My Projects During Shutdown

by Paul Darafeev

"Honey, can you make me a door?"

Well, that's really not how it went. Our pool room door needed to be replaced, and when Leslie told me a custom door would cost $450, plus maybe another $100 to hang it, I said "NO WAY! I'm going to make you that door".

And like that old punch line, "How many lanes would you like...", I asked "What color would you like it. I go to the hardware store, and she texts me this turquoise, and the girl in the paint department scans the image on my cell, and mixes the paint on the spot. Wow, it's been years since I've painted anything, and wow, how things have changed.

I made that first door, and she loved it, and bragged to all her girl friends, and their husbands were all pretty upset because they started asking special requests for them to make THEM something.

"Honey, can you make me 3 more doors?"

Yes, that's exactly what she said. So, last Saturday, August 8, 2020, I watched a Youtube video on how to cut out the grooves for the hinges. The first ones were a bit rough. I set an ambitious schedule to whip out 3 doors, paint them, and hang them.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

We've all heard that, but after measuring where the hinges should go, I took the inside vertical piece of wood to the door, and marked against that hinges, and was about 1/2 inch off. So marked the other 2 doors against the old hinges, since all 3 were different, and started chiseling.

It's now Thursday

So much for the ambitious schedule, but I bought new hinges, had to trim 2 of the doors to fit, primed and painted the first two. Mind you, these are going to match our plastic adirondack chairs, turquoise, peach, and seafoam. It was pretty late tonite, Thursday, but we have folks showing up at our Airbnb Guest Cottage tomorrow, and they definitely plan to swim (expecting 108), so those doors better be hung, 2nd coat paint, and hardware in place. As you can see, it was getting dark, but we had a gorgeous sunset.

Friday Morning

Three doors hanging. Need some fill and detail paint, but I'm off to the office.

Saturday, one week later

It's 109 in Riverside, CA, and I'm outside filling and painting the doors. All those gaps are gone, and the large know holes are filled and painted.

Other Projects During Shutdown

Built a road with with John (Deere); OK, my wife calls it a 'path'.

Build some chair prototypes #WesternMannChair

Planted Tomato Garden (attack, of the killer tomatoes..)

Growing giant pumpkins