• Corrugated Cold Frames

    After a long winter, it takes too much guesswork and patience to wait for the last frosty night before setting out tender plans that were started under LED grow lights in the basement back in February. In past years, we often had to deploy sheets, buckets and pots to protect plants in the garden from…

  • Jan’s Mahan Clan Cutting Board

    I’m a first cousin once removed of Dr. Harry James (Jim) Mahan. Jim was the family historian for many years, and he compiled a wealth of information about the Mahan, Campbell, Harvey, Miller and other related families. With permission from Jim’s wife, Jan, I have assumed the honors of preserving Jim’s work, making it more…

  • Linda’s Knitting Needles

    Through many beautiful knitting projects, Linda’s set of rosewood knitting needles developed a couple of orphans, right in the heart of her most used needle sizes. I thought, “Gee, I have a lathe. If I can find some rosewood, how hard could it be to turn her a couple of replacements?” Well, as it turns…

  • New Jewelry Set in Stone Space

    Stephen and Katie have acquired a beautiful new space for their custom jewelry business, Jewelry Set in Stone, located on the second floor of the historic Clocktower Building in Chelsea, Michigan. Once they had access to this bright, light-filled space, Stephen asked me to help him decide on some decorating and arrangement decisions. The best…

  • Score Four

    A fond childhood memory was sitting at the kitchen table, usually in the wintertime, and playing game after game of Score Four. I think we only ever played by the basic rules, and as soon as someone won by getting four of their color beads in any straight row, the game was over and we’d…

  • Christmas Projects 2021

    Some of the ideas for this year’s small Christmas projects were inspired by special pieces of wood already in the shop. Other ideas came from woodworking magazines, offhand comments by others, and even a meme from the world of cryptocurrency. Rustic Bud Vases These pieces were made from a dried butternut bowl blank from a…

  • Kyle’s Coaster Holder

    On a recent visit to Rio Verde, Arizona, Jeff and Debbie took us to the cool town of Cave Creek. The main thoroughfare is lined with unique shops, art galleries, restaurants and even a shop called The Town Dump, a quirky gift shop that, sadly, has closed after 42 years in business. Lucky for us,…

  • Kyle’s Knife Block

    Kyle brought his set of kitchen knives over to sharpen them with my diamond plate and water stones. The knives were in great shape but his original knife block was water-marked and starting to delaminate a bit. It was in the fall, so I had plenty of time to draw up a design and have…

  • Nevis’s Murphy Desk

    Nevis, one of our young neighborhood friends, asked me if I would help him build a Murphy Desk to hang on the wall in his room. Of course, I said yes immediately. Doing joint projects in the workshop is one of my favorite things to do, and passing along a bit of passion and knowledge…

  • Metal / Wood Plaque Joint Project

    Every since my buddy Al put a Langmuir Crossfire Pro CNC plasma cutter in his shop, we’ve talked about doing a joint metal / wood project. A wonderful reunion of three couples, all lifelong friends, finally presented the perfect opportunity to make commemorative plaques a joint project. Starting in Al’s shop, we cut out mountain…