Christmas Goodies

Yes Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but it is also a time of giving.  And although it is better to give than receive, that doesn't make it bad to show off the cool new stuff you were given. I mentioned back in May in my New Tools post that my family supports my hobbies and that is still true.

I got a nice set of router bits, a pipe clamp, and a workhorse.  I also got a new router set that came with a fixed base and a plunge base.  I had been using borrowed routers so this was a nice gift.  I also received a table saw.  The table saw is a portable saw and will be a good starting point for the smaller projects I am wanting to make.

Also the rocking horses were a hit. Here is a picture of my nephew and me with his rocking horse.

And here is a shot of my son on his rocking horse

Giddy Up

Last week I mentioned that I had bust sanding the rocking horse parts, well I am proud to say that the rocking horses are done. 

Over the weekend I started finishing, the saddle parts all got a coat of stain.  

I was trying to finish the rocking horse using the same technique that I had watched Marc (The Wood Whisperer) use which was to give the sides a coat of shellac before staining the mane. Below are the all the parts that got a spray coat of Clear Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac. 

 However when I tried to stain the mane area the shellac kept the wood from taking any stain, so I sanded the shellac off the area to be stained. and here it how the mane looked after wards.

 The next day after the stain had time to dry/cure I brushed on 2 coats of shellac.  Shellac dries and can be recoated in around a hour.

 Once everything had a chance to dry it was time assemble the rocking horses.

 I used a plug cutter to plug the screw holes on the sides. The plugs were then trimmed and sanded flush. Then the sanded area was touched up with a light coat of shellac.

 After assembly the rocking horses got 2 more coats of shellac sprayed on.

 I think I am more excited about these presents than any present ever.  One is for my son who is almost 1.5 and the other is for my nephew. I can't wait to see the boy's reaction to them.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you and yours.

Busy as an Elf

Merry Christmas

I've been a busy elf trying to get the 2 rocking horses done that are supposed to be gifts.  I've been getting a fair amount of shop time in short burst. My typical shop time is 9 pm to 10:30 or so. I've got all the edges on the rocking horses routed, and I just have sand everything one more grit and do a dry assembly before finishing the parts. I have to be done by Christmas Eve.

A note on safety

"and always wear these, Safety Glasses"