Providence Workshop - Handcrafted products

More Good Fun at the Airshow

2010-08-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hot and humid but still a lot of fun – this time in Rockford.

Some people were creative in how they entered the show. If you got there late you had to sit where they put you.

Some of the jets went pretty fast. The Harrier, however, just kind of hung-around and didn't go anywhere. (Watch the video below to see what I mean.)

The Thunderbirds - they're a close-knit bunch.

(Click on pictures for a larger image.)

Southern WI Airfest

2010-06-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend my daughter and I spent an enjoyable Saturday afternoon together at the Southern Wisconsin Airfest watching the Canadian Forces SnowBirds, Les Shockley (SuperShockwave Twin Engine Jet Truck) and Rich's Incredible Pyro with Skip Stewart, F-16 and F-18 fighters, Susan Dacy and the USAF Thunderbirds. Turn up the volume on your speakers and enjoy the videos and pictures we took - we sure had fun taking them.

You can also watch this on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeZpjgOsRfQ

The Erector Set

2010-04-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

We went on an adventure last weekend – to the farthest depths of the storage garage. Even when you think all that is in there is stuff that you don’t need anymore, you find stuff that is very difficult to part with – let alone just throw away. Some things were sold – an antique (arched style) table radio, old Beatles records, and some favorite toys long outgrown by our kids. Sometimes you uncover favorites you didn’t remember that you still had; things that have been in the family for many years – with sentimental value to go along with actual value. One of those forgotten items is the erector set shown in these pictures. I played with this when I visited my Grandmother’s house and overtime it was handed down to me. The projects would take considerable amount of time to build – along with patience as you pushed the dozens of rubber grommets onto the little pins. If you were ambitious you would do one of the projects with the electric motor. The outcome would sit around awhile, because it would take some effort to dismantle it and get it back in its metal box. The erector set didn’t have the same attraction to my sons - not as flashy as the newer toys, but today’s plastic toys only last so long. When all is said and done, the real rubber grommets still hold up, the metals pieces still survive – as well as the hinged metal box and latch. Oh, did I say the instructions are in English too.

A Different Kind of Project

2010-03-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Even though I enjoy woodworking, sometimes my energy is diverted in different directions. Recently I helped my wife on a publishing project. We had come across an old children’s story book from the 1890’s at a library book sale. The title said Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks, but these stories weren’t your usual simple nursery rhymes. They’re stories that talk to children – not “down” to them. They entertain and teach at the same time.

Through stories about everyday life the importance of manual work – and in its various forms – is shown its proper respect, along with building strong character and faith. There are also stories which highlight the beautiful things God has created and their purpose. The stories were originally intended to be part of a kindergarten curriculum so they are in a week-by-week format for an entire school year and they are for both boys and girls.

What was my part in this? I took the small text and made it easier to read and then added pictures from that era, or even earlier, to help bring the time period to life. It was a fun project that I would like to do again. You can see more here – also, look for the link to a sample story.

About Providence

2009-11-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Providence:
divine guidance or care
God conceived as the power sustaining and guiding human destiny
Definition from Merriam-webster.com

Before I started my first business, designing plastic injection molds on a computer from a home office, I had thought that I could print out my drawings on my Canon ink jet printer which was capable of printing on 11” x 17” pieces of paper. I knew this wasn’t the best solution. I had reasoned that this would work for awhile until I was able to buy a full size plotter. But before long, and still before I had officially taken the plunge of self employment, I had come to realize that I would need a real drawing plotter. Something that would take my CAD drawings and output them on 24” x 36” sheets of paper. Already a substantial amount of money had been invested (spent) on a powerful Gateway personal computer - which is a small fraction of the power available on computers today but at that time was very expensive. More money had been spent on the CAD software. How to afford a plotter that was more expensive than a computer and software combined was the reason this purchase had been put off for the future. However, to design plastic injection molds on a contract basis I would need large drawings.

The solution occurred very quickly. My wife mentioned to her Dad in passing that I could use a plotter. Most people don’t know what a plotter is but he said his brother in Michigan had a plotter that he wasn’t using. My wife called him and he said we could borrow it - for free. It had originally cost $10,000. It was a Hewlett Packard pen-plotter identical to what I had been use to. It had its own very sturdy metal stand and was built to last for ever. The following Saturday I took a seat out of the van, loaded up our two oldest, drove to Michigan and returned with a plotter.

In a one week span I went from realizing that for this new business to have a chance that I would need a plotter, to having a plotter in the back of our living room at no charge; a real wake-up-call that God does provide.

Many years later it became apparent that a faster ink jet plotter would serve me better. A friend mentioned that he was upgrading his plotter and wanted to sell his perfectly good existing plotter – I still have that plotter. (I was being provided for once again.)

The reason for starting a business was never one of getting rich but of helping my wife. She was becoming overwhelmed from homeschooling our children and watching our youngest, who after several years of some medical issues (he was born with Down syndrome), was now becoming a handful.

I eventually I left the security of being just an employee and went out on my own. Through word of mouth, not mine but by others - I don’t believe I ever received any work by self-promotion, the business worked and I was busy for many years.

I don’t presume to know God’s will but I do believe that God’s will prevails or in other words by God’s providence. I know that God’s will is best. Ending one business and looking for another start wasn’t my first choice but after twelve years it was becoming obvious that a change was in store for us - very big changes; including selling our home, ending my business, leaving all friends and family, and our church.

How do you know where to go – that is a very hard question. What signs can you look for that may indicate where you should go? In fact we saw two signs. Some may think we were stretching things, but what were we suppose to think God was telling us when we were driving north, seriously wondering and questioning where we should be going, when suddenly a double rainbow appears in the direction we were driving. Do you think maybe this is the direction? Or what do you think God is telling you when you take your two oldest on a tour of the county of where you plan to move, stop at the resort you often stay at, go up to the lounge and look straight out the window and a bald eagle is circling at eye level. This was the first time I had ever seen an eagle here. Immediately you recall Isaiah:

40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Obvious signs aren’t always provided, but you may be surprised of how many subtle signs are there if you only look.

Providence Workshop isn’t a name implying that I know God’s will, or even able to do God’s will, or is God’s workshop. But that God is in charge of my life and everyone’s life. God does exist. I believe that God is in charge and that I am not. When God starts something it starts. If he wants it to succeed for awhile it will. If he wants it to stop and you to do something different – then that is what happens. But God will take care of you and provide for you.

God might call/direct you to one place for awhile and then a different place. Does that mean you went the wrong place first – no. God directed Joseph and Mary to Egypt for awhile and then back to Nazareth. We too are still on the move; having packed and unpacked again. God provided a nice house for us to temporarily live in – in a way that could only be by his direction (and in his timing). We don’t know all the answers, very few actually, but we are trying to trust God. Trust his good and perfect will.

I had started this narrative a year ago and then filed it away. When I read the following article from Moody’s monthly magazine Today in the Word, I was especially attracted to their article on God’s Providence. I hope you will be too and that it will encourage you to trust and build a stronger faith in Him.

Theology Matters - November
The Providence of God

The biblical doctrine of providence teaches that the God who created all things continues to be involved with His creation. God exercises His control over the animate and inanimate world and has established the “laws” that govern nature (Job 38:4-12). He supplies food for His creatures and cares for unbelievers as well as believers (Ps. 104:14; Matt. 5:45; 6:26). Indeed, adverse circumstances are not necessarily an indication of God's displeasure. Although Jesus was the beloved Son in whom the Father was “well pleased,” the Savior had “no place to lay his head” (Matt. 3:17; 8:20). He was despised by His own people and abandoned by His friends.

This underscores the most mysterious aspect of divine providence. Through providence God orders all human affairs. While men and women exercise their own volition and make “free” choices, God incorporates their actions into His greater purposes. He does this with the great affairs of nations as well as with the small concerns of the individual. Even actions that seem to work against God's purposes are included in divine providence. In fact, God does not sin, nor does He entice anyone to sin (James 1:13-17). Yet He uses what is meant for evil for His own good purposes (Gen. 50:20).

The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that Christians should believe that their circumstances “are running in a direct line” toward the accomplishment of God's promises, even when things seem to go contrary to them. God is using these unlikely circumstances to fulfill His purposes “though we cannot see it at the time.”

Nowhere is this more evident than in the death of Christ. Those who crucified the Savior “with the help of wicked men” acted according to “God's set purpose and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23). Though they acted on their own volition and were accountable for their sinful choices, they did what God's “power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:27-28).

It is the doctrine of providence that enables us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). When we do so, we are not saying that we are pleased with all that happens to us. Nor does our thanksgiving imply that everything that happens to us is good. We give thanks because we know that through His providence, “God works for the good of those who love him” in all that happens (Rom. 8:28).

For Further Reading
To learn more about biblical doctrine of providence, read The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (Banner of Truth).

Theology Matters – November, The Providence of God is a reprint from the monthly magazine Today In The Word, November 2009, published by the Moody Bible Institute. For more information click here.

Book Shelves and Room Divider

2009-06-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Fine Woodworking Magazine is having a contest among fellow woodworkers this month allowing them to showcase their “Built-in” projects. I had one of those. Since not everyone goes to Finewoodworking.com, I thought I’d post pictures of my built-in project from the past here also.

This built-in project also included building the wall as part of the project. We had increased the size of a combined kitchen/family room by removing a wall to expand into an infrequently used living room (½ to be used for the family room, ½ to make an office).
What was left was a long room. This built-in allowed separation between the kitchen/eating area and the family room. They are now separate spaces but with the openings you don’t feel isolated from people in the other room but still have some privacy. The family room side has book shelves on top, cupboards on the bottom. Even the tall pillars had doors for storage. The shelf in the window part of the wall could hold flowers, Christmas decorations and many other things. Shelves, trim and panels were all oak. (The wallpaper was changed to just a painted wall as styles changed.)

Too see projects from other woodworkers click here: http://finewoodworking.taunton.com/contest/built-in-furniture

Before all the doors were on.

Cherry Panel Clock

2009-05-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

Special order for Domicile in Sister Bay
Cherry panel Clock in Cherry

Pencil and Note Card Holder Plans

2009-01-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

The plans for "My Son's Christmas Gifts," the "Pencil and Note Card Holder," are available now. This project is a nice way for a parent with some woodworking experience to help a new woodworker become familiar with a number of different tools and create a wood project in a short amount of time. This project works well for doing as a team and doesn’t have so many steps that you lose the interest of your helper before the project is done.

The dimensions for the project are not critical. Sanding will smooth out inconsistencies. You can make several of these at the same time and give them as gifts. My son and I made six pencil holders and he gave them as gifts at Christmas. Even though it’s a simple project, it is also useful and should last a long time – I still have one that I made more than thirty years ago.

I have put together a 10 page pdf file with easy instructions and drawings. The plans are available here: http://providenceworkshop.com/pencil-note-card-holder-plans.htm

It's a fun project and was well received.

My son's Christmas Gifts

2008-12-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas gifts for Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri from my son

(with a little help from his dad). I'll make the plans with step-by-step instructions for this nice father-son project available soon.

Pencil box and note card holder.

Maple, Cherry and Birdseye Maple Box - Christmas Gift

2008-12-29T09:32:00.001-08:00

Christmas gifts in Wisconsin

Birdseye maple box with lid made with

cherry, maple and birdseye maple.

Bocote and Canarywood boxes - Christmas Gifts

2008-12-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas gifts in Illinois and Missouri

Bocote box with canarywood lid.

Maple, Cherry and Birdseye Maple Box - Christmas Gift

2008-12-29T08:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas gift in Illinois

Maple box with lid of cherry, maple and birdseye maple.

Maple Boxes - Christmas Gifts

2008-12-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Gifts in Illinois and California

Maple boxes

Oak Boxes - Christmas Gifts

2008-12-29T07:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas gifts in Indiana, Ohio and Illinois

Oak box with lid made with oak, walnut and maple.

More Box Joint Boxes

2008-11-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

Maple box on a birdseye maple table.

Oak Display Mantle

2008-11-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

Mantle shelf to display clocks, etc.

Box Joints

2008-11-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

Oak box with walnut edge

Oak box

Pencil boxes

Jewelry Boxes

2008-11-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Cherry box with maple lid

Mimzy House #2 B

2008-10-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

And yet another house for a monster from Mimzy Designs.

Michigan Street Bridge - Sturgeon Bay

2008-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Steel Bridge Desk Clocks

Mimzy Houses #4, #5 & #6

2008-10-26T10:17:00.001-07:00

Click picture for a larger view

Even more houses for monsters from Mimzy Designs.

Mimzy House #3

2008-10-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

Click picture for a larger view

Another house for a monster from Mimzy Designs.

Mimzy House #2

2008-10-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Click picture for a larger view

Another house for a monster from Mimzy Designs.

Limbert Tabourette

2008-10-19T13:28:00.001-07:00

Red oak finish.

Limbert Tabourette in the workshop

2008-10-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

Almost ready for the finish.

Stickley Fern Table

2008-10-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Mimzy Monster House

2008-10-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

Click picture for a larger view.

A house for a monster from Mimzy Designs.

Occasional Table

2008-10-07T12:25:00.001-07:00

Birdseye Maple table top with Steamed Cherry legs

Bailey's Harbor Pendulum Clock

2008-10-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

click picture for a better view

Oak Flowers and Business Card Holder

2008-08-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

click picture for a better view

Cherry Table Clock w/Door

2008-08-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

click picture for a better view

Sister Bay Mantle Clock

2008-08-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

click picture for a better view

This beautiful and elegant mantle clock is available in three different hardwood choices. The one pictured is made with Cherry. It is also available in Maple or Birch. It measures 9-3/8” W x 9” H x 3-1/2” D and is equipped with a quartz movement. The custom face is viewed through glass.
Click here to see more.