Oh yeah! That’s the way to do it!

Paul Moore of Stockroom Supply is one Crazy Canadian Woodworker! Here he is showing us how he does a bit of woodturning:

Back to the shop…

A friend of mine and I took the opportunity to drop by Lee Valley today to check out their Festool Demo Days. I’m not sure if this was a good idea or not… since coming home I have been poring over their catalogue like a kid before Christmas – “I want dat! I want dat!”

Festool tools from Germany, though new to the US and Canadian market, have been around since 1925. Their website states, “At Festool, our reputation has always been built on attention to detail, ergonomic design and unyielding precision. Our power tools are designed to solve problems and facilitate the highest-quality workmanship. ” I found that this statement accurately reflects the sentiments of those that use these tools.

Lee Valley recently added the Festool to their line and all this weekend they have their seminar room set up with all the Festool tools that they carry; drills, domino joining systems, dust extractors, guide rail system, jigsaws, miter saw, multifunction tables, planers, routers, sanders, circular saws and storage systems. Staff members are there to demonstrate them and answer any questions that you have.

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But basket making is woodworking!

I just finished a basketry course with installation artist, Ursula A. Johnson, which was quite fascinating. Not only did I come away with lots of great instruction on how to make a basket but also lots of appreciation for all of the work involved in creating one. I also happily came home with a small basket of my own:

The basket I made is made of White Ash with a Sweetgrass accented handle and a bit of red dyed Ash for contrast. It is about 4″ tall and 2″ in diameter. It was made in the ‘kloqowej’, or star, style. Which means that the basket has a circular bottom with a star pattern.

It is very light and although it appears to be fragile I was quite surprised at just how strong it is. It would take a fair amount of pressure to crush it. It is easy to see why baskets would have been used extensively for storage and transporting.

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Here’s a neat set of table decorations that I made over the weekend. They are made out of Cherry and finished with milk paint. After burnishing, the milk paint gave these pieces an almost ceramic look.

Yes, they are made out of wood! In fact, these are the first pieces that I have made from wood cultivated from our woodlot located on the beautiful North Mountain of Nova Scotia, but that’s another story .

The tallest piece is 9″, the mid one is 6″ and the smallest one is about 4.5″. They are all about 3.75″ in diameter at their widest. They were finished by buffing with wax to bring out the shine.

Another of the cool effects of milk paint is that it also somehow reacts (likely the hydrated lime) with Cherry to give a bronze look where the paint is burnished through to the wood. Here’s some closeups:

Continue reading 'An Ahmaga Trio'