Back to our regularly scheduled blogging... not!

OK, this is weird. Every Sunday, I try to work a little bit in the yard, trimming things, pulling weeds, whatever. Why Sunday? Monday is trash day, and it's just nice to move the clippings right to the pile of trash.

So last week, there were a few out of control Chaste Trees that needed serious attention. If you've ever been around a Chaste Tree, you know they smell like... well, they stink. It's a miserable job, as soon as I finish trimming those, I usually run inside and take a shower to get rid of the smell.



But this time, I kept trimming and plucking - a couple of palms, a dead yucca, even the lantana that had taken over. I finally made it to the shower, and noticed a couple of red welts, vaguely remembering the fight I got into with the palm tree thorns.

Oh well, these legs are never going to be used in a swimsuit ad, trust me. Just a couple more scratches to look at.



By the next morning, one of the welts had turned into a full blown something - volcano is the first word that comes to mind. I won't sicken you by putting links to pictures of similar bites, but suffice it to say that after some medical consultation, we've figured out that I was bitten by a brown recluse spider.



Now we've had some weird things turn up at our place ... we found this swimming in the pool.





And this...



I'll get back to posting about the Arched Door Project in a day or two, as soon as the Benadryl stupor wears off. Meanwhile, just be glad I didn't include any pictures of my bite.

Politically incorrect humor

Not sure why, but the passing of Bernie Mac made me sad today.

I know, people die every day. But sometimes you hear about someone dying and it just hits you a little differently, even though you didn't know them.

If cursing and politically incorrect humor bothers you, then don't watch this clip. But if you want to laugh out loud and you're not too prissy, then check out Bernie in this clip.

Making arched top doors - part three - altering the door

The doors and hardware came to just around $100 from my local big box store. The arched opening is 46" wide, so that means two doors of roughly 23" a piece. That's perfect - 24" wide doors will fit the bill, without too much waste.

Time for a little math, the first thing is to figure out is the final width of the doors. If the opening is 46", each door (in theory) would be 23" wide. But - that's not taking into account the width of the hinges, as well as the gaps wound the edges of the doors. I determined how much room the hinges were going to need, about 1/4" each a piece, so I measured and marked the long edge of the door that would need to be trimmed. Each door needs to be about 22 3/4" wide, so I drew that line all the way up the door.

I placed the door flat against the wall so I could trace the arch directly onto the door, lining the long edge of the door up with the jamb.


Tracing the arch wasn't easy, since the corners of the jamb were rounded. There wasn't a good way to get an actual contour of the curve drawn, so I used a piece of stiff cardboard, which allowed me to draw the exact arch profile on the door.


It actually sounds more difficult than it really was, but it certainly helps if you have someone hold the door for you while you're marking the arch.

Once it was traced, the outline of the curve was cut on the bandsaw, where I removed all the wood about 1/4" past the pencil line, on the waste side.


You can start to see the door taking shape.


Over the years, I've had shop helpers on and off, and generally found that I prefer to work alone. That's more a statement about me and my work methods, than about having an assistant. I tend to do a lot of thinking, and the work in a flurry. So it's tough to have someone standing there, waiting for me to figure something it. And it tends to make me feel rushed, which I don't want to do when I'm pondering a problem.

So working alone has taught me how to rig up some amazing temporary jigs and aids in the shop. I had to rig up a cart to support the door while I was cutting the curve, you can't see it here, but you'll see something similar later, when I sand the door. A cart moves easily and supports the door while I cut on the bandsaw, and it's a perfect way to accomplish a task like this by yourself.

Years ago, I read Jim Tolpin's book "Working at Woodworking", he had some great ideas about carts in a woodshop. Since then, I've used carts in nearly every facet of my shop. If you're having problems with the logistics of your wood working, you might want to check out his book.

A rip on the table saw and I'm left with a hollow core door that's ready to have some internal blocking glued back into the voids.




But first, you have to clean out some of the cardboard inside the door, so it won't interfere with the wood block you're going to be installing.


A long chisel helps, but I first broke the cardboard loose with a long scrap of wood, and then simply cleaned up the cardboard residue with the chisel. It comes off quite easily.

Several pieces of scrap 2 x 4 was used to glue up the blocking that will go back into the door.


I put a few pieces down over the curve to determine how to glue the blocking up, and once I got the layout figured out, I marked the 2 x 4s so I could clamp them up in that same position.




Since I have to alter two doors, I glued up two of these wood blocks.

Once planed, you can see how they will fit into the door at the top, and give that curve all the strength and structure it will need. Then I concentrated on the long ripped edge.



Once again, I cut and planed a piece that would fit into the hollow area, and at the top, where the arch was just starting to make it's curve, I doubled up on the wood there, to give myself a little more beefyness. Note that where the two pieces of interior blocking meet, there is an angle. I marked the wood, and cut the angle on a chop saw.



Dry fit everything!

I even marked where the top filler piece should be located with some pencil lines, as a guide for me when gluing this.



I don't want to have to guess if I'm in the right spot, so this step saves me a hassle down the line.

Since it's so warm in my woodshop, I knew gluing needed to be quick, or the glue would skin over before I could get it all together. Gluing is tricky enough, without having to fight the heat, and that generally means working fast and sloppy.

My buddy, Dave, actually has nightmares about gluing things up; he freaks out when working against a glue clock.

Luckily, I save my freaking out over other things in life.




Time to work fast, and as I learned from a Paul Levine video years ago - let gravity be your friend. I pour a liberal amount of glue into the door area, and again, on the wood piece. Gravity will keep the glue from running and dripping too much, and both surfaces will be coated properly.

Once the glue is spread, the top block in slid into the door. Do the same thing with the long rip, apply glue, slide it in place, and make sure everything is outside of the pencil lines before you clamp it.




You want the wood blocking to extend outside the pencil lines so that when you trim it to it's final size, you get a clean, solid edge. Let it dry over night, and toast a good day's work.

Making arched top doors - part two - the hardware

One of my beefs about the commercial hardware companies I deal with is that they are often more expensive than buying things from my local Ace hardware, or one of the big box stores. Oh, they'll try to convince you their product is better. But when I see the exact item on sale at a cheaper price, it's hard to believe their argument.

So I called a couple of my suppliers, only to find that the hinges were about $100 a set. OK, these are commercial hinges, very heavy duty, but I'm not sure they're worth that price. It's not like these doors are heavy, nor are they going to receive heavy traffic. Those are two important aspects to consider when choosing hinges.

On my next trip to my local store, I found a similar two way hinge for about $16.00 each, about 34% cheaper than for what my "wholesaler" sells them.

What's up with that?

Which brings me to another topic - as a small business owner operating in this economic climate, I'm always looking to save a buck. One thing I've learned is that my suppliers are not necessarily saving me money, even though they claim wholesale prices.



I recently bough a gallon of glue - Titebond Brown Glue, which has been my adhesive of choice for many years. Every now and then, I'll get lucky and find it locally. I used to buy it in 5 gallon pails, which offers a huge savings in cost. But in this hot weather, I can't do that. So I'm back to buying it by the gallon, even though it pains me to pay more for it. So I called my "wholesaler" and ordered a gallon, and a few days later, I got the bill - $33.00 and change for a gallon.

#@(% me.

Then I checked at Rockler, and learned they were selling it for $18.99. Learn from my mistakes - sometimes your best deal isn't with your supplier. Loyalty is a two way street. If they want my business, they need to sell things at a fair price.




Buying sandpaper is another one of those things that makes me want to scream. I can't tell you the number of sandpaper vendors that call me for an order, or send me samples, trying to get my business. I've been ordering sandpaper online for years now, saving a bundle. No, I don't own a piece of this company; I just know they're nice to deal with, they ship fast, and I can't buy sandpaper this cheap anywhere else.

Making a set of arched top doors - part one

I'm working on a project that requires a little thinking outside the box. Assignment: putting doors in an arched opening, at a price that isn't going to require a second mortgage.


After some investigating, I realized a few things. First, pre-hung arched doors are outrageously expensive! Beyond that, since archways are plastered by hand, they are usually not a perfect semi-circle. So even if a pre-hung door was used, there's no guarantee that it's going to fit properly in the opening. A few rough measurements with a tape measure and a string compass prove that the arch I was working with was low in some areas, and high in others.

My friend, Phillip, and I discussed this project over some Cuban food and a beer. He's not only a fabulous tool maker, but one hell of a woodworker, too. It's funny how getting a second opinion about a design problem really sheds light on how different artisans solve things. Not to be cliche, but two heads really are better than one.

So Phillip suggested a couple of interesting things- first of which was building the doors to fit the opening. While we discussed essentially building a hollow core door, with 2 x 2s, some interior torsion box waffles, and a couple of door skins, it finally dawned on us that it might be easier to simply buy a couple of hollow core doors, since they're cheaper than buying all the individual components. Bingo!

Short of laminating a jamb frame, there wasn't an easy solution to hinging the door into the opening. As we were leaving the restaurant, heading out the back door to the parking lot, we pushed a set of doors open to walk outside. They had two way hinges on them, springing closed after we went through them. Sort of like old two-way saloon doors. The second light went off in our brains! Bingo, a perfect hinge for mounting a door into an opening. No jamb needed.


These doors will enclose a home office, and don't need that complete privacy that a door with casing would provide. Time to figure out what size doors to purchase, and make a few calls to locate the hardware.

Stay tuned....

Waterfall Glazes

The kiln gods have been kind lately, I've gotten some outstanding
results from the last couple of loads. Here's a textured platter with two
versions of a Waterfall glaze on it. I believe I sprayed a coat of Waterfall Brown on this, and then layered a coat of JR's Blue over it.

JR's Blue? A blue version of Waterfall Brown, named after the two men who came up with it, John and Ron.

If you double click on the picture, you'll get a better view.

Here is the same glaze, only without texture.

Who knew I had such a green thumb?

Let me remind you that I'm a city girl, in case you missed something from that last post. My idea of camping might be a nap at the cabana at the nearest Marriott. Or a Winnebago in the woods, only if equipped with air conditioning, a flat screen and surround sound.

Get it?

So imagine my surprise at being able to have a kick ass garden in the middle of the desert.


I start planting in March, and lately, we've been enjoying killer peppers, zucchini for days, and some eggplant caponata.

Here's my eggplant patch, and with a baby just poking it's head out.



And a zucchini plant, with leaves as big as tires.


And basil - so gi-nourmous, I wonder about the radioactivity in our soil. Yucca Mountain is a mere 80 miles away.


Oh, don't get me wrong, as much luck as I have with some of these plants, I experience the exact opposite with others. I can't grow cukes, no matter what I do to help them along. Cilantro? Forget it. Dill? I'm better off buying it at the store.

Did I mention peppers?

I have three tips for growing a garden in poor conditions. First, when planting, make sure you're starting with good soil, even if that means hauling some in. I hauled in 80 tons of rich soil, and made raised beds with it. My neighbors told me I'd have trouble with growing things in this caliche laden soil, so good soil should be your priority.

Second - throw in a healthy handful of nutrient, whether it's compost, or something that your local nursery recommends. We have a pretty great chain of nurseries here in Las Vegas, and they package their own line of products, made especially for this soil. I used to think - who would buy dirt? Now I get it!

And finally, if you're like me, you can barely remember what you wore yesterday, let alone remember to water the garden every day. So I have an automated drip system, which waters these plants twice a day, in the very early morning hours.

Now if I could only figure out how to grow a cucumber.... I'd be pretty content with this year's crop. Anyone have tips for me?

What is wrong with this story?

Look, I'm not the outdoor-sy type, not even close. I don't even try to fake it. So camping out in the wilderness isn't something you'd find me doing ever. Notinamillionyears ever.

I've done it twice, which was two times too many.

But even I know that when you're camping, you're supposed to not leave food around for wild animals to find. The only thought worse than sleeping in a bag on a bed of dirt would be looking up to see a bear in your face, trying to figure out why you're there.



So this story in the San Francisco Chronicle caught my eye, if for no other reason than the cruelty of it. If they could get close enough to shoot it, couldn't they have simply tranquilized it?

As one person commented... more idiots with guns.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

There are a few subjects that fascinate me to no end - and the possibility of alien life is one of them. So of course, as the title of the new X-Files movies says - I want to believe.

There are some people who will snort at that, I get it.

I don't even care if you think I'm nuts.

But I try to be open minded about things. Watch the video below, and tell me that Dr Edgar Mitchell, a former NASA astronaut, is a quack. I don't think so.




Oh, and if you're an X-Files fan because of David Duchovny, here's his blog.

Finally, for anyone who wants to believe, here are some interesting stories for you. Enjoy.

I'm off to the Farmer's Market, but I'd rather be at the movies.

A little summertime diversion from my woodworking

Even though I've occasionally seen the show Survivor in the past, it's not something that make a conscious effort to watch. The best part of it is the human dynamic, the wild card of seeing a particular idiot being called out for being....well, an idiot.

But mostly, reality shows leave me longing for...well, again... reality.


But there's just something special about the Food Network's show - The Next Food Network Star - that fascinates me to no end. Maybe it's the combination of someone having to put together a whole package - cooking skills, appearance, camera presence - all while learning this in front of a camera, for the world to see.

In my own little way, I got a taste of that when I recorded those four Watco Application videos a while back - I had no idea that filming something was that hard, and trust me, it shows in the quality of the videos.

The reason I bring this up - this coming Sunday, the Food Channel is going to run a marathon of the entire current season of The Next Food Network Star, or the NFNS. It's the only sort of marathon I would ever consider doing. If any of this sounds vaguely interesting, you should check your local TV guide for a time in your area. I'm pretty sure they're going to run all the shows, back to back, culminating at the final show, where this season's winner will be revealed.

So - they're down to three finalists. If you've been watching, who do you think will win?


You have Aaron McCargo Jr., a executive catering chef from Camden, NJ.


Adam Gertler, a server/ex-restaurateur/performer from Philadelphia.


And Lisa Garza from Dallas, who is immersed in food, doing everything from owning an event planning/catering business to designing and selling her line of kitchen aprons.

On a gut level, Aaron and Adam's food appeals to me the most. They make comfort food, like barbecued and smoked meats that take a lot of time and effort. I'm not likely to make meals like that, so I've enjoyed watching how they simplify things. But in the last challenge, which took place in Las Vegas, I think Aaron really bombed by making three pasta dishes out of the five he was supposed to create for his buffet. Anyone can make three pasta dishes, what was he thinking? His "I wanted to keep it simple" idea might have cost him the show. Aaron might be the underdog, so I'm in his corner. But his food lacks something inventive for my taste.


Adam finally managed to pull together an awesome meal, but I had the feeling it was almost a little too late. His cooking has been really up and down, and that might not be a risk that the Food Network is willing to take. Sure, he's very likable and seems like a guy you'd like your daughter to bring home, but consistent? It's debatable, and that's too bad, because he has other nice qualities.


Which takes me to Lisa. In the first few weeks of show, I was prepared not to like her. I'm not sure why, maybe it was the perfect skin, the great hair, her stylish outfits, her polish, her poise... she just seemed like she had so many great things going on, that she would be a natural favorite. I never root for those people! Like I said, I'm always in the underdog's corner.

But...

There's just something about Lisa that makes me want to watch her. Maybe when she slipped and fell on one of the earlier shows, it metaphorically brought her off that pedestal that she appears to be on. As the show has progressed, she's become more down to earth, more vulnerable, which makes her more likable.

My vote? Who do you think?

Layering Waterfall Glazes

The platter above is one of my favorites to make - I call it a Potsticker Platter because it has a small bowl formed into it, perfect for holding a dipping sauce. Honestly, it could hold anything - salsa, marinara, even some barbecue sauce, in a pinch.

The Waterfall Brown glaze that is featured in my favorite ceramic glaze book (Mastering Cone 6 Glazes) is quirky and wonderful. I've layered it on this platter - the brown version, and my own variation - a green version. Add some texture...and the WOW factor enters the picture.

Double click on the picture below to see a close-up of this marvelous effect.

Swamp coolers

I never knew what a swamp cooler was, until I moved to the desert. They're quite common in some parts of the country, like the south, or southwest, but I never lived in one of those places. Hence, my ignorance.

I installed one in my studio a couple years ago, and while it doesn't provide that cool, dry air that you get from an air conditioner, it does help. Last week, we were in a heat wave, and the weather topped 115˚ here. That's just brutal, no matter how much one (me, for example!) likes the warm weather.

My online buddy, Steven, sent me a link to an interesting company, called Airzee, out of Arizona. They make a swamp cooler that actually looks and acts as a security door for your home. Some neighborhoods don't allow the unsightly installation of a swamp cooler, but when it's disguised as a door, it's barely noticed.




Pretty great idea, wish I had come up with that one!

Until I emerge from the woodshop dust...

For any of you who need some help with the Internets...

Who loves their Mac?

It's confession time. I'm one of those people who is in love with their Mac. That's my computer, not the cheese casserole.


So I've been in a bit of a funk lately, maybe because I'm experiencing those 5 stages of grief about my laptop. You know, the model that Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described in her book, On Death and Dying. See, I'm beyond the denial, bargaining and anger stages, and have moved on to despair. Acceptance is on the way, I hope.

We (my computer and me) probably have some codependency issues happening, but that's another topic for another day.

After a little research, I found a program called Coconut Battery, that will analyze my machine and tell me some stuff I've wondered - how old is it? How is my battery doing? How does the current battery capacity compare to when it was new?

See, I have no idea how old this lap top is, but it's possible it's about 5 years. I've barely had a relationship with ANYTHING for five years, let alone a laptop. But this particular machine has been the finest one I've owned, and trust me, I've owned a buttload.

Where am I going with this?

Just a few days ago, I noticed a speck on my track pad - you know, the place where your finger steers the cursor around your screen. In the scheme of things, I would rank the track pad as a pretty important component to the machine, although certainly in a pinch, I could plug in a mouse and get by. But I'm yawning. One of the endearing features about the Mac IS the trackpad.

Back to the speck - I noticed it, and as I tried to wipe the speck away, I walked into that first abyss of grief - denial.

I'd worn a hole in my trackpad.


All the lipstick in the world won't make this situation better; the trackpad is on it's last leg. Hence... so is my machine.

I have so many problems with this machine, it's amazing it still even starts up. The hard drive is full. I mean FULL. I can't even put a single photograph or song into it, let alone save a document I'm working on. And worst of all, I recently read that when your hard drive is more than 90% full, the capacity for your machine to run smoothly is severely diminished.

Oh... so that's why it's been acting jiggy lately?

So a little research brought me to a site called coconut-flavor, where you can find Coconut Battery, a freeware program that deals up some fascinating data about your laptop - how your battery is functioning, how many times you've charged the sucker, and how old your machine is - in real years, not dog years, which is how it's behaving.

Not only that, but Chris, the program developer also wrote Coconut Identity card, which will tell you where and when your computer and iPod was built. I know, it's sort of geeky, but I need to know this information. I'm trying to decide if it's "time" has arrived.

Oh the things we learn...

For the record, my machine was built in November, 2003, in Taiwan. The battery function officially sucks, and it's has been charged so many times, it's basically worthless. When I disconnect from a power source and run directly off my battery, I have about 8 minutes of working time. Try watching a DVD on a plane with those numbers; you won't get past the opening credits.

Now if I can only find the number of that Mac Hospice I heard about....