Three More Weeks

About a third of my business comes in in November and December. Christmas shoppers buy a lot of wooden bowls. I chose not to do cutting boards this year but will probably add them back next year. They also sell well this time of year. January is also pretty good. I think people who didn’t get the bowl they asked for at Christmas buy it for themselves in January but I’m just guessing.

I am looking forward to the the end of the season. I won’t be so pressed to add new items every day. I can get back to a more varied routine. January is when I make the most green bowls. It’s fast and fun. The shop moisture content doesn’t go up that much since I heat with wood. That’s my other big winter task, cutting and splitting firewood. It’s good exercise. My mother would always say that wood was the only fuel that heats you twice, once when you cut and split it and once when you burn it. She was definitely right about that.

We will be making hickory counter tops all week this week. Most of the lumber is cut to near finished size, jointed and planed. We will finish that tomorrow. The most difficult part of the project for me is that they will stain the finished product. I have never stained anything in my life. I won’t be the one applying the stain.

Speaking of hickory, I finished the bowl below today. It’s another from the massive hickory that died last year. The mineral staining is stunning. I could do without the silica though. It’s bad for the lungs and dulls the tools. I have good dust collection and I wear a respirator.

#2042 Mineral Stained Hickory Wooden Bowl

#2042 Mineral Stained Hickory Wooden Bowl