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west of Philly - barn saving

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rieferman

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Jason wrote:
That island looks great! Are you giong to put cabinet doors on the shelf side? Keep up the good work!

Thanks! My wife loves the island, and I can already tell it will be THE place to hang out at in our kitchen. It's just a fun place to gather and chat.

As for doors, I purposely designed it without doors - else I would have just purchased two more cabinets and added the top. The goal is for a farmhouse style of open shelving in that area. Bulky stuff on the bottom shelves (such as crock pots, boiling pots etc.) and day-to-day keep the house running stuff on the top shelf (such as bills to pay, laptop, permission slips for the kids). We don't have space for an office in our house, so my wife tends to run the show from the kitchen - now she'll be able to do so comfortably, AND keep it relatively hidden from people just "passing through" the room.

edit: She is planning on small baskets for "cluttery" types of things though to keep the appearance neat and tidy.
 
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wagonmaster

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We don't have space for an office in our house, so my wife tends to run the show from the kitchen - now she'll be able to do so comfortably, AND keep it relatively hidden from people just "passing through" the room.


Good plan! Appears you'll be well organized in the house, as well as the shop! Looking good!
 

intimadatorsquizz

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yup i get a few weeks off kitchen remodel until the counter tops come in.

you really need to see it in person as to how nice it looks. What a PITA doing the plumbing, but they wanted the sink centered with the window so i had to move it over almost 2'.

the room looks awesome and so much better then the old kitchen.
 
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rieferman

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Everyone, that (above post) is the Jim that I keep talking about. You should see his garage, it's sweet as hell. First of all, it's 100% a DIY job between him and his brothers and buddies (I even helped some!), and it's really cool because it's added onto this ancient stone structure (and oviously, I'm a guy that appreciates NOT knocking down the old). Read about it here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56227


Anyways, Jim has taught me so much about electrical and plumbing, has done more than 40 hours of work at my place, has left his entire tool collection with me for weeks on end, has listened to my endless ideas and questions, and every once in awhile he gives me an attaboy when I get something right :)

The coolest part? I met him because of this website!

Cheers Jim!!!!!!!

:beer: :bowdown:
 
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rieferman

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Thanks! :) My shop and my skills are a work in process to be sure, but it's definitely nice to hear compliments like that! :thumbup:

---
One more teaser before the final kitchen reveal.. I finished the "mini-island" last night. This will sit to the left of the stove as a place to set a pot of water, or to stage items that are going into the frying pan etc.

The open shelving underneath will house baskets for keeping spices (etc.) and the wife's cookbooks and coupons.

The paint scheme is a direct match to the big island.

The top for this island was salvaged from an old kitchen cart that was way past it's useful days (and the rest of that cart has become a mobile outfeed table in the shop.. pics of that soon). I cut it to size on the table saw and sanded it to bring it a second life.

The remainder of the materials for this project are leftover from other projects. The edge trim is cut-down 2x4's.

In other words, this mini-island cost exactly $0.00.

:beer:


And to make this somewhat garage related.... I LOVED LOVED LOVED every minute of building this thing out in the shop. Every little bit of effort that went into making the shop was so worth it.

edit: for comparison sake, I added a pic of the big island here too
 

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rieferman

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FINISHED!!

Jim came over yesterday and did masterful plumbing (the setup under the sink just makes soooo much sense.. such a nice clean job) while I tiled, and we got the final steps of the kitchen finished (sppliance garage was such a PITA!!!!). I have to caulk a few areas today and the wife needs to nest a bit, but close enough for pics to be shared. We LOVE it. 8 weeks from gut to finish. Total spend = $12,000 (major savings on all carpentry, plumbing, electrical, cabinet install, appliance install, design.. since we did it ourselves). Oh, and props to the wifey for big time help painting, grouting, and other detail tasks along the way... plus keeping the fam going without a kitchen!!
 

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rieferman

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well, back to the shop!

Blast gates arrive today, so I'll post a report on how the finished dust collection system works this week sometime. I expect there to be some tweaking needed, but overall I hope the design I came up with is good from the start.

Yesterday, a pro woodworker came over and dedicated a few hours to teaching me the finer points of machine maintenance and tuning. My table saw is now perfectly tuned, as are my planer, jointer. We determined that my drill press and band saw were already in good shape. It was a great help to have an expert on hand for the lessons.

Anyways, back to the shop! yay!
 
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rieferman

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Blast gates are in and I was finally able to fully test the dust collection system...






It works great! Even the longest runs have great suction and can even pickup larger pieces.

The biggest improvement for me right now is the miter saw - I'm so used to the explosion of dust with each cut, and having the floor totally coated with sawdust. Now, with the hood and the DC setup, a slight puff of dust makes it into the room and the rest you can see get pulled right out of the air through the tube and collected at the end of the run. Nice.

I didn't have anything to really drill last night, but I suspect the drill press improvement will be a big deal too. That thing makes a freaking mess I tell ya. No more though!!

My table saw is a cabinet saw, so much of the mess is in the cabinet anyways, but now the dust from the blade is sucked into the cabinet instead of spraying a rooster tail onto my shirt.

So, very happy! First project starts after easter.. Starting easy with a bunch of adirondak chairs for the yard. I'll be making them from rough cut white cedar. I'll post pics of course :)
 

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shopnut

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Nice work on the kitchen, rieferman - are you for hire? I know a kitchen in FL that needs a redo next year. :)

I bet you look back at the dust collection system in a few years and consider it one of the best additions you ever made to that shop, especially if you decide to turn that hobby into a career.

Keep up the good work!
 

Riverfront

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How did you pipe to the table saw? I got lucky in my new shop and got 4" PVC and 1-1/4" conduit under the floor before it was poured. Haven't gotten the dust collector hooked up but I'm getting closer to that point.
 
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rieferman

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intimadatorsquizz wrote:
Nice Work Bob. now there's 2 things in the barn that ****....lmao

hardy har har :) just for that I'm bringing crappy beer with me when I come to your house thursday!

IHfreak wrote:
You do nice work.

Thanks! Skills are improving with every effort. I'm very willing to read and ask questions and learn. That's the key, I'm never too proud to take advice. That, and I'm willing to try just about any task.


shopnut wrote:
Nice work on the kitchen, rieferman - are you for hire? I know a kitchen in FL that needs a redo next year.

ha ha, thanks shopnut, always nice to hear from you :) My hope is that I will indeed be "for hire" in the next couple of years. Not to redo whole kitchens probably, but for custom work such as islands and built ins etc.

and shopnut also wrote:
I bet you look back at the dust collection system in a few years and consider it one of the best additions you ever made to that shop, especially if you decide to turn that hobby into a career.

Indeed. I think a more powerful blower will potentially be needed someday, but I got a chance to test the setup last night for some truly "fine furniture". cough cough.. I mean, for the bunny pen that I made for the wife's latest acquisition (aka Fuji the holland bunny who will arrive at our house next week). Note, the hutch is bought, just the pen in front of it is shop made. But, the shop was clean at the end of the build, thanks to the DC system!!!

Riverfront wrote:
How did you pipe to the table saw? I got lucky in my new shop and got 4" PVC and 1-1/4" conduit under the floor before it was poured. Haven't gotten the dust collector hooked up but I'm getting closer to that point.

In my case, I'm using a cabinet table saw, so the base is entirely enclosed. There's a motor cover on one side that has a 4" port cut into it. Inside the cabinet, I installed a ramp (a piece of plywood covered with some linoleum I had laying around) that dumps dust toward that port. I then have my 4" pipe from my DC system running to that port. I just open a blast gate and get negative pressure inside the cabinet of the saw.
 

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rieferman

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I got my first batch of rough lumber this weekend. For those of you that have been keeping up with my crazy tail, you'll know that in January 2009, before ever having woodworking in any capacity at all, I started rebuilding the barn so that I could become a woodworker. Yeah, that's nuts, I know. Anyways, my point is that this first visit to the sawmill was a long time coming. It was great. The out buildings, the 6 foot sawmill blade, stacks and stacks of different species of woods, talking to the sawyer and his team, seeing their 16 inch jointer and 36 inch planer (YIKES)... Picking through stacks to find boards that would suit my needs. Warming up next to their fire. And then sipping my coffee on the way home, with a load of boards in the back of the truck. Sigh... It was a long time coming, but here I was, on the trip to making furniture. If you've ever had a goal that took so long to even start the actual journey, you'll understand the feeling of satisfaction this weekend.

Anyways, I bought enough white oak to make 1 adirondack chair. This is a relatively simple project that could be completed without the nice shop that I have, but since I'm working the lumber from the rough, and since I'm just learning my shop flow, and since we'll use the heck out of adirondack chairs, it's a great confidence builder. A beginner project. I chose white oak because, quite frankly, it was the only weather tolerant wood the sawmill happened to have in stock on this particular visit. I would have preferred cypress or white cedar or mahogony, but this is fine too. It'll just be a very heavy chair. I paid $65 cash for about 8 boards, each 1" thick x 8 feet long x varying widths averaging about 6 inches wide. So, call it $8 per 1x6x8... considering the quality of the wood, this is far better than what can be found at the borg.

So, I get home and my wife had set it up that I'd have several alone hours to work in the shop. She understood how important this was to me. I layout the boards and chalk each one up to indicate which component it will become. I rough cut to lenght, leaving a few extra inches on each piece so that I can fine tune later in the process. A few pieces are too wide for face jointing on my jointer so I edge joint them, rip them to width, and then face joint all the boards.

With one side flat, I can now plane to thickness. And don't ya know, the damn planer has something wrong with the setup. It's incapable of taking any material off, and is popping it's own safety on multiple boards. What's worse, it's making a groove down each board.

So, damn it, I had to stop for the day with nearly prepared lumber just staring at me. I'll trouble shoot the planer issue this week (knives are brand new, so it must be an alignment or setup issue of some sort) and continue on the journey.

The good news is that I was confidently working through the process. I knew what to do, the shop workflow was comfortable, the dust collector worked great. So, this'll just be another learning opportunity along the path to becoming a woodworker.

(side note: tonight I'm picking up an upgrade to my jointer as well. Mine is serviceable, but this other machine will save me from having to really make an expensive upgrade for a few years)


edit: And for no related reason at all, here's a picture of Piggy from this past weekend. I just thought it was a great picture.
 

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rieferman

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Broken part in the planer. Damn it. So, I'm dead in the water in terms of that machine until the replacement part arrives.

In happier news, I made the deal on a Ridgid jointer last night. It's a major upgrade to the Delta I've been using so far. I got it home and cleaned up, waxed, and hooked to my dust collection system. Nice. I'm done with any need to upgrade any machines for the foreseeable future now.
 

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rieferman

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well, the idea WAS to build the damn chair, but this ain't lego blocks I'm using to build them... gotta have a planer to work rough cut lumber. But, I know the boards are parallel faced at this point, so I will probably just use my new jointer to thin them a little so I can get on with it. The part for my planer is backordered for 2 weeks?!? ugh!
 
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rieferman

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Sooooo, I'm still waiting on planer parts, but that hasn't stopped me. I have carefully created all the templates for the adirondack chairs, which will really allow me to produce more than one chair with much more ease and precision.

I'm happy to report that the dust collector nicely kept up with my work. Sure, there's still dust and chips in the shop, but WAYYYY better than before.

I'm unhappy to report that I decided to modify the collector to be better anyways, so while I'm waiting for planer parts I am working on that. What a PITA.

In other news, I'm designing a shed that I will build myself. I think I'll go with pole barn construction style. The total footprint is planned at 20' deep x 16' wide, where the front 8' x 16' section is a porch area (which will in turn lead to our patio/fire pit/gardening area) and the back 12' x 16' area is for mower/gardening equipment/etc.

This project will also have the benefit of freeing up a 12' x 12' area in the barn.... which I think shall be used as the assembly/finishing room.
 

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abebummy26

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Really like what you have done with the build on this old barn. The house I lived in until I was 9 was a barn conversion to a house. I love crawling around in old barns and buildings.
 

Omphaloskeptic

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Congratulations! Saving the barn, setting up shop, and pursuing your dream.

On another topic, I did not see a First Aid kit anywhere in the pictures; please get an industrial variety. I worked with a guy years ago in the I.T. field who once had a custom cabinet business set up in his detached shop behind his home. He was working alone, family gone for the day and he had an accident. One of his machines (table saw?) chewed up his left hand very badly. No First Aid kit handy. Luckily, the guy and his wife next door heard him scream, yes, scream, and they knew immediately something very bad happened to him. They came running with clean towels and called 911 right away. He kept his hand (sort of), but had to give up his home business and get into another line of work where I met him.

Work safely so you may always be able to follow your dream!
 
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rieferman

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Hey guys, Thanks for the replies!

Regarding safety, I do have a complete and stocked first aid kit within crawling distance of any accident in the space. Nice and bright red, and easy to find (it's right next to where I keep all my safety gear... goggles etc.).

As for using the tools safely. Of course, accidents can happen. However, before I cut even one board, I took a full week-long course (6 days, 8 hours each day) where a main focus was using power tools in a way that minimizes possibility of cutting your hands off. The instructor said something really interesting.. He said that each year he has at least a few professional cabinet makers take his course... after they were injured.. because they wanted to learn the proper way to use the shop tools. His point being that being skilled at woodworking does not have anything to do with woodworking safely (which is a very common misconception.. the "I can make beautiful stuff, so I can't possibly get hurt" fallacy).

Anyways, I strictly practice the methods provided, but a reminder to be careful is always good.

:)
 
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rieferman

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Jim came over to chill out last night and we took about an hour to whip out a quick project.

The dust collector bag/cage concept was not holding up to the massive vacuum pressure the system creates. So I wanted to change over to a bin instead of that bag/cage.

The issue with the bin is that when it fills up, you can't see inside it, and if it overfills I would be spewing dust directly out the exhaust vent all over the side of the barn.

The other issue to contend with was how to connect a cyclindrical bin to a different sized cylindrical dust collector setup.

Solutions: We installed a small plexiglass window in the bin to allow me to see when it is nearly full (and it's fun to watch the cyclonic action of the dust being sucked up too) and employed some leftover pond liner to create a simple diaphragm for making the connection between the two cylinders.

Works awesome. Total cost = $0.
 

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rieferman

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Thanks Biker! :) I'm trying the best I know how

---

Well, I'm STILL waiting for the planer part. UPS tracking says it's on the way, but I mean wow, what crappy service. I will post the info on the company where I got the parts once I'm sure it's not a scam so that you can all avoid it.

It's hot, damn hot, real damn hot. I've come to the conclusion that a window AC unit will be needed in the shop in order to be able to work out there on weeks when it's this hot. So, I'm on the hunt for a used one. Jim hooked me up with a small unit for the exercise room, but the shop side is so much larger. I guess I need to read up on keeping it clean with all the dust I generate too.

Anyways, that's not much of an update, but there you go ;)


(edit on 12/3/13 - it turns out that once the rest of the building was insulated, the shop doesn't get really hot anymore. Nice!)
 
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rieferman

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My planer parts arrived before this past weekend, so I spent some time getting the machine setup and properly tuned. Test passes were successful and I'm back in business. I learned a ton about planers during this process, so there's the silver lining.

Therefore, I could continue milling my white oak for my first adirondack chair. I planed all material to final thickness, and then edge jointed a 90 degree angle on one edge. I used the table saw to then rip a 90 degree angle on the opposite edge. I used the miter saw to cut 90's on both ends of my boards. I checked everything with a known-to-be-square square, and was very happy to see that I had parallel faces and true right angles all around. Good, woodworking course knowledge still holding true.

Then, I transferred all my templates to the appropriate boards. Most of the cuts were then made on the bandsaw with the table at 0 degrees (flat). Some pieces required tilting the table. I cut proud of the line about a 1/16th of an inch as I will be using a pattern bit in my router to clean up everything - this ensures a nice finished surface, and that your pieces are identical to each other. All of this went without a hitch.

Finally, I dry fit everything last night with some quick clamps to see if any "gotcha's" jumped out at me. Happy to report that everything seems to be in order.

Next up, when the router bits arrive in the mail, I will pattern trim everything to final size, and then round over all edges. Drill all pilot holes and counter sinks, and assemble the chair. Apply finish.

After I see if I want to make any changes, I will then build about a dozen more of these out of various woods. We need a bunch for our yard, but also, the process of perfecting a workflow and the milling procedures is valuable to my learning curve. Next up after all that, and sandwiched in between the small pole barn I'm building this summer, either the porch farmhouse table and chairs, or the built ins for our bedroom closet.

Here are pics of the rough lumber vs. milled lumber, and the various dry fit components. More soon.
 

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spy604

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Everytime I see this thread title, I start singing 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'
 

shopnut

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I had to dig deep in the list to find this thread - we didn't lose you to the woodworking forums, did we?
 
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rieferman

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:) Didn't lose me.

Interestingly, I was just headed here to post an update and was happy to see you'd posted.

This is probably the most important news I've ever posted here...

This morning, I got a job as a sales / project manager for a post-frame construction company. They make anything from pole barns, garages, churches, warehouses, fire stations, etc. Very well respected company. NOT a sell-by-price outfit. Sell on quality and integrity.

For the next year, I will keep my current job in corporate hell (errrrr, corporate america I mean) while I train on the product and processes.

Ultimately, my role will be to chase down leads, consult with clients, sell building projects, and then manage the build. It's a commission based role (which is new for me) so being able to ramp into it slowly allows my family to eat while I learn (since I'll have my current paycheck in the meantime). My training will include days of swinging hammers on sites too - they feel that you learn a lot by handling the materials etc. (and I couldn't agree more).

This came about because I had the company over to look at some projects I'm working on at my house, and the owner and I hit it off. I sent him a plea for taking a chance on someone from outside the industry. He liked me, thought my business background combined with passion for building and ambition to learn, were worth taking a chance on.

This is a life changer for me. I need to be creating things, not sitting at a computer every day. And the journey is finally accelerating. I'll continue to chase my furniture making dreams, but will now also be building a new career in a new industry.

I'll be very very busy for the next year, but couldn't be more excited.

(and, side note... one of my early projects with the company will be to side and roof my barn and build the new mini-barn)

Wow
 
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BigWil

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I just read through your entire thread. I'm simply amazed by what you accomplished, but even more so with your attitude throughout. Congratulations on your new career, and if you put in half the effort in the career as you did your barn, you will be #1 in sales very quickly.
 

shopnut

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This morning, I got a job as a sales / project manager for a post-frame construction company. They make anything from pole barns, garages, churches, warehouses, fire stations, etc. Very well respected company. NOT a sell-by-price outfit. Sell on quality and integrity.
Sounds like the place that built mine. Real nice folks and the quality was second to none. Worth the extra money in my opinion. Good luck to you.

(and, side note... one of my early projects with the company will be to side and roof my barn and build the new mini-barn)
Freebie as a fringe benefit of employment? (just had to ask)
 
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rieferman

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BigWil wrote:
I just read through your entire thread. I'm simply amazed by what you accomplished, but even more so with your attitude throughout.

Thanks! It's always nice to read comments like that. Although, I have to admit that there's been a few hammers thrown in frustration, I just tell y'all the good stuff mostly. :)

and:
Congratulations on your new career, and if you put in half the effort in the career as you did your barn, you will be #1 in sales very quickly.

Thank you! I really think I can do it. I've done well throughout my career in tasks that don't interest me, surrounded by people that aren't my type of people. The thought of being passionate about the work, and surrounded by people that I can relate to? It's just mind blowing to even consider.

--
Shopnut, I'll PM you the builder in question just for your curiosity. I don't want to post it publicly yet. But yes, I feel that I've fallen in with a company that is about doing things the right way. That's something I'll be proud to sell.

As for "freebie" projects.. I doubt free... but I bet there's wiggle room for employees. At the least, I need the experience with the products, so I might as well install some at my own house.
 
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rieferman

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In job news, my meeting with the company is Friday. And, last night I was talking to the owner and he mentioned that he was covering a trade show Friday evening (the scheduled rep got called to a job site that day) so I asked if I could go with him. He was clearly impressed that I'd be willing to do that on last minute notice and accepted my request. So, I'll meet the team in Allentown, then we'll caravan to Baltimore, then I'll return home (aka beer time). This show is for fire departments, and my new company does good business in building fire stations, so this is a great learning opportunity for me.

Anyways, in shop news...

Got paid a few days ago, so I could afford to finally buy a few things I needed in order to progress on my first chair. Namely, Titebond III (a waterproof wood glue), fasteners, a plug cutter, and a counter bore bit.

So, last night, I got busy in the workshop for a few hours.

First, I made a bunch of white oak plugs so that all my screws will be hidden on the chair. Step 1 is to set the depth stop on the drill press so that you do not go all the way through your piece. Drill a ton of plugs. Step 2 is to fasten some painters tape over top of the plugs so that they don't go flying when you cut/release them on the band saw. Set the fence and cut. Step 3 is a pile of plugs.

Then, I set a fence on my drill press and switched to my counter bore bit to drill the first pieces of the chair assembly. I had one tear out that I'll have to repair, but it's not a big deal.

I carefully clamped assembly steps together, drilled my pilot hole (which centers nicely in the base of the counter bore hole), screw together to ensure good fit, unscrew, glue, re-screw.

And that brings me to my stopping point from last night. Overall, very good so far, learning a lot. Chair is turning out nicely. Minor changes to my templates will be needed for the next chair, but nothing big.

edit: Also, I'm embarassed to admit that I'm excited to hit the 100,000 views mark on this thread... but, damn it, I'm excited about it. :)
 

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markviii

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Jan 25, 2010
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east central IL
I'm always inspired by your progress. The new "job" seems exciting and your woodshop work is great. Work is not "work" when you enjoy what you're doing and learning along the way. (here's to helping you toward 100K and 500 posts you'll get there because the thread is interesting on so many levels)

Chris
 
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rieferman

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May 18, 2009
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Collegeville PA (30 min west of Philly)
Hey Chris, thanks for stopping in, and thank you for your kind words :)

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chair news
Well, I sooooo wanted to finish the chair last night since my folks are coming into town today and I thought it'd be cool to show them. But learning as you go makes things go slowly the first time around.

Anyways, I got far enough to dry fit all the final pieces and actually sit on the damn thing. Very comfy.

I'm itching to be done with this one so that I can write up my process changes, plan changes, and do another one that avoids all the minor mistakes. I'm building 7 more before I move onto the next project.

Pic of the dry fit below. I'll finish assembly, plug the screw holes, and apply some weather proofing this weekend hopefully.

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shop news
The thing I learned about my shop layout during this process is that my bandsaw needs to move so that I can move my assembly table such that it allows me to walk around all 4 sides of it. Relatively easy change, but it will require re-routing some dust collection pipe.

Also, moving the assembly table will free up a spot for me to build a bank of cubbies for the tools that I use at that table. This will be very convenient.

And, moving the bandsaw will free up a wall area for a clamp storage spot.

So, all in all, a small change allows a lot of good things to happen.

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job news
First meeting at their facility tomorrow morning, and then I'm going with the owner to man a trade show in Baltimore for the rest of the day. I will be trying to convince him to just cover my salary for a 1/2 year or so while I sales / product / process train and I'll do some marketing plans and supply chain work for them as well. This would allow me to go at this full time right away, which I think realistically is what we all want.
 

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rieferman

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Collegeville PA (30 min west of Philly)
woodworking news
Yay! I finished my first piece of furniture! What a long journey it's been to get to this point. There are a dozen mistakes I can point out, countless inefficient methods that I used along the way, but it's a nice looking and functional chair. And, I'm confident that the experience gained will be immediately useful.

This weekend, I'm picking up my next batch of lumber so that I can build another chair just like this one (only incorporating my process changes and lessons learned).

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job news
I'm suddenly aware that post-frame construction is widely interpreted to be inferior to stick built construction. I attempted in one thread to spread facts instead of assumptions, and people generally got pissed at me for doing so. So, I think I'll stay out of that fray, and allow people to come to me with questions. It's a pity though, because the advantages are numerous. Shrug.

Anyways, I had my first day with my new company on Friday. I met the team and the owners, toured their hardware store (yes, they have their own hardware store, open to the public), toured their lumber yard (yes, they have their own lumber yard, also open to the public) etc. Then we went to the tradeshow together where I had the opportunity to explain the product to potential customers, hear the owner's method of pitching features and benefits etc., and just general learned a ton.

This week, I go to the main office after work for pricing and bid preparation training.

Ultimately, I'll be doing several customer visits/quotes per week after work and on weekends. When the pipeline of business begins to build, we'll decide on the proper transition point for me to go full time.
 

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shopnut

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Messages
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Location
Florida
Nice job on that chair rieferman. I could picture myself kicked back in it chilling with my favorite brew. :beer:

Can't tell if you used stainless carriage bolts on it (looks like zinc in pic), but if not, you might consider them if it's going to sit out in the weather. Would hate to see that beautiful finish marred with streaks someday. Maybe I'm just paranoid about corrosion living in humid old FL.:dunno:
 
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