Grandpa's Workshop

I do enjoy making projects for Christmas, but we

actually do a whole lot more than that in our workshop.

A Fresh Supply of Wood

It's always good to have a ready supply of new and used wood.

I allow my wood to sit in the work area for approximately 3-6 months

before using it, so that it can adjust to the humidity of its environment.

I am always on the lookout for free wood of any kind.

Old broken furniture; scraps and leftovers from various projects you

may be doing. I even get an occasional piece from my friends involved

in karate, once they've broken the wood with their feet.

All free, scrap, and otherwise unusable wood is appreciated.

Prep and Assembly

This is the newest addition to my workshop, though

I will be setting up a new planer in early February.

This is where I prep and assemble my bigger projects.

Preparing the Wood

This is where the smaller prep work happens,

before doing the real job of cutting.

Prep work can be very time consuming, as it includes:

choosing the right piece of wood; sanding, taping, spraying

and applying the pattern, and drilling all entry holes.

Now you're ready to cut.

The Main Hub

Where most of the cutting occurs.

Gigi's Train Table

Kids of all ages like this sturdy train table.

Jeter Homers

Oops! How did this one sneak in there?

This swing resulted in a homerun by Derek Jeter

against Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox

on Sept. 24, 2011 at Yankee Stadium.

Final score: Yankees 9, Red Sox 1.

Wedding Plaque

This is the second wedding plaque that I've made.

This one is made of African mohagany and was made

for my daughter (Karen) and her husband (Andrew).

I will make these for anyone who wants one.

I just need about 2-3 months lead time

as they are very time consuming and,

as you can see by the date, always time sensitive.

Wooden Zoo

They still need to be painted but, when these zoo

animals are done, it's going to be a lot of fun for the kids.

Train Table

One of our grandchildren's favorite toys

is this train table; made by both me and Dawn.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Made especially for a very good friend of ours.

Reindeer Cut-Outs

This is one of the first projects I ever made.
It is made of black walnut and is soaked in teak oil.
It provided a nice contrast against a snowy background.

multi-layered nativity

This nativity is made of six different kinds of wood:

black walnut; red oak; aspen; oak; basswood and poplar.

Merry Christmas Fretwork

This was something that I made in about 45 minutes.

It's made of one of my favorite woods, mahogany.