What's on the bench? January 2022

[size 4] That Canvasback deadmount carving is nearing completion. Lots of "hard water" in the sloughs and debris on the ramps due to the rise & fall of river stage levels has kept me from going down to the River at the tail end of our season, so i have consoled myself by doing some painting each day.



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Dani, agreed--and some of us will unfortunately learn/remember how quickly these newfangled workbenches and other similar furniture goes to Landfill !
 
All~


re plastic for Oldsquaw and Pintail stool: I have found that heavy industrial barrels - and some of the better quality trash can lids - provide a plastic that is tough yet remains flexible in severe cold. I typically make a full tail insert. I sand (60-grit) the plastic for tooth, and then wipe it with acetone so the epoxy (or caulk) will hold it in place.


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Epoxy accepts fine sawdust to allow paint to stick nicely.


Bill's idea of zip ties - esp. the large industrial grade ones given to me by my local power company crew - sound promising.


On other fronts - here are some Pintails From the Bench of George Williams:


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Birds' eye view....


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I am still finishing a few birds....here they are getting their epoxy sealer treatments.



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More details on these 3 in my decoy repair post.


All the best,


SJS





 
With the month winding down and duck season almost over I've managed to make a tad bit of progress on the workbench. I machined new legs since the old ones rotted off and the previous owner sawed them off and nailed 2x4s on the stumps to hold the bench together. Making the legs was challenging. I had to derive the dimensions and make certain I put the joinery in the proper location, i.e. keep up with left, right, front and back. The joinery includes grooves for the side panels and mortise and tenons on all corners doubly held together by draw bolts. Let me tell you, this thing is STOUT. The next step it to fit a new floor, refinish, and reassemble. Still a way to go but I feel like the critical steps are behind me.

Eric
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Good morning, Eric~


Gorgeous work - of course!


I smiled as I read about your need to keep the orientation of each piece straight. My projects like this involve lots of arrows and numbers and letters, INs and OUTs, LEFTs and RIGHTS - or PORTs and STBDs - written in ink if I'll be painting, in light pencil or chalk if a bright finish.


Carry on!


SJS





 
Steve

I had to keep each leg standing upright thus mocking up its final location just to keep it all straight in my mind, plus a lot of pencil marks. Honestly I surprised myself by not having to re-do a leg. But there's still plenty of time to screw up the finish :)

Eric
 
Richard Lathrop said:
It is good to know that I am not the only one marking up my projects with directions.

Rick
Click to expand...

Rick

Based upon personal experiences, I think spatial reasoning declines as we age. I'm sure somebody has studied that in a clinical setting, but I for one can say the older I get the harder it is for me to juggle 3d objects in my mind that must fit together in a certain way. However, I recognize this and slow down and make marks to keep from screwing things up.

Eric
 
Not only impressed by the workmanship, Eric, but the lighting in your shop looks wonderful!
You sure did that up right.
 
Thanks, I mark up to keep track of what I am doing, which part is which, outside faces and grain orientation. More because I forget what I am doing at times when a project is spread over several days.

Rick
 
Nice save Eric. It?s always hard to keep legs in proper orientation and place. Now flip it over and try keeping it all straight in your mind.
 

Eric,

Mighty fine job on the work bench, and stout legs mean it will take lotta good use.

Two thumbs up!


As far as placing marks and notations on work projects. I've been doin' it on my carvings for years, has much more to do with sanity than getting older.

The marks help prevent "Ballpeen moments", as my buddy at the boatworks called em. He made a error one day, got very angry and threw a ballpeen hammer against the wall. It bounced back and damn near beaned em.


Best regards
Vince
 
Eric, Vince et al~


Not quite a "ballpeen moment" - more of a ssssiiiiggghhhhh of acknowledgement several years ago....


I was refinishing an old nav light - a traditional combination bow light with flag socket for CASSIOPEIA. It would mount on the top of the pilothouse:



View attachment 17 Cassiopeia - 21 November 2014.jpg



The light was probably from the 1940s or 50s - from my Dad. It was all bronze. The lenses were real glass. The small parts were held together with actual machine screws and nuts. My Dad had painted it somewhere along the line, so I stripped it and polished each of the parts. I thoroughly enjoyed putting it back together - until I was done! Working with it upside down on my lap, I proudly held it up to admire my handiwork: Sure enough, green on port, red on starboard!


( I was probably 7 or 8 when I was taught about port and starboard et cetera.)


Ten more minutes later and all was saved. Such rarely happens so easily after wooden parts have been glued, screwed, and the like.


All the best,


SJS







 
Joe~


It is, indeed, Cap'n Kessler. I built the pilothouse for what had been an open vessel - 25' LOA - several years back.


All the best,


SJS


 
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