I {Heart} DIY

FINALLY!!!...Thank you Lord for letting me finish these projects, AND, they actually aren't half bad. First off, my weapon of a cutting board - this thing has more glue than all of the elementary schools in town put together. It's beautiful, delightfully heavy, and the contrast of the walnut and purple heart woods came out better than I thought. I cannot wait to take out all my vegetable aggressions on this thing. And, it can always double as a self-defense device in a pinch.

Lastly, my little 50's table with hair pin legs - oh, how I love you. I didn't love you when I was making you...um, and cussing at you...but the end result, sweet! Definitely a labor of love as many times as I had to redo cuts on this table but worth it...I guess. OK, yes...worth it!

images courtesy of me

Chop House

So it's been awhile since I've posted about my woodworking journey.  My infamous 50's side table is basically done but I'm waiting on an unusually warm day to put the poly on outside so that I don't kill myself with the fumes inside {then I wouldn't get to enjoy my table so what would be the point}? Finally, I will be able to put the lovely hairpin legs on and {voila!} - it will be done - then I'll post the pic...stay tuned.

My current project is the lovely 2" thick end-grain cutting board crafted from walnut and purpleheart.  My hearing has almost returned from running these hard-a*# boards through the planer - I think everyone in a 30 mile radius heard it.  What?  Did you say something?

I've almost plucked all the splinters from my fingers too - so basically, I can't hear and my fingers are polka-dotted-red from digging around with a needle.  This is so much fun.  Anyway, next class, I'm looking forward to gluing more than 20 strips of the wood and clamping it to form the actual cutting board.  So, let's recap - I can't hear, I have needle marks on my fingers from splinters, and it's likely I will have to peel a gallon of glue off my hands and arms, of course the skin will come with it.  Did I mention this is really, super, some kind of big fun?

It's going to be a beaut when I'm done - I may not be, but my cutting board will...

image courtesy of me

Doin' A Little Jig

After many weeks, tears, scrapes, bad words and therapy my 50's side table is coming along. This picture is actually from a few weeks ago but it's still relevant being that I've been cutting box joints, or shall I say, fixing the box joints for weeks on the table saw. There is now a light at the end of the tunnel because I'm ready to sand and glue next week...hallelujah! Whoever said woodworking is relaxing is dead wrong...I'm just sayin...

image courtesy of me

Torture Chamber

No, this is not some sort of torture device eventhough it looks like it! What you see is the progress of my woodworking project, duh. Just a recap, I'm making a 50's inspired side table out of walnut with hairpin legs, exciting isn't it? I have successfully cut down the wood, ran it through the jointer, and glued the pieces together to form the top/bottom and sides. Tonight, it's all about planing the wood and cutting it into the proper sized pieces to form the actual table. Oh the pressure! The hairpin legs are also on their way so it looks like my little project is coming together...I wasn't sure it would happen.

However, there is still treacherous territory I have to cover - making a jig tonight to cut the box joints to attach the top/bottom to the sides. I'm shaking in my safety glasses here! God speed.

image courtesy of me

Just Plane Ol' Fun!

Here is your weekly shop class report - try to contain your overwhelming excitement!  Did you know there are six steps to squaring up a board?  Ha, I knew it!  Well, up to this point, I only know three of them {bummer}.  Here are the first three steps in abbreviated detail of course:

• Step ONE - Make one face flat and smooth by using the Jointer.  Basically this machine shaves the crap off of the bottom face of raw lumber and spits out these shavings perfect for the hamster cage.

• Step TWO - Make the other face flat, smooth, parallel, and to the correct thickness on the PLANER {the mammoth machine in the pic above}.  The rough wood on the top face never stands a chance once it goes through this fine machine to make it smooth as a baby's bottom - ok, it does take multiple passes and possibly a bit of sanding at the end to really get it super-duper smooth.  However, you put the rough splinter-filled lumber in on one end and something very Willy Wonkaesque happens to where this gorgeous rich smooth piece of wood comes out the other end.  It's magic.

• Step THREE - Make one edge flat, smooth, and perpendicular to both faces on the {nope, wrong guess}, on the JOINTER again.  Do you see where I'm going with this?  Well, I don't because I don't know what Step Four is, aaaahhhh the agony.

Anyway, next week we are finishing up the remaining three steps, then starting our project planning and will incorporate wood techniques as needed like dove tail joining, turning wood for legs, FUN, FUN, FUN!  The best part?  I'm gonna have skills AND I get to buy safety glasses this weekend, jealous are you?

image courtesty of WW Thayer

Shop Shocked!

So, I went to my first Woodworking class last week {affectionately referred to as shop class - what else?!}  Guess what?  You'll never guess in a million years.  My instructor, who was a shop teacher for local high schools for many many years {drum roll}...has ALL his fingers!  I was stunned - I thought it was an urban legend that they existed.  He wears his wedding band on his pinkie finger which I find fascinating!

Shop Class - Take One!...We learned all about lumber, from forestry to sawmills, to drying the boards, the condition of the boards, the nomenclature, hardwoods vs. softwoods, etc.  In case you are lying awake in bed at night debating on log sawing methods - plane sawn wood gives you prettier grain {all lovely and curvy} BUT quarter sawn wood is less likely to warp {vertical grain}.  Now you can rest easy {you're welcome}.

Did you know hardwood trees typically loose their leaves in the winter and softwoods do not?  Yep, I cannot lie.  AND, rough lumber is sized by thickness and yard lumber {yes, the kind you get at a lumber yard - duh} is sized by dimension.  I was on the edge of my seat all night!

Loved it, loved it - and on deck for tomorrow night, learning how to square up a board, use the various saws and tools, etc.  If a woodchuck could chuck wood...oh who cares!

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Shop Class

I'm so excited! Want to know why? Sure you do! Tonight is the first night of my Woodworking class! So what if you don't care - but I think it will be much fun. Learning about all the tools of trade, crafting a piece of furniture from your own little hands, the smell of sawdust...

It's a 5-week class offered at my local community college - my thought is to craft a 50's inspired side table, we'll see how that turns out. Maybe use hairpin legs on it, hhmm. Then, I've promised I would make Coco a barn for her horses - hope it doesn't look like a ghetto shack. I'll be posting my progress on the whole adventure and hopefully at the end, I will still have all my fingers.

image courtesy of The BAFRA

Field Of Dreams

I am in love with this fish-camp prefab dwelling designed by Rocio Romero. Would love to have one of these on the beach in Costa Rica...complete with fresh fried fish and cold beer. Dream...

image courtesy of Dwell