It ain't easy being an elf

[guitar man]

It's 2am and I'm still sawing , hammering ,gluing and screwing away. ( no not that kind of screwing :( )

I'm building a combination big ass toybox/ train layout board for my daughter...gawd, I don't think I'm ever going to finish this thing :(

[PBS Poll-435]

1. That thing is going to rawk!

Looks great so far! And you have 21:38 hrs until Christmas!



:-)





I think it is awesome.

[guitar man]

2. Thanks

I need all the encouragement I can get. I just can't wait to see her little face when she runs in and sees Thomas going round his track :)

[AllenVanAllen]

3. Keep up the great work!

She's gonna' love it! :hi:

[guitar man]

4. Thanks

:hi:

[guitar man]

5. Ugh

4 hours and I'm back up and at 'em :crazy:

[KittyWampus]

6. stained or painted?

[guitar man]

7. Stained

I have some nice cherry stain I'm going to use on it. I found some really nice dark green heavy felt at hobby lobby to do the top with, it will make nice "grass" for the countryside :)

[guitar man]

8. Starting to see the light

At the end of the tunnel :)

[guitar man]

9. 3 hours 15 minutes until christmas

Finished staining, all that is left to do is put the felt on top and set up the Thomas train set. I think I'm gonna make it :D

[KittyWampus]

10. Well, since the fumes from the stain are probably making you light-headed I'm going to try

and push you over the edge by suggesting you find some sweet little trim to put around the top edge. ;)

[guitar man]

11. Good suggestion

I'm thinking I'll add some later. Can't get out tonight, we are under a blizzard warning here, snowed in :(

[guitar man]

12. Yippee!!

Finally finished it! Now I'm going to bed

Merry Christmas everybody :)

[Haole Girl]

13. Looks great!!

I'm sure your daughter will love it! :-)

[guitar man]

19. Thanks

:hi:

[AllenVanAllen]

14. Excellent!

Merry Christmas!

[guitar man]

20. Thanks

Merry Christmas :)

[KittyWampus]

16. That is gorgeous. She is a lucky daughter and you are an awesome Dad!

[guitar man]

21. Thanks

Merry Christmas :)

[Frosty1]

15. Wow

Nice Job!

Merry Christmas to you and your family

[guitar man]

22. Thanks

Merry Christmas to you and yours too :)

[gmoney]

17. Not to be morbid, but don't forget air holes...

She and/or her friends WILL get inside it. The lid WILL close.

Maybe instead of the solid panels on all four sides, have one of them be cargo net or something that would keep toys in, but could be easily removed if a kid was inside it so they could get out?

Again, sorry for pointing out the risk, but the time to think of these things is BEFORE it happens.

It does look like quite a project, and I'm sure she'll be thrilled.

[guitar man]

18. Thank you

You're right that not enough people think safety when building things.

As far as air holes go, my lack of carpentry skills has left plenty of gaps for air to get in :rofl:

also, when the lid is up there are two padlocks that lock it open so the lid cannot fall. The rule is that the lid is only to be opened or closed by me or her mother (or another adult) .

Merry Christmas :)

[guitar man]

23. And the best part of all

:)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. Good for you, my dear guitar man!

She will have it, and play with it for many years...and give it to her children!

It will always be a wonderful and warm memory for her...

Congrats on your excellent job!

Merry Christmas!

:hug:

:yourock:

[guitar man]

25. Thanks peggy

Merry Christmas :)

[KittyWampus]

26. Aw, I only have fur-babies so thanks for sharing. You gotta cover the staples with trim

[guitar man]

27. I agree

It's going to get some trim around the edge. I want the Gordon express set and it has a 22" track radius which will put it close to the edge so the trim will give it a safety lip to keep him from taking a floor dive if he derails :)