Year 15, Week 08, Day One (week 705)

Year 15, Week 08, Day One (week 705)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
03-15-14 Sunday

high 60s in the morning, low 80s in the afternoon. Blue sky with lots of wispy clouds, light breeze. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.

I had to work Saturday. Really kills woodworking, but looks good in the tool store later..
Working Saturday also kills yard sailing, but I do have more money also for later. I got some back-logged work out so I can start concentrating on a big project that is coming up.

I dug out the bins from the art show and sorted my work. I set everything out to give them a look. I have two pieces to repair, a butterfly on one fairy carving and a feather in another fairy carving. I will have to make an all new feather out of wood. After the big carvings were put away, I then tackled the turned pieces. I took them all out of the bins, and then re-packed them so the bins could be closed completely, except for the bin that has the cannons.
I got out some stuff I needed, cords, drum sticks, and so on so they would be available, and then put everything away.
The bins of turnings need to go to the antique shop when I first get a chance. I took two bins of small carvings and show accessories home and they are stuck in the “junk” room waiting to be stacked away properly.

By the time I had sorted and packed my work, I was out of time and energy.

I hope to do some wood working next week. There is a turning club meeting and I am debating whether to go to it.

I will see what I actually do next weekend.







Year 15, Week 10, Day One (week 707)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
03-22-14 Saturday
   
    86 degrees, mostly sunny with thin puffs dancing across the sky. A brisk breeze that made things nice and comfortable, the building blocking the worst of the strong breeze. So we got a light wind to carry away the heat.
This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.


THURSDAY NIGHT
   
    I went to the Gold Coast Woodworking Club meeting.
    The demonstration was on SEGMENTING -  assembling bowls and vases from pieces.
The first part of the demonstration was on LAMINATING (also referred to as segmenting)- gluing up the blank of solid bowls and then turning them. He had an interesting technique where once he has the sequence of boards to be glued up, He would take each individual board and cut part of the bowl out of it. He used a thick board in the center and cut the inside shape of the board out. He would then trace that onto the next board, and then would tip the band saw table and cut along the line. He would trace that, tip the bandsaw table some more, and after cutting along the line, he would trace the high edge on the next board. 

laminated chip platter by club member



laminated platter by club member


What he ends up with is a good part of the wood already removed so he is not spending lots of time gouging out wood, and he glues up the cut pieces into another, smaller bowl.
One thing he does is use the bandsaw to remove the outside corners of the square blocks, and will tip the bandsaw table to remove some more wood on the angled bottom part of the outside of the bowl. He glues some Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) on the open side of the bowl and uses that to hold the worm-screw attachment of his chuck so he can shape the outside finely and then make a tenon for holding the bowl so he can work the inside. 


segmented vase by club member

He then parts off the MDF, cutting most of the way through the bowl wall, and then using a handsaw to finish it. He then can finish the inside. He said he uses the MDF for making several bowls. For removing the tenon after the inside is done, he makes a jam chuck to fit inside the bowl and removes the foot so he has the bottom of the bowl the way he wants it.

The other method he showed about cutting small pieces - segments- slightly thicker than the walls of the bowl and gluing them in the circle. He then turns the outside and inside smooth so he has a colorful bowl when done.
 He showed a table saw gig he made that allows him to cut all sorts of angles, depending on how many pieces is needed to go around he work, six, eight, twelve,  sixteen, twenty four, and so on. He said it took him an hour to make it. Based on my experience, it would take me a couple weekends to make it....
He showed techniques for gluing up the work. There were about five methods. One is to glue just two pieces together at a time, then glue the pairs together, and so on. One thing he did was to use a big hose clamp that uses a screw to tighten, to cinch it tight. He stuck a piece of dowel between the halves when he glued the sections together. He said that this allows him to make adjustments, if necessary, when he glues two halves together. If the angles are not quite right, he can sand them to make the ends of the two halves fit. 
    When he builds up the walls in this way for a long piece, he smooths the inside after he gets several layers, then build up  more layers before he smooths them. This way, when he is working with a really deep work, he is not trying to shape it completely from the end.

Next month, we have a segmenting challenge. We are to make something that is made up of ten or more pieces of wood, segments, that was made from the beginning of this month. Because I am working, there is no way I can accomplish that. I also cannot cut straight so it is not a project I would be good at.
In the club, the best way to learn, to get good, is to try everything they demonstrate. Even if your results are not good, you learn something and will improve. It also forces you to make things outside your comfort zone.
The club challenges such as segmenting, is really good for getting people to do something that they would never do on their own.

One of the members had some excess wood and offered it free to the club. I got several pieces and have immediate plans for a couple of them.

wood I got. The left and middle piece is mahogany. The second from left and end piece is black walnut. Not sure what the second from right piece is.
    

I worked Saturday again. I am working on a big project and we are on a deadline to get my part of the project done.



SUNDAY

I got to Mom’s house earlier than I usually do and dragged out the lathe. I took a piece of black walnut, measured and cut it in half. I was making a pair  drum sticks figuring that black walnut would be a strong wood for that.
I found the center of the halves of wood, which was three quarters inch  rough sawn. I started with the first one and had it pretty much shaped. As I was about to make the beating end of the drum stick, I found that the stick was splitting. I put glue into the crack and put that end in the chuck and made the beating end. I could not get the handle end smooth today as the glue had not set. I will see about fixing that next week.
I started on the second half of the board and had it rounded. I then swapped ends as the end at the chuck was square. I started rounding the last bit of corner when the piece started flapping around. The wood split and half of it fell off.
The problem was that the boards were not cut straight with the grain, but the grain was running on an angle through the board. What needs to be done is to split the wood to get my sticks, then they would be at their strongest. Sawn wood does not always get cut with the grain.
I will find another use for the broken piece.

I could have done more, but we wound up doing a whole lot of talking instead. My brother, mom and new dad and I had not really been together in a while so we were catching up. There was a big land slide up on Washington State, which is where we originally were from, and we were discussing that also.
   
I hope next week to get some real work done. I do have to work Saturday again. I doubt I will do the glue-up for a segmented bowl. That is an all day project. I likely will try to make drum sticks again. At the art show, a couple people considered my drum sticks but I had found a crack in them and talked them out of it. The one I made today is a bit too thick. It also has some shaping that needs to be done.
   
    I will see what I actually do next weekend.

Year 15, Week 08, Day One (week 705)

end of my display showing relief carvings and Christmas ornaments

 

Center of the display showing fairies in back, face vases and small items.

 

another view of the center section, showing ear rings, crochet hooks, leaf bowl inside bowl, and fairies.

 

right side of display with cannons in the back right.

 

the artist in T-shirt he got with the show.

 

Year 15, Week 08, Day One (week 705)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
03-08-14 Saturday
   
    51 early morning, 80s in afternoon, light breeze, blue skies. This weather report was brought to you by the City of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.

When I was getting ready to leave for Saturday, every time I turned around, I remembered something I needed. I got some extra boxes at work. I had a good load when I left, which included folding chairs and hand cart.

I ended up having to work on Saturday. While I left at noon, it really killed the day.

While at work, I remembered a number of things I left at home, but there was no way I would have time to go back and get them.

Several years ago. I had made a bowl in Camphor, and then carved it into a swirl of leaves. While getting ready for one yard sale, I dropped and broke it. I one tried to use a piece of it for a spirit catcher I was trying to make. I broke the ring to hold the lines and gave up on the idea. Last year, I finally glued the bowl together, surprised that all the pieces were still there. It sat on a shelf ever since. I took the bowl with me.

At a yard sale, I picked up one of those woven looking bowls, just the right size to hold the leaf bowl, and a insulated six pack bag of a high quality. I considered the insulated bag for holding my yarn in the truck, but it had velcro on the inside of the lid. Velcro and yarn love each other too much.

At Mom’s, I found that a leaf broke off on the leaf bowl. Camphor is just not strong enough for this kind of bowl. I glued it. Somewhere in the process, I broke another leaf. I glued that back on, set up upside down on the work bench with my new protective bowl over it. In the morning, I will see if I can hide the repairs.

Beyond that, I napped (daylight’s savings time was tomorrow and I was starting early), and petted Momma kitty, before it was time to go to a meeting at night. I remembered more stuff I should have brought.

Tomorrow is the art show. I will have to see what happens.




Year 15, Week 08, Day two (week 705)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
03-09-14 Sunday
   

After a 54 degree morning, temps were warm, likely the 80s, blue sky, light breeze, a normal day that this art show always has. Only once did the people set up outside the venue got wet, and that was before the show started. Not bad for the 14 years I’ve been doing this show.

I had an early start. I got up when I was supposed to, but the room I was in is not well insulated. I laid back down, pulled a blanket over me and napped for about half an hour in order to warm up.
The first thing I did once I was up, was to go out and get the leaf bowl. I looked it over carefully, and then took furniture touch-up pens to hide the repairs. I then gave it a spray coat of varnish. Later, I showed it to mom and she had to look to find two repairs. The others blended nicely.

I checked on line, then loaded up the truck. It is a lot of work. While the boxes and bins are light, they are bulky. I carried them out side the house through a narrow corridor, set them on the hand cart and carried them to the truck and loaded them. I loaded first the bins, then the fragile fairy carvings, and then the equipment, and finally the hand cart.
My hand cart is taller than many I have used and I figured out that if I lay it down, and load it, I can pull it by holding the handle low.

At the venue, I waited until they opened the doors, then loaded the fragile carvings on the hand cart first and took that in. The bulky and heavy stuff was brought in by my mom and my new dad. One fairy carving had a break. It was a fairy pouring nectar into a flower for a waiting butterfly. The butterfly wing broke. I can glue that but decided to just set it to the side.

I normally get a three foot by eight foot table for my stuff. They were talking about being short on tables, so I asked to take one of the round tables. It might be seven foot in diameter.
I usually have stuff to put the big carvings on, to give them a separate height, and to give something for other pieces to lean against. I forgot them at Mom’s house. Well, since I was using a round table, my normally designed display would not have worked anyway. I set up the folding tables, and then decided to use the empty bins as display tables also. I had some tissue on them, which really did not look great. I was told by several people that my display was impressive. I basically had nearly everything available on the table on display.

I remembered other things I meant to take with me. I had a pair of drum sticks that I have been using. As I was setting them out, I found a crack in one of them. While I could have sold them three different times, I told them about the break. I had a pair of magic wands (you have to add your own magic) beside them so I was going to see if they would sell as magic wands.

After I had everything inside, I had to go move my truck. When I got back, I remembered something that I left in the truck, went back to it, gathered some other stuff, walked a distance away, then remembered I forgot what I had gone to get and walked back again. Have you ever noticed that having to turn around and go back, it is farther than you remember traveling to that point?

There were two other wood workers there. One guy is in my wood turning club and had some good wood turned pieces such as light houses and pepper mills. The other is a friend of my fathers, she is a carver and makes my carvings look as bad as I really think they are. We have a different style, and different target audience.
Some of the art work was mind blowing. One woman works with sea shells and had bouquets of flowers made from clam shells. Next to me was a woman who did abstract art. I shrugged when I first saw her stuff, but it grew on me. I ended up being quite impressed by two pieces. I jokingly refer to her art as the type of art you want in your house when you need a specific color in a room.
There was a lot of other wonderful art. Photographers better than I ever thought I would be when I was near professional quality in the 80s. Nice jewelry, cloth art, everything was better than previous years.

I was quite dissatisfied with my display, It looked haphazard and cluttered. I was quite dissatisfied with the fact I had almost nothing new.

The show was light during most of the day, though around two, we got a big rush of people. From most people I talked to, sales was lighter than last year. I made my entry costs, plus I got a good T-shirt with original art, and a wonderful brunch. From that, I made out all right.
When my dad and I was showing, one of us would make $100, while the other made $50. It alternated each year. Since my dad’s death, this has been my second worse year.
This is not a sales art show anyway. A good majority of the artists are getting contacts for later work. One year we had a sand sculpture artist who would work a pile of sand within a box into a quality sand sculpture. Many artists work on commission. Some have stores or are on line.
I am there for the fun of it. I hope to get my entry fee back. I also hope to get enough money to buy more tools or more wood.

During the show, I would talk to the people. I have some pies or pastries where the crust was a lid. I would lift the top and tell them that they were empty calories. I would point to the fruit and say they were high fiber fruit. I would also point to the turtle I have, and tell them that in wood turning, anything that has a lid is referred to as a box, so this is a box turtle, as I would lift the lid. I got a lot of laughs at that kind of stuff.

I ended up selling a light house ornament, a magic wand, 4 goblets, and a sea grape platter. The little carvings, which sold well last year, almost got no look at all.

After the show was over, I had to pack everything back up in the boxes and bins. They never fit the way they did before. I then moved the truck back and we loaded it back up again. At home, we had to unload the truck and put things away. I was able to empty some boxes by putting some of my big carvings away. I found that one of my fairies had a break on the way home. It was the one that is writing in a book with a feather that says WHAT IF PEOPLE REALLY EXISTED? I will have to make another wooden feather for her.

I was in pain, wore out, weary when I was done Everything I even half expected to hurt, hurt bad. I then had to drive home. I ignored some of the mess I created when grabbing some stuff I needed out of the house, things on them being set anywhere.
I can see I am totally out of shape, well not really, pear shape is a shape..... I keep telling myself that I really need to do more walking more working, being more activity. I then lay down until the urge goes away......

I have to work next Saturday again. My Sunday project is most likely sorting stuff at Mom’s and getting the work ready to take to the antique shop when I first get a chance. Other than repairs, I doubt I will get any real woodworking done.

For the next year, I have several projects in process (some for a couple years) that I want to get finished. I have lots of wood that is demanding to be made use of. One of the specific projects is to make more drum sticks. I see that Mahogany is not a great wood for drum sticks. Looking at the sticks of real drummers, I see that symbols eat them up like mad. I am using them on bongos, for the most part and I cracked one. Drum sticks really don’t last with real use.

I will have to see what actually happens next weekend.

Year 15, Week 07, Day One (week 704)

Year 15, Week 07, Day One (week 704)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
03-01-14 Saturday
   
    59 degrees early morning, 80 degrees in the afternoon, clear blue skies all day long, light breeze. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach department of Tourism.

bear making 101

woodworking

life time supply of these bags

drafting compass and divider set

hard drive enclosure

butter spreader I modified into a small spatula. I changed the bends a little after this picture was taken.

DRIPOLATOR drip coffee maker unssembled

assembled DRIPOLATOR coffee maker

flour tin

a few of my larger carvings.

   
    YARD SAILING
   
    I spent more than I should have today. It happens.
    At a church yard sale, I picked up several suits and suit pants. I would never have gotten them, but Mom suggested it. It was more than cheep enough. I also got a lifetime supply of bright orange cloth bags. I gave Mom a few. I avoided telling anybody WHY I got them as I really did not have a valid reason for getting them. I will come up with valid reasons later. I do know they will replace plastic bags for some things.
    I also got a great book – BEAR MAKING 101, An Ins”bear”ational Course. By Carol-Lynn Rossel Waugh. It has simple patterns to follow of various kinds. I figure it will help me with crochet figures.
    At another yard sale, I got an old time drafting compass set. This includes several compasses and dividers, ink pen attachments, extra points and knobs. There are two pieces missing, but otherwise complete in the case. I also got a hard drive case. I have to check it out to see if it works. I have a feeling the drive is dead, but I do have other drives I can use, If I can remember where they are.
    A friend in my wood turning club had a yard sale. I went there and purchased a turning tool set he had made. Yes, I can make the same thing, but where am I going to find the time? I also got a book WOODWORKING Tools, Fabrication, Design and Manufacturing. By Robert Lento. This is a thick book written in 1979. Just flipping through some pages, I see stuff I either want to know or want to try.
    

    

two turning tools I purchased. 

WOODWORKING

   
    I finally got out back, set up the table and dug out my big carvings. I knew several of my fairies were damaged. I wanted to know what was in good conditions, what needed repair, and what repairs were beyond the time I had time to do.
    It turned out that the damage was repairable!!!! I will be able to show off everything.!!!
    Tomorrow, I intend to dig out the paints and touch up some spots on them, brush them with a toothbrush to clean off some of the dust from the places you cannot get to easily, and otherwise get them ready to show.
    I took out my sanding disk for my lathe. A couple years ago, I took a two by twelve board, turned a 9 inch disk out of it, and attached a sanding disk to it. I had also glued a strip of emery cloth around the edge. The strip came off some time in the past. Today I glued a new strip of emery cloth around the outside. Of course, one always has to wait for the glue to dry, and it always takes longer than you had hoped. I did that while the glue on the fairies were drying.
    I did a tiny bit of sanding on the ladle I was making. I found a chip on the edge so I had to glue that back on.
   
    I use a wheeled basket to carry stuff to and from the truck. It usually sits on the passenger seat. I have some stuff that is “permanently in the basket, just in case I need it. I needed a clothes pin to hold a pair of wings together on one fairy. I also decided to use one of the new bags I got to replace the plastic bags I have in the basket.
    Now many weeks ago, I was looking for my Scorp set. This is a set of chisels that is used like a knife, pulled sideways rather than pushed by the end. I could not find them anywhere. Well, I dug into the plastic bag of stuff in my basket and THERE IT WAS! I found the Scorp set in the bag. I have no clue why I put it in there.
   
    When the glue finally set on the edge of the disk and the ladle, I used the disk to touch up the ladle. I worked the handle to shape it better and touched the top of the cup. I still have more to do on the bowl to get it right. It was suggested to smooth out the outside rather than have knife cuts on it. I likely will do that. The inside needs more work, How much, in the end, gets done to it will depend on out things go tomorrow and Next Saturday.

Mom kept a bunch of sand from her sewer project and had put up some boards to contain them. The sides were falling down so we replaced the strapping that is holding the thing together. It took some shoveling. I was in the best position to shovel and was doing a better job than Mom was. This is in spite my back and shoulder problems. I was wore out when done, but we got the job done.

    My art show is Next Sunday. Time flies fast. Other than a few drum sticks and crochet hooks, I really have little to show for my year.
   
    I will have to see what I will to tomorrow.
   
   

   
   
Year 15, Week 07, Day Two (week 704)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
03-02-14 Sunday
   
80s, blue sky all day long, very light breeze that helped keep it cook and to dry wet pieces of wood. This Weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.
   
    I stopped at a yard sail I had visited several times over the past few months. I picked up an old style drip coffee maker and an aluminum lidded tin marked Flour. The drip coffee maker is entirely in Aluminum. It has a percolator style coffee pot bottom. It then has a three piece part that goes on top. It has a lid, then it has the basket where you put the coffee. There is basically a screen that goes on top to drip the coffee. I have not quite worked out for a fact how it works, but I think you get the coffee hot in the pot.  Here is where I am a little bit up in the air. I am not sure if you transfer the water to another container first, but the water is then poured into the upper section, likely filling it up, and the water drips down into the coffee then into the pot again. She said it was her mothers, and she looks older than I am. This might be the first kind of drip percolator made available.
    The lidded tin for flour was just something I had considered each time I saw it and finally got it. Both of them for two bucks!!!
   
    I had picked up a couple pork shoulders and this morning, I sliced steaks off them, then cleaned the bone pretty well. The bones are in the freezer with some other pork bones for when I crock pot them for broth.
    I put the steaks in baggies and they are in the freezer. I put the meat I took off the bones, and some trimmings, into the food processor to chop them up. This included the skin. The food processor broke the meat up but did not grind the skin well.
    This afternoon, I mixed beef hamburger, and my pork meat and some cooked mixed grain (betting it will never be noticed in the mix as it has the same texture as loose ground meat)  and some seasoning, binding, and filler to make patties. I made a test burger and while the flavor was good, the pork had some strings and chunks.
    A couple months ago, I picked up a second crank meat grinder, I had one before which was an “Number O” this new one was a “Number 1." I decided to make use of it today.
I put the whole ground meat mixture through the grinder. It chopped up the pork well, but also mixed the ingredients much better than they were.  This grinder is better than my old one. The old one leaked juices out the seal around the crank. The whole batch went faster than I expected it to go. I put about two heaping table spoons of meat into a sandwich bag and smashed it into a patty. They are now freezing. I have enough to last me a while.
   
    I got to Mom’s and brought out all my big carvings. I looked them over for where paint might be needed or other touch ups. There is some sloppy gluing but I decided to let that be. I did scrape some marks off a couple pieces.
    I will now have to see if I can get them to and from the art show without breaking them.
   
    Some time ago, I broke a goblet. I cut the remains of the stem off the bowl, drilled it and stuck a skewer into it. It is now a flower. It will be among other wooden flowers. Some time in the future it might get carved a little to develop petals The base will eventually be carved to look something on the idea of a rose. I was not in the mood to do that today.
   
    I started the annual process of sharpening my knives. I developed the practice of sharpening all my knives just before the art show. Part of this was developed because at an early show, my knives got dull quickly and I ended up cutting myself. After that, I sharpen every knife I have, getting them to a sharpness to carve or shave with.  I have kept my basket under the awning, not putting it away in the shed. The knives have developed a bit of rust on them.
    Some people use oil on their sharpening stones. Some use water. I prefer to use dish soap. It keeps the metal bits in suspension, but when the stone gets cruddy, it washes off completely to start fresh.
    I worked off the rust from the blades and got them conditioned. I did not take them to the leather strop. I will do that next weekend.
   
    Next weekend is the art show. I did not practice my setup today I will do it Saturday. It is important to do it at least once so everything will be ready. I do expect to sleep a lot during the day as Sunday is going to be a wearying time. I would love to take that Monday off but it won’t happen.
    I will see what really happens next weekend.