June was a busy month that left little time for woodworking, let alone blogging about woodworking. The family took a vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina:
I also went through the end of my company’s fiscal year (no picture included – the stock chart would be depressing). However, I have worked on a few things over the past few weeks. I’ve put some serious work into a designing my next big project, an entertainment center for my basement:
Like most of the drawings I put to [virtual] paper, I will get a “Design a Week” post up for this eventually. Because I plan on building this piece, I want to get all of the details worked out before writing that post. While the I have the main carcass worked out (seen above), I still have many details to draw and some feedback to receive before I publish its own post.
I also have two endeavors that are just about to begin. This afternoon I picked up ~10 board feet of white ash from Northland Forest Products…
… that will be my next project – a multi-tiered storage crate. I’m excited about this project because I’ll be using some new [to me] techniques and some recycled materials.
After I hit “publish” on this project, I’ll begin what I’m dubbing “The Summer of Sharpening” for the Taylor Garage. If you recall from an earlier post, I purchased Ron Hock’s The Perfect Edge. I have too many dull edges in my shop right now, so I need to dedicate time to catch them up. At some point in the near future, my tools will all be sharp; I just hope I can get in the habit of sharpening them regularly and avoiding binges like this in the future.
So those are my plans – how has your summer rounded into shape so far?
I have similar tasks on my list. I found ‘The Perfect Edge’ to be a great resource as well. Good luck and if you find yourself nodding off while sharpening, make sure you fake a break or you may risk a dropped blade lime I did. Happy sharpening!
I like the design of the entertainment center. I look forward to see it when it is done.
This is a fact: Building projects dulls tools, this creates a need to sharpen.
So, building should automatically bring sharpening into the everyday workflow of the shop.
Sharpening is not a separate activity from building a project, it is part of the process.
Glad to see you are using SketchUp I have learned a lot since I started my design a week project I need to some more posted up on my blog I think I’m a little behind . just on the posting not on the designing.
I sharpen my tools on a regular schedule I alway have it’s one of the first things that was drummed in to my pea size brain, get in habit and it don’t take up all your time unless you keep dropping your chisels like I do.
Nice design good luck with the build
Joey
Thanks guys.
Todd – I know I need to make sharpening a normal part of the process – I’m working on making that a habit. This is just for catchup!
I hate sharpening but love sharp tools. Is that irony? I know it’s laziness but I think that it might be ironic as well.