Long Spoon, and Another Cedar Project

 You don't know you need a long spoon until you get one and then wonder how you lived without it. Big pots of chilli, stew and simmering fruit all need a long spoon to reach deep into the pot's corners while keeping your hands happy and safe. 

  This one is walnut, finished with Hemp Oil. I shaped the spoon mostly with knives after roughing it out on the band saw.  Hollowing out the bowl of the spoon is a job for my Dremel Tool. I like using walnut for spoons because it is fairly hard and yet it is easy to get a glass smooth finish.

  We have several hand made spoons in the kitchen drawers now and it is surprising how often it is better to have a slightly longer, or stouter spoon at hand.

**********************************

  I have been working away with my found cedar. Yesterday another project emerged that suits found cedar.  This time I cut the strips on the table saw, I am leaning toward hand tools, but haven't fallen in totally. 

BOOT CLIPS revisited. 2014 March first visit.

  Winter has arrived and so it is tall boot season. 

  The boot clip is like a extra large clothes peg.  It keeps soft boots from flopping over, taking too much space by the door or in the closet.

   The design is two long pieces with a spacer in between. Once I got the boards cut into strips I used my hand planes to clean up and smooth the wood and a shop knife and files to round various edges. 

jack and smoothing plane.

  I think cedar is the perfect wood for these holders and it planes nicely. I'm making 6,  almost no noise and lovely shavings.  I have a Anant Jack plane with an up graded blade and a Veritas low angle smoother. (thanks Santa)  For a couple of years I was the Canadian Importer of Anant planes.  I always frond them to be good general carpentry tools.

  Time to think about some more quick Christmas gifts from the shop.

cheers ianw

  

Christmas Gifts

 

 This is some of the typical seasonal stuff that I make in my shop.  Many people I know like wood grain and slightly rustic decor items.  The only special tool that you need for this sort of thing is a Forstner bit of the correct size.  It is nice to have a drill press too when drilling those big holes.  I buy my candles at the $ Store and drill the holes to fit.

  

  A quick project for our basement bathroom.  I used scraps and left overs to make the bathroom tissue holder. I doubt that there are many bathrooms with elm paper holders. Glue and dowels,  so when the floor is flooded by a grand kid nothing will rust.

  The joy of doing a project like the paper holder was working the wood with my planes.  I have a scrub plane, a plane I recommend for all shops and two smoothing planes.  The plane at the bottom of the picture is a A 33 Stanley,  copy by Anant from India.  I have been happy with my Anant planes for the price, very happy. The top plane in the photo is my low angle smoother from Veritas.  It was a Christmas gift a couple of years ago.  Properly set up and sharpened those planes are wonderful to use.

  I am still working on the wheel barrow.  Once I got the handles glued and shaped I discovered I was not going to be able to undue most of the nuts and bolts without serious violence.  Also I was pretty sure that I would need to do more metal work than I like or have the proper tools for.  It is always good to have a plan "B".

  Tomorrow sees more of plan"B" in action.

  IMO this is a great year for personal, homemade gifts.  We all need some extra encouragement this year.

cheers, ianw