I did several test cuts, and tried several variations of the small shims that came with the dado stack set. I was really surprised at how drastic the cuts were, based on the inclusion of one small little shim.
A big issue: in trying to get our pieces fully in, I was hammering the frame pieces in with a mallet. Despite me using a block of wood to lessen the direct impact, I was trying to really get the frame pieces to fit in.
Turns out, the dado cuts weren’t big enough. And my hammering ended up splitting the bottom frame. And we also damaged part of the right frame.
Drilling holes for the dowel rods. It’s gettin’ real!
So you may or may not have guessed: we’re building a Plinko board for Halloween. This project involves a lot of newer things we haven’t done before (angled cuts, dado stack)… but we felt like it would be a good challenge. And a good opportunity to stretch our skills a bit.
Our cart. At least three different times, one of us said “I don’t know if we have enough.” Which then resulted in us throwing another $15 bag of candy into the cart. Even now, I’m still not sure if we have enough.
A few photos over the course of a few days, showing off some progress on the back porch. Liz has been painting a bit, as I’ve been (slowly) working on getting the railing re-installed/replaced.
It’s come to this. It’s a Friday night, we’re both done with work… and how do we spend it? Walking around Home Depot, looking for light bulbs, a dado stack, and some lumber.
Liz and I have some big plans in the works. Being a little coy here. Maybe you can tell what this is. Maybe not.
Either way – it’s gonna be fun. Stay tuned.
“All the actors from the sitcoms
I watched as a child are dead.”
I have to confess – the first time I pressed the switch and saw this working, I started giggling uncontrollably. This is all fairly rudimentary electronics wiring, but I continue to feel lucky every time things just work – and also lucky that my components aren’t exploding in a small burst of flame and smoke.
The hope is to turn this into a sort of staging area, for when we get to the windows. So with some timing and luck, we’ll likely be transforming this room again in a few weeks. But for now, things look a bit more normal.
Bob always has a few tricks up his sleeve, but I found this particular install impressive. He’s helping put in the exterior siding to the area under the kitchen (where we will eventually store a lot of outdoor supplies, and our garbage bins).
We’ve been using the space under the kitchen as a very makeshift storage area, and a lot of “stuff” as just wound up underneath there. Today, I cleared most of it out in anticipation of some additional work happening soon (putting up some siding, and adding doors).
Went outside today, and was delighted to see this fun bit of Halloween decoration up already. We’ve got some new neighbors in the building next door, and I’m fairly certain this was by them.
Today, a first – came down to see Hugo, standing on the top floor. He and I looked at one another, and we were both pretty confused.