small April things.

  It has taken a little while to get back under full steam.  This morning I tested negative for Covid-19 after a couple of weeks interrupted social and personal life.  My nose is still a bit stuffed up, but, that is normal for me in seasonal transition times.

  So, what have I been up to. Nothing big naturally but  an assortment of smaller things.  The soap dish below has been in use for a few years (July 2019) and when I decided to scrape it clean I added some tail detail.  Basic objects used to enjoy a craftsmen's attention in the olden times, I think I like a bit of carving on my projects.

  Aromatic cedar is a lovely and interesting wood, also prone to cracking and splintering. I was asked for some interesting buttons to adorn hand knit slippers. 

  It is easy enough to shape some buttons using needle files and a bit of patience. 

  The last wee thing was a couple of white oak spatulas.   This is the last of a small bundle of 3/8 oak, I don't remember whence it came. I have used this quality wood for small boxes and things over the years.  Many years ago I cut out a spatula from the wood that is used most days in our kitchen and looks to be good for years yet to come.

  Oak is a great wood for kitchen tools.  It is strong and doesn't suffer terribly from being wet and wears  like, like 'oak'.  Plastic melts and metal scratches 'non-stick' surfaces, it is hard to beat wood.

  Currently I am cleaning up and re-shaping a wooden bowl and then, I guess it is time to find an important project to undertake,I guess.

cheers ianw

 

Two Turnings and Two Legs

  Having sorted out the work station and nearly sorted out dust collection I have been working on my lathe.

  I have two of the legs made, it takes about 30 minutes from start to sanding with four hundred grit.  I am not finishing the legs, they will be painted in the end.

  The maple makes a straight grained and sturdy leg. Once all eight legs are turned I will drill them for the braces then glue the whole thing together. 

  The wood turning diversions were: one functional, one artistic.

  The plastic end on my shop vac broke so I made a replacement.

  Super glue glues anything to anything, vacuum hose to wood, no problem. I need the vacuum to suck up all the fine, fine dust from the sanding stage on the lathe projects.

  Last April I turned this bowl for shaving soap.   Today I got around to turning a top for it. Now the brush will sit on top of the bowl and the soap will not dry out as fast.

  I picked the board with the knot on purpose, it adds character though it made the turning a bit tricky.  Now the bowl looks pretty shabby, I think I will have to wax and polish it before I put in back in the bathroom.  Nice diversion, next thing is to settle down and turn some more legs. 

  Sharpening a roughing gouge, good video. I need to sharpen my gouges. 

 Another days work.

cheers, ianw

    

Soap Dish

 I have been working away on some small projects that were in limbo. I've flocked an other box and spent sometime sharpening tools.  Otherwise it is sort of summer vacation.  When you are retired how do you tell vacation from everyday life? I don't know either.

  The thing I actually made was a carved soap dish out of cedar. 

  The basic shape was cut on the band saw and to establish the depth to which the dish was to be hollowed I used my drill press.  After establishing where I wanted to hollow to be deepest I set the depth stop on my drill press and then drilled a 3/8 hole.  Once the hole was drilled I then used various carving gouges to gently taper down to the hole depth.

  To work on this project I used my carving jig/support.

  The sides are solidly screwed to the base.  The screw heads are well counter sunk to keep from chipping a blade if I slip. On the underside is a heavy lip that I can push firmly against my work bench. That way I can exert serious torque when necessary. 

  The various cut outs help hold various shapes better.

  If you wanted to make something like this soap dish and did not have carving chisels you could draw the shape on your board but not cut it out.  By leaving the board uncut you would have places upon which to clamp your piece down while using various power sanding machines.  A shallow indentation could be mostly shaped with a grinder and a random orbital sander.  Once the hollow is shaped, cut your pattern out on the band saw or with a jig saw.  I used knives and files to trim and shape the edges but a sander would do the job as well.  I opted for the mostly hand tool approach because I wasn't in a hurry and wanted quiet time.

  This soap dish turned out Okay except I experimented with the finish.  Instead of something traditional like tung oil, or just leaving it raw to soak up over time I tried something I found in a craft store.  My wife puts jig saw puzzles together and I thought I would try the premixed sealant/epoxy that puzzlers use to glue a complete puzzle together.  It didn't really work, too much of it soaked into the wood for a nice result.  It I have to seal the project before putting the sealer on, it is not a success. I appear to be a glutton for  punishment when it comes to the search for a finishing short cut. 

  Anyway, the weather is what we have been waiting for, more or less so get out and enjoy it.

cheers, ianw