6/28/2014

It’s freaking HOT, 95 degrees. I met Raven in town at the Safeway Bucky’s for coffee this morning. We quickly cruised the farmers market, no gherkins yet, no purchases. We jumped in my car and headed for Home Depot for 26 more pieces of dog eared redwood fencing as I’m building a gate for Elliot’s driveway, just fit in the trunk back seat folded down. Raven bought a 2 foot wire fence for her yard while I went looking for tie plates. I didn’t get the Tee plates as these looked better, much thinner so I won’t have to inlay them, cheaper each but as I’m doubling them each side they cost more. I just need screws.

Getting home and hungry I made a potato salad, steamed green beans, those Porter beer crackers I got for Christmas, cheese, pickled herring Raven bought on a Swedish whim, why we made the rest. The potato salad was great, the herring odd, not bad.

While I was cooking Raven painted more details on the vardo. After lunch it was hot, she moved in to the computer room to research registering the vardo at the DMV. We built a travel trailer, not a coach trailer as it’s small enough.

I moved the saw to the driveway and ripped boards, 28 at 2 1/2 inches and 10 at 3 inches. Raven helped me by holding the ruler as I drew an arc on 5 boards.  Here is a 3D sketch I made at work with the good tools.

It’s too hot to be in the sun, I moved the boards into the garage to reduce warping as they are green wet. More tomorrow earlier.

Raven wants to learn how to wrap things in wire for sale. We sat in front of the fan as I showed her a simple three wire twist net, then I showed her my crystal wrap. Here is her first fair attempt.

Dang, it’s getting hard to see without a microscope any more even with my glasses. Time to see the optometrist again.

Raven headed home to see opening night of a dance she choreographed. Laden with green beans, eggs, cheese, a bottle of bubbly water and the rest of the pickled herring. 🙂

A good day.

6/14/2014

I met Raven today at Starbucks, it’s been awhile as she just got back from Sweden for two weeks living on a farm and doing a rock concert.  See Swedish Roots for her blog on the trip.

We bought coffee and headed over to the farmers market, Raven bought some carrots and eggs, I’m set, we headed home. We talked of her journey, so much fun times.

We need to make the vardo road worthy, tie things down. We looked at ways to secure the small refrigerator, deciding a strap secured to both sides with buttons would hold the unit in as well as shut, removable when on location.  The bench is an issue, the bench backs need to be secure, however, the corner bevels need to be in place first. I have already cut the corner bevels and spent the rest of the morning fitting them in place with two compound angles on top and a neat slope forward where the benches fit. Raven continued the endless details, but managed to finish a side corner.

Lunch of bagels, lox, cream cheese and pea sprouts, munched at the vardo table, very tasty. After with maps of  Sweden places, interesting to see.

More detailing as I tromped about inside making it difficult. I cut the bench back braces to fit the corner bevels at 45 degrees. I have already cut the stock at the same angle as the bench backs, these are top pieces to secure a toggle to hold the bench backs on the road. They will also secure the benches from rising on a road bump. I used two thin pieces of scrap paneling to hold the braces above the backs as I secured them with screws secure in the middle to stud, loosely secure to the outer panel edges.  I cut toggles from some scrap mahogany, sanded, drilled and counter sunk to fit and firmly secured to the center studs.

 

Next I need to install blocks in the floor to secure the benches in place on the road. The above should hold them down in place on a bump.

It’s getting hot even with the blessed cloud cover. We head to Sally’s for a belt with spray water bottle in hand to keep cooler. Raven finds a good belt as well as a great picture book on Sweden all cheap. Back home, Raven needs to head up the hill for a class while I dig out some walnut and cut a couple screw buttons on the lathe for the refrigerator belt to attach.

A good day, more as friend Joe shows up for table saw repairs and penny stove building from empty soda cans.