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Posts Tagged ‘woodworking’

the cedar scent

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 4, 2023| 3 Comments »

The first set of hand-sawn and sanded cedar hooks ready for giving.

“It’s not my best work, ” he said with a dispirited note.

“Hmm,” I replied. “And what have you said to me over the years when I stress about writing the best?”

After a long pause he said, “The best is the enemy of the good.”

“Well, my dear, what you have produced is good. AND I can’t wait to see the next set.”

His brow furrowed. “The next set?”

Today we worked on the next set. He directed me.

“Pull the saw toward you.” “Please move your fingers out of the way.” “Hmm. Let’s try the straight saw not the fret saw.”

And so on and so forth.

He worked with his pocket knife to clean up an edge on a piece. And as he worked he said, “For the next project we’ll need a chisel. Between 3/4″ and 1″ and …”

I took notes.

The chisel and other instruments are in the basement. He can’t navigate down those stairs yet so I continue to learn as I apprentice as a woodworker.

“And we’ll need to make a leg vise,” he added.

“But of course,” I said. Then I took a deep breath and asked, “Okay, what does a leg vise do?”

And as he explained all I could think was what an unexpected and unexpectedly lovely journey!

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well if you can’t make it to the mountain …

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 16, 2023| 1 Comment »

… then bring the mountain or at least a portion of it to you. “Do what you love.” That is what the outpatient therapists reiterate to Steve as we continue on this journey of stroke recovery. One of the things he loves is woodworking, old school craftsmanship. Think The Woodwright Shop. His woodworking shop is in the basement. Hmmm. We’re not quite there yet because yes, it is another spiral stair, but his therapy team said if you love woodworking then do woodworking, figure out some simple projects and go to it. I asked Steve what would you like to do. He said, “Make cutting boards.” Now I’m not a woodworker but I’ve seen him make cutting boards and I responded after a deep breath, “Uhm, do you think there’s something even simpler to begin with? You know you have some cedar panels from a previous project. I can bring them up here. You were supposed to make me some moth repellant hangers for the closets …” He processed it and said, “Okay, we can do that. I need the Jorgenson clamp.” I blinked a few times and then said, “Well, of course,” as I slid my phone out of my pocket to google what that meant. But what I didn’t remember was “old school” and so in the end he had to sketch what he meant and if you google what he meant it falls under beautiful wooden vintage. And so on this journey I’m learning new language (fret saw?!) and new skills (how to make a straight cut). He’s got a goal. He’s making a bunch of very practical (and oh so wonderfully smelling) cedar hooks to give to family and friends for their closets. Life is so interesting. 🙂

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some people buy moth balls …

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 28, 2021| 3 Comments »

… then there’s Steve who decides to make a cedar tongue and groove liner for the drawer that will hold some woolens. Last year, in 2020, around this time he’d crafted a dining room table out of three different woods, made a cutting board out of some of the remainders, and gave me some of the shavings from the tapered legs so that I could experiment with some wall art.

This year he received a commission (from me) to create a side table. He purchased some live edge wood and is experimenting with mortise and tenon jointwork for the legs. That incomplete project is leaning against the wall in his woodworking shop with one experimental leg sticking out. The focus right now is to methodically complete the cedar lining for one drawer, and with the remainder make some cedar blocks to hang in the closets.

The former owners of the house left behind a large wooden piano seat top. He’s planning to turn that into a utilitarian table to help organize his work space and properly sort out works-in-progress. I asked, silly me, why don’t we grab a hammer and some nails and put legs on that thing right now. With an arched eyebrow he described his plan to make a frame, the seat will rest on the frame, and legs will attach to the frame, just like the dining room table.

But of course.

2021 was a hard year physically (though not as hard as some I can remember!). He is not pleased at how long it is taking him to complete a project or sometimes even to saw through a thin sheet of wood. As his “sous chef” in the shop I am picking up a whole new language involving woods and tools. I’ve learned how to loosen a hold fast and help make a handle for a delicate Japanese saw blade. But mostly what I’m learning is a different kind of patience. Patience in working with the wood … you can’t rush it or you’ll destroy the wood or worse yet tools. Patience with that fellow as he learns, at least I hope he’s learning, to be patient with himself as he moves forward in the world at a different pace.

Oh, did I mention he has plans to make another dining room table? The plans are just in his head for the moment. When he starts to sketch it out on random pieces of paper that he leaves lying around the house then I’ll know he’ll make it real. At this pace … and keeping in mind I will co-opt his time with gardening related matters … he may not finish that table until Christmas 2022. And that’ll be just fine.

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voila

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , on February 15, 2021| 4 Comments »

On view as you enter the front door.

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stories in wood

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2021| 5 Comments »

When Steve tapered the legs of the dining room table he made by hand this pandemic season … I gardened, he made furniture … these pieces of wood were left behind. Now he told me about these pieces before I actually saw them and said, “I can turn them into a fan for you to do something with. I just need to get the right bolt.” “You mean like a Japanese fan?” He shrugged. “Yeah, more or less.” And I exclaimed with glee, “Yes, make that and we’ll hang it on the wall.”

Given that I don’t work with wood yet and he can’t read my mind yet, we each merrily traveled down a mental path completely unaware that we were not on the same page. He made the fan, 9 pieces bolted together and because of the nature of the design they have to hang down and not up as I had imagined in my head. And while I thought it was a totally him piece … his creation … he seemed stuck on this idea of collaboration. Well, I do declare. “You can stain it like you did the table,” I said. He nodded slowly then said, “But I think a watercolor wash might be better. That’s just me.” And for an eternity … actually only a few moments … we went back and forth. Finally I threw up my hands in exasperation. “Okay, mister, I’ve got some watercolors somewhere. What’s your vision?” He shrugged. “I don’t have one. You’re the artist.” He walked away as I semi-glared.

And then I began to play …

… knowing that nothing would be perfect and that I was learning along the way.

There are nine leaves to the fan. I began to think of the leaves as nine opportunities to tell a story or vignette. I think that is how I will handle such an opportunity in the future.

Watercolor on wood. You can’t get much more ephemeral so who knows I may use these same thin pieces again one day. But this fan can stay as it is for a bit because a certain someone is beginning to work on a new table. A much smaller table. We’ll see what falls by the wayside this time for our next collaboration. Be well,everyone. 🙂

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just breathe

Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged , , , , , , , on May 29, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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the completed trough

Nope, that is not the opening to one of my fairly gentle political posts. Just breathe. Those are the words I repeat to myself the night before I attempt to set up my first installation for the exhibit Peace: Cutting through Turmoil. My contribution to the show I guess I can say is a three dimensional representation of my artistic and emotional experiences after chancing upon 1930’s Federal Writers’ Project slave narratives in the public library, and then later reading more narratives online. It was a short paragraph that set me on this path, a recount of childhood memories of eating from a trough with a mussel shell. Shells pulled from the branches …

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What I am creating is ephemeral. Paper, prints, words produced to physically be on display for a little less than a month. A contribution that I think will be part of a powerful whole when viewed in the company of the works by the other participants who have esteemed careers in the arts. I feel a bit like the new kid on the block. A little scary but freeing too.

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It will be an assemblage of pieces and parts, words and images, some culled from nature, some acquired collaboratively with the aid of friends. The least ephemeral of the whole is the trough. While he did let me hold a chisel or two, it was Steve who carved the trough for me using a fallen tree, and a pivotal tool, both shared by friends.

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Shared by friends. No matter what happens with this project it has been a wonderful collaborative effort. I was even able to involve one of my littlest friends, aged 9 and going on 21, who agreed to hold a mussel shell for me.

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Hmmm. What else is there to say? Before this night is done, I have a few more shells to drill holes in and string, and I still need to discuss with Steve how to hang … oops, I can’t tell you what I intend to hang or from what. At least not yet. Meanwhile, I just breathe. 🙂

Peace: Cutting through Turmoil

Brick Bottom Artists Gallery, Somerville, MA

Opening Reception Thursday June 8, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

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