Somethings new...

I am waiting for paint to dry, so I thought I would take a few pictures.

This week, two mail order packages arrived for orders I had placed last week.

I placed an order with Rockler for some 1/8 inch thick exotic hardwoods. There were many to choose from, but I showed some restraint and ordered only 5. These will be scroll-sawed and turned into ornaments, similar to these and these, which I shared here last December. Hopefully, in October, I can pick up some more wood. It turns out that there is a Woodcraft store in Spokane, and if I time things right, I may be able to stop in there after I attend the Spokane miniature club's workshop which I have signed up for. Woodcraft stores carry exotic hardwoods. Actually, our local Ace store has recently started carrying hardwoods, but the packages are too large (and too expensive) for my needs. Not that this wood was cheap! I already have all the 'cheap' varieties!



These woods I got from Rocker are (from left to right): Spanish Cedar, African Mahogany, Kiaat, Bolivian Rosewood, and Narra. I am not sure which is my favorite yet, since I haven't put any though the saw yet. (Not only does wood need to look good, but it has to behave. )

These boards measure 5 inches wide by 24 inches long. They are bigger than I need, but after I cut ornaments from them, I can still admire the beauty of the grain, and maybe use them for other projects. :-) Once we have a table saw running (more about that some day) I will have more options for cutting wood.



An order from Micro-Mark arrived too. I like to catch their summer sales, since just about everything is some percentage off. I re-stocked some of my basswood. (No picture, since I already put it away.) I like that the strip wood comes in packages of 2, 5 or 10, because I can keep the strips and scraps together in the packages and not lose track of what is what.

I also ordered some small tools: A square, some drill bits, and a pin vise. I already had a square, drill bits, and a pin vise, but not in these sizes. What I like about this new square is that it is thinner than my 'normal' square so if I lay it over a 1/16th inch thick piece of wood, it lies flat on the table. I have always had to hang the edge of the square over the edge of my table when I wanted to used it as a cutting guide for my X-acto knife, and the edge of my table has nicks in it to prove it! My other pin vise is smaller and holds smaller drill bits. This new set holds bits up to 1/8" diameter. Now won't have to borrow Ed's drill bits when I need a larger size.





Speaking of borrowing Ed's tools.... I won't have to borrow his Dremel as often anymore, since he bought me my own little moto tool a couple of months ago. It cost all of $9.99. We figured that the bits alone were worth the price. I like the small size, since it can fit in my toolbox when I go to a workshop. There are times when I have needed to drill holes at a workshop, and this tool should make the process much more pleasant!