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"

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.

Special Guest Helping

I had a special guest in the shop on Sunday while I was working out there. My 4 year old daughter came out to "Help" with the rocking horses. She had to test out the prototype rocking horse.

Then we took it apart for more sanding, and to use some parts of it as patterns. 

 Safety is very important.

 She saw my safety goggles hanging on the wall and wanted me to wear them to match her instead of my safety glasses.

Hopefully over the long Thanksgiving Weekend I can get all the rocking horses ready to finish.

More work on the Rocking Horse

There hasn't been an official post about it, but Marc aka The Wood Whisper mentioned on social media sites that 118 rocking horses were submitted for the Charity build.

Last night I got all the parts for the second horse sanded to the right shape, and got all the surfaces sanded to 80 grit. In the picture below I have drawn pencil lines across a side, when all the lines are gone I know I have sanded the whole side sufficiently. 

It was a cool 34 outside while I was working last night so I let Ellie Mae come in the shop and hang out while I worked.  The noise from power tools doesn't bother her at all, she laid next to my feet most the evening, even while running the sander and the jig saw. She had to be watched though because she likes to chew on wood, and some times will steal pieces to chew on.