Woodworking Weekend

Amy In The Shop

I ended up shooting inside my shop using plywood as a table across two sawhorses. I thought the grain would look interesting. In this un-touched yet sized image, the lighting strikes Amy with a softness and warmth I did not anticipate. The light issued from two 100 watt floods of varying color temp, one was white, the other yellow so prob 3200k & around 5500k color temp.

The lens used was the Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II USM Telephoto Lens. I have had the lens for some time but rarely used it. I have come to appreciate the depth of field it has and the ability to isolate the subject.

I had been working on framing a wall and installing drywall to create a storage room in my otherwise open garage/studio.   Amy and Brandy stopped by to see if it met local code.  Amy said I had not calculated the width of the door frame properly and set out to prove what I had built would not accept the size of the door I had on hand.

Things got heated as Brandy began to side with me in that I had framed the door properly adhering to the frame two inches wider than the door rule of thumb.

After a small scuffle it all worked out.  Amy had a beer to cool off and Brandy cooled off in the shower!

I have found few items as versatile as the standard four foot level.

When I first started fixing things myself I picked one up at Lowes for around twenty bucks ($20).  At first I thought it was overkill because I was not working much with sheet ply, composite, or drywall.  Once I moved into my new house that has space in the garage that I converted into a DIY shop/ Photo Studio (enclosing open space in a garage into a shelved,dust free storage unit), I might as well not hang the level on a hook, it is always in use!

Not only is it made to level the main benefit is a perfect straight edge with enough width to be useful!

When working with four foot wide stock it is imperative to have something to span the width as a measuring tool or straight edge guide.   Sure you could use a piece of stock but if you leave it out in the rain while building a porch it will never be the same.  I will stick to plastic or aluminum straight edge.  For measuring it can rarely be beat in the cost vs usefulness category.

To obtain the most benefit from the four foot level I use

The handiest and most useful tool in any serious shop – clamps! Simple and easy to use.  You will find they can be used in and out of the garage in many other areas you always wish you had a third, fourth, or even fifth hand!  The possibilities are endless!