Such great weather over the weekend. Saying goodbye to summer is never easy, but it means pumpkin carving, homemade pressed cider, and more time in the shop! Thank you for an awesome summer season… Christmas is coming and we’re ready to rock and roll with your custom projects! — with Travis Higgins.
Can you believe we found this bench at the dump? Look how beautiful it turned out!
Along with the Age of Exploration, came a need to implement a standard compass. In ancient times, maps were typically drawn from whatever perspective the map maker
preferred, and Northwas rarely aligned with the top edge. The Compass Rose became a definitive figure displaying the orientation of the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west on a map or nautical chart.
The compass rose was painted on ships and vessels. It soon became common for men at sea to place nautical star tattoos on their forearms and hands. It was believed to offer protection, security, and guidance. Over time the North point on a compass rose became a symbol for finding your way home safely and symbolically finding your way in life. Because many sailors were deeply superstitious with a rich history of lore about life and death at sea, they were always looking for lucky charms. A historic fear of life and death at sea caused many sailors to become deeply superstitious, and thus the compass rose became a strong symbol of luck and a desire to return home safely.
You will often hear a compass rose referred to as a windrose, however the windrose is actually an ancient version of a compass rose, which personified 32 compass directions as winds.
Today the use and idea of a compass rose is found on or featured in almost all navigation systems, including nautical charts, NDB and VOR systems, and some GPS sets. There are multiple variations of the compass rose. Today, compasses use the eight principal directions (N, NE, E, SE, etc.).
4-point compass roses use only the four “basic winds” or “cardinal directions” (North, East, South, West), with angles of difference at 90°.
8-point compass roses us the eight principal winds—that is, the four cardinal directions plus the four or “ordinal directions” (NE, SE, SW, NW), at angles of difference of 45°.
16-point compass roses contain half-winds, at angles of difference of 221⁄2°. The names of the half-winds are simply combinations of the principal winds to either side, e.g. North-northeast (NNE), East-northeast (ENE), etc.
32-point compass roses contain quarter-wind names. Naming all 32 points on the rose is called “boxing the compass”.
This three dimensional hand-made commissioned piece was constructed using oak and 90-year-old nautical rope, displaying the 16-point version of the Compass Rose.
This American Flag Recycled Fence Panel Sign can be hung indoors or outside. Depending on availability of materials, it is made from a restored and recycled fence panel. Painted with a combination of white-washed and stained paints, it will make a lovely addition to an outside porch, or as a interior wall hanging. All pieces are finished with a marine-grade superior exterior coating formulated with Tung Oil and Ultraviolet Absorbers (UVA). This varnish produces a high quality, flexible finish that withstands weathering due to sun, water, and salt spray. 
We offer a variety of sizes. Because all pieces are made to order, we can design the piece to your preferred measurements if you’d like. Our clients who are looking to fill a specific indoor/outdoor space have taken advantage of this flexibility in the past, and love it! This image has a 7 post height. We recommend a minimum of 5, and encourage odd numbers. Because the 9 board panel is the most effective use of materials, it is considered our standard size. All other sizes are considered custom. Click Here to Order Online! or give Travis a call/email if you’re local. We’ll chat about the piece and make sure you’ll love it.
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Full Packages Available for New Construction -Designed and Built by Lynchpin Design Company!
Full Packages Available for New Construction — Designed and Built by Lynchpin Design Company!
This Door knob Coat rack is a hand-crafted one-of-a-kind piece made from materials with an interesting back-story.
The door knobs we’ve used in this piece were first seen in the early 1800s. We know that that they were original to the Cambridge, MA home that we got them from. The metal shanks are made of cast iron, and the base of the knobs are made of brushed brass. They’re known as “mineral knobs”, which are natural glacial clay that have a “Albany slip” glaze or a clear glaze composed of feldspar and flint.
The clays found around the Albany NY area were a natural glacial clay with a high iron content, and were used extensively in the early 1800s pottery industry. The “Albany slip” glaze would enhance the color of the material and sealed the rough body texture caused by the drying clays after they were formed to their desired shape.
Another glazing method used a clear glaze of composed mainly of feldspar and flint, and this would permit the marble-like swirls of the various clays used in the knob body to show through. So it is easy to mistake this naturally derived product for genuine marble.
The wood used in this piece is among the hardest and most stiff of the woods in the world. It’s called Purpleheart Wood. And it’s simply beautiful. Truth be told, we’ve actually fallen for this wood, and plan to use it more frequently in the future! So, why are we hooked?
Aside from general appearance and feel, the flowering trees (called Peltogyne, known as Purpleheart or Amaranth) are native to the rain forests of Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname.
The trees are prized for their beautiful heartwood which, when cut, quickly turns from a light brown to a rich purple color. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light darkens the wood to a brown color with a slight hue of the original purple. The longer the wood is exposed to UV lights (sunlight), the colour of purple slowly changes from a light purple to a substantially chocolate-purple colour.
This beautiful wood is commonly used in cabinetry, flooring, furniture, and for guitar and musical instrument inlays. We had to take special precaution when working with this wood, as exposure to the dust generate during cutting and sanding causes nausea and irritation. It also emits a resin that is extremely damaging to our machinery, and is easily burned if cut improperly.
Moderately hard to work but takes a glossy, lustrous finish. Lacquer finish will best preserve the color.
But, even with all of the challenges we have faced with Purpleheart Wood, we were quick to reap our reward when we began to see the finished piece emerge. It truly is the smoothest wood we’ve even laid our hands on. And the color is quite breathtaking. It’s not something you see everyday, and it’s sure to grab someone’s attention.
This multi-functional piece can be used in many creative ways. Sure, you could hang it horizontally and use it as a coat rack. Or you could hang it vertically as a stand-alone show piece. Perhaps our favorite way is to hang it horizontally to display your family photos like Jennifer from Pin or Pass did below. We love the ribbons, and even love the idea of “stacking” photos, so they hang vertically.
via Pin or Pass: A Fun Way to Hang Your Picture Frames.
via Pin or Pass: A Fun Way to Hang Your Picture Frames.
This piece comes with full mounting hardware, although as with every piece we create, we offer local installation. The Door Knob Coat Rack measures 36″ long, 3″ wide, and 3/4″ thick.
Check out these shots of the finished birdhouse!
“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” ― Leo Tolstoy
We are in love with our latest original project. What do you think? Stay tuned for the finished product… changes to come!!
Home Accents
Full Packages Available for New Construction
Designed and Built by Lynchpin Design Company
I struggled when trying to figure out a way to start this post. At the time of shooting, there were so many ideas and emotions going through my head, but now? I’m drawing a blank. So, bear with me as I try to retrieve some of those thoughts. They’re here somewhere…
Acquiesce, I don’t think there’s a word more fitting. “To accept something reluctantly” is a skill we all struggle with. In its most basic form, it means giving up. But, “without protest” is the true challenge. We protest. It’s what we’re about, it’s how we defend what is ours. We’re attached to our ideas–we think they’re the greatest solutions and the most insightful thoughts. So, when we have to accept that maybe our idea isn’t optimal, we do so reluctantly, but most always with protest. You see? The “without protest” is the kicker.
Think back to a time where you were caught in a difficult situation with a loved one. It was likely due to a lack of communication or a differing of beliefs about a particular situation. (As is the case with all types of arguments and discussions.) 
You know what I’m talking about right? You’ve been there too? Well, if you don’t, or you haven’t… you can leave. (There isn’t any room for picture perfect pansies around here, so scoot.) Around here, EVERYBODY makes mistakes, hold grudges, or downright argues for no reason. Maybe it the New England Spirit, maybe it’s in the salt water. But whatever the reason, we could all learn to acquiesce at times.
I’ll try to be relatable and tell you: Sometimes my guy is downright exhausting when it come to arguments. And he’ll be the first to tell you he should have been a lawyer. He loves to argue, he downright looks for arguments. It’s not intended to be harmful or aggravating, it’s in his nature to argue. And, he knows there is nothing I like more than giving other people my advice–even when it’s not wanted.
So, when he asks for my opinion (or when he doesn’t) on a subject, I’m quick to jump. And then I fall, fall right into that trap. But the problem is, once I’ve been trapped, I won’t go down until I’ve won. That’s the problem. I don’t accept. I am reluctant. And I certainly do protest. But where does that get me? It get’s me ready for a drink and a nap. In the end, I loose no matter what the outcome. Dumb, I get it now.
Now, if I learn–which I am–to acquiesce in a situation, I win. I win no matter what the argument. And you do too. Is it worth it? Is it truly worth it to be upset with the ones you love because they are not conforming to your idea–your layout–of what they should be. You met them as they were, chose them as they are, and you’ve made the decision to move onward with who they will be.
Do not disappoint yourself into believing you can change anything about one person. You can only change yourself. And if there is one goddamn thing I’ve come to realize–it’s this; If you have a problem with someone in your life–whether they be friend or foe, who has the problem?
I hate to break it to you, but you–my dear–are the one with the problem. I get this all the time, I see it everywhere. Colleagues, friends, family member will approach me and complain (for lack of a better term) about the issue in their lives, the people who are creating problems and disrupting their happiness. And my response is always the same: Who is this affecting?
You. If you have a problem with your spouse–don’t think for a minute they are kept up at night thinking about that problem. Truth is, they don’t even give it the time of day. Sorry dear, you’re on your own. When you want an apology from someone who has wronged you, you are putting your happiness in another’s hands. That’s risky. 
If we are unable to acquiesce in a given situation, we’ve move to the point where we must forgive. And don’t think for a minute that forgiveness is about the abuser–it is solely about the abused. If you want to be forgiven, forgive yourself. If you want to forgive another, forgive yourself. There are no words that I believe more:Forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself, and the final form of love.
