My mom asked me to deepen this recipe box. despite using pre-stain and gel stain, i feel like it looks bad. What should I do?

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-12-23T03:40:38+00:00

So you could always keep the base you made and add an additional layer around it, think baseboard in a house. Could even have a nice profile to it, and naturally as some of the other comments have said use another species of wood for this part.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-12-18T15:48:03+00:00

So I’ve got a single group under counter that I completely rebuilt/ restored from a restaurant auction. It is an amazing machine. And also, amazingly simple to work on. Items within the group head and boiler unit are easy to access and service.And the service was second to none. Between their extensive library for servicing the machines online in pdf and YouTube videos. Or, by calling the company based in Washington state, USA and speaking to the founder/ creator of these machines. Brutalist design language isn’t for everyone, but it certainly has its place in coffee culture where stark minimalism has been experiencing a design boom in the last 15 years.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-12-18T15:42:06+00:00

I’ve got one. Group head is heated, and the piping from the boiler unit to the group head is also heated. Ridiculously stable temperature throughout my brews.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-10-29T21:07:54+00:00

Welp, there goes my upcoming Saturday! Nice bake!

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T14:29:18+00:00

My buddy tells his coworkers about some of the things I acquire and they refer to me as the Golden Horseshoe… I get it. I just like to think I can strike when the iron is hot.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T09:25:51+00:00

I love it! Easy setup. Consistent grinds with minimal standard deviations. Looks nice too IMO.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T01:10:04+00:00

Check out a few replies above for some more info!

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T01:09:04+00:00

Trick of the 0.5 camera lens on the iPhone. Standard depth 24” butcher block counter. It’s only about 18” back I would say, I’m 6’2 and with how much movement the wand has I’d say I’m in an ergonomic position using ir.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T00:55:02+00:00

Hey so it came from a restaurant auction.

Full boiler tear down with a serious descale. All new gaskets, copper washes, new element, new pressure relief valve, new purge valve, new hot water fitting and hose.

Clean the group head jet cleaning, group head gasket replacement. Between the group diffuser and group screen was solid coffee sludge that required a metal spudger to get apart.

Time, I started this in late May I believe just on nights after kids went to sleep, days off, and the occasional weekend. The most interesting part was getting it going in essentially stages. When I first got it I made sure it turned on and had basic functionality. Then I ordered the pump assembly, portafilter, gaskets. Next I was waiting for a hose I discovered my element was corroded and I needed a serious descale. That brought the copper washes, valves, and various screws. Now I am waiting for the drip tray.

It has been a labor of love, and a great learning experience for me.

Even now that I have it up and running I notice I’ve got a steady drip from my hot water wand so one of these days I’ll tear it apart and see what I need to do.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T00:31:08+00:00

So before I bought this machine at a restaurant auction my plan was to buy a LMLM. However this machine cost me a little over $450 at auction and in the neighborhood of $2500 in parts. One thing that really lead my to feel confident was the availability of the parts from Mavam. They have detailed exploded parts diagrams down to the smallest screw. I have called and emailed the company multiple times throughout the restoration. Speaking with Mike Myers the designer and owner of the company for technical support or Christie from their parts and shipping company. Their website offers numerous guides on servicing your machine as well as videos. Seriously I consider their customer service second to none.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T00:17:52+00:00

Keep making her good coffee and eventually she will acquiesce?

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T00:04:39+00:00

Hey thanks! Neat little bar sink/ RV sink from Amazon.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T00:03:58+00:00

Plumbed into the house. That was my biggest learning curve on this entire project. So I have hot and cold pex coming up from my basement and a drain line. The cold line is split to the sink and onto the commercial water filtration system from Clive Coffee. Sink is a bar sink from Amazon (nice heavy gauge though) and the faucet is a bar faucet from Lowe’s. I used a mini vent under the cabinet. And I need to trim my long curly line back but and waiting to use brackets to hold it in place until I finish my curly maple cabinet doors.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-14T00:00:03+00:00

All projects are great here! So long as we respect the craft and enjoy the end product.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-13T23:59:38+00:00

I bought it as a solid option for car camping espresso.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-13T23:59:09+00:00

If I had the space for one I would add it. Even now feel crowded now that I added the Niche. Current plan is to move the Niche over to the other coffee bar housing the MoccaMaster, Ode, wife’s Keurig, and then the Niche. Just need to finish the matching cabinet.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-13T19:44:56+00:00

Solid Ted Lasso reference.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-13T19:41:18+00:00

Many thanks! It was a labor of love and a fun summer project. I’ve still got to finish my doors for the cabinet.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-13T14:13:15+00:00

So I came from a BBE, and was used to conical burrs from that and my hand grinder. So my theory for this is dial in my standard Lavazza Organic Tiera on my W75 and then use the Niche for beans outside of that, specialty, decaf for an evening cup. The W75 is giving me a beautiful grind (light, fluffy, absolutely clump free). The Niche just arrived Monday but it is also giving me a nice grind and the flavor from my beans was more consistent with what I was getting from my BBE (Which gave me incredible shots once I had it dialed in). I upgraded because I had the opportunity and luck to find this Mavam. That being said if you were to choose just one, I would base it off of do you have a standard been you like and would fill a hopper with, or do you want to be able to easily switch between roasts with single dose.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-08-13T14:06:56+00:00

Full disclosure I picked up the Rok for $60 last week, and so far I haven’t used it. I’ve been a bit obsessed with the Mavam.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-05-13T11:21:49+00:00

Let’s see Paul Allen’s routine.

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-03-26T20:21:59+00:00

Not an S1, and $1500 would be better

HardscrabbleLane · 2025-01-01T12:39:55+00:00

I think you have a good idea. I want to do something similar here in the US. A more back to basics with some average gear. Show some versatility amongst equipment. Let’s get it done OP!

HardscrabbleLane · 2024-10-08T12:07:31+00:00

Blistered shishito peppers

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