For love of a pin nailer.. (continued)

We've put that handy pin nailer to use on another issue - cabinet crown molding.

Why I insisted on included crown molding above the upper cabinets? I don't know. Having those cabinets go straight to the ceiling would've been just fine... but, you know, hindsight...

We (I?) fretted about the process for months off and on. Remember what our crown molding motto is? "Cut close and caulk". Yeah, doesn't work so well on stained molding. Remember Franken-corner? Oh the horrors... Anyway, I'll spare you the drama and details but we made one hugely smart decision on this crown molding: to cut it out and assemble it on the ground, not in the air like we normally would. This way the corners look perfect.. Certainly there are gaps and imperfections in other places (small ones, August is still a perfectionist), but the corners are PERFECT.

And we of course used the pin nailer to attach the pieces, so you can't even see the little holes.

For love of a pin nailer

Alternately titled: Look at what we did in the month of June!

We have done some fun stuff these past few weeks, such as FINALLY getting started on those pesky cabinet doors. In retrospect, the process we selected to make our very simple doors is NOT very simple. Well, it kinda is simple but its VERY time consuming: cut out panels -> stain front (x3) -> stain back (x3) -> polyurethane front (x3) polyurethane back (x3) -> cut out frame pieces -> assemble -> stain (x3) -> poly (x3). Doesn't take a math whiz to know that all those "x3"s equals a very drawn-out process. Regardless, we have pushed about half of the doors through about half of that process... And here is where I mention the nifty tool we needed to "expedite" things - a pin nailer.


It literally nails with pins, headless pins at that. They are TINY. So, here's a shot of pin nail use in the cabinet doors:

This way, the pins hold the doors while the glue dries, no need for dozens of clamps. Here's the doors underway... Frames still need staining.

Fine Fine Fein

Check this tool out!! We thought this thing looked perfect for remodeling. Could've been really helpful on that wood-floor demolition we did..



I like how the video insinuates that the tool was able to single-handedly remodel entire rooms. Too bad it has a hefty price tag - $400!

So look what we bought instead. Harbor Freight - only $32 with a coupon that i vandalized right out of a public library magazine. (Felony or Misdemeanor?) And it works too. We used it to cut a hole for an outlet in the back of an already installed cabinet.

Brought to you by...

Work continues - we are wiring now, but it will still be a small miracle if we get everything back together before we leave for Spain next week. So the new deadline is July 4th. We have visitors coming (yay!) and I think having an operable kitchen sink would be kind of nice by then.. ha ha ha...

So now for a couple of endorsements.

#1 is a Christmas gift which was purchased at a thrift store and we are really using it for info on sheetrock, subfloors, tiling, etc etc etc. Tons of pictures and information. If you ever see one at a thrift store, BUY IT. Its worth the $2. RD.com has a fair amount of the same information available online for free.


#2 is a fabulous tool called an impact driver. If you ever need to screw anything serious together such as a deck or a subfloor, if you ever had a problem stripping screw heads out, you need one of these! It will run a screw straight through a 2x4 if you let it. We were loaned one from a friend and purchased our very own just a few days later. It is an amazing piece of drilling technology.

Carcasses

Yes, that's the technical term for those boxes you put all your stuff in. i.e. one carcass + one face frame = one cabinet. Maybe you pronounce it "car-case"? Either way we now have three carcasses completed. We have a very steamlined process:

1. Layout the cuts for minimizing wasted plywood.
2. Make cuts so that all equal dimensions are cut at one time without moving the saw fence.
3. Drill shelf pin holes in the side pieces.
4. Drill pocket-holes everywhere!
5. Assemble.

And that's it! Here's August, first with the pocket-hole jig and then assembling. Note our use of the blue-handled Kreg clamps - overpriced but really really nice.


And myself doing the Barker Beauty pose with our three completed boxes. The one on the left has no top because its the sink base. The other two sit on either side of the oven. You can also see our plastic dust barrier that is thumb-tacked to the ceiling.

A Meager Start

Well, it may not look like much, but its as big step for the Johnson Cabinet Factory - our first prototype! Made of scrap wood and smaller than the real deal of course.. This is basically what we've got to make about 15 more times. It didn't take that long (an hour maybe?), so I'm still optimistic about finishing by the end of March.

A couple of tools we already endorse:

1. Automatic Current Sensing Switch. These cost only $20 at Sears but good luck finding one. We found it on our 3rd try. You plug both the shop vac and your power tool into it. The current sensing part means it cuts the shop vac on whenever you cut the power tool on. Thus- a makeshift dust collection system. It even lags the shop vac on a little after the power tool to keep from tripping breakers. We successfully used it with the table saw and still didn't blow any circuits, even with our crappy 70s wiring.
   
2. Kreg Jig. This is the joint of the future, folks. Serious woodworkers would look down their noses at us, but we are making almost every joint in the whole kitchen with it. Its fast and doesn't require clamping or even precise measuring in most cases. After all, as I often remind August, this kitchen is all about appearances. Of course we don't want it to fall apart either...

SketchUp!

Hello Internet Audience. Today I thought I would share about our use of Google's fabulous 3-D modeling software SketchUp. (like ketchup...) Being the tech-nerds that we are, this sort of software is right up our alley. August and I actually measured the house entirely during the inspection. Most of the SketchUp model was done before closing.. Since then I have used it to try out my various remodelling ideas.

The best thing about SketchUp is that its free. To make a model of your home, all you need to do is take measurements of all major wall/window/door dimensions. Little stuff like cabinets can be added later. Everything starts out as white, but you can "paint" with a variety of built-in surfaces, brick, tile, wood.. One useful tip is that you can easily change the color of any surface.. ex. I changed the brick surface that comes with Sketchup to resemble the more pinkish tone of our fire place. You can also use your own pictures of your own tile or whatever to make it even more accurate. Some other tips:

• Save frequently... does lock up on occasion.
• If you have a split level home, consider making each level in a different file. August insisted that the entire house be all in one file, and now its a real headache to view the lower levels of the home.
• You can import drawing files from a cad program. This is WAY easier than doing the wall layout in SketchUp directly. Once you import, you have to trace over the walls with the SketchUp pencil, but that part's easy...
• You can import other people's models into your own from Google's Online Warehouse. Some of them are really good.. see the range and microwave below...

Here's a shot of our whole-house model.. sans roof...

Here's a view of the inside of the house. Not the way it currently looks of course.. A couple of renovation ideas we are working on are how to economically update the hopelessly 70s kitchen, and how to make our weakling fireplace have more of a presence.

And finally, to demonstrate one last SketchUp feature: a tour of the house starting at the basement up to the kitchen. *WARNING: may make you a little nauseous..* I'm not the best at steering the camera...