Year 15, Week 19, Day One (week 716)

Year 15, Week 19, Day One (week 716)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
05-31-14 Saturday

85 to 88 degrees, nice wind to keep things cook. The weather report said that we would be getting a lot of rain, at 20% chance. We saw none in our area at all, though the roads were wet as I drove up early in the morning. Thunder boomers grew over the Everglades, but they headed west rather than bother us more than blocking the sun enough to make things kind of dark. Mostly the sky was ultra high grid of feathers. Except for the period mentioned, we had sunlight nearly all day long. This weather report is brought to you by the City of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.

We hit two church yard sales. And could not find one at a school that was advertised.  One was right near our house and was to fund a children’s summer camp. I got a french style rolling pin. I sort of wanted one of these and even gave thought to make it myself. It is not the dimensions I would have thought it would be. 
At the other church yard sale, which was also near us, A snare drum was sitting there. This is one of those things where you really don’t have a great use for it, but it is something you don’t want to let go as it was such a good deal. I had been looking for lap sized  bongos for a while and figured I would go as high as thirty bucks for one set. I stared at it for about ten minutes, kind of hoping someone else would grab it. It was getting near time to leave so I decided it had to come home with me. It was only ten bucks, which was why I could not resist it. Now I have to figure out what to do with it....

We got back home with enough time, I decided I had to do some woodworking. I took the two Sea Grape drum sticks I was making. I had basically rounded them and let the wood dry. I mounted each one in the lathe and started shaping them. I got them down to the right diameter, the same diameter for the most part, and then tapered them at the striking end and gave them the drum-stick shape. I sanded them and gave them a spray varnish coat. They need more work, more sanding and finishing. 
I tested them by played them last night on the new drum, quietly. They seemed to do well. The real drummer said they were light. They do need more finishing, and be made the same length, but I think they will be quite usable.
I should remind you that I had split a sea grape log until I had pieces near the size I needed, then rounded the pieces so the grain would run straight down the length. This reduces the chances of it splitting. Sea grape is a wood that when fully dry, is a strong, hard wood. I think these should be pretty good once they finished and the wood has fully dried.

Mom found my lost camera this week while dusting. She was thinking my camera was red instead of dark blue and did not realize it was the camera I lost. I was doing something and looked at where she put it and picked it up. The battery was dead and needed charging. Once I charged it, it worked nice. Now I have two cameras. They each have advantages over the other. The only thing that is interchangeable between them is the memory card. The charger connection and battery are different sizes. They both use USB to charge. 

  I do want to do some woodworking tomorrow. Friday was my brother’s birthday and mine is this week. I dug out my brother’s present from the shed, a fireplace fire poker set. The stand has a sailing ship on top. 

I will see what I actually do tomorrow.



Year 15, Week 19, Day One (week 716)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
06-01-14 Sunday

88 degrees, mostly cloudy with blue sky overhead filled with spilled milk and fine feathers. A nice wind kept the temps down and moved the humidity around. One small cloud did not get to the bathroom in time. It sprinkled lightly for about a minute, enough for water to drip down off the awning onto the table I was working on. Then it came down in big drops for about fifteen seconds and stopped. It was literally stopping when we realized it was coming down.  Half an hour later, you would never know there was any weather. The weather was good for the rest of the day. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.

I decided that I was not going to dig out the big lathe. I set up the table and dug out the little lathe. It is actually more work than bringing out the big lathe as there is stuff on top the box that has to be moved first then the stuff that one needs to run the lathe has to be brought out of the box before and after the lathe is removed. 
I had some chop sticks I had rough rounded to become crochet hooks. I decided to mess with them. The chop sticks are much longer than the working lathe length is. 
The lathe is designed so that you can slip a chuck into the shaft of the head stock, and you need to run a bar in from the other end to drive it out when you are done, so the shaft is an empty pipe instead of a solid rod. 
I had four rods where I rough rounded them (these chop sticks are square on one half and round at the other half. I had removed the square edges previously). One was to big to fit into the shaft. These rods are just short of being twice the working length of the lathe. Being just less than twice allowed me to work one end, then swap them around and work the other end, with the ability to reach the finished part of the first side so I can get both ends the same diameter. 
Because of the length of the work and the width of the tool carriage. I would have to move the tool holder from one side of the carriage and work as far as I could reach, then move the tool to the other side of the carriage and finish the exposed rod. 
Crochet hook sizes are listed by letters, with a number Seven in the middle of the G and H hook sizes. I had two H hooks and one I hook. One of the H hooks is almost able to go through the hole in the gauge for the 7 hook. It would take a little bit of sanding over the length to make it thin enough. 
These rods are long enough to be good knitting needles if I point both ends. I could easily cut them in half and make two crochet hooks each. I will decide how to use them later. 

I gave my brother his birthday present. Today. I told him he could use it for blacksmithing or metal casting. He asked if it was contagious. I told him it definitely is. He was happy to get it. He and my nephew does blacksmithing once in a while and these tools, which are designed for fireplaces, is very good for blacksmithing also. 

I have no idea what will happen next weekend. I do hope to do some serious wood working. Much will depend on the weather. I need yard sailing weather to do big woodworking. It is hard to do both at the same time. 

I will see what happens next weekend.

My brother's birthday present -- fire place poker set.

Snare drum

French style rolling pin.

Some fallen mangoes from the neighbor's tree. Mom is letting them ripen, and then will cut out the bad parts and use them. Many fall at night and have the bad spots on them when they land.

my sea grape drum sticks, not finished, on top the new drum.