Bible Reading Plan

Approximately one year ago I did a post about a Bible Reading Plan. I thought I would revisit this topic again briefly since I have finished reading through the entire Bible again over the course of this last year.   In 2008 I read through the Bible in chronological order.  For 2009 I read through in the historical order, which is according to the estimated date of the  writing of the books.  For 2010 I plan to read  from beginning (Genesis) to end (Revelation).   Once again, here is the site where I obtained my plan.  There are numerous plans, just Google for sites offering plans to find one that may suit you better.

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Stat Counter

I began blogging a little over one year ago. I desired to have some kind of feedback on how many people visited my blog, where they were from, etc. Darryl had found Stat Counter which did all of these things and more. StatCounter.com is a free invisible web tracker. I can obtain a great deal of info. Click on “statcounter.com” above and check it out. Click on “demo” and you will see the type of stats one receives. I personally like following the “Visitor Paths.” I know that I have several “regular” readers of my blog and know where they live. I just don’t know names. I don’t often comment on other people’s blogs and perhaps most of you are non-commenters as well, but perhaps just this once you could leave a brief note. Just say “hi” or let me know what you would like to hear about from me.

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Craftsman Router Crafter

In my post about making my cedar candlesticks I mentioned my brother-in-law’s Legacy Ornamental Mill that was used.  I thought having one would be great but when I went to checking on the price I knew right away that buying one was out of the question.  But, as I did more research on the internet I discovered that there have been other companies that have made somewhat similar machines.  One that I began finding references to was a unit that Sears marketed for a number of years, the Craftsman Router Crafter.  It was much less sophisticated than the Legacy but for hobby use it sounded like something that would do what I wished to do.  However, I discovered that Sears had discontinued this piece of equipment.  Apparently a company by the name of Trend Machinery (now called Trend Routing Technology) had made this machine and had marketed their own, called a router lathe.  This machine had also been discontinued, apparently about 2004.

 

On a woodworking forum on the internet I saw that others had been referred to Ebay to find such a unit.  I started looking and found one listed that the individual stated was from his father’s estate, was still in the original box and had never even been opened.  I made a bid and later had to raise my bid a bit but did win the auction.  And, just as had been stated the unit was brand new.  Under the sealed flap I found the original invoice from QVC where it had been purchased in March of 1993. 

Here you see the unit set  up in a corner of my barn.  (I’m still working toward a woodworking shop!)

I’ve been “playing” with it the last few days, trying to learn how to do the various things it will do.









Pictured on the left is a piece of cedar limb I cut from the woods.  On the right the piece has been put into the machine and has been rounded down.

In this photo you can see that I have successfully turned spirals in the piece.  I’ve got to obtain a few more router bits but I’m about ready to attempt making another cedar candlestick.

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Acquiring Building Materials

As I began making plans to build a small woodworking shop I started thinking about where and how to obtain lumber and roofing materials without spending a huge amount of money, something I don’t have.  I started checking Craig’s List and reading the classified ads.  A couple of area radio stations have programs they call “The Trader” and “The Real Trader.”  One can buy, sell, trade and advertize for needed items at no charge.  I submitted an ad on one of the stations stating that I was looking for used lumber and metal roofing materials.  I also mentioned that I would consider tearing down old buildings in exchange for the building materials.

A fellow responded stating that he had an old house that I could tear down.  I took Darryl along to look at it.  As it turned out it was an old house that someone had started tearing down some years ago but had never finished.  Although some material was gone there was still adequate framing lumber and metal roofing for my purposes.  The house was a two story affair with a fairly steep roof.  We decided that it would be easier to salvage the material, and I might add, a lot safer if we pulled the house down.  Darryl helped me for a day and a half and using his truck we were able to bring the house down, not all a once but in increments.

As can be seen in this photo all of the doors and window are gone and much of the siding has been removed.  There had never been any electricity into the house nor any plumbing.  The chimney had also been taken down earlier.  Some of the interior walls were ripped out and those remaining did not have lath and plaster but tongue and groove boards.  The metal roofing was not original.  It was obvious that the house had been shingled with wooden shingles at an earlier time.  The metal is quite rusted, as can be seen, but the under side is still brightly galvanized and quite usable.

Here are a few pictures of the house being taken down.  We first worked on the section of the house to the right in the above photo.  We pulled out the side walls with chains and then took down the rest of the section with a long rope, all attached to Darryl’s truck.

The front wall is being pulled down.

The end of the house is crashing to the ground.

The front wall on the remaining section of the house is being pulled down.

The back wall on the still standing section is coming down.

It is about to go!

GOING!

GONE!  The entire house is on the ground  I’ve been able to work a day or two a week salvaging material and hauling some of it home.   It will take a while to get it all done.

Some of the roofing metal and some of the rafters headed home!

As I took the still photos seen above Darryl’s video camera was recording the action.  He posted his video on line and can be viewed by clicking on this link.

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My Next Major Project

After spending time with my brother-in-law in his woodworking shop while in Texas I came to the decision that I wanted a small shop of my own.  I have always enjoyed working with wood.  As a small child my parents gave me a set of small tools, access to small pieces of wood and small nails.  I attempted to build all sorts of things.  I worked with my father putting an addition onto our barn and adding a workshop to the back of our garage.  While in high school he managed to get me hired to work with him doing carpenter work during the Summer vacation two different years.  When I went to college I worked two years part-time in the campus woodworking shop.

I have done numerous projects through the 45 years we have been married, the most major being the completion of our house here in Kentucky.  But, I have never really had a shop.  I’ve worked out of the garage or on the front porch to do several projects.  My goal is to build a small shop, approximately 16’ X 16’ in our back yard.  As I plan it I envision adding a loft for storage, something we seem to always lack.  I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

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