Ann LeBlanc
@robotleblanc
Writer, Editor, Woodworker. www.annleblanc.com Stories in Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Apparition Lit.
I've never been happy with pinholes in pre-made cabinets (they feel flimsy and I've had shelves collapse too many times), so if I'm not using a dado for shelves, I usually just screw in a strip of scrap wood that the shelf can rest on. Looks nicer IMO and feels sturdier.
woodworkers are always saying, "You always need more clamps!" and it turns out, I need more clamps
I will be at Readercon this weekend! If you are there too, I'd love it if you said hello and/or came to my reading & kaffeklatsch! I will tell you a fact that is only true in a parallel universe, or give you a piece of wood.
EMBODIED EXEGESIS asks the question: "Do trans women write fantastic, weird cyberpunk?" and the answer is YES
it's cool how visible the medullary rays are on this old rotting stump
the frame glue up was mostly successful! I used the miter box to cut the miters, and it worked very well and I only had to do minimal cleanup on the shooting board. Once this dries, I'll make some splines to reinforce the joint.
I thought it would be a good idea to turn these long thin offcuts into some picture frames, but it turns out that workholding long thin bits of wood is extremely frustrating!
And here is what I was making: a silverware organizer! it came together very nicely, with no misaligned dados, or unsightly gaps. a fun small build, and a significant improvement over the old silverware organizer we had.
My novella, THE TRANSITIVE PROPERTIES OF CHEESE, is a cyberpunk cheese heist (in space) www.neonhemlock.com/books/the-tr...
I edited EMBODIED EXEGESIS, an anthology of cyberpunk stories written by transfem authors! This anthology is so full of weird cyberpunk and posthuman stories/poems, pushing at the edges of what defines cyberpunk (and making it trans) www.neonhemlock.com/books/embodi...
The miter box has been very useful for cutting the sides of the dados. It's much faster than setting up battens/saw-guides, and I was surprised at how well doing stopped dados worked with the backsaw.
And even though it's small, with appropriate support, it can handle cutting huge boards. It's SO much nicer (quieter, safer, more accurate) than using a powered miter saw.
After years of searching, I've finally found an intact & working miter box. This is a stanley no150, which has a saw guide instead of integrated miter saw. It works with just about any saw w/ a deep enough plate. Which is great because there are less parts to break or get lost.
Next Friday in Somerville, MA! Come see me, @esther-alter.bsky.social and @tbjacobs.bsky.social talk about cyberpunk, food, and the future of queer literature! Side Quest Books, Friday March 20th, 7:30pm It's ticketed ($5), so you should go buy a ticket here: www.eventbrite.com/e/indie-spec...
Pickler triangles are designed to fold up when not in use, and I wanted a way to lock it in place when unfolded, so I added a wooden screw to the design that will hold the folding part in place so it doesn't collapse when a kid is using it.
I made a Pickler Triangle! It was a fun quick build (~1 month), but really made me wish I had 1) a drill press and 2) a dowel making jig (omg why are dowels so expensive) Also, my first time using milk paint! I usually hate hate hate paint, but milk paint is surprisingly nice to work with.
Have you seen Raymond Chandler (who, incidentally was a major inspiration for Neuromancer and thus cyberpunk), complain about this in science fiction?
I'm thrilled to see EMBODIED EXEGESIS included in this amazing list of transfem literature! This is some incredible company to be in!!!
I made a crumb-catching cutting board for cutting bread. Made with cherry, hard maple, and poplar (all scrap wood left over from other projects)
I'm going to be at Readercon this weekend! Please say hello and/or ask me about woodworking!
My contributor copy of 3Lobed Burning Eye, VOLUME X just arrived! Thank you to @3lobedmag.com for publishing my academia-horror story about epistemological decay, and sandwiches.