Sawdust everywhere

It seems every spare moment I have these days I am covered in sawdust and wood shavings. Things are really coming along with the aquarium stand... so far I've spent $700 on Oak boards, and still have two pieces of plywood to get at 75 bucks a sheet. I'm not too concerned about the cost because at the end of it we will have a one of a kind piece of solid oak furniture that will be beautiful.

Darrell had to work on Saturday so I could only do small things with the stand, we have a standing agreement around our place that no one uses the big power tools if we're the only person home. I use little power hand tools like the router etc when he's not around, but won't touch things like the table saw, planer, ot joiner if I'm alone... that would just be stupid. You can take every safety precaution going but even then there are factors that can't be anticipated. If you hit a knothole just the right way, any one of those tools can project it right back at you with enough force to dent concrete walls. We don't stand over one another and supervise what the other's doing, but we do pop down and check things out ever now and then to make sure everything is going okay in the shop. Out little woodshop is too small for both of us to work in so I've been doing most of the work on the stand and Darrell has come down to help me with joining, planing, & cutting the long boards as well as gluing and stuff... but I've been working on the final cuts and fussy details.

While Darrell was working Saturday I routered the edges of the Doors and Drawer fronts, then sanded them and the drawers. That took a few hours and my shoulders got a good workout. Once Darrell got home we biscuit jointed the boards for the side panels. I could have done that without him home, but we just bought the biscuit cutter and it hadn't been used yet, so I wanted to wait until he got home so we could try out our new toy together.

Sunday was our first musical rehearsal for Cabaret. We went over Wilkommen & Tomorrow Belongs to Me - Both versions. I have a great solo in the beginning of Tomorrow Belongs to Me (the waiters quartet version), it's a fairly high tenor part but the highest note is only a b-flat so I have no problems with it. With all the harmony it sounds really good, and that was just after our initial rehearsal of it.... can't wait to hear it after we've done it a gazillion times over the course of the rehearsal schedule.

After rehearsal it was back home, and you guessed it, back to the basement woodshop. I got the last of the joins for the side panel glued and clamped, and also glued up the second side panel. I joined the edges of the pieces for the top so they can be biscuited and glued today after work, and Darrell helped me join, plane, & cut the pine 2x4's that will be supports for the inside of the base (they are completely hidden so buying oak for that part of it made so sense at all.). I did the final cuts and assembled them before calling it a night and retiring to the couch for Must see Sunday night TV. Turned out most of my shows were repeats with the exception of the Amazing Race.. My distaste for Rob & Amber is no longer a problem because last night they got the boot.....yay.