Monday, October 29, 2007

Don' mess with a woman who cooks! (shelves, pt. 2)


When my mom remodeled and expanded her home I made the plans. My drawings were used for the zoning hearing, they were used by the contractor and carpenters. I was careful, I was precise, and the results were what we expected. Well, as far as can be expected in a house that was more than 100 years old, and that had been expanded, room by room, by homeowners who were good farmers.

What is with the professionals who build these apartments??? The left side of the closet is nearly an inch more shallow than the right side, and the back wall isn't straight!

After composing my last entry I went back to the closet and got the first shelf in with much less effort than I had previously expended. That happens, sometimes, when I just let a project go for a while.

While getting it in place I temporarily removed the original shelf that was on top of it. (My technique for getting the shelves into the closet involved removing all three shelves, stacking them, inserting them into the closet vertically then dropping them into position. While maneuvering around the existing shelf supports.) I knew I should replace the shelf, but I was having a hard enough time maneuvering one shelf, much less three stacked shelves.

Success! I got the first new shelf into position. Almost. I didn't worry about it too much as I wanted to make sure I could get the second (lower) shelf into position. I knew that I might have to lift the first shelf to drop the second shelf into place. I did. It went.

I returned to the first shelf. The right side fit just fine -- there was room to spare in front -- so why wouldn't the left side drop into position??? Because that side measures an inch less from front to back than the right side. Huh??? Didn't they measure? How did they put the front wall on?

Since I was really close to having my shelves in positions, and since it had taken a lot more effort than I anticipated, I was unwilling to remove the shelf and ask someone to trim it again, especially since it fit just fine on the right side.

I have a lot of tools but I don't have a rasp. I do, however, have a very expensive stainless steel microplane that I never remember to use when I'm zesting citrus. It did the job.

I had just one shelf left...an original shelf that I had moved up one position. I should have replaced it before I finished the other two, but I didn't. It was also cut badly. I don't know how they got it close to the wall on three sides in the first place; there is now a triangular gap in the back on the left, where it won't snug against the wall. Oh, well, that won't matter with what I plan to put there.

The shelves are in. I'm going to watch some TV before I start replacing the contents.

[Apparently I don't have a photo of all three shelves in place but empty. I'm not going to empty the closet to shoot one!]

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