Spice of Life
Sadly, a few weeks ago while planning a 400 mile move to attend school, my daughter’s rented house burned down along with their car next to it leaving her and her boyfriend with nothing. The house was old, the wiring was bad they had no insurance. What wasn’t destroyed in the fire, vandals stole or destroyed a couple of days later. The landlord showed up, promised to help them promptly disappeared and wouldn’t return phone calls or deposits. Friends and family stepped up with money and a temporary place to stay. The (heroic) firemen on the truck that put out the fire even gave them cash to stay in a hotel for that first night. The boyfriend bought a $400 beater car and drove to the new town while daughter worked out the rest of her job commitment. After 10 days staying in a truck stop parking lot, boyfriend got a job. He said the showers cost $12 but you could stay in there for hours. Last week they finally got an apartment in the new town and we helped them get some household goods, a few pieces of furniture from an estate sale and a bed.
What does this have to do with wood carving? While sitting on the new, old couch in the apartment with my daughter she commented on what was saved and what was lost. They saved their pets. Boyfriend even entered the burning building to get her cat. Clothes, furniture, appliances, TV, Disney DVD collection, cell phone, car, jewelry, photos, financial records, all were lost or stolen. One thing she regretted loosing was her spice collection. She had been accumulating spices for her cooking for several years. Not having much money, and spices being expensive, she would occasionally buy one or two small bottles of McCormic spices at the grocery store when she could afford it. Her collection had grown, but now it was all gone. Oh well, now she would just have to start over.
When we got home I rummaged around the shop to find wood for a spice rack that could accommodate a spice collection. Finding a piece of poplar that would carve nicely and two prize straight grain quarter sawn oak boards that I had saved back, the spice rack project began.
An internet search revealed that spices are expensive and they come in a variety of bottle sizes. Uline has plastic and glass spice bottles with shaker tops to accommodate bulk spices. I decided to stick with McCormic as they are reasonable cost and she can add to the collection as finances permits. The typical McCormic bottles are 1-3/4” diameter by 2-1/2” tall, 1-3/4” diameter by 4-1/2” tall and 2-1/2” diameter by 6-1/4” tall. My spice rack design is 24” wide and 33-1/2” tall. It will hold two rows of the small bottles (24 total) , two rows of the medium bottles (24 total) and one row of the large bottles (9 total). The top carved board (.mpc attached) is 24” long, 5-1/2” wide and 1” thick. The back is a piece of ¼” birch plywood, top carved piece is poplar and the rack frame and shelves are oak. The wood dowels for joinery and the restraint bars are ½” diameter. There is an angle cut block fixed to the back of the carved board for wall hanging. The finish is Zinsser Shellac.
My wife came home from the grocery store with a bag full of spice bottles so the collection has a start. I’m Hoping to get this up to my daughter before Thanksgiving.
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