Once again, its been a while since I have posted.
A lot has changed recently, not the least of which is that I have changed jobs. I am now the Executive Director of a new research center called CenSCIR at Carnegie Mellon University. This has been a great change for me, and I am really enjoying the University atmosphere and the increased exposure to fellow tinkerers. Although, I have to admit that they are all at a significantly higher level of "tinkering" than I am! Enough about that, this blog is not about work!
The new job has kept me out of the workshop a bit more than usual (plus it has been to sunny in Pittsburgh to spend time inside), but I’m getting the itch to get back to my projects.
I did spend some time trying to cut the decorative ebony plugs for the Greene & Greene desks. I am trying to use a method that was explained in a recent issue of Fine Woodworking Magazine. This method allows you drill traditional round holes into the mahogany and then insert square ebony pegs with short round dowels attached to the backs into the round holes. Thereby reducing some of the gaps that may show in a traditional "mortised"peg hole (at least when done by an amateur like me).
On paper, this method looks good, but I am breaking about 50% of the ebony pegs during the final steps of making them, and this is just too much breakage (I need to make about 28 of these plugs). I need to work on this method a bit more.
Like this:
Like Loading...
About mattsanf
Matt Sanfilippo is the Chief Partnership Officer (CPO) for the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Co-Director of its Engineering Research Accelerator. In this role, Matt coordinates and enables strategic and sponsored research opportunities across the college, and stewards the development of proposals for major research opportunities along strategic themes. Additionally, he enables collaboration among the college's research institute/center executive directors, and industrial and government relations personnel in the pursuit of opportunities with industry, federal and state governments. Before becoming CPO for the College, Matt was the Senior Executive Director for Research Initiatives, the Executive Director of CMU's SII (Smart Infrastructure Institute) and ICES (Institute for Complex Engineered Systems), and Associate Director of PITA (Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance) and RAMP (Research for Advanced Manufacturing in Pennsylvania).
Before CMU, Matt was Managing Director of Applied Technology for Michael Baker Corporation, an engineering and energy services firm. Matt managed Baker's technology division including Geographic Information System (GIS), software and web development, multimedia, virtual reality, visualization, Global Positioning System (GPS), mapping and surveying services. Before joining Baker, Matt was an Innovation Director for Redleaf Group, a Venture Capital/Operating Company focused on information security, supply chain and mobility solutions. While at Redleaf, Matt managed technical due diligence for seed-stage investments and coordinated relationships between Redleaf and their partner companies. Prior to Redleaf, Matt was CIO of GZA GeoEnvironmental Technologies, an infrastructure engineering firm, and operations manager for their Internet start-up that focused on web-technologies for health and safety and manufacturing metrics.
Matt is on the board of Larson Design Group (LDG), past Chairman of the Board for the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, current board member of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), current Vice President of the Sewickley Heights Gun Club (SHGC) and former member of the Information Sciences and Technology Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania State University Beaver. Matt is also former Vice President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals and former Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Baker Combined Charity of Pennsylvania.
A Learning Adventure in the Workshop 