Santa's Shop Part II

3 other members of my woodworking club and I finished up the toys today for underpriveleged kids. 102 cars and trucks in all. Since most of the work today was hand sanding and adding axels and wheels, the four of us were able to chat for the four hours we were together. Anyone who claims that men don't talk much should meet the guys in my club. The type of conversation between groups of men and groups of women, however, is very different. Woodworking guys tell funny stories about things that happened to them or "this guy I know", or talk about woodworking in general or places they've visited or just topical "things". Women talk about people and relationships.

While we were working, an older man came into the woodshop with his very young grandson, about 4 years old, and of course walks right over to the only woman (me) to tell me that when he goes to flea markets, he tells his grandson to ask the vendor for some Hustler magazines, upon which he laughed raucously. Not sure why he felt compelled to tell ME, but I obliged with a chuckle. After he left, the guys started telling jokes about a certain county nearby that is known for its not-so-sophisticated residents.

Buried Treasure

I went out to my personal lumberyard, which in its former life was a 2-car garage, to retrieve some walnut for a new project. There's lumber out there that I've had for 15 years and for some weird reason, I remember where most of it came from.

This particular pile of walnut came from a friend's house in WV. Being rough cut, I wasn't able to see just how beautiful the wood was until I ran it through my planer. It's black walnut with curly figure in the grain. Now, I had pulled this lumber to build doors for the assembly table in my workshop, but seeing how gorgeous it is, I might have to use it for something more special.



Second thought, what's more special than my shop? ; )

Privy Door

A few years ago when the sliding pocket door to our main bathroom fell apart, I added another project to my seemingly endless list of home projects. Since our decorating style is Adirondack & kitschy, I decided to build an outhouse door. Hey, why be subtle? A piece of cake to build, just pine boards, and I added a sliding privacy window for the moon cutout. Inside, the door "handle" is an antique key that swings on two antique cut nails. Probably took longer to paint the door than it did to build it, but for a simple project, it's a fun conversation piece.

(And yes, that is dust on the key. Hey, I'm a woodworker, not a housekeeper!)












And here's a picture of our exceptionally tall terrier demonstrating how the moon window works.

Shop Tour

Photos of my shop, which is located right off the bedroom, in the morning light. A woodworker's shop is never really complete. I have a number of workstations I'd like to build, an assembly table that needs a top, a sink base that needs doors. By the time I finish everything that I'd like to build for my shop, I'll be too old to do woodworking. Then, we'll probably sell the house to someone who'll turn it into in-laws' quarters...

Colossal Cat

Nothing to do with woodworking. Just continually amazed at the size of our cat who, I swear, we do not overfeed.

Santa's Workshop

Today, several of us from the woodworking club got together to make toys for underprivileged kids in our area that will be distributed by Volunteers of America at Christmastime. Each year, my club makes at least 75 cars and trucks. We'll put wheels on them next week and drill the "windows". Although very simple designs, the toys are given to very young kids and we're told they love them. The good part about these toys is they can really take a beating (they are 6 year old tested and approved). All wood is donated by a local lumberyard and the Woodcraft Store lets us use their woodworking shop to build the toys, so it's very much a team effort. (In the group photo, I'm the one on the right.)

2 Great Planemakers

Today I went to the Brown International Tool Auction & Dealer Show, which comes twice a year to within 10 minutes of my house. To tool collectors and users, this is "kid in a candy store" land. Imagine a banquet hall filled with a sea of metal & wood handplanes, other tools and antique books, and well...I'm starting to get choked up....moving on...

At this event, there are well-known dealers and makers of tools. One plough plane maker, Jim Leamy, whose shop I've had the good fortune to tour, kindly spends a great deal of time talking with me at these shows. You wouldn't believe what this man can do with metal and wood. He makes every part of these planes himself, including the gears and threaded arms, and has a back order of 18 months. His planes are already collector's items. After talking with him, I never know if I should be inspired or depressed!



Jim introduced me to another planemaker, a maker of miniature planes, Paul Hamler, who is also extraodinarily talented. That little plane to the right is sitting on an actual coin. The slipper plane below is about 2 inches long and hand engraved. Seeing that I was so interested in planemaking, Paul ran out to his car to retrieve a wooden briefcase filled with his miniature tools. One little plane was, and I'm not kidding, less than 1/2" long and made of solid gold....AND it cut wood!

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I'm in awe of these guys.

Trick or Treat

Here are our next door neighbors. Poor little Frankenstein was scared of Sister Skeletor! (click on image to enlarge)