Detritus Explorations

Sunrise and that translucent ephemeral coastal fog

First field trip to the next wood project site.

Then my official quote.  Sent as a photo with a request to be sealed over a shot.

I've always said, the cut-offs, the throwaways, the bastards, the unwanteds are often more interesting than the primary object.

Running the numbers came up with this one belt edge sanding 644 feet.

Squares and circles come back together.

A Misdirection

These pics of the new firelight light are not what I'm here to talk about.

And neither are these process photos.
But I'll go through what you're looking at here.
These are from the second go-round of turning square pieces of plywood and aluminum into round pieces.  If you're so inclined, this is a more detailed look at the first round here.

It's all training.
I did 15 years maybe doing Aikido and there was this idea continually talked about during that time of spending time off the mat as Aikido training.  As in how you go through life is Aikido training.  Sweeping the dojo mat after practice is not the mere act of cleaning but an act with thought and intention.  Paying attention to the movements of your arms with the broom, how the broom gathers the dust, the swish of the broom across the mat.

The aluminum squares needed to be roughed up for the cement to work better so each square I did with purpose and intent.  Each different. It was training,  I wasn't trying to get them done just to get them done but done to roughen my mind at the same time so my cement works better.

Training to strike the center with one act.
Two apple boxes on a wheels with a lazy Susan made a rolling turntable.  Put the cement on in one turn and meet where I began.

Purposefully directed the center to be something.  Each different and unique.

The two shall become one.

Saw the negative space and let a loaf of bread cool there out of the oven

But none of this is what I'm here for today.

Tony in mid shake stops to welcome officially the two newest into the Circlehood.

Welcome Frank on classical guitar

Along with Ken with his mello cello

And that's what this is all about.  Good to have you two.

And On the Ninety Third Day

He Created Light.
and he's not too sure about it yet....

Lots of photos so I'll do this in a couple of posts.

Started some three months ago when Will and I made the trip out to Aborica.  If you want to read about that then go here, if not then the take away shot is  the two pieces of wood that came out of it.

One of the pieces on the left will become a light for the kitchen.  There's been a temporary shop tube light forlornly hanging there since the inception.

Chose the tall red gum eucalyptus and ran it though the planer on a sled. It was warped pretty good so had to hold it in place to be able to flatten.

Dust collection couldn't keep up with the amount of shavings.

One end was naturally round so I cut the other to mimic with this saw.

It was difficult to tell the wood from the bark on the live edge so it took some effort to pick away at with various implements.

Shot quite a few coats of shellac and rubbed that out to a mirror finish.  At the same time I shot the other piece of wood, the walnut.  That was fortunate as a large wine job landed and I used both pieces of wood as surfaces and backgrounds.

A couple cropped for you vignettes

A couple of the walnut.

And there the project stopped so I could do the wine job for the next three weeks.
53 photos later of wine and food in restaurant and home sets we're back on it.

Time to move onto the light holding devices themselves.
A simple steambox was constructed which in the end I didn't use too much.

I resawed two wood species.  The leftover wood from the large patio doors I built...a salvage Ponderosa Pine from Camp Mather in the foothills and also some vertical grain Douglas Fir.
I was aiming for right around 1/32" thickness.  Anything more, light would be difficult to pass through, anything under that was impossible for me to cut.  It consistently miked out at 1/32" or a few thousand under.

To hold the actual light source I made some eggcrate crosses and then cut them round.

End of part One.