[Ron Ramirez]

Progress report:

A package arrived from Santa Claus three days ago.

I now have beautiful new risers...and new, smooth tops!

I bought a piece of very small diameter dowel rod. I thought that using that to fill in the now-oversize screw holes and then drilling new holes would work out better than using wood filler in the holes - in my experience, wood filler in screw holes never worked out well.

I masked off one cabinet and sprayed the front and sides with satin black paint, in preparation for new grille cloth. I need to do the same to the other one, but it has rained every evening since then.

Yesterday, I went looking for lattice molding to replace the old trim. Turns out I cannot get 1/4 x 1-1/4" lattice molding locally, only 1/4 x 1-1/8 or 1/4 x 1-3/8. The original was actually 1/4 x 1-3/16, so...I went with 1/4 x 1-1/8", picking up two 8 foot lengths today on my lunch hour. Close enough.

Hopefully this weekend, I will accomplish the following:

• Mask off and spray the other cabinet as the original circa 60 year old flat black has worn thin.
  
• Attach the risers to the cabinets.
  
• Attach the new grille cloth to the cabinets.
  
• Prepare the new tops to have the new trim glued to them.
  
• Measure and cut the trim to size with my miter saw.
  

If I get to glue the new trim pieces to the tops, that will be a bonus.

If I get to fill the enlarged screw holes with pieces of small dowel rod, that will be an extra bonus.

And then I still need to...apply grain filler to the tops (and the trim), stain the tops and trim including bottom trim pieces, and apply the finish to same.

I won't be finished with the cabinets this weekend...but I hope to make significant progress on them.