Last weekend, the neighbor’s 4yr old got curious about the workbench and all the tools, pulling them out one after another (usually the sharp ones) and immediately brandishing them against the bench.

Maddox’s Vice

I did what I could to keep up, but by the time the other two boys showed up, and we started making swords, it started getting a little chaotic. Good times.

I’ve had some aspen drying out for several years now, most of which went into making the (sitting) bench a while back, but there were a few scrap branches (aka reaction wood) left over. Curious thing: apparently as the bark dehydrated and sunk in close to the branches, the sap started getting squeezed out, and then hardened into these orage whisker things.

Aspen Whiskers

Russ