Splinters Woodworks Web Blog

Merry Christmas to all.

Thank you for all of the orders and support provided in 2009.

May all your dreams and desires come true for you.

For more information about ordering your own custom project go to:

http://www.splinterswoodworks.com/

From Seattle, Washington comes this request to create a family heirloom. They wanted to start a tradition that could be carried on for years. This is the sample layout they gave me to start out with, along with several other guidelines. (select photos for enlarged size) After considering all of their requests this is the layout that we ended up with. It will be a three person board with their family crest in the center. The dates will be lasered into the wood. and the names are placeholders for where engraved plates will be added each year with the name of that years winner. There will be a slot routered on the back to hold the custom metal pegs, as well as a keyhole slot so it can be hung on the wall while not in use. This family tradition will be a focal point of  family get togethers for many years to come.

The actual physical creation begins.. here is the board being glued up.

The piece will be 14 inches wide and 20 inches long out of hard maple.

Along each edge I have glued a 1 inch strip accent of dark walnut to add some class to it.

Here is how the boards looked coming out of glue up. The dark walnut stripes set off the maple board quite well.

The tracks have now been drilled using a Shopbot CNC routing system.and the lasering of the family crest and the tournament years are next.

Here is the board as it is being lasered. This Epilog lasering machine is amazing, turning blanks pieces of wood into stunning displays…..

Here is the board after lasering has been completed using the Epilog lasering maching. The spaces below the years there will be a brass plate installed for each years winner.

This project is nearing the end. The edges have been rounded over. The key hole slot in the back to hang it on the wall for display has been routed, and the slot has been routered in the back to hold the custom metal pegs. In the peg out hole I inserted a nice walnut circle to highlight the hole. Now some hearty sanding and application of the finish…..

Poly coats has been applied….some fine sanding….. then this nice board will be packed up and headed towards Portland, Oregon before December 22, 2009. There it will become a part of this years family holiday tournament and others for years to come. Best of luck to the players and the ultimate winners….I have greatly enjoyed working on this project.

For more information about ordering your own custom board go to: http://www.splinterswoodworks.com/

This will be a project of love in the creation of a family heirloom. However I am sure it will become a popular project once it is completed.

It all began a few weeks ago with a phone call from my youngest daughter, and it went something like this:

She said “Dad…..would you build me a rocking chair?”

I said “Ummmmmm……Ok…….but this is the person who has been supposed to make you a pepper grinder for the last four years and you still don’t have it”

she then says “well I think you will have a bit more incentive with this request.”

then I said “Hmmmm oh really! Is there something you are not telling me?”

she then says ” Well…….yeah I am due in the spring so you have 9 months(now 5 months)”

then I said “cool, congratulations or something like that, after excitedly hollering in her ear and doing the happy dance”

After searching on the internet and asking around, a LumberJocks friend said to me, you need to check out my buddies website. He said this guy is great and if you need help with his plans, he will be more than happy to help.

Once I started going through his site I knew I was in the right spot. As luck would have it, as we were talking, he said he had just completed plans, DVD and a template set on the very chair I was asking about. He said however, they won’t be ready for several weeks. This was alright with me because of an upcoming trip to the Midwest and a list of pending project orders once I returned. I told him my plans and asked how much wood I would need for this project. He gave me my answer and then said being we would be passing right by his place near I-90, to stop by and check out one of his works in progress. Unfortunately weather took over and we were unable to stop on the way home, but a visit is in my future.

During the trip scheduled to the Midwest to visit family and considering the cost of hardwood lumber here in Montana compared to the price where it is grown and harvested in the Midwest. I decided to check out what there was to choose from.

During a conversation with another woodworking buddy from LumberJocks who happens to live in the Midwest near where I was headed, made this comment. “You have to go check out these guys. They are great and I really like them and their setup”. He provided me with directions, but was unfortunately unable to go with me because of previous plans.

With my brother driving (whom we were visiting) and my wife, we were off to find the sawmill. Not really knowing what to expect, but trusting my woodworking buddy, I was excited.

As we pulled into the drive the first thing we saw was this sign. I knew then everything was going to be great.

Simpson & Son is a small family run business in Northwest Missouri and as soon as we started talking with the folks there I knew we were in the right spot.  They took the time on this cool crispy morning to chat with us and hear our stories, and tell us a few of their own. They obviously were very knowledgeable about the wood they worked with and were very patient with me as I went about selecting just the right pieces of wood for this project.

Eyeing all the lumber stacked in sheds, and this was just one of them, I knew it would be a tough job, but one I was willing to take on.

Now the fun began, trying to pick the right pieces of walnut, which is the wood chose by my daughter and I.

I had been told I needed to get 8/4 lumber (2 inch thick) and that I would need about 50 bdft. Hopefully I picked up enough extra pieces just in case the saws make some miscuts.

My next problem was to not try and load up all the wood that I had to chose from. Putting me in this place was like putting a kid in a candy store. Oh my!!!!

I did behave for the most part and only got the wood that I needed along with a few other pieces of various other types of wood.

Well….they were using them as fuel for their burn barrel to keep warm while working outside. How could I possibly let those nice pieces of Oak, Maple, Sycamore, Cherry, Elm, etc etc etc…..end up as ashes..when I could picture the nice cribbage boards and other unknown projects they would make..

This is the pile of Walnut that I chose for this project. It is now acclimating to the inside of my shop and waiting for the project to begin.

I am trying to catch up on pending project orders and stock for up coming shows, while I wait for the plans and templates for this project.

Once I begin the building of this project, I plan on doing a blog as to this whole process and the trials and tests I go through. Scott the designer of these plans said, “no problem, you should be able to get it done in 1-2 weeks”

I just smiled to myself and thought….hmmm  …… Yeah Right…… OK, we will see!

Stay tuned!!!

For more information about ordering your own custom project go to:

http://www.splinterswoodworks.com/

This is the provided photo we started with…Taken by Bob Chinn while hiking in Glacier National Park. We will use this photos to create two boards for this client.

Bob has graciously allowed me to use his photos on other boards I have created. (see example) and future boards I will create for display for sale at art shows and on my website.

If you have that special photo you really like, let us turn it into a custom item, which will last for generations. (Click on photos for enhanced view)

This photo has special memories to him and the person who will receive the cribbage boards as a gift.  It will be a learning experience for all because they will be learning how to play the game of cribbage, while having memories of meeting this guy in Glacier National Park.

The lasering machine will only do black and white images, so we had to convert and crop the photo for use. This is the image shape we will use on the cribbage boards,

These boards are being made out of hard maple and will have a four person track drilled on each board. The photo will be lasered in the upper left hand side of the board.

This is a closeup shot of just the lasering of the bear.  The details of the Grizzly are incredible. You almost feel like you are meeting him face to face on the trail like Bob did.

The lasering has been completed and as you can see it came out really well.  I have to lightly sand the photo and add some finish which with other boards has enhanced the photo. We will see what happens with this one.

This is a photo of the whole board.  The dark circle around the finish hole is a piece of inlaid walnut.  I think it really adds a nice touch. Now the edge will be routed and the slot on the back to hold the pegs will be created, then final sanding and these boards will be ready to be on their way.

Here is the finished two cribbage boards which will be on their way to Illinois on Monday morning. The photo really popped out nice when the finish was applied.  These boards will be treasured for many years to come.

For more information about ordering your own custom board go to:
http://www.splinterswoodworks.com/

As of this day I will begin to make posts here about the projects and orders I am working on in my little world of woodworking.  Follow me through the process and my postings.

Welcome to my blog and please feel free to leave comments.

Splinters