Retirement Activity

People ask what I'm going to do in retirement. So far, that has not been a big problem given hobbies like photography and woodworking. One of the largest challenges I face inside my own head is having a purpose behind both of these activities. The bottom line is that I like to share what I do. There are only so many photos I can shoot nearby before they become repetitive and the personal joy factor goes down. There are only so many wood projects I can clutter up my house with. No offense to my friends but there are only so many wood gifts that I like to make before I could go broke buying wood these days. Fortunately, every so often I get the pleasure of using one of these hobbies to make someone happy. It's even better when they are generous to cover costs plus add a little pocket money. Such was the case with a job at start of the summer.

Many years ago, this couple had built a small house adjacent to their house for aging parents that have since passed. Recently they made the decision it was time for them to move into the small house and their daughter and her family would move into the big house. Downsizing is TOUGH as we have to sort through memories and make difficult decision of what comes with us and what gets eliminated. The small house did not really have the room for their china cabinet. They had a solution in mind and called me to see if I could help.

All of the cabinets were built by one of their parents with just a base cabinet in one of the corners as seen below. Do NOT judge the clutter! I took this photo as the renter was preparing to move. This was where the original residents placed their TV. Remember the days of small, bulky TVs? Those that do are officially in the "older generation" category!


They wanted the new cabinet to match the design of the original cabinets. They are super-pleased with the result delivered this week (as am I). I have built cabinets before but never with an angle in one corner and never with glass doors or shelves. Crown molding and painting are not my favorite activities either! One of the best parts about such jobs is the challenge of adapting and adjusting to hurdles not anticipated at the beginning (and even overcoming anticipated challenges). I had plenty of those opportunities (some self-inflicted) with this project.

A more complete view is shown below. Notice the crucifix on the right base cabinet. I made that cross for him to give to his wife for her birthday a couple of years ago. The original cross had been broken and the Jesus was one of her favorites that she had no way to show. Another feel-good moment to help someone smile.

I should mention that I truly appreciate their patience. I work slow and this project was no different! The good news is that I made a nice couple smile as they make that transition in life. My shop space is now open again to start thinking about what is next.

I give you a bonus photo to show the size of the cabinet. It is not small nor light. There is an ugly dude cluttering up the photo but he provides size perspective! He also needs a haircut (hopefully today).


Go make someone smile today.

Thanks,
Doug White

Comments

Post a Comment

Please include your name in your comment so I know the author! Thanks.

Popular posts from this blog

Completed Wood Project

Image
Yes, I made another cutting board and do not ask me what I will do with it. I have no idea.....sit on a table I guess. I really had not planned on making any more cutting boards until I saw this piece of parota wood. It was a new species for me and it had a beautiful end grain pattern. The sap wood provided a nice color contrast that could be blended into the final product. I had seen a photo a month or so before of a similar board and liked its looks. Picking up the piece of parota told me to make, yet again, another end grain cutting board. The two slabs  (earlier photos/e-mail) were essentially identical to each other but I intentionally made the two pieces of parota to be offset from the center (gives the stairstep look). Each 12-1/2" wide slab was cut into 1-7/8" pieces - a total of 11 pieces from each slab - 22 pieces total. I then alternated the pieces from the two slabs while keeping the order of cut. The final board measures 12" x 17-1/2" x 1-7/8". Whe
Read more

Springtime

Image
It's been a while since I messed with your mailbox so Howdy and I hope each of you are doing well. A few of you have sent notes and updates and they are always appreciated. This is too long but summarizes our life the past few months. We have been busy this spring with some major cleanup of the woods/brush around our house. The area in front of our house was cleaned up in the original construction. By cleaned up, I mean you could safely walk (mostly erect) through the area without fear of death by 1000 thorns. The other areas were left much less accessible with survival maintenance only but still no clear access. Though I have always wanted to see the garage-side area to look more like our front, we never made it happen in the 11+ years we have lived here. We had three obstacles that are more like excuses but they were very real. The first issue is our fundamental frugality. We could not bring ourselves to pay the several thousand dollars to have someone come in and do the work. Th
Read more

Burst Bubble

Image
About a month ago, I picked up an old Craftsman 18" scroll saw for a whopping $15. It satisfied a couple of points: 1) cheap test of whether I would like scroll saw stuff, and 2) small and light enough to stow it out of the way in my shop when not in use. This tool is in good shape but is a beater with vibration. Fortunately, I can clamp it down to my  very heavy assembly table. I have no idea how anyone could use this thing without something very substantial to clamp it to. I played around with it on some 1/4" plywood to get the feel and then put it away for a bit. I then saw a piece I liked on a Facebook group and the person shared his template. It called for cutting 1" thick stock slightly smaller than a sheet of paper. I looked around my shop and picked up a piece of cherry and began work. In hindsight, I'm not sure such a hard wood was a good choice for my first project with that thickness. The piece needed a very small blade (#5) and had some challenging turns/
Read more