A Blessing (poetry) A Blessing To eat when you’re hungry To sleep when you’re tired To work with your hands For the growth of a peaceful tribe And finally to recognize The fragile gift Of the air around you Breath breathed before If you’re not expecting it, poetry can require some explanation. I wrote this in the airport… Read More
NLP analysis of ‘Carnival Row’ and ‘Frankenstein’ Context I am enrolled in a Natural Language Processing course this quarter. I’m enjoying it a lot and decided to share some of the coursework here. This represents an analytic comparison between the screenplay of ‘Carnival Row’ and the novel Frankenstein. If you’re interested in literature, language, or python, I hope you find this informative.… Read More
Swallowtail coffee scoop I’ve been making some coffee scoops recently and this is the one that I most enjoy. It’s cherry, like most of my spoons. Scoops are in some ways more difficult to carve than a regular eating or serving spoon. First, they’re difficult to hold on to. Bigger spoons have a handle. Second, they are deeper… Read More
How to keep Windows 10 start menu from searching the web I am a linux guy. Since Windows Vista, I’ve found that I prefer the simplicity and predictability of open source software to the arbitrary (and silly) business decisions that Microsoft keeps foisting on its users. However, I also run Windows in order to use Excel and for games. I have come to peace with it–mostly.… Read More
New lathe stand One of the benefits of the new house is my little workshop. I used to carry the lathe in and out to the back patio anytime I wanted to turn a pen or a muddler. That also meant that I never used the bed extension. Today I finally built a lathe stand. It’s quite simple… Read More
Ash coffee table We’ve been in the new house since May. Slowly I am completing projects to make it more like home. I recently completed this coffee table. I wanted to build something simple with traditional joinery. I wanted something we could appreciate or ignore. I wanted something with details that I would enjoy whenever I saw it.… Read More
Roubo’s phone stand I recently got a small bandsaw. Every new tool offers new and different opportunities. The bandsaw is great for ripping boards–something that is not fun by hand. So last night I went to the shop and built a Roubo-style phone stand. This comes from the designs of Roubo, an 18th century woodworker and writer. This… Read More
Dovetail bench Since making an outdoor picnic table we have used it most clear evenings. On one side we have built-in benches that are part of the deck. On the other side we have been using camping chairs. But these are really uncomfortable–much too low. So last week I built a bench. I started off with a… Read More
45 minute kayak paddle We recently moved to within a quarter mile of a public boat launch, so I ordered an inflatable kayak. I have to tested it yet, but I know that the 3-year old will want her own paddle. I took a cedar fence picket and some round paint cans. I used the cans to mark some… Read More
Friction folder knives I recently finished the second of two friction folder knives that I’ve been working on. They started as 1095 high-carbon steel blanks that I cut out with a jigsaw. I ground them on a belt sander with ceramic belts, then heat treated them. Here’s the batch right after hardening. After hardening, I tempered them in… Read More