Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[andidante]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Here ya go!

Bajan mahogany. Not from Suriname nor Belize. This is the real stuff!

Those are so nice! On another note, I hope you will be ok with your stomach issues.

[Netfoot]

Back from Garden Patrol, where there was a clear sky and a warm breeze. No, just kidding. It was overcast and cold and we just made our way back under cover before the rain came.

Lying in bed listening to What's The Story (Morning Glory) which I think is the best album ever produced by Oasis. Not that I'm saying their other albums aren't great, far from it! But I think this is their masterpiece. Like Radiohead's OK Computer or The Verve's Urban Hymns or 1977 by Ash, A Night At The Opera by Queen... When it comes to Bowie I'm ever in two minds. Sometimes I'm firmly in an Aladdin Sane frame of mind, and sometimes I'm all Hunky Dory.

You may feel differently. Wouldn't be surprised to learn there were a few Pablo Honey folks out there or the occasional Ziggy Starduster. But then, I expect we all can think of a band or two who have a great back catalogue but with an undeniable standout in the mix.

Today I made rice for lunch. Half a tin of lentils, a little garlic powder, a spoonful of corned beef. Tasted fine, despite the limited ingredients. Made three meals worth. Lunch for Mo and I, plus dinner for Mo. I figured I would eat porridge for dinner. We were out of actual chow for him, but I know many a doggie that lives on rice, so didn't think it would be an issue for him to eat rice for a few days.

Ate my lunch, then fed Mo his. He ate it with relish, but before he was halfway through his lunch, he ran out onto the grass and ralphed up every grain of what he had just eaten! I thought "Nope! Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" Like a Sesame Street alien. So I flushed the balance of his rice. He was quite annoyed because he came back from puking up the first half and wanted to eat the other half!

The electric bill is $137 and I had $130 but after that I went out and bought a bag of chow, a portion of which he enjoyed for his dinner. I ate the third serving of the rice from lunch. So I guess paying the electric bill will just have to wait for a while longer.

Dr. K. sent a msg to say that the CT people had a power outage so they were backlogged and could not squeeze me in today I guess anything could happen tomorrow. The Creatinine test came back 100% OK so there should be no issue with me and the contrast medium. Heidi is not pleased that Dr. Kristi called her about the CT. 

Stuck another block of mahogany on the lathe and trued it up to a nice cylinder. However, there were several holes left by borer wasps and by time I'd chased them I ended up with this:

There is one remaining hole visible right at the top. I have to chase this hole some more and fear I will end up with a very ugly block of wood.so I'm thinking of cutting this block in half and trying to make two smaller bowls out of it. 

There is a very pleasant lady who likes my turnings. She bought some for herself and she buys them to give as gifts. She told me she wanted four small tamarind bowls to be given as gifts to a group of friends who are returning home in three weeks. I sent the photo of the two little bowls from today to some friends and this lady got a look at them.  She called and said that mahogany would be acceptable as well as tamarind.

Now, what does this lady want me to do? Make as many bowls as reasonably possible over the next three weeks. And don't sell any of them. So that in three weeks, just before her friends depart, she can come and look at them all, choose the four she likes best, and then I can sell the others. And in the mean time do without electricity, telephone, water, gasoline and food.

Falling asleep with the phone in my hand. But I'll tell you some news before I call the day ended:

Got an email to say my replacement chisel was ready for pick-up. Email came at 4:19 and their office closed at 4:30 so, some time tomorrow between CT scans (?) and what ever else the day throws at me.

With regards to the new chisel, it should be remembered that after only two months, the original began to show flaws with the heat-treatment. Then a large chunk of the tip broke off. Finally, the shaft snapped. The new chisel will be as near identical in nature as they can make it. It could easily prove faulty like the original. Let's hope not, but we should accept the possibility.

Mo now bogarting half the pillows....

Edited March 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Opened up early so Mo could go out if he wanted to. Rousing later to find a trail of garbage from the kitchen and out the door!

In the kitchen I hang a plastic grocery bag on a high peg. The bottom of the bag must be 4' off the floor. This morning, only the handles were left hanging on that peg. Kanga-pup had leapt up and clawed at that bag repeatedly until it separated from the handles. Once it was down, it could be dragged all the way to the front gate, where it could be demolished for the entire neighborhood to see. 

I cut that ugly block of mahogany into rough halves and started making a bowl out of one if them. The other half stands on top of the lathe for this photo:

Using the existing shape as much as possible I think I might get a rimmed bowl with an under-cut interior. If I can pull it off. But the borer wasps had essentially ruined this piece of wood, so if I get anything at all out of it, it's a plus.

No word from Dr. Kristi this morning. Nor CT Barbados. Nor (naturally) Heidi. I am expecting to have to bring home a bottle of horrible barium-esque milkshake to pre-load my gut before I go on the day. If I have to go collect the yuk, I'd rather make one trip to collect that and my new chisel together. Because the two locations are pretty close together. So I have not gone to collect it yet, letting economy carbon-footprint overrule burning desire.

Now, a cup of tea.

[Netfoot]

I collected the replacement chisel, shown here on the left!

I have no words.....

[Netfoot]

Just finished!

It's approx. 7½" in diameter and 2¼" tall. 

I turned the deep channel made where I chased a bug-hole into a feature of the result. (This is what I mean when I say the wood decides what it wants to be. The piece of mahogany with it's accompanying bug-holes essentially dictated the shape of the final piece.)

The other piece, from which this was cut remains in it's unchanged form but it's after 6:00 so with the failing light, it's no point attempting to finish it today. Even in a well-lit workshop it would probably take until midnight to finish, especially with no bowl gouge.

I should say that I used a spindle gouge as a bowl gouge for years, only recently learning that the depth of the flute on the chisel makes a difference. So in the absence of a bowl gouge I am back to using the spindle gouge as I did before. However, in the mean time, I have come to appreciate the subtle difference in edge geometry which the right type of chisel gave me. The spindle gouge just isn't as easy to use for bowl turning, nor as good at the job.

Got an email from the chisel maker who says "You've already provided us with the information we usually have to ask for in a situation like this so we thank you for that. We'll be back in touch with you on Monday or Tuesday with more information once we've been able to get the warehouse locations verified and make sure everything is in the right places out there in our racks." And blah, blah, yada, yada. We will see what happens next.

Anyway, off to a rainy market tomorrow. The weekend prediction generated for the flying club says that at 3:00 the chance of rain jumps from 4.8% to 57.1%, falling back to 28.6% at 9:00, and doesn't fall back to 4.8% until 15:00. So, I will get wet, my clothes will get muddy, the van will get stuck, and the customers won't be there so this little mahogany bowl, like everything else, won't get sold.

What would be a pleasant change would be for something to work out to my advantage, for a change. Instead I get unpaid bills, unfriendly relatives, Mother Hubbard's cupboard, the wrong chisel and the rain pissing down. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

No matter how hard I try to get to bed early before a trip to Brighton, I always end up in bed at the same time as usual.

Mosie making free with my bedding again...

If I can make $150 the phone bill gets paid. An additional $80 and the water bill gets paid. More than that and groceries might be bought! But I expect pouring rain, low turnout and zero sales. I may try and find Holders House Farmer's Market on Sunday and see if I can turn up an organizer to pump for info. It will require the expenditure of some gasoline.

We are in bed, the door locked, the car packed, my clobber all laid out. Listening to Why Can't This Be Love by Van Halen and the auto-off timer is set. The track comes from the album 5150, the first album of the post David Lee Roth era, featuring Sammy Hagar as vocalist. DLR is the larger-than-life vocalist I think of when I think of Van Halen, but Hagar did not disappoint at all as his replacement.

I have to say that I am in a morose frame of mind tonight. The forecast rain when I need a good day at the market. The two-week wait to get my new bowl gouge and the disappointment today when a round-nosed scraper came out of the box, not least because I already have three round-nosed scrapers in different sizes and profiles, while what I need is a damned bowl gouge! This blasted apple-sized lump in my stomach that will cost thousands to investigate, and tens of thousands to get rid of, if that proves necessary. And damage to the fragile relationship I have with my niece, the last family member around here who had a moment of time to spare for me. And while it may sound like a good thing to be down 25 lbs, I have to remember I managed that on a diet of carbs and very sweet tea. Which probably is not a good thing.

Dinner was a lamb neck bone cooked in rice. Actually I cut the meat from the bone (there isn't a lot) and Mo got the bone, raw, with some fat and skin, in with his chow , while the meat cut into tiny pieces got cooked into the rice. Tasted OK but would have been better with some red butter.

Ok, time to sleep.

[Netfoot]

It did not rain, to my surprise. But despite many people coming over to ask about the bowls etc, and to say how much they liked them, I only got one sale today, and that for a $25 pencil holder. Deduct the $10 entrance fee and another $10 for gas, and I made a whole $5.

The very pleasant Toni from my right gave me one of her cinnamon rolls which was delicious, and Marva from my left told me how to bake a chicken and have it come out all brown and nice but without being dry.  Another vendor from another part of the market dragged her son to see my work and tried to persuade him to buy her one as a present, but the young fellow was steadfast in his refusal.

As I was packing up at the end of the morning, Toni came and asked me which I preferred: Chicken Alfredo or Beef Enchiladas. I told her I enjoy both but if forced to choose I'd probably pick the chicken. A while later she came along and handed me a plastic bag. "I got you one of each!" So true, inside the bag were two ready-cooked meals in disposable foil dishes with plastic lids crimped on. Alfredo in one and Enchiladas in the other. Each of these dishes large enough to give me two generous meals or three lighter ones. I was a little (translation: completely) nonplussed but hey! Alfredo! Enchiladas! So I graciously accepted. I will have to do something nice for her in return. Godnozewot, tho.

I may pop down to Holders House tomorrow and see what's what with their market. I fear the entrance fee would be considerably higher and therefore a barrier to entrance. 

Dropping asleep here in bed, listening to Karen Carpenter. She had a remarkable vocal range, and died too young due to complications arising out of anorexia. Really tired after rising at 4:30 this morning and if truth be told not sleeping very well before that point.

Didn't find my balaclava but found a sort of face sock I used in the past. It was in the car. Presumably from my last armed robbery job...

Not going to wear it completely over my face, but will pull it up in front to my nose and in the rear as far as it will go.

So going to pop out to lock the door, then straight off to sleep. 

[Netfoot]

The Pilfering Puppy stole my small mallet!

It was never too pretty, being made from pallets wood, but it worked well and was comfortable in the hand.

Now, with tooth-marks all over it, it will probably still work just as well, but may not be as comfortable in the hand as before.

I am going to take a drive down to Holders Hill and see what's what with the farmers market down there. If I can't find an organizer on site, I may be able to get info from an existing vendor. 

I will take Mo with me for the drive, and I can just feel from now, that I will regret it. But he could use a little outing, although he will probably be confined to the car when we get there.

Oh, and after dropping this phone for the 200th time, I have finally achieved that spiderwebbed, granular look to the screen that I really, really wanted. To stop the sharp edges from cutting my fingers and to keep the larger bits from falling out, I've stuck clear packing tape over the screen. 

This phone was the cheapest I could find st $499 and I certainly have no chance of getting a replacement. For the moment it works, but I don't know for how much longer. And I suspect the packing tape will be quick to wear out and fear that peeling it off to replace it might cause it to pull off half the screen of the phone in little chunks.

Gonna pee and get Mo into the car.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Went to Holders and had a mooch around.

Discovered that it costs $20 per Sunday but after four Sundays they reduce the fee to $15.

They say, a tent is pretty much required. However, the guy who I spoke to days says that if I have no tent he may be able to lend me one if someone does not come and theirvteng their tent is available.

I saw a guy who is a regular at Brighton, where he operates with no tent, and he had no tent today either. He says sales can be up & down, but the clientele is more West Coast and have more money to spend.

I may go next Sunday if I have the gas, the inclination, a working vehicle and the $20. And providing Dr. Kristi doesn't insist info something else when she gets the results of Tuesday's test

Mo behaved in his usual execrable fashion, but we didn't stay long and we're soon on our way home again.

Edited March 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[luv2lurk]

@Netfoot I was perusing the S35 Spoiler Non-elimination thread (contains route info) and thought of you:

Spoiler

Leg 8: Montevideo, Uruguay to Bridgetown, Barbados

Leg 9: Bridgetown, Barbados to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

 

[Netfoot]

Between heavy showers of rain, Mo and I completed our Garden Patrol. The ground was very wet and my Crocs were quick to go squealchy. One small crapaud was observed and quickly ejected from the premises. Mo didn't even know anything had happened until I was already washing my hands in a puddle.

Well, the phone which is literally held together with sticky tape continues to function but for how much longer I can't say. And on the way back from Holders ingot x I got a "Check Engine" light on the instrument panel and had to park the car on a Chefette parking lot for 25 minutes before it went away and we could continue on homeward.  Things are falling apart and I've run out of glue. 

Listening to Bowie's Aladdin Sane. Mo is restless. He's not sure what he wants to do so he had tried curling up against my front, curling up against my back, and curling up entirely on top of me. But none of those were to his satisfaction so he is now curled up near my feet. No, he's just moved back to my back.

Well, tomorrow is another day...

Edited March 6, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

 

Mo and I are listening to Guitar Man by Bread and will soon turn out the lights.

Garden Patrol was a little unusual tonight due to a distrustful puppy who wanted to go patrolling with me and at the same time wanted to keep out of my reach.  It all h han when I looked in the fridge and saw lamb neck bones. They are ugly but they stew up nice and flavourful. But I decided to give one to Mo as a treat. A nice, tasty hit of lamb with a bone in the middle. What doggie could fail to enjoy? I handed the piece of neck to ko who took it in his mouth and immediately dropped it on the floor. My immediate thought was: "My baby must be sick!" So I leaned down to stroke his head. He snarled at me, and snapped at my extended hand. Snatching up his lamb, he shot off onto the lawn while I laughed. Silly puppy! If I wanted it, I would never have given it to you in the first place!

So Garden Patrol was a strange combination of me pretending to try and snatch his bone, and he snatching it up and running off to a safe distance with it.

Just enjoyed a pre-bedtime drink of delicious intestinal contrast medium, complete with extra barium! And (lucky me) I get to have another for breakfast. And a third just before being strapped into the machine at eleven. I'm a little concerned because when I lie on my back (as I will be expected to) I often have difficulties breathing. And I also have a tendency to have develop cramps in my legs. These can result in me literally screaming in pain, while trying to clamber out of bed to make the cramp go away. It would be unfortunate if either of these things were to happen at the very time I was strapped into the torpedo tube that is a CT mschine.

Comments on Puppy Kisses

Mo has always freely given kisses without much prompting. When I had the big beard, those kisses amounted to a tiny lick of his tongue across the tip of my nose.

When the beard came off, Mo quickly transitioned to full-face slobber kisses [zbaoolied with attention to detail*] but he soon returned to giving me a brief kids on the top of my nose.

Now that I'm have begun wearing the face warmer at night, he has returned to giving full facial slobbery kisses again. 

Anyway, better get horizontal....

___
* No idea what I was trying to say right here, I was that tired I was incoherent! Sorry about that...

Edited March 7, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

 

Mo and I are listening to Guitar Man by Bread and will soon turn out the lights.

Just enjoyed a pre-bedtime drink of delicious intestinal contrast medium, complete with extra barium! And (lucky me) I get to have another for breakfast. And a third just before being strapped into the machine at eleven. I'm a little concerned because when I lie on my back (as I will be expected to) I often have difficulties breathing. And I also have a tendency to have develop cramps in my legs. These can result in me literally screaming in pain, while trying to clamber out of bed to make the cramp go away. It would be unfortunate if either of these things were to happen at the very time I was strapped into the torpedo tube that is a CT mschine.

 

I love Bread, they are one of my favorite bands.

Good luck tomorrow! I hope the CT goes well with no cramping and breathing difficulties.

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, andidante said:

I hope the CT goes well with no cramping and breathing difficulties.

It went well. By which I mean there was no drama -- they ran the test and I came away. Best part was when I lay down in the machine. It is the most comfortable I've been lying down for months. Only negative: No music and no Mosie snuggling.

$2,500! I had better be very sick, because if not, it will be difficult to justify the expense.

Back home and hungry because I was told not to eat prior. Don't know if to cook something now or just wait for dinner...

[Netfoot]

I am in bed, listening to Bread again. Baby I'm-A Want You.  Mo is in and out, which is a little unusual because I already locked up. I lock the door and bolt it. And the bolt is up above my head. Yet Mo is able to open the thing. I am going to have to improve the bolt because I don't want him opening the door in the middle of the night and allowing burglars in.

Tomorrow is either the full moon or very close indeed. (Moon phase tomorrow is 53.9% with 0% = 100% = the new moon.) The sky was clear, no breeze blowing particularly and not cold. No breeze I the bedroom window, either.

The test was pretty straight forward. I was lead in by a nurse and a CT operator whose English was virtually undecipherable. Both of them. I'd guess somewhere in SA but I couldn't say where. But I was able to.understand enough that there was no trouble getting through the test. Biggest issue was the contrast medium that they inject mid-test.

The nurse started by driving a needle several inches into my right wrist and wriggling it around a bit, but as has happened so many times before, she couldn't hit a vein. All the burn scars which I've carried for all these years make it difficult for people to get needles into me. I've had surgeons take six shots at it before succeeding.  One of the reasons I took to Dr. Kristi is that she has real hypodermic-skill and can put a needle straight in the vein with one shot, and do it painlessly too.

Anyway, second attempt was inside my left elbow, right where I told her to put it in the beginning. And all went smoothly that time.

The contrast goes in while through this needle while you are in the torpedo tube and feels like hot water or something. You don't feel an actual burning, but you do feel a heat flowing in your veins. And it makes you feel like you soiled yourself, leading to an uncomfortable period between when it hits, and when you can go check on yourself in the washroom afterwards. They warn you to expect it, but I can never dismiss the experience without checking things myself after the fact.

I mentioned that my cheap Samsung screen had shattered. Funnily enough I remembered that I had another phone. Potentially. 

I bought a cheap Samsung a few years ago but very shortly thereafter I had trouble with the charge-port. As it was still under guarantee, I took it back to the place I bought it but they told me to take it to the Samsung repairvolscecin Roebuck St., Which I did. I was told it would take a while to fix, so I bought the phone I'm using now. That was probably 2 years ago, and I forgot about the phone that had gone out for repair.

A couple monthx ago I got a call from someone who told me that my phone had been repaired, that there was no charge to be paid, and I should come and collect it from some garbled address in St. Michael's Row. I never left a phone in St. Michael's Row to be repaired and I never did figure out what was going on. 

Today I went back to the repair center where I dropped off my phone two years ago and it was closed! There was a sigh in the door saying that they had moved to... St. Michael's Row! So that's where I went next.

They said that any phone should have gone back to the vendor and not brought directly to them. But I did bring it to them myself as instructed by the vendor. Anyway, they said they didn't have the phone and that akm phones that they repair are returned to the vendor who sold it. So I should go to the original vendor and get my phone from them. 

The vendor says they don't have it and have no record of the phone after my buying it. This makes sense because i) I never gave it to them but took it to the repair center myself and ii) the voice on the phone didn't tell.mevtompucknitvuo at the mall where I bought it. The voice specifically mentioned St. Michael's Row. So. The repair center claims they don't have my repaired phone and I should go get it from the vendor. The vendor says I never brought it to them and they don't have it and have not seen it since it was originally purchased. And I believe them. 

So I have a spare phone out there somewhere, which would be convenient, given that I've busted this one. But the people who I'm convinced have it, deny it. Instead they try to pass the buck to the vendor who I'm pretty sure has not got it. I very much doubt I will ever see that phone again.

Ok, Mo is here with me now, so I will go try to lock the door again, and pay particular attention to the bolt.

[Netfoot]

New project. 

Remember the mahogany ring I had left back after a previous project?

It polished up a treat! Now all I need is a round-bottomed bowl to sit in it.

This one is under construction. And like the last, it's shape is at least partially dictated by the borer wasp holes which had to be eradicated.

The ridges in the lip of the bowl are as a result of a decision to make it a lidded bowl. (I believe that if a lidded vessel is undersquare it is a lidded box, whereas if it is oversquare, it would be considered a lidded bowl or dish.)

 

The unfinished lid is being held in place by the end of the toolrest, just for the photo. The lid is thin and flat and the lump against which the toolrest presses will be fashioned into a knobby for the lid. I will be interested to see if the lid warps or twists into a shape that makes it unsuitable to task.

Here you see the bowl, finished on top and inside and sitting on the separate ring. Notice the discolouration of a part of the bowl. There is even what looks like spalting, although I've never before ever heard of mahogany spalting!

The bottom of the bowl still has a small foot upon it, and I intend to remove the fot and leave the bottom smoothly curved. Then it can be sanded and waxed and declared complete.

The lid seen here needs finishing. Shaped at the top, then sanded and waxed. Once done, the entire piece, all three parts of it, will be complete.

Assuming I don't destroy the bowl removing the unwanted foot, or destroy the lid fashioning a handle/knob out of the chunk of wood at the top....

P.S.: You did notice the workshop supervisor keeping his eye on me, right?

[Netfoot]

Once again, a post (above) written hours ago found sitting unsaved on the phone. Because the mobile editor is the worst in the world. And I have in the past used ed and still occasionally use the vi editor.

Nothing heard from CT Barbados, Dr. Kristi, or Heidi. So, I am assuming that the CT scan still has not been fully analyzed. Or they are trying to figure out how to break it to me gently. Tomorrow is the last day I have to skip one of my meds, which I was doing because apparently it clashed with the contrast medium.

Listening to some Daryl Hall & John Oates. By no means a favourite band of mine, but they did have a few catchy tunes. Next up will be Alice Cooper, Billy Idol and Elysian Fields.

Mo was here "helping" me out on my jammies. He seemed curious about the head-sock thingie, so I slipped it over his head and tucked it down around his neck until his little face was poking out the top. I thought he would hate it but he appeared thrilled! When I took it back and put it on my own head, he was all over me, investigating the sock and bathing every uncovered part of my face with kisses. He's gone out now, so I will have to wait until he's back inside and lock up. 

I've been thinking about my lidded bowl. What with the ringhstand, the round bottom and the lid, it did take quite a while to make and it isn't even finished yet! Does it make sense to spend two days, maybe three, to make a piece like this? I enjoy trying out ideas and seeing if I can make something unusual. But the goal is to make a few dollars, and I could make three simpler pieces in the time, with a combined sale value higher than the lidded bowl. So should I stop exploring new ideas and stick with simple, quick pieces that will sell for less but hopefully more easily?

My internet is about to be cut off. My landline phone is already on "soft disconnect" and any day the net will go down as well. 

Mo is now half asleep on my foot, so I will try to lock the door. Last time, he raced me to the door, ran out into the dark and wouldn't come back inside for over 10 minutes.

Cooked me a lamb rice with lentils for lunch. Very simple, seasoned with basil & cayenne. Tasted good. Mo got the lamb bone with his lunch. Dinner was porridge. 

He's lying against my back now, and I think he's polishing his nuts. Anyway, I will try to get the door locked, and attempt to get to sleep.

[andidante]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

 

I've been thinking about my lidded bowl. What with the ringhstand, the round bottom and the lid, it did take quite a while to make and it isn't even finished yet! Does it make sense to spend two days, maybe three, to make a piece like this? I enjoy trying out ideas and seeing if I can make something unusual. But the goal is to make a few dollars, and I could make three simpler pieces in the time, with a combined sale value higher than the lidded bowl. So should I stop exploring new ideas and stick with simple, quick pieces that will sell for less but hopefully more easily?

 

 

I love the lidded bowl, but I do see your reasoning. Maybe finish this one and see if it sells and then stick with the others you have been making?

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, andidante said:

I love the lidded bowl, but I do see your reasoning. Maybe finish this one and see if it sells and then stick with the others you have been making?

I agree! Bring home the bacon!

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, andidante said:

I love the lidded bowl, but I do see your reasoning. Maybe finish this one and see if it sells and then stick with the others you have been making?

If it takes 3 times as long to make, then the price should be adjusted accordingly.  If it sells at the highest price, then you have an answer as to whether it is worthwhile to make more elaborate pieces.  Or, you could display it with a sign indicating you will take commission work and only make more if you've got a buyer lined up in advance.

[Netfoot]

Good advice from all. Will not make the complex pieces on any regular basis, if I can make something simple and functional in a much shorter time.

Speaking of complex pieces:

The round-bottomed bowl is complete. If I had a dollar for each time I had to change the chuck jaws, I'd throw it away and spend those dollars instead!

But a round-bottomed bowl won't stand up, so...

That mahogany ring allows the bowl to sit level. Or at an angle, if you prefer.

Now, only one thing could improve on this piece.....

Another bowl sitting on top!

[Netfoot]

Sick as a dog. A bad case of the trots. Also, I'm terrible thirsty. Been drinking a lot of water. Not sure if all the water has brought on the trots or whether the trots has caused dehydration which caused the thirst.

Used a hand saw to cut two small pieces of tamarind which I hope to turn tomorrow into two small  bowls. One will be sidegrain and the other (slightly smaller) one will be end-grain. Also cut and planed some boards to make another pencil box. Someone said they would like one that was stained. The ones I have are varnished so won't take stain very well, hence I will make a new one. There should be enough planed wood to make it, with enough left over to experiment with a tapered shape.

Mo is inside but periodically goes and tries his door opening trick. Poor Mo. I discovered the secret to making the top bolt Mo-proof. 

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me by Elton. I've decided not to wear my ninjammies tonight. I will wrap up with my sheet and wear the socks and a pair of Boxers. I'll keep the gloves to hand in case I wake up needing them. Hopefully I will pass a comfortable night. If not, I'll be Back In Black tomorrow. 

Internet still connected, but dunno for how much longer. No word from CT Barbados nor Dr. Kristi. And I can tell you Dr. K. isn't one of that breed of doctor that withholds results. So I am assuming that no results have been forthcoming.

Opened my last tin of corned beef this afternoon. Really need to make a couple of sales. It would be easier to makecsakes if I were to actually make bowls! But I just can't get that mahogany cut up. Borrowed two chainsaws, neither of which would work. Trying to arrange for the loan of a third. If I can get the stuff cut up small enough to go on the bandsaw, I can then cut it up further to go on the lathe.

Someone suggested I make birdboxes. Was it someone in this forum? I might try making a couple. RSPB says plain, unornamented boxes are best, but I think purty ones might sell better. Gotta weigh the moral dilemma.

Mo I'd pounding on the door to get out. But I'm not prepared to wait 20 minutes for him to come back in and I don't want to lock him out. So, I think I'm staying right here in bed and he will have to be satisfied with not going in and out all night long. I'm tired enough I want a solid night's sleep and the rumbly tummy does not make me want to accommodate him tonight. He is standing by the bed whining barking to attract my attention but I'm ignoring him. 

Because I am about to extinguish The Boy With The Moon & Star On His Head and go to sleep. (Yes, Catch Bull At Four is now playing 😁)

"I'll tell you every thing I've learned, and love is all," he said.

[Netfoot]

Machines wear out. Even lathes. 

I've been hearing a worrying rattle from the lathe as it spins. It's got gradually worse in months gone by. When machines start to fail, you have to consider maintenance of parts to bring it back to its original youthful vigour.

I listened closely. Was it a failing bearing in the headstock? Apparently not, because it was only heard when the chuck was in use. But there is very little to rattle in a chuck. There is the spiral gear, there are four jaw carriers, and your choice of jaws themselves are bolted on as needed. 

Just now, turning a small, end-grain bowl, I thought to myself "The rattling is getting worse than ever!" So, I stopped the lathe and examined the chuck again. To my surprise, I noticed the indexing plate (on the back of the chuck) was loose! Ok, so as soon as I get the bowl finished - just sanding and waxing left - I can take the chuck off and tighten the three screws that hold that plate on. Problem solved!

Earlier, I lost my chuck key. If you remember the trouble I went through to get that key, you will understand why I am very careful with it. I had used the key only a couple minutes before. I went to use it again, and I could not find it. I hadn't gone for a pee, so I hadn't flushed it. I wasn't eating a sandwich so I hadn't swallowed it. I didn't go sharpen a chisel so it wasn't left over by the grinder. 

Mo! What have you done with my chuck key?!??

I had a long conversation with him and he convinced me he hadn't stolen it. So I thought I'd put it out of my mind for a little while and clean the floor instead. Turned on the ShopVac, started sucking up shavings... And there was the chuck key. 

Mo! Come for a treat, baby! Daddy sorry he accused you of something you didn't do. Moochie-smoochie! Puppy kisses are the best. Particularly if the puppy has a fuzzy face...

[Netfoot]

All packed up and ready for the early morning start. Added $20 to the tank to guarantee getting there and back. Clothes laid out, ready to go. 

Added two small tamarind bowls to my stock. Here is a nice little piece, 4" x 3" all done.

And this one is smaller at 3½" x 2¼". This bowl is an end-grain turning.

I rarely do end-grain pieces, but this one came out nice enough. Initial hollowing is difficult as you are cutting into the end-grain of the blank. But once the initial hollowing has begun it goes more and more easily as you proceed.

I made these for the lady who "ordered" four pieces. But these are apparently not to her liking. I have no small pieces of tamarind or mahogany, and no way to cut them out of a bigger piece. But said lady told me she would be calling on Wednesday....

Anyway, here are those two new pieces again:

Now to have a good bath and go to bed. But first: Garden Patrol!

 

 

 

 

[Netfoot]

Just back from Brighton. The forecast was for 100% cloud cover and 0% chance of rain. I was positioned outside with no tent to shelter any rain  or sunshine, so I was a little aprehensive the whole time. There was 100% cloud cover and virtually no rain. During the entire morning the sprinkle threatened. I'd get a tiny droplet on my skin every minute or so. After a while a pleasant lady who makes and sells jewelry told me to bring my table under her awning, and I did this, but so as not to crowd her I stood outside and the tiny sprinkle was so light I hardly noticed it. 

I did quite well, today! I sold these two, this, this, this and one of these.  I left home with $35 in my pocket and came home with $395! Considering I had to pay $10 as a vendor's fee, I made 395+10-35 = $370 all told. One guy bought a $75 piece, handed me 4x$20 and said "Keep the change!" "Thank you, guv'nor!" <tugs forelock>

I wanted enough to pay at least one month of the phone bill plus buy a bag of chow for the little man. Now, I can get a big bag of eats for Mo and pay two months of the phone bill. Or pay one month as planned and pay to bring in the chisel that replaces the chisel that replaced the chisel that broke. And get some groceries. (I've discovered I actually like to eat every day.)

Also, I have a semi-firm commitment to sell the two larger of these for $45 each, and there is that lady who wants four small bowls for gifts by Wednesday (but is unsatisfied with everything I show her). Only, I will have to make the four pieces which hopefully she will accept, between now and Wednesday. And I have no way to cut up the wood I've got into suitable sizes for those pieces. She keeps saying she wants small items so they don't take up much room in a suitcase. Hello! It's a bowl. Pack stuff in it, like knickers and socks! That way it doesn't take up much room in the suitcase at all!

Was thinking of trying Holders tomorrow, but with my depleted stocks and a "check engine" light on the dash coming home today (Holders is 40% further away than Brighton) I think I will give it a miss. Probably reserve Sunday at Holders for those days when I don't sell much at Brighton the Saturday before.

Any way, since I can't pay the phone bill until Monday, my phone/internet will almost certainly be cut off tomorrow. (Old friend named June used to work for the phone company and told me they always do disconnections on a Sunday.)  So if you miss me for a day or two, either the phone/internet will soon be reconnected again, or the news from Dr. Kristi is bad and I've decided to run off and join a commune for my final days. (But where will I find a commune that accepts rascals like Mo?)

Edited March 11, 2023 by Netfoot

[andidante]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I did quite well, today! I sold these two, this, this, this and one of these.  I left home with $35 in my pocket and came home with $395! Considering I had to pay $10 as a vendor's fee, I made 395+10-35 = $370 all told. One guy bought a $75 piece, handed me 4x$20 and said "Keep the change!" "Thank you, guv'nor!" <tugs forelock>

 

 

 

YAY! I am so happy that you did so well today! It is always nice to have extra money to do things. 

[Netfoot]

Oh! And (I nearly forgot) this piece too.

It was quite difficult to make (the deep undercut without a specialist chisel) and I felt a strong sense of accomplishment to complete it, but the spalting wasn't that pretty and it had been for sale for three months or more, with nobody particularly interested.

Today a guy positively gushed with praise for it, and handed over my asking price with a huge smile on his face! I'm glad he got a piece he liked so much, and from my perspective, every little bit helps. 

[Netfoot]

Ok, I went out and selected the smallest mahogany log I had. Still too big for me to manhandle to and then on the bandsaw.

So, I pulled the Japanese styled pull-saw and got started. 

It took a while, but I now had two logs half the length of the original. I could manage to hump one half-sized log to the bandy and started measuring and cutting... Ended up with six bowl blanks, four in the 5“+ range and two smaller.

I don't like turning in the evening because of poor lighting in the garage.  But that wouldn't stop me putting two of the blanks on my two smaller faceplates, would it? So I did.

Next thing I knew I had the lathe running at a (much) higher speed than usual, and by the light of a torch held between my teeth...

This mahogany is a dream to turn. In less than half an hour, I finished roughing out the outside & base of those two bowls and will finalize, sand and finish tomorrow first thing, before turning them around and beginning the hollowing process. They are both about 5" in diameter. One is roughly 1¾" tall and the other 2¼" tall. 

And I've still got two more similar blanks, and another two smaller ones, waiting to be done next.

Plus the other half of that log!

[Netfoot]

Tired. In bed. Listening to Beautiful Ones by Suede. Slept comfortably last night in only a pair of Boxers, and conditions tonight were very similar to last night's Garden Patrol. So, I will skip the cold weather attire tonight as well. Mind you, it's close to hand. If I wake up feeling the chill, I can reach out in the dark and dress up warm without actually getting out of bed. 

Mo is giving me a bath. 

So a successful day, what with a good reception at Brighton, and successfully cutting that log with a hand saw to get it down small enough that I could bring the bandy into play. And the mahogany really behaves very well under the chisel. I've seen people turning on YT and always wondered what sort of magic they possessed to get that sort of performance out of their equipment. The answer this whole time seems to be the choice of grain. Consistent, homogeneous, hard, tight grain.

Mo still bathing me. Makes typing difficult...no, he's done now, and gone to lie down alongside my leg.

Want to finish a half-dozen or so small mahogany bowls so this lady friend can select what she wants this week. (I hate making things to order!) Then I have a couple other things I need to make, and I want to start experiments to decide the best miter & chamfer angles to make a tapered containers like the pencil holders and planters, and make the jigs needed to automate all that. Also want to start doing some scroll work.

Anyway, I'm bushed and after being up for the last 19 hours, I think I should zonk out now. I remember going to work one Friday at 8:00AM and worked non-stop until 3:00PM the following Tuesday, on Cockspur rum & Three-Fives cigarettes alone. But then I got old......

Internet going off tomorrow, I'm pretty sure! So, see you next week!

Edited March 12, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Was hoping to complete six little bowls today, despite usually kicking back and relaxing, the day after a run to Brighton. Successfully completed (but see below) five of them

But the final piece did not want to play ball.  It shaped well, hollowed nicely, sanded without too much trouble, and was being eaxed, when it decided to rebel.

This was a side-grain bowl, only about 3" in diameter. The heart of the wood (as indicated by the growth rings) just departed at high speed on both sides of the rim.

A friend asked if I could shorten the bowl to eliminate the broken part, and obviously I could, but this bowl was small to begin with, and cshortenrd version would have only been about 1" deep. 

Still, I gave it some thought, and using a rasp and some sandpaper, I smoothed the breaks into something like an acceptable degree of roundness. 

Ok, so it's like the beautiful cygnet that became an ugly duck. But I am happy to have saved it. Saved in the sense that it isn't only fit for firewood. And who knows? Someone may love it and give it a home.

Now, the five good bowls aren't 100% done. I have to catch them in the chuck and do a final clean-up of the foot. The foot is always sized to match the jaws of the chuck. Even using the small jaws, a tiny bowl can seem out of proportion with it's foot. So as in this case,  now that they are essentially done, I will reduce the feet (foots?) To a smaller, better proportioned size.

Ok, there is no food in the house. Sure, there is 4-5 kilos of rice and about the same of flour. Two tins of lentil peas and a tin of sweet peas. There is a little bit of sugar, a little bit of salt, a few tea bags, a little oatmeal and some onions. One large pack of macaroni and a few packages of dried beans. 

There is no milk, no cheese, no corned beef. No eggs, tuna fish, sausages, pilchards, sardines, mackerel, lamb, or chicken.

Worst of all, little Mo's chow ran out last night. Which is why he had the last of the lamb for lunch, the last tin of sardines for dinner and the last of the bully beef for desert. He also ate some of my rice, which was itself pretty uninteresting. It's not a big deal, really. I will have to go to the shops tomorrow, buy a sack of Mo-food and then see what I can get for myself in the way of groceries.

But first, I gotta pay the phone bill. To my complete surprise they haven't (not yet, anyhow) disconnected the internet! So I will go first thing to deposit some money and use it to pay the phone bill using internet banking. 

Mo is outside barking up a storm while I listed to some Billy Idol. Venus, specifically. But I am tired and I will... Never mind. He just walked in and started giving me a bath.

[Netfoot]

This is one of the jaws from my large Cole jaws set. The set consists of four jaws; this is #2. 

Cole jaws have screw-in posts that can be placed in different locations as needed. This set of jaws has a choice of four positions, at four different distances from the center, allowing the jaws to be set for different size of workpidce. Each jaw uses two posts.

If you look at the front, you will see a short, black post on the left. You can also see a bunch of red jaws which I just made from M6-1.0 x 30mm machine screws. The red lining is intended to protect the finish on what ever gets gripped in the jaws. I made it from an appropriate length of rubber hose I bought at the hardware store along with the screws. With eight posts needing ~24mm of hose, it would require 8x24mm = 192mm or 7.56“ of hose. So one foot will be more than sufficient, right?

I bought eight screws at 30mm (and another eight at 20mm for another task) but if you look at the photo you will see six complete posts, and to the right you will also see the scree screw for seventh post and the 24mm piece if if hose waiting for it.

You will also see the eighth screw - notably shorter than 30mm - and on the left, all that remains of the one foot of hose I bought. Seems like the shop assistant thinks there are 8" to the foot, and that a 25m screw and a 30mm screw are "same ting, only diff'rent," to use a familiar local saying. 

Now, I have find the time to go back and buy another foot of hose and another M6-1.0 x 30mm machine screw! And learn my lesson: never let the people in the shop make up the order without checking each and every nut, bolt and washer yourself.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Internet still not disconnected!

Mo was super snuggly/cuddly this morning and I didn't want it to stop, so I actually laid in bed until 7:30 scratching his tummy and enjoying puppy-time.

I made a deposit at the bank to cover the payment for the phone/internet. As soon as that's processed and available in the account, I will pay via internet banking. The next payment will be due in only 8 days. I have enough in there to pay that as well, but I want to hold that to put towards other essential bills.

The six little bowls are all finished, and look good. Even the ugly duck is starting to grow on me. I wonder sometimes if I should price that one $10 more than the unbroken one...

Also went to the hardware store and bought some screws, etc, I have needed to make minor improvements to the Cole jaws of the chuck. Then to the grocery. 

As I have been afraid would happen eventually, the price of a tin of corned beef has gone up by 20¢. It isn't the 20¢ that is annoying. It is that the price is now more than $5, so for a fiver I can no longer get a tin of bully. Anyway, got 3 tins. The lentil peas will be the next to go up...

Also got 2Kg of Mo-food, 2.775Kg of potatoes, one lb. of carrots, a carton of milk, 2 lb. of sugar and a pot of red butter. Total bill was $71.25 and it's a good thing I had a buck and a quarter in change in my pocket. I now have $15 in my wallet which will get me in the door at Brighton on Saturday. And I will sacrifice a chicken in the hopes of more sales. No, I will have to sacrifice a tin of bully, because I can't afford chicken.

But I can now drink this here cuppa tea.....

[Netfoot]

Last two posts were out of order, I think. The blasted editor on the mobile version of the site had done it again. I pressed [SAVE] ar least twice and then put down the phone, assuming it had, you know, saved.

Next post made on the desktop did save. Then I noticed the unsaved post on the mobile...

Potatoes and carrots for lunch, with a tamatoey sauce. Saved some of the sauce for dinner, and had it with fry-bread. I made five "loaves" and Mo wheedled two of them for himself. After consuming a bowl of Mo-chow first! 

Finished the six bowls this morning and cut out five more blanks this evening. (Will work on them tomorrow, and hope to finish them.)

Also ended up with some small blanks that might make a little souvenir of some sort, but really requires the use of the woodworm screw chuck. If only I had one.

And, started work on two pencil holders this afternoon. Almost exactly the same size as the ones I made before, but made from thinner stock. This single change increases the internal size of the item, and at the same time reduces it's weight. Big challenge will be getting the bottoms into them. Reason for making more? Someone said they wanted one, but stained. When I cut out the pieces I saw I had enough to make two! So that's what I'm going to do.

Meanwhile, been thinking of making a miniature version Like 2" tall instead of 4" tall, and proportioned to suit. Absolutely no use but amusing, perhaps.

Considering revisiting planters. Remember the 8-sided ones I made? Well, considering 9- or 12-sided ones. But! Instead of having two staves protruding out the top to carry a rope handle, I'm thinking three staves protruding out the bottom to form three legs (on a 9-sided planter) for them to stand on. Or four legs (on a 12-sided planter).

Actually, 12 staves would allow you to do 3- or 4-legged designs. Now, 12 staves would require 15° chamfers on the staves, whereas 9 staves would call for 20° chamfers, both pretty easy to achieve, esp. with my Wixey angle gauge. But 12 staves would allow to have two staves protruding up to carry a rope handle (as previously done in the 8-sided planters). Or, three protruding up to accommodate three cords/chains for hanging. Or four cords. A nine-sided design would allow for three (but not four) chains for hanging, but won't allow for two for a rope handle.

So although more staves are needed, I think 12 sides may prove to be more flexible. And standardizing would allow the batching out of staves in bulk, to be cut to desired length and assembled into a variety of designs. 

By simply moving the rip fence, you could vary stave width and thus planter diameter. And I wonder what would happen if you used staves of alternating width? Let's see: If every third stave were double (say) the width, you'd end up with a squareish planter but with rounded corners. Every fourth stave wider would give rounded triangular planters... 

Listening to 1993 by Boz Scaggs. Snuggle-puppy is here with me and I will soon go lock up.

Last night I slept without warm clothes but around 4:30 was awoken by the cold and had to put on a long-sleeved tee shirt. Not taking any chances tonight. 

Gotta go over to the mall and get the M6-1.0 x 30mm machine screw plus another foot of rubber hose. While there I can maybe score some more peppermints and Choco-mints for Brighton, because I am running out. Wonder if I should try something else? Grapes? Homemade condensed milk candies? Tamarind balls? Where in hell would I get ripe tamarinds from? And should I make them Trini-style (hot as hell with bonny peppers) or Bajan style (pepperless & wussy)?

And I'm woried about Dr. Kristi. Went shopping for my groceries this morning in the same compound where her clinic is and I noticed she wasn't there. She normally handles the mornings and Dr. Gabrielle takes the afternoons. But Dr. Gabby was there this morning, and there have been several times recently that Dr. K. has been AWOL. 

Anyway, time to lock up and switch to recharge mode. But how many times will I have to press [SUBMIT REPLY] before the post is saved?

[Notabug]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Last two posts were out of order, I think. The blasted editor on the mobile version of the site had done it again. I pressed [SAVE] ar least twice and then put down the phone, assuming it had, you know, saved.

Next post made on the desktop did save. Then I noticed the unsaved post on the mobile...

Potatoes and carrots for lunch, with a tamatoey sauce. Saved some of the sauce for dinner, and had it with fry-bread. I made five "loaves" and Mo wheedled two of them for himself. After consuming a bowl of Mo-chow first! 

Finished the six bowls this morning and cut out five more blanks this evening. (Will work on them tomorrow, and hope to finish them.)

Also ended up with some small blanks that might make a little souvenir of some sort, but really requires the use of the woodworm screw chuck. If only I had one.

And, started work on two pencil holders this afternoon. Almost exactly the same size as the ones I made before, but made from thinner stock. This single change increases the internal size of the item, and at the same time reduces it's weight. Big challenge will be getting the bottoms into them. Reason for making more? Someone said they wanted one, but stained. When I cut out the pieces I saw I had enough to make two! So that's what I'm going to do.

Meanwhile, been thinking of making a miniature version Like 2" tall instead of 4" tall, and proportioned to suit. Absolutely no use but amusing, perhaps.

Considering revisiting planters. Remember the 8-sided ones I made? Well, considering 9- or 12-sided ones. But! Instead of having two staves protruding out the top to carry a rope handle, I'm thinking three staves protruding out the bottom to form three legs (on a 9-sided planter) for them to stand on. Or four legs (on a 12-sided planter).

Actually, 12 staves would allow you to do 3- or 4-legged designs. Now, 12 staves would require 15° chamfers on the staves, whereas 9 staves would call for 20° chamfers, both pretty easy to achieve, esp. with my Wixey angle gauge. But 12 staves would allow to have two staves protruding up to carry a rope handle (as previously done in the 8-sided planters). Or, three protruding up to accommodate three cords/chains for hanging. Or four cords. A nine-sided design would allow for three (but not four) chains for hanging, but won't allow for two for a rope handle.

So although more staves are needed, I think 12 sides may prove to be more flexible. And standardizing would allow the batching out of staves in bulk, to be cut to desired length and assembled into a variety of designs. 

By simply moving the rip fence, you could vary stave width and thus planter diameter. And I wonder what would happen if you used staves of alternating width? Let's see: If every third stave were double (say) the width, you'd end up with a squareish planter but with rounded corners. Every fourth stave wider would give rounded triangular planters... 

Listening to 1993 by Boz Scaggs. Snuggle-puppy is here with me and I will soon go lock up.

Last night I slept without warm clothes but around 4:30 was awoken by the cold and had to put on a long-sleeved tee shirt. Not taking any chances tonight. 

Gotta go over to the mall and get the M6-1.0 x 30mm machine screw plus another foot of rubber hose. While there I can maybe score some more peppermints and Choco-mints for Brighton, because I am running out. Wonder if I should try something else? Grapes? Homemade condensed milk candies? Tamarind balls? Where in hell would I get ripe tamarinds from? And should I make them Trini-style (hot as hell with bonny peppers) or Bajan style (pepperless & wussy)?

And I'm woried about Dr. Kristi. Went shopping for my groceries this morning in the same compound where her clinic is and I noticed she wasn't there. She normally handles the mornings and Dr. Gabrielle takes the afternoons. But Dr. Gabby was there this morning, and there have been several times recently that Dr. K. has been AWOL. 

Anyway, time to lock up and switch to recharge mode. But how many times will I have to press [SUBMIT REPLY] before the post is saved?

I think the footed planters is a great idea for a patio or deck.  Keeping them up off the ground prevents the wood from rotting in the wet weather and makes it easier to hose off the deck or patio around them.  I've got a couple on my patio and I love them.

[Netfoot]

I had a visitor this morning who bought three of my little mahogany bowls. That leaves me with these pieces left (the latest at the front)

and a little more cash to stick in the bank, plus a few more bux to allow the purchase of some bits and pieces. And some bogroll..

Was working on the new, Mk.2 pencil holders. Shown here:

On the left with the pencil is one of the original (Mk.1) units. To the right of that are the two new ones I'm making. Still incomplete, the thinner stock is easy to see. The resulting units are the same size but are lighter and hold more pencils. 

And in the foreground, two cute little decorative versions. I don't know where to get suitably sized pencils, so I will probably just go with a "rope" handle.

In other news, Dr. Kristi called me to come see her. I asked her why I was getting a bad vibe from her and she told me she was working too hard, needed a break, but had too many sick patients. She said she normally gets one breast cancer case every five years, but suddenly, she has seven. And all the other doctors are apparently in the same boat.

Now, I wonder what happened recently that might have changed the medical landscape? I just can't think of a single thing.

Funny thing. Dr. Kristi enquired about my blood sugar, and I got her to call up the web page I developed that shows the results of the tests I do every few days, going back 30 days. She printed a hard copy. I pointed out that the page was available when ever she wanted to view it and could be set to go back any period up to 365 days. She still stuck the hard copy in my file!

Anyway, about that big lump in my tummy that we did the CT to investigate. Dr. Kristi confessed that she had been very concerned by it, but it turns out that it is a benign mass, mostly a fluid, that is probably a result of the surgery I had a few years ago. It is absolutely no cause for concern, and she even spoke to the surgeon who did the hernia about it. He went and looked at the CT for himself and agreed that he is completely unconcerned about it.

Since it was a full-body scan we spotted a couple other things.

First, there is sign of deterioration in my spine. Some sort of mild (so far) osteoporosis. This probably accounts for the constant aches and pains in my back. My mum had osteo in her final years, so I have an idea of what is to come as far as that is concerned.

And also. There is a cancerous tumor on my kidney that needs to be removed immediately. Dr. K. says "It doesn't have to come out today, but it does have to come out ASAP." And the surgeon I mentioned earlier agrees, along with the specialist she contacted for an opinion. This is exactly the news a guy who is worried about the price of a tin of corned beef wants to hear.

Anyway, I have not eaten any lunch. I have lost my appetite for some reason. And I'm not inclined to do any more work on my pencil holders, either. Nor the bowl blanks I had started work on first thing this morning. 

So, I am going to suck a peppermint sweetie and then maybe have a big cup of extra sweet tea along with some Teatime biscuits.

Tomorrow is another day.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I wish you the best, @Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

3 hours ago, Superclam said:

I wish you the best, @Netfoot

Same here, @Netfoot! ❤️

[b4pjoe]

5 hours ago, Superclam said:

I wish you the best, @Netfoot

 

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Same here, @Netfoot! ❤️

Same!

[Netfoot]

I'm lying in bed listening to the album "Even In The Quietest Moments..." By Supertramp. In particular, the track From Now On, which I consider the best track that band ever laid down. There are many who think Breakfast is their best album and it is undeniably a great album, with great tracks in it. But for me Quietest Moments is a hard album to beat. And the saxophone line running through From Now On has a huge part to play in my feeling so. It is one of those moments in music that makes me wish I could play an instrument. There are a few such, and this is one. It is like the piano line running through Bowie's Aladdin Sane. Just one of those little moments which, if I knew I had made that little piece of music, then I would know my life had not been entirely in vain.

Tomorrow I have arranged to borrow a chainsaw and get to cutting up some mahogany. The first chainsaw I borrowed was so dull I doubt it could have cut a rolled up newspaper. When I got that chain replaced, the drive system ceased to operate and while the motor ran strongly, the chain refused to spin. Next came the saw that would not start at all. Tomorrow I try once more. The saw will either not run, or be so dull it won't cut.

I used to have my very own Stihl chainsaw, with an 18" blade and a 45cc motor. A thing of beauty that you had to be very careful with, because if you were clumsy, you might accidentally cut the planet in half with it! But I had to sell that to buy food and pay rent.

Sprinkling salt on my tongue. I keep a shaker by the bed. And of course Mo wants his share. Been fighting off cramps all night, in my feet and (just now) right up my inner thigh. Dr. Kristi told me a sprinkle of salt will help drive off cramps and while that sounds like a load of cobblers, I do it anyway because if there is even the slightest chance it works...

It's late. Several minutes after two in the morning. Not really feeling sleepy but I know I will feel it at seven tomorrow, when it's time to get up, so I'd better kill the lights and try for some shut-eye. 

LIttle Mozie is here beside me, but as soon as I get up to pee (which I must do before sleep), he will dash  to the front door and hope I'm coming to open it for him to go out and prowl around.  My little Molasses. Part Mohican, part black panther. I'm sure he will be fine.

[Netfoot]

After a particularly strenuous game of Tummy Trampoline, I'm lying in bed, damp from the shower, listening to The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. At one time she was a fairly frequent visitor to the island. Rumour was she had a local boyfriend.

After exhausting himself, Mo now curled up against my feet,which is nice. He is warm. 

Finished cutting and fitting the parts for the Mk.2 pencil holders. Cutting the slot at the bottom of each stave to hold the bottom captive then shaping and  fitting the bottom to the staves took some time. In my head I worked out a way to produce a slot of the perfect width for the bottom. I tried my method and indeed, it worked perfectly. The pieces were all stained with vinegar & rusty nails and are drying overnight. Tomorrow, I will give the pieces a thorough rub-down to remove any particles and then I will glue the staves together, trapping the bottoms in place. (The bottoms are not glued in. They are trapped in the slot and can't escape, after the staves are glued into a circle.)

Once the glue has set up, I will apply a wax/oil finish. To that end I made up a pot of mineral oil & beeswax this afternoon, melting everything together on the stove (soup tin) so I have plenty of finish I can use.

Collected the borrowed chainsaw this morning and brought it home with me. Have not tried it yet (tomorrow) but the chain looks as rough as a bear's arse. Well, we will see tomorrow.

Paid to have my replacement bowl gouge shipped. Only $44 and change. Dunno when it will getvherey. It would be nice if they shipped this week and let me collect it early next week!

Going to sleep now.

[Netfoot]

So I was writing a post about cutting wood for the lathe. The fourth chainsaw (which I borrowed yesterday) won't cut butter, it's that dull. So I had to try the bowsaw.

I was able to complete the partially cut log which had stumped four chainsaws. But it took over an hour and left me exhausted.

While composing that post, the internet went off and the phone went with it. So I had to walk over to the mall to find out what was going on. Seems the problem was on my end. So I returned home, reset the router and lo! Internet again!

But while at the mall, I succumbed to temptation and spent money on a roti and a coke. The roti was a giant.

Boneless chicken (curried, of course), channa and cabbage. And the roti skin was dhal puri as well. Dhal puri tastes best. The thin skin of the roti I'd is prepared with [a] thin layer of crushed, seasoned, yellow split peas. While it tastes best, it does make the skin more likely to burst and allow the contents to spill, so if you are going to buy a roti and eat it as you go, you might want to skip the dhal puri, so as to avoid the roti falling apart in your hands and drenching you with curry. But since I was planning to take it home and eat it over a plate to catch what ever fell out.....

When I was a lad, roti was much simpler. You could get beef, chicken or shrimp, with or without potato. I remember I used to get all-potato (19¢) whereas the rest of the family would get beef or chicken with potato (25¢). Mum loved the shrimp & potato roti but she very rarely chose that because of the outrageous price (29¢).

Nowadays you can get roti with all sort of stuff in it, from salt fish & sweet potato to pork stew & rice. Snd And I am in favour of the new ingredients. Channa is a little better than potato (IMHO), pumpkin adds a touch of sweetness and cabbage gives a lovely crunch to it. But I am traditionalist enough to always have curry in my roti. No curry? Not a roti.

I thought my lunch tasted wonderful and the ravenous maw that had its head in my lap the whole time thought so too. Without question, I will regret the expenditure soon. But right now, I am smiling.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I am already regretting the roti. I mean, it was delish and it's the first hot food I've bought in months and months and months. But it also cost about 30 days worth of corned beef. Or two weeks of gasoline. So I will not be smiling when the only thing in the rice is some salt. Speaking of which, I'm almost out of salt.

Mo is honking like a goose again. Not right this minute - right now he is leaning against my tummy and we're listening to Blow Away by George Harrison. 

Did basically nothing today other than finish the two Mk.2 pencil holders. The alarm will go off very early tomorrow morning and I will catch up on the news while drinking a cuppa tea (almost out of tea bags) then see if I can turn a few items to go to Brighton on Saturday. What's annoying is the knowledge that if I could just get my hands on a chainsaw that worked, I could cut up a bunch of bowl blanks quickly, and be able to make stuff all day, instead of being limited by availability of wood blanks. (Mo departs.)

Puppy was whining at me for half the evening and it took me a while to figure out what the matter was. He was cross because I didn't give him a taste of my dinner. But then, I didn't eat any dinner, so....

It's gone midnight and I am sleepy. So I will go and see if Mo will come inside and let me lock up. 

[Netfoot]

In bed 45 minutes earlier than usual. Togs laid out for tomorrow with EDC ready, $20 gas in the tank, turnings packed, BS machine laid out and ready for the morning. Showered and sweet-smelling, eyes stinging.

I recall that as a boy, my mum always had Ivory soap in the house. Occasionally we would get a bar of Lux or Palmolive, but only if Ivory was unavailable. (And that's I have in the house now.) But for some reason, when ever she was getting things together to send me off to school, she always bought Pears soap to send me off with.

Ivory soap stings your eyes but it floats. I have no idea why that is advantageous, unless you are one of those people who like to get clean by sitting waist deep in a pool of their own scum. I guess floating soap would be less likely to get lost under such circumstances. 

Had rice for lunch and porridge for dinner. I've got three tea bags left, a small amount of sugar and one, maybe two cuppas worth of milk. Hoping to get a few sales tomorrow. It would be nice to pay some bills and actually have enough left over to buy some groceries. It would be great if I made enough that I could consider getting some veggies up there. (It is a farmer's market, after all!)

Bowl gouge shipping was paid on 15th. On the 16th it was "in transit to destination country" and then later that same day it went to  "preparing for shipment." Since then, there has been no change in status. Slightly annoying that in half a week they couldn't get that on a plane. 

Earlier in the week I cut some bowl-blanks, using a bowsaw and the bandsaw. All of these

developed cracks and are essentially useless. Let me tell you how disappointed the "unnaturally thin bones" of my spine regret that particular turn of events!

Mo is asleep, curled up against my butt. I'd snap a picture over my should but there is no way to achieve that without capturing my butt as well as Mo, and nobody needs to see that. Not even Dr. Kristi gets to see that, as was clearly established the first time I ever consulted her, what? 15 years ago? 

Anyway, with Mo sleeping, Cat Stevens singing Oh Very Young and the alarm set for 4:30 tomorrow morning, I'm off to sleep. 

Damn. The little scamp is bogarting the sheet!

[Netfoot]

Coming back from Brighton with $80 in takings, I stopped and blew $60 of it on groceries.

Remember the corned beef that fit a price hike from $$4.99 to $5.19? Price is down again, back to $4.99, but the 99¢ lentil peas sre gone. Not just a price increase, but no longer on the shelves at all. Cheapest alternatives (black-eyrs, pigeon peas, etc) start at $2.50+ and go north from there.

So I bought a box of teabags, 2 lbs. of sugar and a liter of evaporated milk. Also, two head of pak choy, 4-5 largeish cucumbers and half a cabbage. Also bought some tins of corned beef. 

Macaroni was $1.75 but went up to $1.95 a few weeks ago. today, I noticed it had gone up again to $2.15 for the cheap brand I've been buying. But I noticed that a different brand, one that I actually prefer, was at $1.99 for the same amount of macaroni. So I bought some of that, and a pack of linguini as well for $2.20 per pack. Just for a change. Dinner, I think. 

For lunch, I made a rice dish with cucumber, pak choy, green peas and corned beef. Very tasty. Then, I took a nap.

[Netfoot]

Listening to I Believe by Blessed Union Of Souls as I prepare for bed. Mo is in and out, and I still have to lock up the house. 

Just had a late dinner. Linguini with a simple sauce made from pak choy and onion with corned beef and garlic. Was considering going to Holders House Farmers Market tomorrow, but think I will hold off of that.

A friend just called and wanted to know if I wanted some small sections of freshly cut mahogany. Obviously, I said yes, and he dropped them by. Not exactly sure what I can do with it, but I will stick some on the lathe in the morning and see if I can do some wet-wood turning to make some spindle blanks. Would like to try wet-turning done some bowl blanks as well, from the fresh mahogany I acquired a couple weeks ago. But. I. Just. Can't. Get. It. Cut. Up. 

I could take it to Blades and ask him to do it for me, but Blades has a huge yard filled with giant mahogany tree trunks - like 25 feet long and 5 feet in diameter - piled 20 feet high. By all accounts, he has so much work doing for his own business, he has no time to offer the services he once did offer to other woodworkers. 

I've been having trouble standing upright all day. Actually, that's not accurate. I can stand upright just fine. But if I move, even if it's just to turn around and look the other way, I get wobbly before I can stabilize again. Walking is a planned journey from point A to point B via a series of waypoints, representing things I can grab on to, to steady myself to prevent myself falling. A change of course is most dangerous. Like, walk down the passage and turn left towards the bed... Worst of all is carrying something to/from the car. Such as a box of groceries. Both hands tied up, and Mo just itching to barge past (or between) my legs as I'm going up or down the steps.

Life has deteriorated in the last year, and continues to deteriorate apace. As me mum used to say:

🎶 Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something bloody awful!

Edited March 19, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

You may recall, that some months ago, my ⅜" bowl gouge "wore out". When made, the end of the chisel is heat treated by raising it to a red heat and quenching it in a suitable medium. Water, oil, etc, depending on the type of steel. This is done to harden the steel so it takes a keener edge and holds it longer than the untreated, softer steel.

Since sharpening on the grinder removes a small amount of steel, and since sharpening has to be done often, the tool gets shorter and shorter until the heat treated end is all ground away. At this point, the steel won't hold an edge and the tool becomes essentially useless as a chisel.

When this point is reached, you can quickly tell, not only because the tool won't hold an edge, but because the steel does not resist the heat of grinding/sharpening at all well. It "burns". It developed a bluish tinge from the heat of sharpening.

When this happened to my ⅜" bowl gouge (it was nearly 10 years old by then), I was forced to  order a new, ½" bowl gouge. Which broke, and the replacement turned out to be a round-nosed scraper... Now, the replacement for the replacement which was wrong which was a replacement for the one that broke, which was a replacement for the one that wore out..... is on its way. 

In the mean time, I've been using my old spindle gouge as a bowl gouge (it too is nearly 10 years old at this point). Fortunately, I used to (stupidly) use the spindle gouge as a bowl gouge when I didn't know any better, so I know how to do that at a pinch.

Anyway, this morning I was turning a piece of wet mahogany:

Wet turned wood must be left to dry out (sometimes months) and returned again to eliminate the warps that inevitably arise from the drying process. Which is why the initial turning is left thick. 

So while finishing this piece, I went to resharpen my bowl spindle gouge, and...

Well, that is the end of that. The bluing of the steel can be readily be seen. This says that the steel is burning after literally only a second on the grinder. This chisel has worn down past the point where the steel has been heat treated. So, no bowl gouge (until the replacement for the replacemdnt for etc, etc, gets here) no spindle gouge to use as a substitute, and as a result, no more turning. 

Wonder what else to try and make?

Edited March 19, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I'm tired of turning wood. I'm tired of spending an hour and a half cutting a piece of timber with a hand saw, before I can even start making a bowl. I'm tired of cutting seven bowl blanks a c and having five of them turn out to have cracks in them. 

This is my large, diamond parting tool. Was. The only other one I've got is smaller, and was bent some weeks ago. 

Really tired of this.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Well, not a good day for chisels. Lost two, one worn out and one broken. What would replacements cost? Diamond parting tool (3/16") from $38 all the way up to $189 and a 1/2" spindle detail gouges starting at $65 and going up from there. No point even thinking about it.

The temperature has moved south again. It's been bearable the last few nights. Not normal, but not frigid. Tonight feels like it will be cold!

Had vegetable stew for lunch and more linguini for dinner. Will eat simple tomorrow, maybe just porridge. I did buy a bag of raisins so I can sprinkle a few of them into the pot while cooking it. 

Door locked, puppy helping keep my butt warm, 10cc on the "gramaphone". The hour is late; after midnight, because the phone decided it wanted to do an OS update and I OK'd that before I realized it was already quite late. So now it's later. 

Anyway, going to start snoring, now. Tomorrow I got to figure out a better way to pay the bills.

[Netfoot]

Biopsy: $4-6K. So averaging $5K. Not sure if that is just the surgeon or includes use of the theatre, anasthetic, etc, etc.

And probably another $1K in incidental costs. 

Cooking rice for lunch.

[Netfoot]

6:52 PM -- "Your Package Is Ready At Counter....." 

Ok, will pop down to collect that in the morning, and deposit some ca$h at the bank on the way home. 

Because I'm looking forward to making 76 bowls to pay for the biopsy!

Dinner was oatmeal, and I'm completely out of the new stuff and almost out of the "vintage" stuff (Best By January 2018). Song So I might pick up a couple bags on the way home as well.

The rasins were a nice touch, and I discovered something else too: Mo loves rasins.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Netfoot