Trailing Behind

Well, as my friends, family, and regular readers know, my granddaughter was born on the twenty fifth of last month. Since then, so much has been going on around here that by the time the day is through, I haven't felt up to the Internet, or the shop, or pretty much anything but going to bed. To make a long story short, what follows is all that I have done as far the shop goes since the day the baby was born.

Erwin, and his wife, visited my shop. I know Erwin from one of my wood working groups. He and his wife was passing through all the way from their home in Fort Myers, Florida.

I always love visits from people, especially fellow wood workers. Erwin, and his lovely wife, are what we call around these parts, good people. I hope they both feel welcome enough to stop again if they ever pass this way again.

You all know how much I have been blessed with different woods from all over for my turning obsession I have fallen in to. Erwin brought me some beautiful wood from his shop. There is so much that I can't remember them all sitting here at the computer. I know there is plenty of rosewood, tulip wood, lace wood, and a lot of others. The ones that have really caught my eye though are the different pieces of burl and spalted wood in the mix. I can't wait to see how some of these turn out on the lathe.

This is a jig I've worked on a tiny bit at a time. I mean I've had to make a cut here, drill a hole there. I should have been able to whip this together in an hour or two. Instead it has taken close to two weeks.

The jig is fully adjustable for running a router on for some pen boxes I plan on making. That in itself is a long story. To shorten it, I've taken parts of several different designs I've seen and am trying to come up with something I can do quickly and easily. Later I plan on branching out into fancier boxes. For now though, I want to make something I can offer to pen buyers at a cheap price to go along with pens they buy as gifts. However, I want to keep time and cost low enough that it will be something worthwhile for people to get. This helps me out because, in the future, I hope to sell more pens online. Wrapping these boxes for shipping will be quicker and easier than the makeshift packaging techniques I've been using.

Here is the first test piece. With some fine tuning, and another jig for hinge replacement, these will make for some nice, but cheap to sell, boxes. They will be held closed with magnets. I hope I can show you a better example real soon.

.

That's it. It isn't much for a couple of weeks is it? Well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. I hope to get more shop time soon. When I do, I'll be sure to post my latest ramblings.