woodworking area

Good grief! I'd laugh, but that's tragic what happened to the neighbors home.
Good neighbors are hard to find.
At least you warned him. Communication is usually a good thing. That guy knew you were right, but his pride probably is what cost him.

I normally am a DIY kinda guy, but paid about a thousand to have an old weeping willow removed from over my home. The guy was insured and experienced.

I hate to say it, the neighbor's house burned down. :-( That is why we all paid them to move away. Some homes are only two feet apart on our lake.
They started off as Summer Cotages before regulations.

History: Most homes were part of a Spiritualist Community in the late 1800's. I learned that my home was the headquarters. We hold regular praise worship to keep unwanted demons away.

I hate to say it, the neighbor's house burned down. :-( That is why we all paid them to move away. Some homes are only two feet apart on our lake.
They started off as Summer Cotages before regulations.

History: Most homes were part of a Spiritualist Community in the late 1800's. I learned that my home was the headquarters. We hold regular praise worship to keep unwanted demons away.

You reminded me that I need to clean my shop and plane some old walnut 2x12s for projects. I've got the woodworking area.

That walnut is no good. Just send it to me,lol

Do you happen to turn pens?

That walnut is no good. Just send it to me,lol

Do you happen to turn pens?

Lol!
Do you do wood work?

I thought about pen turning because I really like the ones I see at the shows and woodworking magazines. It looks like little start up cost for the mini lathe.
There just aren't enough hours each day for me to take up a new hobby or project like that. I plan to open a store next year once I get the ducks in a row. Perhaps I will sell a line of handmade pens.

What else can one make with that tool?

How about turning tooth picks?

Since around '83. Getting old now and starting to shut down my shop. Mostly make craft items like boxes, small tables a few adirondack chairs. Lost about 80% of my wood stock to power post beetles a couple of years ago. Also built a kiln about 12 years ago to mill and dry my own stock
Love vintage equipment over the new stuff. Built to last and it does. J.D Wallace table saw made in about 1933 is what I use now. Almost 95% original and runs super strong.

I promised myself I'd never get involved in pen turning but the Lord had another idea. I don't sell these.
Left to right - lyptus (salvage from shipping crates used to ship granite from south america
Eastern red cedar - salvage from a yard tree
Black walnut salvaged from an early 20th century house undergoing a remodel. Probably a chair railing

I'm currently making some knife handles from worm damaged sycamore. Dremel out the worm damage and fill the holes with 2 part epoxy.
View attachment 250857

Those are beautiful!
They look very ergonomic too.
I've seen thousands of knife handles on and off blades. One of my friends used to be a blade Smith. I don't remember ever seeing a set of scales from wormy sycamore. Do you stabilize it with polyethylene glycol?
I'm sorry to here about your wood. You just reminded me to get back to treating one of my places for those lousy powder post beetles. At least I learned that they aren't termites, but the eggs need killed 100%.

Those are beautiful!
They look very ergonomic too.
.

Not all damaged wood needs to be stabilized. The set pictured was very solid where the worms had not eaten and didn't need to be stabilized. I have stabilized pen blanks that I have sold. Usually they were highly spalted and soft because of the spalting process. I use(d) Cactus Juice in a vacuum chamber. 24 to 48 hours under vacuum the let set not under vacuum for twice the amount of time they were under vacuum - 48 - 96 hours. Then heat cured in a table top oven @190 degrees for about an hour.

The box shown is my work made from the same tree as the knife handles.

Did your friend forge his own steel? I've seen a few videos of that process and admire the work View attachment 250864 View attachment 250865

I can take no credit for the design of those. I had considerable resistance in the entire process of designing
the blanks to the turning as well.

This box was made from termite damage wood that was so far gone I could hold a 1" thick piece in 2 fingers and crush it to near powder.
The lesson was that no wood is so far gone that in the hands of a committed craftsman cannot be saved to be something useful and In the eye of the beholder something beautiful. Kinda of like us. View attachment 250866

That is so cool!

I've never heard of cactus juice used for that.
Very interesting....
Is that a trade term or is it really a succulent aloe type cactus juice?

My friend used mostly 440c stainless.
He did some Damascus forging too, but he was mainly into a variety of stock removal designs. He came up with unique garden fruit harvesting tools where you could snip and hold the vegetables with one hand. He also was into hunting blades, some unique tacticals and Gil Hibband type fantasy knives.