Milling about

It was a weekend of prep work.  Though as my understanding of wood working and construction increases it becomes more and more apparent that most of the time spent is actually just setting up for flashy finishes.  That being said while it wasn't raining Amber, Shawn and I spent our time ripping down rough sawn boards into nominal sized lumber.  In the end we milled out about 100' of base board ready for sanding and varnishing and about 600' of baseboard blanks (I consider the difference between a blank and the trim is whether or not it has the bullnose edge applied).  The other parts of the weekend were spent joining and clamping door casings, table tops, and counters.  No pretty photos, well except our new countertop, but important working ones none the less.

Fitting the sink for caulking 

Yet another photo of the counter

Amber Milling Base Board Blanks

The Pile of shavings wasn't there at the start of the day

6/7 of the dining room table top clamped and ready

Bullnosed baseboards ready for varnish

600' of Baseboard to be Routered

Appliancing the house

It took a bit of time to get started this week, mainly because the floors were so clean and new that I didn't have the heart to coat them with dust right away.  However, Through the duration of the week tools were decompressed out of the bathroom spaces and slowly migrated to working stations.  Since the majority of wood for the trim hasn't arrived yet and the weather was less than ideal for millwork the efforts were focused on completing a number of projects that had been started over the past few months.  First and foremost was the kitchen counter top which is made in a butcher block style out of stripped recycled teak.  The other tasks primarily consisted of installing appliances and making sure they ran properly.  By the end of the weekend the counter had the first of soon to be many coats of varnish and all the large appliances except the dish washer were up and running.

Shawn and I clamping down the counter

Soon to be Framed Window

Freshly Varnished doors

Putting the second set of clamps on the counter

Stove Up and Running

Installing the Washer and Dryer

Floor vents

Turning the great room into a Fab room

attempt two at clamping the counter

fully clamped and doweled 

Drying

Kitchen Counter 1 Varnished and sanded

Drying and waiting for the second coat

Sink in the right spot first try

Made from recycled teak

Fridge up and Running

washer and dryer up and running

Dryer Vent Installed apparently next to Amber's toes

Washer and dryer mechanical

Turning the sink cutout into cutting boards

Freshly oiled block drying

Clamps

Engaged!

    This posting covers the past few weeks, and while not a lot work was done specifically by me having the floors finished has been one of if not the definitive change to make the interior look done.  That being said most of the work for the past few weeks has been fishing small flooring projects that gone on the way side (a loose board here a missing step there, etc) and clearing out all the spaces.  Since the kitchen and bathrooms had tile floors the whole operation was more or less crammed into those spaces prior to the finishing.  The flooring company was scheduled, came out on time and was in and out within three days.

    Having the floors finished left us with not a lot of things to do for the past week or so, except take some earned time to relax, have a bonfire with friends, and take the weekend off in northern MI.  More importantly than the floors though or the general grind of working, I proposed to Amber on Sunday evening to which she said yes.  So lots of great changes have happened and it looks like we will be on track to moving at some point during September.  

Varnished trim drying

Drying sticks of window casing

Cutting Down the sticks

First piece of the counter

Amber clearing floor space

Lynch grouting tile

John and Kate at the Bonfire

Shawnda Jenny and Sasha at the Bonfire

Rocky macho Man

The sign says it all

Fermented fruits of our northern expadition

Showcasing the floors

Sun room

Great Room staring to actually look great

At El Azteco with my Fiance