Zoom Lamp Repair Mentoring

It is not just myself who is shut down here. My customers are mostly also isolated at home, unable to come into our shop and without effective woodwork mentoring.

I realized I could still help with consulting via Zoom and the right camera setup. I launched into some basic learning and just when I needed a partner, I got a call from a friend asking me to mentor him on repairing a wooden lamp he bought from me years ago. This is my first run at video consulting, and it is really just about the same thing as what we do in person.

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Home Alone and Locked Down

Day 16 of isolation during the Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020. No worries, this is just my way of coping. I just checked on me and I appear to be fine, thank you.

Building a Wood Steamer

Planning ahead for free time coming up for work on my own projects. This steamer will be for one of the sub projects on #1 Tiny House RV. I am excited to get back to moving that project forward.

Shock and Recovery

This is the introduction of a Journal of my time of isolation gone to ground in the nation of IsGoodia.

This tells the story of my first 13 days after IsGood Woodworks was ordered to shut down and close our doors to the public. Since almost all of my business is based on serving people learning wood working present in our shop, this was a threat to our survival. Watch to see how we arranged with our community to turn the danger into an opportunity.

Days 1 to 13 during my Covid-19 exile at IsGood Woodworks.

Member's Work Retrospective #2

This is the second of a retrospective of the fine and varied work of our membership. These pieces were all built under our mentored rentals program (AKA "Mentals"). One of the things that I most enjoy is seeing people jump from beginner level to completion of such nicely done and sometimes complex work, simply with the addition of a bit of leveraged advice.

Individual pieces from 2015 and 2016:

Variable Depth Bookcase by a former student. A full scale layout was the key

Ships ladders by one of our seasoned members.

Very nice computer desk

Art by Yeggy

Top bar beehive by a former student who took our very first woodworking class

Member's Work Retrospective #1

We have been at the business of helping other people succeed with wood working for a good time now. Time to set out a series to catch up on some of the great variety projects done through the years at our shop.

This one is from way back in July, 2014. Charlie started out completely green with one prospective client and a fervent desire to become a woodworker. The three of us met and agreed that I would design a set up for Charlie to use for repeated orders of a small knock down table that Charlie's client had lost his supplier for. Charlie would learn from me in the process. 

In very little time, we were sending other requests from our network to Charlie, and also guiding him through that custom work. Charlie was up to speed to do what you see here within 6 months of his start. Eventually he designed his own product (really nice pedal boards)  and quickly made a success of them on Etsy. He eventually moved on to his own shop on Bainbridge island and thrived. 

Full disclosure: the carving was done in Asia, Charlie did all the rest.

Making art with the bandsaw

Here's a fun project that happened this week. Joe booked a mentoring session to make some interesting cuts on the bandsaw. The plan was to replicate those live edge discs sold on Etsy and other home stores. They're to be used at his son's wedding this summer.

Cutting logs on a bandsaw is made safe through the use of some disposable plywood jigs. Round objects can travel during cuts and become quite dangerous. By attaching the log to a jig with screws, the piece is kept from rotating. Any movement can create binding of the blade or throw the piece. 

As the piece is cut, using the fence as a 1" thickness reference, the jig is cut as well. As the piece gets smaller, the screws holding it in place were taken out as we got closer to the blade. It's important not to forget to take out the screws and check for other screws in the plywood base before cutting.

The final product after being treated to prevent checking and splits.

The pieces brought in were two species, Doug Fir and Cottonwood. Both soaking wet. The Cottonwood didn't agree to being cut while wet and expanded, slowing the blade throughout the cut. On the other hand, the fir logs cut quite easily. Since it wasn't safe to cut the Cottonwood logs, there are two more jigs that were donated and available to the community. You can find them near the big bandsaw.

*Don't try this at home. Try it at IsGood and have a mentor check over your setup prior to cutting. 

Gallery quality woodwork with mentoring

Who says an amateur cannot turn out gallery quality woodwork?  It just takes the right combination.

Recently we guided an aspiring woodworker through the building of the following media center that defied all expectations for  quality. I am accustomed to the idea that beginners who join us to build their own projects can and do exceed their own expectations by a good margin. This time, it was myself who was amazed. David Budge and I went together to hand pick the walnut for this piece, labeling each cut right in the lumber yard. After that, I instructed, but did very little of the work myself. With only a 25 year old experience in his high school shop class, David translated my instructions and demonstrations into a remarkable piece. I would call this worthy of any gallery level woodworking outlet.
Let the images speak for themselves:

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Three Little Rockers

Here is a charming project by Leah Barnum, a recent participant in our Mentored Rentals program. Leah was inspired to make three rockers, one each for three grandchildren. She bought a set of plans on line that were described as an "easy" project. HAH! Rocking chairs are one of the most difficult woodworking projects you can do. With a bit of help from me, the indomitable Leah Barnum pulled this off like a trouper.

Tahle Patton’s Beautiful Credenza

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This is some recent work by Tahle Patton of Grainlab Furniture, one of our full time furniture makers. I told her I consider it the best piece of hers that I have see so far and I mean it for true.
It will be in the upcoming “Lost and Found” show at Northwest Woodworkers Gallery at 2111 First Avenue, Seattle. The opening for the show is on July 12, 2013 from 5:00 to 8:00. If you love fine woodworking, don’t miss this one.

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