Woodworking

There are two things I came to realize today. First, I'm not nearly as good as Tim at woodworking (okay, so I've known that all along!), and second, it really doesn't matter! I pulled out the jigsaw for the first time this season. I only woodwork when I can work outside. As I started cutting my first piece, I realized I was certainly NOT the master of my saw blade. It had a mind of its own, and only momentarily did it pay any mind to the neat lines I had sketched on the wood. Yikes!

As I continued, I got better, and came up with a few tricks that helped... tips that I'm sure any woodworker worth their grain of wood utilizes all the time. But, in the end, I like the messed up first one every bit as much as I do the others. Character:) Anyway, not only did I get to use my jigsaw again, but I finally opened my Christmas gift from Michelle... a wood burner. So, THAT was a humbling experience BUT I am so pleased with the overall results, that I'm willing to cut myself some slack.

As always, I used milk paint and my beeswax and olive oil finish. They have a real "old world" feel to them. They look like they belonged to your great-great-great grandpa! I will share the tutorial later in the week when I get a chance to write it up. In the meantime, just wanted to introduce you to our new wee friends!  

Note: Although I plan to use these candle holders as our Advent Wreath, using 3 purple candles and 1 pink candle, it can be simply used as candle holders, as pictured here.

Many years ago... probably 25... we had made an Advent Wreath. I wanted something that could be used throughout the coming years and add beauty to our Christmas celebration. In one of my many Christmas books and or magazines, I found a wooden star centerpiece... I don't think it was even featured as and advent wreath, but with 4 candle holders, it worked well. Although it was beautiful, over the years it began to loosen up, and eventually it became unusable, but not before seeing my children grow up.

I decided to remake the wreath this year, excited to share it with the grandbabies. I thought I remembered which book the pattern was in, but I was unable to find it! (Trust me, an evening with a mug of hot cider, curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace with a humongous stack of old Christmas books was not a wasted evening, even if I was unsuccessful in finding the plans I was looking for!)

Anyway, Michelle and I talked about the Advent wreath and the additional star candle holders, and came up with the design as we remembered it. Later, when talking to my son Adam, he had another structural addition that I had forgotten about that helped complete the design. Tim and I worked on it together, making the base sturdier than the original. The project took a day to complete, but when you think of the years of delight it will bring, that is a small price to pay! We painted the wreath, as I did when the children were small, but it would be finished in natural wood tones.

IMPORTANT: I made my wreath and candle holders using milk paint and my beeswax and oil finish... my preferred finishing choices and what I use on children's toys because they are child safe. Directions are given as such, with suggestions for using acrylic paints or the milk paint with an polyurethane finish. Let me say this... using the beeswax and olive oil finish was a bit of a nightmare! There are so many nooks and crannies, and you cannot apply the wax to any surfaces that will need to be glued. I gave up trying to beeswax the finished piece and sprayed the whole thing with Pledge! If I were making this again, I would use a paint that does not require a separate finish. If I wanted to leave the wood natural, I would assemble the candle holders than spray with a polyurethane finish! 

Materials:
1" wood - we used scraps of pine from Tim's stash (yes, woodworkers have stashes, too :) Tim is guessing if you had to go out and buy wood a piece of 1" x 8" x4' should do the job. We used pine but you can use any solid wood.
paint - I used milk paint but acrylic paints can be used, perhaps preferable 
finish - I used my olive oil and beeswax finish but if I were doing this again I would use an acrylic finish (see IMPORTANT NOTE above)
6 candle ferrules or 6 wooden candle cups (you will need screws if using the wooden candle cups)
high quality, heavy duty wood glue
6 candles (4 advent candles)
pattern

Equipment:
jigsaw
dremel and/or sander
hand drill and/or drill press

Directions:
Make a copy of the pattern.

Cut out wood pieces. NOTE: Follow the directions found HERE for general tips on cutting out wood and preparing it for finishing. Cut out the following pieces to make the advent wreath and 2 star candle holders:

2 small stars
8 medium stars
2 large stars
4 base pieces*
4 angled blocks (for holding 4 stars)**

*For the base, rip a piece of your 1" wood into 4 pieces, 1 1/2" x 9". Sand the edges.

**For the angled blocks, cut a pieces of wood as diagrammed in the drawing below. Sand edges.


Paint all the pieces. NOTE: Information on how to work with milk paint can be found HERE. I painted by wreath as follows:

4 base pieces - green
4 angled blocks - green
2 small stars - green
2 large stars - red
8 medium stars - red

Finishing:
It using the olive oil and beeswax finish, it is easier to apply to the advent wreath stars before assembling the wreath. NOTE: Directions for how to make and use my olive oil and beeswax finish can be found HERE. IMPORTANT: to get the best glue bond, you do not want the waxy finish to get on surfaces that will be glued. Only finish the sides and tops of the stars. DO NOT finish the stars for the candle holders, the base or the angled blocks until the wreath and candle holders have been glued. NOTE: if using a polyurethane finish, you can wait until the pieces have been fully assembled. 

Assembling:
Apply the wood glue to the 4 ends of the pieces and clamp together. If you do not have clamps, you can use masking tape to hold in place. If you get a good bond with the glue, you will not need to use nails or screws. HINT: Assemble on a piece of wax paper. If any of the glue happens to ooze out, it will prevent your piece from being glued to the surface you are working on.



Glue to 4 angled blocks to the back of 4 medium stars so a point is centered and pointing up.

Glue a small star to center of each large star for the candle holders.

Allow pieces to dry thoroughly.

Position 4 medium pieces on the corners of the base. Place them so a point is pointing to the middle of the wreath and so the bottom of the star overhangs the base by 1/8". Make sure the stars are centered on the corners. Glue in place. Glue the angled blocks to the centers of each base side.

When thoroughly dried, finish the unfinished pieces of the wreath with the beeswax and olive oil or polyurethane. 

Drill holes the width and depth of your candle ferrules using a drill press or a hand drill. NOTE: The ferrules should fit snugly. Be careful not to cut the holes too wide. IMPORTANT: Make sure you do not go all the way through the base of the candle holders.

 

Gently tap ferrules into holes. (This is not pictured because we are waiting for them to come in! I will update the directions when they do.)

OPTION: If you do not have a drill press or if you are uncomfortable drilling holes, you can use wooden candle cups. Paint them to match the stars, center, and screw in place.

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Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2010. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights.

Below are the general directions on how to cut out wood and prepare it for finishing. You will need to use a scroll saw, a dremel, and sandpaper. I consider myself to be a novice woodworker, and do not offer advice on how to actually use the equipment necessary to complete these projects. I highly recommend you read the machines' owner manuals to familiarize yourself with the equipment and safety. I'm learning as I go, trying to be as careful as possible, but would not even begin to try to teach someone how to do this stuff. I'm having this total tension issue with the saw blades on my jigsaw and keep breaking them. But I will get the hang of it, and I will get better :) 

So, here's the deal on the instructions. (Hmmm... think I'm giving a disclaimer!!!) Basically, I'm giving you the patterns that I have designed. I'll tell you what I did, even share some lovely photos, BUT, this is not instructions on how to use the tools. I'm thoroughly enjoying woodworking, and finding it much easier than I thought it would be, and have been quite delightful results. But I am NOT an expert. You are working with power tools so PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

Materials:
Most of our wood projects are cut from 1" woods. I have used pine, popular, oak and maple. The harder the wood, the more durable the project, but harder it is to cut.

Tools and equipment:
scroll saw
dremel
fine sandpaper - I used a sponge sandpaper block
safety glasses
face mask
patterns
wide masking tape

1] Make copy of pattern. I then cover the pattern edges with wide packing tape. Cut out pattern pieces. The tape helps make the pattern pieces firm, reusable and easier to trace around.

2] Trace pattern pieces on wood. (You can either trace with or against grain. HINT: If you're making multiple pieces, do them all the same to give a unified look to your project.)

3] Cut out the pieces using a scroll saw. NOTE: Check out the pics below. THEY ARE NOT PERFECT! See how I didn't stay on line all the time! Unless doing a project that needs to fit together perfectly, like a puzzle, free standing wood work is an "ish" thing. They do not need to be exact to look great when you're done!


4] Using the dremel, soften the edges by using the dremel at a 30 - 45 degree angle. Take the edges down enough so you can see the angle but be careful not to overdo it! (Which is easy with a dremel!) This does not need to be perfectly smooth. Imperfections give a lovely hand hewed look to the project! Make sure you are wearing safety glasses and a face mask. I didn't use a face mask on my first project, and I was coughing up sawdust the rest of the day!


5] Use the dremel to lightly sand the flat edges, just enough to remove scroll saw marks.

6] Go over the whole piece with fine sandpaper by hand or with an electric sander.

7] The piece is now ready to finish.

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2011. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights.

Are you having a gathering at your house for Halloween? Why not take one of our Ghostie Applique Blocks and practice enlarging a pattern? We took one of our 6 inch ghost applique blocks and turned it into a 4 foot tall ghost, with cut out eyes and mouth to toss bean bags through. Using the Graphing/Gridding technique explained in our post on Enlarging and Reducing Patterns, we easily transformed the small pattern into a large facsimile. Next week we will share a pattern for yet another set of bean bags especially for Halloween! Most importantly, using this technique, you can take any small image you have and turn it into any size you want. Instead of a ghost, perhaps you would like to turn our Pumpkin Applique Block into a bean bag toss game. Anything is possible! 

Materials:
ghost pattern
pencil
ruler and metal tape measure
1 - 4' x 4' (1/2") mdf or plywood for ghost
1 - 14" x 32" scrap of mdf or playwood for leg
2 - 2" strap hinges with screws
2 - 1/2" eye hooks
20" of 1/2" rope
Zinser 123 Primer or white outdoor paint

tools:
saber saw
drill
sander or sandpaper block

Make a copy of the pattern and create a 6x6 grid using 1" blocks.

Create a 6 x 6 grid on your piece of mdf. Each square will be 8" x 8". NOTE: We drew our lines with permanent marker so it would show up in the photos. Drawing the lines with pencil will be fine and it will be easier to cover with paint.

Now you need to freehand copy what appears in each block of your pattern to the corresponding block on the wood. Breaking up the image into these smaller blocks and then focusing on drawing one block at a time makes it easier to draw the pattern and keep it in proportion… even if you think you can't draw :)
 
Since we are using this for a bean bag toss, enlarge the eyes and mouth to accommodate bean bags. We made the mouth larger than the eyes.

Using a saber saw, cut out the outside of the ghost.  Drill a hole in the eyes and mouth large enough to fit the saber saw blade in the hole, and cut out the eyes and mouth.

Cut out the support legs. We cut out a "U" shape 14" x 32", with the "legs" 2 1/2" wide by 27", creating a 5" base. Obviously, you can use any design you want, just make sure that the supports do not interfere with the holes for the mouth and eyes.

Sand all the edges.


Paint the ghost and the support legs. NOTE: We used the Zinser 123 Primer because it covers EVERYTHING and it creates a barrier that weathers well. We are using this ghost outside and although it will not be stored outside, we do not want it warping because moisture reaches the wood.

Mount the 2 hinges to the support legs. Drill pilot holes first, then screw the hinges to the legs.

Position the support legs on the back of the ghost. Drill pilot holes, then screw the hinges to the ghost.

REALITY CHECK: Our crafting life isn't always as perfect or easy as it may seem in our tutorials. Below is a photo of what happens IF your screws are too long. I was in the other room when Tim was screwing in the hinge. I heard sounds that I assumed were the result of a drill penetrating a thumb nail. Nope... but this IS what happened! After backing out the screws, filling the holes, and repainting the front, he was able to move on to the next step :)

To prevent the hinges from opening too far, screw in 2 eye hooks on the back of the ghost; one on the ghost and one on the legs.

Determine a sturdy angle for the support legs, and tie the rope to the eye hooks. This will prevent the support legs from opening too far.

Your ghost is now ready to be pelleted with bean bags. Have fun!     

Now that spring has sprung, our pond has come alive! Reeds and lily pads, ducks and water lilies... not to mention our newest addition... frogs!

In my humble opinion, every household needs its fair share of frogs. Literature would back me up on this. Think of how many fairy tales, poems and songs have frogs as their main character. Heck, seems half the princes were a frog at one time or another! So, it only stands to reason, children need frogs amongst their playthings.

Our little frogs were cut out of ash. The pattern for The Wooden Frog can be found HERE or with our free patterns. Use the pattern and the photos for painting ideas.

For information on cutting out wood, painting and finishing, follow the general directions for our Wooden Apple Orchard.

Just a note: I couldn't decide whether I simply wanted to cut out my frogs and sand the edges or give them a more sculpted look. In the picture below, the frog on the left was simply cut out and sanded. I did more sanding and carving to the frog on the right. I used some of the dremel attachments to create a furrow between his eyes, to round the back a bit and to further sculpt his nose. I have since asked the children (and anyone else that would give me the time of day!) which they preferred. Results? Equal. So, it's a matter of choice. I think both ways look cute and have their own appeal.

BTW... I've had these frogs done for quite some time and they've already been played with... a lot! When I went to gather them up for the "photo shoot" I couldn't find them. So, I began looking in all the usual places like my pewter tea service, the piano's keyboard, and amongst the branch blocks. When I headed to the gnome house, this is where I discovered them... quite cozy I'd say :)