New tool in the shop

Santa Claus brought a new tool to the DSH Woodworks workshop.  A woodburner set. This is my first "real" woodburner. I have had the ones that you get at craft stores but they do not have any way to control the temp. so if you want to just lightly shade something...well good luck with that.

  I got the Optima 1 dual from Cheryl Dow http://www.cherylddow.com/ She is a pro woodburning artist who is the best in her craft. She has many books and patterns for sale and always has time to answer questions.  The Optima 1 has fully adjustable temp. and jacks for two pens, this way you can have two pens at the ready with no need to stop working. The pens are guaranteed for life and any repairs you might need on them just send them back and they will be fixed as good as new for a very small fee. There are many different types of pens to suit any type of burning project you are working on. The set comes with two pens, the round heeled skew and the bent spear point shader, I also got the 1/16" ball pen.

I played around with it for a little bit tonight. The pens are very high quality, very smooth tips, they heat up and cool down quick. One other thing to not is how cool the pens are where you hold them.  The craft store burners just keep getting hotter and hotter the longer you use them but these pens are so comfortable to use that I can see myself losing track of time while burning. This new addition to my woodwork will take alot of practice to get good at it but to me that is part of the fun.

  I drew some simple patterns and went to work. The temp control makes such a big difference. No more burning something to a crisp when you just wanted to shade and area.

Stay tuned to see what I come up with and how practice goes. Thanks for reading.

One of my other passions

 


  Woodworking is one of my passions but I also have others. One of my other passions, which has been with me since I was a child is BIKES!! From my first big wheel, tricycle, first two wheeler, to now mountain bikes, cruisers, road bikes, the rides, the people just everything about biking.

  Riding a bike is one of the most simple joys a person can have. You do not need an expensive top of the line bike or gear to get out there and have fun. Don't get me wrong certain bikes and gear can make your ride easier, more comfortable, more enjoyable, etc... just like you would not want to take a road bike on a rough mountain bike trail. You get the point.

  If you are just starting out for the most part you can go to your local bike shop and pick out a ride that fits you and your price range. Now I say go to your local bike for your bike for a few reasons, one is that I feel you should support local business as much as you can. Two, at your local shop they will help you pick out the right bike for your type of riding, size, etc... Three, if something goes wrong with your bike or you need something adjusted that you do not know how to do yourself you can always take it to them and they will help you out. You may ask why not just get a department store bike? They are cheaper etc.. I am not against department store bikes at all, I know alot of people hate these bikes because of how they are made, materials etc... Well I say, if a department store bike is all you can afford and if it will get you out there riding, then do it!! You will however at some point after riding your department store bike realize how much better the  bikes are at your local bike shop.

  When you are riding your bike you feel completely free. You see the world in a different light. You notice things that if you were driving by you would have never seen. It takes you back to when you were a kid, stress melts away(unless traffic is driving you crazy), riding just makes you happy. Riding a bike is good for you in every way. It gives you exercise, gets you outside and a million more reasons it is good for you. I am not one of those people who think cars are evil, I love my truck! Would I like to be able to ride my bike everywhere and do everything on my bike, hell yes. Well if you live here in Pittsburgh you understand how sometimes that just will not work. For some people it does work and I say good for them, thats awesome!

  Ok enough with my rambles, its time to get to the point. Lastnight at the OTB cafe there was a bike-pgh meet up witch turned into a benefit for a biker who was beaten up while riding home from work last week. The driver almost ran him over and when the biker(Nate) caught up to him at the next light(its funny how that always happens) Nate was going to tell him that he almost hit him and thats when the driver jumped out and beat up Nate and took off. Whats wrong with him??? The raffle made over $1700 to help Nate with his hospital bills.

  I donated a scroll saw piece which combines two of my passions, woodworking and bikes. The piece is called "How I Roll" I hope to make more bike related pieces and be much more involved in the biking scene here in the burgh.

GET ON YOUR BIKES AND RIDE!!!!!

I Made It! for the Holidays

  I have not been posting much lately because I have been busy working on projects for the I Made It! for the Holidays show, which was Dec. 3rd and I feel was a success!

  This was my first show with the I Made It Market, actually my first show ever. In case you don't know about I Made it Market they are an indie craft/art show promoter who puts on shows all over Pittsburgh and the surounding area. You can learn more about them and see a schedule of events, etc.. on their website http://www.imadeitmarket.com/

  First I would like to thank Carrie and Nina from I made it market for giving me the chance to be apart of such a great event. The show was held in the South Side Works at the former Ann Taylor loft. This is a fairly big space to fill and it was full of local artist. There was everything from jewlery, T-shirts, hats, prints, soap, etc... all items are handmade by local artists, which to me is something very special. This show was a juried show so each artist had to "earn" a spot by sending in photos of what they make and then the people of I Made it Market picked who best fit the show.

  I was in the "fitting room", which as the name says, was the fitting rooms of the old store. My space was small BUT I knew this ahead of time. I was just glad to be a part of this show no matter where my spot would be. Honestly my spot fit me perfectly for what I made for the show. I did not have alot of pieces due to a couple of family emergencies so what I brought fit the space very well. I don't think there was as much "traffic" through the fitting room area due to its size. With this being my first show ever, the fact that there was not as much traffic as there was in the main area was, again a good thing.

  I got very good feedback from everyone. People asked if I laser cut some of my pieces, that is a 100% NO!! I can understand why people would ask this question. People nowadays see things that are laser cut all the time. Again I understand why things are mass produced using laser cutting but I personally do not like it, especially when people try to pass off laser cut items as handmade. Everything I make is handmade by me. I do use power tools, scroll saw, table saw, router, etc... but no lasers! Each piece takes time and is unique because they are made one at a time.

  I made a few sales, more than I expected. I actually made a little profit which is a bonus. The best part of the show was making contacts and getting my name out there. I talked with another vendor who has been trying to make an item to enhance his product and I just might have the skills and know how to help him and myself because I will get to create a new item. Hopfully I will get get some orders from people who now have my bizz card.

  The only issue that I saw with the show was that people did not know where it was.  The south side works has lots of shops in a small area but, as far as I know, there were no signs pointing out where the market was. I Made It Market did advertise ALOT with the location but I think some signs might have brought more attention to the location. Even with out the signs there was a big crowd.

  Ok enough rambling, I need to made sawdust. I had a GREAT time and can not wait to be a part of another I made it market event!!!

  Here are a few photos of my spot. Thanks again to I Made It Market!!!!!