2009 Photo Gallery

Collection of photos of family, carving, weather shots, and many more. I will be adding new photos as we get them formatted for the web.
» Continue reading “Photo Gallery”

Christmas Tree Topper

Carved for Indiana grown basswood, this tree topper took two weeks to carve and two days to paint.
This project was carved from 2″ stock and measures 12″ in height. The stand is fashioned from #10 copper ground wire.
This project came from WoodCarving Illustrated.

Today I installed a WordPress plugin to post all my BLOG entries to twitter. This is the first test to see how this connection works.

Ok the test is compelte and the Twitter Tool plug in works like a charm. I would recommend thsi plugin to any WordPress blogger that is looking to become more visable in their posts.

Try it – Twitter Tools Plugin.

Creating a sidebar menu using Child Pages in WordPress

Trying to find the correct syntax to display a sidebar menu that shows all the “Child Pages” along with a custom title can be challenging.

Syntax

<li> <?php wp_list_pages(‘child_of=10&title_li=<h2>’ . __(‘Your Custom Menu Title Here’) . ‘</h2>’); ?></li>

Breaking down the code

» Continue reading “Word Press Child Page menu”

Using a strop is the key to keeping your carving tools razor sharp

When woodcarving keeping your tools sharp will produce clean cuts and makes the carving experience more enjoyable. The key in keeping your tools polished and razor sharp is the strop. A “Strop” is a piece of leather that is glued to a flat board. Polishing compound is often applied to the leather, this action is referred as “Loading” the strop.
Since my early days of carving I have always been told » Continue reading “Loading the strop”

The Jayland carving club meets every Wednesday eventing at the Jay Community Center in Portland Indiana. Sometimes in our club meetings we working on a common project, and I have the opportunity to instruct the club on carving these snowmen that are pictured. This project will start mid November of 2009 if you are interested.
In preparing for the class I needed to find 2″x2″x4.5″ Basswood for each club member. I turned to Heinecke Wood Products which is located » Continue reading “Carving wood – Basswood”

I am sick and tired of hearing marketers telling me to do something because the economy has down-turned!

» Continue reading “Marketers need to move on…”

My Made in USA Quest

I am starting a quest to find an electronic device that is fully, 100% manufactured in the good ol’ USA.

In my recent research on the internet dealing with WARN notices in Indiana, I started wondering about all the jobs that has left our country and moved to China, Mexico, Japan, Twain, or Malaysia. For those of you that are new to a WARN notice, it is …

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) was enacted on August 4, 1988 and became effective on February 4, 1989.
WARN offers protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. This notice must be provided to either affected workers or their representatives (e.g., a labor union); to the State dislocated worker unit; and to the appropriate unit of local government.
To read more about WARN notices visit the DOL website, Click here.

Ok where was I, oh yea, made in the USA. Since I work in the Information Technology field (IT) I started wondering if there are any Business Orientated Devices that are fully manufactured in the USA. In my quick internet search, I have come up with ZERO! Not One. Many are assembled, but not one device I looked at was 100% manufactured in the USA!

Now I ask for your help in my quest to find a business electronic device, that is 100% manufactured in the USA. Are we now that dependent of foreign goods and labor?

I recently attended a session of the Jayland Carving Club in Portland Indiana. I had a great time and the two hours flew by, as our instructor Kevin walked us through carving a caricature carving of a bear.
» Continue reading “Jayland Carving Club”

I have many folks as where do I come up with my carving wood supply.
The answer is everywhere!
I look for trees that need to be trimmed in my neighborhood. I have located three Butternut trees that I keep a very close eye on and if I hear a chainsaw running you bet I’ll be the good neighbor, I offered to assist when they trim those beauties.
Since I live in Indiana, Basswood trees grow everywhere. If you have a nature trail in your location take a walk, often you can find fallen limbs that can be saved from rotting away. Yes I know that the basswood that grows in Indiana is just now the same quality as what is grown in Minnesota or Wisconsin. When I want a really nice piece of straight grained basswood, I turn to a supplier from one of those states. I recommend Heinecke Wood Products because they offer a quality products and an inexpensive price. Don’t just take my word for it, check out their website at http://www.heineckewood.com.
Happy carving,
Jerry