Archive for January, 2010
Is There A Lazy Susan In The House?
Well, the first batch of lazy susans are done. I thought about calling them lazy dennis, but it just didn’t ring. Anyway, these are 16” in diameter, sit on a ball bearing mount and spin very smooth. I was really surprised how time consuming it is to make these things. If these were cutting boards, there would be eight, but it takes two boards, glued up from various strips of wood and a lot of sanding. After the glue up, I have to square them on the table saw, find dead center for the pivot pin, and cut the square board into a circle on the bandsaw. It’s actually a lot of fun to see them take shape.
I used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal oil-based clear satin finish which is one of my favorites. Each susan received three coats, top and bottom, by hand with a rag. This finish can be brushed on a lot faster, but I have always been impressed with the smooth natural warmth that I get when hand applied with a rag. It takes longer, but the end result is worth it.
I’m still trying figure out how to fit these into my show booth. I finally got a booth layout that seems to work for me and now I have a new product that doesn’t fit. Oh well, I had to change the layout numerous times last year to fit new items. I’ll figure it out eventually.
Building The Inventory Up
It’s been a cold week and today we have our first snow on the ground. What better way to spend the week than in a warm shop making sawdust. I goofed off for the past three weeks, but I’m working hard to make up for my transgression.
The piles of boards are starting to grow around the shop and I’ve got to find a stopping point so I can oil the cutting boards and get a clear coat on the lazy susans. Right now I am experimenting with different designs for the lazy susans. This is a new product for this year and I need to standardize on two or three designs. When cranking out new items, I have a tendency to get carried away and make too many different designs before testing the waters to see what sells the best. It all eventually sells, but some not as fast as others.
The lazy susans are an exciting new project. I’m still tweaking my processes to speed up production. Quality is always the first consideration, but second to that is production speed. The faster I can complete them, the lower my labor cost, which results in a better price for the customer. Lazy susans are more labor intensive than cutting boards. They are essentially two boards consisting of a top and a base. Unlike cutting boards, these have a hardware component which is the actual lazy susan bearing assembly that mounts between the top and base. Finally, they are finished with three coats of a wipe on clear, oil-based finish.
This is a small sampling of some of the face grain items that are waiting for oil or clear finish.
Today my Daughter emailed me a picture of her Christmas gift that I made for her new apartment in NY State. She wanted to hang wine glasses on the wall and I came up with this design made out of walnut. It was designed to hang on the wall with no visual brackets using a hidden cleat which makes it look like it’s floating.
