Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Another Weekend at The Acanthus Workshop

I got back from another weekend of teaching a class at The Acanthus Workshop late last night. We had a busy three days.

If you have ever wondered what is produced during a weekend class on using moulding planes, you now know.

A pile of shavings like this must have a byproduct, right? Well, here is a portion of what one student left behind...


Each of the five students in the class left with a complete stick of moulding to make a picture frame.


Once mitered, it will look something like this...


Check this link out if you want to know how I made this.

These pieces were done completely by hand


This was the first time that an optional third day was added to the class. On this final day we used a larger range of planes and quite a few carving gouges.

Mike had never set a carving gouge to wood before. He did a great job.

Dave, on the other hand, has.

The small class size offered at The Acanthus Workshop + a set of hollows and rounds + Chuck Bender =
Whatever the students want to do.




I had no intention of making a linenfold, but we did. I didn't get a picture of the 6' length of moulding that we then cut up and is pictured above. 

Each of the students that opted for the third day made a portion of that long length while taking a timeout from carving their egg and dart. They were sent home with homework.

Chuck is offering a class on BUILDING A BOSTON BOMBE CHEST in the near future. It's 6 days. This is a picture of the piece from Chuck's site.
Will there be homework there too?


Ask him how far the students got in the Master Class of making a pie crust stand. It was pretty impressive to hear. There will likely be less homework than you can imagine.




Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Without Shame...

Please afford me a moment of self promotion.



Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Dishes are Done, Man!

I will only say that I am very excited. My dressing table is complete.





I am teaching a class at The Acanthus Workshop in 1 week. Come learn how to make the mouldings. There is one spot available. 

Sunday, March 11, 2012

My Greatest Creation Yet

I have recently been asked a few times about the progress on my hobby. Well, it's complete.


What you are looking at is a magazine fed semiautomatic rifle made completely out of Legos and 3 rubberbands. It shoots Legos. 

I stopped counting the number of hours I have invested into the thing. You'll be happy to know that there is still room for improvement. My kids, of course, have lost 40% of their legos, which used to be mine. 




In other news, I still have to a few more coats of finish for my dressing table. I will likely complete that in a week.