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 Spent another fitful night trying to sleep. Besides getting up for two toilet trot races, I got 7 times total to blow my nose. There was absolutely no position where I could sleep for more than an hour or so. I hope this blows over quickly because it sucks pond scum feeling like this.

I was hopeful

Took the clamps off and nothing moved or groaned. All the miters were still tight and passed the wiggle test. Felt good about the frame here.

last test piece

Trying to set this jig makes feel as smart as a box of pointy rocks. I thought I had it set correctly - I had measured from the plywood to saw blade - but it took me 7 attempts before I got it.

miters still suck

Two of the miters let go while putting the splines in them. I think the other two stayed together only because I already had splines in them. I had to use bar clamps to close up all the miters.

cleaning up the  back frame parts

Working in the shop today was difficult. I had the desire to be there but with the snot locker jammed full it was a chore working. I spent the AM session working in spurts which kind of worked in my favor. The frame shook hands with me several times before I killed the lights for the day.

2nd one

I had to replace the first spline because it was too thin. There were gaps on both sides of it. Without glue I was able to push the splines and seat them fully by hand. With glue, two of them locked solid before being fully seated. So I made the last two splines looser by sanding them. One filled/swelled the groove with glue but this one didn't.

sigh

Screwed up on the length of these, again. I've done this twice before but I thought I was done having that brain fart. It ain't so boys and girls.

new set

An hour later I made a new set for the back frame. I made the length a 1/4" over to allow for planing the miters and fitting.

almost done

Nailed and glued the back frame, set the nails, and filled them with putty. Thinking of using shellac on this frame. But if I change my mind, I'll paint it black.

hmm.......

I am leaving the frame as is. No chamfers on the inside and outside edges. I'll get this to Maria on tuesday so I can get it done as quick as possible and get a pic of it to Miles.

Hoping to feel better so I can get started on Leo's desk. I want to get it done ASAP. Been thinking of renting a U haul  to bring the things I made for Amanda to her. Waiting in the boneyard are Leo's dresser, Miles' desk, the small cherry table, and the bookcase.  Leo's desk will be joining it in a couple of weeks. My wife can only bring one at time when she visits. Depends on the cost which is probably cheaper than having it shipped.

accidental woodworker

Check out my latest Substack post!

New steel string acoustic guitars in progress, will be available for sale by the beginning of summer!

Stayed tuned for updates!

Starting feeling like crap yesterday afternoon. I couldn't sleep last night for more then an hour. My snot locker was stuffed full and I couldn't breathe with the CPAP machine lying down on my side. I spent a fitful night sleeping propped up against the headboard. Didn't feel much better in the AM.

broken dog

I lost the doo hickey at the top of the dog. Found this on the deck when I came to the shop in the AM. I would have just made a new one but as usual I couldn't find something. The something I was searching for was the bullet catch on the side of this dog. So instead of a replacement dog, I glued a new doo hickey on at the top.

checking the leg stock

Both boards behaved themselves over night. They looked to be still flat and straight. Neither one grew a hump back too. Cleaned one short edge on both boards. I'll make them 90 before I run them through the lunch box planer.

happy face on

Both boards passed the flat test with flying colors.

both for $6 and change

I couldn't resist the miniature bin. I like that it is clear so I can see what I have in it. The 5gal bucket was a lot cheaper than I expected. Lowes even had pink buckets for the ladies.

pic frame coming

I sent a pic of the frame I made for Leo's drawing and he remembered doing it. I didn't want Miles's to feel left out so I'm making a frame for a pic he sent me before my CT biopsy. 

done

After I got back from Lowes I finished the fitting the doo hickey on the dog. The dog is maple and the doo hickey is too. It keeps the dog from falling through the dog hole in the bench.

flushed the top

I still have the original metal dogs from when I built this desk. I switched to wooden dogs the last time I nicked a iron on them. I haven't noticed any difference in gripping power between the metal and wooden dogs.

shooting the miters

I'm making Miles's frame the same size as Leo's but Miles's is 3/4" thick. I didn't have any 1/2" thick stock but I don't like making the exact same thing for the grandsons. 

sigh

Gave up on this again. The slip nuts were nice with adjusting but I couldn't get all four miters closed and gap free.

hmm.....

And this slip nut wouldn't tighten, as it got close it slipped. Go figure on that. I switched it with another one and the same thing. I didn't feel like playing with it to find what went south. I won't be playing with this clamping method for the foreseeable future.

nope

I was able to get 2 then of the 3 miters to close up tight. I fiddled and faddled with it and then gave up. I went back to the miter shooting board and touched up the miters again. That didn't improve it and one miter was still open a frog hair.

sigh

I was expecting this to be the winner. I even tried sweetening the miter heels with a block plane. It worked for one but with the 2nd one I started chasing my tail around the frame.

this surprised me

This is the first time I can remember all four miters closing up tight with these miter clamp doo hickeys. I took it apart and repeated it with the same results. Decided to glue it up with these. If this hadn't worked I was going to try my metal band clamp.

success

With glue applied, one miter wouldn't close up tight. I tried but with glue applied I didn't have a lot of time to play with. I put bar clamps on and that worked closing up the miter tight. I put two more clamps the opposite way to equalize the force. I'll let this cook until the AM.

Clamping this up wiped me out. I didn't feel winded or tired, just spent. Like I had nothing left to give. I think I'm coming down with a spring cold because my snot locker fills up quicker than I can empty it.

Didn't go back to the shop for a PM session. Instead I sat at my desk and watched Unforgettable on Amazon prime.

accidental woodworker

The body of the mandolin is now together, so what’s next? In this video, I look at routing the rebate for the purflings and bindings. The purflings take quite a while to fit as there are tricky mitres to cut and the bindings (made from walnut) need to be bent on the bending iron to fit exactly. All good fun! Oh, and a bit about the fretboard too!

Cheers Gary

This is a project I've thought about for a long time.  We don't do a whole lot of gardening here at the humble abode, but when we do get a new plant it would be nice not to have to re-pot it on the ground or at the kitchen sink.

The completed project

It started with an internet search for some ideas and then later a Sketchup drawing.

Sketchup drawing

I did end up changing a couple things from the drawing, most notably I didn't use the shelf supports that are shown with the upper two shelves.

This project is far from "fine woodworking".  The lumber is just common pine 1x4s, with 1x6s for the upper shelves.  None of the boards was straight and there were lots of knots, but I wasn't looking for anything more.

18  1x4s, each 8' long

The construction was fairly simple.  The 36" front legs and 64" rear legs are each made of two lengths of 1x4, glued together at right angles.  I planed the edge on one piece, but did not bother planing the face of the mating piece.  The two main platforms, one at 8" off the ground, the other at 36", were basically boxes glued and pocket-hole screwed together.  Each was 20" x 47 1/2".  I added slats that were supported by a piece that was glued and screwed to the inside of the long sides of these boxes.

The two "boxes" roughed out and screwed together

I got to pull out the miter box to cut the 24 slats. There's a board clamped upright in the end vise acting as a stop for repeat cuts.

Here, I'm checking the fit of slats in one of the boxes

I got to use a variety of hand tools for screw holes and screws

Attaching a slat to the support piece

The gap between slats was 3/8".  Twelve fit into each box, with the first and last slat made less wide to fit the space and leave a 1/4" gap at the end.

To support the boxes on the legs, I glued and screwed small blocks to the inside of the legs.  The boxes rest on those blocks and are later screwed to the legs.

Starting to come together.  Here it is dry-clamped.

I fit the two upper shelves similarly with blocks glued and screwed to the inside of the back legs.  I cut those shelves for a good fit between the legs and they are also pocket-hole screwed to the legs.

View from underneath an upper shelf.  You can see the support block and also the pocket screws from shelf to leg if you look closely.

The back edges of the upper shelves were planed straight so that I could glue on a strip to keep things from falling off the back of the shelf.  Those pieces were glued to the back edge of the shelf and also pocket-hole screwed to the legs.

Back view showing the strips glued to the upper shelves and pocket-hole screwed to the legs

I thought I would glue and screw the main boxes to the legs, but after just screwing them together without glue and feeling how solid it was, I decided the glue was unnecessary.  This will allow me to disassemble it later if the need ever arises.

For the moment, I'm thinking there will be no finish applied.  It will reside under a balcony and will rarely, if ever, get wet.  I might change that decision later.  Maybe BLO or a poly on the main work surface to make it easier to clean off the dirt and cuttings.  Oh yeah, I might still add a shelf just below the right side of the main work surface.  The shelf would hold a plastic bin to catch dirt that falls between slats.

That's it.  A rough project, but I like the way it looks.  And it should make it better for us to do some gardening work.

 Made the trip to Highlands today and now I'm thinking maybe I should have waited a few more days. A lot of the cherry shorts were rough sawn while last month when I got wood for Miles's desk the cherry shorts bin was stuffed full with S4S. Not so today. But I still managed to get what I needed for his desk. Albeit it is going to take more time to prep it.

rough sawn 8/4 cherry

There was no S4S 8/4 cherry to be had. There also wasn't any wide rough sawn 8/4 cherry (for four legs). I picked these two out to get the legs from.

4/4 cherry

The  S2S 5/4 and 4/4 cheery bins were full. The two stacks on the right here are 4/4. The wide boards are for the miniature cherry chest that is coming after Leo's desk. The thinner width 4/4 boards are for the rails. A lot more than what I need but the extras are for the cherry chest. 

5/4 cherry

I bought two 10 foot boards for the top and had them sawn in half. I only need 3 with one orphan board.

hmm.....

Both of the 8/4 cherry boards are cupped. I am going to flatten one face on both first to allow them relax for a few days. I always start by knocking down the hump side of the board. I will flatten and straighten that face first and then ran them through the lunchbox planer.

legs?

The plan is to get the legs from each outside edge. They are mostly straight grain which is what I want for the legs.

hmm.......

Might have some trouble with this board. The outside edge straight grain on the right is a little thin. I'll put these two legs at the back.

comparison

Cherry is a pretty wood off the plane.  The right board is almost there. It has a wee bit of twist and I still need to smooth it out from the #6 plane.

still some twist

Along with the twist there was still a hump. I traversed this board at an 45° and a 90° several times but it was slow going. 

hmm......

I like this plane because it works equally well pushing or pulling it. Here I pulled over an area that I identified as high. It took a lot of back and forth before I got this one flat and straight end to end.

2nd board

Wash, rinse, and repeat. Of course this one had a hissy fit and went into camera shy mode.

no twist

After the first 4 planing runs over the board I checked it for twist. There was none and it stayed that way until I got it flat and straight.

sigh

This board was a pain to flatten. The hump refused to cooperate and go away.  I attacked it with 5 different planes but it was as stubborn as a mule. The first board took about 45 minutes and I was already well past that with this board.

wow

Time flies when you are having fun. I stayed until I got the 2nd board done. I wanted to have both of them relaxing over night.

LN #4

This plane got a work out on the 2nd board. It was only plane that seemed to be knocking the hump flat. I spent a lot of time pulling the plane vice pushing it.

finally

This check is the last one I do - checking it for flat. I grab the far end of the straight edge and move it left/right and watch for where it pivots at the opposite end. For the longest time it was pivoting about the 1/2 way point - still had a hump. 

Here the straight edge pivoted around the pencil mark from this diagonal and the other diagonal. That proves the board is flat. I got this tidbit from watching Keith Rucker at the vintage machinery website. Anyways it took a lot of time and calories before this board got flat and straight.

final check

Still twist free which surprised me. With all the back and forth I did planing the hump flat I was expecting some twist to shake hands with me.

before I left the shop

The left and middle boards are 11" wide and the top needs to be about 26-27 inches wide. I got two boards with a partially open knot/gum pocket so I can match Miles's desk. The far right board is 10 inches wide and I only need about 5" of that one. Not sold on this but I won't probably get to the table top until next week, maybe monday.

accidental woodworker 

 The foot was a wee bit sore when I rolled out of the rack this AM but it was so much better feeling than yesterday. No problems walking or standing but I took it easy nonetheless. I wandered up down to the shop several times but I didn't exert myself. I think the most strenuous thing I did all day was to sweep the deck in the shop.

sigh

I can't bring myself to shitcan these cherry scraps. Went searching the shop for something to put them into and nada. I'll have to make a Lowes run and buy a 5 gallon bucket. 

hmm........

Thinking about doweling Leo's desk. I read the literature again on the Dowel Max and tests showed that doweled joints were stronger than mortise and tenon. I had no problems doweling the small table. I don't anticipate any headaches with the desk. I checked and I can get 7 dowels on the ends of the top rails.

only one

I put 2 1/4" long screws in the top - one at each block. On the bottom I put one screw at each end and two in the middle block. On the bottom I don't have to allow slots for the table top clips.

ouch

The screw I put in at the top split the end block. It wasn't a complete break and it closed up nicely when I glued it. Instead of putting a 2 1/4" screw back into it, I put a 2" screw. It held and the block didn't split, break, or crack again.

youngest grandson is an artist

I am going to hang this one in the shop somewhere. I will have to do some rearranging but I'll find a hole for it.

for my wife

My wife is fascinated with old township/district maps from the late 1700's to the middle 1850's. 

proof

This is one of five frames that I made for my wife. All of them are still together. All the miters are tight still and zero evidence that they are planning to go south.

Union #3

Because I am brain dead I pissed away a couple of hours trying to get this spit a shaving that was the full width of the iron. After the umpteenth time putting it back together I noticed that when I screwed down the right screw in the frog, it titled backwards pushing the bottom edge at the mouth up. 

Screwing down the left screw wasn't the same - no tilting or  movement. With that one screwed down first the right still cause movement in the frog. But it wasn't as bad as when the right one was done first.

unbelievable

I put the plane together for the last time intending to put it on a shelf and forgetting it. However, I tried to make RML shavings one last time. I couldn't believe what I saw. The last time I had made RML shavings the lever adjust was fully over to the left. Today it is full over to the right. ????????

RML shavings

All three are the same thickness but the right one isn't as long as the other two. I made two more runs and I got RML shavings that were all about the same. The right ones were a wee bit more wispy than the RM ones.

I'm done with plane. Now that it is together I put it on top of my shop cabinets to gather dust.

accidental woodworker 

Hi, Everyone!

I just added two new shorts to my YouTube Channel, that feature the wonderful guitarist, Juri Yun. 

I attended the 2025 Denver Guitar Festival as a vendor and Mr. Yun stopped by my table to try out the guitars I brought to the festival and he was very impressed with my work!

Go to my YouTube Channel page on this blog to see videos of other great guitarists playing my guitars!

In my never-ending quest to organize and reorganize the barn, I often find myself in a Christmas moment; “Wow, I forgot that I had this!” or more likely, “Oh, so that’s where I put this.”  Four floors of tools, books, and supplies to sort will do that to you.

I recently had an instance that was and was not one of these times.  I found myself relocating a chair frame I commissioned Philippe Lafargue to make for me probably more than three decades ago.  It served for so many years as my reading and writing chair at S.I. and for some time at the barn.

Being a classically trained chairmaker at Ecole Boulle this project was like falling off a log for Philippe since virtually all of his fabrication work was curvy fancy French chairs.  This severe boxy form was no challenge for him.

He was there long before the beginning of the Roubo Project, he translated the Table of Contents for me around 1987 when he was a post-graduate Fellow with me in the Furniture Conservation Studio.  That ToC burned brightly for me, and when Michele Pagan and I started the project for real more than a decade later we knew that Philippe had to be part of it.  Philippe was a classically trained 18th Century Ecole Boulle craftsman, where he completed the full four-year curriculum, simultaneously conversant in 18th craft technique and lexicon, a native Francophone and fully conversant in vernacular and academic English.

For the years of the project until his untimely death a few months ago (somewhat unnerving to us since his fatal illness was the same one that took Mel Wachowiak from me a decade earlier) his contribution was a vital connection to reality.

I am now diligently searching for someone to take up his portfolio.  If you know anyone who fits the job description above, let me know.  Really, let me know.

This was the last time Philippe and I were together in person, at the premier of the Deluxe version of Roubo on Marquetry during the 2013 Woodworking in America shindig.  He eventually wound up back in France, fleeing his domestic life here in the States.

I didn't sleep that well last night. My right foot was sore and achy. It woke me up a couple of times to shake hands with me. When I got up the foot really said hello to me. It hurt like hell to walk and I limped for the entire day. The pain lessened a little but it flared up off/on all day. Something is not right with it and I'll be calling the foot doc for an appointment.

I thought of going to Highlands today because it turned sunny before lunch but I didn't. I'll be going on friday which is supposed to be partly sunny/cloudy here and sunny in New Hampshire. 

Getting ready for that trip I filled up the pickup and I was less then a second from having an involuntary bowel movement. I had gotten gas less then two weeks ago for $3 and change a gallon. Today the same gas was $4.17 gallon. The trip to NH is going to be expensive I have fill up before I leave (done), fill up again before I leave NH, and one last time after I get home. Ouch - it was $45.87 to fill up from a 1/2 tank today.

forgot this

This pen box was the third thing I worked on yesterday but I forgot to include it in that post. It is done - four coats on the inside and outside. Tomorrow I'll rub it down with wax and ship it off to my sister.

glamour pic

Plain and simple with little adornment or embellishment. Just the way I like it. 

done

The two cherry bookshelves are done with 3 coats of shellac. The walnut one I'm giving to Maria at the Frame it shop. It had a blemish on the shelf that I had to add another coat of shellac to.

Don't know what I'm going to do with all bookshelves I made in the past couple of months. I have 12 of them - one is being used (my shop books),  two are going with Miles's and Leo's desks, and one to Maria tomorrow. The other eight are waiting adoption.

rejects

Worked on sawing the slats to width and thickness. These are the rejects from thicknessing. I added 8 more when I sawed the slats to width. I had to do this in batches because standing wasn't that comfortable. Surprisingly going up and down the stairs was easier than walking and standing.

plenty

I might have to make a new 2" wide slat. When I measured it after cleaning it up with the 5 1/2 it was dead on 3/8" thick. All the narrow slats are 1/64 more than 3/8". I'll check the fit of it after I chop the first narrow slat mortise.

the drawer runners

Went to Lowes to get some 1/2" maple for the drawer runners but nada. What they for sale was all twisted, cupped, or bowed. Bought some New Zealand pine instead. I'll let this relax in the shop until I make the drawers.

more drawer stock

The prefinished plywood will give up the two drawer bottoms. I have enough poplar to make one drawer. I have my wood list for Highlands and it includes two six foot 1/2" poplar boards. 

I might be taking it easy tomorrow too. Maybe the walk I went on yesterday is the cause of my current foot headaches. I could check up on my reading because the pile isn't shrinking at all.

accidental woodworker 

The previous series of posts showed and explained four ways to secure wood at the workbench to facilitate work. And there are at least a dozen more ways. It should be convenient to set up, work on, and take down.   This key factor has been important since the first time you ever worked on […]

I have read many books on saw sharpening and watched various videos on the subject, and most of them tend to repeat the same information. However, the Spear & Jackson handbook goes that little extra mile by elaborating on certain points. For example, when topping (jointing) the teeth, it recommends doing the work in stages: make a pass, file the teeth, then joint again, repeating the process until all the teeth are of uniform height.

Most other books simply state that the teeth should be jointed until they are all the same height. Many of us have likely done exactly that during a restoration, only to become frustrated at how long it takes to shape and sharpen the teeth afterwards. I think Spear & Jackson provided an excellent method that saves a great deal of time and frustration.

I am providing the pages that I felt would be of most interest to you, as the remainder is largely marketing material. The booklet appears to be fairly old; although I could not find a printed date, based on the art style, typography, and layout I would estimate it was produced sometime between the 1930s and 1940s.

The gorgeous large advertising and movie posters that were popular in the 20th century were mostly printed using color lithography, a wonderful, but complicated and expensive process. For more modest budgets, and for traveling shows where the signage had to change based on locale, woodblock printing was a much more economical approach.

I was at the Poster House Museum, one of New York's best small museums, this past weekend to see their to see their fabulous new exhibit "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen." And while the color prints for the movies are spectacular, I was also drawn to the very simple, but large basswood wood blocks that were used to promote traveling shows and other events. These are fairly large blocks, all of basswood, with large blank spaces where you could separately add extra text and imagery for a custom design based on each venue.

The printing blocks in this show are from 1925 or 1946, but the prints are recent "restrikes" made from the original blocks. (As the exhibit noted, heritage printers will reprint from the blocks out of appreciation for the artistry of the posters, but also - more practically - if the blocks aren't periodically used, they will dry out, crack and deteriorate.) This is why there aren't any inserts with details. But this is the type of hand bill and poster that you would see to tell you these acts were coming to town.

Basswood is still a common wood for carving in the US, although these blocks are pretty big. Unlike finer grain and harder woods that can take smaller detail, basswood is a far better material for something easy to carve, in a big vibrant block meant to be noticed from a distance. Most of the details, including the lettering, looks like it was done with a chisel, but there is a fair amount of gouge-work too. The non-printing areas, which are about 3/16-1/4" below the surface of the material, are pretty consistently leveled, which would ordinarily suggest a router for blanking stuff out. But these blocks date back to 1925, so that wasn't likely. These blocks were carved by professionals who knew what they were doing, with a lot of skill involved. The blocks do show some gouge marks that indicate hand work, and since all the blocks are covered with layers of ink or paint, there are probably plenty more that are obscured.

A great show of the practical aspects of woodworking.

The museum's other major show, "Love & Fury: New Yorks Fight Against AIDS," focuses on the AIDS awareness posters from the early days of the AIDS crisis, including the ground-breaking "Silence = Death" project.






Most of the exhibit had awesome color posters - well worth the visit

 The VA appointment was easy peasy. The tech took my vitals and then I walked for 6 minutes, and he took my vitals again. They both agreed - oxygen was 97 pre walk and 95 post walk. The blood pressure readings were almost the same. 

The only time they do this test is at 0900. I couldn't reschedule so I went. I wanted to go to Highlands because today was sunny. The next sunny/partly cloudy day is friday. I'm going to try and go then but is there is another sunny/cloudy day in between that, I'll jump on it.

ready

Out of the clamps and all is well in Disneyland. The drawers fit one frog hair loose R/L but no fit top/bottom. 

top rail

The top rail is 1 1/8" wide and the bottom is 3/4". The top is wider because it will get the table top clips. Noticed that the rail has bowed a wee bit. Not sure how to address that to straighten it out. I've got plenty of time to figure it out.

hmm.......

Cherry is such a pretty wood. This is after the first coat of shellac. 4 more and it will get a check mark in the done column.

sigh

I had wiped the shims I stuck in the gap with a wet rag. Still got some residual glue squeeze out. I cleaned that up by chiseling the end grain like I do on half pins with dovetails.

scraps

I need 34 narrow 3/4" slats and one slat 2". I think I have enough with the left overs from Miles's desk to get want I need. Should have a few extras too on the narrow slats.

1st round

Got the 2" wide slat and 37 narrow ones. As I was ripping these to rough width/thickness I saw a few iffy ones. With these slats it pays to have a few extras. 

60 narrow slats

I went nutso on the extras. I could have stopped at 40 but I had two more boards. I should have more that enough to pick and chose from.

almost forgot

My friend asked what/how the ends were so important. First step is to saw the rail length a couple of inches more than needed. 2nd step is to saw out the top and bottom rails. 3rd saw out the center block (mine is 3"). 4th is to cut out ends leaving them long. 5th is to position the ends in towards the center block. That is too make up for the saw kerfs and the length of the drawers. Glue it up and let it cook.

Went for a walk today for the first time in a couple of months. Back in November when I was first was told I might have lung cancer I said screw it to the diet. Now that is up in the air and the doc said it will be 7-10 days before I get the results of the CT biopsy. Still waiting.

The result of that is my weight ballooned. On april 21st I weighed 267 pounds. My heart rate is higher and my blood pressure is elevated. I piled on 72 lbs and I am now back on the wagon. I want to drop some tonnage so my BP drops down to what it used to be. 

My normal range was around 110/85 and now it is running 150/90. I had a good run and ate like a condemned man. Cookies, ice cream, candy, and lots of take out. All gone now for the foreseeable future. Looking forward to getting back down to 195-ish.

accidental woodworker 

last night

I didn't glue it up but I did do a dry clamp up. Everything fitted nice, nice. I left it in the clamps until the AM.

clipped the corners

I don't like leaving the corners of the shelf at 90°. I don't think a round over fits in with the overall 'square' look of the bookshelf so an angled corner it is.. 

happy face on

Getting better at chopping these mortises. All four came out with clean with crisp edges. I hope the upcoming slat mortises for Leo's desk come looking just as good.

ready

Planed and sanded the insides of the ends and the back slats. In the on deck circle are four clamps and glue.

Leo's front drawer rail

I was going to motor up to New Hampshire tomorrow but that got nixed. I have a VA appointment with pulmonary for a 6 minute oxygen evaluation walk, whatever that is? But I can work and get the drawer rail done. 

Tuesday is supposed to be sunny/partly cloudy. The rest of the week has rain forecasted until the weekend. It will be next week before I can go north to NH so I'll have to fill in my shop time with something new project wise.

layout done

I think I got this one figured out. The drawers will have a continuous grain flow L/R (or R/L). I'll have a good piece of this left over - roughly half the board. 

done

I sawed out the parts and dry clamped them back together. I won't be repeating the brain fart with the drawers I did with Miles's desk.

happy face on

The drawer fronts are a couple of frog hairs longer than the drawer openings. The key is making the two far ends (that get the tenons) longer than necessary.

been a while

I haven't used this shooting board for a whole bunch of full moons. Checking the plane body square to the stop. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. The drawer fronts weren't square and I shot them square and a wee bit smaller then the drawer opening R/L.

snug fit

I didn't plane the top/bottom to fit the opening. I'll do that when I start on the drawers.

clips came

I thought that these were thinner than the ones I used on the small table. Turns out that they are exactly the same. These new ones are lighter in color but they are the same.

blurry pic

Cleaning up the 2nd cherry bookshelf. The pic I snapped is blurry and I don't understand why. I shoot my pics with the automatic setting selected. Usually when I get a blurry pic it is because the automatic setting got moved somehow.

last two

The 2nd one is in the back. I'm leaving the top as is. No round overs or clipping the corners. I also didn't make the top of the ends  parallel to the bottom.

one down, one to go

Most of the pre prep for shellac is sanding the end grain. Cherry is a wee bit harder to do - takes more time and calories than doing pine.

sigh

 

My nemesis shook hands with me again on both sides. Small gap but my OCD goes into overdrive no matter what the size is. I glued a piece of cherry veneer in both.

ready for shellac

Sanding and branding is done. But no shellac today. Mickey's big hand is on 12 and the his small one on 3. Quitting time but I might get a coat on after dinner.

hmm.....

I don't know what this is (top board), certainly not a gum pocket. It is exactly where the half blind tails want to live forever.

worth a try

I soaked then with super glue. I don't know what or how they will like being sawn and chopped. Hopefully the superglue will consolidate and fill up the voids?

accidental woodworker

Timothy Rousseau is a Maine-based furniture maker and woodworking instructor recognized for his finely crafted, functional furniture designs. Working from his studio in Rockport, he combines traditional craftsmanship with clean, contemporary forms and has become a leading figure in the American studio furniture movement.

I found this video interesting and thought I would share it with you. What I don’t see eye to eye on, though, is the need to shape the pins to mark out the mortise. In my view, the pins don’t need to be flat on one side, as the mortise will never be seen. It isn’t a show side like a through mortise would be.

Nonetheless, it has some nice features and good pointers that make it worth watching. If you’re new to the craft, or just want to brush up on some skills, there are plenty of other videos there to watch as well.

I also have to add that I love their setup and the open fields around them. Maine looks like a beautiful place to be.

 

hmm.......

I am liking this rag ball for applying the final shellac coat. It flattens the brush strokes it makes the top looks like glass. Thinking out loud, would a foam brush do the same?

nope

Out of the clamps and the lid won't close. It fits on 3 sides but still won't close. I knew that it would take some fussing to get that to happen.

the fix

I have made several of this type of box lids and none have closed without any help. The sanding sticks make it a quick and easy process.

sanding stick safe edge

The safe edge on the sanding sticks keeps me from sanding a groove into the top edge of the bottom.

closed

Took a while but I finally got the lid to close. It needed a wee bit more fettling because it was too snug. With shellac applied it won't close. I want the lid to fit loose so it is easy to take off and put back on.

finally

Got the lid to fit on the bottom in both orientations. However, it is loose one way (X on the lid/bottom aligned) and tight the other. Too tight to call it ok.

getting closer

The left side is a few frog hairs higher than the right. The corners were keeping the lid from freely closing. I used my 1/2" shoulder plane to knock down the corners because the sanding sticks were working too slowly.

ta da

The shoulder plane worked a treat. Lid closes easily both ways and a little on the loose side. That should tighten up when I apply shellac.

hmm......

I should have used this plane from the start. Sanding sticks are still the ones to use on squirrely grain keepers but with anything else the shoulder plane goes to the head of the line.

splotches

They are hide glue bleed through from the glue up. I wanted to use a oil/wax finish on this but I didn't. I know shellac will lay on hide glue but I don't know if the oil/wax finish would do the same.

two coats

Started applying the shellac on the box doing the bottom of the bottom and the top of the lid. After I get 5-6 coats I'll switch and do the interiors of the bottom and the top.

cherry bookshelf

Getting the depth of the back slat mortises the same as the shelf dado wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The key for me was to chop the first run shallow and sneak up on it. I did it mostly by scraping the bottom of the mortise with the same chisel until Mr Starrett said I was to depth.

rasping the feet cut out

I survived another angled bottom cut. I had to make a a couple of trial cuts to make sure I would get it right. The angled cut should be done (and the cutout) before the glue up. Much easier to get it done before the glue up.

ready for glue up

Planed the inside faces of the ends and chamfered the ends of the back slats. The dry fit of the back slats were snug. I had to plane the left end of the shelf before it fit in the dado.

sigh

Glad I caught this on the dry fit before I laid down any glue. I glued and clamped this boo boo and set it aside. I was hoping to get this glued and cooking but it didn't happen boys and girls. But it might if I haul myself down to the shop after dinner.

coat hanger

This is what I came up with to hang the frame. Wedged a board between the floor joists. From that I hung a short length of coat hanger to catch the wire on the frame.

for air flow and standoff

Silicone feet to keep the frame from touching the cement wall and let circulate behind it.

looks good

Maria did an awesome job of matting this. The glass is a conservation glass that blocks 99% of UV. Helps with keeping the poster underneath it from fading or discoloring. It cost me $90 which I think is a bargain. 

accidental woodworker 

easy table top clip installation

I still have to put in 4 more clips but I was surprised by how strong the clips I did install were. The top was tight to top of the rails and easy to pick up and move around. And no headaches with getting the last four done - nothing in the way of that. 

bottom shelf

The shelf is flat and tight to the bearer with two clamps holding it down. Nothing moved when I screwed it. No glue - just one screw at each end. This way any repairs will be easy.

6 ounces of shellac

Running out of shellac so I mixed up a new batch. 6 ounces of shellac and 3 cups of alcohol giving a 2lb cut. Turned out that I didn't need this because I had just enough from the last batch to finish the table.

splines

I don't want to rely on the miters staying together even with the help from the top/bottom panels being glued in the grooves. Going with 1/8" thick  cherry splines to help out the miters.

WOW

Went to the Frame it Shop before lunch and this is all that was ready. I think this looks absolutely awesome and I can't wait to get it hung. Maria told me the other stuff I gave her will be ready by wednesday.

its new home

I got this painting after I got out of the Navy in '94. Never thought of framing it but it is going bye bye now. The Periodic Table of Wood is going to hang there now. Just have to figure out how to do that so the frame doesn't touch the cellar wall.

sigh

I had tapped each spline with a hammer to fully seat them. This one didn't get the memo. I'll fill it with a piece of the scrap shims.

sawing the lid free

I saw a You Tube vid where someone was sawing a lid free. Normally I start sawing at the corner but I tried it the way I saw it by first sawing about 1/8" down on the shortest side. From there I sawed down a long side using the kerf on the short side to guide me. Worked well and I did good sawing the lid off. I'll have to try this a couple of more times before I can say whether or not it is a game changer.

Had no problems sawing it off and cleaning it up with a couple of planes. Planed a small chamfer where the lid and bottom meet for visual interest. 

cherry keepers

Dry fitted with mitered corners. It didn't fit on the bottom in either orientation. I'll dial that in after it is glued and cooked.

Initially I was going to hinge the box but changed my mind. The lid height wasn't high enough for the surface mounted hinges I planned to use. Went with keepers instead.

glued

One of the long sides had a gap that I didn't like. The keepers need to be tight against the inside of the lid. If not fitting it can be a headache.

glued, clamped and cooking

No more gaps. All the keepers are up tight against the inside of the lid now.

hmm.....

Saw two white spots on the bottom shelf. I don't think are glue because they are too large. I scraped them with a card scraper and applied shellac over them. The seemed to disappear with the shellac.

ready to use

Been a couple of hours and the shellac is already to use. Whizzing the flakes up in a spice grinder speeds it up dissolving in the alcohol. I added a little more alcohol to the shellac to knock the pound cut below 2.

first glamour pic

I like this a lot and if I had room for it in my house I would keep it. But my daughter already yes to adopting it. Just hoping that my wife doesn't convince her to paint it down the road.

glamour pic #2

Side view. Still on the fence with the number of slats. I like the wide center one but maybe I should have added two more narrow ones?

A quick and easy project that I whacked out lickety split. Fingers crossed the weather will be nice next week. I have to go to Highlands to get cherry for Leo's desk. Thinking out loud, will the 2nd one be done quicker?

accidental woodworker 

About once a month I get together with a small group of local friends primarily to talk about living in the hinterboonies and all the topics adjacent to homesteading.  Lately the topic of communication has been prominent as we’ve been talking about using small walkie-talkie type tools to keep in touch in the event of the phone or power systems going down (not a crazy paranoia out here where one or the other goes out occasionally).  Last week I talked about my six decades of experience listening.  In that arena I’ve found listening to AM and shortwave to be useful and entertaining.  Here is what I talked about, in part.  I figured there had to be one or two of you interested in this topic.  If I’m wrong?  The sun will still come up tomorrow morning.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If there are regional power/internet outages -– we have experienced week-long outages in both Maryland and here in Virginia, and getting news was nearly impossible – alternatives for knowing what is going on are useful.  I have found that AM and Shortwave radio listening are really useful for that task.  Most stereo systems have dreadful AM receivers and are not useful tools for AM listening.  Instead I have tried out dozens of units over the decades and hands-down the best performance/best value are the portable radios based on the GE SupeRadio platform.  Obviously GE started the platform as a consumer product but many, many other companies followed suit, either borrowing, licensing, or stealing the design and technology.  I’ve seen many new models on the marketplace that look similar but have not tried them out.  I would suggest looking ebay to find a gently used one or even occasionally a new-old-stock version, prices ranging from $15-75.  I bought mine for about $20 back in the mezozoic era.  They are still so cheap and available I honestly would not bother with anything else.

 

These models have good long internal AM ferrite rod antennae, and analog tuning.

 

A critical additional accessory is an inductive antenna, a/k/a an external tunable loop AM antenna.  These devices are set adjacent to the radio, usually perpendicular to the unit, and increase the sensitivity by up to a hundred-fold by adjusting the potential of the copper wire loop with a rheostat, “tuning” the antenna to the station on the radio.  They operate much like a magnifying glass for visible light, but only in the much longer RF electromagnetic frequencies.  Just as a magnifying glass amplifies and focuses light, the tunable loop antenna focuses radio waves onto the internal antenna of the radio.

 

The loop antenna I showed was one of several I bought from Radio Shack 40-50 years ago for about $20 IIRC.  I have not seen another one like it for at least 30 years.  The only loop antennas I know still on the market are made by Grundig and certainly would work just fine.  I’ve never looked to see how available they are.  The Grundig tunable loop antenna is based on an earlier design called the Terk , a version of which is currently on the Walmart site for $45.  The Cadillac of tunable loop antennas is called the Select-A-Tenna, of which I have two.  I have not seen one of these since forever.  Mine cost about $80 each new, and I still find them from time to time on ebay.

 

I cannot overemphasize the necessity for these inductive tunable loop antennas.  They can make a pocket transistor radio pull in stations from unbelievable distances.  Even at dusk during our meeting I was able to use my $20 radio and $20 antenna to easily pull in signals from St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit.  In the middle of the night you can occasionally get stations from Canada all the way to South America.

 

This is an inexpensive and high-performance way to get information from a great distance away.  The utility of that should be self evident.

 

The other radio platform I used was a shortwave receiver-only unit.  This is where some real money can be spent.  My experience has shown that the best quality/value brands are Sony, Sangean, and Grundig.  They are not cheap, the one I showed you was probably $300 in 1980.  I cannot remember if I brought my Sony 2002 or 7600 model.  The Sangean 909 I showed you was bought at Radio Shack for about $200 way back then.  A long lost treasure was my Sony 2010 monster portable multiband radio.  Its motherboard got fried way back when.  (CME?  Hmmmm.)  A $750 radio down the hole.  It had digital tuning and I could even pick up signals from the eastern slope of the Rockies with that baby combined with a loop antenna.

 

Both the Sony and Sangean portable multiband radios I’ve normally used were digital tuners, many times programmable with station memories.

 

Very good deals on portable shortwave radios, usually referred to as “portable multiband radio” are available at ebay.  I just saw one identical to my Sony 2002 (but in black rather than silver) for about $25 over there.  I see a lot of similar-looking radios on the Walmart website but usually do not recognize the maker.  If you know what to look for high-quality vintage radios are out there in great quantities, hundreds on ebay right now.

 

As with standard AM radios, an antenna accessory is critical to the performance of a portable shortwave.  You gotta, gotta, gotta have a wire reel or spool antenna that can be used in concert with the retractable FM antenna on the unit.  I recall mine being about $7 from Radio Shack.  CCrane radio has them for about $15, Amazon has a Sangean model for about $30.

 

Fix the wire antenna fitting to the extension antenna on the radio, then get the wire as high as you can while running as much as you can horizontally.

 

And don’t forget batteries.  I buy lots of them, they last for a decade or two in cool, dry storage conditions.  Rechargeable batteries are also an excellent option, I’ve found the Energizer brand to be excellent.  You can get 110v plug in chargers but you should also have some off-grid charging capacity.

 

 

a good sigh

First of the make up mortises on the correct side of the rail. I think it is now impossible for me to screw this up again.

hmm.....

Got the banding at the top done all the way around. When I did a sneak peek preview, the bandings were not visible with the top on. There is a one inch overhang of the top past the outside edges of the legs.

bottom shelf

The new bland bottom shelf. I had thought of sizing the bottom shelf so that it extended to outside faces of the legs. Switched lanes and decided on this - the shelf in between the inside edges of the legs. However, I think I made it too tight R/L. I don't have to worry about expansion/contraction this way but I didn't like how tight it was.

hmm......

I think this will look more balanced if there is a slight gap on the ends.

another look

I don't think this looks out of place. The important point is that my me-steak table top clips are covered and hidden. When I chopped the mortises on the correct face I ended up with through mortises. I had chopped them (both sides) about a 1/2" deep and the rail is only 3/4" thick.

hmm.....

My normal glue up would have been two boards of equal width. That would have put the glue joint right on the screw in the bearer. With unequal width boards, the screw wouldn't be on the glue joint line. I am hoping that the shelf will only need one screw on each end to secure it. With one screw I don't have to worry about expansion/extraction.

clearances

There is a 16th of a gap on both ends and a 1/4" on each side of the shelf at the legs. The 1/4" clearance should be sufficient for the shelf to expand and contract. The 16th gap on the ends gives a shadow line.

low angle jack

Giving this a try - planing the end grain to see how smooth it comes out. Did this to avoid having to have to sand them from 100 to 220 grit.

the last bookshelf

I had glue a blowout on the top so I started back on the bookshelf. Checking the ends for twist before planing them down to thickness.

done

I had sawn off the waste fairly close to the knife lines. I didn't have to make a lot of runs with either plane before the the knife lines disappeared.

three times

This chip threw a big hissy fit. The planing on the end grain kind of worked but I still had to sand it. The chip was blown out with a sanding stick. The first two times I glued it, it came off when I pulled the tape off. The third time was the charm for me.

2 coats

I routed a chamfer on the top and shelf, smoothed both with the #3, and followed it up with the RO sander up to 180 grit. I will get the 3rd coat on the bottom of the shelf and top after dinner.

This is almost at the finish line. My tabletop clips are scheduled to arrive on monday but I don't need them to attach the top. The 4 that will be missing I can install after they come. I should be done with this by sunday at the latest.

accidental woodworker