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Alrighty then... That out of the way, realize that entire books have been written on sharpening, and I obviously can't go into that sort of detail here, but at least I can offer some overview as to how I keep the shop going...

I guess there are two schools of thought concerning sharpening/honing: namely by power or by hand. Where you've bought turning tools (I assume a skew chisel is amongst them), I'd suggest that you consider the former and take a long look at the excruciatingly expensive Tormek or the more reasonable Work Sharp 3000. Then there are the traditionalists who prefer the latter (sans electricity), and that's fine too -- I used to be one of them. Today, for me, I ultimately use a mix of both... Take a look at this battered old chisel...

Ah, but a gem lies beneath... I use the goodies below to put a razor's edge on such things...

And those doohickeys are:

1. Dual wheel grinder to establish the correct initial grinding and whetting edges... (more about this in a minute...)
2. A roller guide that holds the chisel at the proper angle relative to the hand sharpening stones
3. Natural stones and slips
4. Diamond stones
5. Dremel hand grinder for quick and dirty tune ups
6. An angle gauge for checking bevel angles
7. And of course the final strop

Note the fine silver edge towards the top of the blade -- that's a "wire" or "burr" that has been formed by the grinding process. You can actually feel it as you sharpen. Onward... Next comes the fun part... Honing

Honing is as mundane as it is difficult. The trick is to alternate sharpening the exact whetting bevel (I use a roller guide) with flat-scrubbing the back of the chisel. Remember, you must not put a bevel on the back! The goal is to use finer and finer stones until the wire is gone and the edge is goofy sharp. A strop (piece of leather) will polish and end the exercise.

Voila! When done properly, you'll end up with something that will literally shave hair...

Obviously, the Web (as well as the marketplace) is packed with info, jigs, and accessories for sharpening gouges, planer blades, scissors, etc., etc., etc... If I had to boil the process down, I'd say that there really are only five objectives...

• Be safe
• Don't burn the steel
• Don't put a bevel on the back
• Make and keep the right bevel by gosh or by golly -- the more uniform, the better
• Don't sacrifice "plenty good enough" in the hunt for perfection... When getting ready for a new project, I'll sharpen 20 -- 30 tools in a relaxed afternoon.

Harry... Hope this helps!

CapeCodAlan

P.S. If you want to see something really different, take a look at "scary sharp" or plate glass sharpening......

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yes, we have another bird book review... I'll cut right to the chase with some thoughts as I poke around...

• Right off the bat, I'd say that this is not a field guide. (It measures 7&1/2" by 10" 1&1/4" by 530 pages, and probably weighs two pounds.)
• The layout ain't "your father's Oldsmobile." Each of the 640 bird plates consists of an assemblage of photographs layered over the birds' natural environment and displaying most of the creatures' sex, development, and flight patterns. While the "photoshopping" isn't perfect, it is plenty good.
• Just opening the book is a relief. Be honest... How many times have you turned to a bird book and pleaded, "Why can't you just show me the songbirds section?" -or- "All I really want to see are the raptors!"
The inside of the flexcover and first page answer your prayers. Beyond that, do yourself a huge favor and read the first 35 pages... All the rest are absolute eye candy.
• I like the scarcity of words, though the font might challenge older eyes.
• I can't begin to imagine the kind of time it must have taken to put this piece together. Believe it or not, there are 10,000 pictures rammed into this puppy.
• For me, this will act as a photographic reference -- that is, I'll take my pix as fate will allow, and turn to this later.

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

But this is indeed a different book, so let's look at this one on its own merits...

• True to form, Liguori's approach to hawk identification is both novel and brilliant. (Bird maven David Sibley actually wrote the foreword.)

  Once again, the reader can study migratory and location patterns, flight positions, anatomy, etc., but this time the full-page closeup photographs are left out and only distance shots of all 20 species are included. In fairness, the thumbnails are larger than in the "Distance" work, though in both books the shutter work is superb. ("Hawks from Every Angle" is a 9.5" by 7.5" field guide consisting of130 acid-free pages, 339 color photos and 32 B&W illustrations.) As expected, the list of identification options feels just right.

• If I had a complaint here, it would be that I had to turn to the "How to use this guide" briefly to understand the taxonomical difference between the accipiters and the buteos... That done, like its literary cousin, this truly is a "crack it open and you have a clue within 60 seconds" reference.
• And once again, the author's use of bold text to accentuate key points is precisely what the doctor ordered. (Thank you Jerry Liguori!)

Marveling by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In case you're uncertain (and if so, you should consult the book I reveiwed the other day, Hawks at a Distance), that is a red-tailed hawk, one of a pair who has been flying all around the yard, the woods, and the pond across the road. They're taking in all the sights with those keen hawk eyes...

Honestly, though, it's truly difficult to mistake a red-tail for any other hawk when you see a beautiful sight like this:

While the crows are almost desultory in their occasional forays against this pair--almost as if they know there's nothing they can do to discourage these two from moving in--the squirrels retain a native caution, freezing the instant the hawks appear. And with good reason!

Hiding by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's tough to describe Dynamite to those whose instinct is to crack the phone book and check book whenever a boat or a bookshelf or a bird feeder is called for. His approach was, "Just do it!"

Let me back up a bit... As a boat builder, Payson's professional relationship with marine architect Bolger was compelling to say the least - Phil would design a small, easily assembled boat and then send the plans to Dynamite. He in turn would build the prototype, make notes on what he thought were appropriate improvements to the plans, and then send them back to Bolger... And so the process was repeated until both men were happy with the final design. Dynamite eventually immortalized those simple but wonderful boats as "Instant" (no need for lofting, frames, or molds) in umpteen books. (He wrote a total of ten books and hundreds of articles.) Suffice it to say that he and Phil made for a historic team. Between the two of them, they designed/built over 1,200 boats (though the collaborative "Instants" numbers around 30). If you want to build a boat, see the book list below.

But that's only the beginning... Harold Payson was a master boat modeler - just search the Web. There isn't much to say here - he simply was a master.

Finally, IMHO, he was one of the finest American writers I've ever encountered. If you aspire to learn (or be intimated by) the written word, buy "Instant Boats", "Build the New Instant Boats", and/or "Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson". This man's writing was as sharp and tight as his wit was dry - brilliance. (No doubt Dynamite would kick my backside if he could read this stumbling rant...)

And that's about it... No, that's not about it! Over the years (I bought his first book in '80 and have been the moderator of his forum for the last four...) I exchanged umpteen letters and phone calls with him. It's not like we were best buddies, but I'd call him a friend and a mentor on several levels. Damn I'm going to miss him!

Misty eyed by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Coming up... Two more book reviews... "The Crossley ID Guide" and "Hawks from Every Angle"!

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What follows is the ramp I slammed together to slide the beast down (via rope) into the cavern.

Almost done... The machine waits patiently for it's wood table and sacrificial cutting surface...

There... Now it's just a matter of securing the flat, beefy work surface and sheathing it with the quarter inch panel. (That panel will fall victim to the blade as a normal part of usage. When it becomes seriously scarred, it will be removed and another put in its place.) All that's left is to level, plumb and square, and all will be right with the world...

As a follow up to "Buying Used Tools"... Final thoughts...

• Know what you're doing with this sort of operation. Perhaps most importantly, seek out an old hand who knows how to identify quality, move really heavy stuff, and finely tune machines -- learn.
• Expect to get hurt. (Betcha' didn't hear "Norm" mention that!) It's going to happen, just as assuredly as it will happen if you spend any time really cooking. Sharp things slip, hot things shift, and heavy things obey Mr. Newton. Learn to listen to that little voice in the back of your mind that softly swoons, "You're going to be sorry..." When that gentle voice turns into Ethel Merman, it's time to stop and re-think the situation.
• There are worse things in the world than pre-shop physicals, tetanus shots, first aid kits, and bushel baskets full of humility.

See you by the feeders and as always I'll be wearing my safety glasses...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The kind folks at Princeton University Press sent me a copy of this book for review, and here it is: Buy the book. Period. (Now that was an easy review!)

Kidding aside, this is an absolute "must have" for anyone who has ever even briefly wondered, "What kind of hawk was that?" Here are just a few of the reasons you cannot live without this field guide...

• The author's approach to hawk identification is both novel and brilliant. Indeed, bird maven David Sibley said of this tome,

  Jerry Liguori's book takes hawk identification to a whole new level.

  The reader can study migratory and location patterns, closeup and distance shots of all 20 species (the 190 pg. book contains a whopping 577 photos, 19 of which are magnificent full-page), black and white shape prints (30 to 40 per bird)... The list of ID options is just right.
• I love the ease of this thing. If you've looked at other birding books, just the "How to use this book" section can tangle you up in knots; not so with this puppy. This is literally a "crack it open and you have a clue within 60 seconds" reference. I especially like the effort put forth to explain what birds can be confused, and how to sort things out.
• There's another feature that is long, long overdue IMHO -- the use of bold font to shout out the most important points. Example:

  In glide, Cooper's Hawks look compact, similar to Sharp-shinned Hawks, but their heads and tails extend farther, and they show longer, less squared "hands" in comparison.

  Any questions?
• It is ruggedly bound in a 6 1/8" by 8" footprint and consists of clean, acid-free paper...

When all is said and done, Liguori's "Hawks at a Distance, Identification of Migrant Raptors" is as practical and beautiful as Sibley's "The Sibley Guide to Birds" is thorough and beautiful... If you have even the slightest interest in birds, you should own this book.

Reading by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Before I get started on this most personal of posts, I just wanted to give you this teaser into a very near post... We've got our mitts on a new, superb birding book, and as soon as I can get the copyright/review stuff out of the way, you'll be the first to hear about it. Expect "Sibley-grade" work...

O.K... Down to brass tacks - Take a look at that radial arm saw to the right... Notice how it's connected to the ceiling by a rather hefty block and tackle system? The overt purpose of that contraption is to pull the top off the beast (all 250 lbs worth) and lower it to the floor. But it's not the tool that's the real story... not on your tin type... It's the male psycho-sexual story behind it that's really compelling...

I didn't need that saw. I really didn't. I already own two table saws, a saber saw, a band saw, a sawzall, a chainsaw, umpteen handsaws, a Skil saw, and three Japanese saws. You name it, and I can cut it. So why the attraction to such a monster? I'll tell you why in no uncertain terms - because I'm a classic American male going through mid-life crisis. (Please understand that Freud got it all messed up when he proposed that humans go through five stages... U.S. males only go through two - pre-pubescence and pubescence. Basically, we're babies until we reach the age of 12, and then we hit mid-life and are lust hounds until we stop breathing.) But that lust takes on two different forms depending on the age. In the early years, we yearned for the bunny babes... and if we were lucky we failed. Later it was the more the mechanical - cars, tools, planes, boats, submarines, aircraft carriers... That's it. I don't know of a single normal American male who doesn't follow this pattern. (Oh there are holdouts who try to cling to the concept of chasing young women - we in the head shrinking game call them "deniers"... That's another story.) But as for the purchase of the saw, that's just an expression of the second half of my pubescence. Think I'm kidding? The other night I had a buddy over to look at the behemoth. We must have stood talking and nursing beers around the thing for an hour. He couldn't keep his hands off the curves and lines and movements and substance. Hubba hubba! I promise you, if I had bought a paperweight, he wouldn't have shown any sort of interest whatsoever. See what I mean?

So there... You came here expecting to read about birds and instead were lucky enough to gain rare insight into the male American psyche. Talk about your value-added blog...

See you by those sultry feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Don't forget we've got a review on a "must own" book coming up ASAP!

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

That's a $700 - $1,200 near-new workhorse purchased for $100. (The blade alone is worth the price of admission.)

Here are just a few of the secrets to finding those sorts of "great deals".

• First, make Craigslist your best friend. Study it every which way to Sunday. Get a sense of the "going rates".
• Know your tool. Don't wander into a purchase because something "looks cool".
• Buy quality. Old no-name junk is even worse than new no-name junk.
• How is the tool structurally? Are there rattles? Binding spots? Slop? Is the thing rusty or broken?
• Make sure that the equipment is complete including manuals and accessories.
• Can you get replacement parts? If not, walk away.
• Will your shop hold the beast? Be honest!
• Can you move the thing? Once again, be honest!
• Overall, what's your impression of the tool and its owner??? If it looks like the owner was Attila the Hun, do a "Dione Warwick" and walk on by.
• Plan on spending 25% of what you would on an equal new tool, and at the same time getting 99% longevity and functionality - it's a buyer's market. Don't be afraid to wave bye bye.
• Finally, when the time comes and you've found the perfect deal... Pounce! (From the "Lessons Learned the Hard Way Dept.": In a moment of indecision and profound stupidity, I hesitated on a sweet $25 14" Craftsman band saw and let it slip right through my hands... An equivalent new one would run about $700. Ouch... Say no more.)

  In the sawdust and the joys and the miseries by the feeders...

  CapeCodAlan

  ---

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  Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Given what has happened to Japan over the last 24 hrs, I don't think it's appropriate to write about birds. Thoughts...

• First... The scale of the disaster is mind numbing... So many thoughts and prayers go out to those poor people... If you care to help, here is the Red Cross contact info... Simply heart broken here...
• Beyond all the horror, there are massive geo-economic worries. Japan's already-weak economy carries one trillion dollars of our debt in the form of U.S. treasury bonds. If the Japanese government has to call in those bonds (penalties or not), where are we going to get the money to cover them? (For weeks, the two parties in Congress have been bloviatingly chest thumping over a $50 billion difference in the short-term budget. What happens when we have to immediately face twenty times that amount?) At this point, I doubt that the Chinese will "lend" us one more dime in the form of yet more "T-Bonds". (We owe the PRC a trillion also.) In short, this natural disaster could well lead to an equally stunning economic meltdown of two of the world's most powerful economies.
• When it rains it pours... Enter the geo-political... The Middle East is teetering, and don't for one minute think that "The House of Saud" and Col. Qaddafi won't take our tragic distraction to full advantage. Expect more brutal repression in both Saudi Arabia and Libya.
• Finally, expect the ominous nuclear power situation in Japan to stall once and for all our thoughts of nuclear power here.

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember this hummingbird fellow?

Normally, I'm pretty critical of my work, but I must admit, so far, so good. Still, progress must continue... Here are my thoughts, and I certainly would appreciate yours as well...

• To get a sense of what I see as a final result, I'm picturing a 3D diorama, though I don't know if I want it glassed in, or just open...
• I want to carve a local flower... Perhaps a Cardinal Flower, or a Honeysuckle, or maybe a, Royal Catchfly. But probably I'll go with a Morning Glory... That seems the one most likely to be easily carved. (Then again, a nice silk flower would hold promise.) The bird's beak will be countersunk and glued into the stigma or pistil. With luck, the whole bird will simply "float" in the air. I want to reflect the lightness and momentary grace of the thing.
• I can't wait to take on the little metal feet!
• Painting is going to be a bear... Obviously I want the Ruby throat's natural colors, but at the same time I don't want to lose the wonderful grain of the wood... This shall be tricky.
• The wings too aren't going to be a cakewalk. Again, I need that ethereal feel all the while injecting an almost transparent sense of their blinding speed. Plastics? Glass?
• Not sure about the backdrop... I'm leaning towards a one piece laminated curving structure... Should I paint it? Carve more flowers? Silk flowers? Should the base be some sort of translucent material?

Having fun pondering by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You know... It's funny the things you discover when you're roaming around the Web looking for a decent weather forecast. Case in point - tonight. Rumor has it that tomorrow is going to be a mess. Take a look at the two screen shots below...

And how did I get those print screens you ask? Well, I went to http://www.noaa.gov and then stumbled onto the following path: "Active Weather Alerts" → select your area → "Forecast Images" and there you go... If you look to the left, you'll notice umpteen boxes for times and conditions. All it takes is a simple "mouse over" to make the graphical display appear. Is that cool or what? The GUI also allows for time adjustment etc.

Let's see what else? We just had a bird of unknown type "meep" "meep"ing out front. (No Road Rruuner jokes please.) Of course, by the time I got the camera, the bird was no doubt in Bolivia, so you'll have to take me word for it. And that segues rather nicely to one of my favorite fantasies... Just once, I'd like to be the guy who gets that rare photograph... that rare shot of an accidental bird that just happened upon our back yard. Oh, to get a picture of a White-tailed Eagle standing on one of our feeders, or a Chuck-will's-widow hopping on the deck. After all, it's my personal belief that only those sort of pix truly escalate one from the lowly status of "backyard birder" to the noble realm of "birder". Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that not all birders are snobs, but you've got to admit that they're out there. (And who can blame them? Some spend more money on a single lens than most people plunk down on a used car.) But just once, I'd like to be an invited guest speaker to one of their meetings (you do know they have secret meetings?) I'd saunter up to the podium smoking the largest, cheapest pipe, wearing a paper-towel ascot, and snootily announce to all that I captured that 'precious image' without blowing "twenty large"...

I guess we all can dream, but in the meantime, at least you know where you can find a decent weather forecast...

See you by those Hahrvard feeders should the climate cooperate old chum,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About the turkey photo below... As I've mentioned before, sometimes it really is fun just to wander through old pictures and wonder...

I wonder how many of the adult turkeys we have now are related to these from two and a half years ago? Do I have any old photographs of these as poults? When will we be seeing the new offspring? Wouldn't it be cool if we could have a family tree of the birds who visit our backyards over the years? The questions go on and on...

Now, about that simple recipe... It's a crock pot jobber, and really couldn't be simpler (or much better!)

• Six to eight sweet Italian sausage links
• One medium-sized white onion
• One 24 oz jar of your favorite non-meat spaghetti sauce
• One can of mushrooms (your choice on size)

1. Clean kitchen and sink... Thoroughly wash hands
2. Slice and lightly saute onion
3. Place sausage in pot
4. Dump spaghetti sauce in crock pot
5. Drain 'shrooms and toss into the crock meister
6. Add onions
7. Mix
8. Heat on low for two to three hours or until the internal temp of the snausage links is 180F mixing now and then

See you by those tasty feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. To really make the meal pop, serve with a soft bulkie roll on the side...

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry, but I don't know how else to put this... Mr. Tom was clearly looking for Ms. Hen, and had the the snood, wattle, and beard to prove it. (And let's not forget the wonderful colorization of the noggin' as well as the fan!) But when all is said and done, I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder... If I were a female turkey, I wouldn't go near that guy even after he plied me with eternal promises of love, a fabulous dinner, and a twelve pack. (Wow! Who said that???)

That of course begs the question, "If I were a male turkey, what soul mate would I be searching for?" (I'll give you a hint - it sure wouldn't be Ms. Hen...) I think I'd shoot for the moon and hope for an open-minded Leda.... (I was going to insert a classic painting here, but after looking at umpteen paintings of Leda and her swan, I thought better of it. (What a bunch of "pervs"!)) So scratch the entire idea of me looking for a kindred feathered (or otherwise) significant other. I'd be a monk bird, or maybe a hermit bird.

You know... When this blog goes off the rails, it just goes all wonky...

See you by those Barry White feeders... Not!

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)