During late summer, I start planning out the Fall and holiday markets. Always looking to improve my market table set-up, I got an idea for a simple stand to display small ornaments.
Ever the collector of random things that I could use in my woodworking, I have a bunch of birch branches that I found down the road when a neighbor decided to remove a tree. I cleaned them up, gave them a coat of finish, and put them in the corner of my basement workshop. Two years later, I got an idea for an ornament display stand. It only took me about 20 minutes to turn the base and drill out the holes for a dowel. The black stain and poly took the requisite few days and now it’s ready to go.
After finishing the display stand, I felt compelled to make a larger version that would be a rustic towel holder. While I am grateful that I never have a shortage of ideas of things to make, I do sometimes feel burdened by the compulsion to complete them as soon as possible lest they languish uncompleted on a shelf for years.
Larger usually means more complicated and, in this case, I wanted to add a hidden weight inside the base. It took a lot longer than the 20 minutes that the first one took and, with another coat of poly, it will be checked off as done.
Summer is a good time for me to experiment with making new things and to try out new materials and techniques. I’ve had an old blush compact in my bin of sandpaper for at least a couple years because I wanted to see if I could use it to add a sparkly sheen in open wood grain. Last week, I found a chunk of ash big enough for a short bud vase, and it’s the perfect wood species to try it on.
After turning the vase and drilling out the center, I applied a thin coat of the same red dye that I have used for mushroom tops and holiday ornaments. Once it was fully dried, I rubbed the blush into the grain and then brought it outside for a spray lacquer finish.
In the end, I’m not sure how much of an effect the blush had on the final piece, but I’m happy with how it turned out. I was thinking the blush might be similar to liming wax, and maybe with another try, I can get it to show up better.
I’ll have more new experiments to report on next month.
Upcoming classes at Brookfield Craft Center
September 21, Turn a Wooden Bud Vase
October 26, French-Style Rolling Pin
November 30, Holiday Ornaments Workshop
Upcoming markets
September 15, Honey Harvest Festival at Bartlett Arboretum