Working on Christmas Projects

  As well as making Christmas tree ornament for my grand kids I have been making wooden toys and puzzles for them for years too. I began making 5 and 6 piece puzzles and now need to make 50 pieces puzzles. This year I am trying two different approaches to these more complex puzzles. For this turtle puzzle I decided to paint it completely, I have yet to add the details and then cut it out.

 With the fish puzzle I laid it out and cut it out and will then paint it. Regardless of when I paint them I give my puzzles a generous coat of shellac before I paint. My experience is that sealing the wood means that the coat goes on easier and takes far fewer coats, sometimes only one coat of paint is needed to get a good result. 

  And now that our grandchildren are 4 and 6 years old I don't have to worry about them chewing on the wooden pieces so I will lay on a coat or two of spray varnish once the painting is done.

  Another project that is rolling along and leaving wood chips all over the house is my movie snow men, tomorrow I am going to look to attach so pipe cleaner arms and the carrot nose. I think the legs are a bit too long to impersonate a recent movie celebrity but I check that out before final painting.

  It will soon be Christmas and I have found the most recent must have tool for a man's workshop. Check this out, it is my secret link of the day. This tool is specialised but may have a place in your shop beside the coffee pot and the mini fridge.

 Keep work folks, Christmas is coming faster than you imagine.

Happy Holidays 

One Bowl Done, One to Go

  Today David embraced his inner middle school self and turned the segmented bowl to completion. The end result is Okay.  We both learned several important things on this project that we will use in the next one.

  We were pretty casual with the glue up stage and that showed in our results. More careful fitting and clamping is called for next time. In spite of poor preparation the mini lathe makes a good little bowl with a minimum of fuss.

  If you look closely you can see that some of the glue joints needed help from glue and sawdust. We also didn't knock ourselves out with the finishing stage, the bowls just got some wax. However, David and I decided that it was a good time and that we will be doing it again, more seriously this time.

 The other thing that has been happening in the shop are my annual Christmas ornaments.

   This year's tree ornaments are six, slightly silly snowmen. I think the next line is five stolen rings. It actually took longer to stain the aquarium sand black and carve the noses then it did to carve the heads, I think.  It sure was more fussy.

  For a carving project like this all you need is a sharp knife, a folding knife or a smaller fixed blade knife or a utility knife will let you whittle up a storm. I have been making some sort of tree ornament for nearly ten years now, and my Grandchildren may never have to buy an ornament for their trees ever. Oma and I are supplying their needs. 

Cheers, Ian W

maybe one like this next time. isn't it amazing.