I joined this group a few months ago so that I can have access to some great power tools. Every once in a while I need a power tool to complete a project. My workspace is limited to a corner in the garage that I share with a golf car, car, motorcycles and an ATV. The Woodworkers Shop had everything I need and more.
During my orientation, I saw a pattern for an oven tool. It was the perfect project to start with and learn a few new tools. Scrap wood is available at the shop (for a small fee). This project involved a band saw and sander. It is a nice little kitchen gadget.
Another project involved adding a wood top to a side table I found at a local thrift store. Back to the scrap wood at the shop. I used the planer to smooth it, the router to round the edges, added some brace pieces on the bottom, stained and sealed it. A great little table...and a few more power tools under my belt.
Those projects were just warm ups for a bigger project I have thinking about for a while. A long time ago I bought a frame for a mosaic craft. It was one of my first shard art mosaic pieces. Since then I have done flower pots, mirrors, trivets and even a bowling ball!
My Mom has a mirror (top left in picture) that I made and I wanted to build the wood frame that I purchased. Another shop member, Tom Winn, volunteered to help me. This project involved a miter saw, planer...and the TABLE SAW! I used a dado blade to cut out the inside of the 2 x 4 (where the mosaic pieces sit). Tom not only showed me how to use the table saw, but he helped me all the way through. Can you guess which is the original and which is the reproduction?
One of the safety rules of the shop is that you cannot be there alone. Frequently, I enlist Brian to be my shop buddy. We both worked on making a guide for cutting our homemade soap.
My favorite project is a wood modern cube planter. I found it on Pinterest from Vintage Revivals. I made mine to fit a planter I made in a pottery class nearly 30 years ago. I didn't use any new tools. However, instead of using 1" square dowels, I used scrap wood, cut it down on the table saw and routed all the edges.
I inherited my creativity from both of my parents. But my woodworking inspiration comes from my Dad. He was very handy...he built the home I grew up in in Ohio and did many projects in his workshop. He passed away ten years ago, but several times when I was in the shop, smelling the sawdust, I could feel him standing next to me and my first thought was to turn and show him what I had done. His wood reindeer are my favorite. Maybe one day I will try to make them.
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