My Shop in Shambles

Well, it's been quite a while since I've posted anything on here. Just wanted to touch base and let anyone reading know that I haven't been abducted by aliens or even worse, sold my tools and given up woodworking. Been engrossed in home improvements for the past month and a half or so and my shop has suffered for it.





These pictures are the results of installing 92 boxes of laminate hardwood throughout the house as well as replacing all the standard baseboard with 5 1/4" tall colonial and replacing all the standard door casings with plinth blocks, fluted trim, and rosettes. This has been quite an undertaking, especially with the holidays mixed in, but I'm on the downhill slide now. All the floor is down and about half the door trim and 3/4 of the baseboard is installed and painted. So hopefully I'll be able to get back out to the shop in a few weeks to finish up a couple more saws and maybe an actual piece of furniture or two.

Seeing all my hand tools covered in a thick layer of saw dust is pretty painful and really makes me appreciate the joy and relative cleanliness of hand tool woodworking. Of course, all my prized hand tools could have been spared this sad fate if I had the shop I wanted. The garage would be the home improvement shop and my "real" shop would be nice and clean and organized. A safe haven for me and my non-tailed tools. Oh well, someday. :)

Meantime, here are a couple pics of what the new floors and trim look like.





P.S. The picture of the bedroom is my oldest daughters room. I just changed paint colors in there and Jen (my wife) and I haven't had a chance to get a new, more color coordinated bed spread yet. Didn't want anyone seeing that and thinking my style sense is THAT bad. :)