Update

Well, I just wanted to update everyone on my progress after the injury, just as promised. From what I can understand, the surgery went as well as could be expected. Supposedly, I can get anywhere from 25-75% of its use back. the nerve could be another story, though.

The strange part was that there was almost no conversation before the surgery and very little after. My followup appointment wasn't much different and that is where I learned that things weren't as rosy as I thought. Oh well. my own research into my injury had led me to the same conclusions. There's a reason that area of tendon repair is called "no man's land."

Day after surgery

Accidents happen in the shop and almost all of us are lucky enough to avoid anything serious. I can't count the number of times I've had to address minor cuts and scrapes. So far I've been able to deal with this one in the same way and just say "dang it!" and move on. The things we work with are sharp and can be dangerous, but so can so many other things worth taking the journey. We must always be aware of not just those tools in our hands, but our surroundings and and thinking "what if x happens" and plan accordingly whenever possible.

So now I am sitting here making sketches of a bassinet for my son and counting the days until my next appointment so that I can get started in the shop again. I'm figuring stitches should be ready to come out then and there won't be much more worry of the whole dirty shop/infection thing going on. Then it will just be a matter of keeping the darned thing held in place so I don't mess anything up with the repaired tendons. I'm thinking just working one handed will be the best bet for that, which is the main reason that i need to get started on the bassinet. Only 3 months left, and my pace may be even slower than normal!

So hopefully next week will have even better news and a post on actual woodworking. I'm not sure about all of you, but I really can't wait! Sitting around is going to kill me!

Oh! If anyone has some great ideas for bassinet, or helpful advice from anyone who has built or owned one, let me know!

Josh

More Shop Storage - Nail/Screw Holder

I don't like walking around my shop just to grab stuff I use almost every time I'm out there. That has led me to my mission to get more organized. I was using peg boards, but it just wasn't enough, and if you didn't want to pull the pieces out of the board every time you pulled off a tool--or just wanted to reorganize everything--it was a pain in the rear.

So I've been on my mission. This time it was screws and nails. I hate digging them out of my toolbox. I really wanted something that was within easy reach of my bench, plus give me a place to keep things off of my bench while I'm working and this is the result. It's a single board about 5 inches wide with dados cut into it to allow for the small shelves.

I don't own a table saw--and really don't want one--so the dados would have to be cut by hand. This is the first time I've really done this on something other than practice, so I won't say I was nervous, but I was extra careful on the first one.

I started the dado by knifing my lines at 3/4". I set my first line, then used the actual shelf board to mark the other side. Marked the lines with the chisel and then made a second cut with the chisel to make a "V" for the saw to ride in.

Then sawed to the marked depth in each of the lines. Going back with the 3/4" chisel and chopping a little all the way down really made removing the waste simple.

Then the router plane quickly takes care of the rest...

This first one took about 20 minutes, but the others were about 5-10 minutes apiece. Easy...

And then it's just cutting the shelves to length and gluing them in. Doesn't get much simpler! Oh, and adding the cleat on the back to hang it from. I just used an off-cut piece from one of the other cleats. Up on the wall it goes!

An easy project completed, but I really enjoyed the practice. Besides, it's useful and only took about an hour. I'm sure someone can figure out another use for it too.

--Josh

Time for Travel

It looks like it's time for a little drive. Tomorrow my wife and I head to Tucson for a family event, which should be a good time for everyone. I'm looking forward to meeting this part of the family for the first time, but I also have another goal...

Here in my part of the Arizona desert, the closest woodworking store is about 3 hours away, which means I haven't been to one since I've started woodworking, other than a really quick trip with my brother and nephews when we visited in St. Louis a couple months ago. I had seen some of the chisels online and several had pretty good reviews, but I really hate buying new tools without having held them in my hands or using them in the ways that are comfortable to me. I hope to get a little bit more exposure to some of these tools (and hopefully some others!!) that I'm looking at purchasing at some point in the near future. I've been able to get a couple through used channels, but have had a little difficulty in finding chisels that felt good in my hand. New may be my best option for these tools...we'll see.

This goes hand-in-hand with my philosophy on woodworking tools. I've watched my low-budget tools serve me well for the last year and I'm now ready to replace them with some higher quality tools. I know now what I'm looking for in some of my tools. Chisels are one of those things I'm ready for. I had the opportunity at the Woodcraft in St. Louis to try out a few of the Stanley Sweetheart chisels, and I really liked the weight and feel of them--as well as the slim profile--which will be a nice change for me while paring between pins and tails.

Who knows, there could even be a new saw in my future. I have been keeping an eye out for a decent carcass saw or dovetail saw. Those Veritas saws felt really good in my hand last time....