Snow blower + dry powder + constantly shifting high wind = instant fun!!

Also, I set out to replace the four cracked steps in our 1st-2nd floor stairway this weekend. I went and bought a circular saw and borrowed a router and bought a workbench to use the router on etc.

I wanted oak for the stairs because the old ones were pine and obviously that didn't turn out so well. I was originally going to just do the 4 but since they'd be mismatched I decided to go ahead and buy 40 FEET OF RED OAK to do ALL of the stairs, masochist that I am.

Well my hatchback rocks because I got all 40 feet of lumber, in 10 foot lengths, home in my compact car.

Originall I had bought a plane to round the edges of the oak but was told by my father that I'd spend a week planing the edges down on hardwood, hence the router.

Well it took me the better part of a day to assemble the workbench (only a screwdriver required!!), yeah right. And a rubber mallet. And c-clamps. And a power drill. And a hammer. And a floodlamp.

The router is missing a piece and I'll need to replace it before I can even begin on the oak, which I learned late Sunday morning. I measured and marked off the lumber for cutting but I want to cut it with the router all in one go rather than trying to match 11 seperate pieces.

Since the stairs were a no go Sunday, I decided to assemble a large display case (Expedit) we had gotten from IKEA for the missus' snow globes and other collectibles. The thing is a 6' x 6' monstrosity containing 25 cubbies for displaying whatever. The ENTIRE THING is held together with four screws and 80 hojillion wooden pegs. Ever play that children's board game, Don't Break the Ice? Yeah. the whole thing is held together by tension provided by the screws once fully assembled. Once you have the grid of shelves assembled you're meant to squeeze them all together with the four sides and then screw them down. Guess how well that works when you have to align 40 wooden dowels simultaneously while fastening each side down?

AND after spending 4 hours on the case, it was so heavy and so flat and smooth on the bottom edge that it held to the floor like a magnet. There was no edge to grip as the thing is completely smooth and lacqured on all sides. I had to grab, squeeze with all of my might, lift it a quarter inch and shove a shim beneath it with my foot. Once it was seperated from the floor, it levered right upright with no problem.

But the top is warped from many days in the damp basement. It's bowed just a few degrees, but those few degrees are enough to lift the entire top of the display case JUST off of the wooden pegs for the tops of the vertical shelf dividers. The whole thing is solid and won't come apart, but it looks ridiculous with the gap. I think it's mostly apparent only because the case is black lacquer and the pegs are light tan. I'm going to just paint the tops of the pegs black. :P

Next weekend: the stairs.

Is your blog officially over now? Didn't draw enough traffic to make it worth your while?

I updated my blog just today.

So, in other words, ?off = your blog?

http://www.whispersinthedark.com/2006/01/16/asylum-for-dead-mannequins/

no

> I measured and marked off the lumber for cutting but I
> want to cut it with the router [...]

You're going to *cut* 2x10/2x12 OAK ... with a *router* ???

must have been a brain fart, you're using the skill saw ... right?

I'm using the router to round the edge for the entire 10' length before cutting it with the skill saw.

But don't you have to have skill to use the skill saw?

ahhhh, i see.

I figure it's the best way to have a similar edge on all the steps, no?

I dunno.

Have you got like half a dozen saw horses and about 4 people to hold them all down?

You reckon you can use a router for ten feet of hardwood without it bouncing...

Hmmmm whiplash.

Well I'd wondered about that. I'm thinking of just cutting every second step and then routing them two at a time. Dad recommended the all-at-once method, and I've got to assume he knows what he's talking about since he used to do this for a living.

If I had industrial tools and help I'd do it like that but if you're on your own one at a time would be safe, though tedious. And this from someone that tends towards the Dangerous Brothers in DIY.

you're just bull nosing the top front edge ... sure all in one go is fine, probably how I'd do it. Do you have a framers square to use as a saw guide (a short board and a couple of clamps will do)?

I've got some scrap lumber and some of those huge wooden C clamps with the awl-handle-like grips on them (with the huge threaded bolts). Not sure what they're called except "big ass fucking clamps" :)

We call them G clamps :-).

correction: nosing not bull nosing

i use Quick-Grips, use them a lot. they're relatively cheap and have all the pulling power you'll need.
http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jhtml/browse.jhtml?catId=IrwinCat100038

oh yea, on routing the 10' boards, you don't need a bench. Toe nail the top board on the stack (of four) to the one under it at the opposite side from the one you're routing (through the back edge into the one below) - four equally spaced 2" or 3" finishing nails should do. Flip both boards together to do the top edge of the next board. This ensures that nail holes/marks are in the back and/or bottom of the treads ... you get the idea.

You won't shift two 2x10 (or 12) boards that are nailed together by running a router (with a new/sharp bit) down the long edge of the top one. If you think you might (that's one shit load of force) nail all the backs/butts together with a couple of pieces of scrap wood.

Qwikclamps rock. Bit exxy, but you can get along with two.