Back to Harmony, a Quick Stop, Finishing a Project and Surprise
The drive back from upstate New York was easy, sunny and open. I got back mid afternoon on Friday. There was a moment that surprised me, as I drove in to Harmony. It suddenly felt different. A bit removed, detached or just different. While is had only been 5 days, it was shocking how different it felt.
The first stop was at The Center of Harmony, my event venue. Most of the businesses had closed for the day and the lot was empty. That was convenient that I could park close to my woodshop. This stop turned out to be a very productive and fortuitous one.
The Big Surprise: Lifetime Membership Honor
“We put a huge rubberband on his back”, those were Bob McCafferty’s words about my requested appearance. I was overwhelmed and filled with gratitude for the honor of being inducted into the North Country Brewing Company‘s Lifetime Mug Club membership. I wasn’t planning on being in town for the annual mug club party. However they told me I needed to be here and I rearranged my trip. It was absolutely the right thing to do and there was no question about being here today.
Bob McCafferty has done so much for the community in the state. He is active politically and socially. Bob and Jodi truly care about the community and are always active within it. I truly had no idea what to expect, just that I needed to be there. I am grateful for all the years of friendship, working with Bob and enjoying an occasional beer as well. Congratulations also to JD Longo and Rob Adams for their induction. There are so many good people in our community, doing great things for those around us. It is truly an honor to be inducted and a member of this fine group.
A Sliding Drawer Build, for storage and convenience
This was one of the best things I’ve done for the trip. Easy access to your gear and stored food is paramount when you’re traveling extensively. I had planned to finish this bill before I left, but ran out of time. Even with limited time, I was able to complete this build in under five hours.
The 5 foot, 500 pound drawer slides came from Amazon. I had 3/4 inch cabinet grade plywood sitting around at the shop. So all the materials were on hand and it was simply a matter of building it. There were a few items to take into account. Primarily the size of the tote in the heights of the inside of the Tonneau cover. With that information, the build began .
I started with the inside drawer to hold the totes. Enough room was left for the slides and clearance on the bottom when I began building the outside shell. The construction was simple enough and I was able to do it by myself. However, mounting the inside drawer with the slides attached, to the frame required to people. My son came out and help me with that final part.
Everything came together smoothly, with the exception of one major functional issue. That issue was tipping. The system worked fine when it was not loaded. Once it was loaded, the whole box would tip when fully extended. It needed to be secured at the front end to avoid that. I didn’t want to drill into the bed of the truck and had to come up with a different solution.
The Solution for the Tipping Issue
The build for the locking sliding drawer in storage system was great. However, if you watch the last video you know I had a problem. It was tipping when the drawers were fully extended and loaded.
Using the trucks tiedowns, I stretched a ratchet strap across the top. Since the front corners were beveled to account for the bed frame, they initially slid off and didn’t work as needed. To accommodate this, I screwed two small blocks down to the top of the frame securing the straps in place. It was a simple and very effective solution. No more tipping!
