I just now noticed your post when scrolling back. A birdhouse would be a good idea except that this paneling is so thin it has no structural strength by itself but would have to attach to something stronger. I couldn't use it as the siding for the birdhouse except as an add-on vanity exterior. That would be doable, I suppose, but i doubt the birds would appreciate my craftsmanship.
All those things. It's too thin and hard and would split. A pilot hole would take a nail but I don't want any broad head nails to show. Finish nails wouldn't hold it fast at all. It'll be glue and pipe clamps all the way. I doubt even countertop glue or one of those marble adhesives would hold. Whatever I do it will be slow work but that's okay.
You guys are making me think this through. I'll build my brother a storage trunk a little smaller than normal size because of the square foot limit of of facing I have. I'll go with 3/4 AC for the basic structure with the A side towards the inside for a nice finish there. I'll paint the outside a flat black because there will be unavoidable gaps in the joinery of the dress siding that will show better with the spaces dark. I only have four pipe clamps and won't buy more. I'll be able to apply two pieces at a time of the dress facing on opposite sides of the trunk. The whole project might take weeks because I'll give each application of glued facing overnight to get strong. Whew! I'll post pics of the finale.
In my thirty-plus years of owning rental properties, I did 100% of my own plumbing including putting in sewer lines, branch lines for gas, new water pipes in the walls, etc. One of the tricks of the trade is having a ton of specialized gadgets that make a given plumbing job far easier. In the days before the internet, I had a plumbing guru, the owner of a major, local plumbing supply house. His guidance was invaluable to me. To replace a bathroom faucet takes me 15-20 minutes, usually, but I have the gadgets to make the job easy.
All the houses I work on are between 70-90 years old and have had a few professionals work on them and a lot of shoe-makers do whatever they did. I’m a firm believer that building new is better than renovating an old house in that there is so much jury rigging going on especially when it pertains to the plumbing and electrical. I’m the “might as well” type of guy because when I see aluminum wiring pairing up with copper or galvanized pipe marrying up with copper then PVC then back to copper etc, I just say, “might as well replace the whole thing so for me, it’s seldom I find a simple 15 or 20 minute job. The one thing that grinds my gears about going into a new project is finding that there are no shut off valves even on the water heater. I followed up a shoe-maker on one job and spent a whole day installing valves and lines on each commode, sink and water heater.
Dunno Dwight. My brain works overtime when it comes to things like that. I was thinking about cutting them in slats and making a weave of sorts into a 12” x 12” square then casting the whole thing in clear resin for an awesome cutting board. The rustic look inside a crystal cutting board….. Then again, the chest you’re writing about sounds great too!
So true, about the shut-off valves. That being said, in my experience I almost always found that old shut-off valves were a one-shot deal: Yes, they would turn the water off, but after that, when turning it back on, the leaks required a change-out to a new shut-off. As I type this, I have, probably, about six new shut-off valves sitting on my plumbing supply shelf in the garage. With my rent houses, I never wanted to be caught without a new shut-off valve on hand when I was working on the plumbing.
My posts about the thin panels I salvaged from veg boxes ended with me intending to build my brother something for his birthday. After working with these panels for a bit I realized I couldn't have anything done in time for his birthday. I did this instead. This is the end table I built out of luan and furring strips that I wanted to top with something more than the painted surface. Ta Da.
Latest project: My next door neighbor had a Hackberry sapling growing tightly against her gas meter pipe. I had visions of the pipe rupturing, and both of my vehicles, less than ten feet away, in my driveway, going up in flames. We talked, and she told me that the last time she called the gas company, they told her they would have to move her meter at a cost of around $1500 dollars to her, to reroute the underground line. Then, she'd have to hire a private company to move her receiving pipe, in her house, for even more money! Making her pay sounded nuts to me. The problem was before her meter. I called the gas company. This schlub came out, marked the gas line run with a growler and a paint stick, talked to his girlfriend on his cell phone for fifteen minutes, stood around, then left, after telling me the gas company doesn't cut trees from lines. What??!! Four doors down, across the street, a gas line ruptured, because of tree roots, and a geyser of flames shot up. The owner's house was toast. It made the national news, everywhere, including CNN. He sued the gas company, and got a new house out of it. I guess it's cheaper for Texas Gas Service to replace houses than maintain a crew to clear underground lines! My neighbor called the gas company, again, and another guy came out. Same routine. OK, show time, for me. With my neighbor's permission, I dug down, very carefully, using a pick, hand pick, shovel, and breaker bar. Once I located the pipe, I painted it dayglo orange and then carefully chiseled away the hard soil under it until it was isolated above the bottom of the hole. After that, I removed the stump left from the tree I had removed, above ground. It was tricky work, getting that stump out, because I was two feet below grade. I had to make the excavation wide enough to fit my Sawzall in. Finally, after cutting one major root after another, the stump segment was free. I placed it by my neighbor's car so she would know things were now cool. The next day, she texted me that she had left me an envelope in my front door mailbox. $200, cash. She's good people! The job took about four hours, altogether, and I wasn't going to ask for anything, but her gesture was top notch!
Good news! Nothing ever works out the way I want. Bad news. I was going to replace a vanity that is in a 42" nook; the wood is yucky. They don't make them that size anymore for the big box store for a reasonable price. Good news! I have an old limed oak low dresser that will fit the place. I can rip the top off, cut out the back, put the old vanity top on the dresser and my handy man comes tomorrow! I don't climb under stuff well. Bad news. My daughter and renter does not want the vanity replaced after all. She likes the old one. Wait! That's good news. Project for today? Nope.
Yep, same project been working on and still are.............packing/boxing some things for our move in 2023.