56 degrees early morning and until I got to work, 65 in the afternoon, Seattle morning, a light drizzle, just enough to make things miserable but not enough to warrant a rain coat or umbrella. A breeze picked up in the afternoon, strong enough to send sawdust everywhere. The drizzle stopped as I got out to get to work. The sky became high fairly quickly and then that thinned out and we got blue sky. We will be getting 47 degree temps tomorrow morning. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department Of Tourism.
Tuesday
One of my friends at work gave me a big piece of Golden shower tree, tababulia. He mentioned the thick bark and I said I could do a lot with that. I got it to Mom's house Saturday and painted the ends with red paint to slow the drying on the ends.
golden tab log. It has thick bark which was why my friend mentioned it.
I purchased the machine lathe from my friend this week. It is a Unimat lathe. A wonderful machine. It is light enough to carry it and the wood box that contains it and the parts. It needs cleaning up and I am not totally sure I know what everything is. Sunday I will get with my bother and go over everything, and then he will take it home and clean it up. It will likely eventually end up at my Mom's for my use. I plan to make tools with it.
The unimat metal working lathe. The head turns around or mounts on a shaft to work like a drill press.
Saturday
Went yard sailing after breakfast. It was drizzle so the only thing available was at a Clubhouse center. I ended up getting some good looking kitchen knives and a single portable burner for ten bucks. I was after one knife and the others, 11 in all, look like they are expensive knives.
Knives and hot plate I picked up at a yard sale.
I dug out the scroll saw and scrolled out the fairy wings for my fairies. Because of the way I did them, the pairs of upper wings are not interchangeable. If I break one, I either have to use one that is completely different or replace all the wings.
It had been years since I scroll sawed. I was not following my lines, instead re-designing the holes as I went. Their shapes were not important as long as the pair is the same.
I figured out quickly, that to do a sharp turn, I pull the work forward so the back of the blade is against the wood or it will make a wide curve. I never knew that in my previous attempts of scroll sawing.
The main reason I don't do more scroll sawing, is that I have other projects, carving and wood turning, that take up the same time. I scroll sawed today as the weather was still not cleared up and I needed these wings done.
I found a sea urchin shell I started to prepare for an ornament. I decided to take some cut-offs and make a finial for the shell. I took a small piece of yellow pine and made a cap. I then found a long piece of pine, I think it was yellow pine, and turned the longest finial I have made to date.
Sea Urchin shell ornament.
My cannon needed wheels. Mom had found a couple pieces of yellow pine, so I cut four squares out of them. I then drilled the center, and then got a threaded rod that I stuck through the center of them. I used double sided tape to keep them together. my hole for rod was too big. I could not locate the right diameter drill bit. I also did not look for a second nut which would have made the project easier.
I mounted the shaft through the head of my lathe, which is hollow, and used my tail stock to hold the wood itself to the chuck which was closed. The screw was forced against the tail stock end of the wood with the tail stock pushing on it.
I knocked off the corners and slowly rounded the pieces. With them all together, I tried to make them all the same size. because the rod was slightly smaller than the holes, there was a little bounce. I got the visually right, then swapped them around into a different order and turned them again since the ends might be a different size.
A bit later, I put a wood block in the chuck and turned a nib just the size of the hole. I put the tail stock with a wide point into the hole on the other side and was able to clean up the surfaces with a skew and then sandpaper, rounding the corners.
When done, there is a slight difference in the diameter of the wheels, but they look good and are close enough to where I can pair them up.
After I had the wings made, I painted a set black, and later glued lower wings to upper wings. I had to remove the paint from where I was gluing them.
I took the fairy and measured carefully and then used the dremmel and a fine bit to start cutting slots for the wings. I had measured the spaces for the wings where they overlapped. AS I was cutting, I got them wrong so to correct it, the spaces were made to accept both wings.
When ready to add the wings, I worked filler into the space, to make the fit of the wings tight, and then inserted the wings, packing the overflow back in. I will have some clean-up and paint touch ups, but she looks good.
I had told people that I carve fairies because I wanted to carve pretty women and not look like a leacher.
I got a lot of work done today and worked till five, which was a surprise. I have a lot more to do on many of the projects I did today, but was quite satisfied with the results.
Tomorrow I want to trim the end of the barrel of the cannon and work more on the carriage. I will finish the ornament. I had glued the top on but not the bottom. I will work more on the fairy, cleaning up around the wings. I will also get with my brother on the lathe. I may make something from the log.
I will see what I actually do tomorrow
year 11, Week 05, Day two (week 579) (January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.) 02-13-11 Sunday
It was 60 when I got out and it warmed into the 70s. Blue sky, sunny, a good breeze spread sawdust everywhere. This weather report was brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.
I drilled and doweled the wings into place on the fairy. they were not well attached. I put drilled into each wing at two different angles, and inserted bamboo skewers. the wings should stay in place. I also cleaned up the filler around the wings while I was at it. I have to do paint touch up to finish her up.
Front and back of the rain fairy
I measured what I needed for the umbrella mushroom cap. It was going to be eight inches diameter to meet the need of covering the fairy and her reaching out to check the rain. Looking at my stock, I found a platter I had partially made for the demonstration It was wider than I needed, but there was plenty of wood within the diameter when it was needed. I mounted it and turned it, rounding the top, and hollowing the inside around the center which I left big.
With this, I used my "worm screw." This is a screw that comes with the chuck you purchase. It has a wide flat thread that digs deep into the wood. all you have to do is drill a hole and then drive the screw in. The head of the worm screw is designed to fit in the chuck.
For the mushroom, this will actually work nicely as I will make a tenon to fit the stem into the cap.
I cut a piece that could be the stem of the mushroom. It is shorter than it should be, but I can mount it on top a mound on the base to get the height I need. I have a lot of rounding to do on it. I May cut a different piece of wood for the stem.
I took another partially started platter and turned on it. It was another one I started for the demonstration. All I needed to do was to hollow out the center of the inside and it was done. I think the tail stock loosened up as the platter came off the wood chuck and double sided tape. It broke the rim of the foot. I decided not to finish it as I would have to go through the effort of centering it again. I can do that at some other time. The damage is easy to fix.
My brother showed up and we went over the lathe. We went through the instructions and found a whole lot of information on it. One shaft is slightly bent which will be easy to straighten. A pulley is on wrong, and another shaft needs to be cleaned up so it will turn easily. The whole lathe will need to be cleaned and adjusted.
One of the manuals had instructions on how the Morris Tapers are made. I figured out that we can get the angle and make our own to fit this lathe, which is smaller than anything we have seen. We will leave it at Mom's house and work on it there. We may make a new box, a smaller one for it. The box it is in is a bit bigger than is needed.
I mounted the cannon barrel in the lathe and trimmed the muzzle The Norfolk Island Pine I made it of, had a ring of branches near the end that I made into a reinforcing ring. I followed the curve of the ring and then went straight in, cutting the extended end off.
I have to trim the inside of the barrel edge, but it looks a whole lot better.
I did a little more sanding on the carriage. I am nearing the assembly of the cannon. I have to do a bunch of hand sanding, but it is looking good. I have considered several methods of assembling it but will likely go with the design I already have.
My brother finished the assembly of the tank truck we made. He glued each piece in place, then drilled and doweled through the piece so it will not come off easily. He will see if his grandson is going to break the truck. The first car he made, the boy tossed it across the room and broke a fender off. He glued it back on and the boy has not broken it since.
Tank truck by my brother
I glued the finial onto the ornament. I fully expect this ornament to be broken before it becomes public. the sea urchin shell is not in good condition. If it does break, I will use the finial and cap for something else.
It was a good day and I got a lot done. After My brother showed up, I was not in a big mood to make a big mess so I did not sit and carve on anything. I could have gotten a whole lot more done.
Next week, I have a number of projects. to work on, such as carving on the second fairy, building the base for the first one, along with finishing the stem and designing the scenery around it. I have a new log to try and turn, a face vase to carve, a number of just started or partially done projects to work on.
The local Renaissance fair just started. I don't know when I will be able to go but I do want to go there at least one time before it leaves in the beginning of March.
I will see what I actually do next weekend.
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