Marty Mac

Thanks for the feedback.  I appreciate you giving it some thought.  As with any tool or system, individual  experience is subjective. The fact that you have 3 speaks volumes!

I don't think I will have it done by Christmas , but I know what she's getting for her Birthday!

r ranson

I am looking for ideas for an easel for my granddaughter.   She is 12 and I think she  shows some promise , but more importantly she has a strong interest and really enjoys many different mediums. Watercolor, oil, charcoal, pencil.

 I admit I know very little about painting, my medium is wood. I would really like to build her one.  With my skill set and limited knowledge of the act of painting the first example that caught my  eye was the French Easel. I Am very sure that  The French Easel caught my eye because I really like building purpose built  boxes with lots of dividers and  complex lids. However I would much rather build one that she will use and not be concerned about making a mess of what might be looked at as grandpa's art. I think it will spend most of the next 5 to 10 years in a small bedroom/studio  that she shares with her mother. So size matters or the ability to fold up to make room for other projects

I was hoping you may be able to give me some ideas. I am open to going much simpler or if you could custom build your easel what would be useful? I plan to use White Oak. It is both strong and dent resistant and should hold up for a very long time with a little care. Any suggestions? 

First cold snap of the year and my kitty reminded me what a great spot for napping the laptop is.

Just finished the recovery and popped in to find this thread. I feel your pain!

I'm in the Ozarks zone 7a.  My place was part time for the first 10 years or so. I killed a lot of  fruit trees and berry bushes.  

I had a few survive. A fig tree that was planted next to a small seasonal pond.  Paw Paws that are native. The scrawniest ugliest Alberta peach Ive ever seen, It was headed for the end of season trash at a local nursery.   Blackberry bush that has thrived.  Concord grapes refuse to die but don't produce much.  Wild Strawberries are another that refused to die and now that they get some lovin there doing great.

I had good luck with Asparagus, Sorrel and Comfrey as well. Daylilies grow every where don't they?  

r ranson nailed it. The key is keeping the board oiled and allowing it to air dry after use.

Just my opinion based on decades of owning a butcher block cutting board and a butcher block countertop. I see no need for salt, or even worse a commercial detergent for daily use. Both of those will just strip off the wax and oil.
I just use a damp towel to wipe up after vegetables or bread. If something gets overlooked and it gets crusty I might use some vinegar. But very rarely. If I cut meat on it I set it on an angle in the sink to run hot water over it while giving it a quick scrub with a scrub pad. Then let it air dry.

I really haven't given the process this much thought in decades ;)  never had any problems.

I have been making end grain cutting boards for friends and family for years. I did a fair amount of research before starting. What I learned from woodworking forums is that what helps make wood "food safe" is the moisture content. Or lack moisture content.  The lack of moisture makes it difficult for bacteria to grow.  My cutting boards start at about 6 to 10 percent moisture content when I build them.
The best oil is a matter of choice, but a few rules I picked up are to avoid oils that can go rancid and avoid oils that harden. Going rancid is self explanatory.  If the oil hardens then It can only sink into the surface of the wood. Every application of oil after that is on the surface building up a thicker layer. Once you cut that hardened film layer the seal is broken.

My preferred method for finishing a new board is to flood the board with food grade mineral oil repeatedly. letting the oil soak in for a few hours. I repeat this process at least 5 times. The next step is to melt beeswax into some mineral oil. My recipe is 3 parts oil to 1 part beeswax. This is just approximant, I'm aiming for a paste consistency.  Maybe a little thinner than chapstick. I add a few drops of peppermint essential oil but that's just to jazz it up a bit because I give a small jar with the board as part of the gift.  The wax probably isn't necessary but it does greatly increase the time between applications. Put on a generous coat rubbing it into the grain. The paste is thin enough that rubbing it in will melt the wax allowing it to really flood and fill any small cuts or pores in the wood. Let it sit for about an hour and the oil will soak in while the wax hardens. a quick buff and you're done.   My gift boards get 3 or 4 more coats of the mix followed by a buffing with a power buffer. With some work I can get them looking glossy, probably overkill because I have been told more than once that the idea of taking a knife to it seems a shame.

Christopher Weeks   
I use a similar idea in my small upright refrigerator and it works very well.  Pull one container from the fridge for salad fixin's,  Ect Ect.
But Cristoms working with a freezer that wont even fit a milk crate! I know the same principle applies but he is extremely limited on space. Even with smaller containers I still had to unload half the little freezer.

If you manage to pull that off please give us an update!

In my limited space the best I could come up with is to build an insulated cabinet to house the appliances and capture most of the heat to vent through the outside wall. To still have acceptable access to the fridge and freezer I think my idea seems like it would just allow humid air in the living space and eliminate any possible gains.

I like the idea of separating the heat source.

I built a tiny house and managed to squeeze in 2 of those little Danby freezers plus a 6 gallon water heater into a 144 square foot house. One of my few regrets is not planning in advance to vent all that heat. In my climate 9 months out of the year the heat generated is a good thing. It lowers my need for heating in the cold months and extends the shoulder seasons where I want my windows open. It would be nice to be able to vent that heat in the summer months instead of having my AC unit pulling it out of the building.

I have what sounds like the same freezer, the same size and manufacturer anyway.
 I used it as a refrigerator in my cabin before I moved here full time. It was fine for a week or 2 vacation. Once I moved here full time I found it frustrating. It was just too small. I would have to unload half of it to get to whatever I happened to need. It is now in my shop as a beer refrigerator. It has 10 years of use just as you describe.