Sandal Woods

Woodworking with passion

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Some words about woodworking contests and challenges

I invite everyone to visit the WoodNet woodworking forums, to read about the contest to “…Get yourself a single construction grade 2″ x 6″ x 8′  and make something beautiful out of it…” The contest ends at midnight tonight; the winner in each of four categories will be announced in the next few days. My “curvy table” entry is located here; the thread has been read over 3,000 times!

The original announcement is located here; and all the entries in the 2 x6 contest are here. The first thread has been read a total of 9,700+ times already, and has over 100 replies.

I encourage everyone to participate in these contests and challenges. Why? Because they are important to each of us in several ways:

  • We are pushed to meet a deadline in the shop
  • We are moved to “think out of the box”
  • They move us to try things we might not try otherwise
  • There is nothing to lose, other than a few hours’ worth of our time, in return for several hours of enjoyment focused on a single objective
  • Beginners and advanced woodworkers participate on equal footing, regardless of experience, tool availability, or skill set — only creativity, and a desire to produce the best within one’s ability

What do you think of the entries in the WoodNet 2 x 6 contest? Which will likely win in the various categories?

I would love to hear from you what you think about these contests and challenges. Will you participate in the upcoming Lumberjocks Summer 2010 Woodworking Awards?

— Al Navas

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A total of 151 entries in the Lumberjocks Yin Yang contest!

Voting has started, and will run until February 7, 2010 – but you must have entered the contest to be able to vote. I think *that* is pretty democratic, don’t you?

The following should give you a flavor for the breath and the quality of the entries:

To view all the entries, click on this link. Enjoy!

— Al Navas

Postcript – From the Wikipedia:

Noun

Singular
yin–yang		 Plural
yin-yangs

yin–yang (plural yin-yangs)

  1. A circular symbol consisting of a white and black droplet (☯), representing the fusion of the concepts of yin and yang

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An old piece of Americana at the Sloane-Stanley Museum, but what is it?

The Sloane-Stanley Museum in Kent, Connecticut, is a terrific place to see not only old tools, but also unusual pieces of Americana from Eric Sloane’s collection. The following is but one very unusual piece – can you guess what it is? As displayed in the collection:

what-is-it

No guessing is allowed, unless you wish to guess. And the prize for the correct answer is recognition of your correct answer in a future blog entry, plus something else.

Deadline to submit your answer as a Comment to this blog article: Midnight of Wednesday, November 11, 2009 (one week from today). I will have to determine what the real prize will be – very likely, an item on display on the walls of the shop.

As Sandy and I were meandering at the Museum, a gentleman walked in and was greeted by Museum personnel. I overheard him mention he had in his car a piece he would love to have Museum employees evaluate, and give him an opinion on it. He brought in the artifact, and placed it on the counter by the entrance door. I asked his permission to photograph it, and he allowed me to snap some photos – I include here the following two photos:

What is it?

meat-grinder

I hope these last two photos will help with your “guesses”. Thanks for playing – I look forward to all your entries in the next few days!

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—— Al Navas