Saturday Update

Tonight was a tough one. Trying to get to work on the pallet trunk chest was just a non starter.

Not to say I didn't get some progress done. In fact, I did basically finish the chest, minus the final sanding and trim, and the stain. OH and the hardware for hinges and what not. So I guess the truth is, I finished the wood working portion. I just have to go clean it up.

I felt rushed, because I also put in a long day at work, came home, got the family settled and then headed out to the mancave, aka the garage, only to suffer from numerous interruptions. I hastily threw together the rest of the pieces needed on the chest, and began my final cuts. I broke one board after it was set. I cut too deep on another. All in all, I messed up.

So the challenge now is to do the true DIY thing and fix what I have in front of me.

The professional might scrap the project and rebuild it correctly. I think I can do enough sanding, carving and planing to hide the mistakes. So that's the route I am taking. Ill let you know how it comes out. Truthfully, I am not all mad. I used some really old pallet wood for the rest of it. But once I planed the boards down and scraped off the weathered outer layer of wood, the board underneath was something special. I think that alone will make up for the mistakes I made.

So that was tonight. I have my work cut out for me on my day off tomorrow. So expect some pictures soon. And you know what? The worst thing is not even that bad. Because I am learning all the time. The next project will come out even better. And the next. And you know I don't intend to stop making stuff.


On my way home from work I passed by some of the big box stores and drove my truck around back.  Filled my truck bed with new pallets to add to my stash. There are more projects in my future now. I have the material! I just need to make the time!



Now, on a not so great note: I did film two videos. Unboxing some new tools. But I currently don't have access to those because they are on my Ipad. And I am working off my computer at the moment.

However, I already began the editing in iMovie in order to put those two short videos together, and will be posting them on the blog soon.



So what else? I am just ranting, with no real objective in mind but to update on the project front.

I did use my new hand plane. It was not too bad. I'm still a fan of the bench plane, so keep that in mind if you are shopping for your first hand plane. Its not a bad size and shape for most beginner projects. And like I mentioned, once I ran the plane over some of those old boards, the beautiful wood underneath came through with the grains popping and the color shining. I am more than satisfied. Some good sanding will finish it up nice. All is well on that front.



Besides building my projects, which admittedly take much longer than they should, I have been writing. I have two other blogs that I am working on. Both of them I use the free platform from Blogger. I don't care if they get readers and I don't care if they get views. The real reason I have those pages up is for me to continue to work on ideas and work on my creativity. Like I told my son today. Do ONE idea each day. Doesn't matter if it sucks. Because You don't have to show anyone. But if you do one a day, eventually you will have that one great idea. And that could be your golden ticket.

It's akin to walking a hundred miles. It all starts with a step. Followed by another. Eventually you make it. But not without putting in the work first.

So like Malcom Gladwell said, ten thousand hours here we come!

I'm putting in the work. And at a minimum, I hope that by reading this blog you can be inspired to put that work in too.

Because you may have that great idea somewhere inside. That perfect project, or that masterpiece. But if you never start, we will never get to enjoy it.

So please keep creating!


I'm going to take a breather and finish tonight's drink: Sweetwater IPA. Not a bad beer for a Saturday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tonight's Beer Review

For tonight (and most of the day!) the beverage of choice was an American standard. Cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

I might catch a little heat from beer aficionados out there, but I like it. It's not ever day that I crave one particular beer over another. And today, PBR did the trick.

For the few of you out there who have yet to try it, it's a light lager. Not a light beer as in your standard light beers. I mean it in the sense that it's not a heavy beer.

It's clean and simple. To me it feels just a tad lighter than a traditional Budweiser.

There's some advantages to sipping on a beer like this.

For starters, you can enjoy the taste of beer all day long while you sip away, and not worry about falling down drunk.

And second, because the taste is not as powerful as some of my regular favorites, it's easy to pair with spicy food. Which I did. The wifey cooked up some traditional pirogies and kielbasa.

Successful Saturday so far. A few projects started, some others under way.

I'll be back soon with some updates on my creations, so check back!

Leave me a comment below. What's your go to beer while working on a project?

Review of Sierra Nevada Original

Time for a beer review. After all, this is a beer and DIY blog, and up until now I've neglected the beer!

Aside from a quick snapshot of some home brew IPA I had going, I have utterly failed in spreading the love when it comes to the bubbly bitter goodness.

Well, for tonight, as we wrap up the week and kick off the weekend, let's pop a top of one of my favorites: Sierra Nevada original.


I'm a west coast guy, even though right now I'm deep in south Florida, I'll never get past the great IPA culture of my home state.

Now most of the time, I'd opt for the hoppier, Sierra Nevada Torpedo. But even though the original has a lower Abv%,  a modest 5.6 percent, the clean taste makes up for it.

And for the uninitiated, it might be more than enough alcohol to make the drinking expert men well worth it.




If you are a beer drinker, but have yet to dabble in the IPA realm, let me offer some advice. Every beer has its place and time. A good hoppy IPA like this is meant to be sipped slow, and enjoyed cold.

So take a seat and turn the game on. Pop the top, and get back to creating tomorrow.

Goodnight all! Peace!