Where the Buffalo Roam

By matthew

May 04, 2013

I make no excuses for my lack of posts as of late. Life at times gets in the way of even the most die hard writers and I am most certainly not a die hard writer, so you can only imagine the distractions that I let draw me away. However the latest is big enough that I thought it time to lay it out for my clients and readers.

The short story is simply that Kristina and I have both accepted new positions within our day jobs that are going to spirit us away from the desert and drop us back home in the mountains (exactly where our long term goals were heading). However the downside to this transition is more likely than not, a sabbatical of sorts, away from woodworking. It's not that I don't want to continue down the path of enlightenment that is woodworking, but more to the fact that right now our lives are fairly upside down and we're not counting on shop/work space in the immediate future. Unfortunately the workshop is one of those needs that for us in the short term, is one we can shed in order to get our lives on the correct path and will pick back up as soon as possible.

So to those fellow woodworking friends, I'm still here and will be greedily spying on your work and wishing I was in the shop with you.

For those of you who have believed in me as your artisan and craftsman, I thank you and assure you that I will be back to producing those items you are looking for and wanting to commission; hopefully sooner than later.

The bigger question, at least in my mind is: What's going to happen with all the projects currently on the bench? Well...unfortunately those are going to have be packed away with the rest of the shop. My daily dovetail is going to have to hold at Day 143 as will several boxes I was in the midst of creating for a gallery presence. But all is not lost...this will honestly give me an interesting view on my current work vs. when I can finally pick it back up. Does it change during this sabbatical? Does it remain "gonzo" or become more focused and refined? What happens to my dovetail skills that were so hard won during the first 150ish daily dovetail? All questions I'm greatly anticipating finding the answer to...

I will be documenting the very quick pack up of my current space and will be posting that progress over the next few weeks...so if you're interested in the 3 ring circus that I'm sure this will be, stay tuned...

Tags: Woodworking, year of the dovetail, box, Change, Sabbatical, Moving
Posted in Let's Talk Wood | 0 Responses to "Where the Buffalo Roam"

What's the Problem!

By matthew

Mar 22, 2013

My last bowl project took me far longer than I have ever intended.

- Side note -

I truly hate segmented bowls, and I don't mean the kind of hate you reserve for vegetables or that really fit guy/girl on the treadmill in front of you at the gym kind of hate. No, I'm talking about the deep down, ugliness that is the intensity of a thousand suns burning a hole in your heart kind of hate. There is just something about segmented turning that to me screams of a lack of originality...and no, I don't really care what your take is on this matter. For me it's highly personal and as such will always be. So save your breath and stop writing the hate mail...I don't care how original and spectacular you think this or that piece is. To me, 99.9% of this type of turning looks like a giant mess of obscure colors/textures that to my eye is just offensive. Sorry...

Anyway...that's why I was even hesitant in starting this bowl...for you see, it technically is a segmented bowl. And yes the irony of this situation isn't lost on me.

One of the problems I face (and any woodworker for that matter) is finding stock for a particular project that is floating around in some obscure corner of my fat head. For me, it was simply how do I turn a large bowl with the limited stock I have on hand? Simple...a lamination of 3, 8/4 cherry boards...But what do I do about the grain not matching? Oh oh oh I know...let's laminate some walnut into the mix...BRILLIANT!!! oi vey...

So that's exactly what I did. But in an effort to keep life somewhat interesting and in an effort to add some interest to the piece, I also quartered the center segment with more walnut.

The Flower Pot

The piece actually turned out far less offensive than I had originally believed it would. It didn't follow the piece that was stuck in my head, but that's for another day I suppose.

Finished Segmented Bowl

I knew from the start that I also wanted the bowl to have a lid, but the flare of the lip kept me up for a few nights as I rethought many many different design possibilities. This hesitation and continual redesign on the fly would be my eventual downfall...twice over!

Oops...I meant to do that

The first lid kept getting pushed thinner and thinner, until eventual disaster

It's a top hat

The second lid didn't fare much better. Somewhere in my head it made absolute sense to inset the center disc of cherry into a much larger walnut disc. Yeah...that didn't work. But let me just say it was a spectacular explosion. However I'm not convinced this wasn't due to a limitation in my smaller lathe so I'm filing this one away for the day I have a larger capacity and more stable lathe.

Success

The 3rd attempt fared much better. It wasn't exactly as I had intended, but it came together and the bowl now as a lid....and in the end it didn't turn out to be the abysmally bad segmented bowl that I have grown to detest...maybe there's hope for me yet.

Done, diddly un!

Tags: American Cherry, Walnut, Turning, Lathe, Segmented Turning, Segmented Bowl, Bowl Turning
Posted in Let's Talk Wood | 0 Responses to "What's the Problem!"

One Tool to Rule Them All!

By matthew

Mar 20, 2013

I admit it, I've been bitten by the hand tool bug. I think it's safe to say that if I had more expendable income I would quickly have a problem on my hands.

For you see, I have discovered a sweet nirvana of sorts, that is the making of shavings with hand planes. There is just something absolutely thrilling and yet absolutely peaceful in the fine, shick, shick, shick, sound of a plane at work.

My new found love is only 5-1/2" long and has quickly replaced many many other tools on my bench lately.

Lie Nielsen 212

That's right...my new lover is a used Lie Nielsen 212!

What a figure!

Don't let its size fool you, it can take on even the largest and most figured of boards.

Fine Bubinga Shavings

But more importantly, it tackles my obsession for crafting the ultimate box with ease. Quartersawn Bubinga? HA, didn't even flinch!

Like I said, I'm in love and I have a rude mechanic to thank for the introduction!

Tags: Woodworking, Lie Nielsen, Scraper Plane, Scraper, 212, Lie Nielsen 212
Posted in Let's Talk Wood, Tool Review | 0 Responses to "One Tool to Rule Them All!"

Master Procrastinator

By matthew

Mar 09, 2013

I've been meaning to get to this post since before Christmas...that should give you some insight into the level of procrastination I'm capable of. That's right...I'm a master procrastinator!

Every year I always think the same thing, "hmmm I really should just make something for xmas rather than buying some meaningless plastic POS that no one really wants in the long run,"...what? Doesn't everyone think in run on sentences?

Xmas 2012 was no different, well...actually it was as I turned that run on sentence into tangible objects...many objects actually.

I did take the slightly easy way out by making all those pieces on the lathe though.

Xmas Bowls

Sisters

I started out with two cherry and walnut pieces for my mom and aunt. I've been carting around several pieces of lumber out of my grandfathers shop for more years than I can remember and occasionally dip into that stock for special occasions/gifts back to the family...and this was no different. Well, actually it was, as I have a few pieces of Mahogany that has aged to a dark dark brown/red. The piece I pulled from the rack that I had assumed was more of this Mahogany actually turned out to be a stick of quarter sawn Walnut...that's how dirty and aged these boards are. What a score, the Mahogany was going to be nice, but I think the Walnut was even better. So each bowl got a handsome Walnut stripe around its waist.

I then turned my attention to a handsome Walnut bowl for a friend and a nice piece out of Alder for my sister in law.

Walnut Candy

Alder

I had originally intended to turn a few smaller treasure boxes for my nieces, but I just couldn't get them to cooperate, ultimately blowing out several blanks.

Oops

I blame the new 25mm jaw set...well that and I probably should have turned a few pieces on the jaws to get the hang of how they turn rather than just jumping right into some tiny turnings. But hey...you don't learn unless you try.

The last item that I added to the list was actually a piece I turned in the fall. A simple lidded salt cellar in cherry. Kristina and I have been using its twin (actually a prototype that I thought I had turned the bottom too thin on) for a number of months and was now comfortable giving it out as production piece; satisfied that even when stocked to the brim with salt that it wouldn't crack (at least not right away).

Cherry Salt Cellar

I'm a firm believer that everyone should get at least 1 toy for Christmas. So where I was already working the lathe I thought it would be a perfect time to turn some tops. This was an interesting learning experience. If the top is too bottom heavy it spins slooooow; however if it's too top heavy it spins like a drunken sailor.

Zebra wood Xmas tops

3 wise men in Purple heart

So there you have it. Xmas 2012...and it's only 2 months late!

Tags: American Cherry, Walnut, Mahagony, Black Walnut, cherry, Alder, Red Alder, Purple Heart, Zebra, Zebra Wod, Sisters
Posted in Let's Talk Wood, Let's Talk Projects | 0 Responses to "Master Procrastinator"

Subscribe to this blog