And this is why you clean

Cleaning has gone really well the past couple of days. On top of getting the dust and scrap together I managed to stash the decorations, and even put a new bike hook up in the event I get my act together and bike commute. I split the legs for sawhorses too, giving me two that can be taken apart and stored out of the way when not in use to keep things clean. I can't even finish straightening up without making more work for myself. 

But things are finally looking good; tools are stored properly, the workbench has been vac'd, scraps have been chopped, the floor swept, and the decorations hidden away. And why was this so important? Two new items: putting together the boy's birthday bike, and getting a new table top together. Good times.

Is it overkill to put a kids bike on the stand to get it all set? Maybe, but if you've got the tools then why not make things easier on yourself. Even with the right set up this bike was still a pain to get acceptable. Did I feel silly buying a cheap box bike for the boy's first real bike? A little bit, yes. 

But the good news I have a nice clean garage to get all messy with this new table top I'm all set to throw together. And I can't wait! I only have to find the actual time to put it together between work, kids, classes, and everything else going on. 

Just laying the boards out looks like it has so much potential my hands start wondering where the tools are. This is going to be fun!

I admit, it's time

Not cleaning up after two relatively big projects was pure laziness, I will admit. But obviously March kind of got the better of me, between work and classes I couldn't find the energy to clean things up. But I'm hearing the call of re-doing the patio table with a new top, and there's no way I can do that with the shop in its current state.

Add on needing to get the bike ready for a potential bike commute and things needed to get straightened up. Nothing like spring break to kick start a little spring cleaning. Of course, I couldn't help making a bit more mess to clean up too.

First things to go were the scraps from the desk. I'm keeping them for now in case I follow through on my pizza oven idea and need clean scrap to burn, but they'll probably just be firewood eventually.

Next the workbench got swept off, and then re-sawdusted by my chopping the old table top into 2x4's I could use with new sawhorse brackets I picked up. Nothing like cleaning up to get some inspiration for another quick project.

I could at least build something in this

There's still some additional cleaning that needs done; there are new boxes of Christmas lights now and the boy's birthday present bike to put together, but nothing that would really stop me from putting a new table top together. Here's to a productive spring!

I've been framed

I came across an old Empire Strikes Back poster that I'm always too sentimental to throw out the other day, and instead of putting it away again I decided it deserved its own frame. Thankfully I had a ton of scrap around still since I'm too busy to actually clean up the shop right now, and it came together really well.

The poster itself has really weird dimensions, which is why I've never put it in an actual frame. But something like that is a perfect chance to flex my scrap muscles. With the hard board I had left over from the desk, and plenty of 2x4 halves, I could have a pretty substantial frame put together, minus a glass or plastic cover.

I trimmed the hardboard to fit the poster, then trimmed a chunk of the halved 2x4 into quarter inch strips to fit around it.

Those got routered with a channel so they could fit around the hardboard with overlap to put everything together. Freehanding with that router is still a real adventure, but I couldn't figure out the right kind of brace. I'm kind of kicking myself for not picking up a router table yet. Oh well.

I basically freehanded the dimensions to get the channels around the hardboard, and viola, one glued up frame.

What kind of stain goes best with a yellow background? Why was this on a yellow background? Who knows. I went with the darkest stain I had around. After enough sanding and stain I thought this looked pretty good. Added a few coats of the wipe on poly and we're in good shape. Usually I wouldn't go with such a dark stain. It looks a bit rough, but it has a nice 'reclaimed' materials vibe that I like. It's more than enough to be presentable I thought.

I hadn't really taken into account how to put everything together, and for how thin I cut the frame this was a challenge. I ended up just hammering in some wood joiners. It worked, and I don't think I'll be taking this apart anyway. Added a wire across the back and snuck it on the wall.

The fam noticed it eventually, but it's still up a week later. Most b/c I've been too lazy to find a more appropriate spot, and the wife hasn't been upset to the point of taking it down herself so it stays for now. It felt good to get a small project done with classes still going on, and has me think I have a painting that could use the same approach before I take it to the office...

ETA: I just realized I posted this on the first Pulaski day I've worked on in three years. I miss my extra days off, but I also feel good about not realizing this was one of them until the end of the day. I got so much done on those days though, that part is going to be hard to deal with.