Solenoid Engine

Posted on March 7, 2020 by joel
One of things I've tried to make on the metal lathe was this little solenoid engine. This video was taken during the process of building it - I have since cleaned it up and made it prettier. But it was cool just to see it move!


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It Is Your Birthday

Posted on March 7, 2020 by joel
My birthday was last week, and when I came home from work my daughter had put up this sign in my bedroom. It's a joke from The Office, when Dwight throws Kelly a birthday party and makes a sign like this - not even an exclamation point! :)


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Origami Wall Art

Posted on March 7, 2020 by joel

I recently made this cool origami wall art for our living room. It's built using Sonobe origami modules, assembled in a sheet. I used scrapbooking cardstock for the paper, so each sheet was 12 inches x 12 inches - so these modules are pretty big!

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Cookie Jar

Posted on March 7, 2020 by joel

Made a new cookie jar for the dog's treats. I really like the way the top color dripped and thickened near the transition between the two glazes.

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Pallet Sunset

Posted on January 12, 2020 by joel
We needed something new to hang above our bed. I had a bunch of wood I had salvaged from the pallets that the upstairs flooring and my new lathe came on, so I decided to try to make some sort of decorative art piece out of pallet wood for the wall - I figured if it didn't come out good enough, I could just hang it in the workshop instead. :) But thankfully it came out pretty good!


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Couple of Cute Moments

Posted on January 12, 2020 by joel
Here are a couple of random cute photos we got of the dog lately. In the photo on the left, she was taking a break after utterly *destroying* a stuffed toy we got her. In the one on the right, she is laying in Sean's bed and soaking up the son - but I love the way her back legs are strung out behind her, rather than being tucked up under her like normal.


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Upstairs Floors

Posted on January 12, 2020 by joel

Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks I put down a floating hardwood floor in all of the bedrooms (plus the hallway) upstairs. I'd been wanting to do it since we moved in, to get rid of the old stained and nasty carpets that were in all of the bedrooms. I still have a few thresholds to install, but it's essentially done!

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Feathered Ice

Posted on January 12, 2020 by joel
I came outside one morning to leave for work, and there was this really amazing, feathery ice pattern all across the roof of my car. The picture doesn't really due it justice - it was incredibly intricate and delicate.


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More Mugs!

Posted on January 12, 2020 by joel
Another bunch of mugs I made to give away at our Christmas party. I've been experimenting with different surface textures and forms, and a few new glazes.


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Udvar-Hazy Center

Posted on January 12, 2020 by joel
During a work trip to Washington D.C. this past fall, I went to check out a museum I hadn't seen before - the Udvar-Hazy extension to the National Air and Space Museum. This is the place where they keep all the stuff that is too big for the main Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. They've got the Blackbird (SR-71) there, plus a Space Shuttle! It was pretty amazing. They've also got a place where you can look in on the workshop where they do all the restorations before things go out for display.


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