Shinglemaker visits Tom

[Tom]

What a great day it's been.  

Shinglemaker is on vacation and has come to Florida.  He and his father-in-law came to visit me at My house and I have really enjoyed myself.  

We had coffee and looked at the forum this morning and talked sawmills.  Then we went outside and I found some 13'2"  blades in the back of my little truck that needed to be sharpened so we did that.  Then we ate lunch, a great Submarine sandwich made at the local Publix grocery store.  (nope, couldn't find any peas)  Then we hooked up the Woodmizer and went North to Callahan where we set up and sawed a Sycamore for an old customer who I haven't seen in ages.  He was a cabinet maker but illness closed him down.  Now he makes stringed instruments.  

After sawing the sycamore I went to his house to see an inventory of over 100 guitars, dobros, mandolins and violins (fiddles) along with 5 or 6 in varying states of construction.  We had a couple of cups of coffee and I was rewarded with a Pickin' and Grinnin' session of blue grass. Yes, he is an accomplished musician and can really play all that he builds.

What a great visit with Shinglemaker.  He and his father had to go home for supper and I would have enjoyed more conversation at supper if they could have stayed.   What interesting people.  He is actually making shingles and his father-in-law is a retired
machinist.  Either are welcome back anytime.  

Oh Yeah !   He gave me a hat.   It has his name on it and identifies his carpentry business.  Neat-0!  

[Bibbyman]

Well, good for you Tom.  Sure am glad you got that old Wood-Mizer out and put it to some real good use too.  

Where's the pixs?  Don't tell me you forgot your camera. ;D

[Tom]

I meant to take some pictures Bibbeyman but left the camera in the house.  shucks !   I didn't even think about it until we were at the sawing site and it was too late.  

Shinglemaker took some pictures that I hope will make it onto the forum when he gets back home...whenever that is.  :D

Yeah your right Bud Man.  I wasn't really down in spirits in that last post as much as everybody interpreted....just angry with the TV mostly.   This was a great day because I was able to spend it with a someone who is interested in the same things as interests me.  

It's great to get such a "pick-me-up".  It's even better than reading a book. I even enjoyed sharpening the blades, a  task I generally despise because of the time of night when I usually have to perform the task. Actually, sharpening blades is fun when I'm not pressured and doubly fun when there are interesting people around for company.

[L. Wakefield]

   So then- does he use the sycamore for the instruments or was it a tree that needed cutting?   lw

[Tom]

It was a neighor's tree that he has had his eye on for years.  He had asked "Cotton", the neighbor, for the tree if it was ever taken down and finally it happened. "Cotton" had planted it.

Leonard, the guitar maker, will use it for instruments.  He plans on backs for Dobros first and guitars as an experiment.  Most of his instruments are made from Hickory, maple, purple heart, and various and asundry other imported or quasi-local woods.

He has one dobro that he keeps for himself, designed in a dream. It has a 15 or 16 inch square body and aluminum neck made from a piece of  Aluminum square tube.   It sounds pretty good but you can tell he must have been having a nightmare.  Have you seen the movie "Scissorhands"?  Well, it kinda reminds me of that.

The Sycamore was cut up into 9 and 10-inch wide 4/4 boards, basically flat sawed. (I went after as much vertical grain as I could get)  It will be air dried for a year, resawed into 1/8 boards, glued into panels to take advantage of the difference in sap and heartwood coloration, Some will be heat bent for sides and it will be become a Dobro. Sliced and polished bone will become the bridges and Mother of Pearl cut with a small diamond blade coping saw will ornament the neck. Tuning pins and pans are commercially obtained.

[L. Wakefield]

OK- numb questions (you're used to that 9 and 10" boards- OK, but what does 4/4 mean? And I see the thing about resawing. I am mentally messing with the Paulownia which I ain't got yet and the idea of making big or small boxes.

   The smallest box I ever made was for my twins that had died at 5 months gestational age. They weighed about 1/2# each. The hospital let me take them home on the condition that I bury them in 48 hours. I had some black walnut, but it was warped and I don't do carpentry very well. The box was pretty poor. Every corner got worse. But I did it, we dug the hole, we buried them in a Civil War cememtary on the highest hill on the place in WV. That's one reason I don't want to sell the place. I go back there when I can. The hill has a beautiful view but a little bit of a northern exposure. There was one time I went up there and cried because they might be getting cold.

   I need to put a stone up, and plant some bushes. I tried once to plant, but it's quite dry and the deer eat everything.

   It may be when I go back (this spring, I hope) there will be some volunteer plants. I will put up with almost anything but mutiflora rose.   lw

[Tom]

Lw,

4/4 represents the thickness of a board.  Sawyers and cabinet makers define their rough cut boards in "quarters".

So; a dressed one inch thick board at the store will be about 3/4" thick (or at least less than an inch)  because they plane some of it off). A Four Quarter (4/4) board will be a full one inch thick.  Most are cut about one and an eighth or even as thick as one and 3/16's but when cut to an inch and a quarter they become a Five Quarter (5/4) board.  You will hear sawyers talk about four quarter, five quarter, six quarter, eight quarter and sixteen quarter fairly regulary.

I am touched by your box making efforts and sympathize with your reasons to do so.  It sounds as if you have found a wonderful resting place, amongst heroes with a cause.  They are in good company.

My Grandmother's favorite rose was  a little "old tea rose" that forms a three foot bush and produces three inch pink blooms all summer.  It has become my favorite as well and accompanied my Grandfather to his casket.  

Search for some of these little roses on old home places or sometimes in a country nursery.  They require little care and are generally quite hardy.
                                                

[shinglemaker]

Tom was right. We had a great time, and learned a lot as well.
People in the south are so hospitable. Smile atcha, feedya,
joke withya, and even teachya something or two.
I got the pics for Tom and the rest to see, just have to figure out how to get them from the digital camera to here. That'll
come.
Shinglemaker...