Stabilizing the ShopStand

I carved my banjo neck using the ShopStand I bought used from a guy who wanted out of lutherie. It worked great except I used it bolted to a piece of MDF the way I acquired it. That was a pretty terrible way to work, involving a lot of shims and instability, so I figured eventually I'd bolt it to the floor. Luckily I discovered StewMac's tip to bolt it to a patio block before I started busting up the basement floor. Never content with just following directions, I had the additional idea to attach wheels to the block for portability and add a hardboard subbase so the floor doesn't get scratched.

Here it is (I probably should have had help carrying the block downstairs, but I made it):

Drilling through concrete is pretty fun. I've got no beef with the Harbor Freight rotary hammer and masonry bit set.

Outcome: sort of. It basically works and is holding together for now (that's a phrase I know from parenting).

The first problem was attaching the hardboard to the bottom. I wanted to glue it. First I tried epoxy, but that didn't work at all. Then I loaded it up with 3M Super 77, which worked for a while. It stopped working after I blasted the snot out of the block with the rotary hammer and pounded five drop-in anchors down with the setting tool. (Yes, there are only four bolts visible; the information you're missing is there is one broken bolt/anchor pair hidden in there.)

The second problem (related to the hidden hardware mentioned in the previous paragraph) is that drop-in anchors (this kind) don't work very well in soft patio block concrete! Witness this bottom-facing crater caused by the worst installation:

Anyway, like I said it works and I didn't throw out my back. I'll try to vacuum up the crater and reglue the subbase now that everything is in its place.

Clamp rack

In researching shop organization, I found plans for a rolling clamp rack with shelves that looked simple enough. My clamps were all taking up shelf space under the bench. Why not?!

It started with a trip to Menards and pile of lumber in the back of the minivan. I downgraded to red cedar 1x2s and 1x3s for the legs and shelf edges and pine plywood to keep the cost of materials reasonable. I cut the 7 degree bevels with a circular saw. The individual shelves and legs are joined with glue and a Harbor Freight brad nailer that performed admirably. The finish is four coats of shellac sprayed with an HVLP compressor gun and one coat of wipe-on poly.

Assembly was significantly more painful than anything from Ikea. For that reason (and all the other work), if you're considering this, I would first recommend checking out this rolling shoe rack from The Container Store. I discovered it in the catalog after completing the job. Who knows if it's sturdy enough for clamps, but it is on sale for about the price of my materials.

Window a/c security and insulation

[Ed.: I promise one day these projects will "all" be "done" and we'll get back to the stringed instruments.]

I've been meaning for a long time to do something about the window a/c in my office. Forget about physical security, I didn't even have the side panels attached. I would stick weatherstripping around the gaps and end up with a sticky mess every fall. This year it was time to do something better.

I found this Flickr set, which gave me the idea for how to fasten side panels to a vinyl window and to use PVC pipe to secure the upper sash. Another DIY enthusiast fabricated a piece to make the bottom area more secure, which I considered for a while, but in the end my particular unit and window to fit together  well enough.

Additional requirements included improved insulation and a cleaner look.

Step one for peace of mind was moving away from the back mud room roof area, which is just a short hop off the deck, to a side window that hangs off into the mulberry tree abyss. This corner is now accessible thanks to the replacement of the old bookcase with the new streamlined corner stack.

Then for some woodworking. I forgot to photograph the one piece that involves actual woodworking. Since I'm not taking it apart anytime soon, here's a drawing. This piece sits in the channels on either side of the window frame and snug down against the top of the a/c. It is quite stiff once slid into place. It's hidden from view by the new front panel.

Here are my plans I worked from:

All told it probably took about the same time to make as I've spent cumulatively scrubbing weatherstripping goo over the years, plus the whole thing is safer and quieter and I got to play with my Safe-t-planer.

Ok, it looks cleaner than the accordion panels and a 2x4, but I'm not claiming it's pretty! Should I paint it, countersink flat-head screws, or what?

Installation detail:

Holiday Weekend+ Beer Tote

I got the idea from uncommongoods to make this simple looking beer tote for a friend. Nick challenged me to ever complete a woodworking project, so here it is, the first one over the line since eighth grade. Not so simple with my woodworking skills, but I got it done in only twice as many days as intended. All in all I learned a lot from my mistakes and I mostly like how it came out.

Materials:

• (1) 1/4" x 5.5" x 48" poplar, Lowes--I recommend thicker if you're like me
• (18) (plus a handful for the bent and messed up ones) #18 x 1" brass escutcheon pins (brass nails), local hardware
• (1) 4-3/4" brass utility pull, local hardware
• Minwax Wood Finish Cherry, Monica's finish/paint stash
• Minwax Wipe-On Poly, my finish stash

Tools:

• SketchUp, for reverse engineering the design proportions and making a cut plan (file available upon request)
• bandsaw
• jigsaw (didn't need it, but thought I'd try it with a finer toothed blade than the bandsaw)
• disc sander
• bench plane
• sanding block
• assorted sandpaper
• drill and tiny bit ground even tinier at the tip
• rags
• 3M synthetic steel wool pad, "between coats"
• hammer, oh yes, definitely a hammer

Here's the final schedule:

1. preliminary: butt time, figuring
2. Friday: cut, sand, apply first coat of stain
3. Saturday: second coat of stain, first two or so coats of finish
4. Sunday: more coats of finish throughout the day
5. Monday: final finish coat, partial assembly
6. Tuesday: more assembly, damage, cursing*
7. Wednesday: recovery, partial disassembly, repairs, reassembly

* I did not lie on the floor this time.

Lumber rack

To get lumber off the shop floor, I got the idea from Woodgears.ca to make cantilevered shelves. I was planning to follow the plans, but while making up the lumber shopping list, I discovered Menards has the same thing prefabricated. They might not be quite as strong or smooth, but it sure took less work (and glue and screws) than assembling all that. I bought a few and slapped them up with 2x3's to hang from the floor joists, 2x2s to brace laterally, and one shelf for short pieces and miscellaneous material on the bottom. (By slapped I mean several hours of work and multiple trips to the store, of course.)

Much better.

The last photo looks distorted. At least I don't think the entire system is bowed like that.

Fifty future banjos

Last week we had a yard tree felled. It was healthy but leaning enough to get sun to make me nervous about wind storms. This tree was black cherry, dead straight, and just wide enough to get me thinking about banjos. Said Eme after seeing the logs, "You should take them to the sawmill and get them cut into boards!" Exactly what I was thinking, my daughter!

The first step was giving the tree trimmers instructions to leave the logs. I asked for 6' logs, knowing that 5-6' boards would be perfect for banjo work and wanting to make it easier in case I couldn't find a sawyer and had to do anything with them myself.

Check. The ones with painted ends are candidates for cutting. The rest will go to my in-laws' fireplace.




A local portable sawmill was willing to do such a small job. Today he showed up with his sweet machine and a helper.

Setting up the WoodMizer:

With proper supervision:

And yard inspection. We wouldn't want any wildflowers to get damaged--better pick them all.

The sawmill is a beast. It loads and turns logs with hydraulics and is operated by remote joysticks (the control panel is on the stand between the machine and the truck). The blade assembly zips up/down and forward/backward and cuts fast.

Cutting the first log and spewing sawdust into a pile that would fill an entire wheelbarrow:

As the first boards came off the saw, I got busy building a foundation for the pile:

While they cut everything worth cutting, I stacked for air drying. Here's the final result:

I stacked most of that and took a break to make coffee for the guys and pull out my banjo for some show and tell. One worker is a musician and was excited to see the banjo and pick on it a little. Deliverance was requested, so I fumbled out an approximation.

With all the prep and stacking, the whole job was a lot of work and cost quite a bit. As the sawyer reminded me more than once, I would have saved a lot of money had I left the logs longer to make less work for him. To do it over, I'd be a little smarter about it, or just go to Randy's place and pick from the hundreds of logs he already has. Live and learn!

Overall it was a ton of fun and I'm very pleased with the haul. I figure 174 board feet wet, 120 after shrinkage and planing. If I did my job right and much of it dries straight and flat, there's a lot of banjos or other small projects in that pile at well under retail cost on the wood (52.5 banjos, to be exact, if it all dries perfectly).

Garage organization

Shelving:

Workbench for random jobs and storage underneath:

Big props to Monica for having the back strength to help me move it. It weighs a lot!