Shopping With Mal

I'm building a thing called a Moxon vise.

It's basically a really big and powerful extra hand you can use to hold your wood while you're shaping it.

I was stupid enough to decide to build it out of hickory. Or maybe it's pecan...lumber yards treat them interchangeably.

They make baseball bats out of the same stuff. This wood is ridiculously hard and difficult to work which is probably why it's so beautiful if it's worked well.

I know it's good exercise, but my back really regrets the decision to tackle it.

I have the basic shape in place. I'm in the process of shaving the main parts from 1.75 inches thick to a measly 1.5 inches.

I looked it up. The power tools to do this sort of thing start at $3000. They're really heavy, and they take up a lot more room than a little hand-plane cabinet would.

I'm not sure the few hundred dollars I've spent in this direction, along with all the blood and sweat (no tears yet) that I've poured into this really tiny piece of the puzzle, were a better choice.

They feel better to me. I'm getting exercise and activating creative parts of my brain. And I've learned more about wood than I ever imagined there was to know when I was mangling it using power tools. I could wax poetic.

Laura assures me that the hand tools are basically silent, even though she's rightfully concerned about how much it's costing us for me to get started on this new project.

And none of that matters for the point at hand.

I wanted to buy a couple of things on Saturday. I wanted a little can for dispensing oil. And I wanted a couple of carriage bolts so I can screw in some tabs to make that vise sit flush with my work table.

I invited Mal to come along. His first reaction was some nonsense from a video. I was shocked to discover that he meant "Yes."

Home Depot didn't have oil cans that I could find.

I did ask.

Mal really hated their Halloween display. He doesn't understand why people enjoy anything that's scary.

He fixated on 

1. a Mickey/Minnie Mouse display, where there's a witch running from Ooogie-Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas and 
2. a really creepy clown in a giant jack-in-the-box display.
   

We walked past them a couple of times before he decided that was enough. 

I tried to explain that it helps to laugh at things that seem scary when you know they can't really hurt you. He doesn't seem get the distinction.

Just before we left, Mal decided that he was tired and that his mask hurt.

Hey, I found the carriage screws and matching wing nuts.

We moved on to Harbor Freight.

I know their products are not exactly top-notch. But their website claimed they have something that resembles an oil can for $4, if you go to the physical store. I also thought about buying another set of files plus a light while I was picking up that oil can.

The one employee I could find thought they might be in the automotive aisle, assuming they sell such a ridiculous item.

While I hunted, Mal decided that it would be fun to run around in different aisles.

Until it wasn't. He tried to tell me that he couldn't find me, but I didn't hear him. He got pretty upset by that.

They didn't have an oil can either. I wound up buying a vintage one from ebay for $5.

 Later, I thanked Mal for going with me. His company had made it much more enjoyable.

He told me not so much.

Laura explained that his love language is disdain.