Colour me boring

Hmm - not exactly exciting, but....

You are most like: Black
You are bold with a dark side. You make clear lines wherever you go, though you color outside of the lines. Many people may just see the surface of you and think you are merely plain, but you have a lot of depth to you as well.
Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?
Visit Toys For Your Blog.com for more blog quizzes

Ok - so it's not exactly Lego

So, I've been able to spend more time in the shop with the canoe, and it had been going extremely well up until this week.

The wood I am using is of extremely good quality and the work I put into the forms and strongback have made putting the first few strips on, very easy.

I have a bright basswood accent strip set in between some dark cedar. Once the finish is on, it should come up quite nicely.

This part of the caone is relatively flat, so the strips went on very quickly. Once the first strip is on (the bottom most one in this picture) and perfectly level, it is like putting siding on. A bead of glue in the cove, center the strip on the boat and tack it in to the forms with a finishing nail (just to hold it in place while the glue dries).

But as you get to the "curvy bits", getting the strips to stay snug to the form becomes a little more difficult.

After laying a couple of stips each side, I came back to the shop the next day to see that the boards had come away from the form (despite me securing them with bungee cords while the glue dried). Apparently, this is not uncommon and probably could be avoided if one used narrow strips.

You can see that the form (well used now and is probably having trouble keeping the brad nail from moving around) is about almost a quarter inch from the strip - and this would get progressively worse.

So, off to the web to find some solutions. Al had told me to use a clamping system with wedges that would force the boards into place.

This is the best solution and some forums have also said using a heat gun on the strip before placing it in, leaves it a bit more pliable.

I boiled some water and saturated the wood to get a little more give in it before putting the clamps on. Seems to have worked.

This is going to be slow going for the next few days, but it should work. There is going to be plenty of sanding and "improvisational" carpentry before the fiberglass goes on.

There are systems that allow you to create a cedar strip using only clamps. This way you don't get the small nail holes in the wood. But, I'm guessing that those are a little more advanced than what I'm ready for right now.

A Long Winter

December was extremely long, even though the daylight wasn't.

The second round of layoffs at the plant hit, and I, along with 42 others, were part of the exodus. Probably the kick in the ass I needed to get on with my professional life - I hadn't been able to execute many of the plans I had in place and frustration was getting the better part of me. I was more concerned for the people who were left as the workload wasn't going to diminish any.

There were a lot of "goodbyes" to be said after 12 years, it was going to be the people I miss the most. Last week, yet another round of 30 people were let go. By March, the place is going to be a pale ghost of the plant that used to be the jewel in the crown for Zomax during the last 10 years.

I should be able to complete my CPIM designation by next fall and, in the interim (if I can get the study materials and exams scheduled), get my CSCP designation before spring. I think I am going to take a little time before I get seriously looking for the right position. There have been a few postings I've applied for and my resume seems to be getting noticed on the job websites.

Hopefully, I'll be able to help some of the folks out who have been let go in that last round. I still have a few contacts in the valley. I'm probably in a lot better position than most.

The last week was the first week out of work - and man did it drag on. Even trying to keep a routine going (applications, gym, canoe, housework) it felt like the days went on forever. This will probably change once I get accustomed to it, but to go from the fast pace of work to a slow crawl is very hard.