New (more) speakers!

So after I painstakingly put together my new stereo system, I say back and enjoyed the fruits of my labor (and bank account).  Day after day, I am astonished that finally at the age of 42 I have a system with fidelity as good as this.  But my work is never done! My reciever has two sets of speaker outputs and alas I was only using one.  Not good enough! So I copped the above set after some ebay-ing and they are great! I do have to turn the mids down to -2 (I keep it flat at 0 with my larger Marantz speakers).  I don't have enough room to set them up in a way that I can use both sets of speakers at the same time.  As it stands right now if I did that, I'd have the stereo image all muddied by not being able to keep the speakers alighned properly with one another.  So I basically use the larger Marantz set if I am sitting on my loveseat (and want the full fidelity experience, and want to crank it up a little bit).  If I am laying on my couch, I use the Technics, usually when I am listening to the FM radio.

But of course I like to tinker and build things, so the TV tray tables I had them on was not acceptable.

So using the design from my MPC stand, I decided to put together a small set of stands for these small speakers.  As usual, 2x6 and 4x4 were the available lumber sizes at hand.  After a day or two of brainstorming, I came up with a variation on the design from my MPC stand using a couple different angles on the feet, and a different mounting method.

After a few hours of assembly, and cutting and recutting some of the pieces as my whims changed, I had my speaker stands! The top is taken from a wooden crate that came in from overseas.  I used a single (long) nail to mount it so that I could rotate it as needed when I got them home.  I cut the flat section 1.5" wider in both directions than the speakers themselves.  The 4x4s I have are all 40" long, so I just cut one in half to get two at 20".  This is a bit shorter than what I'd prefer but there is something about the economy of material use that appeals to me (I do have more 4x4s).

Next up was paint.  I decided to try to do something interesting with the feet to accentuate the different angles.  All the paint I used is old and salvaged from other projects.  Though to be honest, I do not remember what the baby blue was from.

I have never done so much taping on a project before, and that was a bit tedious but I was determined to carry through with the plan I had in my tiny brain.

Finally after a long weekend I took my babies home.  I painted them on a Friday night but had to travel over the weekend and into the next week so they didn't get taken home as quickly as I would have liked.  Which is just as well since the black paint is actually exterior paint so it needs longer to dry so you don't die from breathing in the toxic fumes.  I should have done the baby blue on two surfaces instead of one to better create a 3D experience I think, but you live and learn.  Transporting them was a bit interesting because of the way I Kreg'd the feet on.  Looking back I should have done it differently, it is too difficult to explain but it could have been more robust.  But considering the work they are now doing, it is irrelevant.  But suffice to say, they needed to be transported upright and luckily I had a way to do so, and they weren't too tall.   I was (and am) so pleased with these little speakers that I had to send the seller a quick message to thank him and inquire on the lifetime of these little guys.

So my dream system just got a little more dreamy! It is great to have options on how to listen depending on my mood and my needs at the moment.

A record player for my office!

I have been with my current employer for almost 14 years.  About a year ago, I was lucky enough to move into an office of my own.  It is probably 12' x 12', very roomy by my standards.  When I got it, I did a ton of work: drywall, electrical, paint, carpet cleaning.  Did some work to the desk/credenza, made some modifications there.  Moved some other furniture in/out.  Got some cool diffusers for the florescent light fixtures.  I hooked up some LED lights around the perimeter of the room which required additional modifications, more parts, more electrical work.  I got stainless steel wall plates for the outlets, network jacks.  Got a USB outlet near my desk and an automatic light.  It was a long time coming.  Very, very proud of it all.

But early on, I am some ambitions.  I decided that if you have an office of your own, and you can MAKE it your own (as I have), there are three things that take you to the top of the list:

1) a couch
2) a refrigerator
3) a record player

Well the couch was first.  I went down to my local St. Vincent store where I have bought vinyl many times.  I had some measurements in mind but that was about it.  I knew I didn't want anything ratty or nasty looking.  Funny because I have been in many, many thrift stores but I don't look at couches, or furniture generally.  I was surprised to see that the couches at St. Vincent looked really nice for the most part! I ended up picking a green couch which seriously looks brand new.  I paid under $30 with tax because I was there on a sale day.  It is absolutely perfect and I love it.  I have taken a few naps after I punched out for the day on particularly stressful afternoons.

The fridge was next.  My dad long had one in his office.  His company moved and in the new building they don't allow any food or drinks outside the cafeteria so the fridge sat in his basement.  He offered it to me but early on I wasn't interested.  Why would I be? There was another small fridge in the shop just outside my door, so close to my old desk where I stored my lunch for years.  There is even another full size fridge in the office! Well one day the snobbishness kicked in and I decided that I could not possibly bear to let my food and drinks touch others.  So I did grab the fridge.  I shortened the cord and put a right angle plug on the end (I love these things) so I could push it really close to the wall.  I keep it filled to the brim with my favorite drinks which is pretty awesome.  I just dropped $40 at Whole Foods this weekend to refill it with La Croix, Steez and iced coffee.  I am a very lucky man.

Well the record player was last.  I thought it would be cool to leave some vinyl at work and listen to a few tracks now and then.  I knew I wanted something small, portable.  Maybe even with an internal speaker.  I wasn't really sure because I had never explored these kind of products though I had seen them around.  Initially I even looked at some of the old Fisher-Price record players on eBay.  They don't sound half bad! But I decided those are all so old some random part is bound to go out before long then I have to refurb the whole thing.  So I did a bunch of research on portable style players and came across a couple units that Numark makes.  I certainly like the brand due to my long time use of my TT1625s.  So I found they make the PT-01 USB and another called the PT-01 Scratch.  Apparentely you can actually scratch on the latter, which is a bit ridicolous as it is so small.I thought about buying the scratch brand new as it is under $150 but of course I am quite cheap so instead I went to ebay.  I ended up buying the USB version used for $35 (made an offer, asking price was $40).  Shipping was a ridicoolous $30.05 but even at $65.05 total, this was cheaper than anything else, and the seller said it was in great condition (the photos backed this up) and it worked great.  So he accepted my offer and I paid and started getting excited.

He first refunded $10 becasue he said the shipping was so high.  Yes it was, but I already paid - he was foolish to refund it, I wasn't about to ask.  But of course I was glad to have it.  So now I am down to an $55.05 investment.

In the meantime, I started looking at speakers.  The PT-01 USB has a small internal speaker but when I saw it actually has stereo RCA outputs, I knew I'd have to get some proper speakers.  My girlfriend has a set of Bose Companion II Series III computer speakers and man do these things sound great! So I started looking at Bose speakers and ended up on a set of Series II speakers.  The seller admitted they had some scratches etc but said they functioned great, I got them for $33.25 with shipping.  Not half bad.

So everything soon arrived and I could not wait to get it all hooked up.  Big problem: the turntable had no AC adapter! I went back to the auction page, wondering how I could be so stupid not to notice this in the description.  But it wasn't! So I sent a message to the seller, here is our full exchange:

If it’s my call, $10 so I can just get the part I need is way easier than a return. We already agreed to this. What am I not understanding?

pawnusawilmington: Let's just do a return. You file it and I'll shoot you a label and refund all costs. Sorry for the inconvenience. I don't remember using anything buy the USB cord when transfering a bunch of '80s punkrock 7" records that can't be found anywhere anymore. That's why I got it mainly. I know it's a hassle for you but I think a return would be best. Your call.

Your previous message Btw I’m looking at the manual on Numarks website right now that clearly states “please note the turntable cannot be powered through the usb connection”. See attached.

pawnusawilmington: If that's satisfactory with you then fair enough. Consider it done.

Your previous message It was listed as ‘includes all accessories’ - it does not. I’ll take $10 refund (an adapter will cost me at least $15) and we will be done with it.

pawnusawilmington: We honestly never had an AC cord with it. It powers via USB but does have an AC mains jack, again just never had that cord. If you'd like to return it you may wish to file an eBay return. But first: Were you wanting to use it as a standard turntable and not a USB turnatble? It's more suited to transfer vinyl to digital files--wave, mp3, etc. It is plug and play. If you were wanting to use it as a regular turntable you would not be impressed (as it is a USB turntable--the stylus and needle characteristics are better suited for transfering as opposed to listening pleasure play back). If you have a USB outlet that will power it.Or, your phone charger's wall brick. If you are the least bit unsatisfied we can walk you thru the returns process which you file thru ebay. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We are here to help.

Your previous message Just got the record player. It does not include the AC adapter. Auction states ‘all accessories included’ and ‘works great’, which I don’t understand as it cannot work at all without power. What do you recommend we do next?

So he ended up giving me $10 off, but I immediately had to buy an adapter, which was $9.99 plus shipping.  So here is a full accounting:

$35 (record player)

+$30.05 (shipping)

-$10 (shipping refund)

+$18.30 (speakers)

+$14.95 (shipping)

-$10 (refund for missing AC adapter)

+9.99 (AC adapter)

+5.99 (shipping)

TOTAL=$94.28

Out the door for under $100 - I can live with that. So I finally got it all hooked up and it sounds GREAT! But a few more modifications had to be made.

Power is at a premium in my office unfortunately.  I have a two-gang on one wall (this powers my fridge and the printer on top of my fridge).  I have another two-gang on another wall (this powers the surge protector that controls my PC, monitor, etc).  So I do have a free outlet on the latter.  But this doesn't help me much as it is 12" from the floor and I intended to put my new hi-fi up near the top of a bookshelf.

So the first thing I did was to take a hole saw and cut a 2 1/2" hole in the side of the steel shelf.  I have a variety of hole saws, I used this one because initially I was going to make a custom length extension cord with put a three way splitter on the end.  I couldn't fit the female end of the plug through the next smallest size hole saw so I had to go with the biggest one I have.  But soon after that I decided to go with a 4-way surge protector instead.  I set up that, the record player on the top shelf, and the speakers on the shelf below.  Initially I had it all up high but quickly noticed the sound was, well....up high.  And I am 6'3 but it was frustrating to have it up there, so I moved them down.

Because of the placement of my hole, I ended up building a wooden baseplate for the surge protector so it would sit flat.  I used two boards nailed together and sanded, and four screws to slide the surge protectors mounting bracket onto.  I notched out the corner of the second board to fit around the bracket that holds the shelf in place.  Works and looks great.

Next I had an issue with the bulky AC adapters for the speakers and surge protector interfering with each other so I grabbed a spare short cord from home.  I don't know what else to call these, but it basically is a 4" cord so your AC adapter can plug in with a standard plug.  Maybe call it a pig tail?

But that was no good, it was too short and the record player plug was suspended in air.  This is stressful to the cord so again I got a right angle plug and put it on.  Again - not enough, I had to put the end of it on a grinder so it wouldn't interfere with the speaker adapter.

I also went out and got some command hooks so the surge protector cord is neatly put away and not out in the open - very happy with the way this looks.

Lastly I built myself a quick crate for 45s.  While the turntable can play 12" I decided it would be fun to just bring a bunch of 45s to work.  For one thing, I never listen to these at home.  Also it is good for any vinyl fan to have to get up frequetly to change the record, it makes you active in the process and it is something I haven't done in many years.

So I grabbed a board and got to work.  I drew up a very quick plan, cut the boards, sanded them and Kreg'd it all together.  I ended up using a really light color stain and I'm very happy with it.

MPC 1000 Stand

I purchased an MPC Studio about 3 months ago and I've been using it regularly and having a lot of fun.  I really started to want an older standalone MPC and decided that the 1000 would be perfect.  After watching many auctions on ebay and making offers, I finally bagged one.  I am pretty low on space (I have almost zero desk space).  I can disconnect the Studio when I use the 1000 but it is just like musical chairs.  I also looked at some cool stands for the 1000 that affected the angle so you can read the LCD more easily.  So I decided I'd build a standing 'holder' for the unit so it would be at good eye level when sitting and also add a few degrees of incline to make it more viewable.

I decided early on that I'd use a 4x4 for the main stand then I started grappling with different ideas on how to build feet.  As always, I have a ton of 2x6 so I figured I'd use those somehow.  So I cut four legs about 10" long and clamped them to the bottom trying to decide how to mount them.  I figured the Kreg would be helpful, figured I'd screw them all to each other, then I could drive some additional screws in to actually connect the feet to the 4x4.  

I got the clamps on after I drilled my pocket holes and blasted the whole thing together.  When I removed the clamps I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was so much compression it was actually squeezing the 4x4 so tight I didn't need any additional screws!  I'm sure I could bang it off with a hammer but it wouldn't be easy and as this joint will undergo zero stress, I was glad that I did not have to deface it with screw heads that weren't needed.

         

I ended up putting a 15 degree onto the other end of the 4x4 where I would mount the holder for the MPC.  I didn't test this or anything, but I knew that I didn't need much angle.  I also knew that the angle was related to the height: the lower the stand, the more obtuse the angle could be.  The higher, the more acute it would have to be.  I have been using the 1000 on  an old wooded TV tray table and it looked like my 4x4 was about that tall.  So I cut off the end and then got to work on the top holder.

                                           

Instead of starting with a piece of flat stock like plywood, I took some random 3/4" thick boards I had and Kreg'd them together.  I've never used the Kreg like this, to make one continuously flat piece of stock but I had seen people do it online.  Worked great though I did get confused a few times and put my pocket holes in the wrong direction.  Oh well.  The unit is 9" wide and my three boards added up to about 7 1/2", a little short but I didn't see how that would matter (it did, just a little, more on that later). I also left the back open for cables and the power cord.

                             

After that I went and spent a few bucks on the only hardware I needed, one long lag bolt and a big washer.  I think it is a 3/8" lag, 4" long.  And I got the biggest washer they had for that diameter.  I figured if I was only going to use a single point of contact to fasten the top to the 'stem', it had better be strong.  I didn't think about it initially but once I got the drill out I realized I had to try and drill my hole at the same angle (15 degrees) as the cut on the end.  I did this freehand but by all accounts looks like I nailed it (lucky).  I countersunk the lag bolt head and washer with a forester bit while constantly measuring to make sure I did not shear away any more than was necessary.  Came out perfect! I bought two different washers (as you can see on the receipt below) because I was unsure on what size forester I had back at the shop.  And of course a Mountain Dew to stay fired up for these evening projects.

                                          

I should add that I did cut and screw on sides and then a front piece to keep the unit from sliding onto the floor.  I knew I wanted to avoid the headphone jack and CF card but as I was building without the unit in front of me to measure, so I built it to about half way across.  I figured that it didn't have to be super secured in this direction, not like it is going to funnel through the open side and fall out or shift.  So that night I did paint the top holder and left it to dry overnight while I brainstormed on further modifications or improvements.

                              

The next morning I was very excited to get back to work.  I decided that I'd cut the legs on an angle just for cosmetics sake, that excess wood contributes little to stability.  I hacked one corner off free hand then used it as a guide for the rest.  Then I realized I had a red and blue can of spray paint just sitting there (left over from other projects) and thought it would be fun to paint the 'tips' of the legs alternating red/blue to match the classic colors of the 1000 (at least the one that I have).  So I taped it off and threw a couple quick coats on each foot.

                        

Overnight I also had my OCD kick in and I decided that I needed to have something to fill the gap in the front.  I had left this open for the headphone jack, etc.  But it bothered me so much, I did some measuring and saw I had about 3/4" to the bottom of the CF slot.  I don't have any stock that small but I was able to carefully rip a piece down to that size and sand the hell out of it.  Just used two nails to fasten it.  Should have just done one continuous piece across the whole width.  And the piece I did use is useless anyway as since it is smaller than the stock next to it, it isn't even in contact with the MPC.  I would have had to mount it further back which would have destroyed that flatness I desired in the front.  Goes to show you that so much of my builds are functional but other parts are just references to my state of mental health! The really silly part is that I have no plans of using more than one CF card so I don't care of the slot is obscured.  Not like I couldn't briefly lift it out of the holder anyway.  And I bought enough cabling to make the MPC a permanent link between my mixer and the receiver/amplifier that feeds my PC.  This offers a number of benefits.  I can constantly use the same input on the receiver now, whether I am playing/sampling vinyl or playing back/editing the sample (or just playing a sequence, etc).  I was wondering if I could do this, my question was would the MPC pass the signal through (because with this hookup, I need it to if I am just listening to a record and not working on a song).  Turns out when it is in record standby mode, it does.  So I'll need to power up the MPC and put it in stand by if I am listening to vinyl.  Which is fine with me.  But back on topic, my work to keep the headphone jack is pointless because there is no reason I will ever be using headphones with the unit when I am at home.

I had planned to paint it black from the beginning as I had some left over black paint from another project (not vinyl related).  So after a ton of sanding (especially on that gnarly old 4x4) I layered on a few coats.  In the end I decided that it was way too high so I went home and took a measurement on my TV tray table.  I decided I would reduce the height of my new stand to 30" so I pulled out the lag bolt and cut another 15 degree about 4-5" down and drilled a new hole.  Came out great! Very happy with this.

My excitement in bringing my baby home was overwhelming.  The only issue was that I did not account for the rubber feet when I decided to make the holder a bit narrow.  I didn't care if an inch of the MPC hung off of the back, but if the rubber feet don't make contact then it won't sit flat and also might constrict the unit's ability to lose heat out of the bottom.  I didn't know until I brought the stand home (could not find dimensions for rubber feet centers on line).  So I peeled the back two feet off and stuck them back on again about 1 1/2" further forward.  And I already found a source for more feet (mpcstuff.com sells them also).

The whole set up, including my turntable stand which I also built a long time ago.

Asbestos crate (#4 of 4)

My girlfriend hates her kitchen floor.  And now, we find ourselves here.

She hated that floor and complained about it all the time.  Until she struck a deal with a friend of a friend who does remodeling (and put a new roof on her house), and they came to an agreement of barter for labor, if she would buy the tile.  Her and I headed to the store and bought 90 tiles (those were heavy!) and a few weeks later, he put them in.

This left behind a large amount of scrap which included not just the old crappy peel/stick linoleum but two separate subfloors (replaced with cement board) and two more layers of old tile beyond that from god knows when.  I agreed to help dispose of this at a (legal) site I have access to so I dragged the stuff away.

This was the 'farewell' photo I sent to my girlfriend as I dumped the refuse into the bin.

After I dumped it and somehow avoided getting stuck with the literally thousands of 6" nails that stuck through the bottom of the plywood, I got to thinking about how I wished I could have salvaged some of it.  I salvage lumber all the time and this was a lot, but alas it was coated with old tile and had so many nails and staples in it I didn't know where to begin.

Then I got to thinking about how maybe I could salvage just enough to build a crate.  How bad could that be? You can probably guess the answer ("pretty bad").  Also, long ago I began a series of four crates.  I never made the fourth because I got a hold of a nice locking box and that filled the last spot in the shelf.  So really, I don't even have a place for this.  But my OCD was intense that day, so off to work I went.

I figured I needed roughly five pieces 12" x 12" which would give me more than enough to work with.  The contractor had taken a circular saw and set the depth to go through all of this mess down to the joists and he cut it into random pieces but many were probably double what I was looking for.  So I pulled out enough square footage and got to work.

Notice the distinct layers: the thick original subfloor, covered with blue, then white tile.  Then the second subfloor with the newest white tile.

First thing, I decided what I really wanted was the old, original subfloor.  This was some kind of really old and really thick plywood.  So I bashed a crowbar between that and the second (much thinner and crappier) subfloor and pried them apart.  Of course there was so many nails and staples holding it together it did not come apart cleanly so I did my best then picked the bits and pieces off.

Next step was to try and remove the nails.  The nails were used through this old subfloor (which may have been from the 40s or 50s) down into the joists.  Then two layers of tile (which I wanted, more or less) was laid on top of it.  So I could tap the nails out but it would crack like perfect bullet holes through the tile.  So after a spell, I got all those out.

Next were the staples, if you want to call them that.  Someone must have had a (at the time) new fangled staple/brad gun and just went berzerk, blasting thousands of the things through and they were LONG.  For a time, I gave up on it and decided they could stay.  But it drove me crazy so I eventually figured out a method using a very thin screwdriver and a hammer, and another larger screwdriver and a pilers.  I would work the staple out just enough that I could grab it with the pliers, then use the larger screwdriver handle as leverage to pry it out.  This led to me smashing my knuckles on the wood about 200 times when the staple would fly out.  Many of them broke and had to have their individual tines ripped out one at a time.  I thought it would never end.  But like all things, it eventually did.

The rest came easy.  I cut it into my shapes as I have done so many times before with a sawzall.  Then I used my Kreg jig to screw them all together.  I did some minor sanding (not on the tiled side) as well.  I elected to keep the tiled sides on the inside for the back and bottom so they would be seen.  The rest I did on the outside.  Funny since no one will likely ever see this thing but myself.

But funniest of all is that when it was done I was showing it off to a coworker and he mentioned that the old tile might have asbestos on it.  I commented that I wasnt' worried, it isn't like I rubbed it all over my body or something.  He said he agreed, it was only really dangerous once it becomes airborn.

Like if you sand or cut it with a saw.   Yikes.

'Triangle' crate (3 of 4)

So I continued on with my journey to create four competely irregular, asymetical crates to be stored, two by two, on a shelf in my living room where my old television used to be, which is now in an electronics recyclery or a landfill.

With this bin, I wanted to incorporate triangles.  The simplest approach it seemed to me was to use these triangles as the sides of my bin.  A right triangle, specifically, seemed well suited to a record bin with the square back, high rear (to support the records) and low front (to show the jackets).  I already used my chop saws capability to cut angles on my last bin so I figured this would be a piece of cake.



I remembered the Pythagorean theorem from high school but we only used it to calculate the edge lengths - but now I needed the angles as well.  I found an online calculator rather quickly and started experimenting with it.  It didn't take long to determine that this was going to exceed my saws capacity for angles - it is limited to a 45 degree in either direction.  However, shortly after that (through experimentation) I found that if edge A and edge B are the same length, both angles are 45s.  So that would work just fine and I decided on 12".

So I figured this would be a very quick project...I measured and cut my pieces then determined I had to take into account the added lengths of the connecting pieces.  This is easy to calculate until you take into account edge C, where the added lengths come at a 45 degree.  I'm sure there is a carpenter reading this now and laughing at how simple this is and the fact that I am figuring it out all alone.  Laugh away.

So I had to sit down and draw this so it made sense in my mind.  At this point I could see already that the pieces were not fitting together very well at all, the angles were off.  Or were my edges not precisely cut and that threw things off? So I switched to metric so I could measure in millimeters (I am more comfortable in metric anyways due to my occupation) and I grabbed a protractor to check my cut angles.  They were off! So then I tried to fix that with a belt sander and coping saw.

                                    

After many cuts, I finally got pieces that fit together, at least well enough that I knew the screws would pull things together.  But pocket holes on stock this small, plus the angles made that tough.  I looked at my options and selected what seemed to be best and went to work.  Finally - I had one side.  Now to make another.

A short time later, that was done.  Now what? I didn't know.  Again, I can't draw in 3D so it is tough to have a 'plan', I just dream it then try to execute it.  So I had to attach the two sides somehow, at a width of at least 13" to accommodate LPs and their bags.  So the thing that made the most sense was to put a beam across the back, down low.  But I had pocket holes down there connecting the edges of my triangle.  So I did it mid way up the back and figured I'd come up with something after that.

Then I was stuck.  Really stuck.  I couldn't figure what to do next and I've never been stuck this bad before.  For starters, my crate needed a bottom and I have become fond of NOT using a piece of plywood for this.  I do not want any of my four crates to use anything but 1x_ stock and I'm not about to change now.  But what the hell would I attach it to? I have 1x8 and 1x6 but how do I connect it.

After much deliberation, I cut my bottom and then carefully put a 45 degree on the front of it to match the angle of the front of my crate (the lower angle on both triangles).  I cut it a little longer than I needed and figured I'd clean it up later.  The crate also needed a 'lip' to hold the records when they are leaning backwards. So I first cut a piece that went across the whole front, and I used nails to attach it (2 on each side).  But it was really ugly to have the exposed edges of the stock so I got mad and tore it off.

Then I figured I could attach a lip to this bottom piece, but alas, yes then it too would need to have its bottom cut on a 45 or at least roughed off with a belt sander so it would sit flush on whatever surface it is perched upon.  I started with the belt sander but determined it would take a long time so again I used the sawzall to cut (rip, actually) a 45 off the bottom edge.  I experimented with a few different width 'lips', at first considering a really narrow one (~5") thinking that is more than enough to hold the records back, then I decided to do full width and cut it a little over so it would be tight.  No way to use pocket screws for this, so I bored a screw in from each edge to secure it.  This would haunt me later.

Now all I needed to do is to attach the crate bottom to the back beam.  This was easily done with a short piece of stock and pocket holes on both sides to secure.  This was when I realized that I had forgotten to trim the back of the crate bottom off, which was jutting out of the back.  I tried a few methods to trim it off until I used the sawzall carefully (and dangerously) and cut it off, then sanded it flat.

The next morning I was disgusted with use of screws on the outside of the crate and I realized that with the tight fit, this was a great application for nails.  So I removed the screws and bashed in two nails on each side.

In the end, this is more of a work of art than a functional record bin, but I don't really need anymore record bins anyway.  This is free/salvaged stock and it isn't just general use pine (I can smell when I cut it, it's something fancy) so I am not going to finish it with paint or stain or anything at all.

'Laser Beam' crate (2 of 4)

So I have continued my work building four crates to move some of the weight of my vinyl collection out of my office and across the floor plan of my condo.  When you worry about your record collection busting through the floor due to it's mammoth size....yeah, you have a problem. However unfounded my worries may be.

So I discarded (recycled) my old CRT television in the living room, I had not watched it in years.  I watch the TV in my bedroom where I have an antenna hooked up and my DVD player connected.  It had to have weighed 125 lbs.  I carried it (somehow) down 2 flights of stairs and across the street to the electronics dump in my village.  It was brutal.  But now I have room.  I have two shelves open to hold two bins each.  Bin #1 stores my CTI 3000 and general CTI collection.  This bin - named the laser beam bin due to its use of angles - currently holds my polka collection which isn't very big but growing.

So as referenced above, I wanted to incorporate some angled cuts on this one.  My chop saw has a jig to accommodate all angles so I tried to figure out the best way to put some simple 45 degree cuts into the mix.

I notched the sides of the lower part of the bin manually with a hand saw.  Alas, I may have been a bit ambitious as it is not a perfect cut.  But I suppose it is perfect enough, I acknowledge I may be peering at the thing through a microscope since I am naturally critical of my builds.

Again, I used only 1x4 and 1x6 and total lumber cost was only about $20.  I tested the limits of the Kreg jig as often it was difficult to find a place that I could use it on small angled sides.  Again (the last time!) I stained the box but this time I tried to do a lighter coat and really worked to rub away any excess.  It is an interesting look no doubt, a contrast to the heavy layers I applied on my other works previously.  I am looking forward to trying some new varnish or stain, etc on the final two boxes.  I already have some free lumber lined up....stay tuned!