In My "Spare" Time: Year 15, Week 22, Day One (week 719)

Year 15, Week 22, Day One (week 719)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
06-21-14 Saturday

80 degrees mid morning, 85 as the high. A soft blue sky in the morning, with puffs building as the day went on. Thunder boomers built up in the early afternoon in the west, over the Everglades, like around one and held off other than a little bit of wind blown drips. Around three, They decided to make a rush to the ocean and dumped their load early, wetting down everything. Mom was really happy as she did not have to water her plants for another day. This weather report is brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach department of Tourism.

During the week, I was working on a scarf that was turquoise and pink. I was doing a final row of pink around the outside and ran short about ten inches from finishing. A light search of my stock, I found I don’t have any more pink yarn. I had been doing a double crochet stitch on the sides of the scarf, and single crochet on the end. As a last minute decision, I frogged (rip it, rip it out) the pink out to the start, and then used single crochet around the whole thing. It still looks good and it looks finished. I still have a small ball of that pink left.
I don’t see buying any more pink yarn unless it is at a yarn sale. Of course, I have more yarn than I can ever use, if I am satisfied with the yarn I have for the project.
This week, I started a scarf in dark orange, and will have yellow orange and a dark red also in the scarf and I am doing a post stitch, which will give it ribbing. I have no idea how it is going to look when done but I decided to try this stitch a while back and this project is where I was ready to give it a try.

We hit a couple yard sales right after breakfast. They had some interesting things, but all I found was a large rasp and a small metal bladed wooden square used in woodworking. I really did not need either one, but got them anyway. There was a dragon candle stick with seven candle holders on the back but I held off on that. I also saw something else that tickled my mind and I forced myself to ignore it too. I did well at those two yard sales.
After we went to an event, we were heading to go for lunch, and found a church yard sale. I found a square cast iron pot with lid. It was more than I really wanted to spend, but I felt I dared not leave it. Late in the evening, I showed that pot to a friend who went to culinary school and she drooled over it. I guess I got a good find.

We went to a meeting where an archeologist gave a talk about some research he did on a historical period. It was excellent. I learned some things. Of course, the meeting eliminated most of the yard sailing we would do and any woodworking I would do.

After lunch, we were all weary and laid down. The thunder boomers rushed over us while we napped and woke us. By then, though it was really too late to go outside anyway to do any work.

I am positive I will do some wood working tomorrow, but have no idea what it will be.
So I will see what I do tomorrow.

Year 15, Week 22, Day Two (week 719)
(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
06-22-14 Sunday

80 degrees, up to 85 in the afternoon. An even sprinkling of thick white but tall puffs in the late morning, thickening as the day went on. Weather developed in mid afternoon. This weather report is provided by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.

I was determined to do some wood working today. I got to Mom’s house later than I planned. I looked through my easy to reach supplies and eliminated many of the possible projects as being too complex or will take too long.
I had pulled my lathe equipment out, put it back as I changed my mind, and pulled it back out again as I changed my mind again. I had a project and the lathe would involve one step of the project.
I had a one by four piece of Mahogany. I marked up for a ladle and bandsawed the wood from the handle. Those will be short drum sticks or magic wands.
After some more measuring, I mounted the wood on the lathe with the bowl part of the ladle was at the head stock, spun by the drive spur. I had set the center of the project so the ladle handle would be rounded so the top would remain flat. I rounded the rest of the handle and shaped slightly the sides of the bowl so that it would be centered on the handle.
After I took it off the lathe, I decided that the handle was just to big so I was going to sacrifice the flat top of the handle by rounding it to a smaller diameter. I just got started when the handle broke not far from the end.
That was when I noticed that the grain ran through the wood on an angle. That is actually common on sawn boards, especially in even colored woods. The grain is not a serious consideration for furniture. The grain is not a design feature of the wood and is a lot of times hidden. Having a slight angle of the grain to the surface is not even given a thought.
For “structural” pieces like drum sticks, crochet hooks, ladle handles, table legs and so on, the direction of grain does make a difference. It can make or literally break a project. That is where splitting the wood makes a difference in getting the grain going right.
I cut off the broken wood on the end, and then sat down with my knife and chisel and started working on the bowl of the ladle. My knifes look like I broke the end of the knife off so it is sort of a wedge shape on the end. I learned long ago that flat ends like that do not poke as deep into flesh as a fine point like what my dad used to make. I scored the line around the bowl and then cut chips out at that point, working my way deeper. The chisel is really for when it gets deeper and the sides need to be cleaned up.
While I did some sanding on the outside with the disk sander, I will not touch the outside until I get the inside bowl done and then copy the curvature of the inside with the outside at that time. For now, I am wearing down the inside little by little.
While I did not accomplish a whole lot, I got another project started and fairly well along. The handle is heavier than I wanted but it will do for this one. I should have the center of the turning a lot closer to the top of the wood to get the effect I was actually after. I mis judged how thick it was going to end up. I will finish this one and might do another. I have the wood for it.

I hope to do some wood working next weekend. I have no idea what is planned for me, so I don’t know what will happen.

I will see what I do next weekend.