2010 Boone Trip - #3 Thursday

It was a good choice to wear long underwear, fleece pants, heavy socks, a hooded sweatshirt, and a stocking cap to bed.  The overnight low was 41 degrees but I stayed warm thanks to being fully dressed inside my sleeping bag.

Boone camp setup.

Promptly upon crawling out of the tent we lit up the stove to boil water for coffee.  The air was chilly but the skies were blue and sunny.  With the coffee brewing in our coffee presses we redirected the stove’s output to making French toast and pepper bacon.  The homemade bread Katie baked for us transformed into excellent French toast.

No artificial, high fructose corn syrup here.

After breakfast we pulled out the maps and guidebook.  Using a photocopy of the map, we highlighted the route for the Snake Mountain loop.  The start and finish of the ride was a parking area south of Todd, which looked easy enough to find.  Todd is about 10 miles northeast of Boone.

We took our time cleaning up breakfast dishes, filling water bottles and getting dressed for the ride.  Long sleeves and knee warmers were the plan given the temperatures in the mid to upper 50’s.

Havin' fun, but not smiling at the moment.

On the way out of Boone we stopped at the local bike shop Boone Bike & Velo.  It was a very nice shop, selling mostly mid to upper end bikes.  The shop was located just south of the Appalachian State University campus and there seemed to be a good stream of customers while we were there. 

We met Shaw, the owner of the shop, who I had talked to on the phone several months ago about our upcoming trip.  He gave me some good info about weather, camping, and routes when we talked.  Later I discovered one of the routes in the guidebook was credited to Shaw.

Shaw asked about our plans for the day and we said Snake Mountain was on our radar.  He said it was a good day for it, and he said the guidebook author was not exaggerating about the climb, it is steep.

Looking back down the Snake Mountain climb.

After two wrong turns we found the parking area south of Todd.  It was becoming routine for us to require multiple attempts to find places while driving in the Boone area. We ate some lunch and assembled the bikes before setting our sights on Snake Mountain.

Prior to reaching the big climb we warmed up the legs with some switchbacks and climbing on the way to Meat Camp.  Yes, the name of a town along the way is Meat Camp and the actual climb up to the pass near Snake Mountain is on Meat Camp Road.

The climb began innocently enough with a left hand shift to the small chain ring.  I recall a couple long straight-aways at modest grade and then the road steepened.  At one point I thought it was time for another downshift but I was already in my biggest cog.  I remember grinding for a little bit before deciding the rest of the climb would be out of the saddle.  It was steep, that’s for sure.  We reached the top of the pass and turned back around for some pictures of where we had just been.  The view down to the valley from which we had just pedaled was pretty nice.

A nice view to the south.

What goes up must come down and we enjoyed a long downhill with Snake Mountain at our backs.  It was easy to go 40 miles per hour without pedaling.  Eventually the road flattened and we continued the loop around some tall mountains, including one 5000 footer named The Peak. 

Somewhere along the way I saw a sign for Brew Bikes, a custom frame builder I’ve read about on the web.  He offers hands on classes where you can build your own frame.  I had to stop for a picture of his sign.  I have to say it would be pretty neat to take a frame building class and end up with my own, custom built frame.

Brew Bikes, do a Google search.

There were at least a couple more good climbs on the way bike to the start, neither as steep as Snake Mountain but still good climbs that made us work for it.  The roads were really low traffic and we commented on how many drivers waved at us.  For a while it seemed as though every driver of an oncoming car we encountered would wave.

A typical view up the road.

Back at the parking area we ate some food and took our time getting back in the truck.  It was nice to be on a lackadaisical schedule.  On the way back to Boone we blasted the first Creed CD and enjoyed the short drive.

After a couple large pieces of lasagna and salad for dinner we logged into weather.com with the wireless connection at the campground.  The forecast for the next several days was not looking good.  Scattered showers thunderstorms were predicted for each day.  It was disheartening to see the forecast, we drove too far for just a couple rides.  Tomorrow morning the chance of rain was 30% through about lunch time when it increases to 80% or 90% by the afternoon.

With the aid of a lantern and headlamp we marked up a map for a ride tomorrow morning.  We will try to do the Beech Ball loop, the route Shaw contributed to the guide book.  The route starts and ends in Valle Crucis, circumnavigates Beech Mountain, and crosses over Georges Gap.  Some of the climbs on this route were featured in the Tour du Pont in years past.

Our camp at night.

We'll be turning in for the night, praying for good weather tomorrow.

2010 Boone Trip - #2 Wednesday

Opening my eyes to the brightly lit interior of the tent, I heard a wood pecker pounding away.  I unzipped the tent, stepped over Ryan, and was greeted by a sunny morning.  Knowing Ryan had been up early the previous morning I figured he would be sleeping a little longer.

After a trip to the restroom I talked to another guy staying in the campground.  Turns out he is a tree planter working at the coal mine south of the forest.  Along with his crew, he walks the landscape carrying saplings to plant.  He described the work as “almost athletic”, carrying heavy backpacks of trees across steep terrain.

Breakfast before packing back into the truck.

With coffee and cereal consumed we packed up and pulled out of the campground.  The tree planter told me about a short cut to US77 that involved a winding dirt road through the southern end of the state forest.  He was right, it was a shortcut and it was certainly winding as well.

About four hours after leaving the campground we were driving west on 422, following the signs to Boone.  The mountains began to appear on the horizon and we began to talk about the upcoming rides we would do.

 Mountains growing as we approach Boone.

Boone greeted us with road construction and road confusion.  I was surprised at the amount of traffic, maybe it was the tail end of lunch hour.  After a couple wrong turns and scrutinizing my printed Google maps we found Poplar Grove Rd. and twisted our way to the Honeybear Campground.

On our second attempt at a campsite we found a suitable site.  My only complaint about the campground was how closely together the sites were situated.  From one gravel parking pad to the next was a single step away.  Fortunately their were only about four occupied sites in the whole campground, we setup our camp and became the fifth.

The skies were a little overcast and the temperature was in the mid 50’s.  We donned our OCC wool sweaters and knee warmers to head out on a ride.

 Pedaling on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

From the campground to the Blue Ridge Parkway is a 6 to 8 mile ride and there are a couple moderate climbs along the way.  We were good and warmed up by the time we reached the Parkway.  The destination for the ride was the Linn Cove Viaduct to the south.  It’s a prominent concrete bridge on the shoulder of Grandfather Mountain.

Approaching Grandfather Mountain.

Near the entrance to the Parkway we noticed a cyclist stopped alongside the road.  At first I thought he was having mechanical problems but as we rode closer I realized he was just chillin’ for a moment.  I also realized he was wearing a Bissell kit and riding what looked to be a team issue Pinarello race bike.  Eric, as it turns out, is a rider for the Bissell development team and his team has been training in the Boone area for the past five days.  He gave us some good information about the area, including showing us a map purchased from a gas station that is helpful for getting around the area on a bike.

Together with Eric we hopped on the Parkway and began heading south.  After several miles of chatting and riding Eric turned around to continue his ride.  Ryan and I climbed on the Parkway to reach the Viaduct, stopping a couple times along the way to take pictures with the beautiful mountain scenery.  After crossing the Viaduct we turned around and enjoyed some fast downhill riding back to where we entered the parkway.

Ryan sporting OCC colors on the Parkway.
(The Viaduct is in the upper left.)

On the way out to the Parkway, at the top of one of the climbs, I thought I had seen a bike transformed into a lawn ornament.  It was a cruiser style bike with flowers in the basket, only something was different… I think it had polka dots on it.  As we returned back to the campground on the same route I kept my eye out for the bike.  Turns out the bike was at the top of the first climb we had done and it did indeed have polka dots on it.  More specifically, it was a white bike with red polka dots.  It was a Tour de France King of the Mountains motif, appropriately placed at the top of a climb.

 KOM bike, appropriately placed.

Back at the campground we finished setting up our camp and began to think about dinner.  After nice, hot showers we fired up the Coleman stove to heat some white chicken chilli that Ryan’s wife made for us.  It was very good, eaten from a bread bowl.

I talked to Katie on the phone and learned the weather forecast was not looking good at all.  Tomorrow should be good but showers and storms are forecasted for the following days.  Apparently the radar map was showing a large system centered over the country that was due to move our way in another day. 

With the new weather information in mind we looked through the guidebook for a good route to do tomorrow.  We are going to fall asleep thinking about a climb up Snake Mountain and a section described in the guide book as “cry to your mama steep.”

2010 Boone Trip - #1 Tuesday

The truck is riding a couple inches lower.  Last night I packed it full of cycling gear, camping gear and food in preparation for leaving on our trip right after work today.  Everything fit in the truck pretty much as expected.  There’s a place for everything and I hoped everything was in its place.

 Two bikes, camping gear and food all in its place.

About 15:30 I made my exit from work and drove to Ryan’s house.  We added his gear to the truck and headed south.  We were on the road a little before 17:00.  It was a nice day for driving and before long we were crossing into West Virginia.  About 19:00 we stopped for a five dollar footlong dinner before continuing on to Charleston.

Just south of the West Virginia state capital is Kanawha State Forest, it’s a sizable green blob on the map.  We twisted our way through some neighborhoods before reaching the entrance to the state forest and shortly later we found the campground.  It was nearly dark as we setup the tent for the first time of the trip.

 Camping at Kanawha State Forest, WV.

The overnight low was supposed to be 51degrees which sounded like good sleeping bag weather to me.  As I read the Cycling the Blue Ridge High Country guide book in the tent by headlamp I heard two different owls calling out in the darkness.  I wondered if one of them lives in the hollowed out tree adjacent to our campsite?

 The wood peckers are active around here.

Truck Construction

In a little more than a week Ryan and I will be loading the truck up with bikes and camping gear to drive down to Boone, NC for five days of cycling and camping.  Last week I began work on a shelf and storage system for the back of the truck to accomodate all our stuff.  This is where the purchase of the truck cap last fall comes to fruition (LINK).

The goal is to have the bikes travel safely and securely inside the truck bed, with the protection of the truck cap.  It would be easier to simply use my hitch mounted bike rack, but I like the idea of having the bikes inside the vehicle.  The challenge becomes fitting two bikes and all our camping gear in the back end of the truck.  For several months I've been planning a shelf and storage system for this trip.  Today it gets installed.

First, I attached a cleat to the driver's side bed rail with three bolts, and I attached a cleat across the front, floor of the bed with some threaded rod I bent into j-bolts.  These cleats will allow a shelf unit to be secured to the truck.  The shelf unit consists of two shelves between inner and outer sides.  The outer side is notched to fit over the wheel well and snug to the side of the bed.  I skeletonized the sides to save a little bit of weight and provide access to items stored forward on the shelves.

The lowest "shelf" is the bed fo the truck.  The heavy popup canopy, tent, and water jugs will be stored down here.  The first shelf will hold three plastic storage tubs end to end.  These container are for food, cooking equipment, and general camp stuff.  The top shelf will hold sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and perahaps another storage tub.

To the right of the shelf unit two cots will stand up with a 5' plastic table.  These are secured to the shelf unit with a ratchet strap.

The remaining 25", on the passenger side of the bed, will contain the bikes.  At this point it became a puzzle to figure out how to store two bikes in such a narrow space.  I built stands to hold the front wheels independantly of the bikes and I already had some front fork locks built for a previous trip.  In the basement I laid these out on a piece of plywood and attempted to come up with a configuration where both bikes and wheels would fit in the alotted space.  It took a couple tries but I ended up with a workable setup.

The plywood piece was cut to size and I added a bracket to lock the plywood in place once it's slid into the truck.  It turns out there's enough room between the tailgate and end of the plywood for a cooler.

There are more tweaks to be added before the trip but most of the work is done.  We will store our clothes and cycling gear in the extended cab of the truck.  I might try to whip up a shelf for the extended cab, this would be better than just piling stuff back there.

I'm sure there will be more pictures to come later of the system in action.

Now I need to do a brake job to get rid of my warped rotors and an oil change before our trip.  I've been living with a pulsing brake pedal on the short trips around home but I'm sure this would get old on the longer trip.

North Before East

Based on the wind prediction yesterday, Ryan and I planned to ride northwest this morning.  The climb out of Overton on Smithville Western was part of our plan.  We figured it would be a good uphill in preparation for our trip to Boone.

Upon checking the weather this morning I notice the wind direction was not meeting the prediction of the day before.  Instead of coming from the northeast the wind was coming from the east.  I fired up TopoUSA to do a reroute but had to left the Smithville Western climb on our route.

We ended up doing the climb and then riding back south to Angling Road before heading west into Ashland County.  We turned south just before reaching Hayesville and made a loop back home via Shreve Lake.

Headin' south, just west of the county line.

The sun was shining the whole ride and we enjoyed temperatures in the upper 50's.  Just like nearly every ride so far this spring, it was a windy ride.  Oh well, I guess the headwind simulated steeper roads.

In a week and a half Ryan and I will be headed to Boone, NC for five days of riding!  Lots to do between now and then to get ready for the trip.  I'll probably work on the truck bed shelf system tomorrow.

New tubes... oh, and new tires too!

At lunch today I made a trip to the friendly neighborhood bike shop and picked up several tubes, a box of CO2 cartridges and a handful of GUs.  Tonight's project was to install a new pair of tires I received as a Christmas gift a couple years ago. 

Daniel helped me get the job done in the basement, though he seemed more interested in walking off with my tire levers.  Apparently tire levers are the perfect thing to slam dunk in a Little Tikes basketball hoop.  Who would've thought, except an almost two year old.

New treads mounted.

The new tires are the Hutchinson Fusion 2.  They are relatively light weight and I hope to like them as well as the Vittoria Rubino Pro Slicks that I rode for a couple years.

Over the winter I had a pair of inexpensive Performance Forte GT2 Kevlar tires on the Litespeed.  I posted about them here.  My overall thought on these cheapies is pretty negative.  They rode horribly harsh.  I had to run them at 90 to 95 psi to tolerate the ride.  Plus, they were very, very difficult to get on and off my wheels.  But I guess they served the purpose of being a low cost tire I could run on the rollers or take outside on winter rides when the roads were snow free but covered with junk.

Expired tubes?

Well, let's replay my statement from two days ago:

Come to think of it, in my seven years of riding I can only recall three flat tires, including the one today.

And replace it with a new statement for today:
In my past three days of riding I've had two flat tires, including one today.

On the way home from work I was taking my usual short cut through the Boy's Village parking lot when I received a jarring shock from my rear wheel.  I looked back to see what I had hit and really didn't see anything. 

Hmmm... I paid attention to the bike for the next 30 seconds or so as I rolled along but all seemed well.  That is until I went to clip in after stopping at Back Orrville Road while on Geyers Chapel.  Apparently my rear tire had gone flat as I waited for traffic.  I slowly pedaled across Back Orrville Road on the rear rim and found a happy place alongside the road to swap tubes.

After thinking about how I had just made a blog post regarding my minimal experience with flat tires, I had to pause the tube replacement for a picture.

T

Temporary workshop on the SW corner of Back Orrville and Geyers Chapel.

So now I'm wondering if my current batch of tubes has passed their expiration date?  No matter, I'm out of tubes now anyhow and will have to restock!

Wind & Gravel & Wind & Wind

The day started off in the basement very shortly after breakfast.  Yesterday I partially disassembled my bike for a good cleaning and I only partially reassembled it.  I just finished reinstalling the crankset, chain and rear wheel when it was time to leave with KT and Daniel for an Easter egg hunt.

Daniel enjoyed the egg hunt and also enjoyed "eating" chocolate in the backseat of the car on the way home.  One Hershey Kiss can cover a large surface area in the hands of a 20 month old little boy.

Melts in your hands, and around your mouth.

On the way home from the egg hunt we passed a handful of guys making it back to town on the Saturday morning ride with the Parlor group.  Given the forecast for the afternoon it was better to ride in the morning today, it you didn't have the entertainment of watching a bunch of little kids chase around for plastic eggs.

Thirty minutes after arriving home I was out the driveway with the bike on the back of the car, headed for Ryan's house.  The forecast for the day called increasing winds from the south.  By mid afternoon, 25mph wind was expected.  Yikes.  Last night I mapped a route before reading the forecast.  Thankfully the route had us riding south on the way out and a clockwise loop before coming back.  So I got lucky and had made a good route for the wind direction.

On the road and heading south we got our first taste of strong wind gusts.  Before long we had left Wayne County and, appropriately enough, entered Holmes County on a gravel road.  We had been on the same road a couple weeks ago but this time we turned west instead of east.

Quick stop for a picture, shortly after entering Holmes County.

We found some more gravel roads and made our way south of Holmesville.  Just before crossing SR83 to continue west, and after coming down a gravel strewn descent, I started thinking the road was feeling pretty rough all of a sudden.  We stopped at SR83 and reached back to discover my rear tire was holding steady at zero psi.  Ryan and I agreed that in all our miles of riding together neither of us had experienced a flat tire until today.  Come to think of it, in my seven years of riding I can only recall three flat tires, including the one today.

No, it's not someone's driveway.  This gravel, Holmes County

road passed within inches of the shed on the right.

Having crossed over the state route we turned north and here a new fun began.  The wind was really cranked up by now and it was thankfully at our backs.  At one point Ryan yelled out "this is crazy we are going 30 miles per hour on an uphill and hardly pedaling!"  I remember a flat to slightly downhill section were I could just feel myself being pushed along by the wind.  Sometimes a gust would hit us from behind and I'd actually spin out a gear because of the wind's boost.

An unfortunate aspect of the wind was the dust and dirt blowing around.  It stung our legs and my freshly cleaned bike was being peppered with debris.

We met Wayne County on County Line Road and made the legs work as we climbed Harrison Road up and over to Fredericksburg.  I thought my legs were going to crack on the final climb on Harrison but things held together.  From there it was back to Ryan's via the gradual climb on Cutter.

The wind continued to blast well after our ride but now it's calm as can be.  For not having a long ride we enjoyed some remote roads.  Gravel roads always add to the charm of road ride.  As Ryan said, it was an adventurous route.

Bonus Miles

We pretty much stuck to our plan and had a good ride this morning.  There was one unexpected gravel road in Holmes County but we were not on it for long and it took us through a scenic little valley.  Lots of friendly waves and people out doing yard work today.  Quite a change from rides over the winter where there seemed to be nobody else outdoors, except in their vehicles.

After making it back to Messner Rd, Ryan turned right and I turned left to head home.  I thought to myself "about five miles to get home... or maybe I'll take a detour, it is really nice out."  As it turns out, I thought this to myself several times and ended up tacking on another 10 to 15 miles.  Sunshine and slightly warmer weather sure can be motivating. Working around the house the rest of the day my legs were feeling pretty heavy.  Must have done something useful out on that bike ride.

 I always like this old barn back off Kister Road, near the Mill.

Tomorrow Ryan and I plan to work on a rack for the back of the truck that will be used for our trip to Boone in mid April.  This was part of the truck cap purchase last fall.  I'll have to take some pictures once the rack setup is completed and installed.

PRP - pre ride post

Here's a new idea, I'll post pre-ride as I eat breakfast and stare at the bike sitting in the kitchen.  In about five minutes my coffee cup will be empty and I will roll out the driveway to ride east on Messner Rd. until I meet Ryan.  From there, the plan is to ride south into Fredericksburg and do a clockwise loop, dipping into Holmes County.  The weather looks terrific.  It's about 50 degrees already and is supposed to warm a little bit more beneath sunny skies.  I'll type again after the ride!

Receding Snow

Wow, I guess it's been a while since I updated the ol' blog.  Probably because there have not been many outdoor rides with pictures to share.

Since the new year I've been riding the rollers and trainer in the basement about four days per week.  To pass the time I bought the season one box set of Alias.  Agent Bristow kept me reasonably entertained while doing intervals below ground.

Prior to the record big snow of February, I had been able to get out for several rides including a couple commutes to work.  Now the snow is beginning to recede as we are treated to some warmer temperatures.  Ryan and I headed out for a couple hour ride on clean roads today.

Heading west, towards the Overton Valley.

The third week of April Ryan and I are heading to Boone, NC for about a week of riding and camping.  We missed doing a spring cycling trip last year, so this one is highly anticipated.  Instead of renting a cargo van for the trip we are going to pack up my truck.  With my new truck cap, new to me anyhow, I have a plan that will allow us to transport the bikes inside the bed of the truck in addition to all our camping and cycling gear.

I've been scouring the Road Cycling in the Blueridge High Country guidebook for routes in the Boone area.  Looks like there are many climbs to be had in the Boone area.  If the weather is good, we should have a great week of riding.

New Year, New Shelves

Happy New Year!  The first project of the new year was to install a set of shelves in the basement.  Yesterday I built four 16" x 8' long shelves in garage and the job of the morning was to install them.  As the Christmas tree was coming down, the shelves were going up.

Daniel lending a hand.

I also have made two sets of 4' long shelves to install elsewhere in the basement.  The whole goal here is to organize the out of control mess in preparation for a dedicated cycling gear and work area.  A new work bench, wall hung cabinets, lighting... I have big plans, bigger plans than I have time.  But, gotta keep getting a little done at the time.  More to come on this project in the future.

The Christmas Mirror

The final wood shop project this year was a tall dressing mirror for KT.  She did not know I was making it for her, however suspicion was raised by the amount of time it was taking to complete the other projects.

The mirror will be hung on the wall in our bedroom.  It measures 20.5" wide and 60" tall.  The frame is made of curly maple with a walnut inlay. 

(Sidenote... interesting to see how much spherical aberration there is

in this image from the digicam's lens... the sides are actually straight.) 

Obviously, the finish remains to apply.  KT has asked for a natural finish to maintain the contrast being maple and walnut.  The maple is much curlier than I first realized when planing down the rough lumber and I'm sure the finish is going to really bring out the curl.  I'll have to post pictures once the finish is complete and the mirror is hung on the wall.

The Christmas Tray

Now a post to share another Christmas project.  This one was a serving tray for KT's sister Jessica.  I did not take pictures of this piece in project but have some nice final pictures of the tray.

First, the wood used to make the serving tray has an interesting story.  A local lumber yard gave me some pieces of packing crate that had been stashed in the upper part of a barn since the early 80's.  The crates were used to ship luan plywood.  They were made of Mahogany.  Nice.  So this project is an example of wood recycling.

The tray is about 13" x 30" with a glass center.  Behind the glass is a piece of fabric.  The fabric can be changed by removing cleats on the back of the tray that hold in a piece of hardboard.  The handles are actually long drawer/door pulls.  The Mahogany was finished with 5 coats of polyurethane varnish.

 

 

 I'm sure Jessica will get some good use out of this tray while entertaining friends and family.

The Christmas Boat

Long time without an update.  I've been busy, tis' the season you know.  Christmas and the making of gifts for people has provided a good break from the bike for me these past couple years.  In the next several posts I'll show what I've been working on, now that the gifts have been given.  I didn't want to risk ruining surprises by posting anything earlier.

First off, I found a set of plans published in Wood Magazine back in 1995 for a "nautical shelf".  KT and I thought this would be a good gift for her parents, as it would look nice in the house her parents are building in White Mountains of New Hampshire.  As I worked on this project I took pictures with my cell phone, so I have a play by play for this gift.

To begin, I prepared Poplar pieces for the back, three shelves, and transom.  In this picture the back is being laid out per the plans.

The back is cut with a 15 degree bevel on its outer edges.  I tilted the base on my jigsaw to make the cuts.

The shelves were cut to width, with 15 degree angles on each end.  The shelves were glued and screwed to the back at their designated heights.

The sides of the boat shelf were laid out with a similar technique to the back.  The shape of the sides will allow it to correctly "wrap" onto the back and shelves.

Prior to attaching the sides I dyed the interior of the shelf.  I figured it would be easier to apply the dye, and sand the subsequently raised grain, while the shelf was in pieces.  The water based dye shouldn't interfere with the glue to be applied.

The sides were wrestled onto the shelf and attached with glues and wood screws driven into the back and shelves.

As can be seen in the above picture, the bow of the boat remained to be closed up after the sides were attached.  I temporarily glued a couple blocks to the outside of the boat so the bow could be pinched together with spring clamps.  An epoxy fillet was applied to the inside of the boat to adhere the sides to each other.

Next step was to fill all the screw holes and begin the sanding process.  It officially looks like a boat now.

Inner and outer gunwales, made of Red Oak, were installed by gluing them to the sides of the boat.  I now understand why you see so many clamps in pictures of boat building shops.

The foredeck, made of Ash was the last piece to be attached.  It was roughly cut to shape on the bandsaw and would be sanded flush with the outer gunwales was the glue dried.

And now the pictures jump ahead to the finishing room.  There was a great deal of sanding between the above and below pictures.  The gunwales were sanded flush with each other along the edge of the sides.  At the front of the boat the sides were sanded into a smooth, rounded bow.  I've never spent so much time with an angle grinder and 80 grit sanding disc as I did on this project.  The gunwales are masked off to apply primer to the back and outer sides of the shelf.

After two coats of primer and sanding between coats, the first coat of black enamel goes on.

Now it's time to focus on the inside.  The black sides are masked off and lacquer was sprayed on the inside and gunwales.  I ended up laying on 6 coats of gloss lacquer.

After drying overnight, I buffed on a couple coats of wax both inside and out.  Here's the finished boat shelf!

 

 

It was a good project and came together as we envisioned.  KT's parents liked the gift and we look forward to seeing it hanging on their wall.

Workin' Like an Elf

How many days until Christmas?  I've been working feverishly down in the wood shop to complete a couple Christmas gifts.  As much as I would like to post some pictures, that could ruin the surprise for a recipient of one of these items.  So, here are some pictures of gifts I made last year.

 Mahogany door mat with inlaid stone.

Turned bottle stoppers.

  

Knife and Kydex sheath.

 

Clock.

  

Box with knife inside.

The knives were a first.  Entertaining to make but a lot of work.  I'd have to make quite a few more to even think about being proficient at it.  I made two Mahogany door mats but only have a picture of the one.  Oh yeah, I made Katie a tall jewelry box too, we do not have any pictures of it.

It was a quite a few projects last year.  I'm not making nearly as many items this year, and I should probably start working on Christmas gift in February to be able to complete everything!

I can say I'm looking forward to two weeks of vacation from work over the holidays.  During this time I expect to break out of these "rest weeks" and get on the bike.  In the meantime, I'll continue making sawdust and breathing finishing fumes.