Lots have happened since my last
blog entry.
Cheryl and I made some
soap and are getting ready to kick off our soap shop. We want to have at least 5 different scents to offer before we list
them.
Next I purchased a small table saw to help me with my box construction. I also added
a couple of
pipe clamps to my arsenal. They have helped out gluing up the tops and bottoms of the boxes. And I was able to carve up a new
seat as
well as one we sold. Staying with the 'cute" theme, I added
a squirrel. Cheryl says
they are rather popular on Etsy right now. So I'm hoping someone will find this one attractive enough to buy it. I'll show off my table saw another day. Lets just say it was on sale and I needed one that would not break the bank. It works! but the bargain comes from the lack of accessories. It's OK, since I only need it for a couple of tasks at the moment anyway. Right now I'm off to make a sled and possibly a zero clearance insert for the blade.
I finally had an entire day to set up my table saw the way I want it. And I must say, I'm quite pleased with the results! After checking out the store to make sure they did not have any zero clearance inserts available, I had to totally make mine from scratch. I used a 1/4 inch piece of plywood to make it. For a first timer, I think it
came out OK. The piece was a little warped, and I may have to remake another one at a later date. But for now, this one works pretty good. The second thing I made for the new table saw, was a sled. I can' believe what a difference a sled makes when cutting small pieces of wood. It has revolutionized my cuts. I cut three times and 
they were all the EXACT same length! Amazing! ( for me anyway) Forget hand tools from now on. I could not cut a straight line with a miter box! And to be clear, this is NOT an expensive, bells and whistles table saw. But it works! Better than I had hoped or imagined. So I set out to make a 
couple of boxes tonight and what a joy it was to make them. For the first time ever, everything fell into place. I am very happy with the new tool and wish I had purchased it earlier. Even the cats approve! I have to wait for the first one to finish gluing up. I ran out of clamps! Current weight: 263.2
