Booth Elevation

So many little projects get swallowed by the larger more glamorous ones that I just have to share this quickie. Remember, there are no small parts, only small actors. I was told that in high school and I still don't think it's right. It's supposed to tell you not to get down on yourself because your part is not the starring role, and that you can still shine in a support position, but something about the logic is incomplete, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Stupid high school drama teachers and their cliches. To the point, in carpentry, there are no small cuts. Every cut is important and if you become imprecise somewhere, the error will carry throughout your project and can only get bigger and worse. So make your cuts the right way every time and you'll keep building on a great base. Case in point...

I need to cover the water pump, the Whisper King will not be whispering to me at night, or he will get thrown out the window while doing 8o on the highway. So I need to muffle his already quiet murmuring by building a pretty little box around the fresh water tank.


The problem is that when I build the box above the water pump and water tank, the top of that box will be above the base of the booth, where the booth cushions rest and then the cushions sort of bow upwards and look stupid. This irritates me, so at the behest of my good friend Aggravation, I elevated the frame the booth cushions rest upon to the height of the top of the box I will build over the water tank and pump. Small thankless task maybe, but now the booth isn't so high when we sit on the seats and also the carpentry in the front will be more appealing to the eye and the cushions won't bow out all stupid like they do.


Pretty simple really. Just wanted to document this one, since so many similar projects just get swallowed in the general plow-ahead-ness of the trailer restoration.


Opposite side of the water tank from the water pump. This is where the old water pump went. We'll call that one Old Rusty. Or Old Noisy. Or Old Sit In My Yard And Get Rained On.


Simply beautiful. 1"x2" lengths of poplar. I like working with poplar. It's very dense, strong, yet incredibly light.


And now you can see how the tops of the planks the booth cushions rest upon will be flush with the box that will rest upon the water tank and cover the water pump. A good two hours devoted to unbowing a cushion and/or making more appealing lines to the eye.


It's pennies that add up to dollars. Or some other cliche like that. I cannot think of one as cheesy as the one I learned in high school. Why can't I forget stuff like that instead of forgetting the stuff I was supposed to learn?