Sandal Woods - Fine Woodworking & Cabinetry

We had our signature medallions made by Laura Zaruba, owner of elle Z designs.

Laura found a unique niche with laser-cut wedding invitations; but she assures me she will work with anyone “…to create your unique logos, or anything else you need in wood, marble, plastic, metal, etc…” (I quoted this from a recent e-mail message she sent me). She did a terrific job with our medallions!

After posting on Lumberjocks in reply to a question by a fellow woodworker, I received several questions regarding our signature medallion; in particular, the basic question was “…where did you get these made…?”

This is our signature laser-cut medallion, already glued to the underside of a project:

You recently saw the medallion in the short video I made on giving cherry a sun tan, and making your own buttons. A screen capture image from that video shows the medallion installed on the underside of the stool top:

I worked with Laura Zaruba to develop the logo. She was terrific - even sent us samples of the logo in various sizes, for us to determine which would be best. And in the end we selected the one we thought fit our style best.

Laura Zaruba is a busy lady these days. Although her web site is in need of some updating (she is working on doing it), she will be married later this year, is moving to a new city, is going to school to get an MBA, and is a corporate banker. Laura’s web site mainly focuses on the unique niche of laser-cut wedding invitations made of wood ( !!! ); it does not mention the medallion part of the business, but she will work with you to create your own design, or to implement your design on just about anything wood, marble, plastic, metal, etc.

Laura can be contacted at laura@ellezdesigns.com, or through the Contact page on her web site. Laura and Andy’s wedding blog can be found here.

Sandy and I took a short break and headed for the Sparks Flea Market on Thursday, to attend the 2008 opening day. We were there two years ago, and looked forward to finding some unique hand tools, or unusual cabinets. Sparks, a tiny, unincorporated town, is located in NW Kansas; it is nestled amongst some low and rolling hills; it is surrounded by beautiful corn and soy bean fields. Make sure to read about the Sparks Ghost Town; the story is written by Elmer, the Night Guard for the Sparks flea market.

We ran into Rick, a tool collector and tool maker from St Joseph, MO - he is practically our neighbor. He had on display a vast array of hand tools, but not one I was looking for this time. Nevertheless, we will be visiting him in St Jo soon. He makes metal tools, too, from plumb bobs to enormous punch centers - all of recycled materials. Here is Rick with a portion of his large display of hammers of every imaginable type:

We found two cabinets I loved. The first I liked because I had never seen one like it; and the second one, because we already have a similar one, and Sandy would like nothing better than for me to build a similar upper cabinet and base, as a - matched - set.

The first cabinet is a pie safe, possibly made by an Amish craftsman. It was different from any pie safe I have ever seen; this one has a mesh screen on the door (is the mesh a replacement for original tin panels?). The back was (my guess) shiplapped construction; I was unable to move it to look at the joinery, because other stuff around it meant moving more than the nice lady owner wished to move (its price was astronomical):

And the second piece, a bakers table and storage cabinet, caught our attention. Sandy already has in the kitchen an antique bakers table, minus the storage cabinet. First, our find, with dovetailed drawers and mortise and tenon joinery on both the top cabinet and the table:

Sadly, the drawer pulls had been replaced with gaudy plastic-looking handles, and the finish had been redone in some non-traditional finish. A shame, as a collector might not want it in this refinished condition.

Regardless, my excitement grew as I looked at this table and storage unit on top, as it reminded me of ours in one corner of the kitchen:

I have no idea whether ours is older or newer. But the drawers are put together with nails:

I suspect I might be making a reproduction bakers table and storage cabinet at some point in the not-too-distant future. If so, I relish the opportunity to making a matched set of these two pieces.

I have a request for everyone reading this: Please help me nail down a good reference for the pie safe above. I look forward to learning more about this type of cabinet. Thanks!

Just in the nick of time, I am pleased to announce the latest item to be given away by random drawing: the Sommerfeld Tools large Lock Miter router bit, Item # 01006 - From page 52 of the Sommerfeld Catalog: “…These bits join materials at 90º by cutting a 45º miter and a matching tongue & groove at the same time…Used in boxes, hollow-beams, columns, and cabinet corners…”:

A quick way to make drawers:

I will draw a name at random on September 1, and will post the name of the winner shortly after that. If you have already registered, you do not have to register again. If you have never registered for the monthly drawings, send me your name and full address to sandal_woods@bbwi.net.

Thanks, and good luck to all!

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Fear not if, like me, you were unable to go to Atlanta to spend some time at IWF (the 2008 International Woodworking Fair). There is plenty of coverage, and the latest news has been coming in daily from the following sources - click on the links to go to the New Tools page:

• Popular Woodworking, with complete coverage from many (most, or all?) of the Editors
• FineWoodworking.com, with what seems like all their Editors; this link is to the Editor’s Mailbox
• TheWoodWhiperer.com is also providing coverage; this link is to Marc’s blog post

Now there is NO excuse to miss the coverage of all the new and significant tools of 2008. It is turning out to be a pretty exciting year for woodworkers! Thanks to all the Editors, and to Marc, for missing so much sleep so that we can enjoy the latest news early in the morning.

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I am proud to announce the Schummie Fund Raiser; it will run August 18 to September 1, 2008. Please read on.

For many of us, life is an easy trip. We are indeed fortunate.

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Henrie’s background:
Schummie (Henrie) lives in The Netherlands. He is married, has a wonderful wife, and three wonderful children, two boys and one girl. He was a policeman, until tragic events on the job forever changed his life. Henrie is physically handicapped, but is able to use tools while sitting in a special wheel chair. And he would love to be able to make things with wood once again!

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For many other people, life takes unplanned and, sometimes, tragic turns. We hear it on the news, maybe even watch a 2-minute episode on television about someone’s life forever changed.

And, when we sometimes read how a life was changed, it captures our attention, to the point of making us WANT to do something to reach out, to help, to try to make a difference. THIS is one time we CAN make a difference, by making a donation to Henrie, no matter how small, via PayPal.

Martin Sojka, the Chief Lumberjock, supports this fund raiser, and will also post on his personal blog, requesting your help. I have already sent a test donation of 1 Euro, so I know the PayPal system is working properly; Henrie has confirmed receipt of the 1 Euro I sent.

To donate to Schummie’s fund raiser, please send your contribution via PayPal to Henrie@schu.nl . Thanks!

Schummie’s case is one that has touched me in many ways. I want to share with you his story, and hope that you also be able to pitch in and help Henrie Schumacher. We CAN make it possible for him to realize his dream to do some woodworking once again. I have corresponded with Henrie over the last several weeks, and feel some of his pain. I don’t think for a minute that any of us could possibly understand what he has been through, for it is incomprehensible. But his strength of character, his desire to live and be there for his family, shows a determination that many of us only wish we had.

For two weeks in August we will hold this fund raiser, to help Henrie realize his dream of converting his garage into a woodworking shop, and to buy some tools. A little background, and then his story, in his own words.

Henrie’s story, in his own words (from his Lumberjocks Profile):

My name is Henrie Schumacher (schummie) I’m 45 years old, I’m married whit [sic, with] a lovely wife and I have 3 great kids ( 9, 13, 17) and 2 dogs.

I was a police officer for 25 years till 8 years ago, I hate [sic, had] a accident during my police work and after 8 operation and a lot off hospitals I’m now so far that they call my handicapped.

During the operations the [sic, they] saw that my right knee was a mace [sic, mess] and the [sic, they] can’t do anything about it and after the operation the doctors discover that I have also posttraumatic dystrophy, a pain syndrome in my nerve system.

Now I’m lying 85% off the day on my bed because off the pain. I have a lot off pain medication also a lot off morphine.

I hate to say it my [sic, but] there is less or nothing left off my life, I have my wife and my children but else . . . .

In the time before my accident i love to work whit [sic, with] wood, only the smell off wood brought me in higher atmosphere. I’m also a tool fanatic, i love tools.

Only is the Netherlands not really a woodworking country, if you now [sic, know] that we don’t have any woodworking magazine.

This country is more if we need something we buy it, we don’t try it to make it our self.

Therefore I’m now on this GREAT website, I love it (Note: Henrie is referring to Lumberjocks.com).
I hope the [sic, to] learn a lot and maybe I get the chance to make something myself.

We want to try to make from our garage a woodworking shop, the [sic, then] I can make the little time i have, a little useful. I’m searching in all the American woodworking toolshops off [sic, if] there is something I can use (and can afford) and there is a lot.

Thank you for reading my little story. Sorry for my English, perhaps is there somebody how want to make a good translation.

Henrie Schumacher

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Friends: I have already donated to the Schummie Fund Raiser; I know that Chief Lumberjock Martin Sojka fully supports this. If Henrie’s story has touched you in even a small way, please find it in your heart to make a donation via Paypal, to Henrie@schu.nl . I know this is for a good cause, and I am convinced that, together, we can help a fellow woodworker realize his dream. Thanks!

It is happening, folks. And it all started on July 20, 2008.

The Rough Cut Show, featuring T-Chisel, a.k.a Tommy MacDonald, is getting into some interesting stuff. From defining the term Design (with Neil Lamens as the discussion and topic leader), to “Is Design Dead?”, the Furniture Design Forum will address design issues, and how best to critique the furniture we build.

In other words, “…nice piece…”, “…great cabinet…”, are not sufficient to let the craftsman know he/she is becoming a better woodworker. By understanding the parts that as whole make up Design, and by getting proper input and feedback from others about the furniture we make, should ultimately help US become better in our craft. The foundation to do all this is a good working vocabulary to do an evaluation of someone’s work properly.

I will be watching and reading carefully, and learning from the entire exercise. Who knows, I hope I have something to contribute, too, some day. But it IS a first on the Internet - and it should be very exciting to see it develop into a completed project. It will work, because Neil Lamens is working hard to make it happen, with Tommy MacDonald’s full backup and encouragement.

Kudos to the T-Chisel team, and to the leader of the critique effort, Furnitologist Neil Lamens, the man behind Furnitology Productions.

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Now, some images to put this whole thing in context:

Here is Tommy, jamming it up in Episode 117, a recent video on The Bombe Secretary - Drawer Side Shaping:	Tommy jams it up, mon!
And what kind of woodworking does Tommy MacDonald do? On the right is his Federal Breakfront - HOW would YOU evaluate this piece? In my opinion, this is one terrific piece!	His Federal Breakfront.
This is Tommy with his Salem Secretary - All I can say is WOW!	The Salem Secretary.

You see, Neil? I need some educatin’… seriously.

Click here to go to Tommy MacDonald’s Gallery.

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Relevant links:
All videos produced by The Rough Cut Show, in one page
Furnitology Productions, Neil Lamens’ personal blog

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Congratulations to the winners in the following categories:

• Best Overall Lumberjock (total voting score, with both categories below combined): Gary K, of East Texas
• One Man’s Junk: Michael Brailsford, of Clayton, North Carolina, for his entry Rex Billiard Table
• Serve It Up With Class: Gary K, of East Texas, for his entry A Faberge Inspired Serving Tray

To view all the entries and the scores, visit the Results Page at Lumberjocks.com. On the right-hand side you can select the Category you wish to view.

It was a wonderful experience to follow the entries as they came in throughout the last few weeks - and a thrill to read the names of the winners today!

Congratulations to all who participated, and especially to the winners!

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If you are patient, you will find out soon how this post is related (a little…) to wood(working).

During the 2007 season it became glaringly apparent that our swimming pool had developed a leak in a pipe, somewhere; we even replaced the pool liner, thinking that was the culprit - we were expensively wrong! One thing we knew for sure - if we did not keep adding water daily (approximately 1,200 gallons per day!), the water level would settle at the 4-foot level. This meant the leak had to be somewhere at this level. A wild guess: The bottom drain pipe to the pump suction was leaking. October 2007: Working with Jim, our pool technician, we decided to arrange for a scuba diver to plug the drain for us, to make sure we would not lose water over the coming 2008 Winter months. Here he is at work, in October 2007:

We were right. The water level stayed perfect through the entire Winter, for the first time in years.

Fast forward to July 2008. I discussed with Jim the alternatives to repair the leak. His advice: Dig under the pool wall to remove the old pipe, and install a new pipe from the pool drain bucket to the pump suction. Cost: Very expensive! As a result, I started engineering some alternatives, and finally settled on one I had used before, in the oil patch: A pipe “liner”, a.k.a. a pipe-within-a-pipe. My main concern was reducing the flow too much, if we were forced to use a too-small pipe diameter for the new pipe. Jim assured me we would be fine, even if we were forced to use 3/4-inch pipe inside the old 1-1/2 inch pipe. Jim even mentioned he had never thought to use this approach, but thought it was a good plan. He found a flange that could be inserted in the new pipe, and a great, gooey adhesive to use underwater. We needed a very reliable way to anchor the new pipe inside the drain bucket.

We bit the bullet. Plan A: Use 1-inch pipe; Plan B: Use 3/4 inch pipe if the 1-inch pipe was too large. We also planned to push the new pipe from the bottom of the pool, at the drain bucket, toward us on topside, and pull the pipe to the pump suction.

We first tried using 1-inch pipe within the old pipe, but did not have enough clearance. Only about 2 inches of this new pipe went into the old - Phase I was scrapped. Jim headed for the pool supply house to buy the new 3/4-inch pipe, and the diver went home. We reconvened the following day, July 30, to complete the job. As luck would have it, Jim forgot to buy a new fitting: A fitting to push into the 3/4-inch pipe, through which we would thread a bolt / eye hook, to allow us to pull the pipe topsides, while the diver pushed from the pool drain. A little dilemma…

This is where the little wooden plug comes in. I used a one-inch dowel, made to fit inside the 3/4-inch pipe by grinding carefully, to keep it round. I pushed this plug about 2 inches into the pipe, and secured it with two screws driven below the rubbery surface; I installed a hook on the end, to allow us to pull with wire tape:

We kept our fingers crossed that everything worked this time. Here Jim hands to Ron, the diver, the 3/4-inch pipe, with the wooden plug on this end:

Ron goes to work underwater - the water was murky, but with good enough visibility after removing with the pool vacuum most of the loose debris accumulated since October 2007:

This was the area excavated by Jim’s son; from the edge of the deck to the edge of the pool: 8 feet, and about 4 feet deep at the pool’s wall. The wire tape is visible in the old pipe:

Following shock treatment of the water with chlorine, and after 30 hours of filtering and continuously running the Polaris cleaning machine, this is what we had this afternoon: Perfect water chemistry, crystal-clear water, and water temperature 80°F:

Sunday afternoon will be a fun time with our granddaughters in the pool, once again! We might even have a few grilled hot dogs.

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The winner of the July 2008 Giveaway is Steve Clardy, of Edwards, MO. Enjoy your new Easy Set Router Bit Setup Jig, and let us know how you like it. Congratulations, Steve!

For the rest who have not won, remember you are still registered for all monthly drawings.

To everyone, thank you for your continued support, and a special thanks to our sponsor, Sommerfeld’s Tools for Wood, for providing the monthly giveaway prizes.

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