BESTDAY –

In a long time.

Began with a lucid dream, and you know what that means to a man.  Hubba-hubba.

Down to The Shop to work the Lovely Kelly’s Christmas present – a box.

Learning: don’t undercut the insie and outsie for the nestled lid-base; 2 rabbit the top of the top so that when rabbiting the corresponding lid to the top of the box the artisan is not taxed with fitting, precisely the top.

Onward – consultation with the barber surgeon.

When I refreshed him on the case, he determined that something must be done.  Sent next door for fresh X-ray’s, this time in the standing position.

Result?  Everything I hoped to accomplish.

There’s no need for a replacement, there is need to snake a tube in there and suck out the debris apparent in the X-rays, and possibly staple down an errant flap of meniscus.  Approval pending.

Curtis was pending when I arrived homeslice, and Muttski!

Soon arrived The Prof and his father-in-law here from Oregon for the holidays. 

And then the Lovely Kelly. 

Who could ask for anything more?

CHRISMASDAYO –

Teresa dreams, natch.

The Prof comes by just as I am repairing an insufficiency to the lining inside the hood of the capote he so kindly gave me, and installing a loop and button to hold closed the inner collar.

Strange: robin in the garden, first I’ve ever seen.  Snacckk, the raucous scrub jay on the balustrade, first time in 4 months in to cadge a nut.   Bagpiper on 7th street.  Terrible.

Clear, can see all the way to god’s intelligent design, but you don’t have to look farther than a slim gal in a tight bodice to see that.

Gifties galore, more than my share: books, tools, old LIFE mags, hand-formed cooking spoon, maybe Grandma Swope’s.  An embarrassment of riches.

BOXINGDAY –

Was looking forward to life’s simple pleasures: Physical Therapy, Grocery Outlet, being struck by the thunderbolt of a Macarthur Grant.  But no.

Jacked the knee twelve ways to Sunday walking backwards on the treadmill.  No I didn’t make that up. 

PT Craig The Healer did his best to impart healing mojo, no mojitos.

I’m home for an overdose of anti-inflammatories, a change of sackcloth, and then out to Marina for party provisions – Last Saturday tomorrow.

All the while driving thither and back I’m thinking about how I’m to shift the merchandize for tomorrow’s JohnsonArts Garage Sale down from the wareshed to the Shop.  Not worried about the tchotchkes, but how do I levitate the grand piano, the refrigerator full of Paleolithic fossils and the entire iceberg that knee-capped the Titanic.

Thanks to my Robo-Suit, managed to transmogrify the goods toward retail, I mean Wholesale!

12 31

Other than the afflicted knee, all was well this day, except for the busted ATM.  Provisioning at TJ’s was quick and effective, depositing the Worker’s Comp check was hindered by the ATM being hors de combat.  Grocery Cheaplet for a sack of grub, Ka-nob hill for reduced size – same price – Palermo Rolls.

Home to learn that my video interview with American Woodmark has been canceled and in its stead a face-to-face.  In Sacto.  Jan 7.

Their online form is stupid with detail, I don’t fill it out well.

2PM – consultation with Heather McCoglan.  She has an artifact from the 9 11 Trade Center.  It’s a crumpled, crushed intensely folded in on itself crumb of steel in the shape of an elk’s skull, about 40 x 40 x 20 cm.  I offer a number of design selections, propose to have a strawman Monday for her review, and my rate of $75/hour plus materials is accepted.

Meanwhile, the back of the Oak Display Case is glue up.

Next: Wildman!  He’s got a job building two tables, a grand each. 

NOTNEWYEARSDAYANYMORE –

At issue: glue up the Oak Display Case.

But not so fast.

Where is the floor?

Here, in this sheet of plywood.

What of it?

How best to make a floor of a cabinet.

The front and back of the case were glued up first. Here the floor is being fitted into kerfs in the bottom case frame.

There is no best, but there are options.

Nail it on from the bottom.  Nail it on from the top.  Rabbet the top edge of the bottom front, sides and back; do the same for the bottom.

Or in this case, for this is the approach I chose: kerf all around.

And since I did not notch the legs, I had to notch the floor.

It turned out tight and right, better than I though I was capable of, and I am certainly capable of dropping a preposition.

STILLNOATMDAY –

In spite of Steve at the 7-11 telling me, “it looks like it’s working.”

This view shows the entire case in glue up – those are the sliding doors in the back of the case which permit access to your buggy whip inventory.

To The Case: the case glue up is good, the final assembly step is to mark for dowel holes in the underside of the case top, drill blind holes (without punching through), and then voila!

It went easier than I had any right to expect, and the case looks good.  True, there is shellac touch-up needed all around, but once the clamps come off, this project is essentially done.

The Learning:

Avoid designs that require mortise and tenon joints to meet flush

Oak continues to be one of my favorite woods with which to work

Please, please PLEASE stop cutting the glass to too-close tolerances.  Please.