What did you make today?

[BigV]

here's a picture of the kind of axe/maul head I have. I just don't have this handle and I want to shop locally. I don't mind paring down a pickaxe handle ($16, hickory). Just wondering about your opinions.

[Griff]

I'm guessing that the pickax handle is gonna be a bit too big in diameter to grip effectively? Around here we usually can get a good hickory handle for about anything between the feed and and local hardware (not big box) stores. That's the direction I'd go.

[glatt]

I'm an old school kind of guy. I like hickory and when I've purchased replacement handles that's what I've always gone for.

But I've never tried fiberglass handles, so I could be missing out on a great thing. I wood also be curious to hear other opinions.

[Lamplighter]

I do think there is a difference in handles between chopping wood (ax) and splitting rounds (maul).

For splitting, my preference would be the fiber glass,
because it is carrying a heavier head (maul) so it's job is to carry on thru the wood.
But with the ax, I expect to have to pull the head back out of the cut.
So the shape (thinner and slightly curved) of the ax handle feels more "right"
Maybe it is just opinion and how I was raised !

Over time, leaving it out in the weather, the fiberglass beats wood,
but it's not at all pretty.

P.S. I've never tried a maul with the "wedgiewingie thingies",
but it might be interesting to see if they really help more than the traditional maul.
For the first break of a round, they might be better,
but then for splitting pieces into smaller firewood, I'm not so sure.

[Perry Winkle]

I hate fiberglass handles, but my experience is mostly with hammers. The vibration tends to be pretty bad and when they fail, they fail spectacularly. Never had a wood handle fail on me (I soak them in oil for at least a week before using them).

[footfootfoot]

Once again, I direct you to snow and nealley products. I see they let their domain name lapse, but they are still in business. http://cspoutdoors.com/snowneal8lbs.html here is a link to the maul. All mauls are not alike; the balance, weight and geometry of the head make a significant difference. Even if the difference were minor, multiply that difference by 10,000 reps and it adds up.

Replacing a fiberglass handle sucks like a bucket of ticks. Usually you will throw away the maul head before you can get the fiberglass out of the fucker. And as Perrywinkle and other point out, they suck.

Hickory has been prized for handles for a reason, or many reasons.

Stop fucking around and buy a Snow and Nealley maul.


eta: http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2011...xe-review.html
This guy does not share my opinion and is worth reading. My feelings are based on a product bought over 25 years ago and may not reflect today's product.

[wolf]

I was going to make another keychain lanyard today, but the mob violence class turned out to be way more interesting that I expected and I actually paid attention through the whole thing.

[glatt]

I finished my ball in cage today.

[zippyt]

Cool !!!

[Clodfobble]

Neato. Now you just need to spend about 60 hours on ornate carvings around the legs and the ball, and you'll be done!

[classicman]

Thats very cool. Love the before/after shots the best.

[limey]

Since you asked.
I love ...
the light play on the water
the light play under the water
the blue of underwater
the feel of the water flowing past
the feel of the muscles in my body working
the watery sounds
the sounds of the bubbles of my breath
the rhythm of the swim-breathe thing
the feeling of buoyancy
the excellent shower afterwards!

I don't love the busy.

[Clodfobble]

Today I sewed two little oddly-shaped bags--they have a trapezoid silhouette in front, but then there's a fifth seam extending underneath from the bottom of the trapezoid, and everything spreads out into a thick round elastic band in the back.

They are designed to slip over the front and cover up the hand dryers in the PPCD bathrooms, because my friend's daughter is scared of them, and they think that's why she is still refusing to use the toilet at school even though she is potty-trained everywhere else. But my friend can't sew, so I offered to make them for her.

The fabric had to be gender-neutral at the very least, but since boys usually outnumber girls 3 to 1 in this type of classroom, I leaned more towards boy decor. So it's light blue, with little dogs and fire hydrants all over it.





See, because it's fire hydrants, in the room where everyone pees. God, I crack myself up.

[Sundae]

Those sound great Clod.
Can't get my head round them though - any chance of pictures?
I think I am way off beam in the type of hand-dryer I am thinking of.

Today we made pirate booty bags for Pirate Day (29th at my school). And the children cut out templates for making their pirate biscuits (to go in said booty bags). When we made pirate hats, Rabbit conned me into doing his skull and crossbones for him. This time he did it himself. Little future-fashion-designer that he is, he made a good fist of it, leaving me to realise he is more competant than he lets on. I admit I cut it out for him though.

Our literacy work at present is Instructions, so the children are alternately making items and then writing them up. I think it's great, as the writing up stage is usually when I'm in Class 2

Oh and just a pat on the back for me - I held 31 7-8 year old children spellbound with the first chapter of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Roald Dahl) this afternoon. There was no assembly, so from the time the HLTA left at 15.00 until 15.15 I was in sole control. It was probably Dahl's wonderful prose, but I was pleased with the response regardless.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Sundae

Can't get my head round them though - any chance of pictures?
I think I am way off beam in the type of hand-dryer I am thinking of.

They don't photograph well since the elastic makes them all bunchy, but I'll try to remember to take one tomorrow when I drop by the school to put them on.

The hand dryers look like this: