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"Hobbit Holes in MyWorld" --by RusticWoodArt

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#1 ·
An Introduction of Wood Happenings

An Introduction of Wood Happenings

So it's that time again….and if you've spent any amount of time around here at LJ; last spring, summer and fall then you must know by now, some-what as to my occasional excursions into the forests and woods of New England. This year I have decided to re-name and post under a continuation of short story 'series' and so I will be calling these posted blog stories…."Hobbit Holes in MyWorld". J. R. R. Tolkien once started a story; "The Hobbit" with this first sentence line, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." and so finding a fitting name if I may borrow from Tolkien's way of thinking and imagination, is of my journeys around and throughout my landscape here of New England.

As an all time worker of wood, I see into the landscape of my surroundings here….forest, woods, trees, land, mountains, rivers, lakes, gardens, old barns, old homes, wildlife, people and all those other's which are likened as 'rustic wood spirits'. The images that I get, so enliven my imagination into the creation of 'wood art', that I would like to share some of these simulacrum's with you the reader. I would like to welcome all and any to come along with me as you may want and to also feel free to comment and add your own pictures as you may find meaning into your sense of your own world. In reality there is no-separation between your world and my world as we are all workers of wood and therefore the use of wood is the common ground that unites us together. I pass through the terrain that surrounds me here by atv, truck, canoe, kayak and on foot, so this year promises to be a very much traveled walkabout. As you will come to understand, I use the term 'going on a walkabout' much freely as I have come to understand this and, yes I like this word play which also goes along with an-other word I use….'waundering'. Now as one who uses words and loves words, for the most part I try to maintain a correct spelling of those words….and yet, some-times it be-comes me to play with their spellings and meanings in order to get my-self out of the box of common thinking and let my imagination go. So yes, I do play with that word 'waundering' in meaning and spelling….but then just as I am a worker-of-wood, so also am I a worker-of-words….and so I hope that none shall be offended.

What you may expect this spring, summer and fall; is a continuation of life, work and play around here at my place on the farm, the barn, in the woods, in our gardens of flowers, berries and veggies and into the surrounding milieu of New England landscape. There is much to do this year with making furniture, some shows, a cabin renovation still ongoing, cutting trees and milling slabs of wood, landscaping, planting….which was covered in some detail last year. This year I also plan to add hikes and kayaking trips, along with my often well thought out….but, not so 'in the box' thinking out loud….plus, poetry on life in the woods of my-world. Now I understand that some may wonder as to how hiking and kayaking connects to wood and woodworking and so I will be happy to answer those inquiries with this reply. One of my great loves during the winter months is the study of topographical maps and going over notes I have taken during my years of waundering herein and talking to folks who live in out of the way places, as I search the land for 'old growth' trees. This year I have decided to occasionally include some of these treks, along with photos through-out the forests up here. However I might also add that as to exact locations and such, I may often forget, (and that is intentional of course) to mention exact directions, as I do respect the 'old growth' and some of these trees need to remain hidden. So again let me say welcome and if you have a comfortable pair of hiking boots, tape measure, along with pencil and paper for sketching and notes….be sure and bring them along. I might also add that if I have forgotten any-thing in this introduction of sorts….well after a good long hike or kayak trip, I'm sure it will all come out in the wash!

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While out walking some time ago, (and what meaning after all has time in hobbit holes?) I was plodding along at one of the local dams near to me here….



....and in my walking….



....I came upon a hobbit. Taking up his invitation to follow, I hurried along as he disappeared down a hobbit hole and I right behind….



....my baptism of sorts, into his world was only one that started years of ages ago, but felt as if only for a recent near season, as I soon emerged and walked out into the brightness of a new spring day….



What better place to start this years 'walkabout' then where we left off at last fall….and, so bringing up the picture of this apple tree as then,....



....we can now precede to where I was standing on Saturday. This one ancient apple tree, all set against a background of blue sky and satin finish, hand rubbed to a tree hugger's delight of brilliant sheen….



....and so turning my head around,
i found that the ground was drying out with patches of grass still brown,
till the thought kept coming my way of what if i lay my head as down,
to see beyond into the eye's of blue sky where clouds abound….

--walk softly across this your landscape of seemingly desire,
and know for most assuredly that all that entertains the eye of acquire,
often spends their days caught up in the act of feeding fire,
while belly aches are soon mismanaged with the hardness to conspire,

....so having already paid my dues i kept the change,
and cast my cares to wind swept dreams of noble exchange,
since from the eons of beginning i now can give my-self a place of grange,
till comes a next one passing by who calls from past and welcomes me to interchange….



....when my days are done, let me stretch forth my hands as the quaintise of the birches do, likening my self to an awakening of what comes next….



....and so in studying the land, I often am drawn to studying rock walls. These are the beauties of creation that often bring remembrances of next morning sore backs….and yet, works of art they are in all their be-holden strength….



....and so I borrowed a piece of wood that was stuck in the cracks of yonder stone wall and decided to create a piece of 'wood art', where wood and shadow be-come as one….



....so some snow is still hanging on and this tower of wood blesses the eye with what can be….



....looking to the west, I am drawn to remembering the times I have climbed your summit, giving thanks that as a friend, your loftiness is once again in sight Mt. Kearsarge….



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood…."
 
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#139 ·
Looking at Jonke

Looking at Jonke



....and so i went walking in search of some jonke,
that there word of middle age time frame of mind,
and what i found was not some more latin names for juncus,
but what i searched for was before mine eyes all-ready as 'junk art'....

--one can get so lost in the definitions that are imposed upon us,
till it seems that our mind just can-not shake free and see,
those boxes are ever around to drown the imagination of mind,
while other's pray to keep the heavens closed and mortals in chains….

--it makes no-difference whether i work with wood or souls of men,
the stories i write are designed to let the souls of both go free,
and many are they who just shake their heads in dis-belief,
to wonder about this one who asks only for the grace to say thanks….

--when working with wood i know that godspeed walks with me,
while talking with men i ask that all have grace to be free,
where walking for the looking of what some call junk,
i have seen the beauties of rustic spirits called junkets of jubilee….

--the one who gathers treasure of junk has the eyes of god,
those fingers that work the articles of junk are patience of years un-told,
not as recycled but in the stories we live as works of new creations,
till at some future reference out of time i can say thanks in-deed,

....and so an artist went a walking to find some piece to place in-side,
imagination is a strange partner to pull a chair up along be-side,
till in my union of artful waundering i saw an aborning coming along-side,
this work of art-full 'wood art' had no place to live except as out-side….
-by flp

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And so these are lessons on creativity and notes on the subject of what it means to be inspired. And let me go on to add that this is not the only way….it just happens to be my way, according to the workings within my head. Imagination spreads her wings and takes to flight, while inspiration rides within her bowels waiting to be brought forth as an egg that can then be nurtured till the moment of reckoning. Some have asked me and, then there is all-ways the long running debate on; "whats the difference between the craftsman and the artisan….?" Books have been penned on this subject, talks and courses in our higher levels of education are given, debates are nurtured with the ever so many various degrees of opinions, while the answer can be made made very clear through a simple test of one's senses.

Take one or many of equal number….of artisans and craftsmen into the alley-ways of their social environment. Now this can be done in the big//small city, in the backyards of suburbia, in the heart of the mid-west….east coast….west coast, be it desert, mountains, waterways, forests, sidewalks and street-walks, schools of learning at all levels and in play-room….class-room….lab-room and field-room; etc. Now once there, tell them to create and here's the dividing asunder of the two….artisan//craftsman. The artisan will start creating right there on the spot….while the craftsman will start gathering right there to take back to their shop. What I'm saying is that for the artisan, all the world is his//her gallery and art is found all around, while for the craftsman, his//her shop is the place of assembly and then comes the time of introducing the piece into a gallery. The artisan knows the piece as art when first seen and it all-ways is art, while the craftsman has a hard time calling the piece art, since it came out of the shop. If you don't believe me….then why not today, tomorrow or as soon as possible go and try this out for yourself. Just remember, when your creating 'junk art' in that alley-way and folks are passing by….can you finish your art and then walk away….knowing there will all-ways be more, or will you be the one who gathers and takes back to work in the safety of a shop?

And so as I was saying an artist went walking, only to find his dream-walking creative shoes….



....while many are the characters in this play of age, such as these from last years brussel sprouts crop. Now remember that this is only an insight into how an article of creative imagery is born within a mind….



....I do believe I see a rustic serving tray….



....beauty is the art of be-holding, just as this one is held close to heart by 'branch joinery'....



Well the creation of 'wood art' was//is born, while from my next place of sight, my vision got a-hold of my hands and laying my camera down….I started an-other piece of what shall be called 'junk art jubilee'. I'm happy to say I must have passed the test since I did not have to gather and take any-thing back to my shop for this project, all-though I will add that I'm still finishing up.

Definitions of:

Jonke; jonk First recorded in 1353, the word meant "an old cable or rope."

Juncus; juncus "from L. juncus "rush, reed."

Junk; junk ....and you decide….

....to be continued at: All I See Is No-Junk!

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood…."
 
#145 ·
All I See Is No-Junk

All I See Is No-Junk

In my world, (and not as the lines where some see, when the plane of time is split as between earth and heaven….what those jokester's of wordy word explanations first told us, to limit us into seeing their definitions of linear horizons….hmmm, quite a word spread there//here) means; there is no-junk! How can one see junk, when the world is filled with the beauty of creative genus and we as workers of wood are part of this process?

And so it was that following my waundering walk-about out in that field of todays earlier blog story….Looking at Jonke, that I continued walking around the corner, stopping only to pluck some fresh red raspberries off some bushes and, then continuing on into one of the back wood-lots. There it was, not a junk pile, but here was the egg of inspiration, fully nurtured and just birthing forth, while my heart jumped up a pace or two and my hands started to itch for wood.

And so the question can be asked,...."can one make 'wood art' out of this….?



....to be continued: Glamdring, Summer Awards and, Left Overs!

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#150 ·
Glamdring, Summer Awards and, Left Overs

Glamdring, Summer Awards and, Left Overs

....and so it 'just is'. All good stories must have a place of start….then some middle ground….and then comes the 'whats all left over' or maybe I should say, the 'left overs'.

And as such, it seems fitting that since this is about 'hobbit holes in my-world'....I should bring in one famous player, who working with me helped get this story going back in the early days of summer. That being said let me once again introduce you to one called Glamdring….



....now let it be known that without this ones help and the help of one other besides my-self, this story would not be happening. The other….well that's my wife, since it takes two to hold onto the power-head of 7.2 horse power, connected to a 60'' chain bar so named Glamdring. Actually to tell the truth, my wife loves chainsaw milling those slabs as much as I do….of course we also do enjoy working together outside.

Next one to give credit to in this wood-working play is one of the pieces of wood,....or as some might say, an-other contributor//sponsor of one//all//many in my summer awards entry. And that would be this some-what over-sized hulk of rock maple, also known by the name of sugar maple. I all-ways find it interesting when talking to some folks about maple, that if I call the wood; rock maple….it seems kind of exotic and then if I say sugar maple, it's kind of like….oh yeah. Any-ways here's the next player in this play….



Moving forward through time till we come to the month a July 2008, where I found this burn pile in one of my back wood lots. Moving forward; now there's a possibility that be-comes all so real when one is writing and taking pictures….so, moving forward through time I arrive at the place of introducing the next player in this play….the burn pile….



....wow! Look at all that good wood in that pile….



....drawing in closer, I can start seeing some pieces in here that have great possibility….spalted maple cut into odd ends….



....and yet it's the documentation of odd ends that gives credit to these pieces of spalted chunks of wood. I mean we are workers of wood and as such….we just love wood, right….



....an-other free formed piece of rustic in for a chance at 'wood art'.



Still continuing our walk-about, we come walking around this jubilant jubilee of piled up wood, I am soon stopped by the glory of what I see herein….and to here-after be called and known as 'junk art jubilee'. I'm wondering, has any-one ever seen transformation, like translated re-creation or shape shifting new creation right before your eyes….



....to be continued….

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#154 ·
Which came first....!

Which came first....!

....and so there remains a question that has been posed to me….which I shall attempt in some feeble way to exploit some light upon. It has been asked:

Does art imitate nature....?

or

Does nature imitate art....?

WOW! What a power pack of a question or either the shadow of thinking that would tend to describe and inscribe me within a box. Can any answer this question or is the question it-self designed, to limit an answer within the fabric of two popular views? Now if I am one living within a box, then I could//should just stop and think awhile, before preceding to answer the question along the lines of box thinking….and let me just add that one will never get into trouble as long as they think within a box. but then neither will that one grow either. There is no-life in box thinking according to the rules of the scribes….but if one wants to know life, then truth which exists out of the box, can be known and the truth will set one free.

I might also add at this point; "that I am not dis-crediting any or all in what has been asked, and there is all-ways your opinion and mine opinion….and this is only my two cents."

"....and so I will not play by those rules", but I will go on and ask; "why does and, who says that either has to 'imitate' the other?" Maybe one should take a greater look at the word therein that seeks to 'separate' the two….and that word would be 'imitate'. So to better understand the word 'imitate', I can look at the Latin word 'imitari' which being a transitive verb means; imitate, copy, mimic. Next one can then understand something of 'imitate' and where we get the word for 'imitation'. Imitation comes from the Latin word 'imitationem', which comes from 'imitari', meaning 'a reflection in a mirror'. Can I now throw out an-other way of thinking….if I am standing in front of a mirror, looking at the reflection coming back to me….could I not say; "my image is a reflection of who I am". My image in that mirror is but a 'copy' that mimics the imitation of who I am….or could I even not go on some more and add that that imitation 'lies' against the image of who I am. The point I am trying to get across here is that I can either believe the lie that comes back to me from that reflection in the mirror or I can sit in silence for a moment and understand that I have never in truth seen my own head. I will go on and say that if you are comfortable where you are in your thinking up until now….and if you do not want to rock your boat, then it would//might be best if one were to read no-further and I will excuse those who want to leave.

I have just finished a project here for the Summer Awards 2008 in the category of entries for One Man's Junk, which I have so named Jubilant Junk Art. There was a time when I first saw the title for this category as some-thing that would separate my entry from the source, which was to be called junk. And so having never seen 'junk', I had to get my thinking along the lines of 'junk wood' and then taking what was//is back to my shop away from the source, which was the junk//burn pile of wood. Then I had to next answer the question of which one was the 'junk' and what about the 'nature' of the story that was out there also. Next I might be caught in the act of having to answer the question of, "who….what, gives me the right to separate the one from the other?" Are not nature and art one and, if I were to take the one and 'imitate' a lie about the image of the other….would not both cease to exist in the framework of the all of one!

Let me step outside the framework of art and nature for a second and give a picture of some-thing more. We shall now proceed to the subject of cameras and pictures, not digital cameras….but 35mm cameras. When I take a photo with a 35mm camera, the image of that shot is stored in//on a roll of film within the camera. Next when I go to develop that film in my darkroom I will first be working with 'negatives' of the picture and then those negatives will next give me a picture which I will bring forth on 'photo paper'. I can now store//save my negatives for future use and show my images on the photo paper as pictures, which I can then store in a scrapbook, upload to my computer or convert to digital pictures….but the truth is the pictures are never complete and are only images mimicked off those negatives. If I were to take the enlarged negatives and place them upon the mimicked images of the photos, I would have no-image that lied of separation. Can one now see that the negative only creates an imitation of other when it is separated from the whole, and the picture that is brought forth is but a lie of the negative. I guess I should go on and mention that neither the 'negative' nor the 'picture' are a correct representation of the other as long as they are separated and imitating the other. And yes, I do realize that what I have just said is a whole lot to let out, but then who am I to say any less…."my image, is an imitation of who I am...."

"....has any ever stared into the darkness of night and looked at the stars, as tiny pin pricks on some black paper….wondering, if I could only see beyond and what lies behind…."

I will mention that I am really trying to be good and abide by the laws of where I am in writing this and therefore stay within the framework of art and nature, as found within the space//place of where I am here, this being a woodworking site and remembering that I am a worker of wood….hmmm.

What I write here with, is with the use of words and of such a poor example words can be to communicate. Art is not separated from nature….just as nature can-not separate her-self from art….they are part of the whole. Now let me go further and say that nature can-not imitate art….just as art is not an imitation of nature, but both are a part of the whole. I believe that we all are artists and so I attempt to drive that point home to folks so that they may learn//see some-thing more of who they are. Having said that I also know that I am not limited//separated as an artist from also being a craftsman, worker of wood and much more and that if I can just get one to see the artist that resides within their framework….then the more will come. We all see as foggy and misty eyed, darkly looking into a mirror, but when the greater of who I am is come and seen, then the form of what I once saw falls away and I am known by my seeing for who I am. There was a time when as a worker of wood, I separated every-thing into neat little categories of wood bins and as such I manufactured after what I had been taught. The names I have called my-self, and then after calling my-self by those names, the law of naming took over and what I named….now had to be built according to those rules.

One of those rules (and there were many rules before arriving at this one), stated that nature in it's striving to produce good and then realizing that it could not….needed to imitate by giving to the arts, since art was all-ways in conflict with the chaos of nature and therefore produced the better image. And I am not going to get into a logistics of where that one goes, but it took me many years to get my bearings after that one. I might also add that words and names have a way con-forming us into the image of what we have so stated, just as if I strive to imitate nature in my art….it can be done and also vs versus….but it still is 'only' an imitation. There also was the days when I said that if one wanted to imitate my work, then that would be an honor of greatness….I now can can only say; that I feel sadness for any who would seek to imitate an-other.

Now let me also answer that first question that I posed up there, "which came first….neither". In understanding what comes first, I have confused the question by introducing a word called 'first'. In the understanding of 'first', I must now create a framework of 'time', since first can only work within 'time' and then there also needs to be an-other word introduced which I shall call 'last'. Next because I have created 'time', I shall now proceed to go back 'before time' and try some more to work on my art and nature….LOL….hmmm, I now wonder what happened to my 'character' in the picture of the all.

In closing here I might add that if one has managed to read this whole story herein, then that one is ready to go on and, .....write your own story….so please, turn the page and write….

Art and nature….



Nature and art….



There all-ways is a bigger picture that defines the allness of one, which is found out-side the box….now where and when did I leave my box….



....and if any should want to add their opinions or questions….feel free!

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood...."
 
#161 ·
WoolGathering I Go

WoolGathering I Go

....not all who walk know where they are going,
not all who wonder know how to use their mind,
not all who waunder are lost in the woods of their choice,
but then who but a poet can woolgather on paper just as in the forest….

These are the memories I create,
....of waunderings out here in the woods,
....that encompass me on all sides of my environmental up-bringing,
....where often the one doing the dreaming,
.....awakens to find that all is more then a dream.
-by flp

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And so with camera, canteen and backpack, I set of for a night in the wild….having decided that it was time to go off alone. Alone….now there's a well mis-used word, since who is ever alone out in the woods. The problem is that most of us make so much noise in the woods, that one wonders….if and why they never see any-thing….but rest assured, you are being watched. Why of course if one wants to really have a good night out in the woods, then the next time your sitting at camp or tucked into your sleeping bag….ask your-self, "at what point does the hunter stop being the hunter and become the hunted ? " Well as I was saying earlier, lets get to walking and so here seems to be a good place to cut in for trail-talk….



....the trail gets a little hidden here and I like it that way, as this can help to turn folks back that are easily put off, while offering more to those that can read sign and push on….



....hidden, deep and dark it is in here at this point, but none to fear as we shall yet leave this darkness of depth in time for some light yet to come….



....ah yes, a tall one….and so I stopped to lean against and share a moment of silence….



....and out of those dark woods we now come into the light higher ground that climbs upward, while the light of early evening is still shining through….



....again memories, memories of an-other time in the history of New England….when the land was cleared and farmers grazed their livestock out here. And yes we are far out into the woods, but then I also know were the remains of water mills and more have been along with this patch of barbed wire….



....so up ahead we're approaching our campsite for the night…..



....no-tracks, no-sign of other humans around and the place seems much as it was when I left in the early spring. Folks don't get out here much any-more….and yes, I like it that way. In the late fall and into winter and snow, there are times when folks come through on horse and thats all-right as horse folks understand what it means to be out here….



....just an-other view up here….



....and no, we want be making a fire since I've got the jet boil along for boiling water for tea and rice noodles, along with some fresh brussel sprouts, peanut butter and crackers. As for the fire, well I should mention that I practice low level site disturbance and all that comes in goes out, without damaging the area….



....and when we leave in the morning, heres the trail we'll be taking. Did I tell you now comes the best part….sitting in silence and in about 20-30 minutes these woods are going to come alive with abundant sound….



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood...."
 
#162 ·
Lovely walk through the forest Frank from my office desk. When I saw the title of the blog ( Woolgathering), I was afraid it was going to be a trip to one of our local sheep farms. I'm relieved.

I don't want to steal your thunder but I couldn't help noticing the similarity of your woods in the summer to our woods in the winter, so if you don't mind, a little share of the NZ beech bush! We also like to keep our trails hidden - and we like it that way!



and you never who's looking at you here either… ( This is a NZ S.Island Robin. They love to follow you through the forest because they are ground foraging and look for food in the leaves you turn over when you walk )

 
#172 ·
All Good Wood Projects Need....

All Good Wood Projects Need….

....a StoryLine!

Yes that's right, and with the story line one can start with an image in their head, which when transferred to wood, shows a start. Now this project began before….where we are jumping into at this stage….but the before only included some wood, jointing of the edges, planning the two faces, then the process of glue ups, cutting the inside out with a jigsaw and the original orbital pre-sanding with #60, #80 and #100 grit sandpaper. And since we're all workers of wood, these are fairly common steps in the initial working of the wood, (and I might add these steps are way to common and at times are boring to me by now), until one gets to the finishing aspects of the wood. It also comes to my mind that some here may not be all that experienced at the initial pre-work wood stages and so forgive me if I am sounding harsh or any-thing along those lines, as harshness is not in my mind. Yes, there was a time when I was learning and striving also, so I should be more care-full in my choice of words….but this story is about how one worker of wood has decided to show 'finishing. When I get to the place of finishing, that's when I know I'm in heaven on earth and my fingers start dancing and vibrating with the sound of GloryBe's….

....and so that is where this story is going to em-bark on it's wood working journey. The place or setting that this tale is taking place at, will be in the work area of a cabin I'm redoing at the moment and since this is a piece of work that I'm doing for a cabinet that is going into our home….and since I did not want my wife to see it yet, my chances of hiding it from prying eyes at the moment are best up here, rather than in my other work-shop the barn. I will be adding more information on the pieces as we travel down this wood-working path and as I said before, we need a place for the story to get into a right perspective of vision and so I'll start here, ....



....well here's one to wet the appetite of thoughts….my little secret black box, which contains classified top secrets and the mystical oracle of the ages….



....and with suspense ever gnawing at the edges of the mind, I'll throw in an-other parceled container of, 'what can this be or mean', I mean finishing is supposed to be bound up in the journals of only the very elect; right….



....now as I was saying earlier, you are coming into this story on the 'finishing' end of this piece of wood and that's what I love to do. "Say what; how can any-one love finishing?" The finishing aspect of working with wood is what I wait for as I draw near to the end of a project and much often I have found that the finishing part of the project can take more time than the actual working of the wood and all that comes before. But then, more on that to come as we proceed in future blog stories on this one, so lets start finishing….by showing a proper tool for finishing….



....ah yes, now what would a worker of wood do without all those tools ( simple tools they are) that come before and during the finishing phase….



And so this is just to get the story rolling and I might mention that I have been working this story over a couple of days now….a week or so….and so I'm hoping I can have enough pictures to keep this one going for a few blogs before I have to start taking pictures again. Just to add a side note here, I apologize ahead of time for not being able to daily keep this story going, but at the moment I'm in the middle of a cabin re-do, bathroom redo, logging and firewood, plus the cutting and cleaning up of some slabbed wood on the land of some other folks and I am also planning on starting to slab cut a log of rock//sugar maple this week that is measuring about 32''-34'' wide. But if you want to follow along on my finishing of this top and cabinet, then I can promise some tips into the world of tung oil, shellac and polys. Let me also add that if any-one has any questions….feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer, since the truth is….finishing is not about secrets and any-one can do this aspect….it only takes time....

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood...."
 
#176 ·
WoodWorking Vision

WoodWorking Vision



....how big is your wood-working vision?
....and what happens to your head-room once the expansion within your head decides to get a vision of be-ing a-head outside?
....where will you get your vision from and will you also frequent the market-places of traditions to honor the money-changers?

....for without a vision your wood will perish!

....just as the fire you feel within your belly of now,
will just as soon also go into the alley ways of extinction,
just like all those that came before you who burned for a flicker,
and then comes the day when your out of sight and out of mind….

--for without a vision your wood will perish!

....and so there also was the day when my fire had reached a low,
and all the information i had gathered was of no-use any-more,
i had reached an exponential rate of woodworking information,
my knowledge had gone to overload and my imagination lay grounded….

--for without a vision your wood will perish!

....i was in en-cased within a box of wanting till mind dumbed i down,
the working of wood along lines of tradition had taken it's toll,
just i was left noticing that my vision was perished rubble on dry bones,
and the sadness was that other's said don't fret since it all takes time….

--for without a vision your wood will perish!

....imagine the freeze that was placed on my hands as tools sat silent,
fears of silence for what the bell ringer would soon bring my way,
great shocks alive i wondered if any had noticed the madness of my head,
while out in the woods i heard a new song bringing freshness of now….

" For without a vision your wood will perish!"



....and then my soul turned to spirit of vision and my wood knew the definition of life….
-by flp

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started this project with some scrap; "who said scrap…." pieces of walnut that had been sitting quietly inside my barn for some time and were gathering dust. With that thought in mind, I might go on and add that their place of sitting was in an English Barn and since they were just hanging out….other rodent animals were also using them as walk-ways, which gives new meaning to the phrase; ''a little scat here, a little scat there….!"

The wood for this project is Black Walnut and that's three boards, with heartwood and some sapwood. Since this story is about 'finishing' I will shorten the time spent spent on//with the wood prior to the finishing, by saying that pre-finishing of the wood included:

1.) ....jointing,

2.) ....planning,

3.) ....glue up,

4.) ....cutting the outside shape with the use of my worm drive trim saw, ( and I will add, I don't see how a woodworker could do without one of these) since to my way of thinking and use….I call this tool, an upside-down table saw for rough, trim and finishing. Ah yes, "the miles I have plowed with this one….and talk about accurate…." The surprising part about the Porter Cable 4-1/2'' worm drive trim saw, is that it just keeps on going and going,

5.) ....initial or pre-sanding....and this includes the grits of #60 - #80 - #100, by random orbital sander,

6.) ....cutting the hole diameter out using a jigsaw….and yes, this was done after the initial pre-sanding stage,

7.) ....then I followed through with a hand rasp on the hole,

8.) ....followed up by hand sanding the hole edge with #60 - #80 - #120 sandpaper,

9.) ....did I forget a step, well I'm sure some-one will let me know.

Some of the tools used up to this stage of the woodworking process….



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finishing: Rustic Ritual Landscape

....in the use of Wood Art !



So to start out I'll start with the next step of sanding on the top of the sink counter. The sander I'm using is a Bosch 5'' random orbital sander 3725DEVS; 8 hole hook and loop, which is connected to one of my Sears Craftsman wet dry vac's by a Fein hose. This arrangement is so completely dust free, that it can be used inside and I never have a problem with dust from the sanding process.



It is at this point that I use the Mirka 8 hole hook and loop disk pad, for sanding….and I might mention that since I've switched to Mirka, I no-longer have problems with the sanding grit running out on me. I might add that when I'm done with a grit and going to the next grit, I used to save the used grits for future sanding….but with the hook and loop, I have found it best to just forget putting the paper back on since the grip can be weakened. I do still save the #60 and #80 grits for any rough hand sanding that comes along….and yes, this is one of the articles that I fill my pockets with, so if you ever meet me and need some sanding in the rough; "I've got the grit….LOL" Now I'm off and going again, when some-one finally finds me out in the woods, propped up against a tree and I'm passed on over the shadow-lands; I wonder what else they'll find in my pockets?

The grits I'm using for this stage of sanding are; #120 - #180 - #220 and I might add that since we've now crossed over from working in the rough, to the art of finishing wood....please remember to not skip a grit. Not only will your wood know it, but any-one feeling and watching will know it also and, although those other's might not tell….the wood will tell-a-tale.



Well that's as far as we are going to-day….whew, all this writing and camera work can be some work….hmmm, I need some-one to follow me around and do my photography. But then that would probably not work either, since in no-time I would have them laying their camera down and picking up a chain saw and getting into the action of woodworking.

I probably will not post an-other up-date on this story till the end of the week, since my next story will be about lost//abandoned cabins in the woods….after all, I feel a waundering walk-about coming on….

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood...."
 
#180 ·
Drupes and Drupaceous Nuts as Tung Oil

Drupes and Drupaceous Nuts as Tung Oil

So lets cut to the center of the fruit….like cutting to the quick, and talk about China Wood Oil, wood nut oil or just plain 'tung oil'. And since we're talking in the language of botany, maybe it would be best too first say that tung oil is not a true nut, but is a fruit that comes to us as a drupe or what is also called 'stone fruit'. Definition of a drupe….stone fruit is: ''a one-seeded indehiscent fruit having a hard bony endocarp, a fleshy mesocarp, and a thin exocarp that is flexible (as in the cherry) or dry and almost leathery (as in the almond)'', from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary; drupes. Now to break that down some more and bring that stone fruit closer to home, let me just say that a drupe is a fruit with an endocarp layer that surrounds the seed. If this sounds confusing then also understand that endocarps are also surrounded by fleshy mesocarps….and then there are exocarps. Wow, and I thought we were just talking about tung oil….so don't be a nut, but know your fruits. And yes, I suppose that if I was wanting to add to this, I could just say that what has been called wood nut oil….is really just short of saying false nuts.

Continuing on I can say that tung oil is my most used finish for wood and that there are times when the wood is soaked with only tung oil in multiple coats….and other times when it is used as the first level of finish, which then has other finishes applied afterwards. There are really no-secrets to tung oil, as all one needs is a willingness to experiment and adopt this finish in each situation that comes along….plus time, which to to my way of thinking means time to learn.

Do//did you know that what is sold by some folks as 'tung oil', has little to maybe no-tung oil in it at all? A lot of the big box store companies sell tung oil as labeled finishes when in truth, what you are buying is an oil//varnish mixture. These are more commonly sold as …. ... finishes and such, but they are tung oil mixtures with polys and varnish added. What does this mean….well, they will seal the wood after the first coat and all coats put on afterward will only build up more layers of coats….this is not pure 100% tung oil.

So if you are wanting an oil//varnish finish that is called tung oil….well go and pay for what being sold as such.

Pure 100% tung oil can be bought at Rockers and Woodcraft stores and it will say on the bottle….100% pure tung oil.

I buy my 100% pure tung oil from Hopes and to tell the truth I've never figured out why they don't advertise their product on their site but then….? The reason I buy from them is that I can get the tung oil in gallons and it's cheaper that way when buying many gallons, but even if buying one gallon, the price would be worth it over buying many quarts….



You must also understand that 100% pure tung oil is meant to be cut 50:50 with mineral spirits or gum turpentine….and to speed up the drying//curing process I will also add a couple of drops of Japan dryer which can be purchased at paint stores and hardware stores. I will usually mix a batch up, 1/2 gal. tung oil and 1/2 gal. gum turps and store in plastic white orange juice gallons which I save for this purpose.

I will also add the below information, if any should like to go and make up their own varnish mixtures instead of using that out of the can stuff. To my way of thinking why use out of the can, when I can mix my own and then comes the understanding that this is my mixture….I mean, not only did I do the woodworking myself, but the finishing of the wood is also mine.

If you are wanting a oil//varnish mixture with tung oil in it, then instead of paying for some company to make it and charge you for what is high price….why not make it yourself. I again use Hopes 100% pure tung oil, cut 50:50 with gum turps, plus the few drops of Japan dryer, (and yes, the recipe is on the bottle for cut) along with a good pure varnish such as coming from Benjamin Moore. You can by this in quarts….and again take the varnish and tung oil and mix together at a 50:50 cut. This will make a very nice wiping tung oil//varnish finish….dries fast so that you can do multiple coats in a short time. Just remember to wipe on with a lint free cloth rag….and if you've got to wipe of the excess, your putting it on too heavy. And yes, a little bit goes a long way, with other coats following.

Well lets continue on here as I've got to get this story on cyber-live-wire and so moving on I have black walnut which is in need of being coated with two coats of tung oil. From this picture one can see some of the other tools used in the tung oil process….latex gloves, paper towels torn small and the paper cup into which I will pour the china wood oil….



....here I have the wood, (black walnut) after the tung oil has been applied and after applying and letting set up, I wipe off any excess. I should go on at this point and mention to all that the left-over rags from the tung oil process are very much a fire accident waiting to happen. So I all-ways remove all the paper cups, gloves, rags and towels and either burn them immediately or I will soak//bury the left-overs in a container of water….and dispose of later….



....and then heres one with the sink siting in place….



Next I will be going after the sap wood there and so I will be showing how I used some tinted shellac to add some color before going on forward with several coats of shellac. I might mention also that this sink is one that my wife brought back from a trip to Mexico and is really made to be mounted as an under-the counter top-sink, however I was able to cut in the front of the counter top, right to the sink line at the over flow and therefore make this work for an above counter top mount. I mean lumberjocks can do any-thing right….?

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#200 ·
In Search of Imaginations Greatest Dream

In Search of Imaginations Greatest Dream

....i am impressed with the beauty of this day,
and so i tell a tale of create-create-create,
were it not for dreamers such as those who engender,
would not the world re-main in the shadows of darker past….

....creation awaits the dawning of new day suns,
just as each moment breathes in the aroma of a fresh breath,
expelling all those traditions that keeps one's mind in chains,
and so i live with the awakening dawn of imaginations greatest dream….

....my tale has never been finished in this place i call 'wood art',
and so it soon be-hoves me to erase my past creations as,
been there-done that-now it's time to move to re-fresh of new,
what good is an artist who holds on to what has been….

....stagnation of mind-doldrums of soul-death of a free spirit,
till the artist finds the box has once again had it's fix,
my tale is one that shuns giving any box a fix of hold on my-self,
better to burn-out than to rust-a-way on yesterdays kudos….

....toss it all to the wind and if the spirit has the soul of an artist,
will not the spirit that re-mains within come forth as more,
can any artist truly re-main at yesterday's past without wanting more,
will the heart of 'wood art' not pant for new streams of inspiration….

....so i look for what can be as new creations in this thing called wood,
i long to dig deeper into the soul of wood and find more that can be,
and if i fail that thought has no-more a hold on me then the eye of death,
one can never fail if they have tried to move out into the shadows of….

....shadows of dusk are only gathered dust dreams awaiting more,
till in the standing of the shadow i saw the silence that beaks the dawn,
and breaking dawn welcomed me to come up higher and see some more,
breaking dawn is where the kings gather to create their 'wood art'….
-by flp

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The artist knows and hears within, the sound of laughter, that come forth from the depth of his//her silence….and the words that speak to the multitudes such as; ''....oh ye of little faith….'' have no-hold on his//her need to self destruct, in the looking of what can be as new creation. Just as this one also has long ago learned that many projects in the works make up for the long and short, which amounts to periods of activity-in-activity as the mind reaches a point of melt down. Melt down is just an-other way of saying….re-born me//re-birth me and I shall come forth with more abundance, just as abundant waters never linger in the pools of despair, but move forward anticipating the water-falls ahead. And so this morning I sat on a throne and dreamed awhile in one of my dream chairs….and the world was mine. Some would say just as I have said in the past that 'beauty is in the eye of the be-holder', but to my way of thinking thats just box thinking words. For it is the way of 'beauty', that she is be-holden to none and will not be held captive by an eye. Beauty 'just is', and if one were to for a while have a taste of her soul, that one's world would disappear into the shadows of separation and all would come forth in the beauty of oneness.

And so I share with you one of my watch-towers of inspiration….



....ah yes, the view is much better now as my dreams start to awaken my spirit or wood….



....what will yet be, will be….



....jut as in this piece of maple awaiting to be-come more of 'wood art'....



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#205 ·
The Revelation of Wood

The Revelation of Wood



....some folks would say we are known by the company we keep,
i prefer to say that the company i keep is what's penned on paper,
and that my thoughts work them-selves out as word friends,
until in the end i am gathered in the forest by my friends of wood….

....so it might be that after i have some-day slipped the veil,
that ones of few or many might start opening my books of thought,
etchings of imagination's greatest words that speak of wood dreams,
till some might catch a coup d'oeil of what i mean by wood art….
-by flp

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I cut this one in the woods 3-4 years ago, in the fall and so the wood has sat and waited….gathering a gain on some integrity of character….



....tested the wood last week and I could tell by the bark, that the wood was//is ready to be de-barked and come in. One de-barking spudder and an old slick that I use in the woods, now it's time to do some work….



....at the end of a day, and so the works all done, while I relax with the sounds of the forest. No saws going now, I can listen to more here, in the woods, then some hear in a lifetime….



....walking tall, tall walking….what a pleasure it is to find this one waiting to be-come an-other stepping out….



....now what shall I do with these and when shall the wood speak of who it shall be….



....black and white is like a good fresh brew of lapsing tea….



....and so once again here's one that is be-coming very dear to my eyes, and it's all-most every day that I will stop a while and stare into this ones soul of wood….asking and waiting for the wood to reveal to me….what there is written within that shall yet be as…..'the revelation of wood'....



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#212 ·
Go Ask The Lac-Bug About Finishing Wood

Go Ask The Lac-Bug About Finishing Wood
In one of my previous comments on Finishing Recipes and Tricks by SteveKorz and the corresponding forum, I offered these last words; "I mean when we start thinking about shellac, maybe we should also consult with the lac bug."

I know that one can get technical when it comes to talking about finishing along with all those books and DVDs out there, along with all the recipes we get so hung up in and about….so I have decided to offer a lighter side to finishing with shellac. Finishing, whether it is served up as a recipe of mine, or from some-one else is and should be all-ways open to interpretation of the individual woodworker or artist. The time one spends with finishing, will be time well spent and can exceed the time that one spends on all that came before. It will be one of the major aspects of your work, that one is graded on by others who are looking at your work.

I imagine that many could or will disagree with me here when I say; "that learning to finish a piece of 'wood art', is just as important as knowing how to join the wood together so that one has a piece to finish." Just as there are no-shortcuts in the integrity of design that goes into the labor and laying out of the construction and execution of workmanship, so also there should be the inspiration and satisfaction that comes from knowing that your finishing exceeds beyond your expectations.

I was reading this morning of one furniture maker in the area; who belongs to The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association, Terry Moore, which in turn led me to an article in Fine Woodworking Magazine, January/February 2001, by Asa Christiana where Terry Moore is quoted as saying:

"Pieces are graded on a one-to-five scale for originality or for execution of a traditional design, for artistic decisions such as clarity of intent and integration of elements, for command of the medium, for attention to details and for functionality. In concrete terms, the juries expect pieces to be completely finished, including backs, bottoms and insides. There can be no glue drips, tearout or rough surfaces left anywhere. Joinery must be mechanically sound and tightly fitted.

"Then, pay as much attention to the finish as you did to the joinery," Moore tells potential exhibitors. They must prepare surfaces well; apply the finish carefully with no runs, drips or overspray and "finish the finish" with wet sanding, steel wool or other fine abrasives. A coat of wax is usually recommended." -by Terry Moore


"Then, pay as much attention to the finish as you did to the joinery," is what I am talking about when it comes down to the fine art of finishing.

So continuing on lets move ahead to shellac and the tiny little red lac bug, who is the one that is responsible for all that makes shellac such a great product to use. The life cycle of the lac bug is around six months with the female doing much of the work, while the male's job runs more to the activity of fertilizing the female. It is from the lac tree itself that these bugs swarm to, as they settle upon the tree projecting protrusions into the trees bark. From this point on they suck up the sap from the tree in great numbers….as the word 'lac' itself is derived from the Sanskrit 'laka'; which in turn means one hundred thousand. In what is often referred to as a 'feeding frenzy' the lac bugs now will in turn start eating and feeding till they have feasted to death.

What comes next has all-ways amazed me as while these bugs are eating and ingesting the sap into their own bodies, there is also going on within a chemical adjustment of the sap so that the lac bug now reverses the process and starts exuding the secretion back onto the tree branches. This secretion when coming into contact with the air, becomes a hard cloud with a shell like covering, that in turn covers the whole horde. The female herself, is also busy laying up to one thousand eggs as both the male and female are now in a state of dying. This covering of a shell-like hard cloud now in turn forms a protection barrier for the young as they are hatched within and as they break forth from the hard shell covering, as they now in turn swarm forth into the light of day. Death and life, as the form of shellac making moves on, to the hands of man now in this process of what will yet be called shellac.

So lets post some pictures and talk some more about the bathroom countertop that I'm finishing up here with shellac. Once again, black walnut, butt joined and edge glued, which has been previously finished up with tung oil. I must admit that yes, there are times when working with walnut I leave the sapwood showing and then other times I will work to blend that area in with the darker heartwood. Sometimes these options are not all-ways left up to me, as when the customer is responding to what be-comes their own inner voice of choosing. Since this piece of wood is going into a bathroom renovation at our house for what will be the answer to a request from my wife….I have a little liberty in deciding what the finished project will look like.

The top is coming along just great and gathering some character of tung oil,as it awaits my next execution of application into wood finishing. I might also mention that in the assembly and glue up process there has been no-chance joining of the boards, as the whole picture of what and how this countertop is going to look up to now and beyond….even to the placing of the Mexican sink into the top along with the colors in the sink, has all-ready been worked out inside my head….



....and so we now get down to this box of fix's, as I am excited about the chance to move some shellac across this surface of wood…..



....there are many brushes that I use in finishing, but one that is constantly close at hand is this cheap throw away (except for the shellac brushes, I do not throw them away) that I am all-ways buying and keeping around my workspaces in quantity. Some of the tales I could tell about these and the finishing jobs they have worked for me over the years. And yes, I do shop around and keep a list of the places that I can get these at…..but because of price I will say that I never buy them at the large box stores. Here is one of my favorite sizes and I might be getting ahead of my-self here since in this photo not only am I showing the brush, but the tinted color of shellac to be used….



....so stepping back a bit, I will talk some of the tinting process. For the shellac and the walnut on this project I am using TransTint Dyes #128488, Bright Red which I get at Woodcraft. I use many other dyes and formulas, some of which I mix and make my-self, but for ease and convenience I decided to use this one for this project. And so next I start mixing and mixing and trying out till I reach a shade that works for what I am after….and on this one that was three try's. I also will go heavy on the tint since by the time I'm done with the different steps of procedure that include all those sanding stages….the color tone does in-deed re-duce to a lighter shade. And then one must also remember that what I'm testing on here, is un-finished wood, while I will also test with the tint some-times going onto wood that has been treated with a tung oil mixture. And as one//you can see, I have again jumped ahead by showing the walnut top as all-ready treated with the tint of shellac….



....these next photos show some of the tinting process and I will have to try and fill in with the brush technique as we go along….



....with this process of applying the tinted shellac. I might also add that as I apply the shellac with a brush to the area of the sapwood, I'm really not much concerned with how or how much I over lap into the heartwood area, as this I will deal with later….



....when I start back brushing and sanding. I am outlining some areas where the tinted shellac is overlapping into the heartwood of the walnut as the tinted shellac is being applied only to the sapwood at this point….



....I will leave you with this photo shot of the tinted shellac on a wood burl that I tung oiled last night and today came back too, in order to apply the same tinted shellac that is being used on the walnut counter-top. I believe that as I move along on this piece, I can better show how the whole process of tinting, overlapping of the shellac between sapwood and heartwood and the use-full-ness of hand sanding, brings the whole process to-gether….



....and yes, more to come….

Linking back to in this series to:
1.) All Good Wood Projects Need….
2.) WoodWorking Vision
3.) Drupes and Drupaceous Nuts as Tung Oil

And so once again I welcome your comments and questions, along with any photos that you might want to include.

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#213 ·
Wow, Frank- what great information. When I first scanned this post, I thought there were two separate walnut tops. It is fantastic the difference the shellac made.

Thanks for the lesson!

Lew
 
#220 ·
Out in The Woods

Out in The Woods

So for this short story, lets set the milieu a bit, turn up some volume and think a bit about what it means to be 'out in the woods'....

"Can't tell the bad from the good,
I'm out in the wood then I'm lost in the wood….

Can't tell the bad from the good,
I'm out in the woods then I'm lost in the woods"
-by Leon Russell



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Wood speaks and I listen to hearts such as these….



....further along the trail, an-other rustic wood spirit has left me some re-freshing drink, should my feet grow weary along this waundering walk-about I now pursue….



....there's one place out here ( and there are more) in the woods of my living//working space that I first discovered many ages ago….and ever so often in months or years, I often re-turn and pause to re-flect upon what it must have been like….



....to have built this place. All the dreams that those who worked and played upon this piece of land must have had….



....knowing that their wood joinery would survive in time and all hold true….



....while up above the main frame house still watches over the setting sun….



....one peeks inside and much re-mains, just sorted now as different since the animals of the woods have used this place to carry on. How many are the stories of places such as this, where out in the woods after all much work and play….comes the morning when the dream goes on and those who rested there//here….just got up and left….



....stories I write and stories are told, while those that come along after-wards have a chance to create fiction and non-fiction. I choose to present the black and white of what I see as art, surrounded by the wood of creation, where I am but a small part of that creation also, in this larger part I play of a creator….



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#221 ·
Wow! Everything AND the kitchen sink! And the long lost mini-bar of the north too…ha.

What diamonds in the rough you have discovered and shared there, granted they are raw diamonds indeed.
Can you guess on the timing of these buildings?
Is it on your property or just out there un-owned?
They certainly are lost in the woods.. and the the open bark on the birch, seems to shout a warning to those that dare to approach….

Thanks for the tour and the soundtrack.
 
#227 ·
Things Have Changed In These Woods

Things Have Changed In These Woods

....so I'm out in the woods and, 'things have changed'....

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/k6Ej7n9vbFZvLw3nqB&related=1
Bob Dylan - Things Have Changed
Uploaded by dylanne

Things Have Changed;-by Bob Dylan

....so lets continue on here some with this story. I used to come out this way more often….but now things have changed. As I wrote earlier in my last story, what has come down the road of these woods now is that after all the work that went into this area, excavation//site clearing, and building….and lets not forget dreaming or dream-building….one day the dream moves on and so do the spirits of those who lived here for awhile.

What brought this person out here to live….and I can say that this person came from one of the lower states below me. And they had to have some knowledge of the woods and wood-working, plus the desire to live off the land in some-what seclusion. But times change and the dream moves on….

" People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed

This place ain't doing me any good….

Lot of water under the bridge, Lot of other stuff too
Don't get up gentlemen, I'm only passing through

People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed"

-Things Have Changed;-by Bob Dylan

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....so lets have an-other look in a room, at what has been left behind for the animals of the woods to use….



....stepping outside onto the front porch we can look into the woods right at our doorstep….



....an-other out-building just bidding it's time also in front as I stare out beyond-front….



....wood and woods surround some metal till in time how long before the forest takes back ground space that this one now sits upon….



....an-other view….



"I've been trying to get as far away from myself as I can
Some things are too hot to touch
The human mind can only stand so much
You can't win with a losing hand"

Things Have Changed;-by Bob Dylan


....one must wonder and ask, since inquiring minds all-ways do. Did the machines die before of after the leaving//departure of the dream? Maybe the spirits that lived here, never left….but just faded back into the many trees of this rustic forest landscape….or how fast where they running on foot when they followed they're dream….



....here is the first view of what remains to be they're drive-way….



....and now one can see some more wooded drive-way space….



....till now I get a better understanding of the road….



....looking back for one last glance, I see a place to hang a dream on a dream rack….but the dream is gone….and then I hear those words that come singing through the trees and over the wind….



"People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed

I hurt easy, I just don't show it
You can hurt someone and not even know it"

Times Have Changed;-by Bob Dylan

Now one wonders or may-be there are some reading this that do wonder, how does a place like this remain so lost? Well as I said earlier in a previous blog//story, the way I found this site (LumberJocks) was by Googling the words 'free-hand-free-form wood sculpture' and thats how I found this site also out in the woods. I was walking an old logging road, and decided to go surfing the forest, so I left the trail and started walking in 'free-walk' mode. If one will take a moment and look at this next photo, then one can see the opening that I saw, but one that will not be seen by many….without a trained eye to see that spot of an open window out there in front….



....after going through the window, this is what greets the eyes as a whole new world opens up in here….so follow the path, but just remember that along the way, unless one knows the right time to look up and start 'free-walking again….even this will only be an-other path….



So that wraps this one up….for now, but I'll soon post an-other lost in the woods of out in the woods adventure….after I do my next update on the wood finishing with slellac story.

I also might mention that to my way of thinking walking or as I prefer to call it….going on a waundering walk-about in the woods, 'just is' one of the ways that I keep a healthy body, soul and spirit. A wise man once said that; "as a man thinks. so is he"....and to this I would just add that; "as a man//women walks, so are they healthy in-deed!"

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#228 ·
That's quite the hobbit hole, Frank. I have yet to come across anything interesting like that in my woods. Most I've seen is evidence of wild pig and some mud holes.

Put some more windows in that v-dub and you have the start to a solar kiln. You've already got it loaded with wood!
 
#235 ·
My Soul of Maple

My Soul of Maple



Oh how the warmth of your glow,
tolerates my being….
-i feel as though there remains a connection,
as we pass into fall….
-why it was only yesterday that a seed fell to ground,
much like in the beginning….
-our time together often grows weary,
as in the exiled seasons….

Can our love still survive against the onslaught,
of hurled bark insulation….
-where were it not for fire burnished passions,
coming forth as desire…..
-often translated into these my calloused hands,
for carvings and gougings….
-i also could be lost in the outer growth rings,
of playing for wood space….

Salvation comes through many works of forms,
still seeking to tell of life….
-while our forms are the increase of knowing,
that we shall yet transform….
-my heart beats within your rock maple soul,
as imploded words do cease….
-come my love and we shall tag the morning sun,
forever forgetting this kiss of death….

-by flp

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....got wood?....got some wood!.....with more to come….



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#236 ·
Beautiful words, Frank.

What mother nature gives us always returns to her.

That is some wonderful looking old barn, in the background of the second picture, have you posted other images of it?

Lew
 
#239 ·
Zebra Effects on Birch Burl

Zebra Effects on Birch Burl



....while doing time within the wood,
a character of zebra swirls started imaging,
like drawing lines upon the wood,
i stopped to pause and re-think again….



All wood is just one click away from fame….

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#246 ·
Tales of A Wood-Worker's Tools

Tales of A Wood-Worker's Tools

Just a short-sort of a blog//story this morning to get the wood-chips in my arteries flowing again with stimulus from my imagination. Ah yes, that wonder-full word called imagination that in reality becomes the igniter of all that speaks art.

To any who refuse to use 'imagination' in their wood-working pro-vision, en-vision of contrived design….well, why bother; so lets start creating a story of wood-working tales.

Since I'm supposed to be gaining on this thing I started back….when, concerning a countertop and Mexican sink, which in turn went on to tung oil….



....and then//now shellac….



....some time has passed. I in turn said that I would write some on 'shellac' and the deep mysteries of this golden amber nectar of the gods. So if your ready and reading, lets go and get this thing started….



....in doing a word-wood piece such as this, one needs to have a handle on the tools they will be using and so I all-ways after using imagination as my first tool….proceed on to wood. In this case I'm using a slab of maple that I chainsaw milled at the start of summer and is now sitting and waiting for some attention. Rock maple slab, 40''-42'' wide x 4'' thick x 7'-8' long with some spalting and yes this is an expensive piece of wood that I'm using for a 'finish test' of shellac, but then if your not testing your finishes….how will one ever learn. Come to think of it, I hope there's none here who actually think one learns from books or by asking other's….unless of course that one all-ways wants to just be a follower. What I'm talking about is being the master of your own wood-working destiny….



....next one will need some paper, pencil and a knowledge of the wood they're working with and although I'm showing an excellent book here, no-thing beats getting out into the woods and gaining//acquiring first hand knowledge….



....just some hand tools for working the wood….



....bark de-spudder and a hand-made home-made slick for shedding some bark….



....more in the way of broadax's and a finish slick for cleaning up. How one can work wood without these I'll never understand….and yes, the broadax also works very good as a hand plane….



....one dust brush, one hand block sander and one piece of sugar maple wood….



....can on the left is a wash mixture for the brushes with an-other dust brush on top, can on the right is orange//amber shellac with one brush ready to spread a finish….



....more mixtures and tints….



....what a work-horse of a brush….



....if one is going to master at finishing their own wood, then one needs a basic finish tool box of the dark arts….



....and then there's all-ways the need to feed my-self with some protein-tool….



And yes, there is more to come….

Linking back to in this series to:
1.) All Good Wood Projects Need….
2.) WoodWorking Vision
3.) Drupes and Drupaceous Nuts as Tung Oil
4.) Go Ask The Lac-Bug About Finishing Wood

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#251 ·
Lets Test Art-Full Shellac

Lets Test Art-Full Shellac

"All that meets the eye with shellac, is more then enough to sustain my love of this finish."
--by flp

And so I started by writing some thoughts of my own down on paper, where the proper thing to do, seemed to be to get out and do some more tests. If one is not testing….and by this I mean constantly testing their own thoughts//opinions and, the thoughts//opinions of others, then how will one learn. A closed mind is a sad place to be….but, sadder yet is a mind that has no-time to formulate their own path in this area I call wood finishing.

I stopped counting years ago the folks that will come up and ask me how to do a wood finish….and after I take the time to explain one way or many ways, I see in their eyes that I've lost them. And so what is it that loses them….two points really, the time factor and having to go and learn by doing. How many I come across at shows and exhibits that think 'wood finishing' is too much work and so these are the ones who are all-ways asking and hoping that some-one will give them a secret wand, that they can just wave over their wood and presto….the finish is done.

A.) Wood finishing is never done, before the project is done and assembled, unless one is doing testing of a finish….

Here are some thoughts that are waundering around within my head:

1.)-shellac, de-waxed and waxed….mixing your own and store bought….
2.)-tinting your own shellac….
3.)-how to apply and the many coats or few, like when is enough-enough….
4.)-what types of brushes are you going to use….and you might be surprised….
5.)-surprises and myth busters and all that mis-information out there, that has been promoted to make us think we can't do or should not use shellac….
6)-and experience. Maybe I will not all-ways agree with those books that we read and maybe after reading what I have to say, you will decide to not follow what I write and that's all-right with me, but you will be informed and then you can choose your own path. And then also, my experience level with shellac amounts to….should I say. I mean when we start thinking about shellac, maybe we should also consult with the lac bug….

I'll start with a test of shellac on a slab of maple and then see where this one is going. I might add that were I to sell this slab of maple, I would be asking around $800.00 fully cured and that price does not include delivery. However the fact remains that should this test gain some character in the wood….then as I all-ways tell folks the price goes up. And yet, I may just keep this one for a woodworking table myself or who knows, if my wife sees it….she may want a new kitchen table. When building slab tables, I believe and say; "what use is a table that one can-not jump up onto and start dancing….

One slab of maple, (rock maple….sugar maple, both are the same species of wood) which I chainsaw milled this past early summer and since then has been suspended on the saw-horses and covered by black plastic. The black plastic will add heat to the wood under the summer sun and occasionally I will take the plastic off to let the wood air out. I also will place stickers between the wood top and black plastic which allows for air flow under the plastic and keeps the wood drying. In my estimation this process can really speed up the natural air-drying time of a piece of wood this size.

So here's one slab of maple, fresh cooked off the solar grill and waiting ready and eager to test some ideas, theories and myths about shellac. Also lets remember that what is happening here is not being done inside under a controlled environmental habitat, but that the testing is being conducted outside under the watch-full eye of nature, in a 360 degree natural work-space….



....next I'm showing two cans here which contain liquid mixes, the one on the left contains denatured alcohol for washing out the brush. While I do not need to clean my brushes fully when using mixtures of shellac, (since if the brush dries out, it just a matter of setting the brush in the denatured alcohol and it will soften back up) I sometimes will do a fast preliminary wash. Can on the right is just what the can says, and this is the mix I will be using this afternoon for the maple slab. Brushes are just common cheap throw-a-ways, except I never throw them away and will use them over and over….



....so now I can post a picture after the first coat application of shellac (amber//orange). You will notice that this first coat is showing some lap marks, especially since I was doing the brushing in the sun-light, but to tell the truth….those lap marks don't concern me since I know how to deal with them latter….



....second coat….



....third coat….



....with an-other view and one will notice that the lap marks are starting to blend in….



....fourth coat….



.....different view….



....fifth coat….



....and all coats completed in about 2-1/2 hours….



....and a close-up of the finish on the wood….



....so now I'll wait a few days and see how the wood and shellac accept each other in this marriage of wood finishes. I did this application last Sunday afternoon….so we are now in a time warp. At least I know were this test is going….some-what, and if the weather decides to work with me, I can hope for a few days of sun and then I'm going to be needing some heavy-long rain.

This morning (Saturday) I am happy to say that we just finished about 24 hours of rain with more on the way, which is just great for the test. I'll leave you with a photo I took this morning of the area up and outside the barn and I'm also happy to add that for this test of shellac, there is expected more rain coming in this afternoon and maybe we can bust some myths about shellac and water. At least I all-ready know some out-comes, while you will have to wait for the next installment of this story, which I will try and get up in the next day….



More to come….

Linking back to in this series to:
1.) All Good Wood Projects Need….
2.) WoodWorking Vision
3.) Drupes and Drupaceous Nuts as Tung Oil
4.) Go Ask The Lac-Bug About Finishing Wood
5.) Tales of A Wood-Worker's Tools

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#252 ·
Thanks for the post. As always you are a wealth of information. Lately I have come to appreciate the versatility and beauty of shellac as a top coat. In the past I have largely used it as a sealer for a top coat of poly but now I am using it by itself and am enjoying the finish it produces.
 
#254 ·
Prepping Wood and Shellac for Rain

Prepping Wood and Shellac for Rain

I do hope that all reading herein are understanding that I am writing in retrospect….as these writings are running a few days behind where I am today. My life is much too busy to be writing and testing, plus taking photos on a daily basis, so one could say that I am writing from within a time warp as I also must keep in mind that winter is coming. Winter involves putting some machines to sleep and then there is the waking up of those winter machines, plus firewood, land and cabin to home projects. Notice that in my writings I don't talk much of play….but yes, I also have to fit some play days into my schedule….which means some more kayaking and hiking yet.

Well moving on to this past Thursday and, since I knew there was rain coming, I decided the time was right to work on this piece of maple slab that I am using for a 'test'....to test shellac.

After applying the 5 coats of shellac on top of the maple, with no-thing done between coats last Sunday and then the good days of sun and warm, the shellac had a good time drying and curing. My next step that I am showing here is sanding the topcoat of shellac with #80 grit sandpaper and then following up with #000 steel wool. If one is a frequent reader of my blog//stories or the stories I have included in projects, then one will notice some-thing different by what I have said concerning the steel wool. I will use #0000 steel wool for finishing and #000 steel wool when I am in the still before finishing stages of working a piece of wood….and yes, there is a difference between 'finishing' wood and the 'before' finishing stages of wood-working. I can-not take the time to explain that one now….but as this story continues, the process between the two will come out in words and photos.

Maple slab of rock-sugar….and this is where we left off last time after completing 5 coats of shellac in about 2-1/2 hours time….



....and then we'll start with some sanding to be followed with the steel wool. Some might wonder why I'm sanding the wood….and at some high points I'll even be burning through the finish and hitting on raw wood. To those I would reply that one must remember that we are testing shellac here….and so I am pulling out all stops in order to test the shellac when//after the rains come. I mean we've all heard what water does to shellac right, by what all those other's 'tell' us 'sell' us….but what if….



....and so I start sanding, yes that's right….I get to do the work while you can just sit back and watch. I might add that I hope you will not sit to long though and that this might inspire some-one reading herein to try some test of their own and even if not with shellac…..well you pick the finish. Most important though is the point that I am trying to get across of be-coming your own master tester of your woods destiny….



....looks like the sanding process is working out good. The finishing of a wood project along with testing different finishes and tints along with color dyes is most enjoyable or in-joy-able for me and one that I all-ways look forward to….



....ah yes, as one can see I have 'burned' through the wood and yet we have a good sanded top at this point, after the steel wool also. One might even take a moment and notice some of the spalting that has taken place within the maple wood….



Now proceeding on, I'm going to start working on the live edge's of the slab with some older but still used hand tools that I keep all-ways close at hand. Yes at the moment all power tools are un-plugged and out of sight….like out-of-sight, is out-of-mind….



....first tool to use on the live edge is this curved ax. This ones all-ways my first choice for workin' on slabs and works best by pulling towards me at a slant….



....next comes the broadax and what a tool this one is to work with. When working the live edge I will push this one forward at a slant, much as one does when using a hand plane. And yes, I also use this one also for working in the rough as a hand plane. I do apologize that my step with the timber slick pictured above, will be a no-show shot, since I'm working by myself and there was no-way to take a picture as the slick would not stay in place. The timber slick is more of a finishing tool and therefore it is not used to gouge as much//deep into the wood….the timber slick is all-ways pushed and never does one strike the head of this tool….



....so now this stage of the process is finished….and I can wait for the rain that is coming….



....and yes, the rain did come early Friday morning. I took this picture around 9:00 am on Friday in the rain, but this is an-other story….



The colors are changing up here, so I will leave you with some starting reds in the trees….



More to come as the test of shellac continues….

Linking back to in this series to:
1.) All Good Wood Projects Need….
2.) WoodWorking Vision
3.) Drupes and Drupaceous Nuts as Tung Oil
4.) Go Ask The Lac-Bug About Finishing Wood
5.) Tales of A Wood-Worker's Tools
6.) Lets Test Art-Full Shellac

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#260 ·
Live Free....Work Wood

Live Free….Work Wood

....jubilant art-full colors drift before my sight,
shaking the leaves from off my eyes,
straining this veil of flesh to come up higher,
where from my mountain-top view i gladly inhale….

....inhaling the whiffs of passing breeze,
i all too soon know that i'll be counting flakes of snow,
but in the rhythms of the seasons where time stands still,
i keep on working the wood after patterns of trees who came before….

....what matters the time of day while in my head colors live,
all that stands before me has been all-ready named with color,
all i see is the color of your beauty that so surrounds my be-ing,
i am color freed to live where death holds no-more sway….

....raptures come and raptors go along my way,
but in my space of terra place where i do toil and play,
i am known by these ancient trees that birthed my beginnings,
as one who lives in the outer limits of flesh that has split the veil….

-by flp

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....just some pictures….you decide the words…."enter in "....

















Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#265 ·
Colors of Shellac from a Kayak

Colors of Shellac from a Kayak



….where art thou going oh gods of kayaking,
"i go out in the tops of mountain ponds",
who is the one that you paddle along with by your side,
"i paddle with the love of my heart who longs with me…."

"--and so i turned the page to write again some words of wood--"

....and so the gods came down to play amongst a colored backdrop,
completed with water that still holds dreams of blue liquid desire,
my 'lady of the pond' she speaks and calls forth my name,
till in my soul i only as of yet saw that my heart had pluperfect….

"--and so i turned the page to write again some words of wood--"

....mountain views are not for the faint of heart who sigh today,
since tis in this realm of gods and those who dream aloud,
it can be said that hearts of two can beat as the silence of one,
till in my absence what was gained is covered as golden hue….

"-and so i turned the page to write again some words of wood--"

-by flp

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And so I'm just posting some flavors-of-colors from what goes on in-side my head as I paddle the water-ways of my head-land….











....so here's a bonus if any are interested….Red River Shore; by Bob Dylan:



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood...."
 
#275 ·
Wood Mentation of Today

Wood Mentation of Today



....what is this prise that burns within my being,
to find the almost of what a-waits-a-round the next bend,
by now i should have learned why the sweetness of your voice calls,
as within the depths of where i have often run to hide from your face….

....i once remember standing in the shadow of a tree greater than i,
while the limbs of your covering shared with my-self a notion of leaves,
fire colored leaves you gave to me to light the candle that had gone out,
and what a sense of great-full-ness i felt as my soul re-kind-led passion….

....some i have heard love to tell stories that repeat the path more taken,
and then other's live tales that lie against the nature of their beast,
many shed tears late in life at what they now see as wasted moments,
but i now know that all my moments are counted as having no-regret….

....too many are the scars of life given so as to see who can over-come,
so once again i put my paddle in the water to follow through on my dream,
to pull a stroke that would in the end only take me farther from you,
and how could i know that around the bend you were all-ways there….

-by flp



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And so I gathered some color….



....to create a space for wood art….



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
"....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood...."
 
#281 ·
50,000 Words of Wood

50,000 Words of Wood

....so I'm wondering how many writers are on the roll-call here at LJ?

The month of November is a good time to see how many words one can produce, to write a novel….about a story with wooden content or....? Can you write 50,000 words in one month....then you can sit back after the smoke clears and say; "yes I did….write a novel."

I mean we are workers of wood right, and as such I have many words of thoughts going through my head constantly as I work the wood. Ha, it's really easier then that, since from out of my past, I have learned to even be silent and let the wood do the talking for me.

Now lets see, the only problem//opportunity that I see is that I'm not all-ways writing about wood….so my novel may be on an-other subject….

If any would like to take the challenge, then here's a link to the site for signing up….What is NaNoWriMo? ....and it may take a few clicks to get in, as this site will be busy this month.

....and good writing to all!

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood...."
 
#287 ·
Painted Expressions In Wood and Canvas

Painted Expressions In Wood and Canvas

....what i write in wood,
by the gouging of words,
is the need to express my-self,
but in the end i still fall short,
since the wood has by this time also moved on and,
i am left standing all alone….
-by flp

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And so lets try it again with pictures….since one picture is worth a thousand words, how many words are to be found in six pictures….?

....what i write in wood,



by the gouging of words,



is the need to express my-self,



Bubblegun
-by Sophia Grace

but in the end i still fall short,



since the wood has by this time also moved on and,



i am left standing all alone….



Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#289 ·
What's a WoodWorking Economy To Do or Be?

What's a WoodWorking Economy To Do or Be?



So by now I'm sure we all have heard and have our ideas//opinions on 'the new economy' as if this word new means that one can now forget about the 'old economy'. And then I wonder can any explain as to what happens when we have two economies as past and present? My understanding of all this has all-ways been to keep it very simple….K.I.S.S; and then one is able to better work within the word definition of 'economy' as in this moment.

One must realize and beg my pardon here if I'm stepping on toes, which is not my intent, but I'm only trying to make the point that it's far better if one walks on my toes….then waiting till the multitude starts climbing on my shoulders in their effort to get ahead.

What I do is 'all' about wood, which in turn leads to woodworking….and too that I might also add that I do in-deed enjoy (in-joy) working the wood. I cut my own trees on the land for firewood, chainsaw mill live edge slabs, timber, lumber, furniture and wood art. I am a finish carpenter and cabinet maker also, when I decide to hire myself out for woodworking commissions and the such. I enjoy working-renovating my present 1776 home, 1780 English Barn and I also am in the middle of renovating a cabin which will by the spring be rented out for high end rental property. On the cabin I originally was pushing for fall rental, but due to other wood working priorities….it will be spring before the cabin is done. I am also constantly engaging myself in opportunities of the moment, to work on pieces of wood (four at the moment, which I also am going to be taking two to a show in April) that will be sold as wood art. These pieces are subject to change since one never knows when the phone will ring, my email light up or some-one will cross my path and I will pick up a commission. Presently because of the market down-turn or up-turn for other's, I am now looking and inquiring into home estate sales, which are selling at low end, so as to buy and start flipping some houses. And yes, I have mentioned in the past the great profit to be made in flipping houses if one is wanting to work some extra hours in exchange for the added freedom of becoming debt free, so that the economy never really touches you. To this I usually am met with remarks such as; "sounds like a lot of hard work".

Maybe by now I should also interject that there is a vastness of space difference between 'hard'....and….'work'. One can either let hard be the master and one will in-deed do hard work or you//I can master the hard and make 'it' do the dance of working hard….to increase one's profit level and attitude of attainment.

Usually when I start talking on this subject as I am now; concerning the economy, folks will have severe after-shock at the words I am using. Were it in an earlier setting of time, I might be the target of getting stoned….but then again, I've been stoned before and will be times over yet to come; so stones don't bother me. I should add that just as stones are often a necessary learning experience, so can be the economy in times that defy the understanding of wise men. I learned long ago through the school of what some call 'hard knocks 101', that the economy can be made to work for you//I, if one wants to leave the crowded deadpan murmurings of; "cut back and hold tight so that we can ride this one out". More important in understanding the economy, is the understanding that who I surround myself with, is how I will cash in on the economy.

I can remember back years and ages ago when I started working in the field of construction, that after leaving and going out on my own I used to offer my services as a handyman carpenter….and so I worked hard and made a handyman's wages. No-matter that the quality of my work was par next to none, as long as I called myself a handyman….a handyman I was. I am going to skip up now and pass through many-many years, till one day I started calling myself an artist. And here let me add that we can do all sorts of word sparring about artist and master and craftsman, but I am just showing what worked//works for me….you decide your own fate. Others will take my words to task and say; "I noticed you say that you 'started calling calling yourself an artist' and how can that be?" To this I will add that; "by the name of thought that you call//name yourself, so you will be-come!" I surround myself with positive thought as to the person I am and have no-time for negative thought, since negative thought will in the end….be my end all.

When I first start talking this way by using positive thought, I found that it was not long before there was a crowd following (yes, positive thought will produce action which in turn produces a following) along with me that also had positive thought. What I also noticed was that this crowd had an understanding of economy that made it possible to use the economy in//for what-ever system swing there was going on, and that these were the ones who had the money to buy according to their wants. I probably need to mention that I do not sell-attend-associate with any shows that use the word 'craft' in their make-up of production. Now I should also add that I am not out to slight any here who use these words for their wood projects (but I have found out, that there is a big economy difference between craft and fine furniture, which I have carved into with by using the word phrase 'wood art')....and so I am only talking about my way of using economy for gain.

Let me illustrate here….somewhat. This past Friday, I was talking with a lawyer on a matter of business and in the conversation I happened to mention my business of RusticWoodArt and how I make furniture, which often becomes pieces of wood art. Like just now as I am writing, I realize that I have these 'word thought pictures'-word phrases are so implanted in my mind that when-ever I get to talking, the words just roll off. I could add that what I do when this is happening in a conversation with an individual, is I am sending forth a pattern//cloud of thought with an image that connects with the person I am sending out too. So what comes next, well after our meeting is over and I stand up to leave, this lawyer goes on to inquire as to what type of furniture I make….and when I re-turn can I bring some pictures of my works of wood art. So yes, I will return and when I do, I will not be bringing pictures, but I will bring along my laptop, so that I can set up in the office a slid show production of my work. Does the selling of my wood art stop there….no-way. I will also stop by the office of an-other lawyer who works within the same building and show the slide show again and then who knows to whom-ever might also walk by. What I'm trying to say, is that I all-ways first surround my mind in good positive thought and this has been going on so long that what comes out of my mouth now is the opportunity to market my-self and my work. True economy never touches me in the illusion of having a high peak and low peak, as I am only knowing one economy. Some folks talk much about being radical or how they're a maverick….however I have found that if one really wants to gather an abundance of the economy, then one must practice the art of dreaming and dream positively big, till that dream takes hold of you and you make your own economy!

I am not afraid to tell folks right off that what I do is high end wood art and usually my pieces will start at around fifteen hundred dollars and go to….dollars, and yes these are one of a kind. Most of what I sell never makes it into pictures on the internet, never shows itself in a gallery or show….but goes from my work-space into the living-space of buyers who have a taste for art and are willing to pay, where price does not matter. I treat these folks with the attitude that; "the customer is all-ways right and quality of character is what one buys in my art." These folks treat me as an artist and sell me and my work by word of mouth….so that in the end we both get just what we want.

How does this tale tie in with the economy….well there is a class of folks for whom the economy does not touch, just as some folks think no-thing of dropping one hundred thousand in a night of gambling, so also some folks think no-thing of making one hundred thousand and more….in a year. The truth 'just is' that in the end, one can hate the economy and that economy will ride one into the ground or one can love the economy and that one will make use of the economy to bring about great benift of gain.

--I might also add that my wood-working business is all about selling the economy….so that what one acquires is an added investment!

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....''
 
#294 ·
Wood Art Picture of Beauty

Wood Art Picture of Beauty



....1770 hand hewn beams,
timber frame-post and beam,
the era of craft with-out power tools,
hands fitted strong by use of a broadax,
legs well splayed to adjust for off centered glance,
backs made strong along with shoulders of steel,
adversity hand cut many a man's character,
till a man could say-no-pain's no-gain's,
2008 refinished hand hewn beams….
-by flp

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What can I add, that has not been said before…."I still love to work the wood!"

--hand sanded with woolite pads….
--machine sanded with palm orbital sander, two grits of sandpaper….#80 and #120….
--finished in 3 coats of low lustre varnish….
--natural aging with well placed character….

Thank you,
GODSPEED,
Frank
RusticWoodArt

rusticwoodman@gmail.com
http://frank.wordpress.com/

-
''....work smart, work safe, and live, to work the wood....
 
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