Extremely Average

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

Out Into The Cold



It is cold in Iowa today. It was cold yesterday too. It will be cold tomorrow. Despite this I realized that I hadn't been to Home Depot, Menards, or Acme Tool in several days. I was beginning to get that itch. I needed a fix. So I bundled up and hopped in the car and off I went.

I had a vague desire to buy some rare earth magnets. Do I have a project that requires magnets? No, of course not, I just really wanted them. The reason that the advertising industry is so successful is that there are people like me. I recently read an article or saw an ad about rare earth magnets. I don't remember which it was. I just know that the seed was planted in my mind that they are really cool.

I have no idea what sort of woodworker I will be. Will I faithfully reproduce a 1755 George Haupt commode? Perhaps a Federal chest of drawer will strike my fancy? Or a Greene and Greene inspired end table? Right now, I couldn't say where this journey will take me. I do know that I like to learn how to do new things. So it is quite likely that I will pick many of my early projects, based upon the skills they require to complete, rather than what I would like to have when I am done. I am learning how to use hand tools now, so for the foreseeable future there will be lots of gratuitous chisel work.

This brings me to the point of today's rambling. The joy of woodworking extends well beyond the physical construction. I take pleasure in reading about woodworking, or watching The Woodsmith Shop on Iowa Public television, or just thinking about projects that might be in my future. Of course one of the best rushes, as far as I can tell, is looking at, learning about, and buying new tools and woodworking accessories.

I knew a woman once, a professional Jazz singer. She did very well financially. She tried to explain to me why she had over 1000 pairs of shoes, she tried to justify it by explaining that many of the pairs were less than $350.00, she described the feeling she had just owning them. I did the math. I couldn't conceive of a world where I would want to spend $350,000 dollars on anything that didn't have a walk out balcony and a view. It was what she loved and she had the money.


As I left Acme tools, having drooled over a random orbital sander and vacuum from Festool ($800 ish), the $3000 Saw Stop table saw, and tens of thousands of dollars of Freud and Amana router bits, I thought about the woman with the shoes. I think I finally understand her love of shoes.

Magnets in my pocket, carefully placed on the opposite side from my wallet, I headed home. When I got home I looked around and realized that in my world, one of tech, most things I own hate magnets. I spend most of my life at my computer, or more accurately surrounded by my computers. It was clear that the only place that it would be safe to take them out and play with them, was in the basement, among my tools. I love tech, but I also love it that the magnets won't erase the hard drive on my 9" Jet vice. Sitting at my workbench I took out the magnets. I bought both ¾" magnets and the little holder thingies (I like to use technical terms whenever possible, in this case it wasn't possible, as I would have had to get up and go all the way downstairs to find out what they are called. Perhaps not possible is too strong, let's say that it was inconvenient, and I couldn't be bothered. My daily digression)



They are fun. I like to learn something about woodworking every day. The other day I learned that if one has rare earth magnets and one puts them in the little holder thingies, it increases their strength by 4x. Today I learned that if one is playing with their new rare earth magnets and puts one into its holder thingy, it is no small feat to get them back out again. I used my vice and a poking device. I put the magnets back in their little case and the thingy back in its case, and put them in a drawer. I felt satiated. I had made an impulse purchase, which was loosely related to woodworking, and I had gotten out of the house. The only problem I can see with today, and this blog post, is that it hasn't lent itself well to photos. So I have included several gratuitous cat photos. His name is Harley. He is NOT my cat. He is however, a master craftsman, specializing in reproducing the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Ok, that last part isn't true. Harley is a cat, he doesn't have opposable thumbs)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

A Gritty Performance



It was a gritty performance to say the least. Our hero was struggling with his new wet stone, trying to practice the ancient art of chisel sharpening. The problem was that the wet stone, was, well, wet. The slightest pressure on the chisel and the coefficient of friction would be great enough that the stone would move too. This angered our hero. With a head full of rage and a fair amount of walnut lying around, he set out to put an end to the torment.

As some of you may know, if you have been following my feeble attempt at progressing along the path of the woodworker, that after tumbling down the rabbit hole and discovering the joy of the hand cut mortise, I ran into a rabbit. The rabbit spoke perfect English, which is unusual, and he told me that I should learn to sharpen my chisel.

Naturally I turned to the World Wide Web for guidance. Some of the comments regarding the sharpening of chisels and planes were less than encouraging. Basically they went something like this. Disgruntled Woodworker: "I have been building knick and on occasion knacks for years. Some of those knacks require the use of a chisel. I don't mind using it, but I would rather take a sharp stick to the eye, than try to sharpen my chisel. In fact, I would rather sharpen the stick." It seemed that the general consensus is that with the exception of several Japanese monks, and a handful of woodworkers in a bunker in Maine, the job of sharpening by hand cannot be mastered.



Then the articles go on to tell me how easy it is. I am definitely a glass is half full sort of person, so I figured it was possible for me to learn. I bought a small device which is designed to help get the correct angle. I also picked up a 1000 & 6000 grit King Combination Stone, the K-80S. Unlike most of my tool purchases, I did little research on this purchase and simply picked the one in the box I liked best. It had Japanese characters on it, and I knew that meant it was of high quality.



I read the directions. I learned that it is important to soak it for 3 - 5 minutes before using. I learned from the articles that the monks and woodworkers from Maine keep their stones in plastic containers filled with water all the time. My small plastic bread holder got promoted to wet stone holder. It is large enough that I will be able to add an 8000 grit stone to it, once I find one in a suitably colorful box. The articles also showed how one could take a piece of glass and use sticky glue and sand paper to do something or other. I really glossed over this part because I wanted a wet stone! All the cool monks have them these days.

I have now spent many hours sharpening on my wet stone. I found some old chisels in the garage. My garage is filled with a treasure trove of old tools. I have no idea what all is in there, but it seems that when I really need something, it makes itself known to me. The chisels are of dubious quality, and are probably not as good as the 2 low end ones I have purchased, but they are chisels, they can be sharpened and that is good practice. I assume that the only way you can become a sharpening monk is to practice, and be able to walk the rice paper.



The only gripe I had with the sharpening process, which I actually didn't mind at all, was that the stone kept moving. I have a limited skill set. Basically I can take a piece of wood and chisel a mortise into it, or cut a tenon on the end. Fortunately for me, that is enough to do what I wanted. I took one of my 5 ft pieces of walnut, cut off 16 inches worth, sanded it to 400 grit, and drew a line on the board around my wet stone.
I should mention that the other day, while at Acme Tools, I picked up another nugget of woodworking knowledge. If one sands to 400 grit, it makes applying stain nearly impossible. It was explained to me that at that grit, one is burnishing the wood. The pores become polished to the point that they won't absorb the stain very well. I figured that burnishing the wood on my wet stone holder was a good idea. So I sanded it to within 7/8ths inch of its life.



With a box drawn, I took chisel in hand and went at it. It was really fun. I feel as if I am improving every day with using the chisel. Today's project was a tremendous exercise. I am getting braver. I am taking larger chunks out. I am controlling the chisel more. I am ending up with a cleaner result.
The question that I am sure many of you will have, is how many freaking words can 'chisel boy' write about hogging out mortises? The answer might frighten you, so I will just let you find out for yourselves. At least I did something today that could be photographed, not that you didn't enjoy the cat photos, but I am sure that animals again today, would have been met with scorn. So in conclusion I would like to sum thing up by saying…"The End".

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

A Gritty Performance



It was a gritty performance to say the least. Our hero was struggling with his new wet stone, trying to practice the ancient art of chisel sharpening. The problem was that the wet stone, was, well, wet. The slightest pressure on the chisel and the coefficient of friction would be great enough that the stone would move too. This angered our hero. With a head full of rage and a fair amount of walnut lying around, he set out to put an end to the torment.

As some of you may know, if you have been following my feeble attempt at progressing along the path of the woodworker, that after tumbling down the rabbit hole and discovering the joy of the hand cut mortise, I ran into a rabbit. The rabbit spoke perfect English, which is unusual, and he told me that I should learn to sharpen my chisel.

Naturally I turned to the World Wide Web for guidance. Some of the comments regarding the sharpening of chisels and planes were less than encouraging. Basically they went something like this. Disgruntled Woodworker: "I have been building knick and on occasion knacks for years. Some of those knacks require the use of a chisel. I don't mind using it, but I would rather take a sharp stick to the eye, than try to sharpen my chisel. In fact, I would rather sharpen the stick." It seemed that the general consensus is that with the exception of several Japanese monks, and a handful of woodworkers in a bunker in Maine, the job of sharpening by hand cannot be mastered.



Then the articles go on to tell me how easy it is. I am definitely a glass is half full sort of person, so I figured it was possible for me to learn. I bought a small device which is designed to help get the correct angle. I also picked up a 1000 & 6000 grit King Combination Stone, the K-80S. Unlike most of my tool purchases, I did little research on this purchase and simply picked the one in the box I liked best. It had Japanese characters on it, and I knew that meant it was of high quality.



I read the directions. I learned that it is important to soak it for 3 - 5 minutes before using. I learned from the articles that the monks and woodworkers from Maine keep their stones in plastic containers filled with water all the time. My small plastic bread holder got promoted to wet stone holder. It is large enough that I will be able to add an 8000 grit stone to it, once I find one in a suitably colorful box. The articles also showed how one could take a piece of glass and use sticky glue and sand paper to do something or other. I really glossed over this part because I wanted a wet stone! All the cool monks have them these days.

I have now spent many hours sharpening on my wet stone. I found some old chisels in the garage. My garage is filled with a treasure trove of old tools. I have no idea what all is in there, but it seems that when I really need something, it makes itself known to me. The chisels are of dubious quality, and are probably not as good as the 2 low end ones I have purchased, but they are chisels, they can be sharpened and that is good practice. I assume that the only way you can become a sharpening monk is to practice, and be able to walk the rice paper.



The only gripe I had with the sharpening process, which I actually didn't mind at all, was that the stone kept moving. I have a limited skill set. Basically I can take a piece of wood and chisel a mortise into it, or cut a tenon on the end. Fortunately for me, that is enough to do what I wanted. I took one of my 5 ft pieces of walnut, cut off 16 inches worth, sanded it to 400 grit, and drew a line on the board around my wet stone.
I should mention that the other day, while at Acme Tools, I picked up another nugget of woodworking knowledge. If one sands to 400 grit, it makes applying stain nearly impossible. It was explained to me that at that grit, one is burnishing the wood. The pores become polished to the point that they won't absorb the stain very well. I figured that burnishing the wood on my wet stone holder was a good idea. So I sanded it to within 7/8ths inch of its life.



With a box drawn, I took chisel in hand and went at it. It was really fun. I feel as if I am improving every day with using the chisel. Today's project was a tremendous exercise. I am getting braver. I am taking larger chunks out. I am controlling the chisel more. I am ending up with a cleaner result.
The question that I am sure many of you will have, is how many freaking words can 'chisel boy' write about hogging out mortises? The answer might frighten you, so I will just let you find out for yourselves. At least I did something today that could be photographed, not that you didn't enjoy the cat photos, but I am sure that animals again today, would have been met with scorn. So in conclusion I would like to sum thing up by saying…"The End".

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

A Gritty Performance



It was a gritty performance to say the least. Our hero was struggling with his new wet stone, trying to practice the ancient art of chisel sharpening. The problem was that the wet stone, was, well, wet. The slightest pressure on the chisel and the coefficient of friction would be great enough that the stone would move too. This angered our hero. With a head full of rage and a fair amount of walnut lying around, he set out to put an end to the torment.

As some of you may know, if you have been following my feeble attempt at progressing along the path of the woodworker, that after tumbling down the rabbit hole and discovering the joy of the hand cut mortise, I ran into a rabbit. The rabbit spoke perfect English, which is unusual, and he told me that I should learn to sharpen my chisel.

Naturally I turned to the World Wide Web for guidance. Some of the comments regarding the sharpening of chisels and planes were less than encouraging. Basically they went something like this. Disgruntled Woodworker: "I have been building knick and on occasion knacks for years. Some of those knacks require the use of a chisel. I don't mind using it, but I would rather take a sharp stick to the eye, than try to sharpen my chisel. In fact, I would rather sharpen the stick." It seemed that the general consensus is that with the exception of several Japanese monks, and a handful of woodworkers in a bunker in Maine, the job of sharpening by hand cannot be mastered.



Then the articles go on to tell me how easy it is. I am definitely a glass is half full sort of person, so I figured it was possible for me to learn. I bought a small device which is designed to help get the correct angle. I also picked up a 1000 & 6000 grit King Combination Stone, the K-80S. Unlike most of my tool purchases, I did little research on this purchase and simply picked the one in the box I liked best. It had Japanese characters on it, and I knew that meant it was of high quality.



I read the directions. I learned that it is important to soak it for 3 - 5 minutes before using. I learned from the articles that the monks and woodworkers from Maine keep their stones in plastic containers filled with water all the time. My small plastic bread holder got promoted to wet stone holder. It is large enough that I will be able to add an 8000 grit stone to it, once I find one in a suitably colorful box. The articles also showed how one could take a piece of glass and use sticky glue and sand paper to do something or other. I really glossed over this part because I wanted a wet stone! All the cool monks have them these days.

I have now spent many hours sharpening on my wet stone. I found some old chisels in the garage. My garage is filled with a treasure trove of old tools. I have no idea what all is in there, but it seems that when I really need something, it makes itself known to me. The chisels are of dubious quality, and are probably not as good as the 2 low end ones I have purchased, but they are chisels, they can be sharpened and that is good practice. I assume that the only way you can become a sharpening monk is to practice, and be able to walk the rice paper.



The only gripe I had with the sharpening process, which I actually didn't mind at all, was that the stone kept moving. I have a limited skill set. Basically I can take a piece of wood and chisel a mortise into it, or cut a tenon on the end. Fortunately for me, that is enough to do what I wanted. I took one of my 5 ft pieces of walnut, cut off 16 inches worth, sanded it to 400 grit, and drew a line on the board around my wet stone.
I should mention that the other day, while at Acme Tools, I picked up another nugget of woodworking knowledge. If one sands to 400 grit, it makes applying stain nearly impossible. It was explained to me that at that grit, one is burnishing the wood. The pores become polished to the point that they won't absorb the stain very well. I figured that burnishing the wood on my wet stone holder was a good idea. So I sanded it to within 7/8ths inch of its life.



With a box drawn, I took chisel in hand and went at it. It was really fun. I feel as if I am improving every day with using the chisel. Today's project was a tremendous exercise. I am getting braver. I am taking larger chunks out. I am controlling the chisel more. I am ending up with a cleaner result.
The question that I am sure many of you will have, is how many freaking words can 'chisel boy' write about hogging out mortises? The answer might frighten you, so I will just let you find out for yourselves. At least I did something today that could be photographed, not that you didn't enjoy the cat photos, but I am sure that animals again today, would have been met with scorn. So in conclusion I would like to sum thing up by saying…"The End".

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

A Gritty Performance



It was a gritty performance to say the least. Our hero was struggling with his new wet stone, trying to practice the ancient art of chisel sharpening. The problem was that the wet stone, was, well, wet. The slightest pressure on the chisel and the coefficient of friction would be great enough that the stone would move too. This angered our hero. With a head full of rage and a fair amount of walnut lying around, he set out to put an end to the torment.

As some of you may know, if you have been following my feeble attempt at progressing along the path of the woodworker, that after tumbling down the rabbit hole and discovering the joy of the hand cut mortise, I ran into a rabbit. The rabbit spoke perfect English, which is unusual, and he told me that I should learn to sharpen my chisel.

Naturally I turned to the World Wide Web for guidance. Some of the comments regarding the sharpening of chisels and planes were less than encouraging. Basically they went something like this. Disgruntled Woodworker: "I have been building knick and on occasion knacks for years. Some of those knacks require the use of a chisel. I don't mind using it, but I would rather take a sharp stick to the eye, than try to sharpen my chisel. In fact, I would rather sharpen the stick." It seemed that the general consensus is that with the exception of several Japanese monks, and a handful of woodworkers in a bunker in Maine, the job of sharpening by hand cannot be mastered.



Then the articles go on to tell me how easy it is. I am definitely a glass is half full sort of person, so I figured it was possible for me to learn. I bought a small device which is designed to help get the correct angle. I also picked up a 1000 & 6000 grit King Combination Stone, the K-80S. Unlike most of my tool purchases, I did little research on this purchase and simply picked the one in the box I liked best. It had Japanese characters on it, and I knew that meant it was of high quality.



I read the directions. I learned that it is important to soak it for 3 - 5 minutes before using. I learned from the articles that the monks and woodworkers from Maine keep their stones in plastic containers filled with water all the time. My small plastic bread holder got promoted to wet stone holder. It is large enough that I will be able to add an 8000 grit stone to it, once I find one in a suitably colorful box. The articles also showed how one could take a piece of glass and use sticky glue and sand paper to do something or other. I really glossed over this part because I wanted a wet stone! All the cool monks have them these days.

I have now spent many hours sharpening on my wet stone. I found some old chisels in the garage. My garage is filled with a treasure trove of old tools. I have no idea what all is in there, but it seems that when I really need something, it makes itself known to me. The chisels are of dubious quality, and are probably not as good as the 2 low end ones I have purchased, but they are chisels, they can be sharpened and that is good practice. I assume that the only way you can become a sharpening monk is to practice, and be able to walk the rice paper.



The only gripe I had with the sharpening process, which I actually didn't mind at all, was that the stone kept moving. I have a limited skill set. Basically I can take a piece of wood and chisel a mortise into it, or cut a tenon on the end. Fortunately for me, that is enough to do what I wanted. I took one of my 5 ft pieces of walnut, cut off 16 inches worth, sanded it to 400 grit, and drew a line on the board around my wet stone.
I should mention that the other day, while at Acme Tools, I picked up another nugget of woodworking knowledge. If one sands to 400 grit, it makes applying stain nearly impossible. It was explained to me that at that grit, one is burnishing the wood. The pores become polished to the point that they won't absorb the stain very well. I figured that burnishing the wood on my wet stone holder was a good idea. So I sanded it to within 7/8ths inch of its life.



With a box drawn, I took chisel in hand and went at it. It was really fun. I feel as if I am improving every day with using the chisel. Today's project was a tremendous exercise. I am getting braver. I am taking larger chunks out. I am controlling the chisel more. I am ending up with a cleaner result.
The question that I am sure many of you will have, is how many freaking words can 'chisel boy' write about hogging out mortises? The answer might frighten you, so I will just let you find out for yourselves. At least I did something today that could be photographed, not that you didn't enjoy the cat photos, but I am sure that animals again today, would have been met with scorn. So in conclusion I would like to sum thing up by saying…"The End".

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

My Plan



Someone once said, "Plan your work and work your plan." Or was it, "Plan your woodworking at work, so you can plan on working on wood after work?" Either way, I have a plan. Over the last several years I have spent a good deal of my time building spaces in the virtual world of Second Life. I have designed hundreds of pieces of virtual furniture and I want to learn how to bring them into the real world.

I realize that most readers are now scratching their heads with their tape measures, asking, "What is virtual furniture?" "Why would someone in a virtual world need to sit?" "Why am I still reading this blog?" All of those are reasonable questions, and I am pleased to be able to answer the 1st two.

Second Life is a virtual world where people create avatars, interact, go to lectures, have meetings, conduct business, attend art galleries, and most importantly, explore their creative sides. Strangely enough, when one is attending a meeting, with another person who is sitting at their computer running their avatar, it is important that the host provide seating. The virtual world is so immersive that one feels uncomfortable standing, though they are sitting in real life. Also it makes a space feel more comfortable when it has tables, chairs, grandfather clocks, and art on the walls.

As for why you are still reading this blog, that is likely just a case of poor judgment on your part, and I am not to be blamed.

The point is this. I have spent literally thousands of hours learning how to create and design attractive furniture. I am proud of my designs and if I am to be proud of the designs, when they are built for the real world, I will need to become skilled at every aspect of woodworking.

There is a second point and that is that though I don't know much about woodworking, I do have a pretty good working knowledge of the 3d design tool Google Sketch up. Because I am new, I am able to offer almost nothing to the wonderful community that is following my daily ramblings. The only area where I might be able to offer guidance is in using Sketch up to design your work. Have you tried it? If you are afraid, don't be, the technology has been brilliantly designed. There are a plethora of videos that can be found to teach you the basics. In a recent article which I perused (Note: I use perused as it was actually intended to be used, meaning to read thoroughly and for content.), the author was describing the hours spent designing the beautiful piece of furniture he had built. I believe he had spent 300 hours on design alone.



The beauty of Google Sketch up is that you are able to see how a piece might look. Easily change the thickness of a part and do endless small tweaks, until it matches the vision in your mind's eye. One can also label parts and do any number of things that make it a perfect tool for design work.
I include in today's blog piece several 'photos' which were created entirely in Sketch Up. I should note that each of these was then rendered into a photo quality image using a bit of software which I purchased. I did this so that I might sell the photos along with my other real photos. It isn't at all necessary for designing a project to buy any additional software.



I lack a good transition, so please stop thinking about Google Sketch up, clear your mind, and accept that I am now changing directions. I should be in politics. I have said in previous posts that I believe in buying the top of the line in tools. This usually comes before a sentence where I describe the low end tool I have just bought. The work horse for woodworkers is the table saw. This is obviously a slight to the 'Saw Horse', which is tragic. Knowing this, I am resisting the temptation to buy what I can afford. I am saving up until I can spend $3,000 on the SawStop. Not having a table saw has been both limiting and liberating. I have added a Bosch circular saw with a Freud blade to my tool collection. Figuring out ways to clamp large pieces of wood, and creating guides with other larger pieces of wood, has improved my creative clamping abilities. So I don't completely mind being patient. Don't tell my mother. She has told me that 'patience is a virtue', to which I have responded with mockery. If she knew that I was performing this virtue, it might result in some counter mockery. Nobody wants that.



People that I trust have told me that the 2nd most important item in a workshop is the router table. I have oscillated back and forth between buying the Kreg table and building my own. As of this moment I am leaning towards building one. It seems like the exercise of building a router table will further advance my education, of course the Kreg table is really pretty, and so it is still a tossup.

To become good enough at woodworking, to build my designs, I will need to do a lot of woodworking. It seems like a catch-22, but I think Joseph Heller would agree that it is not. The decision has been made to focus all my efforts on building work tables, jigs, and accessories for woodworking. Making mistakes on projects that are going to get beat up over time will cause far less mental anguish than botching a design that I love.

I am currently working on a pair of saw horses. They are a design that the late Krenov created. I have cut mortise and tenons. I will need to cut some through mortises. I may even finish the horses, just for the practice.

The last part of my plan is to read everything I can find. My library has 3 books thus far and I am enjoying them. "Selecting and Drying Wood", "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner, and Popular Woodworking's, "The Drawer Book", are all books that I would recommend to friends. I am open to suggestions.

So here is the question of the day:
What are your favorite books on wood working?
Or
Who is your favorite dead English poet?
(Disclaimer, the question of the day may or may not appear on a daily basis. The author reserves the right to substitute a haiku or limerick. He may or may not choose to abandon the question of the day without notice.)

Click to expand...

Ecocandle said:

My Plan



Someone once said, "Plan your work and work your plan." Or was it, "Plan your woodworking at work, so you can plan on working on wood after work?" Either way, I have a plan. Over the last several years I have spent a good deal of my time building spaces in the virtual world of Second Life. I have designed hundreds of pieces of virtual furniture and I want to learn how to bring them into the real world.

I realize that most readers are now scratching their heads with their tape measures, asking, "What is virtual furniture?" "Why would someone in a virtual world need to sit?" "Why am I still reading this blog?" All of those are reasonable questions, and I am pleased to be able to answer the 1st two.

Second Life is a virtual world where people create avatars, interact, go to lectures, have meetings, conduct business, attend art galleries, and most importantly, explore their creative sides. Strangely enough, when one is attending a meeting, with another person who is sitting at their computer running their avatar, it is important that the host provide seating. The virtual world is so immersive that one feels uncomfortable standing, though they are sitting in real life. Also it makes a space feel more comfortable when it has tables, chairs, grandfather clocks, and art on the walls.

As for why you are still reading this blog, that is likely just a case of poor judgment on your part, and I am not to be blamed.

The point is this. I have spent literally thousands of hours learning how to create and design attractive furniture. I am proud of my designs and if I am to be proud of the designs, when they are built for the real world, I will need to become skilled at every aspect of woodworking.

There is a second point and that is that though I don't know much about woodworking, I do have a pretty good working knowledge of the 3d design tool Google Sketch up. Because I am new, I am able to offer almost nothing to the wonderful community that is following my daily ramblings. The only area where I might be able to offer guidance is in using Sketch up to design your work. Have you tried it? If you are afraid, don't be, the technology has been brilliantly designed. There are a plethora of videos that can be found to teach you the basics. In a recent article which I perused (Note: I use perused as it was actually intended to be used, meaning to read thoroughly and for content.), the author was describing the hours spent designing the beautiful piece of furniture he had built. I believe he had spent 300 hours on design alone.



The beauty of Google Sketch up is that you are able to see how a piece might look. Easily change the thickness of a part and do endless small tweaks, until it matches the vision in your mind's eye. One can also label parts and do any number of things that make it a perfect tool for design work.
I include in today's blog piece several 'photos' which were created entirely in Sketch Up. I should note that each of these was then rendered into a photo quality image using a bit of software which I purchased. I did this so that I might sell the photos along with my other real photos. It isn't at all necessary for designing a project to buy any additional software.



I lack a good transition, so please stop thinking about Google Sketch up, clear your mind, and accept that I am now changing directions. I should be in politics. I have said in previous posts that I believe in buying the top of the line in tools. This usually comes before a sentence where I describe the low end tool I have just bought. The work horse for woodworkers is the table saw. This is obviously a slight to the 'Saw Horse', which is tragic. Knowing this, I am resisting the temptation to buy what I can afford. I am saving up until I can spend $3,000 on the SawStop. Not having a table saw has been both limiting and liberating. I have added a Bosch circular saw with a Freud blade to my tool collection. Figuring out ways to clamp large pieces of wood, and creating guides with other larger pieces of wood, has improved my creative clamping abilities. So I don't completely mind being patient. Don't tell my mother. She has told me that 'patience is a virtue', to which I have responded with mockery. If she knew that I was performing this virtue, it might result in some counter mockery. Nobody wants that.



People that I trust have told me that the 2nd most important item in a workshop is the router table. I have oscillated back and forth between buying the Kreg table and building my own. As of this moment I am leaning towards building one. It seems like the exercise of building a router table will further advance my education, of course the Kreg table is really pretty, and so it is still a tossup.

To become good enough at woodworking, to build my designs, I will need to do a lot of woodworking. It seems like a catch-22, but I think Joseph Heller would agree that it is not. The decision has been made to focus all my efforts on building work tables, jigs, and accessories for woodworking. Making mistakes on projects that are going to get beat up over time will cause far less mental anguish than botching a design that I love.

I am currently working on a pair of saw horses. They are a design that the late Krenov created. I have cut mortise and tenons. I will need to cut some through mortises. I may even finish the horses, just for the practice.

The last part of my plan is to read everything I can find. My library has 3 books thus far and I am enjoying them. "Selecting and Drying Wood", "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner, and Popular Woodworking's, "The Drawer Book", are all books that I would recommend to friends. I am open to suggestions.

So here is the question of the day:
What are your favorite books on wood working?
Or
Who is your favorite dead English poet?
(Disclaimer, the question of the day may or may not appear on a daily basis. The author reserves the right to substitute a haiku or limerick. He may or may not choose to abandon the question of the day without notice.)

Click to expand...