Turning, Turning, Done.

I just bought a lathe from the US Embassy.  I buy a lot of my tools in the US so picking this up at the embassy was quite fitting.  The reason I buy from the US is that tools are far cheaper south of the 49th parallel.  I have several examples where the price I paid for a new item was less than what folks are asking for it used up here.  In fact it is now a habit I have developed - when I see something that interests me I always check prices south of the border first. But there is a catch.  Shipping and handing charges to have purchases shipped across the border is ridiculously expensive.   Many items ship free in the US or charge reasonable S&H but as soon as it crosses the border hold on to your wallets!

Two years ago we bought our son a microphone for Christmas.  We bought it online from a US retailer for about $200.  Because we were short on time we had the mic shipped to our home in Ottawa and ended up paying  brokerage fees and taxes amounting to more than $80! After that we decided we would buy a mailbox in the US and have our parcels shipped there.  With a mailbox, there is no need to rush to pick up your items so we typically wait until we have several waiting for us.  And we usually combine our trip with some shopping and perhaps even a weekend getaway.  Nonetheless we always, without exception, declare all purchases.  You only pay the HST and it is simply not worth having your name on Canadian Customs' naughty list.

So, I bought a lathe from the US Embassy here in Ottawa.  Today I cleaned it up and turned it on.  Soon I will be creating wood shaving galore as I experiment with my new toy.  I recall working with a lathe a long time ago in high school (the days when they still had shop classes) and am looking forward to turning once again.

Stay tuned.  Perhaps I will post a photo of a project or two down the road.

Ship in a Bottle

When I was a young teenager, I met a gentleman who built ships in bottles.  I was totally amazed and decided then and there that one day, I too would build a ship in a bottle.  A few years back we were visiting the maritime museum in Boston and, lo and behold, there was a demonstration of building ships in bottles.  Well that sealed my fate and I started on my quest to do it.  Here is the result.  Everything is hand carved from scratch - the light coloured wood is basswood that I got out of our backyard.  Other wood used include cherry, pear wood, bamboo, and willow.  The sails are made from rice paper and the lines are fly fishing thread.

A bit of New England in our Backyard

For many years our family traveled to the New England coast for a holiday.  More specifically, our annual summer trip for the past 18 years or so has been to Cape Cod either renting a cottage or camping at Nickerson state park.

Over the years I have fallen in love with New England architecture and, for a long time have dreamed of having a bit of the Cape in our own back yard.  Last year, we had a pool installed which provided me with a great opportunity to build a small pool house with salt-box roof lines and cedar shingle siding. And of course transom windows - you see these a lot in the Cape.  Here is a photo of the work in progress which I hope to have completed in the next week or so.