Blank slate for 2014 - Time to finish what I've started

"Great starter!" Might have been written on one of my earliest report cards, and while not being afraid to tackle new projects is a good thing, the inability to finish is not. I have the attention span of a 5 year old child, at least when it comes to building things, and the natural outcome of this is..... great heaps of stuff. Piles on top of piles, till the towers fall....

So.

2014.newyear.finishsomes**t.me

My friend Charlie is scrapping out an old ketch and before it hits the burn yard, I am trying to save as much of it as possible *Renee cringes*.

Teak, some copper.

Plywood face is almost 6mm thick.

That's 7/32's for the metrically challenged.

Making small piles from large. At least that is a step in the right direction.

I had started building a huge honking workbench because I have always wanted a giant monstrosity that makes a comforting "THUNK" when hammering things. Lots of vises. Drawers. Maybe a Roubo, like all of the cool guys?

This is a case of reality outpacing dreams. NOT having a vise for so long taught me to work in a way that makes gravity and geometry my friend.....I don't really need vises too much. Chemo wreaked havoc on my legs, so standing at a bench for a while is, uh, not pleasant and I find that I am a lot more comfortable just sitting on a piece of carpet on the floor. It's also easier on the tools, carpet being far more forgiving of my clumsy hands than the concrete is.


Drawers. Those I DO still need!

Ugly pulls, but quick/done. I badly need the storage so that I can....

Move every damn thing in the shop, finish an  unfinished wall and build some new racks for wood storage. This project is 2 days old and already I am itching to make a box (maybe one of the 30 out so, piled everywhere?), sharpen some tools, do anything that isn't mud-and-tape. Write a blog?

Scary.

To do:

• Lumber storage
• Tool racks
• Finish coat closet/ make Renee happy
• Build a bench for the front porch. Ditto.
• Try to remember what these piles of wood were intended to be... Japanese style tool box.... Bent-wood boxes... Sharpening bench....???? Gaaagh!
• Build a better forge and anvil. Junji ( in Japan) is sending me some old tools, one of which will be reworked into a small yari-ganna, an ancient predecessor to the Japanese wood plane. It has a curved, leaf shaped blade, a long handle, and is used in a drawing/slicing movement.

This is my inspiration, although mine will be a laughably poor imitation.

Usui Kengo work ( sans-handle). Pro-shop Hokuto sold this one a while back. This is beautiful work from a true master.

Different blade. Yokoyama Yarri-ganna from Japan Tool. So-san has a page devoted to sharpening this blade and making a handle for it. It is amazing to see the transformation, from rough to... sublime. So is my tool-sharpening sensei!

Rough state, as received from the blacksmith.

Ahhhhhh......  beautiful.

Nice handle too.

Again, this is NOT my work, just what I will be working to emulate. But first I need to finish some stuff.

Jason

Recyle, please.......

I do it.

This was a small portion of someones living room at one time. Free for the taking and I found it on Craigslist. This is nice clear vertical grain (CVG) spruce, pine, hemlock siding material, rough finished and stained on one side and destined for me to use. Or the dumpster, if the good folks who took the time to offer it up on Craigslist were like most people and just chucked it in the trashcan. Sigh.........It just kills me to go to the dump and see all of the waste that is part of our lives today.

In the past you could go to the landfill and actually come home with more than you originally threw away (my wife shudders with dread) which reduced the need for ever expanding garbage dumps. Your backyard might look a bit cluttered with "useful" things, but at least you didn't end up having to drive to the store to buy more disposable stuff that just ends up in the trash. Repeat ad infinitum. I wish more people were willing to take responsibility for their actions. Be careful. Don't sue. Don't need to have your hand held for every d@mn thing that you do. Demand a !NATIONAL HEALTH CARE FOR EVERYONE! plan so when you do get hurt, you don't need to sue just to cover your cost of health care, 60% of which just goes the the lawyers anyway, and ruining your family financially forever. ******Shakes head*****Whoa, what happened? Where am I? What was I talking about? Oh yeah.

Stock preparation

Nothing to see here folks, move along, move along. Saw, shave and sand, add glue and squeeze tight. Dusty. I'm gonna show you my DIY dust collection system soon, though.