New Spoons

 I've often said if I were a carpenter I'd be a framer not a finish carpenter. That has little to do with ability but a lot with how I see art. Perfect bores me, I want to see the hand of the artist, 

I love vernacular art.  A Windsor chair v. a Welsh stick chair, the stick chair wins every time. It is the same with almost anything I make in the shop. That all leads up to the newest spoons. 

Of the three the simplest is the bottom one, it is also the most useful. There are several in use every day in my kitchen, if I had to throw out every utensil in the kitchen it would be the last to go.

The times I have gifted one to a friend they have been underwhelmed, you can see it in their eyes but almost without fail a month or two later they tell me how useful it is.

BTW, click it to big it if you want a better view of the spoons.

ken

At Last

 03/30/2023 it may not be remembered as important as 09/11 but it could be the date our Republic was saved.

ken

Motorhome, Lafayette and 9/11

 Our Summer run to Oregon is fast approaching but before we leave home we will do a three day shakedown trip to Patagonia State Park leaving Monday the third. Because we basically strip the motorhome every year when we return from Oregon getting ready for a trip is a multi day process and we still have a couple of days work to finish up.

It is difficult to decide what goes and what stays and every year when we get up there we seem to always have things not needed and just taking up room and without fail things left behind and needed. Then the decision; Amazon or do without. Of course the fun one is when things arrive after we have left the Park and then it is usually leave it in the Park mailroom till next year or never.   

Anyway the Motorhome is almost loaded, the three days will tell a lot but I wouldn't bet on not forgetting something important when we leave for Oregon a few weeks later.   

BTW, did you see where DeSantis when asked about 9/11 had trouble remembering where he was and what he did. Do you know anyone who was old enough or not too old to have memories of anything that can not tell you in detail what they were doing and/or who they were with on 9/11? Be interesting to know what he is trying to hide or is he really that uncaring/dumb.

I had landed at KLFT and taxied into the FBO and no one was there to park me, the FBO crew were all inside watching the TV. I went into the FBO just after the first plane hit, in time to see the second plane hit the tower. In some ways I was lucky that our plans were to RON in Lafayette so the crew and PAX had hotel rooms and cars. Soon there were none to be had. After, IIRC, two weeks in Lafayette with the airspace still closed down I sent my co-pilot home in a rental car. I finally gave up and drove my rental car home to Houston, pulling into my driveway I heard over the radio that the US airspace would open the next day for domestic flights. The good news I hadn't turned in the rental car so I called my co-pilot and the next morning we drove the rental car back to Lafayette to retrieve the airplane. 

I'll bet when I'm pooping in my diaper I'll still remember that day and in detail. 

2022-2023 final Harvest

 This season's grow and harvest was good but still with some questions. The Photoperiod plants did well, nothing earth shaking but a good solid harvest with high teens to low 20's THC levels. The Photoperiod harvest will likely provide enough flower and FECO to last till the next harvest. The Super Lemon Haze Autos were good if not spectacular producers with two to four oz of flower per plant and for most of the plants THC levels in the mid 20% range. A few tested in the teens but most likely those tested a little low because I was still learning to use the THC test system at the time they were harvested.

The part of the the harvest that has me scratching my butt is this that just finished. There are six LSD Autoperiod harvested today, all with greater than 10% browned Trichromes and few if any white stigmas. The plants are the smallest Autoflowers I've grown or seen but with huge colas, extra small plants (only one or two were close to even most small Autoflowers) but colas so big the total harvest may be close to normal for six Autoflowers. Go figure.

A SLH Auto on left end with six LSD Autos:

Click it to big it.

 I'll give 'em a week or two to dry, then trim and test. I may be too optimistic but the THC levels should be very high. Not only are the colas thick with Trichromes, the fan leaf stems are covered with Tricromes. Sugar leaf you can expect but fan leaves?

ken

  

A Couple more Photos of a Moravian Bench

 Moravian Bench with a Lake Erie Wood Screw vise:

From the other end:

The folks that built the original bench were very clever, Every joint is the easiest to make that will do the job. The amount of knowledge that went into the original bench blows me away but even better Will didn't really change anything when he copied the original bench. And this dumb West Texas Farm Boy was for once smart and didn't change anything, even when I didn't understand "why" when I copied Will's build.

It took several builds and a number of hours working on the bench to realize just how close to perfect the design is. The only thing I've changed from the first builds is a BenchCrafted metal screw with a crisscross vise on later builds. The BenchCrafted screw and crisscross vise on the Moravian is the Chef's kiss.

ken

Woodworking

 Making things out of wood usually requires a means of holding the wood steady while you remove all the bits that do not look like the finished piece. Over the years there have been many systems to do that. From as simple as a low bench with a "butt" vise to as complex as some work benches I've seen with a vise of some kind on each corner and one or two in the middle. BTW, I find simple tends to work better than complex, less is more.

For the last couple or three years I've been working on my "Unicorn" system of work holding that is simple, easy and cheap to build, will hold your work solid with little monkey motion, will break down with no more tools than a mallet, can be broken down and put back together in less than five minutes by one person (actually takes about a minute if all the parts are close) and can be stored in a space no larger than a motorhome's sub-bins. One more criteria, nothing, no module requires more than one average old fart to to take apart, move, or put together. 

I've come up with three pieces that fit the bill. A Moravian based workbench, a Shavehorse and a Shavemule. I've four Moravian benches in my shop ranging in size from one that works as a "Workmate" and is stored in a corner when not in use to a full sized Roubo bench replacement. The full sized Moravian bench which weights and costs little more than half the cost and weight of a Roubo is as stable as the Roubo and the joinery is much simpler, easily within the ability of a first time builder using nothing more than a hand saw, a few chisels, a couple of planes and a drill. The only advantage of the Roubo is the "hoot" factor, great for bragging but the Moravian is a better bench for today's world.

A Moravian Workbench with an early shavehorse in the foreground and a French style bench in the background:

Shavehorse:

Shavemule:

The workbench was the easy one, I just expanded on Will Meyers work with few changes. The Shavehorse was a PITA, not so much making a shavehorse but making it meet the criteria of coming apart with nothing but a mallet and storing in a small space yet still function as a full sized shavehorse took a bit of butt scratching. With the shavemule the base problem was solved with building the horse and all that was left was stealing the mule module and adapting it to the base. Of the two modules the horse module was pretty straight forward once I settled on a deadhead mechanism for holding the work. The mule module is really simple and easy to build but, there is that "but" that usually shows up, it was fiddly to get the clamping sticks, the shape of the hole in the table and the spacers all working together. 

Any of the three are perfect for folks that want to work wood but have limited space and for that matter money. 

I'm here to help if anyone wants to build any or all three,

ken

Legal Cannabis

 Legal Cannabis, how sweet the sound. Just as Prohibition didn't stop the use of Alcohol, horrible Cannabis laws didn't stop the use of Weed, all they did was limit the study of Cannabis plants and ruin the lives of too many folks caught up in "Reefer Madness". I'm not sure the medical use of Cannabis lives up to the hype but I do know from personal experience Cannabis for pain relief does.

Not only does Weed help with the aches and pains of getting older it helps me stay simi-sane in this howling at the moon, bat shit crazy world the U.S. has become. Part of staying sane isn't just the psychoactive THC of the Cannabis plant, which is damn enjoyable, but the growing, the life cycle of the plants as they are nurtured from seed to mature flower. 

The one thing most States that have legal weed have done at least simi-correctly is allowing homegrown. I fully expect the greedheads will make a run on killing homegrown just like they did with moonshine. There is too much money on the table to not. At today's prices even a sickly almost dying marijuana plant will produce close to $1000 USD retail of smokeable flower.  That tells you two things, the "market" isn't a market, if it were marijuana would sell for about the same price as tomatoes.  Second for once my hobby pays for itself, in addition growing your supply is not only enjoyable but help keep you grounded.  

BTW, this year's grow season is almost over. Seven plants are still in the finishing stage. One SLH which refuses to mature, has looked a week out from harvest for at least three weeks now and six LSD Autos that may end up ready for harvest before the SLH finally makes it over the line.

The LSD Autos are making huge fat Colas, I'm so impressed with the LSD flower I've ordered LSD Photo seeds for the 2023-2024 grow. My current plan for the 2023-2024 grow season are to grow the following Photos; an Afghan Landrace Indica, Durban Poison landrace Sativa, and LSD, a Sativa dominant hybrid.  Autos are so trouble free and need so little special equipment I may throw in a few different Auto cultivars to fill out the season. 

ken

ShaveHorse/Mule Finished

 I've finished the Shave Horse/Mule:

Shave Horse:

Shave Mule:

Click 'em to big 'em.

No tools needed to break down or put together either other than a mallet and each module is easy to deal with. Even better both work a treat. 

If you are not familiar; A Horse is used with draw knives and spokeshaves to make spendles and legs. A Mule is used with knives, spokeshaves, and spoon knives to make kitchen tools.   

The clamping system on the Mule needed some ass scratching and fiddling to get everything working together but once fitted it holds work well. The Shave module is the old one from the prototype Horse it may or may not end up being the final Horse module but it works and works well for now.

The main difference between a Horse and a Mule is the Horse clamps from above where the Mule clamps from the side. If you have never used a Spoon Mule, you push the "clamping sticks" outboard with your feet, sounds awkward but isn't and works well with little effort. 

We are getting into the short rows prepping for Summer in Oregon. It comes up fast and there is still a ton to do to the house and garden before we leave. The 2022/2023 Cannabis crop is maybe three weeks max till final harvest, the tomatoes and peppers are doing well but I expect they will be harvested right up until we leave. We might stick a couple of the indeterminate tomato plants in the motorhome shower for the trip up, love homegrown tomatoes. 

BTW, retirement is a hell of a lot of work. 

See you guys on down the road,

ken

FECO

 FECO is Full Extraction Cannabis Oil. It is fast becoming my favorite way to consume Cannabis. Easy to make, stores well (over a year in a cool dark place) and is just what the name implies, a full extraction of the active cannabinoids.

It is a several step process, none are difficult but can take some time. First step is the same as required for most Cannabis edibles, your weed needs to be Decarbed. I'm lazy and use a Ardent FX to decarb dried flower. Once decarbed, cover the decarbed flower with 190 proof Alcohol and let it set at least 24 hours while given the Alcohol/flower mix an occasional shake. The 24 hours is a minimum, the longer it sits the more cannabinoids are extracted. Once you feel the weed and Alcohol have set long enough and most of the cannabinoids have been extracted the flower and Alcohol need to be seperated, I use a "French Press". Coffee filters also work well.

The next step is evaporating the Alcohol leaving only Cannabis oil. This is the only critical step, if using heat to speed the evaporation you can easily burn off the active cannabinoids. A Crockpot on low heat is generally safe and reasonably quick. The safest is to just cover the container with cheesecloth or similar and let it sit in a cool dark place, the only problem is if you are in a hurry it can take a week or more to evaporate all the Alcohol.

With the Ardent FX in the background a jar of FECO with covering:

   After the Alcohol has been evaporated and just FECO left:

FECO storage and ready to use:

FECO can be very strong and as with all oral Cannabis will take 30 minutes to an hour or more for the full effect. Start slow with a couple or three drops under the tongue and see what the full effect is before adding more. It is easy to overdose, not a big problem but can make you uncomfortable for a couple or three hours if you do. I do not know if it is true but I understand that a couple of drops of CBD oil will take away the effects of a Cannabis overdose.

Horse Base

The horse base is together, just needs cleaning up:

 Next is making the two workholding modules.

There is little to do with the plants right now. All of them are on a glide path to harvest. Most likely this season's crop will be finished by the first of April. We leave for the Oregon coast the last week of May. I better enjoy this down time.

ken

Shave/Spoon Horse

 I stole, copied, and pulled stuff out of my ass to build a portable shave horse that would fit in the motorhome's bins. The first prototype broke down with no tools other than a mallet and easily fit in the bins. It even worked well as a shavehorse, do you hear the but? Two things that sucked, it was butt ugly with wood chipping, splitting and shitty craftsmanship (my excuse, it was a prototype) and a shavehorse really isn't that good for making spoons and such. For spoons you need a spoonhorse. The only real difference between a shavehorse and a spoonhorse is in the method of clamping.

My shavehorse was built as modules, legs, base, and clamping mechanism. All that is needed to have a spoonhorse is a spoon clamping module that fits the horse base. As some of my foreign clients would say "a sheet of cake".

BTW, here is the base being made of proper wood for a horse:

 Next is making a horse clamping module and a spoon clamping module to fit the base. The legs and seat will be repurposed from the prototype.

Damn it feels good to make something, all I've done recently is try to clean up the mess. I finally got the shop strightent up enough to work in, still a long way to go but at least I can build something in it and a couple of weeks ago there wasn't any way. 

See you on down the road,

ken 

Super Lemon Haze Auto

 SLH Has become my favorite Hybrid cultivar. It is an approximately 70% Sativa, 30% Indica. Because it is an Autoflower there is some Ruderalis in the mix as well, the numbers came from Seedman's SLH Photo page. My guess is there will be ~10% to 20% Ruderalis in the Auto Plants.

I popped six SLH Auto seeds the last of November and will be harvesting the Last two plants within a week. Their lower Fan Leaves are yellowing, only a few white Stigmas remain on one plant and the Bud Trichomes are filled and maybe 10% have turned amber. All signs say don't wait too long.

 

 Among the reasons SLH is one of my favorite cultivar. It is one tough weed, in spite of not having perfect growing conditions the SLH plants produced 3 to 4 oz of smoking flower per plant with THC levels of 23% to 25%. Not bad for an Auto grown under very cheap LED lights and out in an open space for most of its life.

One interesting thing (if you are a Cannabis nerd) during early vegetative growth the plants presented the leaf pattern of Sativa genes on two, of Indica genes on two and the last two were in the middle.