Table top ready for sanding

  Or is it going to be  an large interesting wooden serving platter?

  

never too many clamps 

  The top is glued together and been cut on the band saw to rough shape.  I laid out the circle with a pencil and a string. I plan to refine the shape once the glued edging dries.

  The edges of those boards were not very strong and prone to splintering too and so I opted to glue a re-enforcing section around the edge.  Once the glue is dry I will begin the process of making those old pallet boards look cool.  There is going to be lots of sanding and a bit of knot filling before I stain the wood to bring out the grain and then give it a weather/food resistant top coat.

 As a wood working exercise this has been interesting and challenging and I would do many of the stages differently a second time. Would I do it a second time, maybe but on a smaller scale, it will definitely be a small serving tray.

  Just a seasonal foot note.  All the snow is finally gone and we are living through a day of heavy rain. Some of the local lawns are beginning to look a little more green and a little less dead. I guess spring is finally coming, finally.

cheers, ianw

Project #3 - Small Box - Making Pretty

  After making the bit bit holder I set about putting tools away and clearing off my bench.  A while ago I made a little holder for my bench in which my marking tools are stored between jobs. As you can see my pencils are in a flattened tin can. Such an ugly shame on a wood workers bench.

  The slightly improved version is a small wooden box made from scraps to hold my pencils.

  The nicer version is a small wooden box wood burned, tinted with pencil crayon and finished with spray varnish.

  A small box like this can be made from scraps laying around the shop.  I cut out the various pieces, then glued and clamped them together.  The quality of wood glue is so good now that if you have time to wait there is almost no need for pins or finishing nails.  The smoother the wood is sanded the better result achieved in wood burning so I sanded to 320 grit before drawing on my design and then burning it.

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NEWS NEWS, bad NEWs

  Yesterday when I set to work my table saw died.  I have been busy with other things today so I've not dug out the shop manual to see if there is an inline fuse or something of that sort that could have stopped my saw's motor but can be saved/reset.  If....the saw is dead.....what do I do?  What do I do? 

  I don't use my table saw very often anymore,  could I get by with a home made track saw and my band saw? I have a good circular saw with good blades and two band decent band saws.  But I have always had a table saw....is it necessary in a small hobby shop like mine?  I am filled with questions and considerations, I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

cheers, ianw