Friday, July 7, 2017

A source of supply

A student from one of my summer classes asked where to purchase 1/8 in. Baltic Birch plywood like we used in making boxes. He'd looked online, but found only very small pieces for sale and at high prices. The best option is to purchase Baltic Birch at your local lumber yard. It is available in 5 ft. square sheets, and if not on hand, they'll likely order it for you as they do for me at my local lumber yard.

My first two summer box making classes were full and are now past. I have two more coming up and  there are still openings in each. Beginning July 24 I have a week long class in making Pocket Boxes at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts.  August 7-11 I have a class in Creative Box Making at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking.

I frequently get questions about my teaching schedule, and these two classes are what remain. Join me if you can.

A woodworking club in Minneapolis asked if I could take a video of myself to help them sell their members on a proposed class in November. Self-produced video is out of my line, but I referred them to a video interview produced by friends, Murdo Laird and Nancy Paddock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymu8Mwjy8f0

The photo shows drilling a sound hole in the top of a box guitar. I first fitted and glued a circle of walnut into a hole in the cedar top, and then drilled a smaller hole through it, giving the effect of an inlay. The loose piece at the center is scrap. Some sanding of the edges will finish the job.

Make, fix, and create.