Still working on it

Another eight hours spent in the workshop, planing, shaping, gluing, clamping and tapering. I now have the deepest respect for those people who build a lot of kayaks. As this is my first build, each piece, each joint is a new skill i don't yet have. work progresses in spurts, sometimes slow, sometimes quickly, but never quick enough.

I have run out of ceder strips again and will have to pick up another board this week.  I am going to fill the final closures on the bottom with walnut, should look cool. I'm not sure what the deck is going to look like, pattern wise. I still have a lot of walnut that I can make smaller strips work with ceder fillers but we will just have to see.

A kayak can truly start you on a journey, even before it gets wet.

134 days till race day

Its tough to get time to warm the shop up to do more work on the kayak. When the temp is down in the stupid range, it takes a lot of propane to keep my fingers working. Anyway im still working on the keel strips, I have the first one almost ready to install, I just need to steam in a little twist for the bow end to get the point right. I figured out that if I cut out the straightest parts of the warped walnut strips and nail them together, I can run them through the plainer and straighten them out, then I can scarf them together to make the length i need. Its working but slow going...

Keel Strips

I'm working on the Keel strips now, I'm thinking these will be pretty important to keep straight and fitted tightly.

oh yea 140 days till the SD kayak Challenge

Sunday's Update

Ok, so this is not going as fast as i thought it would. 143 days till the SD Kayak challenge and my boat still leaks, big time. slow and steady wins the race right? I have installed the strips up to the chine and am now ready to do the bottom....
i know, i know, im going to take my time and do a good job....

Wensday's update

Didn't get to far on the kayak today, put on two more courses and filled in the bow area. The weather was just to nice to stay inside wile the forecast calls for lots of yuck. so we went fishing for the afternoon and enjoyed some sunshine. to bad i got the truck stuck and spent all my time shoveling....

Tuesdays update

Today I didn't make as much progress as I wanted. Had a couple of distractions and a trip to town to run some errands. Beveling the strips take a little more time than I planned. I am using an old Stanly block plane that has seen better days. The shoe is flat but the iron was dull so I ran it through the grinder just to brighten it up a bit. It has been a long time since I set one of those up so there was a bit of a learning curve. So here I am, three rows up the hull, first two are cedar and the third is walnut. The walnut is a pain because everything is warped badly, I have to straighten and splice a lot.

Here we go...

Ok, things are going good in the shop today. I have taken the week off and am concentrating on the kayak. I spent most of today just cleaning up previous messes and getting things ready for the next project. I did manage to get one sheer strip on, kind of tricky, you need to bevel the connection between the deck and the hull. Looks like I still need to make some adjustments. I am finding that I need more clamps (who doesn't) and one of those fancy pull saws would be cool.

The design is a Great Auk by Nick Schade, who also wrote "the strip-built sea kayak" book i am using for a reference.

Observations

It is difficult to photograph the first real snow of the year with today’s cameras. With the auto focus and flashes the picture never turns out the way you see it. A picture can never capture the quiet, the closeness or the lazy way the big flakes wander to the ground. Defining shadows are washed out and the world is blanketed in soft slumber. The leaves are gone, the grass is gone, and the evidence of human meddling is hidden for another season. The air feels fresh and although the visibility is reduced, the clarity of our surroundings is sharp with contrasting white and black. As the depth increases even the large objects of our daily lives take on new perspective as mounds and shapes change from mundane to fantasy. For a short time the expanse lays undisturbed, free from tracks and smooth from the breeze driven snow, waiting.

Changes

196 days or so until the South Dakota Kayak Challenge. A 72 mile race down the mighty Missouri river between Yankton SD and Sioux City IA....
as of right now..... I'm not ready..

new ideas

im working on a new marketing idea that might be great for our area. ill let you know if it works..

Fall Update

the shop is quiet for a little while, we are putting the yard to bed for the winter. Fixing - painting - caulking - cleaning... all those things that need to be done before ol man winter starts blowing from the north.......soon, i hope, ill have things ready to fire up the tools and start building stuff again. the list of stuff to do is getting longer...

Another Etsy Project

I took on a custom project through Etsy, this lady asked for 100 crafty style 1/2" thick cutouts in various shapes. I do love my bandsaw, its a beautiful thing. I have them all cutout and am now doing the final sanding. Then a shot of primer, drill a hole and off they go..

Disapointment

The weather was not cooperating this weekend, with 90% humidity, i was afraid that if i cut dovetails into my next box, when it dried out the joints would be to loose... so I'm waiting for things to stabilize a bit.

How to Build a Box

Start out with a board

cut it into pieces

cut some dovetails and sand untill board

glue it all together and apply a finish of your choice

add hardware and vola! you are done!

nice job, can we do it again?

Complete the Deck..... Check!

ok is a project ever really finished? i still have a couple of lights to install and to tear down the brown fence. and i might tweak the post heights to give it more flair, and im thinking a step might be important.... but other than that.... im done!

Time to Play

This summer the main objective was to fix or replace about 10 siding boards on the house. We have some rotting going on in a couple of places and we need to plug the holes. So as long as we are doing that, we might as well put a fresh coat of paint on as well. And you know if you are going to paint the walls you should paint the soffits, and a couple of the fascia boards need to be replaced. That, of course, leads into the leaking gutters that should be taken down and repaired/replaced and painted as needed. In order to get the scaffolding to sit level around the front entry area, we have to build the deck that we have purchased the material for last year. Just the plain deck isn't good enough without a fancy hand rail, that we can install and then, tear down the fence that blocks all of the snow in front of the door every winter.

I think I'm going to pick up a 12 pack of Linnies and go fishing!

Summer Time

Summer is here and the projects are coming fast and furious. i had to rebuild my sheep trailer, chop up a tree that fell down in the yard, started painting the house, new deck going in. a couple of projects for a couple of friends, and then through in a vacation and camping weekends.... whew it might be winter by the time i get back in the shop!

Shop Time

the wife and kid are off playing for the weekend and have left me to my own devices.. woo hoo! so im firing up the shop, packing some sandwiches and no one will see me until sunday night! i have some fence orders to fill and perhaps i can spend a little time on the kayak.... have a good weekend, i know i will!

Maintance

being a happy home owner there have been a few things i have had to take care of, i know its just life, but it sure keeps me from playing with some fun stuff... shower head needs repair, snow blower needs gear replaced, scout wouldn't start, gotta hang curtain rods. gotta make more kindling and haul firewood. everything is starting to melt so we have water issues everywhere. gotta start plans for 3 different projects... good thing daylight savings time starts soon, im gunna need all i can get...

Slow Day

not much going on in the shop for now, we are setting up for 4-H lambs and the wife is working on a new piority list for me. somehow i dont think that the kayak will make it to the top of that list.

Feburary

Its farm show time again and i think im going to submit this box in the adult division. bman has been to busy to put anything together so im going to give it a shot. the etsy shop has been pretty slow after christmas, but i am enjoying the break. i need to finish some work items for the booth my office mans during the farm show week. not much else going on, we are working on an built in entertainment center plans.. we will see how that turns out..

January 2010

what a lovely time of year, as the temperature plummets into the ludicrous zone, i am planning on revamping the ETSY shop with new products and hopefully new techniques that should sell a little better. i still have a few custom projects to do for friends and relatics, and i swear on a stack of bibles that I'm going to finish the kayak this year!

Custom Request

this is one project i found in an wood toys book, and have been wanting to build it for a couple of years now. just by chance a lady from way down south had a custom request for her son who loves to play knight... how could i refuse? a simple plan with simple construction with stunning results. with any luck, i made a 4 yr old kids Christmas one to remember...

Alas fair knight! Fear no dragon or bed time monster! For thy sword and shield shall defend thee as long as ye stand for the good of all. Go forth and defend the defenceless, right many wrongs and always come home by dinner time!

How many days till xmas?

My experiment with selling toys on the Internet has been very educational. I have learned that while Canada is not very far away, it takes twice as long to send a package. Are they still using dog sleds? And i took a package to the post office for an estimate for shipping, came back two hours later after filling out the forms and the price went up 2.50, what is up with that?
All in all, i have been doing really good. even though it sets the honey due list back a bit.
Over the past two weeks i have shipped out 14 cars, 2 paddle boats, 8 fences, 3 gates, 2 water tanks, 2 quilt racks and a Knights sword and shield.

November Update

wow, where did the month go? been really busy, the etsy shop is picking up and i have been filling orders for xmas. if you are one who has purchased from me, thank you for supporting my habit, i mean hobby.
the doors are on the chicken coop, but not fast enough, i have suffered some predation and am down to one chicken. i do have traps set now and hopefully i can catch the critter that has been having chicken pot pie for supper.

Fall Chores

As the weather turns from nice to soggy, I've been trying to finish the chicken coop for the last week. i started it in may and of course got distracted with a dozen other things... but now the chickens are laying eggs and if i don't want them to freeze i need to finish the dam thing. we would have had it painted last night but it started to rain and hasn't quit yet. so during this next wet spell i should build the doors and mount them... ill post pictures when i get there...

weekend update

hahaah... busted tail and got 75% of tasks complete! woo hoo!

Weekend Hunny Do List

this is what im going to try to accomplish this weekend...... wish me luck
sharpen chains
cut 1 pickup load of firewood
split and stack firewood
winterize camper
take sheep to breeders farm
clean chimney
fix sewer vent
take out air conditioners
clean out sheep barn
clean out calf hut
clean out chicken coop
mow lawn last time
put away garden stuff
work on scout

im betting on 10%

Been Busy

this week has been pretty good. i talked myself into getting a table at the local farm toy and doll show. i think i can put together an inventory quick enough to look respectable. ill be selling fence sections, gate sections, some cute water tanks the same scale as the fences. i want to have 10 rubber band paddle boats and i need to put the finishing touches on about 10 cars yet... and just for fun i am doing 5 magic wands... and oh yea, its firewood season again. we have about a quarter put away but a lot of work to do yet.

one forward two back...

seems to be the theme of the weekend. we cut a couple of loads of fire wood, but then broke a fitting on the splitter.... never seen the wife covered in oil before, she was lookin kind of hot.
still need three more trips for firewood, need to finish the chicken coop and i need to finish the entry deck before the snow flies.... how much time have i got? .... not enough im sure...

a couple of new projects i cant seem to say no to.... built-in bookshelf for a friends music room and crown molding in another friends bathroom...

Proud Mary? not quite...

The latest in an intriguing series of toys and things of a not so serious nature is the mighty river boat "Owen". Constructed with the 4 year old in mind, shove off with your imagination on the mighty Mississippi or take a cruse around the bathtub...

Playing Around

Here is the purple ribbon winner from the 4-H achievement days, the B-man did a real nice job on it.

the next photo is of some cars I've been playing with... what a great stress reliever... gunna sell some and give a lot more away...

project pictures

the first one is a chunk of leftover firewood that i sliced off the bottom and drilled a couple of holes in it, im gunna call it a firelog. the second is a size comparison for some coasters i made and the last is a country quilt holder.... see I've been busy...

Busy times indeede

The shop has been humming over the last couple of weeks. i sold some fence sections and had to replace them, did a custom order for a lady in RI for some wood coasters for her wedding and even sold a couple of wood toy cars the B-man did for 4-H a season or two ago. I momentarily thought about keeping him home from school to work in the shop for room and board but that wouldn't go over very well with his mother.....

Clean Shop

Finaly took the time to clean the shop up some. i have a couple of kids comming over to work on 4-H projects. so i figue a clean shop is a safe shop, besides the sawdust was getting deep.

Did I ever....

post these pictures..... for Mom....

End of June

B-man is working on a nice mirror project, he is framing it with pine door trim with the little rosettes in the corners, he did one of those fancy "expressions" on the glass that says, Dream. the overall effect is pretty cool, ill post pics when done...now we are off for a weeks vacation to do some golfing, fishing and drinkin in the great state of Montana.... now where did i put that silly hat?

Quick Update

oh my how time flies when you are having fun. it seems that spring has bounced into summer a little faster this year.... updates....chicken coop waiting for siding but the rest is done. built a closet for a friend and hung a storm door for the in-laws. new fencing for the chickens, sorting the sheep out and getting them ready for 4-H. did some vacation and caught some fish.. the shop is a mess and i need a half day to straighten it out.... selling fence sections on ETSY.com stop by and make me rich....

checkin in

this post is for the 3 people who stop by on a regular basis to see what im doing.
so the camera didn't work very well and i didn't get final pictures of the picture frames. oh well that's the way it goes... my mum bought me some laying hens for easter (thanks mom) and now the big push is for a chicken coop to keep them in. they are currently in residence in the garage and really need to move out. i did get a chance to tweak the end forms for the kayak, im finally happy with the shape, next step is to rout bead and coves on the strips...

Busy Weekend

its been a great weekend, i had to finish up framing some pictures for my mother. why spend thousands for originals when you can go to wall mart and buy a puzzle? then frame them up? thats what im talking about... I also built another treasure box to put on etsy.com and i came up with plans for a couple more. we are visiting my mum for Easter and ill take pictures when we hang up the pictures and post them then...

Catchin up

The weather is finally turning nice and i cant wait to get my kayak out on the water... only I'm not quite done yet.. here you see all of the forms on the strong back. i will attach strips to form the shell. i think it will leak at this point.

here is a picture of the reciently completed work center. i mounted my planer to the fliptop and a router on the other side.

Flip top work center

I built this work center with plans from Wood Magazine. I mounted my plainer on the flip top side and made a router table top on the other.. great work space and a good layout. i also spent another 2 hrs on the kayak, forms are set and ready for strips...

kayak update

just a quick note
i have the strong back ready to go and now need to space the forms correctly... i couldnt find the silly camera last night so pictures will have to wait.

total hours spent so far.....8

Snow Day

I just love it when the weather man predicts 12" of snow and the city just shuts down for the day. the B-man and i spent a great day in the shop, he built a bunch of trestles for the train set and i cut out all of the forms for the kayak and built the boat rack to build the thing on... so let the wind howl and the snow blow, we put on a pot of beans and baked some bread... life is good.

Off Topic

yea i know, to survive in this world you need to have a sense of humor... i think im gunna make it..

Kayak Update

So now it has finally begun, last night i spent a couple of hours drawing out the cross sections for the forms. i believe i have them all in order. never having done this before i did find that the charts in the book were a little confusing. what i ended up doing was inputting all of the offsets and stations in a spreadsheet and let the computer sort out the deck, hull and shear positions. then i transferred them to an autocad script and plotted them out. i still had to spot check the forms by hand. next step - cut out the forms and build the strong back and stands... project hours so far - 2

Island Stool Update

OK here are the stools in action, i think they turned out pretty good. they are solid and haven't fallen apart with lots of use. with the pads a person can sit in them for a long periodic of time before the lead butt syndrome sets in...

Kayak Update

Epoxy and Glass Ordered!

in the works

even though the temperature in down in the ludicrous zone, i still have a couple of things going on in the shop. i am trying to finish up the island stools, paint issues below 50 deg. i have plans for a small bistro table to go along with the chairs, cute but simple design. and of course i can do nothing without pressure.... i need to have both projects done and to the farm show by Monday morning, feb 9th...

It Is Done

After at least a year (2?) of procrastination, the door bell is fixed. I dont think it will stop the neighbors from walking in and yelling to see if we are home, but at least I will know when the UPS man drops off a package.

Island Stools

Had a lot of fun building these. the perfect addition to my outdoor kitchen. I'm also going to use the stools for our booth at the farm show, might even wear Hawaiian shirts all week. I just need to finish the seats, round over all of the edges and do some sanding and painting.

Yack Update

step one, purchase book ------ check!
step two, orginize wood ------- check!
step three, build forms ------- not yet!

Gettin in under the Wire

Been a great weekend, colder than a mother-in-law's kiss, but i finished some presents. something isnt right with the shop heater, every time the wind blows more than 15 mph, the darn thing wont stay running. i think im gunna put in floor heat next year!

But here is some fence to keep the nephews critters in and a shed to keep them warm.

Putting in the overtime!

This one was a tough one to complete, the candle sticks are turned from a couple chunks of oak firewood and finished with a black walnut stain and toung oil. the table runner was completed by my lovely wife with some assistance from my mother. the whole package is a present for my aunt and uncle in Antioch CA. see he gave me the lathe i turned the candle sticks on...

Here is a hot little item

Model # 142

Willow Branch Wand

Eleven and three quarters inches

Griffin Feather Core

Bees Wax Finish

The Willow Wands tend to be the best under pressure,

as they will bend much before breaking.

For best results remember to swish and flick!

Shop Time

Spent the last few days in the shop, finishing some projects and cleaning up and orginizing. its amazing that ive been in there for 5 years and im still changing stuff. someday ill have it so perfect i wont know what to do.

Island Bar Stool

Being a frequent world traveler, I had stoped off for a fruity glass of refreshment at my favorite island hideaway and was impressed with this simple yet elegant stool. So I have recorded it with my camera and have now finished reverse engineering it. I will have to complete the prototype this weekend. My travel companion still has poor taste in travel wear.

Nice weekend to putz in the shop

actually managed to make a pair of matching candle sticks for my mother's b-day. even if they look like a 3rd grader made them, she will love them. Also finished up the tater bin to roll in the pantry closet, gotta keep them taters from spoiling.

Aslo recieved orders from the nephews for 1:64th scale buildings. one machiene shed and a couple of calf barns. of course they want them for christmas...

Catchie Name

its just a crying shame that i cut up a few dead oak trees to make firewood. so i started playing with the lathe, to sharpen my skills and make something useful... so i now present

"FireWood"

i know, i know.... dont quit the day job..

What Season is it?

Its Hunting Season!

Yes its that time of year where we attempt to fill the soup pot for another winter! ill be back in shop soon!

Wooo Hoooo!

Firewood is done! now i can concentrate on getting the homestead ready for winter.

Instructions

ok so some times i go a little to far. i do like to research a new area of intrest, sometimes to death. anyway thanks to the wonderfull resources at the local library i found this book. although i live about as far from an ocean that you can get and still be in the continental United States, i found the information on style and technique indespensable. i know there is no replacement for hands on instruction, but if im going to bulid a kayak, i should at least know what one will do.

Boat building

while looking around for options and plans, i came across this book by Gavin Arkin. this book is the perfect manual for a down and dirty, knock together, easy build. these boats are the simplest things to get out on the water. if you are wanting to build your own small boat but have limited resources and tools, and just want something to float, this is the book for you. there are a couple in here that im thinking about my self for puttzing around on my lake and sloughs...for the cost of 3 sheets of plywood and a tube or two of polyurethane glue, these boats are cool.

forgot one

didnt post the close up, what a schmuck

Due Diligence

Doing all of the research to make sure i want to invest in a large project is a lot of fun and can be educational as well. I managed to get yet another book from the Inter Library Loan program. CanoeCraft is a fantastic book that takes you step by step through the strip build method of making a canoe. Methods and materials are similar to the Strip Built Kayak book. but when it comes right down to it, a canoe is not for me. I'm going for a kayak.

Project Complete!

.....except for the water supply, the drain and a little landscaping around it. but i finally got the garden counter and sink out of the shop and into place...

and a little cleanup, as the dust and banging around while installing the sink and trimming the counter to get everything to fit. i just love a diamond blade in the angle grinder! It will shape anything to fit.

Saturdays......

.... are suposed to be a relaxing, watching sports, drinkin beer kind of days. so what do i have planned? oh im thinkin about 2 tons of firewood need to be chopped down and chopped up, lifted, stacked, hauled, piled and stacked again. not that i really mind, its hard but rewarding work. i love to see the final pile stacked nice and neat in the wood shed. the smell of fresh cut ash, oak and maple remind you of why fall is such a lovely time of year. gets you in the mood to spend a winter tinkering in the shop, knowing the wood supply is laid in.

Happy Fall Equinox

Not a bad weekend, i did have to help a neighbor replace some siding on the lakeside of his house. thought it would be a 2 hr job and of course it turned into an all day marathon. would have been easy except it was on the second story between two roof lines with different angles and no place to stand. oh well its done.

i did get the location for the garden sink prepped and sand hauled in and leveled. also painted most of the cabinet, until i ran out of paint.

the better half and B-man took out a nasty pine bush and burned the branches, and uncovered the perfect place to build a fire pit and sitting area.... will have to see how this develops

Pie

Ask a man what he can do, and the answer will vary. however in the interest of one upmanship... not only can i make the best brown gravy in the world, deep fry the meanest 10 lb turkey and the occasional snickers bar. grill the finest johnsonville braught to make the mouth water and the eyes cry......

i can make the ultimate pie. fresh apples from my own tree, fresh flaky crust made from scratch just so....

yes i know, it is hard to be this good and handsome too..... hahahahah

picture updates

the first one is a nice load of fire wood, that should last a couple of months. the second is the concrete counter top that is still sitting in the shop waiting to be installed. im going to the big city tomorrow and im going to look for some stain for the concrete, perhaps something with a green tint....

Firewood Season

Oh yes there is a nip in the air, its the middle of September and you can almost feel old man winter coming down the path.... now is the start to that yearly ritual of cutting, chopping, splitting, hauling, and stacking six pickup loads of firewood. we went out yesterday, wanted to start at 9am, got up at 7, loaded the tools and saw then had to wait for the rain to quit, by the time we finally got to where we needed to go and started the saw it was 11am. my father-in-law helped out and we managed to get the truck and trailer full by 5 (with an hour lunch). for today i get to fire up the log splitter and finish what we started, and put it all away.... two more loads like that and we should be good. let Jack Frost do his worst, my hiner will be warm.

Countertop Update

the concrete counter top is looking pretty cool. i used three 60lb bags of redimix concrete and mixed them up one at a time. put in a layer about an inch thick and then pressed in some hardware cloth to add strength. then mixed up the rest and poured it in. did the usual screed and troweling and left it to dry. i pulled the outside forms the next day and will wait until i set the counter top in place before pulling the inside forms...now who can i find to help me move the dam thing...

A Salute to Thee, Dragonslayer

I dont know who the artist is who built this, but in a tiny ski town in Colorado stands a brave knight facing his worst nightmare!

and a Salute to Thee brave Craftsman Artist who put this together!

State Fair Update

the B-man did well at the state fair, his boot box got a blue ribbon and the Jungle puzzle got the Purple! Way to Go B-man! he really put in the time on these projects. And the prairie maggots? can i interest you in a recipe for rack of lamb?

Another project in the works

I scored a metal kitchen cabinet from a remodel job. im thinking this would be cool down by the garden to store garden tools and a place to wash veggies and hands. the counter top and sink i found to go with it is pretty well trashed. so, im thinkin a concrete counter top would be spankin cool. i have never done one before and the process looks simple enough. im not expecting house quality the first time around but it should be workable. stay tuned to see what happens next.
and what ever happened to the corn crib?

Entry Step Rebuild

the entry step was going bad with dry rot and falling apart so i finally got around to rebuilding it with cedar.. nice, I'm going to try to preserve the cedar color with spar varnish
pictures when i remember to take em...

Here they are!

Finally got a couple of good pictures of the B-man's projects. He spent a lot of time on these with very little help from me..

and the prairie maggots did pretty good too.. one purple and one blue. now the B-man wants to take one to the state fair... i just want to paint one up like a poodle.....

Important Lessons

Ok, important lesson number 1, polyurethane will never dry as fast at it needs to. the weather will always be 526% humidity for three days before achievement days.

anyway the judging went well, pictures to follow.....