Two Weeks Later

 So what have I been up to, anyway.  This time I've not been away on holiday nor particularly laid up with my arthritic back,  I have been busy doing  those little things that would be so much more trouble without  shop space and some tools.

  

 The other day I put up another motion sensitive light, this time under the front porch overhang.  What is the best way to drill two holes into brick? A hammer drill and carbide drill bit.  I don't think a house hold should be without a hammer drill and bits. I have drilled dozens of holes in bricks and blocks for shelves, lights and all sorts of other stuff.  It also helps to have a proper five foot step ladder when doing this sort of job.

  

  Here is another goofy little project.  I call it grey leather, double thickness duct tape. In this case I put wooden ends into the "leather" pouch.  I made this to hold my various 'card' wallets together in my bag, or glove box, or where ever.  It was really nice to have work space and a very sharp knife to make this thing.  To make it slightly ridged I put several narrow pieces of veneer between the layers of duct tape. 

 

  Yesterday Kieran made a robot in the shop, one that shoots a torpedo .  Last time K was here he began using the jig saw, this time he got to paint using a "rattle can".  The paint job he achieved with the spray can was many times better than he has ever achieved with a brush.  Many of the bits and pieces are glued on using a hot glue gun, while there are holes drilled for the bolts.  K used the cordless drill with the key less chuck and drill bits to make holes of various sizes.  

  Wet season is coming.  I replaced a couple of broken dowels on my boot dryer, I made mine but there are several to choose from at thetoolstore.ca . Last year I bought the multi hole one for the grand kids. We don't get our boots wet much anymore, so two spots are enough.

boot dryer 

  Here are a two repairs for 10,000 Villages.  I had a bird with a broken neck and a lady with a broken arm.  This time neither repair will be invisible but when I am done the repair shouldn't to too obvious.  The bird fell and broke its neck because the base was way off level, I've wedged it and it glued the broken neck, I hope it finds a nice quiet home somewhere.

  These are my finished carvings for entry in the Rockton Worlds Fair next weekend. Lots of finish sanding and two coats of spray vanish. I hope they show well at the fair.

  There have been pictures to frame and walls to repair (we moved a bunch of pictures so had lots of holes to fill) as well as getting out in the lovely fall weather because you know it won't last.  Busy, busy and mostly loving it.

  cheers, ianw 

What to do before a two week break

 We are going to be involved in family things and travel things and general busy things for the next two weeks. I will not be in my shop at all and may not even be able to post any blogs. So what did I do with the remaining few hours I had before my break? 

  Well, first off I cleaned up the shop a bit. Nothing major, just put tools away and swept the place up a bit.

  Then to kill some time on a rainy afternoon I did a couple of small potter around things. These are the jobs that most people don't bother doing, but since I have a shop and tools I improvise and repair.

                                                

   A none event, but now the clothes hanger doesn't grab my pyjamas. I had to drill two holes and use some super duper glue. Most people won't bother.

  I also took time to sharpen some knives and change the  blades in a couple of utility knives.   Maintenance stuff like that takes more time than you realize.  I like to use times like this to sharpen blades so that when I reach for them during a building project I don't have to stop and sharpen.

  While I had my super crazy glue out I glued a rare earth magnet to my pencil sharpener so that it would stick to my over bench work light.  As with having sharp tools it is nice to work with a sharp pencil.

     

   The last thing I did was make a pattern for and cut out a silly little craft. These roosters will go into the box for the church bazaar. 

  Projects like these give me practise in making patterns from a photograph and uses up small scraps of wood that I have been to cheap to throw away. 

holding post-it notes on my desk.

   This rooster is made out of 1/8 inch plywood and a bit of pine. I like the shape and size and will make a few from stained wood like the one from the internet. (when I have some time to kill)

 Have a good couple of weeks and I'll for sure be back in mid May, and maybe will post an update or two before if I get a chance.

cheers, ianw