Finally a better silverwear separator and some carving experiments
We've been using this hacked together silverware separator for the past couple of years. We made it out of a reclaimed dish drying rack, and as clever as it was, functional it was not. So, after several not so subtle hints, I decided to buckle down and make a new one today. I started out by cutting some rabbets and dadoes into some 1/4" oak strips. I bought a Stanley hand miter saw last year that I really like. It's got simple saw stop that really helps with cuts like this. Once I got everything ready to glue, I realized that I didn't have any way to clamp something this big. I tried to imagine what Dave, Melissa's Dad, would do as he is the jig master. After some thought, I put together a little gluing jig from scraps that kept it tight and square. Worked like a charm!
It is currently in use, but not quite finished. We opted to not use the tung oil and wait to get some food-grade oil. So, it might be awhile before it's done.
I also had a chance today to play with a new toy. It's a set of Power Grip carving tools that I grabbed last weekend from Rockler for $35. I opted for them because they were relatively cheap. The other brand, Two Cherries, that they carry cost $30-$50 per tool, so it made more sense to learn with something a bit more affordable. I was very impressed with them - incredibly sharp and accurate. I'm having a hard time imagining what would make the other tools that much better.
Little (probably not oak, but looks oak-ish) soap dish
So we needed a little soap dish to complement Melissa's hand made soap cakes. It's made from some 1/2" square strips of something unidentified*, rabbeted and glued. It's really simple, but I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. It would have been much easier to just go to Target, but it was kind of fun. The sucker has about five coats of tung oil, so I'm hoping it handles the moisture well. Only one way to find out!
*Originally I thought they were oak strips, but now I am unsure. Via fuzzy photos, Dave thinks that they are something South American. I may have to do some more research to figure it out. I'll post here if I do!
Garment Rack... functional at least
So, I've got a lot of hand planing to do, but the new garment rack is functional at least. I started by gluing up some cheap oak boards from the Depot and bolting/screwing them together at the joints. Not pretty, but it cleaned out a whole closet's worth of coats, so no complaints here :)