Hello there, fair reader. I took a break from work for a couple weeks. During that time, I explored the craft of woodworking. I made a few things, such as a six piece burr puzzle. Here are some pictures:
(That one is of the puzzle with the first "move" complete)
(This is all the pieces. There are only six pieces, but I made two puzzles and laid them out to show clarity in the form)
These ones I did in hard maple. I cut them by hand with a backsaw that looks a bit like a ryoba, but is labeled as a "Vaughan Bear Saw". To make the straight cuts, I built myself a miter box. I removed the waste with a coping saw and chisels, sanded it down, tuned it with files, did more sanding, rubbed tung oil on it, then did a final finish sanding. They are a pleasure to handle, I must say.
The design is David Winkler's Most Complex Level 5 burr. There are a lot of variations of this puzzle. I plan on making more.
I also built sliding dovetail bookends. Yeah, I posted on another site while I was on vacation.
I also attempted to make some jewelry boxes, but was not entirely satisfied with the results. I'll post more on that as I get them made.
On a side note, I love this time of year. It's not too hot, not to cool, the heartier meals are getting made, it's very pleasant to walk around outside, yadda yadda yadda. Are you an autumn person?
So other than that I basically lazed about, played with the kids, annoyed the wife, and played video games.
What did you do during my vacation?