Look What I Built!

Lap Steel Guitar update: I carved the pickup cavity cover and ‘shelf’ to hold it this weekend.

Genetically speaking, I tend toward wanting to get to a final product as quickly as possible. I don’t particularly like this quality, which is in part why I’m so drawn to hand woodworking. It’s an excuse for me to slow down, focus on the details, and do it right the first time.

I really forced myself to do this part right, and got pretty darn close with nothing but a chisel and some sand paper.

Toddler Bookshelf - final: here’s the bookshelf I built for my son with wood I salvaged from another crappy storage shelf I tore down in the attic. I didn’t kill myself over this one, but for the price of a small can of paint I still think I’ve made him something nicer than we could have bought at target or ikea.

I purposefully made the bottom shelf big for books to sit upright and the top shelf small for oversized books to lay flat.

It’s been a big hit so far. Every small child should have his or own big kid bookshelf.

Lap Steel Guitar update: only one last thing to do on my lap steel before I can officially call it complete: carvings pickup cavity cover. I’m using a scrap piece of the padauk wood I used for the fretboard.

Manual Instruction: Woodwork (The English Sloyd)

I watched an episode of The Woodwright’s Shop this past weekend where Roy Underhill discussed what he considered the most influential woodworking book in history. He talked about a system called Sloyd, developed by (I believe) a Swedish man named Otto Aron Salomon at the end of the 19th century for teaching woodworking skills in grammar school.

The system of Sloyd is based on building ever-increasingly difficult models, each one introducing a new set of woodworking tools or skills. It’s focus is not only on the mechanics of the skill, but also the enjoyment and love of manual labor.

I’m struck by the method, and it turns out that Google Books has a lot of books available for free online. It may be just the thing I need to teach myself hand woodworking without having to find a class, mentor, etc.

Now, I just need to stock up my toolbox…

Lap Steel Guitar update: instead of going to bed at a reasonable time like a responsible adult I stayed up buffing the last coat of varnish on my lap steel project and putting the hardware back on.

To finish, I used Timbermate to fill the pores, and the finish was a five-coat application of semi-gloss urethane diluted with mineral spirits. Final buff with #0000 steel wool. It ended up with a nice warm satin finish - perhaps not quite as shiny as I would have liked, but it works.

Question if you’re still reading: the pickup ring was a freebie, and the dial knobs are just ones I had left over in the shop. Do they work? Any suggestions?

I’ve begun scheming my next big project: a treadle lathe (Taken with Instagram)

TODDLER BOOKSHELF: Our three year-old needs a bookshelf, we had some leftover wood from a storage shelf I scrapped, and I found a decent plan on the net. Here’s the progress I made today. Pretty easy project - I just hope the wood cleans up okay after filling, sanding and painting.

A lot of DIY: repaired and painted the window, installed the light fixture, sewed the curtains. Really pleased with how it all turned out. (Taken with Instagram)

Frank: ok, this isn’t so much a ‘build’ as another sewing project. I had my son draw a monster and then translated it into a felt stuffed animal we named Frank (and then he renamed Doleeoh [sp?] and then Karlos K. Krinklebein and then back to Frank.)

This was a fun project. We plan to make more.

Curtains:

I have to say, I find this whole sewing thing to be pretty darn satisfying. In the past I’ve crocheted, I’ve knitted: neither of those require complicated machinery. Sewing makes a very satisfying chuggachuggachuggachuhuuugachugga (that extra “hu” comes courtesy of a cracked gear that I had to file down during my repairs).

I figured since we’re decorating a nursery for our soon-to-arrive baby girl, I’d try my hand at some curtains.

So far the only major glitch has come in the form of my toddler peeing his pants while he waited patiently(?) for the wife and I to figure out what sort of fabric we were supposed to buy.

If I’m lucky I’ll follow up with a final project photo.