I think it is.


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## cocobolo

I made the boards for that counter a little over length, just in case. Then I trimmed them flush with the plywood top using a Japanese saw.
The top of this and the adjoining cabinet on the other side of the steps will be covered with arbutus wood. At least that is the plan at the moment.
When we first came here, there was a twin trunk arbutus about 90' high which had been dead for perhaps 15 or 20 years. Hard to say how long.
It went, but I kept some of the logs from it, and then when I got the sawmill the logs were turned into boards. I still have most of them.
Didn't have any idea what the wood was going to be used for at the time, but this seems like a decent purpose.


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## cocobolo

Managed to get the second cabinet back done today, and added a plywood top as backing for the arbutus wood.


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## cocobolo

Ignore the short boards at the bottom. There is going to be a built in cabinet against the wall.
Here's a better perspective of how both look.


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## cocobolo

Trimming off the extra board length with the Japanese saw.


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## cocobolo

All trimmed off and ready to wear a new top.


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## cocobolo

Today I disassembled the curved counter for a couple of reasons. First I had to get the inside painted, and got two undercoats on today. The top has two components, first a layer of OSB, and then 3/4" MDF on top of that. It was real fun trying to get the top to fit right, so everything to this point has been a trial fit only. I cut all the biscuit holes in the MDF, so that when it goes back together, it will act as though the whole top is a single piece. 
On top of that I am using a tile backer, then the granite tiles. So all together, the top will be about 2" thick.


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## cocobolo

This shot doesn't have a whole lot to do with DIY, but this afternoon, wife number 2 came charging into the house hollering "Come and take a look at this!" Of course, I am right in the midst of doing something so I am not happy about being ordered outside, especially when the temperature is only 2C.
And what do my beady little eyes behold, but a couple of people sailing close by in a lovely schooner. In January. It's cold. They must be certifiably insane.
Nice boat though.


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## drtbk4ever

Hey cocobolo,

I just had a chance to read through your thread. All I can say is yours is the ultimate DIY project. Right from gathering logs from the ocean.

I'm going to stay tuned.

Cheers.


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## cocobolo

Wow! Pretty heady comment there, thank you very much.
We have a couple of families here from Edmonton, well, St. Albert actually.
After much messing about and trying to get 4 x 8 sheets of OSB on the ceiling, I finally gave up and decided to cut the sheets smaller. First tried a half sheet at 4 x 4 feet. I didn't really like the way it looked. So I cut that down to 2 x 4 feet.
I have a few pieces pre-painted which are now ready to go up. Here is a pic of the first few. I was going to put up some more, but just a few minutes ago I got the second topcoat of paint on inside the cabinet which is right below this bit of the ceiling, and I didn't want to stir up the not inconsequential amount of dust on the floor. So I will play on the computer while it dries up a bit more.
They are being put up in a brick style pattern.


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## cocobolo

As of yesterday afternoon, we were still trying to figure out how to get full sheets up. Unfortunately wife number 2 cannot lift anything over her shoulders. Except for food, of course. So I made a really tall saw horse, I suppose you shouldn't call it a saw horse at that height, should you?
The plan was to sit one end of the sheet on top, then jam a deadman under the other end to get the sheet tight to the ceiling. Then go back to the first end and start nailing it off.
Here's the whatever-you-want-to-call-it.


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## cocobolo

Today, after spending half the morning painting more OSB, I decided to try and get most of the cedar boards on the front of the long curved cabinet.
While picking them up and taking at least a cursory look at them, I found that quite a few had a very rough surface. Not good enough to nail on, so I sanded them down and gave them another coat of varnish.
These are the offending pieces.


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## cocobolo

Here's the first batch nailed and glued in place.


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## cocobolo

Here we are mid way through.


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## cocobolo

And at this point I ran out of finished boards. There are about 50 to go. So, another few days while the varnish is applied and dries.


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## wrangler

cocobolo said:


> Today, after spending half the morning painting more OSB, I decided to try and get most of the cedar boards on the front of the long curved cabinet.
> While picking them up and taking at least a cursory look at them, I found that quite a few had a very rough surface. Not good enough to nail on, so I sanded them down and gave them another coat of varnish.
> These are the offending pieces.


Sounds like you might need to have a talk with that helper of yours!:laughing:
Just kidding, of course. Looking great! I enjoy getting up in the morning and browsing your post while I drink my 'go juice' (coffee). Though I know it is in another post, let us know how those LEDs work out for you.
Brett


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## cocobolo

Hi wrangler: Last night I spent at least a couple of hours on the web getting more LED info, and the more I find out, the more I realize I don't know! It isn't quite as easy as buying some and sticking them in the ceiling.
It seems that there have been several problems with the LED's, much as there were with the early CF's when they first came out. I will put more on the LED thread in a bit.
Been doing a bit on the bathroom downstairs today. Got the ceiling joists hung in place and a couple of lights wired up.
I'm going to see if I can find a tile expert on the site who can give me some guidance as to how to stick the tiles on to the back wall of the shower.
I'm still suffering from "Curved Wall Syndrome" and now it is coming back to haunt me....again.
It has been so long since I framed the back wall that I forget the radius I used.
I think it was 22'. I will get a photo to explain the problem. I may have a solution, but I would still like advice from someone who really knows these things.


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## cocobolo

I have just posted a question in the general discussion group about how to stick tiles onto a curved wall. You can see pics of the problem there if you wish.
In addition to the back shower wall, I am putting in a small sink between the entrance door to the bathroom and one of the shower walls.
I had some pieces of 3/4 MDF kicking about which were left over from the kitchen counter. Much of it matches the curve on the counter, and I thought why not try to fit a bit of that in the bathroom.
So I put some cleats on the walls to hold the countertop, and cut a couple of pieces of MDF to fit. Right now it is just sitting there, and I have already cut the biscuit holes for it to be glued up. I will add a piece of 3/4" plywood to the top. That will give me 1 1/2" thickness. I would like to tile the counter with granite and that would include the front edge. I think 1 1/2" is a bit thin for that, so maybe I will add another couple of layers of plywood underneath the front edge to build it up to 3". That should look a bit better.
Here's the funny shape.


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## cocobolo

Not that it shows up very well in the pic above, but after I decided to put the sink there rather than on the other side of the bathroom, it was necessary to move the door over. You can see where the original stud is where the jamb would have been nailed. That was a very tiny space. Moving the door frame over increased the space at that end of the counter to just over 10". That in combination with the curved counter provides sufficient room for the sink. I haven't taken the sink out of the box yet, but it is one of those that sits right up on top.
When I get the extra plywood cut out and attached, I will sit it on top and get a photo.
Having to move a door really isn't that big of a deal. All I had to do in this case was to sledgehammer out one stud and add another one on the opposite side. There is room for a pre-hung 30" door.
And herein lies one of the advantages of designing and building your own house. You can make changes on the fly.
However, a HUGE word of caution about that.
You can expect that when building almost any house, that there will be changes. It is almost inevitable.
One thing to avoid at all costs is making a major structural change while you are underway. I just have to give you this example.
There is a fairly large house going up on the island here, and they are up to putting on the roof right now.
The shape of the house is basically a rectangle. So far no problem. Then they decided that each of the two corners overlooking the ocean would have cutouts about 8' by 11'. Still OK. But here's the rub, they did not want any post at the intersecting outside corners to hold up the rafters for the hip roof!!
They have added an additional beam around the entire perimeter of the house to which they want to attach a bug screen. The enclosed area now will be something like 36' by 60'+. Pretty big, especially for this little island.
They had it in mind to use this extra beam, located about 6' outside the house walls, to sit the two front hip rafters on. If you could see how this was to be done, you too would have realized it was nearly impossible, for a variety of reasons. It would have been technically possible, but would have entailed a very serious additional expense.
Fortunately, after much discussion, the wife - who was the one who didn't want a post there - reluctantly agreed to do it the right way. That is, with the post in the corner, and the two beams in place to complete the rectangle upon which to sit the hip roof. As it should have been all along.
If you are going to tackle something like this, I highly recommend making yourself a scale model from cardboard first.
It's a whole lot easier to fix a cardboard model than a 60' long house!!!


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## cocobolo

OK, got some more done on the bathroom sink. I added a 3/4" plywood top plus two more layers of MDF (dusty stuff isn't it?) to bring the top to 3" thick.
The last two pieces of MDF are only a couple of inches wide, which is purely to build up the front thickness for tiling.


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## cocobolo

The next thing was to drill the hole for the sink drain. The destructions say to drill a 1 3/4" hole, yet the drain itself is actually less than 1 5/8". So that's what I drilled.
Now those of you familiar with saw-tooth bits will know that they are for use in a drill press only. Try them in a hand held drill and they can screech across your project faster than a speeding bullet....or is that Superman. Anyway, here is a little trick for you.
Oh, I DO have a drill press, but the trouble is that the reach is only a sneak over 7". The washbasin is 17" in diameter, so that would mean reaching 8 1/2" plus whatever wall clearance is necessary. So that idea didn't fly.
Here's the trick. Drill a hole in a board using your drill press. Easy.
Clamp the board to your countertop - or whatever you have to drill - and use that hole as a guide.


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## cocobolo

And here we go. Let me tell you, going through the MDF was slow as molasses. The plywood is good, it drills quickly. I think the powder created when the MDF is drilled acts like a thousand tiny ball bearings. It is fine on the drill press, because you can really crank up the pressure.


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## cocobolo

In the photo above, note also that I decided to use a screw to prevent the back of the guide board from moving. I used two clamps on the front.
The pencil lines which show are for lining up the biscuit joiner.


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## cocobolo

Here is the drain in place. 
You might notice that there is only a single thread showing below the nut. This would be OK except for the fact that there will be a granite tile going on the counter, which will add about 3/8" to the overall thickness. I have traced a line around the outside of the nut. Using the same technique as drilling the hole through the counter, I will drill 3/8" from the bottom of the hole, thus still leaving enough of the threaded drain to protrude.
No sooner had I set the basin in place than an extremely obvious glitch showed up.
The original plan was to use a regular steel type basin here (which we already had) so the counter was put in at the standard height of 36"
After reading the destructions ALL the way through, they suggest a height of 31" for the counter. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me too, so I will set about getting that done now.


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## gma2rjc

Cocobolo - I just found this post and I'm up to page 7. I was suppose to hit the hay 45 minutes ago, but this is like reading a good book that you just can't put down. 

I got a big kick out of your story about the neighbor with the m&m's.

The house looks great. It amazes me that there are logs in the bay that can be cut into enough boards to build a house and even more so, the process you have to go through. Keep up the good work and thanks for posting the pictures. 

I'll never complain about having to drive 3 miles to Lowe's again. Oh.... who am I trying to kid, yes I will :laughing:.


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## cocobolo

First let me thank you very much for your comments.
Then let me make it really clear that those logs were dragged in over a period of years. In all, I have cut well over 1,000 logs. Some good, some not so much. But for the price.....
Anyway, back to the bathroom counter. Lowering to 31" was pretty easy, except I already had a piece of plywood nailed on to the small end of the wall, and I had the counter sitting right on the plywood. So it was a bit awkward getting that down to size. The other two cleats was simply a matter of undoing and redoing a few screws, so we are OK once again.
Here's the evidence.


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## cocobolo

That hole I needed to enlarge under the counter turned out to be 2 3/8". Now I am so darn sure that I have that size and a 2 1/2" bit somewhere, so do you think I could find either of them? Of course not. So I had to settle for drilling with a 2 1/4" bit, and using a 1/8" chisel to take out the rest, aarrgh!
Looks a little rough, but it's done.
There appears to be far more thread than necessary, but that is only because I tested it with the counter upside down and obviously no sink attached!


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## wrangler

A little after the fact now, but your hole saw for your doors might have done the trick nicely. Is the tile going to be set directly to the MDF?


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## ponch37300

Tile on MDF in wet areas isn't a great idea. I would have made your last layer of MDF cement backer board or hardi board.


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## jackie treehorn

What a project!! Looks awesome on all of it!


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## cocobolo

Wrangler, I think the hole saw for door sets is 2 1/8". So a bit too small.
Although now that you mention it I may well have a hole saw about that size. Never even thought of that. I think I need you standing over my shoulder to keep my brain a little better organized!

Yes, I have a backer board called easyboard, manufactured by Custom Building Products. I have not used it before. But it is very easy to handle and is very light weight. I will use the 1/4" for all the counters and the 1/2" for the walls. There will be tile on the wall behind the second wood stove and the facing of the tub enclosure in the ensuite. Plus I will put a sealer on the MDF first anyway.

Thanks for the kind comment jackie.


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## cocobolo

Sorry I don't have any new photos yet tonight. I have been making up an aluminum and steel telescope mount for a friend of mine. Almost done, just another coat of paint and that's it.
Then there is always something wrong with one of the boats.
Last trip back from town in the skiff I almost managed to sink the boat. There was a problem with the bilge pump, and the boat leaks.
And why don't I just fix the leak you ask? Mainly because fiberglass does not like to set in cold, damp weather. Plus I have to find the leak in the first place. So, for now, I have re-mounted the bilge pump, which I hope will solve the problem. Temporarily. Use that word a lot around here.
I think, just for fun, I will make up a list of all the things you need to be able to do just to live here. Then again, maybe that will frighten me too much.
Got some more ceiling boards ready to go up. Plus the second varnish coat on the last of the boards to finish the kitchen counter.


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## Simply Sal

This is where I have to jump in and tell you how thrilled I am to see all of this come together for you and to understand from Knucklez thread what you are doing with your OSB... it has turned out great and what a great idea you had.... if I had taken the time to peruse this earlier, I would not have suggested the "gypsy" as a helping hand.
I can't tell you how impressed I am over the skill and knowledge you are sharing and I would have given my eye tooth and more to have had the opportunity to help you "grunt" stuff around, hand over tools or make the inevitable cup of coffee just to get 10% of the skill you have. Thank you so much for your "kindergarten computer skills" and camera skills that are giving so many of us a chance to dream at best. 
By the way, aren't those Japanese saws just the best? I have a collapsible that I use at work all the time.. ok, so I can get to Lee Valley every once in a while... 
Thanks again and great pic of you ... am curious as to why you refer to your wife as #2... almost seems #1 is in the background somewhere.... (kidding, really...)
Simply Sal.... or as some call me Kathy


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## cocobolo

Hey, any time you want to pop on over.....
Most of the grunting is over now, but you may be pleased to know that I had a similar offer from the daughter of one of our friends on the other side of the island. She was interested in learning more about the organic architecture side of things.
Little did I know it at the time, but she had done some work for John Lautner, who has to be one of my favourite architects of all time. He and I share an almost identical philosophy regarding building.
I don't know how I would manage without my Japanese saws. I have about a dozen of them. And I think all from Lee Valley.
Wife number 1 just took off one day about 30 years ago and left me with the kids. And if wife number 2 doesn't learn how to varnish better, I just might trade her in for a pair of 33's. It's OK, you can laugh here.


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## Simply Sal

ok, I AM laughing, gosh, that was a good one.. sorry not fun about being left with the kids.. that is usually the womens' story.. good on you though.. 
I think there are many women out there who would love the opportunity to learn the hands on trades and are hopefully getting encouraged to do so.. I guess I can say thankyou to "bookkeeping" in school.. helps in my business but if I could do it again, I would be journeying in the carpentry or electrical trades...
oh to be young again, jeez, never thought I would say that..
Thank you again for a great laugh and end to my evening.. am having a great time going through other threads and tracking your comments as well.. 
will keep following and hi to #2.. I was raised on varnishing.... and sanding.. and varnishing and sanding.... cheers Kathy


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## cocobolo

Thanks for your reply Kathy. You know , that made me think back to when I used to get assigned an apprentice on the job.
The best one I ever had was a young woman. She was always willing to listen and learn. Probably the best worker I ever had.
Every young guy they assigned you always seemed to know everything!!
Strange how that works.


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## cocobolo

Finally got the last boards for the front of the kitchen counter all sanded and varnished. Here they are gunned on. I had too much junk in front of the other end of the counter to get it all in one pic.


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## cocobolo

See what I mean?


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## cocobolo

And the reason I had to move everything over was because of this. I needed to be able to get at more of the ceiling.


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## cocobolo

And got a nice fit around the light box.


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## cocobolo

Down in the breakfast nook is the first wood stove I put in. 
There is a brick wall behind the stove, as well as a brick floor, all of which has been tiled in slate.
I will do more or less the same thing with the second wood stove which is going up near the french doors.
The slate I picked up a couple of days ago is not quite the same as this lot. These tiles came from India and have the back of the tiles machined with a fairly big set of grooves. The new ones are from China and are only split. No machining.


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## cocobolo

As you can see here the brekky nook has a vaulted ceiling. The ceiling boards are up to 17' long and are all individually tapered. Don't ask me how long it took to get that up.


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## shannahan

*Specatacular project*

What a nice place to do a project of this sort. Sounds like some real challenges though with no services to the area.


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## cocobolo

The worst problem is simply getting materials over here. And at this time of year when the weather is so utterly charming, it is even worse.
A couple of days ago I was heading back with a load of tile and thinset, and I took a solid wave right over the front of the boat.
That has never happened before and I have to tell you I was pretty nervous.
It took the bilge pump the entire balance of the trip, 1/2 hour, to get the water out. I was never so happy to be back.


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## mark942

I had to Laugh at this......I know it is not a laughing matter,but I seem to remember some thing similar in my past. Hope the thinset fared ok....:thumbup:







cocobolo said:


> The worst problem is simply getting materials over here. And at this time of year when the weather is so utterly charming, it is even worse.
> A couple of days ago I was heading back with a load of tile and thinset, and I took a solid wave right over the front of the boat.
> That has never happened before and I have to tell you I was pretty nervous.
> It took the bilge pump the entire balance of the trip, 1/2 hour, to get the water out. I was never so happy to be back.


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## cocobolo

Because I realized that the weather was bad before I left, I did wrap the thinset in a big tarp. One bag got wet on one side, and as soon as I got back I took the wet paper off. Just checked this morning (thanks for reminding me!) and it looks OK.
The tiles were drenched and the boxes fell apart as soon as I tried to move them, so it was a handful at a time up the bank and into the house.
I shall have to rinse them all off with fresh water before I use them.


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## cocobolo

I have been busy over the past few days doing a couple of things.
First, I had to fix a crack in the bottom of the hull of the skiff. 8" long, no wonder it was leaking. With a high temperature of 5C, fiberglass doesn't like to set up either.
I got the wall and floor area where the second wood stove is going in prepped for tiling.
Here the walls are furred out and the floor built up just so the whole affair has a more solid appearance to it. Not to mention that the wife wanted it raised up.


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## cocobolo

I was going to use the easyboard in the new shower, but because of the mixed suggestions I have had I will use regular CBU instead. Therefore the easyboard became available as backer for the wood stove corner.


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## cocobolo

I should send them a bill for the advertising in that one, shouldn't I!!
As with the first woodstove, the slate is again cut into halves. We wanted it to match at least somewhat.


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## cocobolo

One thing I should mention about slate. Or at least THIS batch of slate.
It turned out that it is not all cut square. Pretty close, but no cigar.
After having cut the requisite number of tiles in half for the two walls, I then needed 1/4 tiles to start the bottom rows. Not until I started to install the tile did I realize they were not all square. A tape measure quickly showed up the differences, so once I discovered what was wrong, I checked before installing the rest.
I had a part bag of thinset left over and mixed that up first. Naturally, it just fell short of being enough to do both wall sections.


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## cocobolo

It was way past dinner time by the time I got both walls done. So the floor will be looked after tomorrow. The small pieces around the base are in now.
There will be quite a bit of cutting to do for the floor, what with the curved part on the front. Some people never learn.


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## gma2rjc

That looks very nice. How do you cut the curved pieces?


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## cocobolo

If you look closely, everything on there so far just has straight cuts. However, the front tiles going on the floor tomorrow will have a gentle curve.
So I will cut the front tiles just slightly oversize, lay them in place, and put a pencil line on the underside scribed to the small face tiles.
It is just a matter of cutting to the line after that. Either by taking faceted cuts on the tile saw, or grinding down to the line with the mini grinder and diamond blade. I may be able to talk my wife into taking a couple of shots of the process. If so, I can show you. It's not difficult. Just a little time consuming.


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## Simply Sal

Hi again!! I am really glad you got that boat fixed... can only imagine how good solid ground felt when you got there...
I really like what you are doing with the slate.. how have you finished the edging against the furring strips and easyboard?
I really like cutting tiles. We do a lot of showers and just use 8 x 12 ceramic, have done brick pavers and doing the curves really gives alot of satisfaction... 
For some reason I couldn't imagine you not having a curve in there somewhere.
I was wondering if you do your posting somewhere else or how are you set up for internet service there?
Off to measure a much needed new deck on the back of the house... have to get a layout done. 
All the best Kathy


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## cocobolo

Hi Kathy: Thanks for dropping by.
Yes, I'm glad I got the boat fixed too!!
What I did with the furring was to cover everything with easyboard, even the thin sides. The furring was only 5/8" thick. Add to that 1/2" for the easyboard on the walls, and I used 1 1/8" wide strips on the sides. Then the whole face was covered with the board. So no wood showing anywhere.
I tiled the sides first with 1 1/8" wide tile strips, as I wanted all the facing to show as the full, or in this case 1/2 tiles. I didn't want to look at a skinny edge.
Internet is the portable modem by Rogers. Other than the satellite internet, which is quite slow and very expensive, Rogers - as far as I know - is the only game in town. They have recently come out with their "Rocketstick" or something like that, which runs over the cell phone system. The modem, which is high speed by the way, runs over their Inukshuk system, which Rogers developed jointly with Bell.
The modem has unlimited use for the monthly fee, whereas the stick is charged by the Gig.
It has been fairly reliable, but not perfect. Last year we were down for 2 months and Rogers just could not get it figured out at all. We finally got it ourselves, with help from others here - all of whom were also out - by going to another tower. Don't know why Rogers couldn't come up with that.
Nice advantage to ceramic tiles is they are all the same thickness, all the same size, and they're all nice and square. None of which can be said for the slate.

But, given that it is a natural product, that is to be expected.
This morning I started dry laying the tiles, and after lunch I will thinset them down.
Here is one of the front edge tiles being marked.


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## cocobolo

After I had marked the back of the tile with a pencil, I extended the straight line sections in order to be able to line up properly with the tile saw.
Not sure if you will be able to see the lines or not.


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## cocobolo

OK, I can see the lines on my screen.
You have to make a couple or maybe even three cuts on the back of each tile, depending on how many facets appeared when the line was drawn on the tile back.


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## cocobolo

As you can see above, quite a bit of tile is cut off first.
However, when the next piece comes off, it is just a tiny sliver.


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## cocobolo

Here all the tiles are cut and fitted, and now that lunch is done I'm off to stick them down.


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## Simply Sal

I thought if I checked the site later in the day you would have more to show me and there ya go... great job.. its a great feeling isn't it?
Can't believe you have the same saw as I have... basic HD special and it has worked well for us for about 3 years now.
You are right about ceramic, nothing too exciting about perfect tiles.
The job looks good... thanks for filling me in on the edging ... it is hard to see it in the pictures.
Your layout is pretty much the way I would have tackled it and the cutting adds a bit of challenge.
Thanks for the pictures. Will keep in touch.
Cheers Kathy


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## cocobolo

Thanks Kathy: now they are all stuck down, so tomorrow it's on to the dreaded grouting. Think I will do a little work on the kitchen ceiling tonight.


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## wrangler

I know this is a bit late and after the fact, but a thought I had when reading this portion of your post took me back quite a few years to when my grandparents added a stove to their home in Montana. The manufacturer had suggested building a firewall much like you have done, with the main difference being an allowance for airflow underneath and up the backside to allow for heat dissapation and convection. Basically, cold air is drawn in from below as the heat from the tiles forces it up along the backwall creating a convection action within the room itself and increasing the heating action of the stove, as opposed to just radiant heat. Much like a fan forced 'heat-a-lator'.Here is a poorly drawn pic of how I would envision this done with your setup.


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## RippySkippy

What a fantastic post cocobolo! Amazing....


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## cocobolo

Hi Wrangler:
When I get to a pic of the wood stove sitting in place, you will see why your proposition is not necessary. 
Although let me say right up front that it's a pretty neat idea!
I actually do not even need any tile at all behind the wood stove. I have the stove a legal distance away from the wall. I did it for the sake of appearance and to more or less match the other one.
The back of our wood stoves have a baffle on them. You can put your hand right behind the stove and hold it there as long as you like. There is very little heat there at all.
I realize this is contrary to what you would naturally think, but I assure you it is actually so. And almost the same thing applies to the sides. The sides are marginally warmer, even after the stove has been on all day.
All the heat from the stove comes out the front and the top of the unit, plus it is hot at the very bottom of the stove pipe.
My high school physics lessons would have me believe that the heat would be more at the top of the pipe, but 'tain't so.
The required stove pipes are double walled, and they have a vent at the bottom and top of each section. I will get you a pic later when the whole assembly is done.
Now I have to get the grouting and sealing done, then I can get the real McCoy in place. Can't wait!


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## cocobolo

Thanks RippySkippy, lot's more to come I hope.


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## oregondiy

*Wow*

Just finished reading your whole post, what a great project. You are a very skilled craftsman and it looks like you pay a great attention to detail.
Keep up the good work.


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## cocobolo

Thank you kindly.
I think you should have a medal for doing that!
Spending as long as I have in the building business has a habit of getting one to pay attention to the little things. 
Have you ever noticed that it is the small extra touches that people notice?
A few months back, we had a visit from some of our friends from the other end of the island and they brought their family from Van. Island with them.
We had not even got into the house when I heard..."everywhere you look in the garden there is something different...."
I had never given that a thought until then. Now I must give credit where it is due, so you need to know that the large bulk of the garden has been done by my wife. It isn't just plants.
She has little goodies all over the place, yet nothing seems overdone.
Same inside the house, which is my bailiwick.
Before the first dirt was dug, most of the finishing details had been thought out. I am really happy to say that there is almost no real construction left to be done, it is nearly all what I would call finishing.
A fair bit of cedar work left to do, considerable tiling which will be done one step at a time. The kitchen cabinets are coming along reasonably well, my drawer slides arrived a few days ago - so looking forward to doing that part.
I have been pre-painting the last dozen of the osb panels for the ceiling, and will have that finished later tonight.
I expect it will take me a good part of this year to have everything done, that is if you ever actually really finish one of these places.
But I would be remiss if I did not put forward a big "THANK YOU" to everyone who has taken the time and effort to contribute their comments here. You have no idea just how much incentive this gives me to get on with it!
Especially on days like today. Rain, sleet, snow and wind. LOTS of wind! It can only get better.


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## wrangler

I could say something rotten, like, "I hated that I had to run the a/c today because it was over 75f" but, trust me, I would never do that! 
But seriously, I have thoroughly enjoyed the posts, and as I said once before, I think it will make a great book one day. Have a good promoter/publicist yet? 
Thank you again for the progress and pics. It is a great way to start my day while I have that first, second, and sometimes third cup of coffee in the morning before I start my day!


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## cocobolo

Hi wrangler....always enjoy your posts. Just trying to finish one more area of the ceiling with cedar tonight. If I get it done I will get a pic up.


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## cocobolo

Ceiling inside the side door to the kitchen. I milled all the cedar from rough stock. It's a bit awkward to get a pic of the whole thing. Nothing is square here, all odd angles and curves as you can see. I still have the last four or five boards to go at the far end. Just too tired tonight to finish up.


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## shtoink

Wow

What an incredible project! I love your work and what you and your wife have done.

I too, have a house on one of the Gulf Islands. About a year and a half ago, my wife and I had a 100 year-old Craftsman style house trucked and barged from Burnaby to Gabriola Island. It is still very much a work in progress. I am just a DIYer (but learning quickly thanks in part to the help I receive here on this site) and I travel from the mainland a couple of weekends a month to work on it. It is very slow progress since I want to do as much of the work myself as possible and I am on a very limited budget. The master plan is to live there someday. I will post photos when I get a chance.


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## cocobolo

Looking forward to seeing your pics.
There is a fellow here on Ruxton right across the bay from us who shipped an old log house from North Vancouver and re-erected it here.
At least on Gabriola you have a ferry to get you back and forth, and roads, and electricity and who knows what-all else!
My immediate neighbour here on the island lives on Gabriola.


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## cocobolo

Not too much to show you tonight, but I did manage to get the cedar done on the ceiling, plus the osb over the dining room area. Still have to clean that up a bit.
But before we get there, here's a sunset from last night. I didn't see it 'til it was almost done, so I expect I missed the good part. But enjoy anyway.


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## cocobolo

The cedar really is done this time....


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## cocobolo

So is the dining room ceiling....


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## cocobolo

This is for all you guys whose wives complain when you leave a mess when you finish working. Just show her this one and she'll think you're an absolute prince!
I started to clear out this area today and sort the wheat from the chaff. So far I have cut up a lot of chaff for the fire. This is alleged to be the solarium. I'm sure you believe that, don't you?


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## cocobolo

So far today, this is all I have managed to save from that mess....


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## gma2rjc

Thanks for posting the sunset picture, it's beautiful. The ceiling looks great. It sure looks like a lot of work. Is that next summer's bonfire wood sitting in your solarium?


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## cocobolo

Good heavens NO!! I'm sorting everything out for any number of things I still have to finish. Actually, I am really trying to see if there is a floor under all that.....
When it is cleared out of the way, I think - if my memory serves me - that there is a curved pony wall separating the dining room from the solarium and that is supposed to have quite wide cedar boards on top, sufficient to sit on.
I'll be at this half the night.


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## gma2rjc

It'll be worth it when it's all sorted and organized. The house looks great and the view can't be too difficult to live with. What mountain range is that in the picture? 

I was wondering, since you cut all of that wood from logs in the bay, do you have less of a problem with the boards warping like those you would buy at a lumber yard? The reason I ask is the boards in that pile in the picture all look very straight.


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## cocobolo

Interesting question.
Actually, whether or not your wood will stay straight or not depends on two things.
If you are cutting a log which has grown on a slope, the bottom of the tree - which you do not necessarily have- usually has some sort of curve in it already. The loggers will usually just cut this off and it is left in the woods.
So how do you know if you have one of these trees. 
Just look at the growth rings at the bottom end of the log, and if they are nicely concentric, then the log probably grew on flat ground. If the center of the rings goes way off to one side, which is very common here, then one of two things is likely to happen.
Depending on how you set the log up on your mill, you may cut a slab off which will literally jump off the log as you complete the cut. Ok, right away you know that log has plenty of tension in it.
You flip it 90 degrees and take the next slab off. This one might stay put. The third slab will probably jump again, and the fourth will stay put.
At this point you must decide what you are going to cut from the log.
Usually, when I get such a compression log, I cut small stuff from it. 1 x 4's for instance. If you cut them the right way, they will stay quite straight, the wrong way and they will curve like nobody's business.
So let's assume you have all this wood, but of course it is green.
Perhaps at least as important as the cutting is the drying.
It is a simple process, if a little labor intensive.
All you do is to sticker the wood in piles. Usually about 4 or 5 boards wide will be OK. Lay the first stickers down, about 2' spacing, then lay the first row of boards, leaving an inch or so in between. More stickers, more boards etc.
The pile is covered with something waterproof. The material of choice is corrugated metal. I don't have any, so tarps it is.
You need to put some weight on top of the pile to help keep everything flat.
Check periodically to see how the wood is doing, i.e. is it staying flat.
Depending on your end use, the thickness of the wood and the time of year, pretty soon you will have good boards.
Sometimes there is nothing you can do to save certain boards. You end up with boat keels or skis! Still and all it makes good firewood.


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## cocobolo

Forgot about the mountain range. These guys are south of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. To be perfectly honest I don't even know if they have a name. I'll have to see if I can find out. The entire island is covered in mountains.


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## cocobolo

Apparently they are called the Vancouver Island Ranges. Formerly known as the Vancouver Island Mountains. They run the full length of Vancouver Island.


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## cocobolo

We have been having some of the worst weather lately, but today was a real treat. The outside temperature only managed to get up to about 4 1/2C, not exactly tropical, but the winter solar performance of the house really shines on days like this. Pardon the pun.
While there is a wood stove functioning as we speak, it can only get the house up to about 12C. Mainly because I always seem to be otherwise occupied when it needs to be loaded up again, and I am using junk wood as opposed to decent firewood.
So I was more than pleasantly surprised when I saw this today. It was almost 5 p.m., only 1/2 hour before sunset. So I probably missed the peak temperature.


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## cocobolo

Here you can see how bright the house gets even with the low winter sun.
The high row of 13 windows really makes a difference.


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## cocobolo

The next two shots are taken from the narrow deck right outside the door from the master bedroom. No wide angle lens, so I have to do it twice.


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## cocobolo

I was going to try to show you a shot of the solarium all cleaned out. It didn't all get done. This was shot from the bedroom while I was about halfway through today. I got lots more done, but OMG it's dusty in there!


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## cocobolo

That sun felt sooooo good today, so here's a pic of it coming through the top windows. Late in the day as you can see by the sun right on the ceiling.


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## shumakerscott

*Good to see*

I'm glad to see that your getting things done. I have been stopped "Cold" All puns intended. I like to follow your progress. Dorf Dude


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## cocobolo

Sounds like this cold is giving you a bad time Shu, have you tried the remedy of drinking a glass of hot red wine and going to bed. Tastes awful, but it may work.
Yes, I've had some pretty productive days lately here. A few days of nice weather has boosted the spirits. Still pretty cold though.
Another trip to town today for backer board and thinset for the solarium floor.
I did get the solarium cleaned right out, the first time the floor has seen daylight for about 4 years!
I used to have a 27' long workbench which started inside the back door and stopped about 6' short of the french doors. That way, I could bring the rough lumber in the back door, put it on the workbench, run it through the planer or tablesaw and out the front door if necessary. Any pieces that needed to be dried completely, or were just left over from something just got chucked in the sol. The pile finally got to be 8' high and by that time I had no idea what was at the bottom.
I ended up unearthing some lovely long clear red cedar boards all nicely planed. Some clear yellow cedar, not as long, but perfect wood.
I already have much of the yellow earmarked for some laminated stair posts which I will be doing. The stairs which go up inside that tower are curved, and the bottom set will have the posts which will themselves be curved.
Actually, the top posts will be curved too, they will just face the opposite way. You'll see how that goes when I get there.
Here's a couple of posts before the hand work gets started. They are just laminated at this point.
Now they will get the edges rounded off, pre-drilled to be bolted on to the stair framing, and either varnished or varathaned. Not quite sure which yet.


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## Mort

Wow, I am blown away. This is just a remarkable project, and I hope someday in my life to have something half as majestic.

Curious, I don't remember reading it, what did you do about the foundation?


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## shumakerscott

"Sounds like this cold is giving you a bad time Shu, have you tried the remedy of drinking a glass of hot red wine and going to bed. Tastes awful, but it may work."

Actually the "Cold" I was talking about here was the weather. The house is about -5C inside right now. I stopped by yesterday just to take a look around and it was nastey cold inside. No way to work in there. I need Spring to get here. At least above freezing so I can get the main water turned on and get a heater hooked up to the pellet stove. Greetings from Frozen Germany, Dorf Dude...


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## cocobolo

Hi Mort:
The house sits on a rock spit.
What I had to do for the foundation was first remove all the overburden. This was comprised of a small amount of dirt, certainly can't call it soil here, mixed with a few hundred thousand rocks. It actually took me nearly two years to remove everything so I had someplace decent to start. Not full time of course. Along with the dirt and rocks was an absolute mess of vines, scrubby growth, and seven 100 foot tall douglas firs.
Before I had all this finished, the house plans were more or less cast in stone as it were.
If you are at all familiar with any of the Gulf islands, you will know that it is next to impossible to find a flat and level place to build.
In some places, I had no choice but to drill holes in the rock, use hydraulic cement to set steel pins, then pour small footings. These would then carry a post.
There is a good section around the front curve of the house in which the slope was more manageable. Here, I was able to use a long stepped strip footing, curved of course, which ran the full length of the front of the house.
Don't remember exactly, but I would guess I have not less than 100 pins in that section.
The plan was that it shouldn't move in a breeze. So far so good.
I see in your avatar a concrete truck.
How I wish such a beast existed here! 
So it is either bring over boatloads of pre-mixed concrete in bags, which is outrageously expensive, or bring cement and mix your own.
So being a true cheapsk...no, make that being a person of economy, I used the cement, and got the sand and gravel from the beach. Decidedly a labor intensive way to go, but it worked.
There is a friend of mine at the other end of the island who brought over - are you ready for this - 42,000 lbs of pre-mix in bags!!!
The reason I don't have any photos of the early stuff is because I had no digital camera. No internet here until just over a year ago, hence no computer either.
As for majestic, I thank you, but it is really nothing more than an old guy playing with wood!


----------



## Mort

Thanks for your reply. Since I started in the construction industry, I've wondered how houses like yours are built, without the aforementioned wide roads for lumber trucks and mixers to come down. Turns out its just old fashioned ingenuity and hard work. Unfortunately, that seems to be the exception rather than the rule these days.

Well, since I found this thread, I will be keeping up on it. Thank you for sharing.


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## cocobolo

There's likely a good reason for things not being done the way they used to be Mort.
The drain on peoples' time these days for one.
And we all seem to want instant gratification, no matter what it is.
Not to mention that houses these days are not so much actually built as they are assembled.
But for those who are fortunate enough to be brought up with parents or grandparents who instill in us certain values, we know this sort of thing can still be done.


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## shumakerscott

*Wow*



cocobolo said:


> There's likely a good reason for things not being done the way they used to be Mort.
> The drain on peoples' time these days for one.
> And we all seem to want instant gratification, no matter what it is.
> Not to mention that houses these days are not so much actually built as they are assembled.
> But for those who are fortunate enough to be brought up with parents or grandparents who instill in us certain values, we know this sort of thing can still be done.


I guess I fit that description. My Dad built 3 houses but all were finished before I was born. I got to live in 2 of them though. Todays houses are just very expensive temporary shelters. They will not stand the test of time. Hell, brand new ones are falling apart. Ever watch "Holmes on homes"? I can't wait to get back to work on mine. Dorf Dude....For those who don't know my project is "German House Rebuild"


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## gma2rjc

Holmes on Homes is a great show. After watching that, it's hard to watch some of the shows on the DIY Network, HGTV, and Discovery. The shows on those networks seem to skip over important information their viewers should know. It's too bad we can't get Holmes' show here in the U.S. Did you know he is starting a new series called 'Holmes Inspection'? It's suppose to be about home inspectors.


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## shumakerscott

*Damage*

Holmes is doing huge damage to shoddy carpenters and fellow trades people. Sorry about hijacking this thread Coccobo. I will stop until I get back on my rebuild. Keep up the amazing work. I learn from your posts. I just wish you would post more pic's and details. I eat it up. Dorf Dude...


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## cocobolo

Hey Shu: this is not hijacking in any way. I too am a fan of Mike. I managed to catch him with George Stromboulopoulos a few nights ago. And for the most part, I agree with what he says. Every once in awhile he gets carried away with one product or another, but by and large he's getting the message out there.
I used to do similar things to what he does. That is, go in behind shoddily done work and fix it. I still get annoyed when I see that stuff going on. And usually what makes matters worse, is that these incompetants charge a fortune! I could sure tell you a few stories...
As much as I hate to say it, there is a local "carpenter" operating here in that category. He hates building inspectors, hates the building code, hates to do anything by the book, but he just loves to gouge. Now here's a guy who would hate Mike Holmes!!
I just popped over to the computer while eating lunch. Got all the solarium area cleaned right out. All the junk wood cut up. Moved about 1 1/2 tons of wood upstairs, THAT was fun.
A couple of pix just for you Shu.


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## cocobolo

The plan is to put that hand made Mexican terra cotta tile in the solarium. Since the wife is going to fill it up with plants, the floor is bound to get wet.
She says not, but we all know how that goes...
Have to put in a couple of steps down to the solarium floor next. Then above that on the window side, I still have the ceiling boards to put in. Somewhere around here I have already cut and dadoed the tapered boards, but I'll be damned if I can find them. Two rows of backing first, then a little work on the vapour barrier, then I can get the ceiling there done.


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## cocobolo

Found the pre-cut boards for the ceiling, but it turned out not to be good news.
I put the necessary backing in, then started to install the ceiling boards. I had only got a few boards up when it became painfully obvious that the amount of taper on the boards was wrong! The outer edge was gaining rapidly on the inner edge. Not good.
Not really sure what went wrong there, as I had used a tapered cutting jig for these guys. I think I must have used the wrong jig, as I do have different ones for different areas.
Anyway, so those boards had to come down and have a new taper put on.
Rather than make up another jig, I just marked off the boards and ran them through the tablesaw freehand. That made redoing the dado on one side necessary. With the dado blade on the tablesaw, that is just a few minutes.


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## cocobolo

Sorry, meant to add this pic to previous post.


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## cocobolo

And here we are with the front section over the solarium finished.


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## Scuba_Dave

Da-do look nice

Send some ceda dis way


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## drtbk4ever

Scuba_Dave said:


> Da-do look nice
> 
> Send some ceda dis way


:laughing::laughing::laughing:

I always love when Coco posts new photos. 

Nice work.


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## cocobolo

Hey Dave, next time you're out diving, just pick up a log or two!

Thanks drtbk: I've been most of the evening trying to get the two steps figured out into the solarium. I have it mocked up, but not good enough for a photo yet.
The steps have to be snuggled into one end, and I am going to try to incorporate them with some sort of plant stand on either side. Have to make allowances for everything which will go on the floor, CBU and terra cotta tiles. 
Might have most of it done tomorrow, so I'll get you the pic then.


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## cocobolo

Lots of messing around to get this far.
Built some "ladders" to hold the plywood treads, which are tapered. That way they are like gentle winders which lead you the right way. Both sides of the solarium are curved, so things need to be fitted reasonably well. The two plant tables are just sitting here in these pics.


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## cocobolo

It will take about 100 of the narrow cedar boards I use to sheet in the two tables. Almost finished doing that when wife number two called for lunch.


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## cocobolo

As you can see, I installed some 5/8" plywood curves to act as backing for the cedar strips. I think there may be some mahogany plywood here somewhere, and if so, I may use that on top of the tables.


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## cocobolo

All shipshape without any problems for a change.
Got the tables sided with cedar, plus some backing and more cedar on top of the short pony wall. Still have to put a heavy cap on this side.


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## cocobolo

So wife is looking at this and says she will have a plant on here jig time.
So I tell her that this is starting to look WAY too cool for any old plant. Right away she says we'll have to get something more exotic. Around here I have learned that exotic = expensive.
So I patiently explain that I had a statue of a naked babe in mind. So she says, Oh, you mean like David?
Huh? David's a babe?


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## cocobolo

Both done! Hurray!
I was having far too much fun doing these guys, so I thought I might as well do a bench type affair which she CAN put plants on, from one end to the other.
Only have the wood cut up for the frames yet, will get to assembling them when I get away from here.
Once they are screwed down, then I will know how many more cedar strips to make up to cover the back pony wall.


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## cocobolo

After a little figuring out of the frame, it has been constructed and screwed to both the pony wall framing and the floor. With long screws. It needed a few shims on some of the frames to be made perfectly level, but all in all it was pretty close. Here is step 1.


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## cocobolo

It took several hours, but here all the bench top pieces have been laminated together. I think it is 22 rows. I just have the facing piece to put on the front now. But before that can go on, the remaining backing and strips on the bottom of the bench must be installed first. Tomorrow if I am very lucky.


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## cocobolo

I had not been for a walk around the island since before we had the big snowfalls. This was a shelter for a portable sawmill in the middle of the island. The mill is still underneath. Not quite up to 45" of snow that we got.


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## DIYtestdummy

Phew! It's taken me 4 days to get thru this thread while keeping up with other tasks. Nevertheless, it's holding my attention like nothing else!

I can't even make up words to describe how amazed I am with your work, Cocobolo. We have no decent wood here in Arizona, even the lumber yards have junk. I am still trying to figure out what to do with the olive tree logs I cut down that I'm almost deathly allergic too.

:no:


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## cocobolo

DIY: Thank you most kindly.
I remember reading many years ago, that when they remove the olive trees in Italy in their groves, the wood is often used to make wind instruments. I think I may have read it in an old Fine Woodworking magazine, probably 20 years ago. You may well be able to sell that wood for a very good price.
Well, I have just finished rough cutting about 350 pieces of cedar for the top and bottom of the bench. Now it has to go through the planer, then dado on both sides. Back when I have that done.


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## cocobolo

This is what just over 350 cedar strips looks like. I have decided that I will ease the edges using a 1/16" tool.


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## cocobolo

I did luck out with the mahogany plywood. There were several pieces here which have been knocking around for years. After a good sanding, this one came up respectably well.


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## drtbk4ever

Hey cocobolo,

Did all those (and the other) cedar strips come from logs you found?


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## cocobolo

While I had the sander handy, I thought it might be a good idea to clean up the top of the bench. If any of you have done any in place laminating, you know how unevenly some of those wayward boards can come out.
First, I took the power plane to the bench, using a very light cut. Many light cuts is far better than one or two deep cuts, as that way you can avoid those nasty grooves at the edge of the planer blades.
Then it was on to the random orbital sander.
My weapon of choice here is, and always has been, the old Porter Cable random orbital.
First pass was with 80 grit. I would have preferred 60 but ran out of that ages ago. Next up to 120, and finally 180. The sandpaper is Siawood, made in Switzerland.
Two things you should know about r/o sanding. Firstly, whatever grit you are using will produce a finish which is much smoother than the grit would indicate. For instance, if you put an 80 grit sheet on a regular orbital sander, you know you used 80 grit. It isn't terribly smooth, and the grit marks will show up very clearly. Plus, it is far slower than a random orbital.
Secondly, use the sander flat, with the whole disc sitting on the wood. Don't tip it up on one edge. If you do that you will surely dig a hole in the wood which will be a bear to get out. Use your planer to flatten the wood, not the sander.
Here I am up to the 180 grit, and the wood is as smooth as silk.


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## cocobolo

drtbike, you snuck in there while I was typing. Yes, they did. The actual area in square feet that all those boards cover is probably only around 50 or so.
That's not much. A typical cedar log, or more often just a chunk off an old log, might yield between 100 and 150 board feet.
I collared a pretty big log a couple of weeks ago which I passed on to a chum on the island here. It was dead clear, and yielded over 500 board feet. He recognized that the log was a dandy, so he took the trouble to quartersaw the whole thing.


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## cocobolo

After edging all the boards I have just finished the lower part of the bench.
The space beneath is to allow room for the CBU and the rather thick terra cotta tiles. I will be applying two coats of sealer to the tiles before laying them, in an effort to try and avoid the surfaces being stained by either the thinset or grout.
I think I will add another plant stand at the end of the solarium to sort of balance everything out. The end corner looks kind of dead the way it is.


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## gma2rjc

It looks beautiful cocobolo.


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## cocobolo

Thanks gma, I am hoping when the entire solarium is done, that every little piece all comes together nicely. Still quite a way to go. Will have a go at the other plant stand today, as well as starting to get the CBU cut to shape for the floor. All those curves and odd angles will make that interesting.


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## cocobolo

Managed to do the top boards behind the bench, so that's starting to look a little more finished now.


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## cocobolo

After some head scratching, the framing for the plant stand finally came together.


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## cocobolo

It was starting to get dark by the time I had the first of the plant stand boarded in. The pics never seem to come out quite as well when it darkens.


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## cocobolo

And here the bottom is nearly finished. Ran out of the long boards, have to make a few more tomorrow morning. C'est la vie!


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## cocobolo

It is my habit every morning to walk outside to the bank just to see what, if anything, is happening on the water. We are expecting another storm to arrive this morning, so I was pleasantly surprised to see sun on the fresh snow on the mountains. I was able to get off a few shots before the cloud rolled in. Here's the best one. 5 minutes earlier and I think it might have been much nicer.


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## gma2rjc

B. E. A. Utiful! Thanks for posting that.


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## cocobolo

You're very welcome.
Today was not a good day for us. Early this morning wife decided she would like me to take her across for some bird seed and a few groceries. OK.
As she is climbing into the boat, she does a decidedly inelegant swan dive and splits and lands with very little grace on the floor of the boat, emitting a suitably blood curdling scream while she is at it. She is convinced that there are no broken bones, so she tries to climb onto the seat. As soon as she put the least amount of weight on her right knee, it gave out. We managed to get her on the seat, and she decided that didn't feel too bad, so off we go.
Arrive at the marina, she goes to stand up, nada.
She needs an ambulance. Now our marina is in a dead area for the cell phone, so I ask one of the neighbours if they would be kind enough to call an ambulance for me. No problem, not only that, but he offered to drive up the road away and direct them to our boat.
The paramedics arrived quickly, given the distance they had to come from, and after some fuss and bother wife is unceremoniously deposited in the ambulance. They do the vital signs thing, and of course her b.p. is damn nearly off the chart.
So to the hospital we go, where after X-rays and subsequent examination, it is determined that she has wiped out the lateral ligament, which is located right behind the kneecap. I bet that must have smarted.
There is nothing that can be done, so they hoof her out the door to fend for herself. OK, so that's a little writer's license there.
She is given a prescription for some illegal narcotics, and we have to pick up some crutches and a big knee brace. That poor knee was just huge by the time we got to the pharmacy.
She is now resting uncomfortably, but well drugged at my mum's house, where she will have to stay until she can at least walk unaided. We think this may be a couple of weeks.
I suppose this means (he says with a resigned sigh) that I will be wasting copious amounts of time going back and forth to town. This will cause me to waste valuable building time, this is not good.
I will still try to get the odd thing done, so please bear with me during these delays.


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## wrangler

Sorry to hear about your wife, that does sound quite painful! Hopefully she'll be back to supervising in no time! 
As always, I am enjoying the posts and reading about your progress.
Brett


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## Shamus

> This will cause me to waste valuable building time, this is not good.


If you think about it, maybe it's a good time to take a break for awhile. 

Just say'in. :thumbsup:


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## gma2rjc

I hope she makes a speedy and pain-free recovery. Be careful when you're there working by yourself.


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## cocobolo

Thank you all for the kind words, I shall see to it that your well wishes are extended to her this morning.
I'm afraid it isn't going to be a pain free recovery though. I did some checking on the web last night about this injury, some very good info out there. It appears she will be in for an 8 week recovery, or longer.
It wouldn't be nearly as problematic if we lived over on Vancouver Island rather than here.
But she is the one who originally found and picked out this place, so now she will have to put up with it for awhile.
It will be the first week to 10 days that will be the worst. She has been told to do nothing but rest it, and eventually it should heal. As long as she does what the good doctor says, she will be OK. But you need to know my wife. If you think I'm stubborn, you should see what she's like.
And again, thanks to everyone.


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## shumakerscott

*Drugs*

The best thing for stubborn people is Drugs! Keep her dopped up for the next 2 weeks. She will actually thank you later because she will recover and not push it. Dorf Dude...


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## cocobolo

Good idea!
Actually, she has just about enough of the illegal drugs to last for two weeks. But since neither of us ever take much more than the occasional aspirin, I doubt she will stay on the pills for too long.


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## ponch37300

I had the same injury in december and it is very painful. I am also stubburn and tried walking on it. It gave out a couple more times. I bought a couple of knee braces. The first one was a slip on and I couldn't get it over my knee, it was so swollen. I'm a small guy and I bought the extra large, knee was probably 2 1/2 times the normal size. Then I bought one that uses velcro to close and also has some metal hinges on the sides to take some of the pressure off the knee itself. That really helped the recovery. It still isn't 100% but it's alot better. I laid some tile last week and it did alright kneeling on it. It took about a month and a half before I could do much on it and still had to baby it. After that it seemed to heel faster. Hopefully she gets better soon, I know how painful it is and even more how it's no fun just sitting around not being able to do anything.

On another note, can you describe that 1/16" edge tool you used and what it does to the wood? I've never seen one of them before. 

Goodluck and wish your wife a speedy recovery!


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## cocobolo

Good morning ponch:
My wife is a pretty large gal, so I had to find a big brace. And you're 100% right about not being able to use the pull on kind. The kneecap itself loses much of its' stability when this ligament is torn. She has managed a grade 3 tear. It sounds as though we got the same kind of brace you did.
She has used the pull on type for several years on and off for her other knee. She got hit from behind in a skiing accident about 20 years ago. They operated to remove some cartilage and naturally, she has lost much of the strength and flexibility in that one.
So now, she only has a bad knee to use until this one gets better. Not much fun.
That little edging tool I use sometimes is available from Lee Valley Tools. If you don't have their catalogue, and if you are a woodworker, I would suggest you go online and request one. They have about the best range of woodworking stuff on the planet.
I actually prefer my little Japanese plane which has two different size radii, just as this tool does. But after my massive cleanup a few weeks ago, with wife helping, I can't find it. Far be it from me to suggest who has misplaced it, but...
I will pass your wishes along to her today, and thank you.


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## drtbk4ever

Hey Coco,

How are things going for you and your wife?

Has she been able to make it back to the island yet?


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## cocobolo

Thanks for asking.
She is still immobile. Might be getting a visit from the home care gal tomorrow. Looks like at least another week before she will even be able to get to the Dr's office. Then several weeks for physio. I doubt she will be back on the island for at least a month, likely longer.
I guess you are still in the cold up there. We are here too, still below 0C as I write this with snow which we got two days ago. And windy. It's not usually anywhere near this bad in March.


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## gma2rjc

Hi Cocobolo, I haven't seen you post anything lately and just wondered how your wife is doing. I hope everything is going well.


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## cocobolo

It is Saturday evening as I post this, so good evening to all.
First let me issue a most heartfelt "thankyou" to all of you who have sent private mails with your good wishes. I promise you, each and every one has been passed along to my wife.
As of three days ago, she has been trying to graduate from using a walker, to just using a cane. This might be a little premature, as every time she has tried it, the knee swells up considerably. She has been talking to her doctor by phone, and she is not certain why the knee is swelling up as much as it is. It may simply be lack of use, and the muscles and anything else inside the knee might just be objecting. She is managing the exercises that the physiotherapist gave her to do very well. All in all, she is coming along as expected. She is just getting frustrated because it is taking so long. But really, it is only 5 weeks today. So anywhere between another 3 and 7 weeks before she is able to walk without any aid. My guess is the high end.

And just to compound matters, on Friday, March 13th, I managed to have another heart attack. Friday the 13th, it figures.
I was able to get off the island this time fairly quickly, and got to see the doc the following Tuesday. At least they're taking me a bit more seriously this time.
I've done the blood work, the initial ecg, the x-rays - I guess to see if I even have a heart - did the stress test at the cardiologists on Wednesday, followed by the 24 hour heart monitor on Thursday. I was supposed to hear from the doc yesterday with the results of that, but it was a sunny day here, so I guess he went golfing.
Now I should be hearing Monday morning - his nurse promises me that she has put a note on his desk telling him he has been a bad boy - and I am hoping for some good news.
I mean really, if three attacks can't get rid of me they better find something else, right?
About three or four days ago I started to get a resurgence in my energy levels. Don't know why really, no change in diet or anything, maybe it's just the natural healing process. Whatever it is I'll gladly take it.
And we have 5 days of SUNSHINE in the forecast!!! What an improvement that will be. I'm a real sun lover, so I feel better already.
With a little luck I should have some new stuff to show at the house shortly, don't worry, I checked with the good doctor to see if that was OK first.
Again, my thanks to all of you, and thanks also from my wife. She's not a computer user and finds it hard to believe that your online friends would do something like that. I hope to teach her how to go online soon so she can find out for herself just how good people really are.


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## wrangler

T'was great to hear from you again! I'm glad to hear the wife is progressing, slow as it may be, and that you are feelling better as well after your recent cardiac event. Been a rough winter for you this year. At least Spring is here now and things are warning up. 
Though we have missed reading your posts and following your progress, don't over do it. I'm sure you're as stubborn as your wife, but over-exerting yourself won't do any good.
Take care,
Brett


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## cocobolo

Greetz once again from our little piece of paradise!
My wife is back to the island, possibly a few days early, but is managing remarkably well. The good weather may have something to do with that.
Plus they have found a couple of little problems in my heart, nothing to get too worried about I don't think.
So with all the shenanigans, I have still managed to get a few things done around here, not as much as I would like mind you, but we're progressing.
I'll do my best to get a few pics up tomorrow so you can see the latest damage.


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## gma2rjc

Welcome back Cocobolo. It's good to know that you and your wife are doing better.

Hopefully she's able to get outside to enjoy some of the spring flowers.


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## cocobolo

Thanks gma. Yes, she has been out in the garden for the past couple of days, on and off as she was able, but today it's raining! Wouldn't you know it! Hope to be back a little later with a few pics.


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## Knucklez

wow, you really have something special there. i love how your property looks like it is SUPPOSED to be there. being handy comes in handy!

but my favourite part is the toad home at the base of the hollow tree. that's too cute :thumbsup:

Knucklez


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## cocobolo

The Toad house was done by my wife, she is the artist! She has a couple of other things around here she has done as well, I guess I should take a shot or two and put them up.


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## cocobolo

It's about time I coughed up with the promised updates, so here we are at long last!
I thought it might be a nice idea to surprise my wife with a new deck out front. We have been making noises about getting the ground leveled out there, if for no other reason than the table and chairs can at least be close to level! The more we natter about it the less that gets done.
The first step was to try to dig the ground out where the deck would go. Wouldn't you know it, I hit bedrock just a few inches below the surface at the top end. I really should have known that. 
Here's the start of the dig.


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## cocobolo

It's hard to see in the photo above, but the shaded area is already bedrock. So there's not too much I could do about that. I figured I would just taper the framing where it hit the rock and leave it at that. Here's the framing.


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## cocobolo

My original plan was to have the deck circular - more or less - I think it was a total of 30 sides. Then because of the rock, I had to be able to physically move the frame back in order to attach the posts at the front (which you will see shortly). 
So it was necessary to provide a straight section at the back in order to facilitate this moving back and forth. It turned out OK in the end. I missed taking photos of some of the steps, sorry about that, so we are jumping ahead to the deck with posts attached and some of the surface boards on.


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## cocobolo

That plastic which you see leaning against the posts is lexan sheeting. You have seen me use it in the past. It has been known to get a trifle breezy out the front sometimes, so the idea of a see-through wind screen had some appeal.
My thinking was that the curve of the screen would deflect the worst of the wind around to the sides, as opposed to trying to stop it dead. Wind doesn't like that.
Here, the deck has been surfaced. Unfortunately, the one and only cedar log I had contained a large amount of rot right up through the center. Not surprisingly, this meant that there was much waste. I managed to get something over half the surface covered with cedar, and had to settle for Douglas fir and hemlock for the balance.
At least the cedar log was the "pipe", so it was almost entirely clear and of decent quality - after all the junk was taken out.


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## cocobolo

Cedar would have been my first choice for the whole surface, but when you cut your own wood, you gotta take what nature throws at you!
It was the prudent thing to apply wood preservative to the non cedar, and you can easily tell now which is which.
At this point, I have also attached the lexan sheets to the upper portion of the posts. On top of the lexan, you will see the beginnings of a rail.
This is being laminated from cedar also, and I hope will end up around 5" wide or so. Obviously, it has to be laminated in place, and the first part here has just two strips on each side of the lexan. At 3/8" width per strip, the first 4 add up to 1 1/2".
I kind of liked the idea of having the rail appear to be floating, so a little room was left above the posts.
The posts themselves were laminated from red and yellow cedar as well as Douglas fir. Believe it or else, I just didn't have enough wood that was 2" thick to make that many posts.
And the other thing was that a laminated post will be more stable, and not have any tendency to warp or twist. At least, that is my hope!


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## cocobolo

Here the deck has been stained to match everything else around here. I bet the Behr company loves me! It's called Mesa Grey.


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## cocobolo

And this is what you see from the other round deck down on the front of the bank. If it hadn't been curved, I don't think it would have looked quite right.
Now just have to get a new table and chairs.


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## cocobolo

I see that I have failed to give you an update on the work in the solarium.
So here is an overhead view through the hole in the master bedroom floor.
Still no tiling done yet, but I have several boxes sealed with two coats.


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## cocobolo

Same thing, only shot from downstairs. The lower shelf has been completed and the skirt is in place. Coming together nicely.


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## wrangler

*Welcome Back!*

First, it was great to see you back and to read that your better half is doing better. And thank you for the update and pictures. As always, very admirable work. The solarium and deck look great! Be careful not to over do it though. We want to see you posting here for a long time. 
What have you got planned next?


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## LeviDIY

Cocobolo.. I have just spent 2 hours sipping my morning coffee reading the entire thread here... I am so enthralled by your project and the life you lead... as others have commented, truley a dream... and I'm a newbie, inexperienced DIYer, but how I would love to be able to do what you do in the way you do it. My best wishes to you and your wife to stay healthy, and don't over do it!  Had me scared there for a bit!! Thanks for the continued updates and great writing!


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## cocobolo

Let me answer LeviDIY first if I may.
Thank you most sincerely for your comments. You know, my purpose here is not to show you something that I have either designed or built, it is to make some sort of attempt to show you what YOU can do yourself. I long ago learned that slavishly copying something from someone else isn't worth much. But if you can extract an _idea_ from elsewhere, then you will have learned something.
Even at this stage of my life I still try to learn something every day. Can you just imagine this, I'm trying to learn about internet marketing! Boy, what a kettle of worms that is turning out to be! But it's fun anyway.
Back to the real world....Levi, if you want to do a DIY project - and I'm betting that you have probably done a few already - but don't know where to start, just browse this site and I'm pretty darn sure you will find what you are looking for. Don't forget, you just want to find the _idea_ first.
Once you get that, you're away to the races.
P.S., I hope your coffee didn't get too cold!


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## cocobolo

Hi wrangler, thanks as always.
Today looks like a good one, they forecast a week of rain (thanks VERY much) but it is beautiful and sunny this morning! Always does wonders for the old bod when it's like this.
The wife is making remarkable daily improvements now, and really no longer needs the cane. I think this sun will put her out in the garden this morning.
Next project(s)....hmmmm...not really sure. I think I will make the tops for the solarium "tables" so that will be out of the way. Then the wife can get at the varnishing.
Still have to add several more laminations to the rail on the top deck there, that will take a day or two. Then there will need to be some low steps on either side of that deck to make it easier to hop on and off.
After that I expect I will have to get back into the shower inside and do the tiling.
Lots more after that.
Does anyone know if they have changed the method for posting pics? I couldn't upload the one that I removed from the edit above this morning.
Maybe I'll try again later.


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## ponch37300

cocobolo, glad to hear that health is getting better for you and your wife. That must be pretty scary to be on the island and have a heart attack and have to get over to the main land to a hospital. It took my knee about 3 months to recover. The first 1.5 to 2 months didn't get much better but after 2-3 months it really improved and the swelling finally went all the way down and full movement came back. Still a little stiff some times. I installed some tile in march and I bought a set of knee pads to help since my knee was still a little sore. They were pretty expensive but they take all the weight off the knee when kneeling. In my opinion they are worth every penny for people with bad knees that have to kneel for tiling or gardening or anything. The brand is proknee if your interested. Hope your weather is nice and looking forward to your new progress.


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## cocobolo

Hi ponch, you're right again about the swelling. But it is getting better every day. If she doesn't do too much, the swelling stays down. But there is a distinct improvement daily. Yesterday was week #9. So it appears she is on track. This gave her enough of a scare that she decided to try and lose some weight while she was recuperating in bed. So far so good.
Have you tried posting a pic today....I'm having trouble.


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## ponch37300

I was worried that my knee would be deformed because it was still a little swollen but about 3 months after it happened all the swelling went away and it is the same size and shape as my other knee. I'll try to post a pic and see what happens.








it worked for me. I used the little paperclip symbol to attach it.


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## shumakerscott

*Wow!*

We keep wow'ing each other! You are a more "Wow" than me I must say. That house will live in infamy for decades!!! You Sir are a craftsman that I would like to become. My house is just an out of square box and you have nothing but curves! Both have their challenges but your's is much harder than mine, that's for sure. I sure wish I could fly home and see your place in person. We are neighbors in a sense. Keep the pic's coming but at a relaxed pace please. Dorf Dude...


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## Shamus

cocobolo said:


> And this is what you see from the other round deck down on the front of the bank. If it hadn't been curved, I don't think it would have looked quite right.
> Now just have to get a new table and chairs.


Cocobolo, 
Ya got me laughing with the one statement there. "If it hadn't been curved" ........ If it wasn't curved I'd think I was looking at someone elses place. :thumbsup:

Terrific craftsmanship and an eye for the unique. Your living most men's dream.

Glad to hear everyone's on the mend.


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## cocobolo

Thanks everyone....Hey Shu, if you ever find yourself back in this part of the world, the door is always open.
I usually have a steady stream of visitors starting when the weather warms up every year. Just had some friends from Edmonton come by this morning.
Now I hear someone from South Africa is coming over next week. Helps to keep me motivated!


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## cocobolo

Hi Ponch: thanks for that...I'm going to try a pic now to see if it flies this time.


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## cocobolo

OK, that's working now, I think I may have found the problem. Last night I was doing all sorts of stuff on the web and using Firefox. I don't quite understand why, but when I clicked on "manage attachments" a different drop down box came up. Just went back to Safari and all seems to be well.
Yesterday we got some rain late in the day and I had to wrap the new laminated railing in plastic. This morning, the weather was gorgeous, and shortly after the sun hit the railing condensation started to appear inside the plastic! Got that off in a hurry! Then more rain this afternoon - so back under wraps again.
Here's the first 3" width or so of the railing. I only cut the cedar log about a week ago, so I expect some moisture to come out of it. I would guess the tree was cut down at least 10 years ago, as there was no bark left on the log at all.


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## ponch37300

glad to see you got pics to work. Always look forward to your pics. On your railing it looks like the posts stop short of the railing by about 3 inches or so. Is the lexan the only thing holding the railing up? And did you just screw layers of wood on each side of the lexan to form the railing?


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## cocobolo

Hey Ponch...you gotta stop giving all my secrets away!
Right, I took the first two layers of cedar on each side, clamped them to the top of the lexan, drilled holes for the stainless steel screws and screwed it all together. Then took it apart, glued each of the pairs of cedar and screwed it back together again.
That way the screws are not visible, and I just started glueing more layers of cedar in place. It's somewhere around 3" wide now, so half a dozen more rows should do the trick. Then the shaping and sanding.
Then I will need to put some sort of centre decorative cap over the lexan just so that water doesn't get in. 
The weather forecast is crummy for several days, so it may be awhile.


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## cocobolo

Here's the photo missing from post 290. I may actually have been losing my internet connection at the time. Sorry about that.


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## ponch37300

sorry for giving your secrets away cocobolo! You have some really nice ideas and ways to get them done. I see the pictures and wonder how you did that. You always have a interesting way of engineering things.


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## cocobolo

Before I started on the round deck, I tried to get some framing in for a tempered glass screen for the middle deck in front of the solarium. I had a bunch of sheets of glass left over from a bulk purchase a few years back and decided to get rid of them here. The glass is not yet in, nor is there any cedar below where the glass will be.
Again, this is intended to be a windbreak for the middle deck. We want to add something to the glass so that birds do not crash into it all the time. Haven't decided quite what yet, so if you have any ideas....I'm all ears.
An acquaintance over on DeCourcey Island has used a film available from 3M.
I believe the intention is to make the glass visible to birds. It seems to stop any reflections and prevents glare. I haven't spoken with him since he added it, so I don't know how effective it is yet.


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## cocobolo

From the other side...


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## cocobolo

Some time back, I mentioned that I should give you a rundown on the solar system. What we have is a pretty standard type setup, and since day 1 the only thing we have had to do is either maintain (read water) the batteries. A set should last about 7 years or so.
There is already a pic of the panels in here somewhere, from there the juice goes into a controller. You need this in order not to overcharge the battery bank.
Here's ours, a 40 amp Trace (now Xantrex).


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## cocobolo

Now the gadget that really does all the work for you is the inverter. This takes the DC power, we run our system on 24 volts rather than 12, and inverts it from 24 volts DC to 120 volts AC. The battery bank can run right down to just under 20 volts, which definitely would not be good, up to about 30 volts, and the inverter will still provide exactly 120 volts AC at 60 cycles. Your local power company cannot make such a claim.
This inverter is rated at 3600 watts, and has a two minute surge capability of 10 KW.
For example, if there are several normal things running in the house, and I start up the thickness planer, the startup is instant. Far better than running a 5KW generator. This is from experience.
Again this is a Trace.


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## cocobolo

And by the way, that inverter is HEAVY!
Between the inverter and the battery bank you absolutely must have a DC disconnect. A big AC breaker will not do the job. I asked as to why that was, and the best I could find out was that the "spacing" - whatever that is, is greater with DC than AC. Something to do with the distance a spark will travel.


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## cocobolo

We use two different meters to keep track of things power wise. The monitor keeps us informed as to roughly how much power is coming in at any given time, the current voltage, and a cumulative total of amp hours.
The only thing about the total, is that if the battery bank gets disconnected for any reason the total resets to zero. Ours should be something around 60,000 by now, but a change of batteries takes that out.


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## cocobolo

As you can see in the above pic, there is very little power coming in. This was early this morning and it was extremely cloudy.
The other meter is an E-Meter, which provides all sorts of information, depending on which buttons you push.
The four basic items are voltage, the amount of net incoming or outgoing power, the total of amps in the system - either + or -, and the approximate time to discharge.
This is the meter to check when you need to know the current state of the system.


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## cocobolo

The batteries are in a box which is vented to the outside. This is necessary as the current battery bank is comprised of 8 Trojan T-105's, which are flooded lead acid.
A few months back, the B.C. Government took delivery of a new ferry built in Germany, the "Coastal Renaissance". When it arrived there was some kind of problem with the brand new batteries.
Without a second thought, transport Canada, which controls such things, decided that these batteries would have to be replaced.
Now I should point out that this battery bank weighed 6 TONS! No small potatoes here.
No problem, the manufacturer flew over a brand new set and installed them in the new ferry.
As it turned out, there was nothing wrong at all with the batteries, there was a fault in the charging system!
By this time, the batteries had found a new home at the local battery store, and were put on sale for a tiny fraction of their full value. I guess they must have got them for almost nothing.
These are gel cell batteries, so no watering required. Retail price, a cool thousand dollars a pop! Ouch!
Compared to a normal 12 volt battery, they are about 3 times the size. Not to mention that they weigh 144 pounds apiece. I managed to get my hands on 8.
This will increase our storage capacity by 3 1/2 times over the current set.
So this means that in the summer time, when our current bank is charged by around noon, that the new bank will still be able to take more charge and we will not have to bleed off so much electricity.


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## Shamus

cocobolo said:


> So this means that in the summer time, when our current bank is charged by around noon, that the new bank will still be able to take more charge and we will not have to bleed off so much electricity.


Ouch, I think!

You have to explain that a bit more. What do you mean by "bleed off"?


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## cocobolo

Hi Shamus: well, what happens is that the batteries will get right up to their theoretical maximum charge, which will produce a voltage in the 30 point something range. Say 30.4 or 30.5. Now that is really too high, even though there will only be a trickle charge going in at that point.
So what we have to do is deliberately leave something on which will draw at least as much power out as what is going in.
Now we can tell by looking at the e-meter what the real state of charge is very closely. So if the e-meter tells me that the system is still down - let's say -25 amp hours - I can let it charge until it is at least up to zero. Even if the voltage is at 30. 
You see, if there is no draw at all on the system, the voltage always shows as being high, particularly if there is high incoming current, say 14 amps or so. It's just the same if you have a battery charger on something, the voltage is always going to appear higher than what is really in the battery you are charging.
Look at the solar panels as a big battery charger. It's the same thing.
Say for instance we are having a bright sunny day and nothing is running on the system. But there is a cloud approaching the sun. When it crosses in front of the sun the amps may go from 14 down to 2 or 3. When that happens, the apparent voltage in the battery bank will quickly drop to perhaps 28.5 from around 30. That way you can easily tell what the real state of charge is.
One other thing, if the cloud is just thin and extremely white - as opposed to gray - the incoming amperage will often increase. It is called "edge of cloud effect". Sometimes we will gain 3 or 4 amps just from that. It's really quite remarkable.


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## cocobolo

I made the often foolish mistake of believing the weather forecast today.
Last night was clear, and this morning was nice and bright. So I took a chance on laying the first coat of varnish on the new deck rail. The temperature really wasn't quite up to snuff this morning, but I figured - hey - with all this sun how long can it take.
Here's the first little bit on the end of the rail.


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## cocobolo

And last night, I covered the rail with plastic, mainly to keep the dew off. Good thing too as the plastic was nearly swimming this morning.


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## cocobolo

As you see in the above pic, the first coat of varnish, particularly when applied on western red cedar, absorbs at different rates depending on the wood. It shows up as a blotchy appearance until you get one or more additional coats on.
Fortunately, I had the foresight to add a little Japan dryer to the varnish I applied, and there was sufficient heat in the sun to dry the first coat moderately well.
However, in the afternoon, after having done most of the chores so kindly given to me by my wife, I set about doing the paving stones in front of the deck. No problem.
This was done and supper was served.
I still had to put in a step in front of the deck on both sides.
Please note it had been cloudy since about noon or so. But no rain.
While just digging in to dinner, we heard the rain hit like a freight train!
I ran outside to see if I could cover up the rail, but it was obviously totally pointless by this time. I will just have to wait and see what it looks like tomorrow.


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## cocobolo

Well, I'm glad to report that the varnish survived the deluge, and another coat was applied this morning. It looks a bit better now.


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## cocobolo

And while our visitors were out enjoying the beautiful sunny day, I managed to sneak a step in on one side of the deck. One still to go.


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## flamtap

I just found this thread last week and eventually read through the whole thing. Every new project makes me say "wow!" 

Thank you so much for documenting your progress here... I know from experience that the last thing I want to do after a long day of working on a project is mess with the camera, uploading, etc. Thanks for doing so!

A few questions as I was reading... 

All that cedar... it must smell great there (you probably don't even notice it now, huh?)

Do you ever plan to be done? It looks like you enjoy building so why stop unless you run out of materials or room? 

Do you build furniture, too? Or do you have all the furniture you need in the "cabin"? 

I look forward to the updates. I think you could have your own TV show no problem. I would watch every week! Thanks!


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## cocobolo

flamtap, I'm always pleased as punch when someone enjoys the thread. So thank you indeed for your kind comments.
As far as the smell of cedar goes, now that I think about it, everyone who goes into the house always makes that statement.
As far as the furniture goes, to a small degree I'm going to adopt Frank Lloyd Wright's idea of having some of the furniture built right in. I don't know if you have ever been to Taliesen West, but that is where you can learn all about FLLW.
In the future living room, one side of the floor takes a single step down to the dining/kitchen area. The plan is that I will build two sections of seating along the curved edge, as I doubt very much we could find anything to match the curve on the floor. Plus, I would like to have some shelves at one end for a small library. And again, they will need to match that same curve.


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## cocobolo

The ladies took another walk this morning, which gave me a chance to do the step on the other side of the deck. No sooner had I got the wood preservative on than the rain started up. No wonder we call this the wet coast.


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## cocobolo

Not too much to report today. Put a set of handrails on the steps from the lower deck out front. With the wife's bad leg and all I figured it might do some good.


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## cocobolo

And just to prove we really do get sunshine occasionally, I got the step out front stained this morning. Plus another coat of varnish on the rail. Man, oh man, did we have some RAIN last night!!


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## Gary in WA

Google: smothering roots

Those rocks are killing the lilac and apple tree. They compact the soil and smother the roots. 90% of the food, and nutrients are through the top 12" of ground, around the drip edge. Your tree will thank you for it. Be safe, G


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## cocobolo

Odd that you should say that. Strangely enough, the lilac has produced its' best flower display this year, and the apricot tree (close enough guessing apple) has well over 220 little fruits forming. Last year it had 13. We actually use those rocks, which is sandstone, as a mulch to try and prevent the surface water from drying out too fast. But perhaps we should switch to bark mulch instead.


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## ryanh

Looks great! What type of generator?


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## cocobolo

Honda EU3000. Runs quietly and economically, and actually will put out well over 3,000 watts for a short while. More than adequate for our needs.


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## cocobolo

To the left of the handrails I put in the other day, there is a short space where the wife keeps two sizable potted plants. We thought a low table to put them on would delineate the area better. I whipped it up after I got back from the Doc's this afternoon.


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## cocobolo

What I didn't show you was a crack in one of the boards, which I actually glued up (or tried to) before I went across to town today. When I went to sand it down, the joint opened up and I had to re-glue it. Hope it works a little better this time. I think I might leave the clamps on for a couple of days. A little warmth might help to set the glue better.


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## cocobolo

It's the Victoria Day weekend up here today, and occasionally a friend of mine takes his putt-putt out for a spin if the weather is good. This evening I asked him if he could come in close to the bank so I could grab a few pics. I didn't want to use the flash (it was getting a little dull out), so the camera only shot at about 1/60th, so apologies for the slight blurring.
She's a beautiful little craft with an ancient one lung engine. I'm not certain what it is, could be an Easthope , but not sure. I will have to remember to ask him next time.


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## ponch37300

Cocobolo...A month without updates? Hope health is good for you and your wife. Let us know if there are any updates


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## cocobolo

Hi ponch, yes I know I have been a bad boy. The mrs. is back out in the garden again, her leg is almost healed. I have managed to finish up a few small things, but nothing worth shouting about. Actually spending an inordinate amount of time trying to learn how to use my computer properly. Definitely should have done this 20 years ago! Back soon.


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## ponch37300

I understand Cocobolo. Just knew there was a streak of health issues and checking to make sure all is well. Glad to hear everything is ok and will be waiting for more progress pics when you get around to it! Take care.


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## cocobolo

Check post 331 wherein I was praising the Honda generator. The 30 amp breaker has been malfunctioning for some time, just not really holding the load it should. Ordered a new one from the Honda dealer, just over $106 with tax. Not made by Honda, package says made in Mexico, part says made in China. Right AFTER I got it, found what looks to be an identical one on the web for $3.11. Do you suppose Honda just might be hearing from me?


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## drtbk4ever

Has anybody heard from Cocobolo recently. I hope everything is OK.


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## gma2rjc

I've been wondering how they're doing too. Hopefully they're just busy enjoying the house and the view.


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## cocobolo

I think it is just about time I got on the ball and brought things up to date somewhat. Actually, one of the really good guys here has been asking me when I am going to post something.

Really, I have no excuse.

Yes, I have been insanely busy learning how to run my computer properly. It's coming...but oboy am I slow to learn this stuff.

We have had a wickedly hot and dry summer here, and the threat of a wildfire has kept everyone on the island on edge.

It has got so dry that we have decided to form a real live volunteer fire department. No, I'm not the chief, my good friend John has that distinction. I'm his deputy. I think my main job is to keep him from spending too much money!

Finally got our dedicated fire fighting water tank into place at our house. Unfortunately, it won't do us much good until we get a good rainfall and can fill it up!

The forecast is for lots of rain starting this Saturday. Promise I won't complain, as the garden is desperate for water.

I do have a few pics on the Mac, so I will see what I can do about getting them sized right and add a few words so they make sense.

Our daughter and grandson are visiting right now until Friday, plus it is the wife's birthday today. A trace hectic around here, to say the least.

The little guy is down for his nap right now, so I stole a few minutes to say Hi to you all again. And thank you.


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## gma2rjc

It's good to hear from you Cocobolo. How is your wife's knee?


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## cocobolo

I think she is resigned to the fact that it will never be as good as it was. One of those things that comes with age I guess.
Thanks for asking.
But she is able to walk around the Island again, so that is the good part.
Keith


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## ponch37300

Glad to hear all is well. I really like reading the updates on your project! Glad the wife is able to get around now. It's been about 9 months since my knee issue and it's still stiff after sitting or when I get out of bed in the morning(and I'm only 28). Hope to see some pics when you get the time, enjoy the time with the family.


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## wrangler

Nice to hear from you Keith and to read that all is well with you and your wife. I look forward to reading about your progress on your varied projects. I don't recall ever reading what you decided to do in the shower... did you ever get that finished? 
Good luck with the rain and get back to us soon!
Brett


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## cocobolo

Hi wrangler, long time no chat. I'll have to make sure that doesn't happen again.
The infamous shower. Well, the shower room itself now has a new composting toilet, and the shower base has been sitting there with the membrane in place and no mortar base. Of course the M R S has been after me to get that all done up PDQ. I'm running out of excuses as we have all the materials here to do that. The 10 bags of mortar mix for the base, all the tiles, thinset - even the grout. Heck, the drain is even in place. Help! I don't think I can get away with putting it off any longer...Maybe next week...


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## cocobolo

I was dead certain I had told the chauffeur to leave the boat at home this weekend...


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## cocobolo

The little dinghy in the pic above is "Nova Spirit". I think she is 150' long and belongs to a well liked local businessman. He has half the car dealerships and food outlets in the province, among other things.


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## cocobolo

...and quickly while we are chatting about boats, why is it that people have to park their boats in such strange ways here...


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## cocobolo

*Deck tiling*

The upper deck off the master bedroom is a long narrow curve, just a trace over 4' wide.
The substrate for this tile job is as follows.
The first layer on the deck is 1 x 6's. Then a layer of 5/8" T & G, which is both screwed and nailed down. Followed by 15# roofing felt, then the 3/8" backer board, which is again screwed and nailed down.
The tile is porcelain, 13" square, which means it is a little slower to cut than ceramic as it is somewhat harder. It is this way because porcelain is fired at a higher temperature than ceramic.
If you just cut slowly, it is not too noticeable.
Since the deck is curved, the inner and outer tiles will all require cutting at very slightly different angles. The inner cuts I am making straight.
The outer cuts are being marked on the tile from the underside, and the cut is necessarily being done in facets so that it will match as closely as possible.
20 minutes ago, the sun was shining. Now the rain has started (again) so I am sorry, but the picture looks a bit dull.
This is the layout using 3/16" spacers.
It looks like I will have to do sections about 7 or 8 feet long at a time, I'll play that one by ear when I get there.


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## cocobolo

*deck supports*

On the underside of the deck there are support pieces installed to prevent the deck from flexing. They are bolted on with 5/16" x 5" lag bolts to stiffen the deck as much as possible.
The section of deck which is in line with the 20' long hole in the master bedroom floor has only 7 1/2' long truss joists, which balance roughly in the center of the joists. The truss joists outside that area are much longer and anchor back securely into the house.
Because of the potential to flex in the middle, the supports were necessary.
Although supports would not be required towards the ends, I will put some in anyway purely for aesthetic reasons.
The fact that the curve adds to the natural stiffness of the structure is merely an added bonus. Believe me, the deck is very stiff when you walk on it.


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## scoggy

*The 'silence" has been 'deafening"!*

Wow, glad to see you and yours are back! Often times when I was "breaking" my back to build my Big deck on house by myself..(Taurus), I looked over at your place...because I can..and wondered if, by your abscense from the DIY list, you were concotting, a ..Great finish..and now..you sound renewed..and seeing your..production.WOW!! I will only let people see my deck after 11:00 PM==*^)! When it is dark!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Press on..I plan to .."land' on your shores in the immenent future and perhaps..'claim' it for...oh never mind..those 'days' are 'legal' matters now!
Cheers
SQUID:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## Gary in WA

Tell those boys to take better care of their toys. lol. A few things I'll mention from your pictures. You may already know but maybe it will help others reading here. You'll want to cut the siding higher for the "L" flashing before you install any tile, as it's a real bugger to do afterward. Research "Grace" ice and water shield instead of tar paper as it seals much better in your application. May want to install your handrail posts before tile so as not to damage it at installation. With a 4' cantilever on the I-joists, it is required to install plywood stiffeners on each side of every one, full distance out and twice as far back from the bearing wall. But whatever your engineering specifies will work, is safe I'm sure. The deck requires a soffit to protect the indoor engineered lumber from moisture in the air condensing and rotting it out. Not trying to nit-pick, I just want everyone to be safe as you are taking the responsibity for their safety, not a contractor. Your Inspector will want to see the engineering on the joists with that much of a cantilever, anyway. Looks like you are moving right along, beautiful area to have to work in. Good place to sell depth finders......
Be safe, G


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## cocobolo

Hey, my man, how the heck are you?
Well, between rain showers today - and you know what I mean, I think you must have got twice as much as us, I managed to get about the first 15' of the deck tile cut.
Now the curve is much more obvious.
Once the tiling, grouting and sealing is finished, then I can get the posts put on. 
I suppose it might not be a bad idea to get them made...sometime soon...


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## cocobolo

GBR - Sorry I missed your post before I did the last one.
I think if you were here, you would understand far better what it is I have done.
I'm with you on the siding/flashing issue, except for one thing.
Because the truss joists, which in case you cannot see, have plywood on both sides, and because they are level, I have opted for a different method of keeping any driven rain out.
Just using an ordinary flashing under the siding and over the tile would still permit water to get back and potentially into the wall. Admittedly not likely, but potentially.
From my years of doing construction and particularly deck building, I have long been aware that the weak point - as far as longevity goes - is the connection between the deck and the house. By weak, I don't mean as in fall off tomorrow, but rather as the potential place for rot to set in.
I have replaced far too many decks over the years to know this is a real problem.
So I am going to use a flexible sealer between the tile and the siding to try and prevent this from ever becoming an issue.
And further to that, there is a roof over the deck which extends about 8" beyond the edge of the deck, so it is only driven rain which hits the deck at all.
Moving on to the deck posts now, I cannot install the posts until the tiling is done, as there is going to be a piece of aluminum flashing going on the outside edge. Obviously, that must wait for the tiles. When you see how the posts get done, you will understand why there will be no chance of damaging the tiles. The flashing will be sealed in a similar fashion to the back end of the tiles.
And that also answers your question about the soffit.
That will be the last piece of the puzzle. I already have it all cut, so no worries there.
This picture is of the soffit below the roof of the house, which sits above the deck in question, which keeps probably 98% of the rain off the deck. The soffit under the deck will be similar to what you see here.
Each board is tapered and dadoed to match the curve of the roof, or deck as the case may be.
I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you say when you mention "not a contractor". You are not one, or I am not one?
And one final thing, the depth of the truss joists with the soffit and decking is over 13". Now you can see why everything is so stiff.


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## Gary in WA

Very glad to hear you know what you are doing. I see so many posts where they have done things wrong, not just questionable.This is why I point out particular things, the next response from the poster will tell me if they understand their project or not.The contractor is a lead-in for the next post, if required, to show they are responsible for the engineering, permits, inspections, and minimum safety of what they build to code or not, just as a Licensed Contractor would be. Sounds as if everything will work out. Sorry to have caused you extra typing when you are so busy. Keep up the good work!
Be safe, G


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## cocobolo

GBR, thank you for being so understanding.
This may come as a surprise to your good self and others, but we do not get building inspections here.
This is not something that I am in favour (Canadian spelling) of.
In fact, when I first came here, I went to see the senior building inspector who is supposed to cover this area to offer to cover the inspections for them.
As I was the only fully qualified journeyman carpenter on the island, I though it might help them.
I got more excuses than you can imagine, so that idea went out the window.
The upshot of this lack of inspections is that people here know they will NOT be inspected, and so will try to get away with anything they can.
I am constantly lobbying here on the island for people to do things more or less by the book, or at the very least safely.
However, with the escalations in real estate prices here in the past decade, and the fact that there are several quite nice and expensive houses going up, this may be changing.
As soon as we start to get proper building inspections done by a qualified inspection service - as may be the case when a property is up for sale - I expect there will be a change of attitude.
I can cite a current case in which a property is for sale here with the asking price of $389,000. The one and only offer is $250,00, to which the owner has taken great offense.
This particular house, while not looking too bad, is built with wood on dirt. Not a trace of concrete anywhere. It is at the point where serious damage is now starting to happen, and if not remedied very shortly, the house will have little value at all.
I'm afraid I don't have the least sympathy for them (the owners) as it should never have been built this way in the first place.
All this would have been avoided if they had applied for a permit, provided proper plans and had an inspection. Which of course was never done.
I further understand, that until about 15 years ago, the building department did have their own boat, and inspections were done on the local small islands. Budget cuts ended that, and the result has been little short of disastrous.


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## scoggy

Wow, you are one of those .."people'..that..."us' can learn so much from!! Keep the postings comming!! How are you and .."yours" doing..since ..'winter', such as it can be called..'sets in"? I purchased and entire.."new" kitchen..with new applinces..for 1000 Can, and now instead of finishing the ..'current' projects..have amassed, a ..'ton' of ..'happy points' for my wife..except..I never have a wage..it is just..free!! Syd


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## cocobolo

Hi guys:
Sorry to be so long between posts, but my mum has been gravely ill for the past several weeks. Both my wife and I have been taking turns looking after her, along with my sister and niece. She was in hospital - had her appendics out at the age of 87 - but has since returned home for her final days. We all accept that it is her time, but that doesn't make it any easier, especially for mum.
Life will go on and things will return to normal.
I have the tiling on the deck finished and all grouted. Some of the storms we have had here over the past few weeks have been dandies. But it appears no damage at all to the tile.
I doubt that the railing will go on until some time next spring now, as the weather is just too wet and cold.
We did get the grouting done (finally) on the slate tile where the second wood stove is going downstairs. The hole is cut in the floor to run the chimney pipe through. I just need to line the sides of the hole before the job is done.
As usual, I have twenty other projects underway, not the least of which is the building of a couple of wind generators and some more solar panels.
I'll keep you posted as I am able.


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## gma2rjc

Hi Cocobolo. Just wanted to let you know that my thoughts and prayers are with your mum, you, your wife, sister and niece. God bless all of you for taking care of her as you say, "in her final days". 

Take care,

Barb


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## ponch37300

Cocobolo, my prayers go out to you and your family. The house can wait while you spend time with your mum. Scott


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## scoggy

*Just hoping..I can be..on your ..side!*

Wow,the twists and turns of fate! I am just now comming out of a similar situation..except..as an observer..rather than a particpant..(wife's Dad)..and the time spent with the .."rellies"..made me appreciate how much.."here". means to me! I Can't even try to understand..what you are going through, but..you and your better half..seem to be.."people who are..out there..by design, purpose, and dedication",and I feel that the 'flow' from your architecture and design, will give you strength, through the troubled times..our hearts and souls, are meagre support! Looking for the "brighter sun"!
Syd


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## cocobolo

Syd:

The email just came in notifying me of your post.

What a coincidence that you say such kind words on the day of my mum's passing. 

She left us this afternoon, peacefully thank heavens.

I just happened to be on the computer letting our relatives all round the world know that she has gone.

We want you all to know that this was not unexpected, and while we are sad, we are also relieved that there will be no more suffering.

Thank you for your kind words.

Keith


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## scoggy

*Such a tragic..lose*

I am sorry..deeply.. for your loss. Yet all who loved her..were with her! Could now..what you build..be in some part..a sanctuary..because..you..do it? I appologize for my reverence! May peace and reverence be with you!
Syd


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## scoggy

*Thank you*

Tears now are my "medium"..based on past times!
SQUID


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## cocobolo

*...no apologies needed...*

Syd:

Certainly no apologies needed for your reverence.

Let me assure you that my mum very much lives on in all that I do. She has always encouraged me to reach for that elusive thing just beyond the possible.

Keith


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## scoggy

*Lifes ironies*

Funny, just after I pass condolensces to you for your loss, my Father in law died on Tuesday evening from complications of Pneumonia..unexpected..so have gone to 'damage control' mode..and almost have everything in place for the "rellies', friends, service..etc. I was impressed how I could 'change gears", and keep stuff together!
Syd


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## cocobolo

So now I am able to pass along my condolences to you and yours.

Whether or not the loss of a family member is expected or comes as a surprise does not make the loss any easier. Please accept our sincere condolences for your untimely loss.

As for our family, we will be holding a celebration of life on Sunday in remembrance of our mum.


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## cocobolo

It has been a little while since I have posted, but for those of you who know why, I trust you will forgive me.
Anyway, my wife and I wanted to wish everyone the best of the season and to thank you all for your previous good wishes.
I should be back in a few minutes with my latest small project...kind of a Christmas/New Years present to myself. Yeah, I know it's a bit greedy, but sometimes you just have to pamper yourself a little.


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## gma2rjc

It's good to have you back Cocobolo. I hope you and your wife are having a wonderful Christmas day. And may 2010 be a much better year for you both.


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## cocobolo

Wow...that was quick! But just to show you that we actually have something done on the house, here is a shot of the woodstove that finally got installed a few weeks ago.


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## cocobolo

*Nice new workbench*

Many moons ago when I toiled in my shop at the boatyard, I managed to make myself a passably fair copy of a traditional English workbench. When I left the marina to move here, the bench remained in the shop.

It goes without saying that this is the one thing that every woodworker lusts after, and so it has come to pass that after all these years I promised myself that a new one was in order.

In fact, I think it must have been a couple of years since I got the twin screw vise hardware for the job, but just never quite seemed to have the time to get the darned thing done.

Several weeks ago I happened across the box with the vise goodies in it and decided the time had come. No more procrastinating...something I learned from my wife, I assure you.

Also on hand in my trusty woodworking library is a copy of a book rather aptly called "Workbenches", by Chris Schwartz, who at the time of writing this book was the editor of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine.

After giving the book a thorough read, rather than taking my usual approach of "I know just what I want", it turned out I didn't know what I want at all.

There is a bench Chris describes which was originally designed by a French fellow by the name of Ruobo. Features appear on this bench which make it exceptionally useful and easy to use. And no woodworking bench is worth a pinch if it isn't at least reasonably easy to use.

Since a workbench is really nothing more than a giant clamping device, it should do that job well and with versatility. The other attribute which comes to mind would be solidity. Nothing like a few hundred pounds of solid wood and metal to inspire a feeling of confidence.

To be perfectly honest, if I had not already had the twin screw vise hardware on hand, it is likely I would have chosen a different option after reading Chris's book. However, that's what I have, so that's what will get used.

In my usual haste (after delaying myself for two years or so) to get started, naturally I neglected to take photos from the beginning. So you will just have to take my word for the order in which things have been done thus far.

A brief description of the beast:
Length 7 feet. Width approximately 24" - depending on the number of pieces in the top glue-up. Height about 34". None of these dimensions are cast in stone, as everything I make is subject to change depending on which way the wind is blowing at any given time.

So, with the aforegoing apology made for the lack of early photos - the project started going together about a week ago - here we go.

The first items to get cut out and glued up were the legs. In fact, I cut all the stock to size for everything before I did any glueing at all.

After estimating the bench height, with help from Chris I hasten to add, I cut the legs to a length of 30 1/2", with an extra 2" for the tenon in the middle of each leg. As the top will be 3 1/2" thick, this provides the 34" height.

Each leg is 5" square and is glued up from 4 pieces of 1 1/4" x 5" stock.

In the book, Chris explained that he went to the local big box store and bought a car load of 2 x 12's and went from there. OK, if it's good enough for him...

The Ruobo in the book is 8 feet long, somewhat more than I either need or have room for, so I knocked a foot off the length. This meant that I would buy 14' long 2 x 12's, and get the kind man in the store to cut them in half for me so I can fit the 7' long pieces in the van. No problem.

Why would I not buy 8 footers? No thank you. You see, the shorter a 2 x 12 is, the more likely it is that it will be loaded with knots. When 2 x 12's are being cut - at least in the local mills - they try and use what is known as the "pipe", which is the bottom section of the tree. This is where the clearest and best wood comes from. The longer boards are cut from the pipe, and thus yield the best quality wood. The farther one goes up the tree, the knottier the wood.

So, buy long boards and cut them in half, you can thank me later.

Here is the first leg glued up, after the pieces were thicknessed to 1 1/4".

Those funny little marks are to show me where to cut the holes for the biscuits. Sorry, forgot to mention that the original bench didn't have biscuits, but I decided that it might be easier for me to use them in order to keep everything in line come glue up time.


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## cocobolo

There is a bit more machining to do on the legs first, and one of the two mortises in each leg can be cut in advance. There will be stretchers at the lower part of each leg, requiring a mortise for each. This is the one which can be pre-cut prior to being glued.


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## cocobolo

After the legs were glued, I stood them around the woodstove to cure, this is what happened to one of them.


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## cocobolo

Following the glue job, the legs need to be planed. Make sure before doing that to remove as much of the glue squeeze-out as possible. It doesn't do the planer blades any good.


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## cocobolo

..and here it is looking pretty good after the initial clean up.


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## cocobolo

Incidentally, make certain that you mark every board that you have (after you decide where it is going) and every leg as well. i.e., left front, right front etc. Here is the right rear leg so marked.
It is sooo easy to get things mixed up when they are often upside down and backwards during the build.


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## cocobolo

When the bench top is started, you will note that it is way more complex than first meets the eye.
I put lots of biscuits in mine, and that in itself took some considerable time.
Then there are the mortises for the legs, plus all the cutouts where your dogs can go.
The easiest way to mark the leg mortises is to place the inverted leg on the underside of the benchtop and just mark it out. The overall length of the base is 66" - this I did not shorten from the original. So, with a bench length of about 7', or 84", there would be around a 9" overhang on each end.
Because the bench top, legs, stretchers etc. are all thicknessed to the same 1 1/4", it is a simple matter to locate the mortises accurately, like so...


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## cocobolo

Please note that at this point, the bench top pieces are NOT yet glued up. It is absolutely mandatory to make sure you have everything so well marked that if any one board were to disappear, you would have no trouble putting it in its' rightful home upon its' return.
These "XXX"s are where the leg mortise will be chopped out.


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## cocobolo

The vise hardware going on the right hand end of the bench is of the twin variety. When using offset clamping pressure on such a vise, the twin screws will keep the jaws quite parallel.


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## cocobolo

The parallel mechanism works via a chain drive between the two vise screws. Here is the gear which drives the connecting chain.


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## cocobolo

I wasn't quite sure what to use for the vise jaws, as the spruce being used for the bench top definitely wouldn't cut the mustard.
A friend of mine happened to have a rather nice piece of 2" thick arbutus stock which he kindly donated to the project.


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## cocobolo

Yes, that's a full size framing square laying there above. That chunk started out 17" wide and just over 2" thick.
I needed to have stock for a skirt on the end of the bench, plus the two jaws.


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## cocobolo

I'm definitely a believer in dry clamping stuff before the real action takes place, as it helps to avoid nasty surprises. Things like running out of clamps. Or you have one piece facing the wrong way - handy if it happens to be pre-mortised or something like that. However, I don't add the biscuits when I do that, as it can be quite a pain to get things apart afterwards.
So here we are part way through the first section of bench top, which will be done in three pieces to make it manageable.


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## cocobolo

There's one thing which you might notice after cutting the biscuit holes. Sometimes a little "feather" will appear at one end of the cut. Take a second to remove this. An easy way is to use a slicing motion across the feather with a sharp chisel. Gone.


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## cocobolo

When installing the biscuits, you need to make sure that there is enough glue in the holes. The glue is what swells the biscuits, making the joint very tight. You might see that when you push the biscuit in that a small bump of glue rises from each end of the hole. You can be pretty sure you have sufficient when that happens.
I tried to get a pic of that, but by the time I grabbed the camera, the bumps had almost flattened themselves out.


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## cocobolo

The glue used in this process was Titebond, which has a very high initial tack and a tendency to set up pretty quickly.
In other words, you don't have any time to diddle around and chat with Aunt Martha once you get going.
As each board was pushed onto its' mate, I gave it many whacks with a dead blow hammer. This was to set the boards down tightly to each other as well as make certain the biscuits didn't cause any trouble. This first section was OK.


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## cocobolo

Each of the three sections of the top had a row of dog holes pre-machined. Here you can more clearly see the first ones.


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## cocobolo

In order to keep the ends of the top sections as flat as possible, I added a couple of cauls - separated with 6 mil poly so as not to become a part of the top - to aid in that endeavour.


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## cocobolo

...and this is a better view from the side.


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## cocobolo

Once the glue was set up (I let it sit overnight) the clamps are removed and you can see the various and sundry markings on the wood, the dog holes and leg mortises.


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## cocobolo

I should probably have explained that there are several ways to cut the dog holes. One could use a router, but I find them to be obnoxiously noisy, somewhat violent and occasionally unpredictable. In the event of a loose bit - and don't think it doesn't happen - you can easily be in deep kaka.
You could use a hand saw and chisel, a somewhat traditional approach to be sure.
I opted to make up a guide for my small precision saw which is equipped with a small carbide tipped blade.


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## cocobolo

In the photo above, you will note that there are two grooves in the edges of each side of the guide. They are there to accommodate a pair of nasty little metal bumps on each side of the saw. The inconsiderate manufacturer obviously never envisioned such a guided use for this saw, a use which I consider to be obvious, and did not make the required allowances.
I also added two small strips of wood to each edge of the guide plate on the saw, which were necessary to cover yet another inadequacy on the machine.
Now the guide is obviously wider than the saw base to permit a wide groove to be cut in the bench top. By pushing the saw against one side and then the other, two lines are established showing the actual width and location in the guide itself as to exactly where the grooves will be cut.


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## cocobolo

And as you can see here, several passes with the saw yields a nicely lined up hole for the bench dog.


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## cocobolo

If you have an extremely sharp eye, you may have noticed that there is a small angle applied to each hole of precisely 3 degrees. This will allow for a dog to remain at least vertical, and have possibly as much as 3 degrees forward lean when in use. This helps prevent a clamped board from moving.


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## cocobolo

Here is the jig lined up to make a cut...


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## cocobolo

And here is the beast doing the damage...


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## cocobolo

The first top section had 6 boards, the center section needed 7 boards, here it is.


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## cocobolo

The center section went together well, so I was feeling pretty cocky about all this. Here is part of the last section prior to glue up. Making sure the leg mortise holes lined up...


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## cocobolo

Here's a good view of the dog holes in the top front section. Plus you can see how many biscuits are going in this piece.


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## cocobolo

When it came time to glue the last section...nothing went right.
I applied the glue to the first board, put the biscuits in and laid the next board in place. It just didn't want to go down properly at all.
I got way more exercise using the dead blow hammer than I wanted. So it was only by sheer force and ignorance that the first two went together.
Exactly the same thing happened with the third board. For the life of me I could see no reason why this should be.
It took so long to get the first three mated that I had to clamp them up and let the glue set for an hour or so.
You can see at the end how I put the biscuits in to make sure of adequate strength. It was probably serious overkill.


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## cocobolo

Unfortunately the remaining three boards were no better. But at least the top is now solidly glued up in three sections.
Next will come some glue cleanup, thickness planing and a complete dry run check - with biscuits - to make sure the previous problem doesn't occur.


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## scoggy

*Wow!!*

Great to see you back in action!! I will take some of those 'words' to the scrabble board...and your expertise, speaks through your work! Nice to see that spiral staircase in the background! Cheers
Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Hi scoggy: How the heck are you? Good to hear from you.
I just finished cleaning the worst of the dried glue off the top pieces, and with a little luck - the good kind I hope - I will get the first two sections glued together later today. 
I may even be able to glue the third one as well later on, as this titebond sets up pretty fast.
Little bit foggy here today. Same over at your place? I can hear the occasional foghorn going off in the distance. Nobody too close however, we know when NOT to go out there.


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## cocobolo

and speaking of the stairwell, I finally got the major portion of the wall covered with narrow cedar strips. That was a long job I can tell you.

When I went looking for the hardware to hold the stair rail, we tried to find the same kind as we put in the cabin. It was nice solid stuff. 

Naturally, it was nowhere to be found and has been replaced with some flimsy stuff. Since it was all we could find, I got a whole bunch of these junky little mounts, in the hope that their combined strength will be adequate. I expect they will be OK, just nowhere near as nice as the older ones. Still and all...I guess it has been nearly 13 years since we bought the other ones. Can't win 'em all.

Here's a couple of shots from the bottom and top of the first set of stairs.


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## cocobolo

It's about a 9' diameter inside that stairwell, so I went through a fair bit of cedar. The only trouble with doing something like this is that you have to use wood that is more or less clear, as anything with any size of knot will break almost every time. I had to thickness it down to just over 1/4" in order for it to bend without too much difficulty to such a tight radius (4' 6").

Still haven't started on the top well yet.


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## cocobolo

OK, so I did a dry run with the first two top sections seemingly without any serious troubles. There was a very slight gap between the pieces about 2 feet long. That was fixed with a few more clamps.
Then the real McCoy with glue. Went together fine, but there was a small bow where the two halves met. Fixed by adding a couple of 2 bys on edge with lots of clamps. The first end fixed the bow, but added the other end anyway just to be sure.
There wasn't a lot of glue squeezeout, but I wanted to clean it off anyway - much easier wet than dry. So I hunted down a thin piece of suitably expensive hardwood for the job and scraped away.


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## cocobolo

Several minutes after cleaning the glue off, I noticed there was more running down the side. So I cleaned that off as well. This kept up for some 15 minutes before finally stopping.


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## cocobolo

Two thirds done.


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## cocobolo

The woodworking gods were smiling upon me when the last section went together. Smooth as silk. I was very careful with the glue this time, just enough, not too much.

Of course, as usual, I couldn't find all my long clamps. But there is a small amount of squeezeout right along the top, so all should be fine.

Not a bad looking top. It ended up 24 9/16" wide. Heavy though, I can't pick it up any more.

Tomorrow I start to tackle the underpinnings.


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## cocobolo

Cleaned off the very minor amount of glue both front and back on the benchtop.

Then started to stand the legs, each of which has turned out to be a nice tight fit in their respective mortises. I may have to shave a trace off before the glue-up, we'll see.

In order to cut the stretchers to length, I pushed each leg part way into the mortise. Stood each square to the top using the framing square, after which I could measure the length of them. The stretcher mortises are 2 1/2" deep, so 5" was added to the length of the inside dimensions of each stretcher to make sure the mortise was filled. Actually, I knocked 1/16" off the length, just in case too much glue got in the hole. I have seen the case where the joint was tight, and with glue applied the air trapped in the hole made it nearly impossible to seat the tenon.

In order to alleviate this, I think I might cut a small groove down one side of the tenon, allowing the air and any excess glue to escape.

Here we are setting up the leg, which is party pushed into the mortise.


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## cocobolo

Here the legs are pushed an inch or so into their mortises. The stretcher stock was cut using the actual dimensions taken from right between each pair of legs. 5" was added for the inside stretcher (each stretcher has both an inside and outside piece).


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## cocobolo

There is a fair bit of work required before glue up can commence. Each leg needs the second mortise drilled out and cleaned up. The top of the outside front stretcher will be chamfered 45 degrees on each side. This will be to accommodate the groove in the sliding deadman - more about that later.

And the left front leg will require a slot in the bottom which will accommodate a parallel guide for the leg vise.

In the original bench, Chris used pegs driven into drawbored holes and no glue. The thought being that if he ever needed to take the bench apart, the pegs could be drilled out and voila - instant top removal. 

Since the chances of me ever wanting to do that are zilch, mine will be glued.
First go round I drilled the holes using a forstner bit.


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## cocobolo

I was less than impressed at what a pain it was, so the next time I chiseled out about 1/8" of the mortise first. It was much easier to drop the drill bit into the mortise and go from there.


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## cocobolo

Once that was done it was easy to use the side of the shallow mortise to guide the bit with.


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## cocobolo

After drilling the bulk of the mortise out, the hole is cleaned up with a sharp chisel.

One thing I have found useful is to test the fit with a cutoff from the stretcher. Rip part of the board off so that it is not quite as wide as the mortise. In this way, as you test the fit, you can determine where - if anywhere - there needs to be any adjustment.

If you try a full size piece, it is more difficult to tell where any tight spot might be.

Here is the test piece at both ends of the mortise.


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## cocobolo

The short end stretchers are identical, but the front and back are different. There is a guide on the front stretcher for the sliding deadman. It is similar to the outer board on the back stretcher, except that it is chamfered for the deadman to center itself by gravity.


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## cocobolo

In the book, Chris admonished against using an electric hand saw (yes, the one you all wrongly call a skill saw) with the blade set at full cutting depth. No matter how butch your saw may be it will burn when cutting at that depth, therefore several passes should be made.
Finally something we can disagree on. I used a fairly light Ryobi (12 amps) with a new blade. All you need to do is to cut slowly and watch that you are following your thin pencil line exactly.
Nothing to it, no burn - in fact the motor never even slowed down.


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## cocobolo

Here's both the front and back stretchers. You can see the support rail for where the shelf will rest.


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## cocobolo

After the ends were trimmed, I decided to add skirts. I chopped up some arbutus for this, mainly because I had some here. Here is one end being test fitted, held on loosely with biscuits.


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## cocobolo

About the last machining operation on the underside of the bench top was the guide for the deadman. A plunge router did the job cutting about 1/4" at a time. Now, here is a case where several cuts are far better than trying to do the whole thing in a single pass.


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## cocobolo

Before the skirts were attached, I drilled countersunk holes for the lag screws. Quite small lags, just 1/4" by 4" long. More than enough with the biscuits and glue to do the job I think.


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## cocobolo

Last thing done for the night was to glue up the two pairs of legs with the stretchers. Tomorrow should see the front & rear stretchers glued in place, and hopefully the leg assembly attached to the bench top.


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## cocobolo

OK, I lied, it's two days later, had to go to town yesterday.
In order to clamp up the leg assembly in the long direction, I had to make up 4 clamps. Unfortunately, I was fresh out of 6' clamps, so what's a fella to do?
I hope the photo speaks for itself.


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## cocobolo

That didn't come out too badly. You can see there are 4 long clamps there, one at the top and bottom of each side. 
Quite easy to make up - just took some of the left over stock I used to build the bench with, ripped it into strips about 1 1/2" wide...then cut some short blocks about 4 or 5 inches long, drilled a hole right through the two long clamp pieces and the block, then put a carriage bolt through that to keep the whole shebang together. I drilled holes about every 6" in the side pieces, just in case I ever need long clamps in future.


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## cocobolo

At this point, the legs are not inserted into the benchtop mortises. This was definitely a one-step-at-a-time operation. 
I stood a 1 1/4" x 2 1/2" inside the clamps and the legs in order to have something to apply the force of the clamps to. You can see that there is quite a bow in that board when the clamps got all wound up.


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## cocobolo

At the other end of the bench is where all the action takes place.
I screwed a couple of pieces of scrap lumber, cut to the same width as the bench top (about 24 1/2"), to the clamp rails. This was to provide some sort of clamping surface to draw the legs tight to the stretchers.


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## cocobolo

The same idea was used at the bottom of the legs (top in the photo). With the leverage available it was quite straight forward to get everything clamped up quickly. Another pair of hands would have been nice, but some of us don't have those luxuries.


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## cocobolo

This photo gives you a better idea of how the end went together using the made up clamps in conjunction with the aluminum clamps.


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## jackie treehorn

cocobolo said:


> and speaking of the stairwell, I finally got the major portion of the wall covered with narrow cedar strips. That was a long job I can tell you.
> 
> When I went looking for the hardware to hold the stair rail, we tried to find the same kind as we put in the cabin. It was nice solid stuff.
> 
> Naturally, it was nowhere to be found and has been replaced with some flimsy stuff. Since it was all we could find, I got a whole bunch of these junky little mounts, in the hope that their combined strength will be adequate. I expect they will be OK, just nowhere near as nice as the older ones. Still and all...I guess it has been nearly 13 years since we bought the other ones. Can't win 'em all.
> 
> Here's a couple of shots from the bottom and top of the first set of stairs.


Awesome!! looks like you're walking inside a tree


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## shumakerscott

*Clamps*

I wish I had so many clamps. How many do you have? dorf dude...


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## cocobolo

Hi Shu: by the strangest of coincidences I just posted on your thread!

I just got the leg/stretcher assembly pounded - and I mean REALLY pounded into the top. I think I should have trimmed 1/16" or 1/8" inch off each tenon. Too late now, a nuclear bomb couldn't separate this thing.


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## cocobolo

That thing in the middle that looks like a porcupine on steroids is just the deadman getting glued up. Yeah, I know, two or three clamps would have done the job, but 20 makes damn sure of it.


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## cocobolo

FINALLY! Sunny side up!
Still quite a bit to do, but at least it's up the right way now. The slot in the bottom of the left front leg is for the guide which will be attached to the bottom of the leg vise.
There will be a crochet attached to the upper left side, plus the twin screw vise will be attached to the right hand end.


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## scoggy

*WOW...the 'generic' speak!!*

I am very impressed in what you do...the 'speak'..tenons..etc, and now you have a fantastic 'grasp' of the 'medium'..ie computer 'write ups and photos..so it, for me is just a 'techno-"buz" trip"! Love it!! Maybe in 2 weeks will bring my "love" from the Driveway to the Garage..I hope!! Wife very happy I not do install of kitchen.., so as of yesterday sold all of the "old stuff" from kitchen, ( cupboards, appliances), so I feel positive, can get VW.."all Done", by Spring!! And my "reno" neighbour comes tomorrow!! Dam the torpedoes, full speed ahead!!!
Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Hi scoggy:
I guess I have been hanging around bits of wood long enough that some of the terminology has rubbed off. But as for any computer expertise...I only got my very first computer (this one) in October of '07. I'm afraid I still have all the novice attributes as far as that goes. Got my first - and only - digital camera then as well. So, expert I'm definitely not!
Back in a little while with some more about the bench. All is not going perfectly as you shall see.


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## cocobolo

Before we get to the bad news, here is the deadman installed. The holes are set at increments of 5/8". No particular reason for that, it just looks OK and gives me lots of holes to pick from. The deadman just sits loosely on the front stretcher and slides easily left and right. Its' purpose is to hold up a long board at a convenient height to be worked on. I'll give a demo when everything's done.


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## cocobolo

In making up the deadman, the original was cut with a small flat at the top of the notch. Here is how I took the triangular section out, a piece at a time.


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## cocobolo

When I went to install the nuts in the rear jaw, two things were not to my liking. Firstly, the thickness of the castings varied - something I would not expect from Lee Valley/Veritas. And they were badly finished. When I inset the first one and seated the nut, lo and behold it protruded right through the jaw. I definitely didn't want that, so I re-read the destructions to see if there was something wrong regarding the jaw thickness, but evidently mine should have been OK. One spot said 1 3/4", and another place said 1 1/2". Neither did I find acceptable, so I scrapped that one and glued up another new one which is way thicker, 2 1/2". That ought to be enough.


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## cocobolo

Here is the old and new, about 3/4" thicker now.


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## cocobolo

Both nuts are now recessed, and then I used a center punch to locate the holes for the drill.


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## cocobolo

I put the first two screws in without any slick 'em. They were a bit tight, so for the rest I used the old standby of candle wax to ease the effort. Makes just the right amount of difference.


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## cocobolo

So, by this point, the rear jaw - which was glued up from 4 pieces of arbutus - now has the nuts installed and fixed in place.
There are 4 long bolts with round nuts, which attach the rear jaw to the bench top itself. It's a little tricky getting all the holes drilled exactly right, and I thought the idea they suggest for the guide was somewhat mickey mouse. I didn't use it.


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## cocobolo

Since these bolts go through the rear jaw itself, then through the end skirt, and then right into the actual bench top, two things need to happen.
The holes really should be exactly perpendicular to the jaw face in order that you can get a really good idea where the bolt is inside the bench top. The bolts are completely hidden, and other than accurate measurements, you have no way of knowing _exactly_ where they go.
You also need to know how deep they reach into the benchtop, so you can figure out where to drill the holes for the round nuts. This is very conveniently done from the underside while laying on ones' back. Nothing like some delicious spruce wood to chew on right after dinner.


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## cocobolo

In order to determine the precise location of the round nut holes, the photo will explain most of it. I deducted the skirt thickness, which left 1 5/8" to the center of the hole - bored from below, remember? All four holes used the same dimension.
The actual bolting up is a nightmare. It is necessary to somehow hold the round nuts in place at the correct height, while at the same time making sure the threaded hole lines up perfectly for the bolt to catch.
The instructions call for either an 11/16" or 3/4" hole for the round nuts, which themselves are only 5/8". It seems to me that gravity will win this battle every time. Then there is the problem of whether or not your 3/8" bolt holes will line up with the center of the round nut holes. And this is where some very careful measuring pays off.
After considerable diddling around, all the bolts found a home and were duly tightened up.


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## cocobolo

Here, for the first time, are the twin screws partly wound into the nuts. Looks like it might work after all.


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## cocobolo

Those steel dowel pins you see just to the right of the right screw and to the left of the left screw are there for the purpose of preventing your wood from contacting the screws. If you keep a light coating of grease on the screws, your wood could end up a bit messy.
There are matching holes in the front jaw for the dowels to slide into in order that the vise can be closed right up.


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## cocobolo

When I originally looked at the plans for the bench and subsequently decided to shorten it, I was aware that the vise screws were 17" long, and that there was some possibility that they might interfere with the legs.
As usual, Murphy showed up right on time, and in order to get the jaws to close completely, it was necessary to make a 1 1/2" deep recess in the top of each end leg. This is one of those extremely convenient places to have to drill a hole. Nowhere near enough space for a drill plus bit, so a little out-of-the-box thinking needs to come into play.


----------



## cocobolo

And here's the solution. Even with the 90 deg. angle attachment on the drill, there was still no room. So I did a small modification to the 1 1/4" drill bit and lopped off a couple of inches. :wink:


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## cocobolo

The next trick was to install the chain which transfers the drive from one side to the other. No surprises here fortunately. Although the instructions warn of serious chain droop, to the point where they supply a special link to shorten up the chain should it be necessary.
There is a hint of this in the assembly instructions when they suggest that you need to bore the two vise screw holes _approximately_ 16 7/8" apart. I am always suspicious of measurements that say _approximately._


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## cocobolo

But all my worry was for naught and the chain was just fine.
Next comes the cover, aluminum no less, and it needs to be trimmed to length to fit inside your chosen vise width.


----------



## cocobolo

Also provided are a couple of handles. Nicely done in hardwood.
Do any of you older guys remember those spinner handles you used to attach to the steering wheel of your car way back when? Well, they scooped that idea for one of the handles. You have to drill a hole for the screw and mount the spinner, but it's a great idea here. Works like a hot damn!


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## cocobolo

Here's the first clamping test. It is really nice that the jaws stay parallel, even with the work clamped way off center.


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## cocobolo

When Chris built the original bench, he didn't put the shelf in the bottom, due to photographic time constraints. It took him several years to finish the job.
Fortunately, we have no such restrictions here.
The shelf is typical overkill, made from thicknessed pieces of 2 x 12.
6 pieces cover the length with room to spare. It is planed down to 1 1/4" thick, and then a tongue and groove is added. As he points out in the book, not necessary, but nice.


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## cocobolo

Shelf installed and notched out for the legs. Since this will be the only time it sees daylight, a picture was in order.


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## cocobolo

One small thing I did differently from the book, was to make a small recess at the leg vise end of the front stretcher for the deadman to slip in and out of. The original deadman could be removed anywhere along the stretcher. It struck me that there may be the possibility of the deadman coming off its' track accidentally. For example in the case of an 8.9 earthquake, you never know. This one needs to be at the end.


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## cocobolo

At the left hand end of the bench a crochet is installed. I used yet another chunk of arbutus wood for this one.


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## Shamus

cocobolo said:


> Since this will be the only time it sees daylight, a picture was in order.


I can appreciate those words :thumbsup:

Very nice project and great photo's.


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## cocobolo

Shamus: I see you know exactly what I meant! Actually I want to put some kind of finish on it, so I shall try very hard to resist the urge to cover it with tools.


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## shumakerscott

*Arms*

I see in the pic that your tightening arms are at the same position. I would think that you would want them 90 degrees off so you could have a longer pipe for cranking it tight without each side hitting each other. The bench looks fantastic. dorf dude...


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## cocobolo

Actually Shu, the way it works is like this. Each of the two handles has a set screw on it, and it keeps the handles apart from one another. Works very well. I'll take two or three pics later in sequence to show you what I mean.


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## cocobolo

This one's for you Shu...


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## cocobolo

My latest self inflicted Christmas gift arrived today in the mail from L.V.
It's the bench screw for the leg vise.
Yet another piece of arbutus bites the dust for the jaw.


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## scoggy

*Those 'knobs' similar to 'steering wheel" knobs*

Just a point of 'history' but those "knobs' on steering wheels were called "suicide knobs"...don't know why they were called that in the "automotive' zone..but your whole setup is 'superb'...waiting for the next installment!
Squid:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Hi Scoggy...yes, I think you're right. I was never cool enough to have one, but in any event if you didn't have power steering, all they did was get in your way.
Been busy doing a ton of thicknessing on some cedar boards for the final soffit outside. No rush at this time of year, but might as well get it ready for when the weather improves.
Wife number two has decreed that the house MUST be finished this year...or else. Not quite sure what the "or else" might yield, but neither do I care to find out.
So, I guess you can expect to see quite a bit of activity over the coming months.


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## ponch37300

Nothing like a little motivation!

Looking forward to the progress pictures!


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## cocobolo

Yeah! You said it! Even the mrs is doing some varnishing on all the little fiddly bits of cedar we will need to double glaze the french doors. Heaven only knows why they don't put two layers of glass in at the factory.


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## gma2rjc

Hi Cocobolo. Glad to see you're back.

If (I should say, "when") you finish the house this year, what will you do to keep busy? Do you have a list of other projects to do?

I get a kick out of all the names you have for your wife (the Mrs., the wife, wife number two).

Barb


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## cocobolo

Hi Barb: I daren't use her real name...she'd skin me alive!
As far as keeping busy, well, both of us are having health troubles. So, it looks like we will be selling up next year sometime and moving to Vancouver Island most likely.
Which means I will have a thousand other things to do when we move!


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## ponch37300

All the work to get your dream house and then just when you finish you have to sell due to health. Sometimes things just don't seem fair! It would be nice to relaxe in the house you worked so hard on but I'm sure the build was quit the reward itself. 

Best of health to you, Scott


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## cocobolo

Well, Scott, what the plan is as far as we hope, is to finish up some time this summer, and then spend a year here hopefully without having to do too much work. A good rest might do us the world of good.
The good thing is that there is almost no heavy stuff to do now, so the rest should be a piece of cake.


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## cocobolo

No sooner than I say the heavy work is done than I have to do a repair on my railway for the log lift and cut some more logs up for lumber. The first one up was a 20' hemlock weighing in at a cool 1,000 lbs. But it was a job that needed to be done, so all is OK again.

I have a friend here who also has a mill like mine, and he's gong to come over and help me for a few days to get everything cut that I will need. With a little luck it shouldn't amount to more than a couple of thousand board feet.

Still need all the framing lumber for the circular stairs which will go from the deck in front down to the hot tub. Some more cedar for some of the inside walls, and for some outside railings.

Wife number two has got the little bits for the double glazing all varnished up and she was busy installing them on the first door today. What a slow and laborious job that is.

In the mean time I have been able to sort out much of the huge piles of wood in the house and have found enough cedar to cover the wall between the solarium and the front entrance. Still have two other wall sections to find cedar for.

Not very exciting, I know, but it's the best I can offer tonight.


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## gma2rjc

> ....I have to do a repair on my railway for the log lift and cut some more logs up for lumber. The first one up was a 20' hemlock weighing in at a cool 1,000 lbs. But it was a job that needed to be done....


Maybe not exciting, but definitely interesting! I doubt that many of us here on the forum have done or seen anything like that.

Barb


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## ponch37300

cocobolo said:


> With a little luck it shouldn't amount to more than a couple of thousand board feet.


Just a couple thousand BF!! I just bought 200 BF of red oak, would love to have access to couple thousand BF.


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## cocobolo

It seems I manage to keep disappointing myself. Just making up a cut list for the mill, and it looks more like 4,000 b.f. Could take awhile. One thing I need which will be somewhat special will be 3 boards about 4" by 18" by 18'.

We had a really high tide here yesterday morning and this morning, a combination of the new moon tides and a very low barometer. Fortunately, this floats all sorts of logs off the beaches and I picked up a massive dry fir log about 40' long. Pretty sure I can get my big boards out of that without much trouble. Except for the fact that they will weigh in at around 350 lbs. each.

I'm going to build another Japanese style bridge over the pond, and luckily it is only about 50 feet from the mill. Still and all, it's definitely going to be fun. The three big boards will make a single span bridge.

Wish me luck!


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## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> ...Pretty sure I can get my big boards out of that without much trouble. Except for the fact that they will weigh in at around 350 lbs. each.
> ...


I know you float the logs at high tide into the log lift by the saw mill. But how are you planning to lug 350 lbs boards uphill to the install point?? (Just yesterday I was struggling with a 430 lbs object, so I'm particularly interested in this challenge...). Wheels on one end and pulling on the other? Or do you already have some type of rail or furnicular setup there? I guess you've hauled enough wood from the mill that you've devised a back-saving solution...


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## llckll

All I can say is WOW! I look forward to following you on your journey.


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## scoggy

*Those Free "tide'logs*

Heh thanks for the 'heads up', now I know what was going on when I saw all those logs floating out off of Coffin point! Was a great 'lesson', to understand how powerful the tides are...'over here' observed from my 'big front window'! Those big boards...can you take a pix when you cut them...and where are you going to use them? Great to see someone using the "bounty' provided by nature! Cheers :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
SQUID


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## cocobolo

Itsdanf, most likely I will have to devise something when the time comes. I think what I might do is to do the cutting of the big boards to shape right where we cut them on the mill, and then see if I can't cajole a couple or three of my friends over here to move them.
I just picked up one of those 5,500 lb. winches that the guys use on their ATV's. It runs off 12 Volts, so perhaps I could use that to move the boards, whatever I do I'll get some photos of and post. Plus I have a couple of those chain hoists which I use on the log lift. They would work as well, just need to lay some boards on the ground to slide the big ones over.
I suppose I should get the concrete footings in place first so we have somewhere to dump them.

Hi Scoggy:
Well. so far we've had three super high early morning tides, and I see my barometer is still way down around 970, so there will be another tomorrow morning as well. There's wood all over the place out there. I went across to Pirate's Cove this morning on the tide, but it was blowing like a banshee and too rough to grab much. I did manage a couple of cedars. I'm hoping tomorrow morning it's a bit calmer so I can bring more back over here. Getting to be a mini log boom out in the bay right now. What I really need is cedar, but most of the stuff is hemlock and fir.

The weather was so nice today - after all their doom and gloom predictions - that I spent the bulk of the day working on the mill. Cut up a couple of hemlocks for some floor joists and studs. Lots more to go.


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## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> Itsdanf, most likely I will have to devise something when the time comes. I think what I might do is to do the cutting of the big boards to shape right where we cut them on the mill, and then see if I can't cajole a couple or three of my friends over here to move them.
> I just picked up one of those 5,500 lb. winches that the guys use on their ATV's. It runs off 12 Volts, so perhaps I could use that to move the boards, whatever I do I'll get some photos of and post. Plus I have a couple of those chain hoists which I use on the log lift. They would work as well, just need to lay some boards on the ground to slide the big ones over.
> I suppose I should get the concrete footings in place first so we have somewhere to dump them.
> ....


Well, you never seem to lack vision. I'm looking forward to whatever you come up with. Thanks for sharing, and keep the photos coming! I'm particularly interested in seeing the mill in action...


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## cocobolo

Hmmmm...I thought I had put some pix of the mill up before. I guess I will have to check, and if not, I'll get around to that soon. Maybe I will wait for the big fir log to go up, that should make for a good shot.


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## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> Hmmmm...I thought I had put some pix of the mill up before. I guess I will have to check, and if not, I'll get around to that soon. Maybe I will wait for the big fir log to go up, that should make for a good shot.


You have shots of the mill (posts 18-20), but I'd like to see it actually being used! I can't exactly picture how the thing works. Of course, might be tough to be taking photos while you're cutting. Well anything you can manage. Not a normal sight for most of us. :no:


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## cocobolo

Gotcha...I'll see if I can get wife number two to click the shutter. I can take a few pix of the mill and show you how it functions. It runs on metal rails, which you can essentially make as long as you like. Especially of you want to spend $500 for every 4 foot section!
Realistically, how long does one need a stick of wood? Maybe 20' tops. I can cut 22', but it is really hard to handle a piece of wood that long, and not terribly practical I think.
However, I will show you the works.


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## ponch37300

What kind of drying procedure do you do to get the moisture out of the wood and prevent warping?


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## cocobolo

Ponch:

That depends on where the wood is going to be used. For a garden shed or something like that, cut it and nail it together. Let it dry in place.

However, the inside cedar is a different matter. It goes something like this.

Cut the wood slightly oversize to allow sufficient for planing. Depending on the time of year, say right now for example - when it's cold and miserable outside - I would bring it inside, stack and sticker it. With the inside temperature in the house usually about 15C or 60F most of the time, the wood will dry to 10% or less m.c. within 3 months or so, maybe less.

Most cedars are high floaters, which indicates that they are usually fairly dry already, even though they may be floating in the chuck. You have to remember that when a log has been sitting up on a beach somewhere, maybe for years, it is already seasoned. When you cut into a seasoned log, even when it is right out of the chuck, the outside is only wet for maybe 1/8" to 1/4". If a log has been in the water constantly for a year or more, then the water will have penetrated further. But it is surprising how dry logs stay inside once they are seasoned. The ends will ingest much more water, due to the direction of the grain of course.

If you are in a hurry to dry the wood, you can make a mini kiln. I used one when I was drying small cedar strips for canoe building. You basically just build a small framed box affair, maybe 2' square and 20' long. You put the wood to be dried inside and cover the whole shebang with 6 mil poly. At one end you fit a 1500 watt ceramic heater and run it about half speed and power. At the other end, you leave a small opening at the top of the box to let the warm, damp air out. In four days, you can dry the 1/4" thick cedar strips from wet down to 6% m.c., which is REALLY dry.

I imagine you could do the same with the typically 3/4" thick cedar which I use for most of the inside. I would guess it would take 10-14 days to get down to 10% m.c. or so, which would be plenty dry enough to do the finish machining on.

As a rule, cedar is not inclined to twist or warp - except where there is a big knot - then it takes off to where ever it likes.

As for fir, spruce and hemlock, it really boils down to what sort of log you have. Fir and spruce tend to stay quite straight. Hemlock often has a mind of its' own and might move quite a lot. When you look at a log and see loads of little stub branches sticking out, you know it is full of knots. Chances of it staying flat aren't good.

The best thing with hemlock is to cut it and nail it in place as quickly as possible. While this may sound counter intuitive, it keeps the wood in place, and once hemlock is dry - it stays put. It is actually an excellent framing lumber.

I cut some 2 by 8 boards today from a hemlock, and the wood looks pretty nice. It is destined to be floor joists for a new woodshed to be put somewhere outside the back side of the house. That way we won't have to keep chugging down to the other woodsheds 50 yards away!


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## cocobolo

OK, with a little help from the wife - very little - I got a few shots to try and show you how the procedure goes from log in the water to cut board. So here goes.

This morning we had yet another mega high tide, that makes 4 in a row. Extremely unusual - unprecedented in fact.

Here is an old fir which has been sitting in the chuck at the head of the bay for 5 years. It came down January 8, 2005 in a huge storm we had then. It crushed my wife's 20' cedar strip kayak. Not a very fair fight.

This is the second or maybe third log cut from the bottom up, so it's about a foot thick, give or take. But it was totally waterlogged, so it was a heavy sucker.


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## cocobolo

Here you can see how the grapples hold the logs when they are being lifted from the water. I cut them out of 1/4" steel plate. They're getting pretty ancient now, much like me, but they still work.


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## cocobolo

Once the logs are lifted, the log carrier is moved down the railway by one man power. Sometimes, if a log is extremely heavy I will cheat and use a winch, but it's slow that way.

Here you can see a small log already sitting on the log deck waiting to be cut. It got turned into a 6 by 6 to be used for posts under the new woodshed.


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## cocobolo

Once the log is on the log deck, the mill height is set to take the first slab off.

Then the log is rotated 90 degrees and another slab is removed, and so on.

Here the log has two slabs already off - on the side of the log and the bottom of the log. The mill has made a couple of cuts on the third side here.


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## cocobolo

There are two ways to turn the logs on the mill. For most logs I can use the peavey to do the job. Sometimes, in the case of an extremely heavy log I need to use the winch on the log lift. It's quite a procedure and takes some time. This is the preferred way.

Of course, if you're wealthy, you can get hydraulic log turners installed. But that takes cubic money. Unfortunately, that's not an affliction that I suffer from.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see by this point, the wife has deigned to come out of her nice warm cabin and help with some photos. I'll do my best to guess what I'm doing in each one.

Here I am setting a dog on the log. This holds the log securely against the steel pins in order to prevent the log from moving while being cut.


----------



## cocobolo

Please note the Ruxton Island approved hardhat in use here. Don't laugh, I knitted that toque myself.

Here the blade height is being set, you'll have to take my word for it.


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## cocobolo

Just to show you I'm not kidding, here is a shot of the gauge on the side of the machine.


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## cocobolo

In order to raise and lower the mill head, you use this handy-dandy king size steering wheel. Just to the left in the picture is an awful looking old rusty brown thing. That's a big spring, much like they use for keeping your garage door open. It takes a little juggling to get the tension perfect, but once it's done, that's it.

On the newer machines, instead of the handy-dandy wheel, some bright spark in the design department decided it would be much cheaper to use a mickey mouse S shaped steel bar. My friend Al has one of those, he hates the damn thing.


----------



## cocobolo

While we're at it I might as well cover most of the rest of the bits and pieces. On top of the mill is a small water tank, alleged to be 5 gallons. It holds maybe 12 litres.


----------



## cocobolo

When the mill is running, you open that high priced little tap affair at the bottom of the tank, and this provides an adjustable amount of water flow to the blade. It serves the dual purpose of keeping the blade cool and lubricated. Amazing what a difference that makes.


----------



## cocobolo

Perhaps the most important single item - other than a sharp blade - is the blade tension.

This little mill was made by Silvacraft, which later became Norwood, which makes the Lumbermate. Same machine, different name. Most of the parts still fit this old girl.

When I bought this mill, I found it in a metal scrapyard. Not that it was going to be junked, the yard owner tried to use it to cut up some man made paper rollers. Not surprisingly, it didn't work.

When I got it home, all in pieces, I made a list of stuff it needed to be made serviceable again. The company was generous enough to give me a sticker so I had some idea how to tension the blade. So that's why it says Lumbermate on the sticker, there wasn't one there before I got it.

You need to have the minimum amount of tension to keep the blade straight in the cut. Too little and the blade will wander, yielding a wavy board. Too much and the blade will break prematurely. It's a balancing act.


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## cocobolo

Back to the business of cutting wood. Here I am at the beginning of a cut.


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## cocobolo

...and ending that cut...


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## cocobolo

...and here I am ending the second cut...I will make a piece of 1 by from this piece.


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## cocobolo

When all four sides are done, we get what is called the cant.


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## cocobolo

This one yielded 5 2 by 8's.


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## cocobolo

Next log up measures 14 1/2". I will cut 2 by 10's for the beams under the woodshed from this one.


----------



## cocobolo

And here is the 10" square cant from that log.


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## cocobolo

The above log yielded the 6 2 by 10's I needed for the two beams, plus assorted 1 bys which need to be trimmed.

Here is a shot of the drive assembly. The old girl has the original 13 h.p. Honda engine, which still runs remarkably well.

There is a clutch drive which powers the big wheel on the right via a drive belt. Tension for this is done by moving the engine itself. Unbolt the four mounting bolts, wind up the tensioning bolt and re-tighten the mounting bolts.

It's a real SOB to get at, but fortunately it doesn't need to be done too often.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the front with the guards off showing the whole business end of things. The blades are 144" long, by 1 1/4" wide with a 7/8" pitch. The blades travel at 120 miles per hour. It's not a good idea to stand right in front of this thing when it's at full speed!


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## jlhaslip

Awesome Thread happening here. Thanks for providing your time and effort to keep us informed of the progress.
I've taken the time over the last several days to read each and every post. Wonderful stuff. You are indeed a true magician in what you are doing with the salvage. 

As you might notice, we share parts of our addresses.  But I am on the high side of the province... Haven't been your way in 3 or 4 years. 

Glad the Mrs' knee is better, and your health as well seems to be coming along fine, I hope. Sorry about your Mom.

Can't say enough about the fabulous job you are running under difficult logistical circumstances. Keep up the good work and keep posting pictures.


Thank you.


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## Itsdanf

Wow, great photos and great process! What a facinating situation, to be able to trot down the path, pull a log out of the water, and mill it into any stock size you happen to need. (...albeit with quite a bit of effort).

Thanks for the extra effort to document the process and tools!! (And thanks to wife #2 for helping out)!

Dan


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## cocobolo

Thank you for your kind comments..It is extremely rewarding to know that someone is enjoying reading this stuff.

At the end of the day yesterday we had a couple of friends pop over for a quick visit. They are from Victoria, and usually don't come up until at least March. I was just starting to cut up a broken boomstick when they arrived. Of course, I got the usual comments about them coming to see what all the noise was about, and the boom out in the bay.

Naturally, I feigned complete ignorance of any boom whatsoever, claiming it must be a figment of their imagination, or maybe just a few bits of driftwood.

I suppose this is what they were on about, not really sure...


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## cocobolo

This morning the barometer finally started to rise, and we had to spend the day going over to town to pick up some furniture from my mum's estate. But before we left, I had to pull up the two pieces of the broken boomstick I cut yesterday. The two pieces are 19' and 16 1/2' respectively. And this was after I cut about 4' of damaged wood off.


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## cocobolo

There is still evidence of a crack in the closest log, which is just under two feet thick. I can't imagine how much effort must have been required to snap that log in half, must be pretty staggering.

But I have yet another big stick out in the bay, which I think might be even bigger than this one. It looks to have been in the water for quite some time, so you never know what surprises await inside the log. It looks almost like it has a burl on it around the 40' mark. Perhaps I will find out when I cut it.

That won't be until at least Monday, as the MRS is going over to Vancouver tomorrow to visit our grandson (and mum and dad of course) - who, we are informed - will be joined by a baby brother this July.


----------



## cocobolo

And while it may be nice to think that we can go out and find a log whenever we like, I'm afraid tain't so. The past 5 days have been truly exceptional due to the extreme high tides we experienced. It's one of those deals where you have to make hay while the sun shines, if you will.

Plus we are getting next years firewood supply all in one go.

Here's the first piece of the broken boomstick in the lift.


----------



## shumakerscott

*Thanks*

Thanks Keith for this great thread. I had to go and price out a lumber mill. Around 4,500 Euro for a starter. Out of my price range. Too bad I can't pick logs up out of the street. I might give it a shot with a chain saw some time. I've read up a little on this. We do have lots of woods around here with fir and beech. Keep posting the great stuff, dorf dude...


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## Itsdanf

shumakerscott said:


> Thanks Keith for this great thread. I had to go and price out a lumber mill. Around 4,500 Euro for a starter. Out of my price range. Too bad I can't pick logs up out of the street. I might give it a shot with a chain saw some time. I've read up a little on this. We do have lots of woods around here with fir and beech. Keep posting the great stuff, dorf dude...


Found a Norwood LumberLite 24 band sawmill with 8 HP Briggs & Stratton engine on Amazon.com for $3,299.99; however, at 483lbs, shipping to Germany might be high...:laughing:


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## jlhaslip

shumaker, look at an "Alaska mill" attachment for your chain saw.


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## Han'D'

Absolutely incredible what you are doing!
:thumbsup:
My wife is in awe over the pics that are here-not too interested in the 'hows'...
I have been following both you and Dorf in your 'passion plays'.
I especially love the use of 'floaters'. Have you thought about submerged timber in/around the area?

Keep up the good work and let me know if there is a gallery for the pics where I can take the wife to see the pics w/o the verbage...


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## cocobolo

Shu: I replied to your thread about the mill...

Itsdanf: The basic Lumbermate is underpowered with the 8 h.p. engine, regardless of what Norwood might claim. And you need a bit more stuff to do a decent job of cutting than what you get for that price. If you only have very small logs though, that might be OK.

jlhaslip: They do work, but the effort is pretty high. Several of us here have tried them. OK possibly for a very minor amount of cutting, but if you need a supply of lumber, I wouldn't recommend one. Mine was on a 36" Husky.

Han'D': Thanks...as far as submerged logs go, I think that is usually limited to rivers. About the only thing here that would sink would be hemlock, and once they are on the bottom, you'd never get them back.

With apologies to your good wife, sorry, this is the only place you will find all this stuff.


----------



## cocobolo

Got a visit from my pal at the other end of the island this morning. Seems he had found a nice big cedar, mostly clear, on a trip to Gabriola a couple of days ago. Would I be interested in the wood...what a silly question. I'll pick it up tomorrow if the weather's OK.

More pics to follow.


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## cocobolo

I am starting to clear up the accumulation of wood all around the mill (about time too!) and here is a batch of firewood coming up in the lift.


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## cocobolo

Had to spend a little time making sure I could get the best yield out of that 19' log, all of which will be going into the building of the bridge over the pond in the Japanese garden.
The first cut was just to make a flat wide enough to get three big boards for the main structure.
Tomorrow, if the weather holds, I'll have a go at getting the next wood out.


----------



## cocobolo

When the logs are too big to turn on the log deck using a peavey, the log lift is pressed into service. Here you see a dog driven into the side of the log, and the chain from the hoist is brought under the log and clipped on. This will roll the log against the steel rods when it starts to turn.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is the business side of things - the slack has been removed from the chain and the hoist will now start to move the log to the next position.


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## cocobolo

It's really pretty easy to turn the log with the hoist, just yank on the chain and...


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## cocobolo

When the log gets close to being completely turned over, it is necessary to check that the first cut is plumb. The level is held against the first cut while the last few short pulls are being made.


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## cocobolo

Here the second side is cut. The slab has been taken off, plus a 2x plank, which will later be trimmed into a 2 x 8, or whatever the widest board is that can be taken out after the wane is removed.


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## cocobolo

When the log is turned again, it is necessary to remove the log dog which was used to attach the chain hoist. Failing to do so could result in some serious damage to your blade, not to mention colouring the air in the immediate vicinity!


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## cocobolo

Rather than try to engage in some form of heroics which I could not reasonably win, I decided to make the boards for the bridge just a little smaller than originally planned. The new size yields a weight of just over 220# per plank, assuming the wood to be dry. Since this has just come out of the ocean, obviously it isn't _that_ dry. 
I was quite surprised how easily I was able to slide the planks off the mill considering the weight. I'm not suggesting that they were _light_ by any means, but neither were they as heavy as I expected.


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## cocobolo

This is the last of the three big planks for the bridge. This one is a little narrower than the other two, as it will be used as the center support and does not need to be quite as wide.
As you can see, it is still a substantial chunk of lumber.


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## cocobolo

I was able to move those boards round to the side of the saw shed without help...although I suspect I may regret that when I wake up in the morning.

The second piece of that boomstick is now on the log deck. Note the crack at the end. I cut a 4 foot length off where it was broken (I thought it was shorter than that until I measured it) and still did not get all of the crack taken out.

Before cutting this one it will need to be turned so that the crack is either horizontal or vertical for the first cut. That will depend on what I decide to get from the log. If the crack is properly lined up, the waste from that crack will be minimal.


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## jlhaslip

coco,

do you quarter saw any of your wood to get some vertical grain pieces?


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## cocobolo

Interesting that you should ask that particular question right now.

I took a slab off the most recent log, and I will be able to get 4 pieces of 2 by lumber out of the middle which will be edge grain. It might even be possible to get one extra piece out of each side of the remainder.

Bear in mind that even when one is cutting "through and through", which means you are simply slabbing the entire log, that a few of the middle pieces will be edge grain. You do need to eliminate the centre of the log, as that grain is usually much more coarse. It's the fine grain you are looking for if at all possible.

When the weather gets better (it's busy raining today) I'll show you some very tight grain wood coming up on the next log. Hopefully, I will be able to make a few doors from this one.


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## cocobolo

In the mean time, from the really wide log, I took a couple of boards out of the middle to make some stair treads from. These will go on the circular stairs out front. They are 16" wide at the fat end, 5" at the narrow end. The boards were so wide I could almost get two side by side from each piece.


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## jlhaslip

What sort of ring count to the inch?

Spiral stair case? What width is the tread 12 inches from the narrow end?


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## cocobolo

The ring count varies, due to the fact that each board is from the middle of the log. Starts at about 10 on the outside. The next log has some super fine rings.
12" in from the end? My magic tape measure reads 12 3/8". Consider that there will be a 1" overlap on the tread below, so you can consider the run to be 11 3/8" on the walking line. The rise will be 6.4166", give or take a few thousandths.
That multiplies out to about 73, a good number for outside stairs. This will be the fourth set of spirals here.


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## cocobolo

Brought up the first of 4 sections from the very tight grain log, and unfortunately, I think it will be the last. 

It turned out to be extremely difficult to cut, even with a sharp blade. I did manage a 6" thick slab, which is patiently sitting there waiting for me to flip it and make door wood from.

I tried to count the rings, but as it was starting to get quite dusky at the time, I wasn't able. However, I took a couple of pics to try and do a count on the 'puter.

The nails are 1" apart as a reference. Cannot quite count the very outside, but I get 27 on the next one and 25 after that.

Now here's the thing...I don't know what kind of wood this is.

When it was floating in the chuck, I thought it was fir, as it was a very high floater. My friend came down this afternoon and has had a similar log cut on his mill. He suggested Hemlock, but they are always 95%+ in the water. The other option hereabouts could be Sitka or Engelman spruce. I have had a nice Sitka before, but it cut easily, whereas this one did not.


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## cocobolo

This is the fat end of the same log. That big black mark on the left is water stain from the hole which they bore through on the boom logs. I was only about 2" away from the hole when I chainsawed the end off.


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## jlhaslip

> That multiplies out to about 73, a good number for outside stairs. This will be the fourth set of spirals here.


I thought I was the only guy that used that equation... :lol:

run times rise should aim for '75' if I recall... ie: 10 " run x 7.5 " rise


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## cocobolo

You're almost exactly right.

The number should be between 75 and 80. However, when your legs get older like mine, a lower rise is easier to walk up and down. When I first worked the steps out, it could either be exactly a 7" rise, or the 6.4".

The 6.4 requires an extra step, but considering what my wood cost is, that wasn't really a factor. The spirals inside the house are also quite low, around 6 3/8", also with a nice deep tread.


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## brons2

Amazing thread. What a gift for design and execution you have. The pics of your mill operating are fascinating as well. Along with many other pics. 

Makes me think about home, I am from Oregon originally. I know all about rain squalls!


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## cocobolo

What part of Oregon are you from? I have exquisite memories of that fantastic drive down the Oregon coast. Just stunning.


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## cocobolo

Managed to get a fair portion of the wood cut to build the new woodshed just off the back deck. It's only going to be 10' by 12', but it's going to be somewhat up in the air on one side, as the ground slopes a fair bit. Therefore it will consume a fair amount of lumber.
About 2/3 of which is in these pics.
2 x 10's for the main beams, 2 x 8's for the floor joists, 6 x 6 support posts, 2 x 6's for the floor and then regular 2 x 4 wall construction from there.


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## cocobolo

Here's a wheel barrow load of stair treads for the front spiral stairs.


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## brons2

cocobolo said:


> What part of Oregon are you from? I have exquisite memories of that fantastic drive down the Oregon coast. Just stunning.


I'm from Corvallis which is not on the coast, but I did spend lots of time in Newport growing up. Fishing, crabbing, digging for clams, or just hanging out at the beach, lots of good times. I also have many happy memories from the coast.

You get quite the prodigious output from that mill of yours! Fascinating. I'd love to mill out something solid like a 4x12


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## cocobolo

Yesterday I took a trip to town to pick up some bandsaw blades and shingles for the woodshed roof. They came back in the sailboat, and as the tide was way out when I got home I had to wait until this morning to ferry them from the sailboat to the dock. I use the skiff for that. The tide was nice and high, nice and easy to lift them from the skiff for a change.


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## cocobolo

Right by where the new woodshed is going there is a big fir. I guess around 95' tall.

About 10 years ago, I was tempted to take it out, as it is pretty close to the house, but wife number 2 convinced me to leave it and just have the faller trim off the lower branches. So that's what we did.

Big mistake.

Now it is leaning over the back deck, and occasionally sheds a branch when the wind gets up. Not to mention the several million fir needles it quietly deposits in the gutter on a regular basis.

It's the big one in the middle.


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## cocobolo

I bet the missus is going to be some choked when she sees this...


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## cocobolo

I had to set up double rigging before I took this one out. A steel cable running back to one of my neighbours' trees with a 4,000 lb. winch. This to prevent it from going through my deck. I wouldn't be pleased with that at all.

Then a double braid rope (5/8") to another tree with a chain fall attached. This was just to nudge it in the right direction in case it had other ideas.

It went precisely where desired, but to give you some idea of the energy these things generate when they go down, it snapped the 5/16" steel cable like a piece of wet spaghetti when it hit the ground.

It reached all the way out into the bay and snapped a few branches off into the barge.


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## cocobolo

This is the main log portion resting on the bank. Looks like a decent log.


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## cocobolo

The top snapped like a toothpick when it hit. I cut a few pieces off, and at about the 85' mark, the tree was still about 8". And get this...96 growth rings that far up! Couldn't believe it. I didn't get a picture of that cut unfortunately.


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## cocobolo

But I did take a couple of shots at the other end.

You see that heavy ring on the tree...that's shake. It's usually caused by heavy winds bending the tree so much that the rings actually partly separate. It renders the wood useless for anything except firewood.

Fortunately, there is still sufficient size to yield some decent lumber. I may use the bottom of the log for firewood anyway, we'll see.


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## cocobolo

And here's the stump, showing the corresponding shake, plus what appears to be a crack across the middle of the tree.

This is the 8th big tree taken down here since we arrived, and all of them have had the dreaded root rot. Except this one!

I'm hoping for some good stuff here.


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## cocobolo

brons2, this one's for you...it's a 12 by 12 which came out of a 16" log this morning.


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## cocobolo

I took 4 2 by 12's off the top, then flipped the cant on edge and made 2 by 6's for the woodshed floor out of the rest.


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## cocobolo

For the past few mornings at first light, we have had some unusual skies. For just a very few minutes, we are experiencing a red sky in localized areas. Not sure quite what is causing this, but the temperature is way above normal for this time of year, and the air is moist.

According to the untrustworthy weatherman we are not expecting any rain for several days, so this is a bit of an oddity.

The first one is looking out over the bay to DeCourcey Island, and the second one is looking north west toward Dodd Narrows.

The red sky only lasts about 5 minutes.


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## cocobolo

Interruptions from neighbours notwithstanding, I did manage to get started digging out for the pier blocks for the woodshed. Ran out of steam - and daylight - after the first four.


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## brons2

That big 12x12 is amazing, Cocobolo.

When I was a kid growing up in Oregon, we used to see log trucks go down Hwy 99 every day. A lot of them only contained a couple of logs total. Sometimes, only 1 log for the whole truck. There was a lot more old growth timber then. Now, not so much. Still bigger than here in Texas though, you see log trucks in the Piney Woods of East Texas and there will be 60 or 70 trees on a single truck. Buncha sticks, this Southern White Pine, I tell ya.

Good to see ya up there in BC layin the ax to some real trees. I spent a summer in BC once picking berries and traveling around, nice place. Had a duplex farmhouse outside of Abbotsford, BC right near the fields. Rode the ferry from Tsawwassen to Victoria as a walking passenger on a day off. Caught a old rickety bus into Victoria from the ferry terminal, that's probably the closest I have been to where you are.

Cheers


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## cocobolo

The ferry that runs from Tsawwassen to Victoria goes through Active Pass. That's only about 15 miles or so south of us, so you weren't far away. I used to live in Abbotsford many moons ago.
Moved there in 1976, then went to Aldergrove in '81, right in the middle of the farming area.


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## cocobolo

Really nice day here today, so I got the last couple of pier blocks dug in. The one on the high corner hit bedrock. I beat away at it with a big, heavy bar I have, but couldn't get enough of the rock out of the way to give the pier block enough room. It just wasn't low enough.

So instead of using the block, I put a bunch of small pieces of sandstone there and pounded away with the tamper. It does a really good job of flattening anything that is foolish enough to get in its' way.

Then I put the 6 x 6 post on a shingle which just laid on the ground.


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## cocobolo

The posts have a tenon on the bottom end which fits into the pier blocks. It is laid out like so.


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## cocobolo

I make a 1 3/8" deep cut around the end of the post, 2 1/2" up from the bottom. Then remove the waste with a chisel and mallet.


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## cocobolo

The posts on the high side are very short...thusly...


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## cocobolo

The ground has a considerable slope, so the low side posts are a lot longer. I checked to make sure things were all going to be level.

You don't _really_ need to ask, do you?


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## cocobolo

Here is the assembly with bracing to keep things in line.


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## cocobolo

I intend the woodshed to be 10' by 12'. The two main beams I cut 12' 1", just in case. They aren't nailed here, just sitting for their portrait.

Besides it was the end of the day, the fog was rolling in and I was dog tired.


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## cocobolo

Despite the doom and gloom weather forecast for today, it cleared nicely after some early morning rain.

The floor framing went in without too much hassle.


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## cocobolo

I went to some lengths to ensure that the finished floor height of the woodshed would be the same as the back deck. That way we can just walk straight into the woodshed without tripping over any steps at night. 

Here is the framing for the attached walkway.


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## cocobolo

Here is part of the floor nailed down. Note the random length boards, which is a result of having a sawmill. You never quite know how long the next log is going to be.

The boards will all be trimmed once everything is nailed.


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## cocobolo

Managed to get all the floor boards down and nailed. Snap some lines and trim up.

Next up will be the wall framing.


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## brons2

What kind of treatment do you give the bottom of the deck to avoid rot? It's a pretty damp climate up there.


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## cocobolo

The deck itself gets nothing. The bottom of the posts - which sit on roofing felt - which sits on the pier blocks, gets wood preservative applied.

Once the roof is on the woodshed, everything will dry out nicely over a period of time. I expect it will have a life span of maybe 40 years, perhaps a little more. By which time I will have been pushing up daisies for many years.

Our immediate neighbours' cabin, built in 1967 I believe, was built on wood posts treated with creosote and put directly on the ground. No concrete at all. It is just now, over the past couple of years, starting to show deterioration on the posts.

Another similarly built cabin on the island, but without any wood treatment, suffered serious rot problems in under 20 years, just on the posts. The cabin itself remained structurally OK. I replaced the rotted wood with reinforced concrete footings, the way it should have been done in the first place.

The walls on the woodshed are only going to be 7' high, and even though the roof overhang will be about one foot, I doubt there will be much rain - if any - hits the walls.

Even if it does, the open slatted construction will promote rapid drying which should give it a reasonably long life.


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## jlhaslip

I love the smell of fresh sawdust in the morning...


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## drtbk4ever

jlhaslip said:


> I love the smell of fresh sawdust in the morning...


 
I have been known to cruise down the wood isle at HD just to enjoy the smell.

I had a brief job working clean up at a sawmill. The smell was fantastic.

I spent a couple of summers building house trusses. I loved working on the compound saw. (saw with 4 blades that cuts the webbing for the trusses). Talk about saw dust. I loved it.

I'm sure the smells at coco's place would be heavenly. Jeez, I'm might have to stop by HD on the way home to get my fix.

OK, sorry for the thread hijack.


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## scoggy

*The FREE WOOD floating out there*

Was out fishing off of tent Island for those illusive ..."winter Springs"..and came home through the most wood debris choked passage ever to Chemainius..which means you must have 'received' a ton of free wood to your mill! Was tempted to "catch and drag" some of those logs to you...but then..."reason"..stepped in! Love what you are doing..almost with a new .."push"!
SQUID:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

The nicest is when I pull some Red Cedar up. Been doing mostly hemlock the last little while, and some fir.
The hemlock has no smell really, the fir smells OK, but the Red Cedar is by far the nicest. That's the one everyone likes.

So Scoggy, tell us, did you manage to get the big spring? I notice that three or four days ago we had a big dragger going back and forth in front of our place. I know he doesn't get into the holes where the springs like to hang out but still and all they get lots of fish.

I see we have a huge number of seals hanging around for some time now, so there must be loads of food for them out there.

If the rain quits I will have a go at the walls on the woodshed today. If not, I'm inside making a runoff table for the tablesaw. I sure do miss that 27' long bench I had the saw embedded in. It was just so easy to rip stuff quickly.


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## cocobolo

Once again I can rip inside the house. Got the runoff table made, and the bench raised to meet the tablesaw height in front.

Here's a 2 1/4 by 10 red cedar, 12' long ready to go.


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## cocobolo

It got turned into many pieces of 1/4" by 2" strips for various areas of the curved walls.


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## cocobolo

*It's a steel tree!*

Every once in awhile I really misjudge a log.

What I thought was a big old fir turned out to be anything but. Early yesterday morning, I had this big (24") fir log in the chute. I wasn't sure if I could even get it to the log deck, so I decided to give myself 15 minutes to do that.

It wasn't as heavy as it should have been - that should have been my first clue - and when I lifted it up, there was some steel in the bottom of the log.

Normally, that would be my hint to throw it back in the ocean, but for whatever reason I didn't.

OK, up on the log deck I looked at the steel in the log and started to try and remove it. I made a single pass with the mill on one side and took the first slab off. OK, didn't hit any steel.

Here's some of the offending steel bits.


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## cocobolo

These seem to be mostly 1/2" steel pins of varying lengths. A couple were threaded rods which refused to pull out.

After turning and cutting the slabs off, I ended up with a big cant. Tried to figure out where the remaining steel was, and just misjudged this one. After putting a brand new blade on the saw, I just clipped the end of this steel rod and hurt one side of the teeth.

That little shiny thing is the very tip of the steel.


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## cocobolo

I was able to use a cold chisel to drive that one partly out of the log, and then bend it over a big steel bar and force it out.

I wasn't quite as lucky with the next one...I caught it worse than the first one and finished the teeth on the blade off on one side. When this happens - thankfully not very often - the blade will not cut straight. It either dives or rises immediately. At that point you stop the mill and chainsaw off whatever part of the board is cut. Then back the mill up and change blades...again!

This is the one that did the blade right in.


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## cocobolo

You may have noticed that this doesn't look a whole lot like fir, and you'd be right.

Before I started to cut the log, I chainsawed off one end which was all chewed up and cedar started to fly! Right away I am thinking that this will provide decking around the future hot tub.

This little piece of wood here is the bit that was cut off after changing to yet a third blade on this log. That's how much the previous one, damaged by the steel, rose up after it was hit.


----------



## cocobolo

That wood was 1/2" thick in the middle. Not good.

And here, except for three big pieces which I had to chainsaw right out of the log, is the steel collection which I did manage to remove.

All told, this log took a full day to destroy. But I do have some cedar boards nearly 18" wide. I think there will be enough for a small deck.


----------



## cocobolo

Yes, that is sunshine on that log above. One of the very few nice days we have had in some time.

But it has been unseasonably warm here. As proof I offer up a few shots taken in the garden today.

First one is what we call the humming bird bush. When it comes out the humming birds arrive within days. It is a month early this year, so I hope the little hummers don't get here just yet. We could still have a cold snap.


----------



## cocobolo

Rhodos, again rather early...even for the west coast.


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## cocobolo

Crocuses, not unusual for them to be up, and Japanese irises in the Japanese garden.


----------



## cocobolo

One of the coral bark maples...now you see where the name comes from.


----------



## cocobolo

There is a lone geranium in bloom in the green house. There is no supplementary heat in there and normally at this time of year these things are about half past dead. But for some reason, this one decided to put on an early show.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of heather plants in one of the rockeries.


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## cocobolo

And finally, the lilac bush is already budding out, crazy!. This is Canada...in February! Ahhh, but it's the west coast. You never know what's going to happen here.


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Was out fishing off of tent Island for those illusive ..."winter Springs"..and came home through the most wood debris choked passage ever to Chemainius..which means you must have 'received' a ton of free wood to your mill! Was tempted to "catch and drag" some of those logs to you...but then..."reason"..stepped in! Love what you are doing..almost with a new .."push"!
> SQUID:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Hey scoggy man, I've obviously got to give you my GPS so you can bring that cedar over here. And what do you mean "reason" stepped in? Since when has reason got anything to do with it?

And don't forget, whatever logs you bring over, you get 50% of the wood I get out of them. Sawyer gets the other half. Yes, that would be me, wouldn't it?


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## brons2

Nice flowers!

I've been watching the nearby Olympics on TV and they're all complaining about how warm it is for the alpine events. I guess the same is true for you as well.

In our part of the country though we've been having a pretty miserable winter. I can only remember a handful of days since Thanksgiving that have been above average. Usually we get plenty of 70F/22C days in the wintertime. This winter, not so much. Last week it snowed 12 inches in Dallas, of all places. Biggest 24 hour snow event in Dallas ever recorded. Go figure.


----------



## gma2rjc

It's so nice to see the pictures of the flowers and buds. Thanks for posting those.

What do you think that log with all the metal was used for, before it ended up in the ocean?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Brons:
Your Dallas snowfall made our newscasts up here, believe it or not! In fact, it looks like there has been snow in almost every state and that has been also on the news. But your Dallas snowfall was the prime subject. 

And yes, it has been far warmer than usual here. This morning it is clear, sunny and rather colder than yesterday. The wind (about 25k's) is keeping the temperature down this morning.

Where we are we can look over towards Vancouver and see the mountains. I guess with a powerful enough telescope we could have front row seats at the outdoor events!


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It's so nice to see the pictures of the flowers and buds. Thanks for posting those.
> 
> What do you think that log with all the metal was used for, before it ended up in the ocean?
> 
> Barb


Morning Barb:

From time to time we see the odd log like this. They come from a broken up dock usually. I must admit that I haven't seen quite this much steel in one log like that before.

You're welcome for the flowers. I thought it might break up the dreariness we've been having for so long. We have lots of other rhodies in bud, but they don't look like they will be open for a couple more weeks or so. The daffs are in bud, but again the buds are very tight yet. I'll get a shot or three when they finally emerge, just for you.


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## cocobolo

There's a short hallway leading to the guest bedroom, and the wall needs to be covered in cedar. The tight radius (54") dictates that the strips would need to be more or less clear. Anything with knots would snap.

Not quite half way up the wall here.


----------



## cocobolo

Got almost up to the light valance and ran out of clear strips! There must be some here somewhere, but for now...


----------



## cocobolo

The solarium wall above the windows has been ignored for just about long enough! Today I managed to get the cedar installed right across the top. Yesterday I fitted the facing boards in between the window casings. 

Every board had to be hand planed to fit as nicely as possible. I don't particularly want to have to add any more trim if I don't have to.


----------



## cocobolo

What with all these Olympic intrusions into the work day - plus the fact that the Mrs managed to bring back a case of pneumonia from Vancouver when she returned and was kind enough to pass it along to me - things have progressed at a snails pace.

Things still need to be done, and here is the cedar which will cover the back wall in the front entrance. All planed and dado'd ready to go.


----------



## cocobolo

Just a daytime pic of the solarium wall. I usually seem to be working after dark before there is anything to shoot.


----------



## cocobolo

The last unfinished section of this wall, which totals some 43 feet long altogether, is right here. Half way up the wall by lunchtime. The spacers underneath are to make room for tiles which will go down at that end of the room.


----------



## cocobolo

By suppertime, it was nearly done. Except that the last two full boards that need to go up need to be about 3/8" wider than the rest to match the boards that come over the double doors. They were cut and installed ages ago. I'll make up a couple tomorrow.

We wanted to watch the closing ceremonies of the games after supper tonight. So no more work 'til tomorrow.


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## jlhaslip

what are you going to do with yourself when you get the house finished?

nice work, again. keep it up. and keep posting. I love to see your pictures.

and we have Robins here already... very strange weather for February... but good for working outside.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, the trouble with being a carpenter is that you always manage to dream something else up when the current project is done. Lots to do yet here though.

Robins already? Not sure if I've seen them here yet. But we have had the big bumble bees for the past 10 days or so. Thankfully, the humming birds aren't here yet, as there's snow in the forecast here - after all this warm weather. Crazy.


----------



## scoggy

*CoCoBolo..."logic"*

CoCoBolo, that ..'impulse' you feel to do something.."other', up ahead..is called 'imagineering", and I..as well as you have experienced 'bouts' of that 'dimentia"....often...as my wife says..."STICK TO THE GAME PLAN"!! Guess thats why we can't survive without them! Cheers. Weather seems to be good, and no use going 'out' in boat...for 'no reason', but thought I would like to come see your 'digs'..and went back to begiining of your posts to try and see where you are..but still not sure..looks like the channel between Ruxton and DeCourcy in one of the shots...but what is the compass heading from Coffin point to your "driveway"?? Sorry for the inconvenience. Cheers
Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## kaesinee

nice I like wood


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## cocobolo

Scoggy, I'll get you a GPS for our place. In the meantime here's a few more pics.

Yes, I finally got that long wall all cedar'd. More trouble than I thought at the end. It turned out that one of the boards already up had quite a "kick-up"at one end. Rather difficult to get the next one to match. However, it's done now.


----------



## cocobolo

So when that was done I shifted outside to get going on the first woodshed wall. Naturally, the wood for it is all wet and heavy as ....


----------



## cocobolo

Since this is a one horse show, note what I did to prevent the wall going over when I lifted it up.

On most construction sites there are lots of beefy guys around to stand walls, not so much here. Usually, you just nail a brace on to each end of any wall you are going to stand, and nail it into place while someone plumbs it.

That would take more than three hands, so I fixed a plumb 2 x 4 to the two corners. All I had to do was to lift the wall & push it into place.

Easier said than done as I couldn't even budge it when it was on the deck.

I pried it up with a Pulaski, pushed 3 short 2 x 4's under the top of the wall, then used the Jackall to get it up this far.


----------



## cocobolo

From there I tried a dead lift. No dice. But it was easy to push one end at a time, so I made up two more stands about 10" higher than the Jackall would reach and tried again.


----------



## cocobolo

By that point I could just barely lift it, but it was the end of the day and I was pretty tired. So I opted for one higher support before I did the final push.


----------



## cocobolo

Right about then the Mrs called me for supper. Of course, I couldn't stop then and up it went. One down, three to go. Or should that be one up...


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## jlhaslip

Think positive... it is 1 up...


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## gma2rjc

I don't think there's ever been a better example of "where there's a will, there's a way". Great job cocobolo. You're an inspiration to all of us.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Thank you both....very much.


----------



## cocobolo

Special note to kaesinee.

I like wood too. But then you can probably tell that.

More than that, I am flattered that you would make your first post to my thread. I thank you for that.


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## cocobolo

The forecast for today was rain hereabouts. But in between the showers I did the 2nd woodshed wall. More or less the same procedure as the first. Being 2 feet less in length, the weight was noticeably less. No hassle getting it up with the Jackall and wood supports for help.


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## cocobolo

Two up!


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## potts17

So I've been reading and looking at all your wonderful pictures for the past week or so. I finally had to register and post something, telling you how absolutely beautiful your house is going to be. I love all the wood in the home, even more the process it takes you to get the wood. That is very very neat. Nothing like "free" lumber. Great job and keep the updates and pictures coming. One day I hope to have 1/10 of your skill and creativity.


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## cocobolo

potts17 said:


> So I've been reading and looking at all your wonderful pictures for the past week or so. I finally had to register and post something, telling you how absolutely beautiful your house is going to be. I love all the wood in the home, even more the process it takes you to get the wood. That is very very neat. Nothing like "free" lumber. Great job and keep the updates and pictures coming. One day I hope to have 1/10 of your skill and creativity.


Thank you very much for your most kind comments.

While the lumber isn't quite free, I guess it is the next best thing. It does take a lot of work and energy, but if you don't include your time the real cash cost is only about 5 cents a board foot.

From my perspective, that isn't the best part. What we are doing is re-cycling stuff that would never get used for anything. It would eventually just rot away and break up in the ocean, or on the beaches. All this debris floating about is actually a hazard to navigation. Many propellers have been damaged from hitting these chunks of wood.

As for the 1/10 comment...if you keep on looking at sites such as this, you'll have 10 times the creativity I do. As far as skill goes, that's what happens when you have been messing about with wood for better than 50 years. Inevitably, you get passably fair given enough time.

I don't know what your field of expertise is, but whatever it happens to be, I'm more than willing to bet I have far less than 1/10 of YOUR knowledge.

If there is ever anything I can help you with, just ask. I'm always more than willing to help if I can.

And again, thank you for your kind comments.


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## cocobolo

*GPS for scoggy*

Syd:

The GPS right outside the front doors here is 49 deg. 04.860 N, and 123 deg. 42.792 W. You can probably see it on Google Earth.

If you head for Ruxton Passage, you will see Herring Bay at the north end of the Island here. Look into the bay, and you will see a very narrow bay to the right (west side) of Herring Bay - which is pretty big.

I'm right at the head of that little bay. If at all possible, you would want to time your trip to coincide with high tide. That's the only way you can get your boat close. Other than that, just hook in Herring Bay and scramble over the rocks.

Let me know when you're coming.


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## cocobolo

*These are for Barb*

Nice sunny day today, but very windy. I tried to get the sun on the flowers where I could. Enjoy.


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## cocobolo

Humming bird bush, hyacinths and I don't know what the little purple flower is.


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## gma2rjc

Beautiful pictures cocobolo. 

Hopefully we'll be seeing some flowers here in a month or so. 

Barb


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## cocobolo

Daff, a rhodo, the pale green buds/flowers are on a vine of some kind, don't know what. The small flower on the ground cover spreads surely but slowly every year. It's much earlier than before.


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## cocobolo

I think you'll recognize the cotoneaster. One forsythia flower just out. The camellia has one flower open, the rest are buds. Not sure what the tiny pale blue flower is, but it's in a ground cover bush about 2' wide.


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## cocobolo

The other day I was saying that we had the big bumble bees here already. If you look just under the leaf at the top here, he's just sticking his nose out.


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## cocobolo

Except for the Nandina Domestica and daisies, I don't know what the rest are called.


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## cocobolo

Other than taking pics for Barb, I have just finished cutting a log to get the wood for the back woodshed wall sheathing. Back later.


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## shumakerscott

*Rub it in*

Thanks Coco, rub it in with your warm weather. I'm scraping ice every morning with snow predicted for Sat, -8C as the low. Some people have Global warming on their side, this year at least. It is all a cycle, dorf dude...


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## cocobolo

Hey Shu:

It may be sunny, but with the wind chill it feels like zero! We're due for some cold over the next few days.


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## sbmfj

thanks for the continual updates Cocobolo. I really love your place, and greatly appreciate your craftmanship!! Keep it up!

James


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## cocobolo

Thanks James. Just came in for my belated lunch, I'll have pics of the finished walls later. Going to start on the roof framing now, so hopefully that will be on in a day or two. Supposed to be nasty weather coming in. Let's hope not.


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## cocobolo

The third wall went up without difficulty. Didn't seem as heavy as the first one.


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## cocobolo

This one is only number 3 1/2, and it's buddy makes all 4 done.


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## cocobolo

Most of the wood this is built from has hardly been out of the ocean for more than a week. Not exactly cabinet grade. 

Which means it isn't necessarily any too straight. I needed clamps in the corners to bring them up tight before nailing. It's that third hand that we all should have been born with!:yes:


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## cocobolo

Next up is the ridgeboard. I picked a decent 2 by 6 for this. Originally I was only going to have a one foot overhang, which meant a 14 foot ridge.

Very seldom do we get driving rain where the woodshed is, but in the end I made the O.H. at both ends 16". It might help. I think the rafters are about a 20" O.H.


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## cocobolo

I did manage to get a few rafters up before someone turned the lights out.


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## jlhaslip

nice clean framing.

hope the weather holds for you because we will get it two days later.


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## cocobolo

Gotta tell you jl, if it's good, I'm keeping it here!:laughing:


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## cocobolo

Here's most of the rafters up and one fascia board.


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## cocobolo

Sorry about that, the light is better on this one.


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## cocobolo

This is from the back side.You will see that there is no fascia on this side yet.
At 15 feet long and wet, it's awkward putting these up by yourself. Here's a trick if you find yourself trying this alone.
Sit the fascia board flat on the top of the rafters, flush with the outside edge.
Drive some 2 1/4" nails into the top edge of the fascia board, right in the centre of where they will be nailed to the rafter tails.
Then bend the nails toward you almost 90 degrees.
You will only need 3 or 4 to hold.
Start a nail in the fascia board about 3/4" from the top of the board, exactly where it will line up with the centre of each rafter. Again, you don't need to do them all, but it makes it much easier if you do. That way you aren't hanging halfway out of the roof to nail the fascia on. I put two nails in to each location before slipping the fascia into place.
When you have the fascia about right, tap the top of each of the bent nails into the rafter, and you will find it will hold much better.
Of course if you have a helper, or if you can easily reach from the ground via a ladder, you may not have to go through this.


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## cocobolo

With this very simple framing, you cannot install the outside end rafters until the fascia are in place. It is the end of the fascia and the ridgeboard which holds the end rafters.
Not until the roof sheathing is installed is there much strength in those end rafters. Installing the end rafters is another one of those tricky things to do by oneself.


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## cocobolo

Once this is all put together, the inside will be divided into 6 sections. Then as the sections are filled with wood, we will take from the driest part first. The two ceiling joists will be where the dividing walls go.


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## cocobolo

Was able to get the first of the roof sheathing on before the end of the day. I am using 1 by whatever I have on hand.


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## jlhaslip

Another interesting day at your office... I like the fascia trick... now we need to know the barge rafter secrets...


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## cocobolo

As long as the building is small, i.e. with short rafters - let's say up to 12' or so - it isn't too bad for one person.

You need a good ridgeboard, preferably a 2 by, so it doesn't move.

Once you have cut the rafter to fit exactly - it will be the same as all the others minus the birdsmouth - you push it against the ridge, where gravity will hopefully keep it in place.

Then you lift the bottom end of the rafter into the fascia and nail it. I know that is easier said than done, and part of the secret is being able to hold the rafter and reach the outside of the fascia to do the first nail. Obviously you need to pre nail the first nail into the fascia.

Once the first nail is in, the rest is easy. Actually watching someone do it will show you volumes more than my meager explanation.


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## jlhaslip

I look forward to seeing the video... :lol:

I understand how you do it. I am a carpenter as well. Just curious what your single handed method method was.

Nailling a block on the underside of the ridge works for me. Nail the fascia end like you do and then remove the block and nail the top end.


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## cocobolo

Usually, the ridge would be deeper than the rafter. So wouldn't that mean that you would still need to lift the rafter to the top of the ridge? I guess your block would act more as a safety stop than anything.

Actually a pretty good idea if you are dealing with a more full size rafter. Say like a 2 x 10 or something! Imagine trying to stop that if it decided to let go!


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## Lali

Thanks for posting pics of treasures from your lovely garden. Made my day! It'll be a few months before we see anything remotely similar. Temperatures hovering within 10 degrees above freezing during the day & dropping down as many below freezing at night!!! (which is warmer than usual for this time of year, also) We will inevitably receive more snowfall with temps. falling into the minus 20's (Centrigrade that is) within the next month or so. Yuck, what am I doing here?! I should be in Hawaii!!! Also, thanks for sharing your progress and hard work. You're still doing a wonderful job.


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## cocobolo

Hi lali, are you over in Europe somewhere? Those temperatures remind me of my Yukon winters.

If the weather holds tomorrow, I should have the roofing on the woodshed. Got the sheathing on today, but too dark for a photo.


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## ness

Hi, I joined here just so I could tell you how much I have enjoying seeing the progress of your beautiful home and the amazing woodword your doing. I have yet to finish reading through all of this thread and looking at the pictures. I hope you continue to share more with us. I was also wondering if you have all these pictures on a photosite where I could see all of them at one time. Thanks again for sharing your amazing work, I love the curved bar & the woodwork on it.


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## ness

cocobolo said:


> and speaking of the stairwell, I finally got the major portion of the wall covered with narrow cedar strips. That was a long job I can tell you.
> 
> When I went looking for the hardware to hold the stair rail, we tried to find the same kind as we put in the cabin. It was nice solid stuff.
> 
> Naturally, it was nowhere to be found and has been replaced with some flimsy stuff. Since it was all we could find, I got a whole bunch of these junky little mounts, in the hope that their combined strength will be adequate. I expect they will be OK, just nowhere near as nice as the older ones. Still and all...I guess it has been nearly 13 years since we bought the other ones. Can't win 'em all.
> 
> Here's a couple of shots from the bottom and top of the first set of stairs.


OMG!!!!!!!!! This is beautiful. Love this.


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## cocobolo

*Thank you ness!*

ness: thank you very much for your kind comments.

As of now I don't have any sort of gallery up anywhere. This is where most of my photos end up. Perhaps I should start a gallery somewhere, I don't know.

Only trouble is I now have over 13,000 pictures on my computer. It could take me awhile even if I only posted 5% of them!

The wind and rain hit with a vengeance this afternoon, but luckily I had just got the roof on the woodshed in time.


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## cocobolo

Here we are half done. I was thinking that I would run out of shingles, because the first plan only called for a one foot overhang.


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## cocobolo

*Sometimes we get lucky.*

And now the overhang is much bigger. Making a total of 40 extra square feet of roof.


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## cocobolo

This is all of the pieces of shingles that I had left over. The biggest is only 13". That was close!


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## cocobolo

Here's the first divider inside the shed. Solid 2 x 6's. Should do the job.


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## cocobolo

*Terrible weather forecast*

I just checked the computer weather...awful. Lots of wind (they have definitely got that part right) cold, (right again) and snow in the evening over the next few days. I hope they're wrong about that.:furious:

Anyway, I have lots to do inside, and some of the wood is dry enough to put up. So tomorrow I expect to be doing another inside wall.:thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

*Entrance wall*

Lots of wind again this morning, so it was inside to work on the front entrance wall.

The radius is only 10 feet, so it takes a real push to get these boards against the studs. So much so that any flaw in the wood causes it to snap. Six broken so far. Methinks I should have used the thin strips. Oh, well, too late now.

Here's the first few.


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## cocobolo

This is all the boards that were long enough and which didn't break!

Need to mill some more cedar now.


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## cocobolo

Whereas upstairs, where the wall at this section is nearly straight...I used the thin strips. Aaaarrgghh!


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## cocobolo

This afternoon, the wind dropped and I was outside clearing out the pond area getting ready to put the liner in. Later, I came back and got this far on the short wall before I ran out of gas.


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## cocobolo

Just before sunset I was sitting down for short rest and noticed this reflection of the sun off the ocean on the ceiling. Couldn't resist.


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## ness

I am so loving all of this wood work. Would you like to come to Alabama (we have lots of warm weather) & help us finish ours we started about 3 yrs. ago and probably have 30 more to go before finishing.


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## brons2

I told my dad about this project. He couldn't believe that someone has their own sawmill! I need to get him on here to look at the pics. Amazing stuff.


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## cocobolo

ness said:


> I am so loving all of this wood work. Would you like to come to Alabama (we have lots of warm weather) & help us finish ours we started about 3 yrs. ago and probably have 30 more to go before finishing.


Warm weather wouldn't hurt my feelings one little bit right about now! We have several days forecast in the minus range at night.

About the 30 years part...don't think I will live quite that long!

You'll have to start a thread here if you haven't already and show us what you're up to.


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## cocobolo

brons2 said:


> I told my dad about this project. He couldn't believe that someone has their own sawmill! I need to get him on here to look at the pics. Amazing stuff.


These little sawmills are getting cheaper all the time. You do need to make sure that you get one that will cut the trees in your area, whatever they may be.

And the other thing you need is room. Boy, after awhile you find yourself with all sorts of slabs and whatnot kicking around. Thank goodness the new woodshed is done and I can get all this stuff chainsawed up and stored away.


----------



## ness

cocobolo said:


> Warm weather wouldn't hurt my feelings one little bit right about now! We have several days forecast in the minus range at night.
> 
> About the 30 years part...don't think I will live quite that long!
> 
> You'll have to start a thread here if you haven't already and show us what you're up to.


 
HaHaHa, We have the basement closed in, with the floor joist & sub floor down for the next floor (it's gonna have a basement & 2 more floors when finished), we have covered that with a temp roof for now. We are trying to build as we can & not have to borrow from the bank. When I get a chance I will start a thread with pics but they are gonna be really boring compared to yours.


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## shumakerscott

What about steaming them or set them in the rain for a day or so? Would that help to keep them from breaking? dorf dude...


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## cocobolo

Hi shu:

Some of the boards I have discovered have hairline cracks in them. It appears as if this particular log from which these boards were cut must have landed pretty hard when it hit the ground.

As for steaming, that takes lots of energy which we don't have. And the breaks in the non-hairline boards are at spike knots. It is just that the bend is quite severe. I just need clear wood, that's all.


----------



## cocobolo

I got up with the birds this morning and set to work on the pond. Apparently we are in for wind and rain again, and I need the liner in PDQ.

First I finished cleaning out most of the brambles and weeds. Raked everything up and took it out of the pond.

Next was a fairly thick layer of sawdust, no shortage of that around here.

It looks like a patchwork quilt.


----------



## cocobolo

*What WOULD my interior designer think?*

Next was a layer of carpet and underlay. One of the gals at the local re-cycling place had this at her house and gave me the whole lot.


----------



## cocobolo

Next was the liner. This thing is 20' by 40' and it is heavy! What makes it worse is that it is so slippery. Difficult to get in place by yourself.


----------



## cocobolo

Here I have done a quick trim around some of the outside of the liner. It will get done properly once the water level has been established. I'm hoping it will be nearly 2 feet deep when filled. Hopefully I can get some water lillies in later this spring.

I just turned the hose on before this pic, so there isn't much water in there yet. It should be close to full in about a day.


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## cocobolo

Ness, now is the time to be taking photos. Take a few every time you complete something. That way you can look back in later years and see what you managed to accomplish.

It might seem boring to you, but maybe not to someone who wants to try the same thing.

Kudos for doing this mortgage free. That's what we did here, although we did have the cash to buy the property and get the initial materials. The amount you save by not paying interest _forever_ is huge.


----------



## cocobolo

This afternoon the missus was going to start loading the woodshed. Keyword here "was". Any old excuse to get out of work will do.

She _claimed_ she couldn't get to the entrance because of a big pile of wood and the walkway wasn't finished. Humff, likely story.

OK, maybe she good reason to say this. So here is her newly done floor and it's cleared away in front. 

That big pile inside? She never said anything about the inside. That's _her_ job.


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## cocobolo

Just kidding...she started filling up the woodshed today! Hooray!

I did a little forensic work on the broken wood. It appears that the cracks must have been there for some time. Where the breaks are the wood clearly looks as if it has actually been completely broken for some time. Rather than destroy the rest of it, I'll use it on short flat sections.


----------



## cocobolo

Started work on the handrail for the lower stairs this morning.

The screws to hold the brackets on the wall are about #6 x 1 1/2". They don't look as if they will take any torque at all. I predrilled every hole to the full depth of the screw just in case.


----------



## cocobolo

The tank I was emptying out into the pond was done about 2 this afternoon. Around 2,400 gallons went into the pond. Sure doesn't look like that much.

The predicted rain over the next few days should add to that.

When I first dug the pond I guessed it would take about 3,500 gallons to fill it. It appears that I may have underestimated by a fair amount. The pond gets much wider as it fills, so I would have to guess more like 5,000 gallons now. Who knows?


----------



## cocobolo

Guess why the pond is taking more water than I thought.

It has a small leak somewhere...of all the luck. Guess I'll have to let it drain out, try to find where it is leaking and fix it.

That might be pretty far down the list all of a sudden.

Meanwhile, I am doing more on the front entrance. The snow yesterday and the high winds don't make it terribly attractive to work outside right now.

The entrance leads into the house if you head left, and eventually it will lead to the studio if you go right. The studio has been blocked off with that awful looking sheet of OSB since 1999.

Today I did framing for a door into the studio. This had to be done from the studio side. We have been using it for a storage room forever, and it took me an hour just to be able to clear enough room to work on that short wall section.

The door framing is done, and this evening I made a door jamb set out of red cedar. I would have preferred douglas fir, but couldn't find sufficient of good enough quality for the three pieces.

It should get installed tomorrow morning.


----------



## cocobolo

*What the heck is this?*

Any idea what these green rings are for?


----------



## gma2rjc

Does it have anything to do with St. Patrick's Day?

I'm guessing it probably isn't. 

Barb


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## cocobolo

I was going to say that it wasn't a Coco Chanel logo.

St. Paddy's, I never thought of that one. The two pieces will get nailed together and go outside somewhere. Hence the wood treatment.


----------



## gma2rjc

The top plate of the framing for the entry way?

Barb


----------



## gma2rjc

Hey cocobolo, do you have any sandbags?

I was thinking that you could use them to divide your pond into 4 sections. The section that drains, has the leak.

That is, unless the sandbags are sitting over the leak. Even then, you'd have it narrowed down a little bit.

Just a thought.

Barb


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## cocobolo

You've got the right idea. It's the top plates for the inside circle of the stairs going from the master bedroom deck down to the (future) hot tub deck.

Well done!


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Barb:

That liner was sitting up by the top water tanks for a long time all rolled up tight. Unfortunately, when I needed to drain the tank - which has turned out to be a waste of water anyway now - the weather was very cold that day. The liner really needs 10 deg. C to unwrap properly. I think there may be more than one leak, most likely where the sharpest folds are.

I'm going to need some warmer weather to fix it I think. I'll get a couple of friends over and see if we can stretch it out better. I expect I will be able to see the hole(s) once the liner is pulled out tightly.


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## gma2rjc

Sounds like a big job. It'll look great when it's done though.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

I might make a cardboard model of the deck/stairs/tub/screen. It sometimes has a way of showing up oddball problems _before_ you build.


----------



## cocobolo

Finally, after all these years, a door into the studio!

One pic from each side. 

I need to do a platform and steps on the studio side. There is about a 12 1/2" step down.

Don't be alarmed about the big gap under the door. There is a layer of easyboard to go down, then the terra cotta tiles.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Hey cocobolo, do you have any sandbags?
> 
> I was thinking that you could use them to divide your pond into 4 sections. The section that drains, has the leak.
> 
> That is, unless the sandbags are sitting over the leak. Even then, you'd have it narrowed down a little bit.
> 
> Just a thought.
> 
> Barb


The liner was almost empty this morning, but now it is raining...again. Almost for sure the hole, or holes as the case may be, are right where the worst fold was. That is still _just_ underwater, but only just.


----------



## cocobolo

After the door was hung, I rounded up some cedar for the wall. Got this far by suppertime.


----------



## cocobolo

And thanks to daylight savings time kicking in today, I got above the door and did the short pieces on the right side after supper.

I need daylight to work in here as the entrance light is extremely subdued.


----------



## cocobolo

There will be some trim going down the right side. I will straddle the corner, which is 45 degrees, with the trim. Then finish the last short section off.

I thought it might be a good idea to put some plastic behind the boards on the left. Anything to help keep leaks out. This piece is kind of redundant, but it was an extra piece anyway.


----------



## cocobolo

As the weather improves (I hope) I should be able to get on to doing the stairs out front. By a stroke of good fortune, it so happens that the angle of the third joist in from the front will be perfect for starting the top tread from.

I would like to call that pure skill on my part, but I know none of you will fall for that line.

The front two joist and deck above will need to be cut back.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see from the photo, the original stair radius was far bigger. The new stair line will keep the outer limit within bounds.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm using this simple jig to locate each of the pier blocks, which will carry the outer stair framing. Easier and faster than forming and pouring concrete. And the load on each one will be almost nothing.


----------



## cocobolo

Also note on the photo above that I will draw a line on either side of the 1 x 2 onto the circle. This will line up the inner and outer studs perfectly without any guesswork or trial and error.


----------



## cocobolo

It finally stopped raining late this afternoon so the deck got cut back. That's where the first tread will go in.


----------



## jlhaslip

I'd love to be there to help you. This looks like fun stuff.


----------



## shumakerscott

*How did you cut it?*

With what type of saw did you use and how did you not hit the under structure? You are not getting off that easy. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I'd love to be there to help you. This looks like fun stuff.


Any time you feel like coming out this way, we'll be sure to get the guest bedroom ready for you!

I don't think you would have liked today too much, we've had massive seas and the wind is still in the 80-90 range. It's been ferocious.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> With what type of saw did you use and how did you not hit the under structure? You are not getting off that easy. :no:


Nothing very exotic I'm afraid. I was able to lay out the cut line from above. Then just set the saw to the exact thickness of the deck wood. The corner where the circular saw didn't close the cut was done with a jigsaw. 

That and a little luck was all it took.


----------



## cocobolo

Until this weather takes a break I'm stuck inside. The steps into the studio are now in. The top tread is made from one piece of douglas fir, 19" wide.

Her's the layout for one end. Other end's the same, only backwards.


----------



## cocobolo

And this is the finished product. The treads are not yet nailed. I will wait until they dry - and shrink - before doing that.


----------



## cocobolo

Yes, that would be red cedar on the bottom. Still soaking wet from being brought in out of the rain just this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

The solution to the breaking wood on the back entrance wall was to install narrow vertical pieces.

All done except the last one against the studio wall. The top pieces on that wall need to be in place first.

There is a small framing issue to take care of before that is possible.


----------



## jlhaslip

Thanks for the invite. Never know what direction my journey will take next...
Would you be interested in an Apprentice for a week this summer?


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Thanks for the invite. Never know what direction my journey will take next...
> Would you be interested in an Apprentice for a week this summer?


If you find yourself headed out this way, just let me know.

I should warn you about coming over here in the summertime though...there are usually quite a few nekkid ladies in the bay when it's nice!! Not that I suppose that would deter you for one minute!

The only trouble with that is it has a tendency to slow the work down, darn it!


----------



## cocobolo

The weatherman gets a gold star today! Nice and sunny.

So it was outside and get started on the stairs down from the upper deck.

Here's a thrilling picture if ever I saw one. A high priced plumb bob doing nothing. The nail it is sitting over indicates the center of the stair radius.


----------



## cocobolo

In order to locate the plywood circles perfectly, it was necessary to be able to locate the center of the circles and line that up with that nail below. Hence the importance of the plumb bob above.


----------



## cocobolo

You can just barely make out a pencil mark in the middle of the 1 x 1. That will be lined up with a nail in the deck framing. You'll see in a minute.


----------



## cocobolo

Pre-drilling the holes makes life much easier. Here it is screwed in place, and now you can see the nail which the arrow mark lined up with,


----------



## cocobolo

This little gadget is a connector and support for the inner stair treads. Each side has a taper cut out of it at about 12 1/2º. Then it is treated with preservative and screwed in place.


----------



## cocobolo

The top tread only needed some 2 by lumber screwed onto the deck joist. So that was easy enough. The second tread ended in mid air. So that entailed suspending a piece of 2 x 9 from the back side of the joist, then adding a filler to bring it flush with the front of the joist, then finally the support for the tread.

The outer edge of the tread is supported by a notch cut out of the 6 x 6 post.


----------



## cocobolo

Here the first two treads are in place.

Because of the change in stair plans, there was quite a bit of messing about on the first three treads. You will see from a picture later taken from above what I mean.

I think it is going to work out OK though.


----------



## cocobolo

Once past the first two treads, it became necessary to install the inner and outer 2 x 4's for the support system. Here are the first blocks in place using the super-duper handy jig.


----------



## cocobolo

The third tread was the last one which needed extra work, The remainder are quite straight forward. Three now in place.


----------



## cocobolo

Here you can see how the supports work. 2 x 5's screwed to both the studs for each respective tread. There is an allowance for each tread to extend past its' neighbour by 1".


----------



## cocobolo

It's dark now, so no more tonight. This from above shows how different the top treads are from the rest. 

They were slow going, having to make up a cutting template for each one first.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the center studs and plywood ring from below. You can see how things are going together now. When the stairs reach about 4 feet from the ground, I will put the deck in at the appropriate height. 

When that is done, the remainder of the stairs will go off the deck.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday was a write-off, had to go to town for the usual stuff. Picked up some more dek blocks for the lower deck.

Today the stairs were installed down to and including the 9th tread from the top. That is all the steps I need from the upper deck. Next the hot tub deck will get sorted out. 

It looks like I will have to install the support cribbing for the tub tomorrow, and perhaps commence to put the tub itself together. Then I can build the deck around the tub.

I'll set up the laser so that everything is at the height I want.

The last tread coming down was about 47 3/4" above the deck in front of the french doors. This will put the tub deck height at 41 1/4", and the tub cribbing at 14".

That way the tub will be well above the deck making it easy to get in and out of. Tubs which are almost flush with the deck are a bear to get in and out of comfortably.

The final treads are shown here.


----------



## cocobolo

Same guys only from the top. Yes, I know, it's dark again. Sorry about that.


----------



## cocobolo

Kinda got waylaid doing other stuff. Started to sort out the underpinnings for where the tub will go. It needed to be shifted over from the original location - which had nicely poured reinforced concrete footings.

There was another of my all time favourite arbutus roots in the way. Took all morning to get it out and down to the bonfire. What a hassle.


----------



## cocobolo

Out of the original 3 poured footings, two will be used to support the tub. It's overkill, I know. The third one, which is narrow concrete blocks laid on their side, is on the far side. This gained me about a net of 10" of room between the tub and stairs.

The hole where the root came out was filled with dirt about 4 or 5 inches, then tamped hard. Then a layer of rock, again tamped hard. More dirt, more rock, more tamping.

I broke the handle off the tamper. I note that whoever cut the slit for the wedge cut it 90º away from where it should have been. After drilling out the old wood - well, actually, it's quite new, only had it a short while - I cut a slit in the handle _with_ the grain, instead of _across_ it. Then pounded the handle back in as hard as I could. Seems to be OK now.


----------



## cocobolo

Beyootiful day out here today!

Got the cribbing started yesterday and finished this morning. The top layer needs to be cut into a circle which will just fit inside the bottom of the hot tub from below.

I used a piece of wood as a trammel to draw the cut line.


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## cocobolo

And here it is nicely cut out using the jigsaw.


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## cocobolo

I had just coated the wood with preservative in that last pic, so that's why it looks a little dark.

Note that there is a nail way offset a long way from centre. I'm using another long trammel board, 9' 3" this time, to locate the deck blocks which will carry the back of the deck framing.

This will make the deck very asymmetrical, just to be different if nothing else.

Here the trammel board is resting on the last deck block.


----------



## cocobolo

The difference in the width of the deck as it goes around the back of the tub will be more obvious when it's in. But on this side, the deck is only about 5' wide.


----------



## cocobolo

After supper tonight I chainsawed up some 6 x 6's which will be the inner supports for the rear deck framing.

Yes, I know they look like a bunch of drunks, but they haven't been trimmed yet. Hopefully, they will be a little more upright when I'm done.


----------



## cocobolo

Those big, heavy 6 x 6's have been abandoned in favour of some cedar 4 x 4's. We won't get to see those until after the tub is together. So here goes.

This is the tub base just cut out. I have put slots for biscuits in between the boards. It isn't for any extra strength as such, because the boards are very strong. It is just to keep the boards nicely lined up while the staves are being installed.


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## cocobolo

Back outside now, the cribbing has all been covered with 15lb. roofing felt.


----------



## cocobolo

Here the base is being assembled in place.

I tipped the one board up so you can see the biscuits used for guidance.


----------



## cocobolo

And here we are with the base done.


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## cocobolo

The next thing that needs to be done is to put a chamfer around the edge of the base. The purpose of this is to have the staves exert quite a bit of pressure on the base as they are brought home tightly with the hoops.

This is the japanese marking gauge I use for such things. It has a knife edge, rather than a point, which leaves a nice crisp line.


----------



## cocobolo

You will also need a line marked on the outside edge of the base, so that when you start planing the edge down you have some idea where to stop.


----------



## cocobolo

I use a low angle block plane to chamfer the base. It's pretty important to take a few minutes and make sure the blade in your plane is really sharp for this job.

I use the water stones, and usually it is possible to get the edge of the blade very shiny. I tried to get a pic of this, but it didn't come out that well. But you can see that the blade is not dull, as they are when they come from the factory.


----------



## cocobolo

Prior to assembling the staves, it was necessary to shoot the inner posts (now 4 x 4) with the laser.

I find it very handy to use the laser again after the posts are cut, to check and see if the posts are correct.

If the beam barely catches the top of the post, then you're right on the money.


----------



## cocobolo

Once all the fooling around is done with the peripherals, you can move on to the staves themselves...finally!


----------



## cocobolo

I use a dead blow hammer - gently - to tap the staves into place. You set each stave quite firmly about half way into the notch, maybe a little more. Tap each stave up snugly to its' neighbour.

When the bottom hoop gets added, the pressure exerted when you wind up the bolts will very nearly close any gap completely.

A little over half way home here.


----------



## cocobolo

The hoops on this one are 3/8" steel rod.

The hoop connectors are welded up from steel tubing. This was the closest size they had at the plant to slide the hoops through. I would have liked them a little smaller, but in the end they seemed to work OK.


----------



## cocobolo

You need to pre-bend the hoops before they can be installed. It's easy enough to do. The trick is trying to get them just the right size.

With a 60" tub, I tried a 55" bending jig first. Way too loose.

Then 48", then 42" and finally 36" before the hoops would stay small enough. They are quite springy when you let go after having run them through the bending jig.


----------



## cocobolo

Once you have the hoops made (and have prayed to your favourite God that you have them _exactly_ the right length) it is time to get the first hoop on.

This is easier said than done, as it is a job that requires about 7 hands.

Each end of the hoops are threaded for about 1 1/2". Each hoop has two pieces of rod and two connectors. So, as you can see, there is a fair amount of take up room available.

You will need an assistant to push the first hoop firmly against the tub in order for you to be able to get that last nut and washer on. Once that is done, you've got it made. After that, the rest can be managed single handedly.

Here all the staves are up and the first hoop is in place. The worst is over!


----------



## cocobolo

The nails you see in the above photo are to keep the hoops in place until you get them snugged up a little.

Here we are all bolted together.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, time to get going on the deck framing. The posts are all old growth red cedar. They will last a good long time by themselves. But it never hurts to give them a little help, so they are treated on both ends and have a piece of 15lb roofing felt tacked on for good measure. 

Every little bit helps.


----------



## cocobolo

I started the framing on the back side of the tub. Here's the first bit up.


----------



## cocobolo

Same thing, only from the other side...


----------



## cocobolo

Once the beam sections were in place and the ends all cut to the correct angles, I added some boxing to the outside ends. Keeps it tidy and adds rigidity to the whole affair.

There's quite a bit more to be added as you will see.


----------



## cocobolo

Here the lower beam framing is done all the way around the tub.


----------



## cocobolo

The space right in front here will be where the steps get installed.


----------



## cocobolo

The first part of the framing is done...this view of the back end.


----------



## cocobolo

Prior to the joists being installed, I again used strips of 15lb roofing felt on top of the mini-beams. First they were treated with preservative, then the felt added.

This is to keep the water out and help prevent any rot. Of course, if you are afflicted with cubic money, you would just use pressure treated wood and not have to worry about such things.


----------



## jlhaslip

another fine set of pictures.

thanks.


----------



## Gladerunner

I just spent 4-1/2 hours reading all of this post from the beginning. To say the least it was pretty mesmerizing. Really made me feel guilty for spending 12 years completing my own bathroom, and thats the work I do. Hat's off to you. I have to ask, if it's not too personel. I really like to hear how you got to this point in life to be able to do what you do, and make it all work.


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## gma2rjc

This is awesome cocobolo! 

I have to tell you though. When you said you were building the stairway to go down to the hot tub, I was wondering how you were planning on getting the hot tub from the store on the mainland to your back yard. 

I thought, "Maybe they're having it delivered". 

It never crossed my mind that you'd be building it! 

This is so interesting to see the whole process. You're doing a great job. Thanks for the pics and updates.


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## jlhaslip

how did you figure out the joist/beam placement?
That isn't 'circular' and it seems to me that the 'joists' are not 'centred' on the tub?


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## cocobolo

Thanks everyone, let me try to answer you one at a time.

jlh, thanks again for the compliment.


----------



## cocobolo

just a guy said:


> I just spent 4-1/2 hours reading all of this post from the beginning. To say the least it was pretty mesmerizing. Really made me feel guilty for spending 12 years completing my own bathroom, and thats the work I do. Hat's off to you. I have to ask, if it's not too personel. I really like to hear how you got to this point in life to be able to do what you do, and make it all work.


Thank you. I can only hope that you got something out of it that was beneficial. Send me a pm and ask anything you like. I will reply.


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> This is awesome cocobolo!
> 
> I have to tell you though. When you said you were building the stairway to go down to the hot tub, I was wondering how you were planning on getting the hot tub from the store on the mainland to your back yard.
> 
> I thought, "Maybe they're having it delivered".
> 
> It never crossed my mind that you'd be building it!
> 
> This is so interesting to see the whole process. You're doing a great job. Thanks for the pics and updates.


 Awww, c'mon now. You, of all people, should know I wouldn't go to a store and _buy _a hot tub. I will admit that I looked online for cedar tubs, and I quickly discovered that they aren't exactly giving them away these days.

I'll be carrying on with the heating setup after I get the deck finished. And, there again, any kind of heater seems to be over the moon price wise. And of course...thank you.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> how did you figure out the joist/beam placement?
> That isn't 'circular' and it seems to me that the 'joists' are not 'centred' on the tub?


You're 100% correct again. Indeed the joists are not centred. I thought I had tried to explain what I was going to do there, but it probably got stuck somewhere in my mind...nothing unusual about that these days.

What I did was to pick a sort of random spot about one foot in from the south side of the tub. I know you don't know where south is, but in any event, what that had the effect of doing was to essentially shift the tub from the center of the deck and be offset by about 1 1/2 feet.

In reality, I needed to do all this on paper first, and I did pick a specific spot from which to draw the arc for the outside deck supports. In fact the tub was located first (as you know) and the deck was effectively offset. Six of one...half a dozen of the other.

Hopefully, it will become rather more clear when I cut the decking and get that on. All the boards will be tapered, and I expect I will need to make up some kind of jig to lay them out. The main reason for that being that it is unlikely that any two boards will be the same. Some of the short ones on the front side might be similar though, as they will use the real centre of the tub for layout.


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## cocobolo

A little more progress today...the joist framing is done. Kinda looks like a big spiderweb.


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## cocobolo

View from the front where most folks will see it from.


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## cocobolo

I hauled up some rough cedar boards from the mill this evening. Here's the pile I will be picking from for the decking.

Some of it is a good foot or more wide.


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## cocobolo

Today it was a trip over to town. So, not much done. I started about 7 am and got in a couple of hours before Heading across the water.

Nearly half the boards are cut and sitting in place. Nothing is nailed yet.


----------



## cocobolo

...and here is a gratuitous sunset shot that we had this evening.


----------



## jlhaslip

I need to spend some time looking at that sunset...

Almost as pretty as the one we had tonight, but without the water.

I need a camera to catch one to post here.

[edit]

By the way, how did you cut the tapers???

[/edit]


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I need to spend some time looking at that sunset...
> 
> Almost as pretty as the one we had tonight, but without the water.
> 
> I need a camera to catch one to post here.
> 
> [edit]
> 
> By the way, how did you cut the tapers???
> 
> [/edit]


It wasn't the best sunset we've ever had, but you gotta take what you get!

The tapers were done the hard way...or maybe it's the only way. Just used my $49 Ryobi electric hand saw. Worked just fine. And the whole lot were done using solar power, can't beat that! 

I have a couple of photos to d/l from the camera, so I'll be back in a bit with at least one of them.


----------



## cocobolo

Nearly didn't get the deck boards all cut out today. This afternoon the wind got up and it started to rain...grrr. Quickly put the tools inside and grabbed a coffee while I was stewing.

Fortunately, it didn't last long...more an annoyance than anything.

The process I used to determine the cut lines went something like this.

I would first measure the board length right on top of the framing,, then rough cut the board a bit long. Then I would lay the board in place and mark where I wanted the second side of the cut. Take it back to the work area, snap the line and cut.

Not difficult, just very time consuming. It wasn't something that you could just simply cut 20 boards at a time for. Be patient and do it one at a time.

You will see in these pics that neither the inside or outside edges are trimmed. I did get them done just as it was getting dark, but I figured I had better get a pic or two while it was still light enough to see OK. It was way too dark by the time I was done.

Next, I will run all the boards through the planer. Check to see that the tops of the joists are all on the same plane and fix any that aren't. Apply a coating of wood preservative, and finally nail the deck boards on.


----------



## cocobolo

Got a visit from my buddy at the other end of the island today. He had a brand new above ground swimming pool full of water for fire protection. Last week we had a major wind storm, and a big fir tree deposited itself somewhat unceremoniously right inside it. End of pool. 

However, now he has a filter, lines and pump which are of no use to him and he is very kindly going to donate them to the cause here. Pretty decent of him I would say.


----------



## cocobolo

I may take a trip round to a couple of the bays to see if I can find a big old curved log. If I can, I might use it to make the stringers for the steps down from the deck. If not, then it will have to be plain old bland steps like everyone else has.

Once the decking is nailed, I'll go onto the screen at the back of the deck. There are three designs I'm toying with, none of which will be particularly quick to install. C'est la vie!


----------



## Gladerunner

Still somewhat in awe of your dedication to your project. (guess that goes to show you what can get done when you take tv out of the equation). Just wondering, you obviously are a wood guy. your post don't touch to much on the mechanical's of the house. Is that something that you handled yourself? I'm a mechanical guy so i'm just a little curios.


----------



## scoggy

*WoW...Great work!*

Was just wondering if your 'neighbours' see you as a "magnate' for all the "big" money that will comme to you, and your .."castle' when you are finished..since you said earlier, you have planned to sell your .."enterprize"..and move on?
Syd:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

just a guy said:


> Still somewhat in awe of your dedication to your project. (guess that goes to show you what can get done when you take tv out of the equation). Just wondering, you obviously are a wood guy. your post don't touch to much on the mechanical's of the house. Is that something that you handled yourself? I'm a mechanical guy so i'm just a little curios.


Then here's a surprise for you.

I used to build race cars with my boys. Lots of fabricating, as you probably know. I think I was weaned on small block Chevy's!

But, yes, I'm a wood guy. Always have been, always will be.

I spent a good chunk of today welding on a Fisher wood stove. Pix later.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Was just wondering if your 'neighbours' see you as a "magnate' for all the "big" money that will comme to you, and your .."castle' when you are finished..since you said earlier, you have planned to sell your .."enterprize"..and move on?
> Syd:thumbsup:


Dunno Syd. Not too many people over here talk to us about property values. Mainly because sales are few and far between.

But yes, as soon as I'm done, I think we'll sell and get over to the island.


----------



## scoggy

*Your castle*

Just awesomw what you do, ..and then "I" read the post about how you had 'kids' ...and built 'cages' for..whatever, you are just simply ..'awesome', and I will just watch and learn...thank you for the posts!
Squid:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I guess part 1 of the heating system for the tub will be the woodstove. My buddy here bought this old Fisher from someone near Nanaimo. He was going to cut the bottom out and weld it on top of his other Fisher, for use as a big oven.

Since then, he has (unfortunately) decided to sell his place and move elsewhere. The stove was up for grabs, so I bought it from him.

I would rather have had a stove with the chimney exhaust on top, and most of the Fishers seem to have the outlet on the back.

Therefore I had to first remove the ring on the back of the stove, I used a zipwheel for this...then cut out an 8" circle in 1/4 plate and weld it into the hole.

Next thing was to cut out a 6" hole in the top and weld on a ring for the stovepipe to sit in. I made the 6" ring by cutting out a piece of the 8" ring and welding it back together.

I think I must have had some dirt in the welding tip, as I had a devil of a time getting enough heat to melt the 1/4 plate. But, it's done now.

And tonight's sunset thrown in for good measure.


----------



## cocobolo

Fairly nasty weather here today, so no outside work done.

So instead I started working on the deck boards, which I brought inside last night (thanks to the MRS for warning me about the incoming rain, and boy was she right).

I sanded the boards, top, bottom and edges, then used my little Kakuri plane to chamfer the edges - all 4.


----------



## cocobolo

I guess as long as you can read Japanese, you could understand what all that writing is about.

The plane makes two different sizes of chamfers. I prefer the smaller one. I suppose the bigger chamfer might be fine for 4 x 4's or bigger.

I put a pile of shavings on the board to show you how well it works.

And just as with Japanese saws, the plane is also intended to be used on the pull stroke.

Like anything else, it takes a little getting used to. But with practice, you will soon note that a pull stroke seems to be far more even. Push strokes with most planes seem to be hard at the beginning of the stroke, less so elsewhere.


----------



## cocobolo

The body of that plane is made from Japanese Oak. The two grooves in the bottom of the plane keep the blade cutting perfectly on the edge of your board. And, of course, the blade is that exquisite Japanese steel. They really have a knack for making fine edged tools.


----------



## tpolk

they make beautiful well made tools. I enjoy their backsaws and have a nice set of mortise chisels


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> they make beautiful well made tools. I enjoy their backsaws and have a nice set of mortise chisels


Mortise chisels is one thing I don't have from Japan. I have some Henry Taylor mortise chisels which seem to be pretty good.

There is a real difference in both the steel and the shape of the hand made Japanese chisels.

If you look at the back side of one, you will see the hollow which they always use. As you sharpen the chisel and it slowly wears away, the hollow disappears.

I have had the wide chisel for many, many years. It was probably at least 1/4" longer when it was new.


----------



## cocobolo

Today I finally finished running all the (71) deck boards through the planer. Then did the edge chamfers and sanded every board with the pad sander.

Once again, the weatherman is calling for unsatisfactory weather, so everything is under cover.

Here's the last board going through the planer.


----------



## cocobolo

Usually, when the weatherman is wrong we get upset. Today he was wrong and it was a great day. The predicted wind and rain didn't hit here until 8:30 or so this evening.

With all the deck boards prepared, I started nailing them in place permanently.

All the boards had previously been numbered. This was necessary as it would have been a nightmare to try and figure out where each one went. No two are the same.


----------



## cocobolo

The procedure went something like this.

The exact location of each board was marked by simply making a pencil line on the joists when the boards were in place.

Then the boards were taken up and set aside. As each board went down, the inside end and the edges were stained. Then the board was nailed down, then subsequently stained.

I did them in batches of several boards. This was as far as I got by lunch time.


----------



## cocobolo

And by the end of the very nice day I was this far.

Plus the face of the framing got stained.


----------



## cocobolo

Incidentally, no luck with finding a curved log for the stairs. My spies who regularly patrol around the island say there's zilch right now.

So there will be a set of stairs which will land on the round deck instead. It's the best I can come up with.


----------



## cocobolo

It was 50-50 with the rain today. I lost this one. Started on the deck boards this morning, but got run off by rain early this afternoon right after I had done some staining.

Looks like another coat will be in order tomorrow.


----------



## tpolk

looks like a mirror reflecting the cloudy sky


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> looks like a mirror reflecting the cloudy sky


You're right..it does, doesn't it.

Fact is, it was streaking caused by the afternoon rain. All fixed now though. The weather was great today. I'll be back in a bit after I get the latest photos downloaded.


----------



## cocobolo

Gorgeous day today, if a bit windy.

After the deck boards were done (you'll see in a sec) I started putting on the cedar uprights which will hold the screen. They are a full 2" by 3", and generally pretty nice wood.

They are being lag screwed on, 3/8" x 4" lags, and I countersunk the heads an inch or so into the boards.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I stood the boards about vertically against each post and gave the bottom lag screw a good whack. This kept the bottom of the board from moving. Then I held the level against the side of the board and whacked the top lag screw.

Now I had two marks which I could use to drill the holes for the lags.


----------



## cocobolo

Give the lags a good hit and the marks are easy to see.


----------



## cocobolo

Then drill the holes for the lags. I used a 7mm bit for this. If you had hardwood posts, you would probably need to use a larger bit.


----------



## cocobolo

Now the posts can be bolted on. I tightened the bottom one first, then made sure the board was plumb and tightened the upper one.


----------



## cocobolo

At this point the boards are plumb side to side, but not necessarily back to front. If the support posts - to which these boards are being bolted - are not plumb, and most of these were not, then you will need to start fudging somewhat.

I use wedges either at the top or bottom of the board to fix things. Here, it needed about 1/4" wedge at the bottom to bring things into line.


----------



## cocobolo

All the boards are bolted into place now.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that was done, I moved over to installing the stair treads so we can get up to the master bedroom deck.


----------



## cocobolo

Remember that awful protrusion that was at the end of the deck? Well, most of it is gone now. My buddy always referred to it as the diving board.


----------



## cocobolo

And now that things are getting cleaned up a little, here's a couple of shots from above.


----------



## cocobolo

And at long last the stairs are in. I did the staining last week when we had some decent days.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, another nice day. Unfortunately, I spent most of it inside routing the screen support cross pieces.

I have decided on a serpentine shaped screen at the back of the deck. So, one section will be concave, the next convex and so on.

I had the 2 x 4's precut to length for each section in advance. Then I needed to figure out what the radius of the cut would need to be. I wanted at least 1 1/2" of wood left in the thinnest part of the 2 x 4 after they were cut to shape.

A jig was made up to facilitate all the cutting. I guessed about 6' would be right, so I started with that. As it happened, it was just fine, so no changes needed to be made.

The router was bolted to a 6' long 1 x 2. The 1 x 2 was screwed to the bench top. Then, using the router itself as the guide, the jig was located so that the cuts would catch the ends of the 2 x 4's in the right spot.


----------



## cocobolo

In the pic above, the empty jig is screwed to the work surface. As you can see, it is much wider than a 2 x 4, but due to the fact that I need both concave and convex pieces, the jig is wide enough to accommodate both.

The 2 x 4 is placed as in this picture.


----------



## cocobolo

Then a spacer and two wedges are added. The wedges are long with a gentle taper and exert considerable pressure on the 2 x 4. We don't want it moving anywhere.


----------



## cocobolo

When the routing is done on a board, it looks like this.


----------



## cocobolo

About half the boards will be convex and the other half concave, thusly.


----------



## cocobolo

You may have noted in the above pic that the 2 x 4 was shifted to the opposite side of the jig. The inside width of the jig was worked out in advance so by simply using the opposite side would produce the concave cut, again in the right place.


----------



## cocobolo

Two things I can tell you about cutting with a router. It's noisy and it's dusty.

Use your earmuffs and a mask if sawdust bothers you.

I used a plunge router for the job. When cutting boards such as this it is best to take small bites at a time.

I started out with about a 1/4" deep cut. The first pass is made very slowly. If you try to pull an Indy 500 type cut, you'll mess up the board every time.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, you see that little gadget on the router that looks like a miniature set of steps...well, we use that to take the small bites in a controlled fashion. For those of you who may not have used a plunge router before, this is a very handy part of the machine.

When you make the first cut - at whatever depth you decide - in our case it was 1/4", you set the stop so that when it rests on the top "step" the bit will be 1/4" below the base.


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## cocobolo

As you turn the steps counter clockwise, you make a pass at each step. I didn't measure, but I would guess it is about 1/10th of an inch each time.


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## cocobolo

The 6th step was deep enough for my purpose, and the board is now cut slightly more than half way through.

The balance of the cut was done with the jigsaw. Using the pre cut groove as a guide makes this dead easy.


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## cocobolo

I just couldn't stop until I had at least some of the pieces installed. Sorry about it being dark...again...but some of us just don't know when to quit.

I'll get a better pic tomorrow.


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## tpolk

supprised you did'nt use a jig on a jigsaw


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> supprised you did'nt use a jig on a jigsaw


There's a good reason I didn't. Several, in fact.

Firstly, the wood is hemlock, and it isn't very dry yet. When it was being cut on the mill, it was a real bear to cut. So I knew it would be even worse to cut 1 1/2" thick wet hemlock with the jigsaw.

I use an excellent Bosch jigsaw with all the bells and whistles, but even so, this stuff is miserable to cut.

When you try to cut a curve with a jigsaw in this sort of wood, the bottom of the blade has a tendency to wander outward. You can partly avoid this by physically pushing outward as you cut. This aids in keeping the blade straight.

Even with all that, I wanted the curves to be identical, so that when the covering boards - siding if you will - was nailed on, everything would be in the same plane.

And technically, you wouldn't need a jig with a jigsaw, as they are made to cut around curves easily. Unless, of course, you were just kidding...


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## tpolk

I have used a jig with a jigsaw to cut multiple radius in the field, a little coarse but some sanding brought it in line


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## cocobolo

Now that you mention it, I recall doing something like that when we had to make a series of round forms using 3/4" plywood. It was easier to make a jig than it was to continually draw half circles all day long. We were doing bases for light standards in a mall parking lot.

More pics shortly...I did get some stuff done today before the rain hit.


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## cocobolo

I forgot to take a shot of the router jig before. Here it is screwed to the table top, and a close up of where I bolted it to the edge guide.

If you need to make small adjustments, the edge guide itself has several inches of travel you can make use of.


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## cocobolo

First thing this morning I had to put some dadoes on the boards for the screen. 


As soon as that was out of the way, I finished up on the backing boards for the screen, and added a batten as a guide for the line of the screen itself.

I really must do something about that delightful aluminum staircase!


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## cocobolo

At this point I had just treated all the 2 x 4's. This shot from the roof showed that I had missed the top two. Done now.


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## cocobolo

And now the main purpose that all this backing was done for...the screen itself.

Here are the first few boards run wild.


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## cocobolo

Using the batten as a guide, and the Japanese saw, the boards are trimmed.


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## cocobolo

This is the first section fully covered.

Looks like it is going to take a lot of boards to cover the whole thing.


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## cocobolo

Got about 3/4 the way through the second section when we had a very light shower.


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## cocobolo

The shape shows up better when you look at it like this.


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## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> And now the main purpose that all this backing was done for...the screen itself.
> 
> Here are the first few boards run wild.


Ah, I get it now! What a great design... :thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

The shower only lasted a few minutes, then stopped.

I got to 2 1/2 sections, and then it decided to get serious and rain.


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## cocobolo

Last two pics for the day. I hear the forecast isn't much good until at least Monday. Inside work coming up, I guess.


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## cocobolo

Itsdanf said:


> Ah, I get it now! What a great design... :thumbsup:


Thank you very much.

You know what they say...a picture is worth 1,000 words.


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## cocobolo

I'm sure it will be obvious to everyone, but those 2 x 3's will be trimmed as well.


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## tpolk

do you have to rip or chamfer the edges of the boards at the intersection of the two radii


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## cocobolo

No. The radius - at 6 feet - is large enough that the intersecting angle is very small.

Actually, the ends of each intersecting board are starting to turn back towards each other. I know it looks like a pretty sharp angle in the photo, but really it's not.

The boards are all dado'd on both edges anyway. So that in itself takes care of the angle.

Here, I just cut a few pieces to show you how easy it is to get around a corner. The angles here are sharper than the real thing.


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## tpolk

it looks like your boards are hitting the intersection perfectly each time without having to rip the last one. is it laid out like that?


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## cocobolo

Pure luck so far. But even if some of them are off, the angle is so light I don't think it will be a problem.


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> it looks like your boards are hitting the intersection perfectly each time without having to rip the last one. is it laid out like that?


In between rain showers today I used up the rest of the screen boards I have made. At the end of the last section, the board hit the intersection right on the money.

It really is a coincidence.


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## cocobolo

*Stair building 101*

The steps to the hot tub deck are very short. They only need to rise 34" from the lower deck. 

However, the two stringers will need to be different lengths in order for both of them to land on the deck satisfactorily.

After taking a couple of measurements last night - in the dark - I figured the short side would have four treads at a 10" run and the other side would be a 15" run. That would make the middle of the treads around 12 1/2", which will be a very gentle step.

Look at it like this. If you had a really big circular staircase, something like 18' across, and you put two straight stringers over four steps, well - that's what these steps will be like.

So, after I laid out the stringers and cut them to size, I discovered that the longer one didn't need to be so long. I changed the run to 14" per tread, and re-drew the lines. That's why you will see two sets of lines on the long stringer.

The moral of the story is don't be a dummy like me. Take your measurements in daylight!

With the stringers laid out, it was time to cut them out. Here's the simple jig I used.


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## cocobolo

That jig is nothing more than a piece of plywood cut out so that when the router is used inside, it will cut a groove just slightly over 1 1/2".

What you do is to measure the width of the base plate. This one is 4 5/16". I could have put the ruler the right way up for you, but what the heck...

I needed a groove just over 1 1/2" wide, and the bit is 1/2". That means that I needed the plywood cutout to be just over an inch wider than the router base.

Remember that the bit will be cutting a 1/2" swath, and you want to increase this by a little more than 1". Therefore the 1"+ wider theory.


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## cocobolo

Most router bases are round. I think all my other ones are, except for an accessory base which uses guides. That's a square one.

So, if your base is round, all you need to know is how big it is. 

The first thing you need to do when your jig is made is to do a test cut on a scrap board. I used the offcut from the long stringer.


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## cocobolo

Measure the actual size of the finished cut to make sure it is just what you need. This one came out at a trace under 1 9/16". Perfect for these stairs.

Incidentally, you probably all know this, but when you make the bottom cut on your stringers, you get a nice clean cut if you cut it away from the stringer...like this.


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## cocobolo

When you are using the jig, the router makes an awful mess. If you are not careful debris will pile up inside the jig and you may get an incomplete cut...like this.

See that little lip at the bottom? That's caused by debris inside the jig. It happens while you are doing the cut, so you need to either blow it out just before you get to the end of the cut, or clean it out afterwards and re-do the end. No big deal, but you do want _your_ stringers to be perfect.


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## cocobolo

...much better when it's cleaned out like this...


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## cocobolo

And here is a finished cut with the guide in place.

I used 3 clamps to attach the jig for each cut. Also used the step as with the curves for the screen boards.


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## cocobolo

The finished stringer looks like this...


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## cocobolo

And this is the short one...


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## cocobolo

Test fit for the short stringer in place.


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## cocobolo

...and now we'll add the long one.


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## cocobolo

Views from the side...something doesn't quite look right...but it's going to be OK.


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## cocobolo

This will be the top step...probably going to fill some of it in. I'll have to wait and see when the stairs are in.


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## cocobolo

Used up all the screen boards I have (60) and will need to make about that many more to finish up. Looks like more time on the mill.

Also trimmed the posts except for each end. Not quite sure what will happen there.


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## cocobolo

We got a repeat performance of yesterday's rain again today. First the light shower, then a break...then RAIN!

In fact, I grabbed the last two pics above as the rain was setting in.

But nevertheless, it quit after an hour or so. Stayed windy and cold, but I started to get the stair treads cut out anyway. I was going to try and take pics as I went, but it was getting too dark - again - and I was trying to get them at least rough cut before I had to quit. Made them all except for one piece.

More rain forecast tonight, so I've brought all the boards in. I'll get them sanded down, the ends painted with preservative ready for assembly tomorrow. Pretty good forecast for Sunday...let's hope!


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## tpolk

it's amazing to me how my mind thinks everything is really big and tall, then you leave a drill or skillsaw in the picture and my fading brain cells have a point of reference. like the pic with the saw near the spiral from the upper deck, thanks for that. i thank you, my head thanks you. beautiful stuff by the way.
I have been a carpenter since the early 70s and the man who I learned from believed in everything being plumb,level and square starting at the footing and that has always served me well. appears you are from the same school of thought


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## cocobolo

Thanks tp,

Yes, my first real mentor was an older gentleman named Henry Gall. He escaped from Hungary when the Russians invaded in '56. My first residential construction dates to the mid '60's, and when I moved to the Yukon, where I met Henry, he introduced me to my first commercial construction. This was in 1969.

I still remember the chaps name who we did the job for. Custom Boot & Saddlery for Jim Rittenhouse. Funny how some things never fade from one's memory.

I suppose it was one of those defining moments in life.

The sun is out this morning, so I will be getting some pics of how the stairs are going together. 

Back in a bit.


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## cocobolo

The first order of business today was to make sure all the cedar was done for the "triangle" at the top of the stairs.


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## cocobolo

Then I put the stringers in place permanently.

After that came the fitting of the stair treads.

Each step has two boards, mainly because the width of the treads on the outside was 14 3/4". Because they are tapered to fit the effect of the curve, no two boards have the same angle.

So starting at the top, I used the sliding t-bevel to get the angles on both sides for the first board. The angles are different on either side.


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## cocobolo

The angles were transferred to the first board, which was cut and test fitted.


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## cocobolo

As mentioned, no two boards are the same, even on the same tread. And here is the t-bevel sitting against the stringer to illustrate how much the change was.


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## cocobolo

I always prefer to pre-drill holes for the nails which will keep the treads from moving about. Rather than go through the hassle of trying to line up where the holes should be from the _outside_, I just drill the holes from the _inside_ like so.


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## cocobolo

And here they are! Stairs all fitted and stained.

Once the first coat of stain is good and dry, I will nail the treads in place (making sure that I have my weight on the tread I am nailing) - you knew about that, right?


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## cocobolo

...you just have to see them from the front and far side as well!


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## cocobolo

The radar pic shows rain all over the place here, but we're still dry!

I cut some more boards for the screen last night and got them nailed on this morning. Just a bit over 3' to go now...plus the door at the end.


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## shumakerscott

*Nails*



cocobolo said:


> The radar pic shows rain all over the place here, but we're still dry!
> 
> I cut some more boards for the screen last night and got them nailed on this morning. Just a bit over 3' to go now...plus the door at the end.


You keep mentioning "Nails" Why not screws or are you using super nails? I'm a screw type guy. They seem to work better for my applications. Great work so far:thumbup:. dorf dude...


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## cocobolo

Hi Shu:

These boards are only 5/8" thick by 2" wide. Galvanized nails have worked fine for me for 40 some years, so no reason to change now.

However, just to show that I'm an equal opportunity type guy, all the crosspieces are screwed on to the uprights with two 2 1/2" construction screws at each end.

Where nails are visible, I like to keep them as unobtrusive as possible. So these are galvanized casing nails.

Plus, the stringers are screwed into the face board from behind as well.


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## tpolk

why was the right stringer heel cut straight thru vs th left which you notched to fit the deck? is something being built under this?


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> why was the right stringer heel cut straight thru vs th left which you notched to fit the deck? is something being built under this?


I just knew someone would spot that and ask what was going on!

Actually, the right stringer is almost dead square to the lower deck, so it was easy to do.

I made the mistake of guesstimating the length of the left stringer - at night no less - and initially had it too long, by about 4".

As you know by now, I shortened the left stringer so that it would rest on the deck by about the same amount as the right one.

Anyway, when I was cutting the bottom of the left stringer, I thought, "what the heck" and just cut the entire bottom off. There is loads of meat there so strength is not an issue. Plus it is not seen from the front side, just from the house.

I think there will likely be some sort of planting going in there.

So, honestly, I really have no good reason - other than appearance - to have left the bottom on the right stringer.


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## tpolk

:thumbsup: just a wunderin


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> :thumbsup: just a wunderin


Hey, that's what this site is all about...just a wunderin!

Sometimes I don't have very good answers for what I do...


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## tpolk

the quality of your work speaks for itself, be well


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## cocobolo

Thanks tp. No work today, just got back from an all day trip to town. I'll be gluing up some more of the curved (not again!) posts for the narrow deck in front of the master bed room.


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## cocobolo

This morning I removed two more deck posts from their clamping confines.

Here they are all clamped up sitting in the sunshine.


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## tpolk

you should really look into doing a book with pics. went back thru your posts and the way you write and phrase is very entertaining and holds a persons interest. Makes one want to read more to see what fascinating thing is coming next. please make sure you take lots of pics even if not posted here.

I would bet money if a publisher read this thread and you said you wanted to put all this in a book you would pick up a backer. plus with todays technology anything on film could easily be digitized. i really hope you look into this, i for one would by a copy in a cedar log heartbeat. timothy


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## gma2rjc

I agree tpolk. It would make a wonderful book. 

Barb


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## cocobolo

Tim and Barb, you guys are far too kind.

...and speaking of cedar logs, I had this big, old, really ugly cedar log in the chute yesterday. I imagine it must have been in the ocean maybe 15 - 20 years.

Anyway, one end of it looked halfway decent, but it was far too big to bring up inside the lift. So I had to rip it lengthways, and ended up quartering it.

This morning I cut one of the two better pieces, thinking I would have enough to finish the screen.

I guess there must have been maybe 16 or 18 wide boards that came off the one piece. So I took them all up to the house. Half went up on the back deck, where I grab the boards from and run them through the tablesaw and planer. The other half I left on top of some 4 x 4's sitting on the ground. Naturally, I forgot about them.

So after processing all the boards on the deck I was absolutely _certain_ that I had more than enough for the screen.

Close, but no cigar...


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## cocobolo

I need just 3 more boards to finish up. Went around to the back of the house and what do I see...the rest of the boards!

I would have done the machining right away, except that we have a really nasty onshore south wester coming right at us. I don't think there is any doubt we will be wet very shortly.

This pic is of the last quarter of the old cedar log. I'll cut it up on the next good weather day. I told you it was ugly.

And maybe, I will make a few more screen boards from the others outside. I did just move them all to the saw table a few minutes ago.


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## cocobolo

These boards are from the first couple of chunks from this old log. Not much good for anything decent, but my neighbour needs a woodshed. He's had his property here for 43 years and has never built one!

I think I might surprise him with one before he gets out here this summer.


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## cocobolo

It's around noon Saturday...yep, we got the rain last night!

I glued up the final deck post this morning. Can't remember if I discussed this glue before, but it's an industrial replacement for those of us who have become sensitized to epoxy. But unlike epoxy, which cooks very quickly when it is in a batch and slowly after it is spread, this acts exactly opposite.

A mixed batch is good for at least 8 hours. Once it is spread onto the wood, you have not much more than 5-10 minutes to get things buttoned up. Depends on the temperature.

It is highly water resistant as long as it isn't actually put right underwater. It can be rained on all day long and it's fine. Here's the cool thing...it cleans up with water as long as you catch it quickly enough. Once it's set though, that's it.

The white glue is very thick before it is mixed up. It needs an acid catalyst which is mixed at a 20 to 1 ratio, the 20 is the glue.

I think I have had this stuff for a dozen years or more, so I can vouch for the shelf life being practically indefinite.


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## cocobolo

The best way I have found to get the proportions correct (20-1) is by weight. I use a gram scale for the purpose. You can zero the setting with the container in place. 

Then in goes the glue - I use 80 grams for most small glue-ups, more if I have a lot to do. That's almost the same as a standard 3 oz. epoxy mix.

Then add the 4 grams of acid. I have no idea what kind of acid this is.

Mix for at least two minutes, then use a brush to apply. It's clean and fairly quick this way. And no smell! Which means no V.O.C's.


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## cocobolo

At long last the screen is done as far as the door.

I'm going to try to make the door look as though it is just another part of the screen. Or at least make it so that it isn't obviously a door from a distance.

The shape will follow the existing serpentine curves. Today I cut out all the cross pieces. When I have the lower couple of sections of the wraparound stair wall covered, then I can mount something to hang the door from.


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## waterman1971

Thanks for making my day at work! How did you arrive at your username?


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## cocobolo

waterman1971 said:


> Thanks for making my day at work! How did you arrive at your username?


You're welcome! Only too glad to have been of service!:wink:

Many years ago I was looking for some kind of exotic hardwood to use as a trim on this large bar counter that I was building.

Purely by chance, I just happened to see an ad in our local buy and sell for some cocobolo and bocote. It turned out that the fellow who was importing these woods into Canada from Mexico had the only legal export licence to do so, at the time.

He pointed out to me that almost all the "shorts" that were for sale in north America were most likely smuggled out of Mexico in the trunks of cars.

Cocobolo grows in several central American countries, and these days it is grown for the specific purpose of being harvested. I believe it grows in Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and perhaps Brazil. 

I ended up buying several 7' long boards from this fellow, and I still have just one piece - maybe 4' long - remaining. I've had it for nearly 30 years!

I haven't been on the web very long, just over 2 years, and I thought that the name of my favourite wood might suffice as a username. So, that's how it came about.


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## waterman1971

The wood is widely used in the manufacture of duck calls. If I were to have ventured a guess, I would have thought you to be a duck hunter.


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## cocobolo

waterman1971 said:


> The wood is widely used in the manufacture of duck calls. If I were to have ventured a guess, I would have thought you to be a duck hunter.


I didn't know that...interesting. But then, I have never hunted a duck in my whole life!


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## waterman1971

Every day spent hunting duck is not subtracted from one's alloted number of days on earth. Sorry about the hijack.


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## cocobolo

waterman1971 said:


> Every day spent hunting duck is not subtracted from one's alloted number of days on earth. Sorry about the hijack.


...that's lovely...I wonder if there are other things that qualify as well..:laughing:


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## cocobolo

We had our predicted rain overnight, along with lots of wind. I see there are big chunks of Arbutus blossom stems all over the ground. That's one of the things the humming birds like here.

It looks like the tub is holding water. This is the rain we got last night.


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## cocobolo

We had a short sunny spell this morning. I started installing the blocking for the stairs to the top deck.

This is as far as I got before we got HAIL!


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## cocobolo

Better weather than expected today, just a couple of showers. But I managed to put a decent end cap on the screen...tried to make it look like it was just another board.

Then I made the door. The cross pieces were all cut at the same time as the screen pieces were, that way the curve is the same.

Here is the door frame all screwed (please take note Shu...screwed) together and hung off the stair wall.


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## cocobolo

After some digging around and making up a few new ones, I came up with just enough boards to finish the door.

Even my wife thinks it looks pretty close to being just a part of the screen.


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## cocobolo

Now I have about 300 lbs of woodstove to move up the stairs out back. Not the sort of thing I relish doing by myself. The Fisher has much thicker steel than the others we have here, by almost double. 

I'll try to remember to get a pic or two when that gets done. I am advised by the war department that we are going to town tomorrow, so it will be the next day.


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## waterman1971

Looking great as always! 
If i may ask you a question, how much time is spent just visualizing the plans for the next day? 
I like to complete the days work, and just sit around looking and thinking about what i can do next. 
Lots of times i change plans in midstream. Do you ever do the same?
Sorry for pestering you, I would be interested to look into the thought process of someone with such genius.


----------



## cocobolo

waterman1971 said:


> Looking great as always!
> If i may ask you a question, how much time is spent just visualizing the plans for the next day?
> I like to complete the days work, and just sit around looking and thinking about what i can do next.
> Lots of times i change plans in midstream. Do you ever do the same?
> Sorry for pestering you, I would be interested to look into the thought process of someone with such genius.


Oh boy, how do I answer something like that?

As a general rule, I actually like to draft things out quite completely. When I first started this house I had something like 60 pages of plans, much of which was detail drawings of each small item.

I do try not to change things once they are started, as this is often an unnecessary expense both in time and money.

However, I have been known to alter things in the past, and this hot tub/deck assembly is just one such case. I would like to think that this is a better solution than the original plan, as there is now plenty of room around the tub, which would have been quite limited before.

It has been exactly 50 years since I took the Mensa test now. So even from the age of 17 I understood that I should be able to learn anything I wanted. The result has been a too-large variety of interests, but in the end architecture and any kind of woodworking won out.

As far as visualizing the next days plans...I do that all the time. Usually at night when I am supposed to be sleeping. But I have this odd affliction where I need very little sleep, so I can plan - in my mind - just what I need to do next. It is usually at night when I come up with answers to any sticky little problems that might be presenting themselves.

And it's not pestering me at all. It just gives me a good excuse to try and explain things. So, please, pester away!:yes:


----------



## waterman1971

Funny you mentioned drafting, i have no less than 15 different drawings of my latest project. 

When I look at the detail of your construction methods, I cannot imagine how in the world you were able to put to paper the complexity of the all the elements in that structure. 

Hats off to you sir!!


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## cocobolo

Well, thanks again.

But there is a method to my madness.

If you break the whole thing down into tiny bites and consider each small part as its' own individual identity, it becomes a lot easier.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is trying to keep the entire design coherent. One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep a similarity in the materials and colour used throughout.

You will see that the screen behind the tub has vertical boards. Even though they are not the same size as the house, they fit in well.

I still have not decided whether the screen will be stained or varnished. While varnish would look great, it would mean an annual maintenance coat. I'm not sure whether the next owner would be up for that, as there is already quite a bit of varnished wood all over the house.


----------



## shumakerscott

*Type of screw?*

What type of screw and of what material? Curiosity has got the best of me :yes:. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

The door cross pieces were all screwed in using some stainless steel screws I had left over from an outdoor chair project which never got finished! So they should hold up OK.

Incidentally, stainless steel screws should always have access to oxygen, in order to remain "stainless". And that is stain less, not stain free.


----------



## cocobolo

I have just sent a "thank you" to alke 46 for reminding me that the end fascia on the woodshed never got done.

So late this afternoon I found a couple of pieces of cedar which were kind of so-so and turned them into the fascia.

Also needed to do the end 3 boards at the top to finish it off. Did that, took a quick couple of pics (it was getting a bit late) and realised there was no stain done.

Quickly did that and just managed the last pic before it was too dusky.


----------



## cocobolo

We didn't make it across to town yesterday...we were headed to the boat when the wind came up and the MRS chickened out. Can't say I blame her. We did make the trek today, and she just needed to go to the nursery for "a couple of tomato plants and maybe a few bedding plants".

I put that in quotes just so that you know what a couple, or a few means to her.

This was the second lift full of plants which we came back with. Over 150 plants in all! Good thing she didn't say a couple of dozen!!


----------



## cocobolo

It looks as though spring may have made its' arrival official. Terrific day today.

This morning I mixed up some boiled linseed oil and paint thinner 50/50 and put a coat on the top outside of the hot tub. Before I did that I gave it a good sanding, and smoothed the top out.

It makes quite a difference in the colour of the wood, and is supposed to help prevent the hoops from rusting too much. I will put a much thicker coat on tomorrow, more like 90/10.


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## cocobolo

Same thing, only now it is finished all the way around.


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## cocobolo

And the next job...which I have been deliberately avoiding...was to try and move the woodstove up the steps.

With a combination of a 1 ton chain hoist, a conglomeration of various and sundry ropes, some good, others not so much, and of course the usual cunning, we got underway thusly.


----------



## cocobolo

In case you are wondering why on earth I would need a 4' peavey sticking out of the wood stove, it was there to keep the dolly down. Without it, the dolly wanted to stand upright, which obviously would not have been a good thing.

This was the end of the first "lift". The chain hoist has a 10' capacity, but the best it could go at one shot was maybe between 7 and 8 feet. All the various slack had to go, then it would start to work.


----------



## cocobolo

You will see that these steps have quite a few curves. It didn't make it any too easy to keep the stove in line. At this point...I think it was the third lift, one of the wheels was almost completely off the step.


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## cocobolo

Two and a half hours after I started, the wood stove arrived at the top. And that's exactly where it's going to stay until tomorrow!

It will end up behind the screen set on 4 concrete blocks. I'm going to have to remove a section of fence between the neighbour and me to get the stove in place. There is also about a ton of old wood that needs to be cut up for firewood that is in the way right now.


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## shumakerscott

Good job Keith. :yes: Mechanical power might not be the fastest but you can work alone. I have moved many beams the same way. dorf dude...


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## tpolk

:thumbup::laughing: just had to have those curves


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> :thumbup::laughing: just had to have those curves


I see you guys are getting wise to me now.

Truthfully, when I put the steps in, I just sort of followed the lay of the land up the bank. And naturally I had to skirt that old fir tree.

Each of the steps is actually a mini deck, and sits on the step below. So far they've been OK, but each time I have had to drag a stove up there...:furious:


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## jlhaslip

quit using stoves...


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## cocobolo

That's the last one jl. Next time it'll have to come in by helicopter.

Not much to tell you about today. There was a leak in the skiff and the bilge pump was going off every 10 minutes. Drove the boat up on to the rocks at 5:45am and waited for the tide to go out. Found the leak quickly and fixed that. The boat floated off again around 3 this afternoon and now seems to be OK.

Did some staining on the woodshed - 3 sides now done - and ran out of stain. Put some more linseed on the hot tub, so that looks a bit better now.

And cut some wood up to make a set of thin lattice screens to go up against the glass in the windbreak by the middle deck. We had a little finch hit one of the panes today and it didn't make it. So we don't want to be seeing that happen again.

Also got the area behind the hot tub screen cleared out ready to receive the wood stove. I'll probably move that into place tomorrow. Need to do a quick sketch of what will be going there.


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## cocobolo

Ahhh...what a mess! Cleaned all this stuff out from behind the screen. By the end of the day I had it either all cut up for firewood, or cut into framing members for a woodshed I will be building for the neighbour.

Actually discovered some ground under all that!


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## cocobolo

Lots of work to do in the garden today. But we thought it was important to get some screens made for the birds so they wouldn't hit the glass any more.

This is what I came up with.


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## cocobolo

Looks like this from down below.


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## gma2rjc

They're absolutely beautiful! :thumbup:

FWIW: I was showing my mom some of this thread Saturday evening. She was amazed. Among other things, she said, "He should write a book!". That was without her seeing tpolk's suggestion in post #868.


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## cocobolo

I always seem to find myself thanking you over and over again, so "thank you!"...again!

I have a few pics of some of the flowers when they were right at their peak, and more are getting there every day. I'll post some of them just for you.


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## gma2rjc

Thank you! They're very pretty.

How did you make each of the screens identical to each other with perfect spacing?


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## drtbk4ever

gma2rjc said:


> They're absolutely beautiful! :thumbup:


Those are gorgeous. Simple, yet sophisticated. I love them.


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Thank you! They're very pretty.
> 
> How did you make each of the screens identical to each other with perfect spacing?


Simple little trick really.

What I did was to lay out the first one on the workbench and nail it together. I used the brad nailer for this. Then I drew pencil marks at each intersection of the 1/2" by 1/2" cedar strips right on the bench surface.

Then it was a simple matter of laying the succeeding strips on top of the marks and nailing. That's it.


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## cocobolo

OK, everybody knows I'm not the best at all this electronic gadgetry, but I just got a scanner a few days ago. Still haven't quite got it figured out, but when I do, you're likely going to be bombarded with some of the original pictures I took with the old film camera many years ago.

I was just looking through them, and of course they made me chuckle.

Amazing how quickly we change over a few years...


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## cocobolo

Promise not to laugh too hard if I have a few foul ups here.

Before we came over to Ruxton Island, the last thing I did was to build and modify a few boats for us.

This one is one of those nice easy rowing boats. 15' overall. The wife didn't like it, claiming it was too unstable.

I used it here for a few years and then gave it to a neighbours' son, but the neighbour pilfered it and still uses it to this day.


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## cocobolo

Hey hey hey, I'm pretty chuffed about that...it worked!

Let's see if this one does...it is the dinghy I made for her. She always loved this little boat, only 8' long. Except that now she is no longer physically able to get in and out of it, so I use it instead.


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## cocobolo

This one is a different kettle of fish all together.

Originally, it was a lifeboat on one of the B. C. Ferries. I understand that after 20 years, they are required to remove them from service and install new ones.

In any event, the chap I got this one from bought 3 of them at auction for $500 each, a real bargain. His intention was to turn them into little pocket cruisers, perhaps with a small diesel.

But as often happens...the best laid plans of mice and men and all that...

When he advertised them for sale, he still had all three in his yard and his wife wasn't quite so enthused any longer. I got my choice of the three - they were just an open lifeboat at this point remember - and had it trucked to our boatshed.

After several months and several thousand dollars, this is what emerged.

That funny looking thing on the roof is a crane. We needed it to load and unload our mooring weights that I made to bring over to the island. I had four of these concrete weights, each 400 lbs. The blue barrel was filled with water to counteract the weight of the concrete mooring.

I would hook the crane up to the weight, push the button on the electric winch and just lift the weight right up. Then push the crane around and drop the weight into the hull. Worked like a hot damn.

When we got to the island, the procedure was reversed and the weights put right where we wanted them. I tied tugboat hawsers to two weights and then added the float in between. This prevented too much swing on the mooring.


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## cocobolo

So now you see the crane straightened out and the weight ready to go into the hull. In order to lift the water barrel up and down so that the weight could be taken off the crane when the weight landed in the hull, I used the 1 ton chain hoist.


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## cocobolo

We loaded the boat with all manner of stuff, other than just the 1,600# of concrete weights.

The little boat was only 20' 6" long,and when the lift operator picked it up, his weight gauge indicated 8,000#. He said he'd never seen such weight in a short boat and was worried that it might be too much for the boat to handle.

But not to worry, she floated right on her lines and was no problem to drive.


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## cocobolo

The trip from the marina took us down the Fraser River, out the South Arm, across the Straits of Georgia, through Porlier Pass which divides Galiano and Valdez Islands and thence up to Ruxton. 

At about 6 knots, it's an all day affair.

We set the moorings right out of the boat, and then proceeded to offload everything else. That's what you might call a long day.


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## cocobolo

That little green mini-barge belonged to our friends John & Judy who have a cabin on the opposite side of the bay.

Later on, we went over to Ladysmith for more lumber. By this time I had removed the crane from the boat and set it up at the top of the bank. We would load the barge, take it around to the other side of the spit and offload with the crane.

Here my brave wife is tying boards to be hauled up.


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## cocobolo

This is the view she got while things were airborne.


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## cocobolo

Once the wood was up, I would swing the crane around and drop the wood on the bank. 

Even though it sounds like a lot of work (it was!) it was less than having to drag it from Herring Bay across the rocks up that way.


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## cocobolo

This was the crane on top of the bank. It looks like I am putting a wood ladder over the edge so we could get up and down.

There is a rock ledge just 14' down which is reasonably level. Sometimes we would offload the wood right on to the ledge, then bring it up with the crane later. It all depended on the tides and if the weather was behaving itself.


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## cocobolo

When we first got this lot, there was a very ramshackle frame here. I expect the previous owner had some idea that he would eventually build a small cabin. I believe the frame was 16' x 20'.

Since it was all but falling down on its' own, all I had to do was knock one of the 4 x 4's out of one corner and the whole lot was on the ground.

Oddly, the frame was built with the joists running lengthways. By the time we were here, the ends of the joists weren't in that great shape, but I was able to salvage 18' from each one.

That's the reason our cabin is 18' wide.


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## cocobolo

I'm going to ask you to forgive me for getting some of these old photos out of order.

This is an early shot of me sitting on one of the douglas firs which I felled when we first got here. The bigger ones were all about the same size, which is to say about 32" in diameter at chest height, and slightly over 100' tall.

In the background right behind the tree is the platform I built using some of the wood from the ramshackle frame which was here.

I used my Alaska mill to do the milling in those days! Never again!


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## cocobolo

Here is a shot of the Alaska mill in use.

Being a dyed-in-the-wool DIY'er from way back, I opted to build my own Alaska mill, rather than buying one. At least that way I could build it to fit the chainsaw I was using.

I started with an old Husky 2100 at first. Then when I blew that one up I got a shiny new Husky 394. Still have it and it still works great.

The Alaska mill I gave to one of my neighbours here who has some property up in the interior of B. C.

They had a lot of pine trees which got the pine beetle infestation, and he wanted to do something with some of the wood before it was too far gone. I think he was going to build some fences.


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## cocobolo

As much work as an Alaska mill is, it does have some advantages.

For one thing it is dirt cheap to build one.

Secondly, you can use it right where the log has fallen.

And thirdly, you can mill any log of unlimited length. That's something you cannot do on a typical backyard bandmill. You are limited to the track length.


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## tpolk

thats a young mans game there


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## flamtap

This is great! I can't wait to see the next updates each day! Thanks for taking the time to post!

flamtap


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> thats a young mans game there


You've sure got that right tp!

That is downright hard work, but if you're in reasonable shape and used to doing that sort of thing, it isn't so bad.

For me, those days are now over. Even using the sawmill...which does most of the hard work for you...it still takes a fair effort.


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## cocobolo

flamtap said:


> This is great! I can't wait to see the next updates each day! Thanks for taking the time to post!
> 
> flamtap


Thank you very much.

Now that I seem to have at least a hint of an idea how the scanner works I should be able to give you some insight as to what it was like when we first got here.

Originally, the place was nothing but a huge tangle of weeds and awful vines which would trip us up if we weren't careful. Looking back at some of those old photos I can hardly believe all the changes.

Both my wife and I have spent the last couple of days trying to clear up the neighbours' place. I nearly have his woodshed done...just a little one.


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## cocobolo

When we first got here, my wife was deathly afraid of any of the gas powered chainsaws. But she decided that she just had to try cutting down some of the small arbutus trees.

So, next thing you know, I have bought her this tiny electric chainsaw. She just loves this little thing and still uses it today.

Here she is playing lumberjill.


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## cocobolo

Many of the logs I milled with the Alaska mill were not off the property. Sometimes I would snag one from the ocean, bring it up on the beach at high tide, then cut it when the water receded.

I would then use the trusty old B & D super sawcat to do the ripping.


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## cocobolo

In the above pic you can see the Alaska mill behind the log. I don't seem to be able to find any other pics of it, except this one, otherwise I could show you how it was built.

I used some steel shelving stuff that I got from the re-cycler in about 1997. I also used some of it to build the crane you have seen here a few posts back.


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## cocobolo

You can actually get pretty decent wood using a chainsaw mill, it's just that it's a lot of work.

Here's one of the piles I have a shot of...I would guess it took all day to mill that. But the price was right.

Incidentally, that long log was one that I used to build the lift track with. It's 27' long and still in daily use.


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## cocobolo

Sorry for kind of jumping around so much, but it depends on what photos I find.

Here it looks like the first floor walls of the cabin are up.


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## cocobolo

Not a very good picture, but most of the second floor walls appear to be in place here.


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## cocobolo

Here's the home made trusses.


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## cocobolo

Looks like we are pretty well closed in here, with the roof on. This would have been early September of 1997.


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## cocobolo

I remember when we first started to build this place, we went over to Ladysmith in the Pelican and bought 100 studs for .99 cents apiece, plus the 2 x 8's for the upper floor joists.

The OSB came from the House of Pot up in Nanaimo and cost $4.78 for the 3/8" and $5.48 for the 7/16".

The windows were all re-cycled, and for the bigger windows, I just used some 34 x 76 sheets of tempered glass at $18 a pop. Framed the walls to fit the glass.


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## cocobolo

Looks like I omitted a few details about the above pic.

Let's start with the tugboat hawser which you see in the foreground. It is tied to a massive old Douglas fir which was leaning directly towards the neighbours' cabin. The tree was just off our property, but it had a pretty serious lean to it, and if it had gone over it would have been bye bye cabin.

The only way I could see of getting it down was to winch it directly backwards. Obviously this was a job for two people. By a stroke of good fortune, there was a faller doing some work for a good friend of ours across the bay, and I enlisted his aid to do the cutting, while I worked the winch. It took awhile to get the tree to start to move backwards, but eventually it did as it was told.

I was in the line of fire of the falling tree, but luckily, there was another huge fir very close to where I was winching from. I tucked myself in tight to the tree when the other guy came down.

Let me tell you, that was some experience. Lots of noise, big wind and mini earthquake when the tree hit the ground. No wonder fallers get killed if they get hit with one of those things. Talk about instant education.

The floor framing in front of the cabin is for the wife's studio. We decided to get something up to use as storage because we were forking out for a storage unit over in Ladysmith every month. The studio is still the storage room!

The extensions from each side of the cabin are a covered deck on the left and a generator shed (which you can't see), and a plastic covered greenhouse of sorts.

You probably spotted the wind generator, right? More about that in a second.


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## cocobolo

For awhile we tried to use a wind generator to assist with our electricity. Not a successful venture.

The first place I put it was up against the cabin, and as you can see I used the crane to hold it up. Might as well get some use out of it as its' crane days were over.

The wind genny was a Southwest Windpower 500 watt unit. Nice piece of equipment, but the best we ever got out of it was around 320 watts. When it was on the cabin, we very seldom got enough wind to do anything. Later I moved it out towards the bank on a crazy tower I built from logs. Not sure if there is a photo of that...haven't found one yet.

It got more wind there, but still not enough to be worthwhile.

I eventually sold the genny to a friend at the other end of the island. He lives right at the top of the hill and has a far better wind regime that we ever did. You really do need to make sure you have wind before you buy one of these things!:huh:


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## cocobolo

I may have mentioned the name Ted Long before in this thread, not quite sure.

But Ted, who billed himself as a Luddite, was a character and a half. He came to the island about 5 years before we did. He lived on an old sailboat in the bay by our place while he built his cabin. This little chore took him 3 years.

Funky, heck yes! Well built, not a chance! But somehow it managed to stay standing. He used such things as 3" saplings for floor joists.

He used to take seaweed from the beach up to his place and put it on the garden. To do this, he made himself a small wagon with wooden wheels! His garden was a real veggie producer while he was here.

When we first met him, it turned out that he came from a spot in England just 14 miles from where I was born. Small world.


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## scoggy

*Just like the "movies"*

Awhile back, my wife and I were watching a PBS series of an old "salt', up in Alaska, and how he built a cabin..etc. and your 'epic' is very similar except with a 'newer' tone. Hope you one day put 'it' all together in a volume, for others who want to learn and follow your lead! Just great to follow and watch!
Cheers
Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Take a good look at those doors on the front of Ted's cabin. Each one is made from a single piece of western red cedar.

It seems that in 1975 there were hurricane force winds that came into Herring Bay. Just beyond the head of the bay stood a massive cedar. The hurricane took it out, and apparently, for many years, the tree just lay across the pathway. 

The root is still there, on its' side. 

Ted, being the resourceful guy that he was, got a section of the tree cut out, and rived those two pieces of cedar you see in use as his front doors. He also made up some massive hinges to mount the doors with.

While he was about it, he made himself some really gorgeous shakes for the cabin as well.


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Awhile back, my wife and I were watching a PBS series of an old "salt', up in Alaska, and how he built a cabin..etc. and your 'epic' is very similar except with a 'newer' tone. Hope you one day put 'it' all together in a volume, for others who want to learn and follow your lead! Just great to follow and watch!
> Cheers
> Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


There's just one catch to that Syd. You have to be at least a little bit off the wall to do this sort of thing. Not too many people are interested in stepping off the world and doing something like this for themselves.

I can't say I haven't enjoyed the ride...it's just that it would be nice to reach the destination sometime soon. Hopefully by the end of this year.

Btw, when are you coming over to visit?


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## cocobolo

And this is the man himself.

He came to Canada by sailboat (the same one he lived on for 3 years in the bay here) from England by way of Hawaii. He thought it would be a good idea to go somewhere nice and warm first!

Since his passing, the federal government has acceded to our request to name the point off the north end of the island after him. It is now officially Long Point.

You have to be somebody pretty special to have a geographical location named after you. And Ted was certainly that.


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## cocobolo

This little table you see here is made from arbutus wood. The top was cut out of a log that was laying on the ground when we got here. No idea how long that may have been. It was done with the alaska mill.

But there's a little story that goes with it.

I was trying to find a thinner chain than the usual 3/8 which is on most, if not all, of the bigger saws.

I found an experimental bar and chain made by an outfit over in Langley. It made a thinner cut, and thus was easier to use.

However, the first chain broke after less than 5 minutes use. Hmmm...very odd.

So, I put the next one on...same thing. This was getting old really fast. I had one chain left. I tried babying it by cutting slower. Didn't work.

When I went back to the dealer he wasn't the least bit interested in helping me at all. So I went over to the manufacturer. They found that the tip had not been fastened properly to the end of the bar (dealer's fault) and they fixed it for me on the spot. Also re-hardened the bar and gave me another chain, as well as the pieces to fix my other chains.

It transpired that the loose tip was setting up a vicious vibration, sufficient to break the pins holding the chain together.

It's a problem I had never had before, nor have I had since.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's one of Ted sitting at the table. I wish the photo had been better.


----------



## cocobolo

Not sure when this was taken...likely around the early 2,000's. The plantings are starting to mature, and that didn't happen right away.


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## cocobolo

I would guess this was taken at the same time. It's the other end of the cabin. You can see the water tank I built. Strictly temporary, made of chainsawed fir of all things, and lined with about six layers of 6 mil poly.

I finally disassembled it late last year. And it was still holding water!


----------



## cocobolo

When we first started our solar system, we had only two panels. They were (still are) Uni Solar 64's. I made this little mount and put casters on the bottom so I could roll it around and face the sun.

You needed to be doing this every hour or so in order to get the most out of them. I can't tell you how many times we would forget all about them while we were busy doing something else.

They are on the floor of the future studio.


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## cocobolo

The studio is just a 16' square building with the corners knocked off. It isn't an octagon, even though it does have 8 sides. Early framing here.


----------



## cocobolo

...and this time with some rafters in place.


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## cocobolo

For years, the missus has complained about the squirrels cleaning out all her bird seed. She usually gets it either 20 lbs or sometimes 40 lbs at a time. I think it's a safe bet that the birds get maybe 5% of that. The rest goes to fatten the squirrels.

A couple of years ago, she was given a squirrel proof feeder. Works great. But she continued to fill the non squirrel proof feeder up as well!

Just this last week, she got herself another squirrel proof feeder - different from the first one.

The squirrels have been amusing us with their antics to try and figure out how to get into it. So far, the score is birds 1, squirrels 0. Pic later.


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## cocobolo

The wife made that little feeder. Yes, it has a chimney, but no fireplace. And yes, that is Frank Lloyd Wright style stained glass in both ends.

Nothing is too good for her feathered friends. She hasn't got around to putting in the wall to wall carpet yet...


----------



## cocobolo

The new feeder with Mr. and Mrs. American Goldfinch visiting.

It's interesting to note that even though the goldfinches are seen here every year, they have never been on any of the other feeders. They love this one.

So far we have also had Oregon Junco's, Mountain Chickadees, Pine Siskins and Nuthatches visit this feeder.


----------



## scoggy

*Your "doings'..and others*

You know, I would agree with you just to be polite, but after 35 years in Public Education, I observe, perhaps irrelevantly, that 'some' people, are tired of cell phones..etc..and are very quietly seeking an alternative lifestyle, and your path, would be 'absorbed' by them, not so much as a lecturn/teaching, mode but as "Ya know..I might be able to follow this path, learn, and enjoy life on a different plain!" Perhaps you don't know what a "diamond in the rough"..you are..but you are happy at what you do..and that is Nirvana! Continue the saga..it is such a wonderful chance to see, learn, and appreciate! And yes, I plan to come and 'find' you, some time next week..will give you 'heads up"..just seemingly soooo much to do here..which is prolly irrelavant to 90% of the world!
Cheers
Syd:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

I know just what you mean. Here we have had the best of intentions to get certain things done...and something else always seems to pop up to interfere.

Except for filling the neighbours' new woodshed, I think we are finished (for now) over there. The wife even got a coat of some old stain we had here on their woodshed.


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> Many of the logs I milled with the Alaska mill were not off the property. Sometimes I would snag one from the ocean, bring it up on the beach at high tide, then cut it when the water receded.
> 
> I would then use the trusty old B & D super sawcat to do the ripping.


those 8-1/4 super sawcats were the best saw ever made. between that and my Skil wormdrive i could cut anything and always see the blade. sad day when they phased the cat out


----------



## cocobolo

...isn't that just the truth.

I went through three armatures with that thing and it just kept on ticking. Finally, something right in the drive itself quit and I couldn't get the parts to repair it.

Now we are reduced to throw away saws made in who-knows-where.

Number one son gave me that saw as a fathers' day present so far back I can't even remember when it was. Cost him $250 at the time. Pretty rich for a kid in those days.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm thinking that the building inspector might have missed this one!

We sailed over to Valdez a few years back, and someone had created this masterpiece.

Turned out that our friends John and Gina were having a family reunion with relatives from all over the world and they put this together for use as the kitchen. Seriously, I'm not joking!

John ferried everyone back and forth along with all the food and camping gear and apparently they all had a great time.

DIY at its' finest!


----------



## cocobolo

Just found this pic of our friend Ted's boat "Salal".

She's anchored at the head of Herring Bay here. It was a bilge keeler, and Ted used to think it was hilarious when other sailboat owners would think they could come up to the head of the bay to anchor. Of course, they couldn't.

In case you didn't know, a bilge keeler has two keels and will sit upright on the bottom. Whereas the usual monohull would fall over...oh, dear!


----------



## cocobolo

The first set of batteries we had here were NiCads. 

The Skytrain, which runs all over the lower mainland area of Vancouver, uses these batteries in case of a power failure in the lines. They have enough energy to drive the train off the main track and onto a siding.

Periodically, they are replaced. And if you happen to have a friend who works in the maintenance department there...

Original cost of these things was nearly $56,000. Skytrain cleaned them up and sold them off at $25 for a set! The money went to charity.

If you can ever get your hands on the right chemistry, these batteries will last for decades. By the time I finally located what we needed we were into lead-acid batteries.

I do have the proper stuff now, so if you know anyone who wants several sets of these with chemistry for free, they're available.


----------



## cocobolo

Occasionally we will have the whole bay to ourselves.

And so here is a pic of two of our boats "Pelican" and "Ariki III" on an idyllic day with nary another boat in sight.


----------



## cocobolo

Several years ago we were quietly minding our own business when we heard the roar of the coast guard hovercraft nearby.

We couldn't believe it when it came right into the bay on the _inside _of our boats. If you haven't had the experience, I can tell you that the fine spray - which you cannot see in the photo - travels 50 yards or more.

And yes, we got dampened. We never did ask why they did this.

Too bad I didn't grab the camera in time to get the pic while it was right in front of us.


----------



## cocobolo

This is an old pic showing part of the studio on the left. 

That oddball thing attached to it is the outside summer shower. And of course the cabin is to the right.


----------



## cocobolo

Taken at the same time as the previous pic...this one shot looking east.

The shakes were all handsplit from blocks I cut from cedar driftwood. I bought a blade for a froe and used a chunk of stainless steel pipe for the handle. You need a good long handle so you can get lots of twisting effort when you are splitting shakes.

And ideally, you need a lead hammer to pound the froe with. That way you don't beat up the back of the blade. I never did make one of those.


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## cocobolo

Just looking at that last pic...and I see there was a sheet of OSB being used as the door. I'm totally embarrassed to admit that it's still there. We have had a stained glass door to put in for about the past 10 years.

Perhaps I should elevate that little chore higher on the "to do" list.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Every once in awhile wife number two lets her artistic side come out to play.

She made this to fit into the base of an old arbutus tree just outside the main house.

It says "Toad Hall" in case you can't quite read it.


----------



## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> Every once in awhile wife number two lets her artistic side come out to play.
> 
> She made this to fit into the base of an old arbutus tree just outside the main house.
> 
> It says "Toad Hall" in case you can't quite read it.


Ah ha! A younger version of post #21.......


----------



## scoggy

*Those Ni Cad Batterys*

You have piqued my curiosity about those NiCads. Why did you go 'away' from them? How many are there, and how did you charge them? I am looking at building my own solar power..so these are interesting? PM @ [email protected] you have time. Thanks
Syd


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> You have piqued my curiosity about those NiCads. Why did you go 'away' from them? How many are there, and how did you charge them? I am looking at building my own solar power..so these are interesting? PM @ [email protected] you have time. Thanks
> Syd


Done! I'm sure I will hear from you soon!


----------



## cocobolo

Dug through many more envelopes of photos today and found this pic of the old frame that was here. This is before I knocked it down.

Not much of a photo, but it's where we started from.


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## cocobolo

Many moons ago I constructed this cribbing so I could paint the bottom of the cabin cruiser right here. Didn't really see the point of driving it all the way to Nanaimo to the shipyard, have them haul it out, have some guy bottom paint it and be relieved of $500 for the privilege.

Just float it on at high tide, paint it at low tide and we're all done.


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## cocobolo

Way back when, I added a big roof overhang (7') off the west end of the house. Like most everything else around here, it was curved.

It's not there anymore, but if I remember rightly it was about a 4' 6" overhang at the ends and 7' in the middle. Great fun to build that one.

It got taken off as we were going to have a chimney go right through the middle from a future wood stove which was to be located in the centre of the living room wall.

For a short time the wood stove was there. We didn't like that and moved it to its' present location.

I suppose this pic got taken because it was covered with snow.


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## cocobolo

On second thought, that end overhang looks more like 3' 6", maybe even less.


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## cocobolo

January 8, 2005. This is not a date I am ever likely to forget.

We had this..what would you call it...light dusting of snow? OK, it was a real dumping. In the early afternoon, the temperature went way up into the low 40's. Dead calm and gorgeous sunshine.

For all intents and purposes a beautiful day.

Then within a 2 hour period, some 3,000 trees came down on the island. Many small ones, but hundreds of really big ones. Nothing was spared from the biggest firs to some massive arbutus.

19 cabins sustained some sort of damage, many seriously.

At the time, I was in charge of the roads here. It was my job to organize everyone I could get my hands on to clean the mess up. It took us 6 weeks to finish the job.


----------



## cocobolo

This is one of the many tress which fell. It came off the neighbours' property.

Not a particularly large tree, about 90'.

And you're going to have to take my word for this next part...it landed right on my wife's little 20' sailing proa. Matchsticks.

I spent 400 hours building that boat and gave it to her for a Christmas present several years earlier.


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## tpolk

so hard to get perspective sometimes. looks like a small tree maybe 10" diameter:no:


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## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> ...
> 
> Not a particularly large tree, about 90'.
> 
> ...


A mere sappling! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> so hard to get perspective sometimes. looks like a small tree maybe 10" diameter:no:


tp, I just went over and measured the tree. It is 31" at the base, and only 19" where it broke off.

There is a shard still standing which is maybe 9 or 10 feet high. Completely covered in dried sap which indicates it was badly shaken. No doubt, that's why it came down.


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## cocobolo

Itsdanf said:


> A mere sappling! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


...mornin' Dan, yes I think you are right.

Some of the firs here are still not what you could call a large tree even at 90 feet.

There is one property towards the south end of the island where the owner simply will not cut anything down. The canopy is around 80-90 feet in the air, and almost all the trees are barely 8" at the butt. And no branches to speak of until right at the top of the trees. His ground below is also barren due to the canopy cover.

We've all tried to explain it to him, but sometimes you know they just don't want to hear about it.


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## cocobolo

OK, here's the bad news for the day. The missus has found half a dozen old photo albums, and two of them have pics of the house in progress. No wonder I couldn't find any pics in the envelopes.

The majority are way out of any kind of order, but I have found about 60 or so which show a good part of the building process.

If it isn't going to bore you to tears, I will get a few up each day.

We've got some decent weather this morning (it won't last the day) so I have to get outside and get busy.


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## gma2rjc

> If it isn't going to bore you to tears, I will get a few up each day.


If it were 10 albums of pictures it wouldn't bore us. The more the better!


----------



## Shamus

:thumbsup:

There is a reason why so many of us check this thread every day. I second the vote for the pictorial story of how you arrived at where you are.


----------



## cocobolo

Once again thank you Barb & Shamus.

I will get busy and start getting the scanning done. Still not too good at this, but at least the mistakes are becoming fewer.

There seems to be no pictorial record that I can find as yet of the time between the cabin being done and all of a sudden the house is part way up.

Where the house sits, I took everything off right down to bedrock. Can't find anything on that. That little process took the better part of two years on and off. Any trees that were there had every trace of any roots removed as well. That's what really took the time.

I did find some pics of the wife's proa from my boat shop days. I'll show you those and one shot of her in the boat in happier times. Which is to say before it met its' demise!


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## cocobolo

Here is the main ama (hull) of the proa. It was 20' long. Made from 1/4" thick cedar strips epoxied and covered with 6 oz fabric. The entire boat, which would include the main ama, the aka's (crossbeams) the outer ama or you may call it the outrigger, the webbing, mast and sail only weighed 105 lbs. all up.


----------



## cocobolo

These are the aka's, or crossbeams. The whole shebang could be assembled in about 15 minutes. I also made three very lightweight folding "chairs" to put it on when we were bolting it together.

They don't look any too straight in this pic. While they were indeed curved (as I think you might be able to see in a later pic) it is the laminated light and dark cedar which is throwing the perspective off.


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## cocobolo

The proa could be paddled as well as sailed, and I made two of these very lightweight double paddles for the purpose.

When we were sailing, the paddles were conveniently placed on the webbing out of the way.


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## cocobolo

Here is "Haina" on the sand at Walker Hook on Saltspring Island, a local favourite c.o. beach.


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## cocobolo

And here is the gal for whom the proa was built enjoying a paddle.


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## cocobolo

Getting back to the house for a minute...that is why we're here isn't it?..this is the base of the original model of the house. Things were changed as time went on, but it's interesting to see the original concept.


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## cocobolo

Now that I look at it again, there really wasn't much difference between the original plan and what we ended up with.

That double circle in the middle was going to be a shallow pool which went part way inside the front curved wall. That never materialized, but the inner shape remained as the solarium, minus the inward projecting pool.

Other than that, I think the rest is right. The studio area, the front entry, the main floor, the breakfast nook area, kitchen etc. are unchanged.

This pic is of the model when it was new and sitting outside facing the proper direction. I was able to check and make sure that I had the roof overhangs correctly configured this way as the sun made its' journey across the sky by simply watching the shadows.


----------



## cocobolo

I just noticed all those rocks on the ground. We laid those out in the shape of the house so we would have some idea of the views we may end up with.


----------



## cocobolo

I know you have seen the log lift before...but this was taken when it was fairly new. What caught my eye was the fact that the low "walls" that held the track up are easily visible here. 

I guess over the years that there has been so much sawdust from the mill that the ground is now right up to the track itself.


----------



## cocobolo

Once again, going back to when we first arrived here, there used to be a wonderful old gentleman who had a tiny one room cabin across the bay from us. His mooring was this old dinghy you see here.

It had not seen any use for a number of years and washed up on the beach one day.

The Mrs decided that she would like to use it to grow herbs in, so it was brought up here and named "Herbie".

It has been producing herbs ever since.


----------



## cocobolo

A few more pics of the early cabin, then we'll get to the new house.

Here is a look at the cabin when the lattice over the entrance was all nice and new. The steps in front are - what else - curved!


----------



## cocobolo

Not many pics taken inside the cabin. But this one shows the door, which was made from one of the several door frames we got (brand new) made of nice cedar.

I had a piece of obscure tempered glass which I used as the insert, then cut out the shape of an arbutus tree from a sheet of plywood over that. The wife has since painted arbutus leaves and berries on the glass.

The original cabin had but one window in that wall. We decided it was too dark and found two other double pane units over at the hospital auxiliary store in Ladysmith for $5 each.

They just happened to be the right size to fit in between the studs.


----------



## cocobolo

I think I may have mentioned that we have the fridge/freezer outside in an enclosure on the north side of the house.

This is the door I built to keep it out of the weather. It's still in good shape after all these years.


----------



## cocobolo

About 10 years ago - give or take - we had this incredible north west wind which came up one evening and blew relentlessly all night long.

In conjunction with an extremely high tide, it managed to find every log between here and Dodd Narrows and deposit them into Herring Bay.

It was a belated Christmas present for us. Something like 750 logs in here and the smaller bay right in front of our place. I managed to get about 150 of the best ones and turned them into lumber. The bay didn't get cleaned out of logs for nearly a month after this.

Nobody I spoke with had ever seen this before and it certainly hasn't happened since. Somebody must have been looking over my shoulder!


----------



## cocobolo

Most houses you would be inclined to do the house first, then add the bits and pieces afterwards.

As you know, the studio went up first to be used as a storage room, then the next part was the front entrance, which is its' own little room.

Here it is in frame. The back walls are curved on a 10' radius.


----------



## cocobolo

This much later shot has the entrance roof shingled and considerable framing done on the main floor of the house. There seems to be nothing in between. I'll have to keep looking.


----------



## cocobolo

I also note that the small curved entrance deck is in place as well.

To the left in this pic you can see what is the base for the crazy log tower.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is the rest of the tower with four solar panels and the wind generator.

There was some improvement in performance of the wind genny here, but it was still too protected from the wind to be really useful.

The four solar panels were bolted onto a 10' long steel frame which pivoted up and down and side to side. This was done with ropes. Very simple and effective. When the wind got up, and at night, I would turn the panels to a horizontal position to eliminate almost all of the wind drag.

Now that our solar array is on the roof, the panel mount is being used by some friends on the other side of the island.


----------



## cocobolo

It appears that the truss joists are installed at this point. This is taken from about where the new hot tub deck is now.


----------



## cocobolo

Most likely taken at the same time as the previous shot. This one shows off the curve of the framing much better.

When I was investigating the building of these joists, it seemed that the strongest and safest way for me to build them was to use the double web and 2 1/2" wide lumber with construction glue and many nails.

They have done the job admirably.


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## cocobolo

Looks like I must have been on a ladder for this shot.

The front joists above the solarium form both the inside floor and outside deck. The wall in front was framed on top once the sheathing was in place.

There is a double layer of 1x for the sub floor. We have succumbed to the new laminated flooring, and now have 900 square feet of it to install upstairs.


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## cocobolo

At least the weather was good for this one.

The joists have been secured to each other with the sheathing. They have since been covered with the same siding as the house.


----------



## tigerbalm2424

cocobolo said:


> January 8, 2005. This is not a date I am ever likely to forget.
> 
> We had this..what would you call it...light dusting of snow? OK, it was a real dumping. In the early afternoon, the temperature went way up into the low 40's. Dead calm and gorgeous sunshine.
> 
> For all intents and purposes a beautiful day.
> 
> Then within a 2 hour period, some 3,000 trees came down on the island. Many small ones, but hundreds of really big ones. Nothing was spared from the biggest firs to some massive arbutus.
> 
> 19 cabins sustained some sort of damage, many seriously.
> 
> At the time, I was in charge of the roads here. It was my job to organize everyone I could get my hands on to clean the mess up. It took us 6 weeks to finish the job.


Getting caught up on reading a bunch of the recent posts. You wouldnt happen to have a larger version of this picture would you? Would love to use it as a wallpaper for my PC.


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## tpolk

the wall with random shake pattern is something i have been thinking of doing here on my house. leaks? method of construction? or just make sure every lap sheds water. how thick are the butts on those? thanks timothy


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## cocobolo

tigerbalm2424 said:


> Getting caught up on reading a bunch of the recent posts. You wouldnt happen to have a larger version of this picture would you? Would love to use it as a wallpaper for my PC.


About the only thing I can think of is to send you a version by email. I know when these pics appear on this site that we are limited to 100 kb.

I didn't check, but I suspect that the original (as scanned) is likely well over 1 meg. Send me a pm with your email address and I will email you the picture.


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> the wall with random shake pattern is something i have been thinking of doing here on my house. leaks? method of construction? or just make sure every lap sheds water. how thick are the butts on those? thanks timothy


Hi Timothy:

No leaks. I always put a layer of 15lb roofing felt on the wall first, not that thin tarpaper.

The shakes are between maybe 5/8" to 7/8" at the butt. 

The normal method of shaking a wall, or roof for that matter, is to make sure that you have _not less than_ 3/4" coverage over the side of any preceding shake. I prefer to use more than that.

When you are applying the shingles to the wall, also be certain to have a minimum of 2" coverage over any spaces between shingles beneath the ones you are applying.

Tell you what, I think I may have a few old shakes around somewhere, I'll see if I can lay a few out on a board or something and show you in pictures. My explanations always seem to fall a little short.

Oh, and a minimum of 4" overlap on the roofing felt as well.


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## cocobolo

Hi Timothy:
This set of pics is for you...and I guess anyone else who may be interested...

I didn't have enough of the handsplit shakes to show what I mean, but I do have a few bundles of B grade sawn shingles, so they will have to do.

First row, just apply a row of shingles in a straight line...


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## cocobolo

These are just laying on one of the decks, it was the tidiest spot I could find!

Second row overlaps at the bottom by 1/2" or so, and make sure none are closer than 3/4" to any other edge in the first row. These are all at least 1"+.


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## cocobolo

Third row...this is where you start the random pattern.


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## cocobolo

Fourth row, same thing, just remember to keep that 3/4" minimum coverage.


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## cocobolo

Fifth row, same thing again.

Note that with random patterns, that your exposure is less than when you do straight rows of shingles. I expect with these low grade shingles the average exposure may be 5" give or take.

If you were doing all straight rows, the exposure would be just under 1/3 of the shingle length.

So, if the shingles were 22" long, about what these are, you could go up to about 7" exposure.


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## tpolk

the wall that is not layed in regular horizontal runs but looks random, the one on second story. that wall to me would not allow rows of paper but just an initial wall covering. or am i extra dense tonite


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## cocobolo

Sixth row, another boring repeat...


----------



## cocobolo

Seventh and (thankfully) the final row, I have deliberately shown the last shingle on the right too close to the one below. The space is inadequate. You wouldn't want to do that.

However, having said that, because the rows are closer than most, you may not get any leakage due to the extra rows below. Still and all, I would not take the chance. On a wall, it is extremely unlikely that you will ever have a leak anyway.

Please also note that I laid from left to right, and most of the right hand ends are much too close. It is assumed that these rows would be much longer and you would be sure that you have the proper overlap on every shingle.

If I have failed to explain anything...


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## tpolk

thank you that was perfect, and you gettin quik with camera and computer


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> the wall that is not layed in regular horizontal runs but looks random, the one on second story. that wall to me would not allow rows of paper but just an initial wall covering. or am i extra dense tonite


Do you mean laying a row of paper between the rows of shingles themselves?

All the walls here just have the initial wall covering as you suggest. That's all you need.

In other words, I cover the whole wall with 15 lb roofing felt first, then shake away the day.


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## cocobolo

Here is the froe I used to split the shakes...now many years ago.

The blade is about 13" long and the handle about 36". Originally, I had a wood handle, which I believe to be traditional.

Some of the cedar shake blocks I had were pretty big, and I went through several wood handles trying to break the shakes out.

Finally, I tried this piece of stainless steel pipe. It just happened to be a good snug fit into the head of the froe. In fact, I had to pound the dickens out of it to get it to seat all the way. The evidence is still there.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> thank you that was perfect, and you gettin quik with camera and computer


Camera's I have been around awhile...computer's not so much.


----------



## tpolk

i envy you your materials even knowing how hard they are to come by. every piece of wood in your pictures is exquisite be it 2x or shakes. I bet your house smells great:yes:


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## cocobolo

No need to be envious Tim. All you have to do is to think of all the different kinds of wood in your area...you know, the ones I can't get!


----------



## cocobolo

Once again, I apologize for the house pics being in no particular order. Maybe I will take all the pics out of the albums and see if I can get some semblance of order to them...that's only a thought. I still may not be able to figure them all out.

Regardless of that, this is a shot looking up the back steps to the kitchen door entrance. Some of the first floor framing is in place, but since there are no dates on any of these pictures, I don't remember when it was.


----------



## cocobolo

The only reason I picked this one next is because it is in the same area, just later on.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm going to guess this was taken the same day as the last pic. The stairwell, which is that round tower, was framed with random (but fairly long) 2 x 6's on one foot centres.

I don't know if we will see any of the connections to succeeding 2 x 6's, but what I did was to attach one right on top of the other, with typically about a 4' scab on one, or sometimes both sides.

The outside sheathing is two layers of 3/8" wood. Sometimes yellow cedar, sometimes fir. I don't think anything else found its' way on there.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is looking across the living room/kitchen area out toward the breakfast nook.

The beam you see there is a 4 x 2 x 12 and is intended to be one of three such beams whose purpose is to keep the master bedroom from falling into the basement. It's working so far...and I have had some horrendous weights upstairs from time to time.

I have stored several tons of wood at a time up there in order to dry it out.


----------



## cocobolo

Can't recall if I told you about the post holding that beam up or not.

We were sitting yakking on the back deck one afternoon with a friend from the other side of the island.

She asked what was that big log way over on the far side of the bay.

Of course, I didn't know...since it must have just floated in. I took a peek with the binoculars, and as it was end on to us all I could see was half a log sticking up out of the water. But it was a pretty fair size, so I thought I should investigate.

Hopped in the rowboat with a log dog and hammer and off I went.

It turned out to be a 27" x 24' long Sitka Spruce, almost certainly a first growth tree, somewhat over 300 years old. Lovely tight grain and straight as an arrow...typical old growth Sitka traits.

It was a long, hard row back with that log in tow, but eventually I made it.

All the main floor posts are from this log, as well as much other wood, all of it gorgeous.


----------



## cocobolo

I should have done this one first...there is no beam up yet.

I kept a bucket on top of the posts in order to make sure no rain got at the end grain. Then when the beams were up I tried to keep them tarped if it was going to get wet.

The low pony wall in front is what delineates the solarium.

I'm hoping those weeds in front are growing _outside_ the house.


----------



## cocobolo

Now part of the front wall appears to be in frame. And there's the tarp on the beam.


----------



## cocobolo

It appears that the first flight of stairs was in, enabling me to take a pic looking down on the front wall.


----------



## cocobolo

The solarium area. Because the land (read bedrock here) slopes up somewhat, the stepped concrete footing starts protruding above the floor area.

It may be worth noting that the design called for the triple 2 x 6 studs, which were used as the window dividers, to follow in a single line right up to the roof. This way, the weight transfer is excellent right from the roof down.


----------



## cocobolo

Here the bottom stairs are framed up. The inside circle of 2x lumber provides support for each tread as it goes up.

This must have been an earlier pic, as there is no sheathing on the outside of the stairwell.


----------



## cocobolo

The foreground in this shot is the kitchen area. You do believe me...don't you?

Off to the left, I was trying to be clever with that triangle and make a window insert there. Wife number 2 decided that it didn't let enough light in, and she was right.

Immediately outside and above that section the guest bedroom went in, thus making quite a bit of shade.

There is a curved top window there now, similar to what is alongside the front door.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus and I filled the neighbours' new woodshed today, and I got some roofing felt on the lid.

Once that was out of the way, I was instructed to do something in the shower...or else.

First thing was I stuck my finger in the hole where the shower head will go and I wasn't quite sure if the pipe would thread in nicely or not. It looked as though it may interfere on the right side of the hole.

Therefore, I needed to make a bigger hole over the one already there, but offset it to the right.

I know I have showed you this before, but it proves how often I am able to mess up.

I made up the requisite guide board with a 1 1/2" hole drilled with the forstner bit in the drill press. Then screwed that board - a nice piece of 3/4" teak plywood no less - where I needed to shift the original hole to.

After nearly breaking my wrist by hitting the trigger full speed on my 1/2" drill, I decided it was _far better_ not to be so damn macho. Slow and steady works every time.


----------



## cocobolo

There won't be any problem now, lots of room.


----------



## cocobolo

All I can say is it's a good thing I don't direct traffic for a living!


----------



## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> All I can say is it's a good thing I don't direct traffic for a living!


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

just a guy said:


> Still somewhat in awe of your dedication to your project. (guess that goes to show you what can get done when you take tv out of the equation). Just wondering, you obviously are a wood guy. your post don't touch to much on the mechanical's of the house. Is that something that you handled yourself? I'm a mechanical guy so i'm just a little curios.


This doesn't have anything to do with the mechanical stuff in the house, but it shows that I'm not a total dud at things mechanical.

I just found a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles in Victoria wherein they were returning my photo of a car I built way back when. I was going through the licensing process at the time.

The mufflers look awful, and the headers aren't much better. They were changed later on when I had the time to make a fully tuned set. A guy showed up at the house one day asking if he could buy these headers off me for his dune buggy, of all things!

He was running a 455 buick engine, similar to this one. So I figured, what the heck, now I can buy all the materials for a better set and we were both happy.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is the neighbour's new, but old looking, woodshed.

We will fill the left side with kindling from all the cedar offcuts I get around here.


----------



## gma2rjc

Well that was very thoughtful of you and your wife to build and fill that for your neighbor! And, it looks like it'll hold-up longer than the surveyor's cabin 1,036 posts back (post #10) lol.


----------



## scoggy

*SORRY..But that "T' roadster..you built that also?*

My eyes froze on that '25 "T" roadster with the Buick "nailhead" v/8! Was that just a demo photo to show headers..or did you build that to! "Fading into the 'shadows'..rapidly! Wow..I love this site!!!
Syd


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> My eyes froze on that '25 "T" roadster with the Buick "nailhead" v/8! Was that just a demo photo to show headers..or did you build that to! "Fading into the 'shadows'..rapidly! Wow..I love this site!!!
> Syd


From the ground up Syd. The bucket part of the body is actually a '22 T, although most of them are '23's...not that there's any difference to speak of.
The pickup bed I don't remember where that came from, but number 1 son did the 'glassing on that. 

The frame I built from steel channel and boxed it in with 1/8" plate. The rear end was out of a buick station wagon with 3.42 gears. Lots of top end but terrible out of the hole. Transmission (turbo 400) and engine (dead stock 455) were picked up from a friend of mine for peanuts, $100 I think.

The drive shaft was 11" centre to centre on the bearings. Steering was Honda rack & pinion.

I made an independent front end before the days you could buy those things for the rods. The best two front suspensions of the day were Mercedes and Chevy Monte Carlo of all things. So I used the geometry from the Monte to build my own.

Custom made brass radiator, full set of classic gauges from the Old Car Centre in Langley.

I did play with the engine a bit. Put in a hot cam and good lifters, Gotha adjustable rocker arms, big carb - off a '64 Vette I think - had to bore out the manifold so it would fit.

The kicker was the NOS system. Get about 50' out of the hole and hit the button! Hang on pal, we're goin' for a ride!

Took it up to Ashcroft a couple of times. Didn't have any slicks the first time round, but picked up a set of 14 inchers next time. Couldn't get out of the hole for love nor money but we still managed to get a 122/11.47 in the quarter. Pretty good for a street car in those days. Wish I had tried some 4.33's or 4.56's in the back. We'd have been in the 10's for sure.


----------



## scoggy

*Wow!!!*

WOW, You are just....GREAT..I have a '38 chev IN THE Grarage, 90% done, but can't seem to get done, have built "BIG" small block, done BIG tranny, but can't seem to get finished! Am 'running' away soon....but wish I could see the .."coupe"..done! Sorry..off topic..I apologizre!
SYD


cocobolo said:


> From the ground up Syd. The bucket part of the body is actually a '22 T, although most of them are '23's...not that there's any difference to speak of.
> The pickup bed I don't remember where that came from, but number 1 son did the 'glassing on that.
> 
> The frame I built from steel channel and boxed it in with 1/8" plate. The rear end was out of a buick station wagon with 3.42 gears. Lots of top end but terrible out of the hole. Transmission (turbo 400) and engine (dead stock 455) were picked up from a friend of mine for peanuts, $100 I think.
> 
> The drive shaft was 11" centre to centre on the bearings. Steering was Honda rack & pinion.
> 
> I made an independent front end before the days you could buy those things for the rods. The best two front suspensions of the day were Mercedes and Chevy Monte Carlo of all things. So I used the geometry from the Monte to build my own.
> 
> Custom made brass radiator, full set of classic gauges from the Old Car Centre in Langley.
> 
> I did play with the engine a bit. Put in a hot cam and good lifters, Gotha adjustable rocker arms, big carb - off a '64 Vette I think - had to bore out the manifold so it would fit.
> 
> The kicker was the NOS system. Get about 50' out of the hole and hit the button! Hang on pal, we're goin' for a ride!
> 
> Took it up to Ashcroft a couple of times. Didn't have any slicks the first time round, but picked up a set of 14 inchers next time. Couldn't get out of the hole for love nor money but we still managed to get a 122/11.47 in the quarter. Pretty good for a street car in those days. Wish I had tried some 4.33's or 4.56's in the back. We'd have been in the 10's for sure.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> WOW, You are just....GREAT..I have a '38 chev IN THE Grarage, 90% done, but can't seem to get done, have built "BIG" small block, done BIG tranny, but can't seem to get finished! Am 'running' away soon....but wish I could see the .."coupe"..done! Sorry..off topic..I apologizre!
> SYD


I just knew there had to be a common thread between us somewhere.

I was _weaned_ on small block Chevy's! Have no idea how many I have built over the years. Did a few in my stock car days up in the Yukon.

So how big is the SBC. 400 +? They will go out to 454 bored and stroked. Bit thin on the walls though.

This one I have to come and see!


----------



## cocobolo

Remember Ted Long? He used to visit us all the time and I would always offer him a caramilk bar. His reply was always the same...Well, I really shouldn't...but since you insist...

Anyway, in Ted's memory I built this little deck out the front (it's on public property so anyone is welcome to use it).

We call it Longview.

Most of the boards are upside down here getting stained on the back side. All yellow cedar, and they have held up well in this environment.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Well that was very thoughtful of you and your wife to build and fill that for your neighbor! And, it looks like it'll hold-up longer than the surveyor's cabin 1,036 posts back (post #10) lol.


Barb:

Our neighbour hails from Ohio, and until a couple of years ago he played tuba for the Cincinatti Philharmonic Orchestra.

I didn't have any sympathy for him when he got out here every summer and his firewood was all wet. But now he has the big "C" and he was looking pretty gaunt on his last visit.

We would like to make it as comfortable and easy as possible for him this year. It may be his last visit.

I'll tell you all about the surveyor's cabin in the next post...coming right up.


----------



## cocobolo

The surveyor's cabin, pic in post 10 (thank you Barb) was built by a chap named Mason in about the mid sixties. He was given this lot as part of his pay package after the first part of the island survey was done.

Once most of the lots at the north end were sold, the developer had him come back and do the survey work for the south end.

The original cabin didn't come with the falling down option, that was built - if you can call it that - by a chap across the bay (I guess he had better remain nameless) who likes to think he is a boatbuilder. OK, if you say so...

The alleged "boatbuilder" has a cabin which isn't much better...it's falling down as well.

So he has just built himself a second cabin. A couple of years back we were over there visiting, and his wife said he should show me the "plans" for the new cabin.

Whereupon he produced a napkin - I promise I'm not even kidding a little bit - with a handful of illegible scribblings on it.

So I said, Oh, come on, where are the real drawings? 

Oops, apparently that was it.

So when he built this "new" place, he forgot to allow for any kind of headers over the doors or windows. Actually didn't have the room anyway, as the ceiling height is less than 7 feet!

I'll give him one thing though, at least his buildings go up quickly...too bad they come down nearly as fast!


----------



## cocobolo

One of the more difficult things to move over to the island is large sheets of glass. Like the 34 x 76 tempered sheets for example. We have _many_ of those in the house and cabin.

I built this glass carrier to make the chore a little easier (in fact I made 2 of them).

One I had on an old boat trailer we had at the time. So we would load a bunch of sheets from the store, drive down to the marina and move the sheets on to the boat on the other carrier.

It worked very well.


----------



## cocobolo

If there's one thing my wife doesn't mind doing, it's painting, staining or varnishing. I'm very thankful for that, as I would much rather be making something instead of doing that.

This is our first woodshed, likely about 13 years back.


----------



## cocobolo

This is what we call the back of the house. It faces out to the bay (north).

All the walls were sheathed in lumber, either two thin layers for the curved walls, or a single layer for the straight walls.

Sometimes, if I had good wood - i.e. more or less knot free - I could use 3/4" wood on the curves as well. Just clamp it in place before it was nailed.


----------



## cocobolo

Still on the back wall...this is right near the kitchen entrance. All those open studs in that wall are now full of windows.


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## cocobolo

Same wall, this time looking through what will become the door to the deck from the breakfast nook.

The floor levels of the house basically followed the lay of the land as it were. As the rock falls away, so does the house. Hopefully not in the same fashion as the surveyor's cabin!

There is a single step down from the living room to the dining/kitchen area. Then 3 more steps down to the brekky nook. That wall is about 11' high.


----------



## cocobolo

Apparently we are fast forwarding to a time when the upstairs floor is in place. Solarium to the left..and the hole in the wall to the right is where the French doors are.


----------



## cocobolo

Come on upstairs for a minute...some of the front bedroom wall is framed.

All of the wide openings are for windows.

Please note that _all the curved plates_ were cut with the jigsaw! OMG, I must have been mad!


----------



## cocobolo

The very low pony walls under the windows give us an unimpeded view of the water from upstairs.

You can also see here how the upper and lower triple 2 x 6's line right up on top of one another.


----------



## cocobolo

Early days for the deck in front of the master bedroom. It has since had all manner of extra layers added and is now tiled (porcelain).


----------



## cocobolo

Worms eye view of the wall in frame, still incomplete.


----------



## cocobolo

Ahhh, and now I see the chief superintendent - sitting down on the job as usual - trying to look important.

The front of the deck has been done in cedar. And as well, I see the long curved beam upstairs is underway. 

You would have to know what that was, but all that cross bracing up top is part of it.


----------



## cocobolo

Different view, probably the same day.

Look closely and you can see a bunch of 2 x 6's sticking up in the air where those cross braces are.

They eventually formed the beam framing, which contained a row of 13 windows right at the top of the wall, as well as holding up the back roof. Busy little guys I would say.


----------



## cocobolo

It's a pretty safe bet that the beam is all done here, because the front rafters are in place.


----------



## cocobolo

OK...all the front rafters must be in here, as well as the blocking on top of the wall. I am trimming the fascia board to land in the centre of the rafter here.

And don't kid yourselves, that red and green toque is an official Ruxton Island hard hat.

And the rafters protrude about 4 1/2' from the wall...so it was a bit of a stretch.


----------



## cocobolo

Finally found a half decent pic of that curved beam!

It is quite difficult to tell from the pic, but the front rafters land fairly close to the bottom of the window openings. Not more than about a foot I would say.

The temporary supports beneath the beam are still in place, and if I remember correctly, they stayed there until I had both sides of that wall completely sheathed.


----------



## cocobolo

The floor in the foreground is the ensuite bathroom.

The roof with that zig-zag framing at this end is over the breakfast nook.


----------



## cocobolo

Looks as though I have made a fair dent in the roofing at this point.

The shingles are the fiberglass impregnated variety, which do not like to burn. And that's OK with me. Not to mention the 40 year guarantee.


----------



## cocobolo

This must have been the day that this part of the house became dry!

Still no framing for the ensuite or the guest bedroom.


----------



## cocobolo

Judging by my look I would say the missus was asking something like "Haven't you got that place done _YET?"

Doesn't look like it DEAR!
_


----------



## cocobolo

Another shot way out of order...the front fascia isn't on. The tower sheathing isn't anywhere near up. Half the top roof and all the front roof isn't sheathed.

No walls or roof for the guest bedroom...OK if you don't mind sleeping outside I guess.


----------



## cocobolo

Similar view, I think taken from the top of the plant arbour in front of the cabin. The previous one appears to be taken from the cabin roof.

Honestly, I ask you, who in their right mind would tackle something like this by themselves?


----------



## cocobolo

And just in case you think I never relax...here I am taking a short breather on the sailboat. Probably at least 10 years ago!


----------



## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> Finally found a half decent pic of that curved beam!
> 
> It is quite difficult to tell from the pic, but the front rafters land fairly close to the bottom of the window openings. Not more than about a foot I would say.
> 
> The temporary supports beneath the beam are still in place, and if I remember correctly, they stayed there until I had both sides of that wall completely sheathed.


FYI: Posts 60-62 (pages 4-5) show photos of the finished beam.


----------



## cocobolo

Itsdanf said:


> FYI: Posts 60-62 (pages 4-5) show photos of the finished beam.


So they do. What I was trying to find, but I guess doesn't exist, was a shot or two of the rest of the framing _inside_ the beam.

It ended up being quite complex, with internal cross bracing _on the flat_ in between each pair of uprights.

The cross bracing you see in some of the foregoing pics was removed.

Also backing where the front rafters hit, plus more 2 x 6's where the windows are. Then everything was insulated and the vapour barrier installed.

I think I am always going to wonder if the beam would be OK without the 6 x 6 at the west side. Some days I'm tempted to take it out just to see what would happen.


----------



## tpolk

post 1072 is a perfect example of perspective with you on the roof next to the wall. all of a sudden things look not quite so towering


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> Similar view, I think taken from the top of the plant arbour in front of the cabin. The previous one appears to be taken from the cabin roof.
> 
> Honestly, I ask you, who in their right mind would tackle something like this by themselves?


I would! It has been my dream. I'm doing a European house insted but the satisfaction is still there. I will be back in Aug but don't think I can make it to the island. Could you make Steam Boat Rock State Park? dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> post 1072 is a perfect example of perspective with you on the roof next to the wall. all of a sudden things look not quite so towering


My feet are 20' off the ground in that pic.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I would! It has been my dream. I'm doing a European house insted but the satisfaction is still there. I will be back in Aug but don't think I can make it to the island. Could you make Steam Boat Rock State Park? dorf dude...


Shu...are you sure that you and I are in our right minds???

Where is Steam Boat Rock State Park?


----------



## cocobolo

I have a question for all you tile experts out there.

I just assembled the new tile saw - had to get a bigger one to do some 20" tiles - and I wonder if anyone knows of any sort of an adjustable angle device.

The standard one that comes with this saw is 45º made from solid aluminum.

That's OK for a 90º corner, but I have some 45º corners to go around, and a 22 1/2º cut would be perfect.

I suppose I could always cobble something up from wood, but it might be nice to have something a little more permanent.


----------



## shumakerscott

Steam Boat Rock State Park is near Grand Coulee Dam, Banks Lake. That is one hell of a tile saw!! My ex used to complain about me buying tools. She didn't understand. I'm using a peice of [email protected] $30 china saw freehand. So far so good. Keep posting! dorf dude...


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## tpolk

does it cut curves hoho :laughing:


----------



## PatHIverson

That is beautiful. I would love to see the finish project. Great work and thanks for the share. I also love the island that you've picked.

Pat

fixed annuity rates​


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## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Steam Boat Rock State Park is near Grand Coulee Dam, Banks Lake. That is one hell of a tile saw!! My ex used to complain about me buying tools. She didn't understand. I'm using a peice of [email protected] $30 china saw freehand. So far so good. Keep posting! dorf dude...


I wouldn't have needed it except the Mrs got some long tiles that are too big for the other tile saw. 

So she couldn't gripe about me buying it, after all, she didn't have to pay for it.

When I used it today, there was one little problem that reared it's ugly head. The water which is supposed to spray onto the blade just dribbled out of the two plastic hoses and didn't hit the blade at all.

When I looked for the problem, it seemed that the two plastic tubes were a bit too big, and thus no pressure.

I whittled a couple of pieces of wood, flat on one side and round on the other and inserted them into the ends of the tubes. It seems to work OK now, although that's a really Mickey Mouse solution.

I'm going to see an aquarium shop to see if they have a plastic connector type fitting which will go into the ends, sort of like a mini fire hose. That should work better and definitely be more long lasting.


----------



## jlhaslip

or an adapter to a smaller bit of hose/tubing ???


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> does it cut curves hoho :laughing:


...ummmm...nope!

I use my hand held grinder with the small 4 1/2 inch diamond saw for that. Or better yet, don't make curves.

OK, so I know you're pulling my leg about the curves, but where the tiles will need to be curved on the floor, the radii are all quite large. A series of straight cuts should be OK.

The kitchen counter, OTOH, might be something else. The inside curve on that is pretty darned tight.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> or an adapter to a smaller bit of hose/tubing ???


Yes, that's exactly what I was trying to say!


----------



## cocobolo

PatHIverson said:


> That is beautiful. I would love to see the finish project. Great work and thanks for the share. I also love the island that you've picked.
> 
> Pat


Thank you very much Pat.

Well, it's getting there. The outside is largely done now, and the warmer weather has got me enthused about getting the tiling done inside. I could have warmed the house before with the wood stoves, but having to continually fill them up when you are engaged in other things is a real pain.

Thanks for dropping by the thread...much more to come.


----------



## cocobolo

I have been diddling...I'm one of the great all time diddlers you know...with this tile saw trying to get the water to hit the blade. There must be a reason they call it a wet saw. So far, the blade has stayed remarkably dry!

I put a piece of wood in each of the tubes, and this is what happened.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see, water came out one side, but not the other. I guess the wood was too big on that side.

Yes, the water did hit the blade on that side, but not the other. So that's no good.

Here is the splitter gadget they have to direct the water to both sides.


----------



## cocobolo

This is a better pic of the first one.


----------



## cocobolo

Then I tried to put a piece of wood between each tube and the casting, to see if I could get it to aim more at the blade. I restricted the flow on one side to get the pressure up a little.


----------



## cocobolo

Then I tried wood behind both tubes, sorry, the previous one only had the wood behind one tube. This time with no restriction in the tubes.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see in the last shot, the water doesn't stand a chance of hitting the blade.

And this pump is adjustable to boot! I turned it up to high. Not much good.

And finally I tried this. Wood behind both sides and a bit of a restriction to see what would happen. Looks OK, right?


----------



## cocobolo

Nuthin' doin'. I put the cover back on and tried it again. The water just dribbles out and is nowhere near the blade.

I thought of trying to slide the two tubes forward so they practically touched the blade...but, alas, the tubing is nowhere near long enough. In fact it didn't move ahead at all. 

That might be the problem. If I can get some longer tubing and change it over, I think it will work OK.

It's either that or I hook up the fire pump to it.

I haven't seen any obvious restriction in the pump itself, but that may be the case. I have another similar pump I might try to see if there is any difference. I'll let you know.

Earlier, Shu made reference to his Chinese tile cutter. This machine does not have any country of origin on it at all. So I'm going to guess that the big letters ROK might stand for Republic of Korea. Or perhaps it means Really Old Krap.

Even the literature, which is atrocious beyond belief, doesn't say where it is from.


----------



## cocobolo

Right, I've been doing more diddling, much more in fact.

I took the pump off and just tested it by itself - no tubing attached - to see if it was OK.

Apparently all was well.


----------



## cocobolo

But you're just not a true diddler unless you try the other pump as well.

Even though these two pumps just happen to be by the same manufacturer and bear the same pump number, they aren't the same.

The pump which came with the tile saw has a much smaller outlet on top and feeds a smaller tube. So the volume of water coming out of what is a fountain pump is considerably more.

Of course, all of that means nothing when they go through the same size tubing. All of a sudden there's no difference in flow.


----------



## cocobolo

So the next step was to connect the pump to the tube which feeds water to the blade, just the first tube, not the splitter assembly. That way I eliminate one thing at a time.


----------



## cocobolo

So far, so good.

Next was to hook up the splitter with the two lines - which I have removed from the saw.

Still looks to be working OK.


----------



## cocobolo

Next was to hook it up to the blade guard, but this time without the actual mount that they use to hold the tubing in place.


----------



## cocobolo

Take a close look at that last pic. Notice that the tube on the near side is not cut to match the angle of the side of the guard.

When I dis-assembled the splitter, I discovered that they have put an angle on each end of the tubing. The way they had the tubes installed in the splitter, one side was blocking much of the water flow. The other side only partially, but it still could be better.

The splitter is a pretty cool little disconnect gadget, very similar to our standard compressor air lines, only in miniature.


----------



## cocobolo

Right, it looks like things should work now.

Here the saw is not running, just the water pump. As you can clearly see, the water is definitely hitting both sides of the blade. Good show.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Both blade and pump are now running full speed. Must be a pretty good camera I have I guess, it freezes the blade and water drops.

But hold on a minute there pilgrim, that water isn't touching the blade at all. So what gives?


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a close-up of the same thing.

I have to admit, I was pretty surprised to see that water not even touch the blade at all.

It's now my guess that the wind generated by the spinning blade puts the blade itself in an air cocoon and won't let the water in.

There are still a couple of things not right. Mainly to do with the tubing I believe.

If I get some copper tubing (or something similar) I will be able to bend it to aim right at the side of the blade, plus I could pinch the tip of the copper (or whatever) so it would make a more forceful spray.

Whaddya think guys and gals?


----------



## cocobolo

Another thought I had was to drill a hole - or holes - in the top of the blade guard and run the two lines in there. Theoretically, it shouldn't make any difference, except for the fact that gravity would now be 100% on my side.

The smaller tile saw I have has no trouble at all getting water to the blade. When it is running, the water really flies off the blade. And the blade on that saw runs faster (higher RPM).


----------



## cocobolo

It's now Monday morning and it is a long holiday weekend here. Which means I'm not supposed to be making too much noise until the assemblage of weekenders is actually at least conscious. That could be awhile.

In the mean time, I have been wracking my brain as to what I can find to fix this thing.

After a long and diligent search the only tubing I could find was from the hydraulic steering system from an old boat that is here. So I pirated a piece off it and cut two lengths to give it a go.


----------



## cocobolo

Next thing was to smooth the ends of the cuts and run a piece of wire through to clear the cutting debris. Then push the tubing into the plastic to see if it would fit.

One of the pieces had a bend which was too sharp, so I straightened it out a bit using the vise.


----------



## cocobolo

Next was the test of the pump to see how the water came out. Looks OK.


----------



## cocobolo

The blade is running, and at first I thought the water was still getting blown off the blade, but thankfully not so.

I tried to take a pic of the line of spray hitting the rubber spray guard behind the blade.

Maybe you can't see it too well, but it's definitely there.


----------



## cocobolo

Then I noticed the line of spray off the blade in the water tank.

So all seems to be well in the land of the tile cutters once again.

Now I just have to wait for the unruly mob to wake up so I can get cutting!


----------



## jlhaslip

You have done a fine job of documenting your 'diddling'... 

Hope it works out well... 

Have a nice Victoria Day!


----------



## scoggy

*The problem you fixed*

Was going to suggest 'squeezing' the tips of metal tubes to build up line pressure to create a spray on blade..but thought that might overwork pump, and water flow always beats spray..hands down. Did my whole upstairs bathroom with a rented one...that went through 3 blades (on them), for the same reason you experienced..but got the job done, and took it back when done...phew! Now the dilemma, buy more tiles to cut to justify machines existence,..or when done, clean, wrap up, and put away for?? Funny how both you and Shu are doing "tiletoons". :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Syd


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> You have done a fine job of documenting your 'diddling'...
> 
> Hope it works out well...
> 
> Have a nice Victoria Day!


I got to try the saw out today, and the water system is now perfect.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Was going to suggest 'squeezing' the tips of metal tubes to build up line pressure to create a spray on blade..but thought that might overwork pump, and water flow always beats spray..hands down. Did my whole upstairs bathroom with a rented one...that went through 3 blades (on them), for the same reason you experienced..but got the job done, and took it back when done...phew! Now the dilemma, buy more tiles to cut to justify machines existence,..or when done, clean, wrap up, and put away for?? Funny how both you and Shu are doing "tiletoons". :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
> Syd


I would have been quite prepared to do just that, but fortunately it wasn't required. 

One thing that did happen though...on about the second or third tile I pushed through the saw the blade went "dry" again. You know right away when that happens, as the edge of the blade immediately turns the same colour as the bisque of the tile.

The plastic tube had been pulled off the pump by the tiles moving over them.

I re-routed the tubing under the roller guide.

I can see another problem developing when I go to cut the long tiles. The tube won't be long enough. So what I will need to do is to get a longer tube and run it somehow outside of the tile, then up and over. I expect I will have to jury rig something to hold that in place.

Who ever designed this thing obviously hasn't done much tile cutting.

Just going to d/l some pics from the camera...really don't know if there will be anything worth posting.


----------



## cocobolo

The two books I refer to most when tiling are the ones by Michael Byrne and John Bridge, both well acknowledged experts.

When taping the corners, I like Michaels idea of running one piece of tape down each of the side walls, then folding a third piece of tape and sticking it over both of them like so...

Yes, I think that might be my finger holding the tape back so you can see how it goes.


----------



## cocobolo

With the saw working OK, at least for now, I cut the tiles for about half the shower walls today.

This is the lower part of the first wall I tackled.


----------



## cocobolo

I had barely got started when visitors arrived :2guns:unannounced of course...

The wife gave them tea and cookies and sent them packing...well, not really, but you know what I mean:yes:

Nothing ever seems to go quite as planned when you're tiling, and I noticed that these porcelain tiles were not all the same size. There were variations up to 3/32". 

That may not sound like much, but stack a few up and it doesn't take long to show up...big time.

This wall wasn't too bad...


----------



## cocobolo

That wall is where the showerhead is, hence the little mouse hole for the control.


----------



## cocobolo

The saw has a couple of extension tables to handle larger tiles, which is a good idea.

I think it would have been even better if they had extended the backstop as well so you could have used the guide clamp right across the whole width of the extended table.

Yes, I know you can use the other side...but when the tiles are not identical in size, that isn't much help.

I guess this is as good an answer as any...use a clamp to hold the guide in place, only sideways.


----------



## cocobolo

Tomorrow I get to tackle the long side wall of the shower. Yep, it's curved.

I am expecting to cut the tiles into thirds, or about 4 1/4" wide, so that they will not have any problem staying put.

One other thing I will likely do is to make sure they are all the same height, even if they have to be cut. I don't need any more surprises half way up a wall!:no:


----------



## shumakerscott

We are using almost the same tile! Mine is on the floor though. You don't want to cut them to length and loose the factory edge do you? I was looking at some wood flooring and the guy told me that they not exactly the same width and I should lay them out first and get matching ones for each row. I guess that's why it was cheaper and the price got my attention. Looking good, dorf dude...


----------



## scoggy

*Old posts about Yukon Racing*

Hi, was rereading some of your past posts, re "T" you built, and your racing in Yukon. I was on a racing team, (mechanic), on a 67 Chev impala, sponsored by the only Speed shop then in the Yukon, in Whitehorse, and we used to race out past McRae, on the 'dirt', at the fairgrounds. But that was '73..'74. Memory fails me as to whom driver was, or Sponsor. Is that where you raced up there?
Cheers
Syd


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Hi, was rereading some of your past posts, re "T" you built, and your racing in Yukon. I was on a racing team, (mechanic), on a 67 Chev impala, sponsored by the only Speed shop then in the Yukon, in Whitehorse, and we used to race out past McRae, on the 'dirt', at the fairgrounds. But that was '73..'74. Memory fails me as to whom driver was, or Sponsor. Is that where you raced up there?
> Cheers
> Syd


Syd, you're simply not going to believe this at all.

I was in the Yukon from 1969 to the end of 1974. I had a couple of different cars...one a 1960 Chevy with a 283, the other was a (cringe) '34 Ford Vicky that we pulled out of the bush. As you know, there's almost no such thing as rust up there. I unbolted the back fenders and the welting came off in one piece!

Let me drop a couple of names and see if you remember any of them. Ted English, Mike Blumenschein, Gerry (something or other) big guy, I think more names will come to me if I think about it a bit. There was a Henry Wenting, who I think was sponsored by Northern Industrial or something like that. And a last name of Taylor, whose dad had the fuel company up there.

I sponsored my own car under Paddlewheel Gulf, the service station just south of Whitehorse.

This old world is getting smaller by the second!


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> We are using almost the same tile! Mine is on the floor though. You don't want to cut them to length and loose the factory edge do you? I was looking at some wood flooring and the guy told me that they not exactly the same width and I should lay them out first and get matching ones for each row. I guess that's why it was cheaper and the price got my attention. Looking good, dorf dude...


Hi Shu:

If your wood flooring is machine made, and pre-finished, it should be the same size. If it is unfinished, it may vary a little, but not by much. Is it T & G?

Re the tiles, I don't care about the factory edge, it's not that good anyway.

I have just cut a whole load of these tiles to width (at 4 1/4") and found out a few more things.

Firstly, the blade on the tile saw was not square to my cutting table. Nothing at all in the instructions about any of this, but there is an adjustment which is quite obvious and pretty simple to set. So I got that all squared up.

Then the stop you use to push the tile up against was also not machined square on the notch where it slides back and forth. Temporarily (where have I heard _that_ before?) I have put a high priced shim in one side to bring the stop square. I'll have some pics later. Just taking a break to do some glass installation in a couple of the ensuite windows.

And I will be using that tile on the floor as well. We have about 350 square feet of it - give or take.

And you already know that almost all of the tiles are not square, right? That's just a damn nuisance.


----------



## tpolk

sometimes, and you may know this the tiles have a directional marking on the back which lets you lay them the way they were fabricated and keeps sizes uniform. The other thing i have done is do a dry lay on the floor to eliminate tiles with too much variation. I'm not a tile guy but this has worked for me


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Tim:

You're right. Sometimes they do. These don't though. I did actually take a course in tile installation a number of years ago, and I must admit that was one thing I didn't remember.

These vary by too much to ignore. On the other hand, if I were to use something like a 1/4" space on the floor tile, I could bury that much variation.

It has become obvious to me that these tiles must have been made in many different molds. I took meticulous measurements from about 50 of them, and there are definite groups of sizes.


----------



## scoggy

*More 'tales' from the Yukon*

Henry Wentig If I remember right, ran green colored 1960s Buick, and worked for or owned the industrial business at the top of the North Road before you got to the Copper King bar(got beat up lots there). Trying to place Paddlewheel..but nothing comes up..was it South or North of the city exit to Alaska Hwy, where Whitehorse transport had there "dump' for incomming ore from mine at Faro? I worked for General Enterprises and built the BIG reservior up behind the old military PMQs on the hill, and the "new' secondary school across the river. My brain feels like a battery that has sat tooo long and then gets a full charge and all that 'stuff' starts to flake off of it!! This for me is just GREAT!! Thanks, and sorry for pulling 'away' from what was at hand!
Syd:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Henry Wentig If I remember right, ran green colored 1960s Buick, and worked for or owned the industrial business at the top of the North Road before you got to the Copper King bar(got beat up lots there). Trying to place Paddlewheel..but nothing comes up..was it South or North of the city exit to Alaska Hwy, where Whitehorse transport had there "dump' for incomming ore from mine at Faro? I worked for General Enterprises and built the BIG reservior up behind the old military PMQs on the hill, and the "new' secondary school across the river. My brain feels like a battery that has sat tooo long and then gets a full charge and all that 'stuff' starts to flake off of it!! This for me is just GREAT!! Thanks, and sorry for pulling 'away' from what was at hand!
> Syd:thumbsup:


The weigh scales were at the north end of town and the Paddlewheel was at the south end...right up on the Alaska Highway at maybe mile 912???

Whitehorse was listed at 915 wasn't it?

The new school was at Riverdale across the river. One of my many jobs up there (mostly construction) was driving school bus in the morning and afternoon...with all those lovely little darlin's to contend with.


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## cocobolo

I will be checking _all_ the tiles in future. Annoying, but perhaps necessary. As you can quite clearly see, there is a good reason to do this.


----------



## cocobolo

This was _after_ I had put in that high priced shim.


----------



## cocobolo

I did ask my good wife where she kept her 1 1/2 and 2 thou brass shims...huh?

Had to settle for part of an Irwin drill wrapper. I have it on good authority that nothing else will do.


----------



## cocobolo

About 2/3 of what I need to do the long back wall in the shower.


----------



## cocobolo

I realise that it's difficult to see that well, but after having squared the blade to the sliding table, I checked the vertical alignment.

Quite a bit out, but I can find no adjustment for this. And anyway, who cares? That's why they invented grout.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

FWIW, here's the back of one of the tiles. This one was out less than 1/16", definitely one of the better ones.


----------



## scoggy

*Yes I know!*

Yes, now I remem:thumbsup::thumbsup:ber where you were! How many times on summer evenings did 'we' go past you! You had some kind of light, either on a '45' degree angle above the pumps..out towards the road, and such a little 'business building", white in color..cheez..you win..I quit!
Syd


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Yes, now I remem:thumbsup::thumbsup:ber where you were! How many times on summer evenings did 'we' go past you! You had some kind of light, either on a '45' degree angle above the pumps..out towards the road, and such a little 'business building", white in color..cheez..you win..I quit!
> Syd


Yep, that was the one...you got it!


----------



## gma2rjc

> The weigh scales were at the north end of town and the Paddlewheel was at the south end...right up on the Alaska Highway at maybe mile 912???
> 
> Whitehorse was listed at 915 wasn't it?
> 
> The new school was at Riverdale across the river. One of my many jobs up there (mostly construction) was driving school bus in the morning and afternoon...with all those lovely little darlin's to contend with.


I'm waiting for one of you to find pictures you unintentionally took of the other from those days. That would be neat! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I'm waiting for one of you to find pictures you unintentionally took of the other from those days. That would be neat! :yes:


Wouldn't that be something! Unfortunately I have no photos at all from my Yukon days...so we are going to have to rely on Scoggy for that.


----------



## jlhaslip

Man, those must be expensive tiles. 

Looks like the ones from the Space Shuttle where none of them are the same shape.

:lol:


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> FWIW, here's the back of one of the tiles. This one was out less than 1/16", definitely one of the better ones.


sometimes those white roller lines are directional markings. curious to see if they are same size vertical, also sounds like you got diff lots as they fixed/made adjustments to machining during tile fabrication


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Man, those must be expensive tiles.
> 
> Looks like the ones from the Space Shuttle where none of them are the same shape.
> 
> :lol:


OMG...that never crossed my mind...I'll have to give NASA a call and let them know where all those tiles are that fell off the shuttle!:wink:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> sometimes those white roller lines are directional markings. curious to see if they are same size vertical, also sounds like you got diff lots as they fixed/made adjustments to machining during tile fabrication


Some of those lines appear to be white, some sort of light brown.

What has happened is that some of the raised ridges (that's what the lines are) have been rubbing on the tile below and have become more of the colour of the bisque. If I were to wipe off the back of the tile, you might be able to see that better.

I do now remember those arrows which you reminded me of, but these definitely do not have those or any other directional marking. They're just cheap tiles. In fact, when I was doing all the cutting yesterday, I noted that a few of the tiles have incomplete glazing on one or two of the edges.

And they have proudly printed on the boxes "First Quality". Doesn't speak terribly well for their quality control, does it?


----------



## cocobolo

Well, we _were_ going to go over to town today, but some kind soul has left the fire hose open upstairs. So, more tiling to come. Should have pics by the end of the day. See you all later.


----------



## downrightart

Coco: I'm only on page 10. I'm still reading in the month of January. I'm taking my time to read it all. I have never been so amazed by anything so up scale as this sir. You have it all in these posts Coco! You have history, humor, how to DIY information on even the smallest of details. And I'm all about details! :laughing: You have what goes on with your neighbors, what happens in everyday life there....I can go on and I've not even finished your textbook! But, I will! You betchya, I will!

And your craft...trade knowledge....the amazing and wonderful landscape there! I'm an artist and I'm telling you.....this whole thread is an ART! I'm laughing at my craftsroom I posted about here, and I feel quite humbled. :laughing: But, "I know nuttin' about birthin' no huge houses" Heh. The Boss, my husband, and I think we are doing well with the small things we make. But, then....I'm a smalltown girl working in a smalltown high school and my husband is just an old linehand, a powerlineman. But, reading through your pages here, I feel like we are neighbors! So down to earth you are sir! Love it!

If you ever do a book on this, PLEASE let me know. I want to purchase it! 

I'll be back,

-Tracy


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Coco: I'm only on page 10. I'm still reading in the month of January. I'm taking my time to read it all. I have never been so amazed by anything so up scale as this sir. You have it all in these posts Coco! You have history, humor, how to DIY information on even the smallest of details. And I'm all about details! :laughing: You have what goes on with your neighbors, what happens in everyday life there....I can go on and I've not even finished your textbook! But, I will! You betchya, I will!
> 
> And your craft...trade knowledge....the amazing and wonderful landscape there! I'm an artist and I'm telling you.....this whole thread is an ART! I'm laughing at my craftsroom I posted about here, and I feel quite humbled. :laughing: But, "I know nuttin' about birthin' no huge houses" Heh. The Boss, my husband, and I think we are doing well with the small things we make. But, then....I'm a smalltown girl working in a smalltown high school and my husband is just an old linehand, a powerlineman. But, reading through your pages here, I feel like we are neighbors! So down to earth you are sir! Love it!
> 
> If you ever do a book on this, PLEASE let me know. I want to purchase it!
> 
> I'll be back,
> 
> -Tracy


Tracy, Tracy, Tracy...please...no "sir" for me, OK? Call me coco or Keith if you prefer. I don't mind which. But since they haven't knighted me yet...

And a thousand thank you's for the very kind words.

Now I need to know about your craftsroom, what is the thread called? I want to have a peek.

And if you are an artist, you undoubtedly would love it here. The island is still relatively unspoiled. In fact, in the local area of surrounding islands, there is a large arts community. Saltspring Island, just a few miles south of us has literally hundreds of artists of all stripes there. It's an amazing place to visit.

We met a terrific painter there last year, and get this...his wife makes cast bronzes! She's incredible!


----------



## cocobolo

More troubles with the tile saw this morning. Well, I guess, not actually troubles, but a repeat of what has happened right from the git-go.

When you push the tile right through the saw, which of course you obviously have to do with every cut, the sliding table keeps running into the plastic tube which carries the water.

As a result of this, the tube keeps getting knocked off the pump.

The immediate solution is to clamp the tube to the pump. What would be much better is if the table didn't hit the tube in the first place. More great planning by the design team.


----------



## cocobolo

I got a nice early start on the curved wall this morning, and here is the bottom row of tiles in.


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## cocobolo

Shortly thereafter I was up to the third row...


----------



## cocobolo

We made it to the top!


----------



## scoggy

*Whitehorse*

Sorry, when I left, I had to leave in a very big hurry..at night! I have not one pix, it is all inside my head, which seems to detiorate on an N squared factor!
Cheers!
Now, back to the program
Squid


----------



## cocobolo

I'm sure you have noticed the unfinished window to the right.

That has been tiled below the windows right to the end of the wall inside the shower. I have a short return to tile before the inside is done. Then the shower floor will go in, and then I will do the bottom row of tiles above the floor.

After having read several opinions on the best way to do a shower floor, that is what I have decided.

One school of thought has it that you make the edge of your mud floor level all round. I agree that this is a good idea, except if there is much variation in the distance from the shower drain to any given point on the wall. 

Let's say you have maybe 3 feet from one spot and only 1 foot from another. The floor slope at the 1 foot point would be pretty severe. It could get slippery and be the cause of an accidental fall.

So I have chosen to make my floor with a consistent slope all over. The fact that the bottom row of tiles will not be identical doesn't bother me in the least. It does mean that I will have to measure and cut every tile individually. No big deal.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Sorry, when I left, I had to leave in a very big hurry..at night! I have not one pix, it is all inside my head, which seems to detiorate on an N squared factor!
> Cheers!
> Now, back to the program
> Squid


...aahhh, so the cops didn't get you after all!!:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## tpolk

with my wet saw i have enough water depth to lay the pump on its side which keeps the tubing out of the way and sucks up less gunk off the bottom


----------



## downrightart

cocobolo said:


> Tracy, Tracy, Tracy...please...no "sir" for me, OK? Call me coco or Keith if you prefer. I don't mind which. But since they haven't knighted me yet...
> 
> And a thousand thank you's for the very kind words.
> 
> Now I need to know about your craftsroom, what is the thread called? I want to have a peek.
> 
> And if you are an artist, you undoubtedly would love it here. The island is still relatively unspoiled. In fact, in the local area of surrounding islands, there is a large arts community. Saltspring Island, just a few miles south of us has literally hundreds of artists of all stripes there. It's an amazing place to visit.
> 
> We met a terrific painter there last year, and get this...his wife makes cast bronzes! She's incredible!


Okay NO sirs, but you have to remember I'm from the south. That's what we say for "respect"

I would LOVE it there! By what pics you have posted, I only know my colored pencils would go wild. That's right. I don't paint. I use colored pencils. I have painted, but my "love" is colored pencils.

I'm trying not to READ this page. I'm also a reader! I do NOT read the END of any book. I did once and I totally regreted it! Not that I would regret this, but I want ALL the details before here.

PS.......thank you so much for taking the time out to post in "my craftsroom" what I total honor Coco. Now, back to reading your wonderful story............


----------



## cocobolo

tp, this pump fits right into a cast in holder. I tried to tip it over, but there's not enough room. The plastic holder is a very snug fit. Plus, the area surrounding the pump has sort of a "well" which the water can flow into, but any debris is kept out. I'll put up a pic when I clean it all out.

My smaller wet saw doesn't have such a holder, you just stick it to the bottom of the water tray with the four little suction cups. And that one you can easily lay on its' side if need be.

I have a "fix" in mind for this one.


----------



## shumakerscott

*Mantra*

I have a mantra stuck in my head "POC from the ROC" Make it stop!:wallbash: dorf dude...


----------



## downrightart

Oh my goodness. I have so many questions I don't even know where to start Coco! :laughing: One thing is I didn't realize that this was almost 2 yrs worth of reading! Second the folks that have responded to this thread have made it even more interesting (just found out that Shu has his own remodling going on and I will be checking THAT out!).

I'll start with....on page 69 I see there is a flag pole, is it still there? And do you still fly the Canadian flag?

I'm also a classic car enthusiast, and the Roadster is fantastic! What a multi talented guy you are Keith! Wow, just wow.

That's all for now. And since you drove a school bus once, you know that I have to be at work....to keep the "little darlin's" from wrecking the school house these few last days of school! 

"I'll...be baaaaack."


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I have a mantra stuck in my head "POC from the ROC" Make it stop!:wallbash: dorf dude...


One thing I will say for the Chinese, at least they put the country of origin on what they make. This has nothing. I think it is Korean, but I really don't know for sure.

I can tell you this though, I don't recommend that anyone buy one of these unless you are prepared to spend way too much time doing "fixes".

Now I have discovered that the roller tray which holds the tiles while you cut them is not flat.

So that just as you get to the end of the cut, the last 1/4" or so will snap rather than cutting cleanly. It dips right in the middle under the blade cut line.

I have a two ton arbor press which I may try to flatten it out with.

Failing that, I could make some sort of a metal truss on the underside which could be adjustable. All I would need to do would be to attach a piece of 3/8" or 1/2" thick metal to the underside of the tray (bolted on), drill a hole under the middle and tap that. Insert a bolt and put pressure on the tray. It should straighten out.

But again, that's one of those things that shouldn't be necessary.

More on the blankety blank water pump later.


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Oh my goodness. I have so many questions I don't even know where to start Coco! :laughing: One thing is I didn't realize that this was almost 2 yrs worth of reading! Second the folks that have responded to this thread have made it even more interesting (just found out that Shu has his own remodling going on and I will be checking THAT out!).
> 
> I'll start with....on page 69 I see there is a flag pole, is it still there? And do you still fly the Canadian flag?
> 
> I'm also a classic car enthusiast, and the Roadster is fantastic! What a multi talented guy you are Keith! Wow, just wow.
> 
> That's all for now. And since you drove a school bus once, you know that I have to be at work....to keep the "little darlin's" from wrecking the school house these few last days of school!
> 
> "I'll...be baaaaack."


Oh, I can see you are going to have a great time on this site!

And just as soon as you get to know Shu a little bit, you'll discover what a terrific guy he is and what a massive project he has undertaken. I always make sure to visit his thread at least once a day just to see what trouble he's got himself into!!!:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry...forgot to answer the flag question.

No, that pole is gone now. But I have a long aluminum pole which came off a commercial fish boat here. I may use that to raise the flag on. And yes, we still have a big flag.

I am thinking of mounting the flag pole in the middle of the circle of the stairs which go up to the master bedroom deck. That ought to be moderately convenient and it would be stable.

If that turns out not to be long enough, I will find a skinny tree and make a pole out of that.


----------



## cocobolo

Cleaned out the saw tray this morning and discovered that the clever designer had put all these little channels in the tray which are totally useless. Much better if everything simply drained to the drain hole.

Far too much time to clean it out. I know it's hard to see the channels here as I have just added a couple of gallons of water.


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## cocobolo

The pump cavity is in its' own little world. As long as the water in the tray remains above the sides here, it will fill with water.


----------



## cocobolo

The pump is a very tight fit in those little fingers. Plus, it hits the guide bar there on the left side.


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## cocobolo

There was no practical way to clean that cavity out, and the sediment which is carried in by the water, was slowly but surely filling in below the pump. Yet another brilliant design flaw.

So I drilled a hole to get rid of the mess.


----------



## cocobolo

That seemed to work OK, so I made a plug out of a short piece of dowel for it.


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## cocobolo

When I first tried to run the pump this morning, it did not pump at all. I could hear it running, but nothing would come out of the tube.

I expect it was starting to sediment up inside. So I put it in a bucket of water and let it run for a few minutes and that did the trick. This means that I should do the same thing every day when I'm finished using it to keep it clean.

Here it is running OK with a tray full of water.


----------



## cocobolo

To address the tube problem, I picked up a 4 foot length of thin copper pipe yesterday to replace the far too short plastic.

The longest tile I anticipate cutting is 20" (that's how big the kitchen counter tiles are) so I bent the copper to extend about 22" past where the saw cuts.

The copper is a little smaller than the plastic, so I tried adding several layers of teflon tape to make it fit better.


----------



## cocobolo

It was one of those earth shatteringly fabulous ideas which didn't work at all!

Water still sprayed out all over the place.:furious:

So instead of that, I warmed the end of the copper and pushed a short piece of plastic over it, which fit just fine inside the fitting.


----------



## cocobolo

Same stunt at the pump end. Here the pump is running and _NO LEAKS!_:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Also picked up some more tiles which I will be cutting up to make the accent border from on the shower floor. They are just a trace darker (that's a good thing) than the tiles used up on the top border of the shower.

You'll see them later.

Have a guest coming for lunch in a few minutes, so gotta go.


----------



## Shamus

I am aware of a few really talented R&D engineers that would never allow a product like that to get into production.

It's just a shame that they are all retired now. 

Nice fix on an otherwise stout looking saw. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Shamus said:


> I am aware of a few really talented R&D engineers that would never allow a product like that to get into production.
> 
> It's just a shame that they are all retired now.
> 
> Nice fix on an otherwise stout looking saw. :thumbsup:


No kidding!

It is painfully obvious that nobody at the factory has ever used one of these things.

I've just done another minor fix which seems to have made a BIG difference.


----------



## cocobolo

The one remaining thing which has been really bugging me about this saw is the way a tile will break off just before the end of the cut.

I had previously determined that the two sides of the table did not seem to be level with each other, and a short while ago I found out why.

I did remove the table and put it in the press to try and straighten it out. No luck there.

So here was my next move.


----------



## cocobolo

I looked at my other tile saw and it just has a solid metal table, no annoying rubber stuck to the top.

I rather imagine that the "engineers" thought either that the rubber would make a nice backing to hold the tiles in place, or that perhaps it would take up any minor machining foul ups.

My last check actually showed that the rubber mats were raised in the middle, and you can guess why by looking at the pic.

Just the smallest trace of glue around the outside edges of the rubber, and essentially nothing in the middle. I think it might be reasonable to assume that with normal use the rubber might stretch a little during use, thus pushing it up in the middle and throwing things out of whack.

I tested again with the straightedge on the bare metal top.


----------



## cocobolo

In case you can't see it well, it was within one thou - so nothing wrong there at all.

What I _didn't do_, was to check it further out. This I did after I had made a couple of cuts on the saw.

Fortunately, that check showed a bow in the top, rather than a dip. That I don't have a problem with as there is no pressure exerted on the tile as you exit the cut.

I laid part of a tile on the table to see if it would wiggle. Nope, stayed dead flat.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was checking things I took the guide stop off the WorkForce saw and put it on this one to see if it was square (unlike the brand X variety).

Just like brand new!


----------



## cocobolo

And here was the first cut with the fixes. Not even a chip...:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

...and this is what I was getting before. Not every time mind you, but often enough to be aggravating:furious:.


----------



## cocobolo

I have since made some small triangular shaped pieces, and I'm happy to say they have all been excellent.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Shortly after we got back from town last night, this is what the sky looked like.

The telephoto shot looks like a forest fire.


----------



## drtbk4ever

Nice.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Nice.


Then the sky opened up all night and we got another good soaking...


----------



## gma2rjc

That's beautiful! Thanks for posting the pics.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's beautiful! Thanks for posting the pics.
> 
> Barb


You're welcome. I was going to take some pics of the white roses in the garden, but the rain more or less demolished them. There may be some red and yellow ones soon if the rain holds off.


----------



## shumakerscott

How about moving it outside and use a fresh supply of water and let it overflow on the ground? A "Total Loss" system. Internal combustion engines used to be that way. Just an idea. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> How about moving it outside and use a fresh supply of water and let it overflow on the ground? A "Total Loss" system. Internal combustion engines used to be that way. Just an idea. dorf dude...


It is already outside Shu. The place would be a swimming pool if I used it inside!

And unfortunately - even though we are having a ton of rain right now, I couldn't afford to have that much water go to waste. Don't forget that we aren't hooked up to any municipal supply. Ours comes from the sky and every drop has to be saved.

We are supposed to be getting a drier than normal summer which doesn't bode well for the garden at all. 6,000 gallons disappears in a hurry.


----------



## cocobolo

I've been playing with the design of the shower floor for the past hour or so.

The first idea is here, still lots of cutting to do. I would do it tonight if the neighbour didn't come in, but he comes to relax, not listen to a grinding tile saw.:001_unsure:


----------



## cocobolo

These are for Barb and Tracy.

I went into the garden early this morning and took these. It has been raining lightly all night, which doesn't help the roses at all. 

The clematis bloomed this year for the first time...and my wife planted it about 7 or 8 years ago. She forgot to prune it last year, so she has now found out that this one blooms on two year old wood! Boy, was she mad!

Usually, she's a whiz with the clematis.


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry about the pics being dark. It is still 100% overcast and raining here.

Here is the white rose, not at its' best. Red rose bud and the first hollyhock of the year.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm hoping someone can tell me what the flower is with the little bells. It is a single stem about 2 feet tall, much like a globe onion. But with these lovely little bells.

The light pink rhodo has been out for awhile and is getting to be maybe 8 to 10 years old now.

The dark pink rhodo is still in a pot from two years ago and is under the trees at the bottom of the garden. No doubt that's why it is later blooming.

The small white and red azaleas are in my Japanese garden. They are less than 2 years old.


----------



## cocobolo

These guys didn't attach for some reason. Sorry about that....enjoy!


----------



## gma2rjc

The flowers are beautiful! That's funny about the Clematis. Over the past 25 years, I've never been able to get one to grow. Last year a friend gave me 2 of her Clematis plants out of her yard. Now one of them is blooming beautifully here. 

I bought a Peony in Holland in 1995. Every year it comes up, but it only gets about a foot tall and never flowers or grows new stems. :laughing:

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Barb:

It seems the trick with clematis is to know just what type you have. Some bloom on new wood, some on old, and they bloom at different times. 

When you get a plant from the nursery, the tag will usually let you know which it is. It is usually the pruning which determines success or failure, just ask my wife about the white one!

Peonies are a special breed. It seems to me they are very fussy. If they aren't in just the right spot, they just sulk. We have a couple here and sometimes they bloom and sometimes not. I see there is one bud right now. It has been sitting doing nothing for the past two weeks. Might be the weather.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, so the row of accent tiles around the outside need a small angle taken off one side. Otherwise they "grow" too much going along the floor. Plus the inside edges almost touch, which doesn't look good.

I cut a thin piece of yellow cedar with a 2º angle on one end and a 3º angle on the other. The 2º was about right.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a few to see how they go. OK, I think.


----------



## downrightart

Thank you so much for posting the flowers Coco! I've spent sometime trying to find the beautiful purple/lavendar bush I saw earlier in this thread but I can't seem to find it now, I should have marked the post. I was wondering what kind of bush/flower it was---it was near a deck. There are so many plants that grow north and can't grow here---to humid and hot, I suppose. 

All that you have done to your home is a piece of art Coco. You and your wife have done a superb job on it. If I had to chose one thing I love above all, it would be very hard. But, for some reason......I just love the slate(wasn't it from India?) where the woodstove is. Is it as beautiful as the picture portrays? Or even more vibrant than that?

Other than the wonderful wood, for some reason that one section just stays in my mind....even after 70 plus pages!


----------



## cocobolo

I think we have two different batches of slate. I believe the first batch may have come from India and the second batch from China, but you better not quote me on that.

We didn't realize that we were going to need as much, other wise we would have got all the same batch in the first place.

And yes, it looks the same in person as it does in the pic.

I am going to add some more slate in front of the wood stove in the living room. The breakfast nook is getting terra cotta on the floor.


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## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> "I believe the first batch may have come from India and the second batch from China, but you better not quote me on that."


(Sorry, couldn't resist quoting you on that...) :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

OK, now _that _was funny!:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## cocobolo

In consultation with "she who must be obeyed", I have been advised that we shall require some sort of seat in the shower. In all honesty she did mention this previously, but that was as far as it got.

This will need to be a masonry seat, which I shall have to construct from bricks and mortar, and then tile.

This now means that I will have to pick a spot for this magnificent throne, and scrap a whole bunch of my lovingly - and very laboriously - cut tile.

This is the way I _was_ going to lay the floor.


----------



## downrightart

cocobolo said:


> OK, now _that _was funny!:laughing::laughing::laughing:


Hey, he WOULD be the one to quote you, and yet hasn't answered my _serious _quote! (I'm teasing, of course.)

Btw, did I miss the lavander flower bush? I saw the lavendar in your pics on the former page, but I suwannee that one looks like an Azalea, but I haven't seen one that color and the one I saw here....didn't look like one.

I get hung up on something and I can't let go---forgive me. Just PM me and I'll be fine Coco.


----------



## gma2rjc

> (Sorry, couldn't resist quoting you on that...) :laughing:


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## cocobolo

Yeah...I'm still chuckling over Dan's reply as well.:thumbup:


----------



## jlhaslip

Would you guys quit making jokes and let Cocobolo get back to work... he's behind schedule already...


:lol:


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## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Would you guys quit making jokes and let Cocobolo get back to work... he's behind schedule already...
> 
> 
> :lol:


He's right...listen to the man, would you? 

Thanks jl


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Hey, he WOULD be the one to quote you, and yet hasn't answered my _serious _quote! (I'm teasing, of course.)
> 
> Btw, did I miss the lavander flower bush? I saw the lavendar in your pics on the former page, but I suwannee that one looks like an Azalea, but I haven't seen one that color and the one I saw here....didn't look like one.
> 
> I get hung up on something and I can't let go---forgive me. Just PM me and I'll be fine Coco.


...tell you what I'll do.

I will put a pic or two with flowers up with every post about building. I'll start with the azaleas and rhodos. I just took pics of all the red/mauve/purple/dark pink flowers a few minutes ago, so you can take your pick.


----------



## cocobolo

OK...so now I need to get some sort of bricks or blocks cut up for the footrest in the shower.

First have to check the masonry stash to see what we have on hand. Everyone needs a masonry stash, don't they?


----------



## cocobolo

It looks like there's enough to do the job. So I scooped up a wheelbarrow load.


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## cocobolo

Now the problem will be cutting these things.

I seemed to think that the saw manufacturer _claimed_ that the saw would cut 2" thick masonry products. Where have we heard that before.

So I checked the literature and it clearly states 2 and 1/3"! Holy moly, could we be in luck!

Then I measured a brick - several actually...


----------



## cocobolo

Ahhh...crap...just too big by nearly 3/16".

But then I remembered that the thick rubber was yanked off the table...could we still be in luck?

Voila!


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## cocobolo

Man...that was _sooo close!_ 

I really do think the bricks would have jammed had the rubber still been there.

And for a change, let me give some credit to the saw. It cut through the brick like butter.

About the only good thing about this saw is the motor, drive and arbor assembly. That seems to be well built and good and robust. The motor starts up instantly - by that I mean it reaches full speed _right now._ And it is quiet, which is always a good sign.

Now what I need is a decent porcelain blade. Did a whole bunch of research last night, and that is definitely my worst problem.


----------



## cocobolo

Now I will go and finish cutting enough bricks to get up to a suitable height, then clean out the corner where they will all go.

Fortunately, I just happen to have some bags of mortar mix on hand as well. Never know when these things might come in handy.


----------



## cocobolo

Rightey-O, now we have enough bricks cut for the job.

This pile stacks to 15 3/8", and by the time the mortar is in there it should be just over 18".

Add the tile on top and that should be just about right. Looks like it might work out OK after all.


----------



## cocobolo

The sun is attempting to make an appearance, not doing well so far.

A few more flowers from todays' pics. Beautybush, iris, wife's opium crop:thumbup: and something in the herb bed.


----------



## jlhaslip

How do you plan to tie the block to the wall?

Nice flowers. The Lilacs here are stinking us out... I love it.


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## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> How do you plan to tie the block to the wall?
> 
> Nice flowers. The Lilacs here are stinking us out... I love it.


Gravity should do it.


----------



## cocobolo

First thing I did was to lay out a course of bricks and draw a line one paint stick wide away from the bricks. That way I could make sure they were somewhere near the right place.


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## cocobolo

As I went up I kept filling the holes with mortar.


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## cocobolo

I'm far from the fastest mason on the planet, so this took quite awhile. I tried to keep every course as level as possible. 

Once at the top I floated a layer of mortar on to give a good base for the top tiles.

Now it will sit for two days to cure.


----------



## cocobolo

The combined weight of the bricks and mortar is 462 lbs. So the step will likely be 500 lbs with the tile and thinset. Certainly more than I would have thought.

Since the base is already mortar, it should stick like s... to a blanket.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

While I am waiting for time to pass by, I have made up a gadget to hold the porcelain tiles at 22 1/2º. These I will cut to go around the outside of a 45º corner, a couple of them in fact.


----------



## cocobolo

There is only a very thin sliver coming off the end of the tile, and it appears from this photo that the tile is chipping badly. But, in fact, this is the way the tiles are on the edge. I shall have to do something to ease the sharp edge.


----------



## cocobolo

There has been a flurry of pm's about hosta's (of all things) and I promised to show how ours are doing.

It is still raining like gangbusters here, weather which the hosta's just love.

The one with the big leaves will get about twice that big within the next few weeks.


----------



## Bud Cline

Don't know how I missed this thread but I gotta tell ya this is amazing. Very impressive stuff my friend. I'll take some time and catch up on the reading but in the meantime I have to say:

I have few words for guys like you that live in places like you do and those words are......

*BUD CLINE TILE CONTRACTING*
*SINCE 1976*
*HAVE TOOLS WILL TRAVEL*
:yes:​


----------



## shumakerscott

*Sharp edge*

You should be able to play with the sharp edge when you grout it, get a little messy and blend it in. I wait to see what you come up with. dorf dude...


----------



## gma2rjc

The Hostas are pretty! Your wife must enjoy working in the yard. She did a fantastic job with the landscaping.

Thanks for posting the pics!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Don't know how I missed this thread but I gotta tell ya this is amazing. Very impressive stuff my friend. I'll take some time and catch up on the reading but in the meantime I have to say:
> 
> I have few words for guys like you that live in places like you do and those words are......
> 
> *BUD CLINE TILE CONTRACTING*
> *SINCE 1976*
> *HAVE TOOLS WILL TRAVEL*
> :yes:​


Thanks Bud... I just LOVE your comment!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> You should be able to play with the sharp edge when you grout it, get a little messy and blend it in. I wait to see what you come up with. dorf dude...


Hi Shu:

I'm going to have to do a bit of checking into this, but I don't want the extreme edge (on the outside of the corner) to be too sharp. I just picked up a rubbing stone - haven't used it yet.

I think I will be looking for Bud Cline's advice on what is best to do.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The Hostas are pretty! Your wife must enjoy working in the yard. She did a fantastic job with the landscaping.
> 
> Thanks for posting the pics!


As always, thank you...and you're welcome.:yes:


----------



## Bud Cline

Now that I'm aware of how convenient everything is for you to get a hold of, I would have suggested a sharpening stone, so your on the right track.

I often use a knife sharpening stone made with a diamond surface but the stone stone will work also. It's slow going but - Hey!

I also have four inch grinders with various diamond attachments I use for different types of ceramic and stone tile. A belt sander works and so does an orbital sander but everyday aluminum oxide paper wears rapidly. The best paper is silicone carbide but not readily available most places.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud:

Thanks for the info.

OK, here's what I have on hand.

I have the 60/80 grit stone, plus I have three different grits of diamond stones. Then a couple of angle grinders and several of the small diamond blades. 

My stationary belt sander carries 6" x 48" belts, and as you so rightly say, they wear out in nothing flat.

I have just cut out a disc for the 9" disc side of that sander from some emery paper - 120 grit. That works rather well. Cuts quickly and leaves a nice edge. I have lots of sheets of that emery, so it won't bother me if it wears down fast.

I just did about 80 edges all 4 1/4" long. Only took just a few minutes and the emery still has some tooth to it. There will be a LOT of edges like that I would like to smooth down. But it turns out that it is not going to take me anywhere near the time I thought.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the disc which may be my saving grace...


----------



## Bud Cline

Yow I think you're on a roll! I forgot about emery cloth/paper, that's better than garden variety sandpaper.


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## cocobolo

Good, I'm glad to hear that is should be OK. I just cut up another half dozen discs for when I need them.

...well, we had a short break in the weather this morning (just got showered on a few minutes ago) and I did a little work on the handrail off the deck.

The twist is fairly sharp, which necessitates separate pieces of wood between each of the studs. There is a significant angle where each lands...


----------



## cocobolo

It is a matter of first cutting each piece to length at the appropriate angle, followed by chiseling the notch, at both ends of course.


----------



## cocobolo

The difference in the angles is illustrated here...


----------



## cocobolo

Managed to get this far before the moisture started again...


----------



## cocobolo

Another short break in the rain...got the bottom piece attached.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I smoothed out the somewhat bumpy line down each side with my trusty drawing bow.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that was done I used the jigsaw to cut somewhere near the lines, and this was followed by the use of the power plane.


----------



## cocobolo

Right about then it started to rain _again_, but I used the random orbital sander anyway to start the shaping proper.

Yep, that's raindrops showing up on the wood.:furious:


----------



## cocobolo

Back to the tile saw for a sec...I did some looking for a good porcelain blade and asked for advice on a specilized tile website. The name of the blade I was given just happens to be made over in Vancouver!

So I called them up and the good lady who looks after accounts by the name of Martine, very kindly offered me a 20% discount on a porcelain blade! OK, thanks very much!:thumbsup:

Right away I asked her if she would like to offer up the same discount on a special blade they have for marble, and she said "sure". Both blades are in the mail as we speak and I'm looking forward to getting them later this week and trying them out.:thumbup:


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> It is a matter of first cutting each piece to length at the appropriate angle, followed by chiseling the notch, at both ends of course.


nice to see a proper mallet being used:thumbsup:


----------



## jlhaslip

What would the blade outfit be named??? 

(in case others need a decent blade at a fair price)


----------



## scoggy

*Yukon Racing, sorry, "brain reaction"*

The car was the "pink Panther"..driver.."Doug....! Sorry , just at my age, 'things' are only in perspective..for a short time! I feel that your endeavours, are at least a better show of talent...than "dancing with the stars!!!" "smells' like a ...serial..on TV, eh?
Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> What would the blade outfit be named???
> 
> (in case others need a decent blade at a fair price)


Hi jl, please do not take this as any sort of recommendation from me, as I have zero experience with these blades, not yet having received them.

The company is Cyclone Diamond Products in Vancouver. Their main business seems to be the manufacture of really big blades for cutting concrete and asphalt. They do have a very informative web site. Do not confuse them with a company making small tile blades and using the name cyclone on the blades.

After I try the blades I will be happy to pass along my opinion. But it will be just that, an opinion.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> The car was the "pink Panther"..driver.."Doug....! Sorry , just at my age, 'things' are only in perspective..for a short time! I feel that your endeavours, are at least a better show of talent...than "dancing with the stars!!!" "smells' like a ...serial..on TV, eh?
> Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


I remember the car. I made a trip up to Fairbanks one year to the track up there, and Doug took his car up. During the time trials he deliberately ran right around the outside of the track into all the built up corners. That was in order to get a "slow" time. It worked!


----------



## cocobolo

If you live within 100 miles of here you know the weather has been  today.

We just had a lull in the wind and about 20 minutes of sunshine. Between splitting loads of wood I grabbed some more pics of some flowers for the girls. What a difference some sun makes.

It didn't last...wind is back with a vengeance and big black clouds are rolling in...fast.

We have a yellow rose, the white clematis, the red roses, and a peony opened up this afternoon and the Japanese iris which was in bud a few days back.


----------



## cocobolo

Every once in awhile I stray away from construction and build myself a fun project.

This is a telescope I made for myself a few years back. Did the whole thing, including grinding and polishing the mirror. Didn't turn out too badly for a first effort.


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> Every once in awhile I stray away from construction and build myself a fun project.
> 
> This is a telescope I made for myself a few years back. Did the whole thing, including grinding and polishing the mirror. Didn't turn out too badly for a first effort.


----------



## cocobolo

Those guys look like they have binoculars...this one is just for one eye!


----------



## Itsdanf

cocobolo said:


> Every once in awhile I stray away from construction and build myself a fun project.
> 
> This is a telescope I made for myself a few years back. Did the whole thing, including grinding and polishing the mirror. Didn't turn out too badly for a first effort.


Holy cr*p, that's impressive!! 

Is there ANYTHING that you DON'T do????


----------



## gma2rjc

> Holy cr*p, that's impressive!!
> 
> Is there ANYTHING that you DON'T do????


My thoughts exactly!


----------



## cocobolo

Itsdanf said:


> Holy cr*p, that's impressive!!
> 
> Is there ANYTHING that you DON'T do????


Windows? Oh, no, I guess I do those as well...


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> The car was the "pink Panther"..driver.."Doug....! Sorry , just at my age, 'things' are only in perspective..for a short time! I feel that your endeavours, are at least a better show of talent...than "dancing with the stars!!!" "smells' like a ...serial..on TV, eh?
> Syd:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Syd...a name just popped into my head...was his last name Crossley or something like that?


----------



## cocobolo

...back to the business at hand...getting the tiles ready to be set on the floor of the shower.

Michael Byrne suggests getting the walls completely finished - including the grout - before you tackle the floor. His reasons are perfectly logical, however, I'm not good enough to get the wall tiles on the bottom row good enough to try that. Once the floor is done, then I will know just what sizes the tiles will need to be at the bottom. If it takes me an extra step or two, then so be it.

I'm going to start from the drain and go backwards. That way I can be sure that the tiles surrounding the drain are really close to being centred.

I started by drawing a circle on to 4 ties.


----------



## cocobolo

Next was the cutting operation. Here I am using the carbide saw.


----------



## cocobolo

That was OK, then I tried the nippers.


----------



## cocobolo

The carbide saw was a cleaner cut, and there really was no difference in the time each took.

I did the rest with the nippers, then used the angle grinder with diamond saw to make the recess for the drain to fit in.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Michael Byrne suggests getting the walls completely finished - including the grout - before you tackle the floor. His reasons are perfectly logical, however, I'm not good enough to get the wall tiles on the bottom row good enough to try that. Once the floor is done, then I will know just what sizes the tiles will need to be at the bottom. If it takes me an extra step or two, then so be it.


The reason to do the floor last is so that you don't have to spend all of that time installing the wall tile while working on/over the new floor. Sounds logical maybe, but as you suggest not at all practical because of the "fitting" issues you may have with installing the bottom row of wall tile. If the floor is done first it is easy enough to protect the new floor while working on the walls. Don't hang your hat on Michael Byrnes and his methods.

There is a way around this...
If it were me I would establish where my bottom row of tile would land. I would then deduct about 1/4" and screw a temporay ledger to the walls. The wall tile would then be stacked on this ledger. This way you are starting one row up and forcing a cut at the bottom of the bottom row so as to fit the bottom row properly when the time comes. After all the wall tile is in place, THEN install the floor tile. This limits/reduces the amount of time you are actually working on top of the new floor tile while addressing the remaining wall tile. After the floor is complete you can then remove the ledgers and perfectly fit the bottom row of wall tile.

If the wall and floor gets the same color grout you can then start grouting at the top of the walls (if there is ceiling tile do that first) and work your way down the walls to the floor. This way you clean the walls as you go. Anything that drops on the floor can be easily cleaned after the walls are done and any floor protection is removed. Grout the floor last.


For future reference and any lurkers...
Cutting for the floor drain can be done with the angle grinder. Cut inside your layout line cutting short of your mark. Then break-away the debris and use the edge of the saw blade on the grinder to trim away the fray grinding up to your line. You really don't need the lip under the drain fixture you have created.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, I think I am doing something like that. I used a wood ledger as my guide for the second row up from the bottom, making sure that it was plenty low enough so that I will have to cut all the bottom row tiles.

I am going to continue the same tiles around the walls outside the shower, so I also had to make sure that there was enough meat left to cover the outside walls once the floor was done. Am I making any sense?

I'll give you a pic after the fact.

It also sounds like I may have done something similar to what you say about grinding the circle around the tiles. I didn't realise that I didn't need that lip. I I thought that the lip would allow some sort of solid surface to put a sealer between the drain and the tile.

So, with what I have done, what sort of sealer would I use...silicone? Or...?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, I think I am doing something like that. I used a wood ledger as my guide for the second row up from the bottom, making sure that it was plenty low enough so that I will have to cut all the bottom row tiles.
> 
> I am going to continue the same tiles around the walls outside the shower, so I also had to make sure that there was enough meat left to cover the outside walls once the floor was done. Am I making any sense?


Makes perfect sense to me. See...we don't need Byrnes. Brilliant minds think alike!!!:wink:

In most of my projects in higher-end homes I also install wainscot tile in bathrooms on the walls not in the shower. They always include some type of linear decoration near the top of the wainscot. I always do the math then start at the top and progress down the wall. Finishing slightly less than a full tile at the floor. This guarantees a perfectly straight line at the top where it is near the average person's line-of-sight. Any error in stacking the tiles goes to a grout line (down range) where it is harder to see. All of the walls are completed less the bottom row of tile, then the floor, then the bottom row of wall tile.

My builders used to just shake their heads and think I was nuts until they realized I was producing projects that were several clicks above what they had received from earlier tileguys. I will admit tho that being a perfectionist can be a handicap.



> It also sounds like I may have done something similar to what you say about grinding the circle around the tiles. I didn't realise that I didn't need that lip. I I thought that the lip would allow some sort of solid surface to put a sealer between the drain and the tile.


In this case I don't worry about it. I grout and fill any crevice around the drain assembly with grout then while the grout is soft I dig out the upper two-thirds of the grout and later caulk the crevice I created. The seal is important at the top. Effectively I am doing the same thing you are doing with your lip but probably in less time. But then, as you know when hired to do a job, time is of the essence.:yes:



> So, with what I have done, what sort of sealer would I use...silicone? Or...?


I have a strong personal dislike for 100% silicone in a place such as this. The stuff is just too hard to tool and to get to look like something. It makes a mess that is difficult to clean up. I always use color-matching caulk. It is available to match any color of grout made. Even tho it is "siliconized" it is toolable with a wet sponge and a wet finger and a lot more manageable.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

OK then...we obviously have this thing sussed!

Now my only remaining question is your choice of caulk.

For many years I did a vast amount of deck building, many of them covered with Duradek vinyl. The caulk of choice was something called Vulkem. The stuff is just terrific. Seemingly totally bulletproof and water resistant to the nth degree. It's definitely not 100% silicone, and I could check the label to see what it contains if it will help.

It isn't cheap, but it is good. I have almost a case of it here in a colour which just might be OK.

Would I expect to find such caulking as you use at a decent tile store?


----------



## Bud Cline

In the states any legitimate tile store has access to the colored caulks. Home Dept also stocks a few of the more popular colors. There are two or three makers of color matching caulk but I would have to go see what I have on hand to get the names. When I order tile and grout I just tell the store to send me some caulk to match and the grout and brands really don't matter to me. It's all been pretty good stuff so far. 

With two exceptions now that I think about it. It seems the sanded caulk always burps when you least expect and it disrupts the flow. The other problem is the damned tubes purge something terrible. You can turn them off well ahead of time and they still run-out a pile of good caulk.:laughing:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK here we go. Custom Building Products offers their caulk under their Polyblend label (same name as their grout) out of Seal Beach California. This is the brand sold in the states at Home Depot. www.custombuildingproducts.com.

Mapei International brands their caulk as FlorCraft. It is also distributed in Canada but some of the label is scratched off and I can't read it. www.mapei.com.

Another brand that comes to mind is Color Fast also in California I think. You might also find those locally through a building supply.


----------



## cocobolo

We have HD here and a couple of tile stores.

I hear you about the tubes puking all over the place...I have tried putting a nail in the tube - still seems to get out. I have some little rubber hats which Lee Valley sells for putting over the end of a glue bottle. Maybe I will try one of those to see if it helps.


----------



## Bud Cline

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Post 1266 Edited.​


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmm, that last post is intriguing...

I read your blogs, and two things have come to mind. Firstly about not using any gypsum products.

I will come clean and tell you I have Fiberock in the solarium. This is obviously all your fault for not letting me know I shouldn't use a gypsum product at least 6 months ago. Wassamattayou?

However, in my defense I will say that the company says it is perfectly OK to use in this application, and it even has some water resistance. So I hope I didn't mess up there too badly. 

And it seems that you prefer to use a modified thinset in almost all applications...right?

I was just marking out a few of the T/C tiles with pencil, and managed to get one line in the wrong place. :furious: Are there any tricks to removing a pencil line? I have scrubbed it hard with soap and water and 90% has gone, but the line is still barely visible. Fortunately, the line will be right at the edge of the floor and may be buried under the lower shelf.

Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...forgot one thing...I was looking at the tiles which I cut to go around the drain, and you said the lip isn't necessary.

After thinking about that for a few minutes I can see that it might even be an impediment. So I'm going to cut it off.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

There is a cautious start made on cutting some of the first terra cotta tiles.

I figured I might as well start at the far end, at least I won't have to trample over freshly laid tiles as I carry on. But, naturally, this is where all the worst fitting will be.

Might as well get on with it...so I pulled out my handy dandy adjustable french curve to get the tiles to match pretty well at the far end of the solarium.


----------



## cocobolo

There is barely room for the tile to fit under that round plant shelf, even though I have cut a little more wood off the bottom.

The small square tiles are thicker than the big squares and octagons, which are just over 9/16". The small squares are 1/32" under 3/4".

Here we are transferring the curve from the shelf to the tile.


----------



## Bud Cline

> I will come clean and tell you I have Fiberock in the solarium. This is obviously all your fault for not letting me know I shouldn't use a gypsum product at least 6 months ago. Wassamattayou?


Hold on! Fiberock is a water resistant tile backer suitable for tile installations of course. No problem there. I think I was referring to tiling over gypsum floor and wall patches because thinset mortar just doesn't care for those types of gypsum products. It has a hard time maintaining a bond.



> And it seems that you prefer to use a modified thinset in almost all applications...right?


In most all cases.



> I was just marking out a few of the T/C tiles with pencil, and managed to get one line in the wrong place. :furious: Are there any tricks to removing a pencil line? I have scrubbed it hard with soap and water and 90% has gone, but the line is still barely visible.


http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-graphite-and-pencil-lead-stains4.htm

The above article says "washing soda"! What the heck is that?



> I figured I might as well start at the far end, at least I won't have to trample over freshly laid tiles as I carry on. But, naturally, this is where all the worst fitting will be.


Typically I do a complete layout with grid lines that consider two tiles and two grout lines. Once the grid is down on the substrate I can begin tiling anywhere. Usually "anywhere" means deep into a room where I can back out as I progress and cut tiles to fill to the walls and obstacles as I progress.



> There is barely room for the tile to fit under that round plant shelf, even though I have cut a little more wood off the bottom.


Don't forget you need room for the thickness of the thinset also.


----------



## cocobolo

Morning Bud:

As always, thanks again for your succinct reply.

The reason I mentioned the Fiberock is because apparently it is made with a high percentage of re-cycled gypsum. I did go on to the company website to learn all I could, and to that end, the company even has a 15 year warranty on the product. So, I wasn't concerned about it - until I saw your blog. And then I thought, Oh, No! This stuff is nearly all gypsum!

However, it is apparently nothing at all like drywall, which would be toast the first time it got wet.

My wife might know what washing soda is. Maybe it's a mixture of Coke and soap!

As far as the layout goes, it sounds like I did as you suggest. I snapped some lines the length of the floor to establish the base pattern. This floor is completely irregular, there are no straight sides at all. I will see if I can locate a pic of the floor and add it to this post.

Yes, I need room for the thinset for sure, and that is actually why I cut the wood back a little.

OK...found a pic, but you can't quite see the whole floor. It's at least as bad at the near end as it is at the far end. But you get the idea.


----------



## Bud Cline

Jheeeehz!

......and I thought I was masochistic!

That's pretty amazing!


----------



## cocobolo

Why, thank you kind sir. This is a pic from some time last year I think. The fiberock wasn't down then, and it has been down for awhile.

I'll be getting to sticking the first dozen or so tiles down right after I finish posting here and wiping out the rest of my emails...so back later with the first terra cotta tile pic...I hope.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks to Bud, I now have the first three rows stuck down, and the fourth row just sitting there.

It is a slow process getting these tiles down party due to the different thicknesses, partly due to their irregular shape, but mostly due to my inexperience.


----------



## gma2rjc

> but mostly due to my inexperience.


Looking at that picture, the word 'inexperience' doesn't come to mind. It's looking great.


----------



## cocobolo

Kept going until 9 o'clock this evening. And luckily ran out of thinset (mixed) at about the same time I ran out of energy. This is about half of the area done now.

I heard a rumor that Bud would have poured himself a cup of coffee, then tiled this whole floor, and when he was finished tiling, the coffee would be just the right temperature to drink! 

Would I kid you about something like that?


----------



## Bud Cline

OK, now I feel bad! While you were toiling with your terra cotta I was fishing with my son and son-in-law. You have a lot more to show for your afternoon than I do mine, trust me.

Man that is looking good.:thumbsup: A picture from above is going to be most impressive.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Looking at that picture, the word 'inexperience' doesn't come to mind. It's looking great.


Barb: This is my first attempt at setting this sort of tile, so I really am inexperienced at this.

I am following Bud's advice, and thus far it is working out quite well.

I have just run across some of the octagonal tiles with the letter "O" stamped into the back. If you read Bud's posts, he mentions that these initials are likely that of the family which made the tile.

I am finding that the size difference of the tiles seems to pose the biggest problem. You can line up two or three sides with previous tiles, and one is often out of whack. In other words, opposite sides of the octagons are frequently not parallel.

I am hoping to be able to finish the tiling tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> OK, now I feel bad! While you were toiling with your terra cotta I was fishing with my son and son-in-law. You have a lot more to show for your afternoon than I do mine, trust me.
> 
> Man that is looking good.:thumbsup: A picture from above is going to be most impressive.


I'm guessing that our posts crossed Bud.

Do I take it that the fish won the battle today?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Do I take it that the fish won the battle today?


Well, ah, um-h-h-h-h, ah, I suppose you could say that!

Actually between the three of us there were probably thirty-five maybe forty fish caught all totaled up. But not a single one big enough to stink up a skillet. Some days are like that. But you know what they say...

"A bad day of fishin' is still better than a good day at work." Or something like that.


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## cocobolo

...but just think if you had kept all 35 of them!


----------



## Bud Cline

> I have just run across some of the octagonal tiles with the letter "O" stamped into the back. If you read Bud's posts, he mentions that these initials are likely that of the family which made the tile.


I'm now curious to know if the tiles with the "M" are exactly the same as the tiles with the "O". Or, is there a size variance or maybe a shade variance, or possibly a difference in the shape of the edge relief on the back side.

If the tiles are different this could attest to my suggestion that the tiles were in fact made by differnet people at different times with different quality controls. 

Just curious!


----------



## cocobolo

I'll get that information for you in the morning, Bud. I might look in a few other boxes to see if there are any other initials.

A few of the tiles have a distinctly "burnt" looking colour to them. Most are the light shade. I could probably get a shot of that in daylight.


----------



## Bud Cline

Just curious!

I'm going to bed now to dream about catching fish.


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## cocobolo

Bud, the "burnt" tile has an "O". The "M" tiles look like the M was maybe carved from a piece of hardwood, or maybe was a crude casting of some kind. The O looks like they used the end of a piece of pipe as it is perfectly round.

All the sizes are similar, within 3/16". But I have yet to find a "perfect" tile. They all have thickness variations, plus the colour differences and the sides are often not parallel.

Purely by accident I have found a solution to removing pencil lines from these tiles. A quick rub with emery paper and it's completely gone. Takes literally 2 or 3 seconds. So you can that to your arsenal of tricks.


----------



## cocobolo

So far the entire morning has been consumed fitting more tiles.

On the left side of the picture, the tiles are able to go underneath the bench. Where the round table is, they can only butt up against it.

This means that I will be using some kind of caulking there, not grout. Plus I will have to put many coats of finish on the wood before I do that.

The tiles against the table need to be very carefully cut otherwise I am sure they would look like hell.


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## cocobolo

Now we are all fitted around the table...that seemed to come out all right.

These tiles are not stuck down yet.


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## cocobolo

And to the right of the round table, under the step, I don't yet have the wood on the step face...thank goodness!

All I have to do there is run the tiles within 1/4" or so of the framing and it will be covered up later by the facing wood.


----------



## shumakerscott

*Imperfections*

Looks fantastic! You can have a little bit more imperfections and it will still be ok there. You will be the only one to see it. That is unless I visit! dorf dude...


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## Bud Cline

> A quick rub with emery paper and it's completely gone.


Yes but you said you had already sealed the tiles. I was worried an abrasive used to remove a pencil mark would cause a splotch later when the abraded tile was sealed once again. Oh well, we'll see.



> Plus I will have to put many coats of finish on the wood before I do that.


GOOD CATCH!
Maybe I should have mentioned that grouting near raw unfinished wood will usually turn the wood black. Oak, Redwood, and Teak, are the worst for turning and staining when you get a little Portland cement on them.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yes but you said you had already sealed the tiles. I was worried an abrasive used to remove a pencil mark would cause a splotch later when the abraded tile was sealed once again. Oh well, we'll see.
> 
> 
> You're right there..the last few tiles are not yet sealed. So you're probably right about leaving a mess on a sealed tile. I forgot about that.
> 
> While we're at it...what sort of sealer is the _right_ one for these tiles?
> 
> And is there a colour of grout which is commonly used with these tiles? All I know is the missus wants the grout darker than the tiles. And it will need to be sanded grout with these big gaps, right?


----------



## Bud Cline

> And it will need to be sanded grout with these big gaps, right?


Yessir...sanded grout for sure.
As far as color-choice I rarely get into that bag of worms. I do think however that for an old world look the basic "natural grey" grout color is best. Yes, it looks like cement, kind of a green/grey color but that's the only thing there was for a long long time.

I have however seen some tan colors look pretty good also.



> While we're at it...what sort of sealer is the _right_ one for these tiles?


I said earlier I hadn't installed any of that tile in a long time. The tile industry has rolled over totally in the past few years all for the better but I'm not familiar with the sealers on today's market that are best suited for terra cotta. There are a lot of new and great products on the market these days. I think you may be committed to whatever you started with.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, when I got this sealer I looked for one which specifically said terra cotta. It is a penetrating sealer for unglazed tiles which leaves no residue on the surface. It needs at least 2 applications, maybe 3 to do the job.

We have been using 3 applications, just to be on the safe side. It's from Tile Lab. It penetrates the tile instantly and disappears within a very few minutes.


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## Bud Cline

.......and that's the way it works. It doesn't look like it is working but it is. If you would continue to add applications, one day the surface would stop absorbing the sealer and it would begin to build on the surface. Not necessarily a bad thing but a sheen would develop and in time with enough applications a shine would appear.

After installing a travertine floor two years ago I began sealing the stone. Travertine has a higher density than terra cotta of course but for the sake of conversation I will say that after eleven applications the travertine finally began to take on a shine which is what the customers wanted. Four applications later I was done.

My memory reminds me that some terra cotta and saltillo customers wanted their floor to shine and some didn't.

Now would be a good time to mention that sealers of this type aren't intended to be stain-proofers. They merely offer an extension of time to clean up a spill that may otherwise have been an immediate stain.


----------



## cocobolo

Your last statement there is precisely what it says on our container.

Must have been fun putting 15 coats of sealer on that travertine!:no:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Must have been fun putting 15 coats of sealer on that travertine!


Not so bad actually. Each coat was applied with a large cotton mop being swung in a figure eight pattern. The hard part was waiting between applications. Tk two days to git-r-done.


----------



## cocobolo

nooooo...it's not finished.

The last bit is tucked right in the corner, and I need to be able to get at it from the front.

So, prudence has dictated that I let all this set up first. Then tomorrow morning I will lay some plywood on the tiled area and finish the remaining corner.

I got the big :thumbup: from the wife this afternoon. It seems that she got the idea to have a T/C floor from Umberto's restaurant in Gastown. (Vancouver)


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Looks fantastic! You can have a little bit more imperfections and it will still be ok there. You will be the only one to see it. That is unless I visit! dorf dude...


By the time you get here Shu, I'll have it all covered up! You'll never spot all the goofs!:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

After what seems like an eternity all the tile is laid in the solarium.

And in what has become a tradition, I have managed once again to leave the photos until it was dark. This is looking toward the steps with the just completed end done.

I'm going to attach some pics of some of the garden I took today along with the floor stuff. Specially for Barb and the other ladies. Enjoy.

These are of the small coralbark maple in the Japanese garden and the "jungle" by the screen.


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## cocobolo

The whole floor done, still aiming at the steps. Sorry about the crummy shot. I'm standing on the plant table at the end.

The garden pics are of the small coral bark maple just coming out nicely, and a fresh iris in the Japanese garden.


----------



## cocobolo

Same old floor again...from the step end this time.

Our fire chief came down for a visit today and really seemed to be impressed with the floor. (I'm his deputy, so maybe he was just being nice to me :yes

The flowers are the first daylily of the year and a rose right after the rain quit and the sun came out for a short while.


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## cocobolo

The new tile saw blades arrived at the post office on Friday, and a trip across was in order to pick them up today.

Let me tell you, as soon as I took one look at these blades I could tell immediately what a difference in quality there was between the original and the Cyclone blades.

The porcelain blade - shown here - has diamonds going 7/16" up the sides. The factory blade only covers 1/4"...that's a pretty big difference. And the blade just _looks_ more robust.

Haven't tried it yet...maybe tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

And while I was at it, I also got a specialty blade for natural stone, specifically marble and granite.

It doesn't even look like any other blade I have.

It has three steps of diamonds on the sides...the first goes up 5/16", next 9/16" and the third 1 1/8".

I'm really looking forward to using this one, it looks like a real killer blade. Unfortunately I won't be on to the marble - which is going in the ensuite - for some time yet.


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## jlhaslip

Oh! Look... shiny stuff... Nice!


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## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Oh! Look... shiny stuff... Nice!


Hah! You think it's shiny now...just wait 'til I polish it up!!:laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

> And while I was at it, I also got a specialty blade for natural stone, specifically marble and granite.


Have a blade similar to that one and it's a helluva blade.

Two years ago I installed a front entry porch with radii steps. Black brick pavers were used. After trying every trick in my saw-blade-bank and still not being able to cut those damned bricks I turned to my trusty diamond blade supplier who immediately laughed at me. Apparently he was familiar with those bricks and my issues with them. He said I'll send you something to try and if it works call me back and I'll send you an invoice for it.

The blade was here the next day (bless his sole) and it cut those bricks like it was cutting a loaf of bread. It's an amazing tool for sure. Just so happens he also supplies diamond blades to the brick refractory that made the bricks to begin with so he had an inside track.

Well poop!!! That picture was taken with my cell phone then emailed to me, then saved to my pictures, now it's itty bitty and a (PNG) whatever that is, and I have no idea how to fix all of that. I did manage to change it to JPEG for posting here but I have no idea how to enlarge it.


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## cocobolo

I'm always glad to get a good report on something after I buy it...usually it's the other way around.

I tried grabbing your image to resize, but as soon as I blow it up it pixelates like nobody's business. I think your basic image size was something like 92 x 72 or whatever, so that's pretty tiny.

If you have any other version of it, you could try emailing it to me and I'll see what happens - I use Imagewell for my resizing.


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## cocobolo

...another question for you Bud.

The wife wanted tile put on the steps in this pic. Before I did the solarium floor I pooh pooh'd the idea, mainly because I didn't think I would be able to do it. But since trying the floor and discovering that _if you have the best tile guy on the planet available for help _it isn't so bad, I might give it a go.

It was your pic of the steps you did that put that idea forward. So, if I mess up, you know who's going to get blamed, don't you? :yes:

I guess I would cut narrow strips of tile for the curved faces, then do some sort of fan shape for the steps. I'm hoping that I can make a small overhanging lip - maybe 1/4" to 3/8" - on the outside of the treads, and then shape that round.

I will use the 12 by 12 tiles to make this from.

Am I on the right track?


----------



## Bud Cline

> The wife wanted tile put on the steps in this pic. Before I did the solarium floor I pooh pooh'd the idea, mainly because I didn't think I would be able to do it. But since trying the floor and discovering that _if you have the best tile guy on the planet available for help _it isn't so bad, I might give it a go.


Well I'll tell ya...

On Internet forums addressing DIY'ers I am usually the first person to discourage anyone from installing clay/ceramic/stone tile on wood structured steps. That's not to say it can't be done and be done successfully. I'm embarrassed to tell you how many times I have done it and yet tell folks on the Internet not to do so.

Steps/stairs can be dubious animals as you well know. The things are usually built to a minimum standard (if any kind of standard at all is used) and they move. We all know movement/deflection is a deal-killer for tile installations.

However, I now know a little bit about the husband of the wife wanting the stairs to be tiled and something tells me if anyone can HE CAN.

It really depends on how the steps were structured. If they are solid with no deflection there may be no issues whatsoever. 

As we know steps are subject to forces one wouldn't really think about. I don't know the science of this but I do know a two hundred pound guy coming down a set of steps in deliberate fashion can probably exert a momentary stress of several hundred pounds per square inch. Going up is a different story.

I would fully trust your judgement as to whether or not this is a good idea. I think it probably is.

As far as overhanging the edges, you know those edges will be vulnerable to chipping but usually only if one is banging furniture or something hard up or down the steps. If it were me I would of course tile the risers and flush the stair nose to that end so that the riser tile (and grout) is fully supporting the tile edge of the tread. A round-over or bull-nosing of the tile would work without issue. This would soften the edge and lesson the possibility that something would chip a 90 degree edge at the top otherwise (sharp) corner.

I would also use fiber cement tile backer board and a thinset with some flexibility claims in their documents.:thumbup:

Thanks for the compliment by the way.


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## cocobolo

Yesterday we sorted out some of the mess in the studio - where the t/c tiles have been for years. It turns out that we have enough of the octagonal tiles to do _either_ the front entrance_ or_ the breakfast nook. In either case we would be stuck with quite a few octagonal tiles with no particular place to put them.

Last night while I was hunting for pictures of t/c installations, I spotted one which had some 6 x 12 tiles used as a border. Bingo!

If I did that here, there would be enough of the octagonal tiles to do both the floors in question, as the border tiles would use up something like 42 square feet of floor.

The nook will be done first, and the area right around the step seemed to be the logical place to start.

After some contemplation, I figured the middle of the step would be first - then just work out to each side.

And BTW, this is not a half circle - that would be too easy. No, this is half an oval, a different kettle of fish entirely.

First thing - find the middle of the outside of the step.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Well I'll tell ya...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would also use fiber cement tile backer board and a thinset with some flexibility claims in their documents.:thumbup:
> 
> Thanks for the compliment by the way.


Does Fiberock qualify or do I need the regular CBU?

And you're more than welcome.

Our posts crossed within a minute of each other.


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## cocobolo

Bud, just FYI, when I built this place, I did not have any of the beams downstairs on greater than a 7' spacing.

Some of the floor joists are in fan shapes, anything else does not exceed 16". I am _always_ in favour of exceeding the code when it comes to framing.

We had in mind doing considerable tiling before the design was even drawn, so the framing was well overbuilt, and I have never regretted it.

Those steps you see are not stairs in the true sense of the word. Each is built on top of the other so the weight is transferred right down to the main floor - which is two layers thick.

Bull nosing was the expression I was looking for...I just think it looks a little bit better than having a flush edge between the facing and the tread surface.

Any furniture coming in to this room will be via the door to the back deck.

Any furniture to the remainder of the house will enter either through the front door - or more likely through the double french doors.

And any 200 pound clod trying to race around my house will be summarily ejected out into the bay!


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## cocobolo

OK, continuing from post 1313, I then transferred the line to the floor, and using a straightedge and my infallible eyeball, continued the line out away from the step.

Now I had a centreline from which to start the floor tile.


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## Bud Cline

> And BTW, this is not a half circle - that would be too easy. No, this is half an oval,


I might have known!!!!




> Does Fiberock qualify or do I need the regular CBU?


Absolutely!

Ok back to the half-oval thing. Iffin' it wasin' me....

I think I would saw the tiles only (in range) of the front edge and allow a slight overhang (after considering the riser-tile thickness. THEN use a belt sander to do a final shaping of the radius. (Is the still called a radius?)

I'm thinking I would also use a temporary filler of some kind to use as a sacrificial-face for sanding on the front edge of the tiles making the radius. Maybe a couple pieces of Fiberock or whatever would bend.


----------



## cocobolo

I put tiles around the step, and measured the spaces between the outside edges of the tiles. Because this was an oval, the spacing grew larger towards the ends. Then I made myself up some small boards from 1" wide to 1 5/8" wide to draw cut lines on the tiles.


----------



## cocobolo

Using an appropriate spacer - one which was _just_ bigger than the space at the outer edge of the tiles - I then drew lines on the tile for cutting.


----------



## Gladerunner

have been following your progress, but haven't commented for awile. Have you considered a wood bullnose across the front and then inlaying tile on the treads. Could be a nice look with less chance of chipping on the edge. Just a thought but then again I'm a plumber.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I might have known!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Absolutely!
> 
> Ok back to the half-oval thing. Iffin' it wasin' me....
> 
> I think I would saw the tiles only (in range) of the front edge and allow a slight overhang (after considering the riser-tile thickness. THEN use a belt sander to do a final shaping of the radius. (Is the still called a radius?)
> 
> I'm thinking I would also use a temporary filler of some kind to use as a sacrificial-face for sanding on the front edge of the tiles making the radius. Maybe a couple pieces of Fiberock or whatever would bend.


OK, I see what you mean. That way you would be far less likely to get any chipping at the edges of the tile. I could always use a piece of Fiberock as a temporary spacer so I would know that it would fit.


----------



## cocobolo

just a guy said:


> have been following your progress, but haven't commented for awile. Have you considered a wood bullnose across the front and then inlaying tile on the treads. Could be a nice look with less chance of chipping on the edge. Just a thought but then again I'm a plumber.


No actually, that's the one thing I didn't consider.

I did spend a few years in the boatbuilding game, so something like that might be a possibility. But there is one trouble with that which leaves me a little nervous.

Wood and masonry - of whatever kind - are dis-similar materials. And such materials should rightfully have some kind of flashing between them.

This is a round in which the masonry will come out ahead, and the wood will eventually lose. 

Of course, _originally,_ before wife number two decided how much she liked the solarium floor, these two steps were going to be done in hardwood.

I am mindful of the potential damage which could occur on the tile, but I think - at this point - it is a risk I am willing to take.

Not to mention the fact that Bud has brought up the idea of finding a thinset with some flexibility to it. Aside from absorbing some of the point load, it may have some shock absorbing ability. I guess we will find out.


----------



## Gladerunner

Just remind wife# 2, tile on steps looks great untill you come down with wet feet.


----------



## scarrylarry

*Your house*

Had a few minutes today between cooking dinner and starting to paint the master bedroom of our home.I ran across your thread here and could not believe it.Amazing!!! You sir are indeed a craftsman!!I have just skipped through some of the pages and I'm almost speech less.I had a good friend who passed away months ago from panceatic cancer and he would have loved reading this thread.He to was carpenter/finishing/cabinet maker.A do it right man.I hope to read more of this thread when I get time.I love the ocean.We have friends who have a cabin on the Sunshine Coast and have enjoyed visiting there many times.
scarrylarry


----------



## cocobolo

just a guy said:


> Just remind wife# 2, tile on steps looks great untill you come down with wet feet.


Very true...especially in the case of marble or nice shiny granite.:huh:

However, if you haven't had the pleasure of holding a piece of the hand made terra cotta in your hand, then you might not be familiar with the texture of the surface. It's something like 60 grit sandpaper! :thumbsup:

We thought long and hard about what to put in the house for flooring. Heaven knows - we sure have had enough time to think about it !

And the Missus always wanted tile in the kitchen area - at the very least. And her choice there ended up being the terra cotta which we now have.


----------



## cocobolo

scarrylarry said:


> Had a few minutes today between cooking dinner and starting to paint the master bedroom of our home.I ran across your thread here and could not believe it.Amazing!!! You sir are indeed a craftsman!!I have just skipped through some of the pages and I'm almost speech less.I had a good friend who passed away months ago from panceatic cancer and he would have loved reading this thread.He to was carpenter/finishing/cabinet maker.A do it right man.I hope to read more of this thread when I get time.I love the ocean.We have friends who have a cabin on the Sunshine Coast and have enjoyed visiting there many times.
> scarrylarry


Oh NO!!! Not ScaryLarry!

Watch out folks...this guy collects CHAINSAWS of all things. Shades of the Texas chainsaw massacre...

Hi Larry, how ya doin?


----------



## Gladerunner

Like I said i'm a plumber. but the fact that i've remained married 28 years (and i'm still on #1) will show you that i can appreciate how nice those terra cotta steps are gonna look.


----------



## cocobolo

NEWS FLASH!!!

We interrupt this thread for an announcement.

We have decided that the whole main floor, except for the bathroom and utility room, will be done in terra cotta. The wife was about 90% responsible for this choice. (I made the mistake of showing her some pics off the web of t/c floors, and a magazine I subscribe to arrived yesterday with a great shot of a t/c floor in a house with_ curved walls _of all things, which she absolutely loved.)


----------



## cocobolo

just a guy said:


> Like I said i'm a plumber. but the fact that i've remained married 28 years (and i'm still on #1) will show you that i can appreciate how nice those terra cotta steps are gonna look.


Comments like that just _absolutely_ make my day!!!!:thumbup:


----------



## Gladerunner

I'm surprised that your not out looking for a kiln to start making your own tile


----------



## cocobolo

just a guy said:


> I'm surprised that your not out looking for a kiln to start making your own tile


Don't laugh...the missus wants a kiln to do some pottery! Only trouble is that it would need to be wood fired - not enough electricity here. So we may end up with something like a wood fired pizza oven instead!!!:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

OK...where was I now...continuing on from 1319, here I am lining up the cut line on the saw using a straightedge. Turned out I didn't really need that, as the blade throws a nice water line when it first starts up, so you can check that way to see if you need to adjust the tile or not.

And I used a wedge to keep the tile from moving once the cut was underway.


----------



## cocobolo

This pic shows just how much space gets "lost" after cutting just one tile. In other words, you can only lay out and cut one tile at a time. Then you need to move the next one close to continue the layout.


----------



## cocobolo

So after the smoke cleared, this is how the row of tiles will look around the step.


----------



## cocobolo

Looks as though I will need to be checking all the square footage of the floor area. We have located a tile supplier, only about 2,500 miles away, who has enough tile to do the entire job.

We just don't know how much to order yet...


----------



## cocobolo

Just tried out the new porcelain blade. Unbelievable! I thought at first maybe I had picked up a cheapie ceramic tile...but no. This thing cuts porcelain like there's no tomorrow. It really is hard to believe. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

cocobolo said:


> Looks as though I will need to be checking all the square footage of the floor area. We have located a tile supplier, only about 2,500 miles away, who has enough tile to do the entire job.
> 
> We just don't know how much to order yet...


Yes we do, 800 square feet. Now trying to find a trucking company to deliver from St. Louis, Mo to B.C. So, if any of you might know that...


----------



## Bud Cline

Try this outfit.....


http://www.con-way.com/en/freight/p...crossborder/?gclid=CM6b7KLhlqICFRpvswodP0LOVg


You might also check with movers of household goods. Sometimes they will fill-out a load with things that can be construed as non-freight commodities. Residential floor tile may qualify.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...many thanks.

I have sent them an email to see if they can help.

I did try Googling and managed to come up with a list of about 4,000 trucking companies, but 99% are strictly local within any given area.

I'll definitely let you know what transpires.


----------



## cocobolo

Not exactly an immensely productive day today.

I did some of the shower floor, but I am pitifully slow with those small tiles. I decided to start from the drain...so that at the very least _those_ tiles would line up.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud will be pleased to note that the lip has gone from the 4 tiles surrounding the drain!:thumbsup:

The thinset was getting quite stiff by the time I got that much done - told you I was slow - so I remixed it and used the rest up on the outside of the shower wall.

At least with big tiles it only takes a few minutes to do that.


----------



## jlhaslip

Are those spacers between tiles pieces of cedar from your sawmill?



:lol:

just playing with you... nice job on the tile.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Are those spacers between tiles pieces of cedar from your sawmill?
> 
> 
> 
> :lol:
> 
> just playing with you... nice job on the tile.


Of _course_ they are...what else would I use?

Actually, I used double plastic wedges. Worked great. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...yet another question for you. Is there any difference between Fortified thinset and Modified thinset? :huh:

I have three different thinsets here and just curious as to whether one is better than the other or not. Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

OK Barb...here's how you keep those ants out of the feeder.

Hmmm, I see I have a bunch of background stuff in the way..the feeder is hanging off a small container full of water. The ants don't much care for swimming.:no:

How they find the feeders is dead easy for them. 

When they discover some sugar water on the ground below the feeder, they simply find the nearest route to go straight up. They are real experts at it.

You might find something like this at a garden shop, or perhaps you may even have a bird shop of some kind where you are. If not, I think this came from Lee Valley Tools - they have both Canadian and US mail order. I believe this is in their garden catalogue.

Just as I was shooting, a male rufous arrived to assert his domination!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud...yet another question for you. Is there any difference between Fortified thinset and Modified thinset?


Basically the same thing. That's not to say the recipes are identical. Some fortifieds/modifieds offer advantages over others.

For example Custom Building Products offers Versabond which is a good but entry-level modified thinset at about $21/50# here. They also offer Megaflex that allows for up to a 1/8" lateral movement (I think) for about $63/50#. Versabond doesn't chirp about this feature. One can only assume the $63 is better than the $21.

All manufacturers of thinset have a host of modified thinset products to choose from.

I can only trust the propaganda of the maker as I have never knowingly had an issue with any of the products I have used over the years and can't speak from experience as to which may be better than another. I am of the thought process that if one stays with the mainstream products and follows the company's recommendations he can't miss.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thank you! I'll look around for one. I'm wondering if it would be easy to make. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Basically the same thing. That's not to say the recipes are identical. Some fortifieds/modifieds offer advantages over others.
> 
> For example Custom Building Products offers Versabond which is a good but entry-level modified thinset at about $21/50# here. They also offer Megaflex that allows for up to a 1/8" lateral movement (I think) for about $63/50#. Versabond doesn't chirp about this feature. One can only assume the $63 is better than the $21.
> 
> All manufacturers of thinset have a host of modified thinset products to choose from.
> 
> I can only trust the propaganda of the maker as I have never knowingly had an issue with any of the products I have used over the years and can't speak from experience as to which may be better than another. I am of the thought process that if one stays with the mainstream products and follows the company's recommendations he can't miss.


Oddly enough, it is Versabond which HD carries up here. I might go to the tile store to see if they recommend something different.

So far it seems to be just fine. I tried laying one of the terra cotta tiles on it the other day, and right after I stuck it down, I tried to lift it up just to see how it was sticking. I actually needed a small crowbar to get it off. Right about then, I figured I wasn't going to have too much trouble with it.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Thank you! I'll look around for one. I'm wondering if it would be easy to make.
> 
> Barb


Judging by its' appearance - sort of like the bottom of a 2 liter pop bottle - I guess you might be able to conjure up one from that source. If you need a close up pic so you can see it better, just say so.


----------



## Bud Cline

Versabond is what I routinely use for everyday installations. My second choice is Mapei's Ultraflex II. In your case Versabond should work great.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Versabond is what I routinely use for everyday installations. My second choice is Mapei's Ultraflex II. In your case Versabond should work great.


Thanks for that Bud...I also have some Mapei thinset here as well! OMG, can I do _no wrong!_ :laughing:


----------



## shumakerscott

I have trouble with the German packaged stuff. I might be using the wrong things but so far nothing has fallen down. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I have trouble with the German packaged stuff. I might be using the wrong things but so far nothing has fallen down. dorf dude...


Gotta tell you a funny story Shu.

Before I had any clue as to what to use in the way of thinset, I picked up some Custom Blend standard thinset from the House of Pot.

_After I got it,_ I thought it might not be a bad idea to see if it was OK for my needs. If anyone asks, it got used for the slate around the two woodstoves.

Anyway, I went on to a dedicated tile website - and the fellow that answered my question said "That stuff is only dirt in a bag!" So after I finished laughing my head off, he said to go with Versa Bond, which I have done.

Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between one or the other at the time. And I have certainly not had any issues at all with the Custom Blend.

I must admit I really like the Versa Bond, it seems to have exceptional hang.


----------



## cocobolo

Up at 5:20 this morning, put a first coat of varathane on the woodwork in the solarium.

I made cardboard templates to go alongside the wood to cover the tile. The varathane is pretty drippy, so I didn't need it on the new tile.

Notice how it looks just like white paint? It dries clear as a bell.


----------



## cocobolo

Big panic in the old household this morning.

Daughter just phoned - can mum come over to Vancouver RIGHT NOW - her labour has started!

Off to catch the ferry PDQ...I'll update you all later.


----------



## gma2rjc

Will this be your first grandchiild? Either way, congratulations!


----------



## shumakerscott

Notice how it looks just like white paint? It dries clear as a bell.[/quote]

The gel I'm using is exactly the same. Milky white then dries clear. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Will this be your first grandchiild? Either way, congratulations!


This will be Rachel's second. A baby brother for Jordan, who is 2 1/2.


----------



## gma2rjc

How exciting! All the best to her and the baby!

Barb


----------



## Itsdanf

Congrats to Jordan for getting a new brother! 
:happybday:

(...and to Rachael).

(......and to YOU and the rest of the family, of course)!

:thumbup::thumbsup::thumbup:


----------



## jlhaslip

Hope all are healthy...


----------



## cocobolo

Oh, wow! Thank you all very much.

Yes, baby brother Liam Matthew arrived safe and sound yesterday afternoon - all 6lbs 9ozs of him - before Grandma managed to make it to the hospital!

Apparently he looks just like his older brother...I smell trouble coming up!

Mum and baby are doing extremely well and are expected home today from the hospital.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between one or the other at the time. And I have certainly not had any issues at all with the Custom Blend.


Before we get too far down the road let's clear up any doubts about the Custom Blend thinset.

Custom Blend is an inexpensive and low-end unmodified thinset but it is fine for what you used it for. It certainly IS NOT "bagged dirt" but it also is not on the better end of the scale of unmodified thinsets. Custom Blend is basically (as far as I know) the thinset-blend created/invented by Henry Rothberg Sr. some fifty years ago. Those products still have their place today but they ARE NOT comparable to any of the modifieds. You'll be OK with what you used it for.

Now, (and not necessarily in the order of importance) *CONGRADULATIONS* on being a new grandpa. I have two grand kids and another on the way.

We had a helluva storm here Friday night with seventy mile per hour straight-line winds. We were spared (with the exception of having no electricity for fourteen hours) and only had tree limbs to clean up while some friends lost several out-buildings, a shop, and a horse barn. Just returned from their place surveying damage and shoring-up the roof of one shop building. Seems it's hard to get answers from insurance companies on a weekend. Maybe Mother Nature should only destroy property during week days. This way victims of storms will know what funds they can expect to have available for cleanup.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Bud.

If I remember rightly, the custom blend was the first thinset I got, and that was some time back. Knowing me, it was most likely because it was cheap! I have been using the versa bond since then.

Just to be on the safe side, I will visit the real tile store and find out which thinsets they have available. I expect in future I will stick with modified only as they seem to be a generally better product.

Working on the tile around the sink this morning. I'm having to build a little raised area behind the glass sink so that the tap can actually get the water into the sink! Not a bad idea I thought!

Thanks for the congrats...but I think they should be directed to mum...after all, she's the one who does all the hard work! I'm going to pass along everyone's message.

Bad news about that storm. The last one here managed to deposit a big arbutus branch - the top of the whole tree really - right through a cabin roof at the south end of the island.

I'm fresh out of contacts with mother nature, so it looks like I can't help with the weekend storms! But you might think that the insurance companies would have a 24 hour hotline available for such events.


----------



## Bud Cline

Should metion that thinsets have a shelf-life. Maybe six months maybe a year. Just depends on the invironmet they are stored in. Thinsets can "go off" in their bag and not turn into a big rock. So their quality can be questionable even when they seem fine. It may be best to discard anything that has been opened and then left sitting in storage for a year or so.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Should metion that thinsets have a shelf-life. Maybe six months maybe a year. Just depends on the invironmet they are stored in. Thinsets can "go off" in their bag and not turn into a big rock. So their quality can be questionable even when they seem fine. It may be best to discard anything that has been opened and then left sitting in storage for a year or so.


Ahhhh...thank you for that. I have a horrible feeling that I used up all the newest thinset, and all - or some - of what I have on hand is older than that.

I wonder if there is any date on the products? I'll have to look. If not, next time I buy some - like maybe tomorrow - I will write the date on it with felt pen.

What happens when you use old stuff? Does it no longer adhere to the tiles? Or...?


----------



## Bud Cline

In general the products are coded/dated. The techie at the respective manufacturers will tell you what the codes mean if you call them.

Here's a "rub" I can't seem to explain nor can/will anyone else. I have noticed repeatedly that those kind of products I purchase from Home Depot do not in fact have any codes on the bags in a lot of cases. I wonder if that is done intentionally. Yes sir, I am somewhat cynical at times. Without codes and verifiable manufacturing dates HD would not have to deal with the return of outdated products or a project failure due to using outdated products. They just sell everything that comes through their doors and the public would never be the wiser.

Oh well...just a thought from a distrusting installer that was recently burned using some Custom Level Quick that was old and outdated.


----------



## Ivy

Do you get many critters on that Island of yours?

BTW, one of my favorite threads... love it and your work!


----------



## cocobolo

Ivy said:


> Do you get many critters on that Island of yours?
> 
> BTW, one of my favorite threads... love it and your work!


Hi Ivy: Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I haven't seen you on the thread before, have I? Welcome indeed!

And many thanks for your kind comments.

Critters...I gather you mean the four legged kind...

Most of the islands locally have such animals as deer and '*****, neither of which we have here. Very rarely, we hear reports of a deer being sighted on this island (1.4 miles long by .4 mile wide) but in the 13+ years we have been here we have never seen one ourselves.

Lots of squirrels, who love to leave little piles from the cones they eat all over the place. We do get the occasional mink, usually in pairs. But they tend to run away quickly if we are outside.

The big river otters - as opposed to sea otters - are routinely spotted here up on land. Sometimes we will see 6 or 7 running along our lower pathway to get to the pond.

From time to time, up at the big pond area in the middle of the island, beavers will make their appearance known. I'm told that there is one beaver there now, but I haven't seen it yet this year. We are hoping that a second one will arrive to keep the first one company. Sometimes they stay for a few years, then just disappear. We like it when they are here as they keep the beaver dam in good shape at the west end of the pond, and this helps keep the water level up into the later summer months.

In the event of fire anywhere in the central island area, this is our water supply for the fire pumps.

Other than that, lots of field mice and fat grass snakes. Other animals such as cougars, foxes, coyotes, bears and so on are confined to Vancouver Island and the mainland.

And we have a terrific variety of birds! Something like 87 different by our latest count. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> In general the products are coded/dated. The techie at the respective manufacturers will tell you what the codes mean if you call them.
> 
> Here's a "rub" I can't seem to explain nor can/will anyone else. I have noticed repeatedly that those kind of products I purchase from Home Depot do not in fact have any codes on the bags in a lot of cases. I wonder if that is done intentionally. Yes sir, I am somewhat cynical at times. Without codes and verifiable manufacturing dates HD would not have to deal with the return of outdated products or a project failure due to using outdated products. They just sell everything that comes through their doors and the public would never be the wiser.
> 
> Oh well...just a thought from a distrusting installer that was recently burned using some Custom Level Quick that was old and outdated.


Bud, yet again I must say thanks.

I checked all the bags of thinset on hand, but I have been unable to find any dates at all on the products from HD. Therefore, they have now been relegated to the category of "suspect" at best. I don't think they will get used.

Today, there was a very brief lull in the wind - so over to town to the real tile store. They handle Mapei products and I would say there must have been perhaps a dozen different types of thinset on hand.

I got one of the fellows there to educate me a little more, told him what I was doing, and just grabbed a couple of bags he recommended so I don't get stopped in mid stream here.

I specifically asked about the dates, and yes Mapei has codes for that. He said we go through this stuff by the pallet load so quickly that none of it comes even close to getting old.


----------



## cocobolo

There is a very tricky (for me) corner section of raised tiling that has to be done in the corner of the countertop behind the sink.

The sink itself is one of those glass things that perches above the countertop.

The faucet is an ebay score which goes quite well with the sink, at least the missus thinks so.

The faucet requires that two small holes be provided through the tile and mounting board underneath, as well as room for the two water lines. This was going to be the trickiest part.

First thing was to cut the wood to fit the corner.


----------



## cocobolo

The long side of that triangle is only about a foot. So making allowances for the easyboard and the tile, I pre-cut everything for the corner.

The easyboard cuts with one slice right through with a utility knife (according to the company). Some of us need two passes. With the curved cut at the front of the countertop, It needed to be done freehand and therefore slowly.


----------



## cocobolo

Somewhere I have a special drill bit which will go through glass and tile. Naturally, I am unable to find it when I need it. 

The faucet requires three holes, the two bolt holes being critical to get in just the right spot.

Using regular masonry bits (I can almost hear Bud cringing) I tried a couple of test holes in some scrap tile. First I sharpened the bits.

OK, the first hole wasn't too bad. Part way through the second hole, the tile broke in half.

Try again...re-sharpen the bit(s)...try a new hole. That's OK, second hole, that's OK as well. The third hole - which was just a starter hole for the water lines - got bogged down part way through. So I changed the bit and finished the hole, no problem.

By now I realise that these carbide tipped bits have very limited capacity in porcelain. Again re-sharpened both bits, and now using my pre-cut piece of tile I just drilled one hole, and then changed the bit. That worked fine.

Next was to increase the hole for the water lines, and this got a bit sticky.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see, it obviously ended up working out OK.

What was difficult was trying to get the blade off that little saw, then threaded through the hole and the blade re-fitted to the saw again.

I tried a screw clamp, nope - wouldn't do it. A quick action clamp - same thing. Finally resorted to putting the saw in the bench vise (no kidding) and got the blade off that way. I couldn't believe how much tension that little saw has.

Once threaded through the starter hole, the cutting proceeded without difficulty. But it did take awhile. Cutting porcelain is very slow indeed.


----------



## cocobolo

The next step was to test the fit of the faucet on to the tile and the top piece of the raised step. I didn't worry about the easyboard at this point.

Views here from both top and bottom with water lines attached.


----------



## cocobolo

There is an O-ring which fits into a groove in the bottom of the faucet, the purpose of which is to keep water from getting into the countertop.

Strictly as an afterthought, I checked to see how it was going to fit.

Not too well!

Now, this doesn't fall into quite the same category as Dan's sink troubles (for those of you who followed that saga!) but it was annoying none the less.


----------



## cocobolo

Some kind soul at the factory had mistakenly put the wrong size into the package.

Since I was going to get across to town today (weather permitting) for new thinset, I took the wrong O-ring with me, along with the proper measurement, to try and find one which would fit.

As luck would have it, the local hardware store had ONE left in the right size!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Using regular masonry bits (*I can almost hear Bud cringing*)


Chills ran up my spine when I first read that! I was waiting for you to get out the hammer-drill and go for it.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Chills ran up my spine when I first read that! I was waiting for you to get out the hammer-drill and go for it.


Well, I _did_ think about it, but then I thought _Nah, Bud definitely wouldn't approve of THAT!_ :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

I have just spent the better part of an hour going through the Mapei website. Wow! Really good stuff. :thumbsup:

I'm pleased to learn that I now have the right thinset for my current application. :yes:

I note that Mapei considers any wall tile over 10" x 10" and floor tile over 6" x 6" ( or was it 6" x 8"?) to be large format.

They have a specific thinset for each of those particular applications.

The local tile store also sells the hardibacker for wall and floor installs, so I rather imagine that will be what I shall use in future. Also was on the h/b site just now and have learned a lot.


----------



## Bud Cline

Talking Point!

Various thinsets have differing characteristics.

For example, 
*unmodified thinset* has components that will allow the thinset to dry/cure on its own chemically. Once activated with water the curing process begins almost immediately. This isn't to say the products don't have a workable pot-life because they certainly do. When used on a substrate that has the ability to wick-away moisture the drying process speeds up. If the tile bisque also draws/wicks a little moisture then all aspects of curing are quickly set into motion. 

When used between two products such as a plastic crack membrane and a porcelain tile the wicking is non-existent and the curing process slows slightly but non-the-less takes place on its own.

On the other hand,
*modified thinset* requires an ability to evaporate moisture for a proper cure. The larger the tiles the slower the ability to evaporate moisture because the evaporation process must reach out for a grout joint to be able to allow the moisture to escape.

Team modified thinset with a plastic crack membrane and a porcelain tile which has an absorption rate of only one half of one percent and the curing/drying process slows tremendously. Hence smaller tiles cure/dry quicker than larger tiles.

This is why most of the membrane manufacturers want you to use unmodified thinset to install your tile over thier products.

It's not that the modified thinset won't cure/dry if given enough time, it's because in today's "fast-track-building" practices, over-night or twenty-four hours just isn't enough time for the modified thinset to cure to a point that foot traffic can't compromise the bond. Everyone seems to want everything to happen right now!

It is my understanding that modified thinsets are actually made with co-polymers. It is when the water is added that the co-polymers become polymers. This is why modified thinset must be allowed to slake (stand) for a time then be remixed for it to unleash its magic.

This is a basic explanation of what takes place and my knowledge is minimal. I have now exhausted most every micron of knowledge I possess on the subject.

I know I know...TOO MUCH INFORMATION!


----------



## shumakerscott

That faucet is one of those "Fancy Smancy" Waterfall, LED lit things isn't it? I see them advertised here sometimes. That will be so 70's in 20 years:yes:. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Talking Point!
> 
> Various thinsets have differing characteristics.
> 
> For example,
> *unmodified thinset* has components that will allow the thinset to dry/cure on its own chemically. Once activated with water the curing process begins almost immediately. This isn't to say the products don't have a workable pot-life because they certainly do. When used on a substrate that has the ability to wick-away moisture the drying process speeds up. If the tile bisque also draws/wicks a little moisture then all aspects of curing are quickly set into motion.
> 
> When used between two products such as a plastic crack membrane and a porcelain tile the wicking is non-existent and the curing process slows slightly but non-the-less takes place on its own.
> 
> On the other hand,
> *modified thinset* requires an ability to evaporate moisture for a proper cure. The larger the tiles the slower the ability to evaporate moisture because the evaporation process must reach out for a grout joint to be able to allow the moisture to escape.
> 
> Team modified thinset with a plastic crack membrane and a porcelain tile which has an absorption rate of only one half of one percent and the curing/drying process slows tremendously. Hence smaller tiles cure/dry quicker than larger tiles.
> 
> This is why most of the membrane manufacturers want you to use unmodified thinset to install your tile over thier products.
> 
> It's not that the modified thinset won't cure/dry if given enough time, it's because in today's "fast-track-building" practices, over-night or twenty-four hours just isn't enough time for the modified thinset to cure to a point that foot traffic can't compromise the bond. Everyone seems to want everything to happen right now!
> 
> It is my understanding that modified thinsets are actually made with co-polymers. It is when the water is added that the co-polymers become polymers. This is why modified thinset must be allowed to slake (stand) for a time then be remixed for it to unleash its magic.
> 
> This is a basic explanation of what takes place and my knowledge is minimal. I have now exhausted most every micron of knowledge I possess on the subject.
> 
> I know I know...TOO MUCH INFORMATION!


No special plastic membranes here, and besides which it can have all the time in the world to cure.

This Ultraflex LFT has polymers (they don't mention co-polymers) but perhaps they are speaking of the after-mixing state.

They do say that tile set with this product should not be walked on until after it has been grouted. Grouting should wait for 24 hours after the tile has been laid. Must be quite a trick grouting without walking on the tile!

Walls, evidently may be grouted 8 - 12 hours after setting.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> That faucet is one of those "Fancy Smancy" Waterfall, LED lit things isn't it? I see them advertised here sometimes. That will be so 70's in 20 years:yes:. dorf dude...


Hey, hey, hey, I thought we went through this "Fancy Smancy" thing before. It's fancy dancy here if you don't mind.

No LED's in this guy...and I did so love the '70's...Pink Floyd, Stones, Bee Gees...


----------



## gma2rjc

Fancy smancy? nope. Fancy dancy? nope. Fancy shmancy? Yep! :laughing:

Thanks for all the great information Bud.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Fancy smancy? nope. Fancy dancy? nope. Fancy shmancy? Yep! :laughing:
> 
> Thanks for all the great information Bud.
> 
> Barb


OK, you win, Fancy Shmancy it is...:thumbup:


----------



## drtbk4ever

cocobolo said:


> No LED's in this guy...and I did so love the '70's...Pink Floyd, Stones, Bee Gees...


Where does the disco ball go?


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Where does the disco ball go?


Let me give that some thought...I'll get right back to you!:rockon:


----------



## gma2rjc

> Where does the disco ball go?


Probably not in the shower. They weren't rated for wet environments and disco dancing in the shower could cause a slip & fall mishap - with or without a leisure suit on.:yes:


----------



## jlhaslip

gma2rjc said:


> Probably not in the shower. They weren't rated for wet environments and disco dancing in the shower could cause a slip & fall mishap - with or without a leisure suit on.:yes:


Based on this information, I'm guessing that I should remove the one in my shower... 

:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

...you guys are just slaying me...:laughing:


----------



## shumakerscott

Let me know what happens when you lean down and get a drink off the faucet? :whistling2: It seems that it would run down your cheek and chin:yes:. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

I thought you went to a bar to get a drink..:confused1:arty:


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry about not keeping up with the posting...

The missus was going to get the soffit stained before she left for Vancouver, never happened.

Might as well enjoy the view while I'm doing it...


----------



## cocobolo

Tiling around this sink is proving to be somewhat of a challenge.

I screwed a temporary support for the face tiles under the framing. They got stuck on and left alone for a day.


----------



## cocobolo

Originally, I was going to lay the countertop tiles using just the large full tiles. It didn't look so good what with a sharp edge running off the front. So I added the small square ones to improve the look of the border.

Then cut the remainder of the top tiles.


----------



## cocobolo

Before I set the top tiles, I put the sink drain in temporarily to make sure of no problems. 

It seems to be all right.

The other pic...is this a swallowtail or a monarch butterfly? I never know which is which.


----------



## gma2rjc

The tile is looking great. It looks like a lot of work.

It's a swallowtail butterfly. What kind of flowers are those?


----------



## Bud Cline

Looks like a Ropetail! Oh wait.........NEVERMIND!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, are you sure that shouldn't be a Rope HEAD. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The tile is looking great. It looks like a lot of work.
> 
> It's a swallowtail butterfly. What kind of flowers are those?


Thanks, I'll try to remember that.

The flowers I will have to look up, the missus knows, but she's away.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...I see you're on right now...Is there some slick way of holding a small piece of tile on to the 45º holder?

Last night I had a piece about 1 1/4" wide and maybe 5" long, and I needed a 45º cut on the long edge. The blade was a little too close to my fingers for my liking, so I did the job with the angle grinder. Crude, but it worked.

Thanks.


----------



## Bud Cline

Not sure what you mean...

When I have finger-gitters to cut I sometimes can trap the piece with a pair of sticks (or whatever). I won't tell you the diamond blades can't be dangerous but they really won't get you hurt too quick/bad if your cautious. They can give you a good abrasion but I have never seen anyone actually get cut by a diamond blade.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Not sure what you mean...
> 
> When I have finger-gitters to cut I sometimes can trap the piece with a pair of sticks (or whatever). I won't tell you the diamond blades can't be dangerous but they really won't get you hurt too quick/bad if your cautious. They can give you a good abrasion but I have never seen anyone actually get cut by a diamond blade.


Yes, I had read about that. I can understand that without any sharp teeth as with a wood blade on the tablesaw, the damage wouldn't be nearly as bad.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday we found a shipper for the T/C tile in Missouri...well, after a telephone call to the store this morning, it turned out that this terra cotta tile was in fact porcelain, not terra cotta at all. Back to square 1.


----------



## cocobolo

I have been trying to get some of the more mundane things out of the way while wife number 2 is in Vancouver.

This morning I did some test staining (the first step anyway) on some Virola I picked up a few weeks back.

First sanded the wood very lightly. The outside plies are often 1/40" or even less. It takes very little to sand right through them. Please be kind enough _not_ to ask how I know that.

Then brushed the three different stains on to sample pieces. Red mahogany, ebony and dark walnut.


----------



## cocobolo

Somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes, you wipe the stain off. Being a middle of the road type of guy, I did the job at the ten minute mark.

Red mahogany here.


----------



## cocobolo

Next was the ebony...I don't think this colour goes well with the arbutus treads, so I think it's out. But I will continue the test finishing anyway just to see what it looks like.


----------



## cocobolo

The last one was dark walnut...the jury is out on this one yet. Again, I will complete the process to see what happens.

A second stain coat is applied after 4 - 6 hours, so 5 hours it will be...

Let that dry for 24 hours then go for the finish coating.


----------



## cocobolo

Already had three visitors today, and one of them mentioned he thought this was a photo moment. 

Talk about a life of luxury for these guys...


----------



## scoggy

*Wanted to come see your .."castle'..but*

Wanted to come see all the wonderful work you have done, but am Having problems with logistics, readying my self for the Big Mc ride from Here to Atlantic and back on my ..motorcycle..and judging by the weather reports from the USA nothern climate stations, I might turn South and go where the weather is good, but that would circumvent my character! "Tough Toss", between logistics and preparaation..and where..but that is the 'simplistic"..reason..that I ride!
Cheers
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> I have been trying to get some of the more mundane things out of the way while wife number 2 is in Vancouver.
> 
> This morning I did some test staining (the first step anyway) on some Virola I picked up a few weeks back.
> 
> First sanded the wood very lightly. The outside plies are often 1/40" or even less. It takes very little to sand right through them. Please be kind enough _not_ to ask how I know that.
> 
> Then brushed the three different stains on to sample pieces. Red mahogany, ebony and dark walnut.


i like the mahogany unwiped. nice effect can be had just brushing but the red pigment takes serious dry time before finish coat


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> i like the mahogany unwiped. nice effect can be had just brushing but the red pigment takes serious dry time before finish coat


You hit the nail right on the head. I have the second coats done now, and there isn't that much difference from the first one alone. If anything, it has just filled in more.

When I get a finish on there, that's when the colour will start to show up. I'll take some pix without any flash so that the proper colour should show. 

I think I might try both the varathane and varnish to see which one comes up best.


----------



## scoggy

*erased your PM*

Hi, I erased your PM...1100Ninja, "road cruiser"..will talk to you when I return..I hope...might be more 'adventure' than I can do..but just have to!
Scoggy:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Hi, I erased your PM...1100Ninja, "road cruiser"..will talk to you when I return..I hope...might be more 'adventure' than I can do..but just have to!
> Scoggy:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


Good luck on the ride Scoggy...let us know when you get back. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

...OK, couple of quick items this morning.

Barb was asking what kind of flower the swallowtail butterfly was sitting on...
by a process of elimination using the bible of gardening out here (Western Garden Book) I believe it to be a Phlox.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## cocobolo

Here are the sample boards (pix taken outside, no flash, no sun - it's before 7 am here when shot). One end is varnished, the other varathaned with clear gloss.

The advantage of the varathane is that three coats can be applied - and dried - in one day. The varnish is one coat per day.

While it may not show in the photos, the varnish has a very slightly deeper appearance. However, I think the speed of drying will be better in this case, as we do not need a particularly glossy board.

The lighter of the two photos was taken with the sky reflecting off the wood, all cloud.


----------



## Bwana K

Hi Cocobolo,
First off like everyone else has mentioned before, I am completely amazed by everything you do and the way you do it. I am an avid follower of your thread and new to the construction business. I have learnt alot and mostly been inspired by your work. Kudos to you and thank you for all the valuable information that you share (we do not have too many resources of you likes anymore). Trully appreciated. 

I'm unclear on how you created a "groove" to tap in the staves. Does the chamfer in the previous step create a groove deep enough to hold those long staves? Do the staves have tongue and grooves?


----------



## cocobolo

Bwana K said:


> Hi Cocobolo,
> First off like everyone else has mentioned before, I am completely amazed by everything you do and the way you do it. I am an avid follower of your thread and new to the construction business. I have learnt alot and mostly been inspired by your work. Kudos to you and thank you for all the valuable information that you share (we do not have too many resources of you likes anymore). Trully appreciated.
> 
> I'm unclear on how you created a "groove" to tap in the staves. Does the chamfer in the previous step create a groove deep enough to hold those long staves? Do the staves have tongue and grooves?


Let me first thank you for your kind comments.

Once again I seem to have managed to miss out a step in the process!! Nothing new for me!

The groove in the bottom of the staves was cut on the tablesaw using a dado blade. It is about half the depth of the stave thickness.

There are no tongues and grooves in the staves. There are angles cut on both sides of each stave which match up perfectly when they are pressed tightly together by the hoops.

The fact that cedar will expand measurably when wet is what keeps the tub watertight.

If I still haven't explained it properly, just ask and I will try to do a better job!

And thanks again for following...:thumbup:


----------



## Bwana K

Absolute precision. Marvelous lines.... a real craftsman. A master builder. Dang!! his work is good.


----------



## downrightart

Schools out Coco! I'mmmm............baaaaaaccck! Hehehe.........Oh man. You have kept your promises on posting the beautiful wildlife that surrounds your lovely home. I've missed your posts here and wanted to come back to see how it's coming. We learn to use a saw---at least make the water spit on it in the right place-----have some public announcement that you have decided to change a color of tile...in mid-stream----have another grandbaby-----let a SNAKE LIVE (are you CRAZY???? Kill that joker Coco!! Where's your guns man??? :laughing: )----and still manage to make great progress! You are incredible buddy! Simply amazing!

Keep it up! It didn't take me a week to catch up this time! Hehehehe.....

----Tracy


----------



## cocobolo

Tracy...every once in awhile I need a good chuckle. :laughing:

Your post just did that for me in spades! :thumbsup:

But, as for the guns...well...:tank:


----------



## cocobolo

...just remembered an old trick for when you are varnishing small pieces.

You know how varnish is the world's greatest magnet for dust? It never fails, you varnish - the dust appears out of nowhere. :huh:

When you do small pieces, lay them carefully in a drawer and close it. Leave the pieces there for 24 hours. The varnished piece will be nice and clean when you take it out - assuming of course that you removed all the dust from the drawer in the first place! :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Nothing very thrilling yet I'm sorry to say. Had to waste half the day going to town. 

I have managed to finish cutting all the soffit boards for the front overhang. Have got the first 3 coats of varnish on the deck posts...I'll save the pix until I have a few installed. Need 4 more coats of varnish on first.

The tiling is coming along well in the bathroom...and in case I didn't mention it - I think I have found a source for the terra cotta tiles we want - from the original manufacturer possibly! Haven't got the official word yet, but it looks good. :thumbup:

Off to cut more tiles for the bathroom now! :icon_rolleyes:


----------



## cocobolo

Many years ago, when the island was first developed, apparently what we call "the pond" was actually a pond. But in the 45 years since development started, various plants have taken over the pond turning it into more of a wetland.

As a result of this, the bird populations which used to use the pond have now declined considerably.

This morning - before the trip to town - a small group of us got together to try and make a small improvement.

This is my friend Allen about 100 yards out into the pond area.


----------



## cocobolo

There is quite a bit of activity in this wetland in the way of tiny creatures and insects...and several very attractive plants.

I was heading into the water to get a close up pic of an iris, when I spotted this little frog sitting right in the flower.


----------



## cocobolo

I tried to move slowly around the side of the iris to get a better pic, but he (or she) jumped off onto the reed grass.


----------



## cocobolo

Unfortunately, this lovely iris is the source of some of the trouble in our pond.

It is not native to Canada, nor even to the U.S., but is an introduced plant.

As lovely as it is, it is listed as a noxious weed in several states and provinces.

Once introduced into a wetland, it out-competes everything else in its' chosen habitat to the detriment of everything else.


----------



## cocobolo

The iris beds extend completely around the outside - and several large areas toward the middle - of this 10 acre site.


----------



## cocobolo

The plants spread either through their rhizomes or by seeds.

The seed pods evidently carry thousands of seeds inside each one and may be viable for up to 40 years.

Gloves are the order of the day when removing either the flowers or pods, as the resin can cause a rash if it gets on your skin.

One way to reduce growth is to cut the flowers off before they produce the seed pods. The other is to physically remove the plant in its' entirety and dispose of by burning.


----------



## gma2rjc

How many years do they think the irises have been there? It's nice that you're all trying to get the pond back to what it once was.

The frog pictures are :thumbsup:.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> How many years do they think the irises have been there? It's nice that you're all trying to get the pond back to what it once was.
> 
> The frog pictures are :thumbsup:.


I don't know how long...but we have a couple of friends from the south east corner of the island who have been here over 40 years. Next time I see them I will ask.

We have been here just over 13 years, and the irises were here before us, but nowhere nearly as many as there are now.

Apparently, if we cut the flowers and seed pods off for 5 years (or so) there is a reasonable chance of reducing the number of plants considerably. But it will be an ongoing operation every year in future.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday got messed up timewise what with the irises and trip to town. I have been trying to do one coat of varnish each day on the deck posts.

After I signed off last night, I realised I had not done yesterdays' coating.

And here is where I violated one of my cardinal rules of varnishing.

NEVER varnish under less than perfect light conditions.

It is impossible to see if you have a decent coat on for one thing, and sometimes if the light is poor - which it definitely was last night - it is hard to tell just where you have varnished.

It seems the coats are so so...but I found a hair from the brush on one of the posts. I would have seen this under good lighting.


----------



## tpolk

tsk tsk and we know you know better, been there myself doin the push and hurry up:no:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> tsk tsk and we know you know better, been there myself doin the push and hurry up:no:


I deserve to be chastised for that! Next coat _will_ be on this afternoon!


----------



## Bud Cline

Things like that is why God made sandpaper!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Things like that is why God made sandpaper!


ain't that the truth!


----------



## cocobolo

I can't even remember how long it has been since I temporarily rigged a single light outside the French doors.

Long ago we decided to replace the one with a pair, one on each side, for appearance sake if nothing else.


----------



## cocobolo

It finally bothered me enough that I decided to take out the single one and add the pair today. One more mundane thing out of the way.

I expect to be doing the soffit fairly soon, so it needed to get done.


----------



## Bud Cline

Almost afraid to ask what type is the wood species up thar in the rafters?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Almost afraid to ask what type is the wood species up thar in the rafters?


If you are asking about the truss joists, that is OSB on both sides of 2 1/2" douglas fir.

The backing for the soffit is whatever I had kicking around at the time, some fir, some hemlock.


----------



## cocobolo

One more thing I have successfully put off until today is now done.

The sill going into the shower needed to be mortared in. 

The two schools of thought that know about this stuff say to use expanded metal lath - which I couldn't find anywhere - or chicken wire, which I have lots of.


----------



## cocobolo

Next came the dreaded job of actually getting the mortar on.

It's not exactly a world class job, but it's going to have to do.


----------



## cocobolo

For weeks now, the woodstove has been sitting out behind the tub deck waiting for some kind soul to make some sort of base to put it on.

Nobody else seemed to be volunteering, so as I was in a let's-get-it-done mood today...

Here I have just raked the debris out of the way and tamped the ground with the super duper tamper.


----------



## cocobolo

Four concrete blocks just fit inside the stove base...just!


----------



## cocobolo

And finally the beast is in place. 

Needs a good sanding down and painting with stove paint.


----------



## Bud Cline

> If you are asking about the truss joists, that is OSB on both sides of 2 1/2" douglas fir.


From here I thought I might be seeing redwood. Couldn't tell!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Next came the dreaded job of actually getting the mortar on.
> It's not exactly a world class job, but it's going to have to do.


Fun! Ain't it?
Nothin' wrong with chicken war!

You probably know that adding some lime to the sand and Portland makes the mortar want to stand up vertically and makes things easier. The mortar is less likely to slump like that. I usually slam the mud to the wall after sprinkling a little moisture on the surface then use a roofing/framing square dragging the long edge along the floor and at the same time striking off the verticle curb with the other edge of the square.

Those things don't have to be purdy.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Fun! Ain't it?
> Nothin' wrong with chicken war!
> 
> You probably know that adding some lime to the sand and Portland makes the mortar want to stand up vertically and makes things easier. The mortar is less likely to slump like that. I usually slam the mud to the wall after sprinkling a little moisture on the surface then use a roofing/framing square dragging the long edge along the floor and at the same time striking off the verticle curb with the other edge of the square.
> 
> Those things don't have to be purdy.


No, I didn't know about adding lime. But next time I will...so why on earth didn't you tell me about this _before_ I did it? 

And don't even _think_ of offering up the excuse that you didn't know I was going to do this today...:furious:

The square trick I _did_ know about...page 216 in Byrn'e book.:thumbsup:


----------



## Simply Sal

Just reading all of this and enjoying it very much... have to comment on the tile saw on page 77... I put the pump and hose in a bucket of water that is elevated outside the tray to accommodate the length of the plastic hose.. I always have fresh clean water going through the pump ... sorry but I never would have set it in the tray that seems to be collecting the dirty water... I just assumed it was to be outside of the tray and always used it that way... one big paint bucket upside down... another on top filled with water and a hose near by... works great just remember to keep the bucket topped up. Cheers and thanks for all your efforts in recording as well as doing the work Kathy


----------



## Simply Sal

I thought my comment would go to the page I was reading but no... sorry it is totally off the current topic. I have not visited for some time so am catching up.. I am sorry to have just dropped this in here.. still learning how to do all this.
Great day in Ladner today.. hope it was as nice where you are... cheers.. Kathy alias Simply Sal


----------



## cocobolo

Simply Sal said:


> I thought my comment would go to the page I was reading but no... sorry it is totally off the current topic. I have not visited for some time so am catching up.. I am sorry to have just dropped this in here.. still learning how to do all this.
> Great day in Ladner today.. hope it was as nice where you are... cheers.. Kathy alias Simply Sal


It was a terrific day here too, at least most of it. 

Just click on "quote" and then add your words to that. It's OK, I know exactly what you're talking about. :yes:

We can't just leave a hose running here because of our extremely limited water supply. It's what we catch off the roof only...how I envy you guys with unlimited water!


----------



## cocobolo

One of those unusual sunrises this morning.

Heavy cloud over Vancouver Island - about 3 1/2 miles distant - but a long low stretch of sun just clipping the shoreline.


----------



## cocobolo

Barb has often asked about getting stuff moved to the island..and yesterday afternoon provided me with two opportunities for a demo.

The boat shown here has a drop down bow so that you can walk on and off the boat without having to climb over anything. It is 18' long with a 130 hp outboard.

Our friend Ab has used his boat to move literally tons of building materials to the island for his _very large house!_


----------



## cocobolo

In a somewhat more sedate fashion, our good friend John uses this stripped out 24' power boat as a barge.

It can manage something around 5,000 pounds of freight at one go.

Here he has brought over a sizable load of lumber for Philip and Kelly at their cabin across the bay.

John usually stands in the barge and passes the lumber over the stern to the lucky recipient - in this case Kelly.

Kelly then passes it off to Philip who stacks the pile on his small deck made for the purpose of receiving lumber. That's the easy part.

After this, they have to move the whole shebang up the bank!


----------



## cocobolo

I should have mentioned that they need a high tide to do this. There are very large boulders in front of their place...not something you could carry building materials over.


----------



## cocobolo

Another of the smaller mundane tasks to clear up has been installing backing for the cedar strips going in the upper stairwell.

As the cedar is started on each of the tread sections, it needs to have some backing at the end of each of the small boards.

If not, the board will not follow the curve of the wall properly, but will fall out of line...as here.


----------



## cocobolo

The backing wood is just sufficient to catch the ends of each board...screwed on at the height of each riser.


----------



## Bud Cline

Where do you folks get your energy?

I'm 62, it's 90 degrees, I'm movin' slow and cryin' like a baby. Today's job had me traversing five steps each time I cut some tile (outside) and returned to the the work site. I'm wore out! Sweat's rollin' and I smell like a pony. And you guys are working like carpenter ants all of the time. How do you do it?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Where do you folks get your energy?
> 
> I'm 62, it's 90 degrees, I'm movin' slow and cryin' like a baby. Today's job had me traversing five steps each time I cut some tile (outside) and returned to the the work site. I'm wore out! Sweat's rollin' and I smell like a pony. And you guys are working like carpenter ants all of the time. How do you do it?


Don't feel bad Bud...I'm 67, and today it's a scorcher in the sun. Just went over to town for some hardibacker, a grout bag and the grout for the solarium with the terra cotta tiles.

When I got back my neighbour was trying to fix a leak in his dinghy, but he didn't have any hardener for the resin...and he only had a tiny little piece of 6 oz cloth...basically useless. :huh:

So I rounded up the hardener, some decent biaxial fabric and fixed it the right way for him. Now it's sitting out in the sun curing nicely. :thumbsup:

Now I have to get to work or nothing will come of this day. And a pal of mine has just showed up in the bay on his sailboat and I'm invited out later for some chinwagging. I promised him I would bring the strawberries and whipped cream! :thumbup:

Some days you just can't win. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

The fact of the matter is that yesterday was basically a write-off.

Except that the chinwagging went on far too long, and the strawberries and whipped cream were delicious.

This morning, while checking the battery bank in the utility room...what do my beady little eyes spy?

The new one is white, the other one must be at least 5 years old - never used - I don't even remember buying it!


----------



## cocobolo

This is absolutely, positively, without any doubt, the final soffit I need to make! Enough is enough!


----------



## cocobolo

Right after I finished the first coat of stain, our pooch started to set up a heck of a ruckus. This usually indicates that someone is on the property.

All it turned out to be was half a dozen kayaks going by, but they were all talking rather loudly to one another.


----------



## cocobolo

Among the jobs that have been waiting to be done for the past year or two is the application of cedar strips on the wall facing the kitchen at the bottom of the stairwell.

The rough strips covering the framing were just that. Very rough.

I gave the wall the once over with the power plane to at least knock off most of the high spots.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks pretty crude, I know. But it should come out OK once it's covered.

I had previously cut the cedar strips for this wall maybe two years ago...nothing like a little procrastination before nailing them on!

What I had forgotten was that I hadn't cut the different length pieces for the bottom of the wall where it wraps around the first three steps.

So, everything came to a grinding halt while I went back into manufacturing mode.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was excavating the wood for the wall, I ran across some strips which should be OK for the lower handrail.

Hopefully, this will be the last time I have to look at this temporary setup - it has been removed now.


----------



## cocobolo

One other thing I remembered to bring back from town yesterday was some long bolts to attach the two posts at the far end of the deck upstairs.

This setup will need to be bolted on prior to any soffit being installed as it will be a nut and bolt affair.


----------



## cocobolo

As soon as the end posts are bolted in place, I will be able to commence the long job of covering this area with soffit.

Each board is already tapered - hopefully correctly - but both ends need to be cut to a scribed line. This takes a fair chunk of time.


----------



## shumakerscott

"The new one is white, the other one must be at least 5 years old - never used - I don't even remember buying it!"

That's just what I needed! :yes:. dorf dude...


----------



## downrightart

Hey Coco! Your house is just amazing buddy. I don't think we can all say or put in words just how wonderful your workmanship is. It's just undescribable.

Have you thought of putting it in a magazine? House Beautiful comes to mind(not even sure it's still in print), but I'm sure any magazine would be interested! Or have you done this? If you have, what magazine was it? I want the back issue!!! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> "The new one is white, the other one must be at least 5 years old - never used - I don't even remember buying it!"
> 
> That's just what I needed! :yes:. dorf dude...


The more I clear up around here the more things I will unearth.

Usually I find that if I can't find something I just absolutely _know_ that I have, as soon as I buy another one I trip over the original right away...never fails!


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Hey Coco! Your house is just amazing buddy. I don't think we can all say or put in words just how wonderful your workmanship is. It's just undescribable.
> 
> Have you thought of putting it in a magazine? House Beautiful comes to mind(not even sure it's still in print), but I'm sure any magazine would be interested! Or have you done this? If you have, what magazine was it? I want the back issue!!! :laughing:


Thanks Tracy. 

No, I haven't done anything like that. It's more than enough fun posting everything here.


----------



## cocobolo

Off to a fair start this morning. The cedar strips are done on that kitchen wall.


----------



## cocobolo

Used the Japanese saw to trim the wild ends off, as well as the pieces sticking out above the bottom stair treads.


----------



## downrightart

Okay, I had to look up Japanese saws.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/default.php?cPath=37_532&gclid=CMyizOHnwKICFRCfnAodKHiA7A

 Wow. I have to admit I thought it was some form of electrical saw! As you can guess, I don't know much about saws! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Time for a quick coffee break, then I'm going to tackle the first part of the handrail on those curved stairs.

Before I do that, I want to show you an example of wood creep.

These pieces of cedar have been clamped into place for the past several months where the stair rail will go. Last night I removed them and was a bit surprised as to how much they held the curve. This morning, the curve is very much still in evidence.

If you steam wood and then clamp it into place in the form of a curve, as soon as the wood is dry it will hold that curve.

It was only time that made this wood "creep" and hold this shape.


----------



## gma2rjc

It's looking great cocobolo! What are you going to use to finish the steps and risers?

That sunrise picture is beautiful. And thanks for telling us how people get supplies to the island - very interesting. It must take a lot of planning and arranging to bring home anything much larger than a microwave. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Okay, I had to look up Japanese saws.
> 
> http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/default.php?cPath=37_532&gclid=CMyizOHnwKICFRCfnAodKHiA7A
> 
> Wow. I have to admit I thought it was some form of electrical saw! As you can guess, I don't know much about saws! :laughing:


Ahhh, sorry about that, I should have explained.

Yes, Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke as the link quite properly shows.

Something else they will do is to cut around a curve. The blades are so flexible (on the unbacked saws) that this is a trick which is easily accomplished.

I left the saw in the cut for this pic so you can see how flexible it is.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It's looking great cocobolo! What are you going to use to finish the steps and risers?
> 
> That sunrise picture is beautiful. And thanks for telling us how people get supplies to the island - very interesting. It must take a lot of planning and arranging to bring home anything much larger than a microwave.
> 
> Barb


Right! And most folks here don't even use microwaves! They use too much power!

You really need a different mindset to function over here.

I'm hoping to use arbutus for the treads. After I get the handrail done and several coats of varathane on the wall, I'll tackle that.

The risers will be covered with Virola. More on that in a bit.


----------



## Bud Cline

*Gulf Island Building* will be *celebrating 100 pages* of thread-entry here in just a matter of minutes. Where's the champagne?


----------



## cocobolo

Well alrighty then...the first two pieces of cedar are glued together and clamped in place.

The glue manufacturer says to leave the wood clamped for 30 minutes, and no stress on the joints for 24 hours. There really aren't any joints as such, but I will leave the clamps on for a minimum of 2 hours by choice.

I have a feeling this handrail is going to take the better part of a week to assemble and shape.


----------



## cocobolo

At the bottom of the stairs, the handrail will extend past the solid wall, so I have screwed two temporary supports into place to keep things in line while the railing is built.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *Gulf Island Building* will be *celebrating 100 pages* of thread-entry here in just a matter of minutes. Where's the champagne?


And to think I quit drinking when I was 11...the same time I quit smoking...:laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

Actually I did quit drinking about twenty-nine years ago. But an occasional summertime-beer or glass of celebratory-champagne can't hurt anything once in a while.

Hey, I don't suppose you would have a clamp or two you could loan to me do ya? :whistling2:

Where does a guy find that many clamps?​


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Actually I did quit drinking about twenty-nine years ago. But an occasional summertime-beer or glass of celebratory-champagne can't hurt anything once in a while.
> 
> Hey, I don't suppose you would have a clamp or two you could loan to me do ya? :whistling2:
> 
> Where does a guy find that many clamps?​


Clamps...let me see...I should have a couple here somewhere...


----------



## downrightart

:laughing::laughing::laughing: "That's alotta clamps."



cocobolo said:


> Ahhh, sorry about that, I should have explained.
> 
> Yes, Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke as the link quite properly shows.
> 
> Something else they will do is to cut around a curve. The blades are so flexible (on the unbacked saws) that this is a trick which is easily accomplished.
> 
> I left the saw in the cut for this pic so you can see how flexible it is.


Cool! So all ya need is a steady hand!








Silly me! Is that what you meant by not drinking??? :laughing: Pay attention Tracy! Pay attention!


----------



## cocobolo

In between gluing up the handrail pieces, I put the two end posts out on the deck. Now I can commence with the soffit on the underside.


----------



## cocobolo

When you start to laminate something from several layers of wood - and you're doing it in a curve - it will not hold shape until you get the fourth layer of wood in place. Three layers might hold somewhat, but the fourth is when it starts to become useful.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is the transition between the lower and upper sections of the rail.

In order to get the curve to remain smooth, as opposed to looking like a distinct bump, you need to use force and two boards as cauls.

This is only the first two layers at the transition, the next I will do later tonight which will give the first three layers an excellent chance to set up overnight.


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> In between gluing up the handrail pieces, I put the two end posts out on the deck. Now I can commence with the soffit on the underside.


 Without my glasses I can see that those supports are bent:yes:. Starting to look like a Dr. Seuss house:laughing:. It kind of funny how we both are are on big projects at the same time. I sure wish I could see it in person when I fly back in Aug. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

With the upper part of the railing starting to go in, the length of this handrail has now reached 21' 9".

I'm expecting to have to install between 8 and 10 layers of wood to get the thickness I would like to have.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Without my glasses I can see that those supports are bent:yes:. Starting to look like a Dr. Seuss house:laughing:. It kind of funny how we both are are on big projects at the same time. I sure wish I could see it in person when I fly back in Aug. dorf dude...


Bent!!!! Of course, I should have thought of that!!

So now it's officially the bent house is it?


----------



## cocobolo

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, cats and dogs...and anyone else who may be checking in here from time to time.

This is a giant "Thank You" from me to all of you who have either participated in this thread...or maybe have just been lurking in the background. 

Either way, I thank you most sincerely.

It seems as though we have arrived at two somewhat distinct milestones at the same time!

I well remember the day when shumakerscott reached his milestone 50,000th view on his incredible thread. He took a few minutes to show his appreciation by making a very special post of appreciation to all of you.

In my somewhat ham-fisted and wordy way, I am trying to do the same.

Thanks to your encouragement, we have arrived at the 100th page simultaneously with our 50,000th view, a fortuitous coincidence indeed!:thumbsup:

Many of you are regular visitors here, and it is your daily comments which keep me inspired to carry on as best I can. Believe me when I say none of this would be possible without your continued help, and I can only hope that you will find something to make you chuckle - or maybe even be helpful - as we go ahead toward the next 100 pages...GASP!!!

I do, however, have a small request for those of you who might be looking in from time to time but who have never said "Hi".

By now, you might have a pretty good idea about me...but I don't even know who you are. Please don't be bashful...take a minute out of your busy day to drop in and introduce yourself. Let me know what you're doing - I enjoy visiting other threads - and if you don't yet have a thread running, by all means ask if there is anything I may be able to help you with.

So once again, please let me thank you for allowing me to reach our double milestone...and I hope that you will be able to stick around for a little while longer as I attempt to get this crazy job all done!

_THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!_


----------



## gdoucette

Greetings from the other end of Canada!

I have been sifting through your thread for a few weeks now and am in utter awe of the work you've put into that place. I have been working on a basement remodel for a few weeks now, doing all of the work by myself (well, my wife helped with some painting) and whenever I get the feeling that the project is getting the best of me, I just think about how long you've been going at it and it helps keep me motivated.

I am starting to see the end of the tunnel (mostly paint and trim now) and hope to get some pics up soon.

I look forward to seeing more of your amazing job.


----------



## cocobolo

gdoucette said:


> Greetings from the other end of Canada!
> 
> I have been sifting through your thread for a few weeks now and am in utter awe of the work you've put into that place. I have been working on a basement remodel for a few weeks now, doing all of the work by myself (well, my wife helped with some painting) and whenever I get the feeling that the project is getting the best of me, I just think about how long you've been going at it and it helps keep me motivated.
> 
> I am starting to see the end of the tunnel (mostly paint and trim now) and hope to get some pics up soon.
> 
> I look forward to seeing more of your amazing job.


Greetings to you in Nova Scotia!!

Many, many thanks for posting. :thumbup:

Please let me know when you have your pics up...I will definitely be taking a look! But why not start now and show the process you have had to go through?

I like to think that I can begin to see that mythical light as well...I just hope I'm not deluding myself yet again! 

And again...many thanks for dropping by to say hello...I really do appreciate it. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

You know how I always like to learn something new every day...well, today is no exception.

The stair rail is starting to get a bit wider now, and it is holding its' shape without any problem.

I am using either two or three lengths of wood for every row, depending on how long the first piece is.

If you are not very careful in the attachment of either the second or third piece of wood, you may find that the wood opens up and leaves a gap. This is obviously not what you need, so a particular process needs to be followed. I didn't really pay much attention to this before because I didn't run into the problem until this morning.

If you try to put a temporary clamp _in the middle of the piece you are attaching_, you will find that chances are you _will_ open up a gap where the two pieces of wood join. Yes, it could be filled with wood filler, but...not on my hand rail thank you.

So, the trick is to use many spring clamps right up close to the join, and then start using the big clamps with cauls immediately after that.


----------



## cocobolo

Once you have the spring clamps in place with the joint tight, which you can see in the pic above, the wood will stay in place. Then as soon as you have the first c-clamp on, it won't move anywhere.

I added another shot of the spring clamps, so you can see how many I use to make sure the new wood doesn't move.


----------



## cocobolo

Once you are that far, then remove the spring clamps and replace them with more c-clamps, again using cauls to spread the load better.

This allows you to get more pressure on the wood.

It might be a bit embarrassing if half your railing fell off due to a lack of clamping pressure!


----------



## gma2rjc

Do you ever have trouble with two pieces of wood (with fresh glue between them) wanting to slide out of place as you are tightening the clamps?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Do you ever have trouble with two pieces of wood (with fresh glue between them) wanting to slide out of place as you are tightening the clamps?


Yes, we all go through that one.

There are little tricks to help with that, depending on what you are clamping up.

F'rinstance, if you are doing a simple clamping of flat wood - heaven forbid I should be so lucky to be able to that here - you can try two things.

From the "not good" side, you can drive a thin nail in each end - temporarily - while you are clamping. That usually keeps the wood from moving.

The other method - which requires a little patience - involves using spring clamps in several places, while the glue takes its' initial set.

Once the glue gets a good hold, which only takes a couple of minutes, you can go ahead and use the c-clamps, or bar clamps or...

Most of the glues on the market today, the stuff like Elmer's or Titebond have a high initial "tack". And it is made this way just for the purpose you are asking about.

Usually, the reason that the wood starts to move when you are drawing the clamps up tight is because they are not completely straight against the wood. So, for example, if you have a clamp which is set at 85º to the wood, rather than 90º, the wood will want to slide over toward the 90º mark in order to bring the clamp in line.

Am I making any sense here?

Another way to help avoid this sticky little problem is to use several clamps, but just draw all of them up until they start to get snug...not really tight.

Then, starting from the middle and working outward, bring the clamps up more snugly. Do that in two or three steps. That has a tendency to help prevent the wood from moving.

Clear as mud right?


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks, that does make sense. It happened to me when I was building a gate and it was very frustrating.

*There are over 1500 posts in this thread!
*
Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Barb, I just thought of other ways to prevent the glue sliding thingie.

If possible, you might use a biscuit or two between each piece of wood. 

Or perhaps you could use a countersunk screw, which you would later plug.

In either case, you wouldn't really see any evidence once you were finished. I'm sure there are other ways. Like adding clamps both across the width and length of the wood being glued. That would prevent any sliding.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks! I think all of those would work well. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

The test pieces of virola show that the red mahogany stain will be the best match.

However, there seemed to be a problem with the stain not taking evenly to the wood.

So I am trying the pre-stain product from Minwax, the same manufacturer as the stain I'm using.

The process is simple enough, but you have no time to dilly dally between applications of the pre-stain and the stain itself.


----------



## cocobolo

The wood conditioner is applied by brush, then rubbed with a clean rag 15 minutes later.

I was OK with the rag bit, it was just the clean part that had me stumped...so I cut up one of the wife's sheets figuring that she would have that fairly clean.

You have a maximum of 2 hours to get the stain on after the conditioner is applied. I made it OK.

This is the unwiped red mahogany stain on the still-damp conditioned wood.

And yes, there was a noticeable difference between conditioned and not conditioned wood. While I don't know for sure, I suspect that it may have something to do with the glue which is used to manufacture this plywood.

The surface veneers are so thin that they cannot prevent penetration of the glue to the surface.


----------



## cocobolo

Minwax would like you to use two applications of stain, doubtless so you can buy twice as much and thus enhancing their bottom line.

However, I found that if you apply the stain on the conditioned wood while it is still very fresh, then leave the stain for 30-40 minutes before wiping off - instead of 10 minutes - the effect seems similar to the two coat process.

In any event, it worked for me.


----------



## cocobolo

All this staining malarkey took place between gluing up more strips of cedar on to the handrail.

I am at 6 rows of cedar on now, and the railing has got extremely stiff. To the point where I am not the least bit concerned about the strength of the rail, but now only concerned about getting the most comfortable width as a hand hold.

It will have at least two more full rows.


----------



## cocobolo

Just finished the 3rd coat of varathane on the kitchen wall. I'll see what it looks like when it is dry. It might not need any more...one more chore done!:thumbsup:


----------



## downrightart

Looks GREEEEAAAT Coco!! As usual!


----------



## jlhaslip

another trick to stop wood from migrating is to rub pieces of large grit sandpaper together over top of the glued pieces near your clamp locations. 
once you set a clamp, the bits of material that fell off the sandpapeer will bite into each piece and hold them in place.
might not work for the handrail since once piece is already vertical, but if you 'gritted' the loose piece and then clamped them it might be okay.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> another trick to stop wood from migrating is to rub pieces of large grit sandpaper together over top of the glued pieces near your clamp locations.
> once you set a clamp, the bits of material that fell off the sandpapeer will bite into each piece and hold them in place.
> might not work for the handrail since once piece is already vertical, but if you 'gritted' the loose piece and then clamped them it might be okay.


You're right, that just might work OK.

And another I just recalled is to cut off the head of a very tiny nail or tack and drive one end into one piece of the wood. When you place the other on top, it bites into the cut end of the nail or tack.

That way, you would have to make sure you were right on the money before you pushed the two boards together hard.


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Looks GREEEEAAAT Coco!! As usual!


Thanks Tracy.


----------



## cocobolo

Half a loaf may be better than none...but half a clamp is useless.

A couple of years ago I bought several dozen of the common 2" spring clamps. The first time I used them, it was a very cold day. Several of them broke. I put it down to the plastic not being compatible with the cold temperature.

A few minutes ago, when I was gluing another row of cedar on to the hand rail, this one blew apart. It's quite violent when it happens. I cannot find the other half or the spring yet.


----------



## Bootz

The Place looks so break taking ! It looks like the places you would see in better homes and garden or something. You are truly a master of your craft. I was wondering... I heard of loggers that would find old lumber at the bottom of lakes or the Chesapeake and make thousands off of them because of the preservation method... have you come across any of these ancient pieces of lumber history at all while living there? Dumb question I know but doing all this milling and stuff that your doing wonder if you kicked one up at all in your travels


----------



## Marbledust

Hello Keith,
I just finished reading your story,took me 3 days to get her done.
I am and old carpenter and I must say you are an inspiration.
My favorite is the different colors of wood you do in the laminations.
Also the curves are groovy.
I do admire the life you and the missus are living.
I am living in the Philippines(but will be flying homme to Anza California tomorrow night)been here 1 year waiting for the building business to build up again.
Time to set up my shop and build some cool stuff again.

ps...may need some advice from you.

thanks for your story

Erik


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> The Place looks so break taking ! It looks like the places you would see in better homes and garden or something. You are truly a master of your craft. I was wondering... I heard of loggers that would find old lumber at the bottom of lakes or the Chesapeake and make thousands off of them because of the preservation method... have you come across any of these ancient pieces of lumber history at all while living there? Dumb question I know but doing all this milling and stuff that your doing wonder if you kicked one up at all in your travels


Hi Bootz:

Firstly, let me thank you for dropping by.

We don't get a chance to reclaim any submerged logs here as we are on salt water. If there are any down there, the teredos would have had them for lunch a long time ago.

Those that may be in the bigger rivers here might survive, but where the booms are taken into the fresh water (rivers) to the sawmills, they are cut up very quickly.

But here's an interesting note to that.

Many years ago, the astute Japanese used to buy choice cants of lumber from B.C. and then store them in freshwater lakes in Japan. I don't know what became of all this wood, perhaps it is being saved for temple re-construction. In Japan, a number of their temples are rebuilt quite frequently.

I have some information here which goes into great lengths about that, and one temple in particular gets 1/4 of the structure rebuilt every 5 years.

I understand that part of the reason it is done this way is so that the skills of the master temple builders is not lost over time.


----------



## cocobolo

Marbledust said:


> Hello Keith,
> I just finished reading your story,took me 3 days to get her done.
> I am and old carpenter and I must say you are an inspiration.
> My favorite is the different colors of wood you do in the laminations.
> Also the curves are groovy.
> I do admire the life you and the missus are living.
> I am living in the Philippines(but will be flying homme to Anza California tomorrow night)been here 1 year waiting for the building business to build up again.
> Time to set up my shop and build some cool stuff again.
> 
> ps...may need some advice from you.
> 
> thanks for your story
> 
> Erik


Hi Erik:

Always good to hear from a fellow carpenter. I hope I managed to get this reply done for you before you take off!

The laminations are done with red and yellow cedar. Sometimes the red has several different colours of its' own and almost doesn't need the yellow. But, I guess since that's what I started with I may as well finish up that way.

I still have a fair stash of yellow from some logs I cut a few years back.

Please check in when you get back to the States and let us know what you're doing.

And thanks for dropping in!:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Just had a repeat performance of a clamp exploding again. This time at least I could find both pieces.

I can't blame the clamp this time...it's a 2" clamp, and I was asking it to go over 2 1/4" of wood. That spring in the middle is pretty strong - rated at 35 lbs pressure at 2". Evidently, the el cheapo plastic wasn't quite up to the task.


----------



## cocobolo

But not to worry, this is the final row of cedar going on. I think 10 strips will do the job nicely. It feels about the right size to grab...so now the glue can dry overnight, and the shaping and sanding might be able to start tomorrow.


----------



## gma2rjc

Jed 'Clamp'ett would be jealous cocobolo. :whistling2:

Do you have to remove it from the wall to shape it?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Jed 'Clamp'ett would be jealous cocobolo. :whistling2:
> 
> Do you have to remove it from the wall to shape it?


The Beverley Hillbillies...hmmmm...now you're giving away your age! I bet it must have been your mum and dad who told you about that show!

Yes, the giant spiral will somehow need to be moved - preferably outside I think - in order to be able to get at it properly for shaping.

I was trying to think where I could move it to, and I think out on the back decks will work best. Set up a couple of sawhorses and dig up all the tools I might need.

Power plane, handplanes, spokeshaves, random orbital and pad sanders, possibly the belt sander...going to have to play this one by ear.


----------



## cocobolo

Something else I will need to do will be to get the varathane on the wall behind that handrail while it is out of the way.

It looks as though we may be getting a little better weather very soon, so some of the outdoor projects can get put to bed also. 

I need to finish that stair rail going up from the tub deck to the upper deck.

I will need a set of handrails on the stairs going up to the tub deck - plus something around the deck itself before the grandkids visit in a few weeks.

I would like to get the underpinnings below that deck stained so they don't stick out like a sore thumb!

I should try to get the posts bolted on to the narrow master bedroom deck.

Then I should have a go at getting the wide handrail made up for the posts...this will be the longest single lamination I have made to date. There will need to be 7 coats of varnish on that.

Then the stainless steel cable will need to be installed in the posts.

Not to mention all those soffit boards which need to be put in place.

There's more...especially since the missus returned from Vancouver last night...I'm sure she will be able to think of more!


----------



## gma2rjc

Looks like you have a full day of work ahead of you. :laughing:


> The Beverley Hillbillies...hmmmm...now you're giving away your age! I bet it must have been your mum and dad who told you about that show!


 :yes: I wish!

What is a spokeshaves?


----------



## jlhaslip

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spokeshave

used to shape wheel spokes originally, but quite handy for many shapes.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks jlhaslip.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks jl, I wonder how many folks even have one of these handy little tools any more.

I'll get a pic up later for you Barb after the wife and I wrestle that railing outside!


----------



## cocobolo

Last night the second coat of varathane was applied to the stair facings, and this morning I did the third coat.

I like to sand before the last coat (3 is usually enough with varathane) and when you sand this stuff, it should produce a fine powder. If not, you may not have waited long enough after applying the previous coat.

The first pic didn't show it, but you can see clearly what it looks like in the next one.

Then clean that off thoroughly and put the third coat on and it comes out nice and smoothly.


----------



## scarrylarry

cocobolo,just trying to peek in on your super duper project now and then.Aside from your awesome craftsmanship, I would think you could pursue a career in writing!
scarrylarry


----------



## cocobolo

scarrylarry said:


> cocobolo,just trying to peek in on your super duper project now and then.Aside from your awesome craftsmanship, I would think you could pursue a career in writing!
> scarrylarry


Thanks Larry...but I like to pretend that I'm retired!


----------



## cocobolo

Barb, here's a couple of examples of spokeshaves.

The three little ones are brass bodied with very high quality blades. Judging by their diminutive size you might not think they would be very useful...not so. They are actually my first choice.

The full size one is what you would normally see as a 'shave, but it seems cumbersome by comparison to the small ones.

I have another black one that I can't lay my hands on right now.

You may also consider scrapers for final shaping, although with something as soft as western red cedar they don't work well. Better suited to hardwoods.


----------



## cocobolo

...then again, I could always use my giant economy size ebony plane! The blade on this little guy is only 1/2" wide and the plane body only 3" long! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Yet another little chore done...the underpinnings of the tub deck are stained.

And I have the green hands to prove it! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

...this pic was supposed to accompany that last post...sorry about that. :huh:


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks cocobolo. 

The ebony plane does look big, until you compare it to the grain in the wood it's sitting on.

Cool tools! I'm anxious to see what the hand rail looks like when it's done.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Yeah...you and me both Barb.

Well, the missus and I got this thing outside...that was fun I can tell you!

Have it propped up on a couple of saw horses.

Have you ever tried taking a photo of a 20+ foot long slinky? Darn near impossible!


----------



## cocobolo

Here I have started on shaping the end of the rail. 

Being red cedar, it cuts and shapes fairly easily.


----------



## cocobolo

A little further down the rail now, and at this point I have settled on three tools to do the rough shaping.

The power plane flattens all the junk off the top...the handplane takes care of the outside curve...and the big spokeshave looks after the inside of the curve. Neither the hand or power plane can cut the inside.

The power plane is my least favourite as you cannot see what is happening to the wood as it is cut.


----------



## cocobolo

At this point, I am about half way round the rail. 

It appears that I will be at this for another couple of hours - assuming my back holds out. Then we will have a go at the initial sanding.


----------



## shumakerscott

Why not one of these with a sanding disc? Not the saw blade as shown. Variable speed grinders rock. :yes: I've done all my wood work with it. dorf dude...


----------



## jlhaslip

You and I would use it, but... a sanding disc on the grinder can be too aggressive for fine woodworking like Cocobolo does...


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Why not one of these with a sanding disc? Not the saw blade as shown. Variable speed grinders rock. :yes: I've done all my wood work with it. dorf dude...


Hey Shu...you're trying to keep all your wood looking old. I'm trying to do the opposite.

Besides, Pink Floyd _ROCKS, _and grinders _GRIND! :wink:_


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> You and I would use it, but... a sanding disc on the grinder can be too aggressive for fine woodworking like Cocobolo does...


The biggest reason I don't use that type of sander (grinder) is because it invariably leaves swirl marks, and they are very difficult to remove.

You might think with a soft wood like cedar, that it would be easy to get the marks out. But here's the catch - the swirl marks are usually _deeper_ on softer woods.

A random orbital essentially leaves no marks of any kind, even with grits as coarse as 80. In fact, 80 was the final grit we used to use on large cedarstrip multihulls (40' +) and they came up extremely smooth.

This is - and always has been - my weapon of choice for this little job.


----------



## cocobolo

Much earlier this afternoon when I was using the power plane to get some of the rough work done, I couldn't understand why the planer didn't seem to cut properly.

I flipped it over...and here's why.

A good sized chunk missing...I think I must have done that when I was planing the wood strips (and nails) on that curved kitchen wall.


----------



## cocobolo

As luck would have it, the other blade was barely touched at all. And I had just one blade on hand!

Look at the mess that came out of this side of the planer. That _was_ a solid carbide blade.


----------



## cocobolo

Wife number two absolutely _loves it_ when I make a mess like this on the deck! Drives her right around the bend! :laughing:

Hey, I told her she was marrying a carpenter...


----------



## cocobolo

The rough shaping with the machinery - power plane and random orbital sander - left a decidedly unsatisfactory (read bumpy here) surface.

In order to improve things, I used several sheets of 100, 120 and 150 grit sandpaper both with and without sanding blocks. That was strictly hand work.

The rail has now reached a state of smoothness _nearly _good enough for finishing. I will give it another round at 180 and 220 tomorrow, providing the rain holds off.


----------



## cocobolo

_Never_ underestimate my power to underestimate how long something will take to do.

It was knocking on 9 O'clock this evening before I had the 150 sanding finished.

At this rate the cost of labour for this hand rail will be about enough to buy a new Lamborghini Gallardo!


----------



## gma2rjc

> _Never_ underestimate my power to underestimate how long something will take to do.


.........:huh: :confused1: :laughing:

I don't know about anybody else, but I'm amazed at how much of it you finished in one day. It's unbelievable. I thought it would take at least a week.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> .........:huh: :confused1: :laughing:
> 
> I don't know about anybody else, but I'm amazed at how much of it you finished in one day. It's unbelievable. I thought it would take at least a week.
> 
> Barb


It's a good thing that it stays light enough to work outside until 9 at night! Otherwise I wouldn't have got anywhere near that far. 

I put the rail inside for tonight as there is a chance of showers...and I don't think I would be a very happy camper if it got wet!


----------



## cocobolo

Happy Canada Day fellow Canucks from the WET coast.

Yup..it's raining!


----------



## cocobolo

While this delightful rain continues - as it apparently may do for the next two days - I will get the last coats of varnish on some more of the deck posts.

If you add Japan dryer to the last couple of coats, you get a harder surface to the tune of something like 25%. That is significant enough to make quite a difference. Plus, of course, the varnish will dry faster.


----------



## cocobolo

About two years ago I picked up a new pad for the Porter Cable sander, but I couldn't get the old one off to replace it.

After yesterdays efforts, and the resultant loss of yet more of the rubber backing from the pad, I finally decided I just had to make the change.

I had previously made up a skinny wrench to fit the nut behind the pad, but was quite unable to remove the old pad, no matter how much I beat on the thing!

It finally dawned on me this morning that if I were to clamp the pad in the bench vise, that it should come off.

Yes, it worked. But I was surprised at how far I had to turn the nut before it was movable with hand power.

I think I got my moneys' worth out of the old one!


----------



## cocobolo

I suppose the sander came with a wrench to change the pads, but since I've had this one for maybe 20 years, I have no idea where it may be now.

Here's the one I ground down from another wrench...there sure isn't much room between the pad and the R/O assembly.


----------



## downrightart

Happy Canada Day Keith!!!


And MAN....are you FAST! Impressive!


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Happy Canada Day Keith!!!
> 
> 
> And MAN....are you FAST! Impressive!


Thanks Tracy...maybe too fast for my own good.

I finished sanding the rail with both 180 and 220 grit, mixed up some 10% thinned varnish, and proceeded to spill it all over the wall, me and the floor...with very little managing to land on the rail! 

So, if you heard the colourful language that followed, my apologies.

I mixed up some more and the first thinned coat is now on. As with all first coats on cedar, it looks terrible.


----------



## cocobolo

The deck posts have all received a good sanding before their final coats. I used 180 followed by the tack rag for that.

The use of the tack rag just before you apply the final coats removes even the smallest dust particles.


----------



## downrightart

Colorful language, huh? My husband can make rainbows. :laughing:

Off topic:

Have you ever made round frames with wood? I see you can bend it, with certain kinds of wood.

I'm so wanting to frame a drawing of mine(drawing looks like the Titantic---I did for my daughter's prom 15 yrs ago) and I want the frame to look like a ship's wheel, but I can't find anything like it that is the size of 15 1/2 X 15 1/2. It's for my handicap brother's bathroom. I wanted to give it to him as a gift for his birthday and he has a nautical theme going on in the bathroom.

I'm not familar with wood saws/lathes and such, so I wouldn't even know how to talk about it!:huh:

You can PM me Keith. Just thought I'd ask an expert!


----------



## cocobolo

Rainbows eh? _This I have to see! _:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

About your round wood frame, there are several ways you could do that. :yes:

It is quite possible to bend thin wood into a circle of that size, but it would likely be easier and quicker to make the circle from solid wood. And there are a couple of ways to do that.

With a traditional ships wheel, the rim is made in segments, the number of those segments depending on the overall size of the wheel.

Or, you could glue up some wood until it was large enough to make the circle from and then cut it out with a jigsaw.

I will make you a couple of mock-ups so you can see how it works.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning the weather has kept us guessing, so it has been inside work again. 

I hope to be getting the infill done on the stairs near the tub deck. It's going to be easier if I pre stain them as opposed to waiting until after the boards are on.


----------



## cocobolo

But what has really occupied my day since the wee hours has been trying to get that handrail in place and properly fastened.

Since this is the first spiral I have done, it is all a learning process. Usually, wood doesn't hold too many surprises for me, but this time was different.

Wife number two very kindly helped me to maneuver the beast into place, and I attached a single clamp to hold it.

I reasoned that it should be easiest to start the fastening process from the top of the rail.

After screwing the first bracket on, I was somewhat mortified to discover that the next one was way over an inch out of line! Whaaaaaat?

I tried pushing and shoving and a few other unmentionable stunts which didn't work either, and finally ended up by driving a 3 foot long board between the post at the top of the stairs and the railing.

Understandably, I was a bit nervous about this. I put about half a dozen layers of towel between the board and the rail and started pounding it into place. It took a few tries, as the board objected strenuously to this treatment, but finally it stuck.

Quick like a bunny I got that second bracket screwed on and proceeded to knock the 3' board out. Phew! It stayed in place.

Naturally, this meant that the next one had moved too far in the opposite direction! Can't win...can we?

OK, but this was way easier to fix...just drive a wedge between the rail and the wall.


----------



## cocobolo

Once you have a couple of brackets fastened, logic would dictate that everything should line up. :huh:

Not this time Josephine! :furious:


----------



## cocobolo

Yes, it's true that in that pic above things are OK. But it took mucho force to get things in line.

It seems that what has happened is that the spiral shape has been moving about ever since it was taken off the wall originally. No doubt this is because it has been laid out in a variety of different places - and each time it takes a new set. Maybe if I had been patient enough to leave it on the wall after glue-up for a week or so...

Another thing I wanted to do was to mount the rail offset _away_ from the wall just a tad extra. This would provide a little extra room for the hand between the wall and the handrail.


----------



## cocobolo

A pic from each end after things were screwed into place...


----------



## cocobolo

It didn't require an exceptionally high IQ to figure out that all the pounding at the top end of the rail just _might_ have caused some damage.

The dent was pretty noticeable to the point where I would definitely need to do something about it.

Two things were in my favour. One, the dent was very fresh. Two, cedar is a decidedly _soft_ wood.

The immediate solution was to go fetch some boiling water (good excuse for coffee at the same time) and pour some on to the dent.

This has duly been done, and the wet rag is still in place as this is being typed. Let's hope it works.


----------



## cocobolo

In theory, the hot water will expand the dented wood back out to its' original shape - or nearly so.

Then the wood will need to be dried and sanded with fine sandpaper.

I'll let you know how it ends up.


----------



## downrightart

cocobolo said:


> Or, you could glue up some wood until it was large enough to make the circle from and then cut it out with a jigsaw.
> 
> I will make you a couple of mock-ups so you can see how it works.


My friend is doing this! I know you woodworkers are laughing at me, but this stuff is cool!! Please please.....give the mock ups. When you have time. :blink: I'll have to direct my good friend over here too! He is the most talented man! A good man who loves his family dearly. He is also a powerlineman. He not only walks on wood, he saws on wood! :laughing:

He is doing this as a favor to me, I'm sure. I really don't think it was something he "wanted" to do! LOL! 

Here is his pic and what he has to work with. No, my drawing....no me! Like I said, he is a good man! :laughing:


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## cocobolo

Tracy, your good friend has the right idea.

I just whipped up these pieces a minute ago before I saw your pic.

With this system, all the wood seems identical as you go around the rim. You can use 8 pieces for a more finished look as well, or even 12 pieces!


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> My friend is doing this! I know you woodworkers are laughing at me, but this stuff is cool!! Please please.....give the mock ups. When you have time. :blink: I'll have to direct my good friend over here too! He is the most talented man! A good man who loves his family dearly. He is also a powerlineman. He not only walks on wood, he saws on wood! :laughing:
> 
> He is doing this as a favor to me, I'm sure. I really don't think it was something he "wanted" to do! LOL!
> 
> Here is his pic and what he has to work with. No, my drawing....no me! Like I said, he is a good man! :laughing:


If you can talk your friend into using 6 pieces (30º cuts at each end) or 8 pieces (22 1/2º cuts at each end, I think you both might be happier with the result. :thumbup:

His miter saw should have detents at both angles.


----------



## cocobolo

...and now back to our originally scheduled broadcast...

The hot water doesn't take too long to work, and the dented cedar returns to its' original shape - or nearly so - in a matter of minutes.

Then I used a heat gun to remove the moisture from the wood. Once the varnish is smoking like mad (J/K) you can shut the heat off and let the wood cool. Actually, you only want to use just enough heat to dry the wood, no point in getting into any thrilling pyrotechnics at this point!

Then I used some 180 with a small sponge between it and the sanding block. This prevents sanding any facets into the wood. Comes out smooth like a baby's b......


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## cocobolo

Voila! (We're supposed to be bilingual here...)


----------



## Bud Cline

> It seems that what has happened is that the spiral shape has been moving about ever since it was taken off the wall originally. No doubt this is because it has been laid out in a variety of different places - and each time it takes a new set.


....and don't forget the weather changed totally since you began the clamp-up. What's the relative humidity now compared to what it was a day or two ago?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> ....and don't forget the weather changed totally since you began the clamp-up. What's the relative humidity now compared to what it was a day or two ago?


Good point. All the gluing up was done inside. The shaping and sanding was done outside. Then the varnishing was done inside and...

Fact is, I haven't even checked the humidity inside here at all.:icon_redface:


----------



## Bud Cline

I just know what RH and atmospheric changes can do to wood floors, it'll tweak 'em by George.


----------



## Bud Cline

By the way! That whole area looks amazing. It must be what the inside of a tornado looks like!!!! Nice looking project.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I just know what RH and atmospheric changes can do to wood floors, it'll tweak 'em by George.


Yes it will! I will have to check what it is here in the house out of curiosity now.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> By the way! That whole area looks amazing. It must be what the inside of a tornado looks like!!!! Nice looking project.:thumbsup:


Well, that's because _IT IS A TORNADO IN HERE!_


----------



## cocobolo

Before supper, I got started on putting the boards for the infill in place for the stairs up to the MBR.


----------



## cocobolo

I was keeping my beady little eye on the sky, and when this guy started getting close, I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and cleaned everything up and brought the tools inside.


----------



## cocobolo

Right after I got in, I put a thinned coat of varnish on to the new handrail.

Several years ago, I bought 30 goat hair brushes. Until today, they have proved worthless for every finish we have tried.

I thought I might try one with the handrail and let me tell you, it works a treat! The brushes are so soft, and the hair is so fine, that only now have I realised that it needs to be a very thin product that you are applying.

This is only the second coat - thinned at that - and look how nicely it is coming up!

The pic was taken sans flash, 6/10 of a second and hand held! I can't believe it is so clear. Next time I'll use the tripod and remote shutter.


----------



## cocobolo

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends on the chatroom!!! ENJOY!!


----------



## cocobolo

Just a small curiosity item...I checked the humidity before I went over to town today, and when I got back, plus again a few minutes ago.

Pretty small variation - only between 63% and 65%. The fact that we are right on the water may keep this reasonably stable.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Last night around 10 pm I sanded and coated the rail again. This morning at 10 am a repeat performance.

I picked up some decent Norton 220 & 320 sandpaper yesterday, far better than brand X. One small piece (1/6 of a sheet) does the whole rail.

I know it's discouraging to see that lovely finish disappear every time you sand between coats, but trust me on this one, it's well worth doing.

This is what Norton 220 looks like with a light hand sanding.


----------



## cocobolo

The deck outside the master bedroom has been awaiting the installation of the posts etc.

The varnish has now dried - 8 coats - and the posts are ready to go - at least those that have been made up. Still have another smaller batch to make.

Here's the first three on the front side of the deck.


----------



## cocobolo

...and just in case Shu tries to convince you that these posts are bent, don't let him kid you. It's just an optical conclusion!

The install procedure goes something like this.

First I go up a ladder and mark off where the center of each of the truss joists coincides with the edge of the deck. This is marked off the width of a post on the front fascia using a level.

Then a yellow cedar spacer is held between the post and the fascia, a center punch is pushed into the drilled holes in the post and hit with a hammer.

Now this is where the person who designed a carpenters' body missed the boat. We should have been born with at least three arms.

Next the punch marks are drilled out, and the post and spacer are held in place again and the top hole is once again marked with the punch.

This hole is drilled to suit the size of lag screw being used, in this case a 3/8" by 4" lag. So about a 9/32" hole is drilled into the end of the truss joist.

The post is now bolted on and plumbed. The bottom hole is punched and drilled and the lower lag installed.


----------



## cocobolo

After all the posts are on, I think it will take about 90 lineal feet of yellow cedar to do the rail. I have that on hand in the form of some architectural grade stock. :thumbsup:

The red cedar I will need 300 lineal feet plus, and I'm not sure how much of that I have available. 

Several years ago, I did set aside some excellent long red cedar 2 x 4's for this purpose. I have not yet cut it up into strips, but that might be a good project for tomorrow, along with the thicknessing thereof.

I am hoping to be able to find sufficient cedar to make this upper railing extra wide.


----------



## jlhaslip

Did you use a fisheye lens to create the delusion of curved posts?


----------



## cocobolo

Nope. Did you see Shu's post? He was ribbing me about the curved posts and called them bent. :jester:

They are, in fact, curved. 

Just gluing up the last posts now...getting there.

The reason I curved the posts was twofold. I made some similar posts for another deck, and I don't like to do the same thing twice on different houses. Plus, the curves kinda match everything else around here.

Whatever you do, don't go telling everyone that I can't build in a straight line...


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## cocobolo

I think I have enough posts made up now, two are still in the clamping jigs.

Going to conduct a search through all my many piles of wood here to track down enough red cedar for that railing. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Coat number seven of varnish going on the stair rail in another hour, then I will have to work outside until the surface reaches the point where it is tack free. That's taking about 3 hours with the dryer and thinner added. Lots to do out there.

Very windy this morning, but doesn't look like any rain.


----------



## gma2rjc

Those posts look really nice cocobolo.

How wide and how thick are the individual strips? Will you have to give them a coat of varathane every year or two?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Those posts look really nice cocobolo.
> 
> How wide and how thick are the individual strips? Will you have to give them a coat of varathane every year or two?


Thanks...

The pieces actually vary somewhat. Most of the posts were made up at different times. As I would find some wood suitable for a post, I would glue one up. I only had one jig initially, now there are two.

The yellow cedar is usually around 3/8" by 1 1/2", thinner on the two end posts. The red is about 1/2" - give or take. These last ones I'm gluing up are more consistent. 

It won't be Varathane, but varnish...and yes...they will get one coat every year as long as I'm here. In fact, tomorrow I will be doing another coat on the railing on that round deck out the front. If you keep up with the one-coat-a-year rule, the varnish should last many a year.

We missed the varnish coat around the big windows in the master bedroom last year, and it shows. You need to be vigilant with this stuff.


----------



## cocobolo

I decided that the screen behind the tub should be stained. Wish I had done that before I nailed all the cedar strips on...it was real fun getting the stain into the narrow gaps in front.


----------



## cocobolo

Next up was more work on the stair railing outside...a bit of a challenge at the top where the steps changed quite a bit.


----------



## cocobolo

The last piece of the hand rail at the top has a curve - OK, it's _bent, _but only for the bottom 7 or 8 inches. But at least I could run it right to the wall.

The neighbours arrived just as I was fitting it up, so the noise of the planer and sander for shaping will have to wait until tomorrow. I should be able to get the infill done as well, and maybe stained.


----------



## cocobolo

Time for the railing on the lower stairs. Here I just sit the cedar on the stairs and draw two vertical lines with a level where I want it cut.


----------



## cocobolo

Here it is cut...perfect height if you're a doggie!

I did get some pickets cut today as well for this, but they need to be planed, the corners eased and the ends cut at 45º - and I think pre stained _before_ they get nailed on.


----------



## cocobolo

Is anyone out there familiar with Riva boats?

If so, you might be interested to know that on their runabouts, which used some of the worlds' most exquisite mahogany, Carlo Riva specified no less than 22 coats of varnish. 

And you think you're hard done by when you need to put three coats on! 

This is coat number 8. It's starting to look reasonably so-so.


----------



## cocobolo

Tried fixing the pic...is this any better?


----------



## gma2rjc

Do they use a sprayer to apply the varnish? Do they sand between each coat?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Do they use a sprayer to apply the varnish? Do they sand between each coat?


Yes, and yes. The finish they get is unbelievable! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I got the outside railing fully shaped and almost sanded, when the head of the sanding pad (new, if you please) decided it didn't want the job any more. So it parted company with the backing.

Then it was the pad sander and then by hand.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's all that is left of the $20 pad.


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry about the photo being taken when it was nearly dark...again. But all the framing is done for the outside stairs now.

I have all the infill strips cut and dadoed. And just before dark, when all the mozzies came out to feed on me, I got them all stained. They _will_ all be on tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

Also this morning - absolutely _goegeous day today_ - I got the railing at the round deck sanded and varnished.

Wife and I were trying to remember how many coats of varnish we got on it last year. However many it was, it wasn't enough. We will strive for 7 this year.


----------



## cocobolo

There was some woodworking done inside today, aside from the infill.

I did get the pickets planed down, as well as some arbutus cut out for the first half a dozen treads. Just rough cut for now, and the first two steps have been planed to thickness.

Just as I was getting into it, wife number 2 called for supper.


----------



## cocobolo

Be aware that the wood in the pic above has _not_ been planed. It is just as it came off the sawmill many years ago.

The planks were stored outside under cover for a few years, but for the past 5 or 6 years have been inside. They ought to be pretty stable by now. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

The sun was starting to play havoc with the staves on the tub, so it was time to make some sort of cover. Blue tarps get old in a hurry.

This morning, pretty early, I cut up a sheet of plywood to fit.

I guess I must have woke the neighbours' wife up, as she came over (not to complain) but just to see what was happening. She hasn't been over for several years, and I think curiosity got the better of her.

For the record, she liked what she saw.

As you can see, the sun was around by the time I finished staining it.


----------



## cocobolo

The short rail for the lower stairs got planed and sanded, then the first varnish coat applied. You cannot see in the pic, but this cedar is offgassing like crazy leaving many tiny bubbles on the surface.

I tipped it off a couple of times, but it kept going. You can only tip varnish while it is still very wet...as soon as there is even a hint of skinning, stop. It will get sanded before the second coat any way.


----------



## cocobolo

As promised, I finished that infernal railing and infill to the upper deck. Thank goodness that's done!


----------



## jlhaslip

short day today?


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> short day today?


Well, sort of. I did get some more of the arbutus treads thicknessed. You need to know that every tread is at least two pieces. I think the very bottom tread which wraps around at the end is 6 pieces.

I just flipped the 2 x 2's over and finished staining them for the bottom railing. Plus, of course, I managed to find time for a nice swim out in the bay. 

I routed the edges of the final 5 deck posts, and I'm just going to do all the drilling on them in a few minutes. As soon as that is done I'll get the first coat of varnish on. :yes:

And just came in from watering my Japanese garden. We checked the tanks today, and there was 3900 gallons left. That has to last us until the fall rains hit. That doesn't include the 1500 gallons in the dedicated firefighting tank. But that stays in case of fire.

Almost forgot...the inside handrail is sanded and tacked off ready for coat number 11.


----------



## gma2rjc

Sorry, more questions...

Does every home on the island have a dedicated firefighting tank?

If the 1500 gallons in that tank isn't enough to fight a fire, can you switch over to the other tank?

Is there a built-in pump on the firefighting tank to get the water to the fire?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Sorry, more questions...
> 
> Does every home on the island have a dedicated firefighting tank?
> 
> If the 1500 gallons in that tank isn't enough to fight a fire, can you switch over to the other tank?
> 
> Is there a built-in pump on the firefighting tank to get the water to the fire?


Absolutely no problem with questions...ever!

I WISH every home had such a tank, but there are pitifully few that do. Only three that I can think of offhand, out of something like 115 (or so) cabins or houses - call them what you will - on the island.

My fire pump attaches directly to the tank with a quick connect hose.

From there the fire hoses are also quick connect - push on then 1/4 turn and you're ready to go.

We are trying to standardize on the island to the same type of hose that the forestry department uses.

If the 1500 gallon tank isn't enough, the ocean is our next option. My immediate neighbour has a 1500 gallon water tank, not dedicated for fire. I'm going to talk to him about getting the quick connect fittings as a precaution.

Quite frankly, if I can't put out a fire with 1500 gallons of water, it's time to go. We just use lots and lots of caution in the summertime.

Any outdoor burning is totally banned, and that applies to huge areas of this province in the summer months.


----------



## cocobolo

Just to show you I wasn't kidding,

Here's the 5 posts all drilled and first varnish coat on.


----------



## cocobolo

...followed closely by the 11th coat on the handrail...


----------



## cocobolo

...and last but not least, the short handrail...1st coat on the back side of the board.

Please note the time...I'm off to bed.


----------



## cocobolo

While the weather is OK I'm going to tackle building an arbutus live edge table for the unused side of the round deck.

The boards are pretty old and not in the best of shape...so I will make out of them what I can.

Here's the raw material I have to work with...let's hope it all comes out OK.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see, the boards are curved - a definite plus for me - as I wish to make the table top with a gentle curve to ease the appearance of the straight side of the deck.

Here I am laying out a batten to draw the first curve on the board. It is important to try to get the curve as fair as possible, so I am using an older piece of red cedar with nice straight grain so that it bends into a fair curve.


----------



## cocobolo

Once the line has been established, the first board is cut.


----------



## cocobolo

After this first cut is made, the cut board is laid on top of the edge of the second board and the line drawn for a matching cut in the next board.


----------



## cocobolo

When both boards are cut, the two halves are pushed together for a test fit.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, it isn't too bad, but neither is it perfect. I may use a router to get a better match between the side cuts...but before that the ends will be trimmed.

Here I am using the always popular paint can to draw a corner.


----------



## cocobolo

Both ends are cut, and now a twist has shown up in the outer board. That should fix with the joinery I have in mind...plus both boards will be screwed to backing boards to prevent things from moving too much.

Wood such as this used outside is always going to move, so it is a good idea to try to keep the movement seasonal, i.e. from spring to summer movement, then summer to fall movement. That is where the major moves are.

A good protective finish coat, in this case it will be varnish I suspect at this point, should keep the movement to a minimum.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is a closer look at both ends, and the apparent deterioration in the wood at one end appears obvious. 

It's going to be interesting to see what can be done with that...


----------



## cocobolo

This will be a live edge table top, but because the remaining bark has been dead for many years, it is easy to pick off. Nothing like the hassle that Jeremy went through with his magnificent giant table top he is currently finishing.


----------



## cocobolo

I am reliably informed that I must make a trip to town PDQ, as we are nearly out of propane. Grrrr... I guess while I am over I can pick up a couple more things I need for finishing. 

And such a nice working day to waste... :furious:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, that was a trip I won't soon forget.

Got just a couple hundred yards out of the bay and the engine started acting up on the skiff. Less than 100 hours on this motor, so there shouldn't be any problems. 

The idiot light told me it was an oil problem...OK, put some more in and off we go again. This time got about another mile out and same thing. Put more oil in, and by now I am quite certain it is overfilled. Rather than risk the rest of the trip across, I turned back and came home very slowly. No problem.

Hop on to the sailboat and give it another go. Everything's OK. :yes:

Down to Ladysmith for propane and some delicious bread they make at this wonderful little bakery. 

Up to Nanaimo for long hinges, no stainless steel, so I have to take the regular stuff. Maybe if I can get some grease on the hinges they will last awhile. :huh:

To the outboard dealer to find out what might be wrong...could be it just needs a new oil filter, or the sending unit cleaned. He doesn't think there can be anything wrong at such low hours. $70 worth of parts and oil later, I'm out the door.

To the bank to advise them that some sweet soul got into my van and swiped my bag in which I have nothing of any real value...but I keep my bank passbooks in there. They will let me know - and the police as well - if someone tries to raid my account. 

Only other thing of any substance taken was my GPS, but that's easily replaced.

To the cell phone dealer, my phone has decided it won't charge any more. OK, I will have a new phone, but not for another week as the new model is already on back order - it figures! In the interim, he gives me another phone the same as I have to use as a charging unit. The charge unit is apparently OK, just the display is hooped. 

But at least it was sunny and warm and a nice day for a boat ride!!!:thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

It was one thing after another.

That just goes to show you - when it rains, it pours. Even on nice, sunny days.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It was one thing after another.
> 
> That just goes to show you - when it rains, it pours. Even on nice, sunny days.


Isn't that the truth!

Another beautiful sunny day here again, let's hope there's no more "rain" of the troublesome kind! :no:

Time to get started working...back later. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

The result of this mornings' efforts goes something like this.

First I disposed of all the remaining bark on the edges of the boards with a chisel, sanders and by hand sanding at the very end.

Then ran them both through the planer _many_ times. A little awkward with long boards like this, but they came out well.

Then on to the bench where I sanded them starting with 100 grit to try to get rid of the planer marks, that seemed to work OK.

Progressively finer right down to 320 on the small Ryobi random orbital. Still no new pad for the Porter Cable. Now the boards are smooth as silk.

Then outside to set them up to make a pass with the router between the two boards. This way I should have a pretty close match when the two halves are put together.


----------



## cocobolo

I probably should have explained what I was doing here.

I put the drawing batten on to one of the boards and placed it 2 5/32" away from the board edge. This is the distance from the edge of the router plate to the center.

In order to hold the batten securely in place I used a series of hold downs as shown. I would have needed clamps with about 8" throats to reach in from the edge otherwise.


----------



## cocobolo

You can see how the router cleans one edge off each board as it passes through.


----------



## cocobolo

All done! 

You can only do a short section at a time due to the clamping method. Do a short piece, move the clamps...another short piece and so on.


----------



## cocobolo

Once the cut was started, the first end needed to be kept at precisely the same distance apart.

I secured three clamps tightly in place to prevent any unwanted movement.


----------



## cocobolo

Job done and the boards are pushed together.

Could I deceive you into thinking this was one board? Didn't think so..:no:


----------



## cocobolo

Looks like the next step will be to make some boards to fit on the back of these two for the dual purpose of keeping them flat, and to provide something to fasten the top to the (as yet unmade) legs.

I might try some butterfly joints on the top. At least it would be a bit different.


----------



## cocobolo

I was snooping around in my hardwood stash and came up with a few boards of a slightly more exotic variety. I was going to use arbutus for the butterflies, but now...I think not.

Canary wood left, zebra wood right...


----------



## cocobolo

Shedua left...lacewood right


----------



## cocobolo

Bubinga left...bird's eye maple right...

Anyone have a preference?


----------



## drtbk4ever

Bubinga is my preference.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Bubinga is my preference.


Thanks...I like that one too.


----------



## gma2rjc

There's a place up in Northern Michigan where they grow Birdseye Maple's. A gentleman told me just a few weeks ago that when they load the trucks with these maples and haul them out of the woods, they have to have a police escort until the truck reaches it's destination. The wood is so valuable that people will hijack the truck otherwise. 

I'll have to wait to pick which kind of wood to use until I see what the table top looks like when it has a few coats of varathane. They're all very pretty, but the canary caught my eye.

Which one holds up best out in the weather?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> There's a place up in Northern Michigan where they grow Birdseye Maple's. A gentleman told me just a few weeks ago that when they load the trucks with these maples and haul them out of the woods, they have to have a police escort until the truck reaches it's destination. The wood is so valuable that people will hijack the truck otherwise.
> 
> I'll have to wait to pick which kind of wood to use until I see what the table top looks like when it has a few coats of varathane. They're all very pretty, but the canary caught my eye.
> 
> Which one holds up best out in the weather?


I have heard that about several kinds of trees. Whether or not it's true I don't know. Birdseye isn't that uncommon, and actually whether or not a maple has the birdseye feature or not depends on a number of factors. As much luck as anything.

OK, the boards will have the butterfly joints installed _before_ any varnishing gets done. The butterfly becomes part and parcel of the board at that point...you'll see.

As for weathering, I'll check on that, but I suspect that all of them would outlast the arbutus.


----------



## cocobolo

First up, almost all these woods have a variety of different names, with the exception of birdseye maple. Everyone seems to agree on that. I doubt the maple would be durable outside.

The canarywood is not durable.

The zebrawood is termite resistant, but not durable as well as being unstable.

Shedua, or amazakoue, or gabon ovanko, or mozambique, or ovengkol is moderately durable.

Lacewood has fair resistance to decay, but has other problems.

Bubinga, also known by a variety of other names is moderately durable, takes finishes well and is moderately easy to work.

None of these woods is what you could call "easy" to work.

It appears that Bubinga may win by default. It is also an exceptionally strong wood.


----------



## cocobolo

More shiny things...got the hinges screwed on to the bits of plywood this afternoon. Now I have a cover...of sorts.


----------



## gma2rjc

Did you bring the different varieties of wood with you to the island, or did you find the trees in the bay? 

The lid looks nice. I was wondering though, how deep is the hot tub and what else do you have to do to it before you can start using it?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Did you bring the different varieties of wood with you to the island, or did you find the trees in the bay?
> 
> The lid looks nice. I was wondering though, how deep is the hot tub and what else do you have to do to it before you can start using it?


Not much chance of finding trees like these here! With the possible exception of the maple. The rest are from central Africa or central or south America.

These particular pieces I got from a Canadian supplier, intended for fingerboards for bass guitars.

Tub is just under 4' deep. Still have to make a setup for the plumbing, and a seat or two inside the tub.


----------



## gma2rjc

The spot that had the deterioration doesn't look bad at all now.


----------



## jlhaslip

Don't forget a hook to hang your trunks / towel on.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Don't forget a hook to hang your trunks / towel on.


The towel I understand, but the trunks...??? :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The spot that had the deterioration doesn't look bad at all now.


It might be a case of looks being a bit deceiving. The wood itself has lost some of its' density there.

Unprotected arbutus is subject to getting a fungal growth if it stays damp for too long. Even though the wood was covered, I think this is what happened.

It hasn't gone punky or anything like that, but it is definitely not the same as nice new wood.


----------



## cocobolo

The two halves are being glued up here. You can't see much, but they came together quite well. Gluing up curves is a bit tricky sometimes.


----------



## cocobolo

I have made up 10 brackets for the underside of the table in 5 pairs. Each pair will capture an arbutus post, which will be bolted to the end of the deck.


----------



## cocobolo

Tonight I selected some stock to make the posts from. In true arbutus fashion, it has dried with some pretty wild curves to it.

This stock is bigger than 4" x 4", and I think I will plane it down to about 3" x 3 1/2". That will keep me busy for awhile tomorrow morning. 

Can't start too early as it will be Sunday, and 3 of the neighbours are in.

Maybe some more tiling early...


----------



## downrightart

I'm liking that table top Keith! I like that it still has it's groove! Or grooves. 

Your luck ran as bad as ours on June 9th. We just returned from our vacation only to find out our a/c went kapooey! It's not the heat that kills ya here, it's the humidity! Other than spending more money on our vacation that we didn't expect, we had it fixed that night.

I wanted to share with you that my woodworking friend took your advice and this is what he came up with. I'm so excited! And I'm very happy with the look! Thanks again Keith!

Coffee break over! Now you can continue with your wonderful works buddy!


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> The towel I understand, but the trunks...??? :huh:


you need some place to hang them for drying...


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> I'm liking that table top Keith! I like that it still has it's groove! Or grooves.
> 
> Your luck ran as bad as ours on June 9th. We just returned from our vacation only to find out our a/c went kapooey! It's not the heat that kills ya here, it's the humidity! Other than spending more money on our vacation that we didn't expect, we had it fixed that night.
> 
> I wanted to share with you that my woodworking friend took your advice and this is what he came up with. I'm so excited! And I'm very happy with the look! Thanks again Keith!
> 
> Coffee break over! Now you can continue with your wonderful works buddy!


My compliments to the chef!

What a great job he did on your picture frame!!! Awesome!!! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> you need some place to hang them for drying...


Oh, I see.

But you have made the mistake of assuming that we would even need such terrible devices here...:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

...bit of a disturbance with the work this morn...the neighbour has trouble with his mooring. There's always problems with these things, so I've offered him one of my spare ones and some new hardware for it. He's going over to town later next week and will get some new line while he's there.

Anyway, the stock for the legs for the table has been planed down to size, doesn't look too bad.

I still have to cut the ends to shape and drill the holes and so forth. The back braces have all been fastened to the table top with stainless steel screws. Non stainless really makes a mess out of arbutus, it stains like crazy.

Back with pics later...


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> Oh, I see.
> 
> But you have made the mistake of assuming that we would even need such terrible devices here...:laughing:


true...

:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

...it's a good thing there are certain pics we simply _should not _post here! :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

hmmmm...fair bit of work involved in the making of these legs.

The re-sizing and planing went OK, if a little time consuming.

Once the stock was down to the proper size, I did the layout on all the legs, and proceeded to cut out the various and sundry unwanted pieces.

Making a blind cut can lead to nasty overcuts where you don't want them, so here is a trick to make sure yours ends right where you want it to.

I needed to take a sizable notch out of the bottom end of each leg where it will bolt to the deck.

The pictures are pretty self explanatory, with the second one showing a small stop clamped to the fence to keep all the cuts identical.


----------



## cocobolo

Once the first cut is made, flip the board for the second part of the cut. You will need to adjust the fence so that the two cuts line up. Like so.

The blade is running in this pic!


----------



## cocobolo

The crosscut on the face of the board had previously been cut, so now it is a matter of breaking off the waste with the chisel.


----------



## cocobolo

Just give the chisel a good whack and the waste should jump right off.

You can see the typical triangle shape left with this method. If you have a bandsaw, that won't leave any such extraneous wood.


----------



## cocobolo

A few strokes with the chisel and all will be nice and clean...


----------



## cocobolo

The opposite end of the legs needed a tenon on the end for the legs to fit between the capture boards which are already installed.

Legs in place now. But no holes drilled for the bolts yet.


----------



## cocobolo

I had removed the legs for the drilling of the bolt holes and was adjusting the planer for one of the stair treads I was working on. 

For some reason, it was very sticky being adjusted downwards. I found a new can of spray grease (not what I usually use) and went to give a small shot to each of the four posts.

The first one missed the post completely, and somehow managed to travel all the way over to the back of the arbutus table. 

I thought it was one of those mist type sprayers, but noooooo, it shoots a tight stream about 10 feet or more. 

Right away, quick like a bunny, I grabbed some paint thinner and tried to wash the hundreds of little grease spots off the back of the board. Thank goodness it was the back!

I think I had the thinner on the board in less than a minute, but it may not have been quick enough. I took this pic about four or five minutes after I had tried to remove the grease spots and the paint thinner had started to evaporate from the wood.

I thought about applying a small amount of the spray to a rag and rubbing the posts with that. Of course I didn't think about that until _after_ the damage was done.


----------



## cocobolo

Grease or not, I put a very thinned out coat of varnish on last night, and another this morning.

Usually, the second coat will seal the wood fully, but not so far. It might be the more open pore structure of the wood where it had the fungal growth, or perhaps the varnish was too thin.

In any case, this is only the back of the table, so once it is well sealed, I will flip it and get started on the front. At least two more undiluted coats I would think.


----------



## cocobolo

Spent a little while cleaning up the mess at the end of the deck. It wasn't so hard to do after all.

Got some good solid 2" thick backing in behind the new siding...as that is where one of the posts will be bolted on.


----------



## cocobolo

Also covered the protruding section of deck with cedar. Added a double plywood part ring on top of that.

Next up will be to add some framing to hold the top plywood rings in place.

I think I shall try to have a light inside the end circle to light the stairs. I'm going to have to do some design work to get all the details worked out about that first.


----------



## tpolk

must feel good to get areas buttoned up. really lookin good :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> must feel good to get areas buttoned up. really lookin good :thumbsup:


Thanks tp...yes, you know how it is when there's just some little annoying thing unfinished, the whole area looks awful.

I have all the wood ready for that round thing at the end of the deck, just now staining the last pieces. It should be up by the end of the day.


----------



## jlhaslip

pictures are required or it didn't happen.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> pictures are required or it didn't happen.


OK, here it is from behind the fence, with the light on...the light at the bottom is from the sunset.


----------



## cocobolo

...and now, I suppose, you want all the juicy details? :icon_rolleyes:


----------



## gma2rjc

:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :yes:


...I thought so...


----------



## cocobolo

OK then...the first thing after the design work was done, was to start on the framing for the round thing. I think I will have to refer to it as a plant stand, because that is the first thing the wife said after it was put together.

She never misses a trick if there is somewhere to put yet _another_ plant. Not that I really mind of course.

The framing begins!


----------



## cocobolo

You see above where the two longer 2 x 4's go? Well, that has given the plant stand great rigidity...an added bonus.

The front part - towards the stair side - is meant to be a light to illuminate the stairs. So the framing at the top has to provide something to have some boards nailed on to keep the light aiming lower.


----------



## cocobolo

Here the light has been fixed to the underside of the top plywood circle and wired in. I mounted a switch at the top of the plant stand on the stair side. It's unobtrusive yet convenient to reach.


----------



## cocobolo

Now we're getting started on the thin siding boards.


----------



## cocobolo

This is a pretty tight radius to bend lexan around (13 3/4") without a fight. Plus you need to kind of be able to second guess exactly how long the lexan needs to be.

Yes, I measured it with a tape, but I have noticed before that the lexan always needs to be a fraction longer than whatever it is you measure.

I understand that the actual radius where the lexan itself will be is a fraction bigger. But even allowing for that...I added an extra 1/8" anyway. Total length ended up being 40 1/4"...doesn't look that big, does it?

It ended up being a terrific fit.


----------



## cocobolo

...by the way, if anyone has any slick little tricks to keep all the dust off the lexan after you peel off the protective plastic covering, let me know.

The static electricity attracts every particle of dust between here and and the moon, or so it seems.

You see that thin wood strip up top...(previous picture) that is to provide an allowance for the thickness of the lexan where I am attaching the wood strips.

If I hadn't used something like that, the strips would have stuck out a bit at the bottom. This way, they have laid themselves nicely against the lexan.

Pretty much have the wood done here, except for a band which will be going round the bottom.

But I ran out of a couple of things last night, daylight and wood strips.


----------



## gma2rjc

> ...by the way, if anyone has any slick little tricks to keep all the dust off the lexan after you peel off the protective plastic covering, let me know.


Try rubbing a dryer sheet on it.


----------



## BigJim

I just had to come all the way to the last post to tell you I am way back on page #69 enjoying the dickens out of this fantastic adventure you have so graciously allowed us to thoroughly enjoy. I thank you for the huge amount of time and effort it has been for you, so we can be right there with you. 

I can smell the sawdust and feel it flying everywhere, man what a ride so far.

I am taking my time to get to the current post as I am soaking up all you have done where you have been and where you are going. Thank you so much.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Try rubbing a dryer sheet on it.


We don't have a dryer here...it's called a clothesline on this island.

However, it just might be worth getting some just for the purpose...thanks!:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I just had to come all the way to the last post to tell you I am way back on page #69 enjoying the dickens out of this fantastic adventure you have so graciously allowed us to thoroughly enjoy. I thank you for the huge amount of time and effort it has been for you, so we can be right there with you.
> 
> I can smell the sawdust and feel it flying everywhere, man what a ride so far.
> 
> I am taking my time to get to the current post as I am soaking up all you have done where you have been and where you are going. Thank you so much.
> 
> Jim


Jim:

It is for folks exactly like you who express their appreciation as you have so eloquently done that I do this.

It is a genuine pleasure for me, but it is your kind comments which make it all worth while.:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

When you do that, test it on a scrap piece first, if you have any. I really don't think it would scratch the lexan, but it wouldn't hurt to check first.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> When you do that, test it on a scrap piece first, if you have any. I really don't think it would scratch the lexan, but it wouldn't hurt to check first.


I doubt very much it will scratch the lexan, that stuff is pretty tough. Being a thermoplastic, it _will_ scratch. But you have to make an effort to do so.


----------



## gma2rjc

So it doesn't scratch as easily as plexiglass? That's good.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you get it and what's it usually used for?

The 'round thing/plant stand' is looking great.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> So it doesn't scratch as easily as plexiglass? That's good.
> 
> If you don't mind me asking, where did you get it and what's it usually used for?
> 
> The 'round thing/plant stand' is looking great.


Definitely does not scratch anywhere near as easily as plexi.

When we first came over here, I got wind of an end of job lot of sheets of this lexan for sale down in Bellingham, Washington. I had a chum down there who I asked to go and buy the whole lot for me. Just gave him the c/c number and that was it.

I think there must have been around 20 - 25 sheets of the stuff, 52" x 57" and .080" thick. Manufactured under licence from GE by Cadillac Plastics, a well known supplier.

The disposal yard only wanted $10 a sheet for it, but my good friend Tom pleaded extreme poverty and got the lot for $6.50 apiece! This was the very last sheet I had, so it's all used up now. Just scraps left.

I believe the original price was right around $100 a sheet. It's not really cheap stuff. We have some used for the skylight in the studio. Some in the end semi circle window over the front entrance. Some over the back entrance to the cabin. I put quite a bit into several boats as curved windows. It's pretty handy if you can snag some.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday was squandered going over to town for a "relaxing" day (according to wife number 2). Actually, it was pretty nice.

Before we left in the morning, I cut all the short pieces of trim to go around the bottom of the round thing and pre-stained them.

This morning, I just finished nailing them on.


----------



## scoggy

*scoggy is back!*

Heh, nice work, glad to see you are still going at it, and work still as impeccable as ever! P mail me and I will tell you of my tete a tete with a deer 8^( 
Cheers
Syd


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Heh, nice work, glad to see you are still going at it, and work still as impeccable as ever! P mail me and I will tell you of my tete a tete with a deer 8^(
> Cheers
> Syd


Your fame precedes you, not so sure about the deer!


----------



## cocobolo

One more major job finished. :thumbsup: All the posts are now bolted on to the upper deck.

Now the lengthy job of putting that long laminated rail on top!


----------



## cocobolo

A few days ago the missus decided that she wanted to do something about some rockwork she attempted a few years back.

There were a couple of tree stumps near the sign, and rather than badger me to take them out, she decided to build a low rock wall around them and fill that up with dirt.

Now she wants to add some concrete on top of that and be able to sit her potted plants there.

First she needed to get all the weeds out of there.


----------



## cocobolo

Considering that she dislikes being out in the hot sun, I have to give her credit for persevering until she was finished.


----------



## cocobolo

And then this morning, she got me to give her a hand to move some pots in place.


----------



## gma2rjc

Wow! Tell her it looks beautiful! She did a great job on it. 

Are the stones from the island?

Are the little round black things lights?

She did a really nice job on the mortar between the stones too.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! Tell her it looks beautiful! She did a great job on it.
> 
> Are the stones from the island?
> 
> Are the little round black things lights?
> 
> She did a really nice job on the mortar between the stones too.
> 
> Barb


All the stones are from right here.

The little round things are the south end of wine bottles.

And she will be thrilled to hear your comments about the mortar. :yes:

The last time she tried it, none of the rocks stuck. But this time she took her time and got enough wet mortar between all the rocks. They all appear to have stuck really well - she tested them! :thumbsup:

I will be more than pleased to pass along your compliments. And thank you!


----------



## gma2rjc

That's a cool idea. The glass will look pretty with the sun shining on it too.

It looks like she put a lot of time into all of the landscaping around the sign - very lovely!


----------



## cocobolo

In that last pic above you can see some notches at the edge of the deck. That is where the legs (post 1667) will fit, or at least they're supposed to.

It was the notches and the subsequent finding out about the arbutus table which prompted the missus to get the rocky plant stand done. :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

jiju1943 said:


> I just had to come all the way to the last post to tell you I am way back on page #69 enjoying the dickens out of this fantastic adventure you have so graciously allowed us to thoroughly enjoy. I thank you for the huge amount of time and effort it has been for you, so we can be right there with you.
> 
> I can smell the sawdust and feel it flying everywhere, man what a ride so far.
> 
> I am taking my time to get to the current post as I am soaking up all you have done where you have been and where you are going. Thank you so much.
> 
> Jim


Whew, I finally made it here to the end. Man o man o man, this has been a wonderful adventure for myself and can only imagine how great it has been for you and your very creative, as well, wife. Where in the world do you get all the energy to do all you do? You both are amazing to say the least. 

Keith, after reading all of the posts in your great story, I feel like I have known you all my life. Thank you once again for allowing us to be a part of your life, you are living my dream.

I was wondering where you were going to put the table you built. as beautiful as it is, it would be hard for me to put it outside. I will be glued to this thread til the end. In my 37 year career in woodworking it takes a lot to impress me but you, your craftsmanship and your adventurous nature really impress me my friend.

Jim


----------



## Bud Cline

> The last time she tried it, none of the rocks stuck. But this time she took her time and got enough wet mortar between all the rocks.


Next time...try wetting the stones first then let them sit just a few minutes before applying the mortar. A little extra Portland cement will also help with bonding to the stones but a little moisture is the key. It serves as a magnet and draws the mortar to and into the surface of the stone. All stones will (believe it or not) take-on a little moisture.



> Where in the world do you get all the energy to do all you do?


I'm beginning to think Keith and wife number two secretly employ a small army of craftsmen.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Next time...try wetting the stones first then let them sit just a few minutes before applying the mortar. A little extra Portland cement will also help with bonding to the stones but a little moisture is the key. It serves as a magnet and draws the mortar to and into the surface of the stone. All stones will (believe it or not) take-on a little moisture.
> You know how there are some things that you just cannot tell a wife? Well, that's one of them. So I "accidentally" spilled some water on some of the rocks and casually mentioned that if she were to deliberately wet the rocks, the mortar would stick better. It worked!
> 
> I'm beginning to think Keith and wife number two secretly employ a small army of craftsmen.


Don't tell me that I had one of them in one of my pix...I was trying to be so careful to make sure you couldn't see them. Besides, they are small anyway...so there.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Whew, I finally made it here to the end. Man o man o man, this has been a wonderful adventure for myself and can only imagine how great it has been for you and your very creative, as well, wife. Where in the world do you get all the energy to do all you do? You both are amazing to say the least.
> 
> Keith, after reading all of the posts in your great story, I feel like I have known you all my life. Thank you once again for allowing us to be a part of your life, you are living my dream.
> 
> I was wondering where you were going to put the table you built. as beautiful as it is, it would be hard for me to put it outside. I will be glued to this thread til the end. In my 37 year career in woodworking it takes a lot to impress me but you, your craftsmanship and your adventurous nature really impress me my friend.
> 
> Jim


Jim:

All I can say is a heartfelt "Thank you" for your extremely kind comments.

I'm afraid my energy levels seem to be dropping steadily, so I need to get everything done that I possibly can before it's too late.

That table will go outside on the edge of the small round deck. The top will be screwed on to the legs with stainless steel screws and could be removable. Whether or not I actually take it off for the winter remains to be seen. The other thing I thought of was to get the missus to make a cover for it, something water proof perhaps. We'll have to think about that one.

Now a question for you...are you running a thread here? If so, I'd definitely need to take a look. :yes:


----------



## BigJim

No Keith, I don't have a thread up at this time. I didn't start taking pictures of my work until the last few years of my career. The last 15 years we mostly did restoration work of homes of the 1800s period which I loved and know with your talent you would have made a great restorationist. 

I too have laminated several handrails such as you and one of them took me a month working everyday as it was a difficult one. I used white oak and heated the wood to bend it. I had to horizontal laminate that one as the rail wasn't just a spiral it also had over bends and under bends as well as curves.

So much for my stuff, this is your thread. Do you already have your cabinets built? We would love to see them if you have, they must be out of this world. If not please tell us how you are going to build them, I hope I didn't over look them way back earlier.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> No Keith, I don't have a thread up at this time. I didn't start taking pictures of my work until the last few years of my career. The last 15 years we mostly did restoration work of homes of the 1800s period which I loved and know with your talent you would have made a great restorationist.
> 
> I too have laminated several handrails such as you and one of them took me a month working everyday as it was a difficult one. I used white oak and heated the wood to bend it. I had to horizontal laminate that one as the rail wasn't just a spiral it also had over bends and under bends as well as curves.
> 
> So much for my stuff, this is your thread. Do you already have your cabinets built? We would love to see them if you have, they must be out of this world. If not please tell us how you are going to build them, I hope I didn't over look them way back earlier.
> 
> Jim


Oooohh Jim, I envy you something fierce being able to do that lovely old restoration work.

The closest I ever came to that was at an old hotel in Revelstoke, I believe it was called the King Edward. Originally built in 1905 if I recall. Which is fairly old for a hotel in British Columbia. I built a lounge downstairs, and all the woodwork was oak, which was kind of nice. All done out in a very old style. One of the nicer jobs it has been my privilege to look after.

Cabinets not done yet...about all there is going to be will be the kitchen cabs. They will have to match those infernal curves that some crazy designer just couldn't live without!


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> The closest I ever came to that was at an old hotel in Revelstoke, I believe it was called the King Edward. Originally built in 1905 if I recall. Which is fairly old for a hotel in British Columbia. I built a lounge downstairs, and all the woodwork was oak, which was kind of nice. All done out in a very old style. One of the nicer jobs it has been my privilege to look after.


I'll be checking that out on the August long weekend...

:jester:


----------



## cocobolo

When I did the job, the owner's name was Roy something? I think it's a safe bet the hotel has changed hands now as he was probably well into his 70's at the time, and this would have been around 1983-4-5-maybe.

Let me know if the lounge is still intact, or if the locals have totally destroyed it.

Look on the walls for a product which looks like chamois leather. It's called Laif, and we imported it from Italy just to do this place. $1,000 a roll at the time.

You can put a running pad sander on it, lean on it hard - then just wipe it with your hand and it looks like it has never been touched. Amazing stuff.

Take some pix if they'll let you (or even if they won't!) and email them to me. I'll give you my email addie by p.m.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Oooohh Jim, I envy you something fierce being able to do that lovely old restoration work.
> 
> The closest I ever came to that was at an old hotel in Revelstoke, I believe it was called the King Edward. Originally built in 1905 if I recall. Which is fairly old for a hotel in British Columbia. I built a lounge downstairs, and all the woodwork was oak, which was kind of nice. All done out in a very old style. One of the nicer jobs it has been my privilege to look after.
> 
> Cabinets not done yet...about all there is going to be will be the kitchen cabs. They will have to match those infernal curves that some crazy designer just couldn't live without!



I sure wish you had some pictures of the lounge, it had to be beautiful. I can't wait to see your cabinets and how you build to the curves. What type of counter tops are ya'll planning on? Do you think you will finish up this summer as you planned? Man I am full of...questions.:whistling2: I will get out of your way now and watch as you continue your beautiful creations.


----------



## cocobolo

For its' time, the lounge was very well appointed. Roy had a decent interior designer work it all out for him, and other than a couple of construction type problems which I was able to work out with the designer, he did a highly creditable job.

Now, as to whether or not I build cabinets with curved fronts I don't know. I might just make up flat facings due to the time it would otherwise take.

The top is going to be tile which wife number 2 bought over in Vancouver a little while back. Long story about that little disaster! The edge will need to be trimmed out with wood, although I have not decided which kind yet. Maybe arbutus as it is reasonably hard and looks pretty nice when it's all finished. 

I would be using a Varathane finish on that as it is inside, and the Varathane is tough stuff.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> For its' time, the lounge was very well appointed. Roy had a decent interior designer work it all out for him, and other than a couple of construction type problems which I was able to work out with the designer, he did a highly creditable job.
> 
> Now, as to whether or not I build cabinets with curved fronts I don't know. I might just make up flat facings due to the time it would otherwise take.
> 
> The top is going to be tile which wife number 2 bought over in Vancouver a little while back. Long story about that little disaster! The edge will need to be trimmed out with wood, although I have not decided which kind yet. Maybe arbutus as it is reasonably hard and looks pretty nice when it's all finished.
> 
> I would be using a Varathane finish on that as it is inside, and the Varathane is tough stuff.


Keith, I tried the curved doors a number of years back on a vanity and it was way more trouble than it was worth as far as I am concerned, very time consuming. Those bad boys have to be exact or it all will look like junk. It would be easier to build the cabinet around the doors than the other way around.

I am partial to wood edging on counter tops, I put cherry on ours several years ago and it still looks nice and will only darken as years go by. I am not familiar with arbutus, is the specific gravity close to oak or cherry? It is some beautiful wood, the table you built for the deck looks super, you did an outstanding job joining the two halves together, I really do love the natural edge on it also. I can't wait to see what you do next.

Jim


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## cocobolo

Hi Jim...thanks.

I've been working on the butterflies on the table today. Can't believe it took me 6 hours to get them in.

The first one I tried making up a jig for the router, and using a top bearing guided cutter. Didn't much care for the result, so I re-cut it with chisel and mallet and got a better result.

I made up some extra butterflies just in case...good thing too. I was going to try a yellow cedar burl for the middle one, but it's such an sob to get a good finish on the wood.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the first bubinga 'fly getting cut.


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## cocobolo

This recess was cut entirely by hand, never mind the noisy high powered router!


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## cocobolo

I did, in fact, use a router...but of a different kind.

This is the baby Stanley router plane. 

The pic with the plane skewed shows the best way to use it, you get more of a slicing action on the wood that way. Makes for an easier and smoother cut.


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## cocobolo

Here are the first and third butterflies installed.

While they are to a degree structural, because they are kind of thin, they are really more decorative than anything.

Not to worry, there's plenty of beef keeping the top intact.


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## cocobolo

The middle one is still being glued up and is buried under a big caul. You might see that one tomorrow if I'm able to get the first varnish on tonight.


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## BigJim

Keith, you are good, that is some fine inlay work. I can't wait to see the top with the finish on, the color is really going to pop.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, in answer to your earlier question regarding the specific gravity (or weight per cft. if you wish) of arbutus wood, which in the U.S. is frequently referred to as madrone, I was somewhat surprised to find out that cherry was rather lighter than arbutus. 

Most authorities put cherry at 35-36 lbs. per cubic foot.

Arbutus runs around 45 lbs. at 12% m.c., so it is considerably more dense.

It is a fine figured wood which works easily enough I guess, but you must do all machining operations slowly. Try to push it through the table saw quickly and it will burn right away.

Send me your address via p.m. and I'll send you a piece in the mail to play with if you like.


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## BigJim

Wow, thanks buddy, I really do appreciate that. I will PM you here shortly. Will the arbutus splinter as easily as the cherry will? I know the cherry will burn quickly when putting a profile on with a router. You have to go fast enough it won't burn and slow enough it won't splinter. PM on the way.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, thanks buddy, I really do appreciate that. I will PM you here shortly. Will the arbutus splinter as easily as the cherry will? I know the cherry will burn quickly when putting a profile on with a router. You have to go fast enough it won't burn and slow enough it won't splinter. PM on the way.


I don't think so. My experience is that the arbutus seems to do well with a router, perhaps because the grain is all over the place. Woods which normally have straight grain are inclined to split more easily.

I think you will find with the arbutus that the interlocking grain tends to keep that to a minimum. The only caveat to that is that you need sharp bits, along with a slow but steady feed rate.

Minor burns are easily sanded off arbutus. Cherry I have far less experience with. Although a few million years ago I did a set of kitchen cabs for a friend and trimmed the whole thing in cherry...no trouble at all.


----------



## cocobolo

Incidentally, the bulk of the arbutus I have here has been inside for years. Which means the moisture content is quite likely to be less than 12%, which in turn means that the wood may weigh less than 45 lbs. per cft.

...I took the table top outside a couple of hours ago to do the final sanding on the top as well as to give the live edge another go with some 120. Just cleared off a work table so I can varnish it later. I need to wait for the dust to settle as much as possible before I get the first coat on.

I will tack it off first immediately before varnishing.


----------



## cocobolo

Signing off for the day...first varnish is on the table top. Large areas are not taking the varnish well, and this is where the wood has degraded.

It seems to be strong enough, but I must assume that it has lost some of its' density. The back side was no different.

Once the varnish has sealed the wood - in other words, when the varnish appears shiny over the whole surface, then it will need an additional 6 coats _after_ that. Anything before that only counts as one coat.

Some of the colours are looking pretty cool. I'll be able to get a pic in the morning when we have some decent light.

Also another coat on the legs for the table. That wood is from the south end of the island, and has always been stored under cover since cutting 5 years ago. It is from one of the several arbutus trees which succumbed to that big snowfall we had.


----------



## gma2rjc

How did you get the tree from the south end of the island to your mill?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> How did you get the tree from the south end of the island to your mill?


Nothing to it. When the trees came down, my friend Laurie at the south end cut them on his mill. He's the one who has stored the wood under his house all this time.

He recently gave me a trailer load of this wood which he no longer has any use for, as he is moving off the island, sad to say.

So the trailer can get to the head of Herring Bay, and from there I carry each piece - one at a time - over to my place.

There is a whole lot of 4 x 4's, but there was some wide 2" thick planking as well.


----------



## cocobolo

The flash pic didn't work, so this is natural light.

You can see how much of the board absorbed the varnish entirely. I would say easily 50%. I used full strength varnish to see if that would help, but no dice.

I will use a mix of drier, thinner and varnish to make sure the finish penetrates everywhere that it needs to for the next several coats. The first one is nearly ready to be re-coated already.


----------



## cocobolo

No attempt has been made to do any repair work on the natural cracks in the wood. That will just be part of the character of the table.

There are several knots, a couple of small holes which go right through the boards where small branches were growing. Also a few areas where the tree had the canker. It looks like irregularly shaped black marks or holes where the canker is.

Almost every arbutus tree has this from this area.

I'll have to take some photos of growing trees with this to show you what it looks like.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is a section of canker on a small tree.


----------



## cocobolo

Another common trait of the tree is that the bark peels like this quite naturally.


----------



## cocobolo

Typically, a young tree will look smooth like this.


----------



## cocobolo

Here are some more examples of the canker growing.


----------



## cocobolo

I read last night on a well informed website that these trees will often grow with a lean as much 20º. Apparently this tree hasn't read about that yet.


----------



## cocobolo

Something like 97%+ of the top took kindly to the varnish on this 2nd. coat.

About all you can see now is reflections.

All being well, it will get the next coat tonight.


----------



## scoggy

*Arbutus Trees*

Keith, I think, long ago, when Dinosaurs roamed this part of the country, Arbutus trees, were merely "plants", and as such, they shed their 'white ball" seeds in November, their bark in August, will dull a chain saw in 2 seconds, are best split 2 seconds after they hit the ground, rather than when they 'black', and the whole inner structure can die away, but the outside Zylem and Ploem, will continue to allow the tree to surive! Also, they are capable of growing in cracks of rock where nothing else can grow, and cannot be successfully transplanted, and prolly produce more BTUs from burning than any Eastern Hardwood! Just some casual obs from being out and about!
Cheers
Syd


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## BigJim

Oh my stars, that is just beautiful, I knew the color would just jump right out at you when the finish was put on but I didn't realize it would look that great, man o man. I can't wait to see what you do next.

I for one appreciate the details about the tree, that was really interesting. On your thread is actually the first time I ever heard of this tree. The smooth bark kinda reminds me of Crape Myrtle but Crape Myrtle doesn't shed its bark like that. The hottest burning wood around this area is Hickory, to my knowledge.

Does Aromatic Cedar or Red Cedar grow up your way?


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, I think, long ago, when Dinosaurs roamed this part of the country, Arbutus trees, were merely "plants", and as such, they shed their 'white ball" seeds in November, their bark in August, will dull a chain saw in 2 seconds, are best split 2 seconds after they hit the ground, rather than when they 'black', and the whole inner structure can die away, but the outside Zylem and Ploem, will continue to allow the tree to surive! Also, they are capable of growing in cracks of rock where nothing else can grow, and cannot be successfully transplanted, and prolly produce more BTUs from burning than any Eastern Hardwood! Just some casual obs from being out and about!
> Cheers
> Syd


Absolutely true. Their roots will penetrate the smallest nooks and crannies in any rock and go down for 12' or so in search of water. Almost nothing else will survive where they can - and they don't look so bad doing it, either.

Ours are in the process of their annual leaf shedding right now, which makes an awful mess everywhere. But it's just one more thing we can throw on the compost pile, it all helps.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh my stars, that is just beautiful, I knew the color would just jump right out at you when the finish was put on but I didn't realize it would look that great, man o man. I can't wait to see what you do next.
> 
> I for one appreciate the details about the tree, that was really interesting. On your thread is actually the first time I ever heard of this tree. The smooth bark kinda reminds me of Crape Myrtle but Crape Myrtle doesn't shed its bark like that. The hottest burning wood around this area is Hickory, to my knowledge.
> 
> Does Aromatic Cedar or Red Cedar grow up your way?


They both grow here. Aromatic cedar is quite uncommon here, but we actually have several trees right here on Ruxton island.

As for the Western Red Cedar, _thuja plicata, _that's one of the trees that the west coast is famous for. They will grow to massive proportions on the west coast, particularly in areas with abundant rain.

Which is one reason that I have been able to pull so many out of the ocean over the years!


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## BigJim

Keith, are there a good number of different type trees growing in your area. There are a lot of hardwoods in our area and pines but I think pines grow everywhere. One of my favorite native trees is Walnut, I love the way it machines and looks. One thing with Walnut sawdust, don't use it for pet or horse bedding, it will take their hair off.

Thanks for posting all the pictures, it just makes me want to be there on your island. I noticed in the last picture of the Arbutus tree, there is a twisted stick in the picture, is it also Arbutus. That would make one fine walking stick, maybe heavy but it sure would be pretty.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, are there a good number of different type trees growing in your area. There are a lot of hardwoods in our area and pines but I think pines grow everywhere. One of my favorite native trees is Walnut, I love the way it machines and looks. One thing with Walnut sawdust, don't use it for pet or horse bedding, it will take their hair off.
> 
> Thanks for posting all the pictures, it just makes me want to be there on your island. I noticed in the last picture of the Arbutus tree, there is a twisted stick in the picture, is it also Arbutus. That would make one fine walking stick, maybe heavy but it sure would be pretty.


I'm not quite sure I know which one you are speaking of, but everything you see there is arbutus.

Yes, we have a fair variety of trees which grow here, predominantly we get all the conifers.

Different types of spruce, several firs, pines, hemlock. If you look almost anywhere down on the province from the air, it looks like it is covered in softwoods.

Certainly we have hardwoods as well, but relatively speaking, not that many. The big sugar maples are reasonably common, the arbutus we are speaking of is restricted to a small area of the south coast and southern coastal islands. We have Garry Oak on this island, and it too is reasonably common on the other Gulf islands and parts of Vancouver Island. We have a few small stands of Red Alder here, but it is more common as you head out into the Fraser Valley area.

Many years ago when I was helping to build the Government fish hatchery on the Chehalis river, there were a very few Black Cherry trees on the site. I had not heard of this tree growing out here, as I understood it to be basically confined to the Ottawa valley in Ontario.

However, the Gov't site super, who was a woodworker, had this long bole, I would say around 40' and dead straight, laying on front of his trailer.

I asked him what it was and he told me. Evidently, he had build his daughter a bedroom suite several years earlier from Black Cherry. He told me of another couple of trees in the woods and asked if I would like one!

You Betcha!!! So, the next day I brought my chainsaw to work and took one down. I had to cut it into 6' lengths in order to move it...man that stuff was heavy. Of course, being completely green didn't help. I eventually moved it in the trunk of my old Caddy. What a ride that was!


----------



## cocobolo

I have my fingers crossed that the 3rd coat on the table top has sealed the wood. There may still be one very tiny area at one end...but otherwise it looks OK.

I'll be able to tell better in the morning.

Also varnished the deck posts and the handrails outside the kitchen door. The handrails have been neglected for at least 3 years.

Got started on the soffit under the deck this afternoon. Bit of a slow, tedious job, but it will make such a difference when it's all done.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Here are some more examples of the canker growing.


That was kinda stupid of me as there are so many pictures. The twisted stick is in the last picture above, in the top left hand corner of that picture running slightly at an angle. Down this way they are found in honeysuckle thickets as the honeysuckle will wrap around a stick tightly and the stick will grow in a spiral. Here is a picture of a walking stick I made a few years ago out of a twisted stick. The twisted part is Sassafras and the bottom part and handle are part of a Musky dine Vine. I hope the picture works, this is the first time I have tried to load a picture on the board.


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## BigJim

Well, your picture didn't post in the quote. The picture I am talking about is the last picture in post# 1734. Speaking of walking sticks, does Diamond Willow grow in your area or does it just grow in the Alaska area? The Diamond Willow isn't twisted but it does make a beautiful hiking stick.

I hate to rush off but I got an appointment here shortly, I will be back after a while.

Jim


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That was kinda stupid of me as there are so many pictures. The twisted stick is in the last picture above, in the top left hand corner of that picture running slightly at an angle. Down this way they are found in honeysuckle thickets as the honeysuckle will wrap around a stick tightly and the stick will grow in a spiral. Here is a picture of a walking stick I made a few years ago out of a twisted stick. The twisted part is Sassafras and the bottom part and handle are part of a Musky dine Vine. I hope the picture works, this is the first time I have tried to load a picture on the board.


Jim:

The honeysuckle does exactly the same thing here. It doesn't seem to mind what sort of tree it wraps itself around, it will turn anything into that twisted shape.

And FYI, when you hit quote, the pix from the quoted post don't show, just the words.

And you did OK posting your first pic!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Well, your picture didn't post in the quote. The picture I am talking about is the last picture in post# 1734. Speaking of walking sticks, does Diamond Willow grow in your area or does it just grow in the Alaska area? The Diamond Willow isn't twisted but it does make a beautiful hiking stick.
> 
> I hate to rush off but I got an appointment here shortly, I will be back after a while.
> 
> Jim


Jim:

Diamond Willow does grow here, but it is very rare. I believe I have seen either one - or possibly two - trees (small) since I have been here.

There is a fellow who is a woodcarver on the island, and he has made some walking sticks out of Diamond Willow. It definitely is a beautiful wood.


----------



## Bootz

I am sorry to ask but what is the spiral thing built at the beginning of pg 112? BTW awesome work.. place looks awesome


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> I am sorry to ask but what is the spiral thing built at the beginning of pg 112? BTW awesome work.. place looks awesome


I guess you must be referring to the curved stairs which go from the tub deck up to the narrow deck in front of the master bedroom.

Or do you mean the round thing at the top of the stairs, which now contains a light to illuminate the stairs at night. I will have something on top of that soon for the wife to put a plant on.


----------



## cocobolo

We have a small fir which the wife unwrapped the honeysuckle vine from about three years ago. The twist is becoming less pronounced as it starts to fill out.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim:

Here's the "walking stick" growing on that arbutus tree. It isn't as big as you might think. Less than 30" long where it is big enough to use.


----------



## cocobolo

A baby horse chestnut seedling that the missus is trying to grow. We haven't had much luck with these guys here. I think it's too dry for them in the summer, and our soil here is generally pathetic to say the least.


----------



## cocobolo

For some odd reason, wife number 2 thinks I should spend some time attending to my Japanese garden. She doesn't think that weeds should be growing through the bridge!


----------



## cocobolo

Still needs another coat to get this wood sealed. But this is how the whole top looks this morning...coming along reasonably well. 

It won't all fit in one pic properly so you can see the wood grain.


----------



## drtbk4ever

Love those butterflies.


----------



## cocobolo

Looks like they are coming out OK. Just finished putting the next varnish on, and I think this has sealed the last of the wood. :thumbsup:

Have to keep out of the house for the next few hours so as not to disturb any dust.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, your table top is totally outstanding, who ever the fortunate person is to buy ya'lls paradise will truly be blessed. I don't think I could give it up if it were mine. The deck where you are going to install that table would quickly become my favorite place to be. Where do you and your wife plan to go after you sell your place or have you given it any thought yet? 

Here is a picture of the American Chestnut, they do look a lot alike and may be they are the same.


----------



## BigJim

I wish I could figure out how to write after a picture is posted instead of starting a new post, or is that possible?

I see what you are talking about with the twisted stick, it isn't quite long enough, but it sure is a pretty one, I just love the looks of that tree. I see where your wife removed the Honey Suckle from the small tree, it is hard to believe a vine can be strong enough to alter the growth of a tree, but they are.

I like your Japanese bridge, weeds and all. Good gravy, you have a new area we haven't seen every time we turn around. Your home place AND you are just amazing, you really should write a book.

Are you living in the main house yet or are ya'll still living in your cabin? I bet you like to go out early in the morning and just sit and drink a nice big hot cup of coffee as you watch the sun come up. Man what a dream!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, your table top is totally outstanding, who ever the fortunate person is to buy ya'lls paradise will truly be blessed. I don't think I could give it up if it were mine. The deck where you are going to install that table would quickly become my favorite place to be. Where do you and your wife plan to go after you sell your place or have you given it any thought yet?
> 
> Here is a picture of the American Chestnut, they do look a lot alike and may be they are the same.


We do eat as many of our meals as possible on the front deck, especially if the weather is nice. The table is just to give us a place to put stuff when we have company for dinner, as the dining table itself is quite small.

When we go from here I would like to go over to Vancouver Island, somewhere north of Nanaimo, maybe to the Coombs/Errington area. I would get 5 acres most likely with a small house on it, and then build another one to suit. Or, alternately, if the house was OK, I would build myself a ginormous workshop far enough away from the house that all my racket wouldn't disturb the missus. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I wish I could figure out how to write after a picture is posted instead of starting a new post, or is that possible?
> 
> I see what you are talking about with the twisted stick, it isn't quite long enough, but it sure is a pretty one, I just love the looks of that tree. I see where your wife removed the Honey Suckle from the small tree, it is hard to believe a vine can be strong enough to alter the growth of a tree, but they are.
> 
> I like your Japanese bridge, weeds and all. Good gravy, you have a new area we haven't seen every time we turn around. Your home place AND you are just amazing, you really should write a book.
> 
> Are you living in the main house yet or are ya'll still living in your cabin? I bet you like to go out early in the morning and just sit and drink a nice big hot cup of coffee as you watch the sun come up. Man what a dream!


Once you have a picture posted - as in submitted and it's up on the thread, about the only thing you can do is to hit the edit button, and then you can add more to it.

Or if you have written something, then attached the pic, and you want to write more, just go back to the box where you write and carry on. You can edit any post you have ever made at any time.

Not in the main house yet, but I spend pretty much all my waking hours in here. This is where I have the computer set up.

I'm an early riser for sure, but on our side of the island we don't get much of a sunrise. It has to get over the trees before we see it. Sunsets on the other hand are terrific from this side.

Didn't I have a bunch of stuff posted before about the J. garden? There is still a ton of work to do there, including building a much longer single span bridge over the pond...the one with the leaky liner!!!!


----------



## cocobolo

The soffit did actually get started yesterday, but it seems that for whatever reason the tapers are not quite right.

I believe it is in part due to the fact that these boards are wider than the top bunch. Which would mean the outside of the circle wouldn't "grow" fast enough to keep up with the inside.

Back to the drawing board...re-cut all the tapers, re-do the dadoes, and re-stain the freshly cut edges.

The wood work is done...I'll get to the staining in the morning.


----------



## BigJim

Thanks Keith for the information on how to post after a picture, I didn't think about that.

My stars, you are planning to build another home if the house isn't the way ya'll want it? Unreal, where do you find all that energy to keep going? I built our kitchen cabinets about three years ago and it took me 6 months. Had I still been able to work it wouldn't have taken but about three weeks. I still have several things to do to our very small house and I am beginning to wonder if I ever will get them done and I am younger than you are by one year. You are truly an amazing young spirited man.

I noticed you said your tapers weren't just right. Does the table top just sit on top with the tapers slid into slots? 

Buddy, you probably did post on your Japanese garden earlier my memory is just not very good anymore. 

You have shown us several beautiful Sunsets but a picture won't come close to seeing them first hand, I am sure.

Thanks again Keith.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry Jim, I think I messed up again.

The tapers I was referring to are on the soffit boards. The table top has 10 boards screwed on to the back side, and the top of the legs have tenons cut into them. Each tenon fits between a pair of boards.

The soffit -as I expect you can tell - is going under the deck in front of the master bed room. Because it is a long curve, the soffit boards must be tapered to accommodate that curve. I didn't quite have enough taper on each of the boards, but that has now been done. 

I'm just now going to move the boards outside and get the edges re-stained.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, you didn't mess up it was just me not understanding. I did remember you showing how the bottom of your table was, I just got confused and thought maybe I missed something there. Did you make a jig to cut the tapers for the soffit boards?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, you didn't mess up it was just me not understanding. I did remember you showing how the bottom of your table was, I just got confused and thought maybe I missed something there. Did you make a jig to cut the tapers for the soffit boards?


OK Jim, thanks for that...it is usually me that gets it all mixed up! 

Yes, I made a simple jig, but I couldn't find the one I originally used for the soffit on the roof, so I made another one. It turned out to be something like 3/8" too little taper.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is the pile which I cut and redid the dadoes on last night.


----------



## cocobolo

...and this is all I get off them when they are trimmed.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the simple jig I used to cut the tapers with.

The jig is laid on the saw table thin end first. Then the soffit board is tucked into the jig so that it butts up against the stop at the end of the jig. Then the whole shebang is passed through the table saw...done!


----------



## BigJim

That is a stack of boards you had to rework. I hate it when I don't get things right the first time. That is a simple jig that works well. Thanks for sharing with us.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is a stack of boards you had to rework. I hate it when I don't get things right the first time. That is a simple jig that works well. Thanks for sharing with us.


...any time!


----------



## gma2rjc

Do you have enough of the pieces you cut off the boards to make a trellis?

Of course, you probably have enough projects without adding another.

Barb


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> This is the simple jig I used to cut the tapers with.
> 
> The jig is laid on the saw table thin end first. Then the soffit board is tucked into the jig so that it butts up against the stop at the end of the jig. Then the whole shebang is passed through the table saw...done!


You must have one tall saw blade:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Do you have enough of the pieces you cut off the boards to make a trellis?
> 
> Of course, you probably have enough projects without adding another.
> 
> Barb


I think they might be a tad too skinny...but I am in the process of ripping up 500 lineal feet plus of 1 x 2 red cedar for the long top railing outside the master bed room. There might be some bits and pieces left over from that.

And since when did I ever have enough projects!! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> You must have one tall saw blade:laughing:


OK, you got me on that one!:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## downrightart

*I'm baaaaack!!!*

Holytoleedo! I'm gone a few days and this thread grew! Whatchya feedin' it these days Keith? 10-10-10? :laughing:

As always I love stopping by and reading about new folks droppin' (HEY JIM!)in to see your wonderful work! I loved reading about putting in the butterflies. That's cool! And the table top is fantastic! :thumbup:

But, I must say that I LOVE the rock wall the Missus put up. It's beautiful! I do so love rock! I have pics of my rockbed around here somewhere...:huh:

Anyway, just thought I'd drop in for a jiff. Yes, I do have a question.....no, actually a favor......when you get the time (yes, even I am laughing) how about posting pics of the whole ship and kaboodle Keith? You know....front of the house, side of the house, back of the house....etc. Wide lens. I'd like to see the whole picture.

Wouldn't everyone else? Come on! Wouldn't you *all* like to see the whole set up? I think I hear everyone Keith...... 

_"YES KEITH!"_ 

_"Oh that would be wonderful!"_ 

_"Yeah, I want to see how many clamps he has on each view of the house!"_ 

_"Yes, and I'd love seeing the house from the water. Maybe a sunset or sunrise shinning on it."_

See what I mean Keith? We *all* would! When you get....the time........:whistling2:


----------



## gma2rjc

:laughing:.... Very well put. Do you teach a Creative Writing class at your school Tracy? 

I'll have to agree with her Keith. I'd like to see that too. Unless you have to wait until there aren't leaves on the trees blocking the view.

Or maybe... you're waiting until it's all done to do a big reveal?


----------



## fireguy

Your arbutus is known as Pacific Madrone on the soggy side of Oregon. When were riding our bycycles across the state, we knew we were in western Oregon by the madrone. A beutifull tree with the patterns of peeling bark.


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Holytoleedo! I'm gone a few days and this thread grew! Whatchya feedin' it these days Keith? 10-10-10? :laughing:
> 
> As always I love stopping by and reading about new folks droppin' (HEY JIM!)in to see your wonderful work! I loved reading about putting in the butterflies. That's cool! And the table top is fantastic! :thumbup:
> 
> But, I must say that I LOVE the rock wall the Missus put up. It's beautiful! I do so love rock! I have pics of my rockbed around here somewhere...:huh:
> 
> Anyway, just thought I'd drop in for a jiff. Yes, I do have a question.....no, actually a favor......when you get the time (yes, even I am laughing) how about posting pics of the whole ship and kaboodle Keith? You know....front of the house, side of the house, back of the house....etc. Wide lens. I'd like to see the whole picture.
> 
> Wouldn't everyone else? Come on! Wouldn't you *all* like to see the whole set up? I think I hear everyone Keith......
> 
> _"YES KEITH!"_
> 
> _"Oh that would be wonderful!"_
> 
> _"Yeah, I want to see how many clamps he has on each view of the house!"_
> 
> _"Yes, and I'd love seeing the house from the water. Maybe a sunset or sunrise shinning on it."_
> 
> See what I mean Keith? We *all* would! When you get....the time........:whistling2:


Tell you what Tracy...when you get a minute, why don't you just pop on over and take the pix for me. :wink:

In the mean time, I'll find all the clamps I have and start attaching them to stuff everywhere...:huh:

Then I'll need to cut a few trees down so the sunrise will hit the house...

oh yes, and would you mind sending me up a nice wide angle lens to fit a Canon...thanks much! :thumbup:

We should be all set then, right? :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

fireguy said:


> Your arbutus is known as Pacific Madrone on the soggy side of Oregon. When were riding our bycycles across the state, we knew we were in western Oregon by the madrone. A beutifull tree with the patterns of peeling bark.


_Arbutus menziesii_ is known as Pacific Madrone as soon as you cross into the U.S. Why we don't refer to it as Madrone, or Madrona sometimes up in Canada I don't know.

And where you were in western Oregon is smack dab in the middle of its' range. Which means that you got to see the tree at its' very finest. Also probably the biggest.

Does anyone know the name of the town which has an ancient woodworking shop which you can walk all the way through and see everything in action? All the tools, lathes etc., are powered by overhead shafts and big drive belts. Really interesting place...if you like wood.

Pretty sure it is in Oregon, probably somewhere just off I 5, and all they do is work Madrone.


----------



## cocobolo

It seemed to be one of those days where I worked all day and got nothing done. But this morning, a junk rigged sailboat came past and I got his pic. Unfortunately, the sails are almost edge on to where we are, so it's difficult to actually see the rig.


----------



## cocobolo

...and while I'm at it, we have a few boats in the bay tonight from such places as Vancouver and Victoria, Seattle, Washington and the closest powerboat in the pic is from Alaska.


----------



## cocobolo

Now I have a question for you glass cutting experts please.

I have several pieces of this glass which we found a few days ago in a big salvage yard over at Coombs.

The glass is 1/4" thick, and the design on it appears to have been sandblasted into the glass. Which means that one side of the glass is rough.

I need to cut it down so that it will fit into the small window frames in the living room.

What clever tricks can you tell me about to cut this glass cleanly? Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

That soffit which was causing me all those problems has been fixed...and re-stained.


----------



## cocobolo

...and I think if you look closely, you can see where the edge of the last board up now matches the angle of that truss joist just about perfectly. 

So that annoying little problem has been taken care of.:furious:


----------



## cocobolo

And once again, true to form, I left this pic until it was too late. I should have tried when the sun was high instead of just setting...

Here's the table top...but there is still a spot or two not sealed properly. Hopefully tomorrow will see the end of that foolishness.


----------



## cocobolo

Plus...heaven forbid that I should forget this...I spent three hours on the table saw and planer getting some strips out for the top railing. I will move them up to the deck first thing in the morning and get started on the installation.

Believe it or else, this is a somewhat intimidating job, even for me. I measured the length of the railing...and it is going to be 43 feet long. Right to the inch. Make no mistake, this is going to be one complicated glue-up.

As far as I know right now, there will be three rows of yellow cedar and the balance will be red. Probably around 10 rows of that.

I toyed with the idea of adding a row or two of arbutus, but I don't know how the hardwood would react as far as movement goes with the softwoods.

I still have a couple of long boards of extremely nice red cedar to turn into strips. Perhaps that will get done on the morrow as well.

Gotta get my thinking cap on now to make sure I don't miss anything on this one.


----------



## BigJim

Hey Tracy, it is good to meet you. I am glad to see someone posting, I thought I might have ran everyone off of Keith's thread.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Hey Tracy, it is good to meet you. I am glad to see someone posting, I thought I might have ran everyone off of Keith's thread.


Hey Jim...this is a _friendly thread_...the more the merrier!:thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is sure beautiful scenery, you are truly blessed. 

On your large hand rail, is it a radius or a spiral? Can you glue it up like a radius or curved hand rail on a stairs? I don't know how other fellows glue up a rail for a curved stairs but I made several L shaped out of 2X4s, clamped or screwed the Ls to the radius or curve I wanted the rail to be and clamp the rail strips to the L shaped 2X4s.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that is sure beautiful scenery, you are truly blessed.
> 
> On your large hand rail, is it a radius or a spiral? Can you glue it up like a radius or curved hand rail on a stairs? I don't know how other fellows glue up a rail for a curved stairs but I made several L shaped out of 2X4s, clamped or screwed the Ls to the radius or curve I wanted the rail to be and clamp the rail strips to the L shaped 2X4s.


Fortunately, this is just a simple radius. The only place anywhere near big enough to glue up this much wood - something over 600 lineal feet - is going to be right in place.

It may not be as intimidating as first thought.

One of the yellow strips will be right in the middle of the railing, and this will be screwed into place into the top of the posts. I expect next on each side of that will be either one or two thin red strips, followed again by another yellow on either side of those. Followed again by as many red as it takes to do the job... ad infinitum...:huh:

The yellow is nearly twice as dense as the red, so I only want to use screws in that and not in the red.

Once it is all fastened, I will cut plugs for the countersunk screw holes.

The width of the post tops limits how far apart the two outside screws will go in any given post. I am hoping that I can get three screws in every post.

Mustn't forget the camera for every stage here...this is going to take awhile.

I will be using the two part mixed white glue for this, as it is very water resistant as long as it is not immersed in water and left there. Rain doesn't bother it. Plus, of course, there will be the usual number of varnish coats on once it is all brought up to snuff.


----------



## BigJim

Oooooh I know where your rail is going now, you can handle that for sure but it isn't going to be a piece of cake. We want pictures:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Will this do in the mean time...


----------



## cocobolo

...it still needs 7 more coats of varnish, but the weather department says no rain for at least 7 days, sooooo....


----------



## KoryLGriffin

What an awesome location. I really like the model house you are making. Good luck I and look forward to your posts. 

:thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

OK, now I would like to see the underside of the table. How did you fashion the mounts?


----------



## cocobolo

OK, I think I can do that...

The two halves of the top were biscuit joined together, and to keep the two halves flat, I screwed 10 boards across the width of the table in pairs.

Like so...


----------



## cocobolo

...then the legs had a tenon put on the top end which fitted between the pairs of boards above, and were screwed on using two screws on each side, or a total of 20 screws all told. It seems to be pretty solid.


----------



## cocobolo

KoryLGriffin said:


> What an awesome location. I really like the model house you are making. Good luck I and look forward to your posts.
> 
> :thumbsup:


Thanks Kory. Model house...?:huh:


----------



## gma2rjc

Perhaps Kory is referring to posts #13, #14 and #15 on page 1?

The table is amazing Keith. Thanks for posting all the pictures and for explaining the process. It's very interesting.


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> Now I have a question for you glass cutting experts please.
> 
> I have several pieces of this glass which we found a few days ago in a big salvage yard over at Coombs.
> 
> The glass is 1/4" thick, and the design on it appears to have been sandblasted into the glass. Which means that one side of the glass is rough.
> 
> I need to cut it down so that it will fit into the small window frames in the living room.
> 
> What clever tricks can you tell me about to cut this glass cleanly? Thanks.


me thinks 4" angle grinder with lottsa water. I have some 4"x 8" stained glass blocks 1" thick that I used as a clere storie at the top of a screened porch. used a wetsaw on those with diamond blade and cut really slow


----------



## tpolk

was the taper on the soffit you fixed due to a different radius than the one above? just wunderin thanks timothy


----------



## cocobolo

tp...I was going to use the wetsaw, but I need to cut the pieces wider than the capacity of the saw.

I understand that cutting 1/4" thick glass is no big deal, BUT I don't know what it's like with that sandblasting on it.

I have looked at some videos, and the corning website shows a full size glass block being cut on the wetsaw. If the saw was big enough, I would surely do it that way. It's the irregular shape of the sandblasted side of the glass which has me concerned.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> was the taper on the soffit you fixed due to a different radius than the one above? just wunderin thanks timothy


No Tim, the radius is the same. 

It turns out that I may have made two mistakes...unfortunately, they didn't cancel each other out.

The boards in the top soffit are considerably narrower than the lower boards. So, even if I had used the same jig (which I don't think I did) it would not have worked out properly.

Let's say that a top board was 4 1/2" wide, and a bottom board 5 1/2"+wide. With the identical amount of taper - i.e. 5/8" per board - I would be losing about 20% of my effective taper with every board.

What I needed to do was make sure that I had the right amount of taper _per inch of board width_ and that's where I goofed. The new jig seems to be about right.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Perhaps Kory is referring to posts #13, #14 and #15 on page 1?
> 
> The table is amazing Keith. Thanks for posting all the pictures and for explaining the process. It's very interesting.


You're more than welcome...I'm sure there will be more oddball things to come yet!


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Perhaps Kory is referring to posts #13, #14 and #15 on page 1?
> 
> The table is amazing Keith. Thanks for posting all the pictures and for explaining the process. It's very interesting.


I second what gma2rjc said, that table is just beautiful buddy. I bet you have worn several calculators out in your career haven't you? I would spend more time figuring than building but it is all fun. We appreciate you Keith.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I second what gma2rjc said, that table is just beautiful buddy. I bet you have worn several calculators out in your career haven't you? I would spend more time figuring than building but it is all fun. We appreciate you Keith.
> 
> Jim


Maybe one or two Jim...but believe it or not I'm from the _really old school_ and most of the time I use pencil and paper.

...and many thanks for the compliment.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, I think I have a handle on how this long railing is going to go now.

For one thing, it's going to be slow and steady...except when it comes to glue up. Then it's rush like a mad fool. Which means that I will only glue up one manageable section at a time.

Here's the very first screw going in...I'll explain as I go. 

And as usual - if I miss something, like_ that's_ going to happen - please ask.


----------



## cocobolo

There will be three rows of yellow cedar. The first one will be fastened to the center of each of the posts.


----------



## cocobolo

Once the first yellow is screwed down, I put a piece of red against that and then add the next yellow. These pieces are clamped tightly together and the second yellow is drilled and screwed into place.


----------



## cocobolo

Here you can see how the curve is starting to generate.


----------



## cocobolo

At this point I am about half way around the railing.


----------



## cocobolo

You might as well enjoy the view with me...:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I'm not too sure how well you can see the far end of the railing here, but it is tied back to the end posts to keep the curve fair.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a close up of the first 5 rows in place (not glued yet). They cover the width of the posts.


----------



## cocobolo

This one shows the first 5 full rows attached.


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith, I feel so sorry for you...




...having to work under those conditions every day. How do you endure?


----------



## cocobolo

First pic is from down below on the grass...next one taken from the end of the tub deck.


----------



## cocobolo

Next step will be to dismantle this lot, after I put identifying marks all over the place. Then glue up the first small section. I expect any problems will show up there, so I hope I will be ready to deal with them.

What you see here represents about 1/3 of the final width of the railing.

Whatever I am short of with the cedar that is already cut I will cover with some choice 17' long clear cedar I have been hiding for just such an emergency!:shifty:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith, I feel so sorry for you...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...having to work under those conditions every day. How do you endure?


Bud, you have no idea how many times I keep asking myself that same question every day.

I just go for a swim!:thumbup:

And if I'm lucky, there will be some bikini clad (or not) babes there!:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

Wow, I see what you mean about doing some head scratching now. That is one looooong rail and for one person doing what you are doing is unreal. I hope you got some real slow setting glue.

That view is fantastic, there is no way I could leave that. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, I see what you mean about doing some head scratching now. That is one looooong rail and for one person doing what you are doing is unreal. I hope you got some real slow setting glue.
> 
> That view is fantastic, there is no way I could leave that. :no:


Actually, the glue I use works opposite to how epoxy works. On the one hand that's good, but on the other it causes trouble.

When you mix epoxy in batches, it will kick off quite quickly, unless you get it spread out nice and thin and then it takes it's own sweet time.

This glue can be mixed in quite large batches - let's say 6 or 8 ounces - and if you leave it in a closed container, it's good for a couple of days. (The company says 8 hours, but my experience shows it's still good after two days.) However, as soon as you spread it out as when you are coating a board, you have 5 minutes of open time.

That's all well and good if you are only putting two pieces of wood together...no problem. But if you need to glue up 5 rows - as in this case - this means that I will have 4 glue lines, which means I will have to coat 8 surfaces.

Now I may be fast, but I ain't nowhere near _that fast!_

So what I will do is to coat a dummy piece of wood to see how many lineal feet I can cover in one minute. Multiply that by 5 and that's how many lineal feet I will be able to do at a time. Now you see why the gluing is a mad rush.

You need to clamp up quickly, then you get to wait around while that sets up, about 4 hours.

Compounding the problem is the fact that all the yellow cedar strips will also need to be screwed back in to their original holes again! Piece of cake, right?


----------



## BigJim

Noooo I wouldn't call that a piece of cake. When gluing up a radius stair rail we had about twenty minutes to glue up and clamp in place and I thought that was a mad rush, and there were two of us on the rail. Is there a way you can glue and clamp two strips together and screw from the inside piece to hold together? I have done something similar and it worked fine for me. Just keep the screws out of the way of your router bits. And here I am preaching to the choir.lol Just over look me buddy.

Jim


----------



## ambersmith59

Hi Cocobolo, gma2rjc and I are members on another forum and they messaged me there about your glass question . First, beautiful pieces of found glass, that's a treat!! At 1/4" it's too thick to hand cut like most studio glass, which comes at a standard 3mm, some are thinner or thicker by a mm or two so give or take but those aren't as typical. Anyways, your best and cheapest bet is to find an art glass studio with a ring saw and have them cut it down to size for you. The ring saws they have will have the right size wire blade along with the moisture needed to make cuts like that without the friction being too much for the glass and causing unwanted breakage and weakness.
I'd also talk to them beforehand about the window, is it square (which most really aren't *lol) and are you framing the glass in a came or a wood and how to secure it for a safe install. I'm not sure if your in the Victoria area much but you can ask Victorian Art Glass if they can help you out . You could also hang the panel in front of the window instead of a full install, but it still would have some work down to get there, either way works great!


----------



## cocobolo

ambersmith59 said:


> Hi Cocobolo, gma2rjc and I are members on another forum and they messaged me there about your glass question . First, beautiful pieces of found glass, that's a treat!! At 1/4" it's too thick to hand cut like most studio glass, which comes at a standard 3mm, some are thinner or thicker by a mm or two so give or take but those aren't as typical. Anyways, your best and cheapest bet is to find an art glass studio with a ring saw and have them cut it down to size for you. The ring saws they have will have the right size wire blade along with the moisture needed to make cuts like that without the friction being too much for the glass and causing unwanted breakage and weakness.
> I'd also talk to them beforehand about the window, is it square (which most really aren't *lol) and are you framing the glass in a came or a wood and how to secure it for a safe install. I'm not sure if your in the Victoria area much but you can ask Victorian Art Glass if they can help you out . You could also hang the panel in front of the window instead of a full install, but it still would have some work down to get there, either way works great!


Good morning Amber...first let me thank you most kindly for taking the trouble to answer my question.

There is a lovely art glass store in Nanaimo - which is where we go over to from this island to do our business. The wife is going over to town today, so she can stop in and ask them if they can help.

The cut pieces will be going into 13 spaces all in a row on the high part of the living room wall. The spaces already have been double glazed with single weight glass.

Originally, the wife was going to do stained glass windows for each one, but when we spotted this glass we both knew it would work a treat.

The finished glass size is going to be about 14" by 17". Is that too big for a ring saw to cut?

I did think of putting the pieces in front of the existing windows in an unbroken row, sort of a continuous piece of glass if you will. Much as I think you are saying about hanging it in front, that might look pretty good.

I would still need to trim the ends off so that the joins would happen over the framing and be basically invisible.

...and thanks again.

This is what we hope to fill up with this glass.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Noooo I wouldn't call that a piece of cake. When gluing up a radius stair rail we had about twenty minutes to glue up and clamp in place and I thought that was a mad rush, and there were two of us on the rail. Is there a way you can glue and clamp two strips together and screw from the inside piece to hold together? I have done something similar and it worked fine for me. Just keep the screws out of the way of your router bits. And here I am preaching to the choir.lol Just over look me buddy.
> 
> Jim


Jim...there will be no overlooking here...thank you very much!!!:no:

I didn't think about screws, but I did think about using small nails.

There is a fair amount of strain pushing outward on some of the pieces of wood, especially the yellow cedar. The red bends more easily, and most of the red I have planed into slightly thinner strips, which you can see in the close up pic.

The yellow is 37/64", the red is 7/16". I do have two rows of red cut at 3/4", and that will be going on the outside. That way I hope to avoid a glue joint in the final outside shaping.

I may have to end up gluing a single row at a time as you suggest. That would probably be the safest.

One other thing with the yellow, is that some of it has a curve - more like a crook really - which causes the ends to rise up or drop down, or conversely the middle to pull out of line. Either way, that is solved with cauls top and bottom and a single clamp at each offending place.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks like this when everything goes into line properly.


----------



## cocobolo

This one shows the outward force with the yellow cedar...you can see a small gap.

The clamp is not quite grabbing the piece which is protruding, although it may look like it.

At glue up time, I will be adding a strip of wood, probably fir, to the outside to keep the pressure from the clamps spread more evenly along the whole section.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, there is no way you can heat your wood is there? I have bent wood and it held it's shape with heat. It does take quite a bit of heat though and I never tried it with wood that long. Here is a rail I used heat to bend but this is thinner strips of wood than you are using.


----------



## BigJim

I still can't figure out how to add onto a post after a picture. :whistling2:

That is going to be one great looking rail for sure, I would be afraid to put all that beautiful work outside to the elements. I have never used the type finish you are using, does it have UV blockers in it? Is it a type of urethane and how hard is it to apply? Here I go again with a ton of questions.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, there is no way you can heat your wood is there? I have bent wood and it held it's shape with heat. It does take quite a bit of heat though and I never tried it with wood that long. Here is a rail I used heat to bend but this is thinner strips of wood than you are using.


Wow, nice handrail Jim!

We used to use heat in the boatyard to bend wood all the time. This is thin enough that it shouldn't need such treatment.

We used a steambox which means that you bend the wood to shape right out of the box, and you do it quickly while the wood is still like plastic. Then let it set in place with the clamps. When it's dry, glue and screw it in place permanently.

Our local finishing store had some thin oak strips for the purpose you have shown. Thin enough that you don't need heat. But expensive! Hoo boy!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I still can't figure out how to add onto a post after a picture. :whistling2:
> 
> That is going to be one great looking rail for sure, I would be afraid to put all that beautiful work outside to the elements. I have never used the type finish you are using, does it have UV blockers in it? Is it a type of urethane and how hard is it to apply? Here I go again with a ton of questions.
> 
> Jim


Try using the edit button...

The finish on this rail will be regular marine spar varnish. It's loaded with UV blockers. 7 coats gives it loads of protection. The same finish as the arbutus table.

As far as applying, I generally add some thinner - about 7 - 10%, and some Japan dryer, just a few drops. I mix that in a small can, your typical 14oz. food container, keep it stirred while applying and discard the tin when done.

Currently, I am using a goat hair brush which I got from Lee Valley a few years back. They had them in batches of 30, dirt cheap. This is the only thing they have proved to be good for. Not sure if they still sell them or not. The brush is very fine and leaves no discernible brush marks.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, when I hit the edit button there is no picture showing, do I just go on and post and it will show after the picture when saved?

Thanks buddy, that was a rail I built in a house built in 1842. 

Now I got it, Marine Spar Varnish, I would feel secure with my outside projects protected with that. I thought maybe you were using a new product I wasn't familiar with. 
Thanks for taking the time to explain for me Keith, I appreciate that. 

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, when I hit the edit button there is no picture showing, do I just go on and post and it will show after the picture when saved?
> 
> Thanks buddy, that was a rail I built in a house built in 1842.
> 
> Now I got it, Marine Spar Varnish, I would feel secure with my outside projects protected with that. I thought maybe you were using a new product I wasn't familiar with.
> Thanks for taking the time to explain for me Keith, I appreciate that.
> 
> Jim


The picture doesn't show, but as far as I know, your extra text will not go after the picture, just before.

Having said that, I'm about the last person you should ask how this works, me and computers are...well...uh...not supremely compatible, shall we say.

I would suggest that you ask a moderator, they would know 100 times more than me.

As far as new products, I have always stuck with the tried and true.

I could well be wrong here, but it seems to me that most of the newer water based fast dry products seem to be for inside use only. I understand that they do not have the UV inhibitors in them.

I really do like the Varathane type products for inside, they are so easy to use. Some are water cleanup, and some are oil based. I haven't used the oil based yet.

I do have one of the Minwax oil based products, but have only done a small test so far, I wouldn't consider that as being legitimately used.


----------



## cocobolo

I made up some small cauls with plastic stapled on so that I don't have to fumble with that and waste any time. They work OK.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, at long last I glued up the first couple of pieces! Not very spectacular, but it's a start. I needed three pairs of cauls to keep the boards straight.

Dead easy to do with this little setup.

I also glued up some test pieces of cedar, with the intent of seeing how long it takes them to become firmly glued.

I tested the first piece at 90 minutes after gluing, it failed. Once it holds, then I will be able to remove the clamps on the railing and add the next pieces. I'll try again at the 2 1/2 hour mark.


----------



## BigJim

Looks like I am always thanking you for helping me out.LOL Thanks for the information on posting after a picture. Now that is strange, I can build computers but when it comes to things like that I am lost.

I am like you, usually will stick with what I know will work. I have used the water based urethane and it does a pretty good job but it for sure is for inside only.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Looks like I am always thanking you for helping me out.LOL Thanks for the information on posting after a picture. Now that is strange, I can build computers but when it comes to things like that I am lost.
> 
> I am like you, usually will stick with what I know will work. I have used the water based urethane and it does a pretty good job but it for sure is for inside only.
> 
> Jim


You know, that stuff is incredibly tough. I wonder why they don't make the same thing with some good UV inhibitors in it? That way it could be used outside.

It is a little more costly than varnish (well, some of the brands anyway) but you get something like 700 square feet per gallon coverage. So, in reality it's not expensive.


----------



## cocobolo

Time slipped by without noticing, and I tried to take the next pieces of wood apart at 3 hours. It was barely possible, but the chisel had to be driven hard into the joint. For all practical purposes, it was immovable.

This lets me know that I can remove clamps at 3 hours and get on to the next pieces. I am mindful of the fact that it is quite warm today, although the wind is keeping the temperature down somewhat.

Section 2 done.


----------



## cocobolo

Section 3 underway...and I ran out of clamps! Can't believe it!

...must be some more around here somewhere...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, the holes you have in the top of the rail, are you going to plug them and if so with what type of wood?

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, the holes you have in the top of the rail, are you going to plug them and if so with what type of wood?
> 
> Jim


Most definitely. I have only drilled holes in the yellow cedar, and I have countersunk them fairly deeply. I will use the same wood to plug with. That way they will hardly show.

I did some plugs on the short rail outside the front door several years ago, and I used Honduras Mahogany. They look pretty good and match the red cedar strips fairly well.

But I think there is enough going on with all those strips that will eventually be there that I don't need anything else to add to what is yet to come.


----------



## BigJim

In my last post I didn't finish my thought as I answered the question I was going to ask you before I posted. I knew the holes wouldn't show and felt you were going to plug them but I wasn't sure with what. That will make a beautiful rail buddy. I have done as you have at times, plugged with totally different wood or used the same wood and match as close as possible.

Jim


----------



## gma2rjc

Is it 20 layers of wood you used in the pic in post #1841?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Is it 20 layers of wood you used in the pic in post #1841?


You can't quite see them all Barb. I just went and counted, and there are 23 rows there. I must have been nuts to do that!:huh:


----------



## gma2rjc

> I must have been nuts to do that!:huh:


.... :laughing:

It sure does look nice though!


----------



## downrightart

cocobolo said:


> Section 3 underway...and I ran out of clamps! Can't believe it!
> 
> ...must be some more around here somewhere...


I almost fainted myself! :laughing:

Thanks for the invite Keith! I'll just grab the Boss's overalls, cap, belt and hooks (for climbing)and head up that way! I'll stop by and get a wide lens camera too. Heck, maybe I can cut a few limbs and get a good view. Has anyone else thought about how odd that Keith still has trees left on that place?????

I don't mind working Keith, but please.....don't use me as a clamp!


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> I almost fainted myself! :laughing:
> 
> Thanks for the invite Keith! I'll just grab the Boss's overalls, cap, belt and hooks (for climbing)and head up that way! I'll stop by and get a wide lens camera too. Heck, maybe I can cut a few limbs and get a good view. Has anyone else thought about how odd that Keith still has trees left on that place?????
> 
> I don't mind working Keith, but please.....don't use me as a clamp!


I did a little checking into the wide angle lenses, and you can just get an accessory which screws into the front of the regular Canon lens. I didn't realize they were so inexpensive. I guess I will be ordering one of those up PDQ.

And as far as using you as a clamp, I thought how neat it would be to just be able to ask you to "hold this for a couple of hours" instead of having to continually put the clamps on and take them off again.

I went out a couple of mornings ago and tried to get pics of a sunrise here - just for you. I think officially sunrise was at 5:32 a.m. that morning, and it was about 3 hours before the sun finally got its' act together and rose above the trees.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> And as far as using you as a clamp, I thought how neat it would be to just be able to ask you to "hold this for a couple of hours" instead of having to continually put the clamps on and take them off again.


.................:lol:


----------



## cocobolo

...you liked that, eh? 

Just getting the pics of the sunrise organized for Tracy, back in a flash.


----------



## cocobolo

I hope I get the order right here...but these are the alleged sunrise pics from the morning of July 21st. Sunrise here was at 5:32 a.m. that morning.

Pic 1, looking at what is supposed to be the sun, 17 minutes after sunrise.

Pic 2, looking over towards Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. You might be able to see some little orange dots...that is the sun reflecting off windows in some of the houses over there. About 8 - 10 miles away.

Pic 3, looking towards Vancouver, 23 minutes after sunrise, the far distant mountains are just behind North and West Vancouver. That would be about 35 miles from here.

Pic 4, here I climbed up on to the roof of the house and once again tried to find the sun - an hour and 37 minutes past sunrise.

Last one, two hours after sunrise and you can now see the sun peeking between the trees...it was another hour until the sun finally cleared the trees.

The trouble is that the fir trees are around 100 feet tall, and they sit up on the ridges on the island, so it takes awhile for the sun to get that high.


----------



## cocobolo

Nope, the 'puter put the fourth pic in first place. That one is from the roof of the house. I guess it is the orientation of the photo that caused it to do that.


----------



## gma2rjc

Beautiful pics Keith!

If you want to put pictures in a specific order, here's what I do. Sorry if it ends up not making sense or if I'm telling you something you already know. 

Type what you want to say first.

Hit the 'enter' button on your keyboard to move the cursor down 2 spaces.

Click on the little paperclip at the top of the box. A window will open giving you a list of the pics you've just uploaded.

Click on the picture you want.

Some words and numbers in parenthesis will show up where your cursor was. Move your cursor to the end of that line and hit your 'enter' button twice again to double-space. Leaving these double spaces makes it possible for you to go back later and add text or another picture.

At this point, you can add more text or click on the paperclip to add the next picture. 

Repeat.

Hope this helps.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

Man I could just feel a cup of coffee in my hand looking at the beautiful sunrise pictures and feel the warm cozy feeling of a new day dawning. (OK so I'm a whimp :thumbsup Thanks buddy.

Barb, I also appreciate your information on picture posting, I will print that out and see if I can get it to work for me.

Jim


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm sure there are other ways of doing it too, but that's what works for me. I hope I didn't leave any details out.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

This is a test of you national... OK it is a test to see if I am smart enough to post pictures and text as Barb has instructed. Here goes.. and a picture



And some more text. Now to see if it worked.

Jim

Well, I didn't do something right so I will see if editing the post will work. And now...


----------



## BigJim

Well so much for that, I'm sorry that I am testing on your thread buddy maybe I can get a mod to remove it.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Well so much for that, I'm sorry that I am testing on your thread buddy maybe I can get a mod to remove it.
> 
> Jim


No, don't do that...leave it there. That way we all know what works and what doesn't. I'm going to try some pix later on and use Barb's method. I think what she was referring to was how to get pix in order.


----------



## cocobolo

Just waiting for the missus to get ready to go across this morning, and sanded and re-coated the table again.

Yesterday I varnished when the sun was too warm, and in a couple of places the varnish wrinkled. That was from tipping off too slowly. Sanded the entire top with the random orbital this time. It seems nice and smooth.


----------



## SamTHorn

destin hotels
​


cocobolo said:


> Roughly from the west, the stairs going up in that nice curve were to wrap around a hot tub. It turned out that the outer part of the stairs would have encroached beyond our setback requirements. Not by much, just enough to annoy me. However, not to be deterred, I have shifted the tub location and altered the stairs to fit within the requirements. That is not done yet, but the material for the tub is all cut out and awaits assembly.


 
I would love to see the finish product.



cocobolo said:


> I hope I get the order right here...but these are the alleged sunrise pics from the morning of July 21st. Sunrise here was at 5:32 a.m. that morning.
> 
> Pic 1, looking at what is supposed to be the sun, 17 minutes after sunrise.
> 
> Pic 2, looking over towards Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. You might be able to see some little orange dots...that is the sun reflecting off windows in some of the houses over there. About 8 - 10 miles away.
> 
> Pic 3, looking towards Vancouver, 23 minutes after sunrise, the far distant mountains are just behind North and West Vancouver. That would be about 35 miles from here.
> 
> Pic 4, here I climbed up on to the roof of the house and once again tried to find the sun - an hour and 37 minutes past sunrise.
> 
> Last one, two hours after sunrise and you can now see the sun peeking between the trees...it was another hour until the sun finally cleared the trees.
> 
> The trouble is that the fir trees are around 100 feet tall, and they sit up on the ridges on the island, so it takes awhile for the sun to get that high.


 
That looks like a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing. 

:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Sam. It's getting there, not too much more to do outside. But I need to get all the outside stuff finished while the weather is good.

Thanks for visiting, and better yet...thanks for posting such a nice comment!


----------



## cocobolo

The wind dropped enough to get wife number 2 over to town today. It was late when we got back - around 8:15 pm. I still wanted to get more cedar stuck on the railing sooo...









...and for company, the moon was coming up behind the trees


----------



## cocobolo

Somebody tell that Barb gal that she's an absolute wizard! :thumbsup:

Anyone who can explain something to me about a computer and it works _first try_ is a genius!:thumbup:

Thanks Barb!!!!


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks Keith. But I consider it more of a miracle that I explained it well enough for someone to understand. 

I got a picture this evening of the moon through the trees up here in Petoskey, similar to yours. Then I turned the flash on and snapped another one, just to see how it would turn out. The trees were lit up and the moon looked orange. I'll try to post the pic when I get home.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

Hmmmmmm, now I got to try it one more time since it worked for you. Here is supposed to be the picture.



OK, I have clicked on the paper clip and uploaded the picture but there is nothing that shows numbers or anything. I hit the enter twice and wrote this text. Now let's see if it worked.

Jim


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Beautiful pics Keith!
> 
> If you want to put pictures in a specific order, here's what I do. Sorry if it ends up not making sense or if I'm telling you something you already know.
> 
> Type what you want to say first.
> 
> Hit the 'enter' button on your keyboard to move the cursor down 2 spaces.
> 
> Click on the little paperclip at the top of the box. A window will open giving you a list of the pics you've just uploaded.
> 
> Click on the picture you want.
> 
> Some words and numbers in parenthesis will show up where your cursor was. Move your cursor to the end of that line and hit your 'enter' button twice again to double-space. Leaving these double spaces makes it possible for you to go back later and add text or another picture.
> 
> At this point, you can add more text or click on the paperclip to add the next picture.
> 
> Repeat.
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> Barb


Good gravy do I feel stupid, I did exactly as Barb says here but it doesn't work for me. Note Barb says _"Some words and numbers in parenthesis will show up where your cursor was"_. This does not happen for me, nothing shows up at all, even my cursor is gone. Maybe my settings are wrong or something. Oh well, I will just have to except the fact that I can't do it for some reason.

Jim


----------



## gma2rjc

Hi Jim. Try uploading the picture first. Then when you click on the paperclip, you'll see the info from your picture. When you click on that, the actual picture won't show up, but some letters and numbers in parenthesis will appear wherever your cursor is placed. 

Then you can continue to add text or submit your reply if you're done.

After you click on the 'submit' button, the picture will appear.


----------



## gma2rjc

Btw, the dog picture is hilarious!


----------



## BigJim

OK here goes for the last time. This is our other dog (we live close to a nuclear plant)hehehe








I think that worked that time, now to see.

Jim

Hot diggity dog it did work. Thank you Barb, I really do appreciate your help and patience, like Keith said, you are a genius.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Thanks Keith. But I consider it more of a miracle that I explained it well enough for someone to understand.
> 
> I got a picture this evening of the moon through the trees up here in Petoskey, similar to yours. Then I turned the flash on and snapped another one, just to see how it would turn out. The trees were lit up and the moon looked orange. I'll try to post the pic when I get home.
> 
> Barb


Barb...email the pix to me...you have the addie. Maybe I can fix them up a bit.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Btw, the dog picture is hilarious!


No Kidding, the pooches are priceless!:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

Whew, thanks buddy, I thought for a little while there I had over stepped the line posting the pictures. I am just a silly ole man who loves to see people have fun and smile. I will try to behave myself from now on. :no:

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Whew, thanks buddy, I thought for a little while there I had over stepped the line posting the pictures. I am just a silly ole man who loves to see people have fun and smile. I will try to behave myself from now on. :no:
> 
> Jim


Are you kidding me? Gotta have a good laugh once in awhile! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

We now have a handrail on one side of the short steps off the tub deck. No idea when I may get around to doing the other side though...


----------



## cocobolo

It almost seems like a real shame that I need to turn the table top into a dust bowl every morning...but that's how you eventually get a nice smooth finish.


----------



## cocobolo

...but then, just a few minutes with the varnish brush and things start looking up again.


----------



## cocobolo

First thing this morning I tried to do an entire row on the top railing in one go.

I had to dig up some more clamps to cover the whole lot at once. This is going to work OK until I get to 6" wide...then I won't be able to use the 6" clamps beyond that...:huh:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, all that work we see on the other side of that hand rail is what amazes me. Another thing that amazes me is you can use regular wood working tools and not be on the grid. How many amps will your system handle?

My stars, a fly won't have a chance to land on your table as smooth and slick as it will be, it looks great buddy.

Jim

We must have posted about the same time, gorgeous home!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, all that work we see on the other side of that hand rail is what amazes me. Another thing that amazes me is you can use regular wood working tools and not be on the grid. How many amps will your system handle?
> 
> My stars, a fly won't have a chance to land on your table as smooth and slick as it will be, it looks great buddy.
> 
> Jim
> 
> We must have posted about the same time, gorgeous home!


Jim, our system will run practically anything. But the big drawback is that it produces 120 volts only, so I couldn't run any 240 volt items. I could get another identical inverter and "stack" it. Then I could have 240v. But you always need to remember that the final arbiter of how much we can use is the storage capacity of the batteries themselves.

I do have another set of batteries waiting in the wings, but since our current battery bank is still doing very well I see no need to change them out yet.

I may need to do that this coming winter.


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry Jim, I see that I didn't really answer your question, did I?

The inverter has a 10,000 watt surge capacity for two minutes. That is 83 amps, but, quite frankly, I wouldn't even think of trying to take that much power out of the present battery bank at one time.

What that capacity is useful for is when it comes to starting up the planer or tablesaw. They get to full speed practically instantly. On a generator, they are much slower getting up to speed.

The full time rating for the inverter is 3,600 watts, or 30 amps. We do need to watch what we are using at any given time, but over the years it has become second nature to us and we really don't have any trouble at all.

One thing we really do like is the fact that we have electricity 24/365. I don't know of anyone on the grid who can say that!


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is impressive. Back in the early 80's I built a 3200 SF log cabin and we lived so far back off the road in the sticks we couldn't get electricity back there for almost a year. We had batteries and a generator to charge them with. We did pump our water up and wash clothes while the batteries were charging. When we finally did get electricity I said I would never take store bought electricity for granted again. I did look into solar energy but at that time it just wasn't what it is now days. 

There is not too many things you can't not run on your system and not having a monthly bill is wonderful I am sure. One thing I was really surprised to learn that sucked the power was a coffee maker. They pull 16 amps at least they did back in the 80s, that is about 3 amps more than a skill saw.

Thanks for the information Keith.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

You're welcome, Jim.

Right - the coffee maker - and anything else with a heating element in it is always a big draw.

That's why nobody gets to use a hair dryer here when they visit. Stand outside in the sun for 5 minutes instead.


----------



## Bud Cline

"NO HAIRDRYER"!!!!!!!

Oh well hell, that leaves me out.




















Note to self: Cancel airline reservations to Vancouver in September.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, I guess I _could_ make an exception in your case!:wink:


----------



## cocobolo

P. S. Too bad about the airline reservations...:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Some excitement here right after supper. Spotted two orca's about 300 yards in front of our place out in the channel. Ran and got the camera, put tele lens on...and waited...and waited...and waited...never saw them again.

They can dive for very long periods of time without having to surface. And they can travel an incredible distance before having to re-surface.

This is a poor substitute, I know, but...


----------



## gma2rjc

Another beautiful sunset. :thumbup::thumbup:

No hair dryer?

Does a toaster draw a lot of juice?

I bought one of those little gadgets that measures the electric usage of anything that has to be plugged in. Then I went through the house checking every appliance. With the exception of the fridge, toaster and microwave.

My daughter and her hubby run 3 fans in their bedroom every night.  Two of them are not 'Energy Star' and one is. I tested all 3 and the Energy Star fan sux just as much juice as the other two.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is a beautiful sunset, no man can paint that beautiful. When I was in the Navy on a carrier I saw several Orca, they are so beautiful to be so deadly, ya see a lot of strange things way out at sea sometimes also.

I have been thinking about you running out of clamps. If you have some scrap you can make a few. A stick of wood say 1X2X what ever length you need. Secure a block on the bottom of each end and use a wedge to tighten your stock with. Might want to use some wax paper or plastic sheeting to keep from gluing clamp to rail, but you already know that but someone reading this may not.:thumbsup: 

gma2rjc, a toaster does draw a lot of current but no longer than it is in use it shouldn't be too bad. Now drawing on batteries would make a difference though.

Where can you get one of the little devices that measure current that you are speaking of?

Jim


----------



## gma2rjc

Hi Jim. I got it at Lowe's. I wish I could remember the name of it. I know there is one called 'Kill-A-Watt' or something similar to that. I think you can order them online as well.

It's pretty neat. You plug it into the wall, then plug the appliance into the gadget (meter?). It has a screen that tells you how much electricity is being drawn. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Another beautiful sunset. :thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> No hair dryer?
> 
> Does a toaster draw a lot of juice?
> 
> I bought one of those little gadgets that measures the electric usage of anything that has to be plugged in. Then I went through the house checking every appliance. With the exception of the fridge, toaster and microwave.
> 
> My daughter and her hubby run 3 fans in their bedroom every night.  Two of them are not 'Energy Star' and one is. I tested all 3 and the Energy Star fan sux just as much juice as the other two.


Jim's right. The toaster is a heavy draw, but fortunately only runs a few minutes so overall it isn't too bad. Sometimes we use the toaster, sometimes we use the grill part of our propane oven. There's probably not much difference in energy consumption between the two, and in the summertime when we get lots of solar power coming in, the toaster would be preferable.

The fridge doesn't draw as much as a toaster or microwave, but because it runs 24/7 the overall consumption is the highest of anything we use here.

And a microwave is awful! A typical 800 watt microwave uses something like 1500 watts. That's similar to an electric handsaw and more than most toasters.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that is a beautiful sunset, no man can paint that beautiful. When I was in the Navy on a carrier I saw several Orca, they are so beautiful to be so deadly, ya see a lot of strange things way out at sea sometimes also.
> 
> I have been thinking about you running out of clamps. If you have some scrap you can make a few. A stick of wood say 1X2X what ever length you need. Secure a block on the bottom of each end and use a wedge to tighten your stock with. Might want to use some wax paper or plastic sheeting to keep from gluing clamp to rail, but you already know that but someone reading this may not.:thumbsup:
> 
> gma2rjc, a toaster does draw a lot of current but no longer than it is in use it shouldn't be too bad. Now drawing on batteries would make a difference though.
> 
> Where can you get one of the little devices that measure current that you are speaking of?
> 
> Jim


What I need with these clamps is speed. I have located enough that I can do an entire row - all 43' - at one time. Then I have no choice but to let the glue set up.

Each piece of wood can only have an open time of five minutes, and I discovered yesterday that when it's hot in the mid part of the day that I don't have that much time.

Most of the pieces I'm putting up are about 11 feet long. It takes me about 1 1/4 minutes to glue each face, so 2 1/2 for the mating faces. But there is no way that I can clamp the whole thing in another 2 1/2 minutes.:no:

The latest thing I am trying is to clamp one end, then jump 3 feet or so, another clamp and so on to the end. Then fill in the rest of the clamps once the two faces are closed up.

What I really need to do is to locate that army of little helpers that Bud knows about. They must have gone on vacation again...jeez it's hard to find good help these days!

Just had another thought...I'll let you know what it is...but only if it works!:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Hi Jim. I got it at Lowe's. I wish I could remember the name of it. I know there is one called 'Kill-A-Watt' or something similar to that. I think you can order them online as well.
> 
> It's pretty neat. You plug it into the wall, then plug the appliance into the gadget (meter?). It has a screen that tells you how much electricity is being drawn.
> 
> Barb


The Kill-a-watt has been around for awhile and is a highly recommended gadget if you're on solar power. We don't have one - probably should have got one a long time ago - but it demonstrates to you just how much some of these "energy efficient" items aren't quite as good as they sound.

You can go online to the Home Power Magazine website where you can find out about anything solar related. That's where I got my early education before we put our system in. Good thing too, otherwise we could have made oodles of mistakes.

Fortunately, our system worked flawlessly from day one, and is still going strong.


----------



## Bud Cline

I'm guessing the U.S. Congress once again extending the unemployment benefits wouldn't cause a disappearance-effect on Canadian elves. Those little buggers are there somewhere...maybe swimming with the Orcas.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I'm guessing the U.S. Congress once again extending the unemployment benefits wouldn't cause a disappearance-effect on Canadian elves. Those little buggers are there somewhere...maybe swimming with the Orcas.:laughing:


Well, of course, that's it! 

Trouble is these days, it's so damn hard to find good help, and when you do you can't keep it! :no:


----------



## cocobolo

All righty then...I have been in deep and heavy consultation with my two most trusted advisers, and between the three of us we have come up with what appears to be a faster and effective system.

With just a little preparation, the time to install each strip has now decreased dramatically.

First, I put the next strip up on top right next to where it will be glued on. I use a couple of extra hands for this...not my wife's of course...she's busy working out in the garden already.

This is my third hand...


----------



## cocobolo

Get the strip all ready to go...


----------



## Bud Cline

> Trouble is these days, it's so damn hard to find good help, and when you do you can't keep it!


And with that I offer a resounding *AMEN!*
I have spent decades training my competition...and I'm still looking for help. Must be a neurological disorder.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> And with that I offer a resounding *AMEN!*
> I have spent decades training my competition...and I'm still looking for help. Must be a neurological disorder.


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

...and now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Get everything all glued up, this took me just over two minutes, then clamp the starting end like so...


----------



## cocobolo

And then - and this is the big time saver - NAIL THE REST OF THE STRIP ON!

I close it off with a clamp right over the very end of the strip just to make sure there is adequate pressure on the glue joint there.

Including the time consumed taking pix, this took me 5 minutes. And as long as the sun is not shining on the glue, this seems to be more than enough time.


----------



## cocobolo

Now, that first strip was only a partial length, as I have built in a 15" stagger as the rows go out, so I was able to glue that up all at one time.

This next one is an 11 footer, and now I'm using a slightly different approach, which keeps my open glue times very short.

Same as the last one, lay the strip out ready to go...put glue on just the first half of the strip and the same distance on the previously attached strip.

Quickly put the strip in place and get the clamp on at the join. Put two or three nails in at about two feet spacing. That's enough, you need the finishing end of the strip to stay open to get the glue brush in..


----------



## cocobolo

Right...so you can see how there is just enough room to get glue in there now. It's a tiny bit trickier this way, but the open times are way shorter. All I need to do is clamp each end of the board, and fill the rest of the space up with nails.

It's also a happy coincidence that using nails keeps the wood in line.  Instead of the wood sliding up and down - which it wants to do - it can't go anywhere. :no:

So what all this means is that I owe a huge vote of thanks to my trusted advisers!:drink:


----------



## cocobolo

And in what seemed like no time at all, I was at the end of the row. I think it's a safe bet that this has halved the time to do the installs. That's a really significant time saving.

But more importantly is the fact that the glue will have a far better chance of not opening up. We need to remember that on the outboard side of the railing that there will always be some outward force acting on the wood to try and open it up.

Maybe on the very outside row I will cheat and put in some stainless steel screws at the ends and then plug them. The extra time spent should be good insurance.


----------



## cocobolo

Note the lack of clamps in that last pic. What a time saver this has turned out to be!:thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

Man, now is a fine time for me to remember,.. when I was gluing up a bending hand rail I used a small roller to put my glue on with. There was no way to glue seven strips and clamp all together in 20 minutes without using a roller, at least for me.

Buddy, you are on a roll now. When you explained what you were doing I started to hyperventilate, I love to see a good plan come together. Using the board clamped on as a table is a great idea and a great time saver. You da man:thumbup:

Thanks for the site where you got your information on your electrical system, I am going to check it out. I have been interested in that kind of thing for a few years now. 

Barb, thank you for tell me about the Kill-A-Watt, I will be checking them out, it would be of benefit to know what our appliances are pulling.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

Jim:

When we first came to the island here, the only power was a battery bank and an old generator.

As soon as I got here, one of our neighbours turned us on to the Home Power Magazine, and what a godsend that was.

I used to buy the mag faithfully at our local magazine store, and then when we finally were able to get online - at the end of '07 - I discovered you could get an online subscription for something like 10 bucks a year! It looks like mine has lapsed...tut tut...I will have to get that renewed PDQ.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim:
> 
> When we first came to the island here, the only power was a battery bank and an old generator.
> 
> As soon as I got here, one of our neighbours turned us on to the Home Power Magazine, and what a godsend that was.
> 
> I used to buy the mag faithfully at our local magazine store, and then when we finally were able to get online - at the end of '07 - I discovered you could get an online subscription for something like 10 bucks a year! It looks like mine has lapsed...tut tut...I will have to get that renewed PDQ.


Thanks buddy, I appreciate you telling me about that. I will look it up online.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

For anyone else who may be interested try http://www.homepower.com


----------



## BigJim

That is a nice site, if they don't have it, you don't need it. Thanks again Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

We had our neighbours coming over for dinner tonight - sitting up at Jim's favourite deck! You know what it's like with the wife on those days...do this...do that...so not much work done.

But in between sun tanning time, swimming time, lunch time and any other time you can think of, I did get some more of the soffit up. Maybe if I really persevere tomorrow I can finish it.


----------



## BigJim

I bet your neighbors are just in awe of your craftsmanship. At least you had a little time to relax for a little while today.

Jim


----------



## cocobolo

The funny thing is that Ron now wants to put up a similar wind screen in front of his cabin to that which we have on the round deck. He has already been over to the industrial plastic supplier in Nanaimo to get some pricing.

And of course we had to give him and his wife the grand tour after dinner!

Just did a check on the remaining soffit, and there's a good chance I can finish today, if not, certainly tomorrow.


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> We had our neighbours coming over for dinner tonight - sitting up at Jim's favourite deck! You know what it's like with the wife on those days...do this...do that...so not much work done.
> 
> But in between sun tanning time, swimming time, lunch time and any other time you can think of, I did get some more of the soffit up. Maybe if I really persevere tomorrow I can finish it.


All I can think of is "That 70's Show" dd...


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> All I can think of is "That 70's Show" dd...


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

This morning there was a real rarity in our bay.

I zoomed in on the transom so you can see the hailing port of this magnificent old cruiser.









The boat was about 1/4 mile out in the bay...I used a 300 mm zoom to reach that far. And after that I still needed to crop the photo to bring it in closer. She still looks pretty good.


----------



## cocobolo

Aside from looking at boats, I have now finished all the soffit. We have been looking at that underframing on that deck for darn nearly 10 years! That's about long enough.

Only thing left to do now is to hang the two lights the missus has...she just wants to give them a spit and polish before I put them up.


----------



## cocobolo

It has turned out that the prudent thing to do with regard to the gluing of that top railing is to do as much as possible in the morning _before_ the sun gets there, and then wait until the early evening when it has gone around past the trees again.

Even with that limited time, the new system is still pretty quick.









I am up to 10 rows of cedar now.


----------



## cocobolo

The last trip we made over to Coombs, I spotted this nifty old light at the Goat Store. The missus kindly bought it for us and thought it might look pretty cool near the tub. 

She's going to put some small citronella candles inside it.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> This morning there was a real rarity in our bay.
> 
> View attachment 23102


My first thought, when I read this and looked at the pic, was that the little inflated boat crashed into the back end of the other boat. I looked around in the water to see if someone was thrown from the little boat. *slaps palm on forehead* :wacko:

That camera takes great pics! Nice lens too! The photo doesn't look like it's been cropped - it's very clear.


----------



## cocobolo

I didn't have to crop it much. The top one was cropped a little more.

I put the camera on a tripod, and used a remote shutter control to take the pic. That contributes to why it is still nice and clear. It's a 10 megapixel chip in a DSLR which is the rest of the story.


----------



## cocobolo

This is a different pic, brought even closer...


----------



## BigJim

Man that is a really sharp ole craft. It has for sure been well maintained. 

Buddy, you are moving right along on your rail, looking good. I know you are happy to have the soffit complete, that is one less thing on the ole punch list. Thanks Keith.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> My first thought, when I read this and looked at the pic, was that the little inflated boat crashed into the back end of the other boat. I looked around in the water to see if someone was thrown from the little boat. *slaps palm on forehead* :wacko:
> 
> That camera takes great pics! Nice lens too! The photo doesn't look like it's been cropped - it's very clear.


Now thats funny as the dickens right there.:laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

> Now thats funny as the dickens right there.:laughing:


I'm trying to convince myself that my mind was confused from being out in the sun for 4 hours in addition to driving 6 hours before looking at the picture. Otherwise, I'll have to accept that it might be my age. :yes: 

The soffit looks nice Keith. It must have been a lot of work.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man that is a really sharp ole craft. It has for sure been well maintained.
> 
> Buddy, you are moving right along on your rail, looking good. I know you are happy to have the soffit complete, that is one less thing on the ole punch list. Thanks Keith.


I have to wonder if the "Belle" came over from Hawaii on her bottom, or as deck cargo on a freighter. The elderly couple on board didn't look like they would be able to handle several thousand miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Right, it was good to get the soffit out of the way...that one has been bugging my wife almost as much as it's been bugging me!


----------



## cocobolo

Today, I did get the lights installed in that ceiling. For some reason, the threaded tubes which hold them in place were about 1/4" too short. Sometime in the past, (we got these from Habitat) someone had added a extra piece of tube with a connector.

Fortunately, the connector was about 1/2" long, and I was able to unthread it just enough so that it would reach the crossbar.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus was playing around with something for the past couple of days on the table outside the cabin.

Finally today, she announced it was done. It's all her treasures from the beach.

So when I asked her where it was going I got the usual "You'll see!"

She hung it on the front of the house to the right of the French doors.


----------



## cocobolo

Now she's testing where it will be best to put some potted plants on the tub deck.

Looking south west towards the airport on Vancouver Island.


----------



## cocobolo

I never noticed this before, but the peeling bark on the arbutus tree all seems to be on one side.

I'll have to look at some others and see if they all have the same habit.


----------



## cocobolo

There is a distinct difference between attaching strips on the _outside _of the curve as opposed to the _inside_.

I added more to the outside this morning, no problem. Then I tackled the first inside piece. It wants to pull away from the existing wood. I put the one clamp on at the beginning, and then continued the rest of the way using nails.

Just in advance of nailing, I would attach a clamp. This worked OK.

When I was finished nailing, I looked carefully at the whole length of the strip - this one was 17'+ - to see if I was getting squeezeout. Not everywhere. So where the joint looked dry I added a clamp, and that fixed the potential problem.

12 rows on here.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of other things I got out of the way yesterday...cleaned the gutters out from all the fir needles we get every time we have a big wind, and put up a new chimney on the back of the house.

I hate to admit it, but the last one came down in a doozy of a windstorm because I neglected to screw the sections together. This time they are screwed plus I have a brace to put on as well. That's not done yet.


----------



## cocobolo

Let me bring you up to date on the saga of the terra cotta tiles.

I had a suitable agreement in place from a chap in San Diego who handled these tiles from the Mexican distributor. 

He provided me with the shipping weight and packaging method - 2 pallets weighing 2,200 kilos - but would never give me a price. Plus it was taking him a week or more to reply to every email. It was frustrating to say the least. 

I found a shipper who would bring the tile from San Diego and drop it off right at the dock at our marina for what I think is a very reasonable price.

The shipper has given me the name of a local broker right in Nanaimo who will take care of all those nasty little customs details...so things were looking good. :yes:

All we needed was the price so we could get the tile on the way.

Yesterday I was advised by the seller "that after a lot of soul searching he had decided not to handle these tiles any more". Not only that but he had none left in stock. I had been assured previously that there was sufficient stock on hand to complete this order. 

Grrrr...back to square one. 

I contacted the Mexican supplier right away, and it seems that the big stumbling block is the actual shipping of these tiles out of Mexico due to the cost being so high. :huh:

I found out that the tiles will come from Saltillo, which is - according to my Mexican supplier - about a 3 hour drive from Laredo. He says that to get these tiles to San Diego will cost $1500 - $2000 U.S.!!! 

That is more than the Canadian shipper is charging to bring the tile all the way from San Diego!! What gives?

Then I was advised that the supplier has a distributor for these tiles in Quebec, which would be something like 3,000 miles from here. It might as well be on the moon.

Anyway, I have contacted the Quebec distributor, who turns out to have a warehouse in London, Ontario and they do have stock. They will get me a price to ship out to B.C. I doubt by the time that all is added up that this will be anywhere near economically feasible.

They have given me a price per tile ($3.45) but they are already sealed, which is definitely worth something.

The original cost in Saltillo, from the manufacturer is - get this - 74 cents.

As you might imagine, I have been burning up the internet airwaves trying to locate a better source, and I believe I may have located another one in San Diego and one in Anaheim. I am presently awaiting replies to my inquiries...fingers crossed. 

What this has effectively done is to waste better than a month's worth of time for no apparent reason. :furious:


----------



## cocobolo

Oboy, am I one surprised cowboy! 

Just heard from the gal in Quebec. Shipping on these tiles is only $750 all the way from Ontario to Nanaimo! I can't believe it. That's twice as far as it is from San Diego, and barely over 1/2 the cost??? 

This is getting stranger by the minute.

Now I am just waiting for the total bottom line cost, and confirming that these are the _exact_ tiles we want. It sounds like they are. I should know within the hour. 

Might be a good day after all! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Let me bring you up to date on the saga of the terra cotta tiles.
> 
> I had a suitable agreement in place from a chap in San Diego who handled these tiles from the Mexican distributor.
> 
> He provided me with the shipping weight and packaging method - 2 pallets weighing 2,200 kilos - but would never give me a price. Plus it was taking him a week or more to reply to every email. It was frustrating to say the least.
> 
> I found a shipper who would bring the tile from San Diego and drop it off right at the dock at our marina for what I think is a very reasonable price.
> 
> The shipper has given me the name of a local broker right in Nanaimo who will take care of all those nasty little customs details...so things were looking good. :yes:
> 
> All we needed was the price so we could get the tile on the way.
> 
> Yesterday I was advised by the seller "that after a lot of soul searching he had decided not to handle these tiles any more". Not only that but he had none left in stock. I had been assured previously that there was sufficient stock on hand to complete this order.
> 
> Grrrr...back to square one.
> 
> I contacted the Mexican supplier right away, and it seems that the big stumbling block is the actual shipping of these tiles out of Mexico due to the cost being so high. :huh:
> 
> I found out that the tiles will come from Saltillo, which is - according to my Mexican supplier - about a 3 hour drive from Laredo. He says that to get these tiles to San Diego will cost $1500 - $2000 U.S.!!!
> 
> That is more than the Canadian shipper is charging to bring the tile all the way from San Diego!! What gives?
> 
> Then I was advised that the supplier has a distributor for these tiles in Quebec, which would be something like 3,000 miles from here. It might as well be on the moon.
> 
> Anyway, I have contacted the Quebec distributor, who turns out to have a warehouse in London, Ontario and they do have stock. They will get me a price to ship out to B.C. I doubt by the time that all is added up that this will be anywhere near economically feasible.
> 
> They have given me a price per tile ($3.45) but they are already sealed, which is definitely worth something.
> 
> The original cost in Saltillo, from the manufacturer is - get this - 74 cents.
> 
> As you might imagine, I have been burning up the internet airwaves trying to locate a better source, and I believe I may have located another one in San Diego and one in Anaheim. I am presently awaiting replies to my inquiries...fingers crossed.
> 
> What this has effectively done is to waste better than a month's worth of time for no apparent reason. :furious:


My stars, for that kind of money you may want to drive down and pick them up yourself, well, depending on how far it is. That is one heck of a difference in price. 

Keith your rail is really taking shape and looking great, how wide do you plan to make it? I know what you mean with the inside strips, they do handle differently. What are you going to do under the rail, Lexan maybe? Man, I am just full of questions today, among other things. :thumbsup:

Buddy, I don't see where in the world you get all your energy to do all you do, must be that clean Canadian air. My hat's off to you my friend.

I like your wife's creation with the beach finds, that does look nice. 

Ole Jim


----------



## cocobolo

Jim: 

I did consider driving to Saltillo, but then I was told that evidently there might be a problem driving in Mexico, something to do with drug wars. I'm not sure that the warlords would be terribly interested in me and a handful of tiles...but...

The cost for me to drive down, buy the tiles, pay the taxes, rent a double axle trailer, put the brake setup on the van and all that comes up to around $2,700. Not worth it for the 10 days it would probably take.

The rail should end up somewhere around 7" - 8" wide. 

Stainless steel cable going below through all those little holes.


----------



## cocobolo

Just received a telephone call from Ontario. Now we aren't sure if these are the right tiles.

We are going to exchange email pics - mine are already sent off. Just awaiting theirs.

Let's hope this goes right for a change.

Failing that I think I will just paint the plywood with faux terra cotta tiles!


----------



## BigJim

I see your point, that wouldn't be worth it.

That SS cable will really look great, and will go with all the other work you have done. I don't know why I didn't remember you using the SS cable in other places, old timers I guess.LOL Your rail looks close to that width already, it is really looking good and when the finish is on it will really look sharp.

Ole Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I see your point, that wouldn't be worth it.
> 
> That SS cable will really look great, and will go with all the other work you have done. I don't know why I didn't remember you using the SS cable in other places, old timers I guess.LOL Your rail looks close to that width already, it is really looking good and when the finish is on it will really look sharp.
> 
> Ole Jim


Yep...I have the cable here already.

Just adding some more wood right now. I'll check the width after this latest is on.


----------



## cocobolo

It's a hair under 6" as it is, so I will be adding at least 3 more rows on the inside.

Now will have to cut up one other long board so that I will have enough strips.


----------



## cocobolo

Have received the pics of the sealed tile, and she who thinks she must be obeyed likes them. :thumbsup: So that's all there is to it. The order will be in today, and then we just wait for the truck to find its' way to this end of the country.

Man, these will be some well traveled tiles by the time they get here! Close to 5,000 miles I guess! :yes:


----------



## jlhaslip

They will be all tired and ready to lay down for you...


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Have received the pics of the sealed tile, and she who thinks she must be obeyed likes them. :thumbsup: So that's all there is to it.


:laughing: I get a kick out of all the funny terms of endearment you have for your wife. If I ever get time, I'd like to go through the thread and make a list of them. There must be 5 or 6, maybe more. :yes:

The collage she made with the treasures she found at the beach is beautiful! She is very talented.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> They will be all tired and ready to lay down for you...


Let's hope you're right! After all this messing around they ought to cut themselves into shape as well! :thumbsup:

But take a look at the response I have for Barb,,,


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :laughing: I get a kick out of all the funny terms of endearment you have for your wife. If I ever get time, I'd like to go through the thread and make a list of them. There must be 5 or 6, maybe more. :yes:
> 
> The collage she made with the treasures she found at the beach is beautiful! She is very talented.


Talented she may be...but as with so many of the lovely ladies, she has a habit of changing her mind now and then. And now would be one of those times. :yes:

She has taken it upon herself to decide that now she _does not _want the regular saltillo tiles, she wants the rounded edge ones, super saltillo tiles instead. :huh:

So, after all this time, it has now become necessary for me to find said tiles, not only at a decent price, but not in Mexico either! 

The difficult we do immediately, but the impossible takes just a little longer. 

Found - in Santa Monica - super saltillo tiles - at a reasonable price - in stock - ready to go at a moments notice - 4,238 lbs. of tiles and crates - broker and shipper will be advised first thing in AM before that utterly charming wife of mine changes her mind again! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

...I really shouldn't complain too loudly, as her mind change _might_ save a few $. It is 134 miles less distance from Santa Monica than it is from San Diego, and the original weight as quoted by the alleged original supplier was 4,840 lbs.

Hopefully, with 500 lbs. off the original freight quote the shipper will see fit to drop the price accordingly. You can bet I will be bringing that to his attention on the morrow. :yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

> Talented she may be...but as with so many of the lovely ladies, she has a habit of changing her mind now and then. And now would be one of those times. :yes:
> 
> She has taken it upon herself to decide that now she _does not _want the regular saltillo tiles, she wants the rounded edge ones, super saltillo tiles instead. :huh:
> 
> So, after all this time, it has now become necessary for me to find said tiles, not only at a decent price, but not in Mexico either!
> 
> The difficult we do immediately, but the impossible takes just a little longer.
> 
> Found - in Santa Monica - super saltillo tiles - at a reasonable price - in stock - ready to go at a moments notice - 4,238 lbs. of tiles and crates - broker and shipper will be advised first thing in AM before that utterly charming wife of mine changes her mind again! :thumbsup:


I'm ROFL ..............:lol: 

You're ........:bangin:

How nice it is that she's making it so much easier for you. But yea, order them quick! Then hide any and all brochures or magazines in the house that may show other tile choices! :laughing:

Santa Monica? Will the Canadian shipping company pick it up there?

one thing for sure is, it must be some beautiful tile because you've gone through a lot of hassle for it.

Never again will I complain when the Lowe's on my side of town is out of something and I have to drive to the Lowe's south of town to find it.


----------



## cocobolo

Yep, the same shipper will pick from Santa Monica (at least, AFAIK). I will speak with them tomorrow morning. :yes:

Waaaaaaay to many magazines here for me to have any chance of hiding them all! :no:

And we really are hoping that it all works out OK in the end and looks good to boot! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

...I should have checked with you before...does Lowe's have these saltillo tiles in stock? :laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

It will look beautiful! Everything else does. 

This sounds like a much less complicated deal than what you already have had to work with trying to order and ship them from Mexico. I really hope it all works out.

I have a question. Once you get the tiles to the island in the boat, how difficult is it going to be to get them to the house? Do you have to carry them up a steep bank?


----------



## gma2rjc

> ...I should have checked with you before...does Lowe's have these saltillo tiles in stock? :laughing:


..... :laughing:

They do, but they're about 1/100" smaller than the size you were looking for, so I didn't think you'd be interested. :no: j/k


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> ..... :laughing:
> 
> They do, but they're about 1/100" smaller than the size you were looking for, so I didn't think you'd be interested. :no: j/k


...you know...for just a 100th of an inch I could probably work around that!:thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

1/100th of an inch ?

H-m-m-m-m-m! :detective::confused1:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It will look beautiful! Everything else does.
> 
> This sounds like a much less complicated deal than what you already have had to work with trying to order and ship them from Mexico. I really hope it all works out.
> 
> I have a question. Once you get the tiles to the island in the boat, how difficult is it going to be to get them to the house? Do you have to carry them up a steep bank?


I think so too. Pretty low frustration level with this deal. 

I just heard from the trucking company a little over an hour ago, and they have knocked $108 off the price for me. Pretty happy about that.

I will meet the driver right off the main highway and he can follow me right to the marina, no getting lost that way.

I will get the tiles offloaded as close to the ramp as possible, as each trip with the dolly will be around 75 yards each way. That would be from the parking lot down to the boat. If the tide is fairly high (it will have to be) then the ramp won't be too steep. I'll try to pack 200 lbs down to the boat each trip, so about 20 trips should do it.

I will try for 2,000 lbs. per trip in the sailboat - might be pushing it a bit, but if the weather is good it shouldn't be a problem.

Then unload at about 500 lbs per time onto the skiff. Then over to the log lift, where I will unload again by hand, up the steps and carry over to the lift which goes up the bank. That can manage around 200 lbs. at a time.

That gets me to the lower deck, but I can easily get the tile to the upper deck, it's only about 4 feet higher.

By this time I should be intimately acquainted with every ..... box of tile, not to mention about half past dead!


----------



## cocobolo

...and yes, I got some more wood on the railing this morning, and going out to do some more right now! Getting very close to the end!:thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

It must be a relief having all the details finalized. 

But WOW! what you have to go through to get it home! Can you get some help with it?

It makes me wonder what it must have been like transporting enough glass to make the 91 windows in your house.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

Goooooodness, that is going to be one hard day buddy. I am with Barb, can you get someone to help with that? There is no way under the Sun I could even begin to attempt that. I am wore out now, I got to go rest up a little. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

I think I might ask my friend Allen if he can help me.

It's a big enough job for a young guy, never mind an old fart like me!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Goooooodness, that is going to be one hard day buddy. I am with Barb, can you get someone to help with that? There is no way under the Sun I could even begin to attempt that. I am wore out now, I got to go rest up a little. :whistling2:


I'm pretty sure that this is a two day job. Can't make two round trips in one day with the sailboat _and_ load and unload all that tile! It's the loading/unloading that will take the time. And the tide _must_ be high when I'm offloading from the skiff, otherwise I can't even get it to the head of our bay.

It's all a matter of logistics...and a little bit of luck.


----------



## cocobolo

It's another trip to town tomorrow...the family is coming over on the long weekend coming up so we need to load up on groceries and whatnot.

I think we need a little lumber so I can finish framing in HRH's door for the studio. And a big can of stain for the house. We got two gallons two weeks ago and poof...it's all used up.

Just cut up another 100+ lineal feet of cedar strip for the railing, and I hope to put some on in the morning before we head out. And perhaps even better, maybe the last of it tomorrow night! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Either I must have done something right in a past life, or someone is looking over my shoulder. Tides from the 6th to the 12th of August are perfect for offloading here. Maybe even the 5th if it gets up here that quickly, although the barometer would need to be down to get the tide up.

I'm almost looking forward to this...I said _almost. _


----------



## gma2rjc

Where will you leave the tile that has to wait for the trip across on the second day?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Where will you leave the tile that has to wait for the trip across on the second day?


Right where the truck drops it. I can't see too many people wanting to move another ton of tile.

Folks routinely leave large lots of building materials at the marina for pickup later. Mostly they need to wait for the tide.

This is _Canada_ you know. I know where you are if things aren't nailed down they are gone before your back is turned! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> 1/100th of an inch ?
> 
> H-m-m-m-m-m! :detective::confused1:


You know, Bud, I thought about that long and hard. But just imagine that last grout joint...750 tiles at 1/100"...that would be 7 1/2"! :huh:


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Where will you leave the tile that has to wait for the trip across on the second day?


I was wondering the same thing. Down this way if you turn your back it is gone. It is great to know somewhere in this world some folks are still good people.


----------



## Bud Cline

> You know, Bud, I thought about that long and hard. But just imagine that last grout joint...750 tiles at 1/100"...that would be 7 1/2"!


True enough......but......1/100th? Just seemed to be (needlessly) splitting hairs to me. I guess I found it amusing that anyone could/would even notice. Hell, tiles vary that much (and a lot more) from one to the next all day long every day. That's why all of my layouts all of these years have been screwed up I guess. Nevermind.:laughing:










Note to self:
Bud, sit down and shut up, go back to sleep.


----------



## cocobolo

Just as we had left Ruxton this morning headed for Boat Harbour, I got a call from the tile supplier in California.

I can hear you all saying "Oh, No....what now!"

I too thought maybe I was going to get some excuse as to why they all of a sudden couldn't supply the tile, but not so.

Bill, the dispatcher, was good enough to call to let me know that they didn't have enough tile on hand to fill the order. The new shipment was supposed to arrive first thing this morning, but didn't.

He called down to Mexico to find out where the truck was, and it turns out that it hadn't even got out of Mexico yet. It is, however, due at their yard on Tuesday...and he has promised to let me know as soon as it has arrived.

I breathed a hefty sigh of relief when I closed the phone!


----------



## BigJim

Whew, I was thinking the worst. Are they going to send you tiles all from the same run or mixed runs? I hope they are from the same run so all the tiles will be the same color and size. I guess I am just an ole worrier.

Ole Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Whew, I was thinking the worst. Are they going to send you tiles all from the same run or mixed runs? I hope they are from the same run so all the tiles will be the same color and size. I guess I am just an ole worrier.
> 
> Ole Jim


Probably not Jim.

But one of the interesting things about Saltillo tiles - I've learned an awful lot lately about these things - is that the colour of the tile varies a little depending on where it is placed in the kiln for firing.

So it is essentially impossible to get identical saltillo tiles.

And, being made the way they are - something which hasn't changed at Saltillo since the early 1500's - they will vary a little in both thickness and overall size.

When you look at a terra cotta tile installation, you can usually see the size difference. Notice that the grout lines on this type of installation is usually up around 5/8" or even more.

However, that is what gives this sort of tile its' unique character, no two being identical. The missus likes that, which is a good thing. :yes:

I will get to play with the slightly different colours on the floor when I do the layout.


----------



## BigJim

That is really interesting Keith, I didn't know that about the tile. I have never had anything to do with the installation of that type of tile. I appreciate the information buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm now down to just a single piece of wood to complete the big railing. I ran out of the thick stuff for the outside when I was doing it the other day. What happened was that I cut out all the flaws in the strips on hand, and that left me short.

Nearly done!


----------



## BigJim

That has been a fun project Keith, I can't wait to see the finish. Thanks for allowing us to share the fun.

Ole Jim


----------



## cocobolo

In the morning I will remove the clamps for the last time. All the wood is on.

Next step will be to rough shape the railing. This may take a little while, as it is about as long as the average house!

It may get put on the back burner for a few days due to the family arriving shortly.

I need to get some sort of railing around that tub deck - even if it is temporary.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of days ago I opened up a package of glass shelves that the old man gave me a few decades ago. He used to work for a glass company over in Vancouver. I thought it was just that usual skinny stuff, so it has remained wrapped up in paper in a box.

Imagine my surprise when I opened it up to find this gorgeous crystal-like glass - very thick - inside the box.

I believe it is Belgian float glass of the type they use (or at least used to use) for those great big store windows.

Right away I figured out where I can put this glass to work. It will just nicely make a small screen at the front right side of the deck. All I needed was some posts to hold it in place.


----------



## cocobolo

I started on the posts this morning and now just need to drill the bolt holes and finish the ends of the grooves which will contain the glass.

Did a little shaping on the post ends as well.


----------



## cocobolo

I will need to get some wood preservative on the posts, as they are going to be stained.

As much as I may have liked to varnish them, there isn't time - and the stain will go with the house anyway.

Here's the groove the glass will fit in.


----------



## BigJim

The post would sure look good finished clear, that is some pretty wood. What is the thickness of the post? That looks like some really thick glass, I know you were happy to find it that usable.

How will you rough the top of your rail smooth? Do you have an electric hand plane?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> The post would sure look good finished clear, that is some pretty wood. What is the thickness of the post? That looks like some really thick glass, I know you were happy to find it that usable.
> 
> How will you rough the top of your rail smooth? Do you have an electric hand plane?


It would be OK finished clear, but the posts (except for 1 of them) are hemlock.

Plus it takes at least 7 days to get 7 coats of varnish on. That's not practical right now. So it will be wood preservative as soon as I have drilled the bolt holes in a few minutes...and when that's dry the stain will go on.

Yes I have an electric hand plane, but one of the blades is badly damaged. They both were a few days ago, but I only had a single blade on hand for replacement. I did try to get a new pair at the House of Pot on Friday when we were over, but they were out of stock...surprise!

I have a big old Makita 8" sander/grinder that I might try. Or the Porter Cable 6" r/o sander. I have been trying for months - literally - to get a new pad for the P/C, but our local tool store never seems to have it in. He says he sells lots of them. He has one for just about every other make and size you could think of, except the one I need. 

He did have a 5" pad - which does screw on - but it is much harder than the bigger pad and is supposed to be used on their smaller 5" r/o sander. I bought one anyway to see if it will work.

Then I could always use my wood rasps, Stanley surform or one or more of my hand planes.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It would be OK finished clear, but the posts (except for 1 of them) are hemlock.
> 
> Plus it takes at least 7 days to get 7 coats of varnish on. That's not practical right now. So it will be wood preservative as soon as I have drilled the bolt holes in a few minutes...and when that's dry the stain will go on.
> 
> Yes I have an electric hand plane, but one of the blades is badly damaged. They both were a few days ago, but I only had a single blade on hand for replacement. I did try to get a new pair at the House of Pot on Friday when we were over, but they were out of stock...surprise!
> 
> I have a big old Makita 8" sander/grinder that I might try. Or the Porter Cable 6" r/o sander. I have been trying for months - literally - to get a new pad for the P/C, but our local tool store never seems to have it in. He says he sells lots of them. He has one for just about every other make and size you could think of, except the one I need.
> 
> He did have a 5" pad - which does screw on - but it is much harder than the bigger pad and is supposed to be used on their smaller 5" r/o sander. I bought one anyway to see if it will work.
> 
> Then I could always use my wood rasps, Stanley surform or one or more of my hand planes.


Buddy, you are up early today or at least for me it is. Keith from the picture the post looked like cedar to me but my PC doesn't do real well on color I think. 

On your Porta Cable pad, I had the same problem but I used some plumbers goop and glued the pad back on and it worked really good for a good while. When replacing the pad, you need to stay with the 6 inch as a 5 inch on that sander will viberate really bad. I have a 5 inch on mine and it is unreal how it vibrates. Porta Cable sells a balancing weight to switch from 6" to 5" though.

I got to get ready for church. See you after while.

Ole Jim


----------



## beerdog

COCO

You are like the Yoda of DIY!


----------



## cocobolo

beerdog said:


> COCO
> 
> You are like the Yoda of DIY!


Well...thanks...I guess...the Yoda eh?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, you are up early today or at least for me it is. Keith from the picture the post looked like cedar to me but my PC doesn't do real well on color I think.
> 
> On your Porta Cable pad, I had the same problem but I used some plumbers goop and glued the pad back on and it worked really good for a good while. When replacing the pad, you need to stay with the 6 inch as a 5 inch on that sander will viberate really bad. I have a 5 inch on mine and it is unreal how it vibrates. Porta Cable sells a balancing weight to switch from 6" to 5" though.
> 
> I got to get ready for church. See you after while.
> 
> Ole Jim


I tried gluing the pad back on, but it wouldn't stay. I did have another 6" pad, but it blew apart the first time I used it. I think it must have been kicking around here for a few years...but it was never used. The backing foam just disintegrated. 

I don't have any choice but to try the 5" pad now - it's already screwed on to the sander.

The other thing I have is a 3 wing sanding disc which goes on to a regular mini grinder. It's quite small but very aggressive. I haven't seen it for awhile, but maybe if I look I can find it.

If I have the time I may go over to Rona either later today or first thing tomorrow morning to see if they have blades for my planer.


----------



## beerdog

cocobolo said:


> Well...thanks...I guess...the Yoda eh?


I guess you would have to be a Star Wars fan to get it. Trust me,it is a major compliment.


----------



## cocobolo

beerdog said:


> I guess you would have to be a Star Wars fan to get it. Trust me,it is a major compliment.


OK, you got me there! I guess I haven't watched an episode of Star Wars in maybe 15 years??? So, thank you very much.

I spend almost all my time trying to get something done to this place so we can actually _move in_ to the house! Can you imagine that!

But over the past 6 months things have progressed quite well.

I look forward to chatting with you again soon...many thanks for visiting!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> The post would sure look good finished clear, that is some pretty wood. What is the thickness of the post? That looks like some really thick glass, I know you were happy to find it that usable.
> 
> How will you rough the top of your rail smooth? Do you have an electric hand plane?


Jim, sorry for missing part of your question. The posts are about 2 7/8" x 3 1/2".

The glass is a hair under 7/16".


----------



## cocobolo

I attempted to mount the posts on to the deck to test the fit of the glass.

The first post was buried behind the bench...great fun getting those holes drilled!


----------



## cocobolo

Here's all 5, with one piece of test glass in place.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the test done. Looks passably fair. :thumbsup:

Now I have to take everything off and do the wood preservative/staining thing.

You didn't think I would leave them all at the same height, did you? Oh my, how terribly _common!_ :wink:

Wood preservative is on in bottom pic.


----------



## gma2rjc

Great design Keith! I like it at different heights like that.


----------



## cocobolo

A large part of this day was consumed with our Annual General Meeting.

By the time supper was done, and I had completed a few chores for Her Majesty, it was closing in on being dark. 

I got some stain on three sides of the posts - the preservative was done this morning - so that I will be able to re-bolt the posts first thing tomorrow before I bring the family over.

Some clever soul needs to invent a 40 hour day so we can get things done around here. This 24 hour stuff just doesn't cut it any more...


----------



## gma2rjc

At least it doesn't get dark at 5:00, like it does in December.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Great design Keith! I like it at different heights like that.


You know me...it's just gotta be different! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> At least it doesn't get dark at 5:00, like it does in December.


You mean to say it doesn't get dark until 5 there? Lucky you!

You _might_ be able to work outside her until 4:15 or so, but that would be it. OTOH those long summer days are terrific.


----------



## cocobolo

HRH thought you might get a kick out of seeing all the bees in the artichoke. Plus a couple of others for good measure.


----------



## gma2rjc

She's right. And they're all beautiful. She must be working outside every day to keep everything looking so nice. Lucky bees to have such a grand buffet. Your property is probably their favorite place to bee.


----------



## BigJim

Man that is some mighty thick glass, it looks great in place. I see that the wood isn't cedar now but it still looks good. That is some mighty beautiful scenery there in the shot of the glass. I would have to get up every morning and pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming if I lived on your island. 

You had to have an offset drill to get the holes in that one post didn't you, that was tight. That is really going to be sharp when you finish.

What beautiful flowers and such bright colors, your wife must be very pleased with how great her gardens have turned out, I know I would be.

Keith, are you on Pacific Time? I am on Eastern Standard here. In the winter time we can work outside til around 5 if I remember right.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> She's right. And they're all beautiful. She must be working outside every day to keep everything looking so nice. Lucky bees to have such a grand buffet. Your property is probably their favorite place to bee.


...favorite place to bee huh?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man that is some mighty thick glass, it looks great in place. I see that the wood isn't cedar now but it still looks good. That is some mighty beautiful scenery there in the shot of the glass. I would have to get up every morning and pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming if I lived on your island.
> 
> You had to have an offset drill to get the holes in that one post didn't you, that was tight. That is really going to be sharp when you finish.
> 
> What beautiful flowers and such bright colors, your wife must be very pleased with how great her gardens have turned out, I know I would be.
> 
> Keith, are you on Pacific Time? I am on Eastern Standard here. In the winter time we can work outside til around 5 if I remember right.


Yep, needed the 90º attachment for the drill to get those buried holes.

Presently we are on Pacific daylight time, so I think 3 hours behind you. I always need to keep that in mind when I'm posting just in case we are chatting back & forth.

You would likely be able to work a little longer outside in winter as the sun would set later where you are.

I think it's just about officially sunrise as I'm typing now...no sun yet.

Couple more things to do before I head across to pick up the family.

Better get busy!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yep, needed the 90º attachment for the drill to get those buried holes.
> 
> Presently we are on Pacific daylight time, so I think 3 hours behind you. I always need to keep that in mind when I'm posting just in case we are chatting back & forth.
> 
> You would likely be able to work a little longer outside in winter as the sun would set later where you are.
> 
> I think it's just about officially sunrise as I'm typing now...no sun yet.
> 
> Couple more things to do before I head across to pick up the family.
> 
> Better get busy!


My brain is just not working it looks like. I kept thinking there were four hours difference but there are four time zones. Have a super day buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Got the door to the guest bedroom in.


----------



## cocobolo

Also got the glass screen done, stained and installed.


----------



## gma2rjc

At this pace, you're going to run out of work to do. :laughing:


----------



## DavidRobinson

really nice!


----------



## BigJim

Keith it all looks great and by the way, congratulations on 2000 posts on your thread.

Ole Jim


----------



## Bud Cline

> Got the door to the guest bedroom in.


Now things are looking up!!!
You have just confirmed you have room for guests.










Note to self:
Bud call the airlines back and make reservations for Vancouver again. ASAP


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> At this pace, you're going to run out of work to do. :laughing:


I wish!


----------



## cocobolo

DavidRobinson said:


> really nice!


Thank you, David. :yes:


----------



## justintime08

Keith, nice to meet you. Beautiful project! I was wondering what type of wood preservative that you use. I have been looking into the Lifetime wood treatments, they are apparently non-toxic. Not that I plan on licking or eating the wood after I treat it but I like to keep my options open...lol I like the way that your projects look after they are treated and stained, and it looks like they will see the full gauntlet of elements, snow, 
salt-spray, rain etc...Thanks


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith it all looks great and by the way, congratulations on 2000 posts on your thread.
> 
> Ole Jim


Thanks Jim...you guys snuck that in while I was away getting the family.

Can you believe it, they got lost on the way to the marina - they claimed it was a detour - and the ice cream started to melt by the time we got home!


----------



## cocobolo

Justin08 said:


> Keith, nice to meet you. Beautiful project! I was wondering what type of wood preservative that you use. I have been looking into the Lifetime wood treatments, they are apparently non-toxic. Not that I plan on licking or eating the wood after I treat it but I like to keep my options open...lol I like the way that your projects look after they are treated and stained, and it looks like they will see the full gauntlet of elements, snow,
> salt-spray, rain etc...Thanks


Hi Justin...right...we get pretty much all kinds of weather here. _Usually_ not that much snow. Sometimes none at all. But then just a few years back we got 4 feet! You just never know.

The wood preservative I use most of the time is called Clear Wood Preservative and is made by Recochem Inc., in Montreal. It's main toxicological ingredient is Zinc Napthenate @ 9.4%. The manufacturer strongly suggests that you don't drink it. No doubt that's a pretty good idea!

I think that once it's on the wood and dry, that it can't go too far. If I stain on top of it, I really don't have any concerns for a youngster touching it, as the acrylic latex we use makes a very good barrier.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Now things are looking up!!!
> You have just confirmed you have room for guests.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Note to self:
> Bud call the airlines back and make reservations for Vancouver again. ASAP


Can hardly wait for you to get here...promise I will save _all_ the remaining tile work for you! :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> promise I will save _all_ the remaining tile work for you!


So much for R & R ! But that'd be OK!:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> So much for R & R ! But that'd be OK!:yes:


All right then..I'd better get over to town for the other half ton of thinset!:thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Did I tell ya? I don't do any heavy lifting anymore! That's why my son goes everywhere I go.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Did I tell ya? I don't do any heavy lifting anymore! That's why my son goes everywhere I go.


In that case, I might as well bring the full ton over, plus the 500 lbs. of grout!:thumbsup:


----------



## scoggy

*Wow, you are like that 'little' battery bunny...just keep going..and..going!*

Keith, Hi, scoggy here, seem to be 'almost' mended, and thought with this gorgeous 'smoke' screen, might try a visit in boat..if you allow, and I can go that far, or, maybe, next time you have to make a 'load' from here, could meet you at dock where you are off loading? Fantastic work you are doing...it could well become a "wood apprentices", load to look at! Going to see "shu", DD, in washington next week, and will "tease' him, with your progress!
Cheers
Scoggy


----------



## cocobolo

Sure glad to hear that you're feeling better. Let's hope no permanent damage.

The family is going back tomorrow so there ought to be some decent progress pretty soon.

Both the boys were up at the same time this afternoon, so I took that opportunity to make some noise with the power plane and sander.

The long handrail has been shaped and initially sanded. Now I need to go through the grits. I'm hoping to be able to get the first varnish coat on that rail tomorrow.

Nice thunderstorm this morning, huh? Luckily just a little bit of one end of the rail got wet. The rest is just under cover of the roof.

The smoke from all the forest fires has made it so that all we can see of Vancouver Island now is just the shoreline. In fact, this morning, we couldn't even see that the smoke was so thick.

Pm coming your way...


----------



## cocobolo

I decided to put some "Big People" hand rails in for Jordon on the round deck.

He gave me the high 5 after the test.


----------



## cocobolo

There hasn't been much progress with the family here, but today I did manage to do some shaping and sanding on the top handrail.

I need to cut some plugs and get them in first thing tomorrow morning.

I used the power plane, hand plane and r/o sander.

Here it is basically shaped.


----------



## cocobolo

After the initial sanding it is like so. Still need to go through the grits to get it ready for varnish.


----------



## cocobolo

Looking not too bad closer up...


----------



## gma2rjc

It looks like you spent a lot of time on it already. It's looking good. And, I see your arbutus table on the round deck is being put to the test, with toys on it.

I hope you've had a nice visit with your family.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, that is just absolutely beautiful, man the color is going to just jump out at you when you get the finish on it. With the finish on and the SS cable the deck is going to looks so squeaky clean and crisp. That is something to be proud of my friend.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It looks like you spent a lot of time on it already. It's looking good. And, I see your arbutus table on the round deck is being put to the test, with toys on it.
> 
> I hope you've had a nice visit with your family.


As soon as the baby arrived with Mum it got used as a changing table. Turned out to be just the right height!

Next it was full of toys!

It has been a good visit, but you forget how wearing little boys can be. I don't know where on earth he digs up all that energy! Non-stop from 6 in the morning until 7:30 at night. I wouldn't want to have missed a minute of it.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, that is just absolutely beautiful, man the color is going to just jump out at you when you get the finish on it. With the finish on and the SS cable the deck is going to looks so squeaky clean and crisp. That is something to be proud of my friend.:thumbsup:


Morning Jim...

We have a holiday weekend up in Canada the first week in August, and that's when just about everyone who has a cabin here comes over. 

We have had a pretty steady stream of visitors since last weekend and they all seem to pick out different things that they like. But so far, everyone likes that short glass section on the deck and the long railing.

We're supposed to get showers here tomorrow and Sunday, so I desperately need to get one coat of varnish on to try to keep the water out of the cedar. If it's not coated by this evening, I will have to cover it up with plastic.


----------



## gma2rjc

> It has been a good visit, but you forget how wearing little boys can be. I don't know where on earth he digs up all that energy! Non-stop from 6 in the morning until 7:30 at night. I wouldn't want to have missed a minute of it.


Some call it sleep, but really, he's re-charging between 7:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. :yes: 

You'll miss the little guy when he leaves. Did he help you while you were working?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Some call it sleep, but really, he's re-charging between 7:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. :yes:
> 
> You'll miss the little guy when he leaves. Did he help you while you were working?


That's a good name for it, re-charging! I'll have to remember that one.

Yep, he helped Grandpa Keith all right. I just downloaded the pics his dad took starting on his tree house...post when I get back. We're leaving to get them to the ferry in a few minutes.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Some call it sleep, but really, he's re-charging between 7:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. :yes:
> 
> You'll miss the little guy when he leaves. Did he help you while you were working?


I just must say you both are wonderful grandparents and deserve the best. :thumbsup:

We await your pictures Keith. Here is hoping the rain holds off.

Ole Jim


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I just must say you both are wonderful grandparents and deserve the best. :thumbsup:
> 
> We await your pictures Keith. Here is hoping the rain holds off.
> 
> Ole Jim


Just got back from town...I'm going to try and get the plugs in the railing. I also needed to replace the screws I originally used with some Number 10's - they are beefier. I needed 39, the chandlery had 40! No, I didn't leave the last one for anyone else...:no:

Promise I will get the pix up when I'm done this step.


----------



## cocobolo

....aach! Just did a quick check on the forecast...rain at 5:00 p.m. today - barely over two hours away! Gotta go!


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a shot of the "rain" we didn't get at 5. However, all the TV & radio stations have us getting rain on and off for the next two days.


----------



## cocobolo

The three strips of yellow cedar in the middle of the rail are where all the screws were put in, so I only needed yellow cedar plugs.

Here's a board full...


----------



## cocobolo

When the holes were drilled for the screws, I didn't have any # 10's on hand. So # 8's were used temporarily. 

There's a fair difference in strength between the two.


----------



## cocobolo

The plugs all went in well...


----------



## cocobolo

With fingers crossed, I put on a quick coat of thinned out varnish. More than anything all I was trying to do was to get a seal coat on in the event of rain. 

It looks as though it needs a second coat to seal...often the way with red cedar particularly.


----------



## BigJim

Wow buddy, just beautiful, just beautiful. Are your plugs tapered?

Yellow cedar is something we don't see down this way but it is sure pretty wood. Thanks for the pictures, we always look forward to them.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow buddy, just beautiful, just beautiful. Are your plugs tapered?
> 
> Yellow cedar is something we don't see down this way but it is sure pretty wood. Thanks for the pictures, we always look forward to them.


Thanks Jim:

Yes, the plugs are tapered. I always find that they make a much better fit. If you can drive them in snugly, they all but disappear once they are in place.

The yellow cedar is very dense and exceptionally straight grained. It is a prized carving wood up this way. Really quite a featureless wood, which is why I use it in conjunction with the red. As a combination, they don't look too bad together.


----------



## cocobolo

His dad wasn't on hand when Jordan and Grandpa started on the tree house, so we are missing some shots.

We got a couple of boards of doug fir spiked on to the sides of the tree - using 6" ardox nails. So they aren't going anywhere. Then we nailed a small board across the ends of those two, followed by a couple of pieces going down to the ground.

Jordan is lifting up the floor here, with grandpa's help.


----------



## cocobolo

He's nailing the floor down here using a full size Estwing! (I couldn't find the little apartment hammer I have here somewhere...)


----------



## cocobolo

And I think this pic is on the other side...


----------



## cocobolo

This is more his size...he has the hammer, a level, a saw, pliers...and he knows what each one is for.


----------



## gma2rjc

Looks like you have yourself a best buddy there. He must have been looking forward to building that tree house since he brought his own tools. 

He sure is a cute little guy. And with lots of ambition.

Did you finish building it?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Looks like you have yourself a best buddy there. He must have been looking forward to building that tree house since he brought his own tools.
> 
> He sure is a cute little guy. And with lots of ambition.
> 
> Did you finish building it?


Not yet.

I have some stairs partly done and I will put those in soon. I think I might get some more wood ready to make some walls and a roof. 

Not sure when they can make it over again...possibly in the fall sometime.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks like wife number two's prayers to the rain gods have been answered...but good!

Seven hours of non stop rain so far and she is thrilled. So is the B. C. Forest Service I bet. They are trying to control hundreds of forest fires in the province.

Locally, we had the driest July on record...a total of just .8 mm of rain. Or close to 1/32" which didn't help at all.

Before the rains arrived, she added two more barrels behind the cabin to catch the rain from the roof. I said I would rig up some tubing to get the water from one to the next and then to the third barrel. Naturally I forgot all about it.

So I had to get out there in the rain and do it now! In a few minutes the water should reach the first overflow pipe and head into the second barrel and so on.

Look at all those bubbles...nice, soft water.


----------



## BigJim

The little fellow will never forget the great time with grandpa and how much grandpa loved him. 

I used an Estwing the last part of my career as they were the best hammers out there. Back when I started wood working Plumb hammers were the best but they got sloppy. Back then I used a wooden handle and man them things got slick after a lot of use. I don't think I have seen an Estwing like the one you have though.

That is a neat setup on your rain barrels, good thinking. My mom used to catch rain water from the roof to wash with when I was a youngen living back out in the sticks.


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## cocobolo

This Estwing is the latest design. I think they still have the standard ones. For some reason, this one seems to be particularly easy to use. I like the balance. I should take a few minutes and get rid of the rust. I went and left it outside when I first got it and look what happened!

We are hoping that the kids can get back for a short visit in September, maybe we will fly them over. Once they are on the floatplane, it's only 11 minutes to land here in the bay. I just pick them up in the skiff right where the plane touches down.

The travel time by ferry is more like 5 to 6 hours by the time we get to the island here.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim:

All our water here comes off the roofs. There are two tanks in one up behind the new house, 6,000 imperial gallons. That's around 7,200 U.S. gallons. Plus the 1,500 U.S. gallon tank which is dedicated for fire fighting - let's hope we never need it.

Then there are several barrels here and there, half a dozen I think, which would be another 330 U.S. gallons. 

Plus the pond - in which the leak(s) still have not been fixed. Cannot locate my heat welder to fix it. None of the glues I tried had any effect on the vinyl. Once that is fixed it will hold around 3,500 gallons - perhaps a little more. A shame I didn't have the leaks fixed now, this rain would have put quite a bit in there.

I should do an accurate calculation of the volume so I know what it really holds.


----------



## cocobolo

Just had a visit from my good friend Allan and we are talking about building a drill rig to drill some wells on our property.

If any of you have any good experience about either building (my choice as usual) or the actual drilling of a well, I'd be interested in hearing about it. I have been on the web quite a bit and now starting to learn, but there's nothing like someone with first hand experience to chat with.


----------



## BigJim

I need to go check out the new hammers and see how they feel. By looking at the head it would be hard to miss a nail or a thumb for that matter.:thumbsup:
A lady asked me one time did I ever get use to hitting my thumb or finger, I told her nope, I just try not to hit them.:no:

Wow, that is one heck of a lot of difference in time buddy. I bet that would be a ball flying in like that. I did fly in a chopper one time and I can tell you, that ain't happening again. September isn't too far away, except when waiting to see loved one again.


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## cocobolo

They would need to drive out to the far side of the airport at Richmond where the float planes arrive and leave from. I guess that is about a 25 minute drive - give or take.

But the actual flight time is only 11 minutes. Rachel has been out by plane before, but Corey hasn't. They would both need to come so that they could each hold a little 'un on their laps.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I need to go check out the new hammers and see how they feel. By looking at the head it would be hard to miss a nail or a thumb for that matter.:thumbsup:
> A lady asked me one time did I ever get use to hitting my thumb or finger, I told her nope, I just try not to hit them.:no:
> 
> Wow, that is one heck of a lot of difference in time buddy. I bet that would be a ball flying in like that. I did fly in a chopper one time and I can tell you, that ain't happening again. September isn't too far away, except when waiting to see loved one again.


Here's a pic of three Estwings. The two round headed hammers I must have had for 20+ years. The newer style for 3 or 4 years.


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## cocobolo

The new version is a straight claw hammer, good for pulling 3" nails, as well as driving them.


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## cocobolo

The other two are an old straight claw, and an old curved claw hammer.


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## cocobolo

If you want to see the difference in striking area, here it is. I would say the newer version has about a 25 to 30% greater effective area.

I tend not to use the top of the striking area so much, except possibly when I am first pounding the spike in hard. I tend to finish with the last hit aimed at the bottom of the striking area. You don't tend to get hammer marks that way.

That is also the reason you need to make sure that the face of the hammer is ground to a curve. It helps reduce hammer marks.


----------



## cocobolo

During my clean up efforts today, I ran across an interesting sanding disc I didn't know I had.

I would have pressed it into use for the handrail had I known.

It is a 60 grit device, which would make it extremely aggressive. One would need to be very careful with it in use, as I am certain it would chew up a soft wood like cedar in nothing flat.


----------



## BigJim

That is interesting buddy, I can see you use the new hammer more than the other two and the curved claw is used least. I always used the curved claw the most but it has torn a bunch of pockets off my shirts and popped a few buttons when I was in a tight spot. I was afraid I would knock a hole in my forehead with the straight claw although they are great for pulling nails.

I had one of the 22 oz hammers where the head looked like a meat tenderizer. That thing took a chunk of meat when it hit your finger. 

I can sure tell your hammers don't just sit on a shelf, they are well seasoned and broken in good. 

I really appreciate you showing me the new style hammer, it is unusual to me.

I have one of those disks also Keith and you are right, that bad boy will eat up more than can be fixed and quick. I have used mine several times with good results though but not on something as huge as your rail.


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## cocobolo

OK, now I'm going to surprise you Jim.

My favourite is the 16 oz. curved claw. You know how you can pick up two or three supposedly identical hammers, but one just feels better? Well, that's how the little curved claw one is.

Plus, it's better at pulling small nails.


----------



## cocobolo

I see why you might think the curved one doesn't see as much use. But I only just re-ground the head on it about a month ago. The others haven't been done for ages.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> OK, now I'm going to surprise you Jim.
> 
> My favourite is the 16 oz. curved claw. You know how you can pick up two or three supposedly identical hammers, but one just feels better? Well, that's how the little curved claw one is.
> 
> Plus, it's better at pulling small nails.


You are right, that did surprise me Keith, I was going by the wear on the faces. I'm with you on the feel of a hammer and the curved claw just feels good and you are right it does pull the small nails where the straight claw just won't grab.


----------



## cocobolo

Incidentally, all three of these hammers weigh within one ounce of each other. Yep, that surprised me!


----------



## cocobolo

Just checked the weather for tomorrow...it looks like there is a fair chance of rain again.

Which means inside work...I may try to get a couple of sets of door jambs made up. Or maybe get on to some of the plumbing which needs to be done. Or possibly get some of the stair treads installed.

There's a thousand things to do, I guess it will depend on how energetic I feel in the morning.

The railing did get wet today, but the water seems to have beaded up quite well. It looks like - for the most part anyway - that the varnish has done its' job.


----------



## BigJim

We could use a little more rain down this way, the heat index has hit 120F and that is just a little too warm for this ole boy. 

Being retired does have it's draw back for me, I wish I could go back to work, I really did love it. Do you think you will wind your home up by winter time? I know you will never be completely finished as there is always something to do or change.

In building, I guess stair work was my favorite and I got a few that really did challenge me and that was right down my alley. What type of wood are you using on your treads inside? Good gravy, here I go with a thousand questions again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> We could use a little more rain down this way, the heat index has hit 120F and that is just a little too warm for this ole boy.
> 
> Being retired does have it's draw back for me, I wish I could go back to work, I really did love it. Do you think you will wind your home up by winter time? I know you will never be completely finished as there is always something to do or change.
> 
> In building, I guess stair work was my favorite and I got a few that really did challenge me and that was right down my alley. What type of wood are you using on your treads inside? Good gravy, here I go with a thousand questions again.


The computer weather prediction for yesterday was right on the money, and it called for more rain at 6 a.m. this morning. Right again!

That has cooled things down nicely, although it is due to get very warm again as soon as the rain is done.

I would like to think that the real work might be done by winter...although no guarantees of course.

There is a bit of everything yet to do. Mostly it looks like a lot of tiling to do..._still waiting _for Bud to show up!!!:laughing:

I think once I get stuck into the tiling that it will go fairly quickly, although let me hasten to add that I will _not_ be trying to race through it!

It's my habit to try and do things right the first time, rather than trying to find the extra time to do it over again.

The stair treads - bottom staircase anyway - is arbutus.

And much like the table outside, I won't be making any attempt to correct any of the natural flaws in the wood. So, if there is the occasional hole where the wood has canker, so be it. The treads will have several coats of Varathane. Plus I expect that the leading edges of each tread will have fine sand embedded in the Varathane.

I have found that goes a long way to prevent any slipping.

I did a circular stair for a fellow on the island here, and we used 3/4" oak plywood for the treads. Can't remember what I used for the bull nosing, some kind of hardwood, maybe oak. I added the fine sand - which you buy in small packets for the purpose - to the leading edge of the treads, and he tells me that it works well.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, you asked about the tapered plug cutter before.

When I was in the boat yard, I remember having 3/8", 7/16" and 1/2" cutters. If I remember rightly they weren't all tapered. And they may have been 3 flute cutters.

This one is the small one, 3/8", four flutes and is tapered. I got it from Lee Valley many years ago.

As you can see from the pic of the board I posted with the yellow cedar plugs, it works extremely well.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The computer weather prediction for yesterday was right on the money, and it called for more rain at 6 a.m. this morning. Right again!
> 
> That has cooled things down nicely, although it is due to get very warm again as soon as the rain is done.
> 
> I would like to think that the real work might be done by winter...although no guarantees of course.
> 
> There is a bit of everything yet to do. Mostly it looks like a lot of tiling to do..._still waiting _for Bud to show up!!!:laughing:
> 
> I think once I get stuck into the tiling that it will go fairly quickly, although let me hasten to add that I will _not_ be trying to race through it!
> 
> It's my habit to try and do things right the first time, rather than trying to find the extra time to do it over again.
> 
> The stair treads - bottom staircase anyway - is arbutus.
> 
> And much like the table outside, I won't be making any attempt to correct any of the natural flaws in the wood. So, if there is the occasional hole where the wood has canker, so be it. The treads will have several coats of Varathane. Plus I expect that the leading edges of each tread will have fine sand embedded in the Varathane.
> 
> I have found that goes a long way to prevent any slipping.
> 
> I did a circular stair for a fellow on the island here, and we used 3/4" oak plywood for the treads. Can't remember what I used for the bull nosing, some kind of hardwood, maybe oak. I added the fine sand - which you buy in small packets for the purpose - to the leading edge of the treads, and he tells me that it works well.


Looks like we may need to take up a collection to get Bud on a plane to your place. I heard he is a ball of fire on tile work and top notched all around good feller. :yes: When it comes to tile I am slow as molasses in February, I don't know why but I am. 

I put porcelain in our kitchen and it took me a month but I did have to do a lot of prep work as the floor looked like waves on the ocean and I am wore out also. You know, come to think about it, Bud gave me a lot of great advice on our floor and it is still holding up great. I had laid tile many times on concrete but never on a conventional floor. (Bud really did help me out on our floor)

Yep, you got the right fellow for the job for sure. Man what a guy to volunteer to help you, and for free no less :whistling2: can't beat that with a stick.

That was a neat trick putting the fine sand in the finish to make the treads less slippery. Are you going to take picture of your stairs as you install them? We sure would love to be there watching over your shoulder.:thumbsup:

Keith I have seen the plug cutters like you have and I may even have some myself, I know I have some out there somewhere. The ones you have really do a good job and like you I like the tapered one. 

When building rails and I needed a plug quickly I would take a square stick whittle it to a taper drive it in cut it off and sand it. The plug didn't need to be all that round or smooth as the hole in the rail was already round and the peg would conform to the round hole. I don't know if that would work with soft wood or not. Most rails I built was red or white oak. 

Ole rubber lips signing off here (I wrote another book here)


----------



## cocobolo

You're definitely right about Bud. He has been nothing short of a gold mine of information for me.

The sand on the treads trick comes from the boating world. Sometimes they use crushed walnut shells mixed with the last coat of paint on the floor in the cockpit, and sometimes on the outer decks where you may be subject to slipping. Only trouble with that is that they wear out over a period of time. Which is why I prefer the sand.

Whittling a stick works for sure, except that usually you get end grain, as opposed to flat grain to match the wood.

Of course, if you are looking for a contrast - which I was not on the railing - then the stick trick would work well.


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## cocobolo

Got the side jambs made up for the ensuite door today. Still need to do the head jambs for this and the guest bedroom door.

Did a test hang on the door.


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## cocobolo

These doors did not come pre drilled for the hardware like some do. I'm happier to do my own...


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## cocobolo

The hardware is in and the plastic covering is off the glass.

Better go and make the head jambs before I get waylaid on something else.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You're definitely right about Bud. He has been nothing short of a gold mine of information for me.
> 
> The sand on the treads trick comes from the boating world. Sometimes they use crushed walnut shells mixed with the last coat of paint on the floor in the cockpit, and sometimes on the outer decks where you may be subject to slipping. Only trouble with that is that they wear out over a period of time. Which is why I prefer the sand.
> 
> Whittling a stick works for sure, except that usually you get end grain, as opposed to flat grain to match the wood.
> 
> Of course, if you are looking for a contrast - which I was not on the railing - then the stick trick would work well.


I have never heard of the walnut hulls in the finish, I love hearing about new things. You are right about the end grain showing, I wasn't paying enough attention to you making plugs on a flat board. I was after the end grain look on when pegging the rails though.

Your doors are looking good buddy, getting closer to finishing all the time.


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## cocobolo

OK, so the head jamb is done to the ensuite...


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## cocobolo

...as well as to the guest bedroom. This is heading down the short hall...


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## cocobolo

Same spot, but looking from the other side.

The missus wants me to install some glass work that she did above the door. Now that she knows the jamb is done, she seems to think I should attend to that right away.


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## BigJim

Beautiful, I love the all wood look, no sheet rock. :thumbsup:


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## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> The missus wants me to install some glass work that she did above the door. Now that she knows the jamb is done, she seems to think I should attend to that right away.


There's no time like the present. And I agree with her. You should attend to it right away. Because... glass above the door? If it's as nice as everything else she's done, it'll look beautiful!
 
The ensuite door is very pretty.

Barb


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> There's no time like the present. And I agree with her. You should attend to it right away. Because... glass above the door? If it's as nice as everything else she's done, it'll look beautiful!
> 
> The ensuite door is very pretty.
> 
> Barb


Oh...I see...well, in that case...I suppose I had better get to it.

Let's see, I will need some kind of frame around the glass...cedar might be good. So I will need to capture the glass frame in some small strips...


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## cocobolo

...something like that. And I will need to ease the edges of the wood...can't have anything sharp up there...so here's the giant plane I use for that.


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## cocobolo

There's not much room up there to swing a cat, let alone a hammer, so I'd better make the whole frame first.


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## cocobolo

Can you just imagine if it doesn't fit...

Taken from the master bedroom...always nice to have a margarine container full of nails in your pic...


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## cocobolo

Sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you...that's a yogurt container.

Pic doesn't come out too well at night, and the one taken from inside the guest room is even worse. I'll have another go in daylight.


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## BigJim

Keith, the transom looks great but I love your plane, that is really nice. How long have you had it?

I looked back at your pictures again, that is one heck of a lot of work you have put in on your house, incredible and beautiful.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, the transom looks great but I love your plane, that is really nice. How long have you had it?


Probably had it for two or three years...it's another Lee Valley find. The little blade in it is as sharp as a razor. 

It makes sort of a sizzling noise as it cuts the wood.

I should dig up all my planes...like _that's possible_ all at one time...and let you know what I use them for. I have a few interesting ones.


----------



## BigJim

I would love to see them, I have a few but not any old ones. Now that you mentioned Lee Valley, I do remember seeing a plane on their site similar to the one you have. Do you use the scary sharp method of sharpening or do you have a system of your own?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I would love to see them, I have a few but not any old ones. Now that you mentioned Lee Valley, I do remember seeing a plane on their site similar to the one you have. Do you use the scary sharp method of sharpening or do you have a system of your own?


Not sure whether or not it is scary sharp, but I do use the Japanese water stones. They make an extremely sharp edge on any blade.

Many years ago, Leonard Lee, the founder of Lee Valley Tools, wrote what I consider to be the definitive book on sharpening. If you follow that, you can hardly fail to have sharp tools.


----------



## gma2rjc

The glass looks nice up there. I wish I could start a project and finish it in one evening. 

That plane sure is tiny. Do they make them any smaller?

Can you use the Japanese wet stone to sharpen garden tools? Or are they mostly for finer blades?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The glass looks nice up there. I wish I could start a project and finish it in one evening.
> 
> That plane sure is tiny. Do they make them any smaller?
> 
> Can you use the Japanese wet stone to sharpen garden tools? Or are they mostly for finer blades?


Yes, it's small. I would say it is about as small as they come and still be practical to use. I have seen smaller planes, but I think they were done more as an exercise along the lines of "Look how small I can make this".

I believe the Japanese water stones are used for flat blades only, such as chisels and plane blades. Things like garden shovels - which you also need to keep sharp - are best done either on a grinder, either bench type or hand held, or possibly with a belt sander. I haven't tried the sander, but it should work.

I remember way back when I used to use a scythe, we always kept a stone in our pocket to keep the blade sharp as we worked. I believe it was a fairly coarse stone and obviously used dry.

The Japanese water stones are kept under water so that they remain waterlogged. You can get them right down to 8000 grit, which is pretty darned fine.

I suppose if you are fanatical you could follow up with a buffing wheel after that, but I think that's hardly necessary for most uses.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Not sure whether or not it is scary sharp, but I do use the Japanese water stones. They make an extremely sharp edge on any blade.
> 
> Many years ago, Leonard Lee, the founder of Lee Vally Tools, wrote what I consider to be the definitive book on sharpening. If you follow that, you can hardly fail to have sharp tools.


Keith, is that book still on the market, I would like to check it out. I do a little wood carving and have several wood carving tools that must be extremely sharp and are. This is really weird, I can't remember how I sharpened them. Since that little mishap last September I have lost some of my short term memory. I know I use a hard felt wheel with compound to do the final polish but beyond that is gone. Oh well, that will give me more to research. :thumbsup: Judy said I have all that stuff written down some where and she is going to help me find it. I will let you know what I find, this gettin old thing is for the birds.:wallbash:


----------



## cocobolo

I tried a daylight pic of the window which the missus did. Still had to do a little fixing in iPhoto.

It is a dull day again here, so still not much light coming through.


----------



## cocobolo

She was trying to get some of that Frank Lloyd Wright feeling in that window, but still very much have her own "touch" to it.

There is another one to install yet, at the top of the wall in the master bed room where it connects to the top of the stairwell. It's different again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, is that book still on the market, I would like to check it out. I do a little wood carving and have several wood carving tools that must be extremely sharp and are. This is really weird, I can't remember how I sharpened them. Since that little mishap last September I have lost some of my short term memory. I know I use a hard felt wheel with compound to do the final polish but beyond that is gone. Oh well, that will give me more to research. :thumbsup: Judy said I have all that stuff written down some where and she is going to help me find it. I will let you know what I find, this gettin old thing is for the birds.:wallbash:


Jim:

I agree with you about the getting old part...sometimes I still try to pretend that I'm just an overgrown punk kid! :laughing:

Yes, the book is still very much available. You can order it from the Lee Valley website. The number is 73L01.55, and the cost (in Canada) is $17.50 plus mailing. It most likely is a bit less in the States. It covers carving tools as well as just about anything else you might care to name that has a cutting edge on it. 

And IMO, it is the best book on the market in this category, well worth the price and then some. :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

That really is pretty, both of your works compliment each other, you are both very talented.

Keith if you are using the 8000 grit to finish sharpening, your blades have to be extremely sharp, I don't have anything that fine except tooth paste on leather and that does a pretty fair job. The down side of using tooth paste on leather is it can roll the edge if not careful.


----------



## cocobolo

I can't remember what grit the toothpaste is, but I remember as a kid using it with lots of water to polish the paint on model cars of all things! It's quite aggressive.

I use the stone pond, again from L.V., little more than an overpriced plastic container Except for the fact that it has holders for the stones when you are using them.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see, it's pretty ancient...not quite as ancient as me! I stuck a piece of emery on to the glass top for honing. It has long needed replacing.

Inside I have an 8000 grit stone, which I leave in the water all the time.


----------



## cocobolo

Mostly I use the 1000/4000 stone you see here in the holder.

You need to put these stones under water for an hour or so before you use them. And keep putting water on the stone while you are sharpening.

This holder is really good, because the rubber feet stick nicely to the workbench top in use. A squirt bottle is handy for keeping the stone wet.


----------



## cocobolo

Here are some of my planes...there's no way that I will ever find them all at any one time. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

The hammer in that pic is specially for adjusting a plane iron.

The two odd looking things left front are sharpening guides, extreme precision when you need it.

Barb was asking about the little ebony bodied plane earlier, and I found one of the others I have. It's a bullnose plane which means you can get right in to the corner of something with it.

The plane body is much narrower than the regular mini-plane, but the blade is the same width at the business end.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, is there any tool you don't have?  That is a great collection you have and looking at them it is easy to see you use most of them quite a bit. There is one at the very top right of the picture I am unfamiliar with. I see one that looks like a rabbet plane and is one of the smaller planes a Stanley? I had one like that and used it until I finally lost it. 

The two small ebony planes are just super, I have never seen one of the bull nose planes like that. I have sure seen a few times I could have used one instead of a chisel.

I see your sharpening guide and you are so right, with that and the water stones you have, make a fantastic combination. I can see you use your stones and wet station a lot. I just love a good sharp tool, they make working such a pleasure. There is just something about using hand tools that gives a fellow such a feeling of accomplishment. I appreciate you taking the time to get a few of your planes and scrapers together for us to see.

By the way, a good friend sent me three pieces of wood and I got them today. I can't wait to get out in the shop and do some playing with them. I just can't begin to say how grateful, appreciative and happy I am for the fantastic present. I will post a picture or two after I make something with it to share with you.:thumbsup:

Thanks again for sharing buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, is there any tool you don't have?  That is a great collection you have and looking at them it is easy to see you use most of them quite a bit. There is one at the very top right of the picture I am unfamiliar with. I see one that looks like a rabbet plane and is one of the smaller planes a Stanley? I had one like that and used it until I finally lost it.
> 
> The two small ebony planes are just super, I have never seen one of the bull nose planes like that. I have sure seen a few times I could have used one instead of a chisel.
> 
> I see your sharpening guide and you are so right, with that and the water stones you have, make a fantastic combination. I can see you use your stones and wet station a lot. I just love a good sharp tool, they make working such a pleasure. There is just something about using hand tools that gives a fellow such a feeling of accomplishment. I appreciate you taking the time to get a few of your planes and scrapers together for us to see.
> 
> By the way, a good friend sent me three pieces of wood and I got them today. I can't wait to get out in the shop and do some playing with them. I just can't begin to say how grateful, appreciative and happy I am for the fantastic present. I will post a picture or two after I make something with it to share with you.:thumbsup:
> 
> Thanks again for sharing buddy.


I found three more planes while I was hunting down other stuff today...I'll get to those in a minute.

But to answer your questions in order, there are hundreds of hand tools I don't have that I would love to have. But until we get moved into the house from the cabin, I don't have an inch of space to put anything else. Truth be told, I don't have room for what I have now!

The one at top right I will do a separate post and pics for you.

Yes, there's a rabbet plane, I just didn't put out all the accessories for it.

Yes, several are Stanleys.

Good luck with the wood!


----------



## cocobolo

I hope this is the plane you are referring to at the top.

It is a No. 12 scraper plane, and was manufactured between 1869 and 1945. I doubt that there were many made between 1939 and 1945 because of the war.

There is no indication what year this may have been made.


----------



## cocobolo

When I had the boat repair business, I did a slew of work for a chap with a 60' ferro Ketch. He had this thing on his boat but had no idea what it was.

Apparently, someone had given it to him decades earlier, and they didn't know what it was either!

So he asked me if I knew what it was...yep, it's a scraper plane.

OK, then...you can have it...here you are!


----------



## cocobolo

The three other planes I ran across are a European plane with a hornbeam sole which I bought brand new and have never used. I keep it in the original box, which for me is very unusual. Usually the first thing to go is the box.

The little Japanese plane in the middle I have posted in use previously.

The closest one is another Stanley bullnose plane.

I believe there might be a bullnose plane on which you can remove the nose piece and turn it into a chisel plane.


----------



## cocobolo

Bottom view so you can see the business side of things.


----------



## cocobolo

Got one for you Barb...remember I was trying to find the small hammer for Jordan?

Naturally I located it today...too late!

This one weighs 12.4 ounces, whereas a regular 16 oz. hammer weights about 1 lb. 12 ozs. So, it is less than half. I'm sure he could have handled this one.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, you got me to hyperventilating with the beautiful planes. I can just feel each one of them, especially the horned one. That scraper plane is just the neatest I have seen. I have never seen one of those, I would have shined that fellows shoes for that fantastic prize. I have several spoke shaves but never have used them, I don't even remember where I got them. The reason I don't use the spoke shaves is I don't know how.

Nooooow I see why you are so good at wood working, you repaired the big beautiful boats. Man that would have been the dream job for me. I enjoyed restoring the old antique homes but working on the big boats just seems like it would have been so much fun. Both have their challenges though and from the looks of your projects you like a challenge also. I can't wait to see some of your other planes up close. Thanks Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

I don't know why it is, but lots of folks won't try a spokeshave. As long as the blade is sharp and set correctly, they are a joy to use.

They are something like a drawknife in operation, except that you only take thin shavings from the wood. They are normally pulled towards you, although you _can_ use them on the push stroke as well.

It may take a little practice getting used to using one, kind of like a regular plane which you push, and a Japanese plane which you pull.

If you like I will put up separate pics of the planes and give a brief description.


----------



## cocobolo

The other window that the M-R-S did up will go right up high on the top of the stairs. It will be seen mainly from the master bedroom...and it is being placed there so that when the sun rises in the morning it will shine through that window and hopefully all the colours will play for us.

Every year during the B.C. day long weekend in August, we have a treasure weekend where you put out any decent usable items you don't want on to the pathways. Anyone can take whatever they like for free.

We picked up these old windows about 7 years ago, and they had already been re-cycled at least once. They were painted a nasty shade of worn out green at the time.

Wife number two decided she would like to clean some of them up and do some staining.

They have been hanging in the cabin for some time awaiting the day of the big install in the house!

In order that you get to see the colours on this one, I put it outside to get a pic.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, that would be super, I know some others will love to see them and see what they are used for. I know we all would love to see them.


----------



## cocobolo

After a fair bit of cedar work, the window is in place.


----------



## cocobolo

...and this last shot will give you a better perspective of the relationship between the windows.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The other window that the M-R-S did up will go right up high on the top of the stairs. It will be seen mainly from the master bedroom...and it is being placed there so that when the sun rises in the morning it will shine through that window and hopefully all the colours will play for us.
> 
> Every year during the B.C. day long weekend in August, we have a treasure weekend where you put out any decent usable items you don't want on to the pathways. Anyone can take whatever they like for free.
> 
> We picked up these old windows about 7 years ago, and they had already been re-cycled at least once. They were painted a nasty shade of worn out green at the time.
> 
> Wife number two decided she would like to clean some of them up and do some staining.
> 
> They have been hanging in the cabin for some time awaiting the day of the big install in the house!
> 
> In order that you get to see the colours on this one, I put it outside to get a pic.


Now that is really beautiful, that will really look sharp especially when the sun comes through like you said. You do beautiful work my friend, that is just gorgeous.

I will shut up and let some one else comment, it looks like I am hogging your thread.


----------



## cocobolo

...now you know what's going to happen, don't you?

No sun for a month!


----------



## cocobolo

OK, I'm going to get the planes out of the way now...the most frequently used planes by far (by me) are the small block planes. There is very little you can't do with one of these guys.


----------



## cocobolo

First up is a block plane which I sometimes use if I'm working outside and I don't care if it gets rained on.

I believe I bought this plane maybe 40 years ago, dirt cheap at the time, but the adjustments are terrible.

The easiest way to set this one is to lock the blade in place while it is set high, then gently tap it into place with the plane hammer.

I will say that for such a poorly made plane it cuts well as long as the blade is sharp. It hates cutting knots. Made in USA.


----------



## cocobolo

The black Stanley is a nice little unit. As with the red one, it lacks a throat adjustment.


----------



## cocobolo

The red Stanley has a different blade setting mechanism to the black one. It is superior in most ways. I use this one a lot.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's my favourite block plane hands down.

It is an old low angle Stanley. It comes with an adjustable throat, so that when working difficult wood you can close the throat up to avoid excessive tearout.

Because of the low angle (12º) it may be used on end grain.


----------



## cocobolo

This plane is only something you would buy if you are a genuine woodworker. It's an edge trimming plane, and definitely not cheap.

Made in Canada by Veritas, the manufacturing arm of Lee valley, this is a very specific tool.

As with the low angle plane above, this one too has a 12º bed angle.

The blade width is just 1 1/4" and it is supposed to cut a 1" wide board. I find that's stretching it just a tad. It seems to handle 15/16" or under. Maybe I don't quite have it adjusted perfectly.

The precise 90º angle of the plane ensures that you will get a perfect square edge on your board when planing.

I note that now this plane is made in both a left and right hand version, although if you are half way competent with a plane I don't see why you would need both.

It definitely lives up to the claims made by the manufacturer and cuts like a dream. It also has the ability to trim board ends, possibly even better than the low angle plane above. And this would be because of the skew angle which makes an excellent shearing cut.

They originally made a bronze version of this plane - _very_ expensive - but I believe no longer available.


----------



## cocobolo

I think that's going to be it for the planes. Most of the others I have already posted about previously, no sense in doing it again.

If I find something really oddball, I will post that for you all.

Off to take a crack at getting the last bit of the ceiling done in the guest bedroom. The area has a taper to it, a result of the fan shaped roof. The boards will only vary a little - from 45 1/2" down to 43" over a length of 41".

Just inconvenient enough that I should make up some sort of guide to get the angles right.


----------



## cocobolo

And once that is finished, then I will tackle getting the cedar filled in around the window.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I can see how the red one would be bad on a knot with the high angle. I'm with you on the last plane, that would be my favorite also, I bet it cuts so smooth. 


Beautiful, Keith, by the way, what type of insulation are you using? It kind a looks like cellulose.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim:

The insulation is called Roxul flexibatt. It is made from rock - of all things - right here in B.C. I believe they also have a plant over in Ontario.

It is 100% fireproof, doesn't melt, nothing. I tried with a welding torch and all it did was to turn black. We put some in the wood stove as well...same thing.

And _it doesn't itch!_ Cuts with a bread knife and holds its' shape perfectly.

I haven't touched fiberglass since we found this stuff.


----------



## justintime08

I am in the process of getting ready to install some insulation. I was going to use the DOW no itch, no formaldehyde cotton type insulation but it is a little pricey. I would love to get some more info on this stuff you are using. How is the price compared to glass?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim:
> 
> The insulation is called Roxul flexibatt. It is made from rock - of all things - right here in B.C. I believe they also have a plant over in Ontario.
> 
> It is 100% fireproof, doesn't melt, nothing. I tried with a welding torch and all it did was to turn black. We put some in the wood stove as well...same thing.
> 
> And _it doesn't itch!_ Cuts with a bread knife and holds its' shape perfectly.
> 
> I haven't touched fiberglass since we found this stuff.


Wow, that is amazing, I haven't heard of that before, I am with Justin, I would love to see more about that. I used a lot of the cellulose in the old homes and it did a fantastic job, it was fire resistant but not fire proof. The cellulose was miles ahead of the fiberglass batts as far as insulating goes.


----------



## cocobolo

Justin08 said:


> I am in the process of getting ready to install some insulation. I was going to use the DOW no itch, no formaldehyde cotton type insulation but it is a little pricey. I would love to get some more info on this stuff you are using. How is the price compared to glass?


Justin, it's been awhile since we bought any, but I seem to recall that it was about 10% more than f/g.

From my point of view, that was a no brainer, because this insulation is 10% higher R value than f/g. For example, the 6" f/g is R-20, the Roxul is R-22. IMO it's just an all round better product.

Home Depot carries in up here, so you might check with them to see if they have it where you are.

Someone else asked me about this maybe a year or more ago, and at the time it wasn't available in the States.

After having used this - 90 bags worth in our place - I wouldn't touch f/g ever again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, that is amazing, I haven't heard of that before, I am with Justin, I would love to see more about that. I used a lot of the cellulose in the old homes and it did a fantastic job, it was fire resistant but not fire proof. The cellulose was miles ahead of the fiberglass batts as far as insulating goes.


Jim:

When we first put the Roxul in here, it was a brand new product, and it was only made in B.C. So we were the first consumers to use it. 

Within just a few months, it became so popular that HD couldn't keep it in stock. It was out the door as fast as it came in.

Luckily for us, we could only bring over a few bales at a time, so it wasn't any real problem for us.


----------



## justintime08

I did a little research on their website. It looks like you still need to be somewhat careful with this stuff, they recommend dust masks and gloves. I found this on a website talking about the pros and cons of rockwool. This info that I found is not from Roxul's website

"Rockwool is made of slag, which is a recycled steel product, and rock, a trap rock mined in Texas...those are the only raw materials in rockwool insulation..we use "coke" which is a recyled material from coal..it is used to make the heat hotter in the manufacturing process, in order to save energy...rockwool is the safest insulation on the market today...it also has one of the best thermal insualting properties as well as a superior sound control while not supporting mold or mildew..all while not having to add any chemicals...many other insulation products on the market today are either all chemcial, foams, or have chemicals added to them to keep them fire retardant, cellulose..."


----------



## gma2rjc

Roxul has been available here in Michigan for about a year. I have to drive quite a distance to get it, because HD doesn't have it yet. At least the last time I checked they didn't. Here's a link to the website:

http://www.roxul.com/home

I believe you can type in your zip code to find a store nearby that sells it.
 
Keith, thanks for all the pictures and information about the planes. I guess a beginner would want to practice on some scrap wood for a while to get the hang of using each individual plane.

The windows look fabulous! Especially with the colors and curves of the walls and ceiling around them. :yes:

That's a cute hammer too. Your grandson will love using it on his next visit. Other than letting the kids work with it, what is the purpose of the short handle on it?


----------



## BigJim

Justin08 said:


> I did a little research on their website. It looks like you still need to be somewhat careful with this stuff, they recommend dust masks and gloves. I found this on a website talking about the pros and cons of rockwool. This info that I found is not from Roxul's website
> 
> "Rockwool is made of slag, which is a recycled steel product, and rock, a trap rock mined in Texas...those are the only raw materials in rockwool insulation..we use "coke" which is a recyled material from coal..it is used to make the heat hotter in the manufacturing process, in order to save energy...rockwool is the safest insulation on the market today...it also has one of the best thermal insualting properties as well as a superior sound control while not supporting mold or mildew..all while not having to add any chemicals...many other insulation products on the market today are either all chemcial, foams, or have chemicals added to them to keep them fire retardant, cellulose..."


Justin, I was aware that the cellulose had a chemical fire retardant as all it is is just ground up newspaper. If and when I need more insulation I will for sure go with the Roxul. It is amazing that rock would be a good insulator though.


----------



## cocobolo

I was unaware that this may have some slag in it, but perhaps it doesn't.

I remember when we first got the Roxul, that I picked up the brochure about it. I just remember that it was made from rock. I don't think they mentioned anything else.

Rockwool may not be the same product, I don't know.

I haven't found it necessary to use gloves and a mask, although I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to do that. We have never had any itch whatsoever from this stuff.


----------



## justintime08

I just wonder what the difference between this new insulation and the old blown-in rockwool insulation I am used to seeing in attics here in the northeast. That stuff once old and deteriorated is I think much worse than just the fiber-glass!


----------



## cocobolo

Barb, they call this an "apartment hammer".

I guess because all you need a hammer for in an apartment would be to drive a few small nails in the wall to hang pictures!


----------



## cocobolo

Justin08 said:


> I just wonder what the difference between this new insulation and the old blown-in rockwool insulation I am used to seeing in attics here in the northeast. That stuff once old and deteriorated is I think much worse than just the fiber-glass!


Justin: this Roxul is nothing at all like the blown in rockwool. I have my doubts that this will ever deteriorate. We have put some on the bonfire, left it out in the rain...nothing seems to affect it at all.


----------



## BigJim

I found a link on rockwool and it is made from rock but it can't be the same thing you are using Keith as this in this link is the old stuff that would eat you alive. Here is the link 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_wool
I remember vividly using rockwool and that stuff back in the late 50s and 60s stayed with you for a few miserable days.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks for the link, Jim.

It looks like there may be some similarities, but I believe that Roxul is not the same as Rockwool. I think the company should be able to give the right information.


----------



## jlhaslip

Man,,, I go away for a few days and come back to another 10 pages of excellent material.

Thanks for the postings and ramblings. All good stuff.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks for the link, Jim.
> 
> It looks like there may be some similarities, but I believe that Roxul is not the same as Rockwool. I think the company should be able to give the right information.


Keith, after watching their video I agree with you, this insulation is not the same. I will buy the Roxul hands down. Here is their video. 
http://www.roxul.com/home

Click on their video.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Man,,, I go away for a few days and come back to another 10 pages of excellent material.
> 
> Thanks for the postings and ramblings. All good stuff.


Hi jl, how are you?

Yeah, all sorts of things are happening now. I spent some of the day trying to get the cedar up on a very awkward part of the guest bed room...nearly finished.

People have been coming and going all day, so it has been on and off for the work...you know how that goes.

Good to hear from you again...


----------



## cocobolo

Nothing much in the way of a sunset tonight, but better than the rain & clouds of the past few days.


----------



## cocobolo

Except for the last triangle at the very top of the ceiling, all the cedar is in. The last bits are being glued together first. They will get nailed up in the morning.

Let's hope for not quite so many intrusions into the workday tomorrow...


----------



## gma2rjc

That's a beautiful sunset. The way you cropped the picture looks nice.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's a beautiful sunset. The way you cropped the picture looks nice.


Thanks...the rest of it was just blank sky...so out it went!


----------



## BigJim

Your ceiling looks great, I wasn't sure how you were going to finish it off but now I see, I like it. I agree that is a beautiful sunset, thanks buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Jim.

Well, the big day is here...just got a call from the trucking company in Victoria. :thumbsup:

The 4328 pounds of tiles are on the truck and should be delivered to the boat yard at 10:30 this morning. I will be over there early waiting for the driver.

They were even good enough to put their driver on the phone to me so we could make sure everything went smoothly.

Must remember to take the camera!!!

Wish me luck!


----------



## gma2rjc

That's exciting! Good luck!

Is the tide still high enough?


----------



## BigJim

My stars, you are going to be one wore out youngster tonight. We hope the move goes smooth as silk for you. Won't nobody have to rock you to sleep tonight.:no:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's exciting! Good luck!
> 
> Is the tide still high enough?


Well, I just got back to the island with the first ton of tiles. That cleaned out one pallet, the other is waiting patiently for me to grab it tomorrow.

I have loaded 700 lbs. on to the skiff, and now I just wait for the tide to get high enough. Once the first skiff load is offloaded at the log lift, I will hustle up and get two more loads to finish up, by which time I might be moderately tired.

By about 6 o'clock it should be OK, and will be good for at least another 2 hours after that. Tomorrow and the next day are equally high, but the highs will be a little later of course.

But now, I am off to the bay for a nice cool swim.


----------



## cocobolo

Took lots of pics, which I shall put up later.


----------



## gma2rjc

*Oh [email protected]*

Looking forward seeing to them.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

You are amazing, I would have never been able to do 1/3 of that. We do look forward to your pictures.


----------



## cocobolo

Well thanks Jim, but I assure you I'm none too amazing. I long ago learned that slow and steady wins the race, so that's the strategy I adopted today.

I arrived at the marina around 10:30, and the truck arrived about an hour later. I thought it would be coming up in a small lift truck, but nooo...

this is what came around the corner!


----------



## cocobolo

The driver and I had a chat...I showed him over to the boatyard section of the marina...then he hopped in the truck and off he went.


----------



## cocobolo

Would you believe this is a '95 Mack? In beautiful condition. Apparently the company doesn't lease any trucks, they own them outright. And the driver, Vern, was saying they do an excellent job of maintenance.

He chose to back into the small yard. Don't ask me how he did that, there is no room to speak of at the other end.


----------



## cocobolo

The liftgate in use and the first pallet coming out.


----------



## cocobolo

As soon as we dragged the pallet off the liftgate, it got stuck in the soft parking lot. We couldn't budge it...hey...it weighed a ton!


----------



## cocobolo

So Vern just moved the truck ahead enough to get the second pallet off, and we both pulled the pallet off together. Didn't make any difference, it got stuck again anyway.

But it was just fine where it was.


----------



## cocobolo

Then the real fun started.

As I started to get the tiles down to the boat, by a most _un_fortunate circumstance, it was low tide...and you know what that means...right?

Take a peek at the gangplank.


----------



## cocobolo

My original plan was to put 3 boxes of tile on the hand truck, but this was a 25% grade. Forget that idea.

The boxes weigh a trace over 60 lbs each. Three would have been 180 lbs, but even with two at 120 lbs - plus the weight of the hand truck, it was enough of a fight going down as it was.


----------



## cocobolo

The worst thing about loading anything heavy on to the boat has always been the actual lift from the dock on to the boat. It's just plain awkward.

No matter how tight you tie the boat up, everything moves under your feet.

Since I was doing this alone, I thought I had better improve the loading situation before I got started. 

I brought over an old chunk of 3/4" plywood and a bunch of pieces of wood, a handful of nails, hammer and saw. It turned out to be a very easy solution.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the first two boxes sitting on ready to go into the boat.

Hey, look at that will you...the guy who printed the boxes did one upside down!


----------



## cocobolo

After a couple of hours of loading, this is what the inside of the boat looked like.


----------



## cocobolo

Just above the waterline on a sailboat, you paint a bootstripe.
At the 1,800# mark, this was all that was left showing.


----------



## cocobolo

It was 2:30 by the time I left Boat Harbour...


----------



## cocobolo

...and this is where we are headed.


----------



## cocobolo

Offloading at the other end was much more difficult, even though it was much quicker.

Incidentally, I counted the number of paces each way at the marina...150!

First I stacked some boxes on the cockpit seat. Then put some wood on top (actually a part of the hatchway) so that the next row would be able to slide off without too much trouble.


----------



## cocobolo

When I arrived back in the bay, it was still about 3 more hours until the tide was high enough to move the skiff in.

But while I was out there, I decided to put 12 boxes in so they were ready to go. About 720 lbs, more than enough for that little boat. But as we were only inside the bay and it was nice and calm, it was no problem. That way it would only take 3 loads on the skiff to get all the tile to shore.

And you guys complain because it takes you _how long_ to get to your local big box store? Sheeeeesh!


----------



## cocobolo

This was kind of the routine...3 boxes on top of the 4 below. They just slid off nicely.

Keep in mind these are soft tiles and extremely susceptible to breakage. So one does have to be careful.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy Keith, that is a tough load job. If you had a 2X4 longer than the rails are wide on the gangplank, you could clamp the 2X4 to the top of your hand truck and while going down the gangplank let the 2X4 drag on top of the gangplank rail and let the friction slow you down. Just a thought, anything that would make it easier or fast would be good. It is a shame hand trucks don't have hand brakes on them.

Buddy, that is one beautiful picture of the marina with all of the boats and the background there. I tried to imagine which way you went going back home across the water. Your life is like watching a movie.


----------



## cocobolo

There's an idea Jim...you know anyone in Hollyweird?


----------



## cocobolo

Tomorrow I won't need to wait for the truck, so I think I will go over earlier. That, plus the fact that the tides recede by about 50 minutes a day should give me a higher tide when I get there.

If it's too difficult to move three boxes at a time, then so be it.

I've had one day of practice, tomorrow should be a cinch!


----------



## gma2rjc

> I've had one day of practice, tomorrow should be a cinch!


After a day like you had today, giving birth to twins would be a cinch. :yes:

I can't imagine going through all that and THEN having to load them onto another boat to get them to shore.

If I start complaining about having to drive the 3 miles to Lowe's, I'll come back and read this part of the thread. 

There hasn't been anything easy for you about getting this tile so far. From trying to order it and arranging delivery to getting it home. 

Thanks for posting all the pictures. It really helps to understand what you're talking about.

Where is your boat in the picture? Hopefully you didn't have to push that hand truck all the way to the end of the dock.


----------



## cocobolo

The unlucky part about all this tile ordering and tracking down was that there used to be a distributor in Vancouver until a year ago.

Wouldn't it have been nice if they just happened to have had an odd 750 square feet sitting in their warehouse up here!

No such luck! 

It's hard to spot our boat in the marina shot...but you head down the gangplank, go to the second connecting dock and turn right...then left at the end of that one...and it's the second boat on the left. I consistently takes me 150 paces each way, so 300 steps for every 2 boxes of tile.

This is much less than a normal load for us, as we must go to the regular parking lot, which would add another 50 yards each way. 

I guess that is the price you pay if you want to live away from the rest of the world!


----------



## gma2rjc

Is there any chance you could move your boat up closer, into someone else's parking spot while you're loading the tile?

I'm sure you already thought of that. But it doesn't seem like the person who parks their boat there would mind you doing that.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> After a day like you had today, giving birth to twins would be a cinch. :yes:
> 
> Now that is funny as the dickens right there. :laughing:
> 
> I didn't see all of your pictures last night for some reason. I looked today and my post was way down the line and a whole bunch of pictures I hadn't seen.
> 
> Well I sure got that one wrong, I tried to find your boat last night before I saw the other pictures and I told Judy, I bet that is Keith's boat right there. The one I was looking at was the first walkway to the left and on the very end.
> 
> My friend, you got to have muscles like rocks, you truly do deserve to have a fantastic place like you have to live, after all you have gone through.
> 
> Got to run, be back soon.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Is there any chance you could move your boat up closer, into someone else's parking spot while you're loading the tile?
> 
> I'm sure you already thought of that. But it doesn't seem like the person who parks their boat there would mind you doing that.
> 
> Barb


We have been doing that for years, especially when we take the skiff over for sheetgoods, things like plywood. Sometimes the boat right at the bottom of the gangplank is out and we can use that. That's a treat!

Yesterday I was hoping that someone would have their boat out just on the opposite dock to us, but no luck.

We cannot take the sailboat round to the far side of the dock as there isn't enough water.


----------



## cocobolo

Rather than have to have a double stack of tiles on the sailboat when I offload this afternoon, I'm going to make another plywood stand to sit on the seat at the same level as the top of the boat.

I should have done that years ago...just never thought about it.

Even when I'm offloading case lots of canned goods (that's how we usually buy) it is difficult to reach right inside the boat from the skiff and hoist the cases over.

I'll have a quick brekky and get underway...see you all later.


----------



## cocobolo

Ont the way over to Boat Harbour, there were three tugs messing around with a small boom. It must have been valuable wood to have three tugs at one time. They weren't towing it - that only takes one tug.

There were two or three boom guys out on the boom apparently trying to fix something.


----------



## cocobolo

After I had loaded up and taken a bit of a rest, I was heading back and the tugs were still fooling around with the boom. Only by this time the wind had taken them about 3 miles south of where I had first seen them.


----------



## gma2rjc

You should have gone over and told the tug boat guys that once they're done goofing around, you could use a little help moving some tile. :laughing:

You know.... a lot of people on their way to work have to deal with crazy drivers, traffic jams and construction. You don't get a lot of that, do you? :laughing: It sure is beautiful scenery.

Did you get the remainder of the tile from the marina?


----------



## BigJim

Bet you are wore out tonight after all of the moving. The last picture is really beautiful. We have mountains all the way around us here and we do have the Tennessee River right up to the mountains but the water up your way just looks cleaner and probably is. 

I would have liked to see the wood the tugs were trying to haul up, some of that wood is very very expensive.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You should have gone over and told the tug boat guys that once they're done goofing around, you could use a little help moving some tile. :laughing:
> 
> You know.... a lot of people on their way to work have to deal with crazy drivers, traffic jams and construction. You don't get a lot of that, do you? :laughing: It sure is beautiful scenery.
> 
> Did you get the remainder of the tile from the marina?


That's one of the funniest things I've ever heard...lovely!

Here's the trouble with the channel where we are. It is a main waterway for boats of all sorts traveling inside the gulf, as we call it. They go up and down, whereas we go across. We do have to keep our eyes open for these boats, as many of them are pretty big and quite fast compared to us.

There are rules of the road, but it seems the bigger boat you have, the more you can ignore the rules.

So, once we get across after having to deal with huge wakes from these overpowered boats, _then_ we get to deal with the traffic.

Tile is here.


----------



## cocobolo

Now, speaking of those chaps on the tugs, after I had got back to the island, they had seemingly got this problem - whatever it was - under control.

When I first spotted them, they were about a mile off DeCourcey Island, which is north west of us.

When I was coming back over, they had drifted all the way down to Yellow Point, which is south of us on Vancouver Island.

After I had got the boat tied up and things generally tidied up, I was walking down to go for a swim and they had the same three tugs pulling and pushing this small boom up toward Dodd Narrows. They had got about two miles north of Yellow Point when I saw them. In other words, they were nearly back to where I saw them this morning!

Not exactly what I would call a productive day! 

I still can't imagine why they had 3 tugs for such a small boom. Maybe there was a problem with one of the boom sticks. It's anybody's guess I suppose.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Bet you are wore out tonight after all of the moving. The last picture is really beautiful. We have mountains all the way around us here and we do have the Tennessee River right up to the mountains but the water up your way just looks cleaner and probably is.
> 
> I would have liked to see the wood the tugs were trying to haul up, some of that wood is very very expensive.


Jim:
It isn't common for a log to sink here, unless it is a waterlogged hemlock. And I can assure you they wouldn't be wasting money like that on any hemlock.

If a log sinks here, it's gone...goodbye. They wouldn't waste their time even trying to find it.

About the only logs here worth big dollars would be the red cedar, some of which are magnificent logs, or the yellow cedar. The yellow is very uncommon, and I believe I am right in saying that they most likely get the yellow from areas that they can be moved by logging truck rather than by water.

That's not to imply that a boom of choice douglas fir isn't worth a fortune, it is. But on a board foot basis, the cedars are in a league of their own.

And that, right there, is the reason I cut almost all my cedar on the mill right out of the chuck. There's no way we could have afforded to buy what we have in this place from a mill. Even at wholesale it would have been outrageous.


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## cocobolo

Before I go any further, there is a meteor shower going on right now...it should be one of the best ever. If you have a clear sky, find somewhere to lay down outside and just look up. You should see lots of meteors every hour while it is dark.

When I got to the marina this morning, the pallet of tile was exactly as I had left it.


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## cocobolo

I was there early enough that the gangplank was at a reasonable angle, so I tried 3 boxes (180 lbs) at a time.


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## cocobolo

That worked OK, and after I had taken just two trips down, a young fellow who was evidently waiting for some friends to arrive asked if I would like him to help me.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I graciously accepted his offer. And while I was moving the next load down, he used one of the wheelbarrows to put three boxes of tile in.

This was pretty cool I thought...so we had a chat...and it turns out he is from DeCourcey and has his cabin at Pirate's Cove. His name was Allan Johnson and he was a prince of a guy.

It seems we have a lot of mutual acquaintances...very interesting.

Sadly, his friends arrived shortly after he started to help, but he managed a dozen boxes before they got there. I assure you I thanked him profusely for his most kind help, which saved me quite a bit of time.

He did, however, have one bit of sad news. One of our mutual friends - who must remain nameless here - has cancer in one leg, and it is serious. The surgeon told him that it was necessary to amputate the leg, and I can just imagine my friend's reply to the surgeon.

Apparently, he still has the leg but is walking with crutches now. I think that might be preferable to hopping on one leg. Allan didn't know what was going to transpire in the near future with our friend.

But here's the sad part...he and his lovely lady have two little ones, about the same ages as our two grandsons who just visited us. I simply cannot imagine what he must be going through.

I did ask Allan if he would be kind enough to convey my best wishes.


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## cocobolo

Not long after I arrived at the marina, I spotted 8 vultures circling overhead. They weren't kind enough to all get close so I could get a decent pic, so two will have to do. I didn't have a tele lens with me.


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## cocobolo

And this is what I was looking for...an empty pallet!

All on the boat, and in much less time than yesterday thanks to Allan.


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## cocobolo

Barb:

Here's why we can't get the sailboat round to the docks on the far side.

The tide still is not down all the way yet...it goes at least another 3 feet at low. Those rocks carry on for quite a distance, and even trying to get the skiff around this side at low tide is tricky.

So now you know.


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## cocobolo

Not so long ago...before the two warring parties who own/run the marina started acting like two year olds...this crane could be used to load heavy freight on to the boats or barges.

I don't know what flimsy excuse they have conjured up to stop its' use, but whatever it is, it is effectively out of commission.

This was the only crane of any capacity at all (two tons) between Nanaimo harbour and Ladysmith harbour at the government dock. 5 tons there I think.


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## cocobolo

I do my best not to leave any footprints behind me, so I made sure to take the pallets with me as well.

I did see that someone else has left a pallet in the yard, and that there have been several left over near the crane.


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## cocobolo

If nothing else, they can be broken up for firewood....

Here's the sailboat just getting underway fully loaded out of the marina. There was a really stiff headwind about this time. The darker water always indicates a bigger wind. 

Just thought you'd like to know that.


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## cocobolo

I took this one about 1/2 a mile before I arrived at the bay.

There is a reef to port, which is marked by a marker, and another reef to starboard which is marked by bottom paint from all the boats which have hit it!

You need to have what is known as "local knowledge" in these waters.

The correct entrance/exit to the bay is between the marker and the two small islands at the head of the bay.

But there is clear water if you approach from outside _just so._ And that way you don't need to travel the extra distance around the marker.

I always make sure first time visitors go through the proper channel coming in to the bay...just in case.


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## BigJim

Judy and I went outside to see if we could see the showers but there must be a bit too much light. The first one I ever saw was in the early 60s waiting on a street bus in Memphis, Tennessee. I thought the world was coming to an end, skeered the stew out of me.:yes: 

I found, a couple of years ago, what I think is a meteorite. It has all the characteristics, as is shown online. It is close to the same weight as lead but is shiny, and burned and melted on one side, will not rust and can be picked up with a magnet.

I was wondering what you would do with the pallets but you answered that.

You have mentioned several times Red Cedar, is that the same as Red Wood that are Sequoias? We can get what we call Western Cedar that is grown on the West Coast, could that be Red Cedar? You are the first I have ever hear mention Yellow Cedar and I have never seen any until I read your thread, it is pretty especially in your creations. 

I have read where many logs were recovered in the Great Lakes and sold for many many dollars. One was a Bird's Eye Maple that went for over $100,000.00, and that is one high dollar log to me.

That really was nice of the young fellow to help you out as much as he did, you just wouldn't see that here that much. Although I have had a youngster help me a time or two when I was in a bind. I know you were happy to get any help, I know I would have been. 

That is really sad about your friend who is having problems with his leg, we wish the best for him and his family. I really hate to hear he has little ones and suffering like he is.

The pictures you take are like a post card, it is just beautiful up your way. I have always loved the water and being on the water except when I was in the Navy and out to sea for two or three months at a time. I never noticed the darker water and the wind being stronger, maybe because I was so high off the water on a carrier.

Thanks for the pictures Keith and sharing your adventure.


----------



## flamtap

Just wanted to post and share a deal on the "Kill-a-watt" mentioned back on page 127. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001

Add coupon code *EMCYWZP45 *for $3 off. That makes it $13.99 shipped plus any tax. I got one of these a while ago after borrowing one to check how many watts my Christmas lights were using. Very useful device!

flamtap


----------



## cocobolo

flamtap said:


> Just wanted to post and share a deal on the "Kill-a-watt" mentioned back on page 127.
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001
> 
> Add coupon code *EMCYWZP45 *for $3 off. That makes it $13.99 shipped plus any tax. I got one of these a while ago after borrowing one to check how many watts my Christmas lights were using. Very useful device!
> 
> flamtap


Thanks very much for that, I think it's high time I got one!


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## cocobolo

Hi Jim:

Yes, what you found is extremely likely to be a meteorite.

One of my many hats is that of an amateur astronomer, so I have a small smidgen of knowledge about that. 

Even though they fall by the thousands onto our planet every day, it isn't often that one big enough to really see is found. Folks go out with metal detectors to find these things, spending weeks and weeks and often coming up with nothing.

A year or two ago there was a huge fireball that came down in the prairies, and the meteorites that they found were so big it made the national news in Canada. Plus, of course, all the astronomy magazines.

Yes, when I speak of red cedar, that is western red cedar, _Thuja Plicata_, which used to grow in huge stands all up the west coast of British Columbia. Some of the most massive were up on the Queen Charlotte Islands off the northern coast of B.C.

They still grow here, of course, but the greedy logging outfits have swiped the large bulk of the best ones.

There have been serious efforts underway for decades here to save some of the old growth cedars.

These trees have been known to grow for 1,000 years plus, so no matter what phony PR the timber companies dish out we know that once the old guys are gone that mankind will never see another one.

There are two big cedars growing on the adjoining property to ours, definitely not in the 1,000 year old league, but most likely at least in the 400-500 year range.

We don't get anywhere near the rainfall that these guys like as we are in a rain shadow here from Vancouver Island.

I'll try to see if I can get a pic and measure how far they are around at the bottom.

The reason that the water appears darker as the waves get bigger, is simply because there gets to be less and less reflection from the sky. So, if you have blue sky and calm water, the reflection looks almost identical to the sky, just upside down.

As it gets rougher, that reflection disappears rapidly and becomes darker and darker.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Here's the trouble with the channel where we are. It is a main waterway for boats of all sorts traveling inside the gulf, as we call it. They go up and down, whereas we go across. We do have to keep our eyes open for these boats, as many of them are pretty big and quite fast compared to us.
> 
> There are rules of the road, but it seems the bigger boat you have, the more you can ignore the rules.
> 
> So, once we get across after having to deal with huge wakes from these overpowered boats, _then_ we get to deal with the traffic.


So it's almost like you're playing a real-life game of Frogger as you go across the gulf. :laughing: I can imagine that would be much more difficult than most road traffic situations.

I too am so sorry your friend is going through such a devastating situation. The husband of a close friend of mine found out he had cancer when their children were about 3 and 5. Long story short, he went to an American doctor's cancer clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. I believe he made one trip per month for several years. It saved his life and, 15 years later, he was able to watch his youngest graduate from high school this past May. The clinic has been successful with certain types of cancers, not all types, but if you think your friend would like some information, I'm 100% sure my friends Kim and Joe would be happy to talk with him about it. I'll keep their family in my prayers.

When the crane at the marina was in operation, was there an employee there who ran it, or could you use it as needed?

If a boater doesn't have 'local knowledge' about getting through the water safely in the bay, what do they do? Guess at it and hope they still have all their paint when they get to the dock? 

It's nice to hear about that kid helping you with the tile. Like Jim said, you wouldn't see that happening around here very much either. But then again, any tile left at the marina over night would have been gone if it had been around here. :yes:

Barb


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## BigJim

Keith, I have used the western cedar several times and love the way it machines 
and handles. I can see why the greedy folks over harvested the trees, but it is still a shame folks are like that. I have used Red Wood and it machines really nice also. Red Wood is higher in price here though. Here is what our Eastern Red Cedar looks like.


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## BigJim

The color of the above picture isn't as bright as the wood is in person. 

Back in the 70s I did some work for a doctor who had the top half of his house sided in Heart Red Wood which down this way is out of sight in price. The bad thing is the fellow used cheap galvanized nails or maybe it was zinc coated nails, any way the nails rusted and bled and ruined that beautiful wood and he had to paint it, what a shame. 

That just blows my mind that a tree can live that long. Down this way if a tree lives 200-300 years that is something. Although there are some trees just north of here that the government is protecting and they are about 5 feet or so in diameter, I believe they are Poplar trees. I have no idea how old they would be. I am looking forward to see the pictures of the big Cedars there.

I was just watching the national news and they showed the meteor showers from last night. I bet you can see the stars clear as a bell out on your island can't you? When I lived way back out in the sticks the skys were just covered with stars but here in the suburbs there is too much light to be able to see them very well and I miss that.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> So it's almost like you're playing a real-life game of Frogger as you go across the gulf. :laughing: I can imagine that would be much more difficult than most road traffic situations.
> 
> I too am so sorry your friend is going through such a devastating situation. The husband of a close friend of mine found out he had cancer when their children were about 3 and 5. Long story short, he went to an American doctor's cancer clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. I believe he made one trip per month for several years. It saved his life and, 15 years later, he was able to watch his youngest graduate from high school this past May. The clinic has been successful with certain types of cancers, not all types, but if you think your friend would like some information, I'm 100% sure my friends Kim and Joe would be happy to talk with him about it. I'll keep their family in my prayers.
> 
> When the crane at the marina was in operation, was there an employee there who ran it, or could you use it as needed?
> 
> If a boater doesn't have 'local knowledge' about getting through the water safely in the bay, what do they do? Guess at it and hope they still have all their paint when they get to the dock?
> 
> It's nice to hear about that kid helping you with the tile. Like Jim said, you wouldn't see that happening around here very much either. But then again, any tile left at the marina over night would have been gone if it had been around here. :yes:
> 
> Barb


Barb:

Here in B.C. we actually have some of the most cutting edge cancer research going on. The network of doctors and researchers keeps in frequent contact with each other, and sometimes may use people like my friend in an experimental program.

Some of the time it depends who you know, like one of our very good friends here who has just been taken off the experimental cancer drugs he was on for the past year and a half. He is now 100% OK. We have never seen him happier.

The crane was only used by the former marina owner - for a nominal fee - but since the new thugs took over, nobody gets to use it.

It is so easy to use, just a push button operation. Such a waste of a perfectly good resource.

If a boater is coming over here, all he needs to do is to read the proper chart. So many people come here without charts it's crazy. And often, even when they do have the chart, they don't know how to read it.

Fortunately now, the government is making everyone get a license to operate a boat, and you have to answer some simple questions and give them all your money for the privilege of having this piece of paper.

I really have not noticed any improvement in the way operators misuse their vessels. Frankly, I think this has just been another government tax grab.

The local Power Squadrons have been giving excellent boating classes, including proper navigation lessons for years. That's how I learned. You do pay for the service, but it is money very well spent.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I have used the western cedar several times and love the way it machines
> and handles. I can see why the greedy folks over harvested the trees, but it is still a shame folks are like that. I have used Red Wood and it machines really nice also. Red Wood is higher in price here though. Here is what our Eastern Red Cedar looks like.


Jim:

That wood looks like what we used to call Tennessee aromatic cedar, or pencil cedar. Does it have that lovely aromatic smell to it?

We use that to line the inside of closets with sometimes.

The redwood shares a lot of characteristics with western red cedar. I rather imagine the trees are related botanically. They both machine really well and take almost any finish you care to give them, perhaps except an oil finish. I can't imagine that working any too well.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> The color of the above picture isn't as bright as the wood is in person.
> 
> Back in the 70s I did some work for a doctor who had the top half of his house sided in Heart Red Wood which down this way is out of sight in price. The bad thing is the fellow used cheap galvanized nails or maybe it was zinc coated nails, any way the nails rusted and bled and ruined that beautiful wood and he had to paint it, what a shame.
> 
> That just blows my mind that a tree can live that long. Down this way if a tree lives 200-300 years that is something. Although there are some trees just north of here that the government is protecting and they are about 5 feet or so in diameter, I believe they are Poplar trees. I have no idea how old they would be. I am looking forward to see the pictures of the big Cedars there.
> 
> I was just watching the national news and they showed the meteor showers from last night. I bet you can see the stars clear as a bell out on your island can't you? When I lived way back out in the sticks the skys were just covered with stars but here in the suburbs there is too much light to be able to see them very well and I miss that.


Unfortunately, both redwood and cedar discolour too easily. I think that about the only way they won't is if you use stainless steel nails. They are available, but hard to find.

I haven't heard of a poplar getting that big, so that must be a pretty special batch of trees. We have a few big cedars here and some good size firs.

If I get a chance tomorrow or the next day, i'll get pics and measurements.

I think I'm still going to be pretty busy tomorrow getting all this tile right up to the house. It's definitely a wearying job.

Yes, the sky here is pretty clear quite often. We have had a few days with no rain, and the air is starting to show signs of getting a little smoky again. From all the forest fires.

But last night just after 11, I lay down up on the roof and I could see the milky way as clear as a bell. I saw a dozen meteors, and almost all of them left a smoke trail!

And another thing you can see here every night, right after sunset especially, is the satellites. There is one group that goes north-south, and the other group goes east-west. They are at very different elevations...after all it wouldn't do to have a Russian satellite bump into an American satellite would it? Can you just imagine the blame game that would start up if that ever happened?


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## cocobolo

Jim:

I was just heading upstairs to the computer when I spotted the crescent moon and Venus above the horizon.

Took a quick pic, and I think the planet in the top left of the pic might be either Saturn or Jupiter. I should keep up on these things more, but I seem to have had a couple of other things occupying my time.


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## gma2rjc

I'm glad to hear about the cancer research there. That's wonderful. 

I'm sure it's pretty good in the U.S. too, but I don't have a lot of faith in it. The reason is, when my friends husband went back to the cancer doctor here in Michigan and told him the good news about his tumors shrinking and some of them being completely gone, due to the treatments he went through in Mexico, the doctor was very angry at him for getting treatment there. 

I don't remember all of the details, but I do remember thinking it was very sad and odd that his 'doctor' reacted that way. The chemo and radiation treatments he'd had here before going to Mexico didn't help at all.

I'm sure most doctor's here would not have reacted the way their doc did though. 

You'll be happy when all of that tile is stacked inside the house. Then you should take a day or two off. You've earned it!

Wow! What a gorgeous picture!

Barb


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## BigJim

Keith, the cedar, folks use in closets, is what the picture is. It does smell good for about 30 minutes and then I don't like to smell it any more for a while. I have a few pieces out in the shop still in log form that I need to process if I can figure out how too. These are only about 4 foot long though but I don't have one of the fantastic mill saws like you. If I were younger I would have one of the mills, that has always been a dream of mine.

I will check and see if I am telling you right about the Poplars but I am almost sure that is what I was told, they said they were virgin timbers.

As much as I hate to say this, cancer in the US is big money and they could cure people but then they wouldn't make the big bucks. I will stop there as I can really get cranked up about some of the garbage that goes on in the US.

That had to be so neat laying up on the roof watching the meteors last night. I have never seen a satellite at least not that I am aware of. A friend of Judy's worked on the Hubble Telescope when she worked at Marshall Space Flight Center years back. There have been some amazing photos taken with it. 

You are sure right about if the satellite were to bump into each other. That would sure cause some sparks to fly and finger pointing.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim:
> 
> I was just heading upstairs to the computer when I spotted the crescent moon and Venus above the horizon.
> 
> Took a quick pic, and I think the planet in the top left of the pic might be either Saturn or Jupiter. I should keep up on these things more, but I seem to have had a couple of other things occupying my time.


That is just too cool, you really do know how to use a camera, that also looks like a post card. I wouldn't know a star from a planet, they are so pretty but I just never took time to study enough to know about them.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> As much as I hate to say this, cancer in the US is big money and they could cure people but then they wouldn't make the big bucks. I will stop there as I can really get cranked up about some of the garbage that goes on in the US.


Sad but true!


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is just too cool, you really do know how to use a camera, that also looks like a post card. I wouldn't know a star from a planet, they are so pretty but I just never took time to study enough to know about them.


Telling a star from a planet isn't so difficult.

For one thing, you cannot see stars until it gets fairly dark. Whereas venus in particular is very bright and may be seen way before dark. And depending on where the planets are at any given time depends on whether or not you can see them.

Mercury is always a toughie as it is so close to the sun. It is often visible just before dawn or just before sunset, but it is always on the horizon when you can see it, which makes it hard to spot.

Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all visible with the naked eye, and they all move relative to the stars - which for all intents and purposes are fixed in one spot.

As long as you know the constellations and the relative position of the planets, they are easily seen. Just don't expect to see any rings around Saturn without a decent 'scope!

Plus you can see the four major moons of Jupiter with just a good pair of binoculars, but the binocs must be held dead steady. A tripod works well for that.

If I get some time I will see where the planets are and let you know.


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## BigJim

You weren't kidding, you do know about the universe. That is interesting to know. I bet you have one of the good telescopes. Our son has one and I think it may be out in the shed, I may check to see if it is. Can you see Mercury without a telescope?

Good gravy, it is 2:41 here, I am hittin the hay. Talk to you tomorrow.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You weren't kidding, you do know about the universe. That is interesting to know. I bet you have one of the good telescopes. Our son has one and I think it may be out in the shed, I may check to see if it is. Can you see Mercury without a telescope?
> 
> Good gravy, it is 2:41 here, I am hittin the hay. Talk to you tomorrow.


Jim:

Mercury is very difficult to see without a scope or binoculars. You need the combination of an extremely clear sky on a day when Mercury is actually visible above your horizon. It may be seen early in the morning, or at dusk.

I've only seen it twice without any optical aid, but several times with binocs.

And as for telescopes, I really don't know how many I have...I guess around 15 or so.

I have a couple loaned out to some friends at the moment, and one of them is taking some really gorgeous astropics.


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## cocobolo

Jim:

If you can find your sons' telescope, then we can let you know what kind it is.

The type that you look through from one end - what most people know as a regular telescope is usually called a refractor. They are usually long and skinny.

Note that I say "usually a refractor" when you look in the end. Not always...as there is a scope which is short and fat which you look through the end. There is actually a hole drilled in the center of the mirror which you look through. This is a cassegrain type scope.

The refractor uses lenses which you look right through, as in a magnifying glass which you might use to light a fire outside with! Binoculars are refractors for example.

The kind where you look in the side is a reflector. The reflector scopes use a mirror to concentrate the light coming in to the scope.


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## BigJim

My stars whistling2 you have as many telescopes as I have routers, I think, I really don't know how many routers I have. I can feel another hobby coming on. 

If I am not mistaken our son's scope is short and fat and is viewed on the side but I am sure it isn't one of the really good ones. I will get out there and see what it is and let you know. I have never tried to use one as I don't know the first thing about them or where to start to learn. 

Is there a way to post some of the pictures your telescope is taking, that would be interesting to see. I have seen some of the pictures taken with the Hubble and they were just amazing and very beautiful.


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## cocobolo

Hubble is the single most important telescope ever done so far. The main reason being that it flies well above our atmosphere, thus eliminating the biggest problem affecting all earth bound telescopes.

It has run through a series of cameras, and the latest version is nothing short of spectacular.

Make no mistake, there are telescopes on earth which dwarf Hubble. But if you ask any one to name a telescope, they almost invariably will say "Hubble".

Named after Edwin Hubble who did a vast amount of pioneering work many moons ago.

OK, if your son's scope is a cassegrain, it probably _is_ a good one. It most likely will be a Meade or Celestron. Nothing wrong with those brands I can assure you.


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## cocobolo

I started fairly early this morning moving the rest of the tiles up the bank on the lift.

It only handles 3 boxes at a time, so by the time I walk down the steps, load three boxes on to the lift, walk back up the steps and bring the lift up, I've already expended a fair bit of energy.

Then off the lift on to the lower deck, then lift to the upper deck, then move with the hand truck to the wall under cover of the roof overhang.

It got done just before noon. Then, right away it was time for a swim.


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## cocobolo

It looks like the sky is starting to load up with smoke again. I had to shoot through the arbutus tree to calm the sun down for the pic.


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## cocobolo

Couple of nice boats in the bay today.

"Affinity" is a local sailboat from Nanaimo. She looks to be brand new...never seen her here before.


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## cocobolo

The other one is "Hot Rum" from Vancouver. Don't you just love that name!

I spoke with the skipper last year, and I believe he said she was 43' long. Beautiful boat!


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## Bud Cline

> It got done just before noon. Then, right away it was time for a swim.


 
...and the static load specifications of that portion of the deck structure are........?

I've been watching Keith and I gotta tell ya my friend...
In the future I won't be so quick to complain about me having to move a little tile onto a job. Stocking a job is one of my least favorite things to do. I have a first hand understanding of your efforts. I could use some of your determination.

On my current job we have delivered seven full pallets of tile. At the tile supplier we loaded the pallets onto a trailer with a fork lift. Strapped them down and transported them to the job site driving an air-conditioned truck. At the job site the pallets were unloaded with another fork lift and positioned in an on-site warehouse. As tile is needed a skid steer is used to transport the pallets to the work site over the rough terrain. Once the pallets are placed in the garage they are then further managed using a pallet fork. The cases are then lifted up four steps and placed on a two-wheeled cart for transport to the actual installation site of the home. This process is an ongoing pain in the ass but compared to what you have just completed I'm thinkin' I should shut up and thank my lucky stars. My hat comes off to you Keith but I do have just one question for you.

ARE YOU NUTS!!!!!!??????


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## cocobolo

Evidently the deck has adequate load specs...it's not even creaking..._YET!_

I hope you don't think you're the first person to ask me if I'm nuts...still haven't come up with a good smark aleck answer yet...


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## cocobolo

Currently it is carrying about 142# per square foot. Nothing to it. But it's a good thing I tend to overbuild!


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## gma2rjc

My grandson and I were outside a little while ago and saw 1 shooting star. As soon as he nods of to sleep, I'm going to go back out.

Edit: 1:53 a.m. - Clouds are covering the stars now.

Your sunset picture is gorgeous Keith. If you don't do a book about building your house, perhaps you could make one with all of your sunset pictures.

Barb


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## BigJim

Hmmmmmm I wonder why these posts didn't show up last night. I still haven't gotten out to the shed to see about the scope, yesterday was a little pain filled.

I agree with Barb, that is a beautiful shot of the sun. The two boats are sharp as a tack, that is some fine work.

Good gravy Keith, that was 14 trips up and down that hill, all I can say is "unreal"! Is there a way you could ride the cart down the hill, load up and ride back up? I hope when you sell your place you get three times what it is worth and buddy that is a buuuuunch. 

That fellow who built the cabin up in Alaska and lived for a good number of years alone has nothing on you. You could make a fortune just off the movie rights. Hopefully you are resting today, you sure deserve to.


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## BigJim

I forgot, here is a picture of the western cedar we get down this way and this is some of the better stuff. This what I put inside the little teardrop camper I built in my avatar. This is before the finish was put on.


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## cocobolo

_RESTING?_ Surely you jest! I'm just making up a (very short) list of things to do today.

First I'm going to sand the long hand rail, then I'll give it a coat of varnish.

Then I should really get on to making the straight 4' section at the end.

We picked up 5 more sheets of the sandblasted sheets of glass a couple of days ago, and I need to get the proper drawings done for the wall that the glass is going in. As usual it has to be different, but at least this wall is _straight!_ That will be novel ~ not too many of those around here.

The control for the lift up the bank is at the top where the winch is, so I have no choice but to walk up and down. It's the old "slow and steady" thing again. Still works for me.:thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> My grandson and I were outside a little while ago and saw 1 shooting star. As soon as he nods of to sleep, I'm going to go back out.
> 
> Edit: 1:53 a.m. - Clouds are covering the stars now.
> 
> Your sunset picture is gorgeous Keith. If you don't do a book about building your house, perhaps you could make one with all of your sunset pictures.
> 
> Barb


Barb, this meteor shower will last a total of about a week. I think we are about at the end of it now, but the fact is that there are _always_ meteors every night, just not as many as this. The nightly ones are just random particles which we encounter.

When we get one of these showers, it means that earth is passing through an area that a comet has passed through before.

Comets leave a trail of fine particles in space as they travel. When our atmosphere collides with these particles, each particle ends its' life in this short lived fiery display.

Most just leave a quick short display. But sometimes - as when we are going through this most recent shower - there is a predominance of larger particles, many of which leave very long trails. It is these meteors that you can often see the big smoke trail from and some of them may be big enough to actually land on our planet.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I forgot, here is a picture of the western cedar we get down this way and this is some of the better stuff. This what I put inside the little teardrop camper I built in my avatar. This is before the finish was put on.


Jim, what you have there is unquestionably from young, small trees. The colour and knots are a dead giveaway for that. A couple of years back I took out a small cedar, 140 years young if I remember, and it was the typical soft, light, knotty wood which comes from these trees.

Add to my list of things for today getting pics of some of the bigger trees here.

Plus I have to go to the other end of the island to see my fire chief. We raised just over $6,000 in pledges at our annual general meeting for fire protection equipment and I need to deliver my pledge.

And in case I run out of things to do I am now assigned the job of producing our local newsletter. In the past the secretary has just produced one issue each year covering events of the previous year on the island. I've never thought much of that, so yesterday when I was speaking with our new president I mentioned that the association can now expect several email versions throughout the summer, and just the one printed issue prior to our A.G.M.


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## cocobolo

Just sitting at the computer and looking out the window, and there is a small patch of driftwood headed this way.

In the wintertime we get long lines like this up to half a mile or so. The tides don't get high enough in the summer to get as much driftwood off the beaches.

The single log - could be a young cedar - is still about a half mile off.


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## gma2rjc

Have you ever hit a log like that with your boat?

That's very interesting about the meteor particles. Last night, when I first went outside, I noticed something that I thought was a meteor at first glance. But I don't think it was. It was just as bright and as far away, but it didn't shoot across the sky. It moved more like a firefly, except that it kept going in one general direction and it was a little slower, going forward a little bit and then off to the right, then straight and over to the left, etc. 

I'm anxious to see what the glass looks like when it's finished. 

Barb


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Have you ever hit a log like that with your boat?
> 
> That's very interesting about the meteor particles. Last night, when I first went outside, I noticed something that I thought was a meteor at first glance. But I don't think it was. It was just as bright and as far away, but it didn't shoot across the sky. It moved more like a firefly, except that it kept going in one general direction and it was a little slower, going forward a little bit and then off to the right, then straight and over to the left, etc.
> 
> I'm anxious to see what the glass looks like when it's finished.
> 
> Barb


Haven't hit one on the surface like that...but occasionally when they are barely submerged in rougher water we have hit them. It is much harder to see the logs when it's choppy out there.

It sounds as though you may have seen a satellite. The left to right movement is caused by your head moving a bit. They are moving at about 18,000 miles an hour and take several minutes to cross the sky.

Best seen not too long after dark when the sun is still shining on them, They aren't visible when the sun isn't on them, as there is nothing to reflect the light.

You might also see one which emits an occasional flash, called an iridium flash. This is a satellite which is tumbling in space and not presenting the same side to the sun all the time.


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## cocobolo

After the railing was sanded this morning, there was some minor fixing to do on it - I had left out some plugs on the front side which I didn't spot until I checked from below.

So that was done, then waited for the glue to set up, then sanded everything down, by which time it was way too hot to varnish. The railing itself was probably at least 100ºF, much too warm.

So I waited until after supper, and gave it a good coat. This is effectively the first coat, as I sanded a large part of the original coat off.


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## cocobolo

There was a fair whack of driftwood around today, and this beat up old dock log came floating by - full of steel.


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## cocobolo

I got a quick chance to take a couple of pics of some nearby trees today, this one is a Cedar about 10' outside our property line.

It isn't particularly large, but it does measure 10' 4" around at about the 4' mark. The cedars don't grow tall here due to a lack of water. The big guys up in the Charlottes reach 300' on occasion, and make this look like a toothpick.


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## cocobolo

This one's a fir over by the well about 100 yards from our place. Just because there is a well there doesn't signify that there's a lot of water for the trees nearby. There is nowhere on this small island that has any groundwater at all from early summer until late fall.

Unless you are speaking of a drilled well - something entirely different.

This one is 16' 3" around at about 4' off the ground.

I'll try to get the bigger ones when all the bodies are off the island...I don't like to walk on their lots when they are around.

Second pic is taken from the main pathway going around the island.


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## jlhaslip

got your chainsaw handy?

nice wood.


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## cocobolo

While I was on the way up to the well, a Northern Flicker got spooked out of the bush in front of me.

Usually they will go quite a distance before they settle down again, but this guy just parked on a branch maybe 15' in front of me.


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## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> got your chainsaw handy?
> 
> nice wood.


No kidding...wouldn't that be something.

There's nothing on the island that would be able to move that beast, but you're right, I bet the wood inside is gorgeous!

There are a few really nice cedars of barely manageable proportions, all close to this fir. If I could figure out a way to get one of them into the chuck...:yes:


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## BigJim

How in the world do you find the time to do all you do? There is never a dull moment around your home buddy, there is so much to see, hear about and do it is unreal. That log with the metal in it looks like a real hazard, that could make a nasty hole in a boat especially loaded heavy like your's is at times. 

Your rail turned out absolutely gorgeous, Keith. I knew it would but it looks even better than I envisioned. The SS cables will really top off your deck.

The bark on that tree is none like I have ever seen. The cedar down this way looks nothing like that. When the cedars here get close to that size the wind usually takes them down. When I first saw some of the huge Sequoia trees on TV it blew my mind, I just couldn't grasp a tree being that huge. To see one in person must be a real treat. I can't imagine a saw mill big enough to handle one of the giant logs. Man just think to get your hands on a 2 inch thick 5 or 6 foot wide slab off one of those bad boys, man o man.


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## BigJim

More of your pictures posted while I was making a post. That is some awesome timber and so many are so straight. Looking at that bark made me think of cotton wood bark. Do cotton wood trees grow up your way? Some of us wood carvers carve cotton wood bark that grows up north as it is much thicker and carves so smooth, the down side is it cost us around $10 a pound here.

You live in a total different world from here, I don't see many things there that is like down here, except maybe the humming birds. I for one really do appreciate you going to the trouble to make the pictures of the trees for us. Thanks buddy.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> How in the world do you find the time to do all you do? There is never a dull moment around your home buddy, there is so much to see, hear about and do it is unreal. That log with the metal in it looks like a real hazard, that could make a nasty hole in a boat especially loaded heavy like your's is at times.
> 
> Your rail turned out absolutely gorgeous, Keith. I knew it would but it looks even better than I envisioned. The SS cables will really top off your deck.
> 
> The bark on that tree is none like I have ever seen. The cedar down this way looks nothing like that. When the cedars here get close to that size the wind usually takes them down. When I first saw some of the huge Sequoia trees on TV it blew my mind, I just couldn't grasp a tree being that huge. To see one in person must be a real treat. I can't imagine a saw mill big enough to handle one of the giant logs. Man just think to get your hands on a 2 inch thick 5 or 6 foot wide slab off one of those bad boys, man o man.


A couple of times a year, we will see a logging truck heading up the highway with a single log on board. That would make it 8' wide. I'm not sure whether they cut the big guys up with a band or circular saw.

I think the vast majority of mills switched over to bandmills years ago. Less waste that way.

There's one big fir another couple of hundred yards past that one I posted. It is noticeably bigger, and when I get a photo of it I will measure it as well.

I forgot about the fir on our lot, it's not as big, but still a decent size. I'll get that one tomorrow as well.

Hey, if you're going to get a 5 or 6 foot wide slab, might as well make it 6" thick to be worthwhile!


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> More of your pictures posted while I was making a post. That is some awesome timber and so many are so straight. Looking at that bark made me think of cotton wood bark. Do cotton wood trees grow up your way? Some of us wood carvers carve cotton wood bark that grows up north as it is much thicker and carves so smooth, the down side is it cost us around $10 a pound here.
> 
> You live in a total different world from here, I don't see many things there that is like down here, except maybe the humming birds. I for one really do appreciate you going to the trouble to make the pictures of the trees for us. Thanks buddy.


Jim:

We do get cottonwood trees here, but they are considered junk trees up this way. I believe they are used for paper making here. About the biggest cottonwood I can remember was over in Aldergrove in the Fraser Valley near where I used to live. The bark was very fissured like the fir, only nowhere near as thick. I would say the cottonwood wasn't any more than 30" through. I doubt that was considered large.

There are lots of trees that reach that easily here, even the arbutus and maples.

Another tree that reaches massive proportions is the hemlock. There are some up north where a person standing alongside the trees looks like an ant!


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## BigJim

I remember back in the 70s we could get 1x12 fir fairly easy but as time went on it became harder and harder to get down this way, it has been a while since I have seen fir of any size at all down here. 

Back when I was building, my crews and I did most of the work and included stairs, cabinets and trim work. There for a while we were getting a lot of the trim made of Hemlock which I did not like. This was before we had nail guns and had to hand nail. We could drive a 6d finish nail at the bottom of some door trim and a lot of the times it would split from bottom to top. I finally stopped buying trim from those who used Hemlock for that reason. Maybe Hemlock is a much better grade up your way from what we can get down here. 

To look at the Hemlock we got, you couldn't tell the looks from Fir but you could sure tell when nailing or machining. 

There are cotton woods here also but the bark is nowhere as thick as it is up your way and they are junk trees here also. What type of Pine trees grow up your way? Here in the south Yellow Pine is used a lot for framing as it is really strong. The bad thing with Yellow Pine is if you don't nail it in place quickly it will crawl off. I have never seen a wood twist, curl, warp and check like Yellow Pine. Once it is in place and nailed where it can't move it makes a very strong frame work. I didn't use that if I had a choice either. I liked framing with Spruce, Pine or Fir (not yellow pine).

I would love to see an 8 foot thick tree, that would be a treat to me.


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## gma2rjc

The hand rail is looking great. How many coats total will you put on it?

Wow, a tree that's 16' 3" around. It must be huge. You got me thinking about the trees I saw in the Redwood Forest in California. I'll post one of the pictures from there if I can figure out how to work my scanner.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I remember back in the 70s we could get 1x12 fir fairly easy but as time went on it became harder and harder to get down this way, it has been a while since I have seen fir of any size at all down here.
> 
> Back when I was building, my crews and I did most of the work and included stairs, cabinets and trim work. There for a while we were getting a lot of the trim made of Hemlock which I did not like. This was before we had nail guns and had to hand nail. We could drive a 6d finish nail at the bottom of some door trim and a lot of the times it would split from bottom to top. I finally stopped buying trim from those who used Hemlock for that reason. Maybe Hemlock is a much better grade up your way from what we can get down here.
> 
> To look at the Hemlock we got, you couldn't tell the looks from Fir but you could sure tell when nailing or machining.
> 
> There are cotton woods here also but the bark is nowhere as thick as it is up your way and they are junk trees here also. What type of Pine trees grow up your way? Here in the south Yellow Pine is used a lot for framing as it is really strong. The bad thing with Yellow Pine is if you don't nail it in place quickly it will crawl off. I have never seen a wood twist, curl, warp and check like Yellow Pine. Once it is in place and nailed where it can't move it makes a very strong frame work. I didn't use that if I had a choice either. I liked framing with Spruce, Pine or Fir (not yellow pine).
> 
> I would love to see an 8 foot thick tree, that would be a treat to me.


The framing lumber we get here is predominantly something they call hem-fir. Of course, there is no such wood, but what that permits the mills to do is to use 85% hemlock and 15% douglas fir.

As a framing lumber, hemlock is OK for the most part. All local framing lumber is graded and dried to 19% moisture content here. The next thing they do is to leave it outside (usually) in the rain. But once the wood has been through the kiln, the actual wall cells have shrunk and the wood is dead.

Air dried wood is completely different. It still has life to it when you hand plane it for example. Kiln dried wood always looks dead and lifeless.

If the fir or hemlock is cut from fairly large trees - which it usually is here - you can see the difference between the two different woods easily. Fir may have small pitch pockets for example, where hemlock will not.

The grain on fir tends to be straighter, and hemlock grain often interlocks. The colour is lighter and a more pale brown in hemlock, whereas the fir may well have a pinkish or much redder tinge to it. If you put the two together it is much more obvious.

And evidently, as with your southern pine, hemlock is best nailed down quickly after being through the kiln. While the kiln does prevent much of the twisting and warping you speak of, once it goes out of whack it is really difficult to get straight again.

Our standard building reference books here use S-P-F as the normal framing lumber (Spruce, Pine, Fir) and grade the woods that way. We do get quite a lot of spruce here, but pine on the coast isn't common.

There are huge stands of pine up in the interior of B. C. Although over the past few years the pine beetle has caused massive amounts of devastation.

My one experience with Southern Longleaf Pine was the installation of bowling lanes over in Langley, B. C. Maple was used for the beginning and ends of the lanes, and the pine was used for the center section.

I was surprised that your pine acts as it does...the Southern Longleaf we got for this job was beautiful wood. Long lengths and completely clear. We used cut nails to fasten the wood together, ever used those before?

You need a big hammer and plenty of muscle.


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The hand rail is looking great. How many coats total will you put on it?
> 
> Wow, a tree that's 16' 3" around. It must be huge. You got me thinking about the trees I saw in the Redwood Forest in California. I'll post one of the pictures from there if I can figure out how to work my scanner.


Seven coats...or more if it still isn't good at that point.

There are no _really_ big trees on this island due to lack of rain. But that one is a legitimate old growth.

The island has been logged in the past, perhaps twice. And there was a forest fire which swept the whole island in about 1948. The evidence still shows on some of the blackened bark on the oldest firs.

Some of the California redwoods I think may have been 50 feet or more around.

A few years ago I was reading where there is only 1% of the original old growth redwood population remaining.

Do you remember some of the old highway bridges they built from Redwood? Many of them have been dis-assembled and the wood cut up for resale. Some of the best wood on the planet.


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## BigJim

Most of the framing lumber we get down here comes from Canada and like you said it is stamped S-P-F. Back when I was building I don't know where the lumber came from. 

I have heard of the huge lightening fast planners ya'll have up your way, 10,000 feet a minute is unthinkable. I would love to see that wood coming off the other end. They said the skid plates were water cooled to keep the wood from catching on fire.

Keith, we have many different kinds of pine down here. It is strange how the pines will differ in one end of the state from the other end. For example here in Tennessee, some of the pine in West Tennessee are long leaf, short leaf, loblolly, sugar pine, yellow pine and a couple of others, here in East Tennessee the pines are nowhere as big or tall and I don't know what they are, they kinda look like short leaf pine but the cones are smaller and the trees are not tall.

West Tennessee is more flat delta land where East Tennessee is mountainous, that probably has something to do with it.

I did know that about kiln dried lumber but I didn't know much about air dried since I have never used much air dried wood. That is one thing I have never understood, kiln dried wood is brought down to around 6 or 8% (FAS not framing) and air dried is not close to that. Most homes and hospitals have around 50% humidity here. I don't see how air dried could shrink any more in a home or hospital but folks won't use air dried because they are afraid it will.

I have used the cut nails if they look like concrete nails. I am not a big fan of them though. The old homes built in the 1800s and before used the cut nails but they were iron instead of steel. The old iron nails didn't have much holding power at all so they had to build a house where the framing members held the house together instead of the nails. Even the lath nails were cut nails and the old homes had what felt like millions in them.

One thing most folks don't realize about the old 1800 and prior homes is they were built mostly by slaves, While I was privileged to work in the old homes, it saddened me to know master craftsmen who were slaves had worked on these homes. I am talking about the bigger old homes not the smaller old homes. Sorry to get side tracked there.


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## gma2rjc

On the way home one time, we went through Madison County in Iowa and saw several of the old covered bridges. I don't remember ever knowing what they were made from though.

Here's a picture of one of the trees in the Redwood Forest. There were larger trees than this.









There was one tree that was still standing and looked healthy, but the center was burned out of it. The burned out area was big enough for at least 10 people to stand in. 

Barb


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## BigJim

Oh my stars, I can't imagine red wood being wasted on a bridge. It don't seem like it would be strong enough for a bridge. 50 feet in cir is unreal, that is oooooone huge tree!

Talking about reclaiming wood there is a lot of reclaimed heart pine use here. This is the old pine where the growth rings are really close together, not like todays pine. The winters are just not winters anymore down here for the lumber to be of higher grade as back years ago. I have had the privilege to work with really old chestnut and that was really a treat. I wish I had a shed full of that stuff right now, I would probably ruin it from drooling on it. :thumbsup:

It would seem like ya'll would get a lot of rain where you are located. That would be kinda scary having to depend on rain water for drinking. I see why you built such large water storages now.


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## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> On the way home one time, we went through Madison County in Iowa and saw several of the old covered bridges. I don't remember ever knowing what they were made from though.
> 
> Here's a picture of one of the trees in the Redwood Forest. There were larger trees than this.
> 
> View attachment 23931
> 
> 
> There was one tree that was still standing and looked healthy, but the center was burned out of it. The burned out area was big enough for at least 10 people to stand in.
> 
> Barb


Whoooo mama, that is one big tree. If I could see one in person I believe I would just hug that pretty thing, oh my stars, I'm a tree hugger. Judy said she was startin to worry about me.:laughing:


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## gma2rjc

> I wish I had a shed full of that stuff right now, I would probably ruin it from drooling on it. :thumbsup:





> If I could see one in person I believe I would just hug that pretty thing, oh my stars, I'm a tree hugger. Judy said she was startin to worry about me.:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


......:laughing: - that's funny.

Seeing those trees up close leaves one speechless. Their size and beauty is overwhelming... in a good way.


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## no1hustler

Wow, amazing thread! Thank you so much for sharing your craft with us. Keep updates coming, I'll be back everyday to check it out.

Btw, you mentioned that their aren't any "paved" roads. Do you have dirt roads or anything? Or are they just walking trails from house to house? I think one of the first things I would have done is brought a 4-wheeler or a bobcat of some sort.


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## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> Wow, amazing thread! Thank you so much for sharing your craft with us. Keep updates coming, I'll be back everyday to check it out.
> 
> Btw, you mentioned that their aren't any "paved" roads. Do you have dirt roads or anything? Or are they just walking trails from house to house? I think one of the first things I would have done is brought a 4-wheeler or a bobcat of some sort.


Hi there hustler...no, there are no paved roads here.

There is one main trail which goes right round the island in between the waterfront properties and the "inside" lots as we call them. Most of the w/f lots are about an acre, and the inside lots about 2 acres.

Currently an inside lot is worth about $80,000 and the waterfront lots around $250,000. There are some small trails between some of the cabins here, but basically everyone can access the main trail and visit anywhere they like.

The use of 4 wheelers (unless you mean a 4 wheel ATV) is strictly discouraged here. This is a walking island. There are a number of ATV's here, almost all of which are owned by inside lot owners, or property owners up on the high side at the south west end of the island. They do not have direct water access, so they need some form of transportation to get their goods up the hill from one of the bays here.

Most heavy construction material comes in to Otter Bay on the east side, as there is a wide clearing there and an ATV can bring a trailer to load up.

Smaller loads might be brought in to either Nayler Bay (shown as West Bay on the charts) or Whaleboat Passage which is at the extreme south end of the island.

The reason that West Bay is locally referred to as Nayler Bay is because the island was owned by the Nayler family before it was sold to Nanaimo realty, who in turn developed it into lots. The Naylers had their home at the head of West Bay.

That home is still here and being used by the current owners on a regular basis. (It is presently getting a new roof.)

Thanks for visiting.


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## no1hustler

Yes, I was referring to ATVs. Thank you for the detailed explanation!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh my stars, I can't imagine red wood being wasted on a bridge. It don't seem like it would be strong enough for a bridge. 50 feet in cir is unreal, that is oooooone huge tree!
> 
> Talking about reclaiming wood there is a lot of reclaimed heart pine use here. This is the old pine where the growth rings are really close together, not like todays pine. The winters are just not winters anymore down here for the lumber to be of higher grade as back years ago. I have had the privilege to work with really old chestnut and that was really a treat. I wish I had a shed full of that stuff right now, I would probably ruin it from drooling on it. :thumbsup:
> 
> It would seem like ya'll would get a lot of rain where you are located. That would be kinda scary having to depend on rain water for drinking. I see why you built such large water storages now.


Jim: I think back in the day that they didn't think it was a waste of wood to build bridges. After all, it was an available resource and was cheap at the time. Some of those huge bridge timbers would just about make you cry today. Unimaginable lengths of clear timber like you could not believe.

I'd be willing to bet that the pic of that redwood that Barb posted is bigger than 50' around.

In order to get out of the rain shadow, you would only need to get down towards Victoria - at the south end of Vancouver Island, or over to the west coast, say Tofino for example, which gets 127" of rain a year. We get about 3 feet here.


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## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> Yes, I was referring to ATVs. Thank you for the detailed explanation!


Whew!!!! Thank goodness for that!!!:thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I think back in the day that they didn't think it was a waste of wood to build bridges. After all, it was an available resource and was cheap at the time. Some of those huge bridge timbers would just about make you cry today. Unimaginable lengths of clear timber like you could not believe.
> 
> I'd be willing to bet that the pic of that redwood that Barb posted is bigger than 50' around.
> 
> In order to get out of the rain shadow, you would only need to get down towards Victoria - at the south end of Vancouver Island, or over to the west coast, say Tofino for example, which gets 127" of rain a year. We get about 3 feet here.


Keith I can just see those huge wooden beams in my mind's eye, that just hurts. That would be some really fine recovered wood for sure.

One of the old homes my crew and I restored that was built in 1822 had two wooden beams they used for the front and rear ceils of the main part of the house. These two beams were around 14X14 inches and forty feet long and were cypress. The front beam was no more than 8 inches off the ground and was not the least bit of rot in it and that was amazing to me. 

I am sure these beams would pale in comparison to the red wood beams but for down this way that is a fair size wooden beam unless you get into railroad beams.

That is one heck of a lot of difference in rain fall and for such a short distance. I don't know what our average rain fall is here.


----------



## cocobolo

The reason that Tofino gets all that rain is because it is on the far side of Vancouver Island, right on the Pacific Ocean. In straight line it's not that far from us.


----------



## cocobolo

Way back in post 1782 I was asking for help with how to cut this glass.

I went to the local glass shop where we have dealt before, and they explained firstly that they cannot guarantee_ any_ cuts on customers existing glass.

I explained carefully exactly how the sandblasting was and so on. In fact, I took a piece of glass over there so they could assess it first hand.

In their store, they had some gorgeous window walls (office partitions floor to ceiling) with _etched_ designs...orca's of all things...absolutely magnificent.

The gal in charge said they wouldn't even attempt to cut etched glass, which really doesn't chew much glass out at all. In fact, when you run your finger down the etched side, you can't feel any difference in thickness at all.

So, for that reason, plus the fact that this is _old_ glass, they were unable to risk cutting it. We both agreed that a bridge saw was the best answer.

By the strangest of coincidences, Canadian Tire just happened to have such a gadget on sale at nearly 50% off.

Last Friday, while we were going over to town on the boat, I told the missus that I had another idea where we could use 5 more sheets of this glass. OK, off we truck to the demo store again and get five more sheets. Only this time, missus does some bargaining with the owner.

Originally, they had just 12 sheets. We bought 5 the first time, and 5 the second time. And I did mention that maybe...just maybe...we should get the last two while we were there. We didn't. Turned out to be a big mistake.

On Sunday, while I was working outside, I managed to knock one sheet over and prove just how brittle it was. Right away, wife number 2 suggested that it might be a really good idea if I were to hike my derriere back to the demo store and grab those last two sheets.

This I did yesterday. And that's when I went to the glass store.

Today, after bringing home my _third_ wet saw, I was able to cut some of this glass.

Now, the glass is 18" x 48", some sheets are narrower, but all share the 18" dimension. When I picked up the new bridge saw, the only question I had was "How wide a piece of glass will it cut?" Answer: 18 1/2".

That was close!

Here's the saw.


----------



## cocobolo

Hit the wrong button again...


----------



## cocobolo

There's not a whole lot of room left over when the glass is in place...


----------



## cocobolo

I was a little nervous, to say the least, when I cut the first piece. But it all went well. The pieces for the 13 windows in the living room are cut to width, but they still need a small amount trimmed off the top, around 7/8" or so.

I will do that tomorrow, and wife number 2 will clean each piece as it comes off the table.

Earlier this evening, I cut up all the cedar which will be used to line the outside of the window frames. 52 pieces of it!

Windows all cut here...


----------



## jlhaslip

they will look awesome...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that IS some pretty glass, I agree they will make a bunch of beautiful windows. I appreciate you posting about cutting the glass with a wet saw, I didn't know if it were possible or not. Now that I know it can be cut I will do a little cutting myself.

I can see why Vancouver gets more rain now. Is Vancouver Island a huge place? I see it is kinda long and not quite as wide. It looks like it would be tough for a big truck rig to get to Vancouver Island, I bet it takes some figuring to figure a route to there.

I like your new saw, I bet you will find many more uses for that big one.


----------



## gma2rjc

The glass is very pretty. I can't imagine being able to make 13 windows and frames, let alone installing them.

This may be a dumb question, but can you use that saw to cut tile?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> they will look awesome...


Thanks jl, it won't quite be the same as originally planned, but at least it's something I can get in place quickly.

All these things that take several weeks each are taking a serious toll on the time clock.

I expect to have the first few in today just to see what it will all look like.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that IS some pretty glass, I agree they will make a bunch of beautiful windows. I appreciate you posting about cutting the glass with a wet saw, I didn't know if it were possible or not. Now that I know it can be cut I will do a little cutting myself.
> 
> I can see why Vancouver gets more rain now. Is Vancouver Island a huge place? I see it is kinda long and not quite as wide. It looks like it would be tough for a big truck rig to get to Vancouver Island, I bet it takes some figuring to figure a route to there.
> 
> I like your new saw, I bet you will find many more uses for that big one.


When the wife & I spotted this glass, we both liked it right away, and we immediately knew where it could be used.

Glass cutting with a wet saw seems to be easy on thicker glass, I don't know about the thinner stuff. Although they do make a Ring Saw which is designed to cut thin glass into any shape you like.

The trick with the glass I'm cutting now seems to be to go very slowly, particularly when you are exiting the cut.

Vancouver Island is a fair size...the capital city of the province (Victoria) is at the southern tip of the island.

Getting any size truck over is no trouble at all...the ferries here all carry dozens of full size semi's every trip.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The glass is very pretty. I can't imagine being able to make 13 windows and frames, let alone installing them.
> 
> This may be a dumb question, but can you use that saw to cut tile?
> 
> Barb


I don't have to worry about making frames as such, because I will be using the house framing for that.

The glass is cut to fit into the opening, then I add the red cedar all round which is cut to fit snugly in each of the openings. That actually holds the glass in place. So it looks like a finished window.

Yes, you can definitely cut tile with it!


----------



## BigJim

Thanks buddy, I appreciate the information. The ferries must be huge to handle that kind of weight. 

We can't wait to see your windows complete, I know they will look fantastic.


----------



## jlhaslip

http://www.pbase.com/kstapleton

Bc ferries: check out those pictures.


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> http://www.pbase.com/kstapleton
> 
> Bc ferries: check out those pictures.


Gooooood gravy, most of those bad boys look bigger than football fields. One thing is for sure, you don't have a shortage of ferries. I can see how they can easily carry the big trucks and anything else. I don't know why I had in my mind a couple of ferries and no where the size of these fellows. Thanks JL I appreciate you sharing the pictures with us.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thanks buddy, I appreciate the information. The ferries must be huge to handle that kind of weight.
> 
> We can't wait to see your windows complete, I know they will look fantastic.


Right, out here in B.C. they build 'em big! I don't know how many vehicles the biggest ones carry, but it must be in the hundreds. Our ferry system basically is the highway between the mainland, and Vancouver Island and the gulf islands.

Next post will be about the windows...coming right up.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, the glass was cut to width yesterday, and I needed to trim the height to fit. Give or take, this was about an inch.

So far, this little saw (it's only a 7" blade) is doing fine with the glass.

The blade obviously is not of very good quality, and I think if it had the diamonds running a little further up the side of the blade it may be smoother.

Don't get me wrong, the edges of the glass are absolutely smooth...but it is taking lots of really tiny chips off the corners. But nothing has broken yet, touch wood. I stress again that the cuts are being made very slowly - about 90 seconds to go through 18" of glass. Tile I would cut probably five or six times faster.

After they are cut, the glass is covered in a fine white powder. It's a mixture of glass and water. I conned the missus into doing the rotten job of cleaning. Some of the panes had what looked like some sort of oil spilled on them. We weren't sure it would come off, but...


----------



## cocobolo

I took a pic after the first four panes were in, looks something like this.


----------



## cocobolo

With wife number 2 doing the cleaning (good thing I wasn't doing it, we'd still be waiting!) we got the whole kit and kaboodle installed.


----------



## cocobolo

It's pretty difficult to see what they really look like, but both of us are quite tickled.

Here's 3 of them close up so you get a better idea.


----------



## cocobolo

When that was out of the way - along with the obligatory swim - I started on the framing for the studio door.

Didn't get terribly far, but I will cut the jambs in the morning and hang the door.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was beating the 2 x 4's into submission, I evidently annoyed the local population in this wasp nest just starting to be built. I didn't get stung, but I'm afraid they will be given a dose of medicine after dark when they quieten down.


----------



## BigJim

Ya'lls windows are looking great buddy, isn't it great when our sweeties jump in to help us out. That lets in a bunch of wonderful light.

Those little stripped boogers look just like the ones down this way, talk about hurt they can really smart.


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## gma2rjc

They might be Yellow Jackets. They're scavengers, so you know it's them when you sit outside to eat and they show up.

The windows are awesome Keith! That's quite a talent you both have to be able to see that glass at the store and visualize it being up in that spot. 

Is the mixture of glass and water to clean the windows something you bought or did you make it from glass you had there?

What did you have covering that opening before you put the windows in?

Barb


----------



## no1hustler

Wow, the windows look amazing!!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Ya'lls windows are looking great buddy, isn't it great when our sweeties jump in to help us out. That lets in a bunch of wonderful light.
> 
> Those little stripped boogers look just like the ones down this way, talk about hurt they can really smart.


They do indeed, don't they? Every once in awhile they will sting our little dog. She let's out a yelp and then tries to lick the sting better.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> They might be Yellow Jackets. They're scavengers, so you know it's them when you sit outside to eat and they show up.
> 
> The windows are awesome Keith! That's quite a talent you both have to be able to see that glass at the store and visualize it being up in that spot.
> 
> Is the mixture of glass and water to clean the windows something you bought or did you make it from glass you had there?
> 
> What did you have covering that opening before you put the windows in?
> 
> Barb


Right Barb, they are yellow jackets...for whatever reason we call them wasps up here.

They are all too frequent dinner guests!

The glass powder is what ends up on the glass after a cut with the saw. It just happens to be a really good abrasive for getting almost any kind of junk off. Once that is off, the M-R-S cleans it further with Bon Ami.

There were already two layers of glass in those windows, these now mean it will be triple glazed.


----------



## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> Wow, the windows look amazing!!



Thanks...we try to make things look good if possible. This glass was just a very lucky find.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> They might be Yellow Jackets. They're scavengers, so you know it's them when you sit outside to eat and they show up.
> 
> The windows are awesome Keith! That's quite a talent you both have to be able to see that glass at the store and visualize it being up in that spot.
> 
> Is the mixture of glass and water to clean the windows something you bought or did you make it from glass you had there?
> 
> What did you have covering that opening before you put the windows in?
> 
> Barb


Barb, the kind of yellow jackets you are talking about are ground yellow jackets. Those things just won't quit buzzing around your head until you kill them. They are not as apt to pop you as the ones in Keith's picture.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> http://www.pbase.com/kstapleton
> 
> Bc ferries: check out those pictures.


jl, hey many thanks for that link.

The two "spirit" class vessels are the new ferries...and they really are monsters. Lovely to ride in.

The Seaspan rail ferry (In fact the whole Seaspan outfit, which has oodles of big barges) is owned by a chap from the north end of Thetis island, which is about 5 miles from here.

A couple of years back I was going to have the distinct pleasure of re-doing much of his incredible house and outbuildings there - a summer home. Probably not worth a dime over ten million dollars!!!!

Right about then I managed to have a heart attack and my doctor put the kibosh on that idea.

A shame, because it isn't often you get a chance to work on a place like that for a customer who doesn't even need to ask what the cost will be.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Barb, the kind of yellow jackets you are talking about are ground yellow jackets. Those things just won't quit buzzing around your head until you kill them. They are not as apt to pop you as the ones in Keith's picture.


I think you're right Jim. Of course, we are greedy up here and we have all kinds. Usually, we have dozens of them flying around at ground level - and while they are a bother at meal times - they don't seem to sting.

Then we have the kind which look like these with the addition of two long legs which trail down when they fly. They have a nasty bite. I have heard them referred to as mud wasps here, but I must admit I'm not any kind of bug expert at all.


----------



## BigJim

It is really interesting to see all the different things up your way that we don't see down this way. I can't wait to see your trees when they change this fall, they have got to be beautiful. Fall and Spring are my favorite times of year. Hopefully here in the mountains the colors will be brilliant this year. I will quit now, I am just ramblin.


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## cocobolo

The leaded glass door which wife number two bought right around the time Moses was alive is now in place.

Still have to put some sheathing around the outside...later today.

The glass is pretty old, I would say 60 years easily. The original hinge on it was a very old style, but only 1/2 the hinge was there. Replaced with new ones.

It appears that the glass moves quite a bit, as in it is loose somehow. We will get that fixed.

We have a good pal here who did glass work for years and knows just what to do. He did tell me, but as usual I have forgotten.


----------



## cocobolo

...yes, I have cut the shims off since the pic above was taken. Should have done that first, sorry.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy that is one gorgeous door, leaded glass has always been a favorite of mine. I have watched on TV how some folks made the leaded glass and it looks like it would be fun to try. I know it is some high dollar glass. I really do like everything in your picture, the siding, the old short post with the hole in it and all, it looks great. Is the door on your cabin or your house?

I had a thought this afternoon, (scary isn't it:yes I have thought about you not being on the grid and paying electric bills but you don't have to pay sewer bills, trash pickup, water bills or any of those things we do. I will admit they are nice but sometimes the cost seems to be too high. 

I am sure you burn what you can but how about the metal cans and such? I am just guessing here, you have a pit where you throw the metal and cover it up with commercial fertilizer to rot the metal to nothing. I was just wondering.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> I am sure you burn what you can but how about the metal cans and such? I am just guessing here, you have a pit where you throw the metal and cover it up with commercial fertilizer to rot the metal to nothing. I was just wondering.


I was wondering something similar, as far as the burning goes. With no fire department on the island, is there a rule of no grilling and no campfires on the island? 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy that is one gorgeous door, leaded glass has always been a favorite of mine. I have watched on TV how some folks made the leaded glass and it looks like it would be fun to try. I know it is some high dollar glass. I really do like everything in your picture, the siding, the old short post with the hole in it and all, it looks great. Is the door on your cabin or your house?
> 
> I had a thought this afternoon, (scary isn't it:yes I have thought about you not being on the grid and paying electric bills but you don't have to pay sewer bills, trash pickup, water bills or any of those things we do. I will admit they are nice but sometimes the cost seems to be too high.
> 
> I am sure you burn what you can but how about the metal cans and such? I am just guessing here, you have a pit where you throw the metal and cover it up with commercial fertilizer to rot the metal to nothing. I was just wondering.


Thanks Jim:

I will pass along your comments about the door to the missus. She found it and bought it...almost so long ago I nearly forget where.

There is a little problem with it...the glass itself is a bit loose, so a fix is necessary.

It is the entrance door to the wife's studio...still being used for storage, but getting closer by the day to finally arriving at its' intended purpose.

Metal cans are flattened and re-cycled. The only cost to us is the effort of delivering them over to town. All we do is to save up until we have a small bag full (they get heavy). We remove any paper labels first.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I was wondering something similar, as far as the burning goes. With no fire department on the island, is there a rule of no grilling and no campfires on the island?
> 
> Barb


During the extreme forest fire hazard times, there are no campfires allowed _anywhere_, not just here. Right now (as of today) there have been some big winds blowing particularly up north, and over 20,000 hectares of wildfires are underway. There is a province wide ban on anyone going into the back country right now.

This is only the second time in 10 years that such a ban has been issued.

Don't forget that I'm my own fire department. 

Any combustibles are burned in one of the woodstoves in the summertime. From late fall - after we have had several rainfalls - until early summer when the ground is still damp, we can burn on the bonfire.

I actually have one side of the bonfire area surrounded by old hard bags of cement just in case hot ashes decide to go for a walk.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim:

Here's the one sizable Douglas fir on our property.

The woodpeckers have been having their way with it since before we came here in '96.

I measured this one today, but at the five foot height, it is 13' 6" around.

Nowhere near the biggest here, but not bad.


----------



## jlhaslip

around here, we'd call that a sapling... :whistling2:

:laughing: j/k


----------



## BigJim

I am just full of questions today, do ya'll cook with gas or on a wood stove? Back when I was a little one my mom cooked on a wood stove, we had no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. Food cooked on a wood stove is just the best.

Just one more question, when you speak of the back country where is that.

Keith that is an interesting tree and huge. What amazes me is the trees up your way have such thick bark, is that to protect them from the much colder weather ya'll have? Thanks for the picture buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> around here, we'd call that a sapling... :whistling2:
> 
> :laughing: j/k


...exactly, and a little one at that!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I am just full of questions today, do ya'll cook with gas or on a wood stove? Back when I was a little one my mom cooked on a wood stove, we had no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. Food cooked on a wood stove is just the best.
> 
> Just one more question, when you speak of the back country where is that.
> 
> Keith that is an interesting tree and huge. What amazes me is the trees up your way have such thick bark, is that to protect them from the much colder weather ya'll have? Thanks for the picture buddy.


Jim, we have a propane fired wall oven and a separate countertop, also propane.

During the colder weather, when the missus has the wood stove going, we often cook on that. Especially in the wintertime when she brews up her delicious stews. And we always have a kettle full of water on the stove in wintertime. It serves the purpose of keeping the humidity up - more comfy - and always being ready for a cuppa in case someone drops by.

B.C. is a pretty big place, and when we say back country, what we mean is any area off the beaten track. I think it would be a fair assessment to say that more than 90% of this province could be considered back country.

When I lived up north, more than 99% was back country. I'll never forget those incredible Yukon panoramas which would stretch for miles in every direction without a soul in sight. Genuinely a humbling experience.

It is the firs and hemlocks which develop that thick bark. I honestly don't know why that is...your guess is as good as mine. It doesn't seem to stop the woodpeckers!


----------



## BigJim

I got to tell you Keith, you are living THE adventure. Reading about your journey is like reading a good book. I can just feel the cozy fire and the smell the stew cooking on the stove on a cold day with the wind blowing outside. The back country just seems like a place in another world where a person could get lost forever. I really love the out doors and the open sky on a crisp cool evening. I am happy for you and your sweety living the life most folks just dream of.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I got to tell you Keith, you are living THE adventure. Reading about your journey is like reading a good book. I can just feel the cozy fire and the smell the stew cooking on the stove on a cold day with the wind blowing outside. The back country just seems like a place in another world where a person could get lost forever. I really love the out doors and the open sky on a crisp cool evening. I am happy for you and your sweety living the life most folks just dream of.


Jim, you always manage to say just the right thing.

Thank you.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning the sheathing and tarpapering was done around the studio door. The missus got the jamb painted right away, as we are expecting rain tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

She wanted to tackle the shingling herself, which was OK until she started bending nails. I kept trying to tell her it was the wind bending the nails, but no matter - she asked if I would nail the shingles on.

She has had a piece of Raku for many years which she bought up in Port Hardy at a gift shop owned by a couple of our friends who have property here on Ruxton. She has decided that it must be mounted at just the right height on the right hand side of the door.


----------



## cocobolo

While it was a slightly fussy job, the shingles were done before supper. 

The missus is now outside staining the shingles before the rain hits later tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see the sun was going down and is reflecting off the Raku.


----------



## jlhaslip

I just found out about the 'stars' thing and after voting, it appears you now have a '5' rating... you deserve it.
And 2300 replies... congrats!


----------



## BigJim

Keith, when ya'll get going there is no stopping you. That sure does look nice and the Raku looks right at home in it's new spot. Your wife comes up with the neatest things.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I just found out about the 'stars' thing and after voting, it appears you now have a '5' rating... you deserve it.
> And 2300 replies... congrats!


jl...please permit me to extend my most sincere thanks.

I will do my best to keep things coming as best I can.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, when ya'll get going there is no stopping you. That sure does look nice and the Raku looks right at home in it's new spot. Your wife comes up with the neatest things.


Jim: There's no doubt that my wife is the artist out of the two of us.

She wanted to get the staining done on the shingles, but the call of the TV was too much for her! I have her cast iron guarantee that she wants to finish it up in the morning.

She did get this far though...


----------



## cocobolo

Earlier this afternoon the railing got its' fourth coat of varnish. The shine is starting to come up now.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, in post 2287 you asked about the door being in the house or cabin, and it's in the wife's studio, which is attached to the house.

I tried getting a pic of it so you can see the whole building, but the jungle here keeps getting in the way.

That strange contraption to the right is the outdoor shower.


----------



## BigJim

Nooooow I see how the studio fits in and it is just absolutely beautiful buddy. Your sweety is doing a great job also, that color stain is perfect.

Keith, your rail reminds me of a hand made, custom, high end sail boat, that is just beautiful. I don't know which is my favorite now, this rail or the rail table on your lower deck, it is a toss up.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Nooooow I see how the studio fits in and it is just absolutely beautiful buddy. Your sweety is doing a great job also, that color stain is perfect.
> 
> Keith, your rail reminds me of a hand made, custom, high end sail boat, that is just beautiful. I don't know which is my favorite now, this rail or the rail table on your lower deck, it is a toss up.


Well, you don't have to choose if you don't want to...just enjoy what's there!


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, the railing looks more beautiful with every picture you post. 

I'd never heard of a Raku, but it sure is nice. And that's a great spot for it. What is it made of? Are the areas that show the colors of the sunset made out of mirror? 


> She wanted to tackle the shingling herself, which was OK until she started bending nails. I kept trying to tell her it was the wind bending the nails, but no matter - she asked if I would nail the shingles on.


That's funny about the wind bending the nails. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, the railing looks more beautiful with every picture you post.
> 
> I'd never heard of a Raku, but it sure is nice. And that's a great spot for it. What is it made of? Are the areas that show the colors of the sunset made out of mirror?
> 
> That's funny about the wind bending the nails. :laughing:


Barb, Raku is a style of pottery, and it refers to the way it is made. The piece is fired to a high temperature (around 1,800º) very quickly - well under an hour. Normal pottery may take many hours or even days to reach temperature.

From there, the piece is put into a container with combustible materials in it, and a lid put on. This makes the combustibles burn without oxygen.

At this point the piece takes on that characteristic rough look. I don't know much about this, but we have another Raku piece which is completely different from this one. I'll see if I can find it and take a pic tomorrow. It may well be packed away, but I will ask wife number two where it is.

You can probably get a bunch of info off Google.

I think the process is named after either a Japanese individual or family who started it a few hundred years ago. The M-R-S used to have an antique business, and occasionally she would handle an old Raku piece. They are genuinely expensive. The new stuff, while moderately costly is nowhere near the price.

Wind bending the nails? Standard carpenter's answer every time he bends one!


----------



## cocobolo

The missus was asking when I might get around to putting up some proper gutters on the studio today.

Last year for her birthday I got her a rain chain, and she would like it to hang just outside the door. It's a solid one, and not the pressed tin or copper type which weigh very little. She would like some sort of nice barrel to catch the water in.

Either we could buy a half-barrel, or perhaps I could make something. Guess I will have to give that some thought.


----------



## frenchelectrican

I did read a bit and got caught up here and so far you really did good work on that home of yours.

C'est manifinqué { it is super }

Speaking of Ferry vessels I did work on couple of them most are self concatend it mean it have it own engines to move the vessel and they can carry quite a bit of weight especaly with larger vessel mine is capable to haul much as 3500 tonnes with large flat barge with rail track { they are retactable if not using } with tugboat which I live on them for over 5 years it powered by pair of twin EMD { ElectroMoviteDiesel aka Large diesel locomovtive engine } which they are rated at 2800 SHP { shaft horsepower at prop }

But only one rules with most ferries if you have fuel tanker they will not allow any other vechiles on it for safety reason { the only time they wil extempt is if they are hauling diesel fuel or hevey fuel or empty tankers }

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> I did read a bit and got caught up here and so far you really did good work on that home of yours.
> 
> C'est manifinqué { it is super }
> 
> Speaking of Ferry vessels I did work on couple of them most are self concatend it mean it have it own engines to move the vessel and they can carry quite a bit of weight especaly with larger vessel mine is capable to haul much as 3500 tonnes with large flat barge with rail track { they are retactable if not using } with tugboat which I live on them for over 5 years it powered by pair of twin EMD { ElectroMoviteDiesel aka Large diesel locomovtive engine } which they are rated at 2800 SHP { shaft horsepower at prop }
> 
> But only one rules with most ferries if you have fuel tanker they will not allow any other vechiles on it for safety reason { the only time they wil extempt is if they are hauling diesel fuel or hevey fuel or empty tankers }
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Hi Marc:

On the smaller ferries up here, when they are going to be carrying a fuel truck, they make a special run just for the fuel truck only. They actually have regularly scheduled fuel runs which do not carry other vehicles.

Do you have a picture of that vessel you lived on?


----------



## frenchelectrican

I have to dig up one of my piles to find the photo of my vessel.

That will take couple days if not found then I know I left in Wisconsin.
{ I am in France now }

Merci.
Marc


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, the railing looks more beautiful with every picture you post.
> 
> I'd never heard of a Raku, but it sure is nice. And that's a great spot for it. What is it made of? Are the areas that show the colors of the sunset made out of mirror?
> 
> That's funny about the wind bending the nails. :laughing:


Whew, Barb, I am glad you asked about the Raku, I wasn't going to ask what it was cause I thought I was the only one that didn't know.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, this is odd.

I posted a reply about the Raku and it has disappeared...?

I'll try again.

The missus found this Raku up at Port Hardy in a small gift shop owned by a couple of friends we have here on the island.

Raku is a type of pottery done unlike any other. Please understand that I'm definitely no expert here, but my wife knows a fair bit about it. I am told that it is a style originally started by either an individual or a family over in Japan several centuries ago. The name, or family name, which ever it was, was - not surprisingly - Raku.

It is fired very quickly compared to other methods, with the temperature being brought up to 1,800º +- in less than an hour. I understand that most other types take from several hours to several days.

A case in point might be the terra cotta tiles which we have just got here. They are fired for many days using a wood fired kiln. I doubt the temperature gets anywhere near 1,800º for the tiles.

The item is placed into a large container - metal garbage can for instance - which contains some combustible material. The intense heat from the object instantly ignites the combustibles, and a tight fitting lid is put on the container so that the combustibles burn essentially without oxygen. I don't understand how or why this works, but it leaves a totally different finish on the item. It has a sort of rough texture to it.

We have another Raku piece here somewhere, and I just asked the missus if she knows where it is. Most likely packed away in a box somewhere. If we can find it I'll show it to you as well.


----------



## cocobolo

Ahh, dummy me, I just looked back a page and there is the reply. Not very clever.

Sorry about that.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus found the other Raku piece. It was a wedding gift from her sister.

Every years she uses it to put flowers in during the summer, but for whatever reason, not this year.

This shows the characteristic black finish which Raku commonly has, but the odd thing is that this one - until last year anyway - was covered in vivid colours. They seem to have disappeared.

There are still traces of the yellow, green, red and purple from when it was new, but the sudden loss of colour has us both baffled.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, the missus is on a roll today. Just as she said she's stained the shingles around her studio door, she's done both sets of steps out the back of the cabin...now she's going to tackle the deck off the studio...where will it all end!


----------



## cocobolo

Not only that...but yesterday she re-did the back of the generator shed and the small deck in front of it!


----------



## BigJim

Earlier today I was wondering what ya'll were doing today. I thought maybe they are resting for a change, then I thought, Keith rest, not a chance, and I was right. At the rate ya'll are going it won't take much longer to finish your home.

Ya'll got it looking great.

Keith that Raku piece is interesting, I like it looking like that, it looks kinda like a rust. By the way, you didn't scratch my table there did you?:no:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Earlier today I was wondering what ya'll were doing today. I thought maybe they are resting for a change, then I thought, Keith rest, not a chance, and I was right. At the rate ya'll are going it won't take much longer to finish your home.
> 
> Ya'll got it looking great.
> 
> Keith that Raku piece is interesting, I like it looking like that, it looks kinda like a rust. By the way, you didn't scratch my table there did you?:no:


Now Jim, really, would _I_ scratch your table? Perish the thought!

You have no idea how I wish you were right about the time to finish up here. It's still going to be some time yet.

Just have to d/l some pix and I'll be right back.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus tried scraping a small piece of the narrow deck attached to her studio, but I figured at the rate she was going she might be done by next April.

So we put that nasty sanding disc to work (same kind Jim has) and in short order I was able to make some real progress.


----------



## cocobolo

I guess I ought to mention that the deck wood was all chainsawed out of a log which came off our property. Unfortunately, it was full of the root rot. In this case the cone of rot went about 70' up the tree. Rather than turn it into firewood, we figured at the time that we might as well nail it down for this small deck section.

It only ever had one coat of some cheap stain we picked up at Habitat over in Nanaimo about 12 years ago.

After the sanding was done - and you're right about this being an aggressive disc Jim - the bulk of the boards came up remarkably well. We were in kind of a hurry, as the wind was starting to get up and the clouds were building.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus wanted to stain the shakes on the wall, and while she was thusly engaged, I stained the crown of wood around the shower. That's the closest thing I can think of that it looks like.

She quit doing that before the shakes were quite done, and we both got on to staining the deck surface.

When the wind gets up here, we know that the rain isn't far behind. It works that way about 95% of the time. We can see the rain already over behind the first row of mountains on Vancouver Island, and the wind is coming at us from due west. It won't be long now...

Here's her shake wall...


----------



## cocobolo

With both of us on the deck, we were finished just a few minutes past six o'clock. We were hoping for two hours without rain so the stain would dry reasonably well. It's an hour and three quarters as I'm typing this...


----------



## cocobolo

The whole shebang looks like this.


----------



## jlhaslip

send some of that rain over here... we need it.

Studio is looking good.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus had some grandiose plans to varnish her studio sign as well today...she got as far as washing it when I started sanding the deck.

I can guarantee you there was sanding dust everywhere, including all over her sign.

I gave it a quick blow off with compressed air, but there just wasn't enough time to do the job.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> send some of that rain over here... we need it.
> 
> Studio is looking good.


I don't know if we can afford it - we're getting pretty desperate here as well.

Are you near any of those wildfires? If this wind we're getting right this minute was at a wildfire - it really would go crazy!


----------



## cocobolo

Here's what the missus calls her "funky bench". It sits at the end of the deck by the shower. Doesn't look quite as funky with that Mesa Grey stain on it though...but that's what she wanted.


----------



## cocobolo

Her sign didn't show up any too well...here's a cropped version.

Hope it comes out better.


----------



## cocobolo

This isn't exactly what you could call a sunset...but it's what we had a few minutes ago here.


----------



## BigJim

It is a good thing that the wind picked up and blew some of the dust away that your sander was kicking up. That disc is a real getter but it did do a good job. You two are amazing and an inspiration to all of us. I have yet to see anything you do that I didn't like. 

Wow, you made several posts while I was posting. Keith all of your and your sweety's projects are fantastic, just beautiful. The picture of the sky is gorgeous, I have never seen one like that, the color is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing my friend.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It is a good thing that the wind picked up and blew some of the dust away that your sander was kicking up. That disc is a real getter but it did do a good job. You two are amazing and an inspiration to all of us. I have yet to see anything you do that I didn't like.
> 
> I was reading on another thread about folks speaking different languages and it brought to mind something that happened to me years ago. When I was in the Navy I went home with one of my buddys who lived up north. I met his family and his grand mother lived with them.
> 
> His grand mother was French Canadian and spoke rather fast. I wasn't use to folks speaking fast as most southern folks don't. They were all fascinated with my accent as I was with theirs, I couldn't understand very much of what his grand mother said.
> 
> 
> I guess speaking ******* don't qualify as another language. :no:


Jim, you can be excused for not understanding French Canadian, since it's neither French nor Canadian!

As for *******, well I don't know. But I can tell you - we have a couple of them on this island! Nothing like you good ole boys though!


----------



## cocobolo

No sooner did I post the sky shot, when I looked out the window again and...


----------



## cocobolo

...as I was shooting, the rain started. Wife number 2 is thrilled!


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, those pictures are absolutely gorgeous! the colors are so vivid.

I meant to ask you a page or two back what that was peeking out from the shadows of the rafters in post #2305. Thanks for posting a full picture of it. What an awesome piece of wood! Did she find it on the island?

About the rain chains. I'd never heard of them, so I googled 'rain chain pictures'. Those are so cool! I can't wait to see what it looks like installed near her studio door. 

You guys must have a lot of neat stuff in the stores up there that we don't have here. That's two things now that I'd never heard of. *Or maybe I just need to get out more. lol*

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, those pictures are absolutely gorgeous! the colors are so vivid.
> 
> I meant to ask you a page or two back what that was peeking out from the shadows of the rafters in post #2305. Thanks for posting a full picture of it. What an awesome piece of wood! Did she find it on the island?
> 
> About the rain chains. I'd never heard of them, so I googled 'rain chain pictures'. Those are so cool! I can't wait to see what it looks like installed near her studio door.
> 
> You guys must have a lot of neat stuff in the stores up there that we don't have here. That's two things now that I'd never heard of. *Or maybe I just need to get out more. lol*
> 
> Barb


It's definitely a piece of driftwood we found here...but it was so long ago now I have no idea which of us found it.

Most likely the missus did, and I would have been assigned the job of bringing it here.

Those less than delightful plastic gutters will have to go, and I'll have to make something strong enough to hold the rain chain. I'll try and remember to get it out tomorrow and get a pic. The missus will know exactly where it is.


----------



## BigJim

Oh my stars, that sunset is just unreal. I will be paying more attention to the sunsets here but I have never seen one that pretty here.

I went back to #2305 to see what Barb was talking about and noticed your natural hand rail, there is so much to see in your pictures I failed to see it. That is just fantastic, that style Judy and I fell in love with as we love the natural outdoors. We were thinking about making a bed out of limbs like those in a cabin. I know I keep using the words fantastic and beautiful to describe your creations but there are just so many words in the English language. Keith there is no doubt about it buddy, you are a master artisan craftsman. What did you say the name of your book was going to be?:whistling2: 

By the way, your sweety really knows beauty also, you both compliment each other in so many of your projects and that is wonderful my friend.


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> Are you near any of those wildfires? If this wind we're getting right this minute was at a wildfire - it really would go crazy!


define near? There is a small one a valley over, towards Lake Louise, but it likely won't amount to much. All the fuel burned up a couple of years ago during a controlled burn that got away on the Parks folks.
Most of the smoke is coming from the Cariboo fires, and they must be large ones because I couldn't see across the valley the past week or so.
I'm about to do a rain dance.


----------



## tpolk

keith how do you keep a driving rain out where the shingles butt to the window/door jambs with no trim? I speak three languages here, english, ******* and teenager. the last being the hardest. timothy :yes: also your studio looks like the inside of what was supposed to be my music studio, so sad


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> define near? There is a small one a valley over, towards Lake Louise, but it likely won't amount to much. All the fuel burned up a couple of years ago during a controlled burn that got away on the Parks folks.
> Most of the smoke is coming from the Cariboo fires, and they must be large ones because I couldn't see across the valley the past week or so.
> I'm about to do a rain dance.


Near would be anywhere you could see the pall of smoke rising...so say 20 to 40 miles, give or take.

Last week the smoke from the cariboo fires was brought down this way by the outflow winds. Local visibility was reduced to around 3 to 4 miles. One morning we couldn't see Vancouver island at all, so it may have been less.

That was when the Vancouver health officer tried to get folks with any sort of breathing problem to stay inside. That smoke and the usual pollution over there made a nasty combination. And there can't be much doubt it would have been far worse close to the fires.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh my stars, that sunset is just unreal. I will be paying more attention to the sunsets here but I have never seen one that pretty here.
> 
> I went back to #2305 to see what Barb was talking about and noticed your natural hand rail, there is so much to see in your pictures I failed to see it. That is just fantastic, that style Judy and I fell in love with as we love the natural outdoors. We were thinking about making a bed out of limbs like those in a cabin. I know I keep using the words fantastic and beautiful to describe your creations but there are just so many words in the English language. Keith there is no doubt about it buddy, you are a master artisan craftsman. What did you say the name of your book was going to be?:whistling2:
> 
> By the way, your sweety really knows beauty also, you both compliment each other in so many of your projects and that is wonderful my friend.


Jim, there's two reasons why we sometimes get neat sunsets. The first is because there is a stretch of water about 5 miles long between us and where the sun goes down at this time of year.

As the sun sets earlier as fall progresses, the distance over water becomes less. We have noticed over the years that this seems to affect the sunsets. It's the summer and early fall ones which are best.

The other reason I'm sad to say is due to industry.

Right in line between us and the present sunsets is a pulp mill. I guess it is about 8 miles or so from here. Even though it has state of the art scrubbers on the exhaust, it still definitely affects the air quality in the immediate vicinity. It is the air that the sunlight goes through that has considerable effect on the colours of the sunsets. Plus the reflections of course - both from clouds and water.

We are far enough away from the mill that we only get the smell from it about 4 days a year. The wind has to blow gently directly from the mill straight toward us for that to happen. Big winds just break everything up.

The smoke from the forest fires makes for a generally very red sky all over, and the sun looks like a big red orb.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> keith how do you keep a driving rain out where the shingles butt to the window/door jambs with no trim? I speak three languages here, english, ******* and teenager. the last being the hardest. timothy :yes: also your studio looks like the inside of what was supposed to be my music studio, so sad


That's a darn good question. The studio door, which I think faces just about due south (I'll check & change it if I'm out a bit) has quite a few trees in front of it. By the time the rain gets there - and we don't get many driving rains - there isn't much punch left.

To be perfectly honest with you, I have never noticed any water getting through those joins, although I must admit there isn't much to stop it.

I remember when we first put up the shakes (as opposed to sawn shingles alongside the door) saying to the wife that I might have to use a ton or two of clear caulking. When I put the tarpaper on, 15lb. roofing felt actually, I put it so that there was a tiny curve of paper pressing against any projecting wood where the shakes ended.

The roofing felt alongside the door was treated the same way.

Before the door was on, all we had there was a sheet of 4 x 8 OSB which was hung in place with hinges, so it acted as the door. Shortly after it was installed it took up an inward curve, so there was actually more than an inch of open space in the middle! Any sort of driving rain would hit the OSB and run down inside the studio! There was absolutely nothing to stop it.

I will be making up a sill for this door, which I trust will stop that from happening any more. I expect this will sound odd, but I can only remember the rain getting in there very few times. And I can't ever recall any leaks alongside the shakes - which is where you would think the problem would be worse. I guess it must be the roofing felt doing the job.

Also, that wall in the pics is the only wall which could possibly get any kind of driving rain. I just went down and looked at the inside of that wall, and there is no telltale evidence of water intrusion. I can hardly believe it.


----------



## cocobolo

Timothy...your question about the rain got my curiosity up.

I just stood on the little deck and took some pix toward the south east, south and south west.

The islands here run south east - north west, which are also the predominant wind directions. Anything from due north to south east would only pass over us and have little effect. The trees are easily 100' tall in those directions. Therefore zero driving rain.

These two are looking up from the deck (more a walkway really) looking south east and south.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can obviously see, this one looks down the side of the studio, but we don't get wind in from this direction - except during the occasional times when there is a wind change from s/e to n/w. It never lasts more than a few minutes.


----------



## cocobolo

My good wife who-always-knows-where-things-are found the rain chain this morning.

I put it up temporarily on the end of a rafter tail, just so we could take a pic.

The little fishes are actually castings - heavy little guys.


----------



## cocobolo

I think she must have been a mermaid in a former life, there's lost of fishy stuff around here...


----------



## gma2rjc

> The little fishes are actually castings - heavy little guys.


That is so cool! It's nicer than the ones I saw in the pictures I googled. Did you find that at the reno store too? 

The color of the stain around the door brings out the color in the glass. It all looks good.

All the little fishy decorations add a nice touch!

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That is so cool! It's nicer than the ones I saw in the pictures I googled. Did you find that at the reno store too?
> 
> The color of the stain around the door brings out the color in the glass. It all looks good.
> 
> Barb


No, this one came from up in Nanaimo, I think the store was "Dig This"...a little gardening store which gets the neatest stuff in from all over the world.

The missus wants to add a slight tinge of colour to some of the leaded glass, the bits in the middle I think. 

First we have to get the glass more solid. But we have found out how to do that now, so next trip over we'll try to find the appropriate material for the job.


----------



## Another Kevin

cocobolo said:


> I should mention that I have barely one year of computer use under my belt . . . .


157 pages and 2,350 posts later . . . . . :thumbup:

cocobolo this is one of the coolest threads I've seen. Anywhere. I only got to page 5 before I had to fast forward to see if you were still going strong. Now that I know you are I'll go back to page 6 and try to get this thread read before supper. Haha. Not. I will get it read eventually though. 


How do you like that Norwood? The LM2000 with the 23HP Briggs was the first mill I bought in '04 but pretty soon realized I need hydraulics so I got a WM LT40 Super. 

I dated a gal in Vancouver in '99 thru 2000 and use to fly up there quite a bunch. We used to dive out of a dive shop on Nanaimo. What a beautiful area. We visited a few islands too. What a paradise you live in.


----------



## cocobolo

Another Kevin said:


> 157 pages and 2,350 posts later . . . . . :thumbup:
> 
> cocobolo this is one of the coolest threads I've seen. Anywhere. I only got to page 5 before I had to fast forward to see if you were still going strong. Now that I know you are I'll go back to page 6 and try to get this thread read before supper. Haha. Not. I will get it read eventually though.
> 
> 
> How do you like that Norwood? The LM2000 with the 23HP Briggs was the first mill I bought in '04 but pretty soon realized I need hydraulics so I got a WM LT40 Super.
> 
> I dated a gal in Vancouver in '99 thru 2000 and use to fly up there quite a bunch. We used to dive out of a dive shop on Nanaimo. What a beautiful area. We visited a few islands too. What a paradise you live in.


...and I wasn't kidding either. I'm still not much good at the computer stuff, but I get by...that's about all.

The Norwood is one of the really ancient ones, before Norwood even took over the previous outfit. This one has served me well, and the original 13hp Honda motor is still running strong. Hard to believe, but it starts first pull every time.

My immediate neighbour here got one of the 9 hp Honda powered Norwoods a few years ago, used of course, and he is now using the LT40, with hydraulics.

His is over on Gabriola island and he uses it commercially.

Thanks for dropping by and honouring me with your first post.


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, will you please tell your wife "thank you" for taking the time to look for the rain chain? It was very nice of her to do that.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

This afternoon, after doing some more staining, I started on cutting the glass for a future wall at the top of the stairs.

As you know, the big saw didn't have enough width capacity to cut the sandblasted glass, hence the bridge saw.

But there is a marked difference in the quality of the cuts between the two. Initially, I put it down to blade quality...but when cutting today I noticed what I think the real problem might be.

This glass was cut on the big saw.


----------



## Lulimet

I haven't read the whole thread but was wondering why did you go with the plastic gutters and why don't you use downspouts.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, will you please tell your wife "thank you" for taking the time to look for the rain chain? It was very nice of her to do that.
> 
> Barb


Sorry Barb, you snuck in there while I was typing...consider it done!

She actually knew where it was, took her a few seconds!


----------



## cocobolo

Lulimet said:


> I haven't read the whole thread but was wondering why did you go with the plastic gutters and why don't you use downspouts.


The plastic gutters are one of those "temporary" things, you know...the kind that are only there for 10 years or so.

As for downspouts, we try to catch all the water we can off the various roofs, so we just put 20 liter buckets under the ends of any gutters...or - heaven forbid - where we do actually have downspouts, they feed into 45 gallon barrels.

The days of the plastic gutters on the studio are seriously numbered now...as soon as I find some suitable wood, I will make gutters to feed the water down the rain chain.

I will re-cycle those plastic gutters on to the woodsheds, and we will get some more barrels to store that water in.

Thank you for visiting!:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

and this glass was cut on the small saw, it's much rougher.


----------



## cocobolo

I think more than anything that it is the angle of the saw blade as it attacks the glass...


----------



## BigJim

I see what you mean about the angle of cut, the last one looks like it would be a more aggressive cut. I had my wet saw loaned out to a friend and just got it back, I am going to see how it cuts glass and I will check to see what angle the cut is. It will probably be a little later before I can check it though.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I see what you mean about the angle of cut, the last one looks like it would be a more aggressive cut. I had my wet saw loaned out to a friend and just got it back, I am going to see how it cuts glass and I will check to see what angle the cut is. It will probably be a little later before I can check it though.


If it has the 10" blade, it will likely have the low angle...7" blade, much steeper angle. It only makes sense that there would be chipping from such an angle. Although on tile it seems fine.


----------



## frenchelectrican

If I recall some cutting supply centre they will have small blade with diffrent cutting angle so you can get alot more smoother cut on glass but those item are not found in most of the big box store more like a wholesale supply centre.

If you need let me know I will try to dig up a number or two plus compane name.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> If I recall some cutting supply centre they will have small blade with diffrent cutting angle so you can get alot more smoother cut on glass but those item are not found in most of the big box store more like a wholesale supply centre.
> 
> If you need let me know I will try to dig up a number or two plus compane name.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Thank you Marc:

There is a company right over in Vancouver, just a short hop from here, which has the best blades I have seen. They come very highly recommended by the biggest tile website. I have two of their blades now, but not one of the smaller ones.


----------



## Bud Cline

For What It's Worth...

Diamond blades (those shown above appear to be new) can quickly wear "out-of-round" and when that happens they have a tendency to bounce on the material being cut. The bouncing is usually barely noticeable but will cause chipping in materials like hard hard tile and glass that have a high surface tension. Also most-often it is the blade leaving the material that usually causes the chipping, this is what we around here call "tailing off". Sometimes it can be corrected but usually I have found it is due to a very slight warp in a blade. I don't think a guy can stop a warped blade from tailing-off.

If a saw is chipping cuts and is capable of making "plunge cuts" a guy can often limit the chipping by making a first pass at about 1/16" deep, (changing the angle of attack) then lowering the head back to normal height and cutting again. Not sure if that approach will work on glass.

Sorry for butting-in! Carry on!:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...Please...Butt in any time. Your posts are always so informative and well explained.

You hit it right on the head there, it is the back side of the glass which was chipping...sorry...tailing off.

Even though the small blade is absolutely brand new - it hasn't cut anything except the glass - it caused the tailing off right from the very first cut.

You know sometimes you can hear a slight wobble in the blade as it comes to a stop when it is in the cut? Well, this one does that. The 10" has no such bad manners.

The last few pieces of glass I took well over two minutes to go through 18" of 1/4" thick glass. Painfully slowly.

Incidentally, you will be glad to hear I am in the process of doing some major cleaning up so that I can tackle some more tiling!


----------



## Bud Cline

BREAKING NEWS

THIS JUST IN....

We have had 4-1/2 inches of rain during the past sixty minutes and it's still pouring. Damndest thing I've seen in a long long time!


We are now returning you to your regularly scheduled thread.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> BREAKING NEWS
> 
> THIS JUST IN....
> 
> We have had 4-1/2 inches of rain during the past sixty minutes and it's still pouring. Damndest thing I've seen in a long long time!
> 
> 
> We are now returning you to your regularly scheduled thread.


What a ripoff...you don't need it...but we sure do!:furious:


----------



## Bud Cline

I guess I was under the impression that your neck of the woods received a daily rain like Seattle.:wink::laughing:

Last night our storms came and went over a period of just under two hours. A rain gauge at the garden reported 4.75 inches, another gauge in the BBQ area reported 5.00 inches. My wife's garden wagon had 5.50 inches in it this morning.

This afternoon my wife was interviewed by the local TV station that was doing a story about the heavy rains and flooding last night. NOW she's a celebrity!!! :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Wow! That means you're _both_ celebrities now! Hard to imagine how hard it must have pelted down if you got 5 inches so quickly! Well, you don't need to water the lawn today!

Another question for you Bud...not about that rain...any special tricks I should know about setting some marble tile? I did some before, but it was 5 years ago and I did it in almost complete ignorance. Luckily it turned out well and so far apparently it's still in good condition.

It was the same sort of thing I'm going to do now, a tub surround - soaker type tub - and the tub will sit on top of 6" wide framing which will also be done in marble. The tap will be set on the marble as well. I do have the diamond hole saw for that. 

Thank you.


----------



## frenchelectrican

Coco.,

If my memory serve me right with marble tiles you have to paste the back tile plus you put the paste on the floor or wall as well due the back tile is very smooth it may have hard time to stick on real quick so take your time with it.

And make sure the back is clean and dry when you paste it.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

Merci, Marc!

Yes, now that you say that, I remember. I do have the special thinset for marble/granite.

I'm sure there's other things I'm forgetting.

Thanks again.


----------



## justintime08

I believe that it must be light in color as well because the marble will actually pull the darker color thin-sets through? I am sure I am not telling you something you do not already know......but you never know..lol


----------



## cocobolo

Justin08 said:


> I believe that it must be light in color as well because the marble will actually pull the darker color thin-sets through? I am sure I am not telling you something you do not already know......but you never know..lol


Well, to be perfectly honest, I had forgotten that too, but I did take a tile in when I got the thinset, and the sales person said exactly the same thing. So thanks for reminding me!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Another question for you Bud...not about that rain...any special tricks I should know about setting some marble tile?


Not that hasn't already been mentioned. Proper adhesive (thinset) is probably the bigger thing in this case. Applying thinset to both the tile and the substrate is sometimes helpful in adjusting the surface of the tile for smooth and plane. Too much thinset however can be problematic if the tile is floating in the thinset material. Thinset will shrink as it dries and it will take the tile with it moving what was otherwise a perfectly-set tile and making one look very amateurish.

Just for the record...marble tiles require a substrate that is double in strength of that required for regular ceramic tile. This relates to floor expanses primarily. Won't be (shouldn't be) an issue on a tub area.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, the only horizontal surface will be the thin strip going under the lip of the soaker tub. The lumber, which has been in place for longer than I care to admit is nearly 1 1/2" thick, plus there will be the backer board added to that, and the support members underneath are on 12" centers. I think I will add a couple of coats of sealer to the wood just in case.

I was going to use either Fiberock or Easyboard as my backer, but if you think cement board would be better - as in stiffer - I will pick some of that up.

Once again Bud, I am in your debt for the information. Thank you.


----------



## scoggy

*Syd fixed problem*

Keith, thanks for your help with problem, all fixed now! 8^)
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I was told there was something happening tonight with the moon that wouldn't happen again for a good number of years. I went out and looked at the moon and there is what looks like a bright star to the right of it. Is that a planet or a star. 

It is good to be back home again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I was told there was something happening tonight with the moon that wouldn't happen again for a good number of years. I went out and looked at the moon and there is what looks like a bright star to the right of it. Is that a planet or a star.
> 
> It is good to be back home again.


Hope you had a good trip Jim...I'll have to wait awhile before the moon is up here. You get the moon three hours before we do. I'll take a look and see what's going on. It might be a conjunction with a planet.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, what you are seeing is Jupiter. 

If you have a decent pair of binoculars, or better yet that telescope out in the garage, you should be able to see some of Jupiter's main moons. If it's binocs, they should be mounted on a tripod so they are held steady. Hand holding makes it very difficult to catch the moons. 

Any telescope will easily spot the moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, which keep the same face aimed towards Jupiter.

Look for 4 small white dots all in a row. They could be on one side of Jupiter, but far more likely will be split up 1 or more on each side. It is also possible that you may see only two or three, as the others may be either in front of or behind Jupiter.


----------



## BigJim

Thanks Keith, we did have a good trip although we didn't make it all the way to the coast.

I have been reading up on hand planes again and have watched on youtube a few videos on truing and sharpening. There is just something about using a really sharp plane that gives one a good feeling of accomplishment and I enjoy tinkering with things anyway. We need to hit some yard sales and see what we can find. Some of the planes are very expensive and all I can do is drool on them and rust them, I sure can't buy one.:no:


----------



## BigJim

I just went out and using a pair of binoculars I did see one of the moons just briefly. There isn't a good place to set the telescope up to see Pluto for all the trees here. I did brace the binoculars against the top of my truck. That is so neat, thank you for telling me buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I just went out and using a pair of binoculars I did see one of the moons just briefly. There isn't a good place to set the telescope up to see Pluto for all the trees here. I did brace the binoculars against the top of my truck. That is so neat, thank you for telling me buddy.


Seeing Pluto is a trick and a half. You will need a real powerhouse telescope and also need to know exactly where it is. Even at that, you will need to make sightings for several nights in a row to determine if what you are looking at is moving slowly relative to the star background.

I have never seen Pluto. It's a toughie. Or maybe you meant Jupiter???

With a scope, you should be able to see some of the cloud formations on Jupiter.


----------



## BigJim

I did mean Jupiter, sorry, old age showing on me.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> I just went out and using a pair of binoculars I did see one of the moons just briefly. There isn't a good place to set the telescope up to see Pluto for all the trees here. I did brace the binoculars against the top of my truck. That is so neat, thank you for telling me buddy.


I tried bracing my binoculars on the edge of my van too. I couldn't hold them still enough to see much. It did look like there was one on each side of Jupiter.

So I put my camera on the tripod and took a few shots. They're loading onto the computer right now. If one of them turned out, I'll add it to this post.

Edit: None of the Jupiter pictures came out. But here's one of the moon. 









Look close, toward the bottom, at the rim of one of the craters, is that a Starbuck's? 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I tried bracing my binoculars on the edge of my van too. I couldn't hold them still enough to see much. It did look like there was one on each side of Jupiter.
> 
> So I put my camera on the tripod and took a few shots. They're loading onto the computer right now. If one of them turned out, I'll add it to this post.
> 
> Barb


If you had some sort of telephoto lens on it should show Jupiter for sure, and the moons possibly. It partly depends on how long the exposures were.


----------



## gma2rjc

Unfortunately, I don't have a telephoto lens for this camera. I tried some other settings, but nothing really worked. 

I really need to take some time to go through the manual to learn how to change the settings.

I'll go back and delete the moon picture and the silly comment that follows.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

We just went back out and dug the telescope out and set it up in the back of the truck. I never did get it so I could see even the moon. It has about 5 or 6 different lens and I couldn't figure out which was which so I gave up until another day. The telescope is an electronic digital Polaris so I would imagine it is a Wal-Mart special.

Well I will be Barb, that does look like a Starbuck.:laughing:


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## cocobolo

Nice picture of the gibbous moon...made from green cheese.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> We just went back out and dug the telescope out and set it up in the back of the truck. I never did get it so I could see even the moon. It has about 5 or 6 different lens and I couldn't figure out which was which so I gave up until another day. The telescope is an electronic digital Polaris so I would imagine it is a Wal-Mart special.
> 
> Well I will be Barb, that does look like a Starbuck.:laughing:


Jim:

Those lenses are eyepieces, and they all have different powers. They are used to change the field of view, or the power of the scope, whichever way you want to look at it.

Meade makes a Polaris, so if you would be kind enough to post a picture of it I could explain how to use it.

When you are looking for something - like the moon for example - you first locate it with the finderscope. There should be what looks like a tiny telescope attached to the side of the big one.

Look through the little one and center the object - in this case the moon - in the finder, then look through the big scope. Your object will most likely be blurred...so then you adjust the focus using the focus knobs. They should be on each side of the front of the focuser. The focuser is what you put the different eyepieces into to alter the power of the scope.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, was that the color of the moon when you took the picture? That is beautiful, I have never seen the moon look like that. 

You are right, the telescope is a Meade. Do you have more photos of planets and things?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, was that the color of the moon when you took the picture? That is beautiful, I have never seen the moon look like that.
> 
> You are right, the telescope is a Meade. Do you have more photos of planets and things?


That was Barb's pic, she must have had one of her colour filters set wrong!!!!:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> That was Barb's pic, she must have had one of her colour filters set wrong!!!!:laughing::laughing::laughing:


Wow, I went back and looked at Barb's picture that she sent last night and the moon in that picture was just a gray color, I wonder how that happened?


----------



## Bud Cline

> *POST 2375:* I was going to use either Fiberock or Easyboard as my backer, but if you think cement board would be better - as in stiffer - I will pick some of that up.


Sorry to disappear, I'm up to my ear lobes in alligators and can't find a way to drain the swamp right now.

I refer to most all of that stuff as "cement board", when in fact some are cement board, some are fiber-cement board and some are, are, are, well I'm not sure what they are.

What you are doing is fine don't let me confuse you.

Note: Some of the fiber-cement boards ARE NOT suitable for exterior use, Hardibacker for example is an interior-only fiber cement tile backer.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, I went back and looked at Barb's picture that she sent last night and the moon in that picture was just a gray color, I wonder how that happened?


I think it's something to do with the green cheese...:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I think it's something to do with the green cheese...:laughing:


:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Sorry to disappear, I'm up to my ear lobes in alligators and can't find a way to drain the swamp right now.
> 
> I refer to most all of that stuff as "cement board", when in fact some are cement board, some are fiber-cement board and some are, are, are, well I'm not sure what they are.
> 
> What you are doing is fine don't let me confuse you.
> 
> Note: Some of the fiber-cement boards ARE NOT suitable for exterior use, Hardibacker for example is an interior-only fiber cement tile backer.


I ended up getting some hardibacker wet area cement board. I guess now I have a choice!


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## cocobolo

Just getting started on the cbu. Quite a bit to go yet, but hope to start tiling tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the cutting tool I used for the backer board...works like a charm.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus started on her leaded glass door for her studio today. She picked up some sort of putty and whiting from the gal at the stained glass studio when we were over.

We cut out a piece of foam board exactly the same size as the window to rest it on. That way the glass will stay flat while it is being worked on. She already has the putty and whiting done on this side...maybe I will be in time to get some pics of the second side underway.


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## cocobolo

She also used some paint stripper to clean the old paint off the door. And look what she revealed!

Beautiful old tight grain Douglas fir! Just in excellent condition.

She wants to varnish the door before it goes back in again.


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## gma2rjc

You and your talented wife get more done in one week than I do in a whole year. :yes:

I'm going to send you my to-do list. :laughing:


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You and your talented wife get more done in one week than I do in a whole year. :yes:
> 
> I'm going to send you my to-do list. :laughing:


OK, I'll add a whole bunch to it and send it back!


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## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> OK, I'll add a whole bunch to it and send it back!


:laughing::laughing::laughing:... you caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting that. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

It looks like today will be tiling day in the ensuite. Sometimes I wish I hadn't added all those angles to this place...and this is one of those times!

Getting everything ready...just have to wait for the neighbours to start moving around so I don't wake them too early. It's an unwritten rule we have here for the weekends.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> She also used some paint stripper to clean the old paint off the door. And look what she revealed!
> 
> Beautiful old tight grain Douglas fir! Just in excellent condition.
> 
> She wants to varnish the door before it goes back in again.


A beautiful door just got more beautiful. Discovering a treasure like that just makes the day doesn't it.

Buddy, you are going to have a tired back and knees for a few days working with the tile. I don't have a problem getting down to do tile, I have trouble getting up.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> A beautiful door just got more beautiful. Discovering a treasure like that just makes the day doesn't it.
> 
> Buddy, you are going to have a tired back and knees for a few days working with the tile. I don't have a problem getting down to do tile, I have trouble getting up.


Likewise with the getting up part!


----------



## Bud Cline

SUGGESTION:

I would use a sponge to wet the cement board just ahead of installing the tile. This will slow the moisture absorbtion of the thinset into the board and will create a stronger bond of the tile. Cement boards will draw moisture from the thinset rapidly. A slower cure time is a stronger bond.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus recovered enough from her lunch with her daughter yesterday that she was ready to tackle the other side of her studio door.

First she used some paint remover to get good access to the edge of the lead cames. Apparently, this stuff is not kind to lead, so it needs to be done first, rather than later.


----------



## cocobolo

She uses a utility knife to get right into the sharp corners.


----------



## cocobolo

The gal at the stained glass shop in town sold her some putty, which apparently she mixed in the store. She said that it only has about a one week life once this is done, so better hop to it.

She used one of her palette knives to apply the putty.

The gal at the store said to put it on with a stiff brush. She tried that but didn't like it. Evidently, she thinks the knife did a better job. Who am I to argue?


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## cocobolo

The putty is left to set up a bit for an hour or so, then she sprinkles whiting over everything. This helps the putty to dry and cure further.

Then she runs a tool of some sort (whatever that is...) over the corners to smooth out the putty.


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## cocobolo

When she's done playing, out comes the vacuum cleaner to try and tidy up the mess.

It actually looks pretty good at this point.

Now it will sit another 24 hours to let the putty harden up and tomorrow she plans on taking the rest of the old paint off.


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## gma2rjc

That looks like a big job. I can't wait to see how it looks when it's finished.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That looks like a big job. I can't wait to see how it looks when it's finished.
> 
> Barb


So far, it has taken her about 5 hours to do each side.

It won't take too long to get the rest of the paint off, but then she needs to get the wood ready for varnishing.:thumbsup:


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## BigJim

That is some tough work your wife is doing on the door. Buddy, is there anything ya'll can't do? That door is something to be proud of, I know I would be.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is some tough work your wife is doing on the door. Buddy, is there anything ya'll can't do? That door is something to be proud of, I know I would be.


Well, she's certainly looking forward to getting it done...that's for sure.

With the weather turning cold on us this early (only 14ºC today, just under 60ºF) she will have to do all the varnishing inside as well.

We were going to sand the door and hang it tomorrow, but I think it wiser to not take that risk.

P.S. I can't fly a 747....yet! :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, she's certainly looking forward to getting it done...that's for sure.
> 
> With the weather turning cold on us this early (only 14ºC today, just under 60ºF) she will have to do all the varnishing inside as well.
> 
> We were going to sand the door and hang it tomorrow, but I think it wiser to not take that risk.
> 
> P.S. I can't fly a 747....yet! :laughing:


Good gravy, that is cold, it is still in the mid or so 90s here. Could you e-mail us a couple of buckets of that wonderful cool air down this way?

That door is really going to stand out great against the pretty gray stained siding, I can just see it now.

About flying a plane, at least you will get on one, I don't think I could stand to fly now days, for some reason in my older age I have become afraid of heights and never was before. OK, I know, I'm a wimp.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Still cool here today, but warming.

The missus has all the paint off the door now, and we are experimenting with how to get some sort of residue out of the wood. It looks like a brown stain - possibly from some badly removed varnish from a previous life.

We're working on the problem as we speak.

I tried a scraper, and it takes some off - but not all. I think we will try another application of the paint remover next. If that still leaves something behind we will use some wood cleaner & brightener we have...or maybe I will sand first, _then_ try the cleaner if that doesn't work.

Whatever it is, is quite sticky, so sanding won't work just yet.


----------



## cocobolo

Have been working on the tile in the ensuite, and as soon as the wall tile was done up to the top of the windows, it was obvious that I needed some trim tiles above that. Something along the lines of what is in the shower downstairs.

Since we didn't have any contrasting tiles on hand, it was another trip over to town today to find something.

Had to go to four different stores before I found anything remotely close.

I will be chopping up 13 x 13 tiles into smaller squares. Like so...


----------



## cocobolo

Just one box gives me 99 pieces, which should just be enough to do around the top.


----------



## cocobolo

The cutting gets done on the back deck. Part way through I looked up and spotted some neat colour in the sky. As quickly as possible, I ran upstairs and got the camera and started shooting.

It looks like I missed the good part, but what was left isn't too bad.


----------



## BigJim

Oh wow, that sunset is just beautiful, it is just a reminder of how beautiful your part of the world is. Looking at that pretty picture just makes me take a deep breath and sigh, thanks buddy for starting our day off in such a great way.

Man, you haven't been letting any grass grow under your feet, when we don't hear from you we know you are busy busy. Your saw has a nice big table on it, what is your max cut?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh wow, that sunset is just beautiful, it is just a reminder of how beautiful your part of the world is. Looking at that pretty picture just makes me take a deep breath and sigh, thanks buddy for starting our day off in such a great way.
> 
> Man, you haven't been letting any grass grow under your feet, when we don't hear from you we know you are busy busy. Your saw has a nice big table on it, what is your max cut?


The saw in that pic has a 10" blade and will cut 24" deep. Plus it will cut through a 2 1/2" thick brick. The bridge saw - 7" blade - cuts 18 1/2" deep, and the first wet saw I got cuts about 16" deep.


----------



## cocobolo

It's the missus' birthday today, so I expect I will be getting less work done than usual. 

"Keith, can you help me with this", "Can you help me with that" ... can hardly turn her down on her birthday, can I? :no:

I'm going to clean off the small tiles and get the first ones up as quickly as possible - then maybe I can get a pic to show what we have been up to. It seems that 4 out of every 5 tiles needed to be cut. Very time consuming, but it is starting to come together. Still no marble done, that will be the very last thing...except for the floor tiles.

And we do have the grout on hand, so hopefully no delays there.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It's the missus' birthday today, so I expect I will be getting less work done than usual.
> 
> "Keith, can you help me with this", "Can you help me with that" ... can hardly turn her down on her birthday, can I? :no:
> 
> I'm going to clean off the small tiles and get the first ones up as quickly as possible - then maybe I can get a pic to show what we have been up to. It seems that 4 out of every 5 tiles needed to be cut. Very time consuming, but it is starting to come together. Still no marble done, that will be the very last thing...except for the floor tiles.
> 
> And we do have the grout on hand, so hopefully no delays there.


Buddy, I have seen times I could have used a saw that size, my saw is nowhere that big, I really don't know what size the blade is, I think maybe a 7 inch. The wait on your pictures of what ya'll have been doing is always worth the wait.

Tell your sweety we hope she has the happiest birthday ever.


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith that sunset is beautiful!

Happy birthday to the Missus! What kind of cake are you baking her? :whistling2:

I can't wait to see the tile when it's done. What a pain it must be to have to cut so many of them to fit. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, I have seen times I could have used a saw that size, my saw is nowhere that big, I really don't know what size the blade is, I think maybe a 7 inch. The wait on your pictures of what ya'll have been doing is always worth the wait.
> 
> Tell your sweety we hope she has the happiest birthday ever.


Jim...the standard size on the smaller blades is indeed 7". I've had my first wet saw for at least 6 years now and it's still on the original blade.

And we have an absolutely perfect day here weather wise, so I'm sure the lady of the house will enjoy being out in the garden.


----------



## gma2rjc

No arty: cake?

:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith that sunset is beautiful!
> 
> Happy birthday to the Missus! What kind of cake are you baking her? :whistling2:
> 
> I can't wait to see the tile when it's done. What a pain it must be to have to cut so many of them to fit.
> 
> Barb


Well, that's the price I have to pay for drawing up such an oddball house plan, isn't it?

I just did a quick count of the whole and cut tiles on the walls...60 whole and about 220 cut.

Getting started on the last row of trim tiles now, should be able to get a pic up sometime later today.

If I were to bake a cake, it would be named something like a Rock Cake! Probably not right up there in the world of culinary arts! :no:


----------



## gma2rjc

> _If I were to bake a cake, it would be named something like a Rock Cake! Probably not right up there in the world of culinary arts! _:no:


Well, you have your choice of 3 tile saws on which to cut it. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Well, you have your choice of 3 tile saws on which to cut it. :laughing:


_GOOD ONE!!! :laughing::laughing::laughing:_


----------



## cocobolo

Tried to get some pix of the tiling so far in the ensuite, but it's awkward to say the least.

This is looking at the right side of the room as you walk in. I'll get some better shots tomorrow I hope.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Tried to get some pix of the tiling so far in the ensuite, but it's awkward to say the least.
> 
> This is looking at the right side of the room as you walk in. I'll get some better shots tomorrow I hope.


Looking good buddy, I know it is tough working in a small space. 

When do ya'll usually get your first frost? They are saying we probably will have a warm winter this year. I just hope it gets down in the 50s and 60s, at least maybe we can camp and fish for a change.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Looking good buddy, I know it is tough working in a small space.
> 
> When do ya'll usually get your first frost? They are saying we probably will have a warm winter this year. I just hope it gets down in the 50s and 60s, at least maybe we can camp and fish for a change.


That's a good question...I'm not really sure.

November is usually our rainiest month of the year, which means it would still be warm. So I suppose sometime in December maybe. Rarely do we get snow over Christmas here, except a light dusting.

Our first snows are usually short lived.

I used to keep the weather records for the island for a number of years, so I really should know the answer.


----------



## BigJim

That is quite surprising, I figured it would get cold quickly up north and snow a lot. In past years it would frost usually around the last of October here and we got a few snows each winter but not anymore, it is unusual if we get snow at all now days.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, you have to remember that we are right at the south west corner of B.C. Maybe less than 50 miles above the U.S. border. The Pacific Ocean is a great moderator of temperatures, and it (the ocean) doesn't freeze here. So there is always that great huge mass of water to soak up any heat or cold which may come along.

Right now the water is quite warm - still great for swimming. It is normally the last half of January and February that it gets cold here. By cold I mean down to just below 0ºC, or 32ºf.

If you go inland 100 miles or more, then it gets a little cooler. And head 500 miles north and it can get downright chilly.

That's why we live in the banana belt!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, you have to remember that we are right at the south west corner of B.C. Maybe less than 50 miles above the U.S. border. The Pacific Ocean is a great moderator of temperatures, and it (the ocean) doesn't freeze here. So there is always that great huge mass of water to soak up any heat or cold which may come along.
> 
> Right now the water is quite warm - still great for swimming. It is normally the last half of January and February that it gets cold here. By cold I mean down to just below 0ºC, or 32ºf.
> 
> If you go inland 100 miles or more, then it gets a little cooler. And head 500 miles north and it can get downright chilly.
> 
> That's why we live in the banana belt!


I love learning new things, that is just amazing, I would have never guessed that but now that you have explained it, that does make sense. Speaking of banana belt, I worked with a fellow who had made his career in the Navy as a boiler tender aboard several ships, we were talking one time about different places we had been and he made the statement that he had sailed around "the tropics of Alaska". I said "what"  and he repeated it. I had to leave so I wouldn't laugh.


----------



## cocobolo

Tropics of Alaska eh? Well, I have been to Alaska in the summertime, and it was none too tropical even then. 

Although neither was it cold. Amazing how warm it gets in those northern climes in the summertime. Mainly because the sun is up so long up there.

There is a place in the Yukon named Mayo. Their claim to fame is that the temperature gets to 95 above in summer and 95 below in winter. Personally, I think they are pulling our leg, as it never even got close to that during the five years I lived in Whitehorse.

The coldest when I was up there was -84ºF in Dawson City one winter - and that's just about right on the arctic circle. Don't recall what the highs might have been, but certainly not +95ºF. Maybe 80º tops.

Normal lows might dip to the -45ºF range, but very rarely any colder.


----------



## BigJim

I just can't imagine being in a place that cold. The coldest I have ever been in was -11F back in 1950 in Memphis Tennessee, the hottest was 110F here this year. It was so nice and cool here this morning Judy and I went up on Raccoon Mountain for a short walk.


----------



## cocobolo

Good to see you're finally getting a break from all that oppressive heat.

Just finished cutting some of the marble - back in a minute or three with the first pic.


----------



## cocobolo

One of the back corners of the surround has about a 30º angle. The only way I could cut that was with the bridge saw. So it has come in useful for something other than cutting that art glass the missus has.


----------



## cocobolo

When it comes to marble, with all its' natural fissures, I'm always leery of having to cut a corner out like this. You need the angle grinder with diamond blade to do it. But since it is done freehend - at least the finishing part - I'm always nervous.

No trouble this time.


----------



## cocobolo

Whereas, on this straight cut - done extremely slowly - there was a definite weakness where the blade made its' exit.


----------



## cocobolo

None of the marble by the surround is set yet, just set in place with wedges to make sure everything fits right. I'll be doing that as soon as I'm done posting here.


----------



## cocobolo

Came back upstairs a few minutes ago to find the missus staring intently into the ensuite...and she said to me "You know what?" That usually means something is wrong.

No, why don't you tell me..."I really like the way that dark tile ties everything together". Phew, thank goodness for that! I was afraid for a minute that she wanted the whole mess ripped out or something.

I stood on a short ladder just outside the door and took this. You can see the three windows which look into the bay.

There are strips of wood below the bottom row of tiles on those short walls, and they are spacers to allow either tile/backerboard, or wood to be used to cover those areas. HRH hasn't yet made up her mind.

I like the tile idea. Easier to keep clean and will undoubtedly last longer.


----------



## BigJim

That is some really pretty marble, I would have been nervous also. Could you use some clear epoxy to glue that corner back on, it is way too beautiful not to fix. You do beautiful work buddy, there is no doubting that at all. Your home is a master piece and the location is totally breathtaking.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is some really pretty marble, I would have been nervous also. Could you use some clear epoxy to glue that corner back on, it is way too beautiful not to fix. You do beautiful work buddy, there is no doubting that at all. Your home is a master piece and the location is totally breathtaking.


Thanks Jim...

As it happens, that piece is going to fall under the lip of the tub. If the break shows - which I don't think it will - it could certainly be fixed with epoxy.


----------



## cocobolo

First row of marble on the wall is now set. I made sure I had plenty of the white thinset mixed and ended up using the balance to set the first handful of floor tiles.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, just call me thick, I just now am seeing what you are doing. That isn't a small space at all, that is your tub area. Buddy, that is fantastic, I know ya'll are really going to enjoy that a lot. 

Man this getting old stuff really reeks.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, just call me thick, I just now am seeing what you are doing. That isn't a small space at all, that is your tub area. Buddy, that is fantastic, I know ya'll are really going to enjoy that a lot.
> 
> Man this getting old stuff really reeks.


It's the shape of the room that kind of messes everything up. I think it will be OK once it is done, but until then...

We cannot take the tub out of the room now to work on the whole floor at once. We could _before_ the door jamb was in place, but now it won't quite fit.

I guess it's a good thing it was _inside_ the room before I hung the door!

Our friends just left after a great dinner and evening of conversation. I'm too pooped to do anything more tonight, so tomorrow I hope to get the marble all finished up and possibly one half of the floor. Once that has set up I can shift the tub over and do the other half.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I just can't imagine being in a place that cold. The coldest I have ever been in was -11F back in 1950 in Memphis Tennessee, the hottest was 110F here this year. It was so nice and cool here this morning Judy and I went up on Raccoon Mountain for a short walk.


The coldest that I was knowingly in was -54º in Whitehorse, and that was the time it went to -84º up at Dawson City.

The warmest I am aware of was at a hot spring in one of the California deserts many years ago. It is the next valley over from Death Valley, can't remember the name.

They have a beautiful hot spring and one of the lower pools has several trees around it. Every year they get a used parachute from a nearby airport and spread it out between the trees over the pool. It's really gorgeous.

Every day I was there it topped out at 108ºF. I think at night it went down to about 100º. You can camp right there - and no charge!

Just went Googling for the name of that hot spring....Saline valley Hot Spring.


----------



## BigJim

It is good you got to rest a little with your dinner guest, it is always great to have good friends over for a visit.

When it comes time to install your tub maybe you can invite some good strong friends for dinner and maybe they could give you a hand. I know that is troublesome moving the tub like that.

Keith, it is down to 53F this morning but by Tuesday it will be back into the 90s again. Usually around the 15th or so of September it will get pretty chilly and most times rain around here then get hot again but it looks like it will be cool early this year. This year has broken the record for hot weather here in Tennessee, the hottest year on record.

I have heard of Saline Valley but don't know much about it. If you say it was pretty there it must have been exceptionally pretty, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to see all the places you have been in your life time.


----------



## tpolk

that is one cut up bath but quite good looking, nice work in there keith. I bet the views will be as relaxing as the soak. timothy


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## cocobolo

Gentlemen, once again thank you for your comments.

I'm going to try to show you what the ensuite is really like, as it just isn't possible to get a pic of the whole thing at one time.

Here is a cardboard drawing of the floor plan. Not the best, but I think you can get the drift of it.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is taken from the guest bed room, and none of the windows are visible from here.

They look directly out to the bay.


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## cocobolo

Hmmm...sorry about the junk on the roof there, those steps are what I use to gain access to clean out the chimney.

This pic shows that the roof is just a simple triangle with the tip cut off.


----------



## cocobolo

I wasn't able to find the wood for the top of the walls in the ensuite when I was in town t'other day. But when we were having brekky this morning, I was looking over at the house and spotted some bundles of siding inside the nook over there.

It hit me that perhaps I could machine enough of this stuff down to make what we need, rather than spending two weeks trying to get it in town. I mentioned it to the missus...and right away she is all over the idea like a wet blanket.

This means that there will be a short delay in the proceedings while I set about machining 1/4 mile of wood.

Once through the tablesaw to cut it to width...3 passes through the planer to remove the taper...and twice more through the saw with a dado blade.

Total distance 1 1/2 miles.

This might take awhile. But when it's done _she_ gets to paint it!:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

When you're all done, you can lay them end to end and they'll reach from one end of Ruxton Island to the other?

Barb

edited to add: I figured that wrong.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Gentlemen, once again thank you for your comments.
> 
> I'm going to try to show you what the ensuite is really like, as it just isn't possible to get a pic of the whole thing at one time.
> 
> Here is a cardboard drawing of the floor plan. Not the best, but I think you can get the drift of it.


I see why you couldn't get the picture you wanted after seeing your floor plan. I do like your layout and I couldn't have been more wrong about a small space. 

Buddy, that is a loooot of machining but just think, every time you cut a board that is one less you will ever have to cut again. I can't wait to see the pictures of it.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> When you're all done, you can lay them end to end and they'll reach from one end of Ruxton Island to the other?
> 
> Barb
> 
> edited to add: I figured that wrong.


You got the machining length right, but there's only (_only?)_ one quarter mile of wood.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I see why you couldn't get the picture you wanted after seeing your floor plan. I do like your layout and I couldn't have been more wrong about a small space.
> 
> Buddy, that is a loooot of machining but just think, every time you cut a board that is one less you will ever have to cut again. I can't wait to see the pictures of it.


Yes, that's true isn't it...only have to cut it once. Just done supper, and I will have half of it done in the next 2 hours.

The missus had a terrific day varnishing and staining outside. It was nice and warm then...but the clouds are rolling in and the wind is getting up. Not supposed to be any rain until tomorrow.

She's up for painting the first of the wood tomorrow....so as soon as it's dry I can get the first of it up in the ensuite.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, now there is 700 lineal feet of cedar made up for the ensuite. That's just over half.

I don't think I'll be rushing to do any more tomorrow. :no:

The rest of the tiling and grouting needs to get done first. :yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

You have a little less than 1400 total lineal feet to cut? 

I was just wondering how much it would cost me to buy that much cedar at my local Lowe's. A small fortune I'm sure.

What color is she painting it?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You have a little less than 1400 total lineal feet to cut?
> 
> I was just wondering how much it would cost me to buy that much cedar at my local Lowe's. A small fortune I'm sure.
> 
> What color is she painting it?
> 
> Barb


Yes, that's right, about 1,300-1,350 lineal feet.

It will be the same color as the ceiling...which I believe is called popcorn white. Who dreams up these names, anyway?


----------



## BigJim

Aaaaaah, I can just smell the saw dust and feel it in my eyes. I never could plane much without a little dust getting in my eyes. 

I know what you mean about the color names. Back when I had my manufacturing company we did a lot of hospital work which most of the case work was covered with HPL (formica), some of the names were just unreal like mauve, what ******* in his right mind would know what that is.:laughing:

By the way, I need to clear up the difference between "*******" and "good ole boys". A ******* is just a happy go lucky guy who will try just about anything and is a hard working fellow (most times) who loves the outdoors. (red neck from the sun on his neck) 

A good ole boy is usually a shyster who is crooked as a snake and all stick together, sorta like the rural sheriff (and all his buddies) who tries to take every penny he can or lock up folks passing through.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> You have a little less than 1400 total lineal feet to cut?
> 
> I was just wondering how much it would cost me to buy that much cedar at my local Lowe's. A small fortune I'm sure.
> 
> What color is she painting it?
> 
> Barb


Barb, we can't even get the high quality cedar that Keith is using. To see the cedar he is using and what we get is just unreal, side by side they look like different species of wood. He sent me a sample of the cedar he uses and I didn't even know what kind of wood it was, it is really some beautiful wood. The wood he uses has close growth rings where the cedar we get has large spaces between the growth rings, the color is a little alike but his is heavier and nowhere as many knots. 

Sorry if I butted in here.:blush:


----------



## cocobolo

Wife number 2 has nearly finished the undercoat on the first batch of boards. We have them close to the wood stove so the paint is drying fast. She says the topcoat will be on later this afternoon! Good show! :thumbsup:

Awhile back, we were waiting for the three barrels out the back to fill up. The rain quit and they never quite made it. We have been having a good dumping overnight and this morning, something desperately needed.


----------



## cocobolo

Some of the flowers have perked up quite a bit since yesterday with all this water.


----------



## cocobolo

After some very careful measuring, a portion of the front of the surround has received a few marble tiles. It can set overnight - don't wish to upset the apple cart as it were - and tomorrow I can see about finishing the marble.

The night shift this evening will be engaged in making some cedar trim to go immediately above the top tiles and the wall/ceiling join.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Aaaaaah, I can just smell the saw dust and feel it in my eyes. I never could plane much without a little dust getting in my eyes.
> 
> I know what you mean about the color names. Back when I had my manufacturing company we did a lot of hospital work which most of the case work was covered with HPL (formica), some of the names were just unreal like mauve, what ******* in his right mind would know what that is.:laughing:
> 
> By the way, I need to clear up the difference between "*******" and "good ole boys". A ******* is just a happy go lucky guy who will try just about anything and is a hard working fellow (most times) who loves the outdoors. (red neck from the sun on his neck)
> 
> A good ole boy is usually a shyster who is crooked as a snake and all stick together, sorta like the rural sheriff (and all his buddies) who tries to take every penny he can or lock up folks passing through.


Does this mean I shouldn't be driving through Chattanooga any time soon!:whistling2:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> After some very careful measuring, a portion of the front of the surround has received a few marble tiles. It can set overnight - don't wish to upset the apple cart as it were - and tomorrow I can see about finishing the marble.
> 
> The night shift this evening will be engaged in making some cedar trim to go immediately above the top tiles and the wall/ceiling join.


Keith, I have never seen marble with veins that pretty before, you find the most interesting things. Your sweety has some really beautiful flowers, she knows what she is doing for sure. You both have fantastic taste. 

Buddy, it is safe to come through Chattanooga now, our sheriff got locked up and that is the truth. :yes: 

I noticed you said wood stove, is it that cool there now?


----------



## cocobolo

That has to be one of the funniest things I've ever heard...must have been a real good ole boy sheriff.

Well, we needed the wood stove on today because we are painting - plus I'm tiling. It has been raining all day and last night as well, which keeps the temperature down. The current temp outside is 13ºC, but the realfeel is only 10ºC. It will get colder as the night progresses.

The fire has gone out now, but it's still 22ºC inside, nice and warm. This house holds the heat well.

I picked up that marble years ago, so I doubt I could find any more the same. For some reason, I thought I had 50 square feet. But it turns out that each box only has 5 tiles, so only 25 square feet. This means I will have to make sure nothing breaks or I'm in trouble.

It will be a zero waste job. I have been lucky so far.


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## BigJim

:laughing: yep the sheriff was one of the good ole boys but he is in the pokie now.

I never could figure out the C vs F degrees thing. How much would 10c and 13c convert to? When do the trees start to change color up your way? When they do would you take some pictures of them? If the trees are pretty here in the mountains I will take a few for you. I am a little ashamed to post pictures after seeing your great photography though.


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## jlhaslip

0 C = 32 F (freezing) 
each degree Celcius is about 1.8 degrees F

10 C = 50 F
13 C = 55 F
20 C = 68 F

Trees are stating to change already, but I am a few hundred miles east of Cocobolo in the mountains.


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## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> 0 C = 32 F (freezing)
> each degree Celcius is about 1.8 degrees F
> 
> 10 C = 50 F
> 13 C = 55 F
> 20 C = 68 F
> 
> Trees are stating to change already, but I am a few hundred miles east of Cocobolo in the mountains.


Thanks JL, I appreciate that. I could never get use to using that system as old as I am. 

The reason I asked about the trees changing is I love to learn how different things are in other areas of the world. I am just a curious person, I guess, but I love to learn. Ya'lls part of the world is something we here in the US don't hear much about at least down south. Sorry to go on rambling here. Thank you again for helping me out.

By the way, I like your signature.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> :laughing: yep the sheriff was one of the good ole boys but he is in the pokie now.
> 
> I never could figure out the C vs F degrees thing. How much would 10c and 13c convert to? When do the trees start to change color up your way? When they do would you take some pictures of them? If the trees are pretty here in the mountains I will take a few for you. I am a little ashamed to post pictures after seeing your great photography though.


So the "Good Ole Boy" sheriff got his comeuppance...glad to hear that!:thumbsup:

Now listen up Ole Jim, if you _don't_ post some pics of the trees, we're all going to disown you. :whistling2::no::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> 0 C = 32 F (freezing)
> each degree Celcius is about 1.8 degrees F
> 
> 10 C = 50 F
> 13 C = 55 F
> 20 C = 68 F
> 
> Trees are stating to change already, but I am a few hundred miles east of Cocobolo in the mountains.


Thanks for helping Jim out jl.

Next sunny day - still raining here this morning - I will walk down the pathway a bit to see if the big maples are turning yet.

My little Japanese maples, I can check right here on a daily basis. I promise I will be sure to get you pics of those as they turn for the fall.

jl...can you get pics from where you are? Might be kinda cool to see what it's like there. We actually have very few deciduous trees here on Ruxton, lots over on Vancouver Island of course.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I will post a few pictures when the trees turn but don't expect much. 
Buddy, we could sure use some of that rain down this way although our grass is my favorite color for grass right now, dead. :whistling2: Bet you can't tell I hate to cut grass. 

It looks like you will be working inside today buddy, but just think of the cold rain outside and the warm glow of a great wood fire going. Man, I think I'm going to cry here just thinking of the 90 degrees + we are having here today.

Have a great day my friend.


----------



## cocobolo

Somebody ought to figure out how to even out the temperatures where you are and where we are.

It's 54ºF here now. Split 'em and it would be a pleasant 72º or so. Wouldn't that be nice!

I thought you _loved_ cutting the grass Jim. :thumbup:

What you should do is to plant green concrete. Don't need to water it, no mowing, no fertilizing...nuthin'. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Got the trim all cut out last night, and this morning eased the edges with the chamfering plane. Looks OK.

Now waiting for some floor tile to set up which I did first thing this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

The big pile there is the wood which will be going around the walls above the tile. I think you probably had that sussed already.

The missus has painted the undercoat on those trims, and the topcoat should be able to go around 4 this afternoon. Earlier if I put the fire on. :thumbsup:

I'm trying to get the balance of the marble cut for the tub surround, most is done. The last few pieces are going to be the hardest to fit. It would certainly be nice to have a square corner at the back left of the tub.

Time for some lunch while I do some more pondering...:huh:


----------



## cocobolo

The solution finally presented itself for the troublesome back corner and all the pieces are now cut.

There is zero tile left and it would have been a treat to have two more tiles, but...that was not to be the case.

The tile on top of the surround is just sitting in place. Nothing stuck yet. That's next.

I hear the missus downstairs making aggravating noises, I had better go and see what's going on.


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmmm...all the marble we have is stuck on. And HRH has decreed that we need to find a few more pieces. This ought to be fun.

Well, at least I can finish the floor and then carry on with more tiling downstairs. Who knows, we may be lucky. :wink:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, you are both just phenomenal ya'll can run circles around a 20 year old working. I couldn't do all that back when I was a younger man. Judy just looked over here and saw your tile work and she really does like it also.

Buddy, that is going to be hard to find more marble like that, it is some kind of pretty.

Are you going to need to mill more lumber before finishing your home?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, you are both just phenomenal ya'll can run circles around a 20 year old working. I couldn't do all that back when I was a younger man. Judy just looked over here and saw your tile work and she really does like it also.
> 
> Buddy, that is going to be hard to find more marble like that, it is some kind of pretty.
> 
> Are you going to need to mill more lumber before finishing your home?


Well, thanks Jim, and to Judy too.

We will try the local tile stores first, but I was also thinking that Habitat might have the odd one. You just never know what they get in there.

I am hoping _not_ to have to mill any more lumber, but I guess it depends on what I decide to build. For the house itself, I might need some for a dividing wall I have planned at the top of the stairs - the one where some more of that art glass is going. 

I do have all the glass cut to the right sizes, but I think I need to buy a handful of 2 x 4's for the framing.

The only project of any size inside, will be the seat to go all the way around the floor opening in the master bedroom. It looks down to the solarium. That may be another project with a big lamination for the seat itself.

I was just looking at the length of the whole thing...I would guess it is something over 40'. I have plenty of decent arbutus which I can use for the legs and the cross supports for the seat portion, but I'm none too sure if I have enough cedar strips on hand for the seat. It would take about twice as much as that long handrail outside on that narrow deck.

But I think before I do that I should get the floor laid in the bedroom.

If I have to mill anything, it will most likely be red cedar. Chances are that if I spot a nice cedar floating out there in the chuck I will go and pick it up.

The missus wants me to put some soffit on her studio, plus fascia boards, and gutters made from cedar, and...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, thanks Jim, and to Judy too.
> 
> We will try the local tile stores first, but I was also thinking that Habitat might have the odd one. You just never know what they get in there.
> 
> I am hoping _not_ to have to mill any more lumber, but I guess it depends on what I decide to build. For the house itself, I might need some for a dividing wall I have planned at the top of the stairs - the one where some more of that art glass is going.
> 
> I do have all the glass cut to the right sizes, but I think I need to buy a handful of 2 x 4's for the framing.
> 
> The only project of any size inside, will be the seat to go all the way around the floor opening in the master bedroom. It looks down to the solarium. That may be another project with a big lamination for the seat itself.
> 
> I was just looking at the length of the whole thing...I would guess it is something over 40'. I have plenty of decent arbutus which I can use for the legs and the cross supports for the seat portion, but I'm none too sure if I have enough cedar strips on hand for the seat. It would take about twice as much as that long handrail outside on that narrow deck.
> 
> But I think before I do that I should get the floor laid in the bedroom.
> 
> If I have to mill anything, it will most likely be red cedar. Chances are that if I spot a nice cedar floating out there in the chuck I will go and pick it up.
> 
> The missus wants me to put some soffit on her studio, plus fascia boards, and gutters made from cedar, and...


You got my attention with the laminated seat, that is going to be one really really nice seat, I can't wait. Are you going to take some pictures of the milling process this time. I have always dreamed of a mill similar to your's. We appreciate you buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

I guess if I can find a decent cedar log I can take pix. 

So, if the seat runs around a total distance of 40', and it's 1 1/2' wide, and 2" thick, that would be 120 board feet. I would think the waste factor on something like that would be 30 to 40%, if not more. I should need to mill at least 200 board feet of clear cedar. And there's the catch...clear.

I don't know what is down at the mill right now in the way of logs. I know there is a very small log on the deck which may be 40 bd. ft. It's very small.

I will check tomorrow and let you know. And I don't think there is anything in the bay right now. This isn't a good time of year for logs.

And the other factor is that one side of the seat has a gentle curve, the other is pretty sharp. I'll see if it's possible to take a pic from down below so you can see the curve.


----------



## cocobolo

It doesn't look like these pics came out well at all. The outer curve I think has a radius of about 22 feet, the inner I'm guessing 12 or 13.

That means that the wood for the inner curve will need to be milled considerably thinner.

The outside railing is noticeably more gentle than that and 5/8" wood was about all you would want to use there. So 1/2" for the outer curve and 3/8" for the inner curve for this one.

I get in excess of 1,300 lineal feet of wood for that. Another quarter mile.

I don't know about that, maybe I will have to come up with a different system. Laminating another 1,300 feet doesn't sound really thrilling at the moment. I can't remember the lineal on the long handrail, but I think not over 600 feet.

Sorry, I just checked, it's just under 700 feet.

Not only is that a lot of wood, but also a lot of glue! Not to mention twice the time of the one outside.


----------



## cocobolo

Another thought just came to mind...yes I do get thoughts occasionally...maybe I could build a framework, and wife number 2 could upholster it. I like that idea. :thumbsup:

I'll make sure she's in a good mood when I ask her! :yes:


----------



## BigJim

That is a lot of wood and a whole lot of work. We think a lot a like, I hate doing the same thing twice although I have many times but after the first one it is not fun for me anymore. 

Can you imagine what the seat would cost if you had to buy that beautiful wood (including the waste factor) and then had to pay for the milling, dressing, planing then the labor to custom fit and build the seat on site, not to mention sanding, finish sanding, sealing and all the coats of finish. Good gravy, a rich man couldn't afford that. I think the upholstered seat will look great my friend.


----------



## jlhaslip

I'll get some pic's in the morning if it isn't raining (which is the current forecast)


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I'll get some pic's in the morning if it isn't raining (which is the current forecast)


It looks like you are getting what we had for the past couple of days.

It rained here again last night and everything is now well and truly soaked. It looks good this morning though. Still some cloud around, but it seems to be clearing quickly.

The trees always look better when the sun is on them, makes them look brighter.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is a lot of wood and a whole lot of work. We think a lot a like, I hate doing the same thing twice although I have many times but after the first one it is not fun for me anymore.
> 
> Can you imagine what the seat would cost if you had to buy that beautiful wood (including the waste factor) and then had to pay for the milling, dressing, planing then the labor to custom fit and build the seat on site, not to mention sanding, finish sanding, sealing and all the coats of finish. Good gravy, a rich man couldn't afford that. I think the upholstered seat will look great my friend.



It probably wouldn't cost a dime over $15,000.00.


----------



## cocobolo

I did go down to the bay today...there is no cedar there. The only two logs in the chute are hemlock.

When the missus goes to town to see the boys (probably next week) I might cut the small cedar on the log deck. I could scout around the island to see if there is anything on the beaches. I can usually roll it off with the peavey.

Also went for a short walk to see if anything was happening with the big maples toward Sand Dollar Cove.

On the way there was a small tree, maybe 20 -25' tall and the leaves were starting to go. Don't know what it is.


----------



## cocobolo

The big maples still look like this - not a hint of change yet.

It usually takes a week or so of cold weather to turn the leaves, and it really hasn't got cool yet.


----------



## cocobolo

I did stop to snap a pic of the big Douglas Fir towards the cove. I didn't really notice how big it was before, something like 18' around.


----------



## cocobolo

On the way back I stopped to take a look in my Japanese garden. I should be shot for neglecting it so badly.

Here are a couple of very young Norway Maples which are starting to turn.


----------



## cocobolo

Good thing I did look in, otherwise I would have missed my first hibiscus flower. I planted a couple of sticks two years ago, and this is the first flower.


----------



## cocobolo

Another rose wife number 2 has growing in the veggie garden.


----------



## cocobolo

And a Japanese Maple growing near the potting shed.

Starting to show the first signs of turning.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the first Coral Bark maple I got. No sign of change yet, by mid October it should look pretty good. We'll wait and see.


----------



## cocobolo

She-who-has-the-green-thumb still has some fuchsias in bloom.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is the cultivar "Koto-no-ito". It stays nice and small, suited well for growing in pots. Beginning to show the first signs of red.


----------



## cocobolo

I should have added this close up of the leaves to the previous post, sorry about that.


----------



## cocobolo

The plant commonly known as Heavenly Bamboo. Not a bamboo at all, it is Nandina Domestica.


----------



## BigJim

$15,000 is just a little low there buddy, you can't make any money by giving the farm away. Ya'll have some mighty beautiful plants up your way and that is one biiiig tree. The nurseries down this way sell a tree that looks kinda like your Norway Maple but the leaves stays a burgundy color most of the year. The leaves look a little like what some of these ******** smoke down this way except they are green. 

Buddy, you take the most beautiful pictures, I hope you are saving all your pictures and note for your book.:whistling2: You are for a fact book quality and that is no joke. Thanks for posting the pictures for us Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

You're more than welcome Jim. It's nice to see that they are appreciated.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night we had a dandy sunset - and as usual I missed the best part. I did, however, run outside as soon as I spotted what was going on and took 25 shots in just over two minutes.

Here's a couple of them.


----------



## cocobolo

Have you ever seen red rain before? No? Well, you have now!


----------



## cocobolo

So tonight I was ready for the sunset. Never happened.

This was looking south over Thetis, Kuper & Saltspring islands. Couldn't quite figure out why the sky was like this as the sun is now setting due west of us.


----------



## cocobolo

A somewhat feeble sunset over DeCourcey island this evening.


----------



## gma2rjc

> Last night we had a dandy sunset - and as usual I missed the best part.


Wow! This isn't the best part? I can't imagine it being any prettier.

The red rain picture is amazing! I've never seen such a thing.

Barb


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Barb, we can't even get the high quality cedar that Keith is using. To see the cedar he is using and what we get is just unreal, side by side they look like different species of wood. He sent me a sample of the cedar he uses and I didn't even know what kind of wood it was, it is really some beautiful wood. The wood he uses has close growth rings where the cedar we get has large spaces between the growth rings, the color is a little alike but his is heavier and nowhere as many knots.
> 
> Sorry if I butted in here.:blush:


Is this the grain you're talking about?









I agree with you Jim! Not only can't we get high quality cedar here, but most of the time I can't even find decent boards of the low quality stuff they sell. 

I went to Lowe's a couple weeks ago for 9 - 1"x4"x8' and 4 - 1"x2"x8' boards. I had to ask an employee to get another skid of the 1x4's down for me because the 30 or so boards out on the shelf were all in terrible shape. I wasn't paying $6.62 for a board with cracks and chips in it.

A lot of the boards off the new skid were damaged too. And not just from the steel strap holding them together on the skid.

Keith, I wonder how much you would have spent at $6.62 per 1"x4"x8' board if you had to purchase all the cedar you've used for your house. Although I'm sure that the quality of cedar you are using would have cost much more than that from a big box store.

The flowers are beautiful! Her Greenthumbness (thought I'd throw a new name in there for you. :laughing sure has a knack for gardening. Everything looks wonderful.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! This isn't the best part? I can't imagine it being any prettier.
> 
> The red rain picture is amazing! I've never seen such a thing.
> 
> Barb


I second what Barb said, the red rain is just unreal, just beautiful.

Barb, that is the grain I was talking about, the Cedar Keith gets is a whole lot different and so pretty.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! This isn't the best part? I can't imagine it being any prettier.
> 
> The red rain picture is amazing! I've never seen such a thing.
> 
> Barb


Usually when we see rain over Vancouver Island, all we see is the light grey streaks. Everything in that sunset was brilliant orange, but only for a few minutes.

I had to go right to the outside of the bank for that one, I got four or five shots of the red rain.

If it makes you feel any better, I've never seen it like that either. Just one of those freak things I guess.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Is this the grain you're talking about?
> 
> View attachment 24644
> 
> 
> I agree with you Jim! Not only can't we get high quality cedar here, but most of the time I can't even find decent boards of the low quality stuff they sell.
> 
> I went to Lowe's a couple weeks ago for 9 - 1"x4"x8' and 4 - 1"x2"x8' boards. I had to ask an employee to get another skid of the 1x4's down for me because the 30 or so boards out on the shelf were all in terrible shape. I wasn't paying $6.62 for a board with cracks and chips in it.
> 
> A lot of the boards off the new skid were damaged too. And not just from the steel strap holding them together on the skid.
> 
> Keith, I wonder how much you would have spent at $6.62 per 1"x4"x8' board if you had to purchase all the cedar you've used for your house. Although I'm sure that the quality of cedar you are using would have cost much more than that from a big box store.
> 
> The flowers are beautiful! Her Greenthumbness (thought I'd throw a new name in there for you. :laughing sure has a knack for gardening. Everything looks wonderful.
> 
> Barb


FYI, your cedar works out to about $2.50 per board foot. Trouble is a 1 x 4 is only 3/4 x 3 1/2, so it really costs more than that.

One of the knots in your pic is loose, which it shouldn't be. If you get a grade called STK, which stands for select tight knot, the knots should not fall out. STK is commonly used for siding here. Once it is stained, you don't see the knots anyway.

Greenthumbness...excellent...another name for the arsenal! I will admit, she's a pretty fair gardener. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I second what Barb said, the red rain is just unreal, just beautiful.
> 
> Barb, that is the grain I was talking about, the Cedar Keith gets is a whole lot different and so pretty.


That cedar that Barb has looks like western red cedar, but not old growth. The colour is pretty good, and she has one more-or-less edge grain board and two flat grain.

That's about what they peddle us out here for fence boards, but not planed like those appear to be.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus and I have been occupied today with the unpleasant chore of cleaning the bottom of the sailboat. It's just downright dirty, miserable, cold work. And we have left it far too long...as you will see.

My friend Brian across the bay has a big old diving board bolted to the rock in front of his place. He uses it to tie his boat up against to clean the bottom occasionally.

With his kind permission I put the boat up at high tide this morning, and got the lines rigged plus a long board to hold the boat in place while the tide dropped.

Here she is still floating.


----------



## cocobolo

It seems to take forever when you are waiting for the water to fall.


----------



## cocobolo

If you happen to like seafood there was a months supply attached to the bottom!


----------



## cocobolo

Here the bow has been scraped, but not scrubbed. Big difference.


----------



## cocobolo

I haven't got to the keel yet, but the hull is now scraped.


----------



## no1hustler

How long does it take to scrub?


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the bow after scrubbing and painting. No, we didn't get to do the bootstripe this time.

We should have done the job yesterday, the tide was more in our favour. Today, it only went down to the point where there was still about 8" of water at the keel. Yesterday, it would have dried out for a short while.

Part of the problem is that the barometer is low today, and this keeps the water higher. I was hoping for a high barometer, no such luck. Although I bet you dollars to doughnuts that it will shoot right up now that we are done.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> FYI, your cedar works out to about $2.50 per board foot. Trouble is a 1 x 4 is only 3/4 x 3 1/2, so it really costs more than that.
> 
> One of the knots in your pic is loose, which it shouldn't be. If you get a grade called STK, which stands for select tight knot, the knots should not fall out. STK is commonly used for siding here. Once it is stained, you don't see the knots anyway.
> 
> Greenthumbness...excellent...another name for the arsenal! I will admit, she's a pretty fair gardener. :thumbsup:


We can't get cedar for that price down this way, maybe more freight.


----------



## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> How long does it take to scrub?


Hmmm, scrubbing the hull...not really sure, but it is the devil of a job.

Today we only scrubbed the whole rudder, and from the bootstripe down about a foot or so on the hull. We use a stainless steel barbecue brush and it works like nobody's business.

I guess we spent about an hour on the scrubbing.

We will need to pull the boat again next spring and do a proper job. But next time I will get an electric pressure washer to do the last cleaning. I'm getting too old for this foolishness!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> We can't get cedar for that price down this way, maybe more freight.


Jim, if they bring in a full double trailer load at a time, the cost per board foot really shouldn't be that much.

A double trailer load holds in excess of 60,000 bf. So even if it were to cost $10,000 for the trucking (a truly exorbitant price) that is less than 17 cents per. So how on earth could they justify charging more?


----------



## cocobolo

Waiting patiently for the water to come in...and enjoying the rest.


----------



## BigJim

This is just like watching a movie, nothing like what you are doing happens down this way, of course we are in the mountains though. We do have the Tennessee River about a mile from here but it isn't our front yard like yours. What an adventure, I bet it don't feel like it to you sometimes with all the hard work you have to do.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, no problems really. Took the boat out to her mooring, and at idle speed it was moving about 1 1/2 mph. Would hardly budge before. It was taking us over 50 minutes to go across to the marina, now we should be back down to 35 minutes - and at a lower throttle setting to boot.

The other thing is that I can spin the boat in it's own length now. We came back into the bay a few weeks back and it was pretty windy. You always need to approach your mooring heading upwind. 

So I came past our mooring in the bay, turned the boat and missed the mooring by about 10 yards. Tried that three times, no luck. Finally had to go way past our mooring - like 50 yards and then turn. We only just made the turn in time. Nothing like a dirty bottom to foul up your handling.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> This is just like watching a movie, nothing like what you are doing happens down this way, of course we are in the mountains though. We do have the Tennessee River about a mile from here but it isn't our front yard like yours. What an adventure, I bet it don't feel like it to you sometimes with all the hard work you have to do.


What started out as an adventure pretty soon turned into a never ending line of work.

I can't say I was expecting anything different though, but after working on other people's boats for a good while before coming here, it would have been nice not to be doing it again.

But, hey, if you want to live on an island, I guess that is one of the costs you have to bear.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> What started out as an adventure pretty soon turned into a never ending line of work.
> 
> I can't say I was expecting anything different though, but after working on other people's boats for a good while before coming here, it would have been nice not to be doing it again.
> 
> But, hey, if you want to live on an island, I guess that is one of the costs you have to bear.



About the closest I have come to anything even remotely close to what you are doing was to build a log house back off the road so far they couldn't get electricity back to it for about a year. We had to use batteries and a generator to charge them. 

We had to haul our water in huge barrels which was not fun. We finally got a well and we could use the generator to pump the water up. It was different but I had to live without electricity when I was a child also, no running water or indoor plumbing. We didn't have a car we had an old wagon and a pair of mules and a pair of horses. Life was so much simpler back then.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> About the closest I have come to anything even remotely close to what you are doing was to build a log house back off the road so far they couldn't get electricity back to it for about a year. We had to use batteries and a generator to charge them.
> 
> We had to haul our water in huge barrels which was not fun. We finally got a well and we could use the generator to pump the water up. It was different but I had to live without electricity when I was a child also, no running water or indoor plumbing. We didn't have a car we had an old wagon and a pair of mules and a pair of horses. Life was so much simpler back then.


Can you imagine driving your horse-drawn wagon into town today! And meeting up with the good ole boy sheriff on the way! And you with no license plates on the wagon!!! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Can you imagine driving your horse-drawn wagon into town today! And meeting up with the good ole boy sheriff on the way! And you with no license plates on the wagon!!! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


Now that is funny as the dickens right there. :laughing::laughing::laughing: Come to think of it, I saw a sign on a back road gravel road in north Mississippi that said, "speed radar checked", heck you couldn't get over 15 MPH if you wanted to on that rough thing.LOL


----------



## frenchelectrican

Coco .,

That is pretty good amout of growth on bottom of hull.

The last time I have to clean all the gunk off I have to use steam pressure washer that really take a bunch of stuff off like nobody bussiness WOOT !!

I have unlimited steam supply next to it { a med size power plant so I asked them and they say sure just pay 50€ for fuel cost that justify the time I have to clean out the bottom of tugboat ( 24' W by 135' long 550 tonnes }

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Coco .,
> 
> That is pretty good amout of growth on bottom of hull.
> 
> The last time I have to clean all the gunk off I have to use steam pressure washer that really take a bunch of stuff off like nobody bussiness WOOT !!
> 
> I have unlimited steam supply next to it { a med size power plant so I asked them and they say sure just pay 50€ for fuel cost that justify the time I have to clean out the bottom of tugboat ( 24' W by 135' long 550 tonnes }
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Good Heavens! 135' long? How long did that take you to do? Ours is only 25' and 8' wide.


----------



## frenchelectrican

6 hours to clean all the gunk off the bottom that with two guys.

Used about 400 Liter of hevey fuel oil 

about 10,000 liter worth of water to heat up to steam and it pretty high pressure steam IIRC 125 PSIG { low 400°F IIRC }

Merci.
Marc


----------



## gma2rjc

I didn't know the bottom of a boat had to be cleaned. :boat:

Thanks for the pics too. That's very interesting.

Keith, now I know that I never knew there was so much I didn't know until I started reading this thread. :smartass:


----------



## frenchelectrican

gma2rjc said:


> I didn't know the bottom of a boat had to be cleaned. :boat:
> 
> Thanks for the pics too. That's very interesting.
> 
> Keith, now I know that I never knew there was so much I didn't know until I started reading this thread. :smartass:


The main issue with any marine vessel { boats } no matter what size you need get their bottom of the vessel clean up due seraerals reason 

• better fuel encomeny 

• higher speed 

• better handling 

• reduce the unburden weight { as my tugboat I can get it clean and really loose about 3 to 8 tons of gunk off that make the diffrence }

The worst item I have dealt is Zerba Mussels they will really cling on the hull 

Merci.
Marc


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks Marc. I guess the reason I didn't know that is because everyone I know who has a boat, pulls it around on a boat trailer. They back it up into the water, use the boat for the day and put it back on the trailer when they're done, to take it home. But some people leave their boats in the lakes or rivers from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Zebra mussels have been a big problem in the Great Lakes as well. Now we're being threatened with Asian Carp. They jump out of the water and right into people's boats.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> The main issue with any marine vessel { boats } no matter what size you need get their bottom of the vessel clean up due seraerals reason
> 
> • better fuel encomeny
> 
> • higher speed
> 
> • better handling
> 
> • reduce the unburden weight { as my tugboat I can get it clean and really loose about 3 to 8 tons of gunk off that make the diffrence }
> 
> The worst item I have dealt is Zerba Mussels they will really cling on the hull
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


I was trying to estimate the weight of what we took off yesterday right after I noticed that the waterline had changed when I put the boat back on the mooring.

It must have been at least 800 lbs. for the boat to rise that much.

The mussels we get here aren't as bad as the Zebra mussels, but plenty bad enough.

It's such a treat when the bottom is clean.


----------



## jlhaslip

A clean bottom can be a good thing...

Very lovely pictures of the flowers and sunsets.

I'll post a picture of our Autumn leaves tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> A clean bottom can be a good thing...
> 
> Very lovely pictures of the flowers and sunsets.
> 
> I'll post a picture of our Autumn leaves tomorrow.


Are we talking about the same kind of bottoms? Boats jl...boats! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Looking forward to your autumn pics.

We were over to town today and went up to Parksville. Very little change in any of the trees yet. It was warm right up until we had all this rain...and it needs cooler nights to turn the leaves. I'll keep my eyes open.

We weren't successful in our hunt for more marble tiles. May have to expand our search area.


----------



## jlhaslip

*Fall view from the front porch*

Notice the colour of the Oak on the left.


----------



## cocobolo

Many thanks for the pic jl.

We have Garry Oaks here, mostly smaller kind of gnarly looking trees. Ours are still completely green, not a hint of change. Is that a willow also in there?


----------



## jlhaslip

from the left, Lilac, Oak, Apple, Weeping Birch, not sure of the next 2, Apple.
Small Rose bushes between the lilac/oak/birch.
Fireweed in the foreground of the flower bed.
The red one above the square garden bed is a neighbour's tree that is always red.


----------



## BigJim

I thank you also JL, that is encouraging to see the colors starting to change. You sure do have a pretty yard, is that mountains way off in the background?

Judy and I noticed the mountain sides here look like the trees are changing but I think the trees are dying from all the hot dry weather we have had for so long. We are still hoping for some pretty colors here.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks jl, I mistook the weeping birch for a willow. Now that I think about it the willows are usually much closer to the ground, are wider, and not as tall.

Nice collection of trees, that's for sure.


----------



## cocobolo

Got the dark grout on the top row of tiles done. The missus wants a different coloured grout on the light tiles.

Once the grout dried, that enabled me to get started on the wood above the tiles.

First section over the back of the tub done last night, hopefully more will get done today.

I'm building an opening window for the ensuite, just waiting to do the topcoat of paint. Might be able to install that later today.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Got the dark grout on the top row of tiles done. The missus wants a different coloured grout on the light tiles.
> 
> Once the grout dried, that enabled me to get started on the wood above the tiles.
> 
> First section over the back of the tub done last night, hopefully more will get done today.
> 
> I'm building an opening window for the ensuite, just waiting to do the topcoat of paint. Might be able to install that later today.


I knew you had been busy, it looks great Keith, really crisp, and squeaky clean looking, I like it.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I knew you had been busy, it looks great Keith, really crisp, and squeaky clean looking, I like it.


Thanks very much Jim.

Well, the window is painted now. I found a hinge I can use to mount it. 

Going to finish all the top grouting now and carry on with the rest of the top wood.

We have had ooooodles of rain over the past few days. Look how nicely it beads up on your table outside!


----------



## Handy Vinny

By far the best project showcase on here. Congratulations to you, sir, and continued success.


----------



## shumakerscott

Handy Vinny said:


> By far the best project showcase on here. Congratulations to you, sir, and continued success.


I 2nd that:thumbup: dorf dude...


----------



## gma2rjc

The ensuite is coming along nicely! 

The dark grout with the dark tile looks super. 

And the painted wood above looks perfect with the two colors of tile.

How many coats of varnish did you end up putting on Jim's table? 

Barb


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks very much Jim.
> 
> Well, the window is painted now. I found a hinge I can use to mount it.
> 
> Going to finish all the top grouting now and carry on with the rest of the top wood.
> 
> We have had ooooodles of rain over the past few days. Look how nicely it beads up on your table outside!


Oh my stars, it gets more beautiful every time I see it, I don't think that is rain, I think that is me drooling over it. 

I'm glad ya'll are getting that much needed rain up your way, we need a little down this way also.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Oh my stars, it gets more beautiful every time I see it, I don't think that is rain, I think that is me drooling over it.


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Handy Vinny said:


> By far the best project showcase on here. Congratulations to you, sir, and continued success.


Thank you kindly Vinny...welcome to the thread. 

I have to respectfully say that Shu's home over in Germany is pretty darn impressive though. Look what he started with, and look what he's got now.

Pretty amazing when you think of all the work he's gone through to get there.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I 2nd that:thumbup: dorf dude...


Thanks Shu...that's very kind of you.

But you know what I think of your project, don't you?

_IT'S DOWNRIGHT AWESOME!!!! _:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The ensuite is coming along nicely!
> 
> The dark grout with the dark tile looks super.
> 
> And the painted wood above looks perfect with the two colors of tile.
> 
> How many coats of varnish did you end up putting on Jim's table?
> 
> Barb


Jim's table got a full 7 coats of varnish _after_ the wood was sealed. 

So look at it like this...under the 7 coats there were 3 or 4 coats which didn't necessarily succeed in giving 100% coverage.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh my stars, it gets more beautiful every time I see it, I don't think that is rain, I think that is me drooling over it.
> 
> I'm glad ya'll are getting that much needed rain up your way, we need a little down this way also.


I think we've had about enough rain for awhile. But the forecast has either rain or showers for 13 out of the next 15 days.

It's either feast or famine, isn't it? :huh:


----------



## jlhaslip

It took 7 coats of Varnish to get it done right???


:laughing: j/k... looks great.

Yes, those are the Purcell mountains in that picture. I'll take another one on a clear day that will show some of the vertical. The property is on the western-most West facing slope of the Rocky Mountains. There is a river about 200 yards downhill that divides the two ranges. 

Nice place to spend some time in a hammock...except in winter, of course.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> It took 7 coats of Varnish to get it done right???
> 
> 
> :laughing: j/k... looks great.
> 
> Yes, those are the Purcell mountains in that picture. I'll take another one on a clear day that will show some of the vertical. The property is on the western-most West facing slope of the Rocky Mountains. There is a river about 200 yards downhill that divides the two ranges.
> 
> Nice place to spend some time in a hammock...except in winter, of course.


Can't you use the hammock as a toboggan when it freezes solid? :whistling2:


----------



## Jim F

That is a snazzy looking table no doubt. My 19 year-old son is just getting started in woodworking. He's expressed interest in making tables out of tree trunks. He's got a lot to learn though.


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> It took 7 coats of Varnish to get it done right???
> 
> 
> :laughing: j/k... looks great.
> 
> Yes, those are the Purcell mountains in that picture. I'll take another one on a clear day that will show some of the vertical. The property is on the western-most West facing slope of the Rocky Mountains. There is a river about 200 yards downhill that divides the two ranges.
> 
> Nice place to spend some time in a hammock...except in winter, of course.


jl, we are looking forward to your pictures.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim F said:


> That is a snazzy looking table no doubt. My 19 year-old son is just getting started in woodworking. He's expressed interest in making tables out of tree trunks. He's got a lot to learn though.


Jim...please be sure to pass along my "good luck" wishes to your son. If there is ever anything I might be able to assist him with - information wise - by all means feel free to ask.


----------



## cocobolo

A little more on the wood up top.

I measured the height of the wood right at the beginning of the wall, and at two foot intervals. Marked the spots and drew a line. The cuts were made with the Japanese saw.


----------



## cocobolo

And so far, this is what it looks like on the long side wall. Just ran out of painted boards, so need to do some more PDQ.


----------



## cocobolo

The opening window - with only single glazing at the moment - is hung. The far window has been trimmed all round, the face trim will go when all three windows are ready.


----------



## cocobolo

Her Greenthumbness was worki...sorry, playing out in the garden and she asked if I would help her pull up an old heather plant which had died. Sure.

Both of us together couldn't budge the darn thing, so I got it out with the spade.

That has nothing at all to do with this picture, but when I went to the greenhouse for the spade, I spotted these two little tiny frogs sitting up on an apple in the tree. We have never seen any so tiny. Less than 5/8" long.

Couldn't resist getting a photo.


----------



## BigJim

Fantastic buddy, the color coordination is perfect. You have really been busy for sure. I know ya'll must be anxious to get to use the new room and the whole house, I know I sure would be.

The little frogs are neat, your camera sure does take good clear colorful pictures.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Fantastic buddy, the color coordination is perfect. You have really been busy for sure. I know ya'll must be anxious to get to use the new room and the whole house, I know I sure would be.
> 
> The little frogs are neat, your camera sure does take good clear colorful pictures.


Jim. I used one of those macro lenses for that one. The little guys were so tiny I don't know how else I could have got the pic.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning, when I first went over to the house to work, you couldn't see more than a few yards out into the channel because the fog was so thick.

This was taken just after 8 am. The fog had lifted between us and Vancouver Island - well mostly.


----------



## cocobolo

Three minutes after I took the pic above, a ketch came by headed south.

Look how much the fogbank has come down on to the water on the other side. That's about 3 1/2 miles away.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, the first two pictures are absolutely perfect, they look like they should be on a magazine like National Geo or similar. Not to say the last one is bad by any means but the first two are just perfect. wow!!!


----------



## cocobolo

I went for a short trek out to the point this afternoon. The water was calm and there were lots of small fish and jellyfish right close to shore.


----------



## cocobolo

Last year, her Greenthumbness tried to grow some sunflowers, but with a notable lack of success. She put a few seeds in here and there this year to see if she could have better luck.

There are two batches coming up right now, and this is the first flower to bloom.


----------



## cocobolo

A few days ago my first hibiscus plant came up with one bloom. Now the second plant has done the same thing!  The first bloom has already dropped off the first plant.


----------



## cocobolo

...a reflection from the pool while I was in the garden this afternoon.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, the first two pictures are absolutely perfect, they look like they should be on a magazine like National Geo or similar. Not to say the last one is bad by any means but the first two are just perfect. wow!!!


:yes: I couldn't have said it better Jim.


----------



## gma2rjc

I forgot to say that the flowers are beautiful. They must have loved all that rain.

That frog picture is awesome! One of these days I have to get a camera like that. 

Thanks for posting the pics!


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I went for a short trek out to the point this afternoon. The water was calm and there were lots of small fish and jellyfish right close to shore.


When you and your wife are swimming, do you ever see jellyfish?

Sorry, I should just edit my last post and add this to it.

Barb


----------



## gma2rjc

Are you having trouble with your edit button Keith? I tried using it and my computer kept trying to reload. 

Anyway, is there a lens or some kind of gadget you can put on your camera to put your lens just below the surface of the water to take pictures?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I forgot to say that the flowers are beautiful. They must have loved all that rain.
> 
> That frog picture is awesome! One of these days I have to get a camera like that.
> 
> Thanks for posting the pics!


Don't let on to Jim...but the last two boat pics are the same shot, just cropped so you could see the boat better. Keep it under your hat! :wink:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Don't let on to Jim...but the last two boat pics are the same shot, just cropped so you could see the boat better. Keep it under your hat! :wink:


Okay, as long you don't tell him that I didn't figure that out either. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> When you and your wife are swimming, do you ever see jellyfish?
> 
> Sorry, I should just edit my last post and add this to it.
> 
> Barb


She's not brave enough to go in at this time of year, but yes I see lots of them. Mostly they are the little guys like in the pic, but most days we also see the big ones, up to about two feet across with the long trailing tentacles.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Are you having trouble with your edit button Keith? I tried using it and my computer kept trying to reload.
> 
> Anyway, is there a lens or some kind of gadget you can put on your camera to put your lens just below the surface of the water to take pictures?


I haven't needed to edit anything in the last little while, but the edit button is still there.

I'm sure I will find a delayed spelling mistake sooner or later so I will need to edit.

Most of the cameras you can get a special sort of plastic container made for that specific camera. I don't have such a beast, but the lady who runs the local marine store knows lots about that. Her hubby is a diver and he comes over to Ruxton all the time to dive.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Okay, as long you don't tell him that I didn't figure that out either. :laughing:


It's a deal! :thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

What kind of Hibiscus is that and did you plant it in the spring or summer?

Have you had any luck finding more of the marble tile?


Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> What kind of Hibiscus is that and did you plant it in the spring or summer?
> 
> Barb


You know, I wish I could tell you what kind it is...but I don't know. 

About three years ago I went down to a nursery in Sidney that has several kinds of bamboos for sale. That was the reason I went there. When I just about had the van packed full of plants I asked the chap what were those little sticks in the small pots.

So he told me Hibiscus. So I said really, those little sticks will grow into a Hibiscus plant? Well, apparently, that's how they propagate them here.

Erica also got a Hibiscus twig from a lady in Cedar whose husband makes those concrete garden ornaments. She had this huge big bush outside their back door. Sure enough, her Greenthumbness stuck it in a pot when we got home and now she has a pretty fair sized plant.

Mine are still just overgrown twigs, but seem to be doing OK - especially considering the dry summer we had - and they just LOVE water.

I planted it late spring right after I brought them home. They are in 2 gallon pots which are in the ground. The pots are to help contain the water.

I guess I should pull one up to check on the root system - if it's getting rootbound the pots can go.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> She's not brave enough to go in at this time of year, but yes I see lots of them. Mostly they are the little guys like in the pic, but most days we also see the big ones, up to about two feet across with the long trailing tentacles.



Hold the phone, are you saying the jellyfish are 24 inches across? 

My stars, I would never get in the water knowing something like that was in there. By the way, do you do any fishing there?

Keith, I had to go back and look at your pictures, you are right, it is the same picture. The way you got it fixed sure makes it look like two different pictures. You are good buddy!

Well, I will be, the edit button is gone, I just knew I would wear it out but just not that soon, sorry Barb.

The edit button is back and it works.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Have you had any luck finding more of the marble tile?
> 
> Barb


We haven't been back over to town yet.

Wife number 2 will be going to Vancouver to visit the grandsons shortly, so I have hinted that she might like to check out a few tile stores while she's there. She didn't sound any too enthused.

She thought it would be OK if I just used the same tiles we have on the walls and floor to finish up with. She might be right, but if the marble is available, I would prefer it.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Hold the phone, are you saying the jellyfish are 24 inches across?
> 
> My stars, I would never get in the water knowing something like that was in there. By the way, do you do any fishing there?
> 
> Keith, I had to go back and look at your pictures, you are right, it is the same picture. The way you got it fixed sure makes it look like two different pictures. You are good buddy!
> 
> Well, I will be, the edit button is gone, I just knew I would wear it out but just not that soon, sorry Barb.
> 
> The edit button is back and it works.


Jim, we get several different kinds of jellyfish here.

There seems to be thousands of very tiny ones - perhaps 2 to 4 inches across. They are everywhere.

Then when we go over to Vancouver Island in the boat, we see thousands more but they are usually about 6 to 10 inches across.

These kinds are the filmy creamy looking guys.

Then we get the big ones. They are kind of a dull reddish colour and are always quite big. I would say the solid part looks to be anywhere from about 14 to 18 inches across, and when they are pulsing in the water the whole circle goes to well over 24".

I think this is the time of year we see the big ones, so I will keep my eyes open and my camera with me. If I see one I'll get you a pic.

We see them washed up on the beach all the time, but that's when they die. Not a very interesting picture I'm afraid.

Back to edit - missed your fishing question. No, I'm not a fisherman. Besides the cod fishery is closed here now and will be for the foreseeable future. We could go after salmon though.


----------



## gma2rjc

Aren't you afraid of being stung by one of the jellyfish? Isn't that what stung that famous Australian guy (Steve something) a few years back? He did a show with animals.

Have you ever seen a wall or a column that someone has painted to look like marble? I was in a plantation house in Tennessee a few years back and the tour guide pointed out that the columns had been painted and they did that to save money. It was hard to tell that it wasn't real.

I'm not suggesting you do that in your bathroom though.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

In between swimming and jellyfish, I have actually had a minor accomplishment or two today.

The only thing left to do around the windows now is the outer trim. I will leave that until tomorrow, as it's better done in daylight. I might have a go at doing some of the painting now, then I can get a topcoat on tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Aren't you afraid of being stung by one of the jellyfish? Isn't that what stung that famous Australian guy (Steve something) a few years back? He did a show with animals.
> 
> Have you ever seen a wall or a column that someone has painted to look like marble? I was in a plantation house in Tennessee a few years back and the tour guide pointed out that the columns had been painted and they did that to save money. It was hard to tell that it wasn't real.
> 
> I'm not suggesting you do that in your bathroom though.
> 
> Barb


Barb: I don't think the little ones sting, but I hear that the big ones with the long tentacles do. I guarantee you I wouldn't be wanting to find out the hard way!

Yes, I have seen the painted columns, and I think they are usually done in black and white, or brown and white. But I suppose there's no reason not to use other colours. I think they use rags to make that random pattern.

Maybe someone on your craft forum would know about that.


----------



## cocobolo

I took a crack at getting a pic of the sunshine coming through those sandblasted windows this evening as the sun was setting. Only took two pics, one with flash, one without. Neither came out that well...I should have taken a few more.


----------



## cocobolo

I was sitting outside having dessert earlier this evening, when this dark blue cruiser came into the bay.

I watched in horror as he proceeded to try and drive his boat right into the small bay to the left of this picture.

I made all sorts of arm waving motions trying to get him to stop and reverse out, and in the end he made a sharp turn to port and managed to run onto the rocks. I heard the engine wind up - presumably in reverse - but he didn't move.

By the time I got my camera he had got off the rocks, but now is anchored about 25 feet from the spit. When the tide goes out in the wee hours, I expect we will be awakened by all sorts of odd noises. He's way too close.


----------



## gma2rjc

Do you think he was going fast enough to do any damage? I hope not.

How much lower will the water be when the tide goes out?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

No, he was probably only going about 1 knot. But why on earth anyone would turn into what is obviously a rock spit I don't know. If he hit the prop at all, that will be damaged.

The tide will drop about 9 or 10 feet. That also makes the boat have greater swing on the anchor. If the wind comes from the south east, which it frequently does, he'll be on the rocks.


----------



## gma2rjc

That can't be good! 

I hope he didn't have to be anywhere today. How will he get out?

Barb


----------



## shumakerscott

I want a morning pic of that boat. dorf dude


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That can't be good!
> 
> I hope he didn't have to be anywhere today. How will he get out?
> 
> Barb


I was outside this morning fairly early...before 7 am. He was nowhere to be seen. The tide is still out quite a long way. It seems as soon as he heard bumping he would have moved.

Most people keep away from the rocks when they anchor, knowing that the amount of scope they have out might cause problems.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I want a morning pic of that boat. dorf dude


Looks like we posted at exactly the same time Shu...so by now you know he's gone. If he had been on the rocks I would have got you a pic.


----------



## gma2rjc

I was wondering how it would look this morning - if it would be laying on it's side or something.

They should put a kickstand on boats for this type of situation. Like the one's you see on bikes. :yes:

:laughing:

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Little pocket cruisers like that usually have a somewhat rounded edge at the bilge, and a full length keel so that they track straight. It's not likely that he would go over, but he would rest at an uncomfortable angle until he floated off.

Sailboats with twin keels are called bilge keelers. They can actually stand upright as long as the bottom is fairly level. They are quite common over in England, where river estuaries are used for mooring.

These estuaries often dry out at low tide, so the boats need some way to stand up, and that's the solution.

When Ted Long was alive, his boat "Salal" was a bilge keeler. He used to keep it in Herring Bay right outside our place. Right up close to the head of the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

The trim is in around the ensuite windows, and the first undercoat of paint is on. There won't be any change to speak of with the other coats of paint, as we got the undercoat coloured to match the topcoat.


----------



## gma2rjc

That looks sharp! I bet it feels nice to be done with that.

What kind of wood did you use?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Well, when I started to line the outside of the window areas, I just grabbed a bunch of boards leaning up against the wall and ripped and planed them to fit. 

The first batch was all hemlock.

Then I still needed a few more for the last window, thought they were the same, but as soon as they hit the table saw it turned out to be yellow cedar.

The small outside trims are all yellow cedar.

Anyway, by the time it's all painted it looks the same.


----------



## cocobolo

Trying to run the supply and drain lines for the sink now. So I got Mrs. Muscles to help me sit the tub in place. Now it's out of the way for awhile.


----------



## cocobolo

Mrs. Muscles is going to use an old dresser she has from her antique store days for the vanity. It needs to be PAINTED she said. And after all the effort she put into stripping the old finish off...I really thought she was going to put something like Varathane or varnish on it.


----------



## gma2rjc

That looks great! Very pretty. 

Do you have to spray Great Stuff under the tub when it's full of water, to give it more support?

That's a huge tub!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That looks great! Very pretty.
> 
> Do you have to spray Great Stuff under the tub when it's full of water, to give it more support?
> 
> That's a huge tub!


Thanks Barb.

It wouldn't need spray foam for support, but for insulating purposes it's a good idea. 

A couple of our friends at the south end have a similar tub - in bright red gelcoat no less! Another of our friends foamed the whole underside after it was in place, and they tell me that the water stays hot for ages.


----------



## gma2rjc

I bet it does stay nice and warm. What a great idea!

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I bet it does stay nice and warm. What a great idea!
> 
> Barb


Indeed it is, and the fellow that did the job for them does that as his business...so he knew exactly what he was doing.


----------



## cocobolo

This is what we have to work with in the way of a vanity.

Yes, we do have all the drawers for it!


----------



## cocobolo

The wood joint between the middle section and the carcase on the left has come slightly apart. That will need to be addressed. The top has come loose at the front, that's an easy fix.

The missus is waffling between two different sinks - one of which we have on hand - the other we would need to buy. 

I can do the fixing while she makes up her mind I guess.


----------



## gma2rjc

You could get two of those little stainless steel bar sinks and put one in each side. lol j/k

Whatever she chooses, I'm sure it's going to look perfect.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

Everything is looking so fantastic buddy, you both have and are doing a great job. Ya'll deserve the best, and from the looks of all your hard work you have the best.

The vanity is going to be beautiful, I just love antique things and a vanity of that style is just tops. I have always loved vanities made from antique pieces they are so beautiful.

Back before they came out with the none expanding foam we installed several large tubs and used the spray styrofoam. We filled one tub with water hoping it would keep the foam from raising the tub but no such luck, it picked that bad boy right up off the floor. We had to take a handsaw and cut the foam from under the tub. Things have come along ways since then.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You could get two of those little stainless steel bar sinks and put one in each side. lol j/k
> 
> Whatever she chooses, I'm sure it's going to look perfect.
> 
> Barb


Her Ladyship has one of the small s/s sinks which she wants to use in her studio.

The one she bought I think came from habitat. It's your typical non-descript steel sink which will need to be set right in to the top.

The old vanity is only 28 1/2" high in the middle section, which is a little low for a taller couple like us.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the one she picked up from Habitat several years ago. I think it might have been a hint that I should get the ensuite done.


----------



## gma2rjc

It doesn't look like it's ever been used. It's pretty.

I can't tell from the picture, is there any room around it once you set it in place?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It doesn't look like it's ever been used. It's pretty.
> 
> I can't tell from the picture, is there any room around it once you set it in place?


Yes, there's enough room in the vanity to inset it, no problem. I think the taps might have to be offset slightly to one side though.


----------



## cocobolo

Actually, I would prefer to have this kind which sits on top. But we would need to get one of the oval ones as they are smaller on the narrow axis.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's the kind I was thinking about. Could you have the faucet coming out of the wall above the sink?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's the kind I was thinking about. Could you have the faucet coming out of the wall above the sink?


Yes, we could certainly do that. But I kind of like the tall fancy chrome ones which have that waterfall effect. They would bolt onto the top of the vanity.


----------



## gma2rjc

Those are cool too.

One nice thing is that the glass sink brings the height up a little bit.

Would you put a clear finish over the paint on the vanity to protect it from the water?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Those are cool too.
> 
> One nice thing is that the glass sink brings the height up a little bit.
> 
> Would you put a clear finish over the paint on the vanity to protect it from the water?
> 
> Barb


That is actually the point of that sink, as the vanity itself is rather low.

As for the paint, I think with two undercoats and two topcoats it should be OK. Certainly something to think about.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday, the missus put a coat of varnish on one side of her studio door.

Naturally she did it in the morning, which meant I wasn't supposed to do any woodworking until the varnish dried. But did she remember to add some Japan Dryer to the varnish? Dumbesillah!

So by four o'clock in the afternoon I had a slew of stuff to cut and plane which simply couldn't wait any longer.

She came trucking out to the house around 6 to observe a nice fine film of dust on the door. So what does she do? Before I can tell her to leave it alone, she has taken a good swipe at the door with her hand.

It was right about then that the excrement hit the electrical oscillating device and she charged out of the house in a big huff. Just a teensy bit of writer's artistic license here, but you understand I'm sure.

The first coat of varnish on anything always needs to be sanded for a variety of reasons, so this was going to be sanded anyway. That I did this morning. For some odd reason this pleased her even less.

But after just one coat this evening - done completely surreptitiously while she was thoroughly ensconced with her TV - this is how it looks.

Once again, sorry for taking the pic in the dark, but that's what happens at 10:30 at night.


----------



## cocobolo

I should remind you that this door will be going on the studio, and therefore will be an outside door. It faces exactly due south, which means the sun will beat up the varnish.

So, as with everything else that goes outside, it will need 7 coats. That's only number two on there now.


----------



## cocobolo

Another gray and foggy morning here.

The "Pacific Grace" came by this morning - about a mile and a half offshore.


----------



## cocobolo

A short while ago Mrs. Muscles came over to the house to see if I had seen that "lovely old schooner" anchored at DeCourcey Island. Of course...I just didn't know it was anchored over there, but it is a frequent visiting spot for the boat.

The 175 ton vessel is owned and operated by S.A.L.T.S. (Sail and Life Training Society) out of Victoria, B.C. and is used to give youngsters a taste of what life is all about.

She is 138' 7" over the spars, 115' LOA with a 22' beam and 11' 6" draught.


----------



## gma2rjc

You sure do get some great pictures where you are!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yesterday, the missus put a coat of varnish on one side of her studio door.
> 
> Naturally she did it in the morning, which meant I wasn't supposed to do any woodworking until the varnish dried. But did she remember to add some Japan Dryer to the varnish? Dumbesillah!
> 
> So by four o'clock in the afternoon I had a slew of stuff to cut and plane which simply couldn't wait any longer.
> 
> She came trucking out to the house around 6 to observe a nice fine film of dust on the door. So what does she do? Before I can tell her to leave it alone, she has taken a good swipe at the door with her hand.
> 
> It was right about then that the excrement hit the electrical oscillating device and she charged out of the house in a big huff. Just a teensy bit of writer's artistic license here, but you understand I'm sure.
> 
> The first coat of varnish on anything always needs to be sanded for a variety of reasons, so this was going to be sanded anyway. That I did this morning. For some odd reason this pleased her even less.
> 
> But after just one coat this evening - done completely surreptitiously while she was thoroughly ensconced with her TV - this is how it looks.
> 
> Once again, sorry for taking the pic in the dark, but that's what happens at 10:30 at night.


Buddy, that door looks really different from the first we saw it, that had to be some tough work to get it to looking that great, beautiful!

That is one heck of a ship, that has to be a fun experience for the youngsters. That is another perfect picture Keith, you must really have a good lens to zoom in that close from that far away.


----------



## cocobolo

One of the two longer lenses I have Jim. It was set out to 300 mm. The boat was anchored about 1 mile away. They just up anchored and left about 10 minutes ago.

If I need a super long lens I can hook the camera up to a telescope. And speaking of telescopes, can you get a pic of the one in your garage? I'd be happy to try to give you a hint or two on how to get the most out of it.

I'm finally getting the very last of the tile cut for the floor. The holes for the plumbing lines and drain are done, just need to do the tile shaping to get around that. Should all be stuck down well before dinner time.


----------



## cocobolo

Ah, well, I didn't get the tile stuck down. I discovered another row of narrow tiles which all needed to be fitted. Now everything will go down in the morning.

Another coat of varnish on the wife's door - now looking halfway decent.

Plus I needed to do some boxing out on one of the ensuite walls to fit the vanity better. That's now done, and the plumbing is also underway.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> One of the two longer lenses I have Jim. It was set out to 300 mm. The boat was anchored about 1 mile away. They just up anchored and left about 10 minutes ago.
> 
> If I need a super long lens I can hook the camera up to a telescope. And speaking of telescopes, can you get a pic of the one in your garage? I'd be happy to try to give you a hint or two on how to get the most out of it.
> 
> I'm finally getting the very last of the tile cut for the floor. The holes for the plumbing lines and drain are done, just need to do the tile shaping to get around that. Should all be stuck down well before dinner time.


I am amazed you could even see the boat from that distance but taking a picture from that distance is something else.

Buddy, if I get a chance to get out in the shed tomorrow I will take a couple of pictures of the telescope, our daughter is getting married tomorrow and it will be a little crazy for a little while tomorrow.

This is really strange, you made this post at 5:16PM (my time) yesterday and it just came through to my computer at 12:56AM (my time) this morning and a few minutes later your last post came in, that don't make any sense. Strange things are going on, it looks like.


----------



## cocobolo

That might be because you had your computer turned off or asleep for awhile.

I noticed the same thing yesterday here...a post was shown as one time in the email notification, but another time on the site. It threw me for a second.

But let's get to the real meat here shall we...

CONGRATULATIONS on the upcoming wedding! Please pass along my best wishes to the bride and groom - but not until they have tied the knot!!!

I think we might understand why you will be absent from posting for a couple of seconds tomorrow!!

Have a TERRIFIC DAY tomorrow. You must be a very proud DAD!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> That might be because you had your computer turned off or asleep for awhile.
> 
> I noticed the same thing yesterday here...a post was shown as one time in the email notification, but another time on the site. It threw me for a second.
> 
> But let's get to the real meat here shall we...
> 
> CONGRATULATIONS on the upcoming wedding! Please pass along my best wishes to the bride and groom - but not until they have tied the knot!!!
> 
> I think we might understand why you will be absent from posting for a couple of seconds tomorrow!!
> 
> Have a TERRIFIC DAY tomorrow. You must be a very proud DAD!


Thank you buddy, I will happily pass along your congratulations.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> She came trucking out to the house around 6 to observe a nice fine film of dust on the door. So what does she do? Before I can tell her to leave it alone, she has taken a good swipe at the door with her hand.


Ha! I've done that. 

Varnish is not my friend - I don't think I've _ever_ put a coat of varnish on something that I haven't manged to screw up in some way. 

I wish shellac came in an exterior variety. It may take 200 coats to build a nice finish, but each coat only takes 0.01 seconds to dry :thumbsup: 

Julia (Confirmed shellac addict - flakes only though please, none of that canned stuff)


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Ha! I've done that.
> 
> Varnish is not my friend - I don't think I've _ever_ put a coat of varnish on something that I haven't manged to screw up in some way.
> 
> I wish shellac came in an exterior variety. It may take 200 coats to build a nice finish, but each coat only takes 0.01 seconds to dry :thumbsup:
> 
> Julia (Confirmed shellac addict - flakes only though please, none of that canned stuff)


I'm with you...get the flakes from Lee Valley.

Welcome...


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> This is an old pic showing part of the studio on the left.
> 
> That oddball thing attached to it is the outside summer shower. And of course the cabin is to the right.


I love the way you've shingled this (this was posted quite a while ago, so I don't know if it's what it looks like currently). 

I'll trade you a one-of-a-kind deluxe screenhouse (sure to be worth millions when I become rich and famous) for your fantastic cabin and all your cool tools (especially that chain-saw lumber mill contraption) :icon_cheesygrin:


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> I love the way you've shingled this (this was posted quite a while ago, so I don't know if it's what it looks like currently).
> 
> I'll trade you a one-of-a-kind deluxe screenhouse (sure to be worth millions when I become rich and famous) for your fantastic cabin and all your cool tools (especially that chain-saw lumber mill contraption) :icon_cheesygrin:


As soon as it stops raining I could get a new photo. It's about the same except that the shingles have all been stained and there is a huge species clematis growing all over the end of the cabin now.

And you're already famous, it's only the rich part you need to work on!


----------



## cocobolo

Jules, a long time ago - not in biblical terms - a chap named Will Maloof (Maloff) not positive on that spelling, wrote a book called Chainsaw Lumbermaking.

I couldn't find a copy to buy, but the Nanaimo Library had a copy which I was able to devour. Lots of good info in there, and I believe a set of instructions on how to build your own Alaska mill.

It's really quite simple and a person of your very considerable talent could certainly build one. No welding necessary.

His story was first written up in an issue of Fine Woodworking, likely in the '70's sometime. I should still have that issue here somewhere.


----------



## gma2rjc

Here you go:

http://www.amazon.com/Chainsaw-Lumbermaking-Will-Malloff/dp/0918804124


----------



## cocobolo

Holy smoke! Has the price of that book ever gone up! I think it was $19.95 when it was first published.

I can't be too sure, but a chap on the island here gave me a photocopied set of pages from that book. If I can find them Jules, you can have them.


----------



## cocobolo

We have a short break in the rain - we got pelted all night long - so here's how the cabin shingles look as of today.

Only trouble is you can hardly see them!


----------



## cocobolo

Wife number two got a coat of varnish on her studio sign the last time we had some sun. It looks much brighter now.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> Holy smoke! Has the price of that book ever gone up! I think it was $19.95 when it was first published.
> 
> I can't be too sure, but a chap on the island here gave me a photocopied set of pages from that book. If I can find them Jules, you can have them.


That's mighty kind of ya.

I might actually be able to lay my hands on a copy down at the cottage - a neighbouring family was in the lumbering trade for generations and the grandfather has boxes and boxes of old logging related books. Next time I'm down I'll have to ask him if he's got a copy I could borrow.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> We have a short break in the rain - we got pelted all night long - so here's how the cabin shingles look as of today.
> 
> Only trouble is you can hardly see them!


That's just gorgeous.

Are you letting the shakes weather to silver, or is the silver colour at the top right just a trick of the light? (I love the colour of naturally weathered wood, but very few people seem to share my taste in this.)


That's one clematis ?!


----------



## BigJim

jules4 said:


> That's just gorgeous.
> 
> Are you letting the shakes weather to silver, or is the silver colour at the top right just a trick of the light? (I love the colour of naturally weathered wood, but very few people seem to share my taste in this.)
> 
> 
> That's one clematis ?!


I second what Jules said, I am another that loves the weathered wood.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> That's just gorgeous.
> 
> Are you letting the shakes weather to silver, or is the silver colour at the top right just a trick of the light? (I love the colour of naturally weathered wood, but very few people seem to share my taste in this.)
> 
> 
> That's one clematis ?!


If you are referring to the first pic, those shakes are stained the same colour as the main house...it's called Mesa Grey. It's much more like a grey-green colour with the emphasis on the green. I think the sun - which has since gone on vacation - was reflecting off the wall throwing the colour off.

That clematis - just a single plant - is a species clematis. Not a hybrid which produces the big beautiful flowers. This one produces thousands of small white flowers. We let them go to seed for the birds, which feed on them all winter long. There are a couple of birds' nests in there somewhere as well.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> That's mighty kind of ya.
> 
> I might actually be able to lay my hands on a copy down at the cottage - a neighbouring family was in the lumbering trade for generations and the grandfather has boxes and boxes of old logging related books. Next time I'm down I'll have to ask him if he's got a copy I could borrow.


Good show. If you draw a blank just let me know. In the mean time I will look for the copies here.


----------



## cocobolo

It has been a very busy day here. Sorry I didn't take any pics today. We are off to town tomorrow, but I might be able to get a pic or two when we get back.

Fair bit of work done. Got the wall at the end of the living room done out in cedar. And there was an awkward piece of ceiling to finish above that. The short wall sections behind the kitchen have been staring at me in frame for many years, so it is time to quit messing about and get them covered.

I spent a good part of the day just trying to clean up a few areas so I could get at them to work. I pulled every decent piece of usable cedar out of the various debris piles as I went - still nowhere near enough to do all the walls, but certainly enough to make a good start. As I wade through the 6 foot high pile in front of the kitchen counter, I expect to find enough cedar in there to complete the walls.

Anything left over that isn't _really good stuff,_ is going in the wood stove.

Thanks for checking in - more tomorrow.


----------



## BigJim

You did have a busy day, hopefully you can get some good rest tonight and be ready to get done all you want to tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

...mornin' Jim. 

We were supposed to have a nice day here, but it has been raining since about 5:30 this morning...and still going strong. Let's hope it peters out soon. :huh:

I'm going to get another coat of paint on some of those wall boards before we head to town (assuming we go) so that a topcoat can be applied this evening.

I think I'm having the same experience that Shu is...when you start to get some of the final finishing done it seems to provide you with an extra burst of energy. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry Jim...I forgot to ask how the wedding went!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Sorry Jim...I forgot to ask how the wedding went!


It went wonderfully, they were happy youngens, thank you for being so thoughtful and asking. 

Buddy, I know what you mean when you can see the end of a project in sight, it does give one a burst of energy and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I always loved getting a tough project that really made me think hard to accomplish, that was fun for me. It looks like you have had many challenges in your home and have over come all of them with ease.

Keith, do you have a cover for your boat so you won't get wet while going over? Just the idea of having to go by boat just gives me a great feeling but it may have worn off for you by now. You and your sweety are living a life most folks can only dream of and I am one of them and I really do appreciate you allowing us to be a part of your adventure.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It went wonderfully, they were happy youngens, thank you for being so thoughtful and asking.
> 
> Buddy, I know what you mean when you can see the end of a project in sight, it does give one a burst of energy and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I always loved getting a tough project that really made me think hard to accomplish, that was fun for me. It looks like you have had many challenges in your home and have over come all of them with ease.
> 
> Keith, do you have a cover for your boat so you won't get wet while going over? Just the idea of having to go by boat just gives me a great feeling but it may have worn off for you by now. You and your sweety are living a life most folks can only dream of and I am one of them and I really do appreciate you allowing us to be a part of your adventure.


Jim, I am truly happy that everything went well at the wedding. Let's hope they have a long and fruitful life together. :thumbup:

Some of the challenges haven't been quite so easy to overcome, but you just need to soldier on and figure it all out.

We can go inside the cabin on the sailboat to keep dry, and I use an extension on the tiller for that. We still prefer going when it _isn't_ raining.

I see the odd patch of blue out there now, so we will be patient for a little while longer.

Congratulations on the wedding Jim! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

HEY!! Who's the good looking guy in your avatar!


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the ensuite door after the first topcoat of popcorn white. The missus is happy, so that's good.


----------



## cocobolo

For I don't know how long there has been a piece of the floor which didn't have the extra layer of 5/8" T & G plywood down, right in front of the future utility room/pantry.

After much moving of more junk, I successfully managed to unearth enough room to get that done last night.

The plywood had been pressed into service on top of the kitchen counter and that too was covered with the usual mess. So, once that was all moved out of the way, I was able to finish that chunk of floor.


----------



## cocobolo

...hmmm, not hard to tell which is the new piece, is it?

The short wall right behind that got done out in cedar last night as well, at least to the top of the door. Then after the fact, it got an undercoat of paint. 

I think the colour is called Chesapeake Sunset - a Ralph Lauren colour. We had the undercoat tinted as well as the topcoat because red cedar doesn't seem to cover well with yellows. Our thought was that if the undercoat more or less matched the topcoat, we would have better success.

I put a second undercoat on this morning and then took the pic.


----------



## cocobolo

The wall sections at the back side of the kitchen need to follow the outside curve at the back of the house. But instead of doing actual curves, I just made a bunch of short straight sections with small angles between each.

This little bit goes from the utility room to the bathroom.


----------



## cocobolo

I see the kink doesn't show up very well in that pic, but it's there.

This piece here is above the wall oven, which will be going into that hole.


----------



## cocobolo

A bigger view of the wall above the bathroom door and oven.


----------



## cocobolo

There is still a section of ceiling to be installed here. 

But first the plumbing lines will need to be run in here to the vanity upstairs, as well as to the supply for the kitchen.


----------



## cocobolo

The final end of the living room wall got done out in cedar yesterday as well.

That's it for cedar in that area.


----------



## cocobolo

That dust covered tarp is hiding one of my telescopes. There isn't anywhere else to move it to until the big pile of wood in the dining area is taken out.

This triangular shaped ceiling was fun to put in yesterday as well. :no:

I started up against the long beam, and worked towards closing at the point.

So I used my sliding t-bevel to get the closing angle at the right hand end and went at it.

After just a couple of boards, things were not fitting at all well. It didn't dawn on me as to why until I was nearly half way done.

The wall is _curved!!_ 

So naturally, the angle of every closing board changed quite measurably.

You'd think after all this time I wouldn't even have to _think_ about that!


----------



## cocobolo

I have just been advised by she-who-thinks-she-must-be-obeyed that we will be leaving for town imminently. 

The cloud is dissipating, some sun coming out and the water is close to calm. 

Thanks again for tuning in and we'll see you all later this evening.


----------



## BigJim

My stars, you have been very busy, you have accomplished so much in a short time this time, you are an inspiration buddy. Here I go with the questions again. How tall are your ceilings, and one more, did you make your own engineered joists and if so how did you construct them. OK that's two. 

You have so many irregular shapes to deal with I am sure you have developed your own method of cutting the shapes to fit and you have mastered that for sure. One time I had a bay window that my customer wanted a window seat and the window was constructed so badly out of kilter it was unreal, nothing was right about it. I used a piece of plywood about 12 inches wide by about 24 inches long and a stick of wood with a point on it to make a device to get the irregular shape and it worked great. I didn't have to trim or recut anything, the seat fit the first time.

On the avatar, you are too kind but I am afraid you may need to visit your eye doctor soon.:yes:

I had to come back and edit cause you sneaked three posts in as I was posting. Wow is all I can say, I just love the beautiful cedar and your artistic workmanship.


----------



## cocobolo

The ceiling heights here are irregular, to say the least.

The breakfast nook goes from about 9' 10" to 11' 4".

The vaulted part of the kitchen from 10' to 11' 8", the flat ceiling is 8', and the drop over the kitchen counter is 7' 2".

The dining room is 8' 2".

The bathroom is 8' 5".

The utility room is 8'2".

The living room is 7' 8".

The flat sides in the front entrance are 8' 2', and then the barrel vault climbs to 12' 3".

The solarium is 9' 7" where there is a ceiling, but reaches to well over 20' when you include the big hole in the floor which goes up to the front vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom.

The guest bedroom goes from 8' 1" to 11' 2".

The master bedroom goes from 8' 10" to 11' 11" on the front side of the big beam, and from 10' 9" to 14' 2" on the back side of the beam.

The ensuite goes from 8' 3" to 10' 8".

Just your average house.

When I went to do the joists, I checked out the values that I could find at the time, and it turned out to be much easier to build the double webbed version. You need a machine for the standard single web variety, which is the type you see everywhere.

If you use 2 x 3's for the web frame, then 7/16" OSB for the webs with construction glue and a few million ring nails, these things come out to be unbelievably strong. It just so happens that they make terrific walk planks as well - very, very stiff.

The downside is that they are pretty heavy for one person to install - you do it one end at a time - but that's a small price to pay for all that strength.

I have from time to time stored unconscionable amounts of wood on the bedroom floor with nary a problem. Several tons in fact. Just looking around at the remaining wood here, I would guess it to be not less than 3,800 pounds.

Irregular shapes don't really pose that much of a problem really. If you have ever done any real boatbuilding there are several ways to mark things out so that they fit more or less perfectly.

I worked for a time for a major Vancouver area custom yacht builder, and the standard for fitting sheets of 1/8" teak plywood to the inside of the compound curved hulls was such that if you could fit a piece of paper between any joint, it was unacceptable.

And as for my eyes, one is perfect, the other very nearly so.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The ceiling heights here are irregular, to say the least.
> 
> The breakfast nook goes from about 9' 10" to 11' 4".
> 
> The vaulted part of the kitchen from 10' to 11' 8", the flat ceiling is 8', and the drop over the kitchen counter is 7' 2".
> 
> The dining room is 8' 2".
> 
> The bathroom is 8' 5".
> 
> The utility room is 8'2".
> 
> The living room is 7' 8".
> 
> The flat sides in the front entrance are 8' 2', and then the barrel vault climbs to 12' 3".
> 
> The solarium is 9' 7" where there is a ceiling, but reaches to well over 20' when you include the big hole in the floor which goes up to the front vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom.
> 
> The guest bedroom goes from 8' 1" to 11' 2".
> 
> The master bedroom goes from 8' 10" to 11' 11" on the front side of the big beam, and from 10' 9" to 14' 2" on the back side of the beam.
> 
> The ensuite goes from 8' 3" to 10' 8".
> 
> Just your average house.
> 
> When I went to do the joists, I checked out the values that I could find at the time, and it turned out to be much easier to build the double webbed version. You need a machine for the standard single web variety, which is the type you see everywhere.
> 
> If you use 2 x 3's for the web frame, then 7/16" OSB for the webs with construction glue and a few million ring nails, these things come out to be unbelievably strong. It just so happens that they make terrific walk planks as well - very, very stiff.
> 
> The downside is that they are pretty heavy for one person to install - you do it one end at a time - but that's a small price to pay for all that strength.
> 
> I have from time to time stored unconscionable amounts of wood on the bedroom floor with nary a problem. Several tons in fact. Just looking around at the remaining wood here, I would guess it to be not less than 3,800 pounds.
> 
> Irregular shapes don't really pose that much of a problem really. If you have ever done any real boatbuilding there are several ways to mark things out so that they fit more or less perfectly.
> 
> I worked for a time for a major Vancouver area custom yacht builder, and the standard for fitting sheets of 1/8" teak plywood to the inside of the compound curved hulls was such that if you could fit a piece of paper between any joint, it was unacceptable.
> 
> And as for my eyes, one is perfect, the other very nearly so.


Myyyyy stars, I had no idea you had that many ceilings. The more I learn about you and your home the more amazed I am. "Just your average house", yeah right, buddy, your home is anything but average. 

Keith, when you made your engineered joist, did you stagger the joints on the OSB board on each side or did you splice the ends some way? Is there a rule of thumb as to the height of the joist per the length? You don't have to go into detail unless you have time and really feel like it. I am really curious and fascinated as I have never seen them built that way. I can imagine how strong they really are. I wished I had thought about them years ago. One more question, there isn't any frame work other than the 2x at the top and bottom and the OSB on each side, right?

I can see why they are heavy, with that much wood.


----------



## jlhaslip

Keith,

can you explain the joist construction for us, please. Maybe a picture?

I'm not following the 'double web' thing...

Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Myyyyy stars, I had no idea you had that many ceilings. The more I learn about you and your home the more amazed I am. "Just your average house", yeah right, buddy, your home is anything but average.
> 
> Keith, when you made your engineered joist, did you stagger the joints on the OSB board on each side or did you splice the ends some way? Is there a rule of thumb as to the height of the joist per the length? You don't have to go into detail unless you have time and really feel like it. I am really curious and fascinated as I have never seen them built that way. I can imagine how strong they really are. I wished I had thought about them years ago. One more question, there isn't any frame work other than the 2x at the top and bottom and the OSB on each side, right?
> 
> I can see why they are heavy, with that much wood.


Yes, sorry Jim, as usual I have given you half the story.

There is a 2 x 3 at the top and bottom of each joist. Then every 2 feet there is a vertical 2 x 3 as well - it looks like a ladder. The OSB joins on one of the verticals, just like a stud in a wall. And yes, the joins of the OSB are staggered so as not to be on the same stud, but there is no finger joint or anything like that. Just plenty of construction glue and nails.

Now as you know, OSB means _oriented_ strand board. You need the orientation to be vertical not horizontal, which means you are limited to a 4 foot length on each piece of OSB.

You could use either 16" or 24" centers for your studs.

I cannot remember the source for my information...it may have been a manufacturer, or it may have been something I took from the Canadian Building code. It was quite a number of years ago now.

I rather imagine that a Google search would turn up much more info these days.

But - as they say - the proof is in the pudding. And even with some of the overweight loads I have had on the floor, there has been no objection from the trusses.

Something else which contributes to the overall structure is that all my floors are double layered. I have 3/4" shiplap down first, then 5/8" T & G plywood on top of that.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Keith,
> 
> can you explain the joist construction for us, please. Maybe a picture?
> 
> I'm not following the 'double web' thing...
> 
> Thanks.


Ahhh...you snuck in there while I wasn't looking...

A standard truss has a single web. The web is the vertical piece(s) of OSB.

The manufacturer makes a groove in the middle of two pieces of 2x lumber, and then using a machine, forces the OSB into these grooves using much pressure and adequate glue. The ends of the OSB are held together with this glue effectively.

The 2x lumber is frequently made from short pieces of lumber which has finger joints in the end of every piece. Again, these finger joints are obviously glued.

Essentially, the machine makes a continuous length truss, and it is cut off at whatever length they require as it comes from the machine.

The various widths of the 2x lumber and the overall height of the truss help determine the load bearing capacity.

There are provisions for double web trusses, as I have made, but I have not seen a commercially manufactured one. I doubt very much if you would ever need anything other than a single web truss in any sort of residential construction.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yes, sorry Jim, as usual I have given you half the story.
> 
> There is a 2 x 3 at the top and bottom of each joist. Then every 2 feet there is a vertical 2 x 3 as well - it looks like a ladder. The OSB joins on one of the verticals, just like a stud in a wall. And yes, the joins of the OSB are staggered so as not to be on the same stud, but there is no finger joint or anything like that. Just plenty of construction glue and nails.
> 
> Now as you know, OSB means _oriented_ strand board. You need the orientation to be vertical not horizontal, which means you are limited to a 4 foot length on each piece of OSB.
> 
> You could use either 16" or 24" centers for your studs.
> 
> I cannot remember the source for my information...it may have been a manufacturer, or it may have been something I took from the Canadian Building code. It was quite a number of years ago now.
> 
> I rather imagine that a Google search would turn up much more info these days.
> 
> But - as they say - the proof is in the pudding. And even with some of the overweight loads I have had on the floor, there has been no objection from the trusses.
> 
> Something else which contributes to the overall structure is that all my floors are double layered. I have 3/4" shiplap down first, then 5/8" T & G plywood on top of that.


Thank you buddy for explaining that to us, we really do appreciate you for taking your time to give us all the details. I just love to learn new things and new or different ways of doing things. 

Being in the boat end of wood working really shows in your woodworking. I especially like the paper test on a joint. That was always one of my pet peeves, folks leaving a lose joint when it doesn't take but a little more effort to get it tight and right. Man what I would give to be able to walk through your house and see first hand all your work.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thank you buddy for explaining that to us, we really do appreciate you for taking your time to give us all the details. I just love to learn new things and new or different ways of doing things.
> 
> Being in the boat end of wood working really shows in your woodworking. I especially like the paper test on a joint. That was always one of my pet peeves, folks leaving a lose joint when it doesn't take but a little more effort to get it tight and right. Man what I would give to be able to walk through your house and see first hand all your work.


Jim:

If you ever find yourself up this way the door is always open. It would be a genuine treat to have you visit.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim:
> 
> If you ever find yourself up this way the door is always open. It would be a genuine treat to have you visit.


Thank you my friend, I would love that but my health won't allow that to happen but I feel like I have been there many times already through your painting such a wonderful picture with words and photos.:yes:


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith,

You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge and tricks of the trade. I must admit when I saw your "double web joist/truss" comment, that stopped me for moment. "What the hell is he talking about" is what I asked myself. I have thirty-four years in the building trades and had never seen or heard of such a species of truss. And I've swung a truss or two in my time.

Well I might have known...
Ole Keith is at it again...now he's building his own _double web trusses_.

Amazing, just amazing. I'm lovin' it.

I might also mention that the style building-member Keith is referring to (the single web not the double web) is commonly known in this country as an "I-Joist". I'm sure most every DIY'er has heard of an I-Joist.

OK, carry on, I'll shut up.


----------



## cocobolo

Right again Bud, they are usually called I-joists up here as well.

I believe about the only time you may ever see a double web I-joist might be in some sort of commercial construction.

But further to that, they have perfected the type of truss (years ago now) which they make with 2 x 4 top and bottom plates, and connect with tubular steel members. I understand that not only are they less expensive to manufacture than if they had OSB for the webs (due to their height) but of course they leave the ceiling wide open for runs of electrical, plumbing or HVAC lines etc. And they can span greater distances.

Until they are all cross-connected, they are very weak and prone to breakage if not handled carefully. Which is why they are put in place by crane just in case Careless Corey the construction worker drops the damn thing!

These double web guys are very stiff in any direction, so it doesn't matter if they are put up on the flat and then stood upright. The lumber/steel tube trusses would never survive such treatment.


----------



## cocobolo

I have before me a DVD. No big deal you say. Well, this one IS a big deal.

It was sent to me by an extremely thoughtful and generous member of the site here who goes by the moniker of sbmfj. 

He saw this particular DVD on TV, and it seems that the "star" of the show reminded him of myself. I plan on sitting down with my wife and watching this at the first opportunity.

He's probably going to be annoyed with me for thanking him so publicly, but I find it quite impossible to let such a kind and generous act go unmentioned. 

So a heartfelt "Thank You!" goes out to sbmfj for this most pleasant of surprises. :thumbup:

Thank you!


----------



## gma2rjc

I may as well be the one to ask.... Any chance you'll tell us the name of the tv show? :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I may as well be the one to ask.... Any chance you'll tell us the name of the tv show? :whistling2:


When I watch the DVD and find out I'll be happy to let you know. I think it is something like "Alone in the Wilderness".


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thank you my friend, I would love that but my health won't allow that to happen but I feel like I have been there many times already through your painting such a wonderful picture with words and photos.:yes:


I hear you on that one Jim.

I'm not much better off but as long as I can last until the house is done, then I'll be happy.

I have the idea that if I ever actually get this place finished - and it's starting to look dangerously that I actually might - I will make up a video and put it on a disc. Our daughter took some sort of commercial photography course at a college in Vancouver years ago, and she's pretty good with the video camera. She has the expensive video camera, I just have the cheapie. Maybe when she comes over next summer I can con her into trying to make the place look halfway decent and I can do the walk around thing with explanations as we go.

Then all I have to do is send you a copy...nuthin' to it!


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday was another unplanned trip to town. While we were over the day before, I spotted some doors on special at the House of Pot. They were 28" doors, which no doubt is the reason they had such a big stack of them.

When we got home I measured up the three holes we need to fill up with doors downstairs - the utility room, bathroom and closet under the stairs - and by a stroke of good fortune, it looks as though 28" doors will be OK.

So it was off again yesterday to pick up the three of them, plus some more lumber to make the jambs with, and some of the filler framing. I think I'm all set now.

Late yesterday I started to reduce the 6 foot high pile of wood behind the table saw and I'll have to carry on with that today. I only got it down to five feet last night. 

I'm still in need of four or five hundred lineal feet of the lap cedar that I use to finish the walls and some parts of the ceiling with. I did find a handful of boards, but will still need to machine at least another three hundred lineal.

Once the big pile is gone I should have more than enough to get all that finished.


----------



## scoggy

*The Video you received?*

Jim, that video, is it perhaps the one from the 'past', that shows a man building a cabin from scratch on a remote lake in Alaska? If it is, I know you will like it!
Scoggy
Now the 'crowds' have gone from local Prawn areas, I might get a chance to drop in and see your digs while traps 'soak'


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> When I watch the DVD and find out I'll be happy to let you know. I think it is something like "Alone in the Wilderness".


You will enjoy that DVD, it is a true story, that was really kind of sbmfj to send it to you.


Buddy, I would enjoy a DVD of your home tremendously, but please don't put yourself or your daughter out on my account, you have so many things to do. You have done so many things for me and others that has never been mentioned on the forum and ask for nothing in return, I appreciate you my friend. By the way, at least you have a video camera, ours fell apart back in 19ought3 or some where along there.:whistling2:

That is a good deal that you could use the 2/4 doors, anyway to save money is good. Here I go with another question, what is The House of Pot? Is it like Home Depot?

I bet you dread firing up the mill to do more cutting, I would love to do that but that is because I have never done it before. I know it has to get old after awhile.


----------



## scoggy

*Jim, wrong "nomenclature"!*

Jim, it is ..."She who must be obeyed'..got it..if not.."hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned"!! Just a 'condiment' I thought I would add...from experience! Every project now..I 'measure..TWICE"..and she cuts..or she, cuts after I measure twice...no other way except variations on "mother in law sandwhiches", all tongue and no substance!
Cheers
Scoggy


----------



## cocobolo

Jim...The House of Pot...Home de Pot...Home Depot. You got it right! :wink:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Jim, that video, is it perhaps the one from the 'past', that shows a man building a cabin from scratch on a remote lake in Alaska? If it is, I know you will like it!
> Scoggy
> Now the 'crowds' have gone from local Prawn areas, I might get a chance to drop in and see your digs while traps 'soak'


I'll be here Scoggy...wife expects to be off to Vancouver next Monday to see the grandsons, so I'll be gone a few hours getting her to the ferry and returning back again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You will enjoy that DVD, it is a true story, that was really kind of sbmfj to send it to you.
> 
> 
> Buddy, I would enjoy a DVD of your home tremendously, but please don't put yourself or your daughter out on my account, you have so many things to do. You have done so many things for me and others that has never been mentioned on the forum and ask for nothing in return, I appreciate you my friend. By the way, at least you have a video camera, ours fell apart back in 19ought3 or some where along there.:whistling2:
> 
> That is a good deal that you could use the 2/4 doors, anyway to save money is good. Here I go with another question, what is The House of Pot? Is it like Home Depot?
> 
> I bet you dread firing up the mill to do more cutting, I would love to do that but that is because I have never done it before. I know it has to get old after awhile.


We used to have one of those video cameras with the little cassettes in it.

Then some time last year I got one of the digital Canon units. Rachel has something similar, but hers is much bigger and cost her nearly two grand!

Too rich for my blood. I'm quite happy with the little one. Works OK for me.

I wouldn't mind using the mill at this time of year, except that in order to cut lumber you need to have some logs. I don't have anything suitable at the moment. So for the small amount I needed, it was much easier to buy it. Besides, it comes kiln dried already.

Well, we just had some visitors for the last 4 hours or so! Our association president came over and was here for a couple of hours...then a friend all the way from Toronto (who has a tiny cabin here) came by for another couple of hours. He's a musician and writes his own music. Plays bass guitar, just like yours truly. The only difference is that he's good! :thumbsup:

Now, if there are no further interruptions, I had better get on with that cleanup. Have almost enough rough wood for the walls etc., should be enough by the time everything is straightened out there. Looks as though I may be up late tonight getting the machine work done. 

It would be nice if I can get on with some of the painting tomorrow! :yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Jim...The House of Pot...Home de Pot...Home Depot. You got it right! :wink:


.......:laughing: That's funny! Does the sign on the store say 'House of Pot' or 'Home Depot'?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> .......:laughing: That's funny! Does the sign on the store say 'House of Pot' or 'Home Depot'?


Not sure...I think maybe in Canada it says Home of Pot. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

It's a bit of a shame that I need to start piling wood back in the solarium, but it shouldn't be as bad as the last time. I'm only putting decent wood in there which I don't need for the walls.


----------



## downrightart

Oh my............how many pages am I behind now? Please don't say more than 20!

Yes, yes, yes, you know I will start where I left off Keith! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

More than half way through the pile, but it's still nearly 3 feet high behind the table saw.


----------



## cocobolo

I have been keeping a rough tally of the lineal footage as the boards come out of the pile.

I'm happy to say I have plenty on hand now including those which are already machined and/or painted. The pile keeps growing and it looks like there is quite a bit more good wood to come out yet.


----------



## cocobolo

downrightart said:


> Oh my............how many pages am I behind now? Please don't say more than 20!
> 
> Yes, yes, yes, you know I will start where I left off Keith! :laughing:


OK, I won't say more than 20.


----------



## downrightart

cocobolo said:


> OK, I won't say more than 20.


:laughing: Thanks. I'm on 130 Keith.

Still using clamps and I've not seen me in the pictures yet. :laughing:

Carry on Keith! I'll catch up. 

By the way, I was gone for two months.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim...The House of Pot...Home de Pot...Home Depot. You got it right! :wink:


Man am I thick, I feel soooo stupid. Down south we refer to it as home dump.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Man am I thick, I feel soooo stupid. Down south we refer to it as home dump.


Don't feel bad Jim. I didn't catch on either. 

Home dump...... :laughing:

50 pages behind Tracy? That's not so bad. You have a lot to look forward to.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> We used to have one of those video cameras with the little cassettes in it.
> 
> Then some time last year I got one of the digital Canon units. Rachel has something similar, but hers is much bigger and cost her nearly two grand!
> 
> Too rich for my blood. I'm quite happy with the little one. Works OK for me.
> 
> I wouldn't mind using the mill at this time of year, except that in order to cut lumber you need to have some logs. I don't have anything suitable at the moment. So for the small amount I needed, it was much easier to buy it. Besides, it comes kiln dried already.
> 
> Well, we just had some visitors for the last 4 hours or so! Our association president came over and was here for a couple of hours...then a friend all the way from Toronto (who has a tiny cabin here) came by for another couple of hours. He's a musician and writes his own music. Plays bass guitar, just like yours truly. The only difference is that he's good! :thumbsup:
> 
> Now, if there are no further interruptions, I had better get on with that cleanup. Have almost enough rough wood for the walls etc., should be enough by the time everything is straightened out there. Looks as though I may be up late tonight getting the machine work done.
> 
> It would be nice if I can get on with some of the painting tomorrow! :yes:


I see your point, it would be a little hard to cut lumber without logs.

I know it was good to have some company today, it gave you a chance to rest for a little while. You play the Bass also? Good gravy is there anything you don't know how to do?

Talking about a pile of wood, that looks like a lot of good wood, the pile I have out in the shop is mostly junk that I hate to throw away.


----------



## gma2rjc

It's 51 pages now Tracy.

:yes:

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

I ran out of steam to finish the last of the big pile, but I'm down to the last 1 1/2 feet now. There is way more wood than I need to finish up in the "good" pile, and lots of the boards are machined and ready for undercoat.

That I can do now, so I'll get as much done as I can until I run out of space to put the boards.

I know it's a crime, but I had to cut up quite a bit of cedar for firewood. Just no place to keep it...sorry about that. 

The good news is that I can very nearly see all of the kitchen counter now, so as soon as the walls are done, I can start on the countertops. That I am definitely looking forward to after all this boring stuff. :jester:


----------



## BigJim

What a way to finish a day, knowing tomorrow you won't have to scrap to see if you have enough. 

Buddy, that hurts, having to burn a piece of that pretty cedar. It does burn good and fast though and the popping I just love except on an open fire. Is it cool enough for a fire up your way tonight? It is 11:35 PM and 83°F here and the AC is blasting to keep us cool. (you did notice the little ° sign didn't you) :thumbsup:

Will this be your last wall to do? That has been a loooooot of wood working to cover that much area.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> What a way to finish a day, knowing tomorrow you won't have to scrap to see if you have enough.
> 
> Buddy, that hurts, having to burn a piece of that pretty cedar. It does burn good and fast though and the popping I just love except on an open fire. Is it cool enough for a fire up your way tonight? It is 11:35 PM and 83°F here and the AC is blasting to keep us cool. (you did notice the little ° sign didn't you) :thumbsup:
> 
> Will this be your last wall to do? That has been a loooooot of wood working to cover that much area.


The last wall with this sort of wood. There is one wall and part of another up in the guest bedroom to do, but it is the very thin strips which bend around the curves.

It was officially down to 7º C last night. Around 13 today. The house was much warmer because of the solar design - even though we didn't exactly get a whole lot of sun.

I didn't _need_ a fire, but I had to get rid of at least some of the garbage wood. I will have to take a few wheelbarrow loads down to the old woodshed tomorrow - the big one up by the house is full. ºººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººººº


----------



## cocobolo

Things are progressing OK...I did get a table full of boards undercoated last night, and just finished another coat of paint on them a few minutes ago. 

We are in the middle of a lovely deluge right now, so I won't even try to move any wood to the shed yet.

Perseverance will be the order of the day as I try to get to the bottom of the woodpile inside. I also want to get the door jambs made up and installed as well.


----------



## BigJim

I can almost feel being there, it cool and raining outside, Fall in the air, at least up your way. What a wonderful day to stay inside. 7°C is pretty cool, at least for me it is. We hope you have a great day buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a pic of my favourite bass guitar.

A Tribute L-2000 by G & L.


----------



## BigJim

Did you play in a band Keith? That is one sharp instrument. I can't even play the radio.:no:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Did you play in a band Keith? That is one sharp instrument. I can't even play the radio.:no:


When I was a kid Jim, a bunch of us got together and had a go at rock 'n roll.

Somewhere, I think I might have an old photo (taken maybe 50 years ago?) which mum kept on her shelf since I was a kid. If I can dig it up to show you, you'll get a good laugh out of it.


----------



## BigJim

We are looking forward to seeing you are a youngster buddy. What were some of the songs ya'll played?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> We are looking forward to seeing you are a youngster buddy. What were some of the songs ya'll played?


Wow! Gotta get my thinking cap on for that one. I'll see what comes back to me...


----------



## Bud Cline

About fifty years ago I was a Boy Scout attending the International Scouting Jamboree in Colorado Springs Colorado. Roy Rogers and Dwight Eisenhower was also there. We cooked our own meals and tried to do our own laundry. I don't ever remember in my whole life ever being that hungry and that dirty again.

Don't for the life of me know why I thought of that chapter in my life - nor do I know why I felt it was necessary to share it here. I guess I was trying to remember what I was doing fifty years ago.

Fifty years ago - OH MY GOD!!!


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> About fifty years ago I was a Boy Scout attending the International Scouting Jamboree in Colorado Springs Colorado. Roy Rogers and Dwight Eisenhower was also there. We cooked our own meals and tried to do our own laundry. I don't ever remember in my whole life ever being that hungry and that dirty again.
> 
> Don't for the life of me know why I thought of that chapter in my life - nor do I know why I felt it was necessary to share it here. I guess I was trying to remember what I was doing fifty years ago.
> 
> Fifty years ago - OH MY GOD!!!


It sure is good to know I ain't alone, 50 years ago I was... 16 years old!!! Now look what you did, I think I am going to cry here.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> About fifty years ago I was a Boy Scout attending the International Scouting Jamboree in Colorado Springs Colorado. Roy Rogers and Dwight Eisenhower was also there. We cooked our own meals and tried to do our own laundry. I don't ever remember in my whole life ever being that hungry and that dirty again.
> 
> Don't for the life of me know why I thought of that chapter in my life - nor do I know why I felt it was necessary to share it here. I guess I was trying to remember what I was doing fifty years ago.
> 
> Fifty years ago - OH MY GOD!!!


Well Bud, I guess we were all 16 at one time! Love that bit about hungry and dirty! That's hilarious!

So did Mr. Eisenhower have to cook his own food as well? :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the rest of the bass guitar stable.

Fender P bass (minus the strings)...new set to go on.

A Johnson beater, has a really nice neck.

And the Ibanez.


----------



## cocobolo

The Ibanez has the body made from beautifully quilted wood...I think it should show up OK here.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The Ibanez has the body made from beautifully quilted wood...I think it should show up OK here.


They are all sharp as the dickens but this one would be my favorite, that is one beautiful instrument. I tried to play the guitar but my fingers were too short and beside that I just couldn't grasp how to play one, but I did try.


----------



## cocobolo

I have a regular 6 string Fender electric as well, but it's apart for repairs right now.

The clown that sold it to me said everything worked perfectly. Not so. I've had the parts to fix it for probably a couple of years now. It must be just about time to get the job done. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Another longish day. Plenty of boards to finish up the kitchen walls now. 

I can only paint about 40 boards at a time due to space limitations. A couple of the short sections are up now and more will go up tomorrow. I should be able to get a final topcoat on the current batch in a couple of hours.

No hinges on hand for the doors unfortunately, so I cannot hang them until Monday. The jambs are made, installed and painted - I will pick up hinges next trip over to town.

The missus is off to Vancouver Monday to see the grand kids so that's my chance.


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> I have a regular 6 string Fender electric as well, but it's apart for repairs right now.
> 
> The clown that sold it to me said everything worked perfectly. Not so. I've had the parts to fix it for probably a couple of years now. It must be just about time to get the job done. :whistling2:


had to sell my fender jazz bass 1966 recently due to financial woes like most people in building trade. have had that since 1970,playing since 65, was my first child and played like a dream, hard to lose but got to keep our hose for a couple more months. that Ibanez is a really nice bass for the cost. Hopefully things will turn around and playing will become a part of my life again. I will say it went to a really good home


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> had to sell my fender jazz bass 1966 recently due to financial woes like most people in building trade. have had that since 1970,playing since 65, was my first child and played like a dream, hard to lose but got to keep our hose for a couple more months. that Ibanez is a really nice bass for the cost. Hopefully things will turn around and playing will become a part of my life again. I will say it went to a really good home


Oh, what a shame that must have been.

When I was looking for the Fender I wanted the Jazz bass, but either it was really hard to find one or the prices were out of sight. 

A '66 must have been a real gem. Nothing like the new ones.

Back about 30 years ago I had a 5 string bass...can't even remember what the make was now. I could never get used to playing that 5 string for some reason.

The construction business has picked up out here with a vengeance. It seems there is a shortage of skilled trades people here right now. One of our boys runs a commercial painting company and he has so much work he has been forced to turn jobs down. He hates it when it gets like that. Just can't find enough qualified painters.


----------



## cocobolo

If you live by the ocean, you know what this is.

If not, then I guess you don't get out much.


----------



## cocobolo

Doing my best to get to the end of the kitchen walls. 

Still need to do more painting for some of the rest of the longer boards. With a little luck they should be done by tonight and installed tomorrow.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> If you live by the ocean, you know what this is.
> 
> If not, then I guess you don't get out much.


Hevey fog that typical I get from time to time.

Merci,Marc


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> If you live by the ocean, you know what this is.
> 
> If not, then I guess you don't get out much.


That looks like some of that stuff we get here in the valley from the mountains. We don't get it anywhere near as much as you do though.

Do you have scaffolding to get up that high or are you working off a ladder? One trip up and I would be done for. That really does look sharp buddy, I know you will be so happy when it is done.

That is great that building is getting back to normal back up your way, it isn't down this way, it is still dead.


----------



## frenchelectrican

Coco., if you listen pretty close during hevey fog you can hear foghorn echos and they will useally timed every 30 seconds in local area while out in the ocean or great lake every minuites.

Oh yeah by the way it useally pretty low pitch but few are high pitch sound.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Hevey fog that typical I get from time to time.
> 
> Merci,Marc


Absolutely right!

We will get this from now until November on a regular basis. Have to make sure the batteries in my GPS are charged up!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That looks like some of that stuff we get here in the valley from the mountains. We don't get it anywhere near as much as you do though.
> 
> Do you have scaffolding to get up that high or are you working off a ladder? One trip up and I would be done for. That really does look sharp buddy, I know you will be so happy when it is done.
> 
> That is great that building is getting back to normal back up your way, it isn't down this way, it is still dead.


I can get to the top of the walls by ladder. I have a 6', 8' and 10' stepladders here - so even in the bedroom with a 14' high ceiling I can reach.

From what I understand home building is slow almost everywhere across the US. People are now re-investing in their current homes, so now is the time to advertise your repair skills if you're out of work. There's always something that needs fixing.


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Coco., if you listen pretty close during hevey fog you can hear foghorn echos and they will useally timed every 30 seconds in local area while out in the ocean or great lake every minuites.
> 
> Oh yeah by the way it useally pretty low pitch but few are high pitch sound.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


The requirement up here is to sound your foghorn every three minutes in heavy fog. The bigger the horn, the lower the pitch.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The requirement up here is to sound your foghorn every three minutes in heavy fog. The bigger the horn, the lower the pitch.


Keith, doesn't the fog burn off later in the day? A little while after the Sun comes up it will burn off here, usually around 9 or 10AM.


----------



## jlhaslip

hey, coco...

just reviewed the building of your work bench a few pages back in this thread, and was wondering if you might snap a picture of it in action for posting here.

Also, is there anything you might change if you were to build another one?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, doesn't the fog burn off later in the day? A little while after the Sun comes up it will burn off here, usually around 9 or 10AM.


Indeed it does Jim - most days.

But every once in awhile it will build up so much that it stays for two or three days. When it gets like that it usually needs a wind to move it out of the way or break it up.

I hope it isn't too bad tomorrow morning, the missus is heading for Vancouver on the ferry. But I do have the GPS batteries charged right up just in case we need it all the way over.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> hey, coco...
> 
> just reviewed the building of your work bench a few pages back in this thread, and was wondering if you might snap a picture of it in action for posting here.
> 
> Also, is there anything you might change if you were to build another one?


I can do that for you.

Be a good guy and give me a few days to get some of this other stuff out of the way I'm trying to do right now. But I will get you a pic or two, and I'll think about what I may have done differently and let you know.

Thanks for asking...are you considering doing something similar?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Indeed it does Jim - most days.
> 
> But every once in awhile it will build up so much that it stays for two or three days. When it gets like that it usually needs a wind to move it out of the way or break it up.
> 
> I hope it isn't too bad tomorrow morning, the missus is heading for Vancouver on the ferry. But I do have the GPS batteries charged right up just in case we need it all the way over.


My stars, I can't imagine being stuck in fog for two or three days. Being on the water in all the rocks you have, in a heavy fog with just a GPS is just a little unnerving to me, then I am one of them land lubbers too. OK I was in the Navy but that was not one of the things we learned. You are just amazing buddy, another page in your adventure wow.

We are looking forward to the pictures of your work bench, but we aren't rushing you at all, we know how busy you really are and winter is sneaking up on you.


----------



## jlhaslip

Yes. 
I found some wood that "fell off a truck" and it has "work bench" written all over it.

Not a panic situation. Take your time. It will be a winter project for me.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars, I can't imagine being stuck in fog for two or three days. Being on the water in all the rocks you have, in a heavy fog with just a GPS is just a little unnerving to me, then I am one of them land lubbers too. OK I was in the Navy but that was not one of the things we learned. You are just amazing buddy, another page in your adventure wow.
> 
> We are looking forward to the pictures of your work bench, but we aren't rushing you at all, we know how busy you really are and winter is sneaking up on you.


We leave in a couple of hours for the ferry Jim. Right now there is a breeze and almost no fog. We won't have a problem this morning.

It's completely overcast with a light rain - which they did predict - so that's no surprise.

And as for the rocks, we know where they all are by now! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Yes.
> I found some wood that "fell off a truck" and it has "work bench" written all over it.
> 
> Not a panic situation. Take your time. It will be a winter project for me.


Right...I think I know the kind you mean...

Over the years I've had my share of that. Some of it isn't too bad...:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

The last of the kitchen wall wood needs a second undercoat...plenty of time to get that finished before we head out.

It looks like the next big project will be to build a door for the master bedroom. We didn't find anything we liked in town so far, so it's starting to look like another job from scratch.

The last door I made was the curved (!%$#*&#) door for the front entrance. It needed four heavy duty hinges to hold it. I must try to keep the weight down on this one.

Hmmmm...maybe a project to do on the workbench...kill two birds with one stone as it were.

I will need to see what wood I have that may be suitable, then do the design around that. One thing is for certain - it will need to be wood which is well seasoned. Stay tuned...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The last of the kitchen wall wood needs a second undercoat...plenty of time to get that finished before we head out.
> 
> It looks like the next big project will be to build a door for the master bedroom. We didn't find anything we liked in town so far, so it's starting to look like another job from scratch.
> 
> The last door I made was the curved (!%$#*&#) door for the front entrance. It needed four heavy duty hinges to hold it. I must try to keep the weight down on this one.
> 
> Hmmmm...maybe a project to do on the workbench...kill two birds with one stone as it were.
> 
> I will need to see what wood I have that may be suitable, then do the design around that. One thing is for certain - it will need to be wood which is well seasoned. Stay tuned...


Keith, I think your fog came down this way today. Judy and I went to Nashville and a few miles before we got to Monteagle Mountain the bottom fell out. It was raining so hard most folks pulled of the Xway and as we got into the mountain the fog really made things bad, I thought about ya'll heading across in the fog on water.

Do you use 1/4 sawn for your door rail and stiles? This is going to be interesting to watch and we get to see your work bench.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

To tell you the truth Jim, I'm going to have to use whatever I have here. 

There may be some quartersawn, not sure yet. 

Just got back after a somewhat harrowing trip. Getting out to the sailboat, and I ask wife number two to hold the dog (as she is always supposed to do) She misses completely, and the pooch ends up in the chuck. Get her back on board, and of course the poor little thing is dripping wet and gives herself a good shake. The missus wears a good bit of that, hehehe.

Then as I am tying off the skiff, number two says she has left her purse somewhere so would I mind just zipping back and finding it.

OK, after retrieving same, I have the motor started - cast off the lines - and put it in gear, OK.

Turn the throttle...nothing at all....aaaarrgghh WHAT NOW!!! After a couple of minutes of removing the engine cover and tracking the throttle cable, I determine that something is loose right inside the throttle handle itself. And I am unable to get inside this thing without major surgery.

Since we have already lost too much time messing with the dog and purse, I decide to use a pair of pliers to move the throttle right up by the carb...that works OK and we get over without further incident.

Up to the building supply store where I have a sink waiting to be picked up. Same one that the missus didn't like when she was in the store last week, but then decided that she would change her mind. So I called the store and had them set one aside for us.

Also got enough hinges to mount every door I am likely to see in this house and some big casing nails which I ran out of. 

Next delivered the missus to the ferry early so that she definitely wouldn't miss it. No problem.

Back up to the other end of town to find the passage sets, and fortunately the House of Pot had three left in stock. I didn't mind in the least cleaning them out. But the so and so's _still_ don't have any varnish in stock. They must have been out for at least 3 weeks now. Pathetic.

Back to the boat, load everything up and head out into what has now become a full gale. Massive whitecaps everywhere, the boat pitches like mad all the way back and soon the decks are running with water. Not my favourite sort of ride.

Beyond that, no other problems. Everything is offloaded OK and up to the house. 

I have one topcoat on the boards for the wall and expect to install them this evening. Quick break for dinner now and I'll get to the walls shortly.

But at least one thing was good....NO FOG! :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Dontcha jus hate Mondays?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> To tell you the truth Jim, I'm going to have to use whatever I have here.
> 
> There may be some quartersawn, not sure yet.
> 
> Just got back after a somewhat harrowing trip. Getting out to the sailboat, and I ask wife number two to hold the dog (as she is always supposed to do) She misses completely, and the pooch ends up in the chuck. Get her back on board, and of course the poor little thing is dripping wet and gives herself a good shake. The missus wears a good bit of that, hehehe.
> 
> Then as I am tying off the skiff, number two says she has left her purse somewhere so would I mind just zipping back and finding it.
> 
> OK, after retrieving same, I have the motor started - cast off the lines - and put it in gear, OK.
> 
> Turn the throttle...nothing at all....aaaarrgghh WHAT NOW!!! After a couple of minutes of removing the engine cover and tracking the throttle cable, I determine that something is loose right inside the throttle handle itself. And I am unable to get inside this thing without major surgery.
> 
> Since we have already lost too much time messing with the dog and purse, I decide to use a pair of pliers to move the throttle right up by the carb...that works OK and we get over without further incident.
> 
> Up to the building supply store where I have a sink waiting to be picked up. Same one that the missus didn't like when she was in the store last week, but then decided that she would change her mind. So I called the store and had them set one aside for us.
> 
> Also got enough hinges to mount every door I am likely to see in this house and some big casing nails which I ran out of.
> 
> Next delivered the missus to the ferry early so that she definitely wouldn't miss it. No problem.
> 
> Back up to the other end of town to find the passage sets, and fortunately the House of Pot had three left in stock. I didn't mind in the least cleaning them out. But the so and so's _still_ don't have any varnish in stock. They must have been out for at least 3 weeks now. Pathetic.
> 
> Back to the boat, load everything up and head out into what has now become a full gale. Massive whitecaps everywhere, the boat pitches like mad all the way back and soon the decks are running with water. Not my favourite sort of ride.
> 
> Beyond that, no other problems. Everything is offloaded OK and up to the house.
> 
> I have one topcoat on the boards for the wall and expect to install them this evening. Quick break for dinner now and I'll get to the walls shortly.
> 
> But at least one thing was good....NO FOG! :thumbsup:


My stars buddy, my day was a walk in the park compared to yours, at least you got Monday out of the way. I hope you have a good bilge pump, I would have been worried out there like that. 
I hate that your poor little fellow went for a swim, the water must be cooling off up your way about now, what kind of dog do ya'll have?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Dontcha jus hate Mondays?


Of course! I knew there had to be a reason.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, the little gal is a purebred Heinz 57. 

The water temperature is still OK for swimming...just. The gal across the bay went for a dip late this afternoon after I got back. Every time her hubby goes in he squeals like a little girl. You've never heard anything so ridiculous in all your life. :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the little gal is a purebred Heinz 57.
> 
> The water temperature is still OK for swimming...just. The gal across the bay went for a dip late this afternoon after I got back. Every time her hubby goes in he squeals like a little girl. You've never heard anything so ridiculous in all your life. :laughing:


Most of the mixed little fellows like that are usually the good ones. Us ole dudes can love a little dog and don't care who sees or knows we do cause we are old. When we get old we get to the point we don't have to prove anything to anyone any more so we don't care, we can just be ourselves and if we want to tell some one how much we love them, we do, if we want to compliment someone, we do. We don't have to be afraid someone will think we are less a man because... we don't care what they think anymore. Know what I mean buddy. Well so much for my old showing through today.:yes: 

As for the swimming thing, I won't expose my fat to anyone, someone may think a whale has been beached and try to save me. I hope you have a better one than yesterday buddy.


----------



## gma2rjc

Sorry to hear you had such a rough day Keith! Glad you made it home alright.

When you wrote about your wife forgetting her purse, it reminded me of a story I have in my joke collection. Here it is:

Road Trip - 
While on a road trip, a married couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch.

After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and resumed their trip.

When leaving, the woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss them until they had been driving for about forty minutes.

By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turn around, in order to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses.

All the way back, the husband became a complete grouch. He fussed and complained and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her, the more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up for a single minute.

To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the husband yelled to her, "While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card!"

I'm glad Mr. Heinz made it back in the boat safely too. 

When you're back in town, run over to the Home Depot for the varnish. They never run out of that stuff. :whistling2:



> The gal across the bay went for a dip late this afternoon after I got back. Every time her hubby goes in he squeals like a little girl. You've never heard anything so ridiculous in all your life. :laughing:


:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Jim, I'm glad you and your wife made it through all that bad weather. Driving in the mountains is slow enough and plenty dangerous without bad weather.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Most of the mixed little fellows like that are usually the good ones. Us ole dudes can love a little dog and don't care who sees or knows we do cause we are old. When we get old we get to the point we don't have to prove anything to anyone any more so we don't care, we can just be ourselves and if we want to tell some one how much we love them, we do, if we want to compliment someone, we do. We don't have to be afraid someone will think we are less a man because... we don't care what they think anymore. Know what I mean buddy. Well so much for my old showing through today.:yes:
> 
> As for the swimming thing, I won't expose my fat to anyone, someone may think a whale has been beached and try to save me. I hope you have a better one than yesterday buddy.


Our pooch is far and away the best behaved dog on the island. She never makes a sound unless someone walks on our property, or on the pathway right in front. You couldn't get a better watchdog.

She's mostly border collie and has that collecting instinct. Always has little piles of sticks or her toys which she meticulously keeps in one place.

She doesn't need a leash...just say the word and she walks right alongside of us and won't run off unless we tell her it's OK.


----------



## Bud Cline

> *When we get old we get to the point we don't have to prove anything to anyone any more so we don't care,* we can just be ourselves and if we want to tell some one how much we love them, we do, if we want to compliment someone, we do. We don't have to be afraid someone will think we are less a man because... we don't care what they think anymore.


Boy ain't that the truth! The older I get the less willing I am to take any BS from anyone. I've gotten sorta ballsy with my old age. If I had been this bold as a younger man maybe I could have gotten somewhere. I've finally learned to speak up. Not that that is always a good thing!



> As for the swimming thing, I won't expose my fat to anyone, someone may think a whale has been beached and try to save me.


I have also noticed that I have a hard time on the job keeping my pants up. Might have something to do with the additional fifty pounds I have acquired during the past decade. The thing is...I don't care that much. I do however recall that when I was a young man I also couldn't keep my pants up but that was a different thing all together. We won't go in to that, other than to say: Memories are everything!:laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

Funny thing........

Just after making my last above post I went to my email to find my wife had sent me a fitting note, I'll share it with you guys:



> It was fun being a baby boomer... until now. Some of the
> artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new
> lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers.
> 
> They include:
> 
> Herman's Hermits--- Mrs.. Brown, You've Got a Lovely
> Walker.
> 
> Ringo Starr--- I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.
> 
> The Bee Gees--- How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.
> 
> Bobby Darin--- Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.
> 
> Roberta Flack--- The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.
> 
> Johnny Nash--- I Can't See Clearly Now.
> 
> Paul Simon--- Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver
> 
> The Commodores--- Once, Twice, Three Times to the
> Bathroom.
> 
> Procol Harem--- A Whiter Shade of Hair.
> 
> Leo Sayer--- You Make Me Feel Like Napping.
> 
> The Temptations--- Papa's Got a Kidney Stone.
> 
> Abba--- Denture Queen.
> 
> Tony Orlando--- Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear
> Me Fall.
> 
> Helen Reddy--- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.
> 
> And my personal favorite:
> 
> Leslie Gore--- It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want To.


This email came at just the right time.


----------



## cocobolo

That's a beaut...sad thing is I remember all those songs, only the original versions.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Boy ain't that the truth! The older I get the less willing I am to take any BS from anyone. I've gotten sorta ballsy with my old age. If I had been this bold as a younger man maybe I could have gotten somewhere. I've finally learned to speak up. Not that that is always a good thing!
> 
> 
> 
> I have also noticed that I have a hard time on the job keeping my pants up. Might have something to do with the additional fifty pounds I have acquired during the past decade. The thing is...I don't care that much. I do however recall that when I was a young man I also couldn't keep my pants up but that was a different thing all together. We won't go in to that, other than to say: Memories are everything!:laughing:


:laughing::laughing::laughing: I am the same way and was except for that last part about the pants.:whistling2: I liked the E-Mail you got that fits pretty good.:thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Our pooch is far and away the best behaved dog on the island. She never makes a sound unless someone walks on our property, or on the pathway right in front. You couldn't get a better watchdog.
> 
> She's mostly border collie and has that collecting instinct. Always has little piles of sticks or her toys which she meticulously keeps in one place.
> 
> She doesn't need a leash...just say the word and she walks right alongside of us and won't run off unless we tell her it's OK.


Buddy, that is the kind of dog everyone wants, a Border Collie is a really pretty dog and smart as the dickens. That is really neat that your dog is such a good guard dog. 

Judy and I drove down close to Atlanta today as we found two little Chihuahuas who were to be put down tomorrow as their time was up. We had planned to maybe look at getting one of them if they were young dogs. Well it turned out they were older dogs and so very over weight and we really didn't want an older dog and they are either brother and sister or husband and wife. 

The thought of them dying tomorrow was too much for us so we adopted both of them and the thought of separating them was out of the question anyway. They have taken up with us already and are just the most loving little fellows, another good thing is they are already house trained. Life is good today, we have two new buddies.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the last batch of yellow boards for the kitchen walls.

We thought we were being very clever getting a yellow undercoat. But it turns out that a white undercoat, at about 1/3 the price, works much better.

Really don't know why it is, but the yellow undercoat and yellow topcoat (I think it's called chamois, I had the name wrong before from a sample we tried) doesn't come out cleanly.

With the white undercoat, the chamois has a nice even colour to it.


----------



## cocobolo

Another little goofus uppus I ran into...

After the original framing was all done, I decided to add a 1" solid foamboard and plywood on top of that. That raised the floor level by 1 5/8". What I forgot to do was to raise the framing for the doors. So the upshot of this forgetfulness was that I needed to cut the interior doors down to fit.

Plus, of course, there will be terra cotta tiles going on top of that, which is very close to another inch to come off.

Nowadays, these high priced doors have nothing in them of any substance at all. A small sliver of some sort of fiberboard at the ends is all. After I trimmed both ends, it was necessary to fill up the gaps which appeared. A piece of Douglas fir at each end cut to 1 1/8" wide and some real glue has done the fix.


----------



## cocobolo

When they used to make real doors, the standard height for the passage sets was 40". With these 6 panel doors, the lower rail centers at well under 40", so the passage set needs to be installed somewhere at the end of the rail for the sake of appearance. 40" is actually completely above the rail.

I always prefer to have my setback at 2 3/4" rather than 2 3/8" as it gives just that little bit of extra room between the jamb and your hand when opening/closing the door.

But again, the size of the stile dictated otherwise. The larger setback wouldn't look right. But since we are using lever type hardware, the lack of room problem is addressed without any issue.


----------



## cocobolo

Hopefully the hardware doesn't look too out of line at 36".


----------



## cocobolo

Except for one top board which cannot go in until that triangular ceiling is in place, and a handful of short boards under the wall oven cavity, the kitchen walls are done. Some trim to go yet, but I will make it all up at the same time.


----------



## cocobolo

The broom closet is on the far side of the open area from the kitchen. We are using the same kind of door and hardware to keep some sort of continuity. However, I'm not sure about the side wall boards being painted or not.

Everything else on that side will be varathaned. Unfortunately I got carried away with the yellow paint and there are many short boards left over. Now I will have to find some unfinished boards, or - heaven forbid - machine yet more.

At least I can find a home for the excess yellow boards in the utility room.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, you have been really busy, that is a lot done in short order. I know what you mean about having to cut doors off, I have done that before also. You are right, the doors now days are not the same as yesteryear. Down this way the standard door hardware height is 36 inches. You got it looking great buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim...have you picked out names for your Chihuahua's yet? Or did they tell you what they were called already?

They sound a lot like two Corgi's our friends have. Sad to say, our friends are the couple who sold their house here and are on their way to Nova Scotia as we speak.

A couple of days ago they were at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, and yesterday they arrived at Kenora, Ontario. She has relatives somewhere in Ontario, so I expect they will visit there for a few minutes.

Anyway, one of their Corgi's went blind earlier this year...sad to say...but he still seems to be managing OK. I can't remember if it was Spud or Shorty. I always get them mixed up. They couldn't possibly bear to leave the dogs out here with the local relatives. I think they have had them since they were pups.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, you have been really busy, that is a lot done in short order. I know what you mean about having to cut doors off, I have done that before also. You are right, the doors now days are not the same as yesteryear. Down this way the standard door hardware height is 36 inches. You got it looking great buddy.


Way back when I took my journeyman carpenter's course the door handles were at 40". I see now that many of the doors use 36". 

I guess it's something like when we used to buy lumber which was 1 5/8" thick, now it's only 1 1/2" thick. Maybe next year a 2 x 4 will be 1 x 2, who knows?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim...have you picked out names for your Chihuahua's yet? Or did they tell you what they were called already?
> 
> They sound a lot like two Corgi's our friends have. Sad to say, our friends are the couple who sold their house here and are on their way to Nova Scotia as we speak.
> 
> A couple of days ago they were at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, and yesterday they arrived at Kenora, Ontario. She has relatives somewhere in Ontario, so I expect they will visit there for a few minutes.
> 
> Anyway, one of their Corgi's went blind earlier this year...sad to say...but he still seems to be managing OK. I can't remember if it was Spud or Shorty. I always get them mixed up. They couldn't possibly bear to leave the dogs out here with the local relatives. I think they have had them since they were pups.


Buddy, the little dogs only had numbers, we had to rename them. Please don't take offense that we named the boy Cocoa, as he is chocolate brown with light tan around his eyes and our little girl buddy is tan and white and her name is Sugah, as in southern for sugar. We were told their previous people were evicted and just left them behind.

That is sad that your friends are moving I know ya'll will miss them a lot. I can not imagine anyone wanting to move from your island, it is just way too beautiful there.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Way back when I took my journeyman carpenter's course the door handles were at 40". I see now that many of the doors use 36".
> 
> I guess it's something like when we used to buy lumber which was 1 5/8" thick, now it's only 1 1/2" thick. Maybe next year a 2 x 4 will be 1 x 2, who knows?


I do remember the studs being 1 5/8 X 3 5/8 inch and here they cost $.43 each when I first started building. I thought it was ridiculous when concrete went to $18 a yard from $12 a yard, there is no telling what concrete cost now days. 

A lot has sure changed since when we started way back. It amazes me that there is so many new products today. I see some fellows here on the board talking about a product and I have never heard of it or know what it is. Oh well, so much for getting older.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, the little dogs only had numbers, we had to rename them. Please don't take offense that we named the boy Cocoa, as he is chocolate brown with light tan around his eyes and our little girl buddy is tan and white and her name is Sugah, as in southern for sugar. We were told their previous people were evicted and just left them behind.
> 
> That is sad that your friends are moving I know ya'll will miss them a lot. I can not imagine anyone wanting to move from your island, it is just way too beautiful there.


Cocoa! I love it! What a terrible thing to do to two little dogs, just up and leave them.

We were sorry to see our friends go I can tell you. They were one of only four families who lived here year round. It was a matter of finances...where they are going properties are about 1/10th the cost of what they are here.

I understand that the new owners are planning on living here full time as well. We are looking forward to meeting them soon.


----------



## cocobolo

One of those days when I seemed to be busy all day without doing anything.

First thing this morning I set about making the rest of the cedar boards to cover the two short side walls by the broom closet door. They are nailed on.

Then shortly before 10am I noticed that a friend of mine from Ladysmith was hooked out in the bay. Naturally I had to go out and pay him a visit. That consumed 3 hours! He and his wife are off to the U.K. for a month on Friday, and it is unlikely I will see him again until next year now. So I'm very glad I did that.

We have had an unusual problem with water getting behind some flashing on the back roof. Prior to her departure to Vancouver on Monday, the missus had a chance to observe what was happening in a heavy rainstorm.

It seems that the lack of a gutter on one section of the roof allows the runoff to splash backwards _uphill_ and a small amount manages to get under the flashing. I am hoping that the solution is as easy as adding a gutter, and to that end I have found a piece of gutter for the short horizontal section, and this afternoon I made a much longer wood gutter for the longer drop section.

There is no rain in the forecast for several days (yeah, sure) so I should be able to stain the gutter and put some waterproofing on the inside before I mount it.

There was a section on the back of the hot tub screen that still wasn't stained - so I did all that I could reach with the 6' ladder. Still a bit left to do, but the sun was going down and it was getting too darned cold to carry on.

Last thing before dinner I undercoated the closet door jamb.

Now that the night shift has showed up I will stain the gutter.


----------



## gma2rjc

The boards look so nice around the door! I love the variety of color. It looks like you have the trim up around the door frame too.

Did you happen to get a picture of the gutter? I've never seen one made of wood, by hand. I know you're pretty busy, so if not, that's fine. Maybe we can see one when you put them up on your wife's studio.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The boards look so nice around the door! I love the variety of color. It looks like you have the trim up around the door frame too.
> 
> Did you happen to get a picture of the gutter? I've never seen one made of wood, by hand. I know you're pretty busy, so if not, that's fine. Maybe we can see one when you put them up on your wife's studio.


Thanks Barb:

Tomorrow I will get some Varathane on that cedar and the colour will come out a little more.

There's no trim yet...that's just the door jamb itself. When the last of the doors is done I will make up the trim out of cedar and get them all done at the same time.

All I did with the gutter was to put three pieces of wood together to make a trough. It's sitting upside down now on the bench stained Mesa Grey. I'll do one more stain coat on the outside, then I will flip it over and put the waterproofing on the inside.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, that will mess the old mind up. I was looking at your last picture Keith, for a good while and thinking how beautiful the wood was, I scrolled down and was reading what Barb wrote and was reading exactly what I was thinking and at the same time. Man that is a funny feeling:yes:.

It is beautiful buddy, just beautiful.

That was nice to be able to spend a little time with friends especially when they are going to be away for a good while. 

That is a good thing your sweety saw what was happening with the water and the flashing, no one ever thinks about water running up hill, at least I wouldn't have.


----------



## cocobolo

I tried the first coat of varathane on the closet wall this morning, and it looks about like this.


----------



## cocobolo

You guys would never do this....would you? 

Nah...didn't think so. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Righteeo then, here's the new gutter.

Two coats of stain outside and the first coat of waterproofing on the inside. Have to wait a day to put the second coat on...so tomorrow morning I can do that.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is on the front of the house and was built in place. It needed to match the curve up on the roof so there was really no other choice.

It's a few years old now, and I try to give it a fresh coat of waterproofing every year. Cannot remember if I did this year or not...I kind of think not.

Maybe tomorrow if the weather holds (it's supposed to be good again).


----------



## cocobolo

There was a little paint touchup to do up on the roof today. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you might want to try making a paint can holder to match the angle of your roof. Certainly makes life easier.


----------



## cocobolo

For some reason I was certain I had finished mounting the second vise on the workbench. All the bits and pieces were there except for the vise handle, the small dowel piece at the bottom and a holder or two for the deadman.

Here I am making a very shallow recess for the outer part of the vise.


----------



## cocobolo

I couldn't find any dowels here to use for the vise, so I made a couple on the lathe.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> You guys would never do this....would you?
> 
> Nah...didn't think so. :whistling2:


What happened there? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Neither was there any larger dowels available for the vise handle. So, a little improvisation was in order.

This is a piece of a shovel handle. But after it was a shovel, someone used it to make a flag for a partly submerged log, what we call an end floater. You drive a nail into the end of the handle leaving a couple of inches protruding. Then you grind the end of the nail sharp. On the other end of the flag, you attach some bright orange flagging. When you spot an end floater, you ram the flag into the end of the log so that it is easier for anyone to spot the log preferably _before_ they run into it.

So now this is a re-re-cycled handle.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> What happened there? :laughing:


I was hoping you could tell me! :jester:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I tried the first coat of varathane on the closet wall this morning, and it looks about like this.


Wow, what a difference, buddy that color just jumps out at you. Kinda reminds me of one of the strip canoes, beautiful.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You guys would never do this....would you?
> 
> Nah...didn't think so. :whistling2:


Hmmmmm, forgot about the brush and left it in the paint can huh?:thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Neither was there any larger dowels available for the vise handle. So, a little improvisation was in order.
> 
> This is a piece of a shovel handle. But after it was a shovel, someone used it to make a flag for a partly submerged log, what we call an end floater. You drive a nail into the end of the handle leaving a couple of inches protruding. Then you grind the end of the nail sharp. On the other end of the flag, you attach some bright orange flagging. When you spot an end floater, you ram the flag into the end of the log so that it is easier for anyone to spot the log preferably _before_ they run into it.
> 
> So now this is a re-re-cycled handle.


Buddy, you are killing us showing us a little tidbit of your work bench here and there. From what we are seeing that is one sharp work bench.

Is your handle made out of hickory, most shovel handles around here are hickory. I have a bunch of old rejected hickory wheelbarrow handles out in the shed that I make saw dust from to use in my smoker when smoking Bar B Q, that stuff is harder than Chinese ruthmatic or Superman's knee caps. Hickory sure does make good vise handles though, I think that is what mine is made out of.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Hmmmmm, forgot about the brush and left it in the paint can huh?:thumbsup:


Who...me? :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, you are killing us showing us a little tidbit of your work bench here and there. From what we are seeing that is one sharp work bench.
> 
> Is your handle made out of hickory, most shovel handles around here are hickory. I have a bunch of old rejected hickory wheelbarrow handles out in the shed that I make saw dust from to use in my smoker when smoking Bar B Q, that stuff is harder than Chinese ruthmatic or Superman's knee caps. Hickory sure does make good vise handles though, I think that is what mine is made out of.


Jim, the whole bench building process is shown way back in the thread somewhere.

I will try to get you a full portrait tomorrow.

I think most of the shovel handles are probably hickory...I think that is the traditional wood for the purpose. This one spent some time in the ocean, so I had to chuck it up in the lathe and sand it off really well. It's about the right colour for hickory, but the salt water may well have had some effect on that.


----------



## gma2rjc

Did you use cedar for the gutters? What did you use to fasten them together?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Did you use cedar for the gutters? What did you use to fasten them together?


Well, I'll tell you...I couldn't find any cedar boards that were long enough. For sure I would have much preferred to use cedar. 

I have a pile of stuff under the back of the house, and I had to end up using one piece of fir and the two pieces for the sides are hemlock I think. They have been "aging" under the house for some time now.


----------



## gma2rjc

Was it difficult installing the one on the curved part of the house?


----------



## cocobolo

If you look at the pic here, you might just be able to see a piece of chamfered wood at the bottom of the gutter. It's dirty I know, so it may be hard to spot.

This is the gutter again at the top front of the main roof.

I believe I was able to use cedar for this one, and the one out the back which goes around the breakfast nook area. The chamfered pieces I believe are yellow cedar. 

I used the same method to build both these and the straight one which is inside the house.

The edges are glued on to the base of the gutter, and then I use nails about every 3 or 4 inches - using pre-drilled holes so as not to split the wood - to keep it all together. 

With old wood, it gets to be quite hard and will split more easily. The drilled holes basically eliminate that problem.


----------



## gma2rjc

My goodness. That's quite a job. 

Not to change the subject, but I remember thinking what a tough couple of days you must have had a while back getting all that tile home. But it must have been 10x as much work getting all those shingles over to the island by boat!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Was it difficult installing the one on the curved part of the house?


Sorry, you snuck in there while I was sleeping!

Building the front gutters was definitely a bit of a challenge. 

Before I even started I had to make a scaffold to stand on just so I could reach from the outside. It would never have been possible to attach them from above.

So I started out by attaching the back of the gutter to the fascia boards. That was screwed on all the way across.

The board that acts as the bottom was actually made up out of about 5 pieces (lamination style) until the gutter was wide enough. Then the front piece(s) were screwed on. Everything was glued as I went. 

Then when that was done I put in the chamfered pieces made from yellow cedar. They were quite long, which made it easier to install. More glue and screws.

Then the whole shebang was stained on the outside and waterproofed on the inside.

After having looked at that pic again, I think I will definitely get up there and scrub the gutter out tomorrow and get some more waterproofing in there.


----------



## gma2rjc

Wow! I can't even imagine how much time and energy that would take. 

Had you seen that done on a house before?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> My goodness. That's quite a job.
> 
> Not to change the subject, but I remember thinking what a tough couple of days you must have had a while back getting all that tile home. But it must have been 10x as much work getting all those shingles over to the island by boat!


Did you really have to remind me!!!!:laughing:

Actually, I was somewhat more fortunate with the shingles. I brought them over as they were needed. So as one section of roof was built, it would get shingled.

I can't remember how many squares all together, but I guess it must be somewhere around 30 or so with everything. So that would be 90 bundles, and these guys are heavier than the standard shingles which run around 210# a square. If memory serves, this type is about 240# a square. So perhaps something over 7,000# all told. 

All the tiles we have actually weigh more than that, and that wouldn't include a ton or so for thinset and grout.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! I can't even imagine how much time and energy that would take.
> 
> Had you seen that done on a house before?


No, I never have.

Usually if there is a roof like this it dispenses with gutters all together.

I guess you could go to a sheet metal shop and have them make something up. I'm really not quite sure how else one would go about this.


----------



## gma2rjc

> I can't remember how many squares all together, but I guess it must be somewhere around 30 or so with everything. So that would be 90 bundles, and these guys are heavier than the standard shingles which run around 210# a square. If memory serves, this type is about 240# a square. So perhaps something over 7,000# all told.
> 
> All the tiles we have actually weigh more than that, and that wouldn't include a ton or so for thinset and grout.


I hope you're giving the Mrs. a discount on all the shipping and handling fees. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, you are killing us showing us a little tidbit of your work bench here and there. From what we are seeing that is one sharp work bench.
> 
> Is your handle made out of hickory, most shovel handles around here are hickory. I have a bunch of old rejected hickory wheelbarrow handles out in the shed that I make saw dust from to use in my smoker when smoking Bar B Q, that stuff is harder than Chinese ruthmatic or Superman's knee caps. Hickory sure does make good vise handles though, I think that is what mine is made out of.


Jim...I just checked back - and I mean way back - if you go to post 370, the workbench stuff starts there. It takes awhile and a few pics before you get to the end.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I hope you're giving the Mrs. a discount on all the shipping and handling fees. :laughing:


Now there's an idea! And to think that all this time I haven't even been charging her!!! :no:

How foolish of me! 

So I just need to come up with some outlandish price and give her a good discount...sounds good to me.

Let's see now, one bundle of shingles at 80 pounds...say what, around 25 cents a pound...so twenty bucks a bundle, times 90...that's $1,800...and I'll be a really nice guy and give her...hmmm, let me think about this for a second...39.67234% discount. That works out to $714.10, which means she only owes me $1,085.90. 

That's just for the shingles...the tiles will be much more...:thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

Not to mention labor costs, lumber cut on-site is much more valuable than store bought.

Of course, when you get the bill for all that beautiful landscaping, daily meals, interior design consultation etc., you might be about even. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Not to mention labor costs, lumber cut on-site is much more valuable than store bought.
> 
> Of course, when you get the bill for all that beautiful landscaping, daily meals, interior design consultation etc., you might be about even. :yes:


Are you saying I can charge her for all the meals I have cooked as well...oh goody...let's see that should come out to ....:thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> And here is the beast doing the damage...


I may be showing my stupidity here but what is the machine? From looking at the wood it has to be some kind of saw as there are saw kerfs.

I forgot quotes won't show a picture, the picture is in post #396.
Guess what I learned to do, copy and paste pictures here, I didn't know if it would work or not but it did.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> OK, I lied, it's two days later, had to go to town yesterday.
> In order to clamp up the leg assembly in the long direction, I had to make up 4 clamps. Unfortunately, I was fresh out of 6' clamps, so what's a fella to do?
> I hope the photo speaks for itself.


Buddy, this is using your head, that is a neat idea, I can't believe I had already forgotten about it since I read this way back when. Oh, I forgot again, no pictures, this the long clamps you had to make out of wood. I just hope I can remember this when I need a long clamp next time. The picture is on post #422.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, your house is the first one I have ever seen curved gutters on, ever. I am not sure I would have even known where to start building curved gutters. You are an amazing person buddy, my hat is off to you.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I may be showing my stupidity here but what is the machine? From looking at the wood it has to be some kind of saw as there are saw kerfs.
> 
> I forgot quotes won't show a picture, the picture is in post #396.
> Guess what I learned to do, copy and paste pictures here, I didn't know if it would work or not but it did.


Jim: It's something called a precision saw. To be perfectly honest I think that is just the manufacturers concoction to sell more saws.

The blades for it are quite small, but they have a carbide sawblade, one for cutting tile and a thin (cheapie) blade for cutting wood which isn't worth beans. The other two blades are pretty good though. And besides, when I got it, the deal was on at half price.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, your house is the first one I have ever seen curved gutters on, ever. I am not sure I would have even known where to start building curved gutters. You are an amazing person buddy, my hat is off to you.


I have been up on the roof for the past hour and a half cleaning the front gutter. It's 50 feet long. I didn't realize that before, but after cleaning it I know all about that now!

Normally, I use a corn broom in the summer - when things are bone dry - to sweep the gutter out and that works OK. Then a small scrubbing brush to do the very ends.

That wasn't going to work this morning as the thin layer of dirt was stuck on well and truly. So I wire brushed first, then swept out with a normal bench brush, then washed it out with a damp sponge. It came out all right.

So now I will let the damp gutter dry out - as the sun was just getting over the trees as I finished. Then another coating of the flex-core waterproofing.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I have been up on the roof for the past hour and a half cleaning the front gutter. It's 50 feet long. I didn't realize that before, but after cleaning it I know all about that now!
> 
> Normally, I use a corn broom in the summer - when things are bone dry - to sweep the gutter out and that works OK. Then a small scrubbing brush to do the very ends.
> 
> That wasn't going to work this morning as the thin layer of dirt was stuck on well and truly. So I wire brushed first, then swept out with a normal bench brush, then washed it out with a damp sponge. It came out all right.
> 
> So now I will let the damp gutter dry out - as the sun was just getting over the trees as I finished. Then another coating of the flex-core waterproofing.


I didn't think of this before but you have to keep your gutters fairly clean as you get all your drinking and all water from the rain. That would give me some concern down this way after the dry hot Summer we had. I bet you do realize how long your gutter is now after having to clean them. That is just too neat the way you built them and sealed them so they wouldn't rot.

One good thing is you don't have to drink your water from a river where all kind of chemicals and medicines are. The cities here can get the impurities out but they can't get the medicines out so there is no telling what we are drinking.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, I'm glad to say the gutter has come up as white as snow again. Nice warm sunshine to dry it out and sun again tomorrow - so they say.

Also stained the back of the missus'es studio. She has been telling me she was going to do it for about 6 or 7 years now. She has a master's degree - in procrastination.

Also stained the back of the water tanks and the fascia board on the back of the woodshed.

And now I think I might try staining the outside of the top gutter, while the sun is still out. I took a critical look at it from the ground, and it's looking a little pasty.


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## cocobolo

That's it for another year of staining. Whatever isn't done now can wait until next spring.

I realize it doesn't show up much in the pic, but this is what has been stained. It's about 16'+ off the ground, and is done by leaning over the edge of the roof and praying that the brush covers everything. I'll take it the way it is.

Now the hunt is on to see if I can find some stock to make the bedroom door from.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, I'm glad to say the gutter has come up as white as snow again. Nice warm sunshine to dry it out and sun again tomorrow - so they say.
> 
> Also stained the back of the missus'es studio. She has been telling me she was going to do it for about 6 or 7 years now. She has a master's degree - in procrastination.
> 
> Also stained the back of the water tanks and the fascia board on the back of the woodshed.
> 
> And now I think I might try staining the outside of the top gutter, while the sun is still out. I took a critical look at it from the ground, and it's looking a little pasty.


Buddy, you were hard at it again today, it would take me a week to do all you do in one day and that is for real. That sure does look good, I see you got your firewood in for the winter, when did you have time to cut your 
firewood with all else that you have done. 

I am watching the History Channel and they are showing the big trees and mills up around your way. I have heard some of the mills up your way can run 10,000 feet a minute, that is beyond my imagination. They say the skid plates are water cooled to keep the wood from catching fire from the friction. They are showing about the old slow growth heart pine from years ago. I have done my share of remilling that into flooring for some of my jobs and restorations, it is some pretty stuff.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim: Wow! I've certainly never heard of any mill producing 10,000 feet a minute...I wonder if it isn't 10K an hour?

I get a small Canadian produced magazine on wood design and construction. If my memory serves me (and we both know how _that_ doesn't always work) I believe they had an article going into some depth on the Gorman Bros. sawmill here in B.C.

There was a fair bit on the current method of production and the level of sophistication that a thoroughly modern sawmill functions at. Let me dig it up and get you some of the facts and figures. 

I found it to be extremely interesting.

And as an aside to that, my friend John - our fire chief here - formerly worked in a local sawmill. It didn't have anywhere near the level of sophistication the Gorman mill does. His mill used to process a log every 4 seconds. It would be interesting to know what the average log size was for that kind of speed.

About the fastest I can handle even a small log on my super-duper-ultra-high-speed mill here is half an hour. That's just _one_ log at maybe 50 board feet. Even with two people working one of these mills, they rarely can get over 100 BF an hour.


----------



## cocobolo

At one point, I used to keep a few stats on my sawmill production.

The average I got from a log was about 70 BF.

Average daily production - if I worked all day (an 8 hour day) was about 400 BF.

The highest day I ever had was just over 700 BF, but that was exceptional.

If you believe the company literature, the mill is capable of 1,500 BF a day.

That may be possible, maybe, but you would need nice clean logs sitting close to your mill - something impossible for me - and a machine of some sort, backhoe or forklift, to move the logs and finished lumber.

And another thing to remember is that to attain 1,500 BF of production, you would likely need in excess of 2,000 BF of logs in the first place. That in itself would be 6,000 pounds plus that you would be handling every day.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I more than likely got that wrong, I will do some checking to see also. That is some mighty fast processing 4 seconds a log, that is moving. I just love seeing new and faster things, that is amazing. I will let you know what I find.


----------



## cocobolo

Mornin' Jim...the name of the magazine I get is Wood Design & Building, it's one of those high quality small mags you run across from time to time. They only print 4 issues a year.

Issue No. 51, Summer/2010 has the mill article.

This information is about the Gorman Brothers mill up at Westbank in the British Columbia interior.

There are a couple of aerial photos of the operation - which is pretty large and sprawling, but everything seems to be perfectly in place. There is not any sign of a single bit of sawdust anywhere. Every square inch of the property is immaculate. Reminds me of my sawmill area - NOT!

Gorman Bros. started in 1951 and fairly rapidly grew to produce 10 million BF a year. By the early 90's they were up to 60 million BF annually. Their current production is 140 million BF. That in itself is impressive enough, but in this thoroughly modern mill there is no waste at all.

Whatever parts of a log that do not end up as lumber are put to other uses. Planer shavings are used as animal bedding. Sawdust is used to generate heat for their dry kilns. Much is sent to a pulp mill for use in papermaking. In other words, nothing is wasted...even bark has a use.

The machinery used these days is highly sophisticated, perhaps not the least of which is an X-ray machine which reads every log to determine how it will be cut for the best possible yield. Can you imagine having something like that so you knew in advance what was _inside_ your log?

Their blades today are all thin kerf which takes less power to drive (I have long been using thin kerf blades on my tablesaw and sawmill) and cause less waste.

On a 24/7/365 basis, Gorman produces about 16,000 BF an hour which, by any standard, is one big pile of wood. They are also an extremely "Green" operation, controlling their product from seedling to lumber.

The list goes on, but as you can see, this is nothing like Grandpa's sawmill days.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Mornin' Jim...the name of the magazine I get is Wood Design & Building, it's one of those high quality small mags you run across from time to time. They only print 4 issues a year.
> 
> Issue No. 51, Summer/2010 has the mill article.
> 
> This information is about the Gorman Brothers mill up at Westbank in the British Columbia interior.
> 
> There are a couple of aerial photos of the operation - which is pretty large and sprawling, but everything seems to be perfectly in place. There is not any sign of a single bit of sawdust anywhere. Every square inch of the property is immaculate. Reminds me of my sawmill area - NOT!
> 
> Gorman Bros. started in 1951 and fairly rapidly grew to produce 10 million BF a year. By the early 90's they were up to 60 million BF annually. Their current production is 140 million BF. That in itself is impressive enough, but in this thoroughly modern mill there is no waste at all.
> 
> Whatever parts of a log that do not end up as lumber are put to other uses. Planer shavings are used as animal bedding. Sawdust is used to generate heat for their dry kilns. Much is sent to a pulp mill for use in papermaking. In other words, nothing is wasted...even bark has a use.
> 
> The machinery used these days is highly sophisticated, perhaps not the least of which is an X-ray machine which reads every log to determine how it will be cut for the best possible yield. Can you imagine having something like that so you knew in advance what was _inside_ your log?
> 
> Their blades today are all thin kerf which takes less power to drive (I have long been using thin kerf blades on my tablesaw and sawmill) and cause less waste.
> 
> On a 24/7/365 basis, Gorman produces about 16,000 BF an hour which, by any standard, is one big pile of wood. They are also an extremely "Green" operation, controlling their product from seedling to lumber.
> 
> The list goes on, but as you can see, this is nothing like Grandpa's sawmill days.


My stars, them people have got their act together big time. That is so very impressive, I love it. Wouldn't you love to take a tour of their place and see all of that happening. At that rate they can produce, not just rip, not just plane but from scratch produce 80 1X4X10' a minute. I have gone back and cannot find where any mill can plane 10,000 feet a minute unless they have many machines doing that. Somewhere my mind must have shorted out again thinking anyone could plane 10,000 feet a minute.

I can't even wrap my mind around a plant producing 16,000 BF an hour. I can remember hauling 5,000 BF of 5/4 rough sawn red oak back to the shop on a trailer and that is a pile of lumber for sure, and a plant producing over three times that in an hour is very very fast. 

The lumber company I bought from did the same as the company you are talking about just nowhere on the same scale. I love efficiency an that is one thing I have never been, but I tried. Those folks have taken efficiency to the extremes. Buddy, thanks for going to all that trouble to look that information up for me, I do appreciate it. Now I have got to do some more looking to see what I can find.


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## cocobolo

Jim...it's no trouble at all...it's my pleasure.

I should be back in a while with the first of the story on the door I will need to make for the bedroom.


----------



## tpolk

I was learning to run a head rig as a sawyer in a mill in Maryland in the early seventies and when my brain could still do complex math calculations while running logs thru the rig . You had to be able to figure your log size, how many boards you would get from a side, the size of cants left if they were part of the order and so on. Meanwhile you had 15 men downstream of the rig to keep busy plus the men in the yard feeding you logs. It was really quite stimulating and fun but your brain was definitly in overdrive for 8hrs. nothing like the footage in computerized mills but very organic. Needless to say my overdrive days are gone but there are days i get it up to 4th gear for short spurts:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> I was learning to run a head rig as a sawyer in a mill in Maryland in the early seventies and when my brain could still do complex math calculations while running logs thru the rig . You had to be able to figure your log size, how many boards you would get from a side, the size of cants left if they were part of the order and so on. Meanwhile you had 15 men downstream of the rig to keep busy plus the men in the yard feeding you logs. It was really quite stimulating and fun but your brain was definitly in overdrive for 8hrs. nothing like the footage in computerized mills but very organic. Needless to say my overdrive days are gone but there are days i get it up to 4th gear for short spurts:laughing:


OK...so by "complex math calculations", do I take it that this was something like walking and chewing gum at the same time? :whistling2: No?

Were you cutting softwoods or hardwoods?

4th gear? Heck I think the transmission between my ears has Low and Bull Low only! Well, maybe reverse from time to time. :wink:


----------



## cocobolo

There wasn't a great selection of wood to try and turn into a door, but I did find a handful of arbutus boards which have probably been drying for 6 or 7 years.

Luckily, there was some 1" stock (rough) I could use as a starting point.

The plan is to use some arbutus planed to about 3/4" for the stiles and rails, and sandwiched between them a piece of red cedar around 1/2" thick. I will be aiming for a finished door thickness of 2" give or take.

There is enough rough stock on hand, but it will bear checking once it has been thicknessed. Arbutus is not favourably disposed to staying flat once it is planed. The idea behind laminating the door frame is to attempt to keep it flat.


----------



## cocobolo

Actually, before I started on the door this morning, I did get the gutter put up on the back of the house.

Now we know it won't rain for a week!


----------



## cocobolo

All the arbutus boards were cupped to a greater or lesser degree.

The one I picked to take a shot of was one of the better ones.


----------



## cocobolo

The best tool for flattening boards (other than a hand plane) is a jointer.

Your thickness planer wants to flatten the board before it gets to the knives thus partially defeating your attempts to take any cup out.

My jointer is only 6" wide, so with the stiles and two of the rails being over that, I was relegated to using the planer.

Before I could do that, it was in desperate need of a new set of blades. The others had been thoroughly beaten into submission over the past few weeks planing red cedar.

Alas, when I checked my blade boxes, all had been used. This made it necessary for me to break out the big sharpener.


----------



## cocobolo

One thing about arbutus is that it planes well as long as the blades are sharp. The least bit of dullness produces nothing but dust.

What I do to try and flatten the boards is this. First pass, run the board through the planer cup side facing up, and just take the smallest possible amount off. Say 1/32" or even less. You don't want the rollers putting any pressure on the board.

Take a look at the result. You may have only a 1/2" of flat wood on the edges, but that's OK. Make another pass on the same side.

After that one, flip the board and lower the cutterhead 1/32" or less. Make two passes on that side.

Now alternate between the two sides and keep the cuts very thin. 1/64" at a time will do the job without putting any pressure on the board. As soon as one side is fully planed, continue on the second side taking small bites until it is all flattened.

Check with your straightedge to see if it worked for you.

By the time you get close to completing the board, it should be coming out of the planer with shavings like this.


----------



## cocobolo

I was trying to get some pics of the boards as they were exiting the planer, and I didn't catch this one in time. Get a load of that snipe!


----------



## cocobolo

This board went through at 1/32" cut. I just took it out and set it down to show you how much wood comes off with such a small cut.

Notice how nice the shavings are? That happens with very sharp blades only.

Finally, when you have made one pass at your final setting on the planer, run the board through twice more without changing the cutterhead height. Both times it will take off just a little more and the board will come out nice and smooth.


----------



## cocobolo

Right after that I had a short coffee break and wandered out to the bank to see what was happening. Not much, except for this dead jellyfish floating by.

I promised Jim I would try to get a pic, and this is the first one I have seen of the bigger type so far this year. The tentacles are all gone and it wasn't a particularly large one. About 13 to 14 inches across I would guess.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the pile of boards I had after the planing was done. There were many flaws in the arbutus, and I cut one extra stile for good measure.


----------



## cocobolo

Thought I might show you one of the bench stops in use. These guys can be made up in quantity so that you won't run out in the event you damage a few.


----------



## cocobolo

Notching out the middle cedar board in the stiles to accept the rails.


----------



## cocobolo

The door frame is partially sitting together here.

You can see the recess which will take the panel. No decision yet on how the panel will look or be made up.


----------



## cocobolo

I see that last photo shows a good use for the benchtop. :thumbsup:

That nice thick top makes a terrific clamping surface. When the door gets glued up, it is my hope that it will be nice and flat, and the bench top itself will be a major contributing factor to that.

Just remember to use some scrap wood under your clamps. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the frame so far. Now I need to come up with an idea for the panels. They will float in the door frame.


----------



## cocobolo

During my archaeological excavations - don't laugh - I was finally able to uncover the 10" dob.

This is the reflector style telescope of the type used by all the major observatories in the world. Some of the reflectors are so big that the mirrors are made up in sections.

In case you aren't aware, the expression "Dob" is short for Dobsonian. John Dobson is rightfully credited for bringing large aperture telescopes to the masses.

This scope can easily see the Andromeda galaxy along with the two much smaller galaxies that appear with it. Andromeda is about 2.7 million light years away from us (depending on who you talk to) - compared to only 8 1/4 light _minutes_ for our sun.

Andromeda is on a collision course with our galaxy...but there's no hurry to spend your life savings right away...it's going to be awhile.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Here's the frame so far. Now I need to come up with an idea for the panels. They will float in the door frame.


Thanks for showing all the details. This is very interesting.

Is there any chance the salvage store would have any colored or decorative glass panels that could be cut to the size you need?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Thanks for showing all the details. This is very interesting.
> 
> Is there any chance the salvage store would have any colored or decorative glass panels that could be cut to the size you need?


Hmmmm...never thought of that. They might. I was planning on making up some wood panels.

I know that we got the last of the ones they had before.

I think the missus wants opaque panels in there...nervous Nelly that she is.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, being a land lubber and only seeing the ocean from the top of a carrier or the beach, I only saw the small jelly fish and I thought that was how they all looked like. That is just unreal a jelly fish that size and color, I never knew they existed like that. Thanks for the photo Keith, I do appreciate that.

I got to tell you, that is a workbench any man would love to have. I would be afraid to do any work on it it is so pretty.

Seeing how you are building your door makes me say to myself, why didn't you think about that. I would have never thought to build a door that way. I can for sure tell you one thing, your door will be a lot stronger and less chance of it moving, twisting or warping the way you build yours than the way I built mine. 

I used solid wood and used shaper cutters to make my rail and stiles and put them together like a cabinet door except I used dowels through my stiles into my rails for strength. I wish I had seen how to build a door like you are way back when, that just makes good sense.

I guess one is never too old to learn. Thanks buddy for showing us so far.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> During my archaeological excavations - don't laugh - I was finally able to uncover the 10" dob.
> 
> This is the reflector style telescope of the type used by all the major observatories in the world. Some of the reflectors are so big that the mirrors are made up in sections.
> 
> In case you aren't aware, the expression "Dob" is short for Dobsonian. John Dobson is rightfully credited for bringing large aperture telescopes to the masses.
> 
> This scope can easily see the Andromeda galaxy along with the two much smaller galaxies that appear with it. Andromeda is about 2.7 million light years away from us (depending on who you talk to) - compared to only 8 1/4 light _minutes_ for our sun.
> 
> Andromeda is on a collision course with our galaxy...but there's no hurry to spend your life savings right away...it's going to be awhile.


My stars, sorry about that, that is one heck of an instrument. Since talking to you I have become interested in the stars and planets, they are really very very interesting. Can you take pictures through that one? Some of the pictures online are fantastic.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Hmmmm...never thought of that. They might. I was planning on making up some wood panels.
> 
> I know that we got the last of the ones they had before.
> 
> I think the missus wants opaque panels in there...nervous Nelly that she is.


Yes, glass would kind of defeat the purpose of having a bedroom door. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars, sorry about that, that is one heck of an instrument. Since talking to you I have become interested in the stars and planets, they are really very very interesting. Can you take pictures through that one? Some of the pictures online are fantastic.


Jim, it is possible to take photos through just about any telescope with removable eyepieces.

You wouldn't necessarily use a camera of the type you use for your daily photos, there are special cameras just for astrophotography. Most of those are somewhat pricey.

Adapters are available for most cameras to your scope, it all depends on just how much you want to get into it.

My very good pal Randy takes some pretty good shots, and he is using the latest Canon DSLR. I loaned him an 80mm high quality refractor and he has taken some beauties through that.

He has a couple of scopes of his own, and I think he's using his 8" reflector right now to image Jupiter.

As you know Jupiter is currently high in the sky at night...and if you can look at it before the moon rises, you can get some excellent views. Any time during the next week or 10 days should produce excellent viewing of "The king of planets".


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, being a land lubber and only seeing the ocean from the top of a carrier or the beach, I only saw the small jelly fish and I thought that was how they all looked like. That is just unreal a jelly fish that size and color, I never knew they existed like that. Thanks for the photo Keith, I do appreciate that.
> 
> I got to tell you, that is a workbench any man would love to have. I would be afraid to do any work on it it is so pretty.
> 
> Seeing how you are building your door makes me say to myself, why didn't you think about that. I would have never thought to build a door that way. I can for sure tell you one thing, your door will be a lot stronger and less chance of it moving, twisting or warping the way you build yours than the way I built mine.
> 
> I used solid wood and used shaper cutters to make my rail and stiles and put them together like a cabinet door except I used dowels through my stiles into my rails for strength. I wish I had seen how to build a door like you are way back when, that just makes good sense.
> 
> I guess one is never too old to learn. Thanks buddy for showing us so far.


You know, usually, there are loads of those jellyfish around. I haven't even seen one in the bay this year, which is very unusual. Maybe the hot weather we have had for the last 5 days is doing some damage, I don't know.

The main reason I am making the door that way is because I can! How's that for a dumb answer. I don't have a shaper or the cutters to go with it. I do have a slew of router bits, but I'm none too sure if there is anything suitable.

Once I get things glued up - after I make the panels of course - I think it might be a good idea to leave it clamped to the bench for a couple of days.

That way it shouldn't get any ideas about moving after the glue is well set up.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I was trying to get some pics of the boards as they were exiting the planer, and I didn't catch this one in time. Get a load of that snipe!












Don't ya just hate it when that happens? I finally fixed my problem with that. My shop is very small now and I have to be somewhat creative with everything. I built a roll around for my planer that makes the wood come out right at the height of my table saw top. When the boards come out the saw top catches them and no snipe.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> At one point, I used to keep a few stats on my sawmill production.
> 
> The average I got from a log was about 70 BF.
> 
> Average daily production - if I worked all day (an 8 hour day) was about 400 BF.
> 
> The highest day I ever had was just over 700 BF, but that was exceptional.
> 
> If you believe the company literature, the mill is capable of 1,500 BF a day.
> 
> That may be possible, maybe, but you would need nice clean logs sitting close to your mill - something impossible for me - and a machine of some sort, backhoe or forklift, to move the logs and finished lumber.
> 
> And another thing to remember is that to attain 1,500 BF of production, you would likely need in excess of 2,000 BF of logs in the first place. That in itself would be 6,000 pounds plus that you would be handling every day.


Keith, I have been looking online trying to find what the high yield mills did. The most I found was 400 feet a minute. That can still be deceiving, as we don't know how many machines they are running at a time.

Some folks don't know how much 700 BF of lumber is, I can tell you that is a lot of lumber. If that was red oak that would cost, down this way, about $2,100.00. I just don't see how one man could do 1,500 BF a day by himself unless, like you said, he had all the machinery and all the conditions were perfect. One thing is for sure, he would be one wore out dude at the end of the day.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The best tool for flattening boards (other than a hand plane) is a jointer.
> 
> Your thickness planer wants to flatten the board before it gets to the knives thus partially defeating your attempts to take any cup out.
> 
> My jointer is only 6" wide, so with the stiles and two of the rails being over that, I was relegated to using the planer.
> 
> Before I could do that, it was in desperate need of a new set of blades. The others had been thoroughly beaten into submission over the past few weeks planing red cedar.
> 
> Alas, when I checked my blade boxes, all had been used. This made it necessary for me to break out the big sharpener.












That is one machine I would love to have like. I have been sharpening my planer blades by hand which is nowhere as good as your machine will do. I know your machine does a great job because of the shavings in you picture and that really does take a sharp blade.

I hate to plane into boards that have set for a long time and collected a lot of dust. I try to blow it off but can't get it all, it will really dull blades quickly. Don't you hate it when you loan your planer out and it comes back making sounds like it would deafen you when you start to do some planing?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, it is possible to take photos through just about any telescope with removable eyepieces.
> 
> You wouldn't necessarily use a camera of the type you use for your daily photos, there are special cameras just for astrophotography. Most of those are somewhat pricey.
> 
> Adapters are available for most cameras to your scope, it all depends on just how much you want to get into it.
> 
> My very good pal Randy takes some pretty good shots, and he is using the latest Canon DSLR. I loaned him an 80mm high quality refractor and he has taken some beauties through that.
> 
> He has a couple of scopes of his own, and I think he's using his 8" reflector right now to image Jupiter.
> 
> As you know Jupiter is currently high in the sky at night...and if you can look at it before the moon rises, you can get some excellent views. Any time during the next week or 10 days should produce excellent viewing of "The king of planets".


I was outside with one of our grandsons last night and I said to him, see that bright star right there, and he said oh you mean Jupiter, I just said to myself hmmmmm, smart little fellow. 

Looking at the planets myself and looking at pictures online are two different things, totally. It just feels so personal when seeing them yourself, if that makes any sense. It just amazes me at all the things man has come up with to do and see different things with. I know the telescope has been around may years but seeing through one for the first time is just unreal, it is like you can just reach right out there and touch the planets and stars.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I was outside with one of our grandsons last night and I said to him, see that bright star right there, and he said oh you mean Jupiter, I just said to myself hmmmmm, smart little fellow.
> 
> Looking at the planets myself and looking at pictures online are two different things, totally. It just feels so personal when seeing them yourself, if that makes any sense. It just amazes me at all the things man has come up with to do and see different things with. I know the telescope has been around may years but seeing through one for the first time is just unreal, it is like you can just reach right out there and touch the planets and stars.


It's hard to keep up with these kids today, isn't it? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Don't ya just hate it when that happens? I finally fixed my problem with that. My shop is very small now and I have to be somewhat creative with everything. I built a roll around for my planer that makes the wood come out right at the height of my table saw top. When the boards come out the saw top catches them and no snipe.


Another thing I unearthed yesterday was my portable roller. It has a mate somewhere here. I even left all the dust on it just for the heck of it. It used to be in constant use, until I dismantled the long saw tables several months ago. That's when everything got buried.


----------



## cocobolo

I seem to have a habit of buying tools just because they are on sale and then the box never gets opened.

Yesterday I found a box with a brand new Bosch jigsaw, it's the top handle kind with the variable speed trigger. I have been used to using the barrel type for 25 years and didn't know what a treat this new one would be until I used it last night. I think I bought it last year sometime.

And many months ago I got an oscillating spindle sander, supposedly for the wife to use for her stained glass. Little did I know at the time that she needed a wet diamond type for that.

Finally opened the box this morning and assembled the little guy - well, maybe not so little, it's pretty heavy. Looks like it's going to come in useful after all.

Late last night the design for the panels came to me and I will need the sander to finish some of the ends of the boards. Much easier to show you a pic when I start doing that.


----------



## cocobolo

I just happened to wander by the (almost empty) tub and spotted a few thousand mosquito larvae enjoying a swim.

I should have remembered to put the lid back on after it stopped raining last time. As Jim says...old timers.


----------



## cocobolo

You might have to look carefully, but trust me...they are there.

My neighbour's dad has a farm up near Penticton and uses this cornmeal like stuff to wipe out the larvae. So he very kindly got me an ice cream pail full about five years ago. It has lasted us until this past summer when he once again very kindly got me another pail full.

You only need a small amount for the job, maybe a tablespoon for a barrel.

There isn't much water in the tub so this small handful should work.


----------



## cocobolo

By tomorrow morning, they will be toast. Then I will need to get in there and clean the whole shebang out.

Just sprinkle this small amount on the water - that's all. It has no effect whatsoever on anything except mozzie larvae.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I seem to have a habit of buying tools just because they are on sale and then the box never gets opened.
> 
> Yesterday I found a box with a brand new Bosch jigsaw, it's the top handle kind with the variable speed trigger. I have been used to using the barrel type for 25 years and didn't know what a treat this new one would be until I used it last night. I think I bought it last year sometime.
> 
> And many months ago I got an oscillating spindle sander, supposedly for the wife to use for her stained glass. Little did I know at the time that she needed a wet diamond type for that.
> 
> Finally opened the box this morning and assembled the little guy - well, maybe not so little, it's pretty heavy. Looks like it's going to come in useful after all.
> 
> Late last night the design for the panels came to me and I will need the sander to finish some of the ends of the boards. Much easier to show you a pic when I start doing that.


I love the Bosch top handle, I have worn 2 of them out and the one I have now I tore the shoe up when I dropped it. I made another shoe for it and it is still going strong. What sold me on the Bosch was a fellow demonstrating one at a supply store one day, he took the saw and while it was running he plunged the saw blade all the way through a board and just went to cutting, I was sold and still am.

I had the chance to buy one of the spindle sanders several years ago but didn't, I wish I had a bunch of times since then. One other tool I passed up was a Williams and Hussey molder and I still to this day hate that I passed that one up.

I love the dust on your roller stand, it just looks natural.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> By tomorrow morning, they will be toast. Then I will need to get in there and clean the whole shebang out.
> 
> Just sprinkle this small amount on the water - that's all. It has no effect whatsoever on anything except mozzie larvae.


That is better than putting a few drops of oil in there. I was going to ask you how the Moskeets were up you way. At one time I thought they were our state bird down here.:whistling2: Your friend should market that stuff, it is by far better than poison.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is better than putting a few drops of oil in there. I was going to ask you how the Moskeets were up you way. At one time I thought they were our state bird down here.:whistling2: Your friend should market that stuff, it is by far better than poison.


I don't even know what the stuff is called Jim. But the local garden centers sell it in small brightly coloured little packages for $25 a pop. I think my neighbour said his dad gets it for something like $1 a pound in bulk.

Up in the Yukon, they used to sell T-shirts with a pic of a diving mosquito...the caption was "Yukon Air Force".

Truer words were never spoken.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I love the Bosch top handle, I have worn 2 of them out and the one I have now I tore the shoe up when I dropped it. I made another shoe for it and it is still going strong. What sold me on the Bosch was a fellow demonstrating one at a supply store one day, he took the saw and while it was running he plunged the saw blade all the way through a board and just went to cutting, I was sold and still am.
> 
> I had the chance to buy one of the spindle sanders several years ago but didn't, I wish I had a bunch of times since then. One other tool I passed up was a Williams and Hussey molder and I still to this day hate that I passed that one up.
> 
> I love the dust on your roller stand, it just looks natural.


Isn't that interesting about the demo...I saw exactly the same thing going through 3/4" plywood and bought the saw on the spot. But what was even more interesting, he let go of the saw and tipped the plywood up a bit and the saw kept on cutting!

That barrel saw is my fourth. I use them more than anything else here.


----------



## cocobolo

I spent the entire afternoon milling up just over 100 pieces of clear cedar for the two panels to go in the door.

The plan is to have alternating pieces of 5/8" square stock and 5/8" x 1 5/16" stock. The wider stock will be perpendicular to the door face. 

In order to make it a little easier for the panel glue up, I machined two very shallow grooves - one in each side - in the wider stock. This is to allow the square stock to snuggle in to this shallow groove and hopefully remain square.


----------



## cocobolo

The next step was to add some relief to the ends of the wide stock.

A combination of the dado blade followed by sanding on the spindle sander did the trick.

Here is the dado setup for cutting the board ends. Four cuts per board, two of which were a little deeper. I want the raised portion of the panels to be higher on one side of the door than the other. 

To facilitate this, I made the two shallow grooves slightly offset from center.


----------



## cocobolo

The destructions with the spindle sander caution you to bolt the sander down with through bolts or lags. Failing that, you must attach the machine to some thick plywood and then clamp that securely to the work bench.

Naturally, I was expecting this thing to head off in all directions once I hit the go switch, but it just sat there spinning calmly away. No vibrations...nothing. It seems to me that it has more than enough mass to prevent such untoward behavior. 

And one other thing, sitting it on the workbench brings the sander to the perfect height for working on.


----------



## cocobolo

It still never fails to amaze me when the camera stops the action. I assure you, the machine is running in that pic.

After completing the sanding - a very rapid operation with this machine by the way - I put a few pieces together for a test fit.

Since everything seems to be in order, next up will be the actual panel glue up.


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmm...I see in that pic that the ends of the panel appear to be touching the center rail. Once the panels are glued, that will be remedied with some judicious trimming. There needs to be some room for the panels to float in the event of seasonal wood movement.

In this case the wood will be mounted vertically, which will have the least movement. The side gaps will need to be larger in anticipation of the greater horizontal movement.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Isn't that interesting about the demo...I saw exactly the same thing going through 3/4" plywood and bought the saw on the spot. But what was even more interesting, he let go of the saw and tipped the plywood up a bit and the saw kept on cutting!
> 
> That barrel saw is my fourth. I use them more than anything else here.


I didn't know the saw could be plunged through 3/4 plywood. I had, a Porter-Cable and Makita but I really like the Bosch best although the older Porter-Cable saws did cut smooth they just didn't oscillate.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I didn't know the saw could be plunged through 3/4 plywood. I had, a Porter-Cable and Makita but I really like the Bosch best although the older Porter-Cable saws did cut smooth they just didn't oscillate.


...and that's the secret of a good jigsaw. The adjustable oscillations. Bosch has had three positions for that as long as I can remember. Sure makes it a dream to cut with.


----------



## BigJim

I can't wait to see the panels in place, they are going to be sharp. Is your oscillating sander variable speed?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I can't wait to see the panels in place, they are going to be sharp. Is your oscillating sander variable speed?


The sander is single speed Jim. 

The up and down oscillations are quite slow, perhaps 1 per second.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night I glued up a small test section of one panel and it proved to be a little slower than I thought as well as trying to turn itself into a very minor curve.

After checking on some of the other non-glued pieces this morning, it may have been that the dado blade was not cutting a perfectly square bottom in the groove. So I ran the boards through the dado again this morning, but reversed from last nights' cut. It appears that it may work.

The short piece I glued last night was clamped down to the end of the bench, so it did come out flat this morning. Count another point for a good strong benchtop.

I had quite a time trying to glue and nail the pieces last night, so I decided that I would make a panel buck (like a door buck only smaller) to assemble the panels with. Really just a big jig.


----------



## cocobolo

After it was loaded up, it looks like this.


----------



## cocobolo

The small piece was the test done last night. One other thing I found handy was that I was able to sand the ends of the small panel on the oscillating sander all at once. Can't go any higher than that small panel though, that's as far as the sander reaches.

I guess I could maybe glue up half a dozen pieces at a time, then sand them gang style, then glue those small sections together. I'll give that some thought.


----------



## gma2rjc

Wow! That's going to be one beautiful door!

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! That's going to be one beautiful door!
> 
> Barb


Merci beaucoup!

I'm about 2/3 the way through gluing and nailing the first section. The boards are sitting loose in that pic. As soon as that one is done, I can pull it out and re-set the one side for the larger top section.

I should manage to be able to get them both done by suppertime. A few other things are on the list today as well.


----------



## gma2rjc

If I could get as much work done in one week as you do in one day, I'd be a happy camper! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

....and if I could get as much work done in a day as I _should, _then I'd be a happy camper too! 

Just going to give the first panel another half hour in the clamps and then do the second one.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, the second panel is now in clamps. Quite a bit of work to do one of these. No sense doing another picture, it's the same as the one above only a couple of inches longer.

I think it can remain clamped all night.

Time for a quick dinner break. :yes:


----------



## BigJim

That is going to be a one of a kind door Keith, I can't wait to see it finished, it is going to be a knock out. I hope you enjoy your supper buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Jim, I'll unlock the second panel in the morning and start the glue up process.

Have to go to town tomorrow to pick up wife number two from the ferry...so most of the day is toast.


----------



## cocobolo

The second panel has come out nicely...just headed over to town for the usual and to pick up the war department off the ferry.


----------



## jlhaslip

Did the War Department travel with the Finance Department?

Mine always does...

:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Did the War Department travel with the Finance Department?
> 
> Mine always does...
> 
> :whistling2:


Oboy...you are sharp today...that's hilarious!

Now that you mention it...:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Dang it...I _almost_ got the sunset tonight. Just not quite.


----------



## gma2rjc

That is frabjous!

Thought I should use a different word than beautiful or gorgeous. Although, those are accurate also.


----------



## BigJim

That is just breath taking buddy, that is a scene you would expect to see on the cover of National Geographic.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That is frabjous!
> 
> Thought I should use a different word than beautiful or gorgeous. Although, those are accurate also.


Frabjous...can I use that in front of my grand kids? :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is just breath taking buddy, that is a scene you would expect to see on the cover of National Geographic.


It's that time of year Jim, when we get the better sunsets. You never know until just a few minutes before the sun hits the mountains whether or not you may have a keeper in the making.

The best is usually when the line over the mountains is completely clear and there are broken clouds from there on up. That way the sun can hit the underside of the clouds which is what makes the good'uns.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Frabjous...can I use that in front of my grand kids? :whistling2:


:laughing:

Probably not. It was the 'word of the day' from dictionary.com a few weeks ago.


----------



## cocobolo

...aaaaagghh...somebody rap my knuckles...

I forgot to send another thanks out to sbmfj after watching that terrific video "Alone In The Wilderness" which he so kindly sent me.

He was right...it's a great show.

I note with some interest that he went up to Alaska in 1968, just one year before I went up to the Yukon.

The scenery in the movie was almost identical to the Yukon when we used to go up the Dempster Highway in the fall. It is right up inside the arctic circle, and gets so cold that you dare not risk shutting off your vehicle.

But the vistas are beyond breathtaking. These huge valleys which culminate in magnificent snow covered mountains 20 or more miles away. The air is so clear you think you can reach out and touch them! And as for the night sky...well...that's not even possible to describe in mere words. It has to be experienced in person.

Aurora Borealis stretching as far as the eye can see, all the while dancing up and down in vivid colour. How I wish I had a digital video camera back then!


----------



## jlhaslip

I'm thinking it would be suitable for kid's ears...

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/frabjous



> *Etymology*
> 
> Originally a nonce word in Lewis Carroll's _Jabberwocky_; probably a blend of fair, fabulous, and joyous.
> *[edit] Adjective*
> 
> *frabjous* (_comparative_ *more frabjous*, _superlative_ *most frabjous*)
> 
> 
> A nonce word in Lewis Carroll's _Jabberwocky_ meaning "fabulous and joyous". _O *frabjous* day! Callooh! Callay!_ — Lewis Carroll, _Jabberwocky_
> (informal) Great, wonderful, fabulous.
> *[edit] Usage notes*
> 
> 
> 
> Most frequently found as an exclamation or in the form "most frabjous".
> *[edit] Synonyms*
> 
> 
> 
> See also Wikisaurus:wonderful


----------



## cocobolo

Do you think anyone will mind if I sneak in with...

Coco's astronomy tip of the day?

What should you be looking for in the way of your first telescope?

Before I answer the question, let me make one point clear first. Aperture is king. Aperture is the size of your objective lens or mirror. It is the area of light gathering capacity of your telescope. The bigger the area, the more you can see. It's about that simple.

And the biggest bang for the buck is a reflecting telescope. That is to say, one which has a mirror and not a lens that you look right through. That is a refractor.

OK, so what should you get?

Look for a simple, economical smaller size reflector in the 6" or possibly 8" size. You will hardly believe what you can see with such a unit. Keep away from the bells and whistles, as that only adds to the cost in large quantities, and does little to let you see more.

I just spotted an 8" reflector, on a Dobsonian mount, for $330 in one of the astronomy mags. Just a short while ago, a 6" would have cost at least that much. And FWIW, the 8" scope has 77% greater area (aperture) than the 6". Makes a very big difference.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Do you think anyone will mind if I sneak in with...
> 
> Coco's astronomy tip of the day?
> 
> What should you be looking for in the way of your first telescope?
> 
> Before I answer the question, let me make one point clear first. Aperture is king. Aperture is the size of your objective lens or mirror. It is the area of light gathering capacity of your telescope. The bigger the area, the more you can see. It's about that simple.
> 
> And the biggest bang for the buck is a reflecting telescope. That is to say, one which has a mirror and not a lens that you look right through. That is a refractor.
> 
> OK, so what should you get?
> 
> Look for a simple, economical smaller size reflector in the 6" or possibly 8" size. You will hardly believe what you can see with such a unit. Keep away from the bells and whistles, as that only adds to the cost in large quantities, and does little to let you see more.
> 
> I just spotted an 8" reflector, on a Dobsonian mount, for $330 in one of the astronomy mags. Just a short while ago, a 6" would have cost at least that much. And FWIW, the 8" scope has 77% greater area (aperture) than the 6". Makes a very big difference.


This is going to be really neat, maybe I will learn some things. I have two questions, one is what does FWIW stand for? I have seen it several times and I have tried to figure out what it can stand for and I just can't get it. I know, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.:no:The other question is, what size is this one?


----------



## gma2rjc

FWIW - for what it's worth

Don't feel bad Jim. When I started on this forum, I thought roflmao meant real old fart laughing my a-- off.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> FWIW - for what it's worth
> 
> Don't feel bad Jim. When I started on this forum, I thought roflmao meant real old fart laughing my a-- off.


Oh No! You mean that's not it? Hehehe...


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> This is going to be really neat, maybe I will learn some things. I have two questions, one is what does FWIW stand for? I have seen it several times and I have tried to figure out what it can stand for and I just can't get it. I know, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.:no:The other question is, what size is this one?


These reflector scopes are measured by the size of their mirrors. And while the tube is 12", the mirror is 10". Therefore this is considered to be a 10" reflecting telescope. The mount is a Dobsonian...so the scope is usually referred to as a 10" Dob.

Very easy and simple to operate. Just as with anything else, all it takes is a little practice.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> FWIW - for what it's worth
> 
> Don't feel bad Jim. When I started on this forum, I thought roflmao meant real old fart laughing my a-- off.


Thanks Barb, there is a lot of stuff I don't know on some of these boards.:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> These reflector scopes are measured by the size of their mirrors. And while the tube is 12", the mirror is 10". Therefore this is considered to be a 10" reflecting telescope. The mount is a Dobsonian...so the scope is usually referred to as a 10" Dob.
> 
> Very easy and simple to operate. Just as with anything else, all it takes is a little practice.


Wow, I bet you can see for ever with that one.


----------



## gma2rjc

You're welcome. Last winter, the Diaper Swappers forum was down for a few days and a lot of the gals came on the Craft forum to look around. 

It was funny because I had to ask someone to tell us what all of their abbreviations meant - DS, DD, DH, WAHM, SAHM..... So someone gave us a whole list. That helped a lot.

Somewhere on the net there's a website that has pages and pages of those things.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

I don't have a clue what all of them mean.:no: I never hear of a forum like that either, I must have been living under a rock or something. There is a forum for just about anything a person can think of now days.


----------



## scoggy

*About the "lonesome voyager' film you saw*

Hi, Thought it was that one when you mentioned it awhile back..PBS, when they do their 'get money' campaigns, advertise the set of those for sale, and I 'caught' a sound byte that mentioned the lake, so I checked it out on Google Earth, and was able to zip right into, onto, and around the site of the cabin, very awesome place when you have seen it in that perspective! As far as the Dempster, anywhere along there in winter, and Dawson, or even Whitehorse in the day, if you left your car running and unlocked, and you came out and it was not there, it was prolly at the reserve, or Copper King, but still running ==8^)
Scoggy:yes::yes::yes:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Hi, Thought it was that one when you mentioned it awhile back..PBS, when they do their 'get money' campaigns, advertise the set of those for sale, and I 'caught' a sound byte that mentioned the lake, so I checked it out on Google Earth, and was able to zip right into, onto, and around the site of the cabin, very awesome place when you have seen it in that perspective! As far as the Dempster, anywhere along there in winter, and Dawson, or even Whitehorse in the day, if you left your car running and unlocked, and you came out and it was not there, it was prolly at the reserve, or Copper King, but still running ==8^)
> Scoggy:yes::yes::yes:


That's almost funny...except when it happens to you.

We always used to leave the wagon running when we went into Hougans, but nobody ever snitched it from there.

I used to leave the keys on the dash all the time, no matter where I was up there. Came out of the house one morning...no station wagon.

Some kind soul had taken it for a joyride up behind Hillcrest and ran it into a ditch about 12 feet deep with the engine still running. Of course, at that angle, there was very rapidly no oil at the oil pump and the bearings were cooked.

My insurance company was very good about it - even after I had told them that I always left the keys on the dash. I rebuilt the engine and they covered all the parts costs and a few bucks for labour.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, I bet you can see for ever with that one.


Not quite...but you can see one heckuva long way.

When the Hubble telescope took the ultra deep field photo, they aimed it at a piece of the universe which was blank. The camera took something like 100 hours of exposure, and it is truly mind boggling to see how many galaxies - just like ours - are in that completely blank spot in the sky.

What you can see depends on the magnitude of an object, which I will explain later.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Not quite...but you can see one heckuva long way.
> 
> When the Hubble telescope took the ultra deep field photo, they aimed it at a piece of the universe which was blank. The camera took something like 100 hours of exposure, and it is truly mind boggling to see how many galaxies - just like ours - are in that completely blank spot in the sky.
> 
> What you can see depends on the magnitude of an object, which I will explain later.


I was looking online at the size difference of the planets, it is just hard to wrap my mind around another planet being bigger than the earth. There are planets, or what ever they are called, out there that make the earth look like a speck in comparison. I saw that in an e-mail a while back and it just blew my mind. There is so much to learn and not enough time.


----------



## scoggy

*Northern "Stuff"*

Ah yes, Hoagan's, where my plaque for a huge fish I caught at Taguish Narrows, was,..until the old store burned down..but I digress,..sorry!
cHEERS
sCOGGY


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I was looking online at the size difference of the planets, it is just hard to wrap my mind around another planet being bigger than the earth. There are planets, or what ever they are called, out there that make the earth look like a speck in comparison. I saw that in an e-mail a while back and it just blew my mind. There is so much to learn and not enough time.


You and I must be a lot alike Jim, I couldn't learn all I wanted if I had 10 lifetimes to do it in.

Our planets vary from tiny to huge. The little ones, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are rocky. The big guys, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are what we call gas giants.

Pluto has been downgraded from one of our planets to that of a KBO, or Kuiper Belt Object, of which there are millions.

You have to consider that earth only has a diameter of about 8,000 miles, pretty tiny when you start comparing it to other stuff floating around out there.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Ah yes, Hoagan's, where my plaque for a huge fish I caught at Taguish Narrows, was,..until the old store burned down..but I digress,..sorry!
> cHEERS
> sCOGGY


When did Hogan's burn down? Must have been after I left in '74, so they can't pin it on me!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You and I must be a lot alike Jim, I couldn't learn all I wanted if I had 10 lifetimes to do it in.
> 
> Our planets vary from tiny to huge. The little ones, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are rocky. The big guys, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are what we call gas giants.
> 
> Pluto has been downgraded from one of our planets to that of a KBO, or Kuiper Belt Object, of which there are millions.
> 
> You have to consider that earth only has a diameter of about 8,000 miles, pretty tiny when you start comparing it to other stuff floating around out there.


Are the big planets rock and a lot of gas to make them look bigger? I guess they figured Pluto was so far away they would no allow it as one of our planets. (I just learned that Pluto was the farthest planet from Earth online)


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Are the big planets rock and a lot of gas to make them look bigger? I guess they figured Pluto was so far away they would no allow it as one of our planets. (I just learned that Pluto was the farthest planet from Earth online)


As far as we know, the outer planets are all gas, possibly with a liquid center.

Pluto was not formed as were the rest of our planets, it was captured. Which means that it decided to take a tour past our solar system one day and it got caught up in the general gravitational pull. It has a massive elongated orbit which takes it way more than our lifetimes to go round.

And don't forget that our solar system is but a minute portion of our galaxy.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> As far as we know, the outer planets are all gas, possibly with a liquid center.
> 
> Pluto was not formed as were the rest of our planets, it was captured. Which means that it decided to take a tour past our solar system one day and it got caught up in the general gravitational pull. It has a massive elongated orbit which takes it way more than our lifetimes to go round.
> 
> And don't forget that our solar system is but a minute portion of our galaxy.


That is amazing, I would have never even thought that some planets might be all gas. I wonder how gravity can have a draw on gas?

One thing that just boggles my mind is knowing there is no other side of the universe it just goes on and on for ever in every direction.


----------



## cocobolo

Here is one of the two stiles glued up today, both are done now.

The arbutus boards on the second one had a decided kink in them, about 1/4" or so. Therefore I faced one in each direction, and clamped them up very tightly, and between the two of them they managed to straighten themselves out.


----------



## cocobolo

Another one of those little jobs which has managed to get put off...the beam over the steps heading into the dining area has been sitting unattended for a ****'s age. A very old **** at that.

This morning I added some filler wood to bring the bottom board into line with the top one. It is an irregular fit, no surprise around here.

The cedar which I will cover this with has just been cut, and after a couple of coats of Varathane I will nail it on.

Hopefully I won't have to be looking at this hole beyond tomorrow.


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## cocobolo

Another use for the bench...a nice surface to clamp wood to for cutting biscuits.


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## cocobolo

Once both sides of that were cut, assembly followed.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is amazing, I would have never even thought that some planets might be all gas. I wonder how gravity can have a draw on gas?
> 
> One thing that just boggles my mind is knowing there is no other side of the universe it just goes on and on for ever in every direction.


Our atmosphere is gas, and gravity seems to be able to keep it in place.

The reason is that all gases have some weight, even if they are lighter than air. When you consider the sheer size of Jupiter, the gravitational pull is unbelievable. When something passes within a few hundred million miles of Jupiter, the gravitational pull affects whatever that may be.

And when I get around to tonight's astronomy tip, you will see an example of that.


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## gma2rjc

Did you make the half-round window in the background with the 'sunburst' in post #2903?


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Here is one of the two stiles glued up today, both are done now.
> 
> The arbutus boards on the second one had a decided kink in them, about 1/4" or so. Therefore I faced one in each direction, and clamped them up very tightly, and between the two of them they managed to straighten themselves out.


I have got to get out in the shop and see if I can round up enough wood to build a work table similar to yours, I love it. I can't wait to see the door.

Finishing up an area that has been left for a good while just feels good because I know I won't have to do that area again.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Our atmosphere is gas, and gravity seems to be able to keep it in place.
> 
> The reason is that all gases have some weight, even if they are lighter than air. When you consider the sheer size of Jupiter, the gravitational pull is unbelievable. When something passes within a few hundred million miles of Jupiter, the gravitational pull affects whatever that may be.
> 
> And when I get around to tonight's astronomy tip, you will see an example of that.


I always thought the gas around the earth was held in place because of the temperature being so cold up high. Outer space is so amazing, I wish I did know all there was to know about it.


----------



## cocobolo

This one?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I have got to get out in the shop and see if I can round up enough wood to build a work table similar to yours, I love it. I can't wait to see the door.
> 
> Finishing up an area that has been left for a good while just feels good because I know I won't have to do that area again.


Boy, isn't that the truth. Slowly but surely, all these odd bits and pieces are being attended to.

I probably won't be gluing up the balance of the door until tomorrow as i want some decent light to do that. But, we'll see.


----------



## gma2rjc

> This one?


That's the one!

Now that I'm looking at it closer, do the boards on the ceiling continue beyond the window to the outside?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I always thought the gas around the earth was held in place because of the temperature being so cold up high. Outer space is so amazing, I wish I did know all there was to know about it.


Nobody knows it all Jim...it's still a guessing game. Theories seem to change on a very regular basis every time they manage to discover something else.

One thing's for sure...it's about the most fascinating and interesting subject out there.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's the one!
> 
> Now that I'm looking at it closer, do the boards on the ceiling continue beyond the window to the outside?
> 
> Barb


No, they stop at the wall. Let me get you a pic of the outside (it's still light enough right now) and you will see the outside wall and soffit.

Back in a mo.


----------



## cocobolo

That was close, the sun is about 2º above the mountains! Almost missed it.

Had to round up a step ladder to get up in the air a bit. Sorry for the delay.


----------



## cocobolo

So, as you can see if you look at the ceiling inside, it only just clears the size of the window. That's what we call a barrel vault ceiling.

And of course the outside wall needed to be covered properly and the roof overhang soffited.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> So, as you can see if you look at the ceiling inside, it only just clears the size of the window. That's what we call a barrel vault ceiling.
> 
> And of course the outside wall needed to be covered properly and the roof overhang soffited.


Absolutely beautiful, that took some time to do that and it is just perfect. I have found if something looks good it takes a lot of time and if it really really looks good takes even more time.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 2)

How many of you have seen a comet in the night sky? Yes...no?

OK then, well you are in luck.

Comet Hartley 2 is up there right now and moving fast! This comet was only discovered in 1986 and this was due to several recent passes by Jupiter, which pulled the comets' orbit much closer to earth. So here we have Jupiters' gravity altering the course of a small object several million miles away.

Right now Hartley 2 is shining at about 6th magnitude. I did promise to explain that to you, and I will, just not right now. But a 6th magnitude object would just be visible on a clear, moonless night in a good dark area. Anywhere near a city doesn't qualify as dark.

However, binoculars or a telescope evens up the playing field for you, and even if you live somewhere like...oh, let's say...Chattanooga f'rinstance, you will be able to spot the comet. The catch is knowing _exactly_ where to look.

Now you all have time to get ready for this OK? Tomorrow night, Hartley 2 will be passing less than 1º south of the double cluster in Perseus. The double cluster is a well known astronomical object, and the clusters measure at magnitudes of 4.3 and 4.4. In itself, the double cluster is a sight to behold. You can see this with the unaided eye. Providing you have a clear, dark sky.

Either a telescope at very low power (the largest size eyepiece you have, which means the biggest number) or binoculars will do the job.

Can't find Perseus? Try this. Look up in the sky for a group of stars which look like a big W. One end of the W is a bit squished but there's not much I can do about that. If you can see the milky way at all, the W is in the middle of it.

Somewhat south of the short side of the W you should be able to find the double cluster - use binocs for this. Once you have found the clusters, you will know exactly what I mean.

Now Hartley 2 will be very close to the clusters both tomorrow and the following nights. It will surprise you as to just how faint it is, but nevertheless, that's your comet. It will be about 15 million miles away.

Good luck!


----------



## BigJim

Thanks buddy, I will see what I can find tomorrow evening. I will be looking for a W because I don't have a clue where 1° is. You really do know a lot about all that.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thanks buddy, I will see what I can find tomorrow evening. I will be looking for a W because I don't have a clue where 1° is. You really do know a lot about all that.


Jim, the 1º refers to how far south of the double cluster the comet will be.

I just went outside with the binocs, and I'm sad to say my night sky is so clear tonight that I can see the clusters_ and_ the Andromeda galaxy without even using any binoculars. Plus countless other clusters and so on. 

When I put the binocs up, there is an embarrassment of riches tonight. Everything is out of this world as it were. The fact that there is no moon - and no moon tomorrow night either - aids tremendously for night viewing.

If you were to look outside right now, I think the W should be high in the sky and due North of you. That is assuming your sky is clear, of course.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Can't find Perseus? Try this. Look up in the sky for a group of stars which look like a big W. *One end of the W is a bit squished but there's not much I can do about that.* If you can see the milky way at all, the W is in the middle of it.


:laughing:

Thanks for going to the trouble of getting a ladder and taking the picture!

Did you make the half-round window?


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :laughing:
> 
> Thanks for going to the trouble of getting a ladder and taking the picture!
> 
> Did you make the half-round window?


I did indeed...there may be something in the thread, although I'm really not too sure about that.

What I did was to work out how large a semi-circle I could get up in the ceiling after allowing for adequate insulation.

I started with a board for the window sill, then laminated up the curved piece for the outside of the window. After a little testing to get everything to fit, I put that piece in.

Next up was that sort of round chunk in the middle of the sunburst, followed by the mullions. Then glazing, finishing and Bob's yer uncle.


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## gma2rjc

Well it's a beautiful window.

I think you said something earlier in the thread about making 90+ windows for the house, but I don't remember anything about the round one.

But in another post you mentioned that the windows are double paned. I think it was when you were installing the frosted glass you got at the salvage yard. 

Did you have to do anything special to the windows to keep condensation from getting between the two panes on cold days?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Well it's a beautiful window.
> 
> I think you said something earlier in the thread about making 90+ windows for the house, but I don't remember anything about the round one.
> 
> But in another post you mentioned that the windows are double paned. I think it was when you were installing the frosted glass you got at the salvage yard.
> 
> Did you have to do anything special to the windows to keep condensation from getting between the two panes on cold days?
> 
> Barb


If the air is dry when the second pane goes in, there usually isn't any problem. If it's damp...then maybe.

Almost all of the windows are OK, except for some small ones which I sealed on both sides with a latex/silicone sealer. Oh, the seal is OK...but it didn't dawn on me for some time afterwards that the latex part of that sealer unquestionably added a trace of moisture to the air. On some days we can see the condensation. Not often, just enough to be annoying.

It will only get fixed if one of the windows gets broken.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I just went outside and there are so many trees in my line of fire to the north I can only see a few stars and also north of us is Raccoon Mountain so not able to see the horizon even if there were no trees. I am right now watching on the Science Channel "Wonders of the Solar System", they are telling about the rings around Saturn.

While outside I did go in the backyard were there are less lights shining and the stars are just brilliant tonight. I am serious when I say it took my breath it was so beautiful. I have got to get that telescope out and make some pictures. Thanks for your information and patience buddy.


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## cocobolo

The W should be much higher than the trees, if not then you will need to find a better spot. Just sent you an email on how to find the W.

You are about 14º further south than me, which means you only need to look 14º further north than I do to see an object. That's not much. Cassiopeia is almost overhead here (where the W is) so it should be quite high in your sky.

We are at 49º, you are about 35º.


----------



## scoggy

*Jim, to find your 'look' area*

Sorry, I am not trying to 'trump' CoCo, but for a new amateur, star gazing, find the big Dipper, 'sight' 2 times the length visually of the front part of the dipper, on the opposite side of the 'handle', and you will see the North Star...it is not really bright, just there..then..'sight' to the right and down 'abit', and you will see the 'top part' of Cassiopia's "W" crown, and just below the last segment of the "W", (towards the East up here), I believe, is the area that "coco" refers to. If not, 'my bags are packed'!
Cheers
Scoggy:jester::jester:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Sorry, I am not trying to 'trump' CoCo, but for a new amateur, star gazing, find the big Dipper, 'sight' 2 times the length visually of the front part of the dipper, on the opposite side of the 'handle', and you will see the North Star...it is not really bright, just there..then..'sight' to the right and down 'abit', and you will see the 'top part' of Cassiopia's "W" crown, and just below the last segment of the "W", (towards the East up here), I believe, is the area that "coco" refers to. If not, 'my bags are packed'!
> Cheers
> Scoggy:jester::jester:


That's about right. But don't forget that Ursa Major (big dipper) is on the opposite side to Cassie and Jim may not be able to see it where he is. In any event, the big "W" is easy enough to spot.

Do you have a scope Scoggy?


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## cocobolo

It's been a pretty busy day at the Coco household.

Got the boards for the overhead nicely coated and then installed. That is one small but quite noticeable project out of the way.


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## cocobolo

I know you won't believe this, but the floor in front of the kitchen counter is actually devoid of a huge pile of wood.

OK, so I sheepishly admit that I conned the missus into doing at least some of it...


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## cocobolo

Looks like there was some light rain over at the airport late this afternoon. We are due for the big dumping over the next 3 days.


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## cocobolo

Yesterday I got the tub all cleaned out...and yes, the mozzies - many thousands - were all dead. That cornmeal stuff works a treat.

Today I filled the tub for the first time.


----------



## BigJim

I finally got to see the W this morning or tonight which ever way you look at it. At 2:50 AM it was almost straight over head. We usually go to the grocery late at night and we just got back. That was exciting to find it. I never did see the big dipper though.

I really do like the way the wood you installed has the different shades in them, it does look sharp buddy.

The picture of the tub and beyond is just fantastic and I see my table down there also. With your beautiful wood creations and your sweety's wonderful flowers it makes a perfect picture, you two are truly blessed.

The picture of the bay sure is beautiful also, if you don't need that rain up your way send it down here we are way behind in rain fall.


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## gma2rjc

The boards on the overhead add a nice touch to that area. They look nice.

Great picture of the clouds and sun!

The hot tub, flowers and decks all look so inviting! If you and Mrs. C ever run out of things to do around the house, you could start a yard design company. 

What's the temperature of the hot tub? :jester:


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## cocobolo

What's the temperature of the hot tub? :jester:

Don't make me laugh too hard! I did think about it for a nanosecond...but only as a joke! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I finally got to see the W this morning or tonight which ever way you look at it. At 2:50 AM it was almost straight over head. We usually go to the grocery late at night and we just got back. That was exciting to find it. I never did see the big dipper though.
> 
> I really do like the way the wood you installed has the different shades in them, it does look sharp buddy.
> 
> The picture of the tub and beyond is just fantastic and I see my table down there also. With your beautiful wood creations and your sweety's wonderful flowers it makes a perfect picture, you two are truly blessed.
> 
> The picture of the bay sure is beautiful also, if you don't need that rain up your way send it down here we are way behind in rain fall.


Congratulations on finding the W. The Big Dipper (Ursa Major, the Great Bear) is considerably farther north. You will more likely see that in the springtime as earth moves to the other side of the sun and our tilt - relative to the stars - becomes more favourable.

Don't worry Jim, I'm taking good care of your table!

The rain finally got here about an hour ago, and we are well and truly socked in now.

Now that you know where the W is, maybe tonight you can use a pair of binoculars to find the double cluster. Tonight the comet is still very close to the double cluster. We won't get to see it for a few days now until the weather clears.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 3)

Light has everything to do with astronomy...that's how things are measured in astronomical terms.

So how do we do that?

Well, it all has to do with the speed of light, which is about 186,000 miles a second - or 300,000 kilometers a second whichever you prefer.

Frequently, you will find items mentioned as being so many light years away. And to find out just how far a light year is you would take the number of seconds in a minute (60) multiply that by the number of minutes in an hour (60) multiply that by the number of hours in a day (24) multiply that by the number of days in a year (365).

That comes out to 31,536,000 seconds in a year and now you would still need to multiply that by 186,000 to see how many miles light actually goes in one year.

Bottom line is 5,865,696,000,000 miles in a light year. Now, I didn't allow for a leap year - just to keep things simple - but if you want to include the extra 1/4 day every year, that amounts to an extra 4,017,600,000 miles.

I don't know if you can even wrap your head around this one, but now can you imagine an object being millions of light years away? And what's even more amazing - being able to see it with the naked eye?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Congratulations on finding the W. The Big Dipper (Ursa Major, the Great Bear) is considerably farther north. You will more likely see that in the springtime as earth moves to the other side of the sun and our tilt - relative to the stars - becomes more favourable.
> 
> Don't worry Jim, I'm taking good care of your table!
> 
> The rain finally got here about an hour ago, and we are well and truly socked in now.
> 
> Now that you know where the W is, maybe tonight you can use a pair of binoculars to find the double cluster. Tonight the comet is still very close to the double cluster. We won't get to see it for a few days now until the weather clears.


If nothing happens tonight I will be outside looking for the cluster. As far as it looks now it will be clear again.

Keith, there is no way anyone one could fathom that much distance. I believe one could study the universe and in their life time not learn it all. One think that just blows my mind is the size of some of the bodies out there, they make the earth look like a grain of sand. Wouldn't it be neat to be able to fly to each one and check all of them out personally.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> If nothing happens tonight I will be outside looking for the cluster. As far as it looks now it will be clear again.
> 
> Keith, there is no way anyone one could fathom that much distance. I believe one could study the universe and in their life time not learn it all. One think that just blows my mind is the size of some of the bodies out there, they make the earth look like a grain of sand. Wouldn't it be neat to be able to fly to each one and check all of them out personally.


I saw your weather forecast and it looks good for tonight. :thumbsup:

Speaking of grains of sand, here's a little tidbit for you.

If you were to hold a grain of sand out at arm's length - well, that is the area that Hubble viewed for both the deep field and ultra deep field pictures. To think that in an area that small there exists literally hundreds of other _galaxies_, never mind just planets, is truly mind boggling.

The light from those other galaxies has been traveling for over 13 billion years to reach the Hubble sensors.


----------



## shumakerscott

To get a visual perspective check this out. http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/...ddFacet=9004:A157&navAction=jump&code=MR80002


----------



## cocobolo

Some time back, wife number 2 decided that she wanted some sort of finish on the slate tiles around the two wood stoves. No problem...so far.

She did the finish on the walls in the breakfast nook. No problem...so far.

Next she tackled the second wood stove area. No Problem...so far.

However, before she was quite finished the second one, she took a short break. No problem...so far.

She doesn't quite know what happened next, but about half a dozen of the tiles came out a horrible milky colour - obviously something was not quite right in China. Problem.

Yesterday, after having looked at these tiles for quite long enough, she attempted to remove the finish. It was a polyurethane product. Any of you who know this stuff are aware that it is pretty tough and not the easiest thing to get off.

In any event, we have the goods for removal, but for whatever reason it didn't seem to work well. She tried to re-apply her finish of choice today, and while there was some improvement, it wasn't nearly good enough.

Fortunately, she only gets these flashes of brilliance on rare occasions, and thus it was left up to me to fix the problem. Her first suggestion was that I remove the tiles in question with some new ones.

My immediate request for her to vacate the house before I could find a suitable weapon of destruction with which to inflict serious bodily harm on her person resulted in her extremely rapid departure. Following which I brought out the heavy artillery in the form of a grinder to get rid of the ugliness.

She will now be invited - very politely I might add - to have yet another go at completing her finishing attempt.

This is after the grinder attack had taken place.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I saw your weather forecast and it looks good for tonight. :thumbsup:
> 
> Speaking of grains of sand, here's a little tidbit for you.
> 
> If you were to hold a grain of sand out at arm's length - well, that is the area that Hubble viewed for both the deep field and ultra deep field pictures. To think that in an area that small there exists literally hundreds of other _galaxies_, never mind just planets, is truly mind boggling.
> 
> The light from those other galaxies has been traveling for over 13 billion years to reach the Hubble sensors.


You are right, that is totally mind boggling. Just going outside and looking at the stars on a moonless night out away from the lights of the city makes me feel ever so small, there is just no way to grasp the magnitude of outer space. The info about the Hubble is just unreal.

I will go outside after while and see if I can see the Double Clusters and then the comet.


----------



## BigJim

shumakerscott said:


> To get a visual perspective check this out. http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/...ddFacet=9004:A157&navAction=jump&code=MR80002


Thanks DD, we appreciate the link.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Some time back, wife number 2 decided that she wanted some sort of finish on the slate tiles around the two wood stoves. No problem...so far.
> 
> She did the finish on the walls in the breakfast nook. No problem...so far.
> 
> Next she tackled the second wood stove area. No Problem...so far.
> 
> However, before she was quite finished the second one, she took a short break. No problem...so far.
> 
> She doesn't quite know what happened next, but about half a dozen of the tiles came out a horrible milky colour - obviously something was not quite right in China. Problem.
> 
> Yesterday, after having looked at these tiles for quite long enough, she attempted to remove the finish. It was a polyurethane product. Any of you who know this stuff are aware that it is pretty tough and not the easiest thing to get off.
> 
> In any event, we have the goods for removal, but for whatever reason it didn't seem to work well. She tried to re-apply her finish of choice today, and while there was some improvement, it wasn't nearly good enough.
> 
> Fortunately, she only gets these flashes of brilliance on rare occasions, and thus it was left up to me to fix the problem. Her first suggestion was that I remove the tiles in question with some new ones.
> 
> My immediate request for her to vacate the house before I could find a suitable weapon of destruction with which to inflict serious bodily harm on her person resulted in her extremely rapid departure. Following which I brought out the heavy artillery in the form of a grinder to get rid of the ugliness.
> 
> She will now be invited - very politely I might add - to have yet another go at completing her finishing attempt.
> 
> This is after the grinder attack had taken place.


That is some pretty slate, that is going to look sharp behind your stove. I wonder why the finish whited out like that. 

Buddy, if you get "How it is made" on TV up your way, check out the way they made some curved cabinet doors. I kick myself for not thinking of that. It should be on later tonight up your way.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is some pretty slate, that is going to look sharp behind your stove. I wonder why the finish whited out like that.
> 
> Buddy, if you get "How it is made" on TV up your way, check out the way they made some curved cabinet doors. I kick myself for not thinking of that. It should be on later tonight up your way.


Not to tell tales out of school...but wife number 2 picked up the wrong can on her return. Ooops! 

I haven't heard of "How it is made"...but then I'm not much of a TV watcher. I will ask the missus to see if she knows of it. She is very well versed on the subject. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 4)

Let's talk magnitude's.

When we speak of magnitude in astronomical terms, we are referring to the apparent brightness - or faintness as the case may be - of an astronomical object.

It could be the moon, a planet, a star or indeed even the sun.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, a Greek astronomer by the name of Hipparchus devised a system to methodically rate the brightness of a celestial object. He considered that the brightest stars should be first magnitude and the faintest detectable by the human eye as sixth magnitude.

Since then the numbers have been added to - remember there were no telescopes in the days of Hipparchus, so he could not see any fainter stars.

Today, the scale goes from +30 to -30. Perhaps oddly, the plus numbers are the dullest objects, while the minus numbers are the brighter ones.

With each numerical change of 1, either plus or minus, the change in brightness is 2 1/2 times. Therefore a first magnitude star is very nearly 100 times brighter than a sixth magnitude star.

Some examples.

The brightest star in the night sky is Sirius at magnitude -1. Venus is up to -4, a full moon is -12 to -13, the sun is -27.

The human eye can detect down to magnitude 6 without optical aid, given a clear, moonless sky. Good binoculars will increase that to about magnitude 9. An 8" telescope will get you down to magnitude 13. The 8" scopes are about the most popular size, striking a balance between cost, weight and ease of use.

The big guns in Hawaii, the Keck telescopes for example, have mirrors which stretch 10 meters across. The combination of something the size of the Keck's and CCD imaging can boost the magnitude to 27. Only Hubble and it's kind can exceed that. And to do so it takes photographic exposures which may run to a week or more.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is really interesting, that is kinda strange the way they have the brightness numbered. I'm headed outside, back later.

I did find the Double Clusters but there is just too much light out in the front yard and too many trees out back to see well. My binoculars are not real good either. I think soon Judy and I will go up on one of the mountains around here and see what we can see from there.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that is really interesting, that is kinda strange the way they have the brightness numbered. I'm headed outside, back later.
> 
> I did find the Double Clusters but there is just too much light out in the front yard and too many trees out back to see well. My binoculars are not real good either. I think soon Judy and I will go up on one of the mountains around here and see what we can see from there.


Well done Jim!!

As soon as you get away from the city lights, the skies will open up for you.

The clusters are both about magnitude 4. (4.3 and 4.4)

If you go for the comet, what you will be looking for is a faint fuzzball. If you have a tripod that you can sit the binocs on, you should be able to find it. Don't look for anything big - it's going to be very small.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus opted to let me try the refinish on the tiles...chicken.


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## cocobolo

Rapidly closing in on the kitchen countertop. 

Now that all the pieces have been found, I will start on the top gluing tomorrow.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, the color really came through on your slate, that is sharp.

The kitchen is going to be interesting, cabinets and kitchen things are some of my favorite things.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim: I did ask the missus last night if she has heard of the "How it is made" show. No, she had not.

I searched it, and it seems that there are all sorts of episodes out there, but I couldn't specifically find one on the curved doors.

But in any event, I am only planning on doing straight drawer fronts and doors anyway.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I did ask the missus last night if she has heard of the "How it is made" show. No, she had not.
> 
> I searched it, and it seems that there are all sorts of episodes out there, but I couldn't specifically find one on the curved doors.
> 
> But in any event, I am only planning on doing straight drawer fronts and doors anyway.


Keith, I do remember you saying you were building straight doors, (hard to believe I know) I just thought you might like to see how they made the curved doors and frames. it was very simple, a lot of work but simple.

I hope you have a super day buddy.

I did find the episode for the curved doors but I couldn't find where the video played, here is the name of the episode if you want to try to get it to work,

*Episode 12* 
Learn how air boats, onions, 3D metal printing and curved cabinet doors are made.
It is on the Science Channel


----------



## Bud Cline

*FWIW!!!! (If anyone cares)*

Typically when a sealer that has been applied to a stone surface turns milky or white (flashes) it would be a sign of moisture content of the stone. This isn't necessarily the only cause of 'flashing' but in general terms would be the primary suspect.

Stone used on a buildings interior would be less likely to flash (if allowed ample time to dry from the moisture introduced by the adhesive) unless of course it (the stone) had been applied to an exterior wall. Stone applied to an exterior wall would/could always (then) be susceptible to some moisture content comings and goings.

Typically sealers/finishes/coatings being applied to (interior) stone installations should be a product manufactured specifically for that purpose. Most all _stone sealers are _made to be "vapor transmissive" so-as to allow any moisture accumulating on the backside to eventually escape via the evaporation process through the front side. 
Varnishes and polyurethanes would not qualify necessarily qualify (IF) the possibility of moisture migration is present from a source other than the surface.

How in the world a liquid sealer applied to a surface can possibly be vapor-transmissive escapes my personal ability to reason - but, that's what they do.

Once again I have exhausted my knowledge of this subject. Now, if the stone has not been applied to an exterior wall, and has had sufficient time to dry, then I have have no idea what the hell has happened.


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## cocobolo

I think before the top goes on the curved counter that I should make the drawer carcasses. So, to that end I have been cutting up the plywood this morning to do just that.

There is a slight hitch in that the drawer fronts will be at varying angles as we travel around the inside of the curve.

There are only 4 possible spaces that drawers will be able to fit on that main counter, so it isn't quite that bad.

I should have some pics later to show at least some of the process I went through.


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *FWIW!!!! (If anyone cares)*
> 
> Typically when a sealer that has been applied to a stone surface turns milky or white (flashes) it would be a sign of moisture content of the stone. This isn't necessarily the only cause of 'flashing' but in general terms would be the primary suspect.
> 
> Stone used on a buildings interior would be less likely to flash (if allowed ample time to dry from the moisture introduced by the adhesive) unless of course it (the stone) had been applied to an exterior wall. Stone applied to an exterior wall would/could always (then) be susceptible to some moisture content comings and goings.
> 
> Typically sealers/finishes/coatings being applied to (interior) stone installations should be a product manufactured specifically for that purpose. Most all _stone sealers are _made to be "vapor transmissive" so-as to allow any moisture accumulating on the backside to eventually escape via the evaporation process through the front side.
> Varnishes and polyurethanes would not qualify necessarily qualify (IF) the possibility of moisture migration is present from a source other than the surface.
> 
> How in the world a liquid sealer applied to a surface can possibly be vapor-transmissive escapes my personal ability to reason - but, that's what they do.
> 
> Once again I have exhausted my knowledge of this subject. Now, if the stone has not been applied to an exterior wall, and has had sufficient time to dry, then I have have no idea what the hell has happened.


Sorry Bud, I missed your post there.

The missus actually grabbed the wrong can entirely when she came back from her break...the first stuff she used was just fine. The slate had been dry for ages when the finish was put on, but I can certainly see that any moisture trapped could cause that problem.

She has finally deigned to come over to the house today and has given her 75% approval. That's about as good a rating as I could ever expect from her, so I'm happy.


----------



## cocobolo

Whew! Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? 

The missus has been painting some of the trims I made for the doors a few days ago. It seems the only door that will be varnished now will be the one presently being made for the master bedroom.

I have several of the drawers in clamps right now on the bench, and as soon as lunch is done I'll get some pics.


----------



## cocobolo

Most of you know my liking for the Japanese handsaws...with a little practice, they are deadly accurate.

The drawers going in the main cabinet have different angles across their fronts, and I found the easiest way to make the drawer was to cut the plywood for the bottom first, then fit everything else (front, back and sides) around that.

This does mean that the front and sides need to have the appropriate angle cut.

You can split a thin pencil line with the pull saws...like so.


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## cocobolo

This shows the typical amount the drawers are away from being square.


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## cocobolo

First small drawer carcase...sitting loose, not glued up yet.


----------



## cocobolo

The small pile of drawer parts from one sheet of 3/4" plywood...plus the bottoms from 3/8" ply.


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## cocobolo

Here's the first five drawer carcasses glued up and clamped to the bench. I trust that will keep them square while they dry.


----------



## BigJim

It looks like you have things going your way, they shouldn't warp clamped to your work table like that for sure. You have another tool I have been wanting, a Japanese Saw, they are some really fine tools and they make great chisels also.

I know some will call me lazy but I hate making dovetail drawers, The only time I made them is when my customers asked for them. I truly feel they are a waste of time, I am sure some will disagree with me, everyone has their own way of thinking, I guess.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It looks like you have things going your way, they shouldn't warp clamped to your work table like that for sure. You have another tool I have been wanting, a Japanese Saw, they are some really fine tools and they make great chisels also.
> 
> I know some will call me lazy but I hate making dovetail drawers, The only time I made them is when my customers asked for them. I truly feel they are a waste of time, I am sure some will disagree with me, everyone has their own way of thinking, I guess.


There are still a few manufacturers who make dovetail drawers today, few and far between. Even with the automated processes available, it still adds to the expense considerably.

Today's consumers - who are basically only interested in quick, cheap and throwaway products - aren't often interested in paying more for the better quality product. Even though in the end it's usually worth it.

Besides, I would have needed to use solid lumber if it was going to be dovetailed construction. I do have the jigs and bits, but even with that, the time is still considerably greater to make using that method.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> There are still a few manufacturers who make dovetail drawers today, few and far between. Even with the automated processes available, it still adds to the expense considerably.
> 
> Today's consumers - who are basically only interested in quick, cheap and throwaway products - aren't often interested in paying more for the better quality product. Even though in the end it's usually worth it.
> 
> Besides, I would have needed to use solid lumber if it was going to be dovetailed construction. I do have the jigs and bits, but even with that, the time is still considerably greater to make using that method.


That is the way I build my drawers, with plywood. I am not knocking dove tail drawers, they are a sign of quality but they are unnecessary to me, but that is just me.

One thing I did on many of the cabinets I built was to make the shelving in the base cabinets pull outs like drawers, it makes it easier to reach things in the back.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is the way I build my drawers, with plywood. I am not knocking dove tail drawers, they are a sign of quality but they are unnecessary to me, but that is just me.
> 
> One thing I did on many of the cabinets I built was to make the shelving in the base cabinets pull outs like drawers, it makes it easier to reach things in the back.


Nothing wrong with plywood drawers Jim.

Here's two of the dovetail jigs and bits I have.


----------



## cocobolo

I got a box full of the full extension slides for the drawers, and if the missus decides that it's too awkward to get at the back of the shelves at the bottom, then I can do the same thing as you did Jim.

We were thinking about that anyway, and for the relatively small amount of materials it's no big deal to put in. I have to get more plywood anyway to finish the drawers, so what's another sheet?

These slides will carry a 100 lb. load per pair.


----------



## gma2rjc

Will you add screws or nails to the drawers for added strength?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Will you add screws or nails to the drawers for added strength?


Yes...the drawers are all fitted together with dadoes so the wood can't go anywhere, then it is glued and nailed.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Nothing wrong with plywood drawers Jim.
> 
> Here's two of the dovetail jigs and bits I have.


It would take me a little while to figure out how to set your jig, mine has the clamps where both the front and side are cut at the same time. I guess the main reason I don't like the dove tails is setting the cutter. It has to be right on as there is no forgiveness with that bad boy. 

Buddy, you got the high dollar slides but if you want the drawers to fully extend that is the ones to use and you are right, they are heavy duty. I like that type of slide as it is easy to mount but then the other slides are easy also.


----------



## cocobolo

That's true about the setup. It always seems to take some trial and error. But once it's set right then you're away. The other thing is you need a different setting for every different thickness of wood.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 5)

At some point, if you show an interest in the night sky, it might be well worth acquiring a good book on the basics.

A fellow named Terence Dickinson has written a book called NightWatch...a very apt title for a book on the subject. If I had to suggest just one book, this would be it.

It guides a newcomer to the skies through simple and clear steps, as well as explaining what instruments you might want to use.

Tomorrow, we will chat about viewing both the sun and moon. Very special equipment is necessary for _safely_ viewing the sun. We'll fill you in so you can enjoy the views of sunspots inexpensively.

Good luck if you are out comet hunting tonight! Hartley 2 is still near the double cluster.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 5)
> 
> At some point, if you show an interest in the night sky, it might be well worth acquiring a good book on the basics.
> 
> A fellow named Terence Dickinson has written a book called NightWatch...a very apt title for a book on the subject. If I had to suggest just one book, this would be it.
> 
> It guides a newcomer to the skies through simple and clear steps, as well as explaining what instruments you might want to use.
> 
> Tomorrow, we will chat about viewing both the sun and moon. Very special equipment is necessary for _safely_ viewing the sun. We'll fill you in so you can enjoy the views of sunspots inexpensively.
> 
> Good luck if you are out comet hunting tonight! Hartley 2 is still near the double cluster.


Thanks Keith, I will be looking to buy that book, I can't get enough of all the new things out there. I am once again watching the Science channel about the solar system. One thing that puzzles me though, they have spoken of ice in outer space. Can ice be made or form when there is no oxygen, as water is part oxygen?


----------



## cocobolo

I believe there might be ice on some of the planets and moons which may not necessary be water ice.

I wish my chemistry was good enough to let you know which types of molecular structures could freeze. I think you can have methane ice, and I'm fairly sure there are others. But oxygen does exist in places other than earth.

We are able to measure all sorts of things in space by spectroscopy, and there are some very recent and extremely powerful telescopes with that ability up in space right now. Our scientists can often tell the composition of an object using spectroscopy. It's all a few layers above my level of understanding. 

I'm quite happy to just be able to take a look at what's up there on clear nights!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I believe there might be ice on some of the planets and moons which may not necessary be water ice.
> 
> I wish my chemistry was good enough to let you know which types of molecular structures could freeze. I think you can have methane ice, and I'm fairly sure there are others. But oxygen does exist in places other than earth.
> 
> We are able to measure all sorts of things in space by spectroscopy, and there are some very recent and extremely powerful telescopes with that ability up in space right now. Our scientists can often tell the composition of an object using spectroscopy. It's all a few layers above my level of understanding.
> 
> I'm quite happy to just be able to take a look at what's up there on clear nights!


I am with you there buddy, I attended a lecture by a Physicist several years ago and most of what he said just went right over my head. The things I did understand were just phenomenal.

That is really interesting to know oxygen does exist in other places than Earth. I hope you have a great night buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

...you too, Jim. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I just got a second undercoat on the trims that the missus did earlier today.

She got the idea to stack this stuff on some stands we have here - but laid sideways. That way it gave her 3 surfaces to stack on. Good idea.


----------



## cocobolo

More assembly on the door this morning. First thing was to check the outer boards on the rails. One needed a short trim. 

The saw is capable of easily taking off less than 1/16" very accurately.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm taking each step slowly with the door...and now the three center pieces of the rails are glued in place. Squaring up the middle one here. I feel it is necessary to do this to every one carefully so as to avoid any surprises in the final assembly.


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> More assembly on the door this morning. First thing was to check the outer boards on the rails. One needed a short trim.
> 
> The saw is capable of easily taking off less than 1/16" very accurately.


Love that saw. I have a smaller ie.. cheaper version. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

The glue I'm using sets up sufficiently within one hour so that further work may be done. Here I'm gluing the lower board on the bottom rail. But I don't have clamps which reach 12" or more.

So the solution is to clamp a good hefty piece of wood above the clamping area in question, and then use a series of wedges to exert the required force on to your boards.

First up, I used a 4 x 4 to give lots of strength and clamped it to the bottom of the door.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Love that saw. I have a smaller ie.. cheaper version. dorf dude...


I don't think these are expensive Shu...about $30 and around $15 for the replacement blades.


----------



## cocobolo

Following the install of the 4 x 4, I added shingle shims in pairs underneath to provide clamping pressure. In one hour I'll move that setup to the middle rail and do it all over again.

A dead blow hammer sets the shims perfectly.


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> Following the install of the 4 x 4, I added shingle shims in pairs underneath to provide clamping pressure. In one hour I'll move that setup to the middle rail and do it all over again.
> 
> A dead blow hammer sets the shims perfectly.


I think you need a rock clamp there:yes:. dd...


----------



## jlhaslip

shumakerscott said:


> I think you need a rock clamp there:yes:. dd...


:lol:

If you need a rock, I'll shake one out of my skull...


----------



## BigJim

shumakerscott said:


> I think you need a rock clamp there:yes:. dd...


Yep, yep, I agree.:thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Following the install of the 4 x 4, I added shingle shims in pairs underneath to provide clamping pressure. In one hour I'll move that setup to the middle rail and do it all over again.
> 
> A dead blow hammer sets the shims perfectly.


That is good thinking on extending your clamps, I like that.

I love the saw also, does it cut on the pull or push?


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I think you need a rock clamp there:yes:. dd...


Now why didn't I think of that?


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> :lol:
> 
> If you need a rock, I'll shake one out of my skull...


That's OK, but this whole island is nothing but rocks! Besides, with Canada Posts' rates you couldn't afford to send the rock out this way! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is good thinking on extending your clamps, I like that.
> 
> I love the saw also, does it cut on the pull or push?


Japanese saws traditionally cut on the pull stroke Jim.

They can be made very thin just for that reason. If they were made to cut on the push stroke, they would buckle.


----------



## cocobolo

Just one section of the door remaining to fit...and in the interim I have started to add the slides to the drawers.

You would think that for the not inconsiderable price these things cost, that there might be some basic instructions or hints on the best way to install them.

What we get is the English translation of the Taiwanese version. Similar to instructions on assembling their tools. At least it makes for an interesting few minutes of trying to deduce how these things come apart to be installed.

And NO, they will not fit until they are disassembled. There is no way to get the screws on to the cabinet pieces, the slide itself must go.

First attempt resulted in me removing a small plastic clip. The slide came apart all right...but it left ball bearings all over the floor! OK, I guess that wasn't it! :no:


----------



## cocobolo

However, if you just pull this guy here to one side, the drawer section just slides right out, and the ball bearings stay in place...no problemo.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, the way I put that type of slide on is to mount it flush with the bottom of the drawer box while it sits on the table. I will figure out how much clearance I need from the drawer side to the bottom of the cabinet and cut a scrap board that width and use it for a gauge and put the scrap wood inside the cabinet and set the other part of the slide on the scrap and mount it to the cabinet side. I always start with the top drawer so the slides below won't get in the way of my scrap gauge block.

When you take the slide apart the narrow part goes on the drawer side, if you are putting the drawer dead on the bottom of the cabinet, the other half of the slide being wider and mounted dead on the floor of the cabinet, there will be enough clearance for the drawer to slide in and out without dragging.

You will need 1 inch clearance, for the rough opening, to allow for the slides on the side of the drawer boxes.

You probably already knew that but since I do everything backwards I figured you may not know that way.

Oh, be sure to set the front of the slide (one in cabinet box) in maybe a heavy 1/16th inside the cabinet so the slide will allow the drawer front to close all the way against the cabinet box.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, the way I put that type of slide on is to mount it flush with the bottom of the drawer box while it sits on the table. I will figure out how much clearance I need from the drawer side to the bottom of the cabinet and cut a scrap board that width and use it for a gauge and put the scrap wood inside the cabinet and set the other part of the slide on the scrap and mount it to the cabinet side. I always start with the top drawer so the slides below won't get in the way of my scrap gauge block.
> 
> When you take the slide apart the narrow part goes on the drawer side, if you are putting the drawer dead on the bottom of the cabinet, the other half of the slide being wider and mounted dead on the floor of the cabinet, there will be enough clearance for the drawer to slide in and out without dragging.
> 
> You will need 1 inch clearance, for the rough opening, to allow for the slides on the side of the drawer boxes.
> 
> You probably already knew that but since I do everything backwards I figured you may not know that way.
> 
> Oh, be sure to set the front of the slide (one in cabinet box) in maybe a heavy 1/16th inside the cabinet so the slide will allow the drawer front to close all the way against the cabinet box.


Wow! I can't believe it ...you must have been reading my mail!!! 

I had to do a little looking - and it sure wasn't on the Taiwanese instructions. The side clearance needs to be 1/2" +1/32 -0 on each side, so that's 1", _just like you say.

_I have already put the narrow part on the drawer sides, _just like you say._

But I didn't mount it right at the bottom of the drawer. I used a spacer - as you will see in a minute.

All the top row drawers are 5" deep, and the larger bottom ones are just under 12". The missus wanted room for her bigger pots in there.

Something else I checked was that 1/16" setback. That's what I discovered also, but when I tested the actual mechanism, it moved 1/4" back before it unlocked. It's the touch-to-open type. So I left 1/4" space.

If it's too much, well then I'll just have to move it ahead.


----------



## cocobolo

I decided that I would mount all the slides the same distance above the drawer bottoms, and the measurement of choice was this piece of a broken level which seemed just about perfect. It was a four footer at one time.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 6)

In order to look at the sun _safely, _you either need a dedicated solar telescope, or a specialized filter.

The least expensive of these options is the filter which can be used with almost any telescope. You would either buy or make a filter for your particular scope.

These special filters permit the passage of only 1/1000 of 1% of the light to pass through them. Perhaps you might be inclined to think that this wouldn't be enough...not so.

You should get a clear image of the sun with any activity showing up very distinctly.

Dedicated solar scopes are quite uncommon birds, and are on the expensive side. These telescopes view the sun directly in Ha, or Hydrogen alpha light. The Ha line shows all the smallest details of any activity, be it a sunspot or any form of prominence around the perimeter of the sun.

There is a considerably newer scope which views the CaK line. This shows a completely different level of the suns' surface, and is actually more suited to photographic use. It gives you a preview of what is coming up on the surface before it actually gets there. The CaK line being just below the surface of the sun that we see every day.

Here is one of the less expensive black and white type filters. Sometimes referred to as a Baader filter, as they sell the film from which these are made. This fits on my 10" scope.


----------



## cocobolo

This solar filter fits on my long tube 6" reflector telescope. It is made from plywood rings and the Baader solar film.


----------



## cocobolo

This telescope is a dedicated solar scope made by Coronado before the days they were bought out by Meade.

The original Coronado folks have re-emerged as Lunt Solar, and now make some of the finest solar scopes out there.

I have their 60mm CaK unit which is on loan to a good friend of mine right now. I will see if I can con him into taking a pic of it for me.


----------



## BigJim

Wow buddy, you have some serious equipment. I wouldn't know which one to use when. I bet you have seen some really beautiful things out there. I don't see how any light could get through that one filter. 

We appreciate the great tips.


----------



## gma2rjc

3,000 posts! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, thank you very much, and we did it with your help and on just _one_ thread! :thumbsup:

On to the next 1,000! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow buddy, you have some serious equipment. I wouldn't know which one to use when. I bet you have seen some really beautiful things out there. I don't see how any light could get through that one filter.
> 
> We appreciate the great tips.


It is hard to believe, isn't it? Only 1/1,000 of one percent of the light gets past the filter. Yet you are able to see the finest of detail on the surface of the sun.

For those truly interested, the Ha line is 656.28 nm (nanometers) and the CaK line - much cooler - is 393.4 nm. Not that the sun is exactly cool anywhere, being, as it is, a nuclear furnace.

And did you know that the sun spins so quickly that it is fatter than it is tall? And that the middle spins faster than the top and bottom? Quite the interesting star is our sun.


----------



## cocobolo

I see I managed to forget about viewing the moon...oh, well...that will be for tomorrow night now. And yes, even the moon needs a special filter. Nothing like the sun, but it still needs to be damped down a whole lot so it doesn't blow your night vision away.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It is hard to believe, isn't it? Only 1/1,000 of one percent of the light gets past the filter. Yet you are able to see the finest of detail on the surface of the sun.
> 
> For those truly interested, the Ha line is 656.28 nm (nanometers) and the CaK line - much cooler - is 393.4 nm. Not that the sun is exactly cool anywhere, being, as it is, a nuclear furnace.
> 
> And did you know that the sun spins so quickly that it is fatter than it is tall? And that the middle spins faster than the top and bottom? Quite the interesting star is our sun.


Our Sun is very interesting for sure, does the Sun have anything solid to it or does anyone know? I wish I had started to get into the solar system way on back, I might know a little something about it now. To say the solar system is amazing is an understatement.

By the way, I love that beautiful piece of wood your filter is resting on, that kinda looks familiar.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Our Sun is very interesting for sure, does the Sun have anything solid to it or does anyone know? I wish I had started to get into the solar system way on back, I might know a little something about it now. To say the solar system is amazing is an understatement.
> 
> By the way, I love that beautiful piece of wood your filter is resting on, that kinda looks familiar.:whistling2:


Oh, so you recognize that piece of wood then? :yes:

Our sun is a nuclear furnace, and we think it is a giant ball of gas. It is quite possible that the inner core is liquid due to the extreme pressure that it is under.

There are, in fact, solar telescopes which orbit the sun and they are constantly taking pictures. Incidentally, Hubble cannot look at the sun - it would be destroyed.


----------



## frenchelectrican

jiju1943 said:


> Wow buddy, you have some serious equipment. I wouldn't know which one to use when. I bet you have seen some really beautiful things out there. I don't see how any light could get through that one filter.
> 
> We appreciate the great tips.


It is alot darker than welding lens btw I know I did use #14 and #16 welding lens and a mite too bright for most peoples.( I used the #16 for carbon arc luminires to finetune it )

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> It is alot darker than welding lens btw I know I did use #14 and #16 welding lens and a mite too bright for most peoples.( I used the #16 for carbon arc luminires to finetune it )
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Hi Marc:

Yes, you can use a #14 welders lens, which does in fact make it safe to view the sun. But it won't show you any details at all, except for an eclipse - which is what those lenses are usually used for.

I have never tried the #16 for carbon arc...is that darker?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Oh, so you recognize that piece of wood then? :yes:
> 
> Our sun is a nuclear furnace, and we think it is a giant ball of gas. It is quite possible that the inner core is liquid due to the extreme pressure that it is under.
> 
> There are, in fact, solar telescopes which orbit the sun and they are constantly taking pictures. Incidentally, Hubble cannot look at the sun - it would be destroyed.


Whew, I just caught myself from asking a really stupid question. I was going to ask, "are you saying there are telescopes circling the Sun". Well, ka ding,:wallbash: the Earth circles the Sun. I sure am glad I didn't ask that question.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Whew, I just caught myself from asking a really stupid question. I was going to ask, "are you saying there are telescopes circling the Sun". Well, ka ding,:wallbash: the Earth circles the Sun. I sure am glad I didn't ask that question.:whistling2:


That's right...there are telescopes - dedicated for solar observation - orbiting the sun out in space as we speak.

One of them has a cute nickname. Several years ago our local university was involved in building one of the scopes for solar observing - it has only a 6" mirror - which is the same size as my first home made mirror.

You may know that the Hubble's mirror is about 90"...so they nicknamed the little one that Canada sent up there "the Humble"... :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Jim: I have a question for you - or anyone else for that matter who has done this before.

It seems to me that you could use some sort of simple jig to make it much easier to line up and attach the cabinet slides. Do I recall that someone - Kreg maybe? - has a commercially available one?

Anyway, I just made up a wood jig which clamps to the side of the cabinet to sit the slides on.

So the question is, what did you use for mounting? Something like this, or is there a better solution...thanks.


----------



## jlhaslip

I have a jig for the Blum slides, but have not seen one for full extensions.

Looks like what you have done there would work fine.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I have a jig for the Blum slides, but have not seen one for full extensions.
> 
> Looks like what you have done there would work fine.


Thanks jl...I kind of think that most of the better manufacturers might make their own jigs. After all, the easier they can make the installation process, the more product they are likely to sell.

This very simple guide seems to be working, but another little problem has reared its' ugly head.

Now, it seems, that when I did the dadoes for the back end of the drawers, that I might have made them about 1/16" or so too deep. This has had the effect of making the back end of the drawers about 1/8" narrower than the front. Not too clever of me.

So, now I am in the process of making an adjustable jig to make shims to fix that. Should be done very shortly.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, jig is made, just waiting for some glue to set.

I did a test fit of one of the door panels, and it looks about like this. There is just one coat of varnish on the panel so far, just as a sealer more than anything.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I have a question for you - or anyone else for that matter who has done this before.
> 
> It seems to me that you could use some sort of simple jig to make it much easier to line up and attach the cabinet slides. Do I recall that someone - Kreg maybe? - has a commercially available one?
> 
> Anyway, I just made up a wood jig which clamps to the side of the cabinet to sit the slides on.
> 
> So the question is, what did you use for mounting? Something like this, or is there a better solution...thanks.


Buddy, that is as good a way as any to get the slide square. One of my nephews who worked for me for 22 years use to use a framing square and make a line where the slide went, he would drive a 4d nail on the line at the front and back so the slide could sit on the nails and be screwed in place. I am with jl, I have the Blum slide jig also but I am not aware of one for the full extension slides.

When I built a unit with full extension slides I would always installed my slides on the cabinet sides before I put the unit together, it was just easier that way for me.


----------



## Shamus

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I have a question for you - or anyone else for that matter who has done this before.
> 
> So the question is, what did you use for mounting? Something like this, or is there a better solution...thanks.


Typically I make something along the lines of your photo. There are several brands of slides and I have yet to find the one-fits-all version for height and level.

If your doing several drawers of the same height I'll do all the left sides then reverse the jig and do all the right ones. Then move it down and start the next sets. For some reason this makes the process go quicker for me. I guess it has something to do with performing repeated tasks

Just my 2¢


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks jl...I kind of think that most of the better manufacturers might make their own jigs. After all, the easier they can make the installation process, the more product they are likely to sell.
> 
> This very simple guide seems to be working, but another little problem has reared its' ugly head.
> 
> Now, it seems, that when I did the dadoes for the back end of the drawers, that I might have made them about 1/16" or so too deep. This has had the effect of making the back end of the drawers about 1/8" narrower than the front. Not too clever of me.
> 
> So, now I am in the process of making an adjustable jig to make shims to fix that. Should be done very shortly.


Don't ya just hate it when that happens? I have done that also but usually I made the drawer too tight. I would just just cut the side with the table saw so the slide would fit correctly. I didn't have to cut all the way up the side, I would cut up just high enough for the slide to fit into.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> OK, jig is made, just waiting for some glue to set.
> 
> I did a test fit of one of the door panels, and it looks about like this. There is just one coat of varnish on the panel so far, just as a sealer more than anything.


I knew that door was going to be beautiful and buddy, beautiful it is!!!:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, that is as good a way as any to get the slide square. One of my nephews who worked for me for 22 years use to use a framing square and make a line where the slide went, he would drive a 4d nail on the line at the front and back so the slide could sit on the nails and be screwed in place. I am with jl, I have the Blum slide jig also but I am not aware of one for the full extension slides.
> 
> When I built a unit with full extension slides I would always installed my slides on the cabinet sides before I put the unit together, it was just easier that way for me.


Good idea to put the hardware on the cab sides first, for sure. I don't think that was an option in my case. However, I'll just have to work with what I have.

I seem to be having difficulty with some binding on the first drawer. It goes in about 90% of the way, then gets hard to push in. Usually, that is an indication of something being out of square. So I have just made up yet another very simple jig to mark off the lines where the cabinet slide goes. I'll try the next drawer with that and see if it helps.

I don't suppose that these curved cabinets are making it any easier - given that the total tolerance for any adjustment is 1/32" or less.

I checked the level front to back and side to side...I did find one error of 1/16" in elevation on one end, but I really can't see that being the cause of that much binding.


----------



## cocobolo

Shamus said:


> Typically I make something along the lines of your photo. There are several brands of slides and I have yet to find the one-fits-all version for height and level.
> 
> If your doing several drawers of the same height I'll do all the left sides then reverse the jig and do all the right ones. Then move it down and start the next sets. For some reason this makes the process go quicker for me. I guess it has something to do with performing repeated tasks
> 
> Just my 2¢


I bet you're right about there not being one that fits all. No manufacturer in their right mind would want that. Once you have their jig - every time you need new slides you would be inclined to use theirs again - even if it was only to avoid buying another jig.

I've just done about what you suggested on the marking out.

I was able to remove the counter top, which was only sitting there loose for test purposes, so I can actually use the top of the side panels to lay out my top marks for the first sets of slides. All the top drawers are the same depth, which makes that part easy enough.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Good idea to put the hardware on the cab sides first, for sure. I don't think that was an option in my case. However, I'll just have to work with what I have.
> 
> I seem to be having difficulty with some binding on the first drawer. It goes in about 90% of the way, then gets hard to push in. Usually, that is an indication of something being out of square. So I have just made up yet another very simple jig to mark off the lines where the cabinet slide goes. I'll try the next drawer with that and see if it helps.
> 
> I don't suppose that these curved cabinets are making it any easier - given that the total tolerance for any adjustment is 1/32" or less.
> 
> I checked the level front to back and side to side...I did find one error of 1/16" in elevation on one end, but I really can't see that being the cause of that much binding.


Keith, check to see if you have a screw that is not screwed in all the way or is screwed crooked, that slide will drag on just about anything. it is made very close, with little clearance.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, check to see if you have a screw that is not screwed in all the way or is screwed crooked, that slide will drag on just about anything. it is made very close, with little clearance.


Good idea Jim, I'll do that.

That is a distinct possibility, although it does feel more like a bind than anything else. The screws appear to be straight, mainly because I pre-drilled holes for all of them. They are Phillips screws, which I must admit I thoroughly detest. Hmmmmm...I wonder if I have a box of short Robertson screws...

One thing I do not like, is the fact that the screws they provide do not sit down flush with the mounting holes at all. Perhaps I will need to countersink the slides where the screws fit.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the layout jig I just made up...took me about three minutes. Most of that putting the glue on the joint! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

To use it, all I need to do is to sit it on top of the divider and draw a line underneath. Done.


----------



## cocobolo

Once the line is drawn, I clamp the other jig which holds the slide in place on to the divider. Then sit the slide in place, pre-drill the holes and screw it on.

I thought perhaps that the holding jig was not square...but the line and jig are both in the same plane. So, that's not the problem.

I'm going to look at those screws again, that just may have something to do with it.


----------



## cocobolo

BINGO!!!

Jim...here's what I just tried.

I put a slide on the divider without any drawer attached. Pushed the slide back and forth, and low and behold...the screws interfere.

Jim, you're a GENIUS!!!

So, now what I'm going to try is countersinking the holes just a trace. Let's see if that makes any difference. Either that, or I need to find some screws with _really thin heads!_


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Good idea Jim, I'll do that.
> 
> That is a distinct possibility, although it does feel more like a bind than anything else. The screws appear to be straight, mainly because I pre-drilled holes for all of them. They are Phillips screws, which I must admit I thoroughly detest. Hmmmmm...I wonder if I have a box of short Robertson screws...
> 
> One thing I do not like, is the fact that the screws they provide do not sit down flush with the mounting holes at all. Perhaps I will need to countersink the slides where the screws fit.


Just one more thought, check the drawer side to see if it has a slight bulge in it, that could cause it to bind also.

Well I should have read the rest of your posts before posting.

The screws I have are made for slides and hinges and the screws when screwed in are flush with the slides. That is a shame that they gave you the wrong screws.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> Hi Marc:
> 
> Yes, you can use a #14 welders lens, which does in fact make it safe to view the sun. But it won't show you any details at all, except for an eclipse - which is what those lenses are usually used for.
> 
> I have never tried the #16 for carbon arc...is that darker?


Yeah it is darker but pretty hard to find that lens due I don't think they make that anymore If I recall it correct.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Yeah it is darker but pretty hard to find that lens due I don't think they make that anymore If I recall it correct.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


That's a shame...I will check with our local welding outfit next trip to town to see if they carry one. Might be interesting to see what the sun looks like through it.

Thanks Marc.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Just one more thought, check the drawer side to see if it has a slight bulge in it, that could cause it to bind also.
> 
> Well I should have read the rest of your posts before posting.
> 
> The screws I have are made for slides and hinges and the screws when screwed in are flush with the slides. That is a shame that they gave you the wrong screws.


I thought about a bulge or warp either in the drawers or the dividers. But they all are flat when a straightedge is applied.

Anyway Jim...after using your idea of fixing the interfering screws, drawer number 2 is great. 

Just screwed everything on, pushed the drawer in...nice click to close. Gave it a gentle push...and out it pops a couple of inches. No binding at all.

I countersunk the slides like so.


----------



## cocobolo

And when the slide is fixed in place, the screws no longer protrude.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the drawer in place...no binding! Thanks again Jim!


----------



## cocobolo

Now to go and remove the first drawer, countersink the slides and re-install.

Next up I will see what I can find to make in the way of some drawer faces. And once all the top drawers are in - should be done this evening - I can start on the permanent installation of the top.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 7)

Viewing the moon...nothing to it really. Except when you look at it through a telescope, then WOW that guy is bright!

What you need to do is to tame it down so that the light isn't so bright that it can actually hurt your eyeball. Not to worry, it's all been figured out for you. 

When viewing the moon through a scope, in order to see the entire moon, you would need to use a low powered eyepiece first of all. Too much magnification, and you will only be able to fit a piece of the moon into your field of view. (FOV).

We use a polarizing filter to cut the moons' very considerable glare down. Polarizing filters come in fixed and adjustable versions. Most fixed versions allow about 13% of the light to pass through, while variable filters may handle between 13 and 22%, give or take...they are not all the same.

There are other filters available for moon viewing as well, and these are designed to keep the colour of the moon as pure as possible. Frequently, you will see a purple looking ring around the edge of the moon, and this is caused by the optics. A minus violet filter is used to correct that.

The small filter on the left fits a standard 1 1/4" eyepiece, and is the adjustable polarizing filter.


----------



## cocobolo

The filter on the right is fixed and fits a standard 2" eyepiece. It might be worth noting that the 2" filter, which of course requires the use of a 2" eyepiece, has over 2 1/2 times the area of the smaller filter.

It is _almost_ a guarantee that any 2" eyepiece will give you better views than any 1 1/4" eyepiece. The possible exception might be some of the extremely costly 1 1/4" eyepieces - many of which can cost much more than your average telescope!


----------



## cocobolo

Now that I have had a chance to test out the taper cutting jig, Here's a couple of pics.


----------



## cocobolo

It certainly makes it very simple to cut narrow tapers up to 44" long. Tapers can vary from zero to two inches in 44". There is an adjustable rod in the business end which permits easy and repeatable tapers.


----------



## cocobolo

I heard from my pal Larry tonight and he kindly sent me a pic of the Calcium K scope. It has a 60mm objective lens and a special blocking filter suited for photographic use.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I thought about a bulge or warp either in the drawers or the dividers. But they all are flat when a straightedge is applied.
> 
> Anyway Jim...after using your idea of fixing the interfering screws, drawer number 2 is great.
> 
> Just screwed everything on, pushed the drawer in...nice click to close. Gave it a gentle push...and out it pops a couple of inches. No binding at all.
> 
> I countersunk the slides like so.


I have done the same thing before buddy, I am glad it worked out for you.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It certainly makes it very simple to cut narrow tapers up to 44" long. Tapers can vary from zero to two inches in 44". There is an adjustable rod in the business end which permits easy and repeatable tapers.


I like the way you made your taper jig Keith, that is really a neat idea. I like the marked piece in the end, that way you can make a repeated cut later without any trouble.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 7)
> 
> Viewing the moon...nothing to it really. Except when you look at it through a telescope, then WOW that guy is bright!
> 
> What you need to do is to tame it down so that the light isn't so bright that it can actually hurt your eyeball. Not to worry, it's all been figured out for you.
> 
> When viewing the moon through a scope, in order to see the entire moon, you would need to use a low powered eyepiece first of all. Too much magnification, and you will only be able to fit a piece of the moon into your field of view. (FOV).
> 
> We use a polarizing filter to cut the moons' very considerable glare down. Polarizing filters come in fixed and adjustable versions. Most fixed versions allow about 13% of the light to pass through, while variable filters may handle between 13 and 22%, give or take...they are not all the same.
> 
> There are other filters available for moon viewing as well, and these are designed to keep the colour of the moon as pure as possible. Frequently, you will see a purple looking ring around the edge of the moon, and this is caused by the optics. A minus violet filter is used to correct that.
> 
> The small filter on the left fits a standard 1 1/4" eyepiece, and is the adjustable polarizing filter.


The moon was really too bright just looking through binoculars for me when I was looking a week or so ago. Tonight we have cloud cover so the put a halt for tonight.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I heard from my pal Larry tonight and he kindly sent me a pic of the Calcium K scope. It has a 60mm objective lens and a special blocking filter suited for photographic use.


That is one impressive telescope Keith but I don't have a clue what all of that means, hopefully I will in time. I have a bunch of websites on my home page that tells about what is going on soon and now out there. There is so much to read and see.


----------



## jlhaslip

Coco,

Was busy getting all turkeyed up this weekend, so I'm getting to you late, but Lee Valley has a drawer slide screw that is 5/8" #6 with a shallow head specifically for drawer slides.
I can't find them on their site, but if you need the number, I'm pretty sure I can find it out in the shop tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is one impressive telescope Keith but I don't have a clue what all of that means, hopefully I will in time. I have a bunch of websites on my home page that tells about what is going on soon and now out there. There is so much to read and see.


Don't worry Jim, you'll start to catch on to the lingo soon enough.

For starters, the objective lens is the lens at the front of the scope - the one that collects the light - and the 60mm refers to the size of the lens. In this case, 60mm. That would be considered small for most scopes, but for a solar scope it's plenty big!


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Coco,
> 
> Was busy getting all turkeyed up this weekend, so I'm getting to you late, but Lee Valley has a drawer slide screw that is 5/8" #6 with a shallow head specifically for drawer slides.
> I can't find them on their site, but if you need the number, I'm pretty sure I can find it out in the shop tomorrow.


Thanks jl...my solution is to drill out the holes in the slides. And, as I think you can see from the pics the supplied screws (from Taiwan) actually will go flush.

I think L.V. has fallen down on this one. They should have seen to it that the proper screws and/or the proper holes were drilled.

It's not a big deal really, but having to countersink 120 holes in metal does take a little while. So, it's well over two hours wasted for something that should have been right in the first place.

I have all their catalogues here so I'm sure I can always get the number if necessary, but thanks for the offer.


----------



## BigJim

Someone fell down on the job supplying the wrong screws with your slides, that is pretty sorry, I bet someone complains about it, two hours lost is just wrong of them. Most folks aren't as ingenuitive as you are at figuring how to make the screws work.

Keith, come to think of it screws don't come with the slides when I buy them at the cabinet supply place, screws don't come with the euro hinges either. I guess the suppliers figure there are just too many applications and thickness of materials to include the screws. 

The last screws I bought from the cabinet supply are about gone, I may have a hand full left out of something like 10,000 screws, they sure lasted a loooong time though. These screws are the 5/8 inch #6 large thread narrow head countersunk type screw like jl is talking about. 

I don't know what a Robbertson screw is, is it like a allen screw or a torx?


----------



## jlhaslip

Robertson are the square ones. Canadian.


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> Robertson are the square ones. Canadian.


Oh, OK, I do know what they are, I didn't know they were called that. I always called them square drive screws. I hate the SS screws like that unless screwing into soft wood. I really do appreciate you taking your time to show me the screw.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh, OK, I do know what they are, I didn't know they were called that. I always called them square drive screws. I hate the SS screws like that unless screwing into soft wood. I really do appreciate you taking your time to show me the screw.


Everyone in the States calls them square drive screws Jim...but if they had been invented by an American instead of by a Canadian, they would no doubt have a different name.

Much like Phillips, only Robertson was the fellows name who came up with this one.

Stainless steel screws have a tendency to be soft, so you always need to pre-drill for them anyway.

From my way of thinking both Phillips and slot screws ought to be outlawed, the Robertson is 10 times better.


----------



## BigJim

There ya go, I didn't know one of your fellow countrymen invented that screw. You are right, if some fellow here had invented it it would have been named something else.

Of the three screws my least favorite is the slotted screw, I hate that thing. One thing I see that may need be done on the screw tip for the Robertson is a little more temper, most square drive tips we get here are kinda soft and don't last long at all. Another thing I have noticed with screw tips is the phillips tip, most screw suppliers give with the screws, are the wrong size tips, they are usually too large. The best tips I have found that work for me are the sheet rock screw tips, they fit good and are tempered pretty good to last for a while.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> There ya go, I didn't know one of your fellow countrymen invented that screw. You are right, if some fellow here had invented it it would have been named something else.
> 
> Of the three screws my least favorite is the slotted screw, I hate that thing. One thing I see that may need be done on the screw tip for the Robertson is a little more temper, most square drive tips we get here are kinda soft and don't last long at all. Another thing I have noticed with screw tips is the phillips tip, most screw suppliers give with the screws, are the wrong size tips, they are usually too large. The best tips I have found that work for me are the sheet rock screw tips, they fit good and are tempered pretty good to last for a while.


That's very true...I remember when I was in the boat building game, we used to buy the drywall screws by the box and use them to temporarily hold the cedar strips in place on the bigger boats. As soon as the glue was set, pull the screws and re-use them. Sometimes the epoxy would hold so well on the steel that it would snap the screws off. The trick was to pull the screws just as soon as the epoxy was set and not wait overnight.


----------



## shumakerscott

Ok you older guys, what about Torx screws? I have built my whole house with them, the more surface area on the inside to contact the bit the better. There is also an Assy screw here in Germany that is basically a Torx with even more surface area, like a Phillips is to a PZ. My impact driver kills PZ bits and screws. Torx rock in my book:thumbup:. dorf dude...


----------



## Bud Cline

I think General Motors is credited with the inventuion of the "Torx" screws. They did it just to piss a guy off back in the '60's.:yes::laughing::yes:


----------



## BigJim

shumakerscott said:


> Ok you older guys, what about Torx screws? I have built my whole house with them, the more surface area on the inside to contact the bit the better. There is also an Assy screw here in Germany that is basically a Torx with even more surface area, like a Phillips is to a PZ. My impact driver kills PZ bits and screws. Torx rock in my book:thumbup:. dorf dude...


I don't think I have ever seen a Torx wood screw, the only place I have seen them is in a car and machinery. 

That is the truth Bud, back then no one had a Torx driver and it did make it hard to get them things out.


----------



## cocobolo

...and now they seem to still use them for things like headlight and taillight covers.


----------



## shumakerscott

Lets see if this works...



Description
Related Items
Reviews



*Ecofast Wood Screw:* Self-Countersinking ASSY-Screw.
Allows for faster driving while still providing a 40% stronger hold! 
High quality case hardened construction strongly deters head damage. 
The Patented AW Drive System combines all the advantages of Phillips, Square, Torx", & Pozi Drive Bits.
Best torque transfer due to the number of contact points. Easy to insert AND extract. Self- 
Centering of the bit in the screw head allows accurate screw placement. 
No Come Out Drive prevents damage to screw head, enables easier driving into tough materials.









It did!


----------



## cocobolo

That looks like a dandy...I haven't seen them over here. I think I will ask Slegg's if they know of them since the House of Pot most likely wouldn't have a clue.

Do you know how the price compares to a conventional screw?


----------



## Bud Cline

> House of Pot most likely wouldn't have a clue.


Taken out-of-context...that is hilarious.


I digress, just couldn't pass it up.


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> That looks like a dandy...I haven't seen them over here. I think I will ask Slegg's if they know of them since the House of Pot most likely wouldn't have a clue.
> 
> Do you know how the price compares to a conventional screw?


I'll let your inner psycic work on this one.....


----------



## Bud Cline

Around here we have been using Torx wood screws for a long time...

EIGHT BUCKS A POUND!!!!!!!:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Around here we have been using Torx wood screws for a long time...
> 
> EIGHT BUCKS A POUND!!!!!!!:yes:


Which means I can afford to buy two ounces worth!!!


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I'll let your inner psycic work on this one.....


I just realized how that came out...oooops!


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Everyone in the States calls them square drive screws Jim...but if they had been invented by an American instead of by a Canadian, they would no doubt have a different name.
> 
> Much like Phillips, only Robertson was the fellows name who came up with this one.


An American by the name of Arthur Van Schloogensteinackerbergfrinschnichtorplienk worked his entire adult life to develop a different kind of drive screw which was put on the market in the 1940's. Very few were sold. Some people say it's because nobody could pronounce his last name and others say it's because they were a round drive screw.

j/k


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> An American by the name of Arthur Van Schloogensteinackerbergfrinschnichtorplienk worked his entire adult life to develop a different kind of drive screw which was put on the market in the 1940's. Very few were sold. Some people say it's because nobody could pronounce his last name and others say it's because they were a round drive screw.
> 
> j/k


They should have just called them Art screws for short. :laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

:laughing:.... :yes:


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Around here we have been using Torx wood screws for a long time...
> 
> EIGHT BUCKS A POUND!!!!!!!:yes:


Good gravy, they are kinda proud of them things.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I just realized how that came out...oooops!


hehehe :whistling2:


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> An American by the name of Arthur Van Schloogensteinackerbergfrinschnichtorplienk worked his entire adult life to develop a different kind of drive screw which was put on the market in the 1940's. Very few were sold. Some people say it's because nobody could pronounce his last name and others say it's because they were a round drive screw.
> 
> j/k


My stars, they had to borrow some of another country's alphabet to spell that one.:thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

shumakerscott said:


> Lets see if this works...
> 
> 
> 
> Description
> Related Items
> Reviews
> 
> 
> 
> *Ecofast Wood Screw:* Self-Countersinking ASSY-Screw.
> Allows for faster driving while still providing a 40% stronger hold!
> High quality case hardened construction strongly deters head damage.
> The Patented AW Drive System combines all the advantages of Phillips, Square, Torx", & Pozi Drive Bits.
> Best torque transfer due to the number of contact points. Easy to insert AND extract. Self-
> Centering of the bit in the screw head allows accurate screw placement.
> No Come Out Drive prevents damage to screw head, enables easier driving into tough materials.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It did!


That is a great looking fastener, I bet that one would drive and hold good.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> My stars, they had to borrow some of another country's alphabet to spell that one.:thumbsup:


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> An American by the name of Arthur Van Schloogensteinackerbergfrinschnichtorplienk worked his entire adult life to develop a different kind of drive screw which was put on the market in the 1940's. Very few were sold. Some people say it's because nobody could pronounce his last name and others say it's because they were a round drive screw.
> 
> j/k


...wait a minute...are you sure that 5th "e" shouldn't be an "a"?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> ...wait a minute...are you sure that 5th "e" shouldn't be an "a"?


:laughing::laughing::laughing::thumbsup:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> ...wait a minute...are you sure that 5th "e" shouldn't be an "a"?


You could be right. I was making it up as I went along. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You could be right. I was making it up as I went along. :yes:


No....really? :whistling2:


----------



## gma2rjc

:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 8).

What about focal ratios and the powers of magnification in your telescope?

Knowing what the power of magnification in your scope is, is of utmost importance. When you set out to buy a telescope, do not be fooled by claims of 240x, 360x and 575x in a small scope, because it simply will not happen. Too many beginners have been led astray by these false claims and have become disillusioned with the results...and too often this leads to the abandonment of a great hobby.

Now, the first thing you will want to know is what is the focal ratio (f/r) of your scope.

Let's say you have your eye on a refractor which has a focal length of 800mm, and the size of the objective lens - that's the big one in the front of the telescope - is 100mm. We divide the 800mm by 100mm and come up with 8. The f/r of this telescope is 8. You would refer to this as F/8.

Now let's say you have a 10" reflector with a focal length of 50". 10 goes into 50 5 times, therefore that scope is an F/5.

My 6" reflector has a focal length of 70.2". The method is still the same...6" goes into 70.2" 11.7 times, which makes that scope an F/11.7. This is a long focal ratio, and gives a higher power of magnification for any given eyepiece.

The second part of the power (magnification) equation involves the eyepiece. Most backyard astronomers will have a selection of eyepieces of differing sizes. Typical eyepiece sizes might be 10mm, 12.5mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm and even 40mm.

Using our 800mm focal length telescope, let's see what power each of these eyepieces will produce.

To determine the power, we do the same as we did with the focal ratio, except this time we use the focal length of each eyepiece for the calculations.

So using the 10mm eyepiece, we would divide 10 into 800, which would go 80 times. Therefore, the end power of the telescope with that eyepiece is 80x. The 12.5mm yields 64x, the 15mm yields 53.3x, the 20mm yields 40x, the 25mm yields 32x, the 30mm yields 26.7x and the 40mm yields 20x. As you can see...the bigger the eyepiece number, the lower the magnification.

The result of all this is that you would use your lowest power, in this case 20x to find your object, and then you would switch to a higher power for a larger view.

These eyepiece sizes listed above are very common, as is the focal length of the imaginary telescope. Please note that nowhere do you see a magnification that even reaches 100x, so now perhaps you can appreciate that the 240x, 360x, or heaven forbid the 575x are for sales purposes only and have no place in the real world of backyard astronomy. Numbers like these should make you put on your running shoes and get out of that store...but fast!


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, that is a lot to remember. If it is OK with you I would like to start a file so I can go back and read without having to try to find your tips each time. We really do appreciate you doing this for us buddy.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's all good information to know. Thank you!

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but does the focal ratio of 4.5 in a telescope mean the same thing as a camera set at f4.5?

How do companies get away with advertising telescopes with such high magnification? I'm glad to know that those numbers don't mean anything because it sure would be easy to fall for their tricks otherwise.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, that is a lot to remember. If it is OK with you I would like to start a file so I can go back and read without having to try to find your tips each time. We really do appreciate you doing this for us buddy.


Jim, if you should end up getting yourself a copy of Terence Dickinson's book "Nightwatch", all this and a hundred times more will be in there. I can't recommend it highly enough. It's sort of the "bible" of amateur astronomy.

One of its' best features - of which there are many - is that it has sky maps with the locations of dozens of the most interesting objects, as well as all the constellations. No matter where you may be on earth, all the info is perfectly valid, although most is directed at what is called the mid northern sky. That's you and me.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's all good information to know. Thank you!
> 
> I hope this isn't a stupid question, but does the focal ratio of 4.5 in a telescope mean the same thing as a camera set at f4.5?
> 
> How do companies get away with advertising telescopes with such high magnification? I'm glad to know that those numbers don't mean anything because it sure would be easy to fall for their tricks otherwise.


Hmmm...that's a good question. The ratio on your camera refers to the f-stop, which I do not believe has anything to do with the focal ratio at all. What that has to do with is the amount of light you want to let into the camera. So on a very bright day you let in less light, both by the f-stop and length of exposure - say 1/1000 of a second for example, and f/10...and for a very dull day, you might have the f-stop at 2.8 and the exposure at 1/100 second.

So focal ratios in a telescope refers to a physical length.

As for the advertising of such ludicrous powers, they are actually telling the truth. They might give you a 4mm eyepiece and a 3x Barlow lens with a skinny little scope of perhaps 600mm focal length. This actually yields a power of 450x.

The only problem is that all you could possibly hope to see through something like that would be fuzz.

Here's a general rule of thumb for how much power any telescope can handle. Fifty times the aperture in inches (let's say 4" for example) so 50 x 4 = 200. In order for a 4" scope to be able to handle a magnification of 200x would require exquisite optics, the best eyepiece and perfect "seeing". In the real world you can cut that fifty down to twenty five times.

Theoretically, my 10" scope could swallow 500 power. Not a chance. No matter how clean the optics, or how good the eyepiece - and I have some of the very best in my arsenal - I would consider myself lucky to get 250x clearly. You will almost invariably find that 100x or lower will give you the best views.

There are targets you will want higher power on - looking at the cloud belts on Jupiter for example - and many others. But as the power goes up, the brightness of the object goes down.


----------



## BigJim

You were talking about gravity the other day, I got a question, is the bigger the planet or star the greater the gravitational pull on an object?

Lord willing I will get that book.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You were talking about gravity the other day, I got a question, is the bigger the planet or star the greater the gravitational pull on an object?
> 
> Lord willing I will get that book.


As a general rule...yes.

Take our moon for example. It is much smaller than earth, and has only about 1/6 the gravity that earth does.

Jupiter on the other hand, is far bigger, and it's gravitational pull stretches out for literally millions of miles.


----------



## shumakerscott

jiju1943 said:


> You were talking about gravity the other day, I got a question, is the bigger the planet or star the greater the gravitational pull on an object?
> 
> Lord willing I will get that book.


Here's the book your looking for,
http://www.amazon.com/NightWatch-Pr...147X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286948087&sr=8-1


----------



## BigJim

Thanks DD, I appreciate the link, I bookmarked it. I read the first page and the first sentence answered a question I just asked Coco. That is a must have book. Thanks again buddy.

By the way DD, I like your new avatar


----------



## jlhaslip

Gravitational pull is a function of the mass of the objects and the distance between them, if I recall.


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> Gravitational pull is a function of the mass of the objects and the distance between them, if I recall.


This is going to take some thinking for me, I am a little thick. I do appreciate it Jl.

I got a question I have been curious about for years. I know basically how a maginet works to draw metal to it and I know gravity draws objects. How does gravity work? I remember something back in science class but not much. Can anyone explain how gravity can have a pull on an object that isn't metal?

Be easy on me now, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> This is going to take some thinking for me, I am a little thick. I do appreciate it Jl.
> 
> I got a question I have been curious about for years. I know basically how a maginet works to draw metal to it and I know gravity draws objects. How does gravity work? I remember something back in science class but not much. Can anyone explain how gravity can have a pull on an object that isn't metal?
> 
> Be easy on me now, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed.


Jim, your question raised my curiosity level considerably. I understand the effect that gravity can have between one object and another, assuming that one of the objects has a substantially measurable gravitational pull.

To that end I just looked on several physics sites to see if I could find some sort of standard answer. I could not. Lots of discussion, up to and including black holes, which get so dense I simply do not understand it. Even light cannot escape from a black hole.

From our perspective, let's just be thankful that Jupiter is out there keeping the space around the Earth clear of marauding rocks and so forth...at least for the most part.

Do you remember the fairly recent comet which broke up into many pieces from the gravitational pull of Jupiter and crashed into it's surface? It was one of the Shumaker-Levy comets.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, your question raised my curiosity level considerably. I understand the effect that gravity can have between one object and another, assuming that one of the objects has a substantially measurable gravitational pull.
> 
> To that end I just looked on several physics sites to see if I could find some sort of standard answer. I could not. Lots of discussion, up to and including black holes, which get so dense I simply do not understand it. Even light cannot escape from a black hole.
> 
> From our perspective, let's just be thankful that Jupiter is out there keeping the space around the Earth clear of marauding rocks and so forth...at least for the most part.
> 
> Do you remember the fairly recent comet which broke up into many pieces from the gravitational pull of Jupiter and crashed into it's surface? It was one of the Shumaker-Levy comets.


Man, this just gets better and better, I had no idea that Jupiter did that but I can sure see how it does. I am not sure I remember the comet crashing into Jupiter, was anyone able to see that happen? That had to be really exciting, I know it would have been for me.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man, this just gets better and better, I had no idea that Jupiter did that but I can sure see how it does. I am not sure I remember the comet crashing into Jupiter, was anyone able to see that happen? That had to be really exciting, I know it would have been for me.


We knew that this comet was going to hit Jupiter, and all sorts of telescopes were trained on the planet in the hope of seeing something. 

Comets are nothing more than a collection of ice and mud basically, and many of them are pretty small. Comet Hartley 2 if I recall is thought to be only about 1 kilometer across.

I do have the magazines here with the impact story well written up...let me see what I can find and I'll get you more details. As the comet approached Jupiter, the extreme pull that Jupiter exerted on the comet literally pulled it to pieces.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 9)

Eyepieces...the real meat and potatoes of how you see what you see.

Any telescope is worthless without an eyepiece. And luckily, there are literally thousands of different eyepieces out there for every possible astronomical need. But not to worry, you only need a few.

Yes, I'm sorry, no single eyepiece will fill the bill for everything. But a small collection of low cost, high quality eyepieces will get you off on the right foot.

The two basic sizes of eyepieces are 1 1/4" - which is by far the most common - and 2", which is designed (for the most part) to fit larger telescopes. Yesterday, we touched briefly on eyepieces. So, let's delve a little deeper now into these cunning little creations.

Eyepieces vary in cost from cheap ($10 or so) to very expensive ($700+) and this would be for a single eyepiece! But don't worry if you are not an Arabian Sheik with a country full of oil wells, some of the best eyepieces are truly reasonably priced.

Any given eyepiece will provide you with what is called "the apparent field of view". AFOV for short. Typical fields are 50º to 70º. At 70º AFOV you are entering what is known as wide field territory. Plus, as the AFOV gets wider, the price usually climbs...rapidly! What all this means is that as the AFOV gets wider, you can see more of the sky at the same power.

Here is a small collection of eyepieces.


----------



## cocobolo

The eyepieces above range from 6.4mm to an astonishing 72mm. The small one fits a standard 1 1/4" barrel (in the focuser) and the big one (72mm) fits a 2" barrel.

I stumbled across the big e/p on the web one day and thought it must be an error, as the biggest size I had seen mentioned before was 50mm. But after an email to the seller, I was assured this was quite correct.

This is a very low power e/p and gives terrific views of larger objects...like the Orion nebula for example.


----------



## cocobolo

My recommendation would be to go for a series of Plossl e/p's. They are available in sets which give you a decent range of powers, and are normally reasonably priced. You may find them packaged with a set of filters, but don't be fooled by a bunch of pretty colours unless you know what the filters are for.

Stick with the e/p's first.

You may find that one manufacturer provides several different brands - which may well be differently priced. So do a little homework first before you lay out your gold.

Here are two 32mm Plossl's apparently from the same factory. Just different brand names on the barrels.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is a true economy e/p...the RK stands for Robert Kellner who designed the original versions of them many years ago.

They do an OK job, but with modern Plossl's and the very small price difference, I would be inclined to standardize if possible.


----------



## cocobolo

A large part of the difference in these e/p's is in the number of elements each one has. The greater the number of elements, usually the better the view. And, of course, the price will climb.

Here's a big 2" e/p, 38mm focal length with the little 6.4 for a size comparison.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> We knew that this comet was going to hit Jupiter, and all sorts of telescopes were trained on the planet in the hope of seeing something.
> 
> Comets are nothing more than a collection of ice and mud basically, and many of them are pretty small. Comet Hartley 2 if I recall is thought to be only about 1 kilometer across.
> 
> I do have the magazines here with the impact story well written up...let me see what I can find and I'll get you more details. As the comet approached Jupiter, the extreme pull that Jupiter exerted on the comet literally pulled it to pieces.



That is really interesting, I hope you can find that article. I am really enjoying these tips and information about our solar system. Thanks buddy, I do appreciate your time and talent.

I have the tips in a file now and can read your tips until I can get the book.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm recovering OK from the dentist yesterday, and feeling more like doing some more work. 

Going to have a go at assembling the door, so if that works out OK there should be a pic up later on. So far it's not looking too bad.

Then while that is drying, I'll get back on the kitchen cabinetry...which is taking far too long. Last time I will be making any round cabinets I can tell you!


----------



## jules4

Speaking of telescopes . . .

A local professor built and maintains a fantastic DIY observatory: the Abbey Ridge Observatory. 

If you're interested in kicking your skygazing hobby to the next level with your own observatory, check out this link showing how he built it (it's actually a fun read even you don't want to build an observatory): http://www.davelane.ca/aro/phaseone.html



> The observatory is housed in a Technical Innovations 10-foot Home-Dome and uses a Celestron C14 SCT mounted on a Losmandy Titan german equatorial mount controlled by a SiTech controller. An SBIG ST8XME CCD camera with Optec IFW filter wheel and TCF focuser are used to image the heavens. We also have a Boltwood Cloud sensor.





















> October 30, 2007 (all night): A gif-movie of Comet Holmes (log stretched) with the C11 and ST9 camera (10x10s exposures unfiltered).


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> Last time I will be making any round cabinets I can tell you!


Round cabinets? As in not just somewhat curved, but actually round? That sounds like it would involve some complicated joinery.

Will they be used as an island (sorry if you already mentioned this, I have trouble keeping up with this thread )? I can't picture any way to wall mount round cabinets. Unless the kitchen itself is round, which I wouldn't put past you.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Speaking of telescopes . . .
> 
> A local professor built and maintains a fantastic DIY observatory: the Abbey Ridge Observatory.
> 
> If you're interested in kicking your skygazing hobby to the next level with your own observatory, check out this link showing how he built it (it's actually a fun read even you don't want to build an observatory): http://www.davelane.ca/aro/phaseone.html


Most interesting indeed.

We have the same telescope out here at the Vancouver Island University. The scope is actually owned by one of our astronomy club members along with his SBIG camera, Kendrick dew removal goodies and so on.

I designed the observatory several years ago with a roll on/ roll off roof. At the present time the club is building a 20" (half meter) telescope which we hope will be used in public outreach.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Round cabinets? As in not just somewhat curved, but actually round? That sounds like it would involve some complicated joinery.
> 
> Will they be used as an island (sorry if you already mentioned this, I have trouble keeping up with this thread )? I can't picture any way to wall mount round cabinets. Unless the kitchen itself is round, which I wouldn't put past you.


The kitchen counter itself is based on a portion of a circle. It is slightly less than half a circle, so it is indeed very round. There will be no wall mounted overhead cabinets, only floor mounted units with this one. 

I could have made it octagonal, which would have made the cabinet making far easier. But why do that when you can spend twice the money and take five times as long to do it this way?:wallbash:


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> I could have made it octagonal, which would have made the cabinet making far easier. But why do that when you can spend twice the money and take five times as long to do it this way?:wallbash:


 Ah - but just think of all the money and time you're _saving_ by building circular cabinets instead of spherical ones! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Most interesting indeed.
> 
> We have the same telescope out here at the Vancouver Island University. The scope is actually owned by one of our astronomy club members along with his SBIG camera, Kendrick dew removal goodies and so on.
> 
> I designed the observatory several years ago with a roll on/ roll off roof. At the present time the club is building a 20" (half meter) telescope which we hope will be used in public outreach.


Oh my stars, (sorry) you designed an observatory? I was right, there isn't anything you can't do, buddy, I am impressed to say the least.

Judy just looked up the observatory here in Chattanooga at the University of Tennessee and we are going to try to make it to see it here soon.

Building the radius cabinets would be fun, just plane ole cabinets are boring to build. I hope you get over the soreness and pain quickly. We are looking forward to your pictures, when you feel better.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Ah - but just think of all the money and time you're _saving_ by building circular cabinets instead of spherical ones! :thumbsup:


 Ah so...never thought of it that way. 

Where do you suppose I could get a quote on these? :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh my stars, (sorry) you designed an observatory? I was right, there isn't anything you can't do, buddy, I am impressed to say the least.
> 
> Judy just looked up the observatory here in Chattanooga at the University of Tennessee and we are going to try to make it to see it here soon.
> 
> Building the radius cabinets would be fun, just plane ole cabinets are boring to build. I hope you get over the soreness and pain quickly. We are looking forward to your pictures, when you feel better.


Well Jim, it was like this.

We were forming a registered society, the Nanaimo Astronomy Society for the record, and it was suggested that it might be a good idea to build an observatory.

So I said...well, tell me what you need this building to do and I'll draw it up for you. I took the plans to the next meeting, and the rest is history as they say. We were able to use a small piece of land at one of the campuses on Nanaimo, and over the course of the summer, we constructed a perfectly serviceable observatory. I houses a 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain scope with every bell & whistle known to mankind. It has a roll on/ roll off roof, and it has a warm room where the computer sits to control the scope with.

The whole setup has been used to take some spectacular astro photos with. If I can find a pic I'll put it up, if not maybe I can give a link to the club website.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, I have drawn many house plans but nothing like that, I wouldn't have a clue where to even start. Having a huge part in something of that magnitude is just too cool. We would love to see pictures if you can find them.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, I have drawn many house plans but nothing like that, I wouldn't have a clue where to even start. Having a huge part in something of that magnitude is just too cool. We would love to see pictures if you can find them.


If you promise not to tell anyone...it was the easiest building I ever had to design. Except for the moving roof part. But we figured it out.


----------



## cocobolo

My photos of the observatory are really terrible.

Here's a link to the club http://www.nanaimoastronomy.com/

I couldn't find any pics of the obs on the website, but they must be there somewhere.

If these pics come out in order...they show the support for where the roof rolls off to, the entrance, the 12" concrete pier which the scope sits on - the pier or scope must not touch any part of the building as it will cause movement, therefore it is isolated, and the last one you can just see part of the rollers under the eave there.

We have a motorized roll off roof.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's amazing! Thanks for taking the time to find the pics and posting them.

Since the roof rolls off, was it hard to weatherproof the area where the roof meets the walls that surround the telescope ( when the roof is not open)? I hope that makes sense.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 10)

Something about focuser's...not the most exciting of subjects, yet you will see that like almost anything else astronomical, the prices vary wildly.

The purpose of a focuser is to hold an eyepiece in place and then be able to bring your image into perfect focus. A simple enough request, right? This isn't a trick question...it is simple enough.

However, the finer and more accurately you want your scope to focus, the better quality focuser you will want.

A low cost focuser will do a creditable job, and until you have a little experience, you may not even realize that you are unable to bring your object to perfect focus, as it will likely look "OK".

This first example is an inexpensive unit as might be found in the lowest cost scopes.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is a bit more heavy duty, more metal in the construction and a little larger.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's amazing! Thanks for taking the time to find the pics and posting them.
> 
> Since the roof rolls off, was it hard to weatherproof the area where the roof meets the walls that surround the telescope ( when the roof is not open)? I hope that makes sense.


No, it wasn't a problem.

I wish I had some better photos to show you, but where the roll off roof sits when it is closed, the roof goes _under_ the roof where the computer room is.

Plus we made up some special flashing so that any driven rain would be directed away from the join. It works fine.


----------



## cocobolo

The preceding focusers have all been for refractors (you know what kind that is!) and now here are two to demonstrate the different mounting methods for a refractor and a reflector.

Notice the curved side on the reflector focuser...that attaches directly to the side of the tube. You can get different radii to fit different tube sizes.


----------



## cocobolo

These will show you how much travel a typical focuser has. Because you may be using eyepieces with widely varying focal lengths, it is necessary to have a fair bit of travel in the focuser.


----------



## cocobolo

This focuser is adaptable for either a 1 1/4" eyepiece or 2" eyepieces.


----------



## cocobolo

There is a cast in dovetail on this focuser to accommodate a finder.


----------



## cocobolo

Just one last focuser to show you for the evening, this one is a Moonlite, on a Celestron C6Rscope. More on the scope itself tomorrow.

Showing the focuser open and closed.

This is a two speed focuser with a 10x speed reduction allowing extremely precise focusing. It will make a very large dent in a $500 bill. But it's beautiful, and buttery smooooooooth. :thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

Do all of your scopes, lenses, eyepieces, etc. have their own hard plastic case to store them in?


----------



## BigJim

Keith that is really neat, that has to be so much fun to be able to bring outer space in that close to see. There sure is a bunch of great reading on the link you gave us, I appreciate that, I will be doing a lot of reading there. There are some of the most fantastic photos I have seen. Thanks for sharing buddy.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, that is a lot of pieces, that would take a while to know how to use all of them. Keith I really do appreciate you going to all the trouble to photograph and post all of this information. I have this in my file now, there is a bunch of reading to do.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Do all of your scopes, lenses, eyepieces, etc. have their own hard plastic case to store them in?


The scopes don't but the accessories usually do. Some of the smaller more expensive scopes have hard cases.

So eyepieces usually come either in a plastic case, or cardboard box.

Those plastic cases screw together and they are very strong. Some of the better quality eyepieces come in boxes with fitted foam around the eyepiece.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, that is a lot of pieces, that would take a while to know how to use all of them. Keith I really do appreciate you going to all the trouble to photograph and post all of this information. I have this in my file now, there is a bunch of reading to do.


Jim, most of those focusers will (eventually) be going in to scopes that I will build and give away. I think I have enough stuff to make about 10 scopes, which will all be refractors.

Several years ago I was at a star party down near Victoria and I had my long tube scope set up for solar observing. There was a young lad there with his mum, and I got the impression that there wasn't any chance that they could afford to buy him a scope.

What upset me the most was that I didn't have anything there with me that I could give him - which I really would liked to have done. So I resolved on the spot that I would make up several refractors and next time I went to a star party I would have something to give away.

What impressed me the most about this fine young lad was his extreme politeness. He would look through the scope while it was tracking the sun, very quietly ask me a question, thank me politely and then his mum would call him away. I think she got the impression that he had got more than his share of time looking at the sun...when in fact the very opposite was true. So they would go away, then an hour or so later would come back and he would just stand there and see if I would invite him to have another look - which of course I did right away. 

I finally was able to convince mum that her son could watch all day if he wanted because that's what I was there for...to share with the youngsters.

Of course many of the youngsters were 40 - 50 - 60...


----------



## cocobolo

For those of you who might be interested in tracking down Comet Hartley 2, try this:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/102632669.html


----------



## BigJim

Keith I was just looking at that on the website not too long before you posted. That is a really neat site and I am just getting started there. Did you see the one about the spiraling planet? That is going to make a mess up there when that thing hits unless it burns up first.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith I was just looking at that on the website not too long before you posted. That is a really neat site and I am just getting started there. Did you see the one about the spiraling planet? That is going to make a mess up there when that thing hits unless it burns up first.


I looked at that Jim...and I expect that at least some parts of the exoplanet will hit the mother star. The planet will no doubt be totally absorbed and will likely only leave a temporary mark on the star -if anything.


----------



## cocobolo

The big door is all glued up, but one end of one of the stiles opened up just a trace. So I have forced some glue into the space with a very thin wedge cut on the handy dandy taper jig. It is sitting under clamps right now, and I think will stay until tomorrow.

The last of the current batch of kitchen drawers has been put in and I'm now starting on the install of the countertop.

The missus is outside in the garden - beautiful day here - chopping back some of the arbutus bushes with her little electric chainsaw.


----------



## jlhaslip

We need pictures of the chain saw work... :lol:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> We need pictures of the chain saw work... :lol:


Good one! I think she's finished cutting now, so all I could show you is some chopped up bushes! I'll go out and take a look anyway, just for the heck of it...:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Well...when she says she's going to hack them down, she's not kidding!

You couldn't see through them this morning...now all you can see is a few stumps!


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## cocobolo

Here's the door sitting patiently waiting for the last couple of clamps to come off.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Here's the door sitting patiently waiting for the last couple of clamps to come off.


I knew it would be beautiful, I can't wait until the finish makes the color pop out.

coco there is a thread on the board where a fellow is looking for information about the SS wire in a railing. I posted and told him about your thread, here is the name of the thread. 
 Wire staircase railings 
Pineapple


----------



## gma2rjc

The door is looking fabulous Keith.

Will the Arbutus bushes fill-in again next spring?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The door is looking fabulous Keith.
> 
> Will the Arbutus bushes fill-in again next spring?
> 
> Barb


Arbutus will keep on growing even now, and by springtime everything will be filled in and green again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I knew it would be beautiful, I can't wait until the finish makes the color pop out.
> 
> coco there is a thread on the board where a fellow is looking for information about the SS wire in a railing. I posted and told him about your thread, here is the name of the thread.
> Wire staircase railings
> Pineapple


Thanks Jim...I went there and posted for him.

Perhaps if he checks out the pics I referred him (her?) to he will drop by and I can pass along more info. 

We are meant to be having some decent weather - cool but pretty nice - over the next few days. I hope to be able to see if I can start running the s.s. wire through the deck posts.


----------



## cocobolo

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to take the last clamps off the door...so it's clampless now. I spent better than an hour with the small r/o sander with 150 grit going over the whole thing. The cedar only ever gets to a certain point of smoothness being such a soft wood...but the arbutus, ooooohh so smooth. Feels just like silk. 

The first finish coat is on now, and I will get another on first thing in the morning. (On one side of course.) A bit dark for a photo, but I'll get you one in the a.m.


----------



## cocobolo

The counter top is now all glued together with 100 biscuits or so. I added the first of two coats of sealer as a precaution, even though there will be easyboard next before the tile goes on.

The top thickness plus the board, plus the tile, plus the thinset adds up to 1 3/8" _minimum_. That is the _maximum_ thickness that the fasteners can accommodate. If it transpires that the thickness exceeds 1 3/8", I will just hog out the difference where the fasteners go.

And I expect there will be some sort of sealant under the lip of the sink which may add another 1/16" or so.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 11)

At some point you might want to get a scope which does the work for you. In other words, you tell it what to find - and as long as the object is in your visible sky - it will go to that object at the push of a few buttons.

We call these computerized scopes "Go-To" because that's what they do.

Some of the latest models will set themselves up completely automatically, using their built in GPS systems.

The scope here is a few years old, but still has the capability of finding something like 40,000 objects for you. Not that I suppose anyone has ever actually looked at that many _different_ objects in the sky.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the brains of the telescope along with the control paddle. You run the entire thing off a battery. Or you can use an adapter and plug it into a 120 volt power line.


----------



## cocobolo

This particular scope has been spoiled with the addition of the Moonlite focuser.

It also has a Williams Optics WO 66 scope mounted as a finder. I see that I have a 25mm eyepiece in the WO, that should probably be switched over to a 32 or 40 mm eyepiece to give a lower power for finding objects. Although the scope can do that for me.

There are times when you just want to take a peek around the sky without necessarily looking for something specific, that's when the bigger field of view using the larger eyepiece comes in handy.


----------



## cocobolo

Those rings holding the WO 66 are a home made affair. I did several sets and gave some away to fellows in the club. _Theirs_ I managed to paint, _mine_ weren't so lucky. One day...


----------



## gma2rjc

I had no idea that telescopes were so technical. It seems like the GPS would be very helpful for a beginner.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I had no idea that telescopes were so technical. It seems like the GPS would be very helpful for a beginner.


I grant you that does sound like a good idea. But, realistically, you should try to learn the night sky first. Just pushing a button to go to M31 doesn't teach you much. But when you get there your jaw is liable to drop a foot.

Some of the sights really do take your breath away.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 11)
> 
> At some point you might want to get a scope which does the work for you. In other words, you tell it what to find - and as long as the object is in your visible sky - it will go to that object at the push of a few buttons.
> 
> We call these computerized scopes "Go-To" because that's what they do.
> 
> Some of the latest models will set themselves up completely automatically, using their built in GPS systems.
> 
> The scope here is a few years old, but still has the capability of finding something like 40,000 objects for you. Not that I suppose anyone has ever actually looked at that many _different_ objects in the sky.


Good gravy Keith, that is unreal, I had no idea telescopes had gotten that sophisticated, man I have been living under a rock. Buddy, that is one beautiful telescope, how many scopes do you have?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy Keith, that is unreal, I had no idea telescopes had gotten that sophisticated, man I have been living under a rock. Buddy, that is one beautiful telescope, how many scopes do you have?


I hate to tell you, but I don't really know. I'll just say a dozen or more. I have a few loaned out...others are packed away in boxes...some are mixed up in this jumble I have around here.

Once the house is done, I will have room to sort everything out. The good part about that is I will actually be able to start _using_ them again. For now, my efforts are concentrated on getting the house done. 

And speaking of that, I just got the second seal coat on the kitchen counter, which means that I can put the easyboard on in the morning. Followed closely by the tile! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I grant you that does sound like a good idea. But, realistically, you should try to learn the night sky first. Just pushing a button to go to M31 doesn't teach you much. But when you get there your jaw is liable to drop a foot.
> 
> Some of the sights really do take your breath away.


Buddy, I had no idea you had so many, they are just beautiful, I know you are proud of them. I can't wait until I can start looking out there. 

I just had a thought, it seems like I remember see something on Google Earth that shows the skies at night, I am going to check it out and see what it is about or if I was just dreaming.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I grant you that does sound like a good idea. But, realistically, you should try to learn the night sky first. Just pushing a button to go to M31 doesn't teach you much. But when you get there your jaw is liable to drop a foot.
> 
> Some of the sights really do take your breath away.


That makes sense. It's kind of like learning to use a calculator before learning how to do basic math on paper.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I hate to tell you, but I don't really know. I'll just say a dozen or more. I have a few loaned out...others are packed away in boxes...some are mixed up in this jumble I have around here.
> 
> Once the house is done, I will have room to sort everything out. The good part about that is I will actually be able to start _using_ them again. For now, my efforts are concentrated on getting the house done.
> 
> And speaking of that, I just got the second seal coat on the kitchen counter, which means that I can put the easyboard on in the morning. Followed closely by the tile! :thumbsup:


My stars, you are with telescopes like I am tools, I am a tool nut. I couldn't tell you how any routers or nail guns I have. 

Keith I am truly impressed, I hope one day to know 1/10 of what you know.


----------



## BigJim

Well I went to Google Earth and there is a night sky view but just looking at the stars I couldn't tell too much about it. There was a real life of Mars, I think it was live that I could zoom in on, that was really neat. In looking at the stars I saw something I know you will know what it is. It is a huge round cluster of stars located just below NGC2114 and to the right of NGC2098. The coordinates they gave are RA 5h43m44.74s DEC-67°52'58.96"
I don't know if any of this means anything or not. I was disappointed in Google Earth as I was hoping it would show much more. I have to change my screen resolutions to as large as they will go when going to Google Earth. then make my screen resolutions back small as they will go again to make my print on my monitor screen larger.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Well I went to Google Earth and there is a night sky view but just looking at the stars I couldn't tell too much about it. There was a real life of Mars, I think it was live that I could zoom in on, that was really neat. In looking at the stars I saw something I know you will know what it is. It is a huge round cluster of stars located just below NGC2114 and to the right of NGC2098. The coordinates they gave are RA 5h43m44.74s DEC-67°52'58.96"
> I don't know if any of this means anything or not. I was disappointed in Google Earth as I was hoping it would show much more. I have to change my screen resolutions to as large as they will go when going to Google Earth. then make my screen resolutions back small as they will go again to make my print on my monitor screen larger.


RA and DEC means Right Ascension and Declination. It is the "address" in the sky of any given object.

If I get a chance later I will look it up in Uranometria, a specialized book on the sky. Many of the NGC (New General Catalogue) objects also go by other names, so I will see if the above mentioned NGC objects are known as something else as well.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I got going some more on the counter. I did the cutout for the sink - after double checking the size - and because there is only one of me here, I use a couple of straps to hold the cutout while I am finishing the cut.


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## cocobolo

Using straps like that saves the top from crashing down below.

You never know, my wife may have prematurely put some of he antique English bone china in there and there wouldn't be much left if that chunk hit it.

Here it is safely removed.


----------



## cocobolo

Fitting the tile backer - in this case easyboard - was in fact easy. Just mark the panels from the underside and cut with a utility knife. Not much to it.


----------



## cocobolo

Test fit of the sink, which dropped nicely in place.


----------



## cocobolo

The stove top hole is more guesswork than science. Since the stove is currently in use in the cabin, I took the outside measurements and subtracted a bit for this hole. The top itself prevents me from being able to get at the present hole from below to get a decent measurement.


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## cocobolo

Here's a look at how the whole top is right now.


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## cocobolo

I'm now starting on the tile layout.

I have decided to start in the middle and work both ways. No particular reason for this except that I can go from the edge of the stove hole to the sink fairly easily....I hope!

I'm going to taper the tiles all the way across so that I don't have any wild changes in direction at the outer edges of the two counter units.

Bud can let me know if this is a huge foul up or not. I just think it will look better. I have made up a jig to mark the tiles off with for cutting. The jig is centered on the radius point of the counter, and uses a long straightedge for marking right in place.

Probably easier if I took a pic instead of another of my ham fisted explanations.


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## cocobolo

Here's the door as it appeared this morning after the 2nd topcoat. It will need several more.


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## cocobolo

Bud...if you're around, could you suggest a size for the space in the kitchen counter tiles. I'd like to keep it as small as possible.

I cut a few tiles with zero space to see what it looked like...and that was OK. But there's no way I would be able to keep that close a tolerance all the way round that counter top.

I just looked at 1/16" and that didn't look right, sorta small. 1/8" looks better and might allow for the odd slight angle miscalculation when cutting.

I'll put a pic up of how I'm going across the counter, and how the cut lines are being drawn.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Here's a look at how the whole top is right now.


I really do like the shape of your island, that is going to be sharp. It is going to be a lot of cutting also. What kind of edging are you going to put on it?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Here's the door as it appeared this morning after the 2nd topcoat. It will need several more.


I didn't understand exactly how the panels were going in your door at first but now I see. That color is just beautiful, that is a wonderful door, you saved yourself a bunch of money on that one.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I really do like the shape of your island, that is going to be sharp. It is going to be a lot of cutting also. What kind of edging are you going to put on it?


Thank you Jim...I'm going to make some sort of a wood edging for it. 

Haven't quite worked out how I will do that yet, but I expect that it will need to be laminated with very thin strips due to the fairly radical curve on the inside edge. I hope to bring it up about 1/2" or so above the tile and then cover about 3/8" - give or take - over the top edge of the tile. That way I can hide any faux pas that I'm likely to make with the tile itself.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I didn't understand exactly how the panels were going in your door at first but now I see. That color is just beautiful, that is a wonderful door, you saved yourself a bunch of money on that one.


Just for fun I tried to work out what that door really cost me in cash.

The arbutus wood was free. The cedar cost me about 44 cents in milling costs. The glue was probably darn nearly 20 cents. But the real killer is the finishing material. I bet that's going to run at least $10 by the time I have a few more coats on. So I'm looking at the better part of $11, not to mention the hardware which will be 4 times as much!

I checked with the House of Pot, and an _unfinished_ douglas fir door with panels - not like these of course - would cost $600. I damn nearly fainted on the spot.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, back at the counter for a minute...this is the setup to do the tile layout with.

The original radius mark for the counter is still clearly marked on the floor, so it was just a matter of elevating the mark to a point 3 feet in the air...simple.


----------



## cocobolo

Then attach that long skinny board - which really should be very straight by the way - to the top of that tripod, and now you have something to lay out the radial cuts, all of which _theoretically_ should be the same.


----------



## cocobolo

What I actually did was to mark each end of the tile where the board passed over it and used a straightedge to mark the line proper. Just as a precaution you understand.

Not for one second am I suggesting that the wood is anything but dead straight. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Every tile here will need to be cut - at least three cuts minimum. Some need all 4 sides cut - with curves yet.

Kick me if I even _think_ about doing this again.

I tried the first 4 with no spaces in between.


----------



## cocobolo

Then I tried with 1/16" spacers...didn't really care for that.


----------



## cocobolo

Then I graduated to 1/8" spacers, and that looks considerably better, so I think I will go for that...pending hearing otherwise from Bud of course.


----------



## cocobolo

By the time I got from the stove top over to the sink it had got dark outside, so the cutting has ended for the day.


----------



## cocobolo

The afternoon's production from both sides.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Every tile here will need to be cut - at least three cuts minimum. Some need all 4 sides cut - with curves yet.
> 
> Kick me if I even _think_ about doing this again.
> 
> I tried the first 4 with no spaces in between.


Wow, is that travertine? That is reaaaaally going to be one beautiful top. For some reason I didn't realize you were going with the large squares. Buddy, you don't do anything half way, that is for sure. That is some great cutting right there.


----------



## jlhaslip

I'm sure glad that *my *wife number 2 does read this forum.

Once again, you've surpassed your own high standards. Both the door and the tile look great.

By the way, about 3 years back, I installed some Fir Doors in a house. 28 doors cost $29,000 and change. 
Those $600 doors are 'paint grade' compared to yours.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, is that travertine? That is reaaaaally going to be one beautiful top. For some reason I didn't realize you were going with the large squares. Buddy, you don't do anything half way, that is for sure. That is some great cutting right there.


Sometimes you really make me laugh Jim...this is one of those times.

These tiles are the ones the missus got in Vancouver from some back alley guy, and they are 13" x 20". These are ones that caused me to have to go out and buy that 24" tile saw!

They are in fact just porcelain, made to look like travertine. I will say one thing, the new saw cuts them beautifully, and other than all the curved cutting on the inside, outside and for the cutouts for the sink and stove, it's not too bad. Every tile needs to be cut to a fan shape first.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I'm sure glad that *my *wife number 2 does read this forum.
> 
> Once again, you've surpassed your own high standards. Both the door and the tile look great.
> 
> By the way, about 3 years back, I installed some Fir Doors in a house. 28 doors cost $29,000 and change.
> Those $600 doors are 'paint grade' compared to yours.


Good heavens, and here I thought $600 was expensive. I must have _really_ been asleep at the switch. Twenty nine grand! Whew! 

Now did you mean "Does" or "Doesn't" read this forum?


----------



## BigJim

It is a shame they don't make an Epoxy that would match the color and butt them tight, it is still going to look good with the unsanded grout.


----------



## BigJim

For some reason I don't remember the porcelain, they really did do a good job making it look like travertine, you won't have to worry about the porcelain staining after the grout is sealed. I didn't realize there was a different thinset for porcelain but I found out there is and I had to use a certain color thinset to keep it from bleeding through the edges of the porcelain. 

Keith, it would blow your mind at the cost of a custom made door now days, you did good for yourself for sure.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It is a shame they don't make an Epoxy that would match the color and butt them tight, it is still going to look good with the unsanded grout.


I'll check my spaces very carefully Jim, and if they are just under 1/8" (which it looks like right now) I'll go with unsanded. If they end up being just over 1/8", I might opt for sanded grout. I'll have to make sure I get the best possible sealer for the job. And even if I have to re-seal every year, that will be fine.


----------



## jlhaslip

> Doesn't


and that was $29 grand for all 28 doors, so just over $1,000 each.
Including the solid jambs, hinges were extra.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> and that was $29 grand for all 28 doors, so just over $1,000 each.
> Including the solid jambs, hinges were extra.


Hinges extra! Boy, they really know how to hurt a guy, don't they. :gun_bandana:


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, I just went to check on your two NGC objects. If I had bothered to pay attention to your numbers, I would have realized they were in the southern hemisphere.

Uranometria prints a northern sky & southern sky edition. Mine is obviously for the northern sky. The -67º tells you they are way down south. Both of the NGC's you mention are open clusters.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 12)

Don't let the moon get you down.

Something you should know about the moon - other than it is made of green cheese - is that moonlight degrades your seeing for the rest of the sky.

What happens is this. Most of you are familiar with how the moon changes it's position in our sky on a daily basis. The moon "loses" about 50 minutes a day as it revolves around earth. This accounts for why the moon rises and sets at different times, also why it has different phases.

Anytime we have a bright moon in the sky, the reflected moon light shines down on our atmosphere partially illuminating it. This brighter atmosphere reduces our ability to see what are known as deep sky objects. These are all the goodies we look for in our scopes, the clusters, galaxies, nebulae and so on.

At new moon (this is when we don't see the moon) the sky is at its' darkest, and therefore its' best. This means that the best viewing times are a few days either side of new moon.

Just _before_ new moon, the moon is setting just as the sky is getting dark, so by the time you want to view, the moon is gone.

Just _after_ new moon, the moon is setting later - as it is right now - and you need to wait until much later into the night before the moonlight has gone. In fact, what many observers do is to wait until the early morning hours before they go out to observe. Like 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning.

The only other possibility is when there is an eclipse of the moon - an event which just about every amateur astronomer wants to watch anyway - then the moonlight is drastically reduced.

This pic was taken a few years back of an eclipse that was seen here in south west Canada.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> For some reason I don't remember the porcelain, they really did do a good job making it look like travertine, you won't have to worry about the porcelain staining after the grout is sealed. I didn't realize there was a different thinset for porcelain but I found out there is and I had to use a certain color thinset to keep it from bleeding through the edges of the porcelain.
> 
> Keith, it would blow your mind at the cost of a custom made door now days, you did good for yourself for sure.


I did go online looking for doors before I built this one Jim, and you are right about the prices. And even the ones you can find are still production doors. I never did find anyone who was making one-off doors by hand. I suppose they would be a couple thousand or more each.

I should tell you about some doors for sale up at the re-cycling place at Coombs, the place we got our art glass.

They have about 3 pairs of what they call Chinese courtyard doors. They are definitely very old and not in bad shape considering. They are about eight feet tall, and a pair is about 5 feet wide. They are asking $1,700 a pair for them. And they are thick! I imagine they would weigh 3-400 pounds a pair.


----------



## cocobolo

A question has arisen about router bits suitable for making your own crown moulding. Lee Valley has a few running anywhere between $40 to $64 each. It sounds like Ebay might produce better results, if I find anything I'll let you know.

Way too many on Ebay to list. But you can find bits from around $17 and up, and they are all 1/2" shank.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, I just went to check on your two NGC objects. If I had bothered to pay attention to your numbers, I would have realized they were in the southern hemisphere.
> 
> Uranometria prints a northern sky & southern sky edition. Mine is obviously for the northern sky. The -67º tells you they are way down south. Both of the NGC's you mention are open clusters.


I didn't have a clue where I was on the Google Earth thing it isn't very user friendly.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I did go online looking for doors before I built this one Jim, and you are right about the prices. And even the ones you can find are still production doors. I never did find anyone who was making one-off doors by hand. I suppose they would be a couple thousand or more each.
> 
> I should tell you about some doors for sale up at the re-cycling place at Coombs, the place we got our art glass.
> 
> They have about 3 pairs of what they call Chinese courtyard doors. They are definitely very old and not in bad shape considering. They are about eight feet tall, and a pair is about 5 feet wide. They are asking $1,700 a pair for them. And they are thick! I imagine they would weigh 3-400 pounds a pair.


Now days that would be a good price on the doors that size. I trimmed a house back in the 80s which had 8 foot doors through out and they were hitting close to $1,000 each back then. I have seen doors that size made from MDF and talk about heavy and you best get the screws right on them bad boys too or they wouldn't hang long, I hated them things.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> A question has arisen about router bits suitable for making your own crown moulding. Lee Valley has a few running anywhere between $40 to $64 each. It sounds like Ebay might produce better results, if I find anything I'll let you know.
> 
> Way too many on Ebay to list. But you can find bits from around $17 and up, and they are all 1/2" shank.


I need to check in on the router bits, the price on many router bits have come down a lot now days. The bad part is if you aren't on top of the brands you won't know which bits are good and which ones aren't. They are not all the same that is for sure.

Several years ago I thought I had a great deal on some bits, when I went to use them they turned to powder when they hit a knot. That is a dangerous cutter for sure.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Now days that would be a good price on the doors that size. I trimmed a house back in the 80s which had 8 foot doors through out and they were hitting close to $1,000 each back then. I have seen doors that size made from MDF and talk about heavy and you best get the screws right on them bad boys too or they wouldn't hang long, I hated them things.


I don't know if we are planning another trip up to Coombs any time soon...but if we do go up there, I will see if the folks there will let me take a pic of those doors. I cannot remember now if they had which dynasty the doors were supposed to be from. But it wouldn't surprise me if they were at least 200 years old.

The wood must be extremely resistant to decay as - from memory - I think they were in fairly good condition. I know I was impressed as heck with them.

I'm all too well aware of how heavy that MDF is. The base for my countertop is MDF. I have sealed it with two coats, plus it has the easyboard on top. I don't think any moisture will get through. The edges are sealed as well.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I need to check in on the router bits, the price on many router bits have come down a lot now days. The bad part is if you aren't on top of the brands you won't know which bits are good and which ones aren't. They are not all the same that is for sure.
> 
> Several years ago I thought I had a great deal on some bits, when I went to use them they turned to powder when they hit a knot. That is a dangerous cutter for sure.


You're right there. I can only remember a couple of bits I had where the carbide broke. But at the speed those bits are traveling you never know where a piece might end up. Fortunately, they are pretty well contained in the router and by the material you are cutting. But still, a broken bit...I dunno.

I do try not to have any knots in any wood I am running with the router, or if I have, I make certain I get the feed rate down to dead slow.

Another thing is to watch out for the grade of carbide, they aren't all the same.


----------



## Bud Cline

. . . so my wife says to me "If you would keep your butt off THAT INTERNET you could do a few more things around here - like clean up YOUR DAMNED GARAGE . . .

So I start cleaning up my garage (her kitchen - my garage) and look what you do Keith. I just hope my wife never finds this thread because I'll be in a world of hurt. You move too fast and get too much done in very little time. It embarrasses me! I've been (thinking about) cleaning my garage (this time) for about three years now!

The tile on the counter looks great. I would have suggested you do what you did anyway. On these Internet forums people are always wanting to install their tiles (net) with no grout spacing at all. I understand the desire to not have any grout to clean but the truth is, tiny cracks with no grout would in time only become a breeding-ground for all types of undesirable little critters and furry microbes to grow deep inside the cracks. Spacing the tile slightly and grouting is always my recommendation.

The 1/8" grout-line spacing would be my suggestion. The rule-of-thumb when choosing grouts is to use unsanded grout up to (and including) 1/8" gaps and to use sanded grout in gaps 1/8" and up. So the 1/8" gap leaves the choice of sanded or unsanded as an option.

Unsanded grout has a tendency to shrink and in some cases crack from the shrinkage. The sanded grout of course makes a better filler and typically would not shrink or crack. The downside is the sanded grout in a kitchen counter top application may be considered harder to keep clean over time. 

I would suggest one of the newer urethane grouts specifically Quartz Lock. They are somewhat more work to install but the results are super. They won't stain, they won't shrink. I will warn you tho the thinset used to install the tile should be applied at as close to 100% coverage as humanly possible or the urethane grouts can sink into any voids it may find under the tile. Sinking and shrinking are two different issues. If the urethane does sink it can be repaired with a second application to fill the sinks.

Installing the tile over the Easy Board and using porcelain tile would require the use of unmodified thinset for a faster curing time. Modified thinset would work fine but would require a considerably longer curing time. Modified thinset requires air to dry and cure, unmodified thinset will dry and cure chemically on its own without the presence of air.

Those tiles look great, I couldn't tell if they were in fact travertine or porcelain ceramic. My guess was travertine - I was wrong again!

FWIW - when dressing/tooling porcelain tile silicone carbide sandpaper is the way to go. It may be harder to find but will outlast aluminum oxide papers about 10:1. Silicone carbide can also be used wet.

OK, I'm going to go stand around in my garage (some more) and just look at stuff.


----------



## shumakerscott

Bud, why don't you have internet in the garage:whistling2:??? You could kill 2 birds with 1 stone.:yes:. I'm at a total loss with the brands and types of materials you reference. Here we don't have them or at least it's called something different and the tradesmen like to keep it a secret, job security. dorf dude...


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, why don't you have internet in the garage:whistling2:


Oh yow...that could get me killed! I did have a TV in the garage until everything went digital last year, now I got nuthin'.


----------



## jlhaslip

Wireless router and a laptop... perfect!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> . . . so my wife says to me "If you would keep your butt off THAT INTERNET you could do a few more things around here - like clean up YOUR DAMNED GARAGE . . .
> 
> So I start cleaning up my garage (her kitchen - my garage) and look what you do Keith. I just hope my wife never finds this thread because I'll be in a world of hurt. You move too fast and get too much done in very little time. It embarrasses me! I've been (thinking about) cleaning my garage (this time) for about three years now!
> 
> The tile on the counter looks great. I would have suggested you do what you did anyway. On these Internet forums people are always wanting to install their tiles (net) with no grout spacing at all. I understand the desire to not have any grout to clean but the truth is, tiny cracks with no grout would in time only become a breeding-ground for all types of undesirable little critters and furry microbes to grow deep inside the cracks. Spacing the tile slightly and grouting is always my recommendation.
> 
> The 1/8" grout-line spacing would be my suggestion. The rule-of-thumb when choosing grouts is to use unsanded grout up to (and including) 1/8" gaps and to use sanded grout in gaps 1/8" and up. So the 1/8" gap leaves the choice of sanded or unsanded as an option.
> 
> Unsanded grout has a tendency to shrink and in some cases crack from the shrinkage. The sanded grout of course makes a better filler and typically would not shrink or crack. The downside is the sanded grout in a kitchen counter top application may be considered harder to keep clean over time.
> 
> I would suggest one of the newer urethane grouts specifically Quartz Lock. They are somewhat more work to install but the results are super. They won't stain, they won't shrink. I will warn you tho the thinset used to install the tile should be applied at as close to 100% coverage as humanly possible or the urethane grouts can sink into any voids it may find under the tile. Sinking and shrinking are two different issues. If the urethane does sink it can be repaired with a second application to fill the sinks.
> 
> Installing the tile over the Easy Board and using porcelain tile would require the use of unmodified thinset for a faster curing time. Modified thinset would work fine but would require a considerably longer curing time. Modified thinset requires air to dry and cure, unmodified thinset will dry and cure chemically on its own without the presence of air.
> 
> Those tiles look great, I couldn't tell if they were in fact travertine or porcelain ceramic. My guess was travertine - I was wrong again!
> 
> FWIW - when dressing/tooling porcelain tile silicone carbide sandpaper is the way to go. It may be harder to find but will outlast aluminum oxide papers about 10:1. Silicone carbide can also be used wet.
> 
> OK, I'm going to go stand around in my garage (some more) and just look at stuff.


Bud...as always your information is perfectly on time and absolutely priceless.

I was aware that the unsanded grout may shrink - you mentioned that before. I think I will use a sanded grout to try and alleviate that part of the equation. 

Now, when you say faster curing time (unmodified thinset) how much time difference would that be compared to a modified thinset? Or would it be advisable to use unmodified anyway? I'm good for whatever you suggest.

You mention cleaning the sanded grout over time...would a few coats of a top quality sealer not avoid that problem? And could we not re-seal as necessary? Your expertise in this area will be much appreciated.

This one's for you, Bud. Or, is that "This Bud's for you..."


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...I got to thinking...I know, I know...you don't actually have a _vehicle_ in your garage, do you?


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> Bud...I got to thinking...I know, I know...you don't actually have a _vehicle_ in your garage, do you?


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

I know you have already seen a pic of all the tile cut on the counter, but this one - and the mate at the other end - are what should cure me of ever wanting to do something like this again.


----------



## cocobolo

The post at the other end wasn't any easier, except for the fact that I came up with a slightly easier way to lay the tile out. Whichever way was used, there is still no room for error.


----------



## cocobolo

Wrong end, sorry...


----------



## cocobolo

Gorgeous day here today...crisp and cool. Earlier I heard a lot of yapping outside and went to see what was going on.

It turned out to be a bunch of the boys from the C.G. playing with boats. For over an hour they just sat - engines off - drifting very slowly with the tide. Not that I blame them, it was, after all, a windless day and nice and warm in the sun.

All at taxpayer's expense please note...


----------



## cocobolo

My good friend Randy shot this picture of Comet Hartley 2. The exposure is for 5 minutes.

If you are looking through a scope at this comet, you aren't likely to get this good a view. The nucleus is almost impossible to spot by eye, unless you have a very large scope.


----------



## gma2rjc

The counter top is looking beautiful! 

Thanks for posting the pic of Comet Hartley 2. That's really neat.

How can you tell the difference between a comet and a star?


----------



## cocobolo

Incidentally, I should mention that Hartley is now traveling 3º every day, which is a very long way in our night sky.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The counter top is looking beautiful!
> 
> Thanks for posting the pic of Comet Hartley 2. That's really neat.
> 
> How can you tell the difference between a comet and a star?


That's actually very easy.

A star will always be a point of light without exception.

A comet will always have a head of sorts, usually somewhat fuzzy, and sometimes with a bright nucleus. 

It may or may not have a tail. Comets occasionally may have two separate tails in slightly different directions. The tail(s) will always face away from the sun. This is caused by the solar wind.

It is not often that we get comets that are easily visible to the human eye without optical aid. Perhaps one of the best known is Halley's comet, which is usually visible without aid. Halley's won't be around again until 2061, so I doubt very much most of us will be here to see it - except for the grand kids.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, that was some serious precision cutting, just beautiful!!!

Looks like ya'lls swabbies are chillin out taking advantage of the beauty and wonderful weather. Good on them:thumbsup: (I was a swabbie ya know) 

That is a beautiful shot of Comet Hartley 2. I have been reading and man there is so much stuff going on in outer space it is unreal. The Quasar was one thing that really amazed me, I still don't see how it puts out that beam of light.

Are you getting to see the meteor shower tonight?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, that was some serious precision cutting, just beautiful!!!
> 
> Looks like ya'lls swabbies are chillin out taking advantage of the beauty and wonderful weather. Good on them:thumbsup: (I was a swabbie ya know)
> 
> That is a beautiful shot of Comet Hartley 2. I have been reading and man there is so much stuff going on in outer space it is unreal. The Quasar was one thing that really amazed me, I still don't see how it puts out that beam of light.
> 
> Are you getting to see the meteor shower tonight?


Just to show you how much I'm keeping up with things...I didn't even know there was a shower tonight!!! 

But I did spend a little time on the roof for the last one, and I got to see some terrific meteors. I might go up top later to see what's going on.

Then again - I just looked outside and there is a very heavy haze in the sky - so no meteor viewing tonight from here.


----------



## gma2rjc

You need a telescope with fog lights on it to see through the haze. lol


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You need a telescope with fog lights on it to see through the haze. lol


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, the most difficult part of all that cutting was keeping the spaces between the tiles even from the front side to the back side of the counter.

All the tiles are fan shaped, so both sides were _always _cut. Just using my marking guide alone would have made those front to back spaces tapered. I definitely did not want any taper, as I was aiming for just under a 1/8" space between _all_ the tiles.

The front side tiles are 20" long, so as you can see there just wasn't any room for error there. I only managed to mis-cut one tile...I just hope it isn't the one I need to finish the job at the end!


----------



## frenchelectrican

Bonsoir Keith.,

Wowie that is one heckva a good work to cut the tiles on the curved counter top I know not very many peoples can do that kind of task in that fashon.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## jlhaslip

I agree that Keith has raised the bar for all of us. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the most difficult part of all that cutting was keeping the spaces between the tiles even from the front side to the back side of the counter.
> 
> All the tiles are fan shaped, so both sides were _always _cut. Just using my marking guide alone would have made those front to back spaces tapered. I definitely did not want any taper, as I was aiming for just under a 1/8" space between _all_ the tiles.
> 
> The front side tiles are 20" long, so as you can see there just wasn't any room for error there. I only managed to mis-cut one tile...I just hope it isn't the one I need to finish the job at the end!


Keith I can see where you had to do some might close cutting, 1/8 inch spacing equals to 1/16 each side of the space so that means you have to be dead on, as any variance would show being that close. I would have messed up way more than one piece. Another thing was getting the position of your post on a piece that has no straight edges and at an angle at that, that is tough in any body's book. Amazing, just amazing.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith I can see where you had to do some might close cutting, 1/8 inch spacing equals to 1/16 each side of the space so that means you have to be dead on, as any variance would show being that close. I would have messed up way more than one piece. Another thing was getting the position of your post on a piece that has no straight edges and at an angle at that, that is tough in any body's book. Amazing, just amazing.


Thanks again Jim. I see you noticed the angle problem with the two posts as well.

I was originally going to make up a cardboard template and then transfer that to the tile. But given the almost zero tolerance I had to play with, I figured that would be just one more place for a small cumulative error to creep in. So the end solution was to draw the cuts directly on to the tile and pray.

In boatbuilding, one often encounters such problems and there are several ways of dealing with them. I used a parallel rule system to get the lines right on the tiles. Luckily, it all worked out well.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I agree that Keith has raised the bar for all of us. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.



Many thanks jl...after the tile is stuck down and grouted and sealed, I will be making some sort of wood trim around it.

My choice is for a substantial trim - perhaps 1 1/2" thick and 2 1/2 - 3" deep. The long curves will laminate up OK, but the ends may have to be cut from solid wood due to the sharp curvature.

I did such an edge on a house I had out in Aldergrove many years ago in which I used a total of 13 different kinds of wood. I know it sounds as though it may have looked hokey, but all the woods were quite dark and blended well.

I still have time to work it out in my mind before I start the actual cutting.


----------



## cocobolo

I am considering whether to use softwood or hardwood for the edge. Softwood will be much easier to work with, but hardwood will take the inevitable dings much better. I have a large stock of arbutus, and I may try to rip several thin pieces to see how tight a radius I can successfully bend it into.


----------



## jlhaslip

Before you get to the edging...
Have you considered adding a raised 'back splash' to the counter so junk does get knocked off the front/back of it?




And to hid the mess... :whistling2:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Many thanks jl...after the tile is stuck down and grouted and sealed, I will be making some sort of wood trim around it.
> 
> My choice is for a substantial trim - perhaps 1 1/2" thick and 2 1/2 - 3" deep. The long curves will laminate up OK, but the ends may have to be cut from solid wood due to the sharp curvature.
> 
> I did such an edge on a house I had out in Aldergrove many years ago in which I used a total of 13 different kinds of wood. I know it sounds as though it may have looked hokey, but all the woods were quite dark and blended well.
> 
> I still have time to work it out in my mind before I start the actual cutting.


Keith, when you get to the tight bends maybe you could take a torch and heat the wood almost to scorching temperature, clamp and let cool then glue. I have had pretty good luck with hardwoods bending but have never tried soft wood. I never had much luck with bending wood over 3/16 inch thick though.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Before you get to the edging...
> Have you considered adding a raised 'back splash' to the counter so junk does get knocked off the front/back of it?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And to hid the mess... :whistling2:


Mess? MESS??? Heaven forbid that wife number 2 would even think of such a thing on this counter!

The edging will be about 1/2" - give or take - higher than the counter, which should prevent the "junk" ... very poor choice of words there jl :laughing:... from going over the side.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, when you get to the tight bends maybe you could take a torch and heat the wood almost to scorching temperature, clamp and let cool then glue. I have had pretty good luck with hardwoods bending but have never tried soft wood. I never had much luck with bending wood over 3/16 inch thick though.


Jim: In the boatyard we were able to bend almost any wood using the steambox. Wood to 1 1/2" thick could be bent to a surprisingly tight radius. Either hard or soft woods will turn to spaghetti given enough time in the box. It shouldn't be necessary to use heat as long as I get the wood ripped thin enough. I will run a couple of experiments to see how it comes out.


----------



## jlhaslip

I couldn't find my Thesaurus...



:laughing:



Will you be adding the edging before setting the tile in order to get some clamps on it. You may need to screw down some pieces to clamp to... just curious.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I couldn't find my Thesaurus...
> 
> 
> 
> :laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> Will you be adding the edging before setting the tile in order to get some clamps on it. You may need to screw down some pieces to clamp to... just curious.


You do come up with the best replies!!! Your "Lawyers" is still far and away my favourite. I still chuckle about that one.

Anyway, I think the tile will all have to go down first. I have clamps which are long enough to span the width of the counter, which is presently 31". It likely won't get much over 33" with the extra edging in place.

Something else I need to consider will be the method of sealing the edge to the tiles. I think I will leave a 1/8" - 3/16" space between the tile and the lip which will cover the top of the tile, and use some sort of caulking for that. I think that Mapei has a pretty good range of colours for their caulk, so I will likely get a travertine coloured one for that.

As I think about it, the little details seem to sort themselves out.

But if you get any brainwaves...please pass them along. A little extra help never hurt!


----------



## cocobolo

I just had an email from my pal Randy, the one who took the picture of comet Hartley.

He is using an 80mm refractor, a Stellarvue Nighthawk which I have loaned him. He is working on the processing of a picture of the Pleiades, which is one of the signposts in the sky often used to find other objects. I will explain how all that works later.

Plus, I will show you the Pleiades pic when he sends it to me. You may know this object as the "Seven Sisters." If you have good eyesight, you can see all 7 of the main stars without optical aid.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim: In the boatyard we were able to bend almost any wood using the steambox. Wood to 1 1/2" thick could be bent to a surprisingly tight radius. Either hard or soft woods will turn to spaghetti given enough time in the box. It shouldn't be necessary to use heat as long as I get the wood ripped thin enough. I will run a couple of experiments to see how it comes out.


Keith, for years I have read about and heard about the steam boxes but just never got around to trying them. I even read about using anhydrous ammonia for bending wood but that is expensive as everything has to be made out of stainless steel then getting rid of the ammonia is tricky also. I know the edging will be sharp though, no doubt.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I just had an email from my pal Randy, the one who took the picture of comet Hartley.
> 
> He is using an 80mm refractor, a Stellarvue Nighthawk which I have loaned him. He is working on the processing of a picture of the Pleiades, which is one of the signposts in the sky often used to find other objects. I will explain how all that works later.
> 
> Plus, I will show you the Pleiades pic when he sends it to me. You may know this object as the "Seven Sisters." If you have good eyesight, you can see all 7 of the main stars without optical aid.


I am really really looking forward to seeing these pictures buddy. Thanks a bunch.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I am really really looking forward to seeing these pictures buddy. Thanks a bunch.


Randy took that pic of the comet I posted earlier. I just got another email from him, and he is trying to tease more nebulosity from around the stars in the Pleiades. (Pronounced Plee-uh-deez.)

Hopefully we will be able to see his results later today. He won't be doing any imaging tonight, as we are completely clouded in.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, for years I have read about and heard about the steam boxes but just never got around to trying them. I even read about using anhydrous ammonia for bending wood but that is expensive as everything has to be made out of stainless steel then getting rid of the ammonia is tricky also. I know the edging will be sharp though, no doubt.


Jim, I have no idea how long the steambox idea goes back. But I'm sure it must be a good long time.

We had a communal one in the yard which was 20 feet long. It is the thickness of the wood that determines how long you would leave something inside the box. If I recall rightly, about an hour was the usual time.

Then you had to move like greased lightning to get the wood on the boat and bent before it started to cool. Very heavy lined leather gloves were the order of the day, as the wood was hotter than boiling water. It always looked like a Chinese fire drill when a piece of wood came from the box.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> I know you have already seen a pic of all the tile cut on the counter, but this one - and the mate at the other end - are what should cure me of ever wanting to do something like this again.


Wow, I cannot believe how perfectly you cut all those tiles. I don't care how many bits of wood and straightedges you used, those end pieces are clearly impossible to cut. :notworthy:

I could not be more impressed if you built a telescope from scratch (actually, you probably have lol), but you do realize you're completely insane for putting yourself through that, right?


----------



## cocobolo

Wife number two deemed that she had enough varnish on her studio door to last the winter. So, following her instructions to the letter, the door was taken outside and hung.

The original hole for the door hardware was barely 3/4" - first time I have seen one like that. This made it necessary to do the usual when re-drilling the hole for the modern hardware.

Because there was no wood in the middle for the guide drill bit to enter - only air - it was a requirement that I use some sort of edge guide. Most of you have seen me use this before, and it's a system that works very well.

Pre drill a hole in your guide board, in this case a piece of 3/4" plywood.

Clamp said board to door. Because the varnish is quite fresh, I used a layer of fabric between the board and door in an attempt to avoid damaging the varnish. Fortunately, it worked.

For future reference, if any of you are going to try this, a piece of soft leather works best as it holds well against a smooth finish like varnish, and does not leave any marks. I do have such a piece, but naturally it won the hide-and-seek game yet again.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Wow, I cannot believe how perfectly you cut all those tiles. I don't care how many bits of wood and straightedges you used, those end pieces are clearly impossible to cut. :notworthy:
> 
> I could not be more impressed if you built a telescope from scratch (actually, you probably have lol), but you do realize you're completely insane for putting yourself through that, right?


Thanks very much Jules. It's the old story, the difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes just a little longer.

And you're definitely not the first person to cast aspersions on my sanity.

This is the first telescope I built...


----------



## cocobolo

On the back side of the door, I added a piece of arbutus wood to prevent any tearout as the hole saw exited the door.


----------



## cocobolo

Aside from the fact that the old fir in this door was as hard as nails, there were no surprises, and the hole drilled out cleanly.


----------



## cocobolo

Aside from the varnish, the missus also did some decorating on the glass.

Because the colour has been added to the outside of the door, she is uncertain how long it will last in the sun. Time will tell, I guess.


----------



## cocobolo

I have started working on the sill to be installed beneath the door.


----------



## jlhaslip

Looking good... again.

She should be quite pleased, and you know what that means for you...
















you get to hang around and do more stuff... :lol:


----------



## cocobolo

Checking here to see if the space is small enough under the door. Seems to be OK.


----------



## cocobolo

Before it got dark, I rounded the ends of the future sill, and tested my new plane on the upper edge.

One pass and the edge is rounded. The ends are done by hand sanding.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Looking good... again.
> 
> She should be quite pleased, and you know what that means for you...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> you get to hang around and do more stuff... :lol:


You don't know the half of it jl...already she has decided to abscond with a neat old light fixture I found a few years back. I had ideas of putting it somewhere near the entrance to my Japanese garden. 

Evidently, I am told it will now be going just outside the door at the entrance to her studio. 

Whaddayagonnado?


----------



## cocobolo

And the last thing I managed to get done before sunset - which is _waaay _too early these days, was to cut the taper on the top piece of the sill.


----------



## jlhaslip

How did you cut such a long taper?


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 13)

A bit about Orion, one of the most interesting sights in the night sky.

You will need to be down south somewhat to be able to see Orion right now, but by next month, the constellation should be above the southern horizon for viewers in the south of Canada, or northern US.

Orion should be visible from southern Tennessee right now late at night.

Before Orion comes into view at night, you will be able to see the Pleiades, a preliminary picture of which is shown here. You will be looking south to see this...and to the left of the Pleiades you will see what looks to be a fairly big triangle of stars. This is Hyades. (High-uh-deez.)

Still further to your left and low on the horizon Orion should appear in due course. As we progress into January, Orion will be high in the night sky and offer some spectacular views.

Just below Orion's belt (three bright stars in a line) you will find the great nebula in Orion. Indeed, this an aptly named nebula. Easy to see with the naked eye under dark skies, and a fabulous view through a medium to high powered telescope.

There are so many interesting sights in Orion, the famed Horse Head nebula for instance, that it would take a small book to list them all.

For now, just know that Orion can literally give you a lifetime of incredible viewing pleasure. The brilliant supergiant star Betelgeuse shines brightly at the top of Orion...you can't miss it.

Here's the Pleiades shot by my friend Randy using the Stellarvue Nighthawk and a Canon DSLR.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> How did you cut such a long taper?


Very carefully?


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry, I couldn't resist! :laughing:

Here's the trick. On the side of the board where you need the wood removed, you decide how much you want to take off. I didn't have a lot of room under the door, so I was limited in that regard and decided that 3/8" was about all I could afford.

Using a strip of wood as long as the sill and 3/8" thick, you temporarily glue this narrow strip on the _bottom_ of the sill. 

Run the board through the planer until you have removed 3/8" and that's it.

You just knew there was an easy answer, didn't you? 

Please note the _edge grain._ :thumbsup:


----------



## gma2rjc

The door is absolutely beautiful! Mrs. C did a fabulous job on it. :yes:


----------



## jlhaslip

:lol:

I had visions of 16" table saws and 32" belt sanders... Some days I hate reality...

:lol:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The door is absolutely beautiful! Mrs. C did a fabulous job on it. :yes:


I will be more than pleased to pass along your compliments to her. And thank you.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> :lol:
> 
> I had visions of 16" table saws and 32" belt sanders... Some days I hate reality...
> 
> :lol:


I suppose I could have made some sort of rig on the sawmill, but then it seemed just so much easier to do it inside in the warm. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Randy just sent me his re-processed shot of the Pleiades. What he has been trying to tease out of the picture is that faint nebulosity which is now starting to show up near the lower right star. Sometimes it takes very long exposures to achieve this, running into several hours.

He hasn't given me the total stacked time yet so I don't know what this one took.


----------



## mark942

cocobolo said:


> Sorry, I couldn't resist! :laughing:
> 
> Here's the trick. On the side of the board where you need the wood removed, you decide how much you want to take off. I didn't have a lot of room under the door, so I was limited in that regard and decided that 3/8" was about all I could afford.
> 
> Using a strip of wood as long as the sill and 3/8" thick, you temporarily glue this narrow strip on the _bottom_ of the sill.
> 
> Run the board through the planer until you have removed 3/8" and that's it.
> 
> You just knew there was an easy answer, didn't you?
> 
> Please note the _edge grain._ :thumbsup:




Thank You Sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Randy just sent me his re-processed shot of the Pleiades. What he has been trying to tease out of the picture is that faint nebulosity which is now starting to show up near the lower right star. Sometimes it takes very long exposures to achieve this, running into several hours.
> 
> He hasn't given me the total stacked time yet so I don't know what this one took.


Wow, I see it, that is so neat. That telescope has to be dead steady for a picture to develop like that. One can only wonder what all is out there as I don't think we will ever know it all. Thanks to your friend and to you buddy for allowing us to see that wonderful shot.

I agree, your sweety did a wonderful job on the door, it is beautiful, the coloring of the glass just made it that much more beautiful.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks very much Jules. It's the old story, the difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes just a little longer.
> 
> And you're definitely not the first person to cast aspersions on my sanity.
> 
> This is the first telescope I built...


I wonder how I knew that, you are an amazing person buddy, that is one beautiful telescope.

Is it very difficult to build one?


----------



## cocobolo

mark942 said:


> Thank You Sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Good morning Mark!

You are more than welcome...if there is anything else you might like to know, please just ask. It is always my pleasure to try and share my meager woodworking knowledge.

Thank you for visiting.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, I see it, that is so neat. That telescope has to be dead steady for a picture to develop like that. One can only wonder what all is out there as I don't think we will ever know it all. Thanks to your friend and to you buddy for allowing us to see that wonderful shot.
> 
> I agree, your sweety did a wonderful job on the door, it is beautiful, the coloring of the glass just made it that much more beautiful.


Right again Jim...when cameras are taking long exposures such as these, it is necessary to use a tracking mount. In other words, the mount must be able to move at exactly the same speed that the earth rotates, thus negating the effect of the earths' rotation.

This is what the "Go-to" telescopes do.

Jim, that door looks even better in person than it does in the pics. That old wood came up very well.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I wonder how I knew that, you are an amazing person buddy, that is one beautiful telescope.
> 
> Is it very difficult to build one?


The only part that is really a bit difficult to do when building your own scope is making the mirror or lens.

It's one of those things that has a bit of a learning curve to it, but if you have a modicum of common sense - which I just happen to know that you do - it is possible to learn how the grinding, polishing and figuring are done.

Once you have the mirror physically made, it is then sent out to be coated. The coating process is far beyond a home type project, as the aluminizing needs to be done in a zero vacuum environment.

Maybe I will delve into the subject on a tip of the day if you like.


----------



## jlhaslip

> It is always my pleasure to try and share my meager woodworking knowledge.


Your knowledge is only exceeded by your ability to implement what you know.
Without a doubt, you are indeed a very skilled woodworker.
And I am certain that there are many on this forum that would agree wholeheartedly.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Your knowledge is only exceeded by your ability to implement what you know.
> Without a doubt, you are indeed a very skilled woodworker.
> And I am certain that there are many on this forum that would agree wholeheartedly.


jl...that's far more than kind of you to say.

But it is people like James Krenov who are the really skilled woodworkers. Sadly he passed away at the age of 88 just over a year ago. I remember when I acquired a copy of his first book, and thinking to myself if only I could be a quarter as good as this man. The word legendary comes to mind when I think of James, but it really doesn't do him justice.

His generosity and kindness surely touched thousands of people, I being one of them. I am still struggling to reach that mythical "quarter", but I'm not holding out much hope of ever getting there.

I do, however, sincerely appreciate your very generous comment. Thank you.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Right again Jim...when cameras are taking long exposures such as these, it is necessary to use a tracking mount. In other words, the mount must be able to move at exactly the same speed that the earth rotates, thus negating the effect of the earths' rotation.
> 
> This is what the "Go-to" telescopes do.
> 
> Jim, that door looks even better in person than it does in the pics. That old wood came up very well.


Good gravy, that has got to be one smooth moving machine not to blur the picture. I was thinking how the picture was captured and the earth moving seeing as this was a still shot. I just sorta dismissed it that the earth was still moving, I had no idea the scope and camera were moving with the earth also.

Buddy, I bet the door does look better in person but I got to tell ya it really really looks great in the picture.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The only part that is really a bit difficult to do when building your own scope is making the mirror or lens.
> 
> It's one of those things that has a bit of a learning curve to it, but if you have a modicum of common sense - which I just happen to know that you do - it is possible to learn how the grinding, polishing and figuring are done.
> 
> Once you have the mirror physically made, it is then sent out to be coated. The coating process is far beyond a home type project, as the aluminizing needs to be done in a zero vacuum environment.
> 
> Maybe I will delve into the subject on a tip of the day if you like.


I would love to see how you built your telescope. Isn't there a place one could buy the hard parts of a scope? There is no way I could make the mirror or the glass.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, that has got to be one smooth moving machine not to blur the picture. I was thinking how the picture was captured and the earth moving seeing as this was a still shot. I just sorta dismissed it that the earth was still moving, I had no idea the scope and camera were moving with the earth also.
> 
> Buddy, I bet the door does look better in person but I got to tell ya it really really looks great in the picture.


Jim, usually what happens with the telescopes that are used for imaging, is that they have what is called a guidescope attached to them.

This guidescope is aimed at a particular star close to the object which is being imaged. Computer wizardry is then used to read the signal from the guide star, and to keep the telescope continually aimed at the same spot in the sky. There are programs available to do this automatically. It is actually quite common these days.

If you were just to take your camera, and then set it still to take a picture of the sky at night with - let's say a 2 minute exposure - you would see that the stars were already "trailing" by quite a bit. Our earth moves at the rate of one degree every 4 minutes. This may not seem like much, but to give you a point of reference, both the sun and the moon are about 1/2º in size each.

It takes only two minutes for the earth to rotate that far.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I would love to see how you built your telescope. Isn't there a place one could buy the hard parts of a scope? There is no way I could make the mirror or the glass.


There are a number of suppliers who will be only too happy to sell you the various bits and pieces of a telescope, including the mirrors, or objective lenses should you choose to build a refractor.

It sounds like I have a subject for tonight's astronomy tip. Thanks Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

I thought I might show you in pics how the taper was done on the door sill. Only this time I used a wider piece of wood (11 1/2") so you can see how to make any size of taper you like.

Because this board was wide, and fairly thin (13/16") I added a support piece of wood right in the middle. I was trusting that this might stop the board from flexing under the pressure of the planer rollers.

Here I am checking to make sure that the pieces of wood glued on the bottom are all in a single plane.


----------



## cocobolo

Your board should sit flat on the bench, like so, before planing.


----------



## cocobolo

And come out of the planer something like this when you are done.

I think that this sort of setup would be adaptable to any width of wood up to the maximum of your planer width. And any sort of angle that you deemed might fit your needs.


----------



## Bud Cline

Jheeezh! Since your last tile question about six more pages (69 more posts) have developed here, I just raced through all of them trying to figure out if I was too late. This place moves too fast to keep up some times.

Then trying to review your post (#3191) I found out I couldn't go back that far without changing pages. Then when I did figure out how to do it I was taken back to post #1.

OK I'm back.



> Bud...as always your information is perfectly on time and absolutely priceless.


Thank you.



> I was aware that the unsanded grout may shrink - you mentioned that before. I think I will use a sanded grout to try and alleviate that part of the equation.
> 
> Now, when you say faster curing time (unmodified thinset) how much time difference would that be compared to a modified thinset? Or would it be advisable to use unmodified anyway? I'm good for whatever you suggest.


Unmodified in your case may dry in twenty-four hours. Modified could take several days. It depends on several variables. I'm thinking unmodified would be the way to keep things rolling.



> You mention cleaning the sanded grout over time...would a few coats of a top quality sealer not avoid that problem? And could we not re-seal as necessary? Your expertise in this area will be much appreciated.


The use of grout sealer is always advisable if using Portland cement grout. The urethane grouts don't require any sealer and in fact they can't be sealed technically. You also can't really effectively seal the porcelain tile either but that's also arguable in some cases.

The sealer will slow any stains that may come from some spills such as red wine, coffee, mustard, ketchup, that kind of thing, but the sealers only work to allow time to clean up a spill before it can cause a stain. Depending on the offending product even sealed grout could actually be stained anyway.

The bigger issue is the texture of the sanded grout as opposed to the unsanded grout. The sand-grain particles are what will allow some stains to remain due to their course existence. Kind of like trying to remove a spill-stain from a piece of sandpaper.




> This one's for you, Bud. Or, is that "This Bud's for you..."


OK...confession-time.
I use a logo in my business that I designed years ago. I borrowed the "BUD" font-style from Anheuser Bush so it would be more recognizable. Since I'm an old St. Louis boy I didn't think they would mind too much. At one point I did also consider using the "This Bud's For You" slogan but thought better of it after conferring with my attorney.:laughing:

This post has taken me about thirty-five minutes to complete between phone calls and other interruptions so I hope all of this flies. 

Here we go....."click".

:wink:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Jheeezh! Since your last tile question about six more pages (69 more posts) have developed here, I just raced through all of them trying to figure out if I was too late. This place moves too fast to keep up some times.
> 
> Then trying to review your post (#3191) I found out I couldn't go back that far without changing pages. Then when I did figure out how to do it I was taken back to post #1.
> 
> OK I'm back.
> 
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> 
> Unmodified in your case may dry in twenty-four hours. Modified could take several days. It depends on several variables. I'm thinking unmodified would be the way to keep things rolling.
> 
> 
> The use of grout sealer is always advisable if using Portland cement grout. The urethane grouts don't require any sealer and in fact they can't be sealed technically. You also can't really effectively seal the porcelain tile either but that's also arguable in some cases.
> 
> The sealer will slow any stains that may come from some spills such as red wine, coffee, mustard, ketchup, that kind of thing, but the sealers only work to allow time to clean up a spill before it can cause a stain. Depending on the offending product even sealed grout could actually be stained anyway.
> 
> The bigger issue is the texture of the sanded grout as opposed to the unsanded grout. The sand-grain particles are what will allow some stains to remain due to their course existence. Kind of like trying to remove a spill-stain from a piece of sandpaper.
> 
> 
> 
> OK...confession-time.
> I use a logo in my business that I designed years ago. I borrowed the "BUD" font-style from Anheuser Bush so it would be more recognizable. Since I'm an old St. Louis boy I didn't think they would mind too much. At one point I did also consider using the "This Bud's For You" slogan but thought better of it after conferring with my attorney.:laughing:
> 
> This post has taken me about thirty-five minutes to complete between phone calls and other interruptions so I hope all of this flies.
> 
> Here we go....."click".
> 
> :wink:


Bud, yet again I am in your debt.

We are headed to town tomorrow, so I will get a bag of unmodified thinset. We have a pretty decent tile store in town, so I will quiz them endlessly about the urethane grouts. If they don't have something, I will have something sent over from Vancouver...someone over there should have what I'm after. That will eliminate the sealer problem.

I can almost hear the conversation with your attorney now...

Thanks Bud.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud...I got to thinking...I know, I know...you don't actually have a _vehicle_ in your garage, do you?


If I do I can't find it!



> Bud...I got to thinking...I know, I know...you don't actually have a _vehicle_ in your garage, do you?


That is not what a garage is for!:laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

This is proving to be a good product in my opinion. Don't try to use it on a wall tile installation tho - it wants to go straight to the floor. On a horizontal surface it's great.

I even (foolishly) tried to use it on a ceiling, we won't talk about that fiasco.



http://www.starquartz.com/


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> If I do I can't find it!
> 
> 
> That is not what a garage is for!:laughing:


Thank goodness...you had me worried there for a minute. :huh:

Imagine...a car in a garage...what will they think of next!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> This is proving to be a good product in my opinion. Don't try to use it on a wall tile installation tho - it wants to go straight to the floor. On a horizontal surface it's great.
> 
> I even (foolishly) tried to use it on a ceiling, we won't talk about that fiasco.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.starquartz.com/


Thanks Bud.

I have shot them off an inquiry to see if there are any distributors locally. If not, maybe I will get them to mail me some.


----------



## Bud Cline

I should have mentioned the stuff is a little pricy.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I should have mentioned the stuff is a little pricy.


I have noticed - over the past 40 years or so - that most things worth having cost a buck or three! :surrender:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> This is proving to be a good product in my opinion. Don't try to use it on a wall tile installation tho - it wants to go straight to the floor. On a horizontal surface it's great.
> 
> I even (foolishly) tried to use it on a ceiling, we won't talk about that fiasco.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.starquartz.com/


Bud, if this stuff won't hold on a vertical surface, it sounds as though it is just the way epoxy acts without a thixotropic agent added. I wonder if mini fibers or cabosil would thicken it to permit vertical installation. Not that I'm planning on doing that, but it might make for an interesting experiment.

Cabosil, or any other brand silica powder is almost invisible once it is mixed with epoxy. I wouldn't doubt that it would disappear if mixed with a urethane type product.

Maybe we have a brand new product in the making...:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

For whatever reason, I can't find enough screws to fix the easyboard with. I decided to see if glue would stick it to the sealed MDF. 

I cannot remove it with anything I have tried yet, so I am going to assume that it won't be falling off anytime soon.


----------



## cocobolo

I spread the glue with a stiff brush to give 100% coverage, then used my handy dandy roller to push all the easyboard firmly into place.


----------



## cocobolo

Tonight on the tip, I will try to get you some info on where to look to find how to build your own telescope.

Please be assured that I'm not suggesting that you try this right away, as it is a considerable commitment in both time and funds - depending on what type of scope you want to build and how large it will be.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 14)

Should you tackle building your own telescope.

Of course, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. If you want to, then yes. If you don't, then no.

But it's an interesting road you will travel if you decide to give it a go. So the first thing I am going to give you is the name of a couple of books, which are considered to be the bibles of telescope making. Now these aren't the only ones by a long shot, and if you decide to get into it, you will run across an almost unlimited amount of information on the subject.

The major component of any telescope is the mirror (reflector) or objective lens (refractor). Now when we speak of most home made scopes we are referring to reflectors, simply because it is much easier to make a mirror than it is to make a lens.

A series of three books, Amateur Telescope Making, Volumes 1, 2 and 3, by Albert Ingalls, will give you just about everything you ever wanted to know about telescope making. These books were originally started nearly 90 years ago! And yet, the information is still perfectly valid today.

The other book I want to mention is The Dobsonian Telescope by David Kriege and Richard Berry. This one gives you very specific information on how to make a large reflecting telescope. Written in 1997, my copy is from the 6th printing in 2003.

It would be well worth reading as much as possible in these books to learn all the ins and outs of making one of these instruments. I would suggest a visit to your local library first before buying any of these.

So where do you start? Well, you will probably want to start by making the mirror (if indeed that is your desire). If you plan on buying a mirror ready made, then you will want to get right at making your telescope.

But before you can even do that, you will want to know what type of mount you are going to use - it does make a difference.

Having gone through the experience, my honest suggestion is that you buy your first telescope so that it is ready to use right out of the box. The prices of medium sized Dobsonian mounted scopes are unbelievably low right now.

But just to show you what you may be working with, here is a shot of an 8" mirror which has been ground to shape, polished and _almost_ perfectly figured. We'll discuss those three aspects shortly.


----------



## cocobolo

Do I _REALLY_ need to tell you _exactly_ where the sun went down tonight? I didn't think so...:furious:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 14)
> 
> Should you tackle building your own telescope.
> 
> Of course, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. If you want to, then yes. If you don't, then no.
> 
> But it's an interesting road you will travel if you decide to give it a go. So the first thing I am going to give you is the name of a couple of books, which are considered to be the bibles of telescope making. Now these aren't the only ones by a long shot, and if you decide to get into it, you will run across an almost unlimited amount of information on the subject.
> 
> The major component of any telescope is the mirror (reflector) or objective lens (refractor). Now when we speak of most home made scopes we are referring to reflectors, simply because it is much easier to make a mirror than it is to make a lens.
> 
> A series of three books, Amateur Telescope Making, Volumes 1, 2 and 3, by Albert Ingalls, will give you just about everything you ever wanted to know about telescope making. These books were originally started nearly 90 years ago! And yet, the information is still perfectly valid today.
> 
> The other book I want to mention is The Dobsonian Telescope by David Kriege and Richard Berry. This one gives you very specific information on how to make a large reflecting telescope. Written in 1997, my copy is from the 6th printing in 2003.
> 
> It would be well worth reading as much as possible in these books to learn all the ins and outs of making one of these instruments. I would suggest a visit to your local library first before buying any of these.
> 
> So where do you start? Well, you will probably want to start by making the mirror (if indeed that is your desire). If you plan on buying a mirror ready made, then you will want to get right at making your telescope.
> 
> But before you can even do that, you will want to know what type of mount you are going to use - it does make a difference.
> 
> Having gone through the experience, my honest suggestion is that you buy your first telescope so that it is ready to use right out of the box. The prices of medium sized Dobsonian mounted scopes are unbelievably low right now.
> 
> But just to show you what you may be working with, here is a shot of an 8" mirror which has been ground to shape, polished and _almost_ perfectly figured. We'll discuss those three aspects shortly.


I am really looking forward to this, I really do appreciate you buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, so on to telescope mounts. There are several...the Dobsonian mount, which I believe to be the simplest. The Alt-Az (altitude azimuth) mount, also fairly simple, and in fact using the identical principles of the Dob mount. Then to round things out there is the German Equatorial mount.

I would say, with very little reservation, that the Dob mount is far and away the most popular mount for home builders. Particularly for the larger mirror scopes.

The alt-az is more often used for small refractors, and the German equatorial for the somewhat higher end scopes.

So what did I choose for my first home built scope? The equatorial, with drive motors to boot. Realistically, I shouldn't have done that. But my excuse for doing so was because my scope has a pretty long tube (over 6') and I thought how wonderful would it be to sit there with the scope faithfully tracking the sun or stars for me.

Under the tutelage of Dr. William Weller, (now retired) professor of astronomy and physics at the Vancouver Island University, a few of us learned all the intricacies of mirror making. And perhaps what was even more interesting, Dr. Weller had built a machine with which to aluminize mirrors up to about 12". We were actually able to watch the process right before our eyes. The actual aluminizing itself happens in a matter of a very few seconds. There is a couple of hours work before that wonderful act takes place, and that involves getting the glass container (very thick, very heavy, _very_ strong, down to zero atmosphere.


----------



## cocobolo

A brief version of how to grind and polish a telescope mirror. Now here's a real DIY project if there ever was one.

The first thing you need is a mirror _blank._ These are commercially available in almost any size you care to name up to 3 feet or so. Most are made from borosilicate glass, low expansion and strong. Little ones might run $30 or so, bigger ones up to many thousand $. Admittedly, I haven't checked prices for a few years, but you can find out easily online.

I believe I got my blanks from an outfit called Newport Glass in California.

Now you don't just need a mirror blank, you need another piece of glass to grind it with, and this is referred to as the tool. 

Essentially, using some silicon powder of varying grits and water, you put the mirror and tool together with the grit in between and grind away. When you are very close to the curvature that you want, you switch over to polishing using one of several different polishes that are available. 

Once your mirror is polished, meaning that you cannot see a single scratch - no matter how fine - you proceed with figuring. This is the one that separates the wannabees from the "Oh, wow, look at that will ya" crowd.

At this stage, no tool exists that is fine enough to physically measure your mirror. So we now use lightwaves for measuring. You will now be dealing in mere millionths of an inch for the final figuring. And, believe it or not, given some extremely expert advice and a little luck, you may achieve a perfect figure in as little as 10 minutes.

More likely, it will take you several hours, most of which is taken up by the constant checking with lightwaves of your progress.

Once you are happy with your mirror, it is sent out for coating. 

When the happy day arrives that your mirror is installed in your scope and you look through it for the first time, you are experiencing what we call "first light". I guarantee you it will take your breath away.


----------



## cocobolo

Making your own telescope tube is as easy or complex as you want to make it. Many of the larger dobs use a piece of Sonotube (used for pouring concrete into for various types of footings) it may be under a different trade name in your area.

Being a wood guy, my choice was cedar. I used the bead and cove bits commonly used in canoe making - in fact sometimes they are called canoe bits - to produce the strips which snuggle together to make a tube.


----------



## cocobolo

Then you make up a mould out of pieces of plywood (easiest) of the appropriate size and glue the strips together.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm going to have to go hunting for the next set of photos on what the assembly process looks like...but if you are a moderately skilled woodworker it's pretty straight forward. So that will have to wait until tomorrow evening. In the mean time if you have any questions, fire away.


----------



## gma2rjc

So, what you're saying is that this isn't really a project 4 and 5 year old kids can do? :laughing:

This is all very interesting Keith. I imagine it would feel like quite an accomplishment to finish one of these.

The mirror has to be down to millionths of an inch thick? How thin is that compared to a human hair?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> So, what you're saying is that this isn't really a project 4 and 5 year old kids can do? :laughing:
> 
> This is all very interesting Keith. I imagine it would feel like quite an accomplishment to finish one of these.
> 
> The mirror has to be down to millionths of an inch thick? How thin is that compared to a human hair?


I'm sure the 4 and 5 year olds would have fun playing, but.....no.

The mirror will likely be an inch or more thick. The curvature, or figure of the mirror, needs to be within millionths of an inch of perfection to give perfect views. It is this curvature which we measure with light waves.

That 8" mirror above is almost perfect. It might take me five minutes of polishing, or two hours. I'm hoping for the five minutes, of course.

It is probably within 1/100,000" as it sits. If it were coated (aluminized) now, it would give very good views. When it comes to something like this, I will invest the time and effort to get it as perfect as humanly possible. 

Thus far that mirror has consumed about 45 hours for grinding and polishing. Another few minutes - or even a couple of hours if necessary - seems like a small price for a perfect mirror.

The sad fact is that you can buy an 8" Dob ready to go for less than $300. Which is why the vast majority of scopes are simply bought with a credit card these days. You sure can't blame the buyers for that.


----------



## tpolk

Bud Cline said:


> This is proving to be a good product in my opinion. Don't try to use it on a wall tile installation tho - it wants to go straight to the floor. On a horizontal surface it's great.
> 
> I even (foolishly) tried to use it on a ceiling, we won't talk about that fiasco.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.starquartz.com/


in my opinion this is a great product, have used it on several tile tops in kitchens


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> in my opinion this is a great product, have used it on several tile tops in kitchens


Always good to get that second opinion...especially when it agrees with the first one! :thumbsup:

Thanks tp...off to town shortly...hope to find some. The company didn't reply yet to my email of late yesterday trying to locate a supplier. I hope this doesn't indicate that they aren't yet distributing in Canada.

Have you been using this stuff for a few months now?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I'm sure the 4 and 5 year olds would have fun playing, but.....no.
> 
> The mirror will likely be an inch or more thick. The curvature, or figure of the mirror, needs to be within millionths of an inch of perfection to give perfect views. It is this curvature which we measure with light waves.
> 
> That 8" mirror above is almost perfect. It might take me five minutes of polishing, or two hours. I'm hoping for the five minutes, of course.
> 
> It is probably within 1/100,000" as it sits. If it were coated (aluminized) now, it would give very good views. When it comes to something like this, I will invest the time and effort to get it as perfect as humanly possible.
> 
> Thus far that mirror has consumed about 45 hours for grinding and polishing. Another few minutes - or even a couple of hours if necessary - seems like a small price for a perfect mirror.
> 
> The sad fact is that you can buy an 8" Dob ready to go for less than $300. Which is why the vast majority of scopes are simply bought with a credit card these days. You sure can't blame the buyers for that.


I see now why you said it would be easier to buy the first telescope. My stars that is really precise work. I had no idea it took all that to build a telescope. With that in mind $300 is a deal for sure. Several years ago I built a teardrop camper and it took me over 384 hours so patience I do have, I just don't know if my arm would hold out for that long or not.

It just goes to show that many people don't have a clue of all that goes into building many things and that includes me. I for one really do appreciate you explaining this to us.

Does this sound like it might be a decent mirror?

8"Mirror

f=750
power=6





surface accuracy

Full Coating: al+sio

scratch-dig=60/40 

chamfer 1x45'
clear aperture 8inches = 203mm

focal length 29.39inches = 750mm

focal ratio f/4

mirror thickness 0.75inches = 19mm

thickness/diameter ratio 1:10.5
Ready to Use ! !​

=1/4 lambda ​


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim:

That mirror you are describing is what is called a _very fast _mirror. The actual focal ratio (F/R) according to the info you have provided is 3.67, against the 4 that they mention.

The coating, aluminum and silicon oxide would be good.

However, I would suggest that because it is extremely difficult to get a mirror this fast to perform well across the entire 8", that someone with experience might want to take a look at it first - preferably in a telescope. That is always the acid test.

The glass - at 3/4" thick - is a bit thin for an 8" mirror.

If the mirror was inexpensive enough I might buy it just to experiment and see what I could get out of it. Be aware that this mirror will only give you very low power views.

With a focal length of 750mm, a 25mm eyepiece will give you 30 power. Your low power, widefield views might be pretty good. For moon viewing it would do well, as you don't need high power. But if you wanted to reach out to Jupiter and Saturn, you would want more power than that mirror could provide.

What is the price if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim:
> 
> That mirror you are describing is what is called a _very fast _mirror. The actual focal ratio (F/R) according to the info you have provided is 3.67, against the 4 that they mention.
> 
> The coating, aluminum and silicon oxide would be good.
> 
> However, I would suggest that because it is extremely difficult to get a mirror this fast to perform well across the entire 8", that someone with experience might want to take a look at it first - preferably in a telescope. That is always the acid test.
> 
> The glass - at 3/4" thick - is a bit thin for an 8" mirror.
> 
> If the mirror was inexpensive enough I might buy it just to experiment and see what I could get out of it. Be aware that this mirror will only give you very low power views.
> 
> With a focal length of 750mm, a 25mm eyepiece will give you 30 power. Your low power, widefield views might be pretty good. For moon viewing it would do well, as you don't need high power. But if you wanted to reach out to Jupiter and Saturn, you would want more power than that mirror could provide.
> 
> What is the price if you don't mind me asking?


$79 but if it wouldn't do much more than that I really wouldn't want it, I don't think. I though when I saw it was 3/4 inch thick it might be too thin as you were saying yours was thicker.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> $79 but if it wouldn't do much more than that I really wouldn't want it, I don't think. I though when I saw it was 3/4 inch thick it might be too thin as you were saying yours was thicker.


That's a good price for a finished mirror.

One thing about the SiO coating is that it will protect the aluminum (which is the reflecting surface).

Another thought occurred to me...you might want to make a scope from something like that just so that you had a widefield scope for cheap. You could make the Dobsonian mount very inexpensively, being a woodworker.

Then you would need to buy a few eyepieces, maybe get a set of 5 plossls in a package deal. You would also need a focuser (not expensive) and a secondary mirror. You might inquire of the seller if it comes with a secondary - sometimes they do. I didn't work out how big the secondary would need to be, but I could if you like, across the narrow axis. Likely around 2".


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 15).

More on building your own telescope.

Buying the component parts may well be an option to getting a decent scope at a lower price than one ready to go.

Let's get one thing out of the way first. The bigger your mirror, or objective lens, the more you will be able to see. This alone is the main reason that the trend today is toward larger reflecting scopes.

Most people are inclined to lean (at first) toward a refractor scope. It looks like a telescope should look. You look into the back end, and there's your image. Very straightforward. The light is collected and delivered in a single path. That's good.

A simple reflector collects the light on the main mirror, returns it to the secondary mirror, which bounces it to the side of the optical tube where it goes through your eyepiece and there's your image. The light changes direction twice. This will degrade the image very slightly. The chances of you being able to detect this small degradation would be about zero.

If you are interested in making a refractor, pre-made objective lenses already in a cell are available. Find the right supplier and there are some real bargains to be had.

Pictured here are three objective lenses of 80mm, 90mm, and 127mm. I have in my arsenal two of the 127mm lenses, one of 700mm focal length and this one in the pic of 1,200mm focal length. These different focal lengths will provide different views while using an identical eyepiece.

The focal _ratios_ provided by these two 5" lenses will be 5.5 and 9.45 respectively.


----------



## cocobolo

There's no such thing as one telescope that does it all. Which is probably why there are so many ATM's out there (Amateur Telescope Makers). Everybody has their own idea of what their ideal scope is...and pretty much without exception there will be some sort of compromise.

You could set up a short focal length scope for widefield viewing of some of the sections of the milky way for example. If you had an eyepiece with a large apparent field of view (AFOV) you _might_ be able to get the W in one shot.

I see that now Televue has come out with a new eyepiece with a 110º AFOV. This wide view comes with a commensurate price tag. Let's just say it's not cheap and leave it at that.

What frequently happens is that once you get hooked on the hobby, you invariably end up with more than one telescope. Having one _fast _scope and one _slow_ scope is not a bad thing. Whatever you decide to view that evening - or day if you want to look at the sun, or even a daytime moon - is covered by your available options.

One other item that might be worth mentioning about refractors is that (IMO) they are a little easier to set up for astrophotography. You can get astonishingly good photos with a small refractor. All you need is to take either a long exposure (which lets more light hit your pixels) or multiple exposures which you would then "stack" with one of the several available photo programs. But that's whole 'nother ballgame...


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday, I reduced a 4 x 4 piece of arbutus, about 8' long, into small strips which might possibly be suitable for either all, or a part of, the edge strip around the counter top. They came out about 5/32" thick, which means they bend very easily.

I may try cutting some test strips in increasing increments of 1/32" to see how they will fit.

The first test...


----------



## cocobolo

My trip to town today drew a blank on the urethane grout. They did have an epoxy grout, which I expect would work in a similar fashion. Unfortunately, I became highly sensitized to epoxy many years ago while working in the boatyard.

As of this evening, I still have not heard back from starquartz. I should try further contact tomorrow if I haven't heard by noon or so.

I did, of course, pick up a bag of _unmodified_ thinset...hopefully to set the tiles tomorrow morning.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus gave me a hand to move the fancy schmancy door upstairs...that was fun.

I weighed it before we took it up - I don't think I should have done that. It weighs 75 lbs.

Before we went across this morning, I put the third finish coat on. I must say I really do like the way this satin urethane looks on some of the spalted arbutus. I do believe I will be making an attempt to hang the door tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus wanted some sort of threshold in front of her studio door. We looked at everything the House of Pot had on offer, and decided on this one.

The vinyl edge should make a pretty decent seal up against the door.


----------



## cocobolo

The threshold itself will get one more finish coat before I put it on. I'll get that done shortly so that I can install everything tomorrow.

With a little luck it will be done before the predicted rain arrives. The meteorological prognosticators have been known to be wrong before, so let's hope we get an extra day before the poor weather is upon us.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> There's no such thing as one telescope that does it all. Which is probably why there are so many ATM's out there (Amateur Telescope Makers). Everybody has their own idea of what their ideal scope is...and pretty much without exception there will be some sort of compromise.
> 
> You could set up a short focal length scope for widefield viewing of some of the sections of the milky way for example. If you had an eyepiece with a large apparent field of view (AFOV) you _might_ be able to get the W in one shot.
> 
> I see that now Televue has come out with a new eyepiece with a 110º AFOV. This wide view comes with a commensurate price tag. Let's just say it's not cheap and leave it at that.
> 
> What frequently happens is that once you get hooked on the hobby, you invariably end up with more than one telescope. Having one _fast _scope and one _slow_ scope is not a bad thing. Whatever you decide to view that evening - or day if you want to look at the sun, or even a daytime moon - is covered by your available options.
> 
> One other item that might be worth mentioning about refractors is that (IMO) they are a little easier to set up for astrophotography. You can get astonishingly good photos with a small refractor. All you need is to take either a long exposure (which lets more light hit your pixels) or multiple exposures which you would then "stack" with one of the several available photo programs. But that's whole 'nother ballgame...


I had no idea there was this much to a telescope and I didn't know there were different types either. Why does the light bounce back and forth until it reaches the eye piece? Is that so the tube won't have to be so long? Or does that magnify the object by striking different size mirrors?


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> The threshold itself will get one more finish coat before I put it on. I'll get that done shortly so that I can install everything tomorrow.
> 
> With a little luck it will be done before the predicted rain arrives. The meteorological prognosticators have been known to be wrong before, so let's hope we get an extra day before the poor weather is upon us.


Good luck with the whole weather thing. We've had exceptionally beautiful weather for weeks now. About 15 minutes before I put chicken on the grill for dinner, it started raining. :laughing:

75 lbs.!!! Did you remove the clamps? Just kidding. It's a beautiful door and it's one of a kind.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I had no idea there was this much to a telescope and I didn't know there were different types either. Why does the light bounce back and forth until it reaches the eye piece? Is that so the tube won't have to be so long? Or does that magnify the object by striking different size mirrors?


A reflector works like this Jim.

Picture a tube - lets say about 4 feet long. Imagine it just sitting on the ground with one end aiming straight up towards the sky. OK so far?

At the bottom of the tube you have a curved mirror. It just sits there. The light will come down the tube and hit the mirror. As soon as it does that it wants to go somewhere, so it bounces right back up again where it came from, except now it will be converging onto a small area because the mirror is curved. 

If you did nothing else, that light would just head right on out of the tube to be lost forever.

So, at a point where the light reaches a much smaller size, let's say you have the hypothetical 8" mirror, and the light _cone_ has now been shrunk to about 2" a few feet back up the tube, you would put a diagonal mirror in the path of that cone of light.

That small mirror, set at 45º to the light cone, will shift the light cone to the side of the tube. At that point, we would make a hole in the side of the tube for the light to get out.

We would attach a focuser to the hole, put an eyepiece in the focuser, and tweak it until the image was in focus.

And that, in a nutshell, is how a reflecting telescope functions.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Good luck with the whole weather thing. We've had exceptionally beautiful weather for weeks now. About 15 minutes before I put chicken on the grill for dinner, it started raining. :laughing:
> 
> 75 lbs.!!! Did you remove the clamps? Just kidding. It's a beautiful door and it's one of a kind.


I just tapped the barometer to see what might be coming up...and it has dropped quite a way down, so I rather imagine that the weather is coming in.

Yes, I figured I should take the clamps off first. The door was quite heavy enough without them! We needed to jump it up the stairs one step at a time. And there are 17 steps on the bottom flight.

I'm going to use 4 hinges on this door to ensure that the load is spread. Three might be fine, but the added insurance of the fourth one makes for peace of mind.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm afraid I made a bit of a faux pas last night. I should have mentioned that the moon was directly above Jupiter. An excellent photo op.

Tonight, the waxing gibbous moon is about 10º away from Jupiter, and this will increase steadily.

Jupiter is at one of the best positions for viewing this season. I believe I read that it is peaking now to be the best in 50 years. Now might be a good time to take a look, even with binocs. You should be able to catch Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto if you mount your binocs on a tripod. They are the four main moons of Jupiter. There are somewhere around 60 moons all told, and as our observations of Jupiter get better, they seem to find ever more.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The missus gave me a hand to move the fancy schmancy door upstairs...that was fun.
> 
> I weighed it before we took it up - I don't think I should have done that. It weighs 75 lbs.
> 
> Before we went across this morning, I put the third finish coat on. I must say I really do like the way this satin urethane looks on some of the spalted arbutus. I do believe I will be making an attempt to hang the door tomorrow.


We for sure want to see your door when it is hung. That is a one of a kind and very custom, I would be very proud of that door.

By the way, here is something our very own Bud said:

"Here's a little secret for you guys in southern Canada that want to try Star Quartz, but don't tell anyone. OK?









Go to any Home Depot and buy a bucket of the Snapstone grout. Colors are limited but hey........







"

This was last year by the way so there should be Star Quartz in Canada somewhere, I just haven't found it yet.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> A reflector works like this Jim.
> 
> Picture a tube - lets say about 4 feet long. Imagine it just sitting on the ground with one end aiming straight up towards the sky. OK so far?
> 
> At the bottom of the tube you have a curved mirror. It just sits there. The light will come down the tube and hit the mirror. As soon as it does that it wants to go somewhere, so it bounces right back up again where it came from, except now it will be converging onto a small area because the mirror is curved.
> 
> If you did nothing else, that light would just head right on out of the tube to be lost forever.
> 
> So, at a point where the light reaches a much smaller size, let's say you have the hypothetical 8" mirror, and the light _cone_ has now been shrunk to about 2" a few feet back up the tube, you would put a diagonal mirror in the path of that cone of light.
> 
> That small mirror, set at 45º to the light cone, will shift the light cone to the side of the tube. At that point, we would make a hole in the side of the tube for the light to get out.
> 
> We would attach a focuser to the hole, put an eyepiece in the focuser, and tweak it until the image was in focus.
> 
> And that, in a nutshell, is how a reflecting telescope functions.


I got to tell you buddy, that plainly clears that up for me, I finally understand. I didn't understand why the mirror was concaved but now I do. Thanks Keith, I really do appreciate you buddy.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I'm afraid I made a bit of a faux pas last night. I should have mentioned that the moon was directly above Jupiter. An excellent photo op.
> 
> Tonight, the waxing gibbous moon is about 10º away from Jupiter, and this will increase steadily.
> 
> Jupiter is at one of the best positions for viewing this season. I believe I read that it is peaking now to be the best in 50 years. Now might be a good time to take a look, even with binocs. You should be able to catch Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto if you mount your binocs on a tripod. They are the four main moons of Jupiter. There are somewhere around 60 moons all told, and as our observations of Jupiter get better, they seem to find ever more.


I did see the moon tonight and it was close to Jupiter, well it looked like it was. Last night it was over cast so seeing anything was out.

I had no idea there were 60 moons, it looks like they would collide, well, I forgot how huge Jupiter is. This is really neat learning about the things of outer space.


----------



## Bud Cline

The Star Quartz product is (supposedly) capable of use on vertical surfaces as it is, I don't know what my problem was that day but I had to fight with it repeatedly to get it to stay in the joints of an 18" high tub surround. 

The company said to pour-off some of the juice before mixing, this will thicken the product somewhat. I wish I had called them before I knew I had a problem with the product staying in place on a vertical. Hey wait! That doesn't make any sense.

I won't even get into the use of epoxies. What a PITA they are!

The urethane grouts have been around a few years by now (I'm guessing) and I haven't heard of any real issues with them. They are slightly harder to clean up when installing but not the end of the world. Just don't try to use them on a tile ceiling - gravity is not your friend.:no:

The Snapstone grouts are super limited in color availability and may even be a little higher-priced for some reason. Assuming their grout is still made by Quartz Lock these days.


----------



## cocobolo

I heard back this morning from Bobby Fortney at Star Quartz...they have a distributor over in Vancouver!!! Good show!!!

I have given Bobby the precise details of the job and requested he let me know _exactly_ what it is that I need. Then I'll call the guys in Vancouver and have it mailed over.

Once again, many thanks for this info Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I did the same as usual, lit one of the wood stoves. At the moment I am just burning scrap wood and it doesn't make a lot of heat, but after a couple of hours the house is up to 20ºC or so.

I was a little more impatient today as I wanted the temperature to get up faster so that it is nice and warm for tiling the kitchen counter. I lit the second wood stove. This is the first time I have had both of them running at the same time.

Good grief Charlie Brown, at least I know how to get the heat up in nothing flat in future if we ever need to. One small load (junk wood) in the second stove and it is cooking in here. :sweatdrop:


----------



## BigJim

Still running the AC here.


----------



## jlhaslip

Wood stove has been on for about a week here. 
Light it once in the morning and once in the evening, but that'll change soon enough...


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Still running the AC here.


Nobody likes a wise guy Jim!!!:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Wood stove has been on for about a week here.
> Light it once in the morning and once in the evening, but that'll change soon enough...


That is what we do in the cabin. Small cabin...small wood stove. It takes only about 20 minutes to get the cabin toasty warm.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> That is what we do in the cabin. Small cabin...small wood stove. It takes only about 20 minutes to get the cabin toasty warm.


hehehe, sorry bout that,

I just heard our winter prediction and it is going to be warmer than usual and a lot dryer. For crying out loud we didn't get but maybe 4 inches of snow last year and none for a few years before. I love snow but for about two or three days and it needs to go away and usually does. 

It has changed a lot since I was a kid, back then it got cold and stayed that way all winter not like today, we may see lower than 30°F but usually not for long. Back then it would get down to 0 and stay for a while. We depended on the weather getting cold and staying cold because that is the only way we could keep the meat we processed from ruining, we didn't have electricity back out in the sticks.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> hehehe, sorry bout that,
> 
> I just heard our winter prediction and it is going to be warmer than usual and a lot dryer. For crying out loud we didn't get but maybe 4 inches of snow last year and none for a few years before. I love snow but for about two or three days and it needs to go away and usually does.
> 
> It has changed a lot since I was a kid, back then it got cold and stayed that way all winter not like today, we may see lower than 30°F but usually not for long. Back then it would get down to 0 and stay for a while. We depended on the weather getting cold and staying cold because that is the only way we could keep the meat we processed from ruining, we didn't have electricity back out in the sticks.


When you are talking Fº, 32 is zero C. Where we are here, we seldom go below 0ºC. Most of the winter our daytime highs will get to 5ºC or better.

When you shift inland, then the temperatures start to drop. And the opposite is true in the summer.

Here we may get to 80ºF - rarely - but up in the interior of the province it goes way over that. The ocean moderates our temperatures very considerably.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> When you are talking Fº, 32 is zero C. Where we are here, we seldom go below 0ºC. Most of the winter our daytime highs will get to 5ºC or better.
> 
> When you shift inland, then the temperatures start to drop. And the opposite is true in the summer.
> 
> Here we may get to 80ºF - rarely - but up in the interior of the province it goes way over that. The ocean moderates our temperatures very considerably.


Wow, your area sounds like the ideal temps year round, at least for me.


----------



## cocobolo

The first of the three counter tops is now down with thinset. A bit nerve wracking when everything needs to be just about _so. _

I have tried my best to make sure the tile is all level with its' neighbour, and I think it will pass inspection by the wife when she sees it. 

Now awaiting a return email from Star Quartz as to precisely the product I need for grouting. I expect to hear tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, your area sounds like the ideal temps year round, at least for me.


Perhaps that is why it is so popular with lots of folks Jim.

Considering how small this island is, it is surprising how many Americans have property here. I mean, there are several Gulf Islands here, most of which are much bigger than this one. They have all the facilites, things like roads, electricity, stores, schools and so on.

But aside from the Americans, there are property owners here from all across Canada. I would say for the most part, the bulk of the weekend type owners are from the surrounding area.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Perhaps that is why it is so popular with lots of folks Jim.
> 
> Considering how small this island is, it is surprising how many Americans have property here. I mean, there are several Gulf Islands here, most of which are much bigger than this one. They have all the facilites, things like roads, electricity, stores, schools and so on.
> 
> But aside from the Americans, there are property owners here from all across Canada. I would say for the most part, the bulk of the weekend type owners are from the surrounding area.


If I were younger I would be up there also, from what I have seen it is wonderful.

Judy and I went out tonight and looked at the moon and Jupiter. That is the clearest we have been able to see the moons around Jupiter but all we have were binoculars, the moon is so bright it hurts your eyes to look at. I can't wait until I can get a telescope.


----------



## cocobolo

That is one of the biggest drawbacks of viewing the moon without some sort of filter. It is bright enough to cause eyestrain. A typical moon filter only allows about 13% of the light through. And even at that, you can still see the smallest detail with a well focused scope.


----------



## cocobolo

The rain hit here late this afternoon, and I realized that I had not yet installed the threshold for the studio door.

It is in now, and I wonder how long it might take the missus to dislike that aluminum colour before she decides to add some exterior paint to it?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The rain hit here late this afternoon, and I realized that I had not yet installed the threshold for the studio door.
> 
> It is in now, and I wonder how long it might take the missus to dislike that aluminum colour before she decides to add some exterior paint to it?


The threshold does make a difference, I bet you are right, she probably won't leave that like that but you did a great job on installing it. That is a gooood looking door though.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks indeed Jim...the missus is really quite pleased with her efforts herself.

We have a good friend over here who is right into arts and crafts houses, particularly Greene and Greene, who you have no doubt heard of. He has built himself a house in that style. Not finished yet, but coming along nicely.

He was over last week for a quick visit after a three week trip back to Ontario when he spotted the door. At the time it was still laying on the kitchen table getting its' last coats of varnish. He looked at it longingly and thought it might go nicely on his house! Nice try...but sorry!


----------



## gma2rjc

That sill looks too pretty to walk on! The two colors of wood and the rounded edges are a nice touch. 

It almost looks like you bought the sill with the door, the way the colors match so well.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That sill looks too pretty to walk on! The two colors of wood and the rounded edges are a nice touch.
> 
> It almost looks like you bought the sill with the door, the way the colors match so well.


Thankyou.

That is just a chunk of cedar out of the ocean, nothing more. The missus has varnish on the door (gloss) but I put a satin finish on the sill. I am hoping it will not show any slight scratching quite so easily that way.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks indeed Jim...the missus is really quite pleased with her efforts herself.
> 
> We have a good friend over here who is right into arts and crafts houses, particularly Greene and Greene, who you have no doubt heard of. He has built himself a house in that style. Not finished yet, but coming along nicely.
> 
> He was over last week for a quick visit after a three week trip back to Ontario when he spotted the door. At the time it was still laying on the kitchen table getting its' last coats of varnish. He looked at it longingly and thought it might go nicely on his house! Nice try...but sorry!


I bet he did drool over your door, I sure have. I went looking online at some houses Greene and Greene designed and I thought this style looked familiar.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I bet he did drool over your door, I sure have. I went looking online at some houses Greene and Greene designed and I thought this style looked familiar.


Yessireee! That's what they used to do. Some of their houses have been extremely well preserved, considering that they are 100 years old.

There's just something that seems sort of - well - _comforting_ about their houses. I just have the one book on Greene and Greene, but I think my friend has just about every one ever printed!


----------



## cocobolo

After spending some time with mallet & chisel in hand, the bedroom door is finally mounted.

I expect we will use the same type of door handle as the others in the house, not really any point in changing now, as this is the final door to be installed.

It's good to see this door standing up the right way after all this time. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

The little Koto-no-ito Japanese maple has started to turn colour...an indication of the cooler evenings.


----------



## gma2rjc

The door is absolutely gorgeous Keith.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> The door is absolutely gorgeous Keith.


AaaaaAAAAaaaaAAAAaamen, I totally agree buddy.

Our trees are changing but most are just brown, not much color at all this year from all the dry weather we have had. We have two large sugar maples in the front yard and they changed color briefly and the leaves just fell off quickly. Not pretty here this year.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's one of the Virginia Creeper...it doesn't always get this nice colour. This year seems good for it. We have a damp forecast for a few days.


----------



## gma2rjc

This has been the best year for color we've had in a long time.


----------



## jlhaslip

gma2rjc said:


> The door is absolutely gorgeous Keith.


Pretty much says it all.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Pretty much says it all.


How are the tree colours doing up your way?


----------



## cocobolo

Barb, there are two trees here that have gone that golden yellow, the gingko biloba and the waterfall maple.


----------



## cocobolo

Does anyone else still have fuchsias out? This is a new batch of flowers I think, there was hardly anything on this plant two weeks ago.


----------



## cocobolo

The small Norway maple has turned from the typical purple colour to the much nicer fall red.


----------



## cocobolo

Then of course one of the holly trees is out in berry already. Looking good!


----------



## cocobolo

One of the prettiest maples is the full moon maple. I think the leaves will turn redder yet, but right now they don't look too bad either.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, those are some beautiful photos, the plants are fantastic. There are some that I have never seen before. I wish our colors were pretty this year but they aren't. One of the Maples out front was really pretty and I though I would take some pictures when it completely changed but the leaves just fell off before I got the chance. Thanks for showing us the beautiful plants Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is a maple which I grew from seed some time back. Starting to show a nice turn of colour.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was trekking through the garden this afternoon, I came across these semi large mushrooms. Apparently they are good to eat, but I'm more than a little leery.


----------



## cocobolo

When I first tried growing Japanese maples from seed, I met with varied success. Then I found that there were lots of small maple seedlings here on the island. These would be from the bigleaf maples here.

I transplanted this one from a big maple about 50 yards away from our place. It has far better colour than its' parent tree.


----------



## cocobolo

A small piece of a Trompenburg maple, which was an accidental discovery in Europe just a few decades ago. It has proven to be a reliable tree and very disease resistant.


----------



## cocobolo

Before it got dark today, I got several pieces of the terra cotta tile cut for the riser between the kitchen/dining area and the raised living room.

I'll be mixing up some thinset now and get some of that put on. The riser will use the 1/2" easyboard which I have on hand.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> While I was trekking through the garden this afternoon, I came across these semi large mushrooms. Apparently they are good to eat, but I'm more than a little leery.


I don't blame you Keith, I would be leery also. Here is a link you might want to see what they are http://americanmushrooms.com/edibles1.htm


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> A small piece of a Trompenburg maple, which was an accidental discovery in Europe just a few decades ago. It has proven to be a reliable tree and very disease resistant.


Ya'll have some really beautiful plants up your way. I didn't know there were that many different Maples.


----------



## jlhaslip

jiju,

Don't be giving Keith any links. He has work to do and can't spend his time on the Internet...






nline2long:


:jester:


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Ya'll have some really beautiful plants up your way. I didn't know there were that many different Maples.


I've never seen or heard of some of those Maples either. Their leaves look so delicate. Their colors are very pretty.

Keith, when I was in Oregon about 6 or 7 years ago, I saw some huge Maple leaves. They had to have been 12" wide. Is that about how big the leaves on your bigleaf Maple will get?


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> jiju,
> 
> Don't be giving Keith any links. He has work to do and can't spend his time on the Internet...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> nline2long:
> 
> 
> :jester:


Jeez...we can't sneak anything by you...can we...:laughing::lol:


----------



## gma2rjc

jlhaslip said:


> jiju,
> 
> Don't be giving Keith any links. He has work to do and can't spend his time on the Internet...
> 
> nline2long:
> 
> 
> :jester:


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I don't blame you Keith, I would be leery also. Here is a link you might want to see what they are http://americanmushrooms.com/edibles1.htm


Jim, I think I may have mentioned the name of Dr. William Weller, retired professor of astronomy and physics at the Vancouver Island University, well he also happens to be an expert on mushrooms.

When we first came here, there were so many different types of mushrooms growing wild on the island that we got a couple of decent books on the fungii. With those and the good Dr.'s expertise, we know what is what, but still neither my wife or I are willing to try them.

There are even chanterelle mushrooms growing wild here, delicious...but someone else is welcome to them.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> I've never seen or heard of some of those Maples either. Their leaves look so delicate. Their colors are very pretty.
> 
> Keith, when I was in Oregon about 6 or 7 years ago, I saw some huge Maple leaves. They had to have been 12" wide. Is that about how big the leaves on your bigleaf Maple will get?


My stars, that is some big leaves, I have never seen a maple with leaves any where that size.


----------



## gma2rjc

Up until that time, I hadn't seen any that size either. The ones around here are usually a little smaller than an adults hand opened up.

I'm trying to find the pictures from that trip. Hopefully I took one or two of those leaves.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Ya'll have some really beautiful plants up your way. I didn't know there were that many different Maples.


Jim, many of my Japanese maples have been bought for the Japanese garden here. Of course, there are several scattered around the rest of the garden...the wife snagged them before I had a chance to put them in the ground myself.

It must be seven or eight years ago that I tried to grow some of the Japanese maples from seed. I quickly learned that any hybrid plant would always revert back to the basic acer palmatum when grown from seed. You do need to graft your hybrid onto palmatum root stock.

That's another art unto itself.

We happen to have a climate here (other than the salt wind) which the Japanese maples like. So, generally speaking, they do well here.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I've never seen or heard of some of those Maples either. Their leaves look so delicate. Their colors are very pretty.
> 
> Keith, when I was in Oregon about 6 or 7 years ago, I saw some huge Maple leaves. They had to have been 12" wide. Is that about how big the leaves on your bigleaf Maple will get?


Maybe in another 50 years or so! I think this one is only two years young.

It wouldn't surprise me if you actually saw maple leaves that were quite a bit wider than 12"...especially in Oregon. I will go and check on the parent tree soon, and see how big the leaves are now on that one.

The maples with the fine leaves are usually referred to as _diss__ectum. _The bulk of this type of plant is often sold under the name Lace leaf maple.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars, that is some big leaves, I have never seen a maple with leaves any where that size.


Do you have many maple trees growing down your way?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Up until that time, I hadn't seen any that size either. The ones around here are usually a little smaller than an adults hand opened up.
> 
> I'm trying to find the pictures from that trip. Hopefully I took one or two of those leaves.


The big maples - the ones native to western Canada - sometimes grow to a very substantial size. We have perhaps half a dozen stands of them on the island here, but I wouldn't say that any of the trees are particularly big.

I think the lack of soil here would restrict their overall growth..although there may be a few that are 80-90 feet tall.


----------



## cocobolo

I hope that jl will be pleased to hear that I actually set some tile this evening. And barring anything too unforseen, more will go down tomorrow.

In between bouts on the internet that is...:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Same tree as below. Different time of year.


----------



## cocobolo

I took this one two or three years ago, a Sango kaku Japanese maple.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's really pretty. 

Around here I've only seen one kind of Japanese Maple at the nurseries. I'll look a little closer next spring. They don't grow well in my yard anyway with the walnut trees poisoning the soil the way they do.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Do you have many maple trees growing down your way?


There are a fair amount of maples down this way but the only three or four species I know of in this area are Red Maple, Sugar Maple and Silver Leaf. The main trees around here are White, Red, Pin, Black Jack and a few other Oaks, I can't remember right now. We have several types of Elm, Hickory, Birch, Aromatic Cedar, Pine, Walnut, Chinese Chestnut, several types of Pine, Cypress, Poplar, Osage Orange, Burdock, Black Locust, Cotton Wood, Sycamore and a bunch more I can't think of right now but these are the main kinds. I just can't imagine a Maple with leaves that big, but then you have many species I have never seen or heard of.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's really pretty.
> 
> Around here I've only seen one kind of Japanese Maple at the nurseries. I'll look a little closer next spring. They don't grow well in my yard anyway with the walnut trees poisoning the soil the way they do.


Right! Good point for everyone to note...almost nothing will grow under a walnut tree, especially after it has done it's shedding.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> There are a fair amount of maples down this way but the only three or four species I know of in this area are Red Maple, Sugar Maple and Silver Leaf. The main trees around here are White, Red, Pin, Black Jack and a few other Oaks, I can't remember right now. We have several types of Elm, Hickory, Birch, Aromatic Cedar, Pine, Chinese Chestnut, several types of Pine, Cypress, Poplar and a bunch more I can't think of right now but these are the main kinds. I just can't imagine a Maple with leaves that big, but then you have many species I have never seen or heard of.


Well, you have just listed a bunch of tress we don't have here!

We are heavy on coniferous trees out this way.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I took this one two or three years ago, a Sango kaku Japanese maple.


Attached Thumbnails 


That is just absolutely gorgeous, buddy, and some mighty fine photography also. That is probably the prettiest Autumn picture I have seen.


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> I hope that jl will be pleased to hear that I actually set some tile this evening. And barring anything too unforseen, more will go down tomorrow.
> 
> In between bouts on the internet that is...:laughing:


Sounds excellent...

:whistling2:

By the way, if the day isn't too dreary (Keith's wet weather is heading this way over night), I'll take a picture of the Maple trees in our yard tomorrow.

AND... the only Oak tree I have ever found around theses parts... right in my front yard! It has lost all of its leaves for this year. Since Oaks are not native to the area, it is the last to sprout in Spring and the first to shed in the Fall.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Sounds excellent...
> 
> :whistling2:
> 
> By the way, if the day isn't too dreary (Keith's wet weather is heading this way over night), I'll take a picture of the Maple trees in our yard tomorrow.
> 
> AND... the only Oak tree I have ever found around theses parts... right in my front yard! It has lost all of its leaves for this year. Since Oaks are not native to the area, it is the last to sprout in Spring and the first to shed in the Fall.


jl...I do believe there may be several Oaks that grow on the coast, but as far as I'm aware the only one on this island is the Garry Oak.

They like to be close to the ocean, and most stands we see out this way have several short scrubby looking trees. It's still mostly cloudy here this morning, not too bad though, and when it brightens up a bit I'll see if there's a photo op outside.


----------



## gma2rjc

jlhaslip said:


> AND... the only Oak tree I have ever found around theses parts... right in my front yard! It has lost all of its leaves for this year. Since Oaks are not native to the area, it is the last to sprout in Spring and the first to shed in the Fall.


That's interesting. The oaks in this area only seem to lose about 1/4 of their leaves in the fall and the rest of them turn brown and stay on the tree all winter. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's interesting. The oaks in this area only seem to lose about 1/4 of their leaves in the fall and the rest of them turn brown and stay on the tree all winter.
> 
> Barb


I was trying to think if the Garry Oaks here lose all their leaves or not, or if they do as yours do.

There is one right in front of the house which still has its' leaves, mostly brown now. I seem to remember last year trying to pick off all the straggling brown leaves that didn't fall off. So perhaps they don't lose everything???


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> That's interesting. The oaks in this area only seem to lose about 1/4 of their leaves in the fall and the rest of them turn brown and stay on the tree all winter.
> 
> Barb


That's the way the Oaks do here, they are the last trees to loose their leaves.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I was trying to think if the Garry Oaks here lose all their leaves or not, or if they do as yours do.
> 
> There is one right in front of the house which still has its' leaves, mostly brown now. I seem to remember last year trying to pick off all the straggling brown leaves that didn't fall off. So perhaps they don't lose everything???



Congratulations Buddy on your post #3,000.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Congratulations Buddy on your post #3,000.


I guess that means I'd better get at some more tiling, otherwise I won't get to #3002.


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> I guess that means I'd better get at some more tiling, otherwise I won't get to #3002.


:laughing::thumbup::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

The missus had me splitting more firewood this morning...not because we are out or anything. Yesterday she decided to do some cleanup down near the mill - a more or less futile job - and put a load of rounds where I normally do the splitting.

She managed to hurt her back trying to lift some of the bigger rounds and now is resting trying to get better. It will take a few days I'm sure, like it always does.


----------



## tpolk

Bud Cline said:


> The Star Quartz product is (supposedly) capable of use on vertical surfaces as it is, I don't know what my problem was that day but I had to fight with it repeatedly to get it to stay in the joints of an 18" high tub surround.
> 
> The company said to pour-off some of the juice before mixing, this will thicken the product somewhat. I wish I had called them before I knew I had a problem with the product staying in place on a vertical. Hey wait! That doesn't make any sense.
> 
> I won't even get into the use of epoxies. What a PITA they are!
> 
> The urethane grouts have been around a few years by now (I'm guessing) and I haven't heard of any real issues with them. They are slightly harder to clean up when installing but not the end of the world. Just don't try to use them on a tile ceiling - gravity is not your friend.:no:
> 
> The Snapstone grouts are super limited in color availability and may even be a little higher-priced for some reason. Assuming their grout is still made by Quartz Lock these days.


I found cleaning as you go with this product is really important as it seems to set on the surface quickly. If you can get an extra set of hands coming behind you, about 20 minutes, clean up goes pretty smooth. I also found doing back splashes easier if i set a small amount in another clean container and let the air and set time stiffen it up. Just some thoughts. timothy


----------



## Bud Cline

Reading the instructions I think will tell you not to get too far ahead of yourself. I spread about four to six square feet then clean thoroughly.

Here's another little secret. (Yow right!)
When the pail is first opened you will note that the [fillers] have settled to the bottom and the liquid has risen to the top. You can pour-off (and discard) some of the liquid before you mix the batch and this will reduce the fluidity of the product and thicken it slightly without wrecking the chemistry of the product. So says Star Quartz.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> I found cleaning as you go with this product is really important as it seems to set on the surface quickly. If you can get an extra set of hands coming behind you, about 20 minutes, clean up goes pretty smooth. I also found doing back splashes easier if i set a small amount in another clean container and let the air and set time stiffen it up. Just some thoughts. timothy


Thanks Timothy...I'm pretty sure I could convince the missus that this is something she would be _excellent_ at doing. The extra set of hands.

The local tile store only had epoxy grouts - other than the usual sanded/non sanded type grouts - so I will have to wait for the Vancouver outfit to send it over. I will only have horizontal surfaces to do this time, but that's a good hint about a partial setup.

Bud mentioned that this grout has a tendency to want to creep under the tile if there are any spaces, so I made considerable effort to see that this was kept to an absolute minimum.

I wonder if it might not be a good idea to put some tape over any joint which aims off the top...so that the grout can't just migrate freely out. It would only take a minute or two to do that.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Reading the instructions I think will tell you not to get too far ahead of yourself. I spread about four to six square feet then clean thoroughly.
> 
> Here's another little secret. (Yow right!)
> When the pail is first opened you will note that the [fillers] have settled to the bottom and the liquid has risen to the top. You can pour-off (and discard) some of the liquid before you mix the batch and this will reduce the fluidity of the product and thicken it slightly without wrecking the chemistry of the product. So says Star Quartz.


I was typing as you were posting Bud. I will read every word of the instructions to be sure.

I didn't hear back again from the company yesterday, as I had hoped, which means I will call the Vancouver guys Monday morning to find out exactly what I need. Sometimes these outfits don't want to mail things...so if that's the case I will have one of the kids pick it up and send it over here. The missus isn't going over again until mid November (grandson's birthday) and I don't want to wait that long.


----------



## cocobolo

I managed to successfully waste quite a bit of time this afternoon...my pal from the other side of the island brought a couple of _his_ friends over here. They wanted me to cut just one piece of tile. Done.

Since this was their first visit, the inevitable long winded discussions took place.

I haven't had the pleasure of meeting these chaps before...but if first impressions mean anything, they will fit in well here. Just weekenders, but they seem like really decent folks.

Their cabin is under construction right now - aren't they all - but I guess if they needed tile cut, they must be inside.

I did show them the kitchen counter, and that pretty much stopped them cold!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I managed to successfully waste quite a bit of time this afternoon...my pal from the other side of the island brought a couple of _his_ friends over here. They wanted me to cut just one piece of tile. Done.
> 
> Since this was their first visit, the inevitable long winded discussions took place.
> 
> I haven't had the pleasure of meeting these chaps before...but if first impressions mean anything, they will fit in well here. Just weekenders, but they seem like really decent folks.
> 
> Their cabin is under construction right now - aren't they all - but I guess if they needed tile cut, they must be inside.
> 
> I did show them the kitchen counter, and that pretty much stopped them cold!


I bet your new friends were just in Awe of your home.

I'm sorry your sweety hurt her back tell her we hope she feels much better soon.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I bet your new friends were just in Awe of your home.
> 
> I'm sorry your sweety hurt her back tell her we hope she feels much better soon.


We didn't go through it all, but they seemed pretty happy with what they did see. Next time they come over we'll see everything. The weather wasn't exactly the greatest when they were here, so an outside tour didn't seem like such a good idea. 

She's already showing signs of improvement with her back...enough so that she invited our friend over for dinner tomorrow. :thumbsup:

He is still contracting over here, so I can catch up on all the latest building that's going on over the other side without having to go over there! It looks like he's going to be busy for the next couple of years...no rest for the wicked. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

Two things set up for this evening...more tile to set. That's going to be a steady job for at least a month, and possibly more.

I have more wood ready to attempt some fitting and gluing on the kitchen counter. We'll see how it all develops. I may have hit on a not-too-difficult idea for the wood at both ends of that counter where the very sharp curves are, if it works I'll let you know...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Two things set up for this evening...more tile to set. That's going to be a steady job for at least a month, and possibly more.
> 
> I have more wood ready to attempt some fitting and gluing on the kitchen counter. We'll see how it all develops. I may have hit on a not-too-difficult idea for the wood at both ends of that counter where the very sharp curves are, if it works I'll let you know...


Man are you going to have some sore knees and legs, the getting up and down is what gets me.


----------



## cocobolo

It's rather too dark for pics tonight, but I'll see what I can come up with tomorrow for you all. A bit of a few things done. Even some painting, which I will carry on with for awhile before calling it a night.


----------



## cocobolo

I mentioned a small light which I was considering adding at the entrance to my Japanese garden a short while ago. That was before the missus decided that it belonged just outside her studio door.

Here is the light in question.


----------



## cocobolo

Apologies for not keeping up with the astronomy tips, but _some of us _have to get work done on our houses. See you all tomorrow...have a good weekend everyone.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I mentioned a small light which I was considering adding at the entrance to my Japanese garden a short while ago. That was before the missus decided that it belonged just outside her studio door.
> 
> Here is the light in question.


Keith, that light looks like it is perfect for your home no matter where it winds up. Don't worry about the tips, as much as we enjoy them, we do know there are things you must get done, I don't see how you have done all you have so far and still give us tips about the great beyond, we do thank you though.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that light looks like it is perfect for your home no matter where it winds up. Don't worry about the tips, as much as we enjoy them, we do know there are things you must get done, I don't see how you have done all you have so far and still give us tips about the great beyond, we do thank you though.


Thanks Jim...but I will at least run it to a short series of 20 or 25 tips. Today's is already in the works. I hope to finish it up and post around my lunchtime.

Long list of things to get done today before our company arrives for dinner.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> I mentioned a small light which I was considering adding at the entrance to my Japanese garden a short while ago. That was before the missus decided that it belonged just outside her studio door.
> 
> Here is the light in question.


Coco.,

Give you a tip which I have done a bit in European side if you want to keep the metal real bright and clean this what I useally do is take ether automovtie or marine wax and go over it and that will help to prevent the metal to fade out really bad if you want to keep it bright colour.

I am sure your house guest did stop right there with countertop which I know many pepoles never see like that at all and I know you are one of very few peoples know how to dealt with curved countertops etc.,

I have done alot of conduit { pipe } work and I can make very good curve and few EC's { Electrical Contractors } got a hold of me to make very large curve conduit in varies size and length as needed I just got one done not too long ago 3 inch conduit size with hevey wall steel pipe that took me about a hour do it right without kinks.


Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Coco.,
> 
> Give you a tip which I have done a bit in European side if you want to keep the metal real bright and clean this what I useally do is take ether automovtie or marine wax and go over it and that will help to prevent the metal to fade out really bad if you want to keep it bright colour.
> 
> I am sure your house guest did stop right there with countertop which I know many pepoles never see like that at all and I know you are one of very few peoples know how to dealt with curved countertops etc.,
> 
> I have done alot of conduit { pipe } work and I can make very good curve and few EC's { Electrical Contractors } got a hold of me to make very large curve conduit in varies size and length as needed I just got one done not too long ago 3 inch conduit size with hevey wall steel pipe that took me about a hour do it right without kinks.
> 
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


I can't even begin to imagine trying to bend 3" conduit...never mind keeping it in a good curve. That must have been a real trick.


----------



## cocobolo

Just have a few seconds for a quick post. Not many pix today, although a fair work day. The step into the kitchen from the nook needed a template so that I could cut the easyboard without ruining more than one sheet!


----------



## cocobolo

Before I cut the easyboard, I put the 1/2" on the step riser, _then _cut the backer.

Following that I made spacers to lift the tile up and tiled the risers. Once that has all set up - tomorrow - I can get on to lay out the tiles for the treads.

Some more tile on to the living room riser, plus on the living room floor. I successfully managed to neglect to take photos of that.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, they say time flies when you're having fun. I must have had a real blast today in that case.

I went over to the cabin to clean up and our friend arrived for dinner 30 seconds later...I had no idea it was anywhere near that late. In any event it was an excellent evening.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 16)

View an eclipse of the moon!

On the night of December 20/21 we will be experiencing a full eclipse of the moon.

There is something quite different about the timing of a lunar eclipse as compared to other astronomical events which take place in our solar system.

We will all see this eclipse _at the same time._ 

Whereas, if we wanted to look at Saturn, or Jupiter at its' best, we would view at the same _local _times. 

Just to be sure, this is how it works. This eclipse will be in the full stage at 2:40 AM EST on the morning of December 21st. Here on the Pacific Coast, that equates to 11:40 PM on the 20th. So please don't make the terrible mistake of going out on the _night_ of the 21st...you will be too late!

The media will probably report this eclipse as beginning at 12:29 am on the 21st. However, this is what as known as the penumbral stage, and there will be very little change in the appearance of the moon at that point.

The umbral, or partial eclipse will start at 1:32 am (EST).

The total eclipse will commence at 2:40 am.

Mid totality - as dark as the moon will get - will be at 3:16 am.

The total eclipse will end at 3:53 am.

The partial, or umbral eclipse will end at 5:01 am.

Now all everyone has to do is to pray to the weather gods for clear skies that night. Please note that this is also the winter solstice.


----------



## BigJim

That will be great to see Keith, I have it marked on the calendar. I just hope it is clear that night, I guess we will wait and see.

We are finally getting some rain here, maybe what is left of the leaves will change to some color now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, they say time flies when you're having fun. I must have had a real blast today in that case.
> 
> I went over to the cabin to clean up and our friend arrived for dinner 30 seconds later...I had no idea it was anywhere near that late. In any event it was an excellent evening.


We are glad you got to relax a little and enjoy your friends. I know they enjoyed themselves.


----------



## jlhaslip

Bad news.

Wind came along while I was busy this last few days and knocked all the Maple leaves to the ground...
No pictures available unless you want to see the pile before I burn them.

Actually, they are going to be mulch for the floors and garden... :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Bad news.
> 
> Wind came along while I was busy this last few days and knocked all the Maple leaves to the ground...
> No pictures available unless you want to see the pile before I burn them.
> 
> Actually, they are going to be mulch for the floors and garden... :laughing:


So the wind made it over to your place intact, did it?

Yesterday our barometer was right in the tank here...972 mb...and the promised wind didn't let us down. In fact, it has continued to blow all night and hasn't quit yet. The barometer has only got up to 980 mb this morning - still very low.

This has caused us to have extreme high tides both yesterday and this morning.

I can see the big maple tree towards Sand Dollar Cove from the house here, and it still looks like it has almost all of its' leaves. Because it is completely surrounded by tall firs, it is well protected from the wind. But I suspect your maple(s) might be a little more open up there - as well as being a little further along in their colour change.

Just took this shot from the bedroom deck at the house. The cedar tree in front is about 80 yards away and the maple is at least another 100 yards beyond that. (telephoto lens) You can see why it doesn't get many leaves blown off.


----------



## scoggy

*Leaves and Autumn*

Keith, I have 3 large fruit trees in my yard that 'donate their leaves' to the Earth, at different times during Fall. It becomes an exercise regime, where I work, enjoy the view, and should be content...but..monotony, got to me, so..I raked all the leaves on the ground, to the side of the road, because that "BIG' wind was forecast, and in my devious socialistic mind, thought I should share them with neighbours! Well the wind didn't materialize, leaves were still there, joined by other new 'recruits', and monotony shall continue ad infinitim! I always rationalize that leaves don't 'fall' off of trees, they see the Geese etc flying South, and since we are taught that the top of a Mercator projection map is North, they too are flying South!
Cheers
Scoggy:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, I have 3 large fruit trees in my yard that 'donate their leaves' to the Earth, at different times during Fall. It becomes an exercise regime, where I work, enjoy the view, and should be content...but..monotony, got to me, so..I raked all the leaves on the ground, to the side of the road, because that "BIG' wind was forecast, and in my devious socialistic mind, thought I should share them with neighbours! Well the wind didn't materialize, leaves were still there, joined by other new 'recruits', and monotony shall continue ad infinitim! I always rationalize that leaves don't 'fall' off of trees, they see the Geese etc flying South, and since we are taught that the top of a Mercator projection map is North, they too are flying South!
> Cheers
> Scoggy:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


You're kidding me..you _didn't_ get the wind? It's _still_ blowing here, almost directly from the south, maybe slightly east of south.

I can look over to where you are, and now that I do that I see that the water looks quite calm over there. Bit of a surprise. We still have 3 foot waves here.


----------



## cocobolo

I have just spent hours, literally, fitting all the little bits around the ensuite window. I know, I know...I should be ashamed of myself for taking so long.

The window itself needed just the least bit of trimming and the fitting of everything took the rest of the time.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the latch I used...and since the install - only a few minutes ago - the noise of the raging wind has now ceased to find its' way in around the window. I'm taking that as a good sign. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Spent awhile getting the tiles for the step cut out this afternoon.

In fact, that and some more tile on the living room floor took until dark. Not all stuck down yet, I think that can wait until the morning.


----------



## cocobolo

Most of this is stuck, just some of the tile at the curved edge to set tomorrow.


----------



## jlhaslip

Do you do anything the easy way??? :lol:

The step looks great, but what's with that square pattern???

:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Do you do anything the easy way??? :lol:
> 
> The step looks great, but what's with that square pattern???
> 
> :whistling2:


....couldn't find any round tiles. :huh:


----------



## BigJim

Buddy you have been busy, the steps tiles and windows look great. I knew you were busy doing something, I didn't realize you would have so much done though. Fantastic!!!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy you have been busy, the steps tiles and windows look great. I knew you were busy doing something, I didn't realize you would have so much done though. Fantastic!!!


About half what I should have done Jim.

I'm getting some painting done this evening...all slow stuff. But it has to be done, so this is as good a time as any.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> About half what I should have done Jim.


 ....:huh:

You got a lot done today. It all looks fantastic. Your knees must be killing you by now after putting all that tile down. 

I love the pattern on the step and on the curved edge. The angles and spacing are perfect.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 17)

How to take a pic of the eclipsing moon.

I wish I could give you some precise settings to shoot the moon during the upcoming eclipse, but...it's just not possible. However, I can suggest some decent guidelines that will get you in the right direction.

You should know that every eclipse is going to be different, and that the moon will vary in its' appearance from one place to another.

Visually certainly, it is likely to look _similar_ no matter where you are. This, of course, is assuming that the eclipse is visible for you.

You are going to run into two problems. The first is that it's going to be dark. I'm kidding, right? I wish. 

Prior to the eclipse you will be looking at a full moon, and if you take a pic of it your (digital) camera will be able to see the moon well enough to bring it in to focus. This will not be the case once the moon is eclipsed by earth. There simply will not be enough light.

You will need to manually focus.

Regardless of what camera you have, you should use a tripod, because you will need to take exposures (try as many as you can) lasting as much as 10 seconds. When exposures get to this length, the moon will move, and you are likely to need a tracking mount in order to prevent blurring.

OK, we all know that go-to mounts don't come free yet, but if you look online for a barn door mount, you can make one for yourself. They work amazingly well and cost but a few pennies to make. For short exposures, say up to one minute, they are great. If you make one using very precise measurements (not hard to do) you can get decent photographic results up to 15 minutes on a single exposure.

When I searched online for a barn door mount, sometimes called a Scotch mount - can you guess why - there was more than enough info on the first page to build one. So, there's a good DIY project for you to tackle before December 20th.

In fact, why not start on one now and try taking pix of the milky way using your new tracker. A little experience will prove to be very valuable.

It will help immensely if your camera is adjustable, with a DSLR being the most suitable. Set your ISO to a fast speed, at least 800, and higher if you have it. This will allow more light to hit the sensor, providing a better image.

The other thing you will want to do is to be able to zoom in as far as possible. A zoom lens with 300 mm capability on a DSLR will do a good job. This will serve two purposes - the first being that it will obviously enlarge your image.

The second is this...because the moon will appear to be larger, whatever light is there (it will be a coppery colour) will cover more of the sensor, thus making it easier for your autofocus to work. If the autofocus doesn't want to play ball, then you will focus manually.

You could use a scope to attach your camera to - adapters are available for almost anything - in which case you will need to use the maximum ISO your camera has. Mine is a few years old and has a maximum of 1600. Many of the newer models will go to 3200 which will help immensely.

As the moon gets closer to a full eclipse, try taking as many shots as possible and vary your exposure times. This way, some are bound to come out better than others. 

And don't forget...whatever you end up with...there's always your photo program to fix things up with!

Good luck! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> ....:huh:
> 
> You got a lot done today. It all looks fantastic. Your knees must be killing you by now after putting all that tile down.
> 
> I love the pattern on the step and on the curved edge. The angles and spacing are perfect.


...don't look too closely...but thanks anyway!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> About half what I should have done Jim.
> 
> I'm getting some painting done this evening...all slow stuff. But it has to be done, so this is as good a time as any.


Buddy, it took me a month to put porcelain in our 12X14 kitchen. I did have to resupport the joist and fix the sloping wavy floor though. I am just way too slow these days. It took me 6 months to build our kitchen cabinets. You would have finished that kitchen in no time at the rate you work.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, it took me a month to put porcelain in our 12X14 kitchen. I did have to resupport the joist and fix the sloping wavy floor though. I am just way too slow these days. It took me 6 months to build our kitchen cabinets. You would have finished that kitchen in no time at the rate you work.


Nothing wrong with that Jim. I'm looking forward to being able to re-retire when this is done. I stopped working for others when I hit 65, just so I could work 12 hours a day around here. 

It would be nice to be able to retire from all this work sooner rather than later. Then I could devote the 12 hours to some hobbies!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 17)
> 
> How to take a pic of the eclipsing moon.
> 
> I wish I could give you some precise settings to shoot the moon during the upcoming eclipse, but...it's just not possible. However, I can suggest some decent guidelines that will get you in the right direction.
> 
> You should know that every eclipse is going to be different, and that the moon will vary in its' appearance from one place to another.
> 
> Visually certainly, it is likely to look _similar_ no matter where you are. This, of course, is assuming that the eclipse is visible for you.
> 
> You are going to run into two problems. The first is that it's going to be dark. I'm kidding, right? I wish.
> 
> Prior to the eclipse you will be looking at a full moon, and if you take a pic of it your (digital) camera will be able to see the moon well enough to bring it in to focus. This will not be the case once the moon is eclipsed by earth. There simply will not be enough light.
> 
> You will need to manually focus.
> 
> Regardless of what camera you have, you should use a tripod, because you will need to take exposures (try as many as you can) lasting as much as 10 seconds. When exposures get to this length, the moon will move, and you are likely to need a tracking mount in order to prevent blurring.
> 
> OK, we all know that go-to mounts don't come free yet, but if you look online for a barn door mount, you can make one for yourself. They work amazingly well and cost but a few pennies to make. For short exposures, say up to one minute, they are great. If you make one using very precise measurements (not hard to do) you can get decent photographic results up to 15 minutes on a single exposure.
> 
> When I searched online for a barn door mount, sometimes called a Scotch mount - can you guess why - there was more than enough info on the first page to build one. So, there's a good DIY project for you to tackle before December 20th.
> 
> In fact, why not start on one now and try taking pix of the milky way using your new tracker. A little experience will prove to be very valuable.
> 
> It will help immensely if your camera is adjustable, with a DSLR being the most suitable. Set your ISO to a fast speed, at least 800, and higher if you have it. This will allow more light to hit the sensor, providing a better image.
> 
> The other thing you will want to do is to be able to zoom in as far as possible. A zoom lens with 300 mm capability on a DSLR will do a good job. This will serve two purposes - the first being that it will obviously enlarge your image.
> 
> The second is this...because the moon will appear to be larger, whatever light is there (it will be a coppery colour) will cover more of the sensor, thus making it easier for your autofocus to work. If the autofocus doesn't want to play ball, then you will focus manually.
> 
> You could use a scope to attach your camera to - adapters are available for almost anything - in which case you will need to use the maximum ISO your camera has. Mine is a few years old and has a maximum of 1600. Many of the newer models will go to 3200 which will help immensely.
> 
> As the moon gets closer to a full eclipse, try taking as many shots as possible and vary your exposure times. This way, some are bound to come out better than others.
> 
> And don't forget...whatever you end up with...there's always your photo program to fix things up with!
> 
> Good luck! :thumbsup:


Keith, I looked online and found a mount and instructions how to build one, here is the mount I found.










My problem is going to be my camera, it is a digital but I don't know much about a camera. I do know it isn't a high dollar camera and there is no manual adjustments on it. It does have the zoom and auto focus. I will get it down and see what all it will do. Thanks buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I looked online and found a mount and instructions how to build one, here is the mount I found.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My problem is going to be my camera, it is a digital but I don't know much about a camera. I do know it isn't a high dollar camera and there is no manual adjustments on it. It does have the zoom and auto focus. I will get it down and see what all it will do. Thanks buddy.


That one even looks like it has a motor drive attached to it! Wow, talk about deluxe!

The simplest ones - which really do work well - are driven by a threaded rod setup, which you turn by hand. But of course if you were to use a motor with the right speed, the motion would be even better.


----------



## Bud Cline

I was noticing one of the riser tiles has a grout spacing that is 1/32" wider than the rest. That's just not at all acceptable. It's the one on the left over there next to the other one - see it?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I was noticing one of the riser tiles has a grout spacing that is 1/32" wider than the rest. That's just not at all acceptable. It's the one on the left over there next to the other one - see it?


There must be something wrong with your eyesight Bud, it's actually 1/31". :laughing:

While you're around...could you let me know if the grout (Star quartz) that I will be getting for the kitchen counter would be suitable for use on the marble surround in the ensuite around the soaker tub? Or is there something else more suitable? Thanks.


----------



## Bud Cline

> While you're around...could you let me know if the grout (Star quartz) that I will be getting for the kitchen counter would be suitable for use on the marble surround in the ensuite around the soaker tub? Or is there something else more suitable? Thanks.


Around the surface of the deck it should be fine but I worry about using that product in a submerged area. You should know that this grout requires a long drying time if it is going to get wet. By long I'm talking about seven days before it sees any moisture that may pool. In the kitchen application I wouldn't be concerned.

Now as far use on marble...
If the marble is the highly polished marble I would think twice. It may smear and distort the polished surface. There should be a Tech phone number on the label to call and ask about use on marble.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Around the surface of the deck it should be fine but I worry about using that product in a submerged area. You should know that this grout requires a long drying time if it is going to get wet. By long I'm talking about seven days before it sees any moisture that may pool. In the kitchen application I wouldn't be concerned.
> 
> Now as far use on marble...
> If the marble is the highly polished marble I would think twice. It may smear and distort the polished surface. There should be a Tech phone number on the label to call and ask about use on marble.


There would be no submerged areas, but I shall follow your advice and speak with the company.

In any event, these areas will not see any use at all for many, many weeks. Other than getting stuff piled on top!

Thanks Bud.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, you know that rain I asked you to send down this way, buddy you could have kept all the bad weather that came with it. The last time we went to Nashville it rained so hard most everyone was pulling off the xway. Today was the same way except a town we had just gone through, a tornado touched down just after we were there. On the way home the rain set in really heavy and of all places was as we were going down Monteagle Mountain. We got home and turned on the news and there had been tornadoes in several places around town. I think we will just stay home next time. What a day.


----------



## cocobolo

Thank heaven you made it back safely! Is that what they refer to as Tornado Alley down that way?


----------



## Bud Cline

We loaned them some of our tornadoes.:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm glad you and your wife made it back safely Jim. It's scary driving through the mountain roads in bad weather.

You guys have had more than your share of bad weather this year. Wasn't there a terrible flood in the Nashville area last spring? 

We were in the path of the same storm system you got down there today, but it was quite a bit milder up this way. We had tornado watches and warnings, but I haven't heard about any touching down. There are lots of trees and large branches down and people without power. The strong winds are going to continue through tomorrow evening.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> I'm glad you and your wife made it back safely Jim. It's scary driving through the mountain roads in bad weather.
> 
> You guys have had more than your share of bad weather this year. Wasn't there a terrible flood in the Nashville area last spring?
> 
> We were in the path of the same storm system you got down there today, but it was quite a bit milder up this way. We had tornado watches and warnings, but I haven't heard about any touching down. There are lots of trees and large branches down and people without power. The strong winds are going to continue through tomorrow evening.


Thanks Barb, Nashville did have a bad flood earlier this year, it really did mess a bunch of folks up and ruined a lot of stuff.

Keith, tornado alley is over a couple of states around Oklahoma, Kansas, and the Dakotas, the land over there is flat and nothing to slow the wind down. What we had was bad enough but nothing like them poor folks over that way catch. Some of the tornadoes can be a mile or so wide with winds over 200 MPH, it is hard for me to imagine wind that strong on land. I was in a hurricane out at sea when I was a swabby though, that was some rough riding.


----------



## jlhaslip

Bud Cline said:


> We loaned them some of our tornadoes.:yes:


was it a lease or a rental/purchase deal? :jester:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> We loaned them some of our tornadoes.:yes:


Bud...your generosity knows no bounds! :laughing:

Is there nothing you won't do for your fellow countrymen? :wink:

What a nice guy! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> was it a lease or a rental/purchase deal? :jester:


:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> We loaned them some of our tornadoes.:yes:


Bud, you are just too kind buddy, when would you like us to return them?:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Bud, you are just too kind buddy, when would you like us to return them?:laughing:


Got him that time Jim!!!!:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Welcome Ladeez and Genn'lmen to Coco's Comedy Central!


----------



## cocobolo

Well, while you guys were all out playing in the rain, I still had to get some work done.

First thing this morning I set the tile on that abominable curved step. You've seen a pic before, so no point in seeing that again.

Wife number two has had the nag control on high to get the wall done out in cedar in the guest bedroom.

All I can say is don't ever do out things like stairwells and rooms in narrow cedar strips. Unless someone gives you a few thousand to play with.

The wall has been sitting like this for so long, I really don't remember when these boards were installed.


----------



## cocobolo

Fortunately I was able to find enough long boards (11') which were clear cedar to get up to the window without having to make any joins.


----------



## cocobolo

The shorter boards were no problem. There are loads of those laying all over the place here.

But then I needed several more to go over the window. It took another dozen or so before shorter boards could be used. As soon as I hit the ceiling level, tapers were cut to fit.


----------



## cocobolo

The order was given to attend supper when I had got this far, soooo not wishing to incur the wrath of she-who-thinks-she-must-be-obeyed, I hot footed it over for dinner.


----------



## cocobolo

Aside from the fact that the end of this wall reaches a cool 10' 9" high, which necessitates the use of some sort of bodily elevating device, it wasn't too difficult to do.

It is essentially finished here, except for three increasingly shorter pieces which I have glued together in order that they my go up at the same time. It's a backing thing.

When the glue is dry - in the morning - they will go up right away.


----------



## cocobolo

So many times I have wished that I could have brought some drywall over here for the flat walls and ceilings. My niece's hubby is in the biz and he figures we could have all the flat stuff boarded, taped and first mud coat in one day.

I don't doubt it, as I still remember the first time I hired a board crew (2 guys) to do out a 1 1/2 storey, typical 1200 square foot house. They were done in 4 hours flat. All I heard was numbers being called and the whine of the guns.

They sure knew their business.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Aside from the fact that the end of this wall reaches a cool 10' 9" high, which necessitates the use of some sort of bodily elevating device, it wasn't too difficult to do.
> 
> It is essentially finished here, except for three increasingly shorter pieces which I have glued together in order that they my go up at the same time. It's a backing thing.
> 
> When the glue is dry - in the morning - they will go up right away.


Keith, how long did it take you to do these walls? Absolutely beautiful!!!, I would never get tired of looking at your walls.

I have been trying to figure out a way to haul sheet rock on your boats and be able to handle it by yourself. So far I haven't come up with a way. Way back when I was a much younger dude, I did hang rock on a ceiling or two alone but it is tough.

I am slooooowly doing away with all of the sheet rock in our home, I just never have liked sheet rock in our home.

Those fellows who installed the rock in your house were blazing, that is a bunch of rock and fast.

Back in the 80s, one of my subs used several Mexican fellows to hang rock for him. I was restoring an older 1842 Victorian with tall ceilings. The house was about 5,000 sq feet two floors. The workers didn't even stop to eat, one of their wives brought a cooler with bean burritos, they would go over and grab a burrito and just keep on going. I was blown away at how much work these fellows were doing. They weren't as fast as the fellows that did your work but they were fast.


----------



## cocobolo

It certainly does take awhile to put this cedar up as the strips are only about 1 1/2" to 1 5/8" net coverage. But that's the easy part...what really takes the time is the whole manufacturing process in the first place.

Going through the gathering of logs...finding stuff that might be old and clear...getting it to the mill...doing the actual cutting, planing and dadoing. Followed by the necessary drying time and whatnot.

Once everything is up, then it will be time to add the finish. That one wall above took me most of the day from just before 10 am to after 9 pm. I didn't take much time off from that.

There are 102 pieces of wood on that wall, all of which needed to be hand cut. There is an angle at the right hand end on every board so that it will close with the far wall. I use the Japanese saw for that and the taper cuts up top.

There's a few odd jobs to attend to now, but I'm hoping I can find time to do the trims and window sill in that wall today. It will be nice to have it finished.

The opposite wall still needs some boards toward the top...nothing like as many or as long. I think that one is only about 8', so it's easier to find the shorter boards.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It certainly does take awhile to put this cedar up as the strips are only about 1 1/2" to 1 5/8" net coverage. But that's the easy part...what really takes the time is the whole manufacturing process in the first place.
> 
> Going through the gathering of logs...finding stuff that might be old and clear...getting it to the mill...doing the actual cutting, planing and dadoing. Followed by the necessary drying time and whatnot.
> 
> Once everything is up, then it will be time to add the finish. That one wall above took me most of the day from just before 10 am to after 9 pm. I didn't take much time off from that.
> 
> There are 102 pieces of wood on that wall, all of which needed to be hand cut. There is an angle at the right hand end on every board so that it will close with the far wall. I use the Japanese saw for that and the taper cuts up top.
> 
> There's a few odd jobs to attend to now, but I'm hoping I can find time to do the trims and window sill in that wall today. It will be nice to have it finished.
> 
> The opposite wall still needs some boards toward the top...nothing like as many or as long. I think that one is only about 8', so it's easier to find the shorter boards.


I just knew you did all of that yesterday, there is no way I could have done that much in several days and that is the truth. You aren't using the strip canoe router bits on the strips are you? That is a lot of work Keith but it sure does look good. That is one wall less you have to do now.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I just knew you did all of that yesterday, there is no way I could have done that much in several days and that is the truth. You aren't using the strip canoe router bits on the strips are you? That is a lot of work Keith but it sure does look good. That is one wall less you have to do now.


No I'm not using those bits...but now that you mention it, it would have looked pretty good like that.

These boards are a mini version of shiplap.

I'm about done on the sill & casing on the first window in there. The mrs. has once again volunteered to play Rembrandt with the paintbrush.

I have a different sill treatment to most, so when the glue dries, I can unload the clamps and I'll get you a pic.


----------



## BigJim

My stars, shiplapping all of them is a bunch of work and you are sure right, not many people realize all that goes into making things beautiful. What do you do with all your sawdust?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars, shiplapping all of them is a bunch of work and you are are sure right, not many people realize all that goes into making things beautiful. What do you do with all your sawdust?


Much of the planer shavings and sawdust from the mill gets bagged, and the missus uses it for the walkways here. It serves the dual purpose of keeping mud off our shoes in the wintertime, and it's soft to walk on.

Eventually, it breaks down and reverts to soil itself, at which time the lady of the mansion deposits yet more sawdust, ad infinitum.

Many times, if I don't have big piles of it in the house, I just scoop up a dustpan full and throw it in the woodstove.

If I'm machining all day, I need to clean up - which usually means I have 3 bags to fill.


----------



## cocobolo

A little while ago we were talking about the big leaf maples. We have had some fair rain over the last day or so and most of the leaves on the maple are on the ground.


----------



## cocobolo

Not much left up top...


----------



## cocobolo

I picked up a few leaves at random, and this one came out at 20" across exactly.

So Barb, when you were saying a few days ago that you saw some maple leaves in Oregon that were a foot across, I think you short-changed the trees. They were likely bigger than this.


----------



## cocobolo

Abundant arbutus berries usually predict the winter weather.

If the robins eat the berries early, it means we are in for a warm winter. If they leave them until much later, we are due for a cold one. The berries are still maturing, so we will find out later on.


----------



## cocobolo

All this moisture is producing a variety of mushrooms on the island. Nowhere near as many as we have had in some past years, but a few different ones.

There seems to be a lot of these guys about.


----------



## cocobolo

There are thousands of these small brown ones.


----------



## cocobolo

...not quite as many of these...


----------



## cocobolo

The milk chocolate coloured ones remind me of a house down in the desert somewhere in the States. I should see if I can find a pic of it and the name of the architect.


----------



## cocobolo

This is how the leaves go on the Garry oak trees here. I think many of them remain on the trees all winter.


----------



## cocobolo

It doesn't appear that this Japanese maple is going to turn red. They don't all necessarily do that. It's still quite nice anyway.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the small laceleaf...it is a dark red all year, and only turns the much nicer and brighter red in the fall.


----------



## cocobolo

This one resides in my Japanese garden. It is a vibrant green all year, but reliably turns this lovely colour as soon as the weather cools every fall.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus has these small pink lily like flowers by the potting shed...and it seems to me that they have been out since early summer. Does that sound right?


----------



## cocobolo

These small mums are just coming out now...which I think is usual for them.


----------



## cocobolo

...and still a few of the snapdragons in flower.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the big bloodgood maple, still in a small wooden container that I put it in originally when it was only perhaps 3 feet tall. Better make sure it is trans planted before next spring.


----------



## cocobolo

Our one and only apricot tree has turned a nice colour...it's too bad the day has been so dull and dreary. The colours don't look any too good.


----------



## cocobolo

Last one for awhile...the little Koto Japanese maple with the bloodgrass plant and a small bamboo behind it.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the real piece de resistance...

























...an old wooden wheelbarrow that has seen far better days. I'm thinking about giving it a rebuild.

New bottom, new sides, new handles, new legs...removable front perhaps so that wife number two can load and unload her plants easily.

Headlights for night work...turn signals...

Some kind of slick trick brackets to carry her garden tools in...

A removable tray if she wants to carry some yucky stuff...

How about a Honda motor to power it with...nice set of zoomie headers...full race cam...

What about the colour though...hmmm...that's a toughie...couldn't possibly be red...unless it was used in the Japanese garden. Red kind of belongs there. No...I think I would ban it from there so it would need to be something a little more _quiet, classy even...

_Not much to start with is there...
_
I'm listening...
_


----------



## jlhaslip

... racing stripes ... 







:lol:


----------



## BigJim

mud grips :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, those are some beautiful shots and the color is totally outstanding. Did I see some Magnolia leaves in one of the photos?

The leaves are about half gone down this way but we did notice on the mountains there is a little color but not like it usually is. It usually looks like a patch quilt. We appreciate you sharing you beautiful plants and trees with us.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> ... racing stripes ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :lol:


You know, right after I posted I thought about pinstripes...but racing stripes would be even better.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> mud grips :thumbsup:


...sounds good to me! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, those are some beautiful shots and the color is totally outstanding. Did I see some Magnolia leaves in one of the photos?
> 
> The leaves are about half gone down this way but we did notice on the mountains there is a little color but not like it usually is. It usually looks like a patch quilt. We appreciate you sharing you beautiful plants and trees with us.


I don't think so Jim...I don't think there are any Magnolia's anywhere on the island here. Certainly over on Vancouver island, there's plenty. Perhaps you are looking at an arbutus leaf...I think they are somewhat similar.


----------



## cocobolo

The window casing has been installed, and I have been fooling around with the sill to make something different.

The top trim will be painted _before_ it is installed, just like the sill should have been. I'll take my time and do the first undercoat now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The window casing has been installed, and I have been fooling around with the sill to make something different.
> 
> The top trim will be painted _before_ it is installed, just like the sill should have been. I'll take my time and do the first undercoat now.


That is really neat and different, I have never seen that done before but I like it. Hopefully you will show us some pictures when you have the finish on your windows.

I forgot about that huge leaf while ago, that has to be the biggest leaf I have ever seen on a tree in my life. Next year could you take a picture of the tree it came off of, I sure would love to see that.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, the tree in post 3442 is the one. Except that I zoomed in to the top of the tree so you could see some leaves, the bottom is about barren now. I'll try to get you a pic on the next sunny day.

We should have one of those by about next July. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 18)

Get a few names under your belt...you're going to need them.

Whenever astro buffs get together, the talk always ends up referring to something in the night sky.

"Hey, did you see the latest pic of M51 that Rich took?" If you're an amateur astronomer, you know what that is.

But before you become conversant with the Messier objects, you should probably go after some of the constellations.

Winter will soon be upon us in the northern hemisphere, and everyone's favourite will soon be visible. Who doesn't like Orion? It's loaded with goodies and is a good signpost in the night sky. If Orion is high enough in the sky, his belt will direct you to Sirius, the brightest star. A line from Bellatrix through Betelgeuse will take you to Procyon...another moderately bright star. Following the belt in the opposite direction will lead you - more or less - to Aldebaran. Heading right out the middle of the top of Orion will lead you to Capella. This will be very nearly due overhead at night.

Get used to looking up and being able to immediately identify the big and little dippers, the W in Cassiopeia, Polaris - our north star which is at the end of the handle of the little dipper - the Pleiades, the Hyades, the great square of Pegasus, Cygnus the swan, often referred to as the northern cross, where the Andromeda galaxy is, the double cluster and so much more.

Any star chart will show you all this and a hundred times more. And we haven't mentioned the planets yet...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 18)
> 
> Get a few names under your belt...you're going to need them.
> 
> Whenever astro buffs get together, the talk always ends up referring to something in the night sky.
> 
> "Hey, did you see the latest pic of M51 that Rich took?" If you're an amateur astronomer, you know what that is.
> 
> But before you become conversant with the Messier objects, you should probably go after some of the constellations.
> 
> Winter will soon be upon us in the northern hemisphere, and everyone's favourite will soon be visible. Who doesn't like Orion? It's loaded with goodies and is a good signpost in the night sky. If Orion is high enough in the sky, his belt will direct you to Sirius, the brightest star. A line from Bellatrix through Betelgeuse will take you to Procyon...another moderately bright star. Following the belt in the opposite direction will lead you - more or less - to Aldebaran. Heading right out the middle of the top of Orion will lead you to Capella. This will be very nearly due overhead at night.
> 
> Get used to looking up and being able to immediately identify the big and little dippers, the W in Cassiopeia, Polaris - our north star which is at the end of the handle of the little dipper - the Pleiades, the Hyades, the great square of Pegasus, Cygnus the swan, often referred to as the northern cross, where the Andromeda galaxy is, the double cluster and so much more.
> 
> Any star chart will show you all this and a hundred times more. And we haven't mentioned the planets yet...


Good gravy, and all of this was off the top of your head, I will be tickled if I can learn a 10th of what you just said. This has got to be the most interesting subject I have undertaken in many years. I look forward to knowing and becoming familiar with the things you just said. 

Every once in a while there will be programs about the stars and planets on the History and Science channels, I watch ever one I can find. Thanks for the tips Keith, they and you are much appreciated.


----------



## cocobolo

The plan is for the warm air in the breakfast nook to come in by convection or fan power to the guest bedroom. It seems to work either way, the fan just speeds things up.

After the cedar was installed on that last wall, I cut a hole for the vent.

The missus wanted to go over to town and magically find something suitable (???) to use as a vent. Good waste of time and money that would have been.

I used a piece of cedar, drilled a handful of holes in it, and glued a piece of screen to the back side.


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmm, well done...no pic.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, that's better...sorry about that.

I stuck the screen on with ordinary wood glue, and used some paper between the glue and wood cauls to prevent any sticking.


----------



## cocobolo

All done...and it matches the wall nicely.


----------



## jlhaslip

I have also made vents using the table saw.
Lower the blade, tilt it to about 45 deg, place the board, raise blade, move board forward, lower blade, move fence a little, repeat as needed.

Yours looks fine, too.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I have also made vents using the table saw.
> Lower the blade, tilt it to about 45 deg, place the board, raise blade, move board forward, lower blade, move fence a little, repeat as needed.
> 
> Yours looks fine, too.


Sounds like a good idea. What happens when you raise the blade? If it is at a 45º angle, won't it want to push the wood away as the blade rises?

How would you keep that from happening? 

My blade tilts right, so as it rises, it would want to move the wood to the left.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> All done...and it matches the wall nicely.


Buddy, that looks great, a perfect match. Keith, I made some vents like jl did with my table saw out of mahogany but it has been so long ago I don't remember how I did it, I do remember it was hard as the dickens to make exact though, I do remember that.


----------



## gma2rjc

What a deal! You saved time and money and ended up with something that looks nicer than you could have found in a store. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

I got to thinking about that vent, and when we made the louvered doors for the boats (which is exactly what I should have done here...duh) we would make up the slats. Then make the door frames - usually quite small being on boats - The middle part of the frame had grooves cut in it at a 45º angle - just exactly like jl said.

The outer parts of the stiles were slightly wider than the center part so that it would contain the louvers. Slip the louvers into place, glue the back side of the stile on and that was it. We usually used to try to make up all the doors at the same time, so as not to have to make repeated setups.

I have no idea why I couldn't remember to do that today. :huh:

Perhaps when I get around to making the closet doors, I will remember that. That might be awhile, since there are no closets yet.


----------



## cocobolo

...another thought just occurred to me...it does happen sometimes...if someone wanted to make a set of louvered shutters for their home, they could make them for a tiny fraction of the price of something store bought.

And probably twice as nice as well.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> ...another thought just occurred to me...it does happen sometimes...if someone wanted to make a set of louvered shutters for their home, they could make them for a tiny fraction of the price of something store bought.
> 
> And probably twice as nice as well.


Keith, Judy and I have the wide slat movable shutters in our bedroom that I made and as matter a fact they are out of Western Cedar. I plan to make another set for another window we replaced a while back, we like them better than the blinds as they just look better.


----------



## jlhaslip

The biggest headache with the louvred stuff is painting ...(or otherwise finishing)... them.
Even spraying is a pain.

But they do look good in the end.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> The biggest headache with the louvred stuff is painting ...(or otherwise finishing)... them.
> Even spraying is a pain.
> 
> But they do look good in the end.


Isn't that the truth.

If I remember rightly, everything on the louvered doors on the boats was pre-finished. They were usually varnished.

The louvers could just be slipped into place before the back side of the stile was glued on.


----------



## cocobolo

I found a bicycle in the woodshed today that I don't think has been used in at least 5 years. If the tires will hold air - I'm sure they must be well and truly flat by now - I might use them on the soon-to-be souped up wheelie barrow.

If I have time tomorrow I think I might take one of the compressors down and see what happens.


----------



## cocobolo

Most of the work I did today was painting. Not really too exciting. Rather than paint most of the trims around the window in place, they were pre-painted. Except for the first sill that went in yesterday.


----------



## cocobolo

As usual it was after dark before everything was installed, but this is how the first one came out.


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice job! That looks sharp!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Nice job! That looks sharp!


Thank you...with a little luck the other side will look about the same this time tomorrow.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Most of the work I did today was painting. Not really too exciting. Rather than paint most of the trims around the window in place, they were pre-painted. Except for the first sill that went in yesterday.


I didn't realize the top and bottom trim was the same, that really does look great and that view through the window is to kill for.

Buddy, I hope your bike wheels are good so you can build a souped up wheelbarrow, that will be very interesting to watch.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Jim...I think the wheels themselves should be all right...the bike probably has less than 50 miles on it. Ridden by some ancient white haired old guy a few years back. I don't know how the tires themselves are.

We'll see tomorrow.

How about a horn for the wheelie barrow? I think I have one of those chrome ones off a boat I could use. Never know when some careless pedestrian might run in front of you! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

...almost forgot...do you think I will need license plates for it? :yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

Maybe you could mount a video camera on the front of it too. If you or your sweetie crash into someone, you'd have something to send to Funniest Home Videos or post on YouTube. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Maybe you could mount a video camera on the front of it too. If you or your sweetie crash into someone, you'd have something to send to Funniest Home Videos or post on YouTube. :yes:


Excellent idea! I have a nice little Canon I could set up for that. 

You know what that means, don't you...the wife will go _looking_ for someone to run into! :laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Excellent idea! I have a nice little Canon I could set up for that.
> 
> You know what that means, don't you...the wife will go _looking_ for someone to run into! :laughing:


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## BigJim

When it snows this winter you can take the wheels off and use it for a sleigh, :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 19)

Just how far is it from here to there? Let's have a look...

Distances in our solar system and the universe are measured either in astronomical units (au) or light years.

For now, let's see how our solar system stacks up...mileage wise.

The distance between the Earth and our sun is roughly 93 million miles. To put that into perspective, if you had a car capable of driving 100 mph non stop, 24/7, it would take you around 106 years to reach the sun. Better get one with a big gas tank.

Mercury is only 36 million miles from the sun - and it is a very warm planet. Venus comes in at about 67 million miles. Earth is next, and the distance from here to the sun is known as one AU. (See above)

Next out is Mars, the red planet, 141 million miles from the sun, followed by the king of planets, Jupiter which is some 480 million miles from the sun.

Saturn has that beat by a few miles and is 880 odd million miles out, followed by the very distant Uranus at 1,785 million miles.

In case you think that's a long way, Neptune makes that look like a walk in the park at 2,800 million miles.

Pluto has been demoted from planet status, so it is no longer considered part of our original solar system.

As you can see, these distances get pretty vast in a hurry, yet compared to the distance across our own galaxy, that is but a dot.

Beyond there, light years come into play...a discussion for another day.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> When it snows this winter you can take the wheels off and use it for a sleigh, :laughing:


So that means I will need to mount runners under the body....I'll add that to the list. :yes:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> So that means I will need to mount runners under the body....I'll add that to the list. :yes:


Sounds like a plan buddy. :yes:

Thanks for tonight's tip, that is mind boggling. Wouldn't you like to know all about the things out there? I know I would.


----------



## no1hustler

I really like the window trim!


----------



## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> I really like the window trim!


Thanks no.1, it's nice and simple...something that anyone can do.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Sounds like a plan buddy. :yes:
> 
> Thanks for tonight's tip, that is mind boggling. Wouldn't you like to know all about the things out there? I know I would.


I don't think any of have enough time to learn all that...but it's becoming more and more interesting as new discoveries are made every day.


----------



## cocobolo

Another not so exciting day...more painting and a little woodworking.

The door to the ensuite is now trimmed out, just waiting for the top coat to dry before I nail it on. 

The second window in the guest room is done - same as the first. Most of the finish cedar is up around the new bedroom door...just a few pieces and that will be finished.

Pics after dinner...wife number two is hailing me.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I have also made vents using the table saw.
> Lower the blade, tilt it to about 45 deg, place the board, raise blade, move board forward, lower blade, move fence a little, repeat as needed.
> 
> Yours looks fine, too.


Don't ask me what I was thinking when I asked you how to keep the wood from moving away...I'm claiming a senior moment. 

Of course the wood will sit there as the blade also moves at a 45º angle, thus making the cuts you described.

Please accept my apology for being such a dunderhead...an endearing term the teachers in elementary school often applied to me!


----------



## cocobolo

Next Sunday morning at 2:00 am, we will be setting our clocks _back_ one hour and returning to standard time. :yes:

This is a good time to do a couple of things in your home - I'm just giving you a week's notice!

Change the batteries in your smoke alarms. Everybody knows that, it's just that we need reminding. :yes:

If you have fire extinguishers in your home, take them from their mounts, turn them upside down and give them a good shake. You might need to tap them firmly upside down to make sure the contents are not stuck.

If you don't have any fire extinguishers...why not? Now might be an excellent time to buy a few. :yes:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Next Sunday morning at 2:00 am, we will be setting our clocks _back_ one hour and returning to standard time. :yes:
> 
> This is a good time to do a couple of things in your home - I'm just giving you a week's notice!
> 
> Change the batteries in your smoke alarms. Everybody knows that, it's just that we need reminding. :yes:
> 
> If you have fire extinguishers in your home, take them from their mounts, turn them upside down and give them a good shake. You might need to tap them firmly upside down to make sure the contents are not stuck.
> 
> If you don't have any fire extinguishers...why not? Now might be an excellent time to buy a few. :yes:


Hmmmm, I must be losing my grip, I just know I made a post while ago, oh well, so much for being old.:whistling2:

Man where did the time go, it is hard to believe it is almost time to change the time back. Thanks for the reminder buddy, we appreciate it.


----------



## cocobolo

I had to do a little extra around this door, as the jamb was set back about 9/16" or so from the finish cedar on the wall.

So I made up some strips to go round the jamb, and then added the trims afterwards. 

The wood was painted first, so I will need to set the nails, fill and sand...then touch up the repairs.


----------



## cocobolo

I got the wood on the wall behind the bedroom door as well today. Side trims are on, but the top piece is waiting for some wood filler to dry before I can paint it. It's just like the ensuite door, except upside down.


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> Don't ask me what I was thinking when I asked you how to keep the wood from moving away...I'm claiming a senior moment.
> 
> Of course the wood will sit there as the blade also moves at a 45º angle, thus making the cuts you described.
> 
> Please accept my apology for being such a dunderhead...an endearing term the teachers in elementary school often applied to me!



No worries... I had another birthday here myself... I understand... :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

We have a woodpecker who has adopted us here, and he's getting very tame. I did take some pics today, but the autofocus picked some leaves on the arbutus about a foot too close...so he's a bit out of focus. I'll try again.

The missus has put a tray of seed on the table out back, and the little chickadees have been having a blast. This guy's just lookin'...


----------



## cocobolo

...his buddy got one right away.

If you're not quick on the shutter, these little guys are gone!


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> No worries... I had another birthday here myself... I understand... :whistling2:


..yeah, but I don't think you're as old as I am are you? I'm 68 in a couple of weeks.


----------



## cocobolo

I took a look at the bike tires today.

Very low mileage, so they should be good for awhile. The only trouble is they are flat...only on the bottom though. The rest is good. We just won't drive the barrow on the bottom!


----------



## cocobolo

I was trying to figure out how to mount the wheels on the back of the barrow, and I don't think the bike would mind sacrificing itself for parts to do this. So, I'll most likely cut it up and use the frame parts for mounting.


----------



## cocobolo

The knobby's are in good shape, so the wife should have plenty of traction for those high speed turns!


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> ..yeah, but I don't think you're as old as I am are you? I'm 68 in a couple of weeks.


57 today...


Oh No!!! I'm gonna be just like you :laughing:


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> ..yeah, but I don't think you're as old as I am are you? I'm 68 in a couple of weeks.


57 today...


----------



## cocobolo

Do you remember those lovely old art deco style locomotives with that smooth streamlining? :thumbup1:

I got to thinking that perhaps I could disguise the wheels with something like that. Might look pretty cool...certainly unique! 

Wouldn't want the wheels sticking out the sides just like any old common garden cart now...would we. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> 57 today...


Oh, so you're just getting broken in then...I'm just broke! 

Happy Birthday! :happybday:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> 57 today...
> 
> 
> Oh No!!! I'm gonna be just like you :laughing:


I missed the second part...in which case you have my most sincere sympathy! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## jlhaslip

:lol:

thanks, I think...


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> :lol:
> 
> thanks, I think...


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The knobby's are in good shape, so the wife should have plenty of traction for those high speed turns!


Now that funny as the dickens right there.:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> 57 today...
> 
> 
> Oh No!!! I'm gonna be just like you :laughing:


Happy Birthday jl  :happybday: 

I can't remember being 57 but then I can't remember a lot of things.:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, your bike is going to make a really nice cart, I can't wait to see it.

Your door turned out great buddy, it is just beautiful and one of a kind for sure.


----------



## tpolk

do you have any bleed thru problems painting the cedar? type of primer? thanks timothy


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> do you have any bleed thru problems painting the cedar? type of primer? thanks timothy


Tim: red cedar does not contain any oils or pitch, which means that it has nothing to bleed.

I have noticed with the darker cedar - that sometimes it will need two coats of primer before it looks white. That may just be that I haven't got a good enough coat on in the first place or who knows what else.

I have also noticed that if I sand it, the paint usually covers better, as opposed to just coming off the planer, which tends to leave a shiny surface.

So very often one coat with sanded wood, two with planed wood.

I use Kilz quite often, or Glidden 36180- white primer which also has good sealing properties. Both are inexpensive.

This board - very dark cedar - was sanded. Only one prime coat and it has covered well. It is the trim going above the bedroom door.


----------



## cocobolo

I should also have specified Red cedar as opposed to Yellow cedar - which does indeed have oils. Varnish is compatible with yellow cedar, as it is with red. Which is why laminating with both together and varnishing works well.

Yellow is much harder on sawblades, be it your table saw or a band mill.


----------



## cocobolo

Off to a good start - all the wood which needed a top coat is done this morning. Admittedly not too much of it...

There is one wall in the guest bedroom which still has a few feet of cedar to finish up, and I will have a crack at getting that done today...that is as long as there's no mice in there to contend with!

It's about 3 1/2' at the high end.


----------



## BigJim

Keith some of the Western Cedar we get will soak up the paint big time and is kinda hard to cover, that may be what Tim is talking about. The Cedar you have and the Cedar we buy is a whole different animal, you have the goooood stuff.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Off to a good start - all the wood which needed a top coat is done this morning. Admittedly not to much of it...
> 
> There is one wall in the guest bedroom which still has a few feet of cedar to finish up, and I will have a crack at getting that done today...that is as long as there's no mice in there to contend with!
> 
> It's about 3 1/2' at the high end.


I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at that beautiful wood, and your workmanship is perfect buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

If I am fortunate enough to be able to finish that...then I will see if the wood can be finished around the stained glass window.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith some of the Western Cedar we get will soak up the paint big time and is kinda hard to cover, that may be what Tim is talking about. The Cedar you have and the Cedar we buy is a whole different animal, you have the goooood stuff.


Hmmmm...that may be a good point you have there.

If you have the very young cedar, typically the very light colour, then it will have wide ring spacing. This leads to a decidedly non-dense wood which doubtless will absorb lots.

It occurred to me that whether or not the wood is flat grain or edge grain might also make a difference.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hmmmm...that may be a good point you have there.
> 
> If you have the very young cedar, typically the very light colour, then it will have wide ring spacing. This leads to a decidedly non-dense wood which doubtless will absorb lots.
> 
> It occurred to me that whether or not the wood is flat grain or edge grain might also make a difference.


I didn't think of that but you are right, it would make a difference.

Your window looks fantastic surrounded by all that beautiful wood.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, do you have an idea how you will use your bike parts to make your cart yet, or will you just use parts as you need them.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, are you going to run a heavy axle for your cart or are you going to try to use the axle in the wheels some way?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, are you going to run a heavy axle for your cart or are you going to try to use the axle in the wheels some way?


I think it should be possible to use the short axles as they are on the bike.

If I were to keep the frame parts which hold the axles, that would provide a way to hold them. Now I just need to decide how to attach the frame pieces.

Sounds like I am going to need to start drawing up a plan and see how much of the original barrow will be salvaged.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I didn't think of that but you are right, it would make a difference.
> 
> Your window looks fantastic surrounded by all that beautiful wood.


Just having a quick lunch break. I'm up to where the ceiling tapers have taken over in the guest room.

The missus has been busy doing some of the extremely fiddly bits of wood on the door leading out to the upper deck. It's only single glazed, and she's getting ready to double glaze it.

The glass is all cut and ready to go.

(Don't tell anybody, but she's just snuck out for lunch as well.)

I guess what's good for the goose...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Just having a quick lunch break. I'm up to where the ceiling tapers have taken over in the guest room.
> 
> The missus has been busy doing some of the extremely fiddly bits of wood on the door leading out to the upper deck. It's only single glazed, and she's getting ready to double glaze it.
> 
> The glass is all cut and ready to go.
> 
> (Don't tell anybody, but she's just snuck out for lunch as well.)
> 
> I guess what's good for the goose...


That's neat, you had a late lunch and we had a early supper.

I got to thinking that using the parts from your bike you can make the bed of the cart as low as you want to. I will check and see how the axle is on my cart after while.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That's neat, you had a late lunch and we had a early supper.
> 
> I got to thinking that using the parts from your bike you can make the bed of the cart as low as you want to. I will check and see how the axle is on my cart after while.


Actually, that is one of the first things I had thought of. If I didn't have an axle running from side to side, the bottom of the bed could be where ever I decided.

Lower would be better - keep the centre of gravity down. Can't have the wife dumping it over sideways on those high speed turns! Maybe an air spoiler would help with that too!

Training wheels sticking out the side???


----------



## cocobolo

Something I've been meaning to ask you Jim...what sort of fish do you catch down your way?

I'm not a fisherman, but this year was a real bonanza when the salmon run came through. Apparently the biggest for decades. The commercial fisherman had a field day.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the small strips that the missus is adding to the door.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Something I've been meaning to ask you Jim...what sort of fish do you catch down your way?
> 
> I'm not a fisherman, but this year was a real bonanza when the salmon run came through. Apparently the biggest for decades. The commercial fisherman had a field day.


Keith, Judy and I like to fish from Bream, Crappie and Catfish. I know a lot of people think Catfish are bottom feeders but that is not true, Channel Catfish are bottom feeders as they will eat anything, dead, alive rotten or what have you. Blue Catfish will eat mostly fish, dead or alive but do not feed on the bottom anymore than any other fish. A Flathead Catfish will eat only live fish and are predatory.

Judy out fishes me most times when we go. She has caught some good size Cats, I think her best is around 47 pounds. I really don't know what my biggest is. Some of my friends who cat fish have caught Cats well over a 100 pounds. That is a hog for sure.


----------



## cocobolo

These are the special cutters she uses to trim the wood strips with.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, Judy and I like to fish from Bream, Crappie and Catfish. I know a lot of people think Catfish are bottom feeders but that is not true, Channel Catfish are bottom feeders as they will eat anything, dead, alive rotten or what have you. Blue Catfish will eat mostly fish, dead or alive but do not feed on the bottom anymore than any other fish. A Flathead Catfish will eat only live fish and are predatory.
> 
> Judy out fishes me most times when we go. She has caught some good size Cats, I think her best is around 47 pounds. I really don't know what my biggest is. Some of my friends who cat fish have caught Cats well over a 100 pounds. That is a hog for sure.


Holy smokes...are you kidding me?

If someone around here gets a salmon at 47 pounds, they get their photo in the local paper!

What sort of tackle do you need for a brute like that?


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, Judy and I have had Catfish pop 50 pound test line like it was thread once the fish spooled us. We usually fish below the Dams. We will run up real close to the boils, when they are generating, then drift back down river the good ways. We usually use a Bluegill that is good eating size for bait. We use 10/0 Kahle hooks on a Carolina rig.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, Judy and I have had Catfish pop 50 pound test line like it was thread once the fish spooled us. We usually fish below the Dams. We will run up real close to the boils, when they are generating, then drift back down river the good ways. We usually use a Bluegill that is good eating size for bait. We use 10/0 Kahle hooks on a Carolina rig.


I'm afraid my fishing ignorance is going to show now...what's a Carolina rig?


----------



## cocobolo

Our neighbour across the bay has a pretty fair DIY project on the go.

He's building himself a nice cabin. He's got up to the roof now, and a couple of weeks back the roofing material was delivered. It's metal I'm sorry to say, but from here it looks like he's doing an OK job.

He put two dormers in the front, and I can only imagine the hassle that is going to give him with metal roofing.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Holy smokes...are you kidding me?
> 
> If someone around here gets a salmon at 47 pounds, they get their photo in the local paper!
> 
> What sort of tackle do you need for a brute like that?


Judy has a Catfish Ugly Stick with a Penn 155 and I have a Berkley Rod with a 986 Penn. 

Keith, that is one neat tool for trim, could you post a shot from a different angle, I have never seen one of them.


----------



## cocobolo

He usually comes up here every weekend that there is decent weather forecast. I'm a little surprised he's here today as we are expecting rain any time now. 

It's pretty black out there with wind from the SE, which usually tells us we will be getting wet soon!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Judy has a Catfish Ugly Stick with a Penn 155 and I have a Berkley Rod with a 986 Penn.
> 
> Keith, that is one neat tool for trim, could you post a shot from a different angle, I have never seen one of them.


Will do...I have that wall done now, so I'll get one of that as well.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Our neighbour across the bay has a pretty fair DIY project on the go.
> 
> He's building himself a nice cabin. He's got up to the roof now, and a couple of weeks back the roofing material was delivered. It's metal I'm sorry to say, but from here it looks like he's doing an OK job.
> 
> He put two dormers in the front, and I can only imagine the hassle that is going to give him with metal roofing.


Buddy, that is a beautiful place and that is a great shot. What a paradise!!!


----------



## BigJim

I bet you are right about your neighbor having fun with the dormers and the metal roof, that would be tough. It is total dark here right now and the little tricksters are out everywhere.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the cutters in action. As you can see, there is a lip to hold your wood at 45º which will make a nice 90º corner.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, what do you call that tool your wife uses to cut trim with. I sure could have used one of them when I was in business, that would have sure saved a bunch of steps for me.


----------



## cocobolo

Or you can put the wood on the other side if you wish.

These pieces of wood we are using for the door are only square - well, slightly oblong - so it doesn't really matter which side we use. But if you had a small piece of moulding, then you would need to use both sides to make a proper corner.


----------



## cocobolo

Perhaps you noticed that there are markings with clear lines at 45º, 60º, 75º, 90º, 105º and 120º on the cutter. It is easy to hold your wood there while cutting, and the blade is razor sharp. It goes through that cedar like it's hardly there.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, what do you call that tool your wife uses to cut trim with. I sure could have used one of them when I was in business, that would have sure saved a bunch of steps for me.


Do you know, I don't know what it's called. I think it was one of those oddball tools I got from Lee Valley.

I'll wade through their catalogue and see what I come up with. I've had it for a good number of years now, so I'm not aware of whether or not they still carry it.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, I'll be...not only do they still have it, but I see there are additional accessory jaws available for it as well. Now you can even cut dowel with them as well.

It's called a Miter Shear. I guess that makes sense.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Do you know, I don't know what it's called. I think it was one of those oddball tools I got from Lee Valley.
> 
> I'll wade through their catalogue and see what I come up with. I've had it for a good number of years now, so I'm not aware of whether or not they still carry it.


That is just too cool buddy, I will look at LV and see if they still have them that is a must have if it is available.:yes:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I forgot to say that your rail is absolutely beautiful my friend, just fantastic.


----------



## cocobolo

I have the last wall done now...but I couldn't understand why I wasn't able to reach the top of the wall from the 6' ladder.

The other side was OK, just a bit of a stretch.

When I measured the height, it was 11' 6"...9" higher than the opposite wall.

The 8' stepladder came to the rescue!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is just too cool buddy, I will look at LV and see if they still have them that is a must have if it is available.:yes:


It's in the Canadian catalogue, Jim, so it will be in the U.S. one as well.

Probably about $20 U.S. I would guess. It should show up online...I just looked in my printed catalogue here.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I forgot to say that your rail is absolutely beautiful my friend, just fantastic.


It's hanging in there Jim...I still have to get the underside sanded though.

At this point, I'm none too sure if it will get done this year or not. The weather is turning pretty sour. A job for next spring I think.

I do still need to make up a short piece of rail for the far end...something I should have done ages ago. Since I am in the middle of a big cleanout here, I should be able to come up with enough cedar strips to glue one together.

It is straight (Say, whaaaat!) so an easy job.

Perhaps I will see if i can dig up some cedar for that _right now!_


----------



## BigJim

That is just beautiful Keith, I know I keep saying that but there are just so many words that can be used to describe anything that magnificent.


----------



## BigJim

$20.00 is a bargain for a tool like that. Can you resharpen the blades? Do they come off so they can be honed?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It's hanging in there Jim...I still have to get the underside sanded though.
> 
> At this point, I'm none too sure if it will get done this year or not. The weather is turning pretty sour. A job for next spring I think.
> 
> I do still need to make up a short piece of rail for the far end...something I should have done ages ago. Since I am in the middle of a big cleanout here, I should be able to come up with enough cedar strips to glue one together.
> 
> It is straight (Say, whaaaat!) so an easy job.
> 
> Perhaps I will see if i can dig up some cedar for that _right now!_


Wow, that's hard to believe there is something that isn't curved in your home, you will go through that with ease buddy.


----------



## BigJim

Hey buddy, what kind of sharpening system do you have for sharpening your chisels and blades?


----------



## BigJim

I have a hard felt wheel with jewelers polishing compound to sharpen my carving knives. I have to sharpen my planer blades by hand.


----------



## BigJim

I saw a sharpening system online a while back that was made from a 1 inch X30 inch bench top belt sander. It does a great job shaping the knives to be sharpened with the diamonds.


----------



## BigJim

I want to order one of the leather belts that go on the little sander to strop the tools with. I have a hand strop right now and it does a great job.


----------



## BigJim

I use some of the jeweler's rouge on the hand held on one side and tooth paste on the other. Tooth paste is about 8,000 grit and does a great job polishing tools.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> $20.00 is a bargain for a tool like that. Can you resharpen the blades? Do they come off so they can be honed?


I just looked at that Jim...and yes, the blade comes off. So you could definitely re-sharpen it.

Plus, of course, they will be happy to sell you a replacement blade!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Hey buddy, what kind of sharpening system do you have for sharpening your chisels and blades?


I prefer to use the Japanese water stones, Jim. I find that they cut quickly and easily. I have a number of the very small stones as well, which can be used for gouges and the like.

I haven't used them in awhile (the small ones) so maybe I should dig them out to remind myself what I have!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I have a hard felt wheel with jewelers polishing compound to sharpen my carving knives. I have to sharpen my planer blades by hand.


I have the felt wheel as well. I believe I have two compounds for that, the one I seem to use most often is the green one. Not sure what they call that...again, it's something I got from Lee Valley.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I use some of the jeweler's rouge on the hand held on one side and tooth paste on the other. Tooth paste is about 8,000 grit and does a great job polishing tools.


Remember when you were a kid...did you ever make any of those plastic car models and then spray paint them?

I used to use toothpaste for a cut polish way back then. I had no idea at all what the grit was, but I wouldn't doubt in the least that it's about 8,000.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I have the felt wheel as well. I believe I have two compounds for that, the one I seem to use most often is the green one. Not sure what they call that...again, it's something I got from Lee Valley.


I didn't get mine from Lee Valley, was your out of round pretty bad when you first put it on your grinder?


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, I didn't think about using tooth paste as a polishing compound on paint but I know it would work.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, when I was a kid I did paint a bunch of cars but I didn't really didn't know how to make the paint look better by polishing it.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I didn't get mine from Lee Valley, was your out of round pretty bad when you first put it on your grinder?


I think it was probably OK, but it has been on there so long I don't remember.

I believe you need to make sure it is well centered on the arbor if it isn't a snug fit. Either that, or you need to use a bushing.


----------



## BigJim

My felt wheel was so out of balance I had to screw the grinder down to keep it still. I finally got it balanced a little where I can use it now.


----------



## BigJim

I had the bushing and did what the fellow who sold them told me to do but it was really out of hoodoo bad. I have my felt wheel where it will rotate upward instead of downward like they normally run.


----------



## BigJim

The reason I have my felt wheel running backwards is so I can see the edge of my knives. If the wheel is running like it normally would the knife blade edge would have to be on the bottom and wouldn't be able to see the edge.


----------



## BigJim

With a carving knife being sharpened on such a steep angle the edge is very thin and will over heat quickly, if the metal ever changes color the metal in the knife is shot.


----------



## BigJim

I have made several caving knives and they turned out fairly well. One thing to make a good knife out of is an old file. The file is very hard and will hold a great edge for a good while. The down side is it is very brittle and has no flex at all so beware it will snap easily.


----------



## BigJim

Speaking of brittle, notice how well your pocket knife holds up and will not snap the end off easily. That is because a pocket knife is not tempered that well to hold an edge so the blade will flex. The knife folks know that no one wants a knife if the blade breaks easily but they will buy a knife even if it dulls easily so they make the pocket knives with less temper and the blade won't stay sharp long.


----------



## BigJim

Straight carving knife blades aren't long at all. most range from about 1 1/4 inches to 2 1/4 inches. Another thing to make a good carving blade from is a concrete nail as the concrete nails are very tempered also but once again they are very brittle so keep that in mind when using one.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I had the bushing and did what the fellow who sold them told me to do but it was really out of hoodoo bad. I have my felt wheel where it will rotate upward instead of downward like they normally run.


That's a good idea. I guess you just need to turn the grinder around to face the other way.

I have the guard off the end where I have my felt wheel. It has always annoyed me about having to hold the tools so awkwardly because the wheel really runs backwards - right into the cutting edge.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Straight carving knife blades aren't long at all. most range from about 1 1/4 inches to 2 1/4 inches. Another thing to make a good carving blade from is a concrete nail as the concrete nails are very tempered also but once again they are very brittle so keep that in mind when using one.


That reminds me of a show that the missus and I attended in Vancouver many years ago.

They put together a collection of all of the best native Indian masks which were carved in the Pacific Northwest. Along with the show, they produced a beautiful book with excellent pictures of the masks.

The guides who took you around the exhibition were all native Indian folks - who still spoke their native language.

Along with all this, they had a live demonstration with a local Indian carver from Pender Island, which is about 15 miles away from us. He was in the process of carving a mask, right from the blank to the completed mask. He said it would take him 3 days from start to finish.

If you wished, you could engage the carver in conversation - which naturally I did - and he was able to answer all my questions. Really neat guy to talk to.

Here's an interesting tidbit. He used a Toyota leaf spring to make his carving knives from. One leaf makes LOADS of carving knives.


----------



## BigJim

Got to run for a second buddy, be right back.


----------



## cocobolo

I was able to find some wood to make the end hand rail from. It only needs to be 53" long...so there was no shortage of that here.

I have a few pieces cut and thicknessed, now just need to glue them up and they will be ready for shaping tomorrow.


----------



## BigJim

Does that part of the rail miter into the other one? Or is it free standing without touching the other rail?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Does that part of the rail miter into the other one? Or is it free standing without touching the other rail?


Actually, I have been thinking about that very question since I put the front railing up.

It could be done either way, and I could use biscuits to keep it inline. I have tried to weigh the pros and cons of both ways, and at the moment I am leaning towards fixing it solidly to the front railing.

Where the stainless steel cable goes around the corner, I will need to have something to keep it all inline. I found a piece of stainless steel tubing I could use, and it would need to be fixed to both the railing and the deck as it would be under some pressure from the lines as they went around the corner. 

I could also make another post which would fit at a 45º angle (roughly) right on the corner. If it were to be made with a similar curve as the rest, then the lines would more closely match up as they traversed the corner.

I think mathematically, that the curve on the corner post would need to be something like 1.4 times that of the others.


----------



## cocobolo

Something else I use from time to time for sharpening is this set of three diamond hones.

These will cut glass, carbide and any sort of steel.

The first one I got was one of the fixed types with a nice backing. It was primarily used to grind a 45º edge on a telescope mirror. Several of the other fellows who made mirrors also made use of this diamond hone.

I'll see if I can find the big one tomorrow for a portrait.


----------



## jlhaslip

I carry those exact ones in my hand tool box for touch-ups on-site.

Princess Auto, I think, is where I got mine.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I carry those exact ones in my hand tool box for touch-ups on-site.
> 
> Princess Auto, I think, is where I got mine.


I don't remember where mine came from. Have you had any problem with them not sticking to the backing?


----------



## jlhaslip

Yes, when they get warm, the glue releases.
I don't worry too much about it. 
Keep them flat is more important, but I make sure the 'rubber' back is used when I strike a tool on them.


----------



## gma2rjc

jlhaslip said:


> 57 today...
> 
> 
> Oh No!!! I'm gonna be just like you :laughing:


:happybday:


----------



## BigJim

GOOOoooOOOoooood morning, Keith, that post with the curve in two directions would be interesting to make but you could do that with ease. Everything comes to you so easy, where I have to do a lot of head scratching, among other scratching, to figure something out. I know for a fact though, which ever way you decide it will look great. 

You have made a believer out of me on the finish you use, if it can hold up to salt air and the elements up your way it has to be some good stuff.

Buddy, I have several of the diamonds also and use them a lot, I have come to depend on them where most other things won't work. Some of mine are the width of yours and some are rather narrow but they are all good.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> GOOOoooOOOoooood morning, Keith, that post with the curve in two directions would be interesting to make but you could do that with ease. Everything comes to you so easy, where I have to do a lot of head scratching, among other scratching, to figure something out. I know for a fact though, which ever way you decide it will look great.
> 
> You have made a believer out of me on the finish you use, if it can hold up to salt air and the elements up your way it has to be some good stuff.
> 
> Buddy, I have several of the diamonds also and use them a lot, I have come to depend on them where most other things won't work. Some of mine are the width of yours and some are rather narrow but they are all good.


I guess that since I'm making the end hand rail - at long last - I should make the last corner post up at the same time. I suppose it is actually easier to get them both done at once, then I will only need to mix one batch of glue.

I'll do the math, then make up the mould to glue them in.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I guess that since I'm making the end hand rail - at long last - I should make the last corner post up at the same time. I suppose it is actually easier to get them both done at once, then I will only need to mix one batch of glue.
> 
> I'll do the math, then make up the mould to glue them in.


I'm looking forward to seeing the rail.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, these custom things always seem to take longer than we plan...but it all went well.

I couldn't find a piece of Douglas fir that was good enough to make the mould from, so I ended up wasting a perfectly good piece of yellow cedar. I know I should be hung for that, but whattareyagonnado?

Here I had it planed to thickness, and it has just come off the table saw after being ripped.


----------



## cocobolo

You can see here the original mould shape, which has to be modified for the corner post.


----------



## cocobolo

It's quite straight forward as to how this is calculated...just draw the line from the original first.

Then I marked off lines at every 3". Drew a straight line in front of the curve.

Then measured the distance between the two lines at each of the cross lines - every 3". Added 40% to that on the outside of the curve. Then put some small nails on the intersecting lines.


----------



## cocobolo

Using that thin batten in the above photo, I pushed the batten against the nails and drew the line to follow the new curve. It should show easily here.


----------



## cocobolo

Remove the nails and cut the new shape out on the line.


----------



## cocobolo

Following the completion of the cut, I did a dry test with the cedar strips - ALWAYS do a dry run first - you never know what might crop up.


----------



## cocobolo

Now both the end hand rail and the post are glued up, and will stay clamped until tomorrow.

One thing to remember when clamping up something with many layers of wood - once you have it clamped tightly...wait about 5 minutes and re-check the clamps. There's a good chance that some of them will tighten a little more.


----------



## jlhaslip

Good method on the post layout... should be WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY within tolerance.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, you don't let any grass grow under your feet. Thanks for the explanation buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Good method on the post layout... should be WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY within tolerance.


Thanks...I sure hope it is!

Incidentally, on those diamond hones...all mine came away from the backing when they were _cold._

I haven't actually re-fixed them yet, but perhaps a few dots of silicone around the outside would hold them.

You mentioned rubber with yours...Is there a rubber backing? I don't have that on mine.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, you don't let any grass grow under your feet. Thanks for the explanation buddy.


Hmmmm...just exackly what kinda grass we talkin' 'bout here...:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

I was just talkin about regular grass, not that left handed kind.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I was just talkin about regular grass, not that left handed kind.:laughing:


Gotcha! :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Gotcha! :laughing:



:laughing::laughing::laughing::thumbsup:


----------



## jlhaslip

Maybe you should burn a bale of that green stuff to keep those diamond hones together... :lol:

Yup, cold weather did it here, too. They were so cheap I didn't worry about fixing it. 
Silicone *might* work, but I've spilled 3-in-1 oil over mine, so it might not work for me.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks...I sure hope it is!
> 
> Incidentally, on those diamond hones...all mine came away from the backing when they were _cold._
> 
> I haven't actually re-fixed them yet, but perhaps a few dots of silicone around the outside would hold them.
> 
> You mentioned rubber with yours...Is there a rubber backing? I don't have that on mine.


I was just the opposite, my diamonds were mounted on a block of walnut and I like to have never got them off, I didn't like them mounted.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Maybe you should burn a bale of that green stuff to keep those diamond hones together... :lol:
> 
> Yup, cold weather did it here, too. They were so cheap I didn't worry about fixing it.
> Silicone *might* work, but I've spilled 3-in-1 oil over mine, so it might not work for me.


Green stuff.....green stuff.....what green stuff are we talking about _this_ time...:whistling2:

I might have got mine from Lee Valley ages ago, or maybe Midland over in Nanaimo. Either way, they fell apart the first time I used them.

Now if I use them, I put them on a workbench and run the tool over the top.


----------



## jlhaslip

Oregano Hay... What were you thinking???





:lol:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Oregano Hay... What were you thinking???
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :lol:


That's it...just couldn't remember the name! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Almost done. There are a couple of narrow trims I need to make up to finish, but the appearance won't change much. Better in daylight for that.

The photo is without flash, which let the colour on the ceiling show from the light on the other side of the window.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is much more awkward to get at. Most of the bottom wood is on, none of the top.

It needs backing and a few fancy cuts, another daylight job.


----------



## gma2rjc

WOW! That is absolutely beautiful Keith. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> WOW! That is absolutely beautiful Keith. :thumbup:


Merci beaucoup...it's starting to come together now.

The missus wanted to PAINT some of the walls in the guest room...

...and without me saying a word, she has magically changed her mind. This is one of those times I'm only too happy that she has!

It seems that I can no longer find any excuse not to do the floor in there now.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> It seems that I can no longer find any excuse not to do the floor in there now.


Here's one you can use - 

"I'll wait and do this floor the same time I do the rest of the floors upstairs."

or 

"This floor can be a winter project. I better get other things done while it's still fairly nice outside."

Let me know if you need any more excuses. I have a million of 'em. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Here's one you can use -
> 
> "I'll wait and do this floor the same time I do the rest of the floors upstairs."
> 
> or
> 
> "This floor can be a winter project. I better get other things done while it's still fairly nice outside."
> 
> Let me know if you need any more excuses. I have a million of 'em. :laughing:


I came up with another one.

"How do you expect me to lay a floor when there is a bed in there?"


----------



## gma2rjc

She'll say, "Take the bed apart and move it out of there". :laughing:


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> Now both the end hand rail and the post are glued up, and will stay clamped until tomorrow.
> 
> One thing to remember when clamping up something with many layers of wood - once you have it clamped tightly...wait about 5 minutes and re-check the clamps. There's a good chance that some of them will tighten a little more.


It's also good to remove excess glue to avoid chips in planer blades etc after hardening. Also good to not wipe glue off with wet rag as this can smear glue into wood fibers and cause problems with stain not absorbing correctly in these areas. just a thought. timothy


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> It's also good to remove excess glue to avoid chips in planer blades etc after hardening. Also good to not wipe glue off with wet rag as this can smear glue into wood fibers and cause problems with stain not absorbing correctly in these areas. just a thought. timothy


Once again you are 100% correct!

Just let the glue set up until it is hard, and use a chisel or scraper to knock any of the small lumps off.

Using the damp rag makes an awful mess. You get a big area covered with a film of glue, and if it doesn't get planed off you're in trouble.

It won't take stain - or any other finish properly for that matter.

I use a brush for glue application and the two part glue I use mixes up quite thin. It's easy to spread and get a nice even layer. Usually not that much squeeze out - although when I made the workbench I went a bit overboard on the glue.


----------



## cocobolo

anna38 said:


> The original pictures you posted are beautiful!! Great views!! :thumbup:


Thank you anna, and welcome to the thread. I hope you enjoy!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> She'll say, "Take the bed apart and move it out of there". :laughing:


It's on wheels, so I think we can get away with putting the floor down on one side of the room and then shifting the bed over.

And I can't use the winter excuse, as that seems to be upon us today. We had big winds and loads of rain last night. The rain has quit, but the wind is showing us no mercy at all. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

The clamps are removed from the post and railing. Everything looks not too bad.

I just ran them both through the planer and trimmed the ends of the post. The hand rail won't get trimmed until I decide exactly how it will be attached. With this weather, it sure won't be today!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The clamps are removed from the post and railing. Everything looks not too bad.
> 
> I just ran them both through the planer and trimmed the ends of the post. The hand rail won't get trimmed until I decide exactly how it will be attached. With this weather, it sure won't be today!


Have you ever seen wood that you just wanted to hug becuse it was so pretty, well that is just that beautiful. (kinda kinky isn't it) LOL sorry, I couldn't help myself. I am serious about the beautiful of your creation though, the color is really going to pop when you put the finish on.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Have you ever seen wood that you just wanted to hug becuse it was so pretty, well that is just that beautiful. (kinda kinky isn't it) LOL sorry, I couldn't help myself. I am serious about the beautiful of your creation though, the color is really going to pop when you put the finish on.


Well, thanks Jim. I used 15 layers of wood for this corner post...10 red cedar and 5 yellow cedar. The curve was slightly more severe on this post, so I thought perhaps I should make the strips just a little thinner. Plus the post itself is also wider than the others due to the angle.

The thinner strips made it easier to clamp up.

I hope to get on to the shaping today, and then the varnishing once that is all done. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.


----------



## cocobolo

Another small but time consuming job completed.

The cedar is now finished around the window at the top of the stairs in the tower.

Morning sunlight comes through this one into the master bedroom. Looks pretty nice when it does that.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Another small but time consuming job completed.
> 
> The cedar is now finished around the window at the top of the stairs in the tower.
> 
> Morning sunlight comes through this one into the master bedroom. Looks pretty nice when it does that.


I can see why that would take a good while, each strip had to be cut dead on, there is no room for slack at all, then climbing up and down the ladder. I bet you are tired about now. It sure does look good Keith, I would be mighty proud of that.

Does your post wrap the corner?


----------



## cocobolo

Jim...there's a very long answer to your question...check your email.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim...there's a very long answer to your question...check your email.


Will do buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

I don't want anyone to think I'm keeping some deep dark secrets from you...not so.

What it is...it's a mess there right now. When I get it all tidied up you'll get to see how the whole lot ends up looking.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I don't want anyone to think I'm keeping some deep dark secrets from you...not so.
> 
> What it is...it's a mess there right now. When I get it all tidied up you'll get to see how the whole lot ends up looking.


And well worth the wait it is, you will see, just unbelievably beautiful!!!


----------



## cocobolo

I did manage to shape and sand the hand rail and post today.

This is the _back _side of the railing. Nothing to get too excited about, just the first varnish coat.


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 20)

Get your eyes adapted to the dark.

Have you noticed that when you first walk outside at night you can hardly see anything? That is because your eyes have adapted themselves to the light level inside your house. White light kills your night vision.

Should you ever find yourself at a star party (that's what we call it when a bunch of us get together to view the sky) you will find that white lights are totally banned from the viewing area. Everyone uses a small red light with a variable brightness control.

That way you don't lose your night vision.

Give yourself this test...Go outside and look up. It's OK, nobody's looking.

See how many stars you can spot right away. Stay outside for half an hour _and do not look at any white lights_. Then take another look up and you will see far more stars, guaranteed. It doesn't work in the middle of downtown Boston of course, (I'm not picking on Boston, it's the same for any of the bigger villages) you will need an area in which you can actually see stars in the sky.

Street lights are one of the worst things for night sky viewing, so do whatever it is you need to find a dark area.

If you are the proud possessor of a telescope or decent binoculars, the difference is even more pronounced once your eyes are dark adapted.

From most areas in North America you can only see a couple of hundred stars when you first look up. If you are in a dark area, with dark adapted eyes, you may see over 3,000 stars.

There's one other little detail that might help you. If you are viewing through a telescope and you are trying to find what we call "a faint fuzzy" try using averted vision.

It works like this. Look through your scope and focus your eye right in the middle of the field of view. Hold that for several seconds. Then shift your focus to one side of the field of view. Now what does the center of the FOV look like? It takes a little practice, but you will notice immediately that you can actually see more where you are NOT looking, than you can directly where you ARE looking.

There is a valid optical reason for this having to do with the rods in your eyes, but we'll not delve into that now.

I have received an inquiry as to whether or not you can use both eyes to look through a scope. The answer is yes.

You can get an accessory which fits into the focuser of your scope to view with both eyes, just like binoculars. Usually somewhat expensive, and perhaps surprisingly will actually degrade your view very slightly. This because of the extra glass elements introduced into the optical train. But for some folks it is a boon.

Not only that, but some manufacturers make binocular telescopes. Two identical scopes mounted side by side. Usually expensive, but incredible views.


----------



## cocobolo

This is typically what binoviewers look like. These are by Williams Optics.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 20)
> 
> Get your eyes adapted to the dark.
> 
> Have you noticed that when you first walk outside at night you can hardly see anything? That is because your eyes have adapted themselves to the light level inside your house. White light kills your night vision.
> 
> Should you ever find yourself at a star party (that's what we call it when a bunch of us get together to view the sky) you will find that white lights are totally banned from the viewing area. Everyone uses a small red light with a variable brightness control.
> 
> That way you don't lose your night vision.
> 
> Give yourself this test...Go outside and look up. It's OK, nobody's looking.
> 
> See how many stars you can spot right away. Stay outside for half an hour _and do not look at any white lights_. Then take another look up and you will see far more stars, guaranteed. It doesn't work in the middle of downtown Boston of course, (I'm not picking on Boston, it's the same for any of the bigger villages) you will need an area in which you can actually see stars in the sky.
> 
> Street lights are one of the worst things for night sky viewing, so do whatever it is you need to find a dark area.
> 
> If you are the proud possessor of a telescope or decent binoculars, the difference is even more pronounced once your eyes are dark adapted.
> 
> From most areas in North America you can only see a couple of hundred stars when you first look up. If you are in a dark area, with dark adapted eyes, you may see over 3,000 stars.
> 
> There's one other little detail that might help you. If you are viewing through a telescope and you are trying to find what we call "a faint fuzzy" try using averted vision.
> 
> It works like this. Look through your scope and focus your eye right in the middle of the field of view. Hold that for several seconds. Then shift your focus to one side of the field of view. Now what does the center of the FOV look like? It takes a little practice, but you will notice immediately that you can actually see more where you are NOT looking, than you can directly where you ARE looking.
> 
> There is a valid optical reason for this having to do with the rods in your eyes, but we'll not delve into that now.
> 
> I have received an inquiry as to whether or not you can use both eyes to look through a scope. The answer is yes.
> 
> You can get an accessory which fits into the focuser of your scope to view with both eyes, just like binoculars. Usually somewhat expensive, and perhaps surprisingly will actually degrade your view very slightly. This because of the extra glass elements introduced into the optical train. But for some folks it is a boon.
> 
> Not only that, but some manufacturers make binocular telescopes. Two identical scopes mounted side by side. Usually expensive, but incredible views.


Thanks Keith for the new tips, that is really interesting. When we do get a telescope we are going to go up on Raccoon Mountain as there are very few lights if any up there but there are down here in the valley.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thanks Keith for the new tips, that is really interesting. When we do get a telescope we are going to go up on Raccoon Mountain as there are very few lights if any up there but there are down here in the valley.


One thing about gaining elevation, even just a few thousand feet, the air becomes clearer, and you definitely get better views.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> This is typically what binoviewers look like. These are by Williams Optics.


Wow, that is beautiful Keith, I see what you are talking about a binoviewer.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, that is beautiful Keith, I see what you are talking about a binoviewer.


What they do is to focus both the eyepieces into the center piece in front.

That part goes into the focuser and now you can use both eyes. I would say that more than 99% of astronomers only use one eye.


----------



## cocobolo

With the best of intentions, I started out to do some of the laminate floor this morning. :yes:

But she-who-cannot-live-without-the-almighty-generator (even though we have a beautiful sunny day here) decided that today was the day I needed to fix the beast. 

We do have three generators, and have quite successfully been using the smaller 2,000 i for some time. But it is a pull start, and the missus doesn't care for that. :no:

Therefore, having very little desire to cook my own dinner, a fix was in order. :yes:

It wasn't the usual problem, but after having spent several hours messing about with the *@!!%$#** thing, it's working again....thank heavens.

Now I can return to my normal work day on the house.


----------



## cocobolo

Last time I did laminate flooring must have been 7 or 8 years ago now, and it wasn't the same kind as what we have here.

It didn't seem to matter where I started, because at some point I was going to run into curved walls...where the heck have I heard _that _before?

The destructions specify that you should cut _downwards_ on the laminate, in order to avoid any chipping of the surface. 

So I dutifully changed the blade in the jigsaw to a _downward cutting blade_, as per their destructions.

Now the first boards go up against a curved wall, so there will be a long curved cut - just under 12' - which actually spans three rows of the laminate.

I was hoping for a nice clean cut, but regardless of how carefully I cut, this was as good as it got. Notice the chipping.


----------



## cocobolo

I tried a couple of crosscuts with one of my Japanese saws, which please note actually cut _upwards_ on the pull stroke, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

So I was pleasantly surprised with this result.


----------



## cocobolo

Prior to my untimely disturbance this morning, this was the progress to date.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Prior to my untimely disturbance this morning, this was the progress to date.


It looks like you have the hard part behind you cutting the curved wall. Didn't that dull your pull saw, that is some hard stuff. That is some good looking flooring, it looks more like real wood than most I have seen.

Keith, when do you have to use your generators? My guess would be when it is very cloudy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It looks like you have the hard part behind you cutting the curved wall. Didn't that dull your pull saw, that is some hard stuff. That is some good looking flooring, it looks more like real wood than most I have seen.
> 
> Keith, when do you have to use your generators? My guess would be when it is very cloudy.


There's plenty more curves where those came from! 

So far the saw is fine. I guess now that you have brought it to my attention I will have to watch and see how it lasts.

We don't necessarily have to run the generator just because it is cloudy...sometimes the panels will be providing power anyway even if it is cloudy. Just depends on how bright or dark the cloud is.

If we aren't really using anything, the battery bank can hold its' own. If I am running power tools (all the time!) then we usually will need to run the generator that night to bring the battery bank back up again.


----------



## cocobolo

Almost - but not quite - caught the sunset. I think I need to invent a sunset alarm! Always seem to be just a few minutes too late.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Almost - but not quite - caught the sunset. I think I need to invent a sunset alarm! Always seem to be just a few minutes too late.


It is still picture perfect, really beautiful Keith.

Buddy, I know that flooring will sure dull a carbide blade so I just figured it may dull your pull saw also. Are you going to run base mould and shoe or 1/4 round. That was a stupid question, you will have too to cover up the expansion space from the flooring to the walls. It does look good.


----------



## BigJim

I see how you use your generators now, for some reason I was thinking you used the energy straight from the generators instead of the generators recharging you power packs.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I see how you use your generators now, for some reason I was thinking you used the energy straight from the generators instead of the generators recharging you power packs.


Somewhere back in the thread I think there is a description of the system and maybe even the current battery bank, which is 8 Trojan T-105's.

They are one of the standard batteries for such a system as this. I believe their expected life in a day in day out use system is expected to be about seven years.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It is still picture perfect, really beautiful Keith.
> 
> Buddy, I know that flooring will sure dull a carbide blade so I just figured it may dull your pull saw also. Are you going to run base mould and shoe or 1/4 round. That was a stupid question, you will have too to cover up the expansion space from the flooring to the walls. It does look good.


Ouch! If it dulls carbide, then I had better stop using the saw right now.

I really don't want to chew through one of those blades that fast! I have another pull saw which is meant for cutting plastic pipe...I'm going to try just one cut with that to see if it works.

Otherwise it will be back to the jigsaw with the downward cutting teeth.

Some time back I got my hands on 250 jigsaw blades for the Bosch at a bargain basement price. I must have at least 50 of these blades, so this might be a good place to consume a few of them. After all...that's what they are for. 

I haven't decided what kind of moulding to use yet...probably something very simple that I can make up quickly. It's going to take a fair whack to cover all the walls upstairs.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, you bought 250 blades and have only 50 left, buddy you have been doing some heavy cutting. I can't imagine how much 250 Bosch blades would have cost down this way but it would have been a lot.

The flooring is about like MDF on a carbide blade as best I remember.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, you bought 250 blades and have only 50 left, buddy you have been doing so heavy cutting. I can't imagine how much 250 Bosch blades would have cost down this way but it would have been a lot.
> 
> The flooring is about like MDF on a carbide blade as best I remember.


Heck no, I have 50 of the _downcutting _blades. Probably only used 30 or 40 since I got that lot.

The core of this flooring reminds me very much of MDF. But it's the finish on top which is very hard and brittle. I can see that doing some damage.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Somewhere back in the thread I think there is a description of the system and maybe even the current battery bank, which is 8 Trojan T-105's.
> 
> They are one of the standard batteries for such a system as this. I believe their expected life in a day in day out use system is expected to be about seven years.


I remember you posting about you batter bank now, buddy, this getting old is for the birds.


----------



## DangerMouse

Must be nice to have money to throw at your projects. Try doing it on our budget! heh heh

The curved wall looks great! Weird, but great! lol

DM


----------



## tpolk

cut from back if possible with regular blade or if cutting from face on flooring tape and score. just a thought. timothy


----------



## cocobolo

DangerMouse said:


> Must be nice to have money to throw at your projects. Try doing it on our budget! heh heh
> 
> The curved wall looks great! Weird, but great! lol
> 
> DM


Well, first of all, the curved wall kinda goes with the rest of the house.

And as for the budget, try what we get for our old age pension...

I'll let you know if we ever have money to throw at any project...:no:

If it wasn't for DIY we'd have diddley!


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> cut from back if possible with regular blade or if cutting from face on flooring tape and score. just a thought. timothy


Indeed you are right. 

Trying to lay out the curves on the back...not sure how I could do that. The straight ends would be easy enough.

I have a hunch that the brittle nature of the surface would chip with any power tool doing the cutting. But, at this point, the chipping is so minor - considering that the edges will have some sort of molding over them - I don't think I will worry about it.


----------



## cocobolo

Up with the sun this morning...lovely day to take a trip across.

This was the sunrise this morning. My camera says it was at 7:04 am.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Up with the sun this morning...lovely day to take a trip across.
> 
> This was the sunrise this morning. My camera says it was at 7:04 am.


That is beautiful buddy, it looks like it was cold there this morning or maybe I am just chilled right now. It is going to be below freezing here Saturday night, maybe we can turn the AC off now for the winter.


----------



## Bud Cline

*FWIW:*

There was a time when I installed laminate flooring for a living.

There was a time when the wear-surface of laminate flooring was in fact some form of (clear) aluminum oxide. Hence the routine dulling of the saw blades. 

There was a time when I would average waisting an 80 tooth carbide saw blade in my chop saw for every 250 square feet of laminate I installed.

There was a time when it cost me twenty-eight bucks to get those $75 blades sharpened.

There was a time when I decided laminate flooring was too much hassle.

There was a time...

Yow I know - go figure! So now I only cut ceramic and stone for a living and use diamond saw blades that cost even more.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> *FWIW:*
> 
> There was a time when I installed laminate flooring for a living.
> 
> There was a time when the wear-surface of laminate flooring was in fact some form of (clear) aluminum oxide. Hence the routine dulling of the saw blades.
> 
> There was a time when I would average waisting an 80 tooth carbide saw blade in my chop saw for every 250 square feet of laminate I installed.
> 
> There was a time when it cost me twenty-eight bucks to get those $75 blades sharpened.
> 
> There was a time when I decided laminate flooring was too much hassle.
> 
> There was a time...
> 
> Yow I know - go figure! So now I only cut ceramic and stone for a living and use diamond saw blades that cost even more.


Bud, I think some trades should be allowed to have a pain factor figured into the cost of the job and yours is one of them. You must have the strongest legs and knees of all the trades, all that getting up and down has to take its toll.


----------



## DangerMouse

Bud Cline said:


> Yow I know - go figure! So now I only cut ceramic and stone for a living and use diamond saw blades that cost even more.


:laughing:

DM


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, I think some trades should be allowed to have a pain factor figured into the cost of the job and yours is one of them. You must have the strongest legs and knees of all the trades, all that getting up and down has to take its toll.


Don't I wish!

To be honest there has been a few times over the decades that when bidding a job I had prior knowledge of the potential customer being a pain to work for. The truth is...I have been known to secretly include a* PITA Charge* in some bids and proposals.

For customers that turn out to be a *p*ain *i*n *t*he *a*ss without prior knowledge we should be able to add the PITA Charge after the job is complete. 

But you are correct! We should be able to include a "pain and suffering charge" for our later years.:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *FWIW:*
> 
> There was a time when I installed laminate flooring for a living.
> 
> There was a time when the wear-surface of laminate flooring was in fact some form of (clear) aluminum oxide. Hence the routine dulling of the saw blades.
> 
> There was a time when I would average waisting an 80 tooth carbide saw blade in my chop saw for every 250 square feet of laminate I installed.
> 
> There was a time when it cost me twenty-eight bucks to get those $75 blades sharpened.
> 
> There was a time when I decided laminate flooring was too much hassle.
> 
> There was a time...
> 
> Yow I know - go figure! So now I only cut ceramic and stone for a living and use diamond saw blades that cost even more.


I do believe I read something about the aluminum oxide on the surface. Man, but that stuff is hard.

I think now they must be adding industrial diamonds to it just to annoy us even more...:laughing:

I did try the Japanese saw which is designed to cut hard plastics, and it managed fine on the one cut. However, seeing as how very brittle the surface is, makes me understand just how hard it must be.

No wonder they can guarantee the surface for 25 years!

I have become quite satisfied with using the jigsaw...and it doesn't much matter how many blades I go through since there are plenty on hand.

I'm at close to the 100 square foot mark now, still on the first blade. I don't think it will make many more cuts though, the long curves definitely take their toll.

BTW, I do have a sharpener for the carbide blades. It was a gift from my pal who sold up and left the island just over a month ago. Actually works pretty well.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Don't I wish!
> 
> To be honest there has been a few times over the decades that when bidding a job I had prior knowledge of the potential customer being a pain to work for. The truth is...I have been known to secretly include a* PITA Charge* in some bids and proposals.
> 
> For customers that turn out to be a *p*ain *i*n *t*he *a*ss without prior knowledge we should be able to add the PITA Charge after the job is complete.
> 
> But you are correct! We should be able to include a "pain and suffering charge" for our later years.:thumbup:


Man I know what you mean, I built a 6,000 SF old Williamsburg replica in Memphis several years ago and that woman had over 300 changes before all was said and done. She was the queen of PITA folks, You know they don't make changes until afterwards, seldom before it is built.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I do believe I read something about the aluminum oxide on the surface. Man, but that stuff is hard.
> 
> I think now they must be adding industrial diamonds to it just to annoy us even more...:laughing:
> 
> I did try the Japanese saw which is designed to cut hard plastics, and it managed fine on the one cut. However, seeing as how very brittle the surface is, makes me understand just how hard it must be.
> 
> No wonder they can guarantee the surface for 25 years!
> 
> I have become quite satisfied with using the jigsaw...and it doesn't much matter how many blades I go through since there are plenty on hand.
> 
> I'm at close to the 100 square foot mark now, still on the first blade. I don't think it will make many more cuts though, the long curves definitely take their toll.
> 
> BTW, I do have a sharpener for the carbide blades. It was a gift from my pal who sold up and left the island just over a month ago. Actually works pretty well.


The carbide blade sharpener is one thing I wish I had bought several years ago, not may places could sharpen my blades the way I wanted them. I have a stack of good blades out there right now that need sharpening but there is no place around here that I trust.


----------



## cocobolo

What's that they say about the best laid plans...

Wife number two has had a bee in her blond hair about getting all the wood cleaned up by the mill. She has actually filled up the lift with firewood a couple of times...so why look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

Inevitably it means that I will be dragged into the fray - regardless of what it is I may be trying to get done. A floor in this case.

There was a log in the log lift which was destined to become firewood. So the missus figured that today would be a perfect time to do that. OK. But, of course, that's only the tip of the iceberg...:huh:

Then there is a big old chunk of some sort of ugly wood in the log chute, which I was instructed to drag out to the end of the bay and let it go on its merry way. Once that was done, would I just mind shifting these other 5 logs into the chute ready to be lifted out and cut up for firewood. 

Even if I would mind it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference. We all know that.

And while I was doing all this moving, the cabin cruiser needed to be moved as we are giving it away. So, would I mind attending to that please. Sure, anything else?

Yes, I don't like where the barge is, so could you move it out of the way over _there. :furious:

_Oh yes, sorry I didn't mention it while you had the skiff out in the bay, but there's something I need off the sailboat...would you mind...


----------



## cocobolo

But despite her best efforts, there was some progress on the floor _anyway_!

Half the battle was getting the old cast iron frame bed out of there so I could move the floor as necessary.


----------



## cocobolo

After supper I made it this far, but the door needs to be removed now to finish the rest. It's late enough that it can wait until tomorrow morning now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> After supper I made it this far, but the door needs to be removed now to finish the rest. It's late enough that it can wait until tomorrow morning now.


Good gravy, you did all of that and still got that much floor laid, you are a ball of fire buddy. The floor looks great, I know it will look a lot better to you when it is done though. One thing is for sure, ain't nobody goin to have ta rock you ta sleep ta night. :no:


----------



## gma2rjc

That looks beautiful! 

Do you have to put a bead of silicone caulk around the outer edges at the ends of the boards when you're all done?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Do you have to put a bead of silicone caulk around the outer edges at the ends of the boards


Now that right there is *an excellent "catch" by gma2rjc* .

I intended to mention that little trick yesterday but spaced it off.

In some cases those "floating floors" can "walk". An expansion gap is required around all edges but of course that gap can become a trouble-maker down the road.

I learned early-out to install daubs of silicone about every twenty-four inches along the long edges of the boards and one daub of silicone for each of the end-cut edges. This will keep the floor in place and at the same time allow for some expansion/contraction accommodation. In most cases it will also prevent the future creation of board-end-gaps in the field of the floor.

Rooms with floating floors where the daily traffic pattern requires one to turn immediately after entering the room will cause a floating floor to shift/rotate one direction or another from the twisting foot friction and come out from under the baseboards.

In time this will expose a crooked gap at one end of the room while cramming the floor into the wall at the opposing end of the room. The daubs of silicone (in my opinion) will help to prevent this phenomenon.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Now that right there is *an excellent "catch" by gma2rjc* .
> 
> I intended to mention that little trick yesterday but spaced it off.
> 
> In some cases those "floating floors" can "walk". An expansion gap is required around all edges but of course that gap can become a trouble-maker down the road.
> 
> I learned early-out to install daubs of silicone about every twenty-four inches along the long edges of the boards and one daub of silicone for each of the end-cut edges. This will keep the floor in place and at the same time allow for some expansion/contraction accommodation. In most cases it will also prevent the future creation of board-end-gaps in the field of the floor.
> 
> Rooms with floating floors where the daily traffic pattern requires one to turn immediately after entering the room will cause a floating floor to shift/rotate one direction or another from the twisting foot friction and come out from under the baseboards.
> 
> In time this will expose a crooked gap at one end of the room while cramming the floor into the wall at the opposing end of the room. The daubs of silicone (in my opinion) will help to prevent this phenomenon.


I wish I had known about that when I laid our floor, it has already moved. I'll know better next time if there is one, thanks Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

The manufacturer should mention something about the silicone trick. That sounds like a good one.

Do you know what the treatment should be for the floating floor at the top of a set of stairs?

I didn't think to ask when we got the flooring, but there is just one flight which the laminate will end up being at the head of the stairs. 

I could make a piece of molding which could cover the face piece on the last riser. It would include the bullnose for the final step up, and it could go an inch or two, or three onto the upper floor. Then I could machine a dado across the top of the molding 8mm deep, which is as thick as the flooring.

I think I need to draw out a cross section of this, it's losing something in my explanation.

So back to the top of the question...is there a factory treatment for the top of the stairs? 

If anyone has one in their home, could you post a pic? Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's what I mean for the top molding.


----------



## gma2rjc

When I was putting my floor in Keith, there were pieces available for the top of the stairway, but not in the color I needed. You might be able to find one on the manufacturers website.

My sister and brother-in-law made it out of molding they bought at the store.

I haven't finished the part at the top of my stairway yet, so I'll be interested in seeing how you do yours.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Here's what I mean for the top molding.


Been there a few times.

The concept of floating floors has its drawbacks in my opinion which is why I won't have anything to do with them anymore. We won't go there however.

Floating floors by nature always have a slight "cush" to them. This is why placing cabinets or toilets on top of them is an issue for me. Even furniture is an issue as far as I'm concerned. But I digress.

The mill-work fittings offered by the flooring makers are incomplete in that they offer nothing practical for your particular application. Well they suggest you use an "L" (outside corner) to lap the edge of the stair and it would then be mechanically fastened to the face of the riser. That would be OK but the L overlapping the topside of the flooring would then create a "tripper". The top of a stair is the last place a person wants to create a tripper. Hook your shoe-heel on that sucker and see how many cartwheels you can do before someone calls the ambulance.

I would manufacture exactly the piece you have designed above using a three inch wide dado thereabouts. I would then rigidly and mechanically fasten it to the top of the subfloor after applying a small amount of construction adhesive to the underside to also join it to the subfloor. THEN...also permanently attach the flooring to the dado with construction adhesive. At some point the supported flooring glued to the dado-ed stair nosing will leave the backside of the stair nosing and again become unsupported but with a three inch wide dado I don't think that would be an issue.

The "cush movement" may over time work on the glued juncture somewhat but I'm thinking it will last for a good long time. 

In reality those floating floors are problematic by nature in my thinking... they are built to self-destruct over time.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Been there a few times.
> 
> The concept of floating floors has its drawbacks in my opinion which is why I won't have anything to do with them anymore. We won't go there however.
> 
> Floating floors by nature always have a slight "cush" to them. This is why placing cabinets or toilets on top of them is an issue for me. Even furniture is an issue as far as I'm concerned. But I digress.
> 
> The mill-work fittings offered by the flooring makers are incomplete in that they offer nothing practical for your particular application. Well they suggest you use an "L" (outside corner) to lap the edge of the stair and it would then be mechanically fastened to the face of the riser. That would be OK but the L overlapping the topside of the flooring would then create a "tripper". The top of a stair is the last place a person wants to create a tripper. Hook your shoe-heel on that sucker and see how many cartwheels you can do before someone calls the ambulance.
> 
> I would manufacture exactly the piece you have designed above using a three inch wide dado thereabouts. I would then rigidly and mechanically fasten it to the top of the subfloor after applying a small amount of construction adhesive to the underside to also join it to the subfloor. THEN...also permanently attach the flooring to the dado with construction adhesive. At some point the supported flooring glued to the dado-ed stair nosing will leave the backside of the stair nosing and again become unsupported but with a three inch wide dado I don't think that would be an issue.
> 
> The "cush movement" may over time work on the glued juncture somewhat but I'm thinking it will last for a good long time.
> 
> In reality those floating floors are problematic by nature in my thinking... they are built to self-destruct over time.


Hmmm...even though my previous laminate flooring experience is limited - to say the least - as a carpenter, I wondered what would happen to this stuff over time.

The manufacturer clearly states that the floor should be able to move, mainly it seems, due to seasonal moisture differences. With a heavy chest or bed sitting on it, just how easy is it for this floor to move I wonder?

In comparison to a properly fixed solid wood floor, what we are looking at is a _single_ very large piece of flooring which is mechanically locked together. With a solid wood floor, each individual piece of wood can move in miniscule amounts and thus has practically no effect whatsoever on any overall movement of the entire floor.

Fortunately, there is very little distance from the top of the stairs - in my case - to where the laminate will be terminated against a wall (yet to be built). It measures out at slightly under 8 feet.

The maximum length of any one run of the laminate in this typically "weird" (Thanks DM) shaped hallway floor is only 7 feet. 

It appears that I will need to start that section of flooring right at the top of the stairs, in order to make certain that the flooring will be parallel to the top step. Anything else would look out of place. (There's another opening for you DM).


----------



## Bud Cline

I don't think you'll have any problems at all with the small amout of product you are installing. 

*I would however discourage anyone following this thread that is thinking of installing a large amount of laminate flooring to think twice. The product has had its issues over the years.*

:yes:


----------



## Bud Cline

*SIDE BAR:*

It is not my intention to blow-out any-one's candle and I'm not sure this is the place for this but I'll tell you what I know then I'll shut up about the subject.

Some fifteen years ago (or so) (I really don't remember) laminate flooring was introduced to this country under the name of Pergo coming from a European company named Perstop.

This was the cats meow and had been successful and proven in European countries for the previous seventeen years.

I immediately became certified by Perstop to install their product. Almost immediately problems began to arise. At that time Pergo was a tongue and groove product (as they are now) but the tongue and grooves were to be glued together. The glue would purge of course and purging was hard to control even when limiting the amount of glue being used.

Over a period of days after installation the seams would swell from the moisture of the glue. The core was made of particleboard. It is no secret what happens to particleboard when it is introduced to moisture. The maker insisted the swelling would dissipate over time but the truth is it never did. The "Blame-Game" began and the faults were said to be a result of installer errors.

The assembled panels would shift over time as I mentioned above. Moisture from below would cause waves in the panels themselves separate from the seams.

In the meantime...every manufacturer of laminate counter tops started jumping into the circus. Wilson Art, Neva Mar, Formica, to name a few.

As the claims began to tsunami, manufacturers began to reformulate the core product they used. A plastic core finally solved the problem for some but priced the products out of the intended low-cost-flooring market.

Then no-name brands were introduced again but with the particleboard core. The proud old-time names were gone from the low-cost scene. The recognized brand names reappeared but this time with the higher priced floor products due to the new and improved core. 

Sales plummeted for all laminate flooring for a time and that is when the extended warranty periods began to arise. Millions of square feet of product in production and no market without a twenty-five year warranty. That's funny because laminate flooring was always considered a throw-away product that could easily be change from time to time with little cost. The industry says most flooring has about a fifteen year appeal before Harriet Homeowner wants a change it.

With the high cost of installation by a pro and a desire to make the floors more installer friendly for the huge DIY market, "click" flooring was introduced eliminating the swollen edges from the glue that was no longer needed and basically eliminating the professional installer in some cases. Eureka...laminate flooring is now the preferred floor covering of the DIY market.

The makers gamble that the on average every-fifteen-year-exchange will continue and a twenty-five year warranty won't be executed in any great numbers.

To install laminate flooring properly all of the door jambs and door casings must be undercut. The problem with is the cuts must be made so high that the return to a vinyl flooring would be almost impossible from an acceptable appearance standpoint. The same may apply to a carpet replacing a laminate flooring. It simply ruins the woodwork unless more laminate is installed as a replacement.

The makers have made millions however so how can anyone (especially me) argue with that?

No one has ever been able to explain to me how a product with seventeen years proven success in Europe could come to this country and fail so miserably and so soon. Unless of course.............:whistling2:


----------



## jlhaslip

Thanks, Bud for that insight to the flooring industry.
I just don't like the stuff. It sounds weird when you walk on it.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I don't think you'll have any problems at all with the small amout of product you are installing.
> 
> *I would however discourage anyone following this thread that is thinking of installing a large amount of laminate flooring to think twice. The product has had its issues over the years.*
> 
> :yes:


I am already inclined to think you are right. I will have a total of 900 square feet - less the waste - not a lot.

Three years ago my sister bought a 13 year old house which had just had new laminate floors installed throughout the whole top floor. She didn't like the flooring right away. However, it turned out to be the colour she didn't like, nothing else. I haven't heard any other gripes from her about the flooring...but darn near everything else in her overpriced house has been a problem.

It seems to me - and you can be the arbiter of this guess Bud - that if the areas are individually small that the problems should be reduced to a minimum.

I am now, therefore, somewhat concerned about the size of the floor going down in the master bedroom. At one point it is something like 35 feet long. I can easily make breaks at both ends of the oval opening, which will effectively break the floor into three sections.

And one other thing...This flooring I have here, Kaindl, made in Austria, seems to be made from MDF with the surface applied to both sides. 

However, I hardly think that these surfaces - which are perhaps a couple of thousandths of an inch thick - really qualify as a laminate. More like MDF with paint on both sides.

I find that to be misleading to say the least.

My idea of a laminate is something with several layers of a solid product glued together. Like plywood for instance, although that is not referred to as a laminate.

Also, it is the surface which carries the 25 year warranty. If you read the whole of the (very) fine print, you will discover that there are enough exclusions that your chances of succeeding with a warranty claim will be very low.

But, as Bud says below, 15 years from now the new owners wife will want to change the flooring anyway. Maybe they will just be able to put 12" x 12" self stick vinyl tiles on top! If they are still being made!


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Thanks, Bud for that insight to the flooring industry.
> I just don't like the stuff. It sounds weird when you walk on it.


I just walked around the new floor several times, but I didn't hear any noise at all.

I wonder, could it be your construction boots...or your high heels? :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## cocobolo

Here's the floor by the door, plainly not a fun section to have to fit. No, the flooring does not go under the door jambs - although there is space for it to do so - just.

It is cut to fit around all the obstructions.

If you want to push two pieces of flooring together on the floor, rather than elevate one piece to the required 25º and snap it down, you need to trim off part of the locking pattern. This, in turn, means that you need to introduce the dreaded glue into the MDF which will inevitably swell the flooring.

I am trusting that Bud's description of the after effects will dissuade anyone from trying this tactic.


----------



## cocobolo

The main part of the floor came out like this...so far it looks fine.

I hope so, it's only been down a few hours...


----------



## cocobolo

This is what comprises their "laminate" and clearly shows the locking joint.

You can use either a sharp chisel or a small plane to remove the outside edge of the lip. So far I haven't needed to do this and sincerely hope I don't have to.


----------



## gma2rjc

If you're running through the house wearing new socks and have to make a sharp turn on the laminate..... be careful you don't wipe out. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> If you're running through the house wearing new socks and have to make a sharp turn on the laminate..... be careful you don't wipe out. :whistling2:


I have noticed that is is veeeeeeerrry slippery!


----------



## gma2rjc

Yes, especially when you're installing it and one scrap piece is laying upside down on the top of another piece. It's like stepping on ice.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Yes, especially when you're installing it and one scrap piece is laying upside down on the top of another piece. It's like stepping on ice.


This stuff I have has a finish on _both_ sides either of which is like ice.


----------



## Bud Cline

OK, OK, OK,

I said I would shut up - I lied.
Don't misunderstand me. There is a market for laminate flooring, a lot of people like it for a lot of reasons, the cost is right, the installation is easy enough under most circumstances. Keith's projects excluded, everything he does is deliberately complicated - and masterful I might add.



> It seems to me - and you can be the arbiter of this guess Bud - that if the areas are individually small that the problems should be reduced to a minimum.


Agreed, and I think that is what saves a lot of folks from total frustration. Most buyers have basically small rooms to deal with and the potential hazards can also be small.



> And one other thing...This flooring I have here, Kaindl, made in Austria, seems to be made from MDF with the surface applied to both sides.


That seems to be the current phase of construction the laminate products are all in. Both sides are now covered with a plastic something. They also (several years ago) began to impregnate the core material to help stabilize it and mitigate moisture migration.



> However, I hardly think that these surfaces - which are perhaps a couple of thousandths of an inch thick - really qualify as a laminate. More like MDF with paint on both sides.


Now I am smiling at that appraisal, I agree wholeheartedly.



> Also, it is the surface which carries the 25 year warranty. If you read the whole of the (very) fine print, you will discover that there are enough exclusions that your chances of succeeding with a warranty claim will be very low.


Hit that one right on the head there Keith. The truth is "paid claims" in any of the floor covering products are few and far between. The percentages are very low. Some more than others but typically they don't exceed 2%.



> I just walked around the new floor several times, but I didn't hear any noise at all.


I have walked on many of those suckers and I agree that they have a sound all of their own. Of course the hardness of the shoe sole has everything to do with it. The laminates using the foam cushion seem to be the most quiet of them all. When Pergo first arrived we were using 4mil poly for a moisture barrier but it wasn't long before Pergo came out with their own plastic sheeting material. I often wondered why that product didn't cross the pond with the Pergo if it was proven for seventeen years previous.



> If you want to push two pieces of flooring together on the floor, rather than elevate one piece to the required 25º and snap it down, you need to trim off part of the locking pattern. This, in turn, means that you need to introduce the dreaded glue into the MDF which will inevitably swell the flooring.


Back when the product was straight tongue and groove it wasn't unusual to reverse directions and splines were available for this purpose. Tucking some of that stuff is impossible with the "lift and click" systems today. So...yes...the tongues must be altered.



> This is what comprises their "laminate" and clearly shows the locking joint.


And years ago Pergo would sell you a specialized profile router bit so you could correct any of their tongues that may have misfired at their mill. So much for quality control.
A single router bit from Pergo only cost the installer 80 bucks. That was probably the only eighty dollar router bit I had ever seen in my entire life.


----------



## cocobolo

About three years ago, a neighbour across the bay from us put a laminate floor down in their cabin.

He also had the bright idea to run an overflow pipe from his outside 1500 gallon water tank to a 5 gallon bucket underneath their kitchen sink. I have absolutely no idea why he did that.

The inevitable happened. They left for the winter and forgot to disconnect the overflow pipe. All winter long water was being run into their cabin, and by the time they arrived back in the spring, they were greeted with a floor with waves big enough to surf on.

Since he's a low energy sort of guy, he just left it in place.

Can you imagine the warranty claim?

And how did this happen Sir?

Well, I was washing the floor - with 10,000 gallons of water, and it just all buckled up like this. I don't understand why at all...:huh:


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> If you're running through the house wearing new socks and have to make a sharp turn on the laminate..... be careful you don't wipe out. :whistling2:


I don't think that will be a problem in our house, ain't nobody here can run.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I don't think that will be a problem in our house, ain't nobody here can run.:laughing:


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

ANOTHER SIDE BAR:

About ten years ago when all this Internet forum stuff was still taking tiny baby steps one of the very first insightful (flooring) websites was offered by a guy in northern California by the name of Dave Spreen. Dave had to do with international trading and was some kind of a flooring expert and importer.

One of the most memorable threads on his website back then was people complaining about their brand new laminate floors. One of the funniest complaints that got a lot of attention was one ole gal that was complaining that the floors surface was so slick that her kids began to intentionally slide around all the time - playing.

Her main complaint was her kids were wearing-out their socks time and time again. It turns out the slick floor wasn't so slick after all in that the aluminum oxide would ruin a pair of socks in short order. She complained to the manufacturer insisting they should replace the ruined socks.

End of story. Can't remember that there was any positive outcome.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> ANOTHER SIDE BAR:
> 
> About ten years ago when all this Internet forum stuff was still taking tiny baby steps one of the very first insightful (flooring) websites was offered by a guy in northern California by the name of Dave Spreen. Dave had to do with international trading and was some kind of a flooring expert and importer.
> 
> One of the most memorable threads on his website back then was people complaining about their brand new laminate floors. One of the funniest complaints that got a lot of attention was one ole gal that was complaining that the floors surface was so slick that her kids began to intentionally slide around all the time - playing.
> 
> Her main complaint was her kids were wearing-out their socks time and time again. It turns out the slick floor wasn't so slick after all in that the aluminum oxide would ruin a pair of socks in short order. She complained to the manufacturer insisting they should replace the ruined socks.
> 
> End of story. Can't remember that there was any positive outcome.


OMG....that's too funny! :laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> About three years ago, a neighbour across the bay from us put a laminate floor down in their cabin.
> 
> He also had the bright idea to run an overflow pipe from his outside 1500 gallon water tank to a 5 gallon bucket underneath their kitchen sink. I have absolutely no idea why he did that.
> 
> The inevitable happened. They left for the winter and forgot to disconnect the overflow pipe. All winter long water was being run into their cabin, and by the time they arrived back in the spring, they were greeted with a floor with waves big enough to surf on.
> 
> Since he's a low energy sort of guy, he just left it in place.
> 
> Can you imagine the warranty claim?
> 
> And how did this happen Sir?
> 
> Well, I was washing the floor - with 10,000 gallons of water, and it just all buckled up like this. I don't understand why at all...:huh:


:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

If you remember the photo of the surveyor's cabin with that sloping addition on the roof....well, that's the same guy who washed his laminate floor all winter. 

He actually has two cabins on his lot. The first one was built 12 feet wide - no wider - because that was the biggest size pre-fab wall he could get in his old fishboat at the time.

His "new" cabin, was a pre-cut kit which came all numbered. You just put the various numbers one atop the other, and presto, there was your basic cabin.

Only he left the wood outside for so long that all the numbers washed off and he couldn't figure out where anything went! :whistling2:

His first cabin is also collapsing slowly into the ground. :huh:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Only he left the wood outside for so long that all the numbers washed off and he couldn't figure out where anything went! :whistling2:


:lol:............. did he end up building it upside down?

"Honey! Why's the toilet on the ceiling?!" :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> If you remember the photo of the surveyor's cabin with that sloping addition on the roof....well, that's the same guy who washed his laminate floor all winter.
> 
> He actually has two cabins on his lot. The first one was built 12 feet wide - no wider - because that was the biggest size pre-fab wall he could get in his old fishboat at the time.
> 
> His "new" cabin, was a pre-cut kit which came all numbered. You just put the various numbers one atop the other, and presto, there was your basic cabin.
> 
> Only he left the wood outside for so long that all the numbers washed off and he couldn't figure out where anything went! :whistling2:
> 
> His first cabin is also collapsing slowly into the ground. :huh:


I remember that sloping roof addition, I kept thinking that I was just looking at it wrong. That has to hurt working that hard and watching all your hard work go down the tubes.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :lol:............. did he end up building it upside down?
> 
> "Honey! Why's the toilet on the ceiling?!" :laughing:


They have an outhouse...:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> They have an outhouse...:yes:


Now we know why.

Was that from a kit?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Now we know why.
> 
> Was that from a kit?


....dunno...I'll ask him when I see him next spring. :jester:


----------



## cocobolo

Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 21)

The Messier numbers...what are they all about?

A French astronomer by the name of Charles Messier is credited with what is now known as the Messier catalogue.

Messier was born 280 years ago in Lorraine, France, the 10th of 12 children.

Much of his astronomical career was given to searching for comets, and it was during one such search that he noticed other objects in the sky which might have been mistaken for comets by other observers. So he set about taking positions for these and making up what has become the Messier catalogue.

Item number 1 is the crab nebula and he noted this while he was searching for the predicted return of Halley's comet which he finally located on January 21, 1759.

There are now over 100 items in his catalogue, many of them well known nebulae and star clusters.

Messier himself was to either discover or co-discover some 20 comets during his observing career. This is a feat of truly biblical proportions given the nature of the telescopes of the day.

His search for Halley's comet was conducted with a metal reflector of about 8". Today we would consider something like that to be of such poor quality as to be nearly useless - such is the progress made with optics since that time. Any 6" reflector made today would out perform that telescope easily. And yet Messier was able to find and pinpoint the location of dozens of night sky objects with it.

Some of the objects are visible without optical aid, given a moonless sky and excellent seeing:

The magnificent nebula in Orion, M42 is the first that comes to mind. The Hercules cluster, M13 is another. The Pleiades, the Beehive cluster, and Andromeda are others also visible. Binoculars help immensely, and a good scope even more.

So, get yourself a copy of the Messier catalogue and start hunting. You'll have a great time and learn lots along the way.


----------



## cocobolo

About two or three years ago I ran across what I thought might be a nice light to hang in the middle of the circular stairs which go all the way up to the roof.

Today it got installed...perhaps you've noticed that I don't like to rush into these things. 

The only drawback right now is that it has high consumption lights installed. They will have to go and be replaced with LED's.


----------



## jlhaslip

nice lamp.
it'll look great up there.

how did you keep out of the 2nd wife's studio?


:lol:


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice lamp!

Do the circular stairs start from a door outside at ground level? I don't think you've talked about this yet.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> nice lamp.
> it'll look great up there.
> 
> how did you keep out of the 2nd wife's studio?
> 
> 
> :lol:


Well, let's see...I found it, paid for it, brought it over here and hid it!

Put it up when she wasn't looking! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Nice lamp!
> 
> Do the circular stairs start from a door outside at ground level? I don't think you've talked about this yet.


If I ever get enough of the excess woodpiles moved out of the way I could show you a pic or two.

If you come in through the front door, which is the thick curved cedar door, into the entry, you are greeted by two steps to your left which is the main dining, kitchen level. About 6 feet ahead of that the curved stairs start...17 of them to the masterbed/guest level.

These steps are just over 40" wide, a little wider than most.

The next curved stairs go up to the roof, that's 14 more steps which gets you to a very small landing which has the final three (straight) steps that puts you out onto the roof.

Please note that you do NOT land on a skylight, and that there is a level platform to step onto. :thumbup:

From there you go up a short ladder to the upper part of the roof where the solar panels are located.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Coco's astronomy tip of the day (No. 21)
> 
> The Messier numbers...what are they all about?
> 
> A French astronomer by the name of Charles Messier is credited with what is now known as the Messier catalogue.
> 
> Messier was born 280 years ago in Lorraine, France, the 10th of 12 children.
> 
> Much of his astronomical career was given to searching for comets, and it was during one such search that he noticed other objects in the sky which might have been mistaken for comets by other observers. So he set about taking positions for these and making up what has become the Messier catalogue.
> 
> Item number 1 is the crab nebula and he noted this while he was searching for the predicted return of Halley's comet which he finally located on January 21, 1759.
> 
> There are now over 100 items in his catalogue, many of them well known nebulae and star clusters.
> 
> Messier himself was to either discover or co-discover some 20 comets during his observing career. This is a feat of truly biblical proportions given the nature of the telescopes of the day.
> 
> His search for Halley's comet was conducted with a metal reflector of about 8". Today we would consider something like that to be of such poor quality as to be nearly useless - such is the progress made with optics since that time. Any 6" reflector made today would out perform that telescope easily. And yet Messier was able to find and pinpoint the location of dozens of night sky objects with it.
> 
> Some of the objects are visible without optical aid, given a moonless sky and excellent seeing:
> 
> The magnificent nebula in Orion, M42 is the first that comes to mind. The Hercules cluster, M13 is another. The Pleiades, the Beehive cluster, and Andromeda are others also visible. Binoculars help immensely, and a good scope even more.
> 
> So, get yourself a copy of the Messier catalogue and start hunting. You'll have a great time and learn lots along the way.


Now I see, I didn't know what the M stood for on the charts. Another question, is there a chart for the planets? Or do the planets move so much they can't be charted? 

Another question, just full of um, among other things.:laughing: Is a dew shield necessary?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> About two or three years ago I ran across what I thought might be a nice light to hang in the middle of the circular stairs which go all the way up to the roof.
> 
> Today it got installed...perhaps you've noticed that I don't like to rush into these things.
> 
> The only drawback right now is that it has high consumption lights installed. They will have to go and be replaced with LED's.


Pretty light Keith, we have one similar above our kitchen table only it isn't as elegant, ours is the rust and sealed type. We are into kinda rustic things since we are both country folks.:thumbsup: I am so rough back home they call me corn cobb. :whistling2:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> If I ever get enough of the excess woodpiles moved out of the way I could show you a pic or two.
> 
> If you come in through the front door, which is the thick curved cedar door, into the entry, you are greeted by two steps to your left which is the main dining, kitchen level. About 6 feet ahead of that the curved stairs start...17 of them to the masterbed/guest level.
> 
> These steps are just over 40" wide, a little wider than most.
> 
> The next curved stairs go up to the roof, that's 14 more steps which gets you to a very small landing which has the final three (straight) steps that puts you out onto the roof.
> 
> Please note that you do NOT land on a skylight, and that there is a level platform to step onto. :thumbup:
> 
> From there you go up a short ladder to the upper part of the roof where the solar panels are located.


Keith, is there a picture of your curved door back a ways in your thread? You know how my mind is, memory it's another thing I am short on.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Now I see, I didn't know what the M stood for on the charts. Another question, is there a chart for the planets? Or do the planets move so much they can't be charted?
> 
> Another question, just full of um, among other things.:laughing: Is a dew shield necessary?


Indeed there is. Every month the major astronomy magazines will tell you where to look for any of our planets. Some of them have a two page spread with a pic of the night sky listing all sorts of objects. Once you get used to using it - like anything else it becomes second nature.

A dew shield is helpful to prevent dew building up on your objective lens or mirror.

If you take a look at most refractors (that's the one with the lens in front of the telescope) you will usually see a hood which projects out several inches beyond the lens. This helps to keep the dew away.

If you have a reflector, that's the one with a mirror at the bottom of the tube, the whole tube length is doing that job for you.

If you have Cassegrain type, they have the mirror at the back of the (usually short) scope, and a correcting lens in front. There is often no hood over the front. Frequently, these scopes will be fitted with a dew removal accessory system.

If you are in an area which experiences very little dew, in a dry desert for example, then the dew shield may not be necessary.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, is there a picture of your curved door back a ways in your thread? You know how my mind is, memory it's another thing I am short on.


Probably somewhere, but my memory is no better than yours.

So the easy solution was to click a pic.


----------



## cocobolo

The next thing that needs to be got out of the way is the cedar on the top stairwell. I estimate it's going to take me at least 50 hours...and that is as long as there is enough cedar already cut to cover it.

The ceiling reaches up just over 17 feet from the hallway floor, and the curved wall is 25' 8" long.

Being able to reach the top is half the battle.

This is the first of the bottom part.


----------



## cocobolo

Got another shot of the light this morning in daylight.


----------



## BigJim

In looking up at your light I see a lot of work you have done, that had to be tough to be done alone. Your door is beautiful, it reminds me of some of the glorious work on some high end yacht. My hat is off to you buddy.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Indeed there is. Every month the major astronomy magazines will tell you where to look for any of our planets. Some of them have a two page spread with a pic of the night sky listing all sorts of objects. Once you get used to using it - like anything else it becomes second nature.
> 
> A dew shield is helpful to prevent dew building up on your objective lens or mirror.
> 
> If you take a look at most refractors (that's the one with the lens in front of the telescope) you will usually see a hood which projects out several inches beyond the lens. This helps to keep the dew away.
> 
> If you have a reflector, that's the one with a mirror at the bottom of the tube, the whole tube length is doing that job for you.
> 
> If you have Cassegrain type, they have the mirror at the back of the (usually short) scope, and a correcting lens in front. There is often no hood over the front. Frequently, these scopes will be fitted with a dew removal accessory system.
> 
> If you are in an area which experiences very little dew, in a dry desert for example, then the dew shield may not be necessary.


Thanks Keith, I appreciate that information.


----------



## BigJim

Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight.


----------



## gma2rjc

And check the batteries in your smoke detectors.

I once thought I had a flock of birds in my house. For several months I couldn't find them. When it was time to turn the clocks back, I changed the batteries in 10 of my detectors and wouldn't you know it, the birds left and there was no more chirping! :laughing: :wink:-just kidding.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight.


The good thing is I can see an hour earlier tomorrow...of course we get ripped off at the other end of the day.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> And check the batteries in your smoke detectors.
> 
> I once thought I had a flock of birds in my house. For several months I couldn't find them. When it was time to turn the clocks back, I changed the batteries in 10 of my detectors and wouldn't you know it, the birds left and there was no more chirping! :laughing: :wink:-just kidding.


...and if you have fire extinguishers in your house...take them off their mounts, turn them upside down and give them a damn good shake. The dry powder inside often sticks together and then when you need them to work...!!!!!!!


----------



## BigJim

I forgot about the smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, I don't need any of them birds chirpin around here.:laughing: Thanks Barb and Keith.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, it is 35°F here right now and will hit 28° after while. It looks like ya'll will hit around 42°F, I am glad the hot weather is finally gone, it was a rough one.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, it is 35°F here right now and will hit 28° after while. It looks like ya'll will hit around 42°F, I am glad the hot weather is finally gone, it was a rough one.


Amazing...I just checked the Nanaimo temp on Accuweather and it is 11ºC (about 52ºF). The real feel is 4C, about 39ºF.

Raining like gangbusters here and has been most of the day.

I'm going to try and work out how many square feet of cedar it's going to take for the top stairwell tomorrow. I got up to about the 10 foot level on the second row today...I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but believe me, I had to work at it all day to get there.

I'm nearly out of the pre-cut stuff, so tomorrow will be at least half a day of machining. Might as well get it all done in one go.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Amazing...I just checked the Nanaimo temp on Accuweather and it is 11ºC (about 52ºF). The real feel is 4C, about 39ºF.
> 
> Raining like gangbusters here and has been most of the day.
> 
> I'm going to try and work out how many square feet of cedar it's going to take for the top stairwell tomorrow. I got up to about the 10 foot level on the second row today...I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but believe me, I had to work at it all day to get there.
> 
> I'm nearly out of the pre-cut stuff, so tomorrow will be at least half a day of machining. Might as well get it all done in one go.


It sounds like a lot to me and would sound like a lot more if I were doing it. That is really time consuming, there is no way to make that type of work faster by yourself. It will be a master piece when you are finished buddy and that is one less thing you will have to do.

It is 30°F here right now and a pretty big frost, I may have to paint a fireplace on the wall with a fire so we can get warm.:whistling2:


----------



## jlhaslip

High of the day is 8 deg C (41 deg F) and white stuff overnight.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It sounds like a lot to me and would sound like a lot more if I were doing it. That is really time consuming, there is no way to make that type of work faster by yourself. It will be a master piece when you are finished buddy and that is one less thing you will have to do.
> 
> It is 30°F here right now and a pretty big frost, I may have to paint a fireplace on the wall with a fire so we can get warm.:whistling2:


Won't your paint freeze before you get the job done? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> High of the day is 8 deg C (41 deg F) and white stuff overnight.


No snow in the forecast here until the 18th. That's a bit too early for us. 

High today here supposed to be 11ºC. (about 52ºF) Sunny right now, but rain on the way in the next couple of hours. I can see the cloud blowing up from the south.

We can see about 20+ miles to the south from here if the weather is clear, then the Vancouver Island Ranges get in the way.


----------



## cocobolo

My tally on the remaining wall area on the stairwell indicates that I will need something like 600 pieces of wood...all of which will have to be ripped, thicknessed and dadoed. :huh:

So it looks like I will have the day consumed doing that. First I will need to locate enough stock to make all this. I'm pretty sure there's enough here.

Total length adds up to around half a mile.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Won't your paint freeze before you get the job done? :laughing:


:laughing::laughing::laughing::thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> No snow in the forecast here until the 18th. That's a bit too early for us.
> 
> High today here supposed to be 11ºC. (about 52ºF) Sunny right now, but rain on the way in the next couple of hours. I can see the cloud blowing up from the south.
> 
> We can see about 20+ miles to the south from here if the weather is clear, then the Vancouver Island Ranges get in the way.


Would you or jl e-mail us some snow, we love snow but only for a day or so. It is 52°F here right now and partly cloudy. It has been snowing up on the mountains here but they get all the snow, we get left out down here in the valley.

Keith, I really do feel for you having to do the repeat work. That is one thing I use to hate. We got an order for 212 couches made from 1 1/2 inch thick sides laminated butcher block out of 5/4 red oak. We had the upholstering done and it just laid in place. We had to plane, straight rip, glue up then plane then shape all the sides, back and front rails, then assemble and finish. I thought we would never get through with them. So I do know what you are going through and it is not fun. 

When you say you are dadoing them into a shiplap, are you dadoing the back and front? Do you have a jig set up to make it faster?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Would you or jl e-mail us some snow, we love snow but only for a day or so. It is 52°F here right now and partly cloudy. It has been snowing up on the mountains here but they get all the snow, we get left out down here in the valley.
> 
> Keith, I really do feel for you having to do the repeat work. That is one thing I use to hate. We got an order for 212 couches made from 1 1/2 inch thick sides laminated butcher block out of 5/4 red oak. We had the upholstering done and it just laid in place. We had to plane, straight rip, glue up then plane then shape all the sides, back and front rails, then assemble and finish. I thought we would never get through with them. So I do know what you are going through and it is not fun.
> 
> When you say you are dadoing them into a shiplap, are you dadoing the back and front? Do you have a jig set up to make it faster?


Right...every board has to be ripped to width, then ripped to thickness, then run through the planer once on each side, then finally both front and back are dadoed so they will lap over one another. 

That makes for a total of 6 passes on every piece of wood.

It's not only boring, it's tiring as well. I managed about 1/5 of what I need, and that's all I'm going to do today. It chews up a lot of energy.

Now I have enough pieces to keep me busy installing for the rest of the day....so after lunch that will be the next job.


----------



## cocobolo

Ooops...I forgot to send the snow...how's this?


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, I was afraid that was what you had to do. That is one heck of a lot of work. I can just see the saw dust all over you right now.

You know the sad thing is that 99% of the folks who see something of beauty, like you are doing right now, have no clue of all the work it takes or the time it takes or the amount energy it takes. 

I hope all goes well for you this evening.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Ooops...I forgot to send the snow...how's this?


My stars, that is beautiful but it sure makes me cold. Thanks for sending us some snow buddy, we will use it wisely.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, I was afraid that was what you had to do. That is one heck of a lot of work. I can just see the saw dust all over you right now.
> 
> You know the sad thing is that 99% of the folks who see something of beauty, like you are doing right now, have no clue of all the work it takes or the time it takes or the amount energy it takes.
> 
> I hope all goes well for you this evening.


If you want to see what I consider to be one of the most incredible houses ever built, look online for a house designed by architect Bart Prince for Joe and Etsuko Price. It's without question one of the all time best craftsman built houses on this planet. The workmanship is totally beyond belief.

He has recently designed another house with some similar elements in it (he never does the same house twice) and it is equally outstanding. The owner of the new place comes in and out by helicopter, so it had to look good from the air as well.

I have had the extreme good fortune to correspond with Bart as well as with Christopher Meade, the author of two books on Bart and his work.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> If you want to see what I consider to be one of the most incredible houses ever built, look online for a house designed by architect Bart Prince for Joe and Etsuko Price. It's without question one of the all time best craftsman built houses on this planet. The workmanship is totally beyond belief.
> 
> He has recently designed another house with some similar elements in it (he never does the same house twice) and it is equally outstanding. The owner of the new place comes in and out by helicopter, so it had to look good from the air as well.
> 
> I have had the extreme good fortune to correspond with Bart as well as with Christopher Meade, the author of two books on Bart and his work.


Buddy, you weren't just kidding, here is a link to look at some of his work.

http://www.bartprince.com/price.html

I know it had to be fun figuring how to do some of the things in the homes. Just amazing!!! I like that not doing the same house twice. Thanks for telling us about him buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, you weren't just kidding, here is a link to look at some of his work.
> 
> http://www.bartprince.com/price.html
> 
> I know it had to be fun figuring how to do some of the things in the homes. Just amazing!!! I like that not doing the same house twice. Thanks for telling us about him buddy.


Perhaps you noticed that the Price's had previously had residences designed by a couple of other somewhat moderately well known architects.

Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff. It is no coincidence that the Price commission went to Bart Prince. He and Bruce Goff were firm friends. And there you have three of the finest American architects who ever put pencil to paper.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Perhaps you noticed that the Price's had previously had residences designed by a couple of other somewhat moderately well known architects.
> 
> Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff. It is no coincidence that the Price commission went to Bart Prince. He and Bruce Goff were firm friends. And there you have three of the finest American architects who ever put pencil to paper.


You are sure right buddy, they were tops and their homes are and will be sought after until they just deteriorate which could be hundreds of years the way they are built. Some of their homes take some getting use to though, they are anything but standard homes.


----------



## gma2rjc

Personally, I wouldn't buy one of those houses. 

Unless I could afford it. :laughing:

I bet a person could spend hours and hours walking through one of his houses, just looking at all the unique details.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You are sure right buddy, they were tops and their homes are and will be sought after until they just deteriorate which could be hundreds of years the way they are built. Some of their homes take some getting use to though, they are anything but standard homes.


That's for sure. Which is why they are the quality architects they are. 

It isn't likely that you will find architects of this caliber doing square boxes.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Personally, I wouldn't buy one of those houses.
> 
> Unless I could afford it. :laughing:
> 
> I bet a person could spend hours and hours walking through one of his houses, just looking at all the unique details.


I did see one of Bart's houses listed for sale in Architectural Digest (I think) a few years back. Around the 3.5 million mark if I recall rightly.

You could just pop that on your credit card....no? :no:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, I almost ran out of wood to go on the stairwell wall before it got too dark to see very well.

So, in spite of not wanting to , I did spend a couple of hours on the table saw and planer getting the next batch prepared. Still need to do the dadoes which will be in the morning.

I'm going to need to get very creative with the scaffolding inside the stairwell...every time a section of wall gets covered I can no longer nail anything to the wall to carry any more scaffold.


----------



## brons2

cocobolo said:


> Ooops...I forgot to send the snow...how's this?


That is a heck of a lot of snow for being right on the ocean.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, I almost ran out of wood to go on the stairwell wall before it got too dark to see very well.
> 
> So, in spite of not wanting to , I did spend a couple of hours on the table saw and planer getting the next batch prepared. Still need to do the dadoes which will be in the morning.
> 
> I'm going to need to get very creative with the scaffolding inside the stairwell...every time a section of wall gets covered I can no longer nail anything to the wall to carry any more scaffold.


I can for sure see where you will need to get creative with your scaffolding especially since the stair well is curved. Getting up and down getting materials, moving the scaffold, getting down to cut and getting back up is tiring to say the least. I really do feel for you buddy, that was really hard even back when we were younger.


----------



## jlhaslip

cocobolo said:


> I'm going to need to get very creative with the scaffolding inside the stairwell...every time a section of wall gets covered I can no longer nail anything to the wall to carry any more scaffold.


I'll send my lil misses over. 





When she says 'jump', I don't ask 'How high?', I ask 'How long do you want me to stay up?'... :whistling2:


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> That's for sure. Which is why they are the quality architects they are.
> 
> It isn't likely that you will find architects of this caliber doing square boxes.


as a carpenter they look like so much fun to build, as a person I can only feel some people have to much money. timothy


----------



## cocobolo

brons2 said:


> That is a heck of a lot of snow for being right on the ocean.


That snowfall was two winters ago. We got a total of 4 feet that year, totally unprecedented for this island. At least in living memory.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> I'll send my lil misses over.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When she says 'jump', I don't ask 'How high?', I ask 'How long do you want me to stay up?'... :whistling2:


Somehow....I just knew you would have the answer. :thumbsup:

I'll get the missus out to give the instructions! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> as a carpenter they look like so much fun to build, as a person I can only feel some people have to much money. timothy


Can you even imagine having the kind of money it must have taken to have a house built by FLLW, PLUS Bruce Goff, PLUS Bart Prince???

It took 5 years to build the Price house, and a whole team of the very best craftsmen were employed for it. 

Just look at that desk for example...unbelievable! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

At the top of the stairwell, there are two different ceiling sections. One is an extension of the master bedroom ceiling - albeit with a wall in the way - and the other is the top of the tower itself.

It was necessary to do the ceiling in cedar before the wall could be finished, so that consumed a considerable amount of time.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's tonight's sunset from the roof.


----------



## cocobolo

Right after sunset the crescent moon was setting. Sorry the pic isn't great, supper was ready and it was a bit rushed.


----------



## gma2rjc

Beautiful pictures! 

You're making good progress on the stairwell.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Beautiful pictures!
> 
> You're making good progress on the stairwell.


Working on getting those two triangles done up top right now. Can't quit until I get them done tonight.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Can you even imagine having the kind of money it must have taken to have a house built by FLLW, PLUS Bruce Goff, PLUS Bart Prince???
> 
> It took 5 years to build the Price house, and a whole team of the very best craftsmen were employed for it.
> 
> Just look at that desk for example...unbelievable! :thumbup:


Can you imagine what it would cost today to have one of their homes built.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Right after sunset the crescent moon was setting. Sorry the pic isn't great, supper was ready and it was a bit rushed.


Thanks for the pictures Keith, I don't blame you about being in a rush for supper.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> At the top of the stairwell, there are two different ceiling sections. One is an extension of the master bedroom ceiling - albeit with a wall in the way - and the other is the top of the tower itself.
> 
> It was necessary to do the ceiling in cedar before the wall could be finished, so that consumed a considerable amount of time.


Just beautiful again buddy, just beautiful.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Can you imagine what it would cost today to have one of their homes built.


I expect it's something like buying a Rolls Royce.

If you have to ask the price, then you can't afford it! :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

At the extreme top of the stairwell is this FLAT wall! Flat, I tell you!

100" long and it tapers from two feet on the left to four feet on the right.

I'm going to need to do that next, as the scaffold planks I am using will be losing their support as soon as the next wall section is done.

Unlike jl, I haven't yet quite mastered the art of levitation...even with the wife's assistance!

The triangles at the top were completed last night...I think you can just see one of them here.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> At the extreme top of the stairwell is this FLAT wall! Flat, I tell you!  Say it isn't so buddy!!!:laughing:
> 
> Once you get your scaffolding set up that should be a breeze for you. Most times just getting to something like that is harder than actually doing it. Once you get through on the scaffold it will feel like a vacation working back from the floor.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> cocobolo said:
> 
> 
> 
> At the extreme top of the stairwell is this FLAT wall! Flat, I tell you!  Say it isn't so buddy!!!:laughing:
> 
> Once you get your scaffolding set up that should be a breeze for you. Most times just getting to something like that is harder than actually doing it. Once you get through on the scaffold it will feel like a vacation working back from the floor.
> 
> 
> 
> Honest to Pete, it's true. FLAT I say!
> 
> I can get at some of it from the very top landing, but 2/3 of it is off a plank.
> 
> I'm still looking for enough boards to cover the area. Looks like I'm going to need to do some milling this morning.
Click to expand...


----------



## cocobolo

Got a call from a friend who was unable to make it back to the island today due to the terrible weather conditions. He asked if I would mind taking care of something at his cabin..of course I wouldn't mind. 

It looks like I may have found enough boards for that top wall, and I have run everything through the planer and it's all dadoed as well. I think I will need three pieces of long backing to nail the wall boards to. That I have.

Now to lug it all upstairs...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, is the weather up your way cold and raining or just cold? I bet when the wind blows across the water is just goes right through you.

We will be waiting for some pictures, you have spoiled us.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, is the weather up your way cold and raining or just cold? I bet when the wind blows across the water is just goes right through you.
> 
> We will be waiting for some pictures, you have spoiled us.


We seem to have very specific weather patterns here Jim.

If it's raining, the cloud cover tends to keep it warmer. Right now, it is 8ºC here, raining, and the real feel is 2ºC. That is largely due to the wind.

However, the wind almost always blows in the direction of the length of the local islands. So we usually will get either south east or north west winds.

In either case, there are sufficient trees surrounding us that neither of those winds are too bad. The north westerlies do blow into our bay, so we feel that more, but that is largely due to the fact that we are still in the cabin as opposed to the house.

If you were outside and it was blowing 20 k's and raining as it is right now, then you'd be cold in a big hurry.

I have just installed the backing boards for the wood on the upper wall and now going to start getting set up for the pre done angle cuts. 

So it looks like there won't be any pics until tomorrow.......sorreeee...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, all you have been through today, we can let the pictures slide.

You must have done a lot of research on the area that you live before deciding to buy there. Here the Tennessee River runs around us and in the winter if the wind is blowing it feels like it will blow all the way through you. I was stationed up north in the winter when I was going through school in the Navy and it just didn't feel cold up there, it was a dry cold not like here.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, all you have been through today, we can let the pictures slide.
> 
> You must have done a lot of research on the area that you live before deciding to buy there. Here the Tennessee River runs around us and in the winter if the wind is blowing it feels like it will blow all the way through you. I was stationed up north in the winter when I was going through school in the Navy and it just didn't feel cold up there, it was a dry cold not like here.


You need to remember that I've lived in the general area (Vancouver & surrounds) for nigh on 54 years now. I was lucky enough to have a chum in school who's folks were boaters, so I got my first powerboat lesson at 15.

Although I didn't realize it at the time, I think being out and about on the water must have sent some kind of signal into my hard drive. While I never consciously thought about living on one of the islands, I suppose sub-consciously something must have been there all along.

I did live on Vancouver Island for a time, so other than a 5 year stint in the Yukon, I have always been near the water.

I did a lot of boating through these waters in the '80's, and I should have bought property then. Just not smart enough. Some of the lots then were only around $5,000. The waterfront lots here - with nothing built on them - are 1/4 million plus.


----------



## BigJim

Congratulations on breaking the 100,000 mark Keith, way to go buddy.:thumbup: The next 100,000 will go a lot faster.:yes:

Talking about speed boats, I didn't own a speed boat but I did have a fairly fast one. A 20 foot Stratos with a 200HP Blackmax modified, it would run 80 MPH.


----------



## gma2rjc

100,271 views? :thumbup: Congratulations Keith.

:drink: Here's to 100, 000 more. It's beer in the glass - root beer. :laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith,

All of this fine woodworking and craftsmanship surely creates an abundance of sawdust.

What happens to all of the sawdust?

I would almost bet you have a use for it somewhere.

Years ago I had a friend that was at one time a logger in Oregon and Washington. He returned here to Nebraska and built himself log-lathe. Locally he was logging along the river and selling to the local saw mill. He did however reserve some of the logs for his lathe. This of course created a never ending supply of wood chips and saw dust.

He then built a large cauldron heated with propane. He mixed the wood chips with paraffin and molded fireplace logs for local sale. Seemed like a great way to dispose of the log residue.

Just curious as to whether or not you put your sawdust to use in any fashion.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith,
> 
> All of this fine woodworking and craftsmanship surely creates an abundance of sawdust.
> 
> What happens to all of the sawdust?
> 
> I would almost bet you have a use for it somewhere.
> 
> Years ago I had a friend that was at one time a logger in Oregon and Washington. He returned here to Nebraska and built himself log-lathe. Locally he was logging along the river and selling to the local saw mill. He did however reserve some of the logs for his lathe. This of course created a never ending supply of wood chips and saw dust.
> 
> He then built a large cauldron heated with propane. He mixed the wood chips with paraffin and molded fireplace logs for local sale. Seemed like a great way to dispose of the log residue.
> 
> Just curious as to whether or not you put your sawdust to use in any fashion.


You're right, there is no shortage of sawdust or planer shavings here.

We use the shavings to start the woodstoves in the morning, or for the composting toilets.

Any that is left over gets bagged for future use in the same fashion.

Wife number two likes to use the sawdust (as opposed to planer shavings) to put on the pathways. It has been noted by our numerous visitors that we have the softest pathways on the island.

Eventually, the sawdust breaks down and turns itself back in to soil. She keeps adding to the pathways constantly. It also helps to prevent the weeds growing on the pathways.

At the moment we have something over 500 feet of pathways here, with more to come.

A morning shot - taken a few minutes ago with the sun just peeking through the trees. Gives the best light.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was out there, I nabbed a couple of other pics...one with the sun just catching the top of a few clumps of moss, the other of a mushroom (about 11" across) growing down by the lower woodsheds - in the pathway of course!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Congratulations on breaking the 100,000 mark Keith, way to go buddy.:thumbup: The next 100,000 will go a lot faster.:yes:
> 
> Talking about speed boats, I didn't own a speed boat but I did have a fairly fast one. A 20 foot Stratos with a 200HP Blackmax modified, it would run 80 MPH.


_Fairly fast????? 80 MPH????_ 

I can tell you there would be lots of guys in the local powerboat club would love to have their boats go that fast. Every year they hold a series of races which go from Nanaimo down towards the Ladysmith area and back again.

They are all powered by thumping great V-8's with open headers.

They are about 3 miles from us when they go by the shore across the channel and, believe me, we hear them clear as a bell.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> 100,271 views? :thumbup: Congratulations Keith.
> 
> :drink: Here's to 100, 000 more. It's beer in the glass - root beer. :laughing:


It is I who must thank all the viewers. Not the other way around.

After all, you are kind enough to visit and pass along your comments - which are always extremely welcome - and I thank you most sincerely for that.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> _Fairly fast????? 80 MPH????_
> 
> I can tell you there would be lots of guys in the local powerboat club would love to have their boats go that fast. Every year they hold a series of races which go from Nanaimo down towards the Ladysmith area and back again.
> 
> They are all powered by thumping great V-8's with open headers.
> 
> They are about 3 miles from us when they go by the shore across the channel and, believe me, we hear them clear as a bell.


Keith, I bought my boat from a boat mechanic and he had a boat that would run 112MPH in a quarter, he never would tell me what he had in it but it was one bad motor. It looked like a Johnson but the exhaust looked real funny. When he would come by it looked like all that was in the water was his motor.

The way he modified my motor was he drilled two 2 inch holes just below the water line on each side of the motor shaft. That dude was some kind a loud when I had it wide open. He said the holes would let the motor exhaust unrestricted. I put some rubber plugs in it one time to see how it would run, I made a run for a short distance and took them out, it was unreal the difference it made.

I wished I could build just one more motor for a boat or car, I would build a 327 or 427 Chevy, they were my favorite engines.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I bought my boat from a boat mechanic and he had a boat that would run 112MPH in a quarter, he never would tell me what he had in it but it was one bad motor. It looked like a Johnson but the exhaust looked real funny. When he would come by it looked like all that was in the water was his motor.
> 
> The way he modified my motor was he drilled two 2 inch holes just below the water line on each side of the motor shaft. That dude was some kind a loud when I had it wide open. He said the holes would let the motor exhaust unrestricted. I put some rubber plugs in it one time to see how it would run, I made a run for a short distance and took them out, it was unreal the difference it made.
> 
> I wished I could build just one more motor for a boat or car, I would build a 327 or 427 Chevy, they were my favorite engines.


_NOW _you're talking my language. I was weaned on small block Chevy's.

That's what I used to run in my stock cars up in Whitehorse. But before that, when GM brought out the first 327's in the Chevelle, that was the '65model year, I went in to Duecks in Vancouver to order one.

At the time, GM was on strike and the dealer told me he didn't want to accept my order because he thought the strike was going to be a long one, and he didn't want me calling the dealership every week whining because my car wasn't in.

After promising faithfully I wouldn't hound him, he finally said OK, come back tomorrow with a 10% deposit and I'll get the order in. This was in early September of '64.

Well, it's in the history books now that GM was out until the following January, and the first special order cars didn't arrive in Vancouver until nearly the end of that month. I never called the guy once, and when I went in to pick up the car, he said to me I just cannot believe you never called. Every other young guy would have been on the phone constantly.

The only options I got in that car were the 327, 4 speed Muncie, radio and backup lights. Can you believe that backup lights was a $10 option!


----------



## gma2rjc

Do you remember what the total cost of the car was?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Do you remember what the total cost of the car was?
> 
> Barb


$3,450.00. About 1/3 the cost of my first house.


----------



## cocobolo

The cedar went well on the high wall today.

Here I am getting close to the light fitting and just went down to get some screwdrivers and the camera.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm guessing that most of you know this trick, but just in case...

When you need to cut wood to fit around the light box, rub your pencil around the edge of the box. Push the wood onto the box and tap it lightly.

It's pretty amazing how well it works.


----------



## cocobolo

Here the 4 pieces are fitted snugly with no big gaps.

Of course if you are doing drywall, you don't need to be anywhere near as fussy. Just fill up the gaps with half a tray full of mud.

Yeah, yeah, I know the pro's use the slick little router for that. Takes them all of two seconds for a hole...and it's perfect.


----------



## cocobolo

After a quick lunch break, the rest of the wall was finished.

Before the scaffold comes down, I'm going to put a couple of coats of finish on that wall. Chances of ever getting up there again are about zilch.


----------



## cocobolo

All right...one coat of finish on the wall. :thumbsup:

It appears that the only way I can reach to do the next two high sections of wall will be from the existing scaffold. And the only way that will work is if I put the wood on the wall from the top down...

Sooo, that is what I'm going to try. :yes:

Once that is done, then the scaffold can go (permanently) and the rest can be done from the bottom up. 

The curved walls will also need a couple of finish coats before the scaffold goes.

This will be several days worth of work.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Here the 4 pieces are fitted snugly with no big gaps.
> 
> Of course if you are doing drywall, you don't need to be anywhere near as fussy._ Just fill up the gaps with half a tray full of mud._
> 
> Yeah, yeah, I know the pro's use the slick little router for that. Takes them all of two seconds for a hole...and it's perfect.


That's funny as the dickens right there!!! :laughing::laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I'm guessing that most of you know this trick, but just in case...
> 
> When you need to cut wood to fit around the light box, rub your pencil around the edge of the box. Push the wood onto the box and tap it lightly.
> 
> It's pretty amazing how well it works.


That is a neat trick Keith, I have done that a time or two also, works like a charm.

I see how you are ship-lapping your strips now. We can see the higher quality of the Cedar that you have up there also.

I love the way you are mitering your corners to match each run, that takes some mighty fine machining to keep all your strips the same size. That is beautiful buddy.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> _NOW _you're talking my language. I was weaned on small block Chevy's.
> 
> That's what I used to run in my stock cars up in Whitehorse. But before that, when GM brought out the first 327's in the Chevelle, that was the '65model year, I went in to Duecks in Vancouver to order one.
> 
> At the time, GM was on strike and the dealer told me he didn't want to accept my order because he thought the strike was going to be a long one, and he didn't want me calling the dealership every week whining because my car wasn't in.
> 
> After promising faithfully I wouldn't hound him, he finally said OK, come back tomorrow with a 10% deposit and I'll get the order in. This was in early September of '64.
> 
> Well, it's in the history books now that GM was out until the following January, and the first special order cars didn't arrive in Vancouver until nearly the end of that month. I never called the guy once, and when I went in to pick up the car, he said to me I just cannot believe you never called. Every other young guy would have been on the phone constantly.
> 
> The only options I got in that car were the 327, 4 speed Muncie, radio and backup lights. Can you believe that backup lights was a $10 option!


Buddy, you got self control, I would have been down there pestering the dickens out of him. The 327 was my all time favorite, that was just a fool proof engine. Back then it wasn't any problem to get 327 HP out of a 327 with a #1 vet grind cam. 

In 67 I was working at Memphis engine rebuilders boring and honing blocks with the old Kiwikway Boring Bar and honing with a 3/4 inch hand drill with the adjustable hones. That thing will hurt you when it gets hung on a crank journal.:thumbsup: I wanted to bore out a 283 to a 4 inch bore. I took .125 out of the block which was a 1964 and had the crank journal reliefs and a thick casting. I used a 327 crank and rods and the pistons were 13:1 ratio with the wrist pins located higher because of the longer stroke. I had the biggest cam I could get and not be a roller. It figured out to a 301 CIE, I think. I was never happy with that motor, I just knew it would do a lot better than it did. I put it in a 1962 Chevy II convertible. 

Boy was I surprised when I found out that the Chevy II didn't come out with a rear sump oil pan until 1965. I had to do a bunch of modifications to make that one work. It would pull the wheels off the ground but just barely. I had the Muncie 4 speed with Hurst competition shifter and all the goodies. Sorry, I got carried away here. I could just go on and on about the good ole days when I loved mechanics.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, you got self control, I would have been down there pestering the dickens out of him. The 327 was my all time favorite, that was just a fool proof engine. Back then it wasn't any problem to get 327 HP out of a 327 with a #1 vet grind cam.
> 
> In 67 I was working at Memphis engine rebuilders boring and honing blocks with the old Kiwikway Boring Bar and honing with a 3/4 inch hand drill with the adjustable hones. That thing will hurt you when it gets hung on a crank journal.:thumbsup: I wanted to bore out a 283 to a 4 inch bore. I took .125 out of the block which was a 1964 and had the crank journal reliefs and a thick casting. I used a 327 crank and rods and the pistons were 13:1 ratio with the wrist pins located higher because of the longer stroke. I had the biggest cam I could get and not be a roller. It figured out to a 301 CIE, I think. I was never happy with that motor, I just knew it would do a lot better than it did. I put it in a 1962 Chevy II convertible.
> 
> Boy was I surprised when I found out that the Chevy II didn't come out with a rear sump oil pan until 1965. I had to do a bunch of modifications to make that one work. It would pull the wheels off the ground but just barely. I had the Muncie 4 speed with Hurst competition shifter and all the goodies. Sorry, I got carried away here. I could just go on and on about the good ole days when I loved mechanics.


They always called it a 301 when you took an eighth out of a 283. I think is was closer to 302, 301.59 or so. So that's what GM called the 302 Camaro motor later on.

But, hang on a sec, if you had a 327 crank, that was 3 1/4 stroke. The 265-283 motors were 3". So you should have had 327 CI.

Remember Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins? He ran the SBC in a Chevy twice into the low 12's.

And if I remember rightly, he was one of the first to weld a piece of tubing into the oil pan to pass the steering rod through.

My '65 Chevelle - strictly a street car - a family car actually, ran 14.3 at 96. The only real mod was a set of headers which I designed and built and the cheater slicks.

My headers were the type which were the true 180º tuned headers, which meant you needed to connect two from one side of the engine to two from the opposite side. A nightmare to build, but worked like crazy.


----------



## Bud Cline

> You're right, there is no shortage of sawdust or planer shavings here.
> 
> We use the shavings to start the woodstoves in the morning, or for the composting toilets.
> 
> Any that is left over gets bagged for future use in the same fashion.
> 
> Wife number two likes to use the sawdust (as opposed to planer shavings) to put on the pathways. It has been noted by our numerous visitors that we have the softest pathways on the island.
> 
> Eventually, the sawdust breaks down and turns itself back in to soil. She keeps adding to the pathways constantly. It also helps to prevent the weeds growing on the pathways.
> 
> At the moment we have something over 500 feet of pathways here, with more to come.
> 
> A morning shot - taken a few minutes ago with the sun just peeking through the trees. Gives the best light.


Well of course - I knew it would be something like that. Waste not, want not.


----------



## Bud Cline

You guys are driving me nuts with all this car-talk. I had a few nice ones back then.

Had several favorites but probably the best was the weird-green 1967 396/402 convertible. White top and white interior. Straight out of the factory with a four speed on the floor and Hurst linkage and shifter. Had what looked and felt like a cue-ball for a shifter knob.

Had a '66 Ford GTA 390. That was another screamer and since it was an automatic I wasn't replacing clutches all the time. Tires-yes, clutches-no.

Had a '65 mustang fast back. Only a 290, but a limited production high performance 290, again straight out of the factory. Competition orange with the black stripes popular back then. Original-Keystone mags.

Had others including a Javelin and one of the first Datsun 240Z's to hit the Midwest. The Z was capable of 160-MPH if memory serves. I remember a smooth sounding hiss at 142. Lost my nerve about there.


That's funny...
My spell check won't accept the word "Datsun." Go figure!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> You guys are driving me nuts with all this car-talk. I had a few nice ones back then.
> 
> Had several favorites but probably the best was the weird-green 1967 396/402 convertible. White top and white interior. Straight out of the factory with a four speed on the floor and Hurst linkage and shifter. Had what looked and felt like a cue-ball for a shifter knob.
> 
> Had a '66 Ford GTA 390. That was another screamer and since it was an automatic I wasn't replacing clutches all the time. Tires-yes, clutches-no.
> 
> Had a '65 mustang fast back. Only a 290, but a limited production high performance 290, again straight out of the factory. Competition orange with the black stripes popular back then. Original-Keystone mags.
> 
> Had others including a Javelin and one of the first Datsun 240Z's to hit the Midwest. The Z was capable of 160-MPH if memory serves. I remember a smooth sounding hiss at 142. Lost my nerve about there.
> 
> 
> That's funny...
> My spell check won't accept the word "Datsun." Go figure!


Wasn't the Muskrat a 289? One of the guys where I worked bought one of those, but a ragtop. Bright orange, but no racing stripes.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> They always called it a 301 when you took an eighth out of a 283. I think is was closer to 302, 301.59 or so. So that's what GM called the 302 Camaro motor later on.
> 
> But, hang on a sec, if you had a 327 crank, that was 3 1/4 stroke. The 265-283 motors were 3". So you should have had 327 CI.
> 
> Remember Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins? He ran the SBC in a Chevy twice into the low 12's.
> 
> And if I remember rightly, he was one of the first to weld a piece of tubing into the oil pan to pass the steering rod through.
> 
> My '65 Chevelle - strictly a street car - a family car actually, ran 14.3 at 96. The only real mod was a set of headers which I designed and built and the cheater slicks.
> 
> My headers were the type which were the true 180º tuned headers, which meant you needed to connect two from one side of the engine to two from the opposite side. A nightmare to build, but worked like crazy.


You are right, it would have been a 327, for crying out loud, all that work for nothing. Buddy, 14.3 at 96 is impressive, that would hold you back in your seat. Man if I would of had that kind of headers I would have been on cloud 9. Some times I wish we could go back in the 60s, life was harder but it was a lot simpler. Cars didn't have all the garbage they have on them now. The only ones that can work on these cars this day and time are the dealers and that costs a fortune.

Bud, that is some nice cars, I had a 65 tang also but it wasn't a fast back and it only had a 6 banger. The only other Ford I owned, that I remember, was a pickup with a 390 in it and you are right, that 390 was one mean machine. 

I was mostly into Chevys back then but did own others like a 64 Plymouth Fury silver edition, 68 Pontiac Formula Fire Bird and a loooot of VWs, I loved them little bugs. 

That 240Z was a nice car but I couldn't afford the insurance on one, the insurance was higher than the car payments.


----------



## frenchelectrican

The other wicked gaz motor I have work on before is Chrysler 440 engine if you build it up right that one is a insane motor I have one on my old Dodge pick up truck with 440 CID *LP GAZ* engine ran that one with 10.5 slugs with marine camshaft I manged to snap few U Joints from time to time when I hit the throttle too hard.{about 500 ish HP @ 4000 RPM }

But for diesel engine side I am working on a semi truck engine and I am on the second engine the first one I have it was 936 CID but ran little over 1500 HP next one I should get about 2200 or so HP.{ yeah I work on old Detorits as well }

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> The other wicked gaz motor I have work on before is Chrysler 440 engine if you build it up right that one is a insane motor I have one on my old Dodge pick up truck with 440 CID *LP GAZ* engine ran that one with 10.5 slugs with marine camshaft I manged to snap few U Joints from time to time when I hit the throttle too hard.{about 500 ish HP @ 4000 RPM }
> 
> But for diesel engine side I am working on a semi truck engine and I am on the second engine the first one I have it was 936 CID but ran little over 1500 HP next one I should get about 2200 or so HP.{ yeah I work on old Detorits as well }
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


That's right...those 440's had a real boatload of torque. But terrible gas mileage to go with it!


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> That's right...those 440's had a real boatload of torque. But terrible gas mileage to go with it!


Ya D*am right they do burn gaz like nuts I useally get about 12[mpg] on the road if I go easy with throttle but pull the 12,000 lbs trailer aww forget it it will drop down to about 4 to 6 MPG but yeah insane toqure and this engine I work on it converted and reset to burn on straight LP gaz not dual fuel set up at all so I have decent power fuel milage is not too bad about right on par with straight gazoline verison. and this engine burn so clean I did not have to change oil very often and only replace the plugs once 3 years that it.

Yeah I have 120 gallon propane tank back on pick up truck and I can leave from central floride and get up to Superior Wisconsin with few gallons leftover.

D*amm that was nice good ole days 

And Yes I did took the muffer off once to see how loud this 440 ran at full throttle and it did cause my freind become tempory deaf for couple days.

{ I do have other 440 CID engine in Paris France but not decided what to do with it yet }

Anyhow I really enjoying what you been doing with your house so far and done alot of wonderfull ways to it.



Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

That's a good idea to on it on propane. As you say, much cleaner.

Is your other engine in Paris still original? In other words still run on Gasoline?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You are right, it would have been a 327, for crying out loud, all that work for nothing. Buddy, 14.3 at 96 is impressive, that would hold you back in your seat. Man if I would of had that kind of headers I would have been on cloud 9. Some times I wish we could go back in the 60s, life was harder but it was a lot simpler. Cars didn't have all the garbage they have on them now. The only ones that can work on these cars this day and time are the dealers and that costs a fortune.
> 
> Bud, that is some nice cars, I had a 65 tang also but it wasn't a fast back and it only had a 6 banger. The only other Ford I owned, that I remember, was a pickup with a 390 in it and you are right, that 390 was one mean machine.
> 
> I was mostly into Chevys back then but did own others like a 64 Plymouth Fury silver edition, 68 Pontiac Formula Fire Bird and a loooot of VWs, I loved them little bugs.
> 
> That 240Z was a nice car but I couldn't afford the insurance on one, the insurance was higher than the car payments.


Talking of holding you back in your seat...this little guy did that in spades.

In fact, you needed to make darn sure you were aiming where you wanted to go _before_ you got on the loud pedal.

If that wasn't enough for you, hit the NOS button. That'll straighten out your hair for sure!


----------



## BigJim

That Mopar 440 was a bad engine also. I had an old police car with a 440 in it. I worked on it for a good while and got it running pretty good, that thing would burn the tires off.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Talking of holding you back in your seat...this little guy did that in spades.
> 
> In fact, you needed to make darn sure you were aiming where you wanted to go _before_ you got on the loud pedal.
> 
> If that wasn't enough for you, hit the NOS button. That'll straighten out your hair for sure!


My stars that is gorgeous, I bet that WAS one bad dude, just beautiful Keith. 
I can't tell but what motor did it have? That had to be one fun rod to build, and drive.
I guess my favorite of all cars as far as old cars would go would be the 32-34 Ford coup.


----------



## frenchelectrican

The way the motor look like as on the photo that I am pretty much pointed to pontaic due the exhaust ports are line up and it not excat the same pattern is SBC is.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## BigJim

frenchelectrican said:


> The way the motor look like as on the photo that I am pretty much pointed to pontaic due the exhaust ports are line up and it not excat the same pattern is SBC is.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


That would get my vote also Marc. I was going by the Valve covers though.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> That's a good idea to on it on propane. As you say, much cleaner.
> 
> Is your other engine in Paris still original? In other words still run on Gasoline?


Yes the other 440 engine I have in Paris that is set up to run on gazoline but if you want to burn on Avgaz just bump the timming 15° advance.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## frenchelectrican

jiju1943 said:


> That would get my vote also Marc. I was going by the Valve covers though.


Not always be Ponatic but also Oldsmoble as well they have same exhaust manfold pattern as well.

But the Oldsmobile the oil filler port is front of the engine never in the valve cover AFAIK.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## BigJim

frenchelectrican said:


> Not always be Ponatic but also Oldsmoble as well they have same exhaust manfold pattern as well.
> 
> But the Oldsmobile the oil filler port is front of the engine never in the valve cover AFAIK.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


It has been so long I didn't remember that, but now that you mention it.


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> The way the motor look like as on the photo that I am pretty much pointed to pontiac due the exhaust ports are line up and it not exact the same pattern is SBC is.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Close guess.

455 Buick with the biggest 4 barrel I could find at the time. I had to bore out the manifold to fit. Big cam and lifters plus the NOS system.

I dare not use the NOS on the street, just way too much power. Saved that for the track.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars that is gorgeous, I bet that WAS one bad dude, just beautiful Keith.
> I can't tell but what motor did it have? That had to be one fun rod to build, and drive.
> I guess my favorite of all cars as far as old cars would go would be the 32-34 Ford coup.


I'm with you on the coupe's. Another car I always thought would make a great rod was the '34 Chevy Master sedan. Just a very classy car. Maybe one day.

When did Chevy come out with their first OHV V-8? Don't cheat and look it up.


----------



## cocobolo

The first coat of finish was done on the high wall yesterday...I was hoping to be able to get the second coat on in the evening, but the first wasn't quite dry.

They do say it is fast drying, but after 6 hours it was still not quite ready. It's fine this morning, so I'll do that now. 

Next there are more boards to dado for the stairwell walls, which should allow me to do the fourth section. This will be the most difficult section as it is the highest. From there it's not quite as bad.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I'm with you on the coupe's. Another car I always thought would make a great rod was the '34 Chevy Master sedan. Just a very classy car. Maybe one day.
> 
> When did Chevy come out with their first OHV V-8? Don't cheat and look it up.


1955 265CI the best I can remember, but I could be wrong.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The first coat of finish was done on the high wall yesterday...I was hoping to be able to get the second coat on in the evening, but the first wasn't quite dry.
> 
> They do say it is fast drying, but after 6 hours it was still not quite ready. It's fine this morning, so I'll do that now.
> 
> Next there are more boards to dado for the stairwell walls, which should allow me to do the fourth section. This will be the most difficult section as it is the highest. From there it's not quite as bad.


Be careful up there buddy.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Close guess.
> 
> 455 Buick with the biggest 4 barrel I could find at the time. I had to bore out the manifold to fit. Big cam and lifters plus the NOS system.
> 
> I dare not use the NOS on the street, just way too much power. Saved that for the track.


If it had been a Chevy I may have gotten it :whistling2:

Man that was one mean machine Keith, I bet it would fly.

Back in the mid 60's I was boring a block for a fellow who owned a rail job called the Tennessee Boll weevil. This was when the original hemis were getting hard to find. This fellow always wanted his blocks bored .010 over and if it didn't clear he didn't want the block. He always used Aries piston with teflon buttons on the skirts so the piston skirts never touched the walls. 

For some reason that day I must have been day dreaming as I set the mic at 30 over and started the bar down the cut. At about 2 inches down I realized what I had done but it was too late, the block was shot at least for this fellow it was. I always miced the pistons and bored each cylinder to the piston, for some reason I just didn't get it right. A .010 over was an unusual bore anyway. Needless to say the fellow was one very unhappy fellow. I told him I could thick wall sleeve the block and guaranteed the sleeve would hold but he wasn't having any of that. My boss wasn't real happy about that either.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Wasn't the Muskrat a 289? One of the guys where I worked bought one of those, but a ragtop. Bright orange, but no racing stripes.


I wouldn't have a clue, I was never a real gear-head back then. I just wanted them to look nice and cackle. Everything I had back then I converted to either straight-pipes or those straight-line glass pack mufflers whatever they were called. Seems like Woody The Woodpecker was the logo the manufacturer used back then. I didn't know a cam from a tie rod. I did however know the difference between Cragar and Keystone.

Cruising, girls, and street racing was my thing. I did take the mustang to the track a few times but I apparently couldn't drive it. Almost each trip resulted in the need to replace the clutch when I got it home. My dad was pissed. Of course he didn't know I was blowin' clutches at the track, he blamed the mechanics and I went along with it. hehehe!

I loved the smell of burning tire-rubber in the morning!


----------



## Bud Cline

Had a friend back then that was into racing every weekend. He was top-dog in those parts. He bought a new stripped down '64 Plymouth Fury big block whatever that was.

I remember he would give rides for three dollars per person. He would place a ten dollar bill on the dashboard in front of the passenger. When the passenger said "GO" he would accelerate and run through the gears. If the passenger could grab that ten dollar bill before he got into fourth gear the ten bucks belonged to the passenger. I probably spent fifteen bucks proving to myself I couldn't grab the ten-spot after all. That's how he paid his gas bill and bought his cigarettes. Ya gotta admit the guy was pretty creative. We won't get into the level of intelligence of the passengers. Seemed do-able at the time.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> 1955 265CI the best I can remember, but I could be wrong.


Anyone else care to take a run at it?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Be careful up there buddy.


Believe me when I tell you I move VERY slowly when I'm up top. Every thing is doing well this morning...lots more boards dadoed and I'm headed up top to do the worst part.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I wouldn't have a clue, I was never a real gear-head back then. I just wanted them to look nice and cackle. Everything I had back then I converted to either straight-pipes or those straight-line glass pack mufflers whatever they were called. Seems like Woody The Woodpecker was the logo the manufacturer used back then. I didn't know a cam from a tie rod. I did however know the difference between Cragar and Keystone.
> 
> Cruising, girls, and street racing was my thing. I did take the mustang to the track a few times but I apparently couldn't drive it. Almost each trip resulted in the need to replace the clutch when I got it home. My dad was pissed. Of course he didn't know I was blowin' clutches at the track, he blamed the mechanics and I went along with it. hehehe!
> 
> I loved the smell of burning tire-rubber in the morning!


The cruising, girls and street racing sounds much too familiar. Couldn't get away with the last part today.

Well the 'stangs came with a 289 and later you could get a 390. Of course you could also get a six, but who on earth would want one of those boat anchors in a 'stang?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Had a friend back then that was into racing every weekend. He was top-dog in those parts. He bought a new stripped down '64 Plymouth Fury big block whatever that was.
> 
> I remember he would give rides for three dollars per person. He would place a ten dollar bill on the dashboard in front of the passenger. When the passenger said "GO" he would accelerate and run through the gears. If the passenger could grab that ten dollar bill before he got into fourth gear the ten bucks belonged to the passenger. I probably spent fifteen bucks proving to myself I couldn't grab the ten-spot after all. That's how he paid his gas bill and bought his cigarettes. Ya gotta admit the guy was pretty creative. We won't get into the level of intelligence of the passengers. Seemed do-able at the time.


The factory had a 383 (usually with automatic) in the '64 Fury's. But I believe there was a DSO available with the 426 hemi and 4 speed. One of the local dealerships, Johnson Motors, sponsored such a hemi powered beast at the local drag strip out in Mission. Reputed to be 600 h.p. and completely undriveable on the street.

There was a young guy at the track one weekend with a 327 powered '53 Stude lowboy. Pretty quick car...and Mr. Mouth challenged the low buck Stude to a grudge match.

The Stude won! The crowd loved it...but then Mr. Mouth came back whining and crying about something or other and wanted another go.

OK, Stude wins again!

This time Mr. Mouth is REALLY ticked and the crowd is just eating it up. He whines a whole lot more and wants a third try.

OK, but by this time the Stude guy realizes that this can go on all day and he hatches his own plan.

They pull up to the line...lights come down...both cars launch...then Stude guy gets right off the gas, rolls his window down and starts waving to the crowd! It was hilarious!

Mr. Big Shot comes back down the return lane all smiles - thinking that he has won a real race and got greeted by the biggest boos I've ever heard.

I chatted with Stude guy later. The 327 was nicely done out with a Crane roller cam, just a single four barrel, a ton of headwork (that's what makes Chevy's go like stink) Hedman hedders and 5.12 gears in the back. He was peaking at 8 grand just past the finish line. Awesome little car.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Anyone else care to take a run at it?


I'll be John Brown, I was wrong, I would have never guessed when chevy first came out with the V8 OHC.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The factory had a 383 (usually with automatic) in the '64 Fury's. But I believe there was a DSO available with the 426 hemi and 4 speed. One of the local dealerships, Johnson Motors, sponsored such a hemi powered beast at the local drag strip out in Mission. Reputed to be 600 h.p. and completely undriveable on the street.
> 
> There was a young guy at the track one weekend with a 327 powered '53 Stude lowboy. Pretty quick car...and Mr. Mouth challenged the low buck Stude to a grudge match.
> 
> The Stude won! The crowd loved it...but then Mr. Mouth came back whining and crying about something or other and wanted another go.
> 
> OK, Stude wins again!
> 
> This time Mr. Mouth is REALLY ticked and the crowd is just eating it up. He whines a whole lot more and wants a third try.
> 
> OK, but by this time the Stude guy realizes that this can go on all day and he hatches his own plan.
> 
> They pull up to the line...lights come down...both cars launch...then Stude guy gets right off the gas, rolls his window down and starts waving to the crowd! It was hilarious!
> 
> Mr. Big Shot comes back down the return lane all smiles - thinking that he has won a real race and got greeted by the biggest boos I've ever heard.
> 
> I chatted with Stude guy later. The 327 was nicely done out with a Crane roller cam, just a single four barrel, a ton of headwork (that's what makes Chevy's go like stink) Hedman hedders and 5.12 gears in the back. He was peaking at 8 grand just past the finish line. Awesome little car.


I would have loved to have seen that race. Come to think of it, I never have been to a drag race and have only ran one fellow on the streets. I had an ole 52 plymouth flathead 6 and he had a V8 56 Ford, I tore him up. He couldn't believe I only had a 6 banger in there.

That 327 was a mean motor for sure and almost bullet proof. I have seen a bunch of clutches slung all to pieces behind a 327.

Keith, I don't know if you ever heard of Joe Lunati of Lunati Cams or not but I worked with him for a while in Memphis, he made some pretty good cams for a while then got sloppy then made a come back after cleaning his act up. 

Bud, I usually ran the wood pecker (I can't remember the name either) or cherry bomb glass packs on most of my cars.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I'll be John Brown, I was wrong, I would have never guessed when chevy first came out with the V8 OHC.


I'll give everyone else just one hint. The first Chevy OHV V-8 was only in production for two years.

Withdrawn because it was too far ahead of its' time.

Louis Chevrolet was one of the most forward thinking car builders of his day. Chevy didn't respond to the flathead Ford V-8 until 1955 when it became necessary to show some real horsepower to the troops.

Ford's V-8's of the day were terrible compared to the little Chevy's. Too heavy, too slow, poor head design...and on and on. They did sound cool through lake pipes though.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I would have loved to have seen that race. Come to think of it, I never have been to a drag race and have only ran one fellow on the streets. I had an ole 52 plymouth flathead 6 and he had a V8 56 Ford, I tore him up. He couldn't believe I only had a 6 banger in there.
> 
> That 327 was a mean motor for sure and almost bullet proof. I have seen a bunch of clutches slung all to pieces behind a 327.
> 
> Keith, I don't know if you ever heard of Joe Lunati of Lunati Cams or not but I worked with him for a while in Memphis, he made some pretty good cams for a while then got sloppy then made a come back after cleaning his act up.
> 
> Bud, I usually ran the wood pecker (I can't remember the name either) or cherry bomb glass packs on most of my cars.


Lunati Cams...without doubt one of the better known cam grinders back in the day. He made some really nice sticks for the Chevy. Not quite in the same league as Ed Iskenderian, but then who was?


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## cocobolo

Woodpecker logo? How about Thrush...:thumbsup:


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Woodpecker logo? How about Thrush...:thumbsup:


That's it, man you got one good memory buddy, how did I ever forget that. 

If I hadn't looked up when the first Chevy V8 was first made I never would have guessed it, had my chest all popped out thinking 55 and the 265 was the first but it sure wasn't. I wish they would go back to the high compression engines but then the engines wouldn't last as long as they do now days with the lower compression. 

A few years back I tried to build out a 350 with the stock 10:1 comp ratio like back in the 60s, the block and heads were such sorry metal it burned the block in between two of the cylinders. The gas today isn't up to the high compression unless you buy AvGas or use a water injector to hold the ping down.


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## Bud Cline

> Woodpecker logo? How about Thrush...:thumbsup:


There ya go!
Would have never come up with it on my own.:no:


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## cocobolo

Mooneyes anyone? Do you remember the Bonneville car he built? Do you remember his first name?


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That's it, man you got one good memory buddy, how did I ever forget that.
> 
> If I hadn't looked up when the first Chevy V8 was first made I never would have guessed it, had my chest all popped out thinking 55 and the 265 was the first but it sure wasn't. I wish they would go back to the high compression engines but then the engines wouldn't last as long as they do now days with the lower compression.
> 
> A few years back I tried to build out a 350 with the stock 10:1 comp ratio like back in the 60s, the block and heads were such sorry metal it burned the block in between two of the cylinders. The gas today isn't up to the high compression unless you buy AvGas or use a water injector to hold the ping down.


If you use the thin metal head gasket you get a bit more compression and they don't tend to blow out like the composite ones do. I think that is the cause of the experience you had.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> If you use the thin metal head gasket you get a bit more compression and they don't tend to blow out like the composite ones do. I think that is the cause of the experience you had.


That could be the problem Keith, I just don't remember which I used. I was told back then if I had use 1972 heads it wouldn't have burned. That don't make sense as they were torqued the same as the 72 heads would have been.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Mooneyes anyone? Do you remember the Bonneville car he built? Do you remember his first name?


That name does ring a bell but just not loud enough.:laughing: I am afraid you got me there.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That name does ring a bell but just not loud enough.:laughing: I am afraid you got me there.


Dean Moon...all round good guy and ace hot rodder.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Dean Moon...all round good guy and ace hot rodder.


 I looked Dean up and I do remember him and his products, can we say Moon hubcaps and baby moons. While looking him up the first page I saw a picture of an auto parts shop in my old stompin grounds when I was hot roddin.



*hot rod parked at chelsea ...*


memphisrodders.com


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## cocobolo

...you shouldn't put links like that in here...how can I possibly resist? Now look what you've gone and done. Cost me a good half hour just looking...and drooling...:thumbup:


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> ...you shouldn't put links like that in here...how can I possibly resist? Now look what you've gone and done. Cost me a good half hour just looking...and drooling...:thumbup:


Sorry buddy, I will try to behave myself next time.:no:


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Sorry buddy, I will try to behave myself next time.:no:


Well Okay then, just don't try too hard! :whistling2:


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## cocobolo

I have the very last of the top cedar cut for the highest part of the wall. The final three pieces are glued together due to a lack of backing. 

Second coat of finish went on the wall today as well, and I think that will be enough.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I have the very last of the top cedar cut for the highest part of the wall. The final three pieces are glued together due to a lack of backing.
> 
> Second coat of finish went on the wall today as well, and I think that will be enough.


It is just amazing how the finish brings out the color, but it does. Just beautiful Keith.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It is just amazing how the finish brings out the color, but it does. Just beautiful Keith.


Very true...this is a Minwax product I am using this time. It just seems to be called fast drying Polyurethane. It is a slightly hazy yellowish colour in the can, unlike the Varathane which looks decidedly white.

Thus far, it seems to go on a little easier as well. Not that the Varathane is hard to put on, this seems quicker I guess.

The two coats have got the cedar looking pretty good, whereas the Varathane takes 3 coats.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Very true...this is a Minwax product I am using this time. It just seems to be called fast drying Polyurethane. It is a slightly hazy yellowish colour in the can, unlike the Varathane which looks decidedly white.
> 
> Thus far, it seems to go on a little easier as well. Not that the Varathane is hard to put on, this seems quicker I guess.
> 
> The two coats have got the cedar looking pretty good, whereas the Varathane takes 3 coats.


Anything that will save you any work is a big plus with all you have to do. What kind of fast drying poly do you have, is it a water base?


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Anything that will save you any work is a big plus with all you have to do. What kind of fast drying poly do you have, is it a water base?


No, it's oil based Jim. The Varathane is water based, which is doubtless why it dries faster (4 hours).

I am finding that the Minwax effectively needs to be left for a day between coats. But with all I have to do elsewhere, that isn't really a concern.


----------



## brons2

jiju1943 said:


> A few years back I tried to build out a 350 with the stock 10:1 comp ratio like back in the 60s, the block and heads were such sorry metal it burned the block in between two of the cylinders. The gas today isn't up to the high compression unless you buy AvGas or use a water injector to hold the ping down.


Lots of economy cars today running 10:1 or above on 87, it can be done easily with the right fuel and spark curves. You're not going to be able to stick a carburetor and points ignition on a clapped out 70s small block and run 10:1 though, that's a whole different deal.

$0.02.


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## scoggy

*Japan's Lake logs*

Hi Keith. I heard quite a few years ago that they had discovered a flaw in their storage method of submersion, and had to do the logs quickly, or lose their valu AFAIK.
Cheers
Scoggy


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Hi Keith. I heard quite a few years ago that they had discovered a flaw in their storage method of submersion, and had to do the logs quickly, or lose their valu AFAIK.
> Cheers
> Scoggy


Really? That would pose a real problem for them in that case. 

The way I understand it is that they actually have several small lakes completely filled with big cants.

Some of the wood was due to be saved for temple re-construction. Haven't heard anything recently, but I guess I could check just for the heck of it.

BTW, how's the car coming?


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## cocobolo

brons2 said:


> Lots of economy cars today running 10:1 or above on 87, it can be done easily with the right fuel and spark curves. You're not going to be able to stick a carburetor and points ignition on a clapped out 70s small block and run 10:1 though, that's a whole different deal.
> 
> $0.02.


If you are referring to the modern FI system and electronic ignition, then I would have to agree with you brons.

I think most guys today who are building a SBC - while they may still use a carb - would also have long ago switched to a modern ignition. As long as the spark advance remains very mild, you'd probably be OK.

When we used to race donkey's years ago, we could get Sunoco 105 octane at the pump. Made for a great race day!


----------



## scoggy

*First Chev v/8*

Keith, I believe it was either 1928 0r 1932, and although it was dropped from production, Henry Ford got wind of it, and that helped to spur on the development of the 'flatty' v/8, for '32! It was engineered by the same guy who eventually developed the auto matic for GM, as well as the self starter (Kittering??) I built a '66 Nova 2 door wagon, with a tricarbed , cammed, headered, 327, with a T-10 4 speed, and a 4:35 posi. It was the lowest level of could buy option,and I used to love to take my wife out on the old highway where the 4 lanes ran past the Dairy farm on the way to Chemainus, and stop on highway, rev it to red line, 'pop' the clutch, and feel the steering get way light, while her eyes got big like saucers! Guess I will be able to do same with my '38 Chev Coupe.....when I get it finished =====8^)
Cheers
Scoggy:yes::yes::yes:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, I believe it was either 1928 0r 1932, and although it was dropped from production, Henry Ford got wind of it, and that helped to spur on the development of the 'flatty' v/8, for '32! It was engineered by the same guy who eventually developed the auto matic for GM, as well as the self starter (Kittering??) I built a '66 Nova 2 door wagon, with a tricarbed , cammed, headered, 327, with a T-10 4 speed, and a 4:35 posi. It was the lowest level of could buy option,and I used to love to take my wife out on the old highway where the 4 lanes ran past the Dairy farm on the way to Chemainus, and stop on highway, rev it to red line, 'pop' the clutch, and feel the steering get way light, while her eyes got big like saucers! Guess I will be able to do same with my '38 Chev Coupe.....when I get it finished =====8^)
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes::yes::yes:


Getting closer...but it was way before 1928!


----------



## BigJim

brons2 said:


> Lots of economy cars today running 10:1 or above on 87, it can be done easily with the right fuel and spark curves. You're not going to be able to stick a carburetor and points ignition on a clapped out 70s small block and run 10:1 though, that's a whole different deal.
> 
> $0.02.


I found that out the hard way. How do they cut the ping out now days running that low of octane? Today's cars and back then cars are worlds apart. I have got to put an intake gasket on our 2000 Nissan which has only 79,000 miles, man what a mess getting that thing off and back on right, nothing like the old days.


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Keith, I believe it was either 1928 0r 1932, and although it was dropped from production, Henry Ford got wind of it, and that helped to spur on the development of the 'flatty' v/8, for '32! It was engineered by the same guy who eventually developed the auto matic for GM, as well as the self starter (Kittering??) I built a '66 Nova 2 door wagon, with a tricarbed , cammed, headered, 327, with a T-10 4 speed, and a 4:35 posi. It was the lowest level of could buy option,and I used to love to take my wife out on the old highway where the 4 lanes ran past the Dairy farm on the way to Chemainus, and stop on highway, rev it to red line, 'pop' the clutch, and feel the steering get way light, while her eyes got big like saucers! Guess I will be able to do same with my '38 Chev Coupe.....when I get it finished =====8^)
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes::yes::yes:


You got any pictures of your 38? That has got to be a lot of fun.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> No, it's oil based Jim. The Varathane is water based, which is doubtless why it dries faster (4 hours).
> 
> I am finding that the Minwax effectively needs to be left for a day between coats. But with all I have to do elsewhere, that isn't really a concern.


Keith, have you tried the water based polyurethane? That stuff dries in just a few minutes and cleans up with water, I like it pretty good. I don't think I would use it outside though.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, have you tried the water based polyurethane? That stuff dries in just a few minutes and cleans up with water, I like it pretty good. I don't think I would use it outside though.


What brand would that be Jim?

Varathane is a urethane of some sort, and it's water based. But still it is supposed to be 4 hours between coats. It does feel as though it is drier well before 4 hours if the temperature is up, but it's far more than a few minutes.

I don't believe that any of the water based products contain any UV inhibitors, which is why they aren't very long lasting outside.


----------



## cocobolo

Chevy produced their first OHV V-8 over a two year period in - are you ready for this...

Nineteen seventeen and nineteen eighteen. You can win bets with this one.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> What brand would that be Jim?
> 
> Varathane is a urethane of some sort, and it's water based. But still it is supposed to be 4 hours between coats. It does feel as though it is drier well before 4 hours if the temperature is up, but it's far more than a few minutes.
> 
> I don't believe that any of the water based products contain any UV inhibitors, which is why they aren't very long lasting outside.


Keith, I can't remember which brand I used on our T&G ceilings in the living room and kitchen but we prefinished before installing and before getting from one end of the board to the other the poly was dry. They recommend three coats but on the ceilings we just put two coats and they still look just like when we put them up.

I did use Minwax water based poly on our floors in the bedroom and while it did dry very quickly it said to wait 24 hours to walk on and three coats must be applied. The poly dried so fast it was hard to keep a wet edge and it must be installed with a wet edge or the over laps will show. Here is a link to the Minwax. 

http://www.minwax.com/products/hardwood_floor_finishing/water_based_polyurethane_for_floors.html


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Chevy produced their first OHV V-8 over a two year period in - are you ready for this...
> 
> Nineteen seventeen and nineteen eighteen. You can win bets with this one.


That just blew my mind, never would I have guessed it was that early. I wonder if there are any pictures of that motor online anywhere. Well come to think of it they had V12s and V16s way on back. Remember the straight block 8 Buick?

I got to thinking about the old chevy 6 cyl with the babbitt bearings. I had one that had way too much slack in it and it was knocking so I popped the pan and took an old leather shoe tongue and used it as a bearing, it lasted for a little while.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim: I went through the Minwax product listing, and couldn't find anything that dried quite as fast as yours did. They say mostly two hours plus for a recoat time and longer to dry.

No doubt this is why the poly I put on the top wall wasn't really dry, but could be re-coated anyway.

I think the ambient temperature has a lot to do with it. If you were working in 80º+ temps, yours would dry in nothing flat. I'm a good 20ºF below that, and it makes a big difference.


----------



## cocobolo

I did a check on roughly how many more pieces of wood it will take to complete the top stairwell, and I think I must have miscalculated somewhat with my first estimate.

I am certain that more than half is done - certainly all the highest walls - and yet it still works out to another 360 pieces +-.

So, once again, all morning I have been cutting more wood. There isn't room to do much more than about 100 pieces at a time on the bench, so it will be a step by step thing 'til it's finished.

Perseverance will win the day....I hope!


----------



## scoggy

*My '38 Chev coupe Hot Rod*

Jim, I have some assembly pixs somewhere, but have not taken a complete car shot, for a very long time, since I am always taking apart....then much much later...putting it back together! I bought it just before I got married, and my bride to be helped me move it from behind a barn and bring in to another location. When I moved far North I built the frame and motor and trans , evrything except the body...in my basement..then had to take it all apart, and bring it to the Coast when I moved! I have been 'building" it for 34 years..two kids up through university, about 5 jobs, 1 marriage, and it still has not seen road time..but fore sure next winter is completion time ===8^)
Scoggy:yes::yes:


----------



## scoggy

*First Chev v/8*

Keith, " at 55hp the 1917 288 Cu Inch v/8 was hampered by it's 4.5:1 CR, and the fact that the spark plugs were on the inside of head. At 10 to 12 mpg. 1918 to 1919 were production years until the recession of 1922 stopped the production run. There are believed to be 5 restored units in USA, value unknown. 66 units were built in Canada. Cost $1385.00 in 1919!!!! It weighed 3200lbs, and was on a 120 inch wheelbase. It was Louis Chevrolets 'darling' design, but after a squabble with Billy Durant, later head of GM, he left the company before the motor was completed. (info circa 1970)
Cheers
Scoggy:yes::yes:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Jim, I have some assembly pixs somewhere, but have not taken a complete car shot, for a very long time, since I am always taking apart....then much much later...putting it back together! I bought it just before I got married, and my bride to be helped me move it from behind a barn and bring in to another location. When I moved far North I built the frame and motor and trans , everything except the body...in my basement..then had to take it all apart, and bring it to the Coast when I moved! I have been 'building" it for 34 years..two kids up through university, about 5 jobs, 1 marriage, and it still has not seen road time..but for sure next winter is completion time ===8^)
> Scoggy:yes::yes:


Good grief man, I've never heard so many excuses in all my life! :laughing:

No wonder you never got over here for a visit this summer! :whistling2:

If you're going to be home next week, I plan on visiting to see this 34 year build. At least one thing has been a constant in your life!!! :thumbup:

I cannot wait to get over there...:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, " at 55hp the 1917 288 Cu Inch v/8 was hampered by it's 4.5:1 CR, and the fact that the spark plugs were on the inside of head. At 10 to 12 mpg. 1918 to 1919 were production years until the recession of 1922 stopped the production run. There are believed to be 5 restored units in USA, value unknown. 66 units were built in Canada. Cost $1385.00 in 1919!!!! It weighed 3200lbs, and was on a 120 inch wheelbase. It was Louis Chevrolets 'darling' design, but after a squabble with Billy Durant, later head of GM, he left the company before the motor was completed. (info circa 1970)
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes::yes:


Thanks for all the info Scoggy...just think, if we had been around then we could have put in high compression pistons, hot cam, three two's, headers..........

I had no idea the cars weighed that much at the time. Compared to the "T" it must have seemed like a limousine.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I went through the Minwax product listing, and couldn't find anything that dried quite as fast as yours did. They say mostly two hours plus for a recoat time and longer to dry.
> 
> No doubt this is why the poly I put on the top wall wasn't really dry, but could be re-coated anyway.
> 
> I think the ambient temperature has a lot to do with it. If you were working in 80º+ temps, yours would dry in nothing flat. I'm a good 20ºF below that, and it makes a big difference.


Keith, I think you just hit the nail on the head, it was hot when we were putting the finish on the T&G because I remember sweating like crazy. That was the reason it was drying so fast. Man This ole timers is hittin me heavy.:yes:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I did a check on roughly how many more pieces of wood it will take to complete the top stairwell, and I think I must have miscalculated somewhat with my first estimate.
> 
> I am certain that more than half is done - certainly all the highest walls - and yet it still works out to another 360 pieces +-.
> 
> So, once again, all morning I have been cutting more wood. There isn't room to do much more than about 100 pieces at a time on the bench, so it will be a step by step thing 'til it's finished.
> 
> Perseverance will win the day....I hope!


Man that is a bunch of work buddy, but it sure does look goooood. You know 360 pieces don't sound like many until you start making them.

I built a little roof over our outside swing and put cedar shingles on it. It took over 300 shingles and I thought I would never get through. I cut them on a band saw, which wasn't too hard but it sure was monotonous. Anything that looks good takes a lot of time and the better it looks the longer it takes and you are looking really good Keith.


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Jim, I have some assembly pixs somewhere, but have not taken a complete car shot, for a very long time, since I am always taking apart....then much much later...putting it back together! I bought it just before I got married, and my bride to be helped me move it from behind a barn and bring in to another location. When I moved far North I built the frame and motor and trans , evrything except the body...in my basement..then had to take it all apart, and bring it to the Coast when I moved! I have been 'building" it for 34 years..two kids up through university, about 5 jobs, 1 marriage, and it still has not seen road time..but fore sure next winter is completion time ===8^)
> Scoggy:yes::yes:


Scoggy, when you get that bad boy built we for sure want a picture. You just can't rush perfection...


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Keith, " at 55hp the 1917 288 Cu Inch v/8 was hampered by it's 4.5:1 CR, and the fact that the spark plugs were on the inside of head. At 10 to 12 mpg. 1918 to 1919 were production years until the recession of 1922 stopped the production run. There are believed to be 5 restored units in USA, value unknown. 66 units were built in Canada. Cost $1385.00 in 1919!!!! It weighed 3200lbs, and was on a 120 inch wheelbase. It was Louis Chevrolets 'darling' design, but after a squabble with Billy Durant, later head of GM, he left the company before the motor was completed. (info circa 1970)
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes::yes:


Wow, that was some low compression, I wonder where it's red line was. Being that low compression it should have been able wind out pretty good. I know one thing it would have never made it back where I was born and raised, when it rained about the only thing that moved was horses and mules because of the mud, come to think of it that is about all that moved anyway, there just weren't many cars around back out in the sticks then.

Thanks for the information Scoggy that was really interesting.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I went through the Minwax product listing, and couldn't find anything that dried quite as fast as yours did. They say mostly two hours plus for a recoat time and longer to dry.
> 
> No doubt this is why the poly I put on the top wall wasn't really dry, but could be re-coated anyway.
> 
> I think the ambient temperature has a lot to do with it. If you were working in 80º+ temps, yours would dry in nothing flat. I'm a good 20ºF below that, and it makes a big difference.


Keith, can Japan Dryer be added to poly? Or is that mostly for oil based paints?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, can Japan Dryer be added to poly? Or is that mostly for oil based paints?


That is a very good question and I don't know the answer. I think it is just for oil based products. But I will endeavor to find out.


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry, no pics. I'm knocking it off for the night, but will bring you up to date in the morning.

The fifth section is close to being done and it gets easier from there. Still maybe a couple of hundred more pieces to make up - perhaps half tomorrow and the rest on Sunday.


----------



## BigJim

It is after 12 midnight now so today is the 13th, this is Keith's birthday. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!!:clap::clap::clap:arty:arty::happybday:

Here is hoping you many many more and today be the best birthday ever!!!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It is after 12 midnight now so today is the 13th, this is Keith's birthday.
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!!:clap::clap::clap:arty:arty::happybday:
> 
> Here is hoping you many many more and today be the best birthday ever!!!


What can I say Jim...Thank You!


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> It is after 12 midnight now so today is the 13th, this is Keith's birthday.
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!!:clap::clap::clap:arty:arty::happybday:
> 
> Here is hoping you many many more and today be the best birthday ever!!!


Jim, you should work for Hallmark! :yes:

Happy birthday Keith! Probably no pictures today, since you'll be taking the whole day off?


----------



## jlhaslip

HB to you!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Jim, you should work for Hallmark! :yes:
> 
> Happy birthday Keith! Probably no pictures today, since you'll be taking the whole day off?


Perhaps you could explain what a "whole day off" is? 

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that at all...off to work now.


----------



## Bud Cline

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY Keith !!!*​ 
Thirty-nine candles on the cake...is that right?


----------



## scoggy

*Your visit*

Keith,...V9G1W2...Ladysmith. Will you be able to GPS it? If not pmail me. Supposed to rain all week so should be doing stuff in garage, if you can, give me a heads up.
Cheers
Scoggy:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *HAPPY BIRTHDAY Keith !!!*​
> Thirty-nine candles on the cake...is that right?


Thanks Bud! Absolutely...39 it is! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith,...V9G1W2...Ladysmith. Will you be able to GPS it? If not pmail me. Supposed to rain all week so should be doing stuff in garage, if you can, give me a heads up.
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes:


I think I have your phone number here, so I'll call before I leave the island.

Tuesday and Wednesday don't look that bad, maybe Wednesday is the best. But we all know how the weather forecast works around here...:furious:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Absolutely...39 it is!


YUP !!! ME TOO !!!
:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> YUP !!! ME TOO !!!
> :thumbsup:


Oh, sure. That's what they all say! :thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Oh, sure. That's what they all say! :thumbup:


Now that is funny as the dickens right there.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

The last time Judy lit the candles on my birthday cake it melted the back of one of our chairs.:whistling2::laughing: Hey, this is my lie and I can tell it as big as I want to.:yes:

Keith, do we get pictures from your visit with Scoggy? hint hint


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Now that is funny as the dickens right there.:laughing::laughing::laughing:
> 
> The last time Judy lit the candles on my birthday cake it melted the back of one of our chairs.:whistling2::laughing: Hey, this is my lie and I can tell it as big as I want to.:yes:
> 
> Keith, do we get pictures from your visit with Scoggy? hint hint


Don't tell Scoggy...but I plan to charge up the battery...empty the card...and go loaded for bear as it were. With a camera...not a gun! :thumbsup:

I can foresee a real problem with this visit. It has been so long since we have lived anywhere with roads that I'm going to go nuts waiting to sell up here and get over to Vancouver Island. Then I can do up a nice shop - complete with hoist - and get going on another street rod. 

I've always wanted to build a C-cab...and I see that Anderson Industries has a good deal on the fiberglass body. The company name has now changed, but that's the one I would get I think.


----------



## cocobolo

OK...just got the next batch of boards ready to go...they should take me down to the last section.

It's been a thoroughly dreary day here, dull, overcast and rainy...which doesn't give too much daylight in the stairwell. I will try to get at least one pic before dark - which it looks like will only be in about an hour from now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Don't tell Scoggy...but I plan to charge up the battery...empty the card...and go loaded for bear as it were. With a camera...not a gun! :thumbsup:
> 
> I can foresee a real problem with this visit. It has been so long since we have lived anywhere with roads that I'm going to go nuts waiting to sell up here and get over to Vancouver Island. Then I can do up a nice shop - complete with hoist - and get going on another street rod.
> 
> I've always wanted to build a C-cab...and I see that Anderson Industries has a good deal on the fiberglass body. The company name has now changed, but that's the one I would get I think.


Keith, are you talking about the 1923 C-cab pickup? or



Man I done got my key board wet from droolin.

Buddy, when you do sell your home and move back over to the main land it is going to feel like a vacation with all the conveniences close at hand, you are going to be a city slicker again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, are you talking about the 1923 C-cab pickup? or
> 
> 
> 
> Man I done got my key board wet from droolin.
> 
> Buddy, when you do sell your home and move back over to the main land it is going to feel like a vacation with all the conveniences close at hand, you are going to be a city slicker again.



I never was much of a city slicker Jim...tried to keep away from there as much as possible.

Here's what I had in mind.

http://bellsouthpwp.net/g/o/gottac/index.htm

I hope that works, it's an old site showing a car which a young chap down in Florida re-did several years ago.


----------



## cocobolo

Yep...just tested it and it seems to work fine. :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I never was much of a city slicker Jim...tried to keep away from there as much as possible.
> 
> Here's what I had in mind.
> 
> http://bellsouthpwp.net/g/o/gottac/index.htm
> 
> I hope that works, it's an old site showing a car which a young chap down in Florida re-did several years ago.


Oh my stars, that is totally beautiful Keith, man o man what a ride.

What motor would you build out for it. That would be the ultimate for me except for a 32 Ford coup.


----------



## cocobolo

Most likely a small block Chevy. Possibly a big block. Although you wouldn't really need that much torque to move that guy out. 

I'm more partial to the sound of a small block at 7500 than anything else. It would probably be able to break the speed limit on the highway in low gear anyway, so how much do you really need?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Most likely a small block Chevy. Possibly a big block. Although you wouldn't really need that much torque to move that guy out.
> 
> I'm more partial to the sound of a small block at 7500 than anything else. It would probably be able to break the speed limit on the highway in low gear anyway, so how much do you really need?


Have you noticed how different the small block Chevys sound today compared to the 283-327s. I love the sound of a bad cam sitting there loping. I remember when the law would pull me over for something I would shut my car down and coast to the curb, I didn't want them to hear my engine or they really would get tough.

Did you like the dual line Holly carbs or the Quadrajet? Or did you like the gang deuces?

I was so disappointed in the 301 I built out, that I did my best to blow it, it just wouldn't blow. I sold it to a buddy of mine and he put it in a 55 Chevy two door post and they clocked him running around 135 MPH. That was saying something for a stock 55 body back then.


----------



## cocobolo

Always preferred the Q Jet, although a lot of guys couldn't get along with them.

Once you knew them, they were terrific carbs. Great mileage on the front two barrels, but when you needed the afterburners to kick in, crank open the secondaries and you're gone.


----------



## cocobolo

Quick update on the stairwell.

This is the 6th of 9 sections about 3/4 done.


----------



## cocobolo

The start of the 7th section....more later.


----------



## cocobolo

A good chunk of the 7th section done...


----------



## cocobolo

This is the last section before the three windows at the top of the stairwell.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Always preferred the Q Jet, although a lot of guys couldn't get along with them.
> 
> Once you knew them, they were terrific carbs. Great mileage on the front two barrels, but when you needed the afterburners to kick in, crank open the secondaries and you're gone.


I was partial to the Qjets also, I didn't have a problem with building them either. I tried to keep the back two ports closed as much as I could, when they were open it flew but so did the gas.:yes:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> This is the last section before the three windows at the top of the stairwell.


You are getting closer Keith, I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at that beautiful wood. That is going to be one sharp stair well and stairs. I like the contrast of the different colors. Beautiful buddy!!!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You are getting closer Keith, I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at that beautiful wood. That is going to be one sharp stair well and stairs. I like the contrast of the different colors. Beautiful buddy!!!


I'm going to need to put a finish on it as well. The sun will get to some of this wood, and I would rather that it retained its' colour - at least as long as we are here.

Which is why the scaffold plank is still up top.

With a lot of luck I hope the wall will be done tomorrow. If I can muster the energy I may try for the first finish coat tonight.


----------



## tpolk

suprised you did'nt get one coat on before install. had a q-jet in my 69 camaro ss great carb for use at both ends of spectrum


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> suprised you did'nt get one coat on before install. had a q-jet in my 69 camaro ss great carb for use at both ends of spectrum


The reason I didn't do that was simply because when I am making up all the strips, they are all of varied lengths as they come off the saw. As they get applied, much of the wood ends up getting wasted. So they couldn't be done at that point.

Once the pieces are cut to length for any given section then they could have been coated, but it would have taken a huge amount of room which I don't have. Plus I would have needed to wait another 24 hours after coating to get them up.

So the best thing was to nail them all up and coat once that was done. The first coat did get put on about 80% of the boards last night.

Another very poor weather day here this morning, so hopefully - since I will be inside all day - I can get the last of the cedar up in the stairwell.

You had a '69 Camaro? Droooooooooll!


----------



## Bootz

the lady and I are doing the kitchen cabinets the same way.. inlaying the glass into the door and stuff... any suggestions?


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> the lady and I are doing the kitchen cabinets the same way.. inlaying the glass into the door and stuff... any suggestions?


If you can post a pic of what you are starting with and the materials...I'll give it my best shot.


----------



## cocobolo

Time for coffee break...I'll have one or two pics a little later.

Almost done on the basic coverage, just some of the awkward bits and pieces to finish. But at least it looks as though I won't need to cut any more cedar - at least for the stairwell! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

This is the end of the continuous run of cedar on the top stairwell. 

Last section - the ninth - this is below the window and now that's done.

Just on top of the window to finish, all tapered cuts...


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> If you can post a pic of what you are starting with and the materials...I'll give it my best shot.


here are the cabinets that i and the miss are working on right now ... and no we did not put the handles on the cabinets... they are so plain and .. well.. ugly lol 









and these....









and last one 









That is the 3d view ... so I want to take out the middle and replace it with glass.. we are thinking the rice paper glass and painting the cabinets black... I know once that we get the glass in the cabinets we need to start keeping things "neat" in the cabinets but we think it will give the kitchen more of a modern look... btw I was really floored by the craftsmanship and the beauty of the glass that you put in with the flowing scene...

any suggestions? The middle of the cabinet looks like it is not part of the cabinet at all but loose almost... :wink:


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> here are the cabinets that i and the miss are working on right now ... and no we did not put the handles on the cabinets... they are so plain and .. well.. ugly lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and these....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and last one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That is the 3d view ... so I want to take out the middle and replace it with glass.. we are thinking the rice paper glass and painting the cabinets black... I know once that we get the glass in the cabinets we need to start keeping things "neat" in the cabinets but we think it will give the kitchen more of a modern look... btw I was really floored by the craftsmanship and the beauty of the glass that you put in with the flowing scene...
> 
> any suggestions? The middle of the cabinet looks like it is not part of the cabinet at all but loose almost... :wink:


You're probably right about the panels being loose, but that's perfectly normal.

It wouldn't be hard to get the panels out, but the trick is going to be to be able to do it without destroying the door frames.

The first thing that comes to mind is that you might be able to cut around the edge of the panel, but leave an extra 1/2" or so protruding from the frames. Then you could add your glass - stained glass - or whatever you have, and fit that to the size of the frame. There should be enough room behind the glass to add a piece of trim to keep the glass in.

If that doesn't appeal, try using a couple of clamps to pull one of the door frames apart at the top or bottom. See what happens. If you can get one end of the frame out, then you can slide the panel out and replace it with your glass.

I'm sure there are other things, but see if that works first.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> This is the end of the continuous run of cedar on the top stairwell.
> 
> Last section - the ninth - this is below the window and now that's done.
> 
> Just on top of the window to finish, all tapered cuts...


Man I would have loved to have you do my bidding for me when I was in business. You said you would finish Sunday and by ned you did. I am happy for you Keith, I bet you are wore out tonight though. It sure does look good buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man I would have loved to have you do my bidding for me when I was in business. You said you would finish Sunday and by ned you did. I am happy for you Keith, I bet you are wore out tonight though. It sure does look good buddy.


Thanks Jim...Just got some more finish on the wall, to the point where I ran out. So, next trip to town I'll need some more.

Couple of pics to d/l and I'll post in a few minutes.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's what the finish looks like around the windows. The Minwax really does make the colour come up on the cedar. The missus thinks it's a bit too much, but it settles down somewhat when it dries - and it is only the satin finish.


----------



## cocobolo

Taken from the bottom of the top stairs...the scaffold plank is still in the way, but I think you can see that all the fiddley bits are in up top.

I will finish the second coat of urethane up top before I pull the plank. There are a few boards to go on the wall where the plank support is, but they are all set to go.


----------



## jlhaslip

How are you going to get the plank out of there?

Shinney up the chandelier chain???


:lol:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> How are you going to get the plank out of there?
> 
> Shinney up the chandelier chain???
> 
> 
> :lol:


Nah...I'll probably do something really silly...like stand on the stairs and yank it out.


----------



## gma2rjc

My goodness, that is absolutely gorgeous Keith. 

Is the ceiling on an angle - higher on one side?

Whew! That sure was a lot of work! But you probably already know that.... :laughing:

Thanks for posting the pictures.


----------



## BigJim

My stars, that sure does make a difference, you saved the best for last. Just stunning Keith. That was a big project that you don't have to do again. Just think tomorrow you won't have to get up to the stair well.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> My goodness, that is absolutely gorgeous Keith.
> 
> Is the ceiling on an angle - higher on one side?
> 
> Whew! That sure was a lot of work! But you probably already know that.... :laughing:
> 
> Thanks for posting the pictures.


Indeed it is. I think the pitch of that roof is around 3 1/2 or 4/12.

I can tell you I'm glad that's over with. Just a bit more finish to apply and fill in the holes where the scaffold rests...and that's it.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars, that sure does make a difference, you saved the best for last. Just stunning Keith. That was a big project that you don't have to do again. Just think tomorrow you won't have to get up to the stair well.


Right...I'll hardly know what to do with myself! :whistling2:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Indeed it is. I think the pitch of that roof is around 3 1/2 or 4/12.
> 
> I can tell you I'm glad that's over with. Just a bit more finish to apply and fill in the holes where the scaffold rests...and that's it.


except for 7 or 8 coats of finish with a light sanding between each of them? 

Probably not?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> except for 7 or 8 coats of finish with a light sanding between each of them?
> 
> Probably not?


Are you looking for a job? :whistling2:


----------



## gma2rjc

:laughing:

I've filed and painted my finger nails a few times. Does that qualify as job experience? 

I think it would take me a long time to paint your stairwell with a nail polish brush though.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :laughing:
> 
> I've filed and painted my finger nails a few times. Does that qualify as job experience?
> 
> I think it would take me a long time to paint your stairwell with a nail polish brush though.


That's perfectly OK...I will provide two brushes...one for each hand! :thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

Well, I'm on my way. 

That's odd. Leaving the United States, the border guard was speaking Spanish and now I see a sign for Guadalajara. 

Perhaps I should have made a right turn off of I-90 onto I-5?

:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Well, I'm on my way.
> 
> That's odd. Leaving the United States, the border guard was speaking Spanish and now I see a sign for Guadalajara.
> 
> Perhaps I should have made a right turn off of I-90 onto I-5?
> 
> :laughing:


Oh no...I think you made the right turn OK...you wouldn't be caring too much for the weather here this morning. Not to mention the snow we have forecast for the latter part of this week.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Oh no...I think you made the right turn OK...you wouldn't be caring too much for the weather here this morning. Not to mention the snow we have forecast for the latter part of this week.


Snow, now you got me feeling like a little boy again, I looooove snow, for a couple of days, then it needs to go away.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Snow, now you got me feeling like a little boy again, I looooove snow, for a couple of days, then it needs to go away.


The wife has the right idea about snow.

It can be here on Christmas morning, and promptly at noon it needs to disappear to be followed by warm sunshine.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Oh no...I think you made the right turn OK...you wouldn't be caring too much for the weather here this morning. Not to mention the snow we have forecast for the latter part of this week.


Well, the best you can do is hope and pray that the weather man is wrong. 

I agree with you Jim, two days of snow is enough. Our weather guys are forecasting 'wild and moody' winter weather. I guess we'll find out what that means soon enough. They're usually pretty accurate.



> The wife has the right idea about snow.
> 
> It can be here on Christmas morning, and promptly at noon it needs to disappear to be followed by warm sunshine.


If she ever moves to the United States, I want her to be our president. :yes:


----------



## Bootz

Thanks ! Yea that should Help out alot! I am going to post your suggestion in my project file so I can keep everything together when it comes time to do it.. which should not be to far off :x


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Well, the best you can do is hope and pray that the weather man is wrong.
> 
> I agree with you Jim, two days of snow is enough. Our weather guys are forecasting 'wild and moody' winter weather. I guess we'll find out what that means soon enough. They're usually pretty accurate.
> 
> 
> If she ever moves to the United States, I want her to be our president. :yes:


I think your presidents need to be born in the USA don't they? Luckily for her that means she's off the hook! :laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I think your presidents need to be born in the USA don't they? Luckily for her that means she's off the hook! :laughing:


Up until recently. Now they don't have to show any proof. They just have to SAY they were born here. She's probably too honest for that job anyway. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Up until recently. Now they don't have to show any proof. They just have to SAY they were born here. She's probably too honest for that job anyway. :laughing:


...ummmmm....don't be so sure! :lol::lol::lol:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> ...ummmmm....don't be so sure! :lol::lol::lol:


:laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Up until recently. Now they don't have to show any proof. They just have to SAY they were born here.


Not to turn this political but......
That issue isn't over until the fat lady sings. They have just managed to stiffle the fat lady so far. It will all come out one day.

I'll shut up now before I get myself in trouble.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> If she ever moves to the United States, I want her to be our president. :yes:


I second that.:yes:


----------



## BigJim

Keith I got to thinking and winter is coming on and your home is on an island and the only way to get supplies is by boat. I have been meaning to ask, do you have heat in your boat? I bet it can get rough going across in the winter months, that is one thing that would slow me down. 

Down here we can do something if power and all goes out but ya'll are pretty much stuck if things get bad. With wood heat you would be better off than Judy and I would be with just electric heat. I guess ya'll would do like we did back when I was a kid, kerosene lamps and candles. Can you cook on your wood stove?


----------



## Bud Cline

What about _ice at the shoreline_ when it comes to bringing in provisions?


----------



## DangerMouse

Bud Cline said:


> Not to turn this political but......
> That issue isn't over until the fat lady sings. They have just managed to stiffle the fat lady so far. It will all come out one day.
> 
> I'll shut up now before I get myself in trouble.


....and she doesn't even have to be fat! or be a 'lady'! You guys see that 9 or 10 yr. old kid that sings opera??? She opens her mouth and starts singing and you swear there's a fat lady behind the curtain and the kid's lip-syncing! lol
Lots of talent there, but I hate opera.... unless you're talking about Opera the Browser, in which case it's my main browser. Oh well, enough babbling, show more pics!

DM


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> What about _ice at the shoreline_ when it comes to bringing in provisions?


Man, I just had a mental picture of that,  that could cause some serious problems.


----------



## BigJim

DangerMouse said:


> ....and she doesn't even have to be fat! or be a 'lady'! You guys see that 9 or 10 yr. old kid that sings opera??? She opens her mouth and starts singing and you swear there's a fat lady behind the curtain and the kid's lip-syncing! lol
> Lots of talent there, but I hate opera.... unless you're talking about Opera the Browser, in which case it's my main browser. Oh well, enough babbling, show more pics!
> 
> DM


DM, we saw that little girl on TV yesterday again, she is just unreal, it don't seem possible that the beautiful sounds could come from that little girl.


----------



## Bud Cline

Are you talking about six year old Connie Talbot?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ3zNb6ryhE&feature=related


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Are you talking about six year old Connie Talbot?
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ3zNb6ryhE&feature=related


Bud what a precious little girl but that isn't the one we are talking about. This is the one and she is not lip syncing the song she is actually singing it. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qecULT01iE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKhmFSV-XB0&feature=related

Look at some of her other songs, I like that O Holy Night that she sings.


----------



## gma2rjc

Both girls have beautiful voices! My goodness, so much talent and they both seem like little sweethearts. 

Thanks for the links Bud and Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith I got to thinking and winter is coming on and your home is on an island and the only way to get supplies is by boat. I have been meaning to ask, do you have heat in your boat? I bet it can get rough going across in the winter months, that is one thing that would slow me down.
> 
> Down here we can do something if power and all goes out but ya'll are pretty much stuck if things get bad. With wood heat you would be better off than Judy and I would be with just electric heat. I guess ya'll would do like we did back when I was a kid, kerosene lamps and candles. Can you cook on your wood stove?


Before winter sets in we lay in a decent supply of canned goods for starters. No heat in the boat, so that's just something we have to put up with.

We use wood heat all year, and we make our own electricity, so we are never without power.

We use propane for cooking, and the missus has a wall oven and a countertop cookstove. And yes, she often will make a big pot of stew in winter and just let it simmer away on the wood stove all day.

So perhaps it isn't quite as bad as it sounds.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> What about _ice at the shoreline_ when it comes to bringing in provisions?


Bud, in all the years we have been here I can only remember one time that there was any ice in the bay here. I have pics of it somewhere.

What is far worse that that is the snow and ice buildup on the rocks when we have to get to the boat. That's a real nightmare! So we always try to keep an eye on the foreseeable weather forecasts so that we don't have to go across in those conditions.

Any snow or ice here usually doesn't last for more than a week, so as long as we have made the right provisions, we're usually OK. Still and all, I'm getting too long in the tooth for all this nonsense any more. I'll be more than happy when I sell up and move over to the big island.


----------



## cocobolo

DangerMouse said:


> ....and she doesn't even have to be fat! or be a 'lady'! You guys see that 9 or 10 yr. old kid that sings opera??? She opens her mouth and starts singing and you swear there's a fat lady behind the curtain and the kid's lip-syncing! lol
> Lots of talent there, but I hate opera.... unless you're talking about Opera the Browser, in which case it's my main browser. Oh well, enough babbling, show more pics!
> 
> DM


OK, more pics coming up ... tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man, I just had a mental picture of that,  that could cause some serious problems.


It could, and it has.

The missus took a terrible tumble some time back and caused herself a serious injury. It's written up way back in the thread. Something like a three month recovery time all together.


----------



## cocobolo

Good heavens...I just listened to that little Jackie sing. Talk about amazing! I think the 5.8 million views might tell us something. Like nothing you have ever heard from a ten year old. Incredible! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Before winter sets in we lay in a decent supply of canned goods for starters. No heat in the boat, so that's just something we have to put up with.
> 
> We use wood heat all year, and we make our own electricity, so we are never without power.
> 
> We use propane for cooking, and the missus has a wall oven and a countertop cookstove. And yes, she often will make a big pot of stew in winter and just let it simmer away on the wood stove all day.
> 
> So perhaps it isn't quite as bad as it sounds.


Keith, you are in much better shape than we would be in a bad weather situation. If I have asked these questions before please over look me buddy.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It could, and it has.
> 
> The missus took a terrible tumble some time back and caused herself a serious injury. It's written up way back in the thread. Something like a three month recovery time all together.


Keith, I do remember you telling about your missus having a mishap and injuring herself. We will be happy for you too when ya'll can get back across the way to live, hopefully that will happen soon.


----------



## cocobolo

Today was spent attempting to finish the stairwell walls.

Trim was added around the top and along the seams.

A coat of finish was applied all over - which would be the second coat on the high parts.

Once that was done the scaffold plank was removed for the last time and the blank spots were filled in. 

Still needs a second coat on the bottom half...fortunately that is reachable from the stairs easily.


----------



## BigJim

Gooooodness Keith, that is just absolutely beautiful, I think you have out done yourself this time. If I had done that I would be going back in there several times a day to just look at it. You flat out did one heck of a days work.


----------



## gma2rjc

That is truly amazing! All that hard work really paid off. It is beautiful. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Thank you for your most kind comments...it is appreciated.

This morning, once again we got a few minutes of a glorious pink tinge on the cumulus clouds. And once again, I didn't get the camera out fast enough and missed the best part, but FWIW here is the only one that showed any colour.


----------



## BigJim

Are ya'll getting any snow yet? Washington is catching it.


----------



## cocobolo

Looking out the opposite side towards Yellow Point and Tillicum, you can see the snow line coming down the mountains, It was 2ºC here this morning.

Since I took the shot the wind has got up, clouds rolled in and it's raining.


----------



## BigJim

Well, that answered that, our posts much have crossed.


----------



## cocobolo

We have had a resident woodpecker here for several months now, and my efforts at getting his portrait have been less than great. Finally got a half decent one this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

Two trips ago to town I picked up a coil of line to make a new safety line from for the sailboat mooring. Unfortunately, I managed to forget that I gave the thimbles and shackles I had to my neighbour earlier this year.

So last trip I replaced those, and this morning set about getting the new line ready. If you haven't spliced a line before, it looks something like this.

You start by unlaying the three strands of line (make sure you burn the ends first).


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Well, that answered that, our posts must have crossed.


Morning Jim:

There was a hint of ice on the decks this morning, but no snow here yet. One of the local hills, Mt. Benson, has had snow for about a month now, and it is getting very close to the base.

They are still flapping on about snow tomorrow night.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, back to the splice.....

Wrap the line around the thimble snugly, and tuck each of the three loose strands under succeeding strands of the opposite side of the line, thusly.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it looks like it's totally impossible to see where the strands go, but here's what you should end up with.


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## cocobolo

You need at least three complete underlays for a good splice...I usually open enough line to try for four. Whack the splice with a rubber mallet to set everything snugly and you're done.

Now you have to do the other end of the line as well...


----------



## cocobolo

When I went to put the anchor on, the shackle bolt wouldn't quite fit through the hole, so a little filing was in order.

Now it's all ready to go, and I just need the weather to co-operate for half an hour to finish the job. Not looking any too good right now.


----------



## cocobolo

Forgot to mention the last part of the job. Take your stainless steel wire and tie it several times through the little hole in the shackle bolt. That's a safety wire to prevent the bolt from working loose.

I find that if you wind the bolt in as tightly as possible with a pair of vise grips, it never moves. But better to be safe than sorry.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Forgot to mention the last part of the job. Take your stainless steel wire and tie it several times through the little hole in the shackle bolt. That's a safety wire to prevent the bolt from working loose.
> 
> I find that if you wind the bolt in as tightly as possible with a pair of vise grips, it never moves. But better to be safe than sorry.


When I was in the Navy they taught us how to tie all kind of knots with rope but I only remember maybe two or three, a square knot, cinch knot and a plain ole knot and that is about it. I am impressed the way you fix that up, hopefully the wind don't get too high before you can get it all fixed up.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> When I was in the Navy they taught us how to tie all kind of knots with rope but I only remember maybe two or three, a square knot, cinch knot and a plain ole knot and that is about it. I am impressed the way you fix that up, hopefully the wind don't get too high before you can get it all fixed up.


The most common knot that we use in boating is the bowline. Absolutely indispensable. 

I did get out to set the safety line...the rain had stopped, so I coiled the line up, grabbed the anchor and went out to the skiff.

No sooner had I poled away from shore when it started raining again. Naturally.

Anyway, got the shackle bolted to the mooring, payed the line out and dropped the hook.

As soon as I got back and into the house, the rain quit.

However, it has been raining steadily for the past 1/2 hour or so, and now doesn't look like it's going to quit. I'm guessing it will turn into snow tonight if this keeps up.


----------



## BigJim

That's the way my luck goes too. I can just feel the wood heat coming from your heater, there is just no other kind of heat that feels that good to me. Man that is making me sleepy, all raining outside and inside by a wood heater all warm and cozzzzzzzz...:yes::whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That's the way my luck goes too. I can just feel the wood heat coming from your heater, there is just no other kind of heat that feels that good to me. Man that is making me sleepy, all raining outside and inside by a wood heater all warm and cozzzzzzzz...:yes::whistling2:


I've got both the wood stoves going in the house now. Lovely!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I've got both the wood stoves going in the house now. Lovely!


Keith, if I have asked this question before please just slap me around a little. If you don't mind me asking, how many square feet do you have in your house?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, if I have asked this question before please just slap me around a little. If you don't mind me asking, how many square feet do you have in your house?


I think it is just over 1700 square feet. But I believe I only took that from one of the original plan drawings. As built, it may be different. I suppose I should figure it out one day.


----------



## frenchelectrican

That one of few knots I used and the one I use the most often when you have semi hollow core rope what I do is burn one end to make sure they are stay in place and make a pretty big loop and in that spot where you want to the loop to meet the main rope this what I do is untwist or push it together to compressed which it will open up the centre opening and push the rope in quite a bit way once you get it in place and just pull it out and it will lock in together.

With that set up it almost impossible to have that come apart.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## gma2rjc

Hey Jim! You have 900 posts!! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> That one of few knots I used and the one I use the most often when you have semi hollow core rope what I do is burn one end to make sure they are stay in place and make a pretty big loop and in that spot where you want to the loop to meet the main rope this what I do is untwist or push it together to compressed which it will open up the centre opening and push the rope in quite a bit way once you get it in place and just pull it out and it will lock in together.
> 
> With that set up it almost impossible to have that come apart.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


That's right....I had forgotten about that one. There's a fellow from Washington State that Invented a slick little tool to do that with. I think his name is Brion Toss. 

He was a rigger from Port Townsend I believe. We watched him demonstrate all sorts of different knots many years ago.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Hey Jim! You have 900 posts!! :thumbup:


Now here's the deal...how quickly can you get to 1,000? :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I think it is just over 1700 square feet. But I believe I only took that from one of the original plan drawings. As built, it may be different. I suppose I should figure it out one day.


Buddy, your home is almost twice the size as ours is (heated). We are empty nesters so we just don't need much room, easier on the shoctrisity and water bill. You have a really nice size home, that is the size most folks want to buy.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Hey Jim! You have 900 posts!! :thumbup:


Thank you, thank you very much (my Elvis imitation) just call me ole rubber lips Jim.:laughing::laughing: Come to think about it, I went to the same school Elvis did and had the same English teacher, didn't do me any good though.:no:


----------



## frenchelectrican

The second strongest splices I do make from time to time is Western Union splice you can use either rope even cable if they are flexiable engough and when you get this done right it almost impossible to see the spice come apart and I have used few time in Marine useage.

As far for the number of posting IDK how fast if that person want to reach the goal.

I allready have over 15,000 posing in one of the French fourm { don't ask me how many keyboard I went thru on this one :laughing: }

Merci.
Marc


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Now here's the deal...how quickly can you get to 1,000? :thumbsup:


Keith, I am nowhere as good as you are at estimating, I guess I could count back to post #800 and find out.:whistling2::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thank you, thank you very much (my Elvis imitation) just call me ole rubber lips Jim.:laughing::laughing: Come to think about it, I went to the same school Elvis did and had the same English teacher, didn't do me any good though.:no:


Didn't do him much good either! :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Didn't do him much good either! :laughing:


Now that's funny as the dickens right there.:laughing::laughing:


----------



## brons2

cocobolo said:


> Looking out the opposite side towards Yellow Point and Tillicum, you can see the snow line coming down the mountains, It was 2ºC here this morning.
> 
> Since I took the shot the wind has got up, clouds rolled in and it's raining.


how high are those mountains? Just curious.

Down in Western Oregon where I am from originally, they are yapping about cold weather also and snow levels down near the Willamette valley floor. Meanwhile here in Austin we are expecting around 78-80F this weekend


----------



## cocobolo

brons2 said:


> how high are those mountains? Just curious.
> 
> Down in Western Oregon where I am from originally, they are yapping about cold weather also and snow levels down near the Willamette valley floor. Meanwhile here in Austin we are expecting around 78-80F this weekend


I have a selection of mountains here for you to pick from....

A local favorite is Mt. Benson which has road access to the top and is used for hiking...it's just a bump in the ground at 3,356 feet.

Mt. Juliet, 5,335, Marble mountain, 5,778, Crown mountain, 6,056, Mt. Phillips, 5,650, Mt. Russell, 5,715, King's Peak, 6,775, Mt. Abel, 5,978, Mt. Adam, 5,673, Mt. Mitchell, 6,043, Mt. Washington, which is a well developed ski area where the 2010 winter olympic skiers did their training is 5,217, Mt. Victoria, 7,096, Mt. Elliott, 5,108, Mt. Cobb, 6,660 and the grand daddy of them all is Mt. Golden Hinde at 7,207 feet.


----------



## cocobolo

...and by the way, anyone who is unkind enough to mention temperatures anywhere near 80ºF while we are about to get dumped on with the white stuff should be shot, hung, drawn and quartered...not necessarily in that order. :no:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> ...and by the way, anyone who is unkind enough to mention temperatures anywhere near 80ºF while we are about to get dumped on with the white stuff should be shot, hung, drawn and quartered...not necessarily in that order. :no:


:laughing:...:yes: 

We're getting dumped on with s...s...s...sn...sno...snow next Thursday (turkey day), or so they're telling us. So I'll have to agree with you and I think you have it in the right order.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :laughing:...:yes:
> 
> We're getting dumped on with s...s...s...sn...sno...snow next Thursday (turkey day), or so they're telling us. So I'll have to agree with you and I think you have it in the right order.


I just checked on Accuweather...and the snow is due here in less than two hours. 

Gotta go and make sure the wood box is filled right up at the cabin.


----------



## jlhaslip

We have nearly a foot on the ground and looking for more in the next few days.
The Ski Hill needs it.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> We have nearly a foot on the ground and looking for more in the next few days.
> The Ski Hill needs it.


Don't worry...I think you have plenty on the way. 

There's an Arctic air mass moving down and as soon as this next storm gets over to your way the ski hill will be loving it.

What are your temperatures getting up to in the daytime now?


----------



## jlhaslip

-9C as we speak. Might get a few degrees warmer closer to 4 o'clock or so, before the sun goes down behind the hill.


----------



## cocobolo

As the big cleanup progresses upstairs, and as the wood becomes available, I am making the window sills for the master bedroom. These are of arbutus, and I'm just hoping that there will be enough to do all ten of the sills.

No...it's not an optical illusion...they are curved. Lord knows, I've tried to make my saw cut straight and it just won't have anything to do with it! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> -9C as we speak. Might get a few degrees warmer closer to 4 o'clock or so, before the sun goes down behind the hill.


I guess I'd better quit whining about our +2ºC right now then. :huh:

But at least your cold is a drier cold isn't it? I remember thinking when I lived in the Yukon, than 0ºF wasn't even that cold. But it was so very dry up there, almost desert like conditions. As soon as you get to the coast it gets into the old bones much quicker.


----------



## jlhaslip

Yes, but not as dry as -40C in Alberta... :lol:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I have a selection of mountains here for you to pick from....
> 
> A local favorite is Mt. Benson which has road access to the top and is used for hiking...it's just a bump in the ground at 3,356 feet.
> 
> Mt. Juliet, 5,335, Marble mountain, 5,778, Crown mountain, 6,056, Mt. Phillips, 5,650, Mt. Russell, 5,715, King's Peak, 6,775, Mt. Abel, 5,978, Mt. Adam, 5,673, Mt. Mitchell, 6,043, Mt. Washington, which is a well developed ski area where the 2010 winter olympic skiers did their training is 5,217, Mt. Victoria, 7,096, Mt. Elliott, 5,108, Mt. Cobb, 6,660 and the grand daddy of them all is Mt. Golden Hinde at 7,207 feet.


Well so much for calling our mountains, mountains, I don't know how tall ours are but they aren't as tall as any of those. But our bumps are pretty, uh kinda, maybe, now I ain't sure anymore, I feel crushed.:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> As the big cleanup progresses upstairs, and as the wood becomes available, I am making the window sills for the master bedroom. These are of arbutus, and I'm just hoping that there will be enough to do all ten of the sills.
> 
> No...it's not an optical illusion...they are curved. Lord knows, I've tried to make my saw cut straight and it just won't have anything to do with it! :laughing:


Buddy, you can't make yourself do anything simple can you?:no: They are beautiful though Keith, they go with the rest of your fantastic home. Maybe you need to have a long talk with your saw but it probably wouldn't do any good.:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> We have nearly a foot on the ground and looking for more in the next few days.
> The Ski Hill needs it.


Do you ever get use to all that snow? Got a question, at -40°C would that = 14.4°F? Any way you slice it, that is cold.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> ...and by the way, anyone who is unkind enough to mention temperatures anywhere near 80ºF while we are about to get dumped on with the white stuff should be shot, hung, drawn and quartered...not necessarily in that order. :no:


I'm not going to tell you what the temps are here, I am just going to ask you, did you know it was 63°F here right now?:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Do you ever get use to all that snow? Got a question, at -40°C would that = 14.4°F? Any way you slice it, that is cold.


Not quite Jim:

-40 is -40 no matter which one you pick. 

If you take 40ºC at 1.8 x 40 that equals 72ºF. Now, if you take the 72º away from 32º F, you would get -40ºF, which is the same as -40ºC. :yes:

Either way it's damn cold. Just ask jl, he'll tell you! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, you can't make yourself do anything simple can you?:no: They are beautiful though Keith, they go with the rest of your fantastic home. Maybe you need to have a long talk with your saw but it probably wouldn't do any good.:laughing:


I tried that Jim...even put it in the corner all by itself for mis-behaving. Still didn't do any good. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Well so much for calling our mountains, mountains, I don't know how tall ours are but they aren't as tall as any of those. But our bumps are pretty, uh kinda, maybe, now I ain't sure anymore, I feel crushed.:laughing:


We should get jl to give us a few mountain heights up his way. His mountains make these look like kiddie runs for toboggans.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I'm not going to tell you what the temps are here, I am just going to ask you, did you know it was 63°F here right now?:whistling2:


It's 82.4ºF in Mazatlan right now, and it's only 64.4 in Sydney Australia.

We won't see that until next summer...unless I take an awfully long drive.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Not quite Jim:
> 
> -40 is -40 no matter which one you pick.
> 
> If you take 40ºC at 1.8 x 40 that equals 72ºF. Now, if you take the 72º away from 32º F, you would get -40ºF, which is the same as -40ºC. :yes:
> 
> Either way it's damn cold. Just ask jl, he'll tell you! :laughing:


Wow, let me think about that for a while, I am really confused. OK 0°C= 32°F, right? -1°c would be 1.8 degrees F less than 32°F right?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, let me think about that for a while, I am really confused. OK 0°C= 32°F, right? -1°c would be 1.8 degrees F less than 32°F right?


Right.


----------



## jlhaslip

There are a bunch of hills around here that are in the 8200 ft class, which may seem tall, but the real value is in the 'closeness' of those hills.
They appear close enough to reach out and touch in spots. And the valley is quite tight, so the slopes are very steep in spots.
And the town site is at about 2500 ft elevation, so the vertical difference isn't all that it seems to be in spots.

Yes, it is gorgeous. I'll try to get a few pictures next time I'm outside.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> There are a bunch of hills around here that are in the 8200 ft class, which may seem tall, but the real value is in the 'closeness' of those hills.
> They appear close enough to reach out and touch in spots. And the valley is quite tight, so the slopes are very steep in spots.
> And the town site is at about 2500 ft elevation, so the vertical difference isn't all that it seems to be in spots.
> 
> Yes, it is gorgeous. I'll try to get a few pictures next time I'm outside.


Excellent...thanks! :thumbsup:


----------



## scoggy

*Centigrade to Fahrenheit conversions*

Jim, you can figure the difference by doing Celsius to F: 9/5 current Celsius temp + 32, to get Fahrenheit equivalent, or inveresely, 5/9 current Fahreheit temp - 32, or you can do the "Canadian Cheat" method to find F from C, double C, and add 30. Sorry 35 years as a high school teacher, takes awhile to wear off =====8^)
Cheers
Scoggy:yes::wink:


----------



## cocobolo

Scoggy:

The snow started to lay here about 1/2 an hour ago...you got much over your way yet?


----------



## scoggy

*Yup, snow is here!*

Keith, snow started about 6:15, and since we are at the 700 foot level (notice I said foot), it is heavy! SWMBO, is going to take 'Yota 4x4 pu to work at hospital in Nanaimo tomorrow at 6:30, and I already put hubs in and transfer case in 4 high for her so all she has to do is drive, and me, well, I am going to be the "Devil's Advocate", and drive the Matrix down to Victoria tomorrow early to pick up youngest daughter and her Fiance, so hope it doesn't turn into a 'whiteknuckler'! But I think I did learn some things from 10 years in the far North,..I just hope I can remember some of it, but if not, watch for me on the 6 o'clock news ==8^)
Cheers
Scoggy:wink::wink::wink:


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> There are a bunch of hills around here that are in the 8200 ft class, which may seem tall, but the real value is in the 'closeness' of those hills.
> They appear close enough to reach out and touch in spots. And the valley is quite tight, so the slopes are very steep in spots.
> And the town site is at about 2500 ft elevation, so the vertical difference isn't all that it seems to be in spots.
> 
> Yes, it is gorgeous. I'll try to get a few pictures next time I'm outside.


Yep, we got bumps here for sure. I sure would love to see some pictures of your mountains. Thanks jl


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, snow started about 6:15, and since we are at the 700 foot level (notice I said foot), it is heavy! SWMBO, is going to take 'Yota 4x4 pu to work at hospital in Nanaimo tomorrow at 6:30, and I already put hubs in and transfer case in 4 high for her so all she has to do is drive, and me, well, I am going to be the "Devil's Advocate", and drive the Matrix down to Victoria tomorrow early to pick up youngest daughter and her Fiance, so hope it doesn't turn into a 'whiteknuckler'! But I think I did learn some things from 10 years in the far North,..I just hope I can remember some of it, but if not, watch for me on the 6 o'clock news ==8^)
> Cheers
> Scoggy:wink::wink::wink:


Hey...if we see you on the 6 o'clock news...it better be good! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Jim, you can figure the difference by doing Celsius to F: 9/5 current Celsius temp + 32, to get Fahrenheit equivalent, or inveresely, 5/9 current Fahreheit temp - 32, or you can do the "Canadian Cheat" method to find F from C, double C, and add 30. Sorry 35 years as a high school teacher, takes awhile to wear off =====8^)
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes::wink:


Scoggy, forgive me, I am thick. On the "Canadian Cheat" method could you give me an example of +C and -C. I'm fixin to put a F to C chart on my desk top so I won't have to figure all this everytime ya'll say it is -__°C. I wish we had learned the C instead of the F method as it just makes more sense. When I was manufacturing we used the metric measurement and it was so much simpler to use.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Scoggy, forgive me, I am thick. On the "Canadian Cheat" method could you give me an example of +C and -C. I'm fixin to put a F to C chart on my desk top so I won't have to figure all this everytime ya'll say it is -__°C. I wish we had learned the C instead of the F method as it just makes more sense. When I was manufacturing we used the metric measurement and it was so much simpler to use.


Jim:
If you like I can take a photo of my thermometer outside (tomorrow)...it has both on it.

Or I can make you up a chart. There must be something on the web.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim:
> If you like I can take a photo of my thermometer outside (tomorrow)...it has both on it.
> 
> Or I can make you up a chart. There must be something on the web.


Man I'm loosin my grip, I went to hit post and deleted the post. Keith I appreciate your offer but I found a chart and have it saved. By the way buddy, congratulations on busting post # 4,000 on the board.:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Last night after I couldn't hear the rain pounding down on the roof, I figured it must have turned to snow. Oh yeah!!

So I decided to take the camera back to the cabin just in case it was really bad when I got up this morning.

By midnight, I could see that all the trees were totally covered in a heavy blanket of snow...but this morning it had obviously warmed up a lot, because most of the trees were bare.

I took this one heading back to the cabin last night, and it was well before 9:30.


----------



## cocobolo

It was a bit baffling this morning, because the temperature is still diddey squat, yet the snow appears to be melting, the gutters are running with water and the snow is very wet and heavy.

I know you have this all figured out now Jim, but just in case...


----------



## cocobolo

It has been nearly six years since we had the big snow damage on the island. But judging by the small trees and shrubs right here this morning, I am expecting that we are not alone.

Here is a small cedar - maybe 15' tall - by the bridge on the walkway. The melting snow has turned to ice and has pushed it right over. I tried to knock the bulk of the ice off, so now we will just have to wait and see if it survives or not.


----------



## cocobolo

Up by the herb garden, the missus has - had - a forsythia bush. Two of the biggest branches are broken completely off. 

Perhaps if it gets a good pruning it might make it.


----------



## cocobolo

You should be able to see Vancouver Island beyond the snow bank...you should, but...


----------



## cocobolo

The bay looks decidedly bleak this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

This tree - which looks really nice in the springtime when all the leaves are out - has bitten the dust, or should I say snow. Broken right off at ground level.

It has a mate a few feet to the left which is leaning seriously, but hasn't gone right over. I hope that one makes it.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks as though there may be more damage in the Japanese garden. All the bamboos are flattened, but I expect they will survive OK.

In their native land, big snowfalls are not uncommon plus they are very flexible. As soon as the snow melts I will do a thorough survey, and perhaps drive some stakes into the ground and tie up whatever is left.

The Japanese Tanyosho pines seem to be OK. In Japan, they rig up special supports for these trees in wintertime to avoid any of the branches getting broken by the snow.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It was a bit baffling this morning, because the temperature is still diddey squat, yet the snow appears to be melting, the gutters are running with water and the snow is very wet and heavy.
> 
> I know you have this all figured out now Jim, but just in case...


If I can find one of these I will buy it and put it above my PC, I like that.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You should be able to see Vancouver Island beyond the snow bank...you should, but...


Wow, that is so pretty but now I am freezing and here it is 63°F. I know you are frozen, you need to go back inside and warm your feet by that wonderful wood heat. I love all the pictures but the one especially of the bay I really like, do you mind if I save that one, I may use it as my new desktop background if you don't mind.

I hate that so many of your plants were damaged, that was a lot of hard work. My guess is the soil on your island is so rich the plants and trees grow so fast they haven't had a chance to get thick stems and trunks. Well, that is just a guess.

I for one really do appreciate you going out of your warm home to take the pictures so we can see them, thanks buddy.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, that is so pretty but now I am freezing and here it is 63°F.


:laughing::laughing::laughing: I don't know why this made me laugh so hard. 

Keith, thanks for taking the time to take these pictures and for posting them. The snow is pretty, but I'm sorry it caused so much damage.

We had a heavy snow like that one time that took huge limbs off several of the trees in our yard and the entire town looked like a bomb went off. It was a wet, heavy snow and any trees that still had leaves on them were damaged.

In the picture in post #4016, was the tree that's second from the left always leaning like that? Jim's right, that is a pretty picture.

The forsythia should be alright. They grow back fast.

The structures in the Japanese garden look nice.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, that is so pretty but now I am freezing and here it is 63°F. I know you are frozen, you need to go back inside and warm your feet by that wonderful wood heat. I love all the pictures but the one especially of the bay I really like, do you mind if I save that one, I may use it as my new desktop background if you don't mind.
> 
> I hate that so many of your plants were damaged, that was a lot of hard work. My guess is the soil on your island is so rich the plants and trees grow so fast they haven't had a chance to get thick stems and trunks. Well, that is just a guess.
> 
> I for one really do appreciate you going out of your warm home to take the pictures so we can see them, thanks buddy.


I'll email you the full size photo. The little 100 kb pics don't blow up too well for a desktop.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :laughing::laughing::laughing: I don't know why this made me laugh so hard.
> 
> Keith, thanks for taking the time to take these pictures and for posting them. The snow is pretty, but I'm sorry it caused so much damage.
> 
> We had a heavy snow like that one time that took huge limbs off several of the trees in our yard and the entire town looked like a bomb went off. It was a wet, heavy snow and any trees that still had leaves on them were damaged.
> 
> In the picture in post #4016, was the tree that's second from the left always leaning like that? Jim's right, that is a pretty picture.
> 
> The forsythia should be alright. They grow back fast.
> 
> The structures in the Japanese garden look nice.
> 
> Barb


Yes...that is a huge Douglas fir and it has been like that since before we got here.

But it's only a matter of time before it will go over. Once they get like that they are pretty much done for. Firs like to grow straight up. Even if they grow on the side of a hill, you will see that the bottom of the tree might come out of the ground at an angle, but the tree will very shortly straighten itself out.

Since we have been here I think 4 of these large firs have fallen and landed in the bay. Then we cut them up for firewood.

I have a leaning fir tree growing in the middle of a deck - big mistake - which I should have cut down before I built the deck. I left a 2" space around the tree when I put the deck surface on, but now that is filled up. It needs to go.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the fir you are talking about. Its' roots are right down at the waterline of the ocean. Surprising it has lasted this long.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I'll email you the full size photo. The little 100 kb pics don't blow up too well for a desktop.


Thanks Keith, I really do appreciate the picture a bunch and I appreciate you allowing me to use it as a back ground on my desktop. That picture just gives me a great feeling and I feel like I am right there looking across the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

Just got an email from the new folks at the other end of the island. It seems there are two big trees down by their place - one right across the roadway. So Danny is cutting that one up now. 

That means there will be many others as well.


----------



## cocobolo

I have decided to change the flooring in the master bedroom to solid wood as opposed to the laminate that is down in the guest bedroom.

It looks like I will do the hallway upstairs, which is maybe 90 square feet, and possibly the inside of the closet. The rest I will find some solid T & G flooring instead.

The reason is because the laminate needs to be tipped up at 25º or so to be pushed into place. On some of the blind curves or corners, this just isn't possible. Just as well I found this out on a relatively small floor area.

Live and learn I guess.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I have decided to change the flooring in the master bedroom to solid wood as opposed to the laminate that is down in the guest bedroom.
> 
> It looks like I will do the hallway upstairs, which is maybe 90 square feet, and possibly the inside of the closet. The rest I will find some solid T & G flooring instead.
> 
> The reason is because the laminate needs to be tipped up at 25º or so to be pushed into place. On some of the blind curves or corners, this just isn't possible. Just as well I found this out on a relatively small floor area.
> 
> Live and learn I guess.


What kind of wood flooring are you planning to use? That will be a good change in the master bedroom.

I have been meaning to ask you but can't remember for some reason, have you ever seen any brown cotton? Not dyed but grows brown. I still have some that I grew a couple of years ago. Will cotton grow up your way?


----------



## brons2

cocobolo said:


> ...and by the way, anyone who is unkind enough to mention temperatures anywhere near 80ºF while we are about to get dumped on with the white stuff should be shot, hung, drawn and quartered...not necessarily in that order. :no:


Well since I'm about to be drawn and quartered, I should mention that it's a little past midnight and I have my windows wide open! Current outside ambient is a very pleasant 70F. :whistling2:

Now, come Thanksgiving day we are going to get a shot of that cold air, high temp 54 low temp 32, cold air will arrive sometime during the day on Wednesday. I am going to a football game on Thanksgiving night (Texas vs. Texas A&M) and it will be chilly by our standards.

You have to understand too that it's around 95-100 all summer here, the heat is relentless. But the other 9 months of the year it's usually pretty nice


----------



## tpolk

the forsythia will come back stronger here if you cut it back to the ground. we have black bamboo here at our home with stalks 3/4 to 1-1/4" thick and 30' tall. Heavy snow last year bowed stalks on most, should have cleaned snow off cause they don't bounce back. Cut them this spring and gave to neighbors for trellis material. Day after I cut had new sprouts that were 3' tall in 4days. timothy


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> What kind of wood flooring are you planning to use? That will be a good change in the master bedroom.
> 
> I have been meaning to ask you but can't remember for some reason, have you ever seen any brown cotton? Not dyed but grows brown. I still have some that I grew a couple of years ago. Will cotton grow up your way?


There is a tree here called Cottonwood which grows to a large size. It is considered a junk tree here and is used for papermaking. I haven't heard of it being used for flooring. Perhaps because Maple is so common up here, and that is what is commonly used for floors.


----------



## cocobolo

brons2 said:


> Well since I'm about to be drawn and quartered, I should mention that it's a little past midnight and I have my windows wide open! Current outside ambient is a very pleasant 70F. :whistling2:
> 
> Now, come Thanksgiving day we are going to get a shot of that cold air, high temp 54 low temp 32, cold air will arrive sometime during the day on Wednesday. I am going to a football game on Thanksgiving night (Texas vs. Texas A&M) and it will be chilly by our standards.
> 
> You have to understand too that it's around 95-100 all summer here, the heat is relentless. But the other 9 months of the year it's usually pretty nice


Usually at this time of year our daytime temps are up around 7 to 9ºC, so this is an unusual cold snap for us this early.

In fact yesterday - the 20th - broke snowfall records all over Vancouver Island for that day.

The previous snowfall high for the Nanaimo airport was only 4 cm. That's only just over 1 1/2". Yesterday they officially recorded 24 cm, or about 9.6". There were higher amounts recorded at various other locations.

We often hear about the very high summer temps down in Texas, usually associated with deaths of older folks who can't escape the oppressive heat.


----------



## gma2rjc

Did Ruxton Island get 9" of snow too?


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> the forsythia will come back stronger here if you cut it back to the ground. we have black bamboo here at our home with stalks 3/4 to 1-1/4" thick and 30' tall. Heavy snow last year bowed stalks on most, should have cleaned snow off cause they don't bounce back. Cut them this spring and gave to neighbors for trellis material. Day after I cut had new sprouts that were 3' tall in 4days. timothy


The black bamboo is one of the very few that I don't have here...yet.

I was tempted to buy some from the store up at Coombs a few years ago, but the plants looked to be in such poor shape that I decided otherwise.

You obviously picked the perfect time to cut the bowed bamboo. I have noticed that my bamboo plants here - which are nowhere near that mature - will grow a few inches in one day. I don't have any of the really big growers, as we simply don't have good enough soil to support that kind of growth.

Perhaps when we get back to Vancouver Island I will be in a better position to get some of the larger plants. I think I have about 30 different types here right now, almost all of them the lower growing varieties.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Did Ruxton Island get 9" of snow too?


It's hard to say how much we got. By the time it was daylight, water was running everywhere and the snow pack had obviously diminished.

Judging by the amount of snow on the trees around midnight, I would say there was about 6" in total on the ground.

I expected it to be gone this morning, as it barely got down to below freezing overnight - only about -1/2ºC, but there is still 3" on the ground in the untouched areas.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> There is a tree here called Cottonwood which grows to a large size. It is considered a junk tree here and is used for papermaking. I haven't heard of it being used for flooring. Perhaps because Maple is so common up here, and that is what is commonly used for floors.


Buddy, I may have mislead you talking about your floor then about cotton. I am talking about the cotton that cloths are made out of. 99.99% of cotton is white but I have some brown cotton.

Talking about cottonwood trees, the bark on them is much sought after here buy wood carvers, it sells here for around $10 a pound. Here is a carving I did on cottonwood bark and a picture of the brown cotton.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, I may have mislead you talking about your floor then about cotton. I am talking about the cotton that cloths are made out of. 99.99% of cotton is white but I have some brown cotton.
> 
> Talking about cottonwood trees, the bark on them is much sought after here buy wood carvers, it sells here for around $10 a pound. Here is a carving I did on cottonwood bark and a picture of the brown cotton.


Love the carving!!!! :thumbup:

I have not heard of the cotton plant growing up here. Perhaps it needs a warmer climate than we get...??

If I had paid a bit more attention to what you wrote I might have sent a better reply! :jester:


----------



## Bud Cline

Cottonwood trees are plentiful in this part of the country especially along the river banks. Here too, cottonwood is considered a scamp wood but is routinely harvested for making pallets and cribbing for crane-mats and construction uses. It is a throw-away wood basically. Over time it gets very very hard and in fact has been used for flooring and slat-sub-flooring years ago because of its availability. It doesn't sand well and doesn't really stain well, but it is durable apparently.

Years ago I did some logging with a friend here and cottonwood was the loggers choice because the local saw mills could sell it for utility grade lumber in pallet construction. Most all of the local saw mills have gone away these days so the cottonwoods are being spared.

It takes hundreds of gallons of water to support a single cottonwood tree. This is why they thrive near the rivers I suppose. When we were cutting them it wasn't unusual for water to gush from the saw cuts before you could fell the tree to the ground. The tree would then lay there and drain water in abundance. When cutting in dry weather it was normal to have nothing but mud in the area the trucks were being staged for loading. The interior of a cottonwood tree smells very sweet, it's kind of a pleasant smell to tell you the truth. There is no mistaking the sweet fragrance of a fresh-cut cottonwood tree.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Love the carving!!!! :thumbup:
> 
> I have not heard of the cotton plant growing up here. Perhaps it needs a warmer climate than we get...??
> 
> If I had paid a bit more attention to what you wrote I might have sent a better reply! :jester:


Thanks Keith, that is what cottonwood bark looks like inside and it carves like butter. 

I think I will look and see how long the growing season is for cotton, I think it is about three months, the best I can remember.


----------



## cocobolo

Checked the meter for solar input a few minutes ago, and it was reading in the minus range. Since the only thing running was the computer on idle, that was a bit odd.

Then I remembered that I hadn't even thought about the snow on the panels!

Quick trip to the roof to clear them off...and what to my wondrous does appear but a telescope I use from the roof! Forgot to bring that in as well!

Fortunately it had a plastic cover over it, so no harm done.

Panels are now all cleared off, but the brief appearance of the sun has now vanished.


----------



## ccnvchris

Hi Cocoblo. I'd like to complement you on the beautiful woodwork in your home. Pretty awesome! And an awesome site too. I have a question for you concerning your solar setup. Do you or any of your neighbors use wind generators there? I'm curios for two reasons. Being on the coast I would assume( there's that word. ) that you have more breezy/windy days than calm ones. Is there a consensus on your island about which suits your needs/situation best?

I live on the east side of the Sierra Nevada's. We have plenty of sun and quite a bit of wind. But the mornings are usually calm so I'm leaning toward solar myself. If you get a moment I'd appreciate your insights. Thanks.


----------



## jlhaslip

Found a picture to show the lay of the land around here.

It shows the local ski hill during summer time taken from a location about 1/3 of the way up the opposite side of the valley.


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## cocobolo

ccnvchris said:


> Hi Cocobolo. I'd like to complement you on the beautiful woodwork in your home. Pretty awesome! And an awesome site too. I have a question for you concerning your solar setup. Do you or any of your neighbors use wind generators there? I'm curios for two reasons. Being on the coast I would assume( there's that word. ) that you have more breezy/windy days than calm ones. Is there a consensus on your island about which suits your needs/situation best?
> 
> I live on the east side of the Sierra Nevada's. We have plenty of sun and quite a bit of wind. But the mornings are usually calm so I'm leaning toward solar myself. If you get a moment I'd appreciate your insights. Thanks.


Many thanks for your compliments.

You are quite right about the wind. We typically get north west or south east winds much of the time.

We did try a wind generator here, but the height of the trees on the island did not allow much of the wind to get to the wind genny. A friend of mine at the south end of the island bought the genny from me, and he is right at the top of a high bank in line with the south easterly's, so it works much better for him.

Pretty much everyone here just uses solar panels.

If you are in open country, a wind generator works very well, as it doesn't care whether the sun is shining or not. I think the best system is a combination of both wind and solar.

I would refer you to the Homepower website, which I think is www.homepower.com

There is more information on there than you could digest in a lifetime, well worth your efforts to check it out.


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## cocobolo

Barely two weeks ago, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with a 4cm tumor on his liver. They were going to give him a single chemo shot which was supposed to fix it. Three days ago they said there was nothing they could do for him after all and he only had 3 months to live.

I have just received a phone call that he passed away at 8 o'clock this morning.

Please forgive me, but I will not be posting any more today.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Barely two weeks ago, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with a 4cm tumor on his liver. They were going to give him a single chemo shot which was supposed to fix it. Three days ago they said there was nothing they could do for him after all and he only had 3 months to live.
> 
> I have just received a phone call that he passed away at 8 o'clock this morning.
> 
> Please forgive me, but I will not be posting any more today.


Sorry to hear about that CoCo I really hope all is well and my prayers for you and the family


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Barely two weeks ago, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with a 4cm tumor on his liver. They were going to give him a single chemo shot which was supposed to fix it. Three days ago they said there was nothing they could do for him after all and he only had 3 months to live.
> 
> I have just received a phone call that he passed away at 8 o'clock this morning.
> 
> Please forgive me, but I will not be posting any more today.


Keith, I am so sorry. You and your friend's family will be in our prayers.


----------



## jlhaslip

My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of sorrow.


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## ccnvchris

My condolences Sir.


----------



## scoggy

*Snow amounts*

Keith, Jim, ..over 'up' here, we got 14 inches, and like Keith stated, the underlayers were sopping wet, and a real Bear to shovel, but then later it froze, so was glad I shovelled it when I did! Got about 2 more inches this afternoon, and decided to fire up the downstairs wood stove, so house is all warm and cozy, but the wind is still high! Had to ask city to come and salt hill here, because vehicles going down were spinning 360s, and although fun to watch, not good! Noticed lots of medium sized 'import' trees all broken down on lawns!
Cheers
Scoggy:yes:


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Keith, Jim, ..over 'up' here, we got 14 inches, and like Keith stated, the underlayers were sopping wet, and a real Bear to shovel, but then later it froze, so was glad I shovelled it when I did! Got about 2 more inches this afternoon, and decided to fire up the downstairs wood stove, so house is all warm and cozy, but the wind is still high! Had to ask city to come and salt hill here, because vehicles going down were spinning 360s, and although fun to watch, not good! Noticed lots of medium sized 'import' trees all broken down on lawns!
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes:


What kind of wood do ya'll burn in your heaters up there? Down this way we burn oak, hickory, birch, cherry and some other hardwoods. We don't burn the soft woods unless it is Aromatic Cedar and that stuff pops like there is no tomorrow, you sure don't want to burn it in an open fireplace. If you want to warp the doors and things on your stove burn straight hickory.

If we had snows like ya'll do it would shut the town down. It is pretty but after while it needs to go away.


----------



## jlhaslip

Minus 24 Celcius here this morning. (-11F)
Too cold to be snowing.

I burn Pine and Fir here mostly, but also some Birch and Poplar when they are available.


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> Minus 24 Celcius here this morning. (-11F)
> Too cold to be snowing.
> 
> I burn Pine and Fir here mostly, but also some Birch and Poplar when they are available.


jl, that is some kinda cold buddy, the coldest I have ever been in was -11F back in 1950 in Memphis with 4 inches of ice over everything. That is amazing how it gets so cold where you live and other parts of Canada. I don't know if I could handle the cold like you have or not.

Burning pine, how do you handle the creosote build up? I had one creosote fire and it was unbelievable the sounds it made and the fire balls that rolled off our roof.


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz, Jim, jl, convchris...thank you all for your thoughts.

I am far more concerned for Larry's wife and son - who is still in school. His wife is a cancer survivor, but is sadly confined to a wheelchair for life. To make matters worse, she is literally held together with steel pins.

I shall pass along your messages when the time is right. We are trying to minimize this terrible disruption in her life right now, and my good friend Randy is doing the communicating for everyone.

I thank you most sincerely for your very kind consideration.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, Jim, ..over 'up' here, we got 14 inches, and like Keith stated, the underlayers were sopping wet, and a real Bear to shovel, but then later it froze, so was glad I shovelled it when I did! Got about 2 more inches this afternoon, and decided to fire up the downstairs wood stove, so house is all warm and cozy, but the wind is still high! Had to ask city to come and salt hill here, because vehicles going down were spinning 360s, and although fun to watch, not good! Noticed lots of medium sized 'import' trees all broken down on lawns!
> Cheers
> Scoggy:yes:


I didn't think you would be getting that much of the wind last night.

I had the weather channel on for a short while, and finally saw one of their warning screens come up. It was for the 70-80 k winds gusting to 100 k's over the next few hours - and we were smack in the middle of the warning area!

It was definitely brutal last night. North easterly which howled for hours. I'm really glad I got the safety line in on the sailboat mooring, otherwise it would have been on the beach for sure this morning.

The new neighbour at the south end of the island called this morning with 100 questions about moorings! It seems one of his two boats got off the mooring last night. Somehow or other it managed to blow up on the beach in Whaleboat passage before it got too far. Very lucky.

It turns out that he doesn't know how to tie the requisite marine knots, or do a splice. He's on his way down to learn these things!


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Minus 24 Celcius here this morning. (-11F)
> Too cold to be snowing.
> 
> I burn Pine and Fir here mostly, but also some Birch and Poplar when they are available.


Evidently it was only -18ºC with the wind chill last night here. At least that's what it was over in Nanaimo. I have a hunch the wind chill was colder than that right here, as we were in the middle of the storm.

The temperature has warmed up to a balmy -5ºC now and the sun is desperately trying to come out...still lots of cloud around though.

The wind was strong enough that it broke my thermometer off the pole it was attached to. Snapped the top right off.

We try to get arbutus wood to burn here, but it's getting to be very hard to find now. So I am relegated to driftwood...which might be hemlock, fir, even cedar, which is really only good for kindling. Occasionally we will get an alder if one comes down. That's nice firewood.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> jl, that is some kinda cold buddy, the coldest I have ever been in was -11F back in 1950 in Memphis with 4 inches of ice over everything. That is amazing how it gets so cold where you live and other parts of Canada. I don't know if I could handle the cold like you have or not.
> 
> Burning pine, how do you handle the creosote build up? I had one creosote fire and it was unbelievable the sounds it made and the fire balls that rolled off our roof.


Jim. Almost any green wood will cause a creosote buildup. Once it has seasoned it is usually OK. But the trick to keeping creosote buildup to almost nothing is to burn a very hot fire at least once every day. If you run a wood stove shut down all the time (very little air coming in) you will get a creosote buildup no matter what you are burning.


----------



## gma2rjc

Can you cut up the wood from fallen trees that are on other people's property? Like the people who are only there in the summer? 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Can you cut up the wood from fallen trees that are on other people's property? Like the people who are only there in the summer?
> 
> Barb


As long as you have their permission.


----------



## gma2rjc

It seems like you'd be doing them a favor. Who wants to get there to relax and enjoy themselves and find a big tree laying across their yard?

I can understand getting permission though. Is there a way to contact people when they're not there for the season?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim. Almost any green wood will cause a creosote buildup. Once it has seasoned it is usually OK. But the trick to keeping creosote buildup to almost nothing is to burn a very hot fire at least once every day. If you run a wood stove shut down all the time (very little air coming in) you will get a creosote buildup no matter what you are burning.


Keith, when I was heating with wood I did try my best to get seasoned wood.

So pine will be fine as long as it is dry? I was always afraid to burn pine dry or not. Down this way no one will buy pine to burn. About how many cords do you burn a year?


----------



## biggidybankston

Wow...its taken me some time, but I just finished reading all the way through this thread. This is by far the most interesting thread on the forum, as well as the most interesting DIY I've ever heard of. The design is gorgeous, and the execution and craftsmanship are simply astounding. On top of it all, the unique challenge of the location makes it unbelievable. Coco, you are an inspiration to us all. Your work here has really challenged me to turn it up a notch on my own projects, and I can't begin to describe how much I've learned from the glimpse of your work that I've seen.

Thank you!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It seems like you'd be doing them a favor. Who wants to get there to relax and enjoy themselves and find a big tree laying across their yard?
> 
> I can understand getting permission though. Is there a way to contact people when they're not there for the season?


Most people here are well aware of the risk of falling trees. Plus, they usually will cut up any such deadfalls for their own firewood.

Even summertime visitors - of which there are quite a few - like to sit around the fire at night.

I only know of one cabin here which does not have a wood stove, and they heat with propane. It strikes me that bringing propane tanks over is about as much work and nowhere near as much fun as chopping your own wood.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, when I was heating with wood I did try my best to get seasoned wood.
> 
> So pine will be fine as long as it is dry? I was always afraid to burn pine dry or not. Down this way no one will buy pine to burn. About how many cords do you burn a year?


We don't have pine on this island, so I cannot give you any personal experience about burning it.

But up in the interior of B.C. a neighbour two lots away from us has had a family cabin for many years. I understand that they had a huge stand of pine on their acreage, but it got infested with the pine beetle. 

It was cut down and much of it was burned for firewood. So, I can only assume it is OK for that, I just don't think it makes a lot of heat - which is true of most of the softer softwoods.

Douglas fir is a harder softwood and makes pretty good heat. Hemlock doesn't seem to make nearly as much heat, even though the wood itself seems to be reasonably hard.

We get through around 3 cords or so each winter. It might be a bit more when we are in the new house, as there are two wood stoves in there.


----------



## cocobolo

biggidybankston said:


> Wow...its taken me some time, but I just finished reading all the way through this thread. This is by far the most interesting thread on the forum, as well as the most interesting DIY I've ever heard of. The design is gorgeous, and the execution and craftsmanship are simply astounding. On top of it all, the unique challenge of the location makes it unbelievable. Coco, you are an inspiration to us all. Your work here has really challenged me to turn it up a notch on my own projects, and I can't begin to describe how much I've learned from the glimpse of your work that I've seen.
> 
> Thank you!


Au contraire my friend, thank _you_!

Anyone who makes it through all this stuff needs a medal - at the very least!

Maybe I can ask you for a small favor...could you mail us up a box of that good Atlanta heat? It's still freezing here!

If there is anything that you might like to know, please feel free to ask...and many thanks again for your very kind comments.

Thanks for visiting!


----------



## biggidybankston

cocobolo said:


> Maybe I can ask you for a small favor...could you mail us up a box of that good Atlanta heat? It's still freezing here!


Well okay...but only if you take this nasty wetness with it, and it also comes with burning Augusts with 301% humidity.

When I got up this morning, the weather guessers indicated that it would be clear today. And since there were blue skys above, I left the dogs outside. The wife-unit called around 4:30 having just gotten home in the pouring down rain to raise ever-loving....love for having two hounds soaked to the bone. Guess I'll be bathing dogs when I get home...

Not much rain here...just drab-and-dreary-keep-the-customers-away weather.I'm actually a bit envious of you, snuggled up in that cabin by the wood stove.

One matter of curiosity: I've heard you mention Whitehorse a few times, how far are you from there? My grandmother and uncle began a canoe trip down the Yukon river from there in the summer.


----------



## cocobolo

biggidybankston said:


> Well okay...but only if you take this nasty wetness with it, and it also comes with burning Augusts with 301% humidity.
> 
> When I got up this morning, the weather guessers indicated that it would be clear today. And since there were blue skys above, I left the dogs outside. The wife-unit called around 4:30 having just gotten home in the pouring down rain to raise ever-loving....love for having two hounds soaked to the bone. Guess I'll be bathing dogs when I get home...
> 
> Not much rain here...just drab-and-dreary-keep-the-customers-away weather.I'm actually a bit envious of you, snuggled up in that cabin by the wood stove.
> 
> One matter of curiosity: I've heard you mention Whitehorse a few times, how far are you from there? My grandmother and uncle began a canoe trip down the Yukon river from there in the summer.


I think the road distance from here to Whitehorse would be somewhere around 1,750 miles. Tack on a few more miles to get across the water first.

Did they survive the canoe trip?


----------



## biggidybankston

cocobolo said:


> Did they survive the canoe trip?


I see, not so close after all. Yes, they made it down the 2,500 or so miles of the river to the Bering Sea after a bit over 3 months I think it was. I think the canoe trip was less adventurous than the car trip to Whitehorse to begin the silly thing. The canoe proved to be more reliable transportation!


----------



## cocobolo

biggidybankston said:


> I see, not so close after all. Yes, they made it down the 2,500 or so miles of the river to the Bering Sea after a bit over 3 months I think it was. I think the canoe trip was less adventurous than the car trip to Whitehorse to begin the silly thing. The canoe proved to be more reliable transportation!


I have to say that the Alaska Highway, which starts at Dawson Creek in B.C and goes all the way up to Fairbanks is notoriously hard on vehicles.

Decades ago, a witty poet wrote the following about this highway...

Winding in and winding out
Fills my mind with serious doubt
As to whether the (blank) who built this road
Was going to hell or coming out.

You get to fill in your own word for the blank.


----------



## jlhaslip

jiju1943 said:


> Burning pine, how do you handle the creosote build up? I had one creosote fire and it was unbelievable the sounds it made and the fire balls that rolled off our roof.


Like Cocobolo reported, the fire needs to really flame up once a day. I have some smaller sized stuff that I fill the firebox with in the morning to get a flash fire going and then throttle it back for the rest of the day. I buy a mixed lot of wood from a firewood guy that gives me a balanced load of about 50/50 pine/fir and I glean other stuff from the neighbourhood, like poplar/ash/birch to blend in. I use the pine when I am at home, like tonight, and the fir when I am not home, during work for example. Usually throw one of the odd-ball pieces into the stove with the bulk of the load being pine/fir. 

Earlier in the season, I fire up that small stuff once in the morning and once again in the evening with no wood added in between, so the house stays warm with only those two instances of heat per day.

Of course, today it took a few 'fills' to keep the house up to temperature, and a darned good sweater to boot. :yes:

One more day of these -20 temperatures and then by next week it will be milder, meaning right around freezing for the high of the day.

And I sweep the chimney once a month to avoid those chimney fires which can be devastating. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> Like Cocobolo reported, the fire needs to really flame up once a day. I have some smaller sized stuff that I fill the firebox with in the morning to get a flash fire going and then throttle it back for the rest of the day. I buy a mixed lot of wood from a firewood guy that gives me a balanced load of about 50/50 pine/fir and I glean other stuff from the neighbourhood, like poplar/ash/birch to blend in. I use the pine when I am at home, like tonight, and the fir when I am not home, during work for example. Usually throw one of the odd-ball pieces into the stove with the bulk of the load being pine/fir.
> 
> Earlier in the season, I fire up that small stuff once in the morning and once again in the evening with no wood added in between, so the house stays warm with only those two instances of heat per day.
> 
> Of course, today it took a few 'fills' to keep the house up to temperature, and a darned good sweater to boot. :yes:
> 
> One more day of these -20 temperatures and then by next week it will be milder, meaning right around freezing for the high of the day.
> 
> And I sweep the chimney once a month to avoid those chimney fires which can be devastating. :whistling2:


Those crazy meteorological prognosticators are threatening us with some warmer temps as well, but it's still going to be Thursday before we see 0º again. It did make it to -3ºC this afternoon.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> We don't have pine on this island, so I cannot give you any personal experience about burning it.
> 
> But up in the interior of B.C. a neighbour two lots away from us has had a family cabin for many years. I understand that they had a huge stand of pine on their acreage, but it got infested with the pine beetle.
> 
> It was cut down and much of it was burned for firewood. So, I can only assume it is OK for that, I just don't think it makes a lot of heat - which is true of most of the softer softwoods.
> 
> Douglas fir is a harder softwood and makes pretty good heat. Hemlock doesn't seem to make nearly as much heat, even though the wood itself seems to be reasonably hard.
> 
> We get through around 3 cords or so each winter. It might be a bit more when we are in the new house, as there are two wood stoves in there.


Buddy, I was expecting you to say 5 or 6 cords at least, when I was heating with wood we used 4 or so each winter and we had one of the heaters that we could load up at night and it would still be burning the next morning. Man I hated to clean the ashes out and have to go outside on a morning it had rained and the wood would be froze together. I miss the wood heat but I sure don't miss fooling with the wood and ashes.


----------



## BigJim

jlhaslip said:


> Like Cocobolo reported, the fire needs to really flame up once a day. I have some smaller sized stuff that I fill the firebox with in the morning to get a flash fire going and then throttle it back for the rest of the day. I buy a mixed lot of wood from a firewood guy that gives me a balanced load of about 50/50 pine/fir and I glean other stuff from the neighbourhood, like poplar/ash/birch to blend in. I use the pine when I am at home, like tonight, and the fir when I am not home, during work for example. Usually throw one of the odd-ball pieces into the stove with the bulk of the load being pine/fir.
> 
> Earlier in the season, I fire up that small stuff once in the morning and once again in the evening with no wood added in between, so the house stays warm with only those two instances of heat per day.
> 
> Of course, today it took a few 'fills' to keep the house up to temperature, and a darned good sweater to boot. :yes:
> 
> One more day of these -20 temperatures and then by next week it will be milder, meaning right around freezing for the high of the day.
> 
> And I sweep the chimney once a month to avoid those chimney fires which can be devastating. :whistling2:


My stars jl, I don't see how you handle the cold like that, I would never go outside. Ya'll must have some really good heaters up your way. I do keep forgetting that ya'll wood is a lot different than our wood down here. I bet your pine and ash and trees are much harder wood than hours down here because of the growing season is shorter than ours is. Sometimes in the winter the sap runs out of the maples out front as it gets that warm now days.

Back when I was a kid my mom cooked with ash cut about 1 1/4X 1 1/4X 8 or 10 inches long the best I remember. It burned fast and hot and not a lot of ash. Back then all we had was a fireplace and it was coooold in them days and you could see the chickens under the house through the floor, that was cold for sure.


----------



## frenchelectrican

One of my old house I used have in couple spots and I have wood stove and normally I burn super hard wood like oak , elm few other hard spices they last pretty long time and I go thru about 6 to 8 cord worth of wood in a season with my wood stove and I rigged up a auger to remove ashes so I don't really have to wait for serious cool down I do that once a month to take a quick peek and clean out the chamber.

For the smokestack I have stainless steel liner the way I clean it out by injecting diesel fuel in the burner chamber { a modifed oil burner gun } and run that for a while to clean out all the gunk } once a day sometime other days depending on how hard I fire up the wood stove.

Of course I have tempture gauge on the stack to see how well I fire up woodstove and they seems happy when I keep the stack in 400°F range the only time it will be out of the scale when I fire up the diesel gun the tempture gauge will spike to near 850°F and leave it there for few minutes that useally burn up any resduies in stack.

{ it will be the same way if you ran the gaz motor in dark and see the spark come out of the exhaust pipe :whistling2: }

Merci.
Marc


----------



## BigJim

biggidybankston, back in the mid 60's I lived out in Chamblee. You are just down the road from us now. It is good to have you with us.


----------



## BigJim

frenchelectrican said:


> One of my old house I used have in couple spots and I have wood stove and normally I burn super hard wood like oak , elm few other hard spices they last pretty long time and I go thru about 6 to 8 cord worth of wood in a season with my wood stove and I rigged up a auger to remove ashes so I don't really have to wait for serious cool down I do that once a month to take a quick peek and clean out the chamber.
> 
> For the smokestack I have stainless steel liner the way I clean it out by injecting diesel fuel in the burner chamber { a modifed oil burner gun } and run that for a while to clean out all the gunk } once a day sometime other days depending on how hard I fire up the wood stove.
> 
> Of course I have tempture gauge on the stack to see how well I fire up woodstove and they seems happy when I keep the stack in 400°F range the only time it will be out of the scale when I fire up the diesel gun the tempture gauge will spike to near 850°F and leave it there for few minutes that useally burn up any resduies in stack.
> 
> { it will be the same way if you ran the gaz motor in dark and see the spark come out of the exhaust pipe :whistling2: }
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Talking about your chimney reminds me of when I built our chimney back in the 80s. I was never good at laying brick because I hated repetition and I would want to hurry up. I was through the roof and up about 2 or 3 feet and the chimney started to get out of plumb a little. I thought, no one can see the chimney here so I just stepped the chimney over about an inch and plumbed it back up and finished the chimney the rest of the way. It drew good but when I drove up and looked up there at the chimney the first thing I saw was the offset in the chimney, man what a mess but I just left it like that, it is still there and working.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, I was expecting you to say 5 or 6 cords at least, when I was heating with wood we used 4 or so each winter and we had one of the heaters that we could load up at night and it would still be burning the next morning. Man I hated to clean the ashes out and have to go outside on a morning it had rained and the wood would be froze together. I miss the wood heat but I sure don't miss fooling with the wood and ashes.


The reason we don't burn much is because the cabin is only 432 square feet downstairs and 352 up, for a total of 784. Not much area to heat and it warms up very quickly. The house is way bigger than that, but it is far better insulated and seems to hold the heat better once it is warm. 

It will be interesting to see just how much it takes next winter...if we are still here that is.


----------



## biggidybankston

jiju1943 said:


> biggidybankston, back in the mid 60's I lived out in Chamblee. You are just down the road from us now. It is good to have you with us.


Wow...small world, I actually work in Chamblee. One of the dealerships on Peachtree Industrial. Incidentally, both my dad and grandfather retired from GM at the assembly plant (now closed) in Doraville. So I guess we've always been nearby, but I don't live close. I'm west of Dallas (thats Dallas, GA not TX) which is still kinda out in the stix.

I'm jealous of you though. Tennessee is my favorite place to be within driving distance. Probably not nearly as beautiful as Coco's island there, but in my opinion "Greenest state in the land of the free..." We like to trek up to Gatlinburg 3 or 4 times a year (or 5 or 6....) Some day, probably in the very distant future, I hope to build a cabin somewhere in Sevier County.

Anyway, back to Coco's place...is the snow still lingering?


----------



## cocobolo

Still snowing here this morning. It doesn't look as though this snow (now turned to very solid ice) will be going until we get a good rainfall. Maybe on Friday or Saturday.


----------



## gma2rjc

Yuck. Sorry to hear that. Ice is far worse than snow. This is the 6th day of this storm, isn't it?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Yuck. Sorry to hear that. Ice is far worse than snow. This is the 6th day of this storm, isn't it?


Not sure...I don't think I can count that high...


----------



## househugger

I opened up this thread and with one of the first pictures I saw I thought, 'that looks like Herring Bay.' And sure enough it was.

I've breezed through some pictures and am flabberghasted with your work. It's truly incredible especially when you consider the lack of resources on your tiny little island. I love your sence of style -all those curves! What a challenge. 

Next time we get out on the water we'll have to sail on by your house, maybe drop anchor at Herring Bay. We once considered building on Gabriola Island but instead bought land on Vancouver island. I am certainly not as resourceful as you, nor as ambitious.

P.S. I'm looking out the window waiting for the snow to fall. It's far too cold.


----------



## cocobolo

househugger said:


> I opened up this thread and with one of the first pictures I saw I thought, 'that looks like Herring Bay.' And sure enough it was.
> 
> I've breezed through some pictures and am flabberghasted with your work. It's truly incredible especially when you consider the lack of resources on your tiny little island. I love your sence of style -all those curves! What a challenge.
> 
> Next time we get out on the water we'll have to sail on by your house, maybe drop anchor at Herring Bay. We once considered building on Gabriola Island but instead bought land on Vancouver island. I am certainly not as resourceful as you, nor as ambitious.
> 
> P.S. I'm looking out the window waiting for the snow to fall. It's far too cold.


Hey, hey, hey...welcome to Herring Bay!

By all means come for a visit. Are you on Vancouver island now?

Yes, the snow is due anytime tonight and much of tomorrow. I've had my eye on the weather channel, and they keep putting up the red warning screen...just for us! 

But it is supposed to go above freezing tomorrow afternoon...I sure do hope they aren't kidding this time.

And many thanks for dropping by the thread!


----------



## jasonsmithbuild

*Amazing work.*

How is life on a peaceful island?

I dream of it!

Jason
www.jasonsmithbuild.com


----------



## BigJim

HH and Jason, welcome to the forum, it is good to have you with us.

Keith, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving buddy?


----------



## cocobolo

jasonsmithbuild said:


> How is life on a peaceful island?
> 
> I dream of it!
> 
> Jason
> www.jasonsmithbuild.com


It's not bad all the time we aren't snowed in!

But then you know - being in Vancouver - that we don't get weather like this very often, especially over in the Gulf Islands.

When did that spectacular pool at Percy Norman get built? That's really beautiful. Do you know who the architect was? Thanks.

And of course, welcome to the thread.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> HH and Jason, welcome to the forum, it is good to have you with us.
> 
> Keith, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving buddy?


Why thanks Jim...and the same to you.

In Canada, our thanksgiving is about a month before yours, so there's no turkey on the table today!

Still snowing right now, but only about 3" extra snow from the last batch. It is supposed to turn into rain soon, but certainly no sign of that yet. It's still below zero.

I've been watching dozens of robins again this morning going after the arbutus berries. We do get flocks of maybe 15 or 20 robins from time to time, but yesterday and today there must be at least 50 out there. And luckily for them there is an abundance of berries this year - more than we have ever seen before.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Why thanks Jim...and the same to you.
> 
> In Canada, our thanksgiving is about a month before yours, so there's no turkey on the table today!
> 
> Still snowing right now, but only about 3" extra snow from the last batch. It is supposed to turn into rain soon, but certainly no sign of that yet. It's still below zero.
> 
> I've been watching dozens of robins again this morning going after the arbutus berries. We do get flocks of maybe 15 or 20 robins from time to time, but yesterday and today there must be at least 50 out there. And luckily for them there is an abundance of berries this year - more than we have ever seen before.


That is strange, when it turns cold, or is supposed to turn cold, down here the Robbins leave and we don't see them again until Spring. It looks like the Robbins head North instead of South as I though they did.

Well, I hate that I didn't get to wish a happy Thanksgiving buddy, I am only a month late. What are ya'lls major holidays up there?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is strange, when it turns cold, or is supposed to turn cold, down here the Robbins leave and we don't see them again until Spring. It looks like the Robbins head North instead of South as I though they did.
> 
> Well, I hate that I didn't get to wish a happy Thanksgiving buddy, I am only a month late. What are ya'lls major holidays up there?


Jim, I think the Robins up here must be crazy. You would think that they would go somewhere warm for the winter, but so far, there are more than ever here.

The little Chickadees are here all winter I believe. So we make a point of seeing to it that their feeders are kept up.

As for our holidays...well, just like you Jim. Mine run from January 1st to December 31st. Isn't that what happens when you retire? :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, I think the Robins up here must be crazy. You would think that they would go somewhere warm for the winter, but so far, there are more than ever here.
> 
> The little Chickadees are here all winter I believe. So we make a point of seeing to it that their feeders are kept up.
> 
> As for our holidays...well, just like you Jim. Mine run from January 1st to December 31st. Isn't that what happens when you retire? :thumbsup:


Hehehe, got me there buddy, the only thing is you are working harder now than you did when you were working.:yes:


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Jim, I think the Robins up here must be crazy. You would think that they would go somewhere warm for the winter, but so far, there are more than ever here.
> 
> The little Chickadees are here all winter I believe. So we make a point of seeing to it that their feeders are kept up.
> 
> As for our holidays...well, just like you Jim. Mine run from January 1st to December 31st. Isn't that what happens when you retire? :thumbsup:


well there CoCo ... that might be contributing to the disturbance in their migration pattern if they are next to a reliable source for food and all ... :whistling2: but I dont know of specifics on birds that are cold tolerable or do not migrate


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> well there CoCo ... that might be contributing to the disturbance in their migration pattern if they are next to a reliable source for food and all ... :whistling2: but I dont know of specifics on birds that are cold tolerable or do not migrate


I think if they want to go, they will go.

It's like the humming birds in summertime. When they are done raising their young here, off they go. No matter how many feeders we have out.

We have a book here called "A Guide to Feeding Winter Birds in British Columbia". Written by Bob Waldon.

He states that the chickadees are non-migratory, goes on to describe all their habits, and what they prefer to feed on. That's what they get. Not really very spoiled around here...much. 

I will let them know that you were concerned for them though, I'm sure they will be pleased to hear that.

Incidentally, these guys here are so very friendly that from time to time they will eat right out of our hands. A real joy to watch.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> I think if they want to go, they will go.
> 
> It's like the humming birds in summertime. When they are done raising their young here, off they go. No matter how many feeders we have out.
> 
> We have a book here called "A Guide to Feeding Winter Birds in British Columbia". Written by Bob Waldon.
> 
> He states that the chickadees are non-migratory, goes on to describe all their habits, and what they prefer to feed on. That's what they get. Not really very spoiled around here...much.
> 
> I will let them know that you were concerned for them though, I'm sure they will be pleased to hear that.
> 
> Incidentally, these guys here are so very friendly that from time to time they will eat right out of our hands. A real joy to watch.


:lol: that is really funny .. yea I had a real gun hoe teacher at the time that scolded me in front of the class not to leave the feeders out because it will disrupt their migratory patterns... so I was like... COCO [email protected]! :whistling2: But I most likely will take your point of view and they will leave when they want to... Anything new on the Home build at all BTW?


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> :lol: that is really funny .. yea I had a real gun hoe teacher at the time that scolded me in front of the class not to leave the feeders out because it will disrupt their migratory patterns... so I was like... COCO [email protected]! :whistling2: But I most likely will take your point of view and they will leave when they want to... Anything new on the Home build at all BTW?


Not today. I'm not a fan of this lousy weather we're having. Although today it warmed up to 5ºC and everything is melting pretty fast. Heavy rain right now and for at least part of tomorrow.

Once it warms a bit and dries up somewhat, I'll be back at it. Don't worry, I'm not about to quit at this stage.


----------



## biggidybankston

Thats good to hear. For the last 2 months, I've been reading from beginning to end. I could always just hit "next page" for more...but now I have to wait. 

Turned cold here yesterday. Winds picked up; temperature dropped. My car gave me an ice warning this morning...fat chance. I guess convertible season is over...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I checked and we were colder last night than you were. I hope the weather holds up for you for a good while. 

I have been meaning to ask and you may have already told us but how do you get water into your house? Do you have a pump or just the huge tank. How do you get the water up in the tank? Here I go again with the questions. 
Does the big tank ever freeze up?


----------



## cocobolo

biggidybankston said:


> Thats good to hear. For the last 2 months, I've been reading from beginning to end. I could always just hit "next page" for more...but now I have to wait.
> 
> Turned cold here yesterday. Winds picked up; temperature dropped. My car gave me an ice warning this morning...fat chance. I guess convertible season is over...


Hmmmm.....it seems I have spoiled you a bit too much. Must put a stop to that...


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I checked and we were colder last night than you were. I hope the weather holds up for you for a good while.
> 
> I have been meaning to ask and you may have already told us but how do you get water into your house? Do you have a pump or just the huge tank. How do you get the water up in the tank? Here I go again with the questions.
> Does the big tank ever freeze up?


Water off the roof drains into the big tanks behind the house. From there we pump it into the cabin as needed.

I rather imagine that the water in the big tanks would have had a layer of ice on it during the freeze. I didn't check since I didn't need to pump any water.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Water off the roof drains into the big tanks behind the house. From there we pump it into the cabin as needed.
> 
> I rather imagine that the water in the big tanks would have had a layer of ice on it during the freeze. I didn't check since I didn't need to pump any water.


That is neat buddy, you have thought of everything. I bet it is nice and quite there on your island. When it is real quite my ears ring so loud it feels like it should keep Judy awake.:yes:

Keith, do ya'll have Whippoorwills there on your island? I loved to listen to them and Owls when I was living out in the country, it is so peaceful listening to them at night.


----------



## cocobolo

Whippoorwills no, owls yes.

I do understand that there are a good population of them in Saskatchewan and that they like to make a rather loud noise from dusk 'til dawn.

By the sounds of things, I think the owls would be my choice. We usually hear them in the spring and summer.


----------



## Bud Cline

Been way too quiet around here - everything OK?


----------



## jlhaslip

was wondering the same thing...


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Been way too quiet around here - everything OK?


Sort of...just been somewhat exhausted.

But you will be glad to hear that after an incredible amount of misinformation and delays that the Star Quartz urethane grout is finally....on order.

Oh no, it's not here yet. It will be sent from Vancouver to the Nanaimo dealer...but first it has to come by way of California. The end cost - for this 9 lb. bucket will be a mere $130+. And you only told me it was "pricey".

I wait with great anticipation for its' arrival - hopefully this year!


----------



## gma2rjc

Shoot, at that price you should have ordered a whole case of them. lol

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> was wondering the same thing...


Sorry guys...been pretty much dragging my a$$ for the past couple of weeks. Not quite sure why.

The missus prodded me into splitting some firewood today, and with her help we managed a small amount. Then later this afternoon I hauled 4 or 5 logs up and bucked them up ready for splitting tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Shoot, at that price you should have ordered a whole case of them. lol
> 
> Barb


Heck, why didn't I think of that? I could sell them off quickly at a $50 loss and be bankrupt in no time. :huh:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Sorry guys...been pretty much dragging my a$$ for the past couple of weeks. Not quite sure why.
> 
> The missus prodded me into splitting some firewood today, and with her help we managed a small amount. Then later this afternoon I hauled 4 or 5 logs up and bucked them up ready for splitting tomorrow.


We are all pulling for you to get to feeling much better Keith, we will be here waiting so take your time and get rested up really good.


----------



## biggidybankston

cocobolo said:


> Heck, why didn't I think of that? I could sell them off quickly at a $50 loss and be bankrupt in no time. :huh:


Being in Canada, you might not understand...but its the American way!:laughing:


----------



## tpolk

i always seem to buy high and sell low, usually with my muscle cars:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> i always seem to buy high and sell low, usually with my muscle cars:laughing:


I have a funny feeling that you have plenty of company...:laughing:


----------



## scoggy

*Keith, the .."Squamish"*

Keith, the malaize you are experiencing is from the 'cold blow out' last week, from 'over there', and is prolly a 'winter Squamish", which causes maladies of lethargy, poor concentration, huge bouts of procrastination, and is 'tempered' by using 'oil' of the Haig and Haig brand, followed by...patience..and then renewed vigor, or if you are from Boston area.."Viggahh'! Lead on McDuff!!
Cheers
Scoggy:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## shumakerscott

_"Sorry guys...been pretty much dragging my a$$ for the past couple of weeks. Not quite sure why."_

I've had the same problem here too. Dark and gloomy. It kills your motivation factor. I don't want to step out and get anything from outside. It will pass. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, the malaize you are experiencing is from the 'cold blow out' last week, from 'over there', and is prolly a 'winter Squamish", which causes maladies of lethargy, poor concentration, huge bouts of procrastination, and is 'tempered' by using 'oil' of the Haig and Haig brand, followed by...patience..and then renewed vigor, or if you are from Boston area.."Viggahh'! Lead on McDuff!!
> Cheers
> Scoggy:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


Pretty sure you are right about that.....only trouble is I quit when I was 11. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> _"Sorry guys...been pretty much dragging my a$$ for the past couple of weeks. Not quite sure why."_
> 
> I've had the same problem here too. Dark and gloomy. It kills your motivation factor. I don't want to step out and get anything from outside. It will pass. dorf dude...


Yep...for sure. Only trouble is here that now _both_ of our engines on the boats are causing trouble. I don't have much choice but to fix at least one. Just a bundle of laughs in this lovely warm weather!


----------



## Bootz

Hey CoCo thought you would appreciate this..  I found these today and started smoothing out the frame to the cabinets to insert the glass into them today 










They are have a cherry wood handle with a pretty good blade on them :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Hey CoCo thought you would appreciate this..  I found these today and started smoothing out the frame to the cabinets to insert the glass into them today
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They are have a cherry wood handle with a pretty good blade on them :thumbup:


That looks like a pretty nice set of gouges. Did you just get them...or have you had them for awhile?


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> That looks like a pretty nice set of gouges. Did you just get them...or have you had them for awhile?


Had them for along time... never really used them till really today. I got them in high school while i was in the art program during the sculpture portion of the program. :thumbup: ... think I will be picking up some other stuff to do with them once I get them sharpened up.. maybe find a nice piece of mahogany or something and do a relief project


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Had them for along time... never really used them till really today. I got them in high school while i was in the art program during the sculpture portion of the program. :thumbup: ... think I will be picking up some other stuff to do with them once I get them sharpened up.. maybe find a nice piece of mahogany or something and do a relief project


Well, I think you hit on the secret there...keeping gouges sharp is 9/10 of the success of working with them.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Well, I think you hit on the secret there...keeping gouges sharp is 9/10 of the success of working with them.


Ugh Yea your right ... i think there is a sharpening tool that comes with my dremel tool


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Ugh Yea your right ... i think there is a sharpening tool that comes with my dremel tool


I think you should stay away from any power tool to sharpen a gouge with. If you stick with hand sharpening, you won't lose the temper in the metal.

You can get small curved sharpening stones to do the inside curves with which make it reasonably easy.


----------



## BigJim

Bootz said:


> Ugh Yea your right ... i think there is a sharpening tool that comes with my dremel tool


Bootz, I do a little carving and Coco is right, you can over heat a tool in a heart beat with an electric sharpener, if the metal ever changes color, the tool is damaged and trying to retemper the tool can be tough sometimes. If you want to check out

http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/search.php?searchid=433784

There are many ways to sharpen a tool just do a search and see how those folks do theirs.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Bootz, I do a little carving and Coco is right, you can over heat a tool in a heart beat with an electric sharpener, if the metal ever changes color, the tool is damaged and trying to retemper the tool can be tough sometimes. If you want to check out
> 
> http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/search.php?searchid=433784
> 
> There are many ways to sharpen a tool just do a search and see how those folks do theirs.


The unfortunate fact is that just _before _the metal discolours it has lost its' temper. It's just that the change in colour offers up the final proof. I wouldn't want to learn tempering on a gouge, but rather on something like a file or screwdriver. It isn't terribly difficult, but it does take a bit of practice before you get the hang of it. And the thickness - or lack thereof - of the tip of the tool is what you need to be concerned about.

As Jim suggests, do some looking first, and try to get it right the first time.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The unfortunate fact is that just _before _the metal discolours it has lost its' temper. It's just that the change in colour offers up the final proof. I wouldn't want to learn tempering on a gouge, but rather on something like a file or screwdriver. It isn't terribly difficult, but it does take a bit of practice before you get the hang of it. And the thickness - or lack thereof - of the tip of the tool is what you need to be concerned about.
> 
> As Jim suggests, do some looking first, and try to get it right the first time.


When I sharpen my gouges I will use my hand as a guide. If the tool is too hot to touch my hand I will stop then. Actually when you have the tools sharp all you will need to do is polish them about 20 minutes of use. 

Keith, one day I would love to pick your brain about tempering a tool. I use to know but time seems to erase things for me.:yes:


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> I think you should stay away from any power tool to sharpen a gouge with. If you stick with hand sharpening, you won't lose the temper in the metal.
> 
> You can get small curved sharpening stones to do the inside curves with which make it reasonably easy.


:thumbsup:



jiju1943 said:


> Bootz, I do a little carving and Coco is right, you can over heat a tool in a heart beat with an electric sharpener, if the metal ever changes color, the tool is damaged and trying to retemper the tool can be tough sometimes. If you want to check out
> 
> http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/search.php?searchid=433784
> 
> There are many ways to sharpen a tool just do a search and see how those folks do theirs.





cocobolo said:


> The unfortunate fact is that just _before _the metal discolours it has lost its' temper. It's just that the change in colour offers up the final proof. I wouldn't want to learn tempering on a gouge, but rather on something like a file or screwdriver. It isn't terribly difficult, but it does take a bit of practice before you get the hang of it. And the thickness - or lack thereof - of the tip of the tool is what you need to be concerned about.
> 
> As Jim suggests, do some looking first, and try to get it right the first time.


Yea thanks guys! I will do this and make them last a lot longer. I mean they were a lot of money and have been treating me well so I will research some more ways to sharpen them without the dremel. So let me get this straight... it shouldn't be some electric kind of tool that will over heat the metal; so I should try doing a hand sharping tool manually? Any chance anyone know of a good way to sharpen these tools without breaking them?


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz:
A fellow by the name of Leonard Lee - who also happens to be the founder of Lee Valley Tools, wrote what I consider to be the best book on the subject of sharpening hand tools. Chisels, plane blades, gouges, you name it.

He is now retired and his son runs the business.

If you can't find the book online, I'll get the info in the morning and post it here. I cannot recommend it highly enough.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Bootz:
> A fellow by the name of Leonard Lee - who also happens to be the founder of Lee Valley Tools, wrote what I consider to be the best book on the subject of sharpening hand tools. Chisels, plane blades, gouges, you name it.
> 
> He is now retired and his son runs the business.
> 
> If you can't find the book online, I'll get the info in the morning and post it here. I cannot recommend it highly enough.


Wow thanks a lot man really appreciate it ! When I was in high school and my mother bought me these I never really thought about how much care goes into these but after picking these back up and working with them I guess I have a new appreciation for them. :thumbsup:


----------



## tpolk

I used to be good at remembering all these things tool and trade wise but sadly my head is full so that when something new comes in something has to be ejected and apparently I don't get to choose what goes :no::laughing: oh well


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> I used to be good at remembering all these things tool and trade wise but sadly my head is full so that when something new comes in something has to be ejected and apparently I don't get to choose what goes :no::laughing: oh well


What has happened tp, is that your hard drive is full. Trade that old Windoze clunker in for a new Mac and you'll be fine. :laughing:


----------



## tpolk

no windows in this compartment its all dark inside with good ventilation side to side


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> no windows in this compartment its all dark inside with good ventilation side to side


...oboy, you're sharp this morning!


----------



## gma2rjc

tpolk said:


> no windows in this compartment its all dark inside with good ventilation side to side


:laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

If you guys don't mind I'm going to jump in here with one of those "feel good" stories.

About two weeks ago my son-in-law arrived from Iraq for two weeks R&R at home. We met him at the airport on Sunday evening about 11 pm and about four and a half hours later he called to let us know he was taking his wife (our daughter) to the hospital to have their second child. The timing was obviously perfect. That Monday they had a brand new daughter but that isn't the whole story.

This morning we took him to the airport for his flight back to Iraq - all twelve of us.

About twenty minutes before scheduled departure they announced the flight was ready for immediate boarding. He checked-in, went through security and then the gate agent told him he was good to go. She then told him "now, return to your family and we'll come and get you at the last minute." Everyone else was boarded at that time.

It is a small regional airport of course where people are still real and compassionate. 

Sure enough...about two minutes away from departure the agent came to get him and off he went.

God bless our soldiers.

Just had to share that.

Carry on.


----------



## Jim F

Gotta appreciate it. It's a small thing to help out a service member that goes a long way.


----------



## gma2rjc

This is the best "feel good" story I've heard in a long time. What a blessing it was for him to be home in time. 

And what a sweetheart that airport employee is.

Thanks for telling us Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> If you guys don't mind I'm going to jump in here with one of those "feel good" stories.
> 
> About two weeks ago my son-in-law arrived from Iraq for two weeks R&R at home. We met him at the airport on Sunday evening about 11 pm and about four and a half hours later he called to let us know he was taking his wife (our daughter) to the hospital to have their second child. The timing was obviously perfect. That Monday they had a brand new daughter but that isn't the whole story.
> 
> This morning we took him to the airport for his flight back to Iraq - all twelve of us.
> 
> About twenty minutes before scheduled departure they announced the flight was ready for immediate boarding. He checked-in, went through security and then the gate agent told him he was good to go. She then told him "now, return to your family and we'll come and get you at the last minute." Everyone else was boarded at that time.
> 
> It is a small regional airport of course where people are still real and compassionate.
> 
> Sure enough...about two minutes away from departure the agent came to get him and off he went.
> 
> God bless our soldiers.
> 
> Just had to share that.
> 
> Carry on.


Such a small thing to do for someone...but with such a big impact.

I can't even imagine anyone _thinking_ about doing that up here, never mind actually _doing_ it.

Now what we need is for you to let us know when he returns for good. That will be a day that I will be really glad to celebrate with you.

Thanks so much for sharing this with everyone.

What are you calling your brand new grand daughter? 

And a huge CONGRATULATIONS!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Now what we need is for you to let us know when he returns for good. That will be a day that I will be really glad to celebrate with you.


He only has about three months remaining. He delayed his mid-term R&R in hopes of timing the birth correctly. And he certainly did.



> What are you calling your brand new grand daughter?


Chloe Jade.

I'll add a little foot note.
Seems it was announced months ago by O'bama (our mamma) that all of the American combat forces have been removed from Iraq.

Well guess what. He is and has been a member of a combat brigade in southern Iraq.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> If you guys don't mind I'm going to jump in here with one of those "feel good" stories.
> 
> About two weeks ago my son-in-law arrived from Iraq for two weeks R&R at home. We met him at the airport on Sunday evening about 11 pm and about four and a half hours later he called to let us know he was taking his wife (our daughter) to the hospital to have their second child. The timing was obviously perfect. That Monday they had a brand new daughter but that isn't the whole story.
> 
> This morning we took him to the airport for his flight back to Iraq - all twelve of us.
> 
> About twenty minutes before scheduled departure they announced the flight was ready for immediate boarding. He checked-in, went through security and then the gate agent told him he was good to go. She then told him "now, return to your family and we'll come and get you at the last minute." Everyone else was boarded at that time.
> 
> It is a small regional airport of course where people are still real and compassionate.
> 
> Sure enough...about two minutes away from departure the agent came to get him and off he went.
> 
> God bless our soldiers.
> 
> Just had to share that.
> 
> Carry on.


Bud, that was perfect timing and how wonderful it was your son-in-law was able to be there when his and your daughter's little one was born. The time you all spent together will stay with him for a long time while he is away, remember how it use to be when we were away from home like that.

Thanks for sharing with us Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> He only has about three months remaining. He delayed his mid-term R&R in hopes of timing the birth correctly. And he certainly did.
> 
> 
> Chloe Jade.
> 
> I'll add a little foot note.
> Seems it was announced months ago by O'bama (our mamma) that all of the American combat forces have been removed from Iraq.
> 
> Well guess what. He is and has been a member of a combat brigade in southern Iraq.


I bet that three months can't go fast enough for you.

Gee...a high ranking government official not telling the truth???? Gosh, that's hard to believe..._NOT!!!

_Chloe Jade...beautiful name. Please pass along our congratulations to your daughter as well, thanks.

Do we take it that Mum and daughter are doing well?


----------



## Bud Cline

Everyone is well.


----------



## Bootz

like the feel good story and good morning everyone!  hope all is well in DIY land !


----------



## cocobolo

I do believe that all the curved cedarstrips are now finished on the walls of the house. It just kind of snuck up on me while I wasn't looking. The last section was at the top of the stairs, done as of yesterday. Halleluyah!

And this morning - after the rain quit and the wind died down, I got out to the sailboat and yarded the carb off the outboard.

The throttle shaft needed to be gripped with a pair of pliers in order to move it. Man, but it was stiff. It took awhile, but I finally managed to take it out and fix it. I guess it was no surprise as to why the throttle cable kinked up!

Anyway, the carb should be OK now and I'll try to get it installed tomorrow morning after we get back from town. The missus seems to think that the weather is going to be good enough to go over in the skiff. I don't think she has seen the forecast...:huh:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I do believe that all the curved cedarstrips are now finished on the walls of the house. It just kind of snuck up on me while I wasn't looking. The last section was at the top of the stairs, done as of yesterday. Halleluyah!
> 
> And this morning - after the rain quit and the wind died down, I got out to the sailboat and yarded the carb off the outboard.
> 
> The throttle shaft needed to be gripped with a pair of pliers in order to move it. Man, but it was stiff. It took awhile, but I finally managed to take it out and fix it. I guess it was no surprise as to why the throttle cable kinked up!
> 
> Anyway, the carb should be OK now and I'll try to get it installed tomorrow morning after we get back from town. The missus seems to think that the weather is going to be good enough to go over in the skiff. I don't think she has seen the forecast...:huh:


Awwwwright, that is great, I know that don't hurt your feelings to have that behind you, all the curved walls, that don't leave many walls left if any, congratulations buddy, we are happy for you.

If what I am seeing about your weather for tomorrow is right, someone is going to get wet and cooooold, 39°F and showers. 

I know that has got to make you happy that you got your big boat fixed, I know I would have been very happy to have the big boat fixed to go across in.

What is on your list to do next on your home Keith?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Awwwwright, that is great, I know that don't hurt your feelings to have that behind you, all the curved walls, that don't leave many walls left if any, congratulations buddy, we are happy for you.
> 
> If what I am seeing about your weather for tomorrow is right, someone is going to get wet and cooooold, 39°F and showers.
> 
> I know that has got to make you happy that you got your big boat fixed, I know I would have been very happy to have the big boat fixed to go across in.
> 
> What is on your list to do next on your home Keith?


What's next...wow...it's still a pretty long list. Perhaps some of the oddball woodworking that needs to be finished upstairs. 

If I can shift the pile of wood upstairs, I think it's time to try some work on the closet. I hope to be able to make shoji screens for this. I have had some help tracking down proper shoji paper (thanks Barb!)

And since I won't be using the rest of the laminate flooring in the master bedroom area, I should find some real wood flooring to go in there.

You know how it is...the list goes on.


----------



## cocobolo

A successful trip across this morning for groceries - almost no wind. Got back in time to get the carb on the sailboat...and it gave me a real surprise.

Started on the first pull, something it has never done before, not even when brand new!

Now off to the house to get some work done.


----------



## Bootz

Hey Coco Or anyone else... know how to stain and paint the cabinets that I am working on in my Thread? I know you do alot of wood work coco so I thought maybe I would ask your first


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Hey Coco Or anyone else... know how to stain and paint the cabinets that I am working on in my Thread? I know you do a lot of wood work coco so I thought maybe I would ask your first


Several ways you can apply stain.

First you need to determine what the final colour is that you want. Take a good look at the wood you're going to stain and see what the grain is like. Flat grain, edge grain etc. That largely affects how the stain will "take" to the wood.

Is it hardwood or softwood? Would you like a flat, semi gloss or glossy finish? What colour is it now? Is it clean wood, or is there any previous finish left on it.

You can apply most stains with either a cloth, a regular brush or a foam brush. If you use a cloth, you will find that you can get better control, and you can rub out any portion that gets too dark.

Experiment on ONE piece of wood first to see what happens, you don't want a nasty surprise on a dozen doors all at once.

Usually when applying stain the best thing is to follow the manufacturer's instructions. But here in a nutshell is what works best.

Using a rag, rub the stain on the wood (test piece). Wait about 5 minutes and rub it off. What is left is the stain that has penetrated the wood. You can do this more than once until the wood reaches the tone you want. The harder the wood, the longer you can wait before you start to rub the stain off. So if you have maple doors for example, you could probably afford to leave the stain on for 10 minutes the first time. Then keep adding more using 5 minutes between application and removal.

A softer wood will absorb more quickly, and I would start with 5 minutes.

When you decide what your final finish will be - a varnish type product, or a polyurethane - whichever - just make sure that it is compatible with your stain. In fact, it is often best if you use products from the same manufacturer as they have been thoroughly tested with each other.

Good luck!


----------



## Bootz

How about painting it coco? The lady and I want the cabinets to be a dark black or off black with a glossy finish. This would be good for long term use so that there would be ease of cleaning. Any suggestions? We are going for the really modern look.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> A successful trip across this morning for groceries - almost no wind. Got back in time to get the carb on the sailboat...and it gave me a real surprise.
> 
> Started on the first pull, something it has never done before, not even when brand new!
> 
> Now off to the house to get some work done.


Buddy, that just made my day, I know you are one happy dude, I know I sure would be. Looks like the weatherman missed the forecast this go round and that is a good thing.:yes:


----------



## tpolk

Bootz said:


> How about painting it coco? The lady and I want the cabinets to be a dark black or off black with a glossy finish. This would be good for long term use so that there would be ease of cleaning. Any suggestions? We are going for the really modern look.


black shows all defects/smears/fingerprints


----------



## Bootz

tpolk said:


> black shows all defects/smears/fingerprints


Yea she is really set on the black color though... or something like it you know? like something off black she says but ... hey what ever I am just looking forward to put in the glass  But is there anything special I would need to do?


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> How about painting it coco? The lady and I want the cabinets to be a dark black or off black with a glossy finish. This would be good for long term use so that there would be ease of cleaning. Any suggestions? We are going for the really modern look.


Try this as an experiment. Put some ebony stain on a piece of wood, leave it for 15 minutes then rub it off. Add more until it's the way you like it. One or two applications should do it. 

You will get the glossiness by adding the gloss polyurethane, either two or three coats.

If you have sufficient doors to warrant it, why not try a spray finish. Very fine coats, maybe as many as 8 or 10 all together. That will look thoroughly professional, and will last for many years.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Try this as an experiment. Put some ebony stain on a piece of wood, leave it for 15 minutes then rub it off. Add more until it's the way you like it. One or two applications should do it.
> 
> You will get the glossiness by adding the gloss polyurethane, either two or three coats.
> 
> If you have sufficient doors to warrant it, why not try a spray finish. Very fine coats, maybe as many as 8 or 10 all together. That will look thoroughly professional, and will last for many years.


Thanks a lot for the suggestions there CoCo I really appreciate it... Kinda wanted to go to the professional that knew about wood on how to tackle this one 
Yea that works .. I googled some images of that and she OK'ed it so that is a go  I dunno I just do not want to sit on this project I am very excited to get it done .. you know?:no: Not to mention the kitchen is alittle weird without kitchen cabinet doors on them ... but the miss is ok with this because I tend to leave the doors open on them from time to time :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Thanks a lot for the suggestions there CoCo I really appreciate it... Kinda wanted to go to the professional that knew about wood on how to tackle this one
> Yea that works .. I googled some images of that and she OK'ed it so that is a go  I dunno I just do not want to sit on this project I am very excited to get it done .. you know?:no: Not to mention the kitchen is alittle weird without kitchen cabinet doors on them ... but the miss is ok with this because I tend to leave the doors open on them from time to time :laughing:


Excellent! Let's hope it works out.

I might even have a pic of some ebony stained wood here with and without the poly. If I can find it I'll post.


----------



## cocobolo

Try looking at post #1404 - as well as the next few - see if that gives you a better idea.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Try looking at post #1404 - as well as the next few - see if that gives you a better idea.


Ummm... where is that? lol I am trying to find out what how to find it...


----------



## Bootz

Never mind.. i know what i got to look at now


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Ummm... where is that? lol I am trying to find out what how to find it...


See the post number at the upper right hand side of this post?

The one you want is a few thousand before this, probably on page 93 or 94 or so.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> See the post number at the upper right hand side of this post?
> 
> The one you want is a few thousand before this, probably on page 93 or 94 or so.



Yea i got it after I started looking at the posts .... I was like.. do i have to count back or find his 1404th post some where or what? lol I am good.. yea I like the ebony one it was pretty nice.


----------



## cocobolo

Very short weather window this morning...so a quickie trip over and the Star Quartz grout was in. Luckily, they had a second order which came over from Vancouver at the same time, so the end cost was only $117 after all.

Picked up some prezzies...new mig welder...nice box of sockets, wrenches and whatnot. Also noticed that the House of Pot now has LED lights in!!!!!!

Very slick little display by Phillips with about half a dozen lights all set up you can test - all with dimmers. They only had one bulb left to fit the chandelier in the stairwell, so I got that. They will be getting more in very shortly. About the same price as the online stuff, and it was right in front of my eyes.

One fifth the energy consumption of a CFL. I'm up for that!

Also managed to get some new gaskets for the outboard motor. Now there will be two days of rain for sure.


----------



## gma2rjc

Do the LED lights come in 40, 60, 75 and 100 watts? Do you mind me asking how much one bulb is? 

It's nice that your grout was cheaper than expected. That doesn't happen very often.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Do the LED lights come in 40, 60, 75 and 100 watts? Do you mind me asking how much one bulb is?
> 
> It's nice that your grout was cheaper than expected. That doesn't happen very often.


You beat me to the punch, I was going to ask that also. We have a couple of the florescent light bulbs in our kitchen and one has already bit the dust. I saw somewhere on the net where some of the florescent light bulbs were catching on fire so we had planed to change them out anyway.


----------



## gma2rjc

I just heard on the news last week that the EPA hasn't been completely honest with us about the amount of mercury in the CFL's. It's 20x higher than they first told us. FWIW

I'd buy the LED's though.

I read about the CFL's that were starting fires Jim. If I remember right, they were made in China and sold at Wal-Mart. But they pulled them off the shelves. I don't think the better quality bulbs do that. You can google 'CFL bulbs catching fire' or something similar and you'll find articles about it.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Do the LED lights come in 40, 60, 75 and 100 watts? Do you mind me asking how much one bulb is?
> 
> It's nice that your grout was cheaper than expected. That doesn't happen very often.


Barb, the whole point of these LED's is kind of twofold.

Firstly, the bulb I got consumes only 3 watts and it is dimmable, something you cannot do with a CFL. This one was $15.98 + tax. It will go for 20,000 plus hours before it reaches 50% of its' original output. This is fairly typical of the current LED's.

There are constant improvements being made, and by this time next year they will be yet more efficient and less expensive.

I spent many days investigating the current state of the art of LED's. Even at the present cost, it is more than worth it to change over immediately. 

For example, our chandelier has 6 lights at 60 watts each - total 360 watts. On our solar system that represents a 15 amp draw, in other words, it's completely insane. Whereas 6 LED's at 3 watts is 3/4 of an amp draw.

As quickly as I can I will be getting other LED's for the frequently used lights in the house.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Very short weather window this morning...so a quickie trip over and the Star Quartz grout was in. Luckily, they had a second order which came over from Vancouver at the same time, so the end cost was only $117 after all.
> 
> Picked up some prezzies...new mig welder...nice box of sockets, wrenches and whatnot. Also noticed that the House of Pot now has LED lights in!!!!!!
> 
> Very slick little display by Phillips with about half a dozen lights all set up you can test - all with dimmers. They only had one bulb left to fit the chandelier in the stairwell, so I got that. They will be getting more in very shortly. About the same price as the online stuff, and it was right in front of my eyes.
> 
> One fifth the energy consumption of a CFL. I'm up for that!
> 
> Also managed to get some new gaskets for the outboard motor. Now there will be two days of rain for sure.


That is good that you saved a few bucks on the grout but that is still a little rich for my blood.

Man you did pick up some serious presents, that is some things any dude would love. I hope you enjoy them buddy.

When you try the LED lights could you tell us how they compare to regular light bulbs as far as the brightness goes. It took some getting use to the florescent bulbs over regular bulbs for us.

We need to do a ain't gone-a-rain dance for you Keith. We got some snow this go around and it is cooold out there right now 18° and dropping.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Barb, the whole point of these LED's is kind of twofold.
> 
> Firstly, the bulb I got consumes only 3 watts and it is dimmable, something you cannot do with a CFL. This one was $15.98 + tax. It will go for 20,000 plus hours before it reaches 50% of its' original output. This is fairly typical of the current LED's.
> 
> There are constant improvements being made, and by this time next year they will be yet more efficient and less expensive.
> 
> I spent many days investigating the current state of the art of LED's. Even at the present cost, it is more than worth it to change over immediately.
> 
> For example, our chandelier has 6 lights at 60 watts each - total 360 watts. On our solar system that represents a 15 amp draw, in other words, it's completely insane. Whereas 6 LED's at 3 watts is 3/4 of an amp draw.
> 
> As quickly as I can I will be getting other LED's for the frequently used lights in the house.


Keith, that really isn't too bad for the LED lights, they will save money in the long run. For you they will really be good on solar energy.


----------



## gma2rjc

I'll have to check the local stores for the LED lights. It would be great to get a lower electric bill each month. 

Thanks for telling us about those Keith. I'd heard of them but didn't know they used that much less power. 

When we moved into this house, there was an old electric stove, an old electric dryer and a side-by-side refrigerator that was probably 25 years old. All energy suckers.

I can't remember how high our electric bills were then. But within the course of a couple months, we replaced all 3 of those appliances and the sump pump. The new dryer and stove were gas. So my electric bill dropped. 

During that time, we had a freak snow storm in October and a tree limb fell on our power line and pulled the electric meter away from the house.

A new meter was put on and I do remember our electric bills were in the $35 to $55 range after all of these things were replaced.

The power company must have missed our larger monthly donations because the following summer one of their guys knocked on my door and told me my power would be out for a short time while he switches over to a new meter.

I told him that the one that was out there was still fairly new. He told me that he had to replace it and that he was replacing all of the meters up and down my street. Sure.

I asked all of my neighbors if their meters had been replaced and they all said no. :laughing: If the power company had asked, I would have explained to them why my bill was lower and saved them the time and trouble.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I'll have to check the local stores for the LED lights. It would be great to get a lower electric bill each month.
> 
> Thanks for telling us about those Keith. I'd heard of them but didn't know they used that much less power.
> 
> When we moved into this house, there was an old electric stove, an old electric dryer and a side-by-side refrigerator that was probably 25 years old. All energy suckers.
> 
> I can't remember how high our electric bills were then. But within the course of a couple months, we replaced all 3 of those appliances and the sump pump. The new dryer and stove were gas. So my electric bill dropped.
> 
> During that time, we had a freak snow storm in October and a tree limb fell on our power line and pulled the electric meter away from the house.
> 
> A new meter was put on and I do remember our electric bills were in the $35 to $55 range after all of these things were replaced.
> 
> The power company must have missed our larger monthly donations because the following summer one of their guys knocked on my door and told me my power would be out for a short time while he switches over to a new meter.
> 
> I told him that the one that was out there was still fairly new. He told me that he had to replace it and that he was replacing all of the meters up and down my street. Sure.
> 
> I asked all of my neighbors if their meters had been replaced and they all said no. :laughing: If the power company had asked, I would have explained to them why my bill was lower and saved them the time and trouble.


Well, you should have asked him how long do these junk meters last? Will you be putting in a new one every time my bill drops? Don't you think that's a waste of money? Or don't you give a damn? Now get off my property.

The lie about replacing all the meters on the street would have done it for me.

Now, get a small glass drill, drill a hole in line with the spinning disc, and shove something in there to jam it. If it doesn't spin as fast, your bill will drop significantly...oh dear, what a shame.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> Well, you should have asked him how long do these junk meters last? Will you be putting in a new one every time my bill drops? Don't you think that's a waste of money? Or don't you give a damn? Now get off my property.
> 
> The lie about replacing all the meters on the street would have done it for me.
> 
> Now, get a small glass drill, drill a hole in line with the spinning disc, and shove something in there to jam it. If it doesn't spin as fast, your bill will drop significantly...oh dear, what a shame.


For the last part that I do diffrent due I have paralleling generator unit which I can match to the POCO systrem and backload them and watch the meter run in reverse and the last time I have larger generator to test run I actally did got my transfomer buzz pretty good due that transfomer it only 75 KW { yeah .,, 75,000 watts :whistling2: } but I did test the generator which it have 150 KW and ran at half load I walk around and see how fast the meter was going in reverse it was really hauling each KWH number click back in every minuite or so and told one guy crank it up to the point where the transformer fuse or shop breaker will be ready to trip the breaker { at 180 amp @ 480 volts 3 phase }.

as far for the small hole in the meter I know few peoples done that but I have see worst than that.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## Bud Cline

I'm Rich, I'm Rich, this is proof that "good things come to those who wait". Looks like I'm in the bucks and right at Christmas time too. It don't get no better than this. And look who the notice is from: "Helen Troy". Yessir this is absolutely a good deal.:thumbup::clap:arty::thumbup1:




> UNDP SCHEME 2010.
> 14/12/2010.
> 
> This is to notify you that you have been appointed as one of the recipients of a Cash Grant/Donation for your personal and community development.You were selected among the beneficiaries to receive the sum of US$500,000.00 as developmental aid from the UN Foundation.Please contact.UNDP Secertary-Mrs.Shannon Maris on this email: [email protected] , TEL:+447024019857
> 
> Regards,
> Chairman Grant Programme,
> Helen Troy


Helen Troy indeed! These are genuinely stupid people of very low intelligence that dream up these things. The trouble is...those that fall for it are even dumber. It's too bad.


----------



## gma2rjc

Congratulations Bud! If they ask you to send $4,200 via Western Union, for processing fees, you'll know the money is on it's way. 

Yes, it is a shame that people fall for this sort of thing.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> I'm Rich, I'm Rich, this is proof that "good things come to those who wait". Looks like I'm in the bucks and right at Christmas time too. It don't get no better than this. And look who the notice is from: "Helen Troy". Yessir this is absolutely a good deal.:thumbup::clap:arty::thumbup1:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Helen Troy indeed! These are genuinely stupid people of very low intelligence that dream up these things. The trouble is...those that fall for it are even dumber. It's too bad.


Oh no, I feel so stupid now.


----------



## cocobolo

Seems a shame you're only getting the cheap ones Bud...most of mine come in the multi-million dollar range from Nigeria. How on earth do you guys think I can afford all this stuff?

Next time I get one I'll have to post it just for fun. No sense keeping all this money to myself...:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> For the last part that I do diffrent due I have paralleling generator unit which I can match to the POCO systrem and backload them and watch the meter run in reverse and the last time I have larger generator to test run I actally did got my transfomer buzz pretty good due that transfomer it only 75 KW { yeah .,, 75,000 watts :whistling2: } but I did test the generator which it have 150 KW and ran at half load I walk around and see how fast the meter was going in reverse it was really hauling each KWH number click back in every minuite or so and told one guy crank it up to the point where the transformer fuse or shop breaker will be ready to trip the breaker { at 180 amp @ 480 volts 3 phase }.
> 
> as far for the small hole in the meter I know few peoples done that but I have see worst than that.
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Gotta LOVE this one!!!

I wonder why it is we seem to hate the greedy power companies so much?


----------



## Bud Cline

I thought all of those meters were built so as NOT to run backwards.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I thought all of those meters were built so as NOT to run backwards.


Precisely...and that is no doubt the reason that everyone likes to see if they can "fix" them!


----------



## Bud Cline

I'd enjoy "fixing" mine.........with my damned shotgun!!!

I have a story about [those guys] too but don't have the time right now. Suffice it to say I rank them (power companies) right up there at the top of my list just below FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it didn't take long for someone to offer me $16,500,000...


BARCLAYS BANK PLC,
566 TO 599 VICTORY ISLAND
LAGOS NIGERIA
TELL - +234 8020 989 864
Email: [email protected]

Attn. Beneficiary

CHANGE OF BENEFICIARY

I hereby send to you the information submitted by Mr. TIMMY CROSS U.S.A of Florida group Ltd, with an application to receive your payment on your behalf. Please as a matter of urgency, you are required to verify the following information and inform us if you are aware or know anything about this.

This morning Mr. TIMMY CROSS came to the office claiming that you have instructed him to come and receive the payment on your behalf with some representatives.

I have ask them to come back tomorrow as they did not provide any power of an attorney from you which will proof that you thoroughly send them, This was to enable me contact you to verify how genuine this people are to you.

1. Did you instruct one Mr. TIMMY CROSS of USA Florida group Ltd. whose information's is below, to claim and receive the payment on your behalf?

2. Did you sign any 'Deed of Assignment' in his favor thereby making him the current beneficiary with the following account details:

Account Name: Timmy Cross Group Ltd,
A/C #USD114-1025567-8,
Bank Name: Standard Chattered Bank
Florida Swift Code:
SCBL 11K111.

Finally, you are hereby advised to indicate to this honorable office with immediate effect, if you are the person that instructed Mr. Timmy Cross to come for the claim of your fund worth of $16,500.000.00 (Sixteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), to enable us endorse for the final payment approval order on his behalf. Endeavor send your reply [email protected] for urgent attention.

We shall be waiting for your urgent and prompt response.

Sincerely,
MR. DAVID FOX,
DIRECTOR,
BARCLAYS BANK PLC.
PLEASE CALL IT IS VERY URGENT CALL ME NOW - +234 8020 989 864


----------



## Bud Cline

> Standard *Chattered* Bank


Shouldn't that be Standard "Cha*r*tered" Bank.

See what I mean? They are all idiots, idiots I say, *IDIOTS*.:yes:

Go ahead and authorize ole Timmy to get your money on your behalf I'm sure he will be on your doorstep with your share by next Monday morning.

Wouldn't a major player at Barclay's Bank also have a Barclay's Bank.com email address? Idiot!!!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Shouldn't that be Standard "Cha*r*tered" Bank.
> 
> See what I mean? They are all idiots, idiots I say, *IDIOTS*.:yes:
> 
> Go ahead and authorize ole Timmy to get your money on your behalf I'm sure he will be on your doorstep with your share by next Monday morning.
> 
> Wouldn't a major player at Barclay's Bank also have a Barclay's Bank.com email address? Idiot!!!


Yeah...I thought you'd like that one.

Just got another one, but it's only for $5.5 million...hardly worth reading...

Only this one is from a bank in Arkansas! Sure it is. :no:


----------



## gma2rjc

"did not provide any power of an attorney from you which *will proof *that you thoroughly send *them, This* was to *enable me contact you* to verify * how genuine this people are* to you."

If they weren't so busy being crooks, they'd have time for an English class or two.

Like they say though, if they're not smart enough to hold down an honest job, they aren't smart enough to be successful crooks. :no:

I think it would be fun to contact them as if you really fell for it. Then send them some Monopoly money. But just xeroxed copies. You wouldn't want to send them the real thing and ruin your game. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> "did not provide any power of an attorney from you which *will proof *that you thoroughly send *them, This* was to *enable me contact you* to verify * how genuine this people are* to you."
> 
> If they weren't so busy being crooks, they'd have time for an English class or two.
> 
> Like they say though, if they're not smart enough to hold down an honest job, they aren't smart enough to be successful crooks. :no:
> 
> I think it would be fun to contact them as if you really fell for it. Then send them some Monopoly money. But just xeroxed copies. You wouldn't want to send them the real thing and ruin your game. :laughing:


Right...their English - or is that Engrish - has always impressed me too.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Right...their English - or is that Engrish - has always impressed me too.


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Got yet another awesome offer yesterday...this one from Hong Kong and worth $18.35 million. Honest to gosh, what I am I gonna do with all this money??? I think I'll hold out for $20 million! :thumbup:

Started to have a go at the flooring in the top hallway yesterday. I made the bullnose piece which is supposed to transition into the actual flooring. The only practical way to attach it was with screws.

I sandwiched the foam underlay between the bullnose and the subfloor, and although it's a no-no I'm going to use some small nails - or possibly some small screws - to hold the first piece of flooring in place. I really don't care if someone spots the screws. Maybe I will put a dot of matching paint on the screw heads.

Any movement, and it's a safe bet there will be some, will have to take place elsewhere. Fortunately, the distance from the top of the stairs to the far side of the floor is not too large. Perhaps 8 feet or so.

Should be able to get a pic later.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Got yet another awesome offer yesterday...this one from Hong Kong and worth $18.35 million. Honest to gosh, what I am I gonna do with all this money??? I think I'll hold out for $20 million! :thumbup:
> 
> Started to have a go at the flooring in the top hallway yesterday. I made the bullnose piece which is supposed to transition into the actual flooring. The only practical way to attach it was with screws.
> 
> I sandwiched the foam underlay between the bullnose and the subfloor, and although it's a no-no I'm going to use some small nails - or possibly some small screws - to hold the first piece of flooring in place. I really don't care if someone spots the screws. Maybe I will put a dot of matching paint on the screw heads.
> 
> Any movement, and it's a safe bet there will be some, will have to take place elsewhere. Fortunately, the distance from the top of the stairs to the far side of the floor is not too large. Perhaps 8 feet or so.
> 
> Should be able to get a pic later.


Keith, I would have done the flooring the same way at that place. I usually just plug the hole where I put a screw and sand it off. It is good to see you feel like doing something, I know the weather does make a person not feel like doing much sometimes. Maybe you will have a bunch of warm sunny days where you feel really good, I hope so buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

hmmmmm....warm, sunny days...wouldn't that be nice. Maybe about June next year at this rate!

The thickness of the flooring is only 8 mm, (just under 1/3") so there really isn't much sense in trying to countersink & plug. Besides, I don't think the hardboard would take kindly to plugging. Not to mention that it would be quite impossible to try and match the aluminum oxide finish.

Anything around here that looks oddball is referred to as "character"...then I guess that would include me as well!!! :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> hmmmmm....warm, sunny days...wouldn't that be nice. Maybe about June next year at this rate!
> 
> The thickness of the flooring is only 8 mm, (just under 1/3") so there really isn't much sense in trying to countersink & plug. Besides, I don't think the hardboard would take kindly to plugging. Not to mention that it would be quite impossible to try and match the aluminum oxide finish.
> 
> Anything around here that looks oddball is referred to as "character"...then I guess that would include me as well!!! :laughing:


I see your point, that would be a little hard to match. ROFAICGU:laughing: (rollin on floor and I can't get up)


----------



## gma2rjc

Jim, 4 more posts and you'll be at 1,000.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Jim, 4 more posts and you'll be at 1,000.


Thanks Barb, I hadn't noticed, time just flies when your havin fun.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

It seems the start of something is often the worst to get underway.

The laminate flooring on the top landing is now proceeding apace, and should be finished this weekend some time. Here's the first chunk.


----------



## cocobolo

The facing board on the riser is 1/4" plywood which I stained and varathaned long before I got the flooring. It goes together pretty well.

The bullnose has no finish on it yet...


----------



## cocobolo

These short days don't let a guy get too much done inside - at least when you need daylight to work with.

However, the first little area is done and gave me a taste of what is yet to come as I will need to do a curved hallway behind that short curved wall you see here.

I'm making up templates for each of the curved pieces - I figure it's the safest way.


----------



## gma2rjc

It looks nice and the color is very pretty.

In less than a week the days will start getting longer.


----------



## Shamus

cocobolo said:


> These short days don't let a guy get too much done inside - at least when you need daylight to work with.
> 
> I'm making up templates for each of the curved pieces - I figure it's the safest way.


I hear you about the daylight. Seems they don't make a pair of glasses that will allow me to see things the way I once did. Bright sunlight however clears things up in a hurry.

Templates, as you know, are our friends. I make um for anything I want to be very close, on the first cut. Same goes for a jig. Repeats of anything has me making some sort of fixture to duplicate from 1 to a jillion.


----------



## cocobolo

Shamus said:


> I hear you about the daylight. Seems they don't make a pair of glasses that will allow me to see things the way I once did. Bright sunlight however clears things up in a hurry.
> 
> Templates, as you know, are our friends. I make um for anything I want to be very close, on the first cut. Same goes for a jig. Repeats of anything has me making some sort of fixture to duplicate from 1 to a jillion.


Even after the 21st of the month, it takes ages for the days to get noticeably longer. Roll on March...

I'm a big fan of templates and jigs. Saves all sorts of time and trouble in the long run, not to mention a saving in unwasted materials.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that really does look good and the screws don't look out of place at all, it looks like they were meant to be. That is some beautiful flooring buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that really does look good and the screws don't look out of place at all, it looks like they were meant to be. That is some beautiful flooring buddy.


I can make them disappear a bit, I think.

What is it now...about 5 days until your birthday?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I can make them disappear a bit, I think.
> 
> What is it now...about 5 days until your birthday?


Keith it was about 17 minutes ago.:whistling2: I thought I would just let this one slide. By the way, a fantastic friend of mine gave me the most wonderful gift that I will use as long as I can stand or sit, I just wish he knew how great it made me feel.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith it was about 17 minutes ago.:whistling2: I thought I would just let this one slide. By the way, a fantastic friend of mine gave me the most wonderful gift that I will use as long as I can stand or sit, I just wish he knew how great it made me feel.


Well, of course I knew it was today - it's still before midnight here - already yesterday where you are. I was hoping You would reply before midnight so I could wish you a 
VERY HAPPY
BIRTHDAY JIM!!!!


----------



## gma2rjc

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM! Gee, hitting 1,000 posts and turning 39 years young, all on the same day. Not too bad for a days work. arty: ~ :balloon:


----------



## BigJim

Aw shucks, thanks a bunch you two. 

I had to get up early and head down to the VA, they are giving me a remote for my hearing aids. Now I can turn them up and down without grabbin my ears. Them Jet planes took care of my hearing pretty good. I can just see it now, sitting in church and go to turn my hearing aids up and change the Power Point, everybody will be singing on the wrong page.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Public Service Announcement
The latest Scam to watch out for

It seems there is no end to the scams out there - and the latest one goes like this - and it may well affect YOU!

When buying something at a store using either your credit or debit card, you know how you can request cash back? Well, it seems that many times a cash back request is being processed on your card whether you asked for it or not.

The cashier punches in $20 or $40 without your knowledge and hopes you don't notice. You pay with your card and out the store you go. The cashier passes the money over to their accomplice - who is the next person in line - and nobody is any the wiser. That way their till stays in balance.

If you DO notice and point it out to the cashier, they will say something like "Oh, the machine has been giving us trouble, here's your $20. Sorry about that."

You don't have to take the cash and can insist that it be taken off your bill. Of course, if this happens too often with any one cashier, red flags go up and the supervisor should realize that something is up.

Make sure you check EVERY RECEIPT before you leave the checkout no matter where you are.

Apparently this is happening most often at the largest retailer in the country, but it has nothing to do with the company. It's strictly a cashier thing.

CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS!! Apparently seniors are targeted the most.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Aw shucks, thanks a bunch you two.
> 
> I had to get up early and head down to the VA, they are giving me a remote for my hearing aids. Now I can turn them up and down without grabbin my ears. Them Jet planes took care of my hearing pretty good. I can just see it now, sitting in church and go to turn my hearing aids up and change the Power Point, everybody will be singing on the wrong page.:laughing:


Does this mean that you can sing along with Pink Floyd now? :thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Happy Birthday Jim.


----------



## BigJim

Thanks Bud, I appreciate that.


----------



## cocobolo

Eclipse of the Moon Tonight!

If you expect any sort of clear skies tonight, don't forget to check out the eclipse. It will be one of the best ever.

Please refer to post number 3392 on page 227, and post number 3408 on page 228 of this thread for complete details.

Looks like our weather is going to be :furious::wallbash::cursing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Eclipse of the Moon Tonight!
> 
> If you expect any sort of clear skies tonight, don't forget to check out the eclipse. It will be one of the best ever.
> 
> Please refer to post number 3392 on page 227, and post number 3408 on page 228 of this thread for complete details.
> 
> Looks like our weather is going to be :furious::wallbash::cursing:


I have been waiting for this and now the weather folks are telling us we are going to have overcast skies also, I sure hope they are wrong. Last night the moon was as clear as I have seen it in a good while and then tonight... I will still be out there checking to see if the weather folks got it wrong or not. Thanks for the reminder buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Last trip to town I picked up two different types of LED lightbulbs - now being carried by the House of Pot. I think there was maybe 5 or 6 different kinds in the new display that they have - made by Phillips. Or perhaps more accurately I should say made _for_ Phillips, in China.


----------



## shumakerscott

How many watts? dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see in the pic, the chandelier bulb has an adapter so it will fit in a standard E27 socket. In our case, we didn't need the adapter.

At only 3 watts each I wasn't expecting too much, so I was more than pleasantly surprised at the performance of these bulbs. I would have to say nothing short of excellent...plus they are dimmable, something you can't do with a CFL.

My only gripe was with the packaging. These things are so over packaged that you need to be related to Houdini to break into them. And the packages are way too big as well...something I just don't think is necessary.

I will be sending Phillips an email about this, as I find this to be environmentally irresponsible. Something which flies in the face of the very idea behind the LED's in the first place.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> How many watts? dorf dude...


Hi Shu:

You're way too quick this morning!

The globe light - which I will get to next is 7 watts.


----------



## shumakerscott

I'm running 3 watt'ers. I think that is a new word. They are really bright, more than the 50 watt Halogen's they replaced. A 7 watt will require sunglasses. I'm so glad that the technology has caught up, just wish the price would drop a little. Here is a site that I found. I have not ordered from them. http://www.satisled.com/ Prices seem pretty good. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

The globe light, which is the fat round one, is rated at 7 watts. And as with all the Phillips LED's, it is dimmable.

In fact, the display which they have set up has one of each of the different lights that they currently have, and all are set up with a dimmer so you can see first hand how they work. Very clever idea and no doubt good for sales.

I was hoping that the globe light would be able to replace a 17 watt CFL that we have in the kitchen in the cabin. But it doesn't seem to be quite so well suited for that.

As you know, a CFL throws its' light everywhere, and LED's are usually more unidirectional.

This globe light looks and acts more like a frosted bulb. Most of the light goes downward, and there is a distinct difference between that and the CFL. However, after reading the fine print on the box it seems the LED's are particularly suited to the bar light fixtures often used in bathrooms above a vanity.

I only bought a couple of the globes (at $20 a pop) and have now installed them in the valance above the kitchen counter in the house. Perfect! I like them far better than the CFL's there. The 5 CFL's use 75 watts, so the five LED's will end up using 35 watts. Not a huge difference, but when you are on solar power it all adds up.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I'm running 3 watt'ers. I think that is a new word. They are really bright, more than the 50 watt Halogen's they replaced. A 7 watt will require sunglasses. I'm so glad that the technology has caught up, just wish the price would drop a little. Here is a site that I found. I have not ordered from them. http://www.satisled.com/ Prices seem pretty good. dorf dude...


Thanks for the link Shu...a few weeks ago I spent some time online trying to track down the latest in LED's. I found a Chinese manufacturer who had the 1 watt chips at .52 cents. 

Both the technology and the price will improve dramatically over the next year with the LED's themselves producing better and brighter light. They are presently trying to get the reflectors to produce a bulb which will be less unidirectional and more omnidirectional, which is the sort of light we are all used to seeing. But even with the current price, it is still well worth it to change over now.

Trouble is, everyone only looks at the price today, not at what the savings will be. The way I see it is this. The LED's run way cooler - in fact nearly zero heat at all. Their lifespan is a minimum of 20,000 hours - and they don't just quit then, they just get dimmer. If you are using incandescent's still, then it is even better to switch immediately.

I might note that ALL the CFL manufacturers have ceased to do any further research on CFL's and are now concentrating strictly on LED's.

The 3 watt chandelier bulbs I have use clear glass - and as you say they are amazingly bright. The 7 watt has the frosted appearance.


----------



## BigJim

We will be giving them a try soon, I hope we can get use to them. I didn't like the light the CFL put out at first but got use to it about the time one of them went out. Thanks for showing us the lights and how well they do Keith.

By the way, the weather man got it right, it is totally cloudy tonight.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> By the way, the weather man got it right, it is totally cloudy tonight.


Here too.


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## cocobolo

You're quite welcome. Definitely the light of the future, thankfully it is here now.

Our weather here is atrocious...no chance of seeing anything at all here tonight, except rain and snow!


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## Bud Cline

I'm getting sleepy so I think I'll go to bed for tonight and wait to see _the next full eclipse of the moon_.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> I'm getting sleepy so I think I'll go to bed for tonight and wait to see _the next full eclipse of the moon_.


Bud, it may be a loooong time to see another eclipse like this one, something like 600 years or so from what I understand.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Bud, it may be a loooong time to see another eclipse like this one, something like 600 years or so from what I understand.


It might be awhile before the next one falls on the winter solstice, but there are eclipses of the moon relatively frequently - at least in astronomical terms.

This one just happens to have everything going for it, what with the dark December night, it is high in the sky so everyone gets to see it, and it's a good full eclipse. Oh well, maybe next time.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, it may be a loooong time to see another eclipse like this one, something like 600 years or so from what I understand.


*OH CRAP!*
I thought it was every 460 years.
I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon but 600 may be stretching it.


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## gma2rjc

I was only 5 during the last eclipse like this, 350 years ago. But I remember it like it was yesterday. 

I'll have to look around for those pictures.


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I was only 5 during the last eclipse like this, 350 years ago. But I remember it like it was yesterday.
> 
> I'll have to look around for those pictures.


....and you told me you were only 39...can't trust anyone these days! :no:


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## cocobolo

June 15 and December 10, 2011 will give you another chance to catch a lunar eclipse. Do you think you'll make it that far? :laughing:


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## tpolk

set the alarm here for 2:30 am and it was hazy but viewable, by 3 sky was clear and in full eclipse what an excellent color just like news picks.


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## BigJim

Well for crying out loud, I am surprised that I can even put my clothes on right, the way I get things mixed up. The reason that eclipse was rare was it fell on the first day of winter and won't happen again for a long time. Sorry gang, I got a few cogs missing, but you already know that.:yes:


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> set the alarm here for 2:30 am and it was hazy but viewable, by 3 sky was clear and in full eclipse what an excellent color just like news picks.


I don't suppose you managed to shoot a pic or two of the moon in full eclipse, did you?


----------



## biggidybankston

Keith, when I saw your first posting about LED's at the "House of Pot" I too decided to check it out. I bought a 9W bulb meant to replace a standard light bulb and put it in our bedside lamp. I'm impressed with it overall. Its very bright, and warmer (describing the light, not the temperature) than I expected it to be. Its still a little cooler white than an incandescent, but its defiantly acceptable. My wife chewed me a good one though, for buying an $18 light bulb! The only drawback I noticed was that all of the light seemed to come out of one end of the bulb making it more of a soft-spot than a standard light bulb. The ceiling above my lamp is now VERY bright. But all-in-all I like it.

I've been waiting for this technology for the home awhile. We've been using LED fixtures for production lighting for even longer. At our church, we've been using several different LED fixtures to replace our color-changing fixtures steadily replacing older lights for a few years now. The costs keep coming down, albeit quality fixtures still cost around a $1,000. Note that I said quality. I've played with some little $150 fixtures that were pretty much junk. We're also talking about color-changing fixtures. These lights have a set of Red, Green, and Blue LED's and when mixed in combination can create virtually any color imaginable. White light is still a challenge with LED's, but it keeps getting better.

An interesting upshot to to the LED's as that as we've retired more and more halogen fixtures (the only other real option for stage, since other lights can't be dimmed) is that the air conditioners don't have to work as hard to keep the room cool in the summer months. Not having to replace bulbs that are 30' up in the air adds a nice piece of convenience as well. :yes: 
I'm wondering how long it will be until those two 900 amp dimmer panels in the electrical room will be obsolete? :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

I expect that we will very shortly be seeing other light bulb manufacturers jump on the band wagon.

The Chinese - who seem to be able to get on to something new overnight - are getting into LED's with both feet it seems. Good thing too, as that will force other (non-Chinese) manufacturers to get in on the act.

I did some reading on a university website some time back, and they believe that there is an answer to the unidirectional lighting, it's just going to take time to implement in a big way.

I expect that within a year - two at most - that problem will be behind them. I don't know if they have tried something like fiber optics to change the direction of the light, or whether that would diminish the output too much.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks as though I may be able to finish the laminate flooring at the top of the stairs today.

What with all the junk in the way I have been putting off doing it. But yesterday it all got cleaned out and it's ready to go. When it's done I'll get a pic or two up.


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## cocobolo

The curved hallway to the guest room now has the flooring down.

Take it from both Bud & me that you NEVER want to do something like this. Use a flooring material that you can lay down flat, and not have to lift and then put into place.

It's that double sided curve which causes all the trouble. Once it's done, it doesn't look too bad...but for the effort I'm not sure it's worth it.


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## Bud Cline

Actually,

That looks really good Keith but,
I can see where it has "hassle" written all over it.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Actually,
> 
> That looks really good Keith but,
> I can see where it has "hassle" written all over it.:yes:


I had a few other words in mind, but since this is the festive season, hassle will do just fine! 

This was another dandy part by the door jamb.


----------



## cocobolo

I haven't finished this floor yet, but it's close. This is the bit from the master bedroom over to the far wall.


----------



## cocobolo

I cut a temporary piece of 1 x 4 to fit where the wall will be going...that is as far as this laminate flooring will be laid.

As you can see we have sunshine here (at least right now) certainly not in the forecast...but we'll take it. :thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy Keith, that was some tough cuts but you sure got them good and close, your floor looks great buddy. That sunshine sure looks good also could you e-mail me a gallon or two of it, we done forgot how it looks down here.


----------



## gma2rjc

Absolutely beautiful! I hope you charge the home owner more for that kind of work! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Absolutely beautiful! I hope you charge the home owner more for that kind of work! :laughing:


I can try, but she'll probably tell me to get stuffed!


----------



## cocobolo

The only awkward bit left over was the doorway to the master bedroom.

It came out really quite well...


----------



## cocobolo

...and the last two pics of the floor all done.


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## cocobolo

Hi Gang:

As we are rapidly closing in on Christmas, I thought it might be a nice gesture if I gave a special "Thankyou" to everyone who has been kind enough to post on my thread.

It has been running now since January 2, 2009, and other than a few hiccups here and there has been steadily growing almost every day.

I tried to think of a way that I could thank each and every one of you who has joined in at one time or another, and it took me awhile to come up with a way to put everybody in order - while at the same time not offending anyone. So I have decided that I will thank you all in the order in which you originally posted.

I might need to do this in a few separate posts - so here goes!

pokerdonkey was the first up on January 3, 2009. Followed by bondo later that same day.

retro chimed in on January 6th, as did wrangler - who joined me often in the early days.

ponch 37300 came on board on January 7th, iMisspell followed on the 8th and scoggy posted for the first time on the thread January 14th.

Shamus was there on January 16, 2009, drtbk4ever on January 25th, and gma2rjc started on January 27, '09.

jackie treehorn was there on January 28th, Simply Sal on January 29th, shannahan on February 1st, mark 942 on February 2nd and Rippy Skippy on February 9th.

oregon diy posted on February 10th, followed by shtoink on February 12th, and my pal shumakerscott made his first comment on February 17th, 2009. Mort came in later that same day - the 17th, DIY testdummy on the 25th, Knucklez on May 2, and LeviDIY on the 3rd of May.

flamtap started 10 days later on May 13th, followed closely by GBR in WA on the 14th. ryanh arrived on May 15th.

To be continued...


----------



## cocobolo

...back again...

There is kind of a long gap between the last member and the next to join, as life interrupted the family in a big way, however, on January 20, 2010 Itsdadf came aboard, as did llckll later the same day.

Everybody's favourite comedian jlhaslip began on January 22nd, Han 'D' on the 24th, and February 1st saw brons2 join us. kaesinee was here on March 1st, and potts 17 on March 3rd.

sbmfj (James) came in on March 4th, and he needs a special thankyou for not only adding to the thread, but for being kind enough to give me a DVD which my wife and I enjoyed immensely.

Lali was on March 6th, ness on March 7th, just a guy on April 13th and loasis on April 18th, which was the same day that tpolk (Timothy) joined us.

Bwana K was April 23, 2010, followed by waterman 1971 on May 2nd, tigerbalm 2424 on May 20th and PatHIverson on on May 23rd.

downrightart posted on May 26th, and one of the all time great tilesetters, Bud Cline, joined on May 31st and has been an immense help ever since.

On June 9th scarrylarry of chainsaw fame joined in, Ivy on the 13th of June - then gdoucette on June 28th. Marbledust was here on June 29th, and everybody's favourite ******* jiju 1943 (Jim) joined on July 15th and the thread hasn't been the same since!

...to be continued...


----------



## cocobolo

...back yet again...

Bootz found us on July 19th, fireguy on July 20th, Korey L Griffin on July 21st, and ambersmith on July 22nd, 2010. SamTHorn was right behind on July 23rd.

beerdog (now there's a great handle!) was here on August 1st, David Robinson on August 2nd, Justin 08 also on August 2nd, no1hustler was here on August 19th, french electrician - Marc all the way from Paris - found us on August 20th.

Another Kevin arrived on August 22, Lulimet on the same day - the 22nd - Handy Vinny was here on September 13th, as was Jim F also on the 13th.

jules4 (A genuinely talented lady) started on September 18th, anna 38 on November 1st, and everybody's favourite moderator DangerMouse first posted here on November 3rd, 2010.

convchris arrived on November 21st, biggidybankston (gotta love that name) got here on November 23rd, followed by househugger on November 24th and jasonsmithbuild on November 25th.

That about brings me up to date - so if you have been lurking and would like to be added to the list, by all means please drop in and say Hi.

If I have missed your name please accept my apologies - I have tried to locate everyone.

There is yet one more person who has never posted on my thread but who deserves a very special Thank You and that is Nathan. If you don't know who Nathan is take a look around until you find him. He's the guy who makes all this possible for us.

So from me and my wife and our pooch "Bridie" we would like to extend the best of the season to everyone and wish you all 
a very Merry Xmas


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## Bud Cline

Good Lord !!!
Now THAT is a lot of work.


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## Bud Cline

...and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you all from me too!


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## frenchelectrican

Hey Coco.,

Let me say here.,

Ayez un Joyeux Noël

{ Have a Merry Christmas }

And yeah we got pretty nice snow in Paris area now got about 8 cm allready.


Merci.
Marc


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Good Lord !!!
> Now THAT is a lot of work.


Bud...believe me when I tell you it was a labour of love. If it wasn't for the good folks like you out there, the thread would have died a long time ago.


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## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Hey Coco.,
> 
> Let me say here.,
> 
> Ayez un Joyeux Noël
> 
> { Have a Merry Christmas }
> 
> And yeah we got pretty nice snow in Paris area now got about 8 cm allready.
> 
> 
> Merci.
> Marc


Hi Marc...no snow here yet, and it looks like we may not have any more until after Christmas!


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## frenchelectrican

ahh ok .,

Let me throw two you tube of our French Christmas song the first one is christmas verison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejMvu0iYEhk&feature=related


the second one is for the Jiggle bells in French 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-QLDqatEjY


Enjoy it 

Merci.
Marc


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## Bud Cline

This may be an appropriate time for me to post a continuation to my earlier post # 4131 (Feel Good) referring to my son-in-law and his recent return to Iraq.

A lot of us (me especially) don't hesitate to take shots at all of the big box stores at various times for various reasons.

Well today I went to my local Menard's Home Center here in Hastings Nebraska and I began to check out with a huge arm full of candy to send to my son-in-law and his (friends) in Iraq. The early a.m. cashier who is also an assistant store manager asked me if I was having a huge sweet tooth. I told her I was buying all that candy to send to Iraq.

She asked me if I could wait a few minutes while she checked out the few people behind me in line and of course I did.

She finished with those customers and then she went to her locker, retrieved her purse, and pulled out several store coupons and store credits and store gift cards she had been hording.

She handed them to me then told me now I could go back and check out. This boiled down to about a thirty dollar contribution to my purchase of candy to send to Iraq.

All I can say is a big huge:

*THANK YOU *
*to CAROLYN at the HASTINGS NEBRASKA MENARD'S STORE.*​ 
I certainly appreciate your kindness.

I enclosed a letter in the box so that the soldiers on the receiving end would know where the candy came from.


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## cocobolo

Bud...that's wonderful. I have to wonder just how many other people would like to help out if they were just given the opportunity.

A pretty nice way to say Merry Christmas to your guys over there.


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## BigJim

I can truly say that this is the greatest bunch of folks I have had the pleasure to associate with. I will second that, Bud flat out knows his trade and really did help me a lot when Judy and I installed our kitchen floor. Bud you have a kind and caring heart and we will keep your son-in-law in our prayers for a safe return home.

Now as for my good friend Keith, I can not put into words how you have helped me. You are truly a friend indeed. That had to take a good while to go back over your thread and collect all of the folks who have come to enjoy your thread. Your thread has been an adventure and continues to be each day. It is us who should thank you for this adventure you have allowed us to be present and witness each day, you sure have enriched our lives more than you know. You have a heart of gold buddy.

From Judy and myself we wish you all the most wonderful Christmas of all times.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I can truly say that this is the greatest bunch of folks I have had the pleasure to associate with. I will second that, Bud flat out knows his trade and really did help me a lot when Judy and I installed our kitchen floor. Bud you have a kind and caring heart and we will keep your son-in-law in our prayers for a safe return home.
> 
> Now as for my good friend Keith, I can not put into words how you have helped me. You are truly a friend indeed. That had to take a good while to go back over your thread and collect all of the folks who have come to enjoy your thread. Your thread has been an adventure and continues to be each day. It is us who should thank you for this adventure you have allowed us to be present and witness each day, you sure have enriched our lives more than you know. You have a heart of gold buddy.
> 
> From Judy and myself we wish you all the most wonderful Christmas of all times.


Many, many thanks Jim.

Now, for those of you who don't know...Jim was kind enough to send me a gift - right out of the blue - which has proven to be extremely useful. In fact, I couldn't do without it. It blew me away. I'll just leave it at that. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Many, many thanks Jim.
> 
> Now, for those of you who don't know...Jim was kind enough to send me a gift - right out of the blue - which has proven to be extremely useful. In fact, I couldn't do without it. It blew me away. I'll just leave it at that. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


I know this is the internet and a person can't say the things he wants to as there are many people who would try to take advantage of those with a kind heart so I can't tell of the kind deeds this gentle man has done. Judy and I have many friends all over the world, literally, but I will say that Keith is right at the top of all our true friends.


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## gma2rjc

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to you Keith and to Mrs. cocobolo and everyone else here on this thread. 

 And I wish you all the very best in 2011.​ 
Is Bridie going to have a gift from Santa under the tree?

Bud, thanks for passing that story along to us. It's nice to hear about the good things that people do for each other. 

Barb


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## cocobolo

...and a Merry Christmas to oh'mike as well...

thanks for dropping by.


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## jlhaslip

Hope everybody is enjoying the Season... 

All the best of wishes and good health for the next year...


----------



## A Squared

Keith,

Fascinating thread. I stumbled across this a couple of days ago searching for something entirely unrelated, and I've spend fairly large portions of the last few days reading through from the beginning. I'm in awe of your craftsmanship, ingenuity and industry. Very interesting project. I'm in the early planning stages of building a cabin on remote lake in Alaska, so I'm particularly interested in your methods of solo building and building in a remote location. Everything will either have to come in by air or on a snowmobile. 

Some of the things you've written have piqued my curiosity as they're related to issues I've been mulling over. 

In  post 3547you made some offhand comments about metal roofing which may not be particularly significant, but I'm wondering what was behind them. I'm considering metal roofing for my cabin, although in some ways asphalt shingles would be more convenient. I've worked with shingles (but not with metal roofing), I can install them solo, and I could transport them in my own floatplane vs having to charter a much larger plane to fly in the metal roofing panels. However, in heavy snow country, a metal roof sheds snow much easier which is a concern for a cabin that will not be attended continuously. I guess my current thinking is that, I'd rather _build_ an asphalt shingle roof, but I'd rather _have _a metal roof and I'm still trying to decide which is more important. I'm interested in your thoughts on metal roofing. 

Also I read with great interest your descriptions of your composite beams. I've been putting a lot of thought into how to construct my own composite beams on site, so I was very interested to see that you had already done just that. In post 2674 you described the construction of your beams and made this comment: 



> Now as you know, OSB means _oriented_ strand board. You need the orientation to be vertical not horizontal, which means you are limited to a 4 foot length on each piece of OSB.


I'm not following why you say that the strands must be oriented vertically. I know that in OSB the outer layers are composed of longer strands oriented predominately along the long axis of the panel while the inner layers are shorter strands oriented mostly along the short axis. At least, this is true in OSB sheathing panels; other OSB products may have different numbers and orientations of strand layers. This makes the panel much stronger and stiffer for bending forces applied along the strength axis (long dimension) compared to bending forces applied across the strength axis; 4-5 times stiffer and 3-4 times stronger, depending on the thickness of the panel. 

That said, for this application, I don't see that the orientation makes much difference. The forces on the web of a beam like this are almost exclusively* shear _through the thickness_ of the web. The engineering data I have (from the engineered wood association) indicates the strength of OSB sheathing for shear through the thickness of the panel is identical whether parallel to or perpendicular to the strength axis. In other words, the resistance of OSB to the type of shear stress in the web of a beam is the same whether the orientation is vertical or horizontal. 

So to summarize; everything I think I know about the stresses within a beam and the strength of OSB seem to indicate that it doesn't matter which way the OSB is oriented in the webs, but you say that it's important that the strength axis is oriented vertically. What am I missing??


* I say almost. To a small degree, the portions of the web close to the top and bottom of the beam experience stress in compression and tension respectively. This is negligible, but to the extent that it exists, it would point toward orienting the strength axis along the beam rather then vertically, as OSB is slightly stronger (10-12%) in compression and substantially stronger in tension (50%-200% stronger, depending on panel thickness) along the strength axis, compared to across the strength axis.


----------



## cocobolo

A-squared, many thanks for checking in...and season's greetings.

Let's address the metal vs. shingle roofing first.

In a remote spot in Alaska, I doubt there would be any difference in what you put on your roof. I don't care for metal roofing for three reasons. Firstly, it always looks industrial to me - at least the long single panels do. I personally do not like that on this island as I just don't think it belongs here.

Secondly, the long panels are essentially impossible to install without help. It buckles way too easily if the whole length isn't supported. If you have a helper - that idea doesn't hold any water. Unfortunately, I have seen the result of the sheets buckling all too often over here.

Thirdly - and this may come as a surprise to you - the metal roofing is far more dangerous in the event of fire. Now let me explain this.

The shingles we have used are fiberglass reinforced, and I cannot get them to burn. No doubt this seems quite contrary to what you might think, but I assure you it is so. I do whatever testing I need to make myself happy without regard to what any manufacturer says.

Next, you would think that metal couldn't possibly burn, and you would be right. However, in the event of any sort of an outside fire source, as in a forest fire for example, that metal roof does an excellent job of transferring the heat right into your framing from outside.

In case you doubt the veracity of my word, I will point you to the case of the big fire which ripped through Kelowna, B.C. a few years ago. The roofs which were covered in the f/g reinforced shingles did not catch fire. The houses with metal roofs went up in a heartbeat. Not only that, but the asphalt shingled roofs which did NOT have the f/g in them didn't go up either. Now, I will admit that surprised me somewhat.

All this was well documented at the time, and in fact it was declared a disaster and a major telethon took place in order to raise funds for the many families who literally lost everything. If memory serves, something like 300 homes were lost.

A couple of other points about metal roofing...you can buy individual interlocking metal shingles. I used to work for a time with a company that actually manufactured these things. It does take some training to install them, although any competent carpenter shouldn't have any difficulty. And the other thing is that (to me anyway) they seem outrageously overpriced. Perhaps that is partially because the company insists that their own installers always do the job, and partially because of the big commissions they pay the sales staff.

Honestly, with all things considered, plus the fact that with proper nailing the f/g reinforced shingles carry a 40 year warranty, at less than half the cost, for me it's a no brainer.

But, you know what - it's your cabin - and it's your choice.

OK, on to the joist structure.

I agree with you that it is completely counter intuitive to think that the grain orientation should be vertical. However, I have the luxury here of being able to visit a truss joist manufacturing facility fairly close by, and seeing for myself first hand how these things are done.

I will admit that my thinking was identical to yours initially. So, I'll give you something to ponder.

Considering that I did not have a nice machine with which to make my joists, it was necessary to devise a simple and economical way to do so while at the same time providing great strength. My solution, as you know, was to build the double web trusses.

Now, in the plant, they use a glue which looks very much like UF 109 (not sure if that is factually correct or not) to join the ends of the OSB as it is fed into the machine, as well as where the OSB is pressed - under considerable pressure - into the webs. The OSB is oriented vertically, not horizontally. And, of course, you want to know why.

My joists are only the same width as a standard 2 x 10, which would be 9 1/2". Now, if you take a square of OSB 9 1/2" by 9 1/2" and set it on edge, (grain horizontal) is it not reasonable to think that you could either crush or bend this fairly easily given sufficient force? I think it is.

Now orient that same square so it is vertical...do you not agree that it would be more difficult to either crush or bend it? By actual test, the answer is yes.

Given my lack of facility to make a single web truss, I opted for a double web, and used construction glue and loads of nails to fix it all together. I cannot for the life of me remember where I got the information regarding the strengths of the different trusses, but I do remember thinking that it was blindly obvious that the double was far stronger and - for me - was the obvious choice. The width of the double truss is also much greater than the typical truss joist, or I joist, whatever you wish to call it.

The fact is that it is the whole assembly which has the strength. No single component is really strong at all. Much like a monocoque race car. Any one piece of metal is flimsy, but the whole structure is stiff as can be.

My floor with these trusses is still as stiff today as it was the day it went in. I may have mentioned in the thread that from time to time, I have had some horrendous weights on that floor, all without any ill effect.

I hope this helps in some way.

I'd be really interested in hearing what sort of cabin you plan to build, how big and so forth. And how far you would be from civilization.

Thanks very much for stopping by.


----------



## A Squared

Keith,

Thanks for the detailed reply. On the roofing, I don't have your aesthetic objections to metal roofing, in fact, I find a well installed steel roof in slate blue or dark green fairly attractive. No accounting for tastes I suppose. I also like the looks of asphalt shingles, so no real advantage one way or another. The metal is a hassle to handle, I know. I haven't ever installed a metal roof, but I have wrangled many panels. My previous job I frequently flew a lot of building materials out to various location in Alaska and have delivered many squares of steel roofing, all of which had to be wrestled out of the plane (DC-6 if that means anything to you) by hand, which is no mean feat when the cargo deck of the plane sits 7-8 feet above ground level and the panels are 30 feet long. Wear gloves. So my memories of wrestling steel roofing are not fond, and I could certainly be swayed toward asphalt shingles. Interesting information about the relative fire hazards. Without thinking too deeply about it, you would tend to think the opposite, but things are not always as they seem. 




cocobolo said:


> Now, if you take a square of OSB 9 1/2" by 9 1/2" and set it on edge, (grain horizontal) is it not reasonable to think that you could either crush or bend this fairly easily given sufficient force? I think it is.
> 
> Now orient that same square so it is vertical...do you not agree that it would be more difficult to either crush or bend it? By actual test, the answer is yes.


This is true, although the difference in resistance to compressive stress is only 10-12 percent; not a huge difference. Certainly the resistance to buckling is considerably greater along the strength axis vs across it, buuuuuut, (and I'm not trying to be obstinate here), once the pieces are firmly joined and behaving as a whole rather then as a collection of individual parts, the majority of the stress on the web will be in shear across the thickness of the web. According to my understanding of the forces within a beam, (which may be lacking) the web just isn't subject to significant compressive stress. Maybe it is, maybe I'm not quite seeing the whole picture. 

Anyway, the cabin: It's still a somewhat amorphous entity at this point. I have the land, about 7-1/2 acres of lake front property about 50 nautical miles northwest of Anchorage, although through geographic particulars the nearest road is a bit further than that. I can see Denali from my property, unfortunately that portion isn't a good location for a cabin. I have in mind a 4 season, dry cabin. Enough room for myself and my partner to both have a little elbow room. Someplace to read, relax, that won't get too small if the weather is bad. Maybe enough room to host some friends who aren't averse to sleeping bag and mattresses on the floor. I'd like a sleeping loft open to the space below. It's not going to be extravagant, but I'd like it to be distinctive. I'm not completely sure how to accomplish that. The idea of building with logs is attractive, but the property doesn't have enough trees to do that, vegetation is a bit too sparse there. I've toyed with the idea of an A-frame. I'm aware of their limitations and disadvantages but at the same time, I find them appealing. Some people like curves. I like straight lines and regular geometric shapes. (I can hear you muttering "heathen" under your breath) That in general terms is what I'm shooting for. I'm still trying to figure out how to get from here to there.


----------



## A Squared

I beleive that I've discovered why I've been having difficulty understanding this deal with the beam webs. I've been thinking in terms of distributed loads. If your load is evenly distributed along the span of the beam, then the stresses are pretty much like I've been describing. But loads aren't always distributed evenly in a joist. There are also concentrated point loads, and a point load will impart a compressive force to a beam web. Makes more sense now.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> I beleive that I've discovered why I've been having difficulty understanding this deal with the beam webs. I've been thinking in terms of distributed loads. If your load is evenly distributed along the span of the beam, then the stresses are pretty much like I've been describing. But loads aren't always distributed evenly in a joist. There are also concentrated point loads, and a point load will impart a compressive force to a beam web. Makes more sense now.


Right...chances are that neither of us will ever have a point load that would cause any damage. And the other part of the equation is that once the sheathing is down on the floor, and some sort of ceiling is nailed on underneath, the whole entity becomes an extremely strong structure. Any point load becomes distributed over a substantial area, thus negating any effect that a point load might have.

In any event, the way I look at it is this...these double web trusses are extremely strong and have carried several hundred pounds per square foot on more than one occasion. The proof is in the pudding as it were.


----------



## cocobolo

As to your earlier post, I have a pal who has been a flight instructor since before they made airplanes I think, so I'm familiar with the DC 6. Only ever flew on one twice.

The natural inclination regarding metal roofing is to think it would be safer in a fire. Apparently it concentrates the heat from an outside fire source. As soon as the temperature on the underside of the metal exceeds 475ºF, the wood framing ignites.

We have three A-frame buildings on the island here. In each case, the owners wish they hadn't built them. As you obviously know, they have serious space limitations. In fact, I just heard within the last couple of weeks that one is being taken down in favor of a more conventional shaped building. The room issue is what did it for them.

There will be no "heathen" comment from me I can promise you!

Should I find it necessary to build another house when we get off the rock, there won't be a curve in sight. Well, maybe out in the garden.

And 7 1/2 acres within earshot of Anchorage! Ahhhhhh, nice! It's been 35 years or more since I was up that way, but the country is awesome up there.

A couple of years back, there were two cabins built here which had materials flown in by chopper. I guess that might be a good option for you. As for the roofing colour, slate blue would be much nicer than green. Next time you're out there flying, look down and tell me that you see green. Your mind _thinks_ everything is green, but look again and it's much more like that slate blue colour. There are green metal roofs here and they all stick out like a sore thumb.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> Should I find it necessary to build another house when we get off the rock, there won't be a curve in sight.


Ha - the only way you'd give up curves is if you came up with something even _more_ complicated :laughing:

A belated happy Christmas and all the best for the new year!


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Ha - the only way you'd give up curves is if you came up with something even _more_ complicated :laughing:
> 
> A belated happy Christmas and all the best for the new year!


Thanks Jules...I think I will make myself happy just observing curves on the female body. That should do it!


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> Thanks Jules...I think I will make myself happy just observing curves on the female body. That should do it!


See, like I said . . . something even more complicated :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> See, like I said . . . something even more complicated :laughing:


Hmmmm....I never thought of it that way, but now that you mention it...


----------



## cocobolo

It is approaching noon here, and we have been having what may be the biggest windstorm we have ever seen here in the last 13 years or more.

Just charging the camera battery back up again, as I ran it flat getting shots.

I walked up to the head of the bay, and wouldn't you know it, it is choked with logs again, and it looks like there are many more logs blowing their way in as we speak.

The wind noise is absolutely deafening...I honestly cannot remember it being this bad before.

One of the neighbours' boats has broken its' mooring and is upside down at the head of the bay. When the wind drops and the tide recedes I will rescue it for him. And two mooring floats have blown in as well (so far!).

I'm just hoping that the safety line on the sailboat holds...it is getting thrown around something fierce.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It is approaching noon here, and we have been having what may be the biggest windstorm we have ever seen here in the last 13 years or more.
> 
> Just charging the camera battery back up again, as I ran it flat getting shots.
> 
> I walked up to the head of the bay, and wouldn't you know it, it is choked with logs again, and it looks like there are many more logs blowing their way in as we speak.
> 
> The wind noise is absolutely deafening...I honestly cannot remember it being this bad before.
> 
> One of the neighbours' boats has broken its' mooring and is upside down at the head of the bay. When the wind drops and the tide recedes I will rescue it for him. And two mooring floats have blown in as well (so far!).
> 
> I'm just hoping that the safety line on the sailboat holds...it is getting thrown around something fierce.


Wow Keith, I sure hope the wind doesn't do your property any harm. That would be scary out there on your island with wind that bad. I wonder if it is blowing in some bad cold weather for ya'll, I sure do hope it isn't. Hopefully you can use some of the lumber that is jammed up out there. Let us know how things are going for ya'll buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, I have 138 photos of the storm and related things. I will post just a few so you can see what it has been like. 

According to the forecast, the wind is supposed to be gone shortly, and no more during the next 4 days. I guess we'll see.

We thought it was dropping about 1/2 an hour ago, but no such luck.

The only damage thus far is a handful of branches on the ground - some of them pretty big. And the skiff was caught up between the barge and the white cabin cruiser. I think I managed to get it separated before any damage was done, although I will need to check on the prop later.

Just need to sort out a few photos and back shortly.


----------



## cocobolo

Very seldom does anything blow into the bay on front of us. mainly because it is not the prevailing wind direction most of the time.

Today, we have even been having whitecaps on the tiny bay right in front of us! Very unusual to say the least.

And this junk has blown in right in front of the lift we use to bring supplies up the bank. Never seen that before.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the sailboat tugging hard on its' mooring. Let's hope the wind dies down soon, no mooring can stand this for too long.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a pic of two boats way over on the other side of the channel...about 2 1/2 to 3 miles away.

I do believe the skippers must be certifiably insane.


----------



## cocobolo

While I had the tele lens on the camera, I grabbed a shot of this clearcut all covered in snow.

They have been telling us on the tube that Mt. Washington on the island has had the most and best snow anywhere in North America. The pics have been outstanding.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm not quite sure how well you will be able to see this...but there are several logs being blown into the bay in this pic.


----------



## cocobolo

I went out to the end property on the spit here, and spotted the Loch Ness monster. The harlequin ducks seem to be playing with him.


----------



## cocobolo

Right after that, this log came blowing by, right up close to shore...and this is in the protected part of the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

Until this morning, this dinghy was on a mooring out in the bay. 

I'll clean the bottom off and tie it up for the neighbour tomorrow. It's way too windy and just plain cold today. -5ºC with the windchill...at least!


----------



## cocobolo

Couple of things blew in today - other than the dinghy.

A marker off a log boom, we do get those once in awhile, and a couple of floats.


----------



## cocobolo

Went out again a few minutes ago and spotted this gull trying to fly against the wind - in vain.


----------



## cocobolo

This was out front earlier. Bear in mind that the wind isn't coming at us, only going straight past. Still and all, it's pretty bumpy out there.


----------



## cocobolo

Just one of many logs which came by earlier. This one about 20' long.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> A couple of years back, there were two cabins built here which had materials flown in by chopper.


The price goes up rather steeply when you start hiring helicopters vs airplanes. The closest you could stage the building materials by truck or barge would still be a fairly long helicopter flight. A buddy of mine owns a dc-3 which he operates on skis. That is probably the most cost effective way of moving the bulk of the building material out there. The lake is plenty long enough for him to land and take off. Hope you come through the storm with no damage and lots of useful logs.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> The price goes up rather steeply when you start hiring helicopters vs airplanes. The closest you could stage the building materials by truck or barge would still be a fairly long helicopter flight. A buddy of mine owns a dc-3 which he operates on skis. That is probably the most cost effective way of moving the bulk of the building material out there. The lake is plenty long enough for him to land and take off. Hope you come through the storm with no damage and lots of useful logs.


Oh, good deal. If he's on skiis, then that's your answer.

No damage at the cabin, but the wind still hasn't slowed down any. Don't know if any of the logs will be of value, but if nothing else, it's more firewood - and delivered right to the door as it were.


----------



## BigJim

That did blow in quite a mess, will you have to clean it up or can you just drag it up on the bank and burn it. I was curious about the large piece of wood behind the two tires, I wonder what they was going to use it for. I hope the wind dies down for ya'll soon Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That did blow in quite a mess, will you have to clean it up or can you just drag it up on the bank and burn it. I was curious about the large piece of wood behind the two tires, I wonder what they was going to use it for. I hope the wind dies down for ya'll soon Keith.


Whatever it was, Jim, it has been in the water for a long time. All the edges are rounded off.

It blew in on a very high tide so I expect it's going to be there awhile. I may be able to chop it up in the spring if it hasn't gone - which I doubt. It's a big old chunk of cedar.

The other stuff right up close in the bay I can cut up right there and put straight into the lift. When the weather improves I'll do that.


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice pictures Keith. That's been one heck of a wind storm.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Nice pictures Keith. That's been one heck of a wind storm.


You bet...it was supposed to be improving before now, but it seems they forgot to tell the wind gods. It's still howling like crazy out there.

Now, I like wind chimes, but ours are starting to drive me nuts!


----------



## cocobolo

Thankfully, the wind dropped overnight. Quite calm this morning on a rising barometer. 

For once I hope the meteorological prognosticators are correct, and this stays with us for the next 4 days. There's a few bigger items I need to bring over, and we need flat water for that.

Woke up this morning at first light, and there was a red reflection bouncing off the windows from the house. Just before sunrise, we sometimes get this red sky which only lasts a minute or two. 

Ran outside and got a few shots off. This is the first one, although I still didn't really get the red colour.


----------



## A Squared

I was wondering about your weather this morning. I live in Anchorage but at the moment I'm about 100 miles East of you in Abbotsford. It's been gray and wet here since before Christmas but there wasn't a cloud in the sky this morning. I was wondering if this meant the storm over by you had moved on.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> I was wondering about your weather this morning. I live in Anchorage but at the moment I'm about 100 miles East of you in Abbotsford. It's been gray and wet here since before Christmas but there wasn't a cloud in the sky this morning. I was wondering if this meant the storm over by you had moved on.


Luckily it has.

But one of the strangest things yesterday...throughout the day I was checking on the marine weather site for windspeeds.

Nowhere else except right here got any big winds. Sandheads was 9 knots, Entrance only hit 25, Saturna was down around 4, even up the coast further didn't seem to get above 32 knots, and that was at the peak of the storm.

Usually, it's the other way around here, calm inside the islands and snotty out on the strait.


----------



## cocobolo

As soon as brekky is done, I'm going to head over and clean the bottom of the neighbours' dinghy and tie it up for him. I see the line is missing, so I'll make him a new one.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's a beautiful picture Keith.

Your neighbors are lucky to have you watching out for them. It's awfully nice of you to do that for them.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's a beautiful picture Keith.
> 
> Your neighbors are lucky to have you watching out for them. It's awfully nice of you to do that for them.


It goes with the territory here.

Just got the bottom cleaned on Mark's boat and a new bow line.

It doesn't look as though there is any damage to the boat. I'll give him a call to let him know where to look for his boat when he comes over again.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, the head of our small bay was really jammed up this morning. Pretty much everything was junk, so I pushed it out. There is one long log which has been creosoted, it might have been used as a telephone pole in a past life.

I believe one of my neighbours was looking for one of these, so I'll get that tied up as well. Other than that it's just firewood.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is one beautiful photo, that has got to make you feel good to see something that beautiful the first thing in the morning. Hopefully things will go your way for a few days so you can get things done you want to. I agree with Barb, your neighbors are luck to have you for a neighbor.


----------



## cocobolo

Our immediate next door neighbour just showed up to check on the damage. I think everything is ok, just some branches on the ground.


----------



## gma2rjc

About how many boats are there in the bay this time of year Keith?


----------



## cocobolo

Right now there our just a couple of dinghy's out there, plus the four of ours.

In the summer it will be packed.


----------



## cocobolo

My neighbour and one of his buddies were in & we had a chat. He's going to see if Mark's line is still out there for his float. He did have a double float in place earlier, so it might be that the lower one is still there. We can't see that until the tide is much lower, so I'll keep an eye out.


----------



## gma2rjc

Does that neighbor stay there mostly in the summer?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Does that neighbor stay there mostly in the summer?


Actually, he's here quite a bit all year round, but just wanted to check for any damage today. He lives over on Gabriola, and apparently they got as much wind as we did yesterday.


----------



## cocobolo

The creosote log which washed in yesterday may come in handy to make a float. So I've decided to keep it here.

It looks like there may be some long logs over at Pirate's on DeCourcey, and if the weather is OK tomorrow I might make a trip over to see what I can find.


----------



## jlhaslip

Congrats on Post Number 4300 ... and counting...


----------



## jules4

Cool windstorm photos - thanks for posting them. That pre-dawn picture was absolutely stunning.

It's so bizarre to see all those lovely big logs washing up - all that washes up around here is lobster traps (modern metal ones, so you can't even use 'em for kindling).


----------



## cocobolo

You're welcome.

If you guys had a logging industry back there, you would get logs blowing in as well.

If I get over to DeCourcey tomorrow, I'll take the camera. Even if I don't drag something back there should still be a fair bit of stuff over there.


----------



## Bud Cline

Check this out! Colorado Springs yesterday. There is some language so "viewer be ware".
The narrator and cameraman is a friend (at Fort Carson) of my son-n-law.

Enjoy!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5exATIaQiI


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Check this out! Colorado Springs yesterday. There is some language so "viewer be ware".
> The narrator and cameraman is a friend (at Fort Carson) of my son-n-law.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5exATIaQiI


Some people just won't learn, I think the last 4X4 could have made it on up if he hadn't stopped. Man oh man


----------



## cocobolo

What a mess! You might think that someone familiar with the area might just stay off a hill like that. The way those vehicles were sliding slowly backwards with all four brakes locked up shows how slippery it must have been.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's amazing. I couldn't believe the people standing in the street near their cars! Their lucky someone yelled for them to get out of the way.

I think the last 4x4 could have made it too, but he needed to pick up more speed starting at the bottom of the hill and keep going.

He did a great job of videotaping it. 

Thanks for the link Bud!


----------



## cocobolo

Phone call this morning from my pal on the other side of the island. Seems he has hurt his back - again. Only this time he says much worse.

I just got back from a visit there. Brought a few armloads of firewood inside for him as he could barely walk and certainly couldn't bend down to pick it up.

I tried to remember the treatments I got from the chiro's when I used to go.

Tried to ease the pain by trying to get him to lay down straight and not move. After a couple of hours he said he was feeling much better, but still I urged him not to do anything.

He's supposed to call me in the morning and let me know how he's doing. Looks like we will need to get him over to town to see a chiropractor next week. He's never been to one before, and he's had trouble with his back for more than 10 years now.


----------



## gma2rjc

I hope he feels better soon. There aren't very many movements a person can make that don't involve using at least a few back muscles.

Keith, what are your neighbors going to do without you when you move off the island?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I hope he feels better soon. There aren't very many movements a person can make that don't involve using at least a few back muscles.
> 
> Keith, what are your neighbors going to do without you when you move off the island?


Probably a lot better without me bugging them!!


----------



## BigJim

I sure know how he feels with his back out like that, that bone cracker can sure get the back straightened out with several visits. I feel sorry for him having to ride across in a boat, that is going to smart.

I agree with Barb, the folks are sure going to miss you when ya'll move back across on the main land, you got a good heart buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I sure know how he feels with his back out like that, that bone cracker can sure get the back straightened out with several visits. I feel sorry for him having to ride across in a boat, that is going to smart.
> 
> I agree with Barb, the folks are sure going to miss you when ya'll move back across on the main land, you got a good heart buddy.


We spent some time trying to figure out how to get him over to town with a minimum amount of pain. He has an appointment to see about a cataract in one eye for next Wednesday.

If his back is feeling better, he'll have a go at taking his own sailboat over. If not, we'll see if he can get into a skiff. Of course, either way the water is going to need to be flat. 

While we can _never_ believe any wind predictions that far in advance, it looks as though the general trend is for low wind speeds, which will be the good news.

Trouble is, he's much like me when it comes to doing nothing. He doesn't care for that.


----------



## jules4

Poor guy - back pain can immobilize you like nothing else. I pinched a nerve in my back a few years ago and I've never had such pain - only thing that kept me even quasi-mobile was mega doses of ibuprofin. 

I hope he's able to get to the mainland OK and that some spinal adjustments help him out.

The human spine is one of the best arguments against intelligent design (knees are another good one).


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Poor guy - back pain can immobilize you like nothing else. I pinched a nerve in my back a few years ago and I've never had such pain - only thing that kept me even quasi-mobile was mega doses of ibuprofin.
> 
> I hope he's able to get to the mainland OK and that some spinal adjustments help him out.
> 
> The human spine is one of the best arguments against intelligent design (knees are another good one).


Yep, couldn't agree more.

One way or another we'll get him there.

Just watched the forecast a couple of minutes ago, and now Wednesday we are supposed to get rain. Really could live without that.


----------



## cocobolo

I think back in Nova Scotia they are a few minutes past midnight...so a big 
happy new year 
to Jules.


----------



## Bud Cline

IBUPROFEN!
About 1600 milligrams should handle the crossing.


(I am not a medical professional and I am not dispensing medical advice.)







:sorcerer:HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE:sorcerer:​


----------



## cocobolo

And in half an hour, all those of you in the eastern time zone will be making fools of yourselves as well...so

HAPPY NEW YEAR 

TO YOU ALL AS WELL.

Keith


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> IBUPROFEN!
> About 1600 milligrams should handle the crossing.
> 
> 
> (I am not a medical professional and I am not dispensing medical advice.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> :sorcerer:HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE:sorcerer:​


We were thinking morphine, backed up by 26 ozs. of...

HAPPY NEW YEAR BUD!

Keith


----------



## BigJim

From the east end of the USA

HAPPY NEW YEAR


----------



## gma2rjc

HAPPY 
NEW
YEAR!!

arty:arty:arty:arty:

OR, MORE LIKE

:yawn:...:tooth:...:sleeping:


​


----------



## cocobolo

Just under 3 hours to go here Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> HAPPY
> NEW
> YEAR!!
> 
> arty:arty:arty:arty:
> 
> OR, MORE LIKE
> 
> :yawn:...:tooth:...:sleeping:
> 
> 
> ​


I think you need to be over 39 to get that one.


----------



## cocobolo

email in from our friends down in Sydney in Australia...

If the east coast of the US thinks they have it bad, there is an area down in OZ which is larger than France and Germany combined which has sustained enormous flooding.

22 towns have been evacuated, water is up to the roofs, a number of lives have been lost, it's a major tragedy.

The anticipated repair bill so far is around 8 Billion $.

300 mm of rain in 24 hours, which is 4 times the normal rainfall for the entire _month_. In some areas, the water level has not peaked, and isn't expected to do so until next Tuesday.

Usually, they celebrate NYD down at the beach. Doesn't look like it this year.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's horrible. I hope your friends are alright.

They talked about it on the radio today. I've never heard of such a huge area flooding like that.

I don't mean to sound stupid, but how many inches are there in 300mm?


----------



## A Squared

gma2rjc said:


> That's horrible. I hope your friends are alright.
> 
> They talked about it on the radio today. I've never heard of such a huge area flooding like that.
> 
> I don't mean to sound stupid, but how many inches are there in 300mm?



12

Approximately


----------



## cocobolo

Something like 25.387 millimeters to the inch, or about 305 millimeters to the foot.

Any way you slice it, that's a bunch of water.

All the city water systems have become contaminated because they are now underwater. It's a really major disaster.


----------



## cocobolo

Gettin' closer, now it's happy new year to all the folks in the mountain time zone.


----------



## gma2rjc

Happy 
Mountain Time
New
Year!!

​ 
​​


----------



## gma2rjc

Happy 
Pacific Time
New
Year!!​


----------



## cocobolo

And a very happy new year from Coco to everyone on the DIY Chatroom. 
It's now officially 2011 on the west coast


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> And a very happy new year from Coco to everyone on the DIY Chatroom.
> It's now officially 2011 on the west coast


I did make it to your New Year but I am tired of watching Will Rogers reruns so I'm goin to bed, Good night and the Happiest of New Years to you buddy. Say good night Gracie... :yawn:


----------



## LarryCo

Keith, I wanted to say thanks and happy new years to you eh? (That's was said in my best Canadian accent! ) I recently was given a link to your thread and have been reading it intently. I enjoyed reading through it and wanted so badly to reply along the way but it since it probably wouldn't have made sense due to where I was with it I didn't. Now that I'm at the end of my journey I can finally say thanks!

Really great thread! :yes:

Oh, I almost forgot, happy new year!


----------



## BigJim

I just missed it 1/1/11 at 11:11 that won't happen again at least not here. Yes it will, in a 100 years. Oh well.


----------



## cocobolo

LarryCo said:


> Keith, I wanted to say thanks and happy new years to you eh? (That's was said in my best Canadian accent! ) I recently was given a link to your thread and have been reading it intently. I enjoyed reading through it and wanted so badly to reply along the way but it since it probably wouldn't have made sense due to where I was with it I didn't. Now that I'm at the end of my journey I can finally say thanks!
> 
> Really great thread! :yes:
> 
> Oh, I almost forgot, happy new year!


LarryCo...first may I thank you for dropping by to the thread, and secondly for the happy new year.

The very same to your good self.

If you want to comment on any particular part, just click on the quote button and ask away. That way it will be perfectly in context.

Thanks again.

Keith


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I did make it to your New Year but I am tired of watching Will Rogers reruns so I'm goin to bed, Good night and the Happiest of New Years to you buddy. Say good night Gracie... :yawn:


Thanks Jim...it's a good thing I didn't have to hang on for another three hours..I wouldn't have made it.

2011 has dawned here with a beautiful - but very cold - bright sunny morning. Heavy frost covering everything outside and the water barrels have a good layer of ice.

It's going to be a great year!


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> I just missed it 1/1/11 at 11:11 that won't happen again at least not here. Yes it will, in a 100 years. Oh well.


Oh rats! I was reading this and looked at the clock and it said 1:11. I tried to post fast, but didn't make it.

Maybe next time... :laughing:

You can still post at 11:11 tonight Jim. Or November 11th at 11:11.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Oh rats! I was reading this and looked at the clock and it said 1:11. I tried to post fast, but didn't make it.
> 
> Maybe next time... :laughing:


That's OK, if you post at 2:11 your time, it will show as 1:11:11 Pacific time.

I just got the best phone call from Alan. It seems he woke up this morning and says he fells 100% better than yesterday. I hope it stays that way.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> That's OK, if you post at 2:11 your time, it will show as 1:11:11 Pacific time.
> 
> I just got the best phone call from Alan. It seems he woke up this morning and says he fells 100% better than yesterday. I hope it stays that way.


Was it Alan who hurt his back? I'm glad his year is starting out right.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Was it Alan who hurt his back? I'm glad his year is starting out right.


Yes. I think I was much more surprised than he was. I only know a couple of back moves, but it seems to have worked. I tried to convince him to lay down a lot today, but don't know if he will.


----------



## gma2rjc

gma2rjc said:


> Was it Alan who hurt his back? I'm glad his year is starting out right.


Gee, if a person hadn't read the previous post, they'd think I was saying something mean.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Gee, if a person hadn't read the previous post, they'd think I was saying something mean.


I don't think so...we know you much better than that.


----------



## Bootz

Happy New year buddy :clap: i hope all is well on the island project  wish everyone in the family good new year


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Happy New year buddy :clap: i hope all is well on the island project  wish everyone in the family good new year


Many thanks Bootz...please accept our best wishes for the coming year as well.

Hopefully, this will be the last year for completing the big project here so we can get back to the big island.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Many thanks Bootz...please accept our best wishes for the coming year as well.
> 
> Hopefully, this will be the last year for completing the big project here so we can get back to the big island.


Thank you Coco means alot... yea we just finished up some staining of the cabinets for the kitchen if you want to venture over to my project show case and have a look... took your advise and kinda ran with it... We actually went ... Red.. not the other color as previously stated... but it looks really awesome... however looks like we might have killed something and it bleed all over our drop clothes :laughing:

Btw for Christmas I got a iPad ... Freaking sweet they have an app you can put right on to it and tap in anytime


----------



## cocobolo

I was just sitting at the 'puter messing about when the missus hollered at me to look at the sunset.

Grabbed the camera and ran outside quick like a bunny, but once again, I just missed it.

But for a new years' day sunset, I don't think it's too bad!


----------



## gma2rjc

That is absolutely stunning Keith. Such a nice change from the browns, grays and whites we usually see outside in the winter.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> That is absolutely stunning Keith. Such a nice change from the browns, grays and whites we usually see outside in the winter.


I couldn't have said it better, just breath taking. I will be pulling for you to finish up this year so you can move back to the big Island so you and your sweety can enjoy life and not have to work so hard at life. I can imagine how it will be for ya'll after all this time to be able to jump in a car and head out even when it is raining to the grocery or just out to eat or something. You two have seen many beautiful sunsets on your island and enjoyed the absolute beauty of it but there has been a heavy price to pay for that also and I am sure you both are ready for a change. We are in your corner buddy.


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> I was just sitting at the 'puter messing about when the missus hollered at me to look at the sunset.
> 
> Grabbed the camera and ran outside quick like a bunny, but once again, I just missed it.
> 
> But for a new years' day sunset, I don't think it's too bad!


Red at night sailor's delight red in the morning sailors take warning ... Enjoy the good weather lol


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Red at night sailor's delight red in the morning sailors take warning ... Enjoy the good weather lol


Absolutely right! We are looking forward to three more days of nice weather before it either rains or snows again!


----------



## scoggy

*"Cocobolo" Have you...?*

Keith, now just a minute before you make the 'leap' to the 'BIG ISLAND"! Do you have the 'authority' of the"YCLHUYAGLAWH" or the "IDRCN..or on a lesser note, the "LATBBS"? If you want, I can 'plea Bargain', on your behalf, on the grounds, of having 'mental purity with wood', being 'tuned' to existing elements of the local environments, and having vast hordes of "compatriot warriors", also of Great esteem!!! ====8^)
Have a Happy New Year, and I look forward to your quality posts!
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, now just a minute before you make the 'leap' to the 'BIG ISLAND"! Do you have the 'authority' of the"YCLHUYAGLAWH" or the "IDRCN..or on a lesser note, the "LATBBS"? If you want, I can 'plea Bargain', on your behalf, on the grounds, of having 'mental purity with wood', being 'tuned' to existing elements of the local environments, and having vast hordes of "compatriot warriors", also of Great esteem!!! ====8^)
> Have a Happy New Year, and I look forward to your quality posts!
> Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

We had a visit yesterday afternoon from one of the families from the other side of the island and they brought the entire brood over. I guess there were 8 or 9 of them. One was a friend who has been in the building game for many years.

They got over kind of late in the day so we were just chatting outside. They were heading out when the builder just had to stay for a few more minutes and ask questions. Next time he gets over I have promised him a trip through the house - big smile when I said that! I'm looking forward to it, he's quite the character.


----------



## gma2rjc

scoggy said:


> Keith, now just a minute before you make the 'leap' to the 'BIG ISLAND"! Do you have the 'authority' of the"YCLHUYAGLAWH" or the "IDRCN..or on a lesser note, the "LATBBS"? If you want, I can 'plea Bargain', on your behalf, on the grounds, of having 'mental purity with wood', being 'tuned' to existing elements of the local environments, and having vast hordes of "compatriot warriors", also of Great esteem!!! ====8^)
> Have a Happy New Year, and I look forward to your quality posts!
> Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


(Someone has to ask) What's YCLHUYAGLAWH, IDRCN and LATBBS?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> (Someone has to ask) What's YCLHUYAGLAWH, IDRCN and LATBBS?


...Scoggy will explain...


----------



## cocobolo

Tried to take a few pics of the frost outside, most weren't much good. This one shows the smog coming from the mill up near Nanaimo. You can't usually see that much of it, as they use scrubbers on the exhaust. But it looks like today that the cold air (still below 0º) is condensing the exhaust.

The smoke trail would be about 8 - 10 miles long.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the frozen eyeball.


----------



## jlhaslip

That would be your 'dug' well???

I sure hope this is the coldest that the new year's weather will be bringing, but it is only around minus 25 C, so I suspect we'll be in for worse over the next month or so. No outside work for a couple of weeks for me.


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> That would be your 'dug' well???
> 
> I sure hope this is the coldest that the new year's weather will be bringing, but it is only around minus 25 C, so I suspect we'll be in for worse over the next month or so. No outside work for a couple of weeks for me.


Actually, that would be the "hot" tub. Hohohoho.

I have been chatting with a friend up in Kamloops - it's cool there alright - but not as nippy as where you are.

The winter cold swings seem to run about 6 weeks behind the shortest day, much as the summer warm swings are 6 weeks after June 21st. Takes mother nature awhile to bring things into line I guess.

Happy New Year jl.


----------



## scoggy

*Explanations*

Keith et al: You can't live here unless you are good looking and work hard

I Don't really care Network

Look at that 'Beautiful Boxstore" ======8^)

scoggy

Best New Years to all, here in 'Lotus Land"!
:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith et al: You can't live here unless you are good looking and work hard
> 
> scoggy
> 
> Best New Years to all, here in 'Lotus Land"!
> :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


Does this mean I'm stuck here forever?


----------



## scoggy

*No, 'we' will accept you here ==8^)*

Keith, loved your ..'sunset' shots of the 'blood' red sky, I have equal from 'sunrise' from my deck, with my new 'Xmas' Digi camera, but will have to wait to learn how to post to site! Drove ..'way' up back in the snow country yesterday, behind here, with 15 people and 4x4s, and when we got stuck..made Tobaggan and 'carpet' runs for kids, had many 'hot' drinks and snacks around a big fire, and watched the crystal clear panorama from Texada, South to Baker, and Beyond...a 'Sterling" visual, and because of the approx 5000 foot height, an overall view! Had some 'fun', getting out of the snow back to mountain road, but everything was Good! Amazing when you get back not very far, there is no one, and,...beauty!!
Cheers
SQUID:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, loved your ..'sunset' shots of the 'blood' red sky, I have equal from 'sunrise' from my deck, with my new 'Xmas' Digi camera, but will have to wait to learn how to post to site! Drove ..'way' up back in the snow country yesterday, behind here, with 15 people and 4x4s, and when we got stuck..made Tobaggan and 'carpet' runs for kids, had many 'hot' drinks and snacks around a big fire, and watched the crystal clear panorama from Texada, South to Baker, and Beyond...a 'Sterling" visual, and because of the approx 5000 foot height, an overall view! Had some 'fun', getting out of the snow back to mountain road, but everything was Good! Amazing when you get back not very far, there is no one, and,...beauty!!
> Cheers
> SQUID:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


That's one big difference between your place and ours. 

No sunrise whatsoever here, way too many trees. But the sunsets are just fine. Glad to see you made it out OK! :thumbsup:


----------



## Sandra20

Such a beautiful place!


----------



## cocobolo

Just got an email from my pal Randy over in Nanaimo. He took a pic of the New Year's day sunset and submitted it to the weather network.

Well, it seems they liked it so much they put it up on their website.

I couldn't resist telling him I liked ours better (we kid each other all the time), but here's the link to his pic.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/yo...871/5/cabc0195/plpcities/?ref=ugc_city_thumbs


----------



## gma2rjc

That's a pretty picture. You guys get the best sunsets.

I also like the one next to it of the airplanes in Nanaimo Inner Harbor, with the ship and mountains in the background.

But can you tell that the person who titled the picture isn't Canadian?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's a pretty picture. You guys get the best sunsets.
> 
> I also like the one next to it of the airplanes in Nanaimo Inner Harbor, with the ship and mountains in the background.
> 
> But can you tell that the person who titled the picture isn't Canadian?
> 
> Barb


Barb:
I looked at the pic, but I'm not sure what you might be referring to.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Barb:
> I looked at the pic, but I'm not sure what you might be referring to.


They didn't add the 'u' in Harbor. Could have been a spelling error though.


----------



## jlhaslip

probably using an American Dictionary as their spell checker... M$ $ucks


----------



## gma2rjc

MS doesn't have it adjusted for the few words that Canada and the U.S. spell differently?

Barb


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Absolutely right! We are looking forward to three more days of nice weather before it either rains or snows again!


Thanks a lot man I really appreciated what you wrote in my project show case place it means a lot coming from some one that is among one of the top builders on this site. Not to get mushy lol thanks again for acknowlegement


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> That's a pretty picture. You guys get the best sunsets.
> 
> I also like the one next to it of the airplanes in Nanaimo Inner Harbor, with the ship and mountains in the background.
> 
> But can you tell that the person who titled the picture isn't Canadian?
> 
> Barb


Me too, I liked the picture and the picture next to it of the plane in the harbor.


----------



## gma2rjc

We don't see planes like that here and to see the ship and the mountains in the same pictures is pretty neat.


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Thanks a lot man I really appreciated what you wrote in my project show case place it means a lot coming from some one that is among one of the top builders on this site. Not to get mushy lol thanks again for acknowlegement


Bootz, I gotta tell you that you are way more than welcome.

Every once in awhile someone comes along (a youngster) who actually asks for advice, and then listens to it. Well, you are the once in awhile, so I'm perfectly willing to help out in any way that I can. I only wish that there were more folks like you on the website.

I have my money on you reaching a very successful conclusion to the work you're doing right now. I'll be the first to want to see the final product. I just know it is going to be excellent.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> They didn't add the 'u' in Harbor. Could have been a spelling error though.


Staring me right in the face and I didn't even notice it. I guess I'm so used to seeing both spellings.

I better not let you catch me out like that again!


----------



## cocobolo

jlhaslip said:


> probably using an American Dictionary as their spell checker... M$ $ucks


Which is precisely why everyone needs a Mac. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> We don't see planes like that here and to see the ship and the mountains in the same pictures is pretty neat.


It's odd the things we notice, isn't it?

That's just everyday life around here.

There is a whole fleet of floatplanes which operate out of the harbOur at Nanaimo. Most zip back and forth to Vancouver...a flight which takes only a few minutes.

I suppose if were visiting Michigan, or Tennessee, or heaven forbid points even further east, I would be equally impressed.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Which is precisely why everyone needs a Mac. :thumbup:


Does Mac have allow both spellings in it's spellcheck?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Does Mac have allow both spellings in it's spellcheck?


AFAIK it has both the American and Canadian spellings, so you can set if for either. Because mine was a Canadian sale, it uses the more correct Canadian spellings. (I can hear it now...!!!) :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> It's odd the things we notice, isn't it?
> 
> That's just everyday life around here.
> 
> There is a whole fleet of floatplanes which operate out of the harbOur at Nanaimo. Most zip back and forth to Vancouver...a flight which takes only a few minutes.
> 
> I suppose if were visiting Michigan, or Tennessee, or heaven forbid points even further east, I would be equally impressed.


That's one of the great things about traveling is seeing the way things are done differently in other parts of the world.

My sister's friend had family visiting here from Arizona. They couldn't get over the fact that they couldn't see the other side of Lake Michigan from where they were standing on the beach.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> AFAIK it has both the American and Canadian spellings, so you can set if for either. Because mine was a Canadian sale, it uses the more correct Canadian spellings. (I can hear it now...!!!) :laughing::laughing::laughing:


:laughing:

Since it's all English, how are the words spelled in England? Would they agree with Canadians or Americans?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's one of the great things about traveling is seeing the way things are done differently in other parts of the world.
> 
> My sister's friend had family visiting here from Arizona. They couldn't get over the fact that they couldn't see the other side of Lake Michigan from where they were standing on the beach.


Precisely...and yet to you it's just another day at the office.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :laughing:
> 
> Since it's all English, how are the words spelled in England? Would they agree with Canadians or Americans?


Good question.

There's Murican, Canajun and English, and then British English and so on.

From what I remember from my British grammar school days, Canadian and English is usually the same.

I cannot say that I disagree with some of the 'Murican spellings, as they generally shorten the words. Socks...sox, for example. Imagine how much time that has saved over the last 100 years!


----------



## cocobolo

I got started on the shaping of the stair posts for the upper stairs today.

Doesn't look like much here, but the edges will all get rounded over, then the notch taken out of the bottom of the post prior to bolting on.

It looks like with these cold days and nights that the finish will have to wait a few months.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus promised me a nice birthday present last November, then welched out at the last minute. Something to do with the cost.

Much to my delight, she presented me with this lovely little toy for Christmas!


----------



## cocobolo

Sandra20 said:


> Such a beautiful place!


Sandra, my apologies for not thanking you earlier.

What brings you to the site, and what part of this crazy world do you live in!

Always curious about that, as there is beauty everywhere if you just look for it.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The missus promised me a nice birthday present last November, then welched out at the last minute. Something to do with the cost.
> 
> Much to my delight, she presented me with this lovely little toy for Christmas!


Awwww man, that is really nice, that is a top notch tool for sure. You will wonder how you got along without it. Let us know how you like it after you have used it for a while.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I got started on the shaping of the stair posts for the upper stairs today.
> 
> Doesn't look like much here, but the edges will all get rounded over, then the notch taken out of the bottom of the post prior to bolting on.
> 
> It looks like with these cold days and nights that the finish will have to wait a few months.


This will be interesting to watch buddy. There is that beautiful work bench again, I still would be afraid to use it.


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith you are going to love that tool. That thing will do things you would have never thought possible. That particular brand there is the "Top-O-The-Line" in that tool. I have the same tool but mine is a "Poor-Mans" Rockwell brand. I think it cost me a handful of staples and peanutbutter sandwich.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Keith you are going to love that tool. That thing will do things you would have never thought possible. That particular brand there is the "Top-O-The-Line" in that tool. I have the same tool but mine is a "Poor-Mans" Rockwell brand. I think it cost me a handful of staples and peanutbutter sandwich.


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## shumakerscott

Try here for replacement blades. http://www.bitetools.com/main.html
I've not tried them or am I a dealer. Just stumbled across the web page. Prices are pretty good. dorf dude...


----------



## Bud Cline

My biggest issue with that type of tool (Rockwell in my case) is the cost of the blades is what I consider to be outrageous for no longer than they really last.

The blades at that website cost the same as what I am paying at Menard's. Then they require an adapter but I didn't see any information about the adaptor or its cost. And on top of that...shipping costs.

A guy would have to think about buying from them.

Another peculiar thing is they sell a typical wood blade for ten bucks. You can buy a package of (10) of them for $99 and they claim to be saving you $58 or something like that when you do so.

How does that work?

Is ten times ten still one hundred?


----------



## shumakerscott

Bud Cline said:


> My biggest issue with that type of tool (Rockwell in my case) is the cost of the blades is what I consider to be outrageous for no longer than they really last.
> 
> The blades at that website cost the same as what I am paying at Menard's. Then they require an adapter but I didn't see any information about the adaptor or its cost. And on top of that...shipping costs.
> 
> A guy would have to think about buying from them.
> 
> Another peculiar thing is they sell a typical wood blade for ten bucks. You can buy a package of (10) of them for $99 and they claim to be saving you $58 or something like that when you do so.
> 
> How does that work?
> 
> Is ten times ten still one hundred?


Good point Bud. Prices for blades vary. I pay out the butt here in Germany so the web page prices seemed pretty good to me. I think they are all still ripping us off in the long run. Great tools but they get you in the end. Don't ask to borrow mine!:no:. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith you are going to love that tool. That thing will do things you would have never thought possible. That particular brand there is the "Top-O-The-Line" in that tool. I have the same tool but mine is a "Poor-Mans" Rockwell brand. I think it cost me a handful of staples and peanutbutter sandwich.


The Fein outfit comes with a pretty cool dvd showing all kinds of different uses for the tool. One of them is a big sanding attachment (optional extra I don't have) which acts just like a random orbital sander. They show this guy sanding an entire outside wall on a house - and of course I think there's no way that machine can do that. Fooled me again!

It's definitely a quality piece.


----------



## Bud Cline

> They show this guy sanding an entire outside wall on a house -


Yow well-l-l-l-l, I wouldn't go that far.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Try here for replacement blades. http://www.bitetools.com/main.html
> I've not tried them or am I a dealer. Just stumbled across the web page. Prices are pretty good. dorf dude...


Thanks Shu. I think somewhere on Contractor Talk there is a link to either this or another outfit which makes the blades for the Fein.

When I get into it I will check them both out.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> My biggest issue with that type of tool (Rockwell in my case) is the cost of the blades is what I consider to be outrageous for no longer than they really last.
> 
> The blades at that website cost the same as what I am paying at Menard's. Then they require an adapter but I didn't see any information about the adaptor or its cost. And on top of that...shipping costs.
> 
> A guy would have to think about buying from them.
> 
> Another peculiar thing is they sell a typical wood blade for ten bucks. You can buy a package of (10) of them for $99 and they claim to be saving you $58 or something like that when you do so.
> 
> How does that work?
> 
> Is ten times ten still one hundred?


Last time I checked I think your math is pretty much impeccable.

I think what it is they take the retail price on each blade and then the $99 price supposedly saves you that much????

Since they give you a discount off every blade anyway, I don't see that saving anyway.

Why not just buy what you need, and not necessarily blades which you may never use?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> This will be interesting to watch buddy. There is that beautiful work bench again, I still would be afraid to use it.


Nah, gotta use it Jim, that's what it's for.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yow well-l-l-l-l, I wouldn't go that far.


The surprising part is how quickly it works. Easily as fast as my 6" Porter Cable r/o. Really quite amazing.


----------



## DangerMouse

cocobolo said:


> Nah, gotta use it Jim, that's what it's for.


Welllll.....Idunno.... I made the mistake years ago of building a workbench with a nice large drawer and a lower shelf a bit too nice. 





The wife claimed it. :laughing:






It's still in our kitchen as the 'island'.......





The next one was ugly and bigger, but functional......


DM


----------



## cocobolo

DangerMouse said:


> Welllll.....Idunno.... I made the mistake years ago of building a workbench with a nice large drawer and a lower shelf a bit too nice.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The wife claimed it. :laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's still in our kitchen as the 'island'.......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The next one was ugly and bigger, but functional......
> 
> 
> DM


Well, you see DM, that's what happens when you do such a nice job. The missus just naturally thinks that it's for her.


----------



## DangerMouse

Well, that'll teach ME all right! LOL

DM


----------



## cocobolo

DangerMouse said:


> Well, that'll teach ME all right! LOL
> 
> DM


You know how it is DM, some guys never learn...do we? :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

DangerMouse said:


> Welllll.....Idunno.... I made the mistake years ago of building a workbench with a nice large drawer and a lower shelf a bit too nice.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The wife claimed it. :laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's still in our kitchen as the 'island'.......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The next one was ugly and bigger, but functional......
> 
> 
> DM


At least you get to see it all the time.:laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

DangerMouse said:


> Welllll.....Idunno.... I made the mistake years ago of building a workbench with a nice large drawer and a lower shelf a bit too nice.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The wife claimed it. :laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's still in our kitchen as the 'island'.......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The next one was ugly and bigger, but functional......
> 
> 
> DM


But look how happy you made her. That has to count for something. :yes:


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> The missus promised me a nice birthday present last November, then welched out at the last minute. Something to do with the cost.
> 
> Much to my delight, she presented me with this lovely little toy for Christmas!


Yea the miss got me some really nice tools for Christmas too so I can pick up some more projects around the house as well.,.. Apparently the next one is moving the socket to the cable over to the other wall ... BTW Did your suggestion for doing the sanding on the cabinets and the stain took to the wood really well thanks for the suggestion


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Yea the miss got me some really nice tools for Christmas too so I can pick up some more projects around the house as well.,.. Apparently the next one is moving the socket to the cable over to the other wall ... BTW Did your suggestion for doing the sanding on the cabinets and the stain took to the wood really well thanks for the suggestion


As always...you are more than welcome.


----------



## Bootz

Hey Keith i really messed up on a couple of the cabinets that I did some of the sanding on... May have actually went opposite of the grain on a few and when I applied the stain it looks really scratchy... Any chance of fixing this? I mean any chance to make it look less scratchy or fix this problem at all?
Actually I did go against the grain on them and went across the grain is there any hope ?


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Hey Keith i really messed up on a couple of the cabinets that I did some of the sanding on... May have actually went opposite of the grain on a few and when I applied the stain it looks really scratchy... Any chance of fixing this? I mean any chance to make it look less scratchy or fix this problem at all?
> Actually I did go against the grain on them and went across the grain is there any hope ?


Good morning Bootz:

When that happens - and don't think you're the only one to ever do that - what you will need to do is to remove the stain, then use a scraper to try and get rid of the cross grain sanding marks.

In fact you can use the scraper to take the stain off as well.

I expect you have been using a pigmented type of stain which will come off easily. Don't worry about taking all the stain out, your real concern is getting down to the bottom of the scratches on the cross sanding.

Now, if you don't have a scraper, just use the same grit of sandpaper that you used initially, that would be the coarsest one, then when you think you have got rid of the cross marks, go up through the grits until you get to at least 150, 180 or 220 would be even better.


----------



## tpolk

lifes to short and we all have lots on our plate. I have never found it useful to take someone elses moral/physical inventory when mine needs plenty of work. One of the reasons I enjoy this site is the wealth of info (please more pics...hoho). If I want to argue I can talk to family :yes:


----------



## Bootz

cocobolo said:


> Good morning Bootz:
> 
> When that happens - and don't think you're the only one to ever do that - what you will need to do is to remove the stain, then use a scraper to try and get rid of the cross grain sanding marks.
> 
> In fact you can use the scraper to take the stain off as well.
> 
> I expect you have been using a pigmented type of stain which will come off easily. Don't worry about taking all the stain out, your real concern is getting down to the bottom of the scratches on the cross sanding.
> 
> Now, if you don't have a scraper, just use the same grit of sandpaper that you used initially, that would be the coarsest one, then when you think you have got rid of the cross marks, go up through the grits until you get to at least 150, 180 or 220 would be even better.


Hey thanks for the help the miss was freaking out a bit thinking I ruined it


----------



## cocobolo

Bootz said:


> Hey thanks for the help the miss was freaking out a bit thinking I ruined it


One good thing will come of all this...you won't make the same mistake twice!

It's only wood, and you can always fix that.


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> One good thing will come of all this...you won't make the same mistake twice!
> 
> It's only wood, and you can always fix that.


:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

*Happy Mental Health Day*

_Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have. _

_Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they_
_were walking past the hospital swimming pool__, _
_Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. _

_He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed _
_there..._

_Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom__ and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged_
_from the hospital, as she now considered her to _
_be mentally stable. _

_When she went to tell Edna the news she said, _
_'Edna, I have good__ news and bad news....The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping_
_in and saving the life of the person you love...I have concluded__ that your act displays sound _
_mindedness. _

_The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the _
_bathroom with his__ bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead.' _

_Edna replied, 'He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry........ _
_How soon can I go home?'_

_Happy Mental Health Day!_

_You can do your part by remembering to send an _
_email to an unstable friend..._
_ _


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> _Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have. _
> 
> _You can do your part by remembering to send an _
> _email to an unstable friend..._
> _ _


You're not trying to send me a message are you?


----------



## Handy Vinny

Dear Keith,

You continue to amaze me with your various DIY talents and powers. Well done, sir. You are a very capable man. Even the most accomplished of us have much to learn from you, indeed.

Sincerely,

Handy Vinny


----------



## Handy Vinny

I apologize for being redundant in my posts, but I was wondering if it has ever occurred to you to write DIY book. 

Have you ever had any offers of any kind?


----------



## cocobolo

Handy Vinny said:


> I apologize for being redundant in my posts, but I was wondering if it has ever occurred to you to write DIY book.
> 
> Have you ever had any offers of any kind?


I don't believe I have had any such offers to entertain. However, it has been mentioned on the odd occasion by some of the more kind and generous members on this thread.

A complete DIY book would be better written by a group of people each of whom needs to be an expert in their field. A book along the lines of what one person has accomplished over several years would be much easier.

That was extremely kind of you to say.


----------



## Bud Cline

> You're not trying to send me a message are you?


Nope! Not directed towards anyone here. Just sharing an email I received from my wife. I'm wondering now if I have just viewed a glimpse of MY FUTURE.


----------



## gma2rjc

But a book describing your entire journey through the building of the cabin and the house would be rather interesting. 

Especially the techniques you've used that even seasoned contractors and carpenters haven't seen in their lifetime. For example, most people would have never considered making their own curved and twisted hand rails from wood they had on hand. Things like that are extremely interesting.


----------



## Handy Vinny

gma2rjc said:


> But a book describing your entire journey through the building of the cabin and the house would be rather interesting.
> 
> Especially the techniques you've used that even seasoned contractors and carpenters haven't seen in their lifetime. For example, most people would have never considered making their own curved and twisted hand rails from wood they had on hand. Things like that are extremely interesting.


Yes, very well stated. 

There is so much DIY-literature that is utter fluff, and it would be nice to read something substantive and, perhaps a little different, for a change.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Nope! Not directed towards anyone here. Just sharing an email I received from my wife. I'm wondering now if I have just viewed a glimpse of MY FUTURE.


You DO know I was kidding...right...

While you're around...could you let me know what the minimum temperature might be to set tile in? It looks like we are going to be pretty cool for awhile, but then maybe some days getting up around 45º - 48º. Might that be enough? I don't want to leave the tile any longer than I have to, it's kind of in the way of everything right now.

Thanks Bud.


----------



## Bud Cline

> While you're around...could you let me know what the minimum temperature might be to set tile in?


Sorry to say 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. At 55 the chemical interactions begin to slow and at 50 they can go dormant. Thereby wrecking all intentions. This minimum is required for a few days day and night. I don't remember for sure but I'm thinking seven days.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Sorry to say 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. At 55 the chemical interactions begin to slow and at 50 they can go dormant. Thereby wrecking all intentions. This minimum is required for a few days day and night. I don't remember for sure but I'm thinking seven days.


Which means that I would need to keep the woodstove's going to keep the temperature up that high. OK, looks like it will be waiting for awhile.

It's not like I don't have anything else to do. Good to know that...thanks, Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it was a good news - bad news day. But i won't bore you with the bad.

A week ago, my wife's brother in law was taken to hospital in South Africa unconscious. He had suffered a subdural haematoma. Often it is fatal.

After 5 days in ICU and two days further in hospital - he was released today apparently doing extremely well. We are thrilled.

And we also heard from very close friends in OZ who we thought might be affected by the floods. In fact, there were no email replies and I thought I had messed up somewhere along the line. Just heard back a few minutes ago and all is well.

Finally managed to buy our new (to us) boat today. I made my offer, and he said - Oh, that's too much - and knocked several hundred off my offer price! When's the last time someone did that for you!

Back to house work tomorrow, and some pics I hope.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, it was a good news - bad news day. But i won't bore you with the bad.
> 
> A week ago, my wife's brother in law was taken to hospital in South Africa unconscious. He had suffered a subdural haematoma. Often it is fatal.
> 
> After 5 days in ICU and two days further in hospital - he was released today apparently doing extremely well. We are thrilled.
> 
> And we also heard from very close friends in OZ who we thought might be affected by the floods. In fact, there were no email replies and I thought I had messed up somewhere along the line. Just heard back a few minutes ago and all is well.
> 
> Finally managed to buy our new (to us) boat today. I made my offer, and he said - Oh, that's too much - and knocked several hundred off my offer price! When's the last time someone did that for you!
> 
> Back to house work tomorrow, and some pics I hope.


Keith that is great news, we will keep him in our prayers.

Yesterday had to be an emotional roller coaster for ya'll. Do you have any pictures of your new boat? What size motor does it have? That was really nice of the fellow to back off the price for you like that. I don't think anyone would be bored with the bad news buddy, I think I would have just cried.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith that is great news, we will keep him in our prayers.
> 
> Yesterday had to be an emotional roller coaster for ya'll. Do you have any pictures of your new boat? What size motor does it have? That was really nice of the fellow to back off the price for you like that. I don't think anyone would be bored with the bad news buddy, I think I would have just cried.


No, I didn't take any photos. But my Doctor friend who sold us the boat took one at the marina. He said he would email it to me.

It has a 70 Evinrude and a smaller 6 hp kicker. I will say it ran really nicely coming back over yesterday.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> No, I didn't take any photos. But my Doctor friend who sold us the boat took one at the marina. He said he would email it to me.
> 
> It has a 70 Evinrude and a smaller 6 hp kicker. I will say it ran really nicely coming back over yesterday.


That Evinrude is a good engine, is it a 4 or 2 cycle?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That Evinrude is a good engine, is it a 4 or 2 cycle?


It's an older 2 stroke, but has always been in the care of a boat mechanic.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It's an older 2 stroke, but has always been in the care of a boat mechanic.


They are some good motors for sure, the only thing I have against the 2 cycles is they burn more gas than the 4 cycles, that is what I have been told. I hope you get many years use from it buddy.


----------



## gma2rjc

Are you going to sell one of your other boats?


----------



## nannynog

Mr. Keith, I feel as if I know you already since I have been reading with Jim for a long while now. You do some of the most beautiful work that we have ever seen, and your home is absolutely awesome.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks nanny...I'm just trying to get a little something together to help out scoggy with some wood bending. Should be on with that soon.


----------



## Bootz

well it worked  and we are back on track to getting these cabinets back on the frames... we are going to have to get the glass in them soon so i am pretty excited about that.


----------



## cocobolo

Just caught your post on your thread.

Will this be plain glass or are you going with something else?


----------



## BigJim

Bootz said:


> well it worked  and we are back on track to getting these cabinets back on the frames... we are going to have to get the glass in them soon so i am pretty excited about that.


Be sure and take picture of your doors, you know how we are about pictures.


----------



## scoggy

*I go for eye surgery tomorrow so..*

Keith, I go for eye surgery tomorrow, so after that will only be able to see 'half' your work on site, but that seems to be 'double' what others are doing, so all is good ==8^) My wife says it should be no different since she says I am 'half blind" all the time! No Van sightings yet, but now they seem to pop out everywhere! I am looking forward to see your new boat..is it 'tin', how long,..because with the power and size, might just be a duplicate of mine! Twenty to 25 cms 0f snow today/tonight, so might be time to 'lock' in the hubs, and put truck into 4 High, and have some 'fun'!:whistling2::whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Let's hope that is successful.

The boat is a K&C f/g runabout. I think it/s 16 1/2', Evinrude 70 & 6 hp kicker. Not in bad shape, but with my luck I can probably fix that quickly!


----------



## Bootz

jiju1943 said:


> Be sure and take picture of your doors, you know how we are about pictures.


lmao isn't that the truth? well they are up ... excuse our home it is in disarray with the project pending but i cant wait to get these up once they are done


----------



## gma2rjc

It's 11:11 am on 1-11-11


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> It's 11:11 am on 1-11-11


:laughing::laughing::thumbsup::yes:


----------



## Handy Vinny

Keith,

One of the reasons this thread is so successful is because you do not drone. Yes, you accomplish much with relatively few words, and I find the meditative and thoughtful vibe you have worked hard to establish here to be very refreshing. (And, of course, the pictures of your progress are worth 1,000-words a piece.) 

I enjoy checking in and tracking your progress.

You have inspired me to tackle a very ambitious project at my house--pictures of which I will get around to posting someday soon. Maybe I will start my own project showcase thread!


----------



## tpolk

hope all is well keith. timothy


----------



## Bootz

hope all is well there keith


----------



## Lagerhead

I've been following this thread for a long time and now find myself in Coco withdrawal. Hope all is well Keith.

Lagerhead in Ontario


----------



## scoggy

*Wtf??*

Keith, have been away from the 'thread' for awhile, and when I 'tuned' in today...I was 'lost', so put some 'junk' upthere, to assuage DD, but is there something I am 'Missing', that is not good for Shu??????

Nice "January/ Spring"...eh? Have been collecting 'BIG JUICY' worms off of the road out front of house, and 'they' don't usually come here until ..."april"!!! I am gonna try and 'create' a good "environment' for them to live in, and ...yes...would love to 'hear' how to make them...."happy'!!! List members????


----------



## Bud Cline

*Cocobolo Style Accomplishments*

Check this out guys and gals.
Here is a ten-year summary of the ISS (International Space Station). This is really fairly amazing stuff. I had no idea all of that was going on up there.

Coco could probably tell us where to find that thing with a telescope. I wonder if you could see it?

http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm


----------



## Bud Cline

While there seems to be a break in the action around here I’ll offer a little autobiography traversing my past few weeks. I hope Keith doesn’t mind.

It seems that in the middle of the night, I woke up coughing my butt off, so naturally I took a little cough medicine. By the next evening the coughing had only gotten worse. This cough medicine, the cherry flavored type, contained a little codeine. What’s wrong with that? In this case more is gooder, right?

Well during the second night, and as the cough continued I developed the hic-cups. Have you ever tried to sleep while experiencing unrelenting hic-cups? I can tell you it can’t be done. I held my breath, I gulped high quantities of air, I drank a glass of water upside down, I ate raw sugar a teaspoonful at a time, I drizzled white vinegar on the back of my tongue, I drank baking soda with warm water, I respirated into a brown paper bag, I tickled the back of my throat with a pencil. That gagged me of course. Nothing I tried worked.

OK, so, bright and early the next morning I’m off to see my doctor. I complained about the industrial strength cough but more so the stinking hic-cupping. He at first laughed at me and told me to just hold my breath. Yeah right! Been there done that!

He offered up no other solution for my hic-cups but did write a prescription for more of that cherry flavored cough syrup; in fact I could have had it with a grape flavor if I wanted.

By now my entire body was sore from head to toe from coughing and hic-cupping. For a while the hic-cups did subside but when I would cough they would reemerge. This time around the hic-cups were in multiple fashions. Every time I would hic-cup there would be four or five of them little bastards one right after the other and this would happen about four or five times per minute.

So it’s back to the doctor. This time he began doing all kinds of tests. Not the least of which was an EKG. How the hell he thought he was going to get a reliable EKG with me hic-cupping like a machine gun is beyond me.

So now he thinks I have a heart arrhythmia. Are ya kiddin’ me???

He sends me to the hospital that afternoon for some more testing. OK, I’m good with that! I would have agreed to almost anything. I get to the hospital, check in to the lab, and along comes a nurse to take me to my room. ROOM! WHAT ROOM? I’m just here for tests. That’s when she tells me I’m going to spend the night. Get in this wheel chair and I’ll take you to your room Mr. Cline. HOLY CRAP!!!

So we get on the elevator and she pushes the floor-button that says ICU. Just to be sure I kept my mouth shut until we rolled up to the ICU. Sure enough! ICU it was. At this point she tells me not to be alarmed but that the hospital is full and this is the only space available for now, besides this room contains all of the telemetry they will require. TELEMETRY? I DON’T NEED ANY STINKING TELEMETRY!!!

By now I’m beginning to wonder what the hell is going on. ICU, TELEMETRY, WHEELCHAIR?

She gives me this gown to put on. OK, I’m in the hospital, I’m suffering from some unknown disease from God only knows where, I have no idea what the hell is happening to me, and she wants me to wear that gown. NOT GONNA HAPPEN IN A THOUSAND YEARS. Did you know, if you insist loud enough they can actually come up with real live pajamas ensamble for you? Well by God they can!

OK, I’m in my jammies, they start poking needles in my arms and Scotch-taping things to me hairy body and here comes the lady from The Nutrition Department. She brings enough menus for me to fill out for three days. THREE DAYS? OK THAT’S ALL! I told her there must be some mistake and that I was only going to be there one night. As she walked away she looked back in my direction and said “We’ll see about that”.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to biitch at that many people while having the hic-cups? They just don’t take you seriously. 

Finally I get settled in for the night. I have my jammies, I have my TV, I have my ice water, I have my arms tethered with plastic hoses to the bed rails, and my chest hairs have been glued to about seven wires all of different colors. This must me the telemetry they were talking about. The good news is the hic-cups have again subsided. It seems that one of those little hoses contains the wonder drug that is going to allow me to sleep the night away while keeping the hic-cups at bay. And after all of this, I’m ready to settle in for a good night’s sleep. Yeah Right! Every two hours those little cutie nurses need to do something to me. EVERY TWO FRIGGING HOURS! Hell I was better off with the hic-cups maybe!

Well the next day it was an early breakfast then road trips. First to the lab, then to X-ray, then back to my room for a little R&R and lunch, then it’s off to take a ride through that tunnel thingy machine all the TV doctor programs are so fond of, then another machine wanted to scan my innards, then more R&R, then another road trip.

Finally the sun was setting and it was time to eat again.

After devouring another delicious meal that must have been concocted somewhere in the Twilight Zone I’m finally settled-in for the evening when along comes the cutest nurse yet. Shift-changes always seem to bring promise. Mr. Cline I have to prep you for in the morning she tells me. Well damn, I guess I am going to be here a few days. I had no idea what she meant by “prep me” but it was OK with me, I was so beat up by then I would have agreed to almost anything. It seems that I was being prepped for a heart catheterization. A WHAT? ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS? I DON’T NEED NO STINKING HEART NOTHIN’. I like my heart right where it is.

I won’t go into the details of this preparation process but I can tell you it involved a razor and some warm shaving lather. In fact, when she was done I had seriously considered asking her father for her hand in marriage.

Slept like a baby!

Next morning before the roosters crowed I found myself in some ice cold surgery suite somewhere. There were bells, whistles, lights, machines, buzzers, a public address system and a control-booth. OK, now that was the scary part. That damned control booth made me just a little nervous. This glass-walled room reminded me of those weigh-stations you see along the Interstates where they weigh those eighteen wheelers. Everyone was masked. And everyone was wearing a microphone piped into the public address system, accept me. Each time someone spoke you could hear it coming over the PA. It was really kind of neat. I couldn’t see the people behind the glass but I could tell there were about four of them in that booth. I also had another four (at least) on the floor with me.

As the procedure began I could see at least three TV monitors and Judge Judy wasn’t on any of them. They zonked me out only about seventy-five percent so I could talk to them and still allow them to have their way with me. I was able to see the entire process on the monitors. It was amazing. When all was said and done the doctors seemed to be surprised that they hadn’t found arteries clogged with cholesterol or blood clots. In fact there was nothing, and I’m a McDonald’s customer. I passed with flying colors for some reason.

Now that I’m home and can view the harvest down below I’m just a little embarrassed at how far the nurse went with her “prep”. I wonder if I should call her dad now?


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Check this out guys and gals.
> Here is a ten-year summary of the ISS (International Space Station). This is really fairly amazing stuff. I had no idea all of that was going on up there.
> 
> Coco could probably tell us where to find that thing with a telescope. I wonder if you could see it?
> 
> http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm


I thought the space station was larger than that for some reason, that was neat watching all the different parts come together.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> While there seems to be a break in the action around here I’ll offer a little autobiography traversing my past few weeks. I hope Keith doesn’t mind.
> 
> It seems that in the middle of the night, I woke up coughing my butt off, so naturally I took a little cough medicine. By the next evening the coughing had only gotten worse. This cough medicine, the cherry flavored type, contained a little codeine. What’s wrong with that? In this case more is gooder, right?
> 
> Well during the second night, and as the cough continued I developed the hic-cups. Have you ever tried to sleep while experiencing unrelenting hic-cups? I can tell you it can’t be done. I held my breath, I gulped high quantities of air, I drank a glass of water upside down, I ate raw sugar a teaspoonful at a time, I drizzled white vinegar on the back of my tongue, I drank baking soda with warm water, I respirated into a brown paper bag, I tickled the back of my throat with a pencil. That gagged me of course. Nothing I tried worked.
> 
> OK, so, bright and early the next morning I’m off to see my doctor. I complained about the industrial strength cough but more so the stinking hic-cupping. He at first laughed at me and told me to just hold my breath. Yeah right! Been there done that!
> 
> He offered up no other solution for my hic-cups but did write a prescription for more of that cherry flavored cough syrup; in fact I could have had it with a grape flavor if I wanted.
> 
> By now my entire body was sore from head to toe from coughing and hic-cupping. For a while the hic-cups did subside but when I would cough they would reemerge. This time around the hic-cups were in multiple fashions. Every time I would hic-cup there would be four or five of them little bastards one right after the other and this would happen about four or five times per minute.
> 
> So it’s back to the doctor. This time he began doing all kinds of tests. Not the least of which was an EKG. How the hell he thought he was going to get a reliable EKG with me hic-cupping like a machine gun is beyond me.
> 
> So now he thinks I have a heart arrhythmia. Are ya kiddin’ me???
> 
> He sends me to the hospital that afternoon for some more testing. OK, I’m good with that! I would have agreed to almost anything. I get to the hospital, check in to the lab, and along comes a nurse to take me to my room. ROOM! WHAT ROOM? I’m just here for tests. That’s when she tells me I’m going to spend the night. Get in this wheel chair and I’ll take you to your room Mr. Cline. HOLY CRAP!!!
> 
> So we get on the elevator and she pushes the floor-button that says ICU. Just to be sure I kept my mouth shut until we rolled up to the ICU. Sure enough! ICU it was. At this point she tells me not to be alarmed but that the hospital is full and this is the only space available for now, besides this room contains all of the telemetry they will require. TELEMETRY? I DON’T NEED ANY STINKING TELEMETRY!!!
> 
> By now I’m beginning to wonder what the hell is going on. ICU, TELEMETRY, WHEELCHAIR?
> 
> She gives me this gown to put on. OK, I’m in the hospital, I’m suffering from some unknown disease from God only knows where, I have no idea what the hell is happening to me, and she wants me to wear that gown. NOT GONNA HAPPEN IN A THOUSAND YEARS. Did you know, if you insist loud enough they can actually come up with real live pajamas ensamble for you? Well by God they can!
> 
> OK, I’m in my jammies, they start poking needles in my arms and Scotch-taping things to me hairy body and here comes the lady from The Nutrition Department. She brings enough menus for me to fill out for three days. THREE DAYS? OK THAT’S ALL! I told her there must be some mistake and that I was only going to be there one night. As she walked away she looked back in my direction and said “We’ll see about that”.
> 
> Do you have any idea how hard it is to biitch at that many people while having the hic-cups? They just don’t take you seriously.
> 
> Finally I get settled in for the night. I have my jammies, I have my TV, I have my ice water, I have my arms tethered with plastic hoses to the bed rails, and my chest hairs have been glued to about seven wires all of different colors. This must me the telemetry they were talking about. The good news is the hic-cups have again subsided. It seems that one of those little hoses contains the wonder drug that is going to allow me to sleep the night away while keeping the hic-cups at bay. And after all of this, I’m ready to settle in for a good night’s sleep. Yeah Right! Every two hours those little cutie nurses need to do something to me. EVERY TWO FRIGGING HOURS! Hell I was better off with the hic-cups maybe!
> 
> Well the next day it was an early breakfast then road trips. First to the lab, then to X-ray, then back to my room for a little R&R and lunch, then it’s off to take a ride through that tunnel thingy machine all the TV doctor programs are so fond of, then another machine wanted to scan my innards, then more R&R, then another road trip.
> 
> Finally the sun was setting and it was time to eat again.
> 
> After devouring another delicious meal that must have been concocted somewhere in the Twilight Zone I’m finally settled-in for the evening when along comes the cutest nurse yet. Shift-changes always seem to bring promise. Mr. Cline I have to prep you for in the morning she tells me. Well damn, I guess I am going to be here a few days. I had no idea what she meant by “prep me” but it was OK with me, I was so beat up by then I would have agreed to almost anything. It seems that I was being prepped for a heart catheterization. A WHAT? ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS? I DON’T NEED NO STINKING HEART NOTHIN’. I like my heart right where it is.
> 
> I won’t go into the details of this preparation process but I can tell you it involved a razor and some warm shaving lather. In fact, when she was done I had seriously considered asking her father for her hand in marriage.
> 
> Slept like a baby!
> 
> Next morning before the roosters crowed I found myself in some ice cold surgery suite somewhere. There were bells, whistles, lights, machines, buzzers, a public address system and a control-booth. OK, now that was the scary part. That damned control booth made me just a little nervous. This glass-walled room reminded me of those weigh-stations you see along the Interstates where they weigh those eighteen wheelers. Everyone was masked. And everyone was wearing a microphone piped into the public address system, accept me. Each time someone spoke you could hear it coming over the PA. It was really kind of neat. I couldn’t see the people behind the glass but I could tell there were about four of them in that booth. I also had another four (at least) on the floor with me.
> 
> As the procedure began I could see at least three TV monitors and Judge Judy wasn’t on any of them. They zonked me out only about seventy-five percent so I could talk to them and still allow them to have their way with me. I was able to see the entire process on the monitors. It was amazing. When all was said and done the doctors seemed to be surprised that they hadn’t found arteries clogged with cholesterol or blood clots. In fact there was nothing, and I’m a McDonald’s customer. I passed with flying colors for some reason.
> 
> Now that I’m home and can view the harvest down below I’m just a little embarrassed at how far the nurse went with her “prep”. I wonder if I should call her dad now?


Well, did they tell you why the hic-cups? That was funny as the dickens but it probably wasn't for you.


----------



## tpolk

you da man bud :thumbsup: wheres da honeymoon


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud, I never would have expected to laugh so hard at someone's misfortune. But you told this in such a colorful, humorous way that I'm sure we all got a kick out of it.

On the other hand, I hope everything is back to normal and you're feeling 100% better. Oh, and I hope you have good insurance :yes:.

Did you ever get an explanation as to what was causing the hic-cups?

Let us know how the dad responds if you do make that call. :laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

I am s-o-o-o-o-o happy and here's why: Get a glimpse of Hastings Nebraska.



http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7266970&clipId=7266970&cid=embedded


----------



## gma2rjc

Heck, even the cows in that video look happy.


----------



## BigJim

We are sooooo happy that you are happy Bud, that does look like a really nice place to live, kinda flat but pretty. Around here the tractors have short wheels on one side and tall wheels on the other. :laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

"Kinda Flat???"

Around here the only low spots are the lake bottoms and the pot hole bottoms, some of which I swear are bottomless.

The high spots are the cows heads.


----------



## fungku

Is there an album with photos?

Instead of reading through this thread? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Hi gang...well thanks for keeping the thread going. Maybe I should just hang around to see what develops! :laughing:

Boy, we've got space shuttle chat, cows in Nebraska and Bud trying to hook up with that sexy little nurse. 

Bud, didn't they tell you, this is a family site...:whistling2:

Everyone deserves to be answered, so I will try to do that in some sort of order.


----------



## cocobolo

Handy Vinny said:


> Keith,
> 
> One of the reasons this thread is so successful is because you do not drone. Yes, you accomplish much with relatively few words, and I find the meditative and thoughtful vibe you have worked hard to establish here to be very refreshing. (And, of course, the pictures of your progress are worth 1,000-words a piece.)
> 
> I enjoy checking in and tracking your progress.
> 
> You have inspired me to tackle a very ambitious project at my house--pictures of which I will get around to posting someday soon. Maybe I will start my own project showcase thread!


Thanks Vinny.

Well, did you get around to posting some pics yet? Let me know OK, thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi to Timothy, Bootz and lagerhead...thanks for dropping by, things are slowly improving. Just sort of a whole lot of things that all happened at once, but have now pretty much turned themselves around.

Now if we could just get the weather to turn around...7 days of rain in the immediate forecast. Don't need that.:no:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, have been away from the 'thread' for awhile, and when I 'tuned' in today...I was 'lost', so put some 'junk' upthere, to assuage DD, but is there something I am 'Missing', that is not good for Shu??????
> 
> Nice "January/ Spring"...eh? Have been collecting 'BIG JUICY' worms off of the road out front of house, and 'they' don't usually come here until ..."april"!!! I am gonna try and 'create' a good "environment' for them to live in, and ...yes...would love to 'hear' how to make them...."happy'!!! List members????


Hi Syd. Well, you know the latest already.

Syd lives across from me on Vancouver Island in case you didn't know. We now have a VERY interesting mutual hobby. One that I have been away from for way too long. I'll get to that shortly.

Been digging out in the bay here Syd to get a better place to moor the runabout. There seems to be quite a few big worms here in the sand...are they worth trying to save at all? Not sure if they are the kind the guys use for fishing or not.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Check this out guys and gals.
> Here is a ten-year summary of the ISS (International Space Station). This is really fairly amazing stuff. I had no idea all of that was going on up there.
> 
> Coco could probably tell us where to find that thing with a telescope. I wonder if you could see it?
> 
> http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm


Bud, you don't need a telescope to see the ISS. In fact, it would be very difficult to keep track of it with a scope because it moves so quickly across the sky. It will travel across your visible sky in about three minutes. It moves at 18,000 miles per hour.

It is very easy to see with the naked eye...in fact, if it was going over near where you are it would be hard NOT to see it. It is very bright, and best seen without optical aid, or perhaps with binoculars.

I'll see if I can get you a link to a site which shows where the ISS is going over.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> We are sooooo happy that you are happy Bud, that does look like a really nice place to live, kinda flat but pretty. Around here the tractors have short wheels on one side and tall wheels on the other. :laughing:


Sure they do Jim...sure they do...:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

fungku said:


> Is there an album with photos?
> 
> Instead of reading through this thread? :laughing:


If I have to write it...then you have to read it. Seems fair to me!


----------



## fungku

cocobolo said:


> If I have to write it...then you have to read it. Seems fair to me!


I don't mind that, but everyone else is writing crap too. I'm not going through 300 pages :no:

Work is slow right now, but not _that_ slow.

I saw your model. I'll just assume it looks like that and say "good job, sir!" :thumbup:

:jester:


----------



## gma2rjc

fungku said:


> I don't mind that, but everyone else is writing crap too. I'm not going through 300 pages :no:
> 
> Work is slow right now, but not _that_ slow.
> 
> I saw your model. I'll just assume it looks like that and say "good job, sir!" :thumbup:
> 
> :jester:


You're missing out on a LOT if you don't read the whole thing. :yes:


----------



## fungku

gma2rjc said:


> You're missing out on a LOT if you don't read the whole thing. :yes:


What I don't know can't hurt me...

I don't know what I'm missing...

Ignorance is bliss...

:laughing:

So, what are we talking about, cows in space? gee... :whistling2:

If I read one page in 5 minutes it would take me 25 hours to read the whole thread. So, one hour per day, that's 25 days...


----------



## gma2rjc

fungku said:


> What I don't know can't hurt me...
> 
> I don't know what I'm missing...
> 
> Ignorance is bliss...
> 
> :laughing:
> 
> So, what are we talking about, cows in space? gee... :whistling2:
> 
> If I read one page in 5 minutes it would take me 25 hours to read the whole thread. So, one hour per day, that's 25 days...


See? You'll be done in no time.


----------



## fungku

gma2rjc said:


> See? You'll be done in no time.


More realistically, if I devoted 30 minutes a day to this thread I could finish by April, if no new pages were added. 

Ain't gonna happen.


----------



## tpolk

if ignorance is truly bliss there would be a whole lot more happy happy people :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

I just ran across a very neat link which shows what the guys in the International Space Station are seeing.

http://iss.astroviewer.net/


----------



## Bud Cline

> coco: "I'll see if I can get you a link to a site which shows where the ISS is going over."


That was going to be my next question. Would viewing be better in the daytime or at night? If that's a stupid question just forget I asked it.



> coco: "I just ran across a very neat link which shows what the guys in the International Space Station are seeing."


Great, that is pretty amazing!

Not to change the subject but there is also a website I discovered during the BP oil spill in our Gulf of Mexico that tracks all the ships at sea. It gives you the name of the vessel, it coordinates, and even shows you its bow-orientation. Neat stuff.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, viewing is best either early in the morning or early evening. As long as the ISS is in sunlight, it will be reflecting light back to earth. The reflection of this sunlight is what you see. As soon as the ISS goes behind earth, it instantly disappears to our eyes.

You could probably find a site which will tell you when the ISS will be visible from Nebraska. Just search for ISS visible from Nebraska, something like that, and you should get several hits.

When the ISS is going anywhere near overhead, you can usually see it on two consecutive passes about an hour and a half apart.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...and anyone else who is interested I guess...you can find out when the ISS will be visible from Hastings, Nebraska (or whatever location you wish) by clicking on "Observation" next to the home link. Then center your town on the crosshairs on the Google map, click on change location.

You will then be shown the times over the next ten days when the ISS will be visible from where you are. This will happen 8 times at Hastings, the best one being the last on the list.

Look for the longest transit time and the biggest magnitude number. This number will be shown as a negative. For example a magnitude -3.2 will be brighter than magnitude -2.5. :jester:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Bud...and anyone else who is interested I guess...you can find out when the ISS will be visible from Hastings, Nebraska (or whatever location you wish) by clicking on "Observation" next to the home link. Then center your town on the crosshairs on the Google map, click on change location.
> 
> You will then be shown the times over the next ten days when the ISS will be visible from where you are. This will happen 8 times at Hastings, the best one being the last on the list.
> 
> Look for the longest transit time and the biggest magnitude number. This number will be shown as a negative. For example a magnitude -3.2 will be brighter than magnitude -2.5. :jester:


Thanks Keith, I have that site bookmarked and will be watching to see the ISS.


----------



## Bud Cline

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Well now...3,000 posts for the Bud man!

Bud, the real question here is "Did you get her phone number?"


----------



## Bud Cline

> Well now...3,000 posts for the Bud man!


Must say something about my ability to use my spare time productively. Oh well...it keeps me out of the saloons.

I'll tell you another thing that is sad.
I have become a loyal customer at my local McDonald's Restaurant. I'm there every morning at the same time for breakfast before I go to work. The sad thing is that more than a year ago I hit on what I think is a tasty breakfast sandwich so that's what I order day after day after day after day.......

In fact I get a kick out of going in there and all the cashiers just begin to enter my order in their machine with out me saying a single word. When other customers are present it's kind of funny to watch their reaction when I don't open my mouth and my order comes up immediately. I know when the total displays something other than $4.87 that they have made a mistake.



> Bud, the real question here is "Did you get her phone number?"


My wife was there the whole time! So...no!
Hey a guy can dream can't he?


----------



## JiMell

How do I cut an oval in 18" x 18" travertine tile?


----------



## cocobolo

The best person I know of to answer your question posted right before you did...and that would be Bud Cline. He's our tile guru _par excellence._

Do you wish to make an oval from the tile? Or do you wish to remove an oval from inside the tile? 

The first would be relatively easy. I would draw the oval, or ellipse shape on a piece of thin cardboard, and transfer that to the tile. Then I would cut as much tile off on the tile saw as possible, by making repeated cuts around the outside of the oval. Then I would grind the remaining segments off with a diamond blade on a hand held grinder.

Having said all that, I really don't know if travertine would lend itself to such treatment. It might be OK with the filled and polished travertine, but I must defer to Bud's immense experience for the final word.

Sorry I cannot help you more. :001_unsure:


----------



## cocobolo

*February snow*

We're supposed to be in the banana belt here...uh huh. This is part of yesterday's snowfall.


----------



## cocobolo

*Jim's table*

Sorry about the table Jim. Not much we could do about the very late snow.


----------



## cocobolo

The day before the snow, I had Japanese Iris' out in the garden.


----------



## cocobolo

Not much done inside the house for some time now...me and the cold weather don't get along too well.

However, I have tried to make inroads with the hand rail for the top stairs.

As you can see, the posts are curved. These are cut out of solid lumber, whereas the posts for the lower stairs are all laminated. It takes far longer to make laminated posts, but the advantage is that they all come out the same shape as long as they are glued on the same mold. Very few people will get to use the top stairs, so I wasn't quite as concerned with them.


----------



## cocobolo

What you don't see in the above photo is the trouble I had trying to get the top of these posts to come into some sort of reasonable line. 

I tried clamping long wood strips, but regardless of how thin I made the strips, they all broke due to the severe twist. In the pic above, there are individual pieces of wood between each of the posts. The line was less than perfect.

As it sits now - and not shown in the photo - I have recessed a 3/8" round steel rod into the centre of the top of each post. Then added a couple of flooring screws on both sides of the rod to prevent the rod from moving.

This has turned out to be extremely strong, and now I am in the process of adding a cedar handrail.

This will be done with pieces between each post, very similar to the method used on the stairs going up from the hot tub deck outside.


----------



## cocobolo

Some things a guy just can't get out of his blood, so there's no sense in fighting it I say. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? 

When we get off the rock here, I figured I would be needing to build another car. And so when the chance came up for me to grab one of the two cars I would build, naturally I took it. 

This one is a '35 Chevy 2 door standard sedan, 18,436 original miles with original everything. It was found in a barn in Saskatchewan about a year ago, where it had been since 1960. The mice have devoured every shred of upholstery, luckily they don't much care for eating steel!

The nice shiny blue car is what you can turn these old girls into...so hopefully I will be able to do it justice when the time comes.


----------



## Bud Cline

> JiMell: "How do I cut an oval in 18" x 18" travertine tile?"


cocobolo has asked the following questions and offered the following advice:


> Do you wish to make an oval from the tile? Or do you wish to remove an oval from inside the tile?
> 
> The first would be relatively easy. I would draw the oval, or ellipse shape on a piece of thin cardboard, and transfer that to the tile. Then I would cut as much tile off on the tile saw as possible, by making repeated cuts around the outside of the oval. Then I would grind the remaining segments off with a diamond blade on a hand held grinder.
> 
> Having said all that, I really don't know if travertine would lend itself to such treatment. It might be OK with the filled and polished travertine, but I must defer to Bud's immense experience for the final word.


Until the above questions are answered there is really no place to go from here.

Except to say that travertine should afford you the opportunity to do either procedure. Handle it gently and remember it is full of natural fissures and veins that could easy break without warning.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Sorry about the table Jim. Not much we could do about the very late snow.


 My table, my table, oh my table.hehehe Buddy, it was cool before but now it is really cool. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I have all the confidence in the world in you Keith, I know the finish you put on it will withstand anything nature can dish out. It does kinda hurt to see such a beautiful piece of art exposed to the elements, but that is what you created it for.

Keith, the flowers are so beautiful, I am amazed that they would grow in that kind of cold. Thanks for sharing the great photos.

Now for desert, your 35, you would have to keep me away from it cause I heard folks drooling on a cars finish will ruin it. That is going to be some serious fun, I know for sure you will do it justice. I can't wait til you start restoring it.


----------



## Lager

Good to see some pics again, I was going into some very serious withdrawls! Hopefully as the weather improves they will again appear more often... if only to keep that crazy Coco monkey off my back!

Lager


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a shot of how the steel rod was set into the upper stair posts. I dug out the space for the rod using the Fein tool, which made the job pretty easy. Then added a couple of screws to prevent the rod from shifting.


----------



## cocobolo

This is just a longer shot of the posts showing the steel rod in place again.


----------



## cocobolo

The hand rail itself will need to be built up from short pieces of cedar, about 1 1/2" x 3" or so.

I haven't yet decided how these pieces will be fixed to the posts. Possibly by drilling and countersinking screws from below, or the same idea from above.

This first piece is temporarily held in place with a clamp.


----------



## cocobolo

Currently - as anyone who lives near here will attest - we are experiencing unseasonably cold temperatures. I tried putting up some more boards at the top of the ensuite wall, but the hands only lasted about 10 minutes. Maybe later on when the sun has had a chance to work its' magic...


----------



## gma2rjc

It's all looking great Keith! Especially that stairwell.

What is the darker trim above the ensuite window? 

That's a nice color on the boards you're putting up.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It's all looking great Keith! Especially that stairwell.
> 
> What is the darker trim above the ensuite window?
> 
> That's a nice color on the boards you're putting up.
> 
> Barb


That is a row of 4" x 4" porcelain tiles.


----------



## scoggy

*You create...magic!*

Keith, I have been 'dormant'..but..'lurking'..and I ...'found' a '37 Chev "flatback', enclosed in a barn, ..built around it! Tons of pigeon 'droppings' on it, but...it is in almost the same condition, as 'yours', but I have a wife, who is Scottish,and she says ..."nothing until the '38 Coupe is done", so the guy who owns it is about my age (64), and since 'no one' can see it, where it is, I have a (window of time) to get it!
Just love what you are doing with the wood...like a wizard!
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, I have been 'dormant'..but..'lurking'..and I ...'found' a '37 Chev "flatback', enclosed in a barn, ..built around it! Tons of pigeon 'droppings' on it, but...it is in almost the same condition, as 'yours', but I have a wife, who is Scottish,and she says ..."nothing until the '38 Coupe is done", so the guy who owns it is about my age (64), and since 'no one' can see it, where it is, I have a (window of time) to get it!
> Just love what you are doing with the wood...like a wizard!
> Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


In that case...given that it will be some before I'm actually able to get started on my build...perhaps we will end up having a set of near twins.

Wouldn't that be cool!


----------



## cocobolo

I made an attempt to mock up a few pieces for the top railing. These test pieces are only 1 x 4's to try and establish the correct cutting angles.


----------



## cocobolo

In somewhat of a stark contrast to the weather of the past week or more, here is tonight's sunset.


----------



## gma2rjc

It's mother nature's way of saying she's sorry for the bad weather. :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I made an attempt to mock up a few pieces for the top railing. These test pieces are only 1 x 4's to try and establish the correct cutting angles.


Keith, have you considered a bending rail type? For a couple of rails I made that bending rail just wouldn't work, I horizontally laminated the rail instead of vertical laminating. For a horizontal laminate I used 3/16 inch thick strips and heated the wood where there was a tough twist or bend, I used a heat gun but that might put too much strain on your electrical system, at times I used a small torch that worked well.

Your picture is just beautiful buddy, it looks like it belongs on a wall with a frame around it. Thanks for sharing Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, we'll take that...but tomorrow she's back up to her old tricks again...


----------



## jules4

I love this car - it's gorgeous!!! 

You should start a thread here about your car restoration when you start that, I'd love to see what all will be involved in bringing that beauty back to life.

I just can't believe you restore antique cars in addition to constructing custom homes, milling your own lumber, photography, astronomy, and everything else. You do everything I can only dream of doing :notworthy:

I bet you can fly planes and build drystack bridges too, can't you? lol 

Now I have to go back and catch up on the the rest of the stuff you've been doing - I got sidetracked by the car, but I believe someone mentioned something about some fantastic trim work . . .


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, have you considered a bending rail type? For a couple of rails I made that bending rail just wouldn't work, I horizontally laminated the rail instead of vertical laminating. For a horizontal laminate I used 3/16 inch thick strips and heated the wood where there was a tough twist or bend, I used a heat gun but that might put too much strain on your electrical system, at times I used a small torch that worked well.
> 
> Your picture is just beautiful buddy, it looks like it belongs on a wall with a frame around it. Thanks for sharing Keith.


Jim...apologies for somehow managing to miss your post here.

Believe me when I tell you I tried any number of ways to twist the wood...none of them were successful. In theory, if you take a piece of cedar - say about 1/4" thick and 1" wide, you should be able to have someone hold the bottom end in place while you torque the top end in place. The wood will find it's own angle to sit at and you could then cut the top angle of each post to match the twist at that point. Only trouble is this takes two people.....

In the mean time, a few nights ago I remembered a very unusual stair rail that I had seen in one of my books or architecture magazines. My search so far has come up blank, but I remember enough of it that I scrapped the pieces that were put on before and started over.

I did get to the top of the railing today, but neglected to get any photos. And it's way too dark now to shoot. Not to mention that it didn't get above 5ºC in the house today. And as a special treat for us, the weather gurus are promising us yet another gentle breeze over the next two days...with possible peak speeds reaching 140 KM's! For those that don't speak metric (can't say as I blame you) that's almost 87 m.p.h., well into hurricane speed. We don't get those here. Yeah sure. :whistling2:

B.C. Hydro is all geared up for the inevitable power outages...and this time they are expecting the damage to be widespread. Guess we'll find out over the next day or two. Ah, the beauty of having your own power system...didn't really mean to rub it in...oh, yes I did!!!


----------



## cocobolo

Hey Jules...how are you? I meant to send you a note to see how you healed after your fight with the saw. Certainly hope you are back to 100% again.

Aw heck, let's make that 110%. 

No, I don't fly planes, but I have a pal who does. In fact he's an instructor on both fixed wing and rotary wing. So, if I need a ride locally...

Dry stack bridges...pretty straight forward really. This is one place where gravity is your friend, instead of the other way around.

The car build won't be on here, but on another site when the time comes. I may put the occasional pic up, but not the whole build. It's kind of getting away from the sort of DIY that belongs here.

So, do you have any more pics to show us from t'other end of the country?


----------



## jules4

Everything has healed up great - some scaring of course, but that doesn't bother me any.

You want pictures, eh? Well, it pales next to your circular stairs (and curved balusters), but here's a window trim (plus base board) I did for a friend this winter (her husband built this little addition off their kitchen several years ago, but he doesn't much care for the 'finishing' side of things). 

She wanted me to match the existing trim in the house, and I think I did a pretty good job for a first-timer. (Not one piece of trim could be cut square, everything had to have a between a 1/8-1/2" taper to match the slopes of the walls and ceiling lol). The first pic is of the existing trim I was trying to replicate, the rest are of my work.


----------



## cocobolo

Hey, hey, hey....every good!


----------



## gma2rjc

Wow! Nice work Jules! I bet your friend and her husband were thrilled when you were done. I'm glad you healed up alright.

Keith, I hope the high winds don't cause any damage or problems for you guys.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! Nice work Jules! I bet your friend and her husband were thrilled when you were done. I'm glad you healed up alright.
> 
> Keith, I hope the high winds don't cause any damage or problems for you guys.


The wind is building as we speak, but from the south/south east. If it had to be from anywhere, that's where it does the least damage for us.


----------



## jules4

I still suck at doing lattice though - I've made 8 (out of 10) of the small lattice corners I'm going to put in the screen house windows and I still can't get all my half-laps tight without gluing in a bunch of wood shims after the fact. I have gotten little better though - the first few panels were a real mess. 

Anyway, seeing as it's 1 am here I should probably head to bed. 

I'll take a picture of my attempts at lattice tomorrow to post for everyone's general amusement (thank god it will be covered in paint when installed, so I can caulk the h*ll out of it lol).

Good luck with the weather tomorrow - sounds like quite the gale, hope no one suffers any tree-damage.


----------



## jules4

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! Nice work Jules! I bet your friend and her husband were thrilled when you were done. I'm glad you healed up alright.


Thanks - she was thrilled, I think he would have been just as happy to keep the spray foam 'trim' they started out with lol


----------



## cocobolo

Gotta love that foam trim. Jeez the clown that came up with that one ought to be turned over to half a dozen finish carpenters. Just for a few minutes...I'm sure they wouldn't need much more than that.


----------



## jules4

Okay, here ya go as promised - pics of one of my first pieces of lattice (I've gotten a bit better at it now, but my joints are still nothing to write home about).

And just in case my Frankenlattice patch job fools anyone into thinking 'hey, that's not so bad,' I've attached a close up to reveal my half-lap abomination in all it's gruesomeness.

Be afraid pine, be _very_ afraid! I still have more half-laps to do. lol


----------



## cocobolo

What the heck is wrong with that? Doesn't look bad to me at all. And I like the design very much. Has that distinct oriental feeling to it. 

How are you cutting the half laps? If you make a set up for the table saw, you can make the joints deadly accurate one after the other. Or you can make a router setup. I prefer the table saw method as I am of the opinion that it is more repeatable.

Using the t/s, it pays to do the batch method. Set up for one joint and do the whole lot of that particular location, then move to the next.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> What the heck is wrong with that? Doesn't look bad to me at all. And I like the design very much. Has that distinct oriental feeling to it.


 I like the design too - just not satisfied with the execution . . .



> How are you cutting the half laps? If you make a set up for the table saw, you can make the joints deadly accurate one after the other. Or you can make a router setup. I prefer the table saw method as I am of the opinion that it is more repeatable.
> 
> Using the t/s, it pays to do the batch method. Set up for one joint and do the whole lot of that particular location, then move to the next.


Erm - my "tablesaw" is actually just an old (very heavy) circular saw suspended upside-down in a piece of 3/4 particle board that I inherited from my dad. It works great for rough trimming, but deadly accurate she ain't :laughing: (price was right though).

The way I'm doing it is marking out my half laps with an antique door mortising gauge, making the vertical cut in a mitre box with a back saw, then using a chisel to cut the wood out down my mark.

Your way does sound easier - but I can't blame my crappy joints on a lack of power tools (tempting though it is), joiners have been doing it for centuries without table saws.


----------



## jules4

Hey, I forgot to ask how the wind storm went - did it actually get up to 140 clicks?


----------



## cocobolo

Nothing wrong with your method. I still use that from time to time if I just have a few joints to do. I usually cut with a Japanese saw, but certainly a backsaw is the traditional way.

I make several cuts in the lap, with the middle ones stopping just short of the line. I use a marking gauge for the depth of cut, never a pencil line, and chisel in from both sides. I finish the chisel work by cutting the middle just a little lower than the outside...very little.

It might help to use a block of wood on either side when you are cutting (maybe you already do) to prevent the saw going too deep. Yep, it happens to everyone.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Hey, I forgot to ask how the wind storm went - did it actually get up to 140 clicks?


I don't think we saw more than 110 k's here...but up at Solander Island - north end of Vancouver Island - they recorded 158 k's, so it was definitely breezy up that way.

Lots of power outages on Vancouver Island and all over the lower mainland. The wind hasn't quit yet.


----------



## gmhammes

shumakerscott said:


> Try here for replacement blades. http://www.bitetools.com/main.html
> I've not tried them or am I a dealer. Just stumbled across the web page. Prices are pretty good. dorf dude...


 
Has anyone tried this adapter?

http://www.joaliff.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=35

I am looking to purchase one not because of the blade cost but for so that if i need one fast i can run to the box store and grab one. No one aroun here sell Fein blades.


----------



## cocobolo

I haven't tried the adapter. But that price is pretty steep, don't you think?

There are a couple of outfits that make blades at a reasonable enough price that you could afford to keep sufficient on hand. The fein blades are definitely priced for the wealthy, which I am not.

My machine hasn't seen a lot of use yet, but I did use it again this morning and the wood blade still cuts well.


----------



## gmhammes

It is pricey once you do the conversion. The other site mentioned earlier has some great prices. I find the two blades I've used the most so far are the round blade or drywall blade and the bi-metal. 
The fein is pricey but worth it when you need it!


----------



## cocobolo

gmhammes said:


> It is pricey once you do the conversion. The other site mentioned earlier has some great prices. I find the two blades I've used the most so far are the round blade or drywall blade and the bi-metal.
> The fein is pricey but worth it when you need it!


Yep, I like that round blade as well. Only trouble is it only has a reach of about 3/4". I needed to chop a couple of pieces of 2 x 4 off flush with a wall this morning, so used the square type blade. It gets the job done, but for whatever reason it doesn't cut as well as that round blade.

But...like you say...when you need it, it's the only game in town that works like that.


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## cocobolo

After more interminable delays than anyone can imagine, I finally was able to get over to Ladysmith on Sunday and visit scoggy.

Of course the main purpose for the trip was to see the fables '38 Chevy coupe in the flesh as it were...

There was so much water caught in the tarp at the front that we weren't able to remove it completely...sorry about that. This will have to do for now until we get some warmer weather.


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## BigJim

Aw man, what a beaut, if I had a car like that one or like yours Keith I would forget about wood working until it got finished. I know you can't quit your wood working until your home is complete. Hopefully this year that will happen for you. Making plans and finding parts for your 35 is a fun time to pass the bad weather days.

I noticed the grass is getting green there at Scoggy's, hopefully ya'll will get some of this warm weather soon.


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## Bud Cline

*Totally off topic but....*

Here today the temperature is 32F, the dew point is 32, the relative humidity is 100%, and the visibility is 1/8 mile. God only knows what tomorrow is going to bring. Or how deep it will be.

By the way, my son-in-law has just reached Kuwait from Iraq in the past few hours and should be back on American soil in a few days.:thumbup: Another completed tour safe and sound. Thank God, and may he watch over all the others and bring them home safely.


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## cocobolo

Good news from the front anyway...

Here it's 43ºF right now...presently not raining...100% cloud cover with rain on the way. I think we are done with the freezing temperatures for the season. At least I hope so.

Much colder further north in the province, with temps hovering around -17ºF up at Ft. St. John with the wind chill.


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## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> By the way, my son-in-law has just reached Kuwait from Iraq in the past few hours and should be back on American soil in a few days.:thumbup: Another completed tour safe and sound. Thank God, and may he watch over all the others and bring them home safely.


Thanks for the update Bud. That's great news. I bet he can't wait to get home. You must be very proud of him.


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## BigJim

That is great news Bud, thank him for us.

Well it rained a little earlier than they said it was going to here today. I had to pick up 250 BF of FAS Red Oak and 6 sheets of Oak plywood. I headed for the house and the bottom fell out, the lumber got wet, hopefully it will be OK when it dries out.

I went to get Birch but Birch has gone out of sight here. For FAS Birch S2S and one edge straight ripped it is $4.50 a BF, Red Oak FAS S2S straight ripped one edge, $2.42 BF. That is a first for me.

I am helping to do some things down at the church house, they already know how slow I am.:yes:


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is great news Bud, thank him for us.
> 
> 
> 
> I went to get Birch but Birch has gone out of sight here. For FAS Birch S2S and one edge straight ripped it is $4.50 a BF, Red Oak FAS S2S straight ripped one edge, $2.42 BF. That is a first for me.
> 
> $2.42 for red oak? That would be a gift up this way. If you could get it...


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## Bud Cline

There is nothing anyone can say about this.....

Use the slider at the center and below the photos for a before and after look at parts of Japan.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42052263/ns/technology_and_science-space/


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## cocobolo

*Unimaginable devastation.*

Bud: I have been firmly stuck to the computer for several days now since I first heard of this.

I have a couple of friends over in town - Rich and Sayuri - and she is from Japan. Still has many relatives over there, and even though it took them more than 24 hours to get through by telephone, they eventually have been able to confirm that all are OK.

There are any number of feeds coming out of Japan, which makes it reasonably easy to stay current.

One of the most recent items concerns the potential for a serious nuclear problem, which the worldwide community hopes does not happen.

It seems that there was a different type of nuclear plant devised some 40 years ago, the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor, or Lifter for short. It appears to be far safer and more reliable than the current type of reactor, operates at ambient air pressure, uses fuel which is both abundant and cheap, and can be brought online faster. So why didn't it get developed?

The answer to that lies in the two most common words in business, greed and politics. If you find the same information I did, it will explain.

Try finding an article in Wired magazine just a relatively short while ago. Search for the above named reactor, and you will find a 16 minute Youtube video which goes a long way to explaining everything.

What might be very enlightening, is that the Chinese Government recently held a conference to discuss this very type of reactor.

I will go on record as saying that I think not only will the Chinese investigate this thoroughly, but they will be the first to build one. Sadly our North American governments react very slowly, if at all, to circumstances such as we have witnessed. I have also discovered that apparently the Candu reactor people here in Canada have been investigating the possibility of switching their designs over to use Thorium.

From the design I have seen of the Lifter system, it seems to me to be very different from a standard enriched uranium reactor. So, I have my doubts that a few minor design alterations will work. I would be of the opinion that a full scale new design is in order.

The two previous worst reactor problems were Chernobyl in Ukraine when they were part of the former Soviet Union, and Three Mile Island. In both cases, human error was a factor. I think we will see more fully automated systems in place in future, with multiple redundant power supplies...and we should know better by now than to build right on the water. Had the plant at Fukushima been just 100 feet up the side of a hill, the damage would likely not have happened at all. It was the tsunami - not the earthquake - which did them in.

It is sad to think what the final death toll will be.


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## cocobolo

I think it might be an opportune time to brighten things up, if that's actually possible.

Here's a camellia bush in bloom right now, although there was no sun to brighten it up.


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## cocobolo

Not quite as colourful, but a Christmas rose and a rhodo.


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## cocobolo

Finally arrived at a decision on the top handrail on the top stairs, and here it is.

Has kind of an art deco touch to it. Now have to wait for the weather to warm up to get the finish on.


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## cocobolo

And today I finished the window sills and casings on the big ten windows in the master bed room. Sills are arbutus wood, somewhat spalted, casings are all red cedar.


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## cocobolo

Here's part of the reason the light wasn't much good for pics today. This is the sort of thing which kept running up Vancouver Island most of the day.


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## cocobolo

But for a little while just before sunset, the weather calmed and gave way to this view.


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## gma2rjc

It looks like mother nature is trying to make up for the bad weather she sent you guys all winter. Beautiful pictures of the flowers and the sunset pics are spectacular. The color and shapes of the clouds are amazing.

That's a very clever way of making that railing. It looks great. It'll be a conversation piece for sure. 

Barb


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It looks like mother nature is trying to make up for the bad weather she sent you guys all winter. Beautiful pictures of the flowers and the sunset pics are spectacular. The color and shapes of the clouds are amazing.
> 
> That's a very clever way of making that railing. It looks great. It'll be a conversation piece for sure.
> 
> Barb


Fact is, that nobody really needs to go up those stairs. It leads to the roof and I essentially built it that way to access the solar panels.

As for the weather...we aren't out of the woods just yet. Still cool at night, barely above freezing, and mucho rain still forecast.


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## BigJim

Your photos are just fantastic, the beauty of it all is spectacular to say the least. Hopefully winter will loose its grip on ya'll real soon and you won't freeze trying to work. I don't have heat in my shop and in the winter it just isn't fun to be out there. Maybe you will be on the main land this time next year and not have to spend another winter on your island.

I like your rail, that is really creative and looks great. I really like the railing on your balcony, the SS cable will not hamper the fantastic view there, that was some good planning.


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## gma2rjc

You should enter the two sunset pictures in a contest. 

Barb


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## Lagerhead

Well this doesn't belong on page two!
How are things progressing Coco? Hope all is well.

Lagerhead


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## scoggy

*"those fantastic"!!!!*

'CoCo', there are immediate, and potentially...so many 'sun shots', of either morning or afternoon, prolly, more afternoon, ..'shots', that you have taken, and ..will take, because ..West shots, are so more incredible, because of your Island position, that you ..should 'prioritize" those, and make a book of photos, just based on ..'those'! And, with that 'revenue', would be able to purchase,..that GMC 671 "blower',..for your ..'potential'..ride! ==8^)
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## gma2rjc

scoggy said:


> 'CoCo', there are immediate, and potentially...so many 'sun shots', of either morning or afternoon, prolly, more afternoon, ..'shots', that you have taken, and ..will take, because ..West shots, are so more incredible, because of your Island position, that you ..should 'prioritize" those, and make a book of photos, just based on ..'those'! And, with that 'revenue', would be able to purchase,..that GMC 671 "blower',..for your ..'potential'..ride! ==8^)
> Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Great idea Scoggy. Imagine a nice big coffee table book with all of those sunset pics? Do you think it would start out at #1 or #2 on the NYT Best Seller List?


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> 'CoCo', there are immediate, and potentially...so many 'sun shots', of either morning or afternoon, prolly, more afternoon, ..'shots', that you have taken, and ..will take, because ..West shots, are so more incredible, because of your Island position, that you ..should 'prioritize" those, and make a book of photos, just based on ..'those'! And, with that 'revenue', would be able to purchase,..that GMC 671 "blower',..for your ..'potential'..ride! ==8^)
> Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Can't get the morning ones as you know. But the evening ones are always better anyway...that's why we're on the right side of the island.

Who says I need a 671 anyway? I'm gonna have enough trouble keeping the thing straight just with an LSA in it!


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Great idea Scoggy. Imagine a nice big coffee table book with all of those sunset pics? Do you think it would start out at #1 or #2 on the NYT Best Seller List?


Not much point doing it if it's only going to be number 2 eh?

Been dealing with a bum knee for a few days, but I have managed to keep going on the house in fits and starts. I should be able to take a few pics tomorrow of the beginnings of the building of a closet. Pretty exciting eh?

Ahhh, but you've never seen one like this before. For starters the end walls are sort of open...and each has over 20 pieces of curved arbutus wood going in it. If I can pull it off it will be unique.


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## cocobolo

I have been up the proverbial creek without a paddle for a week now.

Both drive belts on the tablesaw broke. Actually, I didn't even know there were two until the second one broke. 

I think I might be entirely to blame for their demise, as I was trying to rip some arbutus 4 x 4 down into 1" boards. Cutting just over half way through and then flipping the 4 x 4 to the opposite side. I finished the job with an electric hand saw instead. Not nearly as accurate, but the planer fixed the difference. The wood is destined for the closet in the master bed room.

The outfit in town has been having difficulty lately getting parts from Sears for the Craftsman tools. The saw is a Craftsman but made by Ryobi. After a week of non-action, Sears said to go directly to Ryobi for the replacement parts. Couldn't they have said that immediately, instead of wasting a week?

The Ryobi supplier is back in Toronto...might as well be in Siberia for all the good that will do. Another 10 day wait from today...

Behr is no longer making their marine spar varnish. They don't say why, just a typical corporate response asking me to use their other products. Which, I hasten to point out, are not varnish.

But I did manage to find some Helmsman spar varnish on sale locally!! Good deal.


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## scoggy

*Your comment..Re: 671*

CoCobolo: To quote Ed Iskendarian..."injection is nice..but I would rather be..oh never mind!
Cheers
Syd:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## cocobolo

I remember seeing that on T-shirts for a long time, but I didn't know it was the camfather who started it.

BTW, a 671 is old hat these days. The Magnacharger TVS 2300 looks almost like a modern F.I. system sitting on the engine. Low profile and really efficient. If that doesn't do the trick, try a couple of 61mm hair driers from Turbonetics. On a 388 small block, it makes 1,000 hp on pump gas. 1,400 if you turn up the boost and use goody fuel.


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## oh'mike

I thought you might fine this article on out door finishes interesting.---Torture Test for Outdoor Finishes - Powered by Google Docs

----Mike----


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I remember seeing that on T-shirts for a long time, but I didn't know it was the camfather who started it.
> 
> BTW, a 671 is old hat these days. The Magnacharger TVS 2300 looks almost like a modern F.I. system sitting on the engine. Low profile and really efficient. If that doesn't do the trick, try a couple of 61mm hair driers from Turbonetics. On a 388 small block, it makes 1,000 hp on pump gas. 1,400 if you turn up the boost and use goody fuel.


Now you got me drooling, I hope you got a good rear end and trany in that bad boy. I thought a 427 running twin double dumps was bad.


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## cocobolo

oh'mike said:


> I thought you might fine this article on out door finishes interesting.---Torture Test for Outdoor Finishes - Powered by Google Docs
> 
> ----Mike----


Hi Mike:
When this test was done they ran the article in the magazine.

I think it is misleading due to the fact that the number of coats varied so much from one product to the other, not to mention the price difference.

Over the years I have always done my own testing and have found that to be a much more realistic way of arriving at results which are accurate for where I live.

I do realize that each manufacturer makes the suggestion for the amount and method of application, but I must suggest that anyone putting less than 7 coats of ANY varnish on should not expect it to last. Further to that, you need to do at least a single maintenance coat annually after that. 

Speak with any boater down in the Florida area, and they will tell you that varnish starts to degrade in only 6 months. It is the sun which does the damage, not the rain/sleet/snow etc.

As for the oil type finishes, we used to use Watco on cedar deck surfaces up this way (West coast Canada). Not by choice...but because Watco used to advertise this as being a good way to finish the deck. Certainly once the third coat was applied it looked pretty decent. By the end of the first year, the surface would start to look somewhat ratty. Trying to convince any customer that they needed to do maintenance coats annually was completely futile.

Oh sure, they would say they would attend to it, but not one time did I ever see anyone come through on that promise.

Putting any clear finish on exterior wood requires ongoing maintenance no matter what the product.

As you may know by going through this thread, I always use 7 coats of varnish on an exterior application, for a clear finish that is.

Stained surfaces I follow the manufacturers suggestion. Even at that, I find that maintenance is still needed on a regular basis, just not annually.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Now you got me drooling, I hope you got a good rear end and trany in that bad boy. I thought a 427 running twin double dumps was bad.


I won't be needing any blower Jim. The LSA already puts out 430 H.P. or 480 if you opt for the bigger cam. And the torque is out of this world. 

The rear end is undecided (likely a 9") but the tranny to be used is built to go with the engine.


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## scoggy

*Isn't it neat....*

CoCo, isn't it 'neat' when you put 'something' ...out there,..and people remember? I am 'making notes', of the ..'power train'..prolly a Power Glide, would be nice...said the 'spider to the fly' ====8^)
Cheers
Syd


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> CoCo, isn't it 'neat' when you put 'something' ...out there,..and people remember? I am 'making notes', of the ..'power train'..prolly a Power Glide, would be nice...said the 'spider to the fly' ====8^)
> Cheers
> Syd


I know that you can build a Powerslide to take some big numbers. But this engine has a 4L85E trans built for the job. Fourspeed, with the top gear a .75 to 1 overdrive so you can pass the occasional gas station. It comes with a 2300 stall converter. Tranny is $2640 in Washington State, not sure up here. With our good $ it should be less, but we all know how THAT works. Then you need the controller as well...didn't have the guts to see what that cost.
The 4 speed makes the vehicle far more streetable than the 2 speed 'Slide. With a 2300 converter and decent first gear, you'll be in the power band in about 1 second. Drawback? It weighs 255 lbs. But the engine is only a little over 400 lbs! Should go like the proverbial B.O.H. (Bat Outta Hell for those unaccustomed to such automotive terminology).


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## cocobolo

How about a little woodworking for a change?

OK...I've been working on the closet design and various parts thereof.

Each end of the closet is different...that shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone. 

The wood shown here is one of 21 such pieces going between the closet doors and the wall. It is arbutus wood, and is shown here in the vise getting sanded through the grits. I went up to 180, which has yielded a nice smooth wood to varnish.


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## cocobolo

The wood at the other end of the closet is quite different...still arbutus, but the shape is not the same.

Here is the first piece shaped, sitting in front of the remaining pieces which will get the same treatment.


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## cocobolo

The closet wall is at an angle from the back wall of the bedroom, and therefore, it was necessary to sit the end closet wall at something less than 90º in order to make it look right. You can see in the above pic that there is an angle cut at the right hand end to facilitate this.

For anyone not familiar with trying to duplicate a series of curved cuts using a jigsaw - or even a bandsaw for that matter - here's a hint.

Don't cut in the middle of the line, by that I mean do not deliberately try to run the line in the center of the blade, it won't work. Keep the blade cutting so that the edge of the blade splits the pencil line in half. When you get done, you won't see any part of the line. The line will be so thin (use a sharp pencil) that less than 1/100" will remain. You won't see it. 

Besides, the edges of these boards are going to be routed with a quarter round bit on both sides.


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## cocobolo

Here's the pile cut to shape, now they need to be rounded over.


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## cocobolo

I use the router upside down fixed in to a sheet of plywood.

By using a bit with a bearing for a guide on the tip, I don't need any sort of fence. With curved wood, this is especially useful...in fact, it's essential.

Start the wood very carefully at the left hand end so it feeds into the cutting edge of the bit. If you try feeding it from the opposite side, the bit will try to rip the wood out of your hand very quickly.

That's a mistake you'll only make once.


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## cocobolo

Hmmm...sorry...I thought I had pics of the finished pieces. I'll get some in daylight tomorrow. 

Because all these pieces - for each end - need to be as identical as possible, I used a jig to cut them to length. I'll get pics of those as well and explain how they were used on a miter saw. Simple, but effective.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I use the router upside down fixed in to a sheet of plywood.
> 
> By using a bit with a bearing for a guide on the tip, I don't need any sort of fence. With curved wood, this is especially useful...in fact, it's essential.
> 
> Start the wood very carefully at the left hand end so it feeds into the cutting edge of the bit. If you try feeding it from the opposite side, the bit will try to rip the wood out of your hand very quickly.
> 
> That's a mistake you'll only make once.


Man, that looks almost like my router table and it is made the same way. Sometimes a person just don't need fancy to do a good job.

Buddy, I can see your car in my mind and that is one mean machine. That is going to be so much fun.


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## tpolk

sorry to be so thick ,i'm lost on the whole closet and how the wood applies


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> sorry to be so thick ,i'm lost on the whole closet and how the wood applies


Tim...you're not the only one, my wife is lost as well! But then, maybe I am too!

Over the next couple of days, I should be able to get the two end sections of the closet walls assembled so you can see what the heck I'm up to. I'm pretty certain you haven't seen anything quite like this before.

But you of all people should know me by now, right? When do I ever do anything the conventional way? Sometimes I think I just never learn, oh well...


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## cocobolo

OK, we have a couple of photos this morning. It's typically very dull and rainy here again so I hope the light was adequate to show the progress.

First up I have a couple of shots of the jig used to get the length of the curved pieces all cut the same. If you don't get them identical, then it wouldn't be any too easy to fix these curved pieces to the wall itself. The pictures will end up explaining much better than I can in words. Here's the curved jig.


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## cocobolo

Actually, I had to make two separate jigs, one for the inside curve and one for the outside curve.

Each jig has a stop on the underside so that I could run it up against the left side of the miter saw. This ensured that all the boards ended up the same length.


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## cocobolo

Now the arbutus boards which go at the other end of the closet are actually straight on the back side, and curved on the front.

It turned out that once the boards were all shaped and sanded, that I also had to cut a slight angle on the outer end of the boards so that it would be square with the wall. Clear as mud, right? Don't worry, we'll get there.

And here's the stack of all the 42 boards finished and ready to be assembled into wall sections.


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## Bud Cline

Well once again I am amazed at the woodworking knowledge and creative ability of one Keith.

Quickly:


> Start the wood very carefully at the left hand end so it feeds into the cutting edge of the bit. If you try feeding it from the opposite side, the bit will try to rip the wood out of your hand very quickly. *That's a mistake you'll only make once.*


Reminds me of time (years ago) when I had my radial arm saw on a job remodelling a detached garage and turning it into a man-cave. I had become friendly with the customer and was working late one evening. I turned the head on the saw to rip a small board (for some reason) and began to feed the board into the saw blade BACKWARDS.

You can guess what happened! The blade instantly grabbed the work-piece and shot it across the room where it stuck into the wall narrowly missing the customers head. My fingers where drawn in towards the blade but I somehow was able to divert a digit disaster.

To this day I thank my lucky stars one of us wasn't seriously injured or killed and I wonder if maybe the beer we had consumed that evening had anything to do with the unfortunate episode.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

This too, was a mistake you'll only make once.:yes:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Well once again I am amazed at the woodworking knowledge and creative ability of one Keith.
> 
> Quickly:
> 
> Reminds me of time (years ago) when I had my radial arm saw on a job remodelling a detached garage and turning it into a man-cave. I had become friendly with the customer and was working late one evening. I turned the head on the saw to rip a small board (for some reason) and began to feed the board into the saw blade BACKWARDS.
> 
> You can guess what happened! The blade instantly grabbed the work-piece and shot it across the room where it stuck into the wall narrowly missing the customers head. My fingers where drawn in towards the blade but I somehow was able to divert a digit disaster.
> 
> To this day I thank my lucky stars one of us wasn't seriously injured or killed and I wonder if maybe the beer we had consumed that evening had anything to do with the unfortunate episode.:laughing::laughing::laughing:
> 
> This too, was a mistake you'll only make once.:yes:


Beer and woodworking machinery do not go together any too well! I saw a joke page recently which gave the purpose of several different woodworking machines. A tablesaw is used for the purpose of turning a piece of wood into a missile.

If you have ever experienced the thrill of a piece of wood binding as it tries to exit the blade, you know exactly what I'm talking about. That's why they make splitters behind the blade.

There's a reason they call those saws a Radial Alarm Saw Bud.


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## cocobolo

Slowly but surely this closet thing is coming together.

Yesterday I got the first end wall assembled on the bench, and it looks something like this. 

Perhaps now you can see what it will look like.


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## cocobolo

I should have had enough sense to assemble it upstairs, but nooooo. It's a lot heavier than it may appear and I had to pack it up the stairs and sit it in place. Next one gets assembled in place.


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## cocobolo

Couple more pics a little closer up so you can see how well the jig cutting helps things to fit properly.


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## cocobolo

Yesterday we also yarded out the soaker tub and finally hooked up the drain. It's back in place now and hopefully this is for the last time.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Couple more pics a little closer up so you can see how well the jig cutting helps things to fit properly.


Buddy, you are good, that is some fine craftsmanship, repetition has always been tough for me, that does look good.

Bud I did the same thing years ago, I was remodeling an exotic wood show room and didn't have a tablesaw there. I needed to rip a board and had never tried to rip with a ras, that was to only time I ever tried that, once is enough.


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## cocobolo

Server troubles for the past couple of days...still not sure if they are resolved.

Despite my claims to the contrary, I ended up assembling the second closet wall on the bench downstairs. It turned out to be the only place with sufficient room.


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## cocobolo

And once again it was carried upstairs and installed. Here showing the new wall in place, and a pic taken from just outside the bedroom door leading to the deck so you can see the relationship with the far end. 

Sorry about all the wood in the way there.


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## cocobolo

While I was working upstairs, I noticed that there was a small tug boat vainly trying to pull a boom against the heavy prevailing north west wind yesterday. Slowly but surely, he was losing the battle and going backwards.

By the time I got around to taking a pic, he had just left for reasons I didn't know. It turned out that he was calling for reinforcements in the form of a more powerful tug, which arrived within 1/2 an hour.

This one was able to make some headway against the wind.


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## cocobolo

For a decent change, we were blessed with sunshine yesterday - along with the incessant wind. So I took a few shots of some of the spring flowers finally coming out.


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## cocobolo

While on the jaunt over to town two days ago, I decided it was time to replace our aging BBQ. Something more appropriate to go with the new house seemed in order.

After fighting with the 105 lb. box at the marina, it was now time to get the darned thing up from the boat to the house for assembly. The easiest way turned out to open the box in the boat and bring it up piecemeal.


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## cocobolo

Now I know most guys hate reading instructions, so I'm sorry to let you all down and admit that I broke down and did just that.

Most of you are probably aware that Canada is officially bi-lingual, French and English. So what was somewhat surprising about these instructions - actually a couple of things were surprising - was that they were in English, French and Spanish. Now the Spanish threw me for a second, because you see, there are way more Chinese, Japanese, East Indian and Ukrainian speaking people here than there are Spanish.

Be that as it may, the instructions were surprisingly good, and rather than the usual English version of Chinese, these appeared to be written by someone who actually speaks our language, as opposed to the more common "Engrish". Not only that, it was quite impossible to avoid them. They came in the form of an 11" x 17" book!

We were instructed to lay everything out carefully to ensure that there were no missing or damaged parts, a duty which even I was able to handle with a minimum of difficulty.


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## cocobolo

Now, whoever it was who wrote these instructions must have known I was going to buy one of the things.

They have carefully noted that you should NOT assemble this gadget on any surface with cracks, such as a deck outside for example. Obviously this is so that when you inevitably drop a screw or three that they will not fall through the cracks to be forever lost.

Well, it was too late, because by the time I got to that part of the instructions, the deed was already done...

I just have to show you one of the items included in the package. It is a bubble pack type thing with cardboard on the back. This cardboard is carefully perforated so that you may remove it using either a utility knife or something similar. Then each of the little compartments which then display themselves are carefully labelled with a number. Now all you have to do is to pick out the numbered screw as you commence the assembly...very clever.

I could see myself kicking this cunning little package and knocking everything all over the place, and also therefore through the cracks between the deck boards.


----------



## cocobolo

Something else the instructions warn you about is the possibility of kids playing with all the many plastic bags which they use to pack every last part in. Since most of these parts are single items, why not punch a few holes in the bags to preclude such an event happening. And why don't they warn us adults to keep our heads out of these things as well...sheesh!

Anyway, onward and upward, the assembly instructions start on page 4 and go to page 9! Eeeek, this didn't sound good, as the sun was already starting it's downward fall to the horizon and I was doubtful as to whether or not this exercise was going to extend into day two.

Fearlessly I started to wade into this demonic task. And within a short time the first sub assembly was done! Nothing terribly complicated, just an "H" sort of a thing, which would end up being part of the frame.


----------



## cocobolo

Next up was the front. Same deal...not terribly difficult, except that the less than artistically drawn picture didn't quite match the parts on hand. Nevertheless, it too was assembled in jig time.


----------



## cocobolo

A few more bits and pieces follow, which leads to something vaguely resembling a box-like affair, at which point we are instructed to up end the whole shebang to attach the wheels.

Now let me tell you, I don't think this is quite the sort of thing that you would want to be dragging down the highway at any speed...these wheels are nothing to write home about. But, I guess for the 1/2 m.p.h. speed you might encounter on your deck, they'll be OK.


----------



## cocobolo

Check out those hubcaps! Pretty cool eh?

OK, now we have to flip it back again right side up and get a few more pieces together...


----------



## cocobolo

I should give some credit for the way these parts went together. 

They have installed threaded fittings into the various frame parts, as opposed to just punching a few holes in the frame and using sheet metal screws. The screws used are all machine screws and everything fit perfectly first try. Not only that, but that high priced screwdriver which is provided for you to do the assembly is actually something useable. 

Once the two end sections and the main top is added, it starts to closely resemble something that might actually work.

About the only thing I didn't do that was clearly mentioned in the instructions was to NOT tighten up the screws until you were finished. I got the idea that several of the screws would be less than accessible once it was all together. It turned out to be a good choice.


----------



## cocobolo

And here it is with the final piece in place - the top - all ready to go. Just have to hook up a propane tank and we're in business.

Now I just have to get rid of a few dozen boxes and plastic bags and we can eat!


----------



## gma2rjc

That's a nice looking grill Keith. 

I had to laugh when you talked about dropping a screw or three between the deck boards. I think there's a law about that... Murphy's Law. :yes:

I still can't quite picture how that closet is going to look. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished.

What is the purpose of the hole that's cut out of the floor?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's a nice looking grill Keith.
> 
> I had to laugh when you talked about dropping a screw or three between the deck boards. I think there's a law about that... Murphy's Law. :yes:
> 
> I still can't quite picture how that closet is going to look. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished.
> 
> What is the purpose of the hole that's cut out of the floor?


The hole in the house? Or the hole in the BBQ?

The house one is for the woodstove chimney to go through. The BBQ is to sit the propane tank in.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks. I was wondering about the one in the house. I had to go back and find the one in the BBQ. 

The flower pictures are beautiful. The only flowers we have so far are Crocus's.

Barb


----------



## scoggy

*Your BBQ*

Keith, ...great job of reading 'jangeleze', and then as further 'proof'...having completion! But..in all fairness..does not the 'grille frontal portion', look like the rear of a '58 Cadillac "Biaritz"..rear panel! And I have a "scoggy'..stupid question..'why is there so much ..Stainless Steel..available to the 'public'..what happened to create a 'depression' in the SS market..that 'they' can build fridges, BBQs, et al..out of it?
Cheers
Syd:wink::wink::wink:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, ...great job of reading 'jangeleze', and then as further 'proof'...having completion! But..in all fairness..does not the 'grille frontal portion', look like the rear of a '58 Cadillac "Biaritz"..rear panel! And I have a "scoggy'..stupid question..'why is there so much ..Stainless Steel..available to the 'public'..what happened to create a 'depression' in the SS market..that 'they' can build fridges, BBQs, et al..out of it?
> Cheers
> Syd:wink::wink::wink:


Well, as I'm pretty certain you already know Syd, there are many different types of stainless steel. Basically, as long as the steel mix has more than something over 10% chrome in the mix and low carbon content, it can be considered to be stainless. But there are so many different kinds it boggles the mind.
Some are magnetic, some not. And some are definitely far more "stainless" than others. No stainless steel is actually stain free, although some come pretty close.
There was an artificially induced general steel shortage a few years ago, which immediately had the effect of jacking up the price. You can ask the oil companies how that works - any old excuse and up goes the price of gas.
Since then the price has come back down to civilized levels, thus returning the cost of stainless steel (the lower grades anyway) to nearly affordable levels.
Please note that appliances and such use about the lowest grade possible, which keeps the cost within reason. The fact is that if you take the actual weight of the stainless in a BBQ such as this, it is very low. Compare the cost of regular steel to stainless in this quantity and the real difference is almost nothing.
Add to that the fact that the Chinese have lower production costs for steel than just about anywhere else (I don't know anywhere that has a lower cost) and it becomes easier to understand why stainless has become more popular. 
With popularity comes increased demand, which makes for higher production, which decreases the cost even further.


----------



## gma2rjc

Oh my! I had to go all the way to page two to find this thread. So I thought about bumping it back up to the first page, but decided not to do that. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Oh my! I had to go all the way to page two to find this thread. So I thought about bumping it back up to the first page, but decided not to do that. :no:


Well, no, of course not.

Believe it or else, I have been getting some work done on the house, so even though I don't really have anything in the way of pictures, I'll give you a quick update.

Desperately trying to get the big bedroom all done out upstairs. There must still be a ton of wood and heaven only knows what up there. The past couple of days were spent laboriously applying polyurethane to the cedar in the room. Oh boy, but there is an awful lot of that! I went through two gallons so far, and still have not even finished the first coat on everything. Plus the fact that I have to go up to 14 feet high to reach the top wood doesn't speed things up any. But it's finally coming together and starting to look pretty good.

So, next trip to town I'll need more poly for a second coat on everything.

And there was a piece of the roof tower that had never managed to get siding on it before. Out of sight, out of mind I guess. I got that sided yesterday and one coat of stain on today.

Once our election is done, I won't be needing to spend so much time arguing with all the clowns who don't know who to vote for. I already voted in the advance poll. Fortunately it was a flat water day. Since then it has been windy as all get-out, and cold too. Coldest and longest winter period in 70 years according to the local university. I believe it.


----------



## gma2rjc

It's good to know you're making progress. I can't remember the last time we've had such a cold, wet spring either.

Are you applying the varnish with a roller? It sounds like an awfully big job. Do you sand between coats? I can't imagine doing that, but I was just wondering.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It's good to know you're making progress. I can't remember the last time we've had such a cold, wet spring either.
> 
> Are you applying the varnish with a roller? It sounds like an awfully big job. Do you sand between coats? I can't imagine doing that, but I was just wondering.


It's not varnish this time...it's polyurethane. And I don't think a roller would work, so it's a brush...and a fairly small one at that. No sanding between. Even I'm not that much of a masochist!

You have to take your time and cover every narrow board carefully, otherwise I think it would look pretty blotchy. The second coat should do the job, I hope. Really don't want to have to apply three. Not only would it take too long, but jack the cost up as well. Looks like it will be taking about three gallons per coat in the big bedroom, and maybe 1 gallon per coat in the guest room.

Then there is still the stairway down to do, and some of the lower wall sections. But it's getting there.


----------



## Bud Cline

jiju1943,

Check in will ya.
Storms in Chatanooga?


----------



## cocobolo

Jim isn't replying to emails so far. I'm going to send another one now and let you know if I hear anything back.


----------



## Bud Cline

I know one tornado tore up a town twenty miles from Chatanooga but haven't heard about Chatanooga proper.


----------



## cocobolo

Barb mentioned in an email to me yesterday that apparently Chattanooga was hit pretty hard. I haven't had time to check it out yet, but if I have no reply from Jim by tomorrow morning I will make the time.


----------



## Bud Cline

Channel 12 in Chatanooga (just now) is reporting 70,000 homes still without power in the Chatanooga region. Probably that's the problem. They aren't saying home many of those homes are there to use the power if they had it.


----------



## BigJim

We finally got power back on tonight at 10PM, it has been an interesting week to say the least. We had an F4 tornado set down a block from our house and it really tore up a lot of homes, businesses, cars, trees and everything else in it's path. We had huge trees falling all around our home but none hit ours but they did several of our neighbors. 

A lot of tornadoes around, Ringgold GA just down the road really got torn up they are still searching for bodies there. They were hit with an F4 but it was wider and stayed on the ground longer than it did here. 

We appreciate your concern, it is great to have such great friends, thanks gang.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim...many thanks for the good news. Nobody likes to hear of this much devastation anywhere, but especially when your friends are possibly involved.

Chat more tomorrow.


----------



## frenchelectrican

I am glad you are safe from the storm and I did read in French news { I get serveral news realted to this story about the tornades { French spelling for tornados }

And heard someone mention to me almost all the tornades were F3 and larger. in that area.

{ Sure we do get tornade in France but not very often } 

Merci,
Marc


----------



## BigJim

frenchelectrican said:


> I am glad you are safe from the storm and I did read in French news { I get serveral news realted to this story about the tornades { French spelling for tornados }
> 
> And heard someone mention to me almost all the tornades were F3 and larger. in that area.
> 
> { Sure we do get tornade in France but not very often }
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


Thanks Marc, I really do appreciate that.


----------



## Bud Cline

Glad to hear you guys are safe.:thumbup:
The unfortunate thing is...
You missed *THE WEDDING* on TV.
I'm sure you can buy a CD of it.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Glad to hear you guys are safe.:thumbup:
> The unfortunate thing is...
> You missed *THE WEDDING* on TV.
> I'm sure you can buy a CD of it.


What wedding? Oh, oh, oh yeah...:thumbsup:

Thanks Bud, we appreciate you.


----------



## Bud Cline

Here's a few minutes of fun for us old farts. Try it and see what you score. I scored a surprising 78%. (Surprised it wasn't higher that is...)

http://www.americantorque.com/game/car-show-50s/


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Glad to hear you guys are safe.:thumbup:
> The unfortunate thing is...
> You missed *THE WEDDING* on TV.
> I'm sure you can buy a CD of it.


You can probably see it on the Royals Channel on Youtube for free.


----------



## Bud Cline

*bin Laden is dead!* 

Good riddance.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Here's a few minutes of fun for us old farts. Try it and see what you score. I scored a surprising 78%. (Surprised it wasn't higher that is...)
> 
> http://www.americantorque.com/game/car-show-50s/


Bud, I can't believe I was so dumb. I got two of the Ford years mixed up between '54 and '55. 'Course, I never was a Ford fan.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *bin Laden is dead!*
> 
> Good riddance.


Really? Is that true!!!!


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Really? Is that true!!!!


I just heard it on the radio too. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I just heard it on the radio too. :thumbup:


Just did a search, it's all over the web. Apparently shot in the head by U.S. Military. Good shootin' boys!


----------



## gma2rjc

This is GREAT news! 

I hope things go well tomorrow for Canada tomorrow Keith. May the best man win! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> This is GREAT news!
> 
> I hope things go well tomorrow for Canada tomorrow Keith. May the best man win! :thumbsup:


Things seem to be changing by the hour here. Now one of the leaders has had a nifty little news item pop up (pardon the pun) about him getting a "massage" by some Chinese babe in a joint run by an Asian triad. Got raided by the police and he was caught buck nekkid on the table!


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Here's a few minutes of fun for us old farts. Try it and see what you score. I scored a surprising 78%. (Surprised it wasn't higher that is...)
> 
> http://www.americantorque.com/game/car-show-50s/


83% never was much on Mopar and I got mixed up on the Willis and Henry J

Ben hidin got found!!!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Things seem to be changing by the hour here. Now one of the leaders has had a nifty little news item pop up (pardon the pun) about him getting a "massage" by some Chinese babe in a joint run by an Asian triad. Got raided by the police and he was caught buck nekkid on the table!



Keith, we hope your man get elected.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Things seem to be changing by the hour here. Now one of the leaders has had a nifty little news item pop up (pardon the pun) about him getting a "massage" by some Chinese babe in a joint run by an Asian triad. Got raided by the police and he was caught buck nekkid on the table!


His back (?) got a massage, but his reputation took a beating. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> His back (?) got a massage, but his reputation took a beating. :yes:


Actually he was LAYING on his back. His name is Layton! How's that for a coincidence! So you do the math!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, we hope your man get elected.


Doesn't look like it right now Jim, but you never know.

OK, you guys got 78% and 83%...anyone do better than that?


----------



## Bud Cline

I wasn't up very good on the old Nashes and DeSotos. Our family always drove Fords and Chevys, then there was grandpa. Studebaker all the way he was.


----------



## RayMort

I am so glad I found this thread. I have been inspired again! Cocbolo, you are an icredibly talented man - thank you for sharing this with us.


----------



## cocobolo

RayMort said:


> I am so glad I found this thread. I have been inspired again! Cocbolo, you are an icredibly talented man - thank you for sharing this with us.


Thanks Ray. I'm afraid my health has slowed me down in recent months, but sunshine always seems to perk me up. It looks like our very long and cold winter (the longest and coldest in 70 years), has finally come to an end.

This means that I should be able to get more work done, and hopefully some more pics.


----------



## scoggy

*"Car ID Score"*

Hi all, got 96%, messed up on those 50s Mercs, rest was 'magic'...loved the Quiz! Jim, glad you are alright with the weather! Did not understand the ferocity of storms, until I saw that interview with a couple who had been 'sucked' up into the Funnel cloud, while inside their Ford Explorer SUV, and were not 'deposited' on the ground for about 5 minutes, and had to 'break out' through the sun roof glass...PHEW..and that wasn't Kansas, ToTo!
Cheers
Scoggy :yes::yes:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Hi all, got 96%, messed up on those 50s Mercs, rest was 'magic'...loved the Quiz! Jim, glad you are alright with the weather! Did not understand the ferocity of storms, until I saw that interview with a couple who had been 'sucked' up into the Funnel cloud, while inside their Ford Explorer SUV, and were not 'deposited' on the ground for about 5 minutes, and had to 'break out' through the sun roof glass...PHEW..and that wasn't Kansas, ToTo!
> Cheers
> Scoggy :yes::yes:


Same as me Scoggy, 96%. Looks like we might have got the same two cars mixed up.


----------



## scoggy

*Yes, you are right!*

Have plans to go see your 'digs' sometime soon, but I am getting the 'first wave'..of the 'Rellys', comming, because it is their only way to 'escape' from ...over there, and have to start to ...'shore' up the place! "How can you tell if an "islander", has family...'he has a frezer full of ...crab,..prawns,..and Salmon. and ..always offers you a comfortable chair, a "Bootiful view", and a 'glass' of something..and always agrees that whatever you said was ...RIGHT, ..and hope ..'they' go home...Tomorrow! My B Day is May 10th, and I turn 64..and somehow..now..I get tired..early..so .."Relly impact", ..is like, the 'Tax time", which ..'we' are now under! I apologize for the digressions, and want to see "CoCobolos work,...just for ...'ideas'..eh?
Scoggy


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Have plans to go see your 'digs' sometime soon, but I am getting the 'first wave'..of the 'Rellys', comming, because it is their only way to 'escape' from ...over there, and have to start to ...'shore' up the place! "How can you tell if an "islander", has family...'he has a frezer full of ...crab,..prawns,..and Salmon. and ..always offers you a comfortable chair, a "Bootiful view", and a 'glass' of something..and always agrees that whatever you said was ...RIGHT, ..and hope ..'they' go home...Tomorrow! My B Day is May 10th, and I turn 64..and somehow..now..I get tired..early..so .."Relly impact", ..is like, the 'Tax time", which ..'we' are now under! I apologize for the digressions, and want to see "CoCobolos work,...just for ...'ideas'..eh?
> Scoggy


Syd: There's a special technique for avoiding the relly's. You need to live somewhere that is completely inaccessible by car. That's all there is to it.

Second thing is you need a "Quarantine" sign. I'm sure you can figure that one out. Pick anything you like to go with it...beri-beri, malaria, pimple on your bum...whatever.

Should have some pics tomorrow...maybe.


----------



## BigJim

OK, here I go showing my ignorance, I don't have a clue to what you two just said, could you break that down and speak a little ******* here.:laughing:


----------



## DangerMouse

jiju1943 said:


> OK, here I go showing my ignorance, I don't have a clue to what you two just said, could you break that down and speak a little ******* here.:laughing:


I could attempt to decipher what was said for you, but I do not speak *******.
If you'll kindly excuse me, I have to go feed the goats and chickens now....

DM


----------



## BigJim

DangerMouse said:


> I could attempt to decipher what was said for you, but I do not speak *******.
> If you'll kindly excuse me, I have to go feed the goats and chickens now....
> 
> DM


Man, you ain't right Mouse. :laughing: :thumbsup:


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Man, you ain't right Mouse. :laughing: :thumbsup:


:laughing:

Jim, I think they're talking about relatives who come to visit during the summer to get out of the city and be near the water. The location is sometimes the inspiration for the visit.

I think it's kind of like Northerner's who spend a week or two of winter with a 'favorite' relative who lives in Florida... especially if they live near the ocean. :shifty:


----------



## tpolk

I speak some *******. luckily i am such a curmuddgen on the surface,family have little desire to share my space unless invited even with the views altho the bears that come in the yard might be a deterent :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> :laughing:
> 
> Jim, I think they're talking about relatives who come to visit during the summer to get out of the city and be near the water. The location is sometimes the inspiration for the visit.
> 
> I think it's kind of like Northerner's who spend a week or two of winter with a 'favorite' relative who lives in Florida... especially if they live near the ocean. :shifty:


Okie dokie then, I understand now, thanks Barb, I appreciate that.


----------



## BigJim

tpolk said:


> I speak some *******. luckily i am such a curmuddgen on the surface,family have little desire to share my space unless invited even with the views altho the bears that come in the yard might be a deterent :laughing:


T, the bears would sure slow it down for some folks. :thumbsup:


----------



## DangerMouse

jiju1943 said:


> Man, you ain't right Mouse. :laughing: :thumbsup:


I'm sorry, whoever it was that gave you the impression I ever was is sorely mistaken.

DM


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> I speak some *******. luckily i am such a curmuddgen on the surface,family have little desire to share my space unless invited even with the views altho the bears that come in the yard might be a deterent :laughing:


Tim, I tried the curmudgeonly thing...and it only works sometimes.

Got a call a couple of days back from some friends who have a sailboat and want to come for a visit. It's a little harder to discourage people like that, so if you have any ideas....


----------



## gma2rjc

How about, "We moved".

Or, since they have a sail boat, "We moved.... inland". :laughing:

*Notice: The "moved inland" line may not work if you live on a small island. 

Barb


----------



## jules4

Hello Keith et al., glad to see we all mostly made it through another winter! 



The surefire way to send relly's or other stray city folk packing is . . . an OUTHOUSE.

(To really send them scurrying make it a two-holer :thumbup


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Hello Keith et al., glad to see we all mostly made it through another winter!
> 
> 
> 
> The surefire way to send relly's or other stray city folk packing is . . . an OUTHOUSE.
> 
> (To really send them scurrying make it a two-holer :thumbup


Good idea Jules...but, unfortunately they already know we have composting toilets indoors.

About this winter...the ground here was covered completely in white this afternoon. From HAIL!


----------



## gma2rjc

What the hail is mother nature doing to you guys out in B.C.? 

Sorry to hear your winter just isn't going away. And I hope you didn't have any damage from the hail. We had a hail storm last Memorial Day and it put pea-sized holes in all of my Hosta plant leaves.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> What the hail is mother nature doing to you guys out in B.C.?
> 
> Sorry to hear your winter just isn't going away. And I hope you didn't have any damage from the hail. We had a hail storm last Memorial Day and it put pea-sized holes in all of my Hosta plant leaves.


I got an email from a pal in Nanaimo about two minutes before the hail arrived here. He said the ground was totally white from the hail there. That's at least 15 miles away in a straight line.

No sooner had I typed a reply telling him he could keep it, than we got thunder and lightning and hail here. I guess we will have to check the plants in the morning. 

And to think the missus put lettuce plants in the ground just yesterday.

Environment Canada says we are in for a long, very hot, very dry summer here. Of course, that being an arm of government, I'll believe it when I see it.


----------



## gma2rjc

Hmm. You mean the government can be wrong sometimes? :laughing:

I hope her lettuce plants survived. 

Do you have a clear view of the sky to see the storms rolling in?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Hmm. You mean the government can be wrong sometimes? :laughing:
> 
> I hope her lettuce plants survived.
> 
> Do you have a clear view of the sky to see the storms rolling in?


Wrong sometimes? No, I mean they can be wrong MOST of the time.

I was inside when the storm hit so other than my pal's email, it was a surprise.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Wrong sometimes? No, I mean they can be wrong MOST of the time.
> 
> I was inside when the storm hit so other than my pal's email, it was a surprise.


When we see hail down this way we start looking for some really nasty weather, I hope none of ya'lls plants got hurt Keith.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> About this winter...the ground here was covered completely in white this afternoon. From HAIL!


Hail? In BC?! In MAY????!!!!! 

Well if you guys are looking for your normal rain it's over here - rained darn near everyday since mid April. But hail is definitely worse, so I don't feel so bad now lol


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Hail? In BC?! In MAY????!!!!!
> 
> Well if you guys are looking for your normal rain it's over here - rained darn near everyday since mid April. But hail is definitely worse, so I don't feel so bad now lol


'Tis true...and since yesterday I heard from a couple of other locals, it seems this hailstorm covered at least 50 miles running down the coast.

Some rain in the forecast again for today, but doesn't look too bad so far - but then it's only 7 am here as I write this.

Headed over to the house to get some more finish on the cedar.


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> Tim, I tried the curmudgeonly thing...and it only works sometimes.
> 
> Got a call a couple of days back from some friends who have a sailboat and want to come for a visit. It's a little harder to discourage people like that, so if you have any ideas....


put the first warning shot over the bow


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> put the first warning shot over the bow


I LIKE that one! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Better late than never...we finally got a few flowers up.


----------



## cocobolo

It's pretty exciting watching paint dry I know...but it's all I've got right now.

The big overhead beam finally got cleaned off and the first coat of Minwax is on.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the left end closet wall, two coats of Minwax. I don't think it needs anything else.


----------



## frenchelectrican

Wow, Ce regard fantastique !!!!

Keep up good work there.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## gma2rjc

It all looks gorgeous Keith. I'm anxious to see what the closet looks like when it's completed.

The flowers are beautiful. What is the name of the pink flower in the second picture?


----------



## tpolk

must be nice to see the colors in the wood pop back on stuff you installed awhile ago


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It all looks gorgeous Keith. I'm anxious to see what the closet looks like when it's completed.
> 
> The flowers are beautiful. What is the name of the pink flower in the second picture?


That plant is a Pieris Japonica and it is actually the leaves which turn that lovely colour. There are several in the Japanese garden.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> must be nice to see the colors in the wood pop back on stuff you installed awhile ago


Hi Tim:

Indeed it is.

We thought we would try a couple of different finishes to see how they came out over a large area.

The Minwax seems to bring more of the colour out, while the Diamond satin Varathane is a little more subdued. I also used some Diamond gloss Varathane for the window casings and sills. It's the same stuff they use on bowling alley surfaces and it's tough as nails.


----------



## BigJim

Just absolutely fantastic, the flowers and your home. You are a blessed and talented young man buddy. You also take beautiful pictures Keith.


----------



## SeeDBee

*Minwax*

Been following your project for a year or more now. Always amazed at how you approach and solve problems, especially with wood and weather.

For years I've been using a two coat system on wood. First is to apply a coat of what's called a sanding sealer which needs to be sanded between the next coat which is usually a polyurethane finish of some sort. 

I notice in your recent photo and description you applied two coats of the finish only and no sanding sealer. The final product you illustrate is superb.

Any thoughts on the value of sanding sealer?

Thanks,

Chuck
Northern California


----------



## cocobolo

SeeDBee said:


> Been following your project for a year or more now. Always amazed at how you approach and solve problems, especially with wood and weather.
> 
> For years I've been using a two coat system on wood. First is to apply a coat of what's called a sanding sealer which needs to be sanded between the next coat which is usually a polyurethane finish of some sort.
> 
> I notice in your recent photo and description you applied two coats of the finish only and no sanding sealer. The final product you illustrate is superb.
> 
> Any thoughts on the value of sanding sealer?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Chuck
> Northern California


Thanks Chuck:

First of all, welcome to the thread.

I have from time to time used sealers, and I think it would all depend on what you were doing with the wood once it was sealed.

To a large degree, the sealer is there for the purpose of - obviously - sealing the wood, but it also has the effect of keeping out any additional finish from penetrating the wood. So, if you want to bring the colour of the wood out, I think the sealer might inhibit that.

If you've been tagging along for a year or so, you know I usually will try to experiment with most finishes before I commit to doing a large area. I must say that over the years I have done literally thousands of square feet of cedar, so I pretty much know what to expect.

Sealers might be more commonly used in furniture finishing, where you have a specific wood which you do not wish to change colour too much. Alternatively, it may also be used after the application of some types of stain, again to prevent much subsequent change in the wood colour.


----------



## SeeDBee

*Sanding Sealer _II*

Thanks for the kind reply. I see I have some experimenting to do. Seems the lastest version of sanding sealer from MinWax dries with a slight rubbery texture to it so that when it's sanded the residue reminds me of how those old Artgum erasers that left little balls of eraser material. Always something to gum up the works.

Chuck
Northern California


----------



## cocobolo

SeeDBee said:


> Thanks for the kind reply. I see I have some experimenting to do. Seems the lastest version of sanding sealer from MinWax dries with a slight rubbery texture to it so that when it's sanded the residue reminds me of how those old Artgum erasers that left little balls of eraser material. Always something to gum up the works.
> 
> Chuck
> Northern California


Hmmmm...that seems very odd. Any sealer ought to dry out completely and make little, if any, change to the wood. If it's leaving something like that on the surface, a couple of things come to mind.

Firstly, either the wood isn't dry, or for some reason the sealer isn't penetrating properly. Either way, it sounds as though the sealer is not curing properly.

If you have an oily wood - and there are many of those - that might be the problem also. I remember many years ago when I was using my first pieces of cocobolo from Mexico, that I could not get my finish to dry. Can't remember what I was using now, but it turns out that about all you can use is hand rubbed oil, and very sparingly at that.

What wood are you experiencing this trouble with?


----------



## SeeDBee

*Sanding Sealer_II*

Thanks again for your thoughts on the subject. I don't want to steal your thread with this. 

I'm going to dispense with the sanding sealer and use two coats of the polyurethane finish and sand between coats, which is about what I think you are doing on your cedar.

My project is using thin ~ 3/16" thick Luan plywood, so I'd assume that since it says it comes from China it's pretty dry. 

Chuck
Northern California


----------



## cocobolo

SeeDBee said:


> Thanks again for your thoughts on the subject. I don't want to steal your thread with this.
> 
> I'm going to dispense with the sanding sealer and use two coats of the polyurethane finish and sand between coats, which is about what I think you are doing on your cedar.
> 
> My project is using thin ~ 3/16" thick Luan plywood, so I'd assume that since it says it comes from China it's pretty dry.
> 
> Chuck
> Northern California


Chuck, you're not stealing the thread. This is what we do here...try to get things figured out for one another.

What you are talking about with 3/16" Lauan is a different kettle of fish all together.

You probably know this already, but Luan is Philippine mahogany. The odd thing is that it isn't a true mahogany at all.

Now, with plywood, I think you will find the outer layers are well under 1/16" thick...please correct me if I'm wrong there, as different manufacturers may have different thicknesses. Usually, the skins are about 1/40" thick and will sand through _very_ easily.

The other thing is that the glue used to bond the layers often reaches the surface and will therefore react with whatever finish you are putting on. This leads to your finish taking on a decidedly blotchy appearance. I have something here which I sometimes use to help with that but I can't remember the name of it right now (it's the old-timer's kicking in again) so if I can find the can I'll let you know what it is.

So here's what I would try if I were you. Using a test piece, sand it very carefully with around 220 grit strictly with the grain. Be very light with this and do it by hand only. Vacuum the wood clean. 

First coat of your preferred finish, sand very lightly when it is completely dry, second coat same thing and then add a third coat of finish. In fact, I might do two or three test pieces so I could compare a two coat finish with a three coat finish.

Lauan is a very open porous wood, and something else you might try is a stain/filler type product first. This helps to fill all those pores in the wood, leading to a smoother end finish.

If I can find that can I'll be back later & tell you what it is.


----------



## cocobolo

Chuck...here's the stuff I was talking about.

I see they call it a pre stain conditioner, but I don't see why it wouldn't be effective for any clear type of finish.


----------



## cocobolo

After as much procrastination as I could possibly manage, I finally got around to fixing the table saw yesterday...only to discover that I now could no longer locate the special machined spacer that goes between the blade and the driven gear. Couldn't find any suitable washers either...so when we went to town yesterday I ordered up a new spacer.

Naturally it has to come all the way from Toronto, and naturally it will take _forever_ to get here. I picked up some more or less suitable washers to use temporarily.

So this morning when I am poking around I spotted a bearing off the band saw mill, and it looked like it might be a close fit on the table saw arbor.

Close? Heck, it's absolutely perfect, which means I'm back in business.

The two awful looking posts in the bedroom are now sheathed in cedar, and the first coat of polyurethane has been applied.


----------



## SeeDBee

*Sanding Sealer_III*

Here are the finishes I've been using. I'll check with the local sources for the Minwax pre-stain tomorrow. 

There is supposed to be a photo here if I've attached it correctly. First time.

Chuck


----------



## gma2rjc

The post looks really nice Keith.

Have you ever heard of rubbing a damp cloth on wood before staining it? I was told that on small areas it works well. A lady in the paint dept at Lowe's suggested it, so I'm not sure how effective it is.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

SeeDBee said:


> Here are the finishes I've been using. I'll check with the local sources for the Minwax pre-stain tomorrow.
> 
> There is supposed to be a photo here if I've attached it correctly. First time.
> 
> Chuck


Yep...well done...photos are fine. :thumbsup:


----------



## SeeDBee

*Chuck's Project*

Looks like the photo attachment works. Below is a photo of the project. These photos were taken before final sanding and the application of the finish. It's a box for my 12 yr old grandson to hang on the wall in his bedroom to store his misc. toys in.

Chuck


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The post looks really nice Keith.
> 
> Have you ever heard of rubbing a damp cloth on wood before staining it? I was told that on small areas it works well. A lady in the paint dept at Lowe's suggested it, so I'm not sure how effective it is.
> 
> Barb


That _might_ work providing you were using a water based product.

I think most stains are oil based and oil and water don't mix any too well.

She might have meant to use a damp cloth to raise any grain. Then you wait for the wood to dry and then sand it lightly to remove any such raised wood.

Personally, I wouldn't apply any finish on damp wood.


----------



## cocobolo

SeeDBee said:


> Looks like the photo attachment works. Below is a photo of the project. These photos were taken before final sanding and the application of the finish. It's a box for my 12 yr old grandson to hang on the wall in his bedroom to store his misc. toys in.
> 
> Chuck


So it looks like the two doors close in front of the drawers, yes?

Make sure to twist that one drawer pull straight before you give it to him! :laughing:

Nice job so far. Are you going to put a stain on it, or just the Varathane?


----------



## SeeDBee

Yes, the two doors close so he can lock it. I finished it with the clear Varathane. It's now at his house. The pulls were a last minute creative project. I stacked two pieces of the Lauan ply and glued them to the box, so they're positioned at different angles because I didn't use a template. Hand crafted I think it's called. 

Chuck


----------



## cocobolo

SeeDBee said:


> Yes, the two doors close so he can lock it. I finished it with the clear Varathane. It's now at his house. The pulls were a last minute creative project. I stacked two pieces of the Lauan ply and glued them to the box, so they're positioned at different angles because I didn't use a template. Hand crafted I think it's called.
> 
> Chuck


Kinda nice when you can do something for the grandkids, isn't it? It's something he will always have and cherish from his grandpa.


----------



## cocobolo

Several days ago, we were treated to a pod of Killer Whale's passing by our place. This is only the second time since we've been here that we have actually seen them.

So I ran to the cabin to grab the camera and one thing I can tell you for sure is that these guys can move like lightning! Boy are they fast.

By the time I got the camera - barely a minute I would say - and put the telephoto lens on, the next time they surfaced they were past the end of Ruxton Island, about 1 1/2 miles away.

I clicked the camera a whole bunch of times, but at that distance it was pure luck that anything showed up at all.

The two here show a couple of the whales surfacing and one shot of them blowing as they first surface. We think there were 6 or 7 whales in the pod.


----------



## cocobolo

And then on the evening of the 16th we had a so-so sunset.


----------



## cocobolo

Other than that I have been trying to get the art glass wall done at the top of the stairs.

After much machining of wood, cutting of glass, priming and painting of wood and gnashing of teeth, I finally managed to get started on the wall the day before the grandsons and their mum arrived for the May long weekend.

As usual, it's a bit difficult to get any sort of decent photo but here's a few of it going together.

As you can see, it went up in rows, or sections if you will.


----------



## cocobolo

I was quite anxious to get enough height into the wall before the boys arrived, as one of the purposes of this thing is to keep them out of the bedroom, just in case they decide to take a Superman style leap through that big hole in the floor.

Here we are with three sections done and working on the fourth.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks for posting the pics! It must have been exciting to see them swimming out there.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the almost finished product with all four rows done. 

As you can see, there is one piece of plywood which is unpainted. The piece I had left over for this was just one inch too short to fill the hole, so I had to use an unpainted piece to get the job done.

Not really a problem, just a damn nuisance. I have it undercoated and the first topcoat on now. Second topcoat goes on tomorrow and that's it for that wall.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Thanks for posting the pics! It must have been exciting to see them swimming out there.


It was a heck of a lot better when they were right out in front! The missus got to see them as well this time. She told me that there was one big male with a very tall fin - there is usually one such animal in every pod. I didn't get to see that one unfortunately. Maybe next time.

There was a small pod (maybe this one) seen over in Vancouver harbour about a week ago. A few photos have surfaced on the web from that one.


----------



## gma2rjc

The art glass wall is awesome! That glass was quite a find. Has it been cutting pretty easily?

I hope the whales come back around so your grand kids can see them.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The art glass wall is awesome! That glass was quite a find. Has it been cutting pretty easily?
> 
> I hope the whales come back around so your grand kids can see them.


Well, firstly, I doubt very much we will see the Orca's again this year. You have to be out on the bank when they come by as they move so quickly - about 15 mph. It's just luck if you spot them. They are seen occasionally in the Strait of Georgia from the ferries.

The glass cuts with the diamond saw, I will say reasonably well. It's not that the saw won't go through the glass quickly, it will. The faster you pull the saw, the more the glass chips on the back side. So I go very slowly, taking about two minutes to travel the 18" length of the cut. And you need to exit the last 2" or so of the cut excruciatingly slowly. Otherwise a big chunk will come off one side or the other of the cut.


----------



## BigJim

I second what Barb said about the beautiful glass. The sunset is anything but so so to me, I can't get enough of the beautiful sunsets. I have been sitting here trying to soak up all your events and you are truly blessed. That has got to be comforting to sit out in the yard relaxing with a good cup of coffee watching the sunset as the grand babies play after a day of finishing touches on your home so far from all the hustle and bustle of life.

When I was in the Navy I saw several Orcas, they are such beautiful creatures to be so cruel. You are right though, they are surprisingly fast.


----------



## Bud Cline

OH SURE! Orcas in your back yard. But do you have cows? We have cows! 

I'll see your seven Orcas and raise you twenty-four cows.


----------



## tpolk

have you tried taping the two sides of the glass before cutting? one of the things i most enjoy with your house pics is seeing what you've done around what you are showing and how it all ties together. I understand orrcas in captivity have a top fin curled over and that only straightens in the wild. don't know if it's true but i find it believable. are you living in the house now?


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> OH SURE! Orcas in your back yard. But do you have cows? We have cows!
> 
> I'll see your seven Orcas and raise you twenty-four cows.


:laughing:




> Originally posted by *Bud Cline*
> 
> All hot dogs and popcorn,
> *SOLD OUT*
> Thanks for a great (*End of the World*) event.
> Please attend our next apocalypse.​


........:lol: Great signature Bud


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> OH SURE! Orcas in your back yard. But do you have cows? We have cows!
> 
> I'll see your seven Orcas and raise you twenty-four cows.


I went looking for cows here, but the only kind I could find had two legs...I suppose yours have four.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> have you tried taping the two sides of the glass before cutting? one of the things i most enjoy with your house pics is seeing what you've done around what you are showing and how it all ties together. I understand orrcas in captivity have a top fin curled over and that only straightens in the wild. don't know if it's true but i find it believable. are you living in the house now?


Didn't have enough smarts to try that Tim. I'm not sure if tape would prevent the glass from chipping or not, but it might. Too late now as that is all the art glass work finished.

The fins on the big Orca's curl over in the wild as well, makes no difference where they are. About 10 years ago we were sailing down near the south end of Saltspring island and we saw a huge pod of Orca's. I guess there must have been 15 or 20 of them. Four or five of the big animals all had the fin curled over to one side.

But I have to say they are magnificent animals to watch in the wild.


----------



## tpolk

maybe its an age thing, I know it is with me trying to get things to straighten out like the younger days. altho excitement can help :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> maybe its an age thing, I know it is with me trying to get things to straighten out like the younger days. altho excitement can help :laughing:


That could well be true! :laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

> I went looking for cows here, but the only kind I could find had two legs...I suppose yours have four.


*ROTFLMGDAO !!!*


Yes they have four legs and lots of boobs too.
But now that I think about it I have known some two legged cows that also had........

Nevermind, this thought episode can only get me into trouble.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *ROTFLMGDAO !!!*
> 
> 
> Yes they have four legs and lots of boobs too.
> But now that I think about it I have known some two legged cows that also had........
> 
> Nevermind, this thought episode can only get me into trouble.


Oh yes! I forgot about those extra boo...:whistling2:


----------



## HDwetPaint

Read through every page of this thread, and I must say you do some amazing work. I just loved how quick youve made progress and kept the followers entertained along the way.
Good work.


----------



## Bud Cline

HERE HERE!

There have been some distractions along the way but I would also have to compliment Keith on the main-body of this *great thread*. It contains some really *amazing ideas and accomplishments* on the part of the OP* a very talented and knowledgeable craftsman.* It has certainly been a learning experience for me.


----------



## cocobolo

HDwetPaint said:


> Read through every page of this thread, and I must say you do some amazing work. I just loved how quick youve made progress and kept the followers entertained along the way.
> Good work.


Jeff:

Well, firstly, thank you very much. And secondly, my apologies for not replying sooner. For some reason your post did not show up in my inbox until today????? Don't know why that was.

Don't know if you work in the paint department at The House of Pot, but yesterday I was in the local HD getting what I hope might be the last gallon of paint for the inside of the house...mostly trim stuff I'm doing.

There's just nothing very exciting about posting pictures of paint drying, which is why I haven't had much lately.

This morning, I just finished making up some special custom trims to go around the door to the ensuite, plus all the wood going above the door. It's an 11' tall wall, with the bottom 7' and change being done in tile.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> HERE HERE!
> 
> There have been some distractions along the way but I would also have to compliment Keith on the main-body of this *great thread*. It contains some really *amazing ideas and accomplishments* on the part of the OP* a very talented and knowledgeable craftsman.* It has certainly been a learning experience for me.


Bud, as usual you're being far too kind.

If it wasn't for your generous way of sharing your tiling knowledge, :thumbup: I wouldn't be anywhere near done yet. 

Yesterday, I did pick up an additional 80 square feet of tile for the ensuite wall. I was dead certain there was enough here to finish, but it seems the tile gremlins have wandered off with a few boxes of the stuff. :furious:

The top 3 1/2 feet of the high wall in the ensuite will be covered in painted cedar, so I'm going to do that before I set the tile on the wall. I figure all the nail pounding might loosen up the odd tile if I were to do the tile first.

Yes, I'll get you some pix when it's underway.

Just waiting for the paint to dry now...thrilling, ain't it? :no:


----------



## cocobolo

When the two grandson's were over last week, the 3 1/2 year old made this little fence for Grandma. His mum and Grandma helped him paint it up and stick the shells on, which he collected in the bay.

He was pretty chuffed about the whole thing.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, the ensuite is progressing apace...I had to end up running the water supply lines under the floor after all. It ended up being easier than trying to route them through the wall.


----------



## cocobolo

This is what we get when it's playtime for the pooch...throw the ball or else...!


----------



## cocobolo

This is the high wall currently the center of attention.

As of now, the top wood is on the wall.

Hopefully tomorrow will see the tile cut and some - or all of it - applied.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of days ago we actually had some sun and a good sailing breeze. Out in front this very nice catamaran zipped by. I would guess it was around 40' or perhaps a trace longer...lovely boat.


----------



## cocobolo

Later that evening, I heard the drone of a powerful tug off toward Danger Reef.

By the time the tug and barge had got close enough in front to take a photo, it was getting pretty dark. But between the Canon and Mac it came out not too badly.

In all the years we have been here I have never seen a log barge pass in front.

He has only two options heading in that direction...either keep going straight up the channel and try to get through Dodd Narrows. Maybe at dead slack water he could make it, but it isn't called "Narrows" for nothing.

His second choice would be to go through Ruxton Passage immediately north of us, then head over to Gabriola Passage which has some notoriously bad water when any tide is running, following which he will need to make a sharp turn to clear Breakwater Island.

I wouldn't want to have been the skipper on that tug with that massive barge in tow.


----------



## cocobolo

One for the ladies...the first clematis of the season is out.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> When the two grandson's were over last week, the 3 1/2 year old made this little fence for Grandma. His mum and Grandma helped him paint it up and stick the shells on, which he collected in the bay.
> 
> He was pretty chuffed about the whole thing.


He is one happy little guy! What a great smile! I bet he didn't want to go home at the end of the week. 

Is the wall you're tiling tomorrow in the ensuite?

The clematis is beautiful!

It must be pretty interesting to look out and see all the boats going by. Would you have heard the sounds of the barge hitting the rocks if he hadn't made it through Dodd Narrows?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> He is one happy little guy! What a great smile! I bet he didn't want to go home at the end of the week.
> 
> Is the wall you're tiling tomorrow in the ensuite?
> 
> The clematis is beautiful!
> 
> It must be pretty interesting to look out and see all the boats going by. Would you have heard the sounds of the barge hitting the rocks if he hadn't made it through Dodd Narrows?


He's an absolute ham when a camera comes out! 

Yes, that's in the ensuite.

Dodd is about 5 miles north west of us...and even if he bounced off the rocks I doubt we would have heard it. They very likely would have had a second tug standing by in case he got in trouble. We quite routinely see two tugs handling log booms when the weather kicks up...although it was nice and calm that evening.


----------



## BigJim

Your grandson looks like he is one happy little fellow, I can see why. That is really neat not leaving the little fellow out of the projects. I know you are proud of him, I would be.

Keith for some reason your dog is just the way I pictured he would be, he reminds me of my granddad's pup, the poor thing didn't have a tooth in her head though. That sure didn't stop her from trying to bite you, scare the dickens out of you when she went to growling and gumming your leg or foot.

That was a big sail boat and pretty too.

Do you think that the barge was delivering some logs to someone in that area or maybe picking some up? I am sure glad I wasn't the pilot of that thing.

Thanks for all the pictures buddy, your home and flowers are beautiful, we do appreciate the time and effort to allow us to share with you a part of your life.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim:

The barge was full of logs, probably 40' long. They stack them two across the barge (which is 80' wide) that way the logs don't fall off.

Most likely either going up to the mill in Nanaimo, or perhaps going over to Vancouver to be sawn there. Or worse...being loaded on to a freighter for shipping overseas, along with the jobs it produces.

Here's a telephoto shot I took, where you can see the logs and the two cranes which they use to load the barge. I'm not sure if this is a self dumping barge or not...most likely.


----------



## cocobolo

Got all the wood on the top of the walls this morning, and now just going to mix some thinset to get started on the tiling. Back later.


----------



## BigJim

Gooooood Gravy that is some serious wood. There is no telling how much draft that ship is drawing with that kind of weight. I have never seen such a ship like that. I heard that Japan use to come over here with huge ships and buy a lot of lumber. They would pull out beyond the line and process the lumber and bring it right back and sell it to us. I can't say I can prove that but that is what I heard.

How far are you from Nanaimo? I have several places on my desktop that tells what the temps are for that day and I have yours at Nanaimo.

I hope you have a good one buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Gooooood Gravy that is some serious wood. There is no telling how much draft that ship is drawing with that kind of weight. I have never seen such a ship like that. I heard that Japan use to come over here with huge ships and buy a lot of lumber. They would pull out beyond the line and process the lumber and bring it right back and sell it to us. I can't say I can prove that but that is what I heard.
> 
> How far are you from Nanaimo? I have several places on my desktop that tells what the temps are for that day and I have yours at Nanaimo.
> 
> I hope you have a good one buddy.


Jim:

More than 50 years ago when I was working for a shipping company in Vancouver, we used to send boatloads of prime Douglas fir cants, 24" by 24" by 42' long over to Japan. They didn't process it offshore and bring it back...they stored it in freshwater lakes in Japan, and much of it was earmarked for rebuilding their old temples.

All the best wood cut here in British Columbia goes out of the country. We only consume about 5% of our annual production within the province.

We are about 15 miles from Nanaimo here (south east) and while our weather is very similar, it isn't always the same. Temperatures are always close, but they usually get more rain than we do.


----------



## A Squared

jiju1943 said:


> I heard that Japan use to come over here with huge ships and buy a lot of lumber. They would pull out beyond the line and process the lumber and bring it right back and sell it to us.


I've heard that too. I always thought it was bullshirt. When you start thinking about the expanse required to house, power and provide labor for an industrial operation on shipboard, it's starts to seem pretty improbable.


----------



## BigJim

A Squared said:


> I've heard that too. I always thought it was bullshirt. When you start thinking about the expanse required to house, power and provide labor for an industrial operation on shipboard, it's starts to seem pretty improbable.


Now you got me to thinking, you are probably right, the labor and housing alone would be out of sight. The thing that had me to thinking it probably wasn't correct in the past is how would they kiln the wood quickly, not to mention the space it would take up. Well so much for that.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim:
> 
> More than 50 years ago when I was working for a shipping company in Vancouver, we used to send boatloads of prime Douglas fir cants, 24" by 24" by 42' long over to Japan. They didn't process it offshore and bring it back...they stored it in freshwater lakes in Japan, and much of it was earmarked for rebuilding their old temples.
> 
> All the best wood cut here in British Columbia goes out of the country. We only consume about 5% of our annual production within the province.
> 
> We are about 15 miles from Nanaimo here (south east) and while our weather is very similar, it isn't always the same. Temperatures are always close, but they usually get more rain than we do.


Keith, that would take some big trees for sure. Is there a reason they keep the trees in fresh water?
It is hard for me to imagine all that many big trees. I was impressed to see 14"X14" 40 foot ceils in an home we restored built back in 1822. We don't have trees anywhere the size ya'll do.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> I've heard that too. I always thought it was bullshirt. When you start thinking about the expanse required to house, power and provide labor for an industrial operation on shipboard, it's starts to seem pretty improbable.


The vessels that were used to transport this superb lumber were originally built in Canada, and after the war were sold to the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand.

If I remember rightly, some of the names were "Waitomo", Waitemata", "Waikawa", can't remember the others (it's the old timers...), but these were Maori names. 

They used to go into Kobe and Yokohama to offload. Most of the "Wai" boats were scrapped by about 1963 or so. Actually sold to Japanese interests for scrap.

The vessels were originally built to transport aircraft across the north Atlantic during WWII.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that would take some big trees for sure. Is there a reason they keep the trees in fresh water?
> It is hard for me to imagine all that many big trees. I was impressed to see 14"X14" 40 foot ceils in an home we restored built back in 1822. We don't have trees anywhere the size ya'll do.


Jim, the trees don't rot in fresh water.

I have a book here somewhere which discusses the Douglas fir storage in the lakes over in Japan. Apparently, there are several lakes which were (or still are) used for the purpose.

Many of the Japanese temples get 25% of the structure rebuilt after 5 years, thus they are completely renewed every 20 years. They do this so that the kids today are able to learn from the old Japanese master carpenters as to how the buildings were originally done.

Many of the very old buildings, the one at Nagano for example, are many centuries old and still have the original wood.


----------



## cocobolo

Early start this morning to get the woodworking done on the top of the walls which go around the windows overlooking the bay in the ensuite.

The first part was done a few days ago, but the rest were all completed today. Here's the second and third parts.


----------



## cocobolo

When doing corners of this nature, it's a good idea if you can lap the corners in such a fashion that you do not see the open part of the wood joint from where you would normally look at it. Sort of like doing vinyl siding, you make the overlap face away from you so you don't normally see an open joint.

The corners invariably require that one of the boards has to be cut to fit, and for this I use the Japanese saw. Then I sand the edge smooth. 

Rather than use the sandpaper on the wood, I use the wood on the sandpaper. This will give you a very flat and square edge. Like so.


----------



## cocobolo

The last two high wall sections...


----------



## cocobolo

Then it was on to the tiling, and here is the morning's efforts.


----------



## cocobolo

By suppertime I had got this far. There are still about 20 pieces to cut and fit on each side of the door, which I'll have a crack at tomorrow.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Rather than use the sandpaper on the wood, I use the wood on the sandpaper. This will give you a very flat and square edge. Like so.


Thanks Keith, this is a great tip.

The tile is coming along nicely. I really like the dark tile boarder and dark grout around the light tiles.

Barb


----------



## Bud Cline

Slow down a little Keith...you are making me look bad.:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that would take some big trees for sure. Is there a reason they keep the trees in fresh water?
> It is hard for me to imagine all that many big trees. I was impressed to see 14"X14" 40 foot ceils in an home we restored built back in 1822. We don't have trees anywhere the size ya'll do.


Here's something that tells a little bit about it. Scroll down to the info by the spinning globe.

http://www1.american.edu/ted/sunkwood.htm#r1

Barb


----------



## BigJim

Keith, you aren't letting any grass grow under your feet, that is really looking good buddy. Thanks for the explaining to me about the lumber under water, that does make sense.

Thanks Barb for the link, that is some good reading. I have seen pictures of some of the wood they brought up and milled out, it was beautiful wood to say the least.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim:

I got the tiling finished on the big ensuite wall this afternoon, so that's one more thing out of the way.

Now I still have to tile the two triangular shaped counter sections. Almost got all the tile cut for that this evening, but ran out of daylight. That will be the end of the tiling in there.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Slow down a little Keith...you are making me look bad.:yes:


Bud, the day I make you look bad..well...I just don't know.

Look at it this way, think of me as your student and take a little credit where it's due.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks for that link Barb.

It seems to me that somewhere down in Jim's part of the world that they have been recovering sunken wood from rivers for some time. There are several outfits which advertise the cut wood for sale in the major woodworking publications.


----------



## tpolk

i know a trim piece runs at the top of your paneling at the ceiling but why stop short do you need to add a backer or does the trim sit in that space. thanks Timothy


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks for that link Barb.
> 
> It seems to me that somewhere down in Jim's part of the world that they have been recovering sunken wood from rivers for some time. There are several outfits which advertise the cut wood for sale in the major woodworking publications.


Man, I must be living under a rock, I knew they did recovery of the trees but I didn't know it was down this way. I bet they have recovered some of the trees I have hit with my prop of my boat, I have sure hit enough of them.:yes:

Keith, that is really sharp, I like your door also, I don't think I have ever seen one trimmed like that.


----------



## gma2rjc

It must have been a trick cutting the tile to fit perfectly around the rounded trim at the top of the door. It looks great!


----------



## RalphPeters

Keith, I've only read a bit of your thread so far. You're knowledge and experiences are unmatched.
I've been to Japan quite a few times and while on guided tours the quote "this structure was build with Canadian lumber" always is mentioned as well as the sunken lumber in the lakes. 

I'm not sure if you have TV reception where you are or if you have any interest in watching what's on these days. 
But just in case, were you watching CBC last night and do you have a prediction?


----------



## Bud Cline

There is a piece of tile missing!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> There is a piece of tile missing!


Could you please be more specific Bud?

I still have over 1,500 tiles to set...which one did you mean? :confused1:


----------



## cocobolo

RalphPeters said:


> Keith, I've only read a bit of your thread so far. You're knowledge and experiences are unmatched.
> I've been to Japan quite a few times and while on guided tours the quote "this structure was build with Canadian lumber" always is mentioned as well as the sunken lumber in the lakes.
> 
> I'm not sure if you have TV reception where you are or if you have any interest in watching what's on these days.
> But just in case, were you watching CBC last night and do you have a prediction?


Hi Ralph:

Many thanks for the kind comments.

Yes, we get satellite TV here...but my wife is the TV freak, not I. So I didn't see CBC last night.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It must have been a trick cutting the tile to fit perfectly around the rounded trim at the top of the door. It looks great!


Nothing to it Barb...I just sent the two pieces down to Bud and had him cut them for me! :jester:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man, I must be living under a rock, I knew they did recovery of the trees but I didn't know it was down this way. I bet they have recovered some of the trees I have hit with my prop of my boat, I have sure hit enough of them.:yes:
> 
> Keith, that is really sharp, I like your door also, I don't think I have ever seen one trimmed like that.


Jim, as you know I make up all my own trim pieces...so I don't mind making them different from the standard fare at HD. 

I just kind of look at the door and what surrounds it and then make up any old design which I think might look good.

Hopefully, I will have pics of the set tile on the ensuite counter later.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> i know a trim piece runs at the top of your paneling at the ceiling but why stop short do you need to add a backer or does the trim sit in that space. thanks Timothy


That's how long the wood was Tim. There's one more piece to stick in that top corner.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Could you please be more specific Bud?


Keith in your Post # 4726 (and in both pictures) it appears that a small piece of tile to the left of the left door casing at the top is missing. Maybe not.
I guess I forgot to cut that one in the last batch of tiles you sent to me.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith in your Post # 4726 (and in both pictures) it appears that a small piece of tile to the left of the left door casing at the top is missing. Maybe not.
> I guess I forgot to cut that one in the last batch of tiles you sent to me.


Only a genuine tile guy would notice that!

You're right, there is a tiny triangle shaped piece that needs to be cut...it's just one of the 1,500 pieces I have yet to finish.


----------



## Bud Cline

I knew that !!!:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Henceforth, this piece will be known as "Bud's Tile". :thumbup:

That's the tiny triangle at the top of the curved door trim.


----------



## cocobolo

And here's the tile on that very weird countertop.

I will make a trim strip from yellow cedar right after the missus does the grouting. No, I didn't ask...she says she wants to do it. :huh:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Henceforth, this piece will be known as "Bud's Tile". :thumbup:


:laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Henceforth, this piece will be known as "Bud's Tile".


Now I'll be able to sleep tonight - last night was hell knowing that tile was missing.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, after several days of tiling and very little to show for the effort, I decided to put some Varathane on the window wall last night. First of three coats.


----------



## cocobolo

Part of the reason there isn't a lot to show for all the time tiling is that there are countless tiles all around the perimeter of the dining area which need cutting into all manner of different shapes.

This is the inner circle of the lower stairwell.


----------



## cocobolo

The general area between the kitchen and the solarium is the dining room. Most of this area is the dining room floor.


----------



## cocobolo

Same floor area, but this small piece is just up from the main front entrance. It seems almost everything needs cutting here.


----------



## cocobolo

Just in case there wasn't enough tile work to do already, the eighth wonder decided we needed a ring of tile around the chimney opening, both underneath and on top.


----------



## cocobolo

Before the tile gets set in the kitchen area, it was decided that I would try to excavate a section under the plywood floor and run two pex lines from the utility room to the kitchen counter.

The Fein tool came in handy for doing the cutting...until the blade snapped in half. I was impressed. Thankfully, there is more than one blade that cuts wood with the kit.

Once a strip of flooring was removed, I used the tool to dig out channels in the foam just big enough to squeeze the pex into.


----------



## cocobolo

It was a whole lot messier than the pic shows above, but when the lines were pushed into place I modified the plywood so it could be screwed back down again. It doesn't really show much at all. Once the tile is in place only you and me will even know the lines are there. And I'm not telling anyone.


----------



## cocobolo

Around 4 am this morning, the moon was shining brightly into the house and woke me up. So I grabbed a few photos.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, you never cease to amaze me, beautiful work and designs!!! I bet you are sore after all the getting up and down on your floor. I just put brakes on the front of our daughters car and I am so sore I can't hardly move. I just can't imagine doing all that floor and everything else you have done. With all the different cuts you had to make I know you had to get down and up many many times.

The pictures are beautiful also, you sure do have a way with the camera buddy.


----------



## drtbk4ever

Yeah Keith,

As always, I am amazed as to your workmanship. But the thing that impresses me the most is your drive. You have been going hard on this project for a long time, and yet show little signs of slowing or frustration or the desire to have it Done.

Amazing.


----------



## gma2rjc

Ditto what Jim said about the pictures Keith. They're beautiful! Thanks so much for posting them.

It's nice that you took some pics of where the Pex lines are, in case you ever need to locate them. 

Wow is that ever a LOT of tile to put down! It's looking excellent though, especially the one's that need to be shaped. :thumbup:

ETA: I love the look of the tile around the chimney opening. It adds a unique style to it.

Barb


----------



## Bud Cline

Here here !:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, you never cease to amaze me, beautiful work and designs!!! I bet you are sore after all the getting up and down on your floor. I just put brakes on the front of our daughters car and I am so sore I can't hardly move. I just can't imagine doing all that floor and everything else you have done. With all the different cuts you had to make I know you had to get down and up many many times.
> 
> The pictures are beautiful also, you sure do have a way with the camera buddy.


Ahhh, yes, brakes...not my favorite thing to do either Jim.

Well today I was carrying on some more with the floor - which wraps right around that curved kitchen counter. After I added up the number of tiles I would need, it seemed that there might not be quite enough.

Originally, when we got the first batch of tiles, there was a couple of things different. Firstly, they are an inch bigger than the new ones, which will make it difficult to do any matching. And secondly, the original tiles are far better quality and were packed much better. Almost zero breakage with the first tiles.

I wish I could say the same for the batch which we imported last year. Now that I am opening up all the boxes, there has been up to 70% breakage in some of the boxes. Obviously this means that we stand to have some shortage. I did order 10% extra, but it looks like that is going to be woefully inadequate.

So, now the plan is to use up what we have in an attempt to complete that particular floor level. There might be enough, but it's going to be very close. Should we come up short I will just take some of the larger tiles, trim an inch off two adjoining edges and round the cuts over.

The breakfast nook and front entrance are scheduled to be done out in the octagonal tiles, the same as went down in the solarium.

Once that is all done the only thing left will be the studio. If there is not enough terra cotta tile left to finish that, then I think I will make a feature square in the middle of the room with what we have, and finish off the outside with something else. There is less than a snowball's chance in hell of me bringing any more terra cotta tile over here.

Glad you like the pictures Jim..I just set the camera on the tripod on full auto and clicked away. It really looked neat as the moon dipped behind the clouds and backlit them.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Yeah Keith,
> 
> As always, I am amazed as to your workmanship. But the thing that impresses me the most is your drive. You have been going hard on this project for a long time, and yet show little signs of slowing or frustration or the desire to have it Done.
> 
> Amazing.


Bill, thanks as always.

The warm weather always agrees with me, and perhaps that is why I'm up and at it again as it were. 

Believe me when I tell you the frustration level has been stratospheric sometimes. And I can barely wait until it's finished. 

I guess the one good thing is that there is very little left to buy now except carpet for the master bedroom. 

Back later with the latest tile photos.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday I ran a line of tile behind the kitchen counter. It was an attempt to see how close the rows would match after having been wrapped around all that area.

Considering the fact that these tiles vary in size and are rarely square, it came out remarkably close.


----------



## cocobolo

More time today fitting all the tile behind the counter. These are not set here, just laid in place.


----------



## cocobolo

For awhile, it looked as though we were going to have a decent sunset tonight...but it never quite materialized.


----------



## BigJim

Man, that is the pits Keith, after tracking down the tiles and having them shipped in to find many broken, I would not be a happy camper at all. Is there a floor that you could have a broken tile design on? Maybe use some of the broken tile to cut 2 inch strips and make a grid and have broken tile in the squares in the grid. Just a though, and there may be other ways to make designs and fill in with a broken tile design. 

I wonder why ya'll have so many beautiful sunsets up your way. What ever the reason they are sure pretty, thanks for sharing buddy.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> For awhile, it looked as though we were going to have a decent sunset tonight...but it never quite materialized.


:huh: Never materialized?

Nice shot!!


----------



## drtbk4ever

gma2rjc said:


> :huh: Never materialized?
> 
> Nice shot!!


Yeah, great picture.

I'd actually like to get a high resolution copy of that photo.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Yeah, great picture.
> 
> I'd actually like to get a high resolution copy of that photo.


Bill, just pm me your email addie and I'll send it to you.

Keith


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :huh: Never materialized?
> 
> Nice shot!!


Barb, it's usually easy to tell if we are going to get the really bright colors by looking at the cloud formation. 

If there is cloud actually covering the mountain line, then it's not so good. But if the cloud is just above the mountains so that the sunshine can illuminate the clouds from below just as it sets, then we get the real beauties. More along the lines of this one...


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man, that is the pits Keith, after tracking down the tiles and having them shipped in to find many broken, I would not be a happy camper at all. Is there a floor that you could have a broken tile design on? Maybe use some of the broken tile to cut 2 inch strips and make a grid and have broken tile in the squares in the grid. Just a though, and there may be other ways to make designs and fill in with a broken tile design.
> 
> I wonder why ya'll have so many beautiful sunsets up your way. What ever the reason they are sure pretty, thanks for sharing buddy.


Jim: I did a count on the number of tiles needed to complete that main floor area, including the kitchen and there is enough tile to cover the area using the whole tiles. But then there will need to be the entire perimeter which will be cut pieces. There isn't enough for that. 

So I will be breaking into the larger tiles to complete all around the outside. It's not that big of a deal after all, but it would have been nice to have a lot less breakage.

Where the big workbench is sitting isn't yet tiled, and that will take 35 tiles, which I have set aside.

As for the sunsets, I expect it has something to do with the weather patterns here and the fact that Vancouver Island is the first land mass that the weather systems run into as they come across the Pacific. Most of the time we can see the weather as it goes up or down the island, and there is usually some open sky between us and the island which allows us to see these sunsets.

This one's for you Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

You can see the area to be covered where the bench is. Doesn't look like much, but it will chew up 35 tiles - which are set aside.


----------



## cocobolo

Got quite a bit of the kitchen area set today - until I ran out of thinset. That six bags didn't last long.

I'm off to the island tomorrow to act as photographer for a Rod run, so I'll bring a few bags of thinset back with me.


----------



## cocobolo

Where those Pex lines come up into the kitchen counter, I think I will build a small box to go around them for protection. Never know when the eighth wonder might kick them! :laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Got quite a bit of the kitchen area set today - until I ran out of thinset. That six bags didn't last long.
> 
> I'm off to the island tomorrow to act as photographer for a Rod run, so I'll bring a few bags of thinset back with me.


When you run out of thinset like that, do you think, "Oh no, I'm out of thinset." or "Yay! I'm done with this for the day!"? :laughing:

"The eighth wonder.... :laughing: I need to go through this thread and make that list of nicknames, like I said I was going to do several thousand posts ago.

I love the cloud formations in your last photo. I can't even imagine seeing such beautiful sunsets.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> When you run out of thinset like that, do you think, "Oh no, I'm out of thinset." or "Yay! I'm done with this for the day!"? :laughing:
> 
> "The eighth wonder.... :laughing: I need to go through this thread and make that list of nicknames, like I said I was going to do several thousand posts ago.
> 
> I love the cloud formations in your last photo. I can't even imagine seeing such beautiful sunsets.


I usually don't run out of thinset. I try to make a point of having an extra bag or two on hand at all times. I would definitely rather NOT run out.

But here's the dumb thing. I thought the Rod run was tomorrow, but it's next weekend...duh! I could have boogied across this morning and got some more, but since I was so damn sure I was going over tomorrow, I just let it be.

Oh, well...next weekend is also a big car show up at Parksville. So I get to kill two birds with one stone.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I did a count on the number of tiles needed to complete that main floor area, including the kitchen and there is enough tile to cover the area using the whole tiles. But then there will need to be the entire perimeter which will be cut pieces. There isn't enough for that.
> 
> So I will be breaking into the larger tiles to complete all around the outside. It's not that big of a deal after all, but it would have been nice to have a lot less breakage.
> 
> Where the big workbench is sitting isn't yet tiled, and that will take 35 tiles, which I have set aside.
> 
> As for the sunsets, I expect it has something to do with the weather patterns here and the fact that Vancouver Island is the first land mass that the weather systems run into as they come across the Pacific. Most of the time we can see the weather as it goes up or down the island, and there is usually some open sky between us and the island which allows us to see these sunsets.
> 
> This one's for you Jim.


Buddy, I had to just sit and look at that picture for a long time, I could just imagine being there and seeing that beautiful sunset, it was a most wonderful feeling. The only thing I can think of that could make that any better is if I had a fishing pole set out in the water there, and kicked back with a good cup of coffee. Thanks Keith, I appreciate it.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, does anyone have a spare memory they can let me use? Mine seems to be shot all to ....

The big show was up at Parksville/Qualicum this Father's day. Next weekend is the Rod Roar, I think I have that right now.

This link should show you lots of super nice cars from this past weekend. 

Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1cocobolo/sets/72157626878163009/


----------



## cocobolo

For those of you who don't need to see 150 cars, here's a small random sampling of what was there.


----------



## drtbk4ever

cocobolo said:


> OK, does anyone have a spare memory they can let me use? Mine seems to be shot all to ....
> 
> The big show was up at Parksville/Qualicum this Father's day. Next weekend is the Rod Roar, I think I have that right now.
> 
> This link should show you lots of super nice cars from this past weekend.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/1cocobolo/sets/72157626878163009/


Thanks for sharing the photos. I see one was for sale, #48 in the album. Any idea what something like that would go for?


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice pictures! I like #'s 24 & 25 and the one in 29/30/31. What kind of car is that in #'s 91 through 97 (page 2, 3rd row down)?


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Thanks for sharing the photos. I see one was for sale, #48 in the album. Any idea what something like that would go for?


Bill...there were quite a few cars for sale there. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the prices, but I would guess something like that would go for $38 - 40,000.

There was a similar car to that asking $35K...if I can remember which one it was I'll let you know.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Nice pictures! I like #'s 24 & 25 and the one in 29/30/31. What kind of car is that in #'s 91 through 97 (page 2, 3rd row down)?


You have excellent taste there Barb. :thumbup:

The candy red Ford (91-97) is highly customized. I will guess it is a very late 30's or possibly a '40 Ford. I don't think there is a single body panel on the car which wasn't altered. The workmanship was simply outstanding and there was hardly a second when it wasn't surrounded by admirers.

Powered by a full tilt small block Chevy of course. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bill...the red sedan, picture number 33 was for sale at $45,000 OBO. It had Jag IRS which would boost the price. I'm fairly sure if you waved $40K in front of the man's face you would own the car.

And the blue car in picture number 39 was for sale at $38,500 asking.

There was a red '57 Chevy, nice flame job, new 5.7 'Vette motor asking $68,500...I think he will own it for awhile at that price.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> For those of you who don't need to see 150 cars, here's a small random sampling of what was there.


Buddy, I can't wait to see your 35 Chevy decked out.

I had to go back and drool all over my keyboard again. Thanks for sharing Keith we do appreciate it.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, I can't wait to see your 35 Chevy decked out.
> 
> I had to go back and drool all over my keyboard again. Thanks for sharing Keith we do appreciate it.


Yeah...me too Jim.

After seeing all that gorgeous machinery there and chatting with number 1 son, it looks like I will opt for the LS376/480 motor and matching transmission. Bye bye 15 grand just for that. It's only money.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yeah...me too Jim.
> 
> After seeing all that gorgeous machinery there and chatting with number 1 son, it looks like I will opt for the LS376/480 motor and matching transmission. Bye bye 15 grand just for that. It's only money.


Man, that is one mean machine, what are you going to do for the rear end? I would love to build out one more 427 or a good ole 327, the bad part is finding a block that has good enough metal to handle this garbage gas of today. The high compression engines of the old days wouldn't run long on this junk gas today, they would ping so bad it would score the cylinder walls. 

The last motor I built was a 350 with a nice bump stick and a 10:1 compression ratio which use to be stock pressure, the block burned between cylinders within 50 miles, they just don't make good blocks like they use to. I hope my memory is correct here, it isn't what it use to be either.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man, that is one mean machine, what are you going to do for the rear end? I would love to build out one more 427 or a good ole 327, the bad part is finding a block that has good enough metal to handle this garbage gas of today. The high compression engines of the old days wouldn't run long on this junk gas today, they would ping so bad it would score the cylinder walls.
> 
> The last motor I built was a 350 with a nice bump stick and a 10:1 compression ratio which use to be stock pressure, the block burned between cylinders within 50 miles, they just don't make good blocks like they use to. I hope my memory is correct here, it isn't what it use to be either.:whistling2:


What they do today Jim, is to use the computer to have a variable spark advance based on your RPM, throttle position and so on. Some of the new high performance engines have gone back up to the higher compression that we used to see back in the 60's and 70's, when gas was real gas.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> What they do today Jim, is to use the computer to have a variable spark advance based on your RPM, throttle position and so on. Some of the new high performance engines have gone back up to the higher compression that we used to see back in the 60's and 70's, when gas was real gas.


Keith, it is just amazing what they can do with computers on a car now days. The old mechanics of yesterday can't hardly work on the cars now days.


----------



## cocobolo

No kidding Jim. If anything goes wrong with the 'puter, I would need to call my son in law over to fix it.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, this is one of those live and learn things again I guess.

I'm down to the nitty gritty on the big floor now, and have run out of the tiles from Saltillo. Which means I had to cut some of the original batch up - which we got before we even moved over to Ruxton some 14 years ago.

The original tiles, which were made in Guadalahara, are of such a superior quality it's hard to believe.

The tiles are larger by an inch, they are flatter, they are a more consistent thickness and they are obviously fired better. I say that because in cutting several down to the same size as the Saltillo tiles (11 1/4" square - sort of) they are much harder than the newer tiles. A real shame the chap in Mexico couldn't find more of these for us.

So for anyone contemplating using these tiles, see if you can track some down from the big "G" instead of Saltillo. It will be worth the trouble.

And as for breakage...now I'm hardly surprised that the Saltillo tiles don't travel worth a hoot. The breakage was awful. Whereas, in the first box I just opened up with the old tiles, there was a very tiny chip out of one corner of one tile, that was all.

As soon as you handle these things, the difference is very obvious.

Now earlier, Bud was mentioning about some of the families who would add their initial to the back of the tiles. In the first box I opened, there were tiles with the letters "O", "X", "V" and "T". Mix and match I guess.


----------



## cocobolo

...and we have just had one of the little green frogs join us for the summer. He (or she) likes to sit in the hosta's.


----------



## cocobolo

On the back side of the kitchen, there are two separate short counters, which will have the same sort of fake travertine tile as the big curved one in front.

For some reason, I had not put in the plywood at the back of the kick under the counter, so that needed to be done before I could properly cut and set the floor tiles there. I did that this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

To the side of the other counter, which will be used to service the wall oven, I was also missing the wood at floor level.

The tiles have been cut and fit for that now, and hopefully will get set before I quit for the night.


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## Bud Cline

Have you grouted any of the Saltillos yet?
Had you planned on sealing the tiles?


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Have you grouted any of the Saltillos yet?
> Had you planned on sealing the tiles?


No grouting done yet, and yes the tiles will be sealed.


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## Bud Cline

At the risk of repeating myself I can offer that grouting Saltillo can be a giant PITA. The porosity of the tiles will immediately wick the moisture out of the grout. They should be sealed a time or two, particularly the edges. Some worry that sealing the edges will compromise the bonding of the grout to the tile edge but for the most part I disagree with that theory. The grout has plenty of crevices and imperfections and voids under the tile to grab onto. Total bonding to the edge of the tile isn't mandatory in my opinion.

I try not to mix too much grout ahead and spread too far ahead of what I can clean up in a few minutes. The grout can cling to the tops and edges of the tile and stain it in some cases. Of course the sealer will mitigate that possibility. One wouldn't want to soup-up the grout by adding extra water to stay ahead of the process because too much water will cause weak grout and reduce its compressive strength.

The sealer should also be totally dry........totally.

A final cleaning of any haze should be done as soon practical without waiting more than a few hours. Once the haze has formed the longer it is allowed to sit the harder it is to remove.

Just a refresher if this seminar has already be presented. Can't remember for sure.

I learned about Mexican tile installation in Texas many years ago and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) my first few jobs were out of doors in the Texas sun. That's not an experience I would wish on anyone.


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> At the risk of repeating myself I can offer that grouting Saltillo can be a giant PITA. The porosity of the tiles will immediately wick the moisture out of the grout. They should be sealed a time or two, particularly the edges. Some worry that sealing the edges will compromise the bonding of the grout to the tile edge but for the most part I disagree with that theory. The grout has plenty of crevices and imperfections and voids under the tile to grab onto. Total bonding to the edge of the tile isn't mandatory in my opinion.
> 
> I try not to mix too much grout ahead and spread too far ahead of what I can clean up in a few minutes. The grout can cling to the tops and edges of the tile and stain it in some cases. Of course the sealer will mitigate that possibility. One wouldn't want to soup-up the grout by adding extra water to stay ahead of the process because too much water will cause weak grout and reduce its compressive strength.
> 
> The sealer should also be totally dry........totally.
> 
> A final cleaning of any haze should be done as soon practical without waiting more than a few hours. Once the haze has formed the longer it is allowed to sit the harder it is to remove.
> 
> Just a refresher if this seminar has already be presented. Can't remember for sure.
> 
> I learned about Mexican tile installation in Texas many years ago and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) my first few jobs were out of doors in the Texas sun. That's not an experience I would wish on anyone.


I can only imagine how rapidly both the thinset and the grout would have dried under those conditions. I remember it being bad enough on the bedroom deck outside. I lost half the first batch of grout because it dried so quickly in the bucket...lesson learned.

Bud, I just went and took a look at a few dozen cutoff pieces in the scrap pile of tiles, and you're most definitely right about the edges of the Saltillo tiles. 

All kinds of cut marks, small porous holes, and in most cases, the tile has a sharp line just above the bottom of the tile which ought to hold like nobody's business. 

So, here's what I plan to do. I will go for a couple of coats of sealer, the first I will try and do just on top of the tile. The second I will deliberately let go down the sides.

Something else I learned about these tiles is not to try and set them with a close gap. Because of the crooked sides on almost every tile, sometimes when using the smaller gap the edges would very nearly touch depending on which direction the tile faced.

The Saltillo tiles almost all are curved. So when the tile is set, I found myself needing to add extra thinset under the hump of the tile. Of course, some were much worse than others. I did try to keep the humps running in the same direction, and that seems to have kept the floor feeling quite smooth to walk on.

The tiles from Guadalahara are much flatter, and I don't anticipate having anywhere near the trouble with them. 

I'm going to try a grout bag first, which I know might be slow, but it should make for less cleanup afterwards.

Sure am glad I'm only doing this once. :huh:


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## Bud Cline

The crowned surface of that type of tile is some of the charm in my opinion. I love that stuff but don't get to use much of it any more now that I live in the conservative north.

It wasn't unusual (in the day) to set those tiles using a 1/2" or larger grout line because of the irregularities of the tiles. That too is part of the charm.

Back then we used a thinset trowel with a 1/2" or 3/4" notch to compensate for the bowed tiles. Nowadays they offer a "medium bed" thinset to compensate for the crowns (concave bottoms) of the large tiles. It just has extra coarse sand in it.

I'll let you in on another little secret. If you don't mind grey grout (known as natural) using mortar mix is one helluva lot less costly than buying tile grout especially with those thick tiles. In fact, the masonry mix is the same thing as the Portland grout for the most part. You can color the masonry mix but it is hard to get batch-colors consistent. You can also use "white glass block mortar" and it will take color pigment better and offer up more color choice when adding pigments. The only problem using the mortars for grout is the size of the sand, it is more coarse than what standard grout will be.


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## BigJim

Back in the late 60s or early 70s I did a tile job in a bathroom where I had to lay a thick grout bed like they did back then. I soaked the tiles over night and sprinkled Portland cement over the dried grout and laid the wet tiles in the dry Portland, the tiles held great after they dried. Is that type of tile setting done now days or is that a thing of the past?

One more question, in recent years when I used thinset and laid tiles or porcelain I always buttered the back of the tiles as well as on the Hardie backer, is that an over kill?


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> The crowned surface of that type of tile is some of the charm in my opinion. I love that stuff but don't get to use much of it any more now that I live in the conservative north.
> 
> It wasn't unusual (in the day) to set those tiles using a 1/2" or larger grout line because of the irregularities of the tiles. That too is part of the charm.
> 
> Back then we used a thinset trowel with a 1/2" or 3/4" notch to compensate for the bowed tiles. Nowadays they offer a "medium bed" thinset to compensate for the crowns (concave bottoms) of the large tiles. It just has extra coarse sand in it.
> 
> I'll let you in on another little secret. If you don't mind grey grout (known as natural) using mortar mix is one helluva lot less costly than buying tile grout especially with those thick tiles. In fact, the masonry mix is the same thing as the Portland grout for the most part. You can color the masonry mix but it is hard to get batch-colors consistent. You can also use "white glass block mortar" and it will take color pigment better and offer up more color choice when adding pigments. The only problem using the mortars for grout is the size of the sand, it is more coarse than what standard grout will be.


Bud, I am using a 1/2" notched trowel, but it isn't enough for some of the tiles...hence the addition of the extra thinset.

I think the missus has decreed that we will be using the pre-colored grout and to hell with the cost. It probably boils down to an extra two or three hundred dollars, but in the overall scheme of things it's a very small portion. Besides, I don't think I could trust my mixing ability to get colors consistently the same.


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## cocobolo

No, it's not a particularly wonderful sunset... but it IS the summer solstice, which is the only reason I'm posting this one.

Enjoy.


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## Bud Cline

> Back in the late 60s or early 70s I did a tile job in a bathroom where I had to lay a thick grout bed like they did back then. I soaked the tiles over night and sprinkled Portland cement over the dried grout and laid the wet tiles in the dry Portland, the tiles held great after they dried. Is that type of tile setting done now days or is that a thing of the past?


Thirty years ago that method of setting tiles was pretty common. Most tiles were smaller then also which made it easier to achieve proper contract between the tile and the substrate. Another method was to pre cut each tile then cast a mud bed and immediately press the tiles into that mud bed as you spread and compacted the bed. You would then install the same mud using as the grout as you backed your way out of an area. When you were finished setting tile you were finished with the job. THAT's what a tile-setter was years ago. A real tile "setter".

Then Henry Rothberg invented the "thinset method" and the thinset product to go along with the method. In those days thinset was the procedure and not the setting product. Henry Rothberg by the way is the founder of Laticrete International and he is still going strong.



> One more question, in recent years when I used thinset and laid tiles or porcelain I always buttered the back of the tiles as well as on the Hardie backer, is that an over kill?


Overkill? No not at all. In fact spreading thinset and then backbuttering each tile with a smooth striking is common and recommended today for the larger format tiles. A few years ago they came out with "medium bed" thinset in hopes of doing away with backbuttering but I still do it most of the time.

In the case of any cementitious substrate (including and especially Hardibacker) you must introduce moisture into the substrate with a wet sponge or sprayer to keep the backerboard from prematurely wicking moisture from the thinset and wrecking the drying time.


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## cocobolo

What would we do without you Bud? Man, I wish I had a tenth of your tiling knowledge...


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## Bud Cline

Ah shucks !!!

I just noticed it is like 1a.m. here. Why I am doing this I have no idea, it's about four hours past my bedtime.

I realized a few days ago that I have been working practically non-stop for about three and a half years with the exception of a four day stay in Colorado over two years ago. I must be nuts.

So I am taking this week off but so far I have looked at two more jobs since Monday and now have those proposals hanging over my head. I don't know where it all comes from. I haven't advertised in eighteen or twenty years and the phone keeps ringing. AMAZING !!!

Prices here have skyrocketed as they have everywhere but the local economies have been holding their own for the most part. Just completed another new house last Friday and that was "THE JOB FROM HELL". The woman that owns the house scolded me twice and I gotta tell ya's; at my age I don't take scoldings all that well.

Some time tomorrow I am going to load some gear in a van and grab my son and go fishing by George. Screw it for a few days. I may even get real brave and turn off my cell phone.


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## frenchelectrican

It will be nice to take a break once a while which I do that in France.

Merci,
Marc


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## Ravenswood NYC

Hi Keith,

After your email yesterday I caved and joined the community. Like I said, it's been a real pleasure watching your progress on the house. Wish I had some room to tinker in my apartment in NY, but not yet...

Thanks!
John


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## cocobolo

When we were posting last night Bud, I wondered why you were still online so late - knowing where you are.

Speaking of getting scolded - several years ago my son and I were doing a job for a Doctor and his wife - big fancy place in Cloverdale.

Before they sent me out there, I was warned about this Doctor being a real tyrant. They also mentioned I would be getting extra S & A pay for this job.

So I arrive at the job, get started working, and by the end of the day we have made some fair progress. The tyrant Doctor arrives home after listening to his patients whine and complain all day and trots out the back to see what we're up to.

Right away, I drop my pouch, and go and meet him with outstretched hand. Long story short - he turns out to be the nicest guy if you just give him some respect and understand what he has to go through all day. Never had a lick of trouble.

His wife OTOH, she was a real piece of work. Next day, three cleaning ladies arrive to do her house. She treated those poor gals so badly, I wondered why they just didn't walk out and give her a piece of their minds, non-stop abuse from the minute they arrived until they left. I tell ya, we kept our distance from her.


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## cocobolo

Ravenswood NYC said:


> Hi Keith,
> 
> After your email yesterday I caved and joined the community. Like I said, it's been a real pleasure watching your progress on the house. Wish I had some room to tinker in my apartment in NY, but not yet...
> 
> Thanks!
> John


Thanks John, I'm glad you decided to hook up with us here.

Lots of really great people on this site.

Everyone doesn't necessarily have a ton of room to tinker, but your turn will come I'm sure. I saw an article on the web a few days ago about a gal in N.Y. who had a 180 square foot apartment - rented for $700 a month! Couldn't quite get my head around that one, but I suppose that's the rate if you want to live in the Big Apple.

If there's anything I can ever help with, just let me know.


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## BigJim

Bud that is some good information, I appreciate it. I may never tile another floor as I can get down on the floor but getting back up is a different story.

I know the feeling of working with difficult people, the last house I contracted in Memphis was a reproduction of an old Williamsburg, the lady had over 300 changes. Talk about hating to go to work the next day. She just couldn't visualize what she wanted unless it was right before her. I just knew one of us was going to have a nervous break down before the house was finished and I was right, she did. 

Bud, I would take off and go fishing also, you need the R&R.


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## Bud Cline

> I may never tile another floor as I can get down on the floor but getting back up is a different story.


I can certainly relate to that these days.

Difficult customers are few and far between but every once in a while you find one that grew up with a silver spoon and has never done a days physical labor in their entire life. Those are the ones that just don't get it. And they never will.



> Bud, I would take off and go fishing also, you need the R&R.


Been trying to get on the road all afternoon but one thing after another keeps jumping up and smacking me in the eye.

We are loading up right now though, won't be long.


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I can certainly relate to that these days.
> 
> Difficult customers are few and far between but every once in a while you find one that grew up with a silver spoon and has never done a days physical labor in their entire life. Those are the ones that just don't get it. And they never will.
> 
> 
> Been trying to get on the road all afternoon but one thing after another keeps jumping up and smacking me in the eye.
> 
> We are loading up right now though, won't be long.


Bud, we are going to expect a detailed list of all the fish you catch...with pictures of course!

Good luck! :thumbsup:


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## Bud Cline

WELL CRAP!!!

We aborted after twenty-four hours of relentless wind and fiascos. We'll have to try again real soon.

Did land some Walleye and some Catfish however.:thumbup:


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## frenchelectrican

Bud Cline said:


> WELL CRAP!!!
> 
> We aborted after twenty-four hours of relentless wind and fiascos. We'll have to try again real soon.
> 
> Did land some Walleye and some Catfish however.:thumbup:


How big did you get them ??

Merci,
Marc


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## Bud Cline

Here the Wally's must be over 15" and under 20" or over 28". Mine were 17". I don't want to talk about the catfish.


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## frenchelectrican

Bud Cline said:


> Here the Wally's must be over 15" and under 20" or over 28". Mine were 17". I don't want to talk about the catfish.


Been there and done that with dammed catfish in both USA and European side so just throw it overboard for now but for Walleyes in France it have to be 26 inch or larger { 3/4 meter } to keep it.

Merci,
Marc


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## Bud Cline

I don't know anything about fish-sex. I wonder what happens when a Wally is over 20" but under 28"!!!

What does a 21" Wally have that a 14" Wally doesn't?

I'll bet Keith knows. I damn sure don't.:whistling2:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I don't know anything about fish-sex. I wonder what happens when a Wally is over 20" but under 28"!!!
> 
> What does a 21" Wally have that a 14" Wally doesn't?
> 
> I'll bet Keith knows. I damn sure don't.:whistling2:


I'm no fisherman Bud, but surely you would know that one.

Answer: 7 more inches! :laughing:


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## cocobolo

Bud, since you're still around after the trashed fishing trip, I have another question for you.

Before I set the tiles, I wiped them off as best I could - any that were cut got washed to clean off the slurry.

After they were set, but before the first seal coat, I needed to clean them somehow. So I used a boat brush, which has about 2" long stiff bristles and gave the tiles a good scrub - dry. Then I swept them off and just before I got to seal each tile, I used a fine bristled paint brush again to dust them off some more. Any minor thinset marks on the tiles came off with 120 grit emery paper, dead easy. Same with pencil marks or whatever other odd marks might be on there.

Is there any particular way to clean these tiles? They seem to generate their own dust very easily before they are sealed. I considered using a grout sponge just dampened, but didn't try that yet.


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## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I'm no fisherman Bud, but surely you would know that one.
> 
> Answer: 7 more inches! :laughing:


:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:


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## cocobolo

Several weeks back the missus asked me if she should weed the Japanese garden. I think it was a none-too-subtle hint that I should remove the jungle and try to find the actual garden. 

It seems that I haven't touched it for at least two years. So, today was the day to make a start of some sort.

Here's what it was like before I got started.


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## cocobolo

And after the afternoon's efforts you could actually see through the garden again.


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## cocobolo

There are two foxgloves growing wild in the garden...although they were somewhat overwhelmed by the huge bracken plants until I gave them the heave-ho.


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## cocobolo

The irises were suffering from the same fate...not enough light getting through the big ferns. They should pick up in a day or two.


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## cocobolo

The big workbench was moved out of the way to make room for the last area on the main floor to be tiled.


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## cocobolo

That completes the setting in the big area...next will be the breakfast nook.

Here the floor areas at the kitchen steps...in front of the utility and bathroom...and a view across the dining room.


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## tpolk

howsa about some more long shots like the last one of inside the house. thanks timothy. like to see how everything ties together cause it do look most excellent :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## BigJim

Keith, you are a ball of fire, where do you get the energy and drive to accomplish all that you do? That is a heck of a difference in your garden, it don't take you all day to do a full days work. You do beautiful work buddy.

I know you are really happy that you are on your last floor, I sure would be. It took me a full month to tile our kitchen back a couple years ago. It was a mess to fix but it wouldn't have taken a young man but maybe a couple days to fix and install. This getting old thing sure isn't for wimps. :no::thumbsup:


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## Bud Cline

> Is there any particular way to clean these tiles?


None that I am aware of. Once sealed, the cleaning will of course become a different project and easier. As I think back years ago, the only issue I can remember having was when sealing the tiles. At first I was crawling around with a paint brush painting on sealer. Of course that is one of those tasks that the more you have to do the faster you try to go. I was marring the texture of the tile surface with my knee pads and then immediately sealing in the mar before realizing what was happening. I learned to apply the first coat standing up using a paint roller so that I could walk around gently and lightly so as not to put undesirable marks in the surface of the soft tile.

Such marks are easy enough to remove by sanding after the sealer is totally dry.


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## Bud Cline

> I'm no fisherman Bud,


Apparently I'm not a fisherman either.




> but surely you would know that one. 7 more inches!


 :laughing: 


THANK YOU so-o-o-o-o much...I was having trouble with the math.


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## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> howsa about some more long shots like the last one of inside the house. thanks timothy. like to see how everything ties together cause it do look most excellent :thumbsup::thumbsup:


Tim, what I really need for that is a wide angle lens...which I keep making noises about getting.

The other thing I need is all the tools and miscellaneous paraphernalia moved right out of the house. This shifting from one place to the other is a real nuisance.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, you are a ball of fire, where do you get the energy and drive to accomplish all that you do? That is a heck of a difference in your garden, it don't take you all day to do a full days work. You do beautiful work buddy.
> 
> I know you are really happy that you are on your last floor, I sure would be. It took me a full month to tile our kitchen back a couple years ago. It was a mess to fix but it wouldn't have taken a young man but maybe a couple days to fix and install. This getting old thing sure isn't for wimps. :no::thumbsup:


Jim, I was more than four hours in the garden yesterday...you should see the size of the pile of weeds I have!

That's only about 1/4 of the garden done down there yet, so lots more to go.


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> None that I am aware of. Once sealed, the cleaning will of course become a different project and easier. As I think back years ago, the only issue I can remember having was when sealing the tiles. At first I was crawling around with a paint brush painting on sealer. Of course that is one of those tasks that the more you have to do the faster you try to go. I was marring the texture of the tile surface with my knee pads and then immediately sealing in the mar before realizing what was happening. I learned to apply the first coat standing up using a paint roller so that I could walk around gently and lightly so as not to put undesirable marks in the surface of the soft tile.
> 
> Such marks are easy enough to remove by sanding after the sealer is totally dry.


Getting that first coat of sealer on seems to be the worst of it.

I had the same experience as you with the scuffing. So every row of tile I would make sure to brush off as I moved. 

I'm using a paint brush for the application, and regardless of how much cleaning I do it's pretty obvious that the surface of the tile is still chalky.

Hope to get the second coat on tonight, which should be much quicker.

Going to town tomorrow (weather permitting) to catch the Rod Roar coming through Nanaimo...so I'll be dropping by the tile store for some grout.


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## Bud Cline

That tile drinks up sealer like nobodies business on the first coat. At some point as subsequent applications progress you will probably have to be careful how you overlap the strokes. As the sealer begins to fill the pores and build the overlaps may begin to show. This typically results in unsightly and undesirable streaks of build up. At some point a gloss will begin to appear where the most sealer is present.

Then depending on the appearance you must decide if you want to keep going and develop a gloss everywhere. If a dull satin look is desired, steel wool can be used to scuff the gloss and blend the surface. But only when the sealer applications are totally dry.

At first some sealer is needed so as to keep the grout from staining the tile. Then after the grout has dried you can let the sealing begin and now it will include the grout. A regular penetrating grout/stone sealer will never change the look of any of the elements, whereas a stone sealer will darken the appearance and actually enhance the beauty of the products but it also develops a shine that not be desirable.


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## cocobolo

The missus wants a satin type finish if possible, so that's what it will be.

And you're sure right about the sealer getting swallowed up by the tile. Put it on and it disappears instantly.


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## Bud Cline

> Put it on and it disappears instantly.


Yup, like it wasn't even there.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Getting that first coat of sealer on seems to be the worst of it.
> 
> I had the same experience as you with the scuffing. So every row of tile I would make sure to brush off as I moved.
> 
> I'm using a paint brush for the application, and regardless of how much cleaning I do it's pretty obvious that the surface of the tile is still chalky.
> 
> Hope to get the second coat on tonight, which should be much quicker.
> 
> Going to town tomorrow (weather permitting) to catch the Rod Roar coming through Nanaimo...so I'll be dropping by the tile store for some grout.


Are carrying your camera tomorrow?:thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Oh Yeah! :thumbsup:

But there will only be a few cars there. It is the inaugural run of a trip from Victoria all the way up to Tofino, and they are going the back way via Sooke. The actual driving time will be around 7 1/2 hours.

I'm only going to meet them in Nanaimo for lunch and get to meet some of the guys for the first time. :yes: 

They will be traveling through some beautiful country and will overnight once they arrive at Tofino. Sunday they are returning as far as Duncan, where I believe they will be having a BBQ at one of the sponsors stores.

I mustn't forget to warn them to stay away from the north end of the beach at Tofino...that's where the naked ladies can be found. :thumbup: 

Tut tut. :whistling2:


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## chrisBC

Hey just wanted to comment that is some really cool building you have going on (I take it your not big on drywall, haha) great workmanship, love the curves and different styles, there is some unique and challenging framing there. Looks like a great place to relax after a day's work.

You've never build a place out in maple ridge have you? I've done quite a bit of work on a unique place out there, post and beam, with a LOT of cedar.

anyways, thanks for posting all those pics and descriptions, interesting reading. I always thought of the gulf islands as great compared to the big city life. especially those the ferry doesn't run to, no roads, all by boat. I used to have a little sailboat with some buddies and would spend weeks in the summer sailing around that area.


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## cocobolo

Hi Chris...

It has been several years now, but Indeed I have built out in Maple Ridge. Over the years, I don't think there is any community in the lower mainland that I haven't built in...as well as many towns throughout B.C.

Happy Canada Day


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## cocobolo

Despite my best efforts, I didn't get to see the rod run over on Vancouver Island last weekend. I must have been awfully close to the cars in question, because one of them took a picture of a model T on a trailer which I was parked beside!

Success finding the proper grout finally...kind of an odd story goes with that.

Saturday last I went to the tile store for grout only to discover that they closed at 3 pm on a Saturday...bit odd.

OK, so I tried again the following Tuesday when we went over for groceries etc. but they didn't have the color we wanted. However, the gal referred me to Pacific Rim Tile who happen to be the local wholesale supplier. I asked if she might call them for me to see if they had any in stock. Yes, they have 5 bags.

Excellent - so off we go, buy the 5 bags, and while I am there I chat with the fellow in the office about being able to buy wholesale from them. No problem he says. It turns out that thinset is $5.60 a bag cheaper, grout something like $10 a bag cheaper.

Naturally I find this out after I have bought a ton of thinset. Oh well, at least the rest I buy I will be getting a better deal on.


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## gma2rjc

Happy Canada Day to you and Mrs. cocobolo, Keith. I bet the island and bay are hopping this weekend.


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## cocobolo

Yes, we will be expecting all the weekenders to arrive for the long weekend. The kids are all out of school, so the Island will be a busy place for a few days.

Time for me to hibernate!


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## BigJim

Happy Canada Day buddy, we hope ya'll have a blast. Judy and I have as much fun watching others have fun as if we were in the mix, as matter a fact we prefer to watch instead, it isn't as tiring. :thumbsup:

I sure do hate that you missed the cars, I am disappointed right along with you. Now it is time to kick back and watch some of the crazy things people do in the name of fun. Keep your camera handy, you never know when a golden moment will present itself.


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## cocobolo

Hi Jim...I doubt anything terribly exciting will happen here this weekend.

Just the weekenders trying to get their chainsaws started on year old gas. One clown has already been using a leaf blower on the pathway - totally unnecessary and obnoxious noise. The wind came up 15 minutes after he was done, so I rather imagine everything is back where it started.

The missus and I have been getting some more tidying up done down in the bay and we have a good bonfire going. It will be out soon as the tide is getting close. Plus, I managed to get the bottom of the skiff scraped clean of barnacles. Hard to believe how quickly those things grow. The entire bottom was covered in 1/2" barnacles. Next time it happens I'll have to take a picture. Should get better gas mileage now anyway.


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## Bud Cline

Keith you'll probably have to go to the big city for the weekend to get some piece and quiet.


Have you seen this crap yet?
http://www.diychatroom.com/f39/smoky-bear-going-lonley-minnesota-109398/


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith you'll probably have to go to the big city for the weekend to get some piece and quiet.
> 
> 
> Have you seen this crap yet?
> http://www.diychatroom.com/f39/smoky-bear-going-lonley-minnesota-109398/


That might not be such a crazy idea you know. Almost everyone in town takes off for the long weekend, so it could be deserted!

Took a look at your campground dilemma and answered on your thread. Outrageous!


----------



## Bud Cline

Fortunately it has no direct effect on me but as a taxpayer I'm thinking the whole idea is absurd.

Nebraska has had Park Permits for years and years to get into the state parks but the thing is they don't do very much with the parks. They are maintained and they are nice but every time you turn around the Game and Parks people have their hands out wanting more. The costs to maintain such places wouldn't be so high if they didn't waste so much.

I pay $60 per year for a basic Hunt/Fish permit. That doesn't include all the stamps and additional fees you have to pay over and above that to hunt certain game. In addition to that you have to pay an additional fee to hunt deer, turkey, elk, antelope, etc. Turkey is considered "big game" in Nebraska. That's a laugh! If you want to trap, that costs even more. 

In addition I pay $20 for a permit to drive through a park and not use the facilities. If I want to camp in one of those parks there is a camping fee over and above the park permit fee. I'm never sure which of two vehicles I will take into the park so I also have to pay an additional $14 annually for a second park sticker for a second automobile.

It's all nuts.


----------



## cocobolo

Apparently we're in the wrong business Bud!


----------



## Bud Cline

No kiddin'.
Sorry to go off on a rant but government (anything) just burns my butt these days.


----------



## cocobolo

Don't for one minute think they have a monopoly on stupidity down your way...trust me!


----------



## Bud Cline

Oh I know! 
Political dementia knows no borders.:jester:


----------



## cocobolo

Except that we seem to have garnered more than our share in Canada!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Except that we seem to have garnered more than our share in Canada!


Keith this may be the very first time I have ever had to disagree with you.:laughing:
I think OURS is bigger than YOURS.


----------



## BigJim

Oh man, when it comes to politicians they just make me upset to say the least. The intelligence level of these people just amaze me. I won't get cranked up on them idiots as I would be here all night.

Bud, and I thought $28 for a hunting/fishing license was ridiculous. After 65 we pay $11 for a life time license, I am glad I don't have to pay anymore. Paying to just go in a park is unreal, the parks are supposed to belong to the people to start off with. I guess Tennessee isn't as bad as I thought, yet. 

Keith, if the teachers down this way find out how much teachers up your way make, they will all be headed up your way. Teachers in Tennessee don't make anywhere close to what your teachers do.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, this is a salary of one teacher who is a friend of mine. He has a masters' degree in English...and this salary was from 5 years ago. Heaven knows what he's making now.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Jim: "After 65 we pay $11 for a life time license,"


Just for fun Jim, I thought I would show you what we pay after age 65 for a Lifetime Hunt/Fish Permit.

My fee would be the last one listed. Wouldn't you think they would offer a sliding scale for the elderly?

This is from the Game and Parks website:

Lifetime Hunt/Fish*0-5 years old $425.50
Lifetime Hunt/Fish*6-15 years old $573.00
Lifetime Hunt/Fish*16-45 years old $699.00
*Lifetime Hunt/Fish*46+ years old $573.00*

Don't think I don't raise a little hell with these guys once in a while also. I've got stories.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Just for fun Jim, I thought I would show you what we pay after age 65 for a Lifetime Hunt/Fish Permit.
> 
> My fee would be the last one listed. Wouldn't you think they would offer a sliding scale for the elderly?
> 
> This is from the Game and Parks website:
> 
> Lifetime Hunt/Fish*0-5 years old $425.50
> Lifetime Hunt/Fish*6-15 years old $573.00
> Lifetime Hunt/Fish*16-45 years old $699.00
> *Lifetime Hunt/Fish*46+ years old $573.00*
> 
> Don't think I don't raise a little hell with these guys once in a while also. I've got stories.


Five hundred and seventy three bucks just to go fishing??? WTF?


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Just for fun Jim, I thought I would show you what we pay after age 65 for a Lifetime Hunt/Fish Permit.
> 
> My fee would be the last one listed. Wouldn't you think they would offer a sliding scale for the elderly?
> 
> This is from the Game and Parks website:
> 
> Lifetime Hunt/Fish*0-5 years old $425.50
> Lifetime Hunt/Fish*6-15 years old $573.00
> Lifetime Hunt/Fish*16-45 years old $699.00
> *Lifetime Hunt/Fish*46+ years old $573.00*
> 
> Don't think I don't raise a little hell with these guys once in a while also. I've got stories.


My stars, that is unreal, I would have to raise some cain also. I love to fish but that would sure put a damper on that. I thought for a good while that all states were the same but that is not the case at all. Our sales tax here is on the high side compared to some other states though 9.75%.


----------



## Bud Cline

Those amounts are at your option. You can choose to continue to pay for the annual permits. I'm sure those a-holes at Game and Parks have a long drawn out explanation as to why the rates are what they are and why they should be. Probably because people are throwing gum wrappers on the ground somewhere and not cleaning them up.

Sales tax here is 7% right now but they would raise it if they could.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> One clown has already been using a leaf blower on the pathway . . .


Leafblowers - the most infernal of the progeny to be spawned from the Satanic Mills. 

Die, evil leafblower, DIE! :gun_bandana:


I'm always of two minds about all the permit fees and government regulation - one the one hand, I think we need fees and regulations to keep all the morons in check, on other hand, I resent having any of it applied to me. 

You have to pay to get a permit to dip kayak (a.k.a. alewives) out of the river by my parent's cottage now - you used to just be able to show up at the dam with a net and have fun. Don't see many kids dipping anymore now that it's regulated - ruined some good, clean (okay, not really very clean) fun.


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## cocobolo

Fortunately, there are only two leaf blowers on the island, both owned by the same family. I'm not sure if it's one each for them, or whether he needs one for each hand. Personally, we use rakes. They don't seem to make quite as much noise, nor do they burn mixed gas for those abominable two-strokes.

Our sales tax here is presently 12%, possibly going down to 10% depending on the result of a pending referendum.

I think where Jules is the tax is even higher than that.


----------



## jules4

Yup, HST just went up to 15% last year. Successive previous lib and con governments ran the province into the ground so as to avoid making unpopular cuts. Funny thing is it's now our first ever "socialist" (i.e., NDP) government that's talking some austerity measures to get us out of this mess. 

Everyone's pinning their hopes on more energy development of course - it's the offshore drilling that's keeping our butts afloat, now their hoping to add fracking to the mix.

I like rakes. A good honest tool, rakes.


----------



## BigJim

jules4 said:


> Yup, HST just went up to 15% last year. Successive previous lib and con governments ran the province into the ground so as to avoid making unpopular cuts. Funny thing is it's now our first ever "socialist" (i.e., NDP) government that's talking some austerity measures to get us out of this mess.
> 
> Everyone's pinning their hopes on more energy development of course - it's the offshore drilling that's keeping our butts afloat, now their hoping to add fracking to the mix.
> 
> I like rakes. A good honest tool, rakes.


Good gravy, it just about makes a person want to just throw their hands up in the air and give up. If they were using that money for the people it sure would make it a little easier to swallow. I hate politicians, (I may have said that before:whistling2. Here when a politician is elected to office, they get the same pay for the rest of their life, as they get in office, they have their own medical insurance and the whole ball of wax. The sad part is all they have to do is get elected one time. OK, I'm through now.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, it just about makes a person want to just throw their hands up in the air and give up. If they were using that money for the people it sure would make it a little easier to swallow. I hate politicians, (I may have said that before:whistling2. Here when a politician is elected to office, they get the same pay for the rest of their life, as they get in office, they have their own medical insurance and the whole ball of wax. The sad part is all they have to do is get elected one time. OK, I'm through now.


Here too Jim. Shouldn't it be the guys and gals risking their lives for our country who get excellent benefits for the rest of their lives? If I'm not mistaken, the politicians children don't have to pay back their student loans either. 

It's bass ackwards.

We have 6% sales tax on everything except for food. Food at restaurants is taxed. A year or so ago, they were talking about adding a tax to some services as well - tanning, haircuts, etc.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Here too Jim. Shouldn't it be the guys and gals risking their lives for our country who get excellent benefits for the rest of their lives? If I'm not mistaken, the politicians children don't have to pay back their student loans either.
> 
> It's bass ackwards.
> 
> We have 6% sales tax on everything except for food. Food at restaurants is taxed. A year or so ago, they were talking about adding a tax to some services as well - tanning, haircuts, etc.


You are right, but the kids who are fighting to protect the USA are at the bottom rung, the politicians just don't care as long as they can get theirs.

What really burns me up is they have already spent the money for SS and other programs for their little pet projects that have lined their and their friends pockets. Now they are wanting to cut the budget from the very things they have spent the money from. Why is the budget having to be cut, because the idiots have spent all the money that was set aside for these services. 

Anytime in history that the government said they had a surplus, it was money set aside for programs like SS and the likes. They stole that money for their little projects and now they want us to bale them out. Isn't that just too cool, they steal us blind then want to tax us to pay AGAIN for the programs that we already paid for. Or they want to cut the money that is supposed to be for that program. OK OK, I will shut up now. My blood pressure just spiked.


----------



## cocobolo

I like the new avatar...fracking I'm not so sure about.


----------



## jules4

Thanks - I liked your idea of letting people see who they're talking to.

I don't like fracking much - but I'd be happier about it if the companies would stop claiming that it's impossible for fracking to affect the ground water (while quietly paying for water treatment systems for those whose wells they've quite obviously screwed up). I like my environmental hazards clearly acknowledged so that they can be addressed.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Thanks - I liked your idea of letting people see who they're talking to.
> 
> I don't like fracking much - but I'd be happier about it if the companies would stop claiming that it's impossible for fracking to affect the ground water (while quietly paying for water treatment systems for those whose wells they've quite obviously screwed up). I like my environmental hazards clearly acknowledged so that they can be addressed.


Last year the new people on the island here came from Alberta. He was very familiar with the oil patch and is pretty knowledgeable about the various drilling methods and fracking.

There is no doubt that because of the very nature of fracking that it is nearly impossible NOT to have the water affected. There was a gal talking on CBC radio several weeks ago whose well was contaminated - along with several others in her area - and she was going after the oil companies for compensation, but mainly to get an admission of the problem.

How would you like to be able to take water from your tap, put it in a bottle with a cap, give it a good shake and let it sit for awhile. Take the lid off and light the resulting gas - BOOM!


----------



## cocobolo

A few days ago we had this odd evening sky...these are a couple of the pics I got just looking in slightly different directions.


----------



## cocobolo

Today I was outside doing some tile sealing, and this guy came and plunked himself (or herself) down beside me.


----------



## cocobolo

After Bud's advice about sealing the edges of the tiles, and after having found out what a total PITA it is to do that AFTER the tiles have been set, I came up with this system to speed up the process.

I made this giant economy size lazy Susan as the base for a Dobsonion telescope several years ago. Nothing like a little recycling, so I used it to stack a couple of boxes of octagonal tiles on.

Then go at one side with the sealer, rotate to the next edge until you're done. Works like a hot diggity damn!

Incidentally, out of the first four boxes of tile I opened, there was only one broken tile. This is the old batch, pretty good quality.

I did another two boxes right on the bench, but you can't turn them around...too heavy.


----------



## cocobolo

I've been busy doing more checking into the saltillo tiles/setting/sealing/grouting over the past few evenings, and thus far it seems that there hasn't been TOO many mistakes.

Lots of controversy over which type of grout you should use, and for anyone contemplating laying some of these tiles, it largely has to do with how big the tile spacing is.

My gap is considerably less than what is recommended (one of the boo-boos). I was trying for a 5/16" spacing, and that is generally what I got, but the irregularity in the tile sizes makes it impossible to maintain an even gap. Half an inch is the current recommendation, and for that gap there is special grout made. 

Apparently, there are two main colors - but 48 custom colors are also available, presumably at a higher price. Further to that, I understand that the sand used to make the grout for the larger spacing is slightly coarser. 

Not only that, but unlike regular grout (which is what I have...cringe) it comes in 50 lb. bags. Given the width and depth of the grout lines that makes sense. 

I ended up getting Terra Cotta grout which is good up to, but not over, a half inch spacing. It comes in the standard 25 lb. bags. I guess this way they can get you for more money.

The second coat of edge sealer should be dry tomorrow, so it looks like I can't procrastinate any further on the grouting. :huh:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> A few days ago we had this odd evening sky...these are a couple of the pics I got just looking in slightly different directions.


Did you have a rain storm from these clouds? Nice pics!

Stacking the tiles on a lazy susan was a stroke of genius! What a great time saver.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Did you have a rain storm from these clouds? Nice pics!
> 
> Stacking the tiles on a lazy susan was a stroke of genius! What a great time saver.


We have had very little rain lately, although we are under constant threat. There is a very light shower happening right now though, which will make the missus happy if it does any good on the garden.


----------



## BigJim

Those are some pretty pictures. In the first picture are the different colors caused form different levels of clouds, one being higher so the sun shines under and the other layer the sun shines over? I love the mountains in the back ground also.

Keith, do ya'll raise your own vegetables? I wish Judy and I lived out in the sticks, we would have a garden, chickens, a pig or two and maybe a cow. I am just a country boy and just love the country life but we don't live in the country now. Next year I hope we can raise a garden and I am going to get a couple of chickens. They say we can have a couple but no roosters, I hate that, I love to hear the roosters crow in the morning.


----------



## cocobolo

I think you have it right on the cloud thing Jim. With this strange weather we've been having lately we just never know what's coming up.

Veggies for sure...I think the missus has growing right now, broad beans, runner beans, french beans, leeks, lettuce, carrots, beets, about 20 or so different herbs, artichokes, peas, strawberries, raspberries, three different kinds of apples, grapes and even a few free growing spuds in one of the compost piles.

One of the neighbours here had chickens and a rooster a few years ago (the guy with the leaf blowers) but the local residents in his bay didn't like the 5 am wake up call every morning from the rooster and they threatened to kill the damn thing if he didn't get rid of it.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is really a nice garden, there is nothing like eating fresh vegetables out of your own garden especially when you know there isn't all the poison on them. The tomatoes we get here from the store I won't even eat at all, they have no taste and cost almost twice as much as ground beef. Hopefully next year we will have a garden, although it will be small.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, that is really a nice garden, there is nothing like eating fresh vegetables out of your own garden especially when you know there isn't all the poison on them. The tomatoes we get here from the store I won't even eat at all, they have no taste and cost almost twice as much as ground beef. Hopefully next year we will have a garden, although it will be small.


...aaah, tomatoes, I forgot the tomatoes. She always gets a bumper crop and they're looking good so far. Forgot the apricots as well...:jester:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Here too Jim. Shouldn't it be the guys and gals risking their lives for our country who get excellent benefits for the rest of their lives? If I'm not mistaken, the politicians children don't have to pay back their student loans either.
> 
> It's bass ackwards.
> 
> We have 6% sales tax on everything except for food. Food at restaurants is taxed. A year or so ago, they were talking about adding a tax to some services as well - tanning, haircuts, etc.


Barb: Several years ago I was talking to a retired U.S.Forces chap down on Salt Spring Island. I would guess he was perhaps in his late 30's. At the time he was drawing a lifetime pension paying him $3,800 (U.S.) per month.

This would have been at least 10 years ago, so if his pension is indexed, I would say he was pretty much set for life.


----------



## drtbk4ever

cocobolo said:


> A few days ago we had this odd evening sky...these are a couple of the pics I got just looking in slightly different directions.


Nice...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, do ya'll eat fried green tomatoes up your way? I love them things, I could eat a bunch of them right now. The stores here don't cut ya any slack because the tomatoes are green.

Talking about different things to eat, have you ever had chocolate gravy and home made biscuits? Man talk about good, that is some fine eating right there.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, do ya'll eat fried green tomatoes up your way? I love them things, I could eat a bunch of them right now. The stores here don't cut ya any slack because the tomatoes are green.
> 
> Talking about different things to eat, have you ever had chocolate gravy and home made biscuits? Man talk about good, that is some fine eating right there.


I gotta admit Jim...you sure do have an adventuresome diet!


----------



## cocobolo

Happy Independence Day!

Enjoy your holiday south of the border.


----------



## Bud Cline

> I made this giant economy size *lazy Susan* as the base for a Dobsonion telescope several years ago. Nothing like a little recycling, so I used it to stack a couple of boxes of octagonal tiles on.


Ah-h-h-h-h! Brilliant minds think alike.:yes:
A few years ago when the tile sizes began increasing and it became necessary to not only spread thinset on the substrate but to also skim-coat the backs of each tile with thinset to account for the large tiles and the warping there of I built a lazy Susan to skim-coat the backs of the tiles. Works like a champ. That particular little home made tool is one of my "trade secrets", so don't tell anybody about it.

In all honesty I never thought about using it to stack tiles for edge-sealing. THAT is an excellent idea.


----------



## Bud Cline

Yet another rant.

Seems that here in Nebraska state park attendance has been dwindling so in an attempt to increase usage and attendance (and fee revenue) the Legislature just this year passed a law (once again) allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the parks and public use areas. This had been outlawed maybe a decade ago. Attendance has been dwindling because (according to local word of mouth) the damned parks have become overrun with droves of (outsiders) having fiesta after fiesta. The parks just haven't been that safe for a long time. The prohibition wasn't working of course but the laws also weren't being enforced so the parks have become a dangerous place to be in some cases. Especially after dark.

Rather than enforce the rules and weed out the rowdies so that decent people could use the facilities safely the Legislature with all of their genius and foresight and undeniable wisdom decided allowing booze back in the parks was the thing to do.

This week end at the lake develop my son and I went to two weeks ago a twelve year old and a nineteen year from the Carolinas were killed. They were run-over by an intoxicated pontoon boat operator.:furious:


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Yet another rant.
> 
> Seems that here in Nebraska state park attendance has been dwindling so in an attempt to increase usage and attendance (and fee revenue) the Legislature just this year passed a law (once again) allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the parks and public use areas. This had been outlawed maybe a decade ago. Attendance has been dwindling because (according to local word of mouth) the damned parks have become overrun with droves of (outsiders) having fiesta after fiesta. The parks just haven't been that safe for a long time. The prohibition wasn't working of course but the laws also weren't being enforced so the parks have become a dangerous place to be in some cases. Especially after dark.
> 
> Rather than enforce the rules and weed out the rowdies so that decent people could use the facilities safely the Legislature with all of their genius and foresight and undeniable wisdom decided allowing booze back in the parks was the thing to do.
> 
> This week end at the lake develop my son and I went to two weeks ago a twelve year old and a nineteen year from the Carolinas were killed. They were run-over by an intoxicated pontoon boat operator.:furious:


Good gravy, that was a bad call, I am glad to say that would not go on for a second here. These ole boys down this way get serious about drinking in parks and on the water, they will lock you up in a heart beat. Maybe the law up your way thinks it can make more money off fines for drunks. The intelligence of politicians never cease to amaze me.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Ah-h-h-h-h! Brilliant minds think alike.:yes:
> A few years ago when the tile sizes began increasing and it became necessary to not only spread thinset on the substrate but to also skim-coat the backs of each tile with thinset to account for the large tiles and the warping there of I built a lazy Susan to skim-coat the backs of the tiles. Works like a champ. That particular little home made tool is one of my "trade secrets", so don't tell anybody about it.
> 
> In all honesty I never thought about using it to stack tiles for edge-sealing. THAT is an excellent idea.


Bud, after trying to seal the edges of the tiles which were already set, I knew I should have done the edges at the very least.

Now I have a conveyor belt system going, where I do the edges, then shift the tiles out onto a set of boards which holds about 40 tiles. 

On days like today - YES I'm pleased to say we are having sun all day - sealing the face of the tiles with two coats takes but a few minutes. 
Why is it that you learn all these things a year too late?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Why is it that you learn all these things a year too late?


:wallbash:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Why is it that you learn all these things a year too late?
> 
> :wallbash:


Must have something to do with needing a year's experience to find all the mistakes we can make...!


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it seems the missus has done something untoward to her leg and she's all but immobile.

I told her this flagrant attempt at trying to get sympathy will only work for so long...like about 15 minutes. :wink:

So I needed to whip over to town this afternoon for a few items from the House of Pot for an outdoor shower I am building up by the hot tub. OK, while I am there would I mind just picking up a "couple" of things. Remember that word "couple" that she used referring to plants last year? Same thing with the groceries. I darn near got writer's cramp making up the list. 

Last week we did a major cleanup down in the bay, and she thinks that she did the damage then moving too much stuff to the fire. We'll see what a "couple" of days rest does for it. :huh:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, it seems the missus has done something untoward to her leg and she's all but immobile.
> 
> I told her this flagrant attempt at trying to get sympathy will only work for so long...like about 15 minutes. :wink:
> 
> So I needed to whip over to town this afternoon for a few items from the House of Pot for an outdoor shower I am building up by the hot tub. OK, while I am there would I mind just picking up a "couple" of things. Remember that word "couple" that she used referring to plants last year? Same thing with the groceries. I darn near got writer's cramp making up the list.
> 
> Last week we did a major cleanup down in the bay, and she thinks that she did the damage then moving too much stuff to the fire. We'll see what a "couple" of days rest does for it. :huh:


Tell your sweety that we hope she gets to feeling much better soon.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> OK, while I am there would I mind just picking up a "couple" of things. Remember that word "couple" that she used referring to plants last year? Same thing with the groceries. I darn near got writer's cramp making up the list.


....:laughing:

I hope her leg is feeling better today. It would be a shame to not get out and enjoy the summer weather.

Are you going to get the hot tub up and running once the shower is in?


----------



## tpolk

Bud, always laughed at braille on atm drive thru, I'm guessin used for walk up also


----------



## cocobolo

Well, thank you both for your kind words for the missus. When I arrived back here last night, she was firmly ensconced in bed, still not exactly on top of the world.

This morning I've been attending to a few chores, including delivering the mandatory cup of tea while she's still in bed. Another gorgeous day here so even if she can just get outside to enjoy the sun that will help.

A "couple" (there's that word again) of nights ago, I took some pics of what I would call a very gentle sunset. One is shot over the bay, and the other from out front. I added the third just to show the crescent moon.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yet another rant.
> 
> Seems that here in Nebraska state park attendance has been dwindling so in an attempt to increase usage and attendance (and fee revenue) the Legislature just this year passed a law (once again) allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the parks and public use areas. This had been outlawed maybe a decade ago. Attendance has been dwindling because (according to local word of mouth) the damned parks have become overrun with droves of (outsiders) having fiesta after fiesta. The parks just haven't been that safe for a long time. The prohibition wasn't working of course but the laws also weren't being enforced so the parks have become a dangerous place to be in some cases. Especially after dark.
> 
> Rather than enforce the rules and weed out the rowdies so that decent people could use the facilities safely the Legislature with all of their genius and foresight and undeniable wisdom decided allowing booze back in the parks was the thing to do.
> 
> This week end at the lake develop my son and I went to two weeks ago a twelve year old and a nineteen year from the Carolinas were killed. They were run-over by an intoxicated pontoon boat operator.:furious:


Ahh, yes...booze and boats, terrible combination.

Here it is the same offense as driving a car while intoxicated. I hope you can tell us that the idiot is now in jail...although that certainly does nothing to bring back those he killed.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> Bud, always laughed at braille on atm drive thru, I'm guessin used for walk up also


I certainly hope you don't want to see a blind person _driving_ up to an ATM!!!


----------



## tpolk

seems to be quite a few on the road anyways :no:


----------



## cocobolo

Last night as I was arriving back here, it looked like we might be getting a decent sunset. Managed to get the groceries and the rest of the paraphernalia up the bank just in time to try a few shots.

One again with the crescent moon - note that it is higher in the sky even though the pic was taken at about the same time.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> seems to be quite a few on the road anyways :no:


You definitely do have a point there!!! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Back in a minute with a couple of pics of the shower construction underway, and the tile sealing setup in terrible working conditions. :no:


----------



## cocobolo

The morning view from the bedroom deck. Yesterdays tiles still sitting there.


----------



## cocobolo

The best description of the shower behind the tub screen is probably "funky".

There's not a lot of room, and neither do I have much of a choice of materials to work with...so it's whatever is at hand and kind of a design as you go process.

Here's the small landing and steps as you exit from the tub deck.


----------



## cocobolo

Couple of shots from front and rear. The plan is to put a sheet of glass in the front.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the view from the shower...OK, I had to cheat and hold the camera up in the air.

Nothing a few minutes with the big pruners won't take care of. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Now, about those abominable working conditions...


----------



## Bud Cline

> Now, about those abominable working conditions...


Yow I feel terrible that you have to work under those conditions. The mental anguish must be unbearable at times.

Here's hoping the Mrs. heals quickly. If you had a blower you could keep the pathways clear for her in her time of need.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yow I feel terrible that you have to work under those conditions. The mental anguish must be unbearable at times.
> 
> Here's hoping the Mrs. heals quickly. If you had a blower you could keep the pathways clear for her in her time of need.


Bud, you have no idea the strain it puts me under...all this sunshine,  and the girls coming by in their kayaks, :thumbsup: and the bikini clad babes out on Long Point :thumbup:...it's awful I tell ya.

As for _our_ pathways, we use one of those old fashioned rake thingies. Never runs out of gas either!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The morning view from the bedroom deck. Yesterdays tiles still sitting there.


Awwwww man, what a view. The gentle sunsets are so comforting. I can just imagine camping out right there at the waters edge, seeing the sunset at evening an waking up to that fantastic view and smelling bacon and coffee. Man, I think I am going to cry, and you get to see that all the time.

It is just amazing at how much ya'll have accomplished from when you first set foot on your island.

By the way, do ya'll have bull frogs up your way? There is nothing like fried frog legs, thicknen gravy, biscuits and eggs for breakfast while out camping or any other time for that matter.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, you have no idea the strain it puts me under...all this sunshine,  and the girls coming by in their kayaks, :thumbsup: and the bikini clad babes out on Long Point :thumbup:...it's awful I tell ya.


Okay hold on, I'll be right back. I have to run into town and buy a sympathy card.


----------



## gma2rjc

Yeah, that has to be pretty rough working under those conditions. :laughing: After the kind of winter you guys had, you probably appreciate the weather and the view that much more.

The view from the outside shower isn't going to be too shabby either!

THAT'S a smart way to set up tile out there. How is it that you can have such a long run of tiles between the two saw horses? As heavy as the tiles must be, it seems like you'd need a 3rd saw horse in the middle.

Jim, I'm curious about something. When you cut off the frog legs, what do you do with the rest of the frog? 

It reminds me of the cartoon drawing of a man ordering frog legs in a restaurant. In the background is a couple of legless frogs pushing themselves through the room, in wheelchairs. :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Yeah, that has to be pretty rough working under those conditions. :laughing: After the kind of winter you guys had, you probably appreciate the weather and the view that much more.
> 
> The view from the outside shower isn't going to be too shabby either!
> 
> THAT'S a smart way to set up tile out there. How is it that you can have such a long run of tiles between the two saw horses? As heavy as the tiles must be, it seems like you'd need a 3rd saw horse in the middle.
> 
> Jim, I'm curious about something. When you cut off the frog legs, what do you do with the rest of the frog?
> 
> It reminds me of the cartoon drawing of a man ordering frog legs in a restaurant. In the background is a couple of legless frogs pushing themselves through the room, in wheelchairs. :laughing:


Throw the rest of the frog away, the legs are pretty big or we don't fool with them. I have shot frogs with legs as big as a chicken drumstick. Talk about throwing away some of the animal or what ever it is, I wanted to try some crabs and say a sign where they were $.50 each. I told the lady I wanted to try one. (This was back in the 60s) She brought me one and I asked her how to eat it, well she tore that thing all to pieces and dug out a little chunk of meat about the size of a thimble. I made the statement, "you mean that thing gave its life for that little dab of meat?"


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Okay hold on, I'll be right back. I have to run into town and buy a sympathy card.


Gee, thanks Bud...I'll email you my mailing address. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

By the way, do ya'll have bull frogs up your way? There is nothing like fried frog legs, thicknen gravy, biscuits and eggs for breakfast while out camping or any other time for that matter.[/quote]

If you're talking about the American Bullfrog, then no, we don't have it on Ruxton.

However, it has found its' way to Vancouver Island where it has become a serious pest in many of the lakes. So c'mon up and help yourself to all the frogs legs you might care to! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Barb, I have the tiles sitting on 2 x 10's about 14 feet long, so they're pretty strong. But you're right...they do sag a little in the middle.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Barb, I have the tiles sitting on 2 x 10's about 14 feet long, so they're pretty strong. But you're right...they do sag a little in the middle.


Not much considering the distance and amount of weight.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> By the way, do ya'll have bull frogs up your way? There is nothing like fried frog legs, thicknen gravy, biscuits and eggs for breakfast while out camping or any other time for that matter.


If you're talking about the American Bullfrog, then no, we don't have it on Ruxton.

However, it has found its' way to Vancouver Island where it has become a serious pest in many of the lakes. So c'mon up and help yourself to all the frogs legs you might care to! :yes:[/quote]

Keith, I sure wish those frogs were down this way, on a good night it was hard to get 25 good frogs. If you can find them in a store here they will sell for around $9-$10 a pound.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> If you're talking about the American Bullfrog, then no, we don't have it on Ruxton.
> 
> However, it has found its' way to Vancouver Island where it has become a serious pest in many of the lakes. So c'mon up and help yourself to all the frogs legs you might care to! :yes:


Keith, I sure wish those frogs were down this way, on a good night it was hard to get 25 good frogs. If you can find them in a store here they will sell for around $9-$10 a pound.[/quote]
Pretty pricey for an old frog!

The Provincial Government hired a specialist to try and reduce the Bullfrog population a couple of years ago. They did a segment on the operation on local TV which was quite interesting.

Maybe I should make a deal with the guy to buy all he gets for .10 cents a pound and ship 'em down your way. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Close sail by this morning...these folks just wanted to have a closer look at the place. He's pretty close in for a boat over 40' long.


----------



## cocobolo

I don't much care what I use for an excuse to quit work at the end of the day. So this evening it was a double whammy. I ran out of stain in the can, and the Ruxton Air Force (read mozzies here) came out looking for blood!


----------



## cocobolo

I did get a roof frame up - of sorts - and I was kind of toying with the idea of putting some tempered glass up there as well as in front of the shower.

It looks like the curved wall on the deck has put the kibosh on that idea, so I will make a cedar shingle roof instead, keep it a bit more funky. 

There will be a short wall between the posts, you can see the 2 x 3 studs minus a top plate yet. I will strap that with whatever 1x's I can find and put cedar shingles on there as well.


----------



## cocobolo

Some time before sunset we had some promising looking clouds, well before sunset actually. So I thought of Bill and took a few pics.

Then I thought of Jim and messed with the color on the second one. Enjoy.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Some time before sunset we had some promising looking clouds, well before sunset actually. So I thought of Bill and took a few pics.
> 
> Then I thought of Jim and messed with the color on the second one. Enjoy.


My stars!!! That is absolutely gorgeous, I have never seen such a beautiful sunset. Thanks Keith.


----------



## Bud Cline

Cute! This must be a Nebraska joke.


http://webmail.inebraska.com/imp/vi....2&mimecache=e46f64160aec7b89885caf22f64913fa

http://webmail.inebraska.com/imp/vi....2&mimecache=e46f64160aec7b89885caf22f64913fa


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Cute! This must be a Nebraska joke.
> 
> 
> http://webmail.inebraska.com/imp/vi....2&mimecache=e46f64160aec7b89885caf22f64913fa


Bud...is that supposed to link to something? It's asking for my username and p/w.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud...is that supposed to link to something? It's asking for my username and p/w.


Yes, it's a cartoon. It works for me. Go figure. The link also contains the proper credits to the author and publisher, don't know why it wouldn't work.
No big deal just thought it was funny.:jester:


----------



## scotzilla

pretty nice sunset! doesnt get much better than that


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## Bud Cline

> Bud...is that supposed to link to something? It's asking for my username and p/w.


Now it no longer works for me either. Weird!


----------



## drtbk4ever

Great photos again Keith,

Give my best wishes to the better half.

So that sunset with the bright oranges is tinkered with? Regardless, that might even look better as a background on my iMac. I sent you an Email about it. Now you have to stop posting those photos because I already have a nice sunset photo, or two, or three.........

And what the heck is a House of Pot store? Is it as the name implies?


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith I have a question I know you can answer.

It is about 10:45 pm CDT where I am. I was outside listening to a _flock_ of coyotes passing through the area and I noticed the moon in the southwestern sky. It appears to be about a 5/8 moon.

Question: What would you be seeing when you look at the moon at this same time?


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Great photos again Keith,
> 
> Give my best wishes to the better half.
> 
> So that sunset with the bright oranges is tinkered with? Regardless, that might even look better as a background on my iMac. I sent you an Email about it. Now you have to stop posting those photos because I already have a nice sunset photo, or two, or three.........
> 
> And what the heck is a House of Pot store? Is it as the name implies?


Bill, I will send you that pic - and since you have a Mac, you can do it yourself in about 10 seconds. I'll explain that in the email

The House of Pot - Home of Pot, or Home DePot if you prefer...

Perhaps you would prefer the sky in blue for those quieter moments...


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Keith I have a question I know you can answer.
> 
> It is about 10:45 pm CDT where I am. I was outside listening to a _flock_ of coyotes passing through the area and I noticed the moon in the southwestern sky. It appears to be about a 5/8 moon.
> 
> Question: What would you be seeing when you look at the moon at this same time?


Now that is weird, I was thinking the exact same thing last night when looking at the moon. I noticed the moon in the picture and it was slimmer than here.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith I have a question I know you can answer.
> 
> It is about 10:45 pm CDT where I am. I was outside listening to a _flock_ of coyotes passing through the area and I noticed the moon in the southwestern sky. It appears to be about a 5/8 moon.
> 
> Question: What would you be seeing when you look at the moon at this same time?


Bud, from one new moon to the next takes _about_ 4 weeks, so roughly 1/2 moon change every week. In other words it goes from nothing to half, then full, then half and back to nothing, taking about a week for each.

Since we all get new moon (that's when you can't see the moon) at the same time, we should also get first quarter, full etc. at the same time.

I just took a peek at the moon here (9:45 local time) and it looks like about a day before first quarter, or just slightly less than half the moon showing.

This would make sense as first quarter is at 6:29 universal time tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Now that is weird, I was thinking the exact same thing last night when looking at the moon. I noticed the moon in the picture and it was slimmer than here.


Jim, I thought that would be a bit odd if the moon didn't look about the same for both of us at the same time, and then I noticed that the picture was a couple of days old before I posted it...that's why the crescent looked thinner.

Another astronomical mystery solved! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Taken at very close to 10:45 local time...


----------



## gma2rjc

Wow! Great pictures Keith! What lens did you use for the pic of the moon?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Wow! Great pictures Keith! What lens did you use for the pic of the moon?


Just the standard 70-300 zoom, set right out to 300. Put the camera on a tripod and used the remote shutter button. Otherwise it's difficult to get a clear picture.

Considering that the moon is nearly 1/4 million miles away, it's very easy for the slightest motion to make it blurry.

Incidentally, if you shut the flash off and leave it on auto, it doesn't work very well. The pic will be way overexposed. Leave the flash on and there seems to be enough light getting to the chip.

This is what happens without the flash and still on auto.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, we are on the same page, the moon looks like that here also. I thought for some reason it may look different at different locations. I have one of the atomic clock/thermometer/date/moon phase deals my uncle gave me and it is reading the same as your picture.

Buddy, your camera does take some fantastic pictures, I was going to ask you to take a picture of your camera but...:whistling2: (one of my more brilliant moments). Is photography one of your hobbies? If it isn't, it should be, you are really great at taking pictures.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Keith, we are on the same page, the moon looks like that here also.


Me too! Now I am really confused even though it has been explained.

Oh well...just a sudden curiosity.

Thank you Keith for the explanation, and the great photos.:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, we are on the same page, the moon looks like that here also. I thought for some reason it may look different at different locations. I have one of the atomic clock/thermometer/date/moon phase deals my uncle gave me and it is reading the same as your picture.
> 
> Buddy, your camera does take some fantastic pictures, I was going to ask you to take a picture of your camera but...:whistling2: (one of my more brilliant moments). Is photography one of your hobbies? If it isn't, it should be, you are really great at taking pictures.


Jim, the likelihood of the moon looking different from any two places on earth is extremely remote, with the exception of an eclipse of the moon.

Being, as it is, some 240,000 miles away from us (it varies every day) there could hardly be any angular difference from earth because we are so small - just 8,000miles across - give or take.

I took a photography course in about 1975 or so, back in the days of film...remember that? It was a combination course both of how to take photos and how to do the developing. Back in the day I had my own color darkroom, fortunately these days, we just push a couple of buttons and we're done.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Me too! Now I am really confused even though it has been explained.
> 
> Oh well...just a sudden curiosity.
> 
> Thank you Keith for the explanation, and the great photos.:thumbup:


Bud, my explanations always work for me, but not quite so often for others. If you can tell me what it is that you're having difficulty with, I'll give it a go from a different perspective.

Perhaps a post I just made about the distance the moon is from the earth will help you to understand why the moon almost always looks identical from anywhere on earth _at the same time._


----------



## cocobolo

OK, so while all you guys are worrying about the moon, I was working some more on the shower behind the tub today.

First thing was to get the roof and short wall strapped ready for shingling.


----------



## cocobolo

Now sometimes you have to get a little creative with things around here...and I wanted a source of hot water which wouldn't take forever to heat up and not necessarily have to rely on the sun, which has been in very short supply this year.

While trucking through the local Canadian Tire store a few weeks back, I spotted this cooker. I figured it would make a great water heater, soooooo...


----------



## cocobolo

I tested the cooker out last night for the first time. It holds 30 liters of water, just about right for a shower.

The gadget has a timer on it which will run for a maximum of 20 minutes, so I figured it might not take quite that long to heat the water to somewhere around 105º, so I turned the heat control down a bit, and knocked the timer back to about 15 minutes.

Went in for supper, and when I got back out the timer had done its' thing and shut the burner off as it is supposed to. I checked the water temperature with the supplied thermometer...150º...OUCH! No, I didn't stick my finger in it, I could see the steam rising. Wow, does this thing work quickly. Tonight (or maybe tomorrow) I will try just five minutes to see what happens.

Having a supply of hot water now requires us to have a pump to get it to the business end of things. 

I picked up this pump from Habitat a couple of years ago for $20. The money goes to a good cause, and besides a new one costs nearly $300! When I tested the pump it worked perfectly.


----------



## cocobolo

I did get around to chopping some of the arbutus bushes back, now the view is much better.


----------



## cocobolo

Something else around here which has been kicking around for some time is a few bundles of cedar shingles. We were up at the local re-cycler's a few years ago and they had a deal on which was too good to pass up.

You never know when these things might come in handy, and now was the time.


----------



## cocobolo

Because I wanted to do the funky shingles instead of just plain straight rows (boring), it took a little longer.

But I'm happy with the result and it looks OK when you are further away from the roof as well.


----------



## cocobolo

I kept putting off the staining of the floor and other bits just in case I was going to test everything out tonight. But in the end, I figured it was just as easy to do it now, at least everything will be dry enough to use tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

And at the end of the day I got the side wall shingled as well. 

I think just about all the woodworking is done, and now all that remains is to install the glass in front.

Oh yes, I found some more glass which I can use on top of the side wall as well. Another freebie I picked up about 10 years ago.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Jim, the likelihood of the moon looking different from any two places on earth is extremely remote, with the exception of an eclipse of the moon.
> 
> Being, as it is, some 240,000 miles away from us (it varies every day) there could hardly be any angular difference from earth because we are so small - just 8,000miles across - give or take.


There ya go !!!

That explains it. Makes perfect sense. The "perspective" angle was what I wasn't thinking about. 

Thanks again Keith.


Keith you learned about photography back when I did. You don't hear much (if anything) about "white cards", and "F-stops", and "depth of field" any more. The digital age seems to have taken all of the fun out of it. No one needs to know about magenta and cyan and all that weird stuff. A dark room is for sleeping these days. The crystal screens irritate me too, I prefer TTL viewing with "matched needle" focusing.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> There ya go !!!
> 
> That explains it. Makes perfect sense. The "perspective" angle was what I wasn't thinking about.
> 
> Thanks again Keith.
> 
> 
> Keith you learned about photography back when I did. You don't hear much (if anything) about "white cards", and "F-stops", and "depth of field" any more. The digital age seems to have taken all of the fun out of it. No one needs to know about magenta and cyan and all that weird stuff. A dark room is for sleeping these days. The crystal screens irritate me too, I prefer TTL viewing with "matched needle" focusing.


Today it's "white balance", no need to worry about 10 shades of grey. It's almost too easy...but things can still go wrong, especially at first when you aren't used to all the bells and whistles.


----------



## tpolk

my daughter does film mostly black and white and digital doesnt touch it for feel and character. Keith I hope you get to look at your place with fresh eyes once in awhile so you can see what we see. truly heart warming work on your house. timothy


----------



## drtbk4ever

Love the shingle pattern. Looks great.

And when you are done with the "water heater" you could have a crab boil. Or better yet, you could fill it up with oil and deep fry your turkey for Thanksgiving.


----------



## BigJim

You are an amazing man Keith, that does look good. I have always loved the cedar shake look and have done my share of roofing with them. Back a number of years a couple of my buddies and myself built a log cabin from scratch way back out in the sticks, no electricity or generator, all by hand. 

Skinning logs by hand is some kind of dirty work and a shower sure was nice to have. One of the fellows had soldered a shower head in the bottom of a metal garbage can with a shut off valve. There was an old black cast iron kettle there by the little branch that flowed through the place to heat the water by. One of the fellows had build a set of steps up to the top of the metal garbage can that set over a little outhouse looking building to fill the can by. Man I can tell you that was one of the best showers I ever had at the end of a day. 

Now that you have explained about the moon, I understand, I appreciate that buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> my daughter does film mostly black and white and digital doesnt touch it for feel and character. Keith I hope you get to look at your place with fresh eyes once in awhile so you can see what we see. truly heart warming work on your house. timothy


You know Tim, if there is to be any future for film, I have a hunch it will be black and white. 

It might be a case of one step forward and two steps back to the age of film. However, the old standard color film has gone the way of the Dodo and isn't likely to return. Everybody is in too much of a hurry today and everything has to be instant, or we don't seem to be interested.

And many thanks for your comment about looking with fresh eyes. Honestly, I never thought about that. I guess from just being here all the time everything is "old hat" now. Maybe that is why we get so many comments from the passing kayakers and boaters - they haven't seen it before.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Love the shingle pattern. Looks great.
> 
> And when you are done with the "water heater" you could have a crab boil. Or better yet, you could fill it up with oil and deep fry your turkey for Thanksgiving.


You know something Bill...this thing is marketed as a crab cooker. The instructions inside also tell you exactly how to do your turkey as well! You don't by chance have one already yourself, do you?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You are an amazing man Keith, that does look good. I have always loved the cedar shake look and have done my share of roofing with them. Back a number of years a couple of my buddies and myself built a log cabin from scratch way back out in the sticks, no electricity or generator, all by hand.
> 
> Skinning logs by hand is some kind of dirty work and a shower sure was nice to have. One of the fellows had soldered a shower head in the bottom of a metal garbage can with a shut off valve. There was an old black cast iron kettle there by the little branch that flowed through the place to heat the water by. One of the fellows had build a set of steps up to the top of the metal garbage can that set over a little outhouse looking building to fill the can by. Man I can tell you that was one of the best showers I ever had at the end of a day.
> 
> Now that you have explained about the moon, I understand, I appreciate that buddy.


Not amazing Jim...just stubborn.

I'm going to add a small gutter to the fascia board on that little roof and put a big bucket under it to catch the rain. That way there will be a little extra water caught for the shower. 

I'm contemplating putting a bread box type water heater at the top of that roof as well. I could use an old propane tank for it...one more thing I could re-cycle. After 10 years you either have to get the tanks re-certified or chuck them.


----------



## Westernd00d

Inspiring project you have there.


----------



## cocobolo

Westernd00d said:


> Inspiring project you have there.


Thank you...and welcome to the site.

Where abouts are you from Westernd00d? Just curious to see if you are from anywhere in my area.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim...I can use the wife's camera to take a pic of mine with the accessories tomorrow if the weather holds. Never thought about that until just a few minutes ago. 

Apparently, we are supposed to be back with clouds and possible showers tomorrow. I guess I should try and make some sort of gutter for that shower this evening, just in case.

I got all the glass in the shower after I stained the window framing and figured that was about done. Then about half an hour ago a pretty fair southerly wind came up, and I noticed there was quite a draft coming in the left side of the shower - so tomorrow I will need to run a row of shingles down that side to plug the rather large hole. Other than that it seems fine.


----------



## cocobolo

Thought I better get a shot of the side windows before I forget about it. All the glass is in now.


----------



## gma2rjc

That looks fabulous Keith. 

I have a question for you if you don't mind. How do you go about designing things like the shower, or any of the other unique things you've built there. 

Do you look at any given area and picture what would fit or look nice there and design it on paper? Or, for example, do you start with an idea, picture it in your head, think about the materials you have on hand, make a few measurements and build it as you go?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That looks fabulous Keith.
> 
> I have a question for you if you don't mind. How do you go about designing things like the shower, or any of the other unique things you've built there.
> 
> Do you look at any given area and picture what would fit or look nice there and design it on paper? Or, for example, do you start with an idea, picture it in your head, think about the materials you have on hand, make a few measurements and build it as you go?


Hmmmm, well, in this case we knew we wanted a shower near the tub which was easy to access from the master bedroom as well. Since the tub deck was already built and there was just a small space behind the wall on the deck, the location was pretty much cast in stone before I started.

As you already know, I did build a door into the wall there to exit the deck, so the location of the steps was pre determined.

Then it was a matter of looking around to see what materials I had on hand, the glass for instance - which determined the width of the shower - and then what the view would be as to how far forward I would make the shower deck go. Am I making any sense?

I could have shifted the shower another 3 or 4 feet forward, but then it would have been too obvious and stuck out like a sore thumb, and I really didn't want that. So in this case, it kind of sorted itself out as it went along.

I didn't want anything fancy here at all, just kinda funky. The other outside shower down at the studio is a funky one as well, so they go together just fine I think.

The rest of the available materials determined how everything from the floor up went together. Things like shingles determined the roof. I happened to luck out with the glass on the side wall, so that part took care of itself. And everything that we stain outside is the same colour. If you keep everything stained like that, it helps the whole design remain cohesive.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hmmmm, well, in this case we knew we wanted a shower near the tub which was easy to access from the master bedroom as well. Since the tub deck was already built and there was just a small space behind the wall on the deck, the location was pretty much cast in stone before I started.
> 
> As you already know, I did build a door into the wall there to exit the deck, so the location of the steps was pre determined.
> 
> Then it was a matter of looking around to see what materials I had on hand, the glass for instance - which determined the width of the shower - and then what the view would be as to how far forward I would make the shower deck go. Am I making any sense?
> 
> I could have shifted the shower another 3 or 4 feet forward, but then it would have been too obvious and stuck out like a sore thumb, and I really didn't want that. So in this case, it kind of sorted itself out as it went along.
> 
> I didn't want anything fancy here at all, just kinda funky. The other outside shower down at the studio is a funky one as well, so they go together just fine I think.
> 
> The rest of the available materials determined how everything from the floor up went together. Things like shingles determined the roof. I happened to luck out with the glass on the side wall, so that part took care of itself. And everything that we stain outside is the same colour. If you keep everything stained like that, it helps the whole design remain cohesive.


That makes sense, just a couple of questions, how do you dress off the top run of the cedar shingles on a shed roof? I have never roofed a shed roof with shakes. Another question is: in the winter how do you get the water out of the lines to keep the pipes from busting? I like the continued theme of your shower with the rest of your home but your definition of funky and mine are different.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, at the moment, the top row of shingles was just cut in a straight line with a jigsaw. If I ever remember, I will get a piece of flashing and stick it on top - about 4" wide or so. That would keep any rain from sneaking into the first row or two.

I could also nail two pieces of thin cedar together and use that, in fact maybe that's what I will do since the likelihood of me actually getting some flashing is about zero.

Considering that this is a _shower_, I don't suppose it makes much difference really.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, a little photography equipment to get out of the way before this evenings pics...

This is a 70-300 Sigma macro zoom. The macro part works between 200 and 300 mm only. Several of the guys in the astronomy club have these lenses.


----------



## cocobolo

If you need more power than that, the easiest way to get it is to hook up your camera to a telescope. Special adapters are made for specific cameras which will always be DSLR's.

This one has the electronic connections on it which permits you to see when the telescope is in focus. You cannot tell that just by looking through the camera.

Prime focus simply means the focal length of the telescope in question.

You could use this adapter on any 'scope with a 2" barrel.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the wife's Power Shot G9 which I used to take the pics of my camera with. It actually has a bigger chip than my DSLR, 12.1 megs, mine is 10.1 megs. I think Barb has a much newer version which is even bigger yet. Some people have all the luck!


----------



## cocobolo

When you hook up the camera to a 'scope, it's handy to know what sort of power you're dealing with. The tag on the Celestron C4R shows a focal length of 1,000 mm, so that is what it will be at prime focus.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the adapter in the 'scope, it just pushes right in until it stops, then you snug up the two setscrews to hold it in place. The camera twists onto the adapter when you want to use it.

I did take a pic of the camera on it with the wife's camera, but I was too close. Fuzzy pic. That's one of the limitations of a point and shoot. My fault.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the Canon Xti on one of the tripods. I use this one for quickie type stuff because it's so easy to set up and use.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a couple of hoods for light control. If you're shooting anywhere toward the sun or other bright light, the hood helps to keep stray light out and reflections off the camera.


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## cocobolo

This one is a 70-300 Canon zoom, very similar to the Sigma except it isn't macro, and the price for this one is way higher. I think they like to tell you that the Canon lenses are superior in quality...but most of us couldn't see the difference, including me.


----------



## cocobolo

Because the missus is having trouble walking, to say the least, I've been doing the garden watering. Took the camera down and got some pics this evening. 

A couple here of one of the foxgloves which volunteered itself. Second pic caught a bee on one of the flowers.


----------



## cocobolo

Don't know what this one is, but it's growing in the Japanese garden.


----------



## cocobolo

And considering there has been _no_ water in that garden, this ornamental grass isn't doing so bad. It's taller than I am.


----------



## cocobolo

Up in the top garden, the missus has a couple of nice lilies just coming out.


----------



## cocobolo

This looks like big daisies and some kinda yellow flowers behind. Can't fool me that easy!


----------



## cocobolo

The missus has this lovely rose bush out by the front door to the house. One of the blooms is poking its' head between the Lexan and the handrail, and the other one is on top.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I made the small gutter for the shower and put two coats of white sealer on the inside. Let that dry and stained it to match everything else.


----------



## cocobolo

And the last thing I did today was to fill in that unsightly gap alongside the shower.

I didn't think that the regular shingles would look that great, so I did a little shaping and put them in like so.

And yes, I finally got to test out the shower this evening...aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

I still need to make a seat to put your foot on, add a switch to the pump and maybe make a glass door for the back.

Then clean out all the old junk wood and add some sort of tidy pathway around the side of the shower so we can go either out the front or back.


----------



## jules4

Holy $%$^ that's some nice camera equipment dude!

I'm hoping to get a Pentax digital SLR someday (a Pentax specifically because their digital cameras are compatible with old Pentax lenses, and my dad has a few nice lenses hanging around that I plan to make off with :shifty.


----------



## jules4

That deck is seriously to die for btw - the glued up railings are exquisite.


----------



## gma2rjc

Jules, when you buy that camera, let me know. I have a 70-300 mm 1:4-5:6 LDO macro lens and a Quantaray 2X AF teleconverter I'll give you. I have an old Pentax SLR film camera that doesn't work anymore and have no use for the lenses. There are a couple other lenses too.

Keith, your bride certainly has a green thumb. The flowers are gorgeous. It's nice that you're keeping them watered for her. 

I love the shape of the shingles covering the gap. The whole shower structure looks terrific. 

Barb


----------



## BigJim

I couldn't say it any better than Jules or Barb did, gooooood grief buddy, you don't do anything half way that is for sure. I was going to say I would love to follow you around for a year or two but there is no way I could keep up with you. Once again I say, you are an amazing man Keith, thank you for taking the time to share your pictures and explain how they work, just amazing. 

I really do like the fish scale shingles, ( I really do like it all) they really do top it off nicely.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, a little photography equipment to get out of the way before this evenings pics...
> 
> This is a 70-300 Sigma macro zoom. The macro part works between 200 and 300 mm only. Several of the guys in the astronomy club have these lenses.


I had to go back and look again, the lens are very impressive, that is a given but what really caught my eye is your rail the lens is sitting on, that is so pretty you just want to hug it.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Holy $%$^ that's some nice camera equipment dude!
> 
> I'm hoping to get a Pentax digital SLR someday (a Pentax specifically because their digital cameras are compatible with old Pentax lenses, and my dad has a few nice lenses hanging around that I plan to make off with :shifty.


It's shame that most manufacturers didn't adopt the Pentax idea. I suppose they figured that - new camera - new lenses - bigger sales - more profits.

Is the Pentax body similarly priced to the Canon do you know?

I wonder if some enterprising aftermarket manufacturer hasn't made up adapters for the old lenses to the new mounts.

Back when Noah was _considering_ building the ark, I had an old GAF L-17 film camera (SLR). It was almost identical to the Pentax...in fact it was so close (probably a clone) that it was hard to tell the difference.

With the new DSLR cameras and lenses, there is the electronic lens feature to consider. The old lenses did not have the electronic automatic focus if I recall rightly.

The main feature of the prime focus adapter for the telescope is the electronic focus indicator. Obviously it cannot focus a telescope, but as you bring the 'scope into focus, the adapter signals the camera when this is done and blinks red lights so you know.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I had to go back and look again, the lens are very impressive, that is a given but what really caught my eye is your rail the lens is sitting on, that is so pretty you just want to hug it.


Thanks Jim...I guess now that the good weather is here I need to get the far end of that handrail finished. It's one of those small jobs which will probably take 6 or 8 hours to get completed. No doubt that is why it still isn't done!

I do have the corner post and top rail made up, and once they are installed, I will be able to run the stainless steel cable through everything.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks Jim...I guess now that the good weather is here I need to get the far end of that handrail finished. It's one of those small jobs which will probably take 6 or 8 hours to get completed. No doubt that is why it still isn't done!
> 
> I do have the corner post and top rail made up, and once they are installed, I will be able to run the stainless steel cable through everything.


I can't wait to see it when the SS cable is installed, in my minds eye it looks squeaky clean.

I just noticed the temps up your way, Nanaimo, Canada 68° / 57° it is 103° here on the front porch in the shade, I think I will stay inside today.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I can't wait to see it when the SS cable is installed, in my minds eye it looks squeaky clean.
> 
> I just noticed the temps up your way, Nanaimo, Canada 68° / 57° it is 103° here on the front porch in the shade, I think I will stay inside today.


...and cloudy all day to boot. 103º you say...if you need to lose weight you could just sit on the porch and watch the pounds melt away! 

I went over to town this afternoon and just before I arrived at Boat Harbour it started to rain! In fact it was pretty wet most of the way up to Nanaimo.

I went up to the other end of the island here first, and the good Dr. Al has donated some more stainless steel cable to the cause. Sometimes it pays to be nice to people...you know?

I think I need something like 9 rows of wire at around 45 feet per. So, a hair over 400 feet. I think it might take awhile to get all that threaded through the holes and snugged into place. Still haven't figured out how I will tighten the cable.


----------



## cocobolo

Just picked up a towel bar for the shower...and made a footstool for it as well. Got the pump switch wired in this morning.

When I measured the space for a possible door, it's going to be too narrow to use one of the sheets of glass in the door, so I'll have to cobble something else up. Not quite sure what I have left around here for materials. I'll have to scavenge around.


----------



## cocobolo

Looks like I spoke too soon about the good weather...now they are forecasting a week of clouds and rain. We did have a really heavy shower in the wee hours, which will make both the missus and the garden happy.

And yesterday morning I repaired a long, narrow crack in the back gutter, just in time.

Every year I have to add a coat of sealer to the gutters to keep them in good shape. I know it looks a bit sloppy, but it works.


----------



## cocobolo

Jules, does this thread look like it will fit?

It looks like it is about 33 mm across the threaded part.


----------



## cocobolo

Jules, I just found out that there are adapters for just about every kind of lens/camera body combination out there. So I don't think you need to worry if the size is right or not.

The adapters look like they are all pretty cheap, around $20 or so.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night we had some forewarning of the pending rain that came in. Here's the sunset before the thunder and lightning and deluge hit.


----------



## cocobolo

You probably can't see the water, but the roses look especially nice when they are covered in raindrops.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning, before the rains returned, I had to get started on clearing all the growth that has happened over the past two years around the pond. The liner needs to be fixed, and to do that we will need access all round. There sure isn't any now.

So it will be out with the clippers and have at it.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was going through the garden, I noticed this little fir seedling which has volunteered itself. I think it will need to be moved, but we'll keep it for sure.


----------



## cocobolo

When the big rain hit in the wee hours of the morning, water was pouring over the front edge of the long curved gutter. So around 5:30 this morning, I went up on the roof to find the problem.

There is a screen in front of the downspout whose purpose is to prevent debris from entering the water storage system. It has a bad habit of getting clogged up and needs regular cleaning.

Although I did this barely 2 weeks ago, we have had some beefy winds since then, which naturally have deposited more leaf debris on the roof.

The idea of this fine screen sounded good at the time, but has proven to be more of a nuisance than a success, so it was time to go.

I ripped out the old screen this morning, along with a pound or two of silicone and scrubbed out the gutter.

A quick web search revealed several leaf screens one can buy, but I needed a DIY version because I needed it up there pronto. So, once again, using whatever was at hand, I cobbled up this little guy here.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see it's just a plywood box with a plastic fitting going out the bottom. The front - which is cut at 45º - is covered with window screen.

The two plywood pieces on the sides can be removed - they are screwed on with tiny #4 x 5/8" screws - for screen replacement if necessary.

The plastic fitting was originally intended for use as a dust chute on my 6" jointer. But since it happens to be a perfect fit in the big downpipe, I thought hey...why not?

The inside has one coat of sealer on it - second coat going on tomorrow - and our usual house stain on the outside.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a look from the side, you can see how it's chopped off at 45º. This is supposed to permit the water to enter the downpipe, while excluding the leaves and other debris.


----------



## sbmfj

Lovely Keith!!

Finally all caught up on your thread. Thank god we have the internet at work, what else would I do all day?


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I could see the water droplets on the rose buds but not on the rose, it is still beautiful. 

That is a neat idea on the screen to let the leaves fall off the angle, thanks for sharing.


----------



## Bud Cline

> I had to get started on clearing all the growth that has happened over the past two years *around the pond*.


Now there's a pond *???*
Good Lord, will this project never end?

Can't wait to see what imaginative creations will be directed at the pond. Sounds like a fun project.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I could see the water droplets on the rose buds but not on the rose, it is still beautiful.
> 
> That is a neat idea on the screen to let the leaves fall off the angle, thanks for sharing.


It is supposed to work as advertised Jim, I guess I'll find out in due course.

I finished the second seal coat on the inside of the screen, and painted the second stain coat on the outside shortly after 6 this morning...a couple more hours and I'll put it in the pipe.

BTW, thanks for putting up post number 5,000 on the thread. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Now there's a pond *???*
> Good Lord, will this project never end?
> 
> Can't wait to see what imaginative creations will be directed at the pond. Sounds like a fun project.


Bud, when the wife took her trip over to the U.K. a few years ago, I dug out the pond. Got some carpet and underlay to put over the ground, then put pond liner over that. 

It leaked from day one, and I have never been able to find the leak.

So now I'm trying to get a wide enough path cleared back all round the pond so I can add another layer (maybe two) of liner to stop the leak.

There are already some big fir beams cut on the mill which are supposed to be turned into a bridge. You'd have to look way back in the thread to see pics of those. Good thing I made them when I did, because I don't have the juice to run the mill any more.

I'm not making any guarantees that the bridge will ever be made...moving those 300+ pound beams might be more than I can manage now.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks as though the rain is going to stop for a few hours at least, so I put the screen into the pipe, then screwed the screen to the wall to keep everything in line. 

I think I still need some way to fix the downpipe from the gutter in place so it doesn't take a tumble off that metal piece I have it resting on. Maybe just a plastic tie.


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## BigJim

Keith, maybe you could wait until the next snow and drag the beams over the snow, I don't know if that would work or not. Buddy, when you get all through with your home and have nothing left to do maybe your car will take up the slack for something to do then, I still don't see how you do all you do.


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## Bud Cline

That little "downspout debris deflector" gizmo is pure genius. I have never seen anything like that before.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> That little "downspout debris deflector" gizmo is pure genius. I have never seen anything like that before.


Bud, I cannot claim to have come up with the design. There is a commercially made one which looks something like this which has two screens on it. The first screen is about 1/4" mesh, and the second screen looks like about what I put on mine.

But since we have to deal with evergreen needles here - by the zillion - I figured just to go with the fine screen to see if it will keep everything out right off the bat.


----------



## cocobolo

It's time to get onto the corner deck post, so I cut the post to length first on the big mitre saw.

Then had to measure for and lay out the notch at the bottom.

I used the Fein tool to make the initial cut, taking out about 3/4 of the necessary wood. The rest I pared down slowly by hand with the Japanese chisels.


----------



## cocobolo

Next up was a test fit on the corner of the deck.

Since that looked OK, I will move on to drilling and countersinking the bolt holes.

Since the post is unvarnished, I will need to get at least a few coats on before I risk installing it, so that will get started this afternoon.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Next up was a test fit on the corner of the deck.
> 
> Since that looked OK, I will move on to drilling and countersinking the bolt holes.
> 
> Since the post is unvarnished, I will need to get at least a few coats on before I risk installing it, so that will get started this afternoon.


That looks like a tough spot to get to to fasten the post in place.


----------



## cocobolo

That's right Jim. I'm going to have to get up a ladder from below.

But first I'll need to cut and fit the top handrail as well. I think it will be necessary to use several screws through the top of the rails into that corner post as well as the other two posts on the end there. Then I'll plug the countersink holes and add more varnish.

That's the main reason to wait for the good weather to do the final install. Got the first varnish coat on today.


----------



## Ravenswood NYC

cocobolo said:


> There are already some big fir beams cut on the mill which are supposed to be turned into a bridge. You'd have to look way back in the thread to see pics of those. Good thing I made them when I did, because I don't have the juice to run the mill any more.


Keith, is the house drawing too much power now? I remember the pictures from way back when of the mill and the mini-railroad; it's quite a setup you've got!


----------



## tpolk

suprised you didnt pre drill for wire thru posts with a template before mounting. easier on knees and back


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> suprised you didnt pre drill for wire thru posts with a template before mounting. easier on knees and back


Tim, after I get three or four coats of varnish on that post, then I will drill the holes for the wire. No way could I do it in place.

Their layout will have a slightly different curve than the others, so I can't use the same template.

The holes will be drilled on the drill press, in order that they are all square.

You don't miss too much, do you?


----------



## cocobolo

Ravenswood NYC said:


> Keith, is the house drawing too much power now? I remember the pictures from way back when of the mill and the mini-railroad; it's quite a setup you've got!


Do you mean too much electricity? No, it's fine. On any given sunny day the batteries are right up to snuff by noon or 1 pm.


----------



## fixrite

Keith, Just a thought about how you might run you cable for your railing. If you thread it through one end and once you have it through the other end you could put a cable clamp on it and then use a pry bar to tighten it. I would clamp backer blocks on the post so it would not mar the post. Once it was taunt you could then secure it. Just a thought. BTW your home is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas.


----------



## tpolk

pretty sure they make nice tension devices like a turnbuckle


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith, Just a thought about how you might run you cable for your railing. If you thread it through one end and once you have it through the other end you could put a cable clamp on it and then use a pry bar to tighten it. I would clamp backer blocks on the post so it would not mar the post. Once it was taunt you could then secure it. Just a thought. BTW your home is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas.


Hey fixrite, another B.C. guy! Thanks for your comments and welcome to the thread. 

The cable will be run through 8 rows of holes. I'm not sure whether or not either of the lengths I have will make the entire distance in one run. If not, then obviously I will use two pieces. The two pieces I can join at the least noticeable end using cable clamps - which I can hide inside one of the cedar block - mentioned next.

One idea I have for the ends where the cable will be turning 180º is to make a semi-circle block of wood from cedar to fit between two holes, make a groove in the outside of the curve and wrap the cable around that.

The cable would keep the block in place, and would prevent any 90º kinking, which in turn, should make it easier to tension the cable.

If you're anywhere on or near the west coast, you know that won't be happening for a few days...have you ever seen so much rain in July?


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> pretty sure they make nice tension devices like a turnbuckle


That's for sure Tim.

However, if I can avoid using one, I will. It's an appearance thing with me on this railing and cable.

When I did the cables on Dr. Al's railing (look waaaay back in the thread) I used a very slick little fitting which holds the cable snugly and tightens up with a hidden screw.

The amount of travel is very limited, perhaps an inch or so. I might have one or two of those here.

Something else that could work - using your turnbuckle idea - I might be able to tension between the top and bottom cables with a turnbuckle (since they will both terminate at the same end) and then build a cover of some sort to hide the turnbuckle.


----------



## cocobolo

Something else that just popped into my addled brain...If I set the cable in the sun before I install it, it should expand just a tiny bit. Then in any cooler weather, or when it is in shade, it might have just a trace better tension.

All I really want to do is to make sure there is no real slack. It doesn't need to be tuned to a high "C".


----------



## fixrite

that along with the howling winds at times would surely be music to your ears........


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Something else that just popped into my addled brain...If I set the cable in the sun before I install it, it should expand just a tiny bit. Then in any cooler weather, or when it is in shade, it might have just a trace better tension.
> 
> All I really want to do is to make sure there is no real slack. It doesn't need to be tuned to a high "C".


We think a lot alike, (well sometimes) I was just thinking about how wrist pins are put in pistons by heating the rods. 

That is a really good idea with the curved blocks so the cable wouldn't be trying to pull against a 90° angle, if the blocks were finished before hand you could wax them to let the cable slide easier.


----------



## fixrite

Just a thought......but if you were to insert pex into the hole it might help with the sliding and also help alleviate any squeaks.
cheers


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> that along with the howling winds at times would surely be music to your ears........


Now _that's _funny...I really chuckled over that one!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> We think a lot alike, (well sometimes) I was just thinking about how wrist pins are put in pistons by heating the rods.
> 
> That is a really good idea with the curved blocks so the cable wouldn't be trying to pull against a 90° angle, if the blocks were finished before hand you could wax them to let the cable slide easier.


I've been thinking more about those wood blocks. I'm likely going to favor a French curve, as opposed to a semi circle. That way the blocks will be narrower and slightly more refined in shape.

That wax idea is excellent, I like that! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Just a thought......but if you were to insert pex into the hole it might help with the sliding and also help alleviate any squeaks.
> cheers


Not quite following you on the Pex idea. Are you saying to make up some inserts from Pex?

I do have a small amount of experience with this (emphasis on small) and one thing I can say is that there is no squeaking at all. I even tried to put some metal inserts in Dr. Al's posts...I used some shelf inserts from Lee Valley. While it initially looked good, I won't be doing that again.

The best, and simplest, was just to run the cable through the holes in the posts. No muss, no fuss and it worked great.


----------



## fixrite

you could make up a sleeve using pex or you could even use a pex protector that us used to protect the pex when going through joists. I will see if I can find a pic for you.


----------



## fixrite

here is the link to a plumbing page so you can see what I am talking about.http://www.pexuniverse.com/store/category/suspension-pipe-clamps


----------



## tpolk

I think tension/ tuning each cable to a different pitch to creare a singing rail is an excellent idea and quite marketable, please include me in the proffit sharing when you work out the kinks(so to speak) :thumbsup:


----------



## shumakerscott

fixrite said:


> here is the link to a plumbing page so you can see what I am talking about.http://www.pexuniverse.com/store/category/suspension-pipe-clamps


Holy [email protected] those things are expensive . dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Holy [email protected] those things are expensive . dorf dude...


They are, aren't they?

However, they are also a mile too big. The cable I will be using is only 1/8", so I think it will just be fed through the wood and that's it.

The holes have all been drilled on the drill press (to keep them square) and they are 3/16", just enough to clear without being unduly loose.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> I think tension/ tuning each cable to a different pitch to creare a singing rail is an excellent idea and quite marketable, please include me in the proffit sharing when you work out the kinks(so to speak) :thumbsup:


Tim, sometimes you really do come up with the damndest ideas!!! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

Do I hear "Dueling Banjos" coming from the Canadian woods?


----------



## shumakerscott

You could use heat shrink on the ends of the cable for a clean finish. dorf dude...


----------



## Bud Cline

I guess I was assuming you (Keith) were up on the various fittings and fixtures that are used for cable decking systems.

If not....
One style in particular is a metal piece that has a tube at one end and a threaded bolt at the other. The cable is pulled taught by hand and cut to the proper length then placed inside the tube and crimped a couple of times. The assembly is then placed through the hole in the post and a washer and nut is installed. This nut becomes the tensioning device. A second nut is used for decoration only this second nut is a cap-nut.

If I'm "preaching to the choir" I apologize.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I guess I was assuming you (Keith) were up on the various fittings and fixtures that are used for cable decking systems.
> 
> If not....
> One style in particular is a metal piece that has a tube at one end and a threaded bolt at the other. The cable is pulled taught by hand and cut to the proper length then placed inside the tube and crimped a couple of times. The assembly is then placed through the hole in the post and a washer and nut is installed. This nut becomes the tensioning device. A second nut is used for decoration only this second nut is a cap-nut.
> 
> If I'm "preaching to the choir" I apologize.


Bud, it's a good thing we have you here otherwise there would be no lucid descriptions.

I was going to find the ones I have here (cannot find them at the moment) and post a pic saying "something like this?" 

That sounds like the same type I used for Dr. Al's deck, a couple of which I have here....somewhere.

The only difference is that I don't remember there being any cap-nuts. I sank the fitting into the posts an inch or so, which basically put them out of sight. 

They work extremely well, are easy to install, made of marine grade stainless steel, with a price to match, but very, very nice. :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Let's see if I can pull this off. I think this is a PDF of the type I have seen used.
http://www.menards.com/main/store/2...y/Install_Instruct/feeney_cr_assy_install.pdf

It isn't the one with the cap nut but it is the same basic type.






Okay found it. Heres's the cap-nut look. 
http://agsstainless.com/cable_railing_systems.shtml?gclid=CLzUkJWIiaoCFchM4AodNRT1yQ


----------



## cocobolo

You know, for a guy that lays tile for a living, you're pretty smart after all!

Yep, it's the fitting on the right hand side in the Menard's link. Haven't seen the fitting on the left side before, but it looks like that one would keep a small amount of tension on the cable all the time, very slick.

When I did the deck in question several years ago now, we had to import the product from Australia as the one or two North American distributors at the time didn't keep any in stock. I suspect that has changed by now.

I see now they have a nice protector fitting which I could have used back then along with the angled fitting.

Good work Bud, I think we should keep you on steady! :laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Good work Bud, I think we should keep you on steady!


That's what I was hoping to hear. Now, can we talk about my pay raise?

The only way I know about those cable things is they were used on the new home I worked on last winter and I was involved in a few conversations about how to stretch the damned cables.

If it was me, and I was going to use that system, I think I would use the "tensioning devices" on both ends of the cable.

The only problem I would have with the whole idea is when the deck rail makes a ninety degree turn. The cables left of a corner post would have to be at a different elevation than the cables right of the post. Seems that would look a little funky.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...I had to deal with about half a dozen 90º corners, but I cannot remember how I handled the cables at that point. I believe I somehow managed to keep them at the same level.

Next time I go up there I'll take a look and take the camera with me to see if I can get the evidence.


----------



## cocobolo

*In Memorium. Bridie - June 2000 - July 16, 2011.*

*In Memorium. Bridie. June 2000 - July 16, 2011.*

Yesterday, our precious Bridie died.

I prefer not to give any details except to say that it was totally unexpected. For those of you who have a dog, you will understand our devastation.


----------



## cocobolo

The best DIY doggie on the planet...we already miss her terribly.


----------



## Bud Cline

Sorry to hear that Keith. Tell the wife I send my condolences.


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm so sorry you and your wife lost your little companion Keith. I'm sure you have a lot of wonderful memories of her. She will always have a special place in your heart.

These are all nice pictures of her. I like the first one because it looks like she's smiling for the camera.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

Our hearts are with you both my friend.


----------



## no1hustler

I'm so sorry for your loss.


----------



## drtbk4ever

So sorry to hear about Birdie.

My condolences to you and your wife.

Thanks for sharing some photos of her.


----------



## tpolk

nice intelligent eyes, nice soul in there


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> Yesterday, our precious Bridie died.




I'm so sorry - there are few things as painful as the loss of such a selfless friend and companion.


----------



## Dinggus

Sorry for your loss, she looked beautiful.


----------



## shumakerscott

I know the feeling. Get another one. Shu


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## proofer

I'm so sorry to hear that. What a beautiful dog that you had. Just keep remembering all those special moments that you shared.​


----------



## sbmfj

Sorry to hear that Keith. Its terrible losing a dog.


----------



## cocobolo

We decided to take a day off today and go across to Vancouver Island and just kind of bum around.

When we got back home, our friend Gina had dropped this painting off at the house.

Gina & hubby had Bella, who was Bridie's mum. And this picture was painted from a photo Gina took of Bridie when she was just a puppy, right before we got her.

Bridie always liked to ride in the bow of their dinghy when coming to shore.


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## BigJim

I know you will treasure the painting for many years to come Keith. That is a wonderful gift, I hope ya'lls heart will be eased one day soon buddy.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I know you will treasure the painting for many years to come Keith. That is a wonderful gift, I hope ya'lls heart will be eased one day soon buddy.


Jim, it would be hard to conceive of a nicer or more appropriate gift at a time like this wouldn't you agree?

Gina and her hubby have been very good friends for many years now. This is the way Gina is, always so thoughtful.


----------



## frenchelectrican

Sorry to heard to Birdie and hope the time to heal up and have wonderfull memories with Birdie.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

I seem to have been having a spot of bother with the tiles showing these streaks. Both when I apply sealer, and now when I got the first of the grout done.


----------



## cocobolo

There was already two coats of sealer on that tile, and it still streaked. I gave it more cleaning as the grout set up, and finally as the tile dried out the streaks seem to have disappeared.


----------



## cocobolo

Those light and dark marks you see on the tile are from the firing in the kiln.

The first tiles we got exhibit a much more even color throughout.

Tonight I attempted to get an extra seal coat on the whole main floor - except where the workbench is of course - and it was only failure of the old knees that prevented me from finishing. Just about 70 square feet behind the kitchen counter to go. I'll have that done early tomorrow morning.

A quick shot across most of the front part of the floor, still wet.


----------



## tpolk

so since the work bench has been such a great friend does it stay in the house in a space with honor as a piece of art mavbe? this would eliminate the need for you to wrestle it out of the house:whistling2:


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## cocobolo

Tim...have you been reading my mind? :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Those light and dark marks you see on the tile are from the firing in the kiln.
> 
> The first tiles we got exhibit a much more even color throughout.
> 
> Tonight I attempted to get an extra seal coat on the whole main floor - except where the workbench is of course - and it was only failure of the old knees that prevented me from finishing. Just about 70 square feet behind the kitchen counter to go. I'll have that done early tomorrow morning.
> 
> A quick shot across most of the front part of the floor, still wet.


That is a lot of knee pain there, I can feel it now. You got it on a down hill drag now though, it looks great buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim...well, I got the bench moved back against the wall...and have the first coat of sealer on those tiles that were under the bench.

Now going to get the last coat (before grouting) on the tiles in the kitchen.

So it looks like throughout the day I'll be pre-sealing tiles for the breakfast nook and grouting in the dining room. Knee pads and a piece of foam board really helps, but like you say, it's the getting up and down that does the damage at our age.

When that gets too much I'll move on to start building the new bed. The foam guys called yesterday morning about the mattress foam, and it's ready for us to pick up anytime.


----------



## biggidybankston

cocobolo said:


> When that gets too much I'll move on to start building the new bed. The foam guys called yesterday morning about the mattress foam, and it's ready for us to pick up anytime.


Wait, did I miss something? Are you also building your own bed?

I wish I had half of your energy.


----------



## cocobolo

biggidybankston said:


> Wait, did I miss something? Are you also building your own bed?
> 
> I wish I had half of your energy.


Yeah, for some reason I thought I had mentioned that here, but it was just in emails to one of my friends.

I took a liking to a bed that is in this month's issue of Fine Woodworking magazine. They just built queen size there, but we'll need king size here. More in keeping with the room it will be in.

I'll put up a pic of it with the proper credits.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can probably see, Matthew Teague is the author of the article in question. But the designer and builder of the bed is Robert Spangler and, like myself, he has a tendency to be drawn toward Asian designs.

This appears in the August 2011 issue of FWW.

While I intend to use this design as the basis for our bed, there will be a few changes.

I will need to raise the surface up quite a bit, and do so without ruining the look that Robert has so successfully achieved.

He has used a futon type mattress (definitely for the younger crowd) so I will put together a much thicker mattress from three types of foam. That will cover the extra height we need. 

The original bed is about 15" high to the top of the mattress. We would like around 21" or 22". I may - or may not - need to adjust the dimensions of the actual construction of the bed. But given that we are going from queen to king size, if I just keep the proportions identical, that in itself will gain a little height.

I'll get it all worked out on paper first anyway.


----------



## Bud Cline

When you ordered your foam did you also order two pairs of shin guards?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> When you ordered your foam did you also order two pairs of shin guards?


What's that they say about one in every crowd?


----------



## Bud Cline

Just trying to think things through !:yes:

Why hell if I had a bed like that one I would have to have a_ bed pan_ at night right beside the bed.


----------



## joetab24

sorry to hear about your dog....


----------



## cocobolo

About the world's most reliable float plane is the DeHavilland Beaver. There's lots of them here on the west coast in daily use. This one came in and dropped off a passenger at Nayler Bay.


----------



## cocobolo

He came in from the north west right alongside us, and when he took off I figured he would turn around and come back this way and I would be ready to get a close up photo. Nah...he headed south instead.


----------



## cocobolo

No sooner had he lifted off than he started to bank into a turn...


----------



## cocobolo

...and next thing I know...


----------



## cocobolo

Shortly after this there was a far more sedate mode of transport that came by...lovely little schooner with a tanbark jib.


----------



## cocobolo

One from the wife...


----------



## cocobolo

After I got all the sealing done in the house today - all three coats on the tiles under the bench, and completed the whole main floor, I set up outside on the back deck to do the tiles which will be headed for the breakfast nook.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's pretty neat to see a plane like that landing and taking off. While you were taking a picture of the plane, he was probably getting a closer look at your house. 

The flower is pretty. Is it an Asiatic Lily?


----------



## sbmfj

I got a good chuckle with the shin guard line. Nice bed though.


----------



## jules4

That bed is exquisite - and you're one of the few people I know with skill and patience to do that work of art justice. 

In fact, I'll bet your bed will look even better than the one in the picture :thumbup:





LOL @ shin guards - all it needs is a few fenders you can toss over the side as needed :yes:


----------



## BigJim

Thanks buddy for our morning fix of freshness, the plane is really cool. Tell your sweety that we really do appreciate the beautiful flower, the color and clearness is breath taking.

I didn't realize that you were so close to the waters edge. Where you have your tiles would quickly become my favorite spot to relax and do some fishing, that is a beautiful view.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's pretty neat to see a plane like that landing and taking off. While you were taking a picture of the plane, he was probably getting a closer look at your house.
> 
> The flower is pretty. Is it an Asiatic Lilly?


It's a lily of some kind, but I don't know it's proper name. I'll ask the missus.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> That bed is exquisite - and you're one of the few people I know with skill and patience to do that work of art justice.
> 
> In fact, I'll bet your bed will look even better than the one in the picture :thumbup:
> 
> LOL @ shin guards - all it needs is a few fenders you can toss over the side as needed :yes:


Maybe I should put some old tires around the outside, like they do on the tugboats! Then again, maybe not...:huh:

I did the dimension drawing up yesterday and I'm hoping somewhat desperately that I have enough arbutus on hand here to do the job. I have mostly 4 x 4's, so it's going to be quite a bit of cutting up and re-gluing.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thanks buddy for our morning fix of freshness, the plane is really cool. Tell your sweety that we really do appreciate the beautiful flower, the color and clearness is breath taking.
> 
> I didn't realize that you were so close to the waters edge. Where you have your tiles would quickly become my favorite spot to relax and do some fishing, that is a beautiful view.


There's water on two sides of us here Jim. 

But you'd be hard pressed to do much fishing - as they closed the cod fishery here about 5 years ago. Too many people found out it was a good place for cod, and they fished it out too much. You can still go out front and troll for salmon though, and word is that we are supposed to be getting a good run this year.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> There's water on two sides of us here Jim.
> 
> But you'd be hard pressed to do much fishing - as they closed the cod fishery here about 5 years ago. Too many people found out it was a good place for cod, and they fished it out too much. You can still go out front and troll for salmon though, and word is that we are supposed to be getting a good run this year.


Oh wow, now I want to go fishing bad, you are blessed my friend.


----------



## cocobolo

Had to squander another day going to town today, but at least I got the hardware for the bed, among other stuff.

I pulled all the arbutus out that I will be using to build the bed, and man is it warped and twisted. It's not usable the way it is at all.

The only option I can come up with is to rip the 4 x 4's into much thinner planks...say 1" for example. Then rip them all to the width that I need for specific areas of the bed. So the outside of the top boards would be 2" and the inner two pieces would be 1 1/2" to accommodate the wood for the mattress to sit on.

The sides only need to be 1" thick and about 6" deep, which will mean I would most likely go for 4 pieces at 1 1/2" wide and 1" thick for the sides.

One problem with arbutus is that you never know when you are going to cut into an internal canker.

So I had a chat with the missus to let her know how twisted the wood was. Between us we think it's worth a try to cut all the wood up into small boards, pick out the best ones for the top rails and laminate them up into new boards. The good old workbench will provide a nice heavy flat surface to do the glue up on.

We have a rule around here that we should be decent folks on the weekends and not make too much noise. So, since I will use the sawmill to do the initial cutting, I will wait until Monday. This rule doesn't seem to apply to the association presidents' husband.

Here's the pile of wood I have to cut up.


----------



## cocobolo

Now this picture is taken from the other end of the pile, and if you look at the two planks at the bottom left side, you will see how much twist there is.

This wood was downed in January 2005 by a big snowstorm, and was cut on Laurie's sawmill a few months later. It has been kept under cover since then. The _condition _of the wood is generally excellent with very few minor exceptions.

I'll let you know what we get out of it when it's all cut up.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, you are right, that is some twisted and warped wood. You have your work cut out for you for sure. Could you shim and cut the wood straight on your mill on one side and use your table saw to square it all back up?


----------



## cocobolo

It's actually easier to do all the cutting right on the mill Jim.

This wood is very hard now - that's what Arbutus does. When you fall an Arbutus tree, you can slice the wood easily with a penknife. Now it's more like rock.

I considered tacking two plywood strips to two sides of the 4 x 4's, and then cutting the wood right down the middle on the table saw. But even that trick wouldn't work because some of the twists are so bad...not all of them. A few pieces are pretty straight.

Besides, it's 10 times faster on the mill. Since the mill hasn't run for a few years, it looks like it will need a good going over today. Make sure the motor is running OK, put a new blade on, lubricate everything up...the usual.


----------



## cocobolo

I was outside fairly early this morning and the air was nice and still. So, I took a shot at imaging the moon...here it is.


----------



## gma2rjc

The picture of the moon is stunning.


----------



## jules4

Could not agree with Barb more - love the soft blue light in that picture, looks quite surreal.


----------



## BigJim

The first words out of my mouth was "oh wow". That is a beautiful picture Keith. 

I can see where it would be easier to re cut the wood on your mill, you would have much better control. You are right about the Arbutus being hard when dry, I tried to carve the piece you sent me and that stuff is harder than Chinese ruthmatic. 

By the way, I can't get enough pictures of your mill, I have wanted one for years and if I were younger I believe I would have one.


----------



## cocobolo

Perhaps when I get to cut up the Arbutus I will get a couple of pics, just so you can see how much waste I end up with. :huh:


----------



## frenchelectrican

I have one sawmill unit which it is a large hortzonal bandsaw which it is allready powerd with diesel-electric unit and it can able run on stragiht electric if the triphase supply is avable.

I have cutted few super hardwoods the last one was a ironwood that went thru 5 band blades but the largest one I cutted was 44 inch diam oak that took me a while the length was 7 meter long { note not feet btw }{ nailed a rare item on oak side } 

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> I have one sawmill unit which it is a large hortzonal bandsaw which it is allready powerd with diesel-electric unit and it can able run on stragiht electric if the triphase supply is avable.
> 
> I have cutted few super hardwoods the last one was a ironwood that went thru 5 band blades but the largest one I cutted was 44 inch diam oak that took me a while the length was 7 meter long { note not feet btw }{ nailed a rare item on oak side }
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


Wow! Now that's a big log. Mine won't cut more than about 27"...and that's really pushing it. But it is only powered by a 13 h.p. Honda.


----------



## cocobolo

Tomorrow wife number 2 has a long time friend coming to visit for several days, which necessitated a trip across to town very late this afternoon for grub. We went down to Ladysmith instead of going up to Nanaimo for a change. Also brought back 4 tanks of propane.

On the way back - now quite late - there was a really nice sunset developing. I tried to get back as quickly as possible to get some pics. It's hard to say if I was in time or not, but here's a small selection of the 37 shots I got in rapid succession.


----------



## cocobolo

Since we seem to be getting down to the nitty gritty at the end of the list of building projects, I put together a list of wood that I need for the various and sundry items still to go.

We need a bookcase to match the curve on the living room floor, and the original plan was to rip a hundred or so pieces of red cedar and laminate the shelves together. Admittedly, the cedar supply is getting a little skinny, so the missus suggested I use plywood instead. :furious: Evidently the look I gave her conveyed the message better than any words. It's cedar or no bookshelves madam. :bangin: Cedar it will be.

I located a small stash of cedar under part of the house, and it seems that there is just enough for the shelves - I hope. I had barely got started cutting, when we had to leave for town. Too late for a pic when I got back...barely made it out front for the sunset.

I think there will be no more cutting or thicknessing in the house now that the tiles are down, it's just too dusty. So I moved the table saw and thickness planer outside. I'll be up with the birds to get the rest of the cutting done in the morning. The missus wants the mess (_Mess???)_ all cleaned up before we go over and pick up her friend.


----------



## tpolk

we dont have no stinkin messes, its all applied barely controlled insanity:brows:


----------



## BigJim

Those are some beautiful pictures Keith, my favorite is the last one, it just looks so comforting.

I love when I get close enough to the end of a job to make up a punch list, for some reason that was always the fun part for me.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> we dont have no stinkin messes, its all applied barely controlled insanity:brows:


Ecxellent! I just knew there was a proper name for it! :thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Started another job today, this time in a church. Didn't take but a few hours for everything to begin to go to hell. I think tomorrow I will enter through the front door instead of the service entrance and see if that changes anything.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Started another job today, this time in a church. Didn't take but a few hours for everything to begin to go to hell. I think tomorrow I will enter through the front door instead of the service entrance and see if that changes anything.:whistling2:


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Just thinking out loud again.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> Wow! Now that's a big log. Mine won't cut more than about 27"...and that's really pushing it. But it is only powered by a 13 h.p. Honda.


Not bad size you have there and I think that is pretty common size with that unit you describing and my is pretty much industrail size and it is portable as well and for my power unit it is 80 HP Detorit Diesel { 3 cyl eardrum buster engine } with 60 KW generator in there. but will plan to change engine pretty soon due someone keep B*^ch at moi with noise.

I did get a very nice paycheque from that big log and it was very hevey beast weight in little over 9 tonnes before start cutting up to varies sizes that one took me a pretty close to half day just for a monster one { once you know excatally dealt with monster one the small one are a brezze } and I do run the sawmill few time a year I can go thru about 170 tonnes worth of lumber in a week if I want to push it hard.

Maple and Birch is both are nice spices to use on bandsaw and have nice grain to use it.

Twice I got a submerged log cutted up it look pretty instering with diffrent shade of colour on the growth ring. { I do not know how long it was in the eau but it was over 60 years which I know for a fact due super cold water keep it good shape. }

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

Marc, in North America it has become big business to harvest sunken logs from the great lakes. The cold water keeps them in good shape so some of the wood is extremely nice. Plus the fact that we are talking about old growth logs in the first place, which only increases the value of the logs.


----------



## frenchelectrican

That part I do agree with you with old growth they have very nice features and they are very strong wood as well and of course it do bring up very good value of the logs.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## BigJim

frenchelectrican said:


> Not bad size you have there and I think that is pretty common size with that unit you describing and my is pretty much industrail size and it is portable as well and for my power unit it is 80 HP Detorit Diesel { 3 cyl eardrum buster engine } with 60 KW generator in there. but will plan to change engine pretty soon due someone keep B*^ch at moi with noise.
> 
> I did get a very nice paycheque from that big log and it was very hevey beast weight in little over 9 tonnes before start cutting up to varies sizes that one took me a pretty close to half day just for a monster one { once you know excatally dealt with monster one the small one are a brezze } and I do run the sawmill few time a year I can go thru about 170 tonnes worth of lumber in a week if I want to push it hard.
> 
> Maple and Birch is both are nice spices to use on bandsaw and have nice grain to use it.
> 
> Twice I got a submerged log cutted up it look pretty instering with diffrent shade of colour on the growth ring. { I do not know how long it was in the eau but it was over 60 years which I know for a fact due super cold water keep it good shape. }
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


That is one serious mill, that has got to be fun to see wood inside of trees that no one has ever seen until your eyes viewed it.


----------



## cocobolo

We had to get up early this morning to pick up the wife's friend from town. 

First thing this morning, I caught a glimpse of a fairly rare red morning sky.

The overhead shot shows the colours right from beneath the clouds, the other one more reflective shot towards Vancouver island.


----------



## cocobolo

We didn't get back until past noon, and I finally managed to get set up outside to cut the cedar, much of which was rescued from the scrap pile down at the mill.

When you have live edge boards, in other words not trimmed on one side on the mill, you need to get one side cut straight before you can do anything with the board. Now I know most of you know this, but for those who don't get much in the way of live edge boards, you can take a strip of plywood - or any very straight edge board I guess - tack it to one side of your live edge board, and rip it against your table saw fence.

Bingo, you have a nice straight edge to finish that board with. It is somewhat time consuming, but it does the job.


----------



## cocobolo

As usual, I managed to forget to take any pics until I was nearly done, but here is the last few boards with the first side cut straight.


----------



## cocobolo

I suppose this is what wife number 2 refers to as a "mess", when in fact we can clearly see it is a work in progress.


----------



## cocobolo

After the smoke cleared, this is what I had left over for the wall and shelving wood.


----------



## gma2rjc

A mess? I see $$$$ signs.... cedar is expensive here. :yes:

Those are beautiful pictures of the morning clouds Keith. 

I hope your wife and her friend are having a nice visit.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> A mess? I see $$$$ signs.... cedar is expensive here. :yes:
> 
> Those are beautiful pictures of the morning clouds Keith.
> 
> I hope your wife and her friend are having a nice visit.


Cedar has got expensive here as well. Even fence boards, which are the lowest quality, run $3,000/1,000 bfm. Anything decent is $4k +. Genuine old growth - which is the dark cedar - is even more expensive.

Cedar is a commodity, like many things, and subject to price fluctuations.

I will get this stuff through the planer this morning and see what I have.

The ladies seem to be having a good time so far. A couple of our friends dropped by yesterday afternoon shortly after we got home, so we all sat around drinking mint tea made from the garden and eating home made carrot cake.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Cedar has got expensive here as well. Even fence boards, which are the lowest quality, run $3,000/1,000 bfm. Anything decent is $4k +. Genuine old growth - which is the dark cedar - is even more expensive.
> 
> Cedar is a commodity, like many things, and subject to price fluctuations.
> 
> I will get this stuff through the planer this morning and see what I have.
> 
> The ladies seem to be having a good time so far. A couple of our friends dropped by yesterday afternoon shortly after we got home, so we all sat around drinking mint tea made from the garden and eating home made carrot cake.


Man, that hurts right there, carrot cake is one of my favorites. Judy and I like the Russian Green Tea in the evenings, it is just relaxing.

Keith, does the red sky in the morning thing hold true up your way (sailor take warning)? We love your pictures buddy.

Straight ripping is one of my least favorite things to do but it has to be done. I made a straight rip jig which works great for me. I had some off fall from a cherry rail I made back a few years and used that and some 3/4 plywood to make the jig.

Buddy, that looks like a lot of good wood in the pile. I hate to throw away any usable wood, that is one reason my shop looks like it does also. Here is a picture of the straight rip jig.


----------



## cocobolo

Usually the red sky in the morning is pretty accurate. We did get some rain, and the wind was up later, but when we crossed back over it wasn't too bad.

I have only just now finished all the ripping and thickness planing. And I was at it fairly early this morning. 

The weather has been threatening to rain on us, but so far all we've had is very light showers, nothing to get too excited about.

I also managed to get the dadoes cut on the boards for the wall, and after supper - if there's any steam at all left in the old engine - I'll see if I can get them cut to length (all taper cuts) and some Varathane put on.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Usually the red sky in the morning is pretty accurate. We did get some rain, and the wind was up later, but when we crossed back over it wasn't too bad.
> 
> I have only just now finished all the ripping and thickness planing. And I was at it fairly early this morning.
> 
> The weather has been threatening to rain on us, but so far all we've had is very light showers, nothing to get too excited about.
> 
> I also managed to get the dadoes cut on the boards for the wall, and after supper - if there's any steam at all left in the old engine - I'll see if I can get them cut to length (all taper cuts) and some Varathane put on.


I am anxious to see how your shelving looks, I know it is going to look great. Buddy there is no way I could have held out that long, I bet no one has to rock you to sleep tonight.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I am anxious to see how your shelving looks, I know it is going to look great. Buddy there is no way I could have held out that long, I bet no one has to rock you to sleep tonight.


Jim, while I was hacking up all the cedar for the shelves, I came up with yet another idea for them.

I'll be busy tonight working on the wall cedar, but perhaps tomorrow, I can clear away the area where the shelves will go so I can get the curved template made up. I can take a pic of that area so you will know what's coming up next.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the section I have to cover with cedar - 48" high at the low end, 60" high at the high end and about 56" long. I'll be laying out the wood to see if I have enough or not.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Straight ripping is one of my least favorite things to do but it has to be done. I made a straight rip jig which works great for me. I had some off fall from a cherry rail I made back a few years and used that and some 3/4 plywood to make the jig.
> 
> Buddy, that looks like a lot of good wood in the pile. I hate to throw away any usable wood, that is one reason my shop looks like it does also. Here is a picture of the straight rip jig.


Jim, how does your jig work? Can you put a piece of wood in it for illustration purposes and show us? 

Thanks.


----------



## BigJim

Keith the rip is up in the over head and hot as the dickens up there right now. The jig is 12 inches wide, I will set the saw fence at 12 inches so the very outside edge of the jig will just brush the blade. The two clamps are opened and a board is installed so just the off fall is out past the edge of the jig, I clamp the board and rip. If I have a lot of wide boards I will run them first then the narrower boards.

The jig doesn't look like much but it sure saves a lot of time straight ripping. It is great to rip tapered boards up to 8 foot long also. For repeat tapers get the taper you want then drive a couple of nails in the jig to serve as stops.


----------



## fixrite

Duh......I get it now, for some reason I was trying to determine just how a circular saw was going to be used for this.....now that my brain has been kickstarted again, I can see how it would work just fine.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith the rip is up in the over head and hot as the dickens up there right now. The jig is 12 inches wide, I will set the saw fence at 12 inches so the very outside edge of the jig will just brush the blade. The two clamps are opened and a board is installed so just the off fall is out past the edge of the jig, I clamp the board and rip. If I have a lot of wide boards I will run them first then the narrower boards.
> 
> The jig doesn't look like much but it sure saves a lot of time straight ripping. It is great to rip tapered boards up to 8 foot long also. For repeat tapers get the taper you want then drive a couple of nails in the jig to serve as stops.


Thanks Jim, all I was doing was looking at it backwards. Makes perfect sense now. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, I had just enough boards to cover that tapered wall up top. So far I have two coats of Varathane on - sanded between each - one more coat to go.

I should be able to get the boards up tomorrow.


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, I'm trying to figure out where that curved wall is, in relation to the rest of the house. In the bottom of the picture it looks like there is an area that doesn't have floorboards. 

That door in the background of the picture of your boards drying is certainly gorgeous.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, I'm trying to figure out where that curved wall is, in relation to the rest of the house. In the bottom of the picture it looks like there is an area that doesn't have floorboards.
> 
> Barb


If you don't know...I can't tell...:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry Barb, I shouldn't kid you like that. :jester:

It's on the other side of this wall here, which is the top of the stairwell by the stained glass window.

And the reason the floor isn't finished, is that it's in the master bedroom where I'm doing the finishing before installing the boards.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Sorry Barb, I shouldn't kid you like that. :jester:


That's alright, I thought it was funny.

I see there's a piece of Roxul on the floor by that wall. It made me wonder if you insulate the space between the upper and lower floors.


----------



## BigJim

I don't think I would ever get tired of looking at that beautiful wood, the contrast of colors just make it outstanding.

Is that the door you made here while back?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's alright, I thought it was funny.
> 
> I see there's a piece of Roxul on the floor by that wall. It made me wonder if you insulate the space between the upper and lower floors.


No I don't insulate between floors.

Not quite sure where that came from, most likely when I was doing the last insulation up in the corner of the guest bedroom. I needed all sorts of bits and pieces to fill the holes. It's probably been sitting there for two years!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I don't think I would ever get tired of looking at that beautiful wood, the contrast of colors just make it outstanding.
> 
> Is that the door you made here while back?


It's a darn good thing that I had several old growth cedars a few years ago when I was active on the sawmill. That's where the best colors come from. If you have the new (young) wood, it is almost always that non-descript light brown color, very little contrast in any of it.

Yes, that's the arbutus bedroom door.


----------



## cocobolo

You know what it's like when you have guests around...I still don't quite understand why they think we both should fawn all over them all day long. Despite that, I did manage to get all 3 coats of Varathane done on the wall boards.

Then later I tried a dry run of the first boards for the bookshelves just using three pieces of cedar. Normally, I cut the wood about 3/4" thick to laminate, but this time the strips are about 1 1/8". Doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it's much stiffer and therefore harder to bend.

I tested 3 pieces on the dry run.


----------



## cocobolo

This is where the shelving unit will be going.

To make the clamping guide, I guessed at the curve and then cut it out of a piece of scrap hemlock. When I tested the curve against the wall, it was about 1/2" out, so I recut the offending pieces off each end.

Then clamped that tightly to the workbench - plastic down first - ready for the strips to be glued.


----------



## cocobolo

How'd _this_ get in here?


----------



## cocobolo

...and then I took a shot at gluing up 4 pieces of cedar. Looks easy, but it wants to keep lifting up on me. I think once this first piece is dry in the morning the lifting trouble will go away.

While the curves of all the shelves will be the same, the lengths and widths will differ.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks for the pictures and for taking the time to describe the process to us Keith. It's not very often that we get to see this kind of creativity and craftsmanship in progress.


----------



## BigJim

I wonder if you will have any spring back with that much pressure on the curved shelves. Man that is a lot of work but it sure is going to look good.

How did you take a picture into the sun?

_"I do not endorse or guarantee any of these trades people. It is up to you to check referrals and hire the ones you like and feel comfortable with."_ Talorjeramy

I will and do, if anyone wanted a better artisan than Keith, they are just out of luck.

Thanks for the pictures buddy, we appreciate you.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, I'm expecting some springback from the first 4 pieces, as that is only 3 gluelines. By the time I get to 7 or 8 strips, I think the springback will be less than 1/16".

I hope to be getting the next two pieces on shortly, so I will know for sure very soon.


----------



## cocobolo

I found that my 12" clamps would allow 3 more pieces on this round.

The springback from the first four was less than 1/4", so quite a bit less than I expected.

7 are glued up now, and I should be able to get the next ones on around noon or so.


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## cocobolo

I had to check the width of my thickness planer before I glued the rest of the shelf strips together. Fortunately, it is 13.1"...just enough.

I added the remaining strips and it comes out to 12 1/2", so including the curve it should _just_ go through the planer.


----------



## cocobolo

The other job I really wanted to get done today was the cedar on the high wall.

I also had to find some more wood to cover around the stained glass window, and luckily there was just enough left over from the batch I made up a couple of days ago.

Now I have to get three coats of finish on there.

This is the window that needed to be done. Looks way better than the open framing.


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## cocobolo

...and even better with all the cedar finished on the wall. All finished there now!!!


----------



## Lagerhead

Amazing!


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## gma2rjc

Wow! You should pat yourself on the back. It all looks beautiful together.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Barb...it's hard to believe what a difference finishing just that top corner has made.

So, other than getting some Varathane on it, that's it. I will get one coat on this evening. Had to go over the water _again,_ as we ran out of gas.

This weekend is a long weekend up here, so the weekenders are all arriving. The bay is already quite full of boats, but I didn't see a decent bikini anywhere when I just came back in.


----------



## Bud Cline

I'll chime-in again at this point to say that you Keith are some kind of a great craftsman. Very very impressive stuff my man, beautiful work.


----------



## tpolk

does your house smell as good as it looks? I have found using a wooden caul with the clamps gives me something to screw down while clamping to eliminate lift and marring of the edge from the steel clamp


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> does your house smell as good as it looks? I have found using a wooden caul with the clamps gives me something to screw down while clamping to eliminate lift and marring of the edge from the steel clamp


It often smells like cedar, which visitors frequently comment on.

The lift wasn't as bad as perhaps I suggested, but it was annoying. I clamped the ends down but not the middle. That raised up about 3/16" or so. Since I shifted the work bench right against the wall, I don't have room to put a clamp on the back side, as I would need to do with a caul - which I too often use. I suppose I could add 100 lbs. of tiles...never thought of that until right now. 

I planed the first shelf this morning, and it came out not too badly. As soon as I get it sanded I'll get a picture.


----------



## sbmfj

Awesome work Keith. I got the latest issue of Fine Home building (I subscribed upon hearing your recommendation of it, and its a great mag) and the front cover has a picture of a kitchen, with curved wooden walls. I thought it may have been your place for a second there. The article has a shot of the plans, and there's only one rounded wall it seems. Your place is definitely one of a kind!!!


----------



## gma2rjc

sbmfj said:


> Awesome work Keith. I got the latest issue of Fine Home building (I subscribed upon hearing your recommendation of it, and its a great mag) and the front cover has a picture of a kitchen, with curved wooden walls. I thought it may have been your place for a second there. The article has a shot of the plans, and there's only one rounded wall it seems. Your place is definitely one of a kind!!!


There's an idea! Maybe you should contact the good folks at Fine Homebuilding magazine. I bet they would jump at the chance to feature your house in an upcoming issue.


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> Awesome work Keith. I got the latest issue of Fine Home building (I subscribed upon hearing your recommendation of it, and its a great mag) and the front cover has a picture of a kitchen, with curved wooden walls. I thought it may have been your place for a second there. The article has a shot of the plans, and there's only one rounded wall it seems. Your place is definitely one of a kind!!!


Ah, the cheapskates couldn't put more than one curve in eh? :laughing:

Haven't seen it yet, I'll pick it up next trip to town, which looks like Monday.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> There's an idea! Maybe you should contact the good folks at Fine Homebuilding magazine. I bet they would jump at the chance to feature your house in an upcoming issue.


Barb, I don't think they can afford my rates! 

Unless, of course, they want to buy the house, then that's an entirely different matter. :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith you could probably teach them all a thing or three.:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud! Just the man I need to talk to!

When grouting the Saltillo tiles, and you are at the sponging off stage, what nifty little hints can you pass along?

The first batch I did, the grout was mixed too thin, and I had an awful time trying to clean up, as you can imagine.

I did another couple of batches this afternoon with far better luck.

Now I know to only make _one_ pass with the sponge and then rinse. I was experimenting with different pressures and speeds with the sponge. I found that slower with more pressure seemed to work best. Do you use one or both hands when sponging?

Thanks...


----------



## cocobolo

The bottom shelf of the future bookshelf looks like this. It needs more sanding and shaping, but you get the idea.

In the past I have always used thinner cedar strips...and in future I will go back to that again. Too much pressure required to get several boards all clamped up at the same time. If you were just doing three to start (which I did on the second shelf) and then two at a time after that, it's not so bad.


----------



## cocobolo

Oh no! Not another one!


----------



## cocobolo

Second shelf all glued up. 

I'm not taking any chances with this one raising itself up in the middle, no matter how little. That's 125 pounds of tiles sitting on there. It was actually flat by the time I got to 35 pounds. Nothing like a little extra insurance.


----------



## shumakerscott

I could have sent you my "Calibrated Rock" dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I could have sent you my "Calibrated Rock" dorf dude...


Hmmm...let's see now...cost of transportation from Germany to here...about $269.53...ahhhh, but it isn't adjustable like mine!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud! Just the man I need to talk to!
> When grouting the Saltillo tiles, and you are at the sponging off stage, what nifty little hints can you pass along?
> The first batch I did, the grout was mixed too thin, and I...


I wish I had a secret or two to pass along but the honest truth is; there are no secrets I'm aware of.:no:

Saltillo is of course one of the rougher surfaces available in tile. Because it is highly porous it easily grabs onto the grout particles (molecules) and holds them. It has a high coefficient of friction and that's a good thing when it comes to preventing hazardous slips and falls but that is where the good ends I think. Except for its inherent beauty of course.

As you know and have done, sealing is a must. Had you not sealed the tile it would be undergoing a color change due to staining from the grout color pigments and the streaking would be uncontrollable and impossible to clean up.

I use what the industry calls a "hydraulic sponge". I buy about four hundred of them at one time to keep the cost down. My understanding is a hydraulic sponge has a structure by design that collects water and aggregate residue more efficiently. This isn't to say saltillo still isn't more difficult to clean even with a hydraulic sponge.

I also use the small version of the sponge so that I can easily rinse the sponge with one hand. My initial pass over the tiles is to scrub the surface in a circular motion creating a slurry and at the same time blending (tooling) the grout joints. This requires a little extra moisture without the sponge dripping or getting sloppy.

My next pass is with a slightly dryer sponge making only one stroke per sponge side. This time I generally cross the grout lines in a diagonal fashion and using straight strokes. I never (almost never) drag the sponge along the length of a grout line. This tends to remove too much grout and causes the joint to be deeper than I like.

Typically another pass is required and this time also using diagonal strokes but opposing the previous diagonal strokes direction.

Of course the rougher the surface the more effort (passes) required.

So during the final stages of cleanup I use one hand, slightly tilting the sponge so that about a third of the sponge's surface drags along the tile surface. Not a lot of pressure. It is also wise to wear some surgical-type gloves to avoid the aggregate wearing on your skin and hence producing the ole "raspberries" we occasionally hear about. (Raspberries = Raw Skin) Ouch.

In addition it is also important to change the water a time or two.

Once the final-clean is complete a person can allow the job to sit for thirty minutes or so and then using fresh water...do it one more time for a final final clean.

I have always believed that atmospheric conditions have an effect when installing and cleaning grout. Under high humidity days or rainy days the grout can be harder to clean in my opinion.

So there you go...I'm probably too late anyway.

I know I know...You ask a guy for the time and he builds you a clock.:whistling2:


----------



## BigJim

OK now for a really stupid question, can you use muriatic acid without hurting the tiles or would it hurt the grout and thinset also?


----------



## Bud Cline

> can you use muriatic acid without hurting the tiles or would it hurt the grout and thinset also?


Not a great idea in my opinion.

Muriatic Acid (Hydrochloric Acid) is a very potent acid and can be dangerous to use. It must be neutralized after use and indoor use would be strictly discourage by me.

Will it work? Yow probably would but can't say for sure. I have used it on commercial jobs and jobs that were out-of-doors. It is used to clean brick jobs all the time but it will kill any surrounding vegetation. Muriatic Acid attacks the properties of Portland cement and some tile glazes, not sure what effect it would have on Saltillo tiles but I would be afraid it would sink into the pores and not be able to be neutralized.

Hydrochloric Acid fumes are a serious health hazard and lingering fumes can also destroy metal finishes and electronic components.

So in this case I would say Absolutely not!

Now, Sulfamix Acid on the other hand may be worth looking into.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Not a great idea in my opinion.
> 
> Muriatic Acid (Hydrochloric Acid) is a very potent acid and can be dangerous to use. It must be neutralized after use and indoor use would be strictly discourage by me.
> 
> Will it work? Yow probably would but can't say for sure. I have used it on commercial jobs and jobs that were out-of-doors. It is used to clean brick jobs all the time but it will kill any surrounding vegetation. Muriatic Acid attacks the properties of Portland cement and some tile glazes, not sure what effect it would have on Saltillo tiles but I would be afraid it would sink into the pores and not be able to be neutralized.
> 
> Hydrochloric Acid fumes are a serious health hazard and lingering fumes can also destroy metal finishes and electronic components.
> 
> So in this case I would say Absolutely not!
> 
> Now, Sulfamix Acid on the other hand may be worth looking into.


Thanks Bud, I have used it cleaning brick also but didn't know how it might react to the tiles, thinset or grout. I had to use the acid on some brick pavers in a laundry room and had to neutralize the acid before I could put the sealer on the brick. You are sure right about the fumes, they are rough to say the least.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I wish I had a secret or two to pass along but the honest truth is; there are no secrets I'm aware of.:no:
> As you know and have done, sealing is a must. Had you not sealed the tile it would be undergoing a color change due to staining from the grout color pigments and the streaking would be uncontrollable and impossible to clean up.
> 
> I also use the small version of the sponge so that I can easily rinse the sponge with one hand. My initial pass over the tiles is to scrub the surface in a circular motion creating a slurry and at the same time blending (tooling) the grout joints. This requires a little extra moisture without the sponge dripping or getting sloppy.
> 
> My next pass is with a slightly dryer sponge making only one stroke per sponge side. This time I generally cross the grout lines in a diagonal fashion and using straight strokes. I never (almost never) drag the sponge along the length of a grout line. This tends to remove too much grout and causes the joint to be deeper than I like.
> 
> Typically another pass is required and this time also using diagonal strokes but opposing the previous diagonal strokes direction.
> 
> Of course the rougher the surface the more effort (passes) required.
> 
> So during the final stages of cleanup I use one hand, slightly tilting the sponge so that about a third of the sponge's surface drags along the tile surface. Not a lot of pressure. It is also wise to wear some surgical-type gloves to avoid the aggregate wearing on your skin and hence producing the ole "raspberries" we occasionally hear about. (Raspberries = Raw Skin) Ouch.
> 
> In addition it is also important to change the water a time or two.
> 
> Once the final-clean is complete a person can allow the job to sit for thirty minutes or so and then using fresh water...do it one more time for a final final clean.
> 
> I have always believed that atmospheric conditions have an effect when installing and cleaning grout. Under high humidity days or rainy days the grout can be harder to clean in my opinion.
> 
> So there you go...I'm probably too late anyway.
> 
> I know I know...You ask a guy for the time and he builds you a clock.:whistling2:


Bud, once again many thanks.

Well, I didn't know about the initial circular motion...I'll try that on the next batch I do.

When I had two seal coats on the tiles, I noticed that I would still get lines on the tiles apparently just from moisture. Once the tile dried the lines disappeared. Now I'm using three coats of sealer before I grout, and the tiles are staying clean.

Once past your circular motion stage I'm pretty much doing the same as you do - one pass per side of the sponge, always on the diagonal.

I only do small batches of grout at a time, around 20 square feet or less. So I clean everything and change the rinse water with every batch. It's easier on the old bones to keep the batches small, plus the grout is still nice and moist so no chance of it setting up before I get it cleaned.

I just finished the first bag of grout, and I think it covered around 70 square feet. I have four more bags on hand so I don't have any excuse not to carry on.


----------



## Bud Cline

The thing with most of those tile and stone sealers (and it baffles the hell out of me) is they are *vapor transmissive.* Meaning they will allow moisture vapor to escape from under the sealer. In a shower enclosure that's a good thing. But they aren't supposed to allow moisture to gravitate downward through them. I realize there is a huge difference between water droplets and water vapor but c'mon guys, how's that work.

Anyway your moisture streaking supports my theory that the moisture can and does in fact go both ways. If it didn't you would not have had moisture streaking.

Then the next question that arises in my little brain is how many coats of sealer would it take to totally seal an object, if possible. It stands to reason that heaping on more and more sealer would finally close all the transmissive pores, but I don't know that. Would that be a bad thing? Beats me man!:huh:

I would take care when scrubbing the abrasive grout around on the sealer. Make sure the sealer is totally dry before abusing it with the sandy grout.

One more thing for anyone following along.
Sealer is not a stain-proof-er. Sealers are merely there to provide one an opportunity to clean up a spill that would have already caused a stain had the sealer not been there.

Here's a tidbit more information about sealers.
http://www.diychatroom.com/blogs/grout-sealers-life-misunderstandings-95/


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> The thing with most of those tile and stone sealers (and it baffles the hell out of me) is they are *vapor transmissive.* Meaning they will allow moisture vapor to escape from under the sealer. In a shower enclosure that's a good thing. But they aren't supposed to allow moisture to gravitate downward through them. I realize there is a huge difference between water droplets and water vapor but c'mon guys, how's that work.
> 
> Anyway your moisture streaking supports my theory that the moisture can and does in fact go both ways. If it didn't you would not have had moisture streaking.
> 
> Then the next question that arises in my little brain is how many coats of sealer would it take to totally seal an object, if possible. It stands to reason that heaping on more and more sealer would finally close all the transmissive pores, but I don't know that. Would that be a bad thing? Beats me man!:huh:
> 
> I would take care when scrubbing the abrasive grout around on the sealer. Make sure the sealer is totally dry before abusing it with the sandy grout.
> 
> One more thing for anyone following along.
> Sealer is not a stain-proof-er. Sealers are merely there to provide one an opportunity to clean up a spill that would have already caused a stain had the sealer not been there.
> 
> Here's a tidbit more information about sealers.
> http://www.diychatroom.com/blogs/grout-sealers-life-misunderstandings-95/


That is some good information Bud, I didn't know that about sealer. I thought it sealed against stains. On porcelain how often should a person reseal the grout?


----------



## Bud Cline

Best I can say is any re-sealing of grout would be determined by cleaning and maintenance methods and frequency. There are too many variables.

Some sealers have a fifteen year guarantee but I can't see how they could do that. Guarantee against what pray tell? How do they know what kind of use and abuse a sealer may get?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, I tried your circular trick with the sponge. Now, why on earth didn't you tell me about that before? :huh:

And please don't use the old excuse that I didn't ask you, you're supposed to know what to tell me _without_ being asked. 

All I can say is it works a treat, and you can watch the grout lines improve rapidly as you do it...not to mention that it seems to save a fair bit of time. Yet again many thanks Bud. :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> All I can say is it works a treat, and you can watch the grout lines improve rapidly as you do it...not to mention that it seems to save a fair bit of time.


Aah shucks Keith, I thought everybody knew that.

I find it tends to marry the fresh grout to the tile edge, brings out pin holes near the surface and immediately fills them, slopes the grout an acceptable amount, and in general makes things easier. Too much water however can weaken the grout I think so the slurry should not be too soupy.


----------



## cocobolo

Maybe every _tile guy _knows that...but us wood butchers are a different breed. :jester:


----------



## cocobolo

One of our local sail training ships came by early this morning.

This is the "Pacific Swift" out of Victoria.


----------



## cocobolo

We had some pretty ominous looking weather came over this way late this afternoon. And even before sunset it got dark.


----------



## cocobolo

Now that I'm getting the hang of grouting w-i-d-e spaces in the Saltillo tiles -and believe me, it's nothing like grouting 1/8" (or less) spaces in porcelain- things are proceeding apace on the main floor.

But, as you see by the foregoing photo, it was quite dark here most of the afternoon, and I prefer natural light to artificial light for grouting. Notice how I managed to concoct an excuse to get out of it.

What's worse is that when I glued up the first section of the third shelf this morning, I had one of the pieces of cedar split itself partially a couple of feet in from the end. I did consider trying to fix it, but for the amount of work involved in doing that I think it will be consigned to the fireplace.

I may have one big board left down at the mill which I can turn into strips that might be suitable. It's not the best, but I only need a few pieces to replace what is lost...I'll see in the morning.

One other thing that got done today was the rigging up of a small solar panel to power the fan in the composting toilet. Every little bit helps.


----------



## gma2rjc

Beautiful pictures Keith! That sunset is gorgeous.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> One of our local sail training ships came by early this morning.
> 
> This is the "Pacific Swift" out of Victoria.


Awwww man, that is one gorgeous, sleek ship, I would love to make a model of that one. There is just something mystic about those beautiful vessels that just intrigue me. Just being on the open water with just the wind pulling the ship along is a feeling of being free to me for some reason. Thanks for this picture and the others also buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

No sooner had I posted about that cedar board yesterday evening, that the woman upstairs in charge of the weather opened up the tap and we got a heavy rainstorm here. So, my board is good and wet...but it'll dry out.

The missus is pretty pleased with the rain, she won't need to water the garden today.


----------



## cocobolo

The clamping setup for the bookshelves has been moved outside to one of the runoff tables.

Reason? The board I had cut to clamp the shelving boards against was slipping slightly because of the 6 mil poly underneath it. The pressure exerted by several shelf boards when being clamped was far more than the guide board could stand...even with many clamps holding it to the bench.

Here's the first few boards on the new setup.


----------



## cocobolo

In order to prevent a repeat of the previous problem, I cut two guide boards this time, and screwed them both - with many screws - directly to the table top.

No problem at all this time. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

And among other things, I went through the second bag of grout today. 

This is part of the main floor area which is now done, just the final seal coat to apply and that's it.


----------



## BigJim

I noticed the filler stick you used to keep the wild end of one of the sticks from curving back. That is aggravating when they try to slide up out of place also. I have a huge roll of wax paper someone gave me and I tear a piece off and lay it across the glue up in a couple of places and screw a hold down stick across to hold everything down in place. That is going to look really sharp!

I like the color coordination of the tiles to wood, that really does look great. Just think, you won't have to get back on your knees there except to seal some more.


----------



## cocobolo

...trouble is Jim, that and the part under the bench are the only sections that are done.

I'll be getting some more done shortly before we take the wife's friend back over to town later today.

I have another half a shelf glued up now in the clamps, and I can get that one finished up in the next half hour. It's still too dull inside to get to grouting yet, even though it looks like a nice sunny day is in the offing.


----------



## cocobolo

Either I've been too lazy to post, or I've been busy. 

I have some pics in the camera to download, and wouldn't you know it, the battery picked _right now_ as the time to go flat...grrrr! Don't worry, it's charging as we speak, and I'll be back with all sorts of updates in an hour or so.

BRB...


----------



## cocobolo

I was sitting here at the computer a few days ago right around sunset. The sun was shining through the three high windows on the north-west wall and making this play of light on the curved beam.

Couldn't resist a pic.


----------



## cocobolo

And yet another quite unusual sky just before sunset a few days go.


----------



## cocobolo

And the next morning produced this reflection looking toward Scoggy's house at Ladysmith.


----------



## cocobolo

Two from the missus' garden.

I think the lily is a Stargazer (can anyone confirm that?) and the other is her very first Dahlia. She's pretty pleased with herself about that one.


----------



## cocobolo

In another part of the garden she has these white/yellow lilies just blooming now.

And I just found out that the lily above isn't a Stargazer - don't know what it is - here's a Stargazer, close but no cigar above.


----------



## gma2rjc

You're in the perfect spot for sunset pictures. .


----------



## cocobolo

A short while ago we ordered up the foam to make the mattress for the bed. The gal called to say it was ready for pickup a few days ago, so I took the sailboat over and brought it back.

It's in the boat here. Good thing I didn't try to fit it in the skiff, it's much bulkier than I thought.


----------



## cocobolo

The day I picked up the foam, I also called the flooring guys to see if they had any more of the Terra Cotta grout in. 

Last time I needed 5 bags, and they had exactly 5 in stock. This time I needed 4 more...yep, you guessed it, four they had. Muchas gracias senor!


----------



## cocobolo

It was a beautiful day for a crossing, sunny and almost no wind. 

But when I was approaching the mooring in the bay, just making the last tight turn, the motor died. Hmmm...strange, it was running like a well oiled sewing machine all the way over.

So I lifted the motor, and it had managed to find itself a big chunk of weed.

I used a boat hook to get most of it off, and this is what was left. I did the forward/reverse trick several times, but it still didn't all come off until I got out of the boat and removed it.

The chunk in the water is about 3 feet across...that's what I got off the prop.


----------



## cocobolo

Moon shot - August 3rd at 8:15 pm local time.


----------



## cocobolo

The following evening at 9:05 pm. local time.


----------



## cocobolo

Aside from all this tomfoolery there has been some constructive effort put toward the house.

The big main floor area is now all grouted and has received the official stamp of approval from wife number 2.


----------



## cocobolo

I have been anxious to get at cutting the arbutus wood up to make the bed, but there has been a log - an old hemlock I think it is - sitting on the log deck for ages, uncut of course.

I think it has been at least two years since the mill was run to any extent, which meant that there would be some maintenance necessary - read a whole bunch of time to get it ready to run again.

Anyway, there was no trouble at all with the old engine, started right up.

It needed to have the blade(s) sharpened, so I did a couple.

Here's a blade on the sharpener which I have just done.


----------



## cocobolo

The first time I pushed the mill down the track I could hardly move the darn thing. It was OK after the return trip, probably had something stuck in one or more of the wheels.

This is the log that was on deck, 21' 6" long.


----------



## cocobolo

Taking off the edges of the log provides us with firewood, and here's what I will have to cut up tomorrow. I dare not let it pile up like last time.


----------



## cocobolo

The log produced several 2 x 8's, and they are being cut up to make the surface on a float which we hope to use for the skiff at higher tides.


----------



## cocobolo

At the moment, I can either tie the skiff to a line which can pull the boat out about 120 feet, or it can be taken out to a mooring in the bay.

It is both easier and safer to keep the boat on the line, as this part of the bay doesn't get anywhere near the north-west winds that come into the main part of the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

There are 5 shelves glued up right now, and that may be all I need. One is in the living room all cut to shape and sanded, here are the other four after being run through the planer, but no other finishing.


----------



## cocobolo

I think I want to have the bottom shelf about 5" or so off the floor. 

So I will be gluing up some red and yellow cedar for the base pieces - with the yellow going right on the floor. It is much tougher than red, and is also resistant to any moisture which from time to time might be there.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, you have really been busy Keith. Thanks for the pictures, the ones of the flowers are so bright and colorful it feels like we should be able to smell them, they are absolutely gorgeous. I always love your pictures of the sky over the water with the mountains in the background. The picture of the moon shining on the water made me feel like I was out on the water fishing, drinking coffee and just kicking back relaxing. 

Your shelves are looking great, they are really going to look fantastic when complete. I really do like the contrast in color. Your floor turned out beautiful also.

Keith, did you get your Honda motor fixed? Several of my friends have the 4 cycle motors and love them much better than the 2 cycle. I bet it feels good to have the big boat back working again.

Buddy thank you for the pictures of your mill, I broke out in a bad drool. I would have to figure out a way to make the mill pull on its on, that would get to me quick. Thanks for all the pictures and for taking your time to explain and show us how some of your projects are going. Just amazing to say the least.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim...yes, I seem to have the Honda working well. Starts first pull and runs smoothly, so no complaints.

There was one thick board left on the mill from yesterday, and I was reluctant to cut it in half, due to the blade getting so close to the dogs. But this afternoon, I took just over an inch off the top, which left me slightly over 1 1/2" of thickness left. That can be used for the second section of the float yet to be built.


----------



## cocobolo

I put some weatherstrip on the bottom of some of the exterior doors a few days ago, and thought I might pass along a handy little trick.

When you go to cut the weatherstrip off the side jambs, it is a bit difficult to mark where the ends have to be cut to get a good fit. For the first one, you sort of have to wing it, as the strip will be too long and won't fit between the jambs. Don't forget to cut some off both ends, otherwise, you will likely take out one of the screw holes, which isn't a good idea.

So after you have the first one done, use one of the cut off pieces to mark the side weatherstrip for cutting. I use the Fein tool for that and it works a treat.


----------



## cocobolo

After much consternation and conflagration I got the living room floor cleared right off.

The sealing is now underway, and once three coats are on I will get to the grouting.


----------



## cocobolo

Also, at long last, the first of two floats is together, with foam installed underneath to keep it floating high.

One to go...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Also, at long last, the first of two floats is together, with foam installed underneath to keep it floating high.
> 
> One to go...


That is really neat, I can't wait to see it in action, how are you going to anchor it?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is really neat, I can't wait to see it in action, how are you going to anchor it?


One end will be tied to shore either with a stout rope or some chain. The other end I might just set an anchor and put some heavy chain on that.

It really can't go anywhere, as any wind we get into the bay would only drive it on to shore where it is already anyway. Winds that blow out of the bay - in other words from the south east - don't affect our end of the bay at all.

I also will have to make some sort of gangplank to get from where the lift is to the float itself. Just a short one, it's only about 6 or 7 feet.

Last night I finished the first seal coat on the living room floor...and the second one has been done this morning. Now I'm nearly out of sealer, so yet another trip over to get some more some time today.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it seems after an awful lot of cutting, both on the mill and the tablesaw, plus all the planing, that I _might_ just have enough wood to build the bed.

Definitely enough for the top boards to make the platform part from, which will require these nine boards.


----------



## cocobolo

In the process I manufactured four bags like this...not to mention there's probably another bag full sitting under the planer. And I didn't get to the table saw yet...


----------



## cocobolo

Just managed to catch this when I was moving a wheelbarrow load of scrap down to the woodshed.


----------



## cocobolo

...and this was in the other direction.


----------



## tpolk

i know you talked of this in the past, still amazing to me you are off grid knowing how much power tools draw. do you read and eat by candles a lot :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> i know you talked of this in the past, still amazing to me you are off grid knowing how much power tools draw. do you read and eat by candles a lot :laughing:


Tim, as long as the sun is shining, we can draw the power out quite heavily.

You know, I'm not even sure if we have any candles here, because we have never had a power failure.


----------



## BigJim

I knew you must have been busy and I was right looking at the shavings you have bagged up. That is some good looking lumber.

Thanks for the great pictures buddy, we appreciate them.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim:

I'm hoping to get the big boards all glued up today. Just plain ran out of time and energy yesterday. Gotta go and find my biscuits now - everything got moved when I cleared the stuff away to tile the floors.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim:
> 
> I'm hoping to get the big boards all glued up today. Just plain ran out of time and energy yesterday. Gotta go and find my biscuits now - everything got moved when I cleared the stuff away to tile the floors.


You should see my shop, I can't hardly find the floor.:no:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> You should see my shop, I can't hardly find the floor.:no:


That makes two of us!


----------



## Bud Cline

Trying not to embarrass myself I will chime in to say that I have been so busy for the past three years that my garage/shop has turned into isles only. I couldn't find a usable bench-top if my life depended on it right now.

I try to keep the doors closed all the time just so no one can see in there. It is full of "good stuff" and job residue materials that I may need someday. Yow right!!!

My hobby-ing and honey-dos (that would require shop space) have been on hold for a long time.

I promise...I am going to clean it up when I get a round tuit. Biggest problem is I don't know where to get a round tuit.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, I have a good supply of Round Tuit's...mainly because I never get to use any of them up!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, I have a good supply of Round Tuit's...


Sh-h-h-h-h-h ! My wife may be listening.


----------



## cocobolo

Oh, sorry about that. Better keep it to myself then.


----------



## Bud Cline

*MY* garage (and the condition thereof) is one of her pet peeves.
She tells me all the time, I need to clean *MY* garage .
She also tells me I must stay out of *HER* kitchen.
If that were her real feelings then what the hell am I doing washing dishes on a regular basis? In *HER* kitchen!
I don't see her cleaning *MY* garage.


----------



## gma2rjc

Do you REALLY want her (or anyone else) cleaning your garage? You'll never find anything you need if someone else "organizes" it. :no:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Do you REALLY want her (or anyone else) cleaning your garage? You'll never find anything you need if someone else "organizes" it.


That's the thing! I know where everything is believe it or not.
Could never convince her of that.
I search by color.


----------



## tpolk

mines a holy search- christ I just had it, now where is it


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> mines a holy search- christ I just had it, now where is it


Oh man, that sounds _waaaay_ to familiar!


----------



## cocobolo

First thing this morning I got started on the side boards for the bed.

As is my practice, I did a dry run first. I cut some plastic from a packaging bag from one of my tools.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks about like this after all the clamps and cauls are in place. 

I used the front of the workbench as my straight edge guide. Just tapped any part that wasn't dead straight with the rubber dead blow hammer.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> That's the thing! I know where everything is believe it or not.
> Could never convince her of that.
> I search by color.


Yeah...sure you do. Next thing we know you'll be trying to sell us some prime swamp land down in Florida for cheap. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

So in between trying to turn skinny boards into fat 1 x 6's, I did some finish work on the living room wall.


----------



## cocobolo

Even after having been cut straight on the table saw, and then planed, much of this arbutus has a mind of its' own. I got a very quick pic of how much this stuff wanders off while being glued up.

With the high tack glue, you don't have a lot of time to get the clamps in place.


----------



## cocobolo

I find the easiest way to glue something like this, is to stack the boards on top of one another as you go.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy that bedroom wall is beautiful, is that you in the picture?

You bed is looking good so far, what brand glue are you using.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy that bedroom wall is beautiful, is that you in the picture?
> 
> You bed is looking good so far, what brand glue are you using.


Yep, that would be me. Can't afford to hire anyone you know.

Jim, if you had a nice big screen on your 'puter, :yes: you could probably see it is LePages glue. Just a regular white glue, but it is very high tack. You have _no time_ to mess around once you start applying the glue.


----------



## BigJim

I don't know that I have heard of that glue but if you are using it, it has to be good. I tried several glues over the years but I always went back to Elmer's carpenter glue, it has never let me down and some of the other glues have. When gluing up a bending rail with Elmer's, there is about 20 minutes open time before it has to be in the forms and clamped in place, some times that was a hassle to do that quick.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, this one is very similar to Elmer's.

I pulled the clamps off the last side piece this morning, and no surprises so far.

Then I glued up what will be the top rail on the headboard, and before clamping, the wood had a terrible twist. I may need to rip it into strips and re-glue it afterwards to get the twist out.

So, when the neighbours are all awake, I will fire up the planer and run all the boards through to see what I have.

Just finished watering the garden for the missus...she's still down with a bad leg.


----------



## BigJim

Thanks buddy, we hope your sweety gets to feeling much better soon.


----------



## cocobolo

The moon at 4:24 a.m. today.


----------



## cocobolo

I tried to get a pic of Jupiter and 3 of the moons...came out way overexposed and no moons. Sorry about that.  I'm going to use the excuse that it's too far away...are you buying that one?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The moon at 4:24 a.m. today.


Oh wow, that is absolutely beautiful, I agree with Judy, you could sell your pictures to Nat Geo. 

Did you get to see the meteor shower this morning? I missed them, I was too busy watching the back of my eye lids.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Oh wow, that is absolutely beautiful, I agree with Judy, you could sell your pictures to Nat Geo.
> 
> Did you get to see the meteor shower this morning? I missed them, I was too busy watching the back of my eye lids.:whistling2:


Jim, when I was outside trying to image Jupiter I did see one beautiful meteor. Trouble is, with a full moon, much of the effect is lost.

The trick is to lay down somewhere looking up, with the moon shielded from your view. That way the meteors appear brighter.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Oh wow, that is absolutely beautiful, I agree with Judy, you could sell your pictures to Nat Geo.


I agree with Judy too. That's a gorgeous picture Keith.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Has anyone else found a problem with the "manage attachments" button missing? Can't post pics.


----------



## BigJim

Mine is still there.


----------



## gma2rjc

Mine is there too.


----------



## cocobolo

Just checked again, and mine's definitely gone.


----------



## cocobolo

I see also that most of the ads which normally appear are not showing up on the sidebar. Something is obviously wrong. I'll log out, and try again.


----------



## cocobolo

I think I know the source of my aggravation about the lack of the "manage attachments" button now.

Let's see...


----------



## cocobolo

OK, that's better.

Yesterday, the missus was in bed all day with this nasty leg problem. Now usually, I would beat her over the head with a big club to fix it, but since that wasn't working I thought I would make her up a bouquet of flowers instead.

This was the rose I started with and it went from there.

If you ever want to see a big smile on your wife's face, do something like this for her. It even earned me a big kiss!


----------



## cocobolo

Few more from the garden yesterday.


----------



## cocobolo

When I was coming back from town on Friday evening, there was what looked like a promising sky developing to make a decent sunset.

I started taking pics when I was on the sailboat and stopped as the sun was disappearing. Here's part of the series.


----------



## cocobolo

I spent quite a few hours working in the garden yesterday, as the missus is not able to do anything right now. 
But I still did a little more work on the bed, and there is a possibility (if it doesn't rain) I might have more to show later. 
The powers that be have us getting a 60% chance of showers all day and this evening, soooo....


----------



## BigJim

My stars Keith, those are just stunningly beautiful, thanks for allowing us to share the beauty of your world. We are wishing your Missus a speedy recovery, you are a good man buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

You're more than welcome Jim. It looks as though the missus is going to be down for a while longer yet. So bed rest will be the order of the day.

After the weekend hordes wake up (it's only 8 am as I write this) I will get to making some noise outside on that bed.

Yet another cloudy, cool day in the offing here. Definitely the coldest August I can remember.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, well the base pieces are all coming along nicely. These will comprise the four feet, two stretchers for the feet and the four vertical side boards.

The side boards will be held together with aluminum angle and screws.

I made the blocks up for the feet today and cut the aluminum angle. I was going to be very clever and show you how to cut the angle safely on the miter saw.

It wasn't until I downloaded the photo from the camera that I realized what a goof up I had made. :wink:


----------



## cocobolo

What you cannot see is the way I hold the aluminum in place.

I use two pieces of wood, about 1 x 2 and a foot or so long. One I press against the back side of the angle, and the other against the front. Of course, as soon as I brought the saw down for the cut - as in the picture - you can't see through the blade!!!! Dumkoff you...


----------



## cocobolo

Once the first piece is cut, I use it to mark off the length of the remaining pieces, like so.


----------



## cocobolo

Cutting chunks of arbutus, or any hardwood for that matter, on a miter saw needs two things to be successful.

First, let the blade get up to full speed. Then using only moderate pressure, run the blade through the wood slowly.

Anything else is almost guaranteed to burn the wood. Oh, I know this doesn't happen to _you, _I'm only mentioning it for those _other_ folks.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Each of the feet are glued up from five pieces of arbutus into roughly a 5 1/2" square chunk of wood.

The main reason for that is because I am fresh out of arbutus 6 x 6's.

I maybe should have used biscuits to stop the pieces from sliding around, but didn't. I glued the bottom three pieces together first...like so


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Cutting chunks of arbutus, or any hardwood for that matter, on a miter saw needs two things to be successful.
> 
> First, let the blade get up to full speed. Then using only moderate pressure, run the blade through the wood slowly.
> 
> Anything else is almost guaranteed to burn the wood. _* Oh, I know this doesn't happen to you, I'm only mentioning it for those other folks.:whistling2:*_


Personally, I've never had a problem cutting arbutus.









Maybe because I've never had any to cut.... :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Then once the glue was well set up (a couple of hours) I cleaned off as much of the excess glue as possible with a scraper, then ran the pieces through the thickness planer.

Yes, I know you aren't supposed to put short stuff like that through, but if you do one of two things you can get away with it.

If you have extra scrap stock which is _the same thickness _as your piece, you can push them through back to back.

Failing that, you can feed your piece into the planer making sure to take only a very small slice off the top, and push hard on the bottom of the piece as it goes through.


----------



## cocobolo

With the first three pieces set up, the other two were added thusly...

Try not to get into the habit of only putting glue on one piece of wood when you glue up. I know that at least one of the manufacturers says it's OK, but I disagree. Much better to have a glue to glue contact, than glue to bare wood. 

Any excess will squeeze out, whereas if you have a partially dry joint, you might not be too happy with that.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the four blocks - two left and two right.


----------



## cocobolo

After that I shaped them up somewhat on the 12" miter saw. This pair is rough sanded...much more to go yet.


----------



## cocobolo

Earlier today a friend of mine from the B. C. Multihull Society came speeding by in his cat. I barely had time to get a pic.


----------



## cocobolo

Tonight's sunset...


----------



## cocobolo

OK, this morning, I took a shot at attaching the four lower frame boards together. I used the aluminum angle for that and it seemed to work OK.

There will be a plywood base for the mattress going on top of that lower frame - and of course I didn't take a pic. I'll get that in the morning.

Plus tomorrow I hope to be able to cut the big dovetails for the stretchers as well as do the final cutting to length and so on for the top platform boards.

They are already planed and so forth.


----------



## Bud Cline

Messin' around on un-grouted floor tile is risky business. The corners of the tiles don't always have enough support until a little grout is squeezed in under them.

Just sayin':yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Messin' around on un-grouted floor tile is risky business. The corners of the tiles don't always have enough support until a little grout is squeezed in under them.
> 
> Just sayin':yes:


Messin' around? Who's messin' around? I'm still _building_ the bed! :laughing:

Promise I will be careful and get the grout in there very shortly.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Messin' around? Who's messin' around?


Yow okay. I suppose that may have been a suppository remark. Consider yourself duly scolded...and carry on.:thumbup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yow okay. I suppose that may have been a suppository remark. Consider yourself duly scolded...and carry on.:thumbup::thumbsup:


Yes sir!!! :jester:


----------



## cocobolo

I made a couple of big dovetails at each end of the stretchers. They are left unglued for future dis-assembly for moving.


----------



## cocobolo

Here the platform is upside down.

The plywood strips are for re-inforcing purposes. I think I will need to make some sort of central support to minimize any potential sag.


----------



## cocobolo

When the platform is turned upside down, the plywood will just fit inside the edges of the frame - loosely - which will properly locate the platform.

Once in its' final resting place, I will screw it down.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I added some tarpaper to the light/plant holder thing at the top of the stairs. And nailed on the plywood top as well.


----------



## cocobolo

I might have commented before about sticking with one tape measure when you are doing precise measuring and cutting.

I still don't know whether or not I goofed this morning and used two tapes...one thing I _do_ know, is that they don't read the same.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud will be glad to know that I abandoned the unfinished living room tile area as a work station. 

I dis-assembled the bed and took it upstairs piece by piece.

Here is the re-assembled frame.


----------



## cocobolo

Later on I put the plywood platform together - upside down.

There will be about twelve dozen screws keeping the arbutus platform pieces firmly in place, and it is really only practical to drill the holes while this assembly is downside up.


----------



## cocobolo

Up pretty early this morning and I just caught this sunrise looking nearly due north at 5:15 a.m.

The second photo shows the sun just catching the mountains over on Vancouver Island about 10 minutes later.


----------



## frenchelectrican

Vous avez pris une très bonne photo.

{ you took a very good photo }

Merci,
Marc


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice pictures Keith! The second one is stunning. It makes me think of glowing embers in a campfire.... on a much grander scale.

The wall of windows in that room is fantastic.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, those are some mighty beautiful shots, you have flat out got photography down pat!!! Thanks for the great photos. 

Are you going to have slats under the plywood on your bed?

I know what you mean about using two tapes, it is aggravating when getting them mixed up.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, those are some mighty beautiful shots, you have flat out got photography down pat!!! Thanks for the great photos.
> 
> Are you going to have slats under the plywood on your bed?


Hi Jim:

No...I have made up a box style center support to keep things on the level as it were. Perhaps when I turn the plywood platform over I will be able to get a pic.

I need a flat surface for the foam mattress, which the other side of the plywood will provide.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I might have commented before about sticking with one tape measure when you are doing precise measuring and cutting.
> 
> I still don't know whether or not I goofed this morning and used two tapes...one thing I _do_ know, is that they don't read the same.


I find it irritating that the tab at the start of the measuring tapes moves just a little bit. It can throw measurements of by a fraction of an inch. 

Maybe I better write to Stanley and other manufacturers and tell them how to fix that issue... :laughing:. I'm sure they would value my input... :no:.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I find it irritating that the tab at the start of the measuring tapes moves just a little bit. It can throw measurements of by a fraction of an inch.
> 
> Maybe I better write to Stanley and other manufacturers and tell them how to fix that issue... :laughing:. I'm sure they would value my input... :no:.


Another comment by one of these novice carpenters! :icon_rolleyes:

Did you know that there was a real purpose behind that apparent slop? Tis true.

The small amount of movement is to compensate for the thickness of the tab.

If you are taking an _inside_ measurement, the tape moves backwards the same thickness as the tab. The opposite happens when you hook the tab over something when taking an _outside_ measurement.

Besides, the Chinese workers at the Stanley factory probably wouldn't understand you anyway.


----------



## Marbledust

Hello Cocobolo,
wow,it's been almost a year since I was on line...to catch up on your story could take me a week of reading!
to many of us reading your story,we can only dream of doing something like this.


----------



## no1hustler

cocobolo said:


> Another comment by one of these novice carpenters! :icon_rolleyes:
> 
> Did you know that there was a real purpose behind that apparent slop? Tis true.
> 
> The small amount of movement is to compensate for the thickness of the tab.
> 
> If you are taking an _inside_ measurement, the tape moves backwards the same thickness as the tab. The opposite happens when you hook the tab over something when taking an _outside_ measurement.
> 
> Besides, the Chinese workers at the Stanley factory probably wouldn't understand you anyway.


I have ALWAYS wondered about that. Thank you so much for explaining that. Why didn't I think of that!


----------



## cocobolo

Marbledust said:


> Hello Cocobolo,
> wow,it's been almost a year since I was on line...to catch up on your story could take me a week of reading!
> to many of us reading your story,we can only dream of doing something like this.


Good morning Marbledust!

Well, I don't know about that...what do you think guys, should we let 'em back? :wink::whistling2::001_unsure::biggrin::blush::thumbup1:


----------



## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> I have ALWAYS wondered about that. Thank you so much for explaining that. Why didn't I think of that!


Hi No.1...don't think you're the only person...

When we were taking our final refresh course before writing the exam for our carpenters tickets the instructor asked us all to take out our tape measures.

He was playing with the tab and wiggling it around and casually asked if anyone else had all this trouble with the loose tab. Half the class was copying him and a few of us just sat there watching.

Then he said "...hmmm, I wonder if there isn't a reason for this?" and two of us put up our hands.

He didn't pick me because I think he was sick of me answering all the questions but the other guy knew the right answer. You might think in a final carpentry class that at least _some _of the class might have known. But apparently it's one of those obscure things that you just wouldn't think about. :bangin:


----------



## rntonp

cocobolo said:


> The small deck in front of the entrance is also curved - what else?
> 
> The rails are made from both red and yellow cedar. Once again courtesy of Ocean Lumber Supply.


The hand railings are unbelievably gorgeous. I wondered about the curves, etc., of the original design ( I love that as well ) and when you mentioned about boat building, it all made sense. This is the type of beautiful woodworking I have seen in Boating/Yacht magazines. Tremendous. What a great mentor you would be to a young apprentice. 
Thanks,
Andy from Louisiana

P.S. I loved the M&M story as well, although I was imagining the dumbfounded look you all would have had if it were to have ended up (after excavating and crawling under the house) that it was actually the table legs being uneven.


----------



## cocobolo

rntonp said:


> The hand railings are unbelievably gorgeous. I wondered about the curves, etc., of the original design ( I love that as well ) and when you mentioned about boat building, it all made sense. This is the type of beautiful woodworking I have seen in Boating/Yacht magazines. Tremendous. What a great mentor you would be to a young apprentice.
> Thanks,
> Andy from Louisiana
> 
> P.S. I loved the M&M story as well, although I was imagining the dumbfounded look you all would have had if it were to have ended up (after excavating and crawling under the house) that it was actually the table legs being uneven.


Good morning Andy!

Well, pretty heady comment there, thank you very much for that.

It would have been funny if it was the table, wouldn't it...but we had done our homework and that cabin was waaaaay out of whack. Nearly a foot of difference between where the fireplace was built and the south east corner.

It was so bad that even the roof was opening up from sheer stress.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> Good morning Andy!
> 
> Well, pretty heady comment there, thank you very much for that.
> 
> It would have been funny if it was the table, wouldn't it...but we had done our homework and that cabin was waaaaay out of whack. Nearly a foot of difference between the fireplace was built and the south east corner.
> 
> It was so bad that even the roof was opening up from sheer stress.



Good story. Wouldn't it have been easier though if he's just switched to Reese's peanut butter cup or some other less likely to roll candy? At first I didn't recall the M&M story, and I've read this entire thread. FOr what it's worth, doing an advanced search for posts by cocobolo containing M&M returns all of your posts in which you used the letter M. If anyone else is interested in (re) reading the M&M story it was posted on 1/4/2009.


----------



## rntonp

-- Aren't the wonders of the internet amazing? Instant communications.
I read through about 8 or 9 pages of the thread, looking at pictures, etc., figured I was close to the end --- UNTIL :huh: I glanced down and saw [Page 8 of 353- ] whoaa!! will take quite a bit more time. Terrifically beautiful scenery. You mentioned in first couple pages that your 'health was failing' and was limited to certain tools, etc. Hope your health is stable. If I can help, let me know. I know a couple things about this and that. 
Cheers from muggy, sweltering hot, mosquito-buzzing Louisiana.
[/quote]


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> Good story. Wouldn't it have been easier though if he's just switched to Reese's peanut butter cup or some other less likely to roll candy? At first I didn't recall the M&M story, and I've read this entire thread. FOr what it's worth, doing an advanced search for posts by cocobolo containing M&M returns all of your posts in which you used the letter M. If anyone else is interested in (re) reading the M&M story it was posted on 1/4/2009.


Nope...he likes M & M's.


----------



## tpolk

when we would start a job we would pull every tape out on a 2x10 and make adjustments to the tape end so all were reading the same. not hard to do and saves a lot of passing back and forth of materials, also saves on expletive air:furious: I'm also a big fan of 6' stick rules with a sliding tip:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> when we would start a job we would pull every tape out on a 2x10 and make adjustments to the tape end so all were reading the same. not hard to do and saves a lot of passing back and forth of materials, also saves on expletive air:furious: I'm also a big fan of 6' stick rules with a sliding tip:thumbsup:


That's not a bad idea Tim. Just a little late for me this time.

However, when I checked the wood after it was screwed to the platform I was in luck...thank goodness.

Those two tapes I showed have a 1/16" difference, but - as you suggest - it is all in the end. I will sometimes bend the tip just a little to do an adjustment...is that what you do?

And while we are yakking about tapes, if you ever lose a rivet in one - chuck it.


----------



## Bud Cline

Somewhere on this website (not too long ago) is a thread where I said that _not all tape measures read the same_ all the time. If I remember correctly I underwent a mild crucifixion (if there could be such a thing) before others in the know chimed-in and agreed with me.


----------



## jules4

Hi Keith! 

Don’t mind me, I’m just going to subvert your thread for a moment to talk to Barb: 

Many thanks for your package Barb - as mentioned in my pm, I’d like to send you one of my zipper-pulls/charms or key-rings so please pick which one you’d like (the first picture is just to show the size of the turtles). 

They are all hand-knotted by moi, using nylon fishing twine that I dyed using acid-fast dyes, so they’re pretty tough little critters - now you must choose!


----------



## cocobolo

That's quite OK Jules...btw I have found a set of three star drills for you.


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> That's quite OK Jules...btw I have found a set of three star drills for you.


No kidding - that's awesome! :thumbup:

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!

Once I have rock drills in my possession I will be completely unstoppable :boxing: (well, I suppose exhaustion from hammering will stop me eventually lol).


----------



## cocobolo

You're quite welcome three times.


----------



## cocobolo

rntonp said:


> -- Aren't the wonders of the internet amazing? Instant communications.
> I read through about 8 or 9 pages of the thread, looking at pictures, etc., figured I was close to the end --- UNTIL :huh: I glanced down and saw [Page 8 of 353- ] whoaa!! will take quite a bit more time. Terrifically beautiful scenery. You mentioned in first couple pages that your 'health was failing' and was limited to certain tools, etc. Hope your health is stable. If I can help, let me know. I know a couple things about this and that.
> Cheers from muggy, sweltering hot, mosquito-buzzing Louisiana.


[/quote]
Well now - firstly welcome to the thread. :thumbsup:

Now about those 353 pages, how about a little sympathy for the poor old goof who had to put all that stuff together? :wheelchair:

As for the health, I'm a survivor. One way or another I'll get through all this foolishness. My wife is the one in trouble right now.

And as for the mozzies, I hope you don't think you have a monopoly on those little critters, do you? We have our fair share even here in paradise!


----------



## cocobolo

This afternoon I took a shot at turning the bed platform over in one piece. I had added all the arbutus side pieces to the platform which made it very heavy.

It went fine until the platform hit the curved beam overhead. On to plan B.

Once I slid the bed away from the beam it was a whole lot easier. I must admit I was a little nervous trying to flip this thing by myself..it is after all some 50 square feet in size. The worst part was changing sides when it was right up in the air, not much to grab hold of when it was coming back down again.

Since this pic I have put the first coat of varnish on, and as always with arbutus it looks terrible.


----------



## cocobolo

If you're wondering why the bed is sitting up on four paint cans, it just makes it easier to reach the underside frame to get the finish on.


----------



## gma2rjc

Good idea putting it up on the paint cans.

When you move, will you be able to take the bed apart so you can take it with you?


----------



## gma2rjc

jules4 said:


> Hi Keith!
> 
> Don’t mind me, I’m just going to subvert your thread for a moment to talk to Barb:
> 
> Many thanks for your package Barb - as mentioned in my pm, I’d like to send you one of my zipper-pulls/charms or key-rings so please pick which one you’d like (the first picture is just to show the size of the turtles).
> 
> They are all hand-knotted by moi, using nylon fishing twine that I dyed using acid-fast dyes, so they’re pretty tough little critters - now you must choose!


Thanks Jules, this is so nice of you. 

I sent you a PM.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Good idea putting it up on the paint cans.
> 
> When you move, will you be able to take the bed apart so you can take it with you?


I suppose I could, but since it is built for this place I think it is going to stay here. 

Trying to move a king size bed over here would be a real problem, not to mention outrageously expensive.

I can always make another one when we move. :huh:


----------



## BigJim

I could just feel the bed balanced as you went to the other side to let it down when you turned it over. I hadn't thought about trying to bring a bed that size over from the main land. I bet that mattress was a bear to handle alone.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I could just feel the bed balanced as you went to the other side to let it down when you turned it over. I hadn't thought about trying to bring a bed that size over from the main land. I bet that mattress was a bear to handle alone.


I cheated on the mattress Jim...it came over in four different bags.

We got the thick foam for the bottom in two pieces, then the memory foam and the latex in another two bags. The guys at the store double bagged everything for me. 

It all made it quite intact. I don't see any way we could bring over a one piece K.S. mattress, just too big.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, here's the support I rigged up to go under the center of the platform.


----------



## cocobolo

A second coat of varnish this morning has improved the appearance of the wood. Still blotchy which is characteristic of arbutus.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, that is beautiful. When a shiny finish is used you can see all imperfections or the lack of imperfections and I don't see a single one anywhere, you are good buddy. I like your support, that will work great.

4 Bags is for sure easier to handle, we have a KS and it takes an act of congress to move that bad boy. (hmmm maybe act of congress is a bad choice of words) If your memory foam is like the one we have in out little camper you won't get cold this winter, that thing gets hot in the summer also.


----------



## Bud Cline

If (God Forbid) your boat ever sunk to the bottom of the bay you could paddle that mattress across the water if need be.


----------



## Bud Cline

> we have a KS and it takes an act of congress to move that bad boy.


If it took an act of congress to move that bad boy, it would never get moved.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> If (God Forbid) your boat ever sunk to the bottom of the bay you could paddle that mattress across the water if need be.


:laughing::thumbup::yes::clap::lol:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, that is beautiful. When a shiny finish is used you can see all imperfections or the lack of imperfections and I don't see a single one anywhere, you are good buddy. I like your support, that will work great.
> 
> 4 Bags is for sure easier to handle, we have a KS and it takes an act of congress to move that bad boy. (hmmm maybe act of congress is a bad choice of words) If your memory foam is like the one we have in our little camper you won't get cold this winter, that thing gets hot in the summer also.


Jim:

The additional layer of perforated latex foam which goes on top of the memory foam is supposed to moderate the temperature. Warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

I guess when I have a few more coats of varnish on I can put the mattress together and let you know if they were kidding me or not.

For the price, it had better be "NOT". :glare:


----------



## BigJim

Ours don't have the latex foam rubber on top, I can see where that would make the difference. Even without the latex they are proud of their mattresses.

Bud, you got that right about the congress, the low down sorry bunch of ...


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> We got the thick foam for the bottom in two pieces, then the memory foam and the latex in another two bags. The guys at the store double bagged everything for me.


This bed is starting to sound dangerous - once you sink down into that mattress you may lose the will to ever get up again.


----------



## jules4

jiju1943 said:


> Bud, you got that right about the congress, the low down sorry bunch of ...


Of course, the alternative to politicians getting nothing done is for them to start actually DOING STUFF, and that rarely turns out well either.


----------



## gma2rjc

I love the look of the wood grain and the finish is beautiful. Keep up the good work! Thanks for posting the pics.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> This bed is starting to sound dangerous - once you sink down into that mattress you may lose the will to ever get up again.


Dammit...I was hoping nobody would catch on to my plan...:sleeping:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I love the look of the wood grain and the finish is beautiful. Keep up the good work! Thanks for posting the pics.


Thanks Barb: I'm using Helmsman Spar Urethane, please note they don't have the word "varnish" in the product name.

Remember the Behr varnish story awhile ago - not being made any more.

When I first dipped a brush into this stuff, it had all the viscosity of water, so I thought how good could this possibly be?

Well, I still don't have the answer to that, but I have found one positive side effect and that is the drying time. Four hours to touch and 6 hours to re-coat. Gotta like that.

I did the third coat this afternoon and I can get one more on around 10 tonight. So, when I get up in the morning it might be in useable shape. Surprisingly, the third coat has eliminated all the dry spots on the arbutus. It has a habit of doing that due to the crazy grain directions in the wood.

I will say that the Behr varnish would sometimes take 4 or 5 coats to get rid of the end grain problem.


----------



## cocobolo

It is high time that the corner post and end railing got finished, sooo....

In order to mark the locations for the holes in the corner post - I needed some solid rod so I could find the exact points to drill.

I'm not sure if the photo is self explanatory or not, but I used two pieces of stainless steel welding rod (gotta be stainless, nothing else could possibly work!) and pushed the business end up against the corner post to locate the precise point.


----------



## cocobolo

Whooaa! Slow site tonight...I'll be back later to load the rest up. Last post took ages. :sleeping::sleeping::sleeping:


----------



## fixrite

and I thought I had it rough putting up 560 sq ft of allen block wall and moving my pool filter,pump, chlorinator, and installing the heat pump for my pool. Looks like your pool is not only self contained but self regulated as well,no chlorine needed...lol


----------



## cocobolo

It would be a hell of a lot better if it hadn't leaked! :furious:

But we have a new liner here, which I think we can double over and still cover the original area. A pal is supposed to be coming over to help me get it stretched out. 

An awful job to do by yourself.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, back to the end railing...I think this is the first trial fit of the corner. 

It is not a 90º corner, so I couldn't just chop it at 45º on the big miter saw.


----------



## fixrite

I have to sand blast mine next year and then install new tile, everything else I have replaced, skimmer, pipes, pump, ladder etc. I have just purchased a heat pump for it and am looking forward to a heated pool...soooon woohooo,


----------



## cocobolo

I hated to do it, but I had to drill a whole bunch of countersunk screw holes in that varnished wood!


----------



## fixrite

love the grain on that railing..... nice job


----------



## cocobolo

I think this one is of the corner together.


----------



## cocobolo

Since then I have smoothed the joint out, got the corner post bolted on, and the first coat of Helmsman is on.

I'll have more on the Helmsman Urethane tomorrow.


----------



## fixrite

Will you be using glass or cables?


----------



## cocobolo

I don't need to tell you what these are.


----------



## cocobolo

Just messin' with this one.


----------



## fixrite

Gorgeous and then some, great pics. So there will be a few sailors delighting tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Will you be using glass or cables?


Stainless steel cable.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Gorgeous and then some, great pics. So there will be a few sailors delighting tomorrow.


I just checked the marine forecast, and it's 10-15 knots with the current satellite showing quite a bit of cloud coming in. It's crystal clear here right now, and the milky way in Cygnus is showing up well.:sailor:


----------



## fixrite

I live in Courtenay and there are too many street lights for me to see the night sky short of going outside. Will you be using one piece of cable or will you be doing each section individually?


----------



## BigJim

Your rail turned out beautiful and your pictures are totally awesome. I accidentally hit the button to your first post a few minutes ago, I may go back and start reading all over again, your island is breath taking.


----------



## flamtap

cocobolo said:


> Just messin' with this one.


Sorry, but with the border and the pink tones on this image, it made me think of the airbrushed license plates you can find at county fairs & the like around here. Something like this: 

http://www.ricknasby.com/i/airbrush plates/mountain_scenery.jpg









I think the original image is just great, though!

flamtap


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice pictures!

The railing is coming together beautifully. Did you have to stand on the ladder on the roof to work on the corner of the railing?


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> I live in Courtenay and there are too many street lights for me to see the night sky short of going outside. Will you be using one piece of cable or will you be doing each section individually?


I have two rolls of cable, and I am hoping that the longer one will do the whole thing, so I'll be trying for one piece.

If I have a full 500' roll it will just make it, but I can't remember what it is that I have. I do know for sure that the roll that the good Dr. Al gave me is only a partial roll. The total length I will need is about 460'.

And speaking of the night sky, I was outside at 5:15 am and Jupiter was right overhead in clear skies...the Pleiades was easily visible and was spectacular in the big binocs and Orion was above my horizon. To top it all off there is a beautiful waning crescent moon this morning.

So for you early risers, if you can make it out tomorrow morning around 5 am local time, you should get to see the same thing again. The crescent of the moon will be even thinner, adding to its' beauty.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Your rail turned out beautiful and your pictures are totally awesome. I accidentally hit the button to your first post a few minutes ago, I may go back and start reading all over again, your island is breath taking.


Still a few more coats of finish to put on the end section there Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Nice pictures!
> 
> The railing is coming together beautifully. Did you have to stand on the ladder on the roof to work on the corner of the railing?


Sure did. To bolt the post on and get the holed drilled into the deck, I just used the 8' step ladder.

And while I was at it I cleaned the short gutter above the front door. Makes me wonder where all this debris comes from that finds its' way into these gutters. :confused1:


----------



## cocobolo

flamtap said:


> Sorry, but with the border and the pink tones on this image, it made me think of the airbrushed license plates you can find at county fairs & the like around here. Something like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think the original image is just great, though!
> 
> flamtap


We aren't allowed to use plates like that in B.C. We're supposed to have the proper plates front and back. However, this doesn't apply to semis.

I have seen different plates from Alberta I believe, so I guess they only have a one plate rule.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday I mentioned the Helmsman Urethane.

My initial reaction to this stuff was one of dismay. It is so thin - lacking in viscosity - that I couldn't believe it would cover anything. 

Yesterday, I got more coats on the bed platform, and I must say it's looking really good. I cannot get a photo to do the finish justice. 

Now, on the can it says that two coats will be needed and if a third is necessary...???? A third? Heck, I'm used to putting on 7 coats of regular varnish on outside wood in order to get a near perfect finish.

The third coat covered all the end grain without a single dull spot showing, that was a bit of a surprise. When I checked all round the platform against the light, I spotted a couple of dust spots on the surface.

No big deal I thought, I'll just sand the whole surface and give it another couple of coats. Ummm, nope. I used stainless steel wool to scuff the surface smooth. That was a waste of time. Sure it took the dust spots off, but it barely made any mark at all on the surface otherwise.

I did the one and only extra coat around 10 last night, and it still isn't light enough here yet for me to check the surface against the light. But initially, from what I'm able to see with artificial light, it appears to be OK.

So while I obviously do not have any long term results to pass along, it appears that this stuff is as tough as nails. It doesn't appear to have turned the arbutus quite as amber as the regular varnish does either. More like the original wood colour except with a high gloss.

On the railing outside, my first impression was that I could barely tell the difference between just _one coat_ of the Helmsman on red cedar, compared to many coats of varnish. Of course, that was when it was just applied wet...no doubt it will look different when I check later this morning.

Bottom line is that I may have bought my last can of varnish. I'm pretty impressed with this stuff. Plus it does have UV filters in it and is listed as being good for exterior use. The actual surface of this stuff is much tougher than any varnish I have ever used.

The only thing I do not care for so far is the viscosity. You cannot pick up much urethane on the brush, as it just falls off immediately just like it was water. And yes, I stir the can when I open it, and periodically during use. It didn't seem to make any difference.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yesterday I mentioned the Helmsman Urethane.
> 
> My initial reaction to this stuff was one of dismay. It is so thin - lacking in viscosity - that I couldn't believe it would cover anything.
> 
> Yesterday, I got more coats on the bed platform, and I must say it's looking really good. I cannot get a photo to do the finish justice.
> 
> Now, on the can it says that two coats will be needed and if a third is necessary...???? A third? Heck, I'm used to putting on 7 coats of regular varnish on outside wood in order to get a near perfect finish.
> 
> The third coat covered all the end grain without a single dull spot showing, that was a bit of a surprise. When I checked all round the platform against the light, I spotted a couple of dust spots on the surface.
> 
> No big deal I thought, I'll just sand the whole surface and give it another couple of coats. Ummm, nope. I used stainless steel wool to scuff the surface smooth. That was a waste of time. Sure it took the dust spots off, but it barely made any mark at all on the surface otherwise.
> 
> I did the one and only extra coat around 10 last night, and it still isn't light enough here yet for me to check the surface against the light. But initially, from what I'm able to see with artificial light, it appears to be OK.
> 
> So while I obviously do not have any long term results to pass along, it appears that this stuff is as tough as nails. It doesn't appear to have turned the arbutus quite as amber as the regular varnish does either. More like the original wood colour except with a high gloss.
> 
> On the railing outside, my first impression was that I could barely tell the difference between just _one coat_ of the Helmsman on red cedar, compared to many coats of varnish. Of course, that was when it was just applied wet...no doubt it will look different when I check later this morning.
> 
> Bottom line is that I may have bought my last can of varnish. I'm pretty impressed with this stuff. Plus it does have UV filters in it and is listed as being good for exterior use. The actual surface of this stuff is much tougher than any varnish I have ever used.
> 
> The only thing I do not care for so far is the viscosity. You cannot pick up much urethane on the brush, as it just falls off immediately just like it was water. And yes, I stir the can when I open it, and periodically during use. It didn't seem to make any difference.


Keith, is the Helmsman Urethane water base? I like using the water based poly better than the solvent based because it goes on so easy, no bubbles or streaks and dries very fast which I really like. It does raise the grain because of the water base but it is easily sanded and then smooths out wonderfully. I don't know if they make outside water base poly or not but for inside I really like it. The down side is it is very very thin like the one you are using.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, is the Helmsman Urethane water base? I like using the water based poly better than the solvent based because it goes on so easy, no bubbles or streaks and dries very fast which I really like. It does raise the grain because of the water base but it is easily sanded and then smooths out wonderfully. I don't know if they make outside water base poly or not but for inside I really like it. The down side is it is very very thin like the one you are using.


No Jim, this one is oil based - or whatever it is, but not water. You use ordinary paint thinner for the brushes.

The first coat of this raises the grain also, as any liquid will. It seemed to sand easily enough this morning on the handrail when I sanded it. But the finish was less than a day old.

I just sanded and re-finished the curved railing on the front deck. By the time I had got from one end to the other on one side with the Helmsman urethane, the small runs on the opposite side were already extremely sticky. I would say less than 5 minutes. But the sun is out and it's nice and warm today.


----------



## cocobolo

After a brief chat with the foam people today to make sure I had the gluing process clear, I set about getting the two big pieces glued together. The pieces they gave me are _TOO SMALL!_

The phone will be busy first thing tomorrow morning!

Now I'm sure you all know me as a nice mild mannered old guy who likes to mess around with bits of wood. And generally speaking, that would be true. But I think in this case I will make an exception.

I did sit all the foam in place on the bed - and naturally had a little lay-me-down. I think it will do.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's too bad. Considering all the effort it takes to get that foam from the store to the bed frame - not to mention the amount of money you must have paid for it - it only seems right that *they* should *deliver* one that is cut to the proper size. They should deliver it and collect the one you have. 

Then perhaps they should train their employees on the proper use of a measuring tape.


----------



## BigJim

I would be hyperventilating about now, I do that when I get really ticked, know what I mean Vern?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's too bad. Considering all the effort it takes to get that foam from the store to the bed frame - not to mention the amount of money you must have paid for it - it only seems right that *they* should *deliver* one that is cut to the proper size. They should deliver it and collect the one you have.
> 
> Then perhaps they should train their employees on the proper use of a measuring tape.


The thing is, the store we got the foam from ordered it all from another store over in Vancouver. So it looks like there might have been some sort of mis-communication between the two. About 40 minutes from now I will be finding out.

You can be sure I will let you know what transpires.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I would be hyperventilating about now, I do that when I get really ticked, know what I mean Vern?


Oh, so you heard me last night then Jim, when I discovered the mistake? Sorry about that...hehehe.

When we were ordering the material, the guy asked me if we wanted 76" wide or 78" wide. Now up to that point I hadn't even heard of a 76" wide king size bed. I made it very clear that ours was 78" wide..You can guess what size they gave us. 

Not only that, but the 6" thick foam is also just too short, obviously a mis-cut. All in all a p!ss poor job.


----------



## gma2rjc

If you lived on the island and it was just a matter of loading it on the truck and driving it back to the store, it would be one thing. But with you having to carry all of it back down the stairs (which is dangerous because it's so awkward and bulky), down to the boat and multiple trips from the boat across the doc (if the wind catches it, you could end up in the bay) and up to your vehicle.... it's something you shouldn't have to deal with.

At the very least they should tell you to keep the one you have and replace it with another. There's no sense in you going to all the trouble of bringing it back so they can let it sit in the warehouse.


----------



## cocobolo

This just in from the Ruxton Island news department......

After a series of calls to the foamies, wherein they started to call me a liar about the size of the foam, :furious: we are finally getting somewhere.

First they requested that I bring the foam back to the store so they could personally check the sizes.  That was the cause of my first tirade.

Then I had to wait nearly 3 hours for them to return my first call, which didn't sit too well. 

After discovering that the foam is actually cut in Vancouver (which is what I suspected in the first place) I suggested that they might like...no I demanded that they call the supplier and have _them_ tell the foamies how big it was cut.

They did this. Surprise, surprise, it was cut the size I said it is. :thumbup: Well, nearly. Apparently, they just feed numbers into a computer and a machine cuts the foam to the _approximate_ size. :wink: Mr. Foam God said it is normal for the foam to be a different size than what is punched into the computer.

So, Mr. Junior foamie still needs some sort of confirmation that the foam is the size I say it is, even after having spoken to the foam gods in Vancouver. He took my suggestion of what he could do with his confirmation rather well, all things considered. :whistling2: However, I invited him to come over to Ruxton Island - at his expense of course - and he would be more than welcome to measure away to his little heart's content.

All of a sudden that wasn't quite such a good idea, and he would be quite happy if I could just take a pic or two (which I offered to do in the initial call first thing this morning).

That has been done, 6 pics in all, and we ended our last call on a decidedly friendlier note.

Oh yes, just one other tiny little detail, they would have to charge me $50 to have this extra foam sent from Vancouver. It didn't take more than about 15 seconds for me to explain the error of his ways in asking for such a stupid thing. It's _your fault pal, you pay the freight. Capiche?_


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Mr. Foam God said it is normal for the foam to be a different size than what is punched into the computer.


:huh: We should be thankful this guy doesn't build airplanes..... "By golly Joe! The left wing on this plane is a foot longer than the right wing". "That's fairly normal Fred - close enough anyway".


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> This just in from the Ruxton Island news department......
> 
> After a series of calls to the foamies, wherein they started to call me a liar about the size of the foam, :furious: we are finally getting somewhere.
> 
> First they requested that I bring the foam back to the store so they could personally check the sizes.  That was the cause of my first tirade.
> 
> Then I had to wait nearly 3 hours for them to return my first call, which didn't sit too well.
> 
> After discovering that the foam is actually cut in Vancouver (which is what I suspected in the first place) I suggested that they might like...no I demanded that they call the supplier and have _them_ tell the foamies how big it was cut.
> 
> They did this. Surprise, surprise, it was cut the size I said it is. :thumbup: Well, nearly. Apparently, they just feed numbers into a computer and a machine cuts the foam to the _approximate_ size. :wink: Mr. Foam God said it is normal for the foam to be a different size than what is punched into the computer.
> 
> So, Mr. Junior foamie still needs some sort of confirmation that the foam is the size I say it is, even after having spoken to the foam gods in Vancouver. He took my suggestion of what he could do with his confirmation rather well, all things considered. :whistling2: However, I invited him to come over to Ruxton Island - at his expense of course - and he would be more than welcome to measure away to his little heart's content.
> 
> All of a sudden that wasn't quite such a good idea, and he would be quite happy if I could just take a pic or two (which I offered to do in the initial call first thing this morning).
> 
> That has been done, 6 pics in all, and we ended our last call on a decidedly friendlier note.
> 
> Oh yes, just one other tiny little detail, they would have to charge me $50 to have this extra foam sent from Vancouver. It didn't take more than about 15 seconds for me to explain the error of his ways in asking for such a stupid thing. It's _your fault pal, you pay the freight. Capiche?_


You have patience buddy, down this way we would be fixin to open up a 5 gallon bucket of W A.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :huh: We should be thankful this guy doesn't build airplanes..... "By golly Joe! The left wing on this plane is a foot longer than the right wing". "That's fairly normal Fred - close enough anyway".


Isn't that why they used to build airplanes with one wing on top of the other...just in case they didn't get the bottom one right?


----------



## Bud Cline

...and it seems everything works out for the best afterall.

Now when your boat sinks - you do have a nice new foam raft to take you to town.


----------



## fixrite

On a lighter side of all this......
You know we need people like this.......they make the rest of us look sooo good without even trying.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> On a lighter side of all this......
> You know we need people like this.......they make the rest of us look sooo good without even trying.


Ain't that just the truth!


----------



## cocobolo

I washed off the top railing outside the bedroom yesterday and added a coat of the new urethane. This morning I added a second coat, so now there's 7 varnish and two urethane's.

You should see this thing shine in the sun. A picture simply does not convey the depth of the finish.


----------



## cocobolo

One more for good measure and a few of todays' flower pics.


----------



## BigJim

Your pictures are always just stunningly beautiful. Is your sweety doing better yet?

Keith if your rail is prettier in person than the picture, it is out of sight, it still reminds me a lot of a yacht. By the way, how is my table doing now days.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Jim:

The missus' leg is still not good. Now there's some sort of problem with her foot as well. It all seems to be muscle/tendon/ligament related.

That rail really is better in the flesh than any photo.

As for your table, well the arbutus moved quite a bit, causing some cracks in the varnish.  I think I will sand off the old varnish and see what happens with three or four coats of this urethane. Nothing to lose by trying.

Can't get at it today...I have to clean the surface of the old pond liner with soap and water, then try to stretch out the new liner, then get two coats of urethane on the top windows (sanded then down last night), water the Japanese garden, :thumbsup: water the missus' garden, get some more grout on the living room floor and clear out part of the generator shed so I can get at the big pressure water tank to move it over to the house.

Not quite sure what I'll be doing _after_ coffee break. :jester:

I guess I will be building the new headboard now that I think about it!


----------



## tpolk

you need to hurry up every chance you get, you should be able to fit /shoehorn a few more projects in there :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> you need to hurry up every chance you get, you should be able to fit /shoehorn a few more projects in there :thumbup:


You betcha...but I don't want to run out of stuff to do _that fast! _


----------



## tpolk

thats what the missus is there for:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

Beautiful pics Keith! Are the flowers in the last picture "four o'clocks"?

The list of work you have for today would take me weeks to complete. That's if I was _able_ to do all of it :laughing:.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks Jim:
> 
> The missus' leg is still not good. Now there's some sort of problem with her foot as well. It all seems to be muscle/tendon/ligament related.
> 
> That rail really is better in the flesh than any photo.
> 
> As for your table, well the arbutus moved quite a bit, causing some cracks in the varnish.  I think I will sand off the old varnish and see what happens with three or four coats of this urethane. Nothing to lose by trying.
> 
> Can't get at it today...I have to clean the surface of the old pond liner with soap and water, then try to stretch out the new liner, then get two coats of urethane on the top windows (sanded then down last night), water the Japanese garden, :thumbsup: water the missus' garden, get some more grout on the living room floor and clear out part of the generator shed so I can get at the big pressure water tank to move it over to the house.
> 
> Not quite sure what I'll be doing _after_ coffee break. :jester:
> 
> I guess I will be building the new headboard now that I think about it!


We are hoping your wife gets much better really soon, that has to be tough on both of you.

My stars Keith, that would take me a week to do even if I could do it at all. 

A little wood movement with cracks just adds character to somethings, I like natural happenings sometimes.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> thats what the missus is there for:yes:


Yeah, but for Pete's sake don't keep reminding her!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> We are hoping your wife gets much better really soon, that has to be tough on both of you.
> 
> My stars Keith, that would take me a week to do even if I could do it at all.
> 
> A little wood movement with cracks just adds character to somethings, I like natural happenings sometimes.


I'm with you Jim on that one, most of the time. It's when the varnish starts to open up that causes a problem. Once water gets in underneath you need to do something about it soon.

I think I will give it a good sanding and then get the missus to make up some sort of cover for the wintertime. No idea how long _that_ might take.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Beautiful pics Keith! Are the flowers in the last picture "four o'clocks"?
> 
> The list of work you have for today would take me weeks to complete. That's if I was _able_ to do all of it :laughing:.


I have no clue whatsoever what those flowers are. I'm sure the missus does...so if she is going to make another attempt at a short walk today I will ask her.


----------



## cocobolo

It was a somewhat futile effort to clean the liner this morning...not so much washing it, but trying to keep up with the debris falling off the trees, as it was a bit windy.


----------



## cocobolo

My pal told me the liner he gave me was 35' by 35'. Not quite, it was 28' by 30'. The only thing I could do with it was to put it on diagonally, and it was barely big enough to cover the extremities of the original liner.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth I always say. Can't complain about a freebie. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

First thing I put a coat of urethane on the top windows this morning. The sun dried it in nothing flat.


----------



## cocobolo

There is some improvement with the second coat - yes, I have it on already. And I think I will be doing a third coat later this afternoon. This stuff dries in the sun in minutes, it's amazing.


----------



## cocobolo

I got the pieces for the headboard roughly cut to size. Now I have to decide on the precise measurements before they are trimmed. 

The original bed had the headboard tilted back at 11º, and I was going to do that as well. But for a couple of reasons, it's going to be upright, minus the tilt.

If the bed was going against a wall, the angle _might_ be OK. But when I did a mockup of it, it just didn't look right, so vertical it is.

Here's the top rail for the headboard, 8 feet long.


----------



## jules4

jiju1943 said:


> Keith if your rail is prettier in person than the picture, it is out of sight, it still reminds me a lot of a yacht. By the way, how is my table doing now days.


That's exactly what I was thinking - that railing looks like it belongs on a luxury yacht. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> That's exactly what I was thinking - that railing looks like it belongs on a luxury yacht. :thumbsup:


Aw heck, they don't make them that nice just for any old luxury yacht! :boat:


----------



## cocobolo

I did say I would try and clear out half the generator shed to get at the water tank.

Did that, unearthed a brand new in the box flooring air nailer and a box of 10,000 staples to go with it! Never been opened.

I decided I had better pull the tank out before it became surgically attached to the genny shed...after all, it must have been there for about 10 years. It had a 5 year warranty, which probably expired 5 years ago. Better hope it still works as it has never been out of the box.

Looks like the mice have had a field day with that as well.


----------



## cocobolo

I did manage a little machine work on some of the headboard.

I carefully measured the end verticals both for the notch to fit them to the side rails and for the countersink holes for the lag bolts which will attach them to the bed.

I cut the notch on the table saw using the dado blade. Taking very narrow cuts at a time until the full depth was reached.

Usually the dado head will leave a surface with small ridges...use your paring chisel to smooth it out.


----------



## cocobolo

There needs to be something better than a couple of tenon inserts for this headboard. That's what the plans in the magazine called for. I have to wonder whether that was right or not...

My choice is 3 4" lag bolts in either side. With just one in and tightened up I would venture to say it is stronger than the original. Two it's immovable. Three, let's just say that's for cheap insurance.

If you have a set of Forstner bits (highly recommended) they make perfect bits for countersinking something like this. Sink the bit until it gets as far as shown in the pic. That's enough to bury the bolt head and washer. You do need a drill press to use a forstner bit, as it is guided by the edge, not the center of the bit.

Then run your clearance bit through. 

To mark the end of the board to pre-drill for the bolt holes, I sat the vertical board in place, tapped a punch into the holes and there was my spot for drilling the holes.

For lag bolts, don't be afraid to drill deeper than the bolt itself. With hardwood like this, the threads hold like nobody's business.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's what the top board looks like in mockup stage.


----------



## sbmfj

I wish I had a fraction of your knowledge and skillz.


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> I wish I had a fraction of your knowledge and skillz.


Thanks my friend...these things come with time and practice, lots and lots of practice.

If you could see the number of ruined and incomplete projects I had from many years ago you would see I wasn't born with any special skills. :jester:

Race car drivers don't enter their first race and win the Indy 500. They have crashes along the way working their way to the top. It's no different with woodworking or any other trade. 

Don't be intimidated by what others can do, take the time to study what you would _like to learn_, and go from there. After that, it is practice. :yes:

You may have noticed that I still don't get everything right the first time, but I don't mind letting you know. That way you can learn from my mistakes :wallbash:as well as the occasional success.


----------



## PJB54

I am thinking of building an off-grid home myself (more of a summer home actually)and then doing the same in South / Central America. I got your name from asking a question on how many amps a home uses over the course of a day and in a reply they said I should check out your blogs. You do have a number of them and I congratulate you on your amazing initiative. Great looking home!!! Are you using solar, wind and bio-mass for your system? Do you use any battery systems for power and charge them with renewables? And if so are they LI (lithium - ion)or lead-acid? I am considering using a LI battery bank system similar to those used in the new E cars and keeping them charged with renewables. Which system are you using and how is it working for you? Paul


----------



## sbmfj

cocobolo said:


> Thanks my friend...these things come with time and practice, lots and lots of practice.
> 
> If you could see the number of ruined and incomplete projects I had from many years ago you would see I wasn't born with any special skills. :jester:
> 
> Race car drivers don't enter their first race and win the Indy 500. They have crashes along the way working their way to the top. It's no different with woodworking or any other trade.
> 
> Don't be intimidated by what others can do, take the time to study what you would _like to learn_, and go from there. After that, it is practice. :yes:
> 
> You may have noticed that I still don't get everything right the first time, but I don't mind letting you know. That way you can learn from my mistakes :wallbash:as well as the occasional success.


I thought I had sealed up a spot on my front balcony that had occasionally leaked into my home. Irene proved me wrong, only a little though, but a little leak is a leak, and drives me nuts, especially after I "tackled the problem, and fixed it" :furious:. Anyhow, I guess it was an exception due to the abundance of rain, but still peeves me regardless. I really thought I had it sorted. Thanks for allowing me to rant.


----------



## cocobolo

PJB54 said:


> I am thinking of building an off-grid home myself (more of a summer home actually)and then doing the same in South / Central America. I got your name from asking a question on how many amps a home uses over the course of a day and in a reply they said I should check out your blogs. You do have a number of them and I congratulate you on your amazing initiative. Great looking home!!! Are you using solar, wind and bio-mass for your system? Do you use any battery systems for power and charge them with renewables? And if so are they LI (lithium - ion)or lead-acid? I am considering using a LI battery bank system similar to those used in the new E cars and keeping them charged with renewables. Which system are you using and how is it working for you? Paul


Good morning Paul:

Many thanks for your kind comments and welcome to the thread.

There is no right answer as to how many amp hours a solar home will use in any given day. That is always a function of what electrical items you have in the house, how much power they draw, how often you use them and whether or not you are extremely careful never to leave any phantom loads running.

Our battery bank currently is a set of sealed lead acid batteries.

I would think that a LI set would be quite a bit better, also more expensive. I don't know what LI batteries cost these days, but undoubtedly over a period of time the price will drop. It's always good advice to buy the best possible set that you can afford, and as large as possible. More battery storage is always better.

With the price of solar panels falling like ninepins today - Canadian Solar has some at $1.34 per watt - the cost of panels has plummeted since we got ours. We have only 500 watts of panels here, and much to everyone's surprise (including mine!) that has proven to be nearly adequate. Sufficient battery storage has always been our problem.

On my next house I will likely put up at least a 2,000 watt system and quite likely more. Simply because the price of panels is so low right now.

We did try a wind genny here for awhile, but our wind regime was totally inadequate. However, if you have some land with good steady wind, I would try a small wind generator as well. Ours was a 500 watt Southwest Windpower unit. It never did put out 500 watts, even when it was at full speed...around 420 was the maximum it ever reached if my memory serves me.

If you haven't yet discovered Homepower Magazine, that's where you need to go. I think you can get an annual subscription to their online magazine for less than 10 bucks a year. Absolutely worth every nickel and then some. They will keep you right up to date on all the latest in solar goodies.

Please keep us posted on your progress...thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> I thought I had sealed up a spot on my front balcony that had occasionally leaked into my home. Irene proved me wrong, only a little though, but a little leak is a leak, and drives me nuts, especially after I "tackled the problem, and fixed it" :furious:. Anyhow, I guess it was an exception due to the abundance of rain, but still peeves me regardless. I really thought I had it sorted. Thanks for allowing me to rant.


Ouch, I didn't realise that Irene was going to reach where you are. 

Quite often, leaks are caused by a lack of proper flashing. If you would like to put a photo on here as to where your leak is, we might be able to suggest a permanent fix. It definitely should be stoppable, Irene or no Irene.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was outside staining some wood for the bed, I noticed that the missus' one and only bamboo has sprouted two new shoots. Kind of an unusual time of year for that...but I'm sure she'll be pleased when she gets out to have a look.

This one is _hibano bambusa tranquillans._


----------



## cocobolo

As you know, the bed is being put together from whatever it is I happen to have kicking around these parts. The two panels in the headboard call for either some sort of 1/4" solid wood panel (unlikely) or 1/4" plywood, much more likely.

All I have on hand is some Virola plywood which is left over from the stair facings. Just enough to make the panels from.

Because this headboard is considerably higher than the original, I needed panels which are 20 1/2" high and about 30" wide. Much of the panel will not be visible from the front, so the appearance will not be substantially different from the original design.

This plywood really isn't much to write home about, and so it needed a little help.

I used some filler on both sides to try and smooth it out. The filler in question goes on pink and dries white. This was very fast, because the filler was very thinly applied. 

Prior to filling, I hand sanded the panels - both side - with worn out 100 grit sandpaper, followed by 180 grit.


----------



## cocobolo

I always think that any plywood to be stained benefits from having conditioner applied. Once the conditioner is on, you have up to 2 hours to get the stain on. After that, the conditioner loses its' effectiveness. I waited about 15 minutes to let it get a good soaking.


----------



## cocobolo

On one side of the Virola I tried an ebony stain...


----------



## cocobolo

and on the other, red Mahogany.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Race car drivers don't enter their first race and win the Indy 500. *They have crashes along the way* working their way to the top. *It's no different with woodworking or any other trade. *


I don't mind saying: "I resemble that remark"!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I don't mind saying: "I resemble that remark"!


"Me too!". :blush:


----------



## cocobolo

OK, a little more work on the headboard...here I have a mockup of the plywood and the bottom crosspieces.


----------



## cocobolo

I wasn't sure if I was going to use the little decorative pieces in the middle, but I think it completes the design pretty well.


----------



## cocobolo

Here it is all done except for all the finish that needs to be put on. I will be getting at that right after I have a quick coffee...!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Here it is all done except for all the finish that needs to be put on. I will be getting at that right after I have a quick coffee...!


At first I could see where you were going with your bed but now I do, it is looking great. Did you get your mattress people straightened out? Have you slept in it yet?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> At first I could see where you were going with your bed but now I do, it is looking great. Did you get your mattress people straightened out? Have you slept in it yet?


Thanks Jim:

Yes, I believe this Thursday the extra pieces of foam will arrive from Vancouver. Can you believe it, a foam store that doesn't even have enough on hand to cut a few strips??? Crazy.

Strips or not, I have been sleeping on it and it's great.

First coat of finish is on the headboard, and as usual it looks a right mess.

By this time tomorrow it should be vastly improved.


----------



## gma2rjc

Strips? How will you attach them to the existing foam?

That's going to be a beautiful bed. I like the dark stain on the plywood and the two decorative pieces in the center.

How did you measure for the curve on top of the headboard?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Strips? How will you attach them to the existing foam?
> 
> That's going to be a beautiful bed. I like the dark stain on the plywood and the two decorative pieces in the center.
> 
> How did you measure for the curve on top of the headboard?


The foam attaches with a special spray glue. I am assured by the collective wizards at the foam store that once stuck, it is permanent.

For the curve, I just used a piece of cedar as a batten, pulled it to what looked like a fair curve, clamped it to the board, checked measurements at several spots and drew a line. That's about it. A fairly standard process used in boatbuilding.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Strips? How will you attach them to the existing foam?
> 
> That's going to be a beautiful bed. I like the dark stain on the plywood and the two decorative pieces in the center.
> 
> How did you measure for the curve on top of the headboard?


Good gravy, you got an eye, I didn't even see the curve until you said something about it.


----------



## sbmfj

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, you got an eye, I didn't even see the curve until you said something about it.


same here!!

Very nice job sir!


----------



## cocobolo

Knocked another couple of items off the "to-do" list today.

I cleaned out the utility room, that was a joy in itself, moved the water tank in and bolted the water pump on top. Now perhaps I'll have some incentive to get the water hooked up in the house finally.


----------



## cocobolo

Every year we try to clean the house sign and get a fresh coat of varnish on it. Admittedly, the odd year does get missed.

The old wood still weeps pitch every year, even after all these years. So I scrub it with gas to dissolve and remove the pitch, let that dry off, give it a good rub with a rag, and splash a new coat of finish on. 

This year it got the Helmsman and doesn't look bad at all. I think another coat tomorrow will be in order.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning the bed received its' final coat of finish, which means another project completed.

Just a few strips of foam and we're good to go.


----------



## gma2rjc

The sign looks good. I like the plaque with the eagles on it. 

I was just thinking that if you sell this house, the new owners can use this thread as an instruction manual to know when and how to do the upkeep on various things inside _and_ outside.


----------



## gma2rjc

That bed looks like a million bucks! You did a beautiful job on it. :thumbup:

It would be interesting to know how much a high-end furniture store would charge for a bed like that. Lots of $$$$$$$.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The sign looks good. I like the plaque with the eagles on it.
> 
> I was just thinking that if you sell this house, the new owners can use this thread as an instruction manual to know when and how to do the upkeep on various things inside _and_ outside.


The missus painted that plaque many years ago - maybe 10 or so. The plywood wasn't much good when she did it, but all things considered it hasn't weathered too badly.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That bed looks like a million bucks! You did a beautiful job on it. :thumbup:
> 
> It would be interesting to know how much a high-end furniture store would charge for a bed like that. Lots of $$$$$$$.


Thanks Barb...the only bed I could find online close to this was a very basic platform bed from an outfit in California. About $1300 I think. It looked like it was put together with pine.

This one was almost a freebie. The arbutus was a gift from Laurie - I think I will send him an email to let him know the wood went to good use. The glue and bolts were on hand already. The Helmsman, about $40, but I used maybe a 1/4 can on the bed. The stains were leftovers from a past project. I did have to buy two sheets of 1/2" cherry plywood for the base, and that was $60. So, for well under $100 (mattress not included) we have a nice bed.

It goes extremely well with the bedroom, so we're happy.


----------



## sbmfj

Love the bed and that sign has allot of character, eagles are lovely!
Did yourself or wifey #2 carve it out?


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> Love the bed and that sign has allot of character, eagles are lovely!
> Did yourself or wifey #2 carve it out?


Wifey #2 painted the eagles, and I did the letter carving, She has a few small paintings scattered around the property.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night I tried to get a long exposure shot of the star trails in Cygnus.
When I went out to check the camera after awhile, the lens was completely covered with dew!

If you check the trails closely, you can see how they taper off at the end...a result of the light no longer getting through to the chip.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Last night I tried to get a long exposure shot of the star trails in Cygnus.
> When I went out to check the camera after awhile, the lens was completely covered with dew!
> 
> If you check the trails closely, you can see how they taper off at the end...a result of the light no longer getting through to the chip.


That is just too neat Keith.


----------



## gma2rjc

Cool! How long did you leave the lens open?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Cool! How long did you leave the lens open?


I wish I could tell you Barb, but as soon as I saw all that dew, I didn't bother to check the time. 

When you do a bulb exposure with the Canon, it shows you the time as it is running. I would guess it was something over 1/2 an hour. Yours will work just the same. If you want to try one, let me know.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I was working out the front and spotted a navy boat wasting fuel in the channel. I guess if you're the navy, you can afford it.

Anyway, they took a hard left turn - that's to port for you non seagoing types - and came very close to the powerboat in the pic.


----------



## cocobolo

After successfully waiting a full year, I sanded the underside of that long railing today...then got a coat of urethane applied.

Later, I tested out the wire in the bottom of the posts. The one roll had enough for three rows only, so I am hoping that the other roll will have enough for the remaining 5 rows.

It's a bit of a bear pushing the wire through the holes...as the 7 x 19 wire wants to keep on peeling back just a little bit every time it catches on a hole. Maybe if the holes were bigger...


----------



## Bud Cline

Canada has a Navy *?*


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> After successfully waiting a full year, I sanded the underside of that long railing today...then got a coat of urethane applied.
> 
> Later, I tested out the wire in the bottom of the posts. The one roll had enough for three rows only, so I am hoping that the other roll will have enough for the remaining 5 rows.
> 
> It's a bit of a bear pushing the wire through the holes...as the 7 x 19 wire wants to keep on peeling back just a little bit every time it catches on a hole. Maybe if the holes were bigger...


A full year? Don't feel bad. A couple weeks ago I found my 'list-of-things-to-do' from 2008 in the junk drawer in the kitchen. I looked through it and marked some things off of it that have been done, but there are still plenty of projects that got transferred to my 2011 list. 

I also found the 2009 annual membership renewal card that I have to send in to the local procrastinators association. They keep begging me to teach a class at the 2010 seminar - when they get around to organizing it. :laughing:

You need an aglet for the leading end of the wire to help feed it through the holes.

Those posts sure are pretty with the variation of colors running through them.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Canada has a Navy *?*


Yeah, no kidding.

I think their other boat is an inflatable with a hole in it. :boat:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You need an aglet for the leading end of the wire to help feed it through the holes.
> 
> Those posts sure are pretty with the variation of colors running through them.


That's a good idea. I tried wrapping a piece of duct tape around the end, but it was too fat. I think perhaps a piece of tinfoil might work as I'm fresh out of aglets.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> That's a good idea. I tried wrapping a piece of duct tape around the end, but it was too fat. I think perhaps a piece of tinfoil might work as I'm fresh out of aglets.


I figured you must have already thought of that! But it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use the word aglets in a sentence that doesn't involve shoe laces. :laughing: j/k


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I figured you must have already thought of that! But it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use the word aglets in a sentence that doesn't involve shoe laces. :laughing: j/k


True enough. In fact I was even going to see if I could find an old pair of runners that I could swipe one aglet from.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> True enough. In fact I was even going to see if I could find an old pair of runners that I could swipe one aglet from.


I sure am glad ya'll said shoe lace cause I didn't know what a aglet was there for a second. Would soldering the end of the wire work, or heat shrink?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I sure am glad ya'll said shoe lace cause I didn't know what a aglet was there for a second. Would soldering the end of the wire work, or heat shrink?


Either one might work Jim. I thought of trying to solder the end of the wire, but I don't know how well solder works with stainless, it might. Heat shrink might well do the trick as well...except I don't have any.

I'll try the foil this morning, and if that doesn't help, I'll get some heat shrink next trip to town.


----------



## gma2rjc

Would dipping it in melted wax work?


----------



## tpolk

howza about slightly opening the feed side with a counter sink


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> howza about slightly opening the feed side with a counter sink


If anything Tim, it would need the entire hole made larger. If it ever warms up here, I will try the tinfoil first.

So much for the summer we never had.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Would dipping it in melted wax work?


Don't know if it would be strong enough...although lubricating the tip could help.

It's just that with a 1/8" cable of 7 x 19 with a single strand core, there are 133 extremely fine wires with a larger core piece. And they are sharp little so and so's.


----------



## tpolk

you know better than to push your large wire into a small hole, silly wabbit:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> you know better than to push your large wire into a small hole, silly wabbit:laughing:


...it's not _that _big.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, so I tried the aluminum foil...

First pic is the wire end when you only _think _it's good.

Second one is a fresh cut with the special wire cutters...and third is wrapped in foil.


----------



## cocobolo

...and it works like a charm!

Now have the first 6 rows done, and no trouble at all with the foil...just zips right through. :thumbup:

It looks like I am going to have enough wire to finish the whole thing, but I need to get another coat or two of the urethane on the underside of the railing before I finish running the rest of the wire through.

It needs to warm up another few º before I do that.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> ...and it works like a charm!


:thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> :thumbup:


Me too:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Something I don't see very often...a great blue heron flew over and stopped at the very top of a fir tree. About 90 feet up in the air. He's here all the time...just not up the tree.


----------



## cocobolo

Tonight's sunset, not that great.

Good news from the foamies, my stuff is in and I can pick it up tomorrow. Looks like I will be going to town.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Tonight's sunset, not that great.
> 
> Good news from the foamies, my stuff is in and I can pick it up tomorrow. Looks like I will be going to town.


Keith, I am sure you get to see many beautiful sunsets but down this way they are kinda rare or either I am at the wrong place at the right time. That sunset is so comforting to me, it says crank up a camp fire and kick back with a good cup of mud.

I hope that earth quake above you don't cause and waves down your way while going over to get your foam. By the way are you going to suggest that they reimburse you for the trouble and gas for the unnecessary trip over? The wall eyed bean heads. (bettern cussin I guess)


----------



## Bud Cline

Great Blues are fairly common around here but I have never seen one in a tree. Didn't even know they did that stuff. Amazing creatures!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, I am sure you get to see many beautiful sunsets but down this way they are kinda rare or either I am at the wrong place at the right time. That sunset is so comforting to me, it says crank up a camp fire and kick back with a good cup of mud.
> 
> I hope that earth quake above you don't cause and waves down your way while going over to get your foam. By the way are you going to suggest that they reimburse you for the trouble and gas for the unnecessary trip over? The wall eyed bean heads. (bettern cussin I guess)


I didn't know anything about the earthquake Jim. Anyway, this morning it's blowing about 30-35 so it's bumpy out there. The wind is still building, so I have to wait until later to go over.
Here's a link to some information about the 'quakes out this way. There are several every day off the coast of Vancouver Island, but they are so small that we cannot feel them. I think we have only felt two since we have been here over the last 14 years.

http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/zones/westcan-eng.php

Yes, when the foamie suggested that he wanted $50 to pay the freight, I suggested that I would be charging him $50 an hour for 4 hours for my time, plus the cost of fuel for the boat and van. That ended his quest for another $50 profit. It was the store owner himself who contacted me last night, so perhaps I will get to meet him in person today. Sounds like a decent guy.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Great Blues are fairly common around here but I have never seen one in a tree. Didn't even know they did that stuff. Amazing creatures!


Hi Bud...the herons here quite often go into the big fir trees which surround the bay. But they are always on a lower branch, it's the first time I have seen the big guy right up top. I needed the tele lens to get close to him. And this tree is nowhere near the bay either.

The eagles routinely sit on the very top branches. They use this as perches while they are looking out over the water for dinner. Sometimes they will take off from a treetop and make a beeline for a spot in the water perhaps a mile or more away. They reach down and grab a fish and come right back to their perch for supper. We have always been taught that eagles have great eyesight, but when you see it in person, it's really mind boggling.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, they said the earth quake was a 7.1 in Alaska. here is a link telling about it.
http://www.disasternews.net/news/article.php?articleid=4302


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim, sorry to be so late in replying, I only got back from town a little over an hour ago...in the dark!
Yeah, I saw the info, and I doubt we would feel something that far away. Probably well over 2,000 miles as the crow flies. That is quite far out in the archipelago up in Alaska.

Chat more tomorrow, I'm pretty bushed right now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim, sorry to be so late in replying, I only got back from town a little over an hour ago...in the dark!
> Yeah, I saw the info, and I doubt we would feel something that far away. Probably well over 2,000 miles as the crow flies. That is quite far out in the archipelago up in Alaska.
> 
> Chat more tomorrow, I'm pretty bushed right now.


I hope you got some good rest last night Keith. 

I had no idea Alaska was that far from you, I was thinking maybe 400-500 miles or so.


----------



## cocobolo

It's big country up here Jim!


----------



## cocobolo

Spotted this guy wandering by a few minutes ago. 

I think it's a boat by the name of China Cloud.

Originally built by Alan Farrell almost completely by hand. There is an excellent book written about this boat. He and his wife Sharie lived on China Cloud for many years locally. After his wife died, Alan gave the boat away to a good friend and went to Mexico.

I believe Alan was well into his 90's before he passed away.

He and Ted Long - our local guru on everything nautical - used to be pals, and Alan visited Ted here on a number of occasions. They are both gone now, leaving us kids to preserve their memory.


----------



## cocobolo

Trip to town yesterday got underway very late (wind) and it was late and dark when I got back.

But the visit to the foam store went well. I met both the owner and his wife, and they are good people. The package had indeed arrived from Vancouver, and it just remained to cut the piece of latex. This was supposed to have been done first thing in the morning, but wasn't.

No problem, I helped the owner's wife cut the latex and she was asking me what happened that I would need this. After my explanation, she went out to the front of the store and returned with two pillows. She gave them to me for the extra trouble I had been put to.

I thanked both her and her hubby, who I also was able to have a chat with, and went on my way quite happy. 

Hopefully, I will be able to have a complete mattress by this evening.

While I was in town I picked up a new set of bedding as well. :thumbsup:

I made an attempt to get another can of the Helmsman Urethane, but as with many things these days, it seems that particular product is no longer being made - sort of.

It looks like we will no longer be able to buy oil based anything pretty soon, as that was the reason given for the original Helmsman no longer being available. However, they are producing a water based version now, and I somewhat reluctantly bought a can ($65 thank you very much!) to see how it is. Nobody at the House of Pot paint department had any experience with this, nor had they heard any feedback from any customers. For all I know I may have been the first one to buy some from there.

And you all know I will tell you what i think of it as soon as I check it out...


----------



## cocobolo

This afternoon I took the plunge and stuck all the foam together. I think this is a two person job, or one person if you have four hands.

The pieces they gave me all fit OK and here is the first end piece lined up and being glued.


----------



## cocobolo

I had to make sure that everything was covered with plastic - except what was to be glued of course.

Did you know there were two different kinds of 2" thick latex - even in Nanaimo? Me neither.

The original is 2 1/8" thick and has big holes. The new strip is 1 7/8" thick and has little holes. Why that is I don't have a clue.

But it's easy to stick together anyway. Just spray a _moderate_ amount of glue on both surfaces to be glued together (much like contact cement) wait about 30 seconds and push it together carefully. What I did with the latex was to set the strip on top of the full size piece and line the edges up as well as I could. Give it a good spray, especially where the two edges at the top were going to go together.

Then as carefully as possible, I just rolled the top piece down and the top edges stayed together very well. That enabled the two pieces to more or less end up at the same thickness.

The main warning on the spray glue can is to tip it upside down and spray for two seconds after each use. Of course I didn't do that the first time. Didn't take long for me to catch on I can tell you.


----------



## cocobolo

And here it is with the Emperor's new clothes in all it's glory! 

If you have not tried to put a stretchy mattress cover on a big foam mattress, it's about akin to trying to push a 20' long slinky up a 40 foot flight of stairs with both hands tied behind your back.

I swear I lost at least two pounds getting that sucker on. No wonder they have so many people working in the foam store! Now I know why.


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, the bed turned out beautifully and the cover complements it quite nicely. The picture of it looks like something out of a magazine! Nice job!!! :thumbsup:


> If you have not tried to put a stretchy mattress cover on a big foam mattress, it's about akin to trying to push a 20' long slinky up a 40 foot flight of stairs with both hands tied behind your back.


:laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is a beautiful craft from what can be seen of it. Building a beauty like that is very appealing to me, I would have loved to have done something like that and especially the idea of living on one. I am sure it has it's limitations and draw backs, as has most things do but the adventure in me loves the idea.

I got a chuckle out of visualizing you putting the mattress cover on, they can be tough and frustrating sometimes. When you were telling about spraying the adhesive I could feel the hair on my arm getting sticky, I hate spraying that stuff.LOL You got a beautiful comfortable looking bed now though, you deserve a comfortable resting place after putting that mattress cover on.

When you came home in the dark, were you running on your GPS? That would be a little scary knowing of all the rocks ya'll have there.


----------



## BigJim

I forgot to show you what I found online yesterday, it is the neatest saw I have seen in a good while. It would really come in good when running trim and flooring. I know I would have bought one like it if it back when I was in business especially if it were a compound slide. What do you think of it?


----------



## oh'mike

Ole Jim---That's a fine little tool!!

They have been sold in Europe for a while ,I haven't seen one here yet.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> When you came home in the dark, were you running on your GPS? That would be a little scary knowing of all the rocks ya'll have there.


Jim, after 14 years of coming in to the bay...and more than a few of them after dark...we have local landmarks which we can line up to get in the bay safely without decorating the rocks with our bottom paint.

The other good thing is that it was high tide. The extra 12 feet of water makes all the difference! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I forgot to show you what I found online yesterday, it is the neatest saw I have seen in a good while. It would really come in good when running trim and flooring. I know I would have bought one like it if it back when I was in business especially if it were a compound slide. What do you think of it?


Doesn't that look clever.

It seems to be a combination miter saw and mini table saw, kind of hard to tell without more information.

I don't know how big the blade is, but I guess it's big enough to cut wide trim.

oh'mike do you know anything else about this little guy?


----------



## tpolk

cocobolo said:


> And here it is with the Emperor's new clothes in all it's glory!
> 
> If you have not tried to put a stretchy mattress cover on a big foam mattress, it's about akin to trying to push a 20' long slinky up a 40 foot flight of stairs with both hands tied behind your back.
> 
> I swear I lost at least two pounds getting that sucker on. No wonder they have so many people working in the foam store! Now I know why.


thats why it was cut small :laughing: and should'nt you be naked in emperors new clothes


----------



## tpolk

jiju1943 said:


> I forgot to show you what I found online yesterday, it is the neatest saw I have seen in a good while. It would really come in good when running trim and flooring. I know I would have bought one like it if it back when I was in business especially if it were a compound slide. What do you think of it?


I always worry when they try to cram to many tools into one that accuracy and ease of use get sacrificed


----------



## oh'mike

cocobolo said:


> Doesn't that look clever.
> 
> 
> 
> oh'mike do you know anything else about this little guy?


No I don't---I saw pictures of it a couple of years ago and thought it was clever---I wonder about it's usefulness,however.

Looks like the depth of cut is not much. 

Might be handy but I've never been happy with combination tools.

They seldom do a satisfactory job.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> thats why it was cut small :laughing: and shouldn't you be naked in emperors new clothes


Tim...would you stop giving my secrets away!!!


----------



## BigJim

That is the first time I ever saw one, the blade on this one is 12 inches. I can see where it would come in good doing trim and such. It would be a lot better if it could be removed, I think. The down side to me, would be the possibility of not being able to see where I am cutting on the miter saw very well.


----------



## cocobolo

Mike and Tim: The smaller combination tools often have very little real value as such. I think they are aimed at the portable type tool buyer who might have a specialized use on a job site.

Even the very big combination tools - of which there are several - have their limitations. My biggest gripe with the big combo tools is the time it takes to change from one to the other.

I know the manufacturers all try to make the changes as simple and fast as possible, but still all those minutes catch up.

With my table saw, the most aggravating time waster is switching between a regular blade and the dado blade. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it seems that every time I need to use the saw (which is still every day) I always manage to have the wrong blade on there.

When we get to our next place I'm going to get a second table saw so I don't need to be changing blades constantly.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is the first time I ever saw one, the blade on this one is 12 inches. I can see where it would come in good doing trim and such. It would be a lot better if it could be removed, I think. The down side to me, would be the possibility of not being able to see where I am cutting on the miter saw very well.


Sorry Jim I posted before yours came through.

OK, I was deceived by the picture. The blade didn't look to be that big. In that case, it may well be a more useful machine. I wonder if the mini table saw part on top doesn't lift up out of the way to use the miter saw?

Knowing Bosch, they probably have the tool so it is easily used. They aren't inclined to make useless tools.


----------



## tpolk

if you stack one more tool on that one you could have your dado, that would be silly tho, it would need to be added to the side next to the bottle opener :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Straight from the horse's mouth...I mean Bosch's mouth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhsPlaOVHj8


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> if you stack one more tool on that one you could have your dado, that would be silly tho, it would need to be added to the side next to the bottle opener :yes:


Where's the blender and electric kettle supposed to fit?


----------



## tpolk

they are on the router silly wabbit


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> they are on the router silly wabbit


no wonder I missed them!


----------



## Bud Cline

That tool is totally useless without a radio. Where's the radio?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> That tool is totally useless without a radio. Where's the radio?


Not to mention the big screen TV.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> That tool is totally useless without a radio. Where's the radio?


Well back to the drawing board. I know what you mean about the radio though. The houses we worked on just seemed empty without one on. 

Talking about tools on a tool, I have a older crank type pencil sharpener on my big mitersaw, they really do come in handy there.

Keith, thanks for the video, I saw something I didn't like on the combo saw, that fence would be bent all to pieces in no time in the back of a van or truck. I like Bosch tools but after seeing that in action I think I would pass on it.


----------



## cocobolo

I got the stainless steel cable all run through the posts today, and somewhat tightened up. Pics tomorrow if I remember.

Started to do more grouting on the living room floor. Just not a job I like I'm afraid.

Not a bad sunset tonight.


----------



## cocobolo

I took a picture of the cable from the bedroom doorway and from down below.

I have the ends temporarily wedged to try and let the cable relax. After a week or so, I will take the wedges out and re-clamp the join at the end


----------



## cocobolo

Some time in the fairly recent past the front door sill had suffered some damage to the varnish. Sufficient that it was cut through to the wood.

Sanded it off this morning - pic here - and got the first coat of finish on. I still have a small amount of the oil based Helmsman, so I used that.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday, I scrubbed off the kitchen window casings with warm, soapy water...they were pretty dirty. Gave them a good rinse and a wipe and they came out fairly well, considering I don't think they have been re-finished since they were put in. The missus says maybe once.

Then a coat of the water based Helmsman, followed by a second coat today.


----------



## cocobolo

Also glued up some more wood for the book case. These pieces will be used for the verticals between the shelves. Still will need a few more yet methinks.


----------



## gma2rjc

Everything looks really nice, especially the windows and railing.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Everything looks really nice, especially the windows and railing.


You never quite know what's going to happen when you put a different finish over varnish.

When I first put the water based Helmsman on, it didn't look like it was taking at all well, but as soon as it dried all appeared OK. The second coat today improved the appearance quite a bit. 

Sorry about the night time photo.


----------



## sbmfj

What kind of eagles do you get out there? Bald Eagles? Take a picture next time if you can.....

Edit. Thought the web page was refreshed, so I commented about the eagles, but it wasn't refreshed at all, so my eagle comment isnt exactly where I thought it would be in the thread, my apologies...


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> If you have not tried to put a stretchy mattress cover on a big foam mattress, it's about akin to trying to push a 20' long slinky up a 40 foot flight of stairs with both hands tied behind your back.


Most Accurate Description Ever.

They should make manufactures put a label to this effect on their mattresses - and maybe suggest having your Dr. perform a stress-test prior to attempting to install any sheets.

The bed is stunning btw - are you really going to have to leave it behind when you move?


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> What kind of eagles do you get out there? Bald Eagles? Take a picture next time if you can.....
> 
> Edit. Thought the web page was refreshed, so I commented about the eagles, but it wasn't refreshed at all, so my eagle comment isnt exactly where I thought it would be in the thread, my apologies...


Yes, we get bald eagles here. We have seen up to about 60 at one time, but that is quite rare. Usually there are just a few at a time, maybe 3 or 4.

They have several favourite spots to sit on around the bay, so if I get the chance I'll have a go at a photo. 

This is usually not the time of year we see too many. i think they might have headed for the rivers by now.


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Most Accurate Description Ever.
> 
> They should make manufactures put a label to this effect on their mattresses - and maybe suggest having your Dr. perform a stress-test prior to attempting to install any sheets.
> 
> The bed is stunning btw - are you really going to have to leave it behind when you move?


Hi Jules: I think when you buy a mattress from a dealer, it comes with the cover pre-installed. But when you are forced to put the whole shebang together yourself it's another kettle of fish entirely. The sheets were no trouble at all. Once the cover is on, everything stiffens up sufficiently that the rest is a piece of cake.

Yes, the bed will stay. Since we have no idea what we will move into when we leave here we don't even know if it will fit. Besides, I have a feeling that if it got moved the wood might suffer damage.


----------



## cocobolo

The front door sill after having suffered a brutal sanding yesterday. This is the second finish coat, one more tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

There are 6 big windows in front of the solarium, which have never had any finish applied since day one. Not very clever. 

The sun has been able to get at the wood and has caused the normally nice looking cedar to fade considerably. I cleaned it off and sanded it down, but still no colour to speak of.


----------



## cocobolo

I sent Minwax an email asking about this water based Helmsman, and according to Jill at Minwax, as long as the old Helmsman urethane is scuff sanded lightly, there will be no adhesion problems. I rather imagine that would apply to other brands as well.

Here one of the casings has been done and the other not. I will get four coats (recommended) over the next couple of days and see what it looks like.


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice job on the door sill. It looks too pretty to walk on. I'm glad it's going to work out with the finish around the 6 windows. The section you did looks good as new.

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Barb...I did all the windows...just took a pic between so I could see what the difference might be.

My only gripe so far is that this water based stuff is even thinner than the oil based. Hard to keep on the brush.

Next trip to town I'm going to look for a thick brush with fake bristles with the ends all nicely split. That should work better. Can't use real bristles on this stuff.


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Nice job on the door sill. It looks too pretty to walk on. I'm glad it's going to work out with the finish around the 6 windows. The section you did looks good as new.
> 
> Barb


I second that, that is some really beautiful wood. 

Keith, I have used a lambs wool to apply the water based urethane, it did a good job for me and no bubbles.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I second that, that is some really beautiful wood.
> 
> Keith, I have used a lambs wool to apply the water based urethane, it did a good job for me and no bubbles.


Jim, thanks for that...something I didn't know about.

Do you use some sort of a pad of lamb's wool or what? And where would one find something like this?


----------



## Bud Cline

FWIW

I too use lambs wool applicators to apply some tile sealers. They appear to be better than any other type of applicator for some reason. I buy mine from Ace Hardware but they should be available at any hardware store or maybe even a lumber yard or paint store.


----------



## sbmfj

is lambs wool a different name for that fine steel wool? Used that to help refinsh wood mouldings at home...


----------



## Bud Cline

"Lambs wool" is supposedly wool from a lamb.

"Steel wool" is wool from a union iron worker.


----------



## Bud Cline

Yow I know...It's bad but it's all I had.


----------



## BigJim

sbmfj said:


> is lambs wool a different name for that fine steel wool? Used that to help refinsh wood mouldings at home...


sbmfj, Lambs wool is actually lambs wool or it looks like it. 

I like the lambs wool for different reasons, it holds a lot but it doesn't all bunch out at once like some paint brushes. I don't know if I said that right or not, maybe another way to say it is, it holds paint and finish well. Some water base urethanes need to keep a wet edge when applying and the wool does a great job to keep the edges wet. The water base urethane I have used dries super fast so you have to be on your toes when applying it.


----------



## cocobolo

Lost my interweb connection last night, and even the geniuses at Rogers didn't seem to have a clue as to why. One hour on the phone wasted...again.

Regardless of these annoyances, there has been a goofus uppas on one of the curved railings for some time now. About 4 years ago, the outer lamination opened up for a few inches by about 1/32". About a year later, wife number two decided to exercise her less than remarkable woodworking skills to fix it. I knew nothing about this of course.

A number of months later I noticed that she had rammed some wood filler into the crack, exaggerating the problem. After looking at this mess for the last few years, yesterday was the time to try and fix it.

First thing I did was to plane off the area in question, which meant I had to dip into the second lamination to get to clean wood.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see, it's a fairly long cleanup, something over a foot.

Next was to _dry clamp_ the piece of yellow cedar. As you know, I always do a dry run first before gluing and it's a good thing I did this time. Trying to get the clamps square on the inside edge of that curve was a real bear.


----------



## tpolk

she probably didnt want to bother you as you were on that diy site:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

The wood has been glued and is still clamped as we speak. Once the sun gets around to the railing later I will take the clamps off and shape the wood. More pics later.


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> she probably didnt want to bother you as you were on that diy site:laughing:


I'll get you for that Tim! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## tpolk

i never tire at looking at the vibrant colors and exquisite craftsmanship in your place keith:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

tpolk said:


> i never tire at looking at the vibrant colors and exquisite craftsmanship in your place keith:thumbsup:


OK, you just redeemed yourself! :laughing::whistling2::yes::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Last night...well early this morning I guess, right after moonset, I tried another star trail shot. I wanted to get Jupiter in this one as it was high in the sky.

Not hard to tell which trail Jupiter is! The exposure is slightly over 67 minutes.


----------



## gma2rjc

Neat picture Keith. I really have to try that with my camera some time.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you shape that piece of wood down to match the rest of the railing. Once again, I would have never thought to make the repair this way. Let alone have the talent to follow through with it.


----------



## BigJim

Keith that is still a mighty beautiful rail, there is no doubt that it will look perfect after you finish with it. 

Are you going to be able to see the super nova tonight? Here is a link about it, hopefully I can get out for a little while this evening if it isn't cloudy.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...e-midst-of-a-violent-bright-death?ft=1&f=1001


----------



## Bud Cline

> Last night...well early this morning I guess, right after moonset, I tried another star trail shot. I wanted to get Jupiter in this one as it was high in the sky.
> 
> Not hard to tell which trail Jupiter is! The exposure is slightly over 67 minutes.


Hey that reminds me...

Isn't there a Super Nova coming into view right now in the northern sky? This one supposedly burned out around twenty five million years ago or something like that and is just now becoming visible to earthlings.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Are you going to be able to see the super nova tonight? Here is a link about it, hopefully I can get out for a little while this evening if it isn't cloudy.
> 
> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...e-midst-of-a-violent-bright-death?ft=1&f=1001


Thanks for the link Jim. The s/n has been reported on the Sky & Telescope website for awhile now. I sent a note to my pal Randy in Nanaimo, and he was able to image the s/n several days ago.

We are expecting clear skies here tonight, so I will take a scope outside and get it set up and ready to go.

The commentators in these articles make it sound like it's a piece of cake to spot this s/n. But note that the one well informed chap stated that you need binocs like 20 x 80, or 25 x 100 in order to see it. Even at that, you will have to have the binocs attached to something solid so they don't move. 

The target isn't as easy as it sounds.

Good luck to everyone trying to get a look. In astronomical terms, this is a pretty rare event.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> This one supposedly burned out around twenty five million years ago or something like that and is just now becoming visible to earthlings.


Good guess, closer to 21 million light years...but what's 4 million light years among friends? :jester:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Are you going to be able to see the super nova tonight? Here is a link about it, hopefully I can get out for a little while this evening if it isn't cloudy.


WHOOPS!!! Now I feel really dumb! I didn't see that before I made my remarks. Now I get it!:wallbash:


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, are they correct when they say the best time to see it is just after it gets dark out?

Is your friend Randy going to try to take pictures of it?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, are they correct when they say the best time to see it is just after it gets dark out?
> 
> Is your friend Randy going to try to take pictures of it?


Yes, as soon as it gets dark look at the tail end of the big dipper...actually a triangle shape using the end two stars in the dipper handle will lead you to the pinwheel galaxy.

Once the moon gets up it will destroy the "seeing" and you will need a bigger scope to see anything. Your grandson's scope will be able to spot the pinwheel without any trouble.

I will check with Randy to see if he's going to go for a second shot. I also rather imagine Rich will be using his 14" Meade tonight. He has taken some truly professional grade pics with his scope. That's the one that is kept at the observatory at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.

I'm going to use the 4" refractor and I may take the 10" dob out as well. Trouble is, I only have one pair of eyes.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thank you.

It's starting to sprinkle here. I hope the clouds pass over soon.


----------



## BigJim

I should have known, it is cloudy here, maybe we will be able to see someone's pictures. Happy viewing ya'll.


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> I should have known, it is cloudy here, maybe we will be able to see someone's pictures. Happy viewing ya'll.


Same here.


----------



## cocobolo

Not to worry, it isn't going to disappear overnight. It is just that this will be the best night...in other words the brightest. However, it will diminish in brightness fairly quickly.

It is clear here with no chance of any clouds. I have one scope set up ready to go. Hope I don't spot any of these tonight.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, trying to find that super nova was quite the challenge.

The trouble is here we get very long dusky periods before it gets dark. And by the time it was dark enough to make out the galaxy, the moon was already way up. However, I did - just barely - make out the pinwheel and the s/n. But it was far fainter than I thought it might be.

20 x 80 binoculars did not work at all, just too bright with the near full moon.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, trying to find that super nova was quite the challenge.
> 
> The trouble is here we get very long dusky periods before it gets dark. And by the time it was dark enough to make out the galaxy, the moon was already way up. However, I did - just barely - make out the pinwheel and the s/n. But it was far fainter than I thought it might be.
> 
> 20 x 80 binoculars did not work at all, just too bright with the full moon.


Keith, if you had problems finding it I won't have a chance.


----------



## zigojacko

Ace photo's cocobolo, excellent craftmanship, looks a really exciting project!


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. That means the sky should be darker for that extra 50 minutes right at dusk. That should make quite a difference.

I will look again tonight and tomorrow night and see if there is any improvement.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. That means the sky should be darker for that extra 50 minutes right at dusk. That should make quite a difference.
> 
> I will look again tonight and tomorrow night and see if there is any improvement.


I didn't know that about the moon either, I learned something new today.


----------



## cocobolo

zigojacko said:


> Ace photo's cocobolo, excellent craftmanship, looks a really exciting project!


Thank you zigojacko...neat name there. Welcome to the thread.

If you ever have any questions, feel free to fire away. :2guns:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, did you feel the earthquake there in Vancouver today?

http://news.yahoo.com/magnitude-6-4-quake-strikes-off-vancouver-203444424.html


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, did you feel the earthquake there in Vancouver today?
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/magnitude-6-4-quake-strikes-off-vancouver-203444424.html


Hi Jim, no, didn't feel anything. It could be that I was busy doing something at the time and just didn't notice.

It could also be that I had the tax assessor here at the time and my full attention was devoted to getting rid of her as quickly as possible. At least this time I got to impress on her just how incompetent the last two clowns were.

We have a couple of friends up in Port Hardy who also have a cabin here on Ruxton. I'll shoot them an email to see if they felt anything.


----------



## gma2rjc

Taxes?! Did you tell her that everyone on the island took a vote and it was decided that Ruxton would be a tax-free island? :whistling2:

I was thinking you all wouldn't have to pay property taxes since there are no public services or schools.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Taxes?! Did you tell her that everyone on the island took a vote and it was decided that Ruxton would be a tax-free island? :whistling2:
> 
> I was thinking you all wouldn't have to pay property taxes since there are no public services or schools.


Apparently, we could actually incorporate Ruxton Island as a village, just as Lions Bay did many years ago. That gives them the ability to raise their own taxes and keeps the major governments mostly out of it, not completely, but mostly.

I think we should just call it the Republic of Ruxton Island and be done with it. :thumbsup:


----------



## gma2rjc

That's interesting. Heck, it might be the answer to not having a fire department. With the tax money, they could put up water tanks and pumps around the island. Or something like that.


----------



## gma2rjc

> I think we should just call it the Republic of Ruxton Island and be done with it. :thumbsup:


Sounds like a plan! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Front railing fix:

Here's the board as it was stuck on to the railing.


----------



## cocobolo

A few swipes of the hand plane later...


----------



## cocobolo

A little elbow grease via some 180 grit sandpaper...


----------



## cocobolo

And this afternoon I sucked the missus in to working her stain magic on the wood. That is something she is good at. I knew all that art school training would come in handy for something one day!

Tomorrow, when it is good and dry, I will start adding a few coats of the oil based urethane.


----------



## cocobolo

Some sparklies when the sun was at just the right angle yesterday.


----------



## cocobolo

I figured I had better take advantage of the missus leg troubles and get rid of that awful yellow paint that she loves so much. I can't stand it myself.

It's the first primer coat underway here.


----------



## cocobolo

This wall has been unearthed after yet another archeological excavation.

Honest to Pete I don't think we have seen this side of the wall for three years. Pretty grungy when I took all the crap out of the way, now it has three coats of fresh Varathane. Looks way better.


----------



## BigJim

Strange that your post telling about the quake didn't show up on my puter until this morning, I was wondering if you had your computer knocked out. You got the rail looking great and everything else, are you going to put a transom above the door in the bed room with all the windows? All your craftsmanship is just beautiful.

We are glad to see your Missus up and about a little now.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Strange that your post telling about the quake didn't show up on my puter until this morning, I was wondering if you had your computer knocked out. You got the rail looking great and everything else, are you going to put a transom above the door in the bed room with all the windows? All your craftsmanship is just beautiful.
> 
> We are glad to see your Missus up and about a little now.


Thanks for letting me know about that post not showing up right away Jim. I lost my internet connection a couple of days ago for several hours, and when that happens it often becomes hit and miss for a day or two after that.

That window wall is in the breakfast nook, no transom above that door.

The missus is still only to get out of bed two or three times a day and is limited to just a very few yards walking at a time. It's still two steps forward and one step back. Looks like she is out of commission for the duration of this good weather - at the very least.

Well, we have flat water this morning, after 3 days of steady wind, so may go over for groceries and a few building supplies.


----------



## gma2rjc

Amazing work Keith. That handrail looks fabulous.


----------



## fixrite

absolutely stunning Keith, best wishes for the missus.
Dale


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Amazing work Keith. That handrail looks fabulous.


Thanks barb...just added the first coat of varnish. Off to town in a few minutes for the usual stuff.


----------



## sbmfj

That railing job was fantastic! Would have never though of approaching it that way.


----------



## cocobolo

Got some more varnish on the front rails today.

Started the cutting and sealing of the tiles for the breakfast nook. I expect to be setting the first ones tomorrow.

First coat of popcorn white is on the nook wall, second coat will be done before any tiles go down.


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice sunset picture!!


----------



## cocobolo

Starting on the tile layout in the breakfast nook. Lots of cutting here!

A dry fit test run first...tomorrow some will get stuck down.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Starting on the tile layout in the breakfast nook. Lots of cutting here!
> 
> A dry fit test run first...tomorrow some will get stuck down.


I like that design, it is sharp, it is really going to look great once you finish it.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Jim. I have to go to town today, so I may not get to setting any of the tiles. It's going OK so far.


----------



## Bud Cline

This thread has more than a quarter of a million views so far. Not the record but close. Pretty amazing.


----------



## cocobolo

A special for Jim...and anyone else interested.

I got Randy to send me a shot of the supernova along with a note as to which it is. Pretty rare event. I think there have been about four of these over the past 150+ years.

He took this from his light polluted back yard in Nanaimo.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's amazing. What kind of camera did he use?

Thanks for showing it.

Barb


----------



## BigJim

Thanks a ton buddy, I really do appreciate that, if you will thank Randy for me I would appreciate it. I am saving the photo to my pictures. That had to be really exciting to actually see that in person, it would have been for me.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's amazing. What kind of camera did he use?
> 
> Thanks for showing it.
> 
> Barb


Not sure which one he used Barb, he has a new Canon DSLR, but he may have been using his dedicated astro cam. I'll send him a note and ask.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thanks a ton buddy, I really do appreciate that, if you will thank Randy for me I would appreciate it. I am saving the photo to my pictures. That had to be really exciting to actually see that in person, it would have been for me.


Well, you get to see the next best thing Jim. I will get that email off to him PDQ.


----------



## cocobolo

Randy's imaging setup for the super nova was an 80 mm apochromatic refractor scope with his ATIK 314e Monochrome CCD camera attached.

In order to get colours from a monochrome CCD camera, it is necessary to make different exposures through RGB filters. (Red, green and blue.)

These images are combined to produce a single colour image. You need to have a special program to be able to do that, and you need to be pretty good on a computer - which Randy definitely is. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, yesterday's story was yet another with great expense attached.

The previous night, the main battery bank finally expired, so it was time for a new one.

Over to town yesterday, had a long chat with our local battery expert. They are still recommending the Trojan T-105's. Slightly improved since the last batch we bought. Rated at 225 amp hours each, 6 volts. We need multiples of 4 for the 24 volt system we run. Bought 8...and that will be $1500 thank you very much Sir.

So I feigned a heart attack right on the spot and had them worried for a minute. I think I will get four more next month just to be absolutely certain that there is no problem with the electrical system this winter. Probably don't need them, but extra insurance will be nice as I'm at the house using power constantly now.

Couple of small glitches with the new bank going in, but got it all fixed up jig time.


----------



## cocobolo

It has been very dull and drizzly here for the last 3 days, so I was surprised to see this white rose out in bloom. (Must be the great care I have given them while the missus is laid up!)


----------



## cocobolo

Before this lousy weather hit I did get a couple of coats of varnish on the front rail...here's your last look at how that ended up.


----------



## cocobolo

Picked up another 200 lbs. of thinset and 50 pounds more grout for the floor. I don't want to run out this weekend when I try to get the nook floor done.

Sunday will be partly taken up as I have agreed to help someone with a little work on the other side of the island.

Barb will be interested to hear that they have a log cabin built by Norse Log Homes up in Lantzville. Those are the guys who build them the way they are supposed to be built.

I'm pretty sure I can manage a pic or two once I get underway over there.

Gotta pay for those batteries somehow!


----------



## BigJim

Oh my stars, if I had to buy the batteries we would be in the dark for a good while, man they are proud of them aren't they.

That rose is beautiful Keith and your rail turned out fantastic, it don't get better than that.


----------



## cocobolo

After the battery exercise today I got to do more painting...this time on the opposite end nook wall. I'm going to have to wait to do behind the chimney, as it's a tad warm right now. But it sure makes the paint dry fast!


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of hours before sunset, this was showing through the clouds over the airport at Nanaimo.


----------



## cocobolo

Made a dent in the tiling for the nook today. 

All the tapered tiles are set around the bottom of the step.


----------



## cocobolo

A fair chunk are set at the eating end of the room.


----------



## cocobolo

Plus the wedge shape between the door and the step is now in.

This is so that I can get a better angle for the tiles on the main area of the room. Couldn't think of a better way to do it.


----------



## cocobolo

Also managed to get the rest of the wall undercoated behind the chimney before I lit the wood stove today.


----------



## shumakerscott

Looks great! I want a unique tile on my entryway. I'm keeping my eyes open for ideas. Thanks, dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

I put a link on your thread Shu...tons of great ideas there.


----------



## sbmfj

Do you tape and tarp when you piant, or do you have a really steady hand? I never seem to see painters tape anywhere in your pictures. Whenever I paint it seems to take almost as long to tape and prep, than the actual painting itself, and I still mange to get a few unintended paint marks !!!


----------



## cocobolo

James, there's a secret to not getting any paint on an adjoining surface, and it has nothing to do with tape.

So, if you promise faithfully not to tell another soul, I'll fill you in.

When you are going to paint next to another surface, whether it is another wall, or window glass, whatever - it doesn't matter, when you do the first coat, run the brush along the surface about 1/8" away from the adjoining surface. Don't be tempted to try to go right up against the next surface.

When that one is dry, then you do the next coat as close as you dare without touching it. Experience definitely helps, but perhaps even more than that is your choice of brush. Use an angled brush, not too big, fairly stiff bristles and don't load it with too much paint. Then run the brush down your edge very slowly. Racing will only get you into trouble.

I don't have the time right now to get a pic of the brushes I use for this, but I will later. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

James:

This is the sort of brush you need to do edges.

The smaller brush is suited for windows and the like, and the bigger brush for corners of walls, especially up against a ceiling.

The green one has a replaceable end.


----------



## cocobolo

All the tile for the nook floor has now been cut and dry laid.

As soon as the cuts are dried out the sealer will be put on. The floor is close to being finished.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> All the tile for the nook floor has now been cut and dry laid.
> 
> As soon as the cuts are dried out the sealer will be put on. The floor is close to being finished.


Man, that is nice Keith, that makes the room look great.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Jim, now I still have to cut the tile and the arbutus trim wood for that middle step. If I'd been paying attention I could have done it while I was getting the floor all cut out.

Now we are in the throes of a dandy rainstorm which is supposed to last for some time and wouldn't you know it, I do all the cutting outside. :wallbash:


----------



## gma2rjc

I really like the look of that Keith. Especially the path from the steps to the door - nice touch!

Did you have to make at least one cut on every tile?


----------



## no1hustler

That looks great!


----------



## Bud Cline

Certainly is nice.:yes::thumbup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I really like the look of that Keith. Especially the path from the steps to the door - nice touch!
> 
> Did you have to make at least one cut on every tile?


Not every tile Barb...just _most _of them! :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Certainly is nice.:yes::thumbup::thumbsup:


Coming from the man himself I take that as a compliment. Thank you. :notworthy:


----------



## Bud Cline

The truth is that looks just super. I love doing stuff like that where the imagination can be allowed to flow and wander around a little. I don't get to do that much of that creative stuff on a regular basis.

Every once in a while a customer will tell me; "There's where I want some tile Bud, do something with it." I just want to hug those people. Your overall project is like that to me.:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud, do you have a thread here on the forum with pictures of the floor designs you've done?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, do you have a thread here on the forum with pictures of the floor designs you've done?


I do not! I quit taking pictures for years and years and only just started again about three years ago. I have a few pictures scattered around here somewhere but couldn't tell you where they are. I have a few hundred on my hard drive but when I try to post them to a website somewhere they always seem to elude me. I even went as far as to put all of them in folders at one time then somehow the damned folder contents got mixed randomly and that made me mad enough to just say screw it.

My problem is I am "digitally challenged" in several ways. Not the least of which is with digital photography simple as it has become. I have had a couple of the early digital cameras but neither of them produce the quality I like and the built-in lenses aren't usually conducive with taking pictures in tight quarters which is what I need.

Many years ago I was a student of photography and had fish-eye lenses and telephotos and all that other stuff back then but that has all gone away and I just never indulged myself again.

One day I'll get interested again and pull out some stuff.

I know I know: Too much information.

I'll try this and see what happens just for fun.

This is a sandstone and travertine job I had something to do with about three years ago.

It appears I have loaded it as an attachment. I have no idea how to get the picture in this frame. See what I mean: "DIGITALLY CHALLENGED".


----------



## Bud Cline

Well I'll be damned...the picture is there! Imagine my surprise.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, I dunno...I _suppose _it's OK for a guy with only a third of a _CENTURY_ experience! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

At least you know now to go down to "manage attachments" and follow the prompts.


----------



## Bud Cline

> At least you know now to go down to "manage attachments" and follow the prompts.


That part is easy enough until I want to post a picture then some copy then another picture then more copy...stuff like that.

My bigger issue is when I get into my "pictures" the damned thumb nails are too small and I can't tell one picture from another. That's why the fireplace is there now. Hell, I couldn't identify anything else in the thumbnails and the fireplace was easy. I suppose there is a way to browse larger samples but I certainly don't know how to do that. That's because I am "DIGITALLY CHALLENGED".:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> That part is easy enough until I want to post a picture then some copy then another picture then more copy...stuff like that.
> 
> My bigger issue is when I get into my "pictures" the damned thumb nails are too small and I can't tell one picture from another. That's why the fireplace is there now. Hell, I couldn't identify anything else in the thumbnails and the fireplace was easy. I suppose there is a way to browse larger samples but I certainly don't know how to do that. That's because I am "DIGITALLY CHALLENGED".:laughing:


Bud, you should be able to increase the size of your thumbnails...possibly by a slider at the bottom of your page. I'm not sure how it works with Windoze.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, you should be able to increase the size of your thumbnails...possibly by a slider at the bottom of your page. I'm not sure how it works with Windoze.


I'll look into that, I'll bet you are correct. Hell they have thought of most everything else.:laughing:



> Well, I dunno...I _suppose _it's OK for a guy with only a third of a _CENTURY_ experience! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


When you put it like that I'm thinking I don't feel all that well right now and maybe I should have my warm milk and retire for the evening. Eleven a.m. comes mighty early in the morning for me these days.



P.S. My spellcheck doesn't like your Windoze.:laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Bud, you should be able to increase the size of your thumbnails...possibly by a slider at the bottom of your page. I'm not sure how it works with Windoze.


For me I right click on the thumbnail and then click "open". That is some fine work Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline;
P.S. My spellcheck doesn't like your Windo[U said:


> z[/U]e.:laughing:


That's perfectly OK, I don't like your Windoze either! :sleeping:


----------



## cocobolo

..what the hell happened there?


----------



## Bud Cline

Sure enough they have a slider to increase the size of the thumbnails. Why didn't I think of that. I'll play around one more time for practice then I'll butt-out.

Well crap I lost one somehow, Oh well, that was fun.


----------



## Bud Cline

The top picture is just a small everyday tub. The tile is travertine mixed with yellow onyx. I designed this one and had great fun installing it with the exception that the yellow onyx has a super high mortality rate.

The next picture is just a wine bar in the great-room kitchen. Limestone and factory mosaics.

The next two are at the entry where the ceiling is thirty feet high with a crystal chandelier. The chandelier is on a power winch so that it can be electrically lowered for cleaning and changing the bulbs.

This was a great house to work on I have all kinds of tile work in this place on three floors.


*ARRRRGH!!!* Just my luck...the software split the pages on me.


----------



## BigJim

I can tell you one thing Bud, you are flat out good, that is some beautiful work.


----------



## gma2rjc

Wow! You do beautiful work. I bet your customers were pretty happy to see the way it turned out.


----------



## cocobolo

I take it Bud, that these were not what you would refer to as "po folk"?

What is the kitchen counter made from?


----------



## Bud Cline

> I take it Bud, that these were not what you would refer to as "po folk"?


"Po" only in the manner that the air plane is small, the corvette is old, and this last available building-lot on the golf course also faces an undesirable hi-way. Her Caddy and his "other SUV" weren't brand spankin' new they were probably a year old at the time. But yow, not the smallest house in the trailer park.


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> "Po" only in the manner that the air plane is small, the corvette is old, and this last available building-lot on the golf course also faces an undesirable hi-way. Her Caddy and his "other SUV" weren't brand spankin' new they were probably a year old at the time. But yow, not the smallest house in the trailer park.


Oh, the humanity!! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> "Po" only in the manner that the air plane is small, the corvette is old, and this last available building-lot on the golf course also faces an undesirable hi-way. Her Caddy and his "other SUV" weren't brand spankin' new they were probably a year old at the time. But yow, not the smallest house in the trailer park.


I see, so the "small" airplane was only a Lear jet, the "old" 'vette is a 2009, or maybe a 1965 worth a small fortune and the Caddy & SUV...well, how many cars can a person drive at one time anyway!


----------



## Bud Cline

> I see, so the "small" airplane was only a Lear jet,


Not a Lear, I'm thinking it was a Beech King Air. Isn't that a six or eight passenger twin engine thing?


> the "old" 'vette is a 2009, or maybe a 1965 worth a small fortune


'67 as I recall.



> the Caddy & SUV...well, how many cars can a person drive at one time anyway!


Actually her father is the local Chevy dealer so I guess those two cars really don't count. They were probably just leased anyway.

Nice nice people, enjoyed working for them.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Not a Lear, I'm thinking it was a Beech King Air. Isn't that a six or eight passenger twin engine thing?
> 
> '67 as I recall.
> 
> 
> Actually her father is the local Chevy dealer so I guess those two cars really don't count. They were probably just leased anyway.
> 
> Nice nice people, enjoyed working for them.


At least now we know where all the money came from! :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> At least now we know where all the money came from! :thumbsup:


Actually he is the ring-leader of a dental group and has multiple offices and partners. The house alone only cost 1428 root canals. Piece-o-cake for a dentist who's on his stride.


----------



## Bud Cline

Well maybe not that many root canals.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Well maybe not that many root canals.


I always wondered about that. So dentists work in the root canal economy, while us mere mortals still have to work with cash. Bummer.


----------



## Bud Cline

> I always wondered about that. So dentists work in the root canal economy, while us mere mortals still have to work with cash. Bummer.


I suppose some of them do. I searched the Internet but couldn't find conversion chart software for such things.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday afternoon I hung the light that the missus got for the nook. The light it throws gives the room a lovely warm glow at night. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I still can't understand why someone would spend a quarter of a million on a boat and apparently not have a $5.95 tide chart on board.

I did try a couple of pics at first light this morning when he was heeled over much further. They didn't come out well. I'm sure his insurance company would like to see this performance! :boat:


----------



## cocobolo

In both the photos above, you can see the bottom fairly easily. Where the small dinghy is actually dries right out at a zero tide. We get those right around new moon. Guess what time of the month it is now...right!

The black hulled sailboat belongs to our friend George from Saturna Island. His boat has a retractable keel so no worries about what the tide is doing.


----------



## cocobolo

Just a couple more before I get busy for the day.

Early morning sunrise and a morning rosebud in the garden.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yesterday afternoon I hung the light that the missus got for the nook. The light it throws gives the room a lovely warm glow at night. :thumbsup:


Wow, that is really pretty Keith, it all ties together perfect.

I bet that guy with the boat was not a happy camper, I would have thrown up.


----------



## gma2rjc

Do you suppose they were on a 3 hour tour? :boat: If you see the guy out there, ask him if his name is Gilligan.

Beautiful pics of the sunrise and rose! 

The light in the nook looks very nice too.


----------



## BigJim

Man, this is spooky, the two pictures of the sunset and rose was not there when I posted and wouldn't have known about them had Barb not said something about them. I went back a page and didn't see them, when I came back to this page there they were. My PC must be thinking through peanut butter, mercy sakes alive.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, that is really pretty Keith, it all ties together perfect.
> 
> I bet that guy with the boat was not a happy camper, I would have thrown up.


About 5 seconds after his boat got upright, he was outta here! 

I bet we don't see him again in this bay!


----------



## cocobolo

Getting towards the end of the grouting in the nook. A couple more batches tomorrow and it should be done. I can't say I will be sad to see the end of this.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of mornings ago I needed to go to town for "stuff", you know what "stuff" is don't you? It's all the "stuff" you forgot to get last time.

Early on it looked like this. Yes, that's a fog bank rolling in. Half an hour later it was right on us. Normally that wouldn't be too much of a problem, except that my GPS packed it in a few months ago. I should have replaced it then, knowing that the fall always produces fog for us here.


----------



## cocobolo

Both yesterday and today we have had some serious winds and rain. The wind must have exceeded 80 kms out in the Strait of Georgia because they stopped the ferries for a time.

This was last night after the wind blew much of the cloud away...still very bumpy water and this sunset.


----------



## gma2rjc

The floor is looking good!

The sunrise picture is stunning! The cloud formation is unreal. I've never seen a fog bank roll in like that.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The floor is looking good!
> 
> The sunrise picture is stunning! The cloud formation is unreal. I've never seen a fog bank roll in like that.


Yep, that's what happens here in the fall every year without fail. I went to take a pic of that morning cloud, then noticed that long, low fog bank right on the water.

Thetis island had already disappeared (about 5 miles south of us) so I watched the fog move and estimated it would be over us about an hour later. I was finally able to get away just after 10 am, which was OK. Usually the fog sticks around until slightly after noon when it's here.

Here's one end of the floor when it didn't look so good.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, your floor turned out beautiful, I know you will be glad to get up off your knees.

I agree with Barb, the sunsets are stunning. That fog is just spooky, there is now way under the sun I would be out on the water without a GPS in the fog. I have done that before and it is no fun.


----------



## cocobolo

Morning Jim...I hope to have the floor done by tonight. Then tomorrow I will put one more coat of sealer on it (two on the grout lines) and that will be it.

This morning I was out checking the water and this guy was over on Vancouver Island. I didn't see any rain, so maybe this is called a cloud bow.


----------



## cocobolo

I thought I would finish up the grouting in the nook, same process as usual.

So I put a couple of batches of grout in...and then went down to the dock to get the second float started. Forgot all about the grout, and by the time the grey matter between my ears sorted itself out, the grout was getting - shall we say - _very firm!_

This was the source of my aggravation.


----------



## cocobolo

Grout sponges get torn apart rapidly if you are silly enough to think you can clean _very firm_ grout with them.

Bud...HELP! If I make this dumb mistake again, what's the best way to try and get the grout to look passably fair?

I ended up using a scraper to get the worst of it off, then scrubbed hard with the sponge. I may have just caught it in time, but it wasn't fun.


----------



## cocobolo

Naturally, I ran out of wood to finish the dock surface, but at least now I can hop on and off the boat at high tide without wading through mud.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night's sunset. I got back from the other side of the island just too late to catch the best part.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud...HELP! If I make this dumb mistake again, what's the best way to try and get the grout to look passably fair?


Even tho I never make mistakes and I am totally precise and accurate in everything I do.......... Never mind, I suppose you have heard all of that bullschit before.


Actually I learned years ago to always have a couple of those little scrubbie things on the truck for just such an oversight and misjudgment in time lapse. I think 3M makes them but they are usually available at any hardware store. I use the white ones with the handle made on to them. They come white, green, blue, black, red, etc. The color has to do with how aggressive they are.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, I think I would have been a little more than distracted, I would have been beside myself (I'm big enough to be on both sides of myself):laughing:
I would have forgotten also, does the tide go out that far often?

I like the Sunset, it is pretty, thanks for the picture Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Even tho I never make mistakes and I am totally precise and accurate in everything I do.......... Never mind, I suppose you have heard all of that bullschit before.
> 
> 
> Actually I learned years ago to always have a couple of those little scrubbie things on the truck for just such an oversight and misjudgment in time lapse. I think 3M makes them but they are usually available at any hardware store. I use the white ones with the handle made on to them. They come white, green, blue, black, red, etc. The color has to do with how aggressive they are.


Bud, as you well know, I never make mistakes either.

This, I believe, is called a technological inexactitude, certainly not a common mistake. Good heavens, perish the thought.

Yes, I know the scrubbies you mean. I will pick up a few next time in town, or at least before the next grouting gets done. 

Thanks for the help.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, I think I would have been a little more than distracted, I would have been beside myself (I'm big enough to be on both sides of myself):laughing:
> I would have forgotten also, does the tide go out that far often?
> 
> I like the Sunset, it is pretty, thanks for the picture Keith.


Jim, see the rocks on the right side of the pic? OK, well, at low tide, the water goes right out to there. It's about 500 feet away, give or take a bit.


----------



## cocobolo

As some of you know, I have had to pull myself out of retirement and do some outside work.

Here's the cabin I will be working on. The corner shot shows you how a top notch log cabin should be built. This one was constructed by Norse Log Homes from Lantzville, about 25 miles north of here.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> As some of you know, I have had to pull myself out of retirement and do some outside work.
> 
> Here's the cabin I will be working on. The corner shot shows you how a top notch log cabin should be built. This one was constructed by Norse Log Homes from Lantzville, about 25 miles north of here.


Man, that is one nice cabin, you are right, that one is very well built.


----------



## sbmfj

what kind of work do you have to do there if you dont mind me asking?


----------



## Bud Cline

> what kind of work do you have to do there if you dont mind me asking?


Tile, his favorite job.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Tile, his favorite job.


You wish Bud! Not a tile in sight! :thumbsup::thumbup::yes::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> what kind of work do you have to do there if you don't mind me asking?


Not at all.

First thing we need to do is to move an 800 gallon (imperial) water tank. I drained that today by siphon, so it should be ready to go tomorrow if the owner arrives to help.

Then there was a small matter of 28 sheets of wet plywood stacked very conveniently in the way, so they needed to be moved.

Nobody has done a lick of site cleanup since day one, so I had a nice big bonfire going all day to burn all the crap that has accumulated over the past 6 years.

Then I had to do some leveling of the ground that the tank has to be dragged over, that is not quite finished yet. But none of that stuff is what I was meant to be doing, no sir.

I will be building a deck which wraps around two sides of the cabin, and an attached woodshed which will also serve as kayak storage and tractor and trailer parking. There's talk of me doing something along the lines of a fire pit but nothing decided yet.

Inside I will have to do the ceiling out in 1 x 6 T & G pine. Rebuild the stairs which some well meaning soul screwed up royally, make a built-in bookcase to separate the lower bedroom from the living area. Put in a glass filled railing at the front of the loft. There's a bunch more niggley little stuff like taping and mudding, wood trim all over the place, that sort of thing.

I will get pics from time to time.

There will also be a replacement railing at the sea deck, also glass filled to try and keep their rambunctious Labs from falling into the chuck. Outside the front (water side) of the cabin needs soffit on the 8' overhang and the end wall needs to be done out in cedar shingles. 

I noticed this nice little detail on the ends of all the logs today. Nice touch.


----------



## Marbledust

Top Notch log cabin there!
how far is your commute to work going to be?


----------



## cocobolo

Marbledust said:


> Top Notch log cabin there!
> how far is your commute to work going to be?


About a one mile walk each way.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Not at all.
> 
> First thing we need to do is to move an 800 gallon (imperial) water tank. I drained that today by siphon, so it should be ready to go tomorrow if the owner arrives to help.
> 
> Then there was a small matter of 28 sheets of wet plywood stacked very conveniently in the way, so they needed to be moved.
> 
> Nobody has done a lick of site cleanup since day one, so I had a nice big bonfire going all day to burn all the crap that has accumulated over the past 6 years.
> 
> Then I had to do some leveling of the ground that the tank has to be dragged over, that is not quite finished yet. But none of that stuff is what I was meant to be doing, no sir.
> 
> I will be building a deck which wraps around two sides of the cabin, and an attached woodshed which will also serve as kayak storage and tractor and trailer parking. There's talk of me doing something along the lines of a fire pit but nothing decided yet.
> 
> Inside I will have to do the ceiling out in 1 x 6 T & G pine. Rebuild the stairs which some well meaning soul screwed up royally, make a built-in bookcase to separate the lower bedroom from the living area. Put in a glass filled railing at the front of the loft. There's a bunch more niggley little stuff like taping and mudding, wood trim all over the place, that sort of thing.
> 
> I will get pics from time to time.
> 
> There will also be a replacement railing at the sea deck, also glass filled to try and keep their rambunctious Labs from falling into the chuck. Outside the front (water side) of the cabin needs soffit on the 8' overhang and the end wall needs to be done out in cedar shingles.
> 
> I noticed this nice little detail on the ends of all the logs today. Nice touch.


Buddy, you got your work cut out for you, that is going to take some time.

That is really neat the way they seated the logs, I wonder how they did that. Last night we were watching the fellow up in Alaska who went it alone for a good number of years back in the wilderness and they were showing how he built his cabin. That had to take patience and much time to get the logs that tight. He used peat moss to ***** the logs, what little there was to *****.

I built a couple of cabins but only one from scratch, and from scratch that is some dirty, hard work, especially not having electricity.

This is going to be really interesting, we can't wait to see your pictures.


----------



## cocobolo

Marbledust: walk along with me on my afternoon "commute" from the work site to home.

The log cabin is about 100 yards up from Otter Bay...first pic is looking there.

Next is the pond trail sign carved by the late Ted Long, there is one at each end of the pond trail.

Next is the brand spanking new RWCS (Ruxton Water Conservation Society) sign which gives information about the pond area.

The remaining three are taken at various points along the trail.


----------



## cocobolo

At the end of the pond trail I turn right and head up the main highway. (first pic.)

Next is looking through the trees out over Nayler Bay. I know it's hard to see, but if you look carefully towards the right side of the pic you might be able to pick out a set of steps. These go up to Boulton's cabin.

Next is looking toward the North West corner of Thetis Island, about 5 miles distant.

Then I caught some sunlight through the trees above Sand Dollar Cove.

The last one is close to home arriving at Herring Bay at the end of the main trail.

Not a Starbucks or McDonalds in sight anywhere.


----------



## cocobolo

Today we had to remove two heavy poured footings. I forgot to get pics when we started, so this is the second one coming out.

I dug a ramp behind the footing, set a couple of 2 x 6's against the bottom of the footing, and we used a winch to pull the footing over and then out.

This is the boss working the winch.


----------



## cocobolo

Since these little $10 special winches don't have much cable, we could only move the footing a few feet at a time. In order that it didn't come crashing back down into the hole, I drove a couple of stakes into the ground like so.


----------



## cocobolo

The boss isn't used to doing much in the way of manual labour, and he was pooped at this point.

I offered to finish the winching and he took the opportunity to say yes very quickly.


----------



## cocobolo

The superintendent in the pic above is Maggie, the boss's 10 year old Lab. She's just a sweetheart.

Here we have both of these footings out...something over 4 cubic feet of concrete and rebar in each one. About 600 lbs. each. Completely insane to hold up the edge of an 8' wide deck. The boss thinks we might set them both up again, tie a 6 x 6 between the two and put a humming bird feeder on. That should be just about strong enough for that!


----------



## Marbledust

Just got to love it Coco...the best commute on earth.
You made it!
We are jealous souls lost in the fwy traffic

best wishes,


----------



## gma2rjc

Awesome pictures Keith. Did you make the sign for the RWCS? 

Is there still a problem with the Iris's that invaded the pond or did someone get them all dug out?

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Marbledust said:


> Just got to love it Coco...the best commute on earth.
> You made it!
> We are jealous souls lost in the fwy traffic
> 
> best wishes,


Fwy traffic? What on earth is that?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Awesome pictures Keith. Did you make the sign for the RWCS?
> 
> Is there still a problem with the Iris's that invaded the pond or did someone get them all dug out?
> 
> Barb


I don't know who did that sign. It might have been either John Couchman or Nick Bateman.

The iris's are going to be a long lived problem. They are trying to clean out a small area each year but it will be practically impossible to physically remove them all. Keeping the seed heads cut off every year is supposed to help.


----------



## cocobolo

Played hooky from the job today, and did some work at home instead.

The last seal coat is on the tiles in the breakfast nook, and maybe...just maybe we will have breakfast in there tomorrow morning! That will be a surprise for the missus.

She has been getting around much better for the last two days, so things are looking up. 

Next I cleared all the woodpile off the solarium floor, gave it a good clean and got the first seal coat on that as well. It never did get grouted because it became a repository for all that wood right away as soon as the tiles were set. Once the sealing is done then on to the dreaded grouting! But I'm ready for it this time with some bright orange scrubbies. :shifty:


----------



## sbmfj

Hey Jim, 

About that tv show you watched about the fellow up North building the log cabin, did he go by the name of Dick Proenneke (http://www.dickproenneke.com/)? I got a cool dvd movie about his adventure. Let me know if you want a copy, I sent one to Coco, and he seemed to enjoy it!!


----------



## Bud Cline

http://www.dickproenneke.com/


----------



## BigJim

Hey sbmfi, that is the one, I really do appreciate your offer but I have seen that one about 6 times now but still love it. That is a dream but I am not so sure I could handle it by myself that long.

I wonder why some of coco's posts don't show up on my PC for a few days. Either that or I am having a bad case of old timers. By the way Keith fwy stands for freeway.


----------



## sbmfj

No prob Jim. Are you sure that you refresh the webpage everytime you visit it? You can press F5 on the keyboard to initiate the refresh of the web page. Maybe try and clean out the webpage browser's cache or temporary internet files. If your using Internet explorer, youd have to go to the "tools" option up top, then go to "internet options" good luck.


----------



## BigJim

sbmfj said:


> No prob Jim. Are you sure that you refresh the webpage everytime you visit it? You can press F5 on the keyboard to initiate the refresh of the web page. Maybe try and clean out the webpage browser's cache or temporary internet files. If your using Internet explorer, youd have to go to the "tools" option up top, then go to "internet options" good luck.


Thanks sbmfj, I will try refreshing each time I visit the board which is usually at least 3 times a day. I am using Firefox as IE just don't work well for me. I tried Chrome but I don't care for their toolbar. I haven't tried Opera or Safari, may give them a try. Thanks again


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> By the way Keith fwy stands for freeway.


Yeah, I know that Jim...I was just being my usual wise guy self!

No roads at all here, never mind any FWY!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thanks sbmfj, I will try refreshing each time I visit the board which is usually at least 3 times a day. I am using Firefox as IE just don't work well for me. I tried Chrome but I don't care for their toolbar. I haven't tried Opera or Safari, may give them a try. Thanks again


You're using the best browser for this site Jim.

Safari is useless here...and it's a Mac thing as well, so you might think it would be good with the Mac, but not so.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yeah, I know that Jim...I was just being my usual wise guy self!
> 
> No roads at all here, never mind any FWY!


There I go again, :wallbash:


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry I don't have much to report on this week, busy working over at the log cabin.
Tomorrow we have to try and pick up 6,500 lbs of lumber at Boat Harbour. Should be fun...the wind is supposed to be 20 knots tomorrow afternoon.

I'll take the camera in case something interesting shows up. :tongue_smilie:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Sorry I don't have much to report on this week, busy working over at the log cabin.
> Tomorrow we have to try and pick up 6,500 lbs of lumber at Boat Harbour. Should be fun...the wind is supposed to be 20 knots tomorrow afternoon.
> 
> I'll take the camera in case something interesting shows up. :tongue_smilie:


It will be interesting just getting that load across, what are y'all hauling it on?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It will be interesting just getting that load across, what are y'all hauling it on?


Danny's small barge will carry around 4,500 - 5,000 lbs and I will bring the rest on the sailboat.

We are already getting the predicted wind starting to build, supposed to be about 20 knots by lunchtime, which is when I will be leaving to go across.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Danny's small barge will carry around 4,500 - 5,000 lbs and I will bring the rest on the sailboat.
> 
> We are already getting the predicted wind starting to build, supposed to be about 20 knots by lunchtime, which is when I will be leaving to go across.


Wow, y'all be careful out there buddy, that is some fairly stiff wind.


----------



## cocobolo

Everyone is back safe and sound after our big moving day today.

This is Danny's barge at the ramp at Boat Harbour.


----------



## cocobolo

There were three slings of wood to load.

The 5/4 treated decking, the 2,000 square feet of T & G pine, and all the treated framing lumber.

We opted to load the decking first on the barge, followed by the T & G pine, which is on the Hiab here.


----------



## cocobolo

The pine has made it to the barge here...the 5/4 decking is already on board.


----------



## cocobolo

So far so good. The first two slings of wood were dry, so at this point we had about 4,200 lbs. on board.

The framing lumber was all soaking wet. I think they added an extra few hundred gallons of water to it just to keep us on our toes.

If it was dry, it should have weighed around 2,250 lbs. The driver suggested it would be closer to 4,000 lbs. We didn't argue with him.

Since Danny had a maximum capacity of 6,000 lbs - with calm water - we needed to unload 2,200 lbs on to the sailboat. And the water was anything but calm.


----------



## cocobolo

The barge is equipped with two scuppers at the port and starboard aft end. Any water that finds it's way into the boat is supposed to run out immediately. At this point, the scuppers are somewhat underwater due to the overload.


----------



## BigJim

This is just way too cool, Keith if you ever do actually retire you won't know what to do with yourself after such an active adventuresome life. Thanks for the pictures buddy.

Well I posted right in the middle of you posting pictures, sorry Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

We decided to take a chance and get the barge over to the dock on the left, where we would offload about 2,200 lbs. on to the sailboat. This we did very quickly, and Danny headed out. I followed a few minutes later.

Here Danny is watching the water level in the barge while keeping the Hiab forks under the last load as a precaution.


----------



## cocobolo

On the way back - into a stiff headwind of course - there was a sizable sailboat on a collision course with me. Since he was under sail, it was his right of way, and I had to maneuver out of his way.

I got a pic after he had gone by in front of me doing about 8 knots plus. They were really cooking in that wind.


----------



## cocobolo

On the way back when we were loaded to the hilt, we got blown off course about 3/4 of a mile.

Here we are both pointing high trying to make Ruxton Passage.

Didn't get any more pix after this as we were all busy unloading.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> This is just way too cool, Keith if you ever do actually retire you won't know what to do with yourself after such an active adventuresome life. Thanks for the pictures buddy.
> 
> Well I posted right in the middle of you posting pictures, sorry Keith.


Hey, no problem Jim.

It was definitely a fun day, but I'm glad it's over. 

I will be seeing the cabin owner tomorrow, and we will need to get the wood all sorted out before any of that pine gets wet. I did ask the owner to bring up some tarps - which he did, bless his little cotton pickin' heart - and we used them as soon as the wood was at the property. It had started to rain as we arrived.

I think I will take a day off after tomorrow. :clap:

The other fellow helping Danny and I was Danny's father in law. He's a year older than me. Just can't keep us old dudes down.


----------



## gma2rjc

Neat pictures Keith. Thanks for posting them. I'd say you deserve a day off after today. It's good that you had some help and that they were able to get the wood on the barge with that crane. Were they able to load the rest of it onto your sailboat with the crane?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Neat pictures Keith. Thanks for posting them. I'd say you deserve a day off after today. It's good that you had some help and that they were able to get the wood on the barge with that crane. Were they able to load the rest of it onto your sailboat with the crane?


No, it has to be hand bombed into the sailboat.

I took the 4 x 4 treated posts, and all the 8' and 10' 2 x 8 p.t. wood.


----------



## cocobolo

A happy thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> A happy thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!


I second that!!!


----------



## drtbk4ever

Thanks Keith and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.


----------



## gma2rjc

Happy Thanksgiving to you and Mrs. cocobolo and I hope her leg is getting better every day.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Happy Thanksgiving to you and Mrs. cocobolo and I hope her leg is getting better every day.


Glad you mentioned that...she was up and about for long enough today to do a small amount of raking on the pathways. It's pretty light work, but it's the first time she has done that in 4 months.
And she cooked us a delish dinner this evening, oh it was good!


----------



## cocobolo

Just waiting for the house to warm up a bit...then I will be getting at some of the tiling in the bathroom. The wood stove in the nook backs right against the bathroom and does a great job of warming the room.

I hope to have a pic at the end of the day when I'm done. 

Also going to try and get the grouting done in the solarium...the third seal coat went on to the tiles yesterday morning.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Glad you mentioned that...she was up and about for long enough today to do a small amount of raking on the pathways. It's pretty light work, but it's the first time she has done that in 4 months.
> And she cooked us a delish dinner this evening, oh it was good!


:thumbup: That IS good news. I bet she was excited to be able to work outside.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> :thumbup: That IS good news. I bet she was excited to be able to work outside.


She sure was. Didn't really do much work, but yesterday was a beautiful, warm, sunny day...so we sat up on the top deck and soaked up the sun for awhile. :thumbsup:

Today...well...that's another matter entirely. The barometer is in the tank, it has been raining since the wee hours, and the forecast 25 knots of wind is building as we speak. It's an inside day today.


----------



## cocobolo

There's a question that has arisen on Chris's thread about hydrogen gas from batteries.

Since I am in the process of installing a small system in the log cabin, I will put up a brief explanation of how to prevent problems in this area.

Both the battery bank and the panel system is small in this case, but there could still remain some potential for a gas explosion. Particularly since the propane fridge, which has an open pilot flame is located right behind the electric area.

This pic shows the vent I have installed from the bottom of the battery box and it leads underneath the house, below the insulation and through the 3/8" plywood which will protect the insulation from critters.


----------



## cocobolo

There are just 4 6 volt batteries in this install, and currently there is only a single solar panel. The panel was mounted on top of the roof which has proven to be unsatisfactory, as the roof is in shade most of the time.

We are planning on moving this panel, and likely adding some more panels to a sunnier location.

The battery box is not yet built since there is no plywood on site yet.

Also missing is the big DC disconnect which is mandatory when installing such a system.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f49/chris-diy-guy-vs-ranch-65046/index17/#post745828

More information there...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> There are just 4 6 volt batteries in this install, and currently there is only a single solar panel. The panel was mounted on top of the roof which has proven to be unsatisfactory, as the roof is in shade most of the time.
> 
> We are planning on moving this panel, and likely adding some more panels to a sunnier location.
> 
> The battery box is not yet built since there is no plywood on site yet.
> 
> Also missing is the big DC disconnect which is mandatory when installing such a system.
> 
> http://www.diychatroom.com/f49/chris-diy-guy-vs-ranch-65046/index17/#post745828
> 
> More information there...


Good gravy, is that one battery, can we say hernia? I appreciate you explaining the vented battery box Keith, that does make sense.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, is that one battery, can we say hernia? I appreciate you explaining the vented battery box Keith, that does make sense.


Not to worry Jim...there are 4 separate 6 volt batteries there. I wired them in series/parallel for a 12 volt inverter. 

I think they weigh just under 50 lbs. each.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Not to worry Jim...there are 4 separate 6 volt batteries there. I wired them in series/parallel for a 12 volt inverter.
> 
> I think they weigh just under 50 lbs. each.


Whew, I was wondering how in the dickens you picked that bad boy up, I see now.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

If this incessant rain ever stops, I will head out to work today. If not, I will work at home.
Yesterday I didn't get the house warm enough to get the tile work done, but I did get started on shaping the top of the seat which runs around the back of the solarium. Doing this with a hand plane, as I don't really want to have power plane shavings all over the place.


----------



## cocobolo

There was one ton of pine to be moved into the log cabin today...something the owner promised he would do over the weekend. Each bundle was about 96 pounds.
At 16' long, it's a bit awkward to maneuver inside the cabin.


----------



## cocobolo

After that was all stacked inside, I was able to get started on the deck framing where it connected to the small deck outside the back door.


----------



## cocobolo

The corner will have some slightly different framing. I put two 2 x 8's as a wraparound right at the corner of the cabin floor, and that enabled me to locate the outside corner of the deck.


----------



## cocobolo

The joist which connected to that same corner needed to be nailed right behind a big piece of threaded rod with a big washer and spring attached.

That rod is used to put pressure on the end corners of the logs as they dry out over a period of years. 

Since the logs have been drying for 6 years, I'm going to try and convince the owner to tighten up the bolt a whole lot and cut the rod off. Otherwise it's right in the way of the decking.


----------



## BigJim

Man that is just too cool, thanks for the pictures buddy.

It looks like you have your hand plane tuned up good and sharp, judging from the long curls. Pretty work!!!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man that is just too cool, thanks for the pictures buddy.
> 
> It looks like you have your hand plane tuned up good and sharp, judging from the long curls. Pretty work!!!


That little block plane is an oldie but a goodie Jim. Always pays to spend a few minutes on the stone.

It helps that the cedar is bone dry as well, it cuts just like butter. :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

*OFF TOPIC!*

This has certainly been a bitter-sweet day for a couple of reasons, one I won't go into.

The other is that my daughter and her two children have been with us for seven weeks waiting for her government-orders to join her husband recently stationed in Germany.

Well fortunately/unfortunately those orders arrived this morning. So in the next five minutes I am leaving for Colorado Springs to take her to Fort Carson to finalize her travel arrangements and then Friday morning she's off to Frankfort Germany then will travel by bus to Vilseck.

Here's how this is a small world. *Shu* tells me he lives within five miles of where my son-in-law is stationed. Hell they will be neighbors.

Adios.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *OFF TOPIC!*
> 
> This has certainly been a bitter-sweet day for a couple of reasons, one I won't go into.
> 
> The other is that my daughter and her two children have been with us for seven weeks waiting for her government-orders to join her husband recently stationed in Germany.
> 
> Well fortunately/unfortunately those orders arrived this morning. So in the next five minutes I am leaving for Colorado Springs to take her to Fort Carson to finalize her travel arrangements and then Friday morning she's off to Frankfort Germany then will travel by bus to Vilseck.
> 
> Here's how this is a small world. *Shu* tells me he lives within five miles of where my son-in-law is stationed. Hell they will be neighbors.
> 
> Adios.


Look on the bright side Bud...you have had 7 weeks of the best possible company a dad could want.


----------



## cocobolo

After the deluge quit this morning it was off to work. This little guy was on the bridge when I went by.


----------



## cocobolo

The new deck at the log cabin is supported by posts set in pier blocks.

You would think the block guys might check to see how big the treated posts are being made these days, but evidently not. 

I have to cut about 3/8" off two sides by 1 7/8" deep to get the posts to fit in the blocks. Here I'm paring off the last small slices.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm making a point of treating all the cut ends of the wood.


----------



## cocobolo

Starting to add the first of the outside framing on the long side of the deck. Checking to see how close we are to level here.


----------



## cocobolo

Out of the whole load of wood I found two boards with end splits. Fortunately, a few of the boards will be oddball lengths, so I was able to get rid of almost all of the split.

The wood could be usable...you need to clamp the split closed and add a scab to it to keep it intact. The scab needs to be treated wood as well.


----------



## cocobolo

This stack is the joists for the 30' long side section of the deck. I stacked it like this to make it easy to treat all the end cuts at the same time.


----------



## cocobolo

When we were installing the water tank, we had to dig the ground out an extra 10". Our concern was whether or not the joists would clear the tank on the high side. Made it with less than 2" to clear.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the back section of framing going around the corner.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the 30' long section. Actually, it's longer than that if the angled sections at each end are included, but the water side end isn't done yet.


----------



## cocobolo

The boss was concerned about access for the tank cleanout, so I was going to put in an oddball spaced joist...but I think there's room to undo the lid and tip it out. So tomorrow the regular spaced joist will go in.


----------



## cocobolo

Shot of the deck framing from the front side.


----------



## cocobolo

Once again I managed to miss the best of the sunset, but this was here as I arrived home.


----------



## BigJim

That is a really interesting place to work Keith, the folks are going to love being there especially after you get all your work done on it. We do appreciate you posting the pictures for us to enjoy, thanks buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

One more small problem sorted out today...there was no clearance for the deck boards under the spring. Even after winding the nut up tight, it didn't quite make it.

So the nut/washer/spring assembly was removed, and a hole was chiseled in the log from below (great fun) to allow the spring to recess itself.

It is wound up tighter than a drum now.


----------



## cocobolo

I should have mentioned this yesterday but forgot to take a pic.

If you're doing something like this yourself, you often need a third hand.

In this case, installing 10' long deck joists without a supporting beam directly underneath was the problem.

Nailing a temporary lumber support at the top of the posts solved it quickly. Sit the joist on the board - nail the opposite end - and you're good to go.

This was the last support piece I needed right at the far end of the deck.


----------



## cocobolo

At this point the framing was essentially complete, with the blocking being the last thing added.

The section over the water tank has curved sections cut out of the blocking, as we are going to add a pond liner membrane in that area to get rid of the rain water. As it is now, about 200 lbs. of water sits on top of the tank caving it in somewhat.


----------



## cocobolo

View from the front end of the finished framing.


----------



## sbmfj

I have a few random questions...

How often does the log cabin owner have to "re-stain" the logs? Is there lots of upkeep on a log cabin in general (besides the regular upkeep of a "normal" cottage)? I assume this pond membrane will be tilted away from the home to run the rain water away from the cabin, but as waters scarce on the island (meaning no running water), wouldnt he want to use that rain water to complement his water tank supply?

Just wondering, and thanks as always for sharing Keith.


----------



## Wethead

cocobolo said:


> Starting to add the first of the outside framing on the long side of the deck. Checking to see how close we are to level here.


Great Picture ! It looks like you have some nice skills !

Thanks for sharing ( My son also liked the picture  )

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> I have a few random questions...
> 
> How often does the log cabin owner have to "re-stain" the logs? Is there lots of upkeep on a log cabin in general (besides the regular upkeep of a "normal" cottage)? I assume this pond membrane will be tilted away from the home to run the rain water away from the cabin, but as waters scarce on the island (meaning no running water), wouldnt he want to use that rain water to complement his water tank supply?
> 
> Just wondering, and thanks as always for sharing Keith.


Bonjour sbmfj, this cabin has a treatment made specifically for logs...it's a Cetol product.

As far as I know it was applied very shortly after the cabin was put up, which was in mid 2005. It still looks pretty good to me. Knowing Cetol products fairly well, I would think it will last about 7 years before needing a re-coat, so a couple of years to go yet.

The cabin owners are strictly weekenders and have no garden to water. The tank is 800 imperial gallons, about 1,000 U.S gallons. Since we moved it just a matter of days ago it is already more than half full. I doubt they will have any problems with consumption.

When I get to the membrane part I'll get some pics and show you what we're doing.


----------



## jules4

Man - go away for a few weeks and there's just no end of this thread to catch up on, I'm exhausted just from reading about all the work you've been doing!

I hope the folks with the log cabin realize how lucky they are to have you working on it, I don't think you're capable of doing anything less than a stellar job. I bet I could learn more about woodworking and craftsmanship just from hanging around you for a week than I could from reading a whole stack of books :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Well, if you have nothing to do for a couple of weeks...:whistling2:


----------



## jules4

cocobolo said:


> Well, if you have nothing to do for a couple of weeks...:whistling2:


Ha - if you weren't on the wrong coast you'd probably never get rid of me :icon_cheesygrin:


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> Ha - if you weren't on the wrong coast you'd probably never get rid of me :icon_cheesygrin:


Well, I don't know, this is the right coast, you're on the left coast, right?


----------



## jules4

I grant you that I am on the sinister coast; however, you, Sir, are most decidedly on the wrong coast :tt2:


----------



## cocobolo

jules4 said:


> I grant you that I am on the sinister coast; however, you, Sir, are most decidedly on the wrong coast :tt2:


Tell me that about next May, when you are still digging out of the snow!


----------



## cocobolo

This weekend the owner brought the new supervisor up...just to keep an eye on things.

Fortunately, she (Maggie) has taken a real liking to me. It could end up costing the owner money, as she wants to be right in front of me at all times looking for pets. But she's an absolutely lovable dog.


----------



## cocobolo

After considerable discussion between the owners - with me trying to keep out of it - the wood shed location _seems_ to be settled.

The square end boards show where the end of the shed will be. Once the Bobcat has done it's good work, that will be up right away.


----------



## cocobolo

Early this morning, 7 am, the official temperature at the Nanaimo airport - which is directly across the water from us - was .6ºC. That's point 6, just a trace over 33ºF. Pretty cool for mid October here.

When I got back from town today the Hibiscus were making a determined attempt to bloom. Seems odd considering the cool nights.


----------



## cocobolo

What we _do_ look forward to every year is the _euonymus alata_ turning bright red. After a few cool nights the leaves turn very quickly.


----------



## gma2rjc

They're pretty, especially the bright red. It reminds me of Burning Bush, except that it's shaped a little different. Have you thought about propagating it to have a few of its 'babies' in the yard of the next house you buy/build?

Will the door to the shed be accessible from the deck?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> They're pretty, especially the bright red. It reminds me of Burning Bush, except that it's shaped a little different. Have you thought about propagating it to have a few of its 'babies' in the yard of the next house you buy/build?
> 
> Will the door to the shed be accessible from the deck?


I doubt we'll worry too much about the plant. Just get a new one if that's what the missus wants.

There won't be a door on the wood shed, just an opening about 4 or 5 feet wide.


----------



## cocobolo

Wethead said:


> Great Picture ! It looks like you have some nice skills !
> 
> Thanks for sharing ( My son also liked the picture  )
> 
> :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


Hi Wethead...for some reason I didn't see your post before, I'm sorry about that. I always like to reply to anyone who is kind enough to take the time to post on this thread. :thumbsup: 

So thank you for doing that. More to come for sure.


----------



## cocobolo

Instead of the pond liner membrane to cover the water tank (the easy way) the customer decided he wanted me to cut and fit treated plywood between the joists and caulk it (the hard way).

The plywood was cut wider than the joist spacing so that it would be forced down into a curve.


----------



## cocobolo

On the end where the tank barely protruded past the joist, I cut a couple of pieces of decking wood on a 45 and nailed them in place to deflect any water that might get through the deck.


----------



## cocobolo

The long section of the deck is now about half done after all the fooling around with the tank business.


----------



## sbmfj

good job. Must have been a little tricky to get the plywood to bend when it was cut in those narrow strips.


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> good job. Must have been a little tricky to get the plywood to bend when it was cut in those narrow strips.


You're right there.

I had to stand on the plywood and then whack one side of it with the sledge hammer. Only one piece broke, can't win' em all!


----------



## shumakerscott

I don't get it??? They went with wood which will decay over time vs pond liner which has a radio active half life of 50 years??? You must have bitten 3 inches off the end of your tongue not saying anything. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I don't get it??? They went with wood which will decay over time vs pond liner which has a radio active half life of 50 years??? You must have bitten 3 inches off the end of your tongue not saying anything. dorf dude...


It makes no sense to me either Shu. And almost all of the liner would have been in the dark, so no sunlight would really get to it at all. You and I would be in the ground before that gave up.
They brought up 28 sheets of treated plywood to cover the underside of the floor joists once the insulation is put in the floor. It was just enough to do the job by my reckoning...now they are 2 1/2 sheets short.


----------



## cocobolo

After all the shenanigans, the deck is now done and I have emailed the owners a few photos.

This was as far as I got by lunch time, they didn't see this pic.


----------



## cocobolo

You can just make out the narrow strip of boards in the photo which lift out for access to the cleanout.

Once they find out they will have to cut the silicone caulking and undo a bunch of screws to get at it, I doubt it will ever be touched.


----------



## cocobolo

From the water end. 

I don't much care to see end grain on deck wood, so I cut the long boards back to the second 2 x 8, which leaves enough room to add a strip nearly 3" wide to the outside of the diagonals and end strips. It looks tidier that way.


----------



## gma2rjc

You did a great job on it. It looks nice without the end grain showing.


----------



## biggidybankston

gma2rjc said:


> You did a great job on it. It looks nice without the end grain showing.


I concur. I also would've never thought of that. Much more finished looking.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, you do beautiful work, that ledger does dress the deck off nicely. What a beautiful place, thanks for the pictures Keith.


----------



## sbmfj

what he said, and man do you work fast!!


----------



## cocobolo

biggidybankston said:


> I concur. I also would've never thought of that. Much more finished looking.


...and it's such a simple thing to do for something that makes a nice visual difference.


----------



## cocobolo

sbmfj said:


> what he said, and man do you work fast!!


Thanks sbmfj...it would have been a lot quicker except for the waste of time with that tank. :huh:

There is still an extension to go on the far end of that deck to sit the woodshed on. But I'm waiting for the machinery to arrive to clear out all the mess that is there. Supposed to happen on Monday. :thumbsup:


----------



## A Squared

sbmfj said:


> Hey Jim,
> 
> About that tv show you watched about the fellow up North building the log cabin, did he go by the name of Dick Proenneke (http://www.dickproenneke.com/)? I got a cool dvd movie about his adventure. Let me know if you want a copy, I sent one to Coco, and he seemed to enjoy it!!



What a coincidence. I drop in to catch up on this thread and find a discussion about Dick Proenneke, just after having watched Alone in the Wilderness again. 

For you Proenneke fans, about 3 weeks ago I flew out to visit his cabin. It looks like he just walked away from it yesterday. 











I have some more photos from the trip right here.


----------



## BigJim

A Squared said:


> What a coincidence. I drop in to catch up on this thread and find a discussion about Dick Proenneke, just after having watched Alone in the Wilderness again.
> 
> For you Proenneke fans, about 3 weeks ago I flew out to visit his cabin. It looks like he just walked away from it yesterday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have some more photos from the trip right here.


Absolutely fantastic, that had to be a thrill to be there where Dick lived for so long, a bit of history that will live on. Thanks for all the pictures, they are great.

Keith's build is a history in the making as we speak also. For us who will never be able to live the dream that they are, and have, it is a treat to be allowed to see first hand how Keith's great adventure unfolds each day.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared...many, many thanks for posting that photo. That has just made my day in spades!

I looked through all your other photos and I have to say that Dick's building talents were nothing short of legendary. The fact that everything - particularly those amazing door hinges - is still intact, is a true testament to his outstanding skills.

Did you all notice that the poles on his cache look like they have sheet metal wrapped around them up high? Bears can climb trees in a heartbeat, but they can't get by that sheet metal...a very ingenious idea.

For those of you who haven't looked at the rest of the photos, I can only suggest that you do. This is not something that you are ever likely to see again.


----------



## gma2rjc

I noticed the metal but couldn't figure out what it was there for. Is that the same reason the sheet metal is on the end of the posts above his porch?

A Squared, who takes care of that cabin? Is it part of the National Park system?


----------



## A Squared

gma2rjc said:


> I noticed the metal but couldn't figure out what it was there for. Is that the same reason the sheet metal is on the end of the posts above his porch?
> 
> A Squared, who takes care of that cabin? Is it part of the National Park system?


Dick deeded his cabin to the National Park Service. It's within the Lake Clark National park and preserve, and Park service people look after it. 

Yeah, the metal on the cache legs is to keep out bears, and porcupines, and other climbing animals.

I assume that the metal on the ends of the eaves and purlins is to shed water, and keep it from soaking into the end grain. I don't know who put it there, Dick or the park service. I suspect the latter; The metal is copper there are some other places where copper sheet metal is used for some unobtrusive preservation. Cut-up Blazo* cans was more Dick's style.



*Brand of lantern and stove fuel popular in Alaska at the time.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> I looked through all your other photos and I have to say that Dick's building talents were nothing short of legendary. The fact that everything - particularly those amazing door hinges - is still intact, is a true testament to his outstanding skills.



Yes he was quite a craftsman. I don't know if you have seen "Alone in the Wilderness" but if you haven't, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy it. Dick filmed himself building the cabin. He worked alone, without power tools, not even a chain saw. The film shows him making the hinges and latch for his door. I was amazed to find that 43 years later, they worked perfectly, and showed no sign of ever having needed repair.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> Yes he was quite a craftsman. I don't know if you have seen "Alone in the Wilderness" but if you haven't, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy it. Dick filmed himself building the cabin. He worked alone, without power tools, not even a chain saw. The film shows him making the hinges and latch for his door. I was amazed to find that 43 years later, they worked perfectly, and showed no sign of ever having needed repair.


Indeed I have seen the video. Sbmfj was kind enough to send me a copy of it some time ago.

I think it is destined to become a classic, if it isn't already.


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm glad to see that someone is preserving his cabin and property. I kind of wondered when I saw the areas of 1" (?) gravel around the cabin and on the path. My first thought was, "How did he get that delivered?" :laughing:. 

Thanks again for posting the pictures A Squared. It was certainly a joy to look at them.

One other thought that entered my mind is how many trips I have to make to Lowe's or HD when I do even small projects at my house. Dick built the entire cabin with the skills and materials he had - without having the convenience and expense of running to the store. That's very impressive. I see you doing that a lot too Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, you know, we don't have a Lowe's or Home Depot down the street...in fact we don't have any streets...so sometimes you have to make do with what you can find.


----------



## scoggy

*The 'Cabin' up 'there' versus ..yours*

Hi all. I have seen the whole film of the 'cottage' in Alaska, and have 'virtually' been there. He was a great 'entrepeneur', before the word was popular..and "Cocobolo..in a sense..is doing the same thing, but with a 'flair' for the creative/artistic..and using what is available ..here. Most of you..do not..have the 'scenic outreach'..I have..so that basically..I can see his small Island/domain..from where I live..but..I am always 'rewarded' by the expertise and utilization of what he can get from the ocean..and use,,and turn into something..that I would call..art!! The other 'neat' thing..is that our paths have 'crossed'..40 years ago..under totally 'unique" situations..he is a 'craftsman..his work 'speaks'..for itself!
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Scoggy...how did you like this weather today?

The missus felt like she could handle a quick trip over to Cedar on the skiff, and with the water being dead flat, the sunshine and favourable tides, we did just that. 

Now I can stay put for at least a week and get some work done! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

Hey Scoggy, you have been able to see Keith's house in as a whole, all we have seen (the best I remember) is sections of his house. Hopefully when he gets through he will post a picture of the entire house. You both are very lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

Keith I bet that felt good to your sweety to be able to get out and go for a while, we are really happy that she is doing as well as she is.


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks Jim. We were very lucky in that I could get the boat right up to the new float I made a little while ago, so she could manage to get in to the boat fairly easily.
We have a small two step stool which she uses to get out of the boat at the marina. The walk up to the van was a bit more than she expected I think, but of course she dare not say anything!
I dropped her off at the small local grocery store in Cedar and went up to the building supply and gas station.
She was sitting outside the store when I got back, obviously quite tired, but in great spirits.
The boat ride back was in dead calm water, really gorgeous. She's back laying down in bed now, but I think she's really pleased with herself that she made it OK.
The one leg has flared up again, but I expect that a good night's sleep - which I'm sure she will get tonight - will do her a world of good.
As always when anyone extends good wishes to her I pass them along, for which she is grateful.


----------



## Bud Cline

*Another SIDE BAR:*
Ain't this going to be something!
One of my son-in-laws grandfathers that passed away in 2008 left the family a few small items to dispose of when they got ready. The below article from our local newspaper describes one of the items. As it turns out this particular weapon was actually owned by one of the first volunteers to enlist in the army to fight in the Civil War. That's not the end of the story however. It also seems that this particular soldier fought in several of the big-name battles during the war and survived to fight again. He also kept very detailed diaries of all of his activities and battles he participated in, which serves to authenticate the weapon. Seems that when Don bought the gun fifty years ago the diaries were thrown-in with the deal.
Other weapons of this identical type have sold at auction before. The last one to be sold fetched a handsome $800,000.00 and it had no documentation. The auctioneers have been contacted by collectors world-wide and several are planning to either attend the auction or be represented here on Wednesday. The Smithsonian has also shown interest and plans to be represented. I suppose we'll see how it goes.:yes:


> Artical from the Hastings Tribune Newspaper
> John Huthmacher
> [email protected]
> A significant piece of Civil War memorabilia owned by one of the first Union soldiers to enlist is expected to fetch a premium at a worldwide auction in Hastings at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Adams County Fairgrounds Community Building, 947 S. Baltimore Ave.
> The 19th-century Samuel Colt .44 Caliber Army black powder revolver is owned by Hastings resident Scott Bonham and his four siblings. It is part of a collection of merchandise amassed by their late father, Don Bonham of Hastings, who died in 2008 at age 82.
> It will be auctioned by Gerritsen Auctioneers and Appraisers of Hastings, along with other items, including a Civil War musket, miscellaneous rifles, coins and collectibles.


----------



## sbmfj

thanks for sharing those pictures A-Squared. Must have been a nice trip up to those parts of Alaska. One day...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I thought of your saw mill yesterday, our neighbor across the street had a huge white oak tree cut down and the ones who cut it down cut a 20 foot section out of it and carried it with them, it was some really clear wood, no limbs at all. They left a 8 foot section which I could get if I wanted it but there is no way I could move that thing, it is 42 inches in diameter, I sure would like to have that wood though. It will just ruin laying there.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim...do you have a friend with a big chainsaw? If so maybe he could quarter it and help you to move it.
42" is a big log no matter how you look at it...and I think you need to get oak cut up as soon as possible after it has been felled. It would drive me nuts knowing that was sitting there and I couldn't do anything about it. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

As promised, Danny arrived yesterday morning with the bobcat to get the ground work done.

There has been a section of ground by the back steps where the ground has been higher than the concrete pad for the past 6 years. The owner says he has been meaning to lower it all this time but hasn't got a "Round Tuit". 

So, instead of waiting to find the Tuit, the bobcat had it done in 3 minutes.


----------



## cocobolo

We were told that an excavator had been on site originally to level the area where the cabin sits and that all the big rocks had been moved out of the way.

Must have missed this one I guess...:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

There was a big old log that we thought might give us trouble...an old Douglas fir about 30" in diameter and not sure how long as it disappeared under a mass of debris back into the bush.

Well, Danny hit it with the bucket and it broke up like it was toothpicks! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

The only other area that caused any difficulty was right up front where the fire pit is supposed to go. Danny unearthed some more fair sized pebbles.


----------



## cocobolo

That was the end of the ground work, so we cleaned up the firewood from the arbutus tree I felled a few days earlier. Got Danny to take it around to where all the other firewood is stored. That's very heavy stuff when it's wet.


----------



## cocobolo

Last thing for the 'cat to do before it left was to move the 2,500 lbs of concrete up front where it _may_ eventually get used to make a base for the firepit.


----------



## cocobolo

By the time all this was done and I had raked the loose ground somewhat level from the Bobcat tracks, it was around 12:30, and I had promised the owner that the wood shed deck would be done that day.

Got the blocks in place and level - sort of - the posts lasered and cut and the beam in.


----------



## cocobolo

All the joists are in and the decking is on here.


----------



## cocobolo

One parting shot before I left for the day at 3:50.

Good thing I'm just an old guy, if it was a kid he'd still be there. :yes:


----------



## Bud Cline

I'm ashamed of myself. Just simply ashamed.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> I'm ashamed of myself. Just simply ashamed.


I am too, (of me that is) good gravy Keith where do you keep coming up with all that energy. 

I don't know anyone with a saw that big, my saw has only a 20 inch blade. I hate to see it lay there and ruin also.


----------



## cocobolo

Pretty funny Bud!

We had another beautiful day here today, sunshine and no wind. When the tide got to float the boat - not until 2:17 this afternoon, I went over to Nanaimo, picked up the 2 x 8's we are short, got them over to Otter Bay and managed to get back to our place before the tide had fallen too far. 2 3/4 hours for the whole thing.

And while I was there I went to the House of Pot and picked up a finishing gun. This is different from the brad nailers which fire 18 gauge nails.

The finish nailer fires a proper 16 gauge finish nail, at about 5 times the price of course.


----------



## cocobolo

I don't know anyone with a saw that big, my saw has only a 20 inch blade. I hate to see it lay there and ruin also.[/quote]

Jim: It is possible to cut that log up with a 20" saw. 

What you do is to make two or three cuts (end to end) in the log about 6 to 8 inches apart. Then make the next cut at 90º to the first ones. At least a couple of the boards should fall off. You keep going around the log in 90º jumps doing the same thing and eventually you will have several good slabs.

If the stump is still standing, it can be taken down with a 20" saw as well. Same idea, just make a double undercut from opposite sides of the tree and the same for the back cut. Two passes and it should be on the ground.


----------



## Bud Cline

The time has come for me to revive an accusation I made some time ago. You ain't foolin' me any longer Keith. I am now totally convinced you have an army of dwarfs and elves working constantly to make you look good.

Hell it's almost eight pm here and my bones still hurt just from getting out of bed this morning and walking to the bathroom.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> The time has come for me to revive an accusation I made some time ago. You ain't foolin' me any longer Keith. I am now totally convinced you have an army of dwarfs and elves working constantly to make you look good.
> 
> Hell it's almost eight pm here and my bones still hurt just from getting out of bed this morning and walking to the bathroom.:yes:


Close, but no cigar.

It's actually a small army of gorgeous babes...uh yeah...I wish! :thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I see what you mean, I may not be able to do that cutting but I will see if my neighbor is, thanks for the suggestion. It would be nice to get a 6 inch thick slab with a live edge on it, that would sure make a pretty table top. This wood is shaggy bark white oak and the strange part is the center of the tree is pink to red like red oak. I know it isn't red oak because it doesn't have the open pores.


----------



## cocobolo

Working today on the customer's "Sea Deck" as he calls it.

They only had a single 2 x 8 around the perimeter, so I added a second layer to provide some beef to hold the posts.

There's quite a drop off in front of this deck, so it isn't possible to stand in front and hold a board in place while you nail it. About 25 feet down to the rocks below.

So I used the age old trick of using nails as my third hand to hold the boards in place.

Pre nail the board from end to end, then add two or three nails to the top of the board and bend them over just past 90º. I added another nail to the back side of the board, as I needed it to overhang by 1 1/2"...that was my stop.


----------



## cocobolo

On the sides there is room to stand, but it is actually easier to hold the board in place by hand from above and whack in a few nails to hold it. 

Here's the porcupine.


----------



## cocobolo

The posts were another battle due to the drop off in front. They were through bolted and lagged as well.

I put the through bolts on top, which meant drilling the 1" countersink hole first, then the 3/8" clearance hole through the post. The post is then held in place while at the same time reaching out in front of the post and drilling through the double 2 bys. Just don't look down while you're doing that.

Then the carriage bolt is driven in to the upper hole...then you go below the deck and add the washer and nut. The front 4 were a bit nerve wracking.

Then back up top again, plumb the post(s) and drill a hole for the lags which go on the bottom. Wind the lags up tight with a ratchet and hope things stayed plumb. If they don't...give the post a good pull and it will straighten. Once the top rails are in place they won't move.

Judging by the weather forecast that may not happen until next week.


----------



## cocobolo

This guy came by this afternoon...nice schooner.


----------



## kwikfishron

cocobolo said:


> On the sides there is room to stand, but it is actually easier to hold the board in place by hand from above and whack in a few nails to hold it.
> 
> Here's the porcupine.


Dang Keith, one things for sure, nobody can ever accuse you of short nailing. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

kwikfishron said:


> Dang Keith, one things for sure, nobody can ever accuse you of short nailing. :laughing:


You have to remember that this is basically going to end up as a beam, so you need lots of steel in there. Besides, those nails have been sitting there in the box doing _absolutely nothing_ for the last 6 years. I didn't want them to feel neglected any longer.


----------



## BigJim

That looks like a tough deck to get at to work on but it is sure nice and the scenery is breath taking. I can feel the rod and reel in my hand right now.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, there's a chap who has a cabin about half a dozen lots away from this one, and he's an avid fisherman.

Every year without fail he goes out fishing in this channel and lands some nice salmon. :thumbsup:

The cod fishery is closed here, but you just have to go on to the other side of Valdez Island, which is the one you see in the pic above, to get to the open area for cod. Valdez is about ten miles long, so you have to go through either Porlier Pass which is really tricky if there is any tide running, or Gabriola Passage at the north end. 

The cod fishery is closed on about half the local waters and open on the rest. Since cod are not migratory, I guess they are trying to allow the cod stocks to re-populate in the closed areas.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, a friend of mine who lived in Alaska told me the Salmon we get down here is garbage compared to what they eat up there. I have had smoked Salmon from Alaska and it was sooooo good but I do love Cod better, it sounds like everyone else does also. There aren't any of those fish down this way but Judy and I use to catch 65 and 70 pound catfish here on the Tennessee River. We just can't handle the big ones anymore, those bad boys will pull your boat around not to mention give you a shower when you land one. 

It is so pretty up your way, I wouldn't care if I couldn't fish, I wonder if a person could get use to living in a place so pretty?


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, the chap who has a cabin to our immediate east is one of the higher ups in our Ministry of Fisheries. He tells me that the fish are firmer and better tasting if they spend their lives in colder water.

I do know that when the salmon make their runs up the rivers every year to spawn, that they don't like to go up if the water is either too warm or too low.

When I lived in the Yukon, we used to travel up to Fox Lake several miles out of Whitehorse and catch the arctic grayling using black flies for lures. Very white flesh and very tasty!


----------



## cocobolo

A few days ago our neighbour popped around to let us know he was about to fall a fir tree at his place and that is what the big bang would be.

So I grabbed my camera and went to take a pic or two of the action, but by the time I was there the tree was on the ground!


----------



## cocobolo

The top of the tree had been broken off in the wind several years ago,which is usually a sign that the tree is not long for this world. 

You can see how much rot was in the tree, and it was like that right to the top.


----------



## cocobolo

You know what it's like when you have a catch-all area where stuff gets dumped. Just inside the front door was such an area and has been for several years...so time for a bit of a tidy up. When I pulled the collection of miscellania away from the window, only then did I remember that the vapour barrier was only partially in place and a half baked job was done on the insulation.

Since we are now getting cool nights, it was time for the fix.

The first pane of glass was only held in place with a couple of partially tacked 1 x 1's...the second pane of glass was still leaning against the wall. Fat lot of good that was doing.

The second pane is now in and things should be warmer now.


----------



## cocobolo

Please note that the glass has a substantial curve at the top.

I was under the impression that this was somehow done by a machine, and therefore all the glass sizes would be identical.

Evidently this is not the case. The top curve is cut by hand before the glass is tempered, and then the units are made up.

I got these after they had been removed from a former house and separated the panes. I had 6 sheets all together. As it turned out, no two were the same size...close, but no cigar.

Four of the sheets found their way alongside the front door, and the final two at the end of the breakfast nook.

One was already in the nook wall...been there for many years. Today when I went to put the last one in it was a good 1/2" too tall! I had to chisel out a 9/16" deep groove in the wood below the glass to allow it to fit.


----------



## cocobolo

Pretty hard to tell in those pics, but the glass is in place and buried in the groove. The top of the glass was still a push fit to get it in. But once it was in I was able to tweak it slightly to the left and it has a tiny bit of breathing room.


----------



## cocobolo

Back to the front entryway where more cedar is being applied to the wall above the window.


----------



## cocobolo

Outside the door needed attention as well, as it rattled in a wind and poured cold air inside like it was on sale. 

The door is curved as you've probably noticed, but the weatherstrip at the top adapted to the curve well.


----------



## cocobolo

The weatherstrip on the left side of the door is the spring type.

This turned out to be a real blessing as I was able to close the door, and add the 'stripping under pressure...which has stopped the door from rattling.

The right side is unsprung, but since there is no movement on the hinge side it's quite OK. That's the way it comes in the package.


----------



## cocobolo

One more little thing to get done out front...the downpipe keeps falling out as it is only held in place by friction.

It takes the water from the entrance roof and moves it over to the studio gutter.

So I have added three stainless steel screws between the ABS pipe, which the gutter is made from, and the wood gutter. I'm hoping that there will be sufficient increased friction to keep it in place. Time will tell.


----------



## cocobolo

We had a little excitement here this afternoon.

Hurricane force winds!

It's amazing at how well the camera will flatten out a wave...but most of the troughs here I could stand in and not see over the top of the next one.


----------



## cocobolo

The trees didn't fare too well in this breeze...you can see how the branches are all bent backwards.


----------



## cocobolo

Within a span of three minutes after the wind hit there were more than two dozen branches on the ground and in the pond.


----------



## cocobolo

By sunset, the wind had dropped to about 30 k's and this is what we got.

The wind has been back up to between about 45 and 70 k's ever since then. And more big winds in the forecast as the next storm comes down from Alaska.


----------



## cocobolo

One of the dinghy's in the bay snapped the mooring line like it was a piece of thread, but I have been able to retrieve the boat and tie it up.

My friend Allen on the other side of the island wasn't quite as fortunate.


----------



## cocobolo

He doesn't think there is any damage to the hull as the beach there is fairly soft.

The next high tide is right around dawn tomorrow morning and John is going to try and help pull the boat off the beach then. 

If the barometer goes up, that means the tide will go down and it may not be high enough to get the boat off.

In the mean time, Al has taken advantage of the opportunity to scrape the bottom of the hull off.

It seems the line between the float and the mooring weight parted.


----------



## Ironlight

Boy is he lucky! That could have ended quite differently. He might want to think about using chain from the mooring to the float and reserving line for the hawser. Then you can replace the line part every few years. Mooring anchors are not cheap.


----------



## cocobolo

Ironlight said:


> Boy is he lucky! That could have ended quite differently. He might want to think about using chain from the mooring to the float and reserving line for the hawser. Then you can replace the line part every few years. Mooring anchors are not cheap.


Had the boat blown in 30 or 40 feet on either side it would have been on rock.

Surprisingly, chain from the mooring to the float doesn't work well here. What happens is the sun reacts with the salt water, and any chain within about 10 feet of the surface gets eaten up very quickly.

The best thing is to get your hands on some discarded tugboat towlines. They use about a 2" nylon type line which stretches and seems resistant to UV. The tugs replace those lines as soon as there is any sign of wear. After all, some of the booms they tow must weigh upwards of 1,000 tons.

Welcome to the thread.


----------



## BigJim

I was wondering if you got any of that weather. What are they saying about the weather coming in from Alaska? From what I hear they really got hit hard up there.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I was wondering if you got any of that weather. What are they saying about the weather coming in from Alaska? From what I hear they really got hit hard up there.


They definitely had some very serious problems up there with that storm.

Our weather guys said it would affect the northern end of Vancouver Island but wasn't supposed to get down this far. Estimated 55 mph winds up at Port McNeil where our friends Nick & Helen live.

It takes heat to generate hurricane force winds and we are all wondering where that came from when the sea is covered with pack ice. Strange weather patterns we are getting these days. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

A few of the fir branches which landed on the house...

There's 10 times as much on the ground.


----------



## cocobolo

Just one final wipe to go and all the grouting is finished in the solarium. Not bad, it only took me a year or so.


----------



## BigJim

That is what I was thinking about the high winds being created by heat also. I just don't see how a wind that high could produce snow also. It is good that you didn't catch it any worse than you did.

Your tile looks great Keith, the grout is kind deceiving, it looks like it should stain the tiles but it don't, I like it.


----------



## BigJim

That is what I was thinking about the high winds being created by heat also. I just don't see how a wind that high could produce snow also. It is good that you didn't catch it any worse than you did.

Your tile looks great Keith, the grout is kind deceiving, it looks like it should stain the tiles but it don't, I like it.


----------



## cocobolo

It would stain those tiles easily Jim, except that they are well sealed first.


----------



## Ironlight

cocobolo said:


> Surprisingly, chain from the mooring to the float doesn't work well here. What happens is the sun reacts with the salt water, and any chain within about 10 feet of the surface gets eaten up very quickly.


You learn something new every day!


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm glad you didn't have any serious damage from the wind. I was wondering if it was going to affect your area as I heard one news report that said it was going to hit the N.W. U.S.

The tile looks great - nice design. Since the post before the two pictures of the tiles was about the wind and fir branches landing on your roof, the first thing I thought of when I saw the two tile pictures was that water came in and got on the tiles.  (Before I looked at the picture closer.)

Al cleaning the bottom of his boat while it's tipped sideways is a perfect example of making lemonade when life hands you a bowl of lemons.


----------



## cocobolo

Ironlight said:


> You learn something new every day!


Unfortunately this was a lesson from experience!

What we find is that any mooring, no matter how good it is, seems to have a maximum life of about 7 years. I guess considering what a mooring has to go through that's really not bad.

It is usually one of the fittings which finally gives up.

What I do is to have at least one anchor out on a minimum of 100 feet of rode. I tie this to the float so that even if the mooring lets go the anchor should hold. I have two anchors attached to the mooring at the moment and I'm seriously considering adding a third if we are going to get any more winds like we had on the 11th.

Just got an email from Allen, and they dragged the boat off this morning...:thumbsup:...undamaged except for a few paint scratches. He said it was a hard pull to get it off.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I'm glad you didn't have any serious damage from the wind. I was wondering if it was going to affect your area as I heard one news report that said it was going to hit the N.W. U.S.
> 
> The tile looks great - nice design. Since the post before the two pictures of the tiles was about the wind and fir branches landing on your roof, the first thing I thought of when I saw the two tile pictures was that water came in and got on the tiles.  (Before I looked at the picture closer.)
> 
> Al cleaning the bottom of his boat while it's tipped sideways is a perfect example of making lemonade when life hands you a bowl of lemons.


All the weather services were saying that the North West US was going to get clobbered, and maybe they did. The passes inland were supposed to get snow, and given the rapid temperature drop when that wind came through I wouldn't doubt it for a split second.

Not one drop of water got into the house. I think it's pretty well immune to that.

I'll have to send Al your lemonade/lemons quote. He'll get a kick out of that! :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> I'm glad you didn't have any serious damage from the wind. I was wondering if it was going to affect your area as I heard one news report that said it was going to hit the N.W. U.S.
> 
> The tile looks great - nice design. Since the post before the two pictures of the tiles was about the wind and fir branches landing on your roof, the first thing I thought of when I saw the two tile pictures was that water came in and got on the tiles.  (Before I looked at the picture closer.)
> 
> Al cleaning the bottom of his boat while it's tipped sideways is a perfect example of making lemonade when life hands you a bowl of lemons.


Barb, that is the first thing Judy said when she saw the floor grout.

Keith, I remember you and Bud talking about sealing your tiles and I can sure see why it is necessary now.


----------



## cocobolo

The terra cotta tiles are so porous I can just imagine the mess they would be unsealed. Ceramic and porcelain doesn't have that problem fortunately.


----------



## gma2rjc

Was this the last area (except for the kitchen) to be tiled and grouted?


----------



## cocobolo

The kitchen is all tiled and grouted, now all that remains is the front entryway.
I plan on trying to get that cleared out today and then cut some easyboard for the floor.


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm sure you'll be thrilled when all of the tiling is finished.


----------



## preacher01

Coco, I am on page 79 in this blog and I had to jump ahead and tell you that I am in total amazement at all you have accomplished over the years. I do not have any real talent to speak of and have always been afraid to try anything but, I am not so afraid anymore after reading yours and Scott's projects. I am going to build a barn style garage in the spring and I am going to do it by myself with the help of you guys on this site. Again you are doing an excellent job. I truly enjoy reading about it all.:thumbup: P.S. You are a true inspiration to guys like me.


----------



## cocobolo

Preacher, thanks for your kind comments.

Who says you have no talents? Of course you do, you just might not have discovered them yet, that's all. :thumbsup:

When you get on to your project - which sounds pretty cool by the way - let us know so we can join in with you, OK?

Any time you have a question we're all here to help, it's what keeps life interesting!


----------



## cocobolo

Today was one of those days which you have to make a quick decision on or lose it.

The weather prognosticators are ramming this terrible weather down our throats, like it or not. BUUUUT, today was supposed to be nice...and they were right.

I checked the temperature over at the airport in Nanaimo this morning at -2.8ºC, -5.4ºC with the light wind chill. OK, that's getting cool.

Last Friday, we ordered some carpet from the House of Pot and it was supposed to be cut and ready to be picked up yesterday, but the wind didn't want us going anywhere.

Today looked great, even though the wind was still up a bit at first light this morning, so I decided to go for it.

When I got across I called HD to let them know I was on the way. Good thing...they hadn't done anything about the order yet.

Got to Boat Harbour and the docks were covered in thick frost...slippery!


----------



## cocobolo

Arrived at HD and one of the three pieces was cut, two to go. So I finished up the paperwork and went back to the flooring dept. just in time to see the machine cut the third piece of carpet.

Have you ever seen one of those things work? Talk about fast! Under two seconds to cut through 12 feet of carpet!

So I am chatting to the carpet guy and asking what the three pieces weigh. It says 25 ounces per yard on the sign, so I am thinking OK 90 yards at about 1 1/2 lbs would be 135 pounds, right? Uuuuh, no.

Today I learned something about carpet that I didn't know before. The 25 ounces refers to something called the face weight, which has little bearing on the overall weight of the carpet.

At 135 pounds total, each piece would have been around 45 pounds...not even remotely close. :no:

Mr. carpet man says a full roll typically weighs about 500 pounds, and he added that we have the better part of a roll. Uh oh, I could be in trouble here. Then he tells me that only the strong young guys pick up rolls like this because they are all WAY OVER 100 lbs. each! And I have to pack these down to the boat...and then up the bank when I get to the island.

They asked if I would like help loading in to the van...I think so, yes please.


----------



## cocobolo

Do I have to tell you that nobody came out to help load...grrrr! 

Mr. carpet guy was right, that stuff really is heavy.

OK, off to the boat and I struggled to get the first piece up on my shoulder and staggered down to the boat. And when I say staggered, that's exactly what I mean. I was sounding like an old worn out steam engine by the time I got down to the dock.

But the gods were smiling on me it seems, and out of the blue another old guy shows up and asks if I would like a hand. Yessirree Bob! So my helper and I made short work of getting the other two rolls to the boat, and after thanking him profusely he left.


----------



## cocobolo

If you have never tried to load this much carpet into a 15' boat, well, you just haven't lived. It's like trying to fit 10 pounds of poop into a 5 pound poopsack. :whistling2:

One sticking out through the front window, and another hanging out the back. The third one I had to force under the front deck, and it _just _fit.


----------



## cocobolo

I have to say the water going back was really nice and calm for a change. 12 minutes later I arrived at the island only to find......not enough water to get in! Close, but still about 4 feet short of the float - which of course was sitting in the mud.


----------



## cocobolo

After a bit of a rest and some coffee and grub, I conned the missus into helping me as best she could to get the carpet up the bank.

I used a couple of lifting straps, tying one round each end of the rolls. It was actually easy getting the carpet off the boat. Just push it out the window toward the float until the missus could grab the front strap. After that it was a piece of cake until we had to go up the steps.

That was a little awkward, as she is still using a cane to get around. But just jumping it up one step at a time worked fine. Took us a little while, but now it's sitting inside the brekky nook.

Didn't get any pics of this as it's hard enough to do the job, never mind playing photographer at the same time.

Still one thing to go...we are getting separate underlay, so that will be another trip for another day.


----------



## biggidybankston

I will never complain about having to drive 30 minutes to get to HD again... I promise!


----------



## gma2rjc

biggidybankston said:


> I will never complain about having to drive 30 minutes to get to HD again... I promise!


Same here! 

Will you and Mrs. cocobolo be moving into the house before the end of the year Keith?


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy Keith, that is just unreal, that is determination in the first degree, I would have given up at Home dump. If you had it all to do over again, which you probably will, you could buy one of the gas powered construction buggies
But then getting that bad boy to your island would be a trick also. I have one of the Gardenway carts that I carry heavy stuff in. The cart I have has heavy duty bike wheels on it but the construction buggy will climb steps.

If I were in your shoes I would have a tatoo on my arm reading "NEVER AGAIN".:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

biggidybankston said:


> I will never complain about having to drive 30 minutes to get to HD again... I promise!


Yeah sure...that's what they all say! :jester:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Same here!
> 
> Will you and Mrs. cocobolo be moving into the house before the end of the year Keith?


I guess that depends on how much we get finished. The last big thing to bring over will be the underlay, but that's really quite minor in comparison to what has gone on before.

The little things seem to be getting taken care of slowly, so it is possible that we might at least eat Christmas dinner in the house.

Still work to get done at the log cabin, which takes away from the work time at home. And we still need at least another 2 cords of firewood.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy Keith, that is just unreal, that is determination in the first degree, I would have given up at Home dump. If you had it all to do over again, which you probably will, you could buy one of the gas powered construction buggies
> But then getting that bad boy to your island would be a trick also. I have one of the Gardenway carts that I carry heavy stuff in. The cart I have has heavy duty bike wheels on it but the construction buggy will climb steps.
> 
> If I were in your shoes I would have a tatoo on my arm reading "NEVER AGAIN".:thumbsup:


Funny you should mention the tattoo Jim. Just this morning the missus wrote that on my forehead with a felt pen!


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Funny you should mention the tattoo Jim. Just this morning the missus wrote that on my forehead with a felt pen!


Did she write it backwards so you could read it when you look in the mirror? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Did she write it backwards so you could read it when you look in the mirror? :laughing:


How did you know that?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Funny you should mention the tattoo Jim. Just this morning the missus wrote that on my forehead with a felt pen!


Hehe, at least she didn't write on your back what my nephew's wife did. My nephew was a rough and tumble big dude, not fat. He slept sound as the dickens and while he was asleep his wife wrote on his back with a magic marker. Mike always worked with his shirt off out on the jobsite and that day was no exception. He got to the site, and it started warming up pretty good and off went his shirt and there on his back was written,"I'm a pretty boy". Talk about a bunch of ole boys cracking up, except Mike.:laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

That's got to be one of the funniest things I ever heard Jim!!! :thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

jiju1943 said:


> Hehe, at least she didn't write on your back what my nephew's wife did. My nephew was a rough and tumble big dude, not fat. He slept sound as the dickens and while he was asleep his wife wrote on his back with a magic marker. Mike always worked with his shirt off out on the jobsite and that day was no exception. He got to the site, and it started warming up pretty good and off went his shirt and there on his back was written,"I'm a pretty boy". Talk about a bunch of ole boys cracking up, except Mike.:laughing::laughing:


That's funny. I bet they were all thinking, "I'm glad she's not MY wife!"


----------



## cocobolo

The three rolls of carpet in the nook awaiting installation. I weighed one of them (they're all about the same) at 124 pounds. No wonder I had a spot of bother.


----------



## cocobolo

I certainly hope that none of you are foolish enough to build your houses with a bunch of curves everywhere.

But if you succumb to the attraction of curves, here's an easy way to get things like Easyboard, or indeed any sort of sheet goods - plywood, cement board etc. - marked out to fit such curves.

First, push the item in question (in this case Easyboard) up against the adjoining walls where the curve will be. Using something simple like a stick of wood, or perhaps a piece of cardboard, make a mark and small notch as shown in the photo.


----------



## cocobolo

Then use that to mark out the board, again as shown. Just be sure to keep the marking stick parallel with the side of the board in question.


----------



## cocobolo

When that is marked, cut on the line - I used a Japanese saw which flexes to follow the curve perfectly - and that's it. You can use a utility knife, but honestly, the saw was both faster and more accurate.


----------



## cocobolo

Do the same trick at the other end and in no time everything will be cut to fit.

Of course, if you are using cement board, you will be in for some serious work cutting that with a diamond blade on your angle grinder. Messy too.


----------



## cocobolo

Once the pieces were all cut to fit, I took them off the floor and added a layer of 15 lb. roofing felt, then covered that with a layer of 6 mil poly.

Then nailed down the Easyboard and started on a test layout of the tiles. It looks like there will be about 60 tiles to cut around the outside edges. At 0º outside today I'm not really looking forward to doing any of that.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, I don't envy you at all having to work out in the cold like that especially with all the cuts. One thing is for sure, if it looks good it takes a lot of work, and your home really looks great.


----------



## Bud Cline

Here's another little hint for a great tool. Keith has described the way to scribe for the radius. Companies make "teaching supplies" (for teachers) and in that bag of tricks is a huge compass. This huge compass is used for making large circles and such on chalk boards. It has a rubber point in one leg and the other leg holds a piece of standard chalk board chalk like you used to find in every classroom.

Well - the fitting on the chalk-leg also holds a Sharpie perfectly. Plug in a sharpie and scribe away. The most important thing to remember about scribing arcs is that your scribing tool MUST be held so it is always at a perfect 90 degree angle to your base work being scribed. It requires constant supervision of the tool.

Just thought I'd throw that in.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Here's another little hint for a great tool. Keith has described the way to scribe for the radius. Companies make "teaching supplies" (for teachers) and in that bag of tricks is a huge compass. This huge compass is used for making large circles and such on chalk boards. It has a rubber point in one leg and the other leg holds a piece of standard chalk board chalk like you used to find in every classroom.
> 
> Well - the fitting on the chalk-leg also holds a Sharpie perfectly. Plug in a sharpie and scribe away. The most important thing to remember about scribing arcs is that your scribing tool MUST be held so it is always at a perfect 90 degree angle to your base work being scribed. It requires constant supervision of the tool.
> 
> Just thought I'd throw that in.


Good grief Bud...I didn't think you were that old!

I remember those compasses from my classroom days in England!

For even bigger circles I use a piece of sash cord which doesn't stretch. Stick a thin nail through one end of the cord and wrap the cord around a pencil at the other. I used that for form layout on the house, with a 22' radius.


----------



## paulnixon

As i know about the gulf island building is that the building who is made from wood.Most of in the NEW ZEALAND is beautiful place for the gulf building. in the NEW ZEALAND the bay of island is the most beautiful place,Around this place beaches, underwater diving is also available at this place. Sky Tower is the dominant symbol of the city of Auckland is. From its vantage four visitors enjoy there is most beautiful views in the downtown, its expanding suburbs, ports and islands of the Hauraki Gulf.


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## cocobolo

paulnixon said:


> As i know about the gulf island building is that the building who is made from wood.Most of in the NEW ZEALAND is beautiful place for the gulf building. in the NEW ZEALAND the bay of island is the most beautiful place,Around this place beaches, underwater diving is also available at this place. Sky Tower is the dominant symbol of the city of Auckland is. From its vantage four visitors enjoy there is most beautiful views in the downtown, its expanding suburbs, ports and islands of the Hauraki Gulf.


Hello Paul!

Welcome to the thread!

Are you from New Zealand yourself? Indeed New Zealand is a most spectacular place to both visit and live in. Unfortunately, I have yet to have the pleasure of going there.

But, many years ago when I first started working for a living, my first job was with The Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand. As a result of this, I got to meet quite a number of Kiwis, all of whom were great people.

Wow - this was 52 years ago! How time flies.


----------



## scoggy

*Help with stuff*

Keith, just dial me up 1-250-245-7920, and in 10 minutes I can come help you at the dock, or anywhere loading heavy stuff and unloading..cause I ...retired!
Cheers
Scoggy


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, just dial me up 1-250-245-7920, and in 10 minutes I can come help you at the dock, or anywhere loading heavy stuff and unloading..cause I ...retired!
> Cheers
> Scoggy


I might make you regret that offer! You never know when I may need help.

I notice that you waited until the last of the heavy stuff has been brought over!!!!!! :laughing:


----------



## scoggy

*Can I Help!!??!*

Keith,..no mind like an 'old mind", always here to help!
Cheers
Scoggy:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## cocobolo

A few days ago we had an extreme high tide here...a combination of a very high tide with a 980 mb barometer. We get one of these perhaps every 5 to 7 years or so, and this one was a doozy.

Our neighbour Brian across the other side of the bay has a diving board fixed to the rock in front of his place.

This fir log floated right over it and got caught when the tide went out. Never seen that happen before!


----------



## fixrite

so would it be safe to say that the fir on the island is trying to take a dive. lol


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## cocobolo

Then at the bay in front of our place we had a seaquake. Because of the extreme tide everything was floating, including a big old log which has been acting as a retaining wall holding up the ground here. When the tide dropped the log moved out a foot or so and now we have this hole in the ground.

So I guess that will have to go and we will need a proper retaining wall built.


----------



## cocobolo

That same big tide deposited a fir log on the rocks, which I cut up yesterday for firewood.


----------



## cocobolo

So today was another story, pretty busy, even for me.

First thing this morning on the tide I went over to Brian's and got that log off his diving board, not quite as easy as I thought it would be. It ended up being 30 feet long...which means heavy!

Then got the skiff around there to tow it back and picked up another log on the way. Pushed the logs up on the beach and when the tide went out i cut them both up which gave me 50 log rounds! Lot's of firewood coming out of there.

Next was the old log chute. It had to go, so I started by prying the two log supports off the far end.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I got the big prybar and loosened up all the deck boards and took them off.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I sledge hammered out the side supports which put everything on the ground.


----------



## cocobolo

Out with the chainsaw and bucked up the old 8 x 8's. I originally cut these out of one of the big trees that I felled here when we were first opening up the property 15 years ago.


----------



## cocobolo

And after a lot of huffing and puffing (it's really mucky there) I had everything cleared away either to be burned in the bonfire, or to be cut up for firewood.


----------



## cocobolo

Those old 8 x 8's had certainly been through the wars doing what they had to do over the years. I think the heaviest log I ever brought up weighed 4,000 lbs. It was a massive fir I got in years ago.

The condition of that wood is still remarkably good, and it will make great firewood for this winter. It's dry as a bone inside.


----------



## cocobolo

I have been trying to get some wood cut up to make the bullnose pieces for the 31 stairs here, but the weather has been most uncooperative.

But the sun was shining all day which is why I was able to work outside non-stop! It was great!

So I dug up some boards, cut them to the rough size on the table saw, then ran everything through the planer. I needed 62 pieces, but cut quite a few extra...arbutus often offers up nice little surprises when you start to work it, so several extra were made.


----------



## cocobolo

So all in all, it was a pretty long day, and by the time I had the last of the arbutus run through the planer the sun had set.

So it was time to stop for breakfast...


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> so would it be safe to say that the fir on the island is trying to take a dive. lol


I suppose you could say that...but this one floated in, most likely having escaped from one of the booms which are towed by here.


----------



## BigJim

That wasn't the chute that you used to get the logs to your mill was it? Well so much for getting some rest. I don't blame you though, the sun shining nicely I would be out there also.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That wasn't the chute that you used to get the logs to your mill was it? Well so much for getting some rest. I don't blame you though, the sun shining nicely I would be out there also.


It was. But since I won't be cutting any more logs with the sawmill, and mother nature was trying to destroy part of it anyway, it went.

Back into the rain today it seems. But supposed to be nice tomorrow. I'm going to see if I can get some of that tile set in the entryway and glue up some of the bullnose pieces today.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It was. But since I won't be cutting any more logs with the sawmill, and mother nature was trying to destroy part of it anyway, it went.
> 
> Back into the rain today it seems. But supposed to be nice tomorrow. I'm going to see if I can get some of that tile set in the entryway and glue up some of the bullnose pieces today.


Oh wow, that is sad to see that go, it just seemed to be part of your island that is now history. I will say that it was perfect for what it was intended for and very well built to handle the big logs you ran through there. Are you going to carry your mill with you when you move or sell it?


----------



## cocobolo

The mill will be sold here Jim. It's not practical for me to take it all apart, move it and then re-assemble it again elsewhere. Especially at our age! You know how it is.

My neighbour has shown an interest, so we will see what happens.

The next task will be to get all the good wood bucked and split and whatever is left over will be burned at the beach. That's going to take some time.

Then the big old log that was the retaining wall will have to be cut up into small enough pieces to move out of the way so I can make a P.T. wood retaining wall.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The mill will be sold here Jim. It's not practical for me to take it all apart, move it and then re-assemble it again elsewhere. Especially at our age! You know how it is.
> 
> My neighbour has shown an interest, so we will see what happens.
> 
> The next task will be to get all the good wood bucked and split and whatever is left over will be burned at the beach. That's going to take some time.
> 
> Then the big old log that was the retaining wall will have to be cut up into small enough pieces to move out of the way so I can make a P.T. wood retaining wall.


Do you have a splitter or do you split your wood by hand? Either way you go is no picnic. You should try to hand split hickory that has seasoned for three years or so, ain't gona happen, that stuff is harder than Chinese ruthmatic.


----------



## cocobolo

No splitter Jim, I use the old fashioned maul.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks like I will need to be able to shift the bed off the bedroom floor in order to get at the underlay and carpet. And about the only way I could think of to do that was to fill the big hole in the floor - temporarily of course.

So I went over to town and got a bunch of 2 x 12's for the job and set to work.

Here's the first of it getting done.


----------



## cocobolo

I think it was about 3 or 4 days ago that the snow levels started to fall over on Vancouver Island. Not sure quite what they are at now, but it looks like about 1500 - 2000 feet or so. 

This was taken at sunrise.


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## cocobolo

This morning I was working on the floor upstairs, when I heard voices outside the house. I looked out to see three guys casing the joint. One was my neighbour Tony, but I didn't know the other two.

After a minute or so of this I thought here's my chance to get the carpet moved upstairs, so I whipped outside and said "You guys are just in time!"

So the one fellow says "In time for what?"

"In time to show me just how you are going to move three rolls of carpet upstairs for me!"

Less than five minutes later the carpet - and the underlay - are sitting upstairs and I didn't have to touch a thing! It was beautiful!

I grabbed a bottle of wine and handed it to them before they headed back to Tony's cabin. Thanks you guys!!!


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## BigJim

That was one of them ahhhhhhh sigh, moments when they carried the carpet upstairs for you, good deal.


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## cocobolo

I would probably still be trying to figure out how to do it by myself if it wasn't for Tony and his friends. They just lifted it up through the hole in the floor in nothing flat.

I guess I had better set about finishing that now!


----------



## Bud Cline

Just had to share this here, this is CLASSIC.

Two of my grand kids one of which isn't particularly into Santa, can you guess which one it is.

This is Santa in Germany by the way.


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## cocobolo

Pretty neat pic there Bud. It looks to me like the little guy is mad because his big brother wouldn't share that last beer!

On an unrelated subject, how did the gun sale go?


----------



## gma2rjc

What a great picture Bud. They're very cute kids! Being over in Germany, I bet you and Mrs. Cline miss them terribly.


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## Bud Cline

The little non-conformist is Chloe, she's one, her brother Aidan is going on five, they're the best. Don't know how old Santa is.




> On an unrelated subject, how did the gun sale go?


OH THAT!
Well it turns out the auction brought a little over forty thousand dollars. Not bad for old guns I guess but certainly not what the owners had imagined it could be.  Huge disappointment to everyone I'm sure.


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## BigJim

You got some beautiful little ones Bud, I know you are one proud grandpa.


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## fixrite

Keith, I came across this and immediately thought of you. Hope you enjoy this site.http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/newpage1


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## gma2rjc

Fixrite, that is amazing. Thanks for posting the link.


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## BigJim

That is pure genius, just amazing what the mind is capable of.


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## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith, I came across this and immediately thought of you. Hope you enjoy this site.http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/newpage1


Wow! That is absolutely fantastic!

Do any of you remember the documentary about how the Egyptians might have moved those big stones used to build the pyramids? I don't remember if it was a National Geographic show or not.

But a group of scientists had got together and showed how these 4,000 pound stones could be moved quite easily by simple people power and a few wooden levers.

This is very reminiscent of that performance.


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry I haven't been putting anything up here for a few days, but I've been trying to get some carpet down in the bedroom.

I had a load of questions about the "how to" of that and it has been running on another thread.

Rather than duplicate that here I will just do this...

http://www.diychatroom.com/f5/carpet-stair-treads-only-124520/

As you will see, all carpet is not created equal!


----------



## cocobolo

Only 3/4 of an hour until mid-eclipse of the moon for those of us on the Pacific coast! And naturally.....it's cloudy. :furious:


----------



## fixrite

:clap: I got up for clouds


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> :clap: I got up for clouds


Me too...it was a truly beautiful sight, wasn't it! :huh:


----------



## fixrite

It was a "sight unseen". I just got back from looking at some spalted alder, but they wanted $400.00 for the 100 or so feet. Not a good deal in my opinion. I had to make some easels for the misses as she has an art show happening, only had 24 hrs notice to make 3 of them, talk about a challenge. But I made the time line.


----------



## fixrite

here is one of them


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## cocobolo

Not too shabby! And making three in one day is pretty damn fast! I have one around here somewhere that I made for the missus some time back.

I'll see if I can get a pic of it and show you.


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## fixrite

Thanks, that would be nice to see the one you have made. The other two I made out of left over flooring that I planed the backs down on. Trying to make use of all my scraps. I told the misses that she could sell them if she wanted to as they were made in a hurry and not my best work thats for sure. If I make a keeper it will be a lot more intricate. I was thinking of making one that the top half folded down to act as the support leg if it were to be used on a table, I think that would be a little unique as I have not seen one like that before.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> It was a "sight unseen". I just got back from looking at some spalted alder, but they wanted $400.00 for the 100 or so feet. Not a good deal in my opinion. I had to make some easels for the misses as she has an art show happening, only had 24 hrs notice to make 3 of them, talk about a challenge. But I made the time line.


Four bucks a board foot for spalted Alder? Whew...a little rich.

If you want spalted wood, just leave any hardwood outside, but under cover in a dampish place for a year or two and there you have it. It seems to work best if you tarp it with two or three layers of tarp so that it doesn't get rained on directly. 

A fair bit of the arbutus I have here has become spalted over the years. It looks pretty good, but if you don't catch it in time some of it can turn from merely being spalted to outright rot.

To stop the spalting process you need to bring the wood to a dry area and bring the moisture content to something that is well below 19%. I find that 10% does the trick every time.


----------



## cocobolo

It has been a busy few days here again.

There was more firewood to get cut and split, still a long way to go, but needed to get more done as snow is in the offing for tomorrow.

Some kind soul ran his monster truck into my van over in town, not too much damage fortunately, but the little clown didn't even have a driver's license with him.

The new battery bank has not been performing well at all, so a chat with the battery guys has revealed that we have one completely dead battery, not just one cell, but the entire thing. That has to be taken back over to town for replacement.

And then there is the ongoing saga of the carpet. While it does look as though it will turn out OK in the end, it has been a bit of a nightmare to this point. More on the other thread.

This was this evening...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It has been a busy few days here again.
> 
> There was more firewood to get cut and split, still a long way to go, but needed to get more done as snow is in the offing for tomorrow.
> 
> Some kind soul ran his monster truck into my van over in town, not too much damage fortunately, but the little clown didn't even have a driver's license with him.
> 
> The new battery bank has not been performing well at all, so a chat with the battery guys has revealed that we have one completely dead battery, not just one cell, but the entire thing. That has to be taken back over to town for replacement.
> 
> And then there is the ongoing saga of the carpet. While it does look as though it will turn out OK in the end, it has been a bit of a nightmare to this point. More on the other thread.
> 
> This was this evening...


My stars Keith, everything seems to be going south for you at once, at least a bit of good news with your carpet was welcome I am sure. That don't sound too promising with snow headed your way. I don't think I could swing a sledge to bust wood anymore. That is the way I first messed my back up, I had two wedges hung in a block of red oak and got a little ticked and there went my back.

That is a pretty sunset buddy, thanks for sharing.


----------



## cocobolo

I don't think I would have the nerve to tackle a red oak Jim.

Currently, I'm slowly cutting up that big old fir tree on the bank in front of the wood shed. Every three rounds splt into enough pieces to fill up the lift box. About 11 or 12 boxes full is a stacked cord. That tree still has about 50 rounds in it, and they get bigger towards the bottom.

The bigger they get the harder they are to split, but so far, so good.

The knack to splitting this stuff is to swing the maul in a full circle before you hit the wood, and just hit the round right on the extreme outside lined up with the middle. Once you get the round split in two, then you just keep taking off about 3" chunks with each hit as you go around, and they will come off in a single hit...until you hit a knot of course. You must avoid those.

I'm seriously beginning to think that I don't need quite this much exercise any more!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I don't think I would have the nerve to tackle a red oak Jim.
> 
> Currently, I'm slowly cutting up that big old fir tree on the bank in front of the wood shed. Every three rounds splt into enough pieces to fill up the lift box. About 11 or 12 boxes full is a stacked cord. That tree still has about 50 rounds in it, and they get bigger towards the bottom.
> 
> The bigger they get the harder they are to split, but so far, so good.
> 
> The knack to splitting this stuff is to swing the maul in a full circle before you hit the wood, and just hit the round right on the extreme outside lined up with the middle. Once you get the round split in two, then you just keep taking off about 3" chunks with each hit as you go around, and they will come off in a single hit...until you hit a knot of course. You must avoid those.
> 
> I'm seriously beginning to think that I don't need quite this much exercise any more!


Keith, I loved the big oak rounds, without knots, they were fairly easy to bust. Using a double bit axe we would hit on side like you explained then the other sorta like scoring a cement block to break. Just keep hitting and when you hear that distinctive sound like a deep sound you know the round is busted in half, after that it is a matter of just busting in a circle.

The hardest wood I ever tried to bust was Hickory that had dried for about two or three years. There was no busting that stuff by hand, it was like hitting a hard piece of rubber. I always kept my axe razor sharp but have been told not to do that as the axe would bury instead of bust the wood, just couldn't break that habit though. The easiest wood I ever busted was Ash, it splits so easy it is unreal.

It doesn't make any difference how easy the wood splits, swinging an axe or especially a maul is tough hard work anyway you look at it. You are a much better man than me to be able to still swing one. Cutting and busting wood you get to have the warmth twice, once when cutting, splitting, loading and stacking it and again when you burn it. You will sweat with snow on the ground while wearing a T shirt cutting wood.


----------



## cocobolo

There was a smallish cedar log which floated in here a few days ago, and I bucked it up yesterday and threw the rounds up on to the bank.

Now there's a wood which almost splits itself. With that typical straight grain it's a piece of cake. The whole log is in the woodshed now.

I may have the battery bank problem solved, at least partly.

Took the defective battery over first thing this morning, they tested it and it was completely dead, all three cells. They told me that it is almost 100% for sure that there is a dead short inside the battery. So without any question they gave me a new one.

While I was there I got another row of batteries ($800 thank you very much) along with new cables and a top quality hydrometer. 

I didn't know that a hydrometer reading is better than taking a voltage reading from a battery, but apparently 'tis true. Not only that, but when a battery bank is being charged, the batteries "fill" from the positive side first. So with rows of four batteries, it is likely to expect that the batteries closest to the positive side will have a higher charge than those on the negative side.

And yet another little tidbit, the battery manufacturers recommend that you periodically move the closest battery to the negative cable over to the positive side. Apparently this will keep the batteries more evenly charged and extend their life.

So, with four batteries to each row, once I have moved the batteries 4 times, they will be back in their original spot. If I remember, and if I have the energy and inclination, I might try that every 3 months to see how well it works. I will be doing both the current rows immediately as the battery bank is partly apart anyway.


----------



## Bud Cline

Apparently subsisting in the woods isn't cheap.


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> Apparently subsisting in the woods isn't cheap.


Maybe not for electricity, but then, we don't have free heat sources floating up onto our front yards.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Apparently subsisting in the woods isn't cheap.


_Nothing_ over here is cheap Bud!

There is one other battery which they thought would magically come back to life OK. But after four hours on the charger today it doesn't appear to be functional at all. I hope they are not going to be too displeased when I call them in the morning with that information.


----------



## cocobolo

The weather forecast for today was anything but pleasant. Wind, snow, ice pellets (that was a new one on me!) but it was quite pleasant this morning for the trip over...just a little wind and choppy water.

By the time I was headed back at 10 am the wind had dropped dead and it was lovely, which lead to us eventually having this sunset this afternoon.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's a beautiful picture Keith! Thanks for posting it.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, that is beautiful Keith!


----------



## cocobolo

It is starting to look as though that one dead battery has messed up almost _all_ of the others. 

It looks like yet another trip over to get this sorted out. It's getting tiresome having to do all this unnecessary work...

I guess the best I can hope for is good weather tomorrow and a sympathetic ear from the battery guys.


----------



## cocobolo

It seems that every time I chat with the battery people I learn something new...that's a good thing.

The boss was in this morning when I arrived there, and he was most upset that my batteries had failed.

First thing he did was to ask me what I needed to get through the weekend with power. Since I already had 5 new batteries over here I said three more new batteries will put me back to square one where I was in September.

Done...no questions asked. He got his man to load up three new batteries for me.

I took over 5 of the 7 remaining bad batteries, and after he looked at my figures on the state of charge, he said it was no wonder the batteries didn't work. But he was really amazed that they had been in service for less than three months. He said we consider that to be a brand new battery.

Apparently the chargers that I have at the house wouldn't be able to fix the batteries in their present condition. He has a rather special charger which he is quite sure will work, and once it brings the batteries back he thinks they will be OK. So, I'm scheduled to go over there again next Tuesday to see how things are progressing.

I have my fingers crossed...and I have good power back again for now. :thumbsup:


----------



## BleachCola

amazing thread, I have been reading a few pages every night on my phone while in bed, for about the last 6 months, I'm on page 247 now (date 11-5-2010), it's like reading a great book every night. I cannot wait to get to the end (hopefully u never stop posting)

thank you!


----------



## Bud Cline

It is certainly a fascinating read written by an accomplished professional.


----------



## cocobolo

BleachCola said:


> amazing thread, I have been reading a few pages every night on my phone while in bed, for about the last 6 months, I'm on page 247 now (date 11-5-2010), it's like reading a great book every night. I cannot wait to get to the end (hopefully u never stop posting)
> 
> thank you!


Well, what can I say but thankyou very much for your most kind comment.

Maybe by the time the house is done you will be all caught up! :thumbsup:

And a warm welcome to the thread!


----------



## cocobolo

Today was another trip over to town to return the last two batteries out of the original 8 which were bought in September. 

When I got to the battery place the other four batteries were still on the charger there, and _still_ taking in power. So it looks like they have succeeded in bringing them back. The boss was not there this morning - he's in this store tomorrow - so I will be dropping in before I pick up the missus who should be returning from Vancouver after her three week sojourn.

Went to the House of Pot for a couple more of the great new LED's, and asked about renting a power stretcher for the carpet just put down in the master bedroom. They don't have one...hmmm. :no:

I suppose that means I will have to see what I have around here to cobble one together. I did look at what they are worth, and the typical price seems to be around $600. Most of them seem to have about a 22' reach, which I guess is fine for your small rooms (hahaha) but I will need something that gets a bit farther than that. That'll teach me to make a medium size bedroom! :wink:

Back when I see what I can find...


----------



## cocobolo

Well, all right...

I put together a motley collection of 4 x 4's, some 1 x 3's, a few clamps, a hydraulic jack, and took the pad off a kicker and screwed it to the end of a 4 x 4.

Instant power stretcher.

The stretcher runs off the far wall at an angle, so I already had a piece of 4 x 4 with an oddball angle already cut, seemed to be a pretty close fit.

Yeah, I know I don't even have the carpet against the wall cut yet, but I just _had_ to test this contraption out. Rube Goldberg would be proud.


----------



## cocobolo

It doesn't much matter how long I need it, just add whatever length of 4 x 4 it takes to do the job, and join it with a couple of clamps holding some 1 x 3 against the sides.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, now here's the _piece de resistance,_ a small hydraulic jack which provides about 10 times more power than I should ever need. :thumbsup:

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure that the carpet tape will be strong enough to hold if I wind the pressure up to a couple of tons...

Perhaps I will take it easy at first.


----------



## cocobolo

And here's the business end of this magnificent creation.

I took the pad off the kicker and screwed the kicker on to the end of a slightly reduced 4 x 4.


----------



## Bud Cline

The Crain Company and the Roberts people have just issued a kill order for you Keith. You are now on their "hit-list". Be alert. Your assassination could be imminent.


----------



## cocobolo

As usual, it's dark as I'm trying to take these pics, so the whole thing here looks a bit faint. But here's the whole meal deal.

Does it work you say? Does a bear **** in the woods? Of course it works. You don't think I'd show you this engineering marvel if it didn't do you?

Now I know you _legitimate_ carpet guys are going to be rolling your eyes at this, but it really does work. :icon_rolleyes:

Any idea how I go about getting a patent on this design? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> The Crain Company and the Roberts people have just issued a kill order for you Keith. You are now on their "hit-list". Be alert. Your assassination could be imminent.


That's OK...they gotta find me first, and I move pretty fast sometimes! :wheelchair:

You don't happen to know any cheapie Chinese manufacturers who could put this thing together for less than ten bucks do you?

I figure with you as my business agent, we couldn't lose! :2guns:


----------



## Bud Cline

> You don't happen to know any cheapie Chinese manufacturers who could put this thing together for less than ten bucks do you?


As a matter of fact I might.
Just so happens a friend of mine makes frequent trips to Hong Kong and is the creator of several knock offs that are being manufactured in China. Well crap! Now Crain and Roberts will be targeting me too.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> As a matter of fact I might.
> Just so happens a friend of mine makes frequent trips to Hong Kong and is the creator of several knock offs that are being manufactured in China. Well crap! Now Crain and Roberts will be targeting me too.


The least we can do is to go down fighting Bud! :gunsmilie::tank:


----------



## BigJim

Ya might needa couple of lawyers, how about using Catchum and Cheatum Law firm.:whistling2:

Man I just knew you would come up with something instead of taking a $600 hit. I hope the jack don't leak on the carpet.


----------



## TracyLynette

I'm baaaack! Downrightart lost her password and I guess DIY password helpers went up North to help Santa out. So I snuck in the back door with my real name. :laughing: Hey Keith and all the hands that have popped in and out! Always nice to see folks jumping in asking questions and helping. I love it! 

Holy cow! Keith, how in the world do you do this buddy? You are truly one talented amazing man! The Boss and I have been working in our backyard this year and I've not had a chance to do much of anything until a few months ago. I posted pics over on CraftForum in the decorating forum if you wanna see'em. New addition to the shed, extention on the backporch and a top. And I'm tired! LOL! You are making us young old folks look lazy! 

So, you have farmed yourself out to help the neighbors in the midst of building a mansion too??? Good grief man! Uh....ya just didn't have enough to do, huh? :laughing:

Okay, I have some questions and I may have missed the answers of your explanation.

When installing that deck (log home)over the water supply thing, how do you get to it if something major happens?

Have I missed pics on how you made the forming of your deck out on the water? I meant to ask this last time, and well, I got busy. Just was curious if you had pics of how you did that.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Ya might needa couple of lawyers, how about using Catchum and Cheatum Law firm.:whistling2:
> 
> Man I just knew you would come up with something instead of taking a $600 hit. I hope the jack don't leak on the carpet.


Jim...I tried those guys last year, but I'm sorry to say the law caught up with them. They are resting comfortably in the crowbar hotel.

No sign of the jack leaking...yet. But since you mention it, and since Murphy seems to be my next door neighbour lately, I think I will put a big piece of 6 mil poly under the jack and surrounding area. 

Thanks for that Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

TracyLynette said:


> So, you have farmed yourself out to help the neighbors in the midst of building a mansion too??? Good grief man! Uh....ya just didn't have enough to do, huh? :laughing:
> 
> Okay, I have some questions and I may have missed the answers of your explanation.
> 
> When installing that deck (log home)over the water supply thing, how do you get to it if something major happens?
> 
> Have I missed pics on how you made the forming of your deck out on the water? I meant to ask this last time, and well, I got busy. Just was curious if you had pics of how you did that.


You know how it is Tracy, one house just isn't enough for some guys to tackle!

There is a lift out section over that water tank which gives access to the cleanout. Frankly, I doubt that the owners would ever use that even if the tank were dirty inside. They just aren't the type to do anything that takes the least amount of effort.

I tried to convince them NOT to put the tank under that deck, knowing full well that it would get ignored once in place.

That deck on the water is just a float to let us get to the boat easily at high tide. It's nothing more than a couple of pairs of logs with some lumber nailed across between each, and some foam blocks which I have collected over the years to keep everything above water.

Good to have you back again! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Since this is the day of the year when we have the least amount of daylight, I thought I might try to catch a sunset if there was to be one.

Taken about 20 minutes after the sun dropped behind the mountains.

It would have been my mum's 90th birthday today...so this is a fittingly calm photo.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Since this is the day of the year when we have the least amount of daylight, I thought I might try to catch a sunset if there was to be one.
> 
> Taken about 20 minutes after the sun dropped behind the mountains.
> 
> It would have been my mum's 90th birthday today...so this is a fittingly calm photo.


Bless your heart buddy, that is a nice calm sunset.


----------



## cocobolo

It looks like we may have several hours of decent weather this morning, so I can bring up the four batteries I retrieved from the battery guys two days ago. I couldn't bring them back when I brought the missus back on Tuesday as we had too much other stuff in the boat.

I think we are going to try and see if we can do a big cleanup down at the bay this morning...burn the rest of the debris from when I took the log chute apart. Still have some more log rounds to split, but we did get three loads up yesterday in the lift, so the wood shed is getting filled again. :thumbsup:


----------



## drtbk4ever

Love that carpet stretcher Keith. I knew you'd be able to figure out a way to get the job done.


----------



## shumakerscott

Keith, I also spotted a chance of fluid leaking from your jack. I was thinking maybe a turn buckle and just use a wrench to spread it tightening the carpet. Just my 2ct's. dorf dude...


----------



## scoggy

*Your 'appreciation of 'today' was flawed!*

CoCo, I am prolly mistaken, but I believe '1st' day of winter happens at 9:00 PM..today,..but, because I was all day under the VW bus, in the 'semi-dark', it was prolly yesterday..but who cares..Happy Winter Solstice..and each new day between 1.95 and 3 minutes of longer daylight!
Xmas Cheers
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Keith, I also spotted a chance of fluid leaking from your jack. I was thinking maybe a turn buckle and just use a wrench to spread it tightening the carpet. Just my 2ct's. dorf dude...


No reason that wouldn't work, and it would take out the leak potential. I'm not sure if I have one here, but I will check in the tool shed and the saw shed tomorrow.

Actually I put a piece of 1/4" plywood underneath the jack, and there has been no sign of any leakage at all. But still and all, you never know...


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> CoCo, I am prolly mistaken, but I believe '1st' day of winter happens at 9:00 PM..today,..but, because I was all day under the VW bus, in the 'semi-dark', it was prolly yesterday..but who cares..Happy Winter Solstice..and each new day between 1.95 and 3 minutes of longer daylight!
> Xmas Cheers
> Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbup::thumbup:


You know what, you could well be right. Seems to me I remember earlier in the year that the times were shifting a bit and it was either March or June that made it to the 22nd instead of the usual 21st. I'll have to look and see.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, here's the dope on the winter solstice this year.

It occurred at 05:30 Universal time (UT) on December 22nd. Which would be 12:30 am EST, December 22nd, and 9:30 pm December 21st PST.

For 2012, the dates will be March 20 at 1:14 am EDT, June 20, 7:09 pm EDT, September 22, 10:49 am EDT and December 21st at 6:12 am EST. Adjust for your time zone.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> OK, here's the dope on the winter solstice this year.
> 
> It occurred at 05:30 Universal time (UT) on December 22nd. Which would be 12:30 am EST, December 22nd, and 9:30 pm December 21st PST.
> 
> For 2012, the dates will be March 20 at 1:14 am EDT, June 20, 7:09 pm EDT, September 22, 10:49 am EDT and December 21st at 6:12 am EST. Adjust for your time zone.


Good gravy, that is too many numbers and letters there, now I am confused but it don't take much:whistling2:.

Scoggy, you wouldn't happen to have VW bug also would you? I love the little VW bugs, I can't remember how many I have had.


----------



## cocobolo

We got an early start on the bay cleanup this morning...in fact, I had two loads of firewood up the bank before breakfast.

A fair bit of the wood from the demolished log lift was sitting on the ground where the tracks were, so we used that to keep warm outside today. It hit a high here of 2.8ºC, with a bit of wind.


----------



## cocobolo

This is where the railway track _was.

_I've cleaned it up a bit more since I took this pic.


----------



## cocobolo

I guess about 7 years ago I took this old Yamaha outboard up the bank with a view to trying to fix it.

Sometimes it would start, sometimes not. But if you were able to get it going it had a habit of running along well for a few minutes, then it would slow down dramatically. This would carry on for the duration of your trip. Up - down, up - down...damn nuisance.

Needless to say, I never fixed it.


----------



## cocobolo

Tonight's sunset as seen from the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

That turnbuckle thing was nagging at me so I decided to look this evening to see what I had.

Found this one...


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, that is too many numbers and letters there, now I am confused but it don't take much:whistling2:.
> 
> Scoggy, you wouldn't happen to have VW bug also would you? I love the little VW bugs, I can't remember how many I have had.


If he does have a bug Jim, he's got it hidden.

But what he _does have_ is a '38 Chevy....yeaaaaahhh!


----------



## cocobolo

Couldn't wait 'til tomorrow, so I put the turnbuckle stretcher together.

I carved out the wood where the ends sit, like so...


----------



## cocobolo

...then I screwed those two wood caps in place, like so...


----------



## cocobolo

...put it all together and gave it the acid test, like so...

And it works really well. I think there just might be an advantage to this over the hydraulic jack - leaks notwithstanding - in that you can tell when the pressure is building up by the amount of force you need to twist the turnbuckle around.

With the hydraulic jack, it is so powerful that there is barely any resistance as the carpet starts to move.

Although it doesn't show well in these pics, the carpet is stretched to the point that the front has lifted up well over an inch and out about the same amount.

I am pretty sure that this will be my weapon of choice out of the two...so, many thanks to Shu for suggesting this one. It really does work like a hot damn! :thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

Man I love it when a plan comes together, that is a neat setup.

Keith that was a beautiful Sunset, thanks for sharing. All that firewood before breakfast, man!

Now for desert, the 38 chevy and a VW, for some reason I got the mechanicing bug again. I want another bug big time. I had a buddy up in Alaska who built a 2000HP bug he entered tractor pulls with.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I guess about 7 years ago I took this old Yamaha outboard up the bank with a view to trying to fix it.
> 
> Sometimes it would start, sometimes not. But if you were able to get it going it had a habit of running along well for a few minutes, then it would slow down dramatically. This would carry on for the duration of your trip. Up - down, up - down...damn nuisance.
> 
> Needless to say, I never fixed it.


I bet there isn't much wrong with that motor, maybe a vacuum leak or carb rebuild, if we were closer we might do some trading.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man I love it when a plan comes together, that is a neat setup.
> 
> Keith that was a beautiful Sunset, thanks for sharing. All that firewood before breakfast, man!
> 
> Now for desert, the 38 chevy and a VW, for some reason I got the mechanicing bug again. I want another bug big time. I had a buddy up in Alaska who built a 2000HP bug he entered tractor pulls with.


What was the name of the TV show where that young guy used to say "I love it when a plan comes together"? Hannibal was the thinker and Mr. T was on the show.

I think us old dudes get the car bug again Jim, 'cuz it's about all we have left! I'm itching to get off the rock and start on the '35.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I bet there isn't much wrong with that motor, maybe a vacuum leak or carb rebuild, if we were closer we might do some trading.


One of our good friends here thinks it is the module. He had a similar Yamaha, just a little higher horsepower and that's what his turned out to be.

It is the high torque motor, which they gear down to give much higher thrust. It isn't fast, but it puts out good power if you have something slow to push like a sailboat, or if you want to tow logs.


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, did you go get that '35 yet?


----------



## Bud Cline

> what was the name of the tv show where that young guy used to say "i love it when a plan comes together"? Hannibal was the thinker and mr. T was on the show.


*.A-Team.*


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, did you go get that '35 yet?


Oh, I bought the car all right...it's just that it is still 800 miles away!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *.A-Team.*


Of course! Damned if I could think of the name. Thanks Bud. :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, do you think you will finish your home this winter? I can't hardly wait for you to start diggin into the 35. I looked online for a VW bug last night, I couldn't believe the prices of them things now, I junked a fortune and didn't know it. I had a Baja that would pull through mud as good as any 4 wheel drive, I even pulled a few full size trucks out of the mud with it. Talk about slangin mud, that little dude would pull.


----------



## Bud Cline

Years ago I had a friend with a VW Bug. Four of us would get together and drink beer and drive around in the boonies so as not to get caught. None of us were twenty-one at the time. Obviously.

One of our favorite things to do was to drive (too fast) cross-country-style through tall grass and watch the grass just lay over in front of us. The faster you go the more fun it is.

Until you find a wild tree out there in the middle of nowhere. A 4" caliper wild tree will wreak havoc on the bonnet of a VW Bug...let me tell you.

Just a damned good thing that car's front end caved-in like it did because no one was seriously injured and it only took a few days to get all the glass out of our wounds.

Explaining what happened to his parents wasn't all that easy though. We told them we were just chasing rabbits with the car having a little fun on an otherwise boring Saturday night. Beer? What beer? No-no, there wasn't any beer!!!







(That we didn't drink during the walk back to town.)


----------



## cocobolo

Let's put it this way Jim...whatever is done by next May will be the end of it. It's going on the market then.

It's a matter of being practical about the missus' health at this point.

She said she did quite well when she was over in Vancouver looking after the grandson's, but back here with all the uneven ground is a different matter. It's more the going up and down all the stairs here that she cannot manage, and we have plenty of those!

Next house will have a _very limited_ number of stairs.

I'm trying to finish the carpet stretching today, and with the new and improved stretcher it's going OK so far. :thumbsup:


----------



## scoggy

*VWs..and Chev ..coupes*

My 'current' VW is a '74 Westy bus, on which I have 'breathed' on the motor, done all the body work, painted it 'can be seen from space orange'.. and is now being 'lowered', so that eveything on it is better than new..and almost done..and as soon as it is done the '38 Chev coupe..which is 80% done, comes into the 'warm' garage, and gets done! My reasons for 'slowness'..imagine a room full of mousetraps with ping pong balls 'locked' in them..and you throw one ping pong ball into the room..that is how my life ..goes!!
Scoggy:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> My 'current' VW is a '74 Westy bus, on which I have 'breathed' on the motor, done all the body work, painted it 'can be seen from space orange'.. and is now being 'lowered', so that eveything on it is better than new..and almost done..and as soon as it is done the '38 Chev coupe..which is 80% done, comes into the 'warm' garage, and gets done! My reasons for 'slowness'..imagine a room full of mousetraps with ping pong balls 'locked' in them..and you throw one ping pong ball into the room..that is how my life ..goes!!
> Scoggy:thumbup:


Syd...you have no idea how happy I am to hear that. About time that VW got left out in the rain and the Chevy assumed its' rightful place inside! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> My 'current' VW is a '74 Westy bus, on which I have 'breathed' on the motor, done all the body work, painted it 'can be seen from space orange'.. and is now being 'lowered', so that eveything on it is better than new..and almost done..and as soon as it is done the '38 Chev coupe..which is 80% done, comes into the 'warm' garage, and gets done! My reasons for 'slowness'..imagine a room full of mousetraps with ping pong balls 'locked' in them..and you throw one ping pong ball into the room..that is how my life ..goes!!
> Scoggy:thumbup:


You got a link to any pictures of your bus, I had one that was fuel injected, VWs and FI don't go well together, it caught fire and burned to the ground a month after I bought it.

I can sure understand the slow thing, it is a lot more fun that way anyway.


----------



## scoggy

*Pix of VW Bus*

Jiju, I have lots of photos, but , nothing will appear until maybe next week ..when it is a 'lowered' ..'roller'! My daughter is home for Xmas, and she will be delighted to see what 'Pa has done!!"..and so will I, because it can be pushed outside onto the cement driveway..and I can walk around it and look at the whole thing at once,unlike now, where I can only work on it by lying on my side!
Hopefully that 'look around', will be the 'match' to really start the 'fire' again! I am excited, and I am 65 this year, so takes a lot to get me to that state!!
Marry Xmas..from Canadas "wet Coast"..(although not this year..yet ==8^) )
Scoggy:thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Jiju, I have lots of photos, but , nothing will appear until maybe next week ..when it is a 'lowered' ..'roller'! My daughter is home for Xmas, and she will be delighted to see what 'Pa has done!!"..and so will I, because it can be pushed outside onto the cement driveway..and I can walk around it and look at the whole thing at once,unlike now, where I can only work on it by lying on my side!
> Hopefully that 'look around', will be the 'match' to really start the 'fire' again! I am excited, and I am 65 this year, so takes a lot to get me to that state!!
> Marry Xmas..from Canadas "wet Coast"..(although not this year..yet ==8^) )
> Scoggy:thumbup::thumbup:


Just do like I do, work a little while then set back and drink a cup of coffee and relax, there is no time limit anymore. I have about 3 years on ya but I still love to tinker and fool around out in the shop. I for one am looking forward to seeing your finished project if you post a few pictures.

Merry Christmas to you and your family as well from the other end of the states.


----------



## scoggy

*jI jU..THANKS*

I like ..you..have had a chance in the past..to do things..'almost'..then have to quit what the project is..and do 'other' stuff! ...But, like an old song says..'the dream never dies..just the Dreamer..so I am gonna "push' this to be ..'done'..and then I can..fish..which is all I wanted to do in the first place...but 'other' stuff..got in the way!
Merry Xmas from CANADA:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

He's only 65 Jim, still just a kid!


----------



## cocobolo

There always seems to be a hundred other things to do when you're trying to finish something. Today it was switching over part of the battery bank and doing some wiring.

But once this was done the longest section of the carpet has been stretched, and the turnbuckle definitely worked best.

One other thing I noticed was that the long 4 x 4 seemed to prevent the carpet stretching right from the far side of the room...too much friction. So I tacked some 6 mil poly on the bottom of the 4 by and that fixed the problem.

Here's the door area, which was the first to get stretched. No transition strip yet, I will have to go over that _very_ carefully with fixrite. Maybe some maple, about 3/8" thick...


----------



## cocobolo

To the left of the doorway is that big curve which goes around the hallway to the guest bedroom.

Now that was an interesting section to stretch I can tell you.

And then on into the first corner.


----------



## cocobolo

The back wall was just kicked into place...it hasn't been stretched across to the opposite side yet. I'm going to need some advice there so there will be a question or two popping up about that.


----------



## cocobolo

And then at the closet end of the room it looks like this...

Fun trying to make things fit around curves like that.


----------



## BigJim

Man, that looks so good you aren't going to even need any base or shoe mold, I am impressed and this is the first time laying carpet. Way ta go buddy.


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice job Keith! It looks like it was done by a pro. :yes:

Merry Christmas to you and Mrs. Cocobolo! And Merry Christmas to everyone reading this. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

Thanks...but it isn't quite done yet. Nearly.

This evening I got more of the underlay done in that end corner which has been the bane of this piece of carpet. I should have cut it and seamed it instead of trying to do the whole thing in one go...live and learn. I may still do that, as it is proving to be very difficult to stretch this very odd shaped corner.


----------



## cocobolo

For the record, this was a 27' 3" stretch, and I still need another 4' to get to the corner!


----------



## cocobolo

After this end, there is only the piece which connects the end two sections together in front of the windows. After all the other messing around that ought to be a cinch.

Why do I think there will be some kind of oddball problem with that as well...?


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it seems that it is time to wish everyone a very merry Christmas.

Let me start by wishing Nathan and his merry band of moderators a merry Christmas and thank them for their under appreciated work that they all do behind the scenes. If it wasn't for Nathan and crew, none of us would have the camaraderie which this site seems to be so good at developing.

And a merry Christmas to everyone who takes the time to post on the DIY site...I think that for everyone who goes to the effort to do this, there must be 10 who might like to but for whatever reason do not. Don't be shy...join us, please.

And an especially merry Christmas to all the readers and contributors on this thread. If it wasn't for you gals and guys none of this would exist.

I sincerely hope you will have a safe and enjoyable Christmas day sharing with family and friends.

We don't have snow here yet, so I picked this photo from December 22, 2008. It's about the most appropriate pic I could find. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas everyone!

from Coco and Mrs. Coco


​


----------



## fixrite

cocobolo said:


> There always seems to be a hundred other things to do when you're trying to finish something. Today it was switching over part of the battery bank and doing some wiring.
> 
> But once this was done the longest section of the carpet has been stretched, and the turnbuckle definitely worked best.
> 
> One other thing I noticed was that the long 4 x 4 seemed to prevent the carpet stretching right from the far side of the room...too much friction. So I tacked some 6 mil poly on the bottom of the 4 by and that fixed the problem.
> 
> Here's the door area, which was the first to get stretched. No transition strip yet, I will have to go over that _very_ carefully with fixrite. Maybe some maple, about 3/8" thick...


For that transition strip I would do exactly what you suggested,3/8 maple cut at a 10 degree angle seems to work best. If there is a big height difference between the rooms then I would compensate for that by making one side thicker than the other. I made my own for my transition going from the entry to the living room, but that was for tile to wood and they are the same height. Normally I would not use one there but the better half wanted one, so she won on that one. Here is a pic of what I made, hope it helps.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well, it seems that it is time to wish everyone a very merry Christmas.
> 
> Let me start by wishing Nathan and his merry band of moderators a merry Christmas and thank them for their under appreciated work that they all do behind the scenes. If it wasn't for Nathan and crew, none of us would have the camaraderie which this site seems to be so good at developing.
> 
> And a merry Christmas to everyone who takes the time to post on the DIY site...I think that for everyone who goes to the effort to do this, there must be 10 who might like to but for whatever reason do not. Don't be shy...join us, please.
> 
> And an especially merry Christmas to all the readers and contributors on this thread. If it wasn't for you gals and guys none of this would exist.
> 
> I sincerely hope you will have a safe and enjoyable Christmas day sharing with family and friends.
> 
> We don't have snow here yet, so I picked this photo from December 22, 2008. It's about the most appropriate pic I could find. Enjoy!
> 
> Merry Christmas everyone!
> 
> from Coco and Mrs. Coco
> 
> 
> ​


Just beautiful!!! And a very Merry Christmas to you and Mrs Coco also buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> For that transition strip I would do exactly what you suggested,3/8 maple cut at a 10 degree angle seems to work best. If there is a big height difference between the rooms then I would compensate for that by making one side thicker than the other. I made my own for my transition going from the entry to the living room, but that was for tile to wood and they are the same height. Normally I would not use one there but the better half wanted one, so she won on that one. Here is a pic of what I made, hope it helps.


I can't believe you fell for that one...!!! :laughing::whistling2::jester:

The carpet and hallway floor are pretty much exactly the same height. If anything, I will just put a piece of that ugly metal in place.

The door into the ensuite will need something different though. Perhaps there I really will need to cut a piece of arbutus to fit.


----------



## cocobolo

I bit the bullet and cut the carpet in that end corner. Just waiting for the iron to get hot enough to do the seaming...waiting...waiting...

OK, that's done, looks like it came out OK.


----------



## fixrite

cocobolo said:


> I can't believe you fell for that one...!!! :laughing::whistling2::jester:
> 
> Well I will make sure not to fall for that again.
> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year


----------



## cocobolo

Jeez, I sure hope not!

OK, this is a legit question.

There is a big hole in the floor and the carpet just runs up to it right now...actually it is cut several inches long just in case.

I need to find out an acceptable way to finish the edge of the carpet.

It has been suggested that the carpet can be folded back under itself and stapled, (there is - or will be when I'm done) tackless all around the hole.

Another suggestion was to sew some kind of tape on it??? Not sure about that one.

I could also make up a wood trim. I have left the tackless about an inch back of the hole, so there is room to either tuck the carpet or to add a wood trim. We are talking about a total length of some 40 feet here, so there will be some work involved.

I have two pics...one is taken from downstairs, all those 2 x 12's will be removed. The other is looking at the carpet at one end so you can kind of see what's up.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, are you going to run a rail around the hole? If you are maybe you could make a landing tread for that area. Just a thought.


----------



## fixrite

I am assuming that there will be some sort of hand rail running around it. Normally the carpet is just cut and tucked in between the smooth edge and the wood trim for the railing. If a railing is going in that is what I would do. If no railing is going in then (turning and tacking) or folding and stapling with small crown staples would work.I would do a test on a scrap to see just how the edge looked because if it was not up to par it would certainly draw your eye to it as you entered that area. If you wanted you could also go to the extent of purchasing some binding material (which is commonly used on area carpets and runners available in many colours and widths from a binding store) and hand sewing it on the edge if that is the look you are after. I will warn you it is a long and tedious job ( with thimbles on both your thumb and forefinger.) Generally this is not something done by a diy person. Then again nothing about your house would be considered done by a diy person. Using a wood strip and simply kicking it in place would definitely be the easiest route to go.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, are you going to run a rail around the hole? If you are maybe you could make a landing tread for that area. Just a thought.


Jim, we have long been thinking about what we are going to put around the hole, at least on the side where the bed is.

The latest incarnation of what we have in mind is three sheets of tempered glass running lengthways of course, held in place by a minimal amount of posts and handrails. The intent being to make that as unobtrusive as possible. There won't be anything on the front side of the hole.

The glass will be at a sufficient angle so that it will be very nearly self bracing.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> I am assuming that there will be some sort of hand rail running around it. Normally the carpet is just cut and tucked in between the smooth edge and the wood trim for the railing. If a railing is going in that is what I would do. If no railing is going in then (turning and tacking) or folding and stapling with small crown staples would work.I would do a test on a scrap to see just how the edge looked because if it was not up to par it would certainly draw your eye to it as you entered that area. If you wanted you could also go to the extent of purchasing some binding material (which is commonly used on area carpets and runners available in many colours and widths from a binding store) and hand sewing it on the edge if that is the look you are after. I will warn you it is a long and tedious job ( with thimbles on both your thumb and forefinger.) Generally this is not something done by a diy person. Then again nothing about your house would be considered done by a diy person. Using a wood strip and simply kicking it in place would definitely be the easiest route to go.


That's sort of what I thought. The missus isn't too bad with thimbles and needles as she did some work on the sailboat which required that sort of work. Although I doubt she would be terribly interested in trying to do 40' of carpet edge.

I presently have the carpet edge kicked over the tackless, so it's just sitting there.

Personally, I like the idea of some sort of shaped wood strip which I can fix down right on top of the carpet immediately on the outside edge of the tackless. 

Cedar will bend to that curve if I don't make it too wide and too thick, or I could always put it on in more than one piece and glue it together in place. I also have some pretty nice clear d. fir here which I could try.

Gotta get the thinking cap on and see which will be both practical and look OK.


----------



## fixrite

If you did the handrail to match the one outside on the deck that would look nice. I would then make a smaller trim to use on the floor, being that it would be very thin, it would bend nicely to make it easier to deal with the bends in the opening. Just a thought from someone who tends to over think things.:laughing::wallbash:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> If you did the handrail to match the one outside on the deck that would look nice. I would then make a smaller trim to use on the floor, being that it would be very thin, it would bend nicely to make it easier to deal with the bends in the opening. Just a thought from someone who tends to over think things.:laughing::wallbash:


You're not the only one...but I try to keep thinking until I arrive at a workable solution and then get to it.

I won't be doing any fancy laminated cedar railing where the glass goes as I just won't have the time for that. I might use cedar and I'll pick some nice boards, but no laminating.

On second thought, I could possibly rip a red cedar board and add a yellow cedar strip either dead center or perhaps offset to make it different. Just a single extra lamination wouldn't take too long. I'll have to see what's here for that.

But for now, I'm just concerned about getting the carpet done and I'm leaning heavily towards the wood strip trick.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, how are you going to finish the face of the edge of the hole, 1X? Maybe you could make a nice "L" shaped strip like you were talking about to cover the top edge of the 1X and lip over the carpet. Just throwing out options to maybe spur some thoughts.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, how are you going to finish the face of the edge of the hole, 1X? Maybe you could make a nice "L" shaped strip like you were talking about to cover the top edge of the 1X and lip over the carpet. Just throwing out options to maybe spur some thoughts.


When I first made the hole I covered the edges with some thin yellow cedar.

Anytime there is proximity to a knot in yellow, it doesn't bend smoothly. Well, there was a few of those and it doesn't look so great now. 

I might just get something simple like 1/8" mahogany plywood and cover the yellow with strips of that. Whatever it is I don't want to be spending a ton of time doing it.

I will be ripping something this morning for the top edge of the carpet.


----------



## cocobolo

I found enough rough wood down in one of the wood sheds to make up some trim for the floor. 

I think I will be needing more to finish it off, but this should work OK to cover the edge of the carpet. If it takes a couple more pieces to get over the edge and into the hole, then so be it. One step at a time.


----------



## cocobolo

OK...I pulled a few boards out of the floor and nailed on a couple of pieces of the trim wood.

I think it's going to be all right.


----------



## cocobolo

Added the floor trim around the inside this morning.

Then spent some time stretching the carpet from the hole side back to the wall. It's a slow process, but it's close to being done now.

The missus was adding a second layer of glazing to the kitchen door downstairs...one pane was broken. So I had to remove that before she could finish the job.


----------



## shumakerscott

I don't understand the hole? I guess I don't see the big picture. dorf dude...


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## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I don't understand the hole? I guess I don't see the big picture. dorf dude...


Oh sorry...I thought I explained that before. 

It's a divorce hole...when the missus gets me really annoyed I just give her a hip check into the hole...instant divorce! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

(Now don't anyone go taking me too seriously OK.) :jester:


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## cocobolo

I just know someone is going to get on my case for that...so the real answer is that it is a hole right over the solarium. The missus will have that filled with plants soon enough, and they can grow to be whatever height they like right through the hole. :thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

With thanks to that Archimedes fellow, the bed has been moved off the hole and back on to the main floor.

As soon as I have finished the last piece of carpet up against the windows, the 2 x 12's will go and the divorce hole will become more obvious. :whistling2:


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## cocobolo

'Tis all covered now.

Last night I was trying to stretch the last piece of carpet into place, but the angle at which I had to do it put a big twist in the carpet which simply didn't work.

It finally dawned on me that I could just lay several 4 x 4's up against the front wall, and that would give me a push from the right direction. :thumbsup:

Just some final trimming now and add the last couple of pieces of wood around that hole.


----------



## jgstill

cocobolo said:


> As of yesterday afternoon, we were still trying to figure out how to get full sheets up. Unfortunately wife number 2 cannot lift anything over her shoulders. Except for food, of course. So I made a really tall saw horse, I suppose you shouldn't call it a saw horse at that height, should you?
> The plan was to sit one end of the sheet on top, then jam a deadman under the other end to get the sheet tight to the ceiling. Then go back to the first end and start nailing it off.
> Here's the whatever-you-want-to-call-it.


looks like you borrowed saw horses from kareem


----------



## BigJim

I bet you are glad you are coming in to the final stretch. A house starts to look final when the carpet is done, you did a great job Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

jgstill said:


> looks like you borrowed saw horses from kareem


Kareem Abdul Jabbar? Do I have that spelled right?


----------



## Bud Cline

Congratulations are in order on having the absolute most inspiring thread ever at DIY Chat.

This should be post number 6000 to the thread and I'm glad to have been a part of it.

*Congratulations !!!*


----------



## gma2rjc

You beat me to it Bud. I was going to use post #6,000 to wish everyone a happy new year. 

But post #6001 will work just fine for that...

_*HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!*_

_* EVERYONE !!!*_


----------



## Bud Cline

> You beat me to it Bud. I was going to use post #6,000 to wish everyone a happy new year.


Now see dammit, I knew I should have waited.

*HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE.*


----------



## BigJim

Hey Keith, I won, I won, where is my prize at? Thank you, thank you very much.:laughing:

Oh Like to have forgot 

*HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE *


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it looks like just a couple of hours left to go in 2011 out on the wet coast. Yes, that's wet coast...or west coast if you prefer. Same place.

I've already received New Year's greetings from the other coast and those in the eastern and central time zones - for which I thank you.

If I may, I would like to acknowledge everyone who joined in on this thread this year, and there have been quite a few of you! Thank you! I just spent a few hours trying to read this thing since January 1st, now I see why it is taking everyone so long to get through it. And no, I didn't make it.

So from Mrs. Coco and I, please accept my very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2012.

Happy New Year!​


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## gma2rjc

Happy new year to you too Keith (in an hour and 25 minutes)! It's been fun reading this thread all year. You've made a lot of progress! Thanks for sharing with us.

Barb


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## fixrite

Wishing you and your misses the best health,wealth, and happiness in 2012 and the years to come.


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## BigJim

Keith, we wish this to be the best year ever for you and your sweety.


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## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Wishing you and your misses the best health,wealth, and happiness in 2012 and the years to come.


Thanks very much Mr. Fix...the carpet is all done in the bedroom, and now I just have 31 stair treads to go!
I'm in the process of making up all the arbutus trims for the top edges of the stairs as we speak. 15 down and 16 to go.


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## fixrite

Keith: If you have any sizeable pieces left over you might consider binding the edges and using them for matts in your high traffic areas. I have found that to help keep the wear down on certain areas. Hope we get to see some pics of those stairs all finished.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith: If you have any sizeable pieces left over you might consider binding the edges and using them for matts in your high traffic areas. I have found that to help keep the wear down on certain areas. Hope we get to see some pics of those stairs all finished.


Ahhh. Good idea.

We actually saved some stair runner from the house we sold in North Van more than 15 years ago and I have a couple of pieces of that in front of the doors to the bedroom right now.

It's a wildly patterned Axminster, so I think your idea of using the same carpet might look a whole lot better. I'm going to start measuring and cutting the stair carpet tonight.

Another question for you about that. You know with Berber there's a smooth way and a rough way when you run your hand over it, which way would I have that on the stair treads? If I move my hand from the front of the tread toward the back of the tread, should that feel smooth or rough? Or does it even make any difference?


----------



## fixrite

cocobolo said:


> Another question for you about that. You know with Berber there's a smooth way and a rough way when you run your hand over it, which way would I have that on the stair treads? If I move my hand from the front of the tread toward the back of the tread, should that feel smooth or rough? Or does it even make any difference?


Yes there is a difference. It is called the nap(grain) of the carpet. It runs both front to back as well as side to side. Typically when installing carpet I try to install it so that when you enter a room you are "raising " the nap of the carpet. This tends to deter the nap from laying down and getting a matted look to it. I am sure you have seen that in heavily used areas like hallways and door ways. When installing on stairs I tend to have the nap being raised when entering the most often used area. That way it is less likely to be laying flat when I am in that room. EXAMPLE .. if I was doing stairs that were visible from a main room I would have the nap being raised when I came down the stairs into that room. 

If I was carpeting stairs down to a basement I would tend to reverse it to the nap would be raised when leaving the basement (going up the stairs). This means the nap of the carpet is pushed into the up position and not matted when leaving the room.


When you are ironing carpet together you should look to see if you can avoid switching the nap. If you can then it will make for a much less noticeable seam. Sometimes it is just far too expensive to have to buy that much carpet to do it that way. 

One of the worst things for carpet that most do not realize is being in bare feet or socks. The oils from your feet are wiped onto the carpet in the most heavily trafficked areas and is next to impossible to clean, giving it a high glossy look as well as attracting the dirt to it. Hope this helps.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, at least I got one thing right. The nap runs the same way on all six pieces of carpet in the bedroom. But it is purely a happy coincidence that it will be raised when entering the room.

Now, as for the stairs here, neither set will land on any carpet. The lower (main) stairs will be visible from the dining room, but at an angle as the stairs are curved.

So it would seem that I should have the nap facing toward the back of the tread on the main stairs, and I don't think it would make much difference on the top stairs, so I may as well make them the same.

Neither set of stairs are visible from the upstairs rooms, only from the end of the curved hallway as you will be heading either up (to the roof) or down (to the dining area/front entry).

The top hallway is done in laminate and the lower floor in terra cotta tile.


----------



## fixrite

:thumbup:that would be how I would do it.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> :thumbup:that would be how I would do it.


Obviously another case of great minds thinking alike! :thumbsup:


----------



## fixrite

:chinese: Soon grasshopper it will be time for you to leave the temple, your training will be finished.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> :chinese: Soon grasshopper it will be time for you to leave the temple, your training will be finished.


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

A few days ago we had a storm come through here, and for the most part it's still here. Many of the big ferries cancelled again today, or seriously delayed.

The news reports say that there have been power outages to go along with the flooding and road washouts...nice.

Here's a shot looking over to Vancouver Island to the far left, about 3 1/2 miles away to put the waves into perspective.


----------



## cocobolo

The seals will often come into the bay when it gets nasty out front. This little guy (or girl?) hopped into the neighbours' dinghy for a rest.


----------



## cocobolo

When the breeze gets up, the birds barely move as they come by. Easy to get a half decent pic when they are nearly motionless in the air.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus has been trying to do the grout in the ensuite on and off (mostly off...way off) for the last 6 months or more. 

Well, today she came perilously close to finishing...maybe by tomorrow. Starting to look pretty good.


----------



## cocobolo

Both of us have been stepping very carefully down the steps to the breakfast nook for lack of having the wood nosings on the steps.

That finally got addressed today (not quite finished) and I must say it's 10 times more comfortable to walk up and down there now.

The wood needs to be sanded and finished. That will get done at the same time as all the other arbutus nosings which are going on the main stairs.


----------



## fixrite

Nice pics, glad to see the misses is feeling good enough to grout.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Nice pics, glad to see the misses is feeling good enough to grout.


Did I say grout? I meant grouch! (J/K) :laughing:


----------



## fixrite

Well if the shoe fits.:whistling2:......there must be a reason....:thumbup:


----------



## fixrite

anyways I hope your carpeting adventure was a good one, and good luck on the remainder of your build.
Cheers


----------



## BigJim

Wow, that is some rough water, not fun to be on.

Looks like y'all are getting closer and it looks great.


----------



## Bud Cline

I've reported the above SPAM but there are no Moderators here right now to do anything about it. At first it was moving fast enough to be a BOT but seems to have stopped now.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I've reported the above SPAM but there are no Moderators here right now to do anything about it. At first it was moving fast enough to be a BOT but seems to have stopped now.


I sent a pm to one of the mods as well. They will have it out of here PDQ.


----------



## beenthere

Dang mods, sleeping on the job. 

Spam gone, so is the spammer.


----------



## oh'mike

Just sleeping----


----------



## cocobolo

oh'mike said:


> Just sleeping----


Thank you both... :thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

oh'mike said:


> Just sleeping----


That spammer was hitting threads way after bed time last night, I thought about waking you up but figured we would let you sleep, we knew you or DM would pop them this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That spammer was hitting threads way after bed time last night, I thought about waking you up but figured we would let you sleep, we knew you or DM would pop them this morning.


Yep: I watched him hit many of the showcase threads in a matter of just a few minutes. We don't need that garbage here.

But the mods got him...yeah!!! :2guns:


----------



## cocobolo

We made a trip over this morning, but somewhat delayed getting away, thanks to you-know-who.

We managed to hit the peak of the bad weather coming back this afternoon, truly a ride to remember, or maybe better to forget. The missus picked up the last of the grout and caulking for the ensuite bathroom so very soon that will be completed!

And the stair carpet is proceeding slowly but satisfactorily. Each of the treads is just slightly different in size, so I'm making templates up for each one.

In checking to see whether or not I had enough plywood for the stair facings, it turned out that I did not. Picked up the plywood today, but couldn't bring it back in that sort of weather. It can wait in the van until we get a decent weather day.


----------



## cocobolo

A question for the Budman...any suggestions as to what might be a good way to round over the edge of some marble tile?

I don't care for the square look. I do remember seeing a video years ago about some sort of grinding/polishing setup which gave a lovely polished and rounded edge to the tiles when they were done.


----------



## BigJim

Wow Keith, your next post will be the big 5000 way to go buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow Keith, your next post will be the big 5000 way to go buddy.


Thanks Jim...that post just went up on Shu's thread.

Did you see that about the outside air coming down the flue? At least I think that's what it does. Terrific idea.


----------



## cocobolo

Slowly but surely, the stairs are coming together.

I have all the carpet pieces cut for the stairs now, and did a test on the top with the first piece of trim.


----------



## cocobolo

The bottom stairs have the carpet temporarily set in place, just so that I know I had enough carpet. I fitted all of them except for the bottom tread.

I have decided that I want to change the bottom step from a wedge shape to an oblong. It will be safer that way...and easier to use. A small thing, but one which I have noticed over the past number of months.


----------



## cocobolo

Second coat of finish just done on the top trims. One more coat and they'll be ready to fit in place.


----------



## Bud Cline

> A question for the Budman...any suggestions as to what might be a good way to round over the edge of some marble tile?


Marble is easy enough to sand with a belt sander to round-over the edges. Aluminum oxide will work but silicon carbide is better but harder to find. I buy all of my silicon carbide sand discs and belts from Braxton-Bragg in Tennessee, they have an online store now I think.

Trouble is it takes several different sandpaper grits to bring up any kind of a nice finish. The grits need to be applied in diminishing grits as you go.

But, to get the high gloss polish is tough, that takes about a 3000 grit wet sand. The best way to get that grit without spending an arm an a leg is to use automotive wet/dry sand paper. And after that a polishing with a cotton buffer and a rouge.

One little trick depending on where the tile is to be used is to sand the tile as fine as possible and then either use a stone enhancer to bring-up the interior colors of the stone or spray the sanded edge with polyurethane. The poly isn't likely to hold up on a tile used on a stair tread.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Marble is easy enough to sand with a belt sander to round-over the edges. Aluminum oxide will work but silicon carbide is better but harder to find. I buy all of my silicon carbide sand discs and belts from Braxton-Bragg in Tennessee, they have an online store now I think.
> 
> Trouble is it takes several different sandpaper grits to bring up any kind of a nice finish. The grits need to be applied in diminishing grits as you go.
> 
> But, to get the high gloss polish is tough, that takes about a 3000 grit wet sand. The best way to get that grit without spending an arm an a leg is to use automotive wet/dry sand paper. And after that a polishing with a cotton buffer and a rouge.
> 
> One little trick depending on where the tile is to be used is to sand the tile as fine as possible and then either use a stone enhancer to bring-up the interior colors of the stone or spray the sanded edge with polyurethane. The poly isn't likely to hold up on a tile used on a stair tread.


Somehow I just knew you would have the magic answer. :thumbsup:

The tile is on the surround for the soaker tub in the ensuite bathroom. I will have to get a pic or two of that.

Having ground and polished telescope mirrors I should have thought of the rouge trick. We actually use even finer stuff than rouge for the mirror glass, but the tile wouldn't be that fussy anyway I shouldn't think.

Once again I am in your debt for this information. I will see what there is on hand here and get at that shaping PDQ.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Thanks Jim...that post just went up on Shu's thread.
> 
> Did you see that about the outside air coming down the flue? At least I think that's what it does. Terrific idea.



I did see Shu's post about the outside air, that is some good thinking, I wish I had thought about that when I was burning wood. Burning inside air just sucks the outside air in through any cracks and burning heated air on top of that is a double whammy. When I was building I would have the fireplaces draw outside air but just didn't think of it when it came to my own wood heater.

Your stair are looking good, they really will look good once you are finished.

That is a good link Bud posted, I like that one. Have you ever used the micro disks for a ROS? Man they will make a piece of wood shine like plastic.
http://www.amazon.com/MICRO-MESH-NO-HOLE-SANDING-COMBO/dp/B000H6JDDC

1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, 12000 grit.


----------



## cocobolo

I note that the 1500 mesh is coarser than a traditional 600 grit paper. I wonder why that is. Sounds to me like the numbers are somewhat misleading.

I suppose that means that the 12,000 mesh would be the equivalent of 4,500 grit??? Still and all, that's definitely very fine.

I'll have to do a little more looking.

The third finish coat is on the trims for the upper stairs. I'll see how many I can get installed tomorrow...I hope.


----------



## cocobolo

There's a reason that these little chunks of carpet are taking so long to get done, so I thought I would run through the process and try to offer up an excuse as to why I'm so interminably slow.

First thing to do is to cut and nail some tackless all round each of the treads. Making sure to leave adequate space behind where the front trim strip goes on.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that is in place, then I have to cut out the underlay so that it fits reasonably well...like so. It gets put on with the air stapler.


----------



## cocobolo

Then the carpet is put in place. Hook it over the front strip and make sure it is pushed up against the stair wall on the left. Give it a few gentle nudges with the kicker and hammer down the tackless spikes - or whatever you call them.


----------



## cocobolo

Notice in the last pic that I have pulled off some of the rows of weave from the front of the carpet. This is so that the trim strip can sit down flush, and yet still has something to grab hold of.

Here I am getting the angle correct on the left side of the trim.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that is done, the same goes for the right side...


----------



## cocobolo

Then it's a trip all the way down stairs to make the cut on the miter saw.


----------



## cocobolo

Then over to the kitchen counter to mark out for the screw holes...


----------



## cocobolo

Next, get 'em all drilled, hopefully in the right places...


----------



## cocobolo

Then hop over to the workbench where I will need to plane a chamfer on the back edge of the trim.


----------



## cocobolo

Back upstairs again to screw the trim in place.

OK, now do you see why I'm so abominably slow? 

Here's a few in place.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Back upstairs again to screw the trim in place.
> 
> OK, now do you see why I'm so abominably slow?
> 
> Here's a few in place.


Yow, but you do it so pretty, that is a lotttt of work Keith, My legs would be trembling about now if I was even able to move. You are getting close, just think, every step you finish is just one more you won't have to do.


----------



## cocobolo

My thoughts exactly Jim.

It's a lot faster with all the pieces of carpet cut to the right sizes. Plus all the top trim pieces are finished.

I guess I should get the bottom pieces finished as well, otherwise I'll be waiting around for another two days before I can get that done.

One other thing today, I did manage to get some of the tile set in the front entrance. It's a start anyway.


----------



## cocobolo

I was asking Bud the other day about rounding over the marble tile edges, and this is what I have to start with.

Haven't had time to see what's here to shape it with yet.


----------



## cocobolo

Not much to report from here...winter does seem to have arrived. It's officially -4.4ºC at the Nanaimo Airport, and it's still very windy here, bringing that temp down quite a bit. That's 24ºF for those who don't speak in Celcius (and I don't blame you!). Snow in the forecast for the next 4 days.

I tried to take the missus over to town last Saturday, (she's off to Vancouver to look after the grandson's for a week or so) but we didn't make it...got turned back by the weather conditions as soon as we cleared the south end of DeCourcey Island, it was brutal.

Took another shot at it on Sunday morning and we made it that time, but coming back it was another miserable ride.

I was in need of some good firewood, and there is (was) an old arbutus tree about 80 yards down the pathway to Sand Dollar Cove. The top of the tree snapped off in a storm about 5 or 6 years ago, leaving a little over 30 feet of the tree left.

I took the big Husky down there and managed to get the thing on the ground. Not the easiest tree I have fallen, it was on a side hill and very difficult to get at to make any sort of undercut.

Here's the stump that's left now. The cut measures 4 feet wide where I went through it.


----------



## cocobolo

This is taken from where I stood to get the beast down. The bar on the big Husky is 36", so quite a big saw. I had to take two big notches out of the sides in order to get the saw through the tree.

There's a 12' section missing there, which I already bucked up and split...and it's in the woodshed.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's what's left to cut up yet. The bottom chunk is a bit over 6' long, that should give us at least two weeks of heat by itself. 

The wood I have burned so far has made excellent heat and it lasts well.

The top piece is just over 15' to the fork...lot's of good wood in there!


----------



## cocobolo

I don't know how old this tree might have been, but some of the wood I split had incredibly close grain. It is only on the much bigger - and therefore much older trees - that you get the very reddish colours appearing. Most of the smaller trees, say up to 2' in diameter only have that bland brown colour.

These pics are just a few of the chunks after I split the rounds. Incidentally, just one round was much more than a full wheelbarrow load.


----------



## cocobolo

This evening's sunset


----------



## picflight

What were the camera settings for the sunset?


----------



## cocobolo

picflight said:


> What were the camera settings for the sunset?


Good morning picflight, welcome to the thread. 

Canon Rebel, DSLR, XTi...and you're going to hate me for this...on full auto.

I usually take the sunsets on full auto, but I don't just aim the camera and click. Two reasons for that. First is that it won't necessarily focus properly, and second, it will often either over or underexpose the pic.

So I make sure to take several pics with this technique.

Aim the camera somewhere there is a clear definition in the frame so that it focuses properly, button half down, then frame it where I want to shoot.

In order to get different speeds with full auto, I will aim at both a darker and brighter spot in the pic and shoot. One shot is always better than the other. 

The camera is getting a bit old now, some 35,000 pics have gone through it. I think Canon says the mechanism is good for 50,000 shots, so I don't have long to go.


----------



## BigJim

Man, I think I am going to cry, that wood is just too beautiful to burn. I can see some beautiful bowls and other turnings there. How well does it hold that color Keith? I would be in hog heaven if I could find some pretty wood like that down this way. The only kind I can think of anywhere close would be Flaming Box Elder and even then that is not easily found. You are one lucky man buddy.


----------



## shumakerscott

jiju1943 said:


> Man, I think I am going to cry, that wood is just too beautiful to burn. I can see some beautiful bowls and other turnings there. How well does it hold that color Keith? I would be in hog heaven if I could find some pretty wood like that down this way. The only kind I can think of anywhere close would be Flaming Box Elder and even then that is not easily found. You are one lucky man buddy.


I agree, don't burn it. Way too cool. dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man, I think I am going to cry, that wood is just too beautiful to burn. I can see some beautiful bowls and other turnings there. How well does it hold that color Keith? I would be in hog heaven if I could find some pretty wood like that down this way. The only kind I can think of anywhere close would be Flaming Box Elder and even then that is not easily found. You are one lucky man buddy.


Darn it Jim, I never even thought of that.

Well, there is quite a bit of that wood left in the big arbutus to cut up yet, so perhaps I will see if I can pick out a couple of chunks to turn. That's going to have to wait awhile as we are under a blanket of snow right now.

And there is a huge burl on an arbutus tree down towards Sand Dollar Cove. I really don't know if it is possible to cut it off as it's another tree on a side hill. Not only that, but I'm not sure if I could lift it even if I could cut it off.

There is quite a wood turning fraternity over on central Vancouver Island. Perhaps I should see if I can get in touch with one of them to see if they might like some of this wood.

As far as I know that wood should hold it's colour. At first I thought that part of the wood was wet, but it isn't.

The wood from the base of this tree has about the same density as black cherry, which I turned several bowls from maybe 25 years ago. I put a Carnauba wax finish on them - using the stick - and their colour seems to have remained the same.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> I agree, don't burn it. Way too cool. dorf dude...


Looks like our posts came in at almost the same time Shu...

OK, I will see if I can pick out some of the chunks with colour and set them aside, there's plenty more wood to burn.

I have a masterclass wood turning book here, so I'll have to go through it for some inspiration.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Darn it Jim, I never even thought of that.
> 
> Well, there is quite a bit of that wood left in the big arbutus to cut up yet, so perhaps I will see if I can pick out a couple of chunks to turn. That's going to have to wait awhile as we are under a blanket of snow right now.
> 
> And there is a huge burl on an arbutus tree down towards Sand Dollar Cove. I really don't know if it is possible to cut it off as it's another tree on a side hill. Not only that, but I'm not sure if I could lift it even if I could cut it off.
> 
> There is quite a wood turning fraternity over on central Vancouver Island. Perhaps I should see if I can get in touch with one of them to see if they might like some of this wood.
> 
> As far as I know that wood should hold it's colour. At first I thought that part of the wood was wet, but it isn't.
> 
> The wood from the base of this tree has about the same density as black cherry, which I turned several bowls from maybe 25 years ago. I put a Carnauba wax finish on them - using the stick - and their colour seems to have remained the same.


Man, now I am hyperventilating, I can't wait to see your turnings. You should try to get that burl, if you didn't use it all, you could sure sell it to the fellows over on the main land. Your island just gets better all the time.


----------



## cocobolo

I think you guys all know the weather we've had over the last several days. Very cold, some snow, and yesterday torrential rain.

There is now water sitting on top of the ice in the pond, and we have ice spiders there.


----------



## cocobolo

...and you guys didn't believe me! Shame on you...tsk tsk. :jester:


----------



## gma2rjc

I don't believe I've ever seen anything like that. Pretty cool!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I don't believe I've ever seen anything like that. Pretty cool!


Me neither...and I have absolutely no idea what caused them.


----------



## shumakerscott

Did you have a meteorite shower? :laughing: :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> Did you have a meteorite shower? :laughing: :whistling2:


Good one! I kinda doubt it though! If this crappy weather ever lets up I can look in the bottom of the pond for tiny meteorites.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Me neither...and I have absolutely no idea what caused them.


May be birds dropping their gargo.

Sixty-nine degrees here today, may be a record.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> May be birds dropping their cargo.
> 
> Sixty-nine degrees here today, may be a record.


Got our internet connection back this morning after three full days of being offline. 

Temperature here may be 6.9C - don't really know, but it's cool with that breeze still hanging around. 

Think you could mail us some of that nice temperature?

It looked as though whatever was causing that strange melt pattern did so from below the surface...there are no living things in there that I'm aware of. I don't think the frogs are active at all at this time of year. If they are, they haven't made any noise at all. We will start to hear them in the very late spring and summer.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Got our internet connection back this morning after three full days of being offline.
> 
> Temperature here may be 6.9C - don't really know, but it's cool with that breeze still hanging around.
> 
> Think you could mail us some of that nice temperature?
> 
> It looked as though whatever was causing that strange melt pattern did so from below the surface...there are no living things in there that I'm aware of. I don't think the frogs are active at all at this time of year. If they are, they haven't made any noise at all. We will start to hear them in the very late spring and summer.


Glad to see you back Keith. How is the humidity up your way, it is high down this way and that makes for hot in the Summer.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Glad to see you back Keith. How is the humidity up your way, it is high down this way and that makes for hot in the Summer.


It's always hard to tell what the humidity really is, because cold air doesn't hold nearly as much moisture as warm air. But given that we are right on the water, I think it's a reasonable assumption that the humidity is higher than inland locations.


----------



## cocobolo

This winter has really produced some dandy wind storms, which - quite frankly - I could do without. I'm sure the towboat operators feel the same, as we have had quite a few logs blow up on the local beaches. I'm pretty sure a boom must have come apart somewhere close, because many of the logs are fresh and still have their ID tags on.
This one is a hemlock and belongs to Timber West. That tag tells them exactly where this log was cut.


----------



## cocobolo

Certainly haven't got much work done lately, but today I did manage to alter the bottom step.

I changed it from a wedge shape, which was the same as all the others to this rectangular shape. It is now much more comfortable, not to mention safer, to step on and off from.

The wood for the frame underneath is clear yellow cedar. It's all I could find that was wide enough and long enough.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> This winter has really produced some dandy wind storms, which - quite frankly - I could do without. I'm sure the towboat operators feel the same, as we have had quite a few logs blow up on the local beaches. I'm pretty sure a boom must have come apart somewhere close, because many of the logs are fresh and still have their ID tags on.
> This one is a hemlock and belongs to Timber West. That tag tells them exactly where this log was cut.


Have you ever thought about building your own saw mill right there on your own property? :whistling2: j/k


----------



## cocobolo

Spectacular weather today. Lots of sun, no wind save for a minor breeze this afternoon, and then this sunset this evening.

If anyone would ever like to have a full size image of any of the sunsets we get here, just pm me your email address and I'll be more than happy to shoot some off to you.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was trying to get the sunset pics, there was a motley selection of seals and birds out front.
The seals will slap the water with their tails ruining the reflection of the sky, and when the birds take off they leave quite a wake, as you can see.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Have you ever thought about building your own saw mill right there on your own property? :whistling2: j/k


Would I do a thing like that?


----------



## no1hustler

cocobolo said:


> This winter has really produced some dandy wind storms, which - quite frankly - I could do without. I'm sure the towboat operators feel the same, as we have had quite a few logs blow up on the local beaches. I'm pretty sure a boom must have come apart somewhere close, because many of the logs are fresh and still have their ID tags on.
> This one is a hemlock and belongs to Timber West. That tag tells them exactly where this log was cut.


Do they still have rights to that log if it washes up onto your shore?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> This winter has really produced some dandy wind storms, which - quite frankly - I could do without. I'm sure the towboat operators feel the same, as we have had quite a few logs blow up on the local beaches. I'm pretty sure a boom must have come apart somewhere close, because many of the logs are fresh and still have their ID tags on.
> This one is a hemlock and belongs to Timber West. That tag tells them exactly where this log was cut.


That is some pretty wood Keith, is that ice on the wood or is it sealed with something? You don't have to give it back do you? I know someone was sick losing that timber. How big in diameter is that tree?

That sunset is absolutely fantastic. I would love to have some of the pictures buddy, thanks bunch.


----------



## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> Do they still have rights to that log if it washes up onto your shore?


Yes, they do.

Every log that is cut by the commercial logging companies requires either one of these tags, or it has to be stamped with what they call a hammer at both ends of the cut. The numbers cast into this hammer identify the log owner.

The provincial insurance company, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia actually owns these logs if they wash up on shore. I understand that they insure all log booms in this province.

Next step is for a log salvor to pick up all these stray logs (supposedly anyway) and deliver them to one of only two places in B.C. that has a salvage ground where the logs may be redeemed for cash by the salvor.

There's a bit more to it than that, but that's basically it. Of course there are thousands of logs on the loose here on the west coast, and some of them may float around for years.

If it's close to me, I figure it's first come, first served...:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is some pretty wood Keith, is that ice on the wood or is it sealed with something? You don't have to give it back do you? I know someone was sick losing that timber. How big in diameter is that tree?
> 
> That sunset is absolutely fantastic. I would love to have some of the pictures buddy, thanks bunch.


Not ice Jim, just wet from having been in the water. Although about 10 days ago we had ice floes in the bay here and it was surface ice over at Boat Harbour.

That particular tree is from a second growth forest, only about 70 years old, and about 17" at the butt. Very typical hemlock from this area.

Some of the old growth hemlock up in the rain forests further north have grown to massive proportions, similar to old cedars. Ten, twelve, fifteen feet through...amazing trees.

Pictures on the way.


----------



## Bud Cline

If


> it's close to me, I figure it's first come, first served...:thumbsup:


I know what I would do..........
.........and the end-cuts would make good firewood!

Loser's weepers.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> If
> 
> I know what I would do..........
> .........and the end-cuts would make good firewood!
> 
> Loser's weepers.


Imagine that...never crossed my mind to use the end cuts for firewood. 

I just cut up the whole log and get it in the woodshed PDQ!


----------



## gma2rjc

You should attach that tag to a small limb and send it back out into the gulf. Or better yet, stick it in a bottle.

Have you ever run into any of those huge logs on your way to Boat Harbour Keith?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Have you ever run into any of those huge logs on your way to Boat Harbour Keith?


If you mean logs like this one...all the time. Which is why you need to be able to see the water in front of you when you go across.

This area is probably one of the highest for concentrations of log booms, and that inevitably leads to logs on the loose.

Right now, looking over at the beach at the south end of DeCourcey - perhaps a little over 1 mile away - there must be well over 100 logs up on the rocks.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> If
> 
> I know what I would do..........
> .........and the end-cuts would make good firewood!
> 
> Loser's weepers.


I would too.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Not ice Jim, just wet from having been in the water. Although about 10 days ago we had ice floes in the bay here and it was surface ice over at Boat Harbour.
> 
> That particular tree is from a second growth forest, only about 70 years old, and about 17" at the butt. Very typical hemlock from this area.
> 
> Some of the old growth hemlock up in the rain forests further north have grown to massive proportions, similar to old cedars. Ten, twelve, fifteen feet through...amazing trees.
> 
> Pictures on the way.


Thanks for the pictures Keith, I appreciate them.


----------



## Bud Cline

What's a log like that one in the picture worth as just the log, as is?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> What's a log like that one in the picture worth as just the log, as is?


About $50 a cubic meter. Which means you need a log scale to estimate it quickly. I would say perhaps $15 for that log. Hemlock isn't worth much, especially when it is as small as that one.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> About $50 a cubic meter. Which means you need a log scale to estimate it quickly. I would say perhaps $15 for that log. Hemlock isn't worth much, especially when it is as small as that one.


Wow, I would have guessed a lot more. The folks cutting and getting them out has to do some moving to make anything at that rate.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Wow, I would have guessed a lot more. The folks cutting and getting them out has to do some moving to make anything at that rate.


Sorry for delay in replying Jim. Our internet has been all but inoperable for the past several hours.

You have to bear in mind that the wholesale price of framing lumber here is in the vicinity of $240 - $250 a thousand. Retail it jumps to around $700. So all the money is made by the retailers and the truckers.

Logs like that hemlock are cut by an automated machine. It crawls up the tree, removes all the branches, tops the tree, crawls back down again and cuts the tree off. Much faster than using fallers, safer too.


----------



## fallrisk

After a month of daily reading i finaly "finished" reading this thread. This has been the most interesting, informative and inspiring "book" i have ever read. I've already learned so much from this thread. From roxul, woodworking to little tips like the end of the measuring tape that i feel like i owe you. Thank you so much for this documenting and sharing this wonderful adventure of yours. I'll be sure to keep following along and when i get around to it I will send you a pm as i have a bunch of things i want to pick your brain about. Thank you again and keep up the good work and the beautiful photos of which more than one made it to my desktop background. 

p.s. special thanks to bud cline for all the great info contributed to this thread.


----------



## cocobolo

fallrisk said:


> After a month of daily reading i finaly "finished" reading this thread. This has been the most interesting, informative and inspiring "book" i have ever read. I've already learned so much from this thread. From roxul, woodworking to little tips like the end of the measuring tape that i feel like i owe you. Thank you so much for this documenting and sharing this wonderful adventure of yours. I'll be sure to keep following along and when i get around to it I will send you a pm as i have a bunch of things i want to pick your brain about. Thank you again and keep up the good work and the beautiful photos of which more than one made it to my desktop background.
> 
> p.s. special thanks to bud cline for all the great info contributed to this thread.


Fallrisk...two things...first welcome to the thread, and second, thank you for honoring me with your first post.

Certainly glad that you enjoyed some of the photos, no doubt there will be a few more.

You and I share the same opinion about Bud. Without giving away the whole story, I can tell you without any hesitation whatsoever, that Bud is one of the very best tile setters out there. Bud wouldn't tell you that, but I certainly will. No matter what question I have posed to him, he has always been 100% happy to give me a detailed reply. Definitely the best guy to have in your corner if you are stuck with a tile question. :thumbup:


----------



## fallrisk

While im still online let me ask you a few questions. Can you give me some advice on what books a grasshopper like myself should get to learn some of your skills? I remember you mentioning a couple through the pages. Maybe something on general woodworking, tools and wood to start with? Im eager to learn some new skills and I dont have a master of the craft like yourself around to teach me but Im sure you have a few favorite titles you can recommend. Just today I subscribed to fine homebuilding mag but if you have a few other suggestions on mags I would love to hear those also.


----------



## cocobolo

fallrisk said:


> While im still online let me ask you a few questions. Can you give me some advice on what books a grasshopper like myself should get to learn some of your skills? I remember you mentioning a couple through the pages. Maybe something on general woodworking, tools and wood to start with? Im eager to learn some new skills and I dont have a master of the craft around to teach me but Im syou have a few favorite titles you can recommend. Just today I subscribed to fine homebuilding mag but if you have a few other suggestions on mags I would love to hear those also.


Taunton Press, the publisher of Fine Homebuilding, publishes a number of other titles, Fine Woodworking among them. It sort of depends on what it is you want to learn.

I'll go through some of my library tomorrow, time permitting, and let you know what I think are some of the best books.

Practice is usually the best teacher.


----------



## leiona

Hi Keith! I am extremely pleased to meet you and so glad I found you thread as I am doing a kitchen remodel, with t/c tiles, a slab wood island, and mosaic countertops. I will also take on the daunting task of building the cabinets... myself:huh: but first, the island.....
I am new to building things so as you can imagine, your work is enough to astound a newbie like me! My favorite thing ive seen in your house so far is the solarium, but i'm only on page 150 or so...I love the nature pics too. When the right sunset appears to me, I will put it to canvas, so keep those comin!!
Anyways, i would love and appreciate it if you would tell me what to do with this slab once i've got it...It will be planed and lightly sanded. What should I seal it with? I may also want to finesse the live edges..what tool would help me with that? And lastly, what sander would you recommend i buy..i dont have one yet.
I will post pics of my kitchen project as i go, since I know by page 150, you like looking at other peoples ..projects :no:
thanks for whatever advice you can give, and i'll look forward to picking your brain in the future. Stay alive my friend, talent like yours dosen't come into this world too often ..no more heartattacks!


----------



## cocobolo

leiona said:


> Hi Keith! I am extremely pleased to meet you and so glad I found you thread as I am doing a kitchen remodel, with t/c tiles, a slab wood island, and mosaic countertops. I will also take on the daunting task of building the cabinets... myself:huh: but first, the island.....
> I am new to building things so as you can imagine, your work is enough to astound a newbie like me! My favorite thing ive seen in your house so far is the solarium, but i'm only on page 150 or so...I love the nature pics too. When the right sunset appears to me, I will put it to canvas, so keep those comin!!
> Anyways, i would love and appreciate it if you would tell me what to do with this slab once i've got it...It will be planed and lightly sanded. What should I seal it with? I may also want to finesse the live edges..what tool would help me with that? And lastly, what sander would you recommend i buy..i dont have one yet.
> I will post pics of my kitchen project as i go, since I know by page 150, you like looking at other peoples ..projects :no:
> thanks for whatever advice you can give, and i'll look forward to picking your brain in the future. Stay alive my friend, talent like yours dosen't come into this world too often ..no more heartattacks!


Wow! You sure do know how to make a guy's day! 

Do you realize that this makes two days in a row that someone has been kind enough to honor me with their first post? I am truly humbled, thank you.

Any chance of a photo of your slab? Type of wood? Dimensions? Anything else you can tell us about it?

Without knowing much yet, there are two kinds of sanders you will likely need. A good random orbital is just about indispensable for large projects, and a smaller pad type sander is good for smaller stuff. There's several more kinds, but you have to start somewhere.

My thanks again leiona and a big welcome to the thread.


----------



## leiona

I'm not sure what kind of wood it is yet, I'm gonna go choose it today! i will post a pic later, if i can get it home...no truck! I wish i would have asked you what kind of wood would be good for kitchen use...oh well hopefully the guy selling the slabs will have some advice. More later!


----------



## cocobolo

leiona said:


> I'm not sure what kind of wood it is yet, I'm gonna go choose it today! i will post a pic later, if i can get it home...no truck! I wish i would have asked you what kind of wood would be good for kitchen use...oh well hopefully the guy selling the slabs will have some advice. More later!


You could probably use almost anything. But the thing is, you would need to seal it really well if the wood wasn't user friendly. By that I mean that some woods are toxic to us...others are OK.

For example, you can make a butcher block out of maple, and all you need to do is to rub something like olive oil into it and you can use it. Of course, it does need maintenance, but it's quite safe. Essentially, you need to keep wood surfaces clean if they are used for food prep.

Let your good common sense guide you.

Do as much research as you possibly can into these slabs before you buy. 

See if you can find out when the tree was cut down for starters. That will help you determine if it has had a chance to season yet or not. Some woods will crack and develop long splits if they aren't seasoned before you bring them inside. The thicker the slab, the longer it needs to season.

At the very least, one full year.


----------



## Bud Cline

> fallrisk: "p.s. special thanks to bud cline for all the great info contributed to this thread."


Fallrisk, Thank you for the mention, always glad to be of help if/when I can. 

Keith, I appreciate the kind words, THANK YOU.

*FWIW:*...I think one must accumulate 20 posts before one can use the PM feature. No one would object to some "token posts" so as to achieve that goal.


----------



## leiona

well i got my slabs..yellow poplar. toxic? too late now!! I'm in LOVE with them. the problem is i cant choose between them so ill have to find a use for both. But which one for the kitchen island......
their well seasoned and ready to finish, after some minor sanding of course. i dont want them really shiny so what do you think?  now if i could just remember what barb said about posting images..


----------



## shumakerscott

leiona said:


> well i got my slabs..yellow poplar. toxic? too late now!! I'm in LOVE with them. the problem is i cant choose between them so ill have to find a use for both. But which one for the kitchen island......
> their well seasoned and ready to finish, after some minor sanding of course. i dont want them really shiny so what do you think?  now if i could just remember what barb said about posting images..


Crank your camera down to email sized images. They have to be really small. Click on the paper clip, browse and share. Maybe you could start your own thread about the slabs. dorf dude...


----------



## leiona

good idea . ill start a thread on my kitchen remodel lol. i took the pics with my phone and i dont know how to resize them on my computer. ill find a way to post them though, then i will start my own thread, because lord knows i need all the advice i can get, and i'll quit hijacking cocobolos thread


----------



## BigJim

leiona said:


> good idea . ill start a thread on my kitchen remodel lol. i took the pics with my phone and i dont know how to resize them on my computer. ill find a way to post them though, then i will start my own thread, because lord knows i need all the advice i can get, and i'll quit hijacking cocobolos thread


Here is a real good resizing program for your computer free, just download. It is very easy to use also.
http://www.irfanview.com/main_download_engl.htm

You are going to love the Poplar, it isn't toxic either. I built our kitchen cabinets out of Poplar and used Ralph Lauren Tea Stain on them, my wife likes them.


----------



## leiona

heres the slabs..hope theyre not too small. i will try again if they are


----------



## leiona

heres a close up of the one..looks like two birds sitting in a heart with branches around them...provided i turned it the right way when resizing!


----------



## leiona

jiju1943 said:


> Here is a real good resizing program for your computer free, just download. It is very easy to use also.
> http://www.irfanview.com/main_download_engl.htm
> 
> You are going to love the Poplar, it isn't toxic either. I built our kitchen cabinets out of Poplar and used Ralph Lauren Tea Stain on them, my wife likes them.


 
Both pieces have green amber and purple hues to the grain..now i need to know how to seal it properly so i dont ruin it...$650.00 for the slabs. 
your cabinets are beautiful..nice job. thank you for the link too


----------



## cocobolo

leiona said:


> heres a close up of the one..looks like two birds sitting in a heart with branches around them...provided i turned it the right way when resizing!


That's pretty nice looking wood you have there. I like it! :thumbsup:

There is a limit of 100 kb per picture here if you post directly to the thread.

Poplar should be a fairly forgiving wood to finish. I would get it as smooth as possible before you try to put anything on the wood. Go down to at least 220 grit or even finer. Once you put a finish on it it will be very hard to get the wood any smoother because the finish will sink into the wood surface.

It should feel silky before you start the finishing process.


----------



## fallrisk

I'm going to try and start my own thread on the project I have going. As far as pm msgs I won't bother anyone until i exhaust my googling skills. Coco I'm a motorhead also but of the two wheel variety but I do admire craftsmanship be it new or old vehicles. Hope you can get around to working on your project car and actually have time to enjoy it you workoholic.


----------



## leiona

so i started a thread on this remodel or i will take up all of yours, but i really want your opinion... the proof is in the pudding right? just look at your house! I got the picture thing figured out but now down to buisiness, what to finish these slabs with.
Ive never stained or varnished anything in my life so whatever you tell me is what ill do. i want a nice honey hue to it in the end..not too shiny and stain resistant. and what to do about the holes??

i'll tell ya what the sellar told me, to fill holes with epoxy, sand it with a belt sander and finish it with tongue oil...could that possibly be enough?
my mom says minwax...
i just dont know


----------



## cocobolo

leiona said:


> so i started a thread on this remodel or i will take up all of yours, but i really want your opinion... the proof is in the pudding right? just look at your house! I got the picture thing figured out but now down to buisiness, what to finish these slabs with.
> Ive never stained or varnished anything in my life so whatever you tell me is what ill do. i want a nice honey hue to it in the end..not too shiny and stain resistant. and what to do about the holes??
> 
> i'll tell ya what the sellar told me, to fill holes with epoxy, sand it with a belt sander and finish it with tongue oil...could that possibly be enough?
> my mom says minwax...
> i just dont know


What you are asking for may not be fully possible.

OK, you want a satin finish, that's no problem. But your seller suggests that you fill the holes with epoxy. Now if you do this, the only finishes that epoxy will take are two part finishes. These are generally two part linear polyurethanes. So varnish and tung oil - that's T-U-N-G oil, are out, as they are both one part products. They may temporarily appear to adhere to the epoxy, but it will be just that, temporary.

If you have a belt sander, please do NOT introduce it to those lovely wood slabs. Use a good random orbital sander, and keep the sanding head FLAT on the wood, don't tip it up in the hope that it will do the job faster. You will only dig holes in the wood.

Your other options are using a very sharp hand plane and wood scrapers...again, very sharp.

Minwax makes a whole lot of products, many of which I use myself. So I don't know which one your mum might be referring to.

Now, if you are asking what would coco do with these slabs to finish them...well, for one thing I might not even fill the holes. But if I did, I wouldn't use epoxy. I would try to fill the holes - depending on how big and the shape etc - with matching wood, and the thinnest possible glue lines.

But before you do anything, do you know the moisture content of the slabs?


----------



## fixrite

when using real wood for counter tops that would have contact with food, you will need to keep your health and safety in mind. By this I mean one would normally use a maple as it has natural antibacterial tendencies in it. That is why it has been used for so many years in kitchens, both commercial and residential. When you want to use a product on it to keep it from drying you should be using a food grade mineral oil (you can get this from your local drug store). Oils like olive and vegetable oil tend to go rancid (not what you want). I would definitely tend to go with cocobolo on the idea of cutting out the hole and filling it with another piece of wood. I would also make sure the glues used is not toxic to humans. Definitely do NOT use epoxy on any counters or islands that could potentially be used for food. I have seen counters made out of birch but am not sure about them. Studies have proven maple to be the choice wood when food is involved. BTW nice looking wood slabs.


----------



## leiona

I do not know the moisture content nor how to find it...i dont live on an island, like my favorite house-whisperer...but i might as well!

i may sound desperate for advice sometimes but i have to drive 35 miles to lowes!! so when i go to get stuff i cant mess up. or experiment.
Believe it or not, the slab seller lives in the middle of nowhere and works out of a barn but he assured me the wood was kiln dried for 3 months (he showed me the kiln) then it sat in his basement for the remainder of its life till i rescued it.

I plan to use the one with holes in it for a table which i can varnish or do the epoxy thing, because i like the holes (going for the rustic look you know):wink:?
However the clearer of the two slabs will be my island. the piece still has holes though they are small..i dont want to cut them out...character etc....when i say fill, i mean preserve the holes so they dont change any more or get bigger. i know i ask alot but..i have such a specific view of how i want the kitchen. so today im goin to lowes to get the orbital sander and some mineral spirits to clean the wood before i stain/seal or whatever WE decide lol  
i can at least get started sanding them and get the base built eh?
Fixrite..thanks for the advice about maple. i will remember that when i do the countertops plank style. The island though, wont get too much food use or moistureon it so it should be ok. 
thanx again for your help coco, i will wait to get the finishers till we know more about the wood. and i swear..this will be the last time i hijack your thread ...i just looked and saw that you found mine..yay:thumbup:


----------



## BigJim

You might want to hold up on the oil until you do your staining.


----------



## Two Knots

All I can say is WoW! You sure are an inspiration cocobolo...:yes:
Congratulations on your home, and such a beautiful setting.
It's is gorgeous, and you're awesome! :thumbup:


----------



## fallrisk

How's everything coco? Haven't seen any new posts in my favorite thread in a while, figured I'd check up on you.


----------



## shumakerscott

fallrisk said:


> How's everything coco? Haven't seen any new posts in my favorite thread in a while, figured I'd check up on you.


I'm also getting concerned. You ok?


----------



## BigJim

shumakerscott said:


> I'm also getting concerned. You ok?


Coco is having internet problems right now being on an island is tough sometimes.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi everyone...back, at least temporarily.

As Jim says...internet problems.

In a nutshell, our ISP, Rogers, is scrapping the Inukshuk system - which I might point out that taxpayers sunk a few million dollars into - in favour of dumping us on to an already overloaded cell phone based system.

They are replacing our modems with something that barely works and letting us fend for ourselves. The new "RocketHub" they gave us is not only very poorly named, but it barely works at all here. A call to Rogers tech, essentially a waste of time, yielded the brilliant suggestion to hunt down and buy a suitable yagi antenna. At our expense of course.

Without getting into a massive load of detail, I decided to build such an antenna myself, but had not the foggiest idea what I might need or how to do it.

However, I did have the good fortune to run into an Aussie website by the name of Whirlpool (No, not the appliance manufacturer) a site dedicated to broadband and all its' ramifications. Amazing place and some truly brilliant people there.

Long story short, I got myself educated and built a test yagi, if you will. Well, the darned thing worked like a charm, so now of course I want to build a better one. Some people are never satisfied.

In my usual disappointment with Rogers and my equal rush to try and make this thing, I neglected to take any pics. So what I have here will be all after the fact for the test antenna, and a few of the new one.

First up is a 14 element yagi tuned to the 850 mhz band. The plans for this are freely available to anyone who would like to build one.

What was happening was that everything was extremely slow to load, if at all. Simple stuff like a youtube video would stop and start every few seconds. That sort of nonsense. Speed tests were atrocious, to say the least.

OK, here's a shot of the yagi in use.


----------



## cocobolo

Basically a yagi is a very simple and quite directional antenna. Not difficult to build and very cheap to make.

The one above was cobbled together from an old TV antenna and some wood...you all know I have a pretty fair supply of that around here.

It took me about an hour to make, and you simply wouldn't believe the difference in performance from the antenna which came with the new "RocketHub" modem.

Even compared to the old Inukshuk based modem - with which I had no complaints I might add - this yagi is much faster. Download speeds are about twice as fast as before...so if any of you out there are connecting to the web via a cell phone based system and it's slow as molasses in winter...consider making yourselves a yagi.

The new one I'm building is affectionately known as the "big mutha". Why, because it's over 8 feet long! Pics aren't much good because they were taken after dark this evening. Maybe i can get a daylight pic tomorrow of the whole thing...but a couple of details here.

First thing you need to do is to make a boom. The boom holds the elements, which are the bits of aluminum which gather the signal. The boom for the big mutha is made from 4 pieces of red cedar, only 3/8" thick. So, it is very light. It is partly screwed together with brass screws and partly glued.

Here I am laying out, punching and drilling the screw holes.


----------



## cocobolo

The section that is screwed together will be removable for attachment of the coaxial cable which will run to the modem.

Next the elements will be cut, and the big mutha has 27 of them! Some time ago I found this tiny little saw and bought it mainly because it was so cute. Well, that and because it is supposed to be able to cut lead cames for stained glass work.

That little blade is only 2" in size, and the manufacturer claims it will cut through stuff like brass and steel! Ahhhh, I dinna think so laddie.

However, it _might_ cut .035 wall 3/8" aluminum tubing, which will be used for the big mutha.

I did make one test cut, and much to my surprise is actually worked. Slowly, mind you, but nonetheless....


----------



## cocobolo

I cut the four pieces of red cedar from a single board hoping it would all stay nice and straight, but Murphy was next door visiting.

Cedar has a habit of curving when it is cut rather thin, and these pieces managed to develop quite a downward curve. Once the box shape was screwed and glued together, I clamped it in such a fashion as to try and get the end to bend back straight again. The pic might explain what I was after. The end that is up in the air was curved down the opposite way, and I want it to be straight. I hope the wood will creep overnight and straighten out.


----------



## BigJim

Man that is a challenge, I won't complain any more about my slow PC, I have become spoiled to fiber optics. After doing a fresh install of XP pro I am good to go, I wish your fix was as simple. That is interesting Keith, it is great to see you back, we hope all your problems are solved and really soon.


----------



## gma2rjc

Very impressive Keith. I'm starting to think there's really nothing you can't build. :thumbsup:

Thanks for posting the pics.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> ..... we hope all your problems are solved and really soon.


Thanks Jim. Well, as you know the crummy internet is the least of our problems. When the issue you are aware of gets resolved- we hope - then perhaps I can share it with everyone.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Very impressive Keith. I'm starting to think there's really nothing you can't build. :thumbsup:
> 
> Thanks for posting the pics.


Barb, making one of these yagi antenna's is child's play...really it is.

All you need to know are the dimensions for each of the elements along with the spacing thereof. 

You can use a piece of plastic pipe for the boom if you like, or wood, or even a piece of aluminum tubing as long as you isolate the elements from the tube.

You can also make a small version of these to use with a cell phone if you are in an area with bad reception. You would need a phone with an external antenna jack for that, but many of the newer cell phones have such a capability.

So, for anyone out there who connects to the web via a cell tower...this is the cat's meow.

I may even have the big one done today, depends what else gets in the way.


----------



## fixrite

Great to see you back again. Hope your antenna helps to eliminate your internet problem.


----------



## Firefighter3244

Perhaps I missed it trying to skim through the 409 pages! Do you have any Currently Up to date photos of the outside of your home? Like Just "Overall" shots.

I read the entire first 200 pages or so, and then tried skimming through. lol Amazing work, and amazing view. What a dream to live there!


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Great to see you back again. Hope your antenna helps to eliminate your internet problem.


Just finished the big 27 element yagi last night. Absolutely amazing. Much faster than the old Inukshuk modem, which was perfectly acceptable. So it looks like internet problems are a thing of the past...except when the cell phone towers get overloaded, which they will.


----------



## cocobolo

Two Knots said:


> All I can say is WoW! You sure are an inspiration cocobolo...:yes:
> Congratulations on your home, and such a beautiful setting.
> It's is gorgeous, and you're awesome! :thumbup:


Two Knots...sorry I missed your post. I always try to say hello when someone new joins in. So, welcome to the thread.

Things have been somewhat hectic around here to say the least, which hasn't left any time to do much work on the place, nor post any updates.


----------



## cocobolo

Firefighter3244 said:


> Perhaps I missed it trying to skim through the 409 pages! Do you have any Currently Up to date photos of the outside of your home? Like Just "Overall" shots.
> 
> I read the entire first 200 pages or so, and then tried skimming through. lol Amazing work, and amazing view. What a dream to live there!


Well now, two welcomes for me to attend to on the same day. Glad to have you aboard.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know what has been posted over the last couple of hundred pages. It isn't actually possible to get a picture of the whole place because there are so many trees around us.

Bits and pieces of it - yes - so you would have to put it together like a jigsaw puzzle I guess.


----------



## cocobolo

I seem to have made a bit of a goof a few posts back.

I was yapping about the 14 element yagi, when, in fact, it only has 11 elements. Some days I just can't count it seems.

Well, I do have plans for a 14 element yagi, and that us what I was going to do first...really don't know what happened.

I will get all this sorted out, then put up some photos of the big one going together...and then I'm going to bore you with a little bit of tech type info on signal strength and why you need it to be good. Bear with me, we'll get through this yet!


----------



## Bud Cline

SIDE BAR:

Last week sometime I had an attack of curiosity about Ruxton Island so I went to You Tube just to see if by-chance there were any videos there and I'll be damned...there sure is. Not many, but, there are a couple of cabin owners showing off their cabin setting and surrounds. Not exactly National Geographic stuff but none-the-less interesting.

What I found most interesting was there are several videos of someone doing a shoreline survey from a helicopter. A female voice is narrating the entire trip around the island. It gives a perfect view of the type of shoreline and the islands geographic position as it relates to the other surrounding islands. I found it to be super interesting. Not a helluva lot of swimming beaches on Ruxton Island.

At one point I think I even saw Keith waving to the helicopter. (just kidding)

Sorry Keith, I didn't intend to invade your privacy by posting this but I have to admit many of us here are somewhat envious of your life style. Just had to share my findings. Living on an island with no government/community amenities and only self constructed improvements and attributes is mind staggering to me.

I should have copied the link but forgot to but I'm sure a search on You Tube for Ruxton Island will produce the same results I got.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> SIDE BAR:
> 
> At one point I think I even saw Keith waving to the helicopter. (just kidding)
> 
> Bud, I wasn't waving at it...I was _shooting_ at it! :thumbup:


----------



## beenthere

cocobolo said:


> Bud Cline said:
> 
> 
> 
> SIDE BAR:
> 
> At one point I think I even saw Keith waving to the helicopter. (just kidding)
> 
> Bud, I wasn't waving at it...I was _shooting_ at it! :thumbup:
> 
> 
> 
> ROFL :laughing:
Click to expand...


----------



## Doorman54

Good afternoon from the great state of Illinois Keith!!
I have just finished reading all 410 pages of your saga!!
I joined the site recently and have made a few posts.....poked my head in here and haven't really read/posted anything else!!

Beautiful work, beautiful scenery, beautifully written!!


----------



## cocobolo

Doorman54 said:


> Good afternoon from the great state of Illinois Keith!!
> I have just finished reading all 410 pages of your saga!!
> I joined the site recently and have made a few posts.....poked my head in here and haven't really read/posted anything else!!
> 
> Beautiful work, beautiful scenery, beautifully written!!


Welcome Doorman, and thank you for visiting. 

410 pages...Wow, how time flies when you're having fun.

My number two son is in Chicago, at least he was the last time he bothered to get in touch with his old man!


----------



## cocobolo

Just a quick post to update out internet connection.

Yesterday afternoon some time, the Inukshuk system was pulled and now is resting in cyber heaven. At that exact same time, every customer who had a Rogers.com email address (there must have been millions of us...literally) was without email. :furious:

I spent ages last night trying to figure it out, not knowing what the problem was of course, until I called Rogers tech a short while ago.

To make matters worse, this is going to take a minimum of three days (72 hours) to get fixed. And to add insult to injury, any emails that are sent to us during that time will be lost in the Bermuda triangle. 

So, for those of you who do email me from time to time, I won't get your emails until this is all fixed. Nor will I get notification from the DIY site here about new posts. 

You might think that Rogers could have given us perhaps 30 days notice about the email problem...but, no. Apparently they have to do a physical transfer for every single customer! Can you just imagine the flack that Rogers is catching from their customers right now? :thumbup:

Danny from the other end of the island here is in the same boat, but his internet has failed completely. I made him up a yagi and he picked it up a short while ago. His kids are schooled over the internet, so this is just one reason that this has been such a big problem.

Danny's yagi. :thumbsup:


----------



## framer52

Coco. I have just finished reading this entire thread.

Thank god, when in college I taught myself speed reading.


I have enjoyed learning and just plain reading about your home building, life escapades.

By the way, I have about 20 hours into reading this thread:thumbsup:

Dave


----------



## cocobolo

framer52 said:


> Coco. I have just finished reading this entire thread.
> 
> Thank god, when in college I taught myself speed reading.
> 
> 
> I have enjoyed learning and just plain reading about your home building, life escapades.
> 
> By the way, I have about 20 hours into reading this thread:thumbsup:
> 
> Dave


Good afternoon Dave:

Welcome! That works out to about 3 minutes a page...wow, pretty fast! In fact, make that incredibly fast! :thumbsup:

One little bit of good news today...Rogers already has my email program back up again, hence the notice I received from the site here. 

Yet more work to do on the internet front. A bit of a delay this morning in that the boat didn't want to start when I hit the switch for the engine ram.

Thankfully it was just a bad battery connection...maybe several for all I know. So I fixed all six connections while I was at it.


----------



## datawog

Whelp, finally made it all the way through! Saw the title and just had to check it out, seeing as I live here on Vancouver Island. Heck, I live on the waterfront... if I had a boat I could be there in a couple of hours to see all this for myself!

Started reading about two weeks ago.... at first I was reading everything, then after a couple of pages I looked up and realized I was through less than 1/100th of the content... So I started skimming. A lot. Would slow down around the pictures and read some of the text associated with it, particularly when the specific project interested me. And read random snippets here and there- got the part where you mentioned where you got your username from, googled cocobolo wood and WOW. That is some amazing grain.

There's some great work here, and some of it's giving me some awesome ideas for what I can do with my own place. Which is kinda funny considering the scale of my project is so much smaller... I could probably build the entire thing in your kitchen XD


----------



## cocobolo

datawog said:


> Whelp, finally made it all the way through! Saw the title and just had to check it out, seeing as I live here on Vancouver Island. Heck, I live on the waterfront... if I had a boat I could be there in a couple of hours to see all this for myself!
> 
> XD


Where abouts do you hang your hat on the Island? I have friends all over the place from Victoria all the way up to Port Hardy.

Tell you what though...the wind has been playing havoc here for months now. I'm sure you know all about that. 80,000 customers without power a few days ago on the south of the Island. And actually our friends up at Black Creek got their power knocked out as well. So you wouldn't want to be going for any joyride in a boat right about now. Full gale again out there right now. Looks like we are in for another fun night.

Thank you for joining in and welcome to the thread. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Not quite sure whether or not I have the internet trouble licked or not. But at least I'm now an experienced antenna builder.

The trouble with the new modem that Rogers shipped out (yes, me and all the other 3 million Inukshuk users got this I think) is that it doesn't stick to one frequency, which seems to be the root of the problem.

It would seem to be easy enough to get the modem to stay on one band, but unfortunately that's not the way these models work. The preceding model was able to be set to run on the one band - hopefully 850 mhz - which penetrates buildings better than the 1900 mhz band. 

Rogers tech says the modem is always seeking the best signal (pure hogwash that is) and that is why it has two band capability. There are modems which have even more bands, and I can just imagine the fun they will be. Although I do believe you can select which band you want.

Even Rogers tech says these modems will benefit from a decent yagi, and to that end I have now built half a dozen different models.

Now, oddly enough, although I would prefer the 850 mhz signal, and that is what always shows the higher strength, the 1900 band is the one the modem and tower choose to use more than 90% of the time. I have received a massive amount of assistance from some excellent folks on the Whirlpool site, which is dedicated to broadband information. I tell you, if you have any questions about that, someone there has the answer. Truly helpful people.

So the latest yagi incarnation is a 1900 mhz version, and unlike any other you have seen. You know me by now don't you? It just has to be different. This one is a 19 element 1900 mhz frequency boomless yagi. The boomless is the interesting part.


----------



## cocobolo

Several days ago we had another one of these major storms here...definitely the worst of this winter...so far. As I mentioned, 80,000 customers were without power for awhile. Many huge trees down causing all kinds of havoc.

On the day of the storm, I looked out to the channel and honest to Pete I just couldn't believe my eyes. Here is a big tug pulling a loaded gravel barge towards Dodd Narrows. The wind was behind him, so all he really had to do was to try and keep the barge running straight. But I just couldn't feature any experienced towboat operator trying to aim that barge through Dodd. I mean, we had winds recorded that day at 130 kms, which - for those of you who still speak English and not metric - is a trace over 80 mph.

About an hour later, I saw him pulling the barge back the other way right over on the far side of the channel here where he had some slight protection from the wind. Still and all he would have been heading into 60 mph winds even there. Good thing it was a really BIG tug.


----------



## cocobolo

I made a couple of versions of a 1900 mhz yagi, and again this one's a bit different. I call it a split boom antenna. All the guys on the Whirlpool site laughed at me for this one, but it works a treat.


----------



## cocobolo

When we get these winds here, which might sustain themselves for many days or even weeks at a time, the eagles like to ride the air currents around the Island here.

That, and I think we must have a herring run happening, because we have a zillion seals out there as well.

I tried to take some pics of the eagles, generally with a notable lack of success...but here is an immature bald eagle flying over Herring Bay. They move a whole lot faster than I do, so apologies for the not so great pics.


----------



## cocobolo

There is a spit of rocks right out in front of us looking out to the bay, and the seals like to rest on the end of the spit. But when the eagles are around, they have a rapid change of heart. In the water they go on the double. Now I doubt very much that an eagle would be silly enough to go after a seal, but I guess the seals aren't about to find out.

When I took the boat out a few days ago I counted about 140 seals out there.

Here's a few in the water when the eagles were around.


----------



## cocobolo

The only damage we sustained here from the big storm was a broken pane of tempered glass. It has been quietly sitting on the tub deck minding it's own business for at least a year and has managed to survive all the previous winds OK.


----------



## cocobolo

About a week ago, we actually managed a half decent sunset. Yes, it was windy, but the sunset took some of the pain away.


----------



## BigJim

It sure is good to see you here for a little while Keith. I don't think I will complain about our weather after hearing about how it is up there. Hopefully things will get back to normal for you real soon. Thanks for the pictures especially the beautiful sunset. Take care buddy.


----------



## datawog

cocobolo said:


> Where abouts do you hang your hat on the Island? I have friends all over the place from Victoria all the way up to Port Hardy.
> 
> Tell you what though...the wind has been playing havoc here for months now. I'm sure you know all about that. 80,000 customers without power a few days ago on the south of the Island. And actually our friends up at Black Creek got their power knocked out as well. So you wouldn't want to be going for any joyride in a boat right about now. Full gale again out there right now. Looks like we are in for another fun night.


I'm in Mill Bay. We got some pretty bad winds here, too... knocked out our power for a day and a half, got so cold in the house that all of my tropical fish died... -_-; RIP little loaches. Fortunately my shrimp and snails made it through ok, but I'm gonna miss that gourami. Raised her myself from when she was only 1mm long.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks for the pics Keith. Sorry to hear about the window breaking. It must have been hard to get it all picked up. It's good that you had the cover on the hot tub.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> It sure is good to see you here for a little while Keith. I don't think I will complain about our weather after hearing about how it is up there. Hopefully things will get back to normal for you real soon. Thanks for the pictures especially the beautiful sunset. Take care buddy.


Morning Jim...well we just finished a big rain squall that came through and it's still blowing right at us from the south west. Surely someone must have a tap to all this wind they can turn off!


----------



## cocobolo

datawog said:


> I'm in Mill Bay. We got some pretty bad winds here, too... knocked out our power for a day and a half, got so cold in the house that all of my tropical fish died... -_-; RIP little loaches. Fortunately my shrimp and snails made it through ok, but I'm gonna miss that gourami. Raised her myself from when she was only 1mm long.


Sorry to hear about that. I guess that's one advantage of having your own power system. Maybe it would pay you to get a small generator, just enough to power a few lights and the fish tank heaters. It really isn't practical to get a generator large enough to power a whole electric house. How about fitting a wood stove for future such power outages. At least you could keep warm.

We all know there's only going to be more and more of these storms with all these major shifts in the weather patterns.

If you've been at Mill bay for awhile then you remember the really big wind that hit about 3 or 4 years ago when they had 158 mph at Race Rocks. If I remember correctly Mill Bay got hammered then as well.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Thanks for the pics Keith. It's good that you had the cover on the hot tub.


No kidding! It was covered with a thousand pieces of glass. I have a hunch I will be finding little bits of glass forever around here. :huh:


----------



## leiona

wow! i love post #6157, your latest sunset...too bad i already started the painting with a diffrent sunset...maybe I'll do two. one for you and W2 and one for me :thumbup: I swear when i'm done with it i will send it to ya! I started the painting with intentions to send it to you because your thread is the motivation for my project. if i hadn't found it and began my own thread to obtain advice..i'd still be floundering around wondering what to do. theres nothing like the support and inspiration you can get here to help keep a project going well! thanks Keith!!


----------



## Bud Cline

Much too quiet around here - makes me nervous! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Much too quiet around here - makes me nervous! :yes:


Well, Bud, you know what one of our problems is. 

Then a couple of weeks back I had another go round with the ticker, but not so bad this time.

Then went over to town last week to pick up a few things for the house and managed to toss my back a mile out of whack. It never rains...

The missus is going over to Vancouver tomorrow to help out with the grandsons providing I can get her to the ferry. If I can't make it we have the offer of help from a friend here.

Cross your fingers that things will be much better in another week or so.


----------



## no1hustler

Take care of yourself. I miss your posts.


----------



## Bud Cline

Yessir! When it rains it pours it seems.


----------



## fixrite

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Keith. Take a moment to allow yourself some healing time.


----------



## scoggy

*Yours and my back!!*

Keith, my back goes out more than I do, and is usually accompanied by 'no knees', or "Hippo Magic"..so..guess you will have to adjust your ..work load, or..it will adjust you! I am still trying to get my downstairs bathroom done, and I think the time it has taken..I could have designed and built a robot..to do it for me! Will try for a 'hookup' if the marine weather gets more settled!
Cheers
Syd:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, my back goes out more than I do, and is usually accompanied by 'no knees'. Will try for a 'hookup' if the marine weather gets more settled!
> Cheers
> Syd:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


Hi Syd:

These past 4 or 5 days have been great as far as the wind goes, and then about two hours ago we got a pretty good blast right out of the west.

I think the back is almost 100% recovered now, although common sense tells me I shouldn't try anything too ridiculous.

Just got back from the dentist - always a treat - now have three new holes in my head and a much lighter wallet! 

Back in a bit with some more news.


----------



## Ironlight

Good to hear you are feeling better Keith. I know how awful it is throwing your back out. Everything becomes a chore, if you can do it at all, and there is always the fear you're going to tweak it and set yourself back.

If you start off by talking about the weather, I'm taking that is the best sign of things looking up


----------



## cocobolo

Ironlight said:


> If you start off by talking about the weather, I'm taking that is the best sign of things looking up


Well, here we are half way through April, for Pete's sake, and barely had a decent day yet. Just putting some photos through the resizing program...back shortly.


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## cocobolo

Despite all mother nature's shortcomings, what with the very long, cold and windy winter, it is finally warming up here. Temperatures are still frequently 4 or 5ºC below normal.

On April fools' day, I walked out of the house toward the cabin and saw the roof on fire!

Not really...just the heat of the early morning sun burning off some of the previous nights' rainfall.


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## cocobolo

And to add a little more proof that spring is doing it's best to make an appearance...here is one of the hummingbird bushes in bloom.

Yes, it's true what they say - when these bushes come out in bloom the hummingbirds arrive. There are several of the little guys here now.


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## cocobolo

I do believe that this wall represents the very last of the siding to be done on the house.

My excuse for not doing this one before was because the missus has the bed right in front of the wall full of plants, mostly Hosta's.

Now, as I'm sure most of you know Hosta's die right back in winter time, so that excuse didn't fly with wife number 2. Anyway, it's done now. Still some soffit to be done, but there's always another year for that. After all, the Hosta's are starting to poke through the ground now!


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## cocobolo

Couple more pics of the spring flowers...

White hyacinths and the camellia bush.


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## cocobolo

There has been a problem - to say the least - with the wood water tanks that we put in many years ago. In a few places, the sides have rotted and the tanks are close to bursting.

Ergo, it's time to do something about it.

Here's one end of the tanks (a pair) before I started the demo.


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## cocobolo

Please understand that I had to tackle this a little bit at a time as the old back still wasn't much good. So the shingles were the first thing to go and that was enough for one day.


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## cocobolo

Undoubtedly, you will note a couple of things...one is that the roof sheathing looks like it is soaking wet. It isn't...it's dry as a bone.

I suspect that the lack of ventilation has caused a large part of that discolouration likely from the inside of the tank.

Here most of the sheathing is off one end only. The other half may stay on as some sort of garden shed, we haven't decided yet.


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## cocobolo

Now the roof is toast, and I cut all that wood up for firewood. Dry as a bone and is making some great kindling.


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## cocobolo

Also in that picture above you can see that the liner has been taken off the sides of the water tank. It was held in place right up to the top of the tank sides with battens and stainless steel screws.

Before that was removed, it was necessary to pump the water out, so rather than waste it I transferred it to the pond in the Japanese garden.

There had been a number of issues with the liner holding water in the pond, but I made a determined effort to try and remedy the problem, and so far so good. 

There was about 1,000 gallons of water still in the tank, and the pond liner seems to be holding OK after it was all pumped in.


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## cocobolo

The twin water tanks held about 3,000 imperial gallons each, and one of them will be replaced with a new pressure treated wood tank (using the liner which came out of the old tank) but it will be reduced in size to somewhat over 2,700 imperial gallons.

Here is the start of the work to build the new tank. A stack of P.T. 2 x 4's.


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## cocobolo

It is the size of the old liner which has determined the size of the new tank. The original was 10 feet across with 5 foot high walls. So the liner was therefore 20 feet by 20 feet.

Since I will be using 4 foot high plywood, this would leave a maximum width available of 12 feet.

I had the nice man at the House of Pot cut the plywood into 32" widths for me (the whole lot for $5!) and this meant that I could fit 14 such sections at 32" wide into a 12' circle.

In order to keep all the edge connections tight and strong, I cut all the 2 x 4's which were on the sides of the sections to the appropriate angle so they would butt up tight against one another.

If I remember rightly, I think the angle needed was about 12.86º. Any cuts made in this P.T. wood need to be treated with end cut preservative, so that was done as things progressed.


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## cocobolo

Then the 2 x 4's were assembled into frames...


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## cocobolo

And then the plywood was added making nice sturdy sections...


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## cocobolo

Once the first one was done and the measurements were all checked to see that everything would be OK I did a sort of production line assembly of the rest.


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## cocobolo

Here's the whole shooting match nailed up...


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## cocobolo

Until such time as the rest of the old tank is taken apart, that's where the new tank will wait for now.

But there has been some small work to be done inside as well, so since I was quite able to use the table saw and planer with a bummed out back, I made some long strips for trim wood to go in the bathroom, along with about 150 pieces of vertical wood to finish the top wall sections.


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## cocobolo

Just in case there wasn't enough to keep me busy around here, on the Easter weekend there was a spot of bother with the outboard motor on the runabout.

I hadn't used it since the previous Tuesday to take the missus over to town to catch the Vancouver ferry.

On Saturday morning I went down to check things, and discovered much to my dismay that the motor had somehow magically lowered itself. Now I always raise the motor to come in with, because there is never much water where the boat resides, and when the tide falls, obviously there is diddley squat. Plus I turn the batteries off. 

I am still wondering if it was one of the many visitors here that weekend who couldn't leave well enough alone, but i guess I will never know for sure.

In any event, what I saw was the motor down in the muck actually holding the weight of the back of the boat in the air!


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## cocobolo

That wasn't a particularly pleasing sight, so I dug a hole under the engine and let the boat down. Then set about finding what might have happened.


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## cocobolo

Advice I received online and from the dealer suggested a faulty raise/lower switch, although that didn't explain the main battery switch being turned on.

Following the "simple" instructions to remove the offending switch, here's what I found you needed to do.


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## cocobolo

That's right, all that mess has to come apart just to get at this little two bit switch, which, as it turned out, is perfectly good after all.


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## cocobolo

Along with all this extra water in the pond, I thought perhaps I might try to see if I could do something toward building the new bridge over the pond. You might remember that I cut some big beams for the job some time back, and they have been sitting under a tarp ever since. They have also dried out and weigh a lot less than when they were green.

First thing I did was to find a very long 2 x 4 which I could lay across the pond to see where the bridge would look best. Yes, I did have a precise spot in mind, but this 2 x 4 was just a bit short to sit where I would prefer the bridge. A little more angle will look better, and I believe the bridge timbers are long enough to reach.


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## cocobolo

Here's one of the timbers after I uncovered it and dragged one end out on to a sawhorse for laying out and cutting.


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## cocobolo

That timber is 19' 2" long, so it is still quite weighty. It seems to have air dried well and shows no signs of cracking.

I bought a beam cutter attachment some time ago specifically for the purpose of cutting these bridge timbers. It is nothing more than a chainsaw bar and chain with a method of attaching it to a specific model circular saw - which I just happened to have.

When I first assembled this thing and gave it a test run, there was a terrible vibration. I experienced something very similar many years ago when I was using an experimental bar and chain made by an outfit over in Langley. 

That turned out to be a loose nose sprocket and the guys fixed it up for me no charge.

I called the company who made this beam cutter and explained the problem. Followed all the instructions to the letter, and still no joy. And for the life of me I could not find anything that appeared to be mechanically wrong.

Anyway, I tried the beam cutter on one timber to see if the action of the cutting would stop the vibration, but it did not.

The one cut I made with this thing wasn't good. It's essentially impossible to follow a line with the chain, due to the way it is made, as you cannot watch the leading edge of the chain. The cut - while it does indeed cut - is extremely rough. Any of my other regular chainsaws make a far smoother cut.

So my rating for this overpriced gadget is extremely poor.

Here's the first beam cut.


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## cocobolo

I used a wood batten to mark out the curve, and while I didn't get a pic of the first layout, here it is before I did the next cut.


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## cocobolo

Not having enjoyed the experience of using the beam cutter, I abandoned that idea in favor of using an electric handsaw to see if that might work.

I set the blade about 1 1/2" deep and took a shot. MUCH better. You can watch the blade and follow the line without difficulty. 

With the beam thickness of 3", the electric saw will not go all the way through. But I made one more cut with the blade at maximum depth, which I think is around 2 3/8" or so and then finished it off with a reciprocating saw.

Now that last part was very slow, and I have thought of another way to finish the cut since then.


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## cocobolo

The bridge awaits further work while I am involved with the usual ten projects at once.

When I need something light to do I can always start to see how a few plants will look around one end of the pond. I set a few out and it's going to look pretty darned good when everything is in place.


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## cocobolo

There are a couple of volunteer cherry trees growing by the pond, so I thought I might try the Japanese method of training some of the branches by hanging rocks from them.


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## cocobolo

Last weekend one of the neighbour ladies came over to see how I was doing (she's a real sweetheart) and said that her hubby had seen a big log out in front of their place. But it was too big for him to cut up for firewood, so would I like to have it? Sure, why not.

So on the tide the next day I paddled the canoe out, dogged the log up and pulled it in to our place. It turned out to be 32' long. Pretty decent size.


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## cocobolo

You see two logs in that pic, well the far one was floating just past the neighbour's cabin when I looked out the following day. So I thought, hmmmm, maybe that's the log she was talking about.

Once again, on the tide that evening I went out to look, and this one was indeed huge. Turned out to be a boom log and it was much more fun trying to get this one in to the head of the bay.

Here's all 68' of it floated right in.


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## cocobolo

This log came with a few extras, in the form of three boom chains and two nice new dogs with lines! Thank you very much! 

Each boom chain weighs 40 lbs and some of the locals use them as anchors for small boats.

The big log measures out at one full cord of wood. Believe me, that's big!


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## cocobolo

There was a herring spawn here just over a week ago, and here's one of the local boats trying to track the fish down.


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## gma2rjc

That's one HUGE log to cut Keith. Having the boats sitting near it really gives a sense of how long it is.

It's nice to have you posting in this thread again.


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## BigJim

My stars Keith, that is a bunch of things you have been busy with, just absolutely amazing, I just don't see how you can hold up doing all of that. It's good to see you posting.


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars Keith, that is a bunch of things you have been busy with, just absolutely amazing, I just don't see how you can hold up doing all of that. It's good to see you posting.


Tell you the truth Jim, I haven't done much at any one time. So, it has been a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Doing some work in the Japanese garden this afternoon, mostly cleaning up the horrible mess left by the winter winds. That and a couple of years of outright neglect. 

I'm going to see if I can build a small header pool to circulate water from the pond itself. That way I can have a go at building a small waterfall to add sound to the garden. I have one of those deer scarers to incorporate which adds that extra element to annoy the neighbours. :whistling2:

But first I need to clear the area out where the little header pool will go, lots of growth there to get rid of. I'll get a few photos as that progresses.


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## Bud Cline

> Tell you the truth Jim, I haven't done much at any one time. So, it has been a little bit of this and a little bit of that.


Sounds like "Attention Deficit Syndrome".
I seem to excel at that these days.:yes::yes::yes:

Glad to see this thread breathing again.:wink:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Sounds like "Attention Deficit Syndrome".
> I seem to excel at that these days.:yes::yes::yes:
> 
> Glad to see this thread breathing again.:wink:


If this is the official medical diagnosis, then I'll accept it.

But mostly in the past it has been HRH always asking "When are you going to do this, and when are you going to do that?" So now I can offer up a perfectly logical medical explanation. :thumbsup:

Thanks for that Bud...always nice to have another excu...er...I mean reason.


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## cocobolo

The area where the small header pool is to go sits under that grey liner to the left of the photo. I did make a feeble attempt to clean it out last year...or maybe it was the year before (attention deficit syndrome at work here) but the salal has overtaken the whole area again.


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## cocobolo

It looks about like this after I cleaned most of it out, and I did a bit more after this photo.

So now I can see what sort of small area there will be for the pool and what plantings I need to put there. I plan on covering the bottom of the pool with smooth rocks.


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## BigJim

That is going to look sharp Keith.

Hey Bud, good to see you.


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## Bud Cline

Never left *here*!


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## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Never left *here*!


Good deal.:thumbsup:


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## Bud Cline

> If this is the official medical diagnosis, then I'll accept it.


Yup, that's it.

In this country medicare allows a certain maximum invoicing for a diagnosis-only and as soon as I determine what that amount is in your country I'll be increasing that "allowed amount" by one hundred-fifty percent and sending you a statement for my services. That way when all the arguing is over the (payable) amount is determined, I'll still have a lot more money than the diagnosis was worth to begin with. This will take a long time, maybe six months or so so be prepared to wait and be prepared to get gouged ($$$).:laughing:

Hey...no thanks necessary just trying to be a :thumbup:team-player.


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yup, that's it.
> 
> In this country medicare allows a certain maximum invoicing for a diagnosis-only and as soon as I determine what that amount is in your country I'll be increasing that "allowed amount" by one hundred-fifty percent and sending you a statement for my services. That way when all the arguing is over the (payable) amount is determined, I'll still have a lot more money than the diagnosis was worth to begin with. This will take a long time, maybe six months or so so be prepared to wait and be prepared to get gouged ($$$).:laughing:
> 
> Hey...no thanks necessary just trying to be a :thumbup:team-player.


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

It's OK, I'll thank you anyway...I needed a good chuckle this morning. Woke up with a messed up back again dammit.  Not too bad, but obviously can't go cutting up any big logs today.


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## Bud Cline

> Woke up with a messed up back again dammit.


Okay......that's "Task Related Spinal Column Trauma".

...and another invoice will be on its way soon.:yes: Thank's Keith, hell,this is better than working for a living.:thumbup:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Okay......that's "Task Related Spinal Column Trauma".
> 
> ...and another invoice will be on its way soon.:yes: Thank's Keith, hell,this is better than working for a living.:thumbup:


Bud, you definitely missed your calling. You should have been a comedian! :laughing:


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## cocobolo

Despite the task related spinal column trauma, the sun was shining this morning so it was necessary to take advantage of that.

After brekky, I put my big back belt on and wandered down to the J garden to see how things looked in the light of day. On the way, I did see that the bonfire pile was starting to reach Guinness World record proportions, so I figured I could set that on fire without straining the back too early in the day.

Once that was well and truly going (did you read the smoke signals Squid?) I started on some more clearing where the small header pond will be going.

As luck would have it, it was only a few more inches down to bedrock, which was a good thing. So, throughout the day, I nibbled away at that which inevitably led to me having to remove a big old Douglas fir root. And this is where the day's fun really began.

There was already an old chainsaw cut part way through the root. So I finished that cut (old chain in the saw) and removed one section of root.


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## cocobolo

Now, as you can clearly see in that first photo above, the root decided to split into three at that point...no doubt that was the reason I couldn't budge it, even with the big railroad bar.

So more digging ensued, and slowly the area got opened up. Here's the whole area starting to get cleared.


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## cocobolo

Hmmmm...I see that none of these pics are showing the steep rock slope where the big root is very well. I think once I get it cleaned properly and swept off tomorrow it will be more obvious.

Anyway, this is the last of the root pieces that will be removed. The roots are still 8" at that point and it would appear that they carry on for some considerable distance. Since I'm not concerned about that they can stay put.


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## cocobolo

About mid afternoon, this showed up in the sky...halo around the sun. That indicates rain within 24 hours. It would sure be nice if mother nature was wrong this time as another day of working there should see it ready to have the liner installed.


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## cocobolo

Finally, I can spill the beans about why there was no posting for so long on my thread here. Aside from the minor troubles you all know about, the worst thing was that our daughter was diagnosed with cancer in late January.

It seemed to take forever to get any treatments going and the lack of knowing what was going to happen had all of us on edge.

On Good Friday she finished the original 7 weeks of treatments, radiation and chemo, at which time the cancer was supposed to be gone and the big tumour was supposed to have shrunk. That didn't happen. So she received another week of treatment this week, and now we will have to wait until mid May when they will do more testing to see if the cancer is beaten and if the big tumour has shrunk.

It is things like this that alter one's perspective on life I can tell you.

Mrs. Coco has been over in Vancouver a couple of times helping look after the grandson's while all this has been going on.

So, my apologies for not keeping on top of things, but sometimes there is a good reason for my apparent lax ways.


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## fixrite

Sorry to hear about your daughter Keith. Hope all the treatment works out for the best. You need not apologize as family comes first. Your puddle I mean pond making looks great as well.:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## cocobolo

A pretty nice day here today, and the rock face is now cleaned off and ready to go.


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## cocobolo

While wandering somewhat aimlessly down behind the pond, I just happened to glance toward the fence line.

It seems I may have tried to steal a few inches of the neighbour's property...oooops.

I will have to pull a line down to be sure, but it looks like one very tiny bit of the pond actually goes over the line. This may end up being one of those "just in case" things, so as soon as I check the line and if it's over, or even too close, I will move the pond edge.


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## cocobolo

Perhaps it's a good thing I looked when I did, as that prompted me to move the location of the bridge footing several feet to the south, where it will have more room.

I picked up three bags of 6,000PSI concrete mix last trip to town, and retrieved said bags from the sailboat earlier today. That, plus I had brought back some garden soil to plant some of the rhodos and azaleas around the pond.

Three more bags will be needed for the opposite footing as well. Looks like more wind tomorrow, so maybe will try for a Tuesday crossing.

Made up a simple form and cobbled together some heavy re-bar for the footing.


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## cocobolo

With a small form like this - about three square feet in total - one bag of concrete mix placed on the WETTED ground first will provide enough height for the re-bar.


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## cocobolo

First side all done...looking toward where the header pond will be and across to where the opposite landing will be.


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## leiona

Ooooh so glad you are doing a pond. we are gonna be working on that very same type of project this summer! I like it when i can steal your ideas lol:thumbup:
We got turtles the size of a silver dollar three years ago at the beach for our fish tank, who knew they would grow into monsters a foot wide!! so a pond is in order i guess. 
I hope everythings going good for you otherwise..best wishes!


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## cocobolo

Foot wide turtles! That seems to be pretty big there Leiona. All I have in my pond is little frogs at the moment.

Today I went across to find out about plants for the pond, and there are several things that you can use. Unfortunately, I was two or three weeks early, as the cold weather in these parts has slowed the spring growth from starting.

However, the first thing I can put in the pond is some duckweed. This helps to oxygenate the water and reduce the algae.

The gal at the store that has all the right stuff showed me several ponds, but she said you can't see anything yet as it is barely starting to grow.

One thing for sure, the price of water lilies has sure skyrocketed since I built my last pond...mind you, it was about 35 years ago.

Also got some lovely new Rhodo hybrids for the Japanese garden.

Terrible weather today, wind and rain all day. Hopefully better tomorrow so I can get some planting done.


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## Ironlight

leiona said:


> Ooooh so glad you are doing a pond. we are gonna be working on that very same type of project this summer! I like it when i can steal your ideas lol:thumbup:
> We got turtles the size of a silver dollar three years ago at the beach for our fish tank, who knew they would grow into monsters a foot wide!! so a pond is in order i guess.
> I hope everythings going good for you otherwise..best wishes!


Leiona if you have little green turtles that you bought at the pet store, then they are likely not going to survive through the winter outside. They are probably some variety of southern slider, such as "red eared sliders" and are indigenous to warmer climes. If you have "eastern sliders", they are dark, almost black on top, and yellow underneath, but I've never seen those sold in pet stores. I believe they will survive the winter outdoors, hibernating, but designing the pond in a way that makes that possible (deep enough, mud on the bottom, etc.) might be a serious undertaking.


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## leiona

I will probly winter the turtles inside in a spare tank...and a foot may be a slight overestimate lol...about 6 in or so now.
Keith, could you check my thread, I am having some serious issues hanging my shelves and i need some advice bad!


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## cocobolo

Out working in the garden yesterday when I heard what sounded like a small version of one of the hovercraft coming close by.

It looks like Westcoast Air has a new toy. Haven't seen this one before. They were back and forth for several hours getting used to the new plane I guess.


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## cocobolo

A chocolate lily growing up by the pathway in front of the house. It is a native plant here in B.C., but not seen very often. I think they have very specific growing requirements.


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## cocobolo

Our big Rhodo by the runner bean bed is on its' way out right now. Hope this continued rain doesn't destroy the flowers too quickly.


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## cocobolo

One of the missus' Camellias.


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## cocobolo

As promised...I moved the far side of the pond earlier today. Now it is well within its' proper confines.


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## cocobolo

When it first started to rain quite hard here early this afternoon, there were bubbles all over the pond caused by the big raindrops. Hundreds of them.

Unfortunately, they don't last long, and by the time I got the camera they were mostly gone.


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## cocobolo

But before the rain hit I was doing some screening of the dirt dug out of the bank. Many, many weeds and roots which will find their way to the bonfire.

But got some soil which will need to be mixed with peat moss and bark mulch for the rhodos.


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## cocobolo

Sometimes the different reflections in the pond look OK.


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## cocobolo

Some early growth on the coral bark Japanese maple.


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## cocobolo

A couple more from the wife's garden.

I think they are narcissus.


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## cocobolo

Sunset from a couple of evenings ago - not a lot of choice at this time of year.


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## cocobolo

Two or three days ago I noticed what looked like the upper pond liner raising itself off the bottom of the pond. I was sure it wasn't an optical conclusion so I collected a bunch of rocks from the beach and tossed them all over the pond. It only worked partially.

I finally figured out that it must have been all the rain we have had since the top liner went in, which was falling on the original liner and filling the space between the two.

So I thought well, if I can pump the water between the two liners out of that space and on to the top liner that should to the trick.

Now, some time ago, this super nice guy down in Tennessee sent me an equally nice bilge pump. Thinking that this might just be the cat's whiskers to do the job, I ran a 12 volt line down from the cabin to the pond and hooked the pump up.

Too bad I didn't get a photo of when the pump first started running! Wow, that sucker really works. By the time I thought of a photo, there was almost no water left between the liners. It did a great job, and now the top liner has set itself back down on the bottom again.

THANKS JIM! :thumbsup:


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## BigJim

Man, what a fantastic breath of fresh air, your pond, the fresh digging in the dirt, the beautiful flowers and sunset, that is such a comforting feeling, I can almost smell that dirt. 

Buddy, I am glad you could use the pump, it is the other way around, I thank you for the fantastic gift you gave me.


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## cocobolo

The wind has veered from the north west (coming in to the bay) around to the south, which means calm in the Japanese garden. 

I just got the big pile of dirt all screened, now to get rid of all the junk I screened out.

Then get some soil mixed and hopefully - if this lovely sunshine holds - get a few plants in the ground.


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## Bud Cline

> I just got the big pile of dirt all screened, now to get rid of all the junk I screened out.


No ancient artifacts to declare???
If yes...then Sh-h-h-h-h-h!
The place will be crawling with University-type researchers.:laughing:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> No ancient artifacts to declare???
> If yes...then Sh-h-h-h-h-h!
> The place will be crawling with University-type researchers.:laughing:


Unfortunately no.

But there is a property on the island that the owners found some old human skulls on about 20 years ago. It might have been an old Indian burial ground.

The R.C.M.P. told them to keep quiet about it, otherwise the place would be crawling with natives from one of the local reserves. Then, no doubt all hell would break loose.

Could be fun...maybe I should have a chat with the local chief...hmmm.


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## cocobolo

Not much in the way of pics tonight I'm afraid. I spent a big part of the day with chainsaw in hand taking out some ratty looking arbutus, chopped them up and had a big bonfire.

The small header pond area is now all cleared out (photo) and I started to get a few plants in the ground.

There was an old weed tree at the end of the pond where the header stream will feed it, so that needed to come out. I swear I have never seen such tough roots for such a small tree.

I planted one of the seed grown Japanese maples in its' place...much, much tidier looking.


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## cocobolo

Busy day today, especially since the sun was out this morning.

First thing I did this morning was to make up some otter wood. Never heard of otter wood? That's good, because you don't really ever want to need any.

A few days ago, late at night, I heard what sounded like a couple of squirrels racing around on the decks outside. Except squirrels are usually quiet at night.

Evidence the next morning indicated we had been visited by otters overnight. They love to get underneath open spaces below the cabins here. I have no idea why they do this, but when they leave their calling card, you know all about it.

Time, therefore, for some otter wood.

To my knowledge, this is the first time in all the years we have been here, to be blessed with such a nocturnal visit. I hope it's the last.

This wood needs to be pre-stained before I nail it on, and when it gets done I'll show you.


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## cocobolo

Next up was to make some short fence posts which will go behind the pond. And yes, they will be on the proper line!

Added some wood treatment to stretch their life a little.


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## cocobolo

I have worked out a way (I hope) of delineating the outside line of the pond without everything collapsing into the pond.

The first part of which will be some treated wood "bricks", which will be hidden under the first liner. More about these later when I try to install a few.


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## cocobolo

Part of this delineation will be the use of some cut clay tiles, used in a similar fashion as in the garden. Only had 10 left, so cut them in half to make them go further. If I can find some more up at the used building recycler I will grab them.


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## cocobolo

The real work started when I decided to tackle some serious leveling and earth moving at the north end of the pond.

Here I have just made a small dent thus far.


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## cocobolo

Before proceeding much further, it was necessary to move a small woodpile out of the way of the soon-to-be newly minted ground.


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## cocobolo

I think that pile has been sitting under some tarps for about 10 years or so. Frankly, I'm surprised that any of it was still good. Definitely not cabinet grade any more - except for some nice arbutus slabs - but it will be useful for some of the fence.

As the digging progressed, slowly I might add, things started to shape up quite well.


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## cocobolo

Kinda messed that up didn't I?

The last photo above shows the area before I did any digging there. That way you will know what I started with.

OK, I think this pic is a better look at the result from the end being fixed up pretty well.


----------



## cocobolo

At this point, things were going far too smoothly. And when that is the case, disaster is usually right around the corner.

This time it was a small pebble rather firmly stuck in the ground. I got what I thought was one corner of this little pebble unearthed, stuck the shovel in and pushed. Didn't budge an inch.

Gave it another push...still no movement..OK, one more time...this time the shovel handle broke. :furious:


----------



## cocobolo

Good thing we keep more than one shovel on hand...Home Depot loves guys like me.

After digging around this little chunk of rock, I figured it would be easiest (easiest???) to dig an earth ramp and try to roll the offending pebble out of the way.


----------



## cocobolo

Then using a combination of the big pry bar on a rock, and slowly filling beneath the pebble with dirt, it slowly managed to get raised up.


----------



## cocobolo

It turned out to be just a tad heavier than I first thought, and it was all I could do to get the  thing out of the hole and rolled out of the way.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I remembered the reason that the pond had a kink in it at this end. There was the mother of all Douglas fir stumps - along with the various and sundry roots - in the way.

Roots or no, they had to go. The stump itself will stay and should look quite in keeping with the garden at that spot.


----------



## cocobolo

Now I fully realize that if you got some strapping 20 year old muscle bound kid to do this job, he would have had it all wrapped up in maybe 5 or 6 days, what with all the shovel leaning, coffee breaks, smoke breaks, work breaks and every other kind of break.

But old guys like me aren't quite that quick, and this took me nearly three hours all together.

Doesn't look too bad from this side, and all that fill has been H.A. leveled off, and hopefully, a small building will materialize there soon. It will be a moon viewing station, often found in Japanese gardens which have ponds.


----------



## cocobolo

OK now...remember the photo that I messed up with a few posts back? That's how it looked then, and this is how it looks now.


----------



## cocobolo

As usual, I managed to not get a pic of the little seed grown maple in daylight, so this isn't great. It is the replacement for that weed tree where the stream will go into the pond.


----------



## cocobolo

One last shot for the evening - again it was getting quite dark - this one of the blossoms out on the volunteer Bing cherry tree overhanging the pond.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> *Now I fully realize that if you got some strapping 20 year old muscle bound kid to do this job, he would have had it all wrapped up in maybe 5 or 6 days, what with all the shovel leaning, coffee breaks, smoke breaks, work breaks and every other kind of break.
> 
> But old guys like me aren't quite that quick, and this took me nearly three hours all together.*
> 
> Doesn't look too bad from this side, and all that fill has been H.A. leveled off, and hopefully, a small building will materialize there soon. It will be a moon viewing station, often found in Japanese gardens which have ponds.


You're kidding, right? If I had 2 other people working with me, it would have taken well into the middle of summer - more like fall - to get this far. It's looking fantastic Keith! 

Thanks for posting all the pics. It's really nice to follow along with the progress. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the moon viewing station too.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I'm looking forward to seeing the moon viewing station too.


Me too, except that I don't really know quite what it will even look like just yet.

They are usually just a small seating area, open on one side so you can see the moon, and generally accommodate two or three people.


----------



## cocobolo

A few days ago I spotted a little newt in the pond...and yesterday I saw a pair of them. Tried to get a pic, but to no avail.

This afternoon they were playing around on a small piece of a fir branch.


----------



## cocobolo

The wood bricks I cut a few days ago are used like this.

Lift up the edge of the liners. Then dig down enough so that the wood brick will be just below the surface level of the pond. Sit the wood brick in place and try and tamp it somewhat level.


----------



## cocobolo

I know that's a crummy picture, but what do you expect for nothing?

Next, just lay the liners on top of the wood brick(s) and sit a chunk of marble on top. 

The idea is to have it so that the marble sits just in the water, like so.


----------



## cocobolo

I thought it would be a good idea to get the fence framing in place before going too far with that marble edging, just in case of any mis-alignment troubles.

So with my newly acquired shovel - you know what happened to the last one - I started digging post holes.


----------



## cocobolo

The digging was pretty easy there and it didn't take too long to get the first bit in.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm not quite sure if the lower fence rail will clear that cedar tree, so I opted to put a post on each side of the tree. I'll find out when I get to adding the lower rails.


----------



## cocobolo

One corner of the pond with both marble and drain tile set around the edge.


----------



## cocobolo

A selection of the new rhodos that we brought home the other day.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of the Pieris Japonica that I got from a nursery in Sydney a few years ago...both doing very well in the J. garden.


----------



## cocobolo

General shot of the fence from the south end. The plantings I add should soften the look.

Of course, there are no lower rails and fence boards yet. I'll get started on that on the next good weather day. We may be in for a rainy patch.


----------



## cocobolo

The rain might be here PDQ. This was the angry sky late this afternoon.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, the pond is fantastic, the flowers are just stunning, that is going to be one beautiful place soon. I got a question for you, what is the pond liner made of and how long will it last?


----------



## cocobolo

Jim...there are two liners in the pond. The first one I put in we originally bought to line a big water tank with. Ended up making two smaller tanks and using only half the liner. So the second half of the original liner went down in the pond.

I did try to find out what it was made of from the supplier, but they actually didn't know. I would say judging by the colour that it is a poly vinyl chloride based product. One thing I do know is that I couldn't find any sort of glue that would stick to it. It needs to be heat welded for any repairs.

The top one has the words "Flexible Polyethylene Geomembrane" proudly emblazoned on it.

As for their life span, I really don't know. But many of these types of plastic are touted as having long lives. The dark colours will definitely help with the UV, but I don't know the answer to that part of your question.

As purely a guess, I might say between 20 and 50 years.

Fixed the broken shovel handle today...better than throwing it away.

I ground off the rivet that holds the handle in place, then punched the broken part of the handle out of the shovel end. Cut the handle off square, and then sanded it to match (sort of) the old end. Drove it back in to the shovel and used a nail as a rivet.


----------



## Bud Cline

Waste not - want not!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim...there are two liners in the pond. The first one I put in we originally bought to line a big water tank with. Ended up making two smaller tanks and using only half the liner. So the second half of the original liner went down in the pond.
> 
> I did try to find out what it was made of from the supplier, but they actually didn't know. I would say judging by the colour that it is a poly vinyl chloride based product. One thing I do know is that I couldn't find any sort of glue that would stick to it. It needs to be heat welded for any repairs.
> 
> The top one has the words "Flexible Polyethylene Geomembrane" proudly emblazoned on it.
> 
> As for their life span, I really don't know. But many of these types of plastic are touted as having long lives. The dark colours will definitely help with the UV, but I don't know the answer to that part of your question.
> 
> As purely a guess, I might say between 20 and 50 years.
> 
> Fixed the broken shovel handle today...better than throwing it away.
> 
> I ground off the rivet that holds the handle in place, then punched the broken part of the handle out of the shovel end. Cut the handle off square, and then sanded it to match (sort of) the old end. Drove it back in to the shovel and used a nail as a rivet.


Thanks Keith, I looked it up and it is a PVC liner, I will do a little research to see the life of it. I appreciate you looking for me.

I am with you on the handle, I like to bring older tools back to life to use, there is just something satisfying about that.


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, did you buy the newts or did they wander into the pond by themselves?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, did you buy the newts or did they wander into the pond by themselves?


They just materialized all by their little selves.


----------



## gma2rjc

Bargain! Are you seeing any frogs or toads?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Bargain! Are you seeing any frogs or toads?


We don't so much see them as hear them. Noisy little guys! I love it! Drives the missus nuts! Hehehehehe! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

The past two days have seen us cut up more firewood. Some time back there was a decent red cedar out on the rocks. Part of it got cut, but the rest managed to get itself lodged in between some rocks and it was too hard to get at.

Since it didn't seem like it was going to float off any time soon, I decided to take the peavey out and try to claim the rest of the cedar.


----------



## cocobolo

Also a nice but smaller douglas fir waiting out there patiently for someone to show it some love. It too had been stuck on the rocks there for several weeks.


----------



## cocobolo

There's another 30' long fir sitting at the tide line at the head of the bay. Looks like it may have been in the water for awhile as there is no bark left on it. I might have a shot at that one tomorrow if it's still there.


----------



## cocobolo

Judging by the colour of the chainsaw chips, I think this one cut up yesterday must have been hemlock. They are almost white when they are first cut...but the salt water reacts quite a bit to change things.


----------



## cocobolo

Back in post 6242 I showed a pic of the coral bark maple just breaking into leaf.

Sure didn't take long to break right out...especially considering the very poor weather we have had.


----------



## cocobolo

In fact, the missus was saying today that it looks like we may have lost the apricot fruit again this year due to the cold, rain and wind at the wrong time. I guess we will see.

But looking into the throat of this rhodo you'd think it had been gorgeous. Of course, they like it damp and a little on the cool side.

Did you know that many of the original rhodos from which most of todays' hybrids are descended came from the Himalayas? Tis true.


----------



## cocobolo

Today I spent several hours trying to get more of the edging done on the back edge of the pond. It's coming along OK. And in the process of doing that, I needed to dig up everything alongside in order to get the ground ready for some limited planting.

If anyone is short of a few roots and would like some of mine...:furious:


----------



## cocobolo

I did eventually get just past the bridge footing, and got the first rock grouping in place (that's not rock group...as in Pink Floyd, but grouping...as in Japanese gardens) and a few plants.


----------



## cocobolo

I have a book here called "Niwaki", by Jake Hobson.

Now, most of you won't have heard of such a name before...heaven knows I sure hadn't...but it is all about how the Japanese prune and train their pine trees.

It's quite a lengthy process, and although I don't expect to be here to see the end result, I thought I would embark on the first stages of this Niwaki.

The candles which grow at the tips of the branches every spring need to be pruned. This causes side shoots to grow and makes the branches fill out. I doubtless should have done this a couple of years ago, but...

Now, several of the higher candles are comprised of several different sized candles, and what you do is to remove the biggest one - which would end up being the leader - in order that the others can form side shoots.

You might need to look pretty closely here, but there is a little spot in the middle of the candles. That is where I pruned off the leader.

The second pic is after most of the candles have been taken off. This is a Tanyosho Pine b.t.w.


----------



## cocobolo

Back over to the back side of the pond where I did get a small bed done. Planted, watered and mulched. Now we cross our fingers.


----------



## cocobolo

Went around to Herring Bay this morning and cut up some more firewood. The plan was to carry on in the Japanese garden as soon as that was done.

Mother nature decided that we needed another good soaking, and a hailstorm thrown in for good measure! So the garden idea went out the window.

It did try and clear up late this evening, but mother nature's attempt at a sunset wasn't that good.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, so much for government weather forecasts. Despite the doom and gloom, it was a pretty nice day...so out in the garden we went.

First thing this morning, I noticed that the tide had delivered another log right to our float. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, that got chopped up for firewood. 

Today was the day to get started working on the bridge timbers. So, first things first, I clamped the pair together. There was some considerable unevenness on the top which needed attention.


----------



## cocobolo

I tried to get some new blades for my planer last week, but the House of Pot no longer carries either the blades or the planer. Now they have a nice small Ryobi, with an extra set of blades, so I got one of them instead.

For such a small planer it works pretty well, only a 5 amp motor.

It took about 15 minutes to get both the timbers to match, which wasn't bad considering they are 19 feet long.


----------



## cocobolo

Then they needed to be treated, so that was done next.

I covered the wood up for the night as it does look like the promised rain will be here shortly. Next dry day will see a coat of stain on.


----------



## cocobolo

With a little luck there will be some small pavers between the end of the bridge and where the future moon viewing building will be. 

I did manage to find a few in a most unusual location.


----------



## Bud Cline

Okay Mr. Magic...

Explain the "arch" (s).  Someone must have torn those pages from my book.


----------



## cocobolo

See the post there? That's under one end of the toolshed.

The shed was originally set on to an old tree stump. I know, I know, you shouldn't do dumb things like that, but what can I say.

Predictably, the old stump rotted away a few years ago, and I had several of those pavers on hand. So I jacked up the toolshed, removed the remains of the old stump and put in a concrete block and 9 pavers.

Now, since I needed them for walking on rather than holding up a building, I chainsawed a chunk of log to fit the space, jacked up the building again, retrieved the pavers, and installed the log.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Okay Mr. Magic...
> 
> Explain the "arch" (s).  Someone must have torn those pages from my book.


Somewhere back a few pages, there should be something about me hacking up - and I use that word advisedly - some perfectly good planks to make these bridge timbers.

That was with the beam cutter, the one that does not perform as advertised.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was sitting down at the end of the pond contemplating life, a little sparrow was hopping down the edging trying to find a spot that was close enough to the water for him (her?) to reach to have a drink.


----------



## cocobolo

Where the bridge ends will be, I have nailed the liners on to the concrete form. This was in preference to using any sort of brick, as it will be essentially impossible to reach under the bridge to effect any adjustment should it be necessary in future.


----------



## cocobolo

This afternoon, while I was toiling mightily away (yeah, sure) I noticed what appeared to be a rainbow reflected in the pond.

It turned out to be an unusual sundog.

Now, as most of you already know, a sundog is refracted light from the sun where it passes through a moisture laden cloud at an angle of about 22º from between the sun and where you are standing. These sundogs are seen either to the left or right of the sun, sometimes both at the same time.

But this is the first time I have ever seen one overhead. And looking at it carefully, I surmised that the angle would indeed be about 22º, making this a sundog rather than a rainbow...there being no rain.


----------



## cocobolo

I did try to take a pic of the reflection...but I had just switched the camera over to manual focus for the sundog shot and forgot to switch it back to auto. Some days...

Anyway, at the end of the day I had managed to get some more edging done and this is as far as I got.

There were several other pics, but some damn fool left the camera on manual focus...


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Okay Mr. Magic...
> 
> Explain the "arch" (s).  Someone must have torn those pages from my book.


Bud, go back to post 6196. That and the next post or two should cover it.


----------



## cocobolo

Back in the garden today and finished this small bed near the south end of the pond.

The bed was dug up, screened (15 wheelbarrow loads) remixed with peat moss and fine bark mulch, then put back together.

Only 4 new plants added, two rhodos, one bamboo and one Japanese maple. Plus the second sentinel rock was added by the concrete pad.


----------



## cocobolo

Cloudy this morning, but that soon gave way to sun for the rest of the day...still none too warm.

Today was the day we have a shot at getting the bridge timbers in place. First up was to get them stained, the sun had them dried in about two hours. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

The original plan to move them into place was for me to grab each timber in the middle and wade through the pond and set them on the pads. Except that I had thrown a few hundred rocks into the pond in an attempt - vain I might add - to keep the second liner down. So plan B was devised.

I would lift one end of each timber and carry it several feet down one side of the pond. Then repeat that on the other side etc. until the timber was in place.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, that wasn't too bad.

One to go.


----------



## cocobolo

Now that the meat of the bridge is in place, we just need a few potatoes.

This is the first bunch of deck boards getting treated.


----------



## BigJim

My stars, you are tougher than nails Keith, that would be hard for a 30 year old, just unreal.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> My stars, you are tougher than nails Keith, that would be hard for a 30 year old, just unreal.


Not really Jim, just stubborn.

There's still quite a bit of the decking wood left to cut, treat and stain, but hopefully I might have it in place by this evening. Off to an early start this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

What's that they say...the best laid plans of mice and men...?

The bridge deck got set aside while I made two trips over to town. One for an 830 pound load of masonry stuff, and the next load was landscape ties. I didn't realize the masonry would be quite so heavy...a bit much for the old Lumina to manage all the way from Coombs.

However it's all here now and safely onshore.

But first a couple of quick pics of last nights' sunset.


----------



## cocobolo

I picked up a variety of masonry products so I could get a few things finished up.

There will now be a set of stairs/steps going from the deck on the cabin down to the Japanese garden.

The four pier blocks are now set closely in place ready to be framed, most of the lumber for which I do not have...that will be another trip.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see from the above pic, it's a little steep going down that bank.

I got 15 landscape ties to make some sort of retaining wall around the big fir stump. Hopefully, that will make a good spot to get some more of the rhodos in the ground.


----------



## cocobolo

You never quite know what you will find at the building material re-cyclers, but they do have a good selection of masonry products. The only trouble is that the supply is always changing and you need to get everything of the same item at one time, or risk not being able to find it next trip.

Well, I didn't do that with the pavers and the small red bricks, because I wasn't yet sure just how it was all to be laid out...but the test results were pretty good, so now I need another 250 of the small blocks and maybe 80 of the pavers.

That amounts to about 2,300 lbs. which translates to three trips.

This is roughly how the pavers and red bricks will be going in.


----------



## cocobolo

Also picked up a few of the split face blocks to use as a low level retaining wall at one of the garden beds.


----------



## cocobolo

Nice day today - still cold - but got the staining finished on the bridge deck pieces and managed to get a few nailed on.

Before that was started, I tacked some 15 lb. roofing felt on to the bridge timbers as added protection.


----------



## cocobolo

I have tried to work out what the spaces need to be between the deck boards, so that they come out evenly. Bit of a long shot, but I'm trying 7/32" and thicknessed a board to that size to use as a spacer.


----------



## cocobolo

Whether or not that will work out remains to be seen. The drill I was using to pre drill the nail holes ran out of juice after the first half a dozen pieces.

The rest are sitting there loosely.


----------



## cocobolo

One of the bamboos, a sasa palmata, is showing it's first new shoot of the year.


----------



## Double

Looking great, I like the roofing felt, seems like a good solution.


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith,

I have run out of adjectives to use to describe your work. The word "amazing" just doesn't seem to be suitable any longer.


----------



## cocobolo

Double said:


> Looking great, I like the roofing felt, seems like a good solution.


Welcome to the thread Double. 

And yes, the roofing felt trick really does make a difference. I first used this idea about the mid '80's on a deck where the customer had a six year old house and the deck frame had rotted away already. 

He couldn't afford P.T. wood at the time, so we had him treat the contact edges before we added the decking, and then added strips of the felt to the entire frame. It's a cheap solution which about doubles the life of such a deck.


----------



## cocobolo

The promised sunny days are here at last! Gorgeous today, but still cool.

Another trip to town today for a variety of stuff. First down to Ladysmith for propane, then to Rona for some 2 x 6's and dek blocks. Got the 2 x 6's, forgot the dek blocks!  

Then back up to Coombs to get the remaining 250 red bricks I needed for the J garden pathways. I was concerned that they might run out, and they have nearly done so. They have lots of the grey pavers, so another trip for them later.

Anyway, it was one trip back to the marina to load the propane and 2 x 6's.

Another trip back after I got the red bricks and got them loaded. Then I decided I really did need the dek blocks, so back to Rona and got them. Now I have no excuse not to be able to do the back steps. Except that everything is still out on the sailboat, and we have no high tides to get anything up to the float. So it will be paddling the canoe out, loading a few hundred pounds at a time and lugging it from where ever the canoe will come in to.

Anyone know where I can get a deal on some foam bricks? :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

This morning's crossing was one of those almost ideal days for a trip. A few degrees warmer would have been perfect.

The Fisheries buildings were lit up in the early morning sun so I snapped a few pics. This is about the best one.

It's a government organization whose job I believe is to vacuum up large amounts of money and make it disappear into the ether.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith,
> 
> I have run out of adjectives to use to describe your work. The word "amazing" just doesn't seem to be suitable any longer.


As is often the case Bud, you are too kind. But "Thankyou" anyway.


----------



## cocobolo

Unloading day today.

Inside the boat cabin I had the 2 x 6's and propane tanks.


----------



## cocobolo

All the masonry stuff was out in the cockpit.

250 red bricks - 875 lbs. 4 dek blocks - 200 lbs. Lumber and propane was another 330 lbs.


----------



## cocobolo

The manufacturer claims that this canoe will hold 815 lbs. Wipe out 200 lbs for me and that leaves a 615 lb payload. 

Well, they were right...I actually exceeded the total by a few pounds. 

I shot this when I was sitting in the canoe...a little anxious to say the least!


----------



## cocobolo

Got it to shore OK. Here we are looking back out into the bay. Please note that this is the second terrific day in a row...7 more like this in the forecast!!!! :thumbup:

One of the neighbours took pity on me and gave me a hand to move some of the red bricks to shore. They only have about a 7' plastic dinghy (which is cracked) so that was very nice of them.


----------



## gma2rjc

It's hard to imagine how much you have to do to get materials to your house. Loading them into your van at the store. Drive back to the harbor. Make multiple trips hauling them from the harbor parking lot, down to the boat and loading them so that one side of the boat doesn't have more weight than the other. Sailing back to the bay, unloading everything into the canoe, taking that to shore to unload it and then get everything up the bank and over to where you're going to use it. Whew!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It's hard to imagine how much you have to do to get materials to your house. Loading them into your van at the store. Drive back to the harbor. Make multiple trips hauling them from the harbor parking lot, down to the boat and loading them so that one side of the boat doesn't have more weight than the other. Sailing back to the bay, unloading everything into the canoe, taking that to shore to unload it and then get everything up the bank and over to where you're going to use it. Whew!


You forgot the part about paying for it...!


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> You forgot the part about paying for it...!


I thought I'd leave the most painful part out. :yes:


----------



## cdnNick

cocobolo said:


> This morning's crossing was one of those almost ideal days for a trip. A few degrees warmer would have been perfect.
> 
> The Fisheries buildings were lit up in the early morning sun so I snapped a few pics. This is about the best one.
> 
> It's a government organization whose job I believe is to vacuum up large amounts of money and make it disappear into the ether.


Sounds about right for the Canadian government, they are very talented at making money disappear and having no idea where it went.



gma2rjc said:


> It's hard to imagine how much you have to do to get materials to your house. Loading them into your van at the store. Drive back to the harbor. Make multiple trips hauling them from the harbor parking lot, down to the boat and loading them so that one side of the boat doesn't have more weight than the other. Sailing back to the bay, unloading everything into the canoe, taking that to shore to unload it and then get everything up the bank and over to where you're going to use it. Whew!


I need a nap after reading that.


----------



## cocobolo

cdnNick said:


> Sounds about right for the Canadian government, they are very talented at making money disappear and having no idea where it went.
> Yes, as long as they get their huge salaries, the rest doesn't seem to worry them in the least.
> 
> 
> I need a nap after reading that.


YOU need a nap? I thought you were just a young whipper snapper...!


----------



## cocobolo

I did make a decent size dent in getting the back steps done today...but, once again it was too dark to get any photos to come out half decently.

You will have to settle for tonights' sunset, and I will get some pics tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

There is/was a big area in front of the big stump which needed to be all dug out so the raised bed area could be put in. Most of that is done on the front side - still lots to go on the back side yet.

I cut up all the landscape ties for a dry run to see how and where everything would go...and here's the start.


----------



## cocobolo

I should have leveled the ground BEFORE I did the test fitting. It wasn't terribly bad, neither was it properly level. It showed up when I did the test assembly.


----------



## cocobolo

So I took it all apart and laid the ties out in such a fashion that I would know where each of them was supposed to go. What with all the moving around and treating of the end cuts I somehow managed to get everything all mixed up and it took me half an hour to figure out where each tie went. Never did get it back to the original, but it's together anyway.

All the end cuts are treated, and the assembly is spiked together with 6" Ardox nails. That should keep things in place.


----------



## cocobolo

All the dirt that was dug out, which was loaded with roots and rocks, is getting screened before going back in to the raised beds. Not one to waste anything I'm using the rocks as a base under where the viewing area will go.

So far I managed 14 wheelbarrow loads of screened soil last night, much more to go before the beds are full. Then the black flies drove me out of there!


----------



## cocobolo

We have had some new rhodos come out over the past several days because of all this lovely sun.

Here's a few for your enjoyment.


----------



## cocobolo

I still need to do the handrail going down the steps, but here they are heading down to the Japanese garden.


----------



## cocobolo

The landing at the bottom is as far as I can go until the ground is re-contoured at the bottom. As the last stairs - or steps as the case may be - will be turning around somewhat, I decided to make a fan shape on the bottom landing with the deck boards.


----------



## cocobolo

There is a tree growing out of the old fir stump, I don't know what kind it is, which is growing at quite an angle. It looks really nice when the leaves come out in spring, as they are now. 

The missus thought it would be a nice wind break for the Japanese garden, but there are no branches or leaves to speak of for the first 6 feet. So, I think there will need to be some sort of fence or lattice put in to break the wind up, which funnels in right off the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

And here is the big old Douglas fir stump which we think was probably logged around 1948. We believe this was the last time any logging was done on the island.

Apparently there was also some logging done in the late 1800's, at which time there was also a forest fire here. There are several very old fir trees here, I would guesstimate somewhere between 500 and 700 years just by their sheer size, which still have evidence of the forest fire in the form of blackened bark.

The top of this stump is exactly 3 feet across, and I think the root base is around 12 feet. Not sure about that yet, as I haven't got down that far. But it's pretty big.


----------



## Mort

Dang, I'm glad this thread is still going! I had to look back to see when I first posted in it, Page 15 about 3 years ago! Way to go, brother, I'm glad you're still plugging away on it.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> Dang, I'm glad this thread is still going! I had to look back to see when I first posted in it, Page 15 about 3 years ago! Way to go, brother, I'm glad you're still plugging away on it.


Some of us never learn Mort.

Are you still driving that cement truck?


----------



## cocobolo

I set about clearing some more ground behind the raised beds this morning. I'm up about as far as I want to go now.

Then dug up that ground - which was not too bad at all - in preparation for planting.


----------



## cocobolo

Then carried on with more of the screening of dirt and filling the beds.


----------



## cocobolo

Spotted this little guy out for his afternoon swim...


----------



## gma2rjc

It's great watching this step-by-step.... no pun intended. It's looking fabulous.

In post #6349, the fan shaped boards create an optical illusion. In the picture on the right, it looks like the far left corner of the landing sits lower than the other 3 corners. In the pic on the left, the upper right corner looks like it's lower.

But in post #6350, looking at it from a different angle, it looks perfectly level.


----------



## Bud Cline

Okay!
*THAT'S ALL!!!*

Keith I want you to package up some of your energy and send it to me right away - I'll pay whatever price you ask.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

What helps to throw you off is the fact that there is also a slight fan shape to the wide side of that landing. I'd go for 6350 if I were you!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Okay!
> *THAT'S ALL!!!*
> 
> Keith I want you to package up some of your energy and send it to me right away - I'll pay whatever price you ask.:yes:


Well alrighty then...NOW we're talkin' :thumbsup:


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> Okay!
> *THAT'S ALL!!!*
> 
> Keith I want you to package up some of your energy and send it to me right away - I'll pay whatever price you ask.:yes:


No kidding! I was thinking the same thing Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> No kidding! I was thinking the same thing Bud.


Now hang on just a minute here...I don't know if I have enough energy to go around for all three of us!


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Now hang on just a minute here...I don't know if I have enough energy to go around for all three of us!


Then here's what we'll do.... send some of that energy to me.... and Bud will pay whatever price you ask. :whistling2: :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Then here's what we'll do.... send some of that energy to me.... and Bud will pay whatever price you ask. :whistling2: :laughing:


Trust a woman to come up with that one!!! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

:laughing:


----------



## Mort

cocobolo said:


> Some of us never learn Mort.
> 
> Are you still driving that cement truck?


Yeah, I actually got laid off for two years, spent a year in concrete Quality Control, and another year at a tire shop, but I'm back in the driver's seat.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> Yeah, I actually got laid off for two years, spent a year in concrete Quality Control, and another year at a tire shop, but I'm back in the driver's seat.


I see, so still plugging away huh? :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

OK, back to our regularly scheduled program...

Yesterday we left you with a big area in the raised beds in need of mucho screened soil to fill it up. I started on that sometime before 7 this morning, and kept going until I had a decent pile in place. That took a few hours.


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmm, I see that pic is only about 3/4 done...much more went on after that.

Anyway, a few feet away from the big stump is a small stump, and I wanted to get that area between the two dug out if at all possible.


----------



## cocobolo

After I had got the ground just about down to being level, I unearthed this chunk of fir. I didn't have any idea how long this might have been in the ground.


----------



## cocobolo

Now I know why that earlier pic only had part of the soil in place. I took the rest from between the two stumps.

Now this time it's there and has been contoured to about what I want to have.


----------



## cocobolo

That small indented triangle was bugging me today. For some reason it just didn't look right the way it was. So I dug out some of the ground there and added two pieces of landscape ties to partly close it off.


----------



## cocobolo

Then I used the dirt I had dug out of that hole, plus the remaining dirt from the stump area and had more than enough to fill up the new mini-bed.


----------



## cocobolo

You might see from the above pic that I will have 5 different levels of plantings to go in. Just a nice gentle slope upwards. Now I just need to put the right plants in the right places.

At the end of the day the space between the stumps was indeed clear, which has provided me with a good place to approach the future moon viewing area.


----------



## cocobolo

Last thing done today was add some split face blocks as a mini retaining wall at the south end of the pond. One little frog was being very vocal when I was doing this.


----------



## no1hustler

Looking good! 

One question, will the end cuts on the retaining wall stay dark green like that or does the color lighten up over time?


----------



## cocobolo

no1hustler said:


> Looking good!
> 
> One question, will the end cuts on the retaining wall stay dark green like that or does the color lighten up over time?


You know, I wondered the very same thing when I put this stuff on. I'm really not sure. But the thought crossed my mind that I could always use a stain of some kind to make it all a uniform colour.

I think I will let the sun bleach it out for awhile and see what transpires.


----------



## BleachCola

the garden looks great. Had one question, any reason you used 6" spikes over drilling thru all the timbers and pounding long rebar into the ground?


----------



## cocobolo

BleachCola said:


> the garden looks great. Had one question, any reason you used 6" spikes over drilling thru all the timbers and pounding long rebar into the ground?


Definitely. Very simple answer to that one. I have a box of 6" spikes and very little rebar here.

There's also another reason...the rows of landscape ties lean back just a little so not only are spikes easier to drive, but I doubt I would be able to drill deep enough into the ties to get rebar through.

And a third reason...where there are either corners or intersections of ties, you need to nail them together as you go.

Having said all that, I will say that I have seen rebar used with these ties in the past, I think mainly to keep them from moving out of place. However, because I have multiple rows, I'm pretty sure that there isn't much chance of the whole lot going anywhere.

It's a good question though. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Not a whole lot going on here...two days taken up with trips to town.

I did cut up some logs and got the rounds up on to the float. That's about 1/3 of the battle.


----------



## cocobolo

Last trip over was to get some 2 x 6's for the frame and deck portion of the moon viewing area. 

Plus there were 4 more dek blocks...at 50 pounds apiece. 

Well, I was taking one of these blocks off the boat on to the float, and I did a good job of misjudging how much the boat would rise when my weight plus the weight of the block I was carrying was removed from the boat. Caught my foot on the gunnel and over went I, the block and several wood rounds on the end of the dock. The float is covered with chicken wire so we don't slip. Skin doesn't seem to slip any too well on it either. :furious:

So today I have been nursing one very sore knee with a good size lump on it. I seem unable to put any weight on it which isn't a good sign I'm sure.

So now I get to lay on my keester for awhile until things improve. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Late this afternoon there was an eclipse of the sun out west.

It should go without saying that the Canadian Government organized a whole lot of cloud so that we couldn't see it. They did a good job. About all we managed to see was the odd partial glimpse when a weak spot in the clouds went by. 

The cloud was moving rather quickly, and we had barely a second or two for even the most feeble of peeks.

This was about the best I could do, and even this had to be coaxed out with iPhoto.


----------



## fixrite

Great job on the garden Keith. Looks awesome. Sorry to hear of your mishap and wishing you a speedy recovery.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Great job on the garden Keith. Looks awesome. Sorry to hear of your mishap and wishing you a speedy recovery.:thumbsup:


Thanks...did you guys have any better luck with the eclipse?


----------



## BigJim

I hate that you fell Keith, hopefully you will mend quickly and get some rest in the meanwhile. You water garden is looking great, it is really going to be sharp when you finish.

That moon/sun shot is really neat, we wouldn't have been able to see it here even if it wasn't cloudy.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I hate that you fell Keith, hopefully you will mend quickly and get some rest in the meanwhile. You water garden is looking great, it is really going to be sharp when you finish.
> 
> That moon/sun shot is really neat, we wouldn't have been able to see it here even if it wasn't cloudy.


Yes, that's right Jim. It was a west coast thing. I believe if you were in Oregon or northern California, you got to see an annular eclipse. That is where there is a small ring of the sun which appears all the way around the outside of the moon. This happens when the moon is farther away from us, thus appearing smaller. When the moon is closer, we get a total eclipse of the sun.

We didn't get a full eclipse here as we were well outside the main path.

The whole west coast of British Columbia was clouded over...a bit of a disappointment to all the would be eclipse lovers. :huh:

There will be a very rare transit of Venus passing in front of the sun in early June, so we are hoping for clear skies that day. The next such transit is something like 124 years later. I have my doubts that I will be around for that one. 

Steady rain here this morning - I think it started about midnight - and it's forecast for a few days. We aren't complaining though, as the garden definitely needs the water and so do our storage tanks.


----------



## Bud Cline

Maybe the rain was a Godsend to keep you down for a few days. Relax and enjoy the time off.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Maybe the rain was a Godsend to keep you down for a few days. Relax and enjoy the time off.:yes:


I think you're right Bud. Only trouble is that I get agitated to do something after a few hours of doing nothing.

Not to worry though, the rain is with us for awhile. Besides, I can squander some time on the 'puter.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yes, that's right Jim. It was a west coast thing. I believe if you were in Oregon or northern California, you got to see an annular eclipse. That is where there is a small ring of the sun which appears all the way around the outside of the moon. This happens when the moon is farther away from us, thus appearing smaller. When the moon is closer, we get a total eclipse of the sun.
> 
> We didn't get a full eclipse here as we were well outside the main path.
> 
> The whole west coast of British Columbia was clouded over...a bit of a disappointment to all the would be eclipse lovers. :huh:
> 
> There will be a very rare transit of Venus passing in front of the sun in early June, so we are hoping for clear skies that day. The next such transit is something like 124 years later. I have my doubts that I will be around for that one.
> 
> Steady rain here this morning - I think it started about midnight - and it's forecast for a few days. We aren't complaining though, as the garden definitely needs the water and so do our storage tanks.


Keith, what will we be looking for in June when Venus goes in front of the sun? Will it just be a small dark spot or a large spot?

I know what you mean about the rain, I took the tarp off the camper this morning to get back on the roof and it started thundering and sprinkling so I quit for the day again. It is starting to get hot here and soon it will be too hot to be out during the midday.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, what will we be looking for in June when Venus goes in front of the sun? Will it just be a small dark spot or a large spot?


The spot will be quite noticeable Jim. The two planets between us and the sun are Mercury and Venus. Mercury is closest and when it transited the sun last time it could be seen quite clearly. Venus will be bigger because it is closer to us.

When it gets closer I will put the details up here. Right now I'm not sure exactly where it will be visible from on our planet, that largely depends on whether or not it is daylight where you are at the time of the transit. I'll get all that for you.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night after supper we had a nice sunny break, so I decided that I should have a go at doing the steps/platforms...whatever you want to call them...down to where the viewing area will be.

Looks like this from the upper deck and by the lower stairs.


----------



## cocobolo

Couple more shots from lower down.


----------



## cocobolo

I ran out of 2 x 6's, so I will need a handful more to finish up.

There should be room for a small landing off the platform here and likely a two step set of stairs. The platform will be one of two viewing spots to sit.

I'll need to get the pavers in before I can determine what to do with the short steps.


----------



## cocobolo

The first iris of the year in the missus' garden.


----------



## cocobolo

...and first clematis.


----------



## cocobolo

Before I forget, here is a link to information on the Venus transit.

Please note that there are several websites giving erroneous information, so make sure you are watching on June 5th for the transit.

Number 13 or 14 welders' glasses will do the job, or a proper solar filter should you be more astronomically inclined.

Please don't use ordinary sunglasses, you will hurt your eyes. This transit will take several hours to complete, so you should have adequate time to catch some of it depending on where you are...but most of north America will get a look see.

http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/where-when/local-transit-times/


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Before I forget, here is a link to information on the Venus transit.
> 
> Please note that there are several websites giving erroneous information, so make sure you are watching on June 5th for the transit.
> 
> Number 13 or 14 welders' glasses will do the job, or a proper solar filter should you be more astronomically inclined.
> 
> Please don't use ordinary sunglasses, you will hurt your eyes. This transit will take several hours to complete, so you should have adequate time to catch some of it depending on where you are...but most of north America will get a look see.
> 
> http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/where-when/local-transit-times/


Man, that is a really neat site Keith, thanks a ton, I got it saved.

Buddy, you have your garden/pond area looking fantastic, that is really sharp, y'all are going to really enjoy that area. You are a ball of fire, I couldn't keep up with you if I was 30 again.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I couldn't keep up with you if I was 30 again.


Neither could I Jim...so I quit trying!


----------



## Mort

What are you going to do when this is done? Go stir crazy?


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> What are you going to do when this is done? Go stir crazy?


Sell it and start all over again.


----------



## cocobolo

Went over to town a couple of days ago and passed close by a prawn boat.

Picked up more wood and pavers for the garden and will have the last of the pavers up on shore in the next hour or so. Which means I should finish the steps this morning...so more photos later today.


----------



## cocobolo

Things got a bit sidetracked this morning, and I spent several hours on the water dragging logs back to the mooring. But some time after noon I did manage to get tied into the steps.

All done now - at least the basics - there will be some low handrails to keep the grand sons from taking a header, along with some decorative bits and pieces, although I don't know just what that might be yet.


----------



## cocobolo

I've had an azalea sitting in a big pot (5 gallon) for about 3 or 4 years now. It has been looking somewhat sickly, not surprising with the neglect I have managed to heap upon it.

It has been in the ground for a few weeks now, and has broken out in bloom, much to my delight. The leaves still aren't looking any too good, so I think it will be getting an extra hyper dose of food tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

By contrast, the plants in the shaded part of the Japanese garden look quite healthy, but due to the lack of springtime sun are all later to bloom.


----------



## cocobolo

This afternoon a neighbour across the bay had a friend of his over to take out a couple of trees. One of them ended up in the chuck. I don't know how he will rescue that one for firewood.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, what is a prawn boat? It looks interesting for sure.

Man, you do heal quickly, good to see you are doing better after the fall. I just sound like a broken record, but it all does look fantastic.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith, what is a prawn boat? It looks interesting for sure.
> 
> Man, you do heal quickly, good to see you are doing better after the fall. I just sound like a broken record, but it all does look fantastic.


It's a boat that they use to catch prawns with. There is a big covered area at the back of the boat which has many, many prawn traps. They put the traps in the water and attach a float to the trap. After a few hours, they retrieve the trap and remove the prawns - if there are any. Prawns like deep water, so it's a bit of a slow operation.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It's a boat that they use to catch prawns with. There is a big covered area at the back of the boat which has many, many prawn traps. They put the traps in the water and attach a float to the trap. After a few hours, they retrieve the trap and remove the prawns - if there are any. Prawns like deep water, so it's a bit of a slow operation.


Well that stands to reason, but what is a prawn? Sorry, you know how us ******** are, we don't get out much.


----------



## beenthere

I think there what we call Shrimp.


----------



## cocobolo

beenthere said:


> I think there what we call Shrimp.


You're very close... shrimp and prawns look very similar, but a prawn is far bigger.

They have a cleaning area on the prawn boats and as they catch the little critters they clean them all right there ready for market.

I think you can see a stream of water coming out of the side of the boat. Well, they have a pump running all the time the boat is out and it puts fresh seawater over the cleaning area constantly.

I think that shrimp are caught in fine nets, aren't they? Whereas, prawns are caught in pots which are lowered to the bottom with the use of a winch.

My neighbor has a few prawn traps...I'll see if i can get a photo of one for you.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Well that stands to reason, but what is a prawn? Sorry, you know how us ******** are, we don't get out much.


You always manage to crack me up Jim!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You're very close... shrimp and prawns look very similar, but a prawn is far bigger.
> 
> They have a cleaning area on the prawn boats and as they catch the little critters they clean them all right there ready for market.
> 
> I think you can see a stream of water coming out of the side of the boat. Well, they have a pump running all the time the boat is out and it puts fresh seawater over the cleaning area constantly.
> 
> I think that shrimp are caught in fine nets, aren't they? Whereas, prawns are caught in pots which are lowered to the bottom with the use of a winch.
> 
> My neighbor has a few prawn traps...I'll see if i can get a photo of one for you.


Now I know what they are, I think. Here is a picture of a good friend of mine up in Alaska, he sent us some pictures of them catching what I thought were large shrimp, are these prawns?

Thanks Beenthere, I appreciate it.


----------



## beenthere

Ok, there is a didference.

http://www.chow.com/food-news/54773/whats-the-difference-between-prawns-and-shrimp/
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-shrimp-and-prawns.htm


----------



## Bud Cline

> Ok, there is a didference.


Not when they are saute'd in garlic butter!


----------



## cocobolo

beenthere said:


> Ok, there is a didference.
> 
> http://www.chow.com/food-news/54773/whats-the-difference-between-prawns-and-shrimp/
> http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-shrimp-and-prawns.htm


Hey BEENTHERE, thanks for that. Here, the shrimp are small and the prawns are much bigger. Usually not quite as big as in Jim's photo, but quite big nonetheless.

The shrimp here you could eat 50 of at a time, but the prawns, maybe a dozen.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Not when they are saute'd in garlic butter!


You could be right there Bud! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Now I know what they are, I think. Here is a picture of a good friend of mine up in Alaska, he sent us some pictures of them catching what I thought were large shrimp, are these prawns?
> 
> Thanks Beenthere, I appreciate it.


Yep, those are prawns Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the latest stack of pavers, some red some grey. 

Today when I was moving them, I discovered two of the red ones had small cracks. One broke when I was tamping it lightly, and it clearly showed efflorescence right through the paver where it broke.

I won't try to use the other cracked one.


----------



## cocobolo

I needed some sand to set all the pavers in...so it was a trip down to the beach with the screen and wheel barrow.


----------



## cocobolo

So I got a row of pavers in place, then checked what the rise would be on the steps. It would be either just over 7" or 5 5/16", depending on whether I used two or three treads.

I opted for three which makes it a more gentle step.

Found an old piece of Douglas fir which looked like it had been outside for awhile, but was still tough as nails. It was about 2 1/2" thick, so it made a good strong stringer. And as luck would have it, it was just long enough to get both stringers out of.


----------



## cocobolo

Kind of an odd looking stringer, but it works well. Here's the pair nailed to the platform.


----------



## cocobolo

If you look at the last photo, you will see that the top tread lines up with the bottom of the platform framing, and I very carefully chiseled out the recess for the tread, leaving the front of the stringer closed.

Some days...:furious:

However, all I had to do was to open up the stringers just enough to push the tread in from the front. Not so bad after all.


----------



## cocobolo

Then it was time to get the stain out.

I put a piece of the pond membrane under the stringers to protect the pavers from my haphazard brushing technique. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

Going to toss in a pic of the missus' first iris again, but more blooms gave come out..and just behind that one, her second one is now in bloom.


----------



## cocobolo

Nice closeup of the latest one...


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the pavers as they appear from the platform and from the other way.


----------



## cocobolo

Some of the water plants I got a few days ago from the good lady up at Coombs. She also has fish for the pond...still debating on whether or not I should get any.

This one is a water iris.


----------



## cocobolo

I shouldn't need to tell you what this is. It's on the label.


----------



## cocobolo

Yes, she did tell me what the names of these reeds are, but that was a few days ago, which means I have forgotten. :wink:


----------



## cocobolo

A general shot of the back part of the Japanese garden. The plants have been in this section for a few years now and are maturing nicely. 

There are some Japanese irises (not visible here) which are getting close to blooming. They are quite a bit bigger than the first couple of years. I'll get a pic when they bloom.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the latest rhodo to bloom. It's a late variety and needed more sun before it came out.


----------



## cocobolo

Not far from that one the missus has a vivid pink azalea in bloom.


----------



## cocobolo

And once again her annual opium crop is just now coming into bloom. Lots of big buds there as well.


----------



## cocobolo

And way up at the top of the garden the ceanothus (California Lilac) is in full swing. These plants attract bees like nothing else.


----------



## cocobolo

Monday was a trip to the dentist, and yesterday was taken up with another trip to town for more materials. Lumber for the viewing building and many bags of mulch and other stuff for the garden.
Since it is raining like crazy here this morning (good for the garden!) it looks like everything will stay on the sailboat for another day or two.
Inside work today.


----------



## BigJim

Maybe after the trip to the dentist it may be a blessing for the rain, to make you rest a little.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Maybe after the trip to the dentist it may be a blessing for the rain, to make you rest a little.


No such luck Jim. There is a break in the rain and I will be getting the goodies from the boat shortly!


----------



## cocobolo

We had a bump in the tide at 2:05 this afternoon, and somewhere around that time I brought the loaded canoe in. The water was 70 paces out, but it will be right in at 1:25 am tomorrow morning.


----------



## cocobolo

The canoe might have been a bit overloaded this time. Actually, it felt a bit top heavy when I was paddling it in. Perhaps I should have put this in to two loads...oh well, it's done now.


----------



## cocobolo

Then after I got the canoe unloaded and everything up to shore, I went out and towed three logs in that have been on the mooring for several days now.

You can't see all of it, but the longest is about 35 feet long.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> The canoe might have been a bit overloaded this time. Actually, it felt a bit top heavy when I was paddling it in. Perhaps I should have put this in to two loads...oh well, it's done now.


Would all of it have floated if the canoe tipped?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Would all of it have floated if the canoe tipped?


Let's see...the 2 x 4's would float. The bark chips would float. Don't know about the bags of potting soil...maybe. And I think the peat moss would float. The only thing that would sink would be me.


----------



## cocobolo

I spotted my neighbour's dinghy high up on the rocks across the bay just before dinner. I will have to go over and make sure it gets tied up before dark...obviously broke off its' mooring again. I think this is the third time.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning before brekky, I cut up the three logs that came in yesterday and got the rounds up on to the splitting area. There's about 90 rounds there.


----------



## cocobolo

After breakfast it was time to start on the viewing platform.

I have a couple of bamboo screens I got from Coombs which are to be incorporated into the building, as you will see.

Back views of getting started.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I needed some sort of beam to span the back wall and contain the one screen. So I commandeered one of the cutouts from the bridge over the pond.

Here I am using the hole-in-the-board trick as a guide to drill the holes in the underside of the beam to catch the tops of the side verticals on the screen.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that was done, I could set the beam in place, and it would capture the back screen.

There are two similar capture holes drilled in the deck. Yes, I remembered to drill drain holes.


----------



## cocobolo

The front beam was next, mounted on two posts, about 10 1/4" higher to provide a good slope. These beams will hold the roof rafters. 

I used the other bridge cutout for this one, but a shorter section.


----------



## cocobolo

Next was to work out the rafters, cut them out and fit in place.


----------



## cocobolo

Couple more good-bye views, it was dinner time when I got this far and just starting to rain again. Good timing!


----------



## gma2rjc

That looks really nice Keith.

Did you make the lattice?


----------



## drtbk4ever

Wow Keith, you are like the energizer bunny.


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## gma2rjc

I just noticed that the frame of the lattice panels is made of bamboo. :thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I just noticed that the frame of the lattice panels is made of bamboo. :thumbsup:


I'm glad you did. Cuz I already mentioned that I got it from Coombs. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I didn't get over to Phil's boat up on the rocks until today. Luckily it was still there, but the overnight high tide had moved it another 30 yards along the rocks. 

I was taking the skiff out to tie to the sailboat, as we are hoping to go to town tomorrow, and there won't be any water in our bay then. Fortunately, the afternoon high was close to the dinghy, and I was able to get a line on the back and pull it off the rocks. 

It seems he has lost the bow eye off the dinghy...and that's why it got away.


----------



## cocobolo

I managed to find just enough cedar siding to cover the back of the viewing building with today. Very little left over, so I hope there isn't anything else that needs doing.

I did also get exactly enough 1 x 4's cut for the roof strapping, but that isn't nailed on yet. Might have a go at that shortly, as we have finished dinner now.


----------



## cocobolo

We have a woodpecker here who thinks she is a hummingbird. Several times a day, she feeds off the feeder just like the little hummers do.

We know it's a she because we watch her feed her baby.


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## BigJim

Just totally beautiful buddy. Do you blind nail your siding or do you use SS nails?


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## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I'm glad you did. Cuz I already mentioned that I got it from Coombs. :thumbsup:


I went back to look and I somehow missed a bunch of posts starting at 6443. :whistling2:


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Just totally beautiful buddy. Do you blind nail your siding or do you use SS nails?


Neither actually Jim.
I use a 2" galvanized casing nail for this siding, as it is only about 1/2" thick at the butt. That's our standard method for nailing siding up this way.

Stainless steel nails...now, if you'd like to send me about 10 lbs, I'd be only too happy to use them!


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I went back to look and I somehow missed a bunch of posts starting at 6443. :whistling2:


Well, of all the weak kneed, low down, unbelievable, totally preposterous excuses I have ever heard, that has to be it!! :jester:


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## cocobolo

Just over an hour ago Squid alerted me to a fire burning down on Thetis Island, about 5 miles from here. When I headed out, I noticed that we had a sunset in the making...so back in to grab the camera, and this is what showed up.

It was one of those very fast changing sunsets. The series of pics should be in order if the site leaves them alone.


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## BigJim

The sunsets are beautiful as always, the water and mountains in the back ground make it look like a post card.

Keith, don't the galv nails bleed on the cedar after a while? The ones we get down this way will. I saw this doctor have his house sided with heart red wood and the galv nails bled and ruined all of his siding, the ole boy was not happy. I know what you mean about the SS nails, they are kinda proud of them. Have you priced copper nails lately?


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## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> The sunsets are beautiful as always, the water and mountains in the back ground make it look like a post card.
> 
> Keith, don't the galv nails bleed on the cedar after a while? The ones we get down this way will. I saw this doctor have his house sided with heart red wood and the galv nails bled and ruined all of his siding, the ole boy was not happy. I know what you mean about the SS nails, they are kinda proud of them. Have you priced copper nails lately?


Jim, galvanized nails shouldn't bleed if they are properly galvanized.

They do tend to leave streaks on cedar if there is nothing applied to the cedar, stain for example. But if the cedar is stained, as all of ours on the house and cabin is, they leave no marks.

The other thing is, is that the nails should be set in just a trace if possible. That keeps the nail head out of the weather. Most folks don't have either the time or patience to do that.


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## BigJim

That will work, some of the folks down this way let the cedar age and the nails do look bad. I had a really intelligent :no: architect who graduated from Harvard (and made it a point to let everyone know that) who insisted that I blind nail the cedar siding on the guest house. I told the dummy it would not work but he was going to have his way. When you could stick your hand under the siding where it warped, the owner asked why it did that and I happily told her. Then we had to go back and renail the siding which would also be nailed wrong as cedar should never be nailed at the top and bottom, it will split most times. 

Some times we would get some smooth hot dipped Galv nails that did good but the rough Galv nails weren't worth a cuss.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That will work, some of the folks down this way let the cedar age and the nails do look bad. I had a really intelligent :no: architect who graduated from Harvard (and made it a point to let everyone know that) who insisted that I blind nail the cedar siding on the guest house. I told the dummy it would not work but he was going to have his way. When you could stick your hand under the siding where it warped, the owner asked why it did that and I happily told her. Then we had to go back and renail the siding which would also be nailed wrong as cedar should never be nailed at the top and bottom, it will split most times.
> 
> Some times we would get some smooth hot dipped Galv nails that did good but the rough Galv nails weren't worth a cuss.


It's hard to tell these university grads anything, isn't it Jim..

We had a huge siding job on a complex in Vancouver many years ago, and they had imported bundles of the most perfect Luaun wood siding you have ever seen. Not a knot in sight, perfectly machined with round edges top and bottom...perfect as perfect could be. It came all wrapped up in sealed plastic wrapping. Truckloads of the stuff. When I asked about it, thinking that it would have been VERY expensive, I was told that they got a great deal on the lot.

The architect insisted that we nail these boards on with the nails aimed up at an angle of 15º so that water would not run up them! I asked him if he had ever heard of capillary action - which apparently he had not - and I further asked him if he had got anyone to do any testing with these beautiful boards. Evidently not.

You know what's coming next I bet.

Now, while Luaun is a beautiful wood in it's hardwood form (not so much in plywood form) exposing one side to rain while the other side was protected, I thought was just asking for trouble. Particularly since there was no finish of any kind on this wood. Unlike cedar, which is a very forgiving wood - much like redwood - luaun is the exact opposite.

I requested a site visit by the architect, along with his written instructions as to precisely how we were to nail this wood, what kind of nails etc. This was obviously a CYA request, as I could already smell the trouble coming.

He was only too pleased to visit and try to impress us with his credentials - much like your man from Harvard - so I went so far as to ask him to have the honour of driving the first nail in the siding while I held the board for him.

Have you ever seen an architect try to dive a nail at 15º? It was just about the funniest thing we had ever seen. A pencil he could manage...but a hammer...hahahahaha!

Using his instructions to the letter (except for the 15º part) we sided an end wall on one of the big buildings. At the end of the day it looked absolutely stunning and I took a few pictures. If my memory serves me this was on a Friday, and the following weekend was typical Vancouver weather, in other words rain, and lots of it.

On Monday morning, my worst fears were realized and this siding was barely recognizable from the way we left it on Friday.

I called the architect to come out again, and I also called CMHC, which was the governing body in Canada for the building code at the time (still is) to see what we might be able to do to prevent this situation from re-occurring. 

None of us could believe what we saw. Boards all cupped and twisted, wood pulled right off some of the nails, all in all it was a nightmare.

I had already formulated my opinion as to what should be done with this wood, and that was to treat it back and front with their choice of a water resistant stain, and use a headed nail for the application. And for Pete's sake, let us do some test areas before we waste any more of your money! And never mind any of this silly 15º nonsense.

We all headed back to the CMHC office in Vancouver for a round table discussion - by this time the site super and building owner were involved.

It so happened that one of the CMHC reps and I were familiar with each other, having had earlier conversations regarding some UFFI troubles which I was able to help with.

The proffered suggestions were finally accepted by all parties, not without some heated debate, but accepted nonetheless, and the hunt was on for a good siding stain. The old grey matter is a little fuzzy here, but I think we were able to use Cabot...just about the best stain ever made.

We got the site super to spring for a big tent rental so we could do all the staining under cover, and of course got a nice extra contract for all that work as well.

It did work as we had hoped, and both CMHC and the building owner gave their final approval after the test sections had been on for two weeks in all weathers and showed no problems.

I'm glad that you mentioned about nailing siding top and bottom and the high possibility of splitting. Lap siding is easy to do properly, because you know exactly where the lower board comes to and can put your nail just a hair above the lower board. Bevel siding, you need to make sure that you have a little extra space just in case the top board isn't as high as you might think.


----------



## BigJim

That sounds about right for them fellows, There have been several times I have bumped heads with them and some engineers also. Can you believe an engineer would sign off on 2X8 floor joist on a 20 foot span and that was the floor joist for the second floor. Man talk about bowed and bouncy, nothing was right up stairs, and the contractor on the job couldn't see anything wrong. After trying to correct one door up stairs I told the contractor I was walking on that job, I didn't want my name anywhere on that job. The sad part is it was in one of the more upscale parts of town. 

That contractor would hire some off the street low dollar folks to do his work and then call me to straighten it out for him. I told him he was losing money doing that. I could write a book about some of the things some architects would have drawn that just would not work on the job but they would argue on and on until you showed them and told them to give it a shot themselves.

Now that you have mentioned sealing both sides of wood, I have a question for you. I am still plugging away with our camper and am about 2/3 done with the plywood for the roof, (told you I was slow). I plan to glue and staple 1/4 plywood to the ceiling after the roof is finished, then I will install the 3/8" T&G cedar to the bottom side of the plywood but using the plywood as strengthening only for the roof system. 

I have 1 1/2 inch rigid Styrofoam as insulation. Would there be an advantage to sealing both sides of the T&G. I leave two windows cracked and a ceiling vent open all year round for ventilation so the inside of the camper is exposed to the higher humidity of the outside. I know you know how to seal wood living in the North West of us or the South West of Canada, I have seen your work sealed being outside for years and still look new.

By the way, you started your pond and garden area after I started the camper roof and look at all you have gotten done and how little I have. Just amazing.


----------



## cocobolo

A 20 foot span on 2 x 8's...he wasn't building a floor Jim, he was building a trampoline. He must have forgotten to tell you that.

Let me pass along another comment I read. Bart Prince is one of my all time favourite architects, always thinks way outside the box and has some really spectacular buildings under his belt.

Apparently, he wanted a builder to use a 30 foot 2 x 6 for some floor joists, and the builder refused. I wonder why. Anyway, Bart told him, well, if you can't do it, I will. And that is written up in Bart's book which he wrote himself! I honestly couldn't believe it.

To this day I hope it's a typographical error, because there's no way in hell that could work. And secondly, where do you buy a 30 foot long 2 x 6?

Now, as far as sealing both sides of that cedar, that might be a most excellent idea. I do understand that you will have ventilation in there - always a good thing - but it could happen that a very small amount of moisture may get trapped on the high side of that cedar. And being so thin, it just might show minor signs of warping. So, I think I would be inclined to seal both sides...your idea is a good one.

One other thing you can do when you are putting the boards up is this. Look at the end of each board and install it with the curve of the grain facing upwards. Of course, if the T & G is cut in such a way that it will not reverse, that idea is out the window. Is this the aromatic cedar that comes from Tennessee?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> A 20 foot span on 2 x 8's...he wasn't building a floor Jim, he was building a trampoline. He must have forgotten to tell you that.
> 
> Let me pass along another comment I read. Bart Prince is one of my all time favourite architects, always thinks way outside the box and has some really spectacular buildings under his belt.
> 
> Apparently, he wanted a builder to use a 30 foot 2 x 6 for some floor joists, and the builder refused. I wonder why. Anyway, Bart told him, well, if you can't do it, I will. And that is written up in Bart's book which he wrote himself! I honestly couldn't believe it.
> 
> To this day I hope it's a typographical error, because there's no way in hell that could work. And secondly, where do you buy a 30 foot long 2 x 6?
> 
> Now, as far as sealing both sides of that cedar, that might be a most excellent idea. I do understand that you will have ventilation in there - always a good thing - but it could happen that a very small amount of moisture may get trapped on the high side of that cedar. And being so thin, it just might show minor signs of warping. So, I think I would be inclined to seal both sides...your idea is a good one.
> 
> One other thing you can do when you are putting the boards up is this. Look at the end of each board and install it with the curve of the grain facing upwards. Of course, if the T & G is cut in such a way that it will not reverse, that idea is out the window. Is this the aromatic cedar that comes from Tennessee?


Keith that has to be a typographical error, I have never heard of anyone doing that and like you, where would he buy a 30' 2X6, the longest we can get is 24'. 

No, the cedar is Western cedar, but nothing like the beautiful stuff you have, this is full of tight knots. We don't use much of the aromatic red cedar except for maybe closet liners and cedar chests down this way. I like the smell of it for about 30 minutes when working with it then it starts to stink to me.

Keith, I really do appreciate the advise, I will be sure to completely seal it, the bad part is there is only way the T&G will go up as the back is scored.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith that has to be a typographical error, I have never heard of anyone doing that and like you, where would he buy a 30' 2X6, the longest we can get is 24'.
> 
> Keith, I will be sure to completely seal it, the bad part is there is only way the T&G will go up as the back is scored.


I was afraid that would be the case. It usually is.


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## cocobolo

Not a lot done today mainly due to a bad foot and knee. 

But I made a small octagonal addition to the corner of the front deck which will be used to hold a potted plant of some description.


----------



## cocobolo

And made a small bench from some very stout wood...so at least I can sit down now.


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## cocobolo

And the roof is now shingled.


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## cocobolo

This is one of two water hyacinths I got yesterday. Pretty easy to plant these guys...instructions...drop in pond. Done.

They are supposed to multiply when the water warms up. If it ever warms up that is.


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## BigJim

That planter and bench looks sharp, did you make the shakes yourself? I made some for a wishing well type roof for our yard swing a few years back, lot of work. Buddy, I can see the frogs now around the plants in your pond. I hope your knee and ankle get better soon.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That planter and bench looks sharp, did you make the shakes yourself? I made some for a wishing well type roof for our yard swing a few years back, lot of work. Buddy, I can see the frogs now around the plants in your pond. I hope your knee and ankle get better soon.


Those are sawn cedar shingles Jim. I haven't split any shakes for a long time. I picked them up several years ago at Demyxx up at Coombs for a steal.

We have hundreds of tadpoles swimming around in the pond now, so I expect the frog population will multiply pretty soon.

I still need to add the cap row of shingles to the top of that roof, and possibly a row of shingles along the front of the beam as well. I ripped them on the table saw this morning...just waiting for the rain to stop.


----------



## framer52

The discussion of the 20' 2x8's reminded me of a house that I had to reframe for a builder in Syracuse NY about 8 years ago.

We gave a framing bid that was "too high", and when the framers he hired left the job, after playing framer for 2 months and not getting it finished, we were hired to straighten it out.

Second floor joists were to be I joists, 9.5" 12" apart as the first floor room was 20'. The framer put them in at 16' centers and we had a real trampoline in that room.

By the way, they had loaded the room with 1/2" OSB for the roof in the center of the room.

We had to get the engineer out to tell us how to correct.

Fun times, our bill after straightening it out was more than our original bid to frame the whole house.

Fun times:no::no::no:


----------



## cocobolo

framer52 said:


> The discussion of the 20' 2x8's reminded me of a house that I had to reframe for a builder in Syracuse NY about 8 years ago.
> 
> We gave a framing bid that was "too high", and when the framers he hired left the job, after playing framer for 2 months and not getting it finished, we were hired to straighten it out.
> 
> Second floor joists were to be I joists, 9.5" 12" apart as the first floor room was 20'. The framer put them in at 16' centers and we had a real trampoline in that room.
> 
> By the way, they had loaded the room with 1/2" OSB for the roof in the center of the room.
> 
> We had to get the engineer out to tell us how to correct.
> 
> Fun times, our bill after straightening it out was more than our original bid to frame the whole house.
> 
> Fun times:no::no::no:


Welcome to the thread Framer.

I bet every half decent carpenter has one of those framing stories. And all the time there are cheapie contractors around, the supply of stories will never end. Let's face it, there are some things that you just have to bite the bullet and pay for.

I don't know how many times I've said it...but it always pays to do it right the first time instead of paying for it twice.


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## cocobolo

Fixrite, this one's for you. Can't send photos in a pm I don't think.

Anyway, after all my looking, all I found was this one fence. Everything else back then was masonry walls. All sorts of combinations of brick and stone, most of it really quite stunning.

If you Google arts & crafts fences, one of the pages that comes up is the Arts & Crafts magazine. I do have a few copies here somewhere, but can't put my hands on them right now. Go to the magazine and there you will find several links to what you are looking for.

Credit for this picture goes to the author of the book "Greene and Greene" by Randell L. Makinson.


----------



## cocobolo

Couple of roses out in the missus' garden today.


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## cocobolo

I did get the cap on the front of the roof today, not much to look at, but at least it is done and tidy.


----------



## cocobolo

We have been having a substantial breeze here for most of the day, and that is one thing that Japanese maples do not like.

So I have started on a screen of sorts to cut the wind down where it comes whistling through from the bay. The intent isn't to stop it, but to break it up so it doesn't do any more damage.

The viewing station will also help cut the wind down.

This little bit of framing was hastily put up, and I will try to get the screens in tomorrow.


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## BigJim

The flowers are beautiful and your photography is perfect again. I just can't get over how much work you can do, are you sure there aren't three of you slangin sawdust and pounding nails there.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> are you sure there aren't three of you slangin sawdust and pounding nails there.


Now Jim...I thought I asked you to keep that between you and me! 

Today - this very afternoon - is THE TRANSIT OF VENUS!

If you have clear skies and a safe way to look at the sun, try it. Next time will be 105 years from now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Now Jim...I thought I asked you to keep that between you and me!
> 
> Today - this very afternoon - is THE TRANSIT OF VENUS!
> 
> If you have clear skies and a safe way to look at the sun, try it. Next time will be 105 years from now.


I'm headed outside to see it now, thanks buddy.

I didn't see anything yet, maybe it will be better after while.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I'm headed outside to see it now, thanks buddy.


Too many clouds here to see anything yet. The transit starts locally in just over two hours. I'm not holding out a lot of hope, as we are still getting minor sprinkles from time to time.


----------



## Bud Cline

http://venustransit.nasa.gov/2012/transit/viewing.php


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> http://venustransit.nasa.gov/2012/transit/viewing.php


How is your weather there Bud? Can you see the sun?


----------



## Bud Cline

> How is your weather there Bud? Can you see the sun?


Yup, clear and sunny.:yes:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yup, clear and sunny.:yes:


Lucky guy! Get your welding goggles ready!


----------



## Bud Cline

> Lucky guy! Get your welding goggles ready!


Yow-well CRAP!!! My son-in-law is currently in possession of the one hood we have. And he ain't anywhere near here today.:no:


----------



## fixrite

Thanks for the assist on the fencing ideas. One of my challenges with this is that it will also be for keeping people out of the pool, and the authorities that be are quite strict on what can and can't be. I will keep looking and see what I can come up with. Maybe when I get some work done on it I can send a photo or 2. Your home is looking wonderful, not that any of us are surprised at that as you do such great work. Thanks again I will look into Green and Green.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Lucky guy! Get your welding goggles ready!


I got to thinking that I should have an old welding lens around here somewhere so my son scrounged around and sure-nuf come up with one. We had an old #10 tucked away. The Sun was still kinda bright but with the addition of a pair of dark dark sunglasses I had I was able to view the little devil perfectly. Actually it's an amazing sight for sure. Right now Venus is at (about) the one o'clock position just inside the edge of the Sun.:yes:


----------



## fixrite

Bud....is there any chance of you getting a photo that?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud....is there any chance of you getting a photo that?


I tried several times. My eye sees the activity perfectly, in fact it has left an indelible impression on my mind, but the camera lens wasn't as cooperative. All I got was a blur. I think the problem was trying to hold the welding lens in one hand and the camera in the other. Clicking the shutter was too much movement. I changed the F-stop to 500 and still no luck. Then I set the shutter release to auto so I didn't have to click it manually and that wasn't any help either. So...POOP!


----------



## fixrite

:whistling2:Well thanks for trying,one can't ask for anything more. Hope your eyes don't take too long to heal.


----------



## BigJim

Thanks for the link Bud, I appreciate that.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Thanks for the assist on the fencing ideas. One of my challenges with this is that it will also be for keeping people out of the pool, and the authorities that be are quite strict on what can and can't be. I will keep looking and see what I can come up with. Maybe when I get some work done on it I can send a photo or 2. Your home is looking wonderful, not that any of us are surprised at that as you do such great work. Thanks again I will look into Green and Green.


Charles and Henry will be upset if you don't add an "e" on to the end of their name.

Something else I thought of...FLLW, (Frank Lloyd Wright) might have done something like you are looking for. There is a ton of stuff on the web of his, and if he has done fences I'm sure you could find it there.

I visited his place "Taliesen West" several years ago, but I don't remember any fences. Everything there was massive rock walls. They had an inexhaustible supply of rocks from the desert right there.

Did you have any luck trying to see the transit?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I tried several times. My eye sees the activity perfectly, in fact it has left an indelible impression on my mind, but the camera lens wasn't as cooperative. All I got was a blur. I think the problem was trying to hold the welding lens in one hand and the camera in the other. Clicking the shutter was too much movement. I changed the F-stop to 500 and still no luck. Then I set the shutter release to auto so I didn't have to click it manually and that wasn't any help either. So...POOP!


It could have been any number of things Bud. As you say, while your eyes can focus on that little black spot perfectly, getting a camera that can do the same thing is another story.

We did finally get some semi-clear skies here about 3 1/2 hours after the transit started.

I had taken out one of my telescopes in case the clouds cleared, and this was my weapon of choice.

You can't see it, but I have a big smile on my face. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

The scope is an Antares dob, 250 mm, 1.2 meter focal length, with an Antares white light filter - that's the odd looking round thing on the front of the scope, and a Televue 13 mm Ethos eyepiece.

That eyepiece combined with the long f/l fills the whole view with the sun. And I can tell you that Venus is a lot bigger than you think, especially when viewed through this combination.

And sunspots! Wow, there are lots of them on the sun right now. It is supposed to be good for spots for the next two years with the sun at solar maximum. I believe it...I think I counted about 8 spots this afternoon. All in all a really terrific view.


----------



## BigJim

GooOOOOoood gravy that is one heck of a telescope you got there, now my key board is slick from droolin on it. Did you manage to get any pictures of Venus? As hard as I tried I didn't get to see anything yesterday, maybe it was the slight over cast we had. I couldn't find anything strong enough to look directly at the Sun so I did the hole in paper thing. By the way, I do see you smiling, look at the spit shine on your shoes.


----------



## fixrite

cocobolo said:


> Charles and Henry will be upset if you don't add an "e" on to the end of their name.
> 
> Something else I thought of...FLLW, (Frank Lloyd Wright) might have done something like you are looking for. There is a ton of stuff on the web of his, and if he has done fences I'm sure you could find it there.
> 
> I visited his place "Taliesen West" several years ago, but I don't remember any fences. Everything there was massive rock walls. They had an inexhaustible supply of rocks from the desert right there.
> 
> Did you have any luck trying to see the transit?


Sorry about the missing "e", hope Charles and Henry won't be too upset at me.:laughing:

I did not get a chance to see the transit other than on the news and at that it was a brief glimpse of venus slipping its way past the lower hemisphere of the sun. Better than not seeing it at all considering I won't be around to see it next time its round.

I am considering mortising the rails into the posts with counter sunken screws and beveled caps covering the screw holes. My concern with this idea is both shrinkage and future repairs ( if needed) that would be difficult to do. Replacing a mortised rail between two posts that are not movable would require the rail to be flexible enough to bend it so as to insert the tenon into the mortise. Any thoughts on wether this would create too many problems down the road or?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> GooOOOOoood gravy that is one heck of a telescope you got there, now my key board is slick from droolin on it. Did you manage to get any pictures of Venus? As hard as I tried I didn't get to see anything yesterday, maybe it was the slight over cast we had. I couldn't find anything strong enough to look directly at the Sun so I did the hole in paper thing. By the way, I do see you smiling, look at the spit shine on your shoes.


Unfortunately no pictures Jim. I would have needed a dedicated CCD Astro camera for that, and I don't have one. My friend Randy is the expert in that area...but he didn't get to see the transit except for a few seconds using some solar glasses, and that was it.

I'm going to lend him my Ha solar scope, and he's going to get some shots of all the sunspots using his CCD camera.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Sorry about the missing "e", hope Charles and Henry won't be too upset at me.:laughing:
> 
> I did not get a chance to see the transit other than on the news and at that it was a brief glimpse of venus slipping its way past the lower hemisphere of the sun. Better than not seeing it at all considering I won't be around to see it next time its round.
> 
> I am considering mortising the rails into the posts with counter sunken screws and beveled caps covering the screw holes. My concern with this idea is both shrinkage and future repairs ( if needed) that would be difficult to do. Replacing a mortised rail between two posts that are not movable would require the rail to be flexible enough to bend it so as to insert the tenon into the mortise. Any thoughts on whether this would create too many problems down the road or?


Considering that's the way they did it 100 years ago (minus the screws) and considering that some of those fences still exist, I would guess that such a fence - minus the screws - will outlast you.

Why not make the mortises a loose fit? That way nothing will be trying to get twisted out of shape and there won't be any tension anywhere. By loose, I mean perhaps 1/16" space at most.

If you leave the wood you are going to use outside for 6 months first, most of the shrinking will have been done. I'm betting it will look good and last a very long time.


----------



## cocobolo

Busy day today, up early splitting wood (Joy!).

Every once in awhile we will see one of these logs come floating by, maybe just one or two a year. They are called end floaters. Some of them just barely break the surface and are dangerous if you whack one.

One of my friends from DeCourcy hit one with his power boat about three weeks ago and sheared off the whole leg on his outdrive.


----------



## cocobolo

When the tide went out this morning, it left two logs high and dry in our little bay. I was positive that the fat one was an old cedar.


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## cocobolo

Well, not so. I think it is either an Engelman or Sitka spruce. Hard to tell as it has been in the chuck for a very long time, likely 15 or 20 years. Very close grain wood...I stopped counting the rings at 200.


----------



## cocobolo

The logs were about 60' past where the sand is hard enough to push a wheelbarrow over easily, right in the soft muck. I used the dolly to move the rounds up to the good area and wheelbarrowed from there.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus' first full bloom peony. She's pretty chuffed. The best she has ever has as far as peony blooms go.


----------



## cocobolo

Very low tide this morning, and a couple of nice boats in the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

When I got up this morning, the intent was to make the screens for the Japanese garden. There always seems to be something else that gets in the way, and I couldn't just leave those logs alone.

Once that was out of the way, I finished the staining on the wood strips for the screens...then had to wait for drying time.

But by late afternoon, I was able to get started on assembling the three screens.


----------



## cocobolo

Naturally SHE had to make a comment about how bright that colour of stain was. That's OK honey, it's going in my garden, not yours.


----------



## cocobolo

I was just getting started on the last section when the war department called for dinner. 

Naturally, the rain started just as I went back outside after dinner...but a little water never hurt anyone...


----------



## cocobolo

During dinner, missus is telling me about the "fence" she put in to hold the blackberry canes up. Apparently, the sheer weight of them had pushed the other one over.

So here is her masterpiece. Hey, you have to give her credit for giving it a go. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

There is a nice old power boat that came in to the bay as I was cleaning up after the screen job. I was headed upstairs to get the tele lens, and spotted this wonderful example of marine intelligence at work out front.

These guys are in a small inflatable, pulling another inflatable which is loaded with pressure treated 4 x 4's. The wind had been up for a good three hours at this point, and it was definitely bumpy out there.

Apparently they made it in to Nayler Bay and unloaded, as the one chap came back the other way about 1/2 an hour later still towing the inflatable, but at a much faster clip. I bet the towed boat was just about full of water when they got there. Idiots.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the old beauty that arrived today...the "Blithe Spirit".

I haven't seen this boat before, nor have I spoken with the owners yet.

It looks like it might be an Ed Monk design although I'm not sure about that. He did several boats similar to this. This one was built by the Vancouver Shipyards in 1947 originally for Columbia Research. Couldn't find anything else about it yet, but I'm guessing it is about 50' long. In lovely condition.


----------



## cocobolo

More foolishness this morning.

The two inflatables went by again (no camera handy unfortunately) this time the back one was carrying a bed, upside down, with the legs sticking up in the air, and it was even windier than last night. And raining like mad! And no tarp or any kind of cover on the bed!

What were they thinking?

And the bad news is that they are off the Blithe Spirit. Such a nice boat, so few smarts.


----------



## drtbk4ever

Maybe it is a water bed. 

And I love the screen, especially the colour and the wave.


----------



## Mort

cocobolo said:


> I was just getting started on the last section when the war department called for dinner.


You know, in the U.S. we use the term "Defense Department" now. It's prevented many a, ahem, skirmish. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> You know, in the U.S. we use the term "Defense Department" now. It's prevented many a, ahem, skirmish. :laughing:


I've always wondered why governments name that department "Defense Department", when in reality it should be call the Attack Department. Same thing for the ladies...well, mine anyway.

OK, I'm putting on my bullet proof vest now...:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Well,lots of rain here today, so no chance to do anything outside until late in the day.

Made and installed the two infills for the top of the stairs.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Maybe it is a water bed.


Well, if it wasn't before, it sure is now! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday was another trip to town for more wood. Hopefully the last of it. Although somehow, I doubt it.

But I had some help loading the boat from a thoroughly charming lady, Christine, who lives just a couple of doors away from the marina. And this is not the first time she has helped me load. :thumbsup:

The purpose for all this wood was to get the railings made all around the lower decks and stairs. And between yesterday afternoon and today, I made a pretty good dent.

I took a rough guess at how many pickets I would need and just made a whole lot. They needed to be pre-stained, and have the holes pre-drilled as well for the screws.

To get the holes all about the same, I put some lines on a mating piece of wood and free handed the holes like so.


----------



## cocobolo

I started at the lower end and went from there...and here are the first few pickets in place. No railings yet.


----------



## cocobolo

The little elevated mini deck looks about like this now. 

Just need to add a plant to the end and some sort of seat.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple more views...


----------



## cocobolo

Got the essentials done for the stair rail, and if the weather hangs in there tomorrow I will get all the pickets in place.

That will just leave two high screens to be made and a couple more low railings. Ahhh...almost done!


----------



## cocobolo

Another day of ripping up more 2 x 4's to make more pickets. Here's this mornings' haul.


----------



## cocobolo

We did have some intermittent sunshine this morning. Here's some of the missus' roses.


----------



## cocobolo

I got the wood stained...sort of.


----------



## cocobolo

After very carefully measuring the stair pickets for spacing, I got them gunned on.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the last of the high screens to go in. They look OK from this side.


----------



## cocobolo

And now you can see why I "sort of" got them stained. Ran out of the red stain. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

A surprise good weather day today, so I went across to town for paint and gutters.

Finished the two handrails on the lower steps and stained the missing pickets.

So, now unless I decide to put handrails down the short stairs to the pond, that's it...done.  

Still posts to put on the bridge, but I will need to do some turning on those.


----------



## Double

He just keeps going and going and going...everything looks great.

I wonder if you have or you could quick sketch an overhead map of the different areas? You have so many projects around the house, I can only imagine this huge property with sprawling ponds and walkways and decks all over the island. I get confused as I read through the latest updates about where you are locating all of the new stuff in relation to the older stuff.

Thanks! Keep up the great work, a good example for the rest of us.


----------



## Bud Cline

While your at it Keith would you also draw us some maps and floor plans of where all of your valuables are located on the property and the location of any wall or floor safes that may exist along with the combinations of those safes? A schedule of when you are routinely away from the island and for how long would also be handy. Oh, and also a tide forecast so a visitor doesn't get grounded as the result of an ebb tide. The map should include the locations of any coffee cans that are buried on the property that may contain valuables. Could you also leave a shovel leaning somewhere in plain view as well as an empty pillow case or two? 

Thank you for your co-operation.


----------



## cocobolo

Double said:


> He just keeps going and going and going...everything looks great.
> 
> I wonder if you have or you could quick sketch an overhead map of the different areas? You have so many projects around the house, I can only imagine this huge property with sprawling ponds and walkways and decks all over the island. I get confused as I read through the latest updates about where you are locating all of the new stuff in relation to the older stuff.
> 
> Thanks! Keep up the great work, a good example for the rest of us.


Lately it has been stopping, stopping and stopping some more.

Best thing I can suggest about the island itself is to do the Google map thing.

We hardly have a sprawling property here, in fact it might be the smallest lot on the island. Just less than half an acre.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> While you're at it Keith would you also draw us some maps and floor plans of where all of your valuables are located on the property and the location of any wall or floor safes that may exist along with the combinations of those safes? A schedule of when you are routinely away from the island and for how long would also be handy. Oh, and also a tide forecast so a visitor doesn't get grounded as the result of an ebb tide. The map should include the locations of any coffee cans that are buried on the property that may contain valuables. Could you also leave a shovel leaning somewhere in plain view as well as an empty pillow case or two?
> 
> Thank you for your co-operation.


No problem Bud. Consider it done. But if it's all the same to you I'd prefer to send it to you in a pm....never know what kind of unsavory types might be looking at this.

The shovels (plural) you will find at the head of the bay down where I split the wood. I always leave the chainsaw just outside the back door...you might need that to cut a hole in the wall where I hide some of the (not so) valuables. I will attach a map for you to the chainsaw handle. Just finished sharpening up the chain so you shouldn't have any trouble getting through the walls.

You'll find a separate map of the buried valuables in the top woodshed. You'll need to search a bit to find that one. But if you are familiar with the story of Brother XII...well, I found some of his gold, so now that is hidden here as well. Better keep that between you and I.

Easy to tell when I'm away...either the sailboat or the powerboat will be gone. Tide chart is available on the web...look for Boat Harbour, the one in B.C.

If I've missed anything just ask.


----------



## cocobolo

Not too much in the way of interesting things to give you...but here was an interesting cloud formation a few evenings ago. Quite different from the usual.

DIY chat is taking forever to load this morning...more pics later this evening. Hopefully it will be faster then.


----------



## BigJim

How in the world did you get all you have done in a half acre lot? I tried to do a google earth of your island but I just don't know the exact spot. Oh well, I deleted Google Earth because it slowed my PC down so much. Maybe you can do one and make a screen shot of it for us.


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith's property doesn't show up on Google earth, it is hidden by all of the threes. A small glimpse of the property is however visible from a helicopter view that was used in an earlier-mentioned shoreline survey. If you look closely you may be able to see Keith waving at the helicopter that day.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> How in the world did you get all you have done in a half acre lot? I tried to do a google earth of your island but I just don't know the exact spot. Oh well, I deleted Google Earth because it slowed my PC down so much. Maybe you can do one and make a screen shot of it for us.


I cheated.

Actually, at the front of the lot, there is a very large area...perhaps another half acre at least...which is no man's land. And being the nice guy that I am I have commandeered some of it. I think technically it is road allowance. The buildings of course, are obviously legally located within the confines of our property lines.

Since I have been able to get the site to load, I might as well add another pic.

The Coast Guard came by early a couple of days ago. Going so slowly as to barely leave even a ripple behind them. Very considerate. I wish the big powerboats would do the same when they see small boats crossing.

The flower is a Japanese lily of some kind in the J garden. Good thing I got a pic yesterday, because the wind and rain are back today. At least I don't need to water the garden!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith's property doesn't show up on Google earth, it is hidden by all of the trees. A small glimpse of the property is however visible from a helicopter view that was used in an earlier-mentioned shoreline survey. If you look closely you may be able to see Keith waving at the helicopter that day.


Bud my man...I was quite certain I explained that I was shooting at that chopper, not waving at it!

Yesterday was a good day for logs. Very early in the morning there was quite a collection of logs and other detritus floating by on the tide. So out I went with the skiff and managed to get several logs back in to the bay just before the tide went out again. Got them all bucked up and ready to split, but no splitting yesterday. I was too beat by the time I had cut up 9 logs and moved all the rounds up top.

But this morning, before the rain started, I did get three more lift loads up. Didn't make much of a dent in that woodpile though. Still lots to go.

The bridge now has posts and a rope handrail. I think that's about it for wood working down there, except possibly for one more wind screen extending off the other side of the viewing building.


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## BigJim

_"Bud my man...I was quite certain I explained that I was shooting at that chopper, not waving at it!_"

:laughing::laughing::thumbsup:


----------



## kwikfishron

With just a little modification I'd think you could get that Honda to drag that pile right up the hill.


----------



## cocobolo

kwikfishron said:


> With just a little modification I'd think you could get that Honda to drag that pile right up the hill.


I suppose so. But all the splitting is done down below, then the lift moves it up top for me.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, about an inch of rain last night, so the pond is filled up again. Much more firewood and at long last I got more sand to finish the first pathway.


----------



## simoo

Keith

Love the thread, I really appreciate the time you go to explaining everything you are doing. 

I am currently up to page 170, spending all my spare time trying to catch up.

Thanks


----------



## cocobolo

simoo said:


> Keith
> 
> Love the thread, I really appreciate the time you go to explaining everything you are doing.
> 
> I am currently up to page 170, spending all my spare time trying to catch up.
> 
> Thanks


Good morning simoo...welcome to the thread...and many thanks for your kind comments.

Sorry I haven't been able to add much of interest lately, it has been mostly the gathering of logs for firewood for next winter. But that is now very nearly finished.

Still a few projects to go, and with the good weather this morning...it's still not quite 7 am here yet...I should have something to show for later.


----------



## scoggy

*Good weather....*

Keith, I got fed up with that crappy weather we were having, ..so..did a sacrifice to the Sun God, and shaved all my hair off my head..and it worked ===8^)..nothing but sunshine..glad it worked! Gonna try an make it over this month or with my buddy from Bahrain in September..(we are off to Alaska for a 'drive about' for the month of August)
Cheers
Syd:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, I got fed up with that crappy weather we were having, ..so..did a sacrifice to the Sun God, and shaved all my hair off my head..and it worked ===8^)..nothing but sunshine..glad it worked! Gonna try an make it over this month or with my buddy from Bahrain in September..(we are off to Alaska for a 'drive about' for the month of August)
> Cheers
> Syd:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


Well, I have to say Syd, I had no idea where all this sunshine had magically come from. But now I know. So I guess everyone in B.C. owes you a giant Thankyou! :thumbsup:

Only question is...why didn't you do it earlier? June was our coldest and generally worst month ever recorded. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

It is high time that I brought things up to date here I guess.

On the last Friday in June, I suffered more heart troubles which lasted 24 hours. None of my normal medical stunts would fix this one until I drank a cup of coffee of all things. The fibrillation stopped within a minute or so and hasn't returned since.

Yes, I have heard all the lectures about not being 40 any more and for a change I have been paying attention. 

But regardless of all that I did finish cutting up the last dozen or so logs, and that is officially the end of that. The pile of unsplit rounds is pretty huge now.

One small section of the woodshed was formerly reserved for fire pump and hose storage. That has now been moved out of the woodshed so I can fill it right up to the end.


----------



## cocobolo

The removal of the fire pump etc.means that it will need a new home. And to that end I have built an additional small deck between the woodshed and the house which will accommodate both the fire pump and two propane tanks.

This snake is the hose which leads from the water tank and has a quick connect to the fire pump. The new deck will be right here.


----------



## cocobolo

I was able to scrounge up enough wood to cobble together this little deck. I think it's just about the right size for the job.


----------



## cocobolo

A quick coat of stain showed up just how grungy the main deck is! Time to get out the scrubbing brush and re-stain the deck methinks.
This is where all the tile cutting has been done, so that's my excuse. Er, sorry, I mean that's my reason.


----------



## cocobolo

Several days ago now we had a couple of guys arrived late in the evening and fish for cod. The area is closed to cod fishing and will be for the foreseeable future. It took them under 5 minutes to land their first two fish. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't see any registration numbers on the boat so not much I can do. It's a shame, because the other 99% play by the rules.


----------



## cocobolo

Early on the morning of July 4th I was sitting at my computer and looking out over the water. For a few seconds, the rising sun caught some windows on a house over on Vancouver Island and was reflected back straight at me.

I took three very quick shots and this is the only one that came out half decently. The reflection lasted well under a minute.


----------



## cocobolo

Several weeks ago I loaned one of my solar telescopes to my good friend Randy over in Nanaimo. He has a better tracking mount than I do and he's rapidly getting to be a whiz at processing his astro photos.

Here's one of several shots he took recently showing a pretty sizable sunspot. The kind that would be big enough to disrupt communications on earth.


----------



## cocobolo

It has been a few years since we went down to Saltspring Island to the Bamboo Ranch, but this plant was one that the missus brought back. She managed to neglect it to the point that she thought it was totally dead (obviously been taking lessons in neglect from me) and said that I could have it for the Japanese garden.

It didn't look any too promising, but I lavished it with care, lots of water and fertilizer every day for two weeks. Somehow it has survived all the abuse we have heaped on it and it's looking good now. Some brand new shoots are a positive sign that it has made it through.


----------



## cocobolo

There is but one final area in the garden that I can clear out and get the last of the plants in. I should have tried a pic before I did the clearing, but all you would have seen would be brambles and weeds.

Now it has to be dug up and screened to get rid of the roots and rocks.


----------



## cocobolo

I have noticed quite a few grass snakes swimming in the pond. They seem to like going after the tadpoles. There are two of them on the bricks here.


----------



## cocobolo

After what seems like forever, the front entrance is now tiled. Just the grouting to go. I checked what I had on hand and it was only a few pounds, so we picked up a new bag today while we were over in town. Nearly done.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, you call that easing up, all of that would have killed me. You got it all looking great Keith hopefully you will be able to rest up a little now.


----------



## Mort

Looking at this, maybe I should be less lazy.

Maybe not.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Good gravy, you call that easing up, all of that would have killed me. You got it all looking great Keith hopefully you will be able to rest up a little now.


No rest in the cards yet Jim.

Today we will be doing some clearing out in the new living room in the house in preparation for moving some of the furniture over. The plan is to clear out the lower floor in the cabin so all the big tools can find a new home over there. It still seems a bit overwhelming at times, but every day things get a little closer.

A couple of nights ago I took a pic of the sun well before sunset, and this is what it looked like. During the day the mountains on Vancouver Island were completely obliterated.

According to the powers that be this smoke is coming from both the fires down in Colorado and in Siberia. Heck, I didn't even know they were having big fires in Siberia! The thick smoke made it act like a filter when you looked at the sun.


----------



## cocobolo

This was from July 10th...the little rowboat is being propelled by one of our friends who has had a cabin on the island forever. Ron is a retired fire chief and keeps himself in great shape with his daily rowing and sailing efforts.


----------



## cocobolo

By the time we got back home last night - waiting for the tide of course - it was quite late. As is often the case the best of the sunset was gone and this was all I was able to grab. Better than nothing I guess.


----------



## cocobolo

The kitchen counter with those aggravating curves still needs a wood trim around the outside. I started chopping up some bead and cove cedar strips that I found here, which were originally slated for the building of either a canoe or kayak.

This was about the easiest way I could think of to handle the tightly curved corners. I think I can bend some thin strips for the long sections.

That's a 5 gallon pail there about half full of small pieces.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Good gravy, you call that easing up, all of that would have killed me.


I'll just pass this on for the heck of it....

A few weeks ago I had an old customer chase me half way across town to ask me to do a kitchen back-splash in his home for him. I saw this guy behind me flashing his headlights but just thought the guy was a kook. I didn't recognize the car he was driving and had no idea who it was.

Okay so I go and look at his kitchen and determined it would be a piece-o-cake job. I told him I could have it done in two days (16 hours) ahead of his family arriving from out of town.

Lord help me!!!

I just finished the job an hour ago. It only took me twenty-three hours and I went to the job only six days. I know I know, I was never good with math problems and it now seems my days can run into weeks. When I wasn't finished within my two-day estimate he asked me to wait out the week of the Fourth of July so grand kids wouldn't be in the way.

So technically...I was able to make the entire two day job last only eleven days.:whistling2:

Keith...you cause me personal embarrassment on a regular basis. I don't know how you do it endlessly like you do.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I'll just pass this on for the heck of it....
> 
> 
> 
> Okay so I go and look at his kitchen and determined it would be a piece-o-cake job. I told him I could have it done in two days (16 hours) ahead of his family arriving from out of town.
> 
> Lord help me!!!
> 
> I just finished the job an hour ago. It only took me twenty-three hours and I went to the job only six days. I know I know, I was never good with math problems and it now seems my days can run into weeks. When I wasn't finished within my two-day estimate he asked me to wait out the week of the Fourth of July so grand kids wouldn't be in the way.
> 
> So technically...I was able to make the entire two day job last only eleven days.:whistling2:
> 
> Keith...you cause me personal embarrassment on a regular basis. I don't know how you do it endlessly like you do.


Bud, I hope you don't think you have a monopoly on this sort of thing.

Let's see now, the two year house is at 15 years and counting. The Japanese garden - a 6 month project is now around 6 years and counting - and the list just goes on.

Don't feel bad on my account, I mean a lousy 23 hours for a 16 hour job? Heck, for me that would be finishing in jig time! :jester:


----------



## Bud Cline

Along those lines...

In my lack of ability to perform, reason, justify, and react, I'll also share this little ditty.

Yesterday I drove into a convenience store and drove up to the front of the store to go inside. It wasn't my original intention to take my truck into the store. However!

I started to get out without placing the transmission into park and of course the engine dynamics caused the truck to creep forward slightly. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking.

Realizing immediately that the truck was unintentionally moving forward I slammed my foot on the brake pedal. Well chit! My foot slipped off of the brake pedal and sent the accelerator pedal smashing to the floorboard.

That (stupid-truck) jumped over a seven inch concrete curb and didn't stop until (it) had smashed into the building. HOLY CRAP!!!

I drive a 3/4 van that weighs-in at a little over 8400 pounds as it sits.

I missed crashing through the two glass doors by about eighteen inches.

Just my luck the owner was working and he was there to see it all happening. When the police arrived I told the cop that I thought the business needed a new drive-thru lane anyway and I was just encouraging them to build one. The cop laughed but the owner didn't think I was very funny. Hell, the guy has no sense of humor I guess.

Don't tell anyone about this because I am embarrassed over the incident and don't want too many people to know about it.

Seems that these days I am only working to pay medical co-pays, insurance premiums, and buy gasoline.

Whoops I almost forgot. The building has only recently been given a new face lift and it is all very nice...was all very nice.


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmmm...I think that qualifies as a defnite "OOOOOOOOPPSSS!!!"


----------



## Bud Cline

> OOOOOOOOPPSSS!!!


To the tenth power.

Actually the building face is EFIS which is a cheap stucco-like product applied over (of all things) Styrofoam. So basically the Styrofoam caved. I don't see any structural damage at all. But hey..."Whoops there goes another insurance premium increase."


----------



## Bud Cline

*W​e return you now to our regularly scheduled thread topic.*


----------



## BigJim

Cheeze and crackers Bud, that was close, you may as well just join the club, you have already met the requirements. Now about that 16 hour job, do you know it took me almost a month to install the porcelain in our kitchen and it is only 12X14? Well I did have to go under the house and do some work and the floor was bad out of level but for crying out loud, a month. As matter a fact you are the one who told me how to do it and I still appreciate it Bud.

Now I have started tearing out our tub and installing a shower and a half bath, this should last me until late fall if I am lucky.


----------



## cocobolo

Only until late fall? What's the rush Jim? :huh:


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm glad you're alright Bud! That must have been scary. 

The 'drive-in" idea was pretty funny.


----------



## cocobolo

We are pleased to announce that the official winner of this week's Cocobolo Crusher Contest is none other than - drum roll please - Bud Cline Tile Contracting!!! :thumbsup:

A giant round of applause from everyone please for the winner of this closely contested battle! :clap::clap::clap:


----------



## cocobolo

I must say it has been a real treat to have some proper summer weather here, all thanks to Squid of course.

Good time for staining things, as the wood is good and dry and the stain itself dries in mere minutes, instead of mere days as it did in June.

There is to be a screen in front of the propane tanks/fire pump deck, and these are the initial strips that I cut up.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus has one yellow gladioli in bloom, but it is horizontal. I put a stake in the ground for her this morning, but I see she still hasn't got around to tying it up yet...tut, tut...I will have to have a word in her delicate little ear.


----------



## cocobolo

I brought back what is to be the last of the pavers for the J garden from Coombs yesterday, and after supper this evening I did get around to getting them up the bank and close to the tile saw. Some of them will need trimming so that they will go around a curved pathway.


----------



## cocobolo

Notice that the top red one is broken. That's the second one of those that has pulled that stunt. I guess I can still use it as a trimmed paver.

But wouldn't you know it, no sooner do I bring the pavers up to the tile saw than I spot a pile that I didn't even know I had.

I think Jim refers to this as old timers. :huh:

So now there are an extra 14 pavers, which means I can make a longer pathway, which means I will need to dig up a few more wheel barrow loads of sand, which means more work. :help::wallbash:


----------



## Bud Cline

> A giant round of applause from everyone please for the winner of this closely contested battle!


Thank you, thank you, thank you very much, thank you, I appreciate it, thank you, thank you, please sit down now, thank you, your response is overwhelming, thank you very much.

Just let me say that I will be in the lobby to sign autographs and sell T-shirts in about fifteen minutes. Thanks for being here. Cash-only on the T-shirt sales.

Thank you!


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Thank you, thank you, thank you very much, thank you, I appreciate it, thank you, thank you, please sit down now, thank you, your response is overwhelming, thank you very much.
> 
> Just let me say that I will be in the lobby to sign autographs and sell T-shirts in about fifteen minutes. Thanks for being here. Cash-only on the T-shirt sales.
> 
> Thank you!


:laughing::laughing::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Hahahahaha!  We love that one, don't we Jim! :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> Thank you, thank you, thank you very much, thank you, I appreciate it, thank you, thank you, please sit down now, thank you, your response is overwhelming, thank you very much.
> 
> Just let me say that I will be in the lobby to sign autographs and sell T-shirts in about fifteen minutes. Thanks for being here. Cash-only on the T-shirt sales.
> 
> Thank you!


....:laughing:

If I can make it there, I'll be in a hurry. There wouldn't happen to be a drive-thru in that lobby, would there?


----------



## Bud Cline

> There wouldn't happen to be a drive-thru in that lobby, would there?


For safety reasons please park around the corner and walk in. The T-shirts are going fast, better hurry, bring cash, no receipts will be issued.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

Your attention please, ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.

Er, sorry, I mean Mr. Cline has left the building. :tank:


----------



## shadytrake

Hello there,

I just got through your thread from start to present and I am overwhelmed by your woodworking skills. It reminds me of the beautiful teak wood on my dad's sailboat from years ago.

I can't wait to see some full finished photos of the interior and exterior as you complete each project. My husband and I love Japanese maples and have 5 in our yard.

I do have a question. You mentioned a while back that you were tiling the kitchen counter-top and you were going to try that StarQuartz urethane grout. Did you finish? How does it look? I saw the tiles laid out but didn't see your comment on the grout.


----------



## rubberhead

I know some people with a cabin on Ruxton. Small world!


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Hello there,
> 
> I just got through your thread from start to present and I am overwhelmed by your woodworking skills. It reminds me of the beautiful teak wood on my dad's sailboat from years ago.
> 
> I can't wait to see some full finished photos of the interior and exterior as you complete each project. My husband and I love Japanese maples and have 5 in our yard.
> 
> I do have a question. You mentioned a while back that you were tiling the kitchen counter-top and you were going to try that StarQuartz urethane grout. Did you finish? How does it look? I saw the tiles laid out but didn't see your comment on the grout.


Well, firstly thank you for having enough patience to wade your way through this mish mash of everything under the sun.

I didn't know that Japanese Maples would do well down your way. Are any of them the lace leaf type hybrids? Or the more full leaved palmatums? I wouldn't mind seeing a photo of one or two of them if you could manage that.

As for the grout, we have actually been waiting for the night time temperatures to get high enough to set the last two counters. And I doubt if you will believe this for a second, but just over an hour ago, I did set the smaller of the two remaining counters. Tomorrow morning I plan to set the last one.

Before I can do the grouting I will need to add the wood trim around the edges so the grout doesn't pour out! I have most of the wood ready for that, and with a little luck it will be done shortly. I promise I will keep you posted.

To offer up a little proof, here is a pic just taken of the smaller of the remaining two counters with some concrete pavers in place to make sure the tile doesn't move.


----------



## cocobolo

rubberhead said:


> I know some people with a cabin on Ruxton. Small world!


If you would be kind enough to give me a name, I might know where their cabin is.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I chopped up a piece of yellow cedar which I had turned on the lathe some time in the distant past. I made 6 pieces, more or less the same length to use a legs on the book shelf.


----------



## cocobolo

I guess I should have called them feet, shouldn't I. They're not really long enough to be called legs.

Here they are attached to the lower shelf.


----------



## cocobolo

One of the steps out back of the cabin had developed some rot and needed replacing. Of course it was a curved step...but I think I have had enough of curves. So I replaced it with a straight step this morning.

I even had to glue two pieces of wood together to get it big enough. Never thought I would see the day hen I was this low on wood.

I added some thick pieces of red cedar as frame extensions under the step.


----------



## shadytrake

Hi,

Thanks for the update on your countertop. It will be exciting to see the finish.

Here are a few pics of the Maples from winter. Sorry that I don't have any current. They are the most vibrant in early spring or late fall. Hot summer is not the best time for pictures.

We have a very nice red lace called Crimson Red. We have 2 Palmatums, one called Bloodgood (goes purple/red in the fall) and the other I can't remember the name (it is a lighter red and goes orangy in the fall). We have a coral bark green leaf that is still in a pot waiting for the right location.

The last one is a Trident Maple bonsai that I gave my husband as an anniversary present. We have the largest commercial bonsai nursery about 12 miles from here, Brussels Bonsai. 

http://www.brusselsbonsai.com/

My husband used to own his own landscaping company so we are responsible for the curb appeal on our house. It's a little overgrown right now because we have been distracted with other projects. You would never guess that those plants were in 1-2 gallon pots when we bought them in 1997. He has such a green thumb and can get anything to grow.


----------



## rubberhead

cocobolo said:


> If you would be kind enough to give me a name, I might know where their cabin is.


Bud and Sue Koch. Not sure where abouts on the island but my memory wants to say the southern point.


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Hi,
> 
> Thanks for the update on your countertop. It will be exciting to see the finish.
> 
> Here are a few pics of the Maples from winter. Sorry that I don't have any current. They are the most vibrant in early spring or late fall. Hot summer is not the best time for pictures.
> 
> We have a very nice red lace called Crimson Red. We have 2 Palmatums, one called Bloodgood (goes purple/red in the fall) and the other I can't remember the name (it is a lighter red and goes orangy in the fall). We have a coral bark green leaf that is still in a pot waiting for the right location.
> 
> The last one is a Trident Maple bonsai that I gave my husband as an anniversary present. We have the largest commercial bonsai nursery about 12 miles from here, Brussels Bonsai.
> 
> http://www.brusselsbonsai.com/
> 
> My husband used to own his own landscaping company so we are responsible for the curb appeal on our house. It's a little overgrown right now because we have been distracted with other projects. You would never guess that those plants were in 1-2 gallon pots when we bought them in 1997. He has such a green thumb and can get anything to grow.


For what it's worth, the coral bark maples (Acer Palmatum Sango-kaku) seem to do well in medium size pots or containers.

I have a beauty in a wood container here. Not very big, perhaps 14" square and a foot high on the pot. All I have ever done is water it. I will see if I can remember to get a current pic tomorrow.

ALL of my Japanese maples were originally in small pots, and most were not bought until after 2000. Many I grew from seed (dead easy) and they are generally doing well.

I also have a Bloodgood here (new pic tomorrow) also in a wood container. I line the container with 15 lb. roofing felt. So far the containers seem to be holding up quite well.


----------



## cocobolo

Somewhere around 10 years ago I installed a small bridge at the bottom of the garden. Shortly after that I made some semi-fancy looking cutout things which were intended to beef up the rather flimsy handrails.

Naturally, they never got installed at the time. Well, yesterday when I was heavily involved in the archeological dig known as the living room, I unearthed the above mentioned pieces.

I stained them up and finally got around to installing them today. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

And one more thing on the to-do list, which never seemed to get done, was to add a small step in between the first two deck levels outside the solarium.

Well, here it is...sort of. It isn't nailed together in this photo yet. But it will do the job just fine.


----------



## cocobolo

Sitting outside this evening after dinner and this log came floating by...roots and all! I tried to guess how long it was, but the top didn't want to make its' appearance very public. So I will go with 65' give or take.


----------



## cocobolo

rubberhead said:


> Bud and Sue Koch. Not sure where abouts on the island but my memory wants to say the southern point.


You betcha! South west end overlooking both Whaleboat Passage and the Yellow Point area of Vancouver Island.

Right next door to Dr. Al Hocker and his wife Pat, who were my very best customers on this island. :thumbup: 

Small world indeed!


----------



## cocobolo

Note to shadytrake...sorry about not getting any maple pics today, but the sun didn't arrive until way too late. We are supposed to have clearing tomorrow morning, so I should be able to get a few pics then. :thumbsup:

In the mean time here is tonight's sunset.


----------



## cocobolo

The promised sun did indeed arrive today...after a few clouds this morning. So here are a few Japanese Maple pics as they are today.

The coral bark always looks best from behind when the sun is shining on it. And as well I have a pic of the container it is in. It gets morning and very early afternoon sun, and then is shaded for the rest of the day by two large arbutus trees.


----------



## cocobolo

This is a Trompenberg hybrid...a very recent discovery as far as Japanese Maples go.


----------



## cocobolo

Once in awhile I do get around to doing some woodworking, and today we cleaned off the solarium bench and I shaped and sanded it ready for finishing. There was a few nicks and scratches to fix, but other than that it wasn't too bad.


----------



## cocobolo

The missus wants to do the varnishing on the bench...not sure about that, it could take her a month. It needs to get done quickly now.

The new end piece for the bookshelf came out OK. I glued it up this morning, and it was dry enough to run through the planer this afternoon. It is the longer of the two in the pic.


----------



## cocobolo

Now it should be a matter of deciding the shelf spacing and cutting the dadoes to fit the four curved shelves - there's that WORD again - and then the assembly. 

The missus says she wants to varnish this as well. What is this world coming to?

This is the smallest shelf, awaiting sanding.


----------



## cocobolo

Another small maple. I think this one is a Koto No Ito.


----------



## cocobolo

These are all grown from seed here. Having been in the ground for several years, they are getting quite tall. I think around 12 feet for the tallest.


----------



## BigJim

Amazingly beautiful buddy, one day I sure would love to see an overview of your island, it has to be breath taking, maybe you could take a walk through video one day.


----------



## cocobolo

I have been trying to get a friend of ours who is a pilot to get some aerial shots Jim. But it hasn't happened yet. My video skills aren't worth a darn, so I don't know if that would be any good or not. Something shot from the air would be much better.

Trying to get the solarium bench all tidied up for varnishing today - among a dozen other things - so we will see how that goes.


----------



## cocobolo

The aforementioned nicks and scratches in the bench needed some filler...and then I enlisted the aid of the missus who is pretty good at this colored stuff, and she touched up the filler spots with her little artist's brush.


----------



## cocobolo

Next up it was time to get the dadoes cut in the end bookcase support.

I started by checking the measurement from the edge of the router base to the cutting bit. This was about 3 17/32", so after having marked out where the shelves would go I set the guide board in place with clamps.


----------



## cocobolo

There are 5 cuts to be made on the support, so it's a bit tedious setting up for both sides of each cut, but at least you know it can be done accurately. Didn't really take that long.


----------



## cocobolo

It might be worth mentioning a couple of things here.

First the auxiliary square router base makes it easy to follow the guide board. Sometimes the round bases tend to want to jump out just a touch and you don't always get a dead straight cut. :huh:

The other thing is to remember to push down on the leading edge of the router as you enter the cut and shift your weight to the back of the router as you get to the end of the cut. I know all you long time router users know that but there might be some novices looking in...never know.


----------



## flamtap

cocobolo said:


> The other thing is to remember to push down on the leading edge of the router as you enter the cut and shift your weight to the back of the router as you get to the end of the cut. I know all you long time router users know that but there might be some novices looking in...never know.


That would be me right here...:thumbsup:

I'm guessing this is so the router remains flat on the surface of whatever you're routing? 

Thanks for the tip!

Flamtap


----------



## cocobolo

flamtap said:


> That would be me right here...:thumbsup:
> 
> I'm guessing this is so the router remains flat on the surface of whatever you're routing?
> 
> Thanks for the tip!
> 
> Flamtap


You're more than welcome...the same thing applies to planing wood by hand, or sanding. All that sort of thing.

One other hint in order to keep the edges of your wood flat is to clamp an extra piece of wood against the edge. That will prevent any dips or unwanted nicks from happening.

And particularly in the case of a router, an extra clamped piece will prevent the all-too-common tear out that happens when your bit exits the cut. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Last night it was time to get started on the varnishing of the solarium bench. As usual, it was getting fairly dark by the time I got the first coat done, so I went upstairs and tried a shot through the hole in the floor using a flash.


----------



## cocobolo

Don't be deceived by that picture, first coats are never good on cedar. 

This morning I sanded it with 180 by hand, with the grain, and applied coat number two. Still a few glitches, but that's to be expected with such a soft wood.

Where the missus touched up the colour of the filler, it needs re-touching just a little darker.


----------



## cocobolo

Might as well toss in last nights' sunset for good measure.


----------



## BigJim

Just looking at your pictures and see all the things there knowing you had to carry every single thing in those pictures to your home by boat and haul them up hill. That is amazing within itself. Thanks for the Sunset, it is always soothing and a real cozy feeling seeing them.


----------



## cocobolo

I hope to be taking a short holiday off the Island at the end of this month...so there is a bit of a panic to get certain things done before I leave.

Current projects include the bookshelves, the bench varnishing (7 coats) and the tiling in the bathroom, and of course that last one will be the big time consumer. 

With a little bit of luck I hope to have a pic or two for later on this evening. Cloudy and quite breezy again today, so inside work it will be.


----------



## cocobolo

Turned out to be a lovely day here after all, but it got gobbled up with tiling work nonetheless.

Here's the Hardiebacker down on the bathroom floor...and I'm sure most of you will be saying why on earth are there all those little pieces instead of just one or two.

Well, when I started, the composting toilet was in place, and I originally intended to try and get the backer and tile to go just under the edges of the unit. But that proved to be a whole lot more difficult that I thought, and the better option was to remove the whole thing. By that time, I had some of those little pieces in place...so now you know.


----------



## cocobolo

In order to keep some sort of coherence to the floor tile, we decided to do another border around the edges with 4" tiles to match the shower area. I had enough tiles all pre-cut for that, except that there were two very different tile colours, which wasn't much good. As luck would have it, I found just 9 brown tiles - all the same colour - so I cut those up into 4 1/4" squares and used them for the border.

Here's the dry fit test.


----------



## cocobolo

Next they got set, and there was enough thinset left to do one of the big infill tiles, so I stuck that down as well.

There are two of the edge tiles which are not set, as that is where the drain from the bathroom sink will be going.


----------



## cocobolo

By the end of the day I had all the infill tiles cut to fit and managed to get them set right before a late dinner.

Can you imagine all the fun fitting everything in that crazy space?


----------



## shumakerscott

Wow! You sure got some wicked cuts going on there:thumbup: Fantastic. dorf dude...


----------



## gma2rjc

It looks like a lot of work Keith, but it sure does look good. The sunset pics look great too.


----------



## BigJim

I bet you are one wore out dude after all that cutting, that would have taken me at least three days. Sure does look good.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I bet you are one wore out dude after all that cutting, that would have taken me at least three days. Sure does look good.


Jim, as you know, it's the constant getting up and down that's the real problem.

Now I am going to tackle the walls today, so we'll see how far I get later.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, as you know, it's the constant getting up and down that's the real problem.
> 
> Now I am going to tackle the walls today, so we'll see how far I get later.


That's the really hard part,getting up and down, I am just happy that you still can buddy.


----------



## Bud Cline

> jim, as you know, it's the constant getting up and down that's the real problem.


*amen!*


----------



## cocobolo

It's getting harder by the day it seems...

Bud, another question for you.

I know that _normal_ people run their sink drains inside the wall, you know the rest of that sentence.

Mine is going through the tiled floor. So the question is do they make such a thing as a drill that will go through tile that would accommodate a 1 1/2" ABS drain?

The fact is that I just hacked the hole out of the tile with a grinder, but that took forever and a day. Next time if there's an easier way.....


----------



## Bud Cline

> Next time if there's an easier way.....


Yes there is a way. There are plenty of diamond core-saws available for just such a purpose. I own several and they work great. Pricey little devils however.

A core saw (this is the cutting tool not the machine) of that size will cost from $60 up. They come with a centering masonry style drill bit. The first thing to do is to throw that centering-bit in the trash and make your own guide, and off you go on your way to perfection.


----------



## cocobolo

Excellent! Many thanks for that. :thumbsup:


----------



## scotzilla

i hate getting on this website because every time i do i get sucked into your project and have to go back 20 pages and catch up on progress- Awesome!!!


----------



## cocobolo

scotzilla said:


> i hate getting on this website because every time i do i get sucked into your project and have to go back 20 pages and catch up on progress- Awesome!!!


I think there's a solution for that scotzilla. Come back every two or three days...

Thanks for the comment anyway!


----------



## Bud Cline

Subscribe.


----------



## cocobolo

The hand grinder may not be up to par as far as Bud's nice hole cutters go, but it's cheap and it works. It does tend to take a few minutes however. The pipe is a good fit now and I just have to set the tiles and that will be that.


----------



## cocobolo

I doubt the real experts need to do this, but I always have to test the fit of my tiles before I mix the thinset.


----------



## cocobolo

I needed a sky hook to hold the vent for the composting toilet up in the air, and a piece of heavy string is presently doing the trick.


----------



## cocobolo

On the other side of this wall where the hole is there is a wood stove.

There is a 4" thick brick wall behind the stove and that is faced with tile. Once the masonry mass warms up with the stove going, it then in turn heats the framing spaces in this wall. There is a vent which fits over this hole, and smaller vents at the top of the wall. Convection carries the heat in through the big vent and out through the top, thus heating the room in winter time.

It works rather well. :yes:


----------



## BigJim

I was trying to figure how you cut that small hole with a side grinder but I see now. You did a great job on that, I wasn't expecting to see such a neat hole.

I have some tiling coming up (I started to say soon) when I ever get through with this half bath, I forgot how much work and how many things go into such a small space. I ran the vents for the sink and commode yesterday and used a 4 foot drill bit to locate where the hole goes through the roof. I went up there to cover the hole for the night, as it usually rains in the evenings here. I looked and there was a 2 1/2" hole in the roof where it looks like a roof vent had fallen back through, no boot just tar. I looked at the other vent pipes and every one of the boots were shot especially the 3" one.

I got busy and fixed them for now until I can buy some new ones. The 3 inch one was so bad I used a plastic bucket and cut the hole where the pipe would fit tight and cut the bucket down so it would cover the large hole in the boot. Believe it or not it is water tight right now, ugly but we don't need anymore water down through the holes.

If the dummys who did the work on them had used lead boots they wouldn't need replacing now and to just put tar instead of a boot is just plain lazy and cheap, there is no telling how much damage has been done by all the water leaking in and all of it inside the walls where it couldn't be seen. OK I am through now, sorry about blowin off steam. We return you to the regular scheduled good stuff.


----------



## cocobolo

Oh boy, I hope there isn't too much damage from the lack of proper flashings on your roof.

Back in the day the old lead flashings were dirt cheap, so they can't use expense as an excuse. Just plain laziness. It's a good thing that you found it and can get it all fixed up properly.

The things some people will do...honestly.


----------



## Marbledust

cocobolo said:


> Sitting outside this evening after dinner and this log came floating by...roots and all! I tried to guess how long it was, but the top didn't want to make its' appearance very public. So I will go with 65' give or take.


I suppose that is the Big One....that got away!


----------



## cocobolo

Marbledust said:


> I suppose that is the Big One....that got away!


Well, truth be known I have more than enough logs now anyway.

The biggest was the big old boom stick that my Neighbour brought in. It was over 68' and very big! Still do not have it all cut up.
Back to more tiling now.....:huh:


----------



## Marbledust

I like your pond and nice looking bridges and walk ways there.I was wondering if you plan on raising Koi fish?


----------



## Bud Cline

> coco: "The hand grinder may not be up to par as far as Bud's nice hole cutters go, but it's cheap and it works."


An old trick before I finally invested good money in diamond hole saws was to use a grinder to grind away the backside of the tile. Grind a "saucer" in the backside wide enough and deep enough so-as to be able to eventually turn the tile over and gently break-your-way thru the tile surface until you have a hole of the required diameter. This is easy to do and saves having to make "in-road" cuts to facilitate grinding a needed hole from both sides of a cut you didn't want to make to begin with.:thumbup: Takes time but works great.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> An old trick before I finally invested good money in diamond hole saws was to use a grinder to grind away the backside of the tile. Grind a "saucer" in the backside wide enough and deep enough so-as to be able to eventually turn the tile over and gently break-your-way thru the tile surface until you have a hole of the required diameter. This is easy to do and saves having to make "in-road" cuts to facilitate grinding a needed hole from both sides of a cut you didn't want to make to begin with.:thumbup: Takes time but works great.


I can see where that would take some time to do and patience also.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Grind a "saucer" in the backside wide enough and deep enough so-as to be able to eventually turn the tile over and gently break-your-way thru the tile surface until you have a hole of the required diameter.:thumbup:


I can see how that would work Bud. How would you get the edges of the hole smooth? I don't know if I have any sort of small grinding tool here that would work on tile. Would a small drum type sander do it?


----------



## cocobolo

Marbledust said:


> I like your pond and nice looking bridges and walk ways there.I was wondering if you plan on raising Koi fish?


That's a question that everyone who sees the pond asks.

No, I don't plan on having any Koi here, I think the herons would have them in no time. Either them or the snakes that seem to like the pond now!


----------



## Bud Cline

> I can see how that would work Bud. How would you get the edges of the hole smooth?


Oh hell I have used all kinds of weapons. Typically you have ground the bisque down to nothing much more than glaze. The glaze will chip easily. You can use almost any hard tool to ding the glaze into submission. The best control comes from a pair of tile-biters to round out the final edge. At that point a piece of broken tile makes a pretty good file and the files come in all sizes.:whistling2:

After all is in place a little caulk (tooled/finessed with a finger and then a damp sponge around the pipe) will dress the final edge and waterproof the crack at the same time. Thirty years ago that's how I did most of those type of cuts. There may be a slight learning-curve. Keep in mind there are also escutcheons available in a myriad of sizes.


----------



## cocobolo

Made an attempt to start on the bookcase assembly last night, but it was too dark to get much done. I did drill and countersink all the holes for the stainless steel screws, so that was a start.

In order to try and keep the drill holes straight, I sat a small square on the shelf and used it as a visual guide.


----------



## cocobolo

Because if the somewhat weird shape of the shelves, I didn't want to trust my measurements to line up the holes to mount the vertical supports. So what I ended up doing was to sit each connecting pair of shelves together and just drill right through.


----------



## cocobolo

Then when I flipped the lower shelf over, there was my guide hole from the underside ready to countersink. That should work OK.

So now I am off to do the assembly.


----------



## cocobolo

I did try one support last night...but trying to see a pencil line on dark cedar isn't easy.


----------



## cocobolo

In fact, seeing the pencil lines in daylight with the lights on wasn't so easy either!

What I ended up doing was to make a line on either side of the supports and then clamped them in place. That ended up working out all right.


----------



## cocobolo

What I should say is it worked out _most_ of the time.

I didn't ever bother to make a drawing for these bookshelves, and I didn't have any particular measurements in mind. Had I been a little more careful, I wouldn't have ended up with two supports with one very nearly on top of the other.

This made it very difficult to get at the screws (2" #10 stainless) with a hand screwdriver. A drill was completely out of the question.


----------



## cocobolo

In the end, my stubbornness overcame my stupidity and it all went together.


----------



## cocobolo

This is where it was designed to go...up against the curved wall which blends in to the same curve on the step which defines the living room from the rest of the main floor.


----------



## Mort

Beautiful, as always. You and your curves :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

It seems I can never resist taking pictures of the little green frogs that are here. 

First time I have seen one on a lily...and he/she was SO tiny.


----------



## cocobolo

A few of the flowers that are out today. Enjoy! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

Absolutely beautiful no other words can describe it. These are National Geo quality photos.


----------



## cocobolo

Adam Borzy said:


> They are beautiful :whistling2:
> 
> Your thread is excelente BTW :thumbup:


Welcome to the thread Adam...may I ask what part of Oz you hail from?

And of course, thank you for your comments.


----------



## gma2rjc

Beautiful flower pics Keith!


----------



## cocobolo

Adam Borzy said:


> How long have you been doing that?


We have been building the house here for 15 years.

The missus has been doing her part of the garden for about 13 or 14 of those years...and I think I started the Japanese garden here about 5 years ago.


----------



## shadytrake

Looking good! I posted some updates on my project. Hop on over... 

I hope my signature is showing my link now.


----------



## shadytrake

Testing my signature.


----------



## Mort

Just looking for an excuse to bump this thread, but I see that it is used in one of the example pages on the Apple App Store for the DIYChatroom app.

And back to the show.


----------



## BigJim

HELLO hello hello, it sure is lonely in here since Keith went on vacation. Seems like he has been gone for weeks now, sure hope he is having fun.


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Looking good! I posted some updates on my project. Hop on over...
> 
> I hope my signature is showing my link now.


Your sig is showing just fine.

I took a look at your endeavours and it looks like you've done quite a lot since you started.

One thing I will be looking forward to is how your granite comes out when your countertop is done.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> Just looking for an excuse to bump this thread, but I see that it is used in one of the example pages on the Apple App Store for the DIYChatroom app.
> 
> And back to the show.


Hi Mort...any chance you can find a link to that app that you mention above. I must admit I'm not too good at finding most things without a link. Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> HELLO hello hello, it sure is lonely in here since Keith went on vacation. Seems like he has been gone for weeks now, sure hope he is having fun.


Hi Jim:

I finally got my 'puter hooked up where I'm visiting a friend up in the interior of B.C. Only 636 emails to clear! That will teach me to stay offline for so long.

Gorgeous weather here and the forecast is the same for the foreseeable future. 

I seem to have turned into a lazy bum, although I have sealed my hosts driveway as a bit of a thank you. They want some crown molding put up, so I expect to have a go at that, and there's a fence that needs some attention...and the garage door is sagging...and I have forgotten what else needs looking at.

They have been chauffering me around and looking at the sights...it has been pretty nice not to have to worry about doing much in the way of work. A couple more weeks before I get back so I still have plenty of time to get into some kind of trouble! :thumbsup:


----------



## scoggy

*CoCoBolo..where are you in BC*

Keith, where are you ..'hiding out'?:wink::wink:


----------



## Mort

cocobolo said:


> Hi Mort...any chance you can find a link to that app that you mention above. I must admit I'm not too good at finding most things without a link. Thanks.


Here's the online version:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/diy-chatroom-forum/id397308697?mt=8


----------



## cocobolo

Went to the local car show yesterday here...a few samples of the cars that were on hand. 

The quality of the cars just seems to be getting better and better all the time. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, where are you ..'hiding out'?:wink::wink:


Just in case anyone thinks I ignored Scoggy....I didn't. Sent him an email. We all need to wish him well as he has just had a turn for the worse. No details, but I'm quite sure he will be better soon.


----------



## BigJim

The third and forth ones are my favorites so far. I had a 57 Chevy but it was a panel.

We wish Scoggy our best.


----------



## Bud Cline

BEST WISHES Scoggy!

Those old cars are amazing. The things are everywhere around here and the owners use any excuse they can find to roll out those beauties. Always enjoy seeing them.

I was fortunate enough back in those days to own a few nice cars myself but I didn't have the intuition to hang on to any of them. Most of them (I had back then) are now classics. I could kick myself.


----------



## cocobolo

They had a section just for 5-6-7 Chevy's. Some real beauties there. :thumbsup:

I had a '55, and a '57 wagon, never had a '56. Number one son Dennis had a '56.


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry about the duplicate pic of the cab unit getting in there somehow.

Any guesses as to what this car is? It's the first one I have ever seen of this marque in person. An absolutely perfect frame off restoration of the body.


----------



## BigJim

The head lights and grill look like a Buick but the windshield looks like a Cord.


----------



## Bud Cline

My brother-n-law has a body shop and is into classic Chevys. He has two 55's, a 56, and two 57's. He also has about 75 doors for 55, 56, 57's. I think he is trying to corner the market on classic Chevy doors.

One of my old favorites was my 65 Mustang GT Fastback. This thing was (from the factory) a 289 hi performance engine with a 4v and 4-speed Hurst linkage. It had the "Pony" interior and factory dual exhaust. Five-gauge dash with built-in tac, competition orange with dual black stripes along the lower panels and a wide black stripe over the hood and top with a black louvered rear window. The dealer installed Cragar mags for me as an enticement to make the purchase. I think I paid $5200.00 for that sucker drove it out of the showroom myself. I would have been about eighteen years old at that time. That beauty may have also been a "labeled Limited Edition" can't remember for sure. Don't see that many fastback Mustangs these days and I have never seen a duplicate tricked-out from the factory like the one I had.

Ah-h-h...the good old days.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> My brother-n-law has a body shop and is into classic Chevys. He has two 55's, a 56, and two 57's. He also has about 75 doors for 55, 56, 57's. I think he is trying to corner the market on classic Chevy doors.
> 
> One of my old favorites was my 65 Mustang GT Fastback. This thing was (from the factory) a 289 hi performance engine with a 4v and 4-speed Hurst linkage. It had the "Pony" interior and factory dual exhaust. Five-gauge dash with built-in tac, competition orange with dual black stripes along the lower panels and a wide black stripe over the hood and top with a black louvered rear window. The dealer installed Cragar mags for me as an enticement to make the purchase. I think I paid $5200.00 for that sucker drove it out of the showroom myself. I would have been about eighteen years old at that time. That beauty may have also been a "labeled Limited Edition" can't remember for sure. Don't see that many fastback Mustangs these days and I have never seen a duplicate tricked-out from the factory like the one I had.
> 
> Ah-h-h...the good old days.


I loved the fast backs, I didn't and still don't like the regular old stangs, I had a couple of the regular and just didn't like the look. I wish I had some of the old cars I had back in the 60s and 70s, I was mostly into Chevys but had Mopar, Ford and others.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> The head lights and grill look like a Buick but the windshield looks like a Cord.


Jim, that car is a Graham. I didn't see the owner there, otherwise I would have pounced on him with a ton of questions. The entire car was simply flawless.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, that car is a Graham. I didn't see the owner there, otherwise I would have pounced on him with a ton of questions. The entire car was simply flawless.


Thanks Keith, I haven't heard of that car, it is a beaut though.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Thanks Keith, I haven't heard of that car, it is a beaut though.


I always thought they were called a Graham Paige - if I have that spelling right. This one just had Graham on the center chrome strip down the front of the grille.


----------



## Bud Cline

All Americans should see this film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-Xfti7qtT0


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks for the link Bud. It's sickening that this kind of ____ is going on.


----------



## cocobolo

Back on the rock again, but some fun getting here.

When I arrived at the marina, it appeared that someone had perhaps been messing with the boat. The ignition may have been tampered with and the steering was somehow locked.

OK, managed to sort out the ignition problem and the boat started, but it would not steer at all. I disconnected the steering arm and the motor would go side to side no problem, so it was in the cable somehow. Since I had nothing to fix that with I had to jury rig some temporary way to steer the boat directly by holding the motor.

Found the end of an old pike pole, and it turned out to be a good tight fit when I drove it on to the steering rod on the motor...so off I went.

About ten minutes out (going slowly of course) the engine died and refused to re-start. As luck would have it, my immediate neighbour came along about 5 minutes later and towed me the rest of the way to the island.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night when the tide was in I towed the skiff over to shore and tried to start the motor. It started right up and it kept running on a high idle for about ten minutes and died again. So now I'm on the iBoats site getting advice.

To me it sounded like a fuel problem as when the engine died both times it coughed and sputtered for several seconds before it quit.

However, the experts are pointing to a failing stator or bad coil (of which there are three).

I'm betting that whatever the fix is it will be costly.


----------



## cocobolo

I did a little work on holiday...and the second thing we tackled after the driveway sealing was the fence.

It had never seen any stain and I'm guessing it must have been there for a good 20 years. Fixed up a few posts which were on the way south and then pressure washed the whole thing. From almost black to the colour of cedar instantly.

Here I am staining some primer with the owner's grandson.


----------



## cocobolo

They decided on a Sagebrush Green stain for the fence, which goes nicely with all the Sagebrush in the area.


----------



## cocobolo

The first night I was back home, we apparently had a deer in the garden looking for a smorgasbord.

I have never seen a deer on this island, although two or three other people say they have over the years. Apparently they occasionally swim over from DeCourcey Island where there is a big deer population.

Evidently they like ripe tomatoes, red cabbage and nasturtiums. It ate the ripe tomatoes, dumped the green ones on the ground, cleaned out the tops of the red cabbage and ate every nasturtium flower that was there.

One tomato pot had a perfect deer footprint.

If you have any sure fire ways of keeping the deer away - other than 170 grains of lead poisoning - we'd love to hear about them.


----------



## cocobolo

I did manage to get to a breakfast with several of the hot rod guys from the local area and one of them brought his little Anglia down. 

It has a Chevy Vega powertrain.


----------



## Bud Cline

*WELCOME HOME!*

Now get to work, you've been too idol too long.



> If you have any sure fire ways of keeping the deer away - other than 170 grains of lead poisoning - we'd love to hear about them.


LMAO. When I began to read that sentence the first thing that came to my mind was also the "lead poisoning" idea, by the time I finished reading I was LMAO.:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Last night when the tide was in I towed the skiff over to shore and tried to start the motor. It started right up and it kept running on a high idle for about ten minutes and died again. So now I'm on the iBoats site getting advice.
> 
> To me it sounded like a fuel problem as when the engine died both times it coughed and sputtered for several seconds before it quit.
> 
> However, the experts are pointing to a failing stator or bad coil (of which there are three).
> 
> I'm betting that whatever the fix is it will be costly.


Do you think someone might have put a balloon into your gas tank? I've heard of people doing that before and that it causes the engine to sputter and die temporarily. Just a thought as I know almost nothing about cars.


----------



## creeper

cocobolo said:


> The first night I was back home, we apparently had a deer in the garden looking for a smorgasbo
> 
> If you have any sure fire ways of keeping the deer away - other than 170 grains of lead poisoning - we'd love to hear about them.


 
Hi Keith,
I've been creeping on your thread for some time now. Thats some great work and adventures you've got going on there!

I've got relatives in Vancouver.

Here in Ontario the apple farmers hang bars of soap from the trees to keep the deer out. They associate the perfume smell with human presence. Seems to work.


----------



## cocobolo

creeper said:


> Hi Keith,
> I've been creeping on your thread for some time now. Thats some great work and adventures you've got going on there!
> 
> I've got relatives in Vancouver.
> 
> Here in Ontario the apple farmers hang bars of soap from the trees to keep the deer out. They associate the perfume smell with human presence. Seems to work.


Hi there creeper:

Welcome to the thread. Oddly enough Barb (gma etc.) suggested the same thing. My wife has a friend visiting and she said the same thing. We'll give that a go and see what happens. Vancouver Island is absolutely loaded with deer, to the point that there are dozens of road signs warning of their presence.

Up at Qualicum, where they hold the Show 'N Shine, the deer seem to have the run of the town - even in broad daylight.

I didn't see any fresh signs or evidence from last night. But this morning I installed a solar powered light above the tomato plants. I'm not sure if that will help or not, or just show them the way! :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Do you think someone might have put a balloon into your gas tank? I've heard of people doing that before and that it causes the engine to sputter and die temporarily. Just a thought as I know almost nothing about cars.


Not very likely. The boat tanks are portable and you remove them from the boat for filling. You can see inside the tanks easily. However, it could still be some sort of fuel trouble. I will be checking later this evening for any possible leaks in the lines.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *WELCOME HOME!*
> 
> Now get to work, you've been too idol too long.:yes:


Is that idol as in American Idol, or idle, as in lazy SOB? :whistling2:


----------



## shadytrake

Welcome back! I posted some of my orchid photos on my project thread. Have to keep up with your pretty sunset and flower pictures. LOL.


----------



## cocobolo

This is a pic that Barb took on her holidays which she entitled "Caught in the act". It was taken at the Mammoth Hotel in Yellowstone N. P. 

Nothing these elk won't do for lunch!


----------



## cocobolo

In post 6703 I mentioned the solar light I installed outside. Here it is.


----------



## cocobolo

I notice that you can see the red charge light working on that light. A good sign I hope.

The missus has had a rose growing in the veggie patch for ages (temporary planting of course) and it presently has three flowers on the go.


----------



## cocobolo

When we did the archeological dig in the studio, we found that the table that we had stored so much stuff on over the years (14 years if you must know) was covered with newspaper to protect the surface.

Well, it seems that much of the paper had become one with the table and was very firmly stuck.

Since the dining room set is Edwardian, we decided that we should try to do as little damage as possible when removing the paper. Most of it came off without too much of a fight, but some was firmly stuck.

We are trying a linseed oil soak to see if it will soften the paper enough to rub off. We do not want to remove the original finish because of the old patina.

Tomorrow we will use what the old French cabinet makers referred to as a tampon to remove as much as possible without hurting the surface. Actually, I think I should correct the term cabinet makers to Menusier, which was the fellow who actually did the finishing.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Is that idol as in American Idol, or idle, as in lazy SOB?


Whoops, my bad! Good catch!
But now that I think about it
...either spelling could apply as it would pertain to this particular thread.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Whoops, my bad! Good catch!
> But now that I think about it
> ...either spelling could apply as it would pertain to this particular thread.:yes:


I see, so now I'm a lazy SOB idol? Doesn't quite sound right somehow...j/k.


----------



## Bud Cline

But can you sing? That is the big question.


----------



## gma2rjc

Thanks for posting the elk pic Keith. When you mentioned the deer eating your tomatoes, it made me think of this elk. All of the other flowers and plants in the landscaping at that Hotel were protected with a heavy gauge wire mesh. When I saw it, I thought it looked kind of unusual, but then I saw the elk eating the (unprotected) hanging plant and understood.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> But can you sing? That is the big question.


I suspect I might have trouble trying to carry a tune in a bucket...never mind trying to make it recognizable.


----------



## gma2rjc

Btw, that's a beautiful table Keith. Were you able to get the rest of the paper off of it with the linseed oil?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Btw, that's a beautiful table Keith. Were you able to get the rest of the paper off of it with the linseed oil?


Some of the paper I rubbed off yesterday. But while I was otherwise occupied, the lady of the manse decided to use a razor blade to tackle the remainder. :furious:

No comment from me, otherwise I might be forcibly removed from this planet! :wink:

There are still marks on the table from all the wars it has been through, but I think some careful rubbed coats of finish might eliminate most of them.


----------



## shadytrake

cocobolo said:


> Some of the paper I rubbed off yesterday. But while I was otherwise occupied, the lady of the manse decided to use a razor blade to tackle the remainder. :furious:
> 
> No comment from me, otherwise I might be forcibly removed from this planet! :wink:


:cursing: O....M....G.... I hope you can rub those without hurting the patina.

But then, you are an expert with wood, so I'm sure you will have it looking awesome in no time. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> :cursing: O....M....G.... I hope you can rub those without hurting the patina.
> 
> But then, you are an expert with wood, so I'm sure you will have it looking awesome in no time. :yes:


Before I touch it again, I have some reading to do to refresh my memory.

George Frank is about as good as they come in the finishing department when it comes to antiques, and fortunately he penned a couple of excellent books before his passing. I should have some interesting reading this evening.


----------



## Bud Cline

> But while I was otherwise occupied, _*the lady of the manse decided to use a razor blade*_ to tackle the remainder.


Gives me cold chills also!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Gives me cold chills also!


It seemed to have the opposite effect on me. Ever seen anyone with steam coming out of their ears? :wallbash:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It seemed to have the opposite effect on me. Ever seen anyone with steam coming out of their ears? :wallbash:


Hehehe :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

I was late up this morning - sciatic nerve trouble - and the lady of the manse had rubbed a coat of Minwax Polyurethane on the table before I knew it. I guess we wait and see how that comes out now.

I don't know what the compatibility is between linseed oil and the poly, but I guess we will be finding out later today. Fingers crossed.


----------



## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> I was late up this morning - sciatic nerve trouble - and the lady of the manse had rubbed a coat of Minwax Polyurethane on the table before I knew it. I guess we wait and see how that comes out now.
> 
> I don't know what the compatibility is between linseed oil and the poly, but I guess we will be finding out later today. Fingers crossed.


She had the best intentions.


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> She had the best intentions.


As remote as that possibility may be I'll go along with it.

The odd thing is that she used to own an antique store with a big refinishing area in the back. She used to refinish container loads of antique English chairs and so on. Her favorite product was the Circa 1860 brand. We have some here so I'm surprised she didn't use it.

The Minwax did not do the job and the original areas with minor damage still show. It wasn't the fault of the Minwax at all, but rather that the surface had not been properly prepared first.


----------



## fixrite

Sometimes one is best not to ask questions,,,,,,,,life if too short to inquire what life is all about.......


----------



## Amateuralex

I am new to this thread and there's only two things I can say right now (on page 127 and still reading):

1) Holy Crap.

2) Sorry if I missed it, but is there a septic system? Just an outhouse?


----------



## cocobolo

Amateuralex said:


> I am new to this thread and there's only two things I can say right now (on page 127 and still reading):
> 
> 1) Holy Crap.
> 
> 2) Sorry if I missed it, but is there a septic system? Just an outhouse?


Hi Alex...welcome to the thread.

1) should be "religious excrement"...or something like that.

and 2) no septic system. No outhouse either. We use composting toilets which are odour free and very easy to look after.

The greywater - from showers, dishwashing, laundry etc. feeds the garden.


----------



## Amateuralex

cocobolo said:


> Hi Alex...welcome to the thread.
> 
> 1) should be "religious excrement"...or something like that.
> 
> and 2) no septic system. No outhouse either. We use composting toilets which are odour free and very easy to look after.
> 
> The greywater - from showers, dishwashing, laundry etc. feeds the garden.


Wow, that's really cool, I'd never heard of such a thing. Must make things very easy. We just had a new drain field put in at the house we are remodeling and it was a doozy of a project. 

I'm beyond impressed with your project and I love the thread. Thanks so much.


----------



## cocobolo

The ground here does not permit such things as septic fields. Far too much rock and very little soil. Besides, that would waste far too much water here, which is a very precious commodity.


----------



## Amateuralex

cocobolo said:


> The ground here does not permit such things as septic fields. Far too much rock and very little soil. Besides, that would waste far too much water here, which is a very precious commodity.


That makes good sense. Besides, the total agony of getting backhoes and graded aggregate over the bay.

Hey let me ask another question: you don't talk much about food. What kind of food do you make and eat? Do you use water to clean your dishes? Do you fish and hunt for food?


----------



## cocobolo

Time to scrape the food chain off the bottom of the sailboat this morning. On the way over I noticed that the falling tide had caught another sailboat out in the bay and apparently those on board were still sleeping.

The best thing to do in these situations is actually nothing. Well, possibly run a line from your main halliard over to shore to a BIG rock or the base of a tree and tie it off so the boat doesn't go any further over.

So what do you suppose the first instinct of everyone is to do? You guessed it, try and pull the boat off with their dinghy. It never works.

This morning, amid great amounts of yelling and screaming from everyone out in the bay, the owner tried to pull his 10,000 pound plus sailboat off the rocks with his 9.9 h.p. powered dinghy. No chance.

All he managed to do was to partly spin it around a short distance, thus doubtless putting some healthy gouges in the bottom of the keel. He must have tried for a good 15 minutes - on a falling tide no less - to move the boat. Total waste of time and fuel.

Eventually he gave up of course, by which time the boat was leaning fairly impressively. As is pretty much always the case here, the tide did come back in again. But our intrepid sailor just couldn't wait for mother nature to complete the job...and when the boat was close to floating he started the tug of war again. Fifteen minutes worth of patience would have seen the boat floating, but he tugged on that thing until he finally got it off the rocks.

Bottom paint companies love guys like him, he leaves his all over the islands here.


----------



## cocobolo

So while he was busy scraping his bottom paint off, I was trying to clean the hull and put some _on._

I honestly cannot remember the last time it got done (it might be on the thread here somewhere) but there was an awful lot of food hanging off the boat when the tide went out.

It is already scraped off here, but you should have no trouble seeing the pile. Before I even brought the boat to shore I took off a couple of hundred pounds of mussels at the waterline.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that was done I tried to scrub the bottom clean. I think a pressure washer was really needed this time as the guck was well and truly stuck on.

I was supposed to get some help from my friend here, but he was a no-show. So, it was a one man show trying to beat the incoming tide. 

We all know who wins that one every time. At least I got the rudder well painted and the waterline down about a foot or so. That's where the sunshine forces most of the marine growth, so it will have to be good enough for another year like that.


----------



## cocobolo

Amateuralex said:


> That makes good sense. Besides, the total agony of getting backhoes and graded aggregate over the bay.
> 
> Hey let me ask another question: you don't talk much about food. What kind of food do you make and eat? Do you use water to clean your dishes? Do you fish and hunt for food?


Alex, we eat the same kind of food you do. We go over to town and shop at the big grocery stores the same as everyone else.

I'm not a fisherman, but there are several fellows on this island who are very good at it. In some of the local areas cod fishing has been banned, but the salmon may still be caught. Plus there are the usual shrimp, prawns and crabs that get trapped as well.

No hunting here, the island is way too small to support any game. Other than the deer which nailed some of our plants a few days ago.

Of course we use water to wash the dishes. Did you have something else in mind? Beer perhaps? :jester:


----------



## Amateuralex

cocobolo said:


> Alex, we eat the same kind of food you do. We go over to town and shop at the big grocery stores the same as everyone else.
> 
> I'm not a fisherman, but there are several fellows on this island who are very good at it. In some of the local areas cod fishing has been banned, but the salmon may still be caught. Plus there are the usual shrimp, prawns and crabs that get trapped as well.
> 
> No hunting here, the island is way too small to support any game. Other than the deer which nailed some of our plants a few days ago.


OK, makes sense. There's not a quick trip to the store so I guess you tend to stock up when you go.



> Of course we use water to wash the dishes. Did you have something else in mind? Beer perhaps? :jester:


Yeah I guess I wasn't sure how frugal you'd be with running water. Maybe there's a composting dishwasher available? :huh:


----------



## Bud Cline

Okay Keith...
I'm going to show my total ignorance here and ask.........

In frames 6733 and 6734 - 
1.) How the hell is that boat just standing there?
2.) How much keel is in the mud (if you will)?

I hope I'm not too embarrassed by the answer.


----------



## Awoodfloorguy

Awesome pictures and project. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## cocobolo

Amateuralex said:


> Yeah I guess I wasn't sure how frugal you'd be with running water. Maybe there's a composting dishwasher available? :huh:


A composting dishwasher...now there's an interesting thought.

I don't want to get into all the delicious machinations of how a composting toilet works...but the word "composting" is the key word here.

The act of composting takes time, exactly as it does for your garden waste or any vegetable matter.

I should let you know that we do have a few thousand gallons of water storage available to us. With a little care it doesn't take too much to wash a few dishes.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Okay Keith...
> I'm going to show my total ignorance here and ask.........
> 
> In frames 6733 and 6734 -
> 1.) How the hell is that boat just standing there?
> 2.) How much keel is in the mud (if you will)?
> 
> I hope I'm not too embarrassed by the answer.


I really should give this question my long and carefully considered thought, but recent activities hereabouts have rendered my brain into a big ball of mush. So I will answer question 2 first.

Somewhere between none and perhaps one inch. That is coarse sand on top of rock, so it really cannot sink.

Normally when I do this, the boat leans against a plank which we install against the diving board. This time, however, the tide was falling in the very wee hours of the morning and the boat was solidly on the bottom before 6 am when I first went over to check and see if it was OK.

In the pic you can see three safety lines. Two I installed yesterday when I tied the boat against the plank. They are at the bow and stern of the boat. Sorry for the technical terms there, I didn't mean to throw you. The bow is the pointy end and the stern is the blunt end.

Before the boat lands on the hard, it is necessary to leave some slack - but not too much - in the safety lines.

The third line I added this morning when I saw that the boat was leaning away from the plank instead of against it. I tied the third one around the mast (that's the long skinny aluminum thing that sticks up in the air from the middle of the hull) and snubbed the other end of the line off to the diving board.

The real truth is obviously that I have this magical and mystical cosmic connection with the heavens, and I can get the mast to generate some very special magnetic impulses. These I get lined up with Polaris - our north star - and that alone keeps the boat upright.


----------



## cocobolo

Awoodfloorguy said:


> Awesome pictures and project. Thanks for sharing.


Thank you and welcome to the thread.


----------



## Amateuralex

cocobolo said:


> A composting dishwasher...now there's an interesting thought.
> 
> I don't want to get into all the delicious machinations of how a composting toilet works...but the word "composting" is the key word here.
> 
> The act of composting takes time, exactly as it does for your garden waste or any vegetable matter.
> 
> I should let you know that we do have a few thousand gallons of water storage available to us. With a little care it doesn't take too much to wash a few dishes.


OK I see, cool. Yeah I have taken things like water and sewer for granted for years. Clean water magically flowed out of the walls and bad stuff magically disappeared. Never thought about it once. Then when renovating my house, lots of learning. Oh, there are things called pipes? So I am still trying to get my head around how things would work on a remote island. But not too remote, stores a short boat trip away? Anyways, thanks again, I'm up to page 340 now ;-) I bored my wife a bit going on about this thread last night.


----------



## Bud Cline

> The real truth is obviously that I have this magical and mystical cosmic connection with the heavens, and I can get the mast to generate some very special magnetic impulses. These I get lined up with Polaris - our north star - and that alone keeps the boat upright.


Yow...I knew when I asked the question that I was probably _in-for-it_ but I took the chance anyway. I'm sure others here had the same question but weren't of enough-of a personal sacrificial nature to ask out loud.

So in other words your answer to my first question is...
"The damned thing just magically sits there hoping the wind doesn't blow too heavily." That pretty much it? Beam me up Scotty.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yow...I knew when I asked the question that I was probably _in-for-it_ but I took the chance anyway. I'm sure others here had the same question but weren't of enough-of a personal sacrificial nature to ask out loud.
> 
> So in other words your answer to my first question is...
> "The damned thing just magically sits there hoping the wind doesn't blow too heavily." That pretty much it? Beam me up Scotty.


Not quite...but late yesterday afternoon another boat came in and tied to the same spot so the bottom could be cleaned and painted.

Despite the owner knowing how the boat should have been tied, the safety lines were way too loose. When I looked at it earlier this morning, trouble was already brewing. I'll be back to post pix of the results shortly.


----------



## cocobolo

Before the tide was all the way out, the sailboat had leaned over this far.

Not really that much of a problem...at least the high side could be cleaned and painted easily.


----------



## cocobolo

However, while we were sitting outside having a morning coffee, there was a resounding crash, which sounded remarkably like a sailboat landing on the hard on its' side.

It seems that the stern line, which was obviously under some very considerable tension, had parted.

The immediate effect was, of course, for the boat to complete its' fall from grace, landing somewhat unceremoniously on its' side.


----------



## cocobolo

There was one thing that I didn't spot in the last picture until now.

When the boat motored out of the bay, I noticed that the spreader appeared to be broken. It is broken in the above pic (I'll try to put a blow up of it in here). I just hope the owner spotted it as well.


----------



## cocobolo

That wasn't the only action we had here. This morning, when I returned from a trip to the notice board, I spotted Marlin III on its' side on the rocks out in the bay.


----------



## cocobolo

Shortly after this the Coast Guard arrived in their overpowered inflatable.


----------



## cocobolo

I watched the shenanigans as the CG boarded the Marlin. Although just what good they might be able to do at this point was questionable.


----------



## cocobolo

Not long after the CG arrived, another inflatable arrived with divers on board.

By the time this pic was taken, Marlin had floated off with the rising tide and appeared to be none the worse for wear.

However, I surmise that perhaps she took on water through the port exhaust of the boat, as later in the afternoon, the second inflatable took the Marlin in tow and left the bay.

We have seen the boat in the bay several times, and the owner is well acquainted with the rocks here. Perhaps he is more acquainted now than he wished to be...

Last night we had a continuous north-west wind coming in to the bay, and it would appear that Marlin dragged her anchor. Low tide was early this morning, and likely would have caught the boat before the owner/s were up.


----------



## cocobolo

Despite all this frenzied activity, work must go on at the old homestead, and the latest project was the sprucing up of the back decks.

First thing to do is to break out the scrubbing brush and clean the past year's accumulation of dirt and related detritus from the decks.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see, it was a little grungy.

Where we go on to the decks there is a small landing where we tend to stamp our feet to knock some of the dirt from our shoes.

That required the services of a screwdriver to dig out the accumulation.


----------



## cocobolo

All stained up now and looks a lot cleaner.


----------



## cocobolo

While the warm weather is still here - such as it is - things like grouting and varnishing outside must be done.

The front entryway has been screaming at me for ages to get grouted, so this morning my delays came to a grinding halt. It was time to do the dreaded grouting.

When cleaning up - or at least _trying_ to clean the grout, several of the tiles did not want to co-operate and refused to come clean. It appears that either the top of these tiles was not sealed, or if they were, not very well.

After a hurried email to Bud, it was determined that the best thing to do was remove the offending tiles. 

As quickly as possible, I dug out the grout, which by this time was starting to set quite firmly.

Here, the grout has been removed and the first two tiles are out.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the mess in the corner after the tiles were out and some of the underlayment was ripped out with them.


----------



## cocobolo

Fortunately I had extra tiles on hand for the replacement. Doesn't look quite so bad now.


----------



## cocobolo

After this pic was taken I added a third seal coat over the whole floor, and the colours have blended in much better.

Grout tomorrow providing we don't have any more nasty surprises.


----------



## cocobolo

Ran out of grout yesterday with about 40 square feet to go. 

With the Labour Day holiday today I will have to wait until tomorrow to call my supplier to see if they have more in stock.

In the mean time, here's a visitor I had in the garden yesterday.


----------



## cocobolo

...and last night's sunset.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Ran out of grout yesterday with about 40 square feet to go.
> 
> With the Labour Day holiday today I will have to wait until tomorrow to call my supplier to see if they have more in stock.
> 
> In the mean time, here's a visitor I had in the garden yesterday.


Buddy, that does look good, hopefully the grout will match up good, it never did for me when I ran out and had to get more.

Those are beautiful pictures Keith, that frog will be some good eating in a year or so.:whistling2: Do y'all have big bullfrogs up your way?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Buddy, that does look good, hopefully the grout will match up good, it never did for me when I ran out and had to get more.
> 
> Those are beautiful pictures Keith, that frog will be some good eating in a year or so.:whistling2: Do y'all have big bullfrogs up your way?


Jim, as far as I know we don't have the big frogs on this island yet. But they are over on Vancouver Island, and apparently they are causing some sort of trouble.

A couple of years ago on TV, they showed some of the frogs, and the B. C. Government had hired a chap to see if he could get rid of the frogs in one particular pond. I don't know how he was planning on doing that, but my money would be on the frogs!

So far, I have been lucky with the grout matching. The Mapei ultracolor seems to be consistently coloured the same.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, as far as I know we don't have the big frogs on this island yet. But they are over on Vancouver Island, and apparently they are causing some sort of trouble.
> 
> A couple of years ago on TV, they showed some of the frogs, and the B. C. Government had hired a chap to see if he could get rid of the frogs in one particular pond. I don't know how he was planning on doing that, but my money would be on the frogs!
> 
> So far, I have been lucky with the grout matching. The Mapei ultracolor seems to be consistently coloured the same.


Good gravy, I would love to get in on some of those frogs if they are bullfrogs, around here they are so few and far between that the ones we do see are wearing bullet proof vests.:whistling2: I am serious, frog legs are great. We use to go frog hunting and fight off the snakes, skee biters and spiders at night to get a good mess of frogs. A big batch of fried frog legs, thickenin' gravy and hot biscuits just don't get no better.


----------



## shadytrake

I took it easy this weekend too. I spent most of it outdoors competing at a horseshow. Isaac held off and just gave us breezes and showers during the day and then poured on us at night. Not too bad.


----------



## cocobolo

Usually I don't get bombarded by visitors over the Labour Day weekend because most visitors are busy locking up their cabins for winter. Draining any water lines and so on.

But I had a list of stuff for sale up on the notice board, and every day it was like a three ring circus here.

Yesterday was a little quieter, but the president of our local property owner's association came by for a chat, that's the gal on the left, to be joined just a few minutes later by an old friend Nick from the south end of the island. He celebrated his 83rd birthday last Saturday...quite a character.


----------



## cocobolo

While they were here a group of kayaker's paddled by - it was pretty bumpy out there - and asked if we knew one of the locals here. Of course, so we directed them to his place at the wrong end of the island.


----------



## cocobolo

Before Judy and Nick arrived, I had been able to get one of my projects for the day done, which was to paint the band across the front of the master bedroom deck. All 50 feet of it, and some a little awkward to get at because of the apricot tree in the way.


----------



## cocobolo

We have a nice thornless blackberry bush growing in the garden, and I have been trying in vain to get enough berries to fill a bowl for dessert. The darn birds keep beating me to it!

Yesterday I got there before they did and managed to get a good feed along with some delicious runner beans to go with dinner.


----------



## cocobolo

The edge on the kitchen counters has been a bit of a thorn in my side for some time now. The original plan was to do the edging out in cedar about 5/8" thick - give or take.

I tried sticking the first test batch on, and I really wasn't happy with either the way it looked or how long it took to get stuck on.

I had previously done the front edge of a short curved countertop in the bathroom in tile. If my feeble memory serves me, I don't remember having any trouble doing that.

Once again I had to call on Bud for some guidance here, and we have both come to the conclusion that tile will be the best option in the end. Not to mention that he has given me several hints on how to make the job a little easier.

So, once again I am in Bud's debt.

Here's the cedar...which I do believe will get removed.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> We have a nice thornless blackberry bush growing in the garden, and I have been trying in vain to get enough berries to fill a bowl for dessert. The darn birds keep beating me to it!
> 
> Yesterday I got there before they did and managed to get a good feed along with some delicious runner beans to go with dinner.


Get one of those plastic owls and a couple of rubber snakes and put them in your garden, the birds and squirrels will not bother your things as they are afraid of the owl and snakes. I have heard that you need to move them around though, because the birds get use to them if they are in the same place all the time.

I see what you mean about taking a good while on the nosing, that would take a while. I would be afraid some one would hang their clothes in the edging and pull it off in a few places. Are you going to cut it flush with the bottom of the counter? Just a thought.


----------



## shadytrake

Wow! Looks really nice! Love the paint job.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Get one of those plastic owls and a couple of rubber snakes and put them in your garden,


Around here we always see CD's/DVD's hanging from a string and tied to a limb tossing around in the breeze. Don't know if it works or not.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Around here we always see CD's/DVD's hanging from a string and tied to a limb tossing around in the breeze. Don't know if it works or not.


For one thing, we have plenty of real snakes around here. But the CD idea sounds good. I'll see what I can steal from the madam's collection.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Are you going to cut it flush with the bottom of the counter? Just a thought.


The cedar is going Jim. I have decided - with Bud's good advice thrown in for good measure - to abandon the cedar in favor of using tile. I will add another layer (or two) under the existing top until it is of a suitable thickness.


----------



## cocobolo

No pictures of this, but today was anything but good. 

Went to go over to town this morning and I was greeted by about 150 gallons of water inside the cabin on the sailboat. That would definitely account for why it was so low in the water.

After an hour and a half of bailing water I finally got to the bottom of the bilge. It looks like the speedo transducer is leaking slowly.

The marine store didn't have any sort of a plug that I could use when I take this one out, so it appears that I may need to fiberglass over the hole when it is removed. There is no tide that is suitable until the 12th at the earliest, so another week of daily bailing I guess to keep the old gal afloat. Like I didn't have enough to keep me busy already. :furious:


----------



## BigJim

Keith, if your transducer is mounted on the transom maybe you could take the screws out and and drive a peg in the screw holes until you can fix it right. If your transducer is through the bottom of the boat that is another story.


----------



## cocobolo

It's right down on the keel Jim. The boat will have to be hauled to get fixed.


----------



## kwikfishron

Keith, what type of wood did you used for the cable rail post and cap?


----------



## cocobolo

kwikfishron said:


> Keith, what type of wood did you used for the cable rail post and cap?


Are you referring to the railing around the master bedroom? The long one up top? 

If so, all the wood is a mix of red and yellow cedar on the posts, and just red cedar on the railing.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It's right down on the keel Jim. The boat will have to be hauled to get fixed.


Sorry buddy, that is the pits.


----------



## Fishinbo

You are more than blessed to have that pristine island as your home! 
Beautiful place and beautiful work.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Sorry buddy, that is the pits.


You could say that Jim...in more ways than one!

I might have a different solution for the problem. I won't know if it works until I try it and wait a day or so to see the results.

If it works, I'll tell you. If it doesn't, I won't know the first thing about it.


----------



## kwikfishron

cocobolo said:


> Are you referring to the railing around the master bedroom? The long one up top?
> 
> If so, all the wood is a mix of red and yellow cedar on the posts, and just red cedar on the railing.


If that’s the MB in post 6767 then yes.

I was just curious if the post were something harder than cedar. I’ve done a couple of cable rail radiuses similar to that and ended up using 2x Ipe for the post. I was concerned that red cedar would be to soft to handle the tension of the cable in a radius like that. 

We have to string them pretty tight though, 3"oc so after the "stretch factor" we're still within the 4" max spacing. 

Your rail looks great, I always like curves.


----------



## cocobolo

Fishinbo said:


> You are more than blessed to have that pristine island as your home!
> Beautiful place and beautiful work.


Sorry I missed your post when it first came up...

So welcome to the thread, and thank you!


----------



## cocobolo

kwikfishron said:


> If that’s the MB in post 6767 then yes.
> 
> I was just curious if the post were something harder than cedar. I’ve done a couple of cable rail radiuses similar to that and ended up using 2x Ipe for the post. I was concerned that red cedar would be to soft to handle the tension of the cable in a radius like that.
> 
> We have to string them pretty tight though, 3"oc so after the "stretch factor" we're still within the 4" max spacing.
> 
> Your rail looks great, I always like curves.


To be perfectly honest, I haven't worried about the actual spacing. It does the job it needs to do.

But as to the strength of the posts, they are all laminated and more than strong enough.

Ipe, of course, is stronger, but the cedar has a give to it which should prevent any possibility of breakage.

I can't see anyone ever getting anywhere near enough effort on the cables or the posts to be of any concern.

If we had building inspections here - which we do not - I might have worried about the tension and the spacing a bit more.


----------



## cocobolo

Yet another beautiful day chewed up with trying to fix the leak in the boat.

This morning I went out to the boat and was greeted with much less water in the cabin, but annoying nonetheless.


----------



## cocobolo

Once I had emptied the bilge out and wiped it as clean as possible with the sponge, it became apparent that the transducer was not the cause of the problem.


----------



## cocobolo

There was no leak in the area of the transducer, but as soon as I took the sponge out of the bilge, there was an immediate leak down the starboard side (left in the pic).


----------



## cocobolo

There is a sheet of about 3/8" plywood on the cabin sole...very old (probably original to the boat), very wet and very black.

I hauled it out.


----------



## cocobolo

I moved that out to the cockpit in what will probably be a vain attempt to try and dry it out somewhat. I guess it will take several days if at all.

Then there was what appears to be a sheet of fiberglass that was stuck down to the hull. I ripped that off, although it was a bit of a fight. Then you could see all the different sections of the bilge, and the rear one had water in it.


----------



## cocobolo

The last part wasn't much fun and entailed me cleaning out that section of the bilge. It was full of some sort of oily guck. A real fun job to try and do. 

However, once most of it was out the leak became apparent. It seems there is a separation of some of the fiberglass about 10" long, and that is where the water is seeping through.

I doubt the real leak is that big, most likely a very small crack or tear of some sort, which is seeping through a delamination.

In the bottom of the bilge you can see a wavy black line, and that's where the ingress is happening.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, that is going to be a job fixing that while the boat is in the water, but if anyone can fix it you can. I wish I was there to help you buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, I think both sides of that 'glass need to be repaired to do the job right.

I'll be calling the guys at Industrial Plastics in the morning to see what they have that might help on the inside. If I can keep the water more or less out until I can haul the boat, I think that's about the best I can expect.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, could you drop a bilge pump with auto switch in there to keep the water out? They even make a small pump that can be ran with a battery powered drill. Hope you can get that fixed soon, that would bother me with my main travel shut down.


----------



## cocobolo

I could probably do that Jim, and I might swap out the pump that is in there now for the one you sent me. The present pump has to be turned on and off manually.

It looks like the forecast for the 12th here is good at this point for an external repair. So definitely keeping my fingers crossed.

Failing that I might have to take the boat up to the shipyard in Nanaimo and have it hauled out with the travel lift. I really don't want to do that as the cost is prohibitive. But if worst comes to worst it remains an option, however unpalatable.

Whatever happens, I will need to have everything ready to go for the external repair as quickly as possible. Things like the generator for power, heat gun, sander, grinder, 'glass and resin, you name it.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I could probably do that Jim, and I might swap out the pump that is in there now for the one you sent me. The present pump has to be turned on and off manually.
> 
> It looks like the forecast for the 12th here is good at this point for an external repair. So definitely keeping my fingers crossed.
> 
> Failing that I might have to take the boat up to the shipyard in Nanaimo and have it hauled out with the travel lift. I really don't want to do that as the cost is prohibitive. But if worst comes to worst it remains an option, however unpalatable.
> 
> Whatever happens, I will need to have everything ready to go for the external repair as quickly as possible. Things like the generator for power, heat gun, sander, grinder, 'glass and resin, you name it.


We will keep our fingers crossed also, let us know how it goes.


----------



## Bud Cline

....and the hits just keep coming!


----------



## cocobolo

Received a visit from an old friend today, so we managed to blow a good chunk of the day yakking.

I did get over to the boat with some of the goodies I picked up this morning from the Plastics shop in Nanaimo.

To make a long story short, I _think _that I have the leak fixed that is in the back of the bilge. :yes:

However, now there appears to be another far smaller leak right at the very back corner - which is damn nearly impossible to get at - plus I found an extremely small leak in the main bilge which I never noticed before. It was after 7 yesterday evening before I was through messing around, so I will be checking early this morning to see how much water came in overnight. 

I am now convinced I know _why _the water is coming in from several places. More on that later.


----------



## cocobolo

It does appear that the biggest of the leaks in the bilge has been repaired. The water flow has been reduced by about 75%, and now is incoming at about 6 liters an hour.

Here's what I believe is going on. 

The bilge is just a piece of plywood which has been glassed in to the keel just over a foot below the cabin sole, about two feet above the bottom of the keel. It seems that the glass attaching the bilge wood to the sides of the keel is slowly failing. It's only 38 years old...don't make 'em like they used to I guess.

I'm sure that there is a leak in the keel below the bilge, and that the water pressure is constantly trying to find a way in to the bilge. This it has done.

I am expecting that when I haul the boat that I will find some sort of small leak from the keel which I hope I will be able to see water leaking out of as the tide falls. As long as I can see it, I can fix it.

Additionally, once the water level falls below the bilge I should be able to dry the bilge out with a heat gun and put some heavier 'glass in to cover the entire bilge. Even if I cannot locate an outside leak, that should solve the problem of water coming in from below. I have LOTS of fabric and resin for the job.


----------



## cocobolo

But apart from the boat troubles, work must go on at the house. The season is rapidly closing in on us here - as was evidenced by the very cold and windy day today.

I have but one small outside varnishing project to do, and that will be on the very next warm day, which looks like next Thursday.

I have done the end wall of the barrel vault ceiling, the front door, the studio door, the windows in front of the solarium and the French doors so far.


----------



## cocobolo

When my friend Finn came over for a visit, I invited him for breakfast the next morning.

He rowed over in his inflatable and managed to slice a neat 2" long gash in the boat when it hit some barnacles. Those darn things are just like razor blades. Of course, the side of the boat then deflated instantly.

We put our heads together to see what we had to effect the necessary repairs and ended up using some fabric which I had on hand, and some epoxy which Finn had on his boat.

Because time was of the essence - time and tide wait for no man and all that - we took the generator and a heat gun down to the beach to hasten the cure time. 

Fortunately it worked like a charm. So much so that Finn decided he would like to 'glass over the whole bottom of the inflatable. So I gave him about 13 or 14 extra yards of fabric for the job, and off he went, only 2 1/2 hours late.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night's sunset...looks like the last one for awhile.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, some completely crazy weather today!

Early this morning - around 5 am or so - I was outside observing Jupiter, the moon and Venus. Nice clear sky and no wind.

I needed to get to town to get yet more stuff to fix the boat and left the island around 9:30. Lovely ride across, sunny and almost no wind.

Got back to the marina around 12:30, and after loading the boat with my supplies I headed back shortly before 1 pm.

By this time it was raining very lightly and the wind was making its' presence well known. About 1/4 mile out somebody pulled the plug on the big clouds and there was a massive downpour. This kept up until I was about 200 yards from my mooring, when it turned into a very light shower. By this time I must have borne a striking resemblance to a thoroughly drowned rat.

Tied the boat up, bailed it out and the rain stopped and the sun came out...just long enough for me to get my goodies loaded in to the canoe and up to the cabin. The instant I got there, the heavens opened up again and it has done this for the rest of the day. One minute it's good and the next it's raining like mad.

Here's a few pics from earlier. First is a look at Vancouver Island when one of these squalls came through. Very shortly after that, just a matter of minutes, the sky cleared again.

The varnish actually looks quite good with the rain all beaded up.


----------



## BigJim

Man that would reek having been caught out in a rain like that, but I have been also, it isn't fun. That is one beautiful piece of work Keith, how is my table holding up?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Man that would reek having been caught out in a rain like that, but I have been also, it isn't fun. That is one beautiful piece of work Keith, how is my table holding up?


Your table needs some attention Jim. There are a few good days left in the forecast, but whether or not I will have the time to get at it I don't know. If I do, I will certainly post a pic or two. 

More to be done on the boat today.


----------



## cocobolo

Since there is very little in the way of time left I decided to have a go at your table this afternoon Jim.

As you can see, the old finish had seen better days. It took half a dozen sanding discs, but most of it cleaned up fairly well.

I have it covered with a heavy tarp tonight, and with luck I can start on the refinishing tomorrow...weather permitting as usual.


----------



## cocobolo

Tonight's sunset.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Since there is very little in the way of time left I decided to have a go at your table this afternoon Jim.
> 
> As you can see, the old finish had seen better days. It took half a dozen sanding discs, but most of it cleaned up fairly well.
> 
> I have it covered with a heavy tarp tonight, and with luck I can start on the refinishing tomorrow...weather permitting as usual.


It is still beautiful Keith, I love it, when wood ages it just looks that much better to me. If you had an old #112 Stanley scraper you could have taken that finish off quickly. I am on a hunt for a #7 or #8 Stanley plane as I want to go back to doing as much as possible by hand so I can downsize my shop. 

I was given a truck load of aromatic red cedar yesterday and have no idea what I will do with it but I will do something. They gave me two 8 foot logs, the base was about 30 inches in diameter, but there was no way I could handle them, these short pieces gave me a run for the money loading them.

That sunset is so peaceful and beautiful, I can just feel sitting around a campfire looking at the evening sky.


----------



## cocobolo

Aromatic cedar? You lucky guy...up this way that stuff is worth about $5 a board foot!


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, you can't hardly sell it down here, no body wants it. The main trunk of the tree was trashed because they couldn't sell it and I couldn't handle it. I sure wish I could send you some of this I have. The last I saw of kiln dried s3s red cedar went for somewhere around $1.25 a bd foot.


----------



## cocobolo

After yesterday's sanding, there was still some residue from the original varnish on the table, so a fresh attack was made this morning and everything was removed down to bare wood.

Brushing didn't quite get all the dust off...but compressed air did.


----------



## cocobolo

You never quite know with arbutus just how the finish will take or what colours will show up.

This is the first coat, and it looks promising. I did get a second coat on toward the end of the day and it looks even better.


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice job! It looks much better.


----------



## BigJim

I just love it, it is going to be so beautiful, the cracks are great also. Most folks don't like cracks in the wood but I do, it is natural and I really like the natural look. 

How is you boat coming along?


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> How is you boat coming along?


The boat...ahhhh, yes, the boat.

Well, let's see, a couple of days ago - when I was sure I had found where the leak was coming from - I went out there and put 2 1/2 bags of 6,000 psi concrete in the small bilge at the back of the keel.

Initially, I was sure that the leak was low down in the bilge, but apparently that was not the case. By the time I had about 4" of concrete in there I figured the leak should have stopped, but no such luck. So I kept on dumping more concrete in and it kept right on leaking. Eventually, I had the back of the bilge filled right to the top...and of course, then the leak started to seep right out of the freshly poured concrete.

To say that I was not amused would be an understatement. So I gave up in utter disgust and came back to shore.

Now, immediately prior to this concrete attempt, the boat was leaking at about 6 liters an hour. Far too much for comfort. Yesterday afternoon I went to check (24 hours after the concrete was put in) and there was about 7 or 8 liters in over the 24 hour period. So I have gone from 6 liters an hour down to 1/3 of a liter an hour. Definitely better, but still not fixed.

However, I did leave the boat initially when the concrete was wet, and yesterday I couldn't find the leak again. So today, at the 24 hour mark, I will check again to see if there is any difference.

Aside from that, the weather is spectacular again today and there will be two more coats of varnish going on the table. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I see that nobody caught my grievous mathematical faux pas above.

8 liters in 24 hours would be 1/3 of a liter an hour. (Originally I posted 1/6 of a liter, but fixed it)

Today when I went to the boat, there was 3 3/4 liters in the bilge, and it appeared that there still might be 3 very small leaks. The stern leak, which appears to be coming through the concrete somehow, will require that I cut a section of the floor out to be able to see. I guess that means dragging the generator out there and the Fein tool. Maybe then I can see where that part of the problem lies.

There was a miniscule leak in the main bilge, and I tried to put some goop on that. I used a couple of small 1/8" plywood strips gooped on the sides and then found a huge shackle to hold the plywood in place. I mean, what self respecting sailor wouldn't have a shackle big enough to tow the Titanic with on board? It _just_ fit between the keel sides in the bilge.

And now I see that there might be another extremely tiny leak at the front of the keel. Although again, it is so small as to defy detection yet.


----------



## cocobolo

Sort of a different sunset this evening.

It looked as though there was a long line of smoke going down Vancouver Island, and before the sun went down the sky went quite red. I don't know if there are any forest fires locally or not.


----------



## BigJim

Wow, I would be about giving up about now with all the trouble you are having with the leaks, I hope you can get them stopped without too much trouble. At least you had a beautiful, peaceful sunset to calm your tired bones after all you have been through.


----------



## DSee

Wow, everything looks great. Excellent job!


----------



## scoggy

*What smoke is that..you..see?*

Keith, we saw it also, and it is from the Wenachi Washington fire, because there was an outflow wind through the canyons etc from that area, and it got under the Eastern moving low from up North, and brought 'us' smoke, like the Siberian and Washington fires, of July! I got some truly awesome Eastern sunrise pixs, which I think will be saved for Xmas cards =====8^)
Cheers 
Scoggy
PS Coupe is in the Garage!!!!!!========8^):thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

DSee said:


> Wow, everything looks great. Excellent job!


Thank you DSee, and welcome to the thread.


----------



## Mort

You guys are getting smoke from our fires all the way out there? Boy, its worse than I thought. You may be getting some of our Methow Valley smoke, too. I just got home this evening, and it seems the whole place is burning down.


----------



## cocobolo

Scoggy...trade you some of tonight's sunset pics for the morning shots...by email...OK?

Thanks for letting me know where all that smoke came from. It's all gone now, nice and clear tonight.

Jim: I can't give up on the boat leaks, the alternative isn't very palatable! Down to about 3 1/4 litres this afternoon.

Your table now has 4 coats of varnish, and I am thinking that perhaps I will add some resin to a few of the holes to try and keep the water out. Maybe this winter I should leave a tarp tied to the top.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> You guys are getting smoke from our fires all the way out there? Boy, its worse than I thought. You may be getting some of our Methow Valley smoke, too. I just got home this evening, and it seems the whole place is burning down.


Mort, I was watching the sky earlier this afternoon, and all we had by then was some very high cirrus clouds and the occasional jet trail. We have had a south westerly wind (light) blowing most of the day and it seems to have got rid of the smoke.

I took about 60 pics of tonight's sunset as it was developing...here's some of the best.


----------



## cocobolo

Other than that we have a grand old lady in the bay this evening from Vashon Island in Washington State. She's the "Arro" and judging by the number painted on her stack she was built in 1922.


----------



## BigJim

Oh my stars, it is beautiful Keith and the back ground is breath taking. Sometimes I think of how hard you have it and how inconvenient it is not to be able to just jump in the truck and go some where. Then I see all the fantastic pictures of your island and all that goes on there and think, man, we are the ones missing out, not Keith. We are happy for you buddy. Thank you for sharing all the wonderful pictures and experiences with us.


----------



## gma2rjc

I have a dumb question. When someone drives their boat across the boarder from the U.S. into Canadian waters, are there boarder guards there to stop them?


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I have a dumb question. When someone drives their boat across the boarder from the U.S. into Canadian waters, are there boarder guards there to stop them?


Just try and cross without reporting in and see how far you get! Especially going IN to the U. S.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, I tried adding some resin to the cracks and holes in the table, and I'm not really sure how it worked. I will need to sand the table tomorrow to see how well the resin took, but I'm certain that it will need a second application.

More great weather on the way, so tomorrow shouldn't be a problem getting some on.


----------



## cocobolo

Barbara472 said:


> At the other end of the spit of land we live on is a very small bay. The wind has been blowing from the south for awhile, and as you can see the bay is choked with logs.


Barbara, welcome to the thread.

I remembered this as being the fourth post on this thread. Just out of curiosity, is there any special reason that you re-posted it? Just asking, that's all.


----------



## gma2rjc

She is/was a spammer. She did the same thing on a few other threads here as well.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> She is/was a spammer. She did the same thing on a few other threads here as well.


Thanks for that Barb...I did see a very odd comment on Shu's thread and wondered what that was about. And that is why I asked the question.

Another glorious day here...working on the tile edging for the kitchen counters. Here's the pieces I have cut so far.


----------



## Bud Cline

Depending on the radius to be accommodated I sometimes cut the tiles smaller than they need to be just because I like the look. A look of soldiers (on a vertical format) as is sometimes used in brickwork over windows and such.

I know I know...MORE CUTTING!!!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, what I am doing is this. The tiles on the outer edge are 2 7/16" wide. The equivalent to that on the inner radius of the main counter is 1 5/8". As the radius tightens going in to the corners, I will make those pieces narrower depending on how tight the radius gets.

Just to simplify matters (really?) I used French curves to generate the corners, so they are kind of like an easement on a railway line, only in miniature.

I'm sure that makes absolutely perfect sense to you, right?

The extra plywood to make the top thicker has been cut and is temporarily clamped to the top. Much easier than cutting it and hanging it from below.


----------



## cocobolo

Desperation time for the garden...and still nothing but sunshine in the forecast for the next week or more. And they call this the "wet coast"?

Last night's attempt at a sunset.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Desperation time for the garden...and still nothing but sunshine in the forecast for the next week or more. And they call this the "wet coast"?
> 
> Last night's attempt at a sunset.


I wish we could send you some of our rain, we are supposed to get 3-5 inches today I am told.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I wish we could send you some of our rain, we are supposed to get 3-5 inches today I am told.


I think I would be pleased to settle for just one inch Jim!


----------



## scoggy

*Fantastic "late summer'!*

Keith, I have for eons,kept a tomato and pepper Garden on my sundeck, and usually, I get no tomatoes, and a few Green peppers..BUT THIS YEAR, 0ver 30 red peppers growing large, as well as 3 different types of tomatoes, and, one I bought on a whim, from malayasia, that is supposed to be hotter than a Habernero, and there are at least 40 'fruit' red and ripening...hee haw!!
Cheers Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Keith, I have for eons,kept a tomato and pepper Garden on my sundeck, and usually, I get no tomatoes, and a few Green peppers..BUT THIS YEAR, 0ver 30 red peppers growing large, as well as 3 different types of tomatoes, and, one I bought on a whim, from malayasia, that is supposed to be hotter than a Habernero, and there are at least 40 'fruit' red and ripening...hee haw!!
> Cheers Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Would that be a Ghost Pepper? Let us know how hot they are, I have eaten Habernero and they are hot but I don't like the taste of them.


----------



## Mort

If that is a Ghost Pepper, be careful. Chefs have to wear rubber gloves just to touch them.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday the lower edge of the counter got the 3/4" plywood added, and now the top is 3" thick. That's where the tile will be going.

I discovered - quite by accident - that thinset sticks very well to the sealer I use, and so I put two coats of sealer all round the edge. Hopefully there will be no more surprises.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> If that is a Ghost Pepper, be careful. Chefs have to wear rubber gloves just to touch them.


Mort, maybe that's why they keep a fire extinguisher on hand in the kitchen!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yesterday the lower edge of the counter got the 3/4" plywood added, and now the top is 3" thick. That's where the tile will be going.
> 
> I discovered - quite by accident - that thinset sticks very well to the sealer I use, and so I put two coats of sealer all round the edge. Hopefully there will be no more surprises.


How in the world did you cut the radius on the tiles on the top Keith, did you grind them after installing. How ever you did it you did a great job, that is going to be sharp.


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith just for the sake of conversation...

The edges you are applying sealer to already contain enough crevices and gaps and irregularities that any thinset forced into those irregularities will surely hold and lock and stay in place. The sealer however is an excellent idea so as to keep moisture from the thinset out of the wood components to mitigate any moisture expansion and later contraction (of the wood components) that could disrupt the thinset and therefore disrupt the tile positioning.:yes:

Good idea!:thumbup:


----------



## scoggy

*While what you were doing/what I did*

Keith, decided, at my age, better to subcontract, than to do..so got a 'friend' who owed me a favor, to come in with his Bobcat, ..'tear' the top off of all growing matter in back yard,..'level' same, put down 'tons' of NICE topsoil, level again, and now, I have seeded and 'rolled' same, and 'watered' it infinitely, and will await what ..comes..and...and..wife is soooo happy with my efforts, that I can ..'play'..on the VW..and the Chev Coupe.."Hot Rod"..if I could live to be 100, I might get 'everything"...done...eh? Any "rain' there yet? Think I saw one drop today..and that is 'news' ...here!
Cheers
Scoggy:thumbup::thumbup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith just for the sake of conversation...
> 
> The edges you are applying sealer to already contain enough crevices and gaps and irregularities that any thinset forced into those irregularities will surely hold and lock and stay in place. The sealer however is an excellent idea so as to keep moisture from the thinset out of the wood components to mitigate any moisture expansion and later contraction (of the wood components) that could disrupt the thinset and therefore disrupt the tile positioning.:yes:
> 
> Good idea!:thumbup:


Bud, there were some very wide gaps between the last two layers of wood on that countertop, and I deemed it necessary to fill them with more wood to get some sort of structural integrity.

When the inner spaces got down to about 1/2" or less I let them be, thinking that would make a decent key for the thinset. I have now added another layer of plywood underneath the top, covered it with 6 mil poly, and the edge tiles can rest on there while they are setting. I think I can expect a clean break when I remove the support plywood due to the poly covering.


----------



## cocobolo

Aside from the above, I managed to squander about 4 hours today cutting a bevel on both ends of every piece of tile for the edges. Tomorrow I should be able to set some of it and then we can see how it looks.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> How in the world did you cut the radius on the tiles on the top Keith, did you grind them after installing. How ever you did it you did a great job, that is going to be sharp.


It was awhile ago that I did it Jim, but if I remember it correctly, after I had got the tapered cuts made, I just drew a pencil line on the underside of the tile while it sat on the counter. 

Then it was a combination of big tile saw and grinder to bring it to shape.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, here goes nothing...first tiles stuck on to the edge of the counter.


----------



## cocobolo

I waited until I figured the first tiles would be well stuck, then sponged off the excess thinset. It looked sort of OK so I carried on with another small batch and that lot made it around the first corner.


----------



## cocobolo

In between batches I went on the hunt for some marine paint - didn't care what the colour was - to paint the dinghy that I have just repaired several holes in.

Surprise, surprise, it's pretty close to our sailboat. Thus is just the first coat, and I will admit that it is pretty sloppy.


----------



## cocobolo

More cutting today as I needed to beef up my arsenal of narrow tiles to traverse all the corners.

What a treat to be able to have a pair of wetsaws set up, one for square cutting and the other for making the end cuts at 45º.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's my stash of pieces to navigate the corners.


----------



## cocobolo

The sun was out again for most of the day...kinda milky, but better than nothing. So I did another coat of paint on the dinghy. That's it for the outside paint.


----------



## cocobolo

Most of us don't like having to measure for the upper casing around doors, so here's an easy way to do it without your tape measure.

When you have the two side pieces on, turn the top piece upside down and sit it on top of the side pieces.

Simply put a pencil mark at each side where it sits on top and make your 45º cuts.

Now, doing it this way will _usually_ make the top piece about 1/16" too long, which is fine, you don't want it too short.

So, when you have checked your first cut, see if it is perfect or if it needs a trifle cut off. Fix that on your miter saw and you're done.


----------



## cocobolo

Both the utility room and the bathroom got trimmed out today.


----------



## cocobolo

And what Sunday evening would be complete without a sunset. Looks like we had some very hazy air over Vancouver Island to turn the sun this red.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Most of us don't like having to measure for the upper casing around doors, so here's an easy way to do it without your tape measure.
> 
> When you have the two side pieces on, turn the top piece upside down and sit it on top of the side pieces.
> 
> Simply put a pencil mark at each side where it sits on top and make your 45º cuts.
> 
> Now, doing it this way will _usually_ make the top piece about 1/16" too long, which is fine, you don't want it too short.
> 
> So, when you have checked your first cut, see if it is perfect or if it needs a trifle cut off. Fix that on your miter saw and you're done.


The way I use to do it is cut the header piece 1 inch too long with 45s on both ends. I would check the cut each side and the one that was off a little I would lock the saw to that angle, make the cut, check it and if it was good I would mark it like you do then tap the piece in place, a 1/32 each side won't be seen.

Keith will a diamond saw cut tempered and untempered glass?


----------



## Bud Cline

> What a treat to be able to have a pair of wetsaws set up, one for square cutting and the other for making the end cuts at 45º.


WOW! At first I thought I was seeing things when I saw that photo of the saws. I have the identical set up that I use routinely. I use four saws all together that includes those two and another 10" similar to the one shown on the left and also a bridge saw for cutting large format tiles. Having more than one straight-cut saw set up is helpful when a helper is working so I don't have to stand in line to use a saw.:thumbup:

The small tilt saw won't cut a 22-1/2 without cutting into the table but the bridge saw will do anything I ask it to except feed the dogs and wash the dishes.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith will a diamond saw cut tempered and untempered glass?


Jim, I'm not aware of anything that will cut tempered glass unless the glass in underwater.

Years ago, my old man used to work for a big glass company in Vancouver. They did the glass work on the Planetarium - which is still there and very popular I might add.

Apparently, they had a fellow there who was able to cut tempered glass as long as it was underwater. Now, I never witnessed this feat, but the old man was not one for exaggerating about such things.

So, in my opinion the diamond saw will not cut tempered glass without it shattering, although I have never tried it. But it will cut untempered glass, as witnessed by the fact that I successfully cut all the sandblasted glass that we have in the 13 windows in the living room, and the glass divider wall at the top of the stairs. There are pics of these way back in the thread somewhere.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> WOW! At first I thought I was seeing things when I saw that photo of the saws. I have the identical set up that I use routinely. I use four saws all together that includes those two and another 10" similar to the one shown on the left and also a bridge saw for cutting large format tiles. Having more than one straight-cut saw set up is helpful when a helper is working so I don't have to stand in line to use a saw.:thumbup:
> 
> The small tilt saw won't cut a 22-1/2 without cutting into the table but the bridge saw will do anything I ask it to except feed the dogs and wash the dishes.


How about that. I too have a bridge saw, which I got to cut the sandblasted glass.

I suppose yours must be one of those cheapie bridge saws. Mind feeds the dog (when she was alive that is), does the dishes - but not terribly well, feeds the birds, weeds the garden and does a so-so job of mowing the grass. 

Almost forgot, it cuts tile!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, I'm not aware of anything that will cut tempered glass unless the glass in underwater.
> 
> Years ago, my old man used to work for a big glass company in Vancouver. They did the glass work on the Planetarium - which is still there and very popular I might add.
> 
> Apparently, they had a fellow there who was able to cut tempered glass as long as it was underwater. Now, I never witnessed this feat, but the old man was not one for exaggerating about such things.
> 
> So, in my opinion the diamond saw will not cut tempered glass without it shattering, although I have never tried it. But it will cut untempered glass, as witnessed by the fact that I successfully cut all the sandblasted glass that we have in the 13 windows in the living room, and the glass divider wall at the top of the stairs. There are pics of these way back in the thread somewhere.


I well remember you cutting the glass with your wet saw, I just couldn't remember if it was tempered or not. I am almost sure the glass I have isn't tempered as it has a small chip on the edge of it. I use it to sharpen my planer blades and my carving knives. The problem is it is just too long for easy handling.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I well remember you cutting the glass with your wet saw, I just couldn't remember if it was tempered or not. I am almost sure the glass I have isn't tempered as it has a small chip on the edge of it. I use it to sharpen my planer blades and my carving knives. The problem is it is just too long for easy handling.


If it has a chip, it isn't tempered. You can cut it with an ordinary glass cutter.


----------



## cocobolo

I seem to be having trouble attaching a pic...the "Manage Attachments" is missing. Anyone else experiencing this?


----------



## BigJim

It is still there for me. If you still can't post your pictures send them to me and I will post them for you.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday I removed all the very old and very rotten transom wood in the dinghy. 

Then cut and fitted a couple of pieces of 1/4" Virola as a replacement.

Then it started to rain! Not enough to do any good, just enough to halt the proceedings...ugh!

Jim, thanks for the offer of help - I see my Manage Attachments is back this morning. Maybe it was just out to lunch.


----------



## cocobolo

Can anyone tell me what kind of flower this is? Seems like an odd time of year for something like this to come into bloom. Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

Sitting having lunch yesterday afternoon, and these two dragonflies were engaged in...well...you can figure it out for yourself...:whistling2:


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith, 
Just for fun you could start a contest to name the two dragonflies based on their activity in the photo. The winner actually doesn't win anything so the contest wouldn't cost anything.

I'll go first!

In this country, I would name one of them Romney and the other Obama, it really doesn't matter which is which at this point. 

Now in Canada...Harry and Kate come to mind. Did you use a telephoto lens?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Can anyone tell me what kind of flower this is? Seems like an odd time of year for something like this to come into bloom. Thanks.


I don't have a clue what the flowers are called but they sure are beautiful. There is a kind of flower that pops up here, no leaves or anything, just a stem and flower out of the wild blue and you never know where they will pop up. Strange things, but pretty.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith,
> Just for fun you could start a contest to name the two dragonflies based on their activity in the photo. The winner actually doesn't win anything so the contest wouldn't cost anything.
> 
> I'll go first!
> 
> In this country, I would name one of them Romney and the other Obama, it really doesn't matter which is which at this point.
> 
> Now in Canada...Harry and Kate come to mind. Did you use a telephoto lens?


Bud, that's just what I needed this morning...A GOOD LAUGH! :thumbup:

No telephoto lens, they were "playing" on the tarp which covers Jim's table. I was able to get within about 2 feet of them before they flew away - still attached to each other!


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> I don't have a clue what the flowers are called but they sure are beautiful. There is a kind of flower that pops up here, no leaves or anything, just a stem and flower out of the wild blue and you never know where they will pop up. Strange things, but pretty.


I don't remember seeing these before Jim. There's another small clump over by the camellia's, but they are just about done already.


----------



## fixrite

Keith I am gonna go out on a limb here and call them a crocus. A wild one at that.


----------



## fixrite

Keith....see what you inspire others to do..


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> Keith,
> Just for fun you could start a contest to name the two dragonflies based on their activity in the photo. The winner actually doesn't win anything so the contest wouldn't cost anything.
> 
> I'll go first!
> 
> In this country, I would name one of them Romney and the other Obama, it really doesn't matter which is which at this point.
> 
> Now in Canada...Harry and Kate come to mind. Did you use a telephoto lens?


I'm going to say, the United States and the president.

About the flowers, I was thinking crocus too, but have never seen them bloom this late in the year and they usually have some foliage that springs up before the blooms.


----------



## Bud Cline

fixrite,



Actually that is some nice looking work, good job. 

Can't say much for your posting the photo upside-_down_ though. Maybe you should consider changing your User Name.:huh:

Here we go, maybe my eyes will stop bleeding now.


----------



## gma2rjc

Nice job fixrite! That's a beautiful fence.

Thanks for turning it around Bud.


----------



## creeper

fixrite said:


> Keith I am gonna go out on a limb here and call them a crocus. A wild one at that.


Definitely a fall crocus..quite common. Yes the fence is great


----------



## BigJim

gma2rjc said:


> Nice job fixrite! That's a beautiful fence.
> 
> Thanks for turning it around Bud.


Barb, I love your signature.:thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith I am gonna go out on a limb here and call them a crocus. A wild one at that.


I think you could be right.

We have lots of the crocuses that come up in the spring, and they are not this colour. So the fall blooming is what threw me. I found some more this afternoon down by the old woodshed, so that makes three clumps now.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith....see what you inspire others to do..


Beautiful! But after I have been standing on my head for a short while I start to get dizzy!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> About the flowers, I was thinking crocus too, but have never seen them bloom this late in the year and they usually have some foliage that springs up before the blooms.


I think the spring crocus, which is one of the earliest spring flowers here blooms after the leaves are up. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

creeper said:


> Definitely a fall crocus..quite common. Yes the fence is great


Thanks for that creeper. Is this crocus somewhat common in Ontario then? I don't believe I have seen it here before, but all of a sudden we seem to have three growing.

And yes, the fence is fantastic! :thumbup:


----------



## creeper

cocobolo said:


> Thanks for that creeper. Is this crocus somewhat common in Ontario then? I don't believe I have seen it here before, but all of a sudden we seem to have three growing.
> 
> And yes, the fence is fantastic! :thumbup:


I see them in gardens and not wild, so I would assume someone would have to plant them. Then again, I'm sure you would remember them from last year had they been planted at one time. Maybe in your case, a bird had some seeds in its deposits.

Regardless , they are a nice last kick at the can for summer


----------



## cocobolo

creeper said:


> I see them in gardens and not wild, so I would assume someone would have to plant them. Then again, I'm sure you would remember them from last year had they been planted at one time. Maybe in your case, a bird had some seeds in its deposits.
> 
> Regardless , they are a nice last kick at the can for summer


Roger that...I will wander around a few of the neighbour's places here and see if there are any more growing.

I can't remember if you have posted on the thread before (it's the old timer's kicking in again). So if you haven't, then a big welcome to the thread.


----------



## cocobolo

A most unusual cloud pattern here yesterday. Something I have not seen in the 15+ years I have been here.

In the morning at sunup, it was clear all the way down Vancouver Island as far as I could see, and yet we had a very dark cloud cover over the water, as you can see from the reflection.

And later in the day, we had this neat reflection from the afternoon sun.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm afraid I am cheating on the back sides of the other two kitchen counters.

Instead of tile I am adding a wide strip of cedar which has been pre-painted. It will need another coat or two of paint, but it saved a ton of time.


----------



## cocobolo

Got another batch of edging on the big counter yesterday, and now it seems I am running out of thinset of all things. 

Hopefully this will be the last bag I have to buy!


----------



## cocobolo

Started out with the best of intentions to finish up the counter tiles...but there was less than a cup of thinset, so that idea went out the window quickly.

Next up I cut three pieces of fabric to use when sticking the new transom wood in place. Much better luck there.

Here's the back view, and please note the piece of wood I used across the back to press the clamps against.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the inside after the fiberglass was cured and the clamps off.


----------



## cocobolo

When I took the clamps off, that piece of wood mentioned above was quite firmly stuck to the transom. All the resin squeezout had run over the top and onto the plywood and stuck it on but good. So when I finally used a hammer to pry it off, it took some of the fresh paint with it.

Nothing a little touch up and a few cuss words won't fix.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I added another layer of fabric to the inside of the transom for moisture protection. It will get painted later.


----------



## cocobolo

We had an interesting sky late this afternoon, along with the reflection in the ocean.


----------



## cocobolo

Then later this evening, it turned into this sunset.

By the way...if you look low and to the southwest shortly after the sun sets where you are, you should be able to see Mars with the naked eye. Of course binoculars or a telescope make it much better, but it should show up as a red star without optical aid.


----------



## BigJim

Will we be able to see Mars here tomorrow evening? I sure hope so, a really good friend gave me a great telescope and this would be another great time to use it.

I had to replace the transom of a boat I use to have and all I had was 8/4 cherry about 12 or 14 inches wide, that was a fancy transom to have to hide like that.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Will we be able to see Mars here tomorrow evening?


You should be able to Jim. It will be low in the southwest. It shows as a very bright red star with the naked eye. You should be able to see some surface detail through a scope.

Then as the evening progresses, you will be able to see Jupiter and her moons high in the sky and then Venus will be up in the pre-dawn sky as well. Jupiter is particularly good right now because it is so high and we look through very little of Earth's atmosphere while observing. The less of our dirty air we look through, the better the images of the planets.

I haven't checked on this specifically, but I also understand that Saturn might be visible in the evening sky right after dusk.

If you go here, SkyandTelescope.com you will also see that Uranus (which most people have _never_ seen,) is also visible. You just need to know where to look. Good luck! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You should be able to Jim. It will be low in the southwest. It shows as a very bright red star with the naked eye. You should be able to see some surface detail through a scope.
> 
> Then as the evening progresses, you will be able to see Jupiter and her moons high in the sky and then Venus will be up in the pre-dawn sky as well. Jupiter is particularly good right now because it is so high and we look through very little of Earth's atmosphere while observing. The less of our dirty air we look through, the better the images of the planets.
> 
> I haven't checked on this specifically, but I also understand that Saturn might be visible in the evening sky right after dusk.
> 
> If you go here, SkyandTelescope.com you will also see that Uranus (which most people have _never_ seen,) is also visible. You just need to know where to look. Good luck! :thumbsup:


Thanks buddy, I appreciate that. I do subscribe to SkyandTelescope.com, I will check that out. The first time seeing planets first hand is just amazing. The first thing I saw was Jupiter and her moons, it is a whole lot different than seeing a picture online. I hope it isn't cloudy here this evening or tomorrow morning.


----------



## cocobolo

At long last the edge is set around the big curved counter.

Perhaps you have noticed my singularly well developed ability to clutter up a countertop without even trying!


----------



## cocobolo

The middle sized counter behind now has all the edging plywood glued in place. This is to bring it up to the preferred thickness.


----------



## cocobolo

And then the last small counter has the trim wood glued and nailed on to the back and end.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> At long last the edge is set around the big curved counter.
> 
> Perhaps you have noticed my singularly well developed ability to clutter up a countertop without even trying!


It looks beautiful. I bet you're glad to be done working on it.

Oh, and the clutter on the counter top is not your fault. It's a natural phenomenon - any flat surface in a house has an almost 'magnetic' draw to small objects. Even if you weren't there, the clutter would still accumulate. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Oh, and the clutter on the counter top is not your fault. It's a natural phenomenon - any flat surface in a house has an almost 'magnetic' draw to small objects. Even if you weren't there, the clutter would still accumulate. :yes:


I see, I just knew there had to be a good reason behind all that mess! :jester:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I see, I just knew there had to be a good reason behind all that mess! :jester:


Wow, that is a big island, I didn't notice the size of it before, it is looking good.

Cloud cover this evening so didn't get to break out the telescope.


----------



## cocobolo

Included in my list of things to do is to finish up the cedar work that is necessary. To that end I made up a list a few days ago, and today went over to town to see what was available. Rona had by far the best stuff and I picked up 35 boards of 1 x 6 x 8' select. Thankfully they sell to me at the contractor prices. 

This isn't all of them...I had some offloaded before I thought about getting a pic. And yes they came in via the canoe once again.

I still need another 30 boards, but ran out of room in the van to carry them.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's tonight's sunset...the two pics are taken just 18 minutes apart.


----------



## BigJim

Is your canoe just a regular canoe? If it is that is amazing, I would have flipped it before getting it loaded.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Is your canoe just a regular canoe? If it is that is amazing, I would have flipped it before getting it loaded.


It's one of those 16' 6" vinyl canoes. Supposed to have a capacity of 810 pounds, or three people.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It's one of those 16' 6" vinyl canoes. Supposed to have a capacity of 810 pounds, or three people.


That is still amazing, the canoes I have had anything to do with is like sitting on a tight rope they are so tippy.


----------



## scoggy

Keith, as far as 'sun' pixs..you win..but not by 'default', I just have not 'learned'..how to..'upload'..I think is the term..so prolly will 'hand deliver'..a "Xmas Card" to you, if you are still there! Had a 'friend' here from "United Arab Emarits",(SIC) and he wants to buy your place..just by your posts..and he has '$lotsa"..but I told him, you are an artist in progress..who wants to see 'his/her' place..completed, so seems he will be 'open', but now, looks towards the Frazer Valley. He was totally impressed, by how you had ..'taken' wood from shore..to build your 'structure'!
Cheers
Syd


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> That is still amazing, the canoes I have had anything to do with is like sitting on a tight rope they are so tippy.


Jim, the seats in canoes are very low down, and once you are in place, it should be fine.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, as far as 'sun' pixs..you win..but not by 'default', I just have not 'learned'..how to..'upload'..I think is the term.
> Cheers
> Syd


Syd: Just sent you a pm about uploading a pic. Good luck!

I hope it's the same for a PC as it is for a Mac. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Nothing very exciting going on here. Got the steps down to the bay cleaned and stained yesterday.


----------



## cocobolo

There is a pretty big pile of wood to clear up down by the mill...it's 57 feet long and about 10 feet wide in the middle. Hopefully I can get it all cut up for firewood before the rains hit.


----------



## cocobolo

Tonight's sunset. And as the sun was going down the wind started coming up. Looks like it might be the first big wind of the season.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> There is a pretty big pile of wood to clear up down by the mill...it's 57 feet long and about 10 feet wide in the middle. Hopefully I can get it all cut up for firewood before the rains hit.


Better watch out for Mr no shoulders, you know them copper headed rattle moccasins. There is bound to be at least a bad spider in there.

Beautiful sunset buddy, we appreciate the pictures.

I wish you had a wide angle lens and could get a picture of your whole house and grounds, I know it is some kinda beautiful.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Better watch out for Mr no shoulders, you know them copper headed rattle moccasins. There is bound to be at least a bad spider in there.
> 
> Beautiful sunset buddy, we appreciate the pictures.
> 
> I wish you had a wide angle lens and could get a picture of your whole house and grounds, I know it is some kinda beautiful.


Spiders we have here by the thousands along with the grass snakes. But that's about it. Once in awhile the occasional salamander when it is wet.


----------



## cocobolo

Ahah! I spy big letters on Mr. Jim's handle! Congratulations!

Does this mean I have to behave myself _all_ the time now?


----------



## cocobolo

Today was one of those days when you just say to yourself, get on with it and quit messing about.

So I finally have the last of the tile installed on the two back kitchen counters. I took the pics right after the last tile was on, so they haven't been cleaned up here.


----------



## cocobolo

And then yesterday, I was outside listing all the exterior stuff to be finished, and I noticed that there was no siding over the high living room windows. Honest to Pete, I really didn't know it wasn't done.

So I hunted around for siding and only found a few small pieces, not nearly enough for the 70+ that it would take. 

Fortunately I found some old cedar boards in the big pile down at the mill and I pressed them into use.

Ripped them to width, ran them through the planer, then the dado blade for the laps, then two coats of stain.

Still some staining to be done on some of the wood around the windows.


----------



## cocobolo

In case anyone asks what the black wire is coming out of the soffit, it is the power wire from the solar panels which carries the 24 volts to the battery bank. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Winds gusting to 80 kms last night and this morning...nasty. But about an hour ago it had started to settle, let's hope it stays down for awhile. 

And here's tonights' sunset, you can still see the residual waves from the earlier storm.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy buddy, you are really fast, you don't let any grass grow under your feet, that is for sure.

Keith until just recently I didn't even notice the mod's name was in large letters, I just hope I don't mess up.


----------



## cocobolo

jiju1943 said:


> Keith until just recently I didn't even notice the mod's name was in large letters, I just hope I don't mess up.


Don't worry Jim, you'll be fine. Just take care of all those pesky spammers! :boxing::2guns::gun_bandana::tank::gunsmilie:


----------



## leiona

Looks like everything there is looking as beautiful as ever! I havent touched the computer in at least two months so i have alot to catch up on with your blog..thank goodness its getting cold so things will slow down here. Man has it been a super busy spring and summer here! Glad to see your still doing well..time for me to get back in the game too, this kitchen will not finish itself right? :wink:


----------



## cocobolo

leiona said:


> Looks like everything there is looking as beautiful as ever! I havent touched the computer in at least two months so i have alot to catch up on with your blog..thank goodness its getting cold so things will slow down here. Man has it been a super busy spring and summer here! Glad to see your still doing well..time for me to get back in the game too, this kitchen will not finish itself right? :wink:


Thanks Leiona, yes things are progressing steadily now, if still somewhat slowly.

I wish I could leave my 'puter alone for two months, I might actually get something done!


----------



## cocobolo

I just cannot resist making a comment about 
BigJim
that's just way too cool!


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I just cannot resist making a comment about
> BigJim
> that's just way too cool!


I was looking at the index page of the forum this morning, at the bottom where it lists who is logged in at the time. I saw "BigJim" and thought, "Oh, Nathan brought in 2 new moderators - jiju and BigJim". :yes:


----------



## BigJim

Weeeell, Danger thought BigJim would sound better and I agree and seeing as how I am big and Jim so there ya are.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Weeeell, Danger thought BigJim would sound better and I agree and seeing as how I am big and Jim so there ya are.


Makes you sound like you are one of them great big Sheriff's from down south somewhere. You know, "Well son, go and see BigJim, and he'll know what to do about it!"

I think it suits you to a "T". :thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Ev'ry mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
He stood six foot six and weighed two forty five
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to *Big Jim*.


Nobody seemed to know where Jim called home
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy
And if you spoke at all, you just said "Hi" to *Big Jim*.

Somebody said he came from New Orleans
Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
Sent a Loosiana fellow to the Promised Land-*Big Jim*


Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last-'cept* Jim*

Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell
Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
Grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan
And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone-*Big Jim*


And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
Then a miner yelled out "There's a light up above!"
And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave
Now there's only one left down there to save-*Big Jim*

With jacks and timbers they started back down
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
And then smoke and gas belched out of that mine
Everybody knew it was the end of the line for *Big Jim*


Now they never reopened that worthless pit
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
These few words are written on that stand
At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man *BIG JIM*


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Ev'ry mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
> He stood six foot six and weighed two forty five
> Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
> And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to *Big Jim*.
> 
> 
> Nobody seemed to know where Jim called home
> He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
> He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy
> And if you spoke at all, you just said "Hi" to *Big Jim*.
> 
> Somebody said he came from New Orleans
> Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen
> And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
> Sent a Loosiana fellow to the Promised Land-*Big Jim*
> 
> 
> Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
> When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
> Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
> And everybody thought that they'd breathed their last-'cept* Jim*
> 
> Through the dust and the smoke of this man-made hell
> Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
> Grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan
> And like a giant oak tree he just stood there alone-*Big Jim*
> 
> 
> And with all of his strength he gave a mighty shove
> Then a miner yelled out "There's a light up above!"
> And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave
> Now there's only one left down there to save-*Big Jim*
> 
> With jacks and timbers they started back down
> Then came that rumble way down in the ground
> And then smoke and gas belched out of that mine
> Everybody knew it was the end of the line for *Big Jim*
> 
> 
> Now they never reopened that worthless pit
> They just placed a marble stand in front of it
> These few words are written on that stand
> At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man *BIG JIM*


:laughing::laughing::laughing: but I do weigh about that right now. The part about "With jacks and timbers they started back down" is the part where I would a used that to start buildin something.LOL


----------



## cocobolo

Never have I seen so much sun on this island in all the time I've been here. And still another week - at least - with no clouds in sight.

The tile edges have all been cleaned, and I do believe I can grout the counters now. A little nervous about that as I haven't tried this grout before. That will be tomorrow's job.

I was going to attempt it today, but when I went to light the woodstove this morning to get enough heat in the kitchen, I decided that the firebricks had seen better days and spent almost two hours replacing them. Several have to be cut, so it was a good thing that the tile saw was still set up outside.

Then I finished all the infill wood (cedar) on the living room windows and got everything out there stained. Made a nice tidy little box affair around the wire for the solar panels, so it is now out of sight.

The only other thing that got done was to add a piece of OSB above the windows in the outdoor shower. At this time of year the wind can whip past pretty quickly, so one more little job done. I can use the cabin shower, but much prefer the bigger one outside...especially when the weather is like it has been...nuthin' but sun! :thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> A little nervous about that as I haven't tried this grout before.


Now that comment begs a question that has yet to be answered. What type of grout are you talking about?


----------



## cocobolo

This stuff. But it's too late to worry about it now, it's all done.

This is what the container looked like when I opened it this morning...yecchh!


----------



## cocobolo

I was outside fairly early this morning, and the moon and Jupiter were fairly close together. They will still be fairly close tomorrow morning right before sunrise if you want to take a look.

No tripod for this shot, so hand held on full auto. I hope Jupiter shows up - top left side.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, all my fretting was for naught as the grouting went very well. 

This stuff is nothing at all like your usual grout. Easy to put on, and then just one wipe and that's it...other than some small cleanup.


----------



## cocobolo

Lunch was on the top deck as usual when the weather is like this (fantastic!) and I had a pair of loons keeping me entertained while I was eating.


----------



## cocobolo

Can you see this little guy? Hard to spot him amongst all the debris that blew into the pond with the big windstorm.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was down working in the J garden today, I noticed just how tall this new plant had grown to be. I couldn't even reach to the top of it standing on my toes, so it's at least 8 feet high.


----------



## cocobolo

I stole a little time this afternoon cutting some pavers to go around a curve in one of the pathways.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I was outside fairly early this morning, and the moon and Jupiter were fairly close together. They will still be fairly close tomorrow morning right before sunrise if you want to take a look.
> 
> No tripod for this shot, so hand held on full auto. I hope Jupiter shows up - top left side.


I love it, that is a great shot especially without the tripod. Cloud cover again tonight here, this morning heavy fog.

Could you give us a clue where the little guy is in the pond?


----------



## gma2rjc

The counter tops came out beautiful Keith. Nice job!

I'm probably way off, but is there a frog in the upper right corner of the picture? 

How tall was the bamboo (?) when you planted it?


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I love it, that is a great shot especially without the tripod. Cloud cover again tonight here, this morning heavy fog.
> 
> Could you give us a clue where the little guy is in the pond?


Take a look at Barb's post...she has it sussed. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> The counter tops came out beautiful Keith. Nice job!
> 
> I'm probably way off, but is there a frog in the upper right corner of the picture?
> 
> How tall was the bamboo (?) when you planted it?


Thanks Barb...that grout was so easy to work with I couldn't believe it. So one more fairly big job is now finished. 

Now on to the plumbing and propane so I can do some cooking in here.

I can't remember how big that bamboo was when I put it in, but it was done earlier this year. That new shoot, which is the tall one, probably has been there for about 4 or 5 months. As more shoots grow, they tend to get bigger and bigger each time a new one comes up. I think the previous shoots were about 5 feet.


----------



## cocobolo

From last night...no clouds tonight.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Take a look at Barb's post...she has it sussed. :thumbsup:


Yep, I see its eyebubs now. Did you say what kind of grout you used, if you did I missed it some how, if not, what kind was it?


----------



## drtbk4ever

Will the bamboo weather through the winter?


----------



## Bud Cline

Is this what we are talking about?

Crap! That didn't do what I thought it would!


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Will the bamboo weather through the winter?


Yes, where they come from originally - most are from China - they go through some pretty heavy weather extremes. They go dormant in winter, although they keep their leaves.

Of course, there are temperate climate bamboos, which is what I mostly have here. I think about 35 varieties.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Is this what we are talking about?
> 
> Crap! That didn't do what I thought it would!


We're not _really _talking about crap are we? 

Oh, the little round red thingy, yep, that's him.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Did you say what kind of grout you used, if you did I missed it some how, if not, what kind was it?


This should do it for you Jim, sorry, that should be BigJim.


----------



## cocobolo

Started to have a go at putting the sink in today, and quickly realized that the counter top was way too thick for a simple installation.

So it was necessary to lay out where all the (8) clips would be and cut notches in the counter...from below of course!


----------



## cocobolo

It was actually much easier than I thought it would be using the Fein tool and this blade.


----------



## cocobolo

Next I had to remove a small piece of tile and then drill three holes to fit the lines from the faucet precisely.


----------



## cocobolo

After spending ages trying to find out why the cold water line would not go in, I discovered that the hole in the sink was interfering by about 1/16". Once that was filed out of the way it was fine.


----------



## cocobolo

Then it was time to fix the trim on a window by the front door. The top of this one is curved which makes it just that much more difficult to make.

I did the top first by ripping a piece of cedar into thirds so it would bend. Then glued it back together, forced it into place and nailed it. Added a couple of clamps to make sure the outside edge didn't come apart.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that was done it didn't take terribly long to do the remaining two sides and the bottom.

Plus it was warm enough today to get a coat of varnish on the trims!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> This should do it for you Jim, sorry, that should be BigJim.


Thanks buddy, is there an advantage with this one above regular grout?


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Thanks buddy, is there an advantage with this one above regular grout?


I don't know whether or not you can call it an advantage, but if you are paying for someone's labour, this stuff is very fast to apply and clean so from that point of view it would be cheaper. But for a DIY guy like you (or me), it's pricey.

The cost for this little 9 lb bucket was $127. However, having said that, I did all three counters in about an hour and a half and only used about 1/4 of the bucket.

No idea what I will use the rest for.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I don't know whether or not you can call it an advantage or not, but if you are paying for someone's labour, this stuff is very fast to apply and clean so from that point of view it would be cheaper. But for a DIY guy like you (or me), it's pricey.
> 
> The cost for this little 9 lb bucket was $127. However, having said that, I did all three counters in about an hour and a half and only used about 1/4 of the bucket.
> 
> No idea what I will use the rest for.


My stars, you got that right, that stuff is high, I appreciate the explanation Keith.


----------



## Bud Cline

Quartz Lock 2 is a new generation urethane grout and probably one of the best if not _the best_ urethane grouts available at this time. It is a good choice but sure is pricey. The attributes are it is "color-fast" under all conditions, easy to use, easy to clean up, stain-proof (for the most part) and basically waste free. It is also crack-proof and shrink proof and won't allow mold or mildew growth in applications where mold and mildew would be an issue. The lid can be replaced and resealed and the unused product should have an extended shelf life within reason. I love the stuff and use it on small jobs.

I have had issues when trying to use it on large vertical surfaces such as shower walls but it is do-able. I routinely install tile on shower ceilings and that is a real challenge with this product and in my opinion not at all do-able or advisable. Keith you will be very happy with the product in this application I'm sure. Unfortunately, trying to use it in large floor areas it becomes cost-prohibitive in some cases but I know guys that use it everywhere for everything.

Good choice.:yes:


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Quartz Lock 2 is a new generation urethane grout and probably one of the best if not _the best_ urethane grouts available at this time. It is a good choice but sure is pricey. The attributes are it is "color-fast" under all conditions, easy to use, easy to clean up, stain-proof (for the most part) and basically waste free. It is also crack-proof and shrink proof and won't allow mold or mildew growth in applications where mold and mildew would be an issue. The lid can be replaced and resealed and the unused product should have an extended shelf life within reason. I love the stuff and use it on small jobs.
> 
> I have had issues when trying to use it on large vertical surfaces such as shower walls but it is do-able. I routinely install tile on shower ceilings and that is a real challenge with this product and in my opinion not at all do-able or advisable. Keith you will be very happy with the product in this application I'm sure. Unfortunately, trying to use it in large floor areas it becomes cost-prohibitive in some cases but I know guys that use it everywhere for everything.
> 
> Good choice.:yes:


Bud, is it because it is thin that it would be hard to use on vertical walls? What kind of texture does it have, sanded or unsanded?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, is it because it is thin that it would be hard to use on vertical walls? What kind of texture does it have, sanded or unsanded?


The product has a sanded texture but it is a fine fine sand. The sand offers some bulk I suppose. The product when pressed into a grout joint will find any tiny voids that may exist under a tile edge and it will creep into those voids causing the surface to sink slightly. You must pay attention but once the small learning-curve has passed the product is really easy to use.

However on tall vertical surfaces the product will sag under its own weight and begin to run-down slightly. The taller the vertical grout line the less stable the product becomes but even at that it isn't really a major detriment. It is easy to go back and re-apply more product during the grouting process. Not a real big deal usually.

On the other hand...trying to use the product overhead is a different story. The product is applied with a grout float and once one has dipped some grout from the bucket it has a tendency to begin to settle on the float making it difficult to have enough product to force it into the the crack. It is imperative that enough product is pushed into the crack so-as to make contact with the wall surface. Therein lies the major issue. The product is controlled by gravity and begins to sag and slowly drip from the ceiling. It's a pain to work with under those circumstances.

The very thing that makes it a great product (urethane) is the same thing that quickly becomes an enemy to the installation. On horizontal surfaces and on short-run vertical applications it is great.


----------



## BigJim

I see what you mean, I appreciate you explaining that. Just a couple more questions and I will shut up, how long does it take to cure and can you buy it in smaller containers? I am planning to start my shower install soon as it gets cool enough that the mosquitoes won't swarm in when I open the floor. Thanks again Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I see what you mean, I appreciate you explaining that. Just a couple more questions and I will shut up, how long does it take to cure and can you buy it in smaller containers? I am planning to start my shower install soon as it gets cool enough that the mosquitoes won't swarm in when I open the floor. Thanks again Bud.


Jim, perhaps I can answer that for you. The setup time is very fast, just a matter of minutes, so you don't have any time to mess around. The _cure time_ is another story. According to the can that takes 28 days for a 1/4" joint to cure with a 3/8" thick tile.

One other idea that they mention is to have one person grouting and another cleaning up _right behind you._ This would suggest to me that the set times are very fast. 

They also caution against using the product if it is too warm - 90ºF for example.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, perhaps I can answer that for you. The setup time is very fast, just a matter of minutes, so you don't have any time to mess around. The _cure time_ is another story. According to the can that takes 28 days for a 1/4" joint to cure with a 3/8" thick tile.
> 
> One other idea that they mention is to have one person grouting and another cleaning up _right behind you._ This would suggest to me that the set times are very fast.
> 
> They also caution against using the product if it is too warm - 90ºF for example.


Wow, thanks buddy, that would probably not work for me as slow as I am, it does sound like a great product though. For Bud it would be a real plus on small jobs like he said, no mixing up or cleaning regular grout.


----------



## cocobolo

This evening I watched as there were some thin, high clouds developing and was able to just sit out front - camera in hand - and shoot the whole thing from beginning to end.

I have over 100 photos of this sunset, and if anyone would like a random sampling to play with, just pm me your email addie and I will send you as many as you like.

I picked this one out quite randomly.


----------



## BigJim

That is breath taking buddy, Thanks.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That is breath taking buddy, Thanks.


Wait until you check your inbox Jim. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

I didn't have anything worth taking a pic of at the house today. Did some wiring on the main kitchen counter, a couple of duplex outlets and a plug for the countertop stove. Made some corner braces for the back corners of the dinghy and put those in place. Another coat of varnish on that window. A good cleanup out where the tablesaw and planer are, no doubt that will be just as bad again by tomorrow evening. And the big ticket item for the day...sunset photos!


----------



## scoggy

*Beautiful Sunset shot!!*

Keith, isn't it great..that 'we' get this Super weather, me for the sunrise shots, you for the sunsets..something that would usually not be possible because of the inclement weather! Maybe September was August, and October will be September, since we do use an 'outdated object of seasonal placement'..called a calendar..that is very ..'dated'..and does not keep up with 'changes' in weather!
Cheers
Syd


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Wait until you check your inbox Jim. :thumbup:


Talk about spectacular, those are some of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen. I saved them and will use them from time to time as a desktop back ground. Thanks buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, isn't it great..that 'we' get this Super weather, me for the sunrise shots, you for the sunsets..something that would usually not be possible because of the inclement weather! Maybe September was August, and October will be September, since we do use an 'outdated object of seasonal placement'..called a calendar..that is very ..'dated'..and does not keep up with 'changes' in weather!
> Cheers
> Syd


True enough. But this record dry spell is a real problem over here.

I see that there is finally RAIN in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday. I sure do hope they are right this time.


----------



## Bud Cline

Jim...back to the grout briefly. 
Don't let us scare you away from a great grout product.
When the bucket is opened and the grout remains in mass-form it doesn't set up that fast. You can easily dip a float full and toss the lid back over the bucket until the next dip.

You then press the grout into the joint crossing the joints perpendicular. One dip should give you enough to grout about two tiles (twelve inch tiles for example) all the way around the four sides of both tiles. Once you have packed the grout joints strike along the joints with the grout float edge to gather any gobs that may have been left behind.

Then use a white 3M scrubbie dipped in the water bucket then drained for a few seconds. You really can't get too much water on this grout. Water is your friend in this case. You scrub and swirl the scrubbie around all of the filled joints tooling the joints as you go. You then immediately begin to sponge the grout. Drag the sponge over the grout lines diagonally. Drag one sponge side one time, then the other side one time. Never make a second stroke of the sponge after dragging the sponge the first time. You can also use a small spray bottle of water to mist the grout when using the 3M scrubbie if need but that usually isn't necessary.

This grout is really easy to work with, you'll love it.

After initial installation in the case of a shower you can not flood the grout for a minimum of seven days. Seems silly doesn't it. As Keith said full cure is probably twenty-eight days but the grout will be hard over night so not to worry. I can assure you when I finish a shower the plumbers are hot on my heels to top-out and get paid so my jobs may only set a few days before the plumbers top-out and run water. Never had an issue I'm aware of but I wouldn't press my luck either shortening up cure times too much:thumbsup:.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Jim...back to the grout briefly.
> Don't let us scare you away from a great grout product.
> When the bucket is opened and the grout remains in mass-form it doesn't set up that fast. You can easily dip a float full and toss the lid back over the bucket until the next dip.
> 
> You then press the grout into the joint crossing the joints perpendicular. One dip should give you enough to grout about two tiles (twelve inch tiles for example) all the way around the four sides of both tiles. Once you have packed the grout joints strike along the joints with the grout float edge to gather any gobs that may have been left behind.
> 
> Then use a white 3M scrubbie dipped in the water bucket then drained for a few seconds. You really can't get too much water on this grout. Water is your friend in this case. You scrub and swirl the scrubbie around all of the filled joints tooling the joints as you go. You then immediately begin to sponge the grout. Drag the sponge over the grout lines diagonally. Drag one sponge side one time, then the other side one time. Never make a second stroke of the sponge after dragging the sponge the first time. You can also use a small spray bottle of water to mist the grout when using the 3M scrubbie if need but that usually isn't necessary.
> 
> This grout is really easy to work with, you'll love it.
> 
> After initial installation in the case of a shower you can not flood the grout for a minimum of seven days. Seems silly doesn't it. As Keith said full cure is probably twenty-eight days but the grout will be hard over night so not to worry. I can assure you when I finish a shower the plumbers are hot on my heels to top-out and get paid so my jobs may only set a few days before the plumbers top-out and run water. Never had an issue I'm aware of but I wouldn't press my luck either shortening up cure times too much:thumbsup:.


Bud, I really do appreciate you taking your time to help me. This is sounding better all the time. Do you have to wet the sponges and will they rinse off with water?


----------



## Bud Cline

I use a 3-1/2 gallon bucket of water at my side on all jobs at all times for general clean up and to keep my hands clean while setting tile. This same bucket (of fresh water) would then be used for the grouting process. The sponges rinse out easy enough after using both sides one time. I let the scrubbie sink to the bottom of the bucket while using the sponge. That way the scrubbie more-or-less is clean at all times.


----------



## cocobolo

FINALLY! We had some rain this morning. It started with a hard downpour around 3:30 am...and it has quit already.

Yesterday's forecast had us getting four days of solid rain then two more at 60%. So much for the four days, the sky is clearing already.

My friend Finn has been visiting and we got all the rest of the big wood rounds split and into the woodsheds. Also got the propane lines through the floors and run under the house to where the regulator will be. It was a job I was dreading because there's not any decent access under the house. Finn was kind enough to do that for me, so now I just need one more fitting which I am short. He has gone over to Ladysmith on his sailboat and is going to try and find it for me and bring it back here. Nice guy!

Not only that, but he helped me clean up the workbench and move it out into the studio, and then bring the big heavy antique china cabinet from the cabin over to the house.

Good thing he isn't here all the time, or I would be dead!

Thanks Finn! :thumbup:


----------



## JulieB

Wow, the scenery is breathtaking where you live. Simply beautiful.


----------



## cocobolo

JulieB said:


> Wow, the scenery is breathtaking where you live. Simply beautiful.


Hi Julie, and welcome to the thread.

Yes, it's not too bad here, reputed to be one of the most scenic areas on this good earth.

I should hasten to add that there is beauty where ever you go, you just have to look for it sometimes.


----------



## cocobolo

Very quiet on the island here since the long weekend.

One of my maples has finally put on a fine display of fall colour.


----------



## cocobolo

The latest visit from the deer caused some damage out in the missus' garden. I know the wood was getting pretty rotten, but it didn't fall down all by itself. I have since moved it to the bonfire.


----------



## cocobolo

The time has come to get the plumbing in the bathroom hooked up. Before that happens the grouting needs to be done, and before even that happens, I wanted to put a slight roundover on the front edges of the counter. The tile was moderately sharp and needed some softening.

I used the Fein tool for this, first with the metal tool - I presume it has carbide embedded in the face and edges - and then the emery to get it smooth. The edges feel like silk now.


----------



## cocobolo

I have used every trick of procrastination I know (all learned from wife #2) to avoid taking the old water tank apart.

It couldn't be avoided any longer, and if I want the new tank to get filled up it needs to be built very soon.

About the second board from the top, I managed to tweak my back just enough to be very annoying. Usually, I can work my way through this, but today wasn't one of those days.

Yes, I got the end wall taken out, but I definitely should have stopped at the top. No more heavy work for a week or so while this one clears itself up.


----------



## cocobolo

I had to build a mini platform to raise the faucet in the bathroom. When I went to install the faucet, the two bolts didn't quite make it through that thick top I had made, 3/4" MDF, easyboard and tile. I had to somehow get a hole drilled out from below big enough to allow the bolts to show just enough to get the washers and nuts on.


----------



## cocobolo

It wasn't quite as bad as I expected, but trying to hold the two washers - one steel and the other rubber - in place while trying to get the nuts on was real fun. Barely room enough for one hand in there, never mind two. But it's in and looks like this.


----------



## cocobolo

Exactly the same fuss with the sink drain. There must be 3" of thread on that drain, and it still wasn't long enough to go through the top. More cutting from below, but this time I had to use the Fein tool and a chisel to get the wood put of the way.


----------



## cocobolo

All done and I have the supply lines hooked up as well.

I think I was pretty lucky in that the faucet matched the vessel sink quite well, especially considering that they came from two different sources.


----------



## gma2rjc

That looks awesome Keith!


----------



## BigJim

That looks great Keith, one of these days you are going to run out of work on your island, or maybe not. How is your back today?


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That looks great Keith, one of these days you are going to run out of work on your island, or maybe not. How is your back today?


The day I run out of work here Jim, will be the day I leave the island. However, I do expect to get the house finished some time next spring, the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> The day I run out of work here Jim, will be the day I leave the island. However, I do expect to get the house finished some time next spring, the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.


Man, that will be fantastic, then on to another build and also... your car? That I can't wait to see, I drool on my key board just thinking of it.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Man, that will be fantastic, then on to another build and also... your car? That I can't wait to see, I drool on my key board just thinking of it.


Another build.....hmmmmm.....the thought has crossed my mind, I must admit. But it would need to have straight walls, be much smaller, and definitely not on an island, unless the island is a few hundred miles long.


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> Another build.....hmmmmm.....the thought has crossed my mind, I must admit. But it would need to have straight walls, be much smaller, and definitely not on an island, unless the island is a few hundred miles long.


..... and has a lumber/hardware store a couple miles down the road. 

You'll surely miss hauling materials home in your boat. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> ..... and has a lumber/hardware store a couple miles down the road. :laughing:


Now _that_ I could definitely go for. :thumbsup:


----------



## fixrite

Just think of how much more work you would get done by not having the lumber store so close. Then we would all be put to shame by how much work you would do.


----------



## creeper

I'm hoping you and your wife and your property are out of harms way from last nights earthquake


----------



## Bud Cline

Well crap! I was going to credit the website where I found this information but I have forgotten it already. Here it is anyway...


Ruxton Island:

Earthquakes
Most Recent: An earthquake in British Columbia on Thursday 25th of October 2012 at 09:10 pm UTC. This earthquake had a magnitude of 2.5 on the richter scale and existed at a depth of 0.00 km below the surface. Its center was 233.1 km away from Ruxton Island.

Nearest Earthquake: 65.44 km away in Vancouver Island on Wednesday 29th of August 2012 at 10:08 pm UTC. This earthquake had a magnitude of 3.3 on the richter scale and existed at a depth of 23.20 km below the surface.


----------



## cocobolo

creeper said:


> I'm hoping you and your wife and your property are out of harms way from last nights earthquake


What earthquake?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Well crap! I was going to credit the website where I found this information but I have forgotten it already. Here it is anyway...
> 
> 
> Ruxton Island:
> 
> Earthquakes
> Most Recent: An earthquake in British Columbia on Thursday 25th of October 2012 at 09:10 pm UTC. This earthquake had a magnitude of 2.5 on the richter scale and existed at a depth of 0.00 km below the surface. Its center was 233.1 km away from Ruxton Island.


Oh, that one...didn't feel a thing. I was very likely on the boat at that time returning to Ruxton. :boat:


----------



## cocobolo

How does this grab you...thirteen earthquakes in the Charlottes and Hecate Strait in the past 7 HOURS. The biggest registering 6.4. Now that's a real earthquake. This isn't that far from us.

Maybe there is a big one brewing. 

Hopefully all these quakes will let the tectonic plates slide over/under each other without causing a tsunami. I might just be keeping an eye on this lot.

Our house is only about 20 feet above a normal high tide. A tsunami wouldn't have to be very big to clean us right off this rock. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

In case you're interested...

http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> How does this grab you...thirteen earthquakes in the Charlottes and Hecate Strait in the past 7 HOURS. The biggest registering 6.4. Now that's a real earthquake. This isn't that far from us.
> 
> Maybe there is a big one brewing.
> 
> Hopefully all these quakes will let the tectonic plates slide over/under each other without causing a tsunami. I might just be keeping an eye on this lot.
> 
> Our house is only about 20 feet above a normal high tide. A tsunami wouldn't have to be very big to clean us right off this rock. :huh:


It is crazy how the media get things all messed up, we read the quake was a 7.7 with a tsunami. We sure are glad y'all are OK buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, I think there was a 7.7...several of my hot rod pals up in Prince George had their houses shaking enough to make them run outside.

The site updates every few minutes and the bigger quakes were before that which is why it doesn't show on there now.

There was a tsunami warning issued by the Police...but it was withdrawn after none developed. They always err on the side of safety if there is a possibility of a tsunami. We all know that there is where the real damage can develop.


----------



## gma2rjc

Are you feeling any of the quakes Keith?


----------



## cocobolo

I haven't felt any of them yet.

But an acquaintance not too far away on Vancouver Island has.

The Hecate Strait and the Queen Charlotte islands (renamed Haida Gwaii for the original Haida natives who first populated the islands) are immediately north of Vancouver Island. 

It appears that the shockwave went inland towards Prince George as evidenced by the reports of the 'quakes there.


----------



## cocobolo

Four more small 'quakes in Alaska in the past hour....


----------



## cocobolo

I've been waiting to see if a few develop down in Hastings, Nebraska and Chattanooga, Tennessee...nothing so far.

You guys just don't know what you're missing!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I've been waiting to see if a few develop down in Hastings, Nebraska and Chattanooga, Tennessee...nothing so far.
> 
> You guys just don't know what you're missing!


I thought I heard one while ago but it was my stomach growlin.:whistling2::laughing:

There was one back in west Tennessee back in the 60s when I was on the fire department, Memphis and that area is right on top of a huge underground lake. The ground was rolling almost like a wave on the ocean, it sounded like a couple of mules was kicking the back walls out of the house, scary stuff.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> There was one back in west Tennessee back in the 60s when I was on the fire department, Memphis and that area is right on top of a huge underground lake. The ground was rolling almost like a wave on the ocean,


That would have been interesting to watch.


----------



## cocobolo

Up early this morning to check on the 'quake situation. Only three or four in the past 9 hours and none over 4.1. Lets hope the worst are over.

It would be interesting to see what happens to some of the really tall trees up at Haida Gwaii when a 6+ 'quake is happening. The Islands have some of the world's tallest trees. This is where the giant Sitka Spruce and many massive Western Red Cedars grow.


----------



## Bud Cline

Actually we do get some earthquake activity in Nebraska from time to time, why just-less than two weeks ago we had a small one:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/last_event/states/states_nebraska.php


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...I tried linking several times, but the Mac keeps saying, Hastings, Nebraska? You gotta be kidding me! 

Maybe something wrong with the link...?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud...I tried linking several times, but the Mac keeps saying, Hastings, Nebraska? You gotta be kidding me!
> Maybe something wrong with the link...?


Oh well...you aren't missing much. I tried the link and it works for me but something has gone awry somewhere 'cause I had trouble making this post work at first.


----------



## cocobolo

I see there are more 'quakes in the Haida Gwaii within the past 35 minutes or so. And now some in the southern Yukon. This plate seems to be getting very active.


----------



## cocobolo

Whoah! Another at 6.3 less than an hour ago. Not nice.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, this one's for you.

I bet you know what this is, don't you?


----------



## cocobolo

Got some plumbing done today, not much, but some at least.

I'm using a combination of copper, PVC and PEX. i think it's going to make for some fun connections.

This is just a pic of the bottom of the pressure tank. I figured it might be prudent to be able to drain the system just in case. So, where the line exits the bottom of the tank, I ran a tee with a shutoff. I think I will likely run a line outside from the shutoff, you know, just in case.


----------



## cocobolo

We have only ever had a single filter in the cabin, but in the house I have opted for three. I can add whatever cartridges I like, and I think it will be a 30 micron first, followed by a 5 micron next and finally a carbon filter. Not much will get by that lot.


----------



## cocobolo

I believe there is a pic of the pressure tank and pump posted earlier...but now I have the incoming water line hooked up and the outlet which will feed through the filters. I was hoping to be able to bring the water in to the tank _through_ the filters, but Rainfresh filters need pressure to seat themselves, so it had to be this way.


----------



## cocobolo

I was trying to get the tankless water heater hooked up this afternoon, but nothing would line up properly. It didn't strike me until an hour later that all I needed to do was to move the heater!

Don't get old people, it'll drive you nuts!

It hangs on two hook type fittings which screw into those abominable plastic plugs. Of course, the two supplied cannot be removed from the wall. Now I know without any doubt whatsoever that there are probably 100 or more of them here somewhere, none could be found today.


----------



## cocobolo

It was only last Thursday that I went over to town in a vain attempt to remember _everything_ that I needed to do all the plumbing hookups.

With list in hand I visited two stores and thought I had everything under control. Ahhhhhhhh...no.

I had forgotten a bag of 1/2" copper 90's - which was clearly on my list - as well as the flex lines for the faucets, which were not on my list.

As luck would have it, yesterday was a good weather day. In fact the water was shiny smooth when I came back it was _that _calm.

Here's a selection of some of my fittings on the kitchen counter. Lots more upstairs in the ensuite. Can't believe how much stuff I'm going through!


----------



## BigJim

Man, that is a nice set up Keith, I don't see how anything could get past that many filters, I bet that is some good tasting water.


----------



## cocobolo

What's that in post 7014 Jim?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, this one's for you.
> 
> I bet you know what this is, don't you?


Awwww man, I think I am going to cry, I am droolin all over my keyboard here. That would probably be the top of my list for planes, I have wanted a #45 for a good while now, maybe someday. Have you checked on Ebay at the price of those old beautiful planes?

I have looked online at craigslist up your way and there are tons of good hand planes over on the big island and cheap too. Another thing I am trying to find is an old hand mitersaw like I used when I first started back in the 60s, I can't remember if it was a Miller Falls or a Stanley but man that ole saw was dead accurate, I just want to get back to using the old tools now days.

I hope them quakes settle down and none get closer than they are.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> What's that in post 7014 Jim?


I had to go back and look at that beautiful plane again buddy, is that your plane? If it is you are one lucky dude, I would swap just about any of my tools for one of those. I hope it is your's if it is I am really happy for you buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, when I tell you the story of this plane, you will cry.

Back in 1969, my old man used to wander around the pawnshops during his lunch hours...he worked in downtown Vancouver at the time.

He spotted this plane in a pawnshop and asked the owner how much.

Fifteen dollars he says. No deal says the old man, I'll give you ten. He walked out empty handed.

A week or so later the plane was still in the store, so the old man again makes his ten dollar offer. Still no deal.

This went on for a month, and finally the store owner sold it to him for $9.95, plus 50 cents tax.

This was 43 years ago now, and although I remember the old man giving me this plane many years ago, I had not seen it until just a few days ago. I thought it was long gone. I was searching for some plumbing fittings in the utility room of the cabin when I ran across the box. It has been carefully taped over with masking tape, and you can barely make out the number 45 through the tape on one end of the box.

It still has all 23 of the original cutters and the original box that the cutters fit into.

Now, does that not want to make you cry?


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I hope them quakes settle down and none get closer than they are.


You shouldn't have said anything Jim.

One went off less than two hours ago and it appears to have been centered right about here. Only a 1.9 though...we can't feel that.


----------



## Bud Cline

The above sales receipt says; "as is". That in itself is kind of funny considering what the plane that cost $10 could bring at a specialty-tool auction.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> The above sales receipt says; "as is". That in itself is kind of funny considering what the plane that cost $10 could bring at a specialty-tool auction.


Bud: The old man said the guy didn't have a clue as to what he was selling. Note that he wrote down "rabbet plane." The H5009 number was the pawn number they assigned to it when it came in the store. They probably gave someone $2 for it.


----------



## Bud Cline

I suppose it is a "rabbet" plane but it also appears to be set up to cut tongue and grove. The pictorial (drawing) on the box doesn't match the appearance of the profiles of the cutting tools. Helluva find there.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, you got one of the finest tools you can get your hands on, you can make a lot of profiles of molding with it. I think I am going to make that picture of it my new desktop background. You will love using that plane Keith, it is a dream. I would make a case and keep it on displayed for all to see while I wasn't using it.

If I had been you, I would have peed on myself if I had uncovered that plane, you are one lucky man buddy, I am tickled to death for you. When you make some molding with it post a few pictures of it. Just freaking wow!!! Now if I can wipe the drool off my key board...


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> I suppose it is a "rabbet" plane but it also appears to be set up to cut tongue and grove. The pictorial (drawing) on the box doesn't match the appearance of the profiles of the cutting tools. Helluva find there.


Hey Bud, post #9000, way to go. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

*SIDE BAR:*

I realize politics isn't allowed here but this is worth noting:

Just heard on a local radio talk show that_ President Obama has appointed the UN (United Nations) to provide more than four hundred “election poll observers” to standby at various polling places throughout the U.S. These observers will be wearing blue (UN) helmets and possessing side-arms (to protect themselves). The UN Observer assigned to an Omaha Nebraska polling place and interviewed by this radio station has stated he was born in the U.S. but has denounced his U.S. citizenship and is now a “Citizen of the World”. _

Is this a hoax? Has anyone else heard of this?



> Hey Bud, post #9000, way to go.


Would have been a lot more posts by now, but I was banned from here earlier in the year and it pissed me off so I stopped participating most everywhere here except on this thread.


----------



## gma2rjc

I heard about this too Bud. It's true. 

I'm not sure what bothers me more, the UN at the polling stations or the fact that the 4 American men murdered in Benghazi were DENIED help as top govt. officials sat by and watched as it was happening. :furious:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud...have another beer...:drink:

Here are the matching cutters on the top row...number 25 is in the plane.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Bud...have another beer...:drink:
> 
> Here are the matching cutters on the top row...number 25 is in the plane.


You are going to make an ole man cry here Keith. That was a deal and a half your dad got way back then, that plane has probably increased in value many times over by now. I have seen them go for up to $350 and higher. Every once in a while you can find one for $200 or so but some of them don't have all the cutters. Keith Mathewson just put his #45 on ebay, I wonder what he got for his, it was in great shape like yours. Buddy, you need to do some more digging around, there is no telling what you have stashed back that you don't remember.

Bud and Barb, I sure hope what y'all are saying isn't true, I have heard of all kind of things going to happen and don't put a lot of stock in a lot of it. Some of the things I have seen in the last few years sure don't sit well with me for sure.

Now back to our regular scheduled program.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, I did a little looking on a few tools sites, and a good shape 45 with all the cutters goes up to $600, I just about had kittens. Most seem to run between $160 and $350 like you say. The lesser priced ones seem to be missing quite a few of the parts.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Just heard on a local radio talk show that_ President Obama has appointed the UN (United Nations) to provide more than four hundred “election poll observers” to standby at various polling places throughout the U.S. These observers will be wearing blue (UN) helmets and possessing side-arms (to protect themselves). _


I wonder what his reasoning is for that?

Here in Canada, we have scrutineers at all the polling stations. They are right inside the area where the votes are cast - although they cannot see inside an actual polling booth.

I have heard of there being outside "observers" over in the far eastern countries in the past, and I cannot remember if these were UN personnel or not. I seem to think they might have been.

Could your President not have assigned your armed forces to do the job? And why would he only have a few hundred when surely you must have tens of thousands of polling stations across the country?

Now to make this a proper post, Bud I have a question about tile.

I just got two tile items, one a soap holder, the other a TP holder. I should have got them before I tiled all the walls. Just ran into these at Habitat a few days ago for $2 each.

Is it possible to stick these things (with thinset) on top of an existing tile? Or do I need to cut out a chunk of tile and stick them directly on the backing. I know the second way is the right way, just wondering if they will actually adhere to the face of another tile. Gracias.


----------



## gma2rjc

I can answer that question for you Keith.

You need to remove the tiles from the entire wall and 1/2 of the tiles from all other walls. Sorry. 

:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I can answer that question for you Keith.
> 
> You need to remove the tiles from the entire wall and 1/2 of the tiles from all other walls. Sorry.
> 
> :laughing:


Is there any particular wall I can leave alone? Or should I just start from scratch? :huh:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Is it possible to stick these things (with thinset) on top of an existing tile?


I don't think I would use thinset, I wouldn't expect the bond to have a life for very long. If you have a means to cut into the tile only-enough so that the thinset will/could creep into the holes in the back of the fixture and the fixture would still cover the cuts you would be fine with thinset, modified thinset.

Guess it really depends on what material is under the tile. If it is drywall then I would be tempted to just use construction adhesive and place the fixtures on top of the tile anyway.

>
I guess I should mention you should probably also use a rigid leg (stick) to support the fixture temporarily and not depend totally on something like duct tape to hold the fixture in place while curing.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I don't think I would use thinset, I wouldn't expect the bond to have a life for very long. If you have a means to cut into the tile only-enough so that the thinset will/could creep into the holes in the back of the fixture and the fixture would still cover the cuts you would be fine with thinset, modified thinset.
> 
> Guess it really depends on what material is under the tile. If it is drywall then I would be tempted to just use construction adhesive and place the fixtures on top of the tile anyway.
> 
> >
> I guess I should mention you should probably also use a rigid leg (stick) to support the fixture temporarily and not depend totally on something like duct tape to hold the fixture in place while curing.


I do have the facility to cut out an area of tile to fit these things into, it's just that it would be a nice messy job.

I never thought about using construction adhesive...damn good idea. I have some killer stuff here, maybe I will try that first. Thanks Bud. :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud...have another beer...


Yow, no kiddin'. When I made that post I have no idea what I was looking at or thinking. At that time I was in a rage over another topic and my keyboard was smokin' at the time. Now that I've cooled off some I can't find what I thought I was seeing at the time. So...nevermind.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yow, no kiddin'. When I made that post I have no idea what I was looking at or thinking. At that time I was in a rage over another topic and my keyboard was smokin' at the time. Now that I've cooled off some I can't find what I thought I was seeing at the time. So...nevermind.:laughing:


Well, Bud, in your defense there are TWO rows of plane blades. So I can see how it might be easy to get them confused especially with your keyboard on fire!


----------



## Bud Cline

Got a 100% on the fishing test tho!:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Got a 100% on the fishing test tho!:yes:


That's incredible! I thought you might actually know some of the correct names of those fish!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You shouldn't have said anything Jim.
> 
> One went off less than two hours ago and it appears to have been centered right about here. Only a 1.9 though...we can't feel that.


My stars, the quakes are really going strong up that way. I know Alaska is a good ways from you but there was one up there today also. Man, hurricanes on this end and quakes on the other, hopefully nothing will happen in the middle. Hopefully they will settle down up there for y'all.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Yow, no kiddin'. When I made that post I have no idea what I was looking at or thinking. At that time I was in a rage over another topic and my keyboard was smokin' at the time. Now that I've cooled off some I can't find what I thought I was seeing at the time. So...nevermind.:laughing:


This just cracked me up, I could just visualize your keyboard smokin'.:laughing::thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I do have the facility to cut out an area of tile to fit these things into, it's just that it would be a nice messy job.
> 
> I never thought about using construction adhesive...damn good idea. I have some killer stuff here, maybe I will try that first. Thanks Bud. :thumbsup:


Keith, the way I use to put them in was cut a hole all the way through the sheetrock or what ever was there, stuff a lot of crumpled up newspaper in the hole and gob a lot of plaster on the back of the units, especially getting the plaster in the holes, about two good hands full. I would push the fixtures in and the gob of plaster would spread out in behind the sheet rock or what ever was there. Prop the fixtures in place and let them dry, caulk when finished and that is it. I hope I am remembering how I did it, it has been a good while.


----------



## cocobolo

If I had the two items _before_ I had tiled the walls, I could just have set them in place like any other tile.

I think I'm going to give Bud's construction glue a test.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I went back and looked at those fixtures again and these aren't made like the ones back then, these may work by using construction adhesive after all, they are flat on back, those back then had a lip on back that overlapped the tile.


----------



## cocobolo

That's right Jim...they are more or less flat with some indents that will hold extra adhesive. No chance to try that today, still trying to get the plumbing hooked up.

I am having to make sub-assemblies of the plumbing, and then try to put it all together, because most of it in the utility room is not in the walls. I should have that part done some time tomorrow I hope.


----------



## BigJim

Plumbing isn't one of my favorite things to do especially if it is under the house. I hope it goes smooth for you buddy.


----------



## Bud Cline

Those fixtures are available in two basic types. Yours are "surface mount" but mounting to a slick surface tile using thinset may not be the best idea. This is why I suggested cutting out some tile depending on what the substrate is made of. This way thinset could be adhered to the substrate. However the tile would not have to be cut-away to perfectly match the fixture, in fact, that's not how those are intended to work.

A second type of the same style fixture is called a "clincher" and this would require tile to be cut away without question. The backside of the clincher has an extended mounting face (basically the thickness of most tiles) that is adhered to the substrate. Thinset is generally used and especially in wet areas such as showers and tub surrounds. Using any ole (construction-adhesive) in any wet area isn't generally recommended.:yes:

So...yes, those particular fixtures are "surface mount" style fixtures and yes they can be mounted with construction-adhesive, but not in a wet area.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, the soap dish I am planning to mount to the left of the vessel sink on the small counter. It shouldn't really be a "wet" area, as in a shower.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Plumbing isn't one of my favorite things to do especially if it is under the house. I hope it goes smooth for you buddy.


There are two things I will have to get under the house for Jim. One will be the connecting of the drains from the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower and utility room (washing machine) and the other will be to hang the propane lines on to the framing.

Not looking forward to either. They will both have to wait for a day when it isn't raining. There isn't much room to get at any of this stuff.


----------



## cocobolo

I see a couple more 'quakes up at the Charlottes, a 4.9 and 5.1. They are all in the same place, so I hope the plate finishes moving soon so that things will settle down up there.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, the soap dish I am planning to mount to the left of the vessel sink on the small counter. It shouldn't really be a "wet" area, as in a shower.


Understood.
My "wet area" comments were for the benefit of those reading and not necessarily participating.


----------



## cocobolo

I have a big favor to ask of the readers of this thread. No, it isn't going to cost any of you a single cent, but your vote will go a long way toward saving a wonderful old locomotive.

This has to be one of the biggest DIY projects I know of.

The old locomotive, built in 1907 was recently saved from the cutting torch and hopefully will be restored to her former glory.

An insurance company has stepped forward any may provide the necessary funding to do this job, but we need to get everyone's vote in to get her at the top of the list.

It is all explained here https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf15411

Please help us out by registering on the site and casting your vote each day until November 5th. Nobody is soliciting anyone for a single dime. It is only your vote we need.

Many thanks. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Understood.
> My "wet area" comments were for the benefit of those reading and not necessarily participating.


Roger that...I thought as much.


----------



## Mort

That would be cool as hell to be restored. They have an old steam locomotive on display in the small speedtrap (er, town) of Newhalem in the North Cascades (to Canadians, they'd probably be the South Cascades). The whole town consists of Seattle City Light employees, there's a dam up there. Anyway, this locomotive is fully restored in a park, and kids are encouraged to climb all over it, ring the bell, etc. We always stop there when we go over the North Cascades Highway.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I have a big favor to ask of the readers of this thread. No, it isn't going to cost any of you a single cent, but your vote will go a long way toward saving a wonderful old locomotive.
> 
> This has to be one of the biggest DIY projects I know of.
> 
> The old locomotive, built in 1907 was recently saved from the cutting torch and hopefully will be restored to her former glory.
> 
> An insurance company has stepped forward any may provide the necessary funding to do this job, but we need to get everyone's vote in to get her at the top of the list.
> 
> It is all explained here https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf15411
> 
> Please help us out by registering on the site and casting your vote each day until November 5th. Nobody is soliciting anyone for a single dime. It is only your vote we need.
> 
> Many thanks. :thumbsup:


Done deal, our son's F-I-L is an artist who draws nothing but the old locomotives, he gave us one of his drawings of the old Chattanooga Choo Choo, he is good. 

Good gravy, those quakes aren't going to ever let up it looks like, that is unreal that they are still going on.

I am going to wear that picture of your plane out going back and looking at it, I think I just shorted out my keyboard droolin on ...


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Those fixtures are available in two basic types. Yours are "surface mount" but mounting to a slick surface tile using thinset may not be the best idea. This is why I suggested cutting out some tile depending on what the substrate is made of. This way thinset could be adhered to the substrate. However the tile would not have to be cut-away to perfectly match the fixture, in fact, that's not how those are intended to work.
> 
> A second type of the same style fixture is called a "clincher" and this would require tile to be cut away without question. The backside of the clincher has an extended mounting face (basically the thickness of most tiles) that is adhered to the substrate. Thinset is generally used and especially in wet areas such as showers and tub surrounds. Using any ole (construction-adhesive) in any wet area isn't generally recommended.:yes:
> 
> 
> 
> So...yes, those particular fixtures are "surface mount" style fixtures and yes they can be mounted with construction-adhesive, but not in a wet area.


That second one is the ones I was talking about, I really didn't know there was surface mount types, but I do now. I may use them when we finally do get around to our bathroom, would roughing up the surface of the tiles make the adhesives hold better?


----------



## Evstarr

Bud Cline said:


> Understood.
> My "wet area" comments were for the benefit of those reading and not necessarily participating.


Thanks for looking out for us Bud!

Keith things are looking amazing! And I'm fascinated by the whole leaking boat sub-saga!


----------



## Bud Cline

> That second one is the ones I was talking about, *I really didn't know there was surface mount types, but I do now.* I may use them when we finally do get around to our bathroom, would roughing up the surface of the tiles make the adhesives hold better?


Actually there is yet another style available. A third style is also a surface-mount that hangs on a metal clip screwed to the wall. The dish itself has a "V"-groove either cut or cast into the back of the dish that slips into the metal clip. Those are kind of a pain in the butt to install. After installation (no matter which is used) you would then caulk around the edges to keep moisture out and to supplement the attachment process.



> That second one is the ones I was talking about, I really didn't know there was surface mount types, but I do now. I may use them when we finally do get around to our bathroom, *would roughing up the surface of the tiles make the adhesives hold better?*


Absolutely yes.

Here's the basic deal. Today's world of tile sees an awful lot of porcelain tile being used. Porcelain tile is the least absorptive tile of all (basically) with an absorption rate of one-half-of-one percent when it comes to water. It only then stands to reason that if the tile won't absorb water it also won't necessarily absorb adhesive. If the tile has a glazed surface the issue is only magnified. Roughing the tile surface will help. In fact the more-course the "roughing-up" is the more surface area that is created for the adhesive to bond to.

It all has to do with creating the necessary "cohesive" ability of the materials to be joined.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> That would be cool as hell to be restored. They have an old steam locomotive on display in the small speedtrap (er, town) of Newhalem in the North Cascades (to Canadians, they'd probably be the South Cascades). The whole town consists of Seattle City Light employees, there's a dam up there. Anyway, this locomotive is fully restored in a park, and kids are encouraged to climb all over it, ring the bell, etc. We always stop there when we go over the North Cascades Highway.


Hi Mort: There are so few of these lovely old engines around these days that they have become legitimate tourist attractions. The city of Vancouver has the old number 374 restored, which was the first engine to pull a train in to Vancouver when the railroad was first built. There are small pockets of dedicated enthusiasts all over North America, and the good people at the museum are hoping to add this engine to the short list.

I forgot to mention that you can log in to your Facebook account and vote on there as well, I found that to be the easiest way. Email all your friends and see if you can get them to help as well...thanks! If we can get this to go viral the old girl at least has a chance.

Thank you all again. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Evstarr said:


> Thanks for looking out for us Bud!
> 
> Keith things are looking amazing! And I'm fascinated by the whole leaking boat sub-saga!


Hi Evstarr, welcome to the thread.

I'm afraid my best efforts have failed to stop the leak(s) in the sailboat, but it seems to have settled down to the point that as long as I pump it out once a month - or every time I go over to town, whichever comes first - it should make it through the winter. I can see the waterline on the boat from the house, so if I notice that it has gone underwater I will need to get out there PDQ and bail it out again.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Actually there is yet another style available. A third style is also a surface-mount that hangs on a metal clip screwed to the wall. The dish itself has a "V"-groove either cut or cast into the back of the dish that slips into the metal clip. Those are kind of a pain in the butt to install. After installation (no matter which is used) you would then caulk around the edges to keep moisture out and to supplement the attachment process.
> 
> 
> 
> Absolutely yes.
> 
> Here's the basic deal. Today's world of tile sees an awful lot of porcelain tile being used. Porcelain tile is the least absorptive tile of all (basically) with an absorption rate of one-half-of-one percent when it comes to water. It only then stands to reason that if the tile won't absorb water it also won't necessarily absorb adhesive. If the tile has a glazed surface the issue is only magnified. Roughing the tile surface will help. In fact the more-course the "roughing-up" is the more surface area that is created for the adhesive to bond to.
> 
> It all has to do with creating the necessary "cohesive" ability of the materials to be joined.


Thanks Bud, that is a big help. I have an engraving tool that should do well to rough up the surface, I appreciate that.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Done deal, our son's F-I-L is an artist who draws nothing but the old locomotives, he gave us one of his drawings of the old Chattanooga Choo Choo, he is good.
> 
> .


Thanks Jim, you just never know who you are going to bump into who has an interest in the old steam engines. I bet he knows plenty of other people with that same interest Jim.

I bet if you send the link over to him he will be able to help us out immensely. I cannot thank you all enough for helping. 

I now understand that if we are able to get the engine project up to top spot the sponsor will donate up to $100,000 towards the rebuilding. That would be absolutely incredible! :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Thanks Bud, that is a big help. I have an engraving tool that should do well to rough up the surface, I appreciate that.


Jim, depending on the area you want to rough up a standard 4 1/2" grinder works well and only takes a minute or so. I put one of the small diamond blades in mine for that purpose.


----------



## Bud Cline

> I have an engraving tool that should do well to rough up the surface,


Be careful with using that method. Keith's idea is really the best way to do it. Percussion tools used on tile and grout installations almost always end in disaster. I have seen tile crack and grout become loose from people using something like a hammer drill to drill a hole in tile. I NEVER use percussion on any tile installation.

I know a small engraving tool probably isn't too aggressive but I doubt it will do that good of a job and risks of damage are high.


----------



## BigJim

I hadn't thought about that, it could loosen the tile or grout or crack it. 

Keith that would be easier to use the grinder than the engraver, I didn't think of that either, that is why you two make the big bucks. Thanks to both of you.

I will send him the link, I am sure he will jump on that. He also helped design the old Hemi engine back then, he was a design engineer at Chrysler. I just remembered that Tom lived in Canada for years. Here is a link to his site, Tom Rock Productions.
http://rockontrains.us/


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> that is why you two make the big bucks.
> 
> 
> http://rockontrains.us/


:no::laughing::icon_biggrin::lol::lol:


----------



## cocobolo

I was hooking up the ABS drain this morning, when the tailpiece came off the sink. Just fell off.

It seems there was hardly any thread on the chrome section. 

I could hardly believe my good luck (that's a switch) when I found another one in the house.

Take a look at the two different threaded ends, no comparison. The one I found went right in no problem.


----------



## cocobolo

The brand of the original is American Standard, something I have bought many times over the years.

When I checked where it was made you can probably guess..... beautiful downtown Shanghai! Mind you, the new piece was probably made in China as well.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I was hooking up the ABS drain this morning, when the tailpiece came off the sink. Just fell off.
> 
> It seems there was hardly any thread on the chrome section.
> 
> I could hardly believe my good luck (that's a switch) when I found another one in the house.
> 
> Take a look at the two different threaded ends, no comparison. The one I found went right in no problem.


That is unreal, some one must have made that one about 10 minutes before quitting time.


----------



## Bud Cline

You guys may enjoy this video I found on You Tube. This is Union Pacifics Engine 844 travelling at seventy-five miles per hour. Nebraskans get to see this ole girl every once-in-a-while. She was here this year again. Coming from her home in Cheyenne Wyoming and approaching Grand Island Nebraska from the west she began whistlin' about seven miles west of town and there was no mistakin' what you were hearing. She rolled into the UP yard where she stayed for a couple of days before moving on east. This is an amazing old machine.

Notice the late-model diesel engine unit a couple of cars back. The diesel engine is her insurance if anything serious breaks down on the road.

More interesting is the fireman standing between 844 and the coal tender, watch that guy bounce going seventy-five miles per hour. Would you ride there? 

This kind of stuff gets me choked up every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRTYNxtbnjI


----------



## Bud Cline

This is kind of interesting too...

Nebraska is home to the world's largest rail-yard (Bailey Yard). Complete hump-yard and maintenance facilities with turn-table.

A few years ago they built an eight-story building in the yard that resembles a rail road spike. At the top is an observation deck where you can view the entire yard and all of the activities. The car humping is done with diesel engines that are remotely controlled from an onsite control center but some of the activities are remotely controlled from Omaha Nebraska from what I understand. This is an amazing place to visit.

http://www.goldenspiketower.com/bailey_yard.php


----------



## cocobolo

Bud, have you ever seen any of the 4000 series Union Pacific Big Boys?

The engine in your video is a 4 - 8 - 4, meaning it has 8 driving wheels. The U.P. Big Boys were a 4 - 8 - 8 - 4, the biggest engines ever built. I believe (if my memory serves) that they were numbered from 4001 to 4025. They were built to move mountains of coal out of West Virginia.


----------



## Bud Cline

Not sure what I've seen to tell you the truth. I have seen one larger than this one here about ten or twelve years ago but have no idea what it was.

These things are abundant in Nebraska but they are most all static and in parks and museums. Hell old railroad engines in Nebraska are like old Army Tanks and Jet Fighter Airplanes everywhere else. Unfortunately way too many of them have seen the cutting torch over the years and are now probably high-rise buildings or automobile frames.


----------



## cocobolo

Just a little hint for all you DIY plumbers out there...for years I have been using one of those small butane bottle kits. I guess it has always worked, but a couple of years ago I bought a new Bernz-O-matic torch with a bit more oomph. I only just undid the package a few days ago.

What a difference. It has a built in lighter which works like a charm. It is obviously much hotter and will allow a joint to be soldered in between 20 and 35 seconds depending on how much copper you are heating up and the flame is much more concentrated. This was a big plus for me because I needed to do some soldering fairly close to a wood wall. Not even a hint of any burning. And one more thing, you can twist the angle of the tip which makes it very easy to get at the area to be soldered very easily.

No, I don't sell them, just happy with the product.


----------



## BigJim

Bud, I remember way back when I was a kid living way back out in the sticks. On a clear, crispy cold morning when the wind was still, you could hear the old steam engines way off back down in the hollers just huffin and puffin and blowing their whistles. That was such a comforting sound then and I still love to hear it when I can now days.

Keith, is that Mapps gas you got? That is a neat set up there, I have a torch that I just pull the trigger and it lights up but the tip doesn't turn like yours, I can see where that would come in handy.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith, is that Mapps gas you got? That is a neat set up there, I have a torch that I just pull the trigger and it lights up but the tip doesn't turn like yours, I can see where that would come in handy.


Not sure what kind of gas Jim...next time I use it I will look.

You can turn the business end of the torch right around for 360º. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, the gas is listed as being Max Power Propylene, which I guess must be Mapps gas, 99.5% propylene 115-07-1.

Learned something new today.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the gas is listed as being Max Power Propylene, which I guess must be Mapps gas, 99.5% propylene 115-07-1.
> 
> Learned something new today.


Mapps gas burns a lot hotter, you can even braze with it, I am told. I am going to have to check out that new type of torch, I have a lot of sweathing to do coming up soon.

Keith, it you have an Ace Hardware up your way, they have a small heat shield made out of thick aluminum foil and some kind of white insulation, I put this behind the pipe I am sweating and the wood behind it doesn't even get warm. You probably already knew this though.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the gas is listed as being Max Power Propylene, which I guess must be Mapps gas, 99.5% propylene 115-07-1.
> 
> Learned something new today.


Mapps gas burns a lot hotter, you can even braze with it, I am told. I am going to have to check out that new type of torch, I have a lot of sweathing to do coming up soon.

Keith, it you have an Ace Hardware up your way, they have a small heat shield made out of thick aluminum foil and some kind of white insulation, I put this behind the pipe I am sweating and the wood behind it doesn't even get warm. You probably already knew this though.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the gas is listed as being Max Power Propylene, which I guess must be Mapps gas, 99.5% propylene 115-07-1.
> 
> Learned something new today.


Mapps gas burns a lot hotter, you can even braze with it, I am told. I am going to have to check out that new type of torch, I have a lot of sweathing to do coming up soon.

Keith, it you have an Ace Hardware up your way, they have a small heat shield made out of thick aluminum foil and some kind of white insulation, I put this behind the pipe I am sweating and the wood behind it doesn't even get warm. You probably already knew this though.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the gas is listed as being Max Power Propylene, which I guess must be Mapps gas, 99.5% propylene 115-07-1.
> 
> Learned something new today.


Mapps gas burns a lot hotter, you can even braze with it, I am told. I am going to have to check out that new type of torch, I have a lot of sweathing to do coming up soon.

Keith, it you have an Ace Hardware up your way, they have a small heat shield made out of thick aluminum foil and some kind of white insulation, I put this behind the pipe I am sweating and the wood behind it doesn't even get warm. You probably already knew this though.


----------



## cocobolo

That's right Jim, the box lists the size of brazing that you can do and it's quite big. Soldering can be done up to 3".


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry Jim, I should have answered about the heat shield. That Roxul insulation I use is completely non-combstible, even by a welding torch. You can stuff that around an area to keep things from burning.

But with this torch, mainly because of the fact that you can swivel the tip to any direction you want, it makes a concentrated heat with a swirling motion to the gas (got that off the box). It really does make a big difference.


----------



## cocobolo

The incoming lines are now all connected through the filters and water heater to the various sink, shower and tub supplies. Certainly glad that's done.


----------



## cocobolo

As for the drains...well, nearly there, but it took over two hours to get a hole through the floor under the kitchen sink.

My faithful 1/2" B & D drill finally bit the dust. It has been on the way out for some time, but today was it's final go round.

I ended up trying to get a hole through the floor - which is about 2 1/2" thick - with a brace and bit and hammer and chisel. That's where the two hours comes from.

Now I have the pleasure of crawling under the house and connecting all the drains into one. I am starting to wonder how I can fit a 200 pound lump into a 150 pound space.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> As for the drains...well, nearly there, but it took over two hours to get a hole through the floor under the kitchen sink.
> 
> My faithful 1/2" B & D drill finally bit the dust. It has been on the way out for some time, but today was it's final go round.
> 
> I ended up trying to get a hole through the floor - which is about 2 1/2" thick - with a brace and bit and hammer and chisel. That's where the two hours comes from.
> 
> Now I have the pleasure of crawling under the house and connecting all the drains into one. I am starting to wonder how I can fit a 200 pound lump into a 150 pound space.


All your plumbing looks really impressive Keith, the on demand water heater is sharp, I have thought about one when our old tank goes out. Could you let me know how you like it? 

Buddy I sure know what you mean about under the house, talk about sore, I discovered places I didn't even know I had places.:whistling2: I will be glad when I see 200 pounds again, there is about 37 pounds of me that Judy is illegally married to, ya know what I mean.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim:

Because of our location, there are quite a few people who have the tankless water heaters. Of course, they come in all sorts of capacities and prices to match.

The little one I have here is a small Bosch for which I paid $500. The only things you need to watch with the tankless heaters are making sure that the water pressure remains high enough - typically 40 p.s.i. - and that you don't try to run more than one thing at a time. So, if you are having a shower, Judy will need to wait before she runs the dishwasher.

I have chatted to two people here who have tried to run these water heaters with the small boat pressure pumps, and that just doesn't work. They have nowhere near the capacity. But for anyone on a city type water supply you will have no problem. And right there is the main reason that I installed a big pressure tank (10.3 gallon drawdown) with a real jet pump.

Now Dan here on the other side of the island has the biggest tankless you can buy. It has two propane lines run into it because it is so big! I don't know what kind of pressure system he has, but knowing Dan it will be the biggest and the best. I have a hunch he also uses his for his hot tub.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim:
> 
> Because of our location, there are quite a few people who have the tankless water heaters. Of course, they come in all sorts of capacities and prices to match.
> 
> The little one I have here is a small Bosch for which I paid $500. The only things you need to watch with the tankless heaters are making sure that the water pressure remains high enough - typically 40 p.s.i. - and that you don't try to run more than one thing at a time. So, if you are having a shower, Judy will need to wait before she runs the dishwasher.
> 
> I have chatted to two people here who have tried to run these water heaters with the small boat pressure pumps, and that just doesn't work. They have nowhere near the capacity. But for anyone on a city type water supply you will have no problem. And right there is the main reason that I installed a big pressure tank (10.3 gallon drawdown) with a real jet pump.
> 
> Now Dan here on the other side of the island has the biggest tankless you can buy. It has two propane lines run into it because it is so big! I don't know what kind of pressure system he has, but knowing Dan it will be the biggest and the best. I have a hunch he also uses his for his hot tub.


Thanks Keith, pressure is no problem here at all, it is just the other way around here. We are 1 mile from Lookout Mountain and they have to really ramp up the pressure to get the water to the top of the mountains. I had to install two pressure regulators because the pressure was blowing everyone's water heaters up. If you turn the hoes on out side you better not let it stop spraying, it will blow the best of water hoses up.


----------



## Bud Cline

> She wanted to put me on the statin drugs, I told her no way, that drug hurts my joints and everything else.


Reminds me...I was on Lipitor for about two years. My cholesterol was being managed satisfactorily but in what I thought was an isolated complaint I was complaining to my doctor about being sore all of the time. This complaint (symptom) continued for a year or more. Hell I couldn't bend over to pick things up off the floor. I had a minimal range of motion in all joints and had trouble getting on the floor to work and then had to have somthing to assist me in standing up after being in the floor.

Had x rays resulting in no serious signs of any old guy stuff. Finally the doctor told me not to take any more Lipitor. After about two months all of my joint and fatigue symptoms had gone away. IT WAS THE DAMNED LIPITOR!!!

Seems that what I was experiencing was all side-effects of Lipitor.:yes:

Stay away from that stuff.


----------



## gma2rjc

We're just the opposite Jim. We have city water, but the pressure is terrible. The house across the street has great water pressure though.


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> Reminds me...I was on Lipitor for about two years. My cholesterol was being managed satisfactorily but in what I thought was an isolated complaint I was complaining to my doctor about being sore all of the time. This complaint (symptom) continued for a year or more. Hell I couldn't bend over to pick things up off the floor. I had a minimal range of motion in all joints and had trouble getting on the floor to work and then had to have somthing to assist me in standing up after being in the floor.
> 
> Had x rays resulting in no serious signs of any old guy stuff. Finally the doctor told me not to take any more Lipitor. After about two months all of my joint and fatigue symptoms had gone away. IT WAS THE DAMNED LIPITOR!!!
> 
> Seems that what I was experiencing was all side-effects of Lipitor.:yes:
> 
> Stay away from that stuff.


I was taking Lipitor a few years ago and kept feeling sudden sharp pains. It would be in one shoulder for a minute or so and then stop. Then it would happen somewhere else. Each time, I thought it was symptoms of a heart attack. 

I told my friend about it and she asked if I was taking Lipitor. She told me to quit taking it. After that everything was fine.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Reminds me...I was on Lipitor for about two years. My cholesterol was being managed satisfactorily but in what I thought was an isolated complaint I was complaining to my doctor about being sore all of the time. This complaint (symptom) continued for a year or more. Hell I couldn't bend over to pick things up off the floor. I had a minimal range of motion in all joints and had trouble getting on the floor to work and then had to have somthing to assist me in standing up after being in the floor.
> 
> Had x rays resulting in no serious signs of any old guy stuff. Finally the doctor told me not to take any more Lipitor. After about two months all of my joint and fatigue symptoms had gone away. IT WAS THE DAMNED LIPITOR!!!
> 
> Seems that what I was experiencing was all side-effects of Lipitor.:yes:
> 
> Stay away from that stuff.


All of the cholesterol drugs I know of will have sever side effects, no way will I take them again. I take an aspirin everyday which does as much good as that garbage and no side effects.


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> We're just the opposite Jim. We have city water, but the pressure is terrible. The house across the street has great water pressure though.


If the incoming line in to your house is an old galvanized line, it is likely the cause. They get plugged up all the time.


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## cocobolo

Like my good friend Dr. Al says...there are NO safe drugs.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Like my good friend Dr. Al says...there are NO safe drugs.


Amen buddy, amen.


----------



## fixrite

Humour is the best drug and also the safest....lol


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## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Humour is the best drug and also the safest....lol


Yep, that gets my vote as well!


----------



## scoggy

*CoCobolo..thanks!!*

Just surfed in, and viola, there was a 'gold mine' of info..on of all things..Lipitor..and the exact same problems I have been having..getting around on garage floor, and I will take that info to my Dr. as proof! I thought it was 'old age' but I am not in that bad shape, that I have to have something above me to help me get up from Garage floor!! I am excited, to maybe have found an answer, when I was looking in the wrong direction!! Thanks! Nice to see your efforts also!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

scoggy said:


> Just surfed in, and viola, there was a 'gold mine' of info..on of all things..Lipitor..and the exact same problems I have been having..getting around on garage floor, and I will take that info to my Dr. as proof! I thought it was 'old age' but I am not in that bad shape, that I have to have something above me to help me get up from Garage floor!! I am excited, to maybe have found an answer, when I was looking in the wrong direction!! Thanks! Nice to see your efforts also!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Do a google on pros and cons of Lipitor, it will open your eyes. I refuse to take it, chances are your doctor will argue that the benefits out weight the side effects, do the reading you will see that it does not.


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## cocobolo

Hi Syd...did you survive that torrential rain we had this afternoon? We got pounded here for hours.

Managed to get some more of the plumbing done today.

When I was installing the vessel sink in the ensuite, the drain - quite naturally - went right through the middle of the drawer in the antique vanity.

So, in order to keep the drawer useful, meaning making it openable, I took a notch out of the back of the drawer and added some pieces of cedar alongside the cut to stiffen it back up again.


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## cocobolo

Also added some extension lines for the laundry tub - yet to be purchased - in the utility room.


----------



## cocobolo

The vessel sink is now installed. The drain got hooked up this afternoon with the usual amount of fuss and bother.

I had to devise some sort of mount for the faucet, as it is the type which would normally mount flush with the surface. But as the sink itself is raised nearly 7", the faucet needed the same treatment.

I found one piece of Zebrawood which just fit the bill to make a suitable stand. It doesn't have any finish on it yet, so I hope to get started on that tomorrow.


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## Bud Cline

> ...So, in order to keep the drawer useful, meaning making it openable, I took a notch out of the back of the drawer and added some pieces of cedar alongside the cut to stiffen it back up again.


Now THAT right there is one helluva good idea. All of the vessel-sinks I've been involved in have always just deleted the the possibility of a drawer in that location and have resorted to just a drawer-front as is typical of any other (in cabinet) sink. Good one Keith!:thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Just surfed in, and viola, there was a 'gold mine' of info..on of all things..Lipitor..and the exact same problems I have been having..getting around on garage floor, and I will take that info to my Dr. as proof! I thought it was 'old age' but I am not in that bad shape, that I have to have something above me to help me get up from Garage floor!! I am excited, to maybe have found an answer, when I was looking in the wrong direction!! Thanks! Nice to see your efforts also!


I don't want to turn this thread into another episode of "The Doctors" but if this helps someone then so-be-it.

At first when I complained of being stiff and lacking mobility and range my doctor passed it off as; "You're not getting any younger Bud". But something just didn't ring-home with me. I was in too good of shape overall and all of his xrays and blood tests weren't coming up with anything other than lining his pockets. I don't understand why - if he knew of the side effects - he didn't hit on the real problem sooner. Just keep in mind...doctors receive kick-backs from pharmaceutical companies for prescribing their drugs. I'm sure "ongoing maintenance drugs" are a big winner for those guys. There are websites that list doctors taking kickbacks from drug companies. How unethical can they get?

I must have been moaning and groaning (a lot) and didn't realize it until my wife began to criticize me for my "bad acting". Hell I wasn't acting, I was hurtin'. I tried to explain to her that I didn't know how I got "so old so fast". She just didn't get it. I feel great now, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Now THAT right there is one helluva good idea. All of the vessel-sinks I've been involved in have always just deleted the the possibility of a drawer in that location and have resorted to just a drawer-front as is typical of any other (in cabinet) sink. Good one Keith!:thumbup:


The only other thing I had to make sure of was that the supply lines were kept well back. Remember that I don't have the hot/cold lines buried in the wall here, they were added after the fact.

Not the best pic, but you get the idea.


----------



## drtbk4ever

cocobolo said:


> I had to devise some sort of mount for the faucet, as it is the type which would normally mount flush with the surface. But as the sink itself is raised nearly 7", the faucet needed the same treatment.


It's all coming together nicely now Keith.

Keith, do they make an extension kit for that faucet? It looks similar to the one we use with our vessel sink and we bought an extension kit for it. Came with extra long supply lines and I think 3 risers so we could pick a height.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> It's all coming together nicely now Keith.
> 
> Keith, do they make an extension kit for that faucet? It looks similar to the one we use with our vessel sink and we bought an extension kit for it. Came with extra long supply lines and I think 3 risers so we could pick a height.


NOW you tell me! :laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

> The only other thing I had to make sure of was that the supply lines were kept well back. Remember that I don't have the hot/cold lines buried in the wall here, they were added after the fact.
> 
> Not the best pic, but you get the idea.


Sometime when you need something to do (ha ha ha) you could build a cover to hide the plumbing under that sink. Maybe a five-sided cover (box) with an open back that would sit on the floor and slide into place against the wall. Paint it to match the cabinet - out of sight out of mind.:thumbup:


----------



## scoggy

*Was just wondering....*

Keith, I noticed you are using copper pipe for the plumbing..and..my whole house had same, but when I was in the process of 'doing' basement..etc., I eliminated all the copper and used 'Pex' tubing and fittings..just because I thought it was newer and better..and now..a "Sage' such as yourself, is using copper..just curious, if you had a reason, other than past experience with same, or..there is something I don't know which is a 'negative' for using .."Pex".


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Sometime when you need something to do (ha ha ha) you could build a cover to hide the plumbing under that sink. Maybe a five-sided cover (box) with an open back that would sit on the floor and slide into place against the wall. Paint it to match the cabinet - out of sight out of mind.:thumbup:


Hmmmmmm...note to self: check the other 1,849 items on the "to-do" list and see if it is on there. If it isn't...to hell with it. :whistling2:


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, I noticed you are using copper pipe for the plumbing..and..my whole house had same, but when I was in the process of 'doing' basement..etc., I eliminated all the copper and used 'Pex' tubing and fittings..just because I thought it was newer and better..and now..a "Sage' such as yourself, is using copper..just curious, if you had a reason, other than past experience with same, or..there is something I don't know which is a 'negative' for using .."Pex".


Syd, there's nothing wrong with either copper or Pex. If I were starting a new build today I would go with Pex just because it is so much faster. Push the pipe into a fitting and that's it. 

I do have two Pex lines running from the utility room to the kitchen sink (hot and cold) and the reason for those is because I had to somehow run the two lines through the insulation in the floor - foamboard - and up to the sink. It should be posted somewhere on the thread.

As for the copper, well I got a whole boatload of fittings at the right price (read free here) and then I ran across about 200 odd feet of new 1/2" copper tubing up at Habitat for an absolute song. So it was a no brainer to use copper for most of it. 

Still have lots of copper fittings left over and just one piece of tubing.

Adding a bit about Pex. The push in fittings I mention above are for going from copper to Pex. Just push the lines into the Pex and that's it. I think the usual fitting is a crimp on jobbie.


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## cocobolo

Ah so, honourable readers...today I attempted to fit the 200 pound body into the 150 pound space under the house.

There were four drains to be connected and then run out down the bank towards the bay. Just greywater, nothing to be unduly alarmed about. The limited amount of water will feed the plants on the bank nicely I hope.

If you have not had the pleasure of attempting such a feat, you really should try it, if for no other reason than to sagely nod your head when someone else tells you they have tried such a ridiculous stunt.

It was such fun I tell you, I only wish that you were all here with me to participate in this joyous occasion. Then I would have had someone to yell at!

Did I run out of ABS pipe? Of course. But not before the drains were all connected and the line run part way out. Better than nothing. 

I enjoyed every _hour_ of it..._NOT!_ :furious:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Ah so, honourable readers...today I attempted to fit the 200 pound body into the 150 pound space under the house.
> 
> There were four drains to be connected and then run out down the bank towards the bay. Just greywater, nothing to be unduly alarmed about. The limited amount of water will feed the plants on the bank nicely I hope.
> 
> If you have not had the pleasure of attempting such a feat, you really should try it, if for no other reason than to sagely nod your head when someone else tells you they have tried such a ridiculous stunt.
> 
> It was such fun I tell you, I only wish that you were all here with me to participate in this joyous occasion. Then I would have had someone to yell at!
> 
> Did I run out of ABS pipe? Of course. But not before the drains were all connected and the line run part way out. Better than nothing.
> 
> I enjoyed every _hour_ of it..._NOT!_ :furious:


:thumbsup::thumbup: Buddy, I have claustrophobia bad, I had to go under a house I use to live in and it was really low to the ground, the more I thought about it the worse I hated it. I grabbed the chainsaw, cut the floor out, laid the pipe, then fixed the floor, that is the ******* way.:yes:


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## Bud Cline

> If you have not had the pleasure of attempting such a feat, you really should try it, if for no other reason than to sagely nod your head when someone else tells you they have tried such a ridiculous stunt.


Years ago when I thought I was a plumber I contracted to install some new water lines under a house changing old galvanized pipe to rigid copper. The laundry room was on one end of the house, but, the crawl space access was in a bedroom closet at the far end of the house.

At some time the homeowner had insulated under the house and the old insulation was drooping and falling everywhere. I crawled under the house with my trusty flashlight dodging the failing insulation and made my way slowly to the far end of the house. I had a tool bag tied with a rope to my belt and about five sticks of copper also tied to my belt with another rope. I crawled through the dirt slowly panning my light here and there when suddenly two bright red dots came into my light beam.

HOLY CRAP MAN!!!

To this day I have no idea what was down there with me. The dots were too far apart to be a cat, well too far apart to be a house-cat.

Anyway I told the homeowner they would have to call a plumber because I didn't think I was qualified to do the job afterall. It is really difficult to make a u-turn under a house with ten foot long copper tubing tied to your belt as you scramble to save your own life from creatures unknown.:yes:


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> :thumbsup::thumbup: I grabbed the chainsaw, cut the floor out, that is the ******* way.:yes:


Sounds like the sort of thing I might pull!


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Years ago when I thought I was a plumber....
> I crawled under the house with my trusty flashlight when suddenly two bright red dots came into my light beam.
> 
> HOLY CRAP MAN!!!
> 
> To this day I have no idea what was down there with me. The dots were too far apart to be a cat, well too far apart to be a house-cat.
> 
> Anyway, I told the homeowner they would have to call a plumber because I didn't think I was qualified to do the job after all. :yes:


Is that when you took up laying tile?


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## Bud Cline

> Is that when you took up laying tile?


That was when I lived in Texas.



> Is that when you took up laying tile?


I gave up plumbing and I took up laying tile not too long after I reached in-under a dishwasher to disconnect it and when I pulled it out there was a nest of scorpions under that sucker. They began running in circles and in all directions, it was maddening, I was able to stomp most of them and finish the dishwasher job but that was pretty much [it] for me and plumbing. That was when I finally realized what was meant by; "_Don't Mess With Texas_".

Well then there was also the time I opened the door on my pickup and there sat a copperhead all coiled up and attentive. Have no idea how he got inside my truck.

Had another snake incident (IN TEXAS) while out fishing one day. A friend and I were trolling my boat in shallow waters under some overhanging tree limbs and a damned cotton mouth dropped into the boat with us. Now that was funny as hell (AFTERWARD). My partner was more afraid of snakes than I was and he scrambled trying to climb on top of the motor and I stood on a pedestal chair and netted the snake and threw him overboard fish-net and all.


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> A friend and I were trolling my boat in shallow waters under some overhanging tree limbs and a damned cotton mouth dropped into the boat with us. I stood on a pedestal chair and netted the snake and threw him overboard fish-net and all.


Seems like a waste of a perfectly good fish net. You should have chopped him up and used him for bait.


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## Bud Cline

> Seems like a waste of a perfectly good fish net. You should have chopped him up and used him for bait.


Easy to say when the snake isn't in YOUR boat! Fish nets are cheap, we had another one that afternoon. And we didn't take it (the fish net) under any low-hanging tree limbs anymore either.:no:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Easy to say when the snake isn't in YOUR boat! Fish nets are cheap, we had another one that afternoon. And we didn't take it (the fish net) under any low-hanging tree limbs anymore either.:no:


I tend to stick to homebuilding, not fishing.


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## Bud Cline

> I tend to stick to homebuilding, not fishing.


You don't ever hear those fish out there calling your name???


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## drtbk4ever

Bud Cline said:


> That was when I lived in Texas.
> 
> 
> a nest of scorpions under that sucker.
> 
> 
> I opened the door on my pickup and there sat a copperhead all coiled up and attentive.
> 
> a damned cotton mouth dropped into the boat with us.


Hearing stories like these remind me why minus 20 to minus 30 degree celcius winters aren't so bad. It sure keeps the poisonous creepy crawlies away.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> You don't ever hear those fish out there calling your name???


Fish can speak???


----------



## Bud Cline

> Hearing stories like these remind me why minus 20 to minus 30 degree celcius winters aren't so bad. It sure keeps the poisonous creepy crawlies away.


Yes but in Texas cold weather doesn't seem to have any effect on those damned fire ants. I also have a "fire ant" story.

In addition to my tile-installation business, and my wife's new home make-ready business I also contracted with the Army Corps of Engineers at their reservoirs. We did park development and maintenance. During the winter months some parks are closed and remain closed over the winter to heal somewhat from their heavy summer use.

We were replacing some post and cable fencing along a road in a park and we stirred up a mound of fire ants at the base of a fence post. At the time, I was using a cutting-torch to cut the old cable so when the ants erupted from their trampled mound I simply began to burn the little critters with my torch. Don't do that! All that does is piss them off even more. So as I am frantically trying to get ahead of the onslaught of attacking fire ants I accidently set fire to some tall grass. Of course the wind was blowing at the time. One of my workers grabbed a shovel and began to beat down (try to beat down) the blazing grasses. Don't do that either. The fire quickly got out of control and was burning a nice meadow of wild grass and dried weeds. Back then we didn't have cell phones but the park did have a public phone that was a direct line to a 9-1-1 emergency call center. Since my torch hoses were strung out of my truck and it couldn't be driven at that moment, I ran to the public phone.

When I picked up the phone an operator answered ("What is your emergency?) Well I was so out of breath from running that distance that I couldn't talk immediately. She could hear my heavy-breathing however. "Sir, sir, are you having a heart attack" she asks me. When I could get a few words out I told here I wasn't having a heart attack but I was having a fire.

She was trying to verify my location and she quickly told me I was in a park but that park was closed and wanted to know how I got in there and how the fire started. In the meantime the fire is raging towards some brand new public restrooms we just built a few months earlier. All wood structure with cedar shingles - bad news for me.

We were locked in the park and when that occurred to me I then ran back to my truck and rolled up my torch hoses so that I could drive to the locked gate and open it for the fire department. Of course I couldn't catch my breath again and I was a wreck.

The firemen came in the area and we all returned to the fire scene. One fire truck began working ahead of the fire while another started off in another direction but there was a fence where he wanted to go. He "ordered" me (nice guy that he was) to cut the cable fence for him so he could get his truck in there and drive across the meadow. I told him that I wouldn't go in there because the ground may be wet. He told me that I was the contractor and he was the fireman and HE would handle the fire. Okee-dokee butt hole, so I cut the cable for him and he raced across the meadow in his big red (heavy) fire truck. Well sure enough! The damned truck sunk down to the frame and stopped abruptly. He flew out of the truck and began cussing me. I think it pissed him off when we were all standing there laughing.

I knew my career with the Army Corps of Engineers was probably over. The fire was on a Saturday. So, first thing Monday morning I went to the reservoir headquarters to confess my deed to the reservoir manager. As I walked through the secretary's office there was a pink sheet of typing paper in my mailbox. Handwritten on the paper with a Magic Marker and in big letters were the words; "CLINE, SEE ME IMMEDIATELY", and it was signed by the reservoir manager. I swallowed the lump in my throat and walked into the manager's office. He had seen me coming but had now turned his back to me and was looking out his office window. He asked; "How's tricks CLINE? So I began to crumble and started to explain the fire incident. In just a few seconds he turned around and was laughing his ass off and offered me a cup of coffee. I was thinking to myself, This is really weird.

Far be it from me to reject a gesture of kindness so I took the coffee. He told me to have a seat, he was still laughing his ass off. We discussed how the fire got started and he still couldn't keep a straight face. About that time one of the Rangers walked in and said; "Hey Boss, I thought you weren't going to burn that meadow until next month". 

Well-l-l-l, now the cat was out of the bag. That particular meadow was on a three year plan and hadn't been addressed as yet. That meadow was slated to be burned in the near future. We all had a good laugh and I immediately went to the mens room to relieve myself. On my way out of the headquarters the manager told me to turn in my time for burning the meadow and he would pay me for it. It saved the rangers having to do it.


The fire was extinguished just ahead of reaching the new restrooms and the day was saved by the fire department. Scheduled maintenance had been performed on the meadow I got paid for my efforts and all was well.


----------



## BigJim

You sure we aren't cousins in law, I thought I was the only one who did stuff like that. :yes: When I was on the fire department in West Tennessee, I stuck a firetruck in a bog and almost turned a pumper over twice, There just isn't enough room here to even start telling the things I have gotten into. Neat story Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

Great story Bud...I'm going to be chuckling over that one for awhile. :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

OK, just a quick one but this happened to a buddy of mine in the Navy. We were getting ready for inspection in our dress blues, I noticed several medals my buddy had and asked him about them. He said one of the planes had caught on fire and while they were up close fighting the fire the plane exploded and blew him down and a ways from the plane, he thought he was running away from the fire but ran right back in the fire, looked down saw the hoes and figured he better fight the fire or he was a gonner, they thought he had ran back in there when everyone else ran away and gave him a medal for it.:laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

Great stories Bud. Thanks for the laughs.


----------



## cocobolo

I see that Mr. O will remain your president for a bit longer. I don't suppose that everyone is happy about that. It could be worse you know, you could have someone like our P.M. running the show! :laughing:


----------



## gma2rjc

cocobolo said:


> I see that Mr. O will remain your president for a bit longer. I don't suppose that everyone is happy about that. It could be worse you know, you could have someone like our P.M. running the show! :laughing:


Wanna trade?? :yes:


----------



## Bud Cline

> I see that Mr. O will remain your president for a bit longer.* I don't suppose that everyone is happy about that.*


No...I don't suppose everyone is.
Mr. O-bomb-o must have done some admirable and wise things that I must have missed. Guess we all have to wait-and-see. Wait and see which tube we go down.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Wanna trade?? :yes:


You bet! Anyone would be better than Mr. H. irate::red_indian:sama::saddam:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> No...I don't suppose everyone is.
> Mr. O-bomb-o must have done some admirable and wise things that I must have missed. Guess we all have to wait-and-see. Wait and see which tube we go down.


Well Bud, realistically we know that any U. S. President has little to do with the actual running of the country. 

It's the greedy multinationals who run the show along with the ultra wealthy. Otherwise, how is it that the large percentage of the top "advisors" come from places like Monsanto, the giant pharmaceuticals, big oil, even bigger banks and so on. Same thing up here...he who has the gold makes the rules.

Sad to say that it has been a long time since the little guy was even considered in big politics. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

I think I have had enough hints from visitors about the dining room ceiling that it's high time I did something about it.

It is covered in 2 x 4 sheets of OSB and I must admit it doesn't look too great.

I guess if I had my druthers it should have been done in cedar, but there isn't anywhere near enough here and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $3.00 a square foot for more.

The big beams are indeed going to be fitted out with cedar, and the boards are on hand for that. In conjunction with that little effort I have decided to paint the ceiling a kind of mocha colour, and then cover all the joints in the OSB - all 300+ lineal feet of them, with cedar strips which I will Varathane before installing.

That should keep me out of trouble for at least a week. :thumbup1:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well Bud, realistically we know that any U. S. President has little to do with the actual running of the country.
> 
> It's the greedy multinationals who run the show along with the ultra wealthy. Otherwise, how is it that the large percentage of the top "advisors" come from places like Monsanto, the giant pharmaceuticals, big oil, even bigger banks and so on. Same thing up here...he who has the gold makes the rules.
> 
> Sad to say that it has been a long time since the little guy was even considered in big politics. :huh:


Dead on buddy.


----------



## Bud Cline

> It's the greedy multinationals who run the show along with the ultra wealthy. Otherwise, how is it that the large percentage of the top "advisors" come from places like Monsanto, the giant pharmaceuticals, big oil, even bigger banks and so on. Same thing up here...he who has the gold makes the rules.
> 
> Sad to say that it has been a long time since the little guy was even considered in big politics.


...and to that statement I offer a loud and enthusiastic: *AMEN !!!*

The _enthusiasm_ goes to the AMEN and nothing else.

Yesterday morning my closest and bestest friend of fifty-two years passed away, then O-bomb-o was re-elected, so my day (yesterday) was really special, and today ain't no better.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yesterday morning my closest and bestest friend of fifty-two years passed away, then O-bomb-o was re-elected, so my day (yesterday) was really special, and today ain't no better.


Bud, I am indeed most sorry to hear that.

Fifty-two...why, that's just a kid.


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## cocobolo

Accomplished a couple of things today...got another load of firewood all split up nicely and up the bank and into the woodshed. At this rate I'm _never _going to run out of firewood.

And I managed to get the living/dining room ceiling painted. Far too late to get a photo of it, but here is how it was yesterday.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Accomplished a couple of things today...got another load of firewood all split up nicely and up the bank and into the woodshed.


Now there's a task I have never had to face on a "have to do it" basis. We have always purchased "cord-wood" to fill that need but haven't had a fireplace in years to deal with.

When I was a kid my dad was in the restaurant business and was well-known for his barbecue offerings. In those days he too would purchase cord-wood. One year however to save a few bucks he bought a semi-load of hickory wood. He thought then that he was buying cord-wood that was split and ready to go. As it turned out he had purchased a load of "logs" twenty-four inches long there-a-bouts. It was then my job to split the wood. Hell I was just a kid and at first it was kinda fun to do. Of course that enthusiasm didn't last long and the task became total drudgery. After splitting about two chords over a period of a year he finally called-in a guy with a log splitter machine to finish the job. We had wood for the barbecue for years and years. What the hell was he thinking?

We would also kill and dress our own chickens for the restaurant. THAT was no fun.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Fifty-two...why, that's just a kid.


Actually he was seventy years old. We had been friends for fifty-two years. Boy do I have some memories!!!:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Actually he was seventy years old. We had been friends for fifty-two years. Boy do I have some memories!!!:yes:


Seventy, whew! That's a bit better. Just a few more days and I'll be there as well. :wheelchair:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Now there's a task I have never had to face on a "have to do it" basis. We have always purchased "cord-wood" to fill that need but haven't had a fireplace in years to deal with.
> 
> When I was a kid my dad was in the restaurant business and was well-known for his barbecue offerings. In those days he too would purchase cord-wood. One year however to save a few bucks he bought a semi-load of hickory wood. He thought then that he was buying cord-wood that was split and ready to go. As it turned out he had purchased a load of "logs" twenty-four inches long there-a-bouts. It was then my job to split the wood. Hell I was just a kid and at first it was kinda fun to do. Of course that enthusiasm didn't last long and the task became total drudgery. After splitting about two chords over a period of a year he finally called-in a guy with a log splitter machine to finish the job. We had wood for the barbecue for years and years. What the hell was he thinking?


There's a definite knack to splitting wood Bud. First thing is to cut the wood about 12" long...of course that largely depends on the type of wood stove that you have. But here, 12" wood is ideal for my stoves.

Set your round on a chopping block about 18" high. Make sure that the side facing you doesn't have any knots where you are going to hit the wood, knots don't split.

Next, don't just lift the maul - use a maul not an axe by the way - and then try to power it through the wood. You'll be dead in no time trying to split wood that way.

The trick is to swing the maul in a full circle behind you, bring it up over your right shoulder (assuming you are right handed) and then turn on the power and speed the maul through the wood.

Always aim the maul to hit the near edge of the round, never in the middle of the round, and try to line it up with the pith in the round. It will split every time that way. Once the round is split in two, then take off bites of the round from each half until you are done. Nothing to it. 

Repeat if necessary. It takes me far longer to move a load of wood (about 1/10 of a cord) to the lift, load it in, bring it up the bank and move it into the woodshed.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Seventy, whew! That's a bit better. Just a few more days and I'll be there as well. :wheelchair:


Buddy, I am right behind you. 

Bud I don't see how you split that hickory after it had dried out some. I had a tree about 20 inches thick cut into 20 inch lengths and let it set for a little to long, all my axe would do is bounce, even the big maul would bounce, that stuff was harder than Superman's knee caps, I finally gave up.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Bud I don't see how you split that hickory after it had dried out some. I had a tree about 20 inches thick cut into 20 inch lengths and let it set for a little to long, all my axe would do is bounce, even the big maul would bounce, that stuff was harder than Superman's knee caps, I finally gave up.


Jim, you should have made axe handles out of that hickory! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, you should have made axe handles out of that hickory! :thumbsup:


Keith, I had to weld a steel pipe in the axes and mauls for handles. My son and two nephews would pop a wooden handle as fast as I could put them in; and they always wanted to get in on the action. Them boys would mess up fire wood so bad it wouldn't burn and tear up an anvil with a powder puff. Rough little scutters, red necks ya know, just like a chip off the ole block. :whistling2:Had to keep em wood working.:yes:


----------



## Bud Cline

> But here, 12" wood is ideal for my stoves.


Dad's pit/smoker was home built by a local brick mason. The bottom of the fire box was at about ten inches above the floor-level rising to about forty inches above floor level and it may have been eighteen inches in width and thirty inches front to back with a grate at the bottom at the ten-inch elevation for air-support. I can still see it all in my mind's-eye. Then the bottom of the oven areas joined in at about thirty-six inches above the floor. The ovens themselves where to the right of the fire-box and roughly forty-eight inches (square). There were two ovens side-by-side with steel doors. The grates were made of 5/8" rebar if I remember correctly. The entire thing was lines with fire-brick. At the far end were two flues with dampers rising through the roof of the block building that was built specifically to house the ovens and a sizeable stack of firewood. My dad was a great teacher and I remember him telling me that the area of the flues had to be less than the area of the port between the firebox and the ovens so-as to restrict too much heat from escaping. Wow, why do I remember all of this? I have built several much smaller outdoor barbecues for customers over the years and each time I applied the principles dad had taught me.

So anyway that's a long way to get to the explanation of why the logs were twenty-four inches long. Hickory in and of itself is difficult to split, especially when it's that long. The stuff has long sharp stringy-fibers that don't want to yield to a splitter all that readily. The round logs as opposed to split firewood would explain the discounted price of the wood that we talked about for years. I suppose the supplier saw (him) coming.:yes:

I remember he would fire-up the pit about two in the morning when he got home from work (bar close) each Wednesday so it would be ready to cook in the morning. Depending on his catering work load for the week-end he may cook all day into the evening. Ribs and pork roasts and brisket roasts and half chickens as well as some occasional top rounds of beef were the mainstay. When he was cooking you could smell the hickory all over town.

This went on almost every week of the year until Thanksgiving and Christmas time when he would contract-cook whole chickens and turkeys and occasionally some ducks.

To this day, not a week goes by in our family without smoking some kind of meat.


----------



## gma2rjc

I'm sorry you lost your best friend Bud.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> To this day, not a week goes by in our family without smoking some kind of meat.


Are you absolutely sure that it's _meat_ you're smoking Bud? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

I have a pic of the "mocha" coloured ceiling, which I still think looks much more like chocolate milk.

If you look to the right, that's what the original colour was, so there's quite a difference. It has darkened the room somewhat, but because the light enters from not only the front where the solarium is, but also from above through that huge hole in the floor, the dining area is still nice and light.


----------



## thorpedo

Time for a new guy to chime in here. 

Hello, hello! 

I have been following this [extensive] thread for a bit now after stumbling upon it while looking at properties in the Gulf / Ruxton area (I may have to pick your brain a little, Cocobolo! - not sure if i can send a PM through this board or not). The work that you have put into your place is absolutely phenomenal and a testament as to what can be accomplished through hard work, creativity and the tools to make it happen.

I am lucky to have a father who put a hammer in my hand before a baseball bat - and have learned a fair bit since. 

My latest DIY Project is a little different than the typical work I have been seeing here, but I suppose I have always been a little off beat :laughing:. It's a 144sq ft, freestanding rock climbing wall in my backyard.


----------



## shumakerscott

thorpedo said:


> Time for a new guy to chime in here.
> 
> Hello, hello!
> 
> I have been following this [extensive] thread for a bit now after stumbling upon it while looking at properties in the Gulf / Ruxton area (I may have to pick your brain a little, Cocobolo! - not sure if i can send a PM through this board or not). The work that you have put into your place is absolutely phenomenal and a testament as to what can be accomplished through hard work, creativity and the tools to make it happen.
> 
> I am lucky to have a father who put a hammer in my hand before a baseball bat - and have learned a fair bit since.
> 
> My latest DIY Project is a little different than the typical work I have been seeing here, but I suppose I have always been a little off beat :laughing:. It's a 144sq ft, freestanding rock climbing wall in my backyard.


Ok, So where are the pic's? I want pic's!!:yes: dorf dude...


----------



## cocobolo

thorpedo said:


> Time for a new guy to chime in here.
> 
> Hello, hello!
> 
> I have been following this [extensive] thread for a bit now after stumbling upon it while looking at properties in the Gulf / Ruxton area (I may have to pick your brain a little, Cocobolo! - not sure if i can send a PM through this board or not). The work that you have put into your place is absolutely phenomenal and a testament as to what can be accomplished through hard work, creativity and the tools to make it happen.
> 
> I am lucky to have a father who put a hammer in my hand before a baseball bat - and have learned a fair bit since.


Well thanks for coming onboard.

I think you might need to wait until you have 20 posts before you can send a pm. Not sure if I have that number right, perhaps one of the mods (BigJim?) can answer that for me.

You have probably figured out by now that it's a fair whack of work to take on a project like this one. But if you're young and foolish enough, go for it. I had the foolish part well covered.

Properties out this way on the islands are very cheap right now due to the crummy economy. Good time to be looking.


----------



## thorpedo

I have noticed a few interesting properties for sale there and well... Call me foolish. 

Talking about DIY. The house that I currently live in was built sometime in the mid 1800's and started off as a log cabin, of which the remnants still remain in the walls! In the 1890's the home was renovated and the owner decided to add gingerbreading to the whole thing. He apparently had 7 children living there, so I can only imagine it was an excuse to hide in the workshop 

Attached is a photo of the climbing wall, as requested (at least I think it's a photo and not a video - cant tell from my phone). That would be me, playing on the slack line. I'm a big kid, what can I say!


----------



## thorpedo

And here is the old shack. A DIY dream.


----------



## cocobolo

thorpedo said:


> And here is the old shack. A DIY dream.
> 
> View attachment 60354


Hey! What a neat looking house! I love it!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Well thanks for coming onboard.
> 
> I think you might need to wait until you have 20 posts before you can send a pm. Not sure if I have that number right, perhaps one of the mods (BigJim?) can answer that for me.
> 
> You have probably figured out by now that it's a fair whack of work to take on a project like this one. But if you're young and foolish enough, go for it. I had the foolish part well covered.
> 
> Properties out this way on the islands are very cheap right now due to the crummy economy. Good time to be looking.


Weeeell, I went back to the forum rules and can't find how many posts a member has to have before they can PM another member. I will check with one of the other mods and see what they say, Sorry.

Oh, that is really as neat house.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Weeeell, I went back to the forum rules and can't find how many posts a member has to have before they can PM another member. I will check with one of the other mods and see what they say, Sorry.
> 
> Oh, that is really as neat house.


Jim:

I do remember going back two or three years that is what it used to be. But since then, I have received pm's from members with less posts than that.

Having EXTREME trouble with my interwebs for the past few days, so please accept my apologies if I cannot reply in a timely fashion. I think it might be the modem that is at fault. Keep checking for my signal, and it keeps disconnecting every few seconds. Exceedingly annoying to say the least. Took me nearly 4 hours to make this one work. I just hope that it actually posts! :furious:


----------



## thorpedo

I am sure that I will get up to the required number of posts eventually, there surely is a lot learn around here, which will no doubt lead to plenty of questions. :thumbup:

Cocobolo - 
The Island sure does look amazingly beautiful, so I can see why there are a number of permanent residents like yourself who put in the effort to stay there year-round. 

Quick question for you - how long is the trip to shore? I suppose it's all dependent on the tide and access into your bay. 

I'm sure I will have other questions regarding the area and life there (a bit beyond the scope of the DIY chatroom). Would love to send you a quick email. I can be found at jon[at]jonthorpe.com 

In the meantime, please keep posting the amazing photos and commentary. It's quite inspiring.


----------



## cocobolo

Jon, other than myself there is an older couple here year round...but they are social misfits from elsewhere (I'm not even kidding) and they don't fit in here either...then there is a family of 5 at the south end. That's it for now. The trip to Boat Harbour takes me about 36 minutes by sailboat - when the bottom is clean, or 12 minutes by powerboat, which at the moment isn't working. I wait for good weather days to cross, especially in the winter months. Today we were threatened with snow flurries, which didn't materialize, but it has been raining for the past several hours. Current temp is 2ºC. The spring, summer and fall out here can be truly fabulous. Even the better weather days in winter are nice as well. And the sunsets...some of the best on earth!


----------



## cocobolo

Just checking to see if things are any better this evening. Found a fair bit of crap on my 'puter. Got the last of the propane lines run under the house and attached to the tankless water heater. One more fun job out of the way. Smilies still not working for me I see.


----------



## BigJim

I know you are glad to be done under the house. I'm sorry the smileys aren't working for you at least your computer is doing a little better. There were a lot of folks here on the forum having problems yesterday.  Yep, still works.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I know you are glad to be done under the house. I'm sorry the smileys aren't working for you at least your computer is doing a little better. There were a lot of folks here on the forum having problems yesterday.  Yep, still works.


It's not the DIY site Jim, I found some nasties inside my computer. They are gone now, but I suspect they may have done some damage.

There is a new OS available, and next trip to town I will see if I can find a store that has one on disc. I don't think my internet connection is reliable enough to try a download.  Hmmm, how about that. He seems to be back! Maybe it was the re-boot I did after getting rid of all the garbage.
:thumbsup::thumbup::laughing::jester: Couldn't resist!


----------



## BigJim

:clap::clap::clap::happybday::thumbup1::clap::clap::clap:Buddy, this is number 39 isn't it? Here is wishing you many many more great ones.


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## Bud Cline

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY"?

Well shoot!

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY​*


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> :clap::clap::clap::happybday::thumbup1::clap::clap::clap:Buddy, this is number 39 isn't it? Here is wishing you many many more great ones.


Wasn't that Jack Benny's age? I wonder how many here even know who he was now?

Thirty nine, let's see...39 plus 31 = 70, ahh yes, that's a little closer!

Thanks Jim!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"?
> 
> Well shoot!
> 
> *HAPPY BIRTHDAY​*


Thank you Bud!


----------



## gma2rjc

It's a little late, but....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!!

:whistling2:...... whistling the happy birthday song..... :whistling2:

Barb


----------



## Bud Cline

> Wasn't that Jack Benny's age? I wonder how many here even know who he was now?


Yup...Jack Benny was always "thirty-nine years old" no matter how old he got. Never really knew how old Rochester was......:no:

http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Entertainment/Jack-Benny-19782.html


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It's a little late, but....
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!!
> 
> :whistling2:...... whistling the happy birthday song..... :whistling2:
> 
> Barb


Thank you barb!


----------



## thorpedo

*!Happy Birthday Keith! *

Glad to see that the subterranean work is done with and I hope that you enjoy your big day and get to do something out of the norm for yourself. 

Has been a busy past few days work wise for me - it comes in waves and sometimes tsunamis.  Won't complain. Hope to get more active on this board shortly!


----------



## cocobolo

Thank you thorpedo!

It's a spectacular day here today, sun and no wind. Just a very small bit of cloud over Vancouver Island.

Getting into the woodworking for the ceiling in the dining/living area.


----------



## Mort

Happy Belated Birthday


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> Happy Belated Birthday


Thanks Mort!


----------



## cocobolo

cocobolo said:


> Thanks Mort!


By the way...where did you find that pic of me? :laughing:


----------



## Bud Cline

That picture looks more-like Jack Benny !!!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> That picture looks more-like Jack Benny !!!


Or maybe it's Rochester?


----------



## Bud Cline

> Or maybe it's Rochester?


Okay that caused me to experience belly laughs. That is funny as hell.


----------



## Bud Cline

SIDE BAR:

Been feeling a little rough lately. To the point of being suicidal.
So finally I called the Suicide Hot Line and my call must have taken me to a call-center somewhere in Pakistan. When I explained to the guy that I was feeling suicidal, he said he thought he may be able to help me and he asked me if I could drive a truck.:wink:


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> SIDE BAR:
> 
> Been feeling a little rough lately. To the point of being suicidal.
> So finally I called the Suicide Hot Line and my call must have taken me to a call-center somewhere in Pakistan. When I explained to the guy that I was feeling suicidal, he said he thought he may be able to help me and he asked me if I could drive a truck.:wink:


:laughing::laughing::laughing::thumbup: Well what did you tell him?LOL:whistling2:


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## cocobolo

Bud told him he already had experience driving his truck into a storefront!:tank:


----------



## Evstarr

Happy late birthday Keith!


----------



## cocobolo

Evstarr said:


> Happy late birthday Keith!


Hey! I don't care how late it is. I'll take it! Thank you!


----------



## Mort

cocobolo said:


> By the way...where did you find that pic of me? :laughing:


Hey, you're famous. Just a little plugging into the Google Device and there you were.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> Hey, you're famous. Just a little plugging into the Google Device and there you were.


Picture and all....Hahahahaha!!! :jester:


----------



## BigJim

Glad to see you out and about buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim:

Been doing a lot of little things to get ready to move the cooking apparatus from the cabin over to the house. It seems there's always just one more thing to do...

I think I have the wood all cut for the ceiling now, and each of the little octagons needs to be hand sanded on sixteen edges to round them over just a touch. Only 40 done so far, more than another 100 to go!

A big blow and heavy rain overnight, which brought down more leaves. And here I thought there wasn't any left. Got them all raked up and on the compost this afternoon.

Might get back later with a couple of pics.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim:
> 
> Been doing a lot of little things to get ready to move the cooking apparatus from the cabin over to the house. It seems there's always just one more thing to do...
> 
> I think I have the wood all cut for the ceiling now, and each of the little octagons needs to be hand sanded on sixteen edges to round them over just a touch. Only 40 done so far, more than another 100 to go!
> 
> A big blow and heavy rain overnight, which brought down more leaves. And here I thought there wasn't any left. Got them all raked up and on the compost this afternoon.
> 
> Might get back later with a couple of pics.


Brrrr, that just made me shiver, I can just feel the cold damp air now, but that wood heat is soooo nice, I like it much better than electric, what am I talking about we still don't have heat in the house yet, just a couple of chill chasers. Hard to believe, down to freezing several times and it says about 68 with the chill chasers, so far.

I bet you don't like doing the same thing over and over, I sure don't, just dream of fishing, hmmm you don't like fishing, OK just think of working on your car and it will go much faster. Stay warm my friend.


----------



## cocobolo

It's nice and warm inside Jim, no problem there at all. Just jeep the wood stove stoked up and it's lovely.

This guy arrived in the bay late last night, well after dark. His mooring is only about 25 yards away from mine. When he arrived his dinghy was full of water and he obviously could not see well enough to get it bailed out. So he stayed on his boat all night and didn't even bother to try to get ashore until nearly 10 this morning. You can see how his dinghy is still riding half submerged as he drove in to shore this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

Sorry about that...the dinghy is the brown thing just aft of the bow and it is sitting on its' side half under water. The pic doesn't show it that well.


----------



## cocobolo

The kitchen drawers will be painted ASAP, but I don't like the end grain of the plywood showing. So I have cut some cedar strips I guess just a little over 1/16" thick to cover that.


----------



## cocobolo

I went and made the deep drawers about 1/4" too deep for my 12" clamps. I think I should have thought about that earlier...oh well, these will do the job.


----------



## cocobolo

Just noticed something else. I see I will have to set the small nails in at the sides of the drawers and then fill the holes. One more thing to do. It's always something.


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmm...would you look at that...a wooden solar panel! What will they come up with next?


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hmmm...would you look at that...a wooden solar panel! What will they come up with next?


They look good Keith, I can't wait to see them in action, it is going to look sharp.


----------



## cocobolo

Wouldn't it be neat if you could really do that!

These are the little squares going on the ceiling. Just put the first coat of Varathane on. It's not all of them, just the first batch.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Wouldn't it be neat if you could really do that!
> 
> These are the little squares going on the ceiling. Just put the first coat of Varathane on. It's not all of them, just the first batch.


I can't figure out exactly how you are going to use them, but I know they will look good on the ceiling if you are doing them.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I can't figure out exactly how you are going to use them, but I know they will look good on the ceiling if you are doing them.


You should be seeing the results pretty soon Jim. I still have the rest of the squares to Varathane (3 coats) as well as all the joining strips, and there's lots of those. I expect it's going to take me a few days to get them all ready. :yes:


----------



## scoggy

*Bud..and the .."hardwood"*

Seeing Bud's post about ..'hardwoods', here on the Coast, ARBUTUS, is the only tree..that makes incredible firewood, I guess because, ..'way back in Dinosaur' time, it was a weed and it is still here, and if you don't split it 5 minutes after you 'fall' it, it becomes like iron, and will dull the best saw quickly, and 'splits' ..terribly,..but burns like coal, and I have a 'whole bunch' 3 season dried, where if you drop a piece it goes .."plink', like steel, but, have a new 'modern' Pacific Energy" stove that has a shorter fire box, so will now have to shorten the whole wack to make it fit..AAAAARRRRGGGGHH! :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Syd...remember what the doc told you? No hard work or heavy labour. So you shouldn't be touching that arbutus at all.

Tell you what, I'll bring my van down and take it off your hands for you strictly in the interest of your good health. :whistling2::laughing::thumbup:

Oh, by the way, I saw a discussion on pex a few days ago, and it seems that mice like to chew on it. But as long as you either have it inside a wall cavity or don't have any mice, that's about the only negative I found. Other than it will degrade if direct sunlight gets to it.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, it turns out that I decided to trim the edges of the drawers as well as the tops, so part of that is done now. Slow process, but it will look better when it's all finished. The nails have been set, filled and sanded as well.

The top one here is done, and the bottom one...well, it obviously isn't yet!


----------



## cocobolo

We had an extreme high tide here this morning due to a very low barometer (978 mb) so the local ducks came in and played in front for awhile. They are the most amusing little characters to watch.


----------



## cocobolo

My friends, it is getting down to the crunch for the voting for our old locomotive. I'm sorry to say that we are not faring too well with the votes to have the old engine #219 win this round of voting.
We have only today and tomorrow until noon to get our votes in if she is to survive to the semi-final round of voting.
If you didn't catch my earlier request to vote, a reminder that it costs us nothing to vote, there is no catch.

http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf15411

Can I ask you to go to the website and cast your vote today and tomorrow before noon eastern time? Your votes will be most sincerely appreciated I assure you. 
And if you have any friends whose arms you can twist a little, please ask them to vote as well, you never know when you might run into someone who is willing to spend a few minutes and pass this along.
Thank you again very much.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> My friends, it is getting down to the crunch for the voting for our old locomotive. I'm sorry to say that we are not faring too well with the votes to have the old engine #219 win this round of voting.
> We have only today and tomorrow until noon to get our votes in if she is to survive to the semi-final round of voting.
> If you didn't catch my earlier request to vote, a reminder that it costs us nothing to vote, there is no catch.
> 
> http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf15411
> 
> Can I ask you to go to the website and cast your vote today and tomorrow before noon eastern time? Your votes will be most sincerely appreciated I assure you.
> And if you have any friends whose arms you can twist a little, please ask them to vote as well, you never know when you might run into someone who is willing to spend a few minutes and pass this along.
> Thank you again very much.


Well I get one more vote tomorrow, all we can do is hope many will jump in and help.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Can I ask you to go to the website and cast your vote today and tomorrow before noon eastern time?


To cast a vote one must sign-up. Is that correct? When you sign-up they send you an email validating your sign-up before you can cast your vote. I have now signed-up three times and still no validating email has been received. And yes, I have looked in my SPAM folder for their email.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> To cast a vote one must sign-up. Is that correct? When you sign-up they send you an email validating your sign-up before you can cast your vote. I have now signed-up three times and still no validating email has been received. And yes, I have looked in my SPAM folder for their email.


Bud, yes you need to register. I cannot remember if I got an email from them or not, but i will check immediately. You can also go through your Facebook page I believe.
Back in a minute after I have checked my former emails.
If you go on to the Locomotive page at Aviva and it says "Vote now" or something like that in a blue box, then you are registered.


----------



## cocobolo

I cannot find any record of having received a validating email from Aviva anywhere, and I don't remember getting one. Of course it could be the old timers kicking in. :laughing:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I cannot find any record of having received a validating email from Aviva anywhere, and I don't remember getting one. Of course it could be the old timers kicking in. :laughing:


I didn't get one either, the best I can remember it was instant registration but I could be wrong as usual.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I didn't get one either, the best I can remember it was instant registration but I could be wrong as usual.


I know we both suffer from Old Timers Jim, but I do believe you are correct.


----------



## Bud Cline

I have no idea what the problem could be.

I try to vote and I'm told I must login or register.

I try to login, I'm told I don't have an account.

I register and I'm told to wait for a validating email.

The validating email never comes.

I just did it all one more time.

I "liked" it on Facebook but wasn't given an opportunity to vote even though it said I could, the option was never presented to me.

I have no idea why this must be so difficult.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> I have no idea what the problem could be.
> 
> I try to vote and I'm told I must login or register.
> 
> I try to login, I'm told I don't have an account.
> 
> I register and I'm told to wait for a validating email.
> 
> The validating email never comes.
> 
> I just did it all one more time.
> 
> I "liked" it on Facebook but wasn't given an opportunity to vote even though it said I could, the option was never presented to me.
> 
> I have no idea why this must be so difficult.


Did you scroll down just below the vote box? That is what I have to do to log in. Sorry that I was wrong about getting an email confirmation, I didn't remember that, but I must have if they are telling you that.


----------



## Bud Cline

Well.......I guess I must have voted and didn't know it. Now I don't have a "VOTE" box, in its place is a message that tells me I can "vote again" after midnight. So there - nothing to it!

Never did get the validating email.:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Well.......I guess I must have voted and didn't know it. Now I don't have a "VOTE" box, in its place is a message that tells me I can "vote again" after midnight. So there - nothing to it!
> 
> Never did get the validating email.:laughing:


That's perfect Bud. As soon as it says that you're in. I get to vote for the last time at 1 minute past 9 local time, which is just after midnight eastern.

Thank you very much for persevering.

Just had a visit from Jon Thorpe from the Big Smoke (Toronto). He's out here looking to possibly buy a property on Ruxton. He's a professional photographer and he has a REAL camera...what a beauty!

He claims he's going to post a pic of me on the thread here. So please don't die of shock when you see what I really look like now.

Things were in a real turmoil when Jon arrived. My neighbour Steve had just helped me to move the fridge over from the cabin to the house earlier this morning and there was crap all over the place. You know what it's like to try and clean a fridge out that hasn't been moved for 15 years. Well, it was like that!


----------



## memarybe

Done. I was vote 1105 . Hope it helps !!


----------



## cocobolo

memarybe said:


> Done. I was vote 1105 . Hope it helps !!


Hello and thank you very much to a new visitor! Welcome to the thread. I guess we find out in a few days if the old girl makes it to the semi final round or not. At this point I kind of have my doubts but you never know.


----------



## cocobolo

With the kitchen becoming at least partly functional now, it was time to fit some extra shelves here and there. Because of those ridiculous curves everywhere, this means that the shelves will be tapered. 

In order to make them fit somewhere near reasonably well, I used the old boat builders method of making a simple template to get the shape right.

It should be self explanatory...but all you do is to cut some pieces of lath, in this case strips from a 2 x 4, cut them to fit the area of concern, and use a hot glue gun to instantly stick the pieces together. 

Transfer the shape to your plywood, and Bob's yer uncle! :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> * Because of those ridiculous curves everywhere, *


I wonder how that happened?:whistling2:

Seems that - whenever I have a gloriously good, rewarding, creative, prize winning idea, and that idea involves a deviation from "the-norm", I always have a price to pay later.


----------



## Mort

Like the drawers opening? It's over rated. :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I wonder how that happened?:whistling2:


No idea.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> Like the drawers opening? It's over rated. :laughing:


Funny, I always thought the same thing Mort. 

Well, for the drawers, you really do need to have two parallel sides in the cabinets of course. So, anywhere that you see a drawer, that's what is done...two parallel sides.

I'll be having a go at getting the supports in for the shelves today, along with getting the inside of the cabinets painted.


----------



## cocobolo

Couple minor things...got a call from my good friend Randy over in town, his niece will be playing for your boss (B.O.) at the White House on the 17th of this month. Then she got an invite to play for the Queen, and I hear she's up for a Grammy as well...good luck Diana!

On a slightly lower keyed note, here is a link to my friend Brian who I used to play in a band with when we were just trouble making kids. Well, not really, but I have to make it sound exciting. Scroll to 3:45 and watch the next two songs. This is from 1989 at the Tivoli Gardens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q7iznD5674

And not to be outdone, it was another exciting day of watching paint dry here. Yes, that is only an undercoat...

The overhead clamps are holding an edging piece which is to go up against the ceiling on that valence. It will be a part of the cedar package that is supposed to improve the overhead look.


----------



## thorpedo

Well, I am back from the beautiful Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. As Keith mentioned, I was taking a look at a few properties out that way, including one on Ruxton. Came up empty (for now) but will be returning in the spring with more time (and money I hope!) on my hands. 

As promised, I did take a photo of the big man, as well as a few snaps of the interior and Japanese garden. I didn't get a snap of the exterior (I wish I had, but needed to literally *run* to catch a ferry) - next time! 

It's a beautiful little island with lush walking trails, small bays and a small wetland. It was actually quite busy on the island when I dropped in... I saw 4 people other than Keith! :laughing:















Looking up from the ground floor to the second floor








These stairs are going to look amazing when complete! Dizzy just looking at them from below. 








The man. The legend. 








Beautiful gardens. Hard to believe that this was the last week in November.. in Canada.. 








And again.


Thank you so much for inviting me into your house. Was an absolute pleasure to meet you!


----------



## thorpedo

And just for fun... a couple of other snaps along the way. 








Can't get over how glassy the water was on the way to the island. (slack tide)








Tofino beach at night (long exposure. 4 sec)








Photographed under moonlight. Tofino. (long exposure 6.sec)


----------



## cocobolo

thorpedo said:


> Well, I am back from the beautiful Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. As Keith mentioned, I was taking a look at a few properties out that way, including one on Ruxton. Came up empty (for now) but will be returning in the spring with more time (and money I hope!) on my hands.
> 
> As promised, I did take a photo of the big man, as well as a few snaps of the interior and Japanese garden. I didn't get a snap of the exterior (I wish I had, but needed to literally *run* to catch a ferry) - next time!
> 
> It's a beautiful little island with lush walking trails, small bays and a small wetland. It was actually quite busy on the island when I dropped in... I saw 4 people other than Keith! :laughing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 61547
> 
> Looking up from the ground floor to the second floor
> 
> View attachment 61548
> 
> These stairs are going to look amazing when complete! Dizzy just looking at them from below.
> 
> View attachment 61549
> 
> The man. The legend.
> 
> View attachment 61550
> 
> Beautiful gardens. Hard to believe that this was the last week in November.. in Canada..
> 
> View attachment 61551
> 
> And again.
> 
> 
> Thank you so much for inviting me into your house. Was an absolute pleasure to meet you!


Thorpedo...can I call you Jon? 

Thank you for your wonderful writeup! :thumbsup:

I'm afraid by the time you got here the weather had taken a serious toll on the poor garden. Pretty much everything was flattened by the torrential rains we have experienced. Although I must say that your experienced photographers' eye made it look far better than I could. Thank you for that.

But really...the legend? That's extremely kind of you.


----------



## cocobolo

thorpedo said:


> And just for fun... a couple of other snaps along the way.
> 
> View attachment 61552
> 
> Can't get over how glassy the water was on the way to the island. (slack tide)
> 
> View attachment 61553
> 
> Tofino beach at night (long exposure. 4 sec)
> 
> View attachment 61554
> 
> Photographed under moonlight. Tofino. (long exposure 6.sec)


Fantastic photos Jon. Is that your sister in the last pic?


----------



## thorpedo

Yup! That's Jen in her element. She's a bit of a surf bum who's loving the grand life in Tofino.  She even managed to convince me to go cold water surfing in Cox Bay the early morning, with the frost still on the ground.

"Jon"works just fine. Thorpedo was given to me when I used to race big bicycles down steep hills


----------



## BigJim

Keith, all that hard work has kept you looking young buddy.

Jon, beautiful photos, you are every bit as good as Keith said you are and more. We appreciate you sharing with us.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a couple of shots of the curved trim piece going around the valance.

First one is how it came out of the clamps rough...next one is planed down to 15/32" to match the rest of the bits, and also with three coats of Varathane applied. Still wet here, so it might look a bit off. 

Should be able to do the install tomorrow morning.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith, all that hard work has kept you looking young buddy.


Jim...I can't be 100% certain, but I have a hunch that Jon might have done a little "enhancing" on that pic. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of days ago my friend Al came over for a visit...haven't seen him for the past 5 weeks. So I sucked him in to wiring up my water pump for me, good thing I did, because when he opened it up even he wasn't certain which terminals to use because it could apparently be wired for either 120 or 240 volts. Anyway, it worked first try.

Other than a couple of taps that I hadn't shut off and the flex lines under the kitchen sink that weren't tightened it seemed fine. Until the pump shut itself off at 40 psi and there was this lovely gurgling sound as the water pressure went right back out of the incoming water line. NO CHECK VALVE!!!

Well, that was a good move. Just about everyone here uses the 12 volt marine type pumps which have a built in check valve. My new system uses a full size jet pump, which of course does not have it's own valve. You'd think I might know that having been on one of those systems before, but it never entered my feeble head.

OK, so off to town today for a check valve and one more fitting for it. Get over to the marina and some kind soul has stolen my back license plate. I didn't even notice it was missing until I was right up at the north end of town in the grocery store parking lot. Great! So I have to see an insurance office for new plates and call the RCMP to report the theft, which manages to waste at least an hour.

And to top things off, by the time I got back the tide had fallen too far to get in to my float, so it was a slug across the rocks with the groceries...again.

Just one of those days. :wink:


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy, Keith, looks like it all went down hill for you, hopefully all the bad luck is behind you for a while.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Good gravy, Keith, looks like it all went down hill for you, hopefully all the bad luck is behind you for a while.


Not that bad Jim...I got a good load of groceries here anyway! And it looks like tomorrow I might even have real water pressure in the house now that I have the check valve here.

I've invited Al over for lunch just in case something fouls up. Hehe.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, we shouldn't have said anything about luck yesterday.

I finally got the pump all primed and started it up. It took a couple of tries before the water line was purged of air, at which point the water pressure rose rapidly to 40 psi which shuts the pump off. So far so good.

Then I very slowly opened the cold water line only to see a nice new shutoff valve leaking quite profusely. So I turned around to grab a wrench to tighten it up when BOOOOM, the line going in to the bank of filters blew right out.

Bear in mind that the new tank has a 10.3 gallon drawdown and had just reached full pressure! Naturally, as soon as the line blew off the pump started up again! I yanked the cord out of the wall, thus stopping the pump, but really it was a bit too late. Water all over the place, especially all over me.

Fortunately I did have a shutoff valve plumbed in to the tank, so I shut that off right away as well. At least the entire 10 gallons didn't make it to the floor...but close though.

I have to admit very quietly that I forgot to glue the very last fitting in to the filter. :furious:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, we shouldn't have said anything about luck yesterday.
> 
> I finally got the pump all primed and started it up. It took a couple of tries before the water line was purged of air, at which point the water pressure rose rapidly to 40 psi which shuts the pump off. So far so good.
> 
> Then I very slowly opened the cold water line only to see a nice new shutoff valve leaking quite profusely. So I turned around to grab a wrench to tighten it up when BOOOOM, the line going in to the bank of filters blew right out.
> 
> Bear in mind that the new tank has a 10.3 gallon drawdown and had just reached full pressure! Naturally, as soon as the line blew off the pump started up again! I yanked the cord out of the wall, thus stopping the pump, but really it was a bit too late. Water all over the place, especially all over me.
> 
> Fortunately I did have a shutoff valve plumbed in to the tank, so I shut that off right away as well. At least the entire 10 gallons didn't make it to the floor...but close though.
> 
> I have to admit very quietly that I forgot to glue the very last fitting in to the filter. :furious:


Man, that is enough to make a grown man cry. I do know how you felt though, I have done things similar also. On the gluing deal, I had a friend, well not a close friend but a friend who did all of his son's plumbing for him. He did all the cutting and dry fitting everything together to make sure all was well. He was happy with everything so they poured the slab, of all things, he had dry fitted all the fittings and forgot to glue the first one. Talk about a sick ole boy.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim...I was going to post a couple of pics with that last post, but for whatever reason my photos do not come up when I go to manage attachments.

I just loaded the latest mac O/S a couple of days ago, and I suspect that might have something to do with it. I'll keep working on it to see if I can get it working again. Sure hope so, because I must have a thousand photos loaded via Imagewell.


----------



## cocobolo

Well OK. That was the sixth attempt to load a file.

So after I had got the repairs done to the water system, I checked every tap - one at a time - to make sure they all worked OK.

All were fine except my shiny new fancy dancy kitchen faucet. Barely a trickle of water came out, and I mean trickle as in a fast drip. Now I was pretty sure that the water was getting there OK as I heard it rushing through the lines when I opened the now repaired valve.

You see that nice little screen above? Well, the kind people who put the faucet together had put TWO of those in. Believe me when I tell you that all but stops the water dead in it's tracks.

Hmmmm...just tried loading another pic...no go again. :huh:


----------



## BigJim

I hate that you are having problems loading your pictures, hopefully it will straighten out here soon.

I would have been a little ticked with the folks who made that hardware, did that do the trick taking one screen out?


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> did that do the trick taking one screen out?


Yes...as soon as there was just the one screen it was fine.


----------



## cocobolo

Another try at loading a shot of water coming out of the bathroom tap!

Finally we have water pressure!


----------



## cocobolo

Yay! It worked. Big change from the previous system

For anyone with a Mac and Mountain Lion O/S and using Imagewell to resize your pics, here's what worked.

It seems you can no longer load the resized image on to the Mac HD. Go to pictures, load there. Then when you hit browse from the DIY site, you will have to click through to pictures and load that way.

Looks like that worked again...this is the line that blew out.


----------



## fixrite

Glad to see you have overcome all of your challenges . I am sure it feels good....


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Glad to see you have overcome all of your challenges . I am sure it feels good....


Indeed it does, and I got half my clothes washed in the process!

Big wind here this morning from the south-south-east. Only light rain so far. Good day to work inside again.


----------



## BigJim

I can just feel that good wood heat right now, it is 39° down this way right now.


----------



## drtbk4ever

Wanna trade some weather? It was -27 Celsius (-16 F) here on Sunday morning. I'd gladly sent Keith some of our snow too.

By the way, great work. It is nice to see the pieces come together.


----------



## Bud Cline

*SIDEBAR:*



> Then I very slowly opened the cold water line only to see a nice new shutoff valve leaking quite profusely. So I turned around to grab a wrench to tighten it up when BOOOOM, the line going in to the bank of filters blew right out.


This got me to remembering......

A long long time ago in Texas I had teamed up with a plumber friend to do the plumbing on a large storage-rental construction project.

We did it all above and below ground. This project had a manager's apartment. The day came for a top-out inspection and when the inspector arrived we let'er rip and turned on all the water supplies.

The manager's apartment was also the location of the electric panels for the complex. These panels were located in the manager's laundry room directly across from the washer/dryer hook ups and supplies.

Well we hadn't finished the water supplies for the washer and the lines were open and without stops or caps. Of course the water shot across the hallway and drenched the electric panels that hadn't had the covers installed yet.

Pretty much shut down the whole complex right there in front of the plumbing inspector. The electrician was also on-site and pissed. No serious damage that I remember but we did spend the rest of the day with an air compressor and fans trying to undo our doings and profusely apologizing to the electricians.

Ah-h-h-h-h the good ole days.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I can just feel that good wood heat right now, it is 39° down this way right now.


That's about 4º Celcius...and it is 7ºC here now at the airport, about 8º outside my back door.

You're living in the wrong part of the world Jim.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Wanna trade some weather? It was -27 Celsius (-16 F) here on Sunday morning. I'd gladly sent Keith some of our snow too.
> 
> By the way, great work. It is nice to see the pieces come together.


Only -27º, I thought you guys up there loved that kind of weather! 

Now, as for that snow, you can keep it thanks all the same. I'm sure we'll be getting our share soon enough. :huh:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> *SIDEBAR:*
> 
> 
> 
> This got me to remembering......
> 
> A long long time ago in Texas I had teamed up with a plumber friend to do the plumbing on a large storage-rental construction project.
> 
> We did it all above and below ground. This project had a manager's apartment. The day came for a top-out inspection and when the inspector arrived we let'er rip and turned on all the water supplies.
> 
> Well we hadn't finished the water supplies for the washer and the lines were open and without stops or caps.
> 
> Pretty much shut down the whole complex right there in front of the plumbing inspector.
> 
> Ah-h-h-h-h the good ole days.


Bud...only YOU could pull a stunt like that and get away with it! :thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud...only YOU could pull a stunt like that and get away with it!


Yow, well, reflecting on hindsight it was a stupid thing to do for sure. I could of sworn we had checked everything before the inspector was called.:thumbsup:

It's kind of like trouncing-down on your accelerator when you think you have your truck in _park_ and creating a new drive-thru at a convenience store.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yow, well, reflecting on hindsight it was a stupid thing to do for sure. I could of sworn we had checked everything before the inspector was called.:thumbsup:
> 
> It's kind of like trouncing-down on your accelerator when you think you have your truck in _park_ and creating a new drive-thru at a convenience store.


Oh yes...we remember that one. Something else only the Budman could do! :clap::clap::clap:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Oh yes...we remember that one. Something else only the Budman could do! :clap::clap::clap:


Ya just ain't gonna to let Bud live that down are ya?


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Ya just ain't gonna to let Bud live that down are ya?


Aw, c'mon now Jim, Bud brought it up. I'm just an innocent bystander. :whistling2:

But I do have a question for someone of Bud's extensive plumbing experience.

When you use plumber's putty to seal something like a drain in a bathtub for example, is there a waiting time before you can use said tub? There was no info on the tub of putty, and given my somewhat less than successful earlier attempt at avoiding leaks, I figured I might be better off to ask.


----------



## Bud Cline

> When you use plumber's putty to seal something like a drain in a bathtub for example, is there a waiting time before you can use said tub?


No waiting time that I have ever been aware of. Notice the stuff has a kind of oily/waxy makeup to it? I think that's the secret to the stuff but don't know for sure, it wants to repel what little water it would be exposed to after it is compressed between the fittings.







I hope.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I hope.


That's what I thought as well. It's just your last statement that has me a tad worried.


----------



## BigJim

You guys are cracking me up.:laughing: 
Keith, you can use the sink as soon as you wish after using the plumbers putty, I have never had a problem with it being water proof right away.


----------



## Bud Cline

> That's what I thought as well. It's just your last statement that has me a tad worried.


I guess I was thinking you wouldn't notice the "I Hope".


----------



## Bud Cline

Something else about "plumber's putty" has just occurred to me. I suppose one should always use "fresh" plumber's putty for such projects.

Last year I replaced both sink-drain cups in my wife's kitchen sink. I had some plumber's putty in the garage that came from God only knows where. It seemed a little firm to me when I took some out of the container that it had been in for God only knows how long. So I had a flash of genius and I microwaved the stuff to soften it. Soften it it did. I installed the drain cups and went on with my life.

About three weeks later both sinks were leaking into the cabinet below.

So...I removed the cups (once again) and the plumber's putty was hard as a rock. Keep in mind we live about twelve miles from town so running to the local hardware store isn't always an option when time is of the essence, which is why I used the old putty to begin with.

So in conclusion I would suggest that no one ever cook the putty before using it. Cooked/microwaved putty doesn't seem to have any real life span at all.


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Something else about "plumber's putty" has just occurred to me. I suppose one should always use "fresh" plumber's putty for such projects.
> 
> Last year I replaced both sink-drain cups in my wife's kitchen sink. I had some plumber's putty in the garage that came from God only knows where. It seemed a little firm to me when I took some out of the container that it had been in for God only knows how long. So I had a flash of genius and I microwaved the stuff to soften it. Soften it it did. I installed the drain cups and went on with my life.
> 
> About three weeks later both sinks were leaking into the cabinet below.
> 
> So...I removed the cups (once again) and the plumber's putty was hard as a rock. Keep in mind we live about twelve miles from town so running to the local hardware store isn't always an option when time is of the essence, which is why I used the old putty to begin with.
> 
> So in conclusion I would suggest that no one ever cook the putty before using it. Cooked/microwaved putty doesn't seem to have any real life span at all.


That sounds about like something I would do, we have a lot in common.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> So I had a flash of genius and I microwaved the stuff to soften it. Soften it it did. I installed the drain cups and went on with my life.
> 
> About three weeks later both sinks were leaking into the cabinet below.


Luckily for me I didn't even think to nuke the putty. I have a very old tub of putty and a new one. The old one is all but unusable, but the new one seemed to be just fine, and so far the tub doesn't leak...yet. :boat:


----------



## cocobolo

Any of you guys good on water pumps?

New 1/2 h.p. jet pump is leaking between the pump body and the motor. One drip every 1/2 minute or so.

The two bottom bolts were loose by maybe 1/2 a turn, but that's all.

Do you know if it can be fixed with plumber's putty, or will I need to make a gasket? I haven't taken it apart yet to see what's inside for a gasket. Another bad day at the pump factory I guess.

Hmmm...not the best photo. Look just below the numbers on the side of the pump body, and you can just make out the drip forming.


----------



## Bud Cline

I would deflect and collect the dripping water and give it a couple of days. It could very well seal itself.:thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

It looks like it is sealed with an "O" ring, maybe the casting is rough there. I am with Bud though, sometimes they will seal on their own after a while, hopefully yours will also.


----------



## cocobolo

Doing nothing is my kind of fix. I'll give that a go.

Jim, the pump is undoubtedly made in China, even though it has a Canadian brand on it. Never thought of an O-ring, but that could well be right. If that's the case, then I will need to get another one next time I'm in town.

In the mean time, I will have the cleanest plywood floor you ever saw! :jester:


----------



## Bud Cline

Just out of curiosity what is the hardness of your water (if you might know)? You use nothing but rainwater isn't that correct?


----------



## Bud Cline

I should have continued, but you know all of this anyway.

As I remember, you do store rainwater and of course rainwater is soft water for all intents and purposes. When tiny leaks such as yours seal themselves it is the minerals in the water that actually do the sealing. If you were using groundwater then you have a greater chance of the leak sealing on its own with the minerals that would be present.

I know I know - Preaching to the choir!


----------



## cocobolo

Never checked it Bud, but close to 7 I would think. Pure rainwater, just run through three filters. 

A 30 micron to take out the 2 x 4's, a 5 micron to take out smaller junk, and a 5 micron carbon filter to clean anything else that manages to escape the first two.

It is absolutely tasteless, as in it tastes like pure, clean water.


----------



## cocobolo

...and for those who aren't aware, a micron is one millionth of a meter, pretty small stuff. Or one thousandth of a millimeter. 25.4 millimeters to one inch.


----------



## Bud Cline

> A 30 micron to take out the 2 x 4's, a 5 micron to take out smaller junk, and a 5 micron carbon filter to clean anything else that manages to escape the first two.


Okay - soft water, yup, should have known! Probably should dis-assemble the pump and see what's wrong with it.



> Never checked it Bud, but close to 7 I would think.


Must be nice. Ours is 14 as it comes out of the ground. Our shower occasionally grows stalagmites that have to be kept in check.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Okay - soft water, yup, should have known! Probably should dis-assemble the pump and see what's wrong with it.


I checked a short while ago, and it is now down to one drip every 5 minutes, considerable improvement!

And it got this way because I followed your earlier instructions to the letter. No point in upsetting the apple cart at this stage. 

Let's see...one drip in 5 minutes...12 drips an hour...288 drips in a day. Less evaporation...that equals about a thimblefull per day. I think I'll continue to follow your earlier instructions. :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

I'm guessing this is spam Jim. Right above.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I'm guessing this is spam Jim. Right above.


Someone must have beat me to it.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Someone must have beat me to it.


Yes, it looks like it. Actually, it was quite interesting. Written in a language I couldn't understand and in a currency I had no idea what it might be. Lots of pretty colours.


----------



## gma2rjc

Did someone say spam? Was it served with eggs? :chef:


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Did someone say spam? Was it served with eggs? :chef:


..eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, toast, fried tomatoes, orange juice, coffee...


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> ..eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, toast, fried tomatoes, orange juice, coffee...


I'm sorry I missed it now. :thumbsup:, man that is a feast.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I'm sorry I missed it now. :thumbsup:, man that is a feast.


Gotta be quick around here Jim! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Getting closer to having a fully functional kitchen now! I made a couple of sliding shelves to make it easier to either retrieve or bury stuff at the bottom of a cupboard.

Jim knows all about how difficult it is to use those bottom shelves. (Bud does too!) A piece of cake getting down there...it's the getting back up that's the problem.

With the sliding shelf, it's easy to grab something from the back without needing to get right down on all fours and dig in the back of the cupboard.


----------



## cocobolo

Getting rolling on the wood for the ceiling as well. The perimeter is all done - 51 pieces yet! Getting started on all the infill now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Getting rolling on the wood for the ceiling as well. The perimeter is all done - 51 pieces yet! Getting started on all the infill now.


Now I see where the blocks go, that is good thinking, and it looks good also.


----------



## jakeubu

An amazing thread... awesome stuff!


----------



## cocobolo

Got a question by email about these ceiling blocks etc.

Here's a brief description.

This pic is just four pieces of wood pushed up against one of the blocks, as a demo. It's sitting on the table.

The thin strips are about 1/8" thinner than the octagonal blocks so that the blocks can have the edges chamfered a little to soften the appearance. You don't want a hard edge showing anywhere on the thin strips, so the thicker block will accommodate this.


----------



## cocobolo

Where the long curved edge trim fits around the light valence, the thin boards fit right up against it without needing a block. The curved edge trim was made the same thickness as the blocks so as to accommodate this also.


----------



## cocobolo

A few posts back there is a pic of the block up against the curved trim. This section is finished now, and you can see that I added two small finishing triangles on the back side of the octagon.

It was strictly a coincidence that this block just happened to be placed right up against the curved piece.


----------



## cocobolo

jakeubu said:


> An amazing thread... awesome stuff!


Jake...welcome to the thread and a big thank you for your kind comment. If you have any questions, just fire away.


----------



## cocobolo

The buzz hereabouts this morning was all about the high tide and the accompanying tidal surge. 

At English Bay in Vancouver this morning, there were some quite spectacular waves as the water came up and over the promenade.

I do believe that we had the highest tide I have seen here on Ruxton, which caused the removal of the big old log which was acting to hold my bank in place down at the bay. Dealing with the resulting erosion now. Things were floating which had no right to be in the water at all!

Over on Vancouver Island, Nanaimo got a decent dumping of snow, but opposite where we are the snow was kept back from shore a mile or so by the moderating temperature of the ocean.

Here's a couple of shots taken this morning.


----------



## Bud Cline

With the holiday season upon us I thought I would share this experience with you about drinking and driving:

As you may know some of us have been known to have brushes with the authorities from time to time on the way home after a social event with friends.

Well, two days ago I was out for an evening with friends and had several cocktails followed by some rather nice red wine. Feeling jolly, I still had the good-sense to know I may be slightly over the limit. 

That is when I did something I have never done before - - 
I took a taxi home. 

Sure enough, on the way home there was a police road block, but since it was a taxi they waved it past. Thankfully I arrived home safely without incident.

This was a real surprise as I had never driven a taxi before. I don’t know where I got it, and now that it is in my garage, I don’t know what to do with it.

*:thumbup:HAPPY HOLIDAYS:thumbup:*​


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> With the holiday season upon us I thought I would share this experience with you about drinking and driving:
> 
> As you may know some of us have been known to have brushes with the authorities from time to time on the way home after a social event with friends.
> 
> Well, two days ago I was out for an evening with friends and had several cocktails followed by some rather nice red wine. Feeling jolly, I still had the good-sense to know I may be slightly over the limit.
> 
> That is when I did something I have never done before - -
> I took a taxi home.
> 
> Sure enough, on the way home there was a police road block, but since it was a taxi they waved it past. Thankfully I arrived home safely without incident.
> 
> This was a real surprise as I had never driven a taxi before. I don’t know where I got it, and now that it is in my garage, I don’t know what to do with it.
> 
> *:thumbup:HAPPY HOLIDAYS:thumbup:*​


How much ya want for it?:whistling2:


----------



## Bud Cline

> How much ya want for it?


I'll let you know, just remember it has a "lost title".:yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

Bud Cline said:


> With the holiday season upon us I thought I would share this experience with you about drinking and driving:
> 
> As you may know some of us have been known to have brushes with the authorities from time to time on the way home after a social event with friends.
> 
> Well, two days ago I was out for an evening with friends and had several cocktails followed by some rather nice red wine. Feeling jolly, I still had the good-sense to know I may be slightly over the limit.
> 
> That is when I did something I have never done before - -
> I took a taxi home.
> 
> Sure enough, on the way home there was a police road block, but since it was a taxi they waved it past. Thankfully I arrived home safely without incident.
> 
> This was a real surprise as I had never driven a taxi before. I don’t know where I got it, and now that it is in my garage, I don’t know what to do with it.
> 
> *:thumbup:HAPPY HOLIDAYS:thumbup:*​


:laughing:... Have a merry Christmas Bud!


----------



## cocobolo

Finally! Been trying since yesterday evening to get through to the site!

Another one of our all time great storms yesterday. Nobody with any brains was out on the water...except for the Navy guys out fishing.


----------



## cocobolo

An hour or so after that a big tug and even bigger barge came past heading for Dodd Narrows.

I thought someone tried that a year or two back and didn't make it then either.


----------



## cocobolo

A scant twenty-five minutes later....

Yep, back the other way. He headed for the lee of Thetis Island where he dragged the barge back and forth for awhile until I lost sight of him.


----------



## cocobolo

And while all this excitement was going on I was able to get the ceiling area actually finished! Sorry about the pic. As usual it was taken well after dark.


----------



## BigJim

Seeing those white caps reminded me of a few times at sea, I saw waves actually break over the bow of the carrier I was on, talk about a ride, looking at the bow, all you could see was air, the next minute it looked like the bow was going to dive under water.

Keith your ceiling turned out beautiful, I can just feel your shoulders an neck right now, over head is rough work, but it sure is beautiful.

Last night I finally just gave up trying to get back on the board, I had a bunch to delete and ban but it was so slow I just gave up.


----------



## BigJim

Seeing those white caps reminded me of a few times at sea, I saw waves actually break over the bow of the carrier I was on, talk about a ride, looking at the bow, all you could see was air, the next minute it looked like the bow was going to dive under water.

Keith your ceiling turned out beautiful, I can just feel your shoulders an neck right now, over head is rough work, but it sure is beautiful.

Last night I finally just gave up trying to get back on the board, I had a bunch to delete and ban but it was so slow I just gave up. Well it looks like it has slowed down really bad this morning also, maybe this will post in a few minutes.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Last night I finally just gave up trying to get back on the board, but it was so slow I just gave up.


OK, I thought maybe it was just me, as my emails could get in and out, but no connection to DIY.

It's good this morning.


----------



## Bud Cline

> OK, I thought maybe it was just me,


Nope not just you!
I was in the process of typing a long-winded essay for a guy doing his own tile work and when I clicked to submit my offering the damned site was down and I lost everything.

Jim tell Nathan he needs to get himself a new clock. When the site went down I got a message that said it would be down only ten minutes. I would take issue with that time element. I later looked to see if I had missed a warning or notice but I didn't find any such thing. The site wasn't down for very long but when a guy spends more than thirty minutes typing and researching and referencing for a post and then looses it all in the click of a mouse - it's a pisser!


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Nope not just you!
> I was in the process of typing a long-winded essay for a guy doing his own tile work and when I clicked to submit my offering the damned site was down and I lost everything.
> 
> Jim tell Nathan he needs to get himself a new clock. When the site went down I got a message that said it would be down only ten minutes. I would take issue with that time element. I later looked to see if I had missed a warning or notice but I didn't find any such thing. The site wasn't down for very long but when a guy spends more than thirty minutes typing and researching and referencing for a post and then looses it all in the click of a mouse - it's a pisser!


Bud, I hate that you went to all that trouble to help someone and get blown out of the water like that, I know how it is to loose a lot of information in the blink of eye. I hope everything is back to abnormal now, that was frustrating to say the least.


----------



## gma2rjc

The ceiling looks beautiful Keith. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Gracias Senorita!


----------



## cocobolo

It's that time of year again when I have the distinct pleasure to extend my thanks to all the good visitors to the Gulf Island Building thread.

So to fixrite...bigjim...bud cline...beenthere...oh'mike...picflight... shumakerscitt...gma2rjc..no.1 hustler...fallrisk...leiona...two knots...firefighter 3244...doorman 54...framer 52...datawog... scoggy...ironlight...double...cdn nick...mort...bleach cola... drtbk4ever...kwikfishron...simoo... shadytrake...rubberhead... flamtap...mlayden...scotzilla...adam borzy...julie b...dsee ...fishinbo...awoodfloorguy...amateuralex... creeper...exstarr... thorpedo...memarybe and jakeubu my thanks to you for taking the time to visit and say a few words.

It's not often that one accumulates such a variety of unusually named friends and acquaintances, but I cannot think of a finer bunch of people anywhere.

I know I shouldn't really single out any one or two people for special thanks, but I must thank Bud for putting himself out there and sharing a few of his life's faux pas. After all, how many of us can count driving in to a storefront as one of our life's accomplishments! Then there was the snake in the boat...and the little plumbing problem in the apartment building...and the taxi episode...

And so from me to you...

A Very Merry Christmas


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> It's that time of year again when I have the distinct pleasure to extend my thanks to all the good visitors to the Gulf Island Building thread.
> 
> So to fixrite...bigjim...bud cline...beenthere...oh'mike...picflight... shumakerscitt...gma2rjc..no.1 hustler...fallrisk...leiona...two knots...firefighter 3244...doorman 54...framer 52...datawog... scoggy...ironlight...double...cdn nick...mort...bleach cola... drtbk4ever...kwikfishron...simoo... shadytrake...rubberhead... flamtap...mlayden...scotzilla...adam borzy...julie b...dsee ...fishinbo...awoodfloorguy...amateuralex... creeper...exstarr... thorpedo...memarybe and jakeubu my thanks to you for taking the time to visit and say a few words.
> 
> It's not often that one accumulates such a variety of unusually named friends and acquaintances, but I cannot think of a finer bunch of people anywhere.
> 
> I know I shouldn't really single out any one or two people for special thanks, but I must thank Bud for putting himself out there and sharing a few of his life's faux pas. After all, how many of us can count driving in to a storefront as one of our life's accomplishments! Then there was the snake in the boat...and the little plumbing problem in the apartment building...and the taxi episode...
> 
> And so from me to you...
> 
> A Very Merry Christmas


And right back at ya big guy. We appreciate you posting another yearly chapter of your adventuresome book here for all to read and enjoy.


----------



## fixrite

And to you Cocobola the very best fortune in the new year. And good health to you and your misses.


----------



## Mort

Merry Christmas Keith! We've all survived an Apocalypse and several hundred Michael Buble Christmas specials, so it's all uphill from here.


----------



## cocobolo

Mort said:


> Merry Christmas Keith! We've all survived an Apocalypse and several hundred Michael Buble Christmas specials, so it's all uphill from here.


Very funny Mort! You can always use the "off" button!

Merry Christmas.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo.,

Let me say one word quick .,


Joyeux Noël

And thanks for a good thread and good projects which it gave me some idea to work on it.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> cocobolo.,
> 
> Let me say one word quick .,
> 
> 
> Joyeux Noël
> 
> And thanks for a good thread and good projects which it gave me some idea to work on it.
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


Thank you Marc...and a Joyeux Noel to you as well.

Keith


----------



## Bud Cline

Ho Ho Ho everyone, I'm just thankful another one has passed, and I was here to see it. Holy Crap!!! I must be the only person without a Christmas television special.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Ho Ho Ho everyone, I'm just thankful another one has passed, and I was here to see it. Holy Crap!!! I must be the only person without a Christmas television special.


How about if we all put in a good word for you next year with NBC, ABC, CNN...


----------



## fixrite

I was thinking more HGTV for BUD to do his HOLIDAY HANDYMAN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, wonder if he would need any special guest appearances???????


----------



## Bud Cline

> How about if we all put in a good word for you next year with NBC, ABC, CNN...


I doubt I would get very far with any of those guys as I am not a person that is "politically correct" in all aspects and my attitude is not conducive with smiling ass-kissin' profiteers that produce those shows.

Here's an example;
This morning I was in a local home center purchasing (among other things) four 1" spring-clamps. I had clamped the four clamps (one on the other) to make them easier to carry along with my other purchases. Using a shopping cart never occurred to me.

I arrived at the check out and as the cashier was finishing with the previous customer I was taking apart my assembly of clamps so that they could be scanned individually when I momentarily and accidently clamped my own finger.

The cashier had her back to me when I rather outwardly spewed "YOU DUMB-ASS"! Referring to my personal level of intelligence. 

With my words, she (the cashier) turned to look at me with a look on her face that said "Why are you calling me a dumb-ass? Well of course by that time she hadn't seen me clamp my own finger or release it, and she had no idea what I was actually referring to. She appeared to be insulted by my comment.

I should have never tried to explain (to her) what I had done because my involuntary explanation was only making things worse and burying me deeper. She failed to see the humor in my finger-clamping-episode and she was strictly all-business. By now I was laughing at my finger pain and felt a need to continue to 'talk-it-off'. That's never a good idea. A guy should just shut-up!

As I looked around I noticed others in close proximity were watching me - so I must have said what I said much louder than I thought I had. Hell, I may have even yelled it, now that I think about it.

Well...it hurt dammit!:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> I was thinking more HGTV for BUD to do his HOLIDAY HANDYMAN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, wonder if he would need any special guest appearances???????


I definitely like that idea...perhaps we could include a segment on instant building demolition, whaddya think? :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I doubt I would get very far with any of those guys as I am not a person that is "politically correct" in all aspects and my attitude is not conducive with smiling ass-kissin' profiteers that produce those shows.
> 
> Here's an example;
> This morning I was in a local home center purchasing (among other things) four 1" spring-clamps. I had clamped the four clamps (one on the other) to make them easier to carry along with my other purchases. Using a shopping cart never occurred to me.
> 
> I arrived at the check out and as the cashier was finishing with the previous customer I was taking apart my assembly of clamps so that they could be scanned individually when I momentarily and accidently clamped my own finger.
> 
> The cashier had her back to me when I rather outwardly spewed "YOU DUMB-ASS"! Referring to my personal level of intelligence.
> 
> With my words, she (the cashier) turned to look at me with a look on her face that said "Why are you calling me a dumb-ass? Well of course by that time she hadn't seen me clamp my own finger or release it, and she had no idea what I was actually referring to. She appeared to be insulted by my comment.
> 
> I should have never tried to explain (to her) what I had done because my involuntary explanation was only making things worse and burying me deeper. She failed to see the humor in my finger-clamping-episode and she was strictly all-business. By now I was laughing at my finger pain and felt a need to continue to 'talk-it-off'. That's never a good idea. A guy should just shut-up!
> 
> As I looked around I noticed others in close proximity were watching me - so I must have said what I said much louder than I thought I had. Hell, I may have even yelled it, now that I think about it.
> 
> Well...it hurt dammit!:laughing:


Bud, I'm going to have to write a book pretty soon on all your adventures!


----------



## gma2rjc

:laughing: Bud, I'm glad to hear there is someone else on this earth that swears at themselves when they make a mistake.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Bud, I'm glad to hear there is someone else on this earth that swears at themselves when they make a mistake.


I talk to myself a lot these days also. Every once-in-a-while someone I didn't even know was within ear-shot will say; "WHAT"? 
I'm sure my face goes to a bright shade of crimson when they do it. Then immediately I ask myself; "Oh crap, I wonder what I said"? "Hope it wasn't vulgar"!

Just five minutes ago I drove into my driveway and because of the snow and ice everywhere I decided to make a wide-ranging-arc around a grassy area of my yard (now covered with snow) so that I could make a straight-in approach to my garage without having to backup and slip and slide on the ice pack. Drove smack into my burn barrel, didn't even see the thing in the dark.

All together now; "DUMB ASS"!!!:whistling2: (Again)


----------



## cocobolo

Looks like at the rate you're going I will need to write two volumes! :yes:


----------



## gma2rjc

You can start searching for a publisher now Keith. :laughing:

Bud, maybe you didn't run into the burning barrel. Maybe you were moving it so it wouldn't be in the way if someone decided to drive through your yard. Yeaaaah! _That's_ the ticket! And you tried moving it by hand, but it was frozen to the ground, so you had to nudge it with the bumper of your truck. :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

*happy new year everybody!!!!!!!!*


----------



## Bud Cline

I certainly hope so.

*Happy New Year Everyone!!!​*


----------



## BigJim

AMAN on the Happy New Year, this is going to be the best year ever, I am like a tight pare of pants, I'm ready to rip. (That's ******* talk ya know):whistling2::thumbsup:


----------



## gma2rjc

*Happy new year!!*


----------



## cocobolo

This winter should see the end of all the interior cedar finishing done...and the first completed project of 2013 is a small section of ceiling that has been open pending the final inspection of the plumbing running through. Just wanted to make sure that no leaks developed.

Naturally it is an odd shape, a triangle in this case.


----------



## cocobolo

All finished now...one more off the list.


----------



## cocobolo

Every once in awhile we find evidence of mother nature at work here. This time it was in the form of what looks like gull feathers on the front bank.

I didn't see the raptor, but most likely a bald eagle, of which we have several still here.


----------



## cocobolo

Very short lived sunset from two evenings ago.


----------



## cocobolo

If anyone has those small solar garden lights which you just push into the ground...now might be a good time to bring them inside for the winter. Of course, if you live in more balmier climes and you are still getting sun, then no need to worry.

The tops of these lights unscrew quickly, and the top may be dis-assembled by the removal of three screws. You should then remove the battery and find some way to charge it. Re-chargeable batteries do need to be kept charged on a regular basis, otherwise they will go kaput. Please note that these batteries are about 2/3 as long as a regular AA battery.


----------



## cocobolo

There are probably many different manufacturers of these solar lights, and the one above has a chrome type case. I think I have about 10 of that kind, and they were all OK.  None of the chrome type leaked.

This kind with the black plastic case had a 100% leak rate! Every one was full of water, so I don't know what they will be like this summer when I re-plant them in the garden.

I was going to give them a spray with WD-40, but I am told that WD-40 is not terribly compatible with any form of electronics. I may try the LPS-3 spray instead, which is what we use for the boat motors.

Two screws to get these apart, plus they have a switch that you can turn on or off. However, when you want to remove the battery in these - which is a full size AAA - it is necessary to carefully bend up a soldered tab by the battery holder to get them out. I suppose they don't expect anyone to go to the trouble of trying to save them.


----------



## cocobolo

Guess it's about time I added a couple of things here.

A before and after of the small area at the back of the front entryway. It needed some minor furring out before the boards could be put on that short wall...one more off the list!


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of days ago I ordered several rolls of Shoji paper, the real McCoy from Japan. I will be making several tall Shoji screens for the bedroom, as well as some Japanese style lanterns, plus some sort of screen around the divorce hole in the bedroom floor.

I do my table sawing and planing outside, and I promised myself if it got above zeroºC that I would get to it. Well, this morning it was + 1/10th of a degree at the airport, so no more excuses.

I had a beautiful piece of dead clear cedar that I have been hoarding and decided that it could be used for the side rails for the 6 screens. There was just enough wood for this exactly, so any error would really kibosh things. OK, that worked out all right.

Then I needed about 80 pieces of wood for the kumiko, and they are the small pieces which you fit inside the frames. I expect that there will be a pretty high failure rate on the kumiko, as they all have so many small lap joints cut in them, plus a tenon on both ends of every one. Never having made one of these guys before, I'm expecting the odd fubar.

I made about 50% extra for the kumiko so I can practice on a few pieces before I get to mess up the really good stuff.

I figured I could get all this cut and planed in an hour or so, hour and a half tops. Five hours later...

I took this pic when I was about half way through, because by then I was pretty sure it was going to be very dusky before I was done. And it was also pretty cool out there.


----------



## cocobolo

A little while ago I was bragging about the soft water we have here...being rainwater and all. While Bud's water was so hard it grows stalagmites out of the tap!

Well, today the water got a bit hard here as well.


----------



## cocobolo

This evening's sunset.

Actually I was outside trying to see the crescent moon, but this was still a bit early. Plus there was just too much cloud around unfortunately.

Tonight was one of those rare occasions when there was a conjunction between the moon and Mars. I did see the crescent moon later when it got quite dark, but could not see Mars due to the cloud conditions.

Tomorrow evening, as soon as it is dark, you should be able to see the crescent moon (which will be getting a bit fatter) and Mars should be very close to the horizon below and a little to the right of the moon. Look for a red star and that will be Mars. Good luck!


----------



## BigJim

I am curious as to how the Japanese things will look like, the only thing I can think of is dividers or privacy screens. What ever they are I know they will look great.

That is a beautiful sunset buddy, I wish we would be able to see Mars tomorrow night but we got rain here for another 4 or 5 days and turning cold. Right now we have the AC on, it was 72° here today and yesterday, crazy weather. Maybe the bad weather will move away from you soon.


----------



## cocobolo

Not much chance of the weather changing at this time of year Jim. I just checked and we have either cloud/flurries for the next few days, along with two days of FOG. Good thing I don't need to go to town for awhile.

So I won't be able to catch Mars either. Dropping below zero ºC every night for at least the next week, so I can expect that hard water to stick around for awhile.

I did manage to get the ceiling beams covered with cedar after all these years.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I am curious as to how the Japanese things will look like, the only thing I can think of is dividers or privacy screens.


In the traditional Japanese house, they actually use paper covered screens around the outside of the house. "Washi" Is the name of the paper, and it is traditionally replaced annually just before the new year. In order to do this they use a reversible glue which they make from rice.

The paper is also used for any number of other screens throughout the house, as well as for lanterns. Originally, this paper was made 10 3/4" wide, always by hand, and that had an effect on how the various Shoji screens were made...this goes back for many centuries.

Nowadays, most of the paper is machine made in order to keep the cost within reason. Rolls are typically 36" or sometimes one meter wide and 20 to 30 feet long. Some of the modern paper has additives like rayon in the mix which is supposed to assist in preventing water damage.

I'll get some pics when mine arrives.


----------



## BigJim

I bet that was interesting to see how they made it by hand, I am looking forward to seeing it Keith. Is that all they had on the outside of their house, just paper? Must not have been much crime or bad winds over there.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Not much chance of the weather changing at this time of year Jim. I just checked and we have either cloud/flurries for the next few days, along with two days of FOG. Good thing I don't need to go to town for awhile.
> 
> So I won't be able to catch Mars either. Dropping below zero ºC every night for at least the next week, so I can expect that hard water to stick around for awhile.
> 
> I did manage to get the ceiling beams covered with cedar after all these years.


That is really sharp Keith, it does look good.


----------



## cocobolo

Not much in the way of activity happening here these days, so I decided I would busy myself by attempting a model of the future house.

The plan is to build a net zero energy house suitable for one or two people.

The idea is that it should produce the same amount of energy that it consumes, or more if possible. What this boils down to is that the sun in one form or another will provide the necessary energy.

The cost should be no more than a conventional house after factoring in the normal electricity bill for the standard dwelling. Hooking to the grid will not be necessary.

Since there is a fair bit of information forthcoming about the design, I will chat as we go along with the pictures.

In a nutshell, the house is of double walled construction on the north, east and west sides, single walled on the south side with a solar greenhouse attached to the south side. The roof is exceptionally thick and is packed with 3 layers of R-22 Roxul insulation along with a layer of foam board on top as a full thermal break.

OK, coming up out of the ground, construction is basically a standard reinforced concrete footing and wall, with the exception that there will be a foot of drain rock below the footing itself.

Inside the footings a 6" layer of foam board is laid on compacted (or undisturbed) flattened ground.

Next is a swimming pool liner double the size of the floor area. A foot of drain rock is placed inside the liner, and the top half of the liner is folded over and sealed making a big bag. This bag will eventually be filled with water.

On the model, you get to use your imagination here, so while we don't have any foam board, or liner, or rocks or water, we will get the basic shape of the final floor made.

I started by putting some strips of wood together to derive the shape of the house and greenhouse floor.


----------



## cocobolo

The house floor will be about 18" higher than the solar greenhouse floor and there are a couple of reasons for this.

One is so that there will be room for some clerestory windows at the top of the south wall of the house, and another is in the case of any liner problems in the house, water can be drained down into the greenhouse, which will also have the rock/water liner installed.

I should give credit here to a fellow named Meares for this rock/water system under the floor. He and his compadres were investigating ways to see if they could make a commercial greenhouse more efficient to operate, without unduly increasing the cost. He came up with this system and used his own house as a test bed. He put an addition on his house (quite small) and added a somewhat poorly designed greenhouse on the south side. He used only 6" of rock under his floor, which was poured concrete.

The water in the liner was either heated by solar collectors or a wood stove. It proved to be incredibly effective both as far as comfort and cost went. He kept records for many years on the performance until his house was sold.

So my thinking is that with a bigger rock bed covering the entire floor area, that the temperature swings in wintertime will be kept to an absolute minimum. 

The rock bed in both the house and greenhouse will have a three inch thick poured concrete floor. That may either be used as is, or Bud will come and tile the whole shebang for me.

So here is what the floor area looks like at 1/12 scale, or one inch to the foot.


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## cocobolo

That part was pretty easy, and I can only hope that the real thing won't take too terribly long. So now we get to the actual framing of the building, which has an overall size of 28' by 28'.

I made a setup for this little saw that I have to cut scale size lumber, it actually turned out to work really well.

Here I am gluing up a cutting board in preparation for getting out the various studs etc.


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## cocobolo

The blade is just 2" on that saw with very fine teeth, so it makes dead smooth cuts. 

Here is a giant hand doing the deed, gang cutting several boards at once.


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## cocobolo

And after a short while, there is a stack of lumber ready to go.


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## cocobolo

One nice thing about building a scale model, is that you can cut 28' long wall plates. Makes life easy.

Here is the first wall being framed using liquid nails. I have to tell you that it would be much faster to nail the full size wall together than building the model wall, seriously. This will be the inside back wall.


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## cocobolo

There will be some deep trusses made specially to fit, and here is the first one being assembled. Sorry about the crappy pic.


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## cocobolo

You will be able to see what they look like later when the assembly goes together.

Here I drew out the end wall layout on the floor and used that as the guide to frame the end walls.


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## cocobolo

Naturally, as soon as I had two walls made I had to do a test fit to see what they were going to look like.

This was just temporary, as the greenhouse was the first section to get built.


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## cocobolo

Here's a peek at the inside front house wall, with the greenhouse walls framed in behind. That is some veneer I had glued to the wall to keep it square.


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## cocobolo

Here's the greenhouse walls in frame from the back. The long wall will face due south.


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## cocobolo

Here you can see two of the inner end walls and one outer wall. The space between the two sets of walls should show, it will be 3 1/2".


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## BigJim

Wow, that is going to be better than I had envisioned, that is something I always wanted to do but just never did. This is going to be a neat build. Just one question for now, is your floor going to be moisture proof or is the moisture allowed in the house? That would seem to be uncomfortable to me.


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## cocobolo

Hi Jim, I tried adding a couple more pics in the wee hours, but the site went down.

As to the moisture, the pool liner is actually a sealed giant bag. There are water inlets and outlets to admit and exit the hot water, which is a continuous type loop. In the summer time, there should be no need to use this part of the heating system. With the bag being sealed, there should be no moisture from that source. In fact, it isn't going to surprise me if the house needs extra humidity in warm weather. A good source of this might come from the solar greenhouse.

I'm not aware that this has actually been done before for a whole house and with a full length greenhouse, so it's likely going to take a little experimentation to balance things out.

Pic of the second outer end wall in place, clearly showing the height difference between the two inner and outer walls.


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## cocobolo

Here's the inner back wall going in. All nicely partly paneled with some kind of exotic veneer. I found an old box with 50 square feet of veneer inside. Since I don't remember ever having used any before I figured this might be a good time.


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## cocobolo

Last pic in the opening round. This is the outer back wall in place which completes the main house wall framing.

Now, if i can just find that lazy insulation crew, we'll see if some of the insulating can be done today!


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## gma2rjc

This is really cool Keith. 

Will there be windows in the wall between the house and greenhouse - other than the clerestory windows above? In the dead of winter it might be kind of nice to have the scent of warm earth and plants coming into the main living space.

Barb


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## cocobolo

Yes indeed. The lower 4 feet of that wall will be closed, but most of the higher part will be glazed. So the entire house area will be bathed in natural light.

I have found a double walled polycarbonate product that seems like it will fit the bill and I'm leaning toward using that instead of glass.

That greenhouse will be warm enough all year to grow plants in, so there should be no shortage of fresh smelling air.


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## cocobolo

Another so-so sunset last night. And once again it was on the wane before i spotted it. I let Barb pick out her favourite from the ones I took so this is what you get!


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## gma2rjc

Fresh green beans & tomatoes in the winter.... no can opener required :thumbsup:.

Would you buy just the polycarbonate and build the frames yourself?


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Would you buy just the polycarbonate and build the frames yourself?


I would use the framing of the walls as the window frames. The beauty of polycarbonate is two fold. Firstly you can cut it with a saw so it is easy to fit to whatever space you have. Secondly it is very light weight and highly resistant to breakage. So things like hail won't do any damage.

The clerestory windows would be quadruple glazed (two layers of the double polycarb) with the extra possibility of using fitted foam boards in the event of extreme cold. You know, the kind they get down in Hastings, Nebraska.

Polycarb also comes in either clear or several different tints. And to top it off it is less expensive than using glass. Seems to me like a win-win-win situation.


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## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> The clerestory windows would be quadruple glazed (two layers of the double polycarb)


What's your plan for preventing the build up of muck between the panes? 

With thermopane windows, it's pretty easy to tell when you have one in which the inner seal is blown, because a film accumulates between the panes which is impossible to clean. You can also get moisture condensing between them at times. Seems like a home grown thermopane like you describe would be susceptible to this in spades.


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## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> What's your plan for preventing the build up of muck between the panes?
> 
> With thermopane windows, it's pretty easy to tell when you have one in which the inner seal is blown, because a film accumulates between the panes which is impossible to clean. You can also get moisture condensing between them at times. Seems like a home grown thermopane like you describe would be susceptible to this in spades.


Good question. I have many such windows in the house here at the present time, however they are all glass as opposed to the polycarb. Thus far, it has been my experience that if a window will allow moisture to enter, that it can also exit. That may not be the case with a factory sealed unit, which usually has some sort of hollow metal strip between the edges of the glass panes. This, in turn, seems to be sealed with some abominable black goop which is damn near impossible to remove.

I have had exactly the same experience as you describe with factory sealed windows. Once the moisture gets in, it doesn't want to leave. With all the wood framed windows I have now, that doesn't seem to be the case. Yes certainly some moisture will appear from time to time. It seems to be affected by the temperature of the air in the unit itself. Sometimes at the end of a warm summer day condensation will appear. After sundown it disappears. This is pretty much the opposite of what I would expect, but that's what happens. I have just done a quick check of all 91 windows here and none of them are showing any sign of moisture.

I would not expect a wood framed window to prevent air borne moisture to get between the panes. The wood itself will likely allow some moisture to get through. As time progresses and the wood becomes ever drier, the walls of the wood cells actually get harder and more resistant to the passage of moisture.

In any event, whatever happens, happens.

Something else I just remembered...with the tempered glass panes from patio doors and the like, once that glass gets moisture inside it does indeed get some sort of film on it. And even when you take them apart, it will not come off no matter what you try.

I had a long talk with Dr. Bill Weller - a retired physics prof from the local university - about just this, but he didn't know what would cause this film or why it seemed to be impossible to remove.

I think it must have something to do with the tempering process which in some way alters the surface of the glass itself, putting it under tension. I have never seen this happen (the film) with untempered glass.

If you ever come up with the answer to that, I'd love to be the first one to know what it is.


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## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> Good question. I have many such windows in the house here at the present time, however they are all glass as opposed to the polycarb.


Do I take that to mean that you've built your own double glazed windows using wood frames vs using a factory sealed double pane? 

Interesting observation about the temped glass window. I've observed this film in my own sliding glass door, which likely was tempered, although I didn't separate the panes after I replaced the door. I have to say though that, if ire recall correctly, I've also see a similar film between the panes of a bedroom window with a ruptured seal. Presumably that one would have been just standard glass, although I didn't break the pane to see how it shattered.


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## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> Do I take that to mean that you've built your own double glazed windows using wood frames vs using a factory sealed double pane?
> 
> Interesting observation about the temped glass window. I've observed this film in my own sliding glass door, which likely was tempered, although I didn't separate the panes after I replaced the door. I have to say though that, if ire recall correctly, I've also see a similar film between the panes of a bedroom window with a ruptured seal. Presumably that one would have been just standard glass, although I didn't break the pane to see how it shattered.


Yes, all the windows in the house are wood framed. There are a few in the small original cabin with factory made units. I think one of them has a broken seal.

You can tell if the glass is tempered by looking for the little mark in one corner of the glass. Just checked on one here and it has quite a bit of information. Has the name, plus the ANSI number, glass thickness and a few other small notes. It's actually the biggest marking I have seen.


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## gma2rjc

Keith, when you build that greenhouse, will it have a drive-thru or are you going to let Bud do that when he gets there to install the tile? 

:wink: Sorry Bud - couldn't resist! :laughing:


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## cocobolo

Well, you know, I'll need to give that some serious thought. Of course, the greenhouse isn't a take out type store, so Bud might not need to do the drive through thing.

Maybe a moat outside and a drawbridge, a few big concrete blocks, definitely none of that useless foam stuff.


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## Bud Cline

YES...I've been following along. AND...I have a tiny bone to pick with Keith. I noticed (a couple of pages back) that Keith was using one of his newly-tiled counter tops for a work bench.:furious: I gotta tell ya Keith; if you keep doing [that], I'm going to have to put you in time-out and there won't be any more cookies at bedtime.:no:

Surely you must have a "proper work bench" you could be using!:laughing:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> YES...I've been following along. AND...I have a tiny bone to pick with Keith. I noticed (a couple of pages back) that Keith was using one of his newly-tiled counter tops for a work bench.:furious: I gotta tell ya Keith; if you keep doing [that], I'm going to have to put you in time-out and there won't be any more cookies at bedtime.:no:
> 
> Surely you must have a "proper work bench" you could be using!:laughing:


Guilty as hell there Bud! :whistling2:

I guess this means that you will be most unhappy to hear that I'm using ALL the kitchen counters as workbenches. Well, more as assembly benches I guess.

My REAL workbench is out in the studio where the temperature is just about right for making ice cubes. So until it warms up out there, which will be sometime in August, I'm afraid I'm stuck with playing in the kitchen. But they sure do make nice worktops though, don't they?

I'm not letting on where my cookie stash is!


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## cocobolo

The insulation crew showed up, but it was only 1 guy and he didn't stick around long.

The back wall will be getting three layers of R-14 Roxul, plus a layer of foam board.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I'm not letting on where my cookie stash is!


Now you are hittin below the belt buddy, that hurts.


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## cocobolo

The front house wall, which is a single 2 x 6 wall, will have insulation anywhere there isn't a window.

It might not be necessary to insulate that wall, but it's a case of being better safe than sorry later on.

With the greenhouse in front of it, there should always be heat on the south side of the wall.


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## cocobolo

Here are the trusses as made for the model as it sits now.

The real McCoy may be quite different, but as I mentioned earlier, some testing will be in order before it gets determined what type will go in. Whichever it is will be about 16 1/2" deep to handle three layers of R-22 Roxul.


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## cocobolo

While I don't expect that the house itself will need double top plates on the back walls, the model gets them because I made the end of the outside walls a bit too high. Tsk, tsk.

So this should bring the trusses into line.


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## cocobolo

Got the greenhouse roof framing in place now.


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## cocobolo

...and a couple of pics of the house trusses.


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## cocobolo

Oops...nearly forgot these.


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## gma2rjc

:laughing: I got a kick out of seeing that insulation installed like that - jut the right size.


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## BigJim

That is really nice Keith, it is looking sharp. One thing is for sure, you don't let any grass grow under your feet. Thanks for the sunset photos, beautiful.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That is really nice Keith, it is looking sharp. One thing is for sure, you don't let any grass grow under your feet. Thanks for the sunset photos, beautiful.


You're welcome for the sunset pics Jim. We've had a couple nice ones in the last two days.

As for the little house, it's basically two shed roofed buildings facing each other. The house portion has one building inside the other, with a complete layer of insulation separating the two, except for the floor of course.

I'm still trying to see if there is a way to do two separate layers in the roof as well. But if not, it won't matter much as the foam board on top will give me the thermal break I want.

Making the model has already shown a couple of places where it can be improved.

One thing that won't be made on the model is an airlock entrance to the house on the east side, and very likely one for the greenhouse entrance as well. Opening an outside door in wintertime wastes a massive amount of heat. Not to mention that doors are typically ridiculously low in the R-value department.

I expect the house airlock will contain the batteries etc. for the solar system, and I will use the greenhouse airlock to store needed tools for greenhouse use.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You're welcome for the sunset pics Jim. We've had a couple nice ones in the last two days.
> 
> As for the little house, it's basically two shed roofed buildings facing each other. The house portion has one building inside the other, with a complete layer of insulation separating the two, except for the floor of course.
> 
> I'm still trying to see if there is a way to do two separate layers in the roof as well. But if not, it won't matter much as the foam board on top will give me the thermal break I want.
> 
> Making the model has already shown a couple of places where it can be improved.
> 
> One thing that won't be made on the model is an airlock entrance to the house on the east side, and very likely one for the greenhouse entrance as well. Opening an outside door in wintertime wastes a massive amount of heat. Not to mention that doors are typically ridiculously low in the R-value department.
> 
> I expect the house airlock will contain the batteries etc. for the solar system, and I will use the greenhouse airlock to store needed tools for greenhouse use.


Keith I have thought about the double roof, but down this way it would be to keep the heat out. A double roof with a space between them would allow of air flow as the roof is heated, like a chimney, heat rises and would pull in cooler air from the lower eves keeping the under roof much cooler and making the insulation much more efficient. Just my thoughts.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith I have thought about the double roof, but down this way it would be to keep the heat out. A double roof with a space between them would allow of air flow as the roof is heated, like a chimney, heat rises and would pull in cooler air from the lower eves keeping the under roof much cooler and making the insulation much more efficient. Just my thoughts.


Yes Jim, that's exactly right. In some of the warmer desert countries they use what looks like a tall chimney to cool their houses. The taller the chimney the greater the cooling effect.


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## cocobolo

Received an email yesterday from a flooring forum site in the UK which I made a few posts on over a year ago.

One of their less educated members took a poke at me which I took offense to. So, not taking kindly to that, I poked back. No trouble with him since.

But one of the more decent folks there asked how I made out with installing carpet on the curved stairs here, and could I post a pic. Well, you've all seen the top flight of stairs carpeted, but I failed to get around to doing the bottom stairs.

Everything is more or less ready to go, except that I still need to make a half elliptic shape of bullnose for the oddball outside part of the bottom step.

The easiest way is to rip a batch of thin strips and use the step itself as a mold. I have the pieces sitting in a clamp and I'll leave them there for a few days so the wood takes a set. It should glue up more easily that way.


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## scoggy

*Love how you used that 'clamp'*

Keith, I was fascinated how you used the flat clamp..which I have never seen..because I can;t do wood..to make a perfect bend to the size and 'bend'..you wanted..very cool! I once bent a hardwood 'set' of gunnels for the top of my 17.5 canoe, in Prince George, in winter (-40 F..same C) by 'pegging the wood to the sundeck where I was renting..and pouring boiling water on it evryday..and 'moving' it a little more..and by Spring..I had the shape I needed..only problem..I made it out of Oak..and it was a ***** to portage on trips!
Cheers Scoggy:thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, I was fascinated how you used the flat clamp..which I have never seen..because I can;t do wood..to make a perfect bend to the size and 'bend'..you wanted..very cool! I once bent a hardwood 'set' of gunnels for the top of my 17.5 canoe, in Prince George, in winter (-40 F..same C) by 'pegging the wood to the sundeck where I was renting..and pouring boiling water on it evryday..and 'moving' it a little more..and by Spring..I had the shape I needed..only problem..I made it out of Oak..and it was a ***** to portage on trips!
> Cheers Scoggy:thumbsup:


Let me guess Syd...the ***** means "blast". No? :laughing:


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## cocobolo

Here's a shot of the weather over Syd's way late this afternoon. We had sun here most of the day in beautiful downtown Ruxton! :thumbup:


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## cocobolo

Here's the latest in roof trusses...one you've never seen before.

The criteria for the build were that it had to be:

1. Easy to build.
2. Reasonably priced.
3. Light weight.
4. Able to have very high R-value insulation.
5. Easy to install, i.e. less than 5 minutes each.
6. Provide built in summer shading.
7. Provide fall/winter sun ingress.
8. Have very high loading capability.
9. No need for bracing once installed.
10. No need to be vented.
11. C'mon...isn't that enough?

This is a 1/4 scale model primarily designed to see whether or not it would actually work. It would be subjected to a load test to exceed any possible field load that might arise. It will be the cube of the size, 4 x 4 x 4, or 64, that governs the numbers.

To explain that a little, the actual volume of this truss is 1/64 of the full size truss. Therefore, weight tests may reasonably be multiplied by 64 to arrive at real world numbers.

On a finished roof, using the case of the current plans, the outer roof skin will be 5/8" T & G plywood, and the inner skin 7/16" OSB. This will effectively turn the roof into a giant box beam which will increase the load bearing capacity by a factor of at least 2.


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## cocobolo

I took the truss outside and set it up in about the same position as it would be on a building, which will be at a 4/12 pitch. I used a plastic bucket to carry the top of the truss...like so.


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## cocobolo

Excuse all the dirt on the bucket...it's been sitting outside full of water for ages.

Here's the bottom of the truss sitting on a sawhorse. There are two screws, one on either side at the bottom to prevent any possible slipping. They don't actually hold the truss in any way.


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## cocobolo

Outside the loaded area of the truss I attached a piece of wood to prevent the truss from falling sideways while I was adding all the weight for the test.


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## cocobolo

A bucket was hung from the center of the truss and two screws were put in the top of the truss to prevent it sliding down. 

You can see that the bucket doesn't rest on anything here. Now if I had had a scantily clad assistant to wave those fancy handkerchiefs and hoops around, you could see I wasn't kidding.


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## cocobolo

I didn't think that water alone was going to be heavy enough for a good test, so I put in a good pile of cut concrete pavers and tile first, then filled the bucket with water.


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## cocobolo

The truss was designed and built with a small upcurve in it, which I anticipated would straighten out once it was loaded. Not so, the curve remained...not sure if it is clearly visible here or not. Kind of an awkward pic to take.


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## cocobolo

The weight was left there for some time, and since nothing untoward seemed to be happening - other than the weather started closing in - I took the bucket off and weighed it. Fifty-six pounds!


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## cocobolo

The construction of the full size truss will have 2 x 4 top and bottom chords, 4 foot long sections of 7/16" OSB applied alternately to each side. An overlap of 1 1/2 between the two sides will allow for the installation of a vertical 2 x 4 to connect the ends of each section of OSB, thus helping to maintain load continuity and stability.

I think the pic shows how this works.


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## cocobolo

The top end of the truss will have a built up section of solid lumber in order that it may sit on the front wall of the house, which is currently expected to be a 2 x 6 wall. There's no need for any guesswork with this design, it will snuggle right in to the edge of the wall.

On the real McCoy, there will be three pieces of 2x lumber used.


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## cocobolo

The top end of the truss is cut away to allow for fall and winter sun to penetrate the clerestory windows, but be shaded in the summer.


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## cocobolo

The bottom end of the truss will be supported by the inner wall, unlike most double wall designs. This shortens up the net span that the truss covers, thus increasing the load bearing capacity. 

The arrow shows the part that sits on the inner wall (if it worked, that is!)


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## cocobolo

Here's a better view of the curve I was speaking of earlier. No load this time.


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## cocobolo

Pretty foggy here this morning before the sun burned it off. There was a dragger hauling in his catch about 500 yards away. Plenty of gulls along for the free lunch!

A bit later, the wind had drifted him in front of my place, by which time he had the nets in and they were cleaning the fish.


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## cocobolo

OK...a few numbers on the truss.

The net span (between the two supporting walls) will be 14' 8 1/2". 

The height of the real truss will be 16 1/2", which will allow three layers of R-22 Roxul to fit at 5 1/2" per layer.

The 56 pound weight on the model translates to 3,584 lbs. on the real thing.

The trusses will be on a 24" center to center spacing, which means each one will cover a net area of 29.4 square feet. This, therefore, equals a load of 121.8 lbs. per square foot.

No consideration has been given for the added stiffness which will be provided by the outer roof skin (5/8" T&G plywood, or the inner skin (7/16" OSB.) Since snow loads would not be expected to exceed 60 lbs. per square foot, there is a safety factor of at least 4 in this roof design.

Added to that is the fact that the closer you get to the support walls, the less the load becomes on the truss itself. It actually reaches zero as it arrives at the edge of the wall support, at which point the load is transferred 100% through the wall structure.

The main point of this deep roof truss was that it carry a high insulation value. The Roxul is R-66, and except for where there is no thermal break, that is the real R-value. Each truss has just slightly over one square foot of wood reaching from top to bottom, thus reducing the R-value at that point. In order to minimize any thermal bridging, a 1" layer of foil faced foam board will be installed between the top of the trusses and the roof skin.

OK, fire away...:2guns:


----------



## BigJim

What type of glue and fasteners are you going to use? Will the plywood you use on the real trusses be heavier than what you have now or will it stay the same. It looks to me like it would need to increase but I am not that up on the engineering end. What kind of blocking will you use to close off the space between the trusses on top of the walls? Just a thought, would it be stronger if the ends of the plywood lapped a little more or does it make any difference. 

Do you build like I use to, a stud dead under each rafter/joist? When I built you could stand in front of the house and every stud in the house would line up, no guessing where the studs started in a wall, they were all the same.

That is a really neat truss Keith, you are right, I have never seen one like that but it is really interesting, I love new things. Not being critical, just a little brain storming buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> What type of glue and fasteners are you going to use? Will the plywood you use on the real trusses be heavier than what you have now or will it stay the same. It looks to me like it would need to increase but I am not that up on the engineering end. What kind of blocking will you use to close off the space between the trusses on top of the walls? Just a thought, would it be stronger if the ends of the plywood lapped a little more or does it make any difference.
> 
> Do you build like I use to, a stud dead under each rafter/joist? When I built you could stand in front of the house and every stud in the house would line up, no guessing where the studs started in a wall, they were all the same.
> 
> That is a really neat truss Keith, you are right, I have never seen one like that but it is really interesting, I love new things. Not being critical, just a little brain storming buddy.


Jim: I will be using OSB for the trusses, just like I did on the house here. The I joist manufacturers also use OSB. You need the grain to be vertical, which gives greater strength and stiffness to the truss. The plywood I used on the model is just about 1/4 scale, which is why it looks thin.

Glue will be construction glue with ring nails.

The blocking is a regular 2 x 4. The overlap only needs to be the thickness of a 2 x 4, or 1 1/2". Glued and nailed in place.

There is no need to close off the spaces between the truss ends on the inner wall, that gets filled with insulation, while the outer wall rises higher, and will indeed be closed off.

Absolutely the studs and trusses will line up. Transferring all that potential weight to the ground needs to be done in a direct line.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim: I will be using OSB for the trusses, just like I did on the house here. The I joist manufacturers also use OSB. You need the grain to be vertical, which gives greater strength and stiffness to the truss. The plywood I used on the model is just about 1/4 scale, which is why it looks thin.
> 
> Glue will be construction glue with ring nails.
> 
> The blocking is a regular 2 x 4. The overlap only needs to be the thickness of a 2 x 4, or 1 1/2". Glued and nailed in place.
> 
> There is no need to close off the spaces between the truss ends on the inner wall, that gets filled with insulation, while the outer wall rises higher, and will indeed be closed off.
> 
> Absolutely the studs and trusses will line up. Transferring all that potential weight to the ground needs to be done in a direct line.


I can't wait until you start building your new house, that is going to be really neat. Buddy, I believe in the ring shank nails, I have used them many times before and they really have some heavy duty holding power. Is this your design of the trusses? That is really first class.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Is this your design of the trusses? That is really first class.


Yes it is.

Now we just have to come up with a catchy name for it.  Don't worry...I wouldn't try to patent such a design, I believe it belongs in the public domain. That way anyone can use it to achieve a highly insulated roof at low cost.

The materials cost (locally) runs about $26 - $28 for the materials for one truss, at retail prices.

Considering that you are building the upper and lower roof overhangs as well, I think this is a very reasonable and eminently practical way to build.

I would make a simple jig setup on a 24' long bench, so that once the first truss was built it could be duplicated rapidly. Hmmmm, maybe there is a market for cabin kits all pre-cut...???


----------



## Mort

Just saying hi.

Actually, had to bump the thread, since it isn't on the first page, and that won't do.


----------



## Bud Cline

> Now we just have to come up with a catchy name for it.


I think that truss would be called a "Ruxton Truss". Seems appropriate.:thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

Last week I had my six-month doctors appointment and as always after our visit the doctor sent me to his lab to have blood drawn. The same lab technician has been drawing my blood for a few years now and she's a sweetheart.

When it was my turn this sweetheart lab tech says; "Bud have a seat in the chair and we'll get started". "By the way this is Sharon one of our new lab techs and she'll be drawing your blood today".

So I sat in the chair with two big chair arms appropriate for such procedures. I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and "Sharon" was at her computer immediately across the isle busily inputting my information.

As I began to roll up my shirt sleeves I asked Sharon which armed she preferred and her response was that she wanted to use the arm with the veins in it. At that I respond; "Both arms have veins where did you go to school?" Sharon immediately answered; "Right here in town".

At that point I was hearing snickers coming from across the room. It was the old reliable "sweetheart lab tech" laughing at our (Sharon's and my) verbal exchange. About that time Sharon wised up and realized I was joking with her. Sharon was kind of a starched-lab-coat up until that time.

By now two of the three patients that were also waiting for lab work had begun laughing. At that point Sharon decided to remind us all that SHE was the one with the needles.

So I shut up.............


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Last week I had my six-month doctors appointment and as always after our visit the doctor sent me to his lab to have blood drawn. The same lab technician has been drawing my blood for a few years now and she's a sweetheart.
> 
> When it was my turn this sweetheart lab tech says; "Bud have a seat in the chair and we'll get started". "By the way this is Sharon one of our new lab techs and she'll be drawing your blood today".
> 
> So I sat in the chair with two big chair arms appropriate for such procedures. I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and "Sharon" was at her computer immediately across the isle busily inputting my information.
> 
> As I began to roll up my shirt sleeves I asked Sharon which armed she preferred and her response was that she wanted to use the arm with the veins in it. At that I respond; "Both arms have veins where did you go to school?" Sharon immediately answered; "Right here in town".
> 
> At that point I was hearing snickers coming from across the room. It was the old reliable "sweetheart lab tech" laughing at our (Sharon's and my) verbal exchange. About that time Sharon wised up and realized I was joking with her. Sharon was kind of a starched-lab-coat up until that time.
> 
> By now two of the three patients that were also waiting for lab work had begun laughing. At that point Sharon decided to remind us all that SHE was the one with the needles.
> 
> So I shut up.............


:laughing::laughing::laughing: At least she wasn't like ole sarge over at the VA. Man that woman loves to hurt folks. You can see the vein right there in plain sight and what does she do, goes in the side of the arm and work the needle back down to the vein. You know push a little this way then push a little that way kinda zig zag, man you just want to slap her but you just sit there and smile so you don't tick her off.:laughing:


----------



## fixrite

Keith have you been working your butt off some more? Is that why there are no new posts on here?.......Anyways hope all is going well and look forward to seeing what else you are up to. Take care..


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## cocobolo

Hi there fix...

Not quite. A few of my friends know that I managed to get a good dose of carbon monoxide poisoning, so now might be a good time to let everyone know what they should NOT do if their house is heated with two wood stoves.

I have two wood stoves in here and I spent plenty of time making sure I had the house well and truly sealed up so as not to lose any heat. I made the nearly fatal mistake of forgetting to allow for combustion air for the stoves. It's not like I haven't been burning wood for the past 40 years so I definitely know better than that.

With both stoves running and no fresh air coming in it didn't take long for all the oxygen to get burned up and leave me with extremely bad quality air to breathe. That also explains why neither of the stoves would burn properly - no incoming makeup air.

Luckily for me I got a call from a good friend who is an industrial first aid guy, and it only took him about two minutes to figure out the problem. Ten minutes after I was off the phone I had a hole cut in the wall by the wood stove in the breakfast nook and a hole bored through one of the French doors by the stove in the living room. Problem solved.

And then it became a matter of getting the CO out of my system so I could recover. CO has a 230 times greater affinity to stick to your blood cells than does oxygen, leaving no room for the oxygen to attach, and it takes awhile to get the CO removed. Again as luck would have it I have an oxygen tank here for my welder, so I was able to use that three times a day until I started to feel better. Oxygen is the prescribed treatment for CO poisoning. Other than that, as much time as possible spent outside seems to be doing the trick.

Of course the weather has been anything but co-operative, as I'm dead certain you know.

If you really want to scare yourself, look up carbon monoxide poisoning on the Wiki. Believe me, it's no fun.

Not completely better yet, but it shouldn't be too much longer now. I expect to be going off the island for a couple of weeks soon for a change of environment.

I see we are blessed with big winds for this week and wet weather for the upcoming 7 days. Just checked and there is officially 86 km's of wind here right now...and building. I won't be going anywhere in that mess.


----------



## drtbk4ever

Wow Keith,

Glad you got that figured out and are on the road to recovery.


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Wow Keith,
> 
> Glad you got that figured out and are on the road to recovery.


Thanks Bill, we estimate that there might have been about 6,000 times the normal concentration of CO in the house at the peak. It should be right around .1 parts per million. Close to 600 ppm in here at one point. No surprise that I could hardly move.

If anyone is concerned that they might have excess CO, get yourselves a detector. Do a little checking on Google first, as some of them seem to give out an awful lot of false alarms, which really doesn't help you. In Canada, Canadian Tire of all places have a couple that are OK. I'm sure you could find one at most drug stores or a well equipped hardware/building supply place.


----------



## fixrite

So VERY GLAD to hear you are doing well now that the problem has been identified and solved. We don't need close calls like that in our lives. On a lighter note I am on the final stages of finishing one of my 2 gates. When I get a chance I might post a pic for your approval.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> So VERY GLAD to hear you are doing well now that the problem has been identified and solved. We don't need close calls like that in our lives. On a lighter note I am on the final stages of finishing one of my 2 gates. When I get a chance I might post a pic for your approval.:whistling2:


Having seen your work before, I hardly think you need my approval!
But by all means put up a pic, that would be great.


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## BigJim

Buddy, it is good to see your smiling face here again, we hope and pray for a speedy recovery Keith. That short vacation coming up will do wonders for you.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Buddy, it is good to see your smiling face here again, we hope and pray for a speedy recovery Keith. That short vacation coming up will do wonders for you.


Thank you Sir Jim...I think the worst is over. I finally got my balance back yesterday.


----------



## fixrite

Ok then here is my pic, it is not stained yet so you must forgive me for that.


----------



## fixrite

it is 100% Cedar, even made the tongue and grove for the field. The top middle and bottom boards are mortised and tenoned as well as glued. I might even put in some dowels with fence post style caps on them.


----------



## cocobolo

Nice gate...very nice gate...in fact, extremely nice gate.

I'm sure you've used waterproof glue, but your idea of adding dowels is a good one. The very nature of cedar is such that water will find its' way into every little nook and cranny and eventually it will try to separate the glue from the wood. Even epoxy isn't immune to that.

If it is at all possible to use a waterproof finish, varnish for example, the gate will last much longer. Yes it does require the ever popular fresh coat every year. Gates do take quite a pounding over a period of time, which is why time spent on a decent finish will always pay off in the long run.

Let's see if we can stand this guy upright...


----------



## fixrite

Thanks Keith for standing it upright, my head was getting a little tilted. I have used titebond #3 as well as make sure the top and bottom are stepped down mortise joints. I am tossing up using teak or maple for the pegs, as I have both woods available to me. The top caps I plan on anodizing black so they will pop visually, believe it will give it somewhat of an arts and craft look.


----------



## cocobolo

Understood on the Titebond and the joints. 

I know that the manufacturer says that glue is waterproof, and given that a gate will only get rained on and the glue joint itself won't actually be submerged in water, it may survive OK. However, don't put 100% faith in that waterproofing ability with cedar. It is one of the more difficult woods to keep water out of. Ask any boat builder out there. In fact, it is the natural tendency of cedar to expand considerably when it is wet that is used to advantage by boat builders.

I would still try to get a good finish on the wood to shed as much water as possible. Either that, or build a roof over it!

If you have to use either teak or maple, pick the teak. It will survive outside far better.

I love the idea of the black anodizing. Some of the Greene and Greene houses used to use ebony for plugs, which really stood out nicely. G & G, as I'm sure you know, were masterful proponents of the Arts and Crafts movement.


----------



## fixrite

Funny thing about a roof..... There is a possibility that I may be putting a roof over the gate, something oriental ( wife is Japanese). She was hinting of something along those lines. So we will have to see what this will bring. YES Keith I am aware of G+G style, there are some awesome creations in their houses.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Funny thing about a roof..... There is a possibility that I may be putting a roof over the gate, something oriental ( wife is Japanese). She was hinting of something along those lines. So we will have to see what this will bring. YES Keith I am aware of G+G style, there are some awesome creations in their houses.


Now you're hitting on one of my passions. Japanese gardens have always had a soft spot in my heart, and along with that goes the Japanese style of garden structures. I think I must have a couple of dozen books here on the subject, and in particular I really like the shingle covered, curved top roofs which are often used over a Japanese gate. They have such a timeless quality to them.


----------



## fixrite

I could not agree with you more Keith. My concern is that the mix of a Japanese theme with G+G might not be a good one. If it was done well enough it just might be pulled off. When one looks at ancient oriental structures one can see the G+G peg style on doors and buildings, but would that be enough to tie it all together? Not too sure about it, and once it was finished it's a little too late to change things.


----------



## kelly89

I am a newbie here and so much like your things...


----------



## Ravenswood NYC

Keith,

Glad to hear that you're on the mend. I last wrote in 2011, but know I've had the thread up in my browser for 18 months now. The house looks great and I can't wait to see what's next.

Feel better,
John


----------



## cocobolo

kelly89 said:


> I am a newbie here and so much like your things...


Ooops...I see I managed to miss your post. Sorry about that. 

Thankyou and welcome to the thread.


----------



## cocobolo

Ravenswood NYC said:


> Keith,
> 
> Glad to hear that you're on the mend. I last wrote in 2011, but know I've had the thread up in my browser for 18 months now. The house looks great and I can't wait to see what's next.
> 
> Feel better,
> John


Thanks John. Starting to feel quite a bit better now, so the worst is definitely over.

Not much in the way of excitement here, mainly due to not being well, but also the crummy weather.

I have a bit done on some Shoji screens I'm attempting to make and getting close to finishing the new water tank to replace the old rotted one. I really must see if I can get a pic or two up.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> I could not agree with you more Keith. My concern is that the mix of a Japanese theme with G+G might not be a good one. If it was done well enough it just might be pulled off. When one looks at ancient oriental structures one can see the G+G peg style on doors and buildings, but would that be enough to tie it all together? Not too sure about it, and once it was finished it's a little too late to change things.


I should have replied to this before Fix...but I have a hunch that both Greene and Greene and Frank Lloyd Wright were influenced by Japanese design. FLLW spent some time over in Japan when he was designing the hotel, and he also had a large collection of Japanese prints. 

Both the aforementioned architects had similarities in style back in the day, and it seems to me that a Sukiya style roof might go very well with your gate. If not the curved style, then I definitely think the square style would be a good match.

I did a little looking on the big G, and there's hundreds of great pics available.


----------



## fixrite

Gad to hear you are doing better, being ill is never fun. I have just about finished the second gate. I have just done some of the glue-up and will be posting a pic of it when done. I am going to stain the gates a little darker than the fence. I will be taking your advise on the waterproofing of the gates as well as a Japanese theme over one of the gates, although it will have to be subtle in appearance. It should all blend together quite nicely since the house is a sage green in colour. On a brighter note my (1500) bulbs that I planted in fall are starting to come up, beginning to look nice out there. I think that is enough of a highjack from me. Thanks again Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

The Shoji screens, which will go in front of the closet in the MBR will be about 3 feet by 6 feet, so quite large.

I have the wood cut, and it is now a matter of figuring out how to cut all the joints. At first I tried cutting by hand, using an extremely fine cut Japanese saw and chisel.

After doing just a couple of cuts I decided that if I wanted to finish the joints this year, a faster method was in order. Here's the hand cut version.


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## cocobolo

Then it became a game of trial and error - heavy on the error - using the dado blade in the table saw.

A difference of just 1/100" in cut width makes all the difference between a tight joint and one that is sloppy. Once the width of the cut is established, then the depth of cut comes into play. Here again, the most minute difference makes the difference between a good fit and one that looks way off.

I made many attempts to get this dead on, and the last one is on the right side of the pic here. It's OK.


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## cocobolo

The screen design is going to need a whole lot of cross pieces, called kumiko, and this is what will go into the 6 screens.


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## cocobolo

The other side of the coin will be all the long kumiko and the wood for the frames.


----------



## cocobolo

Once the dado blade was set, I didn't want to move it until after all the joints were cut. Mainly because the chances of getting it perfect again were probably pretty remote.

So the first thing I did was to cut the joints on the short kumiko. Basically no trouble there, as the wood was less than 36"long. No pic of that I'm afraid. Sorry about that.

Then it was on to the long wood. There needed to be some way of preventing the pieces from moving in relation to each other once I had made the initial cut. It turned out that just putting a dummy piece into the first notches worked a treat. And providing that I had marked out the cut lines correctly, everything should fit properly.

So, what I did was to gang cut the long kumiko in groups of 6, which - in theory at least - should keep any errors to a minimum.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see in the previous pic, the joints are cut on alternating sides of the kumiko as you progress from one end to the other.

But for some of us old guys with crummy memories, either that or a short attention span, Murphy managed to arrive just in time to screw things up.

Six pieces of long kumiko shot to hell when I managed to put two adjoining cuts on the same side. Didn't make that mistake twice I can tell you. I did salvage the good end to make some extra short pieces from, so it wasn't a total loss.


----------



## cocobolo

Other than the screens, I need to get one of the old wood water tanks replaced soon in order to have enough water for the garden this year.

One half of the original pair of tanks has been demolished and the junk all burned on the bonfire. That was quite a job all by itself. Now the new tank is being assembled from the 14 panels which I made up last year.

Here's the first 10 sections in place...still some of the ground needs to be dug out and leveled off to finish the new tank. It looks like the weather just might be co-operating today so it can be done.


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## BigJim

Man, that makes me tired just watching you work Keith, that is a lot of close cutting buddy, I know it is going to look great.


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## BigJim

Say something Keith, speak to me, are you there? Good grief talk about fouling things up, I just banned Keith, talk to me buddy, are ya back yet?:whistling2:


----------



## hyunelan2

I was reading through, scrolling post by post thinking "this screen project doesn't seem THAT bad." Then I saw this picture of all the wood to be cut:










and almost threw up. That is a LOT of cutting. I see why you didn't want to tackle that by hand!


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Say something Keith, speak to me, are you there? Good grief talk about fouling things up, I just banned Keith, talk to me buddy, are ya back yet?:whistling2:


Hi there Jim...I was pretty sure I knew what had happened. There was that post from some Asian website that you were after and I posted right after he did and used the "ban" sign from the smilie list.

I thought it was quite funny actually...I knew you'd get it figured out right away Jim. 

Thanks for that. No harm done!


----------



## cocobolo

hyunelan2 said:


> I was reading through, scrolling post by post thinking "this screen project doesn't seem THAT bad." Then I saw this picture of all the wood to be cut:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and almost threw up. That is a LOT of cutting. I see why you didn't want to tackle that by hand!


Yep, there's a few pieces to do this job. Those little kumiko are only 3/8" by 1/2", so the joints are very small.

All the spots where the kumiko connect to the frames will need to be cut by hand, so that's going to take awhile. If I can do one frame every day I should be done in a week or so. 26 mortise and tenons for each frame.


----------



## BigJim

Sorry buddy, I feel so...:blush:, I will try to do better.


----------



## cocobolo

It's high time the new water tank gets done, otherwise before you know it, we'll be out of the rainy season.

Today I rounded up a few bags of sawdust and planer shavings to spread on the ground inside the tank area. The idea being that it would cover up any small sharp rocks that I may have overlooked when trying to clear the ground.


----------



## cocobolo

After I got the sawdust all spread out, I found a bag of fibreglas pink in one of the woodsheds and I thought I would add that next.

That didn't cover the whole area, so it needed some Roxul to cover the inside area of the tank.


----------



## cocobolo

And to top it all off, my rummagings through the shed unearthed a piece of pond liner which fit the bill perfectly. No idea where it came from, as it is different from the other liners I have here. But beggars can't be choosers, so...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, do you have straps or cables to hold the tank walls in or have you devised a way of your own to hold all that pressure?


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith, do you have straps or cables to hold the tank walls in or have you devised a way of your own to hold all that pressure?


Jim, I'm hoping this will work something like a small swimming pool. I have the 14 sections pretty well nailed together using galvanized spikes.

The fact is that most of the weight bears right on the ground.

If my memory serves me, I think the tank can hold up to 25,000 pounds of water. The maximum side thrust arrives at about 1/3 the way up from the bottom of the tank. I don't know what portion of the weight actually pushes outwards, but when it is divided among 150 square feet of wall area and about 112 square feet of ground it shouldn't be that much.

Let's say, for example, that 1/3 of the weight is pushing sideways, that works out to just over 50 lbs per square foot against the walls.

I can always add more nails if I get nervous.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> Jim, I'm hoping this will work something like a small swimming pool. I have the 14 sections pretty well nailed together using galvanized spikes.
> 
> The fact is that most of the weight bears right on the ground.
> 
> If my memory serves me, I think the tank can hold up to 25,000 pounds of water. The maximum side thrust arrives at about 1/3 the way up from the bottom of the tank. I don't know what portion of the weight actually pushes outwards, but when it is divided among 150 square feet of wall area and about 112 square feet of ground it shouldn't be that much.
> 
> Let's say, for example, that 1/3 of the weight is pushing sideways, that works out to just over 50 lbs per square foot against the walls.
> 
> I can always add more nails if I get nervous.


Keith, I think that you might be underestimating the forces involved here. I'm not sure how tall those walls are but they look like 4 feet. If so the water pressure at the base (pushing in all directions, including out) will be 250 lb/square foot. one third of the way up it will be 166 pounds per square foot. and you *multiply* by the total area, not divide. Your walls are going to be containing a *lot* of force. I'd be pretty nervous depending on nails to hold it together.


----------



## BigJim

I haven't dealt a lot with water like that but I have concrete and it is just amazing how much pressure there is on the walls, I was just thinking along those lines. Personally I would be a little leery of nails to hold the water in like that but you know way more than I do about things like that.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> Keith, I think that you might be underestimating the forces involved here. I'm not sure how tall those walls are but they look like 4 feet. If so the water pressure at the base (pushing in all directions, including out) will be 250 lb/square foot. one third of the way up it will be 166 pounds per square foot. and you *multiply* by the total area, not divide. Your walls are going to be containing a *lot* of force. I'd be pretty nervous depending on nails to hold it together.


You are correct in assuming the walls are 4 feet tall.

OK, I'm more than willing to be corrected on the pressures. I kind of doubt that the tank will ever be 100% full, although it could happen. So I suppose I should plan for that scenario.

The previous tanks, which were square, did indeed bow out somewhat on the sidewalls. However, the bowing out was not at the very bottom of the tank, but part way up the walls. The inside measurements on the old tanks were 10' by 10' by 5' high, or 500 cubic feet. Completely full, they would have contained 31,215 lbs of water each. They succumbed to rot, not nails pulling out.

It looks like you have taken a one foot square area multiplied by 4 feet high to get your water weight, is that right? That would certainly be right about 250 pounds. I think the weight of the water, based on a full tank, would decrease by a hair over 2% for every inch of rise, 48" being very close to 2% per inch. Let's call it 5 lbs per inch of rise.

Now I'm going to comment on Jim's post about the weight of concrete in forms, about which I do have some knowledge.

We'll get this worked out one way or t'other.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I haven't dealt a lot with water like that but I have concrete and it is just amazing how much pressure there is on the walls, I was just thinking along those lines. Personally I would be a little leery of nails to hold the water in like that but you know way more than I do about things like that.


Typical concrete weighs around 140 lbs per cubic foot, which is something more than double the weight of water, at 62.43 lbs per cubic foot.

Not only that, but add to that the force added when the concrete vibrator does its' work and you have some substantial pressures building up. And let's face it, many concrete pours can easily be 8 feet tall or more, so we are talking about a huge amount of weight here.

Something we learned in carpentry school is that the maximum pressure when a concrete wall is being poured is NOT right at the bottom of the wall, as you would suspect. It is 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. This is why we usually go around a basement form (for example) in two foot lifts. It lets the first batch get a head start on setting up before you get all the weight in.

Now, whether or not this applies with water as well I really don't know. Just going by the bowing on the old water tanks it might indeed be the case. I'll see what I can dig up about these pressures.

Your turn.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Typical concrete weighs around 140 lbs per cubic foot, which is something more than double the weight of water, at 62.43 lbs per cubic foot.
> 
> Not only that, but add to that the force added when the concrete vibrator does its' work and you have some substantial pressures building up. And let's face it, many concrete pours can easily be 8 feet tall or more, so we are talking about a huge amount of weight here.
> 
> Something we learned in carpentry school is that the maximum pressure when a concrete wall is being poured is NOT right at the bottom of the wall, as you would suspect. It is 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. This is why we usually go around a basement form (for example) in two foot lifts. It lets the first batch get a head start on setting up before you get all the weight in.
> 
> Now, whether or not this applies with water as well I really don't know. Just going by the bowing on the old water tanks it might indeed be the case. I'll see what I can dig up about these pressures.
> 
> Your turn.


Keith I have poured walls up to 10 and 12 feet tall, you are right you have to pour in segments or you will have a blow out. I never liked that kind of work. Water doesn't put nowhere the pressure as concrete. I was just thinking about the water deal, think Mississippi River, it is close to a mile wide in Memphis, when the river flooded they would sand bag, (not at Memphis but further north) that is a lot of water to hold back, it always blew my mind that those few sandbags could hold the river but they did. So thinking like that, no way can water and concrete be compared, like I was thinking earlier. See I told you you were way smarter than me.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith I have poured walls up to 10 and 12 feet tall, you are right you have to pour in segments or you will have a blow out. I never liked that kind of work. Water doesn't put nowhere the pressure as concrete. I was just thinking about the water deal, think Mississippi River, it is close to a mile wide in Memphis, when the river flooded they would sand bag, (not at Memphis but further north) that is a lot of water to hold back, it always blew my mind that those few sandbags could hold the river but they did. So thinking like that, no way can water and concrete be compared, like I was thinking earlier. See I told you you were way smarter than me.


I never even thought about sandbags, but you're right, they do seem to do incredibly well in flood situations.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around just how much outward pressure there might be. And to that end I was thinking about those above ground swimming pools with 4 foot high walls. We had one at a house over in North Vancouver many years ago, and I think the walls were just some thin sheet metal screwed onto some flimsy square sheet metal posts. But somehow they seemed to hold up.

Maybe I will double up on the nails and see if that works.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I never even thought about sandbags, but you're right, they do seem to do incredibly well in flood situations.
> 
> I'm still trying to wrap my head around just how much outward pressure there might be. And to that end I was thinking about those above ground swimming pools with 4 foot high walls. We had one at a house over in North Vancouver many years ago, and I think the walls were just some thin sheet metal screwed onto some flimsy square sheet metal posts. But somehow they seemed to hold up.
> 
> Maybe I will double up on the nails and see if that works.


Are you using ring shank nails or just coated nails. Heck if it has worked for you in the past there is no reason it won't work now. I liked that idea of the saw dust for the floor. I am not trying to pick at you buddy, just curious.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Are you using ring shank nails or just coated nails. Heck if it has worked for you in the past there is no reason it won't work now. I liked that idea of the saw dust for the floor. I am not trying to pick at you buddy, just curious.


These are galvanized spikes Jim. They are a real SOB to pull out. If anything goes I think the plywood will need to break first, and I can't see that happening. It is 1/2" pressure treated plywood.

I hope A Squared gets back to me soon, so we can see how this plays out.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday afternoon I got 4 layers of 6 mil poly inside the tank for the liner.

If you have never tried to do that with poly, you're missing out on one of life's great experiences. The stuff goes everywhere except where you want it to, it's so slippery.

The hose is on now draining the remaining water out of the original back tank. There is maybe 500 gallons at the most in there. So once I have 1,000 pounds or so of water in the new tank, then I will try pulling the poly straight and fix it to the top of the walls.

Once the back tank is empty, then I can demolish it as well.


----------



## BigJim

Just think, this will be the last time you will have to build water tanks again.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Just think, this will be the last time you will have to build water tanks again.


Oboy! Don't I hope you're right!! :thumbup:


----------



## Bwana K

Hi Coco. Its been a long time and I'm happy to continue following your project. I would be fooled that it is indeed one board. Brilliant work....


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## A Squared

Keith, sorry for not getting back to you sooner, busy work schedule.


cocobolo said:


> It looks like you have taken a one foot square area multiplied by 4 feet high to get your water weight, is that right? That would certainly be right about 250 pounds. I think the weight of the water, based on a full tank, would decrease by a hair over 2% for every inch of rise, 48" being very close to 2% per inch. Let's call it 5 lbs per inch of rise.


Yes, this is all correct. The pressure (in all directions) will be a function of the height of the water column above it. A water column with a one ft square cross section and 4 ft high will have approximately 250 lb of water, so the pressure will be 250 lb/sqft. in all directions, not just down. Of course it's independent of the size of the vessel. a 1/4 inch tube, 4 ft high and filled with water will have the same pressure at the bottom, as your tank with 4 feet of water. That's *pressure*. Obviously, the total *force* is much greater in your tank than the tube, because the same pressure is acting on a much greater area. 

You probably already know most if not all of this but I'm just trying to make sure we're on the same page. 

Now, the bit about the pressure being the greatest 1/3 up from the bottom, I don't want to just say that you're completely mistaken, because I think that you're correct that there is *something* that is *greatest* 1/3 up from the bottom that is a consideration in concrete forms. But it's not pressure, by itself. Pressure is greatest at the very bottom. It can't be any other way. The deeper you dive in water, the higher the pressure. The 1/3 height thing may be a rule of thumb for where the greatest *deflection* occurs, given that the bottom of the forms are securely fixed, or if might be a rule of thumb having to do with the rate at which the concrete sets up, or something else. I'm not sure, and I don't want to say that whatever you're thinking of is incorrect. But I do know that the hydrostatic pressure of a homogenous fluid in a vessel will be the greatest at the lowest point, not 1/3 of the way up. 

As far as the above ground pools go, yes they seem very flimsy, but hold a great deal of water, but they do that by taking advantage of the strength of the materials. Sheet metal, although not particularly rigid is pretty strong in tension, and in a vertical cylindrical tank the forces are either : 

a) down, which is against the ground, which obviously ain't going anywhere, 

or 

b) outward in all directions, evenly, which translates completely to tension in the sheet metal sides. The little poles around the outside really don't hold any hydrostatic force at all, all they do is serve to hold up the sheetmetal sides and liner when it's empty. Once it's filled with water, you could take away the little poles and not compromise the pool's ability to contain the water at all. The critical strength in the pool is that it's strong enough in *tension* around the perimeter, because that is where all the force acts. 

As far as your previous tank goes, as I recall, and without going back in the thread to find pictures of it, I think it was built log cabin style out of interlocking pieces of 2X2 lumber, making something akin to finger joints at the corner, and presumably, as you assembled it, you nailed down thru each of the overlaps at the corners on each course of "logs". In this case, the hydrostatic forces which are trying to spread the walls apart are being transmitted to those nails as shear forces between the "fingers" and of course nails are pretty strong in shear. Looking at your new tank, if I understand correctly what you're doing (and I may not) you are assembling the panels by face nailing between the sides (the "studs" ) of adjacent panels. If this is the case, then the force of the water, because your many sided polygon is approximately a circle, will be primarily transmitted to your sides in tension around the perimeter, which means that the predominant force on the nails is withdrawal force, which as you know isn't the nail's strongest direction. There won't be much in the way of shear forces as there isn't much force that will tend to cause the panels to move relative to each other. It may be that you can put enough nails in it that you would get a withdrawal failure. I wouldn't like depending on the nails withdrawal strength though. A few years down the road, when the members get a little soft...... 

If it were me, building the tank, I think I would do this: 

Get two lengths of cable long enough to go around the tank circumference and then some and some cable clamps. I'd wrap each cable around, say 1/3 up and 1/3 down for symmetry, and then I'd figure out a way to take up a little tension on the cable, maybe with a come-along, or block and tackle. Wouldn't have to be much tension, just enough to make it snug, then put the cable clamps on the overlap area of the cables. Wouldn't be too costly, or require changing your basic design much and would add a lot of safety factor. I bet that you would even be able to find a way make it look good, like a decorative feature. Or you could just keep that in your back pocket, and go ahead with just nails, and use the cables as a fix if you start seeing nails pulling apart after filling it. A retrofit wouldn't be a big deal either, just need to drain the tank.


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared...WOW! Fantastic post, many thanks.

I'll go through each section to make sure I have things straight here.

Firstly, I think I have pressure and force mixed up somehow. I'm going to claim my recent brush with CO poisoning for that. It really does serious damage to the memory, hopefully I will get that back. 

It seems to me that we usually use pounds per square inch (psi) when we refer to water pressure. So it is easy enough to figure out what pressure a column of water would have if it was exactly one square inch in area and 4 feet high. I believe that would be 1.7341 psi + a very small amount. So an area of one square foot should be the weight of four cubic feet of water, or 249.72 pounds.

Now, as to the pressure - or force if you wish - being greatest 1/3 up with concrete, I believe that is true. Concrete is not a homogenous material as is water. The instant that concrete hits the bottom of a form it starts to become a solid. Then there is the friction on the sides of the form itself. Water has no such friction, or at least it is very nearly immeasurable. In any event, we are discussing water here.

So I do agree with you that the pressure of water will be greatest at the very bottom of a given vessel.

You are quite right in your description of the old water tanks, I used some mill cut 1 1/2" by about 3" lumber of whatever stripe I managed to pull out of the ocean. And yes, it was obviously nailed as you suggest.

One thing against these tanks was the fact that they were square. This produced a greater outforce in the middle of the 10' long sides which eventually caused the bowing. However, they did stay intact until the wood itself started rotting. I am hoping that the more round design of this new tank will more evenly distribute the outward pressure, actually, I'm certain that it will.

There are 14 sections each of 32" in width.

As far as the nailing itself goes, I have driven the nails in from both sides of the adjoining pieces of 2 x 4, and they are driven at an angle, rather than dead straight. I honestly doubt that they will pull out.

The cable idea is a good one, and to that end there is a very large water tank on the island here which utilizes several such cables. I have heard rumours that this tank is 53,000 gallons, which means it could contain over 1/2 a million pounds of water when full. I think it is about 8 feet high but I can't remember for sure. Which means, I guess, that there would be something like 500 pounds per square foot pushing outwards on the bottom of that tank!

I haven't looked at this tank in several years - it's at the far end of the island. But if I get a chance I'll take a trip down there and take a pic or two.

Somewhere around here I have some numbers for cable (or steel rod) heights above the bottom of a 4' tank. You actually wouldn't put them at 1/3 and 2/3, but rather much closer to the bottom of the tank where the pressure is greatest. But then, I have a hunch you probably already know that.

Alternatively, I could simply use some steel strapping right at the bottom since that is where the maximum force will be exerted. I'll have a look around here to see what's on hand.

And thank you very much again for such an informative post. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

OK, for what it's worth, I've done some testing to see how much force is required to extract a 3" galvanized nail right from the 2" x 4"'s I have used in the water tank.

The results tell me it takes about 264 pounds of force on a direct pull to extract one nail.

Given that there are at least 8 such nails in the bottom 12" of every section of the tank framing, I'm no longer the least bit concerned as to whether or not the tank will hold. I think a safety factor of 8+ will do the job.


----------



## A Squared

Well maybe that will work might work for you then, and I certainly hope that it does. I may tend to discount tthe nail's strength more than necessary. And worst case scenario, if they do start to pull apart, you could retrofit with a cable/band/strap reinforcement without too much trouble. It wouldn't be like you'd have to go back and redo everything.


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## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> Well maybe that will work for you then, and I certainly hope that it does. I may tend to discount the nail's strength more than necessary. And worst case scenario, if they do start to pull apart, you could retrofit with a cable/band/strap reinforcement without too much trouble. It wouldn't be like you'd have to go back and redo everything.


Something else I think I will do, purely as a safety precaution, is to add some steel strapping right at the very bottom of the framing on the outside, which would prevent the possibility of anything pulling apart.

I was able to speak with a retired physics professor from the local university as well about this. He pointed out that the force of the water is not actually pushing directly sideways on the nails as was the case when I did the nail pull test. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to give me any sort of formula to determine what the actual force really is. He pointed out that he is a scientist, and I would need an engineer to try and determine the final answer.

I think I'm well covered, but the strapping will do it for sure.


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## fixrite

Keith sounds like you got all your bases covered on this project. Should be filing up quite fast with all this rain we have been having.


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## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith sounds like you got all your bases covered on this project. Should be filing up quite fast with all this rain we have been having.


Good grief Batman, you're not kidding about the rain. It hit here yesterday around 4 PM and it is only just now stopping. There's 26" in the tank already! Or just over 14,000 pounds.

This guy is outside over Vancouver Island as we speak.


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## fixrite

right over me head, but I can't find the dang pot of gold.........


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## BigJim

Man, I think you are living in the gold, it is beautiful up there in your area.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Man, I think you are living in the gold, it is beautiful up there in your area.


You might have a different opinion if you were here right now Jim...


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## BigJim

Looks like the wind is kicking up pretty good with the waves white capping like that. It is still pretty up there but when the weather gets rough it is really rough on you folks, hopefully it will turn real nice there soon. It was 72° here a day or so ago then tonight it is rain and 27°.

How are you feeling Keith?


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## BleachCola

Great progress Keith


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## fixrite

Keith, thought you might like to see the finished product. One is the front gate the other the side gate. I picked up the electronic gate latch, still have to determine if I want to hook it up with a battery back up or not. Decisions decisions:001_unsure:


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## gma2rjc

They're beautiful fixrite, nice work!


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## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith, thought you might like to see the finished product. One is the front gate the other the side gate. I picked up the electronic gate latch, still have to determine if I want to hook it up with a battery back up or not. Decisions decisions:001_unsure:


Wow! That is some beautiful work. Thanks for showing us. :thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Hi Jim: well, Hi everyone I guess.

I think I pretty much have this CO thing licked now. Up in Kamloops for a couple of weeks "holiday".

Just spent over two days ripping out and replacing a set of stairs going to the basement of the house where I'm staying...the owner has taken two tumbles all the way down, last time a fairly serious injury. So, no more of that nonsense in future. Can't say as I have ever seen such a poorly constructed set of stairs anywhere. Runs and rises all different, just atrocious.

Going to see if I can hook up with some hot rod buddies up this way while I'm here. One for sure will be with Ken who has a 496 BBC in his '67 Chevelle, just about all done. Maybe even s few pics if I remember.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim: well, Hi everyone I guess.
> 
> I think I pretty much have this CO thing licked now. Up in Kamloops for a couple of weeks "holiday".
> 
> Just spent over two days ripping out and replacing a set of stairs going to the basement of the house where I'm staying...the owner has taken two tumbles all the way down, last time a fairly serious injury. So, no more of that nonsense in future. Can't say as I have ever seen such a poorly constructed set of stairs anywhere. Runs and rises all different, just atrocious.
> 
> Going to see if I can hook up with some hot rod buddies up this way while I'm here. One for sure will be with Ken who has a 496 BBC in his '67 Chevelle, just about all done. Maybe even s few pics if I remember.


Glad to see you are doing much better buddy, even on vacation you work. At least it is good that you feel like it.

Keith, what is a 496 BBC I haven't heard of that one before. I have driven a 67 SS Chevy Malibu with a 427 Cube, 4 speed Muncie, 411 posi rear, that is one mean machine.

Oh yes, we do want pictures buddy. I am watching a TV program right now where they are rebuilding a 40 Ford.


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## shumakerscott

Keith, what is a 496 BBC I haven't heard of that one before. I have driven a 67 SS Chevy Malibu with a 427 Cube, 4 speed Muncie, 411 posi rear, that is one mean machine.

Jim, I believe that it is a 454 that has been bored and stroked to get to 496. dorf dude...


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## BigJim

Thanks DD, I appreciate that, that has to be one mean engine.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Glad to see you are doing much better buddy, even on vacation you work. At least it is good that you feel like it.
> 
> Keith, what is a 496 BBC I haven't heard of that one before. I have driven a 67 SS Chevy Malibu with a 427 Cube, 4 speed Muncie, 411 posi rear, that is one mean machine.
> 
> Oh yes, we do want pictures buddy. I am watching a TV program right now where they are rebuilding a 40 Ford.


Shu is right Jim. It's a bored and stroked 454, and this one has aluminum heads as well. Just a little over 10.25 to 1 compression, huge carb and aluminum intake. Nice set of headers. The BBC stands for big block Chevy...sorry about that, I should have spelled it out the first time. :jester:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Shu is right Jim. It's a bored and stroked 454, and this one has aluminum heads as well. Just a little over 10.25 to 1 compression, huge carb and aluminum intake. Nice set of headers. The BBC stands for big block Chevy...sorry about that, I should have spelled it out the first time. :jester:


Sorry Keith, I don't know why I didn't catch that. Back in the 60s 10 to 1 was stock, several years back I built out a 350 Chevy to 10 to 1 and it burned the block between cylinders, cheap gas and lousy metal in the block with to much compression and it was a goner. Good thing I didn't go with 13 to 1 like I did some of my engines, it wouldn't have lasted even a day. I miss the old days when blocks and engines were built for high compression, the bad part is the high compression engines didn't last like the low compression ones today.


----------



## frenchelectrican

BigJim said:


> Sorry Keith, I don't know why I didn't catch that. Back in the 60s 10 to 1 was stock, several years back I built out a 350 Chevy to 10 to 1 and it burned the block between cylinders, cheap gas and lousy metal in the block with to much compression and it was a goner. Good thing I didn't go with 13 to 1 like I did some of my engines, it wouldn't have lasted even a day. I miss the old days when blocks and engines were built for high compression, the bad part is the high compression engines didn't last like the low compression ones today.


The last time I have to work on very high compressoin gaz motours I am sure you know the Chrysler 440 CID engine I been working on that last year to rebuilt it and right now it carry 10.5 slugs but I did make one modifaction to the slug is smooth out peak ridge on top of the dome of the piston to drop down about .25 CR ratio and I am sure it will be much smoother which I will get that in a moment.,

Now for the fuel choice I run on GLP ( Propane gaz for ya guys ) due it cheaper than what I can pay either high test unleaded gaz or avgaz (105/130 class ) and with GLP it have much higher octance than either two fuel soruce I useally can get it.

I know it orginally it came with big arse 1150 Holly carbubatour but it was not in the best shape as I want to due it have even bores on all 4 bores so I ditch that and got a mixer carbuatour which it came off from larger 10 liter GLP engine ( gaz fired cummins engine ) it have pretty much match up on air flowage as I want it.

I know some of you will ask me is this engine supercharged ? the answer is no I don't intended to do that so I went to sleeper mode which I have other trick up my sleeve is ., turbocharger just ran low boost pressue that all I need and it right on the limit of the 10.5 slugs can take it with recurved timming. and of course hard to find NOS marine camshaft :yes: there were super limited on that.

Ok for the dyno result : I will use the SAE numbers due I did converted from metric numbers .,

Peak HP rating 637 CV @ 5400 RPM 
Peak TQ rating 755 LBtq @ 2700 RPM ( this is almost twice over the stock tq rating ) 
The Tq curve is pretty flat in most range I did set up on purpose to prevent the transmission issue with it due I did use the modifed 727 toqureflite tranny ( I did use my notes that I done before with 4-53T detorit ) 

It ran really smooth no shake at all with good oil pressure etc and never ran hot at all on full dyno run.

If more question just ask me I will give you more details but this engine will be on for sale on European side not sure the price yet but I know it will be more than 5K euros 

Merci,
Marc


----------



## BigJim

frenchelectrican said:


> The last time I have to work on very high compressoin gaz motours I am sure you know the Chrysler 440 CID engine I been working on that last year to rebuilt it and right now it carry 10.5 slugs but I did make one modifaction to the slug is smooth out peak ridge on top of the dome of the piston to drop down about .25 CR ratio and I am sure it will be much smoother which I will get that in a moment.,
> 
> Now for the fuel choice I run on GLP ( Propane gaz for ya guys ) due it cheaper than what I can pay either high test unleaded gaz or avgaz (105/130 class ) and with GLP it have much higher octance than either two fuel soruce I useally can get it.
> 
> I know it orginally it came with big arse 1150 Holly carbubatour but it was not in the best shape as I want to due it have even bores on all 4 bores so I ditch that and got a mixer carbuatour which it came off from larger 10 liter GLP engine ( gaz fired cummins engine ) it have pretty much match up on air flowage as I want it.
> 
> I know some of you will ask me is this engine supercharged ? the answer is no I don't intended to do that so I went to sleeper mode which I have other trick up my sleeve is ., turbocharger just ran low boost pressue that all I need and it right on the limit of the 10.5 slugs can take it with recurved timming. and of course hard to find NOS marine camshaft :yes: there were super limited on that.
> 
> Ok for the dyno result : I will use the SAE numbers due I did converted from metric numbers .,
> 
> Peak HP rating 637 CV @ 5400 RPM
> Peak TQ rating 755 LBtq @ 2700 RPM ( this is almost twice over the stock tq rating )
> The Tq curve is pretty flat in most range I did set up on purpose to prevent the transmission issue with it due I did use the modifed 727 toqureflite tranny ( I did use my notes that I done before with 4-53T detorit )
> 
> It ran really smooth no shake at all with good oil pressure etc and never ran hot at all on full dyno run.
> 
> If more question just ask me I will give you more details but this engine will be on for sale on European side not sure the price yet but I know it will be more than 5K euros
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


Man that is impressive to get that many mules with propane. I am an old 60s mechanic, a lot of new things for todays engines that I don't know about. I had a 440 magnum in a dodge but it never had that many horses, I think mine topped out at 390 with a six pack (3 duces). It never made sense that I could run a stock 327 Chevy with a number one grind vet cam with a duel line Holly double dumper and come out with 327 HP and all I could get out of a stock 440 was 390 HP.

5K, man I need to go back to building engines again.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, the new LS3, 376 cu. in. Chevy has 10.7 compression. I believe this is as a result of the direct cylinder injection, and it runs on 92 pump gas. So the good CR is back again, and this should give us some pretty decent mileage. :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Jim, the new LS3, 376 cu. in. Chevy has 10.7 compression. I believe this is as a result of the direct cylinder injection, and it runs on 92 pump gas. So the good CR is back again, and this should give us some pretty decent mileage. :thumbsup:


I wonder how they handle the pinging without lead, maybe a water injector or something. I wonder how they can warrant an engine with that kind of compression, surly it won't last 6 years like the lower compression engines will. They must know something I don't. That engine should do pretty doggone good in the HP department.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I wonder how they handle the pinging without lead, maybe a water injector or something. I wonder how they can warrant an engine with that kind of compression, surly it won't last 6 years like the lower compression engines will. They must know something I don't. That engine should do pretty doggone good in the HP department.


One of these days I will have to check into the tech reasons for this Jim. But I suspect it will have something to do with the near perfect control of the air/fuel mixture with the latest FI systems, along with the perfect firing time at any given RPM and throttle level. 

And let's not forget that the motor in question has 8 coils, one for every cylinder, and no distributor to get in the way of misfiring. Nothing like a little high-tech factory stuff to teach us old gaffers a trick or two! It's all this electronic gadgetry.

Remember when the MSD ignitions first came out Jim? They had some method of allowing the compression itself to be involved with the firing of the cylinders. Damned if I can remember how that worked now, it has been over 20 years since I had one.


----------



## BigJim

These new cars are way over my head, working on them is unreal, a good mechanic now days needs to be about the size of a pigmy with little bitty hands. I got to replace Judy's water pump on her 2000 Nissan Altima you should see how close it is to get in there.


----------



## Windows on Wash

BigJim said:


> I wonder how they handle the pinging without lead, maybe a water injector or something. I wonder how they can warrant an engine with that kind of compression, surly it won't last 6 years like the lower compression engines will. They must know something I don't. That engine should do pretty doggone good in the HP department.


Jim,

It is for several reason but many of which cocobolo mentioned.

Better atomization of the Air/Fuel mixture allow for high compression ratios without creation of hot spots inside the combustion chamber. Best combustion chamber design, fuel atomization, fuel delivery, cylinder head design (and cooling system), and Fuel Injection management. 

They are smart little beasts now but I agree....sum *****es to work on. 



cocobolo said:


> One of these days I will have to check into the tech reasons for this Jim. But I suspect it will have something to do with the near perfect control of the air/fuel mixture with the latest FI systems, along with the perfect firing time at any given RPM and throttle level.
> 
> And let's not forget that the motor in question has 8 coils, one for every cylinder, and no distributor to get in the way of misfiring. Nothing like a little high-tech factory stuff to teach us old gaffers a trick or two! It's all this electronic gadgetry.
> 
> Remember when the MSD ignitions first came out Jim? They had some method of allowing the compression itself to be involved with the firing of the cylinders. Damned if I can remember how that worked now, it has been over 20 years since I had one.


Got an MSD on my 5.0 to this day. Great little box and the Sprint cup cars still run the digital boxes.

The coil over DIS systems don't necessarily delivery more joules to the spark plug but they are more simplistic, easier to control, don't require as much dwell time, and allow for finer tuning and isolation when there is a misfire issue.

Techs today can't diagnose much unless the computer tells them what is wrong... :no:


----------



## BigJim

Windows on Wash said:


> Jim,
> 
> It is for several reason but many of which cocobolo mentioned.
> 
> Better atomization of the Air/Fuel mixture allow for high compression ratios without creation of hot spots inside the combustion chamber. Best combustion chamber design, fuel atomization, fuel delivery, cylinder head design (and cooling system), and Fuel Injection management.
> 
> They are smart little beasts now but I agree....sum *****es to work on.
> 
> 
> 
> Got an MSD on my 5.0 to this day. Great little box and the Sprint cup cars still run the digital boxes.
> 
> The coil over DIS systems don't necessarily delivery more joules to the spark plug but they are more simplistic, easier to control, don't require as much dwell time, and allow for finer tuning and isolation when there is a misfire issue.
> 
> Techs today can't diagnose much unless the computer tells them what is wrong... :no:


I guess in a lot of ways the high tech stuff is better than the old days, I sure know I don't miss setting the points every time I turn around or replacing the condenser and plugs. Things have gotten a lot better I have to say. But I do miss the simplicity of working on a truck or car where you could actually sit inside the hood to work on them and be able to reach everything without taking half the engine off to get to one thing.

Well some of the old ones did have a few hard to get to things the best I remember. Remember the 59 Ford starter, motor mounts on a 59 olds, plugs in a 65 Chevy II with a 396 and so on.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> .....plugs in a 65 Chevy II with a 396 and so on.:whistling2:


But then, how many of us shoehorned a big block into the confines of a Chevy twice engine bay! :furious:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> But then, how many of us shoehorned a big block into the confines of a Chevy twice engine bay! :furious:


Well, me.:whistling2:


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> But then, how many of us shoehorned a big block into the confines of a Chevy twice engine bay! :furious:


Not only that I done before and I did allready done with 3208 Caterpiller engine on 1 tonne Ford pick up truck.

If any one want to know how big this 3208 engine is .,,, 636 CID or 10.7 liter and weight in about 1500 lbs 

This is much bigger than 454 BBC is.

And I have done installed 7.6 L DT466 IHC engine in Chevy pick up truck it was not too bad have to extend the front clip a bit plus a fancy work on firewall panel.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Not only that I done before and I did allready done with 3208 Caterpiller engine on 1 tonne Ford pick up truck.
> 
> If any one want to know how big this 3208 engine is .,,, 636 CID or 10.7 liter and weight in about 1500 lbs
> 
> This is much bigger than 454 BBC is.
> 
> And I have done installed 7.6 L DT466 IHC engine in Chevy pick up truck it was not too bad have to extend the front clip a bit plus a fancy work on firewall panel.
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


That would weigh nearly 3 times as much as the big block. What did you need to do to the front suspension to keep it from breaking?


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## fixrite

and I thought my 8.3 litre diesel was a big one. I does manage to move my Grumman quite well though.


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## Ravenswood NYC

Did it slip by without anyone noticing? Congratulations on making it to page 500!


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## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> That would weigh nearly 3 times as much as the big block. What did you need to do to the front suspension to keep it from breaking?


I just beef it up and got some of the parts it came off from the Ford Schoolbus which they did came with longer leaf spring and stronger one to support the weight and it kinda odd the longer leaf spring did give me more smoother ride than the old short leaf springs it oringally came in.

It was very tight fit in the truck not much room to wiggle around but got it in.

That was one of few toughest one I have done so far. Good thing the frame was allready set up for large YE ( large Ford gaz motours ) so it was not too bad but make a new crossmember to handle larger oilpan.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## frenchelectrican

BigJim said:


> Man that is impressive to get that many mules with propane. I am an old 60s mechanic, a lot of new things for todays engines that I don't know about. I had a 440 magnum in a dodge but it never had that many horses, I think mine topped out at 390 with a six pack (3 duces). It never made sense that I could run a stock 327 Chevy with a number one grind vet cam with a duel line Holly double dumper and come out with 327 HP and all I could get out of a stock 440 was 390 HP.
> 
> 5K, man I need to go back to building engines again.


Bonjour Bigjim.,

It is more than I expected to be I thought it will be in mid to upper 500 CV ( HP ) range and you notced the RPM is low due I keep it streetable and it alot more duraable than the screamer is.

The Chrysler 440 engine the only major quirk was the stupid exhaust manfold it kinda pretty restrictive on flowage so I did make homemade exhaust manfold it was heckva better than the stock verison plus much strighter than it was.

But once I got it running it did have very smooth low 490-500 RPM idle  I know that is low but have very good oil pressure so that is not a issue but by time you hit about 1200 to 1500 RPM the turbocharger allready running pretty good speed with good boost pressure. ( this set up is blow thru mixer ) so you can see why it kick in very smooth no sudden power kick in.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## frenchelectrican

fixrite said:


> and I thought my 8.3 litre diesel was a big one. I does manage to move my Grumman quite well though.


That is nothing what I used to run before just try a locomovite engine on the tugboat.,

3000 CV ( HP ) @ 900 RPM W.O.T. ( wide open throttle ) 

V-12 engine with special rating 

Model : 645-12 seires engine 

Total engine size 7860 CID ( apx 115 liters )

Bore / Stroke 9 1/16 bore , 10 inch stroke 

Engine weight 24000 lbs with standard turbocharger.

slow but loud but smooth.

But burn about 165 gallons of #2 per hour per engine ( that tugboat have twin engine ) 

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

Oboy, that's a bunch of horsepower. Most of the local tugs on the west coast have between around 500 and 1,200 horsepower. They are mostly used for either towing log booms or the big chip barges.


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## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> Oboy, that's a bunch of horsepower. Most of the local tugs on the west coast have between around 500 and 1,200 horsepower. They are mostly used for either towing log booms or the big chip barges.


Yeah it is alot of horsepower there. Even our props is very large. the size of prop is get this .,, 10 feet diameter variable pitch plus it can be reverseable.

The prop materal is Bronze I know they are not cheap when someone hit something in the water and bended the blade ( the only time it will happend when you hit rock or something superhard under the water espcally with large logs we can chop them up pretty good ) The weight of props is 4 tons each.

I know someone will ask how big our fuel tanks is the answer is 12,000 US gallons.

Merci,
Marc


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## fixrite

Marc.....thats not fair, I am on dry land. I can handle a load of 15,000 kilo so I figure I am doing ok....lol


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## cocobolo

About time I did a couple of building pics I think. Not at home,up in Kamloops doing some fixing while on holiday.

The front steps outside were put together from landscape blocks many years ago. The rise was 4 3/4" and the run varied. Suffice it to say that they were most awkward to go up and down. Add to that the fact that the fill under the blocks was anything but stable, and you can imagine just how unsafe they had become.

By the time I remembered to get a photo, I had already removed all the blocks - you can see several of them sitting at the side of the garage wall here. The total run is around 321" and the rise is about 92". I say about, because there will be some fixing to do up on the top concrete paver walkway, and I'm not quite sure how that's going to end up.

But the fix will be to replace the mess that was there with some P.T. steps with a very gentle rise and run to them.

Here the worst of the mess has been removed and I have a platform at the bottom from which to start.


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## cocobolo

It's been so long since I was able to get materials delivered, I forgot what a treat it was! 

Popped up to the local Rona store, gave the man a list of materials and some money, and lo and behold the next morning here it is! :thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Much of the work here has been removing an awful lot of the fill under the blocks. About 50 wheelbarrow loads so far, and we're not done yet! But this time there's a helper so I don't have to do ALL the bull work.


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## cocobolo

There's going to be three short stair runs along with the platforms to sit them on. Here we have the first stairs in and the stringers for the second stairs in place. Then I got run off the job by rain and a nasty cold wind. And they promised me it would be nothing but sunshine up here!

I'm re-using some of the blocks as footings for the platforms, so everything won't be a total waste. Then perhaps later this summer I may get to use the rest for a fancy deck/sitting area I have in mind for the back yard here.


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## BigJim

Man, that is some undertaking Keith, I bet it felt good not to have to load and unload from your boat on this project.


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## Mort

^^^ No kidding, right?


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Man, that is some undertaking Keith, I bet it felt good not to have to load and unload from your boat on this project.


Hi Jim...yes, it's a fair bit of work, but having the load dropped 20 feet from where you're working makes life a whole lot easier.

I'm not sure if it will get finished or not today...rain and thunderstorms in the forecast!


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## cocobolo

All done...here's the first test walk down the stairs. She's a very happy lady today.


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## gma2rjc

Nice job Keith! You know you've done a good job when you get a big :thumbup: like that!


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## BigJim

Amazing, you sure don't waste any time buddy, good looking job Keith, I know she is happy, you are a good friend.


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## cocobolo

Back home all safe and sound. I took a few pics on the trip back and I'll show you a couple of them now.

This one is a small mountain just this side of Hope just after you get off the infamous Coquihalla Highway.


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## cocobolo

This little gadget was used in the construction of the new bridge across the Fraser river. Seems to me it would make a pretty good bridge all by itself!


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## cocobolo

Here's a couple of pics of the bridge in question. Bear in mind that this series of pics was shot through a somewhat dirty front windshield at 90 kms. Didn't come out too badly.


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## gma2rjc

Nice pictures Keith!

The one of the mountains makes me want to take another trip out west this summer. Idaho is calling me. :yes:


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## cocobolo

Quite a difference in the garden when I arrived here from when I left...this hosta is well up along with the elephant ears behind it.


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## cocobolo

A few daffs, tulips and narcissus.


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## cocobolo

Another hosta and some blubells, rhodo and azalea, clover and the grape vine starting to come out.


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## cocobolo

Last year there were some caterpillars on one of the Garry oak trees. This year, there were more but also half a dozen branches on one of the cherry trees was loaded with them.


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## cocobolo

A nice fancy tulip, narcissus by the arbutus tree and a maple tree in dappled sunlight.


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## cocobolo

One of the camellias, heather and tulips and the Saskatoon bush.


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## cocobolo

New Zealand clematis just loaded with flowers, the clematis, bamboo and Japanese bloodgrass, and the New Zealand flax and heavenly bamboo.


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## cocobolo

Something that you will rarely see on the island here, freshly mowed grass! This is out in front of our place, not even our land, but I look after it anyway.


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## cocobolo

Here's the big rhodo coming out, an artichoke, a geranium in the greenhouse which has managed to survive without any water for a month or so and a weed tree that I have no idea what the name is. But it looks pretty.


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## cocobolo

The Gingko tree is just starting to leaf out, two maples by the potting shed, another rhodo in full bloom, and some bluebells and tulips around one of the small cedar trees.


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## cocobolo

This full moon maple I thought was a goner when I returned from holiday last year. The leaves were dead at the end of August when they should have been turning red. Thankfully, it seems to have survived and it looks quite strong now.


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## cocobolo

This is the narrow border by the pond, the limited plantings seem to be doing fine.

Then the small garden section with bamboos by the moon viewing hut.


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## cocobolo

A shot from across the bridge, and it looks like we have our little friend the newt back this year. And he (she?) is sharing the pond with a frog.


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## cocobolo

We had a pretty nice day a couple of days ago with some wind. The eagles like to cruise around up there when it gets like that. They make big circles and manage to get higher and higher without having to flap their wings hardly at all.


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## cocobolo

I actually managed to get some work done today while the wind was blowing outside...something that I have been studiously avoiding for as long as possible. Carpet on the first half a dozen stairs. Quite a difference when you walk on them, and much better looking than painted plywood.


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## cocobolo

I intended to add the facing plywood as I went, but only about half the pieces are stained, and none have been Varathaned. So that will be for another day.


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## BigJim

Wow, absolutely beautiful Keith, your pictures are so clear it feels like I can reach out and touch them. All that beauty comes with a lot and I mean a lot of work though, that has to feel good seeing all you have done. Thanks for sharing buddy.


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## cocobolo

Morning Jim...yes there's a fair bit of time in each tread there. I hope to be able to get three or four more done today.

The weather was supposed to be wet today, but the sky is almost 100% clear and the sun is just now coming up. So I may be forced (hehehe) to work outside...you know how it is.

Here's a shot looking over towards Ladysmith earlier this morning as the sun had just hit Vancouver Island. The moon is still well up.


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## BigJim

I was just fixin to ask you how the weather is up your way. Good deal, it has to feel good to get outside and work for a change.


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## cocobolo

Pretty good day today on the stairs, all but the very bottom tread is now done. That one requires a special curved moulding around the end of the step, which I will work on tomorrow.


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## cocobolo

Well, I did manage to get some work done on the curved moulding for the bottom tread. Looks like it is going to be quite a job and take more than a little time.

The first thing was to get the wood strips that I cut some time ago all glued up and clamped to the jig that I screwed to the tread.

Can't remember how many laminations I used, I'll count that tomorrow in daylight...but it looks like this.


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## cocobolo

Hmmmmm...it's pretty hard to see what's going on there, but that is the outside part of the moulding.

Now there needs to be the top inside part made up, and I cut some more strips for that this afternoon.

Then I glued up about half of them inside the first part of the moulding, but without actually gluing the two parts together. I need the top part to get all glued up separately so I can run it through the planer. That is still in the clamps.


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## cocobolo

Also got the posts cut for the railing which is to go around that lovely opening in the bedroom floor. But no pics of course. Maybe tomorrow...but if this gale force wind drops before morning I hope to go over to Ladysmith for a bit of a fun day. If the wind is still up (gale warning still in effect right now!) then it will be carrying on with work here. One way or the other, there should be something in the works for tomorrow.


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## cocobolo

Here's what I mean by needing to keep the two pieces separate. Now a total of 18 pieces in this lamination...


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## cocobolo

As usual, I have more than one thing on the go at the same time, and the next big job will be to get the railing done around the big opening. The corner post was the only one which needed special cutting to fit right into the corner...the rest are pretty straight forward.

The little bits sticking up in the air will be used as a jig to glue up the long curved handrails with. More fun coming up I think!


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## cocobolo

The stair moulding is almost done. After putting it in place to test the fit it needed just one more thin lamination to be wide enough.

That is in the clamps now waiting for the glue to set up.


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## cocobolo

The posts for the floor opening are sanded, first coat of Varathane applied.

Won't be here today so next coat will get done tomorrow.


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## cocobolo

Just one more coat of Varathane to go on the stair moulding and she's done.

I should be able to get it installed tomorrow along with the carpet.


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## cocobolo

Three coats on three sides of the posts. Tomorrow I should be able to three coat the last sides. Beautiful weather forecast for the next week! Yaay! About time too. :thumbsup:


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Just one more coat of Varathane to go on the stair moulding and she's done.
> 
> I should be able to get it installed tomorrow along with the carpet.


It is looking good Keith, what is that your trim is laying on there?


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> It is looking good Keith, what is that your trim is laying on there?


Awwww, c'mon there Jim...you mean to tell me you don't recognize your table? :laughing:


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## cocobolo

Started on getting the handrail around the divorce hole glued up late this afternoon. Just added the third row of wood. At a maximum of three rows per day I guess it will take four or five days to complete.

To be followed by the planing, shaping, sanding and finishing.


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## cocobolo

Saw the first of the small cruise boats go by yesterday morning at 6:15 A.M. no less!


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## scoggy

*Politician promises..are like..*

..rainbows..once you get to find out where the end is and supposed pot of gold, 'they' change the parameters..but it is always great to 'look' at the 'changes', as they occur..at least in/for the rainbow? Today..'here' 23C, and I love charging my 'solar cells', and reading what you are doing..awesome!! IFS 'sites'..AWESOME!!
Cheers
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Awwww, c'mon there Jim...you mean to tell me you don't recognize your table? :laughing:


I knew it was that gorgeous table, buddy it gets more beautiful with age.


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## cocobolo

Some time last year the missus said that she was walking on the lower deck outside the cabin and it started to fall down. Say what? So I took a look at it, and sure enough, the high priced post that I had put under the outside corner was - shall we say - somewhat less than perfect.

Yesterday I decided it was high time that the fix was done, so I found a chunk of 6 x 6 fir, cut it to length and treated the ends. jacked up the deck corner, took out the old and added the new. Here's the repair done...


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## cocobolo

...and this is what came out. Do you think I got my money's worth?


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## cocobolo

These guys were relaxing on the grass yesterday when I was doing the mowing.


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## cocobolo

A couple of pages back I made mention of the newt in the pond again this year. Yesterday when I was at the pond I counted no less than 10 of them! There may be more for all I know, but it's good to see them back again.

I know you can't see many of them in this pic, but there are several clustered under the leaves on the water plant.


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## gma2rjc

What kind of snakes are they Keith?


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## scoggy

*Heads up Message*

Keith, it is Shu's Birthday on May 10th..how do I know..same day as my birthday!!
Cheers
Syd:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## BigJim

Did the Mr. no shoulders move out of the way so you could cut the grass? I can see the little lizards under the plant leaf, the snakes don't try to get the little dickens do they?


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> What kind of snakes are they Keith?


Just the local grass snakes, Slippery Sue and her boyfriend Slimy Sam.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Did the Mr. no shoulders move out of the way so you could cut the grass? I can see the little lizards under the plant leaf, the snakes don't try to get the little dickens do they?


Oh yes, he moved. I don't think he would much care to be turned into chopped liver by the mower. I don't think they go after the newts Jim, but they sure do go after the tadpoles.


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## forcedreno2012

Wow was looking for some lite reading while waiting for some sheetrock mud to dry and got totally sucked in. 500+ pages later I spent the better part of today ogling your artistry. Its beyond craftsmanship. I have seem some impressive woodbending but this stuff is amazing. 

Fantastic work Keith and such an incredible setting to be working in. 


Robyn.


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## cocobolo

Lite reading...Hahaha...that will teach you!

Thank you so much for the very kind words and a big welcome to the thread.

Just working on what I hope to be the last of the woodbending here, which will be the railing going around the divorce hole. You know where that is if you've just read all this foolishness that we do here! :laughing:


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## cocobolo

In between laying up the necessary layers of wood the the railing, I started today on the posts for the stairs inside.

The first thing to do is to cut out a narrow notch in the bottom of each of the posts, there will be 16 in this case, one for every tread. The notch just needs to be wide enough to provide a decent "stop" when it gets bolted on.

So, a cut using the table saw first, and you need to have some sort of reference mark right on the saw when you are doing something like this. Otherwise the blade might encroach on an area that you don't need cut.

So, here I have done the table saw cuts and will complete the cut using a Japanese saw.


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## cocobolo

Here that section has been removed, and any mismatch in the cut line is cleaned up with a sharp chisel.


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## cocobolo

It takes a little while to do the whole lot, but here's the completed pile on the bench.


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## cocobolo

Next thing to do is to drill and countersink the holes for the lag bolts. 

First up, mark out where the holes must be drilled. If you have a very hard piece of wood, it helps to use a sharp punch to prevent the drill from skipping away.


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## cocobolo

Always remember to drill the countersunk part of the hole first. If you don't do that, then you have no wood in the hole to guide the drill bit. Try to get the hole the depth of the bolt head plus the thickness of the washer.


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## cocobolo

Lastly, you will drill the clearance holes for the lag bolts. The holes should match as closely as possible the size of the bolt threads. So, for example, a 3/8" bolt needs a 3/8" drill bit and no larger.

When you go to drill a pilot hole in the secondary wood, it will need to be about 1/16" to 5/64" smaller, depending on how big your bolts are. Bolts up in the 1/2" range will need to use about a 1/8" difference.

When I go to install these posts, I'll show you how we do that the easy way.


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## shumakerscott

cocobolo said:


> Lite reading...Hahaha...that will teach you!
> 
> Thank you so much for the very kind words and a big welcome to the thread.
> 
> Just working on what I hope to be the last of the woodbending here, which will be the railing going around the divorce hole. You know where that is if you've just read all this foolishness that we do here! :laughing:


He's lucky he didn't start reading mine:laughing: dorf dude...


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## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> He's lucky he didn't start reading mine:laughing: dorf dude...


Just give him time...he'll get there. But for now he's all worn out! :laughing:


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## BigJim

Um, forcedreno isn't a he.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Um, forcedreno isn't a he.


Ooops...sorry about that! I should have looked at the spelling of the name more closely. My apologies. :icon_redface:


----------



## forcedreno2012

No drama mate I have been called many things in life :laughing: and in todays internet world its so easy to do. I have been guilty of it on here myself. 

As an aside, I have not been up your way but I did get to the east coast of Canada... Live in the US right now and the boss calls me one day and said "I need someone to go to Sydney" and me being from outback Australia was like "hell yeah - woooot I'm going home for a while" He's like "Ummmm no, the other one.........in Nova Scotia Canada........in December"  One of the most beautiful places I have been even if I froze my rear end off. Would love to get up your way and Alaska - just seeing the sunsets over there are amazing and OMG the trees. Guilty of using the west coast as a stepping stone to get home. I need to stop there and head north one day.

Showed the hubby some of your work this morning and the insta response was "Don't even think about it...not happening!!" 

Robyn


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## frenchelectrican

forcedreno2012 said:


> Showed the hubby some of your work this morning and the insta response was "Don't even think about it...not happening!!"
> 
> Robyn


For moi it the other way around but my daughter was reading this thread as well and she quote in French

"Papa, tu peux faire peu d'objets ce qu'il a fait sur ​​le forum? "

(Dad, can you do make few items what he did on the forum ? )

My reply is Oui.

Merci,
Marc


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## cocobolo

forcedreno2012 said:


> Showed the hubby some of your work this morning and the instant response was "Don't even think about it...not happening!!"
> 
> Robyn


I think you need to have a quiet word in his delicate little ear and show him who's really the boss! :thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> For moi it the other way around but my daughter was reading this thread as well and she quote in French
> 
> "Papa, tu peux faire peu d'objets ce qu'il a fait sur ​​le forum? "
> 
> (Dad, can you do make few items what he did on the forum ? )
> 
> My reply is Oui.
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


OK Marc, so which ones are you going to make?


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## cocobolo

Another incredible great weather day here on the west coast! Nothing but sun!
I have the railing glued up as far as necessary, now I just have to figure out how to move it outside and get it set up somehow to do all the shaping etc.

My friend Tim came over to look at the dinghy at the head of the bay with a view to repairing it. Someone found it floating out in the chuck and gave it to my neighbour. He offered it to me if I could use it. I couldn't, but someone "borrowed" Tim's dinghy last year and neglected to return it...so Tim will make use of it. It has the usual holes worn right through the keel, but with the 30ºC high temperature today our fiberglass fix worked perfectly.

I should have asked Tim for help to move the railing...hmmmmm...maybe tomorrow when he comes to retrieve the dinghy.

I did manage to get the first coat of varnish on the stair posts...I put some screws in both ends of each post and used them to support the posts. That way I could varnish the posts all the way around in one go.


----------



## cocobolo

While I was eating dinner outside earlier this evening, this bundle of logs came floating leisurely by. There are probably two or three more rows of logs under the water which we cannot see. Good thing the skiff is out of commission, otherwise that would have been next winters' firewood!


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## BigJim

Buddy that is some fantastic work, can't wait to see it in place.


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## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> OK Marc, so which ones are you going to make?


This fall I will be rebuilding my staircase and will make it wider and have open stairway simaiur to your design but at one landing spot it will be not flat just smooth curve around that something I am drawing for a while and with your photos it did gave me some idea how to deal with it.

Right now the stairway is pretty narrow 80 CM wide will plan to widen them up to 1.2 meter wide I know it willl affect the structure but that part what I will work it will not be a load bearing stucture so it will be not too bad once I figure out how the floor joints are hanged in differnt fashon.

Merci.
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

Marc, an increase of .4 meter in your stair width will make a very nice wide stair. That's 16" for your American friends.

Are your stairs actually curved at the moment, or are they straight?


----------



## cocobolo

OK, a couple of things to tell you about...first a shot or two of the dinghy we fixed yesterday for Tim to use. There was a chunk of 'glass worn right off the back of the keel, which is normal for most dinghy's around here. It looks to be OK now, and when Tim paddled it back over to his place this afternoon there were no leaks.


----------



## cocobolo

Today it was time to move the new railing out of the bedroom to the back deck. That was about the only place that was long enough and flat enough to do the shaping. At 23' 2" long, let me assure you it was a real handful to move.

First I slid it out of the bedroom to the tub deck. From there it needed to be lifted clear of the ground and carried out the back. I got this far before I had to set it down...so I took a picture of the wooden rainbow where I dropped it.


----------



## cocobolo

From there, it went to the deck, where I set it up on three saw horses to be worked on. Here we are with the belt sander, power plane, random orbital sander, spray glue and a load of extra discs all ready to go.


----------



## cocobolo

The plan was to flatten the back of the handrail first, which went reasonably well. Got it all planed and sanded with nothing more than minor back pain.


----------



## cocobolo

After the back was sanded, I turned the handrail around and end for end to tackle the top side. Got the power planing done, and about 80% of the belt sander work done when something let go inside the sander. One less tool to worry about.

Finished the sanding with the random orbital and went through about 9 discs. It's much easier to do the job with fresh sandpaper all the time than to try and drag out every last inch of life from an old disc. Besides, they are easy to change when they are hot.  Just peel right off without a fight.


----------



## cocobolo

Interesting little note here...this morning I put the magic thermometer out in the sun as the sun was just rising over the trees, so it was fairly early. 

By around 10 or so, it hit 53ºC...about 127ºF. Moderately warm, to say the least. Oddly enough, as the sun got higher, the temperature went way down to the low 30's.


----------



## cocobolo

Some totally gratuitous pics of today's flowers in the garden.


----------



## cocobolo

That handrail, which by now had produced world class back pain, was returned to the front garden and set up again on sawhorses, this time to be varnished. One coat on the back as we speak, and hopefully two more on tomorrow. After that I will flip it over and varnish the front.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> Marc, an increase of .4 meter in your stair width will make a very nice wide stair. That's 16" for your American friends.
> 
> Are your stairs actually curved at the moment, or are they straight?


Right now it is straight with two 45 degree landing at 3/4 way up and plan to change the way it run to smooth it out and look better as well.

So make a smooth curve and elemated the awarked spot.

That will take me a little time but I will get there but for now I will wait until fall when the weather over here is stablized that when the best time to do the work ( when my bussiness start to slow down a little but right now it is pretty busy at the moment.)

Merci,
Marc


----------



## BigJim

Wow, your photos are breathtaking, just beautiful. 

That rail system is going to be beautiful also. I just had a thought about a set of stairs I saw several years back, they were "S" shaped, made me dizzy walking up them.

Uninterrupted curved stairs are fun, but stairs where part is straight then curved then back straight can be a little tough though, especially where the radius is tight.


----------



## fixrite

BigJim said:


> Uninterrupted curved stairs are fun, but stairs where part is straight then curved then back straight can be a little tough though, especially where the radius is tight.


Jim, you talking about making them or navigating them????....lol:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I just had a thought about a set of stairs I saw several years back, they were "S" shaped, made me dizzy walking up them.
> 
> Uninterrupted curved stairs are fun, but stairs where part is straight then curved then back straight can be a little tough though, especially where the radius is tight.


I don't think I have ever seen such a set of stairs...or, if I have, cannot remember them. The framing for that would be interesting to say the least.


----------



## BigJim

I don't remember how they were framed, I didn't build that set. I do know why they didn't have a rail on them then, that would have been a tough rail to build.

Fix, I was talking about building them but now days navigating them is a real task.


----------



## cocobolo

Our unseasonably excellent weather has come to a grinding halt, and once again we are getting what the west coast is known for...rain and wind and lots of it. It hit late this afternoon and we are to expect 5 days of the wet stuff.

I cannot really complain, as we have had the best run of gorgeous days in memory for early May.

A couple of mornings back the CG came close by at 50 MPH with their little toy.


----------



## cocobolo

One of my recently planted bamboos in the Japanese garden has thrown up two very healthy looking shoots. Looks like it will develop into a fair sized plant this year.


----------



## cocobolo

I'm almost sorry to do this to you again, but the rhododendrons this year are so nice I just can't help myself.

I expect when I go out tomorrow morning that these gorgeous blooms will have been destroyed by the heavy wind and rain, so this may be the last look.


----------



## cocobolo

An early morning sailboater with a nice reflection. It would have been better, except that the crew boat for the boom guys over at the north end of Valdez came by a few minutes earlier, making all those ripples.


----------



## cocobolo

Got the last tread done on the stairs. Here's the smoothedge in place...


----------



## cocobolo

...then the underlay and carpet.


----------



## cocobolo

Tadaaa! Here's the long awaited moulding to finish that part of the job.

Still have the face pieces to cover the risers and the railing to go.


----------



## BigJim

Absolutely beautiful Keith, your work and the flowers.


----------



## fixrite

Great job Keith. Couldn't help notice the chinese scissors from Lee Valley, they are very useful as well as quite sharp I find. Can't wait to see the finished stairs they will look stunning.


----------



## gma2rjc

Excellent work Keith! The stairs are looking great.

Thanks for posting the flower pictures. They sure are beautiful. 

The ripples in the sailboat pic add a nice effect. It would be neat to look out the window and see the view you have. 

.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Great job Keith. Couldn't help notice the chinese scissors from Lee Valley, they are very useful as well as quite sharp I find. Can't wait to see the finished stairs they will look stunning.


Right, come in sets of three if I remember rightly. They are about the only thing I ever found that would cut Kevlar fabric when I used to use it in boatbuilding. Cheap too.


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## fixrite

the set I have comes in four, although they are a few years old. The other good product I like is their rare earth magnets, I use them to hold my wrenches onto the front base of my cabinet saw, comes in very handy in other places as well.

cheers


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> the set I have comes in four, although they are a few years old. The other good product I like is their rare earth magnets, I use them to hold my wrenches onto the front base of my cabinet saw, comes in very handy in other places as well.
> 
> cheers


You could well be right, I've had mine for many years.

I have the magnets as well, the little round guys. Man, but they are strong.


----------



## cocobolo

OK...so today I got started on trying to fix the first stair posts in place, and get the riser covers ready to go. I decided to paint the risers, rather than stain and Varathane, mainly because that colour is already on several places and it looks passably fair.

You can be the judge of that.

Here's the post under the handrail which has been hanging out to dry seemingly forever. I want to fasten it from behind, rather than drill a couple of humongous holes through the front of the post. However, I need 12 foot long arms to reach all the way around, so I shall have to enlist the aid of my pal when I do that.

It was bad enough having to drill holes through the top of that handrail...I held my breath and hoped it would go OK. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

And a few posts on the inside of the stairs as well, and you should be able to see the first of the riser covers in place.


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## BigJim

Beautiful buddy, that is going to be one sharp stairs. I like the painted risers, they look good.


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## fixrite

I would have to agree with BigJim, in that the painted risers are your best choice. It also tends to make the railings stand out more. Great job Keith. Are you going to put in plugs over the lag bolts on the bottom? Silly question I am sure....lol


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> I would have to agree with BigJim, in that the painted risers are your best choice. It also tends to make the railings stand out more. Great job Keith. Are you going to put in plugs over the lag bolts on the bottom? Silly question I am sure....lol


Well, this may surprise you, but no. The size of the holes is such (1" for the washers) that I don't have a plug cutter anywhere near that big. So, I'm going to paint the boltheads and washers after the last install.

Right now I have bolted all the posts in place and I will be laying out the tops of the posts where they need to be cut off. It looks like I might need to wait awhile before I get the cutting done as it is raining here,  and I need to use the miter saw to do the cutting. It is set up outside under a tarp. 

The process will be to cut the first two posts, then make the first piece of the handrail, shape, sand and install it. Then cut the next post, lay out the next section of railing etc. I'm estimating about another 38 hours for the finished railing. 

P.S. All the painted risers are installed, makes quite a difference.


----------



## fixrite

You can get plugs that size from Finishing Touch. They are used for installing railings and filling in the holes. Not sure if one is close to you but I do know they are available. Just a thought.


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## cocobolo

There might be a Finishing Touch over in Nanaimo...but don't forget I only made the countersunk holes deep enough to bring the heads flush with the outside edge of the posts. Good idea, but they can keep their plugs and I'll keep my money.

Sure not getting much of a break in this weather. We've had two heavy sustained rain showers today and plenty of wind...it's pretty fierce right now out there.

I thought I had a nice long piece of clear red cedar for the handrail on the stairs...but when I unearthed it, it turned out to be hemlock. AAAARGH! So I had to dig under the house to see if there was any cedar left and I found a chunk from an old growth piece. About 3 1/4" thick, around 7" wide but wild edges, and 9 feet long. I did manage to get enough of the short pieces out to cover the handrail, but now comes the super slow part. All the fitting, shaping and sanding of each piece. :hammer: :wheelchair::help:


----------



## fixrite

Just so you know the plugs they sell for doing handrails are about 3/8" thick. Sounds like you got your work cut out for you with all that fitting and shaping and sanding and finishing. Just think how much you will enjoy it once it is allllllllll done. Sorry Keith just couldn't help myself. Keep up the great work of art. It is all simply stunning


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## cocobolo

Quite the wild weather day here today. Lots of wind...one minute we are in a huge rain squall, the next the sun is out. And so it went all day. It was a battle between me and the rain trying to get some cutting done on the handrail pieces. Mother nature came out on top of that one...repeatedly.

Quick shot of the sunset tonight...


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## cocobolo

One more time...here we go again. This time it's the far side of the handrail around the floor opening.

The wood is all ready to go, first couple of rows glued together here. Hope to have it done sometime later this week.


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## cocobolo

I have decided to put the cedar together for the handrail up the stairs in the form of unfinished blocks first.

That has now been done, and everything will need to be taken apart for the shaping and sanding and then re-installed.


----------



## BigJim

I hadn't thought about building a rail with blocks like that. I made mine in strips sitting right on the tread edge and since you have the balusters installed, I would have clamped the strips to the balusters. I used wax paper to keep the glue off everything, but that is just me. On a manufactured radius rail, it was suggested to use baby powder to keep the glue from sticking to the form, take my word for it, that doesn't work.

Your rail in the bedroom is looking good buddy.


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## cocobolo

Couldn't use the tread edge method here Jim, because the posts are all curved inward, which changes the radius. The blocks will all get shaped in due course.


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## cocobolo

Made some decent progress on the second railing today. Here the new one sits atop the first one for comparison.

Going to town tomorrow, so no work done...but Friday should see the last of the laminations on this second railing.

Unsettled weather for a few days coming up and I will need to do the shaping outside as I'm trying - somewhat in vain - to clean up the inside of the place.


----------



## forcedreno2012

Great work. The stairs are going to look amazing. How do you take the smaller blocks and get them down to the shape that you need them?


----------



## BigJim

Keith, is that yellow cedar in your rail? Does yellow cedar look like that all the way through the tree? That is some beautiful wood and fantastic workmanship buddy.

I noticed there was a hurricane headed up toward your area, sure hope it don't make it that far.


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## cocobolo

forcedreno2012 said:


> Great work. The stairs are going to look amazing. How do you take the smaller blocks and get them down to the shape that you need them?


That entails removing all the blocks first, numbering them on the underside as to where they go and shaping from there. I start by using the jigsaw to roughly trim the sides to shape. Next the top has to be tapered towards the bottom of the piece, which is followed by handplane and spokeshave work, which is in turn followed by a random orbital sander and finally hand sanding.

The pic shows a small section of the upper handrail. The radius of the top handrail is greater than the lower one, thus making longer pieces for the top. I have a hunch it's going to be more difficult to make the lower ones look good because of their smaller physical size.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith, is that yellow cedar in your rail? Does yellow cedar look like that all the way through the tree? That is some beautiful wood and fantastic workmanship buddy.
> 
> I noticed there was a hurricane headed up toward your area, sure hope it don't make it that far.


Yes Jim...there are two rows of yellow cedar in the new handrail. The wood is substantially more dense than red cedar. The colour and consistency of yellow cedar is such that it almost looks artificial, which is to say there's no change anywhere in the wood except for knots.

No hurricane here yet Jim, we seldom get winds that big here, although it does happen. In fact the water is flat calm here this morning so it should be a quiet trip to town.


----------



## BigJim

The yellow cedar looks almost like butter and being more dense I bet it cuts and machines like butter too. The last I saw of where the hurricane was is about Oregon and headed north, hopefully it will die out before getting that far north. Have a safe trip across buddy.


----------



## forcedreno2012

Thanks for sharing the information. Lots of work but the end result looks well worth it. 

Robyn


----------



## cocobolo

forcedreno2012 said:


> Thanks for sharing the information. Lots of work but the end result looks well worth it.
> 
> Robyn


You're more than welcome Robyn. Unfortunately, I prematurely sold several of my tools a few months ago, among them a small bandsaw and a stationery sander, both of which I used to cut and shape the top railing.

I couldn't see myself doing a timely job without the bandsaw, so I bought another one today when I was in town for grub. My big drill press was another casualty of the premature tool sale as well, so I got a smaller one today. I forgot that I would need one to make all the plugs to fill the screw holes. I tell you, this old timers' is no fun. Just ask Jim!


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You're more than welcome Robyn. Unfortunately, I prematurely sold several of my tools a few months ago, among them a small bandsaw and a stationery sander, both of which I used to cut and shape the top railing.
> 
> I couldn't see myself doing a timely job without the bandsaw, so I bought another one today when I was in town for grub. My big drill press was another casualty of the premature tool sale as well, so I got a smaller one today. I forgot that I would need one to make all the plugs to fill the screw holes. I tell you, this old timers' is no fun. Just ask Jim!


Heeeeey...you better watch that stuff.LOL


----------



## gma2rjc

I think that's the best excuse yet for needing new tools Keith. :laughing: j/k


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## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> I think that's the best excuse yet for needing new tools Keith. :laughing: j/k


Oh, c'mon now...since when did I ever need an excuse to buy tools?


----------



## cocobolo

Busy day today here. Early this morning I took the front door off to get sanded, filled and painted. Once the sanding was done, there were one or two little spots to fill.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that was dry, it got a good sanding, and there wasn't much filler left.


----------



## frenchelectrican

ai-je rêvé qui est une porte galbée? ou qui a été conçu à dessein?

(did I dream that is a curved door ?? or that was designed on purpose?)

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> ai-je rêvé qui est une porte galbée? ou qui a été conçu à dessein?
> 
> (did I dream that is a curved door ?? or that was designed on purpose?)
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


It wasn't a dream Marc, it fits the curved front wall like that.


----------



## cocobolo

I moved the second railing outside this morning, set it up on sawhorses and got the back and sides planed and sanded. Nice sunny day here today, so I managed to get two coats of varnish on the back.

We were supposed to get sun tomorrow as well, but now I see the so and so's have pulled the sun in favour of more cloud. That means no more varnishing outside so the railing will come back in first thing tomorrow morning.


----------



## cocobolo

...caught a neat reflection in the pond a little earlier this afternoon.


----------



## cocobolo

And the almost obligatory evening sunset.


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## cocobolo

Several weeks ago I made up the last end part of the bench which goes around the solarium. It didn't get fixed with any screws, nails or bolts, I just put a ton of glue between it and the support boards, and then loaded a pile of weight on top.

Took the weight off today, and it seems to be on there reasonably well. Now it just needs the seven coats of varnish like it's twin on the other side.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday I mounted the blinds in the solarium.


----------



## BigJim

It is all just beautiful Keith, it is amazing how the color pops out so, when the finish is applied. The sunset and reflection are beautiful also buddy.


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## gma2rjc

When I first saw the pictures of the door, I (briefly) thought you spray painted the black angles on it as it looks like the edges of the shadows have a darker outline to them. 

You may have covered this earlier in the thread somewhere Keith, but did you make the front door?

The solarium is beautiful. 

Barb


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> You may have covered this earlier in the thread somewhere Keith, but did you make the front door?
> 
> Barb


I tried to get my elves to build the door, but no luck. I think the door was made before I started the thread here, so it may not have been covered in any detail.

It was done in a similar style to a hot tub. With many staves about 2" wide and with a slight angle cut on each side. Then the staves were glued and screwed together to make the door. I made some curved backing pieces to lay the staves on while it was being assembled.

At two inches thick, that door is very heavy, in the vicinity of 90 pounds. That's why I have four 4" hinges holding it with 2 3/4" screws!


----------



## scoggy

*It Reminded me of...*

Keith, on my last 'go around BC and Alta', I was reminded of what eager minds can do when a job is given to them..like you and your project..and like the V swath the rock engineers made in the mountain at the new Kicking Horse bridge..both awesome, and incredible to see!
Cheers
Scoggy
PS Working on a deal for a GMC 671, for a Chev small block!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, on my last 'go around BC and Alta', I was reminded of what eager minds can do when a job is given to them..like you and your project..and like the V swath the rock engineers made in the mountain at the new Kicking Horse bridge..both awesome, and incredible to see!
> Cheers
> Scoggy
> PS Working on a deal for a GMC 671, for a Chev small block!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


It must have been a thousand years since I have been up that way Syd, but there just might be some travel time coming up next year. I'd very much like to see that new bridge in the flesh as it were.


----------



## cocobolo

Quick decision to make another trip to town this morning for some cedar and a couple of sheets of plywood. 

I just have to tell you about a funny experience I had while at Rona...kind of like Lowe's or the House of Pot.

I was just finishing up loading the cedar 2 x 4's and 1 x 6's, when this skinny kid drives up on a forklift.

"How's it goin' eh?" I love it when they have such a great command of the English language. 

"Very well, thank you. Do you have any 1/8" lauan plywood? DUUUDE."

"No, the thinnest we have is 1/4" hardboard man." (WTF does 1/4" hardboard have to do with lauan plywood?) Comments in brackets just in my head of course.

"I see, well sometimes it is known as doorskins and comes in a 3' by 7' size. DUUDE."

"Oh, yeah man, we got that, but it's 4' by 8'." (That's exactly what I was just asking for Einstein.)

So off we trundle to the doorskins, where the sign clearly shows lauan plywood in both 3' x 7' and 4' x 8' sizes. I must take credit here for educating Mr. Einstein that 1/8" plywood is, in fact, thinner than 1/4" hardboard.

"I need to get this cut smaller so it will fit in my minivan. DUUUDE."

"OK man, how do you need it cut?" 

"Well, I have my own handsaw with me, so I think I can just cut it myself if that's OK with you. DUUUDE."

"OK man, have a good day." And off he rides into the sunset with his forklift.

Sometimes I wonder who we are going to leave this world in charge of...

The main reason for today's trip was because we have a weeks' worth of rain in the forecast, so it was now or never. Five minutes after I arrived back home, the heavens opened up and it has been railing steadily ever since. It's nice to win one once in awhile.


----------



## forcedreno2012

I love coming here for a daily dose of "Eye candy". The Solarium looks awesome. Blinds are perfect. 

One day when I grow up I think I might try to bend some wood. I'm a coder and everything has to match and be square but you have really opened my eyes to making things not so square. :laughing:

Thinking about doing a half round island in the kitchen similar to how you have yours. Just trying to figure out if we want power there or not. 

Robyn


----------



## cocobolo

forcedreno2012 said:


> I love coming here for a daily dose of "Eye candy". The Solarium looks awesome. Blinds are perfect.
> 
> One day when I grow up I think I might try to bend some wood. I'm a coder and everything has to match and be square but you have really opened my eyes to making things not so square. :laughing:
> 
> Thinking about doing a half round island in the kitchen similar to how you have yours. Just trying to figure out if we want power there or not.
> 
> Robyn


Running power to the island is done (usually) from below. In this case, I had to run the wiring in the layer of foamboard which is between the subfloor and the 5/8" T & G plywood. I could have gone underneath the house, but room is definitely at a premium under there and I'm getting too old for that stuff.

I ran the water lines in the foamboard as well, but that was to give them a little protection from freezing should it get that cold here.

And yes, you will definitely want power at your kitchen counter. I have an outlet at each end and the propane stove starts with an electric igniter. If the inverter is asleep, I can always use a BBQ lighter.


----------



## scoggy

*"Interaction' with "Yard'guy"*

Keith, congratulations for not "ripping a strip' off of the "yard Dewb"..you are just lucky..he didn't ask you if you want.."Fries"..with that!! Glad I 'pushed' ..all My 'kids'..so they would not be ..there!!! Shower tiles are 1/2 way in..so by..2014, we will have a 'finish' party!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, congratulations for not "ripping a strip' off of the "yard Dewb"..you are just lucky..he didn't ask you if you want.."Fries"..with that!! Glad I 'pushed' ..all My 'kids'..so they would not be ..there!!! Shower tiles are 1/2 way in..so by..2014, we will have a 'finish' party!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


Nothing like that Syd...he was a nice enough kid, just needs a little real world education, that's all.


----------



## cocobolo

Seems like I managed to blow a whole day and not get much done. But I did get the drill press assembled and made some plugs. I forgot how long it takes to make those with a small press.

Pretty easy to tell the difference between red and yellow cedar.


----------



## cocobolo

And I did manage to cut about 250 small shingles, got them cut with the diamond tip and the first coat of varnish on some and paint on the other.


----------



## cocobolo

Also took a shot at moving the auxiliary outboard from the bracket to the transom. A job which should have taken 5 minutes... maybe. :no:

After loosening the two clamps which hold these things on, I went to lift the motor off the bracket, but it wasn't interested. There's a handle on the outboard - well, there was anyway - which is used to lift the motor and carry it around with. So you might think it would be reasonably strong. I grabbed the handle to lift the motor up, and me and the handle took a highly unceremonius dive on to the floor of the boat, while the motor just sat there very calmly. :furious:

Now, under normal circumstances, that broken handle would receive propulsion into the stratosphere the likes of which would make NASA proud, however, this time I let it live for another day.

It turned out that the tilt mechanism was rusted firmly in the upright position, and even after repeated attempts with a crowbar - a tool with which I am intimately acquainted I might add - it refused to move. So I sprayed a generous amount of every type of fluid I had on hand here, WD-40, liquid wrench, oil, old coffee and let it sit for awhile. Only then did it move at all, and just a small amount at that, even with the crowbar.

I did succeed in fixing it to the transom, and with the added leverage now available to pull on the motor, it eventually made it all the way up. But very stiff I must say. Moving it up and down a few times started to make it a little better, but I fear it will be permanently this way.

All this effort was in an attempt to be able to drive the skiff out to the sailboat to retrieve the plywood and lumber which I brought back yesterday. Unfortunately, the tide fell about 8" short of floating the boat, so all this effort was in vain...at least for today. Maybe tomorrow...


----------



## cocobolo

It's a little hard to tell what this is, but it's the middle wall from the old water tanks after it met its' demise courtesy of my chainsaw. Only hit about 10 nails, so the chain should be salvageable.


----------



## cocobolo

It seems that when the Ceanothus (California Lilac) bush blooms , the whole lot happens on the same day. The bees love these plants...dozens of them buzzing around it all day.


----------



## cocobolo

Both the tide and weather co-operated this afternoon, and I was able to bring back the lumber and plywood from the sailboat. The alleged 6hp motor acted more like a sick 2 horse. Maybe if I wipe out the barnacles it will improve. Still and all, it doesn't run well. I don't think that Dr. Al ever used the thing.


----------



## cocobolo

Not a very big load, just a dozen 2 x 4's and 10 1 x 6's. Can you believe I had to pay nine bucks for an 8' 2 x 4 cedar??? Criminal!


----------



## cocobolo

The whole lot fit easily on the lift for one trip.


----------



## cocobolo

We went through a number of iterations in the sky this afternoon, everything from bright sunshine, to a black cell over Cedar and Nanaimo. This guy was in there somewhere.


----------



## cocobolo

The small table by the steps to the solarium was treated to a 1/4" mahogany plywood top some time ago. It now has two coats of varnish and needs a few more. But it looks like it will turn out OK.


----------



## cocobolo

Immediately opposite the table is this cedar divider...now with three coats of varnish...still very wet here.


----------



## Amateuralex

Great updates.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy Keith, $9 for a 2X4 cedar, the only good side of that is it is furniture grade lumber compared to what we get down this way. The cedar 2Xs we get have so many knots in them it is ridiculous. By the way how do you power your lift, that is just way too cool.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Good gravy Keith, $9 for a 2X4 cedar, the only good side of that is it is furniture grade lumber compared to what we get down this way. The cedar 2Xs we get have so many knots in them it is ridiculous. By the way how do you power your lift, that is just way too cool.


Morning Jim...well, they have the nerve to call this cedar "select". I'm starting to think that we must have a definition problem here, this is hardly select. Not a single piece of this cedar is old growth. The end grain tells the story...all cut from very young trees just about out of the center of the tree. I did have to pick through a fairly new pile though, so at least I was able to get the best of a mediocre bunch.

The lift is an ancient 1 h.p. motor geared down with a chain drive, on an old steel skid. I picked it up about 15 years ago from a chap over in Nanaimo. Good thing I got it when I did, because I sure couldn't move it now! It weighs a ton.


----------



## BigJim

Select? If that were wider it would be FAS here. You should see some yellow pine 2X4s from the center of a tree, you can hear that thing twisting and bowing, if you don't nail it up quick it will crawl off.

That is just too neat Keith, you come up with some really cool stuff. If you happen to have your camera when close to the lift would you post a picture of the motor and mech, that would be interesting to see.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That is just too neat Keith, you come up with some really cool stuff. If you happen to have your camera when close to the lift would you post a picture of the motor and mech, that would be interesting to see.


If the weather is OK tomorrow Jim, I'll get a pic or two. I don't know what it was originally built for, but it's as tough as nails.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday I tried several different patterns for the mini shingles going inside the stairwell. This was about the only one that worked, but in the photo it doesn't look that good.

I tried using the air nailer with staples, but the gun was too potent and just blew the staples right through the shingles. Lowered the air pressure in the compressor and the gun setting, still no joy. So it looks like I will need to use some sort of glue. Silicone would work, but I don't know what I have here. A hot glue gun would work as well, and as luck would have it I had just moved the blue box containing the gun and glue sticks out to the sailboat to be moved away. So, it was another trip to the boat to retrieve it.


----------



## cocobolo

Prior to fixing the shingles to the wall, I painted it flat black.

I expect some of you know this little trick, but a few may not. 

If you are going to put something on a wall and there may be very tiny gaps, the lighter colour of the wall will show through and that doesn't look right. If you paint the wall like this, it eliminates or seriously reduces the lines coming through. Since most walls are drywall - not here of course - the white of the drywall really shows up.

The first time I used this was on a job up at the King Edward Hotel in Revelstoke where we were applying Laif to the walls at $1,000.00 a roll! Didn't need that to look tacky!


----------



## cocobolo

When I was varnishing the small tabletop yesterday, I noticed that it had not been glued down. Fixed that in a hurry...nothing like some heavy hardwood and a couple of solid guitar bodies along with the clamps to help.


----------



## cocobolo

It was cutout time for the carpet on the steps to the solarium yesterday as well.

I made paper patterns for the carpet, because of the irregular shapes. This is by far the easier of the two.


----------



## Amateuralex

I like where you're going with that stairwell!


----------



## cocobolo

Beautiful cumulus clouds over Vancouver Island yesterday afternoon. That's a good weather sign. However, we also had a halo around the sun earlier in the afternoon, which indicates rain within 24 hours. I guess today we will find out which one of mother nature's forecasts was right.


----------



## cocobolo

Amateuralex said:


> I like where you're going with that stairwell!


Thanks Alex, personally I have some reservations, but I guess later today we'll find out what it's going to look like. Fingers crossed.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim: It's still not yet 7 am here, but I went and took some pics of the lift for you anyway...here's how it works. This is pic of the thing just sitting there. You can see the big old motor at the back (left side), which drives a shaft by a rubber belt. That in turn has a chain drive on the near side which powers the drum that holds the wire.


----------



## cocobolo

Now you're looking down on top of the drum that holds the wire. The steel post sticking up in the air has the on/off reversing switch on top, and the lever sticking out of the right hand side is the brake.


----------



## cocobolo

By the way, that black plastic line in the previous pic is the main water line running from the communal well pump to the properties past my place out to the end of the spit.

OK, I think you might be able to make out the adjustment for the motor here. About every three or four years I have to tighten the belt drive up a bit. It's a pretty crude arrangement, but you loosen the bolts holding the motor on to the base and tighten up that long bolt pushing up against the motor.


----------



## cocobolo

Here you have a decent view of the belt drive from the motor to the middle shaft. The lever sticking up in the air is the clutch mechanism.


----------



## BrandonD

cocobolo said:


> By the way, that black plastic line in the previous pic is the main water line running from the communal well pump to the properties past my place out to the end of the spit.


Yikes! Awful close and exposed in a risky area! :laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

This is the brake which you apply as soon as the lift gets to the top of the track. If you forget, the lift starts on its' merry way back down again!


----------



## cocobolo

OK last one...usually the drum spreads the wire evenly across itself. But sometimes I don't get the wire in the right groove in the wood in the top of the track. It has worn a number of grooves over the years in the wood.

The on/off switch is operated in the time honoured fashion using a pair of pliers or vise grips, whichever is at hand. It used to have a plastic knob, but the sun degraded that over a period of years and it broke off.

Please note the weeds growing around the lift here, after all it has been sitting there for some 15 years. No extra charge for the weeds. The lift itself is prevented from going down the bank by an old rope which ties it to an even older tree stump. Don't laugh...it still works!


----------



## cocobolo

BrandonD said:


> Yikes! Awful close and exposed in a risky area! :laughing:


I'm not quite sure when that line was put in...but I do remember bringing over something like 900 feet of it from Nanaimo. The neighbour actually ran the line when I was away over in town. But it has been doing its' job all those years without complaint. Nobody except me and the otters ever walks around there anyway.


----------



## cocobolo

Today was the day to fit the carpet to the solarium stairs. So I very carefully made up a paper pattern, laid it on the back of the carpet, marked it out and cut it. Backwards!

Oh well, what's a little extra practice.


----------



## cocobolo

That was for the top step, the bottom step went a little better. Quite the shape to have to cut out.

The top carpet is gunned on, bottom one just has the underlay in place.


----------



## cocobolo

Nice sunny day here today, windy as well, but when I Varathaned the nosing pieces outside, they dried nice and quickly. Three coats all done in three hours.


----------



## cocobolo

By the end of the day I had the risers in, carpet on and the trim pieces installed. Quite a difference.


----------



## cocobolo

The round table to the left above got a piece of thin trim to cover the plywood edge grain. Now I need to get some cedar coloured wood filler for the nail holes. The nails were temporary, and have been removed now.


----------



## cocobolo

Spent some frustrating time trying to stick the small shingles in place. It seems there are good and bad glue guns, and mine is the latter. Doesn't want to feed the glue sticks, and not only that, but the sticks themselves seem to have swollen slightly. Can this really happen?

By the time I have enough glue on the shingle to hold it, it's no longer very warm. And I discovered that it doesn't seem to be terribly compatible with flat black paint. Maybe that's just because of the long time it takes to get the glue out of the gun. Looks like I need a new gun.

The pic looks worse than seeing this in person, but I'm still not crazy about the contrast between the varnished and painted shingles. I will finish it up in this pattern, then if I don't like it I'll just paint the whole lot.


----------



## cocobolo

Also on the agenda was some work in the bathroom. There needs to be some finishing woodwork applied all round the top of the walls. Yesterday the back wall was put in place.


----------



## cocobolo

Today the left wall got finished.


----------



## BigJim

That is a beautiful picture of Vancouver Island. 

I couldn't figure out how you worked your lift at first but it finally sunk in, that is a really neat set up Keith, I like that, there is no telling how much work it has saved you over the years. Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures and post them, I really appreciate it.

I am still in awe of how you had your log lift set up at your sawmill, that was some really good thinking.

Buddy, I like the looks of the shingles in the radius, it looks great. You are doing a fantastic job on your home, it makes me drool at all the beautiful wood and workmanship in your home. I looooove that table outside, it gets prettier every time I see it.


----------



## forcedreno2012

Love the shingles look. I also have a love hate relationship with glue guns and caulking guns. I usually end up with glue/caulk everywhere EXCEPT where I want it to go. 

Do you mind sharing where you got your foam mattress from? We are looking to get a custom sized one and have no idea where to start. 

Thanks 

Robyn


----------



## cocobolo

forcedreno2012 said:


> Love the shingles look. I also have a love hate relationship with glue guns and caulking guns. I usually end up with glue/caulk everywhere EXCEPT where I want it to go.
> 
> Do you mind sharing where you got your foam mattress from? We are looking to get a custom sized one and have no idea where to start.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Robyn


I brought back some construction adhesive today and tried that on the shingles. It looked OK for a little while, and then the shingles decided they would curl. I suppose that means that this adhesive is water based. It looks like that idea is down the drain. If I can find some silicone here I'll have a shot at that next. After that it will be contact cement...but I cannot find the can that I am sure is here somewhere...

The foam mattress was assembled from 6" foam, 1" memory foam and 2" of latex foam. I got the lot from John's Bedroom Barn in Nanaimo, just a little local outfit. They didn't have the stuff in stock (except for the 6" foam) and ordered it all from an outfit over in Vancouver, the name of which I do not know. I assembled the mattress in place after I got all the pieces over here.

I would look on the web if I were you, and do your homework well. The mattress is ever so comfortable, and I believe that is due to the latex more than anything else. Apparently, there are only two places which make this perforated latex and they ship it all over the world.

Don't let anyone tell you that memory foam is as good as or better than latex...not even close. But together, they are fantastic. You need a big budget for the latex by the way.


----------



## frenchelectrican

Bonjour Cocobolo.,

Wow ., Ya never run out of good idea with the projects like that and my daughter love one of the "checker board " you put up which we never see it like that before.

The funny thing about it is that my daughter's frenid want to know what website and I told her the website of this one and told them where to find it and they find it and they were floored what you been doing with it.

I think you did a wonderfull International favoured and I am pretty sure you got a good result of this.

Just wait until one of the well knowen magazine compaines will see your place and I am sure they will be equally floored or I don't know if you ever heard the tv show called " Extermae Homes " ( SP ) if not check it out I think it is on Discovery channel or Home Garden Channel not sure which one.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## Windows on Wash

Crazy carpentry work.

Really nice stuff and I am loving the progress.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi all, been away for a few days up to the interior of B.C. again, which will explain my tardiness in replying.

I used to watch "Extreme Homes" Marc, but I haven't for awhile. Some pretty interesting places on there, that's for sure.

I was bellyaching about the shingles curling up with the construction adhesive, but I see now that they have dried out that they have flattened themselves out again. Perhaps if I use a little less glue and a heat gun it may work faster.


----------



## BigJim

Hey buddy, good to see your smiling face back again.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Hey buddy, good to see your smiling face back again.


Hi Jim: I'm off to sleep for awhile. I took a few pics when I was up there, if they came out OK I can show you some of what I was up to...well, the legal stuff anyway! :whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

I don't remember if I mentioned the bumper for my '35 Chevy that Squid very generously gave me a couple of weeks ago. I took it up to Kamloops on Sunday...cleaned off the multi year accumulation of grime and gave it a quick polish. Came up pretty nicely for a 78 year old bumper. :thumbsup:

That stack of cedar it is sitting on is destined to become a deck surface this summer when I get up there.


----------



## cocobolo

Managed to find a few hours to help my buddy Ken install a nice new stainless steel exhaust system in his '67 Chevelle while I was there. Here's a pic of his Moser 12 bolt rear end, with 33 spline axles. Basically bulletproof, even with a 496 big block Chevy.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the beast...


----------



## cocobolo

Disc brakes all round. Everything is new...full body off frame restoration.


----------



## cocobolo

Some pretty nice billet hood hinges. Check out the little piston that holds the hood up.


----------



## BigJim

That is too cool Keith, that car should really get up.

A bumper that nice and especially for that price is a super deal. I bet it felt good working on the Chevy instead of wood for a change. Speaking of wood, that is going to make one sharp deck.

We must have posted about the same time. My stars, that is freaking beautiful buddy. I can say one thing for sure, he is flat out doing it right. Thanks for the pictures Keith, that made my night.


----------



## cocobolo

I think Ken's Chevelle has been seven years in the building. Heaven only knows how many hours or dollars are in this thing. His M/T street slicks and matching front tires just arrived as well. I'll get a couple of full car shots when it's out of the garage.


----------



## cocobolo

Nothing very exciting today so far. I got the window casings added around the three bathroom windows...one undercoat and one topcoat on so far. Needs a couple more topcoats.


----------



## cocobolo

There's a space at the top of the wall alongside the composting toilet which needs to be filled with a board full of holes.

It acts as a warm air vent when the woodstove is on. Natural convection lets the warm air rise inside the wall and exit at the top into the bathroom. It worked well last winter...not much need for a fire on at this time of year.


----------



## cocobolo

Nearly have the shingles done inside the stairwell. Now the little oddball bits have to be finished and after that the stair posts can be bolted back on again.

I should add that I did find a gallon of contact cement that I was dead certain was here and ended up using that to stick the shingles on. It worked a treat.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, you got it looking good. What do you have planned on the windows? Are you going to have them standing proud of that wall?


----------



## Windows on Wash

Nice.

More car stuff!!!


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Buddy, you got it looking good. What do you have planned on the windows? Are you going to have them standing proud of that wall?


Yes Jim...just a little, about 1/4" or so. I'm going to fill the small gap with caulking which I will paint when it's dry. That way any future small movement can be accommodated by the caulking.


----------



## cocobolo

Windows on Wash said:


> Nice.
> 
> More car stuff!!!


Yeah, I really shouldn't be doing that here. The rest of the '35 stuff will be on another website.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Nothing very exciting today so far. I got the window casings added around the three bathroom windows...one undercoat and one topcoat on so far. Needs a couple more topcoats.


Man, I am losing my grip, I did not see this picture. Just looking at the far left side of the windows it looks like the casings stand out 2 or more inches. Looking closer I can see they don't, sorry buddy.

When you do start your car thread I will be right there on the front row drooling.


----------



## cocobolo

No worries Jim, I like to hide things from the mods once in awhile!!! 

Time to do something about the little top in the corner today. Got it cleaned up a bit, fitted a new top out of the lauan plywood, and here they are with the contact cement on drying.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that was stuck on properly, I made up the veneer piece for the edge and cemented that on as well. I use the dead blow hammer to smack the edge on with, as that takes out all the air that may get caught when the contact cement is used.

Trimmed the top edge of the veneer, sanded it smooth, sanded the top and gave it the first coat of varnish.


----------



## cocobolo

Finished all the oddball bits and pieces of the shingles in the stairwell. Now I can put the stair posts back and get on with the handrail. Also made up a trim piece for the corner of the wall to the right of the stairwell.


----------



## cocobolo

The round table at the other end of the solarium was a bit more tricky. The plywood top needs to go under the cedar boards surrounding the top. That makes it impossible to use contact cement because the top needs to be slid under the cedar. That won't happen after the contact cement hits. So it was white glue, some weight and a few clamps.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, that is yacht quality, fantastic craftsmanship, I can't wait to see a walk through of your home.


----------



## fixrite

cocobolo said:


> a few clamps.


We need to get the few thing figured out here.............lol:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> We need to get the few thing figured out here.............lol:laughing:


I was just checking to see if you were paying attention!!! :jester:


----------



## fixrite

when it comes to your thread one can only pay attention. Your work is nothing short of awesome. You make me want to be a better craftsman.:thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> when it comes to your thread one can only pay attention. Your work is nothing short of awesome. You make me want to be a better craftsman.:thumbup:


Well, thank you for that, but I've seen your work...remember? That has to be some of the best that has ever passed in front of my eyes. :thumbup:


----------



## fixrite

why thank you for the compliment. Today I am installing 2 !/2 in Valves in my pool inlet and outlets to isolate the flow of water so I don't have any more cracked valves. One got hit by freezing weather and cost me $ 85.00 so I don't want a repeat of that. Was surprised that a valve that size would freeze and split. Will post a pic of it when I remove it.


----------



## fixrite

Here is the culprit


----------



## fixrite

oppsss sorry about the size error, it's a 1 1/2 inch valve.


----------



## cocobolo

Well, how about that. We had exactly the same valve here on the wellhead a few years ago, and it split open as well. I think it was the year that we went down to -14ºC here. All the valves have survived since then.


----------



## fixrite

I have replaced it with a plastic one and then installed 2 more ( one for input the other output). That way I can shut the water off to the pump and filter and empty those lines so I don't have to worry about freezing ever again....woohooo.


----------



## cocobolo

I can't remember if I put another stainless steel valve at the wellhead or not, but I do know that all the lines which feed off the main line from the well have plastic valves on. As far as I know, none of them have blown up. I got mine from the House of Pot.


----------



## cocobolo

More small stuff done today.

The divorce hole is getting covered with mocha painted plywood to tidy it up before the posts go in.


----------



## cocobolo

First post in was the corner post. Don't know why, but it refused to go in straight. I ended up enlarging the bolt holes just a tad so it could be tweaked a bit.


----------



## cocobolo

The next two posts should have been dead easy to install...but it seems that all the posts want to cause trouble today. I think part of the problem is that the lag screws I'm using are 1/2" by 6". That's a pretty skookum chunk of steel. I would use smaller, but there aren't any here that would do the job.

I also think that the wood I'm drilling out for the screws has become hardened since I cut it and installed it several years ago. One thing is for sure, the posts aren't going anywhere.


----------



## cocobolo

On the other side of the hole, there are two sections of the ceiling as yet not covered with cedar. Before the mocha plywood can be installed on that side, the ceiling needs to be done. It seems there's always some little thing to disrupt the proceedings today.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, now that is done, we can carry on with the plywood facing...tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

The round table in the solarium got treated to the lauan plywood top today, along with the bits just above it. No more spruce plywood to look at!


----------



## cocobolo

Yes, I managed to get the table and surround varnished just before dark. never really a good time to take pics, but...


----------



## cocobolo

One of the Japanese irises which opened up today.


----------



## cocobolo

I got asked a question about the iris pic above as to how the "shadow" appeared around the flower. 

That's not natural of course, but when I took the pic it was fairly late in the evening and the light was just about gone. 

In the process of fixing the photo for publication I was doing the adjusting in iPhoto, and I think it was probably the "highlights" button that brought that artifact out. I don't think that would happen with a decent daylight pic.


----------



## cocobolo

This is from June 2nd. The sun is now setting way around towards the north in the evening.


----------



## cocobolo

There has been a hole between the kitchen and bathroom floors forever it seems. Great dirt catcher!

I made up a piece of arbutus to fit and got that put in...plugged the countersunk holes and it has the first Varathane coat on now.


----------



## cocobolo

From two nights ago (June 3rd)...now I have to go around to Herring Bay to see the sunset.


----------



## cocobolo

Getting closer to having the railing around the big hole. Starting to do the test fitting here.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the other half sitting in place. I tried to load this earlier, but it seems that the chatroom went on vacation.


----------



## cocobolo

The last steps to be done are in the front entrance. Up at 4:30 this morning with the goal of finishing them before breakfast.

The cedar on the side wasn't done, the top two arbutus cap boards weren't made, the riser covers weren't there and so on.

To make a long story short, brekky was at 9:15!


----------



## fixrite

cocobolo said:


> I got asked a question about the iris pic above as to how the "shadow" appeared around the flower.
> 
> That's not natural of course, but when I took the pic it was fairly late in the evening and the light was just about gone.
> 
> In the process of fixing the photo for publication I was doing the adjusting in iPhoto, and I think it was probably the "highlights" button that brought that artifact out. I don't think that would happen with a decent daylight pic.


Yes Keith it is the highlights feature button on your photo software. It can sometimes highlight too much. It tried to enhance by adding more colour to the pixels. BTW railings look great.


----------



## creeper

I would love to see the place inside and out with all its character and charm.

Maybe if we all chipped in you could splurge for a photographer to come and shoot a virtual tour..like the kind Realtors use


----------



## forcedreno2012

Wow the railing is amazing Keith.


----------



## cocobolo

creeper said:


> I would love to see the place inside and out with all its character and charm.
> 
> Maybe if we all chipped in you could splurge for a photographer to come and shoot a virtual tour..like the kind Realtors use


You may not have to wait too long. I have a realtor coming over here next week to list the place. I don't know if he does the virtual tour thing or not, but he does shoot lots of pics. But then, so do I.


----------



## cocobolo

forcedreno2012 said:


> Wow the railing is amazing Keith.


Thanks...I spent some more time on it today.

I got the rail fastened to the posts, got the countersunk holes all plugged, and after the glue dried got the plugs rasped and sanded down.

As you can guess by the pic it got a coat of varnish, but it was getting pretty dark by the time I was done and took the pic. I'll see if I can get a better version tomorrow.


----------



## Amateuralex

Amazing.


----------



## Windows on Wash

cocobolo said:


> Thanks...I spent some more time on it today.
> 
> I got the rail fastened to the posts, got the countersunk holes all plugged, and after the glue dried got the plugs rasped and sanded down.
> 
> As you can guess by the pic it got a coat of varnish, but it was getting pretty dark by the time I was done and took the pic. I'll see if I can get a better version tomorrow.





Amateuralex said:


> Amazing.


+1000

Flipping awesome. 

:thumbup:


----------



## creeper

cocobolo said:


> You may not have to wait too long. I have a realtor coming over here next week to list the place. I don't know if he does the virtual tour thing or not, but he does shoot lots of pics. But then, so do I.


I'm sure the lucky Realtor will realize his extreme good fortune the second he steps off the boat and order the tour.

It will be absolutely priceless.

Wishing you the very best of luck in the future


----------



## fixrite

Keith I have a favor to ask of you, if you would be so kind to help me identify these two items. thanks in advance.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith I have a favor to ask of you, if you would be so kind to help me identify these two items. thanks in advance.


Well, the truth is I don't have the foggiest idea what either one is. :jester: They may not even be woodworking tools.

But I'm going to hazard a guess that the bottom one might be something to do with leatherwork...as in it's used as a punch of sorts for decoration. Most likely has a completely different use.

Possibly an old grout removal tool as well.

What I would suggest is that you send the pics off to Lee Valley who will no doubt tell you exactly what they are.


----------



## cocobolo

OK, I'm going to back up a bit here and show you how the railing found it's way to where it is now, and how the rails to hold the glass in place (not yet done) are to be cut.

At over 20 feet long and somewhat heavy - not to mention extremely awkward to handle by oneself - it wasn't a bad idea to fabricate something to prevent the freshly minted handrails from falling off. They did have to get shifted around, and I simply couldn't afford for them to go south at that point.

So I made up some plywood cutouts which clamped to all the posts to make sure nothing untoward happened.


----------



## cocobolo

Now the railings could be slid back and forth as necessary in preparation for cutting. I clamped both top and bottom parts together and did the job with one of my trusty Japanese saws using a nice new blade.

I have to tell you this was one of the most nerve wracking jobs I have ever done. One slip and all that work would have gone down the drain. :sweatdrop:


----------



## cocobolo

Next up was to drill some countersunk holes - two per post - to attach the handrails with.

I cut these posts many years ago on the sawmill, and the fir was getting pretty solid. So, even with tapered drill bits, it was an excellent idea to wax the screws before installation.

I tried just one without the wax..no go senorita.


----------



## cocobolo

I had a tub full of pre-cut plugs in both red and yellow cedar, as well as a few in arbutus...just in case. However, all the holes were drilled in cedar. So the red plugs went in red cedar and the yellow plugs into the yellow cedar. if you line up the grain as closely as possible, it serves two purposes. Firstly, it serves to hide the plug better, and secondly keeping the grain inline helps with the shrinking/swelling of the seasons. Admittedly, it isn't much, especially with varnished railings, but every little bit helps.


----------



## cocobolo

One other spot that had managed to elude my attention for the past few weeks was the handrail on the stairs. I had drilled three holes in the railing to attach to the post. Hated doing that to that pristine handrail...but you gotta do what you gotta do.


----------



## cocobolo

These next few pics are going to be boring as hell to most of you, so just flip on down until you find something of interest.

But if you have ever tried (or are planning on trying) to install rails against posts which have a variety of different angles, then these may be of use to you.

The squished oval shape on the floor obviously means that all the angles of the posts will most likely be wildly different. And that indeed was the case. So here is how you lay out for the cuts.

The boards here are 2 x 4 red cedar, unquestionably some of the most overpriced I've ever seen. Particularly since they aren't even cut from old growth trees and came from an inland sawmill!

There will always be a favoured side for any board, and you will want to have the good side aiming toward the most often viewed side.

These boards have already had a dado cut made where the glass will fit.

Put your selected board up against the posts...check to see if there are any knots that can be eliminated at the ends by moving the board back and forth. In other words, pick the best possible wood that you can before you do the layout.

Sit the board up against two posts, on edge and _upside down._ Draw a line on the board against the post at both ends and make sure you don't move the board before getting the second line marked.


----------



## cocobolo

Now comes the tricky part.

You need to determine how far in on the posts that you wish to attach the rails. At first glance, you might think you want the rails right in the center of the posts, but in this case, I need them closer to the floor side to keep the space between the floor and the rail as small as possible where the curve widens. Don't worry, it will all make sense later...I hope.

Where the rail is at a large angle with the post, you can bring the cut further _away_ from the post. Where the angle is similar, be very careful to keep the cut _close_ to the post line.

I use a small Japanese square to assist in this process.

In this pic I am holding the square against the rail, with the tip of the square against the post. Make a small tick mark on your wood. You will see the mark in the next pic.


----------



## cocobolo

To mark the cut line on the rail, hold the square flush against the post. Now you can see the small tick mark I put on the rail.

Note that I'm keeping the cut line just slightly to the post side of that mark. After you have botched up a few of these cuts, you will find out that it is way easier to cut a small amount off to get it perfect, than it is to have to glue 1/16" back on! Therefore, when in doubt, cut it a bit too long. You won't regret it.


----------



## cocobolo

This pic shows a post where the angle is much closer, and therefore the cut must be made closer to the post. Just follow the same layout procedure as before.


----------



## cocobolo

Unfortunately, my big miter saw is not here, and the one I have does not quite make it through a 2 x 4 (3 1/2") in a single cut.


----------



## cocobolo

Rather than try flipping the board end for end and upside down, it was far easier to hold the Japanese saw against the near side of the cut and zip it off by hand.


----------



## cocobolo

One handy suggestion is to write the angle of your cut right on the end of every board.

You will want to know this when you go to cut the top boards. Now don't go jumping to conclusions and thinking that you can just cut two boards exactly the same, because it is highly likely that they will be different lengths. Not only that, but remember that you will need each pair of boards to have the dado on top of the bottom board and the bottom of the top board.


----------



## cocobolo

All 12 of the boards are cut here and are sitting in their respective pairs where they belong.

When cutting the top boards, hold the bottom board (already cut) where the top board will go. This will let you know if you need to either lengthen or shorten the top board. Adjust the length up or down on your top board and you're ready to cut.


----------



## cocobolo

Since it is remarkably easy to get these boards mixed up, put a number on each board so you know where it belongs.


----------



## cocobolo

Now, wasn't that just the most thrilling explanation you ever heard? No, I didn't think so either.

Anyway, the colour of this cedar was so nondescript that I decided to use a mahogany stain to see if there would be any improvement. A test on a short piece of scrap seemed to help, so I went ahead and did the lot. Here's the first couple.


----------



## cocobolo

I have a question for all you chemical type geniuses. I was cleaning off a sheet of re-cycled glass and ran into a snag.

It had that black crud all round the edge where it was stuck into a window frame in a previous life.

I remember reading that WD 40 would get that stuff off, but I only had liquid wrench on hand, so I used that instead.

Boy, did that ever work! Spray it on, wipe with a paper towel, black crud removed instantly. 

However, when I went to clean the glass with glass cleaner, it made a God awful very sticky mess. It seems to me that the overspray from the liquid wrench is definitely not compatible with glass cleaner.

Does anyone know why that may be?


----------



## cocobolo

While I was out the back today, I spotted this guy cruising around the bay and watched him land. Here's two shots, one close up and cropped and the other with a 300mm zoom all the way out (uncropped) just so you can see how far away he was.


----------



## cocobolo

The latest on the railing is that it now has 5 coats of varnish and is looking decidedly better. :thumbup: Just a couple more coats to go.


----------



## BigJim

Oh wow, just fantastic buddy, that is beautiful and that view across the bay is unreal. If the Realtor hasn't seen this yet, boy are they going to be blown away. 

I know what you mean about sweating bullets making that cut, I had to put a profile on a tangent rail I built several years back and one slip and a tremendous amount of time and work down the drain, I was doing some shaking when I finished.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Oh wow, just fantastic buddy, that is beautiful and that view across the bay is unreal. If the Realtor hasn't seen this yet, boy are they going to be blown away.


The realtor has lived over on Gabriola island for many years Jim, and he visited my place last fall when Jon Thorpe came out from Toronto to look at another place on Ruxton. He sells a good portion of what goes on the island here.

It's always the first timers who walk away shaking their heads.


----------



## Windows on Wash

As always...crazy good work.

I love seeing your updates.


----------



## cocobolo

Windows on Wash said:


> As always...crazy good work.
> 
> I love seeing your updates.


Thank you again. Very nearly finished now, probably about another month of work and that will be it for this place.

Next to finish will be the glass around the big hole. I have the panes for the front side, towards the windows, but not the back side, towards the bed. I should be bringing them back next week sometime. Hopefully before the realtor arrives!


----------



## gma2rjc

Excellent work Keith. The rail looks gorgeous!


----------



## drtbk4ever

Hey Keith,

Hard to imagine the end of this project is within sight. We were all hoping it would go on forever.

So what is the plan for "after Ruxton"?


----------



## cocobolo

drtbk4ever said:


> Hey Keith,
> 
> Hard to imagine the end of this project is within sight. We were all hoping it would go on forever.


Gee, have a little sympathy for the old guy, will ya? I think 16 years building here is more than enough for anyone. 

But I cannot say it hasn't been a great place to live, but more so to work. Maybe the best thing here is almost NO government interference. :thumbsup:

How long that will last remains to be seen. The powers that be have recently sent a team of engineers over here to try to figure out where a public dock might be constructed. I don't know what the local populace will think about that, nor do I suppose it will make any difference what the locals think. Governments always do pretty much what they want anyway. 

I'll be offline for the next three days, back again on Thursday, so it's going to be up to all you guys to keep the thread alive while I'm gone. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

I just noticed that the previous post number is 7777. How about that.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I just noticed that the previous post number is 7777. How about that.


That is a sign of great luck. 

Be safe buddy.


----------



## Amateuralex

cocobolo said:


> Thank you again. Very nearly finished now, probably about another month of work and that will be it for this place.
> 
> Next to finish will be the glass around the big hole. I have the panes for the front side, towards the windows, but not the back side, towards the bed. I should be bringing them back next week sometime. Hopefully before the realtor arrives!


Excellent, so a month or two before groundbreaking and foundation work on the next place? :wink:


----------



## handyman_squire

I would just like to say your wood working skills are unreal! feel free to come my place and work your magic.


----------



## fixrite

Keith will you be installing curved glass or straight glass as it does seem to have a bit of a curve on that opening?


----------



## cocobolo

Amateuralex said:


> Excellent, so a month or two before groundbreaking and foundation work on the next place? :wink:


Ach, nooo, I dinna think so Laddie.


----------



## cocobolo

handyman_squire said:


> I would just like to say your wood working skills are unreal! feel free to come my place and work your magic.


Thank you for the most generous offer, but I think I'm booked for the rest of my life already!

I don't remember seeing you on the thread before, so a big welcome and thank you for the kind comment.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith will you be installing curved glass or straight glass as it does seem to have a bit of a curve on that opening?


There's no doubt the opening has quite a curve, but I can just imagine the cost of getting curved glass made up and then having to make up curved rails to hold it.

So straight glass glass it is with straight rails. I picked up the glass on the return trip this afternoon. Going to try to tackle the installation tomorrow.


----------



## cocobolo

It seems that every year the month of June doesn't give us the best weather.

However, we did have a pretty fair sunset on the 9th...I just didn't quite catch it in time.


----------



## cocobolo

The garden is going crazy right now, everything is rocketing up. The Asian lilies look like they will be a good show this year.


----------



## cocobolo

I took a shot of the solarium from overhead after the railing was in. Something to lean on now to get a steady pic.


----------



## cocobolo

The realtor (Trevor) was over a few days ago, and he had a ball taking all kinds of pics. I haven't seen them yet, but I went around after he left and shot a few of the way Mrs. Coco set the place up. I have to give her credit, she did a terrific job.

One of the solarium taken from part way up the stairs.


----------



## cocobolo

Shot of the front entrance from the dining area.


----------



## cocobolo

A few of the general dining/kitchen area.


----------



## cocobolo

A couple shot from the solarium.


----------



## cocobolo

Looking from the solarium out to the breakfast nook in the back.


----------



## cocobolo

Looking toward the front entrance from the solarium. There are seven doors to get in and out of this house!!!


----------



## Lagerhead

Wow!!!


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, I knew it was going to look good but man oh man it looks fantastic, that is just breath taking Keith, you da man!!! Thanks for the great pictures. Just unreal, Judy said we were going to have to save these pictures.


----------



## Lagerhead

Coco, I looked at the listing for your piece of art. You sir, are going to be one severely *underpaid* individual!


----------



## Amateuralex

Holy wow. Amazing.


----------



## cocobolo

Gentlemen: Thank you for your comments.

A few more photos to follow for your perusal and possible enjoyment. I hope you like...


----------



## cocobolo

Taken from inside the kitchen. The place has a nice wide open feeling to it laid out as it is.


----------



## cocobolo

This is the view you get as you come in the kitchen door.


----------



## cocobolo

The dining area, nice view outside from here. :thumbsup:

The antique table and chairs were retained by Mrs. Coco from when she used to have an antique furniture store in her past life. These items are built to last for hundreds of years...and they weigh a ton!


----------



## cocobolo

The back wall of the front entrance.

The barley twist table is another piece from Mrs. Coco saved from her furniture days.


----------



## cocobolo

And this is a close up of the needlepoint "Spirit of the Eagle" which was stitched by my Mum a few years before she passed away.


----------



## cocobolo

This one is of the living room area taken from right in front of the kitchen counter.

That antique desk/bookcase has an interesting story behind it.

Many years ago, when our family first arrived in Canada, we looked after an apartment building at 7th and Quebec in Vancouver. The building has now attained heritage status and is named the "Quebec manor".

During our tenure as managers (my job was to clean out the garbage chutes every day!) one of the tenants was leaving the building and he offered this piece and another similar one to my parents for the princely sum of $50.00. My cheap old man paid him $40.00 for the pair. 

That was 53 years ago. They were willed to me when my parents passed on.


----------



## cocobolo

I think you have seen this before...the end of the stairs.


----------



## cocobolo

A shot of the king size bed I made...boy do I love this thing. Sure going to miss it when I leave here. It has a new set of clothes now.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's the official sign up on the arbutus tree right in front of the round deck overlooking the Stuart Channel.


----------



## cocobolo

Nothing to do with the house...but yesterday afternoon we had some interesting weather to be sure.

I took this one when the clouds and rain had moved south, and you can see the rain coming down over Ladysmith and Chemainus. Calm water and blue sky right here at the time.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy Keith, just unreal. Just wait til everyone else sees your home.


----------



## Windows on Wash

That house has such a warm feel with all the materials being used in it.


----------



## cocobolo

Windows on Wash said:


> That house has such a warm feel with all the materials being used in it.


You're absolutely right. :thumbsup:

It was done very intentionally and we went to considerable lengths to make sure that nothing went in that would clash with the general overall warm trend. Mrs. Coco was trained at an English art school in the use of colours, so we made good use of her expertise.


----------



## forcedreno2012

I could spend all day searching for suitable adjectives to describe the quality of work and the end result but I think I will just use the ole standby... I think It will work here.


Holy !!


Just wow mate. its incredible how it all pulls together.


Robyn


----------



## cocobolo

forcedreno2012 said:


> Holy !!
> 
> 
> Robyn


Works for me!


----------



## Startingover

Amazing. You must be a genius. 

I loved 'Wind in the Willow' and wish I had a Toad Hall in my yard, like yours.


----------



## cocobolo

Startingover said:


> Amazing. You must be a genius.
> 
> I loved 'Wind in the Willow' and wish I had a Toad Hall in my yard, like yours.


Well, thank you very much and welcome. Mrs. Coco is responsible for the Toad Hall.


----------



## jules4

Hi Keith!

I happened to be in the neighbourhood and thought I'd drop by for old-times sake. Your house is beyond spectacular - looks like heaven in fact - I wish I could live there :thumbup:

Sadly I'm pretty much out of the DIY game now since I went and got myself employed (the pay check's all well and good, but it really cuts into my free time ). 

Julia


----------



## Bud Cline

jules4 said:


> Hi Keith!
> Sadly I'm pretty much out of the DIY game now since I went and got myself employed (the pay check's all well and good, but it really cuts into my free time ).


Oh boy.......I can relate to that! Having to go to a real job and actually stay there for forty hours a week is a real stress on my lifestyle too. Being employed sucks. Fortunately my bank accounts have stabilized like never before but still.........

Keith I can't say anything about your home that hasn't already been said but from a peon-carpenter to a master craftsman carpenter: I can feel both your pain and your satisfaction in such an accomplishment. That place is beautiful. You da man!:wink:


----------



## Thunderstorm

Hey coco.
Very nice house, i read this whole thread, took me weeks but i got there.
anyhoo, check this video of a gag show.
Look at the person at 13:36, wouldn't be you would it?
lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmvtJxZEOdE

Thanks
Peter


----------



## cocobolo

Thunderstorm said:


> Hey coco.
> Very nice house, i read this whole thread, took me weeks but i got there.
> anyhoo, check this video of a gag show.
> Look at the person at 13:36, wouldn't be you would it?
> lol
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmvtJxZEOdE
> 
> Thanks
> Peter


Pretty funny...but no, it isn't me. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Well, congratulations on managing to get all the way through the thread...that's a definite commitment of your time that's for sure. And as always to new subscribers...welcome! I hope that you might have found something useful in here somewhere.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Oh boy.......I can relate to that! Having to go to a real job and actually stay there for forty hours a week is a real stress on my lifestyle too. Being employed sucks. Fortunately my bank accounts have stabilized like never before but still.........
> 
> Keith I can't say anything about your home that hasn't already been said but from a peon-carpenter to a master craftsman carpenter: I can feel both your pain and your satisfaction in such an accomplishment. That place is beautiful. You da man!:wink:


Hi Bud...haven't had the pleasure of your words of wisdom for a little while. Glad to hear your bank account(s) PLURAL bank accounts??? are doing well!

Still have a little bit of grouting to get finished...and I may actually get that done today and tomorrow. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I guess the first thing I should do is to wish all my Canadian friends


_* Happy Canada Day!*_


----------



## cocobolo

Next thing will be to show the hanging gadgets I am making to hold three Asian style lanterns in the bedroom.

The lights will be installed above the curved beam using LED light bulbs. I'll need those to keep the lights cool, as the lanterns are made of paper.

I hope the photos are self explanatory, but if not, the holders will be screwed onto the framing above the beam and simply have the lights hanging down a short distance.

I still have the shaping and finishing to do yet...this is the first one roughed out only.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> i guess the first thing i should do is to wish all my canadian friends
> 
> 
> _* happy canada day!*_


*Happy Canada Day Y'all!!!*


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> *Happy Canada Day Y'all!!!*


Well, I don't know Jim, but you did manage to get it all into lower case...!


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> Hi Bud...haven't had the pleasure of your words of wisdom for a little while. Glad to hear your bank *account(s)* PLURAL bank accounts??? are doing well!
> 
> Still have a little bit of grouting to get finished...and I may actually get that done today and tomorrow. :thumbsup:


 
*"Bank account(s)"* *?*
WHOOPS!!! I missed that! That would have been a typo I suppose.


----------



## cocobolo

*Happy Independence Day!
To all my good American friends, Hope you enjoy your July 4th holiday!
*​


----------



## cocobolo

Getting down to the nitty gritty now, mostly little stuff to finish up. I made a nice cover piece for where the wood joint was on the top wall, nice improvement.


----------



## cocobolo

You know how you avoid fixing things that are out of sight? 

Right at the top of the stairs to the roof just about nothing has been done since day 1. No sills or casings around the windows, one of the walls isn't even covered with cedar and it's a general mess.


----------



## cocobolo

While I didn't get it all done yesterday, I did make some window sills and got the side casings done. What a difference. Still some mess to tidy up and the wall isn't covered yet.

It's a very difficult place to get a pic of, so apologies for that.


----------



## cocobolo

Not a very good morning for my pal Tim on the other side of the bay this morning.

When I got up I saw his boat had broken off his mooring overnight in the wind and had blown up on the rocks. So I shot him off an email and he came down and tied the boat to something, couldn't quite see what.

I have a spare mooring here so I think I'll offer it to Tim if he needs it.


----------



## cocobolo

Oh dear...just heard back from Tim and apparently the leg/prop is wedged right in a crack in the rocks. Low tide in another 2 1/2 hours, so we'll see what we come up with. I've offered the use of a chain hoist and my 4' Jackall if it will help.


----------



## BigJim

I hope it turns out well for your friend Keith, let us know how it turns out.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I hope it turns out well for your friend Keith, let us know how it turns out.


Hi Jim...well, we just spent a couple of hours over at Tim's boat. We have it secured better now and the leg is out of the crack in the rocks. Tim was able to lift the motor so it shouldn't sustain any more damage when the tide comes in. One of the blades on the prop is a bit dinged up...and wouldn't you know it, it's a brand new prop.

A few more hours before the tide will be high enough to help, so now we just wait.

Back to work making the boards for the wall upstairs.


----------



## BigJim

Thanks for letting us know Keith, that is the pits on the prop, hopefully it won't affect the performance.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Thanks for letting us know Keith, that is the pits on the prop, hopefully it won't affect the performance.


I don't think the prop is the real problem Jim. 

Tim took a nasty tumble about 6 feet off one of the seaweed covered rocks. He has hurt his back and his ribs and one knee. I'm trying to convince him that he doesn't need to perform any heroics this afternoon, and that I will keep an eye on the boat situation for him.

I will let you know what happens later.


----------



## cocobolo

Well folks...everyone will be glad to hear that we got the boat off without incident this afternoon.

Tim, however, might have one or more cracked ribs. He's pretty sure nothing is broken...although he's in some considerable pain.

Just got an email from him and the motor ran flawlessly on the return trip, not even any vibration out of the prop - which may be OK after all.


----------



## forcedreno2012

Glad he is okay...sounds like it will be a while for acrobatics for him. Good thing you were able to help.


----------



## frenchelectrican

Cracked ribs? that going be pretty good pain and I think it will be wise have Tim to go to the doctor to check it out to make sure somecase bone fragement can do some hidden damage and you will not know until too late.

The pain can last about couple weeks and it will be little hard to breath for while and have him use very loose clothes on so it will not put any stress on the rib.

I have broke the ribs before it was pretty strong pain so I know how it is.

( broke at bottom of ribcage that is pretty strong pain area ) 

Merci,
Marc


----------



## HARRY304E

frenchelectrican said:


> Cracked ribs? that going be pretty good pain and I think it will be wise have Tim to go to the doctor to check it out to make sure somecase bone fragement can do some hidden damage and you will not know until too late.
> 
> The pain can last about couple weeks and it will be little hard to breath for while and have him use very loose clothes on so it will not put any stress on the rib.
> 
> I have broke the ribs before it was pretty strong pain so I know how it is.
> 
> ( broke at bottom of ribcage that is pretty strong pain area )
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


I did that and it took a good month till the pain and being able to breathe good subsided..


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy Keith, that is bad news about Tim, I hope he mends quickly. Let us know how he gets along.


----------



## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Cracked ribs? that going be pretty good pain and I think it will be wise have Tim to go to the doctor to check it out to make sure some cases bone fragment can do some hidden damage and you will not know until too late.
> 
> The pain can last about couple weeks and it will be little hard to breath for while and have him use very loose clothes on so it will not put any stress on the rib.
> 
> I have broke the ribs before it was pretty strong pain so I know how it is.
> 
> ( broke at bottom of ribcage that is pretty strong pain area )
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


Yes Marc...I hear you loud and clear.

Three times I have been through the rib experience and it doesn't get any better with practice! 

He tried taking a handful of Ibuprofen yesterday when he was here, but it didn't have any effect.


----------



## cocobolo

HARRY304E said:


> I did that and it took a good month till the pain and being able to breathe good subsided..


That's really a lot of the trouble, isn't it? You go to take a deep breath and it hurts like hell.

Fortunately, Tim is off work right now, so he doesn't have to do anything too strenuous...except voluntarily of course.

Welcome to the thread!


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Good gravy Keith, that is bad new about Tim, I hope he mends quickly. Let us know how he gets along.


...morning Jim.

Tim is about 6' 6" tall, so I don't know what effect that will have on him. He was trying to convince me that his back was fine when he left, although when I checked it for him one of the vertebra was protruding slightly where he had landed on the rock. I'm betting he wakes up this morning not feeling quite so great.

He'll be back to the island in a couple or three weeks, so we'll have a chat when he returns.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> ...morning Jim.
> 
> Tim is about 6' 6" tall, so I don't know what effect that will have on him. He was trying to convince me that his back was fine when he left, although when I checked it for him one of the vertebra was protruding slightly where he had landed on the rock. I'm betting he wakes up this morning not feeling quite so great.
> 
> He'll be back to the island in a couple or three weeks, so we'll have a chat when he returns.


Hopefully that wasn't his spine protruding, if so he has got problems. Thanks for letting us know.


----------



## frenchelectrican

cocobolo said:


> Yes Marc...I hear you loud and clear.
> 
> Three times I have been through the rib experience and it doesn't get any better with practice!
> 
> He tried taking a handful of Ibuprofen yesterday when he was here, but it didn't have any effect.


The common Ibuprofen over the counter verison is not very strong unless the Doctour prescribe #3 or #4 Ibprofen or aspirn ( keep in your mind this is " industrial " strength level which it have a very nice side effect with it.)

I hope nothing serious on that.

Merci,
Marc


----------



## cocobolo

More progress today on the work effort...

The top of the tower has now been successfully completed, save for some carpet on the top three treads, which I hope to be able to rustle up tomorrow.

The narrow cedar boards for the wall under and alongside the single window came out quite nicely.


----------



## cocobolo

After filling the shop vac with all manner of detritus, I put a white undercoat of paint on the stairs and floor section.


----------



## cocobolo

The blank spot under the door now has a nice arbutus board below, the sill has been extended with some red cedar, the side trims were fashioned from old growth red cedar and have generally improved the look of the area.

Since taking these pics, I have added a topcoat of paint to the steps and floor, and the first coat of urethane is on all the fresh cedar. Hopefully, tomorrow will see the other finish coats on and that will be that. Another 14 1/2 hour day done.


----------



## gma2rjc

That's a loooong work day Keith! You'll be glad when you can walk 
through the house and not see things that need to be finished.

I really like the style of that door. Everything is looking great!


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> That's a loooong work day Keith! You'll be glad when you can walk
> through the house and not see things that need to be finished.
> 
> I really like the style of that door. Everything is looking great!


Ha! I wonder if you ever _really _finish a house like this? But at least the list is getting smaller and the items to be done are not so imposing.

Off to do the next urethane coat upstairs now.


----------



## cocobolo

As most of you know, the inner hand rail on the lower stairs has been a thorn in my side for awhile now.

I had made up a set of pieces to do the whole thing, but it just didn't look right...so that lot became expensive firewood.

The trouble is that the radius is very tight, and it's difficult, to say the least, to get wood to behave itself in a case like this.

This meant that I needed to make up all new pieces which were thinner so they didn't look so bulky. It was an appearance thing really.

So the process is going something like this. I milled some new wood to be thinner than the first batch. Cut it roughly to shape and after somewhat of a battle got the whole lot screwed together. Only part of the batch on here.


----------



## cocobolo

Once I had got the whole lot fastened in place, it became a matter of how to do the necessary shaping.

Unfortunately, none of the pieces are exactly the same..close, but no cigar. So each one had to be shaped to suit it's neighbours.

I started with the top one, got it planed and sanded reasonably smooth and then marked the next piece down as to where the upper piece should fit.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can see from the previous photo, there is a big difference between a fully shaped piece and one that has just been rough cut.

Had I been even partly awake last fall when I started to sell some of my tools off, I would have kept the big stationery sander. That would have made the shaping a piece of cake.

But without that, it was a matter of using the small low angle hand plane and a pad sander. Probably only took 10 times as long this way, but it came out not too badly in the end.

This is the last piece at the bottom.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning we had lots of sun here, so I took all the hand rail pieces outside and coated the bottom of each piece with 4 coats of urethane. It's a real bear to try and get under each one with a brush, so this was by far the easier option.

Later we got clouded over and eventually it rained, by which time I had got everything inside.

Next was to start attaching the pieces from the bottom up, and I got less than half on before the light ran out.

The screw holes will be plugged, sanded and then the urethane will be applied.


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I was surprised by the first Gladioli coming out. Didn't even realize I had one here!


----------



## cocobolo

Busy causing trouble on the computer earlier when I noticed the sky outside was getting quite red. Here's the result of that.


----------



## cocobolo

Saturday was a dead loss as far as work went here...but it wasn't all bad. My friend Allen and his lady got married over in Nanaimo in John and Gina's back garden.

Beautiful day for their wedding.


----------



## BigJim

You are getting close now buddy, I always loved scratching each item off the punch list.


----------



## cocobolo

Morning Jim...yep, getting closer now.

I should have all the railing pieces on, plugged and sanded by the end of the day. Then I can start adding the finish on _top _of those pieces. Just have to be careful not to drip too much on the carpet! Must see if I can get a pic in daylight next time.


----------



## cocobolo

I think this is it for the railing. A couple more coats of finish, but it won't alter the appearance any.

A small hint if you are trying to finish something with the spar urethane on cedar...or any very soft wood of that type.

After you have the first coat on, it will raise the grain somewhat, and the surface of the wood feels very close to about 120 grit sandpaper. Surprising how rough it is.

At that point I had the plugs in and they were cut off. I sanded the plug area with 120 sandpaper and got the surface level. You have to use a little effort to do that. Then I sanded the cedar - all of it - lightly with the 120. I followed that with 320 and the surface came up like silk. :thumbsup:

Since then there has been an additional 4 coats of urethane applied.


----------



## scoggy

*The beauty of that last pix*

Keith, that last camera shot from the top of railing to bottom..was photographic art..incredible to see all the 'geometry', color, depth..awesome job..good on you! Makes me wanna go 'dust' off the vw..and get started..again ====8^):thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, that last camera shot from the top of railing to bottom..was photographic art..incredible to see all the 'geometry', color, depth..awesome job..good on you! Makes me wanna go 'dust' off the vw..and get started..again ====8^):thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Thanks Scoggy...but what you really need to do is to get the '38 terrorizing the neighbourhood! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Took the composting toilet out of the bathroom this morning, in preparation for the final grouting. Not the most convenient little room to grout...too many bad angles and high walls.

But by the end of the day it was done, last grout in the house to do I believe. If it's dry enough by tomorrow afternoon, I'll try sealing it, if not it can wait another day.

Don't you wish you could have your toilet in the middle of the kitchen?


----------



## cocobolo

Haven't given you a sunset lately, mainly because there haven't been any. But we got this one tonight, so time to share again.


----------



## kwikfishron

Every time you post one of those pictures I get Home Sick. I've spent most of my life playing in Tidewater chasing fish, crab and logs.


----------



## cocobolo

Not that I want to add to your homesickness Kwickfish...but here's what we got last night after the sky filled with a high, white haze. Everything went red. 

Got a little rain last night...first time in weeks.


----------



## BigJim

That is beautiful but man, that would really freak me out, I have never seen anything like that.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That is beautiful but man, that would really freak me out, I have never seen anything like that.


Jim, what causes this type of sunset is particulate matter in the air. We haven't had any rain (except for in the wee hours this morning) for weeks. When the air gets dirty like this it makes for these terrific sunsets.


----------



## cocobolo

A bit of unfortunate news about an acquaintance of mine. He was driving back from a gathering in Puyallup, Washington when we believe his rear end locked up and threw the car out of control.

The front end was run over by a 4 x 4 resulting in a wee bit of damage.

Both Ray and his passenger are OK, somewhat miraculous since the hood came right through the windshield.

He lives on the road up from the marina I park at, so next trip over I'll pop in and see how he's doing. He does plan to rebuild the car.

It was only just finished recently after a several year ground up build.


----------



## cocobolo

Work is proceeding apace on the removal of the last section of the old water tank. It seems to be necessary that I have to cut it into pieces in order to get everything down to the bonfire area. It's a pretty heavy old beast.


----------



## cocobolo

As you can now see from this pic, the whole affair is down.

I plan to use a section of the old liner as a cover for the new treated wood tank.

Right now with the open top, it seems to love collecting arbutus leaves. The water in the tank is only used for the garden, but since I need a pump to get the water out, it should be better with clean water rather than being loaded with leaves.


----------



## cocobolo

You can't really see the sunken leaves here, but the bottom of the tank is just clogged. I'm going to have to climb inside and get rid of it all to start with a clean slate as it were.


----------



## cocobolo

Right from day 1 when the house went up, I have been promising myself that I would get some sort of walkway past the plastic tank. The way it has been is that I need to navigate a very deep and slippery hole every time I have to get around there. 

That generally means that I go around to the other side of the house to access the area, especially if it is wet or otherwise slippery.

Yesterday I managed to find some 4 x 4's which were long enough to bridge the hole and started on the walkway.


----------



## cocobolo

It's getting harder and harder to find any suitable wood to build anything lately. But I dragged my way through part of the now six year old pile down by the mill and managed to find enough wood to do the job.

Some of it was even red cedar so I didn't have to treat those boards. The rest I added wood preservative to.


----------



## cocobolo

On Saturday, I noticed this yacht sort of floundering around in front of our place and after awhile I wondered if he was in some kind of trouble. He was there for several hours, and eventually the vessel assist boat showed up.

They remained tied together for a long time until they drifted out of sight, so I don't know what the outcome was.

I wondered why he didn't put up his sails even though there wasn't a lot of wind. But he could have got part way to his destination.


----------



## cocobolo

I just don't know how many times I have to tell the chauffeur to leave the boat in the garage on long weekends. You never know what crazies are out there and your boat might get scratched up.

Name of this boat is "After Eight".


----------



## cocobolo

And then there's the other extreme.

A lone kayaker came by right at sunset to watch the setting sun. Folks will come to this area, particularly right into Herring Bay in front of our place, just to see the sunsets.

I think if you look very carefully, you might just see the last hint of yellow to the right of center above the distant mountains.


----------



## BigJim

Good gravy Keith, that makes me tired just watching you do all that hard work. Hopefully you will get good news soon so you can get off the island.

That is terrible about your friends car. He is very blessed to have come out of that alive. I know he was some kinda sick about all of that. That is one beautiful car, as a kid I rode in a bunch of rumble seats, not fun in the rain.

Is there really people in the world with the kinda money to buy boats like that.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That is terrible about your friends car. He is very blessed to have come out of that alive. I know he was some kinda sick about all of that. That is one beautiful car, as a kid I rode in a bunch of rumble seats, not fun in the rain.
> 
> Is there really people in the world with the kinda money to buy boats like that.


All that Ray and his passenger suffered were some facial cuts, but nothing that serious. As you say...they were lucky.

Personally, I don't know anyone who could afford that boat...but he's either got a ton of money or REALLY good credit! 

I can't even imagine having to pay the fuel bill for that boat, never mind having to pay for the boat itself.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's part of the pile of debris that came from the old tank. I've added more to it since then so it's even bigger now.

Oh, by the way, I completely destroyed the chain on my chainsaw due to whacking so many spikes in the old tank.


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## Tim_B

Hi Keith,

I am not normally one to post message in online forums, but I felt compelled to in this case. I read your thread from start to finish, and as so many before me have said, it's just amazing what you've done.

My wife and I recently bought a small lot a few miles away from you on the east side of Thetis Island (facing Leech island) upon which we plan to build a cabin in a few years time. After spending some time RV camping on the lot, and noticing the abundance of logs on the beach and in the water, I wondered if if was feasible to make anything out of them. Some internet searching on the subject of milling driftwood led me to your thread here, and I was quite excited to see that you built a whole house mostly out of salvaged logs. So the other day I bought a used chainsaw mill and look forward to getting started playing around with logs, and maybe upgrading to a bandsaw mill later on.

Anyways, thanks so much for taking the time to post your experience. I have read a lot of books on the subject of building, but I've learned so much neat stuff on here that is just not covered in any books I'm aware of. I agree with everyone who has said you could write a great book if you were so inclined. Thanks again and best of luck on the sale.

Tim


----------



## tjbingha

*Great Stuff*

Coco -

I have been a long-time lurker on your thread and have always loved reading about your experiences, especially on slow days at work! Some how I missed when you decided to sell the house and why?? I wish you the best of luck with everything and you have certaintly provided a lot of inspiration for me as I am renovating my own property!

Tom


----------



## cocobolo

Tim_B said:


> Hi Keith,
> 
> I am not normally one to post message in online forums, but I felt compelled to in this case. I read your thread from start to finish, and as so many before me have said, it's just amazing what you've done.
> 
> My wife and I recently bought a small lot a few miles away from you on the east side of Thetis Island (facing Leech island) upon which we plan to build a cabin in a few years time. After spending some time RV camping on the lot, and noticing the abundance of logs on the beach and in the water, I wondered if if was feasible to make anything out of them. Some internet searching on the subject of milling driftwood led me to your thread here, and I was quite excited to see that you built a whole house mostly out of salvaged logs. So the other day I bought a used chainsaw mill and look forward to getting started playing around with logs, and maybe upgrading to a bandsaw mill later on.
> 
> Anyways, thanks so much for taking the time to post your experience. I have read a lot of books on the subject of building, but I've learned so much neat stuff on here that is just not covered in any books I'm aware of. I agree with everyone who has said you could write a great book if you were so inclined. Thanks again and best of luck on the sale.
> 
> Tim


Tim..firstly many thanks for your post and welcome.

Next, apologies for the delay in replying. I left Ruxton early Monday morning, but managed to destroy a tire on the Coquihalla Highway on the way up. I'll have to do a post on that fiasco.

For those that do not know, the Coquihalla runs from Hope, B.C. to Kamloops, and the only town in between is Merritt for any sort of service. 

As far as a chainsaw mill goes, I hope you're a young man. That is very hard work in every sense of the word. I wish you luck with that. Having gone through the experience I can only say that a sawmill is immeasurably better. Easier, cleaner, faster, more accurate, you name it.


----------



## cocobolo

tjbingha said:


> Coco -
> 
> I have been a long-time lurker on your thread and have always loved reading about your experiences, especially on slow days at work! Some how I missed when you decided to sell the house and why?? I wish you the best of luck with everything and you have certainly provided a lot of inspiration for me as I am renovating my own property!
> 
> Tom


Hi Tom...lurkers always welcome here!!!

A combination of reasons for selling the property actually. Mostly because I'm getting to be an old, cantankerous curmudgeon (you DO believe that, don't you?) and one of our immediate family members has met with an extremely serious medical problem. However, with the current market conditions, we are likely to remain the owners for some time.

Thanks for checking in.


----------



## cocobolo

Before I forget, I'll fill you in on the Coquihalla flat tire story.

I was on the early part of the Coquihalla when I started to feel an imbalance in something right at 100K's...slow to 96 and it would go away.

So I pulled over at the Britton Creek rest stop and discovered that I had shucked a piece of tread. So, I figured I would just keep going until I got to Merritt, which from there must be about 60 kilometers or so, but at a much reduced speed and keep my 4 ways on. This I did. Until there was a loud slapping noise caused by a much bigger piece of tread coming off the tire and slapping the body.

OK, well, obviously we need to get that fixed. There are very few places where there is room to get a vehicle off the highway, but as luck would have it, there was a short spot maybe 20 yards long right where I stopped.

Now my van has one of those high priced pizza tires which had obviously never been off the mount, never mind been used. So after unloading a number of the blue boxes to gain access to the needed equipment I proceeded to jack up the van.

At this point, a tow truck materialized out of nowhere and asked if I needed help. Well, I had checked the air pressure in the pizza tire, and it was all of about 5 lbs. That's not going to cut it, so I asked if he had any air on board. Turns out, he didn't usually drive this particular tow truck, and he wasn't sure. Couldn't find a compressor, but he did have an air tank and was able to get the pizza tire up to 35 lbs. The rim was so rusty I really didn't think it would hold air, but I must have done something right that day because it worked.

He asked if I needed any further help and I thought I would be OK from there on, so I said I don't think so, and off he went.

Now it was time to get the bad wheel off, and this is where the fun started. There was a short ratchet with a 3/4" socket in with the scissor jack. Let's see now...yep, it fits the wheel lugs.

OK, give it a good heave and I couldn't budge the first nut for love nor money. Kept on trying until I blew the socket apart into 3 pieces.  Hmmm...could be in a spot of trouble here.

Aha, but then I remembered that there was a 4 way wheel wrench under the seat of the van when I bought it...let's hope it's still there. Move more stuff out of the van on to the side of the road - where I forgot to mention the wind was blowing about 80 k's - and yes the 4 way is there! Good show. :yes:

It's one of those nice big ones, so we should be good to go now. OK, put the 3/4" end on the nut and.....dammit, the end of the wrench is split open.  No kidding, I couldn't believe it. Hmmm...now I could be in a bigger spot of trouble.

But I still have one ace left, and that is one of those tool kits which has everything under the sun in it, and that even included a much better looking ratchet and decent 3/4" socket. :thumbsup:

Fingers crossed and started on the wheel nuts again. It was a real fight, but they all eventually came off, but I have to tell you I was beat at the end of that little exercise. No more undue difficulties changing to the pizza tire...throw everything back in the van and off we go. Except this time I have set my self imposed speed limit at 60 k's.

Let me tell you how slow that is when the speed limit is 110 and most vehicles are doing 130+.

Made it safely to Merritt, where there is a Canadian Tire store and as every Canadian knows, they have everything. Even the right size tire for the van. Yippee!

It turned out that a section of the sidewall had been damaged somehow, and this had caused the tread of the tire to run way out of line, which in turn caused all the tearing. So, $112 later I'm on my way and very grateful to the tow truck operator who had some air!

Here's the offending wheel wrench. And if any of you need a slightly used 3/4" socket, you can find the pieces located some 20 odd kilometers south of Merritt about 40 yards off the highway. :furious:


----------



## BigJim

Hey Keith, we were starting to worry about you. Our prayers are with you and your family.

Looks like our luck runs about the same. I blew a tire on the xway about a month ago, luck had it the TDOT was right behind me and changed my tire for me, good thing because the spare was almost flat. I checked the date on the tires and they are 17 years old. There is a place on the tires that starts with DOT, look at the last number in the stamped area and that will tell you when the tires were made.

The good part that the TDOT was there is I had just had my left eye operated on and wasn't suppose to pick up more than 10 pounds or so.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Hey Keith, we were starting to worry about you. Our prayers are with you and your family.
> 
> Looks like our luck runs about the same. I blew a tire on the xway about a month ago, luck had it the TDOT was right behind me and changed my tire for me, good thing because the spare was almost flat. I checked the date on the tires and they are 17 years old. There is a place on the tires that starts with DOT, look at the last number in the stamped area and that will tell you when the tires were made.
> 
> The good part that the TDOT was there is I had just had my left eye operated on and wasn't suppose to pick up more than 10 pounds or so.


Hi Jim:

I don't know how old these tires were, but one of the guys at CanTire told me to check in between the tread for any checking. I must admit I never noticed that before. But sure as heck the damaged tire showed quite a bit of checking between the treads, so it wasn't long for this world anyway.

Hope your eye is OK now Jim. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Before I left the island for this most recent trip I managed to complete the three lights in the bedroom. 

What a difference...even though they only produce 21 watts of light all together, it's plenty bright enough.


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## cocobolo

Also came close to getting the shelves in the bedroom closet done. On the right side of the mirror they're done, and the first two on the left are in place. Just didn't quite have time to do them all before I had to leave.

There's no finish on the wood yet, which is Arbutus...so expect to find several flaws in the wood. It's just the nature of the beast.


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## frenchelectrican

Bonjour Cocobolo.,

Somehow I did catch the photo where the stove flue going thru the floor and I did recall that you have a wood stove for heating your house in cold weather.

That something I haven't see it for a while which it poke thru the floor like that.

Merci,
Marc


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## cocobolo

frenchelectrican said:


> Bonjour Cocobolo.,
> 
> Somehow I did catch the photo where the stove flue going thru the floor and I did recall that you have a wood stove for heating your house in cold weather.
> 
> That something I haven't see it for a while which it poke thru the floor like that.
> 
> Merci,
> Marc


Hi Marc: I have the hole lined with tile just to make sure that nothing could get too warm. Top, bottom and sides are all lined.


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## Ravenswood NYC

Keith,

Hope all is going well this season -- swung by the forum to see the last of your finishing touches.

Cheers,
John


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## cocobolo

Ravenswood NYC said:


> Keith,
> 
> Hope all is going well this season -- swung by the forum to see the last of your finishing touches.
> 
> Cheers,
> John


Thanks John: I didn't manage to get any pics of the final work on all the arbutus shelves in the master bedroom. They came out OK, so you'll just have to take my word for it!

I'm a few hundred miles away up in the interior of B. C. now, and if all works out according to plan, a friend will be staying at the house this winter to look after it for me.


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## BigJim

Hey buddy, good to see your smiling face. I hope your friend has a good head start on some fire wood.

Take care.


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## cocobolo

I think he should be OK Jim. The big woodshed up top is at least half full, and one of the lower ones about the same.

There is a whole lot of scrap wood from the sawmill that needs to be cut and brought up top and put away. It should be well and truly seasoned by now, as it has been cut for 5 or 6 years. 

I'm not sure about any logs in the bay, I know there were a few just before I left, but I made no attempt to cut them up. Just way too many things to get caught up with before I left.

Looks like I may finally be going to pick up the '35 Chevy next weekend!:thumbsup: Really looking forward to that. I just hope we beat the snow up north.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I think he should be OK Jim. The big woodshed up top is at least half full, and one of the lower ones about the same.
> 
> There is a whole lot of scrap wood from the sawmill that needs to be cut and brought up top and put away. It should be well and truly seasoned by now, as it has been cut for 5 or 6 years.
> 
> I'm not sure about any logs in the bay, I know there were a few just before I left, but I made no attempt to cut them up. Just way too many things to get caught up with before I left.
> 
> Looks like I may finally be going to pick up the '35 Chevy next weekend!:thumbsup: Really looking forward to that. I just hope we beat the snow up north.


Aw man, that is going to be a fantastic treat working on your 35. Are you going to make a thread about it or post on your same one. I can't get snow in my head just yet, we very seldom get snow down this way and then it is very slight. 

I hope ALL is well with you Keith.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Aw man, that is going to be a fantastic treat working on your 35. Are you going to make a thread about it or post on your same one. I can't get snow in my head just yet, we very seldom get snow down this way and then it is very slight.
> 
> I hope ALL is well with you Keith.


We don't have snow here yet Jim, night time temps are still around the 50ºF mark. But further north, where the car is, they have already had a few flurries. I think we will be OK though. Our tow vehicle is one of those big ugly 4 x 4's with super deep tread tires.

I don't think a car build belongs on this thread, so I will take a walk through your automotive repair section to see what's there.


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## cocobolo

*Very sad day*

I'm saddened to bring everyone the news of our daughter's passing yesterday.

She finally lost her somewhat lengthy battle with cancer despite everyone's best efforts to help.

She leaves us with two beautiful little grandsons, who will be well looked after by their loving dad.

Not much else I can say right now.


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## forcedreno2012

Oh I am so sorry to hear this. 

My heart goes out to you and your family. I cannot imagine the pain that you are going through but may you find some sort of peace in knowing that she is no longer suffering. 

Big hugs

Robyn


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## macdonlg

my sincere condolences. Peace be with you and your family.


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## memarybe

Peace to you and your family. You are all in my thoughts.


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## Ravenswood NYC

Keith,

I'm sorry for your loss; condolences from New York to you and your family.

Sincerely,
John


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## cocobolo

Ravenswood NYC said:


> Keith,
> 
> I'm sorry for your loss; condolences from New York to you and your family.
> 
> Sincerely,
> John


Thank you everyone for your kind words...John, you might be surprised to learn that Rachel's hubby is from New York. Small world.


----------



## shumakerscott

My Heart Felt for sure. Sorry to hear. My inner circle is loosing people lately. Best wishes. dorf dude...


----------



## BigJim

Keith, I am sorry I am late posting, I am so very sorry, our hearts go out to you and your family my friend. A person is never gone, they will always live right in our heart.


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## avengerki

Since I just finished reading page 100 and gotten caught up to the end of July 2010, I thought I would say hello and what a wonderful place you have got going on. I can't wait to get caught up to page 528(maybe in the next week I will get there). 

It seems like I can only dream of one day having a place even halfway to what you have created. 

My mother-in-law has a cabin, in the mountains, she has been building for the last 15 years and hopes to pass on to my wife and grandchildren. Whenever I get down there for a visit I find myself helping with some aspect of it, from hanging drywall, to wiring in lighting, or finding out why the circuit breaker keeps tripping for her water pump(turns out it was frogs, my brother-in-law never put a faceplate on the outlet or fixed the leak in the plumbing and the frogs found the outlet as a nice place to rest). I find it funny because she is always walking me through what still needs to be done since she is sure her kids won't exactly know what to do, and she has also given me free reign to do what I would like with her property. Reading through your thread I have been finding it very helpful and I have been mentally storing items in my head for future reference.

I am sorry for the losses you have had since starting this thread, and I congratulate you on the new additions. Life is precious and an adventure, I appreciate your dedication to help us and allow us to follow your journey.


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## cocobolo

hello avengerki, well, if you're only at page 100 you ain't seen nuthin' yet!

I hope that perhaps I have been able to inspire you to do good things at your future cabin. Just remember that there's nothing you can't accomplish once you set your mind to it. Good luck!


----------



## avengerki

Just got to page 200 and came across this gem.


cocobolo said:


> First attempt resulted in me removing a small plastic clip. The slide came apart all right...but it left ball bearings all over the floor! OK, I guess that wasn't it! :no:


I do have to say I have done that before, actually on an already mounted pair in an electronics cabinet. Talk about ball bearings all over the place and an upset boss. It was the first time I went to remove the device connected between them in a calibration van, most of the other slides had nice easy to see levers.


----------



## Startingover

Keith,

My deepest sympathy to you and your family.


----------



## avengerki

With all of the space talk I have been reading in the last not sure how many pages(only up to page 214 now) and then I saw this elsewhere thought you might me interested.

http://news.discovery.com/space/ast...ird-six-tailed-comet-131107.htm#mkcpgn=fbsci1


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## cocobolo

New astronomical discoveries have been coming in thick and fast over the past several years, particularly since the repair to the original mirror in Hubble.
With a comet, there is usually just the one main tail, which will point away from the sun. Sometimes there might be a smaller tail off to one side or the other. But this object is obviously different from anything that we have observed previously.


----------



## avengerki

cocobolo said:


> I was just sitting at the 'puter messing about when the missus hollered at me to look at the sunset.
> 
> Grabbed the camera and ran outside quick like a bunny, but once again, I just missed it.
> 
> But for a new years' day sunset, I don't think it's too bad!


I know it almost been a couple of years but WOW you may have been a little late but those were still spectacular and I really do enjoy your photography. I like to think I can take pictures, but what I see in my head and what I get on my camera are often 3 different things.

About the multi-tailed comet I found it really interesting. When I was like 6 I got really interested in astronomy, only 34 now and amazed at the energy you demonstrate, so I knew that most comets can have a tail and maybe a second but not anywhere near what they found. I do have to say after reading all of your astronomy tips has made me start looking at getting a telescope again, I always seem to look at them and then not buy one.

I am so loving this thread and feel like I am learning so much from it. Now if I can just remember everything for when I need it. Thank you for supplying such wonderful information along with the other experts who have joined in with their tips. There is one that I saw a few pages back(somewhere between like 250 and 290) by Bud Cline about using daubs of silicone ever 24" on along the long run edge and at the end of each long run board around floating laminate flooring to help keep it from shifting that I am going to use on a floating laminate flooring I am currently installing and was noticing that tendency.


----------



## cocobolo

You probably know by now that I have the highest possible regard for Bud. I have yet to have a flooring question - particularly about tile - that he doesn't have the answer to. And usually more than one!

Well, if you do decide to get a scope, go for a reflector. Way more bang for the buck. A 6" or 8" reflector, Dobsonian mount, are incredibly cheap for what you get.


----------



## avengerki

cocobolo said:


> Well, if you do decide to get a scope, go for a reflector. Way more bang for the buck. A 6" or 8" reflector, Dobsonian mount, are incredibly cheap for what you get.


I totally agree with you on getting a reflector. When I first thought about getting a telescope as a kid I saw a refractor telescope and said nice but that reflector looks so much better, just could never convince my parents to get me one. After I started working always had something more important that needed to drain my funds. I still stare longingly at the stars and love it when I get to my MIL cabin as the skies are simply beautiful at night to watch the stars from, low light interference, mountain air, elevation, and no smog.


----------



## avengerki

cocobolo said:


> Lunch was on the top deck as usual when the weather is like this (fantastic!) and I had a pair of loons keeping me entertained while I was eating.


I bet that is what they were thinking of you.

Sorry couldn't resist.


----------



## avengerki

Psst, Happy Birthday!!!


----------



## BigJim

Did I let your birthday sneak up on me this year, happy birthday buddy and many many more.


----------



## avengerki

Well Cocobolo I have finally reached the end of this thread. I am simply amazed and in awe at your fine craftsmanship. I even went to your real estate listing and started drooling at the pictures, I am trying to talk my coworkers into doing a group purchase on your home but it seems like we will come up way short. 

Sorry for stealing most of this last page with my ramblings I just love your build. One of my coworkers was complaining about how hard it is to lay tile and grouting along with how bad it looks, I was able to tell the mistake he made when grouting from reading all of the advice that had been on this page and gave him tips for the next time he does it(which isn't likely).


----------



## gma2rjc

Avengerki, it's been neat seeing your enthusiasm for this thread. You reminded me of when I first started reading it - staying up late at night to catch up with everyone else. Very fun.


----------



## avengerki

gma2rjc said:


> Avengerki, it's been neat seeing your enthusiasm for this thread. You reminded me of when I first started reading it - staying up late at night to catch up with everyone else. Very fun.


I just wished I had found it sooner, not really sure where I could of helped out much since everyone's experience level on the topics is much better than mine. Whenever he ran into a situation that was out of normal I would sit there and try and think of a solution and a lot of times that was exactly what was done.


----------



## fixrite

Keith, I was wondering if I could ask for some advise on straightening some bent 2 by 6 live edge maple. I am wanting to use it make a step going out onto the patio deck. How would you suggest I straighten a 2 inch thick by 6 inch wide 7 feet long maple board with a 1/2 inch twist to it. I would like to try and keep its thickness to a max if that is possible. I was thinking of making an 8 ft long sled for my bandsaw, screw it to the sled and cut off as much of the bend as possible and then do the other side. Do you think this would be the best way to attack this? I am sure you have come across this in the past and would appreciate your years of wisdom on this topic. Thanks


----------



## Bud Cline

Hello old friends. It seems I have been away a while and missed a lot of things here. One of which I just as soon not know about all - *My heart-felt condolences go out to you and the misses Keith*. Sad news for sure.

I saw somewhere that my last visit here was sometime back in August, jheeeezh how time flies. Been very busy for the past nine months with a full-time job. Those suckers expect me to work five days a week, each and every week. *What The Hell Is Wrong With Those People?* I suppose the nostalgia of the approaching season brought me in for a brief visit. Glad to see the thread is still active.

I received a stern telephone call from my email service provider telling me they had been forced to temporarily close my email account even though it was paid and in good standing, and has been for about twenty years.
So...a few days ago I opened my old email account for the first time in a long while. I had more than 2400 unopened emails, 2396 of which were trash. It seems someone had hacked my email account and was sending out bogus emails as if they were being sent front me. I can only assume they were also using my contacts list to do so. So if any of you were unfortunate enough to receive nasty emails from me, I apologize. I had no idea this was happening.

To punish me they cancelled my password and issued me a new password that contained about twenty-six characters that I had to use to be able to install a new password. Of course I lost the damned password they gave me before I could use it and I had to call them to give it to me again.:yes:

Anyway all is back to normal and I'll be keeping an eye on things over there for a while.

Okay I won't bore you any longer...

*PLEASE HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS EVERYONE*


----------



## BigJim

Bud Cline said:


> Hello old friends. It seems I have been away a while and missed a lot of things here. One of which I just as soon not know about all - *My heart-felt condolences go out to you and the misses Keith*. Sad news for sure.
> 
> I saw somewhere that my last visit here was sometime back in August, jheeeezh how time flies. Been very busy for the past nine months with a full-time job. Those suckers expect me to work five days a week, each and every week. *What The Hell Is Wrong With Those People?* I suppose the nostalgia of the approaching season brought me in for a brief visit. Glad to see the thread is still active.
> 
> I received a stern telephone call from my email service provider telling me they had been forced to temporarily close my email account even though it was paid and in good standing, and has been for about twenty years.
> So...a few days ago I opened my old email account for the first time in a long while. I had more than 2400 unopened emails, 2396 of which were trash. It seems someone had hacked my email account and was sending out bogus emails as if they were being sent front me. I can only assume they were also using my contacts list to do so. So if any of you were unfortunate enough to receive nasty emails from me, I apologize. I had no idea this was happening.
> 
> To punish me they cancelled my password and issued me a new password that contained about twenty-six characters that I had to use to be able to install a new password. Of course I lost the damned password they gave me before I could use it and I had to call them to give it to me again.:yes:
> 
> Anyway all is back to normal and I'll be keeping an eye on things over there for a while.
> 
> Okay I won't bore you any longer...
> 
> *PLEASE HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS EVERYONE*


Hey Bud, good to see your smilin face again, we wish you the happiest of holidays. Take care


----------



## gma2rjc

Welcome back Bud.

Merry Christmas to you too - and to everyone else!


----------



## sleepyg

Keith,

Just made it through the epic journey and I must say I have learned much form all who have posted. I had many questions and most were answered just by reading.

Wish each and all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


----------



## drtbk4ever

Keith, I just read about your daughter. My sincerest condolences to you and your family.


----------



## cocobolo

Hello everyone...please accept my apologies for not attending to replies to your posts for the last while, it seems that I have not been getting any notifications of the posts at all. As lame as it may sound, I'm going to have to claim ignorance of all your recent posts.

So the first thing will be to wish everyone

*Happy New Year*​


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Keith, I was wondering if I could ask for some advise on straightening some bent 2 by 6 live edge maple. I am wanting to use it make a step going out onto the patio deck. How would you suggest I straighten a 2 inch thick by 6 inch wide 7 feet long maple board with a 1/2 inch twist to it. I would like to try and keep its thickness to a max if that is possible. I was thinking of making an 8 ft long sled for my bandsaw, screw it to the sled and cut off as much of the bend as possible and then do the other side. Do you think this would be the best way to attack this? I am sure you have come across this in the past and would appreciate your years of wisdom on this topic. Thanks


Sorry for the terribly delayed reply fix...but it isn't that hard to get the twist out of that board. The only problem I see is that it is quite long. 

What you need is heat. Either make up an 8' long steam box and put the wood inside for at least two hours, or make a soaking bath out of some 8' 2 x 4's and a sheet of heavy plastic. Fill that with hot water and give it a good soak. You'll have to keep the water hot somehow. I say the steam box is best.

When you take the wood out of the box, you have about 1 minute tops to get it straight. It will be surprisingly flexible when you remove it from the steam box. Clamp the wood to a dead flat surface as quickly as possible and let it dry for a few days. It will stay very nearly dead flat. That way when you go to do the machining, you will lose just a minor amount of wood.


----------



## BigJim

Happy New Year to you too buddy, its good to see your smiling face.


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## cocobolo

Hi Jim, good to hear from you. I hope that all is well and that you had a great Christmas and will have an even better New Year.


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## cocobolo

Hi there Bud. Sorry to hear of your electronic adventures, I expect this is why you never received my emails.

I trust you survived the holiday season OK. :whistling2:

Shoot me an email when you get the chance.


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## mark942

Just in for a little look see (After a prolonged absence) on a thought problem I am having. Took notice of your loss. 

My condolences To You And To Yours!


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## cocobolo

Well, hello again to everyone. It seems that I will be back down to Ruxton Island again this weekend and I expect to be there until the house is actually sold. I have had a friend staying there, but he left for Europe a couple of weeks ago.

I understand that there are a few things that need attending to when I arrive, so once I get around to that I guess we will see what they are!


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## Bud Cline

Just don't overwork yourself. No remodels or additions this time around I hope.


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## BigJim

Keith, maybe while you don't have a lot to do you can prefab some parts to your next home. Just a thought. (like you are going to have any time to do something like that) I hope your house sells quickly buddy.


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## cocobolo

Hi Bud...how the heck are you? Most excellent to hear from you. 

No, my pal tells me that there is an issue with the polyurethane on the long railing outside the bedroom. Apparently the poly is not compatible with the varnish, contrary to what the poly supplier assured me. Other than that it sounds like just routine maintenance. Just enough to keep me out of trouble!


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## cocobolo

Hi Jim...you snuck that one in there quickly while I was replying to Bud!

I don't think it would be any too practical to try and prefab anything on Ruxton Jim. You forget that I have been in the country where all it takes is a phone call to get materials delivered! That beats dragging stuff over on a boat hands down.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim...you snuck that one in there quickly while I was replying to Bud!
> 
> I don't think it would be any too practical to try and prefab anything on Ruxton Jim. You forget that I have been in the country where all it takes is a phone call to get materials delivered! That beats dragging stuff over on a boat hands down.


I have that disease CRS, (can't remember stuff). Man that is going to be tough to get use to again, hopefully it won't last long and your home will sell. Housing is picking up down this way and some of the prices on homes are rising slowly so maybe you will sell quickly.


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## cocobolo

Same thing up this way Jim. I think everyone has been sitting where they are and doing nothing because of the crummy economy here.

I was chatting to my friend Al the realtor a few days ago, and he gave me figures of his past five years sales, and then showed this year so far. The first big increase in five long years. He's a happy camper now.

And one other thing, those people out looking now are generally serious buyers, so I hope the folks coming over in a couple of weeks are like that!


----------



## shadytrake

Hi Keith,

Sorry that I have been away for almost a year. 2013 was terrible. I was diagnosed with cancer and my brother died in the EA-6 Prowler crash in Seattle last March. I saw the post about your daughter and I am so sorry. 

I love the lights that you installed. Beautiful! My kitchen isn't fully finished, but it will be at some point. We are currently working on our new greenhouse since the weather is finally warm. I'm trying to spend as much time outside as possible as I was bedridden most of 2013. I have learned to value every day now. 

Take care! 
-Melissa


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## cocobolo

Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry for you and your loss. Words cannot cover that in any way. I can only wish you all the best.


----------



## Windows on Wash

Melissa,

Very sorry to hear of your health struggles and your loss. 

I hope you heal quickly and strong and we will be keeping you in our DIY minds.

Eric


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## cocobolo

After several very frustrating days attempting to get my internet connection back, partial success has been achieved.
Now it's time to get on with tidying the place up. 
The first thing that hits the eye, other than the hayfield where there once was a lawn, is the bad finish on the big railing and the small railing at the little round deck below.
It appears that there is some sort of incompatibility between the original spar varnish (good stuff) and the polyurethane finish (not so good) despite the manufacturers' claim to the contrary.
I tried sanding the finish off and that is all but impossible. So after 3 hours trying the sander, I went to a heat gun. Now things are happening. After a further 2 1/2 hours with the gun I have nearly half the big railing cleaned off.
Careful use of the gun is key here...too many seconds in one place and the cedar starts to show burn marks...too little and the finish won't come off. It is slow and frustrating to say the least.
I did take several pictures before I got started, but only one came out anywhere near in focus, but you'll see what is happening.
The other pic is after trying the sander.


----------



## cocobolo

I did bring one little treat back for the master bedroom.

Picked up this screen while I was in the interior and thought it would be perfect in its' new home.


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## BigJim

Man, you must be wore out from all the moving, I wouldn't be able to lift an arm after all you have been through. I really hate that you had to go through all that. Well at least now you will have all the time you need. That has to be disheartening seeing all that beautiful work tainted a little. I hope all goes well for you now buddy.


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## cocobolo

Well Jim, you know how it is sometimes, life throws these little curve balls at us. Tonight when I was returning from Nanaimo, the tiller broke on the sailboat! :boat:

Then my neighbour's boat broke down about a mile before he got to Ruxton and had to be towed in...and then Steve right next door thinks he developed a water leak from the block in his engine coming over earlier this evening. You'd almost think it was Friday the 13th! 
Tomorrow will be a new day and we'll see what can be done with the railing. It's supposed to shower here on Sunday, so there's not a lot of time to get this wood stripped and re-coated. :help:


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## BigJim

My stars, it must be a full moon or something, it sure is a startling reminder of life on an island. Hopefully very soon all falls back in the groove and things get back to as normal as possible. For some reason, when you tell of the things going on there I feel like I am right there. 

I know how it is with boats, we got our ole fishing boat ready to hit the water, launched, tied to the dock and the motor never would crank. The wind was blowing fairly hard so the boat and dock was doing some bouncing, this ole man don't do well on moving objects so we gave up and like to have never got the boat back on the trailer. The motor will fire right up here in the yard with the muffs on it.


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## cocobolo

You know how it is with boats Jim, they have a mind of their own.

I took some pics of the stripped and sanded railing, and now my camera won't load the pics onto the computer...no idea why. Maybe it's just the cable. Not sure if I have another one here or not, but I don't think so. That means no pics until I get this figured out I guess.


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## gma2rjc

It's nice to see this thread active again!

If we still have the same camera Keith, try taking the card out of your camera and inserting it into your computer. A year or two ago, my camera stopped loading pics onto the computer too. I never did figure out why.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> You know how it is with boats Jim, they have a mind of their own.
> 
> I took some pics of the stripped and sanded railing, and now my camera won't load the pics onto the computer...no idea why. Maybe it's just the cable. Not sure if I have another one here or not, but I don't think so. That means no pics until I get this figured out I guess.


Keith, things usually happen in threes, maybe your three is up, so things hopefully will settle down now. You had to move back to the island, your sail boat messed up then your camera, hopefully that will do it. At least that is the way it works for me.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> It's nice to see this thread active again!
> 
> If we still have the same camera Keith, try taking the card out of your camera and inserting it into your computer. A year or two ago, my camera stopped loading pics onto the computer too. I never did figure out why.


Hi Barb:
It wasn't the camera, or the usb cable either. When I went to shut down for the night, the computer wouldn't even shut off. I still have no idea what the fuss was all about, but pulling the power plug and re-booting this morning seems to have done the trick. I did d/l the few pics I had in the camera OK.

So, back in business as it were.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith, things usually happen in threes, maybe your three is up, so things hopefully will settle down now. You had to move back to the island, your sail boat messed up then your camera, hopefully that will do it. At least that is the way it works for me.


Jim, if only you knew everything that has transpired over the past several weeks, you'd know it was more like 20 things that went south.

So, one step at a time and I'll get caught up.

I did manage to get 4 coats of varnish on the railing so far and it's looking pretty fair. Got a couple of coats on the round deck railing, and I think that's all that is needed there.

I've been over at my neighbour's place all morning helping him with his new solar system. Looks like we will need to rewire his cabin, as the fellow that did it for him before rigged it all up with a bunch of extension cords! Not exactly the best idea.


----------



## cocobolo

This is a half way through pic I took earlier. At this point the railing has been stripped with the heat gun and sanded with the random orbital sander. It was necessary to get rid of every trace of the former finish in order to let the varnish "take" on the new wood surface.

Ten hours to get rid of the old! :thumbdown:


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## cocobolo

I think this is after the first two coats of varnish were applied to the short end return on the railing. It's quite a bit better with 4 coats now.


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## cocobolo

Jim, I'm sorry to say that your table has suffered the ravages of time. I had to strip the old finish of it as well this afternoon and evening. It seems to me that I added a coat of resin to the table over the original varnish at some point.
It did come off with the heat gun, but a much bigger battle than the railing. The finish went all rubbery when it heated up, a real so and so to clean off.
It was pretty late when I got done after dinner, so I will sand and varnish it tomorrow - providing we don't get any showers.


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## cocobolo

Here's your table after it was all scraped off Jim. It's going to need a really good sanding tomorrow, as there has been quite a bit of water ingress under some of the finish. Much of the surface has been quite discoloured.

I won't have too much time to do it as I want to put the new mooring in tomorrow as well. That's going to be several hours getting done.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, it is still beautiful, a little spalding always looks great. It is amazing that it has held up as well as it has. Don't over do it buddy, look out for your health.


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## cocobolo

This morning the table was sanded down to 180 grit and the wood has indeed become very faded. It has lost that characteristic Arbutus colour.


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## cocobolo

After the sun came up over the trees, I gave it the first coat of varnish. Big improvement that's for sure. But the hues are not there.


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## cocobolo

During the day there was a pretty tall crane that came by the end of the bay...no camera handy. So when he went across towards Ladysmith I grabbed a shot. Can you imagine this thing in rough weather?


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## cocobolo

I got the barrel all ready for the mooring, but it was all for naught today. The tide fell about 8" short of floating the skiff with all the weight aboard for the mooring.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be higher...so we will try then.

I'm putting about 550 lbs of metal inside the barrel and hope to fill it from the sailboat. Then lower it to the bottom by winch. Of course, I might just let it go and hope for the best!


----------



## cocobolo

I didn't know until a couple of years ago that you should use a swivel between the mooring weight and the float...duh! No wonder my lines have always twisted. A fellow here on the island (Huey) who works for the coast guard told me that.

So this one has the right swivel for the job this time. Hopefully I won't need it for too long but at least the future owner will appreciate it.

As you can see, I have run a double line from the weight to the float for a little added security. Each of the lines has a 2,000 lb breaking strength.


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## Bud Cline

Now that (crane) brings back some memories for me. In another life I worked for a trucking and equipment rental company that specialized in providing and moving heavy/large construction equipment.

The company owned a 200 ton (rental) crawler crane. We had to move the crane from Illinois to Missouri but low overheads and load limits on local bridges wouldn't allow the proper permitting for the movement across the Mississippi River.

So we hired a river tow and a barge. Trucked that puppy to the shoreline, loaded that sucker on the barge via cribbing and planks at the shore line and off we went. Made me nervous as hell. The unit was moved about twelve miles downriver and unloaded in the same fashion then hauled to the job site by truck. The move took three days and eight men plus additional trucks for cribbing and planks. Some of the most fun I ever had working.

Well except for the time we installed micro-wave dishes on top of a 35 story building with a helicopter. Now that was fun. About a twelve mph wind, 470 feet above the ground and had to stab and drop the units on bolt-templates. The pilot that day was amazing. It only took about four tries per unit.:wink:


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## cocobolo

Hi Bud: None of the local ferries here are capable of handling that crane over to any of the islands. So it always moves on that barge. I don't remember how big that ramp is on the front of the barge, but it's BIG. I have seen it up close and personal. 

That little tiny tug towing the barge is at least 35 feet long, so judge it by that.


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## Bud Cline

Sorry, wasn't intending to hijack the thread. Seeing that picture just got my juices flowing and I had to share.


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## BigJim

Keith, the bench has character, I like it.


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## cocobolo

Now that all the peeling finish is gone, the table doesn't look so bad. 

Well, last night, the forecast for today was nothing but sun. So you can imagine my dismay when I thought I was listening to rain when I woke up this morning. Sure as heck, everything is running with water outside, so I hope the new varnish isn't hurt. 

Yesterday, I also got the handrails outside the front door re-done (that's the curved ones) and also the railings going down the back steps. So now the only thing left is the short railing to the tub deck.

Sometime around 4:30 this afternoon the tide is supposed to be high enough to get the new mooring out to the bay. Let's hope that goes well today as I don't like leaving the boat on someone else's mooring.


----------



## cocobolo

The rain fortunately disappeared by about 8:30, and shortly after 9 I went over to my neighbour's place and we spent the day re-wiring his cabin. They didn't give him any breakers for his panel, so now we wait again while he tries to find the right ones for the oddball panel he has.

Shortly after 5 this afternoon, we went to move the mooring and weights out to the bay, and lo and behold the sailboat had broken away from the mooring I was using! Luckily the wind was very light and was blowing into the bay. But still and all you really don't need your boat on the loose.

Here it is up against the spit between our little bay and Herring Bay.


----------



## cocobolo

It took us about an hour and a half to set the new mooring, right about where the old one was. Hopefully, this will be the last one I ever need to put in. It's a fair bit of work, and I doubt I could have done it without Steve's help.

And while we were in the bay, I spotted my old float stuck in between a couple of big rocks near Tim's place, so I rescued that and it appears to be still useful. I may change the float from the double on there now to the original I rescued this afternoon.


----------



## cocobolo

Hmmm...Friday the 13th...I wonder what will happen today.

The sun is shining, I have to replace one section of chimney in the cabin, and luckily I found ONE spare in the old woodshed, brand new. 

And I didn't burn breakfast! So far so good! :thumbup:

Some folks are coming to view the house this Sunday, they are from California. Let's hope all goes well there.


----------



## fixrite

Hope your Friday the 13th is good Keith. Good luck with the sale of your beautiful home, I only hope they can appreciate the love and sweat you put into it.


----------



## shadytrake

Hi Keith,

Looking great with all of the projects. Question for you since you like to go off the grid for power (I guess necessary on an island). Have you ever built a rocket mass thermal heater? I'm looking to go off the grid for heating my greenhouse in the winter. Solar is not an option because it is out of the budget. I was just wondering if you had any experience with them.


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> Hope your Friday the 13th is good Keith. Good luck with the sale of your beautiful home, I only hope they can appreciate the love and sweat you put into it.


Thanks fix...I hope so too. Fingers crossed. 

Well, it has been a lovely day here so far, the clouds are just now rolling in and it has darkened up a bunch. No rain in the forecast for the evening though. All in all, a pretty good day.


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Hi Keith,
> 
> Looking great with all of the projects. Question for you since you like to go off the grid for power (I guess necessary on an island). Have you ever built a rocket mass thermal heater? I'm looking to go off the grid for heating my greenhouse in the winter. Solar is not an option because it is out of the budget. I was just wondering if you had any experience with them.


shadytrake, you're one up on me with the rocket mass heater.

So I just Google'd that to find out what it's all about. NEAT!!!! I'm going to do lots of reading on that to see just exactly what it takes to build one. If the house sells shortly here, then it will have to be at my next home. But if not, then I just may consider replacing one of the current wood stoves here with a rocket mass stove. I must admit, I have never seen efficiency like that.

If you have your greenhouse glazed on the east, west and south sides, and do a solid wall on the north side with insulation and get some thermal mass in there, you may not need a stove to keep it warm.

Years ago a university in Montreal did some tests on that and they were able to maintain reasonable heat in a Canadian winter without auxiliary heating. The article was in an old Harrowsmith magazine. I'll see if I can find the reference for it. A whole lot of my books are not here any more, so I may not have it at hand.


----------



## shadytrake

cocobolo said:


> shadytrake, you're one up on me with the rocket mass heater.
> 
> So I just Google'd that to find out what it's all about. NEAT!!!! I'm going to do lots of reading on that to see just exactly what it takes to build one. If the house sells shortly here, then it will have to be at my next home. But if not, then I just may consider replacing one of the current wood stoves here with a rocket mass stove. I must admit, I have never seen efficiency like that.
> 
> If you have your greenhouse glazed on the east, west and south sides, and do a solid wall on the north side with insulation and get some thermal mass in there, you may not need a stove to keep it warm.
> 
> Years ago a university in Montreal did some tests on that and they were able to maintain reasonable heat in a Canadian winter without auxiliary heating. The article was in an old Harrowsmith magazine. I'll see if I can find the reference for it. A whole lot of my books are not here any more, so I may not have it at hand.


That would be awesome if you can find it. I'm not sure if we will do any glazing as the poly panels came with the kit and it was cheap (Harbor Freight Greenhouse). It requires a bit of modification to make it strong, but for the money it is a great greenhouse. But ideas are definitely worth researching. 

BTW, I bought the book on the rocket mass heater so just let me know if you have a question. I can look it up in the book. Or you can buy the download for about $20 on line. I must say that hubby and I have been avidly reading it and discussing how cheaply we can make it.


----------



## shadytrake

BTW, I didn't know that you were moving. You are leaving the Island? Have you decided where you are going to land next?


----------



## cocobolo

Well shadytrake, have you decided on how much it might cost you to build the heater yet? Quite curious as apparently someone did it for $20. I have a hunch it might cost much more than that. But if it does the job and uses that much less wood, then it's going to pay for itself in the very first winter.

In a cold winter (is there any other kind?) I burn close to 10 cords of wood here. That's a lot. And after reading some of the stuff on the rocket heater I have to wonder just how (in)efficient my wood stoves really are.

As for leaving the island...yes, as soon as the house sells. There's no knowing when that might actually be. I do have a place in mind, but it's still kind of up in the air.


----------



## shadytrake

cocobolo said:


> Well shadytrake, have you decided on how much it might cost you to build the heater yet? Quite curious as apparently someone did it for $20. I have a hunch it might cost much more than that. But if it does the job and uses that much less wood, then it's going to pay for itself in the very first winter.
> 
> In a cold winter (is there any other kind?) I burn close to 10 cords of wood here. That's a lot. And after reading some of the stuff on the rocket heater I have to wonder just how (in)efficient my wood stoves really are.
> 
> As for leaving the island...yes, as soon as the house sells. There's no knowing when that might actually be. I do have a place in mind, but it's still kind of up in the air.


Hi Keith, 

The goal is under $100, but I'm thinking that it will run about $150 tops. We are still working out the design, because in a greenhouse there is water so the cob coating is out. We'll go with an alternate on that, but not sure yet.

I'll keep you posted and I'll post pictures of the process on my project so you can see our progress.:yes:

-Melissa


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Hi Keith,
> 
> The goal is under $100, but I'm thinking that it will run about $150 tops. We are still working out the design, because in a greenhouse there is water so the cob coating is out. We'll go with an alternate on that, but not sure yet.
> 
> I'll keep you posted and I'll post pictures of the process on my project so you can see our progress.:yes:
> 
> -Melissa


Well I think $150 is considerably less expensive than any wood stove...so now matter how you slice it, a real bargain.


----------



## cocobolo

The first major project this morning was replacing the old pipe from the wood stove in the cabin. Yesterday I sanded it in order to paint it, but when I hit it with the sander a chunk broke out of the bottom.

It's a bit of a battle doing this by yourself as you need to be able to raise the entire pipe assembly, and that's heavy. So I went up on the roof and removed the cap and double wall pipe, then back inside to lift the now lightened pipe assembly.

Of course it only goes so far before something hits something else, and that made it necessary for me to move the stove ahead to gain some space. That didn't quite work, so then I had to remove the 2" thick concrete tiles under the stove.

OK, got that done and then reversed the procedure. Have you ever tried lifting a wood stove and moving a concrete tile back under it with your toes? Not fun. 

Here's what came out.


----------



## cocobolo

Most of that pipe damage was caused by me beating the daylights out of the bottom of the pipe to remove it. 

You see, the original cap had worn out and it was leaking probably for the past year or two. I haven't used that stove for some time. So there was surface rust everywhere.

Nice new one in place now. And I painted the stove but forgot to take a pic. Manana.


----------



## cocobolo

We had some sun today Jim, so here's an end shot of your table. Looks better in this light.


----------



## cocobolo

A few gratuitous pics from around the estate today.


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## shadytrake

You have been up early. I'm just getting started.


----------



## cocobolo

Quick pic of the freshly painted wood stove. Looks like it needs a second coat.


----------



## Bud Cline

Jheeeezh!

For a guy that is living on an island you always seem to be able to come up with parts and products needed to do any random job. Hell I would spend all of my time on the boat going to the hardware store.:yes:

And the helluvit is I know that black paint was high heat stove paint. I'm sure it was. Now who keeps that stuff on hand for an emergency?:laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Jheeeezh!
> 
> For a guy that is living on an island you always seem to be able to come up with parts and products needed to do any random job. Hell I would spend all of my time on the boat going to the hardware store.:yes:
> 
> And the helluvit is I know that black paint was high heat stove paint. I'm sure it was. Now who keeps that stuff on hand for an emergency?:laughing:


Well, I do actually. Two cans of it here fortunately! 

And if the top double wall stainless pipe had needed replacement, I even have an extra one of those!


----------



## BigJim

You must buy supplies like I buy plumbing parts, a bunch at a time. There is nothing more irritating than to start a job and not have all the parts, I have a huge bucket of plumbing parts just waiting for the next job. 

Keith, the table looks great, it does have character, beautiful. Thanks for sharing the photos of the beautiful flowers, they are fantastic.


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> Well, I do actually. Two cans of it here fortunately!
> 
> And if the top double wall stainless pipe had needed replacement, I even have an extra one of those!


Yow I figured as much! 
I have a two car garage that you can't even see the floor. I'm not at all a hoarder either. All of the crap, er-ah-a parts and supplies I hang on to are ALL GOOD STUFF. I save ALL GOOD STUFF.:yes: That includes what I have stored in the barn and the chicken coupe.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Yow I figured as much!
> I have a two car garage that you can't even see the floor. I'm not at all a hoarder either. All of the crap, er-ah-a parts and supplies I hang on to are ALL GOOD STUFF. I save ALL GOOD STUFF.:yes: That includes what I have stored in the barn and the chicken coupe.


Of couyrse it's all good stuff. Us non-hoarders NEVER keep anything but GOOD STUFF!!! :thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> Of couyrse it's all good stuff. Us non-hoarders NEVER keep anything but GOOD STUFF!!! :thumbup:


Exactly. I knew you would understand.:whistling2:


----------



## cocobolo

On the long list of things to do before tomorrow, is evacuating the water between the two pond liners, and then filling the pond as best I can. Somehow, the top liner had pulled away from one side (likely by the otters) and several of the bricks that keep the liners in place had slid into the pond.

I think that's under control and the pump is working as we speak to get the water back onto the top liner. As soon as that is finished I will move more water from the big cistern behind the house into the pond. Then that cistern needs some attention. It never ends.


----------



## cocobolo

Today was the day of the viewing..or so I hope. The realtor will let me know any feedback as soon as he hears anything.

So after a truly hectic three weeks plus what with moving down from the interior and having to do the necessary work at the house I must get on with the new work schedule for tomorrow.

1. Get up when ever the mood strikes me.
2. Have a coffee. Sit in the sun and drink that. After today's *&^%$#@! weather it better be nice tomorrow! 
3. Make something for brunch, because by then it will be way past breakfast time. :yes:
4. Think about what I could do in the afternoon. This is strictly a thinking deal here, no actual doing of anything. :no:
5. Aim the chair towards the sun.
6. Check on the suntan. :thumbsup:
7. Maybe an afternoon snack of nice fresh fruit that I picked up this afternoon.
8. Re-aim the chair...can't miss out on that good vitamin D.
9. That's it. Done for the day. :thumbup:
10. Well, OK then, maybe aim the chair one more time. But that's it, done, finito, the end, time to take it easy for the rest of the day.


----------



## BigJim

Sounds about like the other day out in my shop, Judy asked, "what ya doing", I said "nothing", she said, "you were doing that yesterday", I said, "yow, I know, but I didn't finish." LOL 

Buddy, you deserve a good rest after all you have been through, good on ya.


----------



## cocobolo

Wow! Sure am glad THIS day is over. Talk about hectic! :furious:

Up at the crack of 8 and then had to face the monumental decision whether to have coffee, tea or juice. The coffee won out. :thumbsup:

Next there was a problem with the weather. Not that it was windy, or even cool, but the sun wasn't shining. In fact, despite claims made by our untrustworthy government weather gurus, it wasn't nice and sunny until nearly 2 this afternoon! Disgraceful! And we PAY these people? What will they think of next? 

I did manage to handle the brunch thing rather well, and even made a nice snack in the early afternoon. But then an unforseen problem arose.

You see, every year one of my neighbours across the bay has about a dozen or so very lovely young ladies spend a few days at his cabin. It's not a problem until the sun comes out, which of course it did beautifully this afternoon. When that happens they congregate on the beach at his place, in full view of my back deck. So, what's the problem you ask?

It was my task today to sit in my chair and enjoy the sun. And the sunny side of my place is on the OTHER side of the house. What to do? Being the ever inventive fellow that I am (or at least claim to be) the answer was obvious. Do both. However, this meant exerting myself to some considerable degree and actually getting up from one chair, walking through the house and sitting on another chair on the back deck. Do you have any idea just how much work that is? 

I mean to say I couldn't just ignore them, that wouldn't be very neighbourly. But our trusty solar system came to my rescue a couple of hours after I commenced these long treks through the house. The sun started to shine on the back deck! Hallelujah brother! No longer did I have to face the arduous task of all that walking any longer. Peace at last!

Their water taxi arrived to pick them up around 5:30, at which time I commenced to make dinner with wonderful thoughts of scantily clad ladies swimming in my head. What a wonderful day!


----------



## cocobolo

OK, back to reality.

The big water tank out back had a failure of one of the wood sections. The liner stayed intact and the water was still inside...but in order to effect the repair I had to drain the water out. Much of it went into the pond and the rest on to the various garden areas.

Now it's a matter of seeing what I have in the hardware store to prevent this occurrence from happening again.


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> OK, back to reality.
> 
> The big water tank out back had a failure of one of the wood sections. The liner stayed intact and the water was still inside...but in order to effect the repair I had to drain the water out. Much of it went into the pond and the rest on to the various garden areas.
> 
> Now it's a matter of seeing what I have in the hardware store to prevent this occurrence from happening again.


HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!!
I wasn't finished hearing about the scenery across the pond. What - no pictures? We have seen your cameras. We have seen your telephoto lenses. We have seen your telescope with the camera adapter. So what gives? Are you saving the pictures for yourself or what?:yes:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!!
> I wasn't finished hearing about the scenery across the pond. What - no pictures? We have seen your cameras. We have seen your telephoto lenses. We have seen your telescope with the camera adapter. So what gives? Are you saving the pictures for yourself or what?:yes:


Bud...I've been having trouble with my email, seriously. Let me know if you received anything from me a few moments ago.

The telescopes are not here, the camera adapter is not here, but I do have my camera.


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## cocobolo

I cannot manage here without some sort of reliable water cistern, so the big one out back had to be fixed right away. That one is for the garden.

The plan was to rig a double braid line around the bottom of the tank and initially just pull it back into shape. Then assess what had to be done and just do it.

So the first thing I did was to tack nails in to the framing about 6" off the ground to sit the rope on.


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## cocobolo

I got as far as you see in the pic above and then out of nowhere I got attacked by wasps. Three nasty bites in a second or so. The rest I ran away from. Miserable little so and so's. 

It seems that they had a nest just under the top of the cover on the tank...


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## cocobolo

After giving them some medicine, I carried on with the nailing, and got the rope attached to a 2 ton chainfall. That ought to do the job.


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## cocobolo

Pulling the bottom of the tank back into place was pretty easy, and once that was done and all the wood securely nailed, I did a cleanout of the inside of the tank.


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## cocobolo

The next part of the plan is to find either some cable or steel rod with which to make some bands to wrap around the tank. That way there shouldn't be any problem again in future.

Got the cover back on and nailed in place to keep the debris out.


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## BigJim

That is the pits Keith, that looked like a hornet's nest to me, either way they hurt,

Glad you got your storage fixed.


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## shadytrake

Ugh. Hate hornets and wasps. A lot of them kill the bees that we need for pollinators.


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## samharris

awesomeeee


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That is the pits Keith, that looked like a hornet's nest to me, either way they hurt,
> 
> Glad you got your storage fixed.


I have had several of these nests here over the years, and some of them get to be about 9 or 10 inches long. These guys are what some folks refer to as yellowjackets. Is that the same as a hornet down your way Jim?


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## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Ugh. Hate hornets and wasps. A lot of them kill the bees that we need for pollinators.


I didn't know that. We have lots of the little Mason bees here which are excellent pollinators. Also quite a few of the regular honey bees.


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## shadytrake

Okay Keith, I posted a picture of a reclaimed barn cedar board that I want to make into my potting bench. It's on my project thread. Can you tell me the best way to bring out the grain (without staining) while at the same time offering waterproofing? Tung Oil, wax, or other? Thanks for letting me hijack your thread for a moment.


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## BigJim

Keith, the hornet is a little larger than the Yellow Jacket and the Hornets hurts worse. The Hornet nests are usually somewhat the shape of a football. The interesting part is they chew tree bark and make paper which is what their nests are made of. Down this way a wasp nest is open totally on the bottom, the Hornet's nest has a hole in the bottom, Yellow Jackets nest in the ground.


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## shadytrake

The picture posted looks like a hornet's nest.


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## cocobolo

Sunrise was at 5:10 am this morning...and this is what I was greeted with.

If you believe the "red sky in the morning line..." then you know we're in for a stormy day. There is a pretty healthy onshore wind blowing right now, and that boom behind the tug is closer than usual to our shore.

I need another 30 or so logs for the winter firewood here and I was hoping (not really) that a few would let go from the boom! :whistling2:


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## shadytrake

:yes:I'm sure Mother Nature will blow some up for you!:yes:


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## cocobolo

A couple of days ago I figured I would need about 6 more cords of wood. It takes 30 wheel barrow loads per cord...so 180 barrow loads!  So far I put 22 loads into the woodshed. Long way to go.

Well, today was the last day of spring and we have rain in the forecast for this evening. Look at the picture...Ya think? Yes, that is a very black cloud sitting on top of me right now!


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## BigJim

6 MORE cords of wood, my stars buddy, that is some serious wood. Is your cord the same as ours down this way, our cord is 2X4X16'. When I was burning wood we use 2-3 cords a year total, after we got the good heaters that would burn all night. We burned Red Oak and Hickory and that burns slower than the wood up your way, but man, that is a lot of difference.

Fire wood has gotten so high it is not feasible to heat with wood unless you cut it yourself.


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## cocobolo

Yes Jim, that's right, 6 MORE. And yes, a cord is a cord same as yours. We usually say 4' by 4' by 8', same thing. The only decent wood here for burning is the Arbutus. But all the good stuff has been long since taken. So I'm relegated to using either driftwood or the occasional tree that needs to come down for safety reasons.

There's one small fir behind the house which is starting to lean the wrong way, so that must go. I'm going to have to pull it backwards in order for it not to hit the house on the way down.

I'm trying to find out if there's some way to make these wood stoves burn better. Checking things out on one of the good websites about this now.

And today, I'm going to make a Pocket Rocket stove to see how it works. Can't use one of these inside unfortunately, but it will show me how well the system works (or not!). I'll let you know. Just have to find enough scrap items around here to cobble one together.


----------



## BigJim

What type of stoves do you have? Below in the picture is the type I had, I loaded them before bed time closed the dampers down and the house was toasty warm in the morning and I still had a good fire going.

I hope the MRH works buddy, I am interested to see how it works, I still don't see how you do all you do, that is amazing to say the least.


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## Frozenoem

I don't know your wood stove type but, check out Lopi for a brand name. I've been using since 99 has an overnight easy and heats 2500 ft sq (at least their Liberty model) does. 4 cords for normal winter but put up 5 for the surprise winters of -20 to -40 for 5 weeks.


Sent using Tapatalk


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## cocobolo

Frozenoem said:


> I don't know your wood stove type but, check out Lopi for a brand name. I've been using since 99 has an overnight easy and heats 2500 ft sq (at least their Liberty model) does. 4 cords for normal winter but put up 5 for the surprise winters of -20 to -40 for 5 weeks.
> 
> 
> Sent using Tapatalk


Both of the wood stoves are of the plain old box type. Nothing fancy. There are pics of both of them on the thread here somewhere, but you'd probably need to go back a few hundred pages!

I have no doubt that there are far better stoves out there, but I'm not in any position to spend two or three thousand dollars for one. I have looked at a number of wood stoves at the local store and none of them are what you might call inexpensive.

The bottom line is that I am going to need to come up with some way to make these stoves perform much better this winter. That is, if i am still here.

I do have an old wood stove out back which was going to be used to heat the hot tub. Forgot all about that one. It's a Fisher, and if I remember correctly a chum of mine had one in his place and it worked like a charm. It is still the basic box type, but much better built, much heavier and with really nice double doors.

Maybe I will spend a day or three cleaning it all up and see what happens. I sure have nothing to lose.


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## Frozenoem

I yes to use a Fisher Grandfather that's when I was burning 10cords . 
I didn't like using a draft knob on pipe and stove door. Had to clean chimney too frequently even if I kept burn at 400degrees. Also didn't enjoy when the fisher dropped stove pipe from rear where it ported from, amazing how unpleasant it is picking up cherry stovepipe off the floor after logging truck goes by,.


Sent using Tapatalk


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## cocobolo

Frozenoem said:


> I yes to use a Fisher Grandfather that's when I was burning 10cords .
> I didn't like using a draft knob on pipe and stove door. Had to clean chimney too frequently even if I kept burn at 400degrees. Also didn't enjoy when the fisher dropped stove pipe from rear where it ported from, amazing how unpleasant it is picking up cherry stovepipe off the floor after logging truck goes by,.
> 
> 
> Sent using Tapatalk


Well, that's interesting. With a hot burn - and 400º is actually very cool - you shouldn't have much or any creosote.

I moved the exhaust on this Fisher from the back to the top. I never did care for any of the rear exhaust stoves. Friends of mine over at Lions Bay have one with rear exhaust, and it's the devil to light.

If the door seals are in good shape, you shouldn't need a damper in the pipe as well as the two draft knobs in the doors. I'm pretty certain my Fisher will need new door gaskets, at the very least.


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## cocobolo

Today was the day to see if I could make a pocket rocket stove.

In the book by Ianto Evans, there are what appears to be deceptively simple instructions to build one of these little creations. I gathered up what materials I thought might fill the bill and this shot shows what's available.


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## cocobolo

Three of the four pipes are galvanized, and Ianto cautions against using anything galvanized for the heat riser. Why? Because apparently galvanizing will start to give up the ghost in the upper 700º range, and the riser on these stoves can exceed 2,000º on occasion. 
Knowing this, I made certain to stand upwind of the fire once it got going.

So the first thing you need to do is to draw circles around the pipes where they are going to go through the metal lid of the bucket.

Then drill a hole, enlarge that with tin snips, but try to leave an inch or so of metal which will get used as a flange.

I ended up needing to use the two smallest diameter pipes because there wasn't enough room in the lid for the larger ones. So this was by necessity, not by choice.

This is the feed tube hole, which is the larger of the two holes.


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## cocobolo

So far so good. Now here's the holes drilled for the riser tube and the feed tube is in place.


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## cocobolo

Then you cut out for the riser, and I added a small touch of my own...something not mentioned in the book.

When I had the flanges all cut, I inserted the riser tube about 3/4" into the lid. There was just enough metal left over to bend under the tube and this held it in place very nicely.


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## cocobolo

That last pic was taken after the fire went out and things had cooled down. Notice how absolutely clean the riser is.

Ianto says to burn the inside of your bucket before you use it as the pocket rocket. There was some sort of oily deposit in this one, and it took awhile to burn itself out.


----------



## cocobolo

Once that fire is out, you simply put the lid in place with the feed tube and the riser.

Crumple up a couple of pieces of newspaper, light them and drop them into the feed tube. As soon as you have done this add your kindling. You should use very dry cedar cut into pencil sized pieces. I didn't have that, but I had some fairly dry fir about 5/8" square...so I dropped a few of them into the feed hole. It did take a couple of tries with some more paper, but I knew the second that it had caught.

Now I know first hand why they are called rocket stoves. It sounds exactly like the stove has gone into launch mode! Fantastic!

For the first few seconds, you can expect a little smoke from the exhaust. But in less than a minute there was no hint of any smoke at all. What happens is that the heat is so intense in the riser, that any smoke is fully consumed. it's really hard to believe until you see it with your own eyes.

Here's the first kindling just getting started.


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## cocobolo

Here's the whole setup after it had been running a few minutes. Notice the total lack of smoke.


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## cocobolo

In the book, Ianto warns that the bottom of the bucket will get EXTREMELY hot. And within a very short time the ground was on fire all round the bucket.

I let it burn for a couple of minutes, then put the fire out with some water. It was so hot that the water on the ground boiled instantly!


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## cocobolo

Here's a look down the feed tube after the fire had been going for a few minutes.


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## cocobolo

You keep expecting to see the fire rise out of the feed tube, but it doesn't happen. The flames and any odd puff of smoke get sucked right down into the bucket.

Here's the official "Poke Stick" just in case you need to jiggle the wood in the feed tube. It's a piece off an old TV antenna.


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## BigJim

Man, I am glued to your thread Keith, this is great.


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## cocobolo

Here's a close up of the exhaust. Honest...it's running wide open!


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## cocobolo

Note that once you add pieces of wood to the feed tube that the wood automatically feeds itself down. Great stuff that gravity!


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## cocobolo

Just a couple more things...I tried holding a pot over the riser in a similar fashion to what there would be on a full size rocket mass heater.

About three seconds was all I could handle...way too much heat!

You can hold your hand over the feed tube, say about 10-12" away for as long as you like. But forget about trying to hold your hand over the riser at a foot plus for even one second. The heat is really quite incredible. And I only had a few small pieces of wood in there, nothing that you would expect to get anywhere near this hot.


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## cocobolo

And just as Ianto says, the bottom of the bucket gets really warm. Here's the charred ground after I took the pocket rocket away.

Well, I have to say that I am super impressed with this little heater. For something cobbled up out of junk, it's really hard to believe just how much energy it puts out.

Now, how can I go about fitting one in the house...?


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## BigJim

That is really encouraging Keith, that is also amazing, my mind is going crazy trying to figure where to put one. I bet you will find a way to modify even the fantastic design it is now. I can see why the fellow fixed it so outside air would be used instead of inside air. I will do some researching this one, thanks for posting your results.

Keith have you seen the deal where the flue pipe will form a box and a fan in the center of the box to capture heat from the exhaust? I don't know how that would effect the build up in the pipes, on your other stoves, it probably would but if you built a roaring fire each time you fired up the stove that should take care of that. I wonder how mass would help with your other stoves, just brainstorming a little. 

It is a shame one can't form creosote, collect it and use it for fuel. From what I hear that stuff is really bad on your health.


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## cocobolo

Jim:
This design was conceived so that homeless people could make one for themselves and use wood from dumpster diving. Seriously, that was one of the uses they thought of. Essentially it can be done for free and with free wood as well. How many construction sites throw away bin loads of debris - much of it wood - on a daily basis.

As for where you can use one, something like this is good for a garage or workshop where you can put a small chimney through the roof. I have seen several examples where the exhaust is run out through a sidewall, but I have to say that I'm no fan of that at all. Much too easy to cause a house fire, even with the proper approved metal fittings. Creosote has a nasty habit of collecting in places where you cannot get the cleaning brush to, and when that catches fire you have a problem Houston.

Or how about as a replacement for those expensive propane fired patio heaters? The heat is low down where you want it, you can raise the heater off the floor using an inverted bucket, or a few concrete blocks or something similar.

Ianto says that one of these small heaters outperforms a camp fire by several orders of magnitude. Far less wood use, no open flame and nice heat which will come off the side of the metal bucket, or barrel, and Bob's your uncle.


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## BigJim

Creosote buildup is really bad, I had one creosote fire and that was enough, that stove sounded like a jet warming up, I thought I was going to burn the house down.

If I can figure out how and where, I would like to try one of the heaters out in the shop, all the heat I have out there is one little electric heater. That does sound encouraging, buddy, thanks again.


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## shadytrake

Hi Guys! I'm so glad that I introduced you to the the RMH! A few pointers about the Creosote. According to everything I have read, there is not much buildup at all of the Creosote in these because of the way they burn. They basically re-burn if that makes any sense. 

So happy that you got one going. Isn't it neat to be able to get something that powerful without spending a bundle of cash?!? I have ordered the firebrick for mine and we are still on the hunt for the brick for the thermal mass. We have found some free material for the rubble.


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## shadytrake

BigJim said:


> Creosote buildup is really bad, I had one creosote fire and that was enough, that stove sounded like a jet warming up, I thought I was going to burn the house down.
> 
> If I can figure out how and where, I would like to try one of the heaters out in the shop, all the heat I have out there is one little electric heater. That does sound encouraging, buddy, thanks again.



Hi Jim,

I accidentally deleted my reply. For shop use, I recommend Zero Fossil Fuel's design as he has done extensive testing for safety and is using it in his lab up in the woods up North. :thumbsup:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeroFossilFuel


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## BigJim

shadytrake said:


> Hi Guys! I'm so glad that I introduced you to the the RMH! A few pointers about the Creosote. According to everything I have read, there is not much buildup at all of the Creosote in these because of the way they burn. They basically re-burn if that makes any sense.
> 
> So happy that you got one going. Isn't it neat to be able to get something that powerful without spending a bundle of cash?!? I have ordered the firebrick for mine and we are still on the hunt for the brick for the thermal mass. We have found some free material for the rubble.


Why don't you use sand or mortar for the mass? I don't know if that would work or not. I am excited about the heater, I am going to give one a try a little later, I need to straighten the shop up first.

I can see how the creosote would be burned up in this stove, no smoke, no creosote.

Thanks for the link, there is some neat stuff there.


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## shadytrake

Hi Jim, we will use sand and some mortar. The mortar is a poorer thermal mass radiant so we will only use it to bind the bricks. Sand works very well. Right now we are trying to find free brick to avoid having to purchase it. 

I look forward to your results!


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## cocobolo

Jim: You're doing what all us newbies do...trying to reinvent the wheel.
The best solution first is to buy the book. I have to dig up a link where you can get it for $10...otherwise you can go to the rocketstoves.com website and get a download for $18 less a 25% discount with a discount password. I have to find the $10 link...it's written somewhere in the book. 

Let me get back to you on that.

In the meantime, try the Permies.com website. Go way down the left side and eventually you will come to the rocket mass heater section. Click and enjoy a LOT of very interesting reading.


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## shadytrake

This website offers some neat designs and photos. Lots of inspiration.

http://www.inspirationgreen.com/rocket-mass-heaters.html


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## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> This website offers some neat designs and photos. Lots of inspiration.
> 
> http://www.inspirationgreen.com/rocket-mass-heaters.html


Melissa, is the book you have by Ianto Evans? If so, there are about 15 links in the back of the book with all manner of great stuff. I doubt any of us could wade our way through it all in a lifetime.

I do have one question for you. Are you going to use all three of your barrels stacked up like you show in your photo?


----------



## BigJim

shadytrake said:


> This website offers some neat designs and photos. Lots of inspiration.
> 
> http://www.inspirationgreen.com/rocket-mass-heaters.html


Wow, that is a bunch of good reading, I appreciate that a lot.


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## shadytrake

cocobolo said:


> Melissa, is the book you have by Ianto Evans? If so, there are about 15 links in the back of the book with all manner of great stuff. I doubt any of us could wade our way through it all in a lifetime.
> 
> I do have one question for you. Are you going to use all three of your barrels stacked up like you show in your photo?


Hi Keith,

I do have the book by Ianto. We will not be stacking three high as it will be too hot and tall. We will stack two high (but will cut a part off of one barrel) so really 1 and 2/3. We estimate that will be the perfect size to get the amount of heat required for the thermal mass. 

It really is an experimental process. Our exhaust will be on the other side of the greenhouse so our thermal mass will be quite large. Hoping to maximize the amount of heat storage. I can't wait for the fire brick to arrive so that we can start testing.


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Hi Keith,
> 
> I do have the book by Ianto. We will not be stacking three high as it will be too hot and tall. We will stack two high (but will cut a part off of one barrel) so really 1 and 2/3. We estimate that will be the perfect size to get the amount of heat required for the thermal mass.


Oboy...are you going to be surprised at how hot those barrels will get!


----------



## cocobolo

Back at Post #8,000, I got started on the water tank fix. Today I went in search of something better than rope to fix the problem with. And voila! I found the old 1/2" steel hoops that I originally used to build the old wood tank by the cabin. Sometimes it pays not to throw old junk away. :thumbsup:

I'm going to see if I can get three hoops on the big tank, which means I will need at least two full hoops from the old tank to make one for the new tank.

I moved a few hoops up to get started this morning.


----------



## cocobolo

It may not be readily apparent from that pic, but those hoops have been outside n the weather for more than 15 years. The nuts and threads have become well and truly rusted. No matter how much force I applied to the nut, none of them would budge.

So I resorted to cutting the nuts off by splitting them apart with my grinder.


----------



## cocobolo

Following that I had to clean the old threads up, and the only way that was going to happen was to use a die. Nothing else would touch the heavy rust.


----------



## cocobolo

Next step was to try and partly straighten out the old hoops to fit the big tank. That wasn't too bad, but sort of like trying to make spaghetti stay in place.

Two of the hoops didn't quite make it all the way around the tank, so then I needed something to complete the circle in order to get the first one tightened up.

Once again lady luck was on my side and I had a piece of stainless steel 1/2" threaded rod on hand.  But it was too short.  But then I found a second piece which made it long enough. :yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Needing all these extra pieces necessitated the use of additional connectors. Yet again lady luck was smiling upon me today (must have been the sunny day here) and I came across a bunch of extra ones that I had welded up all those years ago.


----------



## cocobolo

Not only that, but I also found an old bag of 1/2" nuts to fit as well.

Eventually, after an hour or more of tightening and loosening nuts, I got the bottom hoop in place. I'd like to make two more and so I will tackle the second one tomorrow. Probably took me a good four hours to get this one in place.


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## BigJim

If that don't hold nothing will, just amazing how you can come up with so many remedies for things.


----------



## shumakerscott

It's great to see you tinkering with a Rocket Stove. I've also been thinking about it. Here is a link that I was looking at. His is ugly but it could be covered with a thermal mass.
http://www.iwilltry.org/b/build-a-rocket-stove-for-home-heating/
Glad to have you back posting, Shu


----------



## cocobolo

shumakerscott said:


> It's great to see you tinkering with a Rocket Stove. I've also been thinking about it. Here is a link that I was looking at. His is ugly but it could be covered with a thermal mass.
> http://www.iwilltry.org/b/build-a-rocket-stove-for-home-heating/
> Glad to have you back posting, Shu


Hi Shu: I checked the link you gave me, and my suggestion is for anyone interested in a Rocket Mass Heater (referred to as an RMH,) that they buy the download from rocketstoves.com. That really is the "bible" so to speak.

The fellow in the link has a number of very questionable items built into his stove and reading the book will explain what they are. 

Still early in the morning here, but it looks like nice weather for Canada Day!


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## gma2rjc

Happy Canada Day Keith!


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## shadytrake

Nice job on the tank! Our RMH tests are complete and we will start to build the base and the thermal mass tomorrow (if the weather holds). We won't put the stove cement on until the very last assembly. Plenty of time for that. I agree with you, Keith, on getting the book. There are a lot of details that can be missed and safety is always a factor. Ours is a combination of the book and Zero's design because of our size constraints.


----------



## cocobolo

A few of you know that my favourite ISP, that would be Rogers, isn't exactly in my good books lately. New computer, new modem, new bill...you name it. Still nothing but trouble. So I have requested a brand new modem at Rogers expense and we'll see if that makes any difference.

Well, it was a gorgeous Canada Day today, spectacular weather here on the coast and I actually got a little work done.

One more hoop on the water tank. Boy, that is a real chore I tell you. One more tomorrow and that will do it. Also got around to sticking the TP holder on to the wall in the bathroom. Well, heck, it's only been about two years or so since I was going to do it, better late than never. I have it propped up on a 1 x 6 now while the thin set is drying. I'm going to leave it for a day before I take the support out just in case. Maybe get a pic later.

And here is some alarming news...I found some crowbar marks on my nice varnished back door where some kind soul tried to break in to the house. I must admit I did notice this a week or so after I got back from the interior, but today I took a good look and there are several spots where they tried and failed to break in. 

I will be sending pics over to the RCMP tomorrow. That is more to find out if they have had any other reports of attempted break ins over the winter or not. Really nothing they can do now anyway. There was a cabin got broken into two or three years ago on the other side of the island. I don't know if anything went missing or not, but there was damage to a set of expensive doors.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> A few of you know that my favourite ISP, that would be Rogers, isn't exactly in my good books lately. New computer, new modem, new bill...you name it. Still nothing but trouble. So I have requested a brand new modem at Rogers expense and we'll see if that makes any difference.
> 
> Well, it was a gorgeous Canada Day today, spectacular weather here on the coast and I actually got a little work done.
> 
> One more hoop on the water tank. Boy, that is a real chore I tell you. One more tomorrow and that will do it. Also got around to sticking the TP holder on to the wall in the bathroom. Well, heck, it's only been about two years or so since I was going to do it, better late than never. I have it propped up on a 1 x 6 now while the thin set is drying. I'm going to leave it for a day before I take the support out just in case. Maybe get a pic later.
> 
> And here is some alarming news...I found some crowbar marks on my nice varnished back door where some kind soul tried to break in to the house. I must admit I did notice this a week or so after I got back from the interior, but today I took a good look and there are several spots where they tried and failed to break in.
> 
> I will be sending pics over to the RCMP tomorrow. That is more to find out if they have had any other reports of attempted break ins over the winter or not. Really nothing they can do now anyway. There was a cabin got broken into two or three years ago on the other side of the island. I don't know if anything went missing or not, but there was damage to a set of expensive doors.


Good grief, can't even get away from the sorry low lifes way out on an island. I hope you catch him buddy.


----------



## cocobolo

A pic of the most important job done around here lately!!! :thumbup:


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim:

I spoke with the RCMP today, and there really isn't anything they can do. But what I was asking them about was if they had received any other similar complaints from any other property owners here, but they had not.

This makes me think that I was specifically targeted by someone local, and the officer agreed with me.

I have a facebook page for property owners here, and I will ask on there if anyone else has had the same trouble. This is part of the damage.


----------



## cocobolo

The Canada day sunset...we almost didn't get anything!


----------



## cocobolo

Got the third hoop on the water tank this morning. They are 1/2" cold rolled steel and that should stop any future trouble! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

This morning I took it upon myself to clean all the arbutus leaves off the bank out front.

Wouldn't you know it...it has been blowing a gale ever since! :furious:

Next time I'll look at the marine forecast first! :jester:


----------



## shadytrake

Hi Keith,

You could set up one of those motion activated wildlife cameras. They are great at catching would-be thieves. Someone local here suspected a neighbor of breaking into their house so they set one up. Caught him on camera red-handed.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Hi Jim:
> 
> I spoke with the RCMP today, and there really isn't anything they can do. But what I was asking them about was if they had received any other similar complaints from any other property owners here, but they had not.
> 
> This makes me think that I was specifically targeted by someone local, and the officer agreed with me.
> 
> I have a facebook page for property owners here, and I will ask on there if anyone else has had the same trouble. This is part of the damage.


Hopefully some one will come up with something to catch the no accounts.

That is some beautiful pictures buddy, we appreciate them.

You got the water tank looking good, it looks sturdy.


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> Hi Keith,
> 
> You could set up one of those motion activated wildlife cameras. They are great at catching would-be thieves. Someone local here suspected a neighbor of breaking into their house so they set one up. Caught him on camera red-handed.


We went though a similar scenario several years ago (we didn't get broken in to, others did) and I looked into this sort of camera at the time. I think the reason we didn't dry something like that up was mainly due to the cost. We also wanted the type that broadcast the picture to the TV remotely. Maybe that's why it was expensive.

I'll look into it some more...good idea...thanks Melissa.


----------



## cocobolo

It's OK to turn the alarm bells off now...the problem of the break in has been solved.


----------



## BigJim

And.....


----------



## gma2rjc

Do tell! The suspense is killing us! :laughing:


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## shadytrake

Helllooooo! You must tell!


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## cocobolo

Sorry to disappoint, but that isn't for public consumption over the web.

But I was reminded also that someone was here earlier in the year and left the cabin doors wide open and also broke the Honda generator cord. That doesn't happen by itself.

How about a couple of sunset pics to console you all...one over the Stuart Channel, the other looking over the bay from the back deck. This was a couple of nights ago when it was very windy.


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday morning, when the weather was nice, I started to clean the varnish off the top of the tub deck railing. It was showing the same symptoms as the big upper deck rail before I fixed that. I think I must have put a coat of the dreaded poly on this small railing as well.

Started by sanding again today...then resorted to the heat gun as before. That worked fine. Then more sanding to get rid of the black marks. Then a coat of fresh varnish. Then an hour later we started to get showers...it's still raining. :furious:


----------



## cocobolo

A few random pics of the garden earlier before the rain arrived. That bamboo is 14 feet tall this year! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Some poor soul came by shortly before the rain arrived under tow by the C-Tow boat from Nanaimo. No idea where he came from, but it's always a very expensive bill when that happens.


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## BigJim

Beautiful buddy, just beautiful, thanks for sharing.


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## cocobolo

SD1987 said:


> Quite the project


I suppose you could say that...


----------



## shadytrake

BigJim said:


> Beautiful buddy, just beautiful, thanks for sharing.


Agree! Lovely!:thumbsup:


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## cocobolo

Just heard from a lady at the other end of the island here, and her shed was broken into sometime in the past few days. 
It is definitely unrelated to my place, but I suggested she speak with the RCMP on Monday to let them know.


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> Just heard from a lady at the other end of the island here, and her shed was broken into sometime in the past few days.
> It is definitely unrelated to my place, but I suggested she speak with the RCMP on Monday to let them know.


So....You have weasels living amongst you?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> So....You have weasels living amongst you?


Hi Bud: yes, it appears that we do. However, the Lady's cabin in question is nicely tucked into a tiny bay at the other end of the island and would make a fairly easy target for a visiting boat to get to.
I heard from her again this morning and not only was the door ripped off, but a number of items have been taken.


----------



## BigJim

Keith, get yourself a mean dog, that should slow them down a little.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Keith, get yourself a mean dog, that should slow them down a little.


...or land mines, a blunderbuss, pet alligator, armed guards, remote control machine gun, hand grenades...the mind boggles! 

At one time I had the skeleton of a seal that washed up on the beach and which got thoroughly cleaned by the eagles hanging from a noose. That was funny.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> At one time I had the skeleton of a seal that washed up on the beach and which got thoroughly cleaned by the eagles hanging from a noose. That was funny.


What were the eagles doing hanging from a noose? :jester:


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> What were the eagles doing hanging from a noose? :jester:


They liked to perch inside it of course! :laughing:


----------



## fixrite

cocobolo said:


> Hi Bud: yes, it appears that we do. However, the Lady's cabin in question is nicely tucked into a tiny bay at the other end of the island and would make a fairly easy target for a visiting boat to get to.
> I heard from her again this morning and not only was the door ripped off, but a number of items have been taken.


I once had a problem like that years ago, my solution was to take a 1 x 4 board about 4 ft long and with the use of my nail gun spiked it with 4 inch spikes, I then sharpened the tips of the nails poking through the other side with a dremel ( razor sharp) and conveniently left it under the window the culprit was using to enter my garage. It only took about a week till I noticed board was moved and there was some evidence of human fluid ( the red stuff ) on the floor. Never had a problem after that. NOW I am not suggesting anyone do such a thing, but the deterring value worked so very well. Guess they were not wearing CSA approved footwear in a work shop. :laughing::laughing:


----------



## cocobolo

fixrite said:


> I once had a problem like that years ago, my solution was to take a 1 x 4 board about 4 ft long and with the use of my nail gun spiked it with 4 inch spikes, I then sharpened the tips of the nails poking through the other side with a dremel ( razor sharp) and conveniently left it under the window the culprit was using to enter my garage. It only took about a week till I noticed board was moved and there was some evidence of human fluid ( the red stuff ) on the floor. Never had a problem after that. NOW I am not suggesting anyone do such a thing, but the deterring value worked so very well. Guess they were not wearing CSA approved footwear in a work shop. :laughing::laughing:


Hahaha! That's a good one.

Way back in the 1970's I used to have a service station up in Whitehorse. We would occasionally get broken into but nothing of value was ever taken. The RCMP suggested that I put sheets of newspaper immediately inside the door for the B & E artists to walk on.

Apparently the police can tell an awful lot just from a footprint. But I must admit the thought of doing some bodily harm to these jerks has some appeal. 

I even thought of trying to rig up an engine block on a rope so that when the door opened the intruder would get a hefty surprise. It would be easy to disconnect that setup via a small hole in the side wall of the garage. Sure would be a real bugger if you forgot!


----------



## fixrite

I don't have much nice things to say when it comes to those that wish to do others harm or any other form of injustice. Sometime a number of years ago the neighbourhood seemed to be getting targeted by the no-good people. There was a group of teenagers walking down the street and I recognized one of them from the local paper as being a trouble maker to say the least. My first instinct was to go over and bop him one, but common sense gave way. I approached the crowd of would be thugs and asked the biggest kid if he was still interested in attending my martial arts class as I had an opening come up. He looked at me strangely and said he did not know what I was talking about. I asked him if had applied to be a student in my martial arts class at the local rec centre. He said I must be mistaken. I apologized and went back to weeding my front flower bed. Sometimes just planting the seed works just as well as a lecture. So far to date I have not had any problems. Funny how that works.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> Hahaha! That's a good one.
> 
> Way back in the 1970's I used to have a service station up in Whitehorse. We would occasionally get broken into but nothing of value was ever taken. The RCMP suggested that I put sheets of newspaper immediately inside the door for the B & E artists to walk on.
> 
> Apparently the police can tell an awful lot just from a footprint. But I must admit the thought of doing some bodily harm to these jerks has some appeal.
> 
> I even thought of trying to rig up an engine block on a rope so that when the door opened the intruder would get a hefty surprise. It would be easy to disconnect that setup via a small hole in the side wall of the garage. Sure would be a real bugger if you forgot!


The trouble with all those schemes to do bodily harm to someone else is that they're indiscriminate. Trust me, I get the appeal of setting a trap that will do something unpleasant to a criminal, I really do. But you also have a chance of doing that same unpleasant thing to someone who isn't the person who's causing the problems. The neighbors 6 year-old kid might wander into your yard and for whatever reason decide to peer into your garage window, and impale his feet on the spike board. 

As far as setting lethal traps for burglars, I'm pretty sure that Cocobolo was only fantasizing (and again, I can certainly sympathize), but in reality, there have been people who *have* convinced themselves that setting a lethal trap like a set-gun or something in an unoccupied building is justified. They've been pretty surprised to get charged with murder with their trap worked.


----------



## fixrite

A Squared said:


> The trouble with all those schemes to do bodily harm to someone else is that they're indiscriminate. Trust me, I get the appeal of setting a trap that will do something unpleasant to a criminal, I really do. But you also have a chance of doing that same unpleasant thing to someone who isn't the person who's causing the problems. The neighbors 6 year-old kid might wander into your yard and for whatever reason decide to peer into your garage window, and impale his feet on the spike board.
> 
> As far as setting lethal traps for burglars, I'm pretty sure that Cocobolo was only fantasizing (and again, I can certainly sympathize), but in reality, there have been people who *have* convinced themselves that setting a lethal trap like a set-gun or something in an unoccupied building is justified. They've been pretty surprised to get charged with murder with their trap worked.


That board was placed on my floor in my closed in workshop, not open to the public in any way shape or form.


----------



## Bud Cline

A few cameras in strategic locations may help, they don't even have to be real. You can buy look-alikes with little red lights on them to indicate they are operating when in fact the only thing operating is the little red lights.:yes:

I did this at a friends lake home that was frequently invaded. After the cameras went up the invasions stopped. I added several signs on the property saying something like "WELCOME" we are so glad you are here that we are recording your visit for future reference. Enjoy your stay."


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> The trouble with all those schemes to do bodily harm to someone else is that they're indiscriminate. Trust me, I get the appeal of setting a trap that will do something unpleasant to a criminal, I really do. But you also have a chance of doing that same unpleasant thing to someone who isn't the person who's causing the problems. The neighbors 6 year-old kid might wander into your yard and for whatever reason decide to peer into your garage window, and impale his feet on the spike board.
> 
> As far as setting lethal traps for burglars, I'm pretty sure that Cocobolo was only fantasizing (and again, I can certainly sympathize), but in reality, there have been people who *have* convinced themselves that setting a lethal trap like a set-gun or something in an unoccupied building is justified. They've been pretty surprised to get charged with murder with their trap worked.


Of course I was just kidding. Glad you recognized that. But for once, wouldn't it be nice to see these clowns get their just rewards?


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> A few cameras in strategic locations may help, they don't even have to be real. You can buy look-alikes with little red lights on them to indicate they are operating when in fact the only thing operating is the little red lights.:yes:
> 
> I did this at a friends lake home that was frequently invaded. After the cameras went up the invasions stopped. I added several signs on the property saying something like "WELCOME" we are so glad you are here that we are recording your visit for future reference. Enjoy your stay."


Bud, trust you to come up with something nice and devious like that. I love it! 

Maybe I can find a couple of fake cameras next trip to town.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> But for once, wouldn't it be nice to see these clowns get their just rewards?


Yes, it certainly would.


----------



## cocobolo

Just in case the world hasn't handed me enough troubles lately, the demand water heater decided not to work this morning. Plenty of propane, the stove and oven work fine, so who knows. 

Called the local propane outfit and discovered that this is quite common. 90% of the time it is a plugged orifice - which is only .004" - and it can be remedied by removing the internal supply line and the small burn assembly. Then that is soaked in some sort of cleaner for 24 hours and it should work. Apparently you can use paint thinner, lacquer thinner, gasoline  or carburetor cleaner to do this. 

I have three of the four on hand, so it is soaking in lacquer thinner as we speak. If it doesn't fly tomorrow morning, then the unit will need to be removed and taken over to town. Happy days.


----------



## gma2rjc

If it's not one thing, it's another. 

I hope the lacquer thinner does the trick.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Just in case the world hasn't handed me enough troubles lately, the demand water heater decided not to work this morning. Plenty of propane, the stove and oven work fine, so who knows.
> 
> Called the local propane outfit and discovered that this is quite common. 90% of the time it is a plugged orifice - which is only .004" - and it can be remedied by removing the internal supply line and the small burn assembly. Then that is soaked in some sort of cleaner for 24 hours and it should work. Apparently you can use paint thinner, lacquer thinner, gasoline  or carburetor cleaner to do this.
> 
> I have three of the four on hand, so it is soaking in lacquer thinner as we speak. If it doesn't fly tomorrow morning, then the unit will need to be removed and taken over to town. Happy days.


Never mind, that is salt water out there. I was going to suggest a nice swim but... Buddy it seems like you spend so much of your time putting out fires, that really is the pits. You don't have one of the files for the orifice of a cutting torch do you, that might work on the jet.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Never mind, that is salt water out there. I was going to suggest a nice swim but... Buddy it seems like you spend so much of your time putting out fires, that really is the pits. You don't have one of the files for the orifice of a cutting torch do you, that might work on the jet.


The tip cleaners for a torch are quite a bit bigger than .004" Jim. That was the first thing I thought of, except that the little tube where the pilot light runs from is curved, so I don't think it would work anyway.
At the top end of the tube is a small coil of what looks like wire. I know that piece glows when the pilot light is working, but whether or not the gas goes through that wire or not I'm not certain.


----------



## cocobolo

Well that didn't work very well, let's try a better pic.

Now you should be able to see that little coil better...I hope.


----------



## BigJim

It looks to me that gas comes down the tube and the coil is the ground for the electrode to make the spark, then it may not be, but that would be my guess.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> It looks to me that gas comes down the tube and the coil is the ground for the electrode to make the spark, then it may not be, but that would be my guess.


Could be, but I really don't know. If it cleans up overnight and the orifice opens up, I'll make sure to take a good look to see what's what in there. When I pushed the clicker this morning, there was no spark. Usually you can see a bright blue lightning like flash to get the gas lit, but nothing today.

Apparently it is the sulphur in the propane which builds up and causes this to happen. Hope their fix works.


----------



## cocobolo

No Luck with the overnight clean...so I spoke with the propane guys this morning and he had me check to see if the propane was actually getting from the supply tank to the regulator on the water heater. OH YEAH!!! The second I opened the valve there was plenty of gas. OK, so that wasn't it. I will take the unit in to town ASAP.

This evening when I went to cook dinner, the stove burner ran fine for about a minute, then slowed down to just a flicker. Say what? Outside to check the regulator and it is sitting on red...not working properly. :furious:Hmmmmm....

Switch to the other tank..same thing. What to do now?

Aha, I still have the 17 year old regulator over on the little cabin, so take that off, switch regulators...BINGO! Works like a charm. 

However, I really don't think that the faulty regulator has anything to do with the water heater not working. I say that because the stove and oven continued to work until this afternoon when the propane supply evidently started to fail.

So I will take the old regulator to town as well to see if that is or is not really working.

Naturally the marine forecast for tomorrow is windy...just what I need.  But it IS sunny here all this week! :thumbsup:


----------



## BigJim

Hopefully you will get all back up and running in short order buddy. That is the pits when it seems everything is heading south. It is always wonderful when things get back to normal and running smooth, I hope it does for you soon Keith


----------



## Bud Cline

Keith there is no way in hell that property will ever survive without you being there to tweak things almost daily. Whatever you do...DON'T offer a new owner any kind of a warranty.:no:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Keith there is no way in hell that property will ever survive without you being there to tweak things almost daily. Whatever you do...DON'T offer a new owner any kind of a warranty.:no:


Have no fear of that happening. Although I will be more than happy to let them know exactly how everything works.

It's just a run of bad luck lately, that's all. Things will pick up soon!


----------



## shadytrake

That's a lot of hands on experience that you have. I guess you have to want to tinker to live in such a beautiful but wild place. Nature pays you back with the beautiful sunsets and wildlife.


----------



## cocobolo

shadytrake said:


> That's a lot of hands on experience that you have. I guess you have to want to tinker to live in such a beautiful but wild place. Nature pays you back with the beautiful sunsets and wildlife.


To be perfectly candid Melissa...there comes a time when you don't really want to be wasting half your life tinkering.

The water heater and regulator should not have malfunctioned. Propane is not something to take lightly and I'll tell you a story about something that happened here several years ago.

There was a house on the other side of the island which had a similar demand water heater. At the time, it was not a requirement that the heater shut itself off if the water pressure dropped below 20 PSI, as there is now.

It is believed that something went awry with the water, and the heater kept operating - eventually starting a fire in the wall which destroyed the entire house. Window glass was melted over the rocks, sheet metal roofing was completely unrecognizable. A 100% loss.

So you can understand my desire to let the pro's take care of whatever is wrong this time.

I'm thinking of making a solar powered water heating system now.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> To be perfectly candid Melissa...there comes a time when you don't really want to be wasting half your life tinkering.
> 
> The water heater and regulator should not have malfunctioned. Propane is not something to take lightly and I'll tell you a story about something that happened here several years ago.
> 
> There was a house on the other side of the island which had a similar demand water heater. At the time, it was not a requirement that the heater shut itself off if the water pressure dropped below 20 PSI, as there is now.
> 
> It is believed that something went awry with the water, and the heater kept operating - eventually starting a fire in the wall which destroyed the entire house. Window glass was melted over the rocks, sheet metal roofing was completely unrecognizable. A 100% loss.
> 
> So you can understand my desire to let the pro's take care of whatever is wrong this time.
> 
> I'm thinking of making a solar powered water heating system now.


You will be amazed how hot a solar water heater can get. I thought about doing that several years back. I subscribed to Mother Earth News at the time which had many articles about solar heating and such. I was surprised to know that some of the units got so hot it set the frames on fire. 

Several years back I helped a friend build a log cabin from scratch, cut the pine trees and skin them with draw knives, hand hewed beams and all. It was some really dirty work and at the end of the day a shower was so wonderful. 

There was no electricity or utilities other than a clear running brook that ran through the place. My friend had built a shower that looked a little like an outhouse with stairs up one side. He had a huge black cast iron kettle that we put water in and built a fire under to warm the water. 

He had taken a metal garbage can and soldered a pipe in the bottom with a cut off and shower head. That was installed over the outhouse looking little building. We put the boiling water in the garbage can and cool water to get the water just right for a shower. Man talk about nice, it was so wonderful to be able to shower after a long dirty day.

We have a couple of 50 foot black heavy water hose which get the water so hot we can not stand the water until it cools down. It is amazing how much heat that can be produced from the sun, it will surprise you. The shingles on our house will reach as much as 170 degrees in the summer, can you imagine harnessing that kind of energy and storing it? OK, I need to shut up now before I really get carried away.


----------



## cocobolo

Hi Jim:
I used to be a Mother Earth subscriber as well for many years.
There's just about no limit to the ways that solar can be used to heat water, and as you say, it gets HOT!
My friend Don who has a cabin at the other end of the island, has his main house over near Vancouver. He heats the water for his swimming pool with solar panels on his roof.
Well, it seems that one nice summer day the water pressure went south, and with no water going through the collectors - which were black plastic - they melted in the 350º heat. He loves to tell that story.
The small system that I envision would use a 12 volt bilge pump to move the water through a collector mounted higher than the hot tub...that's the first place I would test this out. When the pump is off, the water in the collector would drain back into the tub, thus eliminating the potential of the water to freeze in winter.
Heck, I could even use the pump to run the water through a garden hose and right back into the tub. That's something I can try today!


----------



## BigJim

Man, I made a post and it isn't here, guess I need to report it to a mod. 

That is kinda strange though. It is amazing how hot the solar heaters can get. It would be great if you had some super thick styrofoam you could make a super insulated storage for the hot water. I just had a thought, may not be a good one but wouldn't hot water rise through a pipe like hot air does? If it does you could have a tank up in the house and the solar heater lower, maybe the water would circulate by itself. Hot water rise, cooled water flow back into lower tank by another pipe. Just thinking out loud, it may not work that way, I don't know.


----------



## cocobolo

Jim, I think something like you are talking about exists. I can't remember the details, but yes of course hot water will rise just as hot air does. Check with ANY politician on that one. :laughing:

If you have a large tank with warm water being fed into it slowly, the water will stratify. Warmer at the top and cooler at the bottom. If you rely on the push of warm water from your solar heater rather than a pump, I think you need to have the outlet from the solar heater higher than the tank water level and emptying into space. In other words an open circuit. Or right at the top of the tank, something like that anyway. I'll be getting into all that when I move from here and get stuck into building the next place.

I did try a bilge pump and some hose this afternoon, but billy the bilge pump didn't have enough ooomph to get the job done.

It took me ages to find enough fittings just to hook the pump up, and in the end it was a waste of time. A good source of 12v power is a battery charger if you don't have a big car battery handy.


----------



## cocobolo

When that didn't work I resorted to my transfer pump. Hooked it up to 200 feet of garden hose and waited to see what would happen. 
Not a lot as it turned out. While it was a nice day here, it was extremely windy all day, and that may have had an effect. Pumping steadily through the hose got about a 4 or 5 degree temperature rise. Turning the pump off and waiting for 20 minutes while the water in the hose warmed up showed 120º water coming out. So that is a 45º rise. I expect if the hose was left to warm up for an hour it would get a whole lot hotter, but then you wouldn't have anything going into the tank. The tank ended up going from 75º to about 80º over a period of a few hours, but I must admit I wasn't really attending to it that well.


----------



## BigJim

You definitely have my brain churning now, I can see possibilities here.

Keith, if you had a thermostat that would kick in when the water temperature in the hose reached a certain temperature to turn the pump on, might work.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> You definitely have my brain churning now, I can see possibilities here.
> 
> Keith, if you had a thermostat that would kick in when the water temperature in the hose reached a certain temperature to turn the pump on, might work.


Yep, it probably would.

But don't forget I'm trying to warm up a 450 gallon hot tub, so it's going to take awhile just using a hose. When I get some time I might try rigging up a copper tube type collector. Not sure if I have copper fittings here or not...they may all be up in the interior. Nine out of ten things I look for aren't here any more.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Yep, it probably would.
> 
> But don't forget I'm trying to warm up a 450 gallon hot tub, so it's going to take awhile just using a hose. When I get some time I might try rigging up a copper tube type collector. Not sure if I have copper fittings here or not...they may all be up in the interior. Nine out of ten things I look for aren't here any more.


That has got to be aggravating, hopefully soon you will be back on the main land and life will get back to normal.

450 gallons is a lot of water to heat buddy, here is wishing you luck.


----------



## cocobolo

Spent the day in Nanaimo anxiously waiting to see what was wrong with the demand water heater. Nothing.

Turned out to be the regulator. By the time I paid for their labour, the regulator, new hoses and a drain (I'll explain that in a moment) I was $337 poorer.

It seems that the local propane source (Superior Propane) has been a problem lately. Something in the gas has been producing an amber coloured oily substance, which when cold feels like vaseline. When it is warm, it is more like a heavy cooking oil. The guys at Aztec said it will clog the lines and any of the smaller orifices and cause the unit to malfunction. Makes no difference if it is a stove top, oven, propane fridge, water heater or any of the small unions in the lines.

We are hoping that the solution is a small drain which they cobble together out of standard plumbing supplies which is attached to the bottom of the new regulator.

You simply undo the bottom of the drain occasionally and let the guck flow out.

They took the entire heater apart today, found nothing wrong, assembled it again and tested it...perfect. They have instructed me to let the open supply lines hang down for a day or so to drain any possible fluid out of the lines. You cannot use compressed air or run water through to try and clear them. All it takes is a warm day and patience...something that is rapidly getting to be in short supply around here.

Next up will be a cleaning and re-painting of the bottom of the boat again. It only took an hour and a quarter to go across this morning. Should take 35 minutes if the bottom was clean and painted. More grunt work. :furious:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Spent the day in Nanaimo anxiously waiting to see what was wrong with the demand water heater. Nothing.
> 
> Turned out to be the regulator. By the time I paid for their labour, the regulator, new hoses and a drain (I'll explain that in a moment) I was $337 poorer.
> 
> It seems that the local propane source (Superior Propane) has been a problem lately. Something in the gas has been producing an amber coloured oily substance, which when cold feels like vaseline. When it is warm, it is more like a heavy cooking oil. The guys at Aztec said it will clog the lines and any of the smaller orifices and cause the unit to malfunction. Makes no difference if it is a stove top, oven, propane fridge, water heater or any of the small unions in the lines.
> 
> We are hoping that the solution is a small drain which they cobble together out of standard plumbing supplies which is attached to the bottom of the new regulator.
> 
> You simply undo the bottom of the drain occasionally and let the guck flow out.
> 
> They took the entire heater apart today, found nothing wrong, assembled it again and tested it...perfect. They have instructed me to let the open supply lines hang down for a day or so to drain any possible fluid out of the lines. You cannot use compressed air or run water through to try and clear them. All it takes is a warm day and patience...something that is rapidly getting to be in short supply around here.
> 
> Next up will be a cleaning and re-painting of the bottom of the boat again. It only took an hour and a quarter to go across this morning. Should take 35 minutes if the bottom was clean and painted. More grunt work. :furious:


Looks to me like they should have eaten the cost of your problem, seeing it was their fault, not your's. I'm glad they got it straightened out but sorry it cost you so much.


----------



## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> You cannot use compressed air or run water through to try and clear them.


WHy not compressed air?


----------



## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> WHy not compressed air?


I did ask that question...and it is because some of the substance will stick to the supply lines no matter how much air is run through.

He said the best solution is to run new lines. To which I said "Surely the same thing will happen to a new line, will it not?"

Then last night I was pondering all this, and I think perhaps the use of a hot air gun on the line would promote a more complete draining of the line.

When I get the new regulator on, either tomorrow or the next day, I'll get a pic of the new setup to show you how the new drain idea is supposed to work. Looks pretty simple and should be foolproof even with me as the fool!

It appears that the only line affected badly is the line to the water tank, so I may consider replacing that one if the draining idea doesn't work properly. Either that, or I will mount a separate propane tank right close to the wall outside where the water tank supply goes in. (Just came up with that idea right now.)

Actually...thinking about that for a minute seems like a far better solution. I do have that other regulator here which I could use. Then that line would only need to be about 3' long instead of something closer to the 22'+ that it is now.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Looks to me like they should have eaten the cost of your problem, seeing it was their fault, not your's. I'm glad they got it straightened out but sorry it cost you so much.


It appears to be the fault of the propane itself Jim, not the dealer's fault in any way.

I'm going to get in touch with Superior Propane to see what they have to say about this. I rather imagine that being a fair sized outfit they will blame everything but their product...but we will see.

I spoke with one of my neighbour's I met at the marina on the way back home last night. He is of the opinion that the propane industry is regulated. OK, that may be, but who is doing the policing? Probably nobody.


----------



## shadytrake

Wow, you have a bugger of a project going on. I'm with you on wanting projects to be done so that you can just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Hard to do that on an Island where there is constant maintenance. 

I'm off until August 4 so I am making the big push to get the GH finished during this time. If I leave it to hubby, we will have snow on the ground and no GH completed. It is a lot of work.


----------



## cocobolo

Tomorrow will see the sailboat scraped and painted - hopefully. 

My neighbour arrived this evening and hopes to finish up the wiring in his cabin tomorrow, so I better be quick with the boat fix.

As you may have seen before, I use the old bark spud to do most of the scraping of the hull with and it works a charm.

But a week or so back I was using it as a prybar, not exactly what it was designed for, and I broke the handle. Well done there Coco.

Today was fix day for that...cut off the damaged part of the handle so it was square, sharpened the thoroughly rusted blade, rasped the new end to shape so it would go into the business end of the spud, added some wax to the wood and drove it into place, and finally a stainless screw to make sure the handle doesn't slip out.

I even painted the handle red after all that! :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

I always ask Brian if it's OK to use his diving board to tie up against to do the bottom, just common courtesy. He won't be here for another week or two so it was fine. But I think he needs his boat done as well, all 35 feet of it, so I may be helping on his boat when he gets over.

We usually tie and nail a 2 x 6 or something similar to the diving board to lean the boats against. But I have this piece of super heavy duty aluminum pipe with 1/4" thick wall. It was part of the main boom off a commercial fishboat. I thought that might be better than a flimsy 2 by.

I set it in place while the tide was out, as I really don't think I could have manhandled it from the diving board at all. It's a pretty heavy chunk of metal.

This evening on the high tide I put the sailboat in place and all seems well. There is a double high overnight, and the boat should start to hit bottom around 7 tomorrow morning. The hull should be out of the water by 9 o'clock, but I can start to scrape around 8:30 while there is still a couple of feet of water there. The warm weather has got the temperature of the chuck just nice for swimming, so I should be OK.

Then 5 hours of time to do the job, and float off time will be about 4:30.


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I always ask Brian if it's OK to use his diving board to tie up against to do the bottom, just common courtesy. He won't be here for another week or two so it was fine. But I think he needs his boat done as well, all 35 feet of it, so I may be helping on his boat when he gets over.
> 
> We usually tie and nail a 2 x 6 or something similar to the diving board to lean the boats against. But I have this piece of super heavy duty aluminum pipe with 1/4" thick wall. It was part of the main boom off a commercial fishboat. I thought that might be better than a flimsy 2 by.
> 
> I set it in place while the tide was out, as I really don't think I could have manhandled it from the diving board at all. It's a pretty heavy chunk of metal.
> 
> This evening on the high tide I put the sailboat in place and all seems well. There is a double high overnight, and the boat should start to hit bottom around 7 tomorrow morning. The hull should be out of the water by 9 o'clock, but I can start to scrape around 8:30 while there is still a couple of feet of water there. The warm weather has got the temperature of the chuck just nice for swimming, so I should be OK.
> 
> Then 5 hours of time to do the job, and float off time will be about 4:30.


That is just too cool, it is beautiful there on your island but man, a lot of work, and here I sit hating to get up and go clean the shop.


----------



## cocobolo

Last night put the sailboat at the diving board and this morning everything looked nice and serene.


----------



## cocobolo

Went over and checked the fore and aft lines...they are what holds the boat against the pipe and hopefully prevents anything untoward happening. Snugged the lines and then waited for the tide to go out.

It didn't look too terribly bad at the front, just some light weed on the bottom as the tide receded.


----------



## cocobolo

But once the tide fell part way down the keel, the problem became pretty obvious. Several weeks worth of food for the local seafood restaurant firmly attached to the keel. I'm thinking that must have had some effect on the speed of the boat. After all, with a clean hull it should take about 35-37 minutes to Boat Harbour, not the one hour and fifteen minutes it took last trip.
I should see a terrific improvement in fuel consumption now. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

It seems that the tide chart was a bit out of whack today. It was 45 minutes late going out and another 45 minutes early coming back in. So I lost 1 1/2 hours and had to push like crazy to get what little paint I did have on the boat. Here I thought I had about 1/2 gallon in one can and a new 1 quart can as extra.

No such luck, couldn't find the 1/2 gallon anywhere, so all I could put on was the quart. Naturally I ran out of paint and will have to go to town to get more tomorrow.

Monday will be the last of the good tides in this series, so I should be able to finish up then.


----------



## shadytrake

Wow. That is a lot done in one day.


----------



## BigJim

Buddy, you should invent a rope with some type of brush on it that you could scrub the bottom of your boat without having to dry dock it. Just loop the rope under the boat and work back and forth. Another invention would be to make a boat wash, kinda like a car wash but the boat just drives through and gets the bottom cleaned. You will be rich Keith, well... it is a thought.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Buddy, you should invent a rope with some type of brush on it that you could scrub the bottom of your boat without having to dry dock it. Just loop the rope under the boat and work back and forth. Another invention would be to make a boat wash, kinda like a car wash but the boat just drives through and gets the bottom cleaned. You will be rich Keith, well... it is a thought.


Jim, they do actually have such a device as you suggest. But it couldn't work with a keel boat. Years ago, I also saw a bottom cleaner which was fairly long - I'm thinking about 8 feet or so - and it had heavy duty scrubbers on a series of what looked like inflatable sponges. The air in the sections pushed up against the hull as you pulled it back and forth.

Something like that wouldn't get rid of barnacles and mussels, but then one really shouldn't be trying to grow food like that on your boat bottom!

If one has both the money and the time, it is usually accepted practice to get your boat pulled out at the yard and use a pressure washer to get rid of the crud. That makes short work of the job, but at a cost of course.

Next door neighbour is in, and we will finish up wiring his cabin first thing tomorrow morning, should be done in less than 2 hours.

Then over to town for paint, and a couple of tools to fix the propane lines.


----------



## BigJim

I wish I had 1/4 the energy you do, I just don't see how you do it.


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I wish I had 1/4 the energy you do, I just don't see how you do it.


There's a trick to it Jim.

Look in the mirror than there's two of you to share the work.


----------



## cocobolo

Sunday there was a surprise viewing of the house by some visitors to the island on a nice sailboat. No, they didn't make an offer, but it delayed my trip over to town for bottom paint among other things, and by the time I got there and attended to some other business, I missed the marine store. Had to go back again yesterday for paint. But at least the trip over only took 37 minutes each way and the fuel consumption is WAAAY down.

Finished the bottom painting this afternoon and that had better be the last time I ever need to do that!


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> There's a trick to it Jim.
> 
> Look in the mirror than there's two of you to share the work.


Every time I look in the mirror I don't recognize that old guy looking back at me. Who the hell is THAT?


----------



## cocobolo

Nothing spectacular in the way of a sunset this evening, but the sunlight reflecting off the arbutus tree looked pretty nice.

The cause of all this neat colour is in the second pic.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Every time I look in the mirror I don't recognize that old guy looking back at me. Who the hell is THAT?


I dunno...why don't you ask the old guy in the mirror?


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> I dunno...why don't you ask the old guy in the mirror?


He's an ass...all he does is mimic me.:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Yesterday I went over to Boat Harbour and brought a couple over to view the house (same folks who came over earlier).

Unfortunately we ran out of time before getting all their questions answered but they will be back again in another 10 days or so.

Extremely nice young couple who I firmly believe will fit in here to a "T". I'm really glad to see that they ask all the right questions and that they are familiar with the local islands.

I'm not at liberty to say who they are just yet...but I will add that the wife is stunningly gorgeous! Very much looking forward to chatting with them when they return. :thumbsup:


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> Yesterday I went over to Boat Harbour and brought a couple over to view the house (same folks who came over earlier).
> 
> Unfortunately we ran out of time before getting all their questions answered but they will be back again in another 10 days or so.
> 
> Extremely nice young couple who I firmly believe will fit in here to a "T". I'm really glad to see that they ask all the right questions and that they are familiar with the local islands.
> 
> I'm not at liberty to say who they are just yet...but I will add that the wife is stunningly gorgeous! Very much looking forward to chatting with them when they return. :thumbsup:


Good Luck !!!


----------



## scoggy

*The 'bootiful' ..young couple, who came...*

Keith, ..was it Pamela Anderson?? Love your boat...come over to Ladysmith, and I will buy you ..lunch/ dinner..if you will take me for a sail..I am an avowed ..'hooker' when it comes to sailing..and me with no boat..here..seems like the person in Percy Blyth Shellys..the Prisoner of Challon!! Good to hear the 'gears' of progress in all venues is working for you!! Saw a coupe like yours at Parksville rod run...sweet!!
Cheers
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Pam Anderson from Port Alberni? No, not her. This lovely lady is much nicer!

They were here this evening and we have reached a win-win deal on the house. So shortly they will be the new owners and she is itching to get in here and put her magic designers touch on the place. She has successfully completed her interior design diploma at a highly prestigious institute in the U.S.


----------



## BigJim

Awwwwwright buddy, that is fantastic news, congratulations Keith, I am happy for you. Now the work on your new place will get underway. I'm tired just thinking about it, but happy for you.


----------



## cocobolo

Before I get to the new place, I still have to take the sawmill apart. It is going over to Gabriola Island to a new owner. Naturally with the mill having been outside all its' life, the connecting nuts and bolts are mostly rusted. Several are undoing OK, but some will not budge.

When I get to town today I will pick up a bolt cutter. My other one is - where else - up at the Scotch Creek storage locker. I do have a hefty cold chisel here, maybe I'll give that a go.

Then there is still Paul's work to get done down on Pender Island, so I'm busy here for awhile yet.


----------



## shadytrake

Congrats, Keith! No more hard winters with the boat. I look forward to your new project thread. I'm sure your next place will be filled with your beautiful wood working!


----------



## BigJim

Keith, don't you have a side grinder with a diamond tile blade on it, that will cut the bolts like nobody's business, I use mine to cut steel all the time and it works like cutting butter, just be careful not to let the blade hang, it can hurt.

I can't wait to see your new build, that is going to be exciting, then you can buy another hot rod to restore. Ahhhh the fun begins, I can just see it now, a Shelby Cobra with a 427 engine, roller cam, blower and the works. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

Cannot use a grinder here Jim, the sparks will set off a fire in the tinder dry debris on the ground. No rain in the foreseeable future, so we have to be extremely careful.


----------



## scoggy

*So where next??*

Keith, will you get the 'King's purse' after the sale? Where are your new 'digs' gonna be? BOOM..glad 'it' happened, now you have some mental 'free think' space..good on ya!
Cheers
Syd
PS wanna sell the sailboat??:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, will you get the 'King's purse' after the sale? Where are your new 'digs' gonna be? BOOM..glad 'it' happened, now you have some mental 'free think' space..good on ya!
> Cheers
> Syd
> PS wanna sell the sailboat??:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Is that the King's Purse or the King's ransom? I won't get either. But there will be more than enough to build my cabin overlooking the lake.

The sailboat goes with the house...sorry about that Syd!


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> I can't wait to see your new build, that is going to be exciting, then you can buy another hot rod to restore. Ahhhh the fun begins, I can just see it now, a Shelby Cobra with a 427 engine, roller cam, blower and the works. :thumbsup:


Wait a minute...isn't that a Ford? You know why they paint Ford engines blue don't you Jim? They use Fords for boat anchors and don't want to scare the fish. :whistling2:


----------



## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Wait a minute...isn't that a Ford? You know why they paint Ford engines blue don't you Jim? They use Fords for boat anchors and don't want to scare the fish. :whistling2:


Good grief, I don't know what came over me. LOL  Got to admit that was a sharp looking little car though.


----------



## cocobolo

After the shenanigans with the propane regulator, I now have everything new run in for the demand water heater.

As a cover for the regulator and tanks, I still had one last piece of Lexan remaining, which was cut in half and attached to the wall above the new setup.

The white screen to the left of the tanks is an air intake for the heater. All nice and shiny and works like a charm.


----------



## cocobolo

Here's a pic of the future owners of Eagles Reach arriving in their kayak after paddling over from Vancouver Island a couple of days ago. 

That's dedication for you! They got caught by a nasty wake from an inconsiderate power boat owner on the way across and shipped some water on board.


----------



## cocobolo

DIY Chatroom is currently holding a monthly poll for members to vote for their favourite thread.

Now the only reason I am mentioning this here is that nobody seems to know about this poll, it's a well guarded secret! Not really of course, but it is hard to find. 

So here is a link...please vote for your own favourite.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/vote-august-2014-diy-project-month-204832/#post1386691

Thank you.


----------



## gma2rjc

Keith, have you told the new (fingers crossed) owners about this thread?

I was just wondering because, since she's an interior designer, it would be neat if she or her husband continued posting pictures here, showing updates on what they're doing to the place.

As nice as it looks, I can't imagine they'll have much to do but personalize it a little bit.


----------



## cocobolo

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, have you told the new (fingers crossed) owners about this thread?
> 
> I was just wondering because, since she's an interior designer, it would be neat if she or her husband continued posting pictures here, showing updates on what they're doing to the place.
> 
> As nice as it looks, I can't imagine they'll have much to do but personalize it a little bit.


It seems that the realtor told them about it before they ever came over here. So they are already familiar with exactly how everything was done. There's no secrets at all, and I figure if they forget something that I tell them about any of the systems, all they need to do is look it up on the thread.

I will have to suggest to Lillian that she consider posting...although it might be better if she started a new thread on her own...something like Gulf Island Building Part 2. (How original was that?)


----------



## Bud Cline

gma2rjc said:


> Keith, have you told the new (fingers crossed) owners about this thread?
> 
> I was just wondering because, since she's an interior designer, it would be neat if she or her husband continued posting pictures here, showing updates on what they're doing to the place.
> 
> As nice as it looks, I can't imagine they'll have much to do but personalize it a little bit.


Just want to be sure that the new owners realize they are committed to operating the property as a B&B for not less than three years for any of us form DIY Chatroom that find our way to visit the island. That is in the covenant's, correct?:yes:


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Just want to be sure that the new owners realize they are committed to operating the property as a B&B for not less than three years for any of us form DIY Chatroom that find our way to visit the island. That is in the covenant's, correct?:yes:


I'll call the lawyer first thing Monday morning and get that added in Bud! I'm sure they won't mind! :thumbup:


----------



## gma2rjc

Good idea Bud! :thumbup:


----------



## Bud Cline

cocobolo said:


> I'll call the lawyer first thing Monday morning and get that added in Bud! I'm sure they won't mind! :thumbup:


...with use of the sail boat!


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> ...with use of the sail boat!


Jeez...you don't expect much, do you? :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## scoggy

*So Keith.....*

So keith, like 'skipping stones' on a pond..I know I will see you again, perhaps in a different venue..but..will enjoy the same 'learning and knowledge' gathered by me, from watching what you do!! Cheers CoCobolo..lead on!!
Cheers
Scoggy:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

A short while ago I went to a friend's place at the south end of the island...fantastic view from the front of his property over the southern Stuart Channel (which I forgot to take a pic of) to help build a new roof.

His cabin actually comprises two 10' x 12' garden sheds put together. You can imagine the water leakage between the two, even though it had metal flashing between the two roofs.

Only two pics and I didn't get one after the new roof was added. But now the new roof spans both sheds with the peak right over the original valley...so no more leaks. If I get down that way again I will get more pics.


----------



## cocobolo

Then we had one of our fabled sunsets for which we are justifiably famous...

A much higher power than I provides this enjoyment!


----------



## cocobolo

Then I was asked if I had seen the "super moon" a few evenings ago, so I thought a pic might be appropriate.

The moon appears to change in size as it moves either closer or farther away from earth on it's orbit around our planet. This time it was a closer than usual pass.


----------



## cocobolo

The new countertop arrived yesterday at the House of Pot, and Allen very kindly brought it home on his return from town yesterday.

Read the instructions last night, but thought I would wait until this morning until attempting the actual replacement. Good daylight and all that.

So it was out with the old, and in with the new...well, almost.

Although the countertops are both the same size, it seems that the undersides are different. So when I tried to drop the new one in place it was a no-go.

Some marking and judicious use of the diamond grinder and the offending corners were removed. Wow...does that thing ever make a lot of dust!


----------



## cocobolo

All of these gas units come ready to connect to a natural gas line. But they also come with the required changeover kits for use with liquid propane (LP).

After going through the instructions, which seemed to be overly complex, I looked for a couple of specialty tools required to do the changeover. Naturally, they aren't here, but in my storage locker at Scotch Creek. Fat lot of good that does.

We decided that Al's friend Mike would have these tools, so while Allen was getting ready to trek across the island for said tools, I decided to try the typical Ruxton fix...use something else.

Long story short, it worked fine and the natural gas orifices were removed and the LP orifices installed.


----------



## cocobolo

Recalling the last experience wherein the regulator wasn't taped to the fuel line, I made certain to get this done first.

An older gas fitter I knew years ago always told me to put the yellow tape just BELOW the threads, so that none of it comes off and enters the gas line when you install the regulator.


----------



## cocobolo

Same thing with the regulator and the fitting which goes underneath.


----------



## cocobolo

After grinding out the corners, the new unit dropped nicely in place...


----------



## cocobolo

Thereafter the gas line is connected to the unit and is tested for any possible leaks.

This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and is not a step to be missed! 

Turn the gas on at the tank, and then use a mix of very soapy water to brush on all the connections. There should be no bubbles anywhere showing up. If there are, you have a dangerous leak. Fix it before you go any further.

OK, no leaks here, so we can move on to testing the burners. Using your nose is also very helpful. Propane has a nasty smell and you will notice it right away if there is any problem.


----------



## cocobolo

Success! Here we are testing the left rear burner. All the others worked perfectly as well so now we can get back to doing some regular cooking.

For the past 11 days we have been relegated to using the end burner on the BBQ. Sounds OK, but the low setting on that thing is right around nuke level!


----------



## spiragui

I've loved reading this thread, looking forward to keeping up with your new endeavor up in Shuswap! 

Just thought I'd add a point of Useless Knowledge:



cocobolo said:


> Propane has a nasty smell and you will notice it right away if there is any problem.


Propane is odorless; a chemical is added to the gas so humans can smell it for safety reasons. Interestingly enough the chemical used is either the same, or closely related to, the chemical that makes your pee smell after eating asparagus. So there you have it.


----------



## twpaint

awesome!


----------



## cocobolo

spiragui said:


> I've loved reading this thread, looking forward to keeping up with your new endeavor up in Shuswap!
> 
> Just thought I'd add a point of Useless Knowledge:
> 
> 
> 
> Propane is odorless; a chemical is added to the gas so humans can smell it for safety reasons. Interestingly enough the chemical used is either the same, or closely related to, the chemical that makes your pee smell after eating asparagus. So there you have it.


Thank you for that.

I didn't realize that that smell was added. Good thing it is, otherwise you'd never know if there was a leak until it was too late!


----------



## shadytrake

I'll miss this thread, but will look forward to the new one!!


----------



## Bud Cline

shadytrake said:


> I'll miss this thread, but will look forward to the new one!!


I was kinda hoping to see this thread reach one million hits before all of the significant contributions ended.


----------



## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> I was kinda hoping to see this thread reach one million hits before all of the significant contributions ended.


Thanks Bud...PM sent.


----------



## ica171

I've finally read this whole thread--and the Shuswap Life thread--and I have to say, I feel a little deprived now that I'm done. Your work here is beautiful, and I can't wait to see what you build on your new land.


----------



## cocobolo

ica171 said:


> I've finally read this whole thread--and the Shuswap Life thread--and I have to say, I feel a little deprived now that I'm done. Your work here is beautiful, and I can't wait to see what you build on your new land.


Well thankyou for your most kind comments! 

Let me assure you that you have no reason at all to feel deprived, there is nothing on here that anyone who is willing to learn cannot do for themselves. A little patience, a little time, and a little money...very little in my case, believe me!

I can only hope that I do not disappoint anyone with the new Shuswap thread. That will only be a small cabin and nothing like the house that was constructed on Ruxton island. At some point we all get too old and tired to produce that sort of work, and I'm afraid I have reached the "old" part.

So, thank you again for your comments...I hope you enjoyed the ride. :thumbsup:


----------



## cocobolo

A couple of evenings ago we had a bit of an unusual sunset. Most of it was the storm clouds, but after the sun dipped below the horizon we experienced this for a very few seconds.


----------



## cocobolo

Doing some clearing out in the old cabin this morning and I ran across several pages of plans that I thought were destroyed years ago.

This page is the original concept drawing for the house. Most of it got done as shown, but there was to be a round pool right in front of the solarium. Unfortunately it was nothing but solid rock there which prevented that from becoming a reality.

But I thought I would post this for the sake of posterity. Enjoy!


----------



## BigJim

Beautiful sunset Keith, won't be long you won't be seeing them from that angle from the island. Good looking set of plans, is there a way to get a photo of the front of your home? I am not sure we have ever seen it or I am just so forgetful I don't remember. LOL


----------



## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Beautiful sunset Keith, won't be long you won't be seeing them from that angle from the island. Good looking set of plans, is there a way to get a photo of the front of your home? I am not sure we have ever seen it or I am just so forgetful I don't remember. LOL


In order to get the whole of the house in the pic Jim, I would need to be quite far away from the place. At that point there are many bushes and trees in the way. Maybe I can take a stepladder over on to no man's land and see if I can see over the Arbutus bushes.

Looks like another nice day here, so I'll give that a shot once the sun is over the trees. :thumbsup:


----------



## spiragui

I just googled 'Ruxton Island', and look what pops up at the top of the results page....

(Apologies if this has already been posted in one of the few pages of this thread I have not read)


----------



## cocobolo

spiragui said:


> I just googled 'Ruxton Island', and look what pops up at the top of the results page....
> 
> (Apologies if this has already been posted in one of the few pages of this thread I have not read)


You've got to be kidding me. :huh:

You mean to say the house shows up just like that? The maps I can understand, but...the house? Surprise, surprise.


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## BigJim

Wow, I just took the tour of your home, absolutely beautiful buddy!


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## cocobolo

spiragui...following your lead, I looked at the WIKI for Ruxton Island. That was a pretty sparse writeup, so I added a whole bunch to it so now it looks like there might even be people living here!

Thanks again for the search tip...I don't think anyone has mentioned that before.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Wow, I just took the tour of your home, absolutely beautiful buddy!


I guess that means you found Trevor's ad for the house. 

But hey, you've seen it all before anyway Jim! 

Thanks for the kind words anyway!


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> I guess that means you found Trevor's ad for the house.
> 
> But hey, you've seen it all before anyway Jim!
> 
> Thanks for the kind words anyway!


Yes I did find the ad, I have seen it all before but the way he has it in all the photos just makes it all the more beautiful. Your home is yacht quality Keith, you really did a fantastic job. Not really kind words, just the truth.


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## BigJim

Congratulations on your win Keith:
http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/vote-august-2014-diy-project-month-204832/index2/


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> Congratulations on your win Keith:
> http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/vote-august-2014-diy-project-month-204832/index2/


Thank you Jim.

I have just posted my sincere thanks to everyone involved on the vote thread, no sense in repeating it here.


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## cocobolo

Link to the thank you page.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/congratulations-cocobolo-august-2014-project-month-205456/


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## Bud Cline

Maybe we should have an online party when you depart the island for the final time.:boat:


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## cocobolo

Bud Cline said:


> Maybe we should have an online party when you depart the island for the final time.:boat:


Hey, hey, hey...I'm up for that! :thumbup:


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## cocobolo

Hey Jim:

I tried taking a 10' stepladder down to no man's land and getting a pic of the whole house.

Didn't quite make it far enough away to catch everything on the first try.


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## cocobolo

So I moved the ladder back to where I was only about 20' away from the neighbour's property to the south.

First two pics will give you a view of how the house is situated on the lot and the last one is looking at the ladder from the master bedroom deck. It's quite a distance away!

The camera was close to 13' above the ground on the first two shots.


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## cocobolo

Can you handle one more sunset?


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## BigJim

Wow, absolutely beautiful, it is just like I envisioned it all together. Seeing it all just amazes me how you built the biggest majority alone. Thank you for going to the trouble to take the photos buddy, I appreciate it.


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## BigJim

cocobolo said:


> Can you handle one more sunset?


The sunsets there are just unreal, beautiful Keith.


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## Pat Martin

cocobolo said:


> Can you handle one more sunset?


I can't even begin to imagine actually being there...
Amazing!


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## cocobolo

Just spent several days down on Pender Island, which is one of the southern gulf islands. However, they are lucky. Pender is served by the B. C. Ferry system so it's nice and easy to get there. At a price of course!

My friend Paul has been needing a few small things done at his place which was the reason for my visit.

Before we get there, this was the sunset from my place the evening before departure.


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## cocobolo

First thing up at Paul's was the installation of some screens around his veggie garden. Along with the high wire mesh, the intent is to keep the hungry deer out of the garden.

My camera battery was just about dead, so I only got a few pics.

The screens underway and finished.


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## cocobolo

There is a small deck off the MBR which was covered in the always popular indoor/outdoor carpet. It was, naturally, well stuck down to the plywood floor. We managed to rip that off with no damage to the plywood and cleaned up the residue prior to installing the floating deck.


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## cocobolo

The local building center had some pretty nice cedar 1 x 4 in stock, actually they had two full slings of it. So we got first dibs and took some nice boards.

They needed a couple of coats of clear finish before being installed, so we did that right away. There was rain in the forecast and no carport or other place to work under cover, so we used a tarp to keep them dry.


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## cocobolo

At both ends of the small deck area, there are cupboards which have doors extending very close to the original floor. It was necessary to trim the bottom of these doors off a small amount...but the doors couldn't be removed.

It seems the original builder had used 3/4" plywood to make the doors, and screwed the hinges to the plywood on the face side.

This was then covered in siding to match the house, which made it impossible to remove the doors as the hinges were buried beneath the siding. Not very well thought out, but we managed.


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## cocobolo

There's a metal garden shed which Paul doesn't particularly like looking at, so some form of camouflage was going to be needed.

He decided that a screen surrounding the outside of the end of the shed would do the trick, with an arbor up top.

He's going to stack firewood against the end of the garden shed, and add a small roof above the firewood and below the arbor. That will cover the old shed up nicely.


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## cocobolo

Last item up for grabs was a change in the hearth beneath the woodstove.

There was a strip of nice oak installed around the edge of the terra cotta tile, but that wouldn't pass inspection and had to be replaced with more tile. As luck would have it I had some strips left over from doing the big floor in the house on Ruxton.

Getting the oak off was more of a problem than we anticipated. It wasn't a matter of bringing out the big guns and pounding away, because we would have destroyed the tile which was already in place. Extreme care was necessary in this case, as the tile had been stuck down with copious amounts of building glue. It didn't come off without a fight. Plus it had been grouted to the tile as well.


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## cocobolo

Once the oak was removed and the grout carefully taken off the tile, it was more or less smooth sailing, except for one small thing.

It seems that there was no thinset under the edges of the tiles, which in turn were sitting directly on the plywood base.

It was obvious that the tile we were installing would need thinset, so I had to let Paul know that the outer ring of tiles would be higher than the inner tiles. 

By the time the smoke cleared, the slightly raised tile actually looked like it should have been done that way from the git go. It came out well.

It was at this point that my camera battery went on vacation, so there's no pic of the finished job.


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## cocobolo

Another fabulous day here on the island...time to try and finish getting the sawmill apart in preparation for moving. It's either going to be sold or it's coming with me to the Shuswap. One or t'other!


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## cocobolo

Everything came apart fairly well, except for the bandwheel assembly. And it's too heavy for me to lift by myself. 

For the life of me I cannot remember if we took this section apart when it came over to the island, or whether we managed to lift is as is. I had help from a strong friend at the time, so it was probably left intact.


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## cocobolo

A sight not often seen these days...a junk rigged boat came by this afternoon. 

The sun was right behind him making it difficult to get a decent pic...so this is as good as I could manage.


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## cocobolo

Good grief...long time no post...tut tut.

I spent a few days at Ruxton earlier this week, but it was foggy just about all the time, except for the first evening after I arrived. I do have a few photos, nothing terribly exciting, which I will try to post a little later.

We have been very busy at the Shuswap today doing more demo work and having a giant wiener roast. Well, no wieners really, but we roasted plenty more of the cabin along with some of the better furniture.

Back in a bit...hopefully.


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## cocobolo

Here's the sunset from March 8th...the rest of the time it was foggy. 

Then right after the fog, there was a gale force warning, so I had to get out while the getting was good.


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## Mort

After you hadn't posted in this thread for a while, I just assumed it had been sold. 

I know I've probably asked this before, but how far are you from the US border in Shuswap? I was up in Oroville for a wrestling tournament last weekend, about 5 miles from the Cheddar Curtain.


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## A Squared

Mort said:


> I just assumed it had been sold.


Yes, I thought that you had a deal to sell back last summer or so. Did that fall through?


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## cocobolo

Mort said:


> After you hadn't posted in this thread for a while, I just assumed it had been sold.
> 
> I know I've probably asked this before, but how far are you from the US border in Shuswap? I was up in Oroville for a wrestling tournament last weekend, about 5 miles from the Cheddar Curtain.


Hi Mort: it's about 320 kilometres from Anglemont down to Osoyoos, which is very close to the U. S. Border. I have a friend who lives there...hot rod chum.

Mr. Google lists it as a 4 hour plus drive.


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## cocobolo

A Squared said:


> Yes, I thought that you had a deal to sell back last summer or so. Did that fall through?


You're absolutely correct. But the couple who wanted to buy the house found out that the major lenders no longer will mortgage any property in the Gulf Islands which is not serviced by a ferry. This little goodie came about after the crash of 2008.

Can you guess what this has done to property values on the islands? Right into the tank.


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## BigJim

That is really the pits, hopefully some one will want it anyway.


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## cocobolo

BigJim said:


> That is really the pits, hopefully some one will want it anyway.


Not to worry Jim, the right person will come along sooner or later.

In the mean time there's more than enough work to keep me busy here at the Shuswap until the middle of this century! :jester:


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## A Squared

cocobolo said:


> You're absolutely correct. But the couple who wanted to buy the house found out that the major lenders no longer will mortgage any property in the Gulf Islands which is not serviced by a ferry. This little goodie came about after the crash of 2008.
> 
> Can you guess what this has done to property values on the islands? Right into the tank.


Well, Damn! I thought that it was sort of a done deal back then, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that someone comes along soon who is able to swing the purchase.


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## jedidad

Great photos.


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## cocobolo

Hopefully, I just returned from my last trip to Ruxton Island. One last van load of stuff and I think I'm out of there.

I did take a whole load of photos, so as soon as I get the chance I will see what I can do about posting the last batch. 

Busy working on the excavator today back at the Shuswap.


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## scoggy

*Your hospital 'visit'*

Keith, ironic,was reading your past pages and at approx same time as your incident, I was rushed, with lights and sirens, to Nanaimo, because of 'afib' attack! After 5 days in and countless xrays, tests, etc. nothing was found wrong, so, I was sent home, and even 'midi' tests showed no wrongs, so, they told me to lose 30 lbs, no chocolate, no coffee, no alcohol, and get busy and exercise....yeah, right, with a 'healing' torn right Achilles tendon..mmmm! They put me on another blood thinner, not Warfarin, and I have had no problems for three weeks, and started to walk again, although just little bits! I will follow your site, so I have a 'warning' next time..anything happens to you, so stay healthy...eh?:yes::yes:
Cheers
Scoggy


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## cocobolo

scoggy said:


> Keith, ironic,was reading your past pages and at approx same time as your incident, I was rushed, with lights and sirens, to Nanaimo, because of 'afib' attack! After 5 days in and countless xrays, tests, etc. nothing was found wrong, so, I was sent home, and even 'midi' tests showed no wrongs, so, they told me to lose 30 lbs, no chocolate, no coffee, no alcohol, and get busy and exercise....yeah, right, with a 'healing' torn right Achilles tendon..mmmm! They put me on another blood thinner, not Warfarin, and I have had no problems for three weeks, and started to walk again, although just little bits! I will follow your site, so I have a 'warning' next time..anything happens to you, so stay healthy...eh?:yes::yes:
> Cheers
> Scoggy


There's nothing quite like answering a post a mere 7 months and 14 days late is there? 

I gather by now that you're much better. As you probably know, I've had to slow down an awful lot. Most annoying when I still have half a house to rebuild. It's mostly arthritis, but it's in quite a few of my old joints now.

The latest agony is a rotator cuff injury in my left shoulder...hurts like a son of a gun most of the time. I figure I'm too old to have a shoulder replacement, so I'll have to put up with it until I can give it a few months of uninterrupted rest...like that's going to happen in my lifetime!

Glad to see you're back on the '38 again. Doesn't look like I will realistically get back into the hot rod game now. Some things you just have to say goodbye to. But I can still enjoy getting to some of the shows now and again. Missed the big one in Kamloops this year, but next year for sure. :smile:


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## Katie Cabana

cocobolo said:


> Hi all:
> Since the summer of 1997, I have been building a cabin and house on our 1/2 acre lot here. Before I dive into that part, I am going to show a few photos to set the stage a bit. We are remote here. No services of any kind, except that which we provide for ourselves. So don't expect to see any paved roads with big trucks delivering any materials.
> We live at the head of a small bay, which is both a blessing and a curse.
> When the tide goes out, we have to clamber over hundreds of yards of rocks to get to our boat. When it is in, I can float logs right up to my little railway to move them onto the log deck. Well, not any more, but more about that later.
> This is the bay in front of us.


Coco,
We have an opportunity to get 2 acres on Ruxton and would appreciate a conversation with someone experienced. Please let me know if your still online and I’ll give you a contact #. We’re on Gabriola currently.


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## cocobolo

Katie Cabana said:


> Coco,
> We have an opportunity to get 2 acres on Ruxton and would appreciate a conversation with someone experienced. Please let me know if your still online and I’ll give you a contact #. We’re on Gabriola currently.


Indeed I am still online. So a two acre lot means that it is an inside lot, right? Currently I am living up at Anglemont on the north Shuswap, so perhaps your email address (in a PM of course) and maybe I can help you.


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## Katie Cabana

cocobolo said:


> Indeed I am still online. So a two acre lot means that it is an inside lot, right? Currently I am living up at Anglemont on the north Shuswap, so perhaps your email address (in a PM of course) and maybe I can help you.


Great, thanks.


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