A day in the woodshop is happy day

[Clipper]

The new soundbar for the home theater system is too tall to sit in front of the tv without blocking the sensor from the remote control. I spent yesterday afternoon and most of this morning building a riser, 4 feet long 12 inches wide and 3 inches tall. Cabinet grade sanded yellow pine plywood has gotten a bit pricey. $50 for a 4x8 sheet.

I built the cabinet grade plywood box yesterday. I mitered the corners and sanded first with 80 grit paper to blend the corner and round them a bit, then with 120 grit for a smooth finish for paint. (I took one of the shelves from the tv stand to Lowes and they matched the color and mixed me a quart of paint to match the tv stand in a flat finish.) I glued 21/4" blocks to the inside of the finished frame so that I could in-lay the top and have it rest on those blocks giving me a smooth top. I put 2 coats of the paint on last night so it would dry by today. Today I applied 2 coats of polyurethane, sanding with 220 grit paper between coats. I apply poly with a microfiber cloth to get a smooth finish with no brush strokes, bristles, lint, or air bubbles. I went to Lowes and bought piece of ribbed black rubber matting such as you might see on stair treads, cut it to fit the inlay and glued it down. That will keep the legs of the tv from moving, and I put 6 felt floor protectors such as you would use on chair legs on the bottom to protect the finish on the tv stand cabinet.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

You are so talented, God Bless........

[Clipper]

Oct 7, 2023 16:46:45 GMT -5 Atticus Pizzaballa said:

You are so talented, God Bless........

Thanks PB. We all need something we enjoy doing to keep us busy and active. I used to be an avid hunter and fisherman but as I have gotten older fake knees, 2 back fusions, and a heart attack seem to have taken the wind out of my sails for that sort of physical activity.

I am hoping to get all the fall work done around here so I can crank up making the simple toys to give away and donate. While we were camping our friends brought out a 5 gallon pail and 5 dice made of 4x4 wood with the spots recessed and painted black. They call the game Yardzee. It is Yahtzee for the outside. I want to make a few of those for friends who have kids or camp. For older kids I want to make all the pieces and materials to assemble simple birdhouses, and bluebird nesting boxes and include the instructions for assembly.

Every year I find myself not able to do one thing or another. This year was definitely the last year to plant a garden. Wrestling with the rototiller, building the fence around it and trying to keep up with the weeds has become more than my back can handle. A few years ago I was bowling 4 nights a week and Kathy was bowling two nights. Now we both bowl once a week on a senior league and are a bit stiff and lame the next day. As I always say, getting old isn't for sissies, LOL.

[Ralph]

This is the one thing I really miss, working in the shop.

[clarencebunsen]

My kids assembled blue bird houses in Cub Scouts. Good project.

Do you have good nesting areas nearby?

[Clipper]

Bluebirds will ordinarily not nest within 100 yrds of another pair, but this year I had two pairs nesting within a hundred feet on opposite corners of the fence. Just once I saw two bluebirds displaying aggressive behavior toward one and another. They were both perched on an electric wire that goes to the old store building. I am assuming that they were both males judging from their color. The females aren't as brightly colored as the males.I think we had three pairs around this summer but only two of those pairs nested in my boxes. The third pair seemed to flit in from across the road and would hit the bluebird feeders that I kept stocked with dried mealworms and then would fly back over the fence heading for the front of the house and area across the road.. I bought one feeder and then used it as a pattern to build an identical one. I would like to pin down exactly where they are coming from so I could provide them with a nesting box next spring.

The bluebirds are gone for the season, as are the cardinals and most of the robins. Now the bluejays and crows have returned. The crows won't be around long but the bluejays stay all winter.