Garden Railroad 2024
The railroad is alive again in the backyard. It's a project without an end, but we are at a
Category: Projects
Ham Radio 2024
Once a ham, always a ham.
McGuire Family Philco
The family radio from 1937 resurrected!
A Craftsman's Step Ladder
A new little step ladder for the shop
I Don't Weld
Oops. I guess I do.
Bedroom Remodel
A case of expanding requirements
Gnome Suite Home
Treehouse then and now
Player Piano Restoration: The Stack
Seeing this player come to life has been a bunch of fun (not to mention a big relief). One of the
A Piano Finds a Home: My Home!
A Steinway model O from 1909 is at home.
Garden Railroad: Laying Track
It's more than a mound of dirt, now!
Garden Railroad Winter 2022
Time out for some railroad building!
Working in the Second Quadrant
Found a round-to-it. Moved into the 2nd quadrant.
Amateur Machinist: Tuning Lever Extension
Making a useful tool improvement for piano stringing with new machinist skills
Efficient Use of 20 square feet
Finally. A bathroom for the main floor.
Garden Railroad Spring 2021
Spring has sprung, and it's time to get working on the railroad!
Landscaping Spring 2021
Spring project: garden landscape
Pet Doors for Bebop
This is all about a doggie door.
A Singer Sewing Machine is not a piano
A singer sewing machine is not a piano. But I accepted the challenge of restoring a sewing machine cabinet that had been badly water damaged. Water and veneered pieces do not go well together.
Progress on the MH&D Railroad
It looks like we'll be laying track on the McGuire-Henkel-and-Dunbar railroad next spring. For a
McGuire-Henkel-Dunbar Railroad
Last year I decided it was time, if ever, for me to start building a garden railroad in the backyard.
An old Piano Friend Comes Home
Sometime around 1959, in Raymond Washington, I had my first piano lesson. It was on this piano:
Sand, Gravel, and Cement, Mixed With Experience
For Terri's birthday, she asked for sand and gravel. Actually, it was sand, gravel, cement, and
A roof in a day
Our house was built 17 years ago. A look around the neighborhood will tell you that the roofing
More improvements for Bebop
She’s an expensive dog, and worth it! Now complete is a new walkway to the shop, and concrete
Can you fix that?
Yes, I can. More details are here:
Completion: East Steps of the Deck
It's done. Steps for the east side of the deck. The deck was completed 5 years ago. Pandemic =
Pandemic Projects
A new puppy means a new fence. Planter box - Cedar and redwood. Stairs for the east side of the
Terri's Garden 2020
Showing off some of Terri's work
Getting it done
You might say that I've been thinking about building some steps on the east side of the deck for a
A fence for Bebop
Quarantine Project: the Bebop fence. For years, it has been known, "You can't have a dog. We don't
A sequencer for Jazz Chord Practice
As I work to develop my "Jazz vocabulary", I wanted an electronic flashcard tool that would help me
Quick Change Bit holders
I bought a collection of quick change driver bits: square, phillips, hex, torx, and straight. Some
Front Door Handleset Repair
Yesterday I got an oops text from my wife: I recognized immediately: These handlesets are
Just Like Downtown
Dad was someone who was known as a practical man. He could get things done, and was always looking
A first metal lathe project
I work in wood. But for years I've wanted to get into the machinist's world too. A few months ago I
A piano shop workbench
My bargain shopping wife found a large "workbench" -- a collection of solid cabinets mounted on an
Smoke Detectors for the Shop
This morning I installed smoke detectors in the shop, which are interconnected with detectors in
Time Keeping Automation with TOGGL
For my piano rebuilding business, I do not work by the hour! I am working on spec projects, or on
Clamp Rack
I started the day with a sheet of plywood. I ended the day with a much needed and very useful shop
Woodwork Outside of a Piano!
The past few days, the woodshop has been put to work on a project that is not a piano! In December
Too Much fun with Sketchup
I've refined the design of the tablesaw outfeed table to include details for the router table and
2014 - The year of the deck
We're gearing up for deck building this summer. Sketchup has been invaluable as a design tool.
Outfeed table for tablesaw
I recently took the time to re-learn Sketchup. I'm still inefficient with it, but its capability
Garden Gate - 2013
When the neighbors built a white vinyl fence along the north property line a triangle of land was
Key Leveling Blocks
I recently decided to upgrade from the crude key leveling blocks I had been using, and enjoyed
Coffee Table
Erin designed a coffee table that we built in the shop in August. This weekend was the next road
A mobile base for the Rikon Band Saw
The shop really isn't large enough for the new band saw to have a permanent location on the shop
The Paint Job
Ev was OK with that, but he did think that the boss fell a little short of the mark when he bought a new truck without power steering and with a pretty awful paint job.
Adjustable height workbench / assembly table
In my early years of woodworking and cabinet building, I spent a lot of time assembling things on
Woodshop progress: Lighting and Dust Collection Cyclone
I keep plugging away. After hanging ceiling drywall and fifteen light fixtures, I'm pretty good at
Woodshop progress: insulation and drywall
My shop is too big! OK. That's the last time you'll hear that. Though the work continues it seems
Woodshop progress: Passed electrical inspection this morning!
A milestone! I finished the rough-in electrical last night and had the inspection this morning. Yes
Woodstove for the woodshop
I got out to the shop early this morning to work on wiring. But it was about 37 degrees, and hmmm,
The shop is closed in!
Well, the door is hung, and winter can come. I just need to do the weather stripping, and we really
A door for the new shop
I figured that the new shop should have a fine door that speaks to what goes on inside. Sometime
Woodshop Progress
To complete the exterior, we just need the overhead and entry door. I'm working on the entry door
The workshop is a reality
Well, it's not done, but the space definitely exists now! Todd Thurgood was the framer. Who could
The workshop progesses
The permit was issued, and last week, the site was excavated and footings where poured. The
New Woodshop: Getting closer
I had once dreamed of building a timber-framed woodshop, but time and locale prevent it. Design for