smitty1's Blog at LumberJocks.com

A Little Little helping Hand

smitty1 — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:35:35 GMT

For the most part woodworkers like to build their projects from solid wood. Easily transported from the supplier to the shop and once in the shop easily moved from one machining operation to another but what about those times we decide the project selection of wood adds to much cost to the item and /or our pocket book, so our secondary selection of material is sheet goods (ie, plywood, mdf ). Now our next concern is how can we handle these cumbersome materials from transportation to maneuvering them within the shop. Many manufactures offer a product to aid in the task but for a few minutes of time and some simple scrap one can be made.

Care To Set Down?

smitty1 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:31:39 GMT

Well, I guess with my first blog entry I kind of set a precedence of being a scrounger so we’ll continue with a little project I made for the garden.
Years ago I was given a huge cherry log. At 34” in diameter and 10’ long it was quite a monster setting in the driveway but as with all woodworkers I had visions of a beautiful piece of furniture when the time came. Sawing it up with the chainsaw was a quite chore and a feat in itself but we manage to get some beautiful wood. After stacking and stickering the lumber in the loft for drying I was left with the slab cutoffs, Do I keep them or chunk them to the brush pile? The don’t make quick decisions as ‘Hast makes wast’ so we stacked them along with the stored lumber. For years while waiting for the drying process and shifting these huge pieces around the LOML had started a bird sanctuary and garden and asked if I could build her some sort of bench.
DING! DING! Bells went off and we had a project for what might have been scrap lumber to the logging industry.
We took one slab and hand planned it smooth on one side and sanded the bark side . Then cutting off the ends. we fashioned the legs . The legs were tenoned into the seat at an angle and pinned through the seat top with 3/4” dowels. Everything was then sanded again and coated several times with Tung Oil then a Spar Varnish applied for outdoor protection.
Momma’s happy as she sets contently on her rustic bench enjoying the garden and the birds!

Fred Sanford Woodworking!

smitty1 — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:36:58 GMT

I know, it’s a funny subject title but read on, we all have a little something to relate to this.
Have you ever been driving down the road or in the neighborhood and seen an old chair or table laying out to be picked up by the trash service or someone has just cut down a tree and the logs are laying at the curb to be pick up? Or how about the factory down the street that has a dumpster full of scrap lumber or pallets?
Or the friend that calls you and says he just cut down a tree in his from yard ( roots interfering with the foundation or sewer ) and wants to know if you need some lumber?
Thats where this project got started!
I worked for a local retail outlet that was located on a main thoroughfare and it was being reconstructed for a new overpass. During the process the overpass ramp walls were concrete proformed slabs which were trucked in from an out of town plant. Each slab , 10’ x 5’- 8” thick , was load and stacked on a flat bed trailer using 4” x 4” and 6” x 6” skids. As they unloaded these during the project I noticed they would throw the wood skids in a pile and after a day or two the pile laid there calling my name, pleading for recovery. Since the site foreman traded at my store I asked him what would become of the skids? He replied saying they were supposed to be picked up by the supplier of the wall slabs but he was doubtful they would. When I asked him if he minded if I appropriated some for woodworking he said ‘Take all you can haul away’.
I spent most of a weekend hauling them and a week of being sore from the lifting them but my efforts were not fruitless as I had visions of future uses.
One of the first project I built with them was the clock pictured which was featured in Woodsmith magazine and was a favorite if mine.
After many hours of resawing and planning , more time involved than the construction of the clock, I had a time piece to be an heirloom.
The wood is red oak , finished in Tung Oil and installed with a Hermel Mechanical Day/Date mechanism and now resides in my office.
As I started this writing, I mentioned ‘Something all can relate to’ so how about you ? Have you got the ‘Fred Sanford scavager woodworker in you?