WOOD ON WEDNESDAY--MAKING DUST!

Another sycamore log to become a matching vase

 to the one I did a few weeks ago.

I have the outside shaped like I want and sanded smooth; 

 there is no finish on it yet.

Today, I will be drilling out the center 

and applying the sanding sealer followed by shellac.

 

WOOD ON WEDNESDAY

I turned a sycamore log into a vase over the last few days. 

 it is 9' tall and about 6" across.  The orange and dark lines are just beautiful in this wood though they are caused when the wood begins to rot from insect infestation!

I keep a lot of the 'imperfections' which make the character I appreciate when working with the wood.  

You can see what an ordeal it is to make the hole in the center of the vase.  I put a plastic insert in it,  when finished, so it can hold water for fresh flowers if I want.  I do not hollow out the whole piece-I don't have the right equipment to do that nor the patience! 

It does make a mess when I remove the wood to get the shape I want!  Cleaning up after every block of time I spend there

 is part of the job; I always walk away from a cleaned area.

This wood was very dry because it was cut down several years ago.  It is very dusty--when I turn a piece like this, I use a face mask to keep it out of my nose and lungs!  I thought I looked like Araignee when she is soap-making! lol   

After cleaning up, I have to change my shirt, take off the hat and comb the wood chips out of my hair.  Often, I have to give myself a good vacuum before I can enter the house!  

 

Soft and Hard

The cardigan is finished being knit and here it is drying because the lace part really needs blocking!  Comfy yarn from KnitPicks, 8 skeins, Size 5 and 7 needles, top-down knit with the pattern, Hyacinth Cardigan from Webs.  I didn't need this yesterday as the temps were up to a sunny 87*!  Don't worry, it will drop down again and the 3/4 length sleeves will be just right!

I did a bit of cleaning on my pile of wood that was just piled in the corner;  the shelf is from the house we cleaned out--it is neat and orderly now!  I'm pleased with the look and the organization of it!

While working in the workshop, I couldn't resist starting another little bowl-this one is made of Sycamore.  It looks a lot like the Magnolia to me and it did the strange coloring thing of the wood when exposed to air.  Who knew?  Come to find out, a lot of trees do that!  Interesting.

I will be making a live edge with bark on this one, too.  It's going to be a fun hour in the shop today!

Oh, and this is another one of the home projects I am working on!  The bottom of one of the doors came loose and about 15 slats had fallen out--it was a very tricky job to get the slats in place so I could hammer the side back in place to hold everything!  But I  did it!  (both eyes are pain-free and feeling normal--what a gift.  It's been a long 3 weeks!  I think the latest meds finally kicked in, thank you Lord!)