zen and the art of building things

the best part of managing the warehouse is the access to almost limitless resources.  there is a tire balancer and wheel aligner (i don't know how to use those), a sheet metal brake (i used this once and very poorly i might add), enough cords, cables and connectors to put radio shack to shame, audio equipment, and a welder....

this is chuck

there are also many, many power tools, hand tools, and the like:

left to right- baby ball peen, geologist, baby sledge, 16oz ball peen.  i have no clue what the last one is- it was my grandfather's.

over the past couple of months i've been coming in and working on my truck or fixing things, or just turning up my guitars really loudly.  awhile ago i decided to build a spice rack.  a proper one.

i've been into oak lately.  in celtic lore oak symbolizes strength and courage.  it's heavy and lasts forever.  and apparently it's a door the the faerie realm, if you find the crann bethadh:

"The most sacred tree of all was the Oak tree, which represented the axis mundi, the center of the world. The Celtic name for oak, daur, is the origin of the word door- the root of the oak was literally the doorway to the Otherworld, the realm of Fairy. The word Druid, the name of the Celtic Priestly class, is compounded from the words for oak and seeing- a Druid was one who was “Oak seeing,” meaning learned in Tree magic and guardian of the doorway. Long after the Druids of old have vanished into the mists of time, the lore of trees continues as a vital part of Celtic myth and folklore. Countless Irish legends revolve around trees. One could fall asleep next to a particular tree and awake in the fairy realm." -symboldictionary.net

here is another place to see the what the oak represents, if that's your scene.

so i found a few bits of white oak.  not hard to run down.  here is what it looked like unsanded and unfinished.  it's heavy:

"heavy is good.  heavy is reliable."

i probably need new saw blades and some sharper drill bits.  oak is dense and my blades are dull from cutting plywood.  i cut all the pieces and applied stain and sealer.  it's easier to sand and stain them first rather than assemble everything and then try to get the stain and sealer into all the nooks and crannies.

first coat of stain #nofilter

this takes some time.  i built a cigar box ten years ago and it looks like shit because i didn't let the polyurethane dry long enough before i sanded and added more.  and it was in my parents basement during july and it felt like an armpit down there.  so the nice mahogany i got from the cabinet shop got ruined.  all you are doing is bringing out what is already there and it's not going to go anywhere.  relax.  be patient.

lesson learned.  properly sand; find your little area of zen.  lots of time chatting with the clockmaker.  feel the grain of the wood.  break the edges, smell the sawdust.  add the stain going with the grain.  8 hours for the stain to dry.  24 hours for the poly.  hit everything with a 220 grit paper and have a cup of coffee.  then add another layer of poly to everything.  another 24 hours to dry.

the crux of everything in finishing work is good cuts, square measurements, and uniformity.  measure like a fiend and you should be able to have all three.

countersink

   

i saw something like this on pinterest with a rope hanger and thought it was rad.  i got this particular rope when i was working construction at for a.p. hill so it was in my closet for awhile.  there you have it- time consuming but therapeutic. 

more to come!