Quick Stocking Stuffer and Weird Discovery by a Cheap Wood Worker

There are only a couple of days left until Christmas and this year I haven't spent much time on home made things.  Actually I haven't spent much time on things at all, we've all got stuff coming out of our ears.  Having said that I have decided to make some wooden money clips as stocking stuffers.                                                                                                                                      

hanging to dry

                           


    This is a quick easy make.  I am using poplar for this one and have already given it one coat of shellac.  I made the end a little thicker than the last ones I made a year or so ago.  I am hoping that this clip will not split apart so readily. 

  I just whipped this one off this afternoon and will make a few more later.  The only thing I find tough will projects this small is holding on to them while sanding.  I roughed the shape on a power sander but finished the project of to 320 grit by hand.

  The weird discovery involves dry breakfast cereal.  You know the wax paper type bag that the cereal comes in?  It can be pulled apart into a good sized flat sheet of high quality paper for making gaskets on finish cans. Also I am planning to use it as a bench cover when doing glue ups and painting small parts. The paper in those bags seems to be higher quality than ordinary waxed paper... who knew?  I like the idea of using and re-using if I possibly can, 'cause I am cheap maybe.  

  This morning I ventured into the insanity that is Christmas shopping.  Is anyone buying anything or are they just driving around?

  cheers, ianw

A day late, but not forgotten

  This blog entry belonged to March, but with it being tax time my desk time has been diverted from this more useful and pleasant work. Anyway, better late....

  Every now and then I see a 'shop tip' that is so good.  I love this, I don't have a dead blow hammer, and since I don't make much furniture have carried on with one for years. Sometimes I do need to persuade some nice bits of wood to fit together and now I can do it without concern for the wood finish.  We all have more hammers that we need, so fitting a rubber tip to one is not a trouble. Interestingly this hammer was the one that lived in my Grandmother's kitchen junk drawer for ever and ever. I think of her when eating pie and tarts and when hammering in my shop.

  
 Wood workers can find useful tools in craft and hobby stores too. A while ago I bought this self healing cutting board. I cut all my leather and many of my templates on it now. Using it means I don't have to find a smooth, unblemished section on my work bench when cutting things out. This is something that I wish I'd bought years ago.

  These are a few of the small things I finished off yesterday in a break from annual paper work. 

   The figure eights are to wrap head phone cords around to control chaos on my desk.

  The napkin ring was turned on my lathe a week or two ago and I finally wood burned a design and varnished it.

  The bamboo chop sticks and skewers are to remind you to recycle them in your shop for paint stirring and glue spreading. I have also used the skewers as tiny dowels on project.  

  
 Last but not least is a prototype money clip using leather as a hinge with rare earth magnets to hold it closed. I'll see how it works out, then either refine or reject it.

 These are the products of a bit of time in my shop relaxing and forgetting about tax related paper work. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a shop in which to play.

cheers, Ian W

both death and taxes are inevitable, delay the first and manage the second as best you can.

Wooden Money Clip

How to Make a Wooden Money Clip

  I was looking around for a small project to use up some of the nice bits of wood I have in my scrap box and found the Money Clip at Instructables. 

 After watching the video I decided to make a clip or two of my own. 

wooden money clips,
top-oak, bottom-poplar

  I followed the video instructions pretty closely, though I cut the slots with my back saw  rather then the band saw. It just seemed like a hand tool sort of day.  The clips have two coats of shellac and one of varnish. I sanded between each coat and so the clips are smooth and inviting to touch.  I plan to make some more clips and burn designs into the wood, that will make each clip individual. 

  On the weekend my grandson and I made an Imperial Star Destroyer, not a model, a toy.  Kieran knows the difference between a model and a toy.

  I am always bragging about 'K' but also I am interested in watching his continued development as a shop guy.  This time Kieran drew the plan and used a ruler to get straight lines, he has learned to use a ruler at school I presume. So the plan was better than before. 

  More importantly he cut the plywood pieces out using a back saw with very limited help from me.  Once he gets a little more comfortable cutting with the back saw he will be able to make things with very little help from a grown up. 

  To put the control tower on we drilled a pilot hole with his 4 volt little drill. For small hands a screw driver with a hex shank drill bit works best I have found. Even my 12 volt drill is too big for 5 year old hands. 

  Kieran was very proud to explain to everyone that he did 'all' the work, Opa only helped him steer the saw.  He also did nearly all the sanding, though he didn't find it very exciting.  Sanding is still done by hand, he doesn't like the noise or sanders, it time he'll get like the rest of us, we hate the noise, love the speed.

 Pretty soon my Granddaughter is going to start looking to work in the shop.  She is already pretty good at sweeping, and that is where apprentices begin  to learn the trade.

cheers, ianw