Offcuts and Offcut Offcuts

 The plank used to make the lazy Susan was 40mm thick and was split in two to make the 20mm platter.  After resawing, jointing, thicknessing and sanding the other 'half' was 10mm thick - just right for the back of a cookbook stand for the kitchen.

The base and shelf came from another piece of the recycled Jarrah I've used previously.  The back was made from grain matches pieces of the 10mm Rimu board, with a gentle curve across the top.  The pieces were screwed together to allow for some wood movement.

The whole thing got a couple of coats of Danish oil and some beeswax.

The leftovers from the back of the coobook stand were then used to make some coasters.

All and all, a well used plank of wood!

 

Misty morning

 

View from bed.

Around we go again

 Lockdown Number 2.  Off to the wood stack to see what there is - some nice figured rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum).  Perfect for a lazy Susan, finished with a couple of coats of Danish Oil:

The 500mm diameter disc is made from six boards grain matched and edge jointed together.  The grain reflects light differently in each direction, producing a nice effect when the lazy Susan is rotated.

Pretty Weighty Jetty but not Muddy or Wet(ty)

 A pond needs a jetty, but who wants to stand around in muddy water to build it?  So it was off to the workshop to frame it up undercover.

Some 'scope creep' resulted in it being wide enough for two people to sit comfortably next to each other and long enough to give a true 'over water' experience.  As a result, just the timber frame turned out to be quite heavy, so I made some jockey wheels and used a hand truck to move it out of the workshop.

With the help of a couple of friends, it was manoeuvred down to the pond and onto the piles.

Then it was just a simple job to nail down the decking, relocating the workshop compressor to make life easy.

The winter rain still needs to do its thing to fill the pond back up but eventually the water will overflow down the standpipe next to the jetty.  Finished with a cleat for the dinghy, it will make a great place to contemplate the next project...

What's in the scrap bin?

Here are a couple of small projects for those lockdown Microsoft Teams meetings, Zoom sessions and FaceTime catchups.

Both made from scraps of oak and jarrah, and hinges recovered during a 1960's kitchen renovation we did in 2009 (I knew they would come in handy).

The Mark 1 (left) is shorter in stature and perfect for the not-so-busy engineer to chat while he pretends to work on his PC.

The Mark 2 (right) is higher for a more flattering camera angle and can be brought up to the vertical with the aid of the stylish recycled window stay.  Perfect for those yoga sessions and live workouts.

On sale now soon one day when we all emerge from our hibernation.

Barstool Upgrade

I bought a cheap second-hand barstool on TradeMe a few years ago for my standing desk.  Lately, it has migrated to the workshop to give a bit of relief from standing in there all day.

It works ok, apart from the sound of plastic creaking and cracking every time you go to sit down or stand up - a little bit disconcerting.

Maybe I could make a wooded seat using some of the 'macrocarpa shorts'.

I made an MDF pattern from the old seat and cut enough lengths, either full 90mm width or ripped in half.

The boards were then ripped to the approximate angle to form the profile of the template.  To make the seat comfortable, I decided to make a circular depression and marked this out while the boards were temporarily clamped together.

Using a curved template with a radius of 800mm I then cut the curve in each board with the bandsaw, with the blade angled to form a series of faceted curves.

Now the boards could be glued together.  Just a few clamps should do the trick.

 Next, a custom made sanding block was made, cut with the same 800mm radius template.

Once everything was sanded, planed and rounded over, the seat got two coats of Osmo Polyx.  This is a natural hard wax flooring oil and is very durable.  Our floors inside still look great after nine years.

The oil dries to a satin finish, nice to touch, and to sit on.  Now that the upgrade is finished, the question is does the barstool stay in the workshop or go back inside?

Locked down but not out (of wood)

A while ago the macrocarpa sawmill down the road was selling pallets of 'shorts' (less than 1m long) that were no good for regular sale.

I nabbed a cubic metre and put them away for a rainy day.

Fast forward and these short lengths are perfect for another couple of Adirondack chairs.

Finished with some leftover decking oil, the macrocarpa grain really 'pops' as they say.

The perfect place to sit and contemplate the end of the world as we know it.  Now, what else can I do with those shorts...

The Workshop Has Re-Opened for Business (kind of)

Mostly recovered from hip surgery, I've been back into various projects for the last month or so.  Unfortunately, work has been getting in the way but the Covid-19 outbreak means I might have a bit more spare time if the construction industry inevitably slows down.

A few items from odd scraps of wood:

A couple of cutting/serving boards, Rimu and Jarrah (top) and White Oak (bottom) finished with the remains of some non-toxic chopping board oil.

A handheld router cut sign for the Laundry door.  In Pompei, houses had signs stating "Cave Canem" (Beware of the Dog).  We don't have dogs so Beware of the Cat it is.  Stained Macrocarpa finished with leftover Shellac.

  
A hexagonal outdoor table for the hexagonal gazebo.  Macrocarpa, finished with leftover CD50 decking oil.

We will have to see what the year brings, and how the supplies last!

So bored...

... that I've started drawing cartoons with really bad puns.

2019 Projects

I'm stuck inside, off my feet and recovering from more surgery.  Getting a bit frustrated at not being able to do anything outside or in the workshop.  Time to reflect on the year.

Well, our pine forest was logged at the end of 2018, so there was a lot of cleaning up to do.

And lots, and lots, and lots of screws to finish off the deck.

I finished the gazebo...

and repaired a couple of chairs for a friend.

I think the only thing holding them together were the borer beetles all holding hands, but hopefully they will last a few more years now.

There was the coffee unit of course, blogged about previously.

And two large bookshelves for our living room, made from roughsawn narrow oak boards joined together.

These were mounted on the living room unit / credenza that I built in 2014.  There is adjustable shelving between the main cases and glass sliding doors to four of the shelves.

And last but probably least a bird feeder.  Since our monoculture of pines have been removed we seem to have a lot more birdlife - excuse me while I chase the cat, she has just caught a phesant 😔