House 173

Occasionally, I like to play around with some photo-editing apps and see the various artistic effects that can be created.  Back in '16 I did an Impressionist Retrospective on the flowers and yards here at 173, then a couple months ago I did an old-school look at 173.  It's in that vein that I worked on some pictures with an old-school look, this time focused on tools and stuff from the workshop.  I know that doesn't sound particularly exciting, but I found a simple beauty in these pictures...maybe you will too!

I'm the dude looking stressed:

My very basic router table...

Working on the face-frame of the radiator cover:

And the end-panels:






Ha!  A couple of my not-so-frequently used corded drills:

I was looking through the progress pictures from the radiator cover and thought maybe it'd be fun to show some of the less-than-glamorous shots taken along the way.  We'll start with the new Kreg jig that really motivated me to get this project under way!  Here it is with the vacuum attached...


I know that's not very exciting but I love the Kreg jigs, so much so that I painted my old, beat up metal toolbox just to gussy it up for my Kreg tools...

Of course the new jig doesn't fit, but it's perfect for the rest of the jigs and supplies...

Anyway, after the stiles were cut, I used the 1/4" roundover router bit to cut a profile into the outer edges of the end stiles.  This will give them a bit of architectural interest, which will really show when the glazing is done.

And here's the radiator cover face frame in its very early stages.  

This was the first project where I really started to appreciate all the features of my new sliding miter saw!  If you look c…

In our last post I wrote about the happy little accidents always attendant when I try to do a project a la carte instead of measuring and planning and sketching.  For instance, the first version of the end panels for the radiator cover...


But, I've since recovered and made consistent progress over the course of this past week.  The dining room redecoration, really started back in 2015 when I woke up one morning and decided that was the day 173 would finally have a dining room table...
...and immediately undertook to refinish it...

Throughout this protracted process, I endeavored to incorporate into each piece, a feature from another piece in the room.  One of those features is the rope applique that started with the table, carried over to the fireplace and now to the radiator cover.

Another feature is the fleur-de-lis, which started with the fireplace...

Which is the symbol of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, with which my unit was attached during Operation Desert Storm.  Beside…