Odin's Toy Factory

  My Shop I made a batch of male and female mini gnomes, using poplar wood offcuts as part of an experiment to utilize leftover wood in my waste bin. Normally, these offcuts would be burned as kindling for backyard fires. Most gnome parts were cut from 3/4-inch stock and then resawn on a band saw. In the background, you can also see a T-rex dinosaur that I made from oak flooring cut-offs given to me by a friend. Several animals from my Itty Bitty Animal Collection , including giraffes and a rooster, are also in the photo. These were all made from offcuts as well. I keep patterns for these animals on hand and apply them to the leftover wood from other projects, such as puzzles, once they are completed.

  My Shop In this creative project, mini gnomes are crafted from leftover wood pieces typically discarded as designer kindling. This experiment showcases the potential of repurposing scrap materials that remain after making puzzles and other intricate designs. With an abundance of these wooden remnants, producing these charming gnomes proved to be practical. To aid in the process, spring clamps from Harbor Freight Tools are utilized. I have about 200 of these handy clamps; they provide the perfect clamping support for assembling the gnomes. This project transforms waste into delightful gnomes.

A Batch of Mini Gnomes   My Goimagine Shop I created some SVG files that would fit on the labels using one of Steve Good's gnome patterns. I planned to use the labels instead of spray adhesive. As I headed to the shop with the patterns, I stumbled upon a five-gallon bucket full of offcuts from my scroll saw. This discovery sparked a second experiment idea – how many gnomes could I make using only the wood in this bucket? The answer: more gnomes than I have time for. The wood in the bucket was 3/4 inch or thicker, which was too thick for the mini gnomes I had in mind. Undeterred, I applied the patterns, cut them from the wood in the bucket, and resawed them using my Shopsmith bandsaw. Once I had a small bucket of parts, I assembled them and stopped when I ran out of feet and didn't have time to cut more. I found that the labels worked well, but I had to be much more careful about dusting off the wood to get them to stick as well as I liked. If the wood was smooth and clean, the...