Monday, July 21, 2008

Progress. Slow, but progress

So, I have actually been working on this cutting table. The weekend of my last post, I had a flurry of activity and even got all the drawers done. The next weekend was tied up doing life stuff, but this weekend I did get the whole bugger-boo upstairs.


Yes, it does look like I was drunk when I put the right side together. No, I wasn't. Unfortunately, I can't really fix any of it now. The right most cabinet is too small to get my drill in, so I can't replace those drawer slides. And I have no idea what happened to the cubby holes, but they are all messed up. They are functional, though. So I'm sticking with them.

I had another drawer that simply did not want to function (far left, middle drawer). It was working find downstairs, but refuses to slide up here. So, I just gave up and used the mallet to knock it in.

Speaking of mallets, I have finally gotten my finders smashed. Was it while working with a finicky drawer? No. At least trying to get the massive cabinet together? No. It was inserting snaps...

Sigh. I did actually get some sewing done. My gym bag is starting to get funky. I hate fragrance, though. So I read about Zeolite as a natural deodorizer.

And if it comes in a bag with a cool hamster, all the better, right? So, I made some muslin bags. I wanted to be able to remove the rocks and 1) wash the bags and 2) "sun" the zeolite which supposedly clears out the smells once it starts working.



Anyway, there I am installing the snaps and bang! Felt like an idiot. But, it was still better than paying 25 bucks for something similar.

Anyway, still have to get the doors installed, then take everything off and paint it. Then I will be done!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Cutting Table is coming along!

Last weekend I was able to do a little bit for my cutting table, though not as much as I had hoped. Since many of us in the US get this Friday off, I'm hoping I'll be able to see significant progress this weekend.

Here's where I am right now:
Bay 1 and 2 will hold two wide stacks of drawers, and then a thin shelf area (complete with another landing zone!) The bit on the far right on top of the toolbox is the beginning of my custom mod for this. It will be four simple cubbies to hold my fabulous Greenberg & Hammer transfer paper. These are huge sheets that I don't want to fold. Right now I just lay them in my closet, but that's not very safe.

The inside is made from two thin sheets of plywood cut halfway down the middle and then pieced together.

I remember playing with toys like this when I was a kid, but I can't remember what they are called. Luckily, the idea stuck with me.

Right now, the paper holder is disassembled and being painted before I glue it up. (I really want the paper to have a nice slick surface to slide on, so the high gloss paint, and a bunch of sanding, should help).

This weekend I'm off to the hardware store to look for the final piece for my paper mod. And I hope I'll get the drawers cut out. I may even start routing all those edges, but I really don't love that part.