Archive for the ‘Mrs Ms Handmade’ Tag
Here are the new cheese & cracker servers just finished. Each have a cherry frame, with a cutting board insert made out of either hard maple or black walnut. Most of the cutting board inserts are end grain boards; one of the walnut boards is edge grain.
The servers are 10-1/2″ x 17-1/2″. The inserts are 6-3/4″ x 9-1/2″.
All will be at the SCV Junction this weekend. Come and see Mrs M’s Handmade at Heritage Junction, next to Hart Park. Or, if you don’t find your self in Santa Clarita, please check out the ladies’ site, MrsMsHandmade.com, or use this site’s Contact Us form. We will get back to you!
Cherry server, Hard Maple end grain cutting board insert.
Cherry server, Black Walnut end grain cutting board insert.
Cherry server, Hard Maple end grain cutting board insert.
Cherry server, Black Walnut end grain cutting board insert.
Cheese & Cracker Server # 91. Cherry with a Walnut insert. This design is one I won’t make again … I am going to tweak the design in 2015.
Cherry server, Black Walnut end grain cutting board insert.
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From The Shop: Cheese & Cracker Server
This weekend is Mrs M’s Handmade’s first event in a couple of months. The ladies have been working to develop some new formulations and new products … and I’ve been busy in the garage workshop, too.
One of today’s assignments: make business card holders for our new, uh, business cards.
Which brings us to today’s conversation.
He: I think the business card holders turned out well.
She: I really like them. I think you can sell them. How many did you make?
He: I made three. (editor’s note: there are 2 Mrs M’s and one Mr M, so there are three of us. Three.)
She: Three? You should have made more. I wanted one for my office.
He: You should have said something. I only made three.
She: You can make more. I want one for my office.
Sometimes, Labor Day is the gift that keeps giving.
I have this problem. I have too much wood in my garage workshop.
There’s only one solution: make more stuff. So I did.
All cutting boards have routed hand holds on each end for easy handling. Non-skid rubber feet attach with stainless steel screws for long life. Finish is mineral oil, with a top coat of Mrs M’s special Board Butter that combines mineral oil with locally produced beeswax (and it smells like honey when I rub it in!).
These cutting boards are for Mrs M’s Handmade fall craft shows which begin in September. So now the only question is … how soon do I need to make more?
# 71 Cutting Board, $125. 17-1/2″ x 12-1/4″ x 1-5/8″. End Grain. Walnut, Hard Maple & Padauk.
# 73 Cutting Board, $100. 15-1/4″ x 11-3/8″ x 1-3/16″. Edge grain. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Padauk.
# 56 Cutting Board, $85. 14-1/4″ x 11-3/4″ x 1-3/8″. End Grain. Black Walnut.
# 55 Cutting Board, $85. 14-1/2″ x 11-5/8″ x 1-3/8″. End Grain. Hard Maple & Walnut.
# 53 Cutting Board, $85. 18″ x 11-3/4″ x 1-3/8″. End Grain. Hard Maple & Walnut.
# 54 Cutting Board, $85. 13-1/4″ x 11″ x 1-3/8″. End Grain. Walnut, Hard Maple & Jatoba.
# 72 Cutting Board, $100. Black Walnut and Hard Maple, edge grain. 16-1/4″ x 11-5/8″ x 1-5/8″.
# 52 Cutting Board, $85. 14-1/4″ x 11-5/8″ x 1-1/4″. End Grain. Hard Maple & Walnut.
# 57 Cutting Board, $60 each. Edge grain. 11″ x 11″ x 1-1/2″. Hard Maple, Padauk, Yellowheart & Walnut.
Three pieces were made from some walnut I got from a contractor doing home restorations. There are 3 slightly different sizes. # 1 is 11-3/8″ x 10-3/4″ x 1-1/8″. # 2 is 10-5/8″ x 10-1/2″ x 1-1/8″. # 3 is 10-7/8″ x 9-1/4″ x 1-1/8″. End Grain. Black Walnut.
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Three New Cutting Boards
Cutting Boards: The Third Round
Cutting Boards: The Next Set
I Had To Mention Cutting Boards
The Cutting Board
I’ve been in a smaller mood lately.
I’d made several big bowls, big cutting boards … it was time to go small. I made 20 small routed bowls from Hard Maple, Red Oak and Black Walnut. Some very interesting grain patterns here.
The “large” bowls are 6″ diameter. The smallest bowls are 3″ diameter. The oblong pieces are 5″ long x 2-1/2″ wide.
One woodworking show that I enjoy watching is Rough Cut, with Tommy Mac. A recent episode talked about making a cheese board from a piece of 6/4 walnut from the cut off bin … and that episode showed the way for me to do this design.
There’s a technique where you cut sideways across the table saw blade, rather than straight through the blade. The result is a graceful cove cut, which this cheese board has on all 4 edges. Combine that cut with a rounded shape for the board, and you get unique curves going in many directions. Here’s how it’s done:
I started with 6/4 Walnut stock, that was glued up and then flattened with the planer.
Edges trimmed square on the table saw. Action photography and shop safety supervision by Velda, incidentally.
That’s a fir 2×8 that’s clamped to the table saw top, exposing the front of the blade. The 2×8 is acting as a fence that I slide the board across. Since I’m cutting at an oblique angle to the blade, the sawdust shoots to the right, even through the dust collection system was on.
Here’s the cove cut after about half of the work is done. The cuts are done in very small increments.
Another round of cuts. These cuts are made without a blade guard, so you must be VERY CAREFUL as you guide the board through the blade.
The cut is almost 3″ deep into the board, and about 1-1/4″ high.
A curve marked on the edge of the board. I really need to buy a real flex curve … why?
Cut the curved shape on the bandsaw.
My Bosch random orbital sander may not make it through another project … but it’s working so far. The dust collection o-rings have failed, so I’ve switched to a hose connected to the dust collection system … held on with packing tape. Worked, sort of.
Board # 1, with a quick coat of mineral oil. I ended up making 4 versions of this board in the first run.
Cheese & Cracker server # 92, The Surfboard. Black Walnut.
The board really feels great with the big cove cuts!
This is another version of this cheese board, with the top made from one lovely piece of 3/4 walnut. That top was glued to a base made from 3 pieces of 3/4 walnut.
Dinner is served!
After experiencing the altered reality that is a craft fair, Mrs M and Mrs M got together and discussed what they wanted their booth to look like.
After a fair amount of research and seemingly unending some discussion … I started cutting boards. Here is the new booth that displays the lotions of both Mrs Ms and the wooden constructions of, uh, well, you know.
Instead of spreading displays all over a 6′ table, we concentrated the products on a stair unit adding verticality to the display.
Lip balms, in a 3-compartment display.
A tester unit, organizing all lotion testers in a 2×8 configuration. All scents are now available in one place with easy accessibility.
Poplar was used for the construction. Mineral oil was used to protect the wood.
The front of the wood display is a 4′ tower, with multi-levels of both cheese boards and cutting boards. The top allows is for a featured product.
The towers were made with alder.
Two step units were built; each puts 4 new levels of display on the table.
A second 4′ tower is on the table, such that the display is actually taller than most people. Verticality.
The staircase for the wooden display was made with maple … I was out of alder and poplar.
A french cleat system is used to hold the boards on each tower.
The complete booth in its inaugural showing …
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MrsMsHandmade.com
Our local Senior Center staged a Touch A Truck event on the day before Father’s Day. It’s a great idea: they gather all sorts of big trucks & machines, and invite kids to come climb on them, meet the operators, and perhaps imagine being able to operate really cool things like garbage trucks, fire trucks and tow trucks.
Little boys were in nirvana. Dads and Moms with little boys and little girls were having just as much fun. Life was good. This was a great event for young families, and a great outreach for all of the city departments on display with their shiny trucks.
And a bonus! On this Saturday before Father’s Day, fathers bringing a young kid with them got in free. Everyone else paid $5, with all proceeds going to the Senior Center.
With all of the young families bustling about between the big trucks, it seems that the vendors did most of their business with each other … and thankfully, the many volunteers for the Senior Center liked Mrs M’s lotions!
And remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires!
This young lady got to sit in the driver’s seat, and chose to blow the air horn the moment I was 5′ in front of the truck. She had more fun than I did.
From the workshop … I got a nice load of walnut lumber, so I’m playing. Here are 3 new cutting boards. More designs to come!
# 74 Cutting Board, $150. Walnut, Curly Cherry and Hard Maple.
# 15: Walnut and Honey Locust. Chamfered bottom edge in place of handholds on each end.
# 75 Cutting Board, $150. Black Walnut and Hard Maple.
Each of these boards is approximately 8-1/2″ x 11″ x 7/8″. They have non-slip rubber feet, and a slot hollowed out on each end for your fingers to slip into as you pick up the board.
All boards finished with mineral oil, and then a top coat of mineral oil & locally harvested beeswax.
I think I’ve run through my course of Cheese Boards for a while. I do think there are more cutting boards in my future, however!
(After I do the easel picture frames & mission candle holders that I’ve promised, of course!)
# 6 Cheese Board, $30. Red Oak, Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Cherry, Walnut, Yellowheart
#26: Hard Maple, Walnut.
#27: Purpleheart, Walnut, Red Oak, Hard Maple.
#28: Red Oak, Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Padauk.
#29: Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Teak.
#30: Cherry, Red Oak, Purpleheart, Hard Maple.
# 5 Cheese Board, $30. Red Oak, Walnut, Hard Maple, Purpleheart.
#32: Hard Maple.
#33: Red Oak, Cherry, Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Purpleheart.
#34: Tigerwood, Red Oak, Walnut, Hard Maple.
# 4 Cheese Board, $40. Hard Maple, Tigerwood, Teak, Walnut, Yellowheart.
# 3 Cheese Board, $30. Cherry, Walnut, Red Oak, Padauk, Hard Maple
#37: Padauk, Hard Maple, Cherry, Red Oak.
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Who Doesn’t Love Cheese & Crackers?
Commissioned work, replacing a pull-out cutting board in the client’s kitchen. African Teak, Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart. Cutting Board # 10.
# 77 Cutting Board, $150. Hard Maple, End grain. 16″ diameter, 20 degree cant to the edge.
# 76 Cutting Board, $175. Edge Grain. The brown/black wood is Goncalo Alves, AKA Tigerwood. Also, Hard Maple, Walnut.
# 58 Cutting Board, $85. End Grain. Hard Maple, Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk, Cherry.
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Cutting Boards: The Next Step
I Had To Mention Cutting Boards
The Cutting Board
