Sanding Cabinets and a NEW LOOM!

Our lives have been concentrated on getting things ready for the "new-to-us" house.

A few blogs back, I mentioned some super duper 1920's cabinets we bought from Fond Du Lac, WI.  The seller had bought them from a mansion that was being dismantled or redone.  He tried to use them in his house, but they would not work without cutting them apart.  So instead he sold them.   To us!

They do come apart into three big pieces to haul, but he would have had to cut them apart into even smaller parts to work them around his configurations in his kitchen to put them on 2 or 3 different walls. He just couldn't do that to them.

For us, they will work all in one row along one wall.  Even our window is where the opening is.  We might cut out the drawer section and slide over the 2 cabinets on the left to put them under the sink area and fit in a dishwasher on the far left.  Will see once we get them into the house if we need to do that or not.  But most of their integrity will remain intact as much as possible. At least all on one wall.

The weather has been amazingly warm here in Wisconsin.  I started to refinish the cabinets over the weekend.  I was prepared tackle the ugly task of stripping them down by buying stripper, gloves and plastic putty knives.  Steve said this was "my job" because he wanted to get NEW cabinets.  But these are more fitting to the house and style and I fell in love with them.  So I was prepared to work and put effort into refinishing them.

But I also bought a cute little electric sander for $14.   I thought I would try that first.   OH MY!  The old varnish just sanded right off with very little effort!    Amazing how the old stuff crumbled right off.

(door in the foreground is original, and one with the dusting brush is in the sanded down state) 

Here are two of the drawer fronts. It only took about 2 or 3 minutes to get that much done per drawer front. I am just tickled pink at how easy this is going to be to get them ready for new stain to match our woodwork in the house, and then poly coat them to last.

In just a few hours of work, I got all of the drawers done, most of the cabinet doors, and one of the cabinet bases completed.  The four largest doors has some kind of Butcher's Wax or newer coating of varnish on them, so they are taking a bit more work and more sanding pads to get them done.

The sun was shining and I had the big door open of the workshop space and did them out in the open air of the parking lot.  I bought two nice new sawhorses to hold each piece up at working height.  I was happy as a lark, buzzing away that old varnish to reveal the lovely woodwork and grain.  From time to time I would just take off my glasses, mask and gloves...   and feel the smooth clean wood.  Ahhhhhhhh  only a woodwork-loving person would understand that!


Well, our warehouse space is getting quite full!   I am going to finish up the dining chair recovering this afternoon as it's kinda damp, hazy and foggy here today.  No big door open today.

In the middle of all this refinishing and redoing, we are gathering more items and holding them here at the workshop space till the big move the end of next month to the house when we close on the deal.  Glad we have enough room in here, plus it's heated, clean and free of dampness or bugs or mice like some storage spaces.

I have my sewing machine set up on the dining table to work on quilting, my sock knitting machine set up, and have a rug loom ready to weave when I come into the workshop space to get things done.  Gotta have something to keep myself busy during the next 6 weeks of waiting.

Speaking of looms.... well.....  Steve was looking on Craigslist again.....

He found a Newcomb Studio Loom for sale nearby!   We had to go look last night after the Packer Game was over.  Although I have my 2 harness Union Rug Loom, and my 8 harness Tools of the Trade table loom, the only looms I really regret selling off last spring were my 2 Newcomb Studio Looms!

(this is the one he found for me)  

These type of looms are too big to take along in the motorhome, so I sold off the two Newcombs that I had.  They both went to friends where I could buy them back if I wanted to.  But I also knew I could get another one pretty easily as they are common around the midwest.   Lo and behold, this one was in great shape at a great price.   Yes, we dismantled it and packed it in the trunk and back seat of the car in no time flat!

The nicest part of the loom-buying evening was meeting the gal who was selling the loom.  She has a fiber farm and woolen mill processing business, only about 15 miles away from Chilton where we are moving to!   She has a cute little shop with yarns, roving, supplies and finished products. Her farm is called http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com   and the BEST part?? She invited me to join their fiber guild!  They have a meeting once a month at her shop, and everyone brings a wheel to spin or a loom or whatever to work on.  How great is that?

We got the loom back to the warehouse and unloaded and stacked in pieces behind the big dining table.  I am not going to go through the effort to set it up, just to dismantle it again in 6 weeks.  Although I would love to get it going right away.  I have the Union loom set up and that can be moved easily through doorways with the removal of just one front beam.   So now I have one of each:  2 harness, 4 harness and 8 harness looms!   Should be all set to move them into my new Loom Room.  It's a large room that faces south with big windows on the main floor.   In the upstairs of the new house, there is a small room that was the maid's quarters,  and that is where I am going to store all my totes and supplies.  It will feel good to have my things within hand's reach instead of running to our son's garage attic in Green Bay for totes of fabric, yarn and supplies.

Thanksgiving is coming up this week.  We are trekking down to Milwaukee area to have a celebration with Steve's family.  Sadly, my ill mom-in-law is not going to be able to attend. Cancer has taken it's toll on her now, and she tires easily.  We will go over there on the weekend to meet up with some of the family to spend a little special time with her.  It is breaking our hearts.

Well, the day is getting on here, and I gotta get some things done...  never a quiet moment around here!