Antique table repair - part one

A few weeks ago, I blogged about repairing an older piece from a dining room set. After that repair was completed, the next step was to tackle the table, which was in very poor shape.


The top was split and bowed, the aprons were falling apart,


not to mention that the table runners


were in terrible shape. Talk about a make-over!

First step - take the sucker apart!

Once everything was removed, it was a little easier to see what had to be remade, and what could be salvaged.

I felt like the old apron and corner pieces had to be saved, even though there was some damage to them. Those are the main parts that tie the piece together with the rest of the pieces, so even if I just used them ornamentally, it was important.

The new table top was to include two halves, plus three new leaves.

Here they are, planed and cut to size. You can see the three leaves in the background.


Duplicating the rounded corner wasn't too difficult. I traced it on the actual corners, to ensure that I didn't round off the wrong edge! Now that would be a pisser!


And then I made a pattern for the radius out of a scrap piece of MDF.


A straight bit in the router, with a collar around it will allow me to cut that curve on the corners quite nicely.

The difference between the bit and the collar is 1/8", I tested it with my set-up blocks.

And once that dimension was determined, I could clamp the pattern to the table top in the precise location.


As the Pioneer Woman would say - easy peasy. Cutting all four corners was simple.

Next step, routing the table top with an appropriate profile. Say that three times fast.

My buddy Danny brought over some ogee bits, since I didn't have one that I thought would work. But none of his were what I was looking for, either.

Still, I routed a few samples, to make sure.

And then... the "god-of-all-things-wood" stepped in and... well.... let's just say I took a few days off. No, it wasn't a router accident; my belt sander and I had a mis-understanding.

Coming up next - finding the perfect profile.

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury Retrograde.

There, I said it. I had to text my friend Janet and ask her to explain it, since it's all I've been hearing about for the last few days. (Thanks, J!)

In a nutshell, there are times of the year that the planet Mercury appears to be traveling backwards. Things feel out of kilter.

One of the best descriptions I've heard is that feeling you get when you're sitting in a car that's not moving, but because something next to you is moving, you have a feeling of imbalance, or movement. I don't know about you, but I feel that way in the carwash, when my car is sitting still, with the brushes moving back and forth around my car. It makes me a little dizzy, so I have to close my eyes in a carwash.

On a more practical level, Mercury Retrograde causes us to feel out of sorts. It's not a good time to make any hard decisions, and for God's sake, don't sign any contracts.

Anyway, all of this might explain why it's been a weird week in the shop.


Yes, this is a piece of wood embedded into the drywall, right behind the radial arm saw. Luckily, the danger zone of this tool is behind it, where no one can get impaled.

And yes, this has been one of those "oops" weeks in the shop.


Nothing serious, but like I said, damn Mercury Retrograde!


Here is a warning for next year.


And finally, today would have been my dad's 83rd birthday. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him. I'd like to think that he is somewhere out there, watching the work I do, and feeling proud. Anyone who reads this blog has seen glimmers of his personality in what I write here.

Here he is as a young boy,

and as a sailor.

And finally, on his honeymoon. Stud. Muffin.


I miss you, pop. Happy trails.

Inspiration

This post is about a week behind schedule, but I have some good excuses.

There has been some craziness in the shop, including almost losing the tip of my finger, as well as a few rush orders (i.e. - will you make this dresser while I wait?")...

WTF?

As always, I'm grateful for the business, but working one handed isn't one of my best skill-sets.

Anyway, I want to write about something completely unrelated to wood today - being inspired.

Did you ever meet someone and you just know you're a better person for having met them? In this case, I had the opportunity to have dinner last week with four amazing people who were all in town for the Zappos.com Rock and Roll Marathon in Las Vegas last weekend.


It was their carb loading dinner, as all were running the half-marathon the following morning.

Meeting them got me thinking about what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it - in this case, all were amazingly calm and almost nonchalant about what they were about to do the next morning... run 13+ miles. I can't even imagine that!

I managed to get up early the next morning and get down to the Strip to cheer them on, thinking to myself - how the hell does someone strip down to nearly nothing when it's only 40˚ outside, let alone run for two hours?

Here are some of the amazing photos of that morning.

Who knew that Elvis was a runner? There were many impersonators in the crowd - what's the plural of Elvis? Elvi?








A SpongeBob Elvis? Nice.


And there were some great costumes in the crowd. I had no idea!


There were quite a few brides and grooms.


And caped crusaders.


And a "coach" who was cheering everyone along with a martini.


My friend, Kristi, motivating everyone with her cowbell.


There were bands set up every few miles, playing music along the route for the runners.


Very cool.

It was literally a sea of runners, as far as you could see down the Strip.


And here are my friends, about three miles from the end of the run. They were actually smiling!




I don't know if they were pulling my leg or not, but they said there were beers available for the runners along the way.

Hmmm... that might not be enough enticement for me.

And finally, the finish line at Mandalay Bay, where Bret Michaels was performing a free concert.


Runners and supporters were everywhere, and I was just proud to be there, watching everyone celebrating. Honestly, it was quite moving.



Best of all, it almost inspired me to strap on my running shoes and take a shot at it next year. This page has a training schedule, in case these photos inspire you, too.

Another very cool thing - copies of the book "Delivering Happiness" written by the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hseih were being passed out to everyone. This book details the beginnings of Zappos, and outlines his thoughts about running a business. It was quite compelling, I devoured it in two nights.

It might be one of my more favorite books on running a business, and I plow through a lot of those. Congrats to Tony for developing such a great management style, and a fabulous company.

Congrats to all the runners, you were awesome!

see more There I Fixed It

Well, this can't be a good thing.


Things like this make me wish I knew how to work on cars.

Let It Be

The latest graduates at Studio: Wood It Is!

It's been a little busy at the shop, with deliveries, pick-ups, drop-offs and ... ta da! Graduation! Here are some pictures of the latest class to graduate. Congrats to all, you really did a fabulous job, especially with your boxes.