Back in the city after an incredible summer out on the coast. Im really quite excited to be getting back to work on the heritage door project but before I do I thought Id share a little slice of the past seven weeks at home on Cape Breton, in my nice, sunny wood shop. A few quick projects and the hurdles along the choice. This blog process reminds me of children starting a new grade in school...remember your teacher asking you to stand up in front of the class room - strange new faces staring, palms sweating grasping empty handfuls of air...
"Tom, why dont you tell the class what you did on your summer vacation this year?" Let there be light!
6:15 am...Early July My bench room all clean and tidy; almost empty save this early morning sunshine rolling into the work space. Slowly rising, calmly creeping up from behind the hill behind our home. Ive been browsing around the woood shop determined to find some forgotten gem in an off cut pile. This is what inspires, no design in mind but a staggered stroll, cutting and shaving through the wood fiber. I found a nice plank of Khaya, (a kind of modern Mahogany substitute) still on the wood rack; must have been an off cut from the boat building days. I think this 4/4 plank, (1") was left behind because it seemed to have a bit of rot and some disturbing checks in the end grain. Definetly unsuitable for anything sea worthy but fine for a relaxed project without any boundaries here in this summer shop atmosphere. This doesnt bother me, the quality of the wood. I have no reservations or expectations...I knew Id be working with off cuts and reclaimed wood this summer so I decided to move ahead and work with it. At this point in the game I had only a dovetailed box in mind, perhaps something to store my water stones in? Although Im on vacation, I need to keep up the hand skills and what better project than a simple dovetailed box, made by hand from plank to plane this is as good as it gets. The plank was run through a thickness planer a few years ago and has been sitting ever since. Not the prettiest piece of wood around but the largest off cut I could find for my practice/vacation project. Here goes...
So first things first, you may notice in the shot above that my tool chests chock full of hand tools made the 22 hour drive and my second, slightly damaged work bench never left this place last year when we moved; but an over sight I quickly find is my saw bench...you know, the Schwarz special I use day to day...2500 kilometers achoice in my basement shop in Toronto - damn. Ill make do with what I have; a scrap yard chair as old as Methuselah its been held together with duct tape and good wishes for as long as I can remember. A saw bench it isnt except when it is...and on this early morning in July it had to be just that. My trusty old Corporate Kangaroo to rip an edge and a few moments later...
