scottishrose

I'm just starting out on my real woodworking journey. It took me three months cleaning out the garage till I could find the workbench and I knew there was a radial arm saw back there somewhere. It's still back there but accessable now and I found a couple of other treasures I didn't expect - a jigsaw and a belt sander that I didn't know existed. These were my dads, but he died of altzhiemers about 13 years ago and my mother sold most of the tools we had. I have been trying to collect enough to get going on my own as well as lerning to do the basics to get me started. I have done some wood carving and inherited quite a few woodcarving and hand tools from my grandfather - they all are in need of sharpening! The plans for the immediate future are a simple drawing table and chair - which should have been finished this week, but seems that setting up all the tools takes a lot more time than I have scheduled. After that I need to build my two rabbits, Rowan and Rhiannah a mondo - condo 6 feet x 39" by three stories.

I have drawn out plans for a new tv shelf/bookshelf/media storage cabinet in the mission style, a matching corner cupboard and a desk with a roll our cart that fits under it when not in use to conserve on space that is to holds file drawers, printer, printer paper, books, and the top will fold out to create more work space when I need it. These three projects I have drawn out in the mission style with leaded glass doors. Tonight I discovered the work of Harvey Ellis who worked for Stickley. I love his designs! it seems I am going to have to rethink some of the elements of those three projects. I was planning to do them out of oak as that is the usual wood for Mission style that I have seen but Cherry is really my favorite. Now tonight I discovered that Cherry was used a lot in Mission furniture - well at least some of the later stuff, so I might just go with cherry and really have what I like when I'm finished.

This summer I took a class in stained glass and just finished my first stained glass window - have to get that miter saw bolted down so I can make the frame and get it hung. I do like the marriage of glass and wood. Now that I discovered Harvey Ellis, looks like I'm going to have to learn how to do inlay too.
It's a good thing that I like to learn new things, just not enough time to get them all together into the projects I have in my head. I started sharpening my grandfather's old chisels so I could lern to do hand cut dovetails. My carpentry teacher said the only way to learn is practice just like when you were learning cursive. Oh, that and a Lie Nielson dovetail saw which costs quite a lot - guess I'll have to ask my secret santa for that only there's a $100 limit at Christmas. Guess a gift card would help. In the mean time I did buy one of those Japanese dove tail saws and so I could start practicing those dove tails, just pull instead of push on the saw. The chisel work will be the same whatever saw I use as long as I can cut the lines straight. I really like the feel of a really sharp chisel on wood! Alas I have quite a bit of arthritis so I won't be going all the way Roy Underhill, Most of the work is going to have to get done a' le Norm
Scottishrose