Woodworking

ewriggs · #1 (**permalink**) 05-22-2003, 04:53 AM

Anyone else here do woodworking? We have 4 lathes. DH makes gorgeous bowls, jars, round boxes, etc and I make lovely pens, pencils, "eggoscopes" (little kaleidoscopes shaped like eggs), letter openers, etc.

My husband is the president of our woodworking club and we have over 84 meetings a year (counting the special interest groups - turning and scrollsawing).

Although we have a good scrollsaw, we haven't gotten into it as much as turning.

DH also makes beautiful small mitered boxes ("square projects") and sells them.

We use exotic woods as well as domestics. My favorite woods are Jatoba (Brazilian cherry), cocobolo, purple heart, pauduk, and my all-time favorite - osage orange. DH made a perfectly *drop dead gorgeous* goblet from osage orange about 10 inches tall and 4 inches across for our oldest son's wedding. It is a stunner. He plans to make about 5 more from other woods and sell them.

Turning and scrollsawing are "naturals" for women because they don't take so much upper body strength as finesse. I have no problems using the bandsaw, radial arm saw, drill press (etc), but work mostly on small projects.

Elizabeth - Grandmom to a baseball team and one lonely little cheerleader!
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nagymom · #2 (**permalink**) 05-22-2003, 05:21 AM

Elizabeth--My dh loves working with wood too! He makes gorgeous eagles for holding the state quarter collections. He had orders for so many at one time he could barely keep up. He too uses exotic woods only to make them. He gets his wood from a place that deals in exotic wood here in North Carolina. Until last summer we only lived 45 minutes from them. Now we're 3 hours away but he made the trip back a few months ago. :p

We built a beautiful workshop for him at our last home but sold and moved after he lost his job. His employer here paid to move us and helped with closing costs, etc but won't build him a new one.

This yard isn't big enough for one so he set up shop in the garage. It's a little cramped but he's happy.

He also makes darling little reindeer (I think there are 6 in the series) and we make scarves and hats to put on them. Theya re so cute! He has a wonderful talent with wood and loves spending time in his shop.

Jayne

ewriggs · #3 (**permalink**) 05-22-2003, 05:39 AM

Jayne - There's a man in our woodworking club who does just *incredible* scrollsaw projects. He makes little scenes with Peanuts characters. Since they are copyrighted, he can't sell them - he **gives them away**! He made up a *beautiful* cross with flowers and vines.

I enjoy my woodworking. I don't do "handwork" (needlepoint, knitting, crocheting, etc) because my fingers hurt from arthritis. But I can hold my turning tools with no problem. My dh gave me "The Scrollsaw Workbook" for Mother's Day, and I'm looking forward to moving into doing more of that.

Exotic woods are available through the internet at pretty good prices - depending on what you want. Obviously something like amboyna burl is going to be expensive no matter who the
supplier is, but I have found some excellent values from close-outs at Penn State Industries, Packard Woodworks, Amazon Exotic Woods, and Craft Supply. Woodcraft doesn't usually have good prices on most wood, but from time to time they run a special on their "grab-bags".

Where in NC? Packard is in Tryon, NC.

Here are a few URLs, just for the places I mentioned:
Packard: http://www.packardwoodworks.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazonexotichardwoods.com/
Penn State: http://www.pennstateind.com/
Craft Supply: http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/
Woodcraft:
http://shop.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/...l/homepage.asp

There are lots more in my "favorites" list, but I don't want to overwhelm people!

Elizabeth - Grandmom to a baseball team and one lonely little cheerleader
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nagymom · #4 (**permalink**) 05-22-2003, 05:46 AM

Elizabeth THANK YOU for those sites! I can hardly wait to show them to my husband. I don't do woodworking myself but am fascinated by it. I love to watch HGTV on weekend mornings (escpecially Norm Abrams On New Yankee Workshop) and watch the wood just mold into such wonderful projects like magic.

Do you ever vist http://www.walllumber.com/default.asp ?
This is the woood supplier here in North Carolina that dh likes to shop. It's 3 hours away so he won't make the trip often--just stocks up when he does.

Thanks again!

Jayne

ewriggs · #5 (**permalink**) 05-22-2003, 05:54 AM

WOW! Thanks, Jayne! Just checked out the site and it is awesum!

Elizabeth - Grandmom to a baseball team and one lonely little cheerleader
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**Bilby** · #6 (**permalink**) 05-23-2003, 04:18 AM

I'm glad I found this thread.
It sound like some wonderful things have been made.
A couple of years ago my fil bought a scrollsaw and I borrowed it, WOW what fun you can have! I have my own workbench, cordless drill, mitrebox,sander and other bits and pieces.
I borrowed some books from the library and off I went. When I painted ds2 bedroom it was in a greenyblue and I put an under water theme in his room. I scroll sawed some fish and octopus and had a grand old time.
I've made small boxes with and without lids, I made a toy trolley to push under the bed with castor wheels.
Nothing fancy but still fun.
I will check out the sites listed above.

thanks

nagymom · #7 (**permalink**) 05-23-2003, 04:22 AM

WOW Kathy--I am so impressed! I had no idea that you were so talented.

If you have picutres please post them! I'd love to see them. My middle dd is closing on her first home today (divorced mom of 1) and is very artsy. She plans to make a tree in one corner of her dd's room and has several projects in mind for th e house. I'll have to post those too.

This makes me wish I was into woodworking but I don't know id dh would share his tools. He's VERY particular about care and maintenance.

Jayne

ewriggs · #8 (**permalink**) 05-23-2003, 06:40 AM

Jayne, just get your own tools! That's what I ended up doing. The ol' curmudgeon has *his* turning tools, and I have mine - he even made matching tool racks! We do share the "big" tools (drill press, band saw, radial arm saw), but I don't use them unless he is there. I have fibro pretty bad and lack strength. I get the "brain fog" from time to time. He keeps an eye on me and makes sure I don't "fog out" and forget basic safety.

But if you are really interested in woodworking, there are lots of resources on the 'net, and I'll be there's a group of amateur/professional woodworkers somewhere in your area. We joined a club down here in GA, and we have learned so much! When we started, I didn't know what a mortise and tenon or a dovetail were, but I do now! I can even make them!

Cheerio!

Elizabeth - Grandmom to a baseball team and one lonely little cheerleader
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nagymom · #9 (**permalink**) 05-23-2003, 06:45 AM

It all sounds (and looks!) like such fun but at this point in time I just don't have time to get into it. I baby-sit all 3 of my grands and they are a full time job. Dh doesn't get to spend nearly enough time on his projects with all the household duties. He DID take a week off last week and built the grands a darling little play house in addition to other chores. (I just need to decorate it with thrift shop finds now).

You all need to post some of your work on here. I've got pictures of dh's eagles and probably rendeer so I'll post those too.

Just to have bragging rights ya know.

Jayne

**Bilby** · #10 (**permalink**) 05-23-2003, 03:16 PM

Oo ooo I can work a drill press too. I got some blocks of wood and got the drill press set to the depth I wanted and made some pen holders, depending on wood some I painted, some I stained. I made 26 for fathers day at school last year.

As I'm prone to making mistakes

.......... on occasion, I don't work with expensive woods.

The scroll saw books are great for stencils, as they are easy pictures.

Cam no longe has the toy thing for under his bed, so I took off the fish, repainted it and my mum has it now with flowers on it.

Like I said I wouldn't give up my day job, I'd starve!