Beautiful Northwest Montana

It is great to be back home once again....The big city is a nice place to visit..but not convinced I would want to live there again...
I am in the process of unpacking and sorting and getting the shop orders rolling once again...will post a longer blog tonite about the trip and experiences therein...Hope your day is good to you...

Wet and Wild Seattle,Washington

Well this entry is coming to you from WET and Green Seattle Washington.. The flowers are begining to bloom...the Rhubarb is ready to cut and the trees are starting to leaf out(pollen...yuk)
We made the trip over the mountain peaks to help out a family member who is going through cancer treatment. Hopefully things will go well...but only time will tell...It has been a hectic week so far, with a doctor appointment today.
I guess I forgot why it is so green here...hmmmmm it has rained most of the time we have been here....
I am quickly reminded how spoiled I am to live in Northwest Montana in the middle of no where...The traffic here is non-stop...well actually that is not true....sometimes it comes to a complete stop and you sit there on a major interstate....guess I forgot...gas is $3.41 (Costco) upward with $3.75 the highest I have seen.....I am not sure I could live in this type of environment....lots of people everywhere.....I know I would adjust...but....give me fresh air and non chorinated water......Hard to understand how people survive here because of the cost of living...The number of street folks is heart wrenching to see....very sad.....Lots of "haves" and lots of "have nots" with not a lot of in between...SAD

Other than seeing family members the one great thing about coming here is multiple opportunities to visit large woodworking stores.....that is dangerous...I am like a kid in a candy store.......!!!!! Walking into a Woodcraft store is unbelievable....anything and everything one could possibliy need/want is right there for you to touch...very dangerous...but I will try and behave......

will try and post some photos later on if there is enough light and I dry out...

Custom Finger- Jointed Walnut Box

Creating a box that is simple, but unique, and also beautiful, as well as protective, has been a challenging and rewarding experience. I am thrilled to have taken on this project.


To be a part of this creation, which will be used to display and protect an antique family heirloom is special.
Life is a journey and this has been an enjoyable part of that process.

In planning out this project I decided to use finger joint construction on the corners because I felt it would add to the look and feel of the box. Not to mention it would also provide exceptional strength in the corner joints and additional protection. (The color difference between the first two photos is because the finger-joint photo is still the raw wood and the other photo is after I have began applying the finish coats.) I am very pleased in the end result.
The size of the box was determined using the measurements of the platter that would be stored inside.(1 1/2" x 13" x 15")

The top proved to be the most challenging. Hand selecting the right grain pattern and coloring caused me to look through a lot of boards before I found ones that I thought worked well together.


Matching the grains and colors I think worked out well. The color will only get richer looking as time passes.
The top of the box has been laser engraved with a customized celtic cross and the words "Ardara, County Donegal" below it.

The laser engraving was done by Blue Dragon LLC in Columbia Falls, Montana using an Epilog Laser. As you can see this process creates a very detailed sharp image.




For the inside of the box I wanted to create a foundation which would display the platter as well as protect it. Using a high density foam padding I created a pocket to hold the platter and then covered the foam with a nice material.

I suppose the real test will come when the client places the platter in the box for the first time. Hopefully all the measurements I worked with will perfectly cradle it and protect it for many years to come.

Spring in Northwest Montana (well sort of)..Continued

Here is the little guy I was trying to show before. the past few days have caused him to burst forth. What a happy guy!















These next two photos are not real clear and I will try and get some clearer ones today when the sun gets high enough. I had been slowly moving the snow and yesterday I brushed away the top crust and these guys were blooming away under several feet of snow. They are blue and yellow in color. I know there are more out there somewhere. With all the snow left..can I wait for it to melt? hmmm guess we will see.... Rather amazing and exciting..

Deschutes Brewery Cribbage Boards...completed

This project was created for the Deschutes Brewery in Bend Oregon.




They wanted a cribbage board which would promote their business and the game of cribbage. I am honored they chose Splinters Woodworks to work on this project with them.
This board can only be obtained by contacting the Deschutes Brewery. When you contact them, tell them Splinters sent you.

As you can see this board is in the shape of the Deschutes Brewery beer bottle using their company logo label.
These boards were created out of a local pine by request, with a two person cribbage track drilled around the edges of the bottle and a game counter in the neck. Red and black pegs rounded out this board.
This board can be adjusted to any type of wood, any size board, and either a 2, 3, or 4 person track.
To remain consistent the bottles were cut out using a Shopbot CNC router system using a provided photo, which had been converted to the proper format.

The Deschutes logo was laser engraved by Blue Dragon LLC in Columbia Falls, Montana using an Epilog Laser. This process creates a very detailed sharp image.

Any use of any copywrited logo must have written permission from the owner.

This photo shows the slot I created on the back of the boards to store the cribbage pegs.

The cover has dovetailed edges to allow it to slide in and out of the slot.

Going to the Sun Road opening 2008

The crews have began the trek up and over the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National park. This is an annual event which begin the first week of April and they typically make it to the top sometime in May depending on snow cover. This has been a heavy snow year...and due to road repairs they are saying that the road will not open before sometime in mid June. Guess we will see....without a wet warm spring that is a aggressive estimate...As I get more photos I will post them....Now back to the shop to check the poly coatings on my cribbage board order. Have a great day!

Springtime March 30, 2008

Compare the two photos above taken from the Apgar Lookout webcam....The photo in the top of my blog was captured on January 14, 2008....The one I just posted was taken today March 30, 2008 .....Just a little bit of snow depth difference huh? Hmmmmm it doesn't look quite as bright and sunny looking into Glacier National Park today as it does here, only two miles outside of the front entrance to the park. The mountains create their own weather systems frequently.......The road crews are scheduled to begin their annual spring pilgrimage of opening the Going to the Sun Road this week...Looks like they are in for a treat...I will post additional updates about the road opening as I receive them....

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This first photo shows my backyard looking toward my shop...the back roof is roughly 8 feet off the ground....unless we get a warm wet spring this will most likely still be there in July....


Well we heard from family and friends in the Pacific Northwest that they were sending us a wonderful spring storm......Well..... we really love our families and friends and we know they love us....... So we really hoped it would be one of those early April rainstorms that they were sending to start us back to the land of green and plenty........hmmmmmm...... Well that would have been the wrong guess......Yesterday morning we awoke to an additional 8-12 inches of new snow depending on where you stood....... It seems to me that it all fell in my driveway! I have just now finished hopefully for the last time this season the moving of this wonderful white stuff around. Don't get me wrong I love to recreate in the winter wonderland we live in...however this winter we have had more than our share....and I am ready for spring.....






This photo is looking out into my front yard from the deck...It is a wonderful sunny day with a few high clouds.......but a fair amount of that famous Montana blue sky....OK OK I agree...... at this point any blue sky and sunshine is a plus.....and I am ready for lots more..

Once I catch my breath...... I am back into the shop to continue working on pending orders......which were coming along quite nicely before this brief wonderful interruption...

May your day be sunny and bright where ever you might be....ENJOY LIFE....Have a great day!!

Deschutes Brewery Cribbage boards...continued

Here is the prototype that I have been working on with the two person track drilled on it. I have a few adjustments to make but overall am really pleased with how it is turning out.
The finished product will not have the knot on it and will most likely turn up a bit darker when I apply the finish.

Deschutes Brewery Cribbage boards

Recently I have been working on a project for the Deschutes Brewery in Bend Oregon. They wanted a cribbage board which would promote their business and the game of cribbage. I am honored they chose Splinters Woodworks to work on this project with them. Look for this completed board soon. It can only be obtained by contacting the Deschutes Brewery, but I will have completed photos here and on my website.

This is the beginning prototype in the shape of their beer bottle using the company logo. There will be a two person cribbage track drilled around the edges of the bottle.

The logo was Laser engraved by Blue Dragon LLC in Columbia Falls, Montana.
This board can be adjusted to any type of wood, any size board, and 2, 3, or 4 person track.
Any copywrited logo used must have written permission from the owner to use the logo.

HAPPY EASTER FROM Apgar Campground

The crews have began work on the annual spring removal of snow in Glacier National Park. Typically they begin the process on the Going to the Sun Road around the first week of April each spring. Prior to that they work on lower elevation areas like Apgar campground. This year it appears there will still be snow when it opens around the first week of May. They have plowed one lane all the way through the campground to assist in the meltout. This last week we continued the tradition of walking the loops in the campground before it is overrun with visitors. These are a few of the pictures we took on the last visit.