Military Plaques and TV Tables

Greetings

Yesterday was bitterly cold (for Louisiana).  The bird bath was frozen solid and there was frost on the ground.  I had a guy wanting to buy one of my Military Plaques.  The price of $60 is clearly displayed on the ad and it is a discounted price for anyone that wants to support the Military by displaying a plaque.  He went into a dialog telling me that once his friends see the plaque I would get dozens of orders and I should give him a huge discount for selling so many plaques.  I explained that the plaques are tedious to make and I make them for enjoyment.  I am happy to sell them to cover my material costs.  I doubt I would sell any if I tacked on my time to the price as well.  Also I just want to keep busy, I don't need the pressure of filling dozens of orders on a time crunch.   The customer was not a Marine.  I just display the Marine plaque because it is my favorite one to make.

In the Shop

I completed the TV Table I was building.  Solid Oak and very heavy.  The table top is a bit larger than a standard table and a bit taller.  It feels a bit wobbly and I may put in some bracing to stiffen it up a little.

I love the spalled wood in the legs.  Makes for very interesting patterns.

 

Seneca Falls Star Lathe

 Greetings

    Yesterday was Ground Hog Day.  I typically don't follow the predictions of the Ground Hog since Louisiana doesn't follow any rules related to weather except that it constantly changes.  This morning there is frost on everything, the bird baths are frozen over.  It doesn't stop the birds from having fun.  Later today I could probably change into shorts and a tee shirt.  

In the Shop

    My brother-in-law has a sewing machine capable of sewing leather.  Just so happens I need a leather belt for my Machinist Lathe.  It is a Seneca Falls Star lathe made in the early 1900s.   It is over 100 years old.  It still runs now that I have a new belt for it.  Before the Safety Nerds all get in an uproar, yes it needs belt guards.  I am working on that.  The belt has a bump in it.  On the next belt I'll see if we can eliminate that feature.  It is noisy and the lathe needs a good cleaning and some restoration. 

New Egg Layer

 Busy Day

    Yesterday was pretty busy.  One of my chickens laid her first egg, I worked on a Marine Corps flag for a customer and I worked on an over size Oak TV table.  

    My first group of chickens have been laying for a while.  I got a second batch about six weeks later and three more chickens about four weeks later still.  The youngest chickens are Polish chickens that have a bunch of feathers on their head that stands up.  I caught one on the nest right after she laid an egg a few days ago.  Yesterday I got an egg I am sure came from the second batch of chickens.  The second batch is Olive Eggers and they lay green eggs.  I found a very tiny (for a chicken) green egg.  Typically the first egg is small, this is the smallest one I ever saw.  It is about the size of a ping pong ball.

In The Shop

In shop working on my over size Oak TV table.  I rounded over all the corners and sanded it down. Then I started applying polyurethane finish.  I got two coats on the legs and bottom of the table top.  I am letting them dry over night.  Same for the Marine Corps flag two coats on the back and let it dry over night.

TV Table and legs all Oak.

Pet Chickens

 Greetings

    I hope everyone is doing well.  Along with my workshop have quite a few pet chickens that I keep for the eggs.  I bought some polish chickens around six months ago and I think they have started laying.  I found one in the nest box and she fussed when I opened the lid.  An hour or so later I checked back and she was just leaving the nest to head back outside.  I found a brand new warm egg in the nest.

In the Shop

    In the shop today I was taking it easy with two jobs in mind.  I had to finish painting and sanding a flag for a customer and I am working on an Oak TV table for my wife.  I cut the legs for the table and fastened one end.  The end that sits on the floor has to be cut at an angle.  I installed the legs, and then set the table up on my work bench.  Using a flat pencil and block of wood I marked the legs for cutting.

    Once marked I can then cut all of the legs to match and let the table sit flush on the floor and level.

    That is all for today.  Thanks for reading the Blog.  Here is a short video of my fans.  Actually they are fans of anyone with the potential to feed them.

Introduction

GREETINGS    

Greetings Internet, my name is Gary, also known as Skully.  I am a Maker one of those people that loves to go out into my shed and build things.  I build things out of wood or metal or both.  I started this activity as a way to unwind from the stresses of work.  I have worked for a living at a variety of jobs, I fried chicken for one of the major chicken fast food restaurants back when they only had 3 stores.  I made pizzas for another place and made deliveries.  

    I was trained as an electrician and instrumentation mechanic.  Because of my work with instruments and computer controls I found my way in learning about computers and programming.  I discovered that I enjoyed working in an office environment much better than climbing around in pipe alleys and working outside in the heat and rain.  I was asked to manage records and documents for projects and I loved it.  I continued this line of work up until my retirement almost four years ago.  

    I have a YouTube channel, Instagram and Facebook pages so you can see me there.  This BLOG is a way for me to share my thoughts, feeling and projects for people that don't use those forms of social media.

IN THE SHOP

    In the shop today I was kind of hanging out waiting for a potential customer to visit so I can demonstrate my work to him.  I worked on an over size TV table, a flag I am carving and a plaque.  One of my ongoing projects is building some dust collection and storage cabinet for my lathe.  I did an inventory of my "exotic" wood for turning.  I have three pieces of Purple Heart, four pieces of Curly Maple, four pieces of Olive Wood, on piece of Padauk, one piece of Bocote, one piece of Osage Orange, and a piece of Mexican Ebony known as Katalox,

Thanks for your time, stay safe and visit often.