Yarn Pet Mod - Platform for One Pound Cakes

My roomate has been picking up knitting and expanding their crochet skills during the pandemic Stay at Home orders.  As a part of their stimulus, they bought a Yarn Pet from Nancy's Knit Knacks.  They have also acquired a yarn ball winder that claimed to be able to do one pound skeins.  The curlicue tensions the yarn as it unwinds from the outside of the cake.  The platforms that came with it were thin circle platforms afixed to a smooth metal spindle with stops and set screws (you can see the spindle and stops above).  The platform holds the cake above the base at the appropriate height for the curlicue.  Small cakes?  Set it high.  Big cake?  How low can you go!

When they actually tried to use the Yarn Pet with the largest cakes (Caron One Pound FTW!), the little platform circles that came with the pet allowed the cake to slump and sag.  The cake would also rub against the curlicue and made it hard to pull.  They were worried about the yarn slipping below the edge and tangling under the cake.

To fix this, I used a board as wide as I could get and made it a circle:

1. Found a home depot pine board in my scrap bin that was 5 3/4" wide.  Solid wood is preferable to plywood which can get splintery and snag the yarn.  Avoid knots if at all possible.
2. Cut length to match width.
3. Find the center by marking two lines from corner to corner
4. From center, use a protractor to mark 22.5 degree increments to the edge.
5. Drill a hole in the center mark.  To fit the Yarn Pet spindle, I needed a bit with a width  7/32".
6. Using a table saw with miter gauge set to 45 degrees or a miter box, cut your square into an octagon
7. Test your new platform on the spindle.  My square was about a quarter inch too wide at the widest point, but it had plenty of play between a flat side and the curlicue.  I knew trimming it again would allow it to spin freely.
8. I trimmed my octagon into a hexadecagon by setting my gauge to 22.5 degrees.  (Towards the end of the piece, the side touching your miter gauge will be incredibly small.  Keep a firm grip, and beware of kickback!)
9. Sand the tarnation out of every surface with 150 up to 220 grit.  You can see in the picture above that I rounded every edge and corner.  I chose not to finish the wood, but I can always go back and do this between knitting projects.

Things learned:

• I thought the thickness of the platform might be an issue, but it turned out to be perfect for giant cakes. The added thickness prevents the platform from wiggling on the spindle.  You can plane down your board to match the included platform circles, but then I might be worried about their integrity.  As is, the yarn comes off cleanly with the center-line of the cake coming just above the curlicue.  So smooth...
• When putting the largest cakes on the pet, use the rubber stoppers for spindle-wound skeins to keep the cake centered on the spindle.  This will prevent wobbling due to a loosening center as it is pulled from side to side.
• If you have a circle of the appropriate width and thickness already, all you need to do is find the center and drill it.  Couldn't be simpler.

Surviving Dementia - Signs of Trouble

Note: This post is a part of a series detailing my family's fight with dementia and elder abuse.

It took a long time for my family to recognize the changes that were happening to my grandfather because of dementia.  The loss of routine with my grandmother's death caused him to start making questionable decisions.  As we atempted to protect him, we misinterpreted why he was acting the way he was.  This lead to further alienation as his symptoms grew more pronounced.  It is my hope that by sharing these initial stages as we experienced them, we can help others in a similar situation.

My grandparents were always helping someone.  When my father divorced, their house was a place of stability.  As I grew up, I heard of cousins, friends and others that relied on that refuge for themselves.  I never heard of remuneration, there was never a question of space or logistics.  They would open a space for those that needed it.  A cousin we called Aunt treated them like second parents.  Their home was open to my father's friends in his youth, and friends of my brother and me during ours.  When home life was rough, we lived there full-time, and they would cart us all over the US for summer vacation.  When my grandmother died, my bother and I were gone with families of our own.  From our perspective, he lost something he'd always had: a person that needed his help.

 

For the few months, life seemed to be returning to normal.  I stayed at the house a few nights a week to help keep him company, and other family stepped in to pack up my grandmother's things.  The past few years had left him increasingly isolated.  My grandmother slowed to where she mostly watched TV, and my grandfather noticed this. He would repeat to us his concern about our grandmother with every visit.  Sometimes more than once in the same visit.   We filed it away as odd but not beyond his typical behavior.  A bout with shingles caused my grandfather to stop attending church in about 2010.  His own friend group had aged with him as well.  His closest friend, a gardening columnist in the Las Vegas area, passed in 2014 as well.  He had few visitors outside family.  My brother and I were strategizing on what the future looked like.  Would one of us move in and help out?  What would my grandfather want?  In the middle of this period, we started running up against a wall as his compensations started to crumble.

As I was working full time, my grandfather was helping my family (let alone another) with rides to and from school, doctors, and other family appointments.  We began to notice that he was less punctual than usual.  His driving was less careful. And we would sometimes call him for a pick-up and wait more than an hour while he was unreachable on his phone.  We'd finally reach him to find that he was off on the opposite end of town having completely forgotten about the request.  Eventually, our family was no longer comfortable relying on him, or trusting him behind the wheel.

As a former handyman, my grandfather was the first person I thought of when my father's wooden gate broke.  We loaded it into the back of a truck and set off to see him.  When we got there, we worked mostly in the garage, and I noticed my grandfather was wary of letting us go inside.  Finally, I went in and met a mother and her child.  This was the first time I met Zakeyaha Amacker.  I had never seen these people before in my life, but my grandfather claimed he knew the mom through her mother from way back, and that he was giving the children a ride to school.  I tried to pry, but he shut me down.  They claimed to be Katrina refugees and that they lived close by. I made it a point to increase my presence.  He was being nice and had found a way to help someone in the absence of my grandmother.  They seemed like friendly and temporary personalities in my grandfather's life.  I could not be more wrong.

Starting about 5 months after my grandmother's death, the situation at the house became untenable.  The people I met had moved in.  The house was a mess with dishes, spoiled food, and trash everywhere.  In the preceding months, the only thing I could find on Zakeyaha was an article from the Las Vegas Sun about a double shooting at the Excalibur in 2012, and the only local women that I know of who hang out at the Excalibur in the middle of the day are sex workers.  We were afraid for my grandfather's safety, jewelry was missing, and my grandfather, despite assurances, could not tell us what these people were doing here or when they would be gone.

One night in April 2015, I came to find the house vacant.  I searched it looking for signs as to who these people were.  I found instead stolen credit cards and IDs, cigarette and pot remnants that had clearly been smoked inside the house, and Zakeyaha's things spread throughout my grandfather's bedroom.  I did not have time to address these things that night.  No one was home, I was alone, and I clearly was in over my head.  I took extensive pictures and resolved to talk to my grandfather directly about my concerns.

The whole month of May, I pressed my grandfather on the phone for an explanation to what I had seen.  He denied that he knew about any of it, and he swore they would be gone within the week.  But the weeks dragged on.  I would explain the evidence again, and he would reassure me again.  One night, I found the house to be vacant when I had scheduled a visit with him.  In a fit, I locked every door and called my brother to come over too.  While we were waiting for them to arrive, someone rolled up looking for 'Z' and claiming to sell weed (still illegal in Vegas at the time).  A Call to the cops was Answered with amBivalence.  In the interim, my grandfather eventually arrived home with Zakeyaha in tow, I refused to let her inside without talking to my grandfather, first, alone.  I explained the shady behavior to his face.  Finally, I got my grandfather to agree to have her trespassed.  The cops finally showed up and took away the person selling weed, but wantesd to stay out of the domestic dispute.  Regardless, they did not force us to allow them back into the house.  We bagged up her things and took her to a family member's apartment a few blocks away.  Whew.  What a relief.  That was over.

All of this was absolutely bonkers to me.  I grew up Mormon.  My grandfather took me to church.  Old people were supposed to obsess over their grandkids, not look for an entirely new family.  I had hoped to move into his house with my family and be there as he aged.  Instead, I'm trying to stop strangers from living there.  I felt betrayed.  Maybe she was a prostitute.  Maybe he'd been a patron while my grandmother was still alive.  I didn't know what to think.  Most importantly, I didn't have the tools to even recognize what kind of cognitive impairment that was starting to take hold.

With dementia, it is not uncommon for families to notice a steep decline after major life changes.  Things that seemed fine as they were happening (story repetition, arriving late, and keeping new company, or uncharacteristic anger issues) are signals of damage in their brain, and that damage adds up over time.  Know that none of this is because your loved one no longer loves you or just doesn't care.  As hard as it may be, try to not take their words personally as you help steer them toward help and safety.  In truth, a person suffering from dementia can no longer understand why their anger is misplaced.  The brain is a wonderful and plastic thing, but eventually these cognitive changes and reach a breaking point.  Often, the compensations rely on family and friends that are alienated by the new behavior.  Social deficits creep in but aren't noticed until the spouse passes.  Money trouble manifests only after reserves run dry. Anger spills over when they are overwhelmed with social stimuli they can no longer process. These are all symptoms of dementia, and each affected person walks a different path through them.

Dementia is not a normal part of aging, it is instead a distinct decline separate from the most common changes as we get older.  Even if your family has no history of dementia, it is my recommendation that you get comfortable with the signs as soon as possible.  Begin to take note of behavioral changes as you come across them.  If you are your relative's Medical Power of Attorney, you can speak with their physicians directly.  Your relative may consent to having you tag along at the doctor where you can voice your concerns and begin working on evaluations that will allow you to bring maximum treatment options to bear.

Beyond the signs and symptoms of cognitive impairment like memory and social deficits, dementia can also change the personality and manners of those it affects.  It is common to have a person with dementia alternate between compliance and anger when confronted with difficult topics.  The changes to their brain prevent them from processing social cues or events, and they will sometimes revert to fight or flight behavior as a compensation.  It was this compliance that was used by Z to put off any talk of their departure, and it was this same compliance that allowed us to have Z trespassed.  As my grandfather was more and more affected by dementia, he was angry over perceived slights and chafed at our attempts at seeking help.  This was the hardest for us to deal with, and both my brother and I spent many a night yelling, confronting, and crying over someone we had never seen get actually irate.  Try not to take it personally as it is not them that is doing this to you.  It is the disease.

Through all of this, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was singularly unhelpful.  They will do the bare minimum for you even if there are obvious signs of abuse.  They took the guy with weed away before they considered handling the abuse in the house.  And their referral to Elder Abuse detectives lead to years of disappointment.  They may even prioritize looking at you and what you are trying to do as exploitative and unlawful because they do not know the first thing about dementia or responding to elder abuse. It looks like just one more domestic squabble.  Cops are not your friends.  Avoid calling them if at all possible. Handle things through family attorneys before syptoms appear instead.

Though we won this battle, we did not have a inkling of my grandfather's true condition.  The symptoms were right in front of us if we had been educated enough to see them.  It started with small behaviors that we were reluctant to call him on.  Eventually, we could not rely on him for previously rock-solid tasks.  And this chapter climaxed in discovering how others had begun to manipulate him.  It would still be 5 years until we extricated him from their grasp.

Dan Moves North

Plenty has gone on in the past year. Here's a quick rundown:

- Learned how to quilt. 104 patches from my tour-guiding days on a lap quilt.

- Learned how to Black Badge at DEF CON 26. Shout out to my fellow Murder Hobos, PunkAB, and the entire Dungeons@DEFCON team for this kick-ass experience.

- Learned how to move across country through forest fires and with cats

- Learned how to survive a leg infection possibly from a cat scratch (not pictured; it was pretty gnarly)

- Learned how to not buy board games. I finished a 10x10 (play ten games ten times or more) without buying any new games in between. Moving thinned the collection, but it still takes up an entire linen closet.

Fixing Ford AC Head Controller Vacuum Problem

The AC on my land yacht (2009 Mercury Grand Marquis) has been in the fritz for a while. Last winter, it gradually stopped switching from max AC/recirculate (a necessary in Vegas), then got stuck on norm AC until it rested on Defrost/Floor. I was able to fix it with some basic troubleshooting, YouTube sleuthing, and two bucks in o-rings.

This shaky yet informative video by Ian Smith helped me diagnose it as a problem with vacuum only. The AC itself was fine. It blows cool air all day long. It just did so at the windshield. It couldn't be the blend-door actuator.

The same video showed me how to diagnose the vacuum problems. The black hose providing vacuum from the engine seemed fine: I was getting 20 inches of vacuum with the car turned on when I hooked up a bleed pump with a gauge (mine came from Harbor Freight, shown in the video). To test the actuators, all I had to do was hook a 'jumper' pipe from black to the other pipes. Each one seemed to hold air, and the actuators sprang to life once again. For the first time in a year, I had cold air blowing from the vents. The problem couldn't be in the lines. I pulled the controller head for a closer look.

The head itself is a bunch of electronics, a control panel, and one removable plate with four solenoids. The vacuum hoses come into this through a manifold, and the head controls trigger the solenoids to route vacuum from the black hose to the others. This triggers different actuators under the dash. Something was amiss in the manifold.

I returned to YouTube looking for rebuild instructions. I found this extremely helpful video from a Chicago mechanic. The solenoids contain an o-ring that dries out, wears out, and loses the ability to hold vacuum. I obtained close to the recommended o-rings from Lowes (#36, 5/16 OD, 3/16 ID, 1/16 thickness) as I was not willing to wait for Amazon. A little Oatey silicone lubricant made the tight squeeze work a little better. I found I had to seat the solenoid heads at least once before total reassembly. It was too difficult to do so at the end and fight with the other small parts at the same time. 45 minutes later, I had full control of my AC restored.

I can't believe it was this simple to fix the controller. I think I was intimidated by the AC (having spent $1500 last year to have the dealer redo the whole system from seals to refrigerant). I didn't want to break anything. A few targeted troubleshooting steps helped assuage any fears of irreparable harm, and now I have a comfortable cabin once again.

2014 Board Game Buying Guide

I've been playing games with people at the office, and it has shown me that you can get a game in with even a short lunch and new players.  I decided to put together a quick list of game recommendations based on venue and number of players.  Links to Amazon are provided, but most of these titles can be purchased from your Friendly Local Game Store.

Lunch

Bring co-workers together, let off some steam, and renew rivalries between departments with this selection of quick and easy games selected to allow you to teach and play in under 30 minutes.

• Love Letter is a card game of bluffing and card counting with just 16 cards.  It handles 2-4 players, but it is best with 4.  Also, it comes in a number of different re-themes, so you can get a non-threatening version to appeal more to co-workers.
• Tsuro of the Seas handles 2-8 players.  This "last man standing" tile game has compelling artwork, fast rounds, and dead simple rules.  A whole game seldom lasts more than 15 minutes so people can jump in with little fear of going over their lunch time.  There are simpler versions and expansions, so you can get as much depth as you want in the time allotted.
• Hey That's My Fish plays well for between 2 and 4 players.  You should be able to explain rules while setting it up.  All about area control, the gradually shrinking board is apt to cause panic even in the normally stone-faced players from Finance.

Date Night

Games that play best with or are designed for just two people can test the limits of your affection or bring you closer together (no warranty either way).  Though these games will work at work, teaching might take longer so an hour lunch is preferred for newer players.

• Hive is one of the few abstract games on this list (like chess or checkers).  It presents the elegance of chess without a board, and the pieces have heft and make a wonderful clacking sound like Majong tiles.
• Jaipur is a colorful trading game whose tokens and cards make a visually impressive setup.  The 2 of 3 mechanics means it is natural to play round after round.  This game used to be rare, but it has benefited from a recent reprint.
• Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game maxes out the nerd factor.  This is as close as you can get to a war game, so check with your significant other before taking the leap.  Games run about 45 minutes, and it plays in a space the size of your dining room table.  Best of all, there are endless expansions to add iconic and obscure characters to your fleet of ships.

Family/Friends Game Night

Have more than two?  Hate Monopoly as much as I do?  This mix of competitive and cooperative games are sure to show you what the modern board gaming renaissance is all about.

• Forbidden Desert is a cooperative game where you play against the game to avoid thirst, storms and the heat to get out of the desert alive.  The mechanics and components are top notch, and it plays in under an hour.
• In King of Tokyo, players take the role of giant monsters vying for control of Tokyo.  A fast paced dice game, the randomness and ridiculousness of it all is a hit.
• Card game The Builders: Middle Ages is a great worker placement game: hire and set workers to build a town.  The rules are simple, but the gameplay is complex.  This definitely benefits from replayability and the tin means it is sturdy enough to go anywhere.
• Love Scrabble but have that one friend that outstrips you every single game?  Try Qwirkle for scrabble like crosswords without the burden of words.  It is more puzzle than game, depending on how cut-throat you get.
• Ticket To Ride: Europe is rummy with a board, and this edition of the game is fantastic.  I learned more geography from this game than I did in grade school, and the artwork is fantastic.  Expansions are available and cover alternate maps and expanded ticket options.  It even has an App version you can pass-and-play if you don't want the fancy box.

Clark County, Nevada Elder Abuse Resources

I was concerned for the safety of a family member who is older not long after their spouse passed away.  Below are some things I learned about Elder Abuse, the resources available to help those in need (individuals or family), and things to do when investigating elder abuse.

Before going nuclear on someone new in your relative's life, first do the single most important thing: talk to your older relative.  Often, misunderstandings or matters of privacy can be sorted out without resorting to law enforcement, state assistance or subterfuge.  The matter of trust between you and your relative is the single most important factor in maintaining their long-term health and well-being.  If you lose their trust, you lose almost all ability to help them.

Local Police Resources

Police seem to only be able to make 'welfare checks' for elderly people that outsiders suspect are being abused. They can only visit the premises when the person is home. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Operator and Dispatch informed me that there are dedicated Elder Abuse detectives. Unfortunately, they only operate M-F, 7-4. As the crisis was after this time, we couldn't get a welfare check immediately. The numbers for these departments are below:

• Metro Operator: 702-455-8697
• Metro Dispatch 702-828-3307
• Elder Abuse Detectives: 702-828-3111 (Hours are 7-4, no voice mail)

State Resources

Though I I have not taken advantage of these resources, there may have been help available through the Aging and Disabilities Services connected through the county. Comparable services may exist locally in your neighborhood.  Perhaps there are some interventions that would be helpful going forward?

• http://www.shouselaw.com/nevada/elderabuse.html
• http://www.health.nv.gov/HCQC/SB129ElderAbuseTrainingforWebsites.pdf
• In Nevada, crimes committed against elderly command double the sentence.

Social Engineering

When trying to find out more about people that have entered a loved one's life unexpectedly, unexpected phone calls from unknown people are a great source of more information.  Generally, act as if the person is at home but not available.  The person on the other end of the line may divulge information that gives you clues about the intruder.  Effective phrases are below:

• "Yeah, he's here but he's busy.  He asks what you need."
• "Hold on, let me get her...She's here but can't pick up right now."
• "Who is this again?  I didn't get that down last time."
• "His phone is dead.  What number can he reach you at?"
• "What was it again that you're meeting for?"

While the person is out, check the circumstances of the house, but try not to disturb things too much.  Look for signs of drug abuse, behavior you know your relative would frown upon such as smoking and drinking in the house. If you know their location, ensure firearms are secure, and check the status of belongings, heirlooms and money caches.  Document and narrate your search by video.

If you must get the police involved, minimize the impact on your relative.  See if they will come around when you try to have a person escorted off the property.  Ensure your relative is not involved in any illegal activity before involving the police, and, most importantly, get the consent of your relative before escalating.  You must maintain their trust, and asymmetric reactions to otherwise benign or diffusable situations can ruin that bond and expose a vulnerable relative to harm from both the intruder and the police.

Cards Against Mormonism

My brother and I grew up Mormon, but we no longer identify as such.  Nevertheless, the culture is unique, and there are many opportunities for squick, in-jokes and dark humor.  So, like everyone and their mothers, we decided to roll some of those up into an unofficial Cards Against Humanity expansion: Cards Against Mormonism.  A reminder: you may not get some of the jokes if you have never been Mormon, lived in Utah or or are otherwise considered a Gentile.  However, we took great pains to limit the amount of Utah-specific jokes.

The cards themselves were brainstormed under the influence of alcohol and put through the refiner's fire until about 100 unique cards (33 Black and 80 White) emerged.  Once the list was solid, we copied it into the brilliant Cards Against Humanity custom card batch processor.  It worked flawlessly the first time marking Pick 2's and adjusting fonts as needed.  This spat out two PDFs perfect for printing your own Mormon expansion to Cards Against Humanity.

This set is formatted to match the free print-and-play PDF still available on the CAH Website.  Like that set, it is shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.  You can see the original doc with those that did and didn't make it in Google Docs if you want to try your own hand at it and bring some apostasy to game night.

Sincerely,
DuncanYoudaho and FannyAlgersAbortion

Download Links:
White Cards
Black Cards

DnD Table 3 and 4

Preamble

Our gaming table has gone through many phases.  The first was an 8x4 foot sheet of plywood on some sawhorses.  We wrapped it in felt and stapled it down, but the felt kept pilling and it was hard to replace.  We chopped it down to 6 feet, split it down the middle and swapped vinyl for felt, but the legs were still hard to store.  The third mod was to replace the cumbersome legs.  The fourth was a new and lighter table top.

This has been useful for gaming, crafts and many other activities.  It is light weight and takes up very little room.  We keep ours in the garage and pull it out when we need it.

The Legs

Lowe's had some really nice seasoned 2x3's.  A few hours and chop saw got me a new set of legs.  The chief features of the table are its simple construction and plentiful leg room.  It has been a chore to find a good way to attach the top to there, however.  Overall, the legs have been maintenance and trouble free.  If I borrowed the design from somewhere, I have forgotten it.  If you attempt to replicate it, read all instructions first, measure twice and cut once, and always wear your safety glasses.

The cut list is basic and can be created from six 8 foot 2x3's, Not compound angles are needed, but the legs have angled cuts.  The measurements below rely on the geometry of your lumber being moderately predictable: Two 2x3's together should come out to 3 inches.  You may have to adjust the length of your interior cuts if this is not the case:

• Outside Length: 72" x 2
• Inside Length: 69" x 2
• Outside Width: 27" x 2
• Inside Width: 21" x 2
• Legs: 30"+ x 4
• Blocks: 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 4 (mine are from oak as that's what I had lying around)
• Lots of 2 1/2" construction screws
• 4x 5 1/2" Carriage Bolts with Washers and Nuts

Assembly of the top is also basic.  Remember to drill pilot holes for all screws ans work from the inside out:

1. Inside Width -> Inside Length 
2. Inside Length -> Outside Width
3. Outside Width -> Outside Length

The legs can be tricky to position depending how high you want the table top.  For my 24" height top, the legs are 26 1/2" with a 75 degree cuts at both ends (making a parallelogram and not a trapezoid).  The legs meet in the center of the table top.  The math to place the hole precisely has been lost, but those inclined should have no trouble replicating it.  In general, slip your uncut legs into the slots between the Inside and Outside Length so that they meet in the middle.  At a point between 9 and 11.5 inches from the end of the table end, drill the hole for your carriage bolt through both Inside Length, the Leg and Outside Length.  Make sure the hole is not closer than 2 3/4" from the end of the Leg.  Thread the bolt through the hole and test your leg height.  Cut your leg into a parallelogram to maximize contact with the floor and minimize interference with the table top.  Position the Blocks to ensure the legs only rotate a certain amount.

If all goes well, you should have a sturdy and light set of legs to use as a base for any table top you can dream of.  The method of attaching the top to the base is discussed in the next section.

The Top

The latest addition was a lighter table top.  Previously, we used a piece of 3/4" Oak Plywood with vinyl stapled to it.  This was extremely sturdy and stable, but it was a huge pain to move.  I designed the new top to be light and attach directly to the legs.

Much like the legs, the top was stick framed using flashing from Lowe's.  This time, 1x2's provided a good base, and Kreg Pocket Hole joinery held everything together.  Along the center line, two lengths are abuttewd to provide enough surface area for the hinges.  Instead of heavy plywood, I used a thin luan top.  All this was wrapped in vinyl again (the most successful table covering we've had thus far).  Unlike previous folding incarnations, the vinyl was split in two pieces and each half of the hinged top was wrapped separately.  The cut list for my 6' 6" top is below.  The Inside Stiles are not required to be the listed lengths as long as their total lengths come under 72".  I placed them so they would fit between the blocks in the legs and help the top align to the legs.  Your mileage may vary; see lessons learned below.  As always, your local dimensional lumber may vary, measure twice, cut once, and always wear your safety glasses:

• Outside Stile: 78" x 4
• Rail: 19" x 8
• Inside Stile (Ends): 17 7/16 x 8
• Inside Stile (Center): 37 1/8" x 2

Assembly is a little trickier than the Legs.  With your pocket hole jig, join the Outside Stile to the Rails at both ends.  Use the Inside Stiles to locate where to place the inside Rail.  Add the Inside Stiles to make a double-layer of wood in the center of the table-top to better brace the hinges.

With two halves of a table top in hand, it is time to locate the hinges.  Match the hinge location to your legs so they won't interfere with how the table sits flush.  The vinyl wrapped on the side that will be the center of the table will need to be relieved where the hinges will go.  I chose to wrap after attaching the hinges.  I now feel this was a mistake. In the pic above, I've routed out a place for my hinges.  In practice, I didn't need to do this.  Just clamp the table halves together after the vinyl is in place, locate your hinges parallel and centered on the joint and screw in place.

I have tried many things to secure the table top with a minimum of fuss.  Right now, I'm using machine screws and associated sockets sunk into the top.  The screws thread through the legs and into the top.  They require climbing under the table.

Lessons Learned

1. I would decide on a method of attaching the table before I started building.  The primary candidate is a Sash Lock.  Placed correctly, it would easily lock the legs to the table top without climbing under each time.
2. I would avoid insetting the hinges.  Instead, careful placement would allow the hinges to be used without interfering with the mating of table top and legs.
3. I would wrap the vinyl completely around the top so all stapling was done on the bottom.
4. I would not tell my gaming group how much better this version of the table was until after it had proven itself.  I have gotten no end of grief every time I climb under it to hook the two together.  What are friends for, eh?

Bonus Shot: Plans

Flames of War - SS Army Pics

This weekend, I returned briefly to the world of miniature war gaming.  My father is putting up his Flames of War army for sale locally.  He's a history buff, and I learned a lot about the German WWII army composition by helping him catalog these.  I built some of these pieces, but mostly I just took the pics.  No detail shots, unfortunately.

Artillery

I love the frozen ground effect on these bases

Misc Infantry

Misc Command 

Heavy Machine Guns 

 Mortar Half Tracks

Tanks

 Panthers

Reconnaissance Car/Tanks 

PIVHs with Skirts 

Tigers

Mechanized Infantry

 Platoon 1

Platoon 2 

Platoon Command 

Random Board Gaming Shots

Jenga: 32 levels with my son

Alea Lacta Est - Press your luck game with a Roman theme.  Translation: The Die is Cast.  Very fun!

Kremlin, a reprinted Avalon Hill game.  Note the prototype OFBC illuminating the board

Forbidden Desert with Ethan.  He loves this game, and it is awesome to see him strategize.

Telestrations with Ethan and my Grandparents.  Considerably less innuendo than usual.