In another thread, I mentioned the possible use of marble or
granite as an inlay for a table or desk. That reminded me that
I'd built some planters of marble and perhaps they'll give you an
idea or two for your own home. The entry to our home was floored
with marble 12" tiles that had a grayish color with deep purple
and rust colored veins in it. I had saved several boxes of the
marble as a "just in case" for breaks or future projects, so when
we were planning a big wedding, I decided to make some planters
for artificial flower arrangements out of it, along with some
Carerra (sp?) tiles I bought. I think that the final count,
spread over around 8-9 rooms was something like 12 of the
rectangular (6" X 24" or 30") planters, plus the big dude for the
Ficus. The Melamine framework, or box, was actually adjusted in
size to minimize the need to cut the tiles. For instance, the
length would be 2-3 tiles or adjusted for any spacer or inlay.
Just lay your tile out on the workbench and then build the inside
box to fit.

The biggest planter was 30" on a side and housed a 15' Ficus tree
we'd grown in the great room. Since I had no ability to really
waterproof the box, I cut down a big ABS garbage can to the height
and forced it "square" into the top. It acted as a liner and
worked perfectly. As with all of the planters, the frame, or box,
was made of Melamine board, that was glued and screwed to make the
box. I also liked the looks of an inset, narrow base or reveal at
the bottom. The reveal was faced with black marble, while the
surface of the box was either the floor marble or the white
Carerra. The pieces were simply glued in place with no grout
line, using Liquid Nails. Masking tape held the tiles in place
until the glue set. Since my cut down garbage can liner left some
of the inside Melamine edge visible, I placed 12" black marble
tiles around the upper inside edge.

Trust me on this: a hurricane in the house would not have tipped
that Ficus tree over. grin

The cruciform planter seen below the table was intended to be a
centerpiece for on our dining room table, when not in use.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Nonny felt that it was too big- especially
loaded with artificial flowers- and had it moved to the location
below the table in the adjoining great room. It was pure luck,
but the large cruciform planter seemed to have been made for that
location and I got quite a few compliments from visitors on how
clever I was to build a planter for that location. grin

All the small planters were filled with florist foam, covered with
floral moss and then the flower stems inserted in the foam.

I'm sure that all of you have noticed the inexpensive diamond wet
saws sold at Lowe's and Home Depot. Back then, mine was the
Harbor Freight overhead tub saw. All of them are darned good and
a great addition to any shop. In the case of the older HF
overhead tub saw, the saw itself could be detached and with a
toothed blade made one of the handiest little panel saws you could
hope for. Cutting the marble or other tiles with a diamond bladed
wet saw is no different than using any contractor or cabinet saw
in your shop. You just need to remember that the material is
brittle and go slowly. Given a choice between the old overhead
tub saw and the Home Depot table saw for cutting tile, I really
have no preference for one over the other.

One thing I learned about the marble is that exposed cut edges can
be made to match two different ways. On the earliest planters, I
sanded the marble exposed, cut edges on the table sander, using an
OLD 120 grit belt, followed by my 3 X 21 belt sander with a 240
belt, then 800 grit wet/dry in the tub sink in the shop. That
gave it enough of a sheen to get by. Then, one day I was dreading
the nasty wet work when I had an inspiration: I did the 240 grit
to make it smooth, then PAINTED the exposed edge with clear
lacquer. It looked like I'd wet polished the marble for hours.
Some might view that as cheating, but I had no problem accepting
the fact I was lazy.

--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

Nonny wrote:
In another thread, I mentioned the possible use of marble or granite as
an inlay for a table or desk. That reminded me that I'd built some
planters of marble and perhaps they'll give you an idea or two for your
own home.


Beautiful work ... your home looks like a magazine ad.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

Nonny wrote:

Those look really nice and fit in well with the rest of the decor.



--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a disadvantage

Rob Leatham

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Nonny wrote:
In another thread, I mentioned the possible use of marble or
granite as an inlay for a table or desk. That reminded me that
I'd built some planters of marble and perhaps they'll give you
an idea or two for your own home.


Beautiful work ... your home looks like a magazine ad.

Thanks for the kind words. We loved the house, and had many good
memories of it.
--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

Nonny wrote:

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Nonny wrote:
In another thread, I mentioned the possible use of marble or granite
as an inlay for a table or desk. That reminded me that I'd built
some planters of marble and perhaps they'll give you an idea or two
for your own home.


Beautiful work ... your home looks like a magazine ad.

Thanks for the kind words. We loved the house, and had many good
memories of it.

Sorry about the past tense. We're reluctantly coming to grips with the
fact that the property taxes are just going to be too high to retire in
what we thought would be our last house, one we designed, built
ourselves, and most of the furniture in it.

In any event, your work is impressive and inspiring.

Merry Christmas to you and yours ...

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Nonny wrote:

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Nonny wrote:
In another thread, I mentioned the possible use of marble or
granite as an inlay for a table or desk. That reminded me
that I'd built some planters of marble and perhaps they'll
give you an idea or two for your own home.


Beautiful work ... your home looks like a magazine ad.

Thanks for the kind words. We loved the house, and had many
good memories of it.

Sorry about the past tense. We're reluctantly coming to grips
with the fact that the property taxes are just going to be too
high to retire in what we thought would be our last house, one
we designed, built ourselves, and most of the furniture in it.

In any event, your work is impressive and inspiring.

Merry Christmas to you and yours ...

--

Again, thanks for the words. In fact, the house was totally
destroyed by a fire that began outside the shop, in an adjoining
garage. Within about a half hour, it was a smoldering ruin. We
had good insurance and I had many documentary photographs, since I
came from a profession that had to deal with insurance matters for
borrowers. We knew that while we would have the insurance proceeds
to rebuild the home, what were we going to put on the shelves or
hang on the walls. If you have a library with around 4000 books,
what books do you buy to replace the burned ones?

We felt that the most simple and emotionally favorable solution
would be to simply NOT rebuild, but to sell the lot. We'd never
lived in the SW, so Las Vegas was a good candidate. We literally.
.. .literally. . . put every tangible thing we owned at the time
into half of a small U-haul trailer, hooked it to the new van (the
cars were burned in the garages) and pointed the nose west toward
the desert.

I enjoy writing, and now that I think about it, I think I'll write
a monograph about some of the insurance issues we faced with the
many things I'd built that were lost in the fire and how we worked
it out with State Farm. It just might help you or some of the
other good folk here in the newsgroup and r.w.w. if they get into
a similar bind, have a tornado or other insurable disaster.

--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

On Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:18:04 -0600, the infamous Swingman
scrawled the following:

Nonny wrote:
In another thread, I mentioned the possible use of marble or granite as
an inlay for a table or desk. That reminded me that I'd built some
planters of marble and perhaps they'll give you an idea or two for your
own home.


Beautiful work ... your home looks like a magazine ad.

A Japanese magazine ad, wif dat teensy coffee table dere.

--
REMEMBER: The sooner you fall behind,
the more time you'll have to catch up!

Nonny wrote:

Again, thanks for the words. In fact, the house was totally destroyed
by a fire that began outside the shop, in an adjoining garage. Within
about a half hour, it was a smoldering ruin. We had good insurance and
I had many documentary photographs, since I came from a profession that
had to deal with insurance matters for borrowers. We knew that while we
would have the insurance proceeds to rebuild the home, what were we
going to put on the shelves or hang on the walls. If you have a library
with around 4000 books, what books do you buy to replace the burned ones?

We felt that the most simple and emotionally favorable solution would be
to simply NOT rebuild, but to sell the lot. We'd never lived in the SW,
so Las Vegas was a good candidate. We literally. . .literally. . . put
every tangible thing we owned at the time into half of a small U-haul
trailer, hooked it to the new van (the cars were burned in the garages)
and pointed the nose west toward the desert.

I enjoy writing, and now that I think about it, I think I'll write a
monograph about some of the insurance issues we faced with the many
things I'd built that were lost in the fire and how we worked it out
with State Farm. It just might help you or some of the other good folk
here in the newsgroup and r.w.w. if they get into a similar bind, have a
tornado or other insurable disaster.

Sorry to the hear that, but know the feeling ... we lost our previous
home, and all but a few possessions, to flooding in TS Allison back in
June 02. Like you, instead of rebuilding in the same place, we sold the
lot and basically started over from scratch. Dealing with the insurance
was indeed a trip, and we could probably compare stories. Fortunately
I'd been insured by the same company, USAA, for 40 years, and did have
flood insurance, so, other than ineptness of some of the younger staff,
there was no one overtly trying to screw us, AAMOF, just the opposite
.... although I did catch them in a quite a few errors, strangely all in
their favor. In my usual manner I had unimpeachable documentation,
including photographs, to the point that they ended up using my
spreadsheets as the basis for the settlement. We came out almost whole,
but I'll never have another ACV policy on my home contents ... live and
learn.

I would not wish the experience on my worst enemy, but we made lemonade
out of the lemons and actually came out stronger overall ... we all
probably need a shaking up on a regular basis to appreciate life, as
much as the process may hurt at the time.

Good talking to you, Nonny ... you guys have a good holiday.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

Nonny wrote:

.... snip
--

Again, thanks for the words. In fact, the house was totally
destroyed by a fire that began outside the shop, in an adjoining
garage. Within about a half hour, it was a smoldering ruin. We
had good insurance and I had many documentary photographs, since I
came from a profession that had to deal with insurance matters for
borrowers. We knew that while we would have the insurance proceeds
to rebuild the home, what were we going to put on the shelves or
hang on the walls. If you have a library with around 4000 books,
what books do you buy to replace the burned ones?

We felt that the most simple and emotionally favorable solution
would be to simply NOT rebuild, but to sell the lot. We'd never
lived in the SW, so Las Vegas was a good candidate. We literally.
. .literally. . . put every tangible thing we owned at the time
into half of a small U-haul trailer, hooked it to the new van (the
cars were burned in the garages) and pointed the nose west toward
the desert.


Had wondered what happened to you; you disappeared from here for quite
some time. Very sorry to hear about what happened.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.

.... snip

--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a disadvantage

Rob Leatham

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Nonny wrote:

Again, thanks for the words. In fact, the house was totally
destroyed by a fire that began outside the shop, in an
adjoining garage. Within about a half hour, it was a
smoldering ruin. We had good insurance and I had many
documentary photographs, since I came from a profession that
had to deal with insurance matters for borrowers. We knew that
while we would have the insurance proceeds to rebuild the home,
what were we going to put on the shelves or hang on the walls.
If you have a library with around 4000 books, what books do you
buy to replace the burned ones?

We felt that the most simple and emotionally favorable solution
would be to simply NOT rebuild, but to sell the lot. We'd never
lived in the SW, so Las Vegas was a good candidate. We
literally. . .literally. . . put every tangible thing we owned
at the time into half of a small U-haul trailer, hooked it to
the new van (the cars were burned in the garages) and pointed
the nose west toward the desert.

I enjoy writing, and now that I think about it, I think I'll
write a monograph about some of the insurance issues we faced
with the many things I'd built that were lost in the fire and
how we worked it out with State Farm. It just might help you
or some of the other good folk here in the newsgroup and r.w.w.
if they get into a similar bind, have a tornado or other
insurable disaster.

Sorry to the hear that, but know the feeling ... we lost our
previous home, and all but a few possessions, to flooding in TS
Allison back in June 02. Like you, instead of rebuilding in the
same place, we sold the lot and basically started over from
scratch. Dealing with the insurance was indeed a trip, and we
could probably compare stories. Fortunately I'd been insured by
the same company, USAA, for 40 years, and did have flood
insurance, so, other than ineptness of some of the younger
staff, there was no one overtly trying to screw us, AAMOF, just
the opposite ... although I did catch them in a quite a few
errors, strangely all in their favor. In my usual manner I had
unimpeachable documentation, including photographs, to the point
that they ended up using my spreadsheets as the basis for the
settlement. We came out almost whole, but I'll never have
another ACV policy on my home contents ... live and learn.

I would not wish the experience on my worst enemy, but we made
lemonade out of the lemons and actually came out stronger
overall ... we all probably need a shaking up on a regular basis
to appreciate life, as much as the process may hurt at the time.

Good talking to you, Nonny ... you guys have a good holiday.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

Like you, I had a history of photos and inventory sheets dating
back to the 70's. My boss then was a very good and smart fellow
who had a lake cottage burn to the ground with nobody within 10
miles of it. He told me about his frustration in documenting even
what he'd lost, let alone remembering it. I went home that night
and did 35mm slides of everything, and the actually kept things
updated and in the safe deposit box.

Like you also, I felt that State Farm went out of its way to be
honest and fair. In over 1800 line items, I had nothing
challenged, since I had photos and documentation. As I said, I
think I'll write a few paragraphs about how to do it, since it
sure saved my fat rump from problems.

--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

"Mark & Juanita" wrote in message
m...
Nonny wrote:

... snip
--

Again, thanks for the words. In fact, the house was totally
destroyed by a fire that began outside the shop, in an
adjoining
garage. Within about a half hour, it was a smoldering ruin.
We
had good insurance and I had many documentary photographs,
since I
came from a profession that had to deal with insurance matters
for
borrowers. We knew that while we would have the insurance
proceeds
to rebuild the home, what were we going to put on the shelves
or
hang on the walls. If you have a library with around 4000
books,
what books do you buy to replace the burned ones?

We felt that the most simple and emotionally favorable solution
would be to simply NOT rebuild, but to sell the lot. We'd never
lived in the SW, so Las Vegas was a good candidate. We
literally.
. .literally. . . put every tangible thing we owned at the time
into half of a small U-haul trailer, hooked it to the new van
(the
cars were burned in the garages) and pointed the nose west
toward
the desert.


Had wondered what happened to you; you disappeared from here
for quite
some time. Very sorry to hear about what happened.

Heh- the kids tried to put a positive spin on it by telling folk
I'd been jailed. grin

Nonny




Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.

... snip

--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a
disadvantage

Rob Leatham



--
Nonny

ELOQUIDIOT (n) A highly educated, sophisticated,
and articulate person who has absolutely no clue
concerning what they are talking about.
The person is typically a media commentator or politician.

Nonny wrote:


I enjoy writing, and now that I think about it, I think I'll
write a monograph about some of the insurance issues we faced
with the many things I'd built that were lost in the fire and
how we worked it out with State Farm. It just might help you
or some of the other good folk here in the newsgroup and r.w.w.
if they get into a similar bind, have a tornado or other
insurable disaster.


Like you, I had a history of photos and inventory sheets dating
back to the 70's. My boss then was a very good and smart fellow
who had a lake cottage burn to the ground with nobody within 10
miles of it. He told me about his frustration in documenting even
what he'd lost, let alone remembering it. I went home that night
and did 35mm slides of everything, and the actually kept things
updated and in the safe deposit box.

Like you also, I felt that State Farm went out of its way to be
honest and fair. In over 1800 line items, I had nothing
challenged, since I had photos and documentation. As I said, I
think I'll write a few paragraphs about how to do it, since it
sure saved my fat rump from problems.


Please do so as it can really help to know what to do.

When I was a kid we had a house fire, as an adult, two places I worked at
had fires. They are a lot of work and details make a huge difference in
what you get out of it .

Documentation is very important. Going from memory, most of us would forget
at least 25% of what we own and have accumulated over the years.

If you own a business, get Business Interruption Insurance. It can make the
difference between re-starting your business and starting a new career as a
bagger at the supermarket.

Get a good independent adjuster. Yes, they get 5% or more, but . . . .
I know a restaurant that had a kitchen fire and the insurance company
offered him $20,000 to cover repairs and cleaning. He was ready to accept,
but hiring an adjuster instead, he settled for $200,000.

On Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:32:03 -0800, the infamous "Nonny"
scrawled the following:


"Swingman" wrote in message
m...
Nonny wrote:

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
Nonny wrote:
In another thread, I mentioned the possible use of marble or
granite as an inlay for a table or desk. That reminded me
that I'd built some planters of marble and perhaps they'll
give you an idea or two for your own home.


Beautiful work ... your home looks like a magazine ad.

Thanks for the kind words. We loved the house, and had many
good memories of it.

Sorry about the past tense. We're reluctantly coming to grips
with the fact that the property taxes are just going to be too
high to retire in what we thought would be our last house, one
we designed, built ourselves, and most of the furniture in it.

In any event, your work is impressive and inspiring.

Merry Christmas to you and yours ...

--

Again, thanks for the words. In fact, the house was totally
destroyed by a fire that began outside the shop, in an adjoining
garage. Within about a half hour, it was a smoldering ruin. We
had good insurance and I had many documentary photographs, since I
came from a profession that had to deal with insurance matters for
borrowers. We knew that while we would have the insurance proceeds
to rebuild the home, what were we going to put on the shelves or
hang on the walls. If you have a library with around 4000 books,
what books do you buy to replace the burned ones?

Oh, man! Did you have a list of titles or closeup photos of the
bookshelves, perchance? Thinking about it, I should do that for my
own book collection right now.


We felt that the most simple and emotionally favorable solution
would be to simply NOT rebuild, but to sell the lot. We'd never
lived in the SW, so Las Vegas was a good candidate. We literally.
. .literally. . . put every tangible thing we owned at the time
into half of a small U-haul trailer, hooked it to the new van (the
cars were burned in the garages) and pointed the nose west toward
the desert.

Suckage!


I enjoy writing, and now that I think about it, I think I'll write
a monograph about some of the insurance issues we faced with the
many things I'd built that were lost in the fire and how we worked
it out with State Farm. It just might help you or some of the
other good folk here in the newsgroup and r.w.w. if they get into
a similar bind, have a tornado or other insurable disaster.

When I worked as a wrench for a body shop, the nickname for State Farm
was Snake Farm. They weren't very well liked there. YMMV.

Yes, please write the monograph, Nonny.

--
REMEMBER: The sooner you fall behind,
the more time you'll have to catch up!