The AMAZING La Maga Lupe

In this blog post, the word "amazing" comes up so many times, it's almost embarrassing. I was going to pull out my old thesaurus, to try and find a word to substitute for it. But - it's the best way I can describe Lupe - so ....  my apologies. When you're done reading this - I'm betting you'll agree there's no better adjective for her. 

******

The other day, I was telling someone that I could start a blog about all the amazing people I've met here, and I would probably never run out of people to write about. Honestly, there are some amazing stories here!

I've met animal trainers and game designers, acrobats and inventors, gold barons, poker stars and pianists, madams and magicians, and more.

Speaking of magicians, Lupe took her first class with me in the spring of 2011. Here's the first box she completed. 

She is one of the most appreciative and energetic students in the shop - and ends every class with a donation to the shop. 

Here is one of my favorites!

When she puts her mind to something, she commits herself 100% to it. When she decided it was time to learn how to build a rocking chair, she made an amazing one in Cherry. 

In fact, she built this printer table almost at the same as she built the rocker. Yes, she's a multi-tasker. Actually, that's an understatement - she has an amazing amount of energy.

Even more incredible is the story of the tables that she decided to build. A little bit of background first - Lupe and her husband are well known in the world of magic - both as performers and suppliers.  



They have travelled the world with their craft - and now run a fascinating company designing, building and selling magic props and reproduction posters to magicians. Their collection is one of the most comprehensive magic poster collections in the world. 






Last summer, I had the opportunity to see their poster collection when they hosted a small brunch at their house, following their weekly bicycle excursion - and what a treat it was! Great people, wonderful connections. 



 Even more amazing, their poster collection includes an extremely rare original poster promoting an 1895 magic show by the well known magician, Kellar. This poster is one of eight known to exist, 

and featured on the poster is a lectern table, holding a book. The table is unique and recognizable, at least in the world of magic!

When Lupe mentioned to another magician that she was studying woodworking, it was suggested that she attempt to build one of these tables, and if successful - market them to other magicians. 

If nothing else - Lupe is one hell of a business woman, and she did just that - coming up with a couple of prototypes until she nailed down all of the details. This was no small feat, and she completely dedicated herself to the task, even finding a CNC shop to help with the machining of the legs, which are quite ornate. 

Lupe decided to make a limited edition of twelve of these tables, and as of this writing, she's sold seven. 



I highly suspect that when she gets down to the last one or two, they will be snapped up!



Here's her latest creation - a towering walnut bookcase. 

This bookcase was a challenge from start to finish, and she never once soured on the piece, even though she hit a couple of rough spots on it. In my mind - that's the sign of someone who is going to be a good woodworker - how well they recover from the little slip-ups that we all experience. 

After five coats of Watco and a final coat of wax, this piece looks amazing. No wonder she looks proud. And exhausted!

But - even though I've known her for almost two years now, I didn't know some of the amazing things about her life - such as the fact that she was a child star and regularly performed on TV. See! I told you she had a pretty interesting story - from being a child star to a star in the woodshop!

The February, 2013 issue of Magic Magazine featured an amazing seven page article about Lupe, and I couldn't be more proud to know her both as a student, and as a good friend. I scanned the article, and uploaded it as a PDF. You can download Lupe's article here - it's a rather large file, but offers a fascinating glimpse into her evolution from child star to woodworker. 

Honestly - I couldn't be more proud of what she's accomplished! 

Amazing, right?

Just. Be. Creative.

Can I go off on a little bit of a rant here? 

(No, not about how this blog post looks different. Blogger has acting up lately, and I don't have the patience to look on the support boards and get rid of this funny looking highlighted text.)

As I was poking around, looking at some of the various sites, I found this link to a Cutting Board Kit that WoodCraft sells for $29.99.

I know that common marketing wisdom says that the average consumer feels that $29.99 is a bargain compared to $30. But when I see something prices like that, I feel as if the company thinks I'm stupid. You know what - just charge $30 and don't treat your customers like they're idiots. 

We're not. 

But (almost) the bigger issue is - their kits are pretty darn ugly. It appears as if every piece of wood is the same thickness, which is visually boring to me. 

What?!? 

Their finished cutting board dimensions are 11-3/4" x 12" x 1-1/2"?

When we make ours - we start with 20" strips. Even with some trimming to square up the ends, we usually end up with a board that's at least 18" long. And with a lot more variety of species, and contrast. 

OK, I'm done. 

Do me a favor - if you want to make a cutting board, find a local lumberyard and go visit them. Buy your own stock. Cut up the wood yourself (it's good practice!) and create something out of the ordinary. 

Inlay some plugs,

 or rout a handle into it. 

Anything. 

Just. 

Be.

Creative.

Seeing Double

They say nothing in design is new - that we're all making a re-hashed design of something else, and I suppose that's true. If you're "appropriating" a design for your own use, like building a table or a bookcase, it's not a big deal.

As far as I can tell, all of these bookcases were built by different people.

But selling a piece and making major dollars from a blatant copy is a different story. Here's an Interesting article about "copying" someone else's design.

101 Handy Sites for Conscientious Wood Use

Amy from ForestryDegree.net  sent me a note the other day, congratulating me for this blog being included in their list of 101 Handy Sites for Conscientious Wood Use. 

The list can be seen here, and I'm in some pretty good company! Thanks, Amy!

Major Suckage!

You know what they say about buying the best tools you can afford. It's really true; you save nothing by buying cheap crap.

Trust me, I know this - having purchased two ShopFox dust collectors, both which were sent back to the factory. They were absolute crap. I should have listened to my buddy Ulf. (Remind me next time!)

When this older Delta unit was giving me a little trouble, I remembered what a reliable machine it has been.

 So I looked into buying another in the Delta line. I've really never been disappointed with their tools - I have a 20 year old Unisaw at home with which I'm codependent - I will probably never get rid of that saw!

So - I ended up choosing this Delta, a 1200 CFM unit, I knew it would be able to handle the job.

The box arrived pretty quickly, having shipped from just one state over. 

When I saw this ding in the side, I was a little concerned - would this unit be damaged like the last two ShopFox units were?

You know what - everything inside was perfect, mostly due to the excellent packaging by Delta.  These parts were cradled in styrofoam.

I decided to time the assembly. It just so happened that I started exactly at noon.

Unlike the ShopFox unit, which was very poorly protected, Delta did a great job at surrounding delicate parts with packing.

There was no way this part was going to get bent!

And I liked how these casters

attached to the frame with threaded stems, rather than bolting in place. Plate and bolts take much longer to install, and most of the bolts were missing in the last ShopFox shipment, anyway.

In all, it took longer to find my 14 mm box wrench than it took to thread these into place!

The tubing and frames went together in a snap, using these threaded knobs. Seriously, this was a breeze. My mom could do it. 

It takes a big person to admit their screw-ups, right? I put the top of this unit on wrong. The motor should have been over the open part of the bottom frame. I shot a picture of it with it mis-assembled. 

Then I switched it around the right way in 30 seconds. Delta said this was a two person job, but - by now, you know I have super-powers, right?

Honestly, the hardest part was attaching the bags, using those press fit clamps that Delta includes. I was finished at

This is one gorgeous unit, and much quieter than I'd expected it to be. I'd read on a tool review that someone thought this unit was loud. I don't think so at all - it is smooth and very quiet compared to the other units in my shop. I may buy another, for the planer. That dust collector is on it's last leg.

So - pros and cons?

The definite plusses for me are:

1)  Delta gives you two dust collection bags, instead of one. Nice.

2)  There are two methods for attaching the bags - the snap in rings, and the standard clip on straps. I'm using the rings for now, but might switch to the straps later.

3)  The extra port cover was a solid heavy soft rubber. They give you two, and these will last forever.

4)  This is one solid unit. Not flimsy - the metal is a nice gauge and everything bolts together perfectly.

Cons?

1)  I would have liked the casters to have locks on them. 

2) It would be nice for Delta to include clips to hold the dust bag in place, while you're attaching the metal strap. A different Delta unit that I have has those clips and they're really handy.

3) The unit is a little top heavy, but once the bag has some sawdust in it, the weight is more evenly distributed. 

All in all?  I'd buy this unit again in a heartbeat. It's price was attractive - about $300 less that what I would pay for a similar unit here in town. 

The Penny People

This is SO cool.

This couple glued 60,000 pennies to their bedroom floor, to create an amazing surface. 

They share their tips, secrets and trivia on their blog, The Penny Floor.

 It's a very fun thing to check out, but I'm with Emily, it is a little creepy that that many people have now seen inside their bedroom.  

And I love their tag line - 

penny people - 

They say it takes a village. We say a it takes a bottle of wine and some OCD. Alas, meet the minds behind the madness.

 I hope Ellen invites them to her show!

More Compound Miters

In the Intermediate Woodworking Class last week, we finished up some pretty amazing projects. This relatively simple technique, featured in Tage Frid's book, allowed us to cut some simple shapes using compound miters. Then it was up to everyone to come up with a way to use the technique and make something with it. 

This lamp is one of my current favorites, 

and I think everyone got the bug for lampmaking. 

These were being Milk-Painted, 

and turned into a nice set of two bedside lamps.

This student chose to leave the wood natural, and made a set of two. 

Talk about creative! She found a shade and covered it with a different fabric! This lamp is AWESOME!

I made this small trash can many years ago - 

unfortunately, I can't find it anywhere! So now I want to make another, and will try to come up with a similar palm tree design on the front. 

Have you looked at small trash cans in your local stores? They're hideous! Why would you want a mass-produced one when you could make one yourself, customized for your home? You can add anything to it - color (via the MilkPaint) or inlays or intarsia - you're only limited by your imagination.

Compound miters also allow you to make shape like this one - for a mantle clock. Here's a before picture

and an finished shot.

Finally, I made these last summer, when I needed some planters for four banana tree plants. These planters vary in height, and I used a 5 gallon mud bucket inside, as the pot for the plant.  They're about two feet tall, and they just look terrific. 

If anyone makes pieces using this technique, send me photos and I'll post them here!