Just love my grandkids!

With the end of summer looming, I made a visit to my logger family.  The county fair was over and the kids were excited about the sale of the pigs they'd raised, school had just started, the guinea hens that were just babies during my last visit, had grown and were now roaming the yard and woods around the house (and making a hell of a lot of noise!).  The new young chickens still weren't laying but they were hopeful for eggs soon - or the chicken dinner the lazy non-layers would become!  It was hot, but cooled down in the evening and you could feel fall coming on.  It was a wonderful time to visit.

Three kids, school, extracurricular things, dr's appointments, shopping, logging business stuff -  Logger daughter was back and forth to the BIG town (1 hr and 30 minutes away) like it was just down the street and around the corner.  

I was able to take in a high school volleyball game that logger granddaughter took part in, and my youngest logger grandson played in a travel ball baseball tournament.  And, we picnicked at a local winery.  Edenvale-it was such a nice place and the Cabernet was delish!

The rehab/remodel of their new home is somewhat at a standstill.  They have all been so busy that there's been no time to focus on the house.  But, logger daughter wanted to bring a bit more control to the boy's bedroom and really wanted them to have desks, with just a couple of drawers for "junk".  Once I finished them and had them set up in their room, the edict was "NOTHING BUT A LAMP AND AN ALARM CLOCK IS TO BE ON THE TEST TOP - OH, AND BOOKS WHEN YOU'RE STUDYING!"  She's really tired of their rat-packing ways.  

So, the desks.  I thought they should look like they were built to go with their beds.  Logger SIL, as usual, had plenty of boards for me to pick from!  This is a blessing and a challenge.  The boards are usually milled to real size - a 2x4 is really 2" x 4" instead of  1-1/2 x 3-1/2" like the boards I buy at the big box stores.  Measuring is the bane of my existence and I have to be more careful with these personally milled materials.

The drawer fronts were left natural, like the bed platforms, but we stained the basic structure of the desks a rich, dark brown.  

Varathane Early American   

Everything got a couple of coats of polyurethane - I searched for Minwax or Varathane poly, but none was to be found.  I bought a really, really expensive quart of water-based poly at the local ACE Hardware.  I can't remember what it was, it started with a C.  Worked great, but boy was it expensive at around $25 -I usually pay about $9.

Working at the Logger's home is more of a challenge for me.  Although Logger SIL has tools, they aren't mine and I'm not used to them.  Plus, at home my garage is my shop.  Their garage is still holding things they moved, and huge slabs of wood SIL milled.  (these slabs are being sold for table tops).  So, when I'm there, I pull the tools out of their garage and my shop is then out in the open.  In this case, I was in the sun.  

Pieces in the background are sitting on split logs - very useful to have around!

Testing drawer fit - in the sun.  

The end result is very similar to Camper Grandson's new desk (here).  But, these desks are regular desk height and have drawers, not just crates.  

Youngest grandson's desk

Oldest grandson's desk.  You can see a little peak of his bed frame.  He would rather sleep on the floor, so his bed is close to the ground.  Next time I'm there we're going to raise that bed about 8". 

The boys share a room that is like two rooms in one.  They each have their own side of the space, with their own closet.  I think the original house was added on to, and these extra large "dual" bedrooms are the result.  Very interesting set up. 

I like them, Logger daughter liked them, and the boys said they liked them.  I'm not sure they'll be able to keep the tops cleared!  Good luck with that, boys!

I'll bring the 2x4 stools up next time!