The next project in my woodworking class is a bench with many slats, all of which need to get cut on the miter saw. After the patio table I had realized how inconvenient it was to have to clean stuff off the mobile bench every time I need to use the saw on there. So before starting the bench, I wanted to build a miter saw table, on wheels so I could move it out of the way when not being used.
I saw people in the woodworking group building this one from https://www.bitterrootdiy.com/easiest-diy-mobile-miter-saw-stand/. It looked straightforward, and even though I couldn’t find the folding shelf brackets locally, I decided to pay the very reasonable $3 for the plans.
By Saturday night I had a decent table done. One important criteria was I wanted the saw height to match my existing mobile bench height.
By the end of the evening, after brainstorming ideas, I was sitting out on the floor next to my new bench, trying to figure out how to hold the wings open. I finally went inside and started watching videos for inspiration.
I had watched quite a few when I found Steve Ramsay’s shop remodel video, where he showed his miter saw table, which was similar, but had a simple hinged prop support for the side tables. Tah dah!
The props were made of scrap wood, so the are a little short, but they work, and they are solid. I’m happy with the solution. Now I’m finally ready to get to work on the bench!
Pre-Covid (in the before-times) I had big plans to make some improvements to our little Airstream Caravel (grey tank, new wheels and hubcaps, new front window guard, glass side window to replace the plexiglass one) and get it out more this year. So much for that. But, now that I sold the Mustang, I figured I had a little Mustang money saved up that I could allocate to it and make those upgrades – except now everything is indefinitely out of stock.
The tongue and the bumper have been slowly getting cruddier looking, and they needed some work, and that was something I could easily do with things I could find at the hardware store. So I removed everything off the tongue and got to it, scrubbing every place with a degreaser to get it ready for paint. Luckily the rust was just mild surface rust.
I used this stuff to try and assure any rust that was still on there would get stopped. I tried to get all the nooks and crannies, especially around the equalizer bar hooks, and underneath.
Once that was done I dug around my spray paint collection and found a metallic silver, and decided to go for it. If I hate it, I can repaint it later.
I wish I’d masked off the jack before I sprayed!
Since this was going so well, I moved on to the rear bumper. It looked pretty crusty from multiple layers of paint over the years. So I grabbed the Mouse sander and smoothed it all out. Paint flakes were flying everywhere!
And then I laid on a couple coats of that black rust-killer paint.
I got more serious about masking back here.
And finally another layer of the silver metallic. At first I thought it was too metallic, but it’s starting to grow on me.
Then a foul wind blew in, and we were suddenly in a crisis caused by a windstorm and wildfires all around us, and the air was hazardous to breathe, and things were quite apocaplyptic!
Well, shit…
So I popped on my respirator and ran out and reassembled the tongue in case we needed to grab the trailer and get out of town in a hurry.
Ready to roll!
So for a week we were stuck inside, trying to keep the smoke out.
Eventually it was over 500, which is just nuts. It’s terrifying to be inside your house, knowing you shouldn’t breathe the air outside. We kept the pets in, and just let the dogs out for potty breaks, then shooed them right back inside, which made everyone unhappy. Our cat, Mighty, started attacking out feet just because she was pissed about staying inside. The dogs were bored. Luckily we could still work, and Dave went out and photographed a few houses, and wore the respirator when he had to be outside. Crazy times. Finally the winds came back and blew it away.
A few days later we got wind and rain, and were back to normal. This will do for now. None of those other trailer projects HAVE to get done right away. The trailer is ready to use as is, and we have reservations coming up soon for Deceptions Pass, which is exciting because it’s a new part of WA for us. Off to the San Juans we go!
Just a month or so ago my shop looked like this, and getting to my bench required crawling over stuff including the tongue of the boat trailer, tripping over boxes for my husband’s toy business. Once I got to the bench, there was barely room to do anything.
But then I decided to overhaul the Mustang, and I sold my boat (without ever getting it in the water! That’s the 3rd boat I’ve sold without ever using it!), we installed new LED lighting in the garage to brighten things up, and my husband cleaned up his stuff in the garage and re-organized. Then I unexpectedly sold the Mustang. Suddenly I had an empty, clean, well-lit garage.
I decided that now I have a garage back, I wanted to do some woodworking. Quite a few years ago I used to do scrollsaw work and intarsia and woodburning, and I wanted to do more. I like building things. Someday I’d like to build a new vanity for the bathroom, and do new countertops in the kitchen.
The first project was to build this neat little rolling bench, which has been awesome! He includes project plans and how-to videos and videos on each skill and tool, and safety videos. It went together just as expected, except I chose not to install shelves because my old miter saw is so big it took up the whole bottom shelf by itself. Even though I already have two benches, having one I can move around has been really useful!
Second project was this little patio sidetable. Each project builds on skills and introduces new skills. I’m really having fun, and I can’t wait for my next project. We are all still trapped at home during the pandemic, so it’s nice to have projects to work on. And my garage is so clean and roomy now. I’ve sorted through a lot of things I don’t need, some of which I’ve had saved for years and never needed.
I guess I am a minimalist. All the things I get rid of take a weight off of me. Although I loved the Mustang, we joked that it was my albatross, a la the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, and I was cursed to have it forever hanging around my neck. I couldn’t go forward and I couldn’t go back. It was so heavy, with the weight of being ‘my first car’, and the story that goes with it, one of the best stories a classic car can have! Now I have shook it off, and released myself from it. I have my garage space back, and I can do creative things of my choosing, and I am really loving it!
Steff Does Stuff! 