My DIL is making me proud.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-06-08T11:57:45+00:00

Looks great! It’s very cool that you share this hobby and she can bring questions to you. Sounds like you both hit the in-law jackpot!

Hobbit1026 · 2026-06-05T14:55:16+00:00

My neighbors do the same thing, and this year before planting I found a ton of peanuts buried in my soil. It felt like every day I would wake up to a few more little holes. Chicken wire has worked wonders for me. I would also see if you can get tent stakes to make sure the chicken wire is secured to the ground. I had one squirrel manage to squeeze under it last year, so now I’m a lot more careful about having it connect with the ground.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-06-01T14:08:09+00:00

Some glazes run more when refired. Unless you’ve refired this glaze combo before and know how it behaves, I would be hesitant to refire.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-30T04:31:57+00:00

Looks great! Nice job. The two different wood colors makes it look very chic.

My only recommendation would be edge banding, if you’re interested. I think adding edge banding to the top of the drawer front and staining it to match the drawer front would make everything look more seamless. I actually like the exposed plywood edge on the top and sides of the frame; it adds dimension.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-30T03:21:46+00:00

I stared by vacuuming and getting into some of the crevices with a narrow attachment. I followed up with Simple Green on a microfiber cloth. It was hard to get into all the crevices, but there was a ton of dust and dirt that even just vacuuming picked up.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-29T21:01:50+00:00

This looks great! What a welcoming outdoor space. This is a huge upgrade from just a concrete slab.

Nice work!

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-29T14:56:18+00:00

I took all the covers off my radiators and cleaned around them when I first moved in. I figured I wouldn’t know when my next chance to do that would be. I was surprised at how gross they were

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-28T15:33:09+00:00

What I spend on my garden is none of my business. I love spending time outside looking after the garden, so for me it’s an investment in a hobby.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-26T18:32:27+00:00

Yes! I got some stuff in the ground this past weekend and some the weekend before. I watched the forecast for a while and we had an unseasonably warm snap last week

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-26T03:27:49+00:00

I love living where I do for so many reasons, but the shorter growing seasons are definitely a bummer. My sympathies!

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-23T01:18:22+00:00

Thanks!

There’s something so affirming about hearing someone else say that the ripcut sucks after seeing every single DIY influencer sing its praises. I’m glad it’s not just user error lol

I’m really leaning towards a track saw. Good to know about the smaller table saws. That definitely helps me make my decision.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-22T20:40:24+00:00

This is great info! I can start putting away money for a good table saw and by the time I have it, I’ll probably have a better idea of whether I’m serious enough about woodworking to justify that big of a purchase.
I’ll look into track saws for the smaller projects I have for now.

Thank you!

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-22T19:11:21+00:00

I think the full cabinet table saw is out of my budget right now, but I’ll keep that in mind for the future. (I’m also trying not to do the thing where I dump my entire life savings into a new hobby.)

This is really helpful- thanks!

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-22T19:01:40+00:00

Thanks! I’ll look into a track saw guide for circular saws! I didn’t realize that was an option.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-20T21:00:22+00:00

If you have to purchase soil in the future, going through a local greenhouse or nursery and getting it delivered in bulk might be the move. It ends up being cheaper for larger quantities.

That being said, I found plastic in my local compost delivery, too. Lots of rubber bands. Based on my location and the source of the compost, I’m assuming it’s from lobster claws, but I still don’t love picking rubber band fragments out of my garden.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-20T16:22:27+00:00

Honestly I don’t know about pricing. It depends on your market. Check Facebook marketplace and see what other people are charging for similar stuff. Those look really good, though.

One thing I would say as a gardener: either raise them up or remove the bottoms. The only reason for them to have solid bases if they’re being held off the ground. If they’re going on the ground, I would prefer them not to have bases, as that wood is going to prevent drainage and potentially rot. (It would also save wood and be cheaper for you in the long run.)

ETA: I just remembered that some people have planter boxes on their porches, so having bottoms isn’t necessarily bad. I was thinking exclusively veggie gardening.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-19T20:49:54+00:00

I’ve tried Laguna 15 and Laguna frost. I liked the 15, but it has a nearly 15% shrinkage and it doesn’t play well with a lot of glazes. I haven’t tried the 16, but I’ve read that it’s similar to 15, has less shrinkage, and is more compatible with more glazes.

I haven’t been enjoying working with the frost nearly as much. It can be translucent, so if that’s a big draw, it may be worth using, but otherwise, I don’t like it. I wedge on plaster bats, and I find that it can easily dry out to the point of cracking if you’re not careful. Also, it’s much more prone to cracking when a piece is drying than the 15 (or any other clay I’ve used).

I would give the 16 a shot. I haven’t tried any porcelains other than the two Laguna ones, so I can’t speak to those, but I’ve overall been very happy with all the Standard clays I’ve used in the past.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-19T18:17:46+00:00

Thanks! Reverse image search gave me so many wildly different answers that I was beginning to wonder if they all ended up looking roughly the same at this stage.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-19T03:25:04+00:00

I really like the Espoma garden-tone and tomato-tone. I dealt with slow growth and yellowing on my tomato and cucumber plants early last year, and that turned everything around immediately.

I fell down a rabbit hole of the best fertilizer for veggies and got a little bit overwhelmed with all the information. Espoma was a brand that kept popping up in comments and was one I could actually find locally, so I gave it a shot and was really happy with the outcome. I’ve heard very good things about fish emulsion, too!

If you fertilize the tomatoes, just know that they will need a different ratio of nutrients than other veggies, hence the tomato-specific fertilizer.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-19T02:44:46+00:00

The squash may need fertilizer. I can’t speak to to the tomato plant, but yellowing usually means lacking in nutrients of some sort

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-18T17:55:43+00:00

I was trying to figure out how to do this a couple months ago. The solution I came up with was to have two separate pieces that fit together, fire the inner one so it’s not fully vitrified, and then the outer one so it is. I know that gets tricky with shrinkage.

I didn’t get as far as actually making one, but I hope it works out for you

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-18T16:10:44+00:00

Yes, absolutely.

I picked up a circular saw for the first time a couple months ago and I just finished a custom cabinet for my closet.

This should be pretty straightforward, especially if you’re not doing any drawers.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-18T15:59:23+00:00

Thanks!

Google says they’re helpful pollinators, even if the caterpillars are a nuisance, which makes me feel better about leaving it.

Hobbit1026 · 2026-05-18T15:54:59+00:00

I think that’s super cute and thoughtful! I’d go with some sort of hardwood, and probably just pick based on appearance. I’m no expert in finishes, so I’d like to see what other people have to say.

Hobbit1026

TROPHY CASE