A section of one of the many Ash logs in my yard waiting to be milled.
woodwork
Walnut Headboard-Chest
Below are some pictures of the main carcass for the headboard-chest of a black walnut bed underway in the shop right now. It was dry fit for the first time yesterday. It was quite a challenge to get the nearly eighty hand-cut dovetails to mate properly.
The tops of the boards are still rough- they will be shaped a little- softened- but mainly left as is. The lid will “float” inside the top of the chest.
A foreshortened side view. Here one can see all the dovetails- yet to be trimmed- th chest will be taken apart and re-assembled a few times before final assembly, where after the pins and tails will be trimmed flush.
A detail of a Q.S. white oak butterfly- decoratively and hopefully functionally placed in a knot with a small split. There are quite a few butterflies throughout the piece for the task of securing splits and abnormalities- the joys of screwball Kansas walnut.
Dovetails
The set-up for chopping the dovetails for a large walnut chest, which will be incorporated into a bed I am building.
Here a joined walnut board is clamped upright in the vice and to the stretchers for sawing the dovetails.
Finally, in the act of chopping.
Walnut Sitting Stool
A small black walnut sitting stool with turned legs. A shallow dish has been carved out in the seat, which is hard to observe in this picture.
Two Puppet Stages
Here is the main stage for the School of the Transfer of Energy Puppet Theater with some interesting shadows in the morning sun.
A slightly more complete picture of the same stage. Here you can see the main curtains, and the side screens. The shadow screen can be seen behind the trees of the scene in the stage. The scene, which is under construction, is John Beartrist Laceroot entering a grove of cedar trees.
Below is a peak at the mechanics of one of the rod puppets under the main stage floor.
This is the stage for the marionette narrator of the play which takes place on the stage in the preceding photos. The wooden container, which is actually used to transport part of the main stage, serves double duty as the platform for the narrator’s stage. There will be a curtain concealing the legs of the operator.
Here is a detail at the foot of the stage. The whale is the symbol for Jonah, who the narrator, Jonas, is named for.
Puppet Stage Front
This stage front is for a large marrionette, who narrates for The Two Deaths of John Beartrist Laceroot.
The narrator is named Jonas, thus the carved whale.
Milling A Walnut Stump
Here are a few photographs as I cut up a walnut stump. The stump was all that was left of a city tree.
A black walnut stump, cut in half and then one of the halves cut into quarters.
Sawing 5/4″ boards from one of the quarters.
A good stack of boards- ranging from 4″ thick to 4/4″ thick. A few spots of rot, but much usable wood.
Rowdy spectators.
Finished Console
The finished console, or hall stand, made from alder wood. It is finished with tung oil.
Below is a detail of some of the carving on the right side and a simple oval finial.
Ash Logs
A trailer load of Green Ash logs to be milled. We had to split the big one to get it loaded, but it will be quarter sawn, anyway.
Unloading with the hook and the WD.
The Scratch Stock
In order to cut the flutes in the columns on my puppet stage, I made up what I recently learned is called a “Scratch Stock” (see Peter Follansbee’s blog ) from some maple and a piece of an old saw blade, in the form of a marking guage- with an adjustable fence. On a side note, Peter Follansbee’s blog is quite interesting and unique- captivating even- for people who appreciate those who are exceedingly well aquianted with the specific history and dedicated to the authentic quality of their work. One can also visit his website to see some of his extraordinary work in 17th century joined furniture.
You can see the saw teeth on the top and the cutters I cut on the bottom.
Shaping the cutters with a saw tooth file.
Scratching the flutes into the black walnut held in a little jig made with a couple of nails in one board and another to one side to act as a fence. It takes many slow passes across the hard walnut, and the ends are cleaned up with a small gouge.
Another view before the jig. I have a lot to learn but I am getting there.
The School of the Transfer of Energy 
