The 'Running Crow' Bowl

  Mahogany comes in many varieties and qualities. I was told mine is African Mahogany, and as with many woods, what lies on the inside of a board may be hidden from the outside. As I turned this piece to reach the depth I'd decided on, a dark stain began to appear and I was disappointed, thinking it may ruin the appearance of the wood grain. Deeper and deeper I turned the wood away, and lo and behold, a recognizable shape began to emerge. 

 

The image of a crow running fast, stretched forward like a race horse, revealed itself and brought a big smile to my face. I guess it's true: Sometimes the greatest gifts are those unasked for!

See it at  BarbS Woodworks

From A Cupped Piece of Cherry

  Selecting and cutting into a new piece of wood is always a crap-shoot.  You pick up a piece of timber, go over it carefully for flaws like knots, cracks and defects barely visible, then you select a portion of it with prominent grain patterns or unusual color, and decide how to mount it on the lathe.
  This time, I was holding a bit of a cupped piece of cherry about nine inches wide. It had a slight yellow tinge to it, with prominent cathedral grain through its center.  I carefully placed my compass to establish the workpiece avoiding small pin-knots and a lengthy crack, drawing a circle all the way to both edges to get the full effect of the piece.  Then to the bandsaw for prep work, and the workbench to plane a section flat and pre-drill for faceplate holes, then the lathe. The crusty surface texture came off to reveal a beautiful, fine-grained swirl of color, and voila! a shallow, curled-rimmed bowl was born, through four hours heavy labor:

Cherry, 8-1/2" diameter, by 1" deep

BarbS Woodworks

Warmer Weather = More Production

  BarbS Woodworks

 ETSY
Facebook: BarbS Woodworks

  A few items shown on the business websites. Now that the weather has improved dramatically, it is much easier to get into the work shop and work on new designs.  I'm going to have to scrounge or purchase more large, dried stock, as the big pieces of mahogany I had are already reduced to nothing.  One more smaller platter will finish it off, and 16" wide pieces are not easy to come by.
  Most of our local fruit woods are from pruned trees, which produce shortened, knobby, angled limbs of 'reaction' wood, under tension more on one side than another. This makes for lots of wood movement and twisting in individual pieces when working the wood.  I air-dry my stock, so its moisture content is always a bit higher than ideal to begin with, and dealing with wood movement is a constant. The rich grain patterns and wide variety in colors make it well worth the trouble!

BarbS Woodworks

BarbS Woodworks

Besides my day job of managing a local tour bus branch, I also
do a lifetime's worth of woodworking, and have recently gone from
hobbyist to professional. Instead of opening a new Blog on the
business, I am currently converting this one to interests dedicated
to that endeavor, and my favorite quote still applies:
"Life may not be what we'd hoped for, but while we're here,
We Might As Well Dance!"
So please visit my new woodworking page on Facebook!
and see my new website at
http://www.barbs.vpweb.com

Waking From A Dark Sleep

 I haven't posted here for over a year.  It's been a year of being dragged down by 18 months of news reports and talk show hosts on both sides of political issues, a year of writing innumerable letters and pleas to representatives, often answered by form letters telling me what a good job they are all doing.  It has been a nightmare year of family divisiveness over extreme opinions, of some of my children being ashamed of me for being old fashioned and not progressive enough in my thinking.

 I drive a tour bus for a living. Every trip can be something new. Yesterday I had an experience that sent me back to this blog for an update. A group of local Catholics chartered a bus to take their group to Yakima, WA, 120 miles south, to an ordination ceremony of new Catholic priests.  Some riders asked if I, the driver, was to collect their money for going.  I found the director of the trip for them, but noticed how many young people paid their way and boarded the bus on a Saturday for a day's outing for their church.  I have to mention, all were nicely dressed and clean and upright, looking me in the eye and speaking with a smile on their face.

 I am not a Catholic.  In fact, I wonder sometimes if I'm an agnostic. Still not sure on that one, as I've led a rather confused spiritual life.  What I saw, though, at their destination, was an excited, engaged group of hundreds of people, happily laughing and talking and sharing seeing each other again, as many had gone to this event before.  One of our tour buses pulled in from Tri-Cities, another 100 miles south of Yakima, and the parking lot was full of cars and difficult to maneuver in with our big vehicles.  While de-boarding, and again while waiting to board passengers after the event, several priests in fine embroidered robes approached me to thank me for bringing people from our home town. Strangers stopped to talk while I stood by the door, asking where we were from and how I liked driving. Some had stories of using our company for trips from the past. While we talked I was aware of the happy gaggle of  people collected outside the church around refreshment tables, many dressed in their church-going best, a sea of color and smiling faces on a beautiful fall day.

  The point, you ask? There is definitely still something right with America, and I think I have found where to look for it.  Look at the houses of worship, of any kind.  They have a purpose the rest of us lack.  They have guidance outside of themselves, something else to relate to.  Every house of worship has this strength in common with every other one.  And I believe all of them would like to stand with their doors open.