A small detours in my plans

Because... Oups!

But lets back track first.

Our daughter has been sick for a little while, so we had the grand kids a few days for her to recover.
In our ongoing war against screen time versus more constructive way to spent time, introduced my oldest to Crokinole.
A bit like curling or shuffle board except you play your piece by flicking them with your finger, while always keeping a butt cheek on your chair, for those tricky angle shots...

She is a quick learner, Grampa won hands down the first two games then she whipped me, hummm :-)

Rudy getting in the action. 

I can smell my treats from across the living room, he says

Did not realize while taking the pic, but she is laughing because 

she swapped the middle piece for her own.

I'm red she is green

Thursday went to the Glooscap Reserve for the inauguration of their new community center
I wanted to talked to the chief about my next Rotary project which is bringing clean water to all our reserves. The Provincial Lieutenant Governor General was there, also another politician I knew (Leo Glavine) Figured It would be a good place as any to sound off my bright plans :-)

A dance ceremony featuring the little ones. Very enthusiastic dancers :-)

What the Queen representative drive in Nova Scotia.

A new 2018 Lincoln Continental. Well chauffeured in, not driving :-)

That is what I want for my next car, currently driving a Lincoln MKZ. I drooled at his car, but after seeing the price on line, starting around Cdn $64,000, I think I will wait a bit for them to depreciated some :-) I long figured out it is pointless and expensive for nothing to buy a new car.

Return of short lease, these cars are not going to get much of a rough treatment, lets face it, they are older people cars :-)

And then Jean, Rudy and I made it back home in the sunset

Later on we had company over, so me and Jean cooked in the kitchen together. Somehow she is the one that managed to get flour on her while I was the one making the Bannock bread :-)

Yes, we have fun in the kitchen :-)

Did not get much shop time, but still managed to make some progress: The proverbial one step forward, two steps backward.

When I last left, my rear legs blanks ripped from a 2X4 were awaiting cleaning before I could layout my joinery.
Did a quick pass on the jointer then look at them again.

Very naughty piece of wood.

Oh, and yes knotty also :-)

I gave up on those two rough blanks, by the time I cleaned them up, I will be left with Texas style toothpicks.  But the big turn off was the amount of naught.. Knotty-nest that is going right thru. Not much structural strength for a leg :-(

Plan B, last nite went to the wood shop and glue up two pieces of lumbers, ripped from a wide plank I had.
This morning went back to the wood shop to get them unclamped and dressed up.
Well poop, good thing I brought along my front legs to ensure I machined them at the final size.

See anything wrong in this picture??

Good width 

But a tad smaller in thickness

%$%#$@& When I laminated by first blanks it was from freshly dressed rough 4/4 lumber, I ended up just shy of 2 inch in thickness.
The one I made last nite were from a piece of dressed 3/4 inch stock, the thickness is more like shy of 1-1/2 inch thick.  Oups...

Back home, to ponder my Plan C

I think I found a suitable piece of stock to make solid ones

While I was gone, she started a fire on top of the Spruce tree we cut earlier.

First she drilled some 3/8 holes in the stump

But next thing you know, it was time to go to a benefit supper at the Lions club in Wilmot.

Bob, with a small setback, no biggie

A great Rotary day

Yesterday started the day with a visit by our District Governor (DG) to my workshop.
We got talking about woodworking the night before at the meet and greet and he wanted to see it.
Phew, good thing it is currently a working shop, I can show it and walk around :-)

Following that it was time for Rotary business. Executive meeting, DG meeting and of course our regular meeting. We went over our business plan and aligning some of our projects with our DG objectives for the year.
After our meetings we took our DG on a tour around town to see some of the projects we worked on. Every year, when our District Governor comes to see us, we in turn make a donation once a year in his or her name to the Rotary International fund.  That is in addition to what we give to the foundation, throught member's personal contributions and of course, our club.

The big check presentation at the Rotary Riverside park

The DG is the one on my left holding the check, our president Christine is holding the other end

That international fund is used on big projects around the world.
Notably bringing medical aids and clean water in various locations.
But each club can also access some funds for local projects that are beyond our reach
Truly is a win win contribution that can have enormous impact

For the last 30 years, one of our big international project has been Polio Plus
As Rotarians, we are proud to say that we are very close to eliminate Polio around the world.
The few recorded cases last year were in an area that we could not get into because of conflicts.
We are now inside, so we have to start thinking about what do we do next?

If we  When we eliminate Polio, this would only be the second virus eliminated by man.

One of the thing we want to strengthen this year is the level of cooperation among service clubs
Perfect, this had been on my mind a lot lately with my school lunch program
Thru it, I enrolled the Middleton Lions club and we are both funding my lunch program

The beginning of my school lunch program started with me funding the initial equipment purchases, which I later supplemented with a Popcorn machine.

Then I enrolled both my Rotary club and the Lions to help me

It's working, we have saved the school cafeteria and the kids are feed, but... it still cost the parents $4 a meal for their kids. That's $20 a week, $80 a month and  $800 a year, for each kids.
Not good enough, I want to feed all the primary kids grade 1-5 a free lunch.

To do it, just in our club catchment area, that is a lot of schools and kids. We could not do it on our own of course.  But with the help of all Rotary clubs in NS and other service clubs, we could do it province wide.
Yes, it will cost money and would required lots of volunteers, and food donation to pull it off.
But that is my dream and I am going for it.

Kids are our future, no one, especially kids, can be the best they can be on an empty stomach.
If we can feed all those kids breakfast AND lunch, we can ensure they will be better off and we would save their parents money on their budget. Hopefully enough to start making an impact on their life

Long term solution in my bright plans include turning on the kids to gardening.
They would be more inclined to eat vegetables they have helped and seen grow and hopefully convinced their parents to grow at home.
That would make a longer lasting differences.  We live here in a prime agricultural region, sadly many go without proper vegetables and fruits (have you seen the prices lately?? Never mind Organic!!) and when the local economy is depressed, people turn more toward junk food and processed food.
In my postings around the country, I came and left Nova Scotia 3 times. On our last return in 2011
I could not help but noticed a drastic increase in obesity in the valley.
With that rise in obesity it takes a $$$ burden on our health services

 If I can dream big, I can spend money to save money and hopefully make a lasting difference.
Yesterday I volunteered to sit on the Soldier Memorial hospital foundation.  They requested a representative from each service club in the area.  Hum, the possibilities are endless :-)

Meanwhile, my other dream is to bring clean water to all the reserves in our country without potable water for far too long. In this day and age there are no valid excuse, but it is going to take a lot of commitments and yes money. Can it be done? We can sure make a difference!

If you live in the area please drop your toony into our Toony draw
Together we can change the world one toony ($2) at a time

Bob having a great Rotary day, but no shop time
Next we will return to normal woodworking blogging :-)

Day two on the Hall table

Last nite, I sneaked back into the shop and put more tool holders up on the wall.
These holders I made years ago for a previous shop, but I kept them.  I had them modified in another shop to be held on my pegboards, by screwing L hooks into the back, spaced for the pegboards.
On the holder for my scraper burnishers, I removed the hooks in the back then screwed it on the side of my plane till, using its original screw holes.

Had to remove a few things on the till side to install it

For another to hold chisels, screwdrivers and etc, I left the hooks then tried just drilling two holes in the wallboard. Then I just rotated the holder as if it was thru pegboard. Took some finagling, but that worked.  It did not took long to load it.

Add a picture with a led flashing candle and a carving

and we are done :-)

Back to the hall table, first order of business was to cleaned up last nite mortise walls then checked for squareness before fine tuning my dummy tenon blank to fit.

Problem was, took me a while to find were I put that small Veritas square, which is just the right tool to check for squareness.  Looking for it, I of course came across many tools which I took back with me for storing in my tills, which also meant cleaning up the small joiner chest, so it could close, and...

Did some clean up in there, it was overflowing

And now that the cover close, you just knew 

it was begging for something to be put on top :-)

Opened up the spokeshave tray to find, 

and round up a few more of my spare blades.

Still no sign of that gauge... but...

Found the other part of my Veritas small plow, which I have yet

 to put back together  after its modifications at the factory.

Ok, finally found the tool, got my walls quickly cleaned up using a large  1-1/2 inch bevel edge chisel, then using my Veritas 1/2 inch measuring block, I made sure I had a good fit.

Found it...

Squaring the ends of the mortise were easily accomplished using a block of wood clamped on my line.  Then it is just a few taps with the1/2 inch chisel to do it.

Once satisfied, I then trimmed my dummy tenon plug, made sure it went deep enough, and repeat same mortising operation as before. I trimmed my dummy plug a bit narrower than the mortise length, so I could wiggle it out without damaging my walls

Dummy plug in place, ready to mortise from the other side

It would be easier if the dummy tenon plug was a different colour than the wood I am mortising.

You can just make out the dummy plug peeking thru

A little while later, I had two legs done (8 mortises) and a new mess on my bench to clean up.

Now what did I do with my other leg blanks??

These are the tools I used for my mortise layout and checks for squareness after. 

I did a quick sand and strop on my 1/2 inch chisel, what I'm doing with it, is murder on the edge :-)

The first time I reach in for a tool in there the carving fell off, 

then I knocked over the picture. Both are banned from that spot

I stop there, and finished putting away a few more things I dragged out, looking for that square earlier.

 First order of business was to lower my mallets holder, it is too close to the Boring till

Before, my bigger mallet does not fit anymore, this is the small guy

After, more than enough room

I think I may have to look for more holders somewhere :-)

My two legs are joined together with the dummy tenon plug

Bob, who should have his tenons done next time... whenever that would be
IF I find my leg blanks.. a suivre.

The Hall table prototype

Were we left Wed nite I had my bench cleared and the pieces I previously rough cut, sitting on it.

The second Thurs of the month is our Club 100 nite, were for the next 6 months the money raised goes to the Middleton Fire Dept.  The other 6 months of the year the money goes to the Middleton and Area Public skating rink.
In return we get a nite out with friends, come early for supper then stay for the musical act and free beer and draws after. Its all for a good cause and since we purchase all our tickets in advance ($240) we get entered in the early bird draw.  We have won our fair share of prizes and monies

If you live in the neighbourhood, you may want to check this out.

Before we left, I cleared the saw/mortise bench in my shop by fixing the woodwork on my old digital clock.

After the glue was dried it got put aside for later

This being Friday, time to get that project for her sister started in earnest.
Its been a while I went over the details with her sister, so I had to warp my head around my scribbles and notes first.

This being "my spot" on the couch, Rudy is always quick to take it if I leave 5 seconds.

Its our "Sheldon spot" in the house :-)

After going over my notes, and have them approved by Rudy.

Give me one more treat and I will approve them... 

I went downstairs for more navel gazing at my notes and piles of lumber in front of me.
Soon I had my critical dimensions figured out and proceed to cut my mortise first.  I always cut mortise first, it is easier to fix a tenon thickness than a mortise width...

So according to my bright plans, need a 1/2 inch mortise chisel

Hum, my biggest one is 3/8, Bevel Edge chisel it would be.

That chisel and gouge are set to each other and it usually stay set.

So of course had to used another. Good thing I have a "few" :-)

Saddling my saw/mortise bench, I start to whack away, but it is kinda difficult to see my lines

A quick trace of the outline with a sharp knife, make a V cut.

Take out the middle of the hump with the chisel 

Then whack, whack... Took me 3 to 4 pass to reach my depth of 1 "plus" inch
Set my little metal gauge I made years ago during Air Force trade training (CMT) in Borden.
Still have it and use it

Not quite there

Done

Then rinse and repeat for the other one

Notice that the depth of my mortise means that both my tenons are going to meet in the middle.

Before I attempt to cut the other set of mortises on the adjacent faces,

 I am making a plug to fit inside the mortise to protect it.

That is where I stopped on my first day on it, need to clean up my shavings and sharpen my chisel and block plane. And that is all the shop time I got.
I purposely left my mortise plug slightly oversize overnite and will plane it to final dimensions tomorrow.  After that, I will be able to start on the other side with my mortises.

Bob, thinking I should get my mortises all done by this weekend??

Maybe even a matching tenon???