So the conclusion of the “Tim with power tools” saga: I need a lot more practice. I made a few discoveries while working on the project to build a frame in which to mount the drawers and hang them from the bench:
- It’s difficult to make straight cuts with a hand held jigsaw when it’s cutting from the direction of the floor up. I had no clamps, so I used my table vise (thanks to my father-in-law for buying this for me this summer) to grip the boards I was cutting. Only I couldn’t clamp them so that they lay flat, as the jaws weren’t quite wide enough. I had to clamp them standing on edge. The long boards were OK, but the six-inch cleats came out looking pretty deformed.
- Assembly is always trickier than it looks. In this case, holding up the frame, even without the drawers, so that it made contact with the underside of the bench, while simultaneously hitting the pre-drilled holes with the lag bolts coming up from the frame, then holding the frame against the bench one corner at a time to wrench in the lags was almost impossible.
Somehow I got it done, and then collapsed. I had let the foiled pot roast overcook—only possible if there’s a hole in the foil, incidentally—and it was edible but on the dry side. Ouch.
Anyway. Today will be an interesting day at work, as I get to meet someone who’s on my blogroll that I’ve been dying to meet for a while. Details later.