This, that, and the other

[rox]

I don't even see enough pictures of the house (mainly we are seeing stairs pics) to tell the design nor floor plan so I cna't comment. You guys must have taken a closer look than me. One thing Harv I saw on Holmes on Homes, a tv show where Mike Holmes goes in after contractors botch a job and he fixes it, anyway there was a really difficult kitchen countertop that needed to be cut. It has a post on one end that was at a wierd angle, Mike brought in a countertop sub and the sub used this machine which was amazing Blick Industries - Proliner 8.0 Overview When Mike saw the machine in use he even thought it was totally cool. Check out the videos, I especially like the video of the machine measuring contours. I kind of thought of you Harv because you are always doing such unique work, that you would be interested to see the machine. Course you are probably so good you don't need the machine but it was pretty cool.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Rox I've got a friend in the granite business that's told me about that set up. It works pretty slick.

There's also a laser level kit that works off of a Blue Tooth system. Insurance adjusters and remodeling sales people use it. You set up your laptop and then calibrate in the laser tool. You aim it at the corners and it does all the math calculating height and length of walls etc.

Most of what I do is seat of the pants hold on tight stuff. I suspect that all goes back to the thrill I get out of the doing. The other day I was cleaning out some post holes with a pair of post hole diggers. I'd dug the holes with the tractor but I always clean out all the loose stuff with post hole diggers.

Anyway, as I was digging I thought to myself, "harvey, you're fifty nine years old and there's no reason on gawd's green earth you should be doing this at your age. You should have young bucks doing it. Then I had to smile. You see the sad thing is, I like digging with the posthole diggers. I'm doing what I like to be doing, doing it for the doing.

It isn't just about the physical high one gets from exercising either. It's about working with the diggers and getting the most dirt out each time and knowing that a lot of people have issues with them because it isn't near as easy as it looks. I don't care how many times you've done it. If you take the time to look and think about what you're doing as you're digging a post hole with post hole diggers you can do the most important thing a human being can do for themselves. You can learn to do it better. And you can enjoy the feel goods you get when you do it better.

It's a two fer. Two fers are addicting. Once you learn to appreciate them you can find them everywhere for the picking.

BTW, if the weather allows it next week I'm starting a new project that has me really really really excited. The client it totally on board and it's going to be a real one of a kind done in a way like I don't know of anyone doing before.

If I get lucky it will be one of the better flights I've taken by the seat of my pants.

 

[rtdiggr]

Don't forget to post pics of next weeks project. it sounds interesting.

Shane

 

[Defective]

Every time I read through one of Harvs projects the same thought pops into my head...

Harvey,

When "someday" finally arrives & I get to build my final home... What would it take to talk you into a 2500+ mile road trip?

 

[weldingisfun]

Rox I've got a friend in the granite business that's told me about that set up. It works pretty slick.

There's also a laser level kit that works off of a Blue Tooth system. Insurance adjusters and remodeling sales people use it. You set up your laptop and then calibrate in the laser tool. You aim it at the corners and it does all the math calculating height and length of walls etc.

Most of what I do is seat of the pants hold on tight stuff. I suspect that all goes back to the thrill I get out of the doing. The other day I was cleaning out some post holes with a pair of post hole diggers. I'd dug the holes with the tractor but I always clean out all the loose stuff with post hole diggers.

Anyway, as I was digging I thought to myself, "harvey, you're fifty nine years old and there's no reason on gawd's green earth you should be doing this at your age. You should have young bucks doing it. Then I had to smile. You see the sad thing is, I like digging with the posthole diggers. I'm doing what I like to be doing, doing it for the doing.

It isn't just about the physical high one gets from exercising either. It's about working with the diggers and getting the most dirt out each time and knowing that a lot of people have issues with them because it isn't near as easy as it looks. I don't care how many times you've done it. If you take the time to look and think about what you're doing as you're digging a post hole with post hole diggers you can do the most important thing a human being can do for themselves. You can learn to do it better. And you can enjoy the feel goods you get when you do it better.

It's a two fer. Two fers are addicting. Once you learn to appreciate them you can find them everywhere for the picking.

BTW, if the weather allows it next week I'm starting a new project that has me really really really excited. The client it totally on board and it's going to be a real one of a kind done in a way like I don't know of anyone doing before.

If I get lucky it will be one of the better flights I've taken by the seat of my pants.

Harv, I'm 62 and feel the same as you do when doing the very same thing.

 

[3RRL]

Harv,
I think your craftsmanship is outstanding your attention to details shows in your meticulous work.
However, I have to agree with Jim and Bird about the rest of the house. It just does not seem to be of the same "theme" or whatever. Something turns me off to the rest of it even where it appears to be finished or existing. I dunno, but to me it's like it's not deserving of what you are doing.
Of course, that is neither here nor there.

On the other hand, I would love to have those stairs you made in my log home. They are exquisite and would be the "show case" in it for sure.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Welding is fun, I see guys in their late forties and early fifties focusing on retirement and I sometimes wonder if there's something wrong with me. My only real concern is there is so much I want to do and so little time......

I've went back through this thread and I can't see where there is a problem with flow in either house I'm showing pictures. Unless of course, you're looking at two the two houses and thinking they're one.

What they have in common is young men with large families that for whatever reason have me in the middle of their home construction. The families and the homes are completely different.

Yesterday I went into the woods with a rented compact track loader, Deere CT322, with eight hours on the meter and pulled eleven more trees. I'll be going back today and tomorrow for more.

This gave me a chance to get some pictures of both homes last night. Here's home number one where I started by helping with the piers and beams and ended up helping make the eastern red cedar lumber for the wainscoating and ceilings.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I got to home number two after dark. My Sony I carry for work pictures doesn't like working in low light and the pictures don't do justice to the work the client has done since I was there and took pictures the other day.

The hand rail and most of the posts were made by laminating small pieces to make big pieces. This was because of the time constraints and not having more lumber available. We'll have more available next week but he did with what he had and kept right on trucking.

His plan is to finish the wood work on the stairs and then install the pickets in the grooves that are visible in the top and bottom rails. He'll cut and place spacers to hole them in place and then sand and finish the spacers last.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Earlier this week I had an interesting project. The client/friend has been after me to help him out with a situation. He has a utility easement/green belt at the rear of his home. His home has a front entry rear garage set up. As everyone on the street has fenced off the easement his home has become the preferred access to it by all of his neighbors in the interior of his subdivision.

He wanted to fence off the easement but he needed to have access for backing his work pickup out into the easement to allow them to get the other two vehicles in and out of the garage.

This is what we did.

The reason I build my gates like this is when it comes to nailing up the pickets we do it with the nail gun and keep right on nailing. I don't use the big rubber/plastic rollers you see everyone else using either. I don't see where I need it. This gate could be opened and closed by a large child or small adult but the client likes having control from inside his truck.

 

[rtdiggr]

The houses look great, i think i missing something about the flow of the house it looks good to me.
The gate is awesome, it looks like that must have been planned out pretty good.

Shane