On the beam

As long as the front section of the beam was getting fixed. . . .

At this point Monday, Ref and Brantley were putting new blades in the planer, having encountered a few leftover nailheads in the beam beyond the staircase. Those little episodes of metal on metal made pretty sparks but ugly planing.

"I figure this is going to cost us a week -- meaning five days," Ref said. But, he didn't have to add, if you're going to make sure one part gets done right, you might as well go whole hog.

"This floor has 99 crowns," he griped at one point. A good carpenter checks every long board for a crown -- a natural bow in the wood -- and makes sure they line up, up. Failing that, get the plane out. Then check your work with the long level, scooting it and looking for a smooth slide. As Ref says, "The straightedge doesn't lie."

● ● ●

In the plus column, at this point: When Denny walked in this morning, he knew he had a golden shot at some under-house conduit, so he rearranged his schedule to get that going -- and called the HVAC guy to let him know he had the same opportunity for coolant lines.