Pen, Journal, And Box Project

That glacier journal is so cool! The cover is stunning, but the details on the inside--the write-up and the comparison photos of the glacier over the years--make it even more exceptional.

October 4, 2014

WOW... just exceptional work.

The details and layout are so nice.

How you have honed your craft and brought yourself to this level is inspiring to say the least.

October 4, 2014

i would suggest - because i have looked around and don't find it - a journal tote bag or cover/bag/organizer/etc. Whatever name fits the bill for a cover to put a regular size journal PLUS several pens (as many as it could hold on the left (with their regular cover). it should be something flexible that could accommodate a thin or thick journal plus the pens. I have not seen one sold in the USA region. All i see is covers and most of them don't even have a pen holder. Whomever sells this with be very lucky. How many of us carry more than one pen daily? A lot, right?

October 5, 2014

I commissioned the 'glacier journal', and here is a little back story if you are interested:

My Son, Gunnar Johnson will graduate with a PhD in Glaciology next year. This will be a big deal in our family, a really big deal, and I have spent some time pondering what would be an appropriate gift to mark the occasion.

South Cascade Glacier, so named because it resides at the headwaters of the south fork of the Cascade River is one of the most long studied glaciers. This glacier is located in the rugged North Cascade Mtn range in Northern Washington state. As it happens, when I was a young man I worked for the US Forest Service in this area, and often spent weekends hiking, hunting, fishing, and climbing in the North Cascades. Of course this was before I was married and long before my son came into the world. I had no idea that some 40 years later my boy would be working and studying in these mountains (and the US and Canadian Rockies) and at the time, glaciers were just another feature of the landscape to me.

Anyway, I decided a pen set might make an appropriate if somewhat impractical gift for a man of considerable education. He's not really into FP's but I say give the fellow time, and of course a quality pen.

I have long admired the pens made by Mr. Shawn Newton, another craftsman who displays his creations here. I have had in mind that someday he might craft a pen for me, but delaying my self gratification I contacted Shawn and we began a conversation about the possibilities of a pen set for the soon to be glaciologist. I explained my vision and Shawn searched out the appropriate materials. Eventually we came to an agreement and Shawn went to work converting the vision to reality: Thus this set in 'cracked ice'.

This Glacier Journal is the third I have purchased from TM Lee. I bought one for me, and one as a gift for my wife, and then she bought another. Obviously we think pretty highly of TM Lee's work. I wanted a journal to go along with the pen set. It obligated many conversations back and forth across the blue Pacific before we zeroed in on this product. I can tell you, I could not be more happy with the glacier journal, and TM Lee's spirit of collaboration and creativity made it a wonderful experience. At every turn he came up with more ideas to make this journal even more beautiful.

So now I am 2/3rds of the way to completing the gift. My grand idea was that the journal and the pen set should be housed in a proper box. Long ago I was a hobby woodworker but over the years, through many moves I have sold off all my tools and moved on to other things. But I am now perfectly situation to do a little more serious woodworking: My wife and I live on an acre out in the country, and I have a two bay shop/garage where there is room to set up and make a mess.

I recently bought a 'vintage' but quality table saw, and have been fitting the shop out with a few of the tools necessary to do 'fine' wood working, or finer than just capping studs and building dog houses.

I recently started work on a 'test box' as a way to knock the rust off my wood working skills.

It's coming back to me, slowly, but it is a good thing I decided to start with a test box, as my mistakes are myriad. This test box is made of poplar, odd lengths and that is the reason for the odd shape (tall and skinny) but working with odd lengths and pieces, you just have to produce what the material will give you.

After I had the carcass assembled and the first round of sanding done my wife paid a visit to the shop to check progress. She was I believe, a little more impressed than she planned to be. I'd been chronicling my progress by recounting all my mistakes. When she saw it she asked what I planned to do with it. I told her I had not given it any thought and she claimed it. I've been thinking of a memento box for her, she deserves better than this but it gives me reason to take a little more care with this one.

The box I will make to hold the pens an journal will not be a writing slope. I considered that but I know my limitations and so I'll produce a desk top box which will have a sliding shelf for pens, and a drawer for the journal. It will be deep enough for a bottle of ink and there will be room for whatever it might be that a glaciologist carts home from the mountains, a bit of granite or pyrite, Or who knows, perhaps it will get stuffed with laundry tickets, shirt buttons and collar stays, and maybe the odd lint covered breath mint.

Anyway, back to the original point: Working with Shawn, and TM Lee has been a wonderful experience. I think they both could appreciated the idea and the meaning of this effort and I believe their caring and their artistry really show. I could not have asked for better partners to help me create something lasting and special.

As a coda, I might say that some of the blame for this project should be shared with another FPN craftsman, BamaPen, who also shows up here in FPN. Several years ago I bought one his repurposed cigar boxes for pen storage. We got to conversing and I asked if he had seen a box big enough to hold some supplies and equipment I use in the care of my Koi. It turned out that there just isn't a cigar box big enough, but the idea of custom making one was born, and I am sure that I'll be producing that box somewhere down the way.

Edited October 5, 2014 by DrCodfish

October 5, 2014

That is a beautiful and thorough graduation gift.

I am sure your son will cherish it dearly.

If I must just suggest something: a plexiglass, or cristal, box would be more in adequation with the spirit of glaciology. But, it is just my opinion.

October 5, 2014

That is a beautiful and thorough graduation gift.

I am sure your son will cherish it dearly.

If I must just suggest something: a plexiglass, or cristal, box would be more in adequation with the spirit of glaciology. But, it is just my opinion.

Incredible, we think alike! I am contemplating making a Plexiglas inset for the top of the lid, material something like the piece on the top of this stack.

My thought is if I place a mirror beneath it, which I have roughed up with steel wool or sandpaper it should be somewhat reflective as sheet ice is when you peer into it.

I had also thought of having the box made of brushed stainless steel, to go along with the ice/cold theme. I have a friend who is a metal work craftsman, he custom builds bicycle frames and bike parts and has done work on my bicycle. But I am sticking with wood, I want have a hand in this.

October 5, 2014

The piece on top if the sack is very nice and suitable for your purpose.

I see what you mean with the wood, yes. It will be a part of you, also. You could probably age the wood of the box, use it a little, something like it had been caught in the ice for a while?

Maybe you could have some parts of the box in brushed steel, such as the corners - a little like the boxes used at the beginning of the 20th, to transport the instruments during the Antartica expeditions.

Such as these

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/911/bmz7NS.jpg

Edited October 6, 2014 by fountainpagan

October 6, 2014

That glacier journal is so cool! The cover is stunning, but the details on the inside--the write-up and the comparison photos of the glacier over the years--make it even more exceptional.

WOW... just exceptional work.

The details and layout are so nice.

How you have honed your craft and brought yourself to this level is inspiring to say the least.

Thanks folks ...

October 6, 2014

Its a wonderful gift idea.

Very unique.

I am sure he will appreciate it.

That plexiglass is also awesome - the cracked ice patterns ....

Cant wait to see the final end product of all three gift items together.

I think it'll look pretty neat.

October 6, 2014

This is a fantastic idea the craftsmanship of all parties including your self is of the highest standard,

I am sure that your son will treasure it for many years

October 9, 2014

I'm glad this is coming together. I can't wait to see a group shot of the finished project.

February 8, 2015

So, ... it has been awhile since I have posted here. Not because I have not been busy, but mostly because I have not had a lot to show for my efforts.

I could show you pictures of cheap table saws I purchased which, despite all the fiddling, adjusting, and tuning would still not cut a square corner, as least not to the degree of accuracy needed for small projects. These saws are great if you are building a dog house or a shed, but for fine work they just are not up to the job.

And I could show pictures of lots of less than satisfactory efforts at various joinery techniques.

I could also show you a picture of the end of my thumb with a clean cut groove through the tip end of it (and my thumbnail), proof that haste makes more than waste. I'm all healed up, it was a minor injury, but a great reminder to me that power equipment, designed to cut through three or four inches of solid wood has no trouble with fingertips.

But I've got a decent saw now, not a fantastic (and fantastically expensive) cabinet makers saw, but a good hobby saw that if I pay attention and take my time with it I can cut nice square corners, every time.

So right now I am working on my third test box (TB3) and I am pleased with the progression in my work. Here is a pic of the carcass, and the drawer front. I used a mechanical jig to make the finger joints. 'Real' wood workers refer to this as making joints with training wheels. I can live with that, I am a hobbyist. Perhaps some day in the future I'll make my joints working exclusively with hand tools, but I'm not there yet, not by a long shot.

'TB3' is made with straight grain clear hemlock. It's nice wood to work with because it is not very hard and it has beautiful clear grain. This wood is used primarily for trim work in home construction. Window sills, door casings, applications where the look of the wood matters. Because it is 'clear' meaning devoid of knots, holes, or irregularities in the gain it is expensive. The down side is that it is fairly soft as wood goes so it is susceptible to dings and dents. A good material for me to practice with.

Here you can get a better idea of how this could look as a finished box. I don't intend to have a solid wood lid, but threw that piece on just for photo effect. In this photo nothing is yet glued up, all just dry fit. Looks a lot like a bee hive box.

here you can see that I have assembled the drawer. I laid a little fabric in the drawer just to get an idea of how it might look.

This is a little sliding shelf which will sit in the top of the box. eventually it will be fitted with pen slots to hold the pens which Shawn Newton crafted for this project.

This gives you an idea of how it will look with the drawer and the sliding tray in place. Tray and drawer are glued up (still need sanding) but the box carcass is just dry fit.

And, just because I was curious,... I carted some pens, ink bottles, and that fabulous journal which TM Lee crafted out to the shop to see how things might go together in the mockup.

Those fabulous cracked ice pens by Shawn Newton.

As I mentioned, TB3 is hemlock. I intend to make the one for my son from quarter sawn oak. I have the wood but it is too expensive to 'practice' with. This one will be for my wife, to use as she pleases. I am at the point where I can do the finish sanding, then assemble the sides, back, and bottom so that I can finish and seal the insides of the box. I'll use clear gloss polyurethane (her choice). I made some finish samples, and this light wood looks good with little or no stain.

Edited February 8, 2015 by DrCodfish

February 8, 2015

Wow!! So cool to see.

February 8, 2015

Fantastic

February 8, 2015

I am in awe... beautiful! I'm looking forward to seeing THE finished box.

February 8, 2015

Excellent work Paul! That looks great. The part about the thumb though hit me right in the gut. I have a fear of table saws for that very reason.

February 8, 2015

Oh I was wondering when you would show is the going on of your project.

Looking good, DrCodfish, looking really good. I can hardly wait to see the completed and final box. It is a beautiful wood you have chosen.

February 8, 2015

Excellent work Paul! That looks great. The part about the thumb though hit me right in the gut. I have a fear of table saws for that very reason.

Sorry if this troubled you. It is not every day you can stick your thumb in a table saw and say 'Boy, that was lucky." It made me stop for a week or so, just to think the whole business through. Because I am too old to be sacrificing body parts and because I know me well.

The rules of table saw safety are simple and few. I reached across the table to retrieve my work piece while the blade was still spinning. I know better. The teachable moment is why did I do this? Simply, I was in a hurry, which is step one in the 'how to have an accident" tutorial.

There is a saw on the market now called the Saw Stop Safety Saw which comes to a complete and instantaneous stop if the blade comes in contact with your finger, or any other body part for that matter. I Thought seriously of selling the equipment I have and buying one of those. FAIR WARNING: DON'T look at their website if such matters make you squeamish.

February 9, 2015

awesome work !

i cant wait to see the finished box.

Howzabout doing an inlay of this cracked ice material on one corner of the box?

say on one corner of the box top ,

or

on a corner of the drawer front.

Maybe you can ask shawn to fabricate a small laminate say 2" square of that cracked ice pen material , say 3mm thick ?

Then you can inlay it flush on your box ....

Matching set !

Hee hee ...

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