"Now lets see who the Mystery Wooden Object really is!"
"Why its old Mr. Wilson - the caretaker of the amusement park!"
"Jeepers!"
"Yes, and Id have gotten achoice with it too, if it wasnt for you meddling kids..."
*****
Oops! Sorry, that was from the Scooby Doo edition of this post - dont know how that snuck in here...
Okay - are you ready?
(Click here first if you havent read the previous two relevant posts)
The Mystery Wooden Object (MWO) is...
...a Pakistani Cow Amulet! Yes! What?
Congratulations Regis! You are the clear winner:"Looks like a cow bell. Maybe that darker square insert in the back holds the "bells" inside. Or an ornament to put around an animals neck."How did you come up with that anychoice? Email me your address and Ill send you your prize!Okay, so when Kaija called me, she had just been to a little store back East, which she describes as being a "woodsy/crafty/chotsky with a smattering of international groovy stuff" type store. While perusing the goods, she came up short in front of a small tray full of MWOs! The accompanying signage simply stated, "Pakistani Cow Amulets."
Heres what she saw:
Well, after talking to Kaija, I called the store to pump them for information. They didnt really have much. About all they knew was that they were some kind of amulet worn by cows to help keep them safe. Hmm.
Armed with this new knowledge I called Uncle Google and had a long, long chat. It took awhile, but heres a summary of what I found out:
(And remember - "Its on the internet, so it must be true!")
Mostly associated with the Swat Valley in Pakistan (but covering a much wider region of Pakistan and Afghanistan, at least according to some sources) these amulets are believed to protect and identify livestock - possibly cows, but more likely goats or sheep. They are worn around the neck of the animal. Some are very simple, with no carving and just the hole at the top for the cord to pass through. Others are carved in ancient patterns (said to be Buddhist designs by one source). Still others go to a higher level of protection - incorporating a small chamber containing a prayer or blessing from a local religious leader. Apparently, after the animal is slaughtered, the amulet is used on another animal - which means some of the amulets are very old. Types of wood mentioned were cedar and rosewood.
Well, that explained just about everything I (we) had noticed about the MWO. I was right about the wear pattern inside the through mortise, only I was picturing it upside-down with the rope or fabric at the bottom, while in reality the amulet hung from the cord, not the other choice around. And the square of wood in the back was not a cut off tenon - it is the plug to the hollowed-out chamber. Cool!
Kaija graciously went back to the store and picked up a few of the MWOs cousins for me. Here is a set of "reunion" photos:
You can see the range of details. Only one has a plug. Only two have any carving - one with a triangular design (upper left - the same one that has the plug) and one with a simple series of kerfs cut in the sides (lower left - five kerfs on one side, and six on the other). One has almost the exact same shape as my original, but no plug, no carving and is generally more "rough". In fact, all of these seem a bit more primitive than my first one.
Of course, I have a ton of new questions. Who makes these? Are they made by a specialist (town woodworker or carver?), or by the church, or are they made by the owner of the livestock? What kind of wood is it? It sure doesnt look like cedar (well, N. American cedar isnt really cedar anychoice, so how would I know?) or rosewood. Are they still being made/used? How did these end up here? Why werent they reused? How old are they?
If you have any insight, please post a comment. But for now, Im satisfied - and the MWO is no longer a MWO. It is a Pakistani livestock amulet.
Finally, I have no idea if these things really work, but it just might explain the increased frequency of this kind of occurrence at our house:
Sabtu, 16 April 2016
Revealed! The Mystery Wooden Objects Secret Identity!
Jumat, 15 April 2016
Black walnut vase Pt 3 Sanding and Finishing
Hi Everyone,
Well, the Selkie Wood Works blog has hit another milestone-yesterday was my 300th posting! Congratulations to me and that big pile of wood in the shop.
Ok, back to work:
When last we met, I had finished cutting and shaping the flower vase. I went out to take a look at it and Im satisfied with the shape and there is no cracking that I can see, so Im going to finish it off. It needs to be sanded and then a finish applied to the surface.
Sanding
Ill be the first person to admit that I hate sanding! It makes a big mess and its boring to do. It is also probably the most important part of the project as the final appearance depends on a super smooth surface in which the grain and the wood color is visually at its sharpest. The only way you can get there is to sand it. I start at 100 and go up to 400 and I take my time doing it. I sand in one direction only, in this case I go from right to left in the photograph and I dont move the sand paper in circles, I just sand in a straight line. Over and over again.
In the photo above you can see a lot of scratching left over from yesterdays cutting and shaping. The scratching has to be removed and Im going to begin with a brief power sanding before I go on the the finer grades of sand paper.
I use an angle sander for lathe sanding as its better balanced in my hand and not as heavy as a conventional drill is. This is a picture of the sander with a sanding disc attached to it. This is 100 grit paper and Im just going to briefly sand the surface to get rid of the larger, more visible scratches. After this Im going to sand it down to 400 paper. Im going to put the camera down and sand until Im done:
Ok, Im done. After Im done with the sandpaper, I left the vase on the lathe and spun it at about 800 rpm and buffed it with 0000 steel wool to remove any residual wood whiskers. Then I polished the surface with a big handful of wood shavings. This last step gives the surface a lovely shine:
Done. Ive also cleaned up the surface of the spout and sanded it smooth:
The Finish
If youve read my blog, youll know that I love oiled finishes. They make the grain and color of the wood just pop and they give wood a wonderful warm sheen. They are also easy to apply and can easily be renewed should the piece become scratched or damaged.
The problem with oil is that it can obscure the grain and color of wood. In the case of walnut it can make it a uniform brown color. As walnut naturally has a lot colors in it, its to ones advantage to try to preserve those colors as much as possible.
Ive been researching this on the Internet and I found a finish by a company called Tried and True. Apparently they havent been in business terribly long and they put out a line of wood finishing products. Ive decided to use their varnish oil product on the vase. According to the company this is non toxic, and its made primarily out of linseed oil.
The varnish oil is the color and consistency of honey and it has to be warmed to approximately 70 degrees. The company specifies that it be applied in thin coats and so thats what Ive done here. I applied just enough to shine the surface and no more. This will cure in 24 hours and then Ill be able to apply another coat. After that cures Ill buff the surface. My last step will be to cut off the bottom waste wood. Heres a photo of the vase with a single layer of varnish oil:
Ive taken the whole thing-wood vice and vase off of the lathe and taken it inside so it can warm up. This will help the finish cure and I can also take a couple of photos so you can see the vase standing up:
Ok, as its getting cold outside, Im going to go and find a warms spot to sit down and drink something hot. See you tomorrow.
VW
Read More..
Well, the Selkie Wood Works blog has hit another milestone-yesterday was my 300th posting! Congratulations to me and that big pile of wood in the shop.
Ok, back to work:
When last we met, I had finished cutting and shaping the flower vase. I went out to take a look at it and Im satisfied with the shape and there is no cracking that I can see, so Im going to finish it off. It needs to be sanded and then a finish applied to the surface.
Ill be the first person to admit that I hate sanding! It makes a big mess and its boring to do. It is also probably the most important part of the project as the final appearance depends on a super smooth surface in which the grain and the wood color is visually at its sharpest. The only way you can get there is to sand it. I start at 100 and go up to 400 and I take my time doing it. I sand in one direction only, in this case I go from right to left in the photograph and I dont move the sand paper in circles, I just sand in a straight line. Over and over again.
In the photo above you can see a lot of scratching left over from yesterdays cutting and shaping. The scratching has to be removed and Im going to begin with a brief power sanding before I go on the the finer grades of sand paper.
I use an angle sander for lathe sanding as its better balanced in my hand and not as heavy as a conventional drill is. This is a picture of the sander with a sanding disc attached to it. This is 100 grit paper and Im just going to briefly sand the surface to get rid of the larger, more visible scratches. After this Im going to sand it down to 400 paper. Im going to put the camera down and sand until Im done:Ok, Im done. After Im done with the sandpaper, I left the vase on the lathe and spun it at about 800 rpm and buffed it with 0000 steel wool to remove any residual wood whiskers. Then I polished the surface with a big handful of wood shavings. This last step gives the surface a lovely shine:Next I need to finish the spout on the vase. Im going to cut a 3/4" hole about 3" deep in it for flowers or dried branches. To do this, Im going to put a drill chuck into the tailstock and insert a 3/4" spade bit into the chuck. Then Ill turn on the lathe and slowly advance the drill bit into the center of the vase as it spins. Here are photos of the set up:
Done. Ive also cleaned up the surface of the spout and sanded it smooth:The FinishIf youve read my blog, youll know that I love oiled finishes. They make the grain and color of the wood just pop and they give wood a wonderful warm sheen. They are also easy to apply and can easily be renewed should the piece become scratched or damaged.
The problem with oil is that it can obscure the grain and color of wood. In the case of walnut it can make it a uniform brown color. As walnut naturally has a lot colors in it, its to ones advantage to try to preserve those colors as much as possible.
Ive been researching this on the Internet and I found a finish by a company called Tried and True. Apparently they havent been in business terribly long and they put out a line of wood finishing products. Ive decided to use their varnish oil product on the vase. According to the company this is non toxic, and its made primarily out of linseed oil.
The varnish oil is the color and consistency of honey and it has to be warmed to approximately 70 degrees. The company specifies that it be applied in thin coats and so thats what Ive done here. I applied just enough to shine the surface and no more. This will cure in 24 hours and then Ill be able to apply another coat. After that cures Ill buff the surface. My last step will be to cut off the bottom waste wood. Heres a photo of the vase with a single layer of varnish oil:
Ive taken the whole thing-wood vice and vase off of the lathe and taken it inside so it can warm up. This will help the finish cure and I can also take a couple of photos so you can see the vase standing up:Its hard to see in the photograph, but the finish has preserved the colors of the walnut very nicely. Im happy with this. Time to leave it alone to dry.
And this is a picture of Rhubarb, one of my cats. These guys are breakfast cats-they love to hang around at breakfast and will snatch and eat anything that they can. Yesterday, as I was about to sit down and enjoy a pumpkin muffin, I got up to go and check on something and when I came back my muffin had been reduced to crumbs. A certain orange cat was sitting there, licking his chops. The other one had his head stuck in my glass of milk and was happily hosing the whole thing down.
Dont let those furry faces fool you-underneath that warm fuzzy face is a big muffin thief!!
Ok, as its getting cold outside, Im going to go and find a warms spot to sit down and drink something hot. See you tomorrow.VW
Project Updates Bowl o Rama
Hi Everyone,
Well, here are the rest of the bowls I finished this summer. Ive been experimenting with the finish and I must say Im really pleased with the results. Ill share what Im doing in a later posting as Im still experimenting.
Silk Oak-Ive been working on this bowl since early spring. It has an unusual grain pattern to it-it rather looks like fish netting. Its a lovely red color and has a satin-smooth finish on it.
Red Elm-Ive made several red elm bowls this year and it has turned out to be a good turning wood. Its not terribly hard on the tools or my hands, and it sands and finishes very well. This will make an excellent salad or serving bowl or fruit bowl.
Rosewood-this is the first rosewood bowl Ive made and the turning of it went very well. The key to turning a wide bowl like this is to do it in stages-I turned it four times and let it dry out very slowly. There was no distortion at the end and it too sanded and finished well. This bowl has been donated for the Blue House raffle later this fall.
American Cherry-Ive turned cherry before and as scratches can be difficult to remove, its not exactly my favorite turning wood. This started out as a solid block of unseasoned wood and true to form it took a lot of sanding. Eventually I got it smooth. This is destined to be a Christmas present for a much loved friend later this year and will come with a matching hand-carved spoon.
Hickory-this is the last of an order of hickory from late last year and the wood from that order was a joy to work on. Hickory turns well but being pretty hard, can be tough on tools. It does finish well and the shop smells wonderful as hickory is a sweet-scented wood. Ive passed on shavings to friends for smoking meat.
Im gearing up for my fall turning schedule-Ill be making some platters and more cutting boards. And Im going to open a seasonal sales gallery for some of my work so if you would like to purchase something youll have the chance to do so. Stay tuned for that announcement in the coming weeks.VW
a pin and hole jig
we had a little run of tables with leaves lately and it caused me to appreciated anew a jig we made a few years back for drilling pin and holes in table leaves. above is the walnut table we finished recently .. that had three leaves. click the photos to enlarge them ..
the jig could be made of all wood too, but we chose aluminum for the top for light weight, thinness and stability over time.
you can either use a center mark and arrange the orientation so that you use one side for holes and one side for pins as shown in the top photo or you can cut everything to length and square first and then use the sliding stops shown above .... you can purchase the drill bushing you need to build this jig from mcmaster-carr ... we have different spacings for different table sizes ... in the cad drawing, i drew ones that i thought would be universal. we dont have that many, but if i were building it again, i might ...
i tuned it up for this long table with 4 leaves we were cutting on the cnc for our friends johannes (the wood hat guy) and deb, who are building the table. sample test pieces above ...
after installing the holes and pins, trevor put it on the router, cut the channels for the mother of pearl inlay, the rounded corners and all the leaves to length ... i suppose you could do this by hand .... but i wouldnt want to ...
the blanks being checked for square, straight edges and parrallel.
the finished table parts ... lined up fine ...TGIF Project Updates
Hi Everyone,
Well, its been a really busy week but I did manage set aside some time to work in the shop and I finished several projects. Here they are:
Laminated red bowl-youll remember that several months ago I laminated a turning block out of kempas, cumaru, rosewood, and hickory. I finally got to it and turned it into a bowl:
This wood was super hard and it has taken me almost a week of work to get it hollowed out and finished. It has thicker than usual walls and bottom so its heavy. But it wont tip over and its very stable. It will make a lovely present for someone.
Next, I made another laminated block out of hickory and black walnut. Im not if I showed you photos of that or not. But I did get it made into a platter and I finished just a short while ago:
This is a large platter and its going to be a gift to a friend in the coming weeks.
Lastly, at the urging of my husband, Ive begun making cutting boards again. I had a large piece of ash wood and a week or so ago I posted a photo of the first cutting board I made out of it. This is the second board I made yesterday evening:
This was cut from the crotch of a tree and thats why it has the irregular grain pattern. It has some surface checking but its still perfectly usable as a cutting board.
Lastly, I finished the salt and pepper shaker out of cherry and they did not really come out as well as Id hoped:
Im just not set up for small items. Im going to have to work out a better production method too. So the salt and pepper shakers wont be a part of the SWW lineup for the time being.
Im really tired! And all the turning and sanding has left the wood shop a real mess so Im going to have some hot tea and then go down and clean up a bit. I may make several more laminated blocks-Id like to make some large, laminated cutting boards and if I do Ill post a discussion and photos.
Well, its Mothers Day weekend and for all of us who are moms or step moms or grandmothers, I hope you all have a terrific weekend and a great year ahead.
Thanks for stopping by and Ill see you all soon.
VW
Read More..
Well, its been a really busy week but I did manage set aside some time to work in the shop and I finished several projects. Here they are:
Laminated red bowl-youll remember that several months ago I laminated a turning block out of kempas, cumaru, rosewood, and hickory. I finally got to it and turned it into a bowl:
This wood was super hard and it has taken me almost a week of work to get it hollowed out and finished. It has thicker than usual walls and bottom so its heavy. But it wont tip over and its very stable. It will make a lovely present for someone.Next, I made another laminated block out of hickory and black walnut. Im not if I showed you photos of that or not. But I did get it made into a platter and I finished just a short while ago:
This is a large platter and its going to be a gift to a friend in the coming weeks.Lastly, at the urging of my husband, Ive begun making cutting boards again. I had a large piece of ash wood and a week or so ago I posted a photo of the first cutting board I made out of it. This is the second board I made yesterday evening:
This was cut from the crotch of a tree and thats why it has the irregular grain pattern. It has some surface checking but its still perfectly usable as a cutting board.Lastly, I finished the salt and pepper shaker out of cherry and they did not really come out as well as Id hoped:
Im just not set up for small items. Im going to have to work out a better production method too. So the salt and pepper shakers wont be a part of the SWW lineup for the time being.Im really tired! And all the turning and sanding has left the wood shop a real mess so Im going to have some hot tea and then go down and clean up a bit. I may make several more laminated blocks-Id like to make some large, laminated cutting boards and if I do Ill post a discussion and photos.
Well, its Mothers Day weekend and for all of us who are moms or step moms or grandmothers, I hope you all have a terrific weekend and a great year ahead.
Thanks for stopping by and Ill see you all soon.
VW
Kamis, 14 April 2016
Q A Sarah Lacquer Linen
Today Im continuing the Q+A with the fabulous Sarah from Lacquer & Linen. Sometimes you can just look at a space and say, an interior designer designed that - and that is definitely true with Sarahs spaces!! Check out her daughters nursery, all of the accessories, DIY touches, and furniture are spot on. LOVE it!! Plus her blog name?? Two of my favorite things :) Sarah also went to college near Pismo Beach - too bad I wasnt there a few years earlier, Im sure we would have met! Hopefully well have a chance soon!
Heres a little more about Sarah.
Heres a little more about Sarah.SOUP! I love love love making soup. Its one of those things thats really hard to screw up (a big plus for me) and its easy to freeze and pop out when youre short on time. Plus, I love using my crockpot and having the house fill with yummy hearty smells all day.
Its a toss up between pillows and art. I have a serious pillow problem. At our house we have an entire closet devoted to my seasonal/holiday pillows. With so many great and affordable sources, its really easy to swap out your pillows for each season or even a themed party. A great choice to save money is to purchase the pillow covers and just reuse the inserts. DIY art is alchoices a great quick fix as well. Im convinced anyone can create art. Its in the eye of the beholder, right?? If youre not artistically inclined, stick to abstract designs. You cant go wrong with a few strategically placed paint splatters or brushstrokes in colors that match your space. Ive also used spray painted plastic animals to create some unique specimen art and strips of paper to create a pretty woven paper design. 
My first (and last) upholstery project. I found this sweet little vintage vanity chair from an estate sale that I wanted to recover for my daughters flamingo inspired nursery. The seat was round and I figured it would be pretty easy to just wrap the fabric around the cushion and staple it to the bottom of the seat base. What I didnt take into account was where the hardware was for the back of the seat and I didnt correctly plan the direction of the pattern of the fabric. A pretty easy fix but still an annoying mistake. I also has a really hard time pulling the fabric in perfect pleats around the circular seat. I wish I could say I have perfected how to do this now that I failed the first time, but what I really learned is that for a non-sewing DIYer like myself, its best to stick to square-shaped seats. 
My first (and last) upholstery project. I found this sweet little vintage vanity chair from an estate sale that I wanted to recover for my daughters flamingo inspired nursery. The seat was round and I figured it would be pretty easy to just wrap the fabric around the cushion and staple it to the bottom of the seat base. What I didnt take into account was where the hardware was for the back of the seat and I didnt correctly plan the direction of the pattern of the fabric. A pretty easy fix but still an annoying mistake. I also has a really hard time pulling the fabric in perfect pleats around the circular seat. I wish I could say I have perfected how to do this now that I failed the first time, but what I really learned is that for a non-sewing DIYer like myself, its best to stick to square-shaped seats. My favorite projects have been my Ikea hacks. Im not great with power tools, so my furniture makeovers tend to be pretty simple and require minimal use of heavy duty equipment. The first hack I tried was my first ever furniture makeover. I took one of my husbands old dilapidated Lack side tables, added some paint, corbels and nailhead trim and turned it into a glammed up version of its former self. 
Read More..
My second Ikea hack is definitely my favorite project to date. It was such a simple DIY but really made a world of difference. I used a Hemnes dresser and added some paint and gold hardware to the drawer fronts to make a lovely campaign inspired dresser for our daughters nursery. 
Totally agree about the frustration of upholstering!! Often times, it takes a lot of planning to make sure it goes as planned and then there is the actual process. I think the only choice David and I get through it is taking turns trying choices to make those tricky corners work!
Also love her Ikea Hacks, weve hacked both pieces, but in completely different choices. Love Sarahs take, Id love to try them both soon!
Thanks so much for stopping by Sarah!!
If youre new to Lacquer & Linen, make sure to check out her DIY page!!
I am obsessed with the Delrey fabric from Pindler & Pindler. Its a reversible upholstery weight fabric that I used to make a cornice box. The fabric is a stair stepped diamond pattern that has a fun tribal feel to it. 
Totally agree about the frustration of upholstering!! Often times, it takes a lot of planning to make sure it goes as planned and then there is the actual process. I think the only choice David and I get through it is taking turns trying choices to make those tricky corners work!
Also love her Ikea Hacks, weve hacked both pieces, but in completely different choices. Love Sarahs take, Id love to try them both soon!
Thanks so much for stopping by Sarah!!
If youre new to Lacquer & Linen, make sure to check out her DIY page!!
TGIF New projects and project updates
Hi Everyone,
Well, its hot here today and everything is in bloom and we can smell lilac all over the place. It must be the year for them.
Ive been generating a lot of small pieces of lumber and Ive been searching for projects to use them up and one of the projects Im going to start are cutting boards out of assorted hardwoods. Here are some photos and discussion:
I work mostly with domestic hardwoods such as maple, hickory, and black walnut as they are readily available and not terribly costly. I also work with red colored woods such as kempas, Brazilian cherry, and cumaru woods. These woods are also readily available and not endangered. I dont like to waste wood and so here we go- here are some thin pieces that Ive cut off of wider boards:
This will become a cutting board after Ive laminated these into a turning blank:
And here are some more cutting boards waiting to be laminated together. The larger ones at the top will be cutting boards and the small ones on the bottom will become either trivets or tea box lids:
Im going to glue up all of these blanks and probably make more next week so Ill have a large supply of turning material.
Next-remember the camphor wood trays and bowl I made about a month ago? Well, I took the trays out to see how they were doing and they had dried quite a bit and there was very little distortion in the trays. So Im putting them back on the lathe for their final cutting. Here is a photo of one thats been cut and one that is waiting its turn:
The shop smells like Vicks Vaporub again! Im curious as to what these trays will look like when they are all finished.
Im going to go and make dinner and cool off with some pineapple juice--see you later this weekend.
VW
Read More..
Well, its hot here today and everything is in bloom and we can smell lilac all over the place. It must be the year for them.
Ive been generating a lot of small pieces of lumber and Ive been searching for projects to use them up and one of the projects Im going to start are cutting boards out of assorted hardwoods. Here are some photos and discussion:
I work mostly with domestic hardwoods such as maple, hickory, and black walnut as they are readily available and not terribly costly. I also work with red colored woods such as kempas, Brazilian cherry, and cumaru woods. These woods are also readily available and not endangered. I dont like to waste wood and so here we go- here are some thin pieces that Ive cut off of wider boards:
I decided to trim all of these pieces into uniform a thickness of 1 1/8" on the table saw so the first thing I did was rip them to that thickness and then separate them into colors:
Then I trimmed these strips into 12 1/2" lengths. Here are some for comparison:
Then I trimmed these strips into 12 1/2" lengths. Here are some for comparison:Now I can play with all of these various colors and arrange and re-arrange them:
And here are some more cutting boards waiting to be laminated together. The larger ones at the top will be cutting boards and the small ones on the bottom will become either trivets or tea box lids:Im going to glue up all of these blanks and probably make more next week so Ill have a large supply of turning material.Next-remember the camphor wood trays and bowl I made about a month ago? Well, I took the trays out to see how they were doing and they had dried quite a bit and there was very little distortion in the trays. So Im putting them back on the lathe for their final cutting. Here is a photo of one thats been cut and one that is waiting its turn:
The shop smells like Vicks Vaporub again! Im curious as to what these trays will look like when they are all finished.Im going to go and make dinner and cool off with some pineapple juice--see you later this weekend.
VW
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