The Built in Cabinet Install for a Friend

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine asked if I could help with replacing a lot of their cabinets due to water damage.  I agreed and the process was started.  It is good that I work for a cabinet company and run the sample shop.  That made the cabinet parts easy.  There were three parts to this project: the bathroom, built in hall cupboards, and a laundry room.

The easiest was the bathroom install.  It was a standard cabinet off the shelf.  We their current cabinet was 31” tall and I replaced it with a 33.5” tall cabinet.  So the mirror had to move up and the wall soap dispenser had to be removed.  Other than that pretty easy install.  It was nice installing some of our cabinets for firsthand experience.

The built in was all custom cabinetry. The heights and widths were fine but the depth was 20”, not standard.  This is where the sample shop came in handy.  I removed all the toe kicks from the units so I could change the height.  I also was able to cut the back side of all the cabinets to 20”.  That was the easy part of the install.  When I measured for size, I measured the back of the cut out to the floor.  The back was higher than the front.  The right side was lower than the left and the left wall was out of plumb by 3/8”.  Needless to say there was some pushing and shoving and beating until the pieces were in place.  I am also glad for fillers and moulding.  It was definitely used.

The laundry room unit was two standard kitchen bases.  Sounds easy until the dryer ductwork went behind the cabinets and the plumbing went through the cabinets.  It was a lot of cutting and at times was nerve racking.  It went in well until I installed the door and drawer next to the wall. They hit the door frame.  I had to move the entire unit over one inch.  Thank goodness for fillers.  Overall they were happy with the outcome and I was happy it was done.

Here are some lessons learned.  Tools are heavy and I don’t like carrying them around.  I am glad my son won the Triton competition because that is the most modular table saw and workbench I have (on loan from my son).  I am realizing the value of battery operated.  I could have avoided hauling around my air compressor if I had battery operated nail guns and they do exist.  If I was in the business it would be something I would be looking at.  Nothing is ever plumb or square and moulding helps out.  I am sure there are tricks that I don’t know about but the job was completed and I am glad that I was able to do it.  Not sure if I will do it again soon and it will not every become a career.

My first published piece

About a year ago I got in contact with editor of Woodworking and Crafts magazine.  The found a couple of toys that they wanted to put into their publication.  We talked about timelines, payment and requirements.  Then it began.

It started with me making each of the units that they wanted to put into the magazine.  Thank goodness for friends that allowed me to barrow their expensive camera equipment.  I would not be able to product the quality images that were required.  Even having the experience with a camera, I still had trouble getting good pictures that where the depth of field was in focus. I though setting up for a cut took time.  Setting up for the camera takes so much time.  I would need to get into some weird position to get the picture to describe the operation.

The good news is that I did not need to do a lot of the editing.  I did have to write up the procedure and a little summary of the project.  This is where they helped out a lot.  I think they looked at my summary and title and said “This will not do.”  Then started over.  This is what I had written:

The Tug Boat

The tug boat is small, but crucial in moving the larger ships in the harbor.  Its compact size makes it a simple toy which young children can enjoy.  This boat can float or be played with on any surface.  It has crevices that little fingers can hold and play with it.

The tug boat has been a simple project that I have been making for several years as a gift for baby showers.  The design came from the desire to make a simple project where different species of wood could be mixed instead of using paint to add color.  

They obviously are better at describing the project than I am.  I had to submit a sample of the project as well as the write up and pictures.  Then is was a waiting game.  I was notified a couple of months ago that I would be in the winter issue.  It was exciting to see it in print.

Family Reunion Ornament

This summer my family got together for my grandfather’s birthday.  He passed away several years ago but since it would be his 100^th birthday it was decided it would be a good reason to all get together.  The last time that we were all together was 20 years ago.  A lot has happened since then.  If my grandparents were still alive we would have had 4 generations there.  We went to a ranch in central Utah over the July 4^th weekend.  It was a lot of fun.  This blog is not meant to share about my family so the project that I did was make a Christmas ornament. 

Wherever my family goes we pick up a Christmas ornament to show where we have been.  I decided to take the front sign of the ranch and modify it to fit the family reunion.  I pasted the pattern on 1/8” plywood and started cutting.  I needed 19 and so I stacked 5 together and cut them out.  Looking back 5/8” thick plywood was a little thick for #3 blades to handle.  I ended up messing up two stacks.  It happens. 

These were not the easiest things to cut out but it was fun to create a pattern.