houseplants

Rooms are always a work in progress

Steve HardinLeave a comment

Annmarie’s laser cutter died so we got another one, this one is upgraded and will do circular items and will cut thicker material and can etch into metal directly. It has a water cooled laser. We did not really compare any measurements so when it arrived we realized it was significantly larger than her old one. I had to build a table top to go onto the top of the old TV stand we are using as the base. We also had an old Victrola cabinet in there for the 3D printer but they both would not fit. Gingerman and I made them fit but it was not pretty and did not pass the quality inspection later done by Annmarie. We agreed that a shelf for the 3D printer would take up less space and I had kept an old table leaf that I was able to cut into a shelf. I used the leftover wood from the table top to cut the other three shelves out. We may put shelves under the 3D printer but I will wait until Annmarie requests those. She will need to use the space for a while before those will be used. I may but a narrow one directly under the printer so she can put her filament rolls on it. I will need to use book ends or build some so that they don’t roll off.

I had to run ductwork along two walls to accommodate the fumes. I decided that cutting another hole in the wall to the outside and moving the exhaust fan and power was not going to work for me. I might have to do this three more times and I did not five holes in the wall. I was able to use some low profile dryer venting and keep it fairly close to the wall. I taped all the joints so the exhaust fumes stay inside the duct. This laser has a really good exhaust fan so between it and the one on the outside of the office the fumes will get moved right out and the longer path should not be much of an issue. There is a lot of push/pull action happening in regard to the exhaust.

My plants on the breeze porch are doing very well. When I got this plant it was six inches high. The only thing I seem to be having trouble with is starting the new African violets. I have always had trouble with it but this year I have not been successful. I ordered some root stimulator and hopefully that will solve my problems. I am starting to root new plants so I can get them ready for Christmas. I usually take at least 30 plants into work as presents for the ER staff. I have a couple of new plants so I wanted to offer a little more variety. I add a few plants every year to the collection. I have enough room for another six African violets and was hoping to fill it up this year. They tend to be fairly expensive when buying them at the store.

Upstairs bathroom might get finished

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I keep focusing on the upstairs bathroom. I want to get it 100% complete. I had purchased a special Kreg Tool jig to allow me to drill holes on an angle and screw boards end to end. It’s a quick and dirty way to join pieces, much faster than any type of glued joinery. Since we are covering the panels with fabric, it was merely a requirement to build a sturdy frame. The Kreg jig worked like a charm. I even did very well cutting all my pieces the same size. I had the whole thing assembled and then tried to clamp them up in place to drill the pilot holes so I could then install the magnets. Nope, I did not do something right. Turns out I used the wrong inner pieces on two different squares. I had to take them apart, thank goodness for screws, and put the proper pieces back together.

Once I had them all clamped in place then I drilled through each one with a 1/8” drill so that I could line up the magnet on the panels with the face of the closet. I used a 1/2” Forstner drill to get a nice hole to glue the magnet into. I have magnets that will hold 20# and I am using at least four on every panel and six on the larger panels. They should stay in place without any trouble. The hardest part is getting the magnets lined up so they attract each other and not push away! I managed to line up the first panel but almost messed up the magnet direction twice. I decided that since every panel is unique and has holes drilled in different spots I needed to be more careful in my magnet application. I only did one panel and am going to do one panel every night until I get them all finished. I cannot have 3-6 of them all drying at the same time and then try and put them back up on the wall. Our new electric stapler came this week so as soon as the spare staples come we will be ready to go if I can get them all set this week.

Annmarie went out and fed the bees today. They made it through the winter! I saw one fly out of the hive yesterday when it got over 50 degrees. She did not put on her bee suit and open it up. It is still not warm enough yet to expose them to the cold. We are going to get one more hive. We have no plans to go past two.

I have been trying to get one of my plants on the breeze porch to crawl across the ceiling. I built a trellis that hangs from the ceiling. It covers a space about four feet wide and five foot long. The plant has started to die, I think I am overwatering it. So I got a new pot for my large jade plant, about 2×3’ and am going to use my old jade pot for the crawling plant. That pot has a hole in the bottom and can drain all of the extra water. I hope that is the problem. The jade should be good in its new pot for another 5-7 years. I would like to get a five foot jade tree grown before I die. It is not easy and it takes a long time. I have been at it almost 10 years already. It might grow faster if I was nicer to it but I like my plants hardy. Plus I keep cutting it and trimming it to the shape I want. I am working on my staff Christmas presents already this year. I usually start splitting and repotting in Sept/October. I have 12 African violet starts going now. This batch is for me, I want to fill up my shelves again. Once I have the shelves full I will make a set for the staff. They are pretty slow growing so it will take a few months to get them up to any size.