woodtickgreg
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Maybe it's the camera? They look great anyway!
What did you do in your shop today?
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No, that was with my phone and the camera Greg... The spot where I got those pictures they're sitting in sun shining through the trees, to get the grain to pop. If I don't get a lot of light on them, the grain doesn't even show in the pictures. They're kinda like a black car with a lot of clear coat on it honestly, the finish is polished to such a gloss that anything even remotely light, or shiny, shows up on them.
Then the contrast in colors is really throwing the sensors in both cameras for a loop when trying to photograph under artificial light. My cell phone I can slide the point of focus around in the picture, and it adjusts white balance dependent upon where you focus it. If I focused at the top of the call, the mouthpiece on the closed reed set white balance down so far, the call bodies simply turned black. If I focus on the bottom of the calls, I can pull the grain out with beautiful clarity, but the mouthpiece on the closed reed glows like a halogen high beam. So much so that it would cast glow over into the other call in the pictures. And, because they're so dark, and I'm taking macro shots from 4 - 6 inches away, if I focus on the body of the call, they're slowing shutter speed way down indoors, and I was having a tough time trying to keep them in focus.
It's been interesting, to say the least.
Then the contrast in colors is really throwing the sensors in both cameras for a loop when trying to photograph under artificial light. My cell phone I can slide the point of focus around in the picture, and it adjusts white balance dependent upon where you focus it. If I focused at the top of the call, the mouthpiece on the closed reed set white balance down so far, the call bodies simply turned black. If I focus on the bottom of the calls, I can pull the grain out with beautiful clarity, but the mouthpiece on the closed reed glows like a halogen high beam. So much so that it would cast glow over into the other call in the pictures. And, because they're so dark, and I'm taking macro shots from 4 - 6 inches away, if I focus on the body of the call, they're slowing shutter speed way down indoors, and I was having a tough time trying to keep them in focus.
It's been interesting, to say the least.
Cured these yesterday. Just took a few minutes to sand the excess resin off and hit them with a quick spray coat of shellac. This stabilizing thing is waaaaay too much fun and, thankfully, doesn't take up a ton of time - it only requires a little bit of hands on time here and there, the rest is just waiting while it's under vacuum or waiting while soaking or waiting while it cures in the oven.
woodtickgreg
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I finally have the room on the metal shop side of the shop to bring home a machine I purchased over a year ago.
It's a Powermatic/Millrite MVN knee mill. Like a brige port but smaller and not quite as heavy duty but a fine machine. It will compliment the Southbend lathe and Burke horizontal mill nicely. So today I started taking it apart and bringing home the components. I got the whole top half today. I have to move it in pieces to get it down the stairs and into the basement.
This is what came home today, motor, ram, quill assy. loose parts and belt in the coffee can.
This is the spot where it will reside, just to the left of the Burke and against the wood wall.
What it looked like the day I picked it up with the old work truck.
Next parts will be the table and knee assy.
I will have to winch the pedestal down, I'm estimating weight between 600 and 1,ooo lbs. I plan to slide it down some beefy angle iron, that will help to distribute the weight on the steps.
It's a Powermatic/Millrite MVN knee mill. Like a brige port but smaller and not quite as heavy duty but a fine machine. It will compliment the Southbend lathe and Burke horizontal mill nicely. So today I started taking it apart and bringing home the components. I got the whole top half today. I have to move it in pieces to get it down the stairs and into the basement.
This is what came home today, motor, ram, quill assy. loose parts and belt in the coffee can.
This is the spot where it will reside, just to the left of the Burke and against the wood wall.
What it looked like the day I picked it up with the old work truck.
Next parts will be the table and knee assy.
I will have to winch the pedestal down, I'm estimating weight between 600 and 1,ooo lbs. I plan to slide it down some beefy angle iron, that will help to distribute the weight on the steps.
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Finished up the run of Cigar Pens. Was going to start on some new stuff but apparently I don't have a new blade for the band saw so I'll get one of those tomorrow.
What I been doing the last 2 days is cutting, sanding, and varnishing wooden snowflakes...
My dear wife wanted a bunch of log slices upon which she plans to paint snowmen faces, and what not for holiday decorations. Hole drilled in them to tie cord through. Not a tough project, but my entire firewood pile has been corrupted by this ugly plague known as spalting. So I suggested we varnish these things, because they kinda look like snowflakes, and she paint her pictures in the middle of them, or whatever. Which she thought was cool, thought it was even cooler after they were sanded and varnished.
Then she decided that rather than make an ornament out each one, since there are 3 different sizes, (Live Edge, stuff the bark fell off of, and stuff I had previously turned round), that she could stack them and make snowmen out of them. Like I want a career sawing little slices of logs and grinding the ends of my fingers off on the sanding disk!
Finishing with Waterbased Minwax Polycrylic as cause for the milky look in the finish in bottom picture or two. Live edge... Was hoping the CA I attempted to permanently affix bark with wouldn't show after varnishing, but it did; so the other side got sanded again before finishing.
Yes, I am seriously considering stacking a bunch of this inside someplace where it will not decompose further!
My dear wife wanted a bunch of log slices upon which she plans to paint snowmen faces, and what not for holiday decorations. Hole drilled in them to tie cord through. Not a tough project, but my entire firewood pile has been corrupted by this ugly plague known as spalting. So I suggested we varnish these things, because they kinda look like snowflakes, and she paint her pictures in the middle of them, or whatever. Which she thought was cool, thought it was even cooler after they were sanded and varnished.
Then she decided that rather than make an ornament out each one, since there are 3 different sizes, (Live Edge, stuff the bark fell off of, and stuff I had previously turned round), that she could stack them and make snowmen out of them. Like I want a career sawing little slices of logs and grinding the ends of my fingers off on the sanding disk!
Finishing with Waterbased Minwax Polycrylic as cause for the milky look in the finish in bottom picture or two. Live edge... Was hoping the CA I attempted to permanently affix bark with wouldn't show after varnishing, but it did; so the other side got sanded again before finishing.
Yes, I am seriously considering stacking a bunch of this inside someplace where it will not decompose further!
I would, get it dried down and ready to stabilize!!!
woodtickgreg
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With that much spalting, you should've found different pieces of wood to cut up for this project! You should send anymore of this stuff you have to me where I'll do something other than make little slices out of it. I could even send you some boring branches in return without any of that spalting.
I just may have to do a road trip to talk some sense into you fer slicing those up!! Florida snowmen & snow flakes... yea right... well wait.. you do live far enough that you get snow every decade or so.
What is the wood? Looks like live oak?
I always put on at least one coat of finish before I c/a the bark so it doesn't show, or c/a the whole piece.
That's only about 2 - 3 sticks of firewood guys, they're sliced 3/8" thick.
Drier than a popcorn fart sitting in the backyard... Haven't had a half inch of rain in nearly 3 months, and that half inch was 2 1/2 months ago! Take like 2 or 3 - 55 gallon drums of Cactus Juice to stabilize it all. Let's see... Woodrack is 16 ft. long, logs are stacked 2 wide, x about 4 feet high!!
Yeah... I was Ok with it until she started talking about tying 3 of them together. After grinding the end of 2 - 3 fingers shorter on the sanding disk when the bigger pieces got a hair to far over center and it launched them.
Let's see... Woodrack is 16 ft. long, logs are stacked 2 wide, x about 4 feet high!! How much postage you want to pay?
Big Leaf Red Oak - Tree blew down in the back yard 2 years ago. Sawed it up, piled it up, left for ND the next day. When I bought my lathe that fall it all looked just like that. Aside from drying down it really hasn't rotted any further, but yes I do need to make it inside and saw bunches of it up for my Wood Barter Friends.
There are a couple very large chunks in the backyard that may be spalted that you could turn hot tubs out of! About the first 30 ft. above this...
Was hoping the finish would cover it but alas it did not. Sanded CA on the backside clean before finishing it. Advised the wife to use that side. Was trying to get it to penetrate before sealing it, should have sanded both sides before finishing, but wet it honestly looked like it was going to cover, and I applied a couple coats right away, because this stuff was sucking it up unbelievably quick. Know better next time!
Drier than a popcorn fart sitting in the backyard... Haven't had a half inch of rain in nearly 3 months, and that half inch was 2 1/2 months ago! Take like 2 or 3 - 55 gallon drums of Cactus Juice to stabilize it all. Let's see... Woodrack is 16 ft. long, logs are stacked 2 wide, x about 4 feet high!!
YES DEAR!!!
Yeah... I was Ok with it until she started talking about tying 3 of them together. After grinding the end of 2 - 3 fingers shorter on the sanding disk when the bigger pieces got a hair to far over center and it launched them.
With that much spalting, you should've found different pieces of wood to cut up for this project! You should send anymore of this stuff you have to me where I'll do something other than make little slices out of it. I could even send you some boring branches in return without any of that spalting.
Let's see... Woodrack is 16 ft. long, logs are stacked 2 wide, x about 4 feet high!! How much postage you want to pay?
Big Leaf Red Oak - Tree blew down in the back yard 2 years ago. Sawed it up, piled it up, left for ND the next day. When I bought my lathe that fall it all looked just like that. Aside from drying down it really hasn't rotted any further, but yes I do need to make it inside and saw bunches of it up for my Wood Barter Friends.
There are a couple very large chunks in the backyard that may be spalted that you could turn hot tubs out of! About the first 30 ft. above this...
I always put on at least one coat of finish before I c/a the bark so it doesn't show, or c/a the whole piece.
Was hoping the finish would cover it but alas it did not. Sanded CA on the backside clean before finishing it. Advised the wife to use that side. Was trying to get it to penetrate before sealing it, should have sanded both sides before finishing, but wet it honestly looked like it was going to cover, and I applied a couple coats right away, because this stuff was sucking it up unbelievably quick. Know better next time!
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Today I cranked up the pen making machine, wrapped up 2 stray letter openers, and a few stray Funline kits I had laying around. Had a catch on one barrel just about the time I had it turned to finish diameter, hence the Comfort Grip Pencil on the right. Parted it off, turned the barrel clean, and installed squishy part. Went to Trimline kits thereafter, pen/pencil sets, Buckeye on the left the mate went soft in the center lifted grain the length of both blanks, so they got tossed in the toolbox and moved on. Have to cut and glue a mate for that one.
That there is a cute-lookin' pac-man gobblin' wood-chompinest rig if I ever saw one.
Niiiiice rig there Rocky. Bet you can move a bunch of stuff around with that thing.
Course you know, with the spalted wood, you can soak it briefly in a mild bleach solution to stop the advance of decay.
Will stop that fungi in its tracks.
The spalted wood looks great. Would be cool to run some of it through the vacuum chamber for sure.
Well the 2 sections of trunk I have laying in the backyard the wood-chompin rig won't budge. Want to say the bottom section I cut at 12 feet, the second was 16 feet. It wouldn't pick either one of them up, still won't to this day. Lighten them up enough I can slide them around, but that's it. Tree was 32 - 33 inches in diameter at the stump.
Little twister went through the yard at tree top height. I was working in the shop when the wind started blowing; started closing doors. When I closed the center bay, all the pines in the front yard where leaning seriously SW. When I got to the north bay, we're talking walking briskly 30 ft., they were all going round and round in circles. Was one of those "Oh Sh1t" moments believe me!! Because it was coming straight for the shop. Broke the tops out of two pine trees in the front yard, scattered straw, branches, and pine cones all over the yard, went right over the top of all of the buildings never hurt a thing. Just as I stepped out of the shop, (we're talking maybe 15 seconds to latch the door and walk 12 feet), I heard a big whoosh in the backyard, turned my head, and the tree went down. Was not a sick leaf or branch on it anywhere. Bent the fender, and top rail on the car trailer, neither seriously, broke a plastic garden hose reel, otherwise fell all over and amongst things and didn't hurt any of it.
That grapple had been sitting, still attached to the pallet, for over 6 months; my wife was giving me a bad time about my toys I didn't use just a day or two prior. By the time I got done picking up that mess, she and the mother-in-law both decided it was worth several times whatever I spent on it, and them some!
24 hours after the fact, aside from a crazy (I'm talking seriously crazy) neighbor on a chain saw helping me delimb for about an hour, I didn't have any help. Filled the firewood rack, piled the remaining limbs, piled and burned all the branches. Getting the stump out of the hole was a wee bit tricky! Fell back in place when I sawed the tree off; probably weighed more than the New Holland!
Little twister went through the yard at tree top height. I was working in the shop when the wind started blowing; started closing doors. When I closed the center bay, all the pines in the front yard where leaning seriously SW. When I got to the north bay, we're talking walking briskly 30 ft., they were all going round and round in circles. Was one of those "Oh Sh1t" moments believe me!! Because it was coming straight for the shop. Broke the tops out of two pine trees in the front yard, scattered straw, branches, and pine cones all over the yard, went right over the top of all of the buildings never hurt a thing. Just as I stepped out of the shop, (we're talking maybe 15 seconds to latch the door and walk 12 feet), I heard a big whoosh in the backyard, turned my head, and the tree went down. Was not a sick leaf or branch on it anywhere. Bent the fender, and top rail on the car trailer, neither seriously, broke a plastic garden hose reel, otherwise fell all over and amongst things and didn't hurt any of it.
That grapple had been sitting, still attached to the pallet, for over 6 months; my wife was giving me a bad time about my toys I didn't use just a day or two prior. By the time I got done picking up that mess, she and the mother-in-law both decided it was worth several times whatever I spent on it, and them some!
24 hours after the fact, aside from a crazy (I'm talking seriously crazy) neighbor on a chain saw helping me delimb for about an hour, I didn't have any help. Filled the firewood rack, piled the remaining limbs, piled and burned all the branches. Getting the stump out of the hole was a wee bit tricky! Fell back in place when I sawed the tree off; probably weighed more than the New Holland!
Nice back yard!
Drier than a popcorn fart sitting in the backyard... Haven't had a half inch of rain in nearly 3 months, and that half inch was 2 1/2 months ago! Take like 2 or 3 - 55 gallon drums of Cactus Juice to stabilize it all.
Let's see... Woodrack is 16 ft. long, logs are stacked 2 wide, x about 4 feet high!! How much postage you want to pay?
Don't try to tempt me into a box or two!
(Have 4 gallons of Cactus Juice on the way to me right now and about three 30 gallon totes worth of stuff already on hand that needs to be stabilized, though about 25% of that is stuff other people are paying me to stabilize.)
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That last pic with the log laying on the ground all trimmed up nice and neet with nothing around it is just screaming to me that it wants to be chainsaw milled. Can't move a log? perfect log for a csm. I'd mill it right on the spot.