Wood Alley: March 2009

Over at Lumberjocks when you post one of your projects you receive feed back from other Lumberjocks. For me this was a vital part of my woodworking journey. Not only do you start to feel as if you know these people, you end up really looking forward to what they have to say about your projects whether you receive constructive criticism or you get compliments, which for me has been a great ego booster and allowed me to be able to feel alright about posting my woodwork and making this blog about it. Martin the creator of Lumberjocks has added a way to place links of your posts on your personal blog. So I am now going to place the link to the items that I have posted here AND at Lumberjocks so that if you wish to click on it, you will see what other Lumberjocks have said about my particular project. If you are a woodworker and have not joined Lumberjocks yet, this may just be the push you need when you read the wonderful comments from this great group of people! And if you do join, please tell them Allison sent ya!

Tips and Tricks, Sanding pads

3/15/2009

As I was getting ready today to start working, (sanding, glueing) on my Pelicans, (the previous post) I realized since it had been such a long time since I had REALLY been in my shop that my little sanding pads were really dirty. Not only from shop dirt but just good old fashioned dust and what we call in my town, Westwood red dirt. I remembered a trick I was told a couple years ago by an old guy (woodworking artist) from Laguna Beach Ca. had told me. I have done this before, more than a couple times so I will vouche for it. Wash them! Yup, right in your washing machine. Take the pads, place them in a pillow case and tie a knot in the end of the case and proceed to wash. Use cold water and of course a gentle cycle, (you don't want to tear off all the sand of the sanding pad) and don't crowd them, (something I did a little too much with this wash job. They come out clean and like new, (well almost) but I swear they keep a longer life doing this.

I take them out of the washer and place them on a clothes dryer rack (the kind that is a bunch of dowels) and place them by the wood stove. They are dry in no time at all.

A lot of you may be saying to yourselves, "well they are sooo inexpensive to begin with why bother?" I suspect a lot of my readers do not have to bother, but where I live, I have to order them from like Harbor Frieght in Reno Nevada, and because they are so inexpensive it would be very easy to pay say $5.00 for the product and another $15.00 to ship it.
So the moral to my little story is this, When you do not want to wipe the beak of your pelican that just so happens to be a white beak with a sanding pad that looks as if you used it to sand aromatic cedar on your last project, it is safe to throw them in the washing machine, AND it works!
PEACE!!!
Allison

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May I introduce Pelican #2

3/06/2009

Well I am close to being done with Pelican #2. I like him also. I am not done shaping him and he also has no feet. I am going to put feet on these two, I just don't want them to get antsy with me and walk away if I take too long getting them into their natural habitat. You see, I have not figured out yet what that is going to be! LOL!!!

He still has pencil marks on his face, but this is pelican #2

And this is the one from the last post

So these are the two. Now I just have to put then into some scene someway. LOL!!!

Every piece of these two are made out of hard woods

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Scrollsaw Goodies

If I were to be asked if there were a site that was thee most helpful, thus interesting site when it comes to woodworking scrollsawgoodies would get my vote hands down! Travis is his name and this man has done what I for one either don't have the time for or to be perfectly honest don't care doing and that is surfing the web to find all the great scroll saw and wood sites that for the most part offer free patterns. Yes I said free! AND who doesn't like something for free? and then to top it off it is offered to you with out any work on your part, AND if THAT weren't great enough, he delivers these goodies to me (or of course anyone who asks) right to my e-mail account!!! He had been doing this on a daily basis, however he notified his readers that he was going to slow down a bit. It does not seem so. I still am receiving quite a bit of info from him throughout the week. I have written all this before but I have messed up my blog a few times and have had to (not had too, wanted too) rewrite it. This morning when I first started to write this I realized that every single project that I have done since I somehow found this great site has been referred to me (and anyone else interested) through him. Wow!!! That's really saying something as far as I go as I have several patterns and pattern books, and yet all I have done has came via Scrollsaw Goodies Not only the sites for the free patterns does he offer, but he reviews books and interesting sites that he finds and shares with his readers along with a bit of commentary. Being as new as I am to the computer Travis has really delivered when it comes to sites of interest. If you have any interest at all in woodworking, mainly scroll and intarsia you simply must check out his site! Tell him Allison sent you!!!

Lumberjocks

Lumberjocks is one helluva group of people with one common denominator, and that is their love of working with wood. If you have any interests in woodworking, this is the place to become a member. If you need help , they can and will show you. If they can't someone will direct you to the right place. If you need constructive criticism you can get it! Hey how about a little ego booster? FOUND HERE! And I guarantee if ya need a laugh? check out their coffee shop lounge! You will not be disappointed! PEACE!!!

"Every walk to the woods is a religious rite, every bath in the stream is a saving ordinance. Communion service is at all hours, and the bread and wine are from the heart and marrow of Mother Earth. To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - These are some of the rewards of the simple life. The most precious things of life are near at hand, without money and without price. Each of you has the whole wealth of the universe at your very door. All that I ever had, and still have, may be yours by stretching forth your hand and taking it."
John Burroughs

Dust N' Lint

Dust N' Lint is the name "My Buddy" uses for his woodworking business. He has been working with wood most of his life and it shows in this man's craftsmanship. His specialty is in the fine joinery that he does in his boxes , jewelry boxes etc. He makes these beautiful bowls that you just got to check out! He sells his items at shows but you can also purchase these on his site. I also might add that there is no "mystery wood" in this man's work. "Odie" as he is known uses only the finest to supplement his talent. You can see his work by simply clicking on any of the four(4) pictures below, or he can be found at Dust n' Lint and I urge you to check his work out! Tell him Allison sent ya!!!

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