Barrowwoodworks

Barrow Woodworks

This grower has a photo album.

Barrow Woodworks is proud to have Jon Barrow Latson as its craftsman. He makes beautiful clocks and cutting boards and wonderful wooden (no batteries!) puzzles.

Serious Woodworking

All-wood Chess SetThis chess set is both beautiful and functional. The felt-lined box is Mahogany; the board is Maple and Walnut; the pieces are Basswood. The board slides open to reveal the box where the pieces can be stored when not in play. There is a brass pull for the board, and a brass handle for carrying. Sets like this cost much more than $100 on the Internet.

Barrow Clocks These clocks are original Barrow design (your choice of Mahogany or Oak). No numbers! These clocks are perfect for a mantel, a table, a bookcase, or a desk, even on a wall (there is a hole in the back for hanging). The face and the back are the same wood as the case. Each clock requires a AA battery for its quartz movement. You change the battery once a year and adjust the time by removing the brass screws in back.

Cutting Boards These boards are all wood and ¾ inch thick. Wash any of them after use in soap and warm water (not in the dish washer!). Oil occasionally (maybe every three months); you can use any vegetable or cooking oil.

Large This cutting board measures 10 inches by 15 inches. It is made of five different woods: oak In the middle, Bubinga (sometimes called African Rosewood). Maple, Walnut, and Mahogany on the outside. This board will handle all your fruits and vegetables. You can use both sides of this board.

Medium This cutting board measures 8 inches by 10 inches and has a 5-inch handle. It is made of two different woods: Maple and Walnut (very hard woods). This board will handle all but the largest of your fruits and vegetables. You can use both sides of this board.

Small This cutting board measures 4 inches by 7 1/2 inches, a “bar-size” cutting board It is made of five different woods. This board is perfect for lemons and limes; actually, it will handle all your citrus fruits and small vegetables.

Puzzles

There are no easy puzzles here! Based on years of watching on Saturdays at the Statesboro Farmers Market, I have rated each puzzle as “medium” (many people can solve it given enough time), “hard” (most people can NOT solve it), or “very hard” (it is seldom solved). Each puzzle includes a solution except the Tower of Hanoi (which includes a strategy). Jon B. Latson

Puzzler
(very hard) Can you put the seven pieces into the square frame? This puzzle is deceptively simple; it is actually quite difficult. The Puzzler is a real puzzle! The brochure contains a discussion of tangrams (a meaningless term in Mathematics).

Two-piece
(medium) With just two identical pieces, how difficult can it be to make a three-sided pyramid (a tetrahedron). It is simple, or is it?

Tower of Hanoi
(hard) This puzzle is made of seven different woods on a mahogany base, all finished in tung oil. Invented by a French mathematician when the Orient was quite mysterious, can you move the tower to another peg one tile at a time without ever putting a larger on a smaller? It is difficult but not impossible; however, there is no easy solution. Included in the brochure along with a myth about Brahmin monks is a strategy for solving the puzzle.

Doll Furniture
(hard) All ten pieces fit together to make a block. The large pieces are for Barbies, and the smaller pieces will fit in a doll house. This puzzle comes completely assembled, so pay close attention when you take it apart because there is no solution included.

Broken Cross
(hard) These 7 Mahogany pieces make the other 12 shapes drawn around the outside of the included template, but the cross is drawn full-size. Can you make the Greek Cross with these pieces?

T Puzzle
(hard) This was originally meant for children, but everyone finds it way too difficult. Can you make a capital T from these 4 pieces. The first 3 pieces seem straightforward enough, but that square “pac-man” piece… let’s start over!

Simple Square
(medium) It is not as simple as its name suggests. Four triangles make one square?

3-way Cross/C-C-O Knot
(very hard) You only have three pieces; it is the simplest of the burr puzzles, that does not make it easy. Can you assemble a three-way cross as pictured?

Pythagoras
(medium) This might be a little easier than Puzzler but along the same lines. Can you put the seven pieces into the square frame? The brochure contains a discussion of tangrams (a meaningless term in Mathematics).

Other Stuff

I didn’t know how to classify the following. Jon B. Latson

Jacob’s Ladder
This is ancient toy but still captivates and mystifies children and adults. There is a story that a Jacob‘s Ladder was found in King Tut’s tomb!

Tic-Tac-Toe
This game is not just for children. This version is good in the car because the pegs stay put. The brochure includes a strategy for winning (or at least not losing!).

Rubber Band Gun
You may have had one of these when you were a child, but now they are difficult to find. This gun shoots the rubber band about 20 feet, but we only shoot at small animals that run fast (and cats don’t fetch)!

 
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