I Think I Can: Part Two

 I Think I Can: Part Two


Ha!

Well.

Just because I think I can, does not necessarily mean that is true.

(See last week's post if you have no idea what I'm talking about.)

Reality is, you have to have the correct tools for the job.

 Thursday morning found me out in the garage, gathering the mitre box and the portable work table. An earlier trip to Home Depot had resulted in a brand new hand saw. YouTube had been consulted. Measurements had been taken-twice. I was ready to conquer the bathroom baseboards before noon. 

Looks like a positive start...

And then.....

The mitre box needed to be secured to the table. Where were the clamps? A search of the tool chest, nope.  A search of the work bench, nope. I KNOW we have clamps. I found one. Where were the rest? 

Ok, I'll work with one clamp. Maybe that would do it. 

One lonely clamp does not a secure work place make.

Nope. The mitre box slid, it wasn't right. Nothing worked. The tools weren't where they were supposed to be.  A few experimental cuts and frustration reigned. 
NOTHING. WAS. RIGHT. 

A mess of a tool chest. 

I banged and slammed and complained. One wise friend pointed out that possibly my anger was not with the saw and mitre box but with the entire situation.  The mess, the fact that the baseboards needed replacing and no one else had noticed or bothered, that I was the only one that seemed to care. 

So, I did what any one would do in the same situation. Conceded defeat for the day. 

Friday I was out in the garage bright and early and I CLEANED. Emptied the tool chest. Sorted every single tool in there. Found ummm...ten?....clamps. You know, those ones I was looking for the day before.

Sorted. Organized. Happy.

 When I was done with the tool chest, I tackled the small screw and nail cabinet.   

The wood screws no longer were consorting with the metal screws. The bolts no longer roomed with the washers. And Hallelujah! The cotter pins had their own little space. 

Chaos not so quickly became order. 

And clamps? We had clamps galore.

An assortment of clamps. 

Where were they the day before? 

Baseboards were still undone but I had accomplished SOMETHING. Order. 

Sunday I got a new mitre box and corralled the Hubs with a demand for help. 

Hand sawing= No fun

Box secured, boards measured, cuts made. The first two pieces fit beautifully. 

Look at that beautiful corner!

The third piece some how was off. The mitre box was plastic and the sawing had worn the sides of the slot just a tiny bit,  making our cut slanted. Workable but not perfect. 

Hmmm. Maybe with a little wood filler? 

And then....reality jumped up and bit me again. 

A bullnose corner requires a 22.5° cut. The mitre box only had slots for 90° and 45°. The bathroom has TWO bullnose corners. 

Back to Home Depot. I could not convince the Hubs I needed a table saw. Just a little one. It does 22.5° cuts. All the baseboards could be replaced. Wouldn't that be a great idea? 

Some nonsense about emergency room visits and missing digits kept that table from coming home with us.

Maybe it will be a Mothers Day surprise? 

Hey! A girl can hope. 

(And if there is to be no table, some peonies would make very happy, also. Just sayin'.)

My most favorite flower in the whole world.