Look what survived two Cat5 hurricanes!!!- plow plane finally arrived

[Malcolm Schweizer]

If you didn't see my post in off topic- it explains all the back story. I thought after my post office was destroyed that my plow plane, due to have arrived any day, would surely be destroyed. Lo and behold it was scanned in shortly after. Sadly, it still was MIA. Then it showed available for pickup on Oct 8th. Still not there. Finally today I convinced them to go look for it. It's here!!!! Folks, after what I have been through, this is a glorious day. This is my ray of sunshine amidst the storm.

By the way, six weeks without power. May be Christmas before I get it restored. I have earned an unplugged merit badge.

Yes, that is...or was... my post office.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Among all the bad news, it's nice to see you have a reason to smile! Congratulations! May it serve you well.

[James Pallas]

Malcolm, I'm happy for you and your ray of sunshine. I'm also praying for all of you there that things get up and running and back to better conditions soon. Keep us posted so we know just what it takes to recover. Thank you for your posts.
Jim

[Jim Koepke]

Glad to hear the mail got through. It is still a long haul to getting back to what will likely be a new normal.

jtk

[Brian Holcombe]

More important than the mail, I'm very glad that you are ok!

[Patrick Chase]

Glad to hear from you again, Malcom!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Wow- thanks guys. I appreciate the well wishes. I know we have slipped to the bottom of the news at best, but we have a long way to go. I will be happy if I get power in a month, but expect it will be longer.

Anyway, on topic- this thing is a real beauty. My wife even said it was kind of sexy. She is excited that project 1 will be a bookshelf with fluted or reeded columns. (Undecided as to which). Sadly, Home Depot was badly damaged but the local lumber yard has a good bit of cypress that I could work with. I would have to cut off the tongue and groove. There is no clear pine at the moment.

[Patrick Chase]

... the local lumber yard has a good bit of cypress that I could work with.

That sounds like quite a windfall.

Sorry, I know it's too soon, but I couldn't resist.

[Lasse Hilbrandt]

Not trying to hijack the tread, but Malcolm. One of my colleagues just sold a whole wood trim productionline machines to Mauritius (second hand). Perhabs you know who it is ?

[Ryan Mooney]

Happy for small miracles. :)

[Rob Lee]

Hi Malcolm!

Glad to see you're back, and OK!


Cheers -

Rob

[Dave Anderson NH]

It's definitely a "up" after all you have gone through. It looks like the package survived virtually unharmed and without being crushed or waterlogged. Congratulations and I hope you have overestimated the time to get power back.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Not trying to hijack the tread, but Malcolm. One of my colleagues just sold a whole wood trim productionline machines to Mauritius (second hand). Perhabs you know who it is ?
Wrong island, my friend! I am in the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Muaritius is off Madagascar, but ironically my friend and well-known sailing author from St. John, Cap'n Fatty Goodlander was just there a few months ago as he finished his third circumnavigation.


That sounds like quite a windfall.

Sorry, I know it's too soon, but I couldn't resist.

Too soon! I have caught myself many times saying "weather the storm" in figurative terms. It means a lot more to me now.


It's definitely a "up" after all you have gone through. It looks like the package survived virtually unharmed and without being crushed or waterlogged. Congratulations and I hope you have overestimated the time to get power back.

I regret that it's probably underestimated. As for the package, I suspect that it had not yet been unloaded from the container when the storm hit. The rest of my mail was handed to me bundled in a sopping wet mess with apologies for the condition.

[Jim Koepke]

As for the package, I suspect that it had not yet been unloaded from the container when the storm hit. The rest of my mail was handed to me bundled in a sopping wet mess with apologies for the condition.

Even in the worst of times good things happen.

jtk

[Lasse Hilbrandt]

Wrong island, my friend! I am in the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Muaritius is off Madagascar, but ironically my friend and well-known sailing author from St. John, Cap'n Fatty Goodlander was just there a few months ago as he finished his third circumnavigation.

OOPS!!! sorry about that, I know I sold a plane iron to a guy from Mauritius, and somehow in my mind I thought it was you, sorry to mix you up.

[Lee Schierer]

That's good news indeed. Glad to see you are hanging in there. Have fun making shavings. Just a question, are their any furniture grade trees in the V.I? I don't recall from our all too brief visit to the island years ago.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

That's good news indeed. Glad to see you are hanging in there. Have fun making shavings. Just a question, are their any furniture grade trees in the V.I? I don't recall from our all too brief visit to the island years ago.

Tons of beautiful mahogany trees down. If only I had a portable mill and space to dry lumber.

[Paul McGaha]

Glad to see you posting Malcolm.

I'm glad the plane got to you.

PHM

[Malcolm Schweizer]

http://viconsortium.com/featured/watch-an-aerial-view-of-hurricane-irmas-devastation-on-st-thomas/

please share this article and video. We need people to see we still need recovery.

Back on topic: New project for the plane- my friend is quitting addiction and we are going to have a funeral for their addiction. I am going to build a coffin to bury it in. I really think that's cool. It's going to be a simple pine box in the typical coffin shape.

[Mike Allen1010]

Malcolm, I want to add my my best wishes for a speedy recovery to all the others I can't really imagine the daily trials that you and your fellow islanders must be experiencing. Do you have any recommendations for charities, local or otherwise, that are doing good work where people can donate to help out?


I know it's a trivial question given all the other larger concerns, but I can't help but wondering about all the downed mahogany trees you mentioned. It would be compounding the existing tragedy for them to end up in a landfill. If even a couple people with chainsaw mills could get to USVI seems like could be opportunity to create some value for the local economy and utilize a valuable resource would otherwise be wasted.


I'm sure this is pie-in-the-sky, but there is a "Sawmill and Kiln Drying"" forum on the Creek – maybe someone there would have some creative ideas. Seems like it could be a "win-win" opportunity for an entrepreneurial sawyer. My apologies for not offering any viable sugge. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.




BTW, building a coffin to support your friend in kicking his addiction is perhaps the most noble woodworking project I've ever heard of – good on you Malcolm!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Malcolm, I want to add my my best wishes for a speedy recovery to all the others I can't really imagine the daily trials that you and your fellow islanders must be experiencing. Do you have any recommendations for charities, local or otherwise, that are doing good work where people can donate to help out?


I know it's a trivial question given all the other larger concerns, but I can't help but wondering about all the downed mahogany trees you mentioned. It would be compounding the existing tragedy for them to end up in a landfill. If even a couple people with chainsaw mills could get to USVI seems like could be opportunity to create some value for the local economy and utilize a valuable resource would otherwise be wasted.


I'm sure this is pie-in-the-sky, but there is a "Sawmill and Kiln Drying"" forum on the Creek – maybe someone there would have some creative ideas. Seems like it could be a "win-win" opportunity for an entrepreneurial sawyer. My apologies for not offering any viable sugge. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.




BTW, building a coffin to support your friend in kicking his addiction is perhaps the most noble woodworking project I've ever heard of – good on you Malcolm!


Good day, Mike. Thanks for asking about charities. www.mybrothersworkshop.org is a non-profit that teaches woodworking and culinary skills to at-risk youth. After Irma and Maria (we are calling it "Irmaria") they have turned their cafe into a feeding station feeding up to 900 people per day. Also their woodworking crew are rebuilding roofs. I volunteer there teaching woodworking (unpaid) and I can assure you they are golden.

As for the mahogany- believe me, it does get used. Sadly much of it is cut into shorts rather than slabs. People use them for wood turning and carving. I know where there is a mango tree cut to shorts that I am going to get a few pieces of.

[Christopher Charles]

Malcolm,

Very happy to see that you have a bit of sunshine to balance all the trials and tribulations. You have certainly earned the unplugged merit badge! Very best as you continue the clean up. And I agree with Mike that the addiction coffin is a most noble project.

Best,
Chris

[Rob Luter]

I see a box, but no plane. When do we see glamour shots of your new prize?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

370317


Mahogany just waiting to be grabbed up. I'm looking for Lignum Vitae.