Mondays and Chainsaw Redemption

Early this week, I managed to slowly chip away at the stone and move things along. It appears that this is the only way things are going to get done around here, and excessive obsession with the big picture will only result in frustration and inaction, two areas that I excel at.

With this in mind, the prior week, JH and I were installing window in the barn when one of the ROs was too small, by less than an inch. We had put all the other windows in, so rather than waste his time watching me enlarge the RO, we ended the day and I decided to open the hole myself. This wasn't such a big deal, but the re-sheathing part was the pain. After that was done, I decided to see if the window would now fit, figuring I could do this much on my own. The RO was snug, but it slid in fairly easy. Because the fit was tight, it held the window in place, so I could go to the other side and check the level, which was fortuitously right on.

At that point, I figured I'd just install the thing, so I pulled it out, caulked the edge, and put it back in, then nailed it. How's that for real-man initiative? Of course, I had N take a pic of it. Just for the record, N is my official blog photographer.

I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but I also found out that my chainsaw sharpening techniques weren't completely off-kilter. I took the chain into Joe's and D told me that it looked fine, that he'd seen a lot worse. Great. I proceeded to use the saw to cut a few cords of wood, and then I had the issue of cutting up that massive header that was infested with carpenter ants. I needed to make smaller pieces for the burn pile, and the thing is long (about 9 feet) and thick (about 7 inches). Using a rotary saw wasn't going to cut it (not pun intended), so I decided to try the chainsaw. I was worried, of course, about nails, so I carefully chose my cutting paths and went for it.

Of course, I forgot to consider nails hidden deep within the structure, and proceeded to fry my chain. Bummer. The minute I hit the metal, I knew I screwed up. Darn. Oh well, at least I have a replacement chain. I'll have to get another.

One new project in the making is a shelf our kids want for their Lego creations. A even drew up a design with specific indications of dimensions and sizes. How cool is that?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.