6/26/2016

I got up early and cooked the tuna casserole at 375 for a half hour to beat the heat. I also threw in a butternut squash that’s been on the fridge and turned the oven off. Back to bed, up later. I need chicken broth for soups and coffee, a quick trip to town for both, a stop at the auto store for a 59.5″ V belt and straight home.

I cooked up the squash soup first (after a breakfast of ham, onion, cheese and egg scramble). Chopped onions, celery, small carrot, light garlic fried in the pan. Add light garden herbs and the squash pulp with O chicken broth. I used the immersion blender from Sally’s to blend everything to a puree, a bit of salt, two lumps of butter and a grating of nutmeg. Two buckets and some for now, tasty.

Next up a broccoli cheese soup, florets in the UFO steamer with the chopped stems on one side. Butter, onions, garlic, garden herbs and celery in the pan a while translucent. Flour and a bit of olive oil for a rue, add half and half slowly stirring to incorporate to a gravy consistency. Add yesterdays cheese, mild and unexpected cheddar a little at a time, a glug of two buck Chuck white wine, more cheese, I used unexpected cheddar chopped small. I thinned it down with chicken broth as this is soup. Add the steamed broccoli stems and some florets, using the immersion blender again to puree it, then add the florets to finish. Two more buckets and some for lunch. I still have zucchini and celery for a chicken soup, but I don’t have enough buckets and it’s getting hot at 90 F, time to stop cooking.

The V belt will fit the motor and pulleys just fine, but this tiny motor doesn’t have it to turn the shaft, I’ll need a bigger motor. I have a sweet hospital grade vacuum pump from Michael, but it’s welded, hate to break that down. I look on Craigslist for local yard sales. Off to Healdsburg, then Cloverdale, a bag of bolts and some twine, no motors. I called Joe, he still has the motor I gave him from Sally’s for his joiner with too many projects to get it installed. I’d like to borrow it to get this surface sander working, turn the pulley and sand the drum. I’ll replace it when the right one comes along if he can find it.

It’s up to 100 F, drinking water and cooling, a cool shower helps. Sunday laundry has been processing. I find a very square piece of walnut laminated from the door place and add some plumbers sanding tape with a couple small nails on the end grain. A thin piece of birch plywood to hold the soundboard blanks up. I cut two pieces of fir on the band saw, just under the 12 inch max length cut but enough for a good ukulele soundboard. Trued square with the made block sander, the two just over twelve wide. I cut five pieces of sticker wood pine at 14 inches each, and a bunch of wedges on the band saw trued on the drum sander. I used cotton string to weave the pieces together on the stickers with a loop and rolling hitch at the ends to get them as tight as I could, then added the wedges to cinch them even more. This will work, undone, glued and redone tight. I’ll need to scrape the surfaces to get them smooth, free of glue.

I set up the table saw to cut the mahogany sides at 6.2 cm. The plans call for 6 cm, room for sanding. The catch roller was out too far and cut in as I adjusted it, dang. But enough stock to make the parts. Another pass to get more side stock before the split runs out. This is enough to make the bent sides, maybe for two ukes, we’ll see as errors can occur, hoping for the best. There is still another piece of mahogany not cut wide and that pretty maple I’d like to save for guitar stock. I also have enough mahogany for two and a half backs if all goes well.

Two ukuleles and maybe a guitar. I’ll need an 8 inch wide piece of good back stock doubled to make a guitar. Of course the necks and fret boards are to be determined, but Joe has maple neck stock for two ukes, and Wayne is cutting two uke fret boards in rose wood. He also gave me a beautiful piece of jacota wood perfect size for a guitar fret board. My aged boat wood mahogany could make a sweet neck. We have three more instruments to build. Plenty of fret wire, we’ll need more tuning machines.

It’s finally cooling off, barely.

6/25/2016

Wow, I got a lot done today. It hit 100 degrees F, but I still did OK. I got up in the dark 4:30 and went out and foam sprayed all the wasp nests in the vardo eaves while they were still sleeping, then went back to bed. In the morning I cooked up crostini toasts, some hard boiled eggs, red potatoes and macaroni while it was still cool. In the garden, I picked my first zucchini, and another one should be ready tomorrow. Have to keep an eye on them.

Off to town for coffee and the farmers market, picked up some Duncan mushrooms, a cabbage, a cucumber and a lime. At Safeway O celery, cream of celery soup, half and half . To Garrett’s for some 1/4″ bolts, nuts and washers, a parsley, basil and bean plants. Sally’s found shoe polish, clamps, violin rosin, aluminum flashing and a couple pens. Home, plant the plants, clean the water timer inlet to the garden.

Cooking, a simple potato salad, boiled eggs, celery, onions, pimento olives, O mayo, a touch horse radish, mustard and Larrupin mustard dill sauce to kick it off. I grated all the mild cheddar cheese and half an unexpected cheddar mixed as I’m planning on broccoli cheese soup too tomorrow. Tuna noodle casserole, two cans tuna, mushroom soup, celery soup, celery, onions, crushed potato chips in, a lot of cheese, a can of O corn, my not hot curry powder all mixed in with most of the macaroni. In the ceramic pan with more cheese on top and crushed potato chips. I’ll bake it tomorrow morning when it’s cooler, covered in the fridge, a meal for the lunch gang.

To the garage, I picked up four 2 x 4 s yesterday for the surface sander I’m building and a quarter sheet of good flat 3/4″ plywood. Bringing up the plans from Matthias Wandel’s site:

https://woodgears.ca/sander/plans/index.html

I’m making some changes as I have a half inch shaft and pillow blocks, three and a half inch MDF disks instead of 5″ disks. A smaller version , but I have more MDF if this needs to be bigger later. The Velcro is  my determining factor with 10 feet of two inch stuff. I’m going for a 16 inch wide sander. I use the 99 cm height of the plans and 45 cm depth. Recalculating, I figure 22 inches will fit the pillow blocks at 17.5 inch centers and allow the 2 x 4 s to fit with a 16 inch drum.  Parts cut on the table saw. Off to Bosworth’s for some screws to put it together and 3/8″ carriage bolts to secure the pillow blocks. I clamped the 2 x 4 s to the bench, drilled and screwed together according to the plans and my modifications. I drilled the pillow block holes through the 2 x 4 s at center 16 cm to the edge, bolted on, loosened up to except the shaft tapped  on with the plastic hammer, then wrench secured. The rough pulley is in place, needs to be turned  down when a belt is acquired, measured at about 59 inches. I attached the motor to the frame with a left over 2 x 4 cut to size and a hinge. The loose hinge pin makes it easy to attach, later I’ll add a screw to keep the pin in place. I’ll need to build the in feed table of two layers of 3/4 plywood with a smooth surface added. I may need to raise the table back to fit the smaller wheels. I checked the motor direction, it’s correct. I’ll need a belt or at least a twisted rope to get the 5 inch drive pulley turned true.

And a switch. There is more to do for sure but this is a lot done.

I also checked out the wood I picked up last week from Joe for the ukulele builds. There are two sweet pieces of mahogany for a back, a split piece long but wide enough for the sides to be bent. Maybe another not split. Checking on sound boards, there are two pieces of I think fir, one is split but enough for the sound board and enough for another. We’ll need another back but I remember Joe has a couple walnut pieces. I also have two sweet pieces of cedar 8 inches wide a bit thick book matched worthy of a soundboard for a guitar and a long piece of thin maple worthy as a guitar sides. Really nice wood, music grade, all free from the door place near Joe’s house. Thanks.

 

6/19/2016

Happy Fathers day!

I had a fun weekend. Friday I picked up some buffers at Harbor Freight for the bass guitar and a slab of 3/4″ MDF board 2 feet square from Home Depot.

Saturday morning trip to the farmers market, zucchini, carrots, more sliced bacon, some lettuce and Duncan’s mushrooms. Not much at Salvation Army, a round ‘W’ french bread pan, a new can opener and some dowels. Home, the pillow blocks, fret wire and Velcro arrived in the mail, oh boy. The Velcro and pillow block bearings are for the wood surfacer I’m building to make wood flat, an abrasive planer of sort. I’m still waiting for the yard long 1/2″ steel shaft. I gave Joe a call to see what he’s up to. He’s working on the tree house for Jose, using the high grade wood he got from the door makers up the street for siding. That is the stuff I’d like to use for making a couple ukuleles, I think I’ll go visit.

I brought along extra lettuce and mushrooms, Duncan always gives me more than I can use. Also the fret wire, the ukulele plans I printed from work for reference, one of the pillow blocks and the uke fret board pattern I drew using the digital readout on the mill this week, exact. Josey and Joe are in the tree house, Joe is putting up studs for the walls and corner braces at 45 degrees. His wife Cat and mom Jane come out to greet me. We go in for snacks of new peaches from the tree, strawberries from the garden (yum), salsa and chips. Joe and I tape together the ukulele plans (Matthias Wandel’s tenor free) and I give him them for inspiration to hang in the workshop.

After snacks back to work, Joe lets me pick out all the good ones to use for instruments, some nice Doug fir and cedar for sound boards, mahogany, oak and a really sweet piece of maple perfect for the bent sides of a guitar or uke. Stashed in the truck with the maple bent round in the cab like a McDonald’s sign, some in the bed, short stuff in the cab. What a score.

We put put up some of the rest for siding on the fort, oak and fir, staggered in contrast, looking good. Working around the full sliding window Joe installed, with plans of a bell tower above the roof. This will be a superior tree house indeed. Paint inside, perhaps oil outside not to be painted, such beautiful wood.

Dinner’s ready, spinach cheese squares, browned baked rice with roasted onions, really tasty. Time for me to head home, with peaches, oh yea. Thanks!

Today, Sunday, to town for coffee. Strawberries, dollar pound cakes plain and lemon, whipped cream for the work gang, strawberry short cake, oh yea.

Back home I set up the saw horses and door bench for cutting the 3.5″ circles to make a long drum sander in MDF. Half way through, turned over and finish the cut, pried out with needle nose pliers Three sets of seven makes a 16.25 inch cylinder, but two are flatted a little, we’ll see, a guitar is only 14.5″ wide. I installed the 1/2 drill in the drill press and drilled each wheel square hole. Trimmed with a larger bit.

 When the shaft gets here, I’ll glue all the wheels together and true them with course sandpaper. I’ll need to build a frame and all with hinges to hold the boards flat with a screw to adjust the thickness. I ordered 100 grit sandpaper with loops to fit the cylinder. I think I’ll need to order more Velcro to make the wheel longer. I checked out the motor I intend to use, knocked off the wheel Sky attached, 1300 RPM. It runs fine. I’ll need to get or make pulleys.

I messed about with the table saw, a simple zero clearance insert and a couple cuts to see how the door store boards could make a rosette inlay. I didn’t get anything done on the bass, but I had fun.

I cooked a batch of meat spaghetti sauce with fusilli noodles, and a chicken veggie noodle soup for lunches. Laundry done, and rinsed my lunch bag dry. Another week ahead, I’m ready.

6/12/2016

I had a productive day today. I met Raven at Starbucks for coffee, picked up some rice for a stir fry. We walked up to the plaza where a huge sale was going on, mostly antiques, some really nice stuff. Off to Goodwill for a look around, nothing I needed, Raven picked up a native American cassette tape.

Home, Raven wants to make clam sauce spaghetti for lunch, I’m OK with that but I need to make the stir fry for lunches this week and it’s still early. I put on a pan of water for the pasta. Rice on, garlic, ginger, veggies, chicken thighs, onions cut. Wok on, oil in, onions translucent, chicken, five spice, garlic and ginger. Add the veggies all on hot stirring. Spring peas in. Reduce the heat and pull it all aside in the pan, more oil, add an egg scrambled in the clearing, mixed in once cooked. Add the rice to fry, a little more heat, soy sauce quite a bit but not too much, and a touch of sesame oil. It’s done, off. The kitchen is Raven’s. Spaghetti noodles, olive oil, a can of clams, a lot of garlic, garden parsley, white wine, reduced. Simple and tasty. I sample the stir fry also good.

Raven is on a marathon to paint all the rocks with runes using a metallic shaker pen.

I’m trying to fix the sewing machine to sew leather pouches. A tall order, trying several thread sizes, tension adjustments, oiling the machine, removing the bobbin and cleaning the mechanism underneath (never did that before). It will sew fabric but the leather needle is too small, won’t do it. Finally I have to give up, a bigger needle may work, but not this one.

On to more fun stuff, I re drilled the bass stand upright to except the wishbone with a larger deeper drill bit. I need to adjust one of the countersinks, but it works OK. I added two dowels drilled through to accept the bass platform by marking a pencil line and drilling to match the dowel size to the lines. It held up the bass fine, but the platform slips when you pick it up. I added another dowel underneath, but it will need another above to keep it from sliding. It holds the bass well.

The front of the guitar looks OK, but the back is a bit rough from the last lacquer spray. I use 400 fine grit to bring it up to smooth again, wire hang it from the clothes line under the porch and just spray retouch the back lacquer. I think it will be alright, but the neck will back need a slight polish to finish the finish.

We took a walk around the perimeter. She’ll be moving to Santa Cruz this week. We won’t see each other as often but sometimes. We are good friends. Time for Raven to head home, with a box of stir fry and a hug.

I cooked a batch of bone broth chicken soup from last weeks carcass broth I’ve been saving. Laundry folded and ready for work (mostly) tomorrow.

Rune Marathon

Today, as I prepare for my departure to Santa Cruz, I decided to finish all of the rune sets in preparation for September’s Hexenfest Faire vending.  I know its a long way off, yet I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to make it back up here to focus on them.  I completed all of the sets and will take the leather with me to sew for holding each set of runes.

 

6/11/2016

A good day. I headed for town, coffee, to the farmers market. A small cabbage from Preston farms, an onion, a nice cucumber, some snow peas, I’m good. Safeway I picked up a baguette, a deal on grass fed burgers 50% off, some cream cheese and an O tomato. I still have plenty at home, last weeks bacon ends and some pinto beans from TJ’s to make Pasta y Fagioli soup. A stop at Garrett’s for a couple more brass #10 2″ screws as I lost the ones from last week.

A stop at Salvation Army, I want something to make a wood bender, a cylinder to hold a 200 watt bulb I bought last weekend. I found a desk lamp should work modified heavily and a steel crock, a little large radius, but perhaps. I found a bobbin for the sewing machine and a loom shuttle in the bins. As they have an antique loom for sale in one of the shops, I told Diana at checkout the shuttle should go there, she agreed, set aside. Two bucks, deal.

Home, I cleared the sprinkler for the garden as the screen gathers weekly crud, watered the guava, roses and chives in the front yard. I watered the avocados and inside plants earlier as it’s Saturday.

I drilled holes in the bass guitar stand head stock to attach the brass screws equal to their diameter and countersunk them. I drilled a single hole to match the inner thread diameter of the screw. On screwing in the part, the screw snapped, dang, not a deep enough hole or too small a drill. I had to drill it out on three sides then remove the busted screw with pliers. I re drilled out the hole big with a forstner bit to fit a larger dowel, cut to size and glued in, wood putty to fill the gaps. This will have to wait until tomorrow. Harry’s Mercantile had a couple more screws, I’ll need to drill it a little larger and deeper.

Lunches, I chopped up last weeks farmers market bacon ends, sorting just the meat, saving the fat for a future rendering. Fried in the iron skillet, saved to a bowl. Chopped carrots, zucchini, celery, garlic, garden herbs,  some cabbage and half an onion. Onion in olive oil, then everything with TJ’s O free range chicken broth, a glug of white wine, a can of O pinto beans with macaroni in a separate pan  boiling. Add salt. I set aside some beans mashed to thicken it. The carrots are done, off, to cool awhile. I tried a bowl, oh my, this is wonderful soup, my favorite. Three boxes for lunches and a half a bowl for now again, so good.

I wired the guitar to the garage door for another coat of lacquer, sprayed on after cleaning with a paper towel and compressed air. It looks good except the back feels a little rough. I’ll sand that again and re apply. I’m hoping it’s close to done with lacquer. It’s not perfect, fair enough.

I took the lamp I bought today to the sander and ground off most of the paint outside, all on top, then used several stone grinders, a step drill and a rotary file to enlarge the hole to fit a ceramic socket. I wired it with a left over incandescent dimmer, wire nutted inside. It works with the 200 watt light bulb. This is way beyond the 60 watt recommended, but with a new ceramic socket, I need the heat and cylinder to bend wood to make a ukulele body. This will do the job nicely.

A good day indeed.

6/5/2016

I called Joe last night to see what’s up. Josie’s having a birthday party in Howarth park, starts at 11:AM, I’ll go, I have potato salad to bring. I decide to give her one of the dulcimers I picked up at Sally’s yesterday. The body is just cardboard, but they sound good.

I drove to the wrong park at Spring lake, oops, made it to Howarth Park fashionably late. The huge party size Mary’s Pizza arrived as I did. Kids are riding on the train. It will wait. Veggie and hummus dip appetizers to tide us over. Good to see Jane and Guy, Joe’s folks. As the kids returned the party happened. Good fun with a Minecraft theme, a bunch of 8 year old girls with older sister supposed to be watching, the parents covered that too. It was a good party, met some parents and kids, good people.

Home with a brief stop at Safeway for a half dozen eggs, it’s really hot at home. I cycle the laundry dryer again as it’s a full load from last weekend North.

I worked on the bass stand some, cut the bottom plank on the band saw carefully, leaving just a little to file it true. I used the rasp to true it up, careful to keep it square for the upright. The notch fits well now, just tight.

I prepped a batch of crostinis but it’s too hot to bake yet, 95 F. This morning I prepped a chicken, it’s been brining.

I sprayed the bass with another coat of lacquer this morning before I left, it’s dry now. There is a run on the front, sanded out with 400 grit slowly. I find the 320 grit in the garage and go over most of the whole guitar to get rid of the orange peel. Hoping another coat covers it smooth, but each additional coat makes it thicker smooth.

As it’s finally cooling off I kick on the oven at 350 with the crostinis, the chicken and prep a quick meat loaf in all at once. Crostinis are done, next the chicken is up to temperature. The meatloaf went in later, done. I have plenty of food again, more than enough to share. The carcass will make a fine soup.

I called Joe last night to see what’s up. Josie’s having a birthday party in Howarth park, starts at 11:AM, I’ll go, I have potato salad to bring. I decide to give her one of the dulcimers I picked up at Sally’s yesterday. The body is just cardboard, but they sound good. (insert)

I drove to the wrong park at Spring lake, oops, made it to Howarth Park fashionably late. The huge party size Mary’s Pizza arrived as I did. Kids are riding on the train. It will wait. Veggie and hummus dip appetizers to tide us over. Good to see Jane and Guy, Joes folks. As the kids returned the party happened. Good fun with a Minecraft theme, a bunch of 8 year old girls with older sister supposed to be watching, the parents covered that too. It was a good party, met some parents and kids, good people.

Home with a brief stop at Safeway for a half dozen eggs, it’s really hot at home. I cycle the laundry dryer again as it’s a full load from last weekend North.

I worked on the bass stand some, cut the bottom plank on the band saw carefully, leaving just a little to file it true. I used the rasp to true it up, careful to keep it square for the upright. The notch fits well now, just tight.

I prepped a batch of crostinis but it’s too hot to bake yet, 95 F. This morning I prepped a chicken, it’s been brining.

I sprayed the bass with another coat of lacquer this morning before I left, it’s dry now. There is a run on the front, sanded out with 400 grit slowly. I find the 320 grit in the garage and go over most of the whole guitar to get rid of the orange peel. Hoping another coat covers it smooth, but each additional coat makes it thicker smooth.

As it’s finally cooling off I kick on the oven at 350 with the crostinis, the chicken and prep a quick meat loaf in all at once. Crostinis are done, next the chicken is up to temperature. The meatloaf went in later, done. I have plenty of food again, more than enough to share..Laundry folded, another great day.

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6/4/2016

I got up early at 7:00 today for a Saturday, I usually sleep in. It could get hot and I want to make potato salad, best start early. I diced up 5 pounds of red potatoes, in the big yellow pan with water to boil. Six eggs in a smaller pan to boil. I kept a close eye on the potatoes, checked often until they were just done enough, cooked but firm, a fork cuts it easy. Chilled in cold water to stop the cooking, these are perfect. I shut the eggs down when they boiled and left them to cook and cool. One to eat for breakfast. Coffee, yes, to town then, Starbucks, tall Pike with room. This isn’t as smooth as the Jamaica Blue Mountain my friend Ken brought me from his Jamaica vacation, nothing is as that is the best in the world. The people from Kona agree.

Off to the farmers market early, I want bacon end cuts for the potato salad, they have them, two bags please. Some of Dunkin’s mushrooms, I should have waited on TJ’s as the zucchini is already on. Carrots, spring peas from Preston Farms and a peach.

Back to Safeway for baguette, O celery, some burger and a chicken. The dollar store for containers for the potato salad, some olives.

Off to Sally’s, they just opened and the rush is frantic around the bins, I find a pile of cardboard dulcimers on the tables, probably from a school. The tuners are good with three per, I’ll need two to make a ukulele, with frets as well. I find a nice Turkish looking copper cup Raven will like and a few CDs.

Home to finish the potato salad, I sliced the bacon smaller, nice chunks of solid meat to fry, hold back the pure fat to render later. The green onions have been growing in the water glass, time to chop them up. Almost everything here is organic, mayo, my home made bread and butter pickles chopped up for relish, capers, olives, mustard, a dash of horse radish, celery, half a sweet onion chopped fine, garlic, dill, garden tarragon, rice vinegar, and a large dollop of Larupin’s dill sauce to push it over the top. Oh my, this is good and a lot of it, two big cylinders, and a plastic casserole dish plus a small serving.

I picked up some fresh spring peas at the FM, a stir fry is in order. Rice on. Dice green beans, string the peas, a zucchini quartered and sliced, fresh carrot, garlic, ginger diced small. A half an onion top side sliced, save the root end. Dunkin’s mushrooms sliced. Chopped an O chicken breast. Fry it up with soy sauce at the end and some corn starch water to thicken it. Finish with garden green onion top diced. Served with rice, yum.

I started working on the bass stand as Raven arrived, sanding the upright with the belt sander, moving to the lapidary. The wish bone will need the smaller drum sander hooked into the big 1/2 inch drill clamped in the bench vice. This works well. Rough finished on the lapidary. I glued up the two base planks this morning. Scraped with the plane scraper then sanded all the parts with rough 80 grit, 100 grit and 150. I trimmed the upright lower end and squared the bottom plank on the band saw. I marked the notch I’ll need to cut in the bass plank. A couple dowel stops should hold the base in place.

Raven has been working on sewing leather bags using the sewing machine. This is a challenge. She got a few out, then broke a needle. The brown thread is not strong enough, switch to the red stuff, Getting the tension right on the upright spool takes me a long frustrating time. Not today, though she got a few done. She moves over to paint some runes on the stones we collected last time, they are looking good.

A walk to the river for some mugwort and  time for home with a bag of bounties. What a fun day.