What have I done in the workshop today?

BTW, have we done the 'fork handle' joke yet??

Oh that seat is just beautiful, I just want to stroke it. I don't know of any elm trees now but we've recently planted an elm hedge as they apparently don't get dutch elm disease until they are quite tall.

That is lovely CH. Is there a reason for using two different woods for the legs and seat - aesthetics maybe, or a practical purpose?

It's a fairly traditional combination, for practical reasons. Ash cleaves easily along the grain, so is a good choice for legs, rails etc. But this is not actually what you need for the seat - the last thing you want is a wood that splits easily, so the interlocking grain of elm is more suitable. I rather like the look of the elm with its pronounced grain, and like the contrast. This particular elm was very dry, and the ash was felled the day I collected it -this is quite the wrong way round, as it makes the joints more likely to loosen as it dries - hence the wedges (and a bit of modern glue ).

Our next challenge is to be a taller 3 or 4 legged stool, with rails. I have a nice piece of elm for that, the shape of which suggests what it should become quite strongly to me. Looking forward to that.

Is it ok to mention Christmas yet ? I got grumbled at a few weeks ago in the tea room.

Been making a lot of Christmas gifts. Bottle stoppers, a footstool or two, a lemon squeezer and five (yes 5!) chopping boards. And a couple of very traditional screwdrivers (that's "turnscrews" if you're being posh) for a Secret Santa on another woodworking forum.

A lot of work, particularly when done all by hand, but a lot more enjoyable than going shopping.

Is it ok to mention Christmas yet ?

Not until December!  Give me time to go into hibernation.

I did a lot of chatting and not much wood turning at Wimpole last weekend, but this evening I fitted the pair of pulls I made to the bathroom roller blind.

After a lot of distractions I've got back to the bookcase. It is turning into a major dovetail practice piece, wide dovetails to hold the top on and sliding dovetails for the shelves. May be quite a bit longer till it's finished. ..

Got back to making the small bookcase C-H Jnr has been waiting for. Involves a lot of this:

Finished those lapped dovetails last night, now for sliding dovetails for the shelves.

Wow, those joints are beautiful Chilli Head, that's going to be a bookcase of some strength.

It reminds me of the inside of a musical instrument. It looks really beautiful, CH. Any chance CH Jnr will appreciate what you have done for him, before he gets to be the age you are now??!

freebird wrote:Any chance CH Jnr will appreciate what you have done for him, before he gets to be the age you are now??!

He is just bemused as to why it takes so long ! He has a bit of a point, but as well as the day job, I have decorated two bedrooms this winter (including his !), and got distracted by Christmas present making in the meantime. I'm back on this job now, hoping to clear it before I get back to my second chair. And whatever I want to make for the APTGW craft competition at the Bodgers' ball.

And I've just heard the rather sad news that MAC Timbers have been forced to shut up shop. They are a good source of interesting timber, and I was hoping to get some big slabs of walnut from him for chair #3, for which I want to make a smoker's bow. I'll have to try and get there before all the wood is gone !

Oh dear, I've just realised that what I wrote could have been misconstrued. What I meant to convey was the fact that children rarely appreciate the efforts parents make on their behalf, until they are old enough to be doing exactly the same thing! I didn't mean to imply that you are taking far too long over the job.

It's OK freebird, I read it as you intended. But most things do seem to take me a long time ....

Yesterday I collected a super board of English walnut from MAC Timbers. It must have come from an enormous tree - it is a single board 22" wide by 2" thick. Hopefully it will make the seat and armrest of chair no 3.

Finally got around to putting together those dovetails that I showed you earlier:



After a pretty stressful glue-up (had to call in help from the kitchen at one point), it is looking like this:

"

The bottom and middle shelf are held in place with sliding dovetails - a single tapered dovetail from front to back, that slides in from the front, pulling the sides in.

There's quite a lot of colour variation in this oak;  I am told it is English, but it is from fairly small trees, making it necessary to make up the wide pieces by jointing together smaller boards. The worst mismatch is on the little vertical dividers,  which I'm hoping won't be to obvious.

Just the back to go now.  That will be made of tongue and grooved boards - I've just finished planing up the wood for this, hence the mess on the floor !

Wow CH, that looks stunning. I love seeing the bits that hold it all together. Beautiful!

freebird wrote:Wow CH, that looks stunning. I love seeing the bits that hold it all together. Beautiful!

Just what I was going to say!!

Dandelion wrote:

freebird wrote:Wow CH, that looks stunning. I love seeing the bits that hold it all together. Beautiful!

Just what I was going to say!!

Me three!!

And I'll fourth that!

Finished that bookcase for C-H Jnr and hauled it upstairs into his room today.  I added a back made from tongue and grooved oak boards, and finished it off with Osmo hard wax oil and a polish up with beeswax.

I was originally planning to be at Danny farmland museum demoing with the Wimpole green woodworkers. The weather was awful though, and after getting fairly wet at the last meeting at the Wimpole scythe festival, I decided retreat to my workshop instead.

I have been meaning to make a wooden tool tote for my greenwood tools for a while - I have been using a plastic one to date but it doesn't seem fitting. And it is too small to hold bigger tools like a hand brace, axes and drawknives. So, with some wood from old shelving and pallets I pulled from an English Heritage skip, I've made a good start - main box and handle done, just a top tray to hold smaller tools to do. I'll show you when it's finished.

I'll look forward to the pictures.
I meant to comment before on the finished bookcase. I would be delighted to have that gracing any of my rooms so if CH Junior isn't using it ......... I like the compartments rather than long shelves.

The bookcase is currently holding C-H Jnr's treasured collection of back issues of The Beano, and his karate trophies, so I don't think you'll get him to part with it !  The cubby holes are designed to be wide enough for A4 folders lying flat, or tall enough to stand them up, in anticipation of the day when he becomes studious  It does avoid the domino effect when you push in one book and the whole shelf load topple over.

Not exactly in the workshop today, the autumnal sun was far too nice to be indoors.  But we had a meeting of the Wimpole woodworkers, so I took along a bit of the pear wood that arrived on my allotment last week.  I thought there might be a bowl or two inside, and here's one:



The wood is still very wet; it was felled only last week and has a very high moisture content - so much so that it was flying out as a spray from the wood whilst it was spinning on the lathe, so I got a bit of a shower !  It has turned very pink on exposure to the air - I'm told pear turns even more pink if you steam it -  I wonder what colours will be in it when it is fully dried and oiled.

As I said, it was a lovely day to be out, and quite a few walkers thought the same so we had a few passers by to chat with, as well as the odd new member along to have a go having met us the other week at Burwash manor.  Simon was in the process of clearing out Cobbs wood farm where we often meet, which meant his extensive collection of vintage agricultural implements were outside and made a talking point.  A lot of them would be familiar to viewers of Edwardian farm and other of Ruth Goodman's series.  There was a potato spinner type harvester, a reaper binder, and he also has an old threshing machine.

Graham was out and about too - now here is a sight you don't see too often these days:

Raining again today, but I needed to get on with something. It's a good thing I can set my lathe up with the bungee indoors ! I made a couple of legs for chair #3, the Smoker's bow. The book I'm using as a guide did not intend the designs to be made using a pole lathe, I think, and the turning is fiddly - takes me anout 2 hours per leg to get from log to leg ! I'll have to start a thread for this project when I've got some pictures.

That pear bowl.  Now, I have made stuff from fruitwood in the past and I know it shrinks and twists a lot as it dries, but I still didn't expect this:


That's not an error in the aspect ratio of the picture, it is now 165mm x 140mm.  Distinctly oval.  I've planed the base back flat so it does not wobble, but I'm still deciding what to do with it.  Perhaps it's shape could be regarded as character. It is a shame that lovely pinkish terracotta colour of the fresh wood has faded to a less exciting brown.  Perhaps a food safe oil finish might restore it a bit.  Or I always need kindling.