Random shots around the shop...

It's been a while since I did a "random thoughts and shots around the shop" post, so here goes....

I have a week-long break before a new session of classes start back up - and I'm usually found ass-up in the air, fixing the tools. 

The good news is - eight new woodworkers joined the ranks of Wood It Is! graduates. 

They look pretty proud.

Kevin (below) stopped by the shop to do some router work in MDF.

 It's nasty work, and combined with the heat - well - it is miserable! 

The MDF dust combined with sweat makes a decent wood putty!

I suspect he hosed himself off in his yard before he entered his house.

Lupe's working on a new project - an interesting jig for scooping out seat blanks on a tablesaw. She's tireless in the shop, so she made the seat, 

and then the jig!

 I'll blog about the seat scooping jig, and the process of using it, in a few weeks, after we test it out. 

Can you ever have enough clamps?

 I thought it would be a nice touch to add a wood sample board to the shop. 

Eric put it all together for me, hanging the pegboard first, and then all of the samples. 

Anyone who is a Giants fan will get this. 

  

Speaking of Eric, he's working on a three legged stool, 

and spent the afternoon playing with the tricky angles. 

Gillian is in town for a few months, she's the wardrobe supervisor for the Priscilla, Queen of the Desert show. She's wicked with a sewing machine, and her table saw skills aren't too shabby, either!

She's becoming the plug queen in the shop!

This board has about 30 plugs!

Anyone who has taken a Basic Woodworking class will recognize what this shot is about.

My new Coozie - a bottle of water gets hot pretty fast in the shop when it is 118˚ outside.

Group shot in the shop, with Kris' dad, who was in town for a visit. He's sitting in the stool that Lupe just built - but I forgot to get a picture of the stool! D'oh!

Another student brought me a gift - a new pencil holder that she made for the shop. Way  cool! She even filled it!

I spent a couple of weeks making some Peace Pipes for a customer - and the lathe work was interesting. 

I made four pipes, and sold two of them. 

Finally - a very old friend and I re-connected this week, after 50 years. Yes, that's not a typo. Here we are, the middle two kids in this shot. (Damn, I'm always the shortest!) That's my sister on the far left. Looks like a fun summertime shot. 

Speaking of that, have a very safe Fourth of July!