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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

How to "STOP chickens from pooping everywhere" gate build

this chicken proof gate I made keeps the chickens out of the backyard but still allows them to roam in and out of the cage. No more chicken poop everywhere.  















I hammer drilled ½" holes and epoxied galvanized anchor bolts into the concrete to hold the post bases





4x4 side sections getting morticed together to hold lattice panels

Home made lattice using ¼" thick strips of redwood. Stapled and glued. No knots.


Gate being assembled with no fasteners just through mortices and wood glue.

close-up of a through tongue and mortice 
bottom panel was tongue and grooved on my shaper before assembly 

This was scrap metal I found at a garage sale. I stretched it diagonally to fit the gate 

more joinery close-ups

the day before I bought a morticing machine

ready to glue everything up

I round the corners of my panel to match the rabbit. this way I dont expose my mortice to the elements by squaring the rabbited channel instead + its faster and easier

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Solano Playlot Bulletin Board Kiosk Project Richmond CA

Solano Playlot in Richmond Ca 2015

Redwood Bulletin Board Richmond Ca Playground
Solano Playlot Bulletin Board 3D rendering 2014 

Redwood Bulletin Board Richmond CA
3D SketchUp rendering 

Redwood for this community project provided by
the Lumber Baron in Albany.
Thanks Max.
Making 100+ Lath from nominal 1X goes faster
with precisely measured stop blocks clamped to the fence.
That way you only need to pull a tape measure once.
75 shouldered 1X lath's ready for pilot holes.


My Delta 10" chop saw was used to gang-cut the Lath to minimize tear-out
This is the Bulletin Boards rain gutter.
Bruce Sturgeon (CROWN Heating*Sheet Metal, INC.)
will fold-up the rain gutter.

Details of Angle Bracket for the roof
¼" Steel from Oakland
pre-cut to 49.5°.
These were fun holes to drill.


Angle Brackets all drilled and MIG welded together to form 99°.
Ready to be powder coated.

All of a sudden
Solano Playlot in Richmond Ca




The four main framing timbers being joined with metal brackets to form the roof over hang 

My neighbor Dennis asked if I was building a boat dry dock once I had the frame together for mock up

My muscle memory was dialed-in so well I was cutting shoulders off the end if these 1x ribs eyes closed.
Safety glasses still on of course

The final piece arrived exactly as dimensioned and fit perfectly

Friday, April 10, 2015

Fireplace Remodel Maple Beam Mantel and Hand Carved Corbels


New Fireplace surround and Maple Mantel w/ Corbels
Walnut Creek, California 2015
Tile work by Palermo Tile


Fireplace before
 Original brick surround and hearth
No overmantel
Old Mantel removed
Hiding the Flat Screen TV wires
Framing the overmantel
New overmantel getting tiled
2x4 for temp support of tiles
Hole for Flat screen junction box
New overmantel extends to ceiling
Gabled beam ceiling

New sand stone 24"x12"x1.25" hearth by Palermo Tile
New corbels cut from New Maple mantel beam 
Maple staining samples:
400 grit
1 coat of Clear Shellac

Maple staining samples:
400 grit
1 coat of Clear Shellac

General Wood Dyes on Hard Maple
Left side stain on bare wood 400 grit
Right side seal coat of shellac applied before dyes
All samples sealed with a top coat of shellac

Hard Maple stain samples:
bottom half of sample got boiled linseed oil before a medium brown dye was applied.
Top half was sealed with shellac then dyed with General finishes medium brown
Both samples top coated with clear Shellac



New hand carved Hard Maple corbels and more staining samples
Maple Corbels and quarter round trim fabricating
New fireplace and mantel finished

Maple mantel dark stained with General Finishes Medium Brown Dye Stain
and Varathane oil based polyurathane satin finish

I lightly distressed the wood before staining for a more natural look 
Close up of maple beam mantel

Here you can see the finish is still drying

The distressing process involved a pocket knife and a little sanding

4.5"x7.5" solid maple beam stretching 82" long and the Corbels are 14"x4.5"

(5) ½"x12" anchor bolts drilled into support blocking behind the tile support the beam while access to the nuts and washers are hidden by corbels. Very secure mantel.

Maple is a difficult wood to stain even with experience. I have learned through the years that consistent sanding 80 up to 400 grit helps control the common blotching issues seen in maple 

Tile by Palermo Tile. Maple beam mantel in Walnut Creek, California 2015

Maple Beam mantel by Cahl Roach with Palermo Tile in Walnut Creek, California 2015