Utter chaos in the shop this week!

Depending on your age, you may or may not recognize the theme song to this old TV show- Get Smart. It was a supremely stupid sit-com about a secret agent, and was released around the time that James Bond movies were starting to blow up. 

The secret agent - a bumbling Maxwell Smart played by Don Adams - worked for the government agency - CONTROL (and old-time version of the CIA) and fought to rid the world of KAOS, the old version of the KGB. 

Why am I rattling on about this?

Well, we've been surrounded by CHAOS in the shop for the past few weeks!

One of the current classes is Advanced Cutting Boards, where we make a variety of insanely beautiful boards, just in time for the holidays. 

It takes a ton of wood to make one of these boards.... each one takes the equivalent of three normal cutting boards. Add in three separate glue-ups, and a ton of sanding, because... well, it's end grain and that's just a bit more labor intensive to sand.

The good news? It's worth all of that extra stuff, trust me. 

So we start off with tons of wood, 

and gallons of glue.  

Three separate glue-ups are required... but again,

it's worth every bit of effort!  

We glue a sacrificial 2x4 on the back of the final end grain block, to protect the vertical grain of the wood while its being planed. It'll be cut off, after the board is flattened. 

Here's a sample, trimmed square and sanded. 

There's no repeated pattern on any of the boards we made, because everyone in the class sliced their board into pieces, and we all shared and traded. 

Once the board is oiled, the color pops, and the chaos emerges... hence - the name of this project! 

Even though you can't see their smiles, you could hear quite a few "oooh and ahhs" when oil was being applied!  

We have few other boards to make, and one of them might be even more popular than this one!

How to clean a saw blade on the cheap!

We've been doing some serious cutting at the shop lately, and one of our favorite blades was thoroughly trashed.  The gum and pitch that built up on the blade was causing some pretty gnarly burning with every cut, and to tell you the truth -  I think it would have been disrespectful to take it to the sharpener without cleaning it. 

There are quite a few "gum and pitch remover" products out there, like this one that I've bought in the past. 

But one of the best products that we use is a household product that you might already have in your kitchen. 

And it's reasonably priced, too.

Yup - oven cleaner.

The blade was gummed up with hardened bits that almost seemed "fused" to the metal. 

But - spraying the blade and letting it sit on the metal for a few minutes will dissolve most of it.

A scotchbrite pad will help with the really stubborn bits.

When wiped clean, the blade almost looks new! It still needs to be sharpened, but at least I won't be embarrassed when I drop it off at Nevada Carbide!  

Support your local businesses - Nevada Carbide has been servicing our blades, router bits and making bandsaw blades for us for years. They're the best!

How To Joint Wood Without A Jointer

 My buddy Adam sent me this cool video about jointing wood without a jointer... it's great! For any of you struggling to get straight edges on your boards, check this out!

 (Thanks Adam!)

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.