Mini round inflatable in action!

I finally had a chance to try out the new mini round inflatable, the latest in King Arthur's Tools  Guinevere line-up.  It looked so tiny chucked into the drill press, but worked just fine.  I had a little trouble inflating it, until I realized that I needed to tighten the nut on top with a wrench, not just with my fingers.

I had one specific use in mind--to sand the inside of a tight curve without sanding wood off the gluing edge.  Since the new project I'm working on curves inward, I sanded the rings in stages for easier access.  This left gluing edges susceptible to damage, and demanded real care.  I'm pleased to say that the mini came through with flying colors.  I have some other uses in mind, but those will just have to wait their turn.  It's fairly pricey for such a small sander, but the curved lower edge makes it unique, and invaluable.

Valentine's Day gift, part 2

The new drum sander is here!  We were impressed with how easily it assembled, and how solid it is.  It has the look and feel of an industrial tool, and I think it will prove to be a wise purchase.  What's odd is that were not aware of its existence until we received one of those mailers full of cards showing products for woodworkers, and it looked better suited to our needs than the sanders we had been considering.

Valentine's gift, part 1

We assembled the new dust collector yesterday--the first part of my Valentine's Day present.  It was just a bit larger than we expected, but the footprint is fairly small, and it should not be difficult for me to move around.  We're planning to use it for the belt-disc combo sander, the band saw, and the new drum sander.  Later today, we hope to get the stand for the drum sander assembled, and see what kind of help we'll need to get the sander itself (Valentine's Day present, part 2) on the stand--it is very, very heavy!

Shop is up and running!

Finally got a chance to start a new project, at long last.  It's one of the "next generation" bowls that I had started working on before the box book took me off into a different direction.  I intend to get instructions out, one way or another, for those looking for some new ideas for scrolled bowls.

The new setup, at this point, is just like the old shop.  However, we ordered a drum sander and dust collector, which should be here in a week or so.  The drum sander is truly essential for my glue-ups, and the dust collector is truly essential for the drum sander.  The sander I had used in the community shop was a disaster--abused, mistreated, and barely usable.

Hopefully, the coldest days of winter will be past, and I can spend more shop time with my new toys and projects.  I look forward to an exciting spring and summer!