rafairchild2

Almost done. I have to profile and final sand the animals and then finish with Raw Linseed Oil. This will be a present for my grandson's first birthday.

I just made the little gas station diorama to include in my photos. I am currently working on four - 1972 Corvettes. I have the wheels mounted now to fine-fit the fenders and glue them up, and then mop sand.

I am building 4 corvettes and I used removable little people in them.

Finally did the sanding and shaping of the driver. I will still do some hand-sanding as I am anal about it. Kudos to Steve Good for the pattern. Introducing Poppy's latest wooden wonder, the "Indy-niable Racer" – a delightful homage to the sleek and speedy 1950 Indy cars! With its vintage vibes and racing stripe, this pint-sized racer is geared up for smiles per hour. Watch as it zooms into the hearts of little ones, offering a joyride through imagination and laughter. Crafted with love and a dash of nostalgia, the Indy-niable Racer is ready to rev up playtime and leave a trail of giggles in its wake!

I would love to find a video of someone doing PM and lubing an Ex 21.

I am so done with Christmas ornaments and scenes. I had set a goal to be done by the first of December. Now back to Toy cars and a Noah's Arc and animals made out of 11 species of wood. That being said, that is a lovely snow flake ornament. Might do it next year when I do an ornament run.

Welcome aboard the SSV Express... Be happy... Make sawdust daily!

Excellent work. Those will be passed to their children, and hopefully even their children's, children!

Love what you are doing! Heirloom pieces for sure.

The oak makes this pop... And that base is pure class... Wonderful job.

Got all his grandfather's good looks!

Actually, I do a lot of technical writing and editing at NATO.

Meet Liam my grandson, our youngest and arguably most adorable staff volunteer here at Poppy's Workshop! This little dynamo has already claimed the title of our official toy tester [and taster]. Armed with an unbridled enthusiasm for all things that can go in his mouth, Liam fearlessly dives into a world of wooden wonders, giving each creation his rigorous "baby-approved" test. With every giggle, coo, and chubby-handed exploration, he unknowingly becomes the heartbeat of our workshop, infusing each toy with the purest form of joy and curiosity. In the bustling realm of creativity and craftsmanship, Liam reigns supreme as the pint-sized ambassador of play. His discerning taste and boundless energy keep our team on their toes, ensuring that every hand-made wooden toy passes the stringent Liam Test with flying colors. Who knew that a ten-month-old could wield such influence in the world of artisanal creations? Here at Poppy's Workshop, we celebrate the tiniest team member with the biggest heart, making playtime a serious business (according to Liam, at least)! #LiamsToyTime #PoppyApproved #TinyTester https://poppysworkshop.org/

Travis gave his blessing to post. I am starting a non-profit endeavor, to provide toys to children in need. You can read more about it on my website: https://poppysworkshop.org/ Currently, I will be building toys for the Virginia Beach VA area. I plan on also working with the National liaison representatives at NATO to get toys into other countries as well. CALLING NOTICE: Calling all design enthusiasts and creative minds! Poppy's Workshop is on the lookout for volunteer pattern designers to join our mission of crafting joy for children in need. If you have a knack for creating whimsical patterns for rolling toys, cars, animals, or trains, we want to hear from you! We're seeking designs that are not only visually appealing but can also be efficiently produced in bulk, ensuring that the joy we spread reaches boys and girls worldwide. We will give credit to any designer providing patterns on our website and box label. Whether you're a seasoned designer or someone with a passion for bringing imagination to life, your unique touch can make a significant impact. Help us turn ideas into tangible moments of joy, one hand-crafted wooden pull-toy at a time. Join our creative community at Poppy's Workshop, and let's design smiles for children around the globe! You can send your designs in PDF format, or large JPG to: info@richardfairchild.org

My mom was big into angels. When she passed away in 2018, I was clearing out her apartment. I took a number of her angels placing them through the facility on the various tables with lamps on. This way a part of her will always be there. I kept one and it is on my family memorial shelf. Great story, and so glad you made them for him... PERFECT!! Yours is stunning. is it your design or from a purchased pattern?

I have to wonder too about the speed one runs their saw at and how long it lasts. I tend to use lower speeds vs. people who say they run them full-tilt all the time. Dust, heat, and friction at higher speeds I would think lends to accelerated wear. Add to that proper PM and cleaning.

Would be great to have a worm coming out of them too!

One of these days, I might just buy a PEGAS 30" and relegate my Excal 21" as my backup/ alternate. I am working on a non-profit venture, that will be my full retirement activity. For now, it will be my 2nd career. I'll need to upgrade some of my equipment, but like Kevin, I am going to have backups.

Check out https://www.dafont.com/ Free fonts there easy to install on your computer and use. Your search would be under SERIF fonts.

Red cedar is the main reason why I built a "Top Vac" on to my saw and added a room air filtration unit. The above comments list the reasons why. I recommend not only the above advice but also adding as much filtration and dust handing at the source as much as possible.

Did a quad stack cut of the snowman, and a triple stack for the 3D Tree one. I'm done with Christmas cutting now. ps: Finished 3 rolling toys yesterday.

I disagree that everything is going up. My retirement investment portfolio has taken a big hit in the last two years it has gone DOWN a bit, thus putting off my retirement decision tree this year. That's a downer... The good news though, this week I found out my contract with NATO has been extended another 5 years. So I have 5 more years that I can keep adding to my portfolio, good medical, good environment. I'll be 67 by then. But I will go down the decision tree starting at the end of 2024, with the decision to work another year before asking the questions again or pulling the retirement trigger.

0.748031 inches to be exact.

I just went ahead and bought that router for $20.38 and an aluminum table insert for 11.98. At those prices, I am willing to take a shot. I have purchased some other things from TEMU before. My cyclone duster separator was $18.00 I used a 5-gallon bucket I got for free from Jay Leno's garage, and it works great. I shot a YT video on the results after 6 weeks of use. Very little, if anything made it to my vacuum filter. Everything was in the bucket. I have gotten clamps, spray can triggers, rubber mallet, and more. Yeah, I hate buying from overseas, but yeah... at these prices you would be stupid not to for light duty work. Now this cyclone looks promising for under $30 https://www.temu.com/high-efficiency-cyclone-vacuums-cleaner-filter-powder-dust-collector-filter-separator-industrial-with-flange-base-g-601099523105129.html

I don't think it would be too hard at all. It's about 12x12x12" so pretty compact and easy to store when not in use. I use my smartphone to do the burn rather than a computer. Remember though this one is for 'engraving' not cutting through wood. I have gone pretty small about 25-30mm for my circle so the VA Beach is really small. I generally do about 55mm in size. It's slow, but usually, I am doing other things so it does not matter.