May Update
It feels like summer has arrived to this corner of Wisconsin. It hasn’t snowed for over two weeks (no kidding, it snowed May 10th), the garden is blooming and the surest sign of all, my knees have emerged from their long winter hibernation.
There now exists a period of time, beautiful in its brevity, where the concrete slab of my workshop holds onto the memory of winter and the inside of my shed remains cooler than outside. It’s warm enough that I’m not having to make the choice between frostbite of my extremities or hypoxia from my (supposedly) indoor safe propane heater. It’s also cool enough that 20 minutes of turning doesn’t require an ice bath and intravenous rehydration. Mind you, that time will come…
Much of my shed time has been spent filling orders. I’ve axed out and shipped about 70 spoon blanks this month. I really enjoy the process of axe work so that’s been an absolute pleasure. I love being able to help folks get started in their spoon personal spoon carving adventures. Access to wood can be a struggle, especially with us all social distancing to keep each other healthy and safe. It’s also tricky to find a decent carving axe and building the confidence to use it safely. Spoon blanks help people over those barriers to entry and are a nice stepping stone to deepening their knowledge about spoon carving.
I’ve also been turning mugs. Lots of mugs I’ve gotten a little behind with the orders folks have placed. I’ve prioritized mug making and I’m about as caught up as I can be. The tricky thing with mugs is there are a couple of stages that can’t really be rushed. Once the mugs have been made, they’re still green and need time to dry. I don’t want to try and speed that up as wood has a nasty habit of tearing itself apart if it dries too quickly. Once the wood’s dry the mugs get a couple of coats of tung oil. These coats need time to cure. I’ve got a drying cabinet, and the warm, sunny weather helps, but the process still takes a couple of weeks.
Late March and early April were a bit of a mess with the whole global pandemic thing. Looking back, I think I spent a little too much time running around like a headless chicken, unsure what to do without the Farmers Markets or face-to-face workshops. I feel like the business is heading in a good direction now. 2020 won’t be as good a year as 2019. For me, staying healthy and looking after my community is a little more important than the bottom line of my business. Plus, I married above my station, which certainly helps.
There have also been some fun new developments that I’m going to be a massive tease about. They’re all in relatively early stages, so I’m not going to reveal too much. First, I’m going to be doing some work with a couple of sharpening companies. Taking care of your tools is hugely important, so I’m excited to help educate folks about edge maintenance. Secondly, I’ve been contacted by a US based toolsmith with a cool little project he’s about to launch. I don’t want to steal his thunder, but I’m pretty excited about it.
That’s enough being mysterious for me! Time to go back to the cool of the shed!
