Norse Woodsmith Blog Feeds

Miniature or tiny planes?

Working By Hand -

Since the early days of metal planes there were quite a few designs based on the idea of “miniature” planes, although in truth they were not true miniature planes, but rather just tiny planes. Some manufacturers even used the term “toy” plane. Miniature assumes some level of similarity to a normal size plane, i.e. it applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale. In all likelihood these planes evolved because the likes of cabinetmakers and joiners wanted a small plane to do small jobs like planing trim in hard to reach areas. One example would be to make small adjustments to room trim, or other architectural features.

They appeared in the late 1800s at the same time as the move towards the use of metal planes. It possible that the concept of a small plane evolved from violin (luthier) makers planes (also known as the model makers planes) which have been around since the 16th century. There are limits to the size of small planes which can be crafted in wood, and in all likelihood they evolved because of a need and advances in technology.

One of the earliest tiny planes was likely the Stanley No.101 which appeared in 1877. This was followed by Stanley’s No.101½ bullnose in 1880 (which didn’t actually appear in any catalogs). It was not until 1936 that Stanley introduced the No.100½ curved bottom. The No.101 and No. 100½ were produced until 1962, however the No. 101½ was discontinued in 1929. Stanley also offered a No.201 which was just a nickel plated version of the 101, from 1890 to 1910. At the same time, Bailey’s “Victor Plane Company” introduced a line of five tiny planes – the No.50, No.50½, No.51, No.51½, and No.52. They were produced for a short period from 1880-1884, and all had cast iron bodies but differing finishes and adjustment mechanisms.

Most of the tiny planes that came after those of Stanley took on the structure of the No.104 – 3½” in length with a 1” wide blade. Sargent also produced a tiny block plane, the No.104. manufactured from 1887-1944. Millers Falls sold tiny planes for a number of years, including the No.33 “non-adjustable block plane”, manufactured from 1929-1974. It was designed for model and instrument makers.

What about modern miniature planes? The there are a few that fit the bill. Veritas makes the tiny Pocket Plane, and Lie Nielsen make three miniatures: the Violin Maker’s Plane, the Model Maker’s Block Plane, and the Convex Sole Block Plane.

Books for Sale!

Norse Woodsmith -

Books for sale on Ebay:  I'm going though my book library and paring it down.  The subject matter will vary, as my interests and studies have over the last 30 years - some are from my architectural studies, others deal with woodworking, gardening, or are either practical, whimsical, or reference books I have that I wish to part with.  If you have any interest, please bid!  This all goes to help pay for web site hosting (and gaining back some space!),  More to come next week, to include back issues of some woodworking magazines.

A couple of these are high end classic books, worth well more than what I'm asking.

Thanks for looking!

 

MARQUETRY & INLAY HANDBOOK By Zachary Taylor

MARQUETRY & INLAY HANDBOOK By Zachary Taylor

 

The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker's Director - 9780486216010, Chippendale, paperback

The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker's Director - 9780486216010, Chippendale, paperback

 Gardening by Philip Edinger and Scott Atkinson (2003,...

Trellises and Arbors : Gardening by Philip Edinger and Scott Atkinson (2003,...

 

Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide by George Hepplewhite (2012, Trade...

Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide by George Hepplewhite (2012, Trade...

 

 The Notebooks of Alexander G Weygers - GOOD

Sculpture, Form and Philosophy: The Notebooks of Alexander G Weygers - GOOD

 

2005 Means Building Construction Cost Data Estimating

2005 Means Building Construction Cost Data Estimating

 

 ILLUSTRATED BY By Raphael Brandon

THE OPEN TIMBER ROOFS OF THE MIDDLE AGES: ILLUSTRATED BY By Raphael Brandon

 

 Problems of Induction by Lynch, Kevin; Hack, Gary; Third Edition

Site Planning: Problems of Induction by Lynch, Kevin; Hack, Gary; Third Edition

 

The Architects studio Companion by Edward Allen & Joseph Iano - 1989

The Architects studio Companion by Edward Allen & Joseph Iano - 1989

 

 An Introduction

Site Reconnaissance and Engineering : An Introduction

 

1921 The Disston Saw, Tool, & File Book by Raymond Deneen

1921 The Disston Saw, Tool, & File Pamphlet by Raymond Deneen

 

 46 Full-Size Patterns with Complete Instructions

Glass Etching: 46 Full-Size Patterns with Complete Instructions

 

Thomas Sheraton's Classical Revival Furniture Designs

Thomas Sheraton's Classical Revival Furniture Designs

 

 

Marquetry by Pierre Ramond (2003, Hardcover)

Marquetry by Pierre Ramond (2003, Hardcover)

 

Practical Veneering by Charles Harold Hayward (Hardcover) 1951

Practical Veneering by Charles Harold Hayward (Hardcover) 1951

 

Chilton's Repair Manual for 1983-96 Ford Thunderbird & Cougar, US & Canada #8268

Chilton's Repair Manual for 1983-96 Ford Thunderbird & Cougar, US & Canada #8268

I woulda lost......

Accidental Woodworker -

 Well boys and girls if I had bet I would now be minus a lung. I didn't get the drawers done today. I hit a speed bump just before lunch when I ran out of shellac. I mixed up another batch and the drawers will resume tomorrow. I just have the last 2 2/3 to do. One drawer has one coat and the other two are still bare wood.

dead in the water

I knew I didn't have enough to finish. I thought of adding more Everclear to what was left but nixed it. All that would have done is dilute it. I should be able to use what I mixed up today, tomorrow.

might as well

I would rather be making something rather then doing maintenance. I am going to make a cabinet for spices. Wisdom of the Hands posted a (spice) cabinet today and that grabbed my short attention span. I am going to start my version of it today. I started by breaking down the stock for it.

giving up the ship

I spent hours searching for a 20v Dewalt 3/8" chuck drill driver. Nada. All I found was a 12v model that I was tempted to buy. I also searched for a 3/8" chuck that I could swap out from a 1/2" chuck. Didn't get any joy with that neither. Instead I put the 12v 3/8" chuck Bosch drill in the middle slot.

something new

This cabinet will have two doors. I haven't tried to make a two door cabinet with solid wood doors before. Wisdom of the Hands cabinet had some carved details that I'm also going to try. I plan to keep the carving very simple (my first attempt) and it will be a vine and leaf motif.

 sized by eye

All the stock is here sans the back. The bottom shelf will be in dadoes and the other two will be adjustable. The sides will connect to the top and bottom in stopped dadoes.

 fitting the last one

I got a tight fit on all four dadoes. I had to plane some off the inside faces to get the sides to fit.

 too wide

The cabinet is 24 1/2" high, 6 1/8" deep and 18 1/4" wide. I sawed the doors each at 10" wide. I purposely made them too wide because I wasn't sure if this would be the final size. Now that the dadoes are done that is a moot point now.

 more dadoes to chop

I am going to put a drawer under the first shelf. I will also need to do the rabbet in the back of the sides/top before I glue it up. This is something that I usually forget to do and have to do it after the fact. Easier to do it now then after it is glued together.

why not

Decided on two drawers rather than one. Can't decide if they should be identical or asymmetrical. I'm leaning towards asymmetrical which would eliminate me obsessing about getting two drawer openings dead even.

accidental woodworker

not happening.......

Accidental Woodworker -

One thing I thought I would do a lot of being retired was watching TV. Now that I didn't have get up at oh dark thirty anymore, I could stay up and watch shows I had passed on. Over the past few months I doubt that I have watched 3-4 hours a week of anything. I mostly watching YouTube for just about everything now. Especially so too that I've found foreign crime dramas to binge on.

I watch football games but with no sound. I usually watch something on YouTube and just glance at the TV to catch up on the score. Other than watching Nova or Secrets of the Dead the boob tube isn't getting much love. I haven't watched any TV after going to bed for months. I'm thinking of getting two monitors or one big one for the desktop computer.

Got a good tip on refurb computers from my friend Pat. Wally World, who knew? They had 25 pages of laptops, desktops, and all in one computers at dirt cheap prices. The all in ones that I saw had good specs and better prices than Amazon.

I figured out my shop all in one computer is booting up into Recovery Mode. I think it is similar to Safe Mode in Windows. The problem I'm having is the command line instructions I'm finding on the www aren't working in my computer. The other headache I have is I don't know the name of my hard drive. If I can't figure it out I'll buy a Wally World refurb and keep this one for parts.

 frame is done

Got some Howard's feed 'n wax on it and brought up to the living room. I'll let it hang out here until tuesday when I'll bring it to the Frame it Shop.

 current blurry looking Keurig station

There isn't any counter space in the kitchen for this so this is its home. I will be replacing it with the small table I finished last week.

 3 more done

This is going much quicker than I thought it would. I was estimating a week to get them all done. I'm willing to bet a lung that I'll done with all 15 of them tomorrow.

hmm.....

There is an apparent color difference between the two. The top drawer is done with gossamer shellac and the bottom one with lemon. Both cans appeared to look the same - a dark brown liquid. Only the top 3 drawers are this flavor whereas the remaining drawers will all be lemon shellac.

 two left

I got the first coat on the 4th set and the goal was to get 3 coats on before I hit the rack. Spoiler alert - it didn't happen.

 done

These 3 are drying here so the bench is free to start the next 3. After a couple of hours I'll stick them in their drawer openings.

 done

It wasn't that bad getting this flat and wobble free. There are two rugs right where the table was going (my wife loves rugs and I hate them). I only had to shim up one leg. This one has more space not only for the Keurig but for cups etc etc.

accidental woodworker

Of Chair Design and Chair Classes

Elia Bizzari - Hand Tool Woodworking -

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted on this blog.  It seems that spending hours each day sitting in front of a computer writing a book,  limits my motivation for sitting in front of a computer writing a blog post. Oh well. The book is coming along great – I have a few small sections to write, a few hundred photos to take and I’m waiting on Lost Art Press to read it and tell me else I should do.  I’m glad they’re busy.  I am too.

There’s been lots of unexpected rabbit holes.  They are all fun.  The biggest one has been trying to work out how Samuel Wing designed the chair.  I sat down one night six months ago with a pair of compasses and, within an hour, realized that his seat were designed with classical proportioning:  all the major arcs of the seat periphery were related to each other and to the overall size of the seat.  Several weeks of work followed trying to figure out what it meant.  I sent several emails calling for help, filled with photos like this:

Mack Headley, former master cabinetmaker at Colonial Williamsburg, responded with this:

I found your diagnosis compelling. The numbers add up to some potential patterns. 15”/6=2.5”x5=12.5”/2=6.25″

I scratched my head for awhile and asked if I could come for a visit.

At the beginning of January I drove to Richmond, visited friends and ate the best Chinese food of my life, then drove to Mack’s shop where he and his wife promptly fed me lunch. After four hour’s work, we came up with this:

A vast  step forwards.  We’re still working on it though.  When we’re done, you should be able to draw the entire seat pattern on a blank sheet of paper using nothing more than a rule, square and five or six compass settings and be done in fifteen minutes.  On my way home I stopped at Colonial Williamsburg and visited with Brian Weldy at the joiner’s shop and spent a couple hours in the collection looking at loop back joints  (there’s more options than I can count).

Back home, I did a demo at the state history museum:

And got ready for my first 18th Century Chairmaking class (or at least the first one anyone has paid for):

Eric Cannizzaro came to hang out and make pitch forks:

Pole lathes predominated for the first day.

Then we split and bent the bows:

Carved the seats:

And bored them with spoon bits:

Then we stooled it up:

And put the backs on unobserved by the camera’s prying eye:

The post Of Chair Design and Chair Classes first appeared on Elia Bizzarri - Hand Tool Woodworking.

Simple Saw Vice

Journeyman's Journal -

All you need are three pieces of 2×4 and a couple of lengths of hardwood 1×2s. There are no critical dimensions, so just use what you have. For most handsaws, a 18in long appliance is about right. The height of the uprights depends on where you plan to set up the appliance; I aim for the saw teeth to be at elbow height for comfortable sharpening.

Cut long machine V notches in the top of each upright, as shown in the sketch, and drill a hole at the point of the V to reduce the chance of splitting. Now bevel two 22in hardwoods 1×2s so that, sandwiched together, they match the angle of the V-notch.

To use the appliance, hold the wedge strips on either side of the blade about 1/2in down from the teeth, and tap the blade and strips down into the notches. A tap from below will release the whole thing.

No interest.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 I'm pulling the Bosch drills from being offered for sale. I didn't get even one nibble of interest which surprised me. I thought they would be snapped up in a heartbeat. I guess 12v cordless tools have become passe now that you get supercharged tools at 60v. The downside is I'm going to keep them. Hopefully they will still be working when Miles and Leo are old enough to use them. Until then my wife can use them which has happened occasionally.

 I'll be hanging this back up

I also used these yesterday to hang the new Dewalt drill station. I am still learning and getting used to the Dewalt drills. They are more powerful than the Bosch drills and will take some time to get used to. 

 almost done

I have 3 coats of shellac over the black paint. 2-4 more and I'll call it done. After that I'll rub it down with Howard's bees 'n wax to get the check mark. I'll bring it to be matted and glassed next week.

 two coats of lemon shellac

I decided to do the drawers 3 at a time on the workbench. I don't have another project in the batters box so it doesn't matter. I think I should be able to get 2 sets of 3 drawers done in a day. After the drawers are done I can slap shellac on the carcass.

 3 coats

I got a little bit of bleed out on the drawer fronts. They will get clear shellac so I'll have to remove those spots first. I am hoping that 3 coats on everything behind the drawer front will be sufficient. Paul Sellers says that 3 coats is good enough for a shop project.

 done

I got 5 coats of shellac over the black paint. I was expecting there to be a little more depth separation between the gray, white, and black but there isn't. The frame still looks good IMO. Tomorrow I'll do the wax on, wax off routine.

 shop warmed up nicely

The shop had dipped down to 57F (14C) last week but the temps have been unseasonably warm for the past few days. This is a good shop temp to get the shellac work done (and glue ups).

 how?

I got a divot in the side of the dresser but how did it happen? It has been vertical since I finished it, it hasn't fallen over, and I don't remember bumping into it with anything. This will pop out under a clear shellac finish. I'll try to steam it out but I have only tried to do this once before without good results.

 came today

I've been waiting for this one to arrive. LAP said they got the first shipment in a couple of weeks ago. I am going to make a chair but my first one is going to be a welsh stick one ala Chris S.

 like they never left

I am having troubles trying to find a 3/8" chuck Dewalt cordless drill - bare bones. I really don't want another charger and a battery. I might have to bite the bullet and buy one though because so far I've only been able to find a 12V one.

 Bosch charger

I put one Bosch charger here and the other one on the refrigerator. So far there hasn't been infighting between the two of them.

accidental woodworker

drill station done......

Accidental Woodworker -

 I got four items checked off the to do list. Black paint on the pic frame - check. Drill station done and in use - check. Swept the deck and straightened out the lumber rack - check. Final check was hanging the pics on the cabinet doors. Clueless as to what is next on the hit parade.

 charger home

I am putting the 15 minute charger on the right side and the 1 hour charger on the left. Both of the chargers state the on center distance between the screw holes on the back. Made hanging them both very easy.

 black feather painted on

I like the 3 colors of this frame. My wife saw it but I don't think she knows what it is. More than likely it didn't even register in her brain bucket, she isn't that observant.

 pine banding

The bottom piece I put on end to end and cut out the pieces between the holders. I didn't do any pine banding on the internal part of the holders.

its new home

This drill station was way too big to live where the Bosch drill station was. Even if I removed the shelf there wouldn't be any room for the drill to hang down. I thought the drills might have been too low to grab but they aren't. I don't have to bend that much to take one out or put it back.

 not a problem

The drill station only sticks out pass the rail less than a couple of inches. I walked by it for most of the day without running into it or even brushing it.

this is a problem

The drill station at the bottom is toeing into the tablesaw leg ass'y. It isn't hanging plumb but it doesn't look that bad.

 worse here

It is really floppy feeling taking a drill out and putting it back. Eventually it would probably crack and break the hanging rail that is screwed to the tablesaw leg ass'y.

stiffener

I screwed a pine board to the tablesaw leg ass'y and screwed from the back of it into the back of the drill station. Stiffened it immediately and removed all movement.

 pics hung

I had to make an ACE run because I had no picture hangers. The frames stayed in place as I opened and closed the doors. The right one moved laterally but I didn't think it was going to jump off the door. I don't go in this cabinet much so it should be ok.

warm and fuzzy feeling

I made a couple of holders to pinch the bottom of the pic frames. The frames are essentially secured solidly in place now. Should be good to go for the foreseeable future.

accidental woodworker

Is there a future for dowels in furniture making?

Working By Hand -

Let’s talk about dowels. For years they have been the lesser cousins when it comes to joinery for furniture. They are often as maligned as butt-joints, but is the “dislike” warranted?

There are of course many ways to join two pieces of wood. For joining corners the most popular method is often dovetails – for aesthetics alone. Are dovetails always practical? You can make them by hand, or use a jig and router to speed things up, but they aren’t the be-all-and-end-all. Hidden joints are done in many ways – some people like using the tenons of Festool’s Domino system (the system is nice, bit pricey for the home user), others sliding dovetails (nice looking, but a lot of work for being mostly hidden), and still others use dowels.

The Stanley No.59 dowelling jig

Plain old dowels. The word dowel is an old English word analogous to “doule” which simply means a part of a wheel. It can also be traced its history in the Middle German language “dovel” which meant to plug. Now dowels have been around for quite a while. Viking longboats used trunnels (tree-nails or big dowels) to hold ribs together, and dowels were used to pin structural members joints together in buildings. However the use of dowels in furniture construction came as a late development, appearing in the early 19th century as an alternative to mortise-and-tenon joints.

For many years many woodworkers have shied away from them. This may be in part because of poor experiences with dowels in a certain self-assembly flat-packed furniture. But dowels are actually ideally suited to building with plywood, especially Baltic-birch. The multi-layered form of plywood is not well suited to the likes of dovetails, or mortise and tenon joints. It is also an ideal way of joining solid wood.

It also may be because the old-type dowel-jigs have always been somewhat mediocre. They weren’t really designed for placing dowels along the edges of large cabinet carcasses, or on mitre joints. The early ones, like the Stanley No.59 were versatile in application, but suffered from only being able to drill one hole at a time. The newer ones include the Veritas Dowelling Jig, which is good at some tasks, but not the most optimal solution , and the Woodpeckers Ultimate Dowelling Jig 2.0, one of their OneTIMETools… too short lived to form any sort of opinion on. But then there are what some consider the game-changers, the DOWELMAX and JessEm jigs. These tools let you put dowels in just about any configuration (each has its own pros and cons).

The Dowelmax…
or the JessEm?

Then there is the dowel pins – spiral-grooved or multi-groove. The grooves, or flutes allow air to escape and glue to fill the voids as the dowels are inserted. Without them, it is possible that the dowels would not be able to be inserted completely into the hole. There is no real definitive answer as to which has the better holding power, but both are infinitely better than smooth dowels (unless the dowels are to be used in through-dowel situations where they are exposed). The dowels are generally like pressed-beech biscuits, with the compressed wood in a ⅜” dowel expanding about 1/32″ (0.8mm) on contact with moisture in the glue, creating a tight fit.

Dowels offer a convenient, inexpensive way to make a robust joint. They can give incredible strength to mitre-joints, and make carcass joinery quite efficient. Whether you choose to use them is really up to you, but they offer a method of joinery that is both inexpensive and sturdy. But how strong are they really? Well we will tackle the concept of dowel strength in the next post.

binge day.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 I didn't get much shop time today in either the AM or PM sessions. I can see how binge watching can be so addictive. The current series I'm watching is riveting with each episode kind of ending on a cliff hanger. The next episode doesn't continue picking up on the last episode. Instead they do it with small flashbacks but they don't spend the entire episode fleshing it out. They give just enough information to let you what happened. I spent most of the day and into the night watching them. So far this is the best crime drama series I have ever seen, USA or foreign produced.

 came early

This was supposed to come between 0700-1100. I signed on at 0650 and it said it was already on my front porch step. I got 3.0AH batteries because the 3.0AH I got for my Bosch drills was a huge step up in performance and run time.

 hmm......

Not so sure that this frame is a good fit for this pic. I like it but I doubt my wife will. She prefers gold/silver toned frames in metal. I got two coats of shellac over the white paint sealing that. I didn't get around to the black paint. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to that.

 done

Since I used the clear shellac on the frame I put a third coat on the cat food boxes. I called them done and brought them to the kitchen and filled them up.

 can you see it?

I was going to Lowes when I stopped and checked my plywood stash. I found this piece of 3/4" and a 4x4 one in 1/2" oak plywood. I picked the 3/4" plywood to make the new Dewalt drill station.

 sizing the drill station

I need space to hang the drills and two other shelves. One for the extra batteries and the other one for the sander. I wanted to put drawers in it too but nixed it. I didn't have enough plywood to do that.

 basic layout

Plywood for the sides, the bottom shelf, and the hanger. Solid pine for the other two shelves.

 can you hand chop in plywood?

This is the second time I tried this. My first attempt many moons ago didn't go so well and I ended up with the plies blowing out and I didn't get a consistent depth with the dadoes. I did the bottom rabbet on the tablesaw.

 you can

Happy with how this came out. I got a clean, consistent depth to the dado with no blowouts anywhere on the length of it. It came out deeper than I was shooting for though.

 great fit

This plywood is very light for being 3/4" thick. And the top level veneer chipped and broke up pretty bad on the saw line on the tablesaw. I didn't have that headache with the hand sawing. In spite of that I got a good snug fit that is self supporting.

 1/4 hex driver tryout

This drill is nothing like the Bosch 1/4 hex driver it replaced. This one is much quicker and has more torque. This drill zipped the screws in like I was drilling in wet cardboard. This is a shop project so I'm leaving the screw heads as is.

 sneak peek

Drills on the bottom, batteries on the 2nd shelf, and the sander on the top shelf. I am thinking of putting the fast charger (15min) on the left outside shelf. Not sure where or what I'll do with the normal (1hr) charger.

For the eagle eyed viewers there are 3 spaces for drills on the bottom but I have only 2 drills. For now it is only two. I am thinking of buying a 3rd one - a 3/8" chuck drill. If I do I will have a home for it.

 wee bit short on the width

The middle shelf was about 3/8" shy of the width so I glued a scrap piece of pine to build it out. I will also cover all the plywood edges with thin pine strips. That will have to be another 'I'll do it tomorrow'.

 potential home

The Bosch drill station lived here and I would like to put the Dewalt station here too. I already know I'll have to move the thermometer and the clock further over to the left. I might have to remove the shelf beneath the clock too. That will depend upon how much room there is once I screw the new drill station in place.

accidental woodworker

pic frame day 2........

Accidental Woodworker -

 The temps have warmed up a bit lately. It snowed lightly over night and the rest of the day was dreary and gray. On the bright side the temps have been above freezing for the first time in over a week. It is supposed to be in the low 50'sF (11C) tomorrow which ain't too bad for January.

 2nd cat food box

Tried something new for me with this box. After I had glued the pins/tails, checked it for square, I then glued on the bottom plywood. Made sense to me to do the both of them now rather than one after the other. I had a snug fit with the pins and tails.

 faux finish time

Oil based gloss enamel and feathers. I am using the feathers to give me a random, streaking effect with the paint.

 practice first

I'm glad I decided to get a feel for the feather painting on a piece of scrap first. My first two attempts laid down way too much paint. Test run #6 was the look I was after. 

 needs only one?

This isn't exactly what I wanted but it will do. I wanted the white to be straight/linear and run in thinner streaks. I will seal this with shellac tomorrow after the white has dried.

 for sale

Two chargers, one impact driver, one 1/4 hex drive drill, and one 3/8" chuck drill. The impact driver was used once or twice and then nothing. It comes with the 3 original batteries (still good but low AH rating), two 3.0AH batteries I bought last year, and one 4AH battery. They are all 12v tools but I have never had any quibbles or hiccups using any of them in any shop project. $50 plus shipping which should be around $15-$20 depending upon the zip code.

 3.0 AH

The 3.0 batteries were a huge improvement over the batteries that came with the drills. Almost 3 times the run the OEM batteries.

 still good

These work and they will drive 6" 1/4" lags but only about 20-30 before you have to recharge them. All of the batteries are Lithium ones too.

 why I'm selling them

I had bought a Bosch cordless sander that I loved when it worked. It died and I bought a Dewalt cordless sander that I love more then the Bosch one. I didn't want to have two different battery/charger systems to deal with. I want one charger and one battery type for all the cordless tools. I have a 1/4" hex driver drill, a 1/2" chuck drill, and a cordless sander all taking 20v Dewalt batteries. (I bought two 3.0AH replacement batteries today - the OEM ones are 1.5AH). I will need to replace the Bosch drill holder with a Dewalt one.

the shellac was labeled lemon

I want to use the shellac I mixed before it goes bad. I got two coats on this today and tomorrow I'll put on two more and call these done.

 oil based black enamel

I'll feather on some random black streaks here and there. I don't want the black to dominate or equal the white paint. That is subject to change when I put it on tomorrow.

might be keeping this

This won't fit in my wife's SUV for the trip down to High Point. I am growing rather fond it and it won't break my heart to keep it. 15 drawers is kind like me having 15 boxes to fill up with all kinds of crappola.

I found a new crime drama to watch. It is called 'The Paris Murders' and it in french with english subtitles. I hit the mother lode with it too because there are 9 seasons to binge watch. If each season (1&2 have 12 episodes) I will have 108 to watch.

accidental woodworker

AI - Artificial Intelligence and Woodworking

Tools For Working Wood -

AI - Artificial Intelligence and Woodworking 1

As I sit at my desk under the watchful eye of my Dalek overlord, I am pondering the impact AI will have on woodworking.

First of all, for anyone who works with their hands, being replaced by machine is nothing new. Whether you are a skilled hand weaver or a master at the forge, the mass market replaced you long ago with power looms and drop forges. The machines produced simpler work at great savings and thereby turned most manufacturing from something skilled to something that mostly requires a lot of capital to set up. The chasm between master and maker grew wider.

Machines got rid of a lot of very repetitive work that needed a skilled person to do uninteresting work, but at the same time removed the custom work that made the job interesting.

AI just means that the same thing will happen to desk jobs. Pretty soon lots and lots of perfectly nice, competent people will lose their jobs - both the boring bits and the interesting bits.

But how will this affect woodworkers? The first and most obvious effect is that architectural woodworking, which is the backbone of modern custom work, will have fewer offices to build and the offices will be simpler.

Various computer aids already enable a cabinetmaker to speed up and produce drawings quickly for an ever larger range of products and situations. You might even see a new breed of "cabinetmaker" use a computer to design everything, and outsource the actual manufacture. Oh, that's happening already. My bad.

But one thing that's happening that is good is that small shops are now using computers, outsourcing and other methods and now have access to some of the efficient processes that previously were only available to giant companies. Computers in general, and modern software including AI , certainly make it much easier to be an efficient tiny company - and that's good.

It also wouldn't shock me to see more people enter the various trades at all levels of skill, simply because office jobs might disappear at the same time the need for people who make, fix, and put things together, continues.

But the basic goal of automation has always been the simplify and homogenize designs. So the imaginative person, who can come up with a new approach to design and make something interesting, still has a window, maybe even a larger window, for opportunity. The reason for this is no matter how clever we make our machines, we have literally no idea where the next great new idea is coming from. Giant companies that supposedly know what they're doing, have no idea either. Google spends billions on development, and the way they avoid getting caught short is by spending money on all sorts of projects and then killing the projects that don't seem to pan out. For all the great smart people at these companies, they still have not figured out a method for creation of new ideas that works. The movie industry since its beginning has desperately tried to figure out how to make sure when they make a movie it's going to be a hit. To this day they haven't figured it out (yes, I'm thinking of you "Heaven's Gate" or any number of failed sequels).

I'm pretty sure AI will enable woodworkers to design things faster. It'll also help somebody who wants to (for example) build a bookcase, have a machine crank out measured drawings for that bookcase. And maybe even find the best place to buy the materials and all those things. That's good, as all these bits of automation help the small company compete with a big company. It also means that your designs can be more ambitious. If AI can help me design the mundane bits of a project better and save me time, I can do more complicated projects successfully.

On the downside, I see institutional structures, both in the government and private sector, totally not getting ready for what is probably a cataclysmic wave of change. The government's are very happy to give tax breaks and handouts to people who invest in technology. In New York the governor has proposed a nearly $400 million fund to encourage AI R&D, partnering with various universities around the state. But this isn't actually what everybody needs. What we should be doing as a government and as a society is creating an infrastructure of a safety net so anyone can take risk to pursue a new job or new idea - in AI or any other realm.

There are hundreds of thousands of extremely talented crafts people in this country, most of whom would like nothing more than to make their product and do it the best way they know how. They have ideas on new ways of making things, new ways of applying technology, and new ways of doing things. But they are trapped in their current situations because of things like high costs of health insurance, educational debt, and an uncertain future. If as a society we could mitigate or remove the risk, we would be creating millions of new interesting jobs, and yes - fund AI innovation too. Some European countries do this already and sometimes it has resulted in new technology, but more often it has resulted in more small, happier businesses.

From a business standpoint, encouraging small businesses, the hotbed of most job creation, and helping them grow because you've mitigated their risk is a much better use of funds than giving handouts and tax breaks to big companies who frankly have the money to take the risk on their own and do it all the time.

N.B. ChatGPT is amazing, but it doesn't really think. It just evaluates existing data and formulas a credible response to your question. So as great as it may be in writing a sonnet in the style of Metallica or an outraged letter to customer service, in my view this new technology is as far from being able to come up with a new idea as it always has been. It just seems smarter. I had a boss like this once. He name wasnt AI but you could ask him any question and he would take whatever was the popular answer and regurgitate it back to you in a somewhat repacked form as if it was his own idea. His management thought he was brilliant and insightful. But as for actual innovation, he never had an original idea in his head his entire life.

PS. Just after this blog was written, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, released a blog post in which she declared that AI will affect almost 40 percent of jobs around the world, replacing some and complementing others. We need a careful balance of policies to tap its potential. This isn't the same approach as I am suggesting; I think small businesses are the wave of the future, but she isn't wrong.

picture frame.......

Accidental Woodworker -

This is the biggest picture frame I've made to date. I wasn't sure about it being stiff and strong enough but those fears have been laid to rest. The woodworking portion of it is done and the finishing of it is in the batters box. I'm going to try a faux finish trick with it. That will be the first time I tried that too. Depending upon how it goes I think it will take about a week to knock it out. If I don't like the final result or a partial one, I will paint it and cover it up.

 out of the clamps

The first thing I did after the clamps came off was to shake this like I had bee hive shoved down my shorts. It held and the frame is stiff and solid feeling. I think it is flat but it is hard to determine that because I don't have flat surface larger than the frame to check it on.

cat food box

I am gluing a 1/4" piece of plywood to the bottom of both of the boxes.

 flushing the corners

I had hoped that the biscuits would have done a better job of flushing the top corners. 

 worse corner

This is a strong 32nd and of course the grain was against me. I wanted to plane from the left going to right. I got it done and I had to be careful at the end of the stroke so I didn't tear out the corner.

 splines

The miters are reinforced with #20 biscuits but I also put in splines. This is a large frame - the OD is 30x22. The splines are giving me a toasty, warm, and fuzzy feeling.

 insurance

I got a snug fit on the splines but I used clamps too. 

 step one

I applied one coat of a gray stain and wiped it off after a couple of minutes. I waited 90 minutes and applied two coats of shellac to seal it.

 two on the back

The back of the frame is only getting two coats. The front will get 3. Tomorrow I'll start the next phase of my faux finish. I'm shooting for a weathered, white streaked snot beat of it look.

bare bones tool

The 2nd drill came today and I didn't realize that I have bought a 1/2" chuck. I was surprised by how small and compact it is despite the chuck size. 

 LED light

The light is on the base and it shines upward at the chuck.

1/4" hex drive drill (left one)

This is where I was expecting the light to be on both the drills. The weight, and feel of both of these drills is about the same. I couldn't feel a noticeable difference in the heft, grip, on balance on either.

cat food box #2

Been sawing the half pins a new way for a couple of months now. No knife wall, I just saw on the knife line. And I do the both of them at the same time.

Paul Sellers mortise guide

Hi Jason here is my take on these two. As far as I know Paul Sellers doesn't have a bridle joint guide. You could use these for that purpose and I'm sure it would work. My mortise guide set here goes from 1/4" up to 1/2" by 16ths.

 Richard Maguire guide

These are almost identical to the Paul Sellers mortise guides with the exception of the magnets. They are the trick that holds the saw vertical and tight to the guide as you saw down. I made these two first, one for 1/2" thick stock (left one) and one for 3/4" thick stock.

 my improvement

I made my sawing guide adjustable. I added more magnets (5) to provide more grab to hold the saw vertical with more force. There are two wooden shims and plastic ones in the guide. I cut up a plastic milk carton for fine adjustment. The milk carton shims are good for allowing for the saw kerf. I used a bolt and a wing nut that allows the front face to be removed and shims added/subtracted as needed. Hope this helps with this Jason.

accidental woodworker

The Laborious Art of Hand Tool Woodworking and Its Impact on the Spine

Journeyman's Journal -

Introduction

Hand tool woodworking is commonly perceived as strenuous and challenging. Indeed, it’s all that and even more. To gloss over it would be a kindness to those teaching the craft, and to some extent, it’s worth it. However, when it comes to your health, it’s definitely not worth compromising.

The Laborious Nature of Hand Tool Woodworking

Since my first introduction to woodworking back in 1977, I’ve always had a fascination with the craft and dabbled in it. It wasn’t until 1998 that I took it seriously and started a woodworking business that was modelled around handwork through the use of traditional woodworking hand tools. The early years were filled with learning experiences and challenges, but the passion for woodworking kept me going. As I honed my skills and craftsmanship, I found joy in creating unique pieces that showcased the beauty of natural wood. Each project became a labour of love, blending traditional techniques with modern design sensibilities.

Over time, the woodworking business evolved, and I had the opportunity to collaborate with other artisans and woodworkers, exchanging ideas and techniques that enriched my own practice. Embracing the time-honoured methods of woodworking brought a sense of fulfilment and connection to the heritage of the craft, instilling a deep appreciation for the artistry and meticulous attention to detail required.

The journey from a personal fascination with woodworking to building a thriving business centred on traditional hand tools has been incredibly rewarding. It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of craftsmanship and the timeless beauty of handmade wooden creations. Looking ahead, I am eager to continue exploring the boundless possibilities of woodworking, preserving its legacy while infusing it with innovation and creativity.

Somewhere down the line, my back took a turn for the worse. It started gradually in my younger years, and the fix was simple. Nothing short of a back massage will fix it. They say you must exercise your muscles, and what better exercise than physically planing and sawing all day long for six days a week?

The reality was that I was wearing it out quicker than it would have naturally

Hand tool woodworking requires a great deal of physical effort. The use of hand tools such as saws, chisels, and planes involves repetitive motions that can be physically demanding.This laborious nature of hand tool woodworking can be attributed to the manual effort required to shape and manipulate wood without the aid of power tools.

The process of hand tool woodworking involves a variety of tasks, each with its own set of challenges.For instance, planing a piece of wood to a desired thickness or ripping a board to width requires not only skill but also physical strength and endurance.

Impact on the Spine

The physical demands of hand tool woodworking can have implications for the spine. Prolonged periods of standing, bending, lifting, and twisting can lead to various spinal disorders. These may include back pain, sciatica, and other conditions that cause discomfort in the neck, arms, and legs.

Over the years, my commitment to the craft and my promise of “handmade” have taken a toll on my back as I strained over the workbench. My decision not to incorporate any machinery for the laborious task of breaking down the stock has resulted in significant discomfort. The pain was so severe that I was incapacitated for two weeks, unable to walk or even perform simple tasks like dressing myself. My insistence on purity was, in retrospect, a mistake. Machinery wasn’t created solely for profit, although it undoubtedly plays a significant role. Its primary purpose was to alleviate laborious tasks, minimise physical strain that could lead to injuries, and expedite the work process. While I enjoy the process of building a project entirely by hand, it just isn’t worth the risk if you have underlying health issues.

Conclusion

While hand tool woodworking can be a laborious task, it is also a rewarding craft that many find fulfilling. However, it’s important for woodworkers to be mindful of the potential impact on their spine and take preventative measures. This could include regular breaks, using ergonomic tools, and incorporating exercises that strengthen the back muscles.

Remember, sharp tools make all the difference, and so does a healthy spine.

Happy woodworking!

Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for informational purposes only. If you’re experiencing back pain or other health issues, please seek advice from a healthcare professional.

Good start to the year’s work.

A Luthiers Blog -

With most of the construction on the e-mando now complete, it’s time to concentrate on the tailpiece and bridge and getting the mandolin set-up. And that’s exactly what I look at in this video!

And just in case you’ve been wondering……..here’s the latest Standard. It’s rosewood body has been fully bound in cocobolo and the next step is fit the neck.



small table done......

Accidental Woodworker -

 Got a mini rant within me that has to come out. My local newspaper, The Providence Journal, changed its amusement pages. I'm speaking of the comics, crossword, and other puzzles pages. It has seen fit to remove 4 of the 5 comics I read every day like if I didn't I would have a heart attack. It no longer has the sudoku and crossword puzzles I did everyday. They continued this madness on sunday by shrinking the number of comic panels and no longer putting out Shylock Fox and can you spot the 6 differences brain teasers? I am going to cancel my subscription to it because I don't like the crossword puzzle and sudoku (the same as the USA newspaper) that they do have on the amusement page now. If I remember it I'll do a search of the www to see if there is a one spot for all comics to read.

 annoying )(&^(%)(@_4r0-98

Having a loose handle on a plane will send me into a tizzy in a heartbeat. I find it incredibly annoying to have the handle move fwd/aft or R/L as I'm pushing it. It is distracting and upsets my concentration. This MF No. 9 is my daily user for now and it was time to eliminate this hiccup.

 washer

There are a couple of ways to fix this. One would be to shorten the threaded rod. This is something I do only as a last resort. Secondly you can put shelf liner under the base of the handle. I don't like this (even though it works well) because I can see a gap between the bottom of the handle and the plane. Third way is to add something under the head of the threaded rod. That is what I chose to do. However, the washer's OD was a few frog hairs wider than the countersink for the threaded rod. A few minutes with a file and all was well in Disneyland again.

 last coat

I got two coats of shellac on the top and shelf yesterday. One more coat and I'm calling it down.

ain't working

The plan for gluing up the frame with these 45 blocks ain't happening. I tried my best to clamp these first two and then align the other two corners and got nowhere. As soon as the blocks and clamp were off the bench the frame folded like a house of cards.

 didn't swear once

I was expecting this to be raised to the nth degree in frustration but it wasn't. I used blue tape to hold the corners together and that helped a lot. I slowly tightened the clamps two at time and hopping back and forth between the two until the frame's 45 closed up tight. The diagonals were dead on - almost ready for glue. I wanted to unwind a bit because I kind of worked myself up into frenzy while doing the dry fit.

my first choice

This frame was too large for these. I had a warm and fuzzy with using them to clamp the corners at 90. I'm sure that I'll have plenty of frames in the future to try these with.

 yikes

There isn't a lot of real estate for my ham fisted hands to get underneath and attach the table clips. I tried and I succeeded in getting one at the left front corner screwed down in 15 minutes (I had 9 more to do). It was hard to mark for the screws and murderous to see it to screw it down.

 better idea

Drilled a 5/8 hole above the positions of the table clips so I could use a long bladed screwdriver.

 it worked

Had some difficulties starting the screws but once I got that driving it home went off well. 

 knew this

I used clamps to hold the shelf and top in place while I tired to mark for the screws in the table clips. The dull spots are where the clamp head was. I touched up all these spots after the shelf and table were secured.

 survived the glue up

The glue up went without any swearing, cussing, having to say oops, and on the first attempt. I had used #20 biscuits to help with the alignment. I still plan on putting a spline in the corners after the frame has cooked and set up.

cat food box

I've been meaning to make one of these for a very long time. Finally got it done today. I had measured the cans and allowed for 3 on the short leg and I just had enough room. I made it an 1/8" longer than needed and it turned out to be spot on.

 same this way

I thought I had allowed extra but it was dead on for 4 cans. The box is designed to hold 24 cans of cat food. These will replace the cardboard boxes that I had been using.

 plywood bottom

This will be glued on the bottom of the box tomorrow. Or maybe after dinner. 

 need one more

The cans for this box are smaller than the ones above. Decided to make both boxes the same size because I use more of the larger cans than I do the smaller ones. I was going to start this today but my back was acting up. Bending over the bench to do this box didn't feel so good.

 calling it done

I brought this upstairs to let it hang out in the living room for a week. I want the shellac to set up and harden some before I put the Keurig coffee maker on it.

 frame

The shop temp was 56F (13C) when I got down to it this AM. By the time I glued it up the temp had zoomed up 57F which I deemed a wee bit too chilly for glue to cook. I brought it up to the living room to set up and keep the small table company until tomorrow.

accidental woodworker

computer woes.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 I used to configure and repair computers for a living at one time. The shop computer decided to throw a hissy fit today when I tried to boot it. It defaulted at some weird spot in the boot sequence that I wasn't familiar with. I couldn't find anything online to help either. So after pissing away the better part of 3 hours I said No Mas, No Mas.

I can't believe how much I depend upon and use this computer. I have a win OS laptop I can use but I really missed that big screen today. Not sure which road to travel with this now. A lot of the computer repair shops in my local area folded during the pandemic and they probably weren't Linux savvy either. Amazon has all in one computers furbished for $250 to $300 which isn't that bad of a price. I don't want a tower system, the all in one takes up less space. I have lots of time to figure it out and it will be a bit inconvenient.

 yesterday

This is the mitered bridle joint I did yesterday. The tenon is too thin for the mortise but I think I figured how to do it the right way.

test joint #2

I thought I had this figured out in the brain bucket but when I started to saw it out I lost everything momentarily. The left one (mortise) will have the two outside cheeks sawn at a 45. The right one (tenon) will have its outside cheeks sawn off at a 45 leaving a tenon at 45.

 acceptable

I did it right in spite of drawing a blank on it. The 45's line up good without a gap.

 ugly looking

This needs a lot of help. I'm much better at sawing but still need a lot more practice. I sawed the mortise with the sawing guide and the tenon one freehand. I left way too much of the line. I initially tried to clean it up with a chisel and a tenon float before finally switching to a router. I decided to leave the mitered bridle joint for later and I will do a new frame with just miters.

 wee bit chilly

The mercury was hovering around 10F (-12C) this AM when I got up. Supposedly the real cold weather hasn't gotten to my part of the universe yet. It was miserable doing my grocery shopping at 0700.

 new frame

Miters rough sawn and shot dead on the shooting board.

 what a PITA

I tried to dry clamp the frame on my set up table but it was too small. This kind of worked but the 3/8" plywood is bowed so getting the corners aligned, flat, and tightened was frustrating. The important part is the miters are all dead nuts 45, the frame is square and all the corners are tight and gap free. Not sure at this point how or when I will glue this frame together.

 pic fits

There is about 1 7/8" for the matting between the pic and the frame.

 $30

I ordered this yesterday and it came today. I'll need it for the frame.

 rabbeting bit

I had one of these but I couldn't find the bearings for it at first. I finally found them and the cap screw broke off at the head. Tossed that and ordered this one. I wonder if they knew I am a box freak? It even has plastic sleeves for both of them.

 better

I have tried numerous times in the past to use these miter clamps with zero joy. That was all due to my miters being garbage. I think the best way to glue up this frame is to do two corners first. After they have set up, do the remaining two.

Time to go piss into the wind and try and fix the shop computer again.

accidental woodworker

Driving through redwoods?

Working By Hand -

Who ever thought that putting holes through super large trees so that cars could drive through was a good idea? A number of big trees in California had tunnels dug through them in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the most famous was cut in 1881 through Yosemite’s famous Wawona Tree. It was cut as a tourist attraction, and was the second standing sequoia to be tunnelled – the first, a dead tree, still stands in the Tuolumne Grove in Yosemite). The Wawona Tree stood for 88 summers before falling during the winter of 1968-69 (it was 2,100 years old).

There are currently three different tree drive-through : the Shrine Tree (4,500 years/hollowed by fire), a coast redwood, the Chandelier Tree (2,400 years old/opening cut late 1930s), and the Klamath Tree (785 years old/opening cut 1976).

Cutting holes through such majestic trees really seems like a very odd thing to do.

Pages

Subscribe to Norse Woodsmith aggregator