Accidental Woodworker

last night

Got the bottom glued and nailed first. Then I sawed the dividers and installed them. One corner of the drawer was up slightly so I weighed it down with paint cans overnight.

hmm......

This plastic container came with 100 screws - it now has 92. It fit in 3 of the compartments I checked. Note to self - next dresser comes with 12 compartments.

off cuts

These off cuts are from when I thinned the drawer parts to a 1/2" thick. They are a wee bit wider and longer then the drawer fronts. Not only would they cover the plywood bottom, they will cover the dovetails.

first drawer

Squeezed in getting the off cuts glued onto the five drawer fronts. I'll be able to play with them when I get back home from the VA.

3 down, 2 to go

The glue up went off without any hiccups. One drawer will require some wood putty work. One corner of the drawer front has a big chip missing.

confirmed

I had set the miter gauge but almost an inch too much. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some odd shaped/long hardware that will fit in these compartments.

sneak peek

I think the veneer looks better than the original drawer front. The top drawer doesn't have the color streak the other 4 drawers have. It didn't occur to me that I could have used a cut off from one of the wider drawers. I was stuck on stupid thinking I could only use the cut off from the thinnest drawer (which didn't have a color streak).

hmm.......

Decided to leave the drawer fronts slightly proud at the front. They are all about the same with the bottom drawer sticking out a few frog hairs more than the others.

losing less than 1/8"

I sawed a bit off the back of all the drawers to even out the amount of proud of the drawers. After I did this I evened out the proud by eye by planing the off cuts I glued to the drawer fronts. 

done

I thought of building out the front of the dresser but nixed it. The proud of the drawers is a little less then 1/8". The amount of the proud doesn't look out of place or odd (IMO) when viewed from the sides.

chamfer done

Did a stopped chamfer - it would have looked crowded against the back stop thing if I had gone to end.

hmm......

Checked my shaker knob supply and this depletes it. I have just enough to put two knobs on each drawer, with either size. I think the drawers are small enough that I could get away with one knob per drawer. This is what I would like to use but maybe not. 

I had bought some blackish knobs on sale at Lowes specifically to use on this dresser. I think I'll use them instead and save my limited supply of shaker knobs for something else.

hmm......

I don't want a three sided base. I want it to go 360 but in order to do that I need to clip the molding holding the back. I sawed it so the bottom of the molding was even with the top of the back rail.

sigh

Made a Lowes run and bought two 1x8 pine boards. Somehow I did a mind meld with a rock and managed to screw up the long sides of the base. 

for tomorrow

Ripped out two new long sides - double, triple checked them correct. Laid out the base cut out for tomorrow. Ran out of gas again. I was feeling tired and I have learned not to work when I feel this way. I'll get back to this in the AM.

The oncology appointment went well. Met with the doc and I'll be doing one treatment of chemo. It will consist of 4 treatments 3 weeks apart. After that I go on a surveillance regimen with MRI s and CT s to monitor my body checking for a recurrence of the lung cancer. 

The important thing with the chemo is this is it. There won't be a follow up chemo round. The doc said because I am only getting 4 treatments that it is rare to get any lingering chemo side effects. And I can say No Mas at any time with it. 

accidental woodworker 

dry fitted dividers

I applied glue to the underside only. I didn't put any glue on the vertical ends.

hmm......

The dividers were a frog hair off but there is enough flexibility in 1/8" plywood to align them with the grooves. Decided to fit each drawer I've done so far rather than wait until all five are glued and cooked.

layout for the half laps

With the nine compartment layout I only have to layout for one end. I set the distance for it, sawed it, and then flipped it 180 to saw the other end.

fitting

First step was to flush the 1/8" plywood all the way around. It is getting easier to fit drawers. The key for me is one, take my time. And two, look at the fit of the drawer from the front and the rear. Thirdly, don't go nutso and take too many shavings at once.

one down, four to go

I am not that thrilled with the look of the plywood bottom. I glued it to the bottom because I didn't want the bottom inset in grooves. I also didn't want to give the little bit of real estate that would have eaten up. I have been eyeballing the off cuts from sawing the drawers to a 1/2" thick - I can glue it on the fronts and cover the 1/8" plywood bottoms.

hmm.......

Wasn't expecting this. I thought it would have been closer to flush. My first thought on fixing it is too saw the proud off the back of the drawer.

how?

This was making me scratch the bald spot on the roof raw. I don't know how the compartments on this drawer are different sizes.

?????

I laid out the dividers the same for both drawers but one is correct (left) and one wandered out into La La Land. It looks like I screwed up setting the stop on the miter gauge.

3 fitted

So far the first 3 drawers have about the same amount of proud.

3 down, two more to go

From the front I kind of like the proud look of the drawer fronts. The problem is what and how do I deal with the look from the sides?

#4 dry fitted

It was looking like I might get all five drawers at least glued and cooking before quitting time.

yikes

Made two boo boos with drawer #4. The first was I ripped one side a wee bit too much. Not a problem because the bottom of the drawer is flush - this gap will be on the side. I wanted it at the back but it ended up here. 

The 2nd boo boo was the side split when I glued it up. I thumped it with my fist while seating the tail/pin and it gave up the ship. I glued the split and the 1/8" plywood bottom will bridge the split and keep the side together.

drawer #4

The last two drawers will have 12 compartments. A little bit of apprehension that I did the half laps right and it would fit in the drawer.

drawer #4

I think I should have gone with 12 compartments for all of the drawers. If a plastic container  will fit in one of the 12, I'll be golden.

one left

Drawer #4 took longer to fit then the other 3. I think it was because of the 12 dividers which aren't that easy to plane and knock down. Got it done and it opens and closes freely.

drawer #5

This drawer was rocking a little bit. The paint cans flattened the drawer.  After ten minutes I removed the cans to check it. The drawer stayed flat on the workbench. I put the cans back on the let it cook. 

I'll be done with this in the AM. All that is left to do is to make the base which I don't have any stock for.  I used the base stock to get the drawers from. I'll have to make a Lowes run to get some pine for that.

I have an appointment with oncology tomorrow at 1000. I still haven't made up mind about the possibility of having to do chemo. Losing my hair I don't care if it happens. I don't want any nerve damage that would interfere with my woodworking. I'll find out what the game plan is in the AM.

accidental woodworker  

 Last night was the first one since the surgery that I slept through the night. I didn't wake up until 0750. It felt wonderful waking up refreshed and not tired and wanting to roll over and  go back to sleep. Posted the blog a little after 0800 which is a wee bit late for me. I think the blog posting may be erratic until I am mended and feeling 100%.

I am feeling better. The cough is up and down - some days I cough a lot and others I don't. The burning sensation from coughing is almost all gone. One annoying thing left  lingering is the fluid build up. It has decreased a lot but there is one bubble that refuses to go away.  The doc said that it might be 6-8 weeks post op (or more) before I'm back to normal.

don't have happy thoughts

This the top shallow drawer that wasn't laying flat. I hoped that laying it flat on the tablesaw with some weight might keep flat. 

nope

It is a 1/4" off on the highest corner. The twist in this makes the drawer unusable. I have tried in the past to trying to fix something like this only to give up. Planing away the high corners would make the drawer too thin. I broke up the drawer and shitcanned. I'm starting over again at square one.

new drawer

Glad I had extras for making another drawer.

hmm.......

Thinned the drawer so it fits the opening with a 1/8" plywood bottom. I'll be doing this to the other 4 drawers too.

replacement drawer

Dry fitted and laying flat on the tablesaw. I think I had made the tails/pins a bit too snug and that is what twisted the frame.

glued and cooking

I couldn't get the drawer diagonals to agree. I tried everything I could think of but gave up. Used a couple of 90° blocks to square up the drawer.

stepping off

Used dividers to layout the grooves for the compartments.

couple of hours later

The compartments are too big now that I can see them completed. They are bigger then the plastic containers. Started to rethink the compartments and maybe going with 12 per drawer?

bottom on

I lucked on the drawer size. I have 7 sheets of 12" x 24" 1/8" plywood. I'll be able to get two bottoms out of each sheet. The dividers and the bottom will stiffen and strengthen the drawer box. That will help when I plane it to fit the opening.

drawer #2

I'll put 9 compartments in this drawer. With 5 drawers I would have 45 compartments. What I think I will go is 3 drawers with 9 and the last two with 12. That is subject to change. Half lapping the dividers for 9 compartments is way easier to do then it will be for 12.

3 down, two to go

I got the third drawer glued and cooking and ran out of gas. I am still not able to go for hours in the shop yet. I'll pick this back up in the AM.

accidental woodworker 

I was wrong

I had more than enough pine to get all the drawer parts. Four drawers all the same size and one drawer about 1/4" smaller. Also got lucky that depth and width of the drawers were less then 12".

extras

These are for any oops. I don't know how I missed thinking I didn't have enough stock to get all the drawer parts.

hmm.......

Got one edge flat, straight, and square. I used that to square the ends and get the length.

snug

The R/L is loose - it is about 2-3 frog hairs short. It is good enough for a parts dresser.

first drawer

I will use through dovetails at all the drawers. I thought of using half blinds but nixed it. A single dovetail is enough for drawers of this size.

for the dividers

Each drawer will have 9 compartments. I could have added more but I wanted to ensure that each plastic hardware container would fit in each compartment. Instead of using 1/4" thick poplar for the dividers I'm using 1/8" plywood.

yikes

This side split when I glued the drawer up. I glued and clamped it and it should be ok once it is cooked. I trimmed a 1/8" off all the drawer sides. I plan to glue a piece of 1/8" plywood on as the bottom. 

 Got most of this done in the AM session. I went to lunch to get  my weekly fish 'n chips because I was in West Roxbury on friday. The meal was good but I got massive attack of heart burn that turned me into a blob sitting at my desk. I felt miserable but to close out the PM session I glued up the drawer. One down and 4 to go.

accidental woodworker 

 Spent another sleepless night which translated into me rolling out of the rack a little before 0700. Got no AM shop time because I had to get ready to go to the West Roxbury VA. Got there at 1020 for my 1100 appointment.

The news is I have a 60% chance of living another 5 years. I should make at least one more xmas and fingers/toes crossed it will be a few more.

I found out that I have stage 3 cancer and the doc removed a 8 cm tumor from my left lung. He said that the tumor was stiff and difficult to pull out between my ribs - he said that he doesn't expand the ribs to facilitate the tumor removal. That is why I am sore and have the pain I have when I cough. The doc said I'm doing better than most and that I have another 3-4 weeks before the surgery effects disappear. 

I can drive which is a relief. Not being able to do that these past two weeks has sucked pond scum. The doc told me to be aware of how I turn my head/torso as it may cause a spike in pain. I'll deal with it and drive slow.

start of the PM session

We didn't leave the West Roxbury VA until 1230 and the traffic going home was horrific. What is normally an hour drive was almost 2. Before going home we stopped and had lunch at Gregg's. The only thing I wanted to do here was check on the pine test frame I made yesterday.

looks good

All the miters looked good - no gaps on the joint lines. Nothing moved, shifted, or groaned when I took the frame out of the clamps. You know the glue up is solid and strong when that happens.

dead nuts

17 11/16" on both interior diagonals. The outside diagonals were a frog hair off from each other. I couldn't twist the miters apart with my hands. I rapped the frame on the bench on each miter and nada. With past miters (no dowels/splines), the miters gave up the ship on twisting the miters. I never got to try hitting them on the workbench.

happy face

All the toes and heels are flush. There is zero misalignment on any of them. The faces on the joint line are a wee bit off but still within a frog hair.

no rocking

Neither side of the frame is rocking when pressed on any of the corners. The frame is twist free. I cleaned up both sides with my #3 hand plane.

my boo boo

With this errant hole I can't leave the frame natural. I could put a dutchman over it but that would show. Another option is to fill it with wood putty and paint it. 

better option

I like this option best. I have a lot of thin pine in the shop that I can put on the outside and the inside of the frame. It will also afford me the option of leaving it natural or painting it.

I still can't lift anything heavier then a gallon of milk. That restriction gets eased 6 weeks post op. So I won't be able to use my lunchbox planer so thinning the pine on the tablesaw is my only option for making the drawer stock. Thinking of making a run to Gurney's Saw Mill to get some 1x12 pine. Maybe they will have some 1/2" pine in stock.

accidental woodworker 

last nite after dinner

This had been in the clamps for almost 5 hours and I was anxious to see how it looked. I did some after dinner puttering in the shop.

Mr Starrett says all is good

The outside was good - not dead nuts. There was about 1/2 a frog hair of light on the left end. 

The inside was dead nuts 90

Happy with how this came out. The top face is flush along the joint line but the other face isn't. That is because the two pieces aren't exactly the same thickness. In spite of that the toes and heels are aligned which is the important thing.

hmm.......

Decided to glue the cap on the back rail before heading topside. I clipped the ends at a 22.5° angle.

glued and cooking

In the AM I can get this attached to the sled and road test it with making a frame.

start of the AM session

Flushed the test miter, top and bottom to get a better look of the joint line. Toes and heels were tight and the joint line was tight and gap free. I couldn't break the miter neither. I whacked it on the bench and nada. Tried to pry it apart with hands and again nada. Happy with this and I'll use it for the certificate frame.

laid out the miters

This is the cherry test frame that will be the first one off the miter sled.

clean up

This face needed a wee bit of flushing. After this I sanded both faces and called it done.

done

The miter sled is fini (french for finished). Not sure if I am going to finish this with shellac or anything else. I have a 90° sled that I made 5-6 years ago that I didn't finish. It still is dead on accurate.

sigh

Miters bit me on the arse again and drew blood. At least I was consistent in my screw up. I would lose too much correcting one end to make them usable. At least I didn't screw up the long legs.

hmm......

Looking at the screw up on a brighter note. All four of the miters, according to Mr Starrett, are dead on 45. Not even a teeny, teeny sliver of light escaped. The jig is far more accurate then I had expected.

new test frame

Sawed up a test frame of pine. I really wanted to make a test frame before I committed to making the real one.

joy in Mudville

All the miters aligned and closed up. This was a dry fit and I was so happy with it I could have wet myself. Based on past experiences with miters I was expecting the miters to slip by each other and not come together.

two dowels in each miter

Dry fitted again but this time with dowels in each miter. I had one boo boo with one dowel hole going straight through from the miter to the outside face.

hmm......

The toes are not aligned and it is the only one throwing a hissy fit. I tried to adjust the corners but I couldn't get the toes/heels to align at this corner.

ta da

All four corners are now dry fitted and aligned - all the toes/heels are flush and even. The clamps easily pulled the recalcitrant miter together.

glued and cooking

Had a wee bit of apprehension once the glue was applied. One corner wouldn't come together with hand pressure. Even mallet blows wouldn't close the miter. However, the clamps pulled it tight. Found out that the miter band clamp isn't needed. With the bar clamps and the dowels, the joints came together easily without worrying about slipping or shifting on the mitered faces. 

I'll have to be careful with the dowel placement. I plan on routing the outside edge and I will have to be careful with where the outside dowel is. Nothing would suck pond scum worse then the router zipping away and exposing the dowel.

Didn't get a full day in the shop today. I haven't been sleeping well and have only slept through the night twice since the surgery. That includes my hospital time too. I went to bed last night at 2200, nodded out right away, and woke up at 1248. I stayed awake until around 0430. 

I was tired in the AM and after being in the shop for about an hour I quit and went upstairs. I felt like a wet sack of whole wheat flour. I nodded out at my desk for a while before getting up to walk around. I didn't want to sleep now and go through another night without sleeping. I went back to the shop around 1330 to do the test frame.

Don't know what I'll get done tomorrow. I have to go to West Roxbury for an eleven o'clock appointment with pulmonary. The swelling and fluid build has subsided a great deal but a bit remains and it is incredibly annoying and still painful at times. I hope the doc will have good news about it. I am hoping that I'll be able to drive again - fingers crossed.

accidental woodworker 

last bottom drawer rail

I was waiting for the glue to set but stopped that. With three nails, and no stress on the rail, I just kept on installing them.

done

After a snap of my thumb and forefinger all ten drawer guide rails were done. The back will stay off until the drawers are made and fitted.

hmm......

I was wrong about gaps on these. A couple here on the left side have closed up. When I clamped the rails all four had gaps.

right side

I thought the right side was good with no gaps. After they have cooked, a couple of gaps popped up.

gone

I couldn't think of any way to remove the glue from the gaps to insert shims so I filled them all in with wood putty.

Lowes run

Squeezed in a Lowes run when my wife needed to go to Michael's craft store. 1/2" and 3/4" plywood for the miter jig and cove molding for the hardware dresser base.

hmm......

This cherry is from a base that went south on me. I sawed off the pins/tails and I'm going to make a practice frame with it. It will be the first one off the upcoming miter sled jig.

hmm......

The height and thickness is good but it is too short on the R/L. IMO it should extend past the back frame the plywood will sit in.

much better

Same everything as the first one but over an inch longer R/L.  This puts me dead in the water with the hardware dresser. Drawer making is next but I don't have enough stock to make the needed four drawers. Instead I'm thinking of making the base - I have enough pine to do that.

sled guides

Decided to use 1/2" birch plywood for the guides. Got a snug fit in the grooves and I left them proud of the tabletop. I had gotten ahead of myself and had cut the slot in the sled before I made the sled guides.

#6 x 1" flat head screws

I glued and screwed the guides to the sled base. In hindsight I should have skipped the glue and just used screws. It would have easier to replace the guides without them being glued too.

left leg

I used my 18" Starrett combo square to layout a 45° for the right arm. I screwed both of the left and right arms only, no glue. After the right arm was secured I used Big Red to set the left arm so that is forms a 90°. I used 1/2" plywood for both arms - 1 3/4" wide.

securing the left arm

Clamped Big Red to arms to make sure that they don't move/shift on me as I screwed it to the base.

kerf killer

This 2x4 will be used to bury the saw blade as the jig is pushed forward making the miter cut. Used the crosscut part of the saw to make a 90 with two 45s at this end. 

first test miter

I cut one miter placed on the right arm and the second one on the left. The reasoning is since Big Red says that this is a 90° angle and if make one miter on the left and the other on the right it should be 90°.

hmm.......

This was encouraging - Mr Starrett said that both miters are dead nuts 45°. Batting next is will the two together be 90°? 

using dowels

I don't want to spline these miters - don't want to see them and also because I plan to rout the outside edge of the frame. Two dowels should do nicely with keeping this miter closed up.

gap free

The green miter jig is just to keep the miters together while I used bar clamps. I clamped the toes with one clamp and the heels with the other one. What I don't know is whether or not the inside/outside is 90°. I'll find out after dinner as that will have given this sufficient time in the clamps to set up.

stiffener

This 2x4 will be used at the top of the sled where the saw blade kerf is. It should keep the sled from opening up and moving. I am not that concerned with weight - I want this jig to stay together and be accurate every time I use it.

needs some height

I will glue another 2x4 to this to increase the stiffness and strength. The glued on piece will be 2/3 the length of the bottom one. 

over 4"

I don't see the need for more then this for making picture frames. If I do need more room I can remove the stiffener, it will be attached with just screws - no glue.

almost done

The blade kerf thing and a back pusher thing installed. Both are secured with screws only. The weight of this isn't that heavy. The 2x4s are spruce and they weigh almost nothing. Looking forward to whacking out the practice cherry frame in the AM.

I intend to strengthen the sled runners by applying epoxy to sides which are half end grain. I remember reading something about diluting epoxy with alcohol and brushing it on for just this purpose. 

accidental woodworker 

one down, 3 to go

This was a wee bit difficult to get the notch measurement in the cross rail. Once I figured that out I whacked them out one at time.

go/no/go stick

The rails were all about 1/8" over length and the stick was a slip fit between the dadoes R/L. In hindsight I should have did the go/no/go stick before I sawed the notches at the top for the rail ends.

last one

I sawed out all the rails with the dozuki saw. No problems except with the 3rd one. The distance between the dadoes was a few frog hairs less then the others. I trimmed the notches equally with a chisel until it fit.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well I sawed the notches.  I didn't wander into La La Land with any of them. All the vertical saw cuts split the pencil almost dead nuts. I had thought of doing the cuts on the tablesaw but nixed it. No blue chips for taking the easy road. These were the best (multiple) precision saw cuts I've done.

dry fit

Happy with the fit. The front is within a frog hair of being flush and the ends are a little bit wild. They will clean up easily once the rails have been glued and cooked.

glued and cooking

A wee bit of proud but not a problem to flush. On the right side all the rails are tight and gap free. However, on the left side all of them have a teeny gap. Using a mallet to try and seat them further on the left did diddly squat. I'll have to fill them in with a shim or putty.

hmm......

Flushed up the proud on both sides. The gaps on the left looked like they closed up some after sawing. 

first drawer guide rial

I clipped a nail on the end that butts up against the cross rail. I applied glue to the end grain and about 3" of the drawer guide to anchor the front. 

the easiest one

I glued the split and put another nail in a half inch away from the errant one. After this has cooked and set I plan to add another nail at the front.

prep

I planed both edges of the rails straight and square to the face. I added a clipped nail at one end. These are ready to go.

oops

Noticed that I was short two drawer guide rails. Whacked them out and prepped them for tomorrow. Killed the lights here and I'll get back to this in the AM.

I can't drive yet and I won't know if I can until this friday. Which means I have to depend on my wife which ain't easy. She does a lot of dead people stuff on line with a lot of zoom meetings. I didn't realize how lucky I was with driving until now.

I want to make a mitering sled for the table saw - I've been watching You Tube vids on how to make one for a couple of days. Still haven't been able to squeeze in a 'wife taxi ride' to Lowes to get some stock. I have zero 3/4" (or 1/2") plywood scraps in the shop. I don't expect this jig to a one use deal - that is why I want to use plywood.

I got the grandsons each an Ipad. (cashed in my Reward points on the Visa card)  Along with a cover, red for Miles, and blue for Leo. Shipped them out today via UPS for $70. It could get there by thursday or up to week later. For $108 I could have gotten guaranteed delivery for friday. This confused the crap out of me but it is what it is. Shipping is a deal killer for sure.

accidental woodworker 

hmm.......

I'm trying to reverse engineer how I made this frame and I ain't doing so good. Don't remember how I did the beading on the inside edge. The outside edge I used a router bit and I dimly recall using a hand plane to do the bead. The miters look good and there isn't any chips or blowout on any of the bead heels. The initial plan is make the 2nd frame look like this one.

how

It kind of looks like I half lapped the corners but it looks too small. There also isn't any evidence of that other then this corner. I can't see a spline either and I don't think I would do a miter without one - I don't like miters and I wouldn't depend on just glue to  hold one together. I have plenty of time before I get to the mitering stage to figure it out.

didn't see this

I ripped the rough sawn left edge before I ripped out the frame pieces. Wasn't expecting this tapered cut off to pop up. 

working the dresser molding

I only need three pieces for the plywood back on the dresser. I will nail the bottom of the plywood to the bottom rail.

clean up

The rabbet inside corner needed some clean up. The chisel turned out to be the quickest and easiest one to do it.

done

Glued the three legs on the back. I plan on shaping the outside of the molding after it has cooked. Once that is done I'll add some nails (or screws) to it.

last one

Smoothing and cleaning up the faces of the frame. Two of them planed beautifully with no crazy grain to deal with. Two faces on the remaining two had  some crazy grain that  tore out no matter what I tried planing it. I'll have to smooth those two out with card scrapers and sandpaper.

ready for mitering

Pencil wasn't showing up on the sapele so I used blue tape. Got both edges square to one face but I still needed to get the width of the four to match.

hmm......

Flushed the miters and realized in hindsight that I should have waited before doing this. I still have a lot more manhandling of the carcass to do before this is done. At least this is on the back and won't be that visible.

ran out of gas

Switching between the two ended here for the day. Tomorrow I'll work on getting the drawer cross rails installed. I can get that done before I can do the drawers themselves.

 Thinking ahead on the frame, mostly shooting the miters, is that  they may be a bit difficult. Planing this sapele, even with freshly sharpened irons, it isn't going to be easy. The first frame is a true mahogany and planing that was a dream. I'll find out tomorrow or the next day.

last part

This is what was left over after ripping out the frame. This will do nicely for the back rabbeted frame.

how??????

I have a book on mitering where the each miter was sawn by hand and glued up. True and square and with much joy and dancing in Mudville. My miters were sawn by hand, one on each end, and both were off. This end was worse than the other one.

cleaned up

I had no problems truing the miters up. Mr Starrett confirmed that the two of them are dead nuts on. I could do this with the 2nd frame but the book doesn't mention this being done. It was layout, saw them out, and glue it up. I'm concerned that I'll seesaw and the frame will go south on me. The question I still have is, how did the old guys do this so well?

I continue to feel better each day. A lot of the swelling and fluid build up has gone way down but a stubborn part is still hanging on. It still hurts to cough but the burning pain is gone. Still hurts but it is way better than the burning coughing crap.

Sleeping through the night is proving to be elusive. I slept through the night on thursday and friday but come saturday night, nada. Spent sat/sun sleepless. Got a lot of time viewing You Tube vids with zero shut eye. I seemed to wander in and out sleeping for 10-20 minute periods followed by staying wide awake for hours to nod off again for 10-20 minutes. It is most likely a lingering after effect of the anesthesia. 

accidental woodworker 

 Some things are looking up for me. I can see my toes again when I look straight down. Over 1/2 of the swelling and fluid build up is gone. I still think the fluid build up is what is causing my pain when coughing. As my chest expands to cough the fluid is putting pressure on my chest cavity. The swelling and fluid build up I had with my hip operation was mostly gone within 7-9 days. It ain't happening as quick north of that.

still square

There is a wee bit of gap at the front but I'm not going to slip into OCD overdrive about it. The plan for now was to glue and nail the front and back rails in place.

hmm.......

This side of the rail is a few frog hairs below flush. This isn't a problem as the rail's main function is to keep the sides from spreading in or out. Most of the exposed end on the outside of the carcass will be hidden with a molding.

yikes

I used cut nails to secure the rails. This one decided it wouldn't cooperate and threw a hissy fit. It curled and came out on the inside of the carcass. I tried to punch it out with a nail set without success. I used the nail set to put the nail below the surface. I then filled it in with wood putty.

sneak peek

This came out smaller than I expected. I'm sure it had to do with my mixing up the length and width when I glued a 2nd board on.

the back molding

This is want I intend to make to hold the back plywood on. Still deciding on the height and width but I won't be 3/4" square.

prepping for the cross rails

Used the dozuki saw to do the notches for the cross rails. I was surprised that the waste popped off cleanly without ripping and tearing out chunks of wood. The baselines on the outside faces are almost perfectly clean and smooth. 

good fit

All four rails fit snug. The top left one is a wee bit more than that and I'll have to plane/sand that end before gluing it.

close

The top drawer opening is 1 9/16" and the other three are all 1 3/4", plus or minus a frog hair. If I have to make a another one I'll add a couple of more drawers. 

sapele

I've had this in the shop for over ten years. I've had it so long that I can't remember what I bought it for. I will use this to make the frame for the latest certificate my wife received. I'll start on that next week some time.

Had a good day and made 3 trips to the shop to work. Only the second trip was without a coughing fit to deal with. Still haven't found the threshold for not coughing but I worked through it and got something accomplished today. I will be going dead in the water for now because the drawers are next. 

Can't use the lunchbox so I will have to resaw what pine I have on the tablesaw. It is either do that or resaw the sapele for the frame. 

accidental woodworker

 If I move, or exert myself suddenly, I will have a coughing spasm. That will cause the burning pain in my right rib cage. The lung that I didn't have the surgery on is the one that is continuing to throw a hissy fit. I feel no discomfort or pain from the left lung surgery site. So today I mostly sat on my arse again and did nothing. I got up to pee and get coffee. 

The pain site has shifted today. It is still under my right bottom rib cage but the pain has moved to the left a couple of inches. My left boob hasn't changed, it continues to hurt when I touch it, bend over, or strain to fart. I would think it would go spastic when I cough too but it doesn't. 

made in august of 2008

My wife has cleaned out some of the boneyard residents and sent them to a storage unit. This she wants this to use on the porch which is going to be a 'sitting room'. The table is poplar and red oak. I remember making it and putting in the boneyard where I forgot about it.

faded

The black streaks were a purplish color but they had disappeared into a brown color before I was done making the table.

still tight

I had wedged all the bottom and top tenons. 18 years later they are still tight and gap free.

wandered down to the shop

The plan was to give the wood my best goofy looks and fondle some of the tools. Instead I decided to glue up the carcass. I took my time, and I mean I moved like molasses flowing at 40 below freezing. I got it done without having a coughing fit too.

hmm.......

I only glued the sides into the bottom of the top. I left the front and bottom cross rails dry. I will glue and nail them in place later. When and if I get to the shop tomorrow.

another hmm.......

The other three spots I checked for square were dead nuts and stayed square when the clamps were tightened. The right corner when I tightened the F clamp in the middle, this corner would go out of square. I need both sides of the front to be square for when I put in the 4 front drawer rails.

long and wide enough

I am going to apply a 'L' shaped molding to the back that I can slip the 1/4" plywood back into. That means I won't be giving up any drawer real estate to the back. I will give up details on that when I do it a little ways down the road.

got demoted

Another august of 2008 project. Poplar sides with cherry corners. I made this just before I went full out on hand tool woodworking. I used a router table to rout two 1/2" wide dadoes in the cherry to accept the solid poplar panels. My wife decided to use a plastic shitcan now. I can't figure out why?

my shitcan

All solid poplar with a plywood bottom. 72 total mortises and no I don't think I'll make another one. I saw both of these in a mission furniture style book and they caught my attention. A lot of what I make are pictures of things I've seen that I would like to make. Haven't seen anything in a while that has tickled my fancy. Unlike my wife, I like my shitcan and I'll continue to use it.

accidental woodworker

 Yesterday was bad and today was worse. The swelling and fluid build up is going down. I no longer have a XXL beach ball belly but a XL one. That is good along with the coughing spells subsiding in frequency and length. The downside is there is a burning pain sensation just under the bottom of my right rib cage. The same pain is in my left boob extending under my armpit out to the site of the lung tube. My boob is sensitive and it hurts a lot when I move or bend over. 

The pain under my rib cage is much worse. It hurts just sitting and with small movements but when I cough, I want to put a gun in my mouth. I get a sharp, intense burning pain when I cough. I can feel the cough pressing a 'lump' and the lump doesn't like being bothered. The fluid build up is right along the bottom of my rib cage, with more on the left than on the right. 

I have been sitting at my desk doing nothing trying not to cause a coughing fit. Pressing on the 'lump' helps some knocking down the pain but it is still incredibly painful to cough. 

I didn't go to the shop at all today. I did go to lunch to get fish 'n chips and I won't be doing that again. I spent the entire meal in fear I would have a coughing fit. They aren't pretty sights boys and girls should see and most time they bring tears to my eyes. The Tylenol and oxycodone the hospital gave are useless managing the pain. It is like I am taking nothing for it because it still hurts like _)*@#^%__@)%*Q#@*)^*(#+_)^(_324-534=7*(%^** hell when I cough. 

On a bright note I did sleep well last night. I woke up 3 times, twice because of a coughing fit, but I was able to go back to sleep each time. Still can't sleep flat on my back but I have to sleep propped up against the head board.

I don't know if it is worth while to go to the ER about this. I feel that they are just going to tell me that it is post op symptom that I have to deal with. We'll have to wait and see what shakes out with that.

No promises for shop time tomorrow. I may go down there just to look around and fondle the wood and tools though. Maybe that will be a cough suppressant?

accidental woodworker 

 Another sleepless night. The rest of my lingering symptoms are still gradually getting better. I'd trade that for a goods night sleep. I hit the rack before 2200 and slept fitfully until the peepers failed open for good at 0231. In between 2200 to 0230 I slept for less then an hour, woke up, and drift off to sleep again. That would have been acceptable if it had continued until morning.

Instead I was wide awake watching You Tube until until I felt sleepy around 0500. I debated about getting up but I closed my eyes and when they opened again it was 0810. I felt a whole lot better then and got up then to face the day.

By the time I had posted my blog I felt blah as in I just wanted to occupy space, suck in oxygen, and expel carbon dioxide. I stayed that way vegetating until I dragged my myself down the shop in the PM session.

honey do project

My wife asked me to make a frame for her new certificate. The left one is mahogany that I made out of a mahogany table I got off of Facebook Marketplace. I don't have any more of that but I do have some 8/4 sapele. That is the closest thing I have to mahogany and it'll have to do.

2nd honey do project

This is from daughter #2 that she wants framed as a present for her husband. I have a frame for this already so I just have to pick out a mat for it. I'll get this one to Maria ASAP as his birthday is next month.

yikes

At this time of the day in the shop I'm usually looking to wrap things up. Today it is the time I finally made it to the shop. It was a chore to get myself motivated to do something.

done

Cleaned up the bottom of the top and the sides. That took me all of 3 minutes to knock out. This was all I had on the to do list but I stayed to find something else to do.

what a relief

Searched the shop looking for these. As the last place I searched, I found them in the shitcan. How and why they were tossed in here, I am totally clueless. Happy that I found them and they weren't damaged.

hmm.....

My first choice for the back was 1/8" plywood but I don't have any wide enough for the back. I'll have to use 1/4" which would be  stiffer and stronger but it will eat up some of the drawer real estate. The rabbet at the back top isn't that bad - a bit awkward to execute but no headaches to do.

I like this rabbet

This one will hidden when viewed from the side. I think overlaying it looks sloppy and crappy. It is worth the calories (IMO) to do it this way.

nope

This is the rabbet on the sides and I don't like it. It is eating into the half tail which will decrease the strength of it. I'll have to rethink how to get a back on that doesn't look haphazard or an afterthought. I already have an idea percolating in the brain bucket for that.

I didn't feel up to gluing the the carcass today. Past glue ups have taught me that they are stressful enough without not being fully up to snuff. Maybe tomorrow I'll get it glued and cooked.

accidental woodworker 

 I am now 8 days out from my surgery. I am mostly pain free but there is some soreness on the left side of my chest. I cough a lot but the doc said that is good for me as it helps to inflate and expand my lungs. The cough is annoying as I don't get a heads up with it nor for how long I will try to hack up whatever is causing the coughing spell.

I still have a lot of swelling due to fluid build up. The doc said walking should help with making that going bye bye. The fluid build up has shifted from the tube site to the middle of my chest. I still feel like/look I have a XXL beach ball for a stomach. But overall I'm happy with my healing so far. Next week I see the chief pulmonologist and fingers crossed that  he'll have some good news for me.

done

Chopped the other nine stopped dadoes this AM. It took me longer to whack out then it would have before the surgery. Happy with how they came out.  Sometimes pine dado bottoms can tear out and look real ugly. A few came close tbut they will never be seen regardless.

hmm......

From the top to the 3rd one down, the dadoes are a few frog hairs wider than a 1/2". The bottom one (by my finger) is a snug fit for the 1/2" brass bar. I thought of shaving it to increase the width but nixed it. The difference between the dadoes is almost nothing and I didn't want to risk chiseling a mismatch R/L.

no problems

 I wasn't sure how this would go. I ripped the thickness of the rails a few frog hairs wider then the dadoes. I planed the R/L ends to fit and had no issues doing that. Planing the rails to fit with my #4 was easy. No straining, pain, or losing my breath planing them. Not sure if the back and forth moving the plane fit the excessive arm repetition I am supposed to avoid. 

drawer guides

The plan is to glue the front end of the drawer guides to back of the drawer rails. I will screw the back of the drawer guide to the side in an elongated hole. I have used this same method in just about every other 'shop dresser' I have made. I think this is the 8th one?

ran out of gas

I have to plane the inside of the dresser and then I can glue it up. That will be the all I can do on this for now. Making the drawers is batting next. They aren't on a multiple of 12" neither which means I'll have a bit of waste with standard length boards. I don't have enough stock neither to make all the drawers.

My wife went to Lowes in the PM and asked me to come but I declined. I could have picked up the stock needed to make the drawers but I just wanted to sit at my desk and rest up before I went on my 2nd walk about for the day. 

I will be dead in the water because I can't bring the lunchbox planer out to the driveway. I could saw out drawer parts to rough size and then resaw them to width on the tablesaw. That is doable and most likely what I'll do because I don't want to wait. 

Ran out of gas again at lunch time. I spent a few AM hours in the shop with the intention of returning in the PM to start the glue up but that didn't happen boys and girls. However, this time I stayed awake and didn't allow myself to drift off into La La Land. I paid that price last night when I woke up at 1230 and didn't fall back to sleep until 0300 or so. I can't sleep a full night after taking a nap during the day. Fingers crossed I'll get a good nights' sleep tonight.

accidental woodworker 

Had a  good and bad day depending upon how you look at a half filled glass of water. I did my first walk about at 0830 and it took me 27 minutes to complete including resting 4 times to catch my breath. The first part of the walk I felt like I was trying to hack up what was left of my lungs. Got winded and out of breath but the 2nd half of the walk was cough free. The strange part is that I felt good in spite of being tired from a short, easy walk.

I did the 2nd walk at 1555 and it was different. I didn't cough as much initially but I still got winded, out of breath and had to stop catch my breath. It felt good to be walking again. Fingers crossed that my right foot doesn't throw a hissy fit tomorrow.

layout

Transferred the story pole to one edge of the dresser. Clamped the two sides together and knifed the pencil lines across the two.

hmm.....

I made the stopped dado for the rail 1 1/2" which just happens to be the size of this butt chisel. I thought chiseling this thin of a dado with this chisel would have given me some headaches but it didn't. Sharp cures a lot of what ifs and maybes.

1/2 done

This is all I got done today. The first walk wore me out and made me feel like I had worked a 12 hour shift. I had made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch that I didn't finish. I fell asleep at my desk and woke up over 2 hours later.

I am still not sleeping through the night. I hit the rack around 2200 and I've been waking up 3-4 hours later. I do seem to add a little more time each day so that is encouraging. As much as I hate it, taking a nap might be a good idea.

I am feeling better each day but today made me feel my age. I was worn out with absolutely no desire to do anything but sit at my desk. Wondering if I will ever get back to putting 5-8 hours in the shop daily?

accidental woodworker

Had two appointments at the VA today, one at podiatry (AM) and the other with pulmonary (PM). The foot doc said I had most likely broken my big toe based on what I told him about it. That certainly explains the pain and why it took so long to go away. He told me that I should be able to manage two, 20 minute, walks a day now. Day one for that starts tomorrow.

marked

I set the front edge of the sides a 1/2" from the outside edge of the top. Once I had that I marked the back  edge and sawed the two sides.

rail half dovetails sawn

This was a bit tricky for me to layout. I laid out the slant wrong on 3 of the four. I had to double triple check myself a bazillion times before I sawed them. I did half tails because I didn't want a single tail with two half pins. I think this will be as strong or stronger than a single tail would be. I will glue and nail these with cut nails.

done

I wasn't overjoyed at the fit. The front rail had a gap and neither rail fit snug or was self supporting. The half dovetail was a good fit and it will keep the sides square and where they should be. I will fill the gaps with shims - and they will never be seen.

I sawed the tails and pins with my dozuki saw. My opinion of this saw is still changing. I like how smooth the cuts are and I'm finding it easier to saw square/plumb with over a western saw. Not sure how far down the japanese saw road I will go but for now it worked well doing the front/back rails.

hmm......

Did a layout starting from the top 1 1/2" drawer opening down with a 1/2" drawer rail in between openings. The bottom drawer was 2 1/4" which is too wide IMO. I only need 1 1/8" of depth for a plastic screw container. 

Laid out a second one with 1 3/4" for 4 drawers with the last one being a few frog hairs shy of 1 5/8". I didn't like this layout - this one had the shortest drawer at the bottom and I think that should be at the top. I also think that the difference should be more then 1/8". Visually this is too easy to miss.

good, better, the best

I cut two scraps that is were the same length between the top and bottom of the carcass (ID). I'm going with the 3rd and final one I laid out.  The top drawer is 1 1/2" and the other four are 1 3/4". I might need to make another one because I have a lot of hardware/screws/etc scattered/stowed around the shop. Maybe 2 or more hardware dressers would consolidate the herd in one corral.

The 2nd appointment with pulmonary  was at 1500. Found out that they removed a 8cm tumor and according to the Doc based on the size was most likely stage 3. I'll  get the official word on that june 26th from West Roxbury VA. The impression I got was that the pulmonary team is more concerned with my secondary ILD (Interstitial Lung Disease). Before either the Prov VA or West Roxbury VA decide on how to  treat the ILD, I have to heal from the lung cancer surgery.

No appointments on the calendar for tomorrow so I should get more shop time. I felt much better today, still coughing but most the pain with that is gone. Now I have to build my lungs back up -  still can't take a full, deep, breath. Partly due to the missing part of the lung and ILD. Sounds like tons of fun upcoming.

accidental woodworker 

 Another miserable night. Anesthesia is a wonderful thing but the side effects linger way longer then its actual use. Went to bed at 2145, fell asleep right away, and then woke up at 1230. I couldn't fall back asleep no matter what I tried. I had the same sleep  headaches when I had my right hip replaced. Don't know how long this @)%&@)%_*_@# BS is going to continue. 

hmm.....

Went to the shop after sitting at my desk for a few hours. The plan was to work until I couldn't anymore. I did a knife wall on the top end of the dado. I like that it keeps it clean and concise as I chop the dado. Without that this gets ragged out chopping the two outside walls of the dado and it tends to becomes longer than it was laid out to be.

not quite enough

The side fits in the dado snug but the side isn't bottoming out. I shaved a wee bit off the inside bottom until the the side bottomed out - and it was still snug. 

nope

The bottom fits on the sides back the grain orientation is wrong. The plan was to get the front and back rails from this but I can't. The grain runs in the opposite direction along the length I want it to.

sizing the front/back rails

I clamped the sides plumb to the top and the measurement at the bottom wasn't the same as the measurement at the top. After playing with this doing some different clamping, I decided that the bottom measurement is carved in stone and I'll use this stick to ensure the inside spacing of the sides at the bottom is the same as it is at the top.

The  kicker is the right side (as I was looking at it) wasn't plumb - it went slightly out of square towards the bottom (the top as I was looking at it). The side wasn't twisted and checked flat and straight. So I am going with the spacing as dictated by the top captured in the sides and match it at the bottom.

done

This is all I got done today - normally I think it would have taken me 45 minutes but this is the results after 2 hours of puttering in the shop. It felt good spending that amount of continuous time in the shop. Don't know if I was going slow purposely or not but at least I wasn't sitting on my arse doing nothing.

Being immobile to the point that I would have to sit or lie on a bed is not living IMO. I have been thinking ahead with this and I'm considering taking up model ship building again. I made 3 wooden ship models in the early part of my Navy career. 

accidental woodworker

 I slept good last night and the peepers failed open at 0430. I went back asleep and woke up again at 0645. However, I was in a wee bit of pain along with a mountain of soreness. The Breathing/discharge tube hole hasn't gotten the memo to heal and shut yet. The act of coughing still ain't bad but the tube hole sings arias whenever I do cough and not always in tune. The strange thing is I feel better coughing but the pain from the tube hole negates it big time.

I spent my entire morning siting at my desk and vegetated until lunchtime. I got up twice to get coffee and twice to pee. It didn't seem to help with my erratic heart rate. It still fluctuated up and down. Sitting still doing nothing with lowering it. My wife researched this tidbit and it is a common side effect with the surgery I had.

My belly is still twice the size it was before the surgery - there are still gallons of fluid in my chest wall cavity. I look like I swallowed a 3XL beach ball. I have an appointment with pulmonary at the Prov VA on monday where I'll get my tube hole bandages changed/removed. Maybe that will help things out the pain etc. Fingers and toes double crossed.

hmm.......

I wasn't going to go to the shop today but at 1412 I ambled on down there. The plan was to flatten the first dado down to depth. There is a void centered on the dado but there isn't any pitch in it. On the opposite face it is all solid wood. No pitch pocket or any evidence there is/was one. I'll have to mark this location so I don't put a Miller dowel in it.

I had to check it

This wasn't in the plan but I had to check the fit. It was snug and I was expecting a gap at the back end on both faces.

why not

I notched the front so it would hide the end of the dado. I had to plane the inside edge a wee bit to facilitate the fit.

one thing led to another

The clamps pulled the side down tight into the dado but it wasn't square. I had to push the side into the interior to get it square. After I get the 2nd side done, I can size the front and back rails.

drawer layout

I did the layout for the drawer rails on the back part that will be cut off. I used dividers first but that didn't work out. The top is down a 1/4" and the bottom is up 11/16". I was getting confused and my results sucked pond scum. Switched to laying them out with a ruler.

took 4 tries

I ended up with one more drawer then I had on my rough sketch. The bottom drawer is 1 7/8" high and the others are 1 5/8". The top one is a strong 16th wider - should be unnoticeable.

sigh

Two of the layouts were right but wrong. The wider drawer ended up at the top (twice) and I wanted that one to be on the bottom.

hmm.....

Not carved in stone yet. I can and probably will add the 16th on the top drawer to the bottom one. I couldn't believe I had spent this much time in the shop. No headaches, breathing issues, but not what I had planned.

accidental woodworker 

 Day two at home and things aren't exactly a Disneyland movie yet. The left side of my chest is swollen. Parts of it look like an inflated balloon and it it firm to the touch. That is causing heart problems - my heart rate is fluctuating from 70 all the way up to 130 and above. The highest it hit today was a brief 172. It doesn't feel bad, no shortness of breath, and no dizziness. However, the heart rate numbers are in the A fib territory.

That aside it is the coughing that is crippling me. That hurts like hell but not quite as bad as the pneumonia coughing I did back in november. The chest tube hole doesn't like it and expresses it so with pain that brings me to my knees.

The last headache I'm dealing with is sleeping. I got maybe an hour last night. I tried to fall asleep on back and after 4 hours I gave up and watched You Tube vids. Between 0200 and 0545 when I said fxxx it and got up, I think I got an hours worth of shut eye. Tried not to nod out today so maybe I'll be so )#)^&*^#_# tired I'll pass out. The )@&%)@&%@#)__+)# heat wave ain't helping much neither.

hmm......

I got maybe an hour total in the shop today. One thing I have to guard against is repetitious arm movements like sawing etc. Got the top and sides of the dresser to size. Noticed that is appeared to be shrinking but I could be wrong. 

first change

Initially I was going to put a solid bottom on dovetailed into the sides. Nixed that and I will now put a rail at the front and back. A solid bottom isn't needed because I am putting a base platform on the bottom.

yeah, it is shrinking

I did something wrong on the layout and I'm losing over an inch of depth on the sides. The front/back depth is now about 11 3/8 " instead of 12 1/4".

almost

Just need to flatten the first dado and rout it down to final depth. After the top is clamped in placed I will size and install the two bottom front/back cross rails.

No problems with the brief time I was in the shop. It didn't feel any different now then before the surgery. I had contacted a tool seller before the surgery and he is willing to buy out my shop. This is something I don't want to leave to my wife to have to deal with. Now that I know I can still woodwork, the buyout is on a back burner for now. That is subject to change if my health decides to go south on me again.

accidental woodworker 

 The surgery went  well and the doc said the tumor was removed in its entirety. I'm a little short in the breath department. It was a chore to  walk from the 3rd floor in the hospital to where my wife parked her car. My marching orders are to  start walking in 20 minute chunks every day and  work up  from that.  Based on today it will be a  while before that will happen. Hard to type too because of my bandaged right thumb.

survived

No headaches going to the shop up and down the stairs, No issues and my drawer runners  and front rails still look to be straight and flat.

I can't drive for at least two weeks which sucks. I can't lift anything heavy then 10 lbs. So I can't use my lunchbox planer for the 1/2" thick stock for the drawer boxes. Not sure what I'll be able to do with the carcass until then.

hmm......

Carcass parts look good. I should be able to size them and do the layout for the rails and drawer runners. Fingers crossed that I can knock that out. I have to stay active and avoid laying down in bed and sitting for prolonged periods. Blood clots aren't something to mess with.

I want to personally thank all who commented. I normally read and reply the same time I see them. I was in a bit of fog with the up coming surgery and spent the 3 days before it getting my affairs in order. 

 The doc was surprised that I wasn't eating pain meds like candy. I didn't feel any pain just discomfort from the drainage tube in my lung.  On a scale of 1 to ten, the pain never made it past 2 and I don't like taking pills if I don't have to. The drainage tube in my chest was a @_)*)_%&_*)^)@&%*$ ROYAL PITA squared - very painful, hurt when I coughed, and whenever I moved. The surgery was easier to take then that _@(%$_Q@)*%$_ tube.

Until my thumb heals some more I think I'll keep the blog short and sweet. Thanx to my wife for stepping in and keeping daily blog record intact.

accidental woodworker