Our cuts and weepers provide plenty of war paint. I do have a full plain Indians head dress if you want me to put it on
The Shaving Cadre
Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun
An Unexpected Journey: A Newbie's Walk In Wet Shaving
- Thread starter Blade-meister
- Start date
Our cuts and weepers provide plenty of war paint. I do have a full plain Indians head dress if you want me to put it on
My new project with the cabin is gathering enough pallets to harvest enough wood to do the wood floor in the loft next year. I've been looking at quite a few projects where people did pallet wood for their floors and I really like the look of it for a cabin. I'm not sure I'd go with it in my home, but it has the perfect rustic look. The key is to plane each piece the same thickness and then even up the sides. I need 22 pallets to do the loft. After today's score of 5 pallets I'm half way there. Lots of work involved in dismantling the slats off the pallets and removing the nails, but the material is free so you can't beat that. I scored a solid oak pallet today. Boy if I could find a place that has those regularly I'd be in business. It will take over 60 pallets to do the cabin floor below the loft. I figure if I do the loft and find that we don't like it or it was way too much work, then I'm not out a whole bunch of time hunting down 60 + pallets. Saturday I hope to build a temporary landing and steps made of pallet wood and concrete blocks. I'll take pictures as it will mean I'm finally done with everything I needed to do before winter. We have a picnic table to take out there and some area carpeting pieces and then we might just squeak in a Saturday or two of enjoying it with a fire outside or something before winter sets in permanently.
You have to really look at each pallet, but yeah they are plenty thick for flooring. The key is to plane them all the same thickness and sand them but not too much because you want to retain some of the character that they have. I do think you need a solid subfloor and I may glue them and nail them down but I have to really ask some folks and research given that the space is unheated right now.
Here's pictures of the cabin so far. The pallet wood landing I made today is plenty strong and supports me without flexing or anything. Except for some scrap 2 x 4's, the whole thing is made from pallet wood harvested from free pallets. I have $7 into a box of decking screws, but that's it. I used left over deck stain I had laying around to coat it because the eaves will be running and dripping on it. I didn't sand or plane these boards because this is just a temporary way to get in and out. I decided to do a floating construction because I do not know what the frost situation is in this area during the winter so I really didn't want to hook-up to the cabin in any way. I also wanted it well below where snow piles up so that I wouldn't come there to a surprise of snow piled up to the door and melting inside. It shouldn't do that, but I didn't want to take a chance.
The concrete blocks are a little red neck, but I had them laying around so why not. Here's the cabin from the outside.
Here's some inside shots, pardon the mess in there we have to give it a really good cleaning out next week.
I still have to close in the soffit areas, but I really need to think about how I want to do that and see if my scrap wood can get the job done. I can say that all the major work is now done and it's ready for winter. I did more foam sealing today and closed up a lot of little gaps here and there. It's been a long summer and I couldn't have done it without all the people helping me do the heavy lifting when I couldn't do it.
Thanks Kyle. I've actually had to fix a whole lot of redneck that was done in the original build. For instance, the original builder never had studs running up the gable walls. Several of the OSB sheathing joints just butted up against each other sealed only by spray foam. I changed the cuts and cut new sheathing so I could land center stud. My wife keeps reminding me "It's just a cabin" and she's right. I still do the best job I can do, but in the end it just needs to be solid, safe, and weatherproof.
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
It’s a place where cherished memories will be made!
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Being someone constantly accused of overbuilding, I say make it to last. You won't be sorry. If underbuilt, you will have regrets. I like what I see 
That's for sure Chris! She believes that too and loves it out there.
Being someone constantly accused of overbuilding, I say make it to last. You won't be sorry. If underbuilt, you will have regrets. I like what I see
There are quite a few things I wish were different, but at some point I had to draw a line or just build it new. Shawn and I were talking after we all got done working the day he came up and we believe it would have been easier to stick build a new structure correctly than it was to dismantle and rebuild working with what the previous builder did. It would have been way more expensive though. In the end I'm happy that we did the best we could with the money we had and the original cabin we had to work with. Another winter like it was and it would have been falling in and failing all over the place. In essence, we saved it and it will outlive me now. I'll always overbuild when I can. A lot of times its just extra lumber, time, and some better hardware.
This morning the shaving soap is slim pickings. I'm almost out of MW soap! So I dug deep and found Wild West Billy The Kid. My biggest beef with this soap is the tiny container it's in. I've contemplated putting it in something bigger. I got a really nice face lather which got me thinking I don't think I've used this soap since switching over to face lathering. I got a really great shave this morning with the Variant DE. The Wilkinson blade did a fine job. I was BBS / BBS+ without any irritation.
On the personal side, I needed 22 pallets to have enough wood to do the floor in the cabin loft. My pallet count stands at a solid 20 pallets as of last night. I scored 15 pallets in just about a week. I feel a little like I'm on the wants and warrants squad as I look down back alleys and behind buildings while on my daily travels. When I find some pallets out behind a building I just stop and ask the company and they always let me take what I want.
I also got the rare chance to work on something for me last night. My axe handles came in that I ordered so I got the trail axe mounted on its long handle and man is that thing nice and light - perfect to carry while out breaking a trail in the woods. I started mounting the hewing axe but ran out of time so it's half done. Half on I started playing with the hewing axe on a scrap 2x4 and man I love this tool! It's just one of those tools that I can see being something I use for a lifetime. I got the trail axe, hewing axe, and a blacksmithing hammer for only $15 on Ebay - great deal. The hewing axe looks old too as I could see it was folded and drifted traditionally. I can also see that there is a lot of high carbon steel left on the blade. I can just barely see the weld line where the high carbon steel was welded onto the mild steel head and I've almost an inch of steel left. As long as I take care of it and never chip the blade it should last my lifetime and that of another person. I love these old tools! Nothing is made that way anymore unless a modern blacksmith recreates it. When I get them mounted I'll post pictures.
On the personal side, I needed 22 pallets to have enough wood to do the floor in the cabin loft. My pallet count stands at a solid 20 pallets as of last night. I scored 15 pallets in just about a week. I feel a little like I'm on the wants and warrants squad as I look down back alleys and behind buildings while on my daily travels. When I find some pallets out behind a building I just stop and ask the company and they always let me take what I want.
I also got the rare chance to work on something for me last night. My axe handles came in that I ordered so I got the trail axe mounted on its long handle and man is that thing nice and light - perfect to carry while out breaking a trail in the woods. I started mounting the hewing axe but ran out of time so it's half done. Half on I started playing with the hewing axe on a scrap 2x4 and man I love this tool! It's just one of those tools that I can see being something I use for a lifetime. I got the trail axe, hewing axe, and a blacksmithing hammer for only $15 on Ebay - great deal. The hewing axe looks old too as I could see it was folded and drifted traditionally. I can also see that there is a lot of high carbon steel left on the blade. I can just barely see the weld line where the high carbon steel was welded onto the mild steel head and I've almost an inch of steel left. As long as I take care of it and never chip the blade it should last my lifetime and that of another person. I love these old tools! Nothing is made that way anymore unless a modern blacksmith recreates it. When I get them mounted I'll post pictures.
Mike, your cabin will be perfect for your plans. Very impressive.
I vote for black and gold. It's a classic look, IMO.
I vote for black and gold. It's a classic look, IMO.
Not quite up to Gimli's axe size requirements, but sufficient enough to grow a few more chest hairs while holding either axe.
Mike, your cabin will be perfect for your plans. Very impressive.
I vote for black and gold. It's a classic look, IMO.
Thanks Bruce! Not bad for a guy who had his hip replaced in March. I think all the hard work did the hip some good at times.
My vote would be for the Jolly Roger's Flag in blue and white flying over the cabin during man gatherings there
This morning I was digging deep in my little shaving den shelf, more like a wolverine digging, and I found some MW with enough soap in it to get a good lather. I've got more on my Christmas list, so no fear MW will be returning. So I pulled out the Lavender / Lime MW which Michelle confirmed has a bit of menthol in it. I thought "What the heck, let me make it a menthol morning." The last time I tried anything menthol it gave me the "slapped silly red face" but I think a guy has to revisit stuff every so often. I took out the Pacific Rush AS & lotion. I got a great shave with the Variant / Wilkinson combo and the menthol in the soap was just enough to feel cool and refreshing - no issues yet. I did my new WH rinse - felt great. Applied soap "sitting soap" to my face while I did clean-up, and rinsed with a great cool feeling still without irritation. I mixed Every Man Jack and the Pacific Rush AS lotion and put it on - still feeling great with no redness. Wow, no problem at all. Knowing the high alcohol content of PR AS, I just splashed some on the mammoth fur and called it good. BBS shave and a refreshing coolness afterwards. Niiiiice!
On the personal side, I saw this really rugged metal frame table on Craig's List for $12. Well, I'm prepping to buy a welder soon and was looking for a heavy duty table. Now I just need to find a metal top to attach to it and I'm golden. The guy was a little strange who sold it, but he said the thing was in his father's shop and then his and is 75 years old. I could tell he was feeling bad selling it so I told him it was going right into another shop, my blacksmith shop. I couldn't buy angle iron and make a table frame like this for $12, nor would it be as heavy as this one. I just need to take the cheap casters off it and get some lockable large casters to put on there.
I got the trail axe end sawed off and added Swel-lok to it so that it won't expand and contract with the humidity and weather changes. This stuff works great for my blacksmith hammers and axes. I slowly crept up on getting the hewing hatchet mounted. I wanted that thing perfect. I got it there and got the wedge glued and pounded in. As I was handling it though, the handle seemed too large for my liking and too slick for my liking. When a handle is too large and slick you have to grip it harder to control it in use which leads to more fatigue, so I put an octagon pattern on the handle from the midpoint back. I used my farrier's rasp to start the pattern and then took out my trusty Kershaw/Emerson knife to scrape the octagon in. A scraped handle to me is just the right texture. IMHO, when you sand a handle like that it's just too slippery. Now that handle feels great, like I could swing it all day. Tonight I'll trim the end with wedge and then apply some Danish oil to it for some protection. Then I'll Swel-lok it. Man I love old tools. I'll tell you Cadre, if you clean out your garages and barns don't throw away or scrap your old tools. Send them to me and they'll be used. They just don't make tools like these anymore.
On the personal side, I saw this really rugged metal frame table on Craig's List for $12. Well, I'm prepping to buy a welder soon and was looking for a heavy duty table. Now I just need to find a metal top to attach to it and I'm golden. The guy was a little strange who sold it, but he said the thing was in his father's shop and then his and is 75 years old. I could tell he was feeling bad selling it so I told him it was going right into another shop, my blacksmith shop. I couldn't buy angle iron and make a table frame like this for $12, nor would it be as heavy as this one. I just need to take the cheap casters off it and get some lockable large casters to put on there.
I got the trail axe end sawed off and added Swel-lok to it so that it won't expand and contract with the humidity and weather changes. This stuff works great for my blacksmith hammers and axes. I slowly crept up on getting the hewing hatchet mounted. I wanted that thing perfect. I got it there and got the wedge glued and pounded in. As I was handling it though, the handle seemed too large for my liking and too slick for my liking. When a handle is too large and slick you have to grip it harder to control it in use which leads to more fatigue, so I put an octagon pattern on the handle from the midpoint back. I used my farrier's rasp to start the pattern and then took out my trusty Kershaw/Emerson knife to scrape the octagon in. A scraped handle to me is just the right texture. IMHO, when you sand a handle like that it's just too slippery. Now that handle feels great, like I could swing it all day. Tonight I'll trim the end with wedge and then apply some Danish oil to it for some protection. Then I'll Swel-lok it. Man I love old tools. I'll tell you Cadre, if you clean out your garages and barns don't throw away or scrap your old tools. Send them to me and they'll be used. They just don't make tools like these anymore.
Brew
Shave Enthusiast
I have begun to wonder if there's some certification procedure required to chime in (do men "chime in"?) here? Not in any real concerned way, . . . just curious. lol
Oh heck no. We're one big peanut gallery!
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Mike and Chris @GearNoir keep talking turns holding any man cards we get stripped of.......