I’m happy to report that my thumb is healing quite nicely. After about 10 days, I’m down from an oversize gauze bandage that stuck out like, well, a sore thumb and just using a band-aid. Other than some minor annoyances, it’s been a non-issue, and which makes me happy as I recently made a list of upcoming (woodworking) projects.

Coffee table #1 — This one’s for Dina and me, made primarily from a small cherry tree trunk cut down by my friend Mike in the course of his landscaping job.

Coffee table #2 — Another commission, this one is for some friends who recently moved in to a new house. Size, style, material all TBD.

Frame for lacework — As we sorted through my grandmother’s apartment after she passed away a couple years ago, we discovered a cache of beautiful, hand-crocheted (or tatted?) lace. I took a few of them, and aim to make a big, hexagonal frame from some oak I have in the shop. A good project to get good on the router table.

Door — Another friend is in the middle of a renovation and hasn’t had a bathroom door for months, so I’m making him a barn-style sliding door.

Robot arm table — Now that it’s closer to ready for the big time, the robot arm needs a platform worthy of its bar tending future. I’m thinking veneer over plywood for robust but attractive construction. I’ve also got some brass sheets cut for the bottle holders.

Benches — The same folks who host my workshop took out a few trees a couple years back, and saved some big slabs to turn into benches for their backyard. I’m gonna weld up some steel bases and varnish the heck out of the wood.

Rocking chair(s) — Jared and I have had visions for years of building a small run of rocking chairs as gifts for close friends. We actually have the inklings of a design and a couple prototypes, but there’s plenty of work left, even before we start “production.”

This all made me think back to the last time I publicly listed the projects I was considering and/or working on. Again, I’m happy to report quite a bit of progress on most of them, and even a few completed altogether! Although the sweater languishes, there’s been movement on everything else. Since October 2010, the robot arm has poured its first drink, I made (and frequently use) a sous vide cooker, and I built a workbench and then a dining room table for my friends. The last project, the photography one, is just getting underway. I’ll post something here when it’s ready for primetime. Not bad, all in all!