I can hear a planer in one direction, an air nailer and compressor in another, and the occasional buzz of a table saw in another direction. Why aren’t these people at work! Why do they tempt me so viciously to veer away from the table and out into my shop? I love this noise, but I can’t stand it!

Back to work…..

I used 1/2 inch plywood because I didn’t want to have to deal with the weight of 3/4 inch and I thought I could get away with it. I still don’t regret that but didn’t get away with it as well as I thought. It turns out that 4 gallons of paint need a stiffer board to hold them up, so even though I used a french cleat the length of the cabinet, I also had to anchor it to the shelf board above it, and use a shelf bracket (not shown) underneath it in the middle in order to keep the bottom from sagging.

The thing I don’t like about the french cleat is that I ended up with a small amount of dead space above the cabinet in order to get it in there above the cleat and drop it down onto the cleat. I’m not really sure how much strength the french cleat is adding, but I am thinking about changing the mounting by just screwing a piece to the wall and then to the cabinet without the cleat. Anyone have an opinion on how this will change the stability of the mounting?

Natalie

I’m sure you really don’t want to hear the details, but the Dr is talking about a potential reconstruction method that would facilitate the healing of the tissue. It is an 8-hour surgery with a 6 day hospital stay. Needless, to say, I am not thrilled about that! I am going to put it off as long as I safely can, but it could be within a month. I am sending up last-ditch prayers to get the easy way out, so please join me in that if you are so inclined. At this point, I don’t even care about reconstruction. If this would heal, I would never want to upset that apple cart again! But the reconstruction process may be the only way to get this resolved.

The good news is that about a month ago the dr finally said that activity restrictions weren’t helping, so I have been doing a few things in the shop. I have been working on cabinets that will go just below my wood storage shelves. I put one together and mounted it with a french cleat. I doing fine until I was mounting it, and that was a bit difficult for my arms and chest muscles. So, I’ll probably put them together but stack them up until I can get my hubby to help.

I thought I would spend some of this time posting my past projects on the LJ site, but I just haven’t had the heart, and am trying to stay focused on my income earning business. Once I’m done writing chart notes and dealing with insurance companies and billing software, I usually want to get away from my computer. However, I thought I would post a shot or two of the cabinets I am making for my shop. I posted it in my other blog about my shop progress.

Thanks to all of you have taking the time to wish me well. I’ll be done with this eventually and be able to close down this thread.

Natalie

Just for the heck of it, a couple pics of what keeps me happy: This is “Bampa” with Torsten and the R/C helicopter. Rowan is practicing his pitching. We had some great sunny warm days in April and May.

So here is the space I’m talking about. Minus the clamps that are temporarily hanging there I am putting up a series of long narrow cabinet boxes in between each set of brackets.

I started with 1/2 inch plywood. I try to avoid 3/4 inch ply whenever possible because it’s so much heavier and hard for me to work with right now. They are various widths from 15 to 41 inch wide, and are 10 3/8 deep and 11.5” high. On some of the longer cabinets, I may have to add a support in the middle so the bottom doesn’t sag under weight. I have cut dados for slide-by doors that will be made out of some 1/4 inch cherry ply I have left over from our kitchen cabinets. I have some nice leftover lacewood that I am going to use for edge banding on the face.

So far I have cut the pieces for all the different widths, and the side pieces, plus I have cut all the groove for slide-by doors. I have yet to cut the Cherry for the doors.

When I’m able to get back into the shop they are ready for a light sanding and light coat of lemon oil, and then cutting the doors and assembly. I am planning to mount them with french cleats.

I have really enjoyed using my new Sawstop TS for this project. This is the first time in my life to have a nice saw in my own shop. It was so easy to use and I was actually surprised that my cuts were straight and accurate. I could get used to this!

Anyway, in preparation of being out of the shop, I took stock of what I have accomplished in the last couple months during the time I have been able to be in the shop and took a few photos. I”m posting them in my blog about my shop progress called: As the shop turns.

Thanks again for all your support. During my downtime, I am going to working on posting some more of my projects from my earlier woodworking days, and spending time reading blogs, and forums and reinventing my shop layout and organization over and over again.

In the shop, I have been working on some shelves to go in between the brackets that are holding up my wood storage shelves. I’ve cut all the pieces so far and cut the dados for the sliding doors. (BTW No matter how many times I am told, I can not remember which is a dado and which is a rabbet. Maybe they should be called a groove with 2 sides and a groove with one side. The thing I’m talking about is a groove with 2 sides.)

By the end of the weekend I’m going to gather up what I have done so far, and will post a few pics here. No big deal really, but I’ll post a bit about using my new Saw Stop for the first time and some of the things I am finding in my stores, and the ideas and thought processes I am rediscovering after a 10 year hiatus from woodworking.

For those of you weekend warriors, have fun and looking forward to seeing your projects!

I’m changing my expectations for my woodworking accomplishments until I get this thing resolved once and for all.
In the meantime, I am going to live vicariously through all you guys, so keep working and keep posting, I’ll be in the background listening and watching and probably making obnoxious comments.

Natalie

The best news is that after all this time, (since mid Jan) I am finally beating the infection that has kept me down. Long story but they finally were able to get a good culture so they could identify the bacteria and get me on the right med.

So, I’m on the mend! It’s been a pleasant new experience to have such encouraging and caring support from you LJ’s.

I’ve been off the LJ site for the last week so because I was having problems with my computer, which eventually resulted in a complete crash. I didn’t loose my data, but the cost of repair was prohibitive, so I am now adjusting to a new computer and working out the glitches with the data transfer.

I’m going to try not to be too compulsive about trying to catch up and read every blog, forum, and look at every new project. Wish me luck.

Natalie

Anyway, now I am having complications of my complications. BUT Okay, Okay! I am recommitted to doing what I have to do to get well, and I think I am seeing some good result so far with the restricted activity since last Wed. I am going to give it another week, per dr orders, and this time I will work my way back into the shop very GRADUALLY, and very SLOWLY.

I have had plenty of time to be on LJ, but I was finding it was like putting a full bar of choice liquor in front of an addict. I am slowly remembering from my early woodworking days that once I get started, I am an addict, and my brain spins with ideas and ambitions to point of letting things fall off in my personal life. With my experience as a therapist and a drug and alcohol counselor, I think I’ll write a book called, People who love wood too much: Learn how to manage your woodworking passion—sort of.

Natalie

As Friday progressed, I became increasingly convinced I was coming down with the Flu, so the kids and I watched movies and went to bed early.. Honestly, I wish it had been the flu.

Okay, so how do I say this without giving too much information on one hand or sounding mysteriously cryptic on the other? I’ll do my best. Last year one thing that kept me out of the shop was breast cancer. I had 4 surgeries, and the last one was reconstructive surgery on Dec 27th 2012. I had a great recovery and was feeling very happy to put all that behind me. But apparently, there was an infection brewing somehow leftover from the last surgery, and I woke up about 2:30am with a high fever, but realized this wasn’t the flu.

Long story short, IV antibiotics over the next two days didn’t take care of it, so I had to have surgery to remove the implant on one side and now I am adjusting to this and the knowledge of more surgeries in my future. But Dammit, I am so tired of resting and “taking it easy”. I had put all that behind me!!!! Okay, I am thankful for a lot of things. This is not a tragedy, it is just a bummer. I don’t like bummers, but I can handle a bummer if I have to. Anyway, I am not expecting this keep me down for long. I am hoping to be back in the shop in limited capacity this weekend if only to just stew and scheme.

Now the point of this post is to show how “wood minded” I have become since re-entering my shop. I found myself fascinated with the veneer on the doors in the hospital. I am hoping that’s not really as pathetic as it sounds. This was very interesting veneer, and I’m not sure I have seen veneer doors like this before. It wasn’t the usual log peel, it was more like strips off of boards. What do you think? Is this interesting, or was it just the drugs?

!