November 05, 2010
Welcome to Issue #19 of
Wood Shop News
brought to you by: wooden-box-maker.com.
In this issue:
Spalted Maple
Spalted maple is a great looking wood, full of dark veins flowing through the light maple (the graphic for my newsletter logo is spalted maple). Spalting is caused by fungus in the wood. As the wood rots the black streaks become more pronounced.
The trick with working with spalted maple is to catch the wood before it has become too soft and "punky" to work, but is still full of the beauty of the streaking.
Small bits of soft wood can be stabilized using CA instant glue. Turners often use CA glue if they encounter a soft spot while turning.
New & For Sale
This month I'm featuring a spalted maple bookends.
Mention this newsletter and get $5.00 off the bookends (through November 30, 2010.
Also For Sale
Woodwork For Sale
Jewelry Armoire
Shaker boxes
Gifts Various Products from my Woodworking Store
Cheese / Cutting Boards
Chess / Checkers Table
Wooden-box-maker recommends Tools and books of interest
Contact me
if you have questions or would like to discuss a custom order.
NEW: Take a Bow
I've decided to add a new section for those of you out there who would like to share photos and/or comments about your own work. Unfortunately, I've yet to figure out how to add the actual form to this newsletter, so I have created a link.
Click here to showcase your woodwork.
pull toy by Heather L. with wooden hinge in the center
garden bench by Larry B (in progress), he will add a wheel in front and the bench as a whole can be wheeled around the garden.
Woodworking Classes
(Located S/SW of Boston)
Learn new skills or hone old ones in small group sessions tailored to the individual.
Classes are limited to 3 people and take place in my shop outside Boston. They generally meet once a week for 2-3 hours. The sessions go on as long as students are interested, a few months or a few years.
As students progress, class becomes "open shop" time when they work on the projects of their choice while I answer questions and give suggestions as things come up.
Individual instruction is also available.
Click on the links below or contact me
for more information.
woodworking classes
student work
On a Personal Note
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
The quick answer is that the green disappears letting us see other colors that have been there all along. However, that isn’t much of an answer.
To get to the bottom of the mystery you need to know a bit about how trees "eat."
Trees get energy through a series of biochemical processes called photosynthesis.
During the long days of summer, trees (and other plants) use the energy of sunlight combined with water and carbon dioxide to create glucose. Glucose, a simple sugar, provides the energy trees need to absorb the nutrients needed for growth. The process of transforming light energy to sugar is called photosynthesis.
The chemical used in photosynthesis is called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green in the leaves. Ah, now we're getting somewhere.
In the fall, as the days grow shorter, there is less energy for photosynthesis and chlorophyll production slows then eventually stops. As this happens the green fades from the leaves allowing other colors to show.
Just as chlorophyll causes the green in leaves, so other pigments are responsible for the range of fall colors. For example, orange is from a pigment called carotene, found in sugar maples (and carrots). The brown in oak leaves comes from the tannins, a waste product of the leaves (tannins are also responsible for the muddy brown color of many a pond in an oak grove). Yellow leaves are from a pigment called xanthophyll. Other colors are from other pigments or combination of pigment.
Since both light and water are required for photosynthesis the amount of rainfall, as well as the amount of daylight, will effect the quality of the color. Thus, fall foliage is the reaction of trees to the shifting patterns of light and rainfall.
A "good year" is one where the colors are bright and strong. This year wasn't bad, but not as bright as some years. However, good year or bad, fall in New England is a treat not to be missed!
Sources:
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html
McGraw Hill Consise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
The Burlington Free Press July 16, 2003.
Final Words
I hope you have enjoyed reading this ‘zine.
Do you have ideas for future topics? Comments? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just hit reply and tell me what you think.
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Brought to you by the good people at
wooden-box-maker.com.
and
Kate Taylor Creative Woodworking