All in the Top Thirteen - It was Git-R-Done Day in Cali.

Congratulations to Matt Kenseth for a great victory in the DeWalt Power Tools Ford.

2nd - Jimmie Johnson - 170/0
4th - Kasey Kahne - 165/5
6th - Jamie McMurray - 150/0
12th - Danny Hamlin - 127/0
13th - Jeff Gordon - 129/5

Total - 751 points.

I could have kept Junior in instead of Jeff Gordon - who would have guessed?

California - the Auto Club 500

I ripped on JJ in an earlier post for crashing the field so many times last year, but last week's Daytona victory - despite a suspended crew chief - along with many trips to Lowe's setting up my garage - have converted me to a Jimmie Johnson fan. I have decided to base all of my future home improvement shopping on races. I realize this is ridiculous, but I have totally succumbed to the power of NASCAR marketing. If Tony Stewart finishes ahead of Jimmie Johnson, then I'm back to shopping at Home Depot.

Here are my picks for the Auto Club 500 in Fontana:

Jimmie Johnson
Jeff Gordon
Jamie McMurray
Kasey Kahne
and rookie Denny Hamlin (Hey, if Joe Gibbs is confident enough to stick him in a race car, who am I to doubt him? Gibbs races to win.)

The first three should prove to be rock solid picks - they have all done well at intermediate tracks. Kasey Kahne is a sleeper, and looks good in the roster for the future also, so it could be a good time to pick him up before he gets expensive, and Denny Hamlin is worth a shot, considering the other guys in his price range haven't fared real well in Fontana in the past.

My only reservation was dumping Jr., but he has never finished well on this track, and doesn't really shine on any intermediate tracks, so even though I wish him well, and will fly his flag, I expect him to be cheaper after the race, and maybe I can pick him up again.

And the maple is in.

AFter receiving the maple for the back and sides I read some luthier's notes that recommend buying the neck of the same maple, which I neglected to do, but will do the next time.

Workshop in Progress

I thought it was time to put up an updated shot of the workshop as the clutter struggles to regain control of the garage. . .

The first cut is the deepest.

After a 9 month gestation period, the clamping holes are finally drilled (used the Wolfcraft portable drill press, which was a drag with big spade bits - a big drill press would have been really handy, but I couldn't justify that cost) and I began cutting the outline of the form. Here is the plywood mold after the first cut. It is true.

Scroll Station Nation

From the first cut, I fell in love with this great tool. The Dremel Scroll Station 1800 is the newest addition to Mandinavia. I used it to make a daunting curved cut in stacked plywood. Set up was easy and the cut was smooth and absolutely perpendicular. Some said a bandsaw was the right tool for this, but I couldn't keep my bandsaw blade from popping off of the wheel when I torqued it around the bend.

ESPN fantasy league problems

24 hours after the 500 and I still can't get the ESPN site to allow me to access my lineup. I was glad to see Junior in the top ten. I think my score would have been much better if Jamie McMurray had hung in - he was doing really great and stayed right up front bor much of the race, and I expect great things from him in the future. I will post my score here as soon as I can access the ESPN site.

Twelve Days to Daytona 500

I have my preliminary picks: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon Jamie McMurray, Junior, and Sterling Marlin. . . all good restrictor plate racers. Will Jimmie Johnson crash half the field? Or will he only take out Junior? This time last year I was at Daytona watching the IROC cars during speedweeks.

Progress

Notice that the shoplights are up - two flourescent strips with an incandescent globe between them should give me good combination lighting. The color is pretty good. Also, the pegboard is up, with the outlets positioned properly this time (that was a good two hour setback). Most importantly, the workbench is built. It turned out great - sturdier than I expected even without being bolted to the wall - although I may decide to drop the height just a little.

Mandinavia before the Great Reformation

Here is the garage with the gravel floor, mostly cleared out, but still plenty of debris. The place was a warzone, really. It took half a day to clear it out, and most of the boxes and totes are still in my mudroom, being organized for the migration back.

Mandinavia - a small country in Tiffin Ohio. (Population: 1; Primary Exports: sawdust, empty Fresca cans.)

I'm making the necessary preparations for the 2006 Daytona 500 - just 17 more days.
I had the new cement floor poured in the garage, installed shop lights and electric outlets (SIX on one wall!) and the pegboard went up earlier this week. But when I went to put the covers on I realized I need to move the boxes out about 1/4" to get a good fit for the faceplate. I cut out my workbench and will begin assembling it this weekend if I can make time. I picked up the bigger size Mr. Heater at TSC, and it works great. I connected it to my grill tank, which I placed outside and connected to the heater with a hose through the wall. On a cold night it warms the garage up nicely at medium setting. High is too hot - after about 3 hours, I had to turn it down from Med to Lo.

I decided to make the bench 8 feet long and 33" deep. I think it will be 40" tall. Also, I will have a sitting bench that will be shorter and only 5' feet long, but also 33" deep. After that I plan to add an assembly table. I'm still waffling on a finish. I don't care for the plastic-ness of polyurethane, and I'm thinking of Danish Oil or something like that. . . any ideas?

Once the workbench is up, then I'll have a place for the coffee maker and the TV so I can watch the race in the garage. . .