Murratte's Book Holder

For my Sister-in-Law's retirement I made this book holder. It was inspired by one we found at our giant flee market, I made a few alterations to fit my design. It is made from Birdseye maple, first after a bit of chisel, work the hinges were formed, then I scrolled out the design, and then carefully cut it in half. Finally after a bit of sanding to remove the resaw marks, a bit of poly to protect it, and it looks great.

A Custom Box

This box was made for our friend Kathy, she has finally retired, we gave her a bottle of Ice wine and Brandy, along with a couple of fine glasses to enjoy the wine. And what better way to protect them, than in a custom box. This box is made from birch, with mitered corners and a couple of supports inside to keep the glasses steady.

Nothing To Sneeze At

Well I got tired when I would pull out the Kleenex, I get the box as well, so I thought I would build a little Kleenex box, box. It is made from re-sawn birch, mitered corners and no bottom. They fit nice and snug, easy to pull out a tissue and only a tissue comes. Just a weekend project, while the glue dried I got to cut the lawn.

Tapestry Looms

Here are a couple of Tapestry (lap) Looms I made this weekend. They are for a friend of my wife who asked if I could make them, they turned out rather well, I think. They are made from Ash, with a simple half lap joint on the large one and a rabbit joint on the small one. I pre-drilled the nail holes, the large on has 49 and the small has 27. There isn't any finish on them, to prevent anything that might transfer onto the finished work.

The Summer Deck Project

With summer here it was time to build our new deck, it's between the house and the shop set close to our fence, giving us a little more privacy and a better view of our hill side back yard. It is 12 x12 on 2 x 8 lumber, set on deck blocks. The deck is 5/4 x 6 pressure treated lumber and screwed down every 2 feet. I don't think it's going anywhere and it's very sturdy. My wife also wanted a planter box in the corner with lattuis and I topped it off the same way our fence top was done. A great place to sit in the morning with a coffee. It only took 17 hours to build over 2 ½ days.

Large Cedre Dragon Fly

I try not to waste too much lumber. This large dragon fly is 18 inches long and has a 24 inch wing span. It is make from old ceder posts, milled down, glued up, turned and voila, you have a large ceder dragon fly. This was made for my sister-in-law Murratte, who like a few people I know like dragon flies. This is an addition to the three blood wood dragon flies I made for her last year. A fun project that goes a long way.

Felting Table

Another project off my list of items to build. There is an art to felting and my wife is becoming very talented at it, and she requires a place to create, and I wanted my shop back becasue she was using my work table for a while, thus the need for this protable felting table. This table was made to set on another table or flat stable surface to create on. It is made from ¼ plywood and oak edging and a piece of formica/arborite, and of course a bit of silicon to keep it water tight. It has a ¾ inch edge for strength and to keep the water controlled, along with a drain hole in one corner, I have been told you don't want alot of standing water. It mesures 71" x 43", just right for our kitchen table.