Valley Junction Farmer's Market - Let's Try That Again

We got rained out on the 30th, but I will give it another go at the Goodsmiths.com booth at the Valley Junction Farmer's Market on Thursday June 13th. Hope to see you there!

Also if you look to the right (and below), you'll see the new button to get to my Goodsmiths store. Father's day is right around the corner...

New Listings in Online Store & An Upcoming Show

I've added quite a few new items to my online store on Goodsmiths.com  (also some pics below) I'm getting more items in the store in anticipation of joining the Goodsmiths' staff and another artist at the Valley Junction Farmer's Market on May 30th from 4-8pm.

I was invited by Goodsmiths as part of their promotion of a new app, Swipe by Goodsmiths that links your sales at art and craft shows with your Goodsmith shop! I'm told the Android verion is coming soon. More info is available here. Can't wait to join them at the farmer's market and try out Swipe! Hope to see you all there!




Spalted Maple Bowl

 

Spalted Hackberry Bowl



Burr Oak Decorative Bowl



Natural Edge Butternut Bowl



What To Do With The Small Bits Of Wood...

Every woodworker struggles with saving or throwing out scraps of wood. Some say if it hasn't been used in a few months it's gone. Others (like me) hold on to even the smallest piece of wood if it has amazing character to it. I have boxes and boxes of bits of wood that are the size of a golf ball or even smaller. A few years ago I made some necklaces from some of it, but the boxes of bits continued to grow. I'm participating in Market Day next month on the 18th and I needed some smaller, lower priced items to go along with my bowls, vases, bottle stoppers, etc. What I came up with were earrings, necklaces, key chains, tops, buttons, fridge magnets and a few other items.

Below are a few pictures of some of them. Stop by my booth at Market Day inside of Gramcery Tap at 400 Walnut St. before or after you enjoy the Downtown Farmers Market on May 18th from 8am-1pm and you can see them for yourself!

Large Spalted Maple Side Tables

This week I completed a couple of big thick tables out of some large maple logs I acquired last fall. The logs came from a tree that had been dead for quite awhile and after being cut down the logs were just left along the road. It took some heavy lifting, but I got them home and got the general shape I wanted with a chainsaw.



After LOTS of power and hand sanding, I put a coat of oil all over them, signed it and drilled the holes for the steal legs. After more sanding and several more coats of oil they are done! The client/friend asked for them to be tall and they are at 32" and 28". The widths are about 11" X 12" squarish. I'm delivering them after the everyday job is over tonight. Will try and get some pics of the installed and share later.

New Online Store! - Goodsmiths.com

Towards the end of last year, I was told about a new online store that would be going live sometime in early 2012 that would cater to people that handcraft their pieces. The name is http://www.goodsmith.com/ and they call themselves "The Marketplace for Makers". It's even a local company which I like even more. The site launch was delayed a bit, but it's live now and I've just recently started to update some items on the site. There are some pretty cool advantages to Goodsmith over Etsy.com, anyone that is a "maker" should check it out.

Please take the time to browse my wares at https://www.goodsmiths.com/maubow I will continue to have pieces at The Mansion in Des Moines, but this online store will enable people outside of the area to purchase a piece. Below are a few of the most recent items added. I'll be adding more and more items as I have time. Thanks, Jeff

Spalted Maple Log Tables

Way back in the spring, a good friend told me he could build a new computer for me. I needed one and he had the know how and would enjoy doing it. I asked how much and he said he and his wife really liked the tables I had made for my Sister-in-law last year. I received the computer back in July...I don't like rush into things....

OK so I know it is now almost October, it took me awhile to find some logs big enough to make them, but I just finished them up last night. They will be in town this weekend to pick them up. Like I said I dont' like to rush into things...

They are all right around 17" tall The middle one is the largest at about 15" from corner to corner. The legs are steel tubes painted black with rubber feet. The finish is 10 coats of my home brew danish oil. I thought about poly, but didn't want the wood to look shiny...coasters will be needed for sure! I have a crotch section from this same log that I hope to make a coffee table out of as well...

Sneak Peak

I'm about half finished with my latest project and though I'd give you a sneak peak since it's been so long since the last post....The hunk of wood is some ugly spalted maple...the oil has been applied...finished pics will come next week if all goes well this weekend.

Spalted Maple "Mushroom"

This is a new form for me, but I think I see more in the future. Actually, I have already made 2 more pieces similar to this one.

I had a big piece of spalted maple that wouldn’t fit on the lathe so I cut it into a somewhat circular shape on the bandsaw. When I put it on the lathe I decided it the shape looked good without making it perfectly round. I turned the face flat and then put a small bowl like center into it. Then I took put my King Arthur Lancelot disk on the grinder and used it to make the “mushroom cap” effect on it.  Next came some dark walnut stain and some danish oil. (You can see more detail of the stained area in the pic below) The base came from a very old rough sawn oak plank that I found in my dad’s wood stash back in KS before my parents moved to IA. The posts are were cut from a brass rod I found in a dumpster a few years ago.


This piece will be available for purchase at The Mansion at 2801 Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines, IA during my demo that is part of ArtStop this coming weekend....See you all there! 

A Few New Bowls

My dad and I are sharing a booth at an art show on the 22nd so I needed to finish up a few more bowls for the show. I turned all 9 of these this past Saturday. The four on the left are bur oak and range in size from 5" to 10". The middle four are spalted hackberry and range in size from 6" to 13" and the thick one in the upper right is spalted maple which is about 11". I will be finishing the bases up tonight and getting some more oil put on them as well. All that's left to do for the show are some bottle stoppers and a few week pots.

More Bottle Stoppers

I was told that Ruth Niles had the best stainless steel bottle stoppers available by many woodturning friends, so my dad and I ordered some from her. (you can too, click here) Once they arrived I had to agree with everyone, the stoppers are machined perfectly, and they look great! I had prepared about 20 stoppers before they arrived and last night I assembled 10 of them with Ruth's stoppers. The 2 stoppers on the right of the photo were purchased from Woodsmith. They are good stoppers, but Ruth's are far superior as they are solid stainless and not plated like the others.These will be available at The Mansion in Des Moines.  Below is a pic of them all and some close ups.

Spalted Hackberry

Mullberry

Peach and Cherry

Spalted Maple

Spalted Maple Natural Edge

I'm almost out of my first wood score from just over 2yrs ago. I saw a HUGE maple that had been cut into good size chunks and I took as much as I could. Some of it rotted, but some of it spalted nicely and these two bowls are from some of the last of it. The big one is 11" and the smaller one is about 8" There were some punky areas that let to some tear out, but I don't think it takes to much away from them. I can't believe the bark stayed on...no CA glue was needed to help either.

A Few Bottle Stoppers

First batch of bottle stoppers are done. They are made from spalted maple, oak, walnut, peach, spalted hackberry and osage orage (hedge). I will be getting some stainless steel stoppers very soon to add to the mix. These would make great holiday gifts...taking orders now!

I mounted a good sized spalted maple log to the lathe and got it round.

The shape was going well...

I was pretty much done hollowing it, just needed to scrap it smooth...It was pretty punky in the base but I though I could clean it up...then I thought, just a little thinner...then I thought OH NOOOOO!!! Then I remembered Neal Addy's sig line on WoodNet...."Never, under ANY circumstances, make the last cut."

About 3hrs work with a not so good result. Oh well, its just wood and my time...still kinda upset about it though. Nice looking spalted maple too...I guess there always another log, right.

Spalted Maple

I've been turning quite a bit this past week as the weather has cooled off a little. Here are a couple spalted maple pieces. This wood is some I found along the road almost 2 years ago! I used the log which was about 2 feet wide and long to cut up blanks for quite awhile before finally cutting it up too.

The small bowl is 7" wide and about 5" tall and the platter is 12" round and about 3" tall.

Spalted Maple

Finally had some time at the lathe in the shop...this one is spalted maple, 8" wide and about 3" tall. Finish so far is just one coat of danish oil, but more finish sanding and some more oil are in its future. The wood was punky and I almost gave up on it. Originally the blank was just over 16" square and the 4" or so were to far gone to save as was the other side of the log. Still this one has some great spalting in it and I was very happy to get back at the lathe.