My ass is tired....

(original from local paper)

I saw this picture the other day and dunno why but I knew I had to work a pattern on it. Was supposed to be for scroll saw, but I`m gonna Piro this one. Gut feeling, I don`t ask why... I just go with it.



(Piro pattern)

I patterned it for Piro (wood burning) and for scroll cutting. Anyone wants to use this pattern, fine by me. But not for profit. Let me know how it turns out, mean time, I got some wood to burn!


(Scroll pattern)


I still got work to do on the scroll pattern but I`m probably not gonna finish it because I won`t be cutting it.

Next

It`s A sickness now. I`m designing another project. Thought I was done for the year. It came to me tonight. Well ok, I saw something like it in a magazine.... sort of. I added some more to the idea.

This will be the biggest scroll-mirror-etch thingy Iv` e done yet! Stay tuned.

Give ya a hint. NO EAGLES. Doves maybe....

Bragging rights

Almost done this one. Just need to sand and seal the wood. Gonna wait till I have more to spray, takes a lot of clean up.....















I think it looks gorgeous! And its all mine (Unless I see $45 CAD in my palm)

I loved the eagles....until I heard they was a country ...

I learned a lot from this current project. For one, maybe I gotta get off the animal theme for a bit, or get a eagle or hawk or summin...


Next I learned, if you drop glass.... don`t expect much else to happen.... ya it breaks a bit. Um learned that sand in the eyes hurts, buy REAL THICK leather gloves, glass gets revengeful when you try and break it on purpose.

It seems to fogive a bit when its an accident but my good God, never tell it what you plan to do to it... just do it, like a bandaid deal...

I learned to actualy LOOK at what i`m doing. I etched the mirror, then lucky I scanned it into cmputer b4 taking the stencil off, I realized I`d missed 2 places in the stencil. Was able to fix it, oh and wear the damn gloves when u sandblast as well....


I`ll have pics within a day... stay tuned

I`ve been thinkin

Were`d everybody go?





I did a pattern a while back of my own. It was inspired by my bathroom.

Oh sick, NO don`t go that route! I had an idea from my tiles in the bathroom. Anyway. I have a floralish pattern (OK I dont have a clue what it is) but the installer of the tiles knew about patterns, but then he got Zen or something half way thru and I dunno..... I hate the damn wall....
But... I thought long and hard, and thought about carrying on the tile patt to the mirror!!!


So anywho. I was thinking of etching a mirror or a shower stall to go with the tile pattern and pattern of the pattern. I can`t afford to do this with my own house, but i`ll try it with yours. Drop me a email. It`s free to see what I COULD do. Could cost you a shit load but free to see what I could do.

A time to reflect....

This is the mirror finished. Some freaky pics I took...




Painted the scrolled "frame" black. Not just black, I had it professional sprayed (Thanks Rod!) with Basecoat Clearcoat auto paint! I call it the spirit of the looker. And this thing does some weird stuff in different lighting, makes it kinda alive or a "spirit". And I`m not even working with solvents tonight......

















I need a portrait idea. ANYONE reading this, tell me who an interesting scrolled portrait could be.... maybe even someone you know? Maybe not.

Almost done

Heres the wood cut, with the etched glass. Just gotta figure out how to finish the wood... and how to marry the two.



Now, do I sand and leave the wood as is or do I paint it? And if I paint it what colour? I think black.... nice gloss black...

Just did the math, I added like 300 years of bad luck....

I was freaked out for a bit after cutting these mirrors because of the superstitious law of pending bad luck. Then justified that I wasn`t breaking the mirrors I was cutting and reshaping them. Then I remembered the test pieces that I smashed.... and then I remembered that I don`t believe mirrors have any magical spell on them. Then I remembered to turn the exhaust fan on.... these solvents are kinda strong.


Here`s the best pic I got yet, actually scanned it.




















Actualy now I look at this closer, don`t think i`m that happy with my work. I`m done almost all the cuts (just the name left, even thats piloted) So `ill finish this one. I wouldn`t let this go as a paid peice though.

Lost alot of detail in the etch. Thinking maybe I`ll set this glass aside and attempt a better etch? Now i`m thinking too much agin....

.... who`s the fairest of them all?

Some things in life we just never give any real thought about, until you try and do them....

I needed to take a picture of a mirror. No big deal right? Now think about it some more. How do you take a good picture of something that hardly ever shows you what it looks like but rather what everything AROUND it looks like backwards!
Well theres me looking thru the camera, now theres the wall shot, look, my feet. Oh and heres a good one, a picture of my messy house from several odd angles.

Well here they are, hope I did good enough. Does anyone have a way to take a good picture of a mirror? Please let me know.

This is the backing piece for my friends gift. I decided to go with a job that I hadnt done b4 so my rule is still sacred lol.

I etched the glass in minus 13C outside. Was afraid that may cause me problems but not a one.

Took me an hour to pattern the glass, 2 minutes to etch it then 1/2 hour of cleaning the pattern off of the glass. Woulda been faster to cut the pattern in wood.... oh well.

Tiss the season

Wow. I went shopping early to avoid the crowds. If I avoided the crowds then God help the poor saps that got caught up in the crowd.


I Went to buy some wood today for a few projects. I didn`t find what I needed for one of my projects (but found something I wanted to buy but man, the line wa so freakin long at check out I gave up)

Started my friends CHRISTmass gift, first time ever with this idea, and it`s bummin me out.!

It is scrolled wppd, with a mirror back, and the mirror is etched. each peice alone looks awesome. the mirror pattern is freakin me out!!! LOL. I don`t wanna give this one away either...


I`ll post a pic or 2

I cherish the memories

I`d wake up on Sunday morning to the smell of Mom cooking the new clock.....


No wait! thats me.

I had a problem with protecting the wood I had cut. I use clear coats or sealers but in the winter, they dry so slow. So I had the the idea of baking the wood finish.

Well, don`t that make the house smell good? And dont forget them, wood is a bit flammable.

First couple I tried turned out good, then the one I wanted to look good, I baked say a little too long? Thank God for sandpaper... lesson learned?


I`m thinking of a toy bake oven with the light bulb, think i`ll build a slow cook box...

Not kidding,
next time

My freakin heads gonna pop

I was planning all year to give 2 of my best friends (a couple) a great Christmas gift this year. I even knew I wanted to do something in wood for them and only for them. Something special. Well tonight I think I did it.

I had ideas of things to do but it wasnt until tonight that everything came together. After a few hours of daydreaming watching mindless TV, I realized a pattern, and I sketched it. I can see it, I think they`d love it!

Now just a lot more planning and patterning. Cut the 3 mediums i`m thinking of, assemble, oh and finish all the other projects, all before Dec 20/06 HAHAHAHAHAHA ya right




However I seem to be going against a big rule I have. I don`t like to repeat myself, in all aspects of life. Yet I created a pattern that is new to me and i`ve never seen one like it b4, but I am incorporating a couple of images into it that I have used b4 but not in the same mediums or aspects.

So therefore I hope I am doing something original for 2 of my best friends. I`ll post and update, I don`t have much time to do this...

Glass runneth over....

Ok, should be cup, and I don`t speaketh that way anyway...


I`ve learned how to cut glass now (self taught so probably pissin everyone who actually knows how to do it, off)

Hey thats different! I cut the glass, usually it`s the other way around!


Took me a bit, but I guessed my problem was I was afraid the glass would be too fragile. It can be, but you gotta know how far you can push it. I have a little background knowledge of steel, wood and glass... and a couple other things, so I took a leap of faith...

I`m ready for the next stage (actually I tried the first stage already, this was the second stage but the first first stage didn`t work cuz the sandblaster I bought was a POS so now the second stage is the new first stage and the first first stage is the second stage. Geeze, I should vent the shop when I`m using solvents)

put out the flames

Tada!

Oh man, flames are everywere....

What happens when you take one of best hockey teams in the NHL, probably THE BEST in Canada...




And design a portrait of one of the best PLAYERS in world ...











I`ll show you next time... I love it... gonna cut it.

Tool time

You know, I used to watch the show Tool Time and best part of the show was Tim`s beefed up tools and appliances.
What my point? Well I ran into a snag with my wood working. The throat on my drill press is now too small for a lot of the work i`m doing. At first I was kicking myself for not buying the best of the best right off the start, and I realized by looking around, a "better" drill press would still have the limited throat.
So here I was figuring out how to make my hand held drill act as a large yet still accurate drill press of sorts. And it came to me. I can make my existing drill press INTO SOMETHING BIGGER and BETTER!
Then I actually grunted when I realized how I could do it....

Dogs dont buy insurance....

I made an amazing obsevation tonight. I came upstairs and was heading thru the kitchen to get to the living room, along the way, my dog is eating her supper (in the kitchen). She sees me coming out of the corner of her eye, gives her tail a big wag, then side steps to the left to let me passs her into the kitchen, all of this without once ever picking her head out of the dish or a slightest pause from chowing down, the then gives her tail another big wag, and side steps to the right to let me pass thru into the living room, again not a single missed crunch. And I didnt have to say or gesture a thing.

Amazing right? Not really? Well 20 minutes before this, I was standing in line at a insurance place. After some time, one of the staff members finally notices that there is a line up and only one person working. Finally another spot opens up on the counter, but before I can get there, this idiot at the counter is blocking my way, I say excuse me, nothing. The employee asked him to move, he grunts and takes a step to the side, completely blocking me. Now finally another register opens up but I`m not next in line now, I`m dancing with this bozo.

It dawns on me tonight when I finally get to sit down in my chair in the living room. My Dog has more common sence ........


Then there`s irony. I was on my way to get plates (auto insurance) and some idiot decides to do a lane change in an intersection. Good thing I was awake, then he flips me off.......

And then, while i`m thinking of writing this, I`m watching Corner Gas and Hank is bloggin, thats it, i`m not doin this anymore.....

I`ve learned over the years...

I`ve learned a few things. Stubborn as I am....

I sometimes (ya i know, I had to stop cuzz I was laughin so hard too, take your time) I get sidetracked. I`ve learned, get ready kids, there is a reason I stop a project. Don`t matter what it is... if I suddenly stop it, its for a reason.
Others may think I got lazy, what I got was overthinkin it.

And then it happens. Wait long enough and sometimes it happens. No I`m not saying someone else finishes your job for you, I`m sayin you take it to another level.


Yep. Thats right. You`v e done it too.

Was gonna do a scroll of the pro team in my home area, the riders. Then I thought and thought and it got parked. Then it dawned on me, I should do it as a Intarsia project, redesigned it and almost put it on the board, but it got parked.
Well hallejuia, I`m so glad I didnt do anything yet. I got it. instead of intarsia, scroll the frame, fret the bottom half and etch the top into a mirror.

And I`m OFF.....!!!!!!!!

Too many ideas

Hear the saying "Too many cooks spoil the broth" well... to many ideas can royaly screw you up too.


I have so many new ideas and not the time to do them.

I had a great night last night. Friend helped me out big time with a pattern. And then I realized how awesome I could change the wood and create the frame.... Was gonna go buy the stuff I needed today but I didnt feel well today and hope i`ll go tommorow.

Finished a few more projects, I`m not putting them here or my website for a reason. Someday they`ll get there.

Wow, I havn`t worked on the website in weeks... oh well, no one actualy sees this anyway.

damn pumpkins

Wow, they should use pumpkins for ballistic evidence, I got pics... i`ll make a story and share later, for now. I got pics...

Did a pumpkin logo (thats like, you know, not in wood.. so its different)





not bad eh? heres at night........ oh scary!

I need to hire someone....

I`m doin this and that and really getin nuttin done anywhere. But I plug on...


I`ve thought of 8 new prtojects since I last blogged. I`v cute 2 or three. i bought more toys for these projects... this is addicting.

anywho, my dumbest problem at the moment is how to get cut pumpkins to stay nice for more than a day...

bloggless

between the problems with my ISP, this blogger site and my real job, I been busy..lol.

I have several projects done since last blog entry but cant get them onto either website.....

now i figgured out my ISP so i`ll update that...soon

I`m gettin paid to do this...

Go figure, been busy workin on a couple projects, finished some other up. Most interestinly (spellcheckers hate me) I`m doin something that someone ASKED me to do!

I`ll post some of what i`ve done, no really I will. Almost done cutting the first idea I have, patterned the second one out already, so it`ll go next. Best thing about this is, I get to keep the one she doesn't want. Awesome... lol!

Anyway, not gettin nothing done by doing this entry so lata!

What`s in a name?

I rarely promote anything that is main stream. It doesn`t need me, what is needed is promoting what is good.
I laid out the money for my new scroll saw (what you think I was gonna plug?)
Well I have to say wow. I bought a Canadian Tire scroll saw almost 9 months ago (mastercraft) and although I say they make very good products (except for the jobmate series of anything) i gotta say crap. Poor design, and the warranty is wishywashy. So I bought a Dremel. Paid 3 times more than the mastercraft one and worth 10 times more than that.
I dont use the cutting foot anymore (dont know what that is then email me) the table chatter is so bloody minimal that I often create the chatter of my own fault because I`m SOOOOO relaxed using this saw.

Hats off to Dremel. Love this machine, and that fartsy hobby show I attended, had my model all over the place, so I musta made a good buy. I paid good money for this, and so should not warrant any advertising from me but... again, hats off to dremel, very nice tool.

Only bark I got is this, why cant anyone make a decent sanding attatchment for scroll saws??? I thought i`d find one at the show but same crap I bought prior to it and they dont even fit ANY saw that I know of... oh well.

http://www.mytoolstore.com/dremel/scroll.html

Enough of this already...

You know, if people just dont see it why don`t I just drop it already?





So did that make it clearer? How about this....
Yes I think I need mental help too... lol. But when you look at this thing on the wall... you do see something odd sometimes or maybe my imagination is a little to active? This is it, no more said about it... lets carry on now.

Roger that

Was brought to my attention that some may not know who roger is.

In a previous entry I have a babe and a alien side by side, the alien is on the right side. He`s Roger. He is from I think a FOX animated show on sunday nights bla bla bla called American Dad. Show not so funny, Roger character, funny. Ish.

I`m going to do a flash for this ... I`ll do it tomorrow and post it here... no really, promise, it`ll be here within a week.

No one`s reading anyway...

I do things in spurts and jerks, just ask the wife... (rimshot please)

Anywho, I mentioned I went to that local hobby show. No one could believe that I would be so naive as to how it would be ran. Sorry now I know.
Now whats pissed me off is this, I`ve heard NOTHING about the show. No turn out numbers, and I wanna know who won the contests, Unless this was on local radio (I pay not to listen to that crap. I`d pay alot more to never have to listen to the shitty radio we have here)

Just realized my audience may have tender ears (ok, eyes) and I`ll stop my random cursing now... sorry.

Anyway, working on another couple of not for sale projects... hope they turn out nice. Actually one of them is a piro/scroll/reverse piro/relief sanding project. I`ve have never done one of these B4 so crossing fingers.

Nude adult theme

Ok... here`s the latest. And keep in mind... if you see the alien then your Looking at the pic not seeing it













No shit of a lie. if you just look at this one on the wall... you`ll see some crap. I call it the alien.... if you SEE the belly button doin some wierd shit then your not SEEING the scroll work I done.... And it`s funny as hell... cuz you`ll see Roger instead.... now look agin, thats one nice lookin lady I worked into that wood, stop seein the alien already!

Ok Here I go

So this is the launch. Lets do launch sometime


Anyway. I have come to some realizenationshish, let the spell checker deal with it...

I love the wow effect. I don`t really think I wanna get rich here, I just love the wow effect. And so I`m going to move forward with getting a non profit shop up and running. Non profit means non cost too.... so thats ultimate goal, get many people doing this, cost ME nothing... have fun.

I`m an idiot

ok, I learned myslef how to use the html and uplad my pics.... then just now learned that theres a button on this thing that does it...

Freakin genious

testing pictures

Ok now here it goes...

I went to a local hobby show. I was told I should enter some of my work in the contest but I thought naw, i`d embarrass myself. In the scroll work area, with exception of a couple fret work jobs, everything I`ve done woulda rocked that place.
Maybe next year. I didnt go to brag my own work or anything, I was interested in seeing the talent in the area, and there is that indeed, the carvings on display.... mind boggling.... Absolutely amazing!




One thing I am gonna bitch about here is how the show seemed to be ran. I was turned off by approaching a booth because something caught my eye then have a salesperson try and ram shit down my throat. There were some salespeople that seemed to actually like wood work and dealing with all these people. Thats what I thought I was gonna see there, a bunch of small business and hobbyist, along with some of the big boys, saw COMMERCIAL everywhere and the people who are ACTUALLY working with the wood and willing to talk to people about it, are buried WAYYYYYYYY in the back, it almost looked off limits to go back there.... but I`ll wait to see what the revues are like on it, maybe I was havin a shitty day.. who knows.





Anyway, welcome to the new Blog site. This is in conjunction with all the other stuff I`m doing and so various things may appear here, things may not....
this site is also a way for people to say something to me or whatever instead of the "old fashioned" email. Has it come to that yet? Text messaging and blogging beating email yet?

Anyway, till another time, I gotta go learn how to upload pictures here.

Gettin it together...

Ok, I`m almost up and running. Bought a new scroll saw... got parts for old saw... i`m rockin. The new site for selling work is amost a go.... but i`m working on a hundred things at a time so give me a break.

This is supposed to allow me to place my thoughts easy and have a jump off to a easy way to email me too...

working on all this

Need sommn up

just started give me a break