Above 1200 Sq/FT Plugger Workshop

[Prospecter]

Gorgeous sunset. Is the saying red sky at night sailers delight and red sky in the morning sailers take warning true?

Glad to hear you’re having a bit of a heat wave and hoping spring is not far away. It’s crazy good weather over on this side of the USA and I think it’s forecast to be mid 60’s next week.

Are you hoping to get lights and heat in your boat’s garage this year? No pressure but I know you’d like a bit of heat over there to do some things during the winters.

Have a grand day!!

Thanks Drives. Yep. The old adage is mostly true for us. Has something to do with the movement of fronts and the sun hitting particles on the horizon. Glad you are also getting nice weather. I had all the doors and windows open in the house, shop, and Boathouse today. (69*) Tomorrow we return to the expected rain and cool temperatures that help control the melt rate and replenish the water table.

Yep. I would like to get the lights in the Boathouse. I need to get the ceiling panels up first though, so I have something to attached lights to. With PT for my shoulder, I can only put up 2-3 per day, and not every day. I also switched to screws because my shoulder wouldn't manage the framing nailer. I do already have a Rinnai heater in the Boathouse, which I use if I am working there. Mostly though, the Boathouse keeps stuff out of the Workshop, which has the new LEDs, and heat pump.

 

[Prospecter]

Wow, you certainly found yourselves a wonderful piece of paradise!

Thanks JP. Good of you to check in.

 

[Bob Heine]

@Prospector, you have reminded me I need to label the cabinet where I keep my Band Aids. I already have a place for my own "MAGNETS, MISFITS, BITS, BOBS, FIDDLY BITS" but it's also currently unlabeled.

 

[Prospecter]

@Prospector, you have reminded me I need to label the cabinet where I keep my Band Aids. I already have a place for my own "MAGNETS, MISFITS, BITS, BOBS, FIDDLY BITS" but it's also currently unlabeled.

Hey Bob, Always nice to have you drop by. I sort of think of that drawer as "The Island of Misfit Tools."

 

[drivesitfar]

That’s why I love my rotobins but it’s always a space issue and constantly organizing.

Any snow left or more amazing sunsets?

 

[Prospecter]

That’s why I love my rotobins but it’s always a space issue and constantly organizing.

Any snow left or more amazing sunsets?

We do still have some snow left, but less than 50% ground covered. I am probably done clearing snow for the year. (Knock on wood.) The ground is soft, which tends to make a mess if I try to clean up the driveway, and it melts pretty fast. More snow on Saturday. (Poor man's fertilizer.) Thanks for checking in.

 

[Prospecter]

Some snow left. We did get another storm, but it melted by the end of the next day.
I found a small cabinet for small $$. I probably spent more on the paint than the cabinet.
A new Zero Turn. That was a pricey purchase, but it sure speeds up the mowing!
I stopped into Harbor Freight to get some Icon semi deep sockets on sale. The compressor was returned and in their seconds display. Missing a wheel. Somehow the PO managed to put a small crack in the plastic rim and then lose the tire. $120 off, and 20% off stacked on that. A luxury purchase. Much quieter than my very loud old one. A little extra capacity, too. Put the tire bag on, plugged it in, and I am in business.
The lighting project continues. These are some extras that I am putting down the center of the workshop.

 

[Prospecter]

The now red cabinet in place. Just fits.
We have had some bluebirds over winter this year. One is obsessed with his reflection in a window. A little better picture further down.

First crocuses. We cheat a little. These are right against the foundation where they receive direct sun in the morning. These are VERY early for our area, and give us hope in March.

I complain about Mud Season, but I actually kind of like it. Constantly changing ground cover between snow, brown grass, green grass, and willows turning yellow. Time to prune the orchard and start seeds.

Connected some more shop lights. One more light to do, and then connect to power.

 

[Prospecter]

A few things off the list.
Last of the full size panels are installed in the Boathouse. (Still plenty of smaller fiddly bits to do.)
The Toms are displaying, but not getting much interest from the hens.
And a new toy. It fits in my drill, and over wire nuts to tighten them up. Works very well. (Klein. It was in the electrical aisle when I picked up some parts.)

 

[kaymccampbell]

I'll be hunting for that next trip to Orange Hell. My fingers are hating cranking wire nuts, and my coordination, or lack thereof, with pliers recently nipped my hand.

 

[drivesitfar]

I agree I finally quit using 12 wire a few years ago but 14 isn’t much easier. Have you tried the wagu connectors?

Nice work on the ceiling plywood!!

 

[Prospecter]

My mistake. Ideal, not Klein. It IS from HD though. I have an accumulated collection of wire nuts. Winged, plain, red, yellow, tan, etc. So far, it works on everything. 3 12g & 1 10g / 1 10g, 1 12g, & 4 18g. I put a wire nut in the tool, use both hands to get the wires arranged, then hold the wires in one hand and spin the wire nut on. I use the slower speed on the drill. It spins the nut on nicely, as well as neatly twisting the wires together.

I have some of the WAGU connectors, and also some of the Ideal push in connectors. They work well, tool. I try not to be my father and grandfather, who got to a point where they fell behind on technology, and never caught up. So I try new stuff just because.

I don't particularly like HD, but they had the parts I needed. They do offer free shipping when I know what I want. I sometimes like doing that. Kind of like waiting for a decoder ring ordered off the back of a cereal box in my youth.

 

[zanyad]

https://a.co/d/0itvP1ri

$10 on sale right now

 

[Prospecter]

A late Spring storm. I did not bother to plow and it was gone by the next day.

I am temporarily limited in what I can lift or do overhead. I do a little of that each day, and then look for other activities I can do. So I am working through some lower priority "Do something not overhead" projects.

As part of my ongoing organization, purge, and clean operation, I made some storage bins I've been needing. Probably Elmer's or carpenter's glue would be cheaper, but the hot glue is fast and easy.

I am also preassembling 3 garage door openers. The actual installation will probably be a one per day deal, but the assembly I can do on saw horses counts as a "Do something else" project.

A treasured teak tea pot divot broke. You can see it broke along the grain at a weak spot where the router removed a lot of material. I cut a couple of splints from my teak stash, and glued them in place. I like super glue for something like this. Then I sanded everything flush, and cleaned up the old surfaces.

 

[Prospecter]

This was an old beater stool that I use as a tool table when I am working from my roller seat. Spiffed up with black paint for another project that did not work out, so now I have a spiffy tool table!

My seeds are sorted. I just need to plant them and tape down the tops of the milk bottles. Then each bottle becomes a mini green house.

My hardware stash is also getting sorted and labeled. Tedious, so I do some and then move on to something else for a while. A good project for when I have used up my daily capacity for overhead work.

I also finished up the second chair of this pair.

The rollator came with some assembly required. Small project for someone who needs one.

Assembling a pet step stool from leftover oak veneer plywood.

 

[Prospecter]

One of my vises. Mrs. P pointed out the label on the side. "Bulldog" Couldn't find much on the internet. Probably not high quality, but I like it. It was a CL find.

Lots of snow on Katahdin. The peak was hidden in the clouds. Most of the snow is gone from our fields in The County though.

I've sorted some low value wood out of my wood stash. Lots of OSB, and odd bits. We are still keeping the wood stove going, so this is a good time to sort the wood stash and burn the waste. The first of the month is battery charging day. Good to have other things nearby in the shop so I can keep an eye on the chargers, and switch out the batteries as they finish charging.

My current overhead project is to adjust the garage door tracks x3 doors to allow for the ceiling panels. The engine lift is a handy way to lift the doors when the springs are not hooked up.

 

[Prospecter]

More overhead door adjustment.

We also discovered some carpenter ant damage in the basement walkout wall. I will be doing some demolition, framing, sheathing, and shingling next summer. The damage is in a relatively easy place to repair, and hardly any overhead work, so all good.

 

[drivesitfar]

Knock on wood I don’t have to deal with those big carpenter ants often or at all. I do have a few million moisture or maybe also called sugar ants though living in and around our home.

I hope your overhead working limitations are not permanent. Or are you nursing a recent injury I failed to notice in your great posts?

Looks like you are making great progress everywhere do keep up the great work.

 

[Prospecter]

Thanks Drives.

You probably did not miss anything. I messed up something in my shoulder a year ago. Tried ignoring it for 6 months, hoping it would heal. Nope. So I'm doing PT and restrictions. 3 months. Nope. Today I go see the surgeon.

Meanwhile I do what I can. Yesterday's gone and it isn't ever coming back.

 

[Prospecter]

Mostly finished with the pet step.

 

[drivesitfar]

I’m not sure what your issue is but I hurt my left shoulder years ago and suffered with it almost annually before I had the local Major League Baseball team’s doctor take a look at it. No more expensive and maybe less than regular doctors and he said he could fix me.

I had to ask since he was sort of matter of fact sure of himself just how many shoulder surgeries he’d done. He said about 4-500 and that I’d have 98% recovery in less than 6 months.

I agreed to do surgery which was in the back of his office, it took about 3 hours including recovery and my bride drove me home. Did nothing except strap my left arm to my chest for six weeks while I worked right handed and even hit golf shots one handed.

Then went to team trainer who had me lifting 1-2 pound dumbbells and bands twice a week for 5 weeks while I worked out at home daily. Operation was around thanksgiving and by April 3rd I was competing in golf tournaments and hitting drives close to 400 yards.

Shoulder never hurt since and doctor said he wouldn’t have stitched me up quite so tight after he saw my golf swing which may have cut off some distance.

Anyway get a pro and hopefully your pain and issues will be behind you by Christmas or for next spring. If you have any questions please ask me or your doctor cause you only get one body in this life.

Good luck!!!

 

[Prospecter]

Thanks. Like you, I went with the sports medicine guys, hoping they might be more oriented to fixing the problem, rather than using the "pretty good for your age" approach. MRI and continuing with PT.

 

[Jacko264]

Happy Easter to you mate have a good one and lots of Eggs
Graham

 

[Prospecter]

Thank you, and to you as well.

 

[Prospecter]

Almost finished pet step stool for car. I trimmed the carpet to fit.
Took down the leaner tree over the garden, and then jammed up the saw chain after it jumped off the bar. That took some sorting.

 

[Prospecter]

First ground hog of the season. For us, it is easiest to just trap and relocate. Found out a neighbor is also moving immigrants to that area.

Orchard pruning is ongoing.

Naturalized daffodils are up.

Mrs. P's seed starting bags are in place.

New lockset and deadbolt for the shop.

Catalpa and Norway Spruce to be planted. At some point this will be something we do for future generations. Hopefully still for us, now.

 

[Prospecter]

I generally do the vegetable garden. Time to get the transplants started. These are various lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some melons. The idea is that, by creating little greenhouses in milk bottles, The seeds can start outdoors with more light and less bother. Drain holes in the bottoms, and no caps on top. I cannot count on no more frost until mid-May at the earliest, but these should survive nicely. Except that I backed over a few and needed to redo their milk bottles.

For those who like cats: Mia is making the most of the end of wood stove season.

 

[Prospecter]

A broken chair. The right arm was broken, left bottom rung missing, and the caning was ripped. Fixed the arm with some glue and by replacing a missing screw. Replacement rung is a piece of dowel I had on hand. The cane is the pre-woven kind, so I need to dig out the spline around the edge. This one does not seem to be glued in place, so maybe easier than the dining set of chairs.

Oak card table with splits in the top. It had been tightly screwed to the frame. I will replace the screws with clips that will allow for wood movement and hopefully prevent splitting in the future.

A longish trip to Harbor Freight. I dislike shopping, but I needed supplies and some other stuff on sale. 40 minutes each way and at least 60 in the store. Keeping track of ITC, coupons, etc. is a nuisance, but gotta do it. 20% off the entire bill.

More detail of chair repair.

 

[Prospecter]

I also purchased a pole saw, so I can get to the tall branches from the ground. I don't mind ladders, roofs, or heights, except for wobbly ladders on uneven ground. Pretty sure I need to not climb trees at this point.

Mrs. P has been cleaning up the "Winter Interest" in her gardens. Looks like I better get that orange trailer emptied!

Still tight restrictions on my left shoulder. Just need to be a patient patient and I'll get there.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Looks like you have been keeping busy. I am surprised you have ground hogs in your climate.

 

[Prospecter]

Looks like you have been keeping busy. I am surprised you have ground hogs in your climate.

I try.
Yes, the ground hogs are pretty constant. We'll trap and relocate this fellow, and eventually another will realize the territory is available and move in.
I am enjoying your knife rebuild.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I try.
Yes, the ground hogs are pretty constant. We'll trap and relocate this fellow, and eventually another will realize the territory is available and move in.
I am enjoying your knife rebuild.

I only relocate mine after they've been taught to swim. They usually flunk.

 

[Prospecter]

Our season is not really this far along. These flowers are either over the septic tank, or positioned against a foundation/rock wall. The ground is thawed enough to transplant some still dormant forsythia.

 

[drivesitfar]

Nice work in the shop and around your huge yard or can we agree to call it a small farm.

Just curious cause we’ve been pulling our weeds in some areas for years and a few garden areas I put cedar shavings from planing on top of weed felt that keeps weeds to a minimum in one planting area that works great. I’m wondering if you’ve tried cardboard over weeds and putting new garden mix (soil and compost) on top of cardboard and just plant if this as good as it looks in Instagram’s and YouTube vids?

Hope the shoulder feels a bit better as it gets warmer!!

 

[Prospecter]

Nice work in the shop and around your huge yard or can we agree to call it a small farm.

Just curious cause we’ve been pulling our weeds in some areas for years and a few garden areas I put cedar shavings from planing on top of weed felt that keeps weeds to a minimum in one planting area that works great. I’m wondering if you’ve tried cardboard over weeds and putting new garden mix (soil and compost) on top of cardboard and just plant if this as good as it looks in Instagram’s and YouTube vids?

Hope the shoulder feels a bit better as it gets warmer!!

Both places are former farms. Southern one is 35 acres. Northern one is 40 acres. We've used cardboard and mulch up north. Works pretty well for a traditional formal garden. The southern farm's flower gardens are chaos gardens. As the name implies, less "organized" which does not lend itself to weed control methods, but is densely packed, which does suppress a lot of woods.

I like a row arrangement for the vegetable garden, and use equipment.

Re: shoulder. I finally got the MRI. Two partial tears. Back to the sports medicine guy next month. Meanwhile, PT probably to continue strengthening all around the tears. Thanks for asking.

How are you doing? I've been watching for you.

 

[Jacko264]

It’s so nice to see the flowers coming out and the trees greening up
I’ve just been sat in the summer house looking at the plants coming though
G

 

[Prospecter]

It’s so nice to see the flowers coming out and the trees greening up
I’ve just been sat in the summer house looking at the plants coming though
G

The MRI frees the PT to push me a little harder. Still working around the tears to strengthen everything else.

I can get around the field if I navigate carefully, so I began cleaning up some downed trees. Then the culvert in the field road failed as I was crossing with the first load of debris. I dumped the load, and took off the forks so I could use the bucket to help me back out.


We've also been spending time on the porch just looking and listening. Mia joins us for that.

So plan B was to get the Boathouse picked up and sorted.

Another nice day. Another sun spot.

Spring bulbs and other flowering plants are coming along. Lettuce is up in its little milk jug greenhouse.

 

[Prospecter]

I tried to clear and drain the old culvert. I haven't found the rusted out culvert yet.
Meanwhile, I got seriously stuck. Haven't done this good a job in quite a while.

 

[Prospecter]

Some drainage and good drying weather + frost overnight + Mrs. P driving the Kubota with a tow rope + me on the JD using the differential lock + the bucket to help push a few inches at a time, we backed the tractor out.

The bluebird continues to attach his reflections in the windows, car windows, and sideview mirror. His mate just watches him with a "Whatever!" expression.

Saturday the sprayer supply tube split. (Between hose and faucet.) Can't understand it. Brand new. I just installed that 25 years ago! Oh, well. Off to Lowes on Sunday morning to get a replacement. Lowes had a direct replacement, only updated so the vinyl supply tubes now have a PEX liner inside the vinyl. Should be good until I am 94. I am hoping to replace it once more! I had help this time around.

The replacement looks just like the old one, except I had a good chance to clean up mineral deposits and re-seal the counter.

Ice on the pond this morning.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Man, you did a great job of burying that JD! Glad you got it out.