Table box with my little helper

So for my first four day weekend (i.e. not working on a computer), my project was to make us a nice kitchen table and benches. We had only one little plastic table and if you glanced it with a foot or knee your drink or food would end up all over the table. It was quite frustrating. Berry was very adamant about getting a table up there as soon as possible.

I wanted something sturdy that would last for a long time. I sketched out a few ideas and started in promptly at the crack of noon last Thursday. They had a drill and some screws and I figured I would bust it out in a day or two. Well, that did not happen. The screws they had were flat head screws and if you use the drill you end up with nice gouges in your wood (which our table has a few).

Luckily Lisa made a trip to Sodimac (think Home Depot or Lowes) and brought back some 3 inch phillips head screws just in time for me to work on the legs of the table. I quickly found out that the drill has only one speed. Fast, super fast. It stripped the head of the screw in less than five seconds, even when I pre-drilled the hole. I looked around for regular screw drivers. None to be found. Tools have a tendency to get misplaced around the campo. For the legs I screwed in the 3 inch screws by hand with my Leatherman that I got for Christmas. I finished the table after a long day, but it was done and we drove it up to the hill house. My forearms were aching. At the end of the day, I was missing my DeWalt 18 Volt Multi Speed Drill more than a tall MaiBock at The Terminal.

The next day we get up and visit some of the neighbors around the farm. It’s a nice little walk in the rain and we get to see where some people that we’ve met live. After lunch I start on the benches and looked a little bit harder for any screwdrivers. No luck. I get about half way done before it’s time for dinner. I leave it with just the legs and support to do the next day. After a few hours of twisting the screws in and a little bit of compromising on my table/bench plans, we had two great sturdy benches.

Below are a few more pictures of la mesa.