Weather Station Part II.

[Tom Pritchard]

A couple weeks ago I posted some pics of a weather station that I made for my youngest son out of spalted maple. Well, as fate would have it, my older son came home for a visit the following weekend, saw his younger brother's weather station and said "Gee, I'd like one too Dad!". So he gave me his specs, darker wood than his brother's, satin finish, a little smaller, and vertical. So here's the outcome. This really is a fun little project, and the cost for the 3 gauges at Woodcraft was around $30.00. This would be a nice anniversary present for someone, and is quick and easy to do.

The finish is 2 applications of Watco Danish Oil Finish in the natural color (is natural a color? ), with 3 coats of Johnson's Paste Wax rubbed out by hand. Thanks for looking!

[Mike Cutler]

Very nice Tom. Not the run of the mill weather stations that you normally see. Very nice.

[Jim Becker]

Nice, Tom. I actually like this one a little better than the first one...likely because of the figure and size. (Both are excellent however...!)

[Wes Bischel]

Tom,
Both turned out really nice! I agree with Jim, I like the figure in this one - you really got it to pop!

Wes

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Fantastic wood choice on this one [not that the other one was bad in the last]...I love the figure! Fine job.

[scott spencer]

I'm LOVING that wood Tom! Excellent!

[Pete Harbin]

Stunning job John!

Question for you...do these gauges work fine if placed in a shadow box type case, maybe with a glass panel door?

Pete

[Vaughn McMillan]

Looks great, Tom. I also think the older son get the better piece of wood, but both of them are very nice looking.

- Vaughn

[Hank Keller]

Tom-
That looks great. You may not know the impact that could have on your sons lives. I say this as I look at the weather station on my office desk that my dad made for me some 20 years ago. It has the exact same gages as yours, but is oak, has a horizontal stand, a clock and a pen and pencil. The thermometer and hygrometer are in the center and slightly lower than the barometer and clock and the pen and pencil sit outside of those. My name is on a brass plate in the center.

Again, great job. I know what I'll be making for my son some 15 years from now (he's 3).

[Tom Pritchard]

Stunning job John!

Question for you...do these gauges work fine if placed in a shadow box type case, maybe with a glass panel door?

Pete

Pete, I believe putting the gauges in any kind of a box would dull their response because of the lack of air circulation in the box around the gauge. The barometer actually calls for the mounting hole to go through the wood and be open on the back side. They also need to hang on an inside wall so as not to give a false reading on the temperature gauge. I wouldn't place them in an enclosed box.

Jim, Wes, Kelly, and Vaughn, I agree with you, I like this one better than the first. My younger son looked at this one and told me, "Gee Dad, I like mine so much better!". I guess it just demonstrates how beauty is always in the eye of the beholder (thank goodness or my wife may not have married me! )

Hank, I sure hope my boys remember it as fondly as you remember the one your Dad made! That's the beauty of woodworking projects, they are unique and will last long enough to keep our memories alive.

By the way, this piece of maple came out of the hardwood maple rack at my local Lowe's store. Hard to believe, but they often have wood like this mixed in with the rest of their maple. Worth a look when your in there (it's the same price as the rest too).