michael evans's Page

Thanks, Mick, I appreciate it. I remember building a bed for my daughter back in the early 90's. It was in a one-car garage and it was a hassle to say the least. I've dreamed of this shop for so long, and now that I have it, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. The fantasy in my head doesn't exactly fit what I've actually got, but I do realize that I'm luckier than some. With the help of people here and in other woodworking forums, I think I'll end up on the right side of it.

I was going to say, "No worries, mate!", when I suddenly realized that's Australian slang, not British. :-)

Oh well, the sentiment behind it is well meant. While we don't have any snow right now, it is 27 degrees outside right now, so perhaps that's affecting my strange sense of humor also.

By the way, in case you're wondering, (which you're probably not), my profile photo is of me and my daughter, Allison, back in 2007 in Dodge City, Kansas. It was a special trip wherein we not only visited family, but I had the honor and privilege of playing Taps at the local Veteran's cemetery on Veteran's Day. Unfortunately, that lovely young lady passed away December 29th, 2010, less than a month after we moved into this house. It's a very big reason I have difficulty getting out into the shop.

But I do try to persevere. I'm not telling you this to get sympathy, more because I am very proud of her and the things she accomplished in her young but short life. Sorry, just had to get that out of my system.

Tickety Boo...I'll remember that. It's interesting that you mentioned the pergola/arbor.

When Allison passed I thought about the same thing, and I thought about building it myself, but I just couldn't gather the strength to do it. After a year had passed, I thought about building a gazebo and looked into plans for that. But in the end, I just couldn't do it. So I bought a kit where all the parts were already cut. I thought I'd be up to assembling it myself, but I was wrong. When it arrived, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. So I hired someone to put it together for me. In reality, I've never looked back on that decision. Here's what it looks like now...

That's my shop in the background, by the way. I've since had a drip irrigation system put in around the perimeter of the gazebo, plants planted and furniture inserted. Electricity is coming soon. What's not evident in this photo is the giant rooster weather vane on top.

Michael, this is a sign I make  , I route the edge then I route the letters  ,  lightly sand with pad sander and stain !!!  Then I take a small paint brush and paint the letters  with exterior black paint , two coats !!  Then I put on two coats exterior poly , ready to hang on post or side of your house and will last for a long  time !!  Hope this is helpful to you , JIM

Hi Michael , I used a  sign makers template kit from Rockler .com  , the 2 1/4 combo kit  #42129 , includes numbers and letters , but comes with a plastic bushing  , not very good !!!  They have a brass bushing  #33967 @ $6.99 that is much better . You can check it out on their site and it describes it  and how it works.  they interlock and you just tape it on the board and route , I use the blue tape , hope this helps you  out , have a nice wood working day , JIM

Michael , forgot to list the price , the kit was $36.99 and I think it is on sale  under the outlet part of their site, I really like mine  as I made 16 signs for Christmas gifts and is easy to use , have grat day , JIM 

Hi Michael , the set I told you about is on sale now  for $26.99  US , don,t know if you can get things from Rockler over there or if the shipping would be high , it includes numbers and letters . It was 10 degrees here and snowing today, have a great day , JIM

Michael , hope your family is feeling much better, good luck and good health to all of your family , JIM