Sometimes I want to be a Carpenter (revised 2/4/12)

I made a recording of the text.  It follows pretty close with the written text.  

I have a new project going. YAAYY!  

Sometimes I get these crazy ideas that it would be fun to do manual labor. And for the most part it is fun because I don't have to do it to eat. I have worked in an office for more than 30 years and worked with computers for most of that time.

The first job I ever had, other than babysitting, was working in a hospital laundry. I made $1.00 per hour. What I remember most about the job is not how hot it was or how heavy the wet laundry was, but how cruel my co-workers were. I remember it, not because they were cruel to me, but it was their cruelty to one woman that stuck out.

I can still picture her standing there trying to work and ignore their crude, callous remarks. There was nothing particularly outstanding about her. She was not oozing with ugly nor was she strikingly beautiful. She had a teased up hairdo. Her makeup was just a bit heavy. She liked that eyeliner. She wore red lipstick and her clothes were just a bit too tight. Her persecutors were somewhat younger, but were no more striking than she. But their ugly grew like a cancer right down to the bone with each passing day.

One day the youngest of the trio, came in with obviously too much rouge on her cheeks and the others just cackled. It was the whispers, snickers and eye-rolling and their crudeness that made working there unbearable. After while if the object of their persecution had any flaws, I didn't see them. I began to focus on their warts and wonder why they did what they did. Why did they get such perverse pleasure out of tormenting another?

The job lasted through the summer and after I left I worked as a waitress in several places and made really good tips, but wanted something more or something different. I sang in a bar in Lawton OK one night. It was a country bar and I was singing folk songs. They were drunk and I was wishing I was. When they looked like they were going to start throwing stuff, I thanked them, smiled sweetly and made a well-timed exit.

I eventually made my way east. Found out I liked working in offices and in one way or another with some time spent in College up and down the east coast, I worked in offices, managed offices, set up offices and Policies and Procedures until I decided to move to Mississippi and spend almost 17 years doing what I did best, working in an office and on computers.

My hobbies have consisted of doing anything that required some type of creativity. When I was in high school, besides wanting to become a nuclear physicist, I was a pretty good artist. I even got paid for some of my work. Now, I piddle. I doodle.

I always liked what other people did with wood. Carving it into intricate shapes or making furniture. Once in high school, I carved a fish out of 2x4's glued together. It wasn't very good and was probably burned up or used for target practice. I was always intrigued when my mother brought some old piece of chicken poop encrusted furniture home to clean up and use in the house.

This brings me to my new thought of working with wood and my new project.

About 1985 I purchased a bedroom suite when I moved to the Boston area. Since that time I have moved several times and since it was made of that modern invention called particle board, most of it has been long gone. I managed to save a night stand intact and the 6 drawers from the dresser. Yep, I saved the drawers.

At one point in time, I made 3 cabinets out of 1/2" plywood and each cabinet had 2 drawers. I could stack them or put them side by side for a bench. 1/2" plywood is not very sturdy so those also went by the wayside after a couple of years use, but I still saved the drawers. Uh huh! Still had the drawers.

Well, push has come to shove and in trying to clear things out, I had to make a decision - either lose the drawers or build another dresser. Since I had some 5/8" oak plywood from another project that didn't quite make it, I decided to use that to make the dresser. So, from scraps and leftover wood, I am finally going to make something useful.

Last week I rough cut my dresser sides and some of the other parts. This week I sanded and cut them to fit my design. I don't know if I'll get it done before the end of the year, but who knows? I may even post some pictures showing my progress.

I have discovered that although the table saw scares me every time I use it, I don't have to cut anything off if I'm careful.
 

<  I used the Kreg Jig to make the connections.  This is a picture of what they look like before screwing the 2 pieces of wood together.

This is all put together with a Kreg Jig and the screws that come with the Jig.  I have really liked working with it.  It is really easy to do.  >>>>> 

The photo to the left shows the positioning of the drawers.  This was a rough fit.  Because I was not using any kind of pattern, it took a while to get everything to fit just right.

I haven't quite figured out how to get these photos where I want them, but this is okay.   I still need to cut a piece of Luan (we have that) to cover the back and plane down a couple of trim pieces to go on the front down each side and it will match the trim piece on the top.  I painted it with a coat of undercoat specifically for unpainted wood.  I then painted it with 2 coats of an off-white.  Followed with 1 coat of water based polyurethane.  I lightly sanded with 320 sandpaper in between each coat.  It gives a much smoother surface when you sand between coats.  It is far from perfect, but since I only spent about $15.00 for additional screws and trim, it was well worth it to have a large dresser for $15.00.

In addition to job hunting every week in Tylertown, MS, I do like to do other things. 

Shalom! Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!