John is one of those people who is just good at building stuff.  Whether the project is large or small, he will tackle it and usually does a darn good job of it.  We have now progressed enough on the house that we took the time to build a Shop.  Half of the new shop has been turned into a Wood Working Shop for John. He has been making stuff like stand up wood puzzles, wall clocks and toaster tongs from wood scraps left over from working on the house. The woods used have included Red oak, which was left over from installing the new hardwood floors; Pine, which was the cut offs left over from the stair treads;  Fir, which was the old flooring that we took out of the original part of the house and was installed some time in the 1920s; and Cottonwood, which was the original framing of the house and is around 125 years old.  

He has also started experimenting with wood from our property.  He made a handle for a frothing cup with some apple that we had trimmed off a couple of years ago.  Also, with apple, he made an espresso tamper and a little tray for it to sit in.  He has also been trying out some Ash, Locust and Osage Orange.  We were quite surprised to discover that one of the trees down near the creek that had blown over during a storm was Osage Orange.  This is a wonderful wood that turns to a chocolate brown color when exposed to sunlight.

The birdhouses are going to be built from old fence boards that have been well weathered and are around 50 to 80 years old.  From what I have read, bluebirds prefer this type of wood.

John also wants to make wood toys.  Some will be simple, old fashioned toys for younger children to play with. Others will be made more for collecting than playing with although I will not rule that out.

Of course there is still a lot to be done on the house and the yard area which keeps us very busy, so it may be some time before John actually has the time to make all the things that I have mentioned.  As the inventory is expanded, I will be adding pages, so please check back periodically to see what he has been making.