What Did You Do Today?

[EdwardS]

Finally was healthy enough to make some shavings.  I have easier staves than this, I just wanted to work this one today.  I've got a nice 7" white oak stave that's about ready to have a bow laid out on it.

This knife works very well for scraping and a little bit of hacking.  Still need a gooseneck scraper for a nice dip in this one, looks like it's gonna get put aside for the straight staves I have almost ready to cut on.

[Deerhunter21]

I wrestled after having a broken back, influenza, a big trip, influenza again, and (still) having 2 varsity wrestlers give me complete crap. Im just happy to be back... im also  happy i won the tournament with all pins in the first period. Im super stoked!! 

[YosemiteBen]

Working a late shift today. The opening of the 35th annual Renaissance Art Exhibit. Over 800 entries, 70 made the show. All sorts of media and some very nice work. Google Yosemite Renaissance for looks at previous art works.

[YosemiteBen]

ripping off a sugar pine shingle roof so I can put on a new one. Got muscles that are sore that haven't been sore in a long time from the  awkward stretches on the roof.

[Pat B]

You're not getting old are you Ben? 
Marcia and I celebrated our 42 anniversary on the third of March. Hard to believe 42 years already. 

[Eric Krewson]

Trying the oil drum stump removal method, today is the second go round, if I burn the barrel for most of the day the stump will smoulder for a couple more days and burn a good bit more of it away.

Once you get a good fire going in the drum it becomes a fire breathing dragon, I burned an entire tree up in it today that was 10" across the base and green, it only took about 1 1/2" hours to turn it into ash. I did prop the barrel up on bricks so I could get a good airflow from under the barrel.

The stump was almost at ground level after the first go round, today should finish it off.

[YosemiteBen]

@PatB - I am 10 years older than you have been married. Many congratulations on finding someone who puts up with you. My wife and I will have 26 years on paper this year.

[Pat B]

Keep it up, Ben. You'll catch up with me before you know it. 
That's a pretty cool idea, Eric. Never seen it before.

[WhistlingBadger]

Congratulations on the Anniversaries, guys.  That's a very big deal in today's world.  I myself am headed toward 16 years with Mrs. Badger.  I got started a little late.

Today, I sent off the final graphics and sound files for the CD I'm going to be releasing the 21st.  If anybody's in west-central Wyoming, swing by the Carnegie Room--should be a pretty fun show.

T

[Eric Krewson]

I did round two on the stump burn yesterday, 5 or 6 hours, when I checked later in the day I only made about 3" of progress below the ground level.

I suspect the ash insulated the burning part of the stump, later I used a leaf blower to blow the ashes off the stump and get the coals hot. I put it to bed last night and will check today to see if I made much progress.

I think I am getting to a very wet part of the stump and it may take a round 3 to finish it off.

Once I get the barrel going it burns so hot and fast it roars. I put bricks under the base to get air flow



I burned this 10" tree completely up, top and all in a little over an hour.



This is after I blew the ash off the stump and got it blazing with air from my leaf blower.

[DC]

When I was burning out a stump in the backyard I stuck a 2" pipe about 8' long into the coals and stuck a hair drier into the other end. Made quite a difference. used more wood too. Amazing how much wood it takes to burn out a stump.

[BowEd]

That looks like a good way to get rid of stumps Eric.

[Eric Krewson]

I made curly maple gizmos for the trad gang St Jude auction, in the picture I am staining them.

[DC]

I find it amazing that they/you could auction off that many gizmos. I live in a town of about 50,000 and I'll bet $100 that you couldn't sell or give away one here. Is making bows that much more popular everywhere but here?

[Eric Krewson]

The trad gang has 38,000 members and probably twice that many lurkers, I would guess 5% make bows, mostly glass lam but a lot of wood bow guys as well. When they hold the St Jude auction there are a bunch of folk from all over the world looking for stuff to bid on. If I made 50 of these things someone out there would want one and they would all be auctioned.

I did my own fundraiser last year for the same cause. I posted the donation for a a gizmo offer here, Stickbow, Trad Gang and a Facebook selfbow group. I sent off 30+ gizmos in a month, I wrapped it up because I was tired of making them.

Gizmos are very easy to make but some folk want one from the inventor complete with my brand on it,  some just want to donate to a worthy cause and some folk don't want to be troubled by making their own.

Bow making is a lot more common than one would think, it tends to be localized like the bunch around Twin Oaks. Where I live there may be 5 or 6 bow makers that I know of in town but I am always hearing about someone's uncle, grandfather or some other relative that makes their own bows but don't mix with the internet crowd or shoot tournaments.

I may have auctioned off 75 gizmos, I have given away twice that many, both online and to guys I see at tournaments who are shooting a selfbow they made.