My outside movie theater experiments.

Last year there was a quick flash sale at my local Canadian Tire store (CTC) on a outdoor screen and projector for roughly half price. They quickly went out of the projector, but had a couple screens left.
Picked up the screen for half price, $50.

This year, went shopping for a temporary outdoor shelter with bug screens. To be placed over my recently moved platform.

In order to fit on top of the platform, I needed a 10 X 10 ft shelter.  Those are plentiful and cheap.
But it had to come WITH the bug screen, not as an add on.

Found this one at Giant Tiger, on sale for $199.  Ball's detent connections and wing nuts/bolts.
Goes up easy and wont take much room in storage.  Definitively wont survived any snow load, will come down for the season. `

Turns out, my platform is not approx 11 ft square, it's barely 10 feet across and the corners are chopped off.  Fit around it for now, but will repair damaged corner and make it square again, to screw on the shelter on top.

And then it rained...again...

In between rains, we managed to finished it.

We were bound and determined to finish it while we had the grand kids for a sleep over :-)

In my travels shopping around for the shelter came across this inexpensive RCA (Curtis electronics) projector for $98 at Walmart.

The projector I picked up alongside the screen I got last year.

Oh that bag of treats??

Alright, we both know what it is, gave it to me...

Projector...check

Screen...check

Popcorn machine...check

Speakers and amp...uhhh???

Works great, no complaints, except that at this price point, you get no built in speakers, only headphone out mini stereo jack.  Had to lugged in my older retired receiver, rummage thru my adapters, plugs and cords, then hook up speakers to get it going.

Assembled the screen outside

Set it up an optimistic 17 feet away!! :-)

Humm not much of a picture, lets see what they recommend...

2.15 meter.  I'm Metric challenged, but that sound a smidgen smaller than 17 ft :-)

Reset the screen 4 ft away, we have a picture but projector needs to be raised.

What you see is the reflection thru the bug screen of the shelter, not the pic on the screen

That worked, we watched the adventures of TinTin, the Spielberg movie with the kids.

The reflection thru the screen is distracting, need something better.

For a source, I plugged in a Google Chromecast dongle and used my phone and Wifi to cast movies on it (Netflix, Crave, You tube etc)

The next morning after the winds and rains.

That screen has the firmness of an Al Dente noodle...

Plan B, put the screen inside, add some shower curtains for shade and rain protection.

Speakers got wet overnite, will need some protection.

This old curtain look like the kind of wall paper pattern you would find at Gramma.

That old lamp rescued, fit the decor well :-)

We call this corner: Grammy's corner  

The other corner is more hipster for a younger Rudy

Then the screen.

Need to make it more taut

Amp hooked up, Chrome cast on.

Last minute inspection by Mr Rudy

All looks good from here dad!

It did not took long for Rudy to steal Jean blanky and wrapped himself in it.

It was a bit damp, what with all the rain we been having...

Mosquitoes protection is a must!!!!!

I got a picture about 8 ft diagonal, and room to pull back the projector some more.

View from outside.

Movie was Charlie's Angels

It is a tad cosy, but functional.  This site will be for  a future outdoor kitchen building.
At which point I may relocate the movie theater, but for now it will do nicely.
This would make a great, inexpensive set up for my friends camping.

Pass the popcorn and ...ACTION!

Bob, with a few more projects resulting from this experiment

Catching up

So many things, so little time...
Since completing that precious box, I stayed away from the shop.  Just went in long enough to put a few things away.

Something rarely seen around here...

Oh, there IS a bench top :-)

Last month, we culled a few more small trees around the yard, but I had been unable to finish cleaning up and burning my brushes. We were having crazy weather, big swing in temps, freeze warnings, lots of rain you named it!!

Our two portable greenhouses, were just recently taken down,

 that's how much of a screwy Spring we had.

The white birch on the middle right were cut last month. 

With decent temperatures around for a little while, she took down her greenhouses a few days ago, everything has been transplanted around the various plants or garden beds.

The Asperagus have been harvested many times over by now.

The strawberries in the background are now loaded with flowers and small buds

Since I need a break from my workshop, may as well tend to some tasks around the yard.

A few weeks ago my neighbour across the street has cut down all the tall (About 90-100 ft) red pines trees in front of his property.  That not only changed the landscape but it sure changed how much winds and sun my front yard is getting

The front of my house, facing this view is roughly facing west

One guy cutting with a chain saw, the machine in the back pick up the logs 

 stored them in its back then go pile them away

Really transformed my view.  He has a nice pile of logs in his yard :-)

There is a least three projects in that shot:

1- Make a proper English garden bench

 2- Replace bird house on pole by proper flag pole 

3- Install irrigation system to reach this bed

Yesterday brought Jean's brother Dennis with his chain saw to help me clean up my own yard.  He can do in a few hours what would take me a week to do :-)

Got all the trees I previously cut, all cross cut and the branches 

all cleaned up and ready to burn.

Currently we are under burn restrictions, updated daily at 1400 hrs (2 PM for my civilians friends)

Today will probably be like yesterday, restricted until 2000 hrs.  Last nite I was too tired to burn, went to bed early.

While I had a strong man around, we cut free the bottom ground level of my existing deck and dragged it away to its temporary spot.

There was roughly a 11 X 11 ft octagonal platform at the bottom of the stairs

Since the deck steps rested on it, had to improvise

Dragged it all the way to the corner lot, were my future outside dining room would be located.

That way I can experiment with its final location and checked my views around.

I will put on a temporary 10 X 10 canvas top on it.  My future structure would be 14 X 14 ft but this will get me some sense of how it best fit in the yard. 

We flipped it over and tow it with my tractor

It was a tad heavy, my tractor was spinning its wheel a few time.

We had to lift the front of the deck so it would not plow into the ground

At its intended destination, we re-flipped it up.

Lost one board in transit, there is some rot on that corner were board is missing.

Will fix and recycle this platform somewhere else in the yard when the time come to move it again

Hoping to get started soon with the deck demolition and construction of new one, but first I got two projects in the cue that I must get to.

First off I must finish that small table for Crystal, its been a while, too long.  Many interruptions but gotta get it done.

So back to the shop we go, first thing first, need two more leg's blanks.  Don't like the last two I made to replaced the original two...

Bob,  sharpening his pencil and making plans 

Box done

Well it still need more time for the finishing touches, but time is running out.
Last nite, as I was hoping, I glued and pinned the skirt feet bracket pieces.
Sorry for the compressor noises love, Oups

I took my time and slipped slide in the glue trying to locate the corners perfectly, as I knew they will fit.  My bright idea was to use the 23 ga pinner but the only pins I currently have (or more correctly,  located) were much on the short side, barely protruding past my skirt pieces.  I thought that should do the trick, just hold them in place long enough for the glue to grab.  And since unbeknownst to me, I was doing rubbed joint...should grab fast :-)

Was a tad frustrating, but managed to go around the box with my pieces and everything lined up at the corners beautifully.
And then I took this pic and my heart sank....

Pic I took at 2130

Oh shit, the box is rocking badly.

Am I ever glad I picked it up last nite...
Quickly pried off the two offending corners, measured around the box, I was off by less than 1/8.
What happened??  My box is square and same height around, my skirt pieces were clamped together, the two long ones then the two small ones to cleaned up the profile, and ensuring they came out the same.  But after they got an individual sanding to clean up some spots, they varied a bit in width on the flat part.  When I glued them, I made sure to line up the flat part to the box bottom.
Well Dah! Although, both long and short pieces were flat to each other, they were not quite the same between the pairs. Not by much but enough to throw me off.  One lesson learned the hard way.
Only problem now, is I'm not so sure anymore I have a strong glue bond all around.  Concern I have is, that is all that is supporting the whole weight of the box, the box is not resting on it, like I would had done if this was a piece of furniture (stronger that way, and negate my weight concerns).

I will reinforced the mitre corners with glue blocks which would be resting from the box bottom to the floor.  All the weight would be bear by them, relieving my weight worries...
How much does one ashes box weight?

3.666 Kg, it's a tad on the heavy side.

Between the dovetailed construction and the glue joint of the skirt/feet 

and the glue blocks under, should be plenty strong.

Slow morning, I was up late last nite, watching Toronto make NBA history and I had to drop off my car at 0800 at the dealership for the passenger air bag recall.
I am still tired, must be careful not to make any stupid mistakes so close to the end.

Trimmed the pieces on the stiles

Touch up my most used chisel in this built on my new slipstones 

which somehow followed me home during my yesterday chocolate run :-)

Ohhhh I like it.  Fast and wicked sharp.

This is the chisel I will be using for my mortise.

But first since I done the tenon before the mortise, I have to make sure 

they are straight every which way. Before cutting my mortise to match.

I would normally cut the mortise first, so this is kinda backward for me.

both tenon trimmed, ready for mortising

First we must adjust our mortise gauge to our tool.  Forget measurements, use the actual tools as references.

Setting the gauge pins close

I always do my final adjustments on a piece of scrap wood.

Strike lines and see where the chisel fall within.

In this pic, took me 3 tries (bottom LH corner), the top cut is the one

Now the real fun begin.  I am going to attempt to cut a slightly larger mortise than the existing groove.
But more worry some is the fact that I already cut my stiles to the right length, leaving me not enough meat at the ends, like I would had normally done.  Will need reinforcement.
First bright idea was to use the vise and back the thin wall by another piece.
Did not work too good, the work piece keep sliding down and I'm leery to break the groove walls, so I put in a spacer to reinforce them.

Nixed Plan A, going with Plan B.

Danger Danger Mr Robinson, there is no spacer in the back up piece !!

Instead I sandwiched it between pieces of scrap with a clamp and rest it on the top of the bench.

That worked good, I can torque it down without worries.

 Now got my mortise roughly as deep as I dare to make it.

It has to be below the groove bottom, for strength.

Testing the depth.

And checking on the actual tenon.

That is how far it would go, if I left my tenon at that length.

Then decided to cut a bit shorter my tenon.

And that is when the first fatal screw up happened, I clamp the piece in the vise to cut it then heard a sickening cracking noise...

Forgot to slip in a spacer inside the groove and my piece broke in two places

OK, so I'll just glued it back on with my new Gorilla instant glue I just bought, just in case...

I just glued in the bottom crack, once done, I'll glued in the other one

Seems to be taking forever to dry for a so called instant glue??

@#$%&?! Not an instant glue.  Could they print it smaller? Tabarnack!

It is just regular foamy Gorilla glue %$$#@

Quick trip to the store, bought some real instant glue.

Set in 10 seconds, that's more like it!

They sure looks alike don't they.

I did not screw in the blue top to pierce the tube in this pic.

Back on my mortises, I started the other one, and just as I noticed my back up piece was loose, I hit my chisel with the mallet and ...crack.  :-(

Not worth re-gluing, would need a new piece , longer to be able to do it properly.

Like I should had done in the first place.

At this point I gave up on the frame and panel idea for the cover.
Went outside to have a coffee with Jean, I told her what happened, and why there would be no cover for the box.  I am exhausted and I am starting to make too many mistakes that I knew better.
She said I cannot bring in just the box with no cover, so she talk me into just making a slab for the cover.  Ironically that was Plan A, but I went with a frame & panel, worrying about a large slab expanding/contracting.

After looking over at my spare pieces left over, quickly figured out that the best combination that worked was by using the two long pieces for box No 2.
The resulting slab would have the right length but will be too wide and will have to be cut.
Will simply make new pieces later when I start No 2...later...much later

At 1630 my cover Plan C is starting to take shape.

While that cure, time to sand the box and give it its first coat of whatever.

Did some experiment on the side, with what I bought today and what I have on hand.  Need something that dry fast.  Settled on using my Howard refinisher Golden Oak colour.
I wanted something that would make the grain figure pop.

first coat wiped on.

Then I will simply polished it off with a wax compound.

Feed & Wax,  my other Howard product.

Using some small pine offcuts from a longer piece, I simply split them with a chisel, pared a bit then saw to proper length and glue in each corner.  Machined surfaces inside the corners.

The whole weight of Paul is going to rest on these four (4)

glue blocks, plus the skirt glue line.  Good to go.

After supper, took my new panel out of the clamps and scrapped the glue line, and off to the woodshop to run it thru the wide belt sander.

Then shot the edges with my LV LA jack plane.  That plane is pretty amazing on this figure maple, I can pull off whisper thin full shavings. Incidentally it is smoother sailing on the end grain than the long edge.  It quickly let you know which way it prefers.

Panel cut near final size then all edges were shot with the plane.

After rip to correct width, gave it a quick sanding with the Random Orbital sander with 150 grit and called it a day.

Ready to go back home.

In this shot angle the glue blocks are showing, hum.

Pare them smaller or paint black??

One hour later back home, tack rag then wipe of the same stain on the remainder of the box and let to air out outside.  Kind of strong smelly.  Hopefully will dissipate before tomorrow when I close the box one last time...

Later tonite, before going to bed I will give the whole thing a coat of Feed & Wax then buffed.
The only thing remaining are to drill some countersink holes for the cover screws and attach the plaque on the box.

That is it for the nite, having a cold one now.  Not going near the box nor touching it for a while, don't want to jinx it.

Bob, totally out of gas...running on empty.  Blogging is the only thing that keep me going and motivated.