as it turns out

My hops field has gotten out of hand. I wasn't expecting them to be ready this early but they have taken off. Melissa and I did get out there last week and string up the lines, but there were two plants where the stakes had come up so I still needed to stake and string those two.

Besides that, they were growing everywhere. I really needed to trim back all but 2-3 shoots per root. At least that is the generally accepted wisdom. That way, the plant isn't expending it's energy on a bunch of little bines but can put it forth into 2 or 3 different ones and *they* produce more that way. Last year I let them all grow to establish a good root, this year it will be all about yield. 

So anyway, I cut the extra shoots off and stripped back the first foot of leaves to help the soil aerate better. Here is what they look like right now ...

It's a crude picture but you get the idea. It's hard to believe, but just three weeks ago, they were just budding through the ground.

For reference, the ones in the middle are taller than I. The peak where the lines converge is about 14' above the ground?

There is still work to do (always with a garden, right?), but I am content with it for now. Just to the right of this picture is the lower entry/exit of the road loop around the property that will eventually be blazed. I need to get the chainsaw sharpened, but that is another "day".

So with that done, I farted around in the garage a bit, fiddling with various unfinished projects, mostly lathe stuff and I was having no success with any of it.

My bandsaw blade keeps popping off. It is basically wore out. I have tensioned it as much as I can and it still pops off. So i cannot use it to cut a log.

The Poulan chainsaw keeps popping off the circlip/e-clip that holds the drive sprocket on. It usually lasts about half a log before ejecting it. The Stihl is too dull to cut butter. So I got ALL this damn wood lying around and I cannot cut it up for lathe use. GRR!

I tried to chuck up a goblet I had been working on but got nowhere with it as the lateral forces are too much for the small amount of hold the chuck has. I need to fab up a spindle rest that will support the piece closer to where the stresses are coming from. I have found one online and have the basic idea of how to do it, just need some materials.

Meanwhile, these two set waiting such a time as I have made it up -->



I can't cut up any wood, can't work the pieces I have started ... I am really wanting to turn something so I started poking around the scrap pile. I have the base of a lighthouse lamp and am in need of a small piece for the top that will work with it. During my poking around I came across a log of that spalted birch that had a "fatal" crack in it.



I have been wanting to make an egg for Melissa for Easter. This spalted wood would be just perfect to use. The piece I'm looking at has a crack in it that will most likely be transferred into the piece.

A cracked egg? HA! I love it!

Well as it began to take it's form, apparently the crack wasn't as deep into the piece as it looked as the crack had all but disappeared. There is still a little one but it is hard to see. Yeesh, any other time you would be happy to remove that imperfection, but when you want it?   ;)

It will be interesting to see if it manifests itself more as it dries. Here is a pic of the egg ...

Heh. when done I took it inside and tossed it to Melissa and said Happy Easter to my favorite cracked egg.  ;)