Hat Blocks

Here are some images of recent hat blocks i was requested to make by some Irish Milliners, if you would like to enquire about a hat block please contact me either through:

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wexfordwoodworking
email: wexfordwoodworking@gmail.com
phone: 085-8188938

Paduak Bowl with Ridge Detail

Just some images of one of my latest pieces... a Padual Bowl with a single ridge detail... this bowl was finished with friction polish and also wax...

Banksia Nut Coasters

Just a little post on how i finished by Banksia nut/pod coasters...

basically i left the bottom of the coasters their natural finish with a light sanding, this way they should have a little bit of grip on surfaces rather than slipping all over the table...

They seem thin enough so moisture already on the table shouldn't affect them long term... i have toyed with the idea of spraying the bottom like i did the top and sides with clear lacquer and scuffing the bottom half but that takes away from the fact that you can feel the natural banksia pod/nut and appreciate it's velvet fuzz so to speak....

Either way each one is definitely unique and no 2 could possible be the same :D

Anyway here's some pics of them finished... some of these pics are already in my latest pieces post from a while ago... also i have my whole collection on facebook...

http://www.facebook.com/wexfordwoodworking

Large Spalted Beech Bowl...

Just some pictures of my latest piece... A Large spalted beech bowl... finished with some Mylands Wax...

Facebook Twitter Etc...

if you'd like to see more of my work or have my tweets tweet you then you can add me or like any of the following:


Website: http://www.wexfordwoodworking.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wexfordwoodworking
Twitter @dammcg
Google+: damienmcgarry@gmail.com
or email me at damienmcgarry@gmail.com or wexfordwoodworking@gmail.com

and of course dont forget to follow this BLOG :D


Damien

Latest Pieces (woodturned Clock, Cheeseboard, Bottle Stopper, Coasters)

its been a while since an update so i'd just like to post up a few pictures of my latest pieces, a cheeseboard made of spalted beech with burned ring, a Banskia Nut bottle stopper, a Banksia Nut set of 6 coasters and a Desk Clock, I do plan on doing a couple of write ups on how i done each piece but untill then if you've any questions about any of the pieces please ask me in the comments...

Damien

Wooden Clocks

So after making a couple of bowls and a lot of pens i noticed i had some nice large blanks of Zebra Wood (Zebrano) and Bubinga that i had bought a while back, they were a bit shallow to make bowls out of so i thought I'd try some clocks.

I went to Paragon Tools in Wexford and got a couple of clock faces, they were about €12 or €13 euro each.

I started with the Zebra wood first and mounted it on my lathe as usual, i turned recess in the

Wooden Woodturned Pens

Well after attending a monthly meet at the Craobh Cuig Deag Chapter on turning pens i decided to give it a shot.

I did have to buy a pen turning mandrel and i would highly recommend the Rotur Pen Mandrel Kit, comes with all you need including a 7mm drill bit, barrel trimmer and adjustable mandrel for doing all lengths of pens.

Anyway that's just my opinion on pen mandrels...

I didn't exactly know what sort of pens i wanted to make but nearly all the wood turning shops sold the classic 2 piece twist pen kits so i went with them and bought about 10 kits at €2.50 each, they were gold coloured pieces and looked nice enough in the packets anyway :D

Purple Heart Bowl

Ever since i got an interest in woodworking I've had an interest in the exotic woods, don't know why probably cause they can be damn expensive and i cant afford many of them :D

What started out as my favourite and the most interesting wood to me was Purple Heart, an 8" x 3" bowl blank will set you back somewhere between €30 to €40 in Ireland anyway. I bought one piece around the same time i bought my lathe and was afraid to use in for fear of destroying it and turning it into firewood, although i would of felt quite rich being able to use purple heart to warm my living room :D

Woodturning Baby Rattle with 3 Captive Rings

Well after my first attempts at woodturning i went to a demonstration at Joe Lairds Woodturnings (www.joelairdwoodturning.com) where he was demonstrating making baby rattles.

So when i got a chance to make one and having 2 children both under 2 years of age i jumped at it. I started by getting some 6 x 2 x 2 beech which is a safe wood for baby rattles as well as most fruit woods, stay away from exotic woods if you plan on making children's toys.

My New Lathe Axminster AWVSL1000

Well after ordering my new lathe early January it finally arrived last week. the package i got comprised of the Axminster AWVSL 1000 as well as an Axminster Clubman K10 Woodturning Chuck & Accessories

Irish Woodturners Guild Craobh Cuig Deag

Well last night i attended my first monthly meeting of the Irish Woodturners Guild (http://www.irishwoodturnersguild.com)

at the Blanchardstown Chapter (http://craobhcuigdeag.org/)

To be honest i didn't have a clue what to expect, sure i haven't even got a lathe yet to do any wood turning! But i have one ordered and hopefully it will be arriving shortly. :D I'll do another post on that when i get it.

Anyway, i arrived for half 7 to a room already packed with beginners and experienced wood turners

My Hand Planes

Since i started out woodworking not too long ago i always wondered why every workshop you see has a load of hand planes in it. Well the answer to me is.... It's addictive buying them!!! Not new... but 2nd hand!! the first pieces of hardwood i bought were Rough cut Walnut 4ft boards, one was 7inches by 2 inches and the other was 6 inches by 1 inch. there was a horrible bow in the 7 inch board so i said that no about of sanding would get that down so i purchased my first plane. I bought this one new... A Stanley 102 block plane.

Jewellery Box

For my next project i decided to try something i had seen on www.thewoodwhisperer.com, this website is excellent and i strongly advise taking a look. loads of video's and good reading here.

I am limited with the told i have compared with thewoodwhisperer but decided to give it my best shot and created this which is a variation of the one on the site.

I started by purchasing some walnut for this project, bought it from Strahans in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. I bought 2 4 foot lengths in both 1 x 6 and 2 x 6 i wanted enough so i had some more walnut to mess around with after this project. Good thing i did cause i botched the first effort, i was still learning the basics of the tools i had so it didn't upset me too much.

Third Project (Shelves for Baby Room)

For my third project i decided to start scaling up a bit. I was now quite comfortable using the scroll saw so i tried to incorporate still using it into a bigger project so i came up with the idea of a 4 shelf unit for my sons room. I decided on a unit that had the letters A, B and C on each side.

My second Project (Scrollsaw Name)

Well after my first project of the scroll saw horse shoe i decided to tackle something similar. I have a 1 year old son and back when i made this we had put him into his own room so i decided to tackle another simple project and that was a scroll saw cutout of his name "Dean".

My first project (Scrollsaw Horseshoe)

Well my first project was a horseshoe welcome sign, i made this about 4 months ago, my girlfriend bought me a scroll saw at a show in Wexford, Ireland a SS16V 16" Variable Speed Scroll saw for about €120.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my first blog, i'm currently starting out in the world of woodworking and am slowly building up my skills and hope to share my experiences with you all.