Oak

   It has been a while since I posted.  No real good reason, I guess I just needed a break there are now 1,178 published posts on a blog begun January 2011. Over the course of all those months and years many things have changed but one thing has remained constant.  Wood, I love the smell of it, the feel of it and the nearly endless number of possibilities for creation that wood presents.

  The other day while I was cleaning up stray tools in my shop I picked up a piece of wood that had been part of a shipping pallet.  The wood was rough sawn and had been slammed together with big nails to make a skid.  I had a piece about the size of a hard cover novel that was laying under the work bench and when I picked it up I meant to throw it in the burn pile. Something stopped me, the piece of wood was too heavy for its size to be some kind of scrap softwood. 

  The bit of wood turned out to be Oak.  I'm guessing the tree was cut down in the United States somewhere and turned into a skid.  Sad, as it was a really nice bit of wood.

eight inch oak spoon and shallow scoop.

  Both projects were time killers in the evening, and neither really had a fore ordained purpose, but...the wood was just so lovely that burning it would have been a waste.

  Oak is hard enough that these two projects were shaped with power tools, except the bowl of the spoon. * Oak sands beautifully and still maintains the feeling of the gentle ripples in the wood grain.  After shaping and sanding to 600 grit I soaked both pieces with hemp oil, giving it time to soak in before buffing it off.  The finish is slightly golden and silky to touch.  The other thing is my hemp oil is food safe and easy to re-apply down the road.  

cheers ianw

* I have found nothing better for carving a spoon bowl than a hook knife. 

  

New Year, old projects.

   Often I start small projects either as a simple distraction or a prototype.  Sitting on the edge of my work space were two such projects.

 This box was built ages ago and has sat around, for a while filled with cough drops. I finally finished it.  It now has an incised and painted top. It will not hold cough candies and better than before, but now it looks to be a finished project.  I have a small set of basic palm style carving chisels that were used to shape the pansy. I've used these chisels from early in my wood working days to add a little something... I used shallow gauges because they are easier to sharpen and palm chisels I find them easier to control.

  Another little project that sat staring at me for months and months was a sea serpent.

  Head, tail and one hump were finished months ago.  Yesterday I polished off the other hump, then waxed and polished the whole thing.  This guy was inspired by a neighbour's lawn ornament. I have no idea what kind of wood this is, it is fairly hard and close grained. 

  One of the first tools I bought for my original shop was a scroll saw.

This is the photo showing the pattern, the one I made got sent away before I took a photo.

  This went to a young member of the extended family.  I made lots of these easy puzzles 9-10 years ago for Grand kids.  I enjoy scroll saw work though I never became truly expert.  Check out some of these projects. I am always impressed by the results some people can get with talent and practise.

  And, while I was waiting for glue to dry:

another spoon, for loose tea.  I think is is cedar, it was very, very dry and so not really  good wood for carving, but it was truly just a thing to do while I was listening to a pod cast. 

  It is nice to clear away things that have drifted to the margins.  I have some more cleaning and organizing to do, no doubt I will be reminded of others things to finish.

  Stay Warm,

cheers ianw

 

Three Carved Projects - Whittln' Jack

  I don't claim to be a serious wood carver, but I like working with and making things from wood.  I have a drawer filled with pocket knives and a tool box filled with carving chisels and knives that I have gathered up over the years.  Carving to me is like wood turning, another of the things that I do with wood, for fun and relaxation.

  I have a full supply of really good wood working and 'everyday carry' knives but recently an opportunity arose for me to borrow and try out a Flex Cut Whittlin' Jack.  I have seen them for sale and wondered.

  This is a two bladed folding knife designed for whittling or rough carving.  I am not sponsored by Flex Cut so this is my opinion  based on my experience only.

  First off, the knife came out of its package sharp. I stropped the blade a couple of times while working as much from habit as necessity. The blades are more sturdy than a typical two blade pocket knife and so do not flex or threaten to break if you wedge and twist while working.

  I used a piece of walnut and made a loose tea scoop, a small mixing spoon and a spreading knife to try out the tool. The Whittlin' Jack was a perfectly good tool to smooth out and shape the projects after I cut out the rough shape on the band saw.  These projects were quick, easy and didn't require much sanding.

loose tea scoop, mixing spoon and spreading knife.

  

    The Whittln' Jack enabled me to do relativity fine work, I didn't need any other knife or chisel to shape these projects.*  More patience and practice would enable me to refine my work.

  Conclusion:

  If I wanted/needed a easily portable, easy to maintain, One Knife to Rule Them All I would consider a Whittln' Jack. I did find the handle a bit large for my hand and that would take some getting used to I think but my hands are smaller than average and getting arthritic. 

  It is a tool with which to start or travel, I think.

cheers Ianw 

* I did use a dremel to shape the bowl of the spoon.   

 

Projects for Friend's and Family.

  This week I have been working on my friends kneeling chair.  All that remains is buying the hardware and putting it together.  It is a slow process because we aren't in a hurry and like to drink coffee as much as work.

  Yesterday I dragged my planer, sander and grinder out to the back yard and smoothed out another of the elm rounds that I gathered up a couple of years ago.

approx.  16 inches in diameter.

  My wife is going to use the round as the base for a wedding cake.  I used my electric hand planer to knock down the really high spots and it give me a mostly smooth surface. Stage two was angle grinder with sanding disk.  I used a 40 grit disk to smooth down the ridges that the planer left and trim some of the bark.  To finish  I used my 3 x 21 in belt sander with a 120 grit belt.  My sander is a Craftsman that I have had since I was doing projects in my parent's driveway. ( in the 1970's)  One day the sander with quit but until then, I use it for dramatic material removal, it is effective but not subtle.  

   

    Eva wanted the big crack left alone. The cake is going to have icing to look like birch bark so the wood goes with the theme. Even with all the power I could ask for,  it still took almost an hour of bent-over time to finish smoothing the piece of wood.

  What else have a done?  I finished my latest spoon/spatula.

  This spoon is made from a piece of fire wood I picked up last June while on holiday. The shape is artistic (not so practical) but the wood grain is interesting and the finish is silky smooth. I am developing a real love for spoon making with hand tools.  I can see a collection of artistic spoons in a cool vase as an object d'art that was tactile, not for eye only. 

  I have begun the mate to the above spoon, split from the same piece of firewood.

  Since so much of this spoon is shaped with my hatchet and draw knife all I need is a basic outline of the shape.  As I work the wood, the grain will affect its lines and final shape.  In contrast if I were cutting the spoon out on my band saw I could impose my idea on the wood, of course the spoon would look like it had been made in a factory in China. That's not the look I am going for, need less to say.

  You can see the process a bit in the photograph. I have taken many small bites with the hatchet to form the handle. This is where the grain comes into play. Those feathers want to follow the grain when they peel off.

  Hollowing the bowl is also a tiny bites process. 

  I'm using a narrow gouge and a hooked spoon knife to shape the bowl.  I didn't make my hook knife, I bought it in Sweden from my favourite knife maker, Mora of Sweden. 

  These on going projects have kept me going at about the speed I can manage.  If I spend too much time in my shop I end up with serious back pain again.  I just can't work standing at a bench for more than an hour or two per day anymore.  Lucky this is a hobby and not my livelihood.  Things like spoons and small carvings are good because I can pick them up and work for a few minutes  or half an hour and can stop almost anytime.

  Oh yes, the olive tray.  It's one the bench waiting, again. I will finish it some day. When I do I will share the news with you. (I wanted to say y'all, but I had elementary English class flash backs).

  Cheers, Ianw

   

The Finished Table and What's Next.

   I always like to see my projects installed.  Underneath this three sided black table is a hatch cover to a sump pump, but you would never know it.  For that matter you wouldn't know that this is a funny three legged table.  The client is happy and so am I.

   Now I am onto making a knelling chair for my friend David.  

  David is quite a talented composer who is spending too much time sitting at his computer and hopes this alternative style chair will be a good for his back.  He is helping me make  his chair from a plan that he found on the net.  

 We cut out the pieces from one of the church pews that I got a couple of weeks ago.

  

  The oak pew sliced up nicely, all that remains is to buy (or make) some large dowelling and various small nuts and bolts. This is one of those projects that will take as long to sand and finish as to build now.

  Speaking of chairs.

 There is another chair from my Mother's house.  I don't remember how long ago my parents bought those chairs,(25-30 years ago) they have lasted well and only required a little bit of attention over all those years.  We are heavy folk and seldom miss a sit down meal so those chairs have lived a hard life.  I love wood and those chairs are a solid example of why. Some glue and clamping and the chair is a sturdy as ever, you can work with wood in a way that is satisfying and special.

  Again I had to take some time out to clean up and put away tools, cutting up the oak pew meant I needed slightly more room to move.  Also I have been seriously reconsidering my wood 'addiction'.  My friend Ron pronounced me a 'wood junkie' several years ago when he encountered my shop in it natural state.  So I have sent myself the goal of cutting up and throwing away at least 10 quarts of wood a week.  My fire place owning friends don't need anymore wood and so I am going to send 10 quarts per week to composting/recycling.  Ten quarts happens to be the size of container I have chosen to fill each week no other reason.  For years I  have kept and used off cuts and left overs.  There are dozens of projects that I have done from the scrap bin, some nicer than others.  I have also kept dozens of little bits to turn on the lathe. (that's never really happened in-spite of my best intentions).  While it is deeply satisfying to make something from nothing but...floundering and tripping over bins and boxes of wood scraps has lost its allure.  Gradually I am going to reduce my addiction and improve my work space. (pictures to follow.)

  Anyway as I was culling some scraps I found two projects that I'd begun a while ago.  I found an olive tray project from an oak barrel stave and a spoon.  Both of these things had been started with my hatchet, and forgotten.  It seemed like a good time to take them in hand.

The olive tray is the last of several I've made over the years.  The first few trays I began by cutting and shaping the staves on my band saw and then using an angle grinder and power sanders to finish. The results were acceptable, the trays were popular gifts.  Oak barrel staves are really nice wood.

  

  I'd switched to hand tools for spoons last summer and this time I decided to work the oak stave with hand tools too. You can see my fabulous hatchet that I bought in Sweden just down the road from the foundry that forged it.  It is a Wetterings #106 and a work of tool art. Their forge is twenty eight kilometres away from my kids house in Sweden I think I need go for a visit the next time I am in Sweden. 

  Scattered about on the bench are chisels, planes, and rasps. The only high quality tools of the bunch are the hatchet and the rasp. The chisels are a mixed bag, some good quality    

( Two Cherries) gauges but others are no name for a wood show.   The hand planes are quite ordinary too.  Most workshop projects don't need tonnes of expensive equipment to complete.

  

similar to the KIng K-2800 

  There are speciality vises that will hold none parallel items but for my purposes I get along with an ordinary vise and wedges.  I cut out four wedges with different angles ages ago and when I make one for a particular situation I save if for later use.  

  The other thing I'm working on is another spoon.

basic shape formed with gouges and chisels

  By the time I am finished with scrapers and rasps there will be little need for sand paper.  I like making spoons/spatulas with hand tools, this way there is almost no dust and no noise.  

I will use a draw knife to shape the handle. 

I will share the results later in the week.

Tuesday August 15th 2017

  First of all, here is David's table complete and on the deck.  The dark stain he used gives the project a good looking finish. It remains to be seen how well the finish stands up to the

elements. 

  My Grandson is here for a couple of days and so we are working on a couple of projects

with him, needless to say one of them is a boat.

  This is K's latest boat from Opa's shop.  It is sort of a fishing trawler from a book he brought with him on this trip.  This time the boat floats with pretty good trim.  To get the boat to float we had to shape the boat as well as cut away wood from the inside of the hull. K used the drill press to clear out most of the material and sanded the rest.  He also worked on shaping the hull with a drill press mounted drum sander.  Over the years he and I have made many boats, and each time the form of the boat gets more important and the quality of finish needs to be better.  If we made ten or twelve boats a year instead of three or four he would be an his way to being Canadian's Youngest Marine Architect, who would be the proudest Opa then...!

  While K is working on his own projects I usually have something small going on around him. As he worked on his boat I cut out a couple of rough spoon shapes for me to work on later. 

  

  While the boat was being built I whipped up a BBQ grill cleaning paddle for Kieran's family's BBQ.  I cut it out on the band saw and shaped the edges with a round over bit on my router table.

  Today's big project was a Republican Attack Shuttle. 

  This isn't a workshop project, it is a Revell snap together model.  K loves Star Wars stuff. It is his generation I guess.  After reading the instructions and only calling on adult help three times the shuttle was complete.  I was very impressed with his patience and careful work. It isn't wood work but all building is a useful learning experience.