My new Hobby

Woodworking

Project #1 – The Medicine Cabinet

I had been using a mirror and separate medicine cabinet. We had just redone the wallpaper in the bathroom. At the same time I was playing around with my first dovetail and mortise and tenon joints in my newly outfitted wood shop. I added a mirror to the pieces of wood I had been playing with, did a lot of patch up work to cover my mistakes, and put a nice finish on it. The result is my new medicine cabinet. The door on this thing is very heavy. I used some 1” fiber board as the mirror backing. Even after sanding it down to about ½” the door is still very heavy. I used heavy duty hinges and hangers to support this heavy door. It opens and closes well. My wife says it looks “rustic”, I say a lot of my rookie mistakes are obvious, but it’s functional. Note the blue painters tape. We just finished putting up the green marble wallpaper, now we are painting the rest of the bathroom.

Project #2 – Pen Turning

I got a lathe for Christmas. I turned a pen for my own use. My wife, Joanna, liked it so I turned a pen and pencil set for her.

My Pen:

Joanna’s Pen and Pencil set:

Pen number four

Some pens I made for Christmas 2006 gifts

Project #3 – Dog Step Therapy

One of the people at Operation Kindness is doing therapy with dogs recovering from knee and hip injuries. She wanted something for the dogs to step over. She had been using a ladder. She found a device on line, but it only had two heights. Since she works with a wide variety of breeds, she wanted a few more step height options. I made a set of boards with holes for PVC pipe drilled at five heights, and a couple of handles. The extra holes provide more height options and make the boards a little lighter. Here’s the doggy stepper in action with its first client, Rex.

Project #4 – Bird House

My wife wanted a Bird House for Mother’s Day. I finished around Memorial Day. I’m glad this is a hobby and I’m not working to a schedule. The bird house is made from cedar. Sticking with my no nails policy, the bird house is held together with dowels and glue. I used boiled linseed oil for a finish.

Project #5 – Door

The door that keeps the dogs out of my study.

Project #6 – Jewelry Bowl

A purpleheart bowl that I made for my wife’s jewelry

Project #7 – Pepper Mill

A 10” wenge pepper mill: