I tried doing a weblog on my site a couple years ago, and it went well for some time, but it eventually fell by the wayside due to my busy schedule. It always seemed that I had too many other things on my plate to spend time blogging. Or maybe I just lost interest. I don't remember. I am no less busy now, but I will try a second stab at it. Maybe I'll actually keep it somewhat up to date this time.

Here we go...

It's been quite a while since I've posted something here.

Over two months, in fact. My latest litigation project has become the proverbial "elephant in the room," taking up an enormous amount of my time. But I can't complain, as the money's good and it's an interesting case. Luckily, we were able to pull away for a few days in March for some much-needed R&R in San Antonio. It was nice to enjoy the warm weather and Texas hospitality while it snowed back home. See photos here.

I finally upgraded to a new desktop PC at home. I had one built locally, at General NanoSystems in Minneapolis. I didn't want to buy some HP or eMachines McBox with all the added shovelware garbage. I settled on a system with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz 800MHz FSB, 2GB RAM, 500GB and 750GB SATA hard drives, DVD+/-RW and CD-ROM drives, laser printer, and a nice 22" wide-screen LCD monitor. However, I have been having trouble with the two optical drives, experiencing frequent system crashes from both during the disc read process. Not a good thing. I've checked the cables (the obvious first place to look), and made sure that the drivers were up-to-date. No problems there. It appears I'll be bringing in the box to have it checked out, as I have exhausted the options on my end. I'll soon find out how good General NanoSystems' tech support really is. Stay tuned--I'll keep you posted...

As for the old system, I plan to use it as a guinea pig for a Linux installation--my first. It's an old 950MHz AMD Athlon, circa 2001, with 768MB RAM, which should nevertheless be plenty of power to run Ubuntu. The latest version, "Hardy Heron," is being released this week, and I will download an image file of it. No idea when I'll actually have time to do the install, what with the long hours at work, family time, spring home and yard projects, upcoming graduations to attend, etc., all competing for my time. I'll get to it...eventually.

As such, my hectic schedule is not expected to let up any time soon. Thus, further posts to this blog may continue to be rather sparse. But I'll try to update this whenever I can.

A timely newspaper article on gas engine power ratings.

With spring only a couple months away, many of you may be thinking of yard work. Before long, the home centers will be filled with every conceivable yard and garden tool, including many gas engine-powered devices. In recent years, the manufacturers have started moving away from defining the ratings of these devices in terms of horsepower, opting to use other factors such as torque or engine displacement. This has resulted in much confusion by the average punter, and there is a tale to tell about this smoke and mirrors advertising trick.

Rick Barrett has written an insighful article about this phenomenon in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and he even picked the brain of your humble narrator in his research. Part of the reason I bring this up, of course! And yes, one of my comments comprises a brief blurb in the article. This "alternative quantification" (for lack of a better term) by the small gas engine manufacturers is somewhat analogous to the subject of one of my articles tackling inflated electric motor ratings. However, unlike the case of electric motor specs, where manufacturers are still using their exaggerated claims with impunity, the gas engine people have actually gone one step further by migrating to an entirely different unit of measure in an apparent effort to dodge any attempt to pin a meaningful measure of power on their goods. In many instances the gas engine makers are using units of torque, which are meaningless to the average consumer. Torque is basically a measure of rotational force. While there is a relationship between torque and power, the two don't necessarily correlate, as speed is the wildcard. Torque times velocity equals power. However, you can have torque with zero velocity, which means no power is developed. Further blurring the lines is the fact that you can have relatively high torque from a low-powered engine, and vice-versa. Buying the machine with the greatest torque may not get you the highest power. Thus, torque becomes a red herring when you are shopping for lawn mowers, trimmers, etc.

The point of my contribution to the Barrett article was the legality of this. Manufacturers of goods are allowed some "wiggle room" in their advertising claims. They are basically free to insert a bit of exaggeration, in what is known as puffing. As long as the puffing does not rise to the level of deceit, it is generally tolerated. Unfortunately, there is no bright-line test to distinguish between harmless puffing and deceptive advertising. It usually becomes an issue of fact for judges and juries to decide, in that they "know it when the see it." There is a paucity of case law and statutory law limiting what these manufacturers can claim. The Illinois case that triggered the change in the manufacturers' claims was aimed at alleged exaggeration of horsepower claims. Although the case was dismissed by the court, it nonetheless sent a shock wave through the manufacturing community, the result of which being the new measurements. And at the end of the day, the consumer loses.

Compressed air pipe in the shop.

I have a small "pancake" air compressor in my shop, which provides just enough air to power the various nailers I use, and to occasionally blow the dust off of something. After growing weary of dragging around (and tripping over) hoses, I realized that I needed a more logical means of delivering compressed air in the shop.

I built a permanent air line leading to a centrally-located spot in the shop. The line originates at the compressor, with a short length of flexible hose coupling the compressor to the beginning of the pipe. I used 1/2" galvanized steel pipe and fittings, along with a few various brass fittings. I included a small air filter and a purge valve to remove some of the moisture that will invariably accumulate when the weather gets warmer. The pipe continues up the wall and across the ceiling at a slight slope to allow accumulating water to drain back down to the purge valve for removal. After turning 90 degrees to the center of the room, there is a drop with a quick-release coupling for connecting a short, coiled air hose.

With a dozen or so threaded joints, the system does leak a small amount, despite my diligence in using teflon tape on all the threads. But this does not affect the overall performance in my applications. I just need to remember to shut off the compressor when it's not in use, or it will be cycling on and off every few days or so.

The Neptune finally gets some Twin Cities press.

Metro Magazine has a nice writeup of the Neptune Cafe Italiana, giving my favourite local eatery some well-earned accolades (it's about time, dammit). The article focuses on a few of the hidden gems tucked away in the suburbs around the Twin Towns, and the Neptune is rightfully given a big thumbs-up. Bryan, Chadd and the crew have worked tirelessly to make the 'Tune a great little dining spot, and I'm delighted to see some recognition of that fact. However, the online version of the Metro piece is abbreviated, so be sure to pick up a hard copy of the magazine for the whole story and lots more pictures -- plus the mag is jam-packed with lots of metro-area events and venues.

Back from a week in San Diego.

We just got back New Years Eve, after spending the holidays in San Diego. Temperatures in the 60s, sun, lots of relaxation. Now back to reality and subzero temps. I've posted some photos here.

A couple more pens.

Two more pens fresh out of the shop. A Cocobolo slimline with an African Blackwood tip, and a slimline made with Irish Bog Oak. The Bog Oak is wood salvaged from oak logs that have been submerged for millennia in peat bogs, which are common throughout Ireland. The wood remains well-preserved in the bogs due to the anerobic environment. Naturally ocurring tannin in the water darkens the wood to its charcoal-grey colour. The piece of wood I turned had been carbon-dated to about 3300 BCE - some eight centuries before the Egyptians built the Giza Pyramids.

Another pen.

With some free time yesterday evening I tried a pen-turning project of a more difficult level. I've had a Snakewood pen blank sitting on a shelf in my shop for some time. I have heard all the stories about how difficult it is to turn this brittle wood. In fact, the horror stories are legion, coming from amateurs and pros alike. It's a fact: Snakewood is extremely temperamental. It is hard, brittle, and very prone to cracking. Any amount of overheating from drilling, turning or sanding will likely result in a split piece of wood.

So in a twisted way, I was finally drawn to the lone piece of reddish-brown hardwood beckoning from my shelf. Despite all its difficulties, Snakewood is an incredibly beautiful wood, with an unusual spotted pattern (hence, the name). I would try to make a decent pen from this bit of wood, and if it didn't pan out...oh well. Deciding which pen kit to use with this took some thought. Do I use a cheap, two dollar gold-plated slimline kit in the event the wood fails and I'm only out a cheap set of hardware? But what if it works out and I end up with a pen with cheap parts not worthy of this fine wood? I decide to dive head-first and use a nice Titanium slimline kit. I decided to tempt fate and set out to prepare the blank.

I cut the blank into 2 sections and carefully drilled 7mm holes through the lengths of each. I took excruciating care on the drill press, only plunging 1/8" or so at a time, then backing out the bit and allowing a few seconds to dissipate heat before plunging the bit back in for another bite. It took a good 10 minutes, but I had the two sections drilled without any casualties. I made it through one minefield. Next I glued in the brass tubes with 5 minute epoxy, and carefully trimmed the ends square with a barrel trimmer.

I mounted the blanks onto the mandrel of the lathe and began turning. The wood really turns nicely, my chisels cutting smoothly but lightly. No hurry here. Once I achieved the desired shape, a few final passes with the skew chisel prepared the blanks for the sanding phase. This is where things can really go wrong. Sanding invariably creates a good amount of heat from friction. I applied sandpaper to the rotating workpieces very lightly, and progressed up to finer grits, then steel wool, tripoli polish, and several coats of lacquer. Still no cracks.

With the lacquer dry, I removed the pen sections and carefully deburred the ends of the brass tubes. I pressed in the pen hardware components, fully expecting to hear the tell-tale "click" of cracking wood. But nothing of that sort. I assembled the two halves and now have a completed Snakewood pen. But the jury's still out -- it could still crack later. Only time will tell...

Some quality time in the shop.

With temperatures outside hovering in the single digits, it was nice to have the heater inside the shop. The little electric heater would bring the inside temp up to near 70 degrees in about an hour. With the good insulation, the heater had little trouble maintaining that temp, only cycling on for perhaps 10 or 15 minutes each hour. I would actually have to turn the unit down so it wouldn't get too hot inside.

I finally found the time to build that downdraft box (plans available here). I built in a 4 inch dust port to connect the box to my dust collector. I've only given it a cursory test, but it seems to draw in a good portion of the dust generated from sanding small workpieces. A little less dust in the air for me to breathe -- always a good thing.

After a long hiatus from the lathe, I was more than ready for a bit of pen-turning. I had to get my chisels sharpened up, touching up the fingernail grind on the gouge, and putting a nice edge on the skew. Now it was time to turn wood.

And turn I did, cranking out three new pens. The first was a rhodium finish Gentleman's rollerball in two-toned African Blackwood. The Blackwood turned like a dream. One woodturning enthusiast once described turning Blackwood as akin to "turning frozen butter." Not sure if I can relate to that metaphor, but Blackwood does indeed machine quite smoothly. The wood is relatively hard and dense, but the grain is super fine, with almost no tearout. The wood would just peel away as I applied the chisel. The Gent is a massive pen, a good three-quarters of an inch in diameter when finished. Certainly a desk pen, it would weigh down one's pocket if carried around. I have made a handful of Gents, and they are quite fun to create. The hardware has such superb fit and finish -- a far cry from the two-buck slimlines I've made dozens of.

The next two to come off the lathe were rhodium finish slimlines I made from Brown Mallee burl and Red Morrel burl, both woods from Australia. The Mallee was much harder to turn than the Blackwood, and the Morrel harder yet. In fact, turning the Red Morrel seemed like turning stone. These two woods took quite a time to machine, requiring that I resharpen my cutting tools a few times during the process. But my efforts were rewarded with two shiny pens.

And while I was at it, I even made a Cocobolo fob with a USB memory drive. The innards fit nicely inside the 9/16" diameter cavity.

Outstanding pizza from the Neptune.

Warning: shameless plug ahead...
Now that the holiday silly season is fully upon us, our already hectic lives are once again being transformed into pure chaos. This sometimes means that we just don't have the time to prepare a decent dinner after a long day at work, and spending time in a restaurant just doesn't fit into the few remaining hours we have free in the evening. But why should this frantic schedule keep us from eating well?

Allow me to suggest a very convenient and tasty time-saver: if you're in the north metro, call the Neptune Cafe Italiana and order some of their superb pizzas, then stop by to pick 'em up on the way home (sorry, they don't deliver). Chef Chadd Keyes and his crew will whip up some 'za that you will be tempted to devour before you even get them home. We have called in orders to the 'Tune a number of times, and the pizzas are always delicious, with fresh ingredients and a crisp, crackery crust. Choose from their calabrese sausage, pepperoni, margherita, pesto chicken, the "Neptune," or have them create your own from their finest toppings. It'll be ready for you in just minutes.

The Neptune's number is 763-754-5628, and they are located at 2330 Cloud Drive N.E., in Blaine (in the Egret Plaza, just off Radisson Road).

I pulled the pin and bought a new saw.

After 10 years' use of my trusty old Delta miter saw, I decided it was time to upgrade. I ordered a Bosch 5412L 12" sliding compound miter saw from Amazon, and it arrived the other day. It wasn't cheap, but with Amazon's instant $50 discount on the saw and a nice Bosch Litheon cordless pocket driver thrown in as a freebie, the deal was much more compelling. Since we had relatives in town for T-giving, I didn't have much time to play with it; just enough time to unpack it and set it up. I did give it a cursory check with a combination square -- it needs only a slight bit of calibration, which I will do soon. I cut a few scraps of hardwood. The stock blade that came with the saw does a reasonably nice job, though I will likely upgrade to a Freud blade. I look forward to spending some time with this new toy.

A few pictures from Tampa.

I was back on the road with our legal team last week, working on some issues in Tampa, Florida. Naturally, we found some time to see a few sights afterward, and to soak up some of the 80 degree sunshine. I also had the pleasure of enjoying the best steak I've had in years at Charley's Steakhouse in Tampa. This place is a must-visit for any self-respecting foodie who drops in to the Tampa Bay area. We finished our case early on Thursday, leaving a couple hours for an afternoon foray to the beach in Clearwater...until a squall moved in, which cleared the beach rather quickly. At least we had a bit of time to get some sand in our shoes. A quick trip around downtown Tampa Friday morning, then it was off to catch our flight back home, where it was 40 degrees colder. Back to reality...

A new page on my site: "Woodshop Shed Construction Project."

After all the months this past year, ruminating about my shed project on this blog, I have finally endeavoured to take some of the information and photos and cobble together a chronicle of the events, start to finish. Behold my Woodshop Shed Construction Project page. In pictures and words, a chronologically and logically sequenced illustration of what I went through to build my new shop. Perhaps a bit idiosyncratic at times, yet hopefully containing enough useful information to plant some ideas in the heads of a few like-minded readers.

It might be worth noting that I have scanned in a few pages of the hand-made drawings I had scrawled on graph paper, showing some of my framing design for the shop. These are available for download here in PDF format. The drawings themselves don't tell much of a story, but they might inspire a creative spark or two. Then again, maybe not. In any case the sketches are what they are.

A dream shed for musicians.

Just when I thought I had unloaded enough shekels to build my humble little shed, I discover this one, used by Peter Gabriel as a compact (and well-equipped, I might add) recording studio in the back yard of his London home. It's a complete studio wrapped up in a tidy 240 square foot shack, aptly named "The Shed." You can have one of your very own shipped to your back yard for just a quarter million. Which works out to a tad over a thousand bucks a square foot.

Some cleanup and new stairs for the deck.

I rented another dumpster to finally toss all the leftover lumber scraps from the shop project, among some other items. Now the box garden behind the shop is finally free of debris, and perhaps I can even plant things in it next year!

Last spring I had removed the staircase leading to the deck, as it had become rather wobbly from years of weathering. Fortunately, the deck itself was still in excellent shape, but the steps were another matter. Yesterday I constructed a new set of steps with a railing. I had picked up some treated 2x12 lumber from a Craigslister earlier this week, and with a few other items, the staircase construction took only an afternoon. Here are a few photos:

Getting started.

The staircase portion complete.

The finished stairs with railing - from the bottom.

Side view.

I've added the exterior trim.

I painted the one-inch cedar boards and nailed them up for the corner and base trim on the exterior of the shed. It's actually beginning to look like a finished building now. Just a coat of primer and paint on the soffits and fascia, then paint the exterior walls...next spring.

10/12/07. Album I'm listening to today: John Fogerty - "Revival"

Cleveland rocks.

I was on the road again this past week, working on some legal projects in the Cleveland and Akron areas. Though I was quite busy, I managed to have a few evenings free, including a rainy Wednesday night trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in downtown Cleveland. It was well worth the price of admission, and I browsed the displays for the good part of two hours. Musical instruments, memorabilia, tour posters, photos, and more from artists like Eric Clapton, Beatles, The Clash, David Bowie, and The Doors. I was especially intrigued by the grade-school drawings by Jimi Hendrix, which his father had saved for decades and donated to the museum. Highly recommended if you are in the Cleveland area. Here are a few of the photos I took that night:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.

In front of the museum.

Outside of the museum at night.

The atrium, the only place where photography is allowed inside the museum.

Cleveland skyline at night.

Another night shot of downtown Cleveland.

RANT: "Here ya' go" DOES NOT EQUAL "thank you."

O.K., let's get something straight: if you work in any job that involves customer contact and a customer has just made a purchase, the least you can do is show some gratitude by uttering a simple "thank you." It's really not hard to do, and it only takes a couple seconds. Yet, in many transactions I make in many stores around here, I usually get something like "here ya go" from the uninspired clerk at the checkout. Lately, this has happened to me quite frequently at one of the nearby home-center stores (I won't give the name, although it rhymes with "blows").

What's up with this?

It's as if the clerk is saying "you spent your money, there's the door, now get outta here." There are a few variants blurted by store clerks: "have a good one," or "have a nice day." All equally useless platitudes. I don't want to have a "good one," and I'll be the judge as to whether or not my day is nice. I just want a simple "thanks" for my patronage. Is that too much to ask?

Maybe the employee has had a bad day, or perhaps he thinks he's not getting paid enough. Not my problem. I know, this is just a pet peeve of mine. But the least they can do is to show some gratitude for the customer's purchase. Afterall, that's where the clerk's paycheck comes from. And if you aren't happy with your job -- then leave. Find something more fulfilling, like unloading trucks. Again, not my problem. Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up.

This response seems to be a Minnesota thing. I travel a lot, and yet I have never heard the phrase spoken to me in a store anywhere else in the country. I've popped into department stores, big box stores, gift shops, and bodegas in places as varied as Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, and Phoenix. I have never heard someone say "here ya' go" in those places. Ever.

I can guarantee you that I have also never heard "here ya' go" from a waitperson in a restaurant while he or she is handing me the check. Wait staff are not stupid. They understand the correlation between good service and good tips. But the checkout clerk gets the same wage whether the customer is satisfied or not. It's been a long time since I've been in a Kmart, but I recall that the checkout people would invariably complete a transaction with "Thank you for shopping at Kmart!" They even once had a promotion where if a clerk failed to recite the thank you mantra, the customer got a gift card. I think everybody should do that. Then have an employee recognition program to reward the clerks who have never had to give any gift cards away. And fire the ones who rack up the most.

Meanwhile, I think I'll buy my lumber and hardware from Menard's. I always seem to receive courteous service there.

10/06/07. Album I'm listening to today: Shpongle - "Are You Shpongled?"

More odds & sods in the shop.

I was able to take the day off Friday, but alas, the weather was not conducive to outdoor activities, with lots of wind and rain. I had hoped to do some trim work on the exterior of the shop. But the UPS truck had made a couple visits this past week, dropping off my long-awaited spool of stranded, bare copper ground wire, and the 5000 watt Ouellet heater, and there was plenty to do with that.

That rainy Friday turned out to be a good day to get those tasks done inside. After an early morning supply run, I spent the rest of the morning mounting and connecting the heater. I made a ceiling mount assembly from some slotted, galvanized angle steel, and attached the heater's trapezoidal-shaped mounting bracket. With a length of some heavy gauge SOW cable and a 30 amp 240 volt plug, I made up a robust cordset for the heater. With a rated ampacity of 40 amps, the 8 gauge cable should have no problem supplying the 21 amps the heater will draw. I wired the cord into the back of the heater, having to drill, tap, and thread a ground screw into the chassis, as there was none provided. Next, I bolted the heater unit to the bracket and attached a diagonal cross-brace to provide some rigidity. The trapezoidal bracket that was supplied with the heater mounts to the heater in a single-point fashion. In other words, there is just one bolt protruding from the top of the heater for attachment. While I was able to make the support frame above fairly rigid, this sole mounting point on the heater itself makes for a rather wobbly suspension from the bracket. Even though I tightened the mounting bolt firmly and added a lock washer, the unit can rotate a bit if bumped. This mounting configuration could've been better planned by the heater's designers. A 2-point -- or better yet, 3-point -- mounting system atop the unit would have yielded much better stability. Nevertheless, the heater's blower is well-balanced, and should not create much movement while in use.

I mounted the heater so that the bottom is about 80 inches above the floor. High enough so that tall people like me won't bump their heads into it, while at the same time keeping the heater within reach so I can access the thermostatic control on the unit's back. The heater plugs into a dedicated 30 amp 240 volt outlet I had wired in the shed.

My next task of the day Friday was to wind the bare ground wire around the PVC dust collection venting, to help dissipate electrostatic buildup. I wound the wire around the pipe, looped it under a sheet metal screw and then tightened the screw. This was repeated until I had the entire piping system connected. The sheet metal screws were placed at 4 inch intervals, with their tips just poking inside the pipe. This is to provide grounding access to inside the pipe, to help dissipate charges that may accumulate there. The entire run required just under 100 feet of wire. At each of the two blast gates, I jumpered the ground wire, connecting its end with a wire nut to the protruding end of the helical wire that's coiled around the flexible tubing used for the drop hoses. Once I had it all wired, I measured the electrical resistance to confirm continuity (well under 1 ohm). Finally, I hoisted up the piping assembly the remaining 6 inches or so, setting it firmly against the ceiling. I tightened the hanger straps to hold the venting assembly in place. I inserted some 1/2" wire mesh inside the inlet of each of the blast gates, and taped it firmly in place. This is to prevent larger objects from being sucked into the PVC pipe, where they could be ensnared. I really don't want to be dissassembling this pipe to remove some rag that found its way trapped inside. It's not a matter of if, but when something large gets sucked into the hose, and it wil be far easier to remove a hose clamp to access the obstruction.

Saturday morning brought even more rain, so I used part of the day to start work inside, fabricating trim pieces from the neat little stack of cedar lumber I had bought the previous day. I cobbled together four corner trim pieces that I will prime, paint and nail onto the vertical corners of the shop next weekend. I had also picked up some 1x6 cedar boards to use for skirt trim around the bottoms of the siding. I jointed slight bevels onto the top edges of those boards to allow water to run off.

I have added a new article to my site.

From the culmination of my experiences building the new shop this past spring and summer, I had decided to sit down and compose a concise primer on design and setup tips for small wood shops. The article is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion on the complete design process; rather, a list of things to consider when setting up your own shop.

I hope the article yields a few more ideas for your dream shop. Enjoy.

10/01/07. Album I'm listening to today: Focus - "Focus 9: New Skin"

A soggy weekend, but not a complete wash.

Although it rained most of Saturday and Sunday, I was fortunate enough to have had a bright, sunny day off on Friday. I put up the remaining pieces of siding, and some primed quarter-round where the top of the siding meets the soffit. All the better to keep bugs and moisture out. I just need to nail trim boards along the corners, and baseboards along the bottom edges of the siding. I'll paint it all next spring.

The city building inspector stopped by Friday morning and approved the shed. All formalities are now complete, and with the exception of a few minor tweaks, I am now free to concentrate on the things I'll get to do within. I'm jonesin' for some pen-turning…

However, I was still faced with the big stacks of stuff occupying the left stall of my garage. I had been parking my car in the driveway since about April, and with winter approaching, I needed to get the vehicle back inside. I have since moved everything I need into the new shop, with the suspended racks of lumber to remain in the garage, up high and out of the way, as they have been. Other things taking up space were squirreled away Saturday in cabinets and onto shelves in the garage, with a few seldom-used articles stowed in the garage attic. All that remained were a dozen or so items I could do without. Thanks to a couple postings on Craigslist, the undesirable items were quickly snapped up by a few of the various scavengers who haunt the list. I can now park inside once again. Mission accomplished.

At this stage of the game, I should post a few photos of the shop in its (almost) completed state:

View of south side entry, as seen from our back patio.

View from the west.

View inside from the doorway.

Along the west wall on the inside.

East wall inside. Lots of room for storage.

View toward the doorway.

Next on the agenda: exterior trim, ground wire for the PVC dust collection venting, and hanging a 5000 watt 240 volt electric heater from the ceiling. Just as soon as that big brown UPS truck stops by…

I probably should do something with the unsightly pile of lumber scraps that have accumulated behind the shop. I don't want to look at that all winter. Time to rent another dumpster. The fun never ceases.

09/23/07. Album I'm listening to today: Focus - "Focus III"

More dust collector ducting work and some more siding.

Earlier this week I cemented together the 4" PVC pipe for the dust collector ducting and suspended the hose drops for the machines and the connection to the D.C. unit. I screwed 1/2" long sheet metal screws through the wall of the pipe at 4 inch intervals along the length of the ducting. When my shipment of 100 feet of 14 gauge bare copper ground wire arrives by UPS, I'll wind that around the ducting in a spiral manner, connecting all of the sheet metal screws in the process. This will provide a good grounding grid around the outside of the PVC, and grounding from within, via the tips of the sheet metal screws.

Today I nailed up most of the rest of the hardboard siding. I say "most" as I ran out with only two small spaces remaining to be covered. I'll need to pick up one more sheet to cut pieces for these remaining spots. Next will be the installation of exterior trim.

A table saw outfeed and a good start on the dust collection ducting.

I built a shelving unit from some 3/4 inch plywood, and attached the outfeed roller assembly to the top. This is exactly the same height as the table saw, and the unit can be easily moved to accommodate whatever lumber I will be ripping on the saw.

Next I glued together some of the 4 inch PVC fittings to be used for the dust collector venting network. I hung the fittings from the ceiling, and will connect them with PVC pipe the next chance I get. Those PVC pipes are all cut to length and ready to go. I cemented plastic blast gates on ends of some short lengths used for ceiling drops to the power tools.

For a diversion today, I hung up a few old Minnesota license plates for decor on the door.

Some photos from the I-35W bridge collapse site.

I took some photos from the Tenth Avenue bridge in Minneapolis, which runs parallel to the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge. Quite a sobering site. Here are a few images, in no particular order:

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Image #12

Brain fart of the day: conductive, antistatic plastic pipe for dust collection applications.

As I press forward on the design of the dust collection ducting system for my shop, I have really given some thought to the whole conductive vs. non-conductive pipe issue. I have expressed some of my thoughts on this in a previous posting below, and I still stand by the assertions made there. Nevertheless, regardless of what material you use for a dust collector's vent system, there must be a path to ground to dissipate electrostatic buildup, either by means of the vent pipe itself, or by an auxiliary grounding system.

Then a minor epihany occurred to me: why isn't there a conductive, non-metallic pipe material for this sort of application? I'm talking about, for example, a pipe constructed from PVC that has been doped or mixed with some electrically-conductive material such as carbon or a finely-divided metal. Alternatively, the conductive component could be in the form of a thin metal film deposited on the surfaces of the plastic. Think of the anti-static bags used for shipping electronic components. You've probably seen these shiny plastic bags used for certain computer components, such as RAM and video cards. The premise behind the antistatic bag is that the conductive additive in the plastic allows electrostatic charges to safely dissipate, without harming the sensitive semiconductors contained within. The bag thus acts as a Faraday shield for its contents.

The base material for the conductive pipe and fittings could be comprised of some polymer or composite, and could even be made of recycled materials. Just add enough conductive material to lower the electrical resistance to a point where it effectively dissipates electrostatic charges, and you're set. The resulting product would offer the best of both worlds for dust control venting. You would have the low-cost, ease of assembly and inherent smoothness of plastic. And of course, the material would possess electrical properties similar to metallic materials. No more metal tabs, seams and crimps to impede airflow, and no more taping of joints. No more concerns of galvanic corrosion. No more unwieldy metal tubes, fittings, and special tools. No more cuts and scrapes from working with sharp metal. And no more stringing ground wires and drilling sheet metal screws into nonconductive plastic ducting. You could assemble the pipe and elbows, tees, etc., using a special electrically-conductive cement to ensure electrical continuity. Just glue it all together, hang it from the ceiling and you're off to the races.

Now, you're probably asking yourself, "Hey Kevin, you're a patent attorney. Why don't you just go off and patent this yourself?"
The answer: Although I certainly have the means and ability to do it myself, I really don't wish to undertake the Patent Office fees to prosecute a patent on this. So I am posting this online today to suggest the possible application to anyone entrepreneurial enough to give it a go. Of course, publishing this on my weblog just made the "invention" public, so it's very likely that no one else would be able to patent this (unless it's independently being/been done already). So I am placing this into the public domain here today -- my contribution to the open-source world. Unless this has already been patented/patent pending by someone else, it's fair game for anyone and everyone to utilize.

The genie's out of the bottle. Have at it.

Planning a dust collector piping system.

I am now in the process to designing a permanent piping system for the dust collector I had recently moved into the new shop. When my shop was in its former location in the garage, my dust collection venting consisted of a kludgy series of galvanized steel pipe, held together with duct tape and suspended along the ceiling. This worked fairly well, despite its rudimentary construction.

I have considered using 4" or 6" diameter PVC pipe in the new shop. Thin-walled (e.g., non-perforated "sewer & drain") PVC is fairly inexpensive and readily available, lightweight, easy to assemble, and is less obtrusive than many of the alternatives. It lacks the tabs, crimps, ridges and seams found in common snap-lock metal venting that protrude inward and impede airflow. However, I have heard some negative commentary about PVC ducting in the woodworking community. There has been much discussion of this topic on the Internet, with zealous advocates on both sides of the issue. I decided to wade through the murky waters on this subject, and separate the truth from junk science.

When you move quantities of a finely divided material such as wood dust within an enclosed environment, propelled by an air mass of several hundred cubic feet per minute (CFM), static electric charges will certainly be generated. The main concern here is the potential for an electrical discharge that may ignite this wood dust, possibly resulting in a fire and/or explosion. A secondary (albeit much less detrimental) concern is the possibility of receiving uncomfortable shocks from touching the pipe. Due to the non-conductive properties of PVC, there exists no electrical path by which this static charge can be dissipated to ground. Hence the argument for metallic pipe. The detractors of using PVC will cite this potential scenario as a hazard. But the question is: does the risk really exist, and if so, is it a manageable risk?

Having a background in the electrical and electronic sciences, I could delve into this matter and make a scientific determination. But this analysis has already been done, and I direct you to a superb article by Rod Cole, an M.I.T. researcher and woodworking aficionado with a background in mathematics and physics. Dr. Cole has performed exhausting research into the areas of dust collection and electrostatic physics, carefully researching academic and industry articles related to the subject and enlisting the help of a professor with particular knowledge in the areas of electrostatics. In his article, Dr. Cole arrived at a number of interesting conclusions, some of which may surprise you. A few salient points:

• Static charges will be generated in any moving air/dust mixture, regardless of whether it is contained within a conductive or non-conductive enclosure.
• Static charges developed on the interior and exterior surfaces of a PVC pipe can be reasonably dissipated by use of a good gronding system, such as a series of metal screws attached through the walls of the PVC at close intervals and interconnected to ground.
• The resulting risk of fire or explosion in a PVC venting system of a small shop's dust collector is extremely minute.
• The greatest fire hazard associated with dust collection systems lies in the dust collector's bag itself - a spark originating from a sander or saw could be drawn into the pile of sawdust and ignite the debris.

Meanwhile, I found much argument foretelling the "dangers" of PVC usage on some of the woodworking-related discussion boards online. Of all of the arguments made against the use of PVC venting, I did not see even one of those arguments being supported by any technical or scientific research, nor did I see one shred of statistical data being presented. In fact, I do not recall any of those online postings citing a single, documented incidence of fire or explosion due to static charges from PVC venting. The arguments I read were nothing more than the mere speculation of laypersons, perhaps coupled with a bit of paranoia. These arguments were typically posed in the fashion of "…don't use PVC, it can create static electricity and spark an explosion…". Others attempted to draw analogies between dust collection hazards and grain elevator explosions. Some of these claims are so absurd, to the point that they are amusing.

So whom shall we trust in this matter? A hodgepodge of shop workers and enthusiasts with quirky biases and dubious levels of technical knowledge, propagating their
sky-is-falling fears? Or a technically-competent person who has conducted careful, thorough and scholarly research? You decide.

So the question remains: is it possible that an electrostatic discharge from PVC tubing could spark a fire or explosion in a small shop's dust collection system?

The answer is: yes, it is possible. No one can say with absolute certainty that it isn't. It is also possible that a small meteoroid could come crashing into my living room. Yet that infinitesimally small risk doesn't compel me to wear a helmet while watching TV. It's not a matter of absolute risk on which we should focus our concern; technically there are risks associated with many ordinary activities. The reasonable approach is how we manage those risks. And the risks associated with using non-metallic tubing for your small dust collection system have an extremely slim chance of causing problems.

For those who still want that extra nugget of security, there are special, spiral-wound metal vent pipes and fittings specifically designed for dust collector systems. These components are generally regarded as being the best materials you can use. However, building a system from these parts will cost a king's ransom, and I do not see the need to invest this much for what is to be a rather simple ducting network. To each their own.

Nevertheless, I am always open to a logical argument from an opposing viewpoint. If you are aware of a documented case involving a fire/explosion attributable to PVC pipe used in a dust collection system, I invite you to alert me to it. You can email me using the link below. Please cite the source(s) of your information.

Cyclone dust collectors and venting (A thorough and informative article on building a cyclone and dust venting ductwork.)

Some discussion board postings on dust collection venting (An example of some of the herd mentality surrounding this issue.)

The Principles of Static Electricity in a Dust Collection System, by Rick Christopherson (A differing viewpoint that brings up some valid points, yet ignores a few basic electrical principles.)

Oneida (Response by a representative of Oneida Air Systems, a company that markets dust collection equipment, partially concurring with Dr. Cole's research. Please note that Oneida is in the business of selling, among other things, metallic ducting materials.)

09/03/07. Album I'm listening to today: Led Zeppelin - "Physical Graffitti"

The main storage cabinet is just about done.

I picked up a sheet of 3/4" cabinet grade plywood and built the face frame and doors for the storage cabinet. I chose to set the hinges flush -- on the outside. I realize this method makes for a rather ugly appearance, but screwing the hinges into the edges of plywood is generally a bad idea. I suppose I could've edge-banded the door panels with hardwood strips to provide a more sturdy edge to attach them, but I didn't sense the need to go to that trouble. Of course I could have just bought wrap-around hinges in the first place, to yield a better appearance, but I just wanted to build this thing quick & dirty -- and cheap. Thus, the inexpensive, zinc-plated utility hinges from Menard's were quite sufficient.

I did add a nice accent with some pull knobs I had purchased a while back at IKEA. Very utilitarian indeed. I'll add shelves later and start filling the cabinet with stuff.

While working I had a surprise visit from one of the neighborhood birds that had apparently found its way inside the shop. He (or she?) flew around a bit, occasionally landing. Perhaps the bird was a bit frightened. After a minute or two, my winged interloper decided it was time to leave and flew out the door. And it didn't crap on anything the whole time, which was an added bonus.

09/02/07. Album I'm listening to today: Michael Hoenig - "Departure From The Northern Wasteland"

Work on the cabinets.

I spent much of today building some of the storage cabinets for the shop. I say "cabinets" in the loosest sense of the term: these are quick-and-dirty, ugly, utilitarian structures whose sole purpose is to store stuff. With the remaining pieces of OSB and plywood, I was able to put together some basic wall-mounted enclosures.

Using scraps of OSB, I cobbled together a small shelving unit for containing small electrics -- phone, stereo, battery pack chargers, etc. This will help keep these items organized. I might add doors or some other kind of covers to this to keep the dust out.

The main storage cabinet was next on the agenda. This would be a massive beast of three-quarter inch plywood that would store many of the hand tools, jigs, accessories, and other sundry items used around the wood shop. I designed it to be 44 inches tall, 84 inches wide, and 22 inches deep. And it would be heavy. So heavy that I opted to assemble the cabinet on the wall, as I did not want to try to hoist this thing in its entirety up there. Not my idea of good times.

I mounted the bottom panel to cleats along the wall, using a scrap of 2x4 to temporarily hold the panel in position. Next I attached the right side panel to the wall, then came the first divider panel, and then the second divider panel. After attaching the left side panel, I set the top panel in place. I used wood glue, hardwood cleats and drywall screws to attach all the panels to one another and to the wall. Some galvanized corner braces were added to provide extra structural integrity.

Finally I drilled columns of 1/4" diameter holes at 1 inch intervals in the vertical panels to accept pegs for supporting the shelves I will add later. Tomorrow I'll add a face frame and plywood doors to the cabinet.

A few photos from St. Paul.

While running a few errands in St. Paul this morning, we stopped by the Capitol grounds to walk about and snap a few pictures. We parked the car a block from the Capitol, near a bluff overlooking the downtown skyline, then walked down toward the war memorials nearby. A view of the Capitol, seen from behind the new World War II memorial. And a view from the steps of the Capitol.

More machine migration.

With the help of some neighbors, I moved in the rolling workbench and the table saw. To move the latter, I slid a couple eight-foot 2x4s under the saw cabinet, and we carried it to the shop like a stretcher. Much easier than rolling it over the bumpy terrain of my back yard. Now all of my stationary power tools are in place.

I had a small home-made plywood "cabinet" that I had made several years ago with lots of narrow slots for storing fasteners, small parts, sheets of sandpaper, etc. I attached this on the south wall to the left of the door. I also mounted the loudspeakers to the wall, above the doorway. Can't have a real, guy-space woodshop without the proper tunes. Later I'll build a small wall cabinet to house the amplifier and CD player. Here's a view of the south wall with those in place.

The last "fun" task of the day was to hang the ambient air cleaner unit from the ceiling. It was quite heavy, but not a terribly difficult job for one person.

A nice, cooler Saturday to work on Shedzilla.

With a bright, sunny day of temps in the 70s, I was chomping at the bit to get some work done on the shop. I hooked up the phone cable I had buried earlier this summer, and installed a cheap telephone in the shop. It was a ten dollar special from Target -- good enough for out there. I waterproofed the plywood floor with a coat of Thompson's Water Seal, using one full gallon the treat the less-than-200 square foot floor. That exterior-grade plywood really soaks it up. I finished my interior work by nailing in the remaining trim around the door frame.

With the inside done, I decided to wheel in some of my tools. I laid out a "trail" of plywood scraps across the yard, and rolled the bandsaw, drill press, jointer, lathe table, and a few small wheeled cabinets into the new shop. They all fit nicely along the west wall. Tomorrow I'll roll in the workbench and table saw / router, with the help of a few friends.

Smaller items, like clamps, jigs, hand tools, accessories, etc., can come out there once I've built some cabinets on the walls.

Road trip to San Diego.

My job took me to San Diego this past week. It was a busy trip, yet I managed to get away for a few hours each evening to see a few sights. I spent some quality time on the beach at La Jolla Shores, and perused a few of the local surf shops nearby. I also spotted this striking, yet unusual temple, just a few blocks from my hotel in La Jolla, along I-5. Thursday evening I went for a drive along the San Diego harbor, and a quick trip over to Balboa Park.

And of course, no trip to the west coast would be complete without a dinner at In-N-Out Burger.

08/18/07. Album I'm listening to today: Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow - "Rainbow Rising"

Finished with the floor, and most of the interior trim.

I had a coveted weekday off Friday, and spent most of the day working on the shop. A cool front had come to the area, with sunshine, temps in the seventies and a dew point well below 50. Perfect.

I continued working on the raised floor, adding narrow strips of 3/8" plywood to the tops of the sleepers to bring the height to exactly 2 inches above the concrete. I ripped several of the leftover scraps of plywood on the tablesaw and nailed them atop the sleepers. However, this task was not as straightforward as I had hoped.

When I had attached the sleepers to the concrete last weekend, I discovered that the powder-actuated nailer tended to drive the nails to varying depths. This could have been due to variations in hardness of the concrete, or perhaps inconsistencies in the combustion of the cartridges. In any case, I was left with many of the nail heads protruding above the tops of the sleepers. This interfered with the installation of some of the plywood strips. Since it is damn near impossible to drive these nails further into the concrete, I had to find a way to make the plywood strips lay flat with those protruding nailheads. By laying a strip on top of a sleeper, it was a simple matter of giving the strip a sharp rap with a hammer just above the nail, thereby embedding the nailhead into the strip. By doing this, the plywood strips would lay flat and I didn't have to worry about several bumps telegraphing through the floor decking.

I used a serrated knife to cut the 2" thick rigid styrofoam insulation into pieces to fit between the sleepers. I would score the foam with the knife, then snap the piece off. I cut the pieces to fit snugly in the spaces; I used a scrap of lumber and my foot as a tamper to gently force the foam into place. A couple hours later, the styrofoam was all installed. I had to be careful walking around the foam to avoid making dents in it. I next stapled a layer of 6-mil plastic sheeting on top to provide a vapor barrier.

I installed 4' x 8' sheets of 3/4" plywood as floor decking, using 2" galvanized deck screws to attach the plywood to the sleepers. Six sheets of plywood later, I had a nice (albeit butt-ugly) wood floor. This will be much better for my back than standing on concrete. And the insulation will keep the floor from acting like a heat sink on my feet in the winter. The 2 inch thick styrofoam will yield a value of R-10.

Today I installed much of the interior trim -- a good indoor job, since it has been raining all day. I nailed quarter-round along all the corners of the floor, walls and ceiling. I mitered some colonial casing around the window frames. All that remains for interior trim is to install casing around the door frame.

Another storm.

Our otherwise dry late summer was once again punctuated with a strong thunderstorm. Monday night brought copious amounts of rain...accompanied by stiff winds, plenty of lightning, and a good pelting of hail. The downpour of summer ice started with marble-sized nuggets -- enough to coat the ground, followed by some specimens slightly larger than golf balls. I could hear our roof reverberate with every impact of those big ones. Fortunately, there was no damage to our house or trees, but my trusty old Nissan truck sustained a few small dimples.

08/12/07. Album I'm listening to today: Rush - "Vapor Trails"

Off to a good start on the raised floor.

With a slight reprieve from the seemingly endless summer heat, I spent a good part of Sunday starting work on the raised, insulated floor for Shedzilla. I had sealed the concrete with Thompson's Water Seal on Saturday, and the concrete was ready. I snapped chalklines on the concrete floor to map out the locations of the sleepers -- the wood strips that will support the plywood floor. I ripped some 2x4 lumber into 2x2s. I could've just used full 2x4s for the sleepers, but I wanted to maximize the surface area that would be covered with insulation. All that's really necessary is to have enough structure to screw the plywood flooring in place anyway. I used green-treated lumber, since the sleepers would be in direct contact with the concrete. I gathered all the tools and supplies needed to attach the sleepers: Liquid Nails construction adhesive, caulk gun, powder-actuated nail driver, nails and 22 caliber loads, big hammer, and of course, earmuffs and safety glasses for using said nail driver.

I applied a generous bead of adhesive to the concrete and set each sleeper in place. Since the adhesive only has a working time of 10 minutes or so, I installed the sleepers one at a time. I then nailed the sleepers in place with the power nailer. No doubt my neighbors enjoyed hearing the "pop-pop-pop" of that nailer all afternoon. At least it was still hot enough that no one around here had their windows open. The sleepers are now set at 16 inch intervals, with a perpendicular run of sleepers 96 inches from the side wall to support the edges of the plywood I will be installing later.

Since the rigid foam insulation I will be stuffing between the sleepers is 2 inches thick, I'll need to shim the sleepers with thin strips of plywwod nailed on top. Install the foam, tack a sheet of plastic on top for vapor barrier, and it will be ready for the 3/4" plywood floor decking. These jobs will await me this weekend. It's supposed to be much cooler. Woo Hoo.

As a side note -- in case you're wondering, the exterior of the shed still looks the same as it did a month ago. I will get around to the siding job one of these days.

A bit of storm damage.

After more than a month of drought, we finally get some significant rain last night...and 70 MPH winds to go with it. A nice, quiet, soaking rainfall would've been too much to ask for.

This morning we awoke to find our new patio table trashed. The storm winds lifted the parasol off the table, breaking the tempered glass top into thousands of tiny fragments in the process. The parasol suffered some minor damage -- a broken metal rod, which I repaired with a length of aluminum channel and a few pop rivets. The table will be another story. The frame is OK, but I'll have to fabricate a new table top from clear polycarbonate, or perhaps wood. Another project for this fall...

Oh well, it could've been much worse. Our home was untouched, with all our siding and shingles intact. No damage anywhere else in the yard. A few people elsewhere in the Twin Cities didn't fare so well, sustaining structural damage, fallen trees and power outages.

08/10/07. Album I'm listening to today: Bruce Springsteen - "Darkness On The Edge Of Town"

Another road trip, a few more pics.

I was back on the road this past week -- this time to Massachusetts. My work has been taking me out of town a lot, and this pattern will likely continue for some time. I spent four days on a legal project in the Cape Cod area, staying in a hotel in Hyannis. I was able to spend a few hours each evening checking out the area. Fortunately I remembered to bring my digital camera on the trip.

I took a walk down to the Hyannis harbor, just a few blocks from the hotel. A short walk past the harbor brought me to a nice public beach with endless stretches of white sand, giving one plenty of time to soak up sun and catch views of the many passing sailboats and fishing trawlers. I shot this picturesque scene along a nearby estuary. Like much of the Cape, Hyannis is a touristy mecca that caters to hordes of visitors from Boston and other nearby cities. People pour in there from all over the northeast for a little R&R and lots of lobster and chowder. However, I spotted this poor, hapless fellow, whose visit to the area ended very, very badly.

After a nice dinner at a sidewalk cafe on Main Street (lobster and chowder...of course), I walked past the JFK Museum. Unfortunately, the museum was already closed for the night, and I missed the opportunity to check it out. This is definitely Kennedy country, with their family "compound" just a couple miles away in Hyannisport.

The flight home was uneventful, aside from the half-dozen or so howling babies on board. (Note to self: seriously consider purchasing a set of noise-canceling headphones.) Being bored on the Boston-to-Minneapolis flight, I snapped a few photos out the window. I spotted Niagara Falls just out my port-side window. The falls don't look terribly impressive from 34,000 feet. Later, I was intrigued by this curious little spit of land jutting into Lake Huron somewhere in Michigan. I love digital cameras. With 2 gigabytes of flash memory I can take all the photos I want, of the silliest things that pique my interest.

08/04/07. Album I'm listening to today: Marillion - "Script For A Jester's Tear"

A fine find on Craigslist.

I picked up a little treasure yesterday from Craigslist. A set of industrial rollers, 16" wide and 5 feet long, with 13 rollers, for which I paid the modest sum of $25. The rollers have a bit of surface rust -- nothing a bit of cleaning with steel wool won't eliminate. This will make an excellent outfeed for my tablesaw.

07/29/07. Album I'm listening to today: Chicago - "Chicago Transit Authority"

Interior walls are now finished -- finally.

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on the interior wall sheathing, placing 3/8" plywood along the top two feet or so of the nearly 10 foot high walls. The interior walls are now completely covered. To cover all the little gaps where the wall sheathing meets the ceiling, I nailed in some 3/4" pine quarter-round trim.

The only remaining thing to do with electrical wiring was to install the porch lamp fixture. Since that couldn't be done until there is siding (the fixture has a bezel that mounts atop the exterior surface of the wall), I bought a single sheet of primed hardboard siding -- the kind I plan to eventually use for covering all the exterior walls. I cut and nailed up this siding on the gable end. I wired the fixture, and now my electrical wiring is complete, with a bright porchlamp above the shop's door. All I need to do is call for the final electrical inspection.

Today I picked up some materials for the insulated raised floor I'll be installing soon, including several sheets of rigid styrofoam insulation. I will attach a series of 2 x 2 treated wood sleepers to the concrete floor, and place styrofoam insulation in between. A layer of plastic sheeting on top for a vapor barrier, and then attach 3/4" plywood for the floor decking. That will be on next weekend's agenda.

Another upcoming task will be to install interior casing around the windows and door frame.

Been on the road a while.

I haven't had much opportunity to add to this blog the last week or so. I had been on a business trip to Atlanta and Birmingham, and had just returned today. I did manage to snap a few photos during a bit of downtime in downtown Atlanta yesterday. I also took a few moments to walk through the atrium at CNN headquarters after lunch. Aside from that, little time to see the sights on this trip, though I did enjoy having a nice Churrasco lunch at a Brazilian steakhouse in Atlanta, and some outstanding barbecue in Birmingham. I tried to soak up as much culture as possible on my tight schedule.

I had never been to Birmingham before, and I previously had visions of a depressed southern steel mill town. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find a really nice, mid-sized sunbelt city. The town has truly reinvented itself into a major hub of technology and business. And very scenic, being on the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. There were also many interesting places in Atlanta I'd like to see on my own time. I do need to return there and spend at least a few days.

Well...back to work downtown tomorrow, then maybe I'll get in a few hours' work on the shop this weekend.

07/16/07. Album I'm listening to today: Talking Heads - "More Songs About Buildings And Food"

Finished the insulation and on to the interior wall sheathing.

In between attempts at hornet extermination, I devoted a good part of the past weekend to finishing the walls of Shedzilla. I completed installation of the fiberglass insulation and stapled plastic sheeting over it to provide an inside vapor barrier.

The next phase was to put up paneling on the interior walls. I bought 18 sheets of 3/8" CDX plywood, and attached it to the studs using drywall screws. Cutting apertures for all the electrical boxes and windows was time-consuming, requiring exact measurements and careful cutting. As a matter of fact, is was a genuine pain-in-the-arse. Had I been I installing drywall, this would have been reduced to a simple matter of cutting holes with a utility knife or Rotozip tool. But I wanted a more robust wall sheathing that would endure lots of shelving, etc. So plywood it was to be, and I paid the price by cutting all those damn openings with a jigsaw.

But eventually, I got to the point where I could cut them spot-on the first time, and before long, I was getting the wall covered (at least up to the 8-foot point for now). I should take a moment to tell you that thin, CDX plywood is not the finest material in the world. The sheets were by no means flat, requiring lots of drywall screws, placed at close intervals to hold the plywood down flat. A few sheets would've made good toboggans with the amount of warp they had. But nevertheless, once securely fastened, the CDX plywood lays flat and makes for a sturdy wall.

The next step will be to add short sections of plywood to reach the nearly 10-foot ceiling. Since those horizontal joints are unsupported with blocking, I screwed in small plywood tabs inside the edges to provide support between the studs.

It's been a while since I've had a good adrenaline rush...

A colony of bald-faced hornets (which are not really hornets at all, but members of the wasp genus) had built a good-sized condo, suspended just above our deck. While none of the critters had caused any problems (yet), being the lawyer that I am, an extra bit of liability control was in order. Had the nest been located in a more out-of-the-way location, I would have left it alone. After all, hornets and wasps are beneficial creatures, in that they devour lots of other insects. But I just didn't relish the thought of someone being stung, as bald-faced hornets can be quite aggressive.

I bought a can of wasp & hornet killer -- the kind that shoots a 20 foot spray. I wanted to make certain there would be enough distance between myself and that nest of potentially torqued-off, stinging bugs. I waited until after sundown Friday evening, when the hornets would all be inside the nest, tucked in for the night. I shot a blast of the insecticide right into the hole in the nest, and continued the spray until the paper mass was thoroughly soaked. Then I went inside.

The next morning I went out and saw no signs of life around the nest. Dozens of dead hornets were strewn about on the deck immediately below, and I felt quite confident that the chemical had soaked in and the colony was neutralized. I sprayed the nest with a garden hose to knock it off the eave, and to my surprise, a small swarm of perhaps a couple dozen of survivors emerged. They didn't appear happy to see me. I quickly ducked inside the house, and luckily, sustained no stings from my encounter.

I decided to finish the job. After dusk Saturday night I nearly emptied the can of spray into the remaining nest. The thing was literally covered in white foam. The next day, the nest was finally devoid of any life.

07/09/07. Album I'm listening to today: Tangerine Dream - "Phaedra"

Getting insulated.

I bought a bunch of fiberglass insulation yesterday, in anticipation of a cooler day today. Today's weather didn't disappoint, with temps in the low 80s and dew points back down to the 50s.

I placed R-19 faced insulation in the shop's attic, using almost four 48-square-foot rolls to insulate the ceiling. Next I covered the middle section of the ceiling with plastic sheeting, then hung OSB to button it all up. The ceiling is now done.

I managed to get a start on the wall insulation, covering most of the north wall. The rest of this insulation should go rather quickly, then I'll apply a layer of plastic sheeting over the walls for added vapor barrier.

A nice, cool shower afterward to get rid of the fiberglass scratchiness, and I feel brand new.

07/06/07. Album I'm listening to today: Nektar - "Journey To The Centre Of The Eye"

Shedzilla now has light.

I installed the four 8-foot fluorescent strip light fixtures on the ceiling of the shed. I had purchased commercial-grade fixtures with high-output electronic ballasts. These use 110 watt high-output (HO) bulbs, and will operate down to -20ºF. I wired two fixtures to each switch, which will allow me to turn on only half of the overhead lights if I choose. Mounting the fixtures was straightforward: I attached 2x4 cleats to the ceiling, then attached the fixtures to the cleats. I fed the Romex from the ceiling boxes into the back of each lamp fixture. I had installed grommets into the apertures to prevent the wires from rubbing on sharp metal edges. With all four lamps connected, the shop will now be washed in brilliant light, while using only about half the energy that incandescent or halogen lights would've required.

The forecast for this weekend is calling for temps in the mid-to-high 90s, with dew points in the 70s. I don't care to do work when it feels like a sauna, so I'll probably lay off the project for a couple days. Besides, there will be some great Live Earth concerts to watch online tomorrow.

07/04/07. Album I'm listening to today: Queen - "A Night At The Opera"

Completed the soffits; back inside the shed for work on the ceiling.

I finished up the soffits yesterday by nailing 3/8" plywood under the gable overhangs. I decided to sort through the growing pile of lumber behind the shed and cull out a bunch of small scraps. These will make nice firepit fuel.

Rain was on the way, and great timing to head inside to work on the ceiling. By the way, we received the first significant rainfall in a couple weeks. Nevertheless, only a couple drops found their way inside, and only because the precipitation was driven by some stiff winds, forcing a tiny amount into two of the west-facing roof vents. Otherwise, my roofing job was watertight.

I made some final touches to the electric wiring, opting to add a 120V outlet on the ceiling. I also installed the outside outlet in its watertight box. Code requires that outside outlets have a cover that is weatherproof, regardless of whether a cord is connected or not. The box I picked up from a local electrical supplier has a translucent cover that will remain closed with a cord plugged in.

I picked up some 7/16" OSB and put up part of the shed's ceiling, leaving a 48" wide strip open in the center to allow access for installing insulation later. Since I was working alone, I devised a way to safely lift the OSB panels up to the 10 foot high ceiling. I nailed up a temporary 2x4 cleat on the wall, just below the ceiling. This provided a ledge to insert one end of the panel. I would then prop up the other end with a 10 foot 2x4 and screw the panel into place with drywall screws. I used a jigsaw to cut out openings for the round ceiling boxes. Now I can install the four fluorescent fixtures.

07/01/07. Album I'm listening to today: Frank Zappa - "Overnite Sensation"

More framing detail work.

I nailed 2x4 scraps in between the rafters above the walls. These will act as baffles to prevent the fiberglass insulation batts from plugging the flow of fresh air coming in from the soffit vents into the attic space. I stapled sheets of 6-mil plastic vapor barrier to the undersides of the ceiling joists, leaving a space in the middle to access the attic space. After hanging ceiling paneling, installing the fluorescent lamp fixtures and the insulation above, I'll cover the middle section with plastic and button up the ceiling.

The next task was to attach 3/8" exterior-grade plywood for soffit boards, with three soffit vents installed over cutouts on each side. Only the gable end soffits remain to be installed.

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