Saturday, May 30, 2009

Book Arts Tools









I am pleased to announce the creation of my new blog: Randy J. Arnold: Handmade. The site will focus on Book Arts/Binding Tools. I plan to continue this site as well. As always, I welcome any thoughts, comments or suggestions.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Ebony Bone Folders




Images of a couple of ebony bone folders and box that I made for a great book artist and friend in Denver. Her father was a harpsichord maker. I was fortunate enough to get a tour of his shop and was given a large piece of the ebony that he made the keys from. I used some of that ebony for this project. I hope that it will be of some use.





Ebony Bone Folder: Ebony with pearl inlay.
Box: Spalted Oak (gathered locally), ebony, leather (locally tanned).

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

That Which Was Old Will Be New Again






With the cool spring we have been having here in Alabama, I've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and busying myself with a project that would soon be unbearable with the inevitable coming of the summer heat. Anyone who has not experienced summer in the deep south will just have to take my word for it.

Time to take care of the leaks in the roof.







Holes and nails patched...






covered with aluminum covering and finished. Hopefully the fixed roof will help protect the tools from rust.







Along the same theme, I decided to build a tool cabinet to protect some planes and saws from moisture. It gets very humid in the south, and a little bit of extra protection goes a long way.

I used some of the old boards that were saved when I put down a new floor last year. The old pine was rotten through much of the board, but I was able to salvage plenty to build the framework for the cabinet. The top and sides were from the old shelving on the side of the shop. Nice, thick old growth pine that I'm happy will see a new life and usefulness.

The floor boards were purchased locally, I imagine in the 1940's. I noticed the stamp E.E. Jackson Lumber.

The boards were cut and planed to uncover some beautiful wood underneath.








And here is the finished cabinet.








I keep this container of silica gel in the cabinet with the tools to protect them from any moisture.