Wednesday, March 23, 2011

1. Children's Stilts

Well, this month is my daughter's birthday, and I wanted to make something for her birthday.  So I decided on stilts.  I bought a 12 foot piece of 1 1/2" square of redwood.  The first thing that I did was cut two 5' sections, and four 4" sections.  I cut four 1/2" holes and then glued 2 pairs of them together with a 1/2" dowel.  The results of this is in this picture.


I then took the 3" by 4" blocks.  and molded them for the step platforms.  After molding and sanding the platforms, I then measured and glued them to the poles.  I then sanded the whole project with a random orbital sander.  I then cleaned the whole project and prepared it for the final finish.  For the final finish, I used Watco Danish Oil finish.  I really like this finish as it maintains the true feel of the wood, whilst penetrating and protecting the wood.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Blogging into my own oblivion

Hello Everyone,

     I have challenged myself to complete a handcrafted item every week for one year.  I have always enjoyed creating things, and coming up with ideas.  Unfortunately, I have come up with a lot more ideas than I have actual creations.  So I am now working to rectify that in a small way by setting a weekly goal for myself.  I know that some of the projects that I make will require less than a week to make, and others may involve weeks or months of work.  This will require me to have a better plan and be working on multiple projects at once.  I will be providing pictures and explanations of what I am working on.  I have many ideas for projects, but I am willing to entertain ideas from anyone who happens upon this blog.
     My main focus at least in the beginning will be on my woodworking, as it is one of my favorite mediums.  I do , however, have many other plans that do not involve woodworking:  Steampunk mods, chain maille, blacksmithing, pewter casting, and much more will all be projects that I will explore.  So get ready, because for the next 52 weeks, I will be learning, creating, exploring, succeeding, and more likely failing at many different handcrafted objects.