Milling Wood with City Bench

Last week I had the opportunity to observe City Bench boys Zeb and Ben mill a giant white oak tree.

The chain saw slices this giant log into slabs for table tops.

The fork lift flips the slab, then places it on the pile to air dry before going into the kiln.

The slabs are separated by stickers for air flow to prevent warping.

Metal reacts with white oak to create a blue tint.

An unintentional installation

A pile of stickers

Zeb's dog Chief loves to fetch.

Ben wrestles this slab into place to be cut into 4X4s on the band saw.

The band saw does its job.

Office Organization

Often hidden behind a closed door the office or studio can quickly devolve into a clutter fest. My office/ studio/ clutter fest is in the living room so I try to keep it somewhat presentable. I organize my office, not just because others can see it, but because it is where I spend most of my time. It is a reflection of my personality and style.  

This is where I work

The staircase bookshelf shields my desk from the rest of the living room for when the inevitable clutter sets in. Let's be realistic: it won't stay like this for ever.

print by Steuart Pittman

This drawer contains drafting supplies

This is one of many drawers containing model making supplies and tools. Next up, get rid of duplicates!

Most used items I keep at an arms reach. Scissors, Exacto, Sharpie, and pencil. (Fine, I never actually use that High-lighter. It shouldn't be there)

Under the desk I store tools and supplies I use less often. Those boxes contain painting supplies, stationary, and one is full of random Mac cords.

I found this shelf DIY idea on Apartment Therapy, and it actually works.

I wish this fireplace worked. Oh well, It's still a great place to display art by Kelly Neidig, found drift wood and candle sticks purchased at Good Will.

A reminder of whats important: Left: Little Erica Thompson with the Late Addie. Right: Jeremy and Lobo shortly after moving to San Francisco

This is who is always as close to me as possible. (Picture taken while creating this blog post.)

My First Ikea Hack

The problem: 

The AT&T router is huge and hideous. To make matters worse, we just got a home phone because our cellphone service is pretty much non-existent in this apartment. The phone comes with this back up battery so you can call 911 in an emergency even if your power is out. In theory this is a great idea, and if an emergency does arise, I'm sure I will be thankful for it, but from a design/ organization standpoint it significantly adds to the never ending problem of the first world... cord clutter. 

The Problem: AT&T router, backup battery, home phone, i-phone doc, Roku remote, cord tangle

Materials: crapy IKEA $30 side table, perforated sheet metal from Home Depot, white primer spray paint (not pictured)

 Step 1: Put together Ikea table. Ikea had a few side tables that looked like they would work for this purpose. I chose this one because it was A. the cheapest, and B. the most minimal. The sides are bamboo and the top is plastic. I considered not choosing this one because of the plastic top. I try to avoid plastic as much as possible in my home and I am trying to think of a way to cover the top or replace it with something a little nicer.

Step 2: Cut sheet metal to size. This was tricky since the cube is not perfect. I recommend labeling each side and the corresponding panel. This way you can get them really perfect and fit them in exactly where they go. I covered only 3 of the 4 sides in order to easily fit in the router and battery.

Step3: Spray paint metal panels. This is optional, and not necessary if you like the color it comes in. I wanted it white to match the top so I chose white primer with a gloss top coat. Spray painting tips: A. Always use primer. This helps the top coat go on smoothly and maximizes durability.  B. Spray in multiple thin coats, waiting for coats to dry between spays. C. Always start and stop the spray stream off the piece. This will produce the most even coat.

Step 4. Attach panels to the inside of the cube. You can use screws, glue, or even tape. I used plain old white artist tape for this. It may not last forever, but I can always replace it with something more durable if it doesn't work. I chose it because it seemed to work fine for my trial run, before painting the panels. It was easy, and you can't see it, so I just used it again.

The final result: useful electronics sit atop the side table while routers and cords are shielded from sight.