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My name is Don, and I’m an old coot.

Last week Mrs. Barn and I took one of our occasional trips to the big city, in part for me to restock some routine building supplies.  It had been a very long time since I bought much in the building materials realm as I had really stocked up while constructing the barn almost two decades ago.  Slowly over time that inventory had dwindled down and it was time to do a little restocking.  Plus, replacing some decking was on the autumn agenda.

The sticker shock almost put me into a wallet-coma.  Some CDX plywood, nothing special to say the very least. Enough decking to refurbish an 8’x12′ deck with some left over (even disregarding the need to sort through the pile since about a third of it was useless).  Checkout was well on its way to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.  To say that I was ranting all the way home like a curmudgeonly old coot vastly underemphasizes the pungence of my rhetoric.   Not only do they not call material what it is, they tripled the prices since I last bought stuff.  $60 for a 3/4″ sheet of CDX plywood?  $14 for a 12-foot piece of PT/SYP decking?  Insanity.

It would be easy enough to condemn the lumber stores and the lumber markets, but markets just do what markets do.  Their moral duty is to maximize legal profits on behalf of their shareholders.

The real crisis is inflation, a crisis I do not believe we has a culture have the knowledge, wisdom, or courage to address.

It would be easy enough to blame the bankers, especially The Fed.  But even though they are integral to the crisis, the central bankers are only doing what the legislative, executive, and judicial politicians are instructing them to do.

Even though they are misanthropes integral to the crisis, the spineless weasel elected politicians are only doing what the electorate is instructing them to do; spend money on us that we do not have.  When legislators and executives spend money they do not have, in order to purchase votes they need as they need food, water, and air, there are only two “solutions.”  1) raise tax revenues to cover the expenditures, or 2) create/borrow phony baloney money to do the deed.

The limits to the first are well established as history has revealed an almost iron-clad truth: governments can only extract about 23% of the economy in taxes regardless of the taxation scheme.  Hence the drive towards totalitarian collectivism, a/k/a abolition of an economy.

As for the creation of phony baloney money, also known as fiat currency, the only limit is political.  The blame for inflation comes down to us, the electorate.  In the aggregate we demand the gubmint give us stuff we cannot afford and cannot be paid for.  So they do the “rational” thing, they create money out of ones and zeroes and fractional reserves, reducing the worth of the money in existence.  Intrinsic prices are not rising, it’s the value of the money that is falling.  That has always been and always will be the proximate cause.

Until we in the electorate tell them to stop spending money on us (yeah that’s gonna happen) the inflation locomotive will be picking up steam as it charges down the tracks, the engineers unaware that the bridge up ahead is collapsed (if it has not yet occurred, servicing the debt will soon be the largest component of the Federal budget).  And collapse is the only possible end point.  Get ready for it.  I do not know the current score in the game nor do I know how much time is left on the clock.  But I know the end result.

So Don, are you saying you are smarter than all the smart guys in Washington?

Yup.

But then I live in Cootville and the perspective is not in sync with the outside world.  As CS Lewis said, “Reality is a ruthless instructor.  It does not care whether you agree with it or not.”

Lunch break conversation at Pete Galbert’s school/shop can be as educational as the class itself; George is even taking notes. Maybe it’s Pete’s chairs that ease conversation. We did get up from time to time to make shrink pots and … Continue reading →

Just a reminder that I’ll be at Handworks on Sep. 4-5 in Amana, IA, doing a live Japanese tools AMA. Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

ta da

I did go back to the shop and chopped the stopped dadoes. First thing this AM I got the top seated in the dadoes. I didn't have to trim/shave either end to get them fitted. However it was awkward and a Royal PITA - I could get one side seated and then I couldn't get the other side seated. Then it seated and the other side would pop out. After see sawing and letting loose with my choicest expletives, I finally got them seated and clamped.

glued and cooking

I had to go to the VA to check on a CT test scheduling SNAFU which IMO resolved nothing. Typical government BS. I like the clean look of the front of the sides. Zero glue squeeze out which is expected because I'm painting this. If it was being left natural I would have had rivers of glue.

oops

Too late to fix this and I'll have to deal with it now. I could have fixed it before I glued it but I didn't want to flip the bookcase (clamped) to check it I. I need this to be flush with the sides so the rabbet top/bottom matches the side rabbets.

close

This is a wee bit higher than the sides. I'll plane it flush after it has been glued and cooked. 

fitting the #3 shelf

I planed the right side end and then I sanded both ends, top/bottom, before fitting it in the dadoes. It was still a snug fit but I didn't have any problems getting it seated with a mallet.

nailed it

Got my 1/8" set back. This will probably increase some because I will plane this edge to smooth/clean it up and mold a profile on it.

sawing notches

The middle (#2) shelf is jinxed. I screwed up sawing the notch on the right and ended up matching the the first screwed up notch on the left end. I went 2 for 3 sawing the right side notches which in baseball ain't too bad.

yikes

It doesn't matter that this isn't square. It didn't show when I got the shelf dry fitted and clamped.

top secured

I put 3 Miller Dowels on each end to secure the top for insurance. I'm thinking of using Miller Dowels for the shelves too.

OCD kicked in

Making a new shelf. I was already having trouble dealing with the one screwed up notch on shelf #2 and with two my OCD went into overdrive. I whacked out a new shelf using the original as the pattern.

I like

Glad that I overhung the top instead of leaving it the same size as the sides. I'm not done with making dadoes. I'm thinking of putting a divider on at least one shelf. 

spacer glued and cooking

There isn't much more left to do on this. Tomorrow I'll decide on dividers and how many. Once that is in the bank, I'll make the base and the back stop thing for the top.

accidental woodworker 

  

I didn't forget

Made a test rabbet to ensure the fit was ok. This is the plywood I intend to use. Lowes sells 1/2 sheets (48 x48) but it is something that I don't see that often in stock. If not I'll buy a full sheet and have it sawn in half.

done

Adjusting the plunge router is/was a ROYAL PITA. It was stiff, uncooperative, and damn near impossible to nudge up/down a frog hair. It took me a bazillion years to get it to the depth I needed. I left it set on it so I can rout the top and bottom rabbets later.

oops

Had a senior moment and made the notch wrong. It would have been dead nuts if the shelf went in on the long edge. Way out in left field with the shelf in its correct position. Since I'm painting this I will save the off cut, glue it in instead of making a new shelf.

fitted it

The plan is to put the shelves in after the top is glued and set. I don't want the shelves binding and stalling when I do that. I made the shelves a wee looser by planing a few fuzzy shavings off of each side at the ends. I just notched the left ends of the 3 shelves. I'll do the right ends once I get the R/L measurement.

hmm......

The right side has a slight cup to it and the clamps pulled the shelf end tight at the front and back ok. Not sure how well the middle was seated. I will have to make some banana cleats to pull the center in.

glued and cooking

Got the first side/bottom glued. I let this cook for a couple of hours before doing the other side/bottom.

the top

The top will overhang the ends and the front by 3/4". 1x12 stock if usually 11 1/4" to 11 1/2" wide. I sawed off 2" from a 1x12 board and glued on a 3" plus wide piece. I didn't like the idea of gluing on a thin piece to get the required width.

hmm......

The other side glued and cooking. I put spacers on the open end that was the length of the ID measurement. I added a second one after seeing this.

putty work

I filled in the missing blowouts, three on the left one and one on the right. I will most likely have to do at least one more application. The side with three of them were deep and putty shrinks.

top prepped

I planed both sides, flushing the joint lines. This doesn't need to anal retentive dead nuts flat or parallel.

off by 3/8"

I measured the diagonals and they were off by too much to ignore. I couldn't get a tape to measure the diagonals again due to the clamp. So I screwed down on the clamp until Mr Starrett said all four corners were square.

marking the top

I measured and sawed the top to R/L length and laid out 3/4" in from each end for the top dadoes. It was close - aligned the right side on the pencil line and the other pencil line was off by a frog hair. I made a knife tic to mark each end.

ouch

The knife line wandered out into La La Land on me. By the time I noticed it, it was too late. Part of the line looks chewed up pretty good but I think I got the knife line square across the width.

ends

The plan is to not notch the ends of the tops. Instead I will dead end  them into the end of the dado. Ensuring that the ends are crisp and clean.

I had to do it

It was past 1500 but I couldn't wait to see how this screwed up knife line turned out. Where the chisel is, it is where the the worse of the chewed up knife line was. It came out pretty good and I'm happy with the recovery.

left side done

I may or may not wander back to the shop after dinner and whack out the other wall. 

done

I really like this - a reproduction of the original Declaration of Independence. Paper made the way it was in 1776 and printed on printing press from the 1700's. Don't know if it was an original or a reproduction press. Now I have to find a hole for it on a wall somewhere.

accidental woodworker 

At this point in building the machine part of your shop, you would have a thickness planer, a router with key accessories, a router table built or bought, a power drill, and a table saw. What comes next is, I feel, a close call. I suggest a bandsaw. With good quality, size, and blades, it […]

Yours truly on the Modern Woodworkers Association podcast

The good folks at the Modern Woodworkers Association podcast were nice enough to have me back on to talk about Handworks 2026, and other stuff. Hope you enjoy this episode!

before I left

I had my appointment with the the VA this AM and before I left for it I had to check this. I had sawn the 3 shelves to length before checking that they would fit. I measured the baselines between the tails because that is the minimum length that the shelves can be.

plenty of wiggle room

I have the left end on the left end tail baseline. The right end is 3/8" past the top of the tails. I need only 5/8" past the baselines for the shelves to fit R/L. I got lucky and I'll do the final length once the carcass is glued and set.

hmm......

The frame has been soaking for a few days now but the paint isn't coming off with the steel wire brush. However, it came off easily when I scraped it with the chisel. The Simple Green softened it enough for it to be scraped. I'm in no hurry for this so I'll let it soak for a few more days. 

PM session

Used my 2" chisel to chop the dadoes for the shelves. I find that I get straighter walls with a larger chisel.

first one checked

I'm getting a lot better at chopping dadoes. All six of them were snug and needed gentle persausion to seat the shelves in the dadoes. The first right one had an added hiccup of being slightly cupped too.

left side

The left side seated a wee bit easier then the right side. Overall I don't think I'll have any problems putting any of the three into the sides when that time comes.

sigh

I missed seeing where these two decided to hide. I had three before this that I managed to find the chip and glue them back in. These two went instantaneously airborne and went under the radar screen. I had planned to leave the bookcase natural but I will paint them now because these missing chip outs.

not quite

I thought I had fully seated this but it wasn't so boys and girls. I'll have to shave the ends of the shelves to fit looser in the dadoes.

7 Pees upcoming

Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance. Or in other words, sloppy fitting joints. I want the front edge of the shelves to be about a 1/8" inset from the front edge. As is all three shelves are about 3/8" too wide.

order of operations

I have to glue the tails/pins together, then mark the dadoes for the top. I need a 1/4" x 1/4" rabbet all the way around for the back. That has to be done on the sides before I do anything else. I can do the rabbet for the top and bottom after the carcass is together. (the 7 pees)

Tomorrow I'll rout the rabbet on the back edges of the sides. I left the rabbeting bit on the side to remind me. I have the step by step order of operation set in the brain bucket but I have mind farted and skipped ahead more than once.

accidental woodworker 

I've seen pegboard backdrops and kitchen-style surrounds for a number of years, but an open benchtop with lidless tills and wells works best for instancy in the zone. That's because I do believe lidded boxes and tills and drawers are very practical for storing things like tools and equipment at the end of a tidy-up, but storing them after each use is mostly inefficient and wasted time. Clutter is only clutter if the person working is careless, and by that I mean that they

care less than they should in how and where they place their tools as repetitive work takes place. My tools might look disorderly, and I occasionally need to make a quick eye-scan for one or the other covered by another at different points in the day; generally, my hand goes right to the one I need in the moment. Mostly it's about knowing it is already out, so if and when I know I will need that drill bit or awl again in an hour or so, it's out there in the well or on the benchtop where I last left it.

My mentoring craftsman, George, never moved too far from his place at the vise. 95% of his tools were within arm's reach despite the size of project we were jointly working on. Looking back now, sixty years since, my tools and support equipment, sharpening stones, strops, dustpan and brush, and suchlike have followed the same patterns. There is no AI or device nudging things this way and that; order comes from the practice of working. Both George and I were thankfully right-handed, which meant all of the tools we used were placed in the midsection of our two-sided bench to each of our right sides or directly in front of us when we put them down to take up another. Hence, the vise is always placed to the left front corner of the bench for right-handers.

I have discussed the silliness of placing bench planes on their side often enough over the decades. It still surprises me how much pushback I get, even though it is such a mindless preoccupation with no value to anything at all. I never saw any of the craftsmen I worked with professionally throughout my life lay any of their bench planes on their sides, only schoolchildren and their teachers establishing rules to stop them from continually clunking them down on other metal tools like squares, chisels, and saws.

After any planing task, George, the craftsman who mentored me for six years, slipped his plane onto the benchtop or into the well in a quick and slick move, leaving the plane upright and full-sailed, ready for the next plane strokes. He himself moved from plane to saw to chisel seamlessly. The bench planes were never clunked down, bumped, or knocked and certainly never laid on their sides. I soon knew that any careless placing of the plane, knocking, bumping, and even slight nudging at the end of use resets the plane negatively, but more than that, I was taught by actions that tools always deserve our respect—I never once in six years of apprenticing saw any of my mentoring craftsmen mistreat or misuse any hand tool, ever. Remember, these men were in their sixties and had bought their tools as I did when they were in their mid to early teens. They expected their hand tools to outlast their work life and often handed them down to their sons. I don't refer to my hand tools as "old friends". Not really. There is a much deeper reality to them in my world, and no title exists. But I do look at the ones that served me through difficult times and over long periods, the ones I bought as a boy starting out, the ones that truly cost me almost everything differently than I ever would any other piece of equipment. Learning to work alongside men of real substance was a godsend for me. Their patience and kindness worked almost every time, but a quick rebuke and more soon set me to do rightly by them when I needed it.

The art and craft of work is in all ways about working in and creating order. Without this intent, things quickly fall into chaos, and this then leads to our becoming inefficient, awkward, and usually less productive. Because of the created confusion, our minds become equally cluttered and confused too, I have worked with chaotic individuals, and it's hard work. Order is critical to our well-being. Knowing where every tool we are working with in our sphere streamlines our working. Having said that, I do not want to spend time reorganising my benchtop more than a couple of times in a half a day. There is something about my personal unorthodoxy that generally works for me. Repeat operations almost always require the same tools, especially those with the small and smaller items. On my benchtop my planes have one stow area to my right hand, as do my tenon saws. Lesser used planes, awkward braces, plough planes, and filletsters have their place on the shelves or the narrow bench behind me unless needed repeatedly. I am right-handed but use tools with both. The placement of tools for an idle period of non-use means placing them always with my right hand and always to my right for quick and easy placement ready for ultimate retrieval. Over long periods, our humanness chooses all paths of least resistance, and this is evolutionary.

Organisation brings structure and is expressed in the outcome of a disciplined way of working through our day. A modest scattering of tools laid in place, ready to use, is equally structured but often does not look like it

When others see my workbench loaded, they often comment that my mess is just like theirs. It's very doubtful that it is so I usually say something like, "It's not." My space is rarely ever a match to their mess. Only laziness allows squalor and unkemptness, dirt buildup, and such like that. In periods of transition, we do often allow a degree of disorder, and that is usually because we do not have a place structured to take everything. My transitioning to my new workshop in two months will by necessity be less structured because we have needed to downsize space for a season. But the daily use tools are exactly as they were in my previous workshop over about ten years. I have evolved to use the hand tools I will not change from in the next ten years of woodworking. If I have not adopted but one or two hand tools in sixty years and I have produced hundreds, even thousands of pieces using 95% hand tools, what needs to change?

An unmachined piece like this comes from a handful of hand tools and little, if anything, more. We've got thin tiles but not veneer-thin, 3/32" (3mm) and then sliding divetailed mitres cut with a tenon saw and fitted with a #4 bench plane in a matter of a minute or two.

My advice to anyone new to handwork with hand tools is to persevere. After I had made ten dovetails in my mid-teens, I never cut a really bad dovetail nor a mortise and tenon resulting in a twisted door or a loose fit. This might well be the same for you, but equally so, it might take a little more. I don't know, but the speed of my performance has become the gift of mastery to me.

I suppose the contrast between machining pieces and those hand tools, as shown on the bench I work from, is the expansive spread of machines. My hope is that those young enough to experience the use of hand tools and eventual mastery will continue the tradition without being traditionalists. My perpetuating these skills is not for nostalgia or a refusal to move with the times. It's just plain practical, enjoyable, and satisfying to know I made them and not a machine.

It rained a lot all day long. At times it came down so hard you couldn't see 3 feet ahead. It looked like a slightly gray, blurry wall. The weather report said rain for 3 hours and that ain't what happened. That isn't the bad part of this equation, it was the humidity. The wet wool blanket type that drenches you every time you blink your eyes. The temp was reasonable at 76F - 25C but the humidity was hovering around 92%. I kept a fan blowing on me at my desk and when I was in the shop. Made it bearable and tomorrow is supposed to better.

 

original chisel set

I bought this set in the late 1970s and used them for years. I also didn't know until several years later that they were metric. Broke them out today to chop the dovetails for the first bookcase. I used them as is only stropping them before chopping the tales.

left side

Got the tails chopped and moved on to the pins next. Both the left and right side went together off the saw. The plan as of now is to glue one side and let that set up and do the opposite side. Once the sides are set I can then mark the stopped dadoes for the top. Like all plans of Mice and Men, it is subject to change.

right side

It was a bit awkward trying to set the left and right side at the same time and I gave up. I had to check the fit solo and it passed.

hmm.......

Got two shelves out this 7 foot board. Got lucky that the distance between the knots was greater the length of the shelves. There were 3 knots in this board, two a couple inches in at each end, and one about the middle.

double, triple checking myself

I only needed 3 shelves and two of them were mislabeled. I will be setting the width of each dado (R & L) directly off each individual shelf so the labeling needs to be correct.

reference edge for the shelves

Before squaring the ends to length, you need a reference that is flat and straight.

30 1/2"

The shelves are done. The span distance for 3/4" pine without sagging is 30-32 inches. My shelves should end up about 30 1/2" allowing for 1/4" deep dadoes on each end. As I typed this I realized that I might have made a boo boo. Before I settled on the length, I should have confirmed the inside width of the bookcase. I'll find out in the AM and if these are toast I'll save them for the 2nd bookcase.

Got my eyeglasses fixed. It took her about 15 minutes to do it. Found out that the holes not lining up was due to the hinge being broken. I hadn't noticed that and don't see how that would have changed the arm and frame holes from aligning. Important thing is I got my shop glasses back. 

accidental woodworker 

I made a few ladderbacks in the past month, one of which was to bring with me to the class I just finished at Pete Galbert’s. These recent chairs are the first of a batch of white oak chairs that will take me a while to get through…

The photo’s a bit crooked, not the chair. It’s been fun working this much white oak, I mostly get red around here. Linseed oil finish. Hickory bark seat, woven in a diamond-pattern. The bark was a few strips from the end of a batch, over time their color and texture will blend just fine. Sitting on bark seats creates the best finish they can get.

I decided I’m even going to keep one of these chairs. For all the time I’ve spent on them in the past eight or so years, I have none in my house, they all got sold. Time to change that.

This chair is for sale – $1,600 includes shipping in the US. I didn’t measure this particular chair, but it’s my standard Jennie Alexander-style chair – they’re about 33 1/2” high, width across the front c. 17” and depth of the seat about12”. Seat height around 17 1/4”. 

If you’re interested in this chair, send an email to me at PeterFollansbee7@gmail.com and we can sort out the details. You can send a check or I can send a paypal invoice – including their fee, $1,658. If you come pick it up, we’ll call it $1,450.

no more red/orange paint

Spent some time this AM playing with the adjustable tenon cutter.  I got 99.99% of the paint removed except for the ratchet arms. There are few spots hiding out in the nooks and crannies that are being obstinate.

sigh

The black paint ain't playing nice nice. The steel wire brush did diddly squat knocking anymore paint off. The paint on this doesn't look that bad but I removed the paint from all the other parts, so I'm bound by law to do the frame. Next batter is stripper.

hmm........

Got the bottom together with no left over parts. All of the screws only fit/go in one place. I was a little apprehensive about remembering that and getting all the screws back where they belong.

1st bookcase

I had to go through all the boards to find two that weren't cupped or bowed. Out of the 12 boards only one (the left one) didn't have a knot in it. I want the carcass of the bookcase to be clear. I'll use the knotted boards for the shelves.

reference edge

Used my #8 to straighten and flatten one edge. Next batter was ripping the four to width. I went back and forth on that and settled on 10 3/4". A 1/4' will be lost for the back panel rabbet leaving the shelves to be 10 1/2" deep.

done

I was surprised that I didn't have any hiccups flattening the edges. I usually have a few dips and humps to deal with. Surprise, I had none on any of the four I planed.

dovetails

Initially I was going to dovetail the top and bottom but I made a left turn. Instead I am dovetailing the bottom and the top I will put in stopped dadoes. I want an overhang on the top and this way I don't waste adding another board to the top.

had to move it

The sides of the bookcase are about 42" long. Where I usually put the Moxon wasn't working. The sides were hitting the workbench foot and sticking up too high. I moved it further over to the left. Even there the sides were sitting on the cellar deck but they weren't sticking up too high. 

sawn out

No problems sawing out the tails, I had clamped the sides together and sawed them as one. I'll chop them out in the AM. I had run out of gas by now. I spent the rest of the PM watching the Welsh chair video reading about it.

accidental woodworker 

One of the reasons this subject causes so much confusion is because there are actually two different questions being asked. One is, what produces the strongest bond? The other is, what is the most practical way to apply glue in the workshop? They are not always the same question.

For modern PVA wood glues, such as white and yellow woodworking glues, manufacturers generally recommend applying a thin, even coat to one mating surface. Once the joint is assembled and clamped, the pressure spreads the glue across both surfaces, producing a continuous glue line.

This method uses less glue, creates less squeeze out and is quicker, while producing a bond that is every bit as strong as coating both surfaces when the joint fits properly.

Applying PVA to both surfaces is not wrong. It simply uses more glue, increases squeeze out and rarely produces a stronger joint. In some cases, it can even leave a thicker glue line than necessary.

Hot hide glue is a different story. Historically, many cabinetmakers brushed glue onto both mating surfaces, although it was by no means an absolute rule. Hide glue has a much shorter open time than modern PVA and begins to gel quickly as it cools. Coating both surfaces helped ensure complete wetting of the joint before assembly.

Historical woodworking texts vary in their instructions, with some simply advising that the joint be coated generously before bringing the parts together. The important thing was achieving complete coverage before the glue gelled.

This is why you will hear experienced woodworkers give different answers. The disagreement is not because one person understands glue and the other does not. The difference comes from their experience, the adhesives they have used and the reasoning behind their approach.

Paul Sellers, who has spent decades teaching traditional hand tool woodworking, recommends applying modern PVA glue to one surface only. His reasoning is simple. A properly fitted joint does not need excessive glue, and when the parts are brought together under clamp pressure, the glue spreads across both surfaces and creates the bond.

Applying glue to one surface reduces waste, creates less squeeze out, is cleaner and is quicker. His approach is based on the understanding that the strength of a glue joint comes from good fitting surfaces and a thin glue line, not from applying more adhesive.

On the other hand, Marc Spagnuolo from The Wood Whisperer prefers applying glue to both mating surfaces and considers it a best practice in many situations.

His reasoning is that coating both surfaces guarantees complete wetting before assembly. Timber is porous, and by applying glue to both faces, there is less reliance on the glue transferring from one surface to the other. For him, the small amount of extra glue used is a worthwhile trade off for ensuring complete coverage.

Both approaches have merit. Neither woodworker is simply spreading glue without thought. Both methods come from years of experience and an understanding of how joints behave.

There are, however, a few situations where applying glue to both surfaces makes good sense. Very porous end grain is one example. End grain behaves like a bundle of drinking straws and can absorb glue surprisingly quickly. Some woodworkers apply a light sizing coat first, allow it to soak in for a few minutes and then apply fresh glue before assembly. This helps prevent the wood from starving the joint of adhesive.

Large or complex glue ups can also benefit from coating both surfaces, particularly if assembly takes longer than normal or there are many parts to position before clamping.

Over the years, mostly from watching YouTube as I work alone, I’ve seen some woodworkers take pride in applying far more glue than necessary. Their justification is that they don’t want to starve the joint and that glue is cheap. They would rather have glue dripping everywhere than a small, consistent bead of squeeze out. Unfortunately, this demonstrates a misunderstanding of how modern PVA glue works and teaches beginners that more glue somehow means a stronger joint.

It doesn’t. A glue joint does not become stronger because you use more glue. It becomes stronger because there is a thin, continuous film of adhesive between two well fitted surfaces. Excess glue simply squeezes out around the edges, making more mess, requiring more clean up and wasting glue. In some cases, too much glue can even make it harder for the joint to close completely.

You want enough glue to completely wet the mating surfaces, but not so much that it pools or runs. When clamped correctly, you should see a small, consistent bead of squeeze out along the joint. That tells you the joint has adequate glue coverage without excessive waste.

So what about my own approach? For many years I worked with hot hide glue, where applying glue to both mating surfaces was common practice. Hide glue behaves differently from modern PVA. It has a shorter working time and begins to gel quickly, so complete coverage before assembly was extremely important.

When I changed to white glue about two years ago, I carried that habit with me. Recently, while edge gluing boards, I applied a thin coat of glue to both mating surfaces without even thinking about it.

Technically, for PVA, applying glue to one surface is generally the accepted method. However, because I applied a thin, even coat rather than flooding the joint with excess glue, the joint will be perfectly sound.

Why did I apply glue to both mating surfaces today? The answer is quite simple. After years of working with hide glue, muscle memory kicked in and I repeated an age old habit without giving it much thought. It is a habit I will eventually change, but in my defence, because I only applied a thin coat to both surfaces, the job’s a good’un.

This is perhaps the most important lesson. Good woodworking is not about blindly following a rule. It is about understanding why the rule exists.

One woodworker may apply glue to one surface because they understand modern PVA and want speed and efficiency. Another may apply glue to both surfaces because they value guaranteed coverage. Both can produce excellent results.

The mistake is not choosing one method over the other. The mistake is applying glue without understanding what you are trying to achieve.

 Mr lion has his paint on.

 Made a run out to Gurney's Sawmill this AM. Usually I leave my house around 0700 and I get there about 0745-0750. Today I left closer to 0800 because most of the trip is driving due east right into the rising sun. Most people drive that road at absurdly high speeds which scared me the first I drove out there. Wasn't too bad today and Gurney's didn't have a lot of 1x12 pine to pick and chose.

I left there with six 1x12s by fourteen feet, one 1x12 by twelve feet and one 1x12 by ten feet. The plan is to make a couple of bookcases that I'll use for now stowing shop hardware etc etc. After I'm gone the bookcases can go to Miles and Leo. I'll work on making 2 of them while I study the Welsh chair vid I got from LAP.

quick drawing

As a rule I don't like fixed shelf bookcases but this time I'm using fixed shelves. I may add back the extra top shelf, here I nixed it. I have the height where I plan to put them so that is subject to change.

six 7 foot pine boards

Getting these out of the truck and into the shop wasn't hard but it also wasn't easy. Of late I've been getting winded and out breath just blinking too fast. Normally I would have carried these down into the shop 3 boards at a time. Today I did one board at a time and slid them down the cellar stairs.

the rest of the herd

One ten footer cut in half and one twelve footer cut into 5 and 7 foot lengths. Thinking ahead I can get one top/bottom and side out of one 7 foot board.

hmm......

I remembered what this was for. It is an extension for the 5/8" bit. Craig commented that is what he thought it was too. That is what jarred my memory. Supposed, if my memory is still working, the 5/8" bit doesn't splinter and tear out on the exit like other brad point bits.

nope

Still 100% clueless as to what these two doo dads are. I checked the drawer where I kept this to see if there were anymore of them and nada. I don't have more of them that might  have lit a light in the brain bucket.

hmm.......

Got curious and forgot to snap a before pic. I cleaned the top ratchet arm with the steel wire brush lickety split. The bottom is approximately what it looked like in the before 'pic'. 24 hours soaking in Simple Green will strip paint off of metal (with a little help). A couple of nooks and crannies are still holding paint. Couldn't get the wire brush in there and pick wasn't working neither. 

hmm......

The black paint is being stubborn. It wasn't coming off under the wire brush as easily as it did on the ratchet arms. I poured some more Simple Green in the tub and I'll let this soak for another day or two.

knurled knob

The paint is 99% gone from the knurling on the rim. I pretty sure it will disappear entirely once I introduce it to the wire wheel on my grinder.

snagged a pencil

Not many places give out free pencils or similar small items anymore. You can't beat the free advertising a pencil shows. I should have taken two. Next trip if I remember.

the new home

This is where I plan on putting the two bookcases. I mostly want one of them to stow all my nails which probably won't take up more than one shelf. Of course I'll have to find a new hole to stick my off cuts in. 

my first adjustable tenon cutter

I do remember trying this out and it did work. But as you can see from these two screws, a butcher worked on them. The top one secures the center post that is a depth stop. I can't budge that screw and I don't consider myself a weakling.

more abuse on the bottom

The screws securing the iron have had the snot beat out of them too. The iron is made from a file. This tenon maker had a hard life. I bought the 2nd one because of the condition of this. I thought I might be able to use it as a donor?

WTF?

How does the business end look like this? This is deliberate work to alter the stem end. Was it done because the jaws in the brace needed help somehow?

 I'll start on the bookcases in the AM or monday.

accidental woodworker 

 

my chair making toys

I think, but I'm not 100% sure of, that these are all the toys I need to make the stick chair. However, I have a nagging thought banging on the back of my brain bucket that I'm missing something. I remember trying to buy 'it' from Lee Valley and it being out of stock. Tomorrow I am buying the LAP vid on making the stick chair and I'll figure out what, if anything, I need to add to my herd.

5/8" tenon cutter

The iron in this needs some love. The cutting side of it is chipped and the back is not flat. That is where I started flattening the back starting with 100 grit and ending with 400.

I like shiny

I had to free hand sharpen this one. I was surprised that the angle is less then 25°. I left it as it was and I'll see how well it holds up.

hmm.......

This has an interesting way to secure the iron. The dual screws on the top tilt the iron up/down across the width. The bottom thumb screw secures the iron. I don't have any time on the pond playing with so I don't know the hows and whys for the dual screw setup yet.

spoke pointer

I think that this is what this is called. It makes a conical shape on square stock that the tenon cutter can bite on and make the tenon. They come in different sizes and this is one of two I have. The other one needs an iron.

making a 5/8 tenon

I hadn't noticed it but there is a depth scale on this. I did it until one inch and then at two inches. Both actual tenon measurements were an 1/8" shy - you have to eyeball and that will take some practice before I get it dead nuts. For now an 1/8" off ain't too bad IMO.

hmm.......

Pretty happy with this even though it isn't parallel to the center of the stock. Wasn't expecting the flat end grain at the bottom of the tenon to be so clean. I was expecting a lot more tear out and a ragged out look.

5/8" hole

I have a 5/8" fancy brad point bit but I wanted to use an auger bit to make the hole. This is a practice hole for the tenon I made above.

inch too long

I made the tenon 2" long (actual 1 7/8"). Better to have it too long then a frog hair short.

wedge

Made a wedge out of cherry which the same as the tenon stock. The tenon stock was straight grained on all four sides which made sawing the kerf a little tricky. 

hmm......

The wedge expanded and locked the tenon in the hole. I wasn't sure that I had made the tenon fat enough to do that, but I had. Screwed up on the orientation. I aligned the wedge parallel to the pine grain. There is a slight crack above and below the tenon.

it is finally time

I have had this adjustable tenon cutter for a few years and never got around to restoring it. I have two of these and this one is the best. The other has been used, abused, and put away wet. It has the scars of a lot of use that wasn't done kindly. I'm going to restore it now because I might need/want to make a tenon wider/smaller then 5/8".

stripping the paint

Back when I was going nutso rehabbing planes and such, someone left a tip about Simple Green. I don't remember who but a big shout out to you. I had left a hand drill soak in Simple Green for a day and all the paint just fell off. I will let this soak until tomorrow and I'll check it then.

hmm.....

For the life of me I can not remember exactly this is or what it is used for. All I can recall about it is Chris S from LAP used it so I bought one. Anyone out there know what it is?

spray shellac

Got 3 coats on the bottom before lunch. That is all I am laying on there. I couldn't do anything else with my chair making toys so I did this.

flushed

Sawed, planed, and sanded the tenon/wedge flush. I have wedged square/rectangular tenons and this is my first round one.

hmm.......

The flat on the bottom of the tenon was flush with the pine all the way around. Three sides were gap free and one had a gap. I pulled on this grasping it at the bottom and pulling it with all I had. It held. It didn't groan, squeal, or bend in the least. For whatever reason, a 5/8" tenon seemed to be weak to me. 

two coats on the top

These will be done today. I think I'll add a couple more coats to the top - 5-6 because the interior will get more wear/tear then the bottom and sides.

I heard back from Lee Valley about getting a spare saw blade for their gents saw. $62 which I declined. A new gents saw is $74 - the cost savings isn't there. I was hoping it would be in the mid $30s. I'll order another saw and send the one I have now out to be sharpened.

accidental woodworker 

The third machine to buy as you are getting into woodworking and making a shop: the table saw. Clean, accurate, straight cuts along the length of grain, as well as dead-on cross cuts are required for most projects. Angled cuts at 45°, or any angle, are common.  Hand cutting cannot match the speed and accuracy […]

 Left for my VA appointment at 0700 to get my blood work done. The blood draw waiting room was almost full. I guess the hurry up and wait mentality of the military never goes bye bye. I had the blood draw early so it would be done by the time of my oncology appointment at 0830.

That appointment went well. The doc said some people don't experience any side effects and others go over the deep end. I guess I'm lucky that other then some brief nausea I have had no other side effects. My blood work looked good with only my white blood cell count being low. The doc said that was due to chemo and it effects how well I can fight off infections. 

I had my Rx for the nausea medication refilled and that took a bazillion hours of waiting before it got filled. It was a little after ten before I got it and headed back to the barn. On the way home I stopped at the eye clinic to get my eyeglasses fixed. That didn't happened and I had to make an appointment which is for this monday. 

 

after lunch

I didn't get to the shop until after lunch. I took one box out of the clamps and checked the fit where it will live. The segmented box in the front is one of two boxes that aren't as wide. Wasted space for debris to pack itself in.

all four

I sanded the 3 boxes with 80 and 120 grit. No finish on them and I'm leaving them bare for now. I have spray shellac that I could use but I wasn't in the mood for it.

tenants signed their leases

This will probably change as I use these. The only hiccup with them is they fill up with all the crappola I generate working at the bench.

came a week early

My pic of the bumblebee orchid came today. It surprised me because I thought there were  actually 3 bumblebees on this plant. The 'bumblebees' are the flowering part of the orchid.

checked the fit

The margin for the mat is what I had planned. The hunt for the color of it isn't going to be easy. I thought I had one picked but seeing the green background of the photo against the off white frame has me second guessing myself. 

accidental woodworker

How to use Old-Fashioned Milk Paint to Create Authentic Historical Milk Paint Finishes Summary: How to use Milk Paint on woodworking projects?Milk Paint creates beautiful, historically authentic finishes by mixing the powder with water, applying thin coats that allow the wood grain to show through, then