Not Your Kitchen's Common Cleaver

A friend,  a high school classmate of mine, went back to visit the old country three months ago.  He brought back these three "monster" high-carbon steel blades. These blades were fashioned from what used to be automotive suspension leaf springs by a local blacksmith on the island. For now they are ugly ducklings that I will try to turn  into something a bit more pleasing to the eyes, though perhaps not to the same degree as the eye-catching cleavers advertised in home & garden magazines or fancy catalogues.

This friend is an avid hunter and he wanted something substantial to use after a successful deer hunt for the subsequent  obligatory vivisection and subdivision  of the whole carcass into Ziploc sizes for the freezer. He wanted one with heft and cleaving power a butcher will be proud of. So, the deal is that I will fashion the handles for these beasts, and I get to keep one and he will have two.  A fair deal, considering he had these brought from half away across the world (in his check-in luggage, for those who might wonder). {More importantly, I want to recognize those craftsmen from everywhere around the world, in their makeshift workshop in their backyard, using home-made furnaces and brute physical strength in recycling and fashioning something out of salvaged, rusty  high carbon steel}.

But first, a side note on why these are fashioned from leaf springs and how did such a practice originate, particularly as it was in the Pacific islands, although the idea of recycling and repurposing steel is a worldwide phenomenon, long before recycling was even part of the social conscience.

After the war, military equipment - partially destroyed, salvaged, junked, or abandoned - became an excellent source for high carbon steel to be repurposed. Drive shafts, pistons, ball bearings and spring coil and leaf springs were great sources of good quality steel. Post WWII, material shortages of cutting implements were partly solved through recycled steel.

Two decades ago I came across this 15-inch bolo at a flea market just outside of Dallas, TX. I had to have it, despite the hefty price for something at a flea market. The year 1945 was etched on it and the initials of the unknown craftsman, who also added some simple artwork of the "Philippines", coconut trees, a nipa hut, the sun rising between two mountain peaks. 1945 was the end of the Pacific war, one year before the Philippines earned its independence from the USA. I thought of the significance, so I bought it. I imagined the blade was made from a leaf spring salvaged from an army Jeep.

  

Back to these monster blades. The cutting edge is well defined but not quite properly honed. The hilt needed to be flattened for good adhesion with high strength 2-part epoxy.  A bench belt sander did the job. Re-drilled the 3/8 inch holes for the pins. Tempered steel put up a good resistance to the drill bit but it is a  good sign of the blade's hardness.

Cut to rough length the pins from a 3/8 inch brass rod.

The wooden part of the handle is called "scale". Drilled 3/8 in. holes through one scale, using the holes on the hilt as guide, then epoxied it to the hilt.  

Then worked on the opposite scale by first using double sided tape to secure the second scale before drilling the two opposite holes. 

24-hour clamping

Shaping the scales.  The pieces were part of oak boards that came from a 100 year-old barn in Mississippi.

Marked the desired shape

Best to leave the back of the blade black and rough.  A grinder could have cleaned it up but there is risk of thinning the blade.  Besides, the way it looks maintains the beastly character of the cleaver.

After honing with diamond stones, it is sharp enough to make some fine slices although this is not what it is designed for.  The thick blade is indeed for real tough work on venison and cutting through bones.

One down, two more to go!

Note: Proper maintenance of high carbon steel knives is to wipe it thoroughly dry after each use to prevent rust, which will develop quickly on any wet iron. Wiping cooking oil when storing blade is good practice.

The Other Method of Hanging an Orchid Indoor

As always, with most hobbyists, we learn immediately after finishing a project, another method of doing something.  Whether it is one or two more steps or one completely different way, we find that there is a better way, or at the very least, just merely a different way.  That's what makes hobbies interesting, if not only less boring.  And it can go either way in terms of complexity.  One may simplify a method, or make it more complicated.  And then I tried another use for baking soda - in the glue up process.  Baking soda, like vinegar, continues to be one household item that is always looking for another way to be useful.

First, for the "ears" I found some left over polycarbonate.  Its white color matches with the ceramic container.  As with the previous project I drilled three equidistant holes around the rim and fastened the "ears" like so, below. 

I used the baking soda powder as filler between the gap before smearing  drops of the CA glue (crazy glue) at the joints.  I sprayed an accelerator to instantly harden the glued joints.

Another simplified step in the process was to merely drill holes at both ends of the clear 1/4 inch polycarbonate rod.  Two ordinary key rings completed both ends for hooks to connect to.

Tiny holes drilled on each of the three "ears" provide a way to thread the strings that are secured with tiny rings that act as stoppers.  The two following photos best explain how they work.

The second orchid to the right (first project) had already lost its bloom. But there is hope it will continue to grow.  The sellers of orchids finally let out the secret to watering.  These orchids came with a watering cup.  The grower recommends two of these once a week. It is actually the equivalent to the volume of water in one standard kitchen measuring cup.

 

Hobby Lobby and online retailers, including Wal-Mart, sell CA and accelerators.  BSI - the brand I've been using - sell both as a pack. And don't forget the humble baking soda, if you need it as a filler.  I've red that Styrofoam - crushed or shredded to fine particles work just as well.

Tea Kettle Stand

I only occasionally drink tea. And when I did it was always from out of tea bags.

It had been cold, rainy during the last days of January. I was going through the cupboards and saw several special tea given to us by friends from Taiwan and Vietnam not too long ago that we've not gotten around to try. So, I rummage through the lower cabinets to find a tea kettle. A gift from long ago that just sat there in the dark corner.

Cold to do anything outside, hardwood scraps lying around, pieces of stuff waiting to be re-purposed, I went to work.

Cut and glued two thin pieces of oak. Two small wooden cones left over from another project.

Made a circle out of a square

From an earlier project five years ago that was waiting to be re-purposed

A planter stand it used to be will have another use.

Cutting the tips of the cones to precise heights was a challenge that took a while to figure out. Aha! I drilled two 3/8 inch holes into a scrap board. Using a level ensured that the two cones will be cut precisely.

With CA glue and accelerator I fastened the two cones, then cut with a flushing saw. 

Below shows the method to the madness.  A spacer circle ensures the desired height for the two conjoined cones.

More detailed method to the madness

The mini round table is what will support the tea kettle ..

.. which makes it look like the outstretched four arms are supporting it.

I cannot help but to call a tea strainer a steeping tool; a weak attempt at a sort of word play on the stepping stool. Corny humor aside, this stainless contraption will strain tea effectively.

Keeping the tea kettle in full view by the counter top will help to make me a regular tea consumer. However, I may not develop the taste to add milk to it, as those from across the pond and in all its past colonies will have us believe is the greatest thing for tea.  I think that idea was lost on that fateful morning on December 16, 1773 along with all the 342 crates of tea that went into the bottom of the Boston harbor.  Just teasing, my British friends 😇 I believe milk-free tea is only true in the U.S. and a few other non-conformist countries.

Refurbished, Renewed Anything

When I did a project on a phone caddy/stand (shown below) a while back, I pondered, "What happens if and when I get a newer phone later (like the real 5 G version) which will likely not fit this one?  It will be another project!", I said.  Well, the time has come.  The old one still worked but it won't be long when 4G will no longer be supported by the service providers.  In fact, LG - the manufacturer of my phone - got out of the phone business entirely.  Time to get a new one and re-do the caddy/stand.

It turned out I did not need to make an entirely new one but to repurpose/refurbish the above with just a few modifications.  And, like the old phone above which I purchased used, I bought another used one.

Before we dive into the project, let's talk about "used anything" - the antithesis to the throw-away society that most developed countries have become.  However, everything "used" has gone through some face-lifting labels from marketers where used cars have become pre-owned, modern day devices are now called, "refurbished" or "renewed".

But, you know what, in today's inflation travails and the yearly release of the latest and the greatest gizmos, it makes a lot of sense to go the "refurbished/renewed" route.  To me, I find more satisfaction and joy from the "used" tools and devices over the years that I've had them which served me well.  Don't get me wrong.  I will not hesitate to purchase a new anything, even high ticket items, if warranted.  Part of the reason I needed a newer phone  is that the new truck I just bought has wireless charging and the old phone will not work through the truck's audio to make phone calls and take messages.  I've purchased high-end woodworking tools but I don't hesitate to scour the flea markets for hidden treasures among used hand tools.  Some I renewed and refurbished, which today continue to perform at the level they were designed for.

Above all, I am merely taking advantage of the fact that people who opt for the latest and greatest are getting rid of perfectly great and still working devices to get the newest one.  More so following the holiday season, which is the best time to keep our eyes open for the jewels of a purchase.

So this is not just so much about the project as it is about waking up to the idea that we do not need to buy the latest and the greatest of the smart phones every time the manufacturers roll out a new one; which is every year.  And not everyone needs the top model, the flagship of any phone. 98% of the users do not need them; same percentage is not likely to use much of what the high end phones have up their sleeves. In fact, the lowest end model of any smart phone will let you make a call, read your email, check the news, the weather, will let you text, calculate your tip, listen to music, navigate for you, wake you up, reminds you (appointments and when to take your medicine), etc.  The difference between speed and everything associated with how quickly you get the information are all within the span of a second difference from low end to high end.  Photo quality, video games, movies, are where the big differences are. Now, 98% of us don't really care about watching movies on the phone when HD TV offer far better viewing experience, and 35 mm DSLR cameras have superior capabilities if photography is your thing, and isn't full console gaming, and surround speakers not the best way to play video games?  

What should I get?  I decided it will be in the mid-range price bracket.  It will have everything that is useful to me.  It will be a Google phone.  Why?  Google is the king of information search and it has the lion's share of the most visited app or internet source, and a far superior navigation algorithm.  But, in the past, as great as their software had always been, they depended on hardware from existing makers.  It is only lately that they have developed their own - the Tensor chip - a custom built chip for Pixel phones.

The Pixel 6 is the mid-rage version.  Brand new, it is $600.  I scoured the refurbished/renewed world and found one for $276.  It was renewed (inspected and tested, "refreshed" to its original standards by a company in Des Moines, Iowa, via the Amazon renewed program.

It came in a brown - not its original - box, with a charger, cable and sim card key.  It was unmarked by even the slightest scratch and looked brand new!

Below, next to the old phone it will replace.

The "renewed" Pixel 6 is just what I need.  Not basic, just a notch below the flagship Pixel 7, but it has all that I need.  The camera is awesome and as a navigation aid - GPS is dominated by Google maps - is so much better than the the GPS that came with my new truck.

The woodworking part is straight forward, except for the latest modification for the car caddy.

I trimmed and added a spacer for the thinner new phone.

Below is the other caddy for the car/truck, on a friction grip pedestal.

Below, I incorporated a thin piece of flexible hardwood that will act like a leaf spring to hold the phone tight to the cradle. 

As shown in the next photo, the phone is held fast even upside down.

Why a phone stand/caddy?  Same reason that I did the projects below - caddies for my wallet and car keys.  I know exactly where they are every time.  Well, 99.99 % of the time 😇 

By the way, my old phone, even without its SIM card, still works at home, for as long as my new phone is in the house and the wi-fi router is on.  I don't know if it has to do with my carrier but the old phone can receive and send emails and text and search the internet, etc., send photos (the camera still works, of course) except to make phone calls.  But it can call 911!  It is still a great standby phone.  Try that with your old phone.

Remember, never shirk from searching "refurbished/renewed" items.  I purchased a planer (for woodworking) at a heavily discounted price even though it was new.  I found it at a corner of the store.  The manager was planning to return it because the packing box was ripped and torn and he could not sell it new.  The machine was untouched.  I'm still using it more than twenty years later.  A throw-away society has its silver lining.