The frame is finished, the formica countertop is tightly screwed down, and half the backboard is in place. It’s starting to look as if this is really going to happen.

I didn’t do much to the bench tonight, just enough to say I’m still working on it. I added railings between the legs of the frame so I could lay some shelves in under the countertop, a place where I could store gadgets and beer bottles. I also screwed the countertop down firmly in place so it wouldn’t slide off the frame at the most inopportune moment. And, finally, I cut a sheet of pegboard and screwed it to the back of the frame so I would have a place to hang the most-used gadgets in easy reach. I want to eventually cover the wall with pegboard, but first I want to install an outlet box in the back of the frame so I can plug stuff in if I need to.

And coming later this week: Plumb the drain so I can use the sink again! That means a trip to the store to get some pipe and joints, and stinking up the house with PVC glue. Fun! And I’ll grab a couple sheets of 3/4 inch plywood while I’m there to rip into one-and-one-half-inch strips. I want to build a frame under the sink to bring it up to a more user-friendly height, and a drop shelf on the far side where I can set all the doodads I’ll need when cleaning bottles, my favorite stage of the beer-making process. Not.