one good turn ...

Skip arrived just after midnight on Wed./Thurs. and was thirsty. After pleasantries, we took the first draw off the smoked porter I had on tap and got this ...

and it is good! It didn't have as much of a smoky character as I was expecting, but it sure was a porter -- nice and roasty! More beers were consumed until our eyes got heavy.

Thursday morning we spent around the house and eventually wandered out to the garage to turn something. Skip wanted to do up a couple of tap handles since I have recently got the keg setup. Works for me!

After rummaging through the stock I have to find a piece we wanted to cut, we settled on a branch of a Beech tree that was harvested from the property a year and a half ago. Beech is a nice wood to work, and it takes a finish well.

We cut it to size and Skip took on the big lathe and left me to the Rikon. He had new tools for Christmas and had not had the chance to use them yet. Always fun to have a nice, shiny, new, and most importantly sharp tool!     ;)

Skip's piece, though, developed a crack and it was terminal. So he mounted another piece and went at it again. Sadly, this didn't come out much better. Much of this wood has spalted too, so it does have more areas prone to checking and cracking. I had just about finished mine when I noticed a crack along the axis.

I was basically down to sanding it, though, and really wanted to save the piece. I filled it with some CA glue and then turned the lathe on to help "push" it into the wood crack. This seemed to work fairly well. I just checked the piece yesterday and it seems to be holding up.

My plan is to get out there tonight and finish up the piece and do some straightening. That garage has gotten a bit messy! time to clean it up and put sh*t away!

Anyway after a couple unsuccessful attempts, Skip resigned to "it's not my day" and we headed back inside for one more brew as soon as I finished tinkering with my handle. It is getting late in the afternoon and we still got to run into town to pick up the coveralls Skip had drop-shipped to a local Tractor Supply. By the time we got back I would need to get dinner going so maybe it worked out for the best we didn't spend as much time in the garage.

Soon dinner was served! A pork roast with some green beans on the side washed down with my favorite beer (Curator) and in the midst of good company! Life is good!