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For the last few years I have been using these adjustable hinges on doors that I build.I was installing some on a door today and snapped a couple shots.They take a bit of work getting them mortised in properly, but in the end, it is nice to be able to tweak them a bit as … Read more

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Nothing real noteworthy going on in the construction projects this past week, at least nothing that would be interesting to see pictures of…. just plugging away on the couple of project we have going on… Last weekend something interesting happened here at home. I was heading out to the shop and my son, Jonathan, comes … Read more

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We had to pull off our other jobs this week to do a quick replacement of some old log railing that had just gotten to that point… Even well made and well maintained Cedar log railing will eventually begin to rot and the old stuff here had been up for probably twenty years and had … Read more

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I installed the bar top I had been working on a couple weeks ago.This is in a log house I built a few years ago. We had built a bar top of a huge heavy slab of maple. I was told it had been kiln dried, but I don’t think is was dry enough as … Read more

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Of course the big news this week was the fire.I learned about it from my son who snuck out a text from school saying they had seen smoke and wondered if I knew anything.I did not. I texted my wife who works at city hall and knows all and she told me about it.Apparently the … Read more

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This week we finished the reclaimed oak floor that we have been installing and filling and prepping.The product comes from Manomin Resawn Timbers in Hugo MN. It is meant to be very rustic. There are places that still have the surface of the actual timber before it was resawn into boards and all kinds of … Read more

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Another project I have been working on in the shop is a bar top for a “man cave” in a home I built a few years ago. The top is made of 4″ thick  by 15″ wide slabs of Northern White Cedar, which is the type of cedar that is indigenous to northern Minnesota, though … Read more

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A picture here of my carved Walnut door panel with a few coats of clear varnish. Walnut is my favorite wood to work with.It has distinctive and strong grain patterns, yet does not splinter easily.It works well, hard but not too hard, it can be machined and carved easily and cleanly and finishes very nicely.Usually … Read more

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The snow we had on Sunday night has mostly melted now.I think that was the first real storm we had this winter. We only got about 6″ but not to far to the west they got up to 11″ or so. Actually that was the first significant precipitation of any kind we have had in … Read more

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This past week we started installing a reclaimed oak floor. It is very rough and that is the way it is supposed to be. We are not going to sand it smooth, we will just buff it lightly with sanders and then put about four coats of finish on it to fill in all the … Read more