Creeker's Weekend Accomplishments....PIC

[Dennis Peacock]

Well, another weekend has come and gone and I hated to see this one end. Great weather and got to spend some time in the shop on Saturday with my buddy Mark Cothren. I also hated to see this weekend go as I am OnCall this week for "work".

Spent some time in the shop working on the hutch / entertainment center conversion project as well as done a little turning on the spinny thang. The wife is getting well now and all the kids are well except for the minor allergy stuff for this time of year for my youngest son Daniel. Jack Somers came by Sunday after church and we turned 2 Persimmon bowls. One measure 15" across by 3-1/2" high and the one pictured here is 16" across and 5" deep. I only had 1/2" clearance on the bed of the lathe turning the blank before I got it round. This is the largest bowl I have turned to date. It was both fun and challenging. I just may do another sometime soon.

So what did YOU do this weekend?

Best of weeks to you all....

[Andy London]

The ladies in the house are after me for a number of projects that have been on the back burner....I made this Zembrano shelf for my daughters bathroom which turned out pretty good, first time turning multiple items to match...that was interesting.

Made a materials list for DC piping, I ordered one of the new Oneida units and will drive to Maine next Sunday, pick it up Monday and head home....this is one project that I really want to get behind me...for the third/forth time.

Police dropped by the house/shop yesterday also, I guess my neighbours shop across the street was broken into Sunday morning sometime and they cleaned him out....a good reminder to list everything you have, including serial numbers, take pictures and finally for all it costs, some type of Alarm system.

[John Hart]

I finally got going on my butcher block project. A gift for my brother and family. This is the top to a free standing butcher block. Made from maple, framed in cherry, finished with Walnut Oil. The stand is made of cherry with walnut inlay and features a lower shelf and a drawer cabinet. I can't believe that I'm finally getting around to this!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Looks nice John!!

I got nothing done anywhere near my house. Helped a buddy with his 4x4 lift kit installation on Saturday, then went to the Dallas Guitar Show Sunday morning and met Rick Derringer. The guitar line he was appearing with (Warrior) was stunning to see.

The most highly figured woods I have ever seen on a guitar as well as the nicest hardware money can buy. Rick told me the least expensive guitar was $2900!

Each and every one of the guitars was a work of art. I told him when I learn how to play something simple and made a few more bucks that I MIGHT order one. One of them was Brazilian Rosewood with about ten different wooden inlays...two of which were Walnut and Padauk. It was the prettiest guitar I have ever seen....price tag was $6850. It had Mother of Pearl inlays in the neck.

Meeting Rick was a nice treat. He is very approachable these days. I bought a Live CD from the old days and he signed it for me. The Warrior Guitar site is here...

http://www.warriorinstruments.com/default2.asp

After that I took my position on the couch with libation in hand and enjoyed a nice afternoon of rest!

[Kurt Aebi]

I got the Lathe that I had been rebuilding completed, check the thread in the Turner's Forum for details.

It was a real fun project and i wouldn't mind taking another old neglected machine and bring it back to life again, it was a rather pleasant feeling.

[Matt Meiser]

I spent the weekend working on yard work. This will be the second summer in our new house and last year we didn't do a lot with the landscaping because we wanted to see what would come up in the way of perenials. Turns out a lot of grass where there should have been other stuff so, we ripped a lot of the old stuff out. I also got some very large rocks from our next door neighbor. They pop up in his pasture and he said I was free to take anything I wanted. A couple of them were big enough that, had they been any bigger, they wouldn't have fit in my loader bucket.

[Doug Shepard]

Looks nice John!!

I got nothing done anywhere near my house. Helped a buddy with his 4x4 lift kit installation on Saturday, then went to the Dallas Guitar Show Sunday morning and met Rick Derringer. The guitar line he was appearing with (Warrior) was stunning to see....
...
Meeting Rick was a nice treat. He is very approachable these days. I bought a Live CD from the old days and he signed it for me. The Warrior Guitar site is here...
...

Sounds like you had fun. Can't say I'm that much of a Rick Derringer fan but there used to one tune he played on that really blew me away. The 'Edgar Winter's White Trash' band on the live Roadwork album. Rick is playing either a Gibson 345 or 355 and gets this incredible combination of tone, attitude, and technique on 'Back in the U.S.A'. The intro just rips.

Oops - I stole the thread. Sorry

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I didn't get ANYTHING done in the shop this weekend! My LOML and I went out camping for the first time. Highs in the 70's lows in the low 40's, can't beat it.

Yesterday I had a BIG bonefire of a bunch of old wood (crap) that I had been hanging on to. Good job done.

[Jim Becker]

This was a "this and that" weekend...did a really deep shop cleaning since this was the first weekend I could have all the doors wide open all weekend, including a bit of straightening of the lumber rack. (I have some more poplar and walnut left on the pile that I really need to get in in the shop and skim jointer/planed so the resulting space will be important--the latter is timely as Dr. SWMBO informs me she needs about five or six barrels of chips for the garden paths... ) I also planned out for the air line installation including creating a BOM to pick up to get going. Nothing built or turned, however...it's spring and I had to deal with a few other things around the house and property.

Relative to that, I got the mower deck ready for the tractor including replacing the belt (not a fun job and one that did a number on my right knuckles when the idler tension spring, umm...snapped back on me) and sharpening the blades. The first cut is next weekend...oh, joy. Also cleaned out the gutters, replaced a few floodlights, helped Dr. SWMBO play the annual rite of "pick-up-sticks" so she can grind them up next weekend with the chipper. Removed the backhoe and reinstalled the 3pt hitch so said chipper could be attached, etc. We also moved a couple of the fish from the holding tank in the basement out into the fountain/pond. Two more will go next weekend and the final three the weekend after. Since they are so much larger than when they came out of the thing last fall, we're reintroducing them slowly to insure we don't get an imbalance in the water...it's only about 125-150 gallons or so.

Stopped by our good friends house to see the movers laboring with their stuff and I also played with a design for their new master bath...the one they inherited with this house is, umm...more unusual than the one we have! It's a complete gut job for them.

Oh, yea...transmitted the tax returns last night. The checks will be in the mail...on Friday.

[Dan Gill]

I built the web frames for the two Mission dressers I'm putting together. This is the dresser from Wood mag last year. Their casework was plywood, but I'm making poplar web frames instead. I'm building them like face frames with pocket screws and glue. I did have to make sure some of the pocket holes were staggered correctly to accommodate the dadoes.

I've been taking pictures of the project. I'll document it as I go.

[Andy Henriksen]

I finally got going on my butcher block project. A gift for my brother and family. This is the top to a free standing butcher block. Made from maple, framed in cherry, finished with Walnut Oil. The stand is made of cherry with walnut inlay and features a lower shelf and a drawer cabinet. I can't believe that I'm finally getting around to this!

Probably a dumb question, but why are butcher blocks commonly made with end grain on the cutting surface? Seems that they would be more prone to absorption that way - blood, juice, salmonela, etc.

[Jim Becker]

Probably a dumb question, but why are butcher blocks commonly made with end grain on the cutting surface?

They last longer that way....the small cuts in the end grain "disappear" all by themselves in the close-grained species generally used for this purpose.

[John Hart]

Probably a dumb question, but why are butcher blocks commonly made with end grain on the cutting surface? Seems that they would be more prone to absorption that way - blood, juice, salmonela, etc.

Not a dumb question Andy..In fact, it is extremely important. Germs are a concern unless you follow some important rules. #1, use Maple because the grain is so tight. This is something that has been recommended for centuries. #2 - Never never never use vegetable oil to seal the top. It is important to use an oil that is non-toxic and that will soak in and harden. Recommended oils are Walnut oil, Lemon oil, and Almond Oil. The top as you see it has three heavy coats so far of Walnut oil. I expect to treat it 10 more times before I'm through and I'll ship a bottle with the butcher block when it's done.

When the butcher block is used, it is cleaned with water and baking soda, then treated with oil after it dries. A butcher block top is never really "finished". Maple in this configuration is extremely hard and will last for generations.

Thanks for noticing!

[Andy Henriksen]

Thanks Jim and John! Makes sense. The idea of cuts disappearing I would liken to a horsehair dartboard, maybe. Now, back to the weekend accomplishments! I need to see some more photos.

[Steve Wargo]

Actually got a lot done this weekend. spread 6 yards of mulch. That's the bad part. Now for the good. I wrapped up the curly maple sunburst veneer work. Making a nice serving tray, and finished up the sunburst with star inlay. Then dyed it green. Also completed the small tamo and walnut chest of drawers built to match an armoire I did for a customer a month ago. That will be delivered on Wednesday. Then I was able to sort through my mahogany stash and pick out some nice ribbon striped pieces needed for the silver chest that I deliver next month. Actually got all of the lumber jointed and dimensioned. Cut my case miters and started cutting joints. After I cut splines, the carcass will be ready for assemble. Also cut the tapered legs for the stand. Made much more progress on it than I planned. Had a good weekend.