Juggling my commissions....

Bam! 

And just like that... I'm back. 

I've been hunkered down, producing a ton of work in the shop lately. From re-storing a vintage pool table, to building out a Mercedes Cruiser van, to turning massive table legs - the shop is anything but dormant. 

One of my favorite repeat commissions has been working on these juggling "barbells" - I don't really know what else to call them besides that.  

I've made dozens of these over the years, and I'm not sure why I never did some research about the fella who orders them. Here he is, with a few of the "barbells" in the lower center of this array of his "tools."

I've never met him - everything is done via email, Zelle, and the good old USPS. 

Unfortunately, these "faceless" transactions occur much more frequently during these Covid times, but that's OK... work is work. 

Just like the TV cooking show - Chopped - I start with a few "ingredients" - blocks of plywood, 

and dowels.

The blocks are laminated together,

 three layers high, 

and then drilled for the dowel "handles."

I've found that it saves some time to rough out the round shapes, so I trim them on the bandsaw, with the table tilted. There are a few tricks to gluing this 3-piece assemble together, and luckily, I've figured out how to do it efficiently and perfectly.

I'll be on the lathe for the next day or two, finishing these up... meanwhile, the only video I could locate on this juggler is this old, grainy YouTube clip.   

Enjoy!