New Axe Fun

Just a quick post...

I have been playing with my new Axe and carved a basic cooking spatula and kitchen spoon. Neither of which are finished yet, so this is more of a progress report really. 

The wood is from a small Ornamental Cherry tree that I cut down from the garden a few weeks back and is soaking wet green. I dont really know much about Green Wood Working (yet), so I imagine I have to leave things to dry out before they can be finished? Any advice from readers would be appreciated!

The cooking spatula is functional from a Bushcraft perspective but thats about it!

I should have paid more attention to the small knots, the main one causing problems is on the side and there is another tiny one in the center of the blade - A lesson learnt. Once the wood has dried out I will try and sand a finish on it and oil it properly.

As for the spoon, well these pics are straight off the axe I havent touched it with a knife yet.

I have tried to keep the handle of the spoon the same design as the spatula as if by some miracle this little project was a success then they would make a nice matching pair. I dont have a Crook knife yet so I cant even begin on the bowl of the spoon. 

One thing I am very wary of and that is not getting too attached to these little creations. The baton mallet I made last week has self destructed in the warmth of the central heating. Not so surprising I guess, Green Wood + Warm House = Cracked Wood. This is quite extreme cracking though!

Oh well - it still works (for now)...

 Its certainly fun to just be able to sit down and hack into a piece of wood with an axe and make something vaguely recognisable. Its surprising how quickly you learn different techniques according to the accuracy of the cuts required. I am looking forward to getting some better wood as these pieces are just what I had in the garden. Id love to try a bowl out of birch or something similar. 

If the spoon and spatula dont self destruct while drying out or before I acquire a crook knife, Ill get these finished and post the results despite how bad they look - Its all part of the adventure!

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My New New Tools

Just a quick post while Im waiting for some glue to dry...

While making my small bedside table I quickly came to realise that I was spending most of my time making my inaccurate cuts to length correct by planing the end grain with a block plane. My old steel backed backsaw is slightly bent, almost blunt and in need of a sharpen, not to mention a slightly loose handle. This combined with my natural inability to saw straight meant a lot of wasted time, especially as I was leaving the marking lines and then some just incase the cut went wrong.

Now dont get me wrong, I know I could spend some time sharpening the saw etc but what better excuse than to splurge on some shiny new toys?

I have to say a big thankyou to my girlfriend for my late Birthday presents...

My new bling bling Lie Nielson 14ppi Crosscut Carcass Saw & 15ppi Thin Plate Rip Dovetail Saw has made cutting to size a breeze. I can choose to split the line or leave it intact with a very minimal of effort and maintain a square cut. Yes they are pricey and probably way overkill for my beginning needs, but the smile I get just from picking them up makes them worth it!

I was a little worried when I first used the new saws as they seemed to jump out of the cut and generally not seem to behave, but soon learnt not to force the cut and relax both my grip and pressure letting the weight of the saw and the sharpness of the teeth do the work. The result an almost perfect square cut 99% of the time.

The nice shiny plates also allow me to mark a straight perpendicular line on the non-waste side of the cut and the reflection in the saw plate aids as a guide to keep the blade straight and plumb. In short these saws are teaching me how to saw accurately and correctly.

They look stunning as well!...

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New fair chair and new wood

Sorry I havent posted anything this week. Its getting down to the end of the school year for Wyatt and we are scrambling to finish up a couple of units I wanted to complete this year. Then its off to high school next fall.
We had a meeting earlier in the week for all the parents of the drama students. Its really going to be a busy curriculum.  For performing arts schools, this one looks really awesome.
Naturally, we were hit up for lots of parent volunteering. I signed up to work in the build crew to help make sets, props, and what-not. That should be really fun. I suspect they will have a lot of work for me, since I have a shop. Crazy how schools no longer have wood shops. Or any other trade classes for that matter.
New wood!It was a great week for mail, and I have to give a few shout-outs to people who sent me stuff.
Larry Clinton send me a large box of all kinds of extra wood: mahogany, ipe, etc.

Scott Egbert sent me an enormous box of Walnut, Mahogany and something red.

And lastly, thanks goes to our friend Tim Sluder, who sent me four small mirrors and a bunch of shaker pegs! My imagination is already running wild. Gotta come up with something cool.

So thanks guys! I really appreciate your support. Looks for this stuff in upcoming projects.

The Fair Chair 2011.

The Marin County Fair is at the beginning of July, so I already got a head start this year. You may recall back in January when I showed you this picture of a chair that I thought I may try to duplicate.

It takes me a while to get around to things, but heres my version:

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My New Old Tools

Recently my girlfriends mum invited me to look through her shed for any tools that might be of use in my new woodworking hobby. A lot of the tools I found were suffering from rust and have not been used (or even touched) for around 18 years.

Here are a few of the tools I am either in the process of cleaning up or have cleaned up and pressed back into service once again.

• Roll of 12 Auger bits
• Ridgway Large Expanding Bit Set 3/8" - 3"
• Large Yankee Push Screwdriver
• Small Ratchet Screwdriver
• Marking Gauge
• Small Hammer
• Stanley 102 Block Plane
• Rapier Spokeshave
• 2 x Egg Beater Drills (One Stanley the other a Millers Falls?)
• Spinney Bailey No#4 Bench Plane - I may set this up as a Scrub Plane
• 2 x Sureform (Straight & Curved) Planes
• Wooden (Shoulder?) Plane.

There were also three Warranted Superior Panel saws which I counted as: 5tpi, 8tpi & 10tpi all filed rip. I de-rusted the blades, sanded and oiled the wooden handles and have sent them off along with my own 10tpi panel saw for re-sharpening and should get them back next week.

I have requested the 5tpi to be filed rip, the 8tpi to be filed crosscut and the other two 10tpi saws rip and crosscut. At some point in the near future, I would like get the required saw files and tools and be responsible for sharpening my own saws.

Cleaning, de-rusting, oiling, servicing and sharpening all these tools is helping me better understand how they work and whats required to keep them functioning properly - all the more important in the hand tool world.

Its certainly a steep learning curve!

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My new neighbor

Happy April!  *****

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2011 New Years noisemaker

Here is this years very loud noisemaker. If you dont have a lathe, you can just use a dowel for the handle and for the clanger. Its really loud! Big thanks goes to Ron Vieck, who send me a large assortment of wood a few weeks ago: cherry, poplar, cottonwood and some pecan.
*****

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Happy New Year!

Well, we made it through the holiday season. I am so ready for life to get back to normal!
Lets see if I can start by catching up on stuff you guys have sent over.
First of all, Mike Keeling took the time to make up a SketchUp design of my tortilla press. Its really a great little project, and one that is very useful in the kitchen. Glad someone made some plans! Check it out here. Thanks Mike!
*****
Mike Conolly is aware that one of the projects I plan on building soon is a scrap wood holder. Heres a great bin Mike made using wood from old pallets. Love using wood that a lot of people consider waste!

*****

Yeah, I know the gift building season is over, but just think about this: Valentines Day is coming up in a little over a month! Ha! Bert Aarssen is an infantry officer in the Dutch Army and likes to do a little woodworking in his free time. Heres how he interpreted my candle holder. Very chic!

*****

Ive been spending my time trying to design some sort of iPad/Tablet stand. After thinking about it a while. I would like it to be a wood case that converts into a stand. To that end, I made a mock-up of my wifes Kindle Fire, so I dont have to keep bringing the device into my shop. I dubbed it the iWood Tablet. Or even better, The Kindling.

*****

Mere Minutes. 

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