For some time now we were looking for a larger dining table. For us it was clear that it should have a wooden top, as this really is the nicest surface. In the end we got got a good deal off the local Craigslist variant and bought a massive oak desk. It really was in grandma style, but with lots of sanding we got a nice new table!

See the transformation below:

Old, image directly from the ad of the desk.

Finished with plenty of sanding. And actually after a year of usage – so much about posting in time 😉

The wedge is still the old color – nicely shows the contrast of old and new. So much better!

Still going after the perfect Pizza on the gas grill. After some improvements with the heat deflector, this time I wanted to raise the overall temperature in the grill. Even after running full power for like an hour the grill barely goes beyond 250C.

What I tried this time was to add a second layer of metal below the lid, assuming that the double wall insulates better. It was actually fairly easy to push in a thin (0.7mm) steel sheet. Only problem was that it did scratch the paint of the Weber here and there. Let’s hope this is not too bad in the long run.

Result: Maxed out at around 320C. So definitely hotter than it was before. Success!

Before installation.

Started pushing the sheet in from there, therefore could not engage it behind all of those pegs. Some brute force got it around. Not pretty but it worked.

Finally, sheet is in. Still have to fix the temperature sensor but then it is good to go.

Some tweaking to get the temperature sensor in place, but worked ok.

Final result with sheet in place

Little one is growing older and does not want to be trapped in her crib any more. Hence had to modify the existing one so that it has an opening.

In the end opted to remake one of the sides with some bars missing. Think it really turned out great and the little one really loves it. Let’s see if we ever paint it white…

With gate installed. Baby approves. Will not have to wait until he sleeps in there.

Detail of the joints.

Big one likes it!

Got myself a new set of OK Forster drill bits, which now gives me a good coverage over the 25-35 mm range. However, those came each in a single box and that was not ideal for accessing them quickly.

So I put together a quick holder. Basically, a board of oak where I drilled a hole with each bit. This way they are stuck in there fairly securely and I know that I have the correct size. Let’s see how I like the setup when using, will keep you posted. Also, still have some space left, let’s see if I can get some more drills 😉

Since I started the blog many years ago it has been a challenge to actually write articles on the projects I did. The blog is mainly not up to date because I am a lazy writer, not that I am not having projects any more. So far the effort of putting a full article online has been too much most of the time.

No that I get older and have even less time it will not get better…

Time for a new approach – I’ll now try to make articles with some pictures and a short description. Won’t shoot for perfect, but rather ‘at least it is out there’. My experience in the past has always been it is better to get things out somehow rather than trying to be perfect and end up not doing it. So this is the idea here, let’s see how it goes.