Larry | December 30, 2008
This is the time of year when we all make “New Year’s Resolutions.” I put it in quotes because for many, you’ll make the same resolution you made last year. “I’m going to get in shape”, “I’m going to lose 20 lbs”, “I’m going to get organized” are very popular.
I say, choose a resolution that [...]
Larry | December 29, 2008
One of the problem areas for miniature furniture makers are those darn hinges. They’re just sooooooo tiny and fragile. Installation is often a trial in patience.
Here I’m marking out a mortise for a hinge and, frankly, I find this really helps the installation process. The next step is to glue the hinge in place so [...]
Larry | December 24, 2008
No, these are not little people running around in the garden. A gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. It’s a device for measuring the declination of the sun. But it got its name from the Greek word “gnomon” which means “indicator.”
The word has become part of the woodworking world via [...]
Larry | December 21, 2008
We woodworkers are proud of our shavings. There’s no justification for it and anyone who knows anything about woodworking knows that it’s the surface being planed that’s important, not the shavings which have never found their way into a finished project.
But last night I was taking a small chunk of redheart down to the thickness [...]
Larry | December 20, 2008
There is a tool, called an Easy-Cutter, that is very popular in the miniatures world. It’s like a bit pair of scissors and people use it to cut wood. I cringe every time I see people talk about doing this and admit to being more than a little bit frustrated with the popularity of this [...]
Larry | December 17, 2008
Have you gotten enough offers to sell you stuff for Christmas yet? Had enough people recommend gift ideas to you? My email box overfloweth. I don’t really mind much as it’s fun to see what everyone is offering and I admit that some of the pricing right now is enticing.
I’ve also noticed that many of [...]
Larry | December 17, 2008
One of the things I enjoy about woodworking is that once you have some basic tools, you can make a lot of different things. More important, however, is that you can make a lot of things that look and feel really nice, unlike the plastic ocean we live in day-to-day. I’ve always felt that if [...]
Larry | December 16, 2008
I’m a woodworker but that doesn’t describe very much beyond the material I use. More specifically, I’m a woodworker who copies the styles of others. I can build a Stickley table, a Henry XIV cabinet, or even a Krenov cabinet. I love the challenge of making my miniatures look sufficiently accurate that pictures of them [...]
Larry | December 12, 2008
If you were a US Congressman or Congresswoman, how would you answer this question? Would it include dolls? A dollhouse? What about miniature furniture that goes IN a dollhouse? I guess what I’m really asking is whether legislation about toys has anything to do with people in the miniatures world making the “stuff” that we [...]
Larry | December 12, 2008
I couldn’t resist posting this link to a slide show provided by New Scientist magazine:
http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn16170-snowflakes/1
It’s 13 images of snowflakes taken by a CalTech scientist through a specially designed photomicroscope and they show the crystal structure in 3D. Simply remarkable.
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