keeping busy

allen levine

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Location
new york city burbs
with my shop cluttered until I get a shed, Ive been busier than usual.
The 90 degree humid days are not helping me.
Most of my work has been in my sons stairway and basement.
I installed the handrail I made, and then did some various moldings, one of them the attic pull down stairs.
I did some sheetrock ripping down, took down a bunch of metal studs that werent needed, but the bulk of the sheetrocking on the walls were done by him. No taping yet, thats coming soon.
I cut one transition for his flooring, from main room to bathroom, built walls around the washer dryer and hung a cheap plastic sliding door, my first time framing out walls onto concrete and building a plumb doorway.
I learned I might have been overpaying contractors for 40 years.
The lolly support poles in his basement, not many choices.
Remove them, not something we are qualified to do and did not want the expense.The idea of us doing the work was to keep cost down to a minimum.
I used ash and built columns, making some mock up trim for now, until we finish all the sheetrocking and plastering, then, Ill cut moldings for it.
There were a few other things were working on, and I had to build 2 cutting boards in the middle of this past 2 weeks. The larger one I charged 70 for, the smaller one 60. I dont sell cutting boards, but I agreed this one time.
I have someone else requesting me to assist with a built in low cabinet and repair work in his home(I will be paid whatever I want, maybe I should ask for 3000 dollars to get him to leave me alone) He will pay for material and any of my travel expenses(gasoline) It shouldnt cost me a cent. but thats down the road perhaps after the summer.

The walls in my home along with windows have begun to get worked on, windows going in tomorrow.
Kitchen is due in the 25th, but due to a large party were having here, we have to wait till Aug 1st to start installation as the counter guys need around a week to square it all away with the quartz top.
My shed guy just called me, and I cant go with a 10x10 because the roof pitch will exceed the 8 ft allowed by code, and my NN might report me even though his shed is above 8 ft(yes, I measured it just in case with a laser level, I can be a sneaky rat also if push leads to shove)
The only way to cut overall height would be to eliminate the 4x4s it sits on, or lay cement on the ground, or cut the walls down to 5 feet height.
None of which will happen, so its an 8x12 with door on the end.
I should have my shed within a few weeks, and then I can get my shop up and running.
Most of my tools were at my sons house this past 2 weeks, including my pancake compressor so there wasnt much I could do.
The dremel multi tool proved to be worth every cent, as when he laid new flooring, it was a pleasure using the multitool to trim away the bottom of all the new moldings he put up when he moved in so none of it had to be ripped down.
It was decided I needed to take off a few days as the heat was making me sluggish and lethargic, so I took off today and a few days.
Ill watch the contractor break some of my walls tomorrow and install windows.

I drew out the backbar for my sons bar, its quite simple.
I will make the top portion of it starting sometime near end of month since Im due for therapy next week. Just some shelves, very very simple.
The bottom portion will have to wait till we get to that wall, decrease the drain pipe portion, find a tiny sink, and then Ill make a small narrow counter just to fit the sink and there will be nothing underneath, maybe a shelf or two for glasses.
All made out of plywood and solid trim.

and thats it. Ill leave you again till Ive made more progress with the basement bar/TV room.(cant really call it a home theater, its sharing space with a bar and washer and dryer)

On july 4th, armed with a 25% off one item coupon, I gambled and ran over to harbor frieght and picked up a hammer drill. My contractor neighbor told me not too, since he has a few hammer drills and I could borrow it whenever I need too, but I dont like borrowing tools.
HF had the red 39.99 one on sale for 2999, and I got 25% off. 22.50, so I gambled. I ran over to Home depot the next day, picked up tapcon blue screws with hex tops, and the pack came with a masonary bit for that size.
This was for building the walls around the washer/dryer, we needed to tap into the cement flooring underneath the laminate. worked like a charm. Drill performed great, tapcons went in strong.

Not many pics, my son will send some over, I dont take camera with me.
First pic, no, it isnt my shed, its the cutting boards, with little rubber feet, they arent floating.
The second picture is the sample post I made to make sure it will be what I wanted it to be. Small 1/2 L brackets attached inside with tapcon into cement floor, and larger L brackets on top into header, will sheetrock over it and apply molding.
third pic is the column installed next to the wall, and I used pocket screws and installed 4 shelves between column and wall. All ash, I have tons of ash and now Im going to start using it.(sorry, these are cell phone pics, poor quality)
I glued and pinned 3 sides of columns in my shop, then had to secure them in place, and then glued and pinned the 4th side. My son then sanded down the 2 sides I didnt do so no sharp edges.
Using my digital angle box, made the columns fit in place very accurately.
The flooring is oak laminate, so were staining the columns with Golden Oak by minwax, it matches near perfect.
 

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looks like you have been busy allen:D:thumb::thumb:

hey on those lolly coloumns you should take a look at the lock mitre bits for that it will make the fitting and joints stronger.. wont slip on glue up either..:)
 
That's a lot of work there, Allen. So...what'd you do after lunch? :D

Seriously, your son is fortunate to have your help on all this work. :thumb:
 
maybe, and I waited to be mid 50s to have any interest in this type of stuff. not mentioning poor health.
And ofcourse he chose to take off the hottest 2 weeks of the year to do alot of it.
 
where we are at in his basement.

not where I wanted the bar, but its been decided for movie viewing reasons.

so in back of it I will have to build a small backbar around the window, or at least keep the window easily accessable if needed. Ill just cover it up with something that can be removed in an instant, and will block the view from the outside.

Cant get rid of the washer/dryer, so theres the closet I built around it, and that cheap plastic door, my daughter is an artist and eventually will paint something on it. I suggested something simple like Suds with an arrow pointing up, and Buds, with an arrow pointing to the right. Commercial humor.
She will do what she wants.
The posts, and the shelves. Still a long way to go, but its shaping up.
There is only so much you can do with low ceilings and trying to keep the budget small.
There will be a sink in back of the bar, and there is a fridge, and there is a bathroom on the other side with a shower stall, which Id rip out and make the bathroom smaller and increase the main room size. Not my call though.
 

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