Woodworking!

Besides the spindles, I've also been getting into some other woodwork. It started with a friend asking if I could make a box for a partner. They didn't ask for a super complex box. But I am... well, me. So I ended up with this.



Walnut and Aspen with bloodwood initials. Hinged. 

Well... that was fun. Interesting... and my Grandma's 100'th birthday was coming up. Soooo...

Curly Maple and Bloodwood. With a velvet pillow lining. 

That led to a bunch of screwing around with joints and things to see how small I could make things and how tight I could get fits.

And another friend asked for me to make a plaque as a PCS gift (it's traditional to give people a gift as they change duty stations in the Army) for him. It was a neat project, with only a few challenges, and a few things I'd do differently next time. 



And then my most challenging project to date, which might at some point get it's own post... an urn for a friend's parent. So. In four days, there was this. 

Mahogany with yellowheart and walnut inlay. This... was a huge challenge. But man, it was also a lot of fun. This was all before the shop was finished (though I did use the sander on the plaque). And, much to my Impostor Syndrome's surprise, all recipients were super happy with what they got, and more than happy to pay for what I made. Huh! Who knew?

So... now I have a workshop to do MORE of this stuff in. Not sure where it will go next but... 

Welcome Gnomewood Creations! A spin off of Gnomespun, for woodworking. For now it's really a meaningless distinction. It will only be relevant if Chris and I start doing furniture or something. Still, it's neat. We'll see exactly what comes out of it, though I certainly have things in mind... not that I don't have a thousand things in mind for a thousand subjects, more than I could ever get done.

That's all for now!

~The Gnome