Lately I have been working on small stuff. Wrestling big sheet stock around my shop and using noisy machines has been given a holiday.
I have turned a few small projects on my mini-lathe. The napkin rings turned out fine, the larger project has had to be turned in fire wood. After knocking the spindle roundish it began to crack. Initially I thought the crack would add interest, ultimately it just split the piece. Not all projects turn out.
One of the first tools I bought for my workshop was a scroll saw and recently I have dragged it out, dusted it off and have been making a few things again. In many ways a scroll saw is the ideal small project tool.
This rhino and hippo are cut from basswood and intended for my grand daughters in Sweden.
*A shop tip* use dental floss to clear the sanding dust out of the tiny slots.
A couple of years ago I took a drawing class at our local seniors centre and have continued to sketch and paint. I took the class to enable me to design my own carving, wood burning and scroll saw projects. Until I began drawing myself I had to relay on purchased designs. While my art talent isn't great, creating my own designs has expanded and personalized my work. These two beasts and the spreader knife where inspired by things I've seen but my own designs.
Sitting at my work bench hurts my back, but I am able to recover more quickly then when I do heavier work so I think my shop is going to turn more to small projects in the future.
cheers, Ian W
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