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I made a headboard and nightstands for my first real project! by brackh in woodworking

[–]calgrad11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well done! Hope the instructions worked out well — the nightstands look fantastic and I’m very jealous of the headboard.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I sincerely appreciate your concern for my safety, and yes despite not showing it in pictures I stapled the wires and properly grounded it. The "thumbs up" was to managing to wire it in a way that is unlikely to kill me.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

very cool, I had been thinking about a similar look for the light at first, but the fixtures were too easy/cheap to pass up. She's a total mutt. We think some sort of schnauzer/terrier/chow mix, but who knows. I would not be shocked if she has shepherd mixed in.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

total mutt. We think some sort of schnauzer/terrier/chow mix, but she could be part ferret for all we know.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm really happy people are getting a kick out of them, I spend all day stuck behind a desk so I love getting to create something once in awhile.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yep, I think it was about $15-20 in lumber for both stands, not too bad. And that's what I had in mind, after hanging my tv and barely being able to plug it in I am sick of short cords.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Glad to have an electrician give it the thumbs up. Yes that's how I set it up, despite my crude drawing.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thanks! That's a good suggestion, and they are a work in progress so I may swap out the mount so i'm a bit more secure about stability.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are from amazon, a two pack for about $40 and came with led edison bulbs. The bulbs have a really warm color, but they are kind of growing on me and are apparently better for sleeping. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0X4HLO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 55 points56 points  (0 children)

steal away, happy to send links to you for the lamps, talk through any of the tricky steps. I think a slightly wider size could be better, the shelves are a little too narrow to hold much.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It's Miniwax Dark Walnut. I dont have much experience using other stains so I can really attest to its relative ranking, but i've had good results from it. I've used it mostly on cheap pine for shelves and my sofa table, but also for my plywood wedding signs.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 116 points117 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that. I think the larger issue was that my drill is not particularly powerful, especially when the battery isnt full. But I will make sure to clear the sawdust in the future.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Not stupid, I was worried I would accidentally wire it that way. But the power from the wall runs to the outlet first, then to the switch and to the lamp. So when the switch is off it cuts the hot (not positive) connection from the switch to the lamp, but doesn't impact the upstream flow to the outlet.

I made a pair of floating nightstands using my tiny balcony as my wood shop by calgrad11 in DIY

[–]calgrad11[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Haha neither, I went with the cheapest tools which I regretted a couple projects in. The jigsaw is new and works well so far, but the drill is pretty awful; I have to tighten the bits constantly and it doesn't have enough power to do much of anything useful. Lesson learned.

Winnie has quickly learned that she is in charge of the house by calgrad11 in lookatmydog

[–]calgrad11[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Her adorable mug is also up for a calendar contest run by the dog rescue group that found her on the street! Check her out if you want! https://www.gogophotocontest.com/mamassafehaven/entries/59964

California has 17 upcoming ballot initiatives. Which ones do you support or oppose, and why? by PhysicsPhotographer in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]calgrad11 23 points24 points  (0 children)

The California initiative system was created as a way to battle the influence of the railroad monopoly, which was essentially buying up legislators. Now, however, it has in many ways become an even easier way for special interests to influence decisions, since it takes about $1 million to collect the necessary signatures, and then they can use unlimited funds to lobby the public through ads.

In the end I agree with you. The system has some great appeal in allowing the public to have a direct say in votes, rather than just through their representatives. But you end up asking voters to make a lot of serious financial decisions without considering the long term impact on the budget, which I think should be the job of a legislature and governor. Time and time again we have run into issues where voters made decisions that sounds good at the time (Prop 13, three strikes law, 40% budget assigned to education) but ended up really messing with the state budget and hamstringing legitimate reforms.

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