Cutting Metal

 The square tubing came in for the new range, and I just finished cutting the lengths.  This will become a lightweight, portable range for CFDA events, one that se can set up or take down in an hour or so.

Now, I have to de-burr everything and set up a time with club members so that we can weld it together.

I figure to de-burr tomorrow and Friday, then set up the welding for next seek, as long as God is willing and the creek don't rise.

Louisiana Covid Update

On this cloudy, cool, Monday after Easter, the Louisiana Dept of Health is reporting  21,016 confirmed cases of Covid-19 statewide.  This is up 421 cases since yesterday.  The hospital count is  2134. only 50 cases up since yesterday.

My home parish of Rapides is reporting 168 cases, a net gain of 3 since yesterday.

I've been out in the shop today, doing small-wood carpentry for a project that's been hanging-fire for a couple of months.  I've been wanting to build a small stand for the CFDA timers, and I finally found the motivation to get it done.  I assembled it three or four times getting it like I wanted it, then disassembled to paint it.  The paint will be dry later today or early tomorrow, and I'll assemble it for the final time and put it into service.

Black Pocket Tee Shirts

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, so I took a sick day.  I have a lot of sick time saved, and I'm going to lose it all next week, so rather than take the few hours the appointment needed, I took the whole day.  For, you see, I"m retiring.  My last duty day is March 28th.  On March 29th, I'll turn in my gear and begin the weekend.  My first day of paid retirement is April 1st.

I was doing laundry this afternoon, folding a big pile of black, pocket, tee-shirts, and realized that I have worn these for several decades because that's what uniform comps wear.  They are getting somewhat shabby, and they'll be converted to shop rags soon, but I'll have to decided wht to wear every day, something that I haven't had to do since I met Belle.

I had retired when I met Belle and was doing contract work but went back in uniform shortly after we met.  I've been a cop for most of my adult life, over 37 years behind the badge, and it will be over very soon.  Next week is going to be bitter-sweet, but I intend to work my last duty day just like I worked the first one.  When my shift is over, I'm sure that it will hit me, but right now, it's just something I have to do until next week is over.

I have two huge projects coming up in April, which is why I'm retiring now.  The nearest one is the shooting match I'm hosting, the second weekend of April.    The other is a project that I've been planning for six months, but that I won't talk about until April 1st.

Stand by.  We're going to have a lot of fun.

Friday Happy

Got home from work today and decided to clean revolvers, so I went out to the shop, sat down ad gave the CFDA revolvers a good cleaning.

Then, started thinking about a project that's been bugging me.  I want some wire racks to display handguns during club shoots, so that novices can try several without digging through bags, and Brownells sells them, but that incurs shipping costs, and they seem fairly simple.  Besides, homemade is better than factory-bought.  And I did have some 4-gauge copper left over from another project (building the shop).

Belle comes out to the shop with a Friday afternoon cocktail.  "What are you doing?"

"Making revolver stands."

"Why?"

I take a long pull on a very well  constructed vodka and tonic.  "Why not?"

That ain't half bad, ad if soft copper wire hurts a barrel, then we have no business shooting jacketed bullets through it.

The Coca-Cola Clock

In every shop, barn, or garage I've ever owned there has been a Coca-cola clock.  My grandfather worked for the Coca- Cola bottling company for as may years as I knew him, and he always had a Coca-Cola clock in his shop..  Because of all the things I learned from him, watching and helping at his elbow, I've always thought that a shop needed a Coca-Cola clock.

This one is a repo, not the original advertising that Coke gave away log years ago.  Still, I feel like it needs to be there, to pay homage to the old man, and to remind myself of his shop, where I spent so many pleasant and educational hours.

My mom bought the clock at a local auction and brought it to me today on her way to an appointment.  Thanks, Mom!

Functionally Complete

The interior of the shop project is now functionally complete.    The door is on the bathroom, all drains and sewers are installed, the electrical installation is complete, and Belle has painted the place.

Zach and I installed the door this morning, finishing at about noon.  I spent some time straightening ad putting away tools, and feel good about this phase of the proect

I also found time to build a small counter-height table with lumber that was left over from the carpentry.  Belle says she can work with it, but she will probably cover it with a table cloth  I wanted to give my amused readers another chance to see those pink pre-cut studs which seem so odd to y'all, but are perfectly normal to those of us who grew up with such things.

This portion of the project had a hard-stop, drop-dead completion date of 0001, 14 July.  As this is noon, on July 9, I have beat the deadline by four days.

I suspect that some decorating will commence shortly, but that is beyond my scope o expertise.  I will leave such things to the distaff side.

Door Swing

When you're planning a room, or doing a remodel, it is important to consider door size and swing.  Doors come in a variety of sizes.  Most of the standard residential doors in the US these days are 80 inches tall, but widths vary from 24 to 36 inches. in standard sizes. 

One thing the handyman should consider is door swing.  When you get to the store, you'll encounter the choice between left-hand and right-hand doors, so it is important to consider.  The easiest way to explain door swing is to look at thus:  Put your spine against the hinge side of the door.  Whatever hand is convenient to the doorknob will decide whether the door is left-hand or right-hand.

Consider the photo of the lady.

Her spine is toward the hinges and the door knob is in her left hand.  Thus, we have a left-hand door.

I'm glad I could clear that up for you.

Plumbing Compete

After church yesterday, we ate lunch and the boys and I went out to the destruction zone to try tom make the final push on the plumbing.  It was just a matter or working the plan.  We went out into the sun first, to finish the drains and sewer, then went inside the shop to tie it all together.  I was very pleased with the results.

The toilet and vanity are installed in the bathroom.  We had to mount the toilet on a small pedestal so that the discharge, which goes out through the wall, would clear a structural purlin.  That extra two inches raises the standard basin to handicapped height.  The basin is lagged to both the wall and anchored to the floor with lag bolts.  It's rock-solid and Belle is pleased with the finished result.  I still need to add a door to the bathroom, but didn't want to do that until the fixtures were installed.  The opening is cut for a standard ADA complaint 36X80 door.

The kitchen is complete.  We tested everything, found some drips and make the tweaks necessary for leak-free operation.  While the boys and I played with plumbing, Belle was doing some touch-up painting.  After we were satisfied with the plumbing, we turned on the little mini water heater and got it going.  In just a few minutes we had bot water in both the sink and the bathroom vanity..

This project is 95% complete.  We still need outlet covers and that door for the bathroom, but we're putting a pause on the construction.  I have to take the trencher back  to the rental company this morning, and as soon as I return, we're hitting the road to visit with family in Missouri.  Belle's been itching to go up there, and I need a change of scenery.  So, we'll go hang out with people we love in Missouri.

It's going to be fun, and we have a house-sitter arranged.

Project Saturday

Elder son came over today, along with son-in-;aw/  They gave me yeoman's service today for a solid eight hours.  If you asked them, they'd tell you that we were "bowed up like cut-worms: all day.  But, the fresh water is in the shop, the drains are installed and the sewer is almost hooked up.  I say "mostly, because something happened today that we've never seen. The saws-all broke in half.  Yeah, in half.

Elder son was cutting sewer pipe, and it just went "clunk" and the front half of the machine fell in the hole.  He was left holding the handle and the cord.  It's a cheap Harbor Freight device that I've had for fifteen years, and I"m sure I've gotten my moneys worth.  But we've never seen that happen.

But, we have water in the building.

The sink is installed, along with one of the stainless steel prep tables, and the water heater.

The vanity is installed in the bathroom.  Tomorrow after church, we'll finish installing the sewer, the set the toilet. 

We need the saws-all to cut out the old L fitting so that we can install the new sweeping Tee.  Then I can start putting dirt back in the holes.

Who ever heard of a saws-all braking completely in half?

Going Underground

It's time for the project to get back in the dirt.  I started in the dirt back last October, with the dirt work for the foundation.  Now, I"m going back in the dirt for water, sewer, and drainage.  Later today, I'll go to a rental company for a trencher capable of laying  sewer pipe.  I have the existing plumbing exposed and tomorrow morning my family crew will be here for installation.

That is 3/4 inch water pipe between the meter and the house.    We'll tie in here with the line going to the shop.  We'll have to plan this job very carefully, because we're going to have to shut off the water to the house for some period of time.  The shorter, the better.

That is the existing sewer line.  We'll cut out that bend, Tie in with a sweeping Tee, then add a clean-out before we head over to the shop to install the commode flange.

I just got back from the plumbing supply house.  Spent a lot of money for various pipes and fittings that I'm going to bury and (hopefully) never see again.

This project is going to nickel-and-dime me to death.  But, we're going to have a very nice place to entertain when it's over.

Project Update

Belle wanted the walls to me made of OSB.  We're going for a rustic look, and she decided that the most economical way to get that look was painted OSB.  That's fine wit h me, it's economical.  Zach and I finished installing the OSB this morning.  Those horrid pink studs are forger encased in the walls.

Some of the joints are quite tight.  Some of them are amateurish.  I don't pretend to be a carpenter, and paint hides lots of flaws.

RIght now I'm on schedule.  I'm hoping my electrician buddy can make it over this afternoon, and then I"ll start roughing in drains tomorrow morning.

UPDATE**  The electrical installation is complete.  Thanks Brother Fred.

Pink Studs and Shop Update

Today, while I was at Homey Depot, looking for stuff, I stopped i the lubber aisle.

They're awash in these darned tings.  But, someone asked to see the specs, so I took a picture of the scanning tab on the end of the boards.

Now, you know as much about them as I do.  They were made by Georgia-Pacific in Pineland,  TX.

Back at the shop, the work continued.  Grandson Zachary learned to crimp PEX, and pull Rome.  We have the wring roughed-in and the fresh water roughed in, and I'm almost ready to start installing drywall.

This thing is on schedule.  I have a drop-dead date of July 14, when we celebrate the birthday of Belle's mother, who will b 97 years old.

I"m starting to feel good about the completion of this project. 

Rough-In

Sometimes projects take a lot of time in planning and you really don't see it come together for a while.  Such is this bathroom/outdoor kitchen project I'm working on.  For the past two days, I've been doing a lot of prep and planning, going through the plans step-by-step to make sure I didn't forget anything.

Today, we made progress, although it's hard to see .  We did a lot of carpentry and started roughing in both water and sewerage.  It's all kinds of work that has to be done before you can do the things that really show.

We added the final stud wall, got the toilet set up and did the carpentry that is necessary for the toilet installation.  Tomorrow, I'm going to rough-in the fresh water plumbing, and make lists of what I need for the electrical installation.

Friday, I"ll rough-in electrical circuits and start getting read y for wallboard.

Four Hours

Zach and I mowed the lawn this morning then headed to the lumber yard.  After buying materials, we spent four hours installing a roof on the project bathroom.  I feel like we made good progress and we're taking the rest of the day off.  Tomorrow, we have to find the water line (I've got a pretty good idea where it is), and that's going to require shovel work.  While we're digging, we might as well expose the sewer line so we'll know what we are dealing with. 

Projects like this are daunting, because in a bathroom, you have to have incoming water, sewerage, electrical all installed before you can start putting up interior walls.  To the un-educated observer, it looks like you're spending a lot of time spinning your wheels.

Shop Project Phase II

This afternoon, we began Phase II of the shop project.  Shortly after lunch, a club member who is also a professional carpenter came by and framed up a 6 ft by 8 ft bathroom. There is a lot left to do, both waters (potable and sewer), electricity, toilet installation, and trim, but the bones are up and I can start hanging the guts.

Two hours, forty minutes from a bare corner to this skeleton of a room.  Not bad at all.  It really helps to have a professional tradesman in the club.

The Shop Project - Phase 1 Complete.

For those of you who have been following the shop project, Phase 1 has been complete for a couple of months, and we're just about ready to move on to Phase 2.

So, I put together a little video (7 minutes) that will give you a walk-around inside the building.

I'm suing the new camera, learning all the ins-and-outs of video, along with editing and such.  I probably learned as much in the last two hours as I care to learn for a while.  Scripting is good and "winging" it is bad.  But, here goes.



For a first attempt, I'm satisfied with it.  I have a lot to learn.

Camera

I bought my first camera, I guess, at about age 19.  I was in basic training at Fort Knox and bought an Instamatic to take photos.  As I recall, it was inn my foot locker and got dissolved by a bottle of spilled bug dope.  Whatever was in that bug dope ate that camera until all that was left was the metal shutter assembly and a thin film of black plastic goo on the bottom of that drawer.  The Drill Sergeant was impressed.

Fast-forward to the mid '9-s when I bought a Canon SLR, the 35mm film camera.  I loved that camera and still have it, although I have upgraded to the digital version.    I still use that camera, but it's big and bulky.  It takes great photos, but it is big and bulky.  I've taken a few really great photos with this camera, and I don't consider myself a photographer; just a picture-snapper.

That said, I got this particular camera during Christmas 2010,  Canon, and everyone else has made remarkable strides in digital photography since that time.  The old DSLR still has a place in the camera bag, but nowadays I snap more pictures with my smartphone than anything else.  It's the camera I have with me, it's lightweight, it's convenient, and it's with me.  Like anyone else's smartphone, it takes photos and video, sometimes rivaling what is possible with the big bulky DSLR.

Recently, I started looking for a dedicated camera to complement my photo assets.  The companies have made remarkable strides in the technology, and I have a sooper-seekrit project coming up next year.  I wanted a camera to document the project, and one that would take credible video without sacrificing a month's salary.  So, like most modern researchers, I went immediately to YouTube and started looking at reviews.    I knew that I wanted good photos, 1080p video and reasonable sound quality while not stretching the bank account.

I settled on this one.  The Canon Powershot ELPH 360 HS.  It is supposed to be in later this week, and I"ll charge the battery and start playing with it.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the Image Stabilization works, how good the audio quality is, and how best to transfer short video clips.  It'll give me about 10 months to learn the camera before the project kicks off.

Gavel

The shop project continues.  We're using the interior of the building, but the little patch of land between the road and the building was soft.  After a rain, it was yard to get to the building without rutting the yard.  A driveway was necessary, and gravel seemed like the appropriate solution.

Locally, the guys in the trade call this stuff 610.  It's crushed limestone with limestone dust.  After it is spread and has a chance to settle, maybe get a rain on it, it packs very firmly.  And, a $575 for a 15 ton load, it's reasonable.  I contracted for two loads.  The guy delivered one last week, and one yesterday.  I asked for a "gate spread", where he opens the gate of the dump truck just a bit,  raises the bed and drives as it pours out.  There is less manual labor like that.  And, when you're spreading 30 tons of rock, less manual labor is good.

It is 80 feet from the road to the door, and the building is 40 feet wide.  That's pretty good coverage for a gate spread, and I have to move some gravel, but not much.  I can park vehicles three-across now with no danger of miring the vehicles in mud.  Of course, when it's dry, they can park anywhere, but when it's wet, I don't have to worry about bogged vehicles.

A little bit at a time, this project is coming along nicely.

Metal Work

Working for a few hours on the portable range for Louisiana State, my son made dramatic progress on the welding this evening.

He is a whole lot better welder than I am, and I'm glad he was able to come play for a couple of hours.

Hanging a Flag

Today, while Belle was working on lunch. (Chicken and dumplings, by the way), the boys and I went out to the shop to piddle around.  We decided that the shop needed a flag, and I happened to have one, a burial flag that I bought several years ago at  an auction.

A burial flag has different dimensions than a standard American flag.  It's sized to fit properly over a coffin.  I don't know how this particular flag wound up being sold at an auction, but I know what it was and decided to buy it, not knowing what I'd do with it.  At 5' X 9', it's a big flag, but I think that it makes the proper statement.

The top edge of the flag is bout 12 feet from the floor, and it watches over the firing line.

I think that it is just right.