More work? Yup! Today I sorted out the last of an electrical project that wanted doing. Now the electric to my wife’s little shop no longer goes from a plug in the workshop into her shop via a long cord. Instead, it goes from a new outlet on the wall of my workshop to the outer wall of the trailer, plugging in on both ends and using a much shorter cable. Doors can once again be shut and locked on my workshop and Missus’s shop. I also have a place to plug in Christmas lights on the workshop.
So, there have been some questions of late about which shop is called the shop, and what the other places should be called. As you know, Missus is British. So, to her, a ‘store’ as Americans would call it is meant to be called a ‘shop.’ “I’m headed down the shop for some eggs and a pint of milk.” I always called the place I worked with one of my best high school friends “the shop.” It was a hardwood and sheet goods dealer outside of Denver. There was no arguing with him as his family owned the place.
I am wanting to call my workshop ‘the shop,’ but I have to leave that title for Missus’s shop. So, to avoid confusion, I will be calling my shop something else. Probably ‘the woodshop,’ or ‘the workshop.’ I am not yet sure which is so appealing that it will break a very old habit. Or should there be another name, such as ‘the magical, mystical palace of repairs and construction to which I repair in order to be constructive, or otherwise avoid getting roped into some sort of huge job that I don’t understand.’ Well, I will think on it before jumping to any conclusions. So far, it is looking like the ‘woodshop.’
So, there have been some woodshop lessons that are worth writing down. One has been when bottoming out a valley in the seat of a chair, and as I carve into the cathedral of grain, the wood kind of peels at the bottom. That is from following the grain. It is a good time to carve across the grain instead. At least on the poplar I was working on when I cut my finger this evening, that seemed to work out really well. Also, secure the work and use both hands to control the tool.
Another lesson worth it was after I ripped a board in half last night and of course cut it crooked because that’s how I roll. After the cut, rather than use a typical plane such as a jack, I used a scrub plane to do most straightening on the cut edge of the board before going to a #5 to give it a straight line. It really saved a ton of time and did a decent job on its own to straighten the edge of the board. It was to the point I would just about recommend the scrub as one of the first planes one should buy. Apart from the disappointment that will come with how shallow the second plane will cut. Scrub plane. A decent jointer!
Yesterday was semi-busy. It was hot! So, there was a limit to what I was wanting to do. I am not yet acclimated to the heat, so getting heat stroke is not going to be hard to do. But I started off by putting the new rabbit pen into the old chicken run where the neighbor’s dogs cannot get even to the outsides of their pen. Yes, I have had that happen before. We once found a dog caught IN a rabbit pen where two rabbits had lived. One was gone, and the other was dead in the pen with it. So, we take the extra step of keeping the rabbit pens locked in a fenced in area.
My youngest and I put the feeders on the pen, and the waterers, and also the rabbits. The pen is built so it is off the ground a couple of feet, also making it hard for dogs to get to, as well as giving it a large enough space that the poo does not pile up right under it. Once I get around to securing the chicken run again against the raccoons, and get new chickens in it, they will work as cleaners against the poo pile.
I started cleaning out the metal from behind the barn at last, when I took out a couple of livestock fence pieces and four T-posts to go towards the gourd tunnel. I’ll need to get that together today. But first I need to measure the space I intend to put the new septic field into, and make sure the space is large enough. Once verified, I can put in the posts and attach the cattle panels which are now set next to where I will put it. That is next to the sawmill. I’ve tilled it a couple of times, so it is ready to go once the tunnel is built. Put the seeds into the ground and water.
I got the lawnmower up to the front yard and put air in all the tires. I went up to town and bought a new battery, then came home and put that in. The mower started up pretty quickly after that. I ran it around the yard a bit and caught some of it up on the mowing. I ran out of gas once, then it died again and would not turn over at all. I think the thing may not be charging the battery anymore and was running on the new battery. I put it on the charger after that, and if it starts again today, then dies again, I think I will need to sort out the charging system. Well, we’ll see.
After supper I went out to the shop and sharpened my bench chisels. It was a hand sharpening without the use of a honing guide. I used the 1,000, 3,000, and 10,000 grit stones. The face of the bevel was very shiny after, but also a little rounded. I might be inclined to use the honing guide next time. I need to build a setup jig to set the length of the chisel to extend out of the honing guide. I also need to decide once and for all about the idea of a secondary bevel, as I did not bother with one last night. The chisels had not had any serious sharpening before, so I did it straight.
I am scheduled to be out at the dump tomorrow to pick up wood for the mill and for the fire this winter. Our younger son is coming with to make it a little easier and more social while I am out. It’s the first run since the windstorm, so I hope it will be productive.