Two Woodcraft Projects

  Recently I made a Gnome Home, not a cabinet grade shop project but...one that was appreciated. (also fun) 

  So, I had some materials laying around and made another yard ornament.

   Rudolf is about 6 inches tall including antlers. This is the sort of shop project you can do living in an apartment. I found the body and head are wind fall lumber from the side of the road. The legs are whittled round(ish) from a 1 x 1 cedar fence board and the nose. I think I once bought a small bag of noses (knobs) at a craft store. A project like this is even a good one for a beginner with very limited tools.  I needed a hand saw, drill, two sized drill bits, a shop knife and pliers to make the antlers. You don't even need to sand the deer if you want to avoid the mess and dust. 

    This next project used more tools.  The tools, glue and clamps that made the box were more involved than the carving equipment.  I have some bass wood boards that cut re-sawed to make the basic box. The box is held together with glue and dowels.

  Chip carving knives are quite basic and for this project I only used the one on the left.

It has been a couple of years since I did any chip carving so this design is a bit rough. I had forgotten how enjoyable this type of wood working can be.

  The lid is held in position by two end pins.  That type of hinge system can be adapted to nearly any sized box and long pins can be used instead of tiny hinges with tiny screws. While this box has some carved bling it is a solid functional item too.

  

  The hinge pin is visible in this view.   You can also see if you look closely, the dowel pins. Each end has four tiny dowel pins, made from cocktail tooth picks. My plan for this box is for it to be used as a pencil case so it will get knocked around during its life, but also appreciated and used .  Chip carved items are often heavily carved, in the case only the back and bottom are uncarved. Traditionally the back would have been carved too.  The carver is partly showing off, and originally killing time in the down time or off season so the more detailed and intricate the better. 

  Now I need to clear shop space because I have taken on a large restoration project, not difficult but LARGE.  Details to follow.

cheers IanW

Fall Fair Season is upon us!!

get out and visit your local fair,

better yet enter to win.

  

Gnome Home

 

  This is one of those silly projects that are inspired by things seen while drifting around the internet.  I saw a post of Gnome Houses as a part of a garden display.  We have a nice garden, which features wonderful flowers,  a large red fish, Captain the lifeboat from Thomas the Tank Engine and Scoop 

of Bob the Builder fame. And some things that were not products of the workshop too.

  Recently I salvaged some wood blown down in a unseasonably strong wind storm.  After filling the back of out car with wood and hauling it to my shop I had to admit I had no plan for the wood. (I just couldn't leave it there to rot).

  

  Anyway a friend with a small chain saw cut some of the pieces for me into basic house shapes and I set out to design and build a home for a tiny fictional character. 

  Believe it or not I had to spend some time imagining what I wanted it to look like when done. 

  

To get depth of colour behind the window I drilled a hole the size of the window and painted the wood behind it in a dark blue/gray colour. The door and doorstep were added separately  after the house's front was painted several coats of the eye catching pinkish red. Every part of the house is soaked in clear deck sealer so that it can live under a tree in a garden for several seasons without being touched up. (no one likes a home that demands too much ongoing maintenance)   In keeping the the natural style the roofing is cedar shingles. 

  The tool that was most useful in the project that I hardly ever use was a coping saw. The door was shaped on my band saw but its window and that upstairs were cut with a coping saw.  I decided against using a jig saw because I didn't want to drill that large a starting hole and....it was just quicker and easier than getting my scroll saw out and set up.  I really like using the scroll saw but only if I have a larger project that makes it worth the set up time. Hand tools are quieter and often quicker for small tasks, hand tool skills shouldn't be ignored, in my humble opinion.

  Beyond getting the rough shape, all the work on a fun/silly project like this can be done completely using hand tools.

 cheers Ian 

p.s. welcome back to school everyone.  

Opa Fix - lathe work

  Opa fix.  All of the Grandchildren's lives I and my workshop have saved the day when life or unforeseen circumstances have impacted any of their stuff.  I have repaired dozens of toys for them and the tradition continues. Clara's book fell apart and her turtle suffered an accident.  In the shop are a selection of glues for all materials and they all get used.  Super/Crazy glues is good stuff but not always the solution.  Every shop needs rubber cement, two part epoxy, wood glue and super glue, not to mention a hot glue gun.  Adhesive technology has advanced quite a bit since I began wood working, it advanced and improved.  

  This weekend's other project was a wood turning project.  Our Granddaughter is totally immersed in the "Warrior Cats" series of books and has developed an interest in the medicine cats and the herbs that are used by them.  

  To process the herbs Clara needed a mortar and pestle, so yesterday we turned them on the lathe.

  Clara still stands on a box to be at a good working height, she is careful and very attentive while working in the shop.  The result is good quality basic work. She also wears a face shield and dust mask while working.  She did 90 % of the work, when she wasn't totally comfortable I did some of the details and the inside of the bowl for her.  FYI Clara is going into grade six next week. The bowl is white oak that was sanded to 600 grit and then finished in paste wax.  It will serve for the learning stages of her herb study, if she stays interested we'll make another from harder closer grained wood later.

Mortar and Pestle

  The pestle was turned from poplar which makes it fairly hard and the mortar is white oak.  They were made from wood at hand, should we want to make another set I'll opt for maple. 

  This was a good project since we turned the bowl on a face plate and the pestle between centers.  It was fairly quick but with good results so a good beginner project. There is scope for more interesting design development too. 

  It is great working for and with Grand Children in the shop.

cheers, ianw