Three gloats in one

[Bruce Page]

The first pic is YT on the left, taken last Friday (yeah, I had to go back to Kauai). I’m standing beside one of the units that my cohort & I have been building & testing for the last year+. We’re about to hardmate onto the missile that is standing in the MST building behind us. The temperature was about 92* with 76% relative humidity – July/August is just too darn hot for outdoor work!

The second gloat really puts a smile on my face. I finally made contact with the Koa dealer in Kalaheo, and scored two nicely book-matched pieces of quarter sawn 4/4 Koa from the big island. The dealer used Titebond II to seal the end grain, I’ve never heard of that, but it seems to work well.

My third gloat was delivered last week by big brown, and patiently waited for my return home yesterday. It’s a shiny new L-N #85 scraper plane, socks for my growing family, and a couple of videos that I hope are worth their price.

I have to let the Koa acclimate to the dry New Mexico climate for a week or two before I start any milling on it. I can’t wait to see how the Koa looks when I scrape it with the LN, and then I have to decide what to make with it, any suggestions?

[Jim Becker]

What a shame... ;) ...Kauai, "out of this world" toys, koa wood and new tools. About the only thing better is the hopfully enthusiastic welcome home you got...before you disappeared into the shop! :D

[Corvin Alstot]

The first pic is YT on the left, taken last Friday (yeah, I had to go back to Kauai). I’m standing beside one of the units that my cohort & I have been building & testing for the last year+. We’re about to hardmate onto the missile that is standing in the MST building behind us.
Bruce/ Congrats on the new toys. What kind of missile is that, an interceptor?

[Bruce Page]

Thanks Jim. I always get a good welcome home, as they say, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”.
With 432 new posts to read, LOML may kill me before I get through them though!

[Bruce Page]

Bruce/ Congrats on the new toys. What kind of missile is that, an interceptor?

Thanks Corvin. The missile is a single stage Orbital Sciences unit.

[Andrew Ault]

Quite a respectable triple gloat.

I have to say though, I'd only want the obects in the last picture to appear on my porch!

[Norman Hitt]

Bruce, you're going to have to have a serious talk with your trip scheduler, and 'splain to him that "you go to Kodiak in the Summertime, and Hiwaii in the Winter". :D

Congrats on the new Toy, and the wood to use it on. Now that you have made Dealer Contact, maybe the next time over, you could just kinda "Borrow" that dolly the missle head is on long enough to pull it down to the Koa Dealer and load it up and send it Home, (Man, what a haul that would be). :rolleyes:

One suggestion for a project for the nice WOOD, would be to resaw Both Pieces, and use one to make the sides and ends, cut and matched to provide a continuous grain, (perfectly matched at each of the 4 corners), for all 4 sides, for a nice Jewelry Box for the LOYL with the second piece bookmatched for the top of the Box, (and the bottom too, unless you were going to line it with velvet on the bottom). It would be beautiful.

If you're not familiar with the cut layout necessary to grain match "ALL 4" corners, PM me, and I'll explain.

[Bruce Page]

Bruce, you're going to have to have a serious talk with your trip scheduler, and 'splain to him that "you go to Kodiak in the Summertime, and Hiwaii in the Winter". :D

Hi Norman, I've mentioned the poor winter/summer timing before but it seems to fall on deaf ears. :(

I remember reading about how to build a box as you describe but I don't recall the details on it. Can you post the procedure for all of us?

[Norman Hitt]

Hi Norman, I've mentioned the poor winter/summer timing before but it seems to fall on deaf ears. :(

I remember reading about how to build a box as you describe but I don't recall the details on it. Can you post the procedure for all of us?

Bruce, I posted the procedure here, but then moved it to a "new post", so it could be found easier should anyone want to refer to it later. It is titled Grain Matching ALL 4 Box Corners. Let me know if it doesn't make sense or you have any questions.

I can't wait to see whatever you decide to make from that Koa.

[John Shuk]

su ;) re just what we need around here....another rocket scientist.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I feel the pain Bruce...I will never catch up on the old posts....too busy with our move and work!

I am setting up the new shop much earlier than expected though...more on that later!

[J.R. Rutter]

Nice,

I just did a quote for Koa cabinet doors for a kitchen and am curious what you paid for your wood per BF. Local dealers here in the Northwest quoted $21 - $25. Not matched of course, but the samples I made sure were sweet nonetheless!

-JR

[scott spencer]

"...92* with 76% relative humidity..." Sounds like you had a pretty rough time. ;)

[Bruce Page]

I feel the pain Bruce...I will never catch up on the old posts....too busy with our move and work!

I am setting up the new shop much earlier than expected though...more on that later!
Kelly, I made it through a hundred or so posts before I caved in Thursday night. There were many pictures of very nice work and of course alot of good questions and answers - the norm here at SMC.

[Bruce Page]

Nice,

I just did a quote for Koa cabinet doors for a kitchen and am curious what you paid for your wood per BF. Local dealers here in the Northwest quoted $21 - $25. Not matched of course, but the samples I made sure were sweet nonetheless!

-JR

JR, I bought 4.6 bf of select grade and paid $33/bf for the privilege. :(
His lower grades were in the $25-$28 range. He didn't have any curly on hand so I didn't get a price on that.

[Bruce Page]

"...92* with 76% relative humidity..." Sounds like you had a pretty rough time. ;)

76% for someone that lives in the desert SW is pretty hard to deal with. :rolleyes: It srue felt good when I made it home and stepped of of the plane. :)

[Kelly C. Hanna]

With my visiting 7 forums (daily when we get everything straightened out), I hold no hopes of catching up!!

[Bruce Page]

With my visiting 7 forums (daily when we get everything straightened out), I hold no hopes of catching up!!
Seven!?! SMC’s the only one that I visit daily, when I’m not on travel. I visit a couple of others once or twice a week. No way could I keep up with seven! :eek:

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Yep...4 woodworking forums, 1 local car club forum, 1 El Camino forum, & the Wishbone Ash forum.

OK back to the shop...the space is coming together quite nicely!

[John Renzetti]

Hi Bruce, That's a great triple gloat. I liked the picture of you in front of the missile. Where will that be launched from?
So how long did it take you to adjust to that high humidity. Sort of took your breath away when you got off the plane.
take care,
John

[Bruce Page]

Hi John, it will fly out of Sandia's KTF facility at Barking Sands, Kauai, HI. It's cousin flew earlier this month.

[Mark Singer]

Bruce,

Great stuff! That looks like quite a weapon...

[Bruce Page]

Bruce,

Great stuff! That looks like quite a weapon...
Thanks Mark, I’m looking forward to playing with the koa. The first pic is not a weapon, strictly R&D stuff.