Year in Review 2023

 This was a tough year for woodworking.  I did not have a lot of time to do the things I wanted to do.  It started with the train.  It was a project that I wanted not to do but wanted to do for the challenge.  It was a project that I burned out on and it put me behind most of the year.  Right after I finished the train and shipped it off, I needed to work on the toys for the church build.  I enjoy doing these because they challenge me to make toys that kids can put together.  This year it was the Model T, Skid Loader, Cement Truck, and large Tow truck.  I made 20 of each this year so local kids would be able to make some.  After that was done, I needed to design and make the tractor for the scroll saw magazine.  Then I needed to make the toys I work with the youth at my church to donate. After that. it was full steam ahead on the book which is where I am now.  It has been a very busy year.

Least favorite project this year was the train.  Not because it was bad, I just burned out.  There is a difference between the first three cars and the last seven in detail.  It was also a lot of painting.  I think this is what I am most burned out on.  I don't think I will paint toys for a while.  I like the challenge and bending balsa wood was interesting.  It came from failed attempts to bend 1/16" maple.  The customer liked it and that is want is important.  It went to Italy so the cost to ship was more than the price to the toy.  It is my longest toy yet.  It was almost 12 feet long.  Lots of mistakes and figuring out moving parts. The second (I always make two of my designs to donate one) went to the Laurel House.  They put it in their charitable craft fair and sold it for more than I sold the original for.

Favorite project was the tractor.  It was a fun build and design.  I struggled with the harrow design but in the end it worked out.  I made ten of them.  Some were donated and others sold.  For future reference, all tractors need to be red, green, or natural.  Nobody like the teal and yellow or the light and dark purple ones.

I purchased two new tools this year.  the first was another palm sander.  My old DeWalt is falling apart.  it is another DeWalt.  I thought about a Festool, but I don't want to buy all the collection system stuff with it.  Festool is expensive and then it is all the addons.  I also purchased dust collection adapters for my sander and router table.  These are part of the Rockler Dust Right System. It helps keep things cleaner.  They work.  The other item I purchased was a subscription to the maker version of SolidWorks.  This was for the book.  I needed something a little more user friendly than AutoDesk Fusion (free version).  I have used SolidWorks in the past and like it.  It is a little different since I have to set up all my preferences and templates.  Work provided the templates when I used it last.

Business this year was really good.  Esty and magazine articles were pretty steady from last year.  I have received an advance for the book writing.  I also did a craft fair this year to sell off some of my inventory I brought from California.  I almost sold out.  It was a tough two days.  I will probably not do another craft fair for a while.  Honestly, I hate dealing with state and local sales tax.

Next year, I am taking a step back.  I need to focus on some project around the house that should have been done this year.  I don't think I am going to take on any more commission jobs except for the ones that I already know about.  I also am not going to paint toys this year.  It will be all natural wood tones.  It will be nice to have the book completed.  It is scheduled to be released in fall 2024.  I am looking forward to meeting the publisher again this year.  

My First Built Workbench

I finally build my first workbench that is a dedicated bench. Normally I used a sheet pf particle board
and some saw horses. This does not work well some hand tool work. I was also looking for a place to
put commonly used items that have been stored throughout the garage. It was a fun project, but cold. I
made it between Christmas and New Years during a the polar vortex. The garage does not warm up that
much.
My first comment is to the lumber. The wood frame is all out of 6/4 poplar. I would say I got a pretty
good deal on it. When I went to the lumber yard they could not find any, but the associate knew that
they had some off cuts in the back. They had large bundles of rip cuts they sell for fire wood. I knew
that I needed 4” and greater and they allowed me to go through this stack of rip scrap. It took me about
an hour to go though it and pull out what I wanted. I also put all the other boards that were over 4”
wide on top if they wanted to resell them. They sold me over 80 board feet of 6/4 poplar for $2 a board
foot. It was all clear and over 8’ long and 4” wide. FAS would have cost me $4 a board foot.
The sides and back were frame and panel. The panel was a solid MDF painted doors from a previous
employer. These were heavy and painted black. Great free wood and added a lot of weight to the
bench. The top is a piece of ¾” plywood that is wrapped with 4” wide poplar. I put t-track in the poplar
for clamping hardware. Drawer were made from ½” salvaged plywood. With the cost of plywood being
$100 for a 5x5 sheet (Baltic birch not box store grade), it was a nice savings.
I don’t have a lot of hardware on the bench except for the Rockler t-track clamps. That will probably
change over the years. I do understand the need for a vice. I have a make shift one right now. The
bench is on wheels which was the most expensive piece of hardware. It is Grizzley’s make your own
mobile base kit. I really like them. It is the 4 th base I have from them. The front is all drawers to hold my
stuff. I had it all planned out, and then measured the tools that would go in them. They were too big.
Good thing is that I was able to take out two small drawers and it all worked fine. I lost a couple of
drawers but it is ok.
What I like about the bench is that it is solid and heavy. It does not move when working on it. The holds
down on the roller stand works really well. It is also ½” lower than my table saw. This was by design so
that I can use it as an outfeed table with a ½” piece of plywood. I did not want to cut miter slots in the
bench top so I made it slightly lower. The drawers hold all my hand tools so they are no longer in the
back of a cabinet hard to get too. I do have t-track around the perimeter of the top. This does allow me
to clamp items to the to sides. It is been very helpful with stops and joinery work.