So busy doing nothing, I haven't had time do anything at all

While the title is more than a little bit of an overstatement, it seems like the time that I have in the shop has been diffused into small projects too numerous to mention.  Many of the projects have been either underwhelming, not very much fun, or covered on other blogs (probably better than I would be able to).  Also, using the last of my vacation time before the end of our fiscal year yesterday has led to activities outside of the shop.  But today, good readers, I would like to update my work and also pledge to update this blog more regularly (hopefully with interesting content).

Spring appears to be on it's way here in drab New England.  I can tell from the weeks of fighting the tide of snow melt into my basement shop.  I have not however, been able to discern it's arrival either by the thermometer, or by looking out my window.

Could this finally be winter's last gasp?

This past Saturday brought snow flurries all day.  Sunday morning dawned to reveal a dusting, and more disappointingly, a thin layer of ice covering almost everything.  The heavy snows this winter wreaked more than the normal amount of damage to my yard.  Now if the weather would just cooperate, I could begin the repairs.

In my last post, I had mentioned working on some of my planes.  As is often the case, I got a little carried away.  I had set out just to sharpen the blades.  But maybe in an effort to put off more difficult tasks, I ended up doing a more thorough cleaning of all of my planes and a more serious rehab of a block plane that I had inherited from my grandfather.

Flattening the soles a couple weekends ago.

Another continuing theme in my shop has been cleaning.  I have made major progress in reclaiming the majority of my basement as shop space.  The more I do however, the less satisfied I am with the way things are currently configured.  I want to create a better workflow, introduce some better storage methods for my now growing compliment of hand tools, and just create a more inviting space.  Unfortunately, this generally results in a lot of time holding my shop stool down, or on the computer looking at other people's shops for inspiration.  The goal is to transform thought into action as we emerge from the winter season and lower heating bills result in more disposable income.  A new bench remains a priority for this year.

One bright note from the cleaning is the discovery of several projects that I had begun many years ago, before life changes forced me to take a break from the shop.  Some tinplate and some wood, several are worth taking up again, and I will mention them in a post later this week.  They will be joined by another project that necessity has pushed to the front of the line.

And finally, the biggest project on my plate at the moment is the renovation of my first floor bathroom.  It is not a full gut job, but a previous owner had done a fairly poor job of installing a toilet.  The slow leak that resulted was nearly imperceptible.  That is, until the day a footfall crumbled the wood floor under the linoleum.  I have put this off for a while, but this past weekend, my beautiful wife intimated that my grace period had expired.  Fortunately, the floor was composed of three layers and the bottom one was intact.  Replacing the sub floor was an adventure though.  Metric and imperial, nominal measurements, changes in sheet products over the years, and the settling of the floor led to this past weekend being one of trial and error until I found the right combination of thicknesses to match the existing floor. Fortunately I can report that the floor is patched, level, and nearly ready for tile.

Patched and leveled.  To speed this project along, I will be utilizing power.

In the coming days, I'll be mentioning some older projects long forgotten, some ongoing projects, and some "new" tool purchases.

For the future, I will be closing posts with a new feature, This Day in (Mostly American) History. Occasionally, I will probably include some related items on events that interest me.  Thanks for visiting and for bearing with me.

This Day in (Mostly American) History:

1621: A peace treaty between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians in the Plimoth colony.

1700: April Fools' Day popularized in England.

1789: The first Speaker of the House is elected.

1865: The Confederate defeat at the Battle of Five Forks leads to Gen. Robert E. Lee's withdrawal from his Petersburg, Va. lines.

1984: Marvin Gaye shot and killed by his father.