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This morning, Glen Huey, Megan Fitzpatrick and I went into rural Ohio to fetch some wood for a new workbench for Megan’s study (it’s long story; ask her).
Megan had scored some sweet Eastern white pine logs that were left over from building a log cabin; they were kiln dried, fairly clear and about 10 years old. All for $100. The only problem was that some were 17′ long , too long even for Glen’s capacious lorry (as Megan would put it).
We couldn’t saw all the way through these beams with a circular saw (they were more than 7″ x 7″), so we made Megan finish the cuts with a bowsaw.
Honestly, can you believe Megan isn’t married yet? Send your dating requests (and references) to my e-mail.
After we stacked these logs in the shop back in Cincinnati I took a reading on their moisture content. All of them were less than 10 percent MC.
– Christopher Schwarz
Other Workbench and Megan-related Resources
– Megan on the cover of the November 2009 issue with her LVL workbench. Suitable for framing….
– “Build an 18th-century Workbench” a new DVD with Christopher Schwarz.
– Read all my posts on workbenches. Warning: this will take a while.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
![How to Shop for a Lathe [Video]](http://www.popularwoodworking.com/wp-content/uploads/bfi_thumb/dummy-transparent-olcy6s63it1p9yp7uhusjas7c8kahafrhg9su7q9i0.png)
Megan’s not to my taste (my husband likes redheads, though), but I WANT THAT BOWSAW!
Who’s the guy playing with the dog in the background, not offering to even lift a finger to help?
When I was at the open house in June, Megan came across as the sane one in the shop.
Crazy Irish redhead?
You want to get me killed? (I think I answered your question.)
While Megan seems to be an intelligent, creative, and good looking woman, she has two "problems" that limit the number of would be suitors. Many of us are married or otherwise spoken for, and/or we don’t want or can’t move to Maine. Heck, I don’t even want to move to the U.S., where they’re still called "square drive screws" because you can’t pronounce "Robertson."
Chris: Is Megan a real "crazy Irish redhead?" I’ve never dated one, but the three or four I’ve known were all a riot; each one funnier than the next.
Rainer (married to a Scot)
Agreed, Bob, that sawbench is awesome.
Bodacious sawbench.
"Honestly, can you believe Megan isn’t married yet? Send your dating requests (and references) to my e-mail."
Oooo – you are soooo dead for that quip. I see a dastardly and clever office prank coming as pay-back…
Being a commoner, I’d go to the lorry and open the boot and get out ye old chainsaw.
I don’t want to call Megan “mommy” during her annual evaluation.
Wasn’t Chris shilling for his dad a few weeks ago?
And now he’s doing the same for Megan.
Why not hook the two of them up?
Bonus: If they then moved into Chris’s house it would provide the plotline for the best comedy in years.
Only thing is, that’s not a log…it’s a re-shaped piece of wood to kinda-sorta resemble a log…more appropriately called timber, or lumber.
Nothing wrong with using the timber for a bench, but please don’t call that a log…a log retains the majority of shape as it was when growing in the ground. It’s no wonder that so few know what a log home is these days…the majority buy timber thinking it’s a log home…
And let’s be honest, how many logs have you seen with tongue and groove on them? Maybe that’s nature’s way of simplifying the process, and growing them in the shape of a D as well…:-/
A workbench in the study, eh? Do you prefer to hold your books up with a face vise or an tail vise? And when you dog-ear pages, do you prefer round or square?
p.s. you know what they say about a guy with a capacious lorry…
I see you have those fancy "export" logs. Ours are cylinders with bark on them.
As always videos of Megan are appreciated.
Mike
I’m Bill, I’m 25. I live in pennsylvania, lotsa trees here… 😀
Had to try 😛
I am definitely fixing you up with my cousin.
You can saw with the best of’em!
We’d NEVER be short of firewood.
(Can’t wait to see this bench!)
Carlos,
I’m pretty sure you’d have to pay Chris. He accepts beer and goats.
megan, whole out you are doing fine,christpher just trying his best to pick an choose your soul mate or shop foreperson……………sail on
What is Megan’s dowry?
A LN-Veritas-Schwarz fully furnished hand tool
workshop would be fine!! 🙂
Eastern White Pine? Best for making decoy bodies.
As in “Rosie the Riveter”
http://treatstoshare.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/rosie.jpg
Rosie?
Next time you can rent one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/Makita-5402NA-16-5-16-Inch-Circular/dp/B0000614UR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1277314398&sr=8-1
It cuts 6-1/4" at 90°. Then you can cut the last 3/4 inch with the bow saw.
Yessir….the next sawing contest is gonna be one heckofa smack down.