Another hidden gem of woodworking in Las Vegas

Just a few minutes from my shop is Transition Services, a nonprofit organization that provides meaningful work for people with developmental disabilities. 

I've driven past it hundreds of times, but until I met one of its employees, I barely noticed it.

 Recently, a few families donated the contents of their woodshops to me, and I found myself with mountains of tools and building materials. I knew exactly where I wanted to donate the things I didn't need. So when I delivered the donations, I had a chance to tour the facility.  You'll barely notice the building, it's deceptively small looking from the street, but once you enter and get your temperature checked, you'll find yourself in their gift shop, where they sell a huge variety of crafts that they create. 

I'll let you in on a (not-so-dirty) secret - I am a sucker for handmade soap. I  couldn't pass up their selections - very reasonably priced, and great smelling!  I highly recommend the Lemongrass bars, BTW. 

But that's just the beginning of their offerings - they make (and sell) everything from pet toys... 

to handmade cards (another one of my weaknesses), 

quilts... 

to keychains, 

and SO MUCH MORE. 

All of these gems are created in their giant crafting area, which is BRIMMING with creativity.  Yes, Covid has changed they way they work, but it hasn't dimmed their enthusiasm.

Did I mention they have a cat adoption service and boarding area, with a cat trees that - YES - they make themselves. 

I love this sign, BTW.

But their connection with animals isn't limited to cats - they have terrariums with a variety of frogs on display.  

These amphibians seem to enjoy the attention - like this Yellow-banded poison dart frog, or bumble bee frog.

 

In better (healthier) times - they offer a doggie day care service

and will hopefully resume when things get back to normal. They have a wonderful doggie room, with a secure dedicated outdoor play area. Seriously, this place offers so many services that your head will spin. 

I didn't realize that the Property Brothers, Jonathan and Drew Scott, had a connection with Transition Services - you can read about it here. 

They raised nearly $90,000 which was donated to help this wonderful organization. 

Again, in better times, their outdoor area is the site of fundraisers and galas, and I'll tell you - seeing it empty was startling. And sad.

This pandemic has changed so much in our lives, but the people who are served here are really hurting. They've had to cancel a variety of scheduled events that bring in a much needed funds to keep this site going. 

Which brings me back to their woodworking program, which is what brought me here in the first place. Although they have a small woodshop inside their facility, where many of their works are crafted, this outdoor area is where much of the heavier work is produced. They wheel out their tools, and under supervision, cut and mill lumber. 

Again - Covid has severely impacted them - their woodshop coordinator had to leave his position, so they're in need of some help. (Any volunteers out there?) But even more so - many of their tools are in need of servicing.  And they have a huge need for some specific tools - a planer, for instance. 

So I'm making it my mission to figure out a way to get them a planer. I'm not sure how, but I'm exploring ways - from a fund raiser to a raffle. Or through another donation.  

If anyone has a planer they'd like to donate, let me know - this donation would be tax deductible, and would go a long way is helping these talented artists. 

Any suggestions out there?

 

 

Another bumper crop!

 It finally feels like Autumn here, and colder weather means the garden is going to wind down. That's fine with me - I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to even walk into my back yard in a month! 

Back in March, the garden started out like this. 

Within a short time, everything started to fill out. Notice the scallions shooting out of the soil on the lower left side of the garden... when I cut the root end off of a scallion, I stick it in the dirt. A few weeks later.... fresh scallions! It's a never ending supply, and I sadly think about all of the roots I've thrown out over the years. 

Later in the summer, the tomato plants started to dominate everything, producing huge amounts of fruit. 

Then things got crazy! 

The yard was consumed with tomato plants taking over! 

Seriously, I froze as many tomatoes as I gave away, 

and this might have been the best crop ever.

The basil plants are the perfect combo in the garden.  

Sadly, it's getting time to pull out most of this, and wait for spring.

A friend of mine told me the other day that his neighbor treats his tomato plants as perennials, and that he has some plants that are over ten years old. I've never heard of that, but instead of pulling my plants out in a few weeks, I am going to cut them back, mulch them to protect them from the colder temps. 

It'll be interesting to see how they fare over the winter. I'll keep you posted!

Huge Tool Swap Meet this Sunday, October 18!

 If you're looking to add some tools to your woodshop, you'll want to swing by my shop this Sunday morning! The sale starts at 10:00 - please don't show up too early!

There are some terrific items for sale! This is just a partial list - there is too much stuff to list!

_____________

Grizzly 14" Bandsaw with riser kit

14" Jet Bandsaw with Carter Guides

Delta Scroll saw

Workbench tops

Live Edge slabs and misc. wood (some amazing pieces here!)

Delta Midi Lathe

Clamps (you can never have enough!)

Rockwell Lathe (ancient, but a perfect starter tool!)

Senco Nail guns (brand new, never opened!)

Router bits galore

Jet 10/20 drum sander

Bosch router with fixed and plunge base

Tons of hand tools

Hardware

Finishes

The address is 2267 West Gowan, in North Las Vegas. We'll be set up in the parking lot - feel free to bring a table and sell your own stuff, too!

A walk down memory lane....

2005 -  it seems like yesterday!

Back in 2005, I was interviewed by Ann Jackson about being a female studio furniture maker. To be truthful - I remember being interviewed, but not really what we spoke about. At that time, my father's death was relatively fresh in my mind, and I'd recently moved across the country to start a new life. It was a year of change and new goals. I was a kid!

So ... who's Ann Jackson? 

You may not know her, but without a doubt, almost every woodworker knows her family. Her dad was Nordy Rockler... and if you've been working with wood for more than a minute, you've heard of Rockler Woodworking. 

It's probably the most well known woodworking supplier, with stores in almost every state, and an online presence that is to be admired. 

She's a fascinating woman - building Rockler Woodworking into a global woodworking retailer.  Want to be inspired? Click here and read this article about her woodworking accomplishments. 

Back to our interview - Ann contacted me in 2005 about being part of her Masters thesis, where she interviewed nine female woodworkers about their work, their inspiration, and more. 

Fast forward 15 years - she re-interviewed us again, to see how we'd changed. Were we still making furniture? Had our values, styles or influences changed? Her study explores the progress of our careers over the course of 15 years, and ...  not just because I'm one of the subjects, but I think it's fascinating. 

And to be included in the same group of woodworkers that include Roseanne Somerson (one of my idols) and Cindy Vargas...well, be still my heart!

Here's a link to Ann's thesis - it includes the interviews of all the artists, and their unique views of work, life and more. On the left side of this webpage, you can click on the thesis to read it, or download it. 

Looking for a planer?

 Quite a few people have been buying tools lately - probably because they're staying home more, and working in their garage/shop, building cool stuff. 

A buddy just told me about the Dewalt 735X that just went on sale. If you're looking for a great deal on a planer, check this out.  They're shipping this with an extra set of knives, and the infeed/outfeed tables. Pretty good deal, for a 13" planer.

Welcome to autumn!

Some people love the holidays (don't include me with that bunch!) and some people love Spring, when the dreary days of winter end.

 Me? 

I've always loved Fall - with its cooler temps, football season, leaves changing color, and well... Hatch chilis roasting over flames. My local grocery store set up a roaster, 

and I bought a case of chilis for them to roast. Medium hots, thank you!

The smell is unbelievable, 

and the crackling of the charred skins is music to my ears. 

The garden does weird things at the end of the summer - the tomato plants start growing like weeds! These almost doubled in size, 

 but stopped producing fruit. The taste of a home grown tomato will soon be just a memory. That's OK, there are other fish to fry. 

 The shop is a mess, and it's time to gear up for classes that start this week.  The dust collectors are over flowing, 

and some of our chisels are a disaster. WTF? Who leaves a chisel like this? 

We're expecting some huge deliveries of wood,

 and even added a chainsaw to our arsenal. This bad boy with its 20" bar will handle logs that we previously struggled with, and officially makes me a bad-ass. 

Fueled by sugar, 

most of these tasks are completed in no time. 

Re-filling the glue bottles, 

cutting up material, and finishing up our projects was the goal for this past weekend. 

Here's Eddie's dining room table - the first piece of furniture that he ever built.  It's based on Jory Brigham's design, and he nailed it! (well, not literally.) 

Some times - the littlest things make the biggest difference!

A HUGE thank-you to Eric and Ken of Legacy Woodworking for gifting this Festool imperial thickness gauge to the school. 

It’s not that we don’t like metric measuring devices in the shop. To the contrary - going all metric would make life easier… but jumping back and forth between metric and imperial measurements is tricky with all of the students using the Domino in the shop.  So this new thickness gauge just makes life easier for all of us.

Seneca manufactures some great accessories for Festool’s arsenal of tools… thanks Eric and Ken! My students will thank you, as well, the next time they use this tool. As one reviewer stated - “less strain on my imperial brain” 

Finally - as we settle into Fall, I'd like to congratulate everyone who has handled the strain of Covid and politics and fires in the west - it's been an extremely stressful time for all of us. 

Owning a business during this time is downright challenging. For those of us who have followed safe guidelines and believed in science, I salute you. 

I'll toast you when I have a shot of this.