I’ve got 6 sanding machines I regularly use. I know the woodworkers wanna know … so if you are a civilian, just hang on for a bit.
The six machines are:
A Jet 16-32 drum sander, which allows me to smooth wide pieces like the Lazy Susans
A Jet 6″ belt sander, perfect for smoothing rounded edges … I thought
A Jet Benchtop Oscillating Spindle Sander – the only good way to work on concave curves
Festool ETS EC 125/EQ … a Random Orbital Sander (ROS) … the 5″ model for edge sanding
Festool RO 150 FEQ … another ROS, the 6″ model for sanding the tops and bottoms of boards
Festool DTS 400 REQ, a triangular sander for reaching nooks & crannies
Here are the hand sanders I use, all by Festool. When I use them, they’re connected to a Festool “Dust Extractor” which absolutely minimizes dust in the air. When I bought these, my air got cleaner and my life got better.
Lazy Susans are cut on the CNC, which means that I screw down the work piece to the sacrificial board, then have to remove the tabs that hold the piece in place as it’s cut out. That’s done on the band saw … and then I have to sand the tab stubs smooth. Typically, I’ve done that on the belt sander.
And that was wrong.
With this batch, I’ve confirmed that I can avoid the belt sander altogether … as it leaves vertical scratches around the entire circumference of the Lazy Susans. Instead, I used my 5″ Festool ROS (Random Orbital Sander, or the ETS EC 125/EQ), and that removed the tabs nicely … and I didn’t have to then clean up the entire circumference of the Susan. That’s 4″ of sanding, instead of 55″ of sanding.
Oh, I still had a bunch of sanding to do, and I still sanded the entire circumference – twice – before these pieces reached the finish line. However, by avoiding the belt sander, I had an easier time of it.
When the shop is humming, I make a wide variety of things.
Oh, I do most of my pieces in batches … I might make 24 cheese slicers at once, or perhaps 6 large cutting boards. But when I start a new batch of things, I typically do 50 or so glue ups (which takes a couple of days). Since some glue ups (what I call “blanks” before they are cut to final shape) are cut into 2 different pieces, I often end up with about 75 pieces being worked on in the shop at the same time.
One blank makes 2 Cheese Boards. One blank makes 4 Coasters. One blank makes 6 Cracker Things. Cutting Boards are always made one at a time, as are handled boards (“Sous Chef Boards”), Cribbage Boards, Signs….
I always like to take what the lumber gives me … which means sometimes I’ll find a board that tells me exactly what I have to do with that piece RIGHT NOW. That’s how the Black Walnut Charcuterie with live edges got made: I found the unusual and perfect board, and I had to make that singular piece.
Other times, something will happen that makes a piece fall out of the production cycle. Perhaps it has a problem that has to get fixed, I run out of time to get everything to the finish line, or maybe it just gets forgotten amidst the chaos.
It happens.
In any event, here’s a collection of recent pieces that made it to the finish line. To quote Bill Murray in Groundhog Day: “I’m versatile.”
One of my pet peeves is when a person enters my booth, looks at my work, and says, “this is a good way to use scrap.”
In a cooler moment, I can reflect on the word “scrap.” In a cooler moment, I can say without reservation,
I. Do. Not. Use. Scrap.
At. All.
It’s all in the definition. Some people call anything that’s not an 8′ board … scrap. To them, you use lumber to make a table or build a house … and when you cut a piece, what’s left is scrap. Every time.
Hogwash.
When I get hardwood to use, the first thing I do is cut it. Typically, I cut lumber (which is generally somewhere between 9′ and 16′ long, and 4″ to 10″ wide) into 6′ lengths, which are easier for me to process and store. When I’m ready to cut those 6′ lengths (or the shorter lengths I get when I cut a 10′ piece into 2 pieces), I cut them into pieces no longer than 24″. Those are easiest for me to work with in my small shop.
I collect pieces that are between 18 and 23″ long in one cabinet, and those “end cuts” or “off cuts” are eventually made into pieces like these surfboards, Lazy Susans, or trivets.
They are not scrap.
I save shorter pieces, too, down to 12″ in length. The smallest pieces go to Dr H, who turns them into pens that are gifted to people around the world. And anything shorter than 12″ and narrower than 3/4″ … well, that’s scrap, because it’s too small to use.
I don’t use scrap. I start with lumber, and I end up here:
I’ve been busy … but it always seems to be not quite enough.
I keep making stuff, I keep selling stuff … and I’ve never felt caught up in the 6 years that I’ve been doing this. I’m certainly not ahead, as I don’t have extra inventory to replace what I sell. So, when I have a good weekend where I sell 34 pieces (!), I have to get right back into the shop and make sure I have at least 34 more for the next event.
At least I have a goal! Maybe next year I can get ahead. Dreams are a wonderful thing….
Serving pieces help turn an impressive array into a finished presentation.
I quickly learned that cutting boards are great … but many people need serving pieces to complete the process of getting great food to the table.
And, of course, if the food looks good when it’s served, that will help it taste fantastic as well.
We are a visual people. Food needs to look, smell, feel and, finally, taste good to maximize our eating experience. I may not be an expert … but I know good food when I have it!
Sometimes, a pair of serving pieces is required. In this case, it’s the flip side of a 5 Section Server, paired with the flip side of a Garlic Dipping Board.
A surfboard is the base for this presentation.
The first board I sold was a cheese board. It’s just a small cutting board, really … but it can be so much more when you have a presentation in mind!
There’s really no wrong answer here … my job is to provide a variety of options so your table can look wonderful. I’ve done some research into what makes a good presentation of cheese & crackers, or charcuterie, or whatever … the link is below. Enjoy!
If you’re looking for same old, same old … don’t come to me.
I hope.
I’ve seen that my sales grow when I offer an incredible variety of wood designs, shapes, sizes and approaches to the things I make. I know that some woodworkers that do what i do make the same thing over and over … and, simply, that’s not for me. I would find that boring … and I believe that my customers would, as well.
Variety it is.
Here are a collection of serving pieces and shaped boards. Some are for cutting, some aren’t … their new owners will get to choose what they use them for.
Hover your cursor over the photo while on your laptop and computer (or click on the image using any device), and you’ll see the file name. That tells you what I call the piece. You can call it anything you like.
This is a pot pourri of recent boards that made it to the finish line.
The first cutting board was a special order, and it’s the first piece I’m completed that uses Mesquite. Further down in this group is a Lazy Susan that better showcases this wood that’s uncommon in Southern California.
At the bottom of this group are a pair of “Family” signs that are the first of the true 3D carving signs that I’ve gotten to the finish line. Both of these are made from Hard Maple, though one of them is made from a dark wood that’s got some curly figure in it … unusual for Maple.
I got disorganized enough that a few pieces made it out of the shop and to last week’s event … and were sold before I got their pictures. That has not happened before!
I’ve got 4 more Lazy Susans in the shop that just might be finished for this weekend’s event … but I’ve got several custom orders that will be my focus this week.
Cutting Board 18 – 304. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Mesquite & Hard Maple. Edge Grain. Commissioned Piece. 14″ x 18″ x 1-3/4″.
Detail of Cutting Board 18 – 304.
Cutting Board 18 – 701. Black Walnut, Hickory & Bloodwood. End Grain. 8″ x 13″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 18 – 303. Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Jatoba & Hard Maple. Edge Grain. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 18 – 702. Black Walnut. End Grain. 9″ x 16″ x 1″.
Lazy Susan 18 – 03. Hickory, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. Sold in its first showing.
Lazy Susan 18 – 02. Chaos board. Hard Maple, Cherry, Black Walnut, Red Oak, Yellowheart, Jatoba, Bloodwood, Padauk and Birds Eye Maple.
Lazy Susan 18 – 04. Birds Eye Maple & Bloodwood.
Lazy Susan 18 – 05. Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Jatoba.
Lazy Susan 18 – 07. Hard Maple & Padauk.
Lazy Susan 18 – 07. Bloodwood, Hickory, Mesquite & Black Walnut.
Clipboard 18 – 802. Letter Size. Hard Maple, Cherry, Yellowheart & Honey Locust. 1″ clip.
Clipboard 18 – 801. Notepad size. Jatoba, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 1/2″ clip.
CNC Sign 18 – 01. Family. 12″ x 16″. Hard Maple.
CNC Sign 18 – 02. Family. 12″ x 16″. Hard Maple. Sold in its first showing.
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″.
I am at the Hillside Farms Holiday Boutique. This is my first product post from an event.
Therefore, this is a dramatic device called foreshadowing. This is not The Board Chronicles for this event. But, I do have time – at an event I am working solo – to do this post. Unfortunately.
I made 9 Lazy Susans this week … and the good news is I sold 3 of them before I could take pictures at the event. Sorry that I missed the photo op, but whachagonnado?
Meanwhile, here are the 6 new Susans that are still in inventory.
These will next appear at Santa’s Art Shop in Ridgecrest next weekend. See you there, hopefully!
Lazy Susan 17 – 17. Black Walnut, Caribbean Rosewood & Sapele. 18″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 17 – 21. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Bloodwood. 18″ diameter.
As with yesterday’s clipboards, these Lazy Susans are finished with “wipe on poly,” or polyurethane. I then added a topcoat of wax.
The three Black Walnut Susans really show the incredible variety of Black Walnut. I say it all the time: there’s nothing like Black Walnut.
In these pieces, you can clearly see the wide array of colors that can come out in some piece of Black Walnut: purples, turquoises, reds … as well as the much more common browns and creams.
Since I was having so much fun playing with the Walnut, it’s odd that a single board with a totally different design snuck in there, but sneak it did. It’s a good thing, too: my updated inventory of Lazy Susans tells me I only have 11 pieces for next week’s event. That’s fine … but 11 pieces won’t take me though October, much less the end of the year.
