Wood items at Yosemite Craft Bazaar

        I look forward to attending the 2012 Yosemite Craft Bazaar. This is the only Christmas Craft show I will be attending based upon my commitment to Dodge Ridge Ski Resort. I have been hired as the Children's Program Manager and not knowing what the weather would be like, I did not schedule any other events for the Christmas Holidays. Dodge Ridge had me busy for many days during the hiring process and I did not have the time for constructing items pre-holiday season.
        I do have a fair number of items for a wonderful hobby that my father and I truly enjoy partaking. Wood working is still a good excuse to wander the woods looking for unique items in nature and bring them to a wonderful home. Not to mention we at Yosemite Goat's Woodworking are able to craft our quirky creativity into action!

       This year the bowls made from Yosemite Goat's woodworking has taken off in comparison to last holiday season. Last year I believe I had 3 or 4. This past year we have sold close to 75 bowls!! We have also expanded into the pepper mills and lamps. During the Yosemite Christmas Craft Bazaar I am happy to say I have a number of very cool items that will not last long, so be sure to stop by and pick up what you are looking for early. At this time I will have 6 lamps, 8 cribbage boards, a number of candle holders and about 20 bowls. My pepper mills are being ordered daily, I hope to have a few more soon! My ultimate goal is to see smiles on everyone's face that comes by to say hello. Perhaps even walk away with an item or two in their bag!







    If you happen to read this before arriving at the craft show, let me know what you think of my blog and my work. I am always looking for feedback and ideas to "make" thing even better!

Thanks for stopping by- Scotty

The oak has lost it's leaves

Well..................... This morning the large oak leaning against our back porch was raining it leaves with each small breeze. By this evening the leaves were gone and so is the tree. The  tree crew came with a crane in tow and removed the big shade oak along the back porch. It is a bummer the tree is gone. The tree was leaning quite readily over the house and appeared to have moved over the summer months. The bulk of the tree and the center of mass was centered in our kitchen with a large branch that would have gone through our roomates bed (in the unfortunate event the tree came down). Secondarily the entire deck would have been destroyed.  Yes it is a bummer the tree is gone, but if the tree was to fall (in a likely snow storm) the consequences would have been dire.

          Fortunately this home is a rental and we did not have to pay the fees for the removal. But our landlord, bless his wonderful heart, evaluated the tree quickly, had numerous teams look at the tree and made the decision to remove it completely. Thank You for your time and forethought!

          Now, I am a woodworker. I like to make bargains. Now I have wood!! Large rounds of oak for bowls and more! Large oak bowls will be ready for market! Well........once the wood has had time to cure 6-9 months for curing!!

Free items from Yosemite Goat Woodworking

       As a way to say thank you to everyone that has stopped by my online portfolio I am going to give everyone a chance to have a piece of my Functional Organic Art. All you need to do is post a comment Anywhere in my blog! Comment arrive to me in order and I will know which is which!

     I have never done anything like this before so I am going to keep my ideas very open. Basically I am not sure how long it will take for you (the population of visitors) to make comments on the blog. My guess is that it should take a few weeks to go through all the comments, maybe more. I will advertise it on Facebook just to increase the time frame if necessary. 

     In the event you have not scrolled all the way through the page yet, maybe scroll down quickly now! I am going to give away items similar to those in the photos!!! The items are a candle holder, a bowls and cribbage board. My idea is to promote the blog a little and have others pass along my blog page.  Heck, post any photo on Pintrest and show off something you like!

       To being with I will chose a very wonderful candle holder that  has three candles. Perfect for any and all homes and occasions. Next I chose chose a bowl of medium size and height. Functional in many different aspects, good for keys, popcorn, chips, pure decoration and why not a few pieces of fruit. Lastly, I have a few cribbage boards in stock The ones below happen to be the last of my Maple collection. The final comment will be a wonderful cribbage board guaranteed. 


         Here in the blogosphere, each comment made is categorized upon the time it is delivered. The comments posted  from all section of my website/blog arrive in my inbox and categorized in the order they arrive. So you can make comments throughout the website/blog.  All the comments arrive with a corresponding email so I can contact those who have won and get your shipping info. I will also make a post when someone has won. That way everyone knows where the comments stand. Lastly, only qualifying comments will count, see below, and my comments will not be added to the total numbers.   =)


     Rule 1: Each Comment must be a full sentence, that means noun, verb, etc. and should be 7 words or more!
   
     Rule 2: No duplicate messages from the same person. I know how easy it is to copy and paste. Although multiple comments in different areas are encouraged!  I really want to know what you think of my work!!
     
      Rule 3: Solicitations will be deleted and not counted, unless............They write a full sentence about something in this blog alone.

      
      Rule 4: This is supposed to be a fun exercise, please be courteous to all.

      Rule 5: Have fun!!



       I hope this will be a wonderful experience. If this works out I will be inclined to make more opportunities for visitors to gain a wonderful piece of art. The current comment number is 14, good luck and enjoy the website!

             

The opening of farmers markets

me

I attended the first Farmers Market in Sonora with high hopes of making a number of sales. I created a whole series specifically for the farmers market. The results were not quite what I expected. I did however chat with a number of folks who were very interested in our work and would like to gain some more knowledge in the wood working realm. But the most important thing, I scored 5 pounds of honey with more to come!!

Ziploc Bag Dryers ............ My grand idea and proposed big seller at the farmers market. The bag dryers were made from an artistic piece of wood with short lengths of bamboo sticking out. The hanging bag can then be placed wherever necessary for drying the ziplocs for reuse. I made 12 of them and drop the price to ensure selling a large number of them. I sold one! And it was to a friend!

Over the course of this summer I will figure out what folks will be interested in. My biggest goal at these events is funding an understanding as to what people are interested in. I try to accommodate as much as I can but you can only display what you have, maybe I should get a bigger booth!

Lastly, I am going to Murphy's on Wednesday to chat with a friend who has part ownership at The Treasure Chest. We are hoping to add some small variety to the Treasure Chest and provide another outlet for my wonderful wooden treasures!


My next Farmers Market in Sonora will be June 2nd.

Craft Items at Sonora Farmers Market

Good Day-
  I will be at the Sonora Farmers Market on May 19th, tomorrow. I have an increased inventory and will be selling my newest item. You will have to come down to see what it is! The manzanita in the photo at right are the base of the items.......

    I have also been busy finishing up many of the bowls I roughed in over the winter months. Many of the wood bowls need to sit and cure for 6 months or more. In theory I should be taking moisture meter measurements to insure they have dried completely. But, after splitting who knows how many cords of woods, when you pick up a piece of wood, you know if the density is right or not. Needless to say sometimes the wood goes back into the pile. There are probably 40 more bowls waiting to be cured. Patience is a turners greatest ability!

        Here are many of the bowls we have ready for this weekend. They have all been oiled and ready for the names written on the base. After that they will be heading to Sonora and hopefully someone's home. I have four fruit bowls to add to the stock and a number of candy dishes and a couple of small cute little bowls, coin trays. I have also made a number of my classic little pine cone vases. I think there are 6 of them. At 5 dollars each I would be very happy to sell all of them. Heck, for $20 the person would get them all!

The mirror to the left is a great story. While I was in Alaska, a friend of mine took this photo of a Caribou. I asked her if I could use the image for a cutout. The cut out was amazing. A great amount of time went into it and it showed. This caribou mirror was a favorite. I etched in Denali behind the Caribou, and used and rough cut frame to finish off the details.
    Christine and I had just moved into a new place and we hung it on the wall. Unfortunately it fell from the hanger and broke. I had carried the broken piece the last year or so and decided the artwork needed to be re-mended. I cut down the original and re-broke the original mirror to fit into the new space. I am happy with the result since the mirror has returned to it's original purpose again. If you are interested in this, please let me know. It is a great piece that has undergone change, like so many great piece of art.

Winding Oak Cribbage Board finds a home

        One of my favorite boards I have made has gone to a great home.This super cool cribbage board was made from Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii). A semi local tree that grows in few areas of the Sierra Foothills near Yosemite National Park. Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii) is a hard tree to recognize, but the bark is very unique with striated patterns. Wikipedia, link above, says they grown in mostly Southern California. There are three trees at the property this branch came from and are likely transplants, or even possibly brought by the Native American many, many years ago. There are many grinding holes in the vicinity and a small creek/spring. Over the years I have found that species are found adjacent to old Native American Camps, yet many, many miles (20=) from their habitat. The story of these Engelann Trees and the origin of this great cribbage board is still a mystery.

        The actually branch fell during a heavy snow storm (spring 2010) that knocked out power for two weeks in the area and trees and branches fell everywhere. the storm has been dubbed by some as oak-maggeden! As a result, numerous folks were sawing away and burning piles to remove the mess. This branch was slated for the burn pile, I happened to be in the right place at the right time!!

I always love to hear from the happy
folks who have purchased one of my items:

"These are WONDERFUL!!! I love them both, but the one from the long branch is just totally awesome. It will definitely be out on a coffee table when I move (I am retiring at the end of the summer and am already packing up for the move). It will be the best conversation piece ever. Yes, the pegs on the log board are exceedingly fragile, especially for the grandchildren who are my main cribbage competition these days, but I might just keep that as a showpiece. It is so cool. Thank you for your wonderful work. At some point I may want you to make something specific for me (like a cribbage table made from a log at a height that I can use with a chair), but right now I am on a very tight budget waiting to see how things go in retirement. I will keep your business card so that I can contact you in the future. Thanks so much not only for the boards, but for the great packing job, too, -- Margaret Austin"

Thanks Margaret!!!

Scott Cereghino

folding lodge pole pine cribbage board

beginning of the winding oak board

   

Yosemite Goat at the Sonora Spring Festival

       I had an excellent day visiting with many many wonderful people at the Spring Festival. I was visited by many very nice people, a few relatives, many friends, and one I have not seen for years! Those of you that did attend, thank you for visiting me in my out of the way place. I wished I was in the center of activities for increased sales, but I think it does not matter too much. My name is slowly reaching many folks and I had friends say my woodworking was mentioned up in the downtown area.
     


           Next year I will procure a space more downtown. In the meantime, I have been asked to participate in the Sonora Farmers market, the Mother Lode Fair, a small festival in Groveland, and another festival in Lodi. Lodi is a little out of the way, so I will likely not make it to that festival. The fair and the farmers markets will likely be an excellent local option for me. With such a successful start of the year I will continue to attend some of the local events and perhaps one or two at a small distance.

Once again, thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello!
Scotty  

Sonora, County Fair and Spring Festival

         Coming soon to Tuolumne County and the surrounding communities are summer festivals and local Farmers Markets. These are always great events that I have enjoyed as I am able to visit with the wonderful people involved. This year I was asked to participate in many of these events and help support our local communities. I think this will be a great way to support local farmers and craftsmen and craftswomen.

      The summer starts off with the Spring Festival in downtown Sonora on April 28th. I am planning on attending this fun event. My booth will be located just South of the main light on Washington St., across from the Opera Hall. Come visit me and check out many of the items I will have on display.

    Over the summer there will be numerous festivals and fair featuring many exhibits. I am currently trying to decide  which items I will enter in this years County Fair as a fun and creative way to evaluate my woodcraft with many other talented artists. I was actually looking into participating in the the State Fair as well, but I have yet to decide if I will take part. One of my newest creations seen here is a coffee knocker for the espresso machine. A very easy way to rid the grinds without banging and it looks nice in the kitchen. Most are made from stainless steel and I thought a sturdy washable piece of Black Oak would be perfect. Plus Oak has a very high tolerance for bacteria and other organisms (think about wine barrels)!

     I have been making dozens of fruit bowls utilizing a variety of artistic styles. The fruit bowls are one of my best sellers and have been hard to keep stocked. I am very tempted to use alcohols to speed up the curing process and increase my roll over in products. Waiting 6 months to finally have a stable bowl is the most trying part of my hobby. I try to keep as natural a process as possible, especially since my products have a very organic style and feel, and 99% of the time they are! As I mentioned, the artistic style is a great way to test my skills. As of late my challenge  has been producing a bowl that is very thin. Most of the time I am around the 1/8" realm and I am getting closer and closer to going even thinner. My goal one day is to produce a bowl that you can almost see through. This will be a ways down the road as I personally have never seen one. I believe you should always have a challenge somewhere, somehow to improve your skills and keep your mind and your eye sharp with creativity.

   Lastly, per the request of some friends of mine, I have been commissioned to make some crosses from the local woods. One friend enjoys collecting crosses from around the world and asked if I could make one for her from the local mountain woods. Where I find my inspiration and passion! My other friend plans to hang his in his home office. It brings joy knowing my art will be appreciated and admired in a caring home.

I hope to see you at the Sonora Spring Festival!!

Scotty

Manzanita Salt and Pepper Mills

Making Salt n Pepper Mills has been a grand project. I have learned a lot about how to skin a ............piece of manzanita. It has been wonderful using different techniques to put together these cool salt n pepper mills. There are about 12 steps needed to accomplish this seemingly simple task. Each time I make one I get a little better and the process is a little smoother. Each task is essential to complete the items. Some of these tasks, such as drilling the long cavity for the pepper corns, I should use a specific tool. But, since tools can be costly I bypassed them with the good ol' fashion hand drill. Yeah.......... you should see me standing on the work bench, butt in the air, chest on the ship's auger, applying enough pressure to drill a hole in the super dense manzanita. Oh yeah....... the soon to be mills are in the vise so they don't wobble and move around while I drill.

Each salt n pepper mill was made from the beautifully dense yet colorful manzanita. The density of manzanita is very 'fun' to work with since it dulls my forstner bits and need to be sharpened often. But the results are always the same. Everyone loves the color and uniqueness of manzanita. In fact I sold one of these lovely items during the craft fair in Murphys. Perhaps the other will be equally admired in a new home too!

 Made in the USA, I love it and always try to do my best to promote local craftsmen and items made here in the US. Not to mention when items are rare and unique, such as the love I have for manzanita!!

As a final note: I wonder if my colleagues sometime feel the way I do, because the mills Brad Sears makes are amazing. Maybe I will send him some Manzanita =)

How to Create Beautiful Wooden Bowls

Bowl Making

The number of steps it takes to make a bowl gives woodturners great patience…... 

Here is a classic example of how each bowl is created:  

1.    Collect the wood (truck, chainsaw, gas and the eye for a nice trees).

2.     Begin turning on the wood lathe (includes : lathe; chisels; electricity; rounding of bowls with chainsaw; saws need sharpening too {30min}; and cleaning up the mess you make).

3.     Cure the initial turn (3-6months of curing so the bowl is stable).

4.     Return bowl to the lathe (back to chisels, electricity, sharpening set, lathe chuck).

5.     Finishing cut to make as smooth as possible (practice on many, many, many, many pieces, more sharpening and sharpening stones).

6.     Sanding to a smooth finish (sandpaper with different grits: 50;60;100;150;220;320;400;600).

7.     Apply coating(s)/oils (food worthy tung oil and or mineral oil).

8.    Finally we take the bowl off the lathe.....................................engrave name, photograph for records and perhaps internet sales (laptops and camera needed).

9.     Now the beautiful bowl is ready for market and ready for your home!!!

Spring Daffodils

             Spring Flowers are just around the corner. Daffodils are the greatest teaser here in the Sierra Foothills. Daffodils have been popping up over the last few weeks letting us know spring is on the way. My lady loves having them around the house and she would pick every one in the neighborhood if she could. Driving home yesterday we saw poppies, lupine, manzanita and monkey flowers all in color. The last few months I have been making a number of vases with removable glass tubes. The tubes are perfect for flowers, esp those such as Daffodils!!!

       Each Vase is handmade by me or my father, although most are mine. Many of them have been turned on the lathe in replication of classical vases. The wood varies from hardwoods to softwoods, rare to common and all are wonderful. The glass tubes are removable and fairly easy to wash. They are all dishwasher safe and very durable. I think I have only broken one in the many vases I have made, and that one I was trying to force into a hole that was to small, oops!
     
      All the vases are for sale. The main goal at this time are creating items for sale at the Irish Days event in Murphys, CA. I will only post one on Etsy and the rest will be viewable here. If you are interested in one of my vases, feel free to contact me. We will come to a price (most are in the $40-$55 range). Afterwards I will make a special posting for your purchase through Etsy. I hope you enjoy!
      

 These are made from Pine and Cedar and Manzanita. The flat surface vase on the right is for a vase that can be hung on the wall!

 The vases are made from Manzanita, Alder, Cedar, Pine and Maple. The Four here are made from Maple while the curvy one above is made from Manzanita.

The Maple Burl Vase above is amazing, while the natural Redwood vase below in very unique. And as always, manzanita is a favorite.

 If you would like to use my images, send me a line and I can post a large format photo!