http://toolmakingart.com Timeless Tools, Speculation, Husbandry, Making hand tools. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:07:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I prefer to make hexagons, but sometimes space calls for something a bit different. Here is a pretty, and inexpensive garden seat and planter. I left it unfinished to show it's construction. Looking closely at the corner,  almost all the details are clear. The vertical T structure has the side plates screwed to it, ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/12/01/a-rectagular-planter/ I was at the farmers market this weekend and saw some nice big green onions.  I took a close look at them and got pretty exited!  These onions were clean white onions with healthy roots.  The bulb was not swollen, the leaves were D shaped in cross section, the woody ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/24/i-just-got-a-brand-new-onion/ Click on the picture of the China Berry flowers to see it larger.  This is a graceful and lovely tree.  It is also an invasive non native.  It is also a mahogany.   The lovely flowers are from a tree that I am planning on cutting down this Thanksgiving break. I salvaged ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/21/china-berry-tree/ Okra grows a pod. If left on the plant it will dry out and be full of seed. It is just that easy to save okra seed. Dry Pods Split Pods Clean Seeds Bob http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/20/okra-or-sometimes-seed-saving-is-way-too-easy/ Here is my tomato pyramid. It was made from willow saplings, and was treated with milk paint and borax.  After that it has been out in the garden holding up tomatoes and other vines.  It is about 11 feet tall and has done quite well.  Light, sturdy, rustic and in it's ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/19/ozymandias/ I have been looking for classic leather working tool stamp patterns.  A lot of patterns these days show barbed wire and Texas style stars.    Fortunately I found a catalog of leatherworking tools from 1880.  Steven Shepherd, was kind enough to provide it for Gary Roberts’ Toolemera Press to provide it ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/18/classic-leatherworking-patterns/ I  just got a compliment on an iris photo. so I have to post another. This is the Iris Ellene Rockwell, but really it is a frog picture.  I will use  any excuse to at all to sneak in photos of frogs.  Click on the picture for a better view. Bob http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/17/another-iris/ A recent comment on one of my articles had a link to this site, Jaxt Woodcarvings.  For a quick look of the range of product, their storefront www.saint-statues.com is well worth looking at.    Their works are classic, delightful and I think, timeless.    Some of these works inspire a child ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/14/the-joys-of-blogging/ I just this week read a post about fleam over on Popular Woodworking. Aparently Colonial Williamsberg does not put fleam on their saws, since there is no evidence of fleam on saws in Colonial America. This got me to thinking, Tage Frid, an expert among experts,  liked to use a ripsaw  ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/13/fleam-bowsaws-history-and-faith/ Basil is a delightful grace in the yard, and fairly easy to grow as long as you have good seed to start with. I am quite sure that someone has a much better way to collect basil seed,  there is no way that what I am  doing  would work commercially.   I ... http://toolmakingart.com/2008/11/12/collecting-basil-seed/