Thursday, March 25, 2010

6' Windsor Bench

This is my latest Waltham bench. It is 6 feet long and has a back with a custom height of about 42". My standard chair back heights are about 37".  I rough out my bench seats by machine but there is still a lot of hand work to get the shape right.  The hand plane does most of that work. Here is a nice shot of that work.  The bench is painted with a light gray milk paint as specified by the customer.

The weather has been pretty great here. We had 50's today and I managed to get out for a bike ride.  My goal this year is to make the time for more biking.  We'll see how it goes.
Happy Spring.
Tim

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Why cross the road when you can drive?

Why did the chicken ride in the car?    So, it would not have to cross the road.

Yes, that is me with a chicken that we had seen hanging out by the side of the road for the past few days.  It is amazing that it made it on its own for as long as it did.  There are plenty of predators out there that missed out on a nice chicken dinner.  We are not ready for chicken parenthood but luckily some of our nearby friends already have  a bunch of chickens and they decided to adopt it.  So, while Leslie, the adoptive parent to be, lured the red clucker with popcorn, I managed to snag the little pecker from behind.  She (the chicken) was actually very calm.  Probably calmer than I , as this was my first chicken snagging in the wild.  My training at Shelburne Farms petting farm had finally paid off. Years before,  I had chaperoned a preschool trip there when my son was 3 years old.  Anyway, Henny Penny sat on my lap for the 3 mile trip to her new home.  She got her wings loose once but I managed to wrestle her back into control.  Her 2 pounds proved hugely inadequate for my... many, many pounds and she was no match for a waddle hold and a foul nelson.  Upon arriving at the home of her new adoptive parents,  we were rewarded with a dozen eggs from their chickens.  Henny Penny will now have a nice safe chicken house and a large yard to free-range in.
You know you are a Vermonter when ......  you take your chicken for rides in the car.

Time to get back to work.