# Fantasy Football Trophy a la Lombardi



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

*Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*

Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:


















So i peeled the bark off with a Witherby drawknife once belonging to my grandfather.










Drew the outline of the correct diamter of an NFL football (8.95") and a shaving i kept going.










Once i got it to the proper size i started tapering the ends by drawing consecutively smaller circles on the butt ends. Here is where it stands as of today. Still got quite a bit of work to do but im givin it hell with the hope that it might someday resemble the picture i have in my head.


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## flippedcracker (Sep 7, 2011)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


this should be interesting.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


u betcha cracker .. how bout them chiefs gettin off the schnide this week. We actually looked like a football team. All it took was Haley calling Cassell a few inappropriate terms and he was a man on a mission.


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## steviep (Feb 25, 2011)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


Looking good chris, or as coach Haley wood say "Chris- you stupid [email protected]#$!

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F#$%@&, get your a$$ in gear and #$%
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##^#$%^#

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#%&)^&#
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#$^"

or somethng like that.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


Looks good!


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## spunwood (Aug 20, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


lookin good….show the draw knife please.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


Once i get home this evening ill get you a closer pic of that drawknife spun. It's a TH Witherby, originally manufactured in winsted CT somewhere around 1912 i believe.

My hopes arent that high on this but you never know whats gonna happen. Its my first attempt at using a drawknife, making a cylindrical object, and using a spokeshave for fine tunings.

Thanks for the kind words all …


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


Its in there!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


Here ya go spun


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

chrisstef said:


> *Draw Knifin' and Rough Shapin'*
> 
> Well i posted about 2 weeks back that i was interested in creating a replica of the Lombardi Trophy which is given to the super bowl winner every year in the NFL. I got abunch of great replies as to how i should tackle this with the limited amount of tools that i have. I chose to take the hard route of course. So courtesy of Hurricane Irene and a downed maple brach ive got my stock:
> 
> ...


It's gonna be epic. Nice drawknife. THW boy here. Nice work!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

*Hogging Away At It*

Well with the emminent demise of my fantasy football team due to the dreaded "Madden Curse" i've dedicated a bit more time to the trophy which will not adorn the walls of my house once the season is over. ( For those who follow the NFL my starting running backs were Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.)

The draw knife got to be tough going once the angle of the football became steeper so i switched to using hand planes. My #5 did most of the dirty work, with the iron extended quite a bit i was able to "roll it over" and create the tapering a football has from end to end. I cleaned it up a little bit further with a #4, and using a carboard template i tried to keep the shape consistent.

Here it is …










and here is why my arms are sore …


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Hogging Away At It*
> 
> Well with the emminent demise of my fantasy football team due to the dreaded "Madden Curse" i've dedicated a bit more time to the trophy which will not adorn the walls of my house once the season is over. ( For those who follow the NFL my starting running backs were Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.)
> 
> ...


Hey, that looks like a football. That grain is going to look nice with finish. My wifes team went up in flames this weekend too.


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## Sodabowski (Aug 23, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Hogging Away At It*
> 
> Well with the emminent demise of my fantasy football team due to the dreaded "Madden Curse" i've dedicated a bit more time to the trophy which will not adorn the walls of my house once the season is over. ( For those who follow the NFL my starting running backs were Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.)
> 
> ...


Nice pile'o'shavings, your shop's floor looks as if Santa went for a haircut there


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Hogging Away At It*
> 
> Well with the emminent demise of my fantasy football team due to the dreaded "Madden Curse" i've dedicated a bit more time to the trophy which will not adorn the walls of my house once the season is over. ( For those who follow the NFL my starting running backs were Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.)
> 
> ...


It coming along a little better than i had expected. Ive got a little bit of checking starting to go on but im not terribly concerned. Its more of a goof than a fine piece of furniture. If i can get my spokeshave tuned up properly that will be my next move to smooth out the surface, if not, on to the belt sander.


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

chrisstef said:


> *Hogging Away At It*
> 
> Well with the emminent demise of my fantasy football team due to the dreaded "Madden Curse" i've dedicated a bit more time to the trophy which will not adorn the walls of my house once the season is over. ( For those who follow the NFL my starting running backs were Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.)
> 
> ...


Wow you did that by hand? I am amazed at the symmetry you were able to achieve. great work!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Hogging Away At It*
> 
> Well with the emminent demise of my fantasy football team due to the dreaded "Madden Curse" i've dedicated a bit more time to the trophy which will not adorn the walls of my house once the season is over. ( For those who follow the NFL my starting running backs were Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.)
> 
> ...


Thanks Mauricio. Indeed it was done by hand, my #5 didnt like it but it got the job done. I could hear the iron begging for mercy. "Im supposed to be used on flat surfaces" .... "Suck it up Groz, youre a dog anyway" .... "fine (pouting)"


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

chrisstef said:


> *Hogging Away At It*
> 
> Well with the emminent demise of my fantasy football team due to the dreaded "Madden Curse" i've dedicated a bit more time to the trophy which will not adorn the walls of my house once the season is over. ( For those who follow the NFL my starting running backs were Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.)
> 
> ...


LOL, and a Groz to boot, even more admirable.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

*The Game Saver*

6 weeks left of the fantasy football season and its looks like im out of the playoffs. Barring a miracle ill be watching from the sidelines. If you've followed my last posts i took a chunk of fallen maple and, by hand, drawknived, planed, shaved, and shaped that log into a football. Well then i ran into a problem … my freshly fallen log had started to crack, check, and split.










Then, coming in off the bench, the LJ faithful 34,000 strong, bail me out of another problem. We determined that the first step was to dry it out. I slowly dried the football in the microwave for 3 minute intervals and over the span of 3 days i got the weight to remain consistent.

Then it was on to filling those cracks. I jammed some cedar shims into the gaps adhering them with CA glue. Taping it off with some painters tape to prevent the CA glue form getting all over.










Then onto the epoxy filler. I chose Quikwood readily available at WC. It comes in tootsie roll form just mush it together until the color is consistent and its ready to use. 2 days dry time, a quick sanding with some 150, and good as new.


















Next game update will feature creating the seams of the football and making the laces.


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *The Game Saver*
> 
> 6 weeks left of the fantasy football season and its looks like im out of the playoffs. Barring a miracle ill be watching from the sidelines. If you've followed my last posts i took a chunk of fallen maple and, by hand, drawknived, planed, shaved, and shaped that log into a football. Well then i ran into a problem … my freshly fallen log had started to crack, check, and split.
> 
> ...


Thats going to look good. Have you designed the base yet?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *The Game Saver*
> 
> 6 weeks left of the fantasy football season and its looks like im out of the playoffs. Barring a miracle ill be watching from the sidelines. If you've followed my last posts i took a chunk of fallen maple and, by hand, drawknived, planed, shaved, and shaped that log into a football. Well then i ran into a problem … my freshly fallen log had started to crack, check, and split.
> 
> ...


Dan, I havent gotten around to the base yet but i was thinking of using some sort of cradle to hold it horizontally. I should have some shop time next weekend after Thanksgiving.

Im actually toying with the idea of using that stripe that you see in the last pic as part of the laces, making it kind of abstract and off center … much like all the guys in our fantasy football league coincidentally.

Thanks for looking.


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## spunwood (Aug 20, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *The Game Saver*
> 
> 6 weeks left of the fantasy football season and its looks like im out of the playoffs. Barring a miracle ill be watching from the sidelines. If you've followed my last posts i took a chunk of fallen maple and, by hand, drawknived, planed, shaved, and shaped that log into a football. Well then i ran into a problem … my freshly fallen log had started to crack, check, and split.
> 
> ...


Wow..great job. love the wood choice…lots of work though, eh?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *The Game Saver*
> 
> 6 weeks left of the fantasy football season and its looks like im out of the playoffs. Barring a miracle ill be watching from the sidelines. If you've followed my last posts i took a chunk of fallen maple and, by hand, drawknived, planed, shaved, and shaped that log into a football. Well then i ran into a problem … my freshly fallen log had started to crack, check, and split.
> 
> ...


Spun, thanks for the kudos. It has been a ton of work id say about 12-14 hours into it so far but it occupies my idle time and takes the brain away from the office so its worth it. The wood choice was pure luck of the draw. It was a fallen branch off a maple tree in my yard and just happened to be the closest in diameter to what i was lookin for.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

*Laces Out !!*

Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.

Next up was to make the laces. I had a scrap piece of sapele kicking around so i sliced off 2 pieces about 1/16" thick on the band saw so it was pliable enough to bend and CA glue to the ball.










Once the CA glue had set i took some more sapele and routed out a 3/4" wide x 3/16" deep dado down the middle. And with a thin kerf hand saw i cut them into 1/4" pieces and glued them over the thin strips to create the laces.










As of right now the football is totally finished … but youre all gonna have to wait until tomorrow for those pictures because im off to watch my high school alma mater play in their first football playoff semi-final game. GO EAGLES!


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


Looks great!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


thanks danno! BTW Holy Crosss (Waterbury)and Ansonia is also in the semi finals game today. The NVL is puttin it on the rest of the state!


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


How did Crosby do? Crosby vs Kennedy? Ansonia always did. Good to hear HC is in the hunt.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


Crosby lost to Kennedy on Turkey Day .. heres a link to highlights .. http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2011/12/04/redzone/videos/doc4ecf08b618ecd661292662.txt

Ansonia trounced who ever they played. Their sophomore running back now has 59 touchdowns on the year, a new state record. If they did have the 50 point rule that kid would scored 100 touchdowns no joke, i bet he saw the second half of games once in 12 games. Akeel Newsome is his name.

Holy Cross won on a pick 6 from the 1 yard line and advance to the finals.

Wolcott was dominated 35-0 against Ledyard. We unfortunately got outcoached on this one but made it to the playoffs for the first time and even won a thriller that went into OT in the pouring rain against Ellington in the first round.

And there ya go folks, your NVL playoff wrap up.


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## Northwest29 (Aug 1, 2011)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


Very cool job. You might be able to take a finishing nail punch and make the 'dimples' of the pigskin, but that would drive you insane, and be - WAY OVER - the top. (-: Great job without a lathe!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


Thanks Northwest. Ya know some one said early on in the blog that i should chip carve the grain of the leather, and it garnered the same reaction both times; me almost throwing up laughing. I bet the wife would let me sit on the couch and do it "ill just vaccuum up all the chips honey". I dont mind givin myself a good beatin once in a while but i just think it would be like you said, torture.

BTW, theres a shot of the finished football in the projects page. Thanks for lookin.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


This is great. I love it. Very nice job.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


Thanks Snowy, comin for you it means quite a bit to me. Theres a finished pic somewhere in my projects file. I had a real blast with this one. Unfortunately i have to part with it next week to the league champ. Here's hopin for next year.


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## NateMeadows (May 11, 2012)

chrisstef said:


> *Laces Out !!*
> 
> Here's the latest and greatest adventure in football making. I created the seams around the football by marking straight line around the football, sawing a thin kerf with a gent's saw, and then tilting a 1/8" chisel at a 45 degree angle and paring away a small amount of material.
> 
> ...


This was an awesome project and it sounds like you learned a ton! Seriously well done!

Nate


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

*And That's a Wrap*










I just realized that i had never posted a final pic of the completed trophy for our fantasy football league. Here's the final stats:

Football - Fallen maple log from my yard.
Pyramid: Reclaimed SYP beam.
Base: Reclaimed Red Oak.
FFL Logo: Woodburned Sapele.

The trophy will be passed to each years winner and brass name plates will be installed around the base with the team name and the owners name forever etched in fantasy football folklore.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
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Awesome!


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
> 
> 
> 
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Ok, I have to ask…will there be a silimar trophy for our 2013 March Madness tourney?

I think if I had a trophy like that to shoot for I might make more careful picks next time.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Were gonna see how it goes barecycles. I would love to do one but id have to take shipping into account. Also the wife and i have a little one on the way (t minus 72 hours actually) so my commitments be a changin.

We will rock another tourney challenge tho …. Maybe we should start campaigning now


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## barecycles (Jan 10, 2012)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
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Blessings on the arrival of a little LJ!


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
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> 
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so where'd you hide the crack


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
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Ben- im not gonna be the guy that rekindles your addiction so i wont tell u where the crack is.

You can see a bit on the bottom ledt but most of it is hidden on the back of the football.


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
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Very nice, I love the character in the wood. That thing had to be a pain to clamp still while you worked on it.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

chrisstef said:


> *And That's a Wrap*
> 
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> 
> ...


Thanks buddy. It was a nightmare to clamp down. I used all kinds of scraps, wedges, and c clamps to keep it put while shaving / planing / butchering it. This year we are going to add name plaques around the base for the last 6 years winners.

I just realized how crappy that pic is. Thanks for reviving my post Maur.


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