Book Reviews, Thoughts, and Random Interesting Ideas

Rock Polishing Hobby Bench Part 2 – The Light!

July 13, 2021 by Bill Stuart Leave a Comment

You recall my post about my rock polishing hobby workbench, where I built the wall I needed. Today’s post is about the light fixture I built to shine light on my projects. Read on for the details!

The building of the light fixture:

I like the look of some of the industrial fixtures I’ve seen, so I decided to make my light from metal piping and paint it black. Here are the fittings I started with:

I had to work out the dimensions before I bought the piping, how the fixture would mount to the wall, and where the wires had to end to ensure I could get power to the lights. I also wanted to have the fixture wired to a switch to make it easy to turn on and off. All of that went into the design. I assembled it, wired each socket, and ran the wires for power.

After getting it assembled and the wires pulled, I wired it temporarily in my garage so I could test it. Guess what? It worked!

I mounted it to a 2X4 so I could paint it. It kept the fixture upright so I could get all sides of it painted. I also made sure to put tape over the sockets to keep paint out of them. I think it turned out nicely.

Installation:

Mounting it on the wall was a little awkward given the length of it, but I used a couple of 2X4s to hold it at approximately the height I wanted, then loosely screwed it into the studs on one end and in the middle. I ran the wires through the wall and then tightened everything and removed the 2X4 supports.

When I had the electricians wire the wall, I asked them to put a wire from the switch to a junction box for me to connect the fixture. I made sure I turned off the breaker (safety first!) before I wired it. I pulled the fixtures wires into the junction box and connected them to the power wire the electricians left me. Once I had it wired and the junction box cover installed, I closed the breaker and flipped the switch and there was light!

The finished product:

I added some Edison light bulbs in keeping with the steampunk-inspired industrial look, and left the air ducts, AC coolant lines, and joists exposed to add to the look. I like the way it turned out and it gives me 300 watts of light over the workbench. Seems like a lot, but since the workbench will be ten feet long, a lot of light is needed.

The finished light fixture mounted to the wall

What do you think? Connect with me on social media and let me know. I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest. You can also email me at bill@williamlstuart.com.

The Vulture in Fall by Bekah Clark – My Review!!

June 24, 2021 by Bill Stuart Leave a Comment

I reached the end of the Rise of the Hawk series by Bekah Clark when I read The Vulture in Fall. Here are my thoughts on the fourth and final book!

The Vulture in Fall by Bekah Clark, Cover

Synopsis (from the author):

Trelaren’s influence has spread across Aemonsha, leaving chaos and destruction in his path. Maevan must rise to the challenge of running a kingdom and vanquishing the dangerous threats assisted only by Torrell.

While Maevan fights for all of Aemonsha, Granada is struggling to rule Cardea and protect the Frozen Fortress. With the enemy fast approaching Granada believes she can either be a great leader OR a woman in love; can Sol convince her she can be both?

As Korla and Renna arrive at the Summer Palace, so does the news of Aemonsha and Trelaren’s army. Coran and Meirei are forced to decide whether to flee the Summer Palace or stay and fight; even if it means risking their unborn child.

Will Maevan fulfill her destiny by becoming the queen her mother would be proud of and vanquishing Trelaren, or will she succumb to the dangerously powerful telepath altering Aemonsha forever?

**What I liked about The Vulture in Fall:**

I enjoyed the finale. There was enough action to keep me interested and the intrigue surrounding Trelaren’s treachery added a lot to the story. The relationships that grew throughout the series all resolved at the end (though I won’t say how), and the outcome of Maevan’s battle with Trelaren was satisfying. Overall, the book had excellent characters, good action, and was a good story.

**What I didn’t like about The Vulture in Fall:**

My only complaint about the book was that it focused more on the romance and personalities than it did on the resolution of the underlying conflict. Not enough for me to take away a star, though.

**Overall impression of The Vulture in Fall:**

The Vulture in Fall (Rise of the Hawk #4) was a satisfying end to a great series. If you like fantasy with a healthy dose of romance, The Vulture in Fall, along with the first three books of the Rise of the Hawk series will fit the bill!

My rating:

5 Stars

Connect with Bekah Clark:

Find Bekah Clark on her Amazon Author Page, her Goodreads page, or her website. Stop by and check out all of her books, including The Vulture in Fall. Buy a few and don’t forget to leave a review when you finish!

Connect with me:

Find me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or Pinterest and let’s connect!

Rock Polishing Hobby Bench Part 1 – The Wall

June 7, 2021 by Bill Stuart Leave a Comment

As my readers know, I enjoy many different hobbies and interests. Writing my books, reading and reviewing other authors, submarines, gold prospecting, and, of course, rockhounding and hunting for gemstones are among them. As I’ve accumulated rocks, I need a place to work on them. If you’ve read the blog for any length of time, you’ll recall my post about my rock polishing toys. I decided to build a workbench in my basement to accommodate all of them, plus a little room for more toys. In order to do that, I started with the wall!

Before the Wall:

My basement is partially finished, so I decided to use a portion of the unfinished basement for my rock hobby area. Here is a picture of the unfinished wall I started with:

Wall Construction:

I had to sheetrock the wall, which was a new skill for me. You can see from the picture above that I used a strip of wood to hold the upper sheets in place (since I was doing it myself) while I screwed it to the studs. Worked great!

Getting the lower sheets done was a lot easier and before long, I was ready for tape and mud! I’m glad I did some research about staggering the joints.

Here is the finished wall! I decided to paint it white to reflect as much light as possible. Since I don’t have any windows on that side of the basement, natural light wasn’t an option.

Electrical:

Of course, I had to have power for the equipment. I contracted that part out. I probably could have done it since I have a background (from many years ago) as an electronics tech and a maintenance electrician, but it has been too many years to be up to speed on the electrical code. I laid out where I wanted the outlets, though, and had them installed at four feet above the floor. That way I didn’t have to crawl under the workbench every time I had to plug in a toy. I also made sure I had plenty of outlets on a dedicated circuit. I even made sure to include the GFCI outlet since the toys require water and water and electricity don’t play well together. It pays to plan ahead!

This was only the first step in the project. The next step will be the light fixture. I won’t give away much about it, but it gives me the light I wanted (plus it looks cool)! Stay tuned for it!

Connect with me:

Find me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or Pinterest and let’s connect!

The Peacock in Summer – My Review!!

May 17, 2021 by Bill Stuart Leave a Comment

Here’s my review for the third installment of Bekah Clark’s fantasy series Rise of the Hawk. I enjoyed the first two books, so read on for my thoughts on The Peacock in Summer!

The Peacock in Summer by Bekah Clark Cover