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Vintage Craftsman Tool Pouch Restoration.

The Slightly Confused Woodworker -

Before I get started, I would like to wish the 30 people out there who still read woodworking blogs a Happy New Year! I’ve always felt that the New Year, as a holiday occasion, is overrated, but that is another matter entirely. Regardless, I have no major furniture making projects planned for the next few months, but I have been in the midst of several home renovation/carpentry projects. While it is unlikely that I will write about these projects (unless I come across something worth noting), I will be busy, nonetheless.

In any event, what I wanted to write about today is a minor but perhaps overlooked area of restoration: tool pouches.

For those of you who have been reading this blog on a somewhat regular basis, you might be aware that nearly two years ago my step-father, Jack, passed away. He spent most of his adult life as a packaging mechanic and maintenance person, and he accumulated a very large collection of tools over the course of his life. For more than a year I have been helping my mom go through these tools in my spare time, and last year I detailed on the blog and in videos the restoration of two of his smaller tool boxes. Just when I thought we were finished, during the Christmas break we discovered yet another bin of tools. Thankfully in this case there weren’t too many and we were able to quickly pass the tools onto new homes. But there was one item in the bin that I decided to keep, and that was a small, vintage Craftsman leather tool pouch.

Jack had a half-dozen or so pouches of similar size, and all were filled with an assortment of wrenches, Allen keys, and screw drivers. I am guessing that he had these small pouches filled with the specific tools needed for the basic maintenance of specific machines. Rather than lug a heavy tool box to each machine, it seems that he set up a series of small pouches that he could just grab and go whenever one of the packaging machines needed a quick tune up, with each pouch corresponding to a respective machine, or a specific aspect of said machine….time is money in the production world. I discovered most of the pouches last year, so I brought them home along with their tools and cleaned them. Most of these pouches were made of Cordura (I think that is the correct name of the material), but the Craftsman pouch is vintage and made of leather, so I decided that it might be interesting to see if I can really clean it up and get it looking like new again.

First things first, I did not take a true “before” photo of it. When I brought it home the pouch was quite filthy and smelled awful…a combination of must, old machine oil, mildew, all held together with a faint but definitely distinguishable layer of tobacco odor, which makes sense as he spent several years working for a company that packaged cigars. The smell was so bad that immediately that I emptied the pouch, vacuumed it, wiped it down with some soapy water, and hung it outside in the frigid temperatures to air out…yeah…it smelled that bad.

The initial cleaning did little to alleviate the smell, so I poured some baking soda into a coffee filter, bound it with a rubber band, and shoved it into the pouch. For good measure, I also stuffed the pouch with around a dozen tea bags, including the front pockets and the belt loop. As far as using teabags to remove odors from leather, I’ve seen some recommend steeping the bags in boiling water and letting them dry before using them; others recommend using them dry, and some recommend lightly misting the bags before inserting them.  In this case, I decided to lightly mist the bags that I placed inside the main pouch, while leaving the bags dry in the smaller areas. After a few days of brewing the smell of the pouch improved, though it didn’t disappear.

The next step was cleaning the pouch with a lather of saddle soap (which you will see me do in the video link below). This cleaning removed years of grime…..and it also brought back the smell with a vengeance. As is often the case, the deeper cleaning revealed just how dirty the pouch was, and while its outward appearance has improved a great deal, it smelled just as bad as it did when I brought it home. So rather than having this tiny pouch with its disproportionate odor stink up my garage, I once again stuffed it full of tea bags and baking soda and hung it outside to air out. To help, I also sprayed it with an enzyme based boot cleaner. Generally speaking, a good idea in cases like this is hanging the pouch in warm, indirect sunlight for a few hours, but because it’s January and the average temperatures are generally barely above freezing, warm sunlight isn’t an option for the time being. Adding tea tree oil to the baking soda “tea bag” is also an option, but as of writing the post I haven’t tried it yet.

While the tool pouch was “brewing” I placed most of the tools that were inside it in a bath of water and citric acid. Many of the tools were rusty, grimy, or a bit of both. A few of the smaller wrenches were relatively clean, so I only gave them a scrubbing with steel wool and 3 in 1 oil, and that improved their look and feel considerably. Once the rusty tools were finished soaking in the citric acid bath they also received the 3 in 1 treatment, after which I polished them using a fine wire brush attachment on the drill press, and they look much better for it.

I cannot find any real information regarding exactly when Craftsman sold this particular model 9 40463, but I would guess that it was during the 1990s, but it may very well be older. The pouch leather, awful smell aside, appears to otherwise be in fairly good condition. There was also a swivel snap hook, that I initially thought was a part of the pouch, but it turns out that Jack added it “after-market”, by punching a hole in one of the screwdriver slots. For the record, I don’t care for modifications such as this because they will eventually tear and degrade the leather. Luckily I have a small leather repair kit, and if I can get rid of the bad smell I will attempt a repair.

When I brought home this tool pouch I thought the restoration was going to be a simple matter of good old-fashioned elbow grease and patience; this has not turned out to be the case. I can sincerely say that I don’t know if I will be able to get this pouch back to usable condition. Lord knows how long it was sitting in a dank corner of the basement, and the odor may be too ingrained to remove. It may seem strange to put so much time and effort into restoring a tiny tool pouch, especially when considering that I have a newer one that is almost identical to it. But it does have sentimental value in that it not only belonged to Jack, but I also had a similar pouch “back in the day”.

Regardless of sentiment, I also firmly believe that a real craftsman takes care of his tools. I’m not of the mindset that tools and their storage mediums should be abused. Some tradesmen feel a kind of shame when their tools and pouches appear to be too “new”, but I was never one of them. Wear and tear is one thing, as they are a sign of a tool that is being used, but dirt and grime are another. A professional looks like a professional, and that means a tool kit that is clean and well maintained.

drawers are done......

Accidental Woodworker -

 It was a wee bit bumpy but I got all the drawers done. All drawers are rough fitted to their respective openings and slide in/out without binding. I missed getting them done before lunch but rather got it by 1400 in the PM session. It was a good feeling putting the last drawer in, stepping back, and looking at what I had done. 

 didn't forget

I dry fitted both drawer slips and I didn't brain fart and forget to round them over.

 WTF?

I glued the front slip in on both drawers and waited and hour before gluing in one side slip. This one is going to be tapered and way too much to ignore. I stepped back and did some serious butt scratching trying to figure out how to fix it.

 DUH

Didn't catch it at first but I saw the light here. I glued the front slip in the wrong place. I glued it at the top instead of the bottom. This was glued in solid and it wasn't budging.

 Mr Chisel won

Three whacks with it and 99% of came off. It was much easier than I was expecting it to be.

 done

This cleaned up really well. There are a few scars visible but I doubt anyone will notice or pick up on them.

 new slips coming

There were leftovers. Enough here to make two sets if needed.

 caught up

I got two slips glued and cooking on each drawer. It was almost lunch time and I wasn't going to met my before lunch time deadline. 

 rounded the back bottom corners

A couple of the drawers were hitting the back rail in their openings. I rounded over the back bottom of every drawer just in case.

 the back rail

The carcass side drawer guide (left) dips a few frog hairs below the back rail. The drawer still closed but I could feel it hitting it as I closed it. After rounding the bottom I didn't feel anything pushing the drawer in.

 left overs

This is what is left from two quarter sheets of 1/4" plywood. I am surprised that I have this much as I thought I wouldn't have enough. The far left one got smaller because I needed one more drawer bottom for the last drawer.

 I am liking this a lot

One sapwood streak on the dual drawers is slightly off. I must have used the wrong face on the left one because the streaks don't flow L to R. The left one is thinner where it meets the right drawer front.

I wanted to put plywood dust panels in this but nixed it due to cost. I should have done it because it would have been less than what I used for the dry bottoms. I will put one on the bottom drawer opening and that will keep dust bunnies from getting in through the bottom drawer.

 in the batters box

Next up is trimming and setting the drawer margins. I will plane all the drawer bottoms flat to the rails and that will be my reference. I will plane the absolute minimum off the sides. All gaps will be on the top to allow for expansion and contraction.

I thought this first drawer was flat on the bottom but it isn't. The dark space on the right half side I thought was a pencil line but it is a gap. There is some pencil on it, but just enough to have fooled me.

I surfed Klingspor's site looking for some 4x24 sanding belts and I couldn't find them. A search for them only coughed up 3x21 belts. After 20 minutes of searching and flipping through the site I gave up and went to Amazon and bought them. I'll get them on monday maybe. If the storm that is on and off for dumping major snow happens I doubt I'll get them. I need them to belt sand the top of the dresser.

Not sure what is next on the hit parade for Ralphie's workshop. I do have a ton of maintenance items that I should address and deal with. We'll see what shakes out in the next few days because the dresser is 95% done.

accidental woodworker

The Starting Point

The Barn on White Run -

While undertaking some recent reorganization of my basement workshop in Elderbarndottir’s former house (she got married in November and moved to her husband’s house) I came across this nostalgic and beat-up picture from early 1977, hiding behind one of the shelving units.  This French secretaire was my first really high-profile/high-value furniture restoration project at Schindler & Son of the Palm Beaches, where I started working in late 1974.  Unfortunately I did not take any detailed pictures of projects at this point of my career – had this happened once I was a museum conservator the project would have been documented with hundreds of photographic images to go along with the written reports.  I probably took a picture or two of the interior, it was spectacular.  Bat that was almost 50years ago and cannot recall that detail.

Somewhere I have a picture of a Riesener cabinet from the same client, but that picture has not turned up yet.

Prior to this I did a lot of run-of-the-mill restoration for “ordinary” antiques along with a boatload of custom finishing and refinishing; before Schindler’s I was a “scratch and dent man” at a couple of furniture stores.

This project arrived in pieces in the back of Ambassador So-and-so’s Mercedes station wagon.  The secretaire bore the inventory stamp of the Chateau de Saint Cloud.  It should come as no surprise that the culture from which the word bureaucrat is derived should be punctilious about household inventories, but there you have it.

Over a period of a couple weeks, I reassembled it and made repairs to the rosewood and tulipwood veneers, then finally a couple of days of shellac pad polishing.  “Pop” Schindler came almost every day to watch and guide me, it was on this project that he introduced me to hot hide glue.

This was a seed for my fascination with exquisite European furniture, especially of the French variety (along with our company’s work at the Wrightsman estate in Palm Beach and their furniture collection), and was truly the acorn from which my fascination with Roubo sprouted.  It was also the prompting for me to embark down the career path of conservation; I entered that stream in 1981 at Winterthur Museum while I was a student in college.

making drawers penultimate part........

Accidental Woodworker -

 I got real close with finishing the drawers today. I had a minor hiccup with the last drawer glued up and that is delaying all things until tomorrow. I got the basic 'boxes' done I just need to do the slips and fit the bottoms. So far my estimating a completion day hasn't worked out in my favor. However, I feel confident this time that I'll be done with drawers tomorrow - probably before lunch.

 kicked my butt

This is the right 5 1/2" dual drawer. Fitting this drawer was a compound  problem. The height had to be planed along with the with the back half of each side. It took me quite a while to get this drawer fitted. I was going purposely slow because I didn't want to end up with margins a 1/2" wide.

 6" single drawer

Even though I used my jig to cut the back bottom it came out long. The slips ended up being almost an 1/8" proud of the sides. That left only a strong 1/8" of meat on the bottom of the groove for the plywood to ride in.

 problem

Both sides at the top bowed outward slightly which prohibited me from getting the drawer to fit. I didn't want to plane it as it would have removed a lot of wood. I put some white glue in the gap and clamped it. Fingers crossed that it holds.

 better but not acceptable

All my gaps with the half pins were predominantly on the top left. I ganged sawed all the half pins too so I don't understand this. Since I sawed two as one I would expect the gap to be the same on both sides. That aside the full tails fit nice and snug.

 first of the last two

Ensured that the back was tight in the dado along the entire length. I couldn't check the gap at the top due to the bessey being in the way.

 another oops

Forgot to plane another round over on the slips. It is hard to see but the bottom web of the groove is thinner than the top. I will glue the plywood bottom in the groove to strengthen it and make better able to handle the weight that will be put on the plywood bottom.

 the last one

I got bit on the arse with a gap on the left half pin. I'll take it because the rest of it is dead nuts for fitting.

 last drawer

Got an extra clamp on the back to counteract it bowing. 

 left 6" dual drawer

As I was fitting this drawer I noticed that there was a gap on both sides at the top. The drawer front fitted when I tried it in the drawer (backwards) but the back of it wouldn't fit in the opening. I forced glue into the gaps and clamped it. I'll let this set and cook until the AM.

 this close

Photographic proof boys and girls. If I hadn't ran into the hiccups with the gaps on the back this pic would have had all 15 drawers smiling back at you. 

accidental woodworker

about my blogs

Peter Follansbee, joiner's notes -

[PF note: I have been getting some new subscribers here and thought I’d bring you up to date on what’s going on with this blog. So for some of you, this ain’t news. Others might find out what I’ve been up to]

my old shop from years ago

Thirty years ago I began a dream-job – making furniture in a living history museum, then called Plimoth Plantation. I did it for 20 years. I loved that job for about 16 of those years. I still miss parts of that work. There’s parts of it I wouldn’t do again if you paid me…

After 20 years of that, I moved on and went out “on my own.” Since leaving that work, I’ve made my living by selling furniture and other woodwork, teaching workshops and classes, making videos – first with Lie-Nielsen, then through some I’ve made here at my shop, writing articles and books – and now a subscription blog at Substack. 

The hardest part, well, one of the hardest parts – was/is the travel. When I was first doing it, I was still employed, so it was maybe two weeks out of the year. Then I booked more and more of it – to the point where when I was here, I’d be packing or unpacking for a trip. Seeing all those people, teaching classes – all of it was great fun and I always appreciate that people would dedicate the time and resources to spend the time with me that way. I hope they learned something or somehow got something out of it. I got to go places as far-flung as Sweden, England, Australia, Alaska and lots of places in between. 

Öland

Once the pandemic shut the country down, the travel stopped. I’ve done some traveling since then, but not much. I still venture out a few times a year, I’ve taught ladderback chairmaking at Pete Galbert’s once or twice a year for the past few years. And something carving/oak-related at Lost Art Press in Covington, KY once a year. I might add one or two more, not sure. 

There’s personal reasons for me to be at home more. But I still gotta eat, so do my kids. So I took some cues from Pete Galbert and Chris Schwarz. During the pandemic, Galbert began a vimeo-on-demand series about chairmaking. I bought it and loved it and decided to give it a shot myself. I had made a lot of videos with Lie-Nielsen Toolworks and done several episodes of Roy Underhill’s Woodwright’s Shop TV show. So I knew a little about what I wanted you to see – and my son showed me some basics of how to edit video files. But what I can’t do is shut up – I used to talk for a living. So my first video series, on building a joined chest with a drawer, starting from the log – runs over 20 hours! Sorry about that…

[videos led to my all-time favorite comment from a reader/viewer. Hearing the noise of my neighborhood, particularly sirens heading from the nearby police & fire stations toward the highway that runs between Boston & Cape Cod, someone wrote to me “It looks like you live in this beautiful rural setting but it sounds like you live in Detroit.”]

One reason I made that series, aside from making a living, is to have a record of it. I included a joined chest in my book Joiner’s Work – but to have the whole thing step-by-step on video – maybe someday that will turn out to be a good thing. I never know how many more of these projects I have in me. I then did a shorter one on making the Jennie Alexander ladderback chair, and have one underway now about some Germanic chairs and another joinery one planned. So there’s some videos that you pay for, but I still have many videos on youtube that are free. One was a whole series on making a joined stool –

first version of this box with drawers underway

From Chris I swiped the idea of a subscription blog – I’ve written this WordPress blog for free since 2008. It limps along now, but has over 1,500 posts. Some of those were just me selling stuff, announcing classes, etc – but most of them amount to articles about my woodworking. They’re still here, they’re still free. I’ll keep them here as long as WordPress lets me. I still refer back to things on this blog regularly – to see what I did when, “when was the last time I made such-and-such” – even “how did I make such-and-such.” 

The substack blog has two levels of subscription – free and paid. Free subscribers get a few posts in full – the first ten or so are free to all. Every once in a while I make one available to all. Otherwise, they see the beginnings of the posts. Paid subscribers see all the content. I aim to take another cue from Schwarz and make a once-a-week freebie there. 

One thing I see on them when I look back on this WordPress blog is the comments, particularly those from Jennie Alexander. I worked closely with JA for years and years and in the last years of her life, she wasn’t able to keep woodworking, But her thoughts were still on the subject. So those comments mean a lot to me now. I’ve been working off and on for a few years now on a project I call my Craft Genealogy. It’s about the people who taught me woodworking – Alexander, Drew Langsner, Daniel O’Hagan and more – I post snippets of that research regularly on the Substack blog. It will turn into a book once I get a handle on it. There’s still some research to do. Alexander and O’Hagan in particular left a lot of notes – and Drew is still around. So I keep reviewing and asking questions. 

I’ll keep trying to post on this blog now and then, but most of my action is over on the substack one. Now that people are paying for it – I’m trying hard to give them their money’s worth. One reader begged off, I was writing too much! Looking for a happy medium..

Links:

https://peterfollansbeejoinerswork.substack.com/

https://christopherschwarz.substack.com/

https://petergalbert.substack.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbA33W8-cWNHzkYTDh7kBGA

drawer making pt X.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 The alarm bells are ringing in RI. The weather seers are saying there is a potential to get 6" of snow on sunday. If it dumps 6" of the white stuff it will be the first significant snowfall since last feb. On the other hand the seers are saying that they also don't where the storm will track. So if it heads inland we get a white blanket and if it makes a right and goes offshore, we get rain. I'll have to cool my heels and wait and see what shakes out.

 last night

I got the front and one side glued after dinner. I thought of coming back before I hit the rack to do the left slip but nixed it. 

 gap

I got confused when planing this drawer to fit. I should have been planing the back but instead I planed the entire length of the sides. This gap would be better if it had been on the top or bottom. Here on the sides it isn't going expand/contract.

 backside of the tails

I rarely do this on through dovetails. My reasoning is that the tails should fit the pins without having to trim the back edges of the tails. I did it here on the half blinds because they will never be seen. I relieved the edges so it would seat fully in the pin sockets. Half of the drawers got this treatment and half didn't.

 getting better

Happy with the fit of the full tails but the left half pin has a slight gap at the baseline. Fingers crossed that the glue will swell and close it up.

 2nd 5 1/2" dual drawer

I was trying to get this drawer glued and cooking before the lunch bell and I made it. The goal for after lunch was to finish this drawer and get it fitted. After that, get the 6" single drawer glued and cooking.

 12th one almost done, 3 to go

The 2nd 5 1/2" dual drawer wasn't playing nice. I spent a lot of calories and time trying to get it fitted to its opening. I don't have the back on the dresser yet which helps a lot because I can look at the drawer from the back and see where it was hanging. The sides, especially the right one, were too high. And like its sibling on the left, I planed the wrong end of the sides. The gap wasn't as bad as the left one though.

 glued and cooking

I don't like gluing up drawers or anything else this way. I was running out of time and I couldn't get the clamps tight and have the diagonals agree. I got 90° corner gizmos in each of the four corners. I don't have much faith in these but I'll find out in the AM how it shakes out.

 Lowes run

This was it - a 2'x2' and a 2'x4' plywood panel. I wanted to buy two quarter sheets but they only two and one was toast. I got these for the remaining drawer bottoms.

 what I have left

This is what I have remaining from the two quarter sheets I bought previously. I have 4 drawers left to put bottoms in. The one on the left is for the single 6" drawer the piece on the right is for the 3 dual drawers. I have just enough to do all the drawers with what I bought last week. I would have bet a lung that I would have been short one or two drawers.

 4 left
It is looking real good that I will have all the drawers knocked out tomorrow. Or come saturday for sure.

accidental woodworker

Phil Hare

A Luthiers Blog -

Amanda and I have just heard the sad news that Phil Hare passed away last night.

He was so thoughtful and kind and we always enjoyed his visits to our home/workshop, not only to hear him play but also listen to his anecdotes. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him and enjoyed his virtuoso playing.

If you don't know of  Phil you should

RIP Phil, we’ll miss you.

Making tiny drill bits

Journeyman's Journal -

Drill bits of 1/32in or less are hard to find, expensive and break easily. But in minutes, you can make a tiny drill bit from an ordinary sewing needle. These are readily and inexpensively available in a multitude of small sizes. To make a bit, use two pairs of pliers to snap the needle right at the bottom of the eye. The resulting blank is too hard for filing but, if held in a pin vice, can easily be stoned by hand to yield good cutting edges.

I have used these needle bits not as in marquetry, where they are indispensable, but also for drilling 1/50in deep holes 1/2in deep in oak.

Oh. My. God. Woodworking in America is coming back. Logan Wittmer:

Giant Cypress -

Oh. My. God. Woodworking in America is coming back. Logan Wittmer:

And finally, and maybe the most exciting of all, is our plan to re-launch the Woodworking In America Conference. This conference was put on for several years by the Popular Woodworking staff, and we’re planning to once again host this conference in 2024, in collaboration with our coworkers at Woodsmith and Fine Woodworking. 

Can’t wait to see how this shapes up.

[The article is freewalled — you can read the whole thing if you have an account with Popular Woodworking, which just needs an email address.]

snow is coming.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 I've been watching the forecast and especially for sunday. I have seen it go from rain to snow to a mixture of both. The temps over night have been a few degrees below freezing and the day time temps are in the middle 40's (seasonable). I don't know what is going to happen but I'm thinking it is going to be rain. This is the opposite of what I was reading in oct. Then it was El Nino was going to wreck havoc on my part of the universe with lots of snow. El Nino appears to have taken a left turn somewhere because it ain't happened yet. Maybe sunday will be the start of it?

 2nd 5" dual drawer

I came back to the shop twice last night after dinner. I glued in the side slips and this AM I sawed and fitted the plywood bottom.

 wised up

All the remaining drawers have identical drawer slips and this off cut is the perfect gauge for setting them. I would have done this before but each bank of those drawers had slips made just for them. The groove for the plywood is offset with more meat below it than above. I did this to give a larger bearing surface for the bottom of the plywood.

 3 for 5

The two largest banks of drawers are in the batters box. I should be done with both banks of them by the weekend. It is looking good for me getting a check mark in the done column next week sometime.

 almost lunch

I got the slips glued and cooking in the 5 1/2" single drawer and after lunch I got the bottom fitted in it. This is the left 5 1/2" dual drawer ready to saw the tails. 

 5 1/2" single drawer

Gluing these slips in was a PITA. Everything was slipping and moving as I applied the clamps. It was a bit frustrating clamping this one but I finally won . The other drawers I didn't even get a whimper from.

 Lie Nielsen skew chisels

This is another tool that LN doesn't make or is not available now. The hair spray is still holding the handles in the sockets. I was expecting to have to spray them every day. They are still tight and securing without a hint of being loose.

 glued and cooking

This is as far as I got today. I was shooting to getting 3 drawers at least glued up but I came up shy. I will be going back to the shop to glue the slips in after dinner.

 another oops

I forgot to round over the slips again. These may have to stay square because the bottom is nailed at the back. I didn't want risk ruining the plywood bottom removing it but I'll try to knock off the arris on the slips somehow.

 10 out of 15

Tomorrow I will definitely have the 5 1/2" drawers done leaving the 6" drawers to bring up the rear.

accidental woodworker

feeling better.....

Accidental Woodworker -

 Today was pretty good back and pain wise. I woke up with it stiff but it lubed somehow because in a hour or so it wasn't aching so much. I had a good day in the shop too. It would have been an all day affair but my brother in law stopped by for a visit after lunch. I didn't have any issues with the back stopping me from working. I got everything done today that I wanted to by 1530 when I killed the lights. Hopefully this episode was a one off or a once in every other full moon thing to deal with.

 half done

I have as many drawers to go as I have done already. This dresser is starting to get heavy too. The goal for today was to finish the 5" drawers - the single and two dual ones.

 slips for the single drawer

All the shavings on the bench is what I did to get the drawer to fit its opening. After the drawer slips have cooked for while I'll fit the bottom to it.

 still trucking

The chisels are a wee bit duller but they are still performing well chopping the tail and pin socket waste. This is the first time I have used these chisels for so long without sharpening them or touching them up. I think it helps me a lot that I'm making this out of pine.

 lunch time

Got the first of the dual drawers glued and cooking before the lunch bell rang. I should be able to knock out the 2nd one before I kill the lights.

slips cooking

I looked over my remaining plywood for the drawers and I think I can get more bottoms out of it then I thought. I am still going to be short but not by as much as I thought I was going to be.

 oops

Have you had the spidery sense nag at you but you ignore it? Well this time it bit me on the arse. I thought I had sawn the back of the slip wrong but it fit (or so I thought) so I just glued it. When I noticed this I tried to remove it but it had already set up. Unfortunately for me this was the first one I glued in place.

 ta-DA

2nd drawer glued and cooking. I noticed that I have made a few omissions on the drawer bottom fitting. I hadn't planed the bottoms of the drawers flush before gluing the slips on. None of the side slips were flush with the bottom of the drawer. Something I'm going to have to make a mental note to do for the remaining ones.

 bottom fitted

I like slips and how they look in the drawer. I don't have a warm and fuzzy plowing a 1/4x1/4 groove in the 1/2" thick sides. It is also far easier to fix a broken slip than a broken side.

 ugly looking

Got a big chunk missing due to tear out. This happened when I was plowing the dado to depth with the router plane. I'm going to fill it in with wood putty and call it done. It is at the back of the drawer and isn't that noticeable.

 closing in
Tomorrow I'll have the 2nd dual drawer done. That will leave the two largest drawers - 5 1/2" and 6" to finish.

accidental woodworker

The jolly Christmas block plane

Working By Hand -

The Germans don’t make a lot of metal planes, I mean they never really did. They still have quite a vibrant wooden plane manufacturing scene. But there is one company that makes metal planes in Germany, and that company is KUNZ Tools. Kunz was established by Gustav Kunz in Fürstenwalde in 1910. After WW2 they moved to Hanover then in 1992 Tresselt-Schlüter GmbH in Grossbreitebach/Thuringia took over production of the planes. They are easy to identify because they generally have have the upper body of the plane epoxy-coated in a vibrant green, with the lever cap in red – very much Christmas themed. They manufacture everything from bench planes to pocket/specialty planes, and even have a KUNZ-plus range of planes manufactured stress using relief annealed grey- cast iron (as opposed to ductile iron).

The Kunz No.9½

One plane I find interesting is KUNZ’s interpretation of the No.9½ block plane. The colour-scheme aside, there isn’t really a lot that sets it apart from any other plane. A review from Fine Woodworking in 2012 says this about the plane: “Poor machining made the tool uncomfortable to hold; blade adjustments were coarse and didn’t hold; insufficient bed support for the blade; sole was flat.“. There is just something lacking in this plane. Just looking at the plane you can see the finger-holds have a weird and unnatural shape. Why are some knobs bronze (coated?) and others steel? Will that lever in the back dig into your hand?

I hate to say it, but this is a case of German-made, but why? It doesn’t seem to live up to the aesthetic design or precision that tools Germany are known for, almost stuck in time in some respects. I’m sure from a materials perspective the planes are good quality. The planes are available worldwide, and seem to sell for C$130/US$100, which isn’t exactly inexpensive when compared to other block planes. It’s a pity because KUNZ does make some interesting tools like spokeshaves, including one with an adjustable mouth.

day off.....

Accidental Woodworker -

 Decided to take a day off. Well a partial day off from the shop. My back felt pretty much the same as it did the day before. On a bright note, the back did feel better at around 1500. I got 2 stints in the workshop today spending roughly 45 minutes to hour each time. I spent most of today trying not to move much, watching You Tube, and reading. I'll give the back a few more days to calm down and slowly ease back into my regular schedule. Or that is the grand plan in Disneyland.

 not fully seated

The tail/pin fit on this 5" single drawer is better than the last one. I still am having issues with the half pins not being 100% tight and gap free. On this drawer I went 3 for 4 being gap free. I checked the fit of the tails in the pins but didn't seat them fully. I was just trying to get an idea of the fit and also to minimize the number of times I seated and unseated the tails/pins.

 hmm......

I'm not particularly fond of socket chisels and this one ain't helping me change my opinion of them. No matter how hard or how many times I reset the handle, it loosens up. Usually right in the middle of me doing a delicate paring cut with them. I remember Chris S writing the spraying the handle with hair spray helps.

 $3.99

There aren't a lot of hair spray choices in the drug stores anymore. There were only 4-5 brands on the shelf at CVS and this was the cheapest one. It worked and it worked well. Got an instant grab and bonding and when I killed the lights they were still tight and together. I wonder what the shelf life of this is?

 getting the back measurement

This was basically all I managed to get done today. Used the pinch rods to keep the inside dimension at the back the same as it was at the front. 

 glued and cooking

I thought I would get the slips sawn to rough length but it didn't happen. Tomorrow the plan is to get the two 5" dual drawers glued and cooking.

 xmas gift

I got this book from daughter #1 and I like cookbooks like this. I am ok with them just having recipes but this also has history, trivia, and tells stories about the recipes.

 a little bit of everything

I'm italian from my father's side (german/dutch on my mother's side) and it is the cuisine that I grew up on. IMO there is nothing like a meal from your childhood to warm up  your heart with fond memories. This cookbook has everything from veggies to pasta to meat to desserts. It will take me a while to slog my way through this book.

 xmas gift to me

I got this book off the Timeless Tools and Treasures site for cheap. I like reading history books about tools.

 another xmas gift

When I first saw the title of this book I kind of dismissed it. I thought it was a philosophical book on what makes the sun rise in the east. Turns out it isn't and it is about 7 inventions that everyone takes for granted today.

 7 wonders

I read the chapter on the nail today. Made me appreciate that humble, insignificant piece of metal so much more. I probably could have read more but I binged watched the last episodes of the Dresden Detectives. I highly recommend them (they're on PBS) if you like police crime dramas. Cops are the same world wide but how they go about policing is different. Makes it interesting especially so when the acting is top notch.

accidental woodworker

My Letter of Gratitude to Paul Sellers

Journeyman's Journal -

It was you, Paul Sellers, who instilled the passion for hand tool woodworking into the hearts of thousands. While LN and Veritas existed previously, their clientele was predominantly non-dedicated hand tool enthusiasts. Roy Underhill, a revered figure, served primarily as a teacher and host at the “Woodwright School,” while Chris Schwarz, more of a celebrity journalist, often advocated for magazine advertisers, particularly Lie Nielsen. Yet, it was you who pioneered the realm of exclusive hand tool woodworking.

You became the trailblazer, offering online woodworking education that rivalled expensive woodworking schools. Undoubtedly, your teaching prowess remains exceptional, and you accomplished what others hesitated to attempt. In an industry where American woodworking celebrities adhere to a rigid hierarchy, you boldly defied those boundaries, earning widespread acclaim.

Despite concerted efforts to undermine you, especially from the American woodworking elite, you stood resilient. Your zenith predated the era of the “Coronavirus,” a time when the woodworking community faced unprecedented challenges, leading many to falter without recovery. The landscape shifted, marked by surging living costs and grossly inflated timber prices. Amidst adversity, you emerged as a survivor, a champion in your own league.

I believe you are the last of the lot. Your dedication transcends personal success; you sought to make a difference at the governmental level. Regardless of the outcome, what resonates is your commitment to trying. Paul, you have undoubtedly contributed more to the craft than all your counterparts combined.

Having professionally worked with wood since 1998, I experienced a transition for a 12-month period from hand tools to machinery. I felt at the time what I was doing machinery had no place; I felt uncomfortable using them and felt no need to use them, so I sold them for less than what I paid for. However, as my health has deteriorated since then and continues to do so, I am contemplating buying a bandsaw to help in the ripping of boards.

I just wanted to say thank you, Paul, because you never know when it will be too late to do so.

back pain......

Accidental Woodworker -

 Last night I went back to the shop after dinner but I didn't get anything done. I bent over to pick the drawer and my back threw a massive hissy fit. That was it for me and it took me a few to straighten up. I spent the remainder of the night binge watching German police dramas with english subtitles. I watched all the available Luna and Sophie ones and found a new one called Dresden Detectives. This one is longer, grittier, and more intense than Luna and Sophie. I have quite a few of them to watch yet.

This AM getting out of bed, or rather trying to get vertical, went off like a Benny Hill routine. I am restricted in what OTC pills I can take for my arthritis but I can take Tylenol but it didn't do much to help. As long as I didn't move too much or bend over I was ok. Things with the back usually loosen up and improve as the day goes on but today it didn't seem to want to flow that way.

 survived picking them up

Things weren't going swimmingly in the shop this AM. I really wanted to get all the 4" drawers done and get the single 5" drawer glued up. Spoiler alert - it didn't happen boys and girls. Started with getting the slips glued in the left drawer.

 didn't forget

I got the round overs on the slips done before I glued them in. Rounding over the over the other dual drawer didn't come out as nice (forgot to do that before gluing them in). The round over is much smaller due to me only using sandpaper to knock the arris off.

 bottoms fitted

I am installing the drawer bottoms with no glue. Just 3 nails at the back for the dual drawers and 5 on the single ones.

 last one

I almost didn't finish this. Bending slightly to saw the pin sockets sucked pond scum. I had to squat more then bend over to saw them. I thought of using my moxon vise but that didn't happen. Hurt too much bending over to retrieve it and the pain doubled when I tried to pick it up. Moxon vise 1, me Zero.

You can see the double gauge line on the pin board. That is from the tite mark slipping on me. I caught it because the gauge line was too close to the middle of the end. Most of it will disappear when I remove the pin waste.

 last reason to kill the lights

Chopping the pin waste wasn't that bad. As long as I kept the board close to front edge of the bench to chop it. I ran the gauge line for the back dado on the wrong face. I caught that potential hiccup when I was laying out the opposite line.

All that is left to do on the front drawer is to clean out the pin sockets, chop the back dadoes, and glue it up.

 off the saw horses

I had the drawers in the boneyard and it dawned me to keep them where they will live. Hoping that tomorrow I feel better than I did today.

accidental woodworker

Happy New Year

Pegs and Tails -

Cheers to everyone who took the time to read my posts over the past year, and a special thank you to those who commented on them. Wishing everyone happiness, health and prosperity in 2024. Jack Plane

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