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Making Beach Art Using Wood
We decided to use up some of our scrap wood to make a piece of art for the living room. I saw something similar on Pinterest and followed the link to Etsy. Yikes. I think they were asking around $400. I knew we could put our own spin on it and decided to give it a go. The first step was to start cutting strips of wood into varying widths and thicknesses on the table saw.
This could take a while -
Making a GPS Sign
We needed one more ‘thing’ to fill out our wall of ‘things’. First we decided on the size and shape. We figured something about 8 x 20 would be best, so a long rectangle. With that information we decided to make a sign with our GPS co-ordinates on it. Here is where we plan for it to go.
Where the red box is -
It Started Out Just to Cover Up Some Dirt
We got a call from a family in Antigonish who were looking for one of our folding bench picnic tables. After we delivered it, the conversation turned into, “I was wondering if you can also do this…”. They wanted some sort of box to wrap around the deck posts columns to cover the dirt, and at the same time allow a shelf to place one or more social beverages while they sit out in their back yard.
Looking to hide the dirt. -
Making an End Grain Wood Map of Nova Scotia
We’ve had some sugar maple wood slices in the paint room drying for several months now. We’ve made platters and trays and cookies too. Now its time to try something new. How about scroll cutting sugar maple end grain and see what happens? The short video below shows the snail’s pace that is needed.
Wood map of Nova Scotia No. 60 -
Making a Confederation Tray
It started as an experiment, like most things do around here. To try it and see what happens. We had harvested some hemlock logs from Sutherland’s River, NS in the winter of 2017/2018. We decided to slice up some hemlock into round discs, called cookies, and follow through the process of levelling, sanding and finishing. But first, we have to count the rings. I counted just over 150 rings. That means this tree sprouted at about the same time a group of men gathered in Charlottetown, PEI. Which is just up the road and across the water :). Confederation Cookies.
About 150 growth rings. -
Making a Large Nova Scotia Map
We had another order come in for a custom size map of Nova Scotia. The customer requested it be on a rustic backboard measuring 48 x 24 inches. That makes for a large, heavy, finished piece. Here is the template we printed out for this project.
It’s gonna be big -
Uses for Wooden Cookie Slices
Honestly, I had never heard of the term cookies when referring to wood before. All my cookies come out of the oven. Always learning something new. These cookie slices were cut on the sawmill.
Wood cookie -
Country Roundup Wagon Wheel Woodworking Plan
We finally have the woodworking plans available for our Wagon Wheel Picnic Table. If you remember last fall we built a Wagon Wheel picnic table prototype where we wanted to develop a set of woodworking plans so that people can build their own. You can read all about the prototype process here, but as a refresher these are a few of the in-progress pictures.
completed wagon wheel -
Scroll Saw Class is in Session.
If you ever thought you couldn’t use a scroll saw, you might be wrong. Our friend Greg, who took the aerial pictures of our neck of the woods from the helicopter, asked Jim to make him a custom piece for a friend of his. Then he had a brilliant idea. He asked if he could help, and that would give it more meaning (and him more bragging rights).
Nice design. -
Quick tip to distress lumber
Some of the woodworking crafts we make require a rough lumber look and feel. The video below shows a quick tip on distressing planed lumber for that rustic look.
