Drumroll please….

I am very excited to announce and share with you the launch of my NEW website. After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

The main goal of the new website was to provide online ordering that was user-friendly and easy to navigate. The website is full of features that include additional product information, size selection and engraving features, user can enter comments when ordering, rotating images, promotional codes, create an account, product reviews and more.

On the new website you will find a few new products that include wooden bowls, new cuttings board designs, trays, serving boards, additional hand mirror designs, and gift cards!

Below is a picture of my new Kitchen Board that I make with cherry and maple or walnut and maple. This is the perfect size board for chopping, cutting cheese, fruit, slicing bread, cold-cuts, serving sandwiches or for serving charcuterie at your next family gathering or party. This board has a leather loop for hanging on the wall. To allow the board to lay flat on your counter or table it has a routed slot for the leather loop.

Be one of the first to sign up for FREE shipping and exclusive offers that will be emailed to you!

Did I mention? with the new website I have a new logo. My friend Kate designed this logo for me! With the new logo I am still using the same tag line promoting my work, “Handcrafted Heirlooms Lasting a Lifetime”.

⭐️ I want to thank Kate for working with me,  all her help and support, working her magic and bringing my ideas to LIFE! She was awesome!  Please visit Kate’s Instagram page @primal_kate 

Please visit my new website and let me know any feedback (or bugs that need to be corrected) We can’t wait to hear what you think!  Click here MichaelsWoodcrafts

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Food Presentation Boards

In January of this year I started making these food presentation boards in Walnut and Oak as a prototype to see if they would sell. I only made two of these in a medium size board. It wasn’t long before I had customers asking for engraving on the handle and other sizes.

The above is the medium board in oak with engraving on the handle. I received a nice order from Ava’s Kitchen in New Jersey. Attilio is the owner, never been there but their pizza sure looks delicious! Attilio had purchased pizza boards from three years ago and was still following me on Instagram. When he saw my post on these he emailed me and gave me a nice order with engraving.

I designed a small board, above picture compares the small board (left) to the medium size board. Most of my orders are for Walnut wood.

Who doesn’t like Pizza?!!  I made an extra large board that will easily hold a 12″ pizza for myself. I use it all the time when I make homemade pizza. A local pizzeria owner had purchased boards from me before and when I showed him this new board he purchased a bunch of them to use in his restaurant.

These boards are great for serving anything, above are french pastries from our local french pastry shop in downtown Greenville. Their pastries are to die for!

One of my customers sent me an email with pictures of her homemade cinnamon rolls on the extra large board!

These boards can be used for serving food, charcuterie, pizza, etc. If you have a family gathering or parties this is the perfect food tray for you! It will be the talk of your party!

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

Making a Recessed Wine Bottle Stopper

Happy Friday!!!

It’s been awhile since I last posted and I miss everyone!! I’ve decided that I am going to try and post once or twice a week!

One of my most popular items are the wine bottle stoppers I turn on my wood lathe. They are very unique because they are recessed, meaning that the cork is on the inside of the wine stopper and can not be seen wen the stopper is on the bottle.

I can up with this design 20 years ago when my wife mentioned to me that the wine stoppers I was making were too tall.

A recessed wine stopper has the cork inside and slides over the bottle neck. The couple pictures above are a good example of how they work. You can not see the cork thru the bottle, all you see is the beautiful wine stopper!

 

The colors resin colors are endless, between the Maple burl and the colored resin, each wine stopper is unique. It’s virtually impossible to make two wine bottle stoppers with the same colors!

I start by creating a hybrid blank which I make using Maple burl and colored resin. I cut the piece of maple burl and place it into a square mold and the pour in the colored resin. In about 7 days it is dry and is ready to turn. I really like using the Maple burl, you never know what colors and grain you will see once it is turned.

Then I will mount the blank to the lathe and start turning. Here are a few pictures of the process.

 

 

Once the wine stopper is turned and while still on the lathe, before applying the high gloss finish there is a lot of sanding to do. I will sand starting at 150 grit then 180, 220, 240, 320 grit all the way to 12,000 grit.

I like a high gloss finish, in order for me to get the high gloss I apply 40 to 50 coats of CA finish while the lathe is turning. CA is the short name for Cyanoacrylate glue, super glue.  I apply a few drops of CA to a paper towel and while the late is turning I apply it to the stopper. Then I spray is with a accelerator that dries it instantly. I do this 40, 50 times or more until I am happy with the finish. Once the CA hardens it is very durable.

 

After the finish is done, I will then, buff an polish the stopper by hand. Then I mount the cork. It takes 24 hours for the glue to dry from installing the cork, then is it ready to use!!

 

A wood turned bottle stopper is a great accent to a good bottle of wine.  I enjoy making my recessed wine bottle stoppers!

To see more pictures visit my Gallery of Wine Bottle Stoppers, click here

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

 

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

Engraved Catchall Trays

I have been making catchall trays for only about 2 months now. Since then I have made over 200 trays with “custom” engraving, many different sizes and another 80 that were ordered with one of my already engraving designs.

Above is my “I love you” catchall tray, this one is 6″ X 6″ square and 5/8″ inside. I originally made this one for a shop in Blowing Rock, NC but it has become very popular.

The above tray was a custom engraving order, they wanted a 3D heart in the middle with engraving on the heart. I have also engraved monogram letters on the heart for others.

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

 

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

 

 

Wood Catchall Trays

I recently started making Catchall trays. Each tray I handcraft from a solid piece of walnut. They have beautifully rounded corners, sanded perfectly smooth and then the bottom is engraved with various designs. My wife using one to keep her watch and rings in everyday.

The catchall trays are great for holding small items such as glasses, watches, rings, earrings, thumb drives, car keys, coins,  cell phone & charger, paperclips, thumbtacks, etc., the list is endless. It keeps all those everyday handy items within reach. They make great gifts!

The pineapple engraving takes a long time to do but this one is very popular along with the engraved honey bees!!

The trays are 8″ long and 4″ wide and I currently only make them using solid walnut.

 

I can also engrave the bottom surface with a special message!

Engraved Tiger paw!

The above Catchall tray has a carved bottom.

The tray with Live, Laugh, Love was a custom engraved, special order for a customer that was a gift to a friend. Now that I have this one set-up I can easily repeat this engraving.

After months of hard work and dedication, my NEW website is live!! I would love it if you would go take a look, here is the link:  MichaelsWoodcrafts

www.MichaelsWoodcrafts.com

 

For more information, view more images or to order, click SHOP NOW

Engraved Ice Cream Scoops!

Above, Engraved walnut ice cream scoop.

Please note, the manufacturer of the stainless steel ice cream scoop hardware has changed the design. Effective March 1, 2017, all orders will include the stainless steel hardware shown inn above picture and picture below.

 

Above font is Amaze Bold-script

Above: Rockwell font

Above: Curly Black Walnut and Blackwood ice cream scoop custom engraved for Debra at the University of Connecticut, Office of Alumni Relations.

 

Over the last few months I have handcraft over 70 ice cream scoops and engraved more then 40 of them. I wanted to share with you some of the pictures!

above, Amaze Bold script font

above, Amaze Bold font

above, Amaze Bold script font

above, Amaze Bold script font

above, Amaze Bold script font

The above ice cream scoop was a gift to Maryland Coach Turgeon!

Above: My customer sent me a picture of Maryland Coach Turgeon with the ice cream scoop!

Whimsical ice cream scoops!

above, Amaze Bold script font

above, Rockwell font

above, Amaze Bold script font

above, Amaze Bold script font

above, Amaze Bold script font

Curly black walnut handle engraved.

I am now also engraving serving boards and cutting boards!

 

Above: Wedding gift

    

The above scoop was also a wedding gift and it had engraving on the topside and bottom side.

 

Everyone seems to be enjoying ice cream this summer!! I know I have had my share of Ice cream too!

Enter a caption

 

Above, Cooper font

Above, Curly Black Walnut and Blackwood engraved scoops.

The above Ice Cream Scoop was made for a FedEx sales rep that is on the State Government Team!

above, Amaze Bold script font

above, Amaze Bold script font

Above, Cooper font

The above handle was special order, walnut with special colored wood. The shape is like the hard rock Maple handle. If you like the handle be sure to let me know and I can make this design in walnut for you!

Above, Engraved customer logo’s

Above, Rockwell font

Above, Rockwell font

Above font is Amaze Bold-script

Above font is Rockwell

Above, Amaze Bold-script and Rockwell

Above: curly walnut old fashion ice cream paddle with Rockwell engraving

Above: Amaze bold-script font

Above: Old fashion ice cream paddle scoop engraved using Amaze Bold-script font

Above: Hard rock Maple and Padauk ice cream scoop handle engraved using Amaze bold-script font.

Ab0ve; Old fashion ice cream paddle scoop with Amaze Bold-script font. Below is Cooper font ice cream scoop

Above: Curly Walnut with Blackwood scoop, Rockwell font

Above: Amaze bold-script font

Thank you for visiting my Blog!

Please check out our handcrafted woodwork, charcuterie boards, cutting boards, wine boards, serving trays, wine stoppers, unique ice cream scoops, honey sticks and more. 

For more information please click SHOP NOW

 

 

 

 

Classic Ice Cream Paddle

July 17, 2014

Classic Ice Cream Paddle Hardware

I was lucky enough to find and purchase a bunch of the classic ice cream paddle hardware. The hardware is really nice and is made from solid aluminum.

I plan on turning the handles on my wood lathe over the next few weeks. I will post my progress with pictures, from selecting the wood, preparing the wood for turning, lathe set-up, lathe tools I will use and the steps for turning, mounting and finishing the handles.

Then we will use the Ice Cream Paddle and eat some ice cream!! 🙂

Tomorrow is Friday, thank goodness!! 🙂 Enjoy your Friday!

 “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”
– Theodore Roosevelt

Check out my handmade Ice Cream Scoops!