Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Tom's Neighborhood Workshop

[jbrentd]

That cruisers of war poster is pretty awesome. And the events surrounding the broken axle would rattle most people too.

 

[zmotorsports]

Tom, was the Morrison Trail trip just recent or from a few years ago?

I ask because when the wife and I were in Worland, WY in July we had planned on running Morrison but the week prior to our trip with all of the rain they had been getting there, we had gotten word that a huge rock slide came down the Morrison trail and covered several of the upper switch backs so we didn't attempt it this year.

Also, the body work looks good on the Cruiser, looks very similar to what I've been dealing with on my son's WJ over the past couple of weeks.

 

[Trapps]

Love the pics and the camera content! The great outdoors are a bonus - GNP is on my list. I'm also a Nikon fan and have moved through a few over the years. Current body is a D7000 which I upgraded from a D90 to get the 1080p. My experience is similar to others; once cell phones started getting good, and my kids sort of 'aged out,' I found the bag stayed in the closet more and more. My son's college graduation in May of '21 was the last time I used it. I have a few lenses, but the 70–200mm f/2.8 is my favorite. I've looked at the Z6 and would consider that as a mirrorless upgrade, primarily because I have F Mount lenses. I'm a big fan of Ken Rockwell for both photo inspiration and I think his reviews are great - honest and full of detail.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

That cruisers of war poster is pretty awesome. And the events surrounding the broken axle would rattle most people too.

Without a doubt one of the most difficult days of my life. Having it on the wall serves as a good reminder.

Tom, was the Morrison Trail trip just recent or from a few years ago?

I ask because when the wife and I were in Worland, WY in July we had planned on running Morrison but the week prior to our trip with all of the rain they had been getting there, we had gotten word that a huge rock slide came down the Morrison trail and covered several of the upper switch backs so we didn't attempt it this year.

Also, the body work looks good on the Cruiser, looks very similar to what I've been dealing with on my son's WJ over the past couple of weeks.

The Morrison incident was in August of 2017. They've had a few years recently where there's been some gnarly rock falls, luckily our local 4x4 clubs are good about getting out there and working to clear them. It's one hell of an exciting trail, though I don't see myself driving it again any time soon. My Land Cruiser would definitely have an easier time than my Nissan did (ground clearance, turning radius, wheelbase...) so maybe I'd do it again. But it's not my first choice.

Thanks! I'd much rather be turning wrenches, but you have to play the hand you're dealt I suppose.

Love the pics and the camera content! The great outdoors are a bonus - GNP is on my list. I'm also a Nikon fan and have moved through a few over the years. Current body is a D7000 which I upgraded from a D90 to get the 1080p. My experience is similar to others; once cell phones started getting good, and my kids sort of 'aged out,' I found the bag stayed in the closet more and more. My son's college graduation in May of '21 was the last time I used it. I have a few lenses, but the 70–200mm f/2.8 is my favorite. I've looked at the Z6 and would consider that as a mirrorless upgrade, primarily because I have F Mount lenses. I'm a big fan of Ken Rockwell for both photo inspiration and I think his reviews are great - honest and full of detail.

Thanks for stopping in Trapps!

GNP should absolutely be on your list to visit. If you (or anyone else reading, for that matter) are planning a trip out there, let me know and I'll give you all the details of my favorite places in the park and the surrounding areas.

Nikon make some awesome gear for sure, I've had great experiences with many of their DSLR bodies. The D7000 is a pretty solid body honestly, even today, though the later iterations have really pushed the boundary for image quality on a crop-sensor camera. That being said, going to full-frame was an absolute revelation for me.

I totally get the convenience factor, especially when you're shooting in RAW like I am and edit everything before it's "ready". I still take a lot of photos with my phone for family purposes since I like to be present with my wife and kids, so I get using the phones for snaps. My camera kit is mostly for travel, documenting my truck and shop journey, and occasionally to take to a park or the yard with my kids.

I have mixed feelings on Ken Rockwell but I genuinely appreciate his camera reviews. I'm a RAW shooter vs JPEG like he is, and I concentrate on image quality and editing more than he does. He is much more about the "everyman" camera user, which is definitely a needed voice.

My photography inspiration is mainly from Steve McCurry. I really gravitate to the reportage or photojournalistic style despite being mainly a landscape photographer. My editing style is largely an attempt to emulate his, and it's a constant work in progress.

 

[zmotorsports]

Awesome.

Thanks. The Morrison Trail is definitely on our list of "to do" trails but it wasn't in the cards this past summer.

Thanks for the response.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

POLL:

Are people enjoying my posts about the trips and stuff I get up to around Montana? Just want to check the pulse and see if I need to stick to more garage-y content and less of the travel. I just like sharing the photos and some of the stories. I can keep it more brief if that is preferred.

Thanks all!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Post it all Tom!

 

[XJSuperman]

Agreed, post it all, who gives a **** if people like it or not. You post for you. To document your adventures, sharing cool spots (whether anyone is going or not), and sharing experiences for the poor suckers like me stuck at work watching through the computer.

 

[gearhead1960]

We want see it all, but please hold off on naked pictures of....

 

[Bob Heine]

Tom, add my vote to Marc, @XJSuperman and Mark. The trips are a great reminder of the wonderful sights to see outside the garage.

 

[zanyad]

I'm following for all the things!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Well guys, that's pretty much unanimous. Can't argue with that.

Onward!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

At the end of August, we had planned to make a trip up north again to spend a little more time in NW Montana, as our time with family seemed a bit more frenzied. During this time, my mom and dad were acting as campground hosts in a very special spot. More on that later.

Prior to leaving, I had an issue to address in order to get all of our camping gear packed.

The last time I took our roof box off of the Crosstrek, I noticed a crack near the mounting point, so that needed to be fixed to avoid it getting worse. To repair it, I got it off the car and onto a set of sawhorses.



This gave me a great opportunity to use one of my favorite new additions to the shop, these Braun worklights from Harbor Freight. They're about the size of a hockey puck, are magnetic, put out a good amount of light, and best of all are USB-C rechargeable. I plan to have 4-6 of these at some point, their size and versatility makes them crazy useful.



Anyway, I set up the light and evaluated the crack.



I cleaned the area up, then found all four points where the crack ended and drilled a hole there. These holes will stop the crack from expanding any further, as well as create a spot for my epoxy to get into and grip.



I then used some aggressive sandpaper to dig into the material and create a rough area for added grip.



I taped underneath the crack so the epoxy wouldn't dribble out of the holes I drilled or the crack itself, then mixed up some epoxy. For the epoxy, I used JB ClearWeld 5-minute stuff. It's got a good yield strength and is pretty easy to work with. It's currently holding a piece of trim on my daily driver too, so I know it works.



I spread the epoxy into the actual fracture, then into the holes I drilled, then left a good amount of it on top to reinforce that section.



After five minutes, it's good as new and really strong. Quick and easy repair!

That evening, I was able to load the roof box back onto the car and get it packed for another trip up north, this time to rough it a bit more.

 

[nicholam77]

Are people enjoying my posts about the trips and stuff I get up to around Montana? Just want to check the pulse and see if I need to stick to more garage-y content and less of the travel.

I enjoy the travel content, too. Some of the most popular threads on this forum regularly go outside of "garage" content. In my view this is a uniquely positioned forum in that there aren't strict mods enforcing "stay on topic" rules and controlling what people share. I love it for that as much as I do the garage content, and it allows the "journal" threads to be very personal and interesting. I think we all originally came here because we like tools, and to make things, and the spaces that let us do that. But from what I've seen more often than not, once the main garage updates have been done, the thread dies. It's those who share extracurricular projects or other interesting tidbits from their lives (as well as garage content) that keep me coming back, and there are some threads like this that I have been following for years.

For me personally, Garage Journal is like social media that doesn't ****. I like the garage and tool content, but I also like reading about other people's hobbies and interests from around the world whether it pertains to garages or not.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Our trip up north meant leaving after 5pm when we were off work, driving through a huge storm covering most of the state, and making the trek 452 miles with small children.

Well, it didn't happen quite like that. I had all our stuff loaded up, we dropped our dog off with family, and we set off as the weather came in our direction. Just outside Bozeman we ran into some severe weather, some of the worst I've ever seen while in that area. Continuous lightning, high winds, and Georgia-in-the-summer level rain. It was about an hour of that before it started to lighten up, but we were dealing with rain the entire rest of the drive.

Since the rain slowed us, we opted to stay at my parents' house in Seeley Lake along the way. Rolling in after midnight, we got the kids situated in the empty house and fell asleep almost immediately.

Inexplicably, my kids were up at 6:30 the following morning, apparently unbothered by the lack of sleep. We rounded them up and headed off north again at 7, watching the foggy day burn off into scattered clouds. Highway 83 from Clearwater to Bigfork is easily one of my favorite drives, and it was no different this time.

We arrived shortly after 9am at West Glacier, coffee in hand from two stops along the way. Our destination was just outside town, along a little-known side drive known as Ryan Road. All along the road are a number of BLM dispersed camping sites, which are free to anyone who finds them. Free camping less than 5 minutes from Glacier is impossible, so the road is often full, but my mom and dad were able to snag us a spot there.

Just past the BLM camping area is the real destination.



That straight strip of clear cut southeast of West Glacier is a backcountry airstrip known as 2MT1, or Ryan Field. Ryan Field was built as a home strip for the landowner, Ben Ryan, a WWII fighter pilot and mining engineer who wanted a piece of the mountains to call home for him, and his wife Agnes. Over several years, using little more than basic equipment, the courtesy of locals, and his wife as a helper, Ben built a log cabin to live in, carved this 2,600 ft runway out of his 152 acres of woods, levelled it, and built his own sawmill to create outbuildings, including an airplane hangar.

At the end of 2003, a small group of pilots were sitting around the campfire at a different backcountry airstrip in Montana, when the topic of backcountry strip closures came up. This group saw the distressing trend of federal and state governments closing off these wilderness strips, disallowing recreation for a generation of pilots. They banded together to eventually form a foundation dedicated to maintaining, keeping open, and creating new airstrips all over the country, and eventually the world. This organization, the Recreational Aviation Foundation, eventually crossed paths with the Ryans.

Ben, upon learning about this group, got in touch with them and learned what they did and what they were about. After several years of associations, Ben and Agnes donated the airstrip and surrounding land to the RAF, with the condition of allowing them to live out their days there. The RAF accepted and took over the responsibility of maintaining the area.

in 2017, Ben passed away, followed by his wife in March of this year. While the house is no longer present at Ryan Field, their legacy remains with the addition of camping facilities, a barn for events, showers, a kitchen/shelter, and many other amenities. This allows pilots to fly in and experience the NW Montana wilderness, just a stone's throw from Glacier National Park, in a way very few other people get to.

If you want to know more, see more photos, and read Ben's fascinating story in his own words, check out the RAF's website here: https://theraf.org/ryan-field/

My dad, being the state liaison for the RAF and a long-time private pilot, volunteered to spend a couple of weeks as the camp host out there. Gotta admit, their setup is pretty great.



Even better with the views of the mountains surrounding the airfield.



Comically, this would not just be a leisure visit. It was requested I assist with a small job they had for me.

"Small."

To be continued...

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I enjoy the travel content, too. Some of the most popular threads on this forum regularly go outside of "garage" content. In my view this is a uniquely positioned forum in that there aren't strict mods enforcing "stay on topic" rules and controlling what people share. I love it for that as much as I do the garage content, and it allows the "journal" threads to be very personal and interesting. I think we all originally came here because we like tools, and to make things, and the spaces that let us do that. But from what I've seen more often than not, once the main garage updates have been done, the thread dies. It's those who share extracurricular projects or other interesting tidbits from their lives (as well as garage content) that keep me coming back, and there are some threads like this that I have been following for years.

For me personally, Garage Journal is like social media that doesn't ****. I like the garage and tool content, but I also like reading about other people's hobbies and interests from around the world whether it pertains to garages or not.

Cheers, Nick. I feel exactly the same way about it.

Be prepared then!

Thanks for the encouragement too, I enjoy writing about this stuff and sharing with people. It's a great outlet on which to do that.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

There's a little-known part of the private aviation world that I think is really cool, and that's the generosity. Whether it's connecting people with other pilots to improve skills or offer advice, ferrying flights with people who have just met, or long-lived institutions based on honor. One of my favorite examples of the latter is the airport courtesy car.

One of the funny things about flying somewhere in a private plane is that once you arrive, you're a bit stuck. You don't have a car or boke or anything, so unless your destination is within walking distance, you're kind of out of luck. To fix this problem, most airports now have a private pilot courtesy car, which in essence is an older car that has been donated or sold to an airport in order to give pilots additional transportation once they arrive. Need to drive into town for some food? Take the courtesy car. Want to make a drive through Glacier after you flew into Ryan Field? Take the courtesy car. Most times the keys are locked away in a keybox that can be opened using a specific code, which is referenced on the notice board or elsewhere.

Ryan Field has a 2003 Mitsubishi Montero Sport as a courtesy car, and it currently has a starting problem. Turns out, the starter went bad and needed to be replaced. That was my objective for the trip, according to my dad who uses me for free labor in these matters.



He told me about this project beforehand, so I packed a tool roll with everything I thought I'd need. I did some additional diagnostics on the car to find out the starter was indeed bad, then spent the remaining time before lunch pulling the old starter out. What a tight squeeze those engineers came up with. Sheesh.

Didn't help that the whole thing was covered in a nice, thick layer of old oil residue.

After finishing that, dad called the auto parts stores in Columbia Falls to try and obtain a replacement. Turned out it everyone needed to wait a day to have one delivered, so he ordered one from NAPA and we sat down for lunch. Afterwards, he showed me around. This airfield has it all, but this new barn is a real gem.





Designed and built by the Amish residing outside of Roberts, MT, this building is the hub of activity at Ryan Field. It has a rudimentary kitchen, a fridge, and running water. It houses the maintenance equipment as well, and is an awesome place to gather for community events or just to enjoy the area with a group in. The metal plates you see aren't actually necessary, the building is strong enough without any modern fasteners. Just an amazing piece of old-school engineering and building.



Prominently on the floor are two very important nods to Ben Ryan.

This is what is called a "missing man formation."



It's kind of tough to see since there's a table atop part of it, but there are three planes in this formation, with a space notably between the lead element and the tailing element, implying a missing aircraft. This is a reference to Ben having the dubious honor of being the first ever man to bail out of a P-38 Lightning and survive. The prevailing wisdom at the time was that if you bailed out, you'd be cut in half by the horizontal tail surface and obviously killed, so everyone thought it wasn't possible.

In his own words:

"The most memorable day of my Army flying career occurred on Columbus Day, 1945. On that day I was assigned ground duty – Officer of the Guard. About noon the Operations Officer called to have me report to the flight line. Another officer would take over the ground-duty. The flight mission was to intercept a VIP plane and ****** it to the Canal. When we flew back to the field about mid-afternoon at the end of the mission, another squadron was in the process of landing. The CO put our squadron in trail formation (follow the leader). The number two plane had a runaway prop. When this happens, the prop goes into flat pitch and forward speed rapidly falls off. I barely slid under the plane, but one of the other P-38s took my right vertical off with his left wing as he evaded the plane with the runaway prop. My plane was left with no rudder or elevator control. The next fifteen seconds seemed to be in slow motion. I was surprised at the physical effort it took to exit the diving plane. As I slid head first off the wing, I watched the horizontal stabilizer and wondered if I would go over or under it. I went under it, popped the chute and looked down to watch my plane descend. There was a circle of foam on the ocean below me where the plane had already splashed in.

After landing in the water, my life raft would not inflate. Here I had been sitting on this thing in the plane for something like four hundred hours, with the CO2 cartridge digging into my thigh. Just when I needed it, it would not work. As it turned out, I was not far from shore, and a native came out in his boat and pulled me out of the water. The Army had a standard offer to the natives of a fifty-dollar reward for any flyer they happened to save. Shortly afterward, an Army boat appeared, and I transferred to that craft for the ride back to the base. About 6:00 pm when I reached the dock, an Army doctor was waiting to check me out. He gave me some special medicine known as a Scotch. I found out later that all the ground crew at the base watched my plane go in the drink and each crew chief hoped it was his plane, as he would then be rotated back to the States.

Since I was not injured, early the next morning they had me back in a P-38 for a formation flight."

People were made of sterner stuff then.

The missing man formation on the floor commemorates this part of Ben's life.

The other plane on the floor is a reference to his loss. When an old pilot dies, the community says he's "flown west." This is an outline of a P-38 flying straight west.



Pretty cool homage to the man if you ask me.

One of the barn's best amenities is this pair of bathrooms for pilot campers, complete with toilets and showers so you can stay clean while roughing it.



Yes, that is a sectional chart as the shower curtain too.

They've also got some great sitting areas for just watching the world go by. Weirdly, I didn't capture a full picture of the front of the barn. Darn, guess I'll have to go back to do that.



Proof you're still in the wild - this is the top of a runway marker. Those puncture marks are from a bear gnawing on it.



Before our tour was over, another pilot landed to stay a few nights. Turned out, she's the press liaison for the RAF, the person all the magazines and papers reach out to for a quote. I have it on good authority that she pretty much just makes them all up and attributes them to members of the RAF based on location. My dad, for example, has been quoted as saying a lot of things he didn't actually say. She runs them by everyone first, of course, but it's still a funny tidbit nonetheless.

We helped her tie down her Cessna and get her gear in one of the guest cabins.



She joined us for our spaghetti dinner, and we sat around the pilot's shelter and chatted away the last of the sunshine, happy to be back in this magical place.

To be continued...

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Wow, Tom! What a place!

Cool history with the former owners also.

The airport in Alliance, NE had an old white station wagon for the "courtesy car" way back when. It was customary to put some money in the ashtray for fuel.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Wow, Tom! What a place!

Cool history with the former owners also.

The airport in Alliance, NE had an old white station wagon for the "courtesy car" way back when. It was customary to put some money in the ashtray for fuel.

There's even more to it that makes it such a cool place. You guys are going to be blown away. It would be a cool place anywhere, but place it in the mountains outside Glacier and it's just incredible.

Ben and Agnes (Butchie to her friends) were incredible people. Their life story is full of such amazing moments. The RAF is in the process of creating plaques to mark special areas of the field with info about them.

Ha, yeah that sounds about right. There's an 80s Buick as a courtesy car in Columbus, MT. Thing is like a time capsule. The courtesy car at Seeley Lake is an old short school bus emblazoned with ads for the local steakhouse. Lots of jokes there as you can imagine.

 

[zmotorsports]

POLL:

Are people enjoying my posts about the trips and stuff I get up to around Montana? Just want to check the pulse and see if I need to stick to more garage-y content and less of the travel. I just like sharing the photos and some of the stories. I can keep it more brief if that is preferred.

Thanks all!

I say post everything that you are willing to share.

When I started my original projects thread from my old shop I pretty much stuck with shop related projects and work but then when I built my new shop and started my Projects 2.0 thread I thought I would show the trips and maybe it would explain why I did what I did in my shop.

Personally, I think the trips and side commentary help us all get to know one another better as it delves deeper into what makes a person "tick" and I have found that many times those small details about a person is something someone else can relate to.

For that I say post away.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I say post everything that you are willing to share.

When I started my original projects thread from my old shop I pretty much stuck with shop related projects and work but then when I built my new shop and started my Projects 2.0 thread I thought I would show the trips and maybe it would explain why I did what I did in my shop.

Personally, I think the trips and side commentary help us all get to know one another better as it delves deeper into what makes a person "tick" and I have found that many times those small details about a person is something someone else can relate to.

For that I say post away.

I feel exactly the same way actually. It's one thing to share our shop pursuits, but there's often more to the story that gets missed if we don't share beyond the four edges of our property. I think it really helps build the community and share more from our lives. It makes us better as a group and have a better understanding and "feel" for each other.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

The following day, we got word that since we were working on the courtesy car, we had special permission from the RAF chairman to camp on the airfield, so we moved our tent and gear over near mom and dad's RV. Dad and I then ran into town to get the starter for the car. We grabbed Dirk and drove into Columbia Falls, picked up the starter, and went back to the airfield. I spent about half an hour wrestling the starter into place, again cursing the engineers at Mitsubishi.

When I finally did get the starter in place and all the connections secured, I turned the key and the car fired right up. Excellent! Except... A sound like a coffee can full of nuts and bolts was being spun around in the front of the engine bay. Suspiciously close to where the starter is. Holding an ear nearby confirmed that the starter was not disengaging from the flywheel after starting the truck. Damn.

I removed the starter, checked everything was correct, and reinstalled it. Same problem. ****, must have a dud starter.

We called up NAPA and found out that it was not a dud, but rather the wrong part number that happened to fit in the same spot. NAPA Know How I suppose.

After that debacle and some lunch, Beret and I went on a drive with the kids, investigating the shore of Hungry Horse Reservoir and stopping to let the kids throw rocks in the lake. We saw the giant dam there and took in more beautiful scenery, letting the kids nap for a while and picking up entrance passes to Glacier for our trip the following morning.

On our return, we found the RAF chairman and his wife had arrived with a U-Haul trailer full of bear boxes. For those that don't know, these big boxes are designed to keep bears from accessing your food and kitchen stuff. They're generally quite large and extremely heavy, and far more tough than the aluminum or fabric skin you find on most private aircraft. John had these made specifically for Ryan Field. My dad was helping unload them with the airport's tractor.





I suspect he just likes playing with the tractor.

Anyway, we raised them up off the trailer and attached the legs before moving them into position and attaching the doors. There were a number of them, to be placed at the pilot's shelter, the notice board, and at each cabin site. The cabins are another really cool feature of Ryan Field.

This set of guest cabins is currently under construction, obviously. These have an enlarged porch to allow people to watch the mountains and airplanes.



This set of cabins near the barn is already finished and in use.



They're not much more than what you see. Since taking care of actual beds and sheets and everything is costly and complex, they opted to set them up for people who fly-in with camping equipment, minus a tent. There's a set of bunk bed platforms and a queen-size platform for air mattresses, a concrete floor, heavily insulated walls, and nothing else.



These cabins are available to reserve on a nightly basis.

Another bear box was installed along the north wall of the pilot's shelter, another cool building at Ryan Field.



This spot is loaded with firewood for the nearby firepit, has a donation box with kitchen supplies and toiletries, and a little box of books for sharing with other travelers. It's also got running water, a gas stove, plenty of workspace, and a number of tables and chairs inside and out for eating and socializing. The sink is also stocked and ready for use cleaning dishes. Seems they've thought of everything here.





As ever, the RAF has made sure Ben and Butchie's memory lives on here too.



Another little project of John's was getting the new RAF donation box set up on the notice board.





Interesting thing about Ryan Field, none of this is a paid experience. It's asked that you make a donation of whatever you think the experience is worth to you, though $10 per night is encouraged. But that's all.



This beautifully made donation box lives next to the guestbook.



After helping John get everything situated, we all sat down for beer and dinner at the pilot's shelter. The kids chased a kickball together and the dogs (my folks' and John's) chased each other. Meanwhile, we watched the sun go down and light up the mountains in the not-so-distance.





After dinner, we decided to go up to the barn's firepit (there are two on the property) and have a fire. I built a log cabin and got it going quickly as the sun went down and the mosquitos went up. The kids, as always, really enjoyed throwing things in the fire. Funny enough, this pit is actually the remnants of a rock crusher, one of the disposable cone-shaped tips that makes up the "teeth" of the machine. It's huge and like 400lbs. Makes a killer firepit.



We went to bed early that night to get enough sleep for the following morning. We had planned on heading into Glacier, and the unfortunate part of that was I had no entry ticket. In order to get into the park without an entry ticket for the road, one must get up rather early.

To be continued...

 

[XJSuperman]

Really enjoying these posts Tom. That airfield is amazing. Flying is something I haven't yet pursued fully, but its on my list. Airfields like this are a big motivation to do so later.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

In order to get in to Glacier without an entry ticket and drive over the road, you have to be at the start of the road before they open. The road opens at 6AM, so you have to be in line before then. In order to get there that early, we had to get up, with the kids, at around 5:15. Turns out, that wasn't that hard and our kids are total troopers. Also turns out, they fell back asleep like right away.

We gathered my mom, who would go with us on this excursion, and headed into the park. No stops, no ticket checks, just a small line of people waiting to get in. When the gates opened, we made our way around Lake McDonald and towards the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. The sun started to hit the mountains above us, but the trees and traffic weren't allowing me a good vantage point for a photo. I did see a grizzly bear ambling along McDonald Creek for a moment, but he crossed and disappeared from view.

The real magic of this place, this early in the morning, quickly and dramatically revealed itself as we climbed up the road.







We drove over the pass, watching the sun light up the mountains and seeing very few other people out with us. It was a serene, awe-inspiring moment when we crested the pass and descended along St. Mary Lake, one of the park's most-photographed places and instantly recognizable to many. I stopped in a new, underappreciated spot to capture this view.





We left the park behind briefly as we rolled into the town of St. Mary for fuel. Not gas, mind you, but coffee. There's a nice coffee shop at the hotel there, and we managed to roll in literally moments before it opened. We were all needing a bit of extra caffeine for the early morning and child-wrangling.

After filling up and picking up some huckleberry donuts (yum), we drove north towards Babb and one of my favorite places on the planet. This spot blows me away every time I go, and even after all the pretty places I've seen still ranks near the top of my list: Many Glacier. The Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park is centered upon Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine, surreal mountain lakes at the base of plunging, glacier-carved edifices of towering rock. At the center of it sits Grinnell Point, named for the naturalist George Bird Grinnell, who endorsed Glacier becoming a national park and helped spur the ideals of conservation and naturalism. Flanking Grinnell point in the distance are the Garden Wall, which sits above Grinnell Glacier and separates the Many Glacier area from Going-to-the-Sun road from Lake McDonald to Logan Pass, and Swiftcurrent Pass on the opposite side, which separates the valley from Granite Park above the first switchback on the road.

At the foot of it all is the Many Glacier Hotel, built in 1915 by the Great Northern Railway. The hotel itself is actually a beautiful building, designed to mimic the lodges of the Swiss Alps. It's still operating today and offers some incredible scenery and a rustic experience. But that's not why I go here. This is why I go here.







While my mom, Beret, and I were picking our jaws up off the shoreline, the kids proceeded to engage in a previously mentioned favorite activity: throwing rocks in the lake.



We took our time here, checking out their gift shop and walking around part of the lake. As you can see, it was a cold and somewhat rainy day, but it was worth braving the weather to see the this place.

After a short walk, we returned to the car and collected everyone to get on the road again, this time passing along the outer rim of the park towards East Glacier. Not as much scenery here, but it ain't ugly either.



We talked and watched the world go by as we drove, bypassing Browning, crawling over the mountains and much road construction, and stopping for lunch in East Glacier Village. East Glacier does not have the grandeur or class of the other areas surrounding the park, but it does have a few nice places to stay and decent spots to eat. Our food was slow but excellent.

We rejoined the western side of the park before 4pm and I decided to take a quick stop at the Glacier Distilling Company in Coram to get a bottle of locally-made bourbon before heading back to camp. As it had been a few days, I decided to indulge in what I can honestly say is one of Ryan Field's coolest features.

In the woods behind the pilot's shelter is a garden hose stretching from a water outlet to what appears to be a shed.





This shed is not a shed.



This shed is an enclosure for the outdoor shower, thought up by the great minds at the RAF. It's essentially an 8-foot privacy fence wrapping around a shower stall. Walking in, you'll find a bench to take off your clothes and a bunch of hooks to hang them on.



Round the corner and you'll see this awesome setup.



The cold water comes into the shower and passes through this tankless water heater, which is powered by a standard BBQ-size propane tank. Let me tell you, taking a shower under hot water in 60-degree weather and drizzle, surrounded by nothing but forest views is easily the best shower experience of my life. It's an awesome addition to an already incredible place. I'll admit I stayed there long enough to run out the propane tank. It was great.

After my ablutions, we had dinner again with the crew and headed up to the barn to sit and talk the night away.







On our final night at Ryan Field, we watched the a storm roll through, dumping more lightning and rain on the West Glacier area. John, dad, and I talked about flying, the mountains, and various other things. I considered moving to one of the cabins for the night, but arrived back at the tent to find Beret and the kids snugged away nicely, happy to be under canvas in the rain.

The following morning, we woke up to the landscape shrouded in fog.



We dragged our feet getting packed up and saying goodbye, as leaving my mom and dad, as well as this incredible place, is always very hard. Eventually, we got back on the road and headed south towards Seeley Lake again. We took a short detour to Bigfork for a lunch of tacos and beer, then climbed back into the car headed for home.

An amazing bookend to a great summer.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Really enjoying these posts Tom. That airfield is amazing. Flying is something I haven't yet pursued fully, but its on my list. Airfields like this are a big motivation to do so later.

It opens a whole new world man, it really does. The downside is it's ****** expensive in every aspect.

But worth it to pursue. I've been involved with aviation since I was a little kid, and would never trade the experience for anything. I've not got my license yet, but working on making that happen real soon.

 

[Trapps]

Some seriously majestic photos!

Great write up too.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Some seriously majestic photos!

Great write up too.

Thanks Trapps!

Back to shop content shortly all, big-ish project currently going on.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I think one of the biggest things that changes both the feeling and the utility of a workspace, be it a shop, garage, basement, etc., is organization. I've seen all manner of ingenious storage solutions on this site and others, including some seriously impressive use of smaller spaces. @Trapps comes to mind specifically.

After doing a lot of research and starting to really think about the look and feel I was going for in this space, I came up with a plan.

My goal was something more "finished" looking, while still retaining the utilitarian feeling of an old machine shop or mechanic's shop. I'm thinking my grandfather's generation, born out of the 40's, 50's and 60's, with a bit more of an updated feel. Or perhaps invoking something more akin to an old warehouse, with exposed electrical and the like. Much as I appreciate the function, I don't want a modern cabinet system with treadplate or powdercoated metal. I want something that's got more of a vintage or old-school feel to it. Something professional but not necessarily mass-produced.

Some of the best examples of what I'm talking about can be seen in @Pbindesign, @Jack Olsen, and @DuluthMachineWorks's garage threads. Much of what I have done or planned is stolen from them.

With the pallet wall and the workbench done, the next phase of the transformation is to work on the brunt of the storage. I've seen a lot of clean shelving solutions, but for the look and utility I'm going for, the only way to go is cabinets. They're more expensive and complicated, but they keep everything cleaner and free of debris, and they make the workspace look cleaner by not having boxes or other stuff sitting out everywhere. A set of cabinets will also allow me to more efficiently use the space, combining storage and workspace.

My plan is for a long set of overhead cabinets, enough to leave a good bit of room for the heater. Being an 8-foot ceiling, I opted for 2-foot tall upper cabinets, which leaves six feet below them for more storage, a toolbox, or a workbench. Plus, it makes the math and building things much easier. Below the left side of the cabinets will be a 4 to 5 foot wide upright cabinet going from the floor to the base of the upper cabinets. To the right of that will be my second workbench, and to the right of that, my tool chest in the position it's in now.

I started the project by making a drawing of what I was looking to achieve, then heading out to Home Depot to pick up some lumber.. I landed on using 2x4 studs, because they are strong, available, and inexpensive. I'm not going to put face frames on these cabinets, so I spent some time looking for the nicest ones with the sharpest angles. That took awhile, but it made building them easier.

Funny how I always seem to be using my daily driver Subaru for truck things.



I also cleaned up all of the junk in the workshop and moved the Land Cruiser into the garage temporarily in order to have extra space. Then I set about building the cabinet frames.



Once again my DIY "table saw" came out.



I started with the small end cabinet, which will be against the pallet wall. I cut out all the pieces and assembled the upper and lower frames before connecting them with uprights.



To connect the upper and lower frames, I busted out my Kreg jig again.



Boom, one full cabinet frame.



Now for the big ones. This was the easy part, since I had opted for 208" of cabinets, divided into 16-inch sections to coincide with the studs in the wall. The small cabinet is 16 inches wide, meaning I now had to build 192" of cabinets, or two sections that are 8 feet long. Conveniently, 2x4s are sold in 8-foot lengths.



Same build as before: Everything is oriented vertically on the bottom frame for structure and support, while the upper frames have horizontal supports in the center, allowing me to affix them solidly to the ceiling as well as the wall.







Boom, second cabinet frame is complete.



CTRL-C, CTRL-V.



Since these cabinets are going against the wall and the ceiling, I only need to worry about the doors on the front, the bottom panels, and one end panel near the heater. To that end, I dug around until I found a piece of scrap material that fit the bill perfectly. I had a leftover chunk of project panel from building... something. I can't remember. Anyway, I cut that to size with the tracksaw, drilled more pocket holes, and screwed it in place at the end.







The next part of the project was getting them on the wall. The starting point for this was easy, just supporting the small cabinet against the ceiling and driving in some structural screws to affix it to the wall, making sure it was level, then added additional screws until it was solid. From there, I hoisted the first long section into place and rested it on my shelf. I used some shims and vise-grip clamps to get it aligned before securing it to the small cabinet, then screwing it to the wall and ceiling. Once that was done, I hauled the other cabinet in place and clamped it.





Using shims, screws, and plenty of swearing, I got the boxes connected and attached to the wall and the ceiling. With the majority of the "construction" phase done, I started working on finishing. The primary issue to address is the gaps between 2x4s. As most of you know, 2x4s designed to be studs are not milled to 90 degree angles, so there were a lot of gaps to fill. I used some regular wood filler in a lot of low-stress spots, like filling screw holes or smaller joints.





For the joint between two cabinet frames and anywhere else that would be subjected to higher stress, I used a two-part epoxy filler, which I have not used before. It's much faster than standard wood filler, more flexible, and a lot stronger, but it stinks to high heaven. Does an excellent job though.



I did have to address a section of wood that splintered off here. My own stupidity thought it was a good idea to pull on a sliver that was sticking up in order to smooth everything down, but a huge chunk came off. That was an easy fix with glue and clamps.



Once that was completed, I moved my shelving and toolbox to the opposite side of the workshop and started sanding. In the process, I found another piece that was trying to splinter, but caught it and secured it with glue instead of trying to rip it off and creating a world of hurt for myself. Again.

Always learning!



I did end up having to do another round of filler to smooth over some rough areas and improve the initial application as it wasn't perfect. It was a lot of sanding, much of which I did by hand to keep the dust localized. I tried to smooth over everything that would be visible, including the front and the undersides, and tried to mask the transition between pieces as well as I could. Again, not perfect, but I'm building shop cabinets out of 2x4s, so there's bound to be some of that.

A hang test did verify that each carcass could hold my weight hanging from it. Cool.

With the sanding pretty much done and the last repair drying, I masked underneath the cabinets to prepare for painting.



I've done two coats thus far, but man, does it look good! The wood smoothed over really well and I was able to make the transitions largely disappear. The latex paint in a satin, dark color helps a lot, but it feels smooth to the touch.

I did end up doing some additional masking, and used a thin sheet of semi-rigid plastic to keep from painting the ceiling. Very pleased with the results so far and I'm really starting to see the vision come together.



Here you can see how nicely the transition has worked. This is where two carcasses or frames are connected, and unless you really look hard, it's almost impossible to tell.



Very pleased with the progress so far. I was frustrated by how long it took to sand it, but I'm glad I put in the time to make it smooth. The end effect is well worth the effort. Also, I was genuinely shocked when I took out the square and tape last night to see how well I put these things together. Turns out they're nearly perfect, with only one opening out of square by 1/8". I'm frankly stunned by that.

Next thing that needs to happen is to create the "floor" of the cabinets out of plywood before moving on to making the doors, then building the upright cabinet. Then I can build the workbench. Then I can do the trim around the windows. Then I can do baseboards. Then I can do crown trim. Then... then... then....then... then... then... then... then... then...

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Looks good Tom! Someday when the price of plywood goes back to a reasonable amount, I'm going to put doors on my shelving...I bought all the hinges a few years ago, never got around to it, then lumber went through the roof.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Looks good Tom! Someday when the price of plywood goes back to a reasonable amount, I'm going to put doors on my shelving...I bought all the hinges a few years ago, never got around to it, then lumber went through the roof.

Thanks Marc!

I plan to use MDF since it's half the price of plywood. Since I'm painting it I'm sure it'll hold up well.

 

[Trapps]

The finished appearance and functional aspects are looking great, Tom!

I'm a big fan of the form follows function formula.

Thanks for the callout. My only regret is not discovering Garage Journal years before I did. So many of my ideas have been a direct result of something someone else had done here. This place is full of inspiration and ideas to learn from, copy, and modify.

 

[nicholam77]

Looks great, Tom! Nice job!

It matches your aesthetic and definitely reminds me of some of the great inspiration threads you mentioned.

Looks like you done an excellent job especially considering the 2x4's and just a track saw. Not so easy with a track saw, but ripping the rounded-over ends off the 2x4's would give you square-"ish" stock and then you wouldn't have to fill all the joints. If you continue down the woodworking path... a small jobsite table saw would be a great add, open up a lot of possibilities, and not take up too much room in the shop.

I've never worked with epoxy, but I've drywalled enough things that I've learned less is more with each coat. Not necessarily faster to the end goal, but if you do more lighter passes you'll spend less time sanding, which is the part most people seem to hate. You end result turned out great, though.

Since you've been using the track saw on a good amount of projects, you might want to consider a rail square for doing 90° cuts. There are expensive ones out there but even something like this, or Peter Millard has a guide for making your own, could be useful.

MDF will be just fine for the doors, just keep in mind it's on the the heavy side as far as sheet goods go. It's also prone to chipping on the corners easily — you should thoroughly break the edges with some sandpaper by hand.

Can't wait to see more!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

The finished appearance and functional aspects are looking great, Tom!

I'm a big fan of the form follows function formula.

Thanks for the callout. My only regret is not discovering Garage Journal years before I did. So many of my ideas have been a direct result of something someone else had done here. This place is full of inspiration and ideas to learn from, copy, and modify.

Thanks Trapps!

I completely agree, I'm largely a form follows function guy as well, with a twist. I want it as refined and "finished" as possible while being ultimately functional. Do not compromise utility, just make it look as good as possible under those parameters. My vehicle builds are largely the same way.

I'm 100% with you, I wish I'd found GJ sooner. That being said, I'm only now able to afford being on GJ all the time

Looks great, Tom! Nice job!

It matches your aesthetic and definitely reminds me of some of the great inspiration threads you mentioned.

Looks like you done an excellent job especially considering the 2x4's and just a track saw. Not so easy with a track saw, but ripping the rounded-over ends off the 2x4's would give you square-"ish" stock and then you wouldn't have to fill all the joints. If you continue down the woodworking path... a small jobsite table saw would be a great add, open up a lot of possibilities, and not take up too much room in the shop.

I've never worked with epoxy, but I've drywalled enough things that I've learned less is more with each coat. Not necessarily faster to the end goal, but if you do more lighter passes you'll spend less time sanding, which is the part most people seem to hate. You end result turned out great, though.

Since you've been using the track saw on a good amount of projects, you might want to consider a rail square for doing 90° cuts. There are expensive ones out there but even something like this, or Peter Millard has a guide for making your own, could be useful.

MDF will be just fine for the doors, just keep in mind it's on the the heavy side as far as sheet goods go. It's also prone to chipping on the corners easily — you should thoroughly break the edges with some sandpaper by hand.

Can't wait to see more!

Nick, thanks!

I really appreciate the feedback and encouragement from you especially.

I did actually think about squaring off the 2x4s, but decided not to for the sake of speed and the fact that these frames will be mostly covered by the cabinet doors. You're mostly going to see the top and bottom 1.5", and some space between, so the actual frames don't need to be perfect. I have actually ripped lumber with a tracksaw and It's a massive pain. The only two times I've ever bound up my saw were when I was ripping 1x6s for my pallet wall. Not fun, so I opted not to. I do have access to a big honkin' table saw, but it's at my BIL's house and a 20-minute drive away.

You're right, a jobsite table saw would probably be a great buy for me, given how much woodworking I find myself doing these days. I'm also planning on building my kids a treehouse in the spring, so I can really see where that and a miter saw would be unbelievably useful. The smaller form factor would definitely work for my shop and fit in, what? A cabinet!

I see those table saws in pawn shops all the time, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for one. Damn you Nick!

Yep, definitely used the less is more approach that I learned while doing body work on the Land Cruiser. I did a thinner skim coat, sanded and saw where more was needed, then added more, then sanded, etc. It wasn't actually that much time in sanding, so I didn't have to work too hard. Most of it was mixing the epoxy, then scrambling to finish it before it flashed off, then waiting 15 minutes for it to dry. It turned out pretty well and sands smoother than the wood, though it takes a bit longer. 80 grit on my orbital was the key, then I finished it up with 120 on a sanding block. Overall I'm happy with the end result, especially being that they're shop cabinets. Were I doing this in the house, I'd have a lot more time in them.

Alright, I officially need that square adapter for my guide rail. That would make life faster and easier for sure. Adding that to the list. Damn you Nick!

Glad the MDF should work for what I'm aiming for. I know it's heavy but it's cheap and more reliably flat than most of the plywood I've worked with. I'll remember to blunt the edges to prevent chipping. Great tip, thanks!

More is coming, slowly but surely. I'm hoping to get the "floor" of the cabinets made and start working on the doors soon. Also thinking about framing the upright cabinet. I've almost got enough lumber for it, so I'll add that to the list.

I was thinking of doing MDF sides on my upright cabinet, any thoughts? The MDF would not be in contact with the floor, it would be sitting on a 15"x48" 2x4 frame, then a plywood platform, then the MDF for the sides. The actual structure would be 2x4s going from the upper cabinets to the platform.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

****, now I saw all the cool stuff on tooltheory that would make my track saw experience better.

DAMN YOU NICK!

 

[gearhead1960]

Thanks Trapps!

I completely agree, I'm largely a form follows function guy as well, with a twist. I want it as refined and "finished" as possible while being ultimately functional. Do not compromise utility, just make it look as good as possible under those parameters. My vehicle builds are largely the same way.

I'm 100% with you, I wish I'd found GJ sooner. That being said, I'm only now able to afford being on GJ all the time


Nick, thanks!

I really appreciate the feedback and encouragement from you especially.

I did actually think about squaring off the 2x4s, but decided not to for the sake of speed and the fact that these frames will be mostly covered by the cabinet doors. You're mostly going to see the top and bottom 1.5", and some space between, so the actual frames don't need to be perfect. I have actually ripped lumber with a tracksaw and It's a massive pain. The only two times I've ever bound up my saw were when I was ripping 1x6s for my pallet wall. Not fun, so I opted not to. I do have access to a big honkin' table saw, but it's at my BIL's house and a 20-minute drive away.

You're right, a jobsite table saw would probably be a great buy for me, given how much woodworking I find myself doing these days. I'm also planning on building my kids a treehouse in the spring, so I can really see where that and a miter saw would be unbelievably useful. The smaller form factor would definitely work for my shop and fit in, what? A cabinet!

I see those table saws in pawn shops all the time, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for one. Damn you Nick!

Yep, definitely used the less is more approach that I learned while doing body work on the Land Cruiser. I did a thinner skim coat, sanded and saw where more was needed, then added more, then sanded, etc. It wasn't actually that much time in sanding, so I didn't have to work too hard. Most of it was mixing the epoxy, then scrambling to finish it before it flashed off, then waiting 15 minutes for it to dry. It turned out pretty well and sands smoother than the wood, though it takes a bit longer. 80 grit on my orbital was the key, then I finished it up with 120 on a sanding block. Overall I'm happy with the end result, especially being that they're shop cabinets. Were I doing this in the house, I'd have a lot more time in them.

Alright, I officially need that square adapter for my guide rail. That would make life faster and easier for sure. Adding that to the list. Damn you Nick!

Glad the MDF should work for what I'm aiming for. I know it's heavy but it's cheap and more reliably flat than most of the plywood I've worked with. I'll remember to blunt the edges to prevent chipping. Great tip, thanks!

More is coming, slowly but surely. I'm hoping to get the "floor" of the cabinets made and start working on the doors soon. Also thinking about framing the upright cabinet. I've almost got enough lumber for it, so I'll add that to the list.

I was thinking of doing MDF sides on my upright cabinet, any thoughts? The MDF would not be in contact with the floor, it would be sitting on a 15"x48" 2x4 frame, then a plywood platform, then the MDF for the sides. The actual structure would be 2x4s going from the upper cabinets to the platform.

Tom,
Kudos to you and many others who do the constructing. I'll admit, I took the lazy man's way out. I don't have a large space like you but a 2 car garage that I added storage and a work bench. Taking a page from @Trapps, I use my 44" HF tool box at part of the workbench solution along with the 1950's GE steel kitchen cabinets I bought for $200. I've attached a few pics for when I did the workbench. It's now has a full set of peg board along the back and it's considerably messier... Turqoise cabinets are the GE cabinets. That's only a few of the purchase! I did use MDF for the top of the bench and laid down a thick coat of poly for protection.

 

[zc15]

Thank you for sharing the cabinet build, Tom. Now I have a baseline to use when I start to build mine. On a sidenote, what are sheetgood prices in your area? I just picked up a bunk of 7/16 osb for $12/sheet. 1/2 plywood (sheathing) is near $30, and MDF is $45

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Tom,
Kudos to you and many others who do the constructing. I'll admit, I took the lazy man's way out. I don't have a large space like you but a 2 car garage that I added storage and a work bench. Taking a page from @Trapps, I use my 44" HF tool box at part of the workbench solution along with the 1950's GE steel kitchen cabinets I bought for $200. I've attached a few pics for when I did the workbench. It's now has a full set of peg board along the back and it's considerably messier... Turqoise cabinets are the GE cabinets. That's only a few of the purchase! I did use MDF for the top of the bench and laid down a thick coat of poly for protection.

I think you posted a picture of that setup before, and I do like it a lot actually. I'd love the old school steel kitchen cabinets if they could be found here. Guess I'm not living in the right place haha.

The other side of all of it is I'm pedantic, so if the cabinets weren't just right I'd be irritated.

Thank you for sharing the cabinet build, Tom. Now I have a baseline to use when I start to build mine. On a sidenote, what are sheetgood prices in your area? I just picked up a bunk of 7/16 osb for $12/sheet. 1/2 plywood (sheathing) is near $30, and MDF is $45

Happy to! Thanks for following along.

Last I looked, 12mm Sande plywood is $50/sheet, 1/2 MDF is $46, 1/2 birch ply is $70. CDX, pressure treated, or OSB is cheaper, but doesn't have the smoothness I want for this project.

 

[gearhead1960]

I think you posted a picture of that setup before, and I do like it a lot actually. I'd love the old school steel kitchen cabinets if they could be found here. Guess I'm not living in the right place haha.

The other side of all of it is I'm pedantic, so if the cabinets weren't just right I'd be irritated.


Happy to! Thanks for following along.

Last I looked, 12mm Sande plywood is $50/sheet, 1/2 MDF is $46, 1/2 birch ply is $70. CDX, pressure treated, or OSB is cheaper, but doesn't have the smoothness I want for this project.

I probably did share before, but hell if I can remember everything I did......

 

[nicholam77]

Glad the MDF should work for what I'm aiming for. I know it's heavy but it's cheap and more reliably flat than most of the plywood I've worked with.

Cheap, flat, and smooth. If I want/need one of those things that's usually what leads me to it. MDF sawdust is especially nasty so make sure you wear a good dust mask and run that air cleaner

I was thinking of doing MDF sides on my upright cabinet, any thoughts? The MDF would not be in contact with the floor, it would be sitting on a 15"x48" 2x4 frame, then a plywood platform, then the MDF for the sides. The actual structure would be 2x4s going from the upper cabinets to the platform.

It will be just fine, especially in a non-load-bearing situation. And if you're painting it then it doesn't matter what it looks like underneath. In general it can be structurally strong, too, if the joinery is done well.

****, now I saw all the cool stuff on tooltheory that would make my track saw experience better.

DAMN YOU NICK!

If you already have a carpenter square, you could also just use that to **** the rail up against, without the 3d-printed attachment doo-dads.

Last I looked, 12mm Sande plywood is $50/sheet, 1/2 MDF is $46, 1/2 birch ply is $70. CDX, pressure treated, or OSB is cheaper, but doesn't have the smoothness I want for this project.

Yikes, that's worse than where I'm at! I used to be able to get 3/4" birch (Columbia Forest Products) full sheets for $55. Times have changed!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Cheap, flat, and smooth. If I want/need one of those things that's usually what leads me to it. MDF sawdust is especially nasty so make sure you wear a good dust mask and run that air cleaner



It will be just fine, especially in a non-load-bearing situation. And if you're painting it then it doesn't matter what it looks like underneath. In general it can be structurally strong, too, if the joinery is done well.





If you already have a carpenter square, you could also just use that to **** the rail up against, without the 3d-printed attachment doo-dads.



Yikes, that's worse than where I'm at! I used to be able to get 3/4" birch (Columbia Forest Products) full sheets for $55. Times have changed!

Ha! Yep, that was my impetus for going MDF as well. I'm not staining it or anything so it's just easier. I'll remember to wear PPE, I'm sure there's lots of nasty **** in it.

I could just use my square, but then I wouldn't have the doodad! I also like the rail guides for dust hoses they have, those are sweet. A few other odds and ends would be really nice too.

I haven't looked around at lumber yards, it may be cheaper there. But 3/4 birch sheets are about $90 here.