The stuff dreams are made of

I realize this post title is quite lofty, but this post is an ode to someone I've never met but whom I admire greatly.

The model planes you see here were made by my Dad's partner Dave's Dad. When Dave was a little boy, his Dad spent hours and hours making these model planes and boats. Not only did he pay attention to every detail, but these creations also actually worked. The airplanes really flew. The boats sailed on water.

Dave told us about how some airplanes his Dad built would crash and then he'd just make another one. He told us how his Dad would take him out to put the boats into a lagoon. I've always loved the image of this. And even though I never got to meet Dave's Dad, I can see just a bit how this kind, patient and very intelligent man came to be with a Dad like his.

Here is the boat. I was just in awe of these when I saw them. These were not kits. These were made from scratch!

But one thing was missing. The boat needed a stand. And that was a job for ...Steve the woodworker...

A small job, but that boat deserved to be on a stand not a pillow.
The stand is almost done. It's made of oak and coated in 4 cans of black spray paint to have a smooth finish. Steve didn't fill the grain, so it took alot of paint to get that perfect surface.

I will post photos when we bring the stand over this Sunday.


Some more photos for the heck of it...

Steve and Dad measuring the template.




The boat with template. Template made out of fome core board and glued together with hot glue gun.

Off to the Wood Shop!

This is the week Steve is going back to the wood shop. His first project is fabricating bed rails for a headboard and footboard set that my Mom purchased last year.

I don't have photos of the bed right now, but I will post them eventually. The bed is made of walnut and Steve and my Mom made a field trip last summer to Wood World. They spent about an hour going through wood and selecting the appropriate boards for this project. It was not inexpensive, but she got the bed at a yard sale for a nominal sum and its a charming walnut piece with some painted decoration.

We have a long list of projects waiting in the wings. I am most excited to finish the built-in shelving for our pantry. And the plate rack. And the sideboard. And the dining room chairs. You see, we won't be running out of material for houseblogging anytime soon...

Anyone new to this blog can see some of Steve's finished work in the sidebar. Everything he knows, he taught himself from books or from instructors at the wood shop.