CJC5151 Posted December 2, 2010 Report Share Posted December 2, 2010 For the past six years ive been making xmas presents for the the same 10 women. (wife, mom, mominlaw, 2 sisters, 3 sisterinlaws, and 2 aunts) I make them all the same items every year. Its sort of become a tradition. The problem is im really stuck this year. Ive made cuttingboards, cheese trays, salad bowls, serving trays, picture frames, keepsake boxes, and im usually at the finishing stage by now so im sort of freaking out. So i thought id ask you guys what presents you are making. Thanks for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted December 2, 2010 Report Share Posted December 2, 2010 I'm making coffee grinders out of quarter sawn walnut, quarter sawn cherry, and quarter sawn oak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dryhter Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 For the past six years ive been making xmas presents for the the same 10 women. (wife, mom, mominlaw, 2 sisters, 3 sisterinlaws, and 2 aunts) I make them all the same items every year. Its sort of become a tradition. The problem is im really stuck this year. Ive made cuttingboards, cheese trays, salad bowls, serving trays, picture frames, keepsake boxes, and im usually at the finishing stage by now so im sort of freaking out. So i thought id ask you guys what presents you are making. Thanks for the help Hey Santa , You are way behind schedule, this might be the year for gift cards, sit back and relax instead of stressing out. Maybe next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben@FineWoodworking Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 I'm making coffee grinders out of quarter sawn walnut, quarter sawn cherry, and quarter sawn oak. Huh? Please post pics!! How does one do that? I am going to do some wine bottle holders. If I had a lathe I would do wine bottle stoppers. It seems like I drive the women in my life to drink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhl.verona Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 Damn, looks like Ben beat me to it. Anyway, it's probably highly impractical, but it certainly looks unusual: http://www.woodworkingformeremortals.com/2010/12/wine-bottle-balancer-and-natasha.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben@FineWoodworking Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 So you saw that post too John? Hehe. Just got up from the computer and got excited to get going. Tried one out of scrap with my largest bit. Not big enough. Oh well... tomorrow I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 Pens? Buy the pen kit and drill out and shape the barrels. The usual way to do this is with a lathe, but you could whittle the barrels or shape them however you like. I spoke to a couple who just assemble the pen kits without any wood - just the brass tubes and shiny hardware. How about wooden dice? Or Jenga blocks? Or an egg timer - think hourglass (buy the timer, make the frame). That was a good brainstorming session. Thanks for the kick-start, guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhl.verona Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 ... or book ends. These two are just fascinating... Abanico and Stonehenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJC5151 Posted December 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 ... or book ends. These two are just fascinating... Abanico and Stonehenge Yeah Seth Rolands stuff is pretty amazing isnt it. The wine holers are cake to make if you ave a tilting table for a drill press. cut end on 45, drill hole on 45 actualls 40 works great i made about 50 of them last weekend and sell them for 15 bucks at art shows. Beats throwing your scrap away or burning it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 I've been making excuses and sawdust for my family... For the younger ones, I'm trying to do some Harry Potter inspired wands, but they aren't working like I wanted to. I'm going to have to learn (one day) not to use 1/2" poplar dowels to start... And for the one couple that has fireplaces (2 in one house, plus an outdoor one...) I'm going to pack the sawdust in something flammable. (I swear my brother in law is more of a pyro than I am. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Hey Santa , How did you do that foot? Is that hand carved, or powered? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dryhter Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 How did you do that foot? Is that hand carved, or powered? Hey A J, It is a combination of both. Here is a short video about how I went about building the Footstool, I think the part about turning the leg starts about 10 minutes into the video. The long and short of it is that you rough out the leg and create the ball and then offset the center at the ball side and turn the transition area ( ankle-knee ) , then carve the claw if you want. Thanks for asking. Dave http://blip.tv/play/AYGDsTYA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 And for the one couple that has fireplaces (2 in one house, plus an outdoor one...) I'm going to pack the sawdust in something flammable. Packing the sawdust in paraffin is nice for people with fireplaces. Melt down a bunch of candle stubs, or buy paraffin if you need to. Fill cupcake tins half way with liquid wax, and stir in nice clean sawdust. I try to avoid pressure treated. Let cool, and use them to start fires in the fireplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardnesd Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 I'll take a Domino Beechwood, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iSawitFirst Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 How about making them scroll sawn holiday ornaments? They're easy and you can do several in a day. Plus, if you don't have a scroll saw, it gives you an excuse to get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billboard Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 I have made a few of these picture frame holders. Also good for plaques and fancy plates. Quick and easy on the bandsaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trace Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 For my nieces one year, I cut a bunch of Cedar heartwood into 3/4" cubes. I wrapped the cubes, about a dozen per, in an open weave material. (I think it was called chiffon) They asked what it was for, I explained that it was for their underware drawer. I was told by a very indignant 12 year old that her underware "did NOT smell bad". This same niece, now 22 yeard old, called me asking if I would make her some of the underware drawer cachets for her to give as gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godet Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 I'm making necklace holders for the women in my life. Turned out to be a pretty easy project once I figured out how to make it easy. Basically, I took a small piece of Tiger Maple (about 3 inches, wide, 6-7 inches long, and 1/2" thick) and cut a mortise into it. Into that mortise I placed a 1/4" thick piece of Walnut (about 5 inches wide and 12-14 inches tall). Then, about an inch from the top, I glued a thin strip of Tiger Maple (about an inch wide). I'm waiting for some interesting looking hooks from Lee Valley which I will install into the Tiger Maple strip (and on which the receivers of these beauties will place their necklaces)...I'd say that Maple strip is totally optional, but I thought it looked nice. The dimensions are all fuzzy too--whatever looks good...I spent the most time beveling the edges with my block plane to give it a nice look. If you're interested, I can try to post pictures later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 I'm making necklace holders for the women in my life. Turned out to be a pretty easy project once I figured out how to make it easy. Basically, I took a small piece of Tiger Maple (about 3 inches, wide, 6-7 inches long, and 1/2" thick) and cut a mortise into it. Into that mortise I placed a 1/4" thick piece of Walnut (about 5 inches wide and 12-14 inches tall). Then, about an inch from the top, I glued a thin strip of Tiger Maple (about an inch wide). I'm waiting for some interesting looking hooks from Lee Valley which I will install into the Tiger Maple strip (and on which the receivers of these beauties will place their necklaces)...I'd say that Maple strip is totally optional, but I thought it looked nice. The dimensions are all fuzzy too--whatever looks good...I spent the most time beveling the edges with my block plane to give it a nice look. If you're interested, I can try to post pictures later... Pictures please! Sounds interesting and I'm having a hard time envisioning it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwoodturn Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 How about making each of them a matching pen/pencil set. It doesn't take all that much time to make them, and you can make them unique for each one of them. I'm making a few sets of them this year for a lady at my work to give to her family for Christmas. She seems to enjoy the couple of sets I've been able to give her so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJC5151 Posted December 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Packing the sawdust in paraffin is nice for people with fireplaces. Melt down a bunch of candle stubs, or buy paraffin if you need to. Fill cupcake tins half way with liquid wax, and stir in nice clean sawdust. I try to avoid pressure treated. Let cool, and use them to start fires in the fireplace. Have you made these. Sounds easy. is it safe, does it work well and is parafin the best wax to use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 I've made these, and I liked using them to start fires. Paraffin is what candles are made out of. I don't know if it's "the best", but it works. As far as safety, don't use any sawdust that you wouldn't burn in your fireplace (pressure treated, toxic woods), and keep an eye on the wax when you are melting it - like any cooking. You can use just about anything as molds as long as it can take some heat. Paraffin is non-toxic (it's also used in canning and in foods) so you can wash the molds out and use them for food. I'd use a mold that I can flex to pop them out. I thjink when I last made them I used disposable foil cupcake cups. There are also silicone cupcake cups. If they are designed to be baked, they can handle some hot wax. You want all the sawdust to be soaked in wax, and all the wax to be absorbed in sawdust. It's fast and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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