Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Battleship Row

The Great White Fleet revisited




Delivered to the shipyard was a 2x4 and a maple limb


The 2x4 was planed...



cut...



measured, marked, shaped...



and sanded...



producing five hulls.

Now it was the maple limb's turn.


It was cut...



turned...



cut again...


and sanded.



The ships are starting to take shape.



The main guns were glued into the big turrets.



Pockets were drilled for the secondary guns.



A perfect fit for the battery.



Then came the assembly of the superstructure and masts.



Ready for priming and painting.










Ready for sale at the 42nd annual Boonesborough Days art and craft fair.

Monday, February 18, 2013

My own defense plant

Factory Tour!


I shut my unheated shop down for the winter but by February I start to get pretty antsy about getting back to "work" out there.

Here's a little tour of Victory Wood Working, my own defense plant ca. 1942

When I converted my underutilized garage into a woodshop I decided to give it a distinct look, to create some sort of pleasing environment.  Victory Wood Working was the result.


Its a nice well-lit space where everything fits and there's plenty of elbow room.  Machinery against two walls, work benches on the another and the table saw and jointer-planer in the middle.

Every plant tour starts at the time clock and here's mine.  Friend that visit the first time fill out a time card under the benevolent gaze of FDR.



The calendar is stopped at April of 1942.



This is "machinery row"  Each machine has its own locker for bits, blades, belts, adjustment tools, and accessories.

Pretend workers populate the factory.  This is the locker for Inez the scroll-saw operator.


And here is the locker of Vic, the lathe operator.  His tastes run to the risque.




Me, filling in for Vic



Art deco pedestals support some of the machinery, in this instance the mortiser.




The bulletin board features VWW employees currently in uniform fighting the Axis.



There's plenty of easily accessible storage, here for table saw blades...


and here,  for clamps, of which you can never have enough.



This locker has safety equipment and period posters admonishing workers to work safely.



The exterior of the tool-room has a first aid station as well as a magazine rack...


complete with catalogues and magazines from 1942.



VWW, you'll be happy to know, is an equal opportunity employer.



See the video here:



I can't wait until spring and many more projects out in the shop.

Okay everybody...


back to work!