Smoked Turkey

I smoked a turkey for Christmas. Here are the pics:

Cooked for about 3 hours on the Ugly Drum Smoker. Prior to cooking I butterflied the bird, then rubbed butter and rosemary under the skin. Results were DELICIOUS!

Oh, and since turkeys were on such a great sale, I bought another to smoke sometime in the next few weeks...

Minimalist dollhouses

Here's a look at one of the kids' Christmas presents; minimalist dollhouses
There are 2 large and 4 small units, 7"x7"x14" and 7"x7"x7", respectively.

The material is 1/2"baltic birch plywood with rabbeted glue joint edges.
I made these on the table saw at work with the Dado blade set for 1/4" wide rabbets. Brad nails and glue were also used in construction

Also, the "people" are clothes pins cut to Adult and Child heights on a band saw.
These have been a big hit so far, and a great way for the kids to be creative in their play.

Candy Jar/Machine

When Mrs. TG was a little girl her Granddaddy in NC used to give her M&M's from a dispenser he had made. It is a very fond memory for both her and her sister. Last summer we were at her Grandmother's house, and I took careful measurements on the candy jar so that I could build a replica. Except for a little metal spout I will add soon, here is the completed project:






It is built from 1/2" plywood (as the original was) and has a standard mason jar ring inset in the top for easy attachment of the candy jar.

CNC Update - December 2011

After a long hiatus I return to the CNC machine
Thanks to the O's for this handy 24"x48' shelving system.
It makes the perfect home for the CNC machine, the electronics, computer, etc.

Here is a view showing the shelf setup. I bumped the shelf above the CNC upward, it will house control PC, the driver and power supply. Below the CNC is a shelf which will get a pullout tray for keyboard and mouse. Below that will be material storage. I plan to enclose the CNC area in plastic sheeting to control dust.

Tonight I tested out the axis motors. There were some flaws in my original wiring, I hope to rectify that tomorrow. Each axis works individually, though. The threaded rod motion is a little bouncy. My bearing system also gives a little lateral play in the X-axis.
More things on the To-Do list.

Nixon in China - Opera Set

Recently I had the chance to build a set for the Eugene Opera's upcoming production of "Nixon in China"
The set consists of 17 walls that are 5' wide and 24' tall, with painted wood slats applied on the front.
Broken down into its component parts, we ripped over a mile in 1" wide MDf strips and built 56 theater flats in 1.5 days.
Here are some process shots.


Tony and Adam apply the wood-grained slats to the base coated walls. This jig I built helped to keep the spacing.


Walls getting a light paint spatter.


Lower wall sections stacked in the theater


Wood-graining party in the paint shop


This is an elephant carved from 6" thick Styrofoam. These are unfinished base coat layers.
The sculptor/painter is a Chinese ex-pat, living in the US and a retired scenic artist.


Walls painted and laid out


another angle


Stacked and ready to ship to Oregon