 |
| Wednesday's bowl |
26 degrees/cloudy skies/calm winds
Pentoga Road
I just saw something moving in the back yard. No doubt, the hulk thought the predawn darkness was hiding it from view. Using the binoculars, I was able to make out a bear, about two hundred pounds, give or take ten or fifty.
Wish I could have gotten a picture. No doubt, he's looking for a last minute meal before denning up for the winter.
At least we won't have to worry about stepping in piles of bear manure for the next several months. Both Sargie and I have had to clean bear poo from our shoes more than once this fall and when Meag and Ben were visiting, a bruin left a six inch pile in front of the door of their bus while both were inside.
I won't miss our furry friends this winter.
Wednesday was a busy one, although not necessarily successful in the world of scroll sawing. I began with what, I thought, would be a nice Thanksgiving piece.
I was so excited to be back in my shop after several weeks away. The wood furnace was working perfectly, a new blade was on the scroll saw, the classical music was playing in the background.
It was time to make some saw dust.
Yeah, that didn't happen for long. I was ten minutes into sawing when I made a stupid mistake, one from which there is no recovery. I'll have to reprint the pattern, find another piece of suitable wood, and begin again.
The biggest success of the day was converting an old chest cooler into an insulated, heated, paint storage box.
Last year, I made a tray to carry the paints to and from the house to keep them from freezing overnight. I have so many that it just wasn't a practical solution.
So yesterday, following Mississippi Brother Garry's suggestion, I cut down the tray to fit in an old cooler, spliced the electric cord so it would fit through the drain hole, added a heat lamp with a tiny bulb, and made a freeze proof storage container.
The best part is that, should we ever need to use the cooler for what it was intended, I can undo the splice in the cord, lift the tray out, and it'll be good to go.
I want to make several bowls/platters/plates this holiday season from the hickory that Yooper Brother Mark has brought back from his plant in Kentucky. The first step is to put a board through the planer, cut it, then laminate the pieces together.
I'll glue and clamp a tenon onto the pieces today, let it dry overnight, and begin turning and shaping it tomorrow.
It was after lunch and I wanted to turn something. Everything I had in mind required a bigger lathe, something I've sworn to acquire for the past two years. Since putting the new motor on the old mini lathe last spring, I've not lacked for power, but rather size. In this case, size matters. I've already stretched the limits of what it can do and simply put, it's frustrating.
Oh well, I'm not going to complain. There's only one thing worse than a lathe that's too small... that's having no lathe at all!
The birch I chose was iffy at best, but after spending a goodly amount of time coaxing a bowl from a piece originally bound for the wood stove, I think I have a vessel good enough in which to mount homemade fall flowers or possibly a Christmas table piece.
At Meag's suggestion, (and she's a marketing whiz) I'm trying to do something unique that will make each piece I turn my own. She really liked a small solid stripe around the rim and/or base. Yesterday, I tried a colorful one. Like it? I'm not sure I do, but I'll never know unless I try.
I made a fast trip to town yesterday and stopped to see Yooper Brother Mark. We had a quick visit and things seem to be going well in his world.
Sargie's off today and is still sound asleep on this dark, cold, morning. According to the weather statement that arrived earlier in my inbox, it's not going to get any better.
Heck with fall. Who needs it? Seems winter is here to stay.
Neighbor Mike is at his camp, down from Marquette, and called last night inviting me up for coffee this morning. I haven't seen my good buddy for quite a while, so I'm looking forward to catching up on his end of the world. With the advent of deer season next week, no doubt his friends, who have also become my friends, will be pouring in over the next few days. I'm looking forward to seeing them all.
With that said, it's time to put on my winter coat, hat, and gloves, and make that long trek up Jambo's drive in search of good conversation and a hot cup of coffee.
After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
I was so excited to be back in my shop after several weeks away. The wood furnace was working perfectly, a new blade was on the scroll saw, the classical music was playing in the background.
It was time to make some saw dust.
Yeah, that didn't happen for long. I was ten minutes into sawing when I made a stupid mistake, one from which there is no recovery. I'll have to reprint the pattern, find another piece of suitable wood, and begin again.
The biggest success of the day was converting an old chest cooler into an insulated, heated, paint storage box.
Last year, I made a tray to carry the paints to and from the house to keep them from freezing overnight. I have so many that it just wasn't a practical solution.
So yesterday, following Mississippi Brother Garry's suggestion, I cut down the tray to fit in an old cooler, spliced the electric cord so it would fit through the drain hole, added a heat lamp with a tiny bulb, and made a freeze proof storage container.
The best part is that, should we ever need to use the cooler for what it was intended, I can undo the splice in the cord, lift the tray out, and it'll be good to go.
I want to make several bowls/platters/plates this holiday season from the hickory that Yooper Brother Mark has brought back from his plant in Kentucky. The first step is to put a board through the planer, cut it, then laminate the pieces together.
I'll glue and clamp a tenon onto the pieces today, let it dry overnight, and begin turning and shaping it tomorrow.
It was after lunch and I wanted to turn something. Everything I had in mind required a bigger lathe, something I've sworn to acquire for the past two years. Since putting the new motor on the old mini lathe last spring, I've not lacked for power, but rather size. In this case, size matters. I've already stretched the limits of what it can do and simply put, it's frustrating.
Oh well, I'm not going to complain. There's only one thing worse than a lathe that's too small... that's having no lathe at all!
The birch I chose was iffy at best, but after spending a goodly amount of time coaxing a bowl from a piece originally bound for the wood stove, I think I have a vessel good enough in which to mount homemade fall flowers or possibly a Christmas table piece.
At Meag's suggestion, (and she's a marketing whiz) I'm trying to do something unique that will make each piece I turn my own. She really liked a small solid stripe around the rim and/or base. Yesterday, I tried a colorful one. Like it? I'm not sure I do, but I'll never know unless I try.
Sargie's off today and is still sound asleep on this dark, cold, morning. According to the weather statement that arrived earlier in my inbox, it's not going to get any better.
Heck with fall. Who needs it? Seems winter is here to stay.
Neighbor Mike is at his camp, down from Marquette, and called last night inviting me up for coffee this morning. I haven't seen my good buddy for quite a while, so I'm looking forward to catching up on his end of the world. With the advent of deer season next week, no doubt his friends, who have also become my friends, will be pouring in over the next few days. I'm looking forward to seeing them all.
With that said, it's time to put on my winter coat, hat, and gloves, and make that long trek up Jambo's drive in search of good conversation and a hot cup of coffee.
After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
 |
| Princess Ivy |
No comments:
Post a Comment