Better Learn Balance

Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good.


Customer wanted a solid wood balance scale for her child. Sturdy, bullet proof, no plastic. Okay.


Maple construction. Through tenon into the base. Friction fit dowel fulcrum. Mineral oil/beeswax finish.


Note the green painted Stanley 5 1/2 in the lower right. Original owner painted the whole thing a minty fresh green. I still haven't stripped it and cleaned it, but I'm certain there's goodly sweetheart era 5 1/2 under there with perfectly preserved rosewood handle and tote.


Yes, that's a Microplane cheesegrater/zester in the back. I wondered one day if a cheesegrater microplane is the same as a wood rasp microplane. The answer is yes. Perfect for hogging off a lot of wood quickly. On sale. Williams Sonoma outlet. Nevada/California border stores on the way to Vegas.

George Nelson Bench: The 6 Footer

1. Customer wants 6 footer.

2. Carlo thinks, "Wow, those would be long pieces of maple."

3. Customer says, "Yes. And make two center supports instead of one."

4. Carlo thinks, "Hmm, okay."

5. Customer also says, "Make those center supports double the size of the end pieces."

6. Carlo thinks, "Hmm, then that would make this piece exactly the same as a real George Nelson six foot bench."

7. Customer says, "Exactly."

8. Done. Built. Shipped.

9. Do you want one too?

10. Send an email to craigwoodworks at gmail dot com.

Thank you. Good night.

Spoons!

Over the course of a few months I've been experimenting with turning spoons. Every now and again I'd find a random piece of maple or cherry, turn the handle on the lathe, and rough out a spoon shape using a variety of techniques: straight chiseling, spoon chiseling, routing, dremeling, flapwheel grinding, scraping, etc. I'm not quite sure which method works best, but that's part of the figuring out process and that's why I ended up with about a dozen spoons in varying styles.

So for xmas, I sanded these prototypes down, finished 'em with mineral oil (plus beeswax and carauba wax), put a pretty ribbon on 'em, attached some care/feeding instructions, and gave 'em away. In the true spirit of xmas, the best present is the type that actually can be crafted in Santa's workshop and not something that can be bought at Wal-Mart.

Each spoon had a different handle/spoon shape and was personalized with the iron/toner transfer technique that I use on lots of my other projects.

Once I figure out a streamlined modus operandi, I'll start selling these too.

Again, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Nelson: Project Juliet

Letter J, Project Juliet, Nelson piece number 10, The Shoe Rack.

I call it the shoe rack 'cause that's what came to mind when the dimensions of this thing became evident. What you use it for is completely up to you: a plant stand, a foot stool, a kids' bench, a mini coffee table for those tiny moments of coffee drinking, or even a shoe rack.

Make sure you look at the dimensions at the end of this post 'cause the pictures might make it appear to be larger than it actually is. What it definitely isn't is the size of a regular Nelson bench.

Made from leftover pieces of maple from Project Kilo: The Square Coffee Table (not yet completed), this mini bench is something I threw together 'cause I didn't want to let those perfectly good lengths of maple go to the lumber limbo pile. That lumber limbo pile of mine is growing to unmanageable proportions, so it's best if I find a good use for certain pieces rather than subject them to insignificance and loneliness.

Why these pieces were rejects from the square coffee table is due to a failed planer sled experiment. Without getting into the ugly details, these pieces ended up with a little dip in their centers. If you look at the second picture below, you might be able to notice that the center of the shoe rack is of a slightly smaller width than the ends of it. Slightly. Not a lot. Slightly.

This is an all glue joint affair without the signature notches of some of my previous Nelson-style work. The glue blocks are oriented upwards so that the end grain is visible: this resulted in some chipping of the ends of the glue blocks when attempting to flatten the top with a hand plane. Must rethink my strategy in that regard next time. I think it looks cool and gives the thing some character ;>

Spindles! Lathe turned spindles! I finally got my lathe and these spindles were the first things I spun. I'm loving the lathe so much that my spokeshave just might get a retirement ceremony and end up in the tool limbo pile (which is not as ignominious a destination as the lumber limbo pile).

Below is the shoe rack demonstrating its usefulness in a way befitting its title. As you can see, we have a thing for Keen shoes.

Dimensions are as follows:

Length: 34 1/2"

Width: 7 1/4"

Height: 12"

Price: $150 Sold!

Hard maple. Finished in tung oil.

To arrange purchase, send an email to craigwoodworks at gmail dot com.