Bath Caddy – Daniel D. Brown, 2018

I finally completed this bath caddy for @tam_a_ryn. I think she likes it. It’s inspired by @wilker_dos’s design. I watched her build video a while back for a rough idea and just made something similar on the fly… with only like 5 screw ups or design changes while making it. Ha. It’s made of cherry, walnut, and maple – which was all rough sawn and a little warped Craigslist scrap initially. It was a lot of fun just getting to use my new planer to find some beautiful grain hidden within. The top slats slide to accommodate different devices, and I’ve left the grooves open to “future proof” it (as long as we have this bathtub). I can slide in new panels to fit anything else she wants to take to her bubble bath. 

  

Locust Bowl – Daniel D. Brown, 2018

I really wanted to make something when I got home so I decided to finally make a shallow bowl I’ve been planning. We have a tiny basement bathroom & shower where I clean up after being covered in sawdust and grime. Every time I take everything out of my pockets to switch into/out of my shop clothes, I wish I had a bowl to put it all in. So this is a utilitarian bowl for above the toilet.
I acquired a bunch of free locust logs from a tree cut down in Squirrel Hill last summer, so I carved out the shallow bowl with an angle grinder and @kutzall shaping wheel, crudely hacked it from the log with my cheap chainsaw, ground the bottom shape, sanded until I couldn’t see through the air, used a router and my flattening jig to flatten the bottom, branded the bottom, and finished it with some @generalfinishes Arm-R-Seal. It would look a lot fancier if I had a lathe. But I’m pretty happy with it for a couple hours of just playing with tools.
I fully anticipate that it will eventually crack. It was a big log and it’s only been drying in my basement for like 9 months. It seemed pretty dry inside, but I know it hasn’t been long enough for that thickness. When it does I’ll just make a better one.