Grandpa's wood handles

As I think I've mentioned, I recently returned from Everett, where I was with the rest of my family. My grandpa decided to move to one of those assisted-living-type places, so he was dividing up his ''extra'' stuff among his kids and grandkids.

I took a few snapshots -- most of which I **won't** bore you with (probably of personal significance only). But, here's a few.

One of the things I always liked about my grandpa's place is how he customized it with shelves and handholds, where-ever he felt they were needed. The top photo is at the top of the stairs, going down to the basement.

The other two shots are of additional hand-holds, going up the same stairs. The extra length of the wooden rod in the photo to the left is functional: it's actually well-placed. The unusual spacing is probably due to locating the brackets over the wall studs. Either that, or he installed it, then discovered that he could really use another half-foot or so, and swapped out the rod. Not sure; I'll have to ask him.

If you compare the first and third photo with the middle photo, you'll notice that the handle in the middle photo just has a simple stain or oil finish, whereas the first and third are green. Items around the house can be ''dated'' to different periods. I think the green ones are older -- in part, because that's the color of a boat and some other things he made way back.

The photo below is of a towel rack behind the bathroom door. Like most of his work, not fancy -- but sturdy, and well-made. (And typically using economical scraps, rather than ruining a long board.)


More in the next entry.


--GG