Turning on a Light

The Geek went to a wood-turning course on Friday and Saturday and brought home this lamp.

Liberal application of walnut oil has brought out the grain in this cherry wood.

Beautiful Music-makers

The West End Cultural Center had a display by Winnipeg luthiers. There were some beautiful stringed instuments - guitars, mandolins, ukeleles, and other instuments.

A mandolin.
A guitar without the usual 'hole in the middle'.


Harp guitar.
and an eight stringed ukelele.

A New Desk

The vanity table from the bedroom suite has found its new purpose as the hallway desk.

I am so glad I stumbled across this furniture. I love the waterfall front,
the feet and the beading,
and all the little bits of trim.

Patches

It is really hard to see the veneer patches the Geek has applied to the drawers on the dresser and the night table.

Well Fed

The Geek put 'weed'n'feed' on the furniture today.
Can you see the difference between the drawers that have been given the wood feeder and those drawers that are still hungry?

Garage Sale Season is Now Officially Open

We had a bit of snow this morning, thankfully not the 5-10 cm the weather forecasters were calling for, and it had pretty much melted by noon.I went down the Crescent to my first garage sale of the season.
While I was checking out the goods for sale I saw an Art Deco-esque bedroom suite 'hidden' in one of the downstairs bedrooms.
I left thinking that if was still there if I came back later, I would buy the headboard and footboard.
When I went back with the Geek it was still there, and I bought all five pieces.
The Geek has kindly offered to glue down any loose pieces of the veneer and give it a dose of 'weed and feed' (wood finish feeder).
I'll post some pictures of the finished product then, as well as the new cushion for the dressing table bench.

When Machines had Style

You never know what you will find at Re-Store. Last trip it was the bicycle. This time we were there for wood trim and saw this sewing machine.

This sewing machine was built when function was as important as style. It has several areas that need attention, such as a power supply and removable flywheel, it will probably work well once restored. And while I have an awesome, fully functional, albeit plastic looking machine, there is something missing in the esthetics. Who wouldn't feel creative with a little beast like this?

Proper Hinge Installation

The Geek and Dad frequently debate the correct way to install a hinge. Dad says the Geek does not use nearly enough nails.
Judging by the rust and the lichen, these are obviously some of my Dad's earlier works. I will have to find more examples of how his craft has evolved.

These hinges give idea of the type of people who originally settled in places away from 'civilization' and ease. They had to learn to improvise and make things work. You can always tell who is going to survive; it's the people who can buckle down and get things done.