Planning a kitchen high top counter

March 2015: The evolution of this kitchen remodel is slow, but has been worth all of the work.  I started this project two years ago.  If you can imagine, there was a defunct fireplace in that corner and I looked at every day for eight years before I decided to get rid of it.  Last week, I passed the final inspection for building permits.  I still haven't built the high counter, as I am still contemplating the design.

November 2014: It's a bright autumn morning and I am looking forward to a full weekend of building.  My first task is to finish trimming a set of windows in my kitchen, in order to prepare that wall for a high top counter.  I will design the support system from stainless steel to match the 1920's chrome look in the kitchen.  I can hardly wait to get to the creative part of this project!  If anyone has any photos of stainless steel bar legs/posts or whatnot, I would appreciate some collaborative ideas.  

Enjoy your weekend everyone, wherever you are.
-Sarah


This is where I started..

Status: April 2015

The high top counter is finished! The legs are a combination of 1" x 1/8" stainless steel bars.  The bases are composed of 1/2" thick stainless steel brackets, which were scrapped from a glass-steel railing. And the top is a butcher block counter from IKEA. 

I have a bit of a confession this project. I found that no matter how well clamped down the parts were, the heat from the welds caused havoc in my attempts to level the base feet.  Those that are more patient than I, might have fussed with them until they were perfectly flat.  Since I am not patient, nor a perfectionist, I cheated with a few felt pads to achieve levelness. If any one has a tip other than felt, send me a note. All in all, I think that it looks pretty good, and will serve the purpose that it was intended---as soon as I get a few bar stools.

  

Pomegranates

Maybe, I spend too much time volunteering for the non-profit, Pomegranate Center since the first thing I design out of metal in months is a Pomegranate!  I had fun with the plasma cutter. I experimented with two techniques for cutting out those shapes.  The smaller of the two was all freehand.  The large one, I used a guide that attaches to the plasma torch end, and uses a magnet (or suction cups) to adhere to the material as you draw a circle while cutting.  I liked the accuracy using the guide, over free hand.  Any thoughts from my readers as to which one looks more attractive?  I painted the outlines of the image, and delivered them to their staff this weekend.  The pomegranate will be mounted on their gazebo roof.

Garage clean up

You guessed it, I was waylaid by other home renovation projects and that is why my blog has been so silent. Although it felt satisfying to check off other projects on my list, I have been itching to return to metal work. With that said, I wanted to share with you a few photos of what happened to my garage while I was busy with those other projects.  It was crammed full of lumber, tools everywhere, and piles of scrap metal that my friends at the Pomegranate Center gave me a month ago.  No time to sort, so it was all dumped in a pile.  I spent two days cleaning, then rewarded my hard work by playing with the plasma cutter.  I will share that project in the next series of posts, but first, here are my "before" and "after" cleaning snapshots.  

BEFORE

AFTER

Debrief from Prescott

I had a surprisingly good time, volunteering to build a community park last weekend.  All I knew before I left for this trip was that a community wanted to transform a small burned out lot into a gathering place. The design would include reclaimed materials from nearby farms. What follows is a summary of the project.

Day One in Prescott, Washington, I was shown a pile of steel materials, which consisted of rebar, railroad ties, and remnant sheet metal.  Then I was asked to make it into two gates that would be 8' x 8', in a design that the community sketched (not to scale).  Also, I was asked if I could finish it in three days.  My daughter and I were the only volunteers with metalworking experience as far as I knew.  

After I recovered from a moment of what felt like, panic, I began an inventory and planned out how to move forward.  We taught a few volunteers how to operate the abrasive saw and set them to work on cutting all the rebar.  It was a bit of a challenge working on the floor of this shop, even though it was perfectly level.  The owner of the shop generously loaned the space, the tools, and miscellaneous materials for this project. 

The framework was completed by the end of the day and a pile of materials were ready for Day Two. We needed to modify the design of the gates slightly in order to brace them structurally.  At this point, we had not come up with any solutions that would not completely alter the original design.

Day Two in Prescott, we had a few more volunteers that were new to the machinery, but enthusiastic to learn.  Whitney was in charge of laying out all of the rebar into the wheat design, and teaching them how to use a grinder.  I continued to weld, plasma cut the sheet metal, and lead this portion of the project. Whitney and I proposed a moon and sun design at the top of the gates to add structure, which was approved by the group.  By the end of the day the two gates were tack welded and the new structural parts were in place.

Day Three in Prescott, we spent the morning welding up the gates, grinding the sharp edges, and adding bracing where needed. By the afternoon the gates were moved to the site and the difficult task of installing them to the existing beams began.  
Thankfully, another welder from the community with plenty of experience stepped in to help.  Together, the gates were mounted after about three hours!  From the happy comments from the citizens, they must have turned out as they hoped.

 

In a few weeks I will be driving four hours to the small town of Prescott  to help them build a new community gathering place.  They needed welders, so I volunteered.  I have been following the work of the Pomegranate Center for years and all of their projects look amazing.  They build everything in a weekend.  I feel a bit like I volunteered for one of those reality shows that throw a bunch of things at you, then see how fast you can put something wonderful together. We'll see if I am even close to the mark on how the weekend will evolve. I promise to post updates.   
Check out the project at: http://pomegranatecenter.org/walla-wallaprescott-community-build/#more-2190

Let me know if you have a small welding project in mind...

It is Memorial Day and as a Veteran of the US Army, it is a day to be thankful that I made it home from war, and grateful to those that were brave enough to give their lives so that I could make it home.  

I am also beginning anew with this welding blog.  I hope that what I have been enjoying as a hobby, can translate into a type of currency. I want to weld for trade.  Up until today, my handiwork has been by word of mouth.   

Thank you for showing your interest.  Please contact me with questions or ideas for trade!