Hammer Time

 This week our other grand children are visiting us from Europe and so we now have a one year old and a three year old (and their parents) staying with us.  Nap times and early bed times are going to impact shop time somewhat, and the fact that I'd rather play on the floor with a baby then work in my shop are going to impact shop time too.  
 In advance of their arrival I had a quick project to do.  The three year old likes to hammer. So I made her a bench and mallet for hammering.

  The blue bench part is mostly maple with a bit of poplar. The top pivots on two dowels so the wooden 'nails' don't actually come out, so they can't get lost. This way you pound in the 'nails' then flip the top over and pound them back again.

  The mallet didn't have enough mass to be effective and so I drilled it through on my drill press and glued steel ball bearings inside then glued plugs into the ends.

  Since the bench is made from hard wood all the screw holes needed to be pre-bored. The top pivoting on dowel inserts needed to be fairly accurately drilled too.  When I am doing a  small project like this I really prefer to do all the hole drilling on my drill press.  Whether you spend $99.99 or $899.99 I really believe that a shop needs to have a drill press.  In a pinch you can also use your drill press for sanding and buffing.  I still use an old  drill press as a spindle sander, I know it is a compromise but thus far I have been satisfied with the results.

 I am continuing work on the sofa table too.  Since everyone is out for High Tea I have had some quiet time to cut and shape the taper's on the tables' legs. I have the skirt to machine from large stock and then it is all about sanding and assembly.

  We've been having unseasonably lovely weather, I hope you have too.  Get out and enjoy yourselves, snow/work shop season is just around the corner.

cheers, Ianw