So where do carvings go when they are damaged
beyond repair? Three days ago, One of the cats, acting more like a monkey than a earth
bound creature, climbed up on the storage cases and tipped over one of my "deer of the world" collection. The Axis deer. It fell from a eight feet and shattered it's antlers. (
incredibly, the legs withstood the
blow without so much as a crack!) I took the damaged piece in my shop to repair it, But alas, the damage was too severe. One impact point was crushed with several small fibers missing. Well, the axis deer was not one of my favorites anyway.
And the "Deer Of The World" collection is missing several other members for the complete set. So I decided to give it a proper retirement and send it to the burn pile. It's not the first carving I've burned, and I doubt it will be the last. Besides, it's the process, not the end product I'm passionate about. I might have tried harder If my prize winning "Bugling Elk" or my "Wading Moose" Or my prehistoric "Irish Elk" .
But the axis deer was rather boring and I can
always carve a better one if I feel the need. But on to happier tidings! I build
Cheryl's two end tables tonight and she is thrilled with them!
I'm quite pleased. They where fairly easy to make and now it is up to Cheryl to paint and finish them. She says I need to take a picture of the living room after I finish making the TV stand. I hadn't realized that I have made almost all of the furniture in the living room now. ( Grins proudly! )
quite excited tonight because Cheryl asked me to make her a cutting table for felt and button sorting. This is something Cheryl usually does not do because she is afraid I will mess it up.
However, my last few projects must have instilled in her a comfortable level of confidence. Well I thought it would be great practice for me when I eventually make my ultimate woodworking bench that I read and drool over in all the wood working magazines.
Anyway, the feet took the longest time, but after I chiseled out the "half mortise" or whatever you want to call them, things went pretty quickly. So fast in fact, that I forgot to take more pics along the way. Cheryl is now so excited that she is ordering me4
to make the next three tomorrow! I don't know about three, but at least one should be doable, and probably faster now that I know what I"m doing. I'll sign off with the cats, breaking in the new furniture. 
Have a great weekend!
