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A couple of months ago I got a call from Don Schanzenbach from Old Virginia Woodworking. Don does many things including: making custom cabinets, furniture stripping, refinishing, and restoring antique furniture. Don was in the need of some replacement chair spindles. I was able to make replacements that matched the original. Below you can see the […]
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In 2018, my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and our oldest son and his wife celebrated their 10th anniversary. Together, we celebrated with a trip to the island of Kauai. We had a lovey week exploring the island and soaking up the sunshine. On a previous trip to the island I found […]
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I was working an event selling some of my pens and was approached by a couple. They were interested in my pens. As we got talking the husband asked if I took special orders. I told him I did. He asked if I could create a pen in the shape of an okra. I told […]
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After reading Richard Raffan’s book The Art of Turned Bowls I realized that good bowl design is no accident. I have heard many turners say” I just put a block of wood on the lathe and see what the wood has to say”. Many times this seems a bit contrived or assumes the wood (an inanimate object) […]
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It was November 2009 and I was attending my turning guild meeting. I was unaware of who was demonstrating but was surprised to see a table full of hats. Some were small some were full sized and some were almost thimbles (micro hats). But most interesting was they were all made out of wood. Once the meeting […]
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Several of upcoming projects required some wood I did not have in the shop. So off to the Lumber Mill it was. Hicksville Lumber Mill is unique in several ways — It is owned my Mennonites; is known in the surrounding area for their low prices; carry a wide selection of lumber; can make almost anything […]
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Project Number One I’ve been working on a quilt hanger for several months. It was supposed to only take a week or two. All went together pretty well. But then it all came to a screeching halt when the stain would not get as dark as expected. Lesson learned – Don’t use a light colored wood when […]
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I was asked to make a maple bowl. After searching both locally and on the internet, I ended up at McFarlands mill in Winchester. They had maple from a tree cut down at Handley High School. (It is of historical significance, but I haven’t found a source of the details as of yet.) I needed […]