Project 6 of 52

" Ochoco "

For this week I wanted to continue working will my lathe and see what I could come up with. With doing a little research and kinda just going with the flow I made a Ochoco piece out of figured maple.

I turned the outside, put 3 decorative lines, sanded and buffed to a 4000 grit smoothness. I then hollowed the inside and repeated the sanding and buffing process like I did on the outside.

The piece now parted from the lathe sits at 2 inches tall and 1 and one quarter inches wide. This piece is now a small Sake cup or Ochoko. In Japan Sake originally and traditionally came in a wooden box that you would also drink out of. I am more familiar in the United States to drink from these small cups usually made from ceramic or also plastic. I wanted to bring the old tradition of wood with the new shape we see most of the time.

In my thinking it is always better to drink with someone so I made a second one that is identical (well sort of) It is pretty hard to exactly match a custom turned piece. This way two can enjoy the benefit of old world drinking in a new world.  

乾杯

(cheers)

This project will be in the gallery showing at the end of the 52 weeks.

Project 5 of 52

" Illuminate "

As a woodworker you learn pretty quickly what you are good at and what needs improvement. This project I wanted to practice on my lathe that normally I do not use for my everyday work, so the only time I get to is when creating pieces like this.

I took a piece of Yacushapana from Peru and cut 8 pieces at 22 and half degrees and put them together in a stave construction style to begin making a cylinder. I put in on my lathe to shave off the corners and to hollow the inside.












After smoothing the sides and before hollowing



The finished piece, now a perfect cylinder, I sanded smooth while on the lathe and drilled holes in the side in an artistic representation of the Yacushapana tree I made this out of. I also installed a 60watt socket and and electrical cord and made a small table lamp that measures 10 inches tall and 5 inches around.

This project will be in the gallery showing at the end of the 52 weeks.

Project 4 of 52

"Outside the Box"

As a carpenter and woodworker you tend to vision things in a linear way. Making pieces that are square and level. For this project I wanted to make one of my favorite objects; a box. I wanted to show that even though it is square and level it can be artistic.

The two pieces together with one in between represents balance. The balanced box is made of Lacewood from Brazil and Purpleheart from Mexico. The box holder is made of Jatoba or also called Brazilian cherry. The overall dimensions of the piece is 10 inches tall and 8 inches wide. The box is 4 inches squared. The pivot is an aluminum rod.

As an artist people always say you become part of your pieces, this one actually took a part of me; literally. A piece of the Purpleheart while sawing, split and cut me. One reason why I love this piece more and also to remind us that safety is always number one.

This project will be in the gallery showing at the end of the 52 weeks.

Project 3 of 52

" Linked "

For my third project I found myself rummaging through a box of exotic scrap and cut-offs of previous work I have in my shop. I came across this brilliant example of Bocote wood from South America.

What to do with the piece came later while looking at my watch and thinking, let's try and make that out of wood. I laid out the design of the links on the wood and proceeded to cut them on my scroll saw.

I hand sanded each separate link and drilled through for maple pins to hold it all together.

The finish piece now with the clasp connected makes a stunning bracelet for those occasions you want to show off your love for wood. At 1 1/2 inches wide it's big but not over the top. This was my first time ever creating jewelry, and will definitely continue now in the future.

This project will be in the gallery showing at the end of the year.

Project 2 of 52

" The Peacock"

For my second project I wanted to show my love for two dissimilar pieces of wood that when united together can create an amazing artistic piece. I decided to use two solid pieces of 12 quarter turning stock. The Orange colored block is African Padouk and the light colored block is Myrtle or the California Laurel.

In deciding what to do with these two pieces of wood, I chose an infinity design with one glued joint to bring together the differences they had before.

From the beginning of starting this project I wanted to create a piece that could be in a kitchen. A talking point among friends. So it became a wine bottle holder.

I finished the piece with a boiled linseed oil to bring out the grain patterns and luster of the particular woods.

This project will be in the gallery showing at the end of the 52 weeks.



Project 1 of 52

So in honor of the many photographers out there that do the 365 project of a picture a day, I am embarking on my own little project 52. I will create a new piece of woodworking every week for a year. My projects will vary, some easier than others depending on how ambitious I think my week can be. I have a small list of projects to get me started, some will be gifts for people I know, others will be seen at a gallery showing when the year is done.

PROJECT 1

With creating my blog and actual work that pays, I decided to make a pen and pencil set on my lathe for project 1. Both the pen and pencil are made with Cocobolo wood from South America. The pen is accented with black chrome and the pencil is accented with 24k gold.

This particular wood is toxic in it's unfinished or airborne state to most people. Wearing a respirator is always a good idea, as well as all safety equipment. Safety is always number one in the shop.

As you can see the contrast of the two types of metals showcases the wood differently.

This project has been given as a gift.

Tips and Tricks (Measuring)

Yes, we all know the adage "Measure twice, cut once." The problem with this is how are we measuring. To explain this, take a tape measure for example. Sure, just because it says one thing, how does that make it true. I have found one thing while building custom cabinets. No two tape measures are the same. Best course of action, always use the same tape measure for a particular project you are working on. That way if you are at a job site and measure a wall for cabinets at 8 foot exactly, if you use the same tape measure while you are building them, you know that it will match the 8 foot you measured. When it comes to woodworking on the smaller scale, throw the tape measure out and go by two things: How it looks and how it feels. This way it is about fitting pieces together to make a whole.