Rout and Grind......

Hi Folks
Finally got round to a job that has been outstanding for a long time - incorporating my router table into the side table of my table saw. Getting rid of the old router table has given me back a meter of floor space - well worth the effort. I have fitted my Incra Ultra lite fence using two inserts fixed into the underside of the table - I can remove the fence in a minute using an allen key if I need to make wide cuts on the table saw. Nice thing is this - If I don't need the router table I just wind the router down out of the way, remove the fence and its gone. Every square inch of floor space is precious!
Another exciting improvement - I have finally got hold of a Norton 3X grinding wheel for my bench grinder. Konrad Sauer was raving about this particular grinding wheel on his blog. It took me a while to track one down but wow, what a great wheel. Quick grinding without the fear of burning the steel. I put a little review on my website, here. Looks like my Tormek may be gathering a little dust from now on.......;)

And finally - Yandles Woodworking Show. It's only a few weeks away but I'm getting real excited about this one. I will be having a bench on the Classic Hand Tools stand demonstrating my planes - my first show! And, renowned author and teacher David Charlesworth will be spending some time on my bench! So please, make sure you stop by and say "Hi"!

Cheers
Philly

Photo Fun

Hi Folks
Been spending some time playing with Photoshop this week. It is such a powerful program and really needs time to be spent with it to start understanding it (and getting results!)
I've been playing around with turning photo's into "oil paintings" - have a look at the attached picture to see the results. Pretty smart - and I could never paint as well as this!!
Hope you like,
Philly

Timber....

Hi Folks
Stopped by Yandles Saw Mill on my way home yesterday (yes, it was quite a diversion, but worth it) and was pleased to catch them at the "Just had deliveries in " part of their cycle. I much prefer this to the later part, the "all the good stuff is gone, all we have is this near-firewood until the next delivery" stage.
So I managed to find some of a timber that is very difficult to get hold of, Pau Rosa. It is a striking deep red colour, very dense and perfect for planes. The down side is getting hold of suitable stock. There were eight planks available - four of these were utterly useless. Let me explain - the timber seems to be very difficult to dry without serious checks and splits developing. It is also prone to rot (or insect attack?) from the centre. Take a look at the photo's of my chosen plank - it is three inches thick, 14 inches wide. It has checks running through a good third of the plank. And if you turn the plank over - bang! Look at that rot!! And yes, this plank was the best out the lot :)
But there is a lot of usable material left and it is such a pretty timber. I'm going to break it down into smaller, clear pieces and see what's left.

Remember the guitar photo's I promised? Yes, I know, I am rubbish ;)
I was stringing the Tele ready for its photo shoot when I realised the nut had gone missing. So I am learning how to fit (and cut) a new nut - not easy. Hopefully some photo's will appear soon :)

Cheers
Philly