What do you do, on a rainy afternoon?

  I have a pile of pre-cut 3/4 inch plywood sitting in the garage waiting to be turned into a rolling cabinet for the craft room at the Ancaster Seniors Achievement Centre. The wood will have to wait a bit, it is currently 5 degrees C, windy and raining.  I just don't feel like working in an unheated garage; with the door closed it is too dark, with the door open, too cold. And the cabinet has to be made in the garage because it will be too big to bring out of the basement. (I made that mistake once. I had to take the thing apart to get it through the door at the top of the stairs. It's not like building a sail boat in the basement, that is worth knocking down a wall)

  So....I have be puttering away in my basement shop where it is a good working temperature.  If you have grand children there seems to always be some small thing that needs to be done. One of the ways I filled my time yesterday was making handles for a skipping rope. 

  I started with two 1 inch square pieces of poplar.  I began the drilling process on my drill press and finished with a long bit in my hand brace.  The drill press creates a deep enough pilot hole that keeping the alignment while drilling by hand is easy. I don't use my brace and bit often, but it is a  easy/cheap way to drill long holes.  If you are young and don't know what I'm talking about here is a video, "How to Use a Brace and Bit".

 One handle is sitting on my latest jig. It wasn't worth setting up the lathe and I didn't have any dowel large enough handy so I used my block plane to round off the poplar pieces.  The challenge of holding onto smaller pieces of wood while planing  is eased with the small jig. Unlike a bench hook this jig keeps the wood piece from rolling sideways while it is being planed.  I made this jig because I have struggled in the past trying to clamp small pieces .  I will be able to use this jig while carving too.

  I broke out my hole saw set again for a Grand Daughter project.

  And remember, don't throw the cut outs away.  You never know when you will need some large wood wooden wheels for a kids project. I cut six holes and one was chipped and nasty, the rest can be used again.

  

  Using the same idea as my small parts bit, ( Jan 5th, 2017) but with sealing containers I am making a portable paint box for my Grand Daughter in Sweden. She can't read yet so the surprise won't be spoiled by showing the work in progress on the net. Unlike my shop use bins this project will be made with nice wood and decent hardware. 

  cheers, IanW

When she gets bigger I'll make

 her something like this.