Train is Done....

  Over the past few weeks I have not been very active in my shop.  In the cool of the evening I putter around for a bit but mostly my energy is spent in the garden, on the motorcycle and/or trying to stay cool.
  That doesn't mean that there has been nothing going on. Last week my buddy with the crazy truck,

  helped me bring home six oak pew backs from our church.  The wooden pews are being replaced by much more comfortable chairs.

  I now have six pieces of oak 10 feet by 2 feet by 3/4 inch.  This wood has been cured for fifty years so I have no concern about cracking.  What I will do with all the wonderful wood, I haven't decided yet but what a wind fall for my shop.

  Also I finished off a smaller project.

 Two serious coats of Minwax wood hardener and my envelop knife is ready for prime time.

 The biggest project that has been drifting around my shop was the train shaped planters.

  The engine is 22 inches long and 8 inches wide, as is the freight car that 

will follow the coal tender.  The coal tender is 11 inches long.  I am pleased with most aspects of this build, except the wheels.  Or more accurately the way that the wheels attach to the cars.

  If I were to make another version of this I would still use cedar, (good for the out doors and my favourite wood with which to work.)  The process of glue and dowels I would keep too.  If all else fails this project won't have rust streaks showing .  Since the wheels are just for show I would have made them from thinner material and created a more light weight under carriage.  

  I think the planters will do okay in varnished wood this season but will need to be painted in the future and a good paint job will make for more of a train look.

  Cut out and waiting are bed pieces for my Grand daughter's stuffy, Bella Bunny.  When they get here later today she and I'll assemble the bed for Bella. I love grand children making things,

cheers, ianw

   

Doing What Comes Naturally

  Much of what I make in my shop is designed to fill a need or serve a purpose. Some times the purpose is to preserve a moment in time for someone that is too young to understand how important that moment was.  

  
  Sometime, long ago we made Captain in the shop.  Last fall I repainted the boat and last week I put it in our pond.  Kieran remembered making that boat,and the many other boats we've made in my shop. That moment is just about as satisfying as a moment gets.

  What else have I done?  I dragged out my old friend 'Contact Cement' and added some leather to customize my shoulder bag and to add some heft to the flap.

  If you have the glue and some clamps and someplace to let it dry, (like a shop). You can add detail and ruggedness to something you bought at the store like everyone else.  I include this sort of thing to remind folks that a home shop can become integral  to your life and life style.  We mustn't dismiss 'craft' projects as less important than 'wood working' projects.  I admire many of the 'Makers' I see on-line that are doing lots of different things, not just wood work.

  So that you can see that I am still working with wood.

  Under the stairs coming down from our deck is dead space.  Into that dead space has drifted garden related stuff.  You know the sort of thing, chicken wire, stakes, flower pots etc, etc. However you can't see most of that stuff because it is hidden by the screen that I knocked out from some left over lattice and 2 x 4. The only thing that is semi-interesting with this screen is that it is easily removable.  I drove two 3/4 inch dowels into the frame of the stairs leaving enough dowel proud to hang the screen on.  The job was dead easy since I have a table saw and cordless drill. It is great to have a few tools on hand and a bit of wood laying around waiting to be employed.  In fact 2 x 2 lumber from the box store would save you from having to use a table saw. This is almost a 'craft' project.   Get out there and make some simple stuff, come on, make something.

   On my bench currently is an actual wood working project.  

wheels 

  I am designing and building a steam train with coal tender and one car to be a set of planters.  The first stage is to arrive at a design that is balanced looking. I am not trying to make anything to scale but it does have to look right.  I decided to begin with the wheels since that is the most labour intensive and difficult part of the project. (after the design is done)  These wheels are being cut from 2 x 4 stock on the band saw, since these wheels don't have to roll much.  I am going to put them on 1/2 inch dowel axles so the planter can be nudged around of the deck if need be, but they wouldn't be a toy.

After the wheels, everything will be cedar fence board.

  The weather is good, the days are sunny and I am spending time in the garden.  For us life is good, I hope it is good for you too.

 

cheers, ianw

  

Two Christmas Toys - Wooden of course.

 How to make a Wooden Train

  Of course you don`t have to print your plans out from a CAD programme but a printed paper plan is nice to do if you plan to make more than one of the particular toy.

 How to Build a Grasshopper Pull Toy.

  Build and enjoy.

cheers, ianw