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Reposted by Hugin Handmade

Empress of Dragons @metasynchronic.bsky.social · 1d

By the way, if you want to watch me dance on November 8, tickets for the performance (2 shows) AND a livestream option are available!

Broomfield Auditorium
Nov 8 2025

kristenhelenpoppe.com/terpsichorean

Terpsi-chorean — Kristen Helen Poppe

kristenhelenpoppe.com

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · 1d

Odie’s Dark will darken the wood some over time, but it isn’t as big of an effect as a stain. I believe Rubio Monocoat comes in a lot of stain/color options, but so far, I’ve only tried “pure.”

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · 1d

I used Rubio monocoat on this walnut bench. Super easy to apply, just mix it up, apply, and then buff off. Odie’s Oil is very similar. I highly recommend it if you’re stressed about evenly applying a varnish; just make sure to really buff the wood with a clean cloth to remove any excess finish.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · 1d

Some woodworking process shots for anyone that enjoys that sort of thing:

Lots of picture frames combining multiple corners.

More picture frames glued and clamped, with a whole lot of extra clamps to ensure squareness.

Glueing in splines to the corners of each frame to provide additional strength.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · 1d

Nearing completion on my latest woodworking project: picture frames combining multiple wood types. Half of these frames are for my Sargent prints that have been gathering dust, and the other half are a custom job for a friend. Some still need mattes and plexiglass, but that part is easy/boring.

A tabletop covered with an assortment of homemade picture frames, crafted from walnut, cherry, and maple.

A different view of the same picture frames.

A closer shot of a glossy walnut and cherry picture frame, with John Singer Sargent’s “La Carmencita” displayed inside.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · 1d

I just realized I’m looking at the wrong piece! I thought the table top was your floor and that little plywood stand was the new table. Doh!

I still think lighter might be better, just to let each piece keep its own unique tone. But really depends on how you like the knots and whirls.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · 1d

My gut says to put on a clear top layer like Arm R Seal —I prefer the satin finish, it’s very forgiving— to let the light wood keep its natural tone. If you prefer to stain it, you might consider testing on a remnant cutoff to see how the plywood absorbs the stain, especially the edges.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · 23d

After last month’s cherry/walnut picture frame scratched that creative woodworking itch, I’m diving deeper down the rabbit hole. Currently have a half dozen unique profiles, and I’m happy to report that these are both entertaining and a great way to burn through scrap wood that needs a purpose.

A hand-drawn print of an octopus, in a walnut and cherry picture frame.

Multiple examples of picture frame profiles, cut from walnut, cherry, and maple.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Sep 5

Tired of parents enjoying the benefits gifted to them, while denying their own children’s future. Just do to the anti-vax parents whatever happens to their children.

Kid gets polio and can’t walk? We snip Dad’s spine in half. Measles fries a child’s brain? Lobotomy time for MAHA Mom. Seems fair.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Aug 17

This Lowrider CNC v4 from @v1engineering.bsky.social, built with an incredible amount of work by @arrdem.com, is nearly operational. A crazy tool to drop into my deeply unprofessional, garage-workshop woodworking situation.

Can’t wait to see what sort of trouble we can get up to with this machine.

A CNC strut placed on an mdf and plywood table. Several buckets of scrap wood sit on the garage floor underneath.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Aug 17

Seriously.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Aug 9

This weekend, I finished the two-wood picture frame and hung it on the wall. I still need to cut a glass pane, but this is good enough for now. Learned a lesson or two along the way.

I find it quite satisfying when I can use my woodworking setup to replace the things I (frequently) drop and break.

A portrait in a homemade picture frame made from walnut and cherry, hanging on a wall.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Aug 9

Yessssssss…

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Aug 2

Nice splines.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Aug 1

The replacement picture frame project continues to go (mostly) according to plan. I’m not looking forward to all the sanding required to remove the burn marks.

A lithograph portrait in an incomplete picture frame made from walnut and cherry picture.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 31

My first time trying out this technique of using the table saw to make a cove cut. This setup felt less scary than I anticipated, and I’m always happy to figure out a new woodworking technique that won’t cost me a finger.

A length of walnut with a shallow coved cut. A table saw in the background has several boards and clamps attached.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 23

Technically, I probably have less square feet per resident.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 19

Why not both?

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 16

I’d still rather have real wood ceilings/floors/walls than drywall, even if it means signing up for extra work in the future! You can rejuvenate wood, but drywall will be bland forever.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 16

I know very little about staining, but my assumption would be that there is a coat of varnish or polyurathane that you would need to take down. Probably completely removed to apply stain, and that would SUCK. To paint over it, you would need to rough it up enough that primer could adhere well.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 16

In the first picture, my best guess is pine with a fairly dark stain. That’s based on the grain pattern and how it has absorbed the stain. Second picture, the door is likely pine, pretty standard, and the ceiling could be planks of a a knotty cedar?

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 7

Good luck, I hope you enjoy!

P.S. : I always plug Malazan Book of the Fallen as my 10-book epic fantasy series that absolutely nails the whole journey. However, a TON of people bounce off the first 100 pages in book 1. And I get it.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 7

That said, books 4-6 are very similar in terms of pacing, the focus on specific major characters, and I’d say a high point in the series. If you didn’t love 5, doubtful that you’re going to find what you’re looking for in 6.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jul 7

For me, at least, book 6 was great, packed with some of the most memorable moments in the entire series. The bad news is books 7-9 were the lowest point in the series, plodding enough that I put the entire series down for several years. From 10 on, the action picks back up until the conclusion.

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Hugin Handmade @tsothoga.bsky.social · Jun 14

Waterfall bench finished this morning. Absolutely nowhere in the house to put it, but what can ya do? Such a simple concept, but transforming this cracked slab of black walnut into a usable piece of furniture ended up being one of my favorite woodworking projects so far.

A walnut bench sitting outside in the sun.

Photo highlighting the waterfall edge of a walnut bench.

A rough piece of unfinished walnut lumber sitting on a workbench.

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