Tuesday, January 26, 2016

The last at last

I finally got around to editing and completing the video series on the essential oil cabinet that I made for my son for Christmas.  Lightworks is still a bit of a chore and will be for a while yet, but it is not locking up and being frustrating like Windows Movie Maker was.  I still have a long way to go, but it is fun learning.

My son liked the cabinet and most people who have laid eyes on it do to.  It was a big complex job and I find that shooting video while working makes it go almost twice as long.  I still have some video of other things to edit down, but I am catching up fast.  There has not been a lot of activity in the shop.  A few little projects done and waiting for editing though.

This turned out to be a series of longish videos.  I didn't start out to make it an opus.  I really thought at the start that it would be two or three short ones.  It grew.



I am not sure what goes over better, the long ones or the short ones.  I like doing both, so I guess there will not be any rule about how long they will be.  I am just out here by the river, trying to get by, and shooting some video as I go.  Thanks for watching and as always....

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

Snow

That is just about the only thing I have been dealing with for the last week.  I have had the snowblower out every day and today it is still snowing.  Just doing our driveway and the paths can tucker a guy out.  I do a bit extra so Lil' Lee has a place to run around and guard the place against marauding squirrels.  She is always curious about what they are up to.

The lady across the street from me had a bit of a time with her snow blower, so I did her driveway once for her.  The neighbour behind me backed out of his driveway and got his truck stuck as soon as he got on the road, so a few of us got him dug back into his driveway.  Also, another neighbour is recovering from heart surgery, so there is no way he can do his, so I go over and clear his driveway and deck.  I have a new pass time I guess.  One that I really didn't want.  At least not to this extent.  I move snow, and the rest of the time is recovery....lol.

I do have footage to edit.  I will have to get around to editing that soon.  The last part of the essential oil cabinet has to be made.  I want to get more comfortable with this new video editing software first.  I have a few other bits too, but not much.  I have not had much in the way of shop time due to the weather.  I did get a bit more ceiling insulated, and got some footage of that.  It will be coming out eventually.

I have been watching Lightworks tutorial videos and trying to get comfortable with it.  I figured it was about time I put something up, so I went and shot this today and put it together.  More as an exercise as anything else.  This is one powerful program and will do more than I will ever need.  It is also pretty complex, so I will play some more with it and get some more video together as I go.

So, what was I up to today?



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Monday, January 18, 2016

That brown truck came again

A while ago I redeemed some of my points at the "Be The Pro" forum and this is opening the package.  Just a short one, using Lightworks as an editor for the first time.  It may be more software than I need, but over time I am sure I will get used to it.  I struggle with learning software and I relied a lot on the instructional videos that Lightworks has on it's sight.  I had to view things 3 or 4 times before it sunk in.  Movie Maker was nice and easy to use but without support from Microsoft I had to find something that works.

Microsoft sucks!



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Saturday, January 16, 2016

Another video, despite Microsoft

Well, I have come to the conclusion that the biggest thing Mac computers have going for them is Windows 10.  I am not pleased at all with the intrusiveness I had to take off of it (there are several web sites that tell you how to stop Microsoft from gleaning so much personal information about you), and I am really not happy with how it handles uploading photos and video, but most of all.....Windows Movie Maker has fallen by the wayside.  They now have "Live Essentials 2012" which is supposed to have a newer, compatible version of Movie Maker, but it freezes up constantly on my computer.  I was with Microsoft Support 3 times trying to get it to work right.  Using live chat and going to the point of allowing them remote access to my computer.  The third time I got told that Movie Maker is no longer supported and they will not do anything for me.  Here is a screen shot of part of the discussion with the support person telling me it is no longer compatible.



I don't know how many times and hours it took to edit the first seven minutes of the video.  But it was extremely frustrating.  Of course, support suggested I could go to the "app store" and purchase something else from Microsoft.  Well, I already had something from Microsoft, and it worked up until my upgrade to Windows 10, and now they mess it up so they can sell you something?  Not likely.

I have downloaded a new editor.  A free version of a program called Lightworks.  It was suggested to me by Jason Beams, another You Tuber and a friend from a live IRC chat that I know.  I hear it has a steep learning curve, so it may be a while before I am comfortable with it.  I guess Microsoft does not, or can not, want to compete with the Mac computers which are supposed to be so easy to make videos on programs built right in.  Too bad, the average person had a handy little program and Microsoft took it away.  Just another case of the big guy deciding on what the average person wants without even asking or paying attention.

In other news, we got pretty much dug out from the weather.  I am still aching.  Yet somehow I managed to install a bit more insulation in the ceiling of the shop.  I got the vapour barrier up too and a part sheet of the same siding I put on the exterior of the shop up too.  It isn't painted yet.  That will need warmer weather.  I have lots of video to edit on that.

Well, I guess I will put the results of my battle with Movie Maker.  I did finally get the new video all done despite freeze ups.  I am using an older version that I downloaded and struggled through it.  It took most of the day.  So, I hope you enjoy the video, the fourth part of "A Board of Cherry" in which I am building the essential oil cabinet for my son's Christmas present.  This is turning out to be some sort of opus, but it turned out to be a labour of love and I really got into it.



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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Another Bosch tool from BTP

I redeemed some more points at the Be The Pro forum and yesterday that brown truck pulled up to my door and dropped this off.


I did a short video on unpacking it and it is sitting waiting to be edited, along with the essential oil rack videos.  Snow is here and I am totally worn out from using the snow blower, both here and at a few neighbours who need a bit of a hand right now.  Not much for shop time lately.  I do have another bundle of insulation for the ceiling, and today I bought the vapour barrier, and the sheeting is sitting there too.  I don't think I will be able to pull the sheet in the house to paint before I put it up.  I have a few projects to get on but like I said.  I am just plumb wore out.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Winter is here!

Lake effect flurries and snow squalls today.  I still have some video on the essential oil cabinet to edit, but there may be a bit of a pause in the action coming up!


Sunday, January 10, 2016

New shop tour video and a surprise

As I promised, I made a new shop tour video to show the changes made to the shop.  With the addition of the new mitre saw, I figured it would be a good time to make things fit a bit better and free up some room.  All of the previous few "shop" videos were to accomplish this.  Of course some compromises had to be made, but overall I am happy with the new layout.  Oh, I am sure things will move again as I go along, but for now my comfy work space has become more so.

I still have to finish editing the "Board of Cherry" series making the essential oil cabinet for my son.  Then I am not sure what will happen.  I have some projects in mind but I have to source some material.  Highest on the priority list is a new coffee table for Sally for her birthday coming up.  I don't think it will be built in time for her birthday but she knows that is what she is getting as we talked about it.

So, enjoy the new tour of the shop, and the surprise I had delivered to me that day.



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Thursday, January 07, 2016

Another 2 videos

I must be in the mood to edit.  I completed the video on the table for the mitre saw, and while that was uploading I did one on reusing the casters that came off the table saw.  I am looking forward to relaxing from doing all that and more today.

I edited 2 videos, shot the new shop tour with a special surprise in it, and I even managed to fire up the barbique and cook up some steaks.  A good day for the first week in January.

So, any way, here are the new videos:






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Wednesday, January 06, 2016

New Wheels

In order to make the table saw move in the directions I need it to, I need casters on all 4 corners.  I am not a fan of this arrangement, it gives less control than having 2 wheels fixed.  But I have to make compromises in order to get the shop arranged (or rearranged) the way I want it.

 So, starting with getting the Bosch saw, and needing a place to put it, began a series of events that lead to the whole shop changing.  This is just one of the events along that path.



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Tuesday, January 05, 2016

The shop is rearranged!

Well, I really thought it would only take a day, but took the better part of the week.  Making a spot for the Bosch Mitre saw.  It is odd how taking apart one small part of the shop will eat up all the room you have in there.  I bet I moved some things a dozen times or more.  I have to edit some video of the process yet.  I didn't take much because everything takes twice as long when you are recording it.  I also plan on doing another shop tour video as so much has changed.

I built a big table for the mitre saw, tall enough for the table saw to park under.  That frees up a lot of room in the shop.  I built it from lumber that came from a demolished building that used to be roof trusses.  They sat on the ground for another couple of years, keeping the firewood off the ground.  So they are well used.  Once I got it built, I put the saw and drill press on it and I was none too fond of the way it looked.






Today, I put a couple of strips of 3/8" siding on it that was left over from doing the outside of the shop.  Then I found some bits of spruce to wrap the edge, doing mitred corners and the table looks much nicer.



It's odd that one always thinks something can be done in a couple of hours and it ends up taking days.  I thought today I would get the last bits done and it was 4 hours before I was happy with it.  There were some compromises along the way, but the shop looks neat and tidy and organized.  Finally!  I am taking a bit of a rest now and will likely edit some video and get it up in the next couple of days.  I will also shoot the shop tour.  I have no idea of what the next project will be, but I am sure there will be one soon.  

I have someone interested in buying the old mitre saw and I hope that goes through.  I will use that money to buy some more insulation and get a bit more of that done.  I also have to apply for the electrical permit and get that work started.  I also have more video to edit on the essential oil cabinet and get that posted.  I think there will be 2 more on that with the amount of footage I have to go through.  So stay tuned, this journey has a long way to go yet.

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Friday, January 01, 2016

Happy New Year

I spent the day today editing and posting another instalment on the Essential oil cabinet.  That ate up most of the day.  It also took about an hour and a half to upload to You Tube.  Windows Movie Maker is having a time with freezing up too, causing a bit more work than it should.  I may be on a search for free movie editing software soon if this keeps up.  It worked fine in Win 7 and started having problems when I upgraded to Win 10.

My new years eve was unexpectedly eventful.  Even though I went to bed before midnight.  I was watching one of the channels I subscribe to on You Tube and my name was announced as a winner for a router plane.  I really need one.  Matthew Morris, of MM Wood Studio got a new router plane for Christmas and decided to give his old ones away.  I sent him an email and was selected.  He wanted for it to go to a place where it would be used.  It will be well used here.

So, on to part 3 of A board of Cherry.  Designing on the fly and making changes as I go to make it fit the picture I have in my head.  There will be at least one more video on this build.....maybe 2.



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