A New Tool!

and a couple of first projects.

I think that it would be safe to say that just about every woodworker likes to get a new tool.  Me especially.

 This past week, my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.  I took the week off from work and we (Wife, 7 kids, and myself) bought the CityPass for Seattle and headed out everyday of the week to "play" in the city.  We had a lot of fun and the time went by sooooo faaaaast!  I could write a small booklet sharing all that we did on our "vacation" at home but we are talking tools here so let's get on to it. 

On the Friday prior to our Seattle excursion, my lovely bride surprised me with a gift.  It was no surprise to anyone what I would have asked for if I could have chosen a gift for myself because I didn't keep my desire a secret! (Lathe)  ;)  But what was a surprise was what I actually recieved. 

It would have been perfectly wonderful if I didn't recieve a gift but, since I did, it was even more exciting!

I was suprised with a treasure hunt. 

The first clue was a bowl blank on my workbench with a written clue to the next clue which was a book on turning wood.  Inside the book was another clue that lead to a set of turning tools.  There was another clue that lead outside to the final and grande finale....

A LATHE!

It is a Delta Midi Lathe with variable speed. 

My first projects were some dowels!  Really exciting, I know.

Then I attempted to make a piece that was shaped like a spoon, to cut in half and have two pieces that I could make into spoons.

Sadly, after this, I went out on night to try my hand at some more turning and when I mounted the wood and was locking the tail stock down, the locking handle went slack. It turned out that the weld on the shaft that connects to the lever to lock it down had come apart. Only about 1/3 of the bead of the weld made contact between the two pieces and it just pulled right apart!

I am still trying to get a satisfactory solution from Delta. This is something for another entry when the story is over.

However, there is another story about a solution to the broken tail stock, and the hero is Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, specifically, the Tukwila, Washington store.

I personally think that the solution should be Deltas responsibility but, Rockler came in and saved the day.

Thank you to the fantastic people that work at Rockler for helping me out, you just made me a loyal customer!

Finally, on to what I really wanted to show off... my first bowl!

I can be honest here, I don't think that this shows quality turning craftsmanship but, it does show a really cool piece of wood that may have ended up in the wood stove if it hadn't been salvaged into this bowl. I really have a lot of learning to do on this whole wood turning thing!

I thought that it would be pretty easy turning wood but, BOY, it isn't as easy as it looks! Good thing for other turners, books, and the Internet.

What everyone has been waiting for!

The long awaited, highly anticipated, much appreciated sequel to the original blockbuster smash hit sensation, THE PIZZA PEEL pt 2!

Grab your popcorn, Red Vines and cherry coke and settle in for this epic motion picture event.
(Don't forget to dim your lights)

Pizza Peel!

Who doesn't like pizza?

There isn't such a thing as a bad pizza.  There is only good pizza and better pizza.  Homemade pizza is among the best.

I am at a bit of a stand still on the pulpit because I need some more beech for it.  I won't be able to pick some more up until later this week.  In the meantime I had to do something and I just saw another project on Lumberjocks.com, and it was a pizza peel. 

Pizza peel?  What is that?  Like a banana?

No, no, you have it all wrong.  A pizza peel is like a GIANT spatula that you use to put a pizza in a hot oven to cook.  Pizza is usually cooked at a high temperature and you don't want to stick your hands in a HOT oven.  And you really don't want to stick your hands back in a hot oven to get that HOT pizza back out!  If you get too close, it could feel as though you were reenacting a scene from Daniel (in the Bible) where Daniel's three friends were thrown into a firery furnace because they refused to worship the kings idol (Daniel 3).  That is were a pizza peel excels.

Here is the first part of making a pizza peel. 

Treasures uncovered!

Papaw is my Grandpa, but he is no longer on this earth.  However he has left behind a part of himself in our hearts and some artifacts that I will still be able to use and enjoy!
Thank you Papaw for the memories! 

Come join me on a treasure hunt into the deep recesses of Papaw's toolbox! There are some unexpected discoveries that will thrill the mind and soul.

I hope that you enjoy.

Getting warmer, but still cold

I have the five panels joined together and the lower support made for the pulpit.  The support is made of five pieces, each halp lapped and glued.  I will attach this to the bottom of the five sides and this will also tie into the frame work that will help support the middle shelf and the top shelf.  I should also serve to give the overall piece some side to side rigidity. 

Next on the list is to glue up some boards for the middle and top shelves.  I think that I am going to have to make a run to the hardwoods store this week for more beech.