Flip Top : 2026-02

I finally bought a miter saw which has proven to be very handy. For Christmas, my brother gave me a SKIL router and router table. So in under two months, I had two new tools. It's great to have them but also a space issue. I thought I'd take a hack at making a flip top table. Here it is. Above, it's in the 'buttoned up' mode. The covers were already made (see Sewing Bug) and in this shot, the router happens to be on top. Very please over all. We'll see how it works over time.

These shots show the router table and miter saw uncovered and ready to use. Notice the covers stay in place even when upside down. The router cover is held on by metal clips, the miter cover by magnets. Magnets are great. It would have been nice to have this in a more enclosed case, but part of my objective was to use things I already have and purchase (new purchase) as least as possible. Other than the miter saw, I purchased the latches to lock the table in place and cool raising caster wheels.

The pivot pipe was from an old flag pole, I made the washers for both sides of the pipe, I used all but about a square foot of a sheet of oriented strand board (OSB) that had been unused for about two years. I used three of four 2x4s that I had since the summer of 2023. They were so wonky, I'm fortunate the project came out 'true' enough. I found two pipe clamps to keep the pipe from moving in or out, and all the screws were already sunken costs or reclaimed from another project. By the way, the clearance of the router table just happened to work out perfectly. Maybe 3/4 of an inch from hitting.

The spring loaded door gate latch (above left). Used four...each corner is locked in place.

The SPACEKEEPER raising casters. Four of those, pretty cool. They raise the table about 3/4 an inch.

Above right is my "plan".  Most of it was in my head.

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Buffalo - Madison : 2025-05

These two shots are from Buffalo - which is not the focus of this post. I wanted to go see Niagara Falls , but it is a bigger hike than I thought. This is the building housing the CEPA Gallery. I thought these shots really summed up what I saw. Cool downtown, very cool building, and what could be excellent studio/gallery space...all essentially abandoned. And this was a Saturday. Going through a "pandemic" is one thing. Letting it ruin your downtown area fives years later is a completely different thing. Maybe it's not as simple as giving up, but it seems pretty sad to me. It would be awesome to have those rooms for a gallery, but as you can guess, not many people would visit.

I had another layover in Madison - my second time to that city. The first visit was mentioned in Dragonmans and Madison. This time I searched for galleries and there were two nearby. I only had time for one so I chose the Chazen Museum of Art. If I get back, I think I'll hit the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). I should have realized these things were available since it's the capital and home of the Badgers. I'm glad I looked - the Chazen was great and is open daily for no cost!

I didn't know at the time, but I just made the last couple days of The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick exhibition. I'm glad I saw it. Here are some pictures of things that caught my eye (not just that of Wharton Esherick)...

These three are from the Esherick exhibit. I thought the lamp was terrific.

Left: Moonlight on Alabama Pines, 1919-20, oil on canvas, his frame.

Center: Table Lamp, 1932, padauk wood.

Right: Spiral Staircase Model, 1963, pine.

These two are also from the Esherick exhibit.

Left: a picture of his house/workshop which is now a museum.

Right: The Race, 1925, painted wood on walnut base.

These horses are among the first three-dimensional objects made by Esherick

after initial experimenting with carving. These were based on a game owned by

his children, and the tapered base emphasizes the speed and leader's position.

Left: Gregory Grenon, Sister of Mine, 1988, oil, Plexiglas, wood, reverse painted.

Right: Dan Daily, Nude with Tree, 1995, blown glass, bronze, Vitrolite.

I took a picture of Sister of Mine mainly for the idea of painting on Plexiglas.

The lamp is a pretty neat lamp.

Both: Alexandra Alexandrovna Ester, Russian, 1882-1949

Three Costumed Figures ("Revue"), 1927, painted card and metal wire.

I snapped these pics because I thought these might make great studies for paintings.

The main entry of the Chazen - very nice building.

Left: Su Xinping, Chinese, b. Mongolia, 1960, Busy People No 1, 2010, oil on linen.

Right: Katsushika Hokusai, 1760-1849, Under the Wave off Kanagawa, 1830-1835.

The left picture is large, 250×250cm, which really catches your eye. The right picture is, of course, one of the most famous artworks in the world. This is a print - as any of them are since the original woodblocks are long gone. Even though around 8000 (est) were printed, as of 2022, only about 100 are known to survive. Very cool to see one in person. It even had its own sitting/viewing chair.

Left: an excellent statue of several figures, but I couldn't find the attributes.

Right: Attributed to Gerard Seghers, Flemish, 1591-1651

The Denial of Christ by St. Peter, ca 1640, oil on canvas.

Excellent painting and would agree that it's attributed to Seghers. The Denial of Saint Peter by Seghers is very similar but certainly different. It is housed in the North Carolina Museum of Art. I also dug the frame as I've been a bit of a frame hunter myself. Without doubt, if you're in Madison and have the time and are inclined, the Chazen Museum of Art is well worth a visit. And the surrounding area is also very nice.

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Gripping Times : 2023-03

Even on paper plates, Kimberly's breakfasts are perfect!  Making some frames, I lost this trooper which I probably had for 15 years.  It looks cheap - and actually was - but it held and I used it hundreds of times. I think it paid for itself.

Kimberly and I took a nice drive to see the sunset. It was cut short, but we were able to visit this little schoolhouse. It was such a great day and its green made an incredible contrast with the sky. It was a nice adventure and we had pizza!

Kimberly gave me a great present - gift card to Woodcraft.  I had some leftover from my first visit and always wanted a vise...got one!  I initially put it in upside down - rookie mistake - but as you can see below, it's in correctly and working well.  Funny enough, it's shown upside down on the box.

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Repurposed Rolling Bench : 2022-12

I had the old particle board leftover from Workbench Redone and needed a place for my new drill press (in Tools and Putts) so I thought I'd make a rolling bench. I had the bolts, particle board, wheels, power strip and for $30, the 2x4s. I picked up the design from a bench where I bought my drill press (shown below). It was so simple I thought I could knock it out in a day - which is about what it took. So far, I love it.

This is the table that gave me the idea. I didn't add the sides to the lower shelf. It required extra material and I like being able to slide things on/off the shelf.  Also, I could always add them if I think they'd be useful. My version doesn't have the holes drilled for a table vise, but that's why I used 2x4s on their edge - so I can drill them when I have a suitable vice.

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Singer Stuff : 2022-11

We came across this Singer and cabinet at a thrift store. It was a bit pricey, but it was in good condition and I thought I could restore it pretty well. We gambled on its ability to function, but even the cabinet without the machine is nice. Cool thing was, it worked. Even the lamp still worked!

I thought it was a 201, but apparently (as told by someone on Ebay), it is a 15 (model or class number). So, it's a 1946 Singer 15 (very close to a Model 15J-91) in a No. 40 cabinet. The cabinets came in walnut, mahogany or brown mission. The finish was pretty 'used' but overall, the case was in good condition.

The machine and lamp worked and the only real damage was what one could expect from a 70+ year old sewing machine. It's difficult to see, but on the right side in the right picture above, there is a little bar. This pops out automatically when you lift the top. It's a cool hinge that locks it in place when the top is closed.

A detail of the damage to the finish and some markings in the cabinet. The wood itself did have some dings, but again, for its age, I couldn't really complain.

The machine and a closeup of the serial number.

Even though it is a bit dirty, the details are impressive. The craftsmanship is also impressive.

This is the front plate. The materials and detail are things which would be almost impossible to find today. And this was just to cover the front of the machine. Luckily, it cleaned up pretty well.

Here is the final result!

Angled shots just to show the sides. You can see the two white dots in the left picture. They actually countersunk holes for pads which keep the top from hitting the side (when open). Again, the craftsman ship involved - holes for pads instead of just sticking them on. I made new ones and they fit so well, I didn't even care to try to change their color.

Two shots in the 'full open' mode. The vertical shot shows the beautiful wood grain. The little drawer was challenging. Kind of difficult to remove/install, and very aged - i.e., brittle. I think I did a pretty good job cleaning it up and reassembling it. I was also able to get the little lock to work again.

Two shots of the machine itself - also cleaned up pretty well.

I actually broke the original bulb which was very disappointing. However, I was able to get a new one and a backup if anyone ever buys the Singer (it is for sale). It's a nice light so I took a picture. Three of the four sides are on the right. This machine and cabinet were nice to work on because the entire thing came apart. Why didn't I take more pictures? Not sure, but getting better at it. I ended up scraping off the old finish. Chemical removers were making a mess/making it more difficult. Scraping is a bit painful but rewarding when larger sections remove easily. And the finish? Just oil - which as seems to become my standard. If it makes the wood look like this, I'm not sure why would I try something different. This was a rewarding project and even if I don't flip it, it'll be a nice cabinet.

My notes after research:

• 1946 Singer Class 15 (allotted 25,000 units on 06 June 1946).
• No. 40 cabinet (walnut).
• Elizabethport, New Jersey (that is downtown, it us just Elizabeth).
• Motor number 6148574
  
• Cabinet stamped I022380 and etched with 444-22-4632
• ISMACS International and Wikipedia.

Picture of the factory in Elizabeth NJ.

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