I’m not sure if I already posted these pictures since I’ve been back but if I have then just don’t look at em’ again…lol.
Here’s one of the first projects I did when I took my Breaktime hiatus. I actually got tons of work done vs. BS’ing on the puter…lol.
All the materials are left-overs from building/renovating my house.
The 5/4 mahogany stiles and rails were from my porch material..the 1/4″ luan was from who remembers what..lol…the poplar was from some doors I made.
The slide show works the best… http://picasaweb.google.com/andybuildz/TrickedMyTruckOut
Replies
Nice!
when I took my Breaktime hiatus.
How did you manage to get away from here? I've been trying to do that for over a year without success. ;-)
Nice looking job. Is that the liquor cabinet?
How did you manage to get away from here? I've been trying to do that for over a year without success. ;-)
Nice looking job. Is that the liquor cabinet?
I can't do it in moderation...it's either all or nuthin'. The story of my life..lol.
Liquor cabinet? ...nah...I just keep my bricks of weed in there...lol
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
I can't do it in moderation...it's either all or nuthin'. The story of my life..lol.
So, recognizing that tendency, we have the choice of succumbing to its influence or putting it to use, as we would with any specialized tool.
Reminds me of my first year of serious spiritual study and practices. Many people thought I was a little nuts but it was a time of real growth for me, so I didn't care much what impression others got.
I was very glad to have found a path that fit my intellect and my independent spirit.
Now there's a good reasoning lever to put between me and my message board habits. Use the same energy and time to renew the spirit...
Thanks Andy.
I was very glad to have found a path that fit my intellect and my independent spirit.<<
More people should subscribe to that practice. Key word being independent.
All too many people care more about what others think even if they won't admit that...even to themselves. It's really not an easy thing to do. Actually...most simple things are harder to do then one might think.
Meditation was the tool that taught me that....speaking of spirituality. Before I started my practice I used to think how hokey it was...how simple it seemed....until I tried it, and tried it, and tried it...failing miserably until I realized my failures were telling me something....which at that very moment became my success'. The simple practice of shutting your thoughts down and paying attention to nothing more than your breath is a true art unto itself. It takes you....well takes me anyway to the highest form I could ever go and I've gone pretty high in my day...lol. Its amazing to find out how much we clutter our senses up and then just keep tripping over everything. Maybe a good segue to my tricked out truck thread...lol. Maybe that's one of the reasons I did the truck that way...just the material part of an on going process.
And my liquor cabinet? LOL...Funny you should have said that...maybe that really is what it is in a sort of unconscious/conscious way.
All of the above was the way I quit drinking without the help of AA..instead I used the T.A.P program....much more suited to me....getting back to your "independent spirit" line...
TAP= The Andy Program : )~
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
regarding your truck project; I believe that we owe it to ourselves to use all our talents and acquired skills for our own benefit, whether we get to keep the end product or we only take away the inner rewards.
Having some tangible evidence of how far we have come in our craft as well as in our spiritual lives can be important to our self esteem, at times when other aspects of life aren't quite so rosey.
Please forgive my "liquor cabinet" remark. I'd forgotten that you've had to overcome that.
Please forgive my "liquor cabinet" remark. I'd forgotten that you've had to overcome that.
Forgive it??? It was PERFECT!!! LOL. Fit in like a glove...actually made me think even a bit more.
regarding your truck project; I believe that we owe it to ourselves to use all our talents and acquired skills for our own benefit, whether we get to keep the end product or we only take away the inner rewards.
Yep.... Owning the project/product is fun for awhile but the process is what it's really all about. Most people have little to no idea what we builders go through. All they see is the surface of what's there.
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I could work on a house for a dozen years and if it burned to the ground I wouldn't mourn the house...but rather the fact that someone else might not be able to enjoy my efforts..
Building is more than learning how to put up 2x4's but more about attitude and I'm really sorry to say that that concept is slipping away more and more every day. Actually I wrote an editorial piece for FHB that they actually paid me for a few years ago but never used that was all about that. "The Zen of Building" or something like that.
It's about relating building as the foundation being your foundation to the structure, right up to the roof under the sky. It should be a total reflection of who you are and you should be able to see a mirror image in your work of who you are today and all the imperfections that need work.
Unfortunately those ideals are quickly becoming lost in the way we are as a society today. Its more about surface surface surface.
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
I too see many parallels between the process of building a house and the process of building a new life. Feels right in my heart as well.
Makes me feel lazy.
excellent workk.
It's not too late, it's never too late.
So you're a van man.
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Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
Tip o' the hat to you!
But you fergot the shag carpeting :)
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But you fergot the shag carpeting :)
Funny you should say that..brings back the memory of fixing up the inside of my first van..before i was a carp. Used shag carpeting on the ceiling. All the threads hung down like a gypsy-mobile...which I reckon it kinda was...lol
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
I gotta say... you are a pretty talented guy.
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
I gotta say... you are a pretty talented guy.
Thanks Pete...appreciate it...just don't look too close or ask how long it took..lol.
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
OK!! Man that looks great !
Now please post us a picture of the truck you use for work cuz it certainly can't be that one.
Can you believe it still looks good a year later? I'm shocked. The cabs actually help me keep it neat and clean b/c I don't wanna f'm up...lol.
Oh and check my bumber sticker...lol
Took these pic two minutes ago : )~
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http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
Edited 8/31/2008 4:10 pm ET by andybuildz
Andy-Nice job on the van, Bro. I actually really enjoy the projects like that for myself, no money, of course, but it's all about the crafting and the self fulfillment, enjoyment. Someday will post pics of my Chevy van.The shag carpet reminds me of one of Danny Akroyd's SNL skits involving reference to the 'plush chamber' LOL!
Thanks..yeh..it IS fun doing something for yourself once in a blue moon.
Actually one of the things that inspired me was wanting to use my new router bit set that I got at half price. Was kinda pizzed when I started. I realized for these BIG bits you need a router/table with the opening bigger then whats on most routers. I was sooooooooo pizzed! I did rig something up to make it work obviously but wasn't nearly as easy had I bought regular bits...grrrrrrrrr.
http://www.infinitytools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=00%2D911
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
Needs a rice cooker. :)
Looks good bro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sbqIyeed4g&feature=related
I love it!! On a slightly differant note:
http://www.newsregister.com/article/20389-big-pot-grows-raided I used to live 10 mi. north/west from the town mentioned in the article. ,
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
WOW...yeh...I see articles like that all the time all over the country. The laws are pretty antiquated. Think of all the taxes the gov't could collect making it legal although the bretheran of the BAR probably arent as inclined to leagalize it. They make out too.
Man...that picture kinda makes me drool... Wouldn't mind a nice fattie bout' now..lol. Haven't smoked much as of late but every once in a blue moon it's a nice break : )~~
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
That made think of this songhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar-Ws6PAeLI"They dug and burned and burned and dug........"
TFB (Bill)
Andy- that looks great. I have pictures in my mind on what I want to do with my van.
All I need now is the time, the materials, the energy... LOL
Well I had that in my mind for a long time and then I finished the house...and left Breaktime...that'll do it right there...lol.
Course most people..including Katrina thought it was nuts to do but F'm...right?
Most "guys" said it'll be destroyed within a cpl of months but that's one of the reasons I built them. Helps me keep things well thought out back there. Makes me have a bit more respect for how I keep my tools now..not that I don't still throw things into individual spackle buckets...but not nearly as much...at all!
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y
Man when you open those doors it smells like a skunk! :)
Andy - nice rig!. My truck toolbox is just over a year old this month - and a lot of people thought I was nuts for building it (including me - I was beginning to wonder, anyway).
I use this setup every day, and I love it. In fact, I'm lost without it. It has paid off for time invested a thousand times over. Toolbox power!
One surprise, 'tho. I thought clients would be impressed, but nah, they walk right by like its something anyone can go down to Home Depot and buy.
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View ImageView Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Huck...me too. I thought it might be just an example for my customers to show how much i care but same as you..they don't even blink when they see it and they can tell it's not something I could have really bought. They don't even get that far in thinking about it. All in all we're glad that we did it : )
Funny thing was..it actually took me awhile to actually get used to using it. I still kept throwing tools in spackle buckets and had absolutly nothing in the cabs..lol.
Now they're pretty full and it's real nice now that I'm used to using them. All I have to do is remember which cabs I put what in. Thats next..lol.
I built it so that I can take the face frame off if I ever get rid of the van...not that I'd ever take the cabs with me...but maybe <shrug>
I bought the van new in 95 and don't even have 50K miles on it so I'm guessing I might die without ever buying another truck : (
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
http://www.ramdass.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhvpNuVN4Y