Good Morning Friends,
With Christmas only a few short four weeks away how many of you have gifts in the shop for family and friends that need to be finished or for that matter need to be started in order to get them done in time?

I found a little fast and easy rocking horse that I found in issue 193 of WOOD that I intend to make and send to California for my great nephew that I am sure he will ride it to death for he is a little live wire of a boy and will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I already have a pendulum doll cradle for my great niece across the street from me, for I enjoy giving things I make for them and others for I am sure they will keep them for a long time and some even save them for their own children years down the road.

It give me so much pleasure when they accept and like the things I make and if something should get broken they know where to bring it for repair.

How many of you folks get the same pleasure from the gifts you make for family and friends?

One year I made two dozen hot plate trivets as gifts and to my surprise every one who got some really like them and they are still being used today.

Ralph

I have got several pens and cutting boards left to make for gifts. My wife has four ladies that work for her and she wants to give each one of them a cutting board and the two men that work for her she wants to give a pen.

I have two cedar chest orders that have come in that are for gifts from customers and they have to be finished by the week before Christmas. The supplier I get my lumber from just got the cedar in yesterday. The holiday weekend will be busy getting them panels cut and glued up.

It just seems like when it gets to this time of the year the days really speed up.

Hi John,

I quit taking Christmas orders on the 15th of October for I am hoping I will have time to fill the ones I have.

I have to make a few pizza peels for gifts this year. I also plan to carve a few bowls with my router. until this afternoon I thought none of this would get accomplished as a week ago I tore the tendon in my right bicept and thought I would be needing surgery soon.

The doctor assured me that it will heal itself in due time but I will need to live with an extra lump on my right arm.

Ouch John,

I can feel your pain for we all seem to at times have strange things happen to us but, we somehow seem to work around them. I said to my wife last night that I would give most anything to go through one day without any pain in my body however I know that this will never happen so I just go on and do the best I can to ignore them.

Wow John, hate to hear about the bicep tear. That can really hurt. So are you still able to do any woodworking or has he said to stay out of the shop?

I sure hope it heals quickly and that you and not in too much pain.

sorry to here about you tendon tear. These darn shoulder and tendon injuries take so long to heal and often times you're not 100% good as new.

John Hechel said:

I have to make a few pizza peels for gifts this year. I also plan to carve a few bowls with my router. until this afternoon I thought none of this would get accomplished as a week ago I tore the tendon in my right bicept and thought I would be needing surgery soon.
The doctor assured me that it will heal itself in due time but I will need to live with an extra lump on my right arm.

Hey Richard,

You sure got that right for my right shoulder hurts like the dickens when I try to raise it up abouve my head some times

,

I mentioned it to my doctor and his comment was,"well quit raising it that high." Naturally he was only kidding befor he put the needle in my shoulder joint. It worked for a few days and then it was right back where it started. I mentioned to my wife the other day I would do most anything to go theough a day pain free, Like that will never happen in my lifetime.

Richard McComas said:

sorry to here about you tendon tear. These darn shoulder and tendon injuries take so long to heal and often times you're not 100% good as new.

John Hechel said:

Doc says use it as much as the pain dictates. As it was work related he wanted to restrict me to 10 lbs but I was able to convince him to set it at 25. I should be able to do some work but may need to take frequent rest breaks.

I told the doctor that I don't need any meds for pain. For my last double hernia surgery I din't even fill my prescription for Vicodin much less take a pain pill.

John Moody said:

Wow John, hate to hear about the bicep tear. That can really hurt. So are you still able to do any woodworking or has he said to stay out of the shop?

I sure hope it heals quickly and that you and not in too much pain.

i am told to expect no noticable loss in strength except for forearm twistingmotions and that should be at 95% or higher.

Richard McComas said:

sorry to here about you tendon tear. These darn shoulder and tendon injuries take so long to heal and often times you're not 100% good as new.

I hear ya on not taking pain meds if you can avoid them. I've had two shoulder surgeries in the last two years (left and right) I took pain meds the first two days on the first surgery and it bound me up so bad I quit taking them. On the second surgery I didn't even try to take any.