Started a 12 day vacation today. Duck season opens in Texas on Saturday, I've got to get decoys out Friday, so I need to leave Thursday, so WTH, start vacation on Tuesday to have some time in the shop.
My Delta Uniguard needed mounting on my Jet cabinet saw, I had a box for my daughter-in-law to finish finishing (a gift to her new hubbie), and I had a hunk of hickory crotch to work into an end table for the hunting cabin. So to work.
Watrelox on the box first - cherry and fiddle back big leaf maple. 30 minutes and it goes into the back room to cure.
Uniguard next. Read Bruce Lowekamp's write up on Woodcentral and did it almost that way. Sawsall cuts the back rail almost smooth, a little work with the Dremel and it's good enough. Time off to take truck to Goodyear to have a tire replaced on the old ('91) hunting truck. Finish the Uniguard - looks good! Elapsed time 4 hours - it's only noon!
Grab the hickory and an LN scrub plane. Someone swore you could clean up a chain sawed slab with just hand planes. Yes you can, but it's about like real work!
Call from Goodyear - minor problem. Had trouble getting one lug nut off and couldn't get it to tighten all the way down when putting it back on. As a matter of fact, it will neither tighten down nor come off! $200 bucks to replace stud and lug nut. BS I say. If you fouled it, you fix it. Nope they say. Off to Goodyear to give them their $20 bucks for mounting the tire and a few kind words. Home again - hit that lug nut with a torch, then a 24" breaker bar with 4' of pipe on it. 1 hour later, lug nut is off. At least I can now change the tire if I have a flat, tho' running on 5 out of 6 isn't a happy thought. One Goodyear shop just lost a long time customer and I have a date at City Garage tomorrow.
Finish planing the slab. Yes. it can be done. I'm glad it's 72 degrees today in Dallas, not 92! Scrub plane and a #6 made it passable for cabin furniture.
Mail arrives and SWMBO invades the shop to bring a package. It's from Steve Knight - the coffin smoother I ordered in July. OMG, what a pretty plane! Steve says to let it acclimate, I say I've got to run a shaving. Cherry panel that I made gets 5 passes. Pure wispies. Oh frabjous day, kaloo, kalay.
Hope the ducks fly close and stupid on Saturday.
Regards.