These Doug Fir brackets are non-structural and will be have a paint finish but the joints need to be glued and mechanically fastened without visible fasteners. The keyhole method was chosen. The screw was fastened to the piece with the end grain and the keyhole cut in the piece with long grain. The keyhole is created with a router bit in a router with a plunge base. Plunge in, travel to just beyond the end location, travel back to the plunge location and plunge out. Consistent layout is critical for tight fitting joints.

After the brackets are assembled it will be difficult to remember where fasteners were applied. Grainchek will provide a platform for documenting methods in a way that can be organized and shared with those that may need to know how things have been done.

Porter Cable’s 1 3/4 hp router is just the right size with a slow start, variable speed and plunge base, to create the radius parts for these Doug Fir brackets. Then the Rigid 3″ belt sander with P80 grit sandpaper takes away the bearing marks and cleans up where the router bit lifts the grain fuzz. The Makita 6″ random orbital sander has lost the dust collection bag but the work area is often outside or nearly outside. The Rigid belt sander leaves a rough finish that the Makita orbital with P100 grit sandpaper cleans up.

Grainchek will be a mobile app that provides a platform to collect samples of work performed with different tools, brands of tools, accessories, fasteners and methods. These work samples can then be shared with the manufacturers and retailers that make the tools available.

The design for these Doug Fir brackets required an Ogee profile applied at the base of each leg against the wall. The PDF drawing was loaded into TurbeCAD and adjusted to scale using a given dimension. Then all necessary dimensions that weren’t given were determined. The profiles for each element that would need to be cut out were traced with be a combination of lines and bezier curves at true scale. These patterns were then printed on paper, cut out and traced onto plywood.

When the plywood patterns are cleaned up and sanded they are clamped on the finished Fir pieces and a 3/4″ Amana router bit with a top bearing is used to transfer the pattern. Then an Amana router bit with a bottom bearing is used from the opposite side of the piece to complete the shape. The combined cutting depth of the two router bits was not enough for some of the profiles and a second pass with the top bearing was needed.

This sequence can end up being a lot of information to collect, organize and communicate to the folks doing the work the next time. Grainchek will be a platform that can be used for documenting processes in a way that can be edited, stored and shared.

Five Douglas Fir brackets need to be built per the intended design. The smallest one will be cut out using only a template. Two of the brackets include a piece with an inside radius shape of 3′ 6″ and an outside radius shape of 3′ 11″. The remaining two brackets include a piece with an inside radius of 9′ 0″ and an outside radius of 9′ 5″. A trammel was built for the router and the first pass resulted in the intended outcome.

The Grainchek app will provide a platform for documenting each of the steps taken and how much time was spent. Each pass with the router is documented so that it can be determined if a band saw cut might have been more productive. With a few router passes documented, the total time needed for the project can be projected.

A recent opportunity to read through the 99 cent walking guide of the small capital city of Augusta, Maine, began to open the world of analytical or critical review of architectural design. Aside from very poor editing the guide brought to attention the details and history of buildings that are passed regularly otherwise without notice. Descriptions of Norridgewock granite and the original budget for the Lithgow Public Library of $51,850 are combined with details of the lives of Francis Henry Fassett and Sebastian Spering Kresge to spur images of the great effort and persistence behind design, construction and operation of these built spaces that anchor the capital community.

The Grainchek mobile app is intended to be a versatile platform that can be used for documenting a similar personal or professional review of a building or community. A feed is created that documents each corner turned and angle observed. The moments and passing of time are recorded and then shared with those who can appreciate the details and experience.

Sherwin Williams Multi-Purpose latex primer notes that at 77 deg. F and 50% relative humidity my coated panels should dry to the touch in 30 minutes, ready to recoat in 1-4 hours. Now, when did I start painting? In the Grainchek app I will be able to look back through my daily feed of events and check when I started the different phases of work for the day. I’ll also be able to share the progress with the Sherwin Williams team and get project specific tips.

These shaker type stile and rail flat panels will be going in around a jet tub as a skirt surround. They need to be prepped to handle some moisture so I’m priming them on all edges to better seal the wood to minimize absorption and prolong the life of the wood and painted finish.

As we build the Grainchek mobile app a key component is the function of the feed. A feed needs to report to the user how many hours were spent on the tasks included. A feed has a time range, list of tasks it adds and possibly a list of sub-feeds to be included with the original. Each event in a stream should be counted in the feed only once if it falls within the time range and list of tasks for the feed. In the model above how many hours should the P1: F1 accumulate? What about P3: F4? Which feed should I look at to see how many hours were spent on break for the first day of P2?

In the Grainchek app we also need to be able to handle a data model similar to the one above. When a sub-feed is included within another feed, only events that are included in all time ranges should be accumulated. When a feed specifies tasks of a sub-feed, only those tasks are accumulated from the sub-feed. How many hours should P1: F3 accumulate? This user is using P2 only to accumulate other feeds.

These three windows allow direct morning sunlight into our kitchen over a run of upper cabinets. The post and beam framing of this portion of the house was much rougher, possibly originally for a shed type area? The new trim will need extension jambs to accommodate a variance between 3/4″ and 1 1/2″. I cut these wedge shaped pieces on the table saw using a simple sled: holding the cut lines on the edge of the sled and screwing into the back of the trim piece.

I’m a carpenter more than an app builder but I have a team that has come alongside me to build the Grainchek mobile app. It’s been a lot of fun to see the design come together! I look forward to tracking and sharing projects like this on the Grainchek platform.