More blocks

It has been a tough week, but I have another bucket of blocks to give away.  I am going to put down a few new rules for this give away.  First I am not going to have people guess the number of blocks because I have already done that.  Second the contest will last two weeks.  Everyone will have two guesses, one per week.  I wouldn't want you to put both guesses down and then be boxed in.  No taking back guesses, once it is posted it sticks.  Third if you all ready have a set of scrap blocks please don't try for another.  Fourth these are for kids so if you don't have kids to play with them why do you really want a box of blocks to take up space?  I am going to condition this rule: this could be grand kids, cousins, nieces, nephews, or kids.  I really don't want toys I make to sit on a shelf as a display.

So here it is.  Last time there there was 102 blocks.  How many TRIANGLES are in this bucket (it is the same bucket as last time just different blocks).  Here are a couple of hints:

These are not triangles

This is a triangle

Second hint: there is at least one triangle in the bucket and I wouldn't guess more than 102.

Happy guessing and I will mail if needed.

the model T series

Here are the model T cars/trucks. There are three in the series and they were a a lot of fun to build. They are larger than I had originally thought. The tanker truck is about 8 inches long. bodies are made out of poplar and the fenders are made out of random other species of wood. One complete set is made with walnut fenders. Walnut is the dark wood.

I know I swore I would never make wheels again, well I made these wheels. Out of all the things that could be a choking hazard I think the wheels concern me the most. The headlamps have at least 3/8 inch of glue bond but the wheels are only 3/8 of an inch and they are over two inches in diameter. I fear they may break. They were not too bad to make. I think it was largely due to the fact that I just purchased new hole saws

I had to turn the tank because dowel does not come in that large. They suggested to use a wood rolling pin if a lathe was not available. Good thing I was able to use a lathe. The cabs were the hardest part but once I had the blocks cut to size it was all about laying out lines a drilling holes and using the band saw. Sanding was the hardest part It was a fun project. I might make more if time permits.

Finishing Day

I was finally able to have my day of finishing. This is a day of minimal interruptions to put a clear coat on all the products that I have completed.

In other words it is taking:

and turning it into this:

Yes I had a little bit to do. I usually add two coats of polyurethane and each coats takes about two hours to dry. Between each coat is a sanding process and it is all hand sanding. I will be posting more detailed pictures of the projects with a little more description. The only one that will not be shown again is the middle truck with the boat on top of it. That one has been sold.

In honor of finishing day there are a couple of things that will be coming out of it. The first is that I am giving away one of my tug boats. Of course it is free if you have the correct answer first. They are small enough to ship so anyone can answer (pun not intended). Please answer on the blog. Here is the question:

What is the name (common) of the yellow wood used on this tug boat?

I know that the pictures are slightly yellow but it is a good representation of the color. If you also look at the top picture on the right side you can see it in it's natural state. This yellow wood is the accent wood and is found on the top of the body and cabin. The other wood, white in color, is alder. It came for some shelves that my grandfather made. To help you guess here are a couple of hints:
You will not find this wood at your local hardware store.
It is a very hard wood. It thrashed my bit and broke my template that I use to make these boats.