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When I was thinking about making a sign to encourage social distancing, my mind went to the ultimate social distancer. Big Foot. I have never been within six feet of bigfoot or sasquatch. As far as I can tell, no person has been within six feet of bigfoot. That is pretty impressive if you ask me. I truly believe we can learn a lot form Bigfoot. Bigfoot says, "Stay safe. Six feet".
Humor is a positive method of coping with stress. That is the conclusion from the Mayo clinic.
They find that laughter can enhance the intake of the oxygen-rich air. Stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles. It increases the endorphins that are released by your brain. Endorphins react similarly to the drug morphine. They are natural pain relievers and induce a natural high.
Laughter excites and calms your stress response. It increases then decreases your heart rate and blood pressure. This results in a relaxed feeling.
Laughter stimulates circulation and muscle relaxation. Both can reduce some physical symptoms of stress.
Long term effects include an improved immune system, pain relief, increased personal satisfaction, and improve mood.
Laughter is so important that health insurance companies should pay for reruns of the Benny Hill show.
I could stand to use all of that goodness after being locked down for weeks.
I think this plaque is just silly enough to make people look. When we all go back to work maybe this project can be actually helpful and not just silly.
Board Defect Terminology:
Board defects are caused by changes in the moisture. Some parts of the board will dry faster than other parts. The drier part of the wood shrinks faster causing stress which causes the board to deform.
When you buy boards you need to know that there is a good possibility that it will change shape while sitting in your shop. This can vary depending on the moisture content difference between the board and you're shop. If the difference is great then the problem will usually be worse.
With the proper tools, most of these defects can be corrected. The reshaping will require the loss of some of the wood.
I hope I drew the graphic well enough to see the defects. I will try to explain the defect in the words below.
Flat: The board is straight on all faces and edges. This board needs no correction.
Cup: The faces are not flat from side to side. The edges are straight. This board can be corrected with a jointer. The thickness of the board will be reduced by the distance of the cup.
Bow: The faces are not flat from end to end. The edges ate parallel to each other. This is tough to fix. It often requires cutting the board in shorter lengths then using other tools to flatten the board.
Crook: The faces are flat and the edges are not flat. This defect can be corrected with a table saw. The board will become much narrower.
Twist: Faces are not flat and the edges are not straight. With enough work, you may get some salvageable boards but most of the time this board is trash.
When you buy scroll saw ready boards that have been milled to a thickness like 1/4", you will often have even greater movement. When you get these boards in your shop store them flat on the largest face. If the boards came wrapped in plastic then don't remove the plastic until you are ready to use the board. Sometimes storing heavy boards on top can help.
There is a way to fix a board without losing wood but it does not always work. After the board warps, add some moisture to the board with a paper towel. Place a heavy object on the board for several hours. The board will often go back flat. It probably won't stay flat long if the moisture content is still different in the environment.
I have worked with these defects for years but I am not an expert at milling lumber. The above thoughts are just what I think I have learned. There may be errors in the way I worded the content. I may just be incorrect. To the best of my knowledge, these are facts.
Email forgiveness:
One of my favorite things about writing this blog his getting to speak with scrollers all over the world. It is also by far the most challenging part of the job. I can get hundreds of emails a day. On top of the large volume, I am also long-winded. I rarely write a one-sentence response. This combination causes me to get hopelessly behind.
The last few weeks have been incredible. I guess so many folks are in lockdown that they are looking to their hobbies to keep busy. My email has at least doubled. I know that some of you are disappointed when I do not respond. I see "Why the hell are you ignoring me?" email pretty often.
I am honestly not ignoring your email. I read almost all of them. I just have to pick and choose which ones I respond to. If I don't reply that does not mean your email was not important. It just means that I ran out of time. I got up at 8am yesterday. I answered email until 2pm with no breaks. I loved every minute of that work because I enjoy the conversations. I just always feel like I need to apologize to those of you who are looking for a reply and don't get one.
$12 per sheet of 12 coins plus $3.50 shipping
Inlay with a 1" Forstner Bit.
The perfect way to sign your work.
Email Newsletter Readers: Remember that the Newsletter is just a copy of the daily blog post. To see the post in its proper formatting click this link. If you ever misplace a pattern or any item you see here you can always find it on the blog. Everything stays on the blog forever.
Products for your consideration:
Every Scrollsaw Workshop Pattern from 2007-2019 on DVD
This DVD has over 2,900 patterns published from 2007 thru 2019.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
The DVD is $20 plus shipping. Ships to 60 countries around the world.
If you use the DVD on a Windows PC there is a simple viewer program to browse through the patterns.
The DVD also works fine on a MAC. The viewer program is not MAC compatible but there is an included PDF with all the patterns shown as thumbnails for easy viewing.
All the same file but in an easy to use thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.
Now Available on USB Thumb Drive
Don't have a DVD drive on your new computer. No problem. Buy the catalog on a USB thumb drive.All the same file but in an easy to use thumb drive. The USB thumb drive option is $23 plus shipping.
Want to create beautiful wooden vases on the scroll saw?
My two "Wooden Vases on the Scroll Saw" books make it easy.
The books are $12 each and available for instant download after purchase. Click for Video Demonstration.
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The Best Of Benny Hill [DVD] 87 minutes
I have to admit that I like Benny Hill. His sense of humor was just about as strange as mine. I guess I just like silly.
Born Alfred Hawthorne Hill and taking his stage name from Jack Benny (his favorite comedian), Benny Hill was all at once sly, witty, silly and randy-a one-man circus of slapstick, puns, songs and more. And if you're a fan of The Benny Hill Show, you know exactly what we're talking about! 1974/color/87 min/NR/fullscreen.