Category: Complaining

So there’s this old woodworking adage, “Measure twice, cut once.” That’s super. I did all my maths and then did them again and decided that the rabbet in the back of the bookshelves to accept the back sheet of plywood should be 3/8″ X 1/4″. That would allow the plywood to be recessed into the case by 1/8″ and fit snugly to make sure the case was square and did not rack. So I set up my saw with the dado cutter to do 1/4″ wide cut, 3/8″ deep and ran the pieces through. Oops. That should have been 3/8″ wide and 1/4″ deep. See illustration. I think I know what I’m going to do to fix this without buying new plywood but man, what a pain in the ass. I would propose an amendment to the rule to be “Measure twice, cut once, don’t be a dumbass” but I think that last part is supposed to be understood.

A:Reality B:Design

The construction work on the table is complete! I took some pictures today but they’re a little dark. I need to figure out a good way to photograph this thing for when I get the last two pieces. I ordered the drawer pull from the hardware hut who have an enormous selection of pulls and knobs and other goodies. It was a little expensive but it’s the one that stuck in my head. It fits the general design of the table and it’s very unique. Plus it’s organic and fluid looking on a table which is geometric so I think it’ll stand out and look good.

The stone is elusive. This could be considered irony because I can’t dig three inches down in my yard without pulling up a big limestone boulder. What I’m looking for is a piece of limestone or travertine that is 22½” x 22½” x somewhere between ¼” and ½” thick. The first thing that I thought of was floor tile. Natural stone tile comes in many sizes and materials and they have a decent catalog down at the Home Depot so I went down there. They did indeed have 24″x24″ travertine tiles (unfilled so you get the nice porous texture). However you have to order them and you have to order a box which is five tiles and $130. I think this might be worth $130 to me and then I’ll have a tile for the next table so I went to the sales lady and asked her what I needed to do to order a box. That was the beginning of the end. She asked what it was for and I told her (oops) and she said let’s go talk to this other lady. The other lady said I was better off calling around to local flooring suppliers (I guess HD doesn’t think they are a flooring supplier) and asking if I can buy a sample. I am really not interested in calling around for four hours trying to convince some local floorshop franchise owner that he should sell me one tile. This is why I went to the hardware store in the first place. Anyway, after having a nice long chat with the two ladies I ended up leaving the Depot without a rock or an order for a rock. Mom said she would write the guy who is making the headstone for my grandparents’ graves and see if he could make me something like what I want. The internet has been very unhelpful in this respect as well. Searching for what I want usually leads me to quarries in Australia. While I’m certain the Aussies have fine, high quality stone and stone craftsmen it’s on pretty much the opposite side of the world from where I am.

Even though there is no stone to be had I am still declaring victory. Once I get the pull in I’ll affix it and start loading the drawer up with CDs and DVDs and maybe reclaim some horizontal surface in the house. Huzzah!