Fun & Games

At the wood shop we like to play games as much as we like woodworking and it pleases us to no end when we can combine the two. 

One of the games that has been in our repertoire for a long while is Mexican Train. The game is domino based, which means—just like playing cards and all of the games you can play with them—if you've got dominoes you can play. And just like cards, you can play with just the dominoes and get along just fine, or add some specialty pieces that enhance the game. 

In Mexican Train all dominoes played radiate out from a center starter piece. You can buy any number of hubs that making this gameplay mechanic easy, and in some cases attractive. Earlier this summer I set out to design a wooden hub that would get the job done and look good doing it. 

There are several designs that went into the fire but here is the final prototype in pine, and the resulting production piece in solid walnut with oak player pegs.

  

  

Kids Stuff

Welcome back to the woodshop! This week we were able to deliver some new pieces to a new mom. No, the woodshop isn't adding another apprentice, (sorry, grandma). What we are doing, though, is having fun making gifts that will last. Check these out:

  

  

Bent wood and a sinking ship

Here's this past week's effort: a canoe bookshelf. Better versions are rounded—like real canoes—but this is my first, maybe I'll get there one day. Also my first time bending wood. Didn't steam it, just slowly torqued it over a few hours. And the first time using chalk paint, which was real easy to work with. Here it is mid-build and in place.

 

 

Summer Catch-Up

So it's been a while since I've updated the blog, and for one very good reason: it's summer! We've been very busy having a good time, enjoying the unseasonably good weather, and working our tails off. In fact I'm writing this from an airport—downtime during a business trip—waiting for the flight back home. But I'm already sketching out the next project for the woodshop, hopefully something involving steaming and bending wood. Been wanting to do that for a while. Since I last posted there's been a few projects worth mentioning...

The Ping Pong Table

We've been talking about getting a Ping Pong table for a while and this 4th of July we finally decided to pull the trigger. The boy had drawn up plans to make one but I was leaning towards buying one. The size of the project alone was enough to ward me off, but once I had seen what was out there—and for how much—I shrugged and said "Lets make it". 

Regulation competition size, 9' x 5', made from 3/4" oak plywood, stained with mahogany, and coated in several layers of shellac and furniture polish, here it is:

  

 

Shinel No 2

There's no shortage of childish humor in our home and when we became aware of Poo Pourri and their hilarious advertising campaign, it didn't take long before the Mrs had engineered her own version of the indispensable concoction, Shinel No 2 (Chanel No 5 for your bum) for use around the house. It's so effective and easy to make, she elected to give a few out as gifts. Good products need good packaging and that's where I come in. 

Label inspired by the original Chanel design, outer packaging constructed of pine and cedar with a Woodshop branded decal wrap. Take a look...

Hm... MINTY

About the same time I had been working on the cookie jar (previous post), I was working on a segmented bowl design using contrasting woods. Here's the completed prototype, serving as a mint dish in my downtown office. 

 

Walnut and Cedar Jars

For my birthday my brother-in-law gave me a very generous gift—several feet of walnut and cedar planks. While a lot of that wood is tied up in a personal project that I one day hope to show you, there's still a wealth of wood to use in other ways. Once of those ways became gifts to the same brother-in-law (hint hint: if you give me wood, I will make something of it and give it back), and also my father—small cookie jars. Measuring about 6 inches wide and about 8 inches tall, these jars are made of walnut, with once using cedar as an accent around the rim, and are finished with hand-made and hand-rubbed French polish. The grain in these pieces came out beautifully and I love that I was able to give back to those who're so important to me.

   

 

Finally... 

One of my favorite things to do lately to sit on the back patio in the porch swing and relax. I love listening to music as I chill and listening to the tiny iPhone speaker or not so small, but not that great either boom-box, just doesn't cut it. So I gathered some very disparate materials—an old Altec Lansing speaker set (with subwoofer), scrap white birch plywood, pine dowels, an old pair of black tights and some Bronze tacks—and made what I call the SpeakerBox. Just plug it into the wall and your phone and you're in business. BTW, it sounds awesome.

   

  

Cookies anyone?

Latest from the woodshop—a pine and cedar cookie jar. Technically a prototype for different jar—which is why the lid handle is a bit off. But the finish came out quite well and I learned from it, so a success piece.

Oakey Dokey

Years ago I had an red oak tree taken out of the yard and I had requested that the arborist leave a slice for me. This is long before I held nary a chisel in my hand and at most was thinking I could build a tabletop from whatever they left for me. Well, their version of a slice was about 13 inches thick from the trunk, which was about 30 inches wide. It was so incredibly heavy it took a couple of us to prop it up on one side just so we could roll it into the garage. Not having the first clue what to do with the beast I left it in the garage, where it over the course of a year it dried and split severely. I borrowed a chainsaw and sectioned it into manageable wedges- most of which were about the 13 inches tall by 6-7 inches deep and wide. I placed some of the wedges around the house like doorstoppers and book case fillers. The rest I guess I gave away or trashed—I cannot remember.

Fast forward a few years and here I am, chisel in hand, looking for wood. So I collected the wedges—there were four—and took them into the woodshop. I must admit that these weren't easy to work with as the oak was very strong—but the wood itself is beautiful and I could not be happier with the results. Here are the four pieces to come out of that slice, all finished with nothing more than a wax and linseed oil slurry. All colors are as nature provided. Enjoy.

Here's some more detailed pics: