So Much To Do, So Little Time
With the three day conference just around the corner, I've had plenty to keep me occupied between logistics of the event, and how to spend my time between the Gorilla Glue booth and some of the classes and seminars. I've definitely got some serious time scheduled with the folks teaching Google SketchUp. This application is not only free, it also gives furniture makers such as myself an unprescidented level of access to an easy to use CAD graphic program. I have only played with the application up to this point, and already see from some of the demos how helpful this will be for me to begin spending more time designing long before I start making dust. There are also a bunch of events scheduled 
around 19th and 20th century furniture construction, grain design, and construction Q&A, but the big event is a keynote address by Thomas Moser. I consider his furniture a great blend of traditional style and construction with some amazing modern aesthetics. I can't wait to meet him in person.
Speaking of making dust, one of the demos I'll be conducting at the event this weekend includes a recap of one of my previous blog entries on giving the new Gorilla Epoxy a go at woodworking applications. I have found the epoxy to be very handy in filling voids, cracks and knot holes, along with a mixture of sawdust to match the native wood species. It is quick and easy to do, and doesn't require matching a wood plug to fill a hole, especially one that is irregularly shaped. With sustainability and limiting waste in production being a big topic with some woodworkers, I'll be interested to hear others opinions of using this technique on smaller, less notices areas of furniture.
Woodworking Skills On The Chopping Block
I recently began a project of making a new cutting board. I saw some of the ones Mark Spagnuolo did on his Wood Whisperer Site and video and couldn't resist upgrading the beat up ones in our house. And then once my extended family saw my first attempt, everyone wanted to sign up for one of their own. So now, I have seven cutting boards on my to-do list. I'm making them all out of 8/4 Walnut and Hard Maple, with the end grain facing up. This small production run project will be another one of my demos at the Gorilla Glue booth, and is a great way to show the short 20 minute clamp time results with the Gorilla Wood Glue. I've included a few pictures of the stacks of milled lumber, cut to size and some of the initial glue up progress. I'll be cutting some of the boards so I can glue the end-grain pieces together to form the checkerboard pattern during the show. I'll then blog the rest of the progress when I finish them up at home over the next few weeks.
Hand Cut Dovetail Shelving
The other project I've begun are two sets of free-standing modern wall shelves. For each set there will be a large and smaller mated version with a number of 90 degree joints all containing through dovetails. One set is with cherry, seen here being glued up for the boards final dimensions, and the other is from a set of two really nice pieces of purple heart. I've never worked with purple heart before, but have hand-cut a number of pieces from Bubinga, which is a similar hardness and splintery consistency. A friend of mine suggested that I reconsider hand cutting the purple heart dovetails because it can be murder on hand tools, so I'll spare the embarassment of cutting those at the event this weekend, and will instead, use the boards to do some Gorilla Glue Polyurethane glue up demos. I'll then take them home and cut them with a shop-made table saw jig my friend has used in the past. Thanks Jeff.
Stop By This Weekend
Anyone who is attending the conference this weekend, please feel free to stop by and say hello. I'd love to hear from folks about their own latest project challenges and accomplishments.