Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Nick's Two-Car Detached Vdub Garage

[nicholam77]

Obviously, figuring out the layered multicolor print is the ideal solution, but have you considered painting the tops of the letters if you can't? A light touch with a brush, or stamping with a sponge applicator should get you the same effect, though not as much bragging rights. You can also print as negative and fill void with needle and paint/epoxy.

Yes, I have. I've done some Googling but I'm not sure what would be best. I've read things like enamel model paints, nail polish, etc. Would probably require buying a bunch of stuff (paint, brushes, sponges) to do testing. I did see a video of someone filling (a much larger void) with a blunt tip syringe and some model paint.

Multi-color printing on a single extruder setup is advanced level, I outlined my approach in an earlier post. Instead of pausing I did two separate prints and use z-hop to clear the existing material. Registration of the prints in Cura was a bit challenging, but solvable by putting unprintable registration features below the bed depth to align everything with a corner of the print bed. z-hop (on retract) lifts up the extruder whenever it is moving to another location, so it doesn't hit the colored parts you previously printed, but it slows things down on the subsequent layers where it isn't required. A tall print like the socket set tray would take a really long time to print. The workaround being, slice it with and without z-hop and replace the first 3 layers of g-code in the non-hop file (g-code is plain text) with the lines that have z-hop moves. Again, this is fairly advanced stuff, but it is doable if you are determined enough.

Interesting approach. Maybe I'll try that next if I can't get success, although I'm really close with the Octoprint script. This is from this morning:



The little stringies can be cleaned up... it's really just "8" that looks bad. I think I need to manually pull back the filament a couple millimeters before resuming the print so it doesn't ooze on the first number.

I worry about successfully performing this maneuver on a larger model that took hours to print, all to be ruined in the final moments. I wonder if I should split up the labeling index into a smaller piece that gets glued on the socket tray to save myself some headache.

I'm impressed! Pretty awesome how you are able to take a photo and translate it into dimensions to build a 3D model. On something like that ratchet/extension tray. Is that solid inside, or hollow?

Thanks! Yeah, the image tracing was pretty neat! You can "calibrate" the image by measuring two known points and telling F360 the value. It worked pretty well, but the biggest issue is lens distortion (minor) and perspective (this is a bigger problem). I'm sure there's a way to compensate for perspective with software but I don't know it off the top of my head.

The ratchet tray is mostly hollow. Usually 3D prints have solid "walls" and tops and bottoms, and you specify how many layers thick they are. Then the inside void is printed with "infill", which is like a honeycomb support structure. It can actually be many shapes (grid, triangles, hexagons, etc) and you set the density. For this one I used an infill pattern called Gyroid, set at only 5%.

Here's a screen shot of the sliced model halfway through so you can see what it looks like on the inside:



If I printed something this large, solid, it would take up my whole roll of filament @ ~$20, and probably take 3 yrs to print

As sliced, this cost about $1.40 and took 8 hrs.

 

[loganb]

Tool holder looks great! I switched CAD software(again) and looking forward to seeing how it does with image import and having like you did here!

One item to consider is "breaking" all the sharp edges with either fillet or chamfers especially at the finger reliefs. When you need to do it on the surface that is on the print bed chamfers work better due to the geometry, on that top surface though I normally go to fillets with a radius between .030" as .125" depending on the size of the feature. Just makes it much more finger friendle!

 

[nicholam77]

Thanks Logan! I have been adding a ~0.5mm fillet to most things... I just forgot on these. Thanks for the tip on fillet vs. chamfer.

______________________

The printer has been busy sorting out the socket trays. But meanwhile in the door factory...





I officially built and delivered the final two doors on the pantry project!!

It has been about 1 yr since we started this.

My dad has been spending the week in varnishing hell, but he sent me an updated pic with 4 more doors attached:



Once he's done putting finish on everything and it's all assembled I'll get over to their house and take some final completed pics.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Thanks! Yeah, the image tracing was pretty neat! You can "calibrate" the image by measuring two known points and telling F360 the value. It worked pretty well, but the biggest issue is lens distortion (minor) and perspective (this is a bigger problem). I'm sure there's a way to compensate for perspective with software but I don't know it off the top of my head.

The ratchet tray is mostly hollow. Usually 3D prints have solid "walls" and tops and bottoms, and you specify how many layers thick they are. Then the inside void is printed with "infill", which is like a honeycomb support structure. It can actually be many shapes (grid, triangles, hexagons, etc) and you set the density. For this one I used an infill pattern called Gyroid, set at only 5%.

Here's a screen shot of the sliced model halfway through so you can see what it looks like on the inside:



If I printed something this large, solid, it would take up my whole roll of filament @ ~$20, and probably take 3 yrs to print

As sliced, this cost about $1.40 and took 8 hrs.

Ah, that makes sense on the honeycomb type structure. I would totally get carried away printing custom storage for everything haha. I love that stuff! Keep up the great work

 

[nicholam77]

3D Printed Socket Organizers — Part 3

The printer has been busy and finally I've got all the trays:



They took between 8-10 hrs a piece and I had to reprint two to fix some dimensions.

As you can see I had some success with the two-tone labels.



I used the combination of a "Pause At Height" in Cura and a G-code script in Octoprint when it captures the pause command. It seemed like not all the G-code in the script ran correctly, there was supposed to be a retraction and unlocking the extruder motor, which did not work. So I had to carefully swap the filament and purge it by hand. The trickiest part was the pressure built up from purging and the nozzle oozing before resuming.

On the SAE index it did not print the slashes in the fractions, or part of the number 4:



And not quite as clean as the Metric. The slashes etc are present in the .STL, but not in the sliced file. My theory is possibly they are thinner than the 0.4mm nozzle and therefore not included? Or maybe a random bug? I don't really know but I've printed these indices enough times where I'm not to eager to troubleshoot at the moment.

In hindsight I would have left a little more clearance on the sockets to make them easier to remove, but I don't think it's worth 40-50 more hours of printing to redo.

The ratchet and extension tray came out nice.



So here it is in the drawer:





I might make some additional trays for some of the other bits in there.

Motivated by this result and @loganb cleaning up his tool box drawers I went on a cleaning binge this evening and threw out a bunch of stuff, cut some drawer liners, did some reorganization. Some of the other drawers need some work but maybe I'll post pics later if anything worth looking at comes of it.



In one drawer I found seven empty pocket screw boxes. Not sure why I was keeping those around.

 

[loganb]

Those look awesome! After these wrench racks, tackling the socket and ratchet drawer is next! Well after the screwdrivers... and probably some others... but soon!

 

[jbrentd]

Nice work on the tool organization!

 

[nicholam77]

Those look awesome! After these wrench racks, tackling the socket and ratchet drawer is next! Well after the screwdrivers... and probably some others... but soon!

Thanks man! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Nice work on the tool organization!

Thank you!

_______________​

I stopped by my parents' this weekend and my dad showed me that one set of doors on the pantry build was 3/16" too narrow. I'm 99% sure I built them to the dimensions he gave me, so I'm not sure where the error was, but there was a lot of moving parts on this project and all the sets of doors where slightly different widths. Add in imperial measurements and it got complicated. Fortunately it's a single-door cabinet (just a top and bottom door) and only one side butts up against other doors for a reveal. The hinge side has a filler strip, so the overlay can be fudged a bit.

Instead of remake the doors, the plan is to shim out the hinge plates by 3/16", which should do the trick. My dad had the excellent idea (I'm a little ashamed I didn't think of this) to use the 3D printer to make some shims.

Perfect application because I could make them very accurate and inconspicuous.










Haven't had a chance to deliver them for testing but it should work.

Other than that, nothing to show, but I do have some irons in the fire. I might paint our yard shed soon and build some flower planter boxes. I also want to do some cosmetic upgrades to the garage, like re-paint the interior, some different exterior light fixtures, and a new door because the existing one is falling apart. Needs some new trim and paint on the outside, too. Making an upper "Systainer port" cabinet is still on the menu. Then I have another furniture build in the works (night stands) that I'm currently in the process of planning.

Warm weather is here for us, and I have a goal of actually enjoying this summer as it flies by instead of spending every spare second on projects. But hopefully I can get to some or most of this stuff.

 

[Denwood]

Neatest toolbox...ever! I can aspire to that level of organisation, but I'm pretty sure it well never happen in my shop..ha.

Great thinking on the shims too. You had me thinking that the 3d printer would also be great to print the very tiny plastic bits I installed in our blumotion hinges (kitchen) to restrict opening from 110 to 85 degrees.

 

[nicholam77]

Neatest toolbox...ever! I can aspire to that level of organisation, but I'm pretty sure it well never happen in my shop..ha.

Great thinking on the shims too. You had me thinking that the 3d printer would also be great to print the very tiny plastic bits I installed in our blumotion hinges (kitchen) to restrict opening from 110 to 85 degrees.

Thanks Dennis! It's just one drawer... I can assure you I have many others that are a hot mess.

I bet you could have 3D printed your hinge restrictors. Would have been easy if there's an existing model. If you needed to model it... maybe not worth the trouble.

My hinge plate shims were a success, though:

 

[Denwood]

That looks "factory" to me...nice work sir

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Those are turning out absolutely frickin' gorgeous Nick. Really nice work.

Also, nice job on the socket/ratchet organization. That looks really clean in the box like that. You're making me really think I need a bigger toolbox now that actually hold all of my sockets in one drawer. Don't worry - I was already thinking about it.

 

[racer-john]

I recently acquired a new toolbox (it was free, since the COO attached the wrong keys). Am presently making a mobile stand for it.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Sliiiiick use of the printer there! And the toolbox drawer is looking awesome!

 

[nicholam77]

That looks "factory" to me...nice work sir

Thanks Dennis. I'm glad we didn't have to use something unattractive or have to remake those doors. Even though 3D printing was his suggestion, my dad had a "what sort of witchcraft is this?!" look on his face when I gave him the shims.

Those are turning out absolutely frickin' gorgeous Nick. Really nice work.

Thanks Tom! I think it might be my best woodworking project so far. For sure the most involved. I think building for someone else, especially my parents, I felt extra pressure to make it come out as perfect as possible within my abilities. Only bummer now is... it's not in my house!!

But at least I didn't have to pay for all that cherry and plywood...

Also, nice job on the socket/ratchet organization. That looks really clean in the box like that. You're making me really think I need a bigger toolbox now that actually hold all of my sockets in one drawer. Don't worry - I was already thinking about it.

Per my duty as a Garage Journal Enabler — do it!

Sliiiiick use of the printer there! And the toolbox drawer is looking awesome!

Thanks!

 

[nicholam77]

Nightstands — part 1 — "the planning phase"

I'm hesitant to start another build series post but I'm hoping it will give me motivation to keep it moving.

The backstory is recently my wife and I upgraded our bed from an old IKEA frame. Which wasn't a terrible bed by any means, but it was time. We've actually talked about it for years, but couldn't find or agree on a bed we liked. My requirement was solid wood, and modern design. There's actually not that much out there in that realm, and usually more than we wanted to spend. Anyways, we ended up with this (stock photo):



I'm really happy with it, but it's way lower than the old bed, and we need new nightstands.

Like most of my furniture projects, this one has been bouncing around in my head for several years. In fact I thought maybe I'd make the bed, too, but that's just not realistic right now.

My design idea is derivative of George Nelson's Thin Edge Line, example pictured below:



The concept is the mitered case is rabbeted out around the front, so when covered by the inset drawer face it gives the illusion of a very thin and delicate case.

There are other homages out there, I've seen similar newer designs at Design Within Reach and Room + Board, etc.



So that's basically what I'm after, except a single drawer, and floating attached to the wall. Here is my version drawn up in Fusion 360:



And the rabbet:



My wife wanted to buy the matching nightstands with the bed, but since I've been holding onto this design for a long time, I said I wanted to build them. I mean it's just a box, how hard can it be?

I think it's actually going to be a lot harder than first glance.

My plan is not to use solid wood, but instead to use paper-backed veneer glued to a plywood substrate. The reason being, white oak lumber is expensive, I don't have milling capabilities, my shop has humidity swings, and we're getting into summer where that's especially prevalent. I don't trust I'd be able to get perfectly flat hardwood panels and pull off the wrapped grain / waterfall edge case miter.

Which leads to tricky part #2. The waterfall miters, and how to reinforce them. Do I cut it on the table saw? Get a chamfer bit for the router table? Just use glue and tape? Biscuits? Make a jig to route dominos? I feel like they should be reinforced somehow but getting that crisp miter scares me.

Then there's the matter of the rabbet on the front... I'll have to thickness and glue a white oak board to the front edge of the plywood, and then veneer over that.

Then there's the inset drawer face. I think I can pull this off but it doesn't make it easier. I'm undecided if I will veneer and edge band the drawer face or just get a solid board for that.

Since there is a drawer I'll have to deal with the calculations for drawer box and slides. Likely going to use Blum which is always complicated.

And then there's the matter of veneering. I've never done it and I'm hoping it will go smoothly, but like with anything new it gives me some anxiety about doing it right.

And lastly, and probably the thing I'm most worried about, is once they are all built, I need to match the finish to the bed. Or at least close enough. The bed is definitely "oak", but I don't know if it's white oak or what. The website didn't say. It's not red oak, and it's got a medium brownish color, a bit darker than the pic at the top of this post, actually. The bed lumber is plain sawn, so I'm probably going to get that for the veneer, I just hope it will match close enough and I can find a finish that will work.

Of course to my wife it will forever be slapping four boards together into a box. By now she knows that all my projects take 5x as long as I say they will, but this one is feeling daunting before I've even started.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Sounds like a fun and challenging project! I'm stoked to watch it all come together, however long it takes. I think like anything else, it's thinking about that first leap into something new that's actually more difficult than the project itself. Prioritize and execute, and break it into small chunks. Your skills are up to scratch for sure, trust in that.

I am also looking at putting together some furniture, though I probably won't be building our nightstands. I want to do our coffee table and a side table for the living room, and maybe a little coffee station for the kitchen. We'll see how much I decide to take on vs. buying it for the sake of expediency. I am not a patient man.

 

[nicholam77]

Well, I ordered materials today, so there's no turning back. Everything has become so expensive. I think I heard my wallet yell out an audible "Ouch!!". And half the Blum components I'll need are delayed or out of stock. I figure it's going to be awhile until I get to that part, anyways.

I am also looking at putting together some furniture, though I probably won't be building our nightstands. I want to do our coffee table and a side table for the living room, and maybe a little coffee station for the kitchen. We'll see how much I decide to take on vs. buying it for the sake of expediency. I am not a patient man.

Those sound like great projects! It definitely doesn't always make sense to build something yourself. It often isn't much of a cost savings (although it can be depending on the alternative), and when you factor in time spent it's almost always a wash. It's hard to compete with the mass-production line. But... by making something yourself, you get to choose the materials (quality), customize a design to your own needs, and hopefully feel the satisfaction of creating something personal. In the interest of reading about it on GJ, I say go for it!

 

[Grumblebum]

Hi Nick, have you come across Michael Alm ? does some beautiful work I've binged most of his content over the last few weeks. Has a couple nightstand vids.

GB

 

[nicholam77]

Hi Nick, have you come across Michael Alm ? does some beautiful work I've binged most of his content over the last few weeks. Has a couple nightstand vids.

Thanks for the link, @Grumblebum ! I have watched Michael Alm's channel. Don't recall seeing the nightstand videos, though, so I'll check them out.

_______________________

I've had some down time at work (from home) the past couple weeks, and have been busy. Not much in the way of "official" Garage Journal projects, but busy nonetheless.

Spring chores and maintenance items have been catching up with me. My wife and I have spent some time on the gardens, yard (trying to grow new grass), I rebuilt our leaky outdoor faucet, etc.

The 3D printer has been quiet since the socket organizers, but I mean to continue with drawer organization at some point. Unfortunately for my time, I've gotten wrapped up in a new "tinkering" rabbit hole: Home Assistant. I've been a user of smart home devices for 4+ years on the Samsung SmartThings platform. More than just surface level. This will probably mean nothing for those who are unfamiliar with SmartThings, but... custom device handlers, extensive WebCoRE automations, etc. A lot of this got unbuilt once the kids came into the picture, as babies are unpredictable and it's harder to define routines and schedules. SmartThings has been mostly good to me, but I can't stand the mobile app. And my wife flat out refuses to open it. A co-worker recently got into Home Assistant, and urged me to try. I got it installed, and it's kind of reignited my smart home pursuits.

Materials for the night stands are en route. At least the veneer and the plywood. My Blum order got cancelled due to a supply chain issue. I can't find the slides I'm looking for (Tandem 563F 12" Blumotion) anywhere without a 8-13 week delay. Probably a long shot but if anyone knows a secret source... let me know! Or a good alternative to Blum.

Since this filler post could use some pics, here's a final pic of the pantry build (I promise I'll stop posting it after this!):



Switching gears, I spent some time last night interior detailing my car. Being a daily driver through winter + carting two kids around really takes a toll on it. I had coffee spills encrusted around the cupholders, salty grit and mud all over the pedals and floor mats, a horrific amount of dust everywhere. Practically a whole box of goldfish in my childrens' car seats. I've been feeling guilty about it for awhile.

The CT15 makes such a good car vacuum. Quiet and amazing suction. And the little crevice tool that came with it is compact enough that it's perfect for car duties.



Aaaahhh, much better.





I was at Cars + Coffee beginning of April, and saw this Mk8 in the VW section:



I have to say it looked way better in person than I expected, and the Moonstone Grey is a flippin' awesome color.

But I think I'll be holding onto my Mk7 as long as I can.

Hope those in the U.S. have a great Memorial Day weekend!

 

[loganb]

Ohhhh new rabbit hole....me like! HA has intrigued me in the past but haven't taken the plunge....but eventually it will happen...excited to see what you do!

And don't stop posting pantry stuff....its gorgeous! Great work!

 

[bdbecker]

Which leads to tricky part #2. The waterfall miters, and how to reinforce them. Do I cut it on the table saw? Get a chamfer bit for the router table? Just use glue and tape? Biscuits? Make a jig to route dominos? I feel like they should be reinforced somehow but getting that crisp miter scares me.

I don't think you'll need to worry too much about reinforcing the miters. Bourbon Moth posted a video not too long ago where he tested the strength of various joints and the miter with glue did very well.

Ultimate Joint Test — Bourbon Moth Woodworking Co

www.bourbonmoth.com

He also has a video showing how he built wall mounted floating night stands.

Floating Night Stands — Bourbon Moth Woodworking Co

www.bourbonmoth.com

 

[nicholam77]

Ohhhh new rabbit hole....me like! HA has intrigued me in the past but haven't taken the plunge....but eventually it will happen...excited to see what you do!

I probably won't post too much about the details as I expect 99% of people reading here won't care. Not sure if you use a smart home platform already, but Home Assistant is not a very casual one. But it is pretty cool. Instead of mess about with hardware like a Pi, I've installed mine in a virtual box on my Mac Mini. Works great so far. I've been able to set up native integrations for Philips Hue, Sonos, and Logitech Harmony (completely local), and also connected my SmartThings hub via cloud as a Zwave controller. Some things were really easy to set up, some not so much (SmartThings requires a dynamic DNS address with SSL encryption, port forwarding, etc). I've set up some simple automations so far and they work fast and reliably. Eventually I want to get all my automations in one spot. Right now I have some in the SmartThings app, some in the SmartThings WebCoRE extension, and some in Home Assistant. If I can figure out how to do everything I want to do in Home Assistant, I'd prefer that, but it's more complicated than the others.

In any case, I plan to use the Home Assistant mobile app and custom dashboards as a front end for controlling my devices manually. It's got a pretty nice interface, and infinitely customizable.

And don't stop posting pantry stuff....its gorgeous! Great work!

It's officially wrapped up now, but thank you!!

I don't think you'll need to worry too much about reinforcing the miters. Bourbon Moth posted a video not too long ago where he tested the strength of various joints and the miter with glue did very well.

Ultimate Joint Test — Bourbon Moth Woodworking Co

www.bourbonmoth.com

He also has a video showing how he built wall mounted floating night stands.

Floating Night Stands — Bourbon Moth Woodworking Co

www.bourbonmoth.com

I've seen his night stand video — I need to revisit that as it's pretty similar to what I'm doing.

I do see he uses the Domino anyways, though. I'll need something like that for alignment at the very least. Thinking either biscuit joiner or a router jig for dominos (I've started messing with making something).

I know the waterfall edge is a lot longer of a glue joint than a picture frame, but I've had picture frames fail before getting the splines in. Likely it would be fine without tenons like you say, from a strength perspective, but they will be hanging on a French cleat and I'd rather overbuild than under build since I don't want to have to do it twice.

________________


Not much to report other than some materials have been showing up for the night stands. So far I have the plywood, veneer, and some veneering tools like a special flush trim bit, glue, etc. I need to find time to get some white oak boards for the edge banding.

Didn't accomplish anything over Memorial Day weekend as we were up at my in-laws new cabin in Wisconsin. It was lovely.

 

[mikev12345]

Its been a couple of years since I've looked at home assistant but I was impressed with it especially on its ability to find and identify all the devices on my network. At the time I was more interested in webcore for the advance sequences. I never ended up pulling the trigger cause at the end of the day Smarthome tech integrations hasn't gotten any more convenient than it was 15 years ago. It also doesn't matter if your wife refuses to use it.

 

[ricketycricket]

What part of Wisco is that? Making me thirsty for some New Glarus beers

 

[nicholam77]

Its been a couple of years since I've looked at home assistant but I was impressed with it especially on its ability to find and identify all the devices on my network. At the time I was more interested in webcore for the advance sequences. I never ended up pulling the trigger cause at the end of the day Smarthome tech integrations hasn't gotten any more convenient than it was 15 years ago. It also doesn't matter if your wife refuses to use it.

Yeah, it found every device on my network, even ones outside of the normal scope of smart home devices, such as my Synology DiskStation, Brother Printer, etc. In fact I was shocked at how many things it can connect to.

For all the 3D printing nerds on here , it even connected to my Octoprint instance and loaded about 15 "sensors" that can be used as automation triggers. (Print finished... blink lights... etc). I also have a few status icons set up in my dashboard:



I've found WebCoRE to be very good for automation. Probably can do anything you can think of creating with it. And fairly straightforward if you have a concept of scripting logic, if/then statements, etc.

I suspect Home Assistant's automation features are similar, maybe a little lacking compared to WebCoRE. There is a 3rd party scripting add-on called Node Red, but I don't care to learn a whole new complicated thing at the moment. But it's there.

I have to disagree about smart home technology not being more convenient now than 15 yrs ago. I would say huge leaps have been made. Unfortunately it's still a really fragmented space and more of a tinkerer hobby endeavor when you get in the nitty gritty.

It's not that my wife refuses to use it, but she's not as techy as me so it has to be easy. And everything needs a "dumb" backup. I think that's the key with smart home stuff in general, like you touched on with the convenience aspect. I have a lot of smart lighting, but every single light can be controlled as usual with a physical switch, and without an internet connection. No need for Alexa or a phone app. Then automations that do add convenience are placed on top of that.

What part of Wisco is that? Making me thirsty for some New Glarus beers

Technically it's the city of Trego, somewhat near Spooner and Hayward areas. Everyone seems to love New Glarus but I have to say I've never been a a die hard fan. Don't get me wrong, I'll drink a Spotted Cow, but I'm dedicated to the fact that I think Minnesota has better beer. **puts on flame suit**

Cheers!

 

[ricketycricket]

*edit (not sure where the rest of my text went haha)

I live in STL, home of some of the best beer in the world IMO. For whatever reason I think I just like what I can't get here in MO. My beer fridge is full of Michelob Golden (heavy), New Glarus, Yuengling, and American Solera. The beers I have to go out of state or have someone bring me always seem to taste the best hahaha.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Happy Father’s Day, Nick! Hope you enjoy your day!

 

[nicholam77]

Happy Father’s Day, Nick! Hope you enjoy your day!

Thank you, Happy Father’s Day to you, too!!

 

[nicholam77]

Thought I'd drop a quick non-update. I thought I was going to dive head first into the nightstands build, but it hasn't happened. Partially because I've been busy, partially because I'm burnt out on woodworking projects. The pantry was such a big, time consuming endeavor. Repetitive. And while my heart was in it most of the time, I definitely had to put in hours when I didn't want to. At night, in the cold, etc. Even though I have most of the materials collected, I've been having little motivation to get the nightstands going and I think I just need a little break.

In Minnesota with my detached garage, summer is my woodworking season. So it's unfortunate to squander that time, but summer is also the time for everything else. So I've had house repairs, a lot of yard maintenance, and gardening. And just trying to enjoy it with the kids, taking them to the pool, going for walks and to the park. It's been a fun summer so far but left little energy for much else. Even the 3D printer has been idle.

We've also had a few consecutive trips, to the in-laws cabin and recently was in Colorado for a week for a wedding. Colorado was exceptionally beautiful.











So that's it for now. I'll be back with a project sooner or later, it just might take a little while.

 

[slodat]

I hear you on the drive and motivation to work on projects. It ebbs and flows for me. I've finally learned to go with it and try to enjoy it all.

I love modern furniture design. The nightstands are going to be great! (when you get to them)

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Wow, gorgeous scenery! Love it!

I hear ya on the motivation. Comes in waves for me. That’s why I post silly updates in my thread over seemingly small tasks… makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something haha.

Have you thought about heating your garage? I feel like we might have discussed this already. (If so, sorry) You’ve got it insulated, if I remember correctly. It would take the pressure out of feeling the need to use the good weather for projects. I love working on projects in the winter, when it’s too cold and snowy to be outdoors enjoying myself anyways. Could be money well spent, for your productivity as well as mental health (most important!)

I don’t know about you, but I also can’t remember what life before kids is like. Imagine having all that free time again? Definitely took that for granted haha.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I don’t know about you, but I also can’t remember what life before kids is like. Imagine having all that free time again? Definitely took that for granted haha.

As a retiree and empty nester, I can tell you that it's grand.

 

[jbrentd]

As a retiree and empty nester, I can tell you that it's grand.

We are recent empty nesters and are figuring that out at the moment. Retirement or semi-retirement can't get here soon enough for me.

 

[nicholam77]

I hear you on the drive and motivation to work on projects. It ebbs and flows for me. I've finally learned to go with it and try to enjoy it all.

I'm trying to do that. I've had a big agenda with the garage and house the past 5 years but lately I've been feeling like I need to think about it less and just let it happen in it's own time.

I love modern furniture design. The nightstands are going to be great! (when you get to them)

Me too! I am looking forward to making them eventually because it will involve some new techniques for me.

I hear ya on the motivation. Comes in waves for me. That’s why I post silly updates in my thread over seemingly small tasks… makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something haha.

The small updates are good, too

Have you thought about heating your garage? I feel like we might have discussed this already. (If so, sorry) You’ve got it insulated, if I remember correctly. It would take the pressure out of feeling the need to use the good weather for projects. I love working on projects in the winter, when it’s too cold and snowy to be outdoors enjoying myself anyways. Could be money well spent, for your productivity as well as mental health (most important!)

Yes, I have, and I think it's been discussed several times in this thread. It is insulated, but I didn't do it right because I didn't know what I was doing. It's a gable roof and I stapled the paper-backed rolls up against the roof. There are no soffit vents and no ridge vent. The insulation definitely helps, but in the summers I've noticed it getting what look like water spots in places on the paper, which must be condensation. Lately, about 5 sections have fallen down and are hanging from the roof. I haven't bothered to fix it yet.

I would love a heated space, but some reasons I've abandoned that pursuit are:

1. Insulation needs to be fixed, probably should be dropped to ceiling height and ceiling closed off to reduce building envelope
2. Many other sources of air leak need to be addressed, the man door, the overhead door, a single pain window
3. A gas line would not be convenient to run
4. An electric heater would likely need 220v and panel installed
5. Minnesota. It just gets so damn cold here. When it's -15° F out, and I want to pop out for 2 hrs, I have doubts any system would really be that efficient
6. I don't feel the garage is worth it. The floor is so busted, all the exterior trim needs to be replaced. I don't want to invest in anything expensive.

@bdbecker walked me through a kerosene setup. I just haven't gotten around to doing anything about it.

I don't have space in my current house, but someday I'd love at least a smaller basement workshop area I could do some things in. Not break down full sheets of plywood. But smaller cuts, assembly, screwing, gluing, sanding, etc. Maybe one day.

I don’t know about you, but I also can’t remember what life before kids is like. Imagine having all that free time again? Definitely took that for granted haha.

I don't remember at all, haha! I know you're in the same boat. My daughter is 3.5 yrs and son is going to be 1 yr next month. They are a blast, but man really know how to **** the energy out of you.

As a retiree and empty nester, I can tell you that it's grand.

Ha! I love my kids but I'll admit that makes me a little bit jealous.

 

[slodat]

I’ve found that if I can enjoy the process even huge, somewhat awful projects can be fun and very rewarding. I tend to focus on enjoying my time, even if it ***** to some degree.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Ah, sorry to dig up that old chestnut then haha. Makes sense, you have certainly thought the heat decision through!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I hear you on the motivation, sometimes you just slow down with things. Just go with the flow. That way you won't start to hate your hobbies as time goes on and still get the enjoyment out of doing projects. It happens to all of us.

Watching for more updates as usual. I'm going to be building at least one wall-mount nightstand too as it turns out. I refinished a big dresser for our bedroom and if I get a regular nightstand in there, nobody will be able to get into my bathroom. So wall mount it is! It's going to be a glorified shelf. We'll see if my wife likes it enough to want one of her own.

Kids do **** the time and energy, but you're not that far from where I am age-wise. My boys are 4 and 2, and they're getting easier every day. Still rambunctious, but easier. They really love getting involved in my projects. When I was repainting that dresser, my oldest just hung out in the garage and watched me paint. He asked questions and commented on what I was doing. It was fun. But yeah, everything takes longer than you think it should. Kids do that. BUT they're also so much fun and so rewarding, so it's worth it. Just need to plan out "dad time."

Beautiful scenery as I remember in Colorado. Looks like a great time. When my Land Cruiser is done, I want to take another 4x4 trip out there.

 

[nicholam77]

Watching for more updates as usual.

They’ll come eventually

Good luck with your night stand project. Floating is a good option and takes up less visual space too.

Kids do **** the time and energy, but you're not that far from where I am age-wise. My boys are 4 and 2, and they're getting easier every day. Still rambunctious, but easier.

Yeah, I can envision that. It’s already much easier than the baby days. He’ll be 1 yr in a couple weeks, but not walking yet. When he’s 2, my daughter will be almost 5, and I can picture how much easier that will be. Not wishing that time away by any means, but I’m just in the thick of it right now and I know it will change soon. It’s always changing.

A big component is my wife works at a hospital and therefore a lot of early mornings, late nights, or weekends, so I’m with the kids by myself a lot.

I look forward to the day when they can “help” me with projects a little more.

Beautiful scenery as I remember in Colorado. Looks like a great time. When my Land Cruiser is done, I want to take another 4x4 trip out there.

For someone in Minnesota… it’s always nice to see some mountains.

I’m sure you’re used to some beautiful sights in Montana, but yeah, Colorado is great.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

They’ll come eventually

Good luck with your night stand project. Floating is a good option and takes up less visual space too.



Yeah, I can envision that. It’s already much easier than the baby days. He’ll be 1 yr in a couple weeks, but not walking yet. When he’s 2, my daughter will be almost 5, and I can picture how much easier that will be. Not wishing that time away by any means, but I’m just in the thick of it right now and I know it will change soon. It’s always changing.

A big component is my wife works at a hospital and therefore a lot of early mornings, late nights, or weekends, so I’m with the kids by myself a lot.

I look forward to the day when they can “help” me with projects a little more.



For someone in Minnesota… it’s always nice to see some mountains.

I’m sure you’re used to some beautiful sights in Montana, but yeah, Colorado is great.

Thanks! I think my nightstand project will be a lot more simplistic than yours, but that seems to be more a function of my preferred aesthetic than anything else. Yeah, that's it...

Yeah I hear you. I hated the baby phase when I was in the middle of it, but it's astonishing how fast it goes. I read a while back about dealing with the amount of time kids take up. Try to never say no if you've got the capacity mentally. Sometimes we all need a break, but try to always say yes to spending time with them. You'll never regret the time you didn't spend enjoying your hobbies, but you'll always regret the time you didn't spend enjoying your kids.

My wife works retail, and her schedule is pretty much opposite mine a lot of the time, so I'm on the same page there. It's tough sometimes but you make it work. Just don't forget about each other. That's something I've seen far too much.

Ha! As someone with an entire family tree in Minnesota, I can confirm I prefer the scenery here, but I do love it out there from time to time. We don't have the lakes and thick woods you guys do. I prefer Montana to Colorado because you get all of the beauty at half the price with a quarter of the people. But then you have shorter summers and longer, colder winters. Everywhere is a tradeoff.