So yesterday I received the check from Popular Woodworking for my End Grain article.
It just happens to follow my signing up for the $300 Chris Schwarz/Thomas Lie-Nielsen handplane class in April at Marc Adams Woodworking School.
Coincidence? No... I think not. More like fate!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
And Now I Can Talk About It...
In an earlier blog, I mentioned the present I'd made for someone on my wife's side of the family for Christmas. I couldn't talk about it at the time because the gift had not been presented yet.
It has since been presented. And now I can talk about it...
Unfortunately, as I was making this box along side the other box mentioned in a recent post, I don't have in-progress shots for this one, either. I guess my problem is that I don't think of writing several blogs for just one project. Ah, well. Maybe next time.
This project started out, as most of mine do, with one piece of wood. In this case, it was the curly mahogany lid - a board I picked up off eBay, along with some other similar-sized panels.
I enjoy buying from this seller. Since it is eBay, I can occasionally get a good price on some interesting wood, but mostly it is because he lives about seven blocks away from me, as the crow flies, and I can pick up my winnings on the way home from work, thus avoiding any shipping costs.
The maple compliments the lid quite well and I followed the curly mahogany thread with the keyed miters, lid lift, and internal dividers. I try to keep my boxes a little more on the simple side; it is purely opinion, but I've never found much attraction to the box made out of seven different species of wood.
I've recently decided to go "all Brusso" on my hinges. They are a little more expensive (ok, a lot more expensive), but they make up for it in ease of installation and in quality and I like the built-in 95 degree stop. I can usually save a bit more on them if I wait for WoodCraft's bag sale and get a 15% discount on whatever I can fit in a brown paper sack - that's when I clean out what butt hinges they have in stock.
(My wife always laughs when I say "butt hinge"... and she calls me the childish one!)
The inside of this box is the second I've lined with wool tartan and I'm highly pleased with how it turned out. This particular piece of Ancient Campbell tartan (with lots left over) came to me via my mother-in-law, who picked it up in Scotland when she was there in the 1960's. I quickly decided I wouldn't try centering the tartan pattern in the box. It doesn't have to be off by very much to look bad, so I just make sure the tartan stripes stay parallel to the edges of the box.
I applied several layers of shellac to the inside of the box prior to assembly and several layers of Waterlox to the rest of the box post assembly. I then finished the finish with four-ought steel wool and Renaissance wax.
The completed box went to my wife's uncle, Kevin. He seemed quite pleased with it. Although some of the construction was a bit tedious, given my workshop conditions and the time of year, the hardest part was bringing it from Saint Louis to Ohio, unscathed, on an airplane.
My only concern with this box is that I've set a precedence for future Christmases. On my wife's side of the family, we draw names for one gift to give under the guise of Secret Santa. Last year, I turned a cigar pen out of bog oak (and I thought turning osage orange was difficult!) for one of Dana's other uncles, George. I believe I one-upped myself with this box.
I suppose I'll have to maintain the status quo next year, won't I? On a bright note, unless we start driving up for Christmas, I'm at least limited by size in that it has to fit under the seat in front of me on the plane.
It has since been presented. And now I can talk about it...
Unfortunately, as I was making this box along side the other box mentioned in a recent post, I don't have in-progress shots for this one, either. I guess my problem is that I don't think of writing several blogs for just one project. Ah, well. Maybe next time.
This project started out, as most of mine do, with one piece of wood. In this case, it was the curly mahogany lid - a board I picked up off eBay, along with some other similar-sized panels.
I enjoy buying from this seller. Since it is eBay, I can occasionally get a good price on some interesting wood, but mostly it is because he lives about seven blocks away from me, as the crow flies, and I can pick up my winnings on the way home from work, thus avoiding any shipping costs.
The maple compliments the lid quite well and I followed the curly mahogany thread with the keyed miters, lid lift, and internal dividers. I try to keep my boxes a little more on the simple side; it is purely opinion, but I've never found much attraction to the box made out of seven different species of wood.
I've recently decided to go "all Brusso" on my hinges. They are a little more expensive (ok, a lot more expensive), but they make up for it in ease of installation and in quality and I like the built-in 95 degree stop. I can usually save a bit more on them if I wait for WoodCraft's bag sale and get a 15% discount on whatever I can fit in a brown paper sack - that's when I clean out what butt hinges they have in stock.
(My wife always laughs when I say "butt hinge"... and she calls me the childish one!)
The inside of this box is the second I've lined with wool tartan and I'm highly pleased with how it turned out. This particular piece of Ancient Campbell tartan (with lots left over) came to me via my mother-in-law, who picked it up in Scotland when she was there in the 1960's. I quickly decided I wouldn't try centering the tartan pattern in the box. It doesn't have to be off by very much to look bad, so I just make sure the tartan stripes stay parallel to the edges of the box.
I applied several layers of shellac to the inside of the box prior to assembly and several layers of Waterlox to the rest of the box post assembly. I then finished the finish with four-ought steel wool and Renaissance wax.
The completed box went to my wife's uncle, Kevin. He seemed quite pleased with it. Although some of the construction was a bit tedious, given my workshop conditions and the time of year, the hardest part was bringing it from Saint Louis to Ohio, unscathed, on an airplane.
My only concern with this box is that I've set a precedence for future Christmases. On my wife's side of the family, we draw names for one gift to give under the guise of Secret Santa. Last year, I turned a cigar pen out of bog oak (and I thought turning osage orange was difficult!) for one of Dana's other uncles, George. I believe I one-upped myself with this box.
I suppose I'll have to maintain the status quo next year, won't I? On a bright note, unless we start driving up for Christmas, I'm at least limited by size in that it has to fit under the seat in front of me on the plane.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Kilted Woodworker...
Picture this...
A large crowd of galoots (that would be hand-tool enthusiasts), milling about in unbifercated garments (tartan or contemporary), 2" slicks sticking out from the tops of their right leg stockings, attending demonstrations and classes on hand tool use and techniques. Rivalries aside, a MacDonald shares a workbench with a Campbell, both eager to learn from some of the masters of the trade. After a morning of classes and lectures and a hearty lunch of haggis and shepherd's pie, friendly competitions begin in a nearby field.
Welcome to the first annual Neanderthal Kilted Woodworking Conference!
Obviously, picking the proper location would be crucial to such a gathering. We could hold it in Dublin, OH, Aberdeen, MD, or Ayr, NE.
In addition to the normal classes on mortise/tenon and dovetail joinery, using hand saws, sharpening, and tuning hand planes, we could have demonstrations with titles like:
Tapering Your Caber With Spokeshaves
How Sharp Is Sharp? Methods Of Shearing Sheep With A Chisel
The Shop Apron vs. The Sporran
Carve Your Own Sgian Dubh Handle
Installing Crown Moulding While Kilted (a lesson from the Modest Woodworker Series)
Finish The Finish - Rubbing Out Shellac With Sheep Wool
Friendly competitions might include:
Maydole Hammer Throw - Like the traditional hammer throw, but with a 16 oz. hammer instead of a 16 lb. hammer. Slightly farther distances should be expected.
Pipe-Clamp Toss - A long, black pipe clamp is stood upright and hoisted by the competitor, where it is balanced in the vertical position. It is then thrown in such a way so that it turns end over end and strikes the ground, falling away from the athlete. Points are scored according to how close the clamp comes to landing in the 12 o'clock position.
Stanley Transitional Plane Put - A take on the traditional stone put, this is a nod to the legendary Patrick Leach and a great way to put some of these old tools to good, and final, use.
Throwing Chisels - Competitors attempt to stick their old pitted chisels in a target at 30 paces. The target? An effigy of Norm Abrhams - this is a neanderthal conference, after all!
Most importantly, we could discuss the pleasures of the complete freedom one can only achieve by using hand tools while being kilted.
A large crowd of galoots (that would be hand-tool enthusiasts), milling about in unbifercated garments (tartan or contemporary), 2" slicks sticking out from the tops of their right leg stockings, attending demonstrations and classes on hand tool use and techniques. Rivalries aside, a MacDonald shares a workbench with a Campbell, both eager to learn from some of the masters of the trade. After a morning of classes and lectures and a hearty lunch of haggis and shepherd's pie, friendly competitions begin in a nearby field.
Welcome to the first annual Neanderthal Kilted Woodworking Conference!
Obviously, picking the proper location would be crucial to such a gathering. We could hold it in Dublin, OH, Aberdeen, MD, or Ayr, NE.
In addition to the normal classes on mortise/tenon and dovetail joinery, using hand saws, sharpening, and tuning hand planes, we could have demonstrations with titles like:
Tapering Your Caber With Spokeshaves
How Sharp Is Sharp? Methods Of Shearing Sheep With A Chisel
The Shop Apron vs. The Sporran
Carve Your Own Sgian Dubh Handle
Installing Crown Moulding While Kilted (a lesson from the Modest Woodworker Series)
Finish The Finish - Rubbing Out Shellac With Sheep Wool
Friendly competitions might include:
Maydole Hammer Throw - Like the traditional hammer throw, but with a 16 oz. hammer instead of a 16 lb. hammer. Slightly farther distances should be expected.
Pipe-Clamp Toss - A long, black pipe clamp is stood upright and hoisted by the competitor, where it is balanced in the vertical position. It is then thrown in such a way so that it turns end over end and strikes the ground, falling away from the athlete. Points are scored according to how close the clamp comes to landing in the 12 o'clock position.
Stanley Transitional Plane Put - A take on the traditional stone put, this is a nod to the legendary Patrick Leach and a great way to put some of these old tools to good, and final, use.
Throwing Chisels - Competitors attempt to stick their old pitted chisels in a target at 30 paces. The target? An effigy of Norm Abrhams - this is a neanderthal conference, after all!
Most importantly, we could discuss the pleasures of the complete freedom one can only achieve by using hand tools while being kilted.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
It's About Bloody Time!
Does it ever seem like you just can't find the time to do the things you REALLY want to do? Between the regular job and the part-time job and getting ready for Christmas and trying to take care of all the house chores, it seems like I haven't done any woodworking in forever!
But over the past few weeks, I've been able to sneak into the shop (and garage, since the "shop" doesn't really exist yet and I'm using the space in the basement where the previous owner had his shop situated) to work on some Christmas presents. One of them is a present for someone on my wife's side of the family, so I can't really talk about it yet (per some of them read my blog...). I'll be sure to post some pictures of that post-Christ's Birthday. The other is for a guy in Alabama who was directed to me, either by searching and finding my old website or through an acquaintance in Scotland who has directed people my way before. He wanted me to make a sgian dubh box for someone for a Christmas present (I suspect his father).
It was a bit short notice, but I figured I'd be able to fit it in, since I would already be making something for the aforementioned family member and it's easier to work on two projects at once when you have all the tools out and the shop-time motivation going at full steam.
I struggle with in-process photos and for that I do apologize. Even if I remember to bring the camera into the shop with me, I usually forget to pull it out until after I've completed most of the process. I do, however, usually get a few shots off before I send the box to the new owner.
But over the past few weeks, I've been able to sneak into the shop (and garage, since the "shop" doesn't really exist yet and I'm using the space in the basement where the previous owner had his shop situated) to work on some Christmas presents. One of them is a present for someone on my wife's side of the family, so I can't really talk about it yet (per some of them read my blog...). I'll be sure to post some pictures of that post-Christ's Birthday. The other is for a guy in Alabama who was directed to me, either by searching and finding my old website or through an acquaintance in Scotland who has directed people my way before. He wanted me to make a sgian dubh box for someone for a Christmas present (I suspect his father).
It was a bit short notice, but I figured I'd be able to fit it in, since I would already be making something for the aforementioned family member and it's easier to work on two projects at once when you have all the tools out and the shop-time motivation going at full steam.
I struggle with in-process photos and for that I do apologize. Even if I remember to bring the camera into the shop with me, I usually forget to pull it out until after I've completed most of the process. I do, however, usually get a few shots off before I send the box to the new owner.
This latest project was a sgian dubh presentation box for a Rab Gordon sgian dubh. The completion of this box makes it my third Rab Gordon sgian dubh presentation box and I always look forward to the next one!
Lately, I've been trying to do what I call "recycled" woodworking. All of the wood in this box was reclaimed from other sources. The white oak sides, bottom, and lid are all 100 year old sheathing from an old house my brother and I dismantled on the family farm. A friend of mine dimensions it for me, which he doesn't mind doing because this wood was found between the framing and the clapboard siding and thus protected from the elements. Before it is cleaned up, it really just looks like old wood - no graying or weathering of any kind.
The other wood I used in this box is reclaimed bog oak from England. This wood comes from Roman-period Londinium (present day London). It is oak that was used by the Romans to make piers along the Thames river. Since then, the river has shifted course by several hundred yards and the wood was preserved in a bog-like atmosphere. The tanic acids in the oak react with the chemicals in the oxygen-poor bog and preserve the wood while turning it a wonderful dark black.
It is hard to come by and expensive to ship over from England and Ireland, so I use it sparingly. In this case, I used it in the mitered keys and the lid lift. I would have liked to inlay some into the lid, but I just ran out of time.
Although I use some power tools for things like dimensioning the wood and cutting the grooves for lid and bottom, I used hand tools for fitting the hinges (Brusso butt hinges with 95 degree stops) and the lid lift. I recently picked up a Record 043 and a Record 044 plough plane, so in the future I'd like to cut the grooves by hand, as well. I just haven't had time to get the blades sharpened up and play around with them a bit to make sure I'm good with the techniques. You don't want to practice that on a time-limited project!
But I did try out something new I've wanted to do for a while. The sgian dubh is the small knife worn in the kilt hose, generally going along with a full kilted outfit. I usually line my boxes with suede cloth or green felt or some such thing, but recently I thought of lining them (especially when they are sgian dubh presentation boxes) with tartan material! This ties in well with the Scottish theme.
So I contacted Kathy Lare, a kilt maker living in New Mexico, and asked her if I could purchase several larger swatches of Universal tartans (tartans that can be worn by anyone without much contention, like Pride of Scotland, Royal Stewart, Irish National or Caledonia). She agreed and ended up sending me a generous amount of tartan that should keep me happy for a while.
I told the good doctor ordering this last box about my idea and asked if he would be interested in having a tartan lining. I indicated what I had available, but had a last-minute epiphany and also suggested if he had some of his own family tartan laying about that I could use that, instead!
He said he would be able to get some of his family tartan and forward it on to me tout suit!
Though I wish I'd had a bit more time to work on some additional features, like an inlay of some type in the lid, I'm quite pleased with the end result. Plus, it felt REALLY good to get back in the shop, even the freezing cold periods of working in the garage.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Best $25 I Spend On Woodworking Every Year...
My yearly membership to the St. Louis Woodworker’s Guild is $25. For that small investment, I receive a fruitful and amazing return by way of contacts, mentors, resources, lectures, lessons, assistance, knowledge, opportunities and instruction.
Contacts: I now have a friend just 15 minutes away who owns his own sawmill and kiln. He sells wood for a fraction of the cost of one of those big box stores and sometimes offers woods for sale that I’d never find in a lumber store, like the board of quilted box elder I’ve squirreled away in the back of my shop. He also happens to be a full-time cabinet- and furniture-maker, so I have an excellent resource for information, as well. (Incidentally, his favorite technique for aging cherry is through the use of lye.)
Mentors: An even shorter distance away from me is another member of the guild who has taken me under his woodworking wing. I have access to most of his tools (which is nice when it comes to things like the wide-belt sander and the lathe, two things I have neither the money nor the room for in my small shop), but more importantly, I have access to his years of knowledge and experience. I learn new tips and techniques every time I’m in his shop. Together, we are exploring new areas of woodworking in which neither of us has any experience, such as veneering!
Resources: With my membership, I get full access to our guild’s extensive library. I can check out any number of books or magazines for a month at a time. We have several hundred from which to choose and a few new books get added every month.
Lectures: Our 11 monthly meetings (every month but December) always include a lecture or demonstration by a professional woodworker or guild member. While they might not always involve something I will ever actually do (like how to build a boat), I can often find several pieces of useful information to take away with me.
Lessons: Although I hate to see my fellow woodworker get injured, I try to put their pain to good use by learning from their mistakes, rather than making them myself. Two lessons that stand out are when I learned how not to cut an opening into a zero-clearance insert and an improper use of a tapering jig.
Assistance and Knowledge: I now have a whole pool of professional and hobbyist woodworkers available to me at least once a month to ask for advice or assistance on a woodworking problem or dilemma I might have.
Opportunities: I recently took over the position of editor for the guild’s newsletter. This gives me the opportunity to combine two passions of mine – woodworking and writing. All that’s missing from the formula for a perfect job is a salary!
Instruction: My membership allows me opportunities for advanced learning, such as we had several years ago when Mark Adams hosted a three-day workshop for guild members. I was really excited to learn through such instruction I might not normally get to experience because of financial limitations. The following March, we had Frank Klausz come in for a two-day seminar. Again, I had the opportunity to learn from one of the great living woodworkers of our time. Coming up this next March is a seminar on finishes hosted by Jeff Jewitt – the learning never stops!
My $25 does not buy me a tool or product to drastically simplify my woodworking. But with a little extra effort on my part, I can make that yearly fee affect so many people, including myself, that I will gladly and willingly pay for the privilege to be a part of such a community for as long as I live in St. Louis. If you are not yet a member of a woodworking guild, I highly recommend tracking one down in your area and checking them out.
Contacts: I now have a friend just 15 minutes away who owns his own sawmill and kiln. He sells wood for a fraction of the cost of one of those big box stores and sometimes offers woods for sale that I’d never find in a lumber store, like the board of quilted box elder I’ve squirreled away in the back of my shop. He also happens to be a full-time cabinet- and furniture-maker, so I have an excellent resource for information, as well. (Incidentally, his favorite technique for aging cherry is through the use of lye.)
Mentors: An even shorter distance away from me is another member of the guild who has taken me under his woodworking wing. I have access to most of his tools (which is nice when it comes to things like the wide-belt sander and the lathe, two things I have neither the money nor the room for in my small shop), but more importantly, I have access to his years of knowledge and experience. I learn new tips and techniques every time I’m in his shop. Together, we are exploring new areas of woodworking in which neither of us has any experience, such as veneering!
Resources: With my membership, I get full access to our guild’s extensive library. I can check out any number of books or magazines for a month at a time. We have several hundred from which to choose and a few new books get added every month.
Lectures: Our 11 monthly meetings (every month but December) always include a lecture or demonstration by a professional woodworker or guild member. While they might not always involve something I will ever actually do (like how to build a boat), I can often find several pieces of useful information to take away with me.
Lessons: Although I hate to see my fellow woodworker get injured, I try to put their pain to good use by learning from their mistakes, rather than making them myself. Two lessons that stand out are when I learned how not to cut an opening into a zero-clearance insert and an improper use of a tapering jig.
Assistance and Knowledge: I now have a whole pool of professional and hobbyist woodworkers available to me at least once a month to ask for advice or assistance on a woodworking problem or dilemma I might have.
Opportunities: I recently took over the position of editor for the guild’s newsletter. This gives me the opportunity to combine two passions of mine – woodworking and writing. All that’s missing from the formula for a perfect job is a salary!
Instruction: My membership allows me opportunities for advanced learning, such as we had several years ago when Mark Adams hosted a three-day workshop for guild members. I was really excited to learn through such instruction I might not normally get to experience because of financial limitations. The following March, we had Frank Klausz come in for a two-day seminar. Again, I had the opportunity to learn from one of the great living woodworkers of our time. Coming up this next March is a seminar on finishes hosted by Jeff Jewitt – the learning never stops!
My $25 does not buy me a tool or product to drastically simplify my woodworking. But with a little extra effort on my part, I can make that yearly fee affect so many people, including myself, that I will gladly and willingly pay for the privilege to be a part of such a community for as long as I live in St. Louis. If you are not yet a member of a woodworking guild, I highly recommend tracking one down in your area and checking them out.
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Ten Cannots
The following is often inappropriately attributed to Abraham Lincoln per a leaflet misprint in 1942. Several versions can be found on-line, but the original was penned by William J. H. Boetcker in 1916...
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence.
And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.
- William J. H. Boetcker
I would like to add one more...
You cannot imagine how great it feels to have another person like something you've created enough to actually PAY you for it!
I get that same feeling of bewilderment and joy blended into one every time someone buys a piece I've made. I guess my critical eye sees faults they don't and wonders why someone would buy such drivel. I hope that feeling (the one of bewilderment and joy, not of drivel) never gets old!
The last time I felt that way was... when was that again? Oh, it was yesterday afternoon! Megan Fitzpatrick had e-mailed me to let me know one of the articles I'd submitted to Popular Woodworking for their Out Of The Woodwork contest was picked as a runner up! They want to pay me for the first publish rights to it! So now someone wants to pay me for the words I've written! More importantly, I think, is that I can now say I've been published. :)
That totally made my year!
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence.
And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.
- William J. H. Boetcker
I would like to add one more...
You cannot imagine how great it feels to have another person like something you've created enough to actually PAY you for it!
I get that same feeling of bewilderment and joy blended into one every time someone buys a piece I've made. I guess my critical eye sees faults they don't and wonders why someone would buy such drivel. I hope that feeling (the one of bewilderment and joy, not of drivel) never gets old!
The last time I felt that way was... when was that again? Oh, it was yesterday afternoon! Megan Fitzpatrick had e-mailed me to let me know one of the articles I'd submitted to Popular Woodworking for their Out Of The Woodwork contest was picked as a runner up! They want to pay me for the first publish rights to it! So now someone wants to pay me for the words I've written! More importantly, I think, is that I can now say I've been published. :)
That totally made my year!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Making My Own Tools - The Street Sweeper Tine
Quite a few months ago, while crossing a parking lot, a glint of metal caught my eye. I picked it up and gave it a quick examination. It was about 1/8" wide, around 1/16" to 1/32" thick, and a little more than 5" long. One end of it was square, like it had been broken off after repeated flexing back and forth. The other end was rounded, like a single-edge knife blade.
I stared at it for 10 seconds or so before I realized what it was - a tine from a street sweeper brush.
I wondered if I might be able to put it to good use, so I stuck it in my backpack and continued on my way. Ever since then, I'll glance down every now and again when I'm walking through a parking lot to see if I can spot any more. As of now, I have a collection of about seven or eight tines of various lengths - most of them are six inches long or longer.
I don't know if the metal will hold an edge. It feels a lot like spring steel, which makes me think it might. So one of the first things I need to do is take a diamond stone to one of them and see what kind of edge I can put on it. If that works, then maybe I'd be able to put them in a handle and create some small chisel-like tools for cleaning out detailed areas of carvings or removing bits from string inlay channels.
If they're thin enough, maybe I could figure out some way to sharpen up the shortest edge and use it to help with running string inlays by holding it in a scratch stock.
If they don't hold an edge, I wonder if I might be able to use them in some sort of leather work. I'd like to some day try my hand at making a sporran - maybe I could use the tines as ribs or "stays" like they have in shirt collars, like for the sporran flap. Or in some other part of the construction where it would be useful to maintain the shape.
I like the idea of trying to take something like that and putting it to good use. Maybe you can think of something I haven't? If so, let me know. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
I stared at it for 10 seconds or so before I realized what it was - a tine from a street sweeper brush.
I wondered if I might be able to put it to good use, so I stuck it in my backpack and continued on my way. Ever since then, I'll glance down every now and again when I'm walking through a parking lot to see if I can spot any more. As of now, I have a collection of about seven or eight tines of various lengths - most of them are six inches long or longer.
I don't know if the metal will hold an edge. It feels a lot like spring steel, which makes me think it might. So one of the first things I need to do is take a diamond stone to one of them and see what kind of edge I can put on it. If that works, then maybe I'd be able to put them in a handle and create some small chisel-like tools for cleaning out detailed areas of carvings or removing bits from string inlay channels.
If they're thin enough, maybe I could figure out some way to sharpen up the shortest edge and use it to help with running string inlays by holding it in a scratch stock.
If they don't hold an edge, I wonder if I might be able to use them in some sort of leather work. I'd like to some day try my hand at making a sporran - maybe I could use the tines as ribs or "stays" like they have in shirt collars, like for the sporran flap. Or in some other part of the construction where it would be useful to maintain the shape.
I like the idea of trying to take something like that and putting it to good use. Maybe you can think of something I haven't? If so, let me know. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
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