General Woodworking

Here’s Part 3 of my New Model Mandolin build series. In this one, I look at joining the Adirondack soundboard and making and fitting the rosette. There’s also a bit more on the neck and last but certainly not least, the back gets braced and fitted and you’ll see how the radius dish (seen in part 1) continues to help the process.

Cheers Gary

fitting the drawers....

The left side drawer in/out guides are square to the front. However, the right side ain't so boys and girls. On the flip side of the coin, the guides are parallel front to back. I pried off the right guide and used the drawer to set it again. Sure glad I only nailed them.

almost

This was the fit of the left drawer after planing the top and bottom edges flush all the way around.

done

Fitting the left drawer was painless. I had to go back and trim the sides twice before the drawer slid in/out effortlessly. No binding or hesitation pushing it in or pulling it out.

done

Both drawers work the same. I didn't go nutso trying to get a piston fit - I care more about how smoothly the drawers work in/out.

right hand drawer

Dry clamped the drawer guide and then I fitted the drawer. I got the left drawer in/out guides screwed down. No glue, just screws, so anyone coming behind me can effect any necessary repairs/replacements.

super glue

Decided not to nail the drawer guides first before screwing them. Instead I put a couple of dabs of super glue at each end. Clamped them lightly to help the super glue cook and set quicker.

drawer stops

I glued the stops in place and let them set for an hour. After that I added two screws to each of them.

hmm......

Both the drawer fronts are slightly proud of the front rail. I marked them with a pencil and planed them within a frog hair of being flush.

done

The right hand drawer guide is screwed off and nothing shifted. The drawer still slid in/out easily and without any hiccups.

hmm.....

There isn't much left to do on the desk. I put stops at the front so the drawer can't inadvertently be pulled out and play the bounce test with Mr Floor. All that is left to do is finish the top, attach it, sand endlessly, and slap on 5-7 coats of shellac.

speaking of the top

I like the overall look of this desk. It is clean and simple. Glad that I didn't go for a bank of vertical drawers on the right side. The tedious part of applying the finish is just around the corner.

one more hump

I doubt that this would be noticed but I expended the calories and flattened it. It took me less than an hour to do that. Used 3 hand planes, the Stanley #80 & #112, and finally my random orbit sander with grits from 100 to 220 to finish the top.

passed with flying colors

Wiped down the top with alcohol and nothing popped out. No plane tracks, chatter marks, rough squirrely grain showed up.

choices

A 45 chamfer or a table top thumbnail, which one wins the Kewpie doll? I really liked the thumbnail profile a lot but in the end I'll be using the 45 bit. The round over of the thumbnail bit doesn't fit in with the overall look of the desk. The overall look of the desk is rectilinear with squared off edges galore.

hmm......

The divider gave up the ship. Four of the corner blocks let loose. Glued it back together and let cook in situ.

pull out stop

No need to go nutso on this. Unless someone goes Cro magnon, it should last as long as the desk does.

hmm.......

The top of the front rail flexes a lot. Too much to ignore. The top of the rail will be under the strain of holding the top down to it and it needs some help. I am thinking of putting a couple of 2 1/2" screws into the center divider and the two ends to stiffen it up. 

hmm.....

This is the underside of the top and I thought I had filled this in already. All I had done was to stuff the knot hole with cherry shavings.

done

Filled it in with epoxy. I didn't bother to dye it black because it is the underside. This will keep bits of the knot from loosening and falling out down the line.

accidental woodworker 

first one

The fit looks good - it is snug and gap free even though it is seated less than a 1/3 of the way in.

2nd one

Fit was just as good and it continued on with the 3rd and 4th ones.

hmm.....

I didn't think the drawer would fit at all. Disappointed in the half blinds at the front. After they were fully seated gaps stood up and shook hands with me. Sigh.

plowing grooves

On the dry fit of the drawers I checked that the bottom edges lined up flush. This way the groove would align all around.

left hand drawer

I used prefinished plywood (one face only) for the drawer bottoms. It was left over from the bookcase I made a few months back. I could only get one corner of the left drawer to fit in the opening.

glued and cooking

Needed some help with the back dovetails - this drawer had loose fitting back dovetails. I didn't want the back clamps to pull the drawer out of square so I clamped the front ones. They were snug and didn't need any clamp pressure.

1st coat

I'm impressed with this first coat. It covered every sin with nothing showing. I'm optimistic that one coat will do it but it will be getting at least two. One of the rails didn't cooperate and the paint didn't cover well and will need a second coat.

from Wally World

The only spot on the dresser I used a paint brush was the legs. Everything else I used this roller. I have always been a brush man but that changed today. The paint job from the roller was heads above the brush work. The roller work is dead smooth and the brush work on the legs is no where as smooth. I was skeptical about this 'smooth' finish but I'm impressed the results. 

filling the groove ends

In order to bury this groove in a pin socket I would have had to sacrifice drawer depth and I didn't do that. I'm able to contain my OCD and fill in the holes.

gap filling stock

Took some heavy shavings with the 5 1/2 until I made some thick enough to fill the gaps in the tails/pins. 

it worked

I wasn't sure that the shaving would survive being pushed into the gap but it did. I used this on all the gaps I filled.

 

one done, one more

Found a thin piece of cherry to fill in the half pin gaps at the top and bottom. I used a hammer to thin the cherry until it fit the gap.

still cooking

I am going to wait until the AM before fitting the drawers. I didn't want to risk planing them now and blowing out the joinery. 

came 3 days early

Jefferson is my 2nd favorite president. I have a book about Monticello and the gadgets he has I find fascinating. This desk was the 18th century equivalent of a tablet. Looking forward to reading it - it also has plans to make one.

I ordered 4 drawer pulls - oil rubbed bronze - because I like how they look against the cherry.  Ordered them two days ago and they shipped today. I doubt that I'll get them before monday of next week at the earliest. 

accidental woodworker 

hmm.....

The glue up healed well and was just slightly proud. A few strokes with 120 grit and it was flush and smooth.

one down and one to go

Tails done on the first drawer. The plan is to do one drawer, one step each, before moving on to the next one.

lost the previous one

Searched for it but nada. This is needed to set the height of the stock in the vise correctly.

hmm......

The spacer top is flush with the top of the outboard thing a ma bob behind it. Makes transferring the tails onto the pin boards level and easy.

should swell with glue

Back of the first drawer dry fitted. Went together off the saw.

hmm.....

The back left corner is loose as in it ain't snug. I initially put it together the wrong way. That way it was snug but when I put the corner together in the right orientation, it was loose. There is no way glue will swell this one. I'll be filling in the tails/pins with veneer.

2nd drawer

Found the problem mismatch on the first drawer. I had labeled the bottom of the sides wrong. They were correct for the long sides but not for the back. Caught that before I did the dry fit on the 2nd drawer.

prepped

There are two more steps before the drawers get a check mark in the done column. I have to chop the pin sockets in the drawer front and plow the groove for the drawer bottom. There isn't much more that needs to be done to complete the desk.

pin sockets

This was the last thing I got done today on the drawers. I don't over saw my half blinds, I think that is sloppy workmanship. A wee bit harder hammering the card scraper in cherry vice pine.

Had to go the VA in the AM and I'm glad I did. My wife is coming to West Roxbury with me for the CT biopsy on the 22nd. The procedure takes ~30 minutes but I have to spend 5-7 hours in recovery to ensure I don't get a collapsed lung. Anyways, I made a reservation for the shuttle and that is what I'm glad for. There wasn't one for me, unexpected, but the coordinator saved a seat for me and my wife. 

accidental woodworker 

Tearout that shouldn't be there
When you work on a CNC mill, it's all about feeds and speeds. For a particular material, the questions are: how fast do you spin a given milling cutter, how fast can you move the tool across the work, and how deep a cut can you take? Do it right, you get a nice smooth finish and fast cutting. Do it wrong and you waste time, break the tool or damage the work.

With a wood lathe, when it's just you holding the tool in your hand against a toolrest, the same actual criteria apply - but we don't actually calculate them. Instead, you go by feel. When making a cut, how much pressure do you put on the tool so it feeds into the wood and how fast you move the tool across the work? A treadle lathe has totally different feeds and speeds than a regular powered wood lathe has.

For example, I've been playing around turning a piece of cherry wood. Cherry is dead easy. The wood turns easily, but because everything is coming out well, I have noticed my tendency to do what I do with powered equipment: lean into it. That is, subconsciously my brain is thinking that everything is cutting nicely, and the lathe seems to have plenty of power, so why not push a little deeper?

If I am lucky, when I stop the lathe I just see more tearout than I would want; if I am unlucky, this tendency is rewarded with a rough cut - chatter. Chatter in spindle turning occurs when the interplay between the sharpness of the tool, the speed of the lathe, and the depth of cut exceeds the force of the tool needed to shave the wood easily. So you have the tool unable to cut cleanly, and one of three things will happen.

1 - You get a shaving - but probably not since the force on the wood isn't enough to remove a thick shaving.
2 - The tool is so jammed into the cut that everything comes to a screaming, dangerous stop. The tool could break or get jerked out of your hands; the work could shatter; or the lathe could stall.
3 - The most likely outcome on a treadle lathe is that the wood just pushes the blade out of the cut and keeps turning. That doesn't sound too bad, but the wood is rotating while you are still trying to take that heavy cut, and as the wood revolves the tool is sneaking back for another try, going for a heavier and heavier shaving until the tool gets pushed out of the cut again. This is how you get chatter.

Treadle lathes run slower than powered lathes - under 1000 RPM vs 2,500 to 4,000 RPM on a 2" spindle. With the same pressure on a tool, the tool will advance into the wood 2-3 times the feed rate per revolution. Less power and a potentially higher feed is why a treadle lathe is more prone to chatter than a powered lathe.

What I just described really applies to spindle turning where the grain of the wood is perpendicular to the cutting action. In bowl turning where the grain of the wood is parallel to the tool, the problems are worse. You get tearout (above) or chunks of wood flying out from the work. Half the time when turning a bowl you are cutting against the grain of the wood. Bowl turners have strategies for combating the grain problem with tool selection and cutting approach, but unless you are controlling your feed, you will have this problem to various degrees.

The picture shows the tearout in my cherry bowl that occurred when I went against the grain - my tool wasn't very sharp and I was holding it wrong. (Since I took that picture, the bowl has progressed and the problems were fixed.). On the other side of the bowl blank (below), I am cutting with the grain, and in spite of my dull tool I am getting a clean surface.

The other problem is when starting a project, the wood isn't round yet, you are cutting air a percentage of the time, and there is nothing for the bevel to ride on. When that happens, the tool wants to lurch forward into the cut, and suddenly you are taking way too thick a cut (and bad things will happen - see above).

The first step towards a solution is sharp tools. While sharp tools are critical on any lathe, it's even more important when turning with a treadle lathe. A sharp tool lessens the force needed for a clean cut so you can take heavier cuts before the lathe rebels. With a sharp tool, the shaving is cut away cleanly, and not just ripped off the wood. I have all HSS tools and I keep an extra fine diamond stone next to the lathe and routinely touch up the edge. A strop with green honing compound helps too.

The second step is to understand how to keep the tool steady so that you can control the depth of cut no matter if you are cutting wood or air. I have learned enough to now know that have been doing it all wrong. I am used to resting the tool on the toolrest and the bevel on the wood and then raising the handle so the tool cuts. I maintain pressure, relying on that pressure on the wood to keep my cut consistent. This doesn't work at all when cutting air on an interrupted cut. Resting the bevel on the wood and raising the handle is how you set the depth of cut, and riding the bevel against the wood keeps the tool from shifting about. But keeping the handle in a consistent position is what keeps the feed rate constant. You do that by holding the the tool at the end of the handle. (The other hand is at the rest moving the tool back and forth.) Any hand movement is reduced proportionally by the ratio of distance toolrest to work versus toolrest to where you hold the handle. You can also brace the tool against your side. Long- handled tools allow for a steadier cut. But long handles do get in the way on a treadle lathe. Increasingly I find myself automatically changing my position and alternating feet as I turn to get out of the way - and the long handle is becoming less and less of an issue. On a bowl I do a lot of turning standing facing the headstock, treadling with either foot from the side. This is a big learning curve for new treadle turners, myself definitely included.

Some turners will say that this idea is obvious - but obviously for me it wasn't. Short handled tools are easier to use on a treadle lathe because they get in the way less, but they need more gentle, steadier holding at the handle end. Long handled tools make for a steadier turning session, once you learn to get out of their way. We know that the lathe has attracted attention from folks who are new to turning and - as someone myself learning new tricks - I want to acknowledge the learning curve (and also say developing the skill has been a lot of fun).






"/> No tearout when the grain direction cooperates on the opposite side of the bowl

 

clamps off

There weren't any stresses in the desk - as the clamps came off nothing groaned or shifted. Sawed off the dowels and flushed them with a chisel.

hmm.......

The back drawer rail is 5/16" off the front drawer rail. I hadn't thought about this when I made the front rail wider to accommodate a bigger drawer - depth wise. It took a few to wrap my head around how to deal with difference. Sometimes my spatial visualization ain't too good.

test piece

I think I resolved what had to be done at the rear drawer rail to make it level with the front drawer rail. A 5/16" tongue on the back of the drawer in/out guide was the trick. The test piece lap was too deep but it put me on the right road.

depth setting jig

My 18" combo square worked just as well as this would have had I not broke it.

drawer in/out guides

Glued the guides and set them aside to cook. After lunch I added 3 screws to them because I didn't want to rely solely on glue.

front drawer rail

No glue for this, just 5 screws. If need be any repairs/replacement will be easy.

didn't want to break this out

The back drawer rail install didn't go smoothly. Initially I had screwed one end and the rail had shifted downward. Unscrewed the rail and filled in the errant screw hole. I then nailed the rail flush with the back top rail. Part of the problem was there wasn't any where to apply a clamp. The nails were sufficient to hold the rail flush so I could screw it off.

in/out guides

Since I had the nail gut out, I nailed the guides with one nail at the front and back. After I make the drawers and fit them, I'll add a screw at the front and back to each one.

drawers

The plan was to start the drawers in the AM. I stopped working on the desk here and turned my attention to Leo's dresser.

no paint today

Got the dresser and all the drawers sanded and ready for paint. However, I blew off a big chip on the front of the dresser. I glued that back on and once it has set I'll have to do some putty work. One part of the blow off went MIA.

hmm......

Made a test groove for the plywood I plan to use for the bottom of the drawers. This fit is not snug but it isn't sloppy loose either.

done

Got the depth and inset from edge dialed in. I was going to use drawer slips but I am now plowing grooves for the plywood in the front and sides.

 Laid out the tails on both drawers and set up my Moxon vise. I'll start on the half blind dovetailing in the AM.

accidental woodworker 

My name is Matt and I've got a problem.  I just can't seem to help myself.  About 4-5 weeks ago I visited a couple of estate / garage sales and found a few cool things.  I just can't stand the thought of these things going to the dump if nobody takes them.  Or the thought of someone else finding these things and not knowing what they are and mistreating them.  Well, I guess the first step to recovery is admitting I have a problem.  I'd rather think of it as charity for the old tools.

First, at one garage sale I found a nice partial set of auger bits.  These were #4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 bits.  A shame the set didn't go all the way up to 16, but beggars can't be choosers.  I can't recall, but I probably paid no more than $10 for them all.  They cleaned up easily with wire wheels in a drill.  And they were easily sharpened, too.  Full length cutting spurs.

The Irwin bits in size order

Logo upper: IRWIN

Logo lower: U S OF A

I don't know when these Irwin bits were made, but I suspect the '60's or '70's.  I didn't realize it when I picked these up, but the Greenlee bit in the yellow package was toast.  Someone had filed down the cutting spurs, rendering the bit useless.  What a shame.

The file is pointing to a ruined spur

Then a week or two later, I found this group of tools at another sale.  This group cost a measly $20.  And I got to the sale late!  Who knows what I might have found if I had gone early!

Spring clamps, more auger bits, a 6" brace, saw set and "parts" plane

This group of auger bits had an 8/16" size, so after cleaning it up, I added it to the earlier set to fill in that missing size.  The bits' sizes and logos were as follows (a slash indicates a divider between lines in the logo; a ~~~ symbol means unintelligible markings).

• 1 1/2" (#24)          TEMPER  /  TESTED
• 1" (#16)                U.S.A. HSB & CO.  CHICAGO     (Hibbert, Spencer and Bartlett)
• 1" (#16)                THE IRWIN BIT  /  MADE IN U.S.A.  /  MAINBOR
• 5/8" (#10)             Jennings  /  Pattern
• 1/2" (#8)               ~~~ Bit  /  ~~~ S. Pat. Off.
• 3/8" (#6)               ROCKFORK ILLINOIS GREENLEE  /  MADE IN U ~~~
• 3/8" (#6)               IRWIN  /  U S OF A

I gave this group of bits a bath in rust remover and then wire wheeled them with a drill.  They look really great now.  One of the 1" bits went into another set I've got that was missing that size.

Lookin' good!

The is a 6" sweep brace made by John S. Fray.  I didn't have a 6" brace, so this was a nice pickup.  There were some interesting things about this brace, so I think I'll write about it separately.

6" sweep brace

THE JOHN S. FRAY CO. (other side says BRIDGEPORT, CONN U.S.A.)

The plane is what's left of a type 9 (1902-1907) Stanley #3.  I wish I could have found the missing parts, but even if I had, the frog had been broken (or cut) above the depth adjusting yoke, and a piece of brass had been riveted to the inside of the left cheek.  I wish I knew what the prior owner was trying to do with this - maybe making some sort of nicker, judging by a corner of it placed at the plane's mouth.

Stanley #3 with frog broken or cut

This brass was "riveted" to the cheek using a peened nail

I got the plane to use for parts.  For a couple of bucks, how could I go wrong.  But I would really have loved a useable type 9 #3.

Last on the list was this saw set.  The only marking on it was J. M. KELLAR and I'm thinking that was an owner rather than a maker - I found nothing about Kellar with a quick internet search.

The saw set

The only marking

Front end with anvil dial settings

It looks like a fully functioning saw set, but I've yet to try it out.  The first pic of the set shows the lower screw that "squeezes" a saw plate to the anvil, similar to some other sets I've seen.  I might have to see if I can take it apart and clean it up.  More on that later if I do.

hmm......

My set up thing-a-bob is several frog hairs short. I thought I would definitely need it for the back rail to set the bottom drawer guide rail.

the fix

I glued a thin piece of cherry to the guide to build up the depth of it. Planed it until it was dead nuts but all for nothing. I broke the jig rendering it into kindling. 

center drawer guide

I'm not crazy about the width of the maple at 5 1/2" wide but it will work. Thinking that I will use only screws to assemble it, no glue. I'm pretty sure that I used glue and nails on the drawer guides on my desk.

before I broke it

With the guide in place and the bottom drawer guide rail butted against it, the top of it was flush with the bottom of the drawer opening.

hmm......

Upcoming hiccup to resolve. The front drawer rail is 5 1/2" wide and the back one is a little more than 5". The in/out guides will be sitting atop the front and back drawer guide rails. I will have to half lap the in/out guides on the back drawer guide rail.

nope

There isn't enough room to drill the Miller dowels in at 90°. I won't be drilling them at at an angle. Instead I'll drill them at 90° from the outside. 

cooking

Hiccup free glue up of the base. Happy that clamping pulled the twist out of the left side that was twisted. The base isn't rocking nor does it look like it is twisted. The diagonals on the top were less then a 16th off.

maybe

The dust panel is proud on the left side. I'll find out if it will be a hiccup when I install the drawer.

needs a paint touch up

All the drawers fitted, easily pulling in/out without any hiccups. I went to Benjamin Moore paint store and they had a record of the paint I bought for the dresser in june of 2024 - Smoke Gray. The important thing is that drawers slide in/out and the rails I glued are rock solid now.

top drawer unit

This is good to go. No dings or 'white' spots on it anywhere. I'll screw it back down to the top after the painting is done.

haul from the paint store

Dresser paint, 4-0 steel wool, and two empty quart cans for shellac.

paint prep

Sanded the drawers and the dresser first with 220 and followed that with a card scraper. Filled in the dings, etc with wood putty. Tomorrow I'll sand those spots and paint it. Hopeful that it will only be one coat but I don't think it will be so. 

Miller Dowels

This was it for today. I'll have to cool my heels and let things cook until the AM.

accidental woodworker