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Wedged Mortise and Tenon Joinery Last week I covered cutting the box joints and mortises for this keyaki tabi-dansu, and this week we’re continuing on with the wedged mortise and tenon joints. Since I laid out and cut all the mortises by hand, the location and size of each became somewhat unique. So I decided… Read More »Keyaki Tabi-dansu 2

The post Keyaki Tabi-dansu 2 appeared first on Big Sand Woodworking.

If you follow the blog at all (or my new BlueSky handle: @aptwoodworker.bsky.social), you know I build a fair amount of workbenches. In fairness, it’s been a while since I’ve built one for myself. But I have some exciting news: I am making one more workbench, before hanging up my cleats forever. This new bench […]

The time was fast approaching when I could button up the wire frame tunnel, wrapping it with the 6mil greenhouse plastic.

First, concurring with reader EarlM, I secured al the wireframe panel edges with hog rings along the joints.  Yes, zip ties are not what was ultimately needed but sufficed for the initial assembly, but the metal hog rings were necessary for the long haul.  Addressing the issue of stable edge joints was paramount as the ongoing vibrations of wind against the wire/plastic would eventually breach the film membrane.  Not good.  However should that ever occur I can repair it with special tape made for that purpose.

And speaking of tape, I decided to cover the edges and hog rings with Ace Hardware store brand heavyweight packing tape.  It is not very good for packing cardboard boxes but really excelled at this application.  Two layers of the thick transparent tape had me ready for the final step of this episode — draping the whole thing with the plastic film and affixing said film to the edges of the wooden structure.

I’d arranged for my friend Boyd to come over to help, and he was a great help with excellent ideas on how to actually do the task.

I spent the next few hours tacking down the edges to secure the lid.  Not all of it was aesthetically exquisite, but it has been holding fast through some pretty fierce winds already.

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like greenhouse, just in time for Christmas.

Dec. 6.

 I rolled out of the rack early today with the intention of gathering up yard waste to get it curbside. When I looked outside, I saw that it had snowed overnight. I thought that was great because the forecast said rain overnight. By the time I got outside I found that it was raining and the snow was mostly all slush. That nixed the yard waste idea and I starting working on the sudoku puzzle from yesterday. It was kicking my butt and the current one is the 5th time I printed it out and started over again.

holder for the trim router

This was the 5th option and the one I'm going with. This is just to contain the router in the box so it doesn't rattle around when it is picked up and moved about. It is a simple box sans a bottom. It is rabbeted and I would have done dovetails but this is 6mm plywood. My two previous attempts dovetailing plywood were dismal failures.

two other failures

The four other options that failed revolved around me trying to make a cradle for the top and bottom ends. I couldn't orient myself with especially the top - it has weird rounds and moves off into other shapes/angles. I kept sawing the round parts in the wrong axis - instead of this one being horizontal I should have done it vertically. I doubt I would have been happy with it whether I sawed it correctly or not.

glued and cooking

I put spacers in this because the clamps were bowing in the long sides. I did the half moon cutout to facilitate getting the router in/out of it.

small wrench

Started playing with where to put this and stopped myself. If I hadn't I would probably be still obsessing about its placement.

1/8" plywood

The wrench is a  frog hair less thick than the plywood. It is a slip fit pulling and putting it in the holder. I still don't know what this small wrench is for.

put a back on it

I didn't need the back for this to work. I put a back on so I could glue the holder to the box with hide glue. This way I can remove it for whatever reason in the future.

big wrench holder

I really wanted to put the big wrench vertical but the height of the box is about 3/4" short. This was placed horizontally on the front of the box. I put a front and back on the big wrench like I did for its smaller sibling.

all stop

I was opening the box and the lid got away from me fell. It didn't rip the hinges out and I immediately stopped everything and installed a chain fall. 

it fits

I made this box about and 1/8" bigger in the length and the width. I glued it in the box with hide glue.

nope

I really liked the big wrench here. It would be secure and out the way. However, I tried it and I didn't like it. It wasn't as easy to get out as I thought it would be.

2nd spot

I like this for being out of the way but the router/holder is too close. It will throw me into a tizzy fit if I have to fumble to get this out or put it back.

space hog

This takes up a lot of real estate in a couple of planes. This one had to be placed first and I temporarily attached it with super glue so I could close the lid.

good feeling

The edge guide doesn't interfere with the closing/opening of the lid. I got my happy face on here.

1/4-20 brass RH screw

I wanted to use a carriage bolt here and chisel out a recess for the head. ACE didn't have any in the size I wanted so I used this.

which one will win?

This box is big enough to warrant a handle of some kind on the top. I thought of side mounted handles but it isn't big enough for that.

the brass one won

The top panel is only 6mm thick and I don't want to attach the handles with screws, nuts, and washers. I glued a 1/2" thick block to the top so I would have some meat to screw into.

oval head screws

I didn't want to rely solely on the glue bond so I added 3 screws. I swapped out the middle oval head screw and put in a flat head. That is where the edge guide holder was going.

might as well

Added the catch for the lid. I'll remove it and the handle when I apply the shellac

cooking

I preferred placing these on the sides but that wasn't working. I think I have enough real estate to put a block to hold the router bits that came with the router. Currently they are residing in drawer #1.

hmm.......

Time to make another trip to ACE. I didn't have any 5min epoxy and I also needed another 1/4-20 screw and wing nut. I need the epoxy to fill in around the screw so it won't turn when I tighten a wing nut on it.

the easiest one

This is the only guide bushing that came with this router. I don't ever see myself using it but I'll find spot to put it in the box.

done

I got holders for everything now. It is just a matter of gluing them where they will reside in the box. I am going to try and get all 3 of these fitted into the top of the lid.

it is white

I got all three of the screws for each of the holders epoxied in place. This is a marine epoxy and the blurb said it was stronger than normal 5min epoxy. This was probably overkill but hopefully I won't ever have to worry about the screw spinning as I tighten the wing nuts on them. 

I wasn't expecting white and this is the first I've seen this epoxy in this color. I was expecting it to be clear but it doesn't matter here. Once the holders are glued in place no one will ever see this.

accidental woodworker

Back in August or September, I found a few interesting things at two estate sales.  The combined haul was not huge, but included an almost complete set of auger bits, a 10" brace, an 18" auger bit extension, 3 chisels and some used and unused hacksaw blades.

The modest haul was still worth the time

This post will cover the boring tools and a follow-up post will cover the chisels.

The auger bits comprised an almost complete mixed-maker set.  They were all fairly rusty, but they cleaned up nicely using the rust removal formula I wrote about a couple months ago.  There was at least one bit that was too far gone to be useable - it's cutting spurs were bent horribly and there wouldn't have been enough left to be functional if I had filed them smooth.  A couple others had spurs that were about even with the cutting lips, so I filed the cutting lips down to allow the spurs to score wood before the lips would start removing material.  Filing the lips that much is not optimal, but at least they'll cut a hole now.  And if I'm careful, the hole will be reasonably clean.  Here are the sizes and makers or markings (a slash "/" denotes different lines of markings):

• 3/16     No markings  (unusual size - not sure I've seen one before)
• 4/16     ACRABORE / TAYLOR-GUEDE / MADE IN U.S.A.
• 4/16     RUSSELL JENNINGS
• 6/16     CLEAN CUT / TRADEMARK
• 6/16     No markings
• 6/16     GILMORE SPECIAL  (This one is beyond restoring)
• 7/16     ACRABORE / TAYLOR-GUEDE / MADE IN USA
• 8/16     IRWIN / USA
• 9/16     GREENLEE / ROCKFORD ILLINOIS / MADE IN USA / No. 22
• 10/16   IRWIN - U.S. of A.
• 13/16   GREENLEE / ROCKFORD ILLINOIS / MADE IN USA / No. 22
• 14/16   THE JAMES SWAN CO. / SEYMORE CT, U.S.A.
• 15/16   THE JAMES SWAN CO. / SEYMORE CT, U.S.A.
• Small Expansive Bit (Small Cutter Only)   CLARK / CONVALCO / EXPANSIVE / U.S.A.
• Large Expansive Bit (Long Cutter Only)   HSB & CO. / OUR VERY BEST

The missing sizes were 5/16", 11/16", 12/16" and 1".  By coincidence, I found a C. E. JENNINGS & CO. No 10, 11/16" bit in great condition at a garage sale within a couple weeks of finding these.

The former owner had made this neat holder from a big chunk of wood

A few of these bits needed remedial attention.  They hadn't been taken care of and had a hard life.

The Gilmore Special 3/8" bit looked like it had been down a kitchen sink "dispose-all".  The spurs are hopelessly dubbed over and the lead screw threads were beyond repair.

The 1/2" Irwin - USA bit was in rough shape.  The left spur has been filed here, the right spur is dubbed over and is next up for filing.

Because I had to file the spurs down, the cutting lips also needed to be filed so they wouldn't start cutting until after the spurs engage. Not optimal, but it does work now.

Here's the lot of them, all cleaned up

The smaller of the two expansive bits was a Clark.  I'd never seen one so small.  It can bore holes from about 1/2" to 1" diameter.  The expansive bits I'd seen previously were for boring holes larger than a typical set of 1/4" to 1" diameters.  I'm guessing that this bit was made for people who didn't want to buy a full set of bits.

The Clark (below) and the H.S.B (above)

There is a problem with the Clark bit.  The spur on the moveable arm is bent inward a little.  This means that it might get stuck in a cut because the top of the spur cuts a smaller diameter than the rest of the spur will fit into.  I tried to straighten the spur, but didn't get it much better, if at all - I was too worried about breaking off the top of the spur.

You can see the problem in this picture. Note how the tip of the spur bends in a little.

I tried tapping the spur to get it to proper shape, to no avail. I may try to heat it to make it more malleable and then tap it.

The larger expansive bit is from Hibbert, Spencer and Bartlett and it will cut holes like all the other expansive bits I've seen: about 1 3/4" to 3".  The smaller cutting arm was not present.  The spur on the main body is a bit short - about at the same level as the cutting lip on the main body.  But it will still cut a hole because the spur on the moveable arm is plenty long.

The business end of the HSB expansive bit

I've sharpened both of these bits and they'll cut, but they could be better.

The auger bit extension that I found looks like it was user-made.  There is no maker's mark, it's not exactly straight and an auger bit just fits in the end with no locking mechanism at all.  It was really rusty as found, but I cleaned the rust off and it looks better.

The auger bit extension

The business end - looks to be hand forged

Probably hammered around another auger bit's square tapered shank

A defect

I bought this because recently when making a chair, I couldn't fit my other bit extensions through a 5/8" hole in the arm to bore a hole in the seat.  My other bit extensions have diameters of 11/16" where they hold an auger bit.  But this one has a diameter of about 9/16", so it would have worked in that instance.  Too bad I found it a couple weeks too late!

The 9/16" extension above, 11/16" extension below

Lastly, there is this 10" sweep brace.  I still need to clean it up, but I can tell that it'll clean up easily and work perfectly.  I don't know anything about this brand.

It's marked: MOHAWK    MADE IN U.S.A. SHELBURNE          NO. 1710

I can see the ball bearings in this ring below the handle

That's it for this post.  Next time I'll write about the chisels - they were quite interesting.

I’ve been busy, but not in-the-shop busy these days. Recent fall seasons I’ve made several carved boxes for sale – but this year I have one – and won’t have time for another before the end of December. I’ve written a bit about it on my substack blog – but the details are these. I’m selling this one through a silent auction method – send me an email with the subject “carved box” – bids start at $1,000. I usually sell these boxes for $1,500 – I’ll take bids until Sunday 8pm eastern time. Then I’ll send a note to the winner. Shipping is through USPS – runs between $50-200 depending on distance from Massachusetts. My email is PeterFollansbee7@gmail.com

H: 8 1/2” W: 24 3/4” and depth 14 3/4″. Linseed oil finish.

There’s a carved panel for sale at the same time – details here: https://peterfollansbeejoinerswork.substack.com/p/carved-box-and-panel-for-sale

Maureen and Rose have updated the etsy site – Maureen’s knitting and Rose’s crochet-ing. They have more than 2 items for sale – in case someone in your life is looking for textiles

The link is here – https://www.etsy.com/shop/MaureensFiberArts

Woodworking next time…

Dec. 5.

 The box is coming along nicely. So far I haven't said oops and nothing has gone south neither. I'm at the part where I need to fit the router and the goodies inside of it. I'm going to try and not vacillate like I did with the Dowel Max fitting.

ready to unclamp

I came back to the shop last night to check on this. I was mostly concerned with the temp in the shop - it was 61F (16C) - so the hide glue wasn't going to freeze.

gap

I hit this tail with the plywood and the mallet to separate it after a dry fit yesterday. When I hit this tail I dented it and it didn't swell shut with the glue. I'll fill in this gap with pine wood putty. I got lucky that this was the lone tail that had a hissy fit.

slant lid line

There is no way that I could find where I split the tails evenly. I neither got shorted like this and the opposite end was split or vice versa.

just as bad

I thought this line was flatter but it came out parallel to the top one with it being about an inch lower.

the back

The tails and pins wouldn't have had sufficient meat after sawing the slant which would be roughly at 45 to the face. If I do this box again I'll have to factor in the how I split the pins/tails. They are going to have to be a lot bigger than the ones I did on this box.

teeny bit of twist

I planed the twist away and than I flushed the top 360. I did this first because I am using the top as my reference to mark the lid saw off line.

lid sawn

Went with a flat lid but I'm determined to make a slant top lid. I had planned to saw off the slant lid with the Ryobi saw and a 45 guide.

good enough

I planed the two edges (T&B) smooth and then planed them 360 to even/straighten them out. I didn't go nutso making the joint line invisible 360 - just till the front and side joint lines closed up. 

last one

Initially I was going to plug the holes (8 of them) with walnut but decided on pine. This is a shop box and it doesn't need to advertise plugs for the through grooves.

Along with plugging the holes I had to shim the top/bottom half pins. 7 of them had gaps that I filled with veneer. Only one was gap free.

last defect to fix

The hardest part of this was trying to dig out the waste so this would fit and have something to glue to.

hinges

I wanted to use a piano hinge on this but the 3 short ones I had were too long. Used a pair of butt hinges from ACE. They are decent but they are still too soft. It is way too easy to deform them when tightening the screws.

a left over gap

Didn't dawn on me until I was flushing this that I did it wrong. The end grain should have been facing up and not on the sides. It was gap free on the dry fit so the clamp must have shifted it when I tightened it.

transferring hinge location

Fussed with this for a while trying to equalize the top fit on the bottom. I would get it flush on one side and it would be off on the opposite side. Finally got it and nicked the bottom and installed the hinges.

survived

The hinges didn't come out perfect. The front top is shy of the bottom on the left. The lid is just a frog hair or two skewed. I can push it flush but it won't stay. There is too much slop in the hinges. I'm going to leave it as is and plane/sand the T&B flush on the sides and the front.

I am going to try and get everything in the box with the exception of the router bits. The top drawer of my 4 drawer cabinet has my herd of them. I'll have to drill a few more holes to stow them.

edge guide holder thing

This was the easy part and it was something I thought of doing even before I made the box. I plan on stowing it in the lid. I looked at it and I think I will clear the router in the bottom. That is going to be a PITA to do. I have already made and shit canned two options. I'll start on #3 in the AM.

should be ok

The plan is to glue the holder here and position the router so that when lid closes, the edge guide clears it (will protrude about a 1/4-1/2" into the bottom). From eyeballing it I couldn't see any road blocks with that. I'll find out in the AM.

accidental woodworker

About a month ago I wrote a post about laying out this walnut bowl to account for the shrinking that would come with drying. Well, I got lucky and it dried pretty close to a circle, but there was still … Continue reading →

Dec. 4.

I go the box together today and I wasn't expecting that. I usually plan on getting a lot more than I actually do. I hadn't really thought much about it and I just starting today working on it. I think it might be done by the weekend. (will this bite me on the arse?)

came last night

The wooden nails came from the Lost Art Press xmas guide. There have been a few times where I wanted to use 'wooden nails' and my smallest Miller Dowels were still too big. I thought I had another bag of larger nails coming but I missed putting them on the order. Don't know now if I need them or if I just wanted them because they were available.

The pry bar caught my eye and I like the size of this one. Supposedly it is a scraper along with being able to pull nails and lever things. I am still looking for a mini cat's paw - I lost mine a while ago.

happy face on

Both boards look like they did when I killed the lights yesterday. Glad they behaved but I was expecting to see stupid wood tricks.

only one glamour shot

The Dowel Max storage dresser is 100% done. 5 coats of shellac and a final rub down with Howard's Feed 'n Wax. This is where it will live for now but I may rearrange things on this cabinet and the 4 drawer unit to the right at a later date.

a first for me

I haven't made grooves for any purpose before I did dovetails before. Today I plowed the grooves for the top and bottom panels right after I sized the box parts.

too tight

I know the plywood is 6mm - I bought it from WoodCraft. The iron is 6mm and the panel doesn't fit. I remember it fitting the first time I used it but it being snug. I dealt with the fit later.

tails done

The half pins on the ends are the largest I have ever done. I did it that way so the half pin contained all of the groove.

hmm.......

A knot that fell out. I tried to work around it trying to place it within a pin socket but I gave up on it. I will fill in the void after the box is glued up. The only headache was laying on the slant of the pin. I was able to nick the front and back and when I sawed it I lined them up eye.

pins laid out

I got to this step just before lunch. In the PM session I knifed the baselines, sawed the verticals, and chopped the pins.

double, triple checking

Making sure the router will fit. For whatever reason I thought I had switched the height and width measurements.

not too bad looking

I already knew that this pin fit. I did good lining up the back and front nicks when I sawed it.

easy fix

Fitting a dutchman in this will be easier than trying to do it on the top.

off the saw

I didn't have to trim anything and it was square when I checked the diagonals.

fitting the top/bottom

It was only 2-3 frog hairs difference I had to make up. I still wanted to have a snug fit - I don't want either panel moving once the box is glued up. I used my 120 grit sanding block to sand a chamfer on the edges until it fit in the groove.

oops

The second time in so many days I used my LN 98&99 side rabbet planes. The groove didn't line up at this corner with the other groove. It was off by a strong 32nd. There is no way I could move/adjust one panel into the grooves when the box was together so they had to line up 360.

the 2nd misalignment

I should have plowed the grooves after I had dry fitted the box. I plowed them before so I wouldn't nick any tails doing it after the chopping. In my favor is these two misalignments are kitty cornered from each other. I will make sure that the top and bottom panels are fitted into it these grooves first.

dry fitted

Got the fit of the top and bottom panels on the first try. The fit of everything was snug and breaking it apart was a nail biter. I had to use a block of wood to separate the tail boards from the pins. I had to go slow and easy so I didn't dent the wood. Thankfully I only had to do these dance steps twice.

glued and cooking

Needed help closing up the tails. Two of them have some damage from me hitting them to separate. I'll have to wait until the AM to see whether or not I'll have to shim them.

I don't think I'm going to be able to do a slant top lid on this. I didn't do any before hand layout to account for it. I knew that and I was just going to go with whatever came from sawing it. But looking at what I have to work with I wasn't happy with what I perceived the slant lid would look like. I'll eyeball it again in the AM without the clamps.

I remembered

As I was killing the lights I saw the trim router and remembered to check the collet/router bit size. The router bits are all 1/4" shank. The imperial calipers were dead on a 1/4".

digital calipers

I would bet that this is close enough to call it a 1/4". I haven't used the router yet and other than the wonky wing nut, nothing else has go down the southern avenue of crappola.

accidental woodworker

My son and I were shooting sporting clays the other day and his 20ga Lefever Nitro Special (side by side) suddenly stopped closing correctly.  The forend was loose, and that prevents the gun remaining together when opened.  For safety, we stopped shooting it until we could figure out what was wrong. The the bottom rib […]

Since we have had a six-week stretch of amazingly beautiful weather, although to be truthful a day or two of rain would also be nice, I’ve taken some time to go strolling through the woods, trolling for firewood.  Here’s the standing inventory of firewood just awaiting harvest within about a hundred yards of the cabin or barn.  Expend the perimeter farther and the inventory grows proportionally.

Just above the site of the old shack, recently cleaned up and ready for bush hogging itself, is this cluster of trees from a storm last winter.  All tolled I think there are eight long trunks, each around a foot in diameter.  Definitely a couple little truck loads.  I think these were birches but will confirm with my chainsaw.

Along the same ridge line, about fifty yards above the cabin is this magnificent pair of locust trunks.  The tops were snapped off in a windstorm maybe three winters ago.  You can just barely make them out in the picture.  The trunk on the right is massive, perhaps a dozen feet or more in girth.  The one on the left is about eight feet in in girth.  Both will require the manly chainsaw of my pal Bob, who will come and fell them some time this winter.  If the wood is sound I might try to split them into fence rails.  If they are not good for that they will become most excellent firewood, probably two winters’ worth.

The tops of those two trees are laying scattered on the ground and I will harvest them in the coming weeks.  Since they are locust they could be downed for many years and still be good firewood.  This hunk is almost two feet in diameter.

Working west along the same ridge line about 100 yards from the cabin is this pair of mighty big trees, brought down in the same storm as the first cluster in this post.  All of the major trunks are 16″-18″ in diameter.  One is cherry, I cannot recall what the other one is.  Either way that is one honkin’ big pile of firewood.

Moving around to the hill up behind and within sight of the barn is another cornucopia of BTUs.  The first picture is of a maple, the second a cherry, and the trunks strewn about in the third picture are all locust.

I can hardly wait to turn my little chain saw loose on cutting all this up and stacking it in the staging area.  But it has to wait until I get all done with the greenhouse.

Christmas is just around the corner, and while I don’t celebrate it myself, I respect those that do. It’s a time for joy, family, and reflection, bringing people together to share in the festive spirit. To all who celebrate, I wish you a Merry Christmas filled with warmth, laughter, and happiness. May your holidays be safe, and your new year be bright. Cheers to embracing the season in whatever way brings you the most peace and joy!

Dec. 3.

 Part one of how to become a better woodworker on SubStack.

 https://open.substack.com/pub/wilsonburnham/p/how-to-become-a-better-woodworker-c21?r=3hz4in&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

 I guess you can say that a day like I had today is a good thing. I had to go to the VA to give blood for an upcoming urology appt. My right eye was acting up again so I stopped at express care on the way out. Since this eye thing was recurring I was shuttled off to the eye clinic. I got there at 0945 and I left a little after 1300. I got back to barn after 1330 which pretty negated my shop time for monday.

What was wrong with the eye? Neither the resident nor the doctor could say definitively what it was. I got sent home with antibiotic eye drops. If it doesn't clear up in 7-10 days I get to go back again. I'll be thinking happy thoughts for 7-10 days.

before I went to the VA

I thought I would knock out thicknessing the stock for the trim router box. This kicked my arse up the front and down the back and then it went around the block and did it again. The plan was to establish a reference face now and plane it to thickness when I got back from the VA.

can you see it?

I couldn't pick out the repair I did to the bottom shoulder of the center stile. It turned out so much better than I expected it to. I got the 4th coat of shellac on everything again and went back to thicknessing the stock.

yikes

This is the second piece of stock and I checked it for twist because it was rocking on the bench. I wasn't expecting any twist and certainly not 3 lines worth of it. It took 6 plane and checks before the twist went bye - bye. I went back and checked the first board and it had twist almost as bad as this one.

ain't happening boys and girls

The thinnest part on either board was 9/16" so that was my final thickness. I really wanted 5/8" due to the weight of the trim router but Paul Sellers made a tool chest with 9/16" stock so I should be ok.

pencil line

 I didn't get any whiskers during this thicknessing. Instead I planed down to and just removing the pencil lines.

done

They are within 1 to 2 frog hairs of each other. What is more important to me is they are both twist free, flat, and straight. Also, when I laid one on top the other there wasn't any rocking.

time to relax

This turned out to be quite a chore to do. However, I had a good reference face for thicknessing them now.

4 hours

It didn't register with me until I got back to the shop after the VA. Even though I had to wait a lot the time seemed to fly by. I'm sure glad I had my cell phone and hearing aids - listened to xmas carols the entire time.

I hate )@#&%_)#*^$)(^*$#_)(- computers

The shop computer has been acting funny for the past week or so. It has been intermittently dropping the BT audio feed and going berserk. Now it is hanging on the Linux logo - been there for over 20 minutes. I tried to get into the boot menu  to reload Linux and nada. I couldn't access the Boot Menu to change the boot to the USB drive.

I faffed about with it for 30 minutes and got nowhere and then it started working. I even was able to pair my headphones without any hiccups. The remainder of my time in the shop the computer and the audio worked without any hiccups. As I would say in the Navy, WTF?

new home

I wanted these 3 on one of the doors which are directly behind my workbench. I picked the first cabinet on the right.

final coat

I got the fifth coat on the carcass and just the fronts of the drawers. I'll let this cure over night and in the AM I'll rub it down with Howards Feed 'n Wax.

I was multitasking

But not all of them were producing results. I couldn't get the computer to boot off the USB drive. It is acting like there is a virus on the computer?

done

I chopped a shallow mortise for the thumb screw so they wouldn't spin around on the holder.

done

It is a bit of a PITA to remove the square below the marking gauges. I had to remove the left mini tite mark before I could get it out. I don't use it that often so I'll just have to deal with it as is.

almost a yikes....

I drilled the pilot holes for the screws from the front coming out on the inside face. I remembered as I was drilling that I had this book in the holder here. I would have been extremely unhappy if I had drilled a hole through the book and the holder.

I've changed over the years

This is my Lie Nielsen panel gauge. When I first got it many moons ago I used it a lot. I now mark my work differently and I don't even think of using this as an option. I won't sell it because it is something I got when I embraced hand tool woodworking.

big arse maple panel gauge

I tend to go a little nutso at times under the mistaken impression that bigger has to be better. I made this about 10 years and I used it once. If memory serves me right it will mark out to 32".

 

Marples marking gauge

This marking gauge is nothing like the old ones. It is made of beech with a plastic thumb screw. I'm going to turn it into a pencil marking gauge. If it goes south on me it won't upset me.

the only one I had

I threaded the hole for a 6-32 thumb screw. I thought I had some larger ones but I didn't find any. I did find a 1/4-20 thumb screw but that was too large for this.

kind of works

I can had tighten the thumb screw and it will clamp the pencil. What I can't or couldn't do, was loosen it after tightening it. I had to use slip joint pliers to loosen it. This 6-32 is too small to be effective so I'll search for a #8 or #10 thumbscrew. I will also epoxy a nut in the beam so the thumbscrew isn't reliant on the threads cut into the beam to tighten the pencil.

ugly plastic thumb screw

In spite of its ugliness it works surprisingly well. I can't move the head once I tighten the screw. 

too small

Operating the thumbscrew has to be with hand pressure only. Using pliers IMO doesn't make any sense. I think even with a nut recessed and epoxied this thumb screw would still be too small to be effective. 

way past quitting time

I'm going to let the stock for the trim router box hang out until tomorrow. Based on the amount of twist I had I won't be surprised if they both do stupid wood tricks. I'll find out in the AM which face I'll be showing.

accidental woodworker

The holiday season is a wonderful time to catch up with friends and family, who inevitably ask me what kind of woodworking I’ve been doing lately. With some chagrin, I have to say that I’ve been so busy that I’ve barely touched my hand planes and hand saws since this summer. I haven’t been doing any woodworking at all.

But that’s not entirely true. In fact, this fall I’ve been working with a lot of wood. It’s just that the wood I’ve been working won’t become fine furniture or even wooden spoons. I’ve been cutting firewood.

Earlier this fall, there was a tree service doing some work next door, and as they were trimming limbs from a mature maple tree, my wife wandered over to ask them if we could take some of the larger limbs for firewood. They were all too happy to let us take them.

Happy with what few logs we could fit into the back of our minivan, we were not prepared for what came next. A few hours later, the foreman knocked at our door and asked if we wanted more. They had taken down couple old honey locust trees, and he had a small trailer full of logs in our driveway. My wife kindly showed him where to pile them up in the back yard. Over the course of the day, they brought over even more wood, until they couldn’t fit any more logs into that corner of the yard.

In the weeks following, I worked away at the pile a little at a time: cutting logs to length here and splitting and stacking them there.

Seen from a distance, cutting and splitting firewood probably looks mind-numbingly repetitious. What could be simpler than standing a section of a log on end and bringing the business-end of an axe down hard on it, over and over again? Well, I think that in practice splitting wood requires the same kind of attention and intelligence that other, finer forms of woodworking require. Much of what I already know about wood and woodworking applies to splitting firewood.

It is rough work, to be sure: the kind of work that exemplifies what David Pye calls the “workmanship of risk,” in which the tool is guided solely by hand and eye. The outcome of each stroke of the tool is not predetermined, nor does it need to be. Cutting firewood is perhaps the roughest kind of woodworking there is. But it is real woodworking, for all that.

For example, all woodworking projects require you to acquire the right kind of stock for the project. Different applications require different lengths and widths, and often different species. As a rule, the denser the wood, the hotter and longer it will burn, so this honey locust should make for some fine midwinter fires. Just like in other woodworking applications, it is easiest to work with stock that is straight and free of knots. Of course that’s not usually the kind of wood one uses for firewood, but it’s nice when you can get it.

Some woods split easier than others. Oaks split very nicely, especially when green. Elm won’t split at all. But whatever species you’re working with, you get to know its characteristics. This honey locust can be tough to split at first, especially if the log is big. You can hardly drive in a splitting wedge. But I’ve learned that once you get the split going, it comes apart pretty quickly and cleanly.

And as always, the best kind of wood to work is whatever you got for free!

As with milling wood for furniture, so with cutting firewood: cut around the big knots! I like to isolate the big knots and the big crooks in very short sections, which will split more easily but may also have to be left thicker or not split at all. Not every workpiece is worth the trouble of salvaging.

When looking over your stock, you have to figure out what lengths you can get out of each piece–what’s too long and what’s too short. Measurements for firewood are approximate, of course, but every fireplace has a maximum length it will accept, so it’s good to know about how long to cut each section. For my fireplace, the ideal length is the distance from my elbow to my fingertips.

Cutting to the maximum allowable length saves time and effort. If, for instance, you have a 3′ log, you could cut it into three 12″ sections, which will split just fine. Or you could cut it into two 18″ sections, which will also split just fine, but with 2/3 the number of strokes. When you’re working your stock by hand, it’s important to economize where you can.

Using well-maintained tools makes all the difference. A sharp chainsaw will sail through even very tough wood. A dull cutting tool is useless–and dangerous. But there are different standards of sharpness for different tools. A splitting maul needs a slightly blunt edge to split the wood well. A rust-free surface helps the head cleave the wood cleanly and makes it less likely to stick. A couple steel wedges and a sledgehammer help with the more recalcitrant logs. I like a smaller, narrow wedge for starting splits and a thicker, taller one for opening them up.

Speaking of wedges, be sure your tool handles are fully secure in the heads of your maul and sledge. Dry weather, such as we get in the Midwest during winter, can cause heads to loosen. If the head wiggles at all, get another steel wedge and drive it into the top. Use a couple if you have to.

And don’t forget the most fundamental tool of all: the work surface. For furniture making, the work surface is probably a workbench. For splitting wood, it’s a chopping block. Like a good workbench, the block needs to be solid and heavy enough to stay put during use. It also needs to sit level so the workpiece doesn’t rock on top of it. And it needs to be the right height. About 12″ is the perfect height for me.

For my chopping block, I decided to use one of those really knotty sections that would be nearly impossible to split anyway.

As with all woodworking, proper technique is always superior to brute force. If the axe or maul won’t split the wood easily, don’t try to force it through. Use a wedge or two. Whichever tool you’re using, employ a good stance, and use your whole body to bring the maul or the sledge up and over in a smooth arc. But don’t bring it down too hard. Let the weight of the tool do most of the work on the way down.

Here’s one helpful tip: as you finish your swing, bend your knees a little. Dropping your whole body as the maul comes down adds just a little more force to the blow with minimal effort.

The best technique is also the safest technique. Do your splitting in an open space where you won’t catch your tools on things like branches, fences, or clothes lines. Keep both hands on the handle so you don’t mash your fingers. Don’t swing toward your shin or foot. It’s a good idea to wear leather gloves, as long as they give you a good grip on the tool handle. Eye protection isn’t a bad idea either. Expect bits of the wood to fly around as you strike it. Keep bystanders out of the line of your swing. And remember that a rolling log can hurt you just as seriously as any woodworking tool can.

Above all, be willing to take the time to do it right. Whether you’re applying finish to a Chippendale highboy or splitting up sections of oak branches for firewood, the project always repays patience and punishes haste.

For firewood, the most time-consuming part of the whole project isn’t cutting, splitting, or stacking. It’s waiting for it to season. Burning wet wood produces too much smoke that can be choking indoors, even with a good flue. It will take a year or more for this wood to be ready to burn, so I’m splitting up firewood for next year and probably the year to come. As with any woodworking project, it pays to think ahead.

Dec. 2.