Monkey Tails

The spooky morning after

1 Comment

It’s actually very scary today. Tom and his ever-suffering wife Rhonda held a big Halloween bash last night – in MY shop! While the event was a blast – and the guests were totally awesome – I think Tom went a little bit over the top. I mean, I know he loves power tools, but come on, Tom….

That’s not the proper use of a reciprocating saw! And, I don’t think the neighbors are really going to like the results…

Heck, I don’t think the pumpkin on the left is too comfortable being near your masterpiece.

Now, the shop is a mess. Halloween decorations are heaved everywhere, the bench and table saw are not where they need to be and there is the unmistakable smell of pumpkin innards wafting through the garage. Total bummer…

Fortunately, Tom has the right monkey working on the job for this one. I’ll spend most of the day getting the shop back into shape, and when the sleeping beauty wakes up, we’ll be back on track.

Now, who knows how to clean pumpkin guts out of a reciprocating saw?

 

Spotlight

The Spagetti is here!

9 Comments

Yes,  folks, it’s true.  Marc and Nicole Spagnuolo just welcomed the newest member to their household today!  Welcome to the world, Mateo Xavier Spagnuolo.

I’m still trying to get the particulars, but he’s happy, healthy and seven weeks early!

I feel like that extra proud extended family uncle….

Link of the week

Link of the week

1 Comment

Zen Wood

Sometimes, when your mind is racing, you have to make a conscious decision to slow things down. Take a mental time out. Pray. Meditate.

The eastern cultures seem to have the right idea, working this self-centering activity into the daily fabric of life. Surrounding yourself with simple, uncluttered space and furniture can help put you in this right frame of mind.

Woodworker John Clark has this peaceful aesthetic down perfectly at his Zen Wood site. The pieces he builds come from the Buddhist traditions of Asian cultures, but these gorgeous pieces could be repurposed to hold whatever is important in your life (a Bible, family photos, treasured possessions) and serve as your dedicated place to clear your mind and relax.

Who knows? While you are contemplating your peaceful surroundings, maybe you will be inspired to build a project of your own.

 

Shop Talk

Transition time

3 Comments

So, I lost this entire weekend. Total bummer, because I had a busy weekend planned of woodworking and finishing projects up my sleeve.

This past Friday, I took delivery of the material for the next project I’m working on – a pantry unit for a good friend. I also had the rocking horse that Dominic and I were working on to complete. So, the plan was to get into the shop, knock out the rocking horse, move it to a corner of the shop and let Rhonda and the boys complete the finishing job.  Then, start hoisting sheets of plywood up onto the bench and start breaking them down into project components.  It was going to be the perfect weekend. Heck, I even had the weekend off from coaching, as the basketball league took a one week break.

Well, all of that went out the window. Total bummer. So, I’ve been working after work to get some stuff done in the shop. Tonight, I was able to get the horse assembled.  The results… Well, they did leave a little bit to be desired. My horse has a bit of a forward lean – no doubt a miscut in the shape of the rockers.  Looks perhaps like there is a bit of a peak in the middle that needs to be shaved down.  Oh well, that’s why I have a spokeshave and a month or so before I have to drop it off at the pregnancy crisis center.

So, while the horse is up with the vet, the sheets of plywood for the new pantry project are taking up space in the shop. It’s amazing how large – and heavy –  4 x 8 sheets of plywood are in person. One of these days very soon, I’m going to have to find a safer more out of the way place to stash them…

Because this Saturday is the annual pumpkin carving party as well…

Oh, well, life is all about going with the flow. And, I know that once I get everything back on track, we’ll be off to the races.

So, I’ll just have to sit tight, get some stuff done a little at a time, and try to enjoy the start of the hectic  season!

 

Projects

Some finished shots

6 Comments

I had a lousy weekend. No, nothing went wrong in the shop, and the wife and kids are all doing well. I just had some health ‘issues’ which needed to be resolved.

Since I’m here relaxing at the house, I realized that I have left you hanging on a few projects. Ones which I wrote articles about, but never showed you the final piece. Well, today I’m going to fix that.

First, here are those stair-stepped bookshelves in place. As you can see, my friend Carla wasted no time getting them in to their final location and loading them up with goodies. I like the way you can look into the side of the cases to see what’s stored there, and she likes the width of the lower shelves for larger storage.

I do have to go to her house to install some leg levelers on the shelves. While they sit very stable on the carpet, one unit has a bit of a wobble on hard floors. Since they are planning on replacing the carpet one of these  days, I figured it would be good customer service to head over there and install those potentially necessary pieces.

The other piece is the Munkstol. After I repaired the round tenons in the piece, I glued it all together with hide glue and replaced a few dowel pins which were holding the chair together. The challenge with this chair is that it is triangular, so getting good clamping pressure on the joints took a little bit of work and finesse. In fact, what I did was glue the front assembly together and clamped it until the glue cured, then clamped the other parts in place. It took some muscle and a few naughty words, but now it’s good to go.

Rhonda and I brought it to our neighbor’s home once it was done. Our neighbor was so happy, she took a picture and sent it back to the family in Sweden.  Once that happened, gosh, the praise started coming in two languages!  I’m glad that Google offers its free translation service…  otherwise, I’d be sunk.

Now, I meant to finish the rocking horse over the weekend, but that plan went by the wayside. I’ll get that done this week (I hope) and then I have to move on to the next project.

Great weather. A busy shop.  Fairly decent health. Hey, what else can you ask for?

 

Quick Polls

Quick Poll

7 Comments

You see the middle part in this joint, right?

Not the two elements with mortises in them.. the thing in between them? That joins them together once you glue and clamp it?

It’s an interesting way to join two boards without creating an integral tenon on one of them.

But, what do you call it? I’ve seen woodworkers get worked up about different terms for it. They will argue their point all day long that a certain term applies, and none of the other make sense.

So, what do you call it in your shop?

Link of the week

Link of the week

2 Comments

DIY’s how to build a banquette

Seating and storage. In many homes, there’s just not enough of either.

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution that can help you get more of both in a stylish form known as a banquette.

Banquettes are typically built-in seating benches that provide extra space for guests at the dinner table, while providing storage for less-frequently used items below. This plan, offered by the DIY network, gives step-by-step instructions on how to build a basic unit with plywood and common lumber. Of course, with this as a starting point, you can feel free to design your own plan to meet the needs of your dining area.

part of the Wood Talk Online community