What would "you guys" like to see next?

Well it’s been 32 days since I “lucked upon” Lumberjocks. Since this is my first venture into any sort of “online community I am still, sort of, wandering around, getting to know what everybody else has, said, built, is interested in…

Almost immediately, several of you “offered welcomes to the neighborhood”, general comments on what to expect and one in particular said…[I’m sure in a freindly and positive way…be careful, this (Lumberjocks) can really become contagious (i.e. you’ll spend A LOT OF TIME HERE)...That was great advice as I have already found myself really enjoying the hundreds (nope, thousands) of “like-minded” folks here…YOU seem to run the range of beginners to “way above” experts (professional woodworkers) ...I guess I fall somewhere in between (would like to “think so” anyway)...

One thing I am now very happy to have done was to take pictures of many of my past projects, most of my more recent and certainly will all my future ones…One a couple of occasions I’ve “thought about” maybe, soeday writing a few articles or even a book about my woodworking journey….so maybe finding this site was serendipity…we’ll see?

For those of you who have already visited my page on Lumberjocks, thank you for visiting and thank you for the comments; for those who have not (yet) maybe this next request will “peak your interest”...

I’d like to do a little survey, for the purpose of deciding which of my projects to “present to you” next…Each of these three I spent a good bit of time designing, planning, and building (and maybe it’s just me…but even when I get close to “finished” there’s always some little detail I want to add or change or maybe even “redesign”)...Oh well…this journey never seems to end…hummm, or maybe I just love building stuff!!

The choices are:

(a) A one inch: to one foot scale model of a “house” (actually sort of a “dream garage worklshop”)...My wife has on many occasions refered to this as a “doll house” – NOT!!! It’s an Architectural Scale model, at least that’w what I call it…I built this one probably 15 years ago. have several more pictures, besides the one I’m going to post with this first blog entry.

(b) The “Fire pit”...I’ve always tried to “find” materials that someone else thought was trash (and then “build something cool with it)...this project is a perfect example of that “skill”...several years back I was working at a Defense Depot, which has been here in Richmond since the 1940s…Delivery to the 40 some odd warehouses had been by rail, for years…so there was about 20 miles of track throughout the complex. When the rail was pulled up (trucks became the delivery method) I “saw an opportunity”...The Fire pit (well actually the surrounding enclosure is built from approximately 120 salvaged RR crossties, connected with “scavenged” rebar…Needless to say, the weight of “this building material was on the “other end of the spectrum” from the “scale 2×4s and 2×6s” I was using in project (a) above. This project not only tested my imagination and creativity but also make me very, very aware of “proper lifting techniques”...

Finally, choice© The approximately 10×24 foot “screened porch” built onto the back of our home…It replaced a old, small deck…This project, I have to admit, was a bit challenging on several fronts…”ripping into” the back of our house – well, lets just say I “didn’t want to screw anything up…This project also has taken the most time, and actually had to be “approved/inspected” by our County building department. (I actually became close e-mail buddies with the head of that department…on several occasions I ask for help, opinions or the “best way” to do a particular step, in the construction…Now, all we have to do is wait for Spring…

Well, those are the three I’d like your thoughts on…After a week or so (depending on which if any have shown the most interest I “try” to take you on a blog and picture journey with “the rest of the story behind the project…I hope I’m not “taking on too big a challenge, here”...as I’m sure you’re all just like me and ALWAYS have a few projects currently inprogress…I’ve posted one picture of each of these three on my “project page” : Title – “You decide”

Cheers,

Mike

-- Mike