It's all about the jigs. Instead of repairing the #kine (Japanese mallets) for the Japan-Virginia Society, I finally got around to building the jigs needed to make all new ones. When you need perfect 4" cylinders and you aren't much of a turner - build a jig. Gotta get that taper on the handles to perfectly match the taper in the head - build two jigs. These kine are used as part of #mochitsuki - a festival for making #mochi. I wasn't able to attend this event in Richmond but I hear they had a great time. I'm looking forward to our next mochitsuki in #lynchburgva.

It probably comes as no surprise but HCH will be shut down this week. The alley and parking lot are a block of ice on top of a layer of snow. I drove on top of it and didn't break through. And no, I don't feel like busting it all up and shoveling for days. The good news is, when things get back to normal I have some baltic birch in stock (18mm, 12mm, and 3mm) as well as some nice 4/4 ambrosia maple and a reload of ash (4/4, 5/4, 8/4). There are a couple 4/4 ash boards that are 16"+ wide!

Some interesting options came on the truck last week. Reloaded inventory of wormy ash (4/4), rustic cherry is back in the house (4/4), and I got a great deal on some 4" x 8ft prefinished rubberwood drawer sides - half price!

Got my hands on a couple more Applebee's tabletops. They make great work surfaces. $125 ea for the larger, $75 for the smaller. I'm also doing a bunch of spring cleaning (yeah, I know I'm late) so keep your eyes on FB Marketplace. Vertical panel saw, hauncher, ebac kiln, pin router, spray booth, belsaw planer, and more.

End of an era. While I'm sad to see @davidmahler move out of the shop, I'm glad that his business continues to grow and he's able to bring his work life closer to his home life. I'm also glad that we've become friends over these last several years. Most importantly this move affords him the opportunity to be present for his family. If you need renovation/restoration work, put David at the top of your list. Send him and his family good thoughts.

Finally got in some 6/4 walnut. Also some beautiful 15ft 4/4 sapele, and very nice 13/16 S3S soft maple. Back in the shop next Wednesday.

Hey gang, I have some miscellaneous tools to sell. I'll start listing a few at a time on FB Marketplace. Here's example #1: Ryobi oscillating spindle sander with stand. Multiple spindles, table inserts, extra sleeves, spindle wrench, 120v, works great. $150 cash. This was our sander in the shop but I recently snagged a larger one.

Sold my car and got a 2nd mortgage on the house but I got a little more 4/4 and 5/4 walnut in.

Looks like a yard sale in the shop. Three truckloads of supplies, materials, and tools were recently dropped off. The vast majority is destined for @lynchburg_cte and @lcsedfoundation Tools4Schools. However, there are several handplanes (Woodriver, Veritas, Lie-Nielsen) that will be for sale. Probably around 70% of retail. I'm still organizing so they should be ready next week. Warning - my weird schedule (wed-fri) will be weirder next week. I'll be off Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. When Metallica comes to VA Tech, you take some time off.

Snow days are good days to switch out those knives.

It's that time of year when I do a little repair on these Japanese mallets called kine. They're used to pound rice to make mochi. If anyone has a large elm log, text me. I would like to eventually build the bowl (usu) that is used in this process. Also on the hunt for 5x5 or larger sections of hardwoods to build more kine (I didn't make the ones in the pictures)

This is shop life, y'all. A nice contrast between indoor temps this morning vs. our record high last summer. "Everything in moderation" doesn't apply here. I've been pretty quiet on the socials but I'm still here. Probably gonna stick with the Wed - Fri schedule for now. I'll post more about that later on. Shop will be closed tomorrow (1/24) due to an out of town trip. Monday I'll put in an order for Thursday delivery so let me know if you need any sheet goods.

The @central_va_ww_guild is giving us an early Christmas gift. See before from president Matt Miller. Our last meeting of 2024 will be held at Randy Smith’s Hill City Hardwoods shop in Lynchburg on Thursday, 12 December 2024 at 7:30PM. We will have professional woodworker / craftsman Craig Thibodeau presenting a gallery of his works. For those unfamiliar with his works, Mr. Thibodeau creates intricate marquetry puzzle furniture. He’s also a frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking and a prolific author. Follow the links below for details of his work.

Got a wood delivery yesterday, but not the kind you're interested in. Now it's time to move and stack a couple cords. I'll spread the work out over a couple days but I've thrown away the lid to the ibuprofen bottle in preparation.

Nucky says it's time for a Guild meeting. Matt Miller says it too; see below. The next Guild meeting will be held at Randy Smith’s shop on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 730PM. We don’t have a host for this meeting so please bring any recent projects (completed or in-progress!) and we will do a show and tell. See you there! Matt

Teaser Alert! There's a chance I may be able to get my hands on some of this 4/4 wormy ash. It almost looks like reclaimed lumber but you don't have to worry about hitting metal. Plus, we know how well ash takes stain, so your options are endless. I'll let you know as soon as I know.

Good news, bad news. Good News. Hidden in that pack of plywood is one special sheet. I have access to a limited supply of 12mm and 18mm baltic birch. Grade bb/bb, meaning there are patches on front and back (fewer on the front). Interestingly, the available stock is all 4x8 sheets instead of the more typical 5x5. Price is around $85 for the 12mm. I don't have any on hand but will be ordering some if you're interested. Also got in some specially graded 4/4 walnut that is much more clear than FAS and has much less sap. Bad news. Changing shop hours from now until late November. HCH will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, open Wednesday through Friday. I'll update the Google page to reflect this. Sorry for the inconvenience. Text me if you have a special need and we'll work it out.

Check out this amazing cutting board made by Sam Maddox. Can't wait to see what it looks like after he applies some oil.

Yes, the forklift is finally back in action!! Lumber deliveries are back on track. Those 8/4 sapele boards look like toothpicks on top of the 12/4 boards. The 12/4 boards are 14ft so I'll be knocking them down to 7ft. Message me ASAP if you need the length. Lots of 4/4 poplar, 4/4 hard maple, 6/4 ash and 13/16 soft maple. Yes, it's hot. Text before coming because I've been leaving a little early. I may take Thursday or Friday off but I'll try to get that up on the Google page as soon as I make a decision. Stay safe.

Just another one of those days. Trying to get everything organized for tonight's Guild meeting. Then 1000 bdft of lumber shows up that needs to be scaled, inventoried, and racked. Then the forklift sprouts a leak and smokes enough to bring out an extinguisher just in case. Then the rain comes. Barbershop roof has a leak. Could be worse. I could still be prairie-dogging in a cubicle farm. Reminder - Guild meeting tonight at 7:30.