Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
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.
It’s Getting Close To Christmas
I’ve been remiss in blog updates. December has been a little busy with online and custom orders, and I have been completely detached from blogging. So, this is my catch up entry.
A few years ago, the kids talked me into buying some of those animated Christmas decorations for outside. These things are starting to show their wear and tear. When I put them up last year, parts were falling off and a lot of lights were not working. I got them back out this past weekend and spent about 5 hours working on them in the shop and now they are almost like new with everything working. I particularly like Frosty.
Shop time this week has been spent working on some Christmas gifts, as well as a few custom orders. This is a face grain board that has just been oiled and waiting for it to dry a little before packaging and shipping. This one is sized to fit over the grill side of a Jenn-Air stove. The customer requested the wood combination and placement.
I also got my first lazy susan almost done. I finally got over to Rockler today and picked up the lazy susan bearings. This afternoon I did a test fit and got a first coat of clear finish on it. It will probably need at least three coats. This thing looks real good and I am going to make up a few more to take to shows next year and see how they do. I’ll put up a picture after I get the clear coats done and re-assembled.
I have been burning through the dipping boards at an unbelievable pace. Orders have been flowing and I am almost out of them. I went over to a customer’s home Monday to install a tie rack in one of her closets and happened to mention the craft business. A few hours later I got an order from her for 4 dipping boards. Three were in stock and the forth one is already in the clamps waiting for the glue to dry, along with some other designs. It’s not cost effective to make one. I always make a minimum of four at a time.
This is what is currently in the drying stage. The lazy susan is in the foreground. The small one on the left is the base and the large on on the right is the top. The dipping boards in the background are for a local customer.
Sandy Springs Festival
The Sandy Springs Festival was an interesting show. Saturday morning was threatened with rain, which impacted customer participation. At about 2PM, the sky opened and the rain came down in buckets. It poured and poured until show personnel finally canceled the rest of the day around 3PM. The good news is that Sunday almost made up for it. The day was nice and sunny and I think all of Sandy Springs turned out for it. You couldn’t stir them with a stick, and everyone came out to buy something. It was a busy and lucrative day for most.
I have to hand it to the show personnel; this was the best run show I have ever attended. There were a lot of volunteers and everyone seemed to know what to do and when to do it. From the Friday night setup to Sunday night tear down, they kept everything organized and traffic flowing. I have never seen this many artists on one street and no traffic jams. The show personnel were beyond friendly and helpful, and they kept coming around all day to hand out cold water. This show is definitely a keeper for me.
To all my customers who find their way to this site, thanks for your business. Your patrionage helped make the show a great success for me and I hope you will remember my products when Christmas shopping this year. Regards!
Early Saturday morning before the crowds
This was the first show using my new shelves. My old shelving system took about 30 minutes to assemble. There is no assembly required for these and it only took a couple minutes to set them up. I am so excited about this change.
The new shelves
The new shelves handle more product, freeing up my tables for other items. I’m am going to add more shelves on this side soon which will allow me to get rid of one table and utilize the empty vertical space. I never seem to be satisfied with the layout of my booth and i’m always tweeking it. The biggest problem is not having enough space on the left side for all the items I want to include at a show. I hope to have this resolved in a couple of weeks. I’ve only been working on a solution for over a year.
Fall is almost here!!
September is finally here, and with it comes my favorite time of the year. My fall show schedule over the next couple of months will certainly be busy. This month will bring me to the Paulding Meadows Festival the weekend after Labor Day, and following up a couple of weeks later with the Sandy Springs festival. Weather has been such as issue this year with shows that I am praying for cool and dry days.
I am anxious for the October shows to start because I am heading back to Tennessee for the Maryville Foothills Fall Festival. This is a three day show and my first year participating in it. An added plus is that Kansas and The Little River Band is performing a couple of blocks from where the artists will be set up, so there should be some great music in the air. The following weekend puts me back in town for the Avondale Autumn Fest. I did this one last year and have to say that it is a real nice, laid back show. I don’t like doing back to back weekends, but I couldn’t miss the Avondale show.
My Daughter and Son-in-Law are coming in from Richmond tomorrow to spend the Labor Day weekend with us, so my wife and I are excited. Also, Tennessee plays their first game on Saturday with the new coach. I love UT football and we are anxious to see how they look this year. Needless to say, there won’t be any woodworking done this weekend.
GO VOLS!
Getting Re-focused
I haven’t hit a lick in the last four days because I somehow found myself in Ft Walton Beach Florida over the weekend. My wife is originally from there and went down on Wednesday to hang out with her family. I headed down Friday and chilled out all weekend.
The weather was wonderful all weekend and the seafood was abundant. We have a little local place on Santa Rosa Island called “High Tide” that we have been eating at for 30 years. It’s not fancy, but the seafood is fresh and wonderful. It’s one of those places where you feel right at home in shorts and a t-shirt. We did our normal shopping routine in Destin at the Silver Sands outlet stores and spent a couple days hanging out at Destin Commons. The water in Destin was blue and clear, and the boats were out in numbers.
I can’t think of many other places where I prefer to get my batteries recharged.
