It has been awhile since my last entry, so my apologies.

April and May were very busy for me.

I did some grading for a fellow Tonewood manufacturer, and as usual, loved it.

Up to my elbows in guitar tops and happy as a kid at Christmas.

It is good when you feel passion in your chosen profession! (it doesn't feel so much like work)

My son and I are getting ready for a 400km cycling trip, so were are spending lots of time pulling wedgies.

(Yes we have ordered some bike shorts)

We will be stopping at a few fellow players along the way, including Dan Minard from Raincoast Tonewood in Powel River.

Our route  will take up Island to Courtenay/Comox, over to Powel River, down to Gibson, across to Vancouver, back to Nanaimo,

then, back up to Qualicum Beach.  If there is anyone along that route that would like a visit from "the wood lady", (that's me), let

me know, and I will see if I can put you on the itinerary.

Till next time,

Bev

'A "Chilli" Afternoon in March'.  Your Chilli eating ability would make your Mamma Proud!!

Just a few photos to share

Note the shrub..Japanese Ornimental Cedar, Thank you Mike and Lorraine!

Dianne and Earl, the cookies were...gone!!

And a note that the next Chilli date will include a musical covercharge.  I want to see instruments people!!

Our thanks to Brian for his wonderful rendition of 'Sharp dressed Man' by ZZ Top, (below)

and to my own talented boy Tyler for supplying those comfy maple benches.

This next one below is dedicated to Arlen, Matt, Jeff, Josh, Chris, and Tyler from Summit.

Man...that was good Chilli!!!

Thanks again everyone

My Blog to be specific.

Thank you Bob for pointing out one of my many flaws,..bad spelling!

Spelling something as simple as "technical", shouldn't be rocket science...should it??

I think I have forgotten to use spell check once or twice, but it kind of goes hand in hand back to the times when you actually had to open a dictionary or use your brain to remember how a word was spelt. (which can be 'spelled' both ways...I looked it up in the dictionary)

This topic is kind of a metaphor for all the technology that we have become accustomed to.

Bending iron vs. bending blanket and mold

Vacuum press vs. clamp

PVA glue vs. Fish glue or Hyde glue

...Acoustic vs. electric???

I better leave that one alone!

You can see where I am going with this.  All this "stuff" we do, doesn't have to be technical...that is just the way things are now.

God forbid that I would need to use my kids' Ipod!!  It is waaaaaay more simple to turn on the radio, or drop in a CD

Call me old fashioned,  but at the end of day when the batteries in the calculator are dead...I can still count! 

(I know...use a Solar powered calculator)

Maybe it's a good idea to remember back to those times when the English teacher said, "Proof read EVERYTHING".

(yes people,.. that was before spell check)

Point taken.

Maybe it's because our kids are on Spring break?!   It's a little more challenging to get any tangable work done 'when the phone is ringing, the dogs are barking, there is someone knocking on the door, and just a second,..was that a #2 Cedar or a Special grade?...Mom...have you seen my other shoe?

Either way you look at it, the after Christmas blues are over!  And things are coming back to life.

I have been keeping tabs on the students at Summit Guitar School, and have been passing on my own version of a Tonewood education to them. I figure these luthierie students are my customers of the future, so when they get home after their 1 year master program is finished, they can call on someone they know and trust for their tonewood. Good plan right? 

To my delight, I find that I learn as much from the students and staff at Summit, as they learn from me. 

Some of you know that I have been experimenting with wood "UNbending".  I have had some successes, and some..not so much.  So far, the most successfull method is the hot iron. And yes Mother...the flat iron is in the shop where it belongs!

I had some inventory that arrived buckled, warped, cupped, and twisted. (did I forget anything?)  So I took it upon myself, just for fun, to undo the damage.  Hot water baths worked with limited success, but the steam iron, (proctor silex), was the ticket.

Once the side was "Unbent", I stickered it and weighted it down with my "Highly tencnical" weight system, (Cinder blocks), and let it sit for a day or two.  Works like a charm!

I also had some cupped and warped Maple Back sets, but the hot water bath and stickering method worked best for them.

For now, I think  Pete Seeger said it best,..

"Education is what you get when you read the fine print.

Experience is what you get if you don't!"

25 glueups later, with my favorite toy, (the string clamp), I am pretty darn good at it. 

Taking the advice of a good friend of mine, (Dan Minard aka. Raincoast Tonewood),  I dug out my old rusty #5 Stanley hand plane, and gave it a serious tune up.      We're talking, machining the sides to make it perfectly 90 degrees to the sole, and removing most of the pitting caused by years and years of serious neglect.  (It was grandpa's)  Sharpening the blade...yes I tried it for a couple of days...no, I was not successful.  (unless a radius is normal!)  Declan Industries in Whiskey Creek rescued the poor thing and saved it from becoming a shoe horn, so now it is 'hair removal' sharp, and very straight.

My prototype Shooting board is more or less permanent, until I need another challenge.

And then...I tried glueing up Hardwood. (Western Broad Leaf Maple~ Flat Sawn...)

I can see that I will need a few more days, to contemplate my mistakes!..

When I crawl out from under this Epiphanic experience, I will try another and let you know how it goes.

I do this all in the name of being informed, and maybe I will have something to teach you when you ask.

For now,

Stay Tuned.

Bev

I want to take this opportunity to send my praise and heartfelt thank you's to all my luthier friends and customers.

Obviously, without your support and feedback, I would not be looking forward to another successful year in tonewood.

So far, even with the global economy in the midst of a giant black hole, 2010 to date is looking at about a 60% increase in sales since November!!  Either November '09 and December '09 were really bad, or January and Feb 2010 were really good.  Take your pick.

Now that that is out of the way...let me tell you about what we've been up to.     

Taking stock of inventory is always a chore that no one enjoys.  In a situation where there is only one person doing the sales, purchasing, sanding, grading, trimming, dishes, ect., inventory is waaaaaaay down the list of things to do. However,..it's got to be done.

Finding out what I have tucked away in the back of the inventory shelves is kind of like finding easter eggs!!   Coming across those AAA Sitka, and sparkly HAA Engelmann just about makes me squeal like a little girl at Christmas!   I will probably find another hole to tuck those tops into, waiting for the right luthier to come along and reinvent them into a playable masterpiece. (maybe that is you??)

For now, may all your G-strings remain intact,

take care,  Bev

There is still more to come, but this a great start.