Pre-kitchen prep projects & AJ's birthday

I caught a free week between the end of one class and the beginning of a new one, so I was able to make some progress on clearing space in the garage for the kitchen fix-up (now only a month away!). I spent the week cleaning things up, throwing things out, moving things around, and using up materials I've been saving for projects.

Project 1: Bedside Shelves

Our bed (the rolled up futon on the tatami mat in the picture) is in this little nook in the new room.  It fits great there, but there is no room for bedside tables, so I finally put up these little shelves:

Did I use recycled materials from another project, you ask? Yes, yes I did. These are cut from a plank left over from the Great Fence Replacement of 2012, & finished with rub-on polyurethane left over from The Monster Project of 2014-2016.


Project 2: Workbench

There was a 7-foot piece of structural beam left over from The Monster Project of 2014-2016 that I liked the look of. It's basically a 3 1/2"-thick length of plywood, made up of many ultra-thin layers:

Thumb for scale!

I decided that I would make it into a workbench, along with, of course, other pieces of wood left over from the project. Like this bug-chewed piece of wood that used to hold up the kitchen:

Here is the bench, from a side angle. It's only a foot wide, but very heavy, so I attached it to the wall with a 2"x4" rail, and used the stoutest supports I could find for the front (4"x6"'s).

 

When the bench was done, I put up a scrap of bulletin board, a 6' length of chalkboard Contact paper, and this paper towel holder, which I found in all the stuff that had been left in the downstairs "rooms" by the previous owner(s):

 

Here is the finished work space:

Having a nice, clear, new space to work, I couldn't resist diving right into more projects. Of course.



Project 3: Wood scraps rack

Obviously, I have a ton of wood scraps, and few practical ways of storing them. So, I built a rack. Here it is from the back:

Received the Pickles Seal of Approval

 And from the front:

Much better!



Project 4: Planter

I was very excited to finally get on to the project of making a long (5 1/2') planter for the back steps. I spent today cutting down the pieces I need for the box:

I'll be able to jump into assembly next weekend, & then get that outside.

After that, there are a few more long pieces of wood that I don't already have plans for. Maybe I'll make something for the new kitchen.

In other news, I wanted to show everyone Jon's famous paella, which he made on the grill to celebrate AJ's birthday last weekend:

Yes, it was as delicious as it looks. Thank you Jon!