My new shirt

[tule peak timber]

The bacon maker worked great and I will post pics of the results tomorrow morning. Our first moisture in about 9 months 8)

 

[samandothers]

I could sit back, look out a window at that scene and eat bacon!

[samandothers]

I thought about you and your whiskers machine this week.  I was using a belt sander to know old saw dust and grime off some wood before running them through the jointer and planer.   I thought I need a tool with a wire wheel, 'whiskers', to run this stuff through to clean it up.  It made me smile and think of this thread and the WOC needing a whiskers machine to manage his beard..... or was it manage his beard near the whiskers machine. 

[tule peak timber]

So here is breakfast-fresh no preservatives alder smoked, salt/sugar cured. I've got an early start in the shop today starting the big gates from hell. I'm 1 year behind on this project and the client is getting anxious, and rightly so. It's a fact I have been going at this pretty much 7 days a week over the last year, so no time for his gates. But I've also been struggling for months with the construction re-build method I want to use, which needs to be vastly better than the original build.
I have a resaw customer customer today that will be my only distraction so I hope to get a lot of work done. Cheers! WOC

 

 

 

 

[tule peak timber]

Gates on skates today while Tony welds acme nuts to the articulating arms.One of the metal gate frames has a massive 5/8 warp in the center which is going to present a challenge for cladding.

 

 

[Walnut Beast]

Looks fantastic 👍

[tule peak timber]

The redwood gates shaping up this morning.

 

[Larry]

The shop dog taking a nap.   My shop dog does nothing but nap, usually in my comfy chair. :D

Gate looks good!

[thecfarm]

Well how about that!! No metal to be seen now.

[newoodguy78]

Impressive work once again 

[21incher]

Nice job. You look pretty  small in the picture.  Either you are a real wizard that can shrink itself or you are building  really really big gates  .

[tule peak timber]

We shipped the NNRH wall yesterday and this is a pic of the job site in Sacramento this morning.198 feet wide 37 feet tall, curved, end matched,grain matched , color matched walnut and cedar. Custom brown .555 million dollar total construction cost
 This afternoon the next "brown" project utilizing my new "whisker"machine started ramping up.This job is in Seattle. Not enough floor space...... ;D

  

 

 

[doc henderson]

heck, even the crates are fantastic!  cannot wait to see it done. i assume you install it as well?  Good luck.

[tule peak timber]

Hi Doc, No install for me. My business model focuses strictly on design, engineering , fabrication and finish.I never ever ,leave the property here for any reason and only infrequently to fish. My wife and I have had dinner or lunch out only a couple of times in the last quarter century. She is NOT happy !!!!

[doc henderson]

well if they are too happy, they think they are in charge!    That is good.  looks like a big job.  congrats and glad you are checking in again, we all missed you!   ;)  

[tule peak timber]

On wives; The first one left because all I wanted to do was work.
               The second one married me because all I do is work.
On big jobs; Too many.
On fishing; I'm headed to Kodiak in a couple of weeks for a much needed break. Pics to follow!

[Nebraska]

I sincerely  hope you post lots of pictures of that trip. What an amazing project.

[tule peak timber]

This is a pic of where I am actually going. It's called Cliff Point, just south of Kodiak. I've spent the last month planning this Kodiak trip, like a military mission. Given that they have fresh water stream, river, surf and salt water fishing, I'll be taking a lot of different gear, rods, lures etc. I am going just ahead of their tourist/salmon season when it's much easier to secure charter boats, hotels etc.
I commercially fished SE Alaska decades ago and I think I am trying to relive my youth! 8)
I've never been to Kodiak and they say it is the Emerald Isle. If it's anything like the pictures, and the fishing mecca it is supposed to be, there may be a return in the fall.

 

[AK Newbie]

It is an amazingly beautiful area!  Great saltwater fishing for halibut in May along with Kings later in the month.  The hunting for Sitka Blacktail Deer is also an incredible experience.  During a typical hunt you will see Kodiak Brown Bears, and Red and Cross foxes up close and personal.  If your hunting near the coast which is typical then seals and whales are also a possibility.  You can take up to 3 bucks and Sitka venision is very very good!  What you don't see on a typical Kodiak hunt is people...  It's just you and the beauty of the island.  I suspect you'll want to go back in the fall the fishing for silvers, lingcod, Dollies and rainbows is amazing in the fall... ;D  Enjoy!

[tule peak timber]

Hi AK, I have memories of whacking deer at low tide from the pilot house in SE.We would swim in a survival suit clad guy with a tether to drag them out of the kelp and back to the boat and crew.Parts by seaplane, crazy hours , no sleep, and 25000 hooks per 24 hour day, day after day. The weather........
  Fast forward 35 years, need the beauty, need a few fish, need to finish out where my passion always was.These things are fleeting.

 

 I am deathly afraid of falling in love with Kodiak and my VERY forgiving wife knows this. 

[tule peak timber]

Just finished machining up a curved walnut mantel with slightly receding corbels. This is another hollow mantel, but this time I simply machined out the inside rather than box beam construction. I spent a lot of time balancing the curves and grain and I think the customer will be happy. This is going to get an oil finish with a little pigment here and there.
Also, some close ups of the final rub out of the Mingei Museum centerpiece. There are bowties and inlays of different woods, brass, bronze, stainless and titanium. It took several weeks and many customer inspections to get the lustre just where they wanted it. It's leaving here in a day or so, will be put together in a full continuous 30' length and mounted on some custom cabinets in the museum. This is the top that will have George Nakishima tables to the left and right and serve as the centerpoint for new construction in the museum. I will be doing some kind of interview Thursday that will be posted on the internet later this year with the museum folks and when I get a link, I will share it. Evidently the museum liked the work as they ordered 13 more walnut tables and a possible follow up with some more pieces to be displayed in New York. We shall see. 8)

 

 

 

 

[AK Newbie]

 

 

 

 

 

Great pics from yesteryear... I think you'll find that not much has changed since your commercial days.  The beauty of Alaska is still incredible and the fishing well maybe not as good as it was 30 years ago but still pretty dang good.  The beauty of this upcoming trip is you'll have the time to savor the moment unlike your previous time in Alaska.  Your right time is fleeting...Carpe Diem...

[tule peak timber]

Beautiful pics AK ! What a nice fish, do you guys eat the cheeks? How about crab butts? We used to say these two items never left the state.....

[AK Newbie]

Thanks! You bet we eat the cheeks!  In fact after a day of fishing on the boat we will fry up all the cheeks even from 15lb fish and have them as an appetizer!  We then make the best fish tacos with lime and cilantro and fresh salsa!  It's kind of a tradition especially on the first trip of the year.  Which will be coming up soon!  We also smoke salmon bellies and collars as well as black cod collars when I can get them.  Probably some of the best parts of the fish as they are full of oil, and simply delicious.  As far as crab butts I'm not familiar with them.  In most parts of south central Alaska there is no longer a sport fishing crab season due to low stocks.

[tule peak timber]

Crab butts refer to the fatty storage area in the apron flap under a King crab. They are pure flavour and nothing else!
Black cod AKA sable fish is probably my favourite fish of all time. I long lined in deep water from AK to Mexico for these delicious fish and targeted them to develop quota for a limited entry permit.
The other fish I targeted was a rockfish called black gill and these I also pursued relentlessly until I hung up my hooks. These guys typically were found in 250-350 fathoms and the black cod down here 250-500 fathoms. There is a lot about fishing that I miss.
AK you live in a fish rich area and I hope it treats you well.