Happy New Year!!

Welcome, 2022! I hope you’re better than last year. While 2021 wasn’t bad for my woodworking, it’s been less than social. My writing has also suffered as I don’t feel like joining the online meetings when I’ve spent all day online for work.

One of the things that I discovered from my Alpine Workshop experience: Spending time in a professional workshop allows you to use tools you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. The consequence is that now I know what I’m missing! One machine I used that I thought I could squeeze into my shop was an oscillating belt sander. So in October, I ordered a Hammer HS 950 and that is finally going to arrive on Monday.

One of the main reasons to go to the Alpine Workshop was to become comfortable with the shaper unit on my Hammer B3. I’m happy to say that I now make regular use of the shaper. One of the nice things about the workshop is that there’s a lot of time for attendees to bring up questions. I asked about creating one of my favorite and popular projects: a serving tray. I did order some additional shaper heads and a couple of custom knives and now I’m ready to try to produce a dozen serving trays in a batch. In woodworking, the cuts don’t take much time. It’s the setup of the machines, so doing 1 or 10 doesn’t take that much longer. Until I get to do the finishing. That I’m still doing one at a time.

The other purchase I made was an Atomstack A5 Pro. I plan on engraving care instructions and a description of the wood on the back of the serving trays.

So theoretically, I’m all set to do small production runs of these serving trays.

I still have other projects in the works. I’ll get to them someday.

More Learned Now

I spent four days last week in SW Colorado taking an Alpine Workshops class on Advanced Joinery. The primary reason for taking the class was to become comfortable with the operation of the shaper on my Hammer B3. The class was amazing and the people I met were wonderful. I’m looking forward to getting back into my shop and make use of my new skills.

Shop updates and my YouTube channel: Cut it with a Hammer

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and a lot of things have been happening in the shop.

This year I decided to do major shop improvements. I purchased a Hammer B3 table saw to replace my old Craftsman saw. I wanted a safer saw and one that would be much easier to use. While I ordered it out of Austria in January, Covid-19 delayed production for 8-10 weeks, and it arrived last week. I’ve spent the last week putting it together and becoming familiar with the saw. This unit also has a shaper, which is excellent at doing things like moulding and cabinet doors. I’ll look forward to expanding my skills and who knows, maybe I’ll start accepting commissions for build-ins.

To make room in the shop for the Hammer, I moved most of the shelving and tools inside. I’ve also moved my milled lumber so that it is stored in the same climate as it will be used as a product. Vicky, who’s an architect by training, kindly took my shop space and found a better layout for all my stationary tools and other items that need to stay in the garage. A big thanks to her as it no longer feels cramped. Well, as cramped.

I also upgraded to a stationary planer. The portable one was always in the way, out of the way. Now all my major machines are ready to use at any time. The only major thing I have left is I really need to upgrade the dust collection. The one I have just isn’t big enough for the joiner or planer and I’m weary of always having to step over the hose.

With the planer upgrade, I had to add a 30-amp 220v circuit to my shop. With the help of my son, I also swapped out the fluorescent lights with more and brighter LED ones. A much-needed improvement.

And finally, in May, I launched a YouTube channel titled Cut it with a Hammer. While the focus will be on sliding table saws, I also have various other things that may be of interest.

That pretty much gets everyone up to date.

Finally Done!

I started a Memory Box back in early Spring. But as with many of my projects, parts had to be redone, mistakes were made and fix, things were tried, and tried and abandoned. I finally completed and delivered the box this past week. Overall, I'm happy with it. Will be changing finishes from here on out as I'm not happy with the water-based stuff I've used on this and the previous project.

For Walnut, I bought some of the finish that The Joinery sells. I'll have to practice on some pieces before I use it for real. The next big project is several gaming tables. One for practice, one for me and one for my son. I'll do them in parallel as it will take way too much time to do them one at at time.

First, I need to re-layout my shop. I hope to sell my motorbike and use the money, and space to get a new table saw. My current saw has some limitations and I'm ready to replace it.

Travel, travel, travel...

September finds me traveling again. Currently, I'm in Oregon for a couple family events. Visited the downtown Portland store of The Joinery. A very nice place. Picked up some new ideas and things to try in the shop. I already have a backlog of fourteen projects, so I really don't need any more. Since they are personal, no timeline is involved.

The trip out inspired me to write, so I did. Working on a piece I hope to have reviewed soon. The title at the moment is Undomesticated Travel. Still working on the Vienna story.

Need to complete something

I seem to be collecting projects without getting any finished. There’s also been some changes in my ‘Day Job’ which has given me new responsibilities. I’ve decided that I need to move all my lumber stock into the house, which means that I have a lot of cleaning of the space I’m going to use. The difference in the humidity in the house and in the shop is significant enough that the wood I’m using changes shape between my finishing area in the house and the rest of the shop in the garage. Since my all my projects are destined for inside of the house, it make sense to store my stock there and only take them to the shop when I’m actively working with them.

As for writing, not a lot going on right now. My girlfriend and I took a river cruise last April and we observed a young Japanese girl sitting by herself at Central Cafe. She challenged me to writing competition. She finished her story within a week. I’m still working on mine. I guess she technically won. :) Mine is titled Vienna and it should be done relatively soon.

Damn, it's cold outside

Which means it’s cold in the garage and no wood working going on. No writing either. Work has been busy, and I can’t really use that as the reason for not writing. The last thing I wrote was a story that I refer to as “First, You Broke My Heart, Then You Loved Me” rolling around in my head for a long while. Around Thanksgiving, I woke up with the urgent need to start putting it on paper. Well, on a metal platter someplace in Google-space. The urge petered itself out just before the 700 word mark.

That’s been it for a while.

An update

I’ve been working on making a coffee table out of a walnut slab that I’ve had for three years. The problem was coming up with a design for the base, which I did about a month ago. I’m in the process of milling walnut for the base and cleaning up the top. I hope to have it done soon.

I’m also working on another serving tray made of Black Mesquite and Maple. And there are pieces for a Soji Screen needing attention.

I’m also working on cleaning up a few stories and having them reviewed. I hope to finish one by Thanksgiving.

I’ve had a lot of company from out of town the last month or so. I haven’t been lounging around doing nothing.

Argentine Tango

I'm apparently struggling to convey Argentine Tango to people who are unfamiliar with the style. I'm playing around with some ideas to address this problem (maybe). I thought I'd share these two videos links for anyone who's interested.

The setting for 'Late': Tango at Eastern Market. This is typical social tango.

Show tango in Buenos Aires (competition) which would be frowned upon in a social setting: 'The Proposition' (aka The Girl On The Corner)

'Late' receiving final edits

I have finally gone through the review comments for Late. While there are a few more to do, I've moved it into the Unpublished Works page. The next story I have comments for is A Proposal. It was called The Girl on the Corner and The Negotiation and a mix of both. Based on the feedback I received, it may get a major re-work. I also have Eliana being reviewed.

Two new stories available under Unfinished Works

I have made two stories available: Late and A Negotiation With A Girl On A Corner

These are the top two items on the Unfinished Works page. Once they have been reviewed by my critique group and their comments have  been incorporated, I'll move them to Unpublished Works. If I submit them to a publisher, I'll have to take them down during that time period.

Some recent changes

Since it doesn't seem that I'm going to produce any useful Android Apps, we've removed that section. In its place, I have added Stories to showcase my writing projects.

A bit of a background on my writing. I've been encouraged over the years by friends and family to write. When I was living in Brussels, I joined a small online writing group, which has since disbanded. During that time, they had a story competition. The story had to contain certain features, such as a twin, teapots, etc. I don't really remember what they all were. The original version of Potbelly Antiques came of that effort. It was written in First Person Present, which is fairly hard.

Last year I joined a writers critique group. Through that group, I learned about Loudon County Library's annual WriteOn! short story contest. I submitted Huntress, which I had written a few years earlier. Those of you who are familiar with Magic: The Gathering may recognize that it was a source of material. It probably needed to go through my writer's group. I did get Honorable Mention. Two other members, Deb & Amy, were also Honorable Mentions.

My first submission for the writer's group was The Kiss. I then I re-worked Potbelly Antiques for First Person Past and ran that through the group for review. I received a lot of good feedback on both stories. I subsequently submitted The Kiss and Potbelly Antiques to ASU's Canyon Voices. They graciously accepted both stories for their Spring 2018 issue and as part of the release party held on campus, I read The Kiss.

I have four other Tango stories along the lines of The Kiss. I'm working, slowly, on a novel based on Huntress and a Sci-Fi novel that I've been kicking around for way too long. As I get things finished up, they'll be here first.

I hope you enjoy.

Long time without a post

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. Since the last post, there have been a number of shop upgrades. Most notably a new workbench and a Joiner. 

I've also completed a small number of projects. Some have photos in the Gallery. My first customer wanted some built-in shelves in African Mahogany. Since then, she has also ordered the tiny coffee table and a serving tray. 

A good friend of mine wanted four flower boxes for her barn, which turned out well. Hard to really photograph.

I made a handful of birdhouses, a box for a card collection, a small desk for another client and a flag box for my Step Father's flag.

DNISW — News

Last Summer we needed to relocate. So all shop activities were suspended. The new shop is bigger and we have been getting things settled and are glad to say that we are back to making things. While commissioned items always take priority, we do have a couple of items that we are almost ready to unveil. Hopefully by the end of June.

Source: http://www.dnisw.com/blog/