Resurrecting the Wood

Lovespoon Design Layout

Steve — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:17:35 +0000

In my previous post I had outlined all the elements that I thought would have the makings of a unique Welsh Lovespoon and now that I have placed the shapes onto paper I have decided to increased some of the dimensions so that it will flow a little better. As I said before I’ve left the heart and the cross intentionally open for further refinement until it is time to start cutting out the blank. This will give me plenty of opportunity to refine the design before cutting commences. (more…)

Da Vinci Code Lovespoon

Steve — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:47:08 +0000

While reading the Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown this summer I was thoroughly intrigued by the many layers that were going on at the same time together with the various elements that came into play and being curious I decided to take the time to research the internet to see if any references could be made to any of these particular instances. I knew that this novel had caused a stir amongst the religious sectors due to speculations and misrepresentations said to be portrayed throughout this novel but the impression was enough to seek further reading.

I had a notion that I could design a unique Lovespoon around some of these elements and I started off by first visiting the Wikipedia with a reference to the Priory of Sion. It was there that I found the official emblem of the Priory of Sion which incorporated a fleur-de-lis, intricate enough to make a great focal point for the start of my Lovespoon design.

The other strong elements that had been referenced during the reading was an equal sided cross and a five petal rose that was inlaid into the rosewood box that would encase the cryptex. These two prominent elements together with a heart would make for a strong design and are quite often primary elements in most traditional Lovespoons. (more…)

Our Newfoundland Goes For Gold

Steve — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:25:08 +0000

The annual My Dog’s Face Contest has kicked off today in the Orange County Register and we thought why not submit Murphy our thirteen month old Newfoundland puppy. This little guy at 110lbs will slobber you like no tomorrow being the lean all swimming machine that he is. Visiting the dog beach at Huntington Beach with bumper in tow, that is the small type that floats and not the item that protects your vehicle, he will crash into the surf to retrieve it for hours on end. The only time he relaxes is to take a drink or visit with some passing canine that takes his fancy, then the fun begins with a race up the beach.

The year since we got him has passed in a flash with all sorts of peculiar happenings that we have never experienced before, like the time that his puppy teeth had to be knocked out with a hammer at the vets because they were so strong that the adult teeth were forming crooked. He was gnawing the wooden chair rails, he was gnawing the chair legs, he would shred dried queen palm fronds in minutes, we had large leg bones that he would splinter during his teething to try and relieve the pain and pressure and still they would not budge. In the vets own words, “I have never experienced this in all my years as a vet” but once out the adult teeth straightened up nicely and also saved our chairs. (more…)

The Beauty of Daffodils

Steve — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:32:05 +0000

I had been thinking of various designs for my next Welsh Lovespoon and what elements are held dearly to any person of Welsh decent. The Daffodil is the national flower of Wales and I had recently purchased a length of Basswood so this would give the ideal tones for the flowers that would adorn my next carving. I had decided to imaging a carving that had a staff with the spoon bowl at one end and a heart at the other. The daffodils would be placed along the staff and held on with a continual rope. The imagining of the design was the easy part but how would I carve this vision. (more…)

A Work Bench Saves Time

Steve — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:29:41 +0000

I’ve been contemplating a work bench of some description for a very long time but as everything goes, it always gets put aside or I just make do with the Workmate. Now I’m sure I’m not the only person who lags behind in this department, the project is always more important to get done regardless of the inconveniences at the time and of course it does get done but it could be easier.

In the past, I have always struggled to support the timber and when I’m in the process of planing any lumber I have to use the Workmate that I have. The construction of my particular model has been streamlined over the years for quick production compared to the original model that I had when I was living in England. The original was a cast aluminum frame if I remember correctly, compared to the stamped sheet metal that today offers, obviously a sign of the times with trying to turn a profit. The fixings are nylon and eventually get stripped from the worm gear from the constant tightening until the top is no longer held down, making clamping a hit and miss affair. This reduction in clamping capabilities adds more frustration to the job at hand, so now that I have a little spare lumber from the Jungle Fort project I can utilize this material for the base construction reducing the overall cost of the bench but first I have to decide what size the top will it be. (more…)

Jungle Fort, Annual Maintenance and Final Images

Steve — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 03:53:45 +0000

We have just started a new month, April, which is closing in on the anniversary of the start of the Jungle Fort project and as you all know it was only a couple of months ago that I actually completed the whole structure. During that period of time my children have grown to love all the activities that it has to offer, from the dressing up of the fort structure during the Christmas period with tinsel and garlands, to this Easter, with the hiding of Easter eggs.

The endless options that it has to offer far outweighs the amount of time that it took for me to construct, mind you little hands had a lot to play with the construction as well.

Helping with the ratcheting of the bolts, placement of the climbing wall rocks, bringing nails and screws to the construction site, it all brings back those memories that will last a lifetime. So now that it is finished, what’s next?

With any large construction project it is important to ensure that all bolts are kept tight and during the course of the construction the timbers have shrunk and expanded with the bolts loosening up to where they need to be cinched tight again. I had noticed that the swings had been slipping when in full flight with the tell-tale signs of wear around the hangers. I remember when I had tighted these bolts up initially and how difficult it was to wind them in to the full depth, probably because of the moisture content of the timber but now that it had dried out fully it was far easier to lock up tight again. (more…)

Home Made Cabinet Scraper

Steve — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:02:02 +0000

Way back in October of 2006 I wrote about the heavy Santa Ana winds felling one of the Californian Pepper trees at my place of work and how I would take a section of that timber and air dry it to use at a later date for a small project. Since then it has been drying for a period of fourteen months and I have split a section of that limb to be used in producing a cabinet scraper. This cabinet scraper design is from an article produced by Fine Woodworking and I thought it would be a small enough project to see how the grain of the timber would carve and how it would look when waxed and also it wouldn’t be too much of a loss if it didn’t pan out at the end of the day.

I had noticed during the drying process that the end of the log had started to split and by that time it was too late to think about coating the end to stop the quick evaporation. What I should have done in the first place was to coat both ends of the sawn log with some spare latex paint to even out the evaporation and this may have reduced the amount of cracking. I would estimate that the cracks had penetrated a full one inch into the log at this time. The project that I wanted to do called for a piece eleven inches long by three inches by two and a half inches which would be marginal with what I had to work with. With the hardness of the timber unknown to me I had decided to use a base made from one inch thick figured oak that had been lying around and I knew this material would give a base that would be hard and durable. (more…)

A Linking of Hearts

Steve — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:16:33 +0000

I’ve started up the Lovespoon carving again and I’m surprised how relaxing it is just to sit down during the lunch break and whittle away at a chunk of wood. The design that I stumbled upon was during the Valentine day week when I was thinking about what to get for my wife. I had a piece of mahogany that was six inches by two inches by one and a half inches and thought I would design a Lovespoon with two hearts staged one on top of the other. As the design evolved I thought I would split the hearts and carve the spoon bowl inside the heart shape and have the two halves joined together with a link. (more…)

Woodcraft 80 Year Anniversary

Steve — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:16:05 +0000

Woodcraft is celebrating its 80th year in helping people to master wood, that is, supplying the tools, the knowledge and the know how. With this momentous occasion they are offering limited editions of quality tools every month during the 80th year.

During this period March 2nd through March 31st 2008 they have a nice Flexcut Carving Knife Set. What makes this special is that the handles are custom made from Padauk and the tool roll sports the Woodcraft 80th Anniversary Limited Edition print. A nice edition at a reasonable price of $80.00 and they’re made in the U.S.A. (more…)

Roof Tarp and Grab Handles

Steve — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:41:23 +0000

This post has been a long time coming and will finally round up the Jungle Fort major construction which has lingered on for many months. Overall everything has worked out great and my children have been enjoying it immensely. With all the major construction out of the way the final safety fixings will complete a very enjoyable job and a great learning curve. Many of the openings have had grab handles installed which is a very easy fix. The grab handles come in various colors and have inch and a half long lag bolts with washers to keep them securely in place. The placement of the grab handles was based on the reach of my children when scaling the rock wall or climbing the ramp. The grab handles at the slide entrance was also based on the children sitting ready to slide down, so you can see this is all dependent on arms length and for me it had to suit my daughter as she is the smallest.

I found when fixing the grab handles the use of a pilot hole for the bolts and a little grease on the thread made it easier to ratchet the bolts into place and also prevented the timber from puckering up when winding them in tight. This ensured the handles ended up with a nice flush fit eliminating any rocking effect from ill fitted handles.

These handles from Detailed Play Systems are made from a high quality plastic and seem to be able to take plenty of abuse from the children, even though they are very smooth they offer plenty of grip with finger ridges inside. I would imagine that they have been tried and tested for being outside in the elements but only time will tell if they will crack or become brittle. I have tried pulling on them and they have been very secure but they are very slick so any moisture on them will increase the slipperiness of the surface so I have made a mental note to warn the children to be extra careful on those damp days.

All in all I have fitted a total of four sets of grab handles to all the openings and I’m glad I did as they hang out of the entrances calling to each other, much to my anxiety! (more…)