Life is Slippy

 I know that's not a proper word but it just may be the best way to describe how someone can forget to do something for more than four years.  Life is slippy.  A whole lot has happened since the last post including many more projects, adventures, tragedies, art explorations, and, unfortunately, aging in general.  So, I'll try to do this chronologically but I'll likely get a few things out of place here and there.

First, an update from the last post:  The basement living space is complete and the now-near-adult-age child and his friends have certainly been using it as I hoped.  The book shelves filled up quickly with a bunch of, you guessed it, books.  But in addition to that, we added a new turntable to music machine options and the collection of vinyl has grown, not to mention the collection of board games.

The Den

In addition to the extra living space, I also finished up a basement bathroom which is currently being used by the kid and his ilk but makes for a good second toilet when you really need it.  Much of the materials used were salvaged or repurposed.  Like the dartboard backing, I used a barrel full of corks to face the sink stand and even used some as tile spacers on the floor.  The tile for the floor and backsplash were all scraps from our own projects or rescued random pieces from Habitat for Humanity.  

The Reclamation Room (a.k.a. the bathroom)

The sink counter was made with scrap pallet wood and the shelves behind the door were made with leftover plywood from the other basement parts.  The sink and toilet were also rescued from Habitat.  As COVID was winding down and so was the major basement update, I turned to some smaller projects.

Junction Lake, GPNF

  A few years back, the family had gone to the Portland Japanese Gardens which was hosting an exhibit of block prints that was just amazing. Also around the same time, some friends and I went for an overnight backpacking trip in Gifford-Pinchot National Forest and we had a great time.  To commemorate that, I made a block print of the site where we had camped, a quiet little glade off the main trail that offered a great view of the trees and pond that we were close to.  I hadn't created any block prints in quite some time and this was my first attempt at a landscape.  It turned out better than I expected for a first try and I really enjoyed the experience.  So, when another friend asked me to be part of a guerilla art show (serious fun out of the back of a U-Haul!) and bring some pieces to sell, I put my block carving tools to use and made a few new prints for the show.  I even sold a few (although they were all to friends; thanks friends)!

A Triptych of Prints

Surprise, surprise, the theme was still water and boats.  Also around that time (mid 2023?) I had started another painting and this became the bane of the family room.  It was another seascape of the Ilwaco area and I had purchased a new tube of Titanium White but I went cheap and got the store brand thinking it would be good enough for mixing and lightening and that, my friends, is a mistake.  For some reason (I blame the paint) I just could not get it to blend the way I wanted it to for the sky and after several attempts to get it just right, I gave up and finished out the blocking for the background and then it stopped.  For weeks, then months, then years.  I took the easel down during the holidays and brought it back up to my work area.  Moved it to other rooms when we had big house parties and brought it back out of the closet when we cleaned up.  But for over a year and half, maybe even longer, I just couldn't make any attempts at it.  Finally, at the end  of 2024, I had put it back downstairs for the holidays as the house was rearranged and when I brought it back up after the new year, the kid, my scion of sarcasm and true inheritor of the subtle put-down, said, "What's the point?  It'll just sit there for another year."  That was it.  The gauntlet had been thrown down.  Could I let him be right about that?  And what was keeping me from finishing the damn thing anyway?  So I dusted off the paints (several tubes had dried out by then) and brushes, chose not to take the easy way out for a few evenings, and finally finished it.  

A Masterpiece of Procrastination

The funny thing about finishing a piece like this is that when I'm done (I can't speak for everyone) I feel a sense of euphoria and want to immediately start on new one.  I haven't done that yet though, instead, setting aside time to do this instead and give an update to the world.  Maybe that's good so I don't rush in and get stymied by the not-quite-right picture or paint.  Or maybe that's just another form of procrastination.  Probably both.

All The Things

Stairway to Storage

 If you're like me, I'm sure your first thought is probably, "What the heck have you been up to?"  And then your second thought would be, "It is improper grammar to end a sentence with a preposition."  That's why we're nerd friends.  However, I do have several answers to the question of what I've been doing since February 2017.  The new job I took in January has kept me busy as has running Trusty Assistant around to weekend events and after-school activities but no big changes on the family front otherwise.  That doesn't mean I've been lazy in my free time.  Well, except for updating this blog.  After finishing the last big project of the expanded garden bed and stone & brick inset patio I took a bit of a break but it didn't last long.  In the late summer and early fall of 2017 I began the fun task of redoing the attic.

Now, I'll admit I've been procrastinating on this one, something at which I'm pretty good.  And for good reason.  The attic had old blown-in insulation (thankfully no asbestos), old wiring, and needed some reworking of the rafters among other things.  The first step was ordering and installing an attic ladder as the previous entryway was just a 2' x 3' hatch which required me to set up the fold-able ladder every time I needed to get into it.  The step ladder install went fairly well and after that began the real fun.  Our 1920's era home still had some knob & tube wiring that was in integral part of supplying power to the main floor lights and walls and other fun wiring surprises hidden under the insulation.  At first I attempted to remove the insulation with my five-gallon shop vac one garbage bag at a time.  After about four trips to the waste transfer station, and only clearing out about an eighth of the attic, I knew it was time to get serious.  I ordered a drop box and rented an industrial insulation vacuum and managed to fill up six and a half 75 cu ft bags.  Those suckers (pun intended) are about 4' x 6' and surprisingly heavy when all that insulation gets compressed in them.  To say the original workmanship in the attic was tidy and clean would be a whopper of a lie and there were often times when large chunks of wood or plaster would block the vacuum line and at one point I even had to remove the impeller cover to clear debris.  It was a mess.  I still managed to get it all done in one day and return the vacuum the next morning for a nice discount.

Look at all that usable space!

Afterwards, the fun of running new wiring began as I had to replace every ceiling light fixture junction box, wall outlet, connected switch, and more.  Thankfully I had already put in a series of new lights and an outlet up there prior but before I began the re-wiring I also installed a window on the west end for some natural lighting.  What a difference!  Once the wiring was complete, I followed with a moisture barrier (there wasn't one before), new denim batt insulation, and then a plywood overlay so that the attic could actually be USED for something.  Unfortunately, prior to installing the ladder and the window I didn't consider how I might get a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood up in that space and I ended up having to cut them all in half to just barely fit them through the ladder access hatch.  After laying down the plywood flooring, I used the scrap plywood to add reinforcements at the rafter joints (which were just butt-joints) and finally remove the three cross braces that hung about four feet up from the attic floor.  I swear I have a permanent scrape and bruise from hitting my head on those things.  With the attic finally done, I had the pleasure of moving a bunch of crap from the basement upstairs.  Yeah, it's as fun as it sounds.  The west exterior got some new siding and trim to go with the new window and now that summer is nearly upon us, I'll get out to paint it soon.  The final pieces of that project are on hold for now as the big lifting has been done and much of the basement has been cleared to begin on the next one...the basement bathroom.

Rasped, chiseled, carved, and
sanded.  I won't lie, this took
way too long.

One other thing came out the attic update that is almost complete as well.  After cutting the extra plywood pieces into rafter braces that fit the shape of the rafter pinnacles, I was left with a large bunch of plywood triangles that were almost all identical.  I just knew that there was something that these could be put to use for besides a burn pile.  Eventually I decided they would make a great lamp stand.  Centered around a spare piece of 3/4" conduit, I stacked the pieces and rotated them slightly to make a helix appearance and glued them all together.  Once the glue was set, I used a rasp, chisels, carving knives, and sandpaper to smooth the overlaps on all three faces.  Being plywood, there were gaps all over, especially at the edges, where chunks had separated or holes existed.  To remedy this, I took inspiration from the recently installed bar at Loowit Brewing which had used reclaimed 2"x 4"s.  They had used a transparent resin to fill all the small holes that existed from the wood's previous life and then coated it with a matte finish to give it a really nice natural look.  I found some self-setting resin at the Craft Warehouse and began trying to apply the same to my lamp base.  This may have been a bad idea.

Watching varnish dry.  Nearly as fun as
watching paint dry.  

Because of the spiral nature of the helix structure, there are no level surfaces except the top and bottom.  To fill the gaps, I had to work on one face at a time while the base was turned sideways in a bar clamp.  Using painter's masking tape along the edges, I would pour about two ounces of resin at a time over an area, let it set, then twist the base slightly so that it was "level" now a few inches down.  This process took way too long and I wouldn't recommend it.  If you're working with something flat that can easily be leveled, resin is great but not for this.  Eventually I got all the holes filled and even the edge gaps covered.  I did discover that because my degree of rotation for the individual pieces wasn't enough to bring it back to a full 360 degrees, the center of gravity was off so I had to add a one piece plywood base to provide the necessary support.  I picked up a lamp kit at Lowes (I know, I would have gone local but I had a gift card to use) and a lampshade from Goodwill.  After lots and lots of sanding with my orbiter sander, I finally evened out the resin so that you just see it where it fills the holes and gaps and the natural wood comes through otherwise.  I had to remove the base piece prior to applying the final layers of matte varnish and once this is dry and sanded, I'll install the kit and base and, voila, a new lamp will be born.  Thanks attic.

Salvage Work

When we first purchased our house, the unfinished basement had a small, rickety workbench that wobbled like gelatin anytime you tried to saw a piece of wood on it.  It didn't take me long to take it apart and build something a bit sturdier out of some of the pieces from it and some other scrap plywood that had been repurposed from another part of the house that we had remodeled.  It wasn't great by any means but it did the job decently enough that I used it for several years through the various house projects I've worked on.  With the recent basement overhaul, replacing the workbench again was on the list of things to do but this time, I wanted it to be more stable, look nicer, and provide more storage than the past practice of just tossing stuff underneath it.  I also aimed to make it completely out of scrap or salvaged lumber.  After moving the old workbench all over the basement as I redid walls and added cupboards and shelves, I also wanted to make this one more mobile.  

Bowling, anyone?

For the work surface, I wanted something more solid than the 1" plywood that made up the current bench top.  I began collecting scrap 2"x 4" pieces from whatever I had leftover, my neighbors, and what I could pull from pallets.  Using my table saw, I shaved all the rounded edges off and cut the boards down to about 3"in width.  Once I had enough to assemble a bench top about 6' wide by 3' deep, I lined them all up on a plastic covered piece of particle board and connected them all up using wood glue and deck screws, leaving gaps for the post tops about two layers in and about 6" from the edges.  

For the corner posts, I had some decently thick pieces leftover from a large radiator crate that the shop across the street had given to me years before.  I notched the tops of the posts to fit the gaps I left in the bench top and then attached the posts with 2" x 4"s at top and bottom which gave it some better rigidity and also help support the bench top a little more.  At the bottom, I used 3/4" OSB that had been part of the same crate as the posts for the bottom of a three compartment storage shelf and attached some heavy duty locking wheels to the ends of the posts.

It's still a mess under there but now it's a nicer mess.

Finally, I wanted to add some extra storage by adding drawers just under the bench.  The drawer faces and surround were made completely out of pine scraps from my cupboard and shelf project.  The sides, backs, and runners for the drawers were made completely out of pallet boards, some of them glue laminated together.  The drawer bottoms were made from 1/4" birch plywood scraps from the cupboard doors.  I didn't have a lot of solid pieces to make the drawer fronts so I made them each unique using different sets of pine scrap and so, while they are all of the same wood, each one has a very unique texture to it.  The runners were attached at the back of the work bench to leftover scrap plywood from my old bench.  It was some of the nasty painted stuff but very solid so it was perfect for part of the bench you'll rarely ever see.

In the end, 100% of the wood products were from scrap or salvaged from broken pallets.  Alas, the hardware was all new with the exception of the drawer pulls themselves.  For the first, I was able to use a carved bear's head I made a few years back that hadn't yet found it's purpose in life.  The second was from a combination of a replacement water tap handle that had been floating around for years that fit perfectly into a threaded bolt insert that came off of some old snowboard binding hardware.  All in all, I'm very happy with the new work-bench, especially now that it's done.  On to the next project!

Ladder Shelf Salvage

Typical shelf found at
LoweWalStapleKohlMart

After my mostly successful foray into creating my own glued wood panels for the shelves and cabinets, I decided to give them another try on my next project, a ladder shelf.  After changing our bedroom furniture out from a rustic, outdoors-like feel, to a more modern style, we were lacking a shelf and my wonderful spouse was getting a little annoyed at the stacks of books that were populating the closet.  So, it was time to get to work on fixing that.  We did some searching out of different designs and settled on a ladder-shelf style that was fairly common in many stores.  Of course, my significant other wanted to quickly go buy one so we could resolve the lack of closet space and, of course, I said, "I can make one!"  I'm sure there was some eye-rolling at that.  However, I convinced her finally when I said I was going to be using a lot of salvaged materials.

Ladder to nowhere

I've been collecting scrap pallet wood for various projects and this was the perfect project for a lot of what was taking up space underneath our deck.  Because I was making it from scratch, I was also able to customize the dimensions to fit just the right spot in the room.  I wanted to make it taller than normal to maximize the space since we have a decently high ceiling but I was unable to find any salvaged pallet wood that would work for the height so I purchased four 1"x 4" x 10' alder boards from my local Shurway.  The shelves were made completely out of pallet planks and the shelf supports were made from the leftover pieces of the alder boards.  I used a dark walnut stain to try and match the color of the new bed frame and two layers of gloss varnish.

What I really liked most about the way this turned out was the grain character of the shelves.  The pallet planks were a variety of soft woods and also various ages.  I tried to make sure the wood of each shelf was the same and it gave each shelf it's own subtle difference.  I sanded the glued panels just enough to give the shelves an even appearance and smooth out the roughest patches but I left as many imperfections as I could to make it obvious that this was reused material.
The one thing I would do over if I could would be more careful with the use of glue on the shelf sides.  Although attached by screws, I wanted the extra reinforcement since not all the boards were perfectly straight.  However, while I wiped up the excess glue that was squeezed out, it was hard to get all of it in the inside corners and seems.  Excess glue spots on the basement cabinets and shelves project wasn't such a big deal because the wood was light and since I used a natural stain, they would be difficult to spot.  With this project, the glue spots show up a lot more clearly because of the contrast with the dark stain.  Thankfully, the glue issue is minor and doesn't stand out glaringly.  Besides, all those books that were previously hanging out on the closet floor are now where they ought to be, on a shelf.

A Post-less Year of Projects

My high-school English teachers would be very disappointed in me.  A whole year with nothing posted!  Like any art form, writing should be practiced every day for an hour at least but alas, doing other things with my hands has gotten in the way of my intentions to keep up with this blog.  Today, however, I'm finding the silver-lining in feeling like I'm being alternately dunked in the Yellowstone hot springs and the Volga river mid-January.  That's right, it's cold season in the house and just like the jelly-of-the-month club, illness brought home from school is truly the gift that keeps on giving.  I'll need to have real heart-to-heart with my Trusty Assistant about what he brings home.

So while I sit here wrapped in a blanket, armed with a hot toddy (the Irish cure for what ails you) and an over-used handkerchief, I will finally take some time to reflect on the past year's accomplishments.  

The Bridges of Portland (a.k.a. Bridgetown) are much more
romantic than Madison County.  If you're an engineer.

If my recollection of time is somewhat accurate, I finally got around to framing one of my favorite posters acquired during a charity auction.  I wanted to give the frame a good weathered look so I used a thoroughly aged pallet with a gray patina on the wood.  Unfortunately, with the age, the boards were also all slightly warped.  Cutting the corner angles to match turned out to be an exercise in futility so, leftover metal flashing to the rescue!  I had a small roll of galvanized flashing left from the front porch project and created some custom corners to add stability to the frame and hide the errant corner angles.  Considering the subject of the poster, the flashing adds a great touch.  Even the screws to attach the flashing were salvaged from something else that was deconstructed so, I can safely assert that at least 75% of the materials for the framing are reclaimed or re-purposed.  We can debate calculations later.

Cabinets and shelves.
You put things in them and on them.

The next project was the largest time consumer of the year.  This is Phase II of basement reconstruction.  Our north wall in the remaining basement was pretty much useless.  I had my small workbench area and we had some small shelves for toys but with the way the plumbing was set, it was a very unusable space.  So, my idea was to add extra storage for all the junk we think we need to have on hand in case of an apocalyptic event.  As you can see the idea was to alternate sets of closed-door cabinets with open shelving to help us better organize all that junk.  Since we have no garage (yet) and the attic is a pain-in-the-ass to get in and out of, this was a priority for me.  

Trusty Assistant demonstrating
the scale of the furniture.

I hate to say it but this not reclaimed material.  I purchased knotty pine boards from Shurway Lumber to make the basic frames and shelves.  The door paneling on the cabinets is hemlock.  This project was a real first for me because the shelves and frames were made by gluing panels of pine boards together rather than buying project boards of white "wood" from Home Depot.  An extra pair of 3' wood clamps was also a must for this one as the gluing process takes a lot of waiting time.  Thankfully, it was a really nice summer and I was able to let many of the panels set outside. The project was a success although I learned quickly that staining and varnish application must absolutely be done outside or in a well-ventilated area.  And always make sure you cover the stain with a good varnish!

It's game time!  Bring on the hexes.

I declined to put a North on the compass rose out of pure spite.

 The next project was intended to be a Christmas present but instead is being held for someone's birthday.  This was my second attempt at a Settlers of Catan board.  I used the leftover hemlock paneling from the cabinets for the fascia and a leftover chunk of project board that's been floating around the basement forever that was just the right size.  The cork rolls were something we discovered at Scrap.  I wanted to keep the illustrations simple as opposed to my last board which was painted to somewhat duplicate the original Settlers frame.  For this board, I used my engineering pens to draw the coastline, ships, and compass rose and then covered it all with a natural stain and semi-gloss varnish.  

Also, throughout much of the year, I was working on this, a painting of the fishing vessel Takako in Ilwaco harbor.  It's acrylic on canvas board, 16" X 20".  The sail insignia really drew my attention to this one and with the background of Jessie's Ilwaco Fish Co., I thought it was just a great scene.  I have yet to frame it as I'm waiting to find some good weathered wood or some more salvage tongue-and-groove to pull it together.  If you want it unframed, it's yours for $500.

Takako, Ilwaco Harbor, WA

Right; Mine: Left; Trusty Assistant's

Also throughout the year, we were connected with a local egg-producer that sells the best eggs imaginable.  Of course, not all eggs are to be eaten.  Some are ovoid canvases waiting to be inked.  This year, I decided to try out a Germanic Celtic theme rather than my usual Gaelic Celtic knots.  Also this year, my Trusty Assistant wanted to try his hand at the art of Pysanky.  While my Trusty Assistant's first attempt at a pysanky egg was not what he intended, I think this one of the best "happy accidents" I've ever seen.  I just love this egg.

Now, of course I can't just sit idly by (although when racked be a fever sometimes you have to give in), and there are many other projects in the works or on the horizon.  The current project is a replacement of my basement workbench which was a hobbled together mish-mash of whatever was in the house when we bought it.  It's wobbly, heavy, and unstable but it has done its job for years.  I'm working on replacing it with a new bench made completely out of salvaged material (minus the fasteners).  Work is progressing but hopefully much quicker now with the acquisition of a Pallet Paw.  I had several attempts this summer of welding my own but (sorry Dad) the welder I had was inadequate for the task.  I've already deconstructed a couple pallets with the Paw and looking forward to the ease of the task compared the ole' pry-bar and hammer.  Also on the schedule is a triptych of our Nicaragua trip in ink and watercolor.  No guarantees on an actual completion date.

I hope you all had a productive and informative 2015.  To my high-school English teachers, Mrs. Cartwright and Mrs. Munk, I sincerely and repeatedly apologize for my lack of practice.  Thank goodness I'm not being graded.  I hope you all find inspiration and motivation in 2016 and I'm looking forward to sharing more.

What Happened to 2014...?

I know that 2014 was a quiet year for the Malleable Monarch although not necessarily a quiet year for life events.  Even though there was not much in the way of online activity, it doesn't mean I was idle during the year.  We had quite a few projects that were completed this year including a deck and shed at a beach house, a carport for some relief for the elements, and replacing our old water heater for starters.  But the big projects didn't occupy all of our time.  The original Malleable Monarch stove is back in the works after getting most of the frame sandblasted free of rust.  I hope to get it back to it's former glory although it's a slow, pain-staking process.

Our old barbecue was also due for a makeover since the bottom had rusted out.  We looked at some options of purchasing a new one but we really aren't big barbecuers in the first place.  So instead of upgrading to something bigger that we wouldn't use, I decided to make this an excuse to play with the welder.  Originally, the barbecue came with a central heating plate that disbursed the gas flames around it's circumference and helped keep the heat contained.  The plate had completely rusted away along with the bottom of the barbecue main cylinder.  To fix that, I used an old square metal cover from an electrical junction box that had a 1/2" center knockout which fit the gas in-line nicely.  Cutting the bottom of the cylinder to match, I welded it into place and drilled three holes for mounting bolts to support the new heating plate.  After that, I spray painted it with heat-resistant black barbecue paint.  For the heating plate, I used an old 7 1/2" diameter circular saw blade.  The hole in the middle of the blade needed to be covered  since it would let the flames right through instead of dispersing them to the outside edge so I used the 1/2" knockout plug from the junction box cover and welded it over the hole.  I then drilled three holes to match the mounting bolt placement and set it with nuts and washers placed underneath to balance it.

Another big change for us this year was the addition of a new car.  Our old trusty Subaru was starting to show some serious signs of age after 200,000 miles so we decided it was time to get something a bit more reliable.  While we were making that decision, we also wanted to get something economical as a commuter car and we opted for a plug-in hybrid.  With plug-ins, you can't just run an extension cord from any old outlet, so I installed a dedicated outlet and circuit for the charging unit.  We also needed something to hang the charging cord from.  It came with keyhole screw mounts that you could use if it were more of a permanent placement but I know We knew we would be taking the cord with us when we traveled so we wanted something a bit easier to use than the keyhole screws.  Instead, I used used scrap pallet wood to make a mounting fork for the unit and installed it next to the outlet.  It looks much nicer than a couple screws in the wall.

Finally, I found time to finish up a little project for Bree that we had discussed.  Her collection of necklaces was getting to be too much for the box they were housed in and it was becoming quite a clutter.  So we found a lovely piece of driftwood and I found a set of antique ceramic drawer knobs for $4 at an antique store.  I used the router to put a couple of keyhole mounts on the back and then some drywall screw anchors to hang it up in our closet.  It's too bad that it's in the closet since it looks pretty darn nice with the jewelry on it!

There were many more small projects here and there in 2014 but these were my most memorable.  I hope 2015 has many and more opportunities and possibilities for creativity and I hope you all enjoy reading about what's in the works.

Getting Lit

A close friend has recently been perfecting the art of cutting bottles to make glasses and candle holders.  When he told me he didn't have any plans for the tops of the bottles I asked him to save them for me because I had an idea.  My brilliant idea was to turn them into a lamps but I didn't want to just stick with a single lamp, no, no...I had to go bigger.  After picking up a box of bottle tops on our last visit, I picked five green tops (four Lindeman's Framboise and one Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale) that would work to make a good ceiling light fixture.  I'll save the others for some single lamps at some point but for now, the rest of these will have to go back into the box and get packed away. 

My thought was to group them all together in a bunch but after considering the possible lack of stability and materials, I was afraid they would too easily knock against each other and possibly break.  As a way to avoid that, I thought I would try to keep them stable and separate by encasing each of them in metal ring frames which would be individually attached to a central ring.  For this I used some basic galvanized steel 10 gauge wire from the local hardware store.  This may have been a mistake.  The wire itself was pretty malleable and I created the rings just using a vice and pair of pliers.  Joining the wire turned out to be a bigger problem.  At first I thought my little 25W pencil soldering iron and some silver solder would do the trick but I  found out that wasn't going to cut it.  Luckily, I was able to borrow a 40W chisel tip soldering iron and with some flux.  After many attempts and many times redoing the solder welds, I was finally able to get them to hold.  I also learned that I obviously need some practice soldering.

The wire cages were built around the bottle tops which caused some issues later on with the weight of the tops causing the welds to fail.  After that, I used 3/8" flexible conduit to attach the tops to an old steel junction box that I had on hand.  To attach the conduit to the tops, I used screw-in connectors and sawed off the ends that connected to the junction box.  I then glued the connector to the top of the bottle after roughing up the glass with some sandpaper.  I think there might be a better way of connecting them if a 3/8" to 1/2" screw-in connector existed but I couldn't find one anywhere.


For the junction box to connect to the ceiling, I found an old lamp fixture at Habitat for Humanity and removed the bottom half, saving the ceiling mantle with it's angle slightly modified to match the screw holes of the junction box.  I grabbed a cover plate with a center knock-out to feed the wires through.  Lastly, for the lights, I had to buy five candelabra lamp bases and glued them into the bottle tops after attaching the wires.  In the end, I was pretty happy with the result.  I'd like to be able to use some lower profile lights since the CFLs, even the 5W miniature ones, seem to stick out from the base of the shades a bit too much.  Now the only thing left to do is find the right spot for that industrial-alien-lounge feel.  I'm sure the bedroom will be perfect.

What do I do with all this leftover OSB?

As you may know, I'm quite averse to throwing things in the trash that can either be reused or recycled for something useful.  Lately, along with my father-in-law, we've been building a new shed and as part of the aftermath of that project (which I'm sure I'll post on later), there was quite a load of OSB scrap.  If you don't know, OSB stands for oriented strand board and it's become the building industry's predominate choice for sheathing of smaller buildings.  You don't want to burn it since it's pressed together with chemical-laden glue but it can be safely shredded with other wood products.  Even thought that's better than letting it go straight to the land-fill, I know there has to be better things to do with it than that.  So, the bed of my truck is currently a home for several different pieces of medium-sized OSB waiting to be used for something good.

What's in the box?

One project I'm sure I'll repeat was the Tuna Tier cat tower (see previous post).  In the meantime, there was something else I needed to do.  While I've really enjoyed using my new Porter-Cable jigsaw (thanks Dad & Mom!), it didn't come with a case and I've been toting it around in it's cardboard box.  Unfortunately, during one work session on the shed it started raining and as you can imagine, corrugated cardboard does not do well when wet.  So, I devised a plan to build a case for the jigsaw using the OSB and leftover pallet scraps (see other previous post).  Using screws, glue, and hinges that I already had on hand, the box was pretty much complete.  We made a trip to the Rebuilding Center for a handle and a latch to keep it closed and came back with the handle at least.  I'm sure I could have found a latch had there been more time but if you've ever been to the Rebuilding Center, you'll know that the organization of the hardware section leaves something to be desired.  So, the box is nearly complete, all that's needed is some inserts into the blade holes so they're not too deep (I'll cut some from some blocks of expanded foam that are still sitting in my basement) and a latch.  OSB used - check.  Carrying case for jigsaw - check.

Thanks to Mon Ami for the lovely coffee cup
to help fuel my projects

Now, I still have a lot of OSB left in the truck that needs to be put to use.  If anyone has some good ideas, please leave me a comment!  I have a few shelves that I need to build, maybe reorganize the shed here at home but other than that, I'm open to some new ideas.

Making Something Palletable

Ah, but ignorance truly is bliss.  After reading Garbology recently, by Edward Humes, I could not help but feel there is more that I can do.  Especially after my exposure to such great re-use sites as Pheonix Commotion, etc..  What really did me in though was a fairly innocent trip to the waste transfer station down the road.  I took a truck load of leaves (trust me, our compost bin cannot keep up with six plums, various neighborhood maples, and three cedars on a postage-stamp size urban lot) to dump off for industrial composting and they had recently moved the area where they accepted clean green waste to a larger open area.  When I got out of the truck to unload I was surprised that one of the mounds surrounding the central area was a bunch of wooden crates that had obviously contained some large material item at one point.  I actually got pretty upset right there that this would go to waste like that after one use.  Perfectly good wood suited for a variety of uses and instead of becoming part of something long-lasting and useful, it's dumped to be shredded into compost.  Looking back, I should have just loaded it all into my truck after emptying my leaves but next time I'll know better.

Two chairs, one pallet, and one big helper

Back at home, the unsightly pallets sitting across the street at our radiator shop neighbors all of a sudden became a mission.  I asked the manager of the shop if he minded me taking them to use on some projects and he told me he'd be happy if I did as it would save them the cost of dumping them!  The shop had recently taken delivery of a very large industrial radiator and the pallet for it was a single use one because of its unique size and was just going to be tossed in the dump for shredding.  I couldn't let this happen.  I hauled the thing across the street and dismembered it in the back yard.  I had an immediate use in mind for some of the wood as a cover for our new compost bin (thanks Dad and Mom!) and some of the boards I thought would make some good frame material (see my last post) but that still left a lot to do something with.  After some online research I finally settled on making some chairs for the beach house that could withstand the outdoors and would be cozy enough to either have on the front porch or the back patio around the fire.

The original clevis pin design holes with
the compromise wood brace

My first design was based off a picture I found online but without any set plans.  I thought I would modify it to allow for the chair to easily collapse flat for moving or storage.  To do so, I thought I would use a clevis pin setup to lock the chair back position for sitting or for storage.  This turned out to be way too flimsy and I was afraid it wouldn't support any weight put on the pins in the upright position.  To fix it, I used a leftover piece of the 2x4 support wood at a notched angle to brace the back when it's in place and then left it freestanding for removal when you want to fold it up.  I'm still not very happy with this setup as anyone sitting there for the first time won't trust the brace to hold with the amount of creaking and give it allows.  It's also only built for one position when upright and you have to do something with the brace wood when it's folded down.  On top of all that, the chair itself is a little big for your averaged size person.  I fit comfortably well in it but you'd have to 6' or better to agree with me on that one.

Now we're talking.  And now you know which side
is hydrophobic, fragile, and must be kept upright

On my second design, I wanted to include more flexibility in the seat back position and make it a hell of a lot easier to adjust so I used something more akin to a modern chaise lounge.  I attached an extra set of supports to the seat back and cut two notches for a couple of choices of recline angle.  The result was a vast improvement over the original as it's much more stable and has a wider range.  The drawbacks are that it does not fold flat and is heavier because of the added weight of the supports and hardware.  Even with those negative points, I think I will remake the original design to use the adjustable incline support system and work out a way to make it fully collapsible as well.

Two angles are better than one?

All in all, my first foray into working with pallets was a success and I half-heartedly look forward to the radiator shop getting in more pallets.  My fear now is that I can't keep up fast enough building these types of things or coming up with new ideas before they consign them to the trash.  It's ridiculous that a 4' by 6' pallet should have one use and then discarded.  Luckily, I'm not the only one that thinks this way. One of my favorites is these guys, Viridian Hardwoods, which specialize in foreign hardwoods that arrive as pallets from other countries.  That doesn't mean there's nothing we can do with domestic soft-wood pallets either.  Pinterest, DIY, and a 96,798 other sites have ideas for "Reusing Pallets."  Why waste good wood?