It’s time that I own up to the fact that I’m not a good writer, and hence not a very good blogger. No this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop blogging, what it means is that I’m going to change my blogs format a little. Instead of spending days agonizing over what to say and how to say it, I’m going to start blogging tumblr style. In short I’m going to start posting more often, but my post will be shorter, a paragraph or two at most. Don’t worry I’ll still post lots of photos.
I’m going to be on hiatus for a few weeks, as I have a new shop dog that needs some basic training, and a lot of attention.World, say hello to Wrigley the goldendoodle, yes I’m a Cubs fan. I won’t be on a complete hiatus, I will probably spend most of my nights designing projects (gota love Sketchup) that will be built in the spring.
Wrigley the Goldendoodle
I got this screwdriver in a Craftsman combo set when I was fourteen or fifteen I think. They were my first tools, and if memory serves, I got them with birthday money from my great grandmother. I’m sure my father was smiling ear to ear, because I wouldn’t be “misplacing” his tools anymore. A decade and a half later and I haven’t “misplaced” any of them, and some of them still look brand new.
Last night, while opening a can of Lacquer, it hit me. The big stubby flat head is the perfect can opener. It’s easy to grip, and provides plenty of leverage for prying off lids welded down by dried finish. For the life of me, I can think of any situation that calls for a screwdriver this short. Thus it must be a can opener, masquerading as a screwdriver.
After Today, I think I’m going to avoid the shop for a few days. I have some bad mojo hanging over my head, because last night I did something I almost never do. I broke the cardinal rule of woodworking; measure twice, cut once. When I purchased the wood for this project, I picked up a beautiful 12″ wide board so I could make the top out of one piece. Last night, everything started out smoothly. I ripped the board to length, flattened it, and jointed an edge in short order. When it came time to rip it to width, I wasn’t paying attention, and read the fractional part of the measurement of the length line on my scratch pad. Thus I ripped it to 10-1/8″, instead of 10-11/16″.
Thankfully I had enough extra stock that I could fix the problem. Thus after much cursing & pouting, I fixed my blunder. I ripped the top into 2 narrow piece, and then added a 3rd board milled from the extra stock. While it doesn’t look that bad, it’s not as nice as it could have been.
Remember: measure twice, cut once.
I have been a little disappointed with the last few issues of Fine woodworking, as I felt they where a little to heavy with the, “what’s the best new router for me” articles. Thus I was pleasantly surprised when I got the December issue last week, as it had two articles that I found really well written and entertaining. The first was an article by Michael Pekovich, titled “12 tools every furniture maker needs“. It gave a nice overview of why some tools are so useful. The second was by Vijay Velji, titled “Shellac’s Amazing Journey“. If you ever need to discuss shellac at a dinner party, this article will provide everything you need to know. People might think your a little strange though.
Excellent work Gentlemen, keep it coming.
