Improvements, all the time

a shelf for books and looking at

2011-03-06T19:57:00.000-05:00

I made this.

New Projects

2011-01-19T23:36:00.000-05:00

Over the past several years I've spent some time working on woodworking projects for my immediate and extended families. I'm proud of all the projects to date, but especially proud to begin working on more than just built-ins. Like my friend Chris of interestingfurniture.com said today on the phone while I was making brownies, "There's just something to making furniture - it's not tied down, it works where ever you put it, it doesn't require anything more from you once you build it." I'm paraphrasing... but that was close to what he said. Since the 5th grade he always has said things (and write) much more elegantly than I!

Here are two projects I'm working on now:

A shelf for my wife's office downtown (only 1/10 of the construction done)

a countertop for a built-in breakfast nook (ready for install):

Years of Perfect Service, the Unfinished Tales

2010-11-08T22:17:00.002-05:00

This island houses our kitchen garbage can in a full size drawer body on the end opposite the side shown in this photo. [ed: and what a nice freakin' blury photo this is of it!] The Trash Island is going on at least three years of service. Might have been four years ago now that I think about it. I designed it to be symmetrical, with panels on either end that masked whichever end was for the trash drawer. Not sure why I wanted it that way, but I thought, since it is on locking casters, it might be easier to move with a bar on either end, though in practice we just steer it by grabbing a hold of the honkin' Boos Block.

For years I never got around to installing the panel opposite the drawer end. I had run out of Maple plywood and had no other projects going that required Maple. Yadda yadda yadda. One thing led to another and well, time flies; you've come to know the story if you DIY.

Fast forward to this past weekend: I had been cutting birch plywood panels for the office remodel so I had plenty of stock on hand. I passed by the island on the way to the attic and paused for a brief estimate. I figured I could do it in less than 15 minutes. It ended up taking no more than 10 minutes for me to cut the panel to size, fit it and install the hardware. The panel isn't sealed or even edgebanded, but I think I'll leave it this way. As a memento of the years of looking at the unfinished end and hoping I could some day hang a towel there.

So hoist a cold one with me: Here's to finishing a job, but not getting overly concerned about how finished it really is. And remember, no home improvement project is EVER over. Once you start building you won't stop until you die. And once you are dead, it's gonna be nice for your kids and those who might miss you to have things around to look at and wonder "why did he do it this way? why did he not edgeband?" I think it's because life itself is in every detail for DIY fabricators; even what look like mistakes are just life getting in the way. To really geek out, my life IS the metadata that exist around these projects you see on this blog. Their imperfection is perfection. Or as close as I want to come...

New Attic Office

2010-09-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

Amid the daily grind, I've made some time in my schedule to make a mess of my attic office. The goal was to get things (everything) in drawers and in cabinets. I'm sick of the clutter of the home office. Well, that sickness won't go away overnight, not until drawers are made and cabinets have doors, but I think this is off to a good start.

Three cabinets have 3 or 4 drawers each, all 18" wide and ranging from 22" to 14" long, 8-10" deep. The rest are shelf units that will have framed doors with glass panels, or will have them and shelves once I'm done. It should all be done next week.

A lot has changed in 5 years, but it has gotten far better

2010-01-23T21:41:00.002-05:00

These shelves immensely improved today, when I finished the radiator cover and fixed some nagging structural issues. In five years that it took to complete, our little daughter has grown into a charming smart lovely first grader; our two year old boy wonder is the leader of his preschool class and impresses all with his manners and humor; our beloved cat died, but we rescued a docile and beloved beagle, Pepper Rose, who we all call Rosie; I was laid off one year ago last Wednesday and nearly couldn't be happier.

Take care and make good things.

Watch the Inauguration here!

2009-01-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

crawl space door

2009-01-08T12:46:00.001-05:00

crawl space door, originally uploaded by Jrome.

I made two crawl space hatches over the weekend. They were made from scraps and only took a couple three hours to complete. They look, um, unique.

holiday play

2009-01-05T11:04:00.000-05:00

Not Christmas without Bing (and a little Bowie)

2008-12-23T11:46:00.001-05:00

Doodle Style on the crate skate Radio Flyer

2008-12-08T12:51:00.001-05:00

Doodle Style on the crate skate Radio Flyer, originally uploaded by Jrome.

Many months ago Nikki painted the living room. I think it shines nicely in this action shot of Jasper showcasing his love of extreme sports and fashion sense across the living room floor.

This was taken before he took his first steps!

V-O-T-E (so we can all keep our homes)

2008-10-30T21:48:00.001-04:00

attic shelves

2008-10-25T20:09:00.001-04:00

attic shelves, originally uploaded by Jrome.

A few weeks ago I added three shelves to the attic. These are built-ins and affixed securely to the floor, each other and the wall, making double duty as a solid, contemporary, balustrade. The two pictured here hold much of our home record collection. The one around the corner holds Nicole's work library and binders she uses.

The tops I'm not decided on yet. If all goes according to plan, they'll be concrete. If not according to plan, they'll be maple block.

The floor will always be sub-flooring with rugs. We're going cheap chic for this work/storage area. It will be nice, but never "OMG I love the floors!" kind of space.

3 years and nearly complete

2008-10-13T07:39:00.001-04:00

Mads, originally uploaded by Jrome.

For the past 3 years we've been living with a kitchen that's not really finished. It hasn't imposed restrictions on us, per se. It hasn't given us the full effect of the renovation however.

We're still not done, but we're closer. This weekend I mounted the panels on the refrigerator and cut the trim (not yet mounted) for it. Each panel and the trim needs to be velvit oiled, but we're close. The look is nearly done. The function always was!

Weekend Work

2008-09-27T23:24:00.002-04:00

Weekend Work, originally uploaded by Jrome.

I mostly finished the TV cabinet today, adding a platform with casters. The locking casters can be set by reaching in the mouseholes. It works fairly well. Could be my best project to date, although I'm a harsh critic of my finish work, or lack thereof.

Mouse Holes

hovercraft

How I spent my Weekend

2008-07-15T01:29:00.001-04:00

July 2008, originally uploaded by Jrome.

I broke down and in a fit of tight money strings, bought pine treads to close in the stairs. I rented a Paslode finish nailer too, which was fun and a little bit stinky.

Nikki undertook the job of carrying the 2x4s to the basement for proper disposal. And yes, I still need to finish the bottom step's riser. I ran out of pine boards...

Merlin Mann on Dwell on Twitter

2008-06-30T23:34:00.001-04:00

merlin.jpg, originally uploaded by Jrome.

He's got it right. When I hit it big and finally sell my big ideas, I'm buying orange wind turbines for my roof, Merlin. How about you?

This Weekend's Work

2008-06-30T22:41:00.001-04:00

IMG_1301.JPG, originally uploaded by Jrome.

I took down the old tv cabinet (see the archives, Nov 2005, I think) and remade the cabinet. The old one was huge, and had a lot of shelves, but it induced cluttering.

The new one is downsized, but fits the flat panel tv Gramma got us for Xmas this year. I'm putting flipper doors on it and it should be pretty nice. This is a work in progress. At some point, if I need to, I can take it all down again. Maybe in another 3 years when Jasper is bigger.

railing

2008-06-21T08:47:00.001-04:00

DSCN3214.JPG, originally uploaded by Gramma Kit.

My mother had new railings added to her porch. I've always liked the three railing look. It matches the house well - an old farm house with a classic red barn and lots of green around it.

My father always regretted the cement porch. It has lasted 35 years, probably more than a wood one would have, but it has needed moderate upkeep. I loved it as a kid on a big wheel. It's a big long straightaway with a 90 degree left hand turn at the end, perfect for Dukes style driving! I wore out the wheels in two big wheels over the course of a summer.

original DIY

2008-06-18T13:59:00.001-04:00

R002-012.JPG, originally uploaded by Gramma Kit.

My father standing behind the house I grew up in. I think he's putting up the siding.

Early Home Improvements

2008-06-14T14:35:00.001-04:00

Taking out the Glass, originally uploaded by Gramma Kit.

In 1975, when I was 2, my Dad was working on our house. It was a fixer-upper, obviously. An old farmhouse on the top of an impressively steep old country road, miles from the city, it had charm and was rustic to say the least. No running water, no electricity. And, in the case of this picture, no entryway wide enough to bring in the large kitchen island my Dad made for the huge kitchen.

My Mom recalls that Dad removed the plate glass window, which was very thick and heavy, then they together lifted the island through the hole. Amazing. I like to think I can remember this day.

2008-05-23T13:51:00.001-04:00

DSC01485, originally uploaded by Gleason.

My good friend Chris and his wife Michelle had their first child earlier this month. I owe Chris most of the credit for teaching me (over the phone no less!) everything I needed to know to build our kitchen from scratch.

Thanks Chris! Love the fiddle.

Jrome

Just a Reminder

2008-05-05T22:29:00.001-04:00

Columbus Day Excursion to Look Park, originally uploaded by Jrome.

That now that the weather is getting nicer (at least around here in New England) we should all have no excuses for getting on a bicycle.

Or a tricycle.

Ride to the store, ride for fun, ride for a reason other than getting in shape. (Please!) Ride to feel the wind and the sun on your face.

The Machine

2008-03-23T22:24:00.001-04:00

The Machine, originally uploaded by Jrome.

We made pasta tonight for dinner with our neighbors. The kitchen was a hoppin' with four burners going (that's all of them) and it all turned out nicely.

This picture shows the color our counters are turning. I love that they get stained and show signs of age. Gracefully we go into our second year with them. The goal with the color was to look natural without looking new. They look like 2" thick pieces of tanned leather, the kind they make the best club chairs out of for fat men who smoke cigars and rule the stock market. Or something less pretentious.

bookshelves as stairs

2008-03-18T14:41:00.003-04:00

This is probably old news, but I can't get over how cool these stairs are...I mean the shelves. Er, I mean the stairs. Er... Anyway, the whole story here

These aren't the stairs in my house, Mr. Inspector! (And this isn't my picture either...it's from here.

Backsplash

2008-03-08T21:42:00.001-05:00

IMG_5078.JPG, originally uploaded by Jrome.

We still need to caulk around the edges, but for the most part, the backsplash is done. (no project is ever really done around here.)