I’m planning on visiting my carving buddy sometime this week for coffee and a chat. Knowing that he’s going to ask me how I’m coming along with my woodcarving I thought that I’d better get busy and do some, so I decided to carve a little Shelf Elf.

A Shelf Elf is a small carving of an elf-like figure that sits on the edge of a shelf and usually has a log beard that hangs over the edge:

This fellow is made from Pine and approximately 3″ from the top of his hat to the tip of his beard. These are a fun project to do. They don’t take too much time and can make great gifts.

Here are a couple of photos of other Shelf Elves that I did:

Continue reading 'A Shelf Elf Made By Myself'

1. If you use multiple measuring tools; tapes, rulers, squares, etc. ensure that the distance increments all match. Sometimes they don’t. If they differ, and you use a variety of measuring tools on a project, your dimensions can vary causing sizing problems. It is best to use the same measuring tool thruout the project.

2. Oil finishes can dramatically change the color of light woods. Use sanding sealer prior to application of your oil finishes to reduce this color change.

3. Cover unused electrical outlets in your shop. This will keep out sawdust and dirt out of the slots, a common cause of short circuits.

4. To carry a full size sheet of plywood or panelling by yourself, tie a single length of rope, about 18 feet long, in a loop. Hook the ends of the loop over the lower corners of the sheet and with your arm over the sheet grip the middle of the rope in one hand. Use the other hand to balance the sheet.

5. Lose the cap of your glue bottle? Need a cap for a caulking tube? Try an appropriate sized screw-on electrical wire nut (marret).

These are just a few tips that I picked up over this past week. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and some from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

Back to the shop…

The mood was right to turn a pen yesterday so I turned a European Round Top Pen made out of Zebrawood. The style I chose was similar to the Spalted Birch Pen I made back in November. It is a very pleasing shape, both to look at and to hold:

This pen came out extremely well. I am quite pleased with it. Here are the steps that I took to create this pen. First, you will need a pen blank and a pen kit:

Continue reading 'Zebrawood European Round Top Pen'

Since I am quite pleased with the last finishes that I bought I thought I would try a new finish, something with more of a shine. I decided on the Turner’s Polish from Lee Valley:

It is a shellac-based lacquer formula that is made especially for use in woodturning and it produces a very hard, high-luster finish.

It is applied with a lint-free cloth pad while your turning rotates at a low speed on the lathe.

You can use shellac/lacquer thinner for diluting the first coat or to increase gloss in the final coat.

Back to the shop…