[StoneCoal Tackle]

Well here it is almost Febuary and I haven't built a lure yet this year! I work construction and usually look forward to a little time off here and there during the winter when things slow down, but it's not gonna happen this year . About a month ago we started a project that will last 10-12 months at six days a week, great job sucurity for the next year but sure puts a damper on the old lure making and fishing . Anyway, since I probably won't get to make a lot of lures this year I thought I might share some of my passion for building with you. So here's a pic from about a month ago and if there's any interest in watching a house grow on a West Virginia mountain top I'll try to post some more pics as it progresses.
Hope everyone gets to make more lures than me this year!
Daymon

[KcDano]

Thats good at least you will be busy! I have friends in the construction biz and they all are having a hard time finding work! Yes, keep us posted with the progress.

[beezerbassman]

sure building a house would be interesting to watch. it is good you have the work, but it does suck it takes all your time. hopefully you will get a chance to work on a few lures

[Spike-A-Pike]

I see this as an opertunity... How cool would it be to inner-twine tackle making and house construction??? You could start off small adding musky bait stair spindles, the treble hooks might be a little tough on small children and pets... On to the kitchen, jerkbait door and drawer pulls... cool right???

Instead of a boring smooth wall finish, the man cave area could be finished in functional PoP molds, now we're cooking. By working with the design team now, all the venting and vac lines could be installed now for the future home tackle making shop.

I hope you'll get a chance to wet a line a few time over the year.

[dampeoples]

I'm gonna miss all the stuff you add to the gallery, most of it is the first time i've ever seen it!

[LaPala]

Thinking about all the cutouts from the project you'll have. You gotta be kidding if you are not bringing at least a whittling knife to work I'll still expect a few lures from you this year Daymon.

Keep the house progress coming too. After all lure making is an extension of good woodworking.

Psss...Spike gettin delirious thinking of all the wood available for that project? 1 board foot makes how many lures? Total board foot used for the house...

[StoneCoal Tackle]

Thanks guys for your interest in my real job, I'll try to make this thread fun for'ya.
Bruce, those are some cool ideas for a house. I have several similar ideas for some small furniture items etc. that I hope to get to someday.
Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get around to a few lures too. Heck, a lot of my lures are made between the hours of midnight and 2:00AM anyways so I've still got that going for me, LOL.
And like Anthony said, there will be enough scraps to make a truck load of lures, except right now we're burning them to keep warm while we eat lunch, LOL.
So, stay tuned and I'll set the scene and get'ya up to speed on our progress.

Oh and Anthony, about lures per board foot. My father is a retired timber and lumber man and always thinks in terms of board feet and how much per board foot a certain species is bringing. I sell a few lures on eBay once in awhile and I once had one sell for $56. So I asked my dad how much Basswood was going for and he said oh, about 75 cents a foot and I said well, I just sold some for $3,000 a board foot! Dad said hmm, maybe I should get back in the lumber business LOL.

[Spike-A-Pike]

Daymon, don't encourage me too much, I can push it into overdrive pretty quick and go way over the edge. I just wanted to add that I admire the quality of the work you do... Your hard baits look first rate.

Someday, I'm going to make my way back to north centeral Wisconsin and build the home of my dreams... I might have to buy several chunks of waterfront footage and doz down a few shacks to clear it, but someday...

[yankee jigger]

Im in the same boat as you.Want to create and fish but 11-15 hr. days,sometimes six days a week,plus a wife and two small boys,plus a house in Wisconsin to keep up with(its waterfront so itw worth it).
Then again with all of the manufacturing jobs leaving this country,i just plug away and give thanks im working.

[StoneCoal Tackle]

Bruce, thanks for the kind words on my lures. I hope you get to go crazy on your dream house someday, can't wait to see that stair railing .

Brian, I know where you're coming from with the long days and just being thankful you have a job. I live in a small town and I am truly blessed to have a good steady job close to home. This house we are building now is 21 miles from home and that's the furthest I've had to travel in several years!

So, lets get up to speed on this project. As every real estate agent will tell you, location is everything. Ideally you want a nice spacious lot in a good neighborhood and it's nice to be centrally located on your lot so the neighboring houses aren't jammed up against you.
I snapped these pics yesterday to give you an idea of what the neighborhood is like.

Here's a pic of the neighbors to the south........







the neighbors to the west..................






the neighbors to the north.....................




.......and, (you're starting to get the picture aren't ya ) here's my favorite part of the neighborhood, to the east.



Oh, did I mention the lot size? It's approximately two hundred acres. So now that you have a feel for the location, we'll get to some construction pics next post.

Daymon