Day 2554 Right, said Fred

11th August 2024

It was a no work day, well not in the garage, I had a job to do at Kelli’s mums house. 

Last week we moved a sofa up the stairs, but I had to cut the legs off, today I had to fit them back on.

During the week I was trying to find a safe way of squaring them off, but each one was tapered with very little flat area, so I abandoned that idea.

It just so happened that we had four old short legs that we salvaged from another piece. They were much easier to cut square. I fixed a four inch square wooden plate on the top which I intended to screw to the base of the sofa.

I took up an assortment of tools including my oscillating saw.

It was just as well as I needed to cut and level the remaining stubs where the legs were.

I started up the saw, almost immediately I knew this was not as simple as I thought. The timber used in the frame was ash so it was bloody hard.

The saw started well, but soon clouds of smoke arose from the cut. I had visions of the sofa catching fire with no easy way of putting it out, as the bathroom was down stairs. After more cutting, and a lot more burning I got through the first leg. I had to wait until it cooled down before I could fit the first new leg. 

It took a while, and a lot of effort to level off all remaining stubs. All around there were chunks of blackened ash, the pungent smell circulated downstairs causing a bit of panic, but as no fire truck were needed, I repositioned the sofa in its place and called it a success, now it was time for ice cream and a rest.

That didn’t last long, Matt now wanted help with getting an armchair upstairs.

I stood back, I didn’t want a repeat of the sofa debacle.

I took my measurement stick measured the doorway then went back to check it against the chair.

“ It isn’t going to fit Matt “ I said showing him the amount of  interference.

“Man not again” he said despondently.

“I’m not cutting the legs of this” I was quite firm on that.

I looked at the chair, it was one that reclined, so there was a metal structure inside.

By removing two bolts one complete side could be removed, then it could get up the narrow doorway, but that was for another day.

 But that was not all, the lady I refinished the record play for wanted me to refinish a cherry coffee table, so she brought it round in the evening, that will be fun to do.