Book Covers

 This past week I sanded down and oiled the book covers. It's a fairly easy process: sand down the rough spots and hard edges (if that's what you want), and rub in a couple of coats of tung oil. I chose the oil because I don't have the proper ventilation for varnish. Simple as that. The wood has a beautiful, clear grain and a great shimmer, and oil preserves that wonderfully. 

Book Pieces

 I spent the weekend carving up that board I purchased in my last post. My father helped me with the table saw, circular saw, planer, and drill (a fun and noisy process!)and in the end there were six little rectangles for the book covers, and two long boards left for a future project. Maybe some day I'll have a workshop and wood shed as impressive as my father's?

for the love of pine!

Good afternoon. Once in a while I'm going to tell you about what lengths I went to to acquire my raw materials for art and things. 


Today I had to purchase some wood. A nice plank to plane down, cut up, wax, and turn into the covers of some killer hand bound books.  
The best specialty wood shop around is located on the north side of the city. In kinder climes, it would be a pleasant bike ride, one hour round trip with the wind in your hair and the sun on your limbs. No hills. In winter, it's an agonizing twenty minute bus ride and a miserable three block walk. 
Or an eight dollar cab ride.