I’m sure your mother, or some other wise person, told you to never say never. I’ve sure heard it many times in my lifetime. Last year I said I would never make cutting boards again.

I was making puzzles yesterday and waxing nostalgic. I have been making them for almost 50 years. I learned to make them from Robert S Brunk. I helped Bob and his wife Jan build an A-frame home on the top of a mountain in Barnardsville, NC.

Some days everything just goes really well. Today was one of those days in the shop. I started off this morning on housekeeping duty.

Oscar and I took a trip to Hickory to the Klingspor Woodworking Shop. We did not browse, we did not lollygag, we got right down to business.

About a third of my business comes in in November and December. Christmas shoppers buy a lot of wooden bowls.

I took Oscar to the vet yesterday to be neutered. His vet had recommended that we wait until he was two years old to be neutered because he is a giant breed.

My son Stephen is building a house here on the farm. He and his wife are doing pretty much all of the work themselves.

My sync cable came yesterday so I was able to photograph the bowls that were waiting to be put up on the website

When you sell almost exclusively on the internet, pictures of your product are vitally important.

Continuing the theme of wide plank platters, today’s entry is makore. I’ve had this plank for at least 7 or 8 years. I have made four platters from this plank previously.

When I get a beautiful plank I try to ration it. I make one bowl then return the plank to the wood room. Eventually I use up the plank.

Both variations of the name are correct. I use boxelder. The botanical name is Acer negundo. Boxelder is in the maple family.

I’ve just discovered that I can’t accept international orders on this website. I’m very disappointed, to say the least.

In this case I’m talking about turning planks into platters. Wide planks can be a great source of one day projects. Because the wood is already dry it can be finish turned in one sitting.

Last year a huge hickory tree behind our cottage died suddenly. It was over 36” wide at the base and very, very tall.

After several months of waiting (almost a year) my 1960’s Hyster QC20 three wheel forklift is in my shop. It was a bit of an ordeal.