Well the fates have answered in the form of getting an offer on our house! Closing date mid month. Yay, we get to move! Crap we have to move.

Needless to say I have a whole new set of challenges and logistics, not only moving house, but also moving shop. At least my wife doesn’t question the value of a huge pile of hardwood, including such gems as this Walnut milled back in the 50’s

and just a bit of oak from the 50’s

So, that said, I’ll be bowing out of next months 30 days challenge – hopefully not to the disappointment of friends and family hoping to snag a few special Christmas presents (though I still have a few things left on Etsy!). We’ll likely also be bowing out of a few other scheduled events as we look for boxes to fill, and a place to move said boxes in short order.

Though this time were not as picky with our choice of digs… A shop, with two bedrooms and whatever kitchen and family room that comes with. (And yes my wife has my shop high on the list!!!!) Maybe there will be enough left after closing for a nice new tablesaw, if thats not pushing my luck ;)

in the meantime, anyone willing to pick up the challenge and let me live vicariously?

I imagined that just having a presence could always leads to possibility… And this month feels like a small, but significant milestone was reached. 3 sales. Yes I know that doesn’t sound like much, but these three sales were to complete strangers. Not even friends of friends. One pen, and two orders for custom rings, off to find new homes in different parts of the country!

I was a little nervous to sell something on spec,... well more nervous that I’d have to make several for fear of ruining the ring and needing to start over. Turning something so small is surely a test of patience, control and nerve. But things went well, and I was very happy with how it went. But you don’t have to take my word for it…

hmm… It looks like I never posted this pen on LJ?

Hi Scott – You did a great job on the pen. I am very well satisfied with it. Thanks for making my first transaction with an Etsy craftsperson a pleasant one.

WOW! I adore the ring. I can’t believe how thin and comfortable it is. The color is beautiful, it looks like gemstone in the sun. I could not be happier with it. Thanks so much!

Now, I’m off to make the slightly bigger sister to this one:

Had a good time, made some new things I’d never tried before (which, essentially is the entire point of this creative challenge), and with the past 40 or so days of rain we had, I certainly wasn’t missing out on any time in the garden or at the beach.

To that end, I have to say this time was a lot easier, even considering an unexpected week away for work. I entered this month with a bunch of pens prepped, but not as many as I had last November, and ultimately I didn’t use all of them. I think I have 4 or 5 ready and waiting.

I said I was only going to try to get 30 projects done, or rather attempted. If one failed, then it was a learning experience, and not a punishment to then have to make something else…. I had few failures, and in the end, I just went ahead and made more projects just the same.

I set aside one cocobolo blank – that was more purple stripes than the cocoa browns it should have turned to, but given a few days to rest, the color is evening out. Like a fine wine or cheese, some pens just need to age too. If it’s looking good when I pick up another pen kit, all I’ll have to do is assemble that one.
I also have a third attempt at an Osage Orange Root pen, and as with the other two times last Nov., at one point or another in the process, the blank cracked.

The first cracked during assembly due to glue residue that wouldn’t clear out of the tube. (lesson learned, don’t use Gorilla glue (with rubber in it) for pen blanks – great for other stuff, but not for getting in (and out of) pen tubes. Twas pretty otherwise, so it became a good pen to keep in my work coat. After a year, the crack worsened. The second cracked when drilling, and ultimately became the Blood Orange Platinum Cigar. Lots or repair techniques learned and applied this go round.
This time I had no trouble with the drilling, but with the squaring up…. I turned them down, and pared off the bad part. – couldn’t fix with CA, no worries I know what to do. If only I could choose what to pair it with.

I also have a few ring blanks ready to turn. Mostly matching the glue ups of rings I’ve already turned. I didn’t see the point to turn two rings of the same combination of woods. But if I get a request for another size I’m all set.

I also have the bracelet portion of the bowl I turned for the last project. I had more fun turning that little bowl than I would have with all the sanding to finish the bracelet… so I set the rough bracelet aside and finished the bowl.

The first week, and a little bit before hand, I had fun looking through magazines, and online for a few project ideas. I have a few print outs and articles bookmarked for a bunch of things I never quite got around to making (or finishing).

I find It funny that after knocking off so many projects, between things that need fixing, things I’ve started, and holdovers from before this adventure, I have nearly another weeks worth in the works, if not close to done.

After last Novembers challenge, I knocked off a few Christmas projects, but otherwise took a bit of a break (to get the shop in order) and starting in Jan, I decided to challenge myself with a project a week. Anything – a shop project, boxes, turnings, jigs, anything.

Come the middle of Feb I was still on track to do actually maintain that schedule, but our attentions turned towards looking into selling the house, and things had to get put on the back burner. Of course, I got a few kitchen things done, and really improved my shop storage… but the 52 in 52 idea was lost. As of now, it looks like I might have actually caught up, if not even moreso!

I hope you’ve had as much fun keeping up with our projects this month as we’ve had making them (if I may speak for Darryl and Russell). And if anyone wants to give it a shot come November, I’ll be throwing my hat in the ring for a three-peat.
And if you don’t wanna wait, September hath 30 days as well… but I’ll be sitting that month out. Twice a year seems about right for me. I’ll be happy to watch and cheer you on though!

A look at the last weeks worth:

The final tally: 32 projects!
14 pens, 8 rings, 2 bracelets, 1 napkin ring, 3 stoppers, 1 foot massager
3 bowls, a garden waterer/composter, and one secret geocaching project.

...with nine days to go.

I’ve posted two Wall Street twist models recently, and tonight I tried my hand at a click version of the same pen.

Tonight for project #24….

First up was cocobolo, a lovely brownish striped wood, when turned it looks purple and orange, and returns to rich browns when exposed to air and finished with oil… at least it normally does. – this piece is half caramel and cocoa, and half… umm, fruit stripe gum. If it didn’t brown at all, it’d make a nice pen for a student or teacher at my Alma Mater. Purple, Purple, White, White, Go Panthers, let’s fight!

so…. while this pen turned beautifully, was sanded – hand sanded – to 4000 grit (Sandpaper to 2000, then Micro Mesh from 1500 to 4000), then buffed to a glass finish… I have to set it aside to see what, if anything I can do with it. Glad I bought a bag of extra tubes. I can still make another attempt or two for this the kit, and just toss this one.

Then I tried this piece of cherry (one of a kind piece, you might say), turned great, one little chip out, that I thought I’d have to patch in a repair piece (drilled fine, chipped when squaring the blank) but I was able to make a near perfect repair with superglue and fine sawdust. Yay!
So I started putting the pen together. Looks good, but only seems to click from out, to way out. why won’t it retract? was the mechanism jammed? take it apart, put it together, repeat.

repeat…

repeat.

Ok, did I cut the wood too short? oops, I used the wrong tubes. Why did they sell (or seem to sell) only one size of replacement tubes under the Wall street label? (the wall is not organized in any discernible pattern that I can make out.) My bad for not using the ones in the kit, but I was expecting them to be the same (replacement tubes for the cigars and euros have always been just right…. now what to do.

I can’t scrap this piece… it’s, umm, a special piece of cherry.

Can I trim some of the mechanical pieces in the pens inner workings? probably, but that might cause more issues…
I suppose I can go back to that “add on a top piece” idea I thought I’d have to do anyway.

Luckily I was able to dismantle the pen so I could glue on another tube and fit on some more wood to lengthen it. I did have to destroy the top of the pens mechanical parts to do it (which is fine, as it turns out the second bag I bought was missing a piece or two, so I haven’t really wasted a kit… I just can’t return the shorted one anymore… as it’ll be missing about 1/2 of the kit. Oh well, spare parts are never a bad thing.)

so, second blank from the left (sanded to 1000, MM to 12000, buffed then treated with BLO, Friction Polish) assembled, dismantled, remounted, turned down just a bit to go into another piece of cherry, tubes glued together within said piece of cherry… and left til later.

These could, should have been projects #24 and 25 in the 30 projects in 30 days challenge. I didn’t say I have to complete 30, just set out to make them. Of course I still expect to make 30… but at least this is allowing me (as I figured) to try out some new things. I was sooo careful with the turning and finishing, assembly couldn’t have been easier either. Just can never tell when you’re not paying attention until it’s too late… but If tomorrow takes a turn for the better, it may not be too late.

Whether it’s the first day of summer or winter, it’s a great day to fire up the grill.
June 21st. Three weeks in. Just about 3/4 of the way through this challenge.

The week took me away from the shop, so most of these projects were done on two weekend days. While it would be nice to get busy and coast through the rest of the month, I think I’ll just take it one at a time (especially if it’s going to be as rainy as they say.)

To date:
seven pens, seven rings, two bracelets, one napkin ring, three stoppers, one foot massager
two bowls, a garden waterer/composter, and one secret geocaching project.

...with nine days to go.

new photo… but it otherwise looks about the same as the beginning of the week, eh?

If only work was more considerate of my personal time plans. I had to head off to the wilds of Boothbay, Maine this week. The good news is I was gone and back in one trip. The better news, I “had” to stop by Woodcraft on the way there. The bad news, I couldn’t exactly get any projects done in the hotel room, so I just read turning magazines. I say hotel, twasn’t quite that… barely a step up from camping really. If there’s a cheaper room, they’ll book it. Ah, the joy’s of not getting a per-diem. Good seafood though.

Anywho, I got a good jump on the past several days worth of projects last weekend, and tomorrow, in addition to actually posting them, I’m back on the 30 projects in 30 days horse. Gotta get crackin’, only 10 days left. – it’s not like I get an extension or anything.

The long and the short – it’s looking like 30 projects in 25 days, but at least I have a few projects to try that I didn’t have last week.

Fortunately, I’d already glued up a bunch of blocks for rings and such, but I need to get some more pen blanks prepped… I’m thinking of trying out a new style of pen, but which should I order???

The problem with rings and such, is that each new size is really more like three projects, what with having to make a jam chuck for finishing the outside and a sanding jig small enough to get inside. Anyhow here’s a sneek peek of the coming weeks projects to tide you over until I get a free minute to post them:

yep, thats a teeny tiny ring, and a couple of bigguns.

To date:
six pens, six rings, three stoppers,
a bowl, garden waterer/composter, one secret geocaching project.

and… one pen featured online at Grungezombie as a good fathers day gift idea,

and one pen sold!

not a bad week at all…
Looking forward to a busy, but hopefully great week #3!

...

And finally, to avoid the need for a spoiler alert, on the chance a fellow geocacher finds me here, I submit no photos for one of the “supplemental” projects I’ve done this week. (If I had pictures, I’d claim it as a real project) This and the garden bin would take me into next week.

Lately, I’ve gotten into geocaching, and when the weather is nice (and not so nice) I like to head out and, well, use billion dollar satellites to find tupperware in the woods. It gets me out of the shop, which is good and bad. Good for the exercise anyhow, and it’s fun.

In under two months my wife, little one and I have been out and about, and have, as of this week, logged 100 finds. An impressive milestone, especially for the week I’ve undertaken this 30/30 challenge. To celebrate we got iced coffee, then placed out first caches out in the wild. One of which is a wooden “container” (holding a 35mm film canister) made to blend in with the woods it’s hidden in. My fellow cachers have to use their GPS to get in the vicinity, use their powers of observation to actually detect the container, and sign the tiny log book inside. Think responsible woodland graffitti “I was here”, but without harming the area, and typically leaving the area a little cleaner than you found it.

So, while the dictum is, no photo it didn’t happen, you’ll have to take my word for it when I say I took some maple off the turning pile, chucked it up on the lathe, made a container out of it, and set it free. (Cause if a Lumberjock says it’s so, it’s so.)...

well, actually you don’t have to take my word for it… a couple of quotes from those who’ve already found it.

Loved the hide.
Enjoyed the container.
….nice hide which might stick out like a sore thumb during daylight, but tonight I just felt lucky. Thanks for a great addition along the trail!
My sisters were too loud

these, the actual listing, and ever more comments here

—

Aaaaand… my Milo pen was featured as one of 15 good fathers Day gift ideas (found on Etsy) on Grungezombie

Very nice.

—
7 days in, 11 projects done (total). 3 weeks to go!

Well, we won’t be seeing any more cigar pens this month. Hawaiian or otherwise. Not because I think your sick of pens pens pens, or I’m getting bored with them, I just dont have any more. So, now you know what you wont be seeing… but what else will you be seeing???

Well, I’m heading back down to the shop tonight to get a jump on a couple other (non-pen related) projects… and maybe prep some more pen blanks too! Ha! Time will tell.