In January 2018 we were still working on setting up the new-to-us house and I needed a place to feed Izzy the cat. We had a space in the corner of the master bedroom and the previous owners left a large old wood workbench with drawers on the back porch. I used the drawers as the structure for a cabinet, and cut sections of the workbench top for the cabinet top, bottom, and door.
Photo description: cabinet made from old workbench drawersPhoto description: inside of the cabinet, showing the open back
The door had a crack, so I used an old leather belt as strapping to reinforce it. It worked, because the door is still strong after 8 years.
Photo description: closeup of the leather strap showing the carving details from when it was a belt
I wanted a set of chimes for the front entry, so decided to make some.
Photo description: graduated chimes made from 1/4 inch aluminum rod hung with fishing line from a section of a cedar branch
I read that chimes are usually made with solid aluminum or brass tubes. Aluminum is easier to work with, so I purchased a set of 10 quarter inch rods that were each 16 inches in length for about $14. My first step was to make a small groove in some scrap wood to hold the rods while I drilled a hole in each end.
Photo description: scrap wood jig holding a aluminum rod and a hole drilled in the end with a drill press
Once each rod had a hole in each end, I used a band saw to cut the rods into different lengths, with about a 1/2 inch difference. I then sanded them to remove the burrs and sharp edges.
Photo description: 19 graduated aluminum rods with one extra originally intended to play the chimes, but was unnecessary
I found a scrap of cedar branch from a failed walking stick project and cut it to about 12 inches. I sanded it and finished it with Howards Feed-n-Wax.
Photo description: cedar branch being prepped for holes drilled 1/2 inch apart
I used steel stranded cable to hang the wood, and monofilament fishing line to string the chimes. The knots for the fishing line are all on the back of the branch. The chimes are strung with line that comes out the back and back in the front to increase ring time, and I found have a long line for stringing and a shorter secondary line for tying knots worked fairly well.
Here is a video of the chimes in action. If I get ambitious, I will tune them .
We had a large tree fall in the back woods sometime during the last storms. We didn’t hear it fall, but it must have made a great tearing sound as it cracked and then dragged down a considerable amount of vegetative canopy.
Photo description: tree broken leaving about a 5 foot stump
This was a favorite hiding spot for the outside cats, and once the tree was down I could see why: there was a lovely little cavern in the trunk.
Photo description: cat hiding hole in the fallen part of the tree
The hollow trunk led all the way to the top of the tree, giving an escape route to any critter resting there.
The top branches fell across one of my paths, so I’ll gave to trim that back, but I’ll wait until fall when it is cooler and the chiggers aren’t active. Other than freeing my path, I’ll leave the rest to nature, which is the beauty of the back woods.
Speaking of, this is the remains of the woodpile that the builders left some 10 years ago when they cleared land for the house.
Photo description: old wood pile
Last Thursday I posted a picture of the pile from 8 years ago when it was well above cat height. There is not much left to hide in now.
My bat house is finally up! I was gifted the bat house a number of years ago, but had trouble finding a place near the edge of the woods, 15 feet up with a clear drop, and southern facing. None of our out buildings fit the requirements, and I was not willing to put up a 15 foot post. My eldest learned about bat houses for a project in college and found a good place on an existing tree and installed it.
Photo description: ladder leaning against a very large Post Oak on our property, with a new bat house installed on a sturdy branchPhoto description: view from the meadow looking back into the woods with the bat house installed
The Singer 27 treadle sewing machine that I purchased for $50 and pulled put of barn where it had lived for years is going back to the original purposes for which I bought it. I just wanted the cast iron base.
After reading about treadle machines I had changed my plan and attempted a restoration, but there is just too much rust. So. Much. Rust. Cleaning and polishing teeny tiny parts is not my happy place, so the project sat for three years. I need the workspace back, so I’m going back to my original plan of restoring just the cast iron base to be a power source for different tools.
Photo description: cast iron Singer sewing machine base separated from the wood top that was rotting and painted a strange yellow
Critters and Craft 