Spring at Last, Spring at Last

The first day of spring can seem somewhat symbolic in Kansas City. The threat of ice storms loom through April and into May, and one day’s high can be 40 degrees different from the next. This year, we have a cold weekend ahead of us, but at least today was beautiful.

Winter couldn’t end soon enough for my taste. The bitter cold meant I missed more shop days than usual. I don’t want to dwell too much on the extreme and prolonged cold weather we’ve experienced in North America this winter. After all, I have a warm house to call home and can afford my heating bills. Someday, though, I’d like the chance to feel a sense of gratitude for an insulated workshop.

I’m usually comfortable at anything above freezing, especially when I’m planing or sawing. That doesn’t help when I need to glue up an assembly or apply a finish. So today, I was happy that my workshop was warm enough to glue up the panel I was preparing.

It really was kind of American Express to send me these fantastic glue spreaders.

The panel is for the lid to my Anarchist’s tool chest. I’ve been slowly plodding along, a little at a time.

Confession time: I had two eight-inch wide boards I was jointing by hand and thicknessing by machine. I made the mistake this morning of running the second board through the thickness planer upside down, planing the surface I just jointed, thereby recreating the twist I had just removed and forcing me to joint the board a second time. Luckily, it’s poplar, and the jack plane makes quick work of it when sharp. I won’t make that mistake again! (Yeah, I probably will.)

We’ve been making some progress recently on David’s Dutch tool chest, too. Now that it’s getting warmer, he’s rediscovering his motivation.

David sawing a dado.

My current goal is to get those two projects done and in use so I can get my workshop back in order and wrap up the dining room table I started last year. Bonny wants a table by Thanksgiving!

Speaking of Bonny, she has her own blog, now.