Horsepower

My niece was born yesterday in Salmon Arm, B.C. I made this horse on wheels for her.

This was my first project where I made a blank using two species of wood. In this case - walnut and maple

The mane and tail were made from hemp string.

Happy Valentines Day

This bathroom cabinet was made by me for my wife ,for a Valentine's present. It was my first cabinet that I had constructed.

Pine is the material for the shelves and sides, and tongue-and-groove cedar provided the back and panel on the door. The cabinet is 40" tall x 14 1/4 " wide x 9" deep.

Making the door was tricky. I had never made rail and stile (door)panels before so the door you see is the second and slightly mo' betta version of the door. Mounting the cabinet inside the wall between two studs allowed us to have an extra 5" of shelf depth without sacrificing space inside the bathroom.

Toy Tractor

This toy tractor was made for my nephew in Manitoba. Walnut was used for the cab and front end. Hemlock is the chassis. Tung Oil is the finish I used to seal the wood. I like using Tung oil because it really brings out the colour of the wood.

Update: I've been having problems with the wood axles. The ends are chipping off.

I installed plastic washers between the axle and wheel and between the wheel and the chassis. This did not fix the problem. I made a dually rear axle assembly that turns as a unit. I wedged the axles at the ends where they come through the outside wheel. This modification will be a lot stronger. A picture will be coming soon!

10-4 good buddy - wood Semi Truck

My first attempt at semi truck took this form. The trailer and the cab were contructed from the re used church pews that my Opa had built. The hymn book holders were cut to length and joined face to face to make the " box" and cab.
The bumper was sort of an after thought because it is proud of the chassis. Actually, I had to glue a small spacer to make the bumper clear the front wheels.

I use water based coloured dyes for the finish. On this particular unit I rubbed in wax to seal the blue dye.

When I first started to experiment with finishes, I applied the coloured stain and let it dry. Next I applied water based Varathane. The Varathane would make the coloured stain run.

I've learned that you can mix water based Varathane with the coloured dye solution. The ratio is not critical but start with 50/50 and add dye as required to achieve the colour strength you are looking for.
When this coat is dry, apply the water based Varathane. The Varathane that was mixed the coloured dye will allow the straight Varathane to bind to the existing dye/Varathane mix.

I enjoy working with the coloured stains because of the different hues you can make and using a water based Varathane is easier on the lungs and hands - easy water wash up.