WDDSr Fine Woodworks

Still Kicking

2012-01-18T15:57:00.005-06:00

It has been a terrible winter for me. I don't mind the cold, if it gets cold and stays cold. This Mississippi winter though has been a roller coaster ride for temperatures though, and that keeps me in terrible pain all the time. So I haven't really done any of my normal project all winter. Well, I've done nothing since my last post actually.
I've gotten emails lately though. First of all, thank you all for your concerns about my well being. Because of you readers who have emailed me, I thought that it was time to post to let you all know that I'm still kicking. As soon as things get back to normal for me, I'll be posting again. I promise.
In the meantime though, let me show you a couple things I have been working on.
This picture shows the type of stove we did have in our house. It is the insert type that goes into the counter top. Then we had a small oven that fits into the wall, or wall of a cabinet actually. Anyway, the one in the photo is the second one since we moved into this house. Just like the first one, the heating elements have started failing on it. We hate replacing it, because they are not cheap.
Also, my wife absolutely hated the oven. It was simply too small. As most of you know, my wife and I have eight kids, seven still living at home. When my wife cooks, she doesn't cook snacks. She needed a full size oven.

So anyway, we got a full size stove, with full size oven, and ceramic top, a feature my wife had been wanting. I got the stove to my shop and had it sitting there, still in the box. My plan was to do it in the spring when I feel better. I could tell every time she walked by that box though that she couldn't wait to get her full size stove in.

So, after some cabinet butchering, I, along with some help, got it in. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. The hardest part of the job was fixing some wiring issues. The old stove was straight wired, and after disconnecting it, the line wasn't long enough to reach and install a plug for the full size stove.

The stove job is not finished. As you can see in the photo, I still have to trim around the stove area. Also, the now disconnected oven still has to be removed and I will be refinishing that cabinet area to make use of the hole where the oven is now. She has her stove where she can use it though. The rest of it can wait until a pretty spring weekend when my older sons are off work and can help me.

The other project I've been working on off and on, as my health allows, is a wooden band saw.

Now I know when someone thinks of a shop made tools such as this, they probably think it's something thrown together that isn't safe or accurate. If there are any doubts though, you can go here and check out finished photos and videos of what we're building.

I say "we're", because there is actually two of them being built in my shop. I got into this with a friend of mine from Clinton, Mississippi. He's the one who first proposed the idea. I was skeptical at first. However, after going and researching the guy who designed this, I felt it was worth my time.

I have wanted a good band saw for some time that was capable of resawing wide lumber. This will save me time, work, and money. However, a factory made band saw of this size can run upwards of a thousand bucks, easy. When we finally complete these, I feel we'll have something that is as good, or better, than anything we could have bought, and we'll each have a little over a hundred bucks in it. That price does not include wood because, between the two of us, we had enough wood to build them.

This is something we are putting a lot of time into. The guy who designed this built his out of mostly spruce. Ours are going to be done in all red oak. When we're done though, we both want a band saw that will do what we want and still be around one day for our grandkids to say, "my grandfather built that".

Happy Holidays

2011-11-22T09:47:00.002-06:00

I wish to take this moment to wish you all a very happy holidays. This includes Thanksgiving and Christmas. What I am about to post is not meant to offend anyone. It is coming from my heart and stem purely from my personal beliefs. If you are offended by religion, please, stop reading now. I'd rather you not read my words than to be offended by my religious beliefs. I am in no way offended by anybody else's beliefs, or lack thereof. All I ask in return is that exact same tolerance and freedom to express mine.
THANKSGIVING
As you sit down to you Thanksgiving feast this year, please say a prayer and give thanks for all that you have in your life. We enjoy the food, the family, and the good memories. That's what we take from this holiday. Leave something too though. Leave thanks for what you have.
I'm not talking about material things either. Some of us sometimes forget what is important in life. We focus on material possessions, cars, houses, and the latest and greatest technologies so much that we forget that these things mean nothing in this short thing we call life. I forget too sometimes that I am the richest man in the world. I don't have a lot of money. I don't drive a new car. I rent my house. I am by no measuring stick financially rich. I have a loving wife though and eight kids. That, my friends, by my own measuring stick, makes me the richest man in the world. For that, I give thanks this year.
There was a time when I never wanted to settle down and get married. I definitely didn't want kids. I was worried about my next dollar, my next drink, my next smoke, my next whatever material thing that I needed at the time to fill my empty soul. None of it ever made me happy though. Then God blessed me with a very large family through the course of life and its unexpected twists and turns. It's taken a long hard road to get to where I am today. At least half my life is gone and I can now look around me and see what is truly important, family.
So, if you have little else but family this year, stop what you are doing. Watch that family. If there are kids, just stop everything else. Put the cell phone or computer down. Watch the kids play. If they come up to you, look deep into their eyes and see the love and admiration there. See that, for this very short time, you are their everything, their world. Enjoy this before it's too late, because it doesn't last forever. Be thankful for here, now, and the things that truly make life worth living. It will all be gone in a whisper, but thank God I have them right now.
CHRISTMAS
Did you notice that I highlighted Christ in that word above? I done so because I believe that is the true meaning of Christmas. I am not a fanatic who judge people badly because do the whole Santa Claus bit. It's fun for the kids. I have decorations right now in my yard I have been putting up. Out there, you'll see Santa Claus, snowmen, reindeer, the whole bit. My favorite decoration though is the nativity scene. It is a reminder of what is quickly being lost with today's commercialized Christmas.
If you are of the same beliefs as I, take time this Christmas to pray. Remember what Christmas was supposed to represent. It is a celebration. Overlook all the signs you'll surely see with Christ crossed out of the holiday name. Forget about the people who celebrate a religious holiday for reasons that ave nothing at all to do with religion. Remember the words. It is not our duty to judge or dictate. However, it is our duty to educate.
For the last three years I have had at least one of my kids come to me and ask the true meaning of Christmas. I am thrilled that I can sit down and explain this to them. I pray that one day they will tell their own kids. By that time, there may be little or no mention of Christ or Jesus when talking about holidays. In the present, you can still go into stores and see the word Christmas, but notice how quickly it is disappearing in favor of signs that say only Xmas, or Holidays. For those of you who believe in CHRISTMAS though, don't forget that if we don't do our job and educate our little one's, this too, will be lost in time.

Between health issues and just not being able to stay caught up lately, I have not worked on a woodworking project in over a week. What little I may or may not do between now and the first of the year will be based on my health and time, and will not be much I'm afraid. So I do want to take this time to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.
If I do have any small project, or projects send by readers, such as Willy B., I will post them. Other than that, I hope all of you who send me the kind emails will continue reading in 2012. Thank you for reading. You are welcome to click on the comment button below and leave a comment. This is something I really want to work on more, is getting reader's to participate in my blog more. While I deeply appreciate all your kind emails, if you really want to help me, I encourage all readers to comment more on my posts publicly. It is easy to do. All you have to do is click below any post that interests you. It is the spot where it lists the number of comments, which currently is usually zero. You can even leave a comment as anonymous if you do not have a google account.

The Lord's Prayer Plaque

2011-11-15T21:36:00.005-06:00

The Lord's Prayer plaque is another from The Berry Basket website. You can find the plans for it here if you'd like to make your own.

It measures twenty three inches wide and twenty eight inches tall. It is made out of cottonwood except for the accent pieces, which are made of mahogany. The backer board is stained with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. The scroll work, lettering, and accent pieces are glued one. Then the entire project is finished with Minwax Clear Gloss Lacquer.

I did make a change to this plaque from the design. The angels that are supposed to adorn the side trim look real pretty on paper, but not so much after I cut them. That happens sometimes in scrolling. So I cut some different angels out of a pattern book I have. I didn't like the way they fit with the rest of the plaque though. So I wound up in the end making some simple crosses for the project. Sometimes, in my opinion, simple works best.

Kleenex Box Holder

2011-11-15T21:29:00.006-06:00

Here is a Kleenex Box Holder that was made by our friend Willy B.

He made it for his mother-in-law. It is made out of quarter inch oak plywood. It is lined in pink. He got the pattern from Wildwood Designs.

Thank you for showing us more of your work Willy. I sure appreciate your participation in contributing to my blog. Send more projects any time you like.

John 3:16 Plaque

2011-11-05T21:04:00.005-05:00

This is another plaque from the Berry Basket Collection. You can order the plans for it here. It is twenty two inches tall at the middle, and twenty three inches wide. When you order the plans for this, they come in PDF format for easy printing and are instantly available at the time of payment. So there is no waiting anxiously for hard copies to come in the mail. All the patterns are drawn full size. All you have to do is print off the file and go to work.

The plaque is made entirely of cottonwood. The backer board is stained with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. The border pieces and wording is then cut and glued to the backer board. The entire thing is then finished with Minwax Gloss Lacquer.

This is my second plaque in this style. I recently completed the Psalms plaque. I still have two more that I ordered to cut. These are time consuming project. They are worth it though. As designed, they are well thought out. Most of that time is spent at the scroll saw actually cutting. So I like them. Some long projects effect me in a negative way. I love projects that are time consuming at the scroll saw. That is something I can do.

First Fathers

2011-10-31T22:04:00.006-05:00

This portrait, titled First Fathers, is a Jeff Zaffino design. The pattern can be purchased here. It is 11x17" as ordered. I scanned it on the computer and enlarged it to 18x22". I made the frames for this portrait out of white oak.

If anyone would like to know how I enlarge patterns, post in the comments and I will post and entry on how I do it. There are many way to accomplish this. As a matter of fact, most people reading this probably know of better ways than I do get it done. I use a vector based program called Inkscape. If there is interest in it though, I would be glad to point people in the right direction for instructional videos on how to enlarge patterns using Inkscape.

Boat Shelves

2011-10-26T15:32:00.009-05:00

This project is a major deviation from my normal routine. First of all, I used the band saw and table saw, but not the scroll saw. Those who keep up with my blog know that I normally figure out a way to use the scroll saw on everything, but not this time. Also, the majority of these are covered in paint. I do not like paint, at all. I use a lot of stain and clear finishes. I have a dislike for paint though.

This four piece set is surprisingly easy to build. They are made from three quarter inch stock and quarter inch plywood. The largest is six feet tall. The smallest one, the curio cabinet style that is designed to hang on the wall, is twenty two inches tall.

If you'd like to build one of these, or all of them, you can order the plans separately or as a set from here. I was going to order just the largest one, but after figuring it up decided it was such a good deal to order the whole set, I figure why not?

The hardest part of building these is coaxing the plywood around the curve of the bottom. After learning from the first one though, the rest were a breeze. I glued and nailed it at the bow of the boat. Then I went and had coffee while giving the glue time to set up and hold it in place. Then I came back and started gluing and nailing while working my way to the transom end. Doing it this way, everything fell right into place with no problems.

I finished the rails and insides with Minwax polyurethane. I let this set overnight and then came back and painted the outside of the boat with interior latex paint.

Canadian Beer Cap Table

2011-10-25T20:35:00.008-05:00

Our friend Willy B. appears to have been missing in action for a while. So I was delighted when I saw a message from him. Then I opened the message, downloaded the photos and my delight turned to amazement. I quit drinking years ago. I never thought I'd ever say this, but maybe I need to start back to drinking, Canadian beer, because I want one of these.

Willy B. build this from a plan he seen in Wood Magazine. He modified the top to accommodate the bottle caps upon which he poured liquid plastic over to create a clear, smooth top. He said his sons collected all the bottle caps for him while in the Navy.

The table is made entirely of red oak. The legs can be removed from the table, as they are held on with bolts. The lower part of the legs are four separate pieces that are mitered to look like they are one solid piece.

The last photo shows how the legs are designed to hold a glass or can so it doesn't get knocked off the table. I don't know if this is Willy's design or originally in the plan, but I think it needs to be made taller so that bottles will fit. How else are you going to save enough caps to build another table?

Willy, this is an amazing piece you've created here. Thank you so much for sending the photos. You are welcome to send more any time you want. I am more than happy to feature them here. You do some amazing work.

Serenity

2011-10-19T19:55:00.004-05:00

"Serenity" is actually originally named "Solitude" from the pattern supplier. However, I find serenity more fitting. You can buy the pattern for it here. It is supposed to be an 11x14" portrait. I enlarged it to be 17x24".

I stack cut this one like I normally do and created three separate portraits. However, I did change something up on this one. I've had some large pieces of white oak under my work bench for some time and haven't really had a need for it. Since I keep bumping into this wood though, I decided to put some of it to use. I made white oak frames for this one. The wood really surprised me. It is so much different in my opinion to work with than red oak.

This portrait went pretty quickly. It only took me about an hour and a half to cut it. It was a delicate piece though. It got very fragile along the thin line of wood that is left between the mountain scene and the reflection on the water area. To make sure I didn't break it, I cut out the reflective part first. I then taped the cut out piece back into the portrait for stability while I cut the mountain part. After that, I just had to be particular careful when sanding everything and framing it.

If I ever cut this one again, I think I will take the time to find a more stable wood to use than luan plywood. While luan is what I always use, it can be nerve racking on fragile pieces such as this one.

Guardian Angel

2011-10-17T22:05:00.004-05:00

The Guardian Angel portrait pattern can be purchased here. It is sold as an 11x14 pattern. However, I scanned it and increased the size to 14x17.

Like most of my portrait style cuttings, it is framed in a mahogany frame. It is cut from luan plywood and put over a painted background.

A Subtle Change

2011-10-12T19:07:00.002-05:00

Today, I got the second email since I started the blog about someone having difficulties seeing links. One complaint I usually let go unless I can obviously see a problem. With two complaints though, it is time to do something. So, on that note, I had to do some reading. I really had no idea how to fix this problem. I am not so great at website problems. After trying to find a solution for some time, I contacted a guy I know that knows a lot more than I about this. He told me how to fix it and I felt like an idiot when I realized how simply this was accomplished.
So, you may notice that the links are now highlighted in blue.
This means that anything you now see in blue, you can click on to be taken to wherever I linked it too. I provide links when I can to direct people where to get patterns. For example, one of my favorite places to purchase patterns is Wildwood Designs. One of my favorite sources for free patterns is Scrollsaw Workshop. My favorite designer is Dirk Boelman. See how much easier it is to see the links now?
I hope this helps people. Thank you for letting me know. If anyone else has any suggestions, ever, to make my blog better, please let me know.

23rd Psalms Plaque

2011-10-11T18:58:00.004-05:00

This is a plaque of the 23rd Psalms, 1-6. It is made of cottonwood except for the four accent pieces, which are made of mahogany. The backer board is stained with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. Then the entire plaque is finished with Minwax Clear Gloss lacquer.

This plaque measures two feet wide and thirty one inches tall. It is a very time consuming project. However, I found great peace in slowly cutting the words out of such a powerful scripture. Each line of text is cut out individually and then glued to the backer board. I often make more than one project at a time by stack cutting. The lettering on this project is so fragile though, that it is only feasible to do one at a time.

I found the pattern for this project here at the Berry Basket website. This was my first time ordering from this company. The pattern is well designed. It was reasonable priced. The thing I liked best about this company though is the fact that I did not have to wait for my patterns to arrived in the mail. Often I order patterns and just about drive myself crazy with anticipation until they arrive. From this company, you have the option of receiving your patterns online in PDF format.

"The Coast" Coffee Table

2011-10-04T07:00:00.011-05:00

We all love our Moms. Well I wanted to make something with a lighthouse theme for my Mom because she likes them. I was looking for a good pattern when I run across this on the Scroller Ltd. site. You can find the plans for it here if you'd like to build this project yourself.

The table is made out of mahogany. The scenic top is made out of mahogany, oak, cottonwood, and pine. It is made in layers to give it a 3D effect. You can look at my last entry to see the progression of how the layers go together.

I redesigned this table from the plans that were purchased. The plans outline a very well built table. However, I need this to be under a certain size and to be able to be disassembled in order to be transported all the way back to Georgia over the Thanksgiving holidays. Also, I have a temporary lid over the top made out of cottonwood and mahogany with plexi-glass in it. After my parents get it home, they will have to get a piece of plate glass to go on top of it instead of this lid.
For finishing, I finished the scenic top with Polycrylic. I used this because the blue on it was achieved with water based Minwax stain. I needed a water based topcoat to go over this. The rest of the table is finished with five coats of Zinsser clear shellac.

A Colossal Coastal Project

2011-09-29T07:19:00.012-05:00

I haven't posted anything new in a little while. Things have been moving at a snail's pace for me as of late. So I thought I would show you all what I have been working on, slowly but surely.
My Mom likes lighthouses. She lives in another state. I know I'll be seeing her soon and wanted to make her something. I was looking at some of my favorite websites for patterns for a lighthouse portrait to cut when I came across this project. It is called "The Coast" coffee table. You can see or order the plans here at Scroller.
I am making a couple of changes to the project. My Mom and Dad will be visiting in a car and I have to make sure it will be able to be placed in their back seat to make the long trip back to their home. I done the most time consuming part of the coffee table first, making the multi-layered top. The top will be built in layers which will be visible under glass. This will allow the glass to serve as a flat top while showing a 3D appearing coastal scene under it. I guess it is easier to show than explain. So here it is.
The first layer is just a flat piece of wood that I have stained blue with Minwax tinted water based stain. To make sure this stays flat to be a good base for the top, I glued and nailed firring strips on the bottom.
The next layer is made of cottonwood and pine. It includes the light house sitting on cliffs with the sun, clouds, sun and ripples on the water.

Then the next layer is the cliffs in the foreground, a tree, a sail boat, and some of the birds. This layer is cottonwood, pine, and mahogany.
The top layer consists of the rest of the birds, and the posts in front of the foregrounds cliffs. This layer is made of mahogany, oak and cottonwood.

After the top layer is done, a ridge has to built up all the way around to support the wood that will go on top of all this that the glass will sit on.

So this is what my little bit of shop time has been spent on as of late. I will be back to show you the finished coffee table when I can get it done. I hope you all enjoyed the preview.

Unicorn Portait

2011-09-14T14:52:00.004-05:00

This is another Charles Dearing design. It is cut in plywood and framed in custom made mahogany frames. Each one measure twenty two inches wide and twenty five inches tall in its frame.

Violin Trinket Box

2011-09-08T08:10:00.007-05:00

It's been rough going as of late. I think my last project kind of got me down. While I had a ball building and testing the Rubber Band Gatling Gun, there was so much standing upright in one spot with the build and the testing phase of it, that I'm blaming that for my recent pain. I know the weather is changing too this time of year, but I don't want to think about that at the moment. So I'll blame it on the project if you don't mind.

I was going nuts without my daily dose of sawdust though, so on to my newest project.

I wanted something to do that would allow me to take it easy on my back. I chose this out of an issue of Scrollsaw Woodworking & Crafts. It is on page fifty six of the Fall 2011 issue.

This one is not one I would recommend for someone to build if they're have intentions of selling their work. It took me a little over five hours to build it and the last photo shows how small it is. I don't think anyone would actually pay enough for this piece to justify five hours of work. It is a nice little box though. I gave this one to my wife.

The box and top is made out of mahogany. The neck and bridge is made out of walnut. I finished it all with Watco Danish Oil. Looking at it now, I don't think I actually like the green strings, but that was the only wire I had around the shop small enough to serve this purpose at the moment that I needed it.

Rubber Band Gatling Gun

2011-08-31T09:22:00.007-05:00

This is one of those projects that I have just wanted to do for a long time and kept putting it off. For ages I have happened across videos and photos all over the internet of these type toys and they have always peaked my interest. So I finally caved in and order the plans from here. I have seen a lot of others that looked more complicated. This site is where I remembered first seeing and entertaining this idea from though. So that is the source I decided to go back to when I was ready to purchase plans.

It is not a hard build. It is kind of aggravating to get it fine tuned to work just right. As a matter of fact, although I'm posting it now, it is still not completely finished. It still wants to hang up every now and then. I am not sure if it's the angle of the trip rod or something else. When it does hang up, it is no big deal. It'll just miss a rubber band or two. When you're loaded completely, with one hundred bands though, one or two doesn't make too much difference. I will go back at a later date and do some more fine tuning. However, for now, every time I mess with it, I get too busy playing with it to mess with the fine tuning to much degree.

I have only found one drawback to this toy. That is that it take between twenty and thirty minutes to load it. Then it takes two to four seconds to empty it of all one hundred rubber bands. It is fun though.

Mahogany Chest With Cedar Lining

2011-08-25T20:26:00.009-05:00

I have been wanting to build this project again. I built one last Christmas season for my daughter out of solid aromatic cedar. I didn't have enough cedar for another just like it, so this one is mahogany with aromatic cedar lining.

While I wouldn't suggest this project to a beginner, it is not that difficult of one to do. A good table saw makes it a fairly doable project though for the novice woodworker with minimum scroll sawing skills. The plans can be purchased from Wildwood Designs here.

The shell of this one is made of solid mahogany. The front, sides, lid, and floor are lined with aromatic cedar. The plans give one scroll work panel design for the front and sides, and another one for the top. I wanted them all the same, so I just picked out my favorite of the two.

The Old Grist Mill

2011-08-22T22:30:00.004-05:00

This is another Charles Dearing Pattern. It is an old Grist Mill. It took me longer to cut this one than most of the portraits I normally do because of all the detail in it. It was well worth it in my opinion though. The detail is what makes this portrait so nice to look at.

I went a completely different route than my usual on the frames for these. I used construction grade pine two by fours to make the frames. You'll notice some nail holes in some spots. Normally, nail holes in wood tags it for the fire place. It fit nicely though for the old, but new, look I was going for with these. After constructing the frames, I stained them with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. As I brushed the stain on, I came right behind it wiping it down with a rag. This is a technique I discovered by pure accident long time ago. Then after the stain was dry, I finished them with Polycrylic. I like polycrylic for something such as this because it offers a protective finish without adding too much of a shine to it.

The first photo is the cutting painted gray over a black background. The second one is luan over a black background. The last on is plain plywood over a gray background. My original intention was for the plain plywood one to be the gray painted cutting. However, after finishing it and standing back for a look, I liked the wavy grain look on it so much that I left it alone and painted one of the luan cuttings instead.

I hope most of you haven't gotten completely tired of all the portrait style cuttings as of late. I have been going through a rough time lately with my back pain issues. I promise that as soon as I am up to it I will tackle something with more structure to it. For the time being though, I am having to stick to projects I can do that involve less standing. I have my Delta scroll saw, that I do portraits on, set up so I can cut with it sitting in a chair.

Grizzly

2011-08-18T19:20:00.005-05:00

After playing with the colors of the cutting on my last two portrait style cuttings, I wanted to do some playing with the background colors as well. Most of my portraits have a simple gloss black background which I accomplish by simply spray painting a piece of wood to back up the cutting with. I have done backgrounds with colors other than black. I wanted to take it a step further. What about a background with two different colors?

When I thought of this, it wasn't hard to make the jump to doing so with an appropriate pattern and simply mask off half the backer board and spray black on half of the board, over the blue. This created a black colored bear, with blue mountain and river details behind him. I really like how this turned out and will be trying to think of new ways to play around with colors in future portrait style cuttings.

Cowboys And Indians

2011-08-18T18:30:00.009-05:00

Both of these patterns are designed by Charles Dearing.

I stack cut three of each of these two patterns. I decided to try something different though and play around with coloring styles. If you look closely, these were stack cut, so each are cut identical, yet they are each different. Some have the dark side of the luan plywood showing. Some have the light side. Some are painted.

As for the frame, I felt these needed something different than the mahogany I usually make my frames out of. I decided on construction grade pine ripped down for frames. It gave these portraits more of a rustic look in my opinion.

Flaming Skull

2011-08-11T17:15:00.005-05:00

This is the dash of my truck. You may say I collect skulls.

I seldom find project that truly interest me besides the wood working aspect of it. I normally just do what I think other people might like. This is especially true for portrait style cuttings. It is just hard to find portrait patterns that I like myself. So when I seen the pattern for the Flaming Skull, I had to get it.

This is cut from a pattern by Charles Dearing. You can find Charles by doing a search for Charles Dearing on facebook. For you scrollers, he gets seven dollars each for his patterns. That is cheaper than most patterns I have ever bought. I like it also that he'll send you the patterns through email, so there is no waiting for them to come in the mail.

He also has plenty of cuttings for sale on his facebook page if you're interested.

This Little Piggy

2011-08-03T18:09:00.005-05:00

This little piggy is not so little.

This is a very large piggy bank. The slot that you drop money in is three quarters of an inch wide and five inches long. It is made of cottonwood. The lips, nose, and ears have pink paint and the rest of the pig is stained with Minwax Pecan Stain.

I made it out of the rocking pig plans that can be purchased here. A friend of mine needed a birthday gift for his wife and she likes pigs. I just hogged out the center of the body and made a slot to drop money into and turned the pig part of the rocker into a piggy bank.

Very Large Last Supper Portrait

2011-07-28T14:32:00.003-05:00

This is another pattern I got from Charles Dearing. I have already done several versions of The Last Supper. However, when I seen the size of this one, I had to doing if for no other reason but to challenge myself. A challenge it was too. I really enjoyed cutting it, but am also glad it's done. I learned an important lesson on this project. Swinging almost five feet of material on the scroll saw is pure hell on a bad back.

That's right, you read that correctly, close to five feet. The actual size of the cutting is eleven and a half inches tall and fifty seven and a half inches long. That's four foot, nine and a half inches. Add an inch all the way around that for the frame and you have one massive portrait. I had to dig deep in my mahogany pile to get long enough material to make these frames.

That isn't the whole story though. I had to adapt the pattern to the wood that I had available at the moment because I didn't have the money to go buy more material. If you go to Charles's photo album, he cut it even large. He is the designer of this pattern, and he cut it over five feet long. So if any of you scrollers out there want a challenge, Charles sells this pattern for less than ten bucks if you dare to try it.

I stack cut this three high like I do all my portraits. I always try to finish cutting within one day's time. I use luan plywood for my portraits, and if I leave the masking tape I use under the pattern on longer than a day it messes up the top layer of veneer on the top cutting. Needles to say, this one definitely took longer than a day. It messed up the top layer of veneer even worse than normal.

So that top layer I was just going to scrap it out to the fancy firewood pile. My wife had other ideas. She wanted it painted and hung in our home. So that one got a grey paint finish and is going to the house.

Jesus

2011-07-19T20:54:00.009-05:00

I posted so many photo of this project for a reason. I'm hoping readers can find one photo that stands out enough to begin to show this project as well as if you came to my shop to see it. It is one of those projects that if you think the photos look good, you should see the real thing.

This project was quite a challenge on several levels. For one thing, it is huge. Not counting the frame, the cutting itself is twenty inches wide and twenty seven inches tall. It is by far the largest portrait style cutting I have ever attempted. The size created another challenge because all I have is a sixteen inch scroll saw. If it weren't for spiral blades, it would have been impossible for me to complete this cutting.

Another challenge was the delicateness of this cutting. If you look at the photos, the bottom three quarters of Jesus's face is just hanging there in the borders with nothing supporting it. In order to remove that large mass of material between his face and neck, I had to keep using masking tape to hold the cutout area in place as I continued cutting. It scared me a few times. I just new I had broke it, ruining many hours of cutting if I had done so. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I finally had all three that I stack cut in frames so I could rest assured that I would now not destroy them on accident.

Then finally, another challenge wasn't the cutting itself. It was the fact that this is the first time I've ever built such large picture frames. I learned very quickly while doing so that the miters for large frames have to be absolutely perfect or any mistakes will stick out like a sore thumb.

This pattern was designed by a man named Charles Dearing. He is one of the most talented designers I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. If you click on his name above, you can go to his Facebook page and see some of his other work or get to know a little about him. He is very talented and does do custom patterns if you contact him about it. He does his work for very reasonable prices as well. So if you're wanting a pattern that is a cut above a lot of the offerings out there today, consider contact Charles.
Speaking of his talent, I don't think it comes across so well in photos. I want you all to look closely at the eyes. The entire design is beautiful, but Charles caught something in these eyes that I have never seen. First, if you see it in person, the eyes seem to follow you if you changes the angle that you're viewing the portrait from. I have never seen that in a scroll saw cutting before. Also, for a portrait of Jesus, I have never seen anyone capture the sadness in his eyes so realistically. It's as if you can tell Jesus is on the verge of weeping although there are no tears to tell you that. You can just look at the eyes and feel the sadness.

I hope you all enjoy this one. Now that I have found such a talented designer that brings out the type of detail I like cutting, I hope to cut many more of his designs.

Forgotten Cuttings

2011-07-19T20:38:00.003-05:00

I have CRS disease. Any of you who aren't aware of this infliction, it stands for "Can't Remember S....well you can figure out the rest"
Often when I need just a single cutting of a picture I will throw in an extra layer and cut an extra. I do this so that if I mess one up while sanding or from some other unforeseen accident, I have an extra to work with. Then I don't have to start completely over if I mess up. Of course, this means that when everything goes well, I wind up with simply an extra cutting. I usually just frame these to have on hand.
Well, this past Christmas I was running behind building presents. I cut a pegasus for a chest and a wolf for a CD case. In both cases everything went well and I had extra cuttings of both portraits. I didn't have time to frame them at the moment, so I just hung the extra cuttings on my shop wall on a nail to frame at a later date. I had forgotten all about them until I happen to look up earlier today and notice them.
So I didn't cut these today. I just framed them.
They're only about seven months late.

A Wheelbarrow For Potpourri

2011-07-15T19:27:00.006-05:00

This is one of those little projects I done just to give me something to work on while I'm not able to stand much. It is a little wheelbarrow for potpourri.

It is three inches wide, eleven inches long, and five inches tall. It is made out of aromatic cedar.

I got the pattern from a book my Mom sent me a year or two ago titled Scroll Saw Fretwork Patterns by Patrick Speilman and James Reidle.

Cubed

2011-07-14T20:44:00.006-05:00

I've been hurting pretty bad for several days and haven't been able to get to the shop. Well this morning I made a decision that I had no choice but to go find something to do. I was starting to hurt mentally as much as physically. I go a little stir crazy when I'm at the house not doing anything. Since my back wasn't up to much though, I decided to take it easy and fiddle around with some puzzle designs I'd seen.

I made a captured ring puzzle. This is turned on the lathe out of a solid piece of wood. When people look at it, their first though is, how did I get the rings on there when the ends are larger than the insides of the rings. The answer is that I didn't get them on there. They were already there. I used the knives on the lathe to turn the surrounding material away, leaving the rings.

Then I made a cube in a cube. This one begs the question, how do you get the small cube inside the large cube when it won't fit through the holes. The answer is, again, you don't get it in, it was there to begin with. The trick is to take away the other material, leaving the small cube.

This one is done on the drill press. You set up a jig to make sure you are drilling in the exact same spot on all six sides of a cube. Then, using the depth stops, you take away a tiny bit of material at a time until the inside cube is just about to break away. Next, you use chisels, a knife, and sandpaper to clean up the cube on the inside and the inside edges of the outside cube.

I took this one to the house to show my kids. After they gave up on figuring it out, I explained to them how I done it. Then they wanted to know what else I could do. That sounded like a challenge to me.

Sooooo.

How about a cube in a cube in a cube?

This one is done exactly like the cube in a cube, only with a little more complication. You do it all the same way. However, you first do the tiny cube in the very center. After you have it complete, you cut away material to make the middle cube. While doing the middle cube, you have to be careful of where the inside cube is to make sure your bit does not come into contact with it and mess it up.

There are tons of articles and even videos on YouTube on how to make any one of these puzzles. However, if any of you have problems or can't find the information and are interested in making some, let me know and I'll see if I can find the links to some videos for you.

The Vicksburg Queen

2011-07-09T21:18:00.008-05:00

When I was a child, I remember my Mom taking me down to the Vicksburg water front to see the Mississippi Queen that was docked there. I love water and I love boats, but that huge paddle wheel boat was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
A group I'm a part of is having a contest. The theme is bird houses. I hate building bird houses. Right after seeing the theme for the contest though, I seen a birdhouse with a boat theme, had this idea, and decided to build it.

I spent many hours on this project, but it is not just for show. It is a fully functioning bird house, that is not mounted on a post in my front yard.

It wound up being fifty four inches long, twelve inches wide, and fourteen inches tall, not counting the smoke stacks. It has sixteen individual compartments with eight entry holes on each side for the feathered friends to access them.

I made sure the paddle wheel could be moved by hand because I figured everyone who got near it would try to do so. I was right. Every single person who has been in my shop since I started construction has immediately reached for the paddle wheel to turn it.

It has spiral staircases off the front main deck.

The little handrails that go around all five deck turned into a project all in itself. By the time I got through with them, it wound up consisting of one hundred and seventy little tiny posts that had a total of sixty feet of metal wire running through it all.

As my regular readers know, I always reveal where to get plans for anything I build. That is going to be hard to do on this project. Somehow, I just had an inspiration to build it. There are no plans. I made it up as I went along. I didn't write anything down or make any drawings. So I guess this bird house is just going to have to be and original. I think in the future I may have to find inspiration to try more projects like this. I enjoyed just building it as I went and not being tied to any kind of plans.

The Dragon Pattern Hunt

2011-07-04T19:48:00.002-05:00

After "Merlin And The Dragon" on Friday, I received several e-mails wishing for more information about the pattern for the dragon. I sent an email to Willy B., but had not received any word back by this afternoon. It's a holiday weekend, and I figured he's busy with family. So, I went dragon hunting.
I found the dragon pattern. Willy pulled a fast one on us though. The pattern is a very nice one of a dragon. However, the tree is added to the dragon by Willy. I won't know until I hear from him if the tree pattern is from elsewhere or if he drew it. I did find the dragon though.
The pattern for the dragon can be found at The Art Factory. As you can see, I linked the pattern and the Art Factory. I done so because I hope some of you take the time to check out the Art Factory website while you're there.
The Art Factory is the new website showcasing the amazing work of Dirk Boelman. If any of you are experienced scroller, you may recognize Dirk's name from numerous patterns from all over the place. I place him in regard as one of the greatest scroll saw pattern designers of all time. He does extraordinary work. Be sure to check him out.

A Work In Progress

2011-07-04T19:01:00.002-05:00

I wanted to come show you all what I'm working on at the moment. I'm building a bird house. For the ones of you that know me though, even a bird house I can find a way of over-complicating it.
When done, this birdhouse will have sixteen individual compartments. It'll be twelve inches wide, twelve inches tall, and over four foot long. I haven't decided on a name yet, but I'm going for something themed after the Mississippi Queen.
The Mississippi Queen was a steam powered paddle wheel boat that cruised up and down the Mississippi River for a number of year. I have always been in awe of the beauty of these magnificent vessels. Although I am themeing this after this famous boat, I won't name it as such, for the simple reason that there is no way I could possibly match the beauty of the real thing no matter how hard I try.
When done, not only will this bird house be in my yard. It will also be entered in a contest for which first prize is five hundred dollars. So wish me luck.

Merlin And The Dragon

2011-07-01T15:57:00.005-05:00

This is the result of two pieces that were put together in front of a piece of stained glass. It is done in three eighths thick red oak, with a three quarter inch thick piece of red oak for the base. All this comes togehter to make one stunning display.

This was done by our friend Willy B. He says this is smaller than what he has shown us before. Well Willy, it is still a beautiful piece. Keep up the good work. I hope you continue to share that work with us too.

The Iowan

2011-06-25T20:37:00.008-05:00

This clock is called the Iowan. The plans to build it can be purchased here at Wildwood Designs. If any of you are interested in building it, it is much easier to build than it may look. It does take a while to do all the detailed fretwork. If built in stages as the plans explain though using false plates, it is a relatively simple project.

I built this one using mahogany with mahogany trim. I finished it with three coats of Zinsser clear shellac.

I usually don't put finishes on a lot of my detailed fretwork because it is just so time consuming to apply finish with all those tiny cutouts. I've been considering it lately though and wanted to do a nice clock and take the time to finish it just to see if the improvement of a finish would be worth it. I must admit, I think I will be applying finish to more of my fretwork in the future. The difference of the finished and unfinished piece is simply like night and day.

I did change a few minor details when I built this one. The final size of this clock as I built it is thirty six inches tall, eight teen inches wides, and ten inches deep.

Rocking Horse Chair

2011-06-14T17:23:00.006-05:00

This is a great project for a beginner or any wood worker who is looking for a project that looks great, but is simple to build. You can purchase the plans here. The whole project can be made using three, eight foot long, one by twelves. The plans show you how to lay it out to get it all with just those three pieces of wood. I cut my pieces out on a scroll saw. It could easily be cut though using a band saw or jig saw.

I built one of these last year for a friend of mine. This one is for that same friend's brother. It is unfinished because their mother is painting them. I seen the one I built last year after it was painted and she really added character to it.

This one is made out of cottonwood. It is meant for small children who are to small for a regular rocking horse, but can hold themselves upright without assistance. The plans say from twelve to twenty four months. That seems about right to me.

The only difference in the ones I've built and the plans is that there is supposed to be a star cut in the sides of the rocker area, and the back of the seat. I decided to eliminate this because I seen it as a pinching hazard for the small children it is designed for.

Book Stand From A Combined Effort

2011-06-14T07:41:00.004-05:00

A good friend of mine made one of these and I wanted to make one for my wife. After he showed me how you make it though, I was a little discouraged. The way to make these involves chisels hand saws. I don't do hand tools. I would love too. I am fascinated with the skill that goes into creating things strictly out of hand tools like they did before the invention of all the power tools. I have tried though and my messed up back doesn't allow that. So I stick to my power tools. So my friend came up with an idea.

He lives about forty five minutes from me, but comes to visit from time to time. So he done the chisel work on this book stand and brought it to me. Then I cut the unicorn design in it. On his next visit, he done the hand saw work on it, leaving me to just do some sanding and finish work to complete it.

Some of you may look at this project and wonder why all the work for such a simple project. You could probably easily create something much easier to build that will accomplish the same job. I like things that are different though. This book stand is made using one solid piece of wood. There is no kind of fasteners like nails or screws. It is just a piece of wood with some angles cut into it. If you look closely you can see these angles in the last photo. Then after slicing it down the middle it opens up to create a simple book stand.

This is designed for the kitchen. The last photo shows how it folds up to be placed out of the way into a drawer. Then it can be taken out and opened up to place a book, cook book for example, on it. This keeps the book up off the counter top so you don't have to worry about it getting into spilled liquids or getting in the way.

I also enjoyed making a project with a buddy that lives that far away without actually being in the same shop at the same time. It made for an interesting time. It also gave us a reason to meet up and kill a few pots of coffee.

Chinese Tea Table

2011-06-09T14:10:00.005-05:00

Here's is another beautiful project by Willy B. The plans for this can be found at Wildwood Designs. Willy made this out of three eighths thick red oak. Of course he changed a few things to make it more his own.

He enclosed the top and the upper sides with stained glass. He changed the top to a dove design instead of what came with the plans. Then, to set all that off, he added a light under the table top that shines through, creating a dramatic effect.

I hope everyone else is enjoying Willy's work as much as I am.

Jewelry Cabinet by Willy B.

2011-06-06T22:05:00.005-05:00

This is a project Willy B. built from plans in an old Woodsmith magazine that he made some modifications to in order to make it to his liking. It stands five feet tall with a top section that he designed himself. It is made out of red oak with legs that he also designed and built himself. It is twenty one inches wide and fifteen inches deep.

The top section he designed to hold pieces that are worn often. Each drawer he made separations in and lined with red felt. The first drawer holds rings, the second has twelve small compartments for small items. The separations get larger as you go down until the last couple are full drawers. When you open the L-shaped sides it reveals hooks on each side to hang necklaces on.

Willy, this is another fine project. You can really see the dedication to quality in each of your pieces of work.

Willy B. Does It His Way

2011-06-05T06:23:00.004-05:00

I talk to a lot of different wood workers, both professional and hobbyists like myself. There is a huge difference in how some view the use of patterns. I, myself, use patterns for just about everything I build these days. I find that it allows me to simply enjoy the wood working that I love so much without having to stop and worry so much about designing, for example, that I don't enjoy so much. I find a design I like in a pattern most times, and work from there. I usually build a project the first time pretty close to the pattern. After, that, the gloves are off. I may take that design in any number of directions.
The one argument I hear the most against patterns is that people like making their projects original. For those that enjoy designing, I think that's great. Some of us don't like designing though. So for that originality argument, I have two key point that I usually point out.
The first is that it is very, very rare for anyone to think up anything that is truly original. It may be a new take on something, but we all naturally draw ideas from what we have seen. I can take aspects of a Chippendale design and a Maloof design and combine them to come up with something that may never have been seen before. In the end though, how original is the combination of two well known designs? That isn't to put down people who design their own projects. It's to point out that even pattern users can still come up with something new using tried and true designs, but with plans.
That brings me to my second point. Just because you use a pattern doesn't mean you are limited to building a project strictly by that pattern. I compare patterns to a road map. Regular readers have read this before, but I think it is a good point to repeat again. If you are trying to get to a destination on a road map, there are usually multiple ways to get there. You can take any of those multiple ways and still arrive where you desire. The same can be said about patterns. You can take many roads with a pattern, and still arrive where you wish with a project. The use of a design on a patter is limited only by your own imagination.
That brings us to Willy B.'s Buffet Cabinet.

The plans for this cabinet can be found here at Wildwood Designs. Some may recognize it as the same cabinet I built a while back. Willy took the design and really made it his own though. That is the inspiration for my rambling before the photos on making a pattern your own way. There are no rules about sticking with a pattern. I really like the way Willy done this one. The changes he made really stand out as inspirational to me, since I have built this project myself.

For starters, Willy's cabinet is six inches deeper than the plans call for. That doesn't sound like much, just extend the depth measurement, right? Well, there is a bit more to that on this project. To extend the depth six more inches means that Willy also redesigned all the side facing scroll work and the scroll design that supports the side shelves. That in itself makes it quite an undertaking.

Willy made his own legs for this project from oak four by fours. If you ever want to build this, the price for the recommended legs can add up quickly. The one's I wanted to use for mine cost over forty bucks a piece, and you need six of them. It's not hard to make these legs. It only takes time and patience. I highly recommend anyone building this project to give it a go before spending that kind of money on legs. It's fun, and you get the satisfaction of knowing you built them instead of sticking something bought on it. The added advantage is that by building them, you can color match the cabinet they are going on easier than if you bought them.

Willy's cabinet is made out of half inch oak plywood. Another interesting change he made was too the shelves in the middle cabinet section. Instead of wood, he put in glass shelves. I am going to have to consider that option next time I build one of these. When I read that he used glass, I had one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments.

Willy, this is truly amazing work. Thank you for sharing it with us. I do hope you have plans to send me more project photos to share.

Chess Set by Willy B.

2011-06-03T15:42:00.004-05:00

This is a chess set that Willy B. made for his son. Each square is about three inches to give you an idea of the size of this work of art. The dark squares and pieces are red oak. The light squares and pieces are maple. Willy says he can't remember where he got the plans from. If anyone is interested in building one like it, let me know, and I'll do my best to find the plans for it. It functional for a chess fan as well as a beautiful work of art.

At first glance of these photos, I thought it was a beautiful piece, with the squares being solid squares, glued up like a cutting board. Then I started looking closer. Each square also has detailed fret work in it. That just added a whole new element to an already astounding piece of work.

This is great Willy. I'll bet anyone your son may play chess with loses to him because they are too busy wishing they had this chess set for themselves.

Thank you again for sharing your work with us.

Mike T. Has Some Good Advice

2011-06-03T15:16:00.004-05:00

One day, a friend of Mike T. came into his garage and asked Mike to make something for him from a poster he had rolled up in his hands. Being a busy man, Mike told him to set the poster down and he would get to it later. This is where Mike's advice comes in. He says to always be sure what you are supposed to be doing before you say you will do it.
That's very good advice Mike, because I would have been tempted to back out of this one. I understand though. Some of us are still around who are men of our word. I think you may be one of those men, because you not only done it, you did a fantastic job of it too.
This is called "Our Lady Of Guadalupe". It is a beautiful piece of art. Mike did say he got another friend to paint the faces. He says he does know his limitations. It is a segmented project that is made out of three quarter inch thick clear white pine.
Mike also told that he is a proud member of the Inland Empire Scroll Saw Association of So. Ca. Any fellow scrollers in that area may want to check them out.
Mike, this is some impressive work. I hope you send me more photos of your projects so we all can enjoy them. Thank you very much for sharing this with us.

Meet Mr. Willy B., A Scroll Saw Master

2011-06-02T06:49:00.004-05:00

I'd like to introduce you all to Willy B. Willy has been emailing me some beautiful photos of some of the work he has done. I will be featuring his work over the next few days. I always welcome readers to send me photos of their work for me to feature here. My projects often take me so long that I go so far between posts that people start emailing me wanting to know that I'm alright and working on something new. If you readers would send me photos and general descriptions of your projects, I could make more regular posts so that everyone will know I'm still alive. Besides, I think we all enjoy seeing beautiful work anyway, don't we?

Willy B built this Chimes of Normandy clock and stand out of plywood for his son. He also added fifteen white Christmas lights to it to light it up. The clock design came from Wildwood Designs and you can click on the highlighted words to go straight to their site to order the plans for yourself if you like. I warn you though. I've done a few of these large clocks. They aren't for the impatient.

I am pretty sure the table the clock is sitting on is from Wildwood Design as well. I'll have to make a point of asking Willy for more details on that in the future.

Mr. Willy, I do so very much appreciate you sending me all the photos. I hope you send me more in the future. I won't post them all at once though. We don't want to overwhelm folks with all your magnificent work. Everything you have sent me has been so beautiful.

Carousel Horse Display

2011-05-30T16:45:00.006-05:00

Since I ordered the plans for this project from WoodcraftPlans.com, I have wound up building it in a variety of different versions. However, my original plan was to build it like you see in the photos above, with wood grain colors instead of paint. To give you an idea of the size of it, the pole is four foot tall.

It is finished with Zinsser clear slellac. Under that, it has a variety of woods including cottonwood, oak, pecan, mahogany, cedar, and walnut.

Rocking Iron Horse

2011-04-24T16:53:00.005-05:00

I have built several of these in the past. If built according to the plans though, there are wood slats for the sides of the boiler, with space in between them. I've been saying for some time now that I thought it would look better with a solid built boiler. I finally decided the only way to find that out though was going to be to actually build it. So I did.

Scrollwork Desk Cabinet

2011-04-15T09:14:00.012-05:00

This is what has been keeping me occupied lately. This is a scroll work desk cabinet. The plans to build this can be purchased here. It is made of cottonwood with mahogany accents. It is forty six inches wide and seven feet tall.

The upper section has ten doors, four small ones on each side that and the two large double doors. Above that, on top of the crowned topper, there is additional storage space inside the fenced area.

On each side of the ten door panel are shelves for even more storage.

Below that is a decorative area that lets down for a writing table.

Then four drawers below that for even more storage. If that isn't enough storage, you'll notice also more shelves beside the writing table, the drawers, and on the base on each side of the scrolled arch piece.

Here is the storage space behind the large double doors on the upper level.

All of the small doors on each side of the large double doors open for small areas of additional storage.

Here's the writing table opened to reveal the storage behind it.

On each side of the four drawers is a compartment that is sort of hidden in plain site. The double doors on each side open to reveal yet more storage area. Most people never notice these. They are right around the corner from false door panels on the front. Unless you pull the knobs to open these doors, most assume they are false panels as well.

And the four drawers open.

This has been a very exciting project for me. It is by far the largest I have ever tackled. I wanted a challenge and this did provide it. If anyone wants to build this, the plans are well worth the cost. It will take patience though. If you plan on building this as a weekend project, plan on a lot of weekends.

I hope this project was worth the wait for you all to see. Now my problem is figuring out what to build next.

MIA

2011-03-28T20:40:00.005-05:00

MIA stands for missing in action. Maybe my present situation would be more of a case of missing WHILE in action. OK! Bad joke. There have been many times in the past that I didn't post for a while that I started getting emails from people concerned about me. I wanted to let everyone know before that happened this time that I am doing fairy well lately. I am just in the middle of a very large project. I also couldn't help but post my current progress. What you see in the photo is just the first two levels of a desk cabinet I am currently building. At the present point in construction, it stands two foot and seven inches tall. When completed, it will be over six feet in height. The finished piece will have a total of fourteen doors of different sizes, four drawers, and a fold down writing table. I'm not sure how much longer this one is going to take. I will be back with more photos when it's done though.

Chippendale Buffet Cabinet

2011-03-18T09:58:00.009-05:00

This is what has been keeping me busy as of late. This is the Chippendale Buffet Cabinet. The plans for this cabinet can be purchased here from Wildwood Designs. It looks quite intimidating to build. It really is not. It does require that you have plenty of patience and time though. The actual cabinet part of it I built in a day. The feet took me another two days to finish. The scroll work took me close to two weeks. Then it has to be finished.

Let's talked about those feet. The cheapest feet I could find that were anything close to what the design calls for were close to twenty dollars plus shipping. I also found some I really liked that were closer to fifty dollars. With those prices, and the fact that this cabinet has six feet, prohibited me from going that route though. So I made my own feet. With a little knowledge and a band saw, they really aren't that difficult. The hardest part about making them was the sanding. I use power sanders for pretty much everything. There was a lot of hand sanding on these though because of the curves that the power sander just could not get into.

As for the wood, I used cottonwood for the feet and the actual cabinet. Then I stained the cottonwood with Minwax Gloss Pecan stain. All of the scroll work was done using half inch cabinet grade plywood. After assembly, everything was then finished with three coats of Minwax semi gloss polyurethane.

I changed quite a few things having to do with the construction from the plans. According to the plans, all the scroll work was supposed to be done with quarter inch material. I done it in half inch. Also, for the thin sections near the top and bottom, you can't see them, but there are hidden cleats that help support everything. I just didn't like the weight that was supposed to be sitting on nothing but scroll work. The other changes were caused by the fact that four main plates I built using three quarter inch cottonwood. The plans call for half inch. The fact that I changed this thickness threw most all of the measurement off on everything else. It wasn't a big deal, but it did make me have to stop and think through everything as I was constructing the various pieces.

I hope you all enjoy seeing something like this. After doing the very large chandelier a while back, I realized that I really enjoy building large pieces that include a lot of scroll work. So, furniture seemed like a natural progression to me. I enjoyed building this so much that my next project is a cabinet that is larger than this one. So, it looks like it may be weeks before my next post too.

A Reader's Project

2011-03-08T22:23:00.003-06:00

Some time ago I got an email from a guy named Bruce that had seen the motorcycles I have built and posted here on this blog. He wanted to build one. He and I talked back and forth for a few days via email. I offered him whatever advice I could think of on the building of the project. I really didn't know if I was much help or not, but I do try to help fellow wood workers in any way that I can.
So, I got an email from him the other day. He had completed his project. He sent a photo, but to be honest about it, I was so tired that night that I saved the photo without even looking at it. Well, I did look at it tonight and I was simply flabbergasted. In my opinion, this far surpasses anything I could have done. Great job Bruce. So what's your next project?
Any fellow woodworkers out there that read my blog, I would love to make this a regular thing, showcasing other's works as well as my own. Send me an email with photos to greasemonkeyredneck@yahoo.com

Steepled Church Clock

2011-02-24T12:54:00.009-06:00

I know it has been a while since I posted anything new. I apologize. A lot of times during the winter months, my extremely messed up back gives me more fits than normal. This winter has seemed especially harsh on me. This is the first project I have done worth posting since I've been back on my feet.

This clock was built using plans that can be purchased here from Wildwood Designs. I did make a few design changes to my own liking. For example, I made a taller steeple than what is drawn out in the plans. If you wish to build one like it though, you can go by the plans, or if you have questions about what changes I made, contact me, I'm always more than happy to help.

On the clock I built, the base, the pews and pulpit inside of it, and the shell of the church are all built of mahogany. The floor and the center roof trim is made of oak. All the other trim is made of cottonwood. There is a light inside. I used a battery operated fluorescent light I bought at Wal-Mart. The clock insert I purchased from Wildwood Designs. They have a wide variety of styles and sizes to choose from.

The main change I made to the original design was the steeple. I was not happy with the original steeple. To me it doesn't even look like a steeple. It looked to me more like a pyramid that has been airlifted somewhere out of Egypt maybe, and dropped on top of a church. So I made one almost double in height.

The clock has ten dormer type gables, five on each side, all with decorative trim. There is also decorative trim on the front edge of the roof and the two gables on the front of the church. There are pews and a pulpit inside the church.

I hope you enjoy this one. If the good Lord's willing, I pray that I'll be able to do a lot more now that spring time is quickly approaching.

The Italiante

2011-01-07T23:10:00.006-06:00

This is the Italiante Chandelier. Anyone interested in building one of these can purchase the plans for it here. If you are used to ordering plans and decide to order these, I would like to warn you that you may be in for a surprise. When you look at these plans, if you do as I did, you will immediately think there is no way you'll ever be able to complete this. The plans offer very little instructions, and what there is of instructions are written in italian. There are no clear photos to help with construction. The only photos are on the plans themselves and are basically photocopies. If you've ever seen a color photo that has been photocopied, then you already know that it does not produce a picture with any kind of detail. If you still want to do this though, contact me and I can offer some advice if I can. Once you get started building, it isn't nearly as hard as it seems if you like giant jigsaw puzzles.

Now, all that being said, I would like to say next that this is, by far, the most challenging project I have ever attempted. This project challenged my skill, my tools, and most of all, my patience. According to what I read, you are supposed to have a minimum of an eighteen inch scroll saw to complete this project. I cut it on my old sixteen inch Delta with Flying Dutchman #3 spiral blades. So it can be done on an old cheap sixteen inch machine. It is not easy though. The largest pieces are eighteen inches wide and close to two feet long and need to be stack cut six high of quarter inch material. So, be ready to go through some blades. After completing this project, I realized I had used up over four dozen blades.

For the one I built, the main assembly is made of luan plywood. I don't necessarily like plywood, as some of you may know. I couldn't find any other source though for thin wood large enough for these pieces. The curves pieces of the domes and right below the domes is made of ten mil birch veneer. Everything else is cut out of cottonwood. I redesigned the candle holders to where I could put flameless candles on top of them. These can be moved by taking off some round bases I have on it so that you can use regular candles of you desired.

Upon completion, the Italiante is four feet tall, thirty six inches wide at it's widest point, and holds twenty four candles.

I'd also like to tell that I bought the plans for this project back during the early summer. I had been saving it for maybe a winter project. I had no other reason for building this besides the fact that I wanted to challenge myself. I built another chandelier sometime last year I think. While it was also a nice piece, it had turned out to be much easier than I had expected. Also some of my other projects had become sort of mundane at times. I had made up my mind that I wanted to do a project that challenged me at the scroll saw. This one did. I enjoyed it enough though that I'm already looking for something even more challenging! Give me some time and we'll see what I can come up with.

Wolf CD Case

2010-12-12T16:34:00.005-06:00

For one of my sons for Christmas, I made him a CD case. He likes wolves. He had told me he would like a a wolf portrait I had done in the past for Christmas. Well the problem was that I didn't want to just make him something I'd done in the past. I wanted all these Christmas present I make this year to be special. Also, I had a feeling that a portrait was just the only wolf themed project he could think of for me to build for him.

I know he doesn't really have a place to put his CDs. I went to look at ideas for a medium sized CD case in Wal-Mart. Can you believe they make CD cases out of cardboard? From there, I thought about putting a wolf on it. I debated on this though because I only had about three different wolf patterns, all of which I'd done numerous times in the past. Then I bought the holiday issue of Scrollsaw Woodworking & Crafts. In that issue was a pattern for the gray wolf you see on the lid of the CD case I built.

When I saw the pattern of the gray wolf, I knew I wanted to put it on the case. However, the pattern was smaller than I wanted. I'm not very educated when it come to computer stuff. So, it took me almost an entire day to figure out how to enlarge the pattern to a suitable size. I'd enlarged patterns like this before. I don't do it often enough though. Every time I start to do this, I have to relearn the process all over again.

The CD case turned out pretty nice I think though. The box and outer trim for the lid are cherry. The inside pieces of the lid are walnut. The framework on the inside of the box to support the CDs is made out of cottonwood. The wolf detail consists of two pieces of luan. One has the pattern cut out of it with another piece painted flat back placed behind the cutting.

U.S. Army Trunk

2010-12-08T16:45:00.009-06:00

I have seven sons and one daughter. Some of my kids, from the time they are small, decide almost on a daily basis something different they want to do when they grow up. One of my sons is different though. Almost as long as I can remember, he has ate, slept, and breathed U.S. Army. He is now in his last year of high school and I can honestly say that this time next year, bar some unforeseen life changing event, he will be in the army. So, this is what I wanted to build him for the last Christmas we'll have with him before that time.

Now, first of all, on this project, I have to thank Steve Goode for the army emblem pattern. His site can be found here . The pattern itself can be downloaded here . If you want some great patterns for gift ideas, please go on over and check out his site, Scrollsaw Workshop. He puts a huge amount of work into providing some of the best free patterns you'll find on the internet.

The trunk itself was not built from a pattern. I bought a thirty inch piano hinge and sort of built it from there, making it up as I went.

The box itself is made of pecan. It is "wrapped" in oak strips. The army emblem is made of mahogany. Then the entire thing is finished using Johnson's paste wax.

If you look at the fourth photo, it is looking at the back side of the box with the lid open. You may notice how the oak strips on the back of the box are cut so that the catch the strips on the lid and support it when the lid is open.

The brass handles on each end look nice on it. There is a potential problem though. I am afraid they will only be to look good. I did substitute the small screws for a little larger screws. I still don't think though they are going to support the weight of the trunk loaded. It turned out quite a bit heavier than I realized. I did however realize it when I finished and went to move it.

Mahogany Unicorn Chest With Cedar Lining

2010-12-02T14:34:00.007-06:00

Several weeks ago, I built a cedar chest for my daughter's Christmas present. My wife liked it so much, that I decided to build her one. I had several problems though. The biggest one was that I didn't have enough good cedar to make another. Since my wife likes pecan, I decided to build a chest in the same styling out of pecan. Well, I found out real quick that the saw blade on my table saw was in no way sharp enough to cut the pecan cleanly enough to build it in the same style. With my limited funds, I had rather spend my money right now on Christmas than new saw blades. So, to make a long story short, in the end I decided to build it out of mahogany. My wife loves the smell of cedar though. So I was able to scrap enough of the knotty cedar to line the mahogany chest in aromatic cedar.

Next order of business was the scrolled design for the chest. You can see a photo of the chest's original design in the older posts here on my blog, or by going to the Wildwood Deisigns website here. I used unicorn designs on the front and sides and a pegasus design on the lid. I wanted to provide a link to where these designs can be purchased, but could not find them on Wildwood Designs website. I bought both patterns from there over a year ago. They may be hard to find since that website has been redesigned, or they may be discontinued.

Anyway, I wanted to use those unicorn type designs on my wife's chest. However, the original design measurements of the chest did not allow room for them. So, I had to redo a lot of the measurements for the chest to allow room for these two designs. It was not hard to do at all. It was just a matter of figuring up the difference in height of the original designs and the unicorn designs, and then adding the difference to the length of the corresponding pieces of the chest. This method may make you scratch your head a few times, but if you're careful to make sure and add enough space, it all will fall together in the end.

While I am very happy with the way these two chests have turned out, I do have one complaint. On both of these chests, I used the brass friction support to hold the lid up. I have got to try hard to find a better designed lid support for things such as these chests. While these look beautiful and do serve their purpose, they are a pain in the rump to install. It is near impossible, to me anyway, to get them mounted the first time so they will work right. The instructions on the back of the package is useless. If you go by the instructions, like I did the first time, the chest will not close properly, if it closes at all. I actually used some scrap wood for a mock up just out of curiosity. For the instructions to be correct, the approximately eight inch slide pieces would have to be about sixteen inches long and would bend against the lid if you forced it all the way down. I don't think I have ever encountered a simple piece of hardware that has frustrated me so much.

Unicorn Cabinet

2010-11-18T19:34:00.006-06:00

This project has turned into one of those that kept evolving right up until it was done. This is a present I am giving my lovely wife for Christmas. It started out going to be a rocking unicorn in the same style as the carousel horses I had done in the past. From the onset though, I kept making changes, mainly because I wanted my wife to have something different than what I've made for other people in the past.

So the first thing that had to go was the pole that ran up past the top of the animal's body. Instead it became just a unicorn up on a stand.

Then I started thinking about where she might put this. She's been wanting one of these for some time and I know she wanted it in our bedroom. I also knew our bedroom already has too much stuff and not enough room. So I figured, why not eliminate the rocker theme all together and mount it on a cabinet that she can use to store some stuff in. I started thinking about that. I just couldn't build her a simple square cabinet. I thought about round cabinets, corner triangular cabinets. The design you see in the photos is what I eventually decided on. It is an elongated, eight sided design. Of course it had to be her favorite color of purple.

So after I built all of this I started thinking of a decorating theme. After going through many different ideas, I wound up with the idea to make it look like the unicorn was sort of running through a field of flowers. From there, my creation went into overdrive. I wound up adding four vines, forty eight leaves, and over a hundred flowers to the design.

The last detail to make was the horn. I learned how to make the spiral for the horn a while back when I built a rocking unicorn for the daughter of a friend of mine. That unicorn had a seven inch horn, which looked good, but I had to decide what length I wanted to make this one. After going home and looking at some of my wife's favorite unicorns, it struck me that all her favorites are the one's with exceptionally long horns. So I made the horn for this one twelve inches long.

Scrolled Cedar Chest

2010-11-06T17:59:00.007-05:00

This particular project has been a long time in the making. I made it for a Christmas present for my seventeen year old daughter. I seen the plans for this chest over a year ago. I knew as soon as I laid eyes on the photo on the Wildwood Designs website that I wanted to build one of these for my daughter out of aromatic cedar. So I ordered the plans although I didn't even have a strip of firewood made out of cedar. Then I started looking for the cedar and grabbing up everything that I seen. Most of the wood that eventually got used for the chest came out of a man's barn. He said the wood had been in there for over fifty years.

So, because of the delicate nature of the scroll work, it is cut out of luan plywood. Besides that scroll work, everything else on this chest is made entirely of aromatic cedar. The scrollwork was then covered with polyurethane. Then the entire outside of the chest got a total of five coats of Johnson's paste wax and was hand buffed in between each coat. Of course the inside of the chest was left without finish so that the wonderful smell of aromatic cedar can be enjoyed.

To give you an idea of the magnitude of this project, there is a total of over ten hours of work, just in the scroll work alone. Also, several people that I spoke with assured me that this project would be a complete failure being made out of aromatic cedar. I was told that while constructing it, the delicate nature of this type of wood was going to split too bad. The general consensus was that the only way to get this job done was going to be to build the chest out of hardwood and line it with cedar. However, I knew for a fact that as many cedar chest I have seen that were built years and years ago, that I could get it done if I tried hard enough.

It turns out that there was some truth to what I was told about how easily aromatic cedar is made into useless firewood if you're not careful. During construction it is easy to split the wood using screws or any large nails. Another thing I learned was to carefully plan out how you cut your lumber. This wood has a lot of knots in it. Although those knots make for beautiful colors wherever they are placed, you have to be aware that it splits and breaks easiest the closer you get to those knots, you have to carefully be plan the placement of those knots in relation to where you place nails and joints.
So here is the scrolled cedar chest. It is finally done after over a year of making plans to build it. Personally, I am quite pleased at the results. If you'd like to build one of these yourself, the plans for it can be purchased here

Now I've got to start looking for more cedar. I know several other people I may build one of these for in the future. I can't wait for my daughter to see it Christmas morning. I hope she loves it as much as everyone else who has seen it has.

More Tools

2010-11-01T17:43:00.004-05:00

These are more Christmas presents for my younger boys. I made them the tool boxes. I had originally planned on toy tools as well. However, in the end I decided on real tools. They already have experience with small projects using hand tools from me teaching them and from the Home Depot Kid's Workshop we go to every month. I always have scrap wood lying around they can nail together. So I decided getting them their own hand tools was the way to go.

Kiddie Tools

2010-10-28T22:38:00.003-05:00

I'm building as much of my kid's Christmas this year as I can. The younger ones are always wanting to help as much as they can in the shop and get quite dissappointed at times because they aren't old enough as of yet to even try their hand at power tools. So, I thought they would like their own version of some of them. So, for Christmas, they will each get their own drill, skillsaw, and jig saw.

This is one step in my idea for equipping them with their own play tools. I also hope to complete a little tool box with hand tools for them by Christmas.

If anyone would like to build some of these for their own kids, the plans for them can be purchased here

Trebuchet

2010-10-20T14:02:00.005-05:00

For anyone unfamiliar with a trebuchet, it is a medieval offence weapon that was designed to hurl objects at castle walls with great enough force to break them down. The original design back hundreds of years ago was very complex for the time. It takes quite a bit of fine tuning to get the weight ratio and sling release timing just right for maximum distance and force.

This one, of course, is on a much smaller scale. My trebuchet was actually built for my kids. This is what "santa claus" is bringing them this year. I love this for several reasons. I've wanted to build one for a long time and this is something I can use as an excuse to have fun with my kids. I think they will really get a kick out of it.

The trebuchet here stand almost three feet tall at the tallest point of the frame. The swing arm is close to four feet long. The counterweight on it consists of a bucket that holds four one liter coke bottles filled with wet sand. It is designed to launch tennis balls about two hundred feet. With some fine tuning though, I am possitive me and my boys can get more distance out of it though, especially since we will be more concerned with distance than knockdown force.

Peace Overload

2010-10-13T21:02:00.003-05:00

I designed this clock for a little girl that loves peace signs. It's for the daughter of a friend of mine. The back is made of mahogany. The large peace sign for the face is made of oak. Although I usually don't use anything but wood on my projects, the small peace signs that mark the hours are of course metal. I call it Peace Overload.

Rocking Horse Chair

2010-10-12T21:15:00.005-05:00

I'm always looking for new ideas for rocking toys. I seen the plans for this one at Meisel Hardware Specialties website and just had to order it. This is the Rocking Horse Chair. It is designed for infant children from age twelve to twenty-four months old that can at least hold themselves up without assistance. I believe it is much safer for the smaller children than my other rocker toys.

I made this one for a good friend of mine. His daughter is soon turning one year of age. There is no finish on this one because he wants to paint it himself. It is made of cottonwood. I have to say that although it may not look like it to some people, this is by far the easiest project I have done in a long time. As a matter of fact, I built it from start to finish in less than a day. Now of course, considering my health, I did have a good day today compared to most. However, if I can do it in a day, then most people could. If any of you are looking for an easy Christmas gift to make yourself for a small child, this is perfect. I highly suggest ordering the plans. They cost less than twenty bucks. They are good plans with all parts drawn full scale. I done most of the cutting on this one on a scroll saw. One could absolutely be constructed though using only basic hand tools.

Lucky Charms the Unicorn

2010-10-11T21:05:00.003-05:00

Lucky Charms is made of cottonwood and painted with latex paint. This was a custom job I done for a friend. I really enjoyed building it, but will be happy to get back to something that doesn't require painting. I don't mind staining so much, but I hate painting.

Apparently, my wife likes this very much. She is also a unicorn lover and is already talking about what colors she wants on hers. So I guess that as soon as I can, I'll be building another on of these.

L'il Skipper

2010-09-16T06:48:00.004-05:00

The L'il Skipper was a very fun project for me. This is the first time I've ever built something I had to bend wood around. It is made of solid wood construction. The plans called for eighth inch plywood. I hate plywood though. Unless I'm building a cheap jig or laying decking for a roof or something, you will never see me use plywood on a structural project.

L'il Skipper is made of cottonwood. The colors on it are achieve with Minwax waterbased stains that can be tinted pretty much any color of the rainbow and all shades in between. I'm sure other places have it, but I get mine at Home Depot. If you've read much of my blog, you'll know already though that I don't use paint if I can help it. Stains color the wood fibers. Paint, no matter how good, will eventually peal, crack, or otherwise start coming off. Since I build my projects to last for a long time, I want a color that will last too.

L'il Skipper is just over four feet long, to give you an idea of the size of it. The steering wheel turns so the child can play like he is piloting his own boat. The plans to build one of these can be found at here for a very reasonable price.

Shadow Box

2010-08-27T20:19:00.005-05:00

This is a shadow box that was built according to a customer's specifications. It is made of cottonwood and finished with shellac. The second photo shows the back of it. It can be removed by taking out the screws to allow putting things in the box. The glass is actually plexiglass. I thought about using real glass but decided against it because I have to ship this to another state. Another feature I done on this box is the finger joints at the corners. I think it added a nice touch to it. They wound up not being quite as tight as I'd like. The angles on the top proved to be a challenge to me. Overall I think it turned out pretty nice though.

I'm always open to doing custom projects. So, if any of you have something you need built of wood that you can't find elsewhere, contact me. Maybe I can build just what you need.

Worthington Hall Clock

2010-08-07T13:49:00.005-05:00

This is the Worthington Hall Clock. It hangs on the wall and is twelve inches wide and thirty two inches tall. I have made this clock before. I wanted to do this one out of different material than clocks I've done before. A new challenge I guess. This one has a main body made out of oak. The trim is made of mahogany.

If you'd like to make one of these, just do an internet search for Wildwood Designs. The have many many clock patterns. All their clock patterns are very nice and come with full size patterns of any irregular shaped pieces. While they look beautiful, anyone who has a scroll saw and a little patience can build them. Any of them I make are for sale though. If you'd like to buy this one, just contact me.

Rocking Tractor

2010-07-27T23:14:00.006-05:00

My latest work is this Rocking Tractor. Now the plans for this tractor, which I bought at woodcraftplans.com are actually for a riding tractor. I use a rocker assembly from a different pattern to make a rocker out of it. With so many tractor fanatics around my area, I wanted a rocking tractor to add to my line of rocking toys, but could not for the life of me find one I was happy with. So I found a tractor pattern I was happy with and just added the rocker.

The green color on this one is made using Green Tea tinted water based stain. The yellow and black is painted. The rocker assembly I used Bulls Eye Shellac on.

As some people know, I never make two rockers the same. This one as well has a few hard to notice changes. The tractor body is a little wider. The hitch at the rear was eliminated because, being on a rocker, I only seen it as something for a child to get hung on. I eliminated the stowaway area under the seat in exchange for more support blocks. The exhaust pipes on top is offset instead of center.

The biggest change to this though, over the last tractor I built, is the rocker assembly. I have actually done this on the last few rockers I done. I don't know if anyone noticed. Most rocker designs have anywhere from two inch to six inch spaces between slats on the rocker assembly. Well, I was sitting in the shop one day with a cup of coffee looking at all my rockers, and something just didn't set well with me. About that time, I though about how clumsy my kids can be at times and those spaces on the rocker assemblies just jump out at me as major safey hazards. So, from now on, no more spaces between rocker slats. While I want to make my rocking toys as nice as possible, one of my most important priorities is also to be absolutely sure that I've done all I can to make them as safe as I can for little ones.

Buford The Bull

2010-07-21T14:14:00.005-05:00

This is Buford The Bull. He is made of cottonwood. The black spots are painted with water based, non-toxic paint. He is then coated with shellac. The rocker assembly is stained with Minwax Polyshades Pecan. If you'd like to build one of these yourself, head on over to woodcraftplans.com and check out some of the plans you can order from there. I have ordered a lot of plans from there and have never been disappointed.

Scammers

2010-07-15T21:02:00.002-05:00

With my email box being filled with them daily and my phone ringing on a regular basis from my long lost cousins in the UK or Nigeria wanting to help me get my billions of dollars, I thought my woodworking was free from scammers. I found out recently that I was wrong. Those cockroaches will find a way to infiltrate every aspect of your life.
It has come to my attention about the scams being run on woodworkers around the world and it just makes me sick. I hope anyone who reads this understands that if the art of woodworking is to survive, there has to be some form of integrity to it. To me, one of the joys of my hobby is that there are no real shortcuts. There is no way to sand wood without touching it with some type of sandpaper. Now, your choice of application of that sandpaper is virtually endless, but sandpaper is still the only way to sand.
The same holds true for patterns. The only way to get good quality patterns is to seek them out and pay for them. There are no shortcuts. So why would some people fall for the latest scam of buying thousand of plans for a low low price of whatever. First of all, I don't want or need thousands of plans. I don't create projects because they are what I have, whether bought on one of these scam disks or bought individually. Unless I have some type of custom order on hand, I build whatever I desire to build at any given time. Furthermore, anyone who falls for this crap needs to remember the old saying that most of our mothers or grandmothers told us, if it's too good to be true, well, it probably is.
Next, anyone who thinks that buying something like this is a good idea, please think about it like this. Do you work hard on your woodwork? Do you ever have any ideas on your own? Do you make little changes to patterns to make them more of your own style? If any of the previous questions apply to you, how would you like someone to bundle up those ideas, without any permission or compensation to you, and sell them on a disk with thousands of other ideas they stole from other woodworkers?
In my shop, I have a filing cabinet. That cabinet is filled with probably thousands of dollars worth of plans if you figure in all the ones I've bought individually and the magazines I have bought with plans in them. Do I have any plans that I got for free? I sure do. I've got plans that were offered on certain designer's websites that were simple in nature that were meant to tease me into buying some of their better plans of projects with more detail. It usually worked because the free plan that was offered was still good enough to catch my attention to that particular designer. The point is though, that to get the good patterns that I craved, I had to pay for them. The reason for this is that good plans take time and skill to produce. I wouldn't do that for free and I don't expect nobody else to either.
I have also had to rebuy some plans. Why? Because the plans were so good that I build enough of that item to wear out the plans. I know it may not me the best way to preserve plans, but I like to use carbon paper and trace my plans straight onto the wood. This wears the pattern out over time to where it is no longer useable. In that case, I buy another copy of the plan. I feel that in that scenerio, if there is a plan that is that good, then the designer deserve the extra compensation of me buying it more than once. The same holds true that if a customer like something I build so much to want two of them. If they want two, I want them to pay for two.
Now, I have talked about the moral reasons not to buy into this scam, but what about the savings? I have talked at length with a few people that did buy it. How much are you really saving if you buy junk? Every single person I have talked to about their buying this, not a single one, NOT ONE, was happy with their purchase. It is filled with plans of such inferior quality that no respectable woodworker would find them useful anyway. Besides that, I want all honest woodworkers to think about this little food for thought. How have your sales been lately? Have you lost any sales because some customers would rather save money buying an inferior product at the big box stores instead of buying a quality built item that you build with your own two hands? Has anyone turned their nose up at your price without even realizing what you have in the item as far as material and labor? It has happened to me and I'm sure it has happened to many of you. Now put the shoe on the other foot. Isn't that save money at any cost attitude the same one that would incourage one to buy into the thousands of plans for one price scam?
The bundle package ripoff I have been talking about is a scam to pattern designers. It scams tham out of the compensation they deserve for making these patterns. It is a scam to the woodworker that buys them because he get inferior patterns that aren't worth his talent. It scams the entire woodworking community because it lowers the integrity of us all as a society. It's a scam to me even though I haven't and won't buy it because it turns my stomach a little bit just to think that any fellow woodworker would do this to another. If you have problems spotting this scam, here's an easy way to see it. If you were a pattern designer, would you take the time to create a certain pattern to sell to anyone at the price it is being offered at? If you wouldn't, then it is probably a scam.
I enjoy my best patterns, and my best patterns I paid good for. I have the plans for a new project I hope to start soon that I paid close to thirty bucks for. If the item turns out half as beautiful as the photo of it on the site I ordered it from, then that plans will be worth twice what I paid for it. Are plans cheap? Not if you buy as many as I have. If you wanted a cheap hobby though, I think you should have chosen one other than woodworking.
My two cents turned into more than a dollar twenty five. I'm sorry to go on and on about this subject, but I find it to be an important one. Please don't fall for this crap. Let's stand together as brothers and sisters in woodworking and rid ourselves of the type of scum that would shove this kind of crap down our throats. We are better than this and if every single woodworker refuses to accept this, they will move on to another scam that will make them money and will leave us alone. Get out into your shop, whether it be a one car garage or a huge warehouse of a shop. Build something nice from a pattern. Somewhere in all that though, find that little writing on there that tells who exactly designed that pattern. Now hope that they will keep doing what they do long enough to pass it down to someone. If they don't, whether it be because of scammers or whatever, then there will not be a next generation of woodworkers.

Rock-A-Bye Baby

2010-07-03T19:36:00.004-05:00

I hadn't done a baby cradle in a while. This one is not quite as wide as the last one I made. I think I went a little overboard on the last one. It took me forever to find someone who was having twins to buy it. The bottom of this one is about sixteen inches wide and thirty two inches long. It is made of cottonwood. All joints on the cradle body are glued, screwed and plugged before being sanded flush. I stained it with Minwax dark walnut.

I can't remember where I got the plans for this one. I've had them for so long. I do remember it was from one of the many free woodworking plan websites. There are virtually hundreds of free cradle plans on the internet. I like this one best because of the inlaid rounded canopy. Fitting the thin strips into the canopy is pretty time consuming. Sanding it smooth into it's round contour is even more time consuming. I think the results are worth it though. The last photo shows a close-up of what it looks like finished. I puposely cut the slats at different angles to give it a unique wood grain pattern.

Frames

2010-07-03T19:31:00.002-05:00

I never thought there was a market for my rather simple picture frames. However, I got a call for some last week. A lady from Jackson, Mississippi had seen some of my scrolled portraits here on this site, and wanted me to build her some custom frames. The photo above is of fifteen regular frames in three different sizes. Also, at the top left is a round frame she wanted me to try to see how she liked it.
All these were made out of cottonwood. She wanted some type of cheap wood that would take paint well. I think she liked them. She ordered some more.

Catch A Train

2010-06-23T11:47:00.003-05:00

I built another one of the rocking trains. They are called the Rocking Iron Horse. This one is pretty much identical to the one's I have done in the past with very few exceptions. For one thing, I changed the design of the rocker assembly. I had been thinking about the slats on the rockers. Since the train is perfectly suitable for even very small children, I was concerned about those same very little one's getting their tiny feet between the slats. So, with that in mind, and knowing that the span across the rockers where those slats go is a straight line, I decided to exchange the slats for a solid piece of wood all the way across instead. I like the way it turned out and there are no spaces for little one's to get hurt.

Also, most of my trains only have two colors. For this one I used all stains like my others. However, I used three different shades on the train. Then I used a completely different fourth shade for the rocker assembly.

While I'm happy with the previous mentioned changes, I made another not so noticeable change on this one that I'm unhappy with. Since I make very little profit on these, I tried cutting down on some of the labor for this one. In the final assembly process, I normally take extra time to drill and counter sink each hole. Then I glue and screw everything together. After that, I cut short sections of three eighths dowel and plug each and every hole and sand smooth. I still done that for all load bearing and important joints on this one. However, for other joints, for example the slats on the boiler, I used my air powered brad nailer. While everything turned out fine, I just am not happy with it. In the future, I'll go back to my normal method, if only to satisfy myself.

Bessie The Cow

2010-05-01T17:23:00.006-05:00

Meet Bessie The Cow. Bessie is painted white with black spots. She also has pink for the nostrils, insides of the ears, and her utters. On top of the paint, I put two coats of polycrylic. I knew if I didn't, the white would get dirty too easily. She can be ridden by children, or the screws that hold her to the rockers can be removed so you can just display her in your home for the cow collectors.

Plans to make Bessie can be bought from woodcraftplans.com along with many other great plans. I really enjoyed making this rocker. It was just different than what I normally do. I've also got plans to do a bull to go along with this, so I may be doing it next.

The Red Baron

2010-04-19T04:42:00.006-05:00

Well the airplane finally got done! I call it the Red Baron. If you look real close at the photos, you'll notice that the control stick actually moves the plane from side to side and front to back. The A-frame is made of construction grade lumber and then given a generous coating of Thompson's Waterseal. The plane is made of cottonwood. I then gave it two coats of Rustoleum Safety Red with the black pieces getting Rustoleum Satin Black. The plane is fifty-four inches long with a fifty three inch wingspan. I wish I'd had one of these as a kid.

I'm going to sell this one for three hundred for the frame and all. I wound up with too much invested in it. When I started this project, I had no idea I'd get well over a hundred dollars tied up in hardware, paint and lumber. If it turns out to sell good though, I've already begun running ideas through my head to make it better. How about dowels painted silver and coming out just foreward of the wings for exhaust pipes? I've also got lots of ideas on different paint schemes and what type of toy guns I could arm the wings with. I even thought about a gatlin type rubber band automatic design I've had tucked away for some time. Could you imagine a kid playing on this thing just waiting on someone, anyone, to come within firing range of his rubber band guns? On second thought, I don't know how that would go over with the parents. You gotta admit though that it's a cool idea.

Anyway, for those who would rather build one than to buy it, the plans can be found at woodcraftplans.com . Also, the original plans came from a well known company named U-Build. So, I'm sure an internet search would turn these plans up at various searches.

Waiting On A Plane

2010-04-14T09:54:00.002-05:00

Since I just started back to posting, I didn't want to keep anyone wondering while I'm working on this big project. Here's my latest work in progress. This thing is over four foot long with a little over four foot wing span. When complete, it will hang on an A-frame as a child's swing. It will have a joystick that'll be hooked up to a pulley system. This will allow the child to work the joystick and make the plane tilt side to side and forward and backwards. I think it is just the coolest plans I have ordered in a long time. Of course, I will post photos when it's complete with a link to where you can buy plans to build one of your own. I will warn you though, it's not even near completion, and I just went and bought $75 worth of hardware for it.

Poke Chop

2010-04-14T09:44:00.006-05:00

Meet Poke Chop. Some of you who keep up with this blog probably remember that I made a Poke Chop The Pig rocker last year. I changed a few things on this one, but not much. He's made of solid wood construction. The pink details and the black on the eyes are painted. Then, over that, on this one, I decided to do several coats of shellac. I think he's a real neat project, and he's not that hard to do with the proper tools and a little patience. If you'd like to build one of your own, the plans can be bought at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/ for a very reasonable price. Also, of course, if you'd like to buy this one, just let me know.

Long Time, No Post

2010-04-14T09:39:00.002-05:00

This is my first post in what seems like forever. For various reasons, I haven't been in the shop in several months. With the weather looking better though and after doing a few side jobs to raise money for materials and such, I'm back to making sawdust again. If all goes well, you'll be seeing more posts in the coming months. Thank you so much for my regular readers. I know I have a few anyway from the emails I get, even if I can't get anyone to comment directly on the blog. Anyway, thanks again, and keep watching for my newsest projects.

New Frames

2010-01-13T17:23:00.004-06:00

I started thinking about it, and I always make my frames from mahogany. I love mahogany and it's a beautiful wood, but I thought I may have customers that want to see frames made out of some other type wood. So, the tractor is framed in oak, and the motorcycle is framed in pecan.

Newest Portraits

2009-12-10T08:05:00.002-06:00

Well I haven't cut anything besides fire wood in a while. I did finally get around to cutting something new though. These latest portraits are designs I got for free from Scrollsaw Village. The screen names of the designers are Grandpa for the tractor and a fellow by the name of muleskinner done the motorcycle.

They both have custom made mahogany frames, like most of my portraits. They are cut from luan. The backgrounds are painted.

I apologize for the wait on new material. Now the holiday season is in full swing. The few things I will do in the shop in the immediate future aren't related enough to post, unless I get custom orders, like these two projects were. Therefore, it will probably be after the new year before anything is posted again. Everyone have a Joyous holiday. Merry Christmas.

Compact Disk Storage

2009-11-13T10:45:00.004-06:00

This time I built something for my own personal use. I've always loved music. I have an extensive music collection. I've had a storage trunk for years that held my collection. The bottom held CDs while the top tray held cassette tapes. Well, I'm moving into the digital age and am in the slow process of converting all my old tapes to digital format, or CDs. Because of this, I needed more storage space for CDs. The old trunk just wouldn't hold them all. I built one almost identical to my old one. This one though holds CDs in the top and bottom.

I built it out of pecan and applied Minwax Gloss Pecan stain. Although I'm happy with it, it did turn out to be a little heavier than I thought it would be. If I built another one, I believe I'd plane the wood down thinner to take some weight off. Other than that though, I believe it will get the job done, as long as I don't acquire too many more CDs. If I do, well, I can alway build a larger storage trunk.

As always, I can be contacted if someone wants to purchase one of these. This is the only one I built, but I'd be happy to build another one.

Post About No Posts

2009-11-12T08:12:00.002-06:00

I got an email today from a regular reader of my blog. The reader was concerned that there had been no new posts as of late. I am aware of this and want to extend my deepest apologies. Multiple problems have kept me from my woodwork for weeks now. For starters, this is a very bad time of the year for me in regards to my health. With the weather changing and all, my back hurts me even more than normal. With every storm, warm front or cold front that moves through the area, I hurt a little bit more. This keeps me from doing much.
To top that off, when Ido feel better lately, a lot of my time has been going to trying to get a vehicle running. Without going into great detail of the long story my vehicle problems entail, I've recently became transportationless. My old truck let me down. She's been a great truck, but it's time for me to adopt her out to someone who can give her the love she deserves. So anyway, I bought a blazer. It turns out that the engine situation on it is worse than that of my old truck. So, to make a long story short, I've got to find an engine to get me riding my ride.
I hope I get back to the woodshop soon. In the meantime, I have completed one project for my own personal use. As soon as I can get photos of it, I'll post it for you. I hope some of you keep checking on the blog. I promise there willbe more projects. I just can't give you an exact date when. Thank you all for your support though. And especially thank you for the concerned reader who sent me the email. I'm glad some enjoy keeping track of my work. I hope you get as much pleasure seeing my work as I get from building it.

Gunn Walker

2009-10-15T19:23:00.003-05:00

This is another custom rifle like the one I made a while back for a S.A.S.S. member. This one though is for a special member, my Dad. The rifle design is made of cottonwood. The background on the rifle and the stand is made of mahogany.

Tater Bin

2009-10-15T19:20:00.003-05:00

This is out of the ordinary for the type projects I usually do. It was a special order though. This is made of cottonwood, stained dark walnut. The words are made of oak.

The Armored Horse

2009-10-12T14:20:00.006-05:00

This is what has kept me from posting for so long. This is call the Armored Horse. The plans for it can be bought at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/armored-horse-rocker-plans-p-186.html . It is forty inches to the top of the horse's head, fifty two inches long and seventeen inches wide. It is made from cottonwood, oak, and mohogany. This piece has stain and paint on it. It has so much detail that there is no way you can see it all in photos. You'd have to see it in person to really appreciate the amount of detail work on it.

If you look closely at the first photo, you may notice that the rockers are attached to a round base. That's because the rockers are just for looks. This is a piece of art, not a child's toy. It is not meant to be ridden. With the stance of the horse, only two legs actually contact the base. Because of this, it probably wouldn't support the weight of even a small child. I would strongly encourage anyone who bought this to place it where kid's wouldn't be tempted to climb onto it.

It has taken close to two weeks to complete this project. I think it is by far the most detail project I've ever done. I loved every minute of it though. Please click on the comment link below this post and let me know what you think of it.

Starting New Project

2009-09-28T19:21:00.002-05:00

Most of my recent projects just different versions of past projects. While I enjoy all my woodworking, even when I'm doing the same thing as before, I want to start something new. The project I've decided to start is going to be a lengthy one. So, there won't be anynew postings for a while unless I get a custom order or I decide to post any in progress photos. I'm not sure I'll do that this time as I haven't gotten any comments or feedback in the past on in progress posts. So, as a teaser, the project I'm starting tomorrow is called the Armor Horse and the plan photo can be seen at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/armored-horse-rocker-plans-p-186.html . I'm estimating that if nothing goes wrong, this will take around two weeks. I hope the finished project will be worth the wait.

Rocking Iron Horse

2009-09-27T14:58:00.005-05:00

Christmas is going to be here before we know it. Since I know my Rocking Iron Horse is popular with the kids, I thought it was time to build another one. This is made out of solid wood. All pieces are glued and then either nailed or screwed together. The colors are created with stain. There is no paint on it. I have found out from others that kids like to store their toys in the little compartments found under the seat and in the tender box area. As the child gets older and doesn't want to rock any more, the train can be removed from the rockers and placed flat on the floor so a few more years of play can be enjoyed from it.

If any of you are interested in buying this one, just email me at greasemonkeyredneck@yahoo.com . It will have to be picked up locally in Vicksburg, Mississippi. This is too big and heavy to ship.

Custom Display Rifle

2009-09-23T21:51:00.002-05:00

My Dad visited from Georgia this week. He is part of an organization call Single Action Shooting Society. More information can be found about their events at http://www.sassnet.com/ . Anyway, he had an idea to rework the design on one of the rifle I do for a friend of his in S.A.S.S. So here is the result of that idea. The rifle is made of cottonwood. The background is ebony stained. The wall rack for the rifle is made of mahogany with the friend's S.A.S.S. number cut into it. If you click on the photo for a larger image, you may notice the cowboy at the cross towards the end of the stock. This I was told is a group within their organization called the Prayer Posse. I hope Mean Matt enjoys his display rifle.

New Twist

2009-09-20T17:57:00.005-05:00

I made a few twists to my latest motorcycle. The rocker is stained honey pine. I changed the wheel design to four holes instead of eight. I think that opened them up more for a sleaker look. I used china red stain for the body parts. I used pearl gray stain for the frame pieces. The biggest change though is the tailpipes, rims, and various other parts though. I normally use nothing but stain. I decided to use silver paint on some parts this time.

If anyone would like to purchase this rocker, contact me. They sell for two hundred and fifty dollars. I'm sorry, but I do not ship these, so it will have to be picked up if you aren't close enough for me to deliver it. They are just too big and heavy to ship. It is fifty inches long. I do deliver to nearby towns for a small delivery fee.

Don't forget to click on the comment link below this post and let me know what everyone thinks of the new changes.

Home Sweet Home Curio Shelf

2009-09-12T17:32:00.003-05:00

This is the first of three curio shelves. This is the Home Sweet Home Curio Shelf. You fellow scrollers can buy the plans at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/home-sweet-home-shelf-p-1250.html . It is fifteen inches tall and about sixteen inches wide. It is made of cottonwood. All three of the shelves came with plans that didn't really allow a good way to hang them. So, right under the top shelf of each of them, I added a three quarter square strip with keyhole slots for easy hanging. Any of these would make a wonderful addition to any home.

Anyone wishing to purchase one can just contact me. They sell for thirty five dollars each. These three are already leaving the shop tomorrow, so if you need one, contact me ahead of time so I can cut another of whichever one you want. I can be contacted at greasemonkeyredneck@yahoo.com .

Wildlife Curio Shelf

2009-09-12T17:29:00.004-05:00

This one is called the Wildlife Curio Shelf. It is made of cottonwood. It is fourteen inches tall and about fifteen inches wide. It is fairly easy to cut. Just stack cut the sides and shelves. Fellow scrollers can buy the plans at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/wildlife-curio-shelf-p-1252.html .

Angel Curio Shelf

2009-09-12T17:23:00.004-05:00

This is an angel curio shelf. It is fifteen inches wide and about sixteen inches tall. It is made of cottonwood. Any of you fellow scrollers can buy the plans at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/angel-curio-shelf-p-1265.html . They aren't too hard to do. Just stack cut both sides and the shelves. Then assemble them with glue.

Pirate Shelf

2009-09-09T18:55:00.002-05:00

I got caught off guard today. I had an order from my Etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6823431 for one of my Pirate Shelves. The problem with that was that my last one left my shop a couple months back, but I forgot to take it off the website. So, I cut one out today. Because of the rush on it, I wasn't able to make it like I normally do. Normally I cut this from cottonwood and stain it dark walnut. If I'd done that today though and sealed it up in a box to ship out first thing in the morning, the stain smell would probably have knocked the customer down when they opened the box. So, instead I cut this one out of mahogany. I think the customer will be very happy with that. They'll get it made of an exotic wood for the same price. I take care of my customers though.

Rocking Roarer

2009-09-09T18:44:00.004-05:00

I've done some more playing with tinted stain. It was time for me to do another motorcycle and I wanted to do one with more typical colors for certain body parts. So, Home Depot mixed up this blue stain. My wife even likes this one better than the ones I've done in the past.
If any of you have never seen my motorcycles before, they are fifty inches long and twenty-nine inches tall. They are made of solid wood. All the colors are stain. I never use paint on kid's toys. All paints eventually fade, crack, or peel. The tire turn. The handle bar and front fork assembly turns. Kids love these things. If anyone would like to attempt to build one on their own, you can buy the plans at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/rocking-roarer-plans-p-168.html .

Home Depot Kid's Workshop

2009-09-05T21:39:00.002-05:00

I carried my kids down to Home Depot today. The first saturday of each month, they have a Kid's Workshop. They build something different each month. The workshop involves a kit that comes with all the wood pre-cut, so the kids aren't around any dangerous power tools. All they do is assemble the parts where the instructions say, start the nails in pre-marked holes, and put together a little project. They get to keep their aprons, where they can stick on their little pins they get each time of the projects they've done. After they've built their project, they get a snack and a certificate showing the class they completed. It's a great time for all, the kids and the parent alike.

This month, they built a little bean bag toss. Next month, it is going to be about fire safety. They will be serving hot dogs. The fire truck will be there. The kids will be building a firehouse bank. I was told by the guy running the workshop today that they do this at every Home Depot all across the country. So, find out the exact date of the workshop and your local Home Depot and carry your kids down next month. I guarantee you and your kids will have a great time.

Today was my kid's first time going. Now we have a standing date for me to carry them each month. Unless something very important comes up, I will have them there. I love the fact that they get to build little projects that they can actually use while not having to worry about them getting hurt on power tools in my shop.

Jesus Portrait

2009-09-03T18:56:00.004-05:00

This portrait of Jesus measures 11x14. It is cut in luan plywood with a custom mahogany frame. I always cut keyhole slots in the back of my frames for easy hanging. I cut three of these each with different backgrounds. I used flat black, gloss black, and red.

Children's Angel Portrait

2009-09-02T20:32:00.003-05:00

Here's another pattern I bought from Spittin' Image. The designer is Chris Messier. This one is framed in mahogany too. All the portraits you see on my site are for sale. If you see one you like, just email me at greasemonkeyredneck@yahoo.com and we'll make payment and shipping arrangements.

Angel And Child Portrait

2009-09-01T23:17:00.003-05:00

This cutting is framed in mahogany. It is cut from luan plywood with a board placed for the background that is painted. There are keyhole slots in the back to hang it with. For you fellow scrollers out there, the pattern can be bought at
http://www.spittinimagewoodworking.com/shop/ for a very reasonable price. Check them out, they have some real nice patterns.

Framed Time

2009-09-01T23:12:00.003-05:00

This was a custom job for a customer. The magazine is from June 12, 1950. The lady said she'd looked everywhere for a frame for it, with no luck. The frame is made of mahogany. I double stepped the slots in the back. There's one slot for the glass and magazine. Then there's another slot for a board to cover it all tightly to keep the magazine from moving around and getting damaged. This job was real interesting. I looked through the magazine before putting it in the frame. Did you know you could buy a brand new Chevrolet then for $1449?

Wildflower Carousel Horse

2009-08-27T19:39:00.004-05:00

It is finally done. This project has been a long hard one. However, it is one that I am mighty proud of. This, I think, is the most detailed piece I have ever done. To give an idea of the amount of detail, if you'll notice the little leaves on the body of the horse, there are a total of twenty eight leaves just on the horse body, and once cut, all those leaves fit in the palm of my hand. If anyone out there would like to attempt to build one of these, it is a very challenging, but rewarding, project. You can buy the plans at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/wildflower-detailed-rocker-plans-p-180.html .

The one I built is made of solid wood. It is mostly cottonwood with some mahogany in the accent pieces. This one is attached to a round base that prevents it from rocking. It is not to be ridden. It is simply a work of art. I could build one to be ridden, but I wouldn't suggest all the detail pieces for a riding toy. This particular one is already sold. However, if anyone wants to order one, please don't hesitate to contact me.

New Project In The Works

2009-08-17T07:16:00.004-05:00

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I did have a couple weeks of no work though due to health problems and getting my kids started in school this year. I am working on a new project though. The photo below shows a sneak peek, and the progress so far. This is going to be a long one, so be patient. This carousel horse goes on a rocker. It will have all kinds of detail work on it that will be very time consuming. If you'd like, you can take a look at what it's supposed to look like at http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/wildflower-detailed-rocker-plans-p-180.html . Of course, mine will not look exactly like that. I will surely add or delete certain details to make it more mine. If the project goes too long, I'll have to post more in progress photos.

Unicorns Of Color

2009-07-27T22:21:00.004-05:00

After doing the Pegases with various colored backgrounds, I wanted to do the Unicorns as well. So here they are too, with the black, blue and red backgrounds. They also have mahogany custom frames. Also, they too are for sale for forty dollars each. In the future, I am thinking of working with some other colors. If you have a past cutting of mine that you think would look exceptionally nice with a certain color, click on the comment link below and leave a suggestion. You may just see your suggestion done in the near future.

Handcut Proof

2009-07-26T14:28:00.003-05:00

I am asked so often these days if my art is cut with lasers. At a recent show I was even asked if it was cut with a water jet. I really can't figure out how you could cut wood with water without ruining the wood, but that's not the subject if this post. I fully understand why I get this question so often these days though. In these modern times, so many things are mass produced and assembled or painted in sweatshops in some country that you and I can't even pronounce. Then these items are sold so cheap in what I call "box stores" that some people are shocked by the price when they do happen across true hand made crafts or arts. Then, because these same items are made so cheaply, they don't last, fall apart, fade, or disappoint the customer in one way or another and the customer is hesitant about trusting anyone, even the craftsman, enough to pay any amount for an item, no matter the quality.

To answer the question in short, no and never will be. Every item you see by me is hand made, by me. The only exception is that sometimes my wife or kids want to help me some. I let them help do some sanding. Sometimes one of my older sons may even help apply some stain. I do buy my patterns. I can't draw a straight line without a ruler. Every now and then there are things I design myself. A lot of the clock faces youo see on my clocks are designed by me. The words on the sides of the bottom level of the Patriot Clock were made using simple stencils that were bought at the dollar store. Everything is handmade though. Cuts are made by saws in my shop. My Delta scroll saw is the saw that gets the most use, but I also own a band saw, table saw, skilsaw, and a jig saw. Other tools I use regularly are the router, cordless drill, and several different types of sanders. I have never though, and never will use, a laser.

These days, there are several different machines that you can use to create the same kind of work that I do in mass produce fashion. One of these methods is a machine that cuts wood in a predetermined pattern using laser. That's where that laser question comes from. Using this machine, certain companies from all over the world cuts similar pieces to mine by the thousands. To improve even more on that, they have set up mass production style factories that can be run with the minimum amount of workers to turn out these products as fast as possible. There's a catch though. With anything that is produced in that quantity, it never gets handled by humans long enough to even notice what kind of quality is being thrown into boxes and shipped out all over the world. As a matter of fact, many of these companies have quit using wood for their products. They get more uniformity from plastic that is textured to look like wood.

All this being said, quality comes from hard work and care. Every item I make has time and personal touches put into it. When a project is completed, if I'm not happy with it, it is never sold. A while back I built a cradle. After completing it and staining it, I wasn't happy with it. I set it on fire in front of my shop and started over from scratch. If I'm not happy, I know my customer won't be happy. Also, each item is personally cared for from a block of wood to the finished project. Nothing is automated.

So for this rant about lack of quality in our modern world to connect with the post title. Once you get any project of mine into your home, careful inspection can prove that it is handcut. Whether it be a portrait or a candle holder, inspect the cut lines carefully. I make sure to leave just enough "fuzzies" to prove it is handcut, but not enough to interfere with the beauty of the project. "Fuzzies" is that little fuzzy looking splinters that appear on some of my projects, like on the inside edges of portraits or on the undersides of some of my rocking toys. Lasers do not leave this type of byproduct. Also, lasers leave tiny burn marks in tight corners. You will not find that on my projects.

So, if you buy any of my projects, look for the handcut proof. Show that proof to others because you now own a piece of a dying art. As time goes by, there are less and less people in the world that do this type art. Before we know it, it will be gone. Then all the world will have left is mass produced stuff that will fill up more landfill area while consumers go out and buy more stuff. You though, or your children, can own a piece of art that has quality and can last for generations if taken care of.

Pegasus Of Different Colors

2009-07-25T14:04:00.004-05:00

I decided to play around with some different colors. I thought about it and decided that this pegasus pattern would be perfect for this little experiment. So, in the end, we wind up with three pegasus portraits, one with the usual black background, one blue, one red.

The frame is custom made of mahogany with keyhole slots for hanging. A similar portrait is listed on my Estsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6823431 . These are for sale for forty dollars.