My Fibonacci Gauge

This is photo of a Fibonacci gauge. The gauge helps the carpenter recreate the Golden Ratio which means things will have proportions that are pleasing to the eye. It is important that the ratio of length to width is correct or even a well made project will not be viewed as satisfactory.

It is sort of interesting that a very old tool is resting atop a very new tool. I like wooden things but....often use the laptop. (like right now)

Cat Cutting Board, Cat Shaped that is,

Actually the cutting board is turned 90 degrees from correct alignment. It shows the shape and the photo shows I am not much of a computer guy.

The board is about 8 by 10 and pretty nice after all. The shape was provided by Janne at Textures.

Sure Signs that Winter is Here

Sure signs that winter has arrived.

1. the battery has been taken out of the motorcycle and is sits sadly in the garage covered by a tarp.

2. Today is December 13th and this morning I shoveled the driveway.

3 Last Saturday evening Joanna and I went to her Eva and the Bach Elgar Choir sing their annual Messiah by G.F. Handel. It was one of the best performances they have done in several years. With the exception of the Soprano Soloist the arias were very good. I like the new orchestra and the new director uses slower tempos than are common. It seems to me he picked tempos the choir could sing.

More Tallow Boxes

It would seem that once I hit upon something I like, I do it over and over again. (eating ice cream comes to mind). These are two views of some of the "tallow boxes" I have made recently.

The front box is butternut and oak.

The two behind are made of poplar and painted. I call them Princess boxes because one is gold and purple and the other one that looks green is really peacock blue in good light.

The butternut boxes are for sale at Spencer's Mercantile on Locke St. in Hamilton Ontario.

The Princess boxes will go to Princesses I know for Christmas

Christmas Goodies

These are some of the things I've done lately to stock up at Textures. The last while has seen shop time interrupted by holiday time.

Sweden was a very cool place to visit.

Berlin was sort of scary but very interesting.

Iceland, why does anyone live there????

Nicest is to be home.

cheers,

cheese boards

I've been away from the blog, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy. Just doing things that I enjoy more than playing with the computer.

Above are some new cheese boards made from off cuts of oak and maple.

Boxes Again!!

This is a Band Saw box made from recovered lumber. The body is black water based stain and the drawer fronts are shellac.

Wood Working For Mere Mortals gets some of the credit for my finally getting off my butt and making this. Thanks Steve.

This is also my first attempt at Flocking. It requires a long drying time, really. I will let it have longer drying time next time.

More Boxes, but these have a use !!!

I like it best when there is a purpose for what I've made. I like to make boxes. Making small boxes is helping me develop my hand tool skills and that is a good and quieter thing. These are actually a Band Saw style box, (not a hand tool) but still requiring hand fitting and fussing.

This is a week's pill box, a box with a purpose. Now pills can sit on the kitchen table, where they need to be so they get remembered, but the container is not an ugly plastic thing showing all the world how many pills you actually have to take each day.

The top is held on with rare earth magnets, and the magnets are aligned so that the top will only stay on in one orientation. The two sets of matching magnets hold the lid quite well and the lid can just be slid down the channel formed by the two sides and the pills for a given day can be thrown down the ol' hatch.

Marble Tree and Marvelous Kieran

This is my Sweet Wife, Wonderful Step Daughter and Super Cool Grandson.

Kieran learned to put the balls on the Marble Tree very quickly and was quite taken with the sounds it made.

These toys are for sale at Textures in Hamilton and Elephant Thoughts in Collingwood.

Some Working Tools

If you are a Mason you should recognize the level and plumb rule. The tools at my Lodge needed to be replaced and so I made there.

The plumb rule is walnut and the level walnut at Poplar.

The Tools work, the stairs aren't level.

Bold Button in Use

I made some wooden buttons a while ago and just today got a photo of a Swedish elf wearing a hat featuring one of the Bold Buttons.

Inspired by Roy Underhill

I watched Roy (the Woodwright) Underhill make a tallow box from a piece of walnut a while and ago and had an "I could do that moment". So, it true family fashion I did it, but not exactly according to the recipe.

I've made a couple of boxes and this is one for matches or small stuff and one for pencils.

I like the match one best but they will all evolve with time and practice.

A box could be made long enough to hold knitting needles. Also it could be made flatter so the profile was lower but the storage volume was the same.

Maple Leaf Coasters

These are poplar drinks coasters about 3.5 inches square with a stylized maple leaf burned into them. I am thinking something similar only trivit sizes too.

Why Are Good Planes So Expensive?

On the weekend I got talking with my Son In Law about wood working planes. He wanted to know what my planes were worth.

I have about 6 that actually work, about 6 that are awaiting repair or restoration and a hand full of various specialty or "historic" planes kicking around the shop. The conversation developed on the basis that he knows and understands what the correct tool can do for you and the handicaps the wrong/poor tool can impose. What he doesn't know much about is wood working planes.

Incidentally, that is a great place to start a conversation. Sham came to the discussion without prejudice or preconceived motion.

So... what are my planes worth. All together less than $1,500 CDN. Then we looked on the net at the Lee Valley, Lie Nielson, Clifton sites etc.

Why are those planes so expensive, and are they worth the money??

Many of my planes are Anant planes from India. I was the Canadian importer for a couple of years. They are good planes, not always consistent but very inexpensive.

The plane castings have a very high iron content. They rust easily, very easily. Better quality planes have medal that resist rust better. The Anant castings are brittle so if they are dropped they can crack apart. Better quality planes are made from castings that are not as brittle.

Both of those issues can be dealt with fairly easily. If you know they are there. I found out about the rust issue the hard way. The dropping part is covered by soft floor mats by my bench.

What else do you get with a Lee Valley plane that you don't get with an Anant. Thicker plane blade, less chatter, definitely something that is noticeable.

Is the Lee Valley plane 5 times better than the Anant? A good Lee Valley, Lie Nielson etc will last your entire life with proper care. The Anant probably will not last a life time. At some point it will get put away damp, or get dropped some place away from the protective flooring so now you are looking at having to buy two instead of one over the course of your working career.

Recently I bought Rob Cosman's new DVD "The Great Hand Plane Revival" He addresses the question of what a plane needs to do and tries to deal with the question of value.

Stay posted and I will let you know what Rob thinks.

cheers

The Mighty TEN

I have to begin this post by saying. "this is not my idea" I read this someplace sometime ago and tried it and it worked. Actually it worked great. I was just too lazy to keep doing it. But yesterday I remembered and re-discovered this great idea.

Every time, (every every time) you walk into your shop put away 10 things. This is important to me because I am the sort of guy that finishes a project and then walks away for a breath of fresh air, leaving tools and chaos behind me.

Further I make the excuse that I work at my other job from home and so am often interrupted by the phone or fax during my work shop time. Each interruption means down tools and time spent at my desk. Down tools is not put away tools, just down.

So....it means that often times I come to the wood shop and have to begin by ending the previous job.

When I follow the Rule Of Ten the problem is lessened considerably. Each time I wonder past or though the shop, to let the cat in/out, or water plants your just look up something I put away ten things. I count these things, a drill bit is one thing. The router and table is one thing, etc. Very quickly there are not ten things to put away and.....when I go down stairs after breakfast and emails the shop is ready to work.

I wish I could remember where I read the idea. It is great for the part time working in the basement and trying to juggle all the balls that life seems to throw my way.

cheers,

Little Wooden Cars

These little cars are designed to be played with and not worried about. I am selling them at Textures for $6.00 each. I hope a kid will play with them and his parents won't get crazy if the cars are left in the sand box in the rain or chewed by the dog.
The last time I saw wood cars they were from off shore and twice the price. Toys are for playing.

Black Horse with White Stripes?? or...

The Zebra is an interesting project based on a very old rocking horse I had as a kid. I can't even guess how many miles my brother and I rocked the original. Now the new goes on sale at Textures next week.

Not Woodworking, but a good Thought.

At this moment I am very busy in the shop with toys and restoring some very old toys.
But....the other thing I am doing is the annual paperwork for taxes.
As I dug around in the various folders I came across a small spiral bound book called "Knox Notes of Faith Wisdom and Wit. It was collected by a neighbour from my old house and he shared the book with me.
March 3rd.
"Pray that God's light will shine in the lives of all people, bringing hope and peace to our troubled world" amen.

BIG BOLD WOODEN BUTTONS

my latest time killer, and user of small bits of wood.

London Wood Working Show

Hello Everyone.
This is where it all started five year ago. London was my first woodworking show on my own. It was so exciting. I thought that I had worked like a dog. I suspect I was working like a small dog, lots of noise but not much impact.
Shows are long and people are tough to deal with sometimes. Mostly they are OK.
The show is were you see the new things, and they always cost me money. (i can't resist a deal)
Hang in there and I'll let you'all know how it went.
cheers

Shop Safety

For the last week I have been feeling sort of down in the dumps. My nose is plugged and my eyes are watering and sneezes sneak up on me without warning.

So, to fight back I have been taking sinus pills and cough syrup.

A season or two ago I resolved when the sinus pills came out the shop shut down. In the interests of leaving this life with all my fingers (attached) I do not operate machines, including my motorcycle after having taken pills or had a drink of booze of any sort.

There are folks out there that claim their judgement and skills are not effected by one beer. They are better men than I, or.....they haven't really thought about it much. Having twice had incidents with the table saw and come away scared, and scarred I am really trying to avoid a third experience.

I suspect that there will be a Saw Stop in my future.

Poplar, Aspen. Cottonwood etc.

The trees of the Poplar family are fast growing and very common in the North eastern US and Canada. In terms of hardness it is about twice as hard as pine and half as hard as oak.

Many of my shop projects are made from poplar. I have a very good source of rough lumber in Brant Custom Woods and I find the wood very consistant and easy to work with either hand tools or machines.

Another bonus to poplar is that it is not a commonly used wood in many applications and so very reasonable to buy. It is also available in wide boards. I have commonly seen 16 inch wide boards 2 inches think and 10 feet long.

If you look through my blog the crib and dry vase are popular. The wood has a slight greenish tint but that is easily hidden by stain. The greenish tint and varied grain pattern probably tell against it when people choose the wood for their projects. The interest and variety is an advantage to me, I like grain.

New Template Design

Is it ever maddening when I get an inspiration to make a small change.
The current Template is new, and not bad. Probably not what I would do if I worked from scratch. If I build this from zero I suspect that I wouldn't have anything to write in it.

wooden dry vase

The most recent project from my shop. The vase is 14 inches tall and 2 inches deep.

9x9 puzzle solution

K In A Box

Toy box for the little guy's stuff. Panel construction with pocket holes.

9 x 9 puzzle

The latest efforts from the work shop. Instead of making these from 1inch squares they are made for 1by3, 1by2 and 1by1 squares.