woodworking guild – Stórfréttir

Let’s Make Target Stands

Once more the passage of time (time flies like an arrow, they say) has wrought its depredations on our Barony’s archery target stands. Two years ago, the Debatable Lands A&S community and the Woodworking Guild banded together to make new target stands, and we are planning to do so once again this Sunday, July 18th!

Two of the new stands, at practice. — Two open archery target stands, with archery practice in the background.

Come learn or practice some basic woodworking skills while providing service to the Barony and its Archers! Join us at the Washington Boulevard site from 11am to 2pm, the same time as Archery Practice. Please wear close-toed shoes, and bring your protective gear like gloves, eye protection, and mask.

Captain of Archers Ronan is providing materials, Master Alaric is providing a good set of instructions, and I’ll be bringing tools. Feel free to bring your own tools if you have them.

See you Sunday!

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.

Sharpening in the Park

I was taking a close look at some of my tools the other day, and realizing that the last sharpening workshop was almost two years ago! Please join us at the Washington Boulevard practice site this Sunday (weather permitting) for a sharpening-themed A&S Practice, sponsored by the version of me that is also the leader of the Woodworking Guild.

We’ll bring sharpening stones, blades to sharpen, and other maintenance supplies, and trade information about the best way to take care of our cutting tools. If you don’t have anything that needs sharpening, but just want to know more about blade maintenance, just bring your curiosity! If you have no interest in sharpening, and just want to hang out for a while, that’s cool too.

Join us from 10am to 1:30pm, this Sunday, June 27th. Pandemic procedures apply for one more weekend, so please wear a mask and bring your own accommodations.

AAR – Woodworking Field Trip

This is just a brief After Activity Report about the Woodworking Guild Field Trip this past Friday. Only a few of us managed to make it, but it was totally worth the trip. The main reason we went there was that Morikawa Rei mentioned that even though the price of construction lumber has gone up five-fold over the past year, woodworking lumber places like Woodcraft have not re-priced their stock. So, what looked like expensive specialty materials a year ago now looks like reasonably priced wood.

In addition to that, when Rei, Turlough Feolain, and I arrived on Friday; Woodcraft had just received a shipment of off-cuts that they were selling at a serious discount. They had a stock of rough cut cherry, maple, cypress, and oak boards, in 4/4 and 8/4 thickness for $5 and $10 each! Not very wide and most only ~3 feet long, but still.

Turlough was looking to make some tool handles, so the thick lumber was just perfect. Rei is planning to make some furniture, so being able to get more than enough furniture-grade lumber at a discount price was perfect. I bought some lumber, too, but I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with it. I’ve been thinking of doing some turning.

Oak (top) and Cherry (bottom) 2 Inches Thick!

Anyway, they probably still have a lot of that stuff left, so if you need nice lumber at a nice price, it’s worth the drive down to Canonsburg. Thanks for suggesting the field trip, Rei! I also spoke briefly to an employee, and they have a classroom there where we might be able to have meetings or workshops.

Woodworking

This guild and its blog account have been pretty idle for the last six months, and I regret that. There have been obvious obstacles to guild activity, and the reason I have not posted much here is because I don’t want the blog to be about me and my work. There are other blogs and woodworkers to post about, though.

One of those woodworkers was Chris Hall. Chris passed away this Spring following a battle with cancer, but his spouse has been trying to keep his blog alive as a part of his legacy. This week she posted a guest post from one of Chris’s good friends and erstwhile students. This is the first part of a longer story by a woodworker in Spain who has dedicated himself to Japanese woodworking.

In particular, his interest in Japanese planes and planemakers is great to read about, and his outlook on woodworking gives me something to consider in my own work. I hope you enjoy reading along when future installments are posted.

Julio Alonso Guest Post: Kezuroukai and a Visit to Funahiro’s Forge

Woodworking February 16th

The woodworking guild will have a shop day on Sunday, February 16th from 10am to 2pm at Ishiyama’s house. Our spring project this year is improving everybody’s Pennsic through the glory of seating. We will be researching and recreating period seating furniture that is appropriate for our personas.

Woodworking January 19th

The next Woodworking Guild shop day will be on Sunday, January 19th, from 10am to 2pm. This is the day after Baronial 12th Night. The shop day will be held at Ishiyama’s home (1105 Shady Avenue, 15232).

The current plan is to spend multiple shop days this spring working on projects that take longer than 4 hours. You can work on whatever you want, but the main purpose is for us to work together making things to sit upon. Chairs! Stools! Benches! Sturdy boxes! We’ll all help out with research, planning, shopping for wood, and technically tricky bits. For this first workshop, you don’t need to bring anything other than your dreams of a persona-appropriate period-looking thing.

The hope is that we can all get something done by Pennsic, and then we can all sit at the Barony meeting on something other than a folding chair, looking awesome.

Woodworking Planning Meeting TONIGHT

The last Woodworking Guild planning meeting of 2019 is scheduled for TONIGHT, December 19th at 7pm in the Boulevard of the Allies Panera location. These meetings haven’t been as well attended as the workshop days, so they may be discontinued next year. Please attend and help us make plans for workshops and activities for the first part of 2020.

Woodworking Shop Day, this Sunday (12/08)

Get some work done on those nearly-last-minute projects for the holidays, make some holiday decorations for your home, or help make some items for largess at this month’s Woodworking guild Workshop day at Ishiyama’s shop (1105 Shady Avenue, Pgh. 32) from 10am to ~2pm. This is the last workshop day for the year, and the weather is supposed to be warm-ish so take advantage.

The next planning meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 19th at 7pm in the Boulevard of the Allies Panera location. these meetings haven’t been as popular as the workshop days, so they may be discontinued next year.

Woodworking Guild Planning Tonight

The Woodworking Guild will be meeting as scheduled at the Panera in Oakland (3401 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15213) at 7pm to discuss our plans for the next workshop day (scheduled for December 8th), the results of recent joinery and sharpening workshops, and plans for the future.

Please join us!

Woodworking in November

Last month, we discussed tools and woodworking at our Thursday meeting. Then, at our shop day, we practiced cutting dovetail joints by hand.

Our next shop day is Sunday, November 17th, from 10am to 2pm in Ishiyama’s shop. This shop day will be our long-awaited sharpening workshop. Learn to sharpen your chisels and knives by hand with a stone for better results on whatever materials you work. We’ll discuss jigs, papers, grinders, polishers, and strops; and do some “before and after” tests.

Our next planning meeting is on Thursday, November 21st, from 7pm to 9pm at the Oakland Panera. We’ll make some plans for our December shop day, as well as discuss what tools are on our “want” lists for the holidays. Coal is just a one element away from being high carbon steel!