Oak is a wonderful wood

Before and After

  Last week I replaced an oak spatula that has seen years of work in Eva's kitchen. With a band saw or jig saw and a bit of sand paper you are able to make a new spatula in about 30 minutes, including coffee drinking time.

Sections of Oak church Pew

  Our church has replaced several rows of pews with very nice, comfortable chairs. I was lucky enough to be given six 12 foot sections of discarded pew.  My long term plan is to make an stand up dresser like the one I made forty years ago for my brother.  Only this time out of oak, not plywood.

 Currently however I am making crosses from smaller off cuts from the pews.

  Once finished the crosses will be strung for necklaces.  I think there are people at our church who would like a cross like this as a reminder of their connection to our particular church and their faith in general.

  Carving small oak pieces is not so much carving as it is shaping.  I cut the rough shape out on the band saw and then work with small files and sand paper to smooth out the piece.  It is quite relaxing. There remains several off cuts that will be cut into crosses of various sizes.   

  Another project I was working on, it is really a shop tip for Canadians. One evening while cleaning up my bench I took out my drawer of small washers and make a bunch for future use.

  Now that pennies are no longer legal tender I can punch and drill them making perfectly serviceable washers for wood working projects. 

  The workshop season is returning.  I have several things I want to do with my shop space to make working easier as well as get back to making things on my lathe. 

  Enjoy the autumn weather and carrying on making things.

cheers, ianw

  

 The road less traveled.

Single Use Plastic in the Workshop and Beyond

 Many folks are making an effort to reduce the amount of single use products in their lives, plastic straws being one of the things with a high media profile.  Single use items don't play a large role in wood working and a smaller than average role in my shop.  For example, I know many woodworkers that use disposable foam brushes rather than wash out a bristle brush, I'm cheap I wash brushes out.  Glue brushes are another throw away item I re-use over and over again.  Sand paper is disposable, but a crepe block extents sand paper's useful life several times over. Not to mention that I use planes, files and cabinet scrapers when ever possible, partly because I am thrifty and partly because I want to avoid fine dust.   

  If I am thirsty I drink water out the the tap and if I need to take it with me I put it in a reusable bottle.  I carried vacuum bottles ( thermos in Canada) of coffee to work long  after there came to be a "Tim Horton's on every corner, party cheapness and partly hatred of adding to the world's accumulation of trash.

  I think Dunkin Donuts is the American Version of Tim Hortons.

  On the topic of dust and dust collection I installed vortex dust collection systems years ago to reduce the number of filter and other bags that had to be bought and thrown out.  Money I believe to have been well invested.

   Connected with the single use theme, today I am going to drift up the stairs and out of the workshop.  

  Forty plus years ago I began to shave my face and very quickly my father made it clear he was not interested in sharing his razor.  You may remember razors from the 1970's they were generally heavy brass, or steel and used a single blade.  However, around that time multi blade razors made mostly from single use plastic came on the scene. The new razors proved conclusively how primitive and backward was my father, who never made the move to the modern era and so only owned one razor in his adult life.

single use, unnecessary 

  For about forty years I used razors like the one in the photo.  I usually wear a fairly full beard and so seldom shave why entire face, nor do I shave more than three times per week.  If I shave every day my face and neck quickly resemble ground beef, raw, regardless of what shaving products, razors, soaps, balms or aftershaves used. I even tried a couple of costly electric razors which not only abraded my skin but cooked it at the same time. ( it is only fair to say that my face is covered with closely packed heavy black (now grey) wire pretending to be hair. )

  Recently I began to think about the single use plastic thing.  I don't use a straw with drinking and usually carry a knife and spoon with me for road side eating.  I hated plastic utensils long before they became an environmental issue.  So what was a further unnecessary throw away plastic thing....razors.  Over the course of forty plus years I have thrown more than two thousands into the trash. 

 What to do? Consider what my Father did.  The old man was smarter than I gave him credit. 

  I now have a razor which I expect to last me as long as I shave myself and it came with a selection of blades all of which seem to do an equally effective job.  One make is in a paper box and so will be what I order in the future.  (Astra)  I have found that there are a couple of weeks shaving in each razor blade thus far.

  

  After all the hype my single blade razor does a well as any of the three, four, five blade super duper plastic wonders I have used for the last forty years.  Eventually the single razor blades with be recycled or at least biodegrade in time as will the steel razor.

  As my Grand children grow and fill my life with joy and light I want their lives to be long and happy too.

 cheers ianw 

In the Work Shop - a restoration story.

  This is the object of my current attention. Three of these legs are very loose and wobbly.  One leg  is immobile. Part of the top and two of the legs are stained with deer blood.  The bark is loose on one side.  My mission.  To sand it down, glue it up and varnish it all around.

  This is one of those craftsmen jobs that people often don't respect.  I'm not going to do anything that is magic but I have at my finger tips all the tools that are necessary to do all those non-magical things. To night I worked on the legs. I spent a couple of hours sanding off the stains and the old varnish. To do that I have used four different grits of sand paper, and two different rasps. All those things are at hand in my shop, as well as two types of glue and one type of wood filler.

  Once all the glues and fillers are dry I will have to shape and repair the one leg's broken tenon then use another sort of glue to re-glue the three loose legs.  Next I'll turn the table over, strip the top and re-finish it will a combination of shellac and varnish.

  All this is easy because I have sand paper, rasps, glue, sanders, dust masks and various finishes, brushes, rags and I know how to use them.  ( and clamps )

  When I am done you will not be able to find the stains, the nicks or dents on the legs and the top will have a warm and welcoming glow. (I don't do high gloss).  It will be as good as new, or maybe better.  All of these things are easy, once you know how and have done it a dozen or so times.  

  Often we do not give crafts people credit.  I have too often heard people say "oh I could do that", yes but you didn't you, so ......give credit where credit is due.

  I maybe a bit cranky since I have spent so much time this evening sanding by hand that my hands are a bit crampy and sore.  The person for whom I am repairing and refinishing the table appreciates the effort and my semi-grumpiness is not aimed at her.

  I am watching the snow accumulate and blow around. Tomorrow I will shovel what is left. Tonight, a cool drink, Christmas lights and an audio book for company. (and out old cat).

cheers, ianw

Its Nice to Have a Workshop.

  It is Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and so Rockton World's Fair Weekend.  My wife and I have been entering things in fair competition for many years as well as volunteering in one way or another. My wife is a super cook/baker that wins big most years.  My efforts are much more modest.

  This year I entered a couple of drawings, some bread and a some crafts work.  I always know the fair is coming, always know what I am  planning to enter and always it is a scramble on the last couple of days to get things ready. This year we had to cannibalise some of our photograph frames to frame some grandchild art and I discovered a couple of my pieces were not standard sizes.  I had to rush down stairs and frame a painting and a wood burning project at the last minute.  I was surprised at the painting since I bought a ready stretched  canvas.  I assumed it would be a standard size with cheap framing readily available  The wood burning was a one off and so it being an odd size wasn't really a surprise. 

  But...why does this always have to be dealt with at the last minute?  Haven't I learned anything from years of going to school?  Actually I was better organised as a student.  In five years of post secondary education I never handed in an assignment late, nor had to ask for an extension. 
  

   The wood burning is on 1/4 inch Baltic birch sanded to 400 grit and then buffed clean and smooth.  The smoother the wood, the easier it is to wood burn.   I glued the picture to another larger piece of plywood and glued the oak frame onto the backing piece.

  Once I got the frame glued together I sanded the oak and then spayed two coats of varnish on the piece to protect it from smudges and finger marks.

  Included in this blog: an inspirational video.  I actually have a couple of projects on the go but one is at a boring stage and the other is a gift (secret), so my sharing is limited.

At Home in the Shop

  Get out and enjoy the weekend, come to the fair. I'm helping manage one of the car parks for a while tomorrow.

cheers, ianw