Forming the sub-counter (and fungi).

8/20/19

(Above: This is the form for the sub-counter. The only question is… what is wrong with this picture?)

Building Summary: Today I began by taking measurements and preparing to craft the sub-counter’s form. Padre stopped by near the beginning for about one minute but in doing so, aided me greatly in the process (more in commentary). This was ensued by much measuring, marking, wrapping boards with plastic wrap / tape, and fastening those boards onto the chosen ¾” plywood sheet. I finished off the morning by caulking the corners of the counter’s intended surface, and then by making the discovery described in the TIL section just below.

(7:56 PM Update 🙂 Collected materials for making the next form tomorrow (something that may occur as the first counter dries) along with an old, rusty trowel I will be using to finish the sub-counter’s surface.

TIL: When making an angled concrete countertop form for the pour-n-flip strategy, one must reverse the angle to account for the flip.

Commentary: Early this morning, I was originally going to cut the plywood base of the sub-counter frame to the exact dimensions so I would automatically know where to set up the 2x4s along the edges (the sides of the form). Fortunately, Padre stopped me before I got into all that and proposed that I simply drew lines instead and set 2×4’s along those lines – a method where I needed only to measure the length of all sides rather than collect angles and cut accordingly*. This sped up the process considerably and added much ease to the morning.

The only misfortune I met with was the mentioned mistake above. I was not happy when I found out I had not accounted for the flip-reversal of the sub-counter’s angle. Actually, I would say I was downright disappointed. I thought I had wasted an entire morning’s worth of effort. But then the mental cogs got to spinning, and I began to wonder… Was it really a waste?

I learned that if I wanted to make a super-smooth surface, I would use bag plastic instead of plastic-wrap (something I will most certainly use on the large counter), and I also found that if I desired to, I could simply attach a piece of ¾” plywood to the top side of the frame, unfasten the bottom piece of ¾” plywood, and flip the whole thing over to create an actually viable pour-n-flip form. Padre, also gave me some input when I returned home. I could simply pour as is and use a trowel / flattening board to finish the surface the good old-fashioned way. Ever-willing to accept new learning when the opportunity arises, I agreed with the proposal.

A giant funnel mushroom found in a pasture west of Jacobhouse. — **Bonus Image:** Attempting to establish some form of scale, I placed my sunglasses on this giant funnel mushroom (Leucopaxillus giganteus). *Instead, I merely established that the ‘shroom was a fun-guy.* Really, though… this marvelous specimen was much larger around than a human skull.

Final Note: Tomorrow, in spite of the mistake mentioned above, I will be spraying the sub-counter form with WD-40, mixing some mortar, and pouring it into the sub-counter. To account for today’s mistake, I will be using a trowel and leveling board to create a surface of equitable smoothness to an infant’s buttocks*.

* After having collected the definite measurements of the three non-angular pieces, I was able to simply measure the span between the front ends of the short and long sides to determine the definite length of the final ‘angle’-piece.

**Reference to a certain comment made by Padre earlier today.

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