Maple Mania part 8

I've done more sanding on the top to get rid of scratches from the low grit sand paper used to flatten the top.
Also there were some gaps that I wasn't happy with so I mixed some epoxy with some of the sanding dust and filled any blemishes in the top.

Jut after filling the gaps.

I don't have any pictures but I got the aprons trimmed to length and added some blocking for the legs to attach to.

Last week I also ordered the finish for this project.  I am going to use General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish, I will be applying it the way The Wood Whisperer does with his end grain cutting boards. From what I have read this is very durable finish since the end grain will absorb the finish. I wanted to see how the finish was going to look so I sanded one of the cut off and gave it a quick coat.

The finish gave the maple a warmer tone. 

I also wanted to see how the legs were going to look with top so I clamped one on for a test.

Over the weekend I also got the MDO plywood that will be used for the entertainment center I am building for out living room. Now I need to double check the plans and get my cut sheets made.

This is my 100th blog posting and the 2nd anniversary is just around the corner. I have a lot of fun building in the shop and getting to share my projects and ideas here on the blog. Thanks for reading.

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.

Rocking Horse Charity Build Results

The Wood Whisperer posted the official results of 120 rocking horses being built. The total amount raise is still to be determined, but as of right now is at $5,196.  A Gallery has been made containing the pictures. I am proud to have been a part of this and I hope to be able to more next year.

More than just wood working

Some how it got in my head that since I named this Wood Chuck's workshop that I should just post about wood working projects. While wood working is something I would like to focus a little more on there is a lot more than just wood working taking place around my shop. With it being fall there are is maintenance to do on outdoor power equipment along with getting snow removal equipment ready.

One of my most recent projects was to install a wood stove in my workshop. That will make it much more comfortable to work out there this winter.

Before I can do much more on any projects the shop is in need of a good cleaning and rearranging. I still plan to build a Rocking Horse for the Wood Whisper Charity Build, Dead line for that entry is Nov 14th so I have to get that done soon.

Charity Rocking Horse Build

I've mentioned The Wood Whisper website before, but now they are doing a charity build. For everyone who builds one of these rocking horse Marc aka The Wood Whisper is going to donate $1 to Livestrong. There are some corporate sponsors that are going to match Marc donations dollar for dollar. Wood Magazine is providing the plans for free. Marc is going to post some videos along the build for anyone who would like to build along.

The entire project is made from a pine shelf board that is supposedly around $23. I plan to build at least one of these. It looks like a nice weekend project.

Wood Working on TV

I believe the gold standard for woodworking TV shows is "The New Yankee Workshop." I watched that show from childhood until a few years ago when the shop stopped. Norm made it all look so easy and the show has always inspired me to do woodworking. Some PBS channels may still show reruns, but our local one does not.

There are few shows that are trying to fill the gap such as "The Wood Smith Shop" and "Rough Cut." "The Wood Smith Shop" is pretty good but is more like a cooking show where they show you a few steps on one piece then pull out a piece that is more complete, just like how they can put something in the oven on a cooking show and then pull one out and try it all in the same take. "Rough Cut" to me seems to be more about showing the final project and less on how to get there.

You Tube has some very good wood workers on it. Charles Neil builds beautiful furniture and has very good free instructional videos on you tube. He also has a site that you can pay for other videos and offers classes. Marc aka The Wood Whisperer has a good You Tube channel and a very informative site. Another good one is Wood Working For Mere Mortals. Which can also be found on you tube.

Wood Working For Mere Mortals is where I learned how to make a bandsaw box. Charles Neil has a series going on right now on building pie safes which is very informative and is teaching a lot more wood working technique than just showing how to build the pie safe but how to build anything. These are just a few of the things that inspire me and make me want to become a better wood worker.