Raising Bench Top Planer

I had the same problem, so I went  to a scrap car yard and got a car jack for $2.50. I brought 2 square tubes with one to fit inside the other ( not a sloppy fit; it must be a good fit ), welded  a plate across the top of the large tube and  drilled screw holes to be able to screw it to a shelf. I fitted this inside the bench and welded a bolt on the lower part to fit over the car jack. This will raise the outer tube fitted to the shelf. The smaller tube ( inside tube ) has 2 struts welded across the bottom end to be bolted to the base of the bench. As you can see in the photos, it can be raised and lowered by a cordless drill. The top of the bench can be removed when you need to use the planer.  Regards, Edward Honan. Queensland. Australia.

Candy Dish

I made this Candy dish for a Bamboo cutting board and some scrap Canary wood I had. This project was not turned, it was made using DeWalt 788 Scroll Saw and bowl sanders mounted in my drill press. The finish is 4 coats of shellac. The pattern for the Candy dish is from "Wooden Bowl from the Scroll Saw" by Carole Rothman (CLICK HERE to read our interview with Carole). - Daniel Maloney

Intarsia Dog Portraits

These are 2 custom intarsia collies I made for a family that rescues collies.  They usually have 10 at any given time.
 
Spirit is the first custom collie I made for them.  She's the blue merle. Some of the woods include blue pine, buckeye burl, western red cedar, ebony, aspen and butternut.
 
Miejek is the sable and white. It was quite a challenge to give the impression of her windswept fur as she stood looking out to the ocean.  Some of the woods I used in this piece are western red cedar, aspen, butternut, buckeye burl, blue pine and ebony.
 
Both are original designs I created from photographs provided by the dog's owners.  Each stands about 31" tall and are about life size. My next custom projects include several different cats.  The calico should be a real challenge! - Janette Square; Eugene, OR