Archive for February 2018
The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
We did Whiskey Flat Days 3 years ago, but haven’t been able to get back since. This annual event is in Kernville, CA … which is between 2 of our favorite event sites in Tehachapi and Ridgecrest. This year, the calendar worked out so we were oh-so-ready for the elegantly named Whiskey Flat Days.
This year is the 61st Annual. It’s a small town vendor event, with a rodeo and carnival thrown in. Oh, and a frog jumping contest. A beard growing contest. A costume contest. And, I’m sure a lot more! This small community definitely turns out for the event … I mean, what else would you do in Kernville, in February?
New Ideas
- This event has an odd structure over President’s Day weekend. The event runs Friday, 1p – dark. Saturday & Sunday run 9a – dark. And then, paradoxically, vendors are asked to open again on Monday, 9a – 1p. When we did this event 3 years ago, our Monday sales were $35. I think the Monday hours are to force vendors to stay another hotel night … or maybe just stay off the roads so tourists can leave Sunday evening without having to follow vendor vehicles.
Observations
- I got the loading of the trailer going; pulled the Jeep over & hooked up. No problem. Loaded the trailer. Got Mrs M loaded, uh, so to speak, and turned the Jeep’s key. Clickety-clickety-click. And, just like that, we were delayed over an hour while I went to buy and then install a new battery. I covered foreshadowing last week, so I see no need to cover it again this week. Apparently, God had other plans.
- We arrived in town right on time, actually. Had lunch at Cheryl’s Diner, and then went to the Chamber of Commerce to check in. We then went to our booth location and set up the “hard goods,” as we say: the canopy, tables, and display pieces. All product stayed in the trailer, as there was no security provided on this night. We were almost set up by dusk, and then headed off to find dinner.
- We used the Trimline canopy this week, since it was an extended length event with a leisurely set-up time. After not using this canopy for 6 months, I forgot how the roof went together. Unfortunately. We had to backtrack a bit to get it done properly, but the canopy is so nice when it’s up. It takes more time, but it’s worth it.
- I’ll keep saying that; Mrs M may believe it eventually.
- The aisle is pretty narrow between the booths at this event: there’s only about 10′ between the booths. Friday, a larger-than-life veteran planted himself in the middle of the aisle, outside of his booth a few booths down from us, and proceeded to try and raise funds by selling coffee cups for his veteran-focused charity. I appreciate the charity’s goal, but the sales style? Yuck.
- Thank goodness he did not return for the rest of the weekend.
- That same charity, though, had a couple of booth workers that were also in the parade as Harley Davidson riders. They parked their bikes in the driveway across from our booth, and then roared off down the aisle at about 4pm on Saturday. Gas fumes led to zero Mrs M sales until the air finally cleared several minutes later. Oh, and the noise made small children cry. Where were the promoters?
- Teen boy, pointing to his friend, asked Mrs M, “Do you have any lotion to fix his face?”
- Random odd guy walked by my booth and called out, “Do you have anything good?” Confused by the oddity, I didn’t respond; he never broke stride and called out, “Didn’t think so.”
- We had the first-ever opening of an actual beer bottle as my MBO demo. This event is characterized by a lot of public drinking; some do it as BYO, obviously!
- Young lady was looking at my stuff. Her large, long-haired significant other loudly announced, “You don’t need no f***ing fancy board to cut stuff.” They left the booth before I could react. Mrs M leaned over to me, “And he probably beats her, too.”
- The fact that this is supposed to be a family event did not deter many from using a limited vocabulary to express themselves.
- Mrs M and I were talking, sotto voice, about the paucity of sales. She said, “I want you to beat me … oh, I knew it sounded bad when I said it.”
- I did not, in either case.
- A guy was in the booth, accompanied by a couple of friends. He was shopping for a gift for his wife that was back at their home in France. He liked a board, but one of his friends told him, in my booth, that it was a poor gift choice. “You should buy her clothing or jewelry.” I did not throw the “friend” out of the booth. I held my tongue. The guy ditched the friends & came back an hour later to buy the board.
- Discretion can be a good thing.
- When you are a vendor, you’re just like the hired help, I guess. People can be Oh. So. Rude.
- Overheard:
- Young Girl (hovering over ZooSoapia): “Mommy, buy me a soap!”
- Mommy: “Don’t touch things! Lord, help me. This is why animals eat their young!”
- Can you tell we just didn’t feel it at this event? Poor sales. Poor parenting on display. Bad language heard frequently. I’m from a small town. I like small towns, but Kernville didn’t show us anything good on this trip.
- The Monday forecast was for lows overnight in the 20s, with high wind, rain or snow showers overnight and into the morning. Lotions freeze, so we were not interested in ruining product just so we could sit in the cold with no customers. We packed up Sunday night, went back to the motel (bringing the lotion inside for the night!), and then drove out Monday morning.
- As we drove through town, I saw at least 4 canopies that were upside down and ruined by the overnight winds. Many booths had already packed up at 9am; many more were not open during the “official” event hours.
- Requests were for a backgammon board, boards with no feet so they could have 2-sided use, and a cheese slicer.
The Food
- Best Meal: The Fremont Deli came to our booth on Friday, and offered to deliver to our booth when we ordered lunch during the event. We took their offer on Saturday, and I got a very nice, hot Ham & Cheese. Delicious. 4 stars.
- Honorable Mention: We had dinner Sunday night with our friend Delinda of Sweet Spot Home Decor. The restaurant (Kern River Brewing Co.) was not great … but the meal was a perfect way to relieve the stresses of a failed event. 2 stars.
- Worst Meal: El Rio was the Mexican restaurant we found. The food’s not bad, really, but the place has zero atmosphere. The next night, we ate in the motel; we had carry out hot chicken from the grocery store deli, and that was better. YaknowhatImean? 1 star.
- Final recommendation: Don’t go to Kernville for the food.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 281
- Booth cost: $550
- Food cost: $271
- Travel cost: $146
- Total sales: $1,126
- Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $159
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: none
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: none
- # transactions: not nearly enough
- # soap & lotion vendors: There were 5 handmade soap vendors at this event, which was entirely too many, IMHO. This event may “jury” some categories, and I use the term very loosely … but they didn’t count or care about how many soap makers they let in.
- # woodworking vendors: There was one other cutting board maker there (!). He did different stuff as well, including boxes and spoons.
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 10:0
- Returning next year? Nope.
Boards sold: 10
Coasters: 2x
Cutting Boards: 2x
Trivets: 2x
Large Sous Chef: 1x
Soap Deck: 1x
Magic Bottle Opener: 1x
Small Board: 1x
Coasters 18 – 07. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Black Walnut. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Cutting Board 17 – 146. Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Canarywood, Hard Maple & Padauk. 12″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 116. Wall mount.
Small Board 18 – 201. Bloodwood, Jatoba, Birds Eye Maple & Jatoba. 9″ x 12″ x 3/4″.
Trivet 17 – 18. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Hard Maple & Padauk.
Trivet 17 – 081. Padauk, Hard Maple & Oak.
Cutting Board 17 – 137. Jatoba, Honey Locust & Hard Maple. Edge grain, Juice groove. 14″ x 11″ x 1-1/8″.
Sous Chef 17 – 914. Birdseye Maple, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. Large size, with the work space approximately 10″ x 15″, with the handle extending for an additional 6″.
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The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
Well, faithful readers, I know you’re on pins and needles to see what happened after we were almost blown away.
Didn’t know? Then you should read Wind. Blows: A Special Edition of the Board Chronicles, which tells the story of the devastation wreaked on us at this event. Go ahead, follow the link & read.
I’ll wait.
This post, however, is the story of the event itself: the 33rd Annual Winterfest in Lake Havasu, AZ. This is a “big idea” event for us, so the investment was significant. We got there.
Hope it’s worth it!
New Ideas
- As stated, this is our first interstate event. We had to register with the state of Arizona, as well as get a business license from Lake Havasu City. Unfortunately, I forgot to do both, so had to scramble at the last minute (and I do mean the last minute) to get both done properly.
- My inventory is now over 300 pieces, which is a personal record. I’ve got a varied product line, with Hearts back in stock, 3 kinds of finishes on Word Blocks, and Coasters available for the first time.
Observations
- After I scrambled to get the city license + the state registration, no one checked to make sure that we were following the rules. Which is how it always goes, it seems.
- We did, however, get our first-ever fire inspection to ensure we had a fire extinguisher in the booth. I thanked the fireman for doing his job.
- Oh so many lotion vendors there in the small part of the show that we did visit … and they were all making medical claims of one kind or another. I certainly hope these snake oil salesmen had a bad weekend. I mean, does anyone really think that there are potions to prevent Alzheimer’s that you can just buy on the street?
- He said, picking up a clipboard: “Is this a cutting board?
- I said: “No. It’s a clipboard.”
- Another He said, looking at a cutting board for $150: “Is this price right?”
- I said: “Yes.”
- Another He said: “You must make these yourself.”
- What do you say to that, other than, “I do.”
- Yet Another He asked if I had cribbage boards. I pointed to the one on display.
- Yet Another He asked: “How much?”
- I said: “$40.”
- Yet Another He said: “That’s a fair price.” (and he turned and left)
- Arriving to find half of our booth destroyed on Sunday morning was not a good time, I assure you. We packed up Mrs M’s stuff, and moved it into the shade on the sidewalk. We decided to not pack up my stuff … we were there, and selling ANYTHING sounded better than sitting in the Jeep for the 5 hour drive and getting more depressed. So, we set Mrs M’s tables back up and moved my extra inventory onto those tables in what was now Mrs M’s open air booth. Of the things we put on display … nothing sold.
- Luckily, other things did.
- She said: “$80 for a Pig for me to chop an onion on? Oh, hell no.” (and she turned and left)
- Requests were for a Jokers & Pegs set (no), a Wisconsin-shaped cribbage board (no), a flybox (He wanted a tool, not a keepsake. I don’t do utility boxes … and rarely do keepsake boxes!) and an RV sink board (2x).
The Food
- Best Meal: We had a great meal at Azul Agave. I had the macho burrito. It was Sunday, after a horrible morning and an OK sales day. Glad that we got a smile at the end of a very trying day.
- Honorable Mention: Breakfast at the Black Bear Diner is always a treat for us.
- Worst Meal: It was about unmet expectations, really. We had dinner at Mario’s, which did not live up to its Yelp rating. The food was OK, but I expected more. We ate there Friday night, before our event, so that meal was a dramatic device called foreshadowing.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 617
- Booth cost: $300
- City License cost: $20
- Food cost: $213
- Travel cost: $233
- Total sales: $1,487
- Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $400
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: none
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: given what happened to us, I’m surprised to say … none
- Saturday alarm: 4a
- Sunday alarm: 6:15a
- # soap & lotion vendors: no clue. We saw about 25% of the vendors there.
- # woodworking vendors: see above.
- Returning next year? Totally unclear. I’m leaning pro; Mrs M is leaning no. The canopy … it’s not leaning anymore. It’s trash.
Boards sold: 18
2x Serving Trays
2x Medium Surfboards
2x Magic Bottle Openers
2x Hearts
1x Large Cheese & Cracker Server
1x Cribbage Board
1x Large Cutting Board
1x Coaster
1x Coaster Set
1x Cheese Board
1x Pig Cutting Board
Cheese & Cracker Server 17 – 12. Black Walnut, & Goncalo Alves.
Cribbage 17 – 02. Bubinga. Non-skid rubber feet. 5″ x 15″.
Cutting Board 17 – 428. Jatoba, Honey Locust & Hard Maple. End Grain. 16″ x 21-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.
Medium Surfboard 17 – 07. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple, Padauk & Canarywood.
Coasters 18 – 06. Chaos Coasters. Yellowheart, Jatoba, Bloodwood, Cherry, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Cork. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Coasters 18 – 08. Cherry, Purpleheart, Jatoba & Cork. Shown with Jatoba holder.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 404. Fridge Mount.
Cheese Board 18 – 101. Chaos Boards. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Heart 18 – 901. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Cherry & Bloodwood. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Serving Tray 17 – 10. Merbau, Yellowheart & Padauk. 12″ x 18″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 405. Fridge Mount.
Pig 17 – 709. Hard Maple, Cherry, Black Walnut & Jatoba. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/8″.
Heart 18 – 907. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Cherry, Bloodwood & Purpleheart. Sold in its first showing. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
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The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
It was time to up our game.
Mrs M’s Handmade is now entering our 5th year of vendorhood. We started oh-so-humbly … and we’re still learning at every event. Unfortunately.
This year, we want to expand what we do. It’s our intention to do some bigger shows … and we scheduled ourselves for our first out-of-state event, Winterfest in Lake Havasu, AZ. That event is 300 miles from home, which is almost as far for us to travel as the events we’ve done in the bay area.
California’s a big state, you see. Going to Arizona from LA is closer. But, I digress.
We went to Arizona to go a-vendoring. What could go wrong?
Quoth The Fifth Element, Leeloo, “Wind blows ….”
This is the story of what happened while we slept.
Saturday was what we expected, really, only less. This very large vendor event has a Saturday morning setup, and we were there at 5:15am to line up for the 6am beginning of the process. We did what we do, and set up our booths, # 358 & 360, in the middle of McCulloch Blvd. We were ready for the crowds at 9am. People were there, which was great … but they didn’t buy much, unfortunately. Our vendor friends universally reported sales that were down significantly from last year. We ended Saturday at 5pm with a very, very disappointing sales total and complete exhaustion. We buttoned up the booths, put a table cloth over the soaps, and went to the motel to lick our wounds.
We knew that there was a windstorm forecast to hit at about 11pm, but we didn’t really worry about it. After all, we knew that we were prepared. Our weights were in place, our new Undercover canopies have thick, heavy side walls … we were ready.
We thought.
We were wrong.
We arrived before 8am on Sunday, because I wanted to tweak my display a bit. That’s what I would end up doing, but nothing else went according to plan.
Here’s the first thing I saw when we walked up to the booth:

My first look at the wind damage. No big deal, right?
This is a picture of the back corner of “my” booth (we do a double booth, so Mrs M has her side, and I have my side). See the upended table? That’s the back of my neighbor’s booth. My booth’s walls are what you see on the left side of the photo, and you’ll see that my canopy has shifted forward 3′. The booth did not go airborne, due to the weights that we had in place. However, the wind did push the sail formed by the wall of the booth forward, relentlessly, in spite of the weight. When the canopy was pushed and slid across the asphalt, the wall eventually rode up and over the top of the table. That, in turn, resulted in the boards I had stupidly left on the table getting knocked down. Only 3 pieces hit the pavement. Luckily.
Note that our weight is velcroed in place at the bottom of the canopy leg, just as it’s supposed to be. My neighbor’s booth is also secured, with the orange ratchet strap attached to the roof strut and holding a sandbag. Their booth (no walls) did not move, and did not protect my booth from the wind.
At this point, though, I was relieved. I had already seen canopies that were upended and destroyed in the wind, so I knew we were lucky that it was not worse. It took me a couple of thoughts to realize that the front of the booth – which looked perfect – was not all there. 10′ of our booth was missing. That’s when my focus shifted, and I saw this.

Velda’s booth, crushed by a flying canopy.
Here you see the opposite corner of my booth from the previous picture, and it was the front, center of our double booth. All you can see of Mrs M’s booth is the crumpled wall that’s on the pavement, and the leg and roof struts that have been folded parallel … they are no longer perpendicular. Mrs M’s Booth should be about 9′ tall; now it’s smashed.
Time slowed down. I surveyed the damage and realized that our day had just taken a very significant left turn.
Bad words may have been spoken at this point.
The booth behind Velda and her neighbor (a real estate agent) was a 10’x20′ booth selling dry soup mixes & such. The soup people had 2x 10′ canopies. They had bungeed the roofs together, and then secured the canopies with ratchet straps and DIY weights made from 4″ PVC pipe and, uh, stuff.
More on that later.
During the night, the wind lifted the dry soup canopies up, and then they flipped over and crushed Mrs M’s canopy, as well as that of her neighbor. Both Mrs M’s and the real estate agent’s canopies were properly weighted down and did not move from their spots. They did, however, get crushed by the Flying Dry Soup Canopy.

The Flying Dry Soup Canopy
This is the view from the far side of the real estate booth. That booth had a cheap EZ Up canopy … crushed flat. Note the 2 front center poles of the Flying Dry Soup Canopy: no weights are attached. These poles would have been front & center in the dry soup display, so the vendor did not put unsightly weights there.
Mistake. Big Mistake.

A DIY weight that really isn’t.
This is a picture of one of the weights that didn’t hold down the Flying Dry Soup Canopy. 2 things are wrong here:
- The weight itself is not properly secured. The weight should be connected to the ratchet strap through the eye hole mounted on the weight (now facing the pavement). Also, the weight must be secured to the leg itself. Otherwise, the wind will blow, the tent will shake … the weight will start swinging free of the leg, and then the pendulum effect will increase the power of the wind and speed the catastrophic failure of the canopy. As it did in this case!
- The weight itself is about 30″ tall. I have made weights somewhat similar to these. When I made my versions, I filled the 4″ PVC with concrete and rock. My DIY PVC weights did weigh 35 pounds when I put them on our bathroom scale. The pictured “weight,” however, was lifted by Velda using one arthritic finger. I estimate it was no more than 20 pounds; she believes it was under 10 pounds. I can guarantee it was not 50 pounds.
What’s important about 50 pounds? Here’s the relevant rule, which was a part of the event application signed by every vendor:
All vendors must have weights for any canopies in use. All four corners must have weights of at least 50lbs attached.
So, if you have 2x 10′ canopies side by side, you actually have 8 corners. When you put 50 pounds on each corner, you need 400 pounds of weight attached. In my opinion, the Flying Dry Soup Canopy did not have half of that.

The back of the Flying Dry Soup Canopy, now upside down and sitting in the middle of Mrs M’s booth. One weight is on the near corner; you can see the orange ratchet strap holding another on the far corner. But the back, middle?
So, we know there’s devastation here. Nothing to do but clean it up. With all of the involved vendors eventually helping, we took apart the offending canopies, untying the bungees and disconnecting the weights. Mrs M’s canopy could then be removed, to finally reveal the remains of her booth:
The top layers of Mrs M’s purpose built display did get pushed onto the ground, but the bottom layer was left alone. Under the tablecloth is the soap, which was totally undamaged. But as the asphalt underneath was revealed….

Amazingly, none of the wooden pieces were broken. Over 100 lotion bars were destroyed, as well as a small number of lotions and a single beard oil.
The saddest thing I saw broken:
So, nothing to do but get to it. Mrs M started cleaning up, and I started picking up.

Clean up, well in hand. 10am.
We cleaned up Mrs M’s booth entirely, and then decided that we should keep my booth open for the day. All of our costs were sunk; her stuff was safe. We would gain nothing by leaving for home, and if we stayed we just might sell a board or two.
That’s the story for the next installment of The Board Chronicles.
Still unknown is what will happen to our financial losses caused by the Flying Dry Soup Canopy. We do have their insurance information, and do expect to be compensated for the losses that we incurred. Will that happen? No clue.
Want to read about an even worse event weekend? The link’s below, When Nature Fights Back….

We expanded “my” booth into Mrs M’s booth space when we finally tweaked my display. There’s still cleanup needed, however.
More
When Nature Fights Back: A Special Edition Of The Board Chronicles
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I know these are a good idea … but you can add them to the long list of good ideas that seldom make it out of the garage woodshop.
I have been sold out of hearts for a year – a year! – but I finally found the time to make more.
These hearts each have Bloodwood in them (naturally). They are about 11″ across and 3/4″ thick. They’re made for 2-sided use; no feet on these.
Because they are hearts.
When you’re making, you have to know what you’re making. And then … make it in a way that is true.
That’s the philosophy.
Here are the hearts.
Heart 18 – 901. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Cherry & Bloodwood. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 902. Hard Maple, Bubinga, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. Jatoba, 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 903. Purpleheart, Cherry, Bloodwood & Padauk. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 901. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Cherry & Bloodwood. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 901. Cherry, Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Jatoba & Padauk. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 906. Hard Maple, Bubinga, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. Jatoba, 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 909. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Cherry, Bloodwood & Purpleheart. Sold in its first showing. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 907. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Cherry, Bloodwood & Purpleheart. Sold in its first showing. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 908. Cherry, Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Jatoba & Padauk. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 910. Sold out of the shop before it was finished. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Hard Maple, Cherry & Bloodwood. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Detail of 18 – 910.
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I am starting 2018 in style.
Never, ever, have I had 300 pieces in inventory before. Last year, I struggled to stay above 200, and finally reached 250. Twice.
Only twice, for about 4 days total.
Now, though, things have changed. The CNC in the shop is allowing me to make different things, and I can complete one process while the CNC is doing another. This week, I was using the planer and the table saw, while the CNC was drilling the MBOs & coasters.
I’ve just about got 2D work mastered. Good thing: I have a big special order to work on this month.
But I digress.
This week, I celebrate the first time ever having 300 pieces in inventory. Not only have I never done that before, I’m doing it with a wide variety of items. I’ve added a new style of Word Blocks, completed heart-shaped cutting boards for the first time in over a year and made coaster sets for the first time ever.
Oh, and I have cutting boards in all sizes and shapes. I am ready for 2018.
This cutting board is pure Jatoba, which is a first for me. After a long search, I finally found some 2″ thick pieces of Jatoba, and I bought a bunch. The lumber is rough, which means I need to plane it smooth before I can use it, but I do believe the results are rather spectacular. I see more Jatoba in my future!

Cutting Board 18 – 301. Jatoba. Edge Grain, Juice Groove. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.

Detail of 18 – 301. Non-skid rubber foot held on with a stainless steel screw.

Detail of 18-301. Routed Fingerhold.
More
The 250th Cutting Board: Back In The Pig Business (10/13/17)
The 250th Cutting Board (4/8/17)
The 200th Cutting Board, 6th Time ‘Round (2/9/17)
The 200th Cutting Board, 5th Time ‘Round (11/30/16)
The 200th Cutting Board, 4th Time ‘Round (10/7/16)
The 200th Cutting Board, Third Time ‘Round (8/5/16)
The 200th Cutting Board, 8 Months Later (4/9/16)
The 200th Cutting Board (9/18/15)
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I almost sold out of Magic Bottle Openers last year. I ended the year with only 3 on hand … and since I sell several at every event, I was in trouble for this year.
Did I mention our first event is this weekend?
So, back to the shop.
For the first time, I cut the holes for the magic using the CNC. So, while I was smoothing and shaping the blanks, the CNC was saving me a few steps at the drill press. Now, every hole is perfectly drilled and perfectly placed the same way every time.
It’s not magic, but it is a really good idea!
So, here are new MBOs, just in time. With this batch, though, I’m now out of magic … my shopping list just never ends. That’s a good thing, right?
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 101. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 102. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 103. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 104. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 105. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 106. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 107. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 108. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 109. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 110. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 111. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 112. Wall mount.
Detail of Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 112.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 113. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 114. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 115. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 116. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 117. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 118. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 119. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 120. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 121. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 401. Fridge Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 402. Fridge Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 403. Fridge Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 404. Fridge Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 405. Fridge Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 406. Fridge Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 407. Fridge Mount.
More
At Long Last, More Magic
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I didn’t really accomplish my goal through the holidays: I wanted to clean the shop. I’ve got some shop cabinetry to build. I moved my lumber rack off site (!). And, I needed to use the lumber I had stuffed into every nook & cranny to Make. More. Room.
A lot was done, but not enough. I’m on my way, with a lot more work to do.
However, the flurry of activity this week did allow me to finish over 70 pieces for the first show of our year, in Lake Havasu, AZ. If you’re going to the 33rd Annual Winterfest, please look us up in booths 358 & 360 … and you’ll get to see the stuff I got out of the shop this week.
For a complete schedule of events for Mrs M’s Handmade and Mr M’s Woodshop (11 events are now confirmed for 2018!), you can always click on the tab above for Mr & Mrs M’s Upcoming Events … or just click here.
But, back to the work. I’ve already showcased the Coasters and Word Blocks that were created. Part of shop clean up, though, was finishing odds and ends that got put aside for one reason or another … so here’s a bunch of the things I found when I emptied those nooks & crannies.
Cutting Board 18 – 302. Jatoba. Edge Grain, Juice Groove. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.
Lazy Susan 18 – 01. Black Walnut. 18″ diameter.
Cheese Board 18 – 103. Chaos Boards. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Cheese Board 18 – 101. Chaos Boards. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Small Board 18 – 202. Black Walnut. Edge Grain. 9″ x 11″ x 1″.
Small Board 18 – 201. Bloodwood, Jatoba, Birds Eye Maple & Jatoba. 9″ x 12″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 18 – 103. Chaos Boards. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
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The “Word Blocks” that I created on the CNC continue to evolve. Here’s my third finishing style.
As you may recall, the original Words were made from Cherry, and then simply oiled. The results were great, I thought, but I was informed that they were very traditional, and that modern decor required things to be less natural & more colorful.
Well, OK, then. Can do.
As I completed these Word Blocks, it took me back to painting sets at the University of Missouri. I worked my way through school doing set building and lighting: it’s where I first used power tools. Mr M’s Woodshop exists because of my experience at Mizzou.
It’s also where I first used a paint sprayer to mix multiple colors and deliver a visually textured surface. Those paint skills had gone dormant, save for a fling with painting our living room 20 years ago. Luckily, I could call upon the experience again to make these Word Blocks. Can’t wait to see how they are received, as compared to the other styles.
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New: Powerful Words
Powerful Words Can Be Pretty, Too
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I use coasters. Don’t you?
I’ve seen other woodworkers make them, but they always bugged me. I think a wooden coaster should do 3 things:
- Protect the table underneath.
- Catch the condensation from the glass.
- Sit there, look pretty.
Many coasters, in my estimation, fail in at least one of these goals. With that in mind, these coasters were designed somewhat differently than my traditional cutting board & serving piece offerings.
For one, the finish on these coasters is a urethane, which could be used on wooden counters or tables. It’s food grade – but not cutting board grade. It does provide more moisture protection for the wood. Because, you know, condensation.
Secondly, I’ve added another wood to these coasters that’s very soft: cork. The round cork inserts provide a soft landing pad for your glass, and the small well around them will contain a few drops of moisture as well. Because, you know, condensation.
These coasters are not small: they are 5″ square, with the cork insert being 4″ round. They are the perfect size for the large drink containers that many favor these days.
I’m offering these coasters in sets of 4, and Mrs M and I have a disagreement about that. She insists that I only sell them in matched sets, but I believe that’s a mistake. Given that I made them, I get the final vote. (For the record, she gets the final vote … on her side of the booth.) I’ll be fine with anyone that wants a matched set of 4 … but I’ll also be fine if they want 4 different wood designs in their set.
Each coaster is $10. Buy 4, and you get a bonus coaster holder. Those holders are currently made from Black Walnut or Jatoba. There are 7 sets plus 3 single coasters in this first batch. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this new product, made possible by my CNC!
Coasters 18 – 01. Purpleheart, Cherry, Bloodwood & Cork.
Coasters 18 – 02. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Padauk, Hard Maple, Morado & Cork. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Coasters 18 – 03. Chaos Coasters. Jatoba, Cherry, Purpleheart, Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Yellowheart, Jarrah & Cork. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Coasters 18 – 04. Cherry, Teak, Bloodwood, Morado & Cork. Shown with Jatoba holder.
Coasters 18 – 05. Jatoba, Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Cherry & Cork. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Coasters 18 – 06. Chaos Coasters. Yellowheart, Jatoba, Bloodwood, Cherry, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Cork. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Coasters 18 – 07. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Black Walnut. Shown with Black Walnut holder.
Coasters 18 – 08. Cherry, Purpleheart, Jatoba & Cork. Shown with Jatoba holder.
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