Funny thing happened today

I was in the shop working when I heard a strange sound out on the patio that I thought was a loud cat.  I walk out the side door and what do I see but a little kid who saw me and ran up the sidewalk and into the bushes behind the little garage.   We have new neighbors and that must have been their kid.  I thought it was funny and walked into the house.  When I came out later and walked towards the shop I could hear a little boy crying hysterically so I figured his parents punished him for going over into the neighbors yard.  But as I got closer to the little garage I could see he was in there throwing a tantrum.  So I walked towards him and asked if he was ok.  But I must have scared him even more so he crawled under a table in the back.  I walked in and tried to convince him it was ok but he wouldn't stop crying and screaming.  Just when I was wondering what I was going to do his dad came over and got his son out.  He apologized and said it was a weird way to meet his new neighbors.  He knew about our Halloween setup and I told him he has years to get his son used to us.

What a strange day that turned out to be.

Cleaning the shop

I worked in the shop a little this weekend.  Got my new band saw and drill press stand setup with an outlet.   I cleaned up the back area and put a lot of stuff away.  Still need to do a big clean but didn't have the energy this weekend.

New Worktable top

When my Dad and I built my work table we used 3/8" particle board for the top so that it could be replace.  Once one side is all beat up you can flip it over.  But once you've flipped it then you need to replaced it.  So that's what I did.  I cut a new piece out of a sheet and replaced the top.  Makes the table seem almost new.

Plywood Storage

I built myself a plywood storage cart that can be rolled out and put away that can store full sheets as well as scraps.  I couldn't find exactly what I wanted online so I just built it the way I wanted to using some other plans for ideas.

New Shop Tools

A few months ago a good friend of mine gifted me his General Cabinet table saw.  I just got around to moving my old Delta contractor saw out of the way and setup the new saw.  Saw has a very nice 52" fence that is very accurate.  It is a MUCH better saw than what I had.  I might be able to work on some finer projects now.

I recently bought a 14" band saw for myself and just finished putting it together.  

I also just recently got an air filter and dust collection system given to me.  I installed the filter above the table saw but need to do some shop organization before I can install the dust collection system.  Starting with building a plywood storage cart and tearing apart the plywood storage box I have now.

Chris' office is done

We worked on getting Chris' office done right after Halloween.  Took a little longer than we expected.  She painted the walls gray and the trim black.  I made window valances and sanded the printer/Internet cabinet down so she could paint it black and replace the handles with frog ones.  She picked out a chandelier for the room that was small enough and I installed it.

Tombstones at the Mansion

We were asked to make 36 tombstones for the Playboy Mansion for their Charity Halloween Party last Friday and Saturday night.   We only had a week to make them and then make 3 crates and have them shipped to Los Angeles CA.

Halloween 2011

It is almost Halloween night.  We have had a great October season.  Had a fantastic Party and the crowds each Fri/Sat/Sun were big this year even in the rain.  The effects ran pretty smoothly and we have perfected their setup and take down so it hasn't been too hard each night.   Here are some photos of the setup this year from our friend Marci Brandt.

Daylight at the graveyard

We got the monks and TOT's positioned on Saturday.   Everything was ready to go for the effects that night.

Spider webs

We added webs Saturday afternoon when the weather was nice.