Year 14, Week 32, Day 0ne (week 678)

Year 14, Week 32, Day 0ne (week 678)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
08-31-13 Saturday
 
    84 degrees early morning, 94 late morning, 86 in early afternoon. no breeze and humid early morning, light breeze in late morning that did little. High feathers and pebbles early morning, puffs showed up over the Everglades that decided to lightly spray us after one and continued to do so off and on the rest of the day. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department.
 
    We hit three yard sales. At one, I saw about four different things that I could well have picked up, but held off because I really don't need them. It is surprising how little I use now. At one yard sale, one where the guy has regular yard sales, he was still setting up. Out in his garbage was a large wicker basket that could be used for laundry. I asked him about it and he said "take it." That ended up to be the total of my yard sale finds.
  




Wicker laundry basket

    When we got back, I helped Mom move some plants around, along with a few bags of potting mix. I also helped her pet the kitty cats. Scarface was in a big fight. He has some spots on his legs where some fur is missing and he is favoring one leg. I wonder what the loser of the fight looks like. I always assume that he wins the fights as he keeps fighting again and again. I would not assume that a loser would continue for very long.
 
    I saw signs of bugs eating wood on my lathe. I emptied out all the wood and weights I keep under the lathe. The heavier the lathe is, the less likely it will "walk around" when you have a big, out of balance, piece of wood on it. My lathe is on wheels that can be rotated up, out of the way, so the lathe sits on wood blocks to be more sturdy. I have not needed to do that with any  of my projects, leaving it on the wheels.
    I have several choice pieces of wood among the cuttings and small stuff I store on the lathe. One thing I was reminded of, is that really choice pieces of wood never get used, as you are waiting for a project that truly deserves that quality piece of stock. Such a project never really comes.




collection of wood stored beneath the lathe.

    I swept out the accumulated sawdust and then put everything back in place. I really should do it again, but this time taking the lathe head, tale stock and tool rest off and really clean the lathe, removing surface rust and giving it a good lubrication and protective oiling. Part of the process requires the lathe to be laid down. I am not quite ready to handle the weight of that base yet. I have more projects that are slightly more important at this time anyway. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing to clean the base.
    I have decided that the bugs are in the plywood base that the wheels are attached to. The wet weather the past year has taken a toll on the edge of the plywood.
 
 
    I finally decided to get to real work. The carving from last week showed me what I needed to do today. I am after something that is simple, easy, and can use the bandsaw or lathe to remove excess wood to speed the process of making them since I hope to make a dozen of them.
    I use "Whitewood" two by twos for my Christmas ornaments. Whitewood is more brittle than Basswood but otherwise carves as easily, costs a whole lot less, and is readily available at hardware stores. The two by two size is perfect for ornaments.
    Last week, I had cut a couple lengths of two by twos, twelve inches long as that is the longest my bandsaw can cut across. I mounted one stick into the lathe. I measured so I could divide it into three lengths of four inches. I used a parting tool to cut in at the bottom and top of the base, and at transition points where I need to leave the corners for the design and cut in deep next to it. The main idea is to save time and effort on removing wood with the knife.
    I created the blank for one figure, because I needed to make sure the design would work. I cut that off the stick with the band saw and then sat down with the knife. I did not quite have the design right in my mind so there was a bit of guessing as I was going. Also, I lost some corners on the stick which messed up some parts that were supposed to be out a bit.
    When I decided I had the figure carved completely, It was still in question as to what it was supposed to be if someone were to see it, so I broke out my paints and painted it. Then it looked like it was supposed to. Well sort of. It was supposed to be a skating penguin. I gave up on the skates as soon as I got close to carving the feet, carving from top of hat to the feet. It was just too much wood to remove so it is sort of walking, rather than skating.
    I then took the remains of the stick and made two more blanks. I messed up on the measurement so one is taller than the other.
    I put the lathe away. Taking the lathe out, and all the accessories, and putting everything back in place is a lot of work. With the time standing and turning, my legs said they had enough.
    While turning, I kept having to shift my left wrist as the remains of the Tendinitis did not like how I had it positioned when the tool bounced.
    I sat down and carved the second penguin from the shorter of the two blanks. I got it finished and had to stop. It is one thing to nick the hand holding the carving. It is another to nick the hand holding the knife. I nicked the side of my thumb twice, the second time drawing blood. it is not as hard as it sounds. I wear a heavy cotton garden glove on my holding hand but nothing on my knife hand.



The finished penguin, the carved but unpainted penguin, and the turned blank.

    I cleaned up the wood chips and lathe's sawdust and put everything away and went in to rest.
    While my left wrist held out fairly well while carving, I turned the knob on the door to go in and cringed. It had a nagging bother the rest of the evening. Ignorable but I knew it was there. The wrist did better than it did last week, but still not good. I have ten more of these penguins to carve, then come up with three more sets of twelve of some other ornament I have not done before. I need to get this done by the end of November. It will be a challenge to get them all done with the way my wrist is.
    I later went out and painted the second penguin so no one would have to guess what it was.
 



The two painted penguins.


    During the week I had boiled some chicken, and since the broth had flavor, I cut up some vegetables to it and cooked them in it, and added seasoning. Tonight I cooked up and added noodles and took it to a meeting. Several women said I should continue cooking. I do well. I still say that "no one has ever died from my cooking, and some people have asked for seconds...."
 
    There is something going on tomorrow with the family so I don't think I will be doing any woodworking.
    I will see what I actually do tomorrow.
 
 


 
Year 14, Week 32, Day Two (week 678)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
09-01-13 Sunday
 
    Temperature unknown, pregnant clouds giving birth right where you get out of your car, but not where you are driving. This weather report is brought to you by the cities of Sunrise, Fort Lauderdale, and Hollywood Florida departments of tourism.
 
    Sundays, I sleep in to recover from the late night meeting I go to on Saturdays. I cannot take late nights any more. I used to do well the next day, only feeling it the following day if I did not get enough sleep. Now it catches me the next day. I have not been to a Turning club meeting in a long time because of that.
    There was sort of a Family thing going on so I was leaving the house later and not going to Mom's house.
    I found out once I arrived at my brother's house that the girls went their way and the guys were going another way. We sat and talked for a while. and then split up, My brother and his friend left before I did. It happened that the light is long so I ended up behind them. I followed them to a flooring place where I drooled over the tools and some two inch think flooring board samples that would make good cutting boards. Some of the tools were around the price of HARBOR FREIGHT.
    We then went to OUTDOOR WORLD. I had never been to one. The decorations were cool, all sorts of "trophies" that I figured out where man made. The displays were the best part of the store.






There was a 1940s pickup truck out front.



They had a giant water fall that fell into a glass lined tank filled with gigantic bas and cat fish. We wandered around seeing what was there. I did not buy anything but had a good walk. Got some ideas though. "I looked for camouflage pants but could not see them...."
 
    We split up there and I headed to a grocery store. There is a sale in pork roasts so I've picked up several. I slice most of it into steaks. I will remove the rest of the meat from the bones. The bones will later be crock potted. The "mis cut" meat, the meat that did not cut nicely into steaks, is going to be ground pork, or if I get it right, sausage. I will try the  GRINDING ATTACHMENT for my SUNBEAM MIXER that I got at a yard sale last month.
     
    Tomorrow I have a day off. I don't plan to leave the house tomorrow so I will have to see what happens tomorrow in any hobby or craft that might come up with.
 
    I will see what happens tomorrow.