Knees on fire.

Ugh.  If it weren’t for the fact that I lost all my seniority and I’d have to start back on afternoons,  I honestly think I wouldn’t have to work as hard if I went back to the Board. 

Er, on second thought, maybe I need my head examined?

Discomfort seems to lead to irrational thought.  Let’s leave it at that.

One thing for sure though, I don’t recall that there was very much crawling around on my hands and knees.  There was some painting at one school where I worked,  but I sure wasn’t worried about painting inside convectors.

That’s the thing that gives off the heat when the boiler is running. 

You knew that,  right?

I wasn’t going to show any pictures until I had reassembled the thing,  but whatever.

 

That thing.

I’ll show some “after” pictures…after.

 

I also had to put on a second coat on the rest of the room.  I don’t know why it is I always think one coat will do?  It never does,  no matter how careful I am.  And those commercials for paint that goes on in one coat?  I think it’s just a bunch of marketing crapola.  They also show a young couple putting on the paint.  Naive fools. 

 

So while that was drying,  I meandered out to the garage to clean up and put a final touch on another little project I’ve been chewing away at over the last few days.

 

 

I’ve been moving things around, just trying to come up with something that was a couple steps up from total chaos, most of which had to do with having clamps all over the place.

 

 

Keeps evolving….

 

If you bother to look,  you’ll notice there’s one up there with a bare wooden handle?  Well, this is just an observation,  but I’ve discovered that almost without fail,  any time I’ve lent out any tool,  it seems to always come back broken or abused in some way.  I now no longer practise this little gesture of good will,  and would almost sooner just give the damned thing away rather than have it come back busted up.

Well,  the handle of that clamp got broken a long time ago,  and it’s been one of those nagging little things that I’ve been meaning to fix,  but was never overly motivated to do so when it was just in with all the clutter. 

 

I mean, I *could* make a new handle,  which is why when it came back broken,  it wasn’t such a big deal.  Harsh words between friends can never be taken back.  But let’s not get all side tracked.

 

As soon as I arranged it neatly with all the others, minus a handle,  it was kind of crying out to me.

 

So,  what’s the best way to make a tool handle?  Well,  there’s “whittling” I suppose,  but I thought maybe I’d challenge myself to uncover my lathe that I haven’t so much as turned on in well over five years.

 

It’s by no means a “One Way” or anything,  but it seems to work well enough.  There might be some question about the operator.   Of course,  I didn’t pay five grand for it either.  (Them One Ways is expensive,  but awesome apparently)   Oh wait,  I just looked through their website,  um,  they’re now closer to SIX grand.  Carumba!

 

Anyway,  since I’ve not used the lathe in a while,  of course I forgot to leave enough material on my blank so as to cut a proper shoulder.  But wait!  It’s not always about doing something only one way.  (ooh,  that’s a bit of a pun)

I just happen to have this handy dandy jig for cutting splines in mitres,  which can double nicely on the tablesaw for cutting a shoulder on a dowel. 

Easy peasy.

 

The metal round thing is only there ‘cause it’s got a honkin’ big magnet in the bottom,  and it’s holding the whole arrangement against the fence.

 

And there we have it.  Nothing fancy,  but functional.

 

 

I think my paint is dry.  Time to get everything shoved back into place methinks.

 

Have a fine weekend if I don’t check in.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

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