I then had an idea to email a request to internet lumber dealers for shorts and cut-offs that might otherwise be tossed into a landfill. I also hoped to add to my selection of woods for my customers with some interesting woods from around the world. I currently offer oak, maple, walnut, mesquite, zebrawood, rosewood and purpleheart.

Out of about fifteen requests sent out, I received exactly one (1) response. This was from Toby at Blue Moon Exotics in Ithaca, NY. Website link http://www.bluemoonexoticwood.com/

He put together a 10+ lb. package together of some beautiful genuine Cuban Mahogany, Narra and Alexandrian Laurel. I got the package Monday. Perfect for what I make and some really interesting grains. Toby was also very nice to deal with. Here’s a pic of what I got.

From Other Woodwork

This also led me to add a swap proposal to the LumberJocks Swap Forum. A “Keychain for Scraps” deal.
See here. http://lumberjocks.com/topics/11131

As always, I have gotten a positive response from the LJ community. PapaDan sent me a box just this morning. I can’t wait to see what he has sent.

-Scott

His chess set collection alone took up an entire spare bedroom. I mean stacked floor to ceiling with squeezeways to access them. He only could display maybe twenty or thirty at a time. They, along with his collections of other games (some dating to the fifteenth century), Disney memorabilia, books, and Irish pub stuff were his retirement fund.

After forty-one years this Disney Legend retired in 2004. Due to severe health problems spanning the last eight years he died in 2007. My mom, left with medical and personal debts is now having to sell off some of his collection.

This set, a basic Staunton set, was one of his favorite playing sets. She gave it to me last week. There are chips here and there from the last 150 years of play, but it is beautifully carved, nicely weighted and feels good to hold. This set will keep Ralphee-Boy within arms reach for the rest of my life.

It surfaced recently from a closet at my grandmother’s house. She is a spry 89 years old and still the powerhouse of the family. She said I always loved this box and should have it.

When she first brought it out, it looked vaguely familiar. I held it and glimpses of my childhood came forward in my brain. I took out the top drawer and instinctively raised it to my nose. The olfactory senses rushed me back to the three year old, armed with crayons, toy cars and plastic army men, playing with this box. A remembrance of youthful euphoria re-entered my soul.

I think I chipped the little top drawer and maybe I used up a silver crayola “decorating” it.

The sense of smell is the most remarkable memory stimulant.

This box now sits on my dresser and acts as my valet and a reminder where I came from. All I need to do is open a drawer and take a sniff.

This is Fidela Castro (blue) and Johnny Mercer (yellow). I call them Dam Frances, after the person who inflicted her on us, and Johnny Rotten.

After the third or fourth time they refused to return to their cage for the night (they are not easy to round up), I struck a deal wherein I would build them a larger habitat in exchange for their permanent incarceration.

This is the result of this deal. My wife wants to tell her side. I told her to get her own blog.

I rescued an old end table from an uncertain demise.

This is the finished project.

The drawer is also the bottom of the cage and can be removed to facilitate cleaning. The drawer sides extend through the drawer front where I shaped pulls. I always wondered if this would work out.

I pegged the drawer sides to the front, top and bottom, with 1/4” dowel.

Hand cut dovetails at the rear of the drawer case.

The finish I am not completely happy with. I guess it is okay for what it’s for, but it was really an experiment.
I first sealed the pine with thinned shellac then used an oil based stain (walnut) and the another two layers of shellac. Kind of an antique finish I guess you could call it.

Overall, I think everyone is happy. Although, the birds will not be relocated until tomorrow.

We shall see.

The first major problem (project) started when I walked out the front door of my house one day and my foot went right through the slate porch. It shocked me more than anything because I thought the slate was bedded with a solid concrete pad. We have lived here for 25 years. I have always thought this. That is how sturdy it was. Was.

Well, I excavated a little and found crumbled mortar, atop rotted plywood, atop rotted 2×8” joists. Geez, the porch is a little over 300 square feet and I am starting to calculate what some contractor is going to charge me to rip out the old, either reframe it or pour a pad, buy new slate or a reasonable substitute and finish it back so it blends with the rest of the house. I figured a conservative estimate at $10.00 per sq. ft., and there went my repair of my hurricane tilted workshop.

I couldn’t do anything then and there, I had to work 36 hours in the next 3 days, so I covered up our shameful little mess with plastic and surrounded the area with crime scene tape, lest some meaningful zealot come knocking on doors and fall through and sue my britches off.

The next chance I had, I did some more excavation (demolition), expecting the worst. Lo and behold, (Murphy must be elsewheres) the rotting only continued a few more feet. Eureka! The rest of the plywood and joists were solid. What a relief I felt. I felt confident enough with my meager skills to tackle this 34 sq. ft. So off we went to the BigBox store and got supplies enough to start with. Luckily, we were able to find natural slate that almost matched. Plus, I also justified an $89.00 chinese wet saw, which will come in handy when we redo the baths.

So, it took a few weeks, working on my days off from the mill, about $600.00, and a lot of elbow grease. It hurt my shop repair fund, but didn’t wipe it out.
And then the upstairs floors….

Mr. Dobek,
First of all I would like to apologize because we have made a couple of errors. I see that your account renewed on a different account. Anyone looking on our system at your original account will see an expired magazine subscription- but it is not true! I see a second account for you that should not have been created, but computers are not perfect, and a second account was started, causing your original account, full of your history, to expire. Your account number is #########. Please allow me to compensate for the inconvenience and the mis-handling of your account. Please also be assured that none of it was intentional. This probably does not help you feel better, so let’s try this. I have put on one year of the online membership to FineWoodworking.com. I have also extended Fine Woodworking magazine two years. None of this will be of any cost to you. It is simply saying we are sorry and you are a valued customer. I cannot tell you how many woodworkers call telling stories of how many years they have subscribed, many tell us the projects they made because of Taunton. I absolutely enjoy hearing every one. We do value your business. Customers like you are the reason we are in existence! So please take the membership and magazine extension as a very small token of our appreciation. Whether or not you renew after that, is of course up to you. Either way, we appreciate your business and value you as a customer. You will not receive renewal notices as you requested. In addition, if you every have a concern about your account, call me directly. Again, I am very sorry for the inconvenience. We did make a mistake and look at the wrong account, but it was accidental. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Betty
Customer Service

It was from another another representative who had obviously cared enough to do her job and research my problem before responding. This response rebuilt the faith I had lost in the company. Even had she not given me the freebies, I would have settled for acknowledgement and problem solving. Betty went above and beyond for me and for her company.
Thank You Betty

http://www.helium.com/tm/207436/computer-based-entertainment-woodworking