The two on the right are Ash with some rather interesting discoloration. The one on the left was “I know not what” when I started.

I started by cutting the left board in half, and then cutting it again at the split. I flattened on side and glued the two pieces together.

Once the glue was dry, I cleaned it up a bit and put it on the lathe to make a nice little cylinder. As it turned out, the board on the left was Sycamore.

From there I milled up the other half, but because it twisted, I had to slice it into four boards to get anything flat and workable. When I had four flat square boards, I glued them back together to make a reasonable piece of lumber.

Next I turned my attention to the Ash boards. After working with them to get them flat and square, I ended up with seven smaller, but usable boards. From these I started to make a base.

Then, I took the Sycamore column and turned a simple post. And, cut a circle from the other half of the Sycamore board.

The next step was to assemble the base. I also glued up the remaining Ash boards and cut a circle from them as well.

Finally, I took the base and set the Ash circle on top of it, then took the post and set it on that, and then put the Sycamore circle on top of the post. This is what I ended up with.

I put a little finish on it and showed it to the wife who said, “I don’t like it”. Then my daughter looked at it and said, “I don’t hate it”. Eventually, my father saw it and said, “I kinda like it”. My dad has a good eye.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when I started, and now that it’s done, I’m not sure what I got, but it is interesting.

I have nothing but thanks for Martin and his work here and folks who made this place what it is.

When I was a kid we had a taunt that went, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” It was meant to remind us that words can be ignored and by themselves they do no damage. An adult understands that.

Unfortunately, LumberJocks has been flooded with children who whine and cry if somebody says something they don’t like. They cannot handle people who think or act differently then they do and therefore look for way to stop people from being individuals.

We now have a “Block User” option where we don’t have to be adults. With this new feature, we can block someone from commenting on anything we post. We can say all kinds of bad things about them and they have no recourse. We now have the ability to silence differences and disagreements.

How silly is that?

LumberJocks is not what I joined nearly 3 years ago and, unfortunately, it’s not a place that’s particularly fun to be anymore. It’s sad that the children have come in and have no respect and therefore, Martin has to childproof the site. I don’t think I’ll spend much time here anymore.

And, just so I don’t have to put up with the whiners, I’ve blocked those who said that they agreed with the whole blocking nonsense.

I recently got a slab of wood from fellow LJ BlueStingRayBoots and finally took it out to the shop to see what it looked like. After I planed off some of the saw marks some really georgeous grain appeared. It was worlds better than I expected.

So I told the wife about it and we started talking about what I should make with it. Her response was classic. She said, “How about something like this, only pretty.”

Now, she was pointing at a stool that I made very early on that was less than pretty, but the words were just too funny.

Now, the Mrs. is very supportive of my work, but sometimes, she has a way with words.

However, it is what some might call bittersweet.

Generally, each trip is about two weeks. It’s long enough to spend quality time with the offspring, but not so long that we become a major bother to them. This is the sweet part.

Yet, these trips also represent about two weeks where I do not have to go to work and have no significant obligations. AND MY SHOP IS ACROSS THE COUNTRY! This would be the bitter part.

Naturally, since I have so much time on my hands, I spend a fair amount of it reading LumberJocks, catching up on other websites and watching tutorial videos.

And I get ideas.

When I get ideas, I want to fiddle with them a bit and experiment. AND MY SHOP IS ACROSS THE COUNTRY!

I could always avoid places like LumberJocks ... Not! So, I find myself making all kinds of notes about things I was to try and things I want to build and end up with an idea backlog. This is the inconvenient part.

I actually have nothing significant to say other than I have too many ideas. And, if you folks wouldn’t mind, would you please stop giving me more while I’m on vacation?

Thanks.

When I am not making a piece of full size furniture I make smaller items; boxes and pens mostly. I tend to give away a lot of them, but I don’t enough people to distribute everything. Add to that the desire for this hobby to contribute to it’s upkeep and the craft mall seemed an obvious solution.

So I gathered my cares and woes and here is what I came up with as an initial inventory:

A few wheelbarrow planters …

Some chairs for smallish people …

A bunch o’boxes, small and simple …

And a collection of pens and pencils …

Hopefully, with Christmas not far down the road, some folks will see my “stuff” and consider them worthy gifts. I’m expecting an interesting and educational experience.

It may be me, but lately it seems that there have been a number of posts saying that people should be stopped. People should be stopped from posting so many projects. People should be stopped from making so many comments. People should be stopped from greetings newcomers. People should be stopped from commenting on older projects. People should be stopped from posting jokes.

After reading these things I wonder why some folks feel it is so important to stop other folks. I won’t deny that I am at time bothered by some of the postings. But hey, it’s not my place to police other people who are operating within the rules. And, it takes no time and minimal effort to skip right past those posts that I have no interest in.

Perhaps I am far enough out of the ordinary that I am not affected by the fact the world doesn’t conform to my desires. Possibly my life is empty enough that I welcome any input into the abyss. Or, possibly I’m old enough to accept that sometimes I will be inconvenienced. And, surprisingly enough, I will also inconvenience others (if you’re reading this, sorry for the inconvenience).

I can honestly say that in my time on LumberJocks, I have never been harmed in any way. I have had to click the ‘Next Page’ a few times more than I might like, but it certainly didn’t hurt me any.

Now, granted, my ego has been smacked a couple times. But, truth be told, it probably really needed it. So, I find it difficult to find any fault in people who might use this site different than I do. After all, the absence of my perfection is on full display.

I guess this is another of those posts about how the site is used, and I guess my real question is, if there is no harm or hardship created, and only very minor inconvenience, does it really matter?

In two weeks, I have learned that if I need to, I can discipline myself to complete projects on a deadline. I have been known to start things and set them off to the side, but this challenge has put me into a position to complete what I start. That’s a good thing.

Coming up with a regular stream of projects is no small feat. This challenge has forced me to consider the need to be able to “create” at will. I’m sure that professionals are called upon to build either for inventory or, because a potential client wants something out of the ordinary. I am now pretty sure that creativity can be summoned.

I also learned to “listen” to my materials a little better. By that I mean that I’m learning to look at a piece of wood and visualize a project suitable to it. While you can make anything with any piece of wood, some pieces of lumber are just asking to be something specific.

I view this increased sensitivity as a good thing. Even though some of what I’ve done is less than stellar (significantly so), I’ve improve my willingness to evaluate the materials I work with before starting a project.

I have learned to trust my instincts a little more. I am a master second-guesser. I have never seen a problem I didn’t want to solve, or a solution that I didn’t have a problem with. I have the ability to doubt anything I do. For those of you following at home, this can really slow things down and even cause errors. There is the possibility to do things too deliberately. This challenge has forced me to commit to decisions. Sometimes that means making something more than once and sometimes that means getting something done in a timely manner. Both are good results.

Good things have come from this challenge so far and I’m glad I started it. However, I’ve also learned that arbitrary deadlines can cause unnecessary rushing, bad design decisions and a willingness to accept second rate work.

I knew going in to the challenge that I would be pushing things. The types of projects I typically make and enjoy making do not always lend themselves to a one a day schedule. I’m not particularly happy about that.

I like that I’ve able to have multiple projects in progress, but I must admit that I’ve done some things, simply to stay on schedule, that I am not proud of. While my activities in the shop have been more focused, I’ve been more concerned with having enough projects than I’m comfortable with.

All in all, the challenge has been a good thing. However, I believe at this point I will bow out. After these two weeks I am convinced I could complete 30 projects. But, I’m not sure I’d like them. In my woodworking I want to continue to increase my skill and quality and I don’t see that coming from continuing the challenge.

I walk away with some very good lessons and a little bit more confidence in my skills. And, I wish Darryl and Scott good luck in their efforts.

I’ve got 5 pens (actually 3 pens and 2 pencils) which are pretty straightforward and fortunately don’t require a lot of shop time. Being a novice turner, my take on pens is to pretty much make them round and let the wood do the talking. No fancy designs here.

What I’ve got is a Longwood pen and pencil set and a Cigar pen and pencil set, both made with Ebony, and then a Longwood pen made with Tulip wood. The Mrs. really liks that one. (It looks like I’ll need a new camera because I can’t seem to get the quality pen pictures that many others seem to get)

Then I have a variation on the wheelbarrow; a flower cart. Definitely smaller than those I saw growing up, but perfect for a pot or two on the patio. Like it’s companion, the wheelbarrow, it’s made of pine and coated with shellac.

Next is the step stool. I’ve been planning on making one of these since my first grandchild and finally have gotten around to it (with 5 grandkids and counting). It’s made of red oak and will do quite nicely when the tykes need to wash their hands and brush their teeth.

Then there is an attempt at a jewelry box with three drawers. Drawers are hard enough, but when they’re small they can be a real bother. But, I like the combination of walnut and spalted maple.

Then there’s the sisters. They’re not twins, but look similar and made from the same material; willow and leopard wood.

Once again I have to mention that the Mrs. has allowed me all the shop time I need to particpate in this challenge. I’ve spent most of my free time there working on things to make sure that I don’t fall behind. Because this is a hobby, I tend to wander off and not finish thing in a timely manner. So far, this challenge has made me aware of time constraints and the need to work through issues with a project. It gives me a little insight into what shop time might be like for the pros who depend on their work.

One week down and 12 projects completed. The down time when my daughter comes should not put me too far behind. Still to come, the cherry sofa table and what the Mrs. calls a grandson clock in butternut.

These are pretty simple and go together rather quickly.

The next is a cherry box for the wife of my lumber supplier. She asked for a box and this is what I made.

I also have a LongWood Pen and a LongWood Pencil made with Ebony, but I haven’t taken any pictures yet, so those two don’t count yet. (No pictures, didn’t happen if I recall correctly) But they’re coming.

In process is a spalted maple and walnut jewelry box, a cherry topped sofa table, and I have some leopard wood resawn and glued up waiting to be a box top. At this point, I’ve run out of milled lumber and will have to start cleaning up some in order to continue.

All in all, I’m feeling pretty good about my progress. The trick will be coming up with different things to make, but I’ve got all month, right?

I thought as an additional challenge, I would only use the lumber currently in my shop. I have about 300 bdft in my basement, but I should probably use what is at hand. Plus this will cause me to consider the wood as well as the project, because sometimes the wood dictates the project. So, here’s what I have to work with. (And, it’s all rough which means I will be doing some dressing before building.)

I have 2 pen and pencil sets (that’s four kits) and one candle holder. Unless I find something else buried somewhere, this will probably be the extent of my turning.

Here is the lumber scattered about my shop. There’s a good variety including, walnut, cherry, red oak, butternut, elm, sycamore, spalted maple, ash, willow, pine and some leopard wood cut offs. I figure I should be able to get some interesting things out of all this.

Now that I’ve started, I’m actually rather excited about the prospect of forcing myself into productivity.

I wanted to join Scott back in November, but I didn’t have the guts. Today I throw my hat in the ring and commit to 30 projects in 30 days. While I do turn, it’s more of a filler activity for me. Most of my projects are furniture and generally take more than a day to complete. I’ve looked over that things that I’ve made, and there are plenty of projects available that do not involve turning and can be completed in a day. While I hope to still have some furniture pieces in the mix, there will be some boxes and pens and who knows what else.

In case you’re wondering, I haven’t really thought this through, but just jumped in with both feet. I’m looking for an exercise in discipline and a consistent practice of the craft I enjoy. I don’t expect to actually sell anything I make, but since I have a big family and a friend. Nothing will be hanging around here for long.

So, as a prelude to the start of 30 days of discipline, allow me to invite a few more LumberJocks to take up the challenge. It’s for personal growth, and who among us couldn’t use a little of that?

First, let me say that hand tool work is hard. I’m making a few tables and thought it was a good opportunity to practice flattening the tops using my planes. And, when all was said and done, they were definitely better than when I’ve relied on my power sanders. HOWEVER, when I was done, my arms and shoulders were quite sore. Apparently planes don’t cut through wood as easily as it looks; they require someone to push them. And the repetitive pushing causes a bit of a strain on the old muscles. So while the result is desirable, it’s a lot of work.

Second, hand sanding has become very theraputic for me. I find I enjoy the simplicity of it and the rhythm that accompanies the process. Well, at least until my hand cramps up. Still I’ve found that as I sand, I get a hint of when I’m ready to move to the next grit by the sound the sandpaper produces as it moves across the wood. As the wood begins approaches the point where it’s time to change, the pitch of the abrasive get a little bit higher and a little bit softer. It’s almost as if the wood is saying, “I’m ready for the next step.”

Finally, have you ever wondered what you look like to someone else while you’re working? While cleaning out some mortises with a chisel a picture of my grandfather working at his bench came to mind. I wondered if people saw me working would they think of a meticulous older man fiddling with a part to get it to fit just right? Or, would they just see me hunched over tapping a chisel into a piece of wood? I’d like to think of myself as that meticulous fella, but sometimes I think I’m just some guy pounding on wood.

So as it turns out, this whole woodworking experience is more than just making stuff, but an opportunity to let the mind wander a bit.

Today I had the opportunity to share a meal with Marc and Nicole Spagnuolo.

It was nothing like I expected.

With Marc being an internet celebrity and Nicole being a national beauty, I was at first surprised that they would be willing to meet and spend time with a silly old man. This surprise was seeded by the fact that last time I made the trip from Detroit to Phoenix they were conveniently “out of town.” Nevertheless, through constant badgering and basic begging they consented to meet at a neutral and public location.

I expected them to be cordial and polite. I expected conversations about the weather and travel. My expectations were met. Then things got interesting.

As it turns out, the Spanuolo’s are cordial and polite, AND downright friendly, pleasant, easy to talk to and quite interesting. After asking to meet Marc, I had second thoughts figuring he might be busy this holiday season and my personal request was a bit of an intrusion. Yet, Marc and Nicole said something along the lines of, “Hey, how ‘bout we meet up for lunch?”

Conversation covered pretty much anything, and it was fun and intelligent. The time went beyond cordial and polite to friendly and personal (not too personal, just enough). As time went on I enjoyed their company more and the encounter became my best experience in Phoenix, second only to spending time with my kids and grandkids.

Today I had the opportunity to meet Marc and Nicole Spagnuolo and it was nothing like I expected … It was worlds better.

And then there are the prizes. I realized as I was entering my project that I didn’t even know what I was competing for. When the challenge was announced I didn’t pay attention to the prize list. Why bother if I wasn’t going to win? Yet, since I did enter I figured that I should probably see what I was competing for and if it was something that I could even use in my shop (Yeah all tools are good tools, but some I simply don’t use).

It occurred to me that if I wasn’t the only one who didn’t expect to win, then I probably wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what the prizes were. Then I had to ask myself, “Self, why are you competing if winning isn’t in the picture?” After all, the purpose of a competition is to determine a winner. And, if it’s clear that won’t be you, why bother?

And the answer is, “Because.”

Because in my time here there is a certain peer pressure, a certain temptation. Those whose skills exceed mine are constantly pressuring me to be better. Some overtly, but most with expert subtlety. You know the line, they say things like, “Great job,” or “You’re getting better,” or other such encouragements that lead you down the path of improvement. You mention your mistakes and they take it in stride telling you that next time it will be even better, all the while convincing you that you can acquire the skills necessary. There are quite a few “pushers” here who addict you to quality and improvement.

And then come the challenges. You see the challenge and as a result of all the positive talk, you believe you can do it. You believe that you can participate and meet the requirements of the challenge. You know your skills do not match the masters, but you believe you can accomplish the task set before you.

As it turns out, that’s the best part of these challenges; the opportunity to exercise your new found skill and confidence. The objective (for me at least) is not necessarily to win, but to compete honorably. To be able to do what has been asked of you. The prizes are for someone else, but the challenge is for all.

So while I don’t expect to win, I’ve had the opportunity to participate. I’ve entered because I wanted to show me that I had progressed. It’s actually a pretty good feeling.

There was a gate in our backyard that had seen better days.

It was kinda standing when we bought the house, but has since gotten lazy. The Mrs. proclaimed, “It’s ugly, can’t you do something about it?” Eventually, I built the new gate you see below and the Mrs. was happy for a time (That’s the way things work).

Well, the old gate sat hidden behind the new gate while I decided what to do with it. Then along came the LumberJocks Summer Challenge 2008 and there was hope. All I needed to do was come up with something to make. So, I carried the old gate into my shop and just looked at it for a while. (You can look too.)

Pretty ugly, right? So I tore it apart, which was a relatively new experience. It was nailed together and I had to find my hammer which I don’t use a whole lot these days. Then I had to remove all the nails, ain’t that fun! Of course, some nails had the head rusted off and they just weren’t coming out. I’m not using that wood. But I got it torn apart and started cleaning it up and this is what I’ve got to work with.

The challenge is about repurposing junk, or something percieved as junk. I do believe this gate is not only percieved as junk, but truly is junk, so I figuring this will cover one side of the challenge. Now, I need to make some serving thing for outdoors to cover the other side of the challenge. That will be the trick since I’m an indoor kinda guy.

I’m now off to the races. Gotta clean that wood up a bit more and figure out what it’s gonna be when I’m done. With any luck, it might just make it in time for the challenge.

The second pen-turners swap is under way and I am enjoying watching it as much as the first one.

Intarsia, veneering, bending, carving, bowls, spindles … All fascinating stuff. I have never done any of it. But I’d like to and Doug’s marquetry just reminded me of all the skills and techniques that I still have to learn. And brings me to just one more reason to continue to come to this site.

Since being here I’ve been introduced to so many different things that can be done with wood. I’ve seen projects that run the gamut of skill and interest. I have been shown so many things that I want to try and so many skills that I’d like to add to my short list that I have been forced to realize that even with Daylight Saving Time, there are not enough hours in the day to do what I want to do.

Now I’ve been told that if I lower my expectations, my satisfaction will increase dramatically. I’m not buying it.

So, the point of this particular ramble is to tip my hat to the LumberJocks here who continue to present skills, techniques and ideas that keep me moving forward in my woodworking development.

Oh yeah, there’s a lot of really good jokes here too.

Until recently, that was my only experience with a hand plane. Since hanging about LumberJocks I’ve read all kinds of stuff about the joy of hand tools. It all seemed fascinating, but I wasn’t sure I was ready. Still, the number of folks singing the praises of planes and scrapers and chisels prodded me to eventually purchase a few starter tools.

The chisels were pretty easy. Especially when I figured out how to sharpen them. The card scraper I have yet to figure out, but I’m still working on it.

Not long ago Rockler had some planes on sale. They aren’t the top of the line, but I figured I didn’t want to learn on something expensive so I bought three: a low angle block plane, a #4 smoothing plane, and a #5 Jack plane; all made by Groz, and all for under $100. They required some tuning up and sharpening, but I expected that.

Well I fiddled and fooled and read and played and fiddled and fooled some more. Then Betsy took a vacation and the excitement that came through her blog series was contagious and I fiddled a bit more.

Today, I experience the pleasure of planing. I had cut a couple of uprights for a cradle I’m making and thought I might just try this plane thing to smooth the tapered edges. I wasn’t expecting much, but when I started and the blade sliced through the wood and the shaving curled so pretty I couldn’t help but say, “Wow, this is cool.”

Now I guess I’ll be looking for other opportunities to use these neat tools and increase my skills to the point where I think I’m ready to go for the good stuff. For now, though, I think what I’ve got will do me just fine while I learn. Thanks to LumberJocks for introducing me to such a pleasure.

A while ago, I had a conversation with a friend who was considering home-schooling. He believed that because he and his wife had college educations they were more than qualified to teach academic subjects through high school. My response was to tell him the story of my own, misguided, attempt to equate myself to the pros based on slightly related experience.

I had been in a couple bands in high school and even took extended course work in music theory. While performing with a community choir, I had the opportunity to perform with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra—- that was cool. However, when we got to rehearsal, I found that the pros are expected to know, not learn. The conductor went through the score and said, “At measure 127 I want a slight increase in the horn section, okay, let’s hear it.” We did about 10 measures and then it was on to the next piece. We never went through the whole program. It was assumed that we knew and to go through it in detail was a waste of time.

Here on LumberJocks, there has been a bit of conversation about what pros do, or should do. For the most part, I’ve tried to keep my nose clean (and it has been hard), since I ain’t no pro. How the pros use the site is not my call, but one for Martin and those he looks to for input. And, until the pros start telling me I’m not welcome here, I’ll hang around because you can’t do better than learning from a pro.

The professional has authority to say things that I cannot say. I do things that work for me and some of those things are good and some of those things are less than desirable. However, I have no real risk. I have no reputation and what I do is for my enjoyment and education. The pros on the other hand have not only their reputation, but their livelihood on the line. The result of this situation is an awareness of consequences that I need not concern myself with. An experienced professional wil typically encounter more situations and oddities than any hobbyist. Unless they’re stupid and arrogant, this gives the pros a distinct advantage and an acquired wisdom that deserves deference on my part.

The professionals on LumberJocks add a legitimacy to the site that does not exist in hobby forums. The professionals provide wisdom that can only be had by engaging risk. The professionals speak with authority that most of us can only dream of. I, for one, appreciate the pros.

Now this is simply my observation, but I’ve seen it often enough for it to make an impression. The question is, “Why is that?” Does “art” mandate non-traditional? If utility is the objective of a piece, can it still be “art?”

This second question is the result of viewing many beautiful art pieces that seem terribly impractical and it would appear that their purpose is to look pretty. Nothing wrong with pretty, but it frequently is separated from utility.

But back to the original question. It seems to me that an artist would need to be an accomplished craftsman. Can someone be an accomplished craftsman without being an artist? Is there really a difference between the two?

Oh the dangers of an idle mind …

I have been a member here at LumberJocks for a bit more than 6 months and the membership has effectively doubled since I joined. When I joined, the goal was to get to 2000 members by year end. We kinda left that one in the dust.

I tried to make it a point to look at all the projects and read all the posts. I love to read and like looking at pictures. At one time I thought I couldn’t get enough to read ... I was wrong. What I found it that there are not enough hours in the day to keep up. Particularly if I bother to go to work.

I also found that I was spending less time in the shop while spending more time reading about shops. Too much theory and not enough practice makes a rather stagnant Russel. So I decided to get off my ever increasing behind and get out and work some wood.

For those that might be interested, over the last two weekends I have spent approximately 24 hours in my shop. During that time, I have turned on my power tools for less than 4 hours. I have spent my time sanding, gluing, chiseling and sawing. My it’s been quiet lately.

But back to the point, by going out to the shop, I’ve spent less time here on LumberJocks. And while I was gone the place exploded. There are so many new projects to look at. Additionally, there are blogs and forum topics to catch up on. The volume is overwhelming.

The good in all this is that the quality of the site has not diminished with the additions. Of course, that makes falling behind all the worse. So, I plug away keeping up as much as possible. But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something.

Now, having said all that, the real question is what to do? Some folks can continue as they always have and not be swayed by the changes. An admirable quality that I wish I had … I never could get into the whole Zen thing. I, on the other hand, have an underlying fear that I’m going to miss something really cool.

So, am I overly obsessive? Can one be overly obsessive? How does one quench the never ending thirst? Of course, the question is rhetorical, but it seemed worth the ask.