Santa's Workshop...wine & Woodwork

[Timbo]

I'm currently sat nursing Uncle Albert who is extremely poorly at the minute with an infection that has visited every part of his body and is playing havoc with his diabetes meaning he is away with the fairies most of the time. So while I sit with him while he watches sharks and Hitler on TV I thought I'd get some of your opinions of what I've been making for Christmas presents this year with my new hobby of woodwork.

The problem I have is that traditionally...I'm renowned for being crap at woodwork. 'But the wooden boat?' I hear you clammer. RT is part of the very steep learning curve that I set myself, and thanks to Doug and his infinite patience in explaining what might seem obvious to most people and allowing me to watch exactly how things are done...I'm starting to learn. Ellie, my better half, has cottoned on to the fact that I enjoy making sawdust and some of the things I make look 'half' presentable. I'm lead to believe Ellie has written to Santa and told him I was a good boy and would like a lathe for Christmas...which means WildFuzz will soon be the recipient of some 'daft' questions in January.

To be honest, much of what I'm making is very very simple and is basically a box. For friends and relations Ellie is in the habit of making up hampers of things she knows they like. Home made pickles, sauces, tidbits, small food luxuries, wine, beer, flavoured vodka, cheeses etc. Most of the recipients start placing orders for what they want in their hamper around October. December we normally start scrambling for suitable cardboard boxes to make festive to hold the contents of the hamper. This year I got involved and made varnished wooden crates to hold the hampers.

So first of all I made several wooden crates from 3/4" Pine and Plywood. Routing out the handles on the table router proved to be noisy, good fun and worked better than I thought. Using a boat building tip Doug showed me I countersunk the screws and covered them with pine plugs before sanding everything back.

Now we had something to put the food in...the essential alcohol next on the agenda.

A portable beer crate to hold six bottles and we bought monogrammed bottle openers for the recipients which fix to the end gable of the beer crate. Last time at the boat Doug had shown me how to join small planks together to make larger boards which technique I used on the sides of the crates as on my original design there were just too many screws to plug.

After the beer comes the wine. I lifted this idea from Youtube and instead of pine I used Oak and inlaid Black Walnut. Now Ellies Dad, Ben Gunn, thinks they are a bit of a daft idea. But I've sold two of them for 25 knicker each already...minus the wine of course.

So the question is...is my woodwork good enough for presents? Am I likely to get socks in return next year? and for the foreseeable future? 

 

 

[MauriceMynah]

They look damned good to me Tim

[grendel]

look good to me too, I wood be happy receiving a hand made gift. and that wine and glasses thing is a great idea. your woodwork is a high enough standard for gifts, the real trick is a great finish, get that right and even simple woodwork looks good.

[BrundallNavy]

1 hour ago, Timbo said:

I'm currently sat nursing Uncle Albert who is extremely poorly at the minute with an infection that has visited every part of his body and is playing havoc with his diabetes meaning he is away with the fairies most of the time. So while I sit with him while he watches sharks and Hitler on TV I thought I'd get some of your opinions of what I've been making for Christmas presents this year with my new hobby of woodwork.

The problem I have is that traditionally...I'm renowned for being crap at woodwork. 'But the wooden boat?' I hear you clammer. RT is part of the very steep learning curve that I set myself, and thanks to Doug and his infinite patience in explaining what might seem obvious to most people and allowing me to watch exactly how things are done...I'm starting to learn. Ellie, my better half, has cottoned on to the fact that I enjoy making sawdust and some of the things I make look 'half' presentable. I'm lead to believe Ellie has written to Santa and told him I was a good boy and would like a lathe for Christmas...which means WildFuzz will soon be the recipient of some 'daft' questions in January.

To be honest, much of what I'm making is very very simple and is basically a box. For friends and relations Ellie is in the habit of making up hampers of things she knows they like. Home made pickles, sauces, tidbits, small food luxuries, wine, beer, flavoured vodka, cheeses etc. Most of the recipients start placing orders for what they want in their hamper around October. December we normally start scrambling for suitable cardboard boxes to make festive to hold the contents of the hamper. This year I got involved and made varnished wooden crates to hold the hampers.

So first of all I made several wooden crates from 3/4" Pine and Plywood. Routing out the handles on the table router proved to be noisy, good fun and worked better than I thought. Using a boat building tip Doug showed me I countersunk the screws and covered them with pine plugs before sanding everything back.

Now we had something to put the food in...the essential alcohol next on the agenda.

A portable beer crate to hold six bottles and we bought monogrammed bottle openers for the recipients which fix to the end gable of the beer crate. Last time at the boat Doug had shown me how to join small planks together to make larger boards which technique I used on the sides of the crates as on my original design there were just too many screws to plug.

After the beer comes the wine. I lifted this idea from Youtube and instead of pine I used Oak and inlaid Black Walnut. Now Ellies Dad, Ben Gunn, thinks they are a bit of a daft idea. But I've sold two of them for 25 knicker each already...minus the wine of course.

So the question is...is my woodwork good enough for presents? Am I likely to get socks in return next year? and for the foreseeable future? 

 

 

Looks like I am now surplus to requirements, Great job Tim, mine a glass of red.

Doug 

[Baitrunner]

Love the wineglass holder. 

And look very well made and finished to me. 

[riyadhcrew]

It all looks excellent Tim. I for one, would be delighted to receive something as good looking as that.

[deebee29]

They look great, I'd also be delighted to receive one as a gift 

my address is ........