Xavier the Handy Man
Greetings to everyone.
With Rebecca in Cheyenne this weekend, Xavier and Dad decided to do some male bonding with power tools. We had a to-do list; Rebecca purchased some bookshelves and one of them did not stand up well on the uneven floor the bookcase was intended to occupy. Those who have visited our house may know well the floor I just described.
Our original plan was to install a fitted stabilizer board across the front. So, with this plan in mind, Xavier and I found a nice piece of scrap of lumber suitable for the task in our scrap lumber pile. A fairly smooth piece of 1x6 pine; not warped, more than long enough to do the job. It's only flaw was it needed some sanding.
Rather than hand sand (way too much work), it was easier to open a path to the surface planer. Xavier helped (by making it more difficult for me to move stuff around as he explored the barn) as I pulled stuff out to get to the surface planer and the table saw. Excited by the table saw, and especially the sight of the planer, Xavier eagerly helped me set up both the table saw and planer. After that, I put him in the house, made the cuts and planes, then let him back outside. He instantly found the plane shavings and played in the pile while I set up a work bench to finish the stretcher.
While I put away the power tools, Xavier thought he would start finishing the stretcher. He climbed up the work bench to explore the vise portion of the table and how it held the stretcher on its edge.
After a trip to Home Depot to pick up some stain and some adjustable feet, we came home and finished the job. Rebecca was so excited to come home and be able to unpack a bunch of boxes.