I Think I Can: Part Three

I Think I Can: Part Three....I Can!
(or officially No. 76: Learn a little carpentry)

If you missed parts one and two on this little baseboard saga, click here and here.

Otherwise, behold the almost finished project:

Corners cut. In a good way.

 Aren't those 45ºs pretty? 

And look at that bull nosed wall end. 

Paint is next but that will probably be ALL of the trim so no rush.

Last week there was a stumbling block in the form of needing a table saw and not having a table saw. I had kinda given up, figuring that I was not going to be the one that finished the project.
Bunny asked what happened next, most likely fearing her bathroom would go on looking even more ghetto than it had before.  I told her the Daddy-O would probably hire someone to finish it up or at least make all of the cuts for me to finish.
Bunny looked at me and said "But that totally takes away from everything you have already done if someone else finishes it."
I confess, I loved her just a bit more at that moment. It was so sweet to have recognition that I was trying to do something hard.

So.  A quick note on Facebook with a plea for a table saw to be used.
Who knew my niece and her husband had a table saw in their garage? Certainly not me.

 Brian, who officially has the title of BEST Nephew-in-law.

(Apologies to Wade, Ford and Manny.) 

Showing me how to adjust the blade angle.

The man has the patience of a saint.

Measure twice, cut once.

My biggest challenge? 

Not running my fingers through the blade.

O! And measuring correctly. 

Measuring twice doesn't count when you get it wrong from the outset.

Somewhere along this corner I lost ¼" on two pieces. 

(as Belle noted "you almost had it, mom")

Since my measurements were off on that bullnose corner, it took a second trip to Brian and Amanda's for the table saw. I am certain they had better things to do after a long day of work for both of them and corralling not one but TWO three-year-olds into bed, but they were as sweet as they could be about my spending two fun filled nights in a row at their house, sawing away.

Then I got to play with the nail gun!! Woohoo! Those babies are efficient.

And finally, caulk.

Googling "how to caulk" got me a video from "Uncle Knacker" on the secret to perfect caulking. As I watched this guy eating a popsicle to get to the "secret weapon" I was getting a little concerned maybe I had clicked on porn by mistake. But no. The secret weapon is the popsicle stick.
Made caulking super easy and kept my fingers clean.

Except...

Fingers clean, jeans not so much....

Not paying attention resulted in a quick strip down and wash for me.   Then it started storming.

So guess who had to come into the teeny tiny bathroom with me? 

Some of the caulk brushed out, the rest will just have to shed out. 

I'm not sure how Carlos got caulk on his tail but he did. We were in pretty close quarters.

Anyway, there are new baseboards in the upstairs bathroom. No one had to swoop in and save me at the last moment.  Even thought this wasn't an official challenge I am giving it a number and counting it as such.  (Number 76!)

Because...

I learned a ton about carpentry and trim work. It's not hard but you do need to think it through. The proper tools for the job really really help. One piece builds on another and if one doesn't fit, it throws the connecting pieces off.

And sometimes, in the true spirit of these challenges, you just need to start and then figure out how to finish. I think it's called taking charge.

Pulling off the baseboards and THEN figuring out how to finish the project reminded me a bit of my neighbor Sue. She had a tiled kitchen island counter top she hated.  One day she took a hammer to the island. When her husband came home (fortunately he's a great handy-man) she told him she wasn't sure exactly what happened but they needed a new island top.  If he hadn't fixed it, I'm sure she would have found someone who would have. But if she hadn't taken the hammer to the island in the first place, I bet there would still be tile there.

Things work out. Just start and then see what happens.

So No. 76: Learn a little carpentry is officially done.

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.