A Gift For My Dad

For those of you who follow this blog frequently, you know my dad helps me out a LOT with my house.  Every other year or so, he comes to "visit" me in Indiana and spends basically his entire trip helping me with projects at my house. Sometimes it's a list of a lot of little things.  Sometimes it's a 600 sq ft patio or a complete sunroom reno.  He always is willing to go along with whatever it is I'm wanting to do- probably begrudgingly at times.  But he's never said no.  Well he did say he'd never do another paver patio after we completed mine.  Cuz let's be honest- that sucked.  But it's pretty!  All he's ever asked for in return is for me to make him a carrot cake.  Seriously.  Carrot cake.  He's saved me thousands of dollars not having to hire projects out- acting as my general contractor and he gets carrot cake.  I'd say I'm winning in these scenarios.  

So I decided it was time for me to make him a gift- using the tools (literally and figuratively) he's given me with a little sentiment behind it.  He's actually in the process of building an office that connects to his bedroom at his house.  I figured what better than to have a personalized sign to hang up in there?  Or outside of it?  Or if he hates it, somewhere in a pile in his garage?  

This past summer when I was cleaning up the garage, I realized I had some of the boards from the sunroom leftover.  How cool would it be to use some of what he helped me build to put into his house?  

Last week I got working on it.  The main piece would be the tongue and groove boards that were the interior wall of the sunroom.  I cut it down and glued it together and let is sit overnight.  Once it was dry, I brought it inside and tried to figure out what I could put on it.  He didn't seem like the type to love a "Roger's Man Cave" sign.  I figured the last name would work.  I typed out Armstrong on my laptop, found a font I liked, and traced it onto notebook paper.  Very technical.  

Like my workbench?  Coffee table and plush blanket for the win!  

I basically traced the name through the paper onto the wood, getting enough pen onto the white boards that I could see the outline in order for me to paint it.  Once I had that, I tried to get an "A" big enough on my laptop to do the same- but the largest I could do wasn't big enough for the sign.  So I improvised. 

Trying to free hand a letter with an attention- seeking puppy is not the easiest.  Luckily, I had a notebook on the table that I could use for straight lines and just created my own "A" on the sign.  I didn't really know how it would look- if it would come across as an "A" since it was split in half for the Armstrong.  But I figured I'd wing it.  If it was horrible, I'd just start over.  

I ended up having to move operations to the kitchen island because of previously mentioned puppy.  I just pictured a pot of black paint all over the carpet and that wouldn't be good.  For the carpet or the puppy.  

Once this was dry, I started on the frame.  The ceiling in the sunroom was stained dark walnut so I got a 1 X 2 piece of wood and stained it to match.  I brought it into the kitchen to see how it'd look and I realized I had a bit of a problem.  You guys see it in the below picture?

Although lets stop for a second to admire the dark walnut stain against the white.  So damn pretty. 

OK so the problem is the "tongue" on the bottom white board.  It needed to go.  Or the frame would look weird, which would make the sign look weird.  Off to the garage I went to figure out how to cut of it.  I mean, simple solution would have been to whip out the table saw to do it.  Except it's been moved into the storage container for the winter.  UGH.  

Next option was the circular saw.  Ummmm with this non-steady hand?  Not happening.  But this option would have probably been the best at the end of the day.  Instead, I went with the miter saw.  Which has a 6 inch blade.  So I was able to cut 6 inches from the end of each side- which left me about 5 inches in the middle.  Hmmmm....   queue the hand saw.  Yes, you read that right.  HAND SAW.  Picture me sitting on the garage floor, holding the sign, and sawing the bottom off.  Comical, I'll tell you.  But it worked and it was shockingly, a straight edge... for the most part.  The sander took care of the rest of it.  

Then came time to measure and cut the trim for the frame.  Here is where you could find me crying in the fetal position on the garage floor.  This actually happens more than I care to admit.  Not even kidding.  

I broke my miter saw doing the most stupid thing.  Ugh.  I thought I had unplugged it, which I did, but forgot I had plugged it back in.  Well it was on the floor and I went to move it and grabbed the handle that starts the blade turning.  While it was down and locked.  Which- mind you- you shouldn't be able to do!  How dumb of a non-feature is that?  If it's in the locked position it shouldn't MOVE.  But regardless, it was my fault that I broke it.  Cuz spin went the blade, which got caught on something, which jammed it up and it wouldn't move.  Here is where I started crying.  On. The. Floor.  

I will admit this irrational fear that I have with saws.  I absolutely HATE using saws.  If you ever get to watch me using a saw, you'll see my fear and what I do to try and avoid this.  In all of my crazy fears, I always think that a saw blade is going to come undone while I'm using it and slice me up the middle.  For real.  I picture this happening EVERY TIME I use a saw.  So I stand to the side of the saw as I try to cut wood.  Not a good way to cut wood.  But it's either I stand to the side and risk ruining the wood I'm trying to cut, or I get sliced in half.  Seems to make complete sense, right?  But for real, it'll happen one day and you'll all say, "Oh my god, she was sooooo right!"  

Anyway, now I'm almost completely freaking out because I need to take the blade off and try to figure out how to get it to move again. I LOVE taking things apart and putting them together again.  But saws?  Oh hell no.  Now I just KNOW the blade is coming to get me.   But it's either that or send the sign as is- without the frame- and I didn't want to do that.  Anyway, long story short, I fixed it, got it unjammed, got the blade back on, found a piece of the saw that came form somewhere on it, probably some safeguard mechanism, and tossed it on the workbench to figure out later.  I mean, what could go wrong?  

At this point, I'm just wanting to get the sign done.  I don't miter the corners, I cut straight edge pieces.  I have everything ready to get nailed to the sign....... and can't find the air compressor and hose.  I mean, fuck me, right? They were moved to the storage unit as well.  Double UGH. So off to the damn storage container I went.  Not at all happy at the moment.  

Back at the house, calmed down slightly, with nail gun in hand, I got the sign finished.  And I love it! Thankfully I didn't blow a nail through the front of the sign- cuz that would have been my luck.  

Isn't he handsome?  I was gonna say "she" since I always seem to do that.  But this is a manly sign, for my manly dad, for his manly office.  Somewhere Tim Allen is doing his "Argh, Argh, Argh." I mean, if you look really close, it's definitely sloppy.  Free hand painting is not my forte.  I don't own one of those machines that cuts vinyl- cuz that would have been the obvious way of doing the sign.  But from a distance, he's handsome as hell!  

I got this shipped out last week and my dad LOVES it!  I didn't even need to explain the concept of it being pieces from the sunroom.  He knew immediately!  Score one for Kristi!  I mean, in no way, shape, or form does this make up for 1% of what he's done at my house!  But I hope it shows my appreciation for it!  Love you, Pops!