Hand Tools

Opening in the April chair class

Peter Follansbee, joiner's notes -

April 8-13 Joel Paul and I are teaching a class in making the Jennie Alexander chair at Pete Galbert’s shop in Rollinsford NH – and we have a late opening due to someone having to drop out.

The class runs through all the steps in building this chair. Starting with splitting the parts from a green log, learning about shaving them to size/shape, etc – then working with carefully-dried material cutting the joints – boring mortises, shaving tenons. Assembly in stages; sides first, then the whole frame. Riving and shaving slats then steambending and installing them. Some students usually have time to weave their seats – otherwise, we do the seat-weaving as a demo.

one of my JA chairs

It’s the only chair-class I have scheduled this year – probably won’t do it again until 2025. Chair classes at Galbert’s are full of chair-inspiration – it’s an immersion experience. Details here – https://www.petergalbert.com/schedule/2020/7/13/make-a-chair-from-a-tree-with-peter-follansbee-8brcj-7b62n-xafjp-mglkm

If you’re available, follow the link above for contact information.

Joel Paul demo-ing shaving chair parts

slowly getting there.......

Accidental Woodworker -

I haven't said much about my weight lately for good reason. I've been eating everything in sight and I have paid the price. It started this past thanksgiving and I have sputtered and died out trying to get back on the diet bandwagon since then. The drive with the wind in my hair of eating whatever kind of took over for me. The last straw came 3 weeks ago when my tonnage hit 220.8 lbs. I had to suck in my beach ball sized stomach to button my pants. I had made a promise to myself that I would never buy anymore fat clothes so I threw down glove and knuckled down.

Over the past 5 weeks I've lost almost 21 lbs and this sunday weigh in I tipped the scale at 200.6. More importantly I have behaved myself and I haven't cheated once these past weeks and it is paying off. As a reward to myself I went to dinner for lunch and had a boiled dinner. I doubt that it had more calories then I normally shove into the pie hole at lunch at home. I did have a piece of chocolate cake for desert but I'll add an extra couple of miles each day walking this week to compensate for it.

knob base is cracked

I was taking the Union #4 apart for shipping it and noticed that the knob  base had some cracks. I don't remember gluing this but I obviously did. I have no way of knowing if this is going to stay together after I ship it. The problem with these old planes is the wood dries and shrinks and does all other kinds of stupid wood tricks.

 knob retaining screw

I like this method for securing the knob and the tote over the barrel nut and threaded rod that Stanley uses. However, this is a Union plane and the chances of finding a replacement knob is akin to finding a bag full of hen's teeth.

 replacement knob

This is a Stanly knob and it is a wee bit taller than the Union knob. I could use a barrel nut and threaded stud but then it wouldn't match the screw in the handle. The plan was to fill in the counterbore on the top and countersink it for the Union knob screw.

 need a dowel

The counterbore in the Stanley knob is more than 3/8 and less than a 1/2". I didn't have any dowels in the shop that fit in the counterbore.

 nice fit

I punched this through the dowel plate until I got it to fit the counterbore. First step done.

 drilled the hole

I used 3 different sized drill bits to make this hole. I didn't glue the dowel in the counterbore to facilitate any other repairs down the road.

 toast

I tried two different countersink gizmos and both of them just chewed up the end grain. I think I'm on the right track here I just needed to find some way to toughen the end grain to make the countersink for the screw head.

 second attempt

I soaked the top and outside of the dowel with super glue. I let it dry and I applied a second coat on the top end grain.

 countersink bit
It isn't a dead nuts match but the wood dowel is soft and the screw will sink in and compress it enough to make a tight fit.
 

 much better

After I drilled the hole I soaked the top and the inside of the hole with super glue again. I used a countersink made for metal on this and it worked. It isn't as smooth like long grain but it looks even all the way around.

 success

There is a teeny bit of white showing but with use it will blend in with the knob. The important thing is that the screw head is flush with the top of the knob and it is tight and secure. 

 rusty holes

Two of the holes in the plane body were rusty. I applied EvapoRust to all four and let is sit for an hour or so. After that I blew them out with canned air and applied some oil to them.

 Union irons

These irons will fit in a Stanley #4 and a Stanley #4 will fit in the Union. They only difference is the access hole for the chipbreaker screw is at the top on the Union irons. That was because Stanley still had the patent rights to the access hole being at the bottom of the irons.

 packed and the ready to go

I got the plane broken down to parade rest, cleaned, and shined up. Just need an address for it.

Lie Nielsen #4

I wasn't expecting this plane until after the 22nd. I got an email from LN saying it shipped on friday and I got a UPS saturday delivery. The weight of this #4 is more than any Stanley I have and it is noticeable. It isn't like it is something I can't put my finger on. Doesn't effect how the plane spits out shavings at all. Since most of my planing will be done with the LN herd consisting of a 5 1/2, 4 1/2, 4 and 3, I'm sure I'll get acclimated to the extra weight.

 cherry darkens with age

I've had the LN 4 1/2 for 10 years (?) I think. It got shoved aside and I went on a Stanley plane only usage and now the pendulum has swung back to the LN side. I want to engrave my initials on the lever caps of the other 3 planes but I can't get in touch/find Catharine Kennedy who engraved the 4 1/2. Does anyone know of someone who can engrave the lever caps? I would much appreciate a comment or an email on it.

 hmmm......

I keep my Stanley #8 at the back and the LN 5 1/2 won't fit with it there. I'll have to find a new home for the #8 because I want whole the LN herd parked here. 

 sometimes you get lucky

One of the dividers had two of them side by side. Removing that freed up the necessary real estate for the 5 1/2. The Stanley #3 I had in the last spot on the left is now the home of the LN #3. Not sure if I'm going to keep that #3 or try to sell it. 

 this will work

The plan is to make a holder and screw it to the back rail of the workbench. It will be out of the way and won't protrude past the tray right above it.

 change #2

The base is 1/2" plywood as was the first front and side pieces. I didn't like the look of the plywood plies so I switched to scraps of poplar.

 it fits

There is about a 3/4" on the length and a 1/4" on the width for wiggle room. I doubt that it will be a hindrance in any way.

 more plywood hiding

Ripped a piece of pine that I will use to hide the top edge of the plywood. I especially find the thinner plywood (this is 5mm) unpleasant to look at.

super glue to the rescue

The only long grain gluing is on the two thin outside veneers. In between them is end grain that is more the twice of the thickness of them combined. I soaked the end grain with super glue to seal it. There is no way white glue would have glued the pine to the plywood edge successfully.

for tomorrow

I will use accelerator on the pine strip and the gel super glue on the plywood edge. Might be overkill considering what this is and where it will be out of sight and out of mind. But I won't see any ugliness after this.

Figured out why the band saw tilting screw gets tight and the wheel won't turn. It is tilted in and making contact with the wheel cover. There is evidence of it on the top and the bottom of the inside wheel cover. DUH!

accidental woodworker

Gurney's Saw Mill.......

Accidental Woodworker -

The skies were clear this AM when I got up. The weather seer's predictions were proving to be true. Unfortunately the local weather radar I look at everyday was off line. As of typing this post it is still off line. I wanted to make sure the skies would be the same in Freetown as they were in Warwick I had nothing to worry about as the sun was in my eyes doing out to Gurney's (driving east) and the skies were blue with fluffy white clouds. 

 way more than I need

I bought eight, ten foot, 1x12 eastern white pine boards. The cost was $2.95 BF which is up a few cents from the haul I got this past december. It is still cheaper than Lowes or Home Depot and the quality is better too.

 cleaning up the #3

This plane is almost pristine. The japanning is perfect and I didn't strip it and repaint it. The nickel on the lever cap is about 90% with a couple of spots showing copper. You first have to plate the lever cap with copper first before you do the nickel. The only other hit with this plane is one corner of the chipbreaker is rounded. Doesn't effect it making shavings but nonetheless it is visible to the eye.

 big holiday

In my defense this was facing down when I applied the first two coats. Decided to just paint the whole stool brown. I can buy stick on nonskid at either big box store. I think this will be going to my sister Kam to keep for herself or give it to one of her kids.

 got a buyer

Got an interest in the Union plane. I think this was made by Stanley after they bought them using up whatever they had left over. It will go with two irons. The one on the bench is pitted and I bought a Union iron to replace it. 

 pitted edge

This iron is sharp and will spit out perfect RML shavings. However, because of the pitting it leaves furrows of varying widths and heights. If the new owner wants he can put a camber on this iron and use it as a scrub plane. The pitting won't matter for that use.

 one coat of shellac

I want to put at least 3 coats on the frame and have it ready to go to Maria on tuesday. (She is closed on mondays.) I should be able to get two more on it tomorrow and any possible touch up on monday.

 one more to go

I'll have the painting done with this in the AM or PM tomorrow. 

Ran out of gas after lunch big time. I went on my post lunch walk to ACE to get a screw. I got the wrong size and the correct size is too long. I need a 1/4" length and the smallest ACE sells is 3/8". They didn't have any star washers in any size so I'll have to check McMaster-Carr. 

When I got home from the walk I was so tired. I nodded out for over an hour at my desk. It is a strange feeling feeling tired and sleepy like that but not being tired. The cardiologist told me that is a symptom of afib.  But I don't feel tired walking and I don't lose my breath or get winded. It is when I stop that it kicks in. At least it hasn't happened while I am woodworking.

accidental woodworker

I can hear.....

Accidental Woodworker -

 Well I could always hear (if it was loud) but I couldn't understand what was being said. I got my new, latest, and greatest hearing aids and oh boy what a difference. As the audiologist told I can hear now in stereo. Each of my hearing aids has its own computer and each is tailored fitted to the hearing loss of each ear (R&L). He told me the computers in the aids have more computing power than the computer used to take men to the moon and back in 1969. 

On my walk today after I got back home I heard birds chirping. I couldn't hear them with my previous aids. And there is one house I pass by that has wind chimes and they fooled me at first. I didn't recognize the sound because I had either forgotten it or it is something I haven't heard before. On the drive home I was able to drop the radio volume from 20 down to 8. That will make my wife happy. Looking forward to listening to the TV without the volume maxed out on it too.

Miller Falls No 90

This is the clever designation MF came up with for the Handyman line of planes. From this vantage point you couldn't tell the difference between this and a Miller Falls No 9. MF didn't make handyman planes for a long time and they soon ceased making planes all together.

 the frog seat

The toe area of the frog (marking knife) and the top (behind the screw holes) is what the frog sits on. These two areas are not milled for a Handyman plane but were left rough from the casting process. I paid $90 to have these 2 surfaces milled flat and parallel to the sole.

 no frog adjust screw

I am fine with this not being here. I have yet to use it on any plane I have that has this feature. 

 the lever cap

This is the 3rd difference between a MF No 9 and a MF No 90. There is no Miller Falls cast into the lever cap. All you get is a decal. So this along with the frog seat and frog adjust screw these are the 3 and only difference between the two plane models.

 perfect RML shavings

The plane still made shavings before I had the frog seat areas milled but it makes them better now. I'll be adding this one to sell to and I'll be taking a loss on it. There is no way I can recoup the milling costs for it.

 face shavings

Can't ask any more than this from a #4 smoother.

 better pic

Home sweet home for the Union 90° square.

on order

ereplacement parts still has these door closure gizmos but not the wheels (upper or lower). I needed two and with S/H it was close to $40. The screws and the star washers to secure them are obsolete too. McMaster-Carr or ACE should have them. I need a screw and washer for the bottom door.

 first cut

It took some fiddling and faddling but I finally got the blade to track in the middle of the tires. I wasn't able to make this curvy cut before I changed the bearings. I got a 3/8" skip tooth blade installed.

 3 straight cuts

Straight weren't always straight before neither. They tended to wander and go into La La Land. 

 resawing

This is want I need the bandsaw for. I need it to resaw for the the drawer parts to come. This cut is even, straight, and parallel top to bottom. Before I was getting tapered cuts from top to bottom. The right one is what I wanted for this cut.

 3/4" thick

I made 3 resaws on this one piece of stock. First was roughly splitting it in half then splitting one of those in half. The 3rd cut was resawing a 1/16" piece - on the far left. I was happy with all three cuts. All looked to be straight, even, and parallel across all four sides.

 repeat cuts

Did it once more to make sure the first one wasn't a fluke. I used the previous resaws to set this run.

Miller Falls No 8

This is a Stanley #3 equivalent. I am sending this one off to be with the other 3 Miller Falls planes I donated. Checking to make sure it was still spitting out RML shavings.

 ??????

This is the tracking screw for the upper wheel. There is something not quite right with it. With the screw in as much as it will go it gets tough and rough and the bandsaw wheel will not turn. I got it adjusted to where the screw is maybe a 1/2 thread away from stalling the wheel. The part that the this screws into is obsolete and no longer available. I'll have to keep an eye on this.

I think that the bearings failed due to me. I don't release the tension on the blade after each use. That and not using the bandsaw much caused the bearings to fail. I will get in the habit of releasing the tension after each use. Either that or I'll buy the Carter gizmo that sets and releases the tension with a hand lever.

 new clamp bracket

At first I thought Grizzly had sent me another one with an unthreaded hole. Handle screwed in and bottomed out with no hiccups.

 hanging up

The inside edge of this bracket at the top and bottom edges is rough to the touch and hangs when trying to slide it back and forth on the roll pin in the clamp bracket. I lightly filed the two edges and the binding was gone. I am not going to paint it because the filed area is hidden and not readily visible.

 shop temp back to 63F

Got the 2nd coat on the shaker stool. Still have to paint or apply non skid to the top and the step.

 leaving it as is

I will swap out the motor after I finish the upcoming drawer projects. I've been watching the weather for saturday and it is looking good. Rain is no longer forecasted for the AM and I'm going to try to go to Gurney's sawmill. In fact it is supposed to be sunny until 10ish becoming cloudy after then. 

thought it was metric

Started to panic when checking the metric screw thread gauge. Nothing was lining up with the screw used to secure the door closure gizmo. Forgot that the Delta bandsaw is all imperial - I need a button head 5-32 screw and one star washer to fit. Fingers crossed that ACE will have both.

accidental woodworker

Japanese versus Western saws

Working By Hand -

Here is a summary of the pros and cons of Japanese versus Western saws. This is not to say “one is better than the other” but just provide a side-by-side comparison of the features of each.

CharacteristicJapanese sawWestern saw
Kerf
(slit made by cutting)
Thin – removes less wood, requires less effort. Some saws have a kerf as small as 0.1mm.Thick – removes more wood, and requires more effort.
Crosscut: 1.1 – 1.5mm
Rip: 1.3 – 1.8mm
Blade thickness
(average)
0.2 – 0.8mmdovetail / tenon: 0.46mm / 0.64mm
panel: 0.8 – 0.9mm
CostReplaceable-blade saws are generally inexpensive. Hand-made, higher-end artisan saws are very expensive.Good quality new or restored saws can be expensive.
SetupThey are ready to use straight out of the box, no sharpening required.Artisan-made saws are generally ready to use out of the box, others may need some fine-tuning.
Low-endLow-quality saws are generally quite usable.Low-quality saws are often poorly sharpened and can be frustrating to use.
Tooth hardnessGenerally teeth are hard – RC 51-58 (handmade), 61+ machine-made, impulse hardened. Sharper, but more brittle. e.g. Gyokucho saws are RC67.The teeth are generally softer, and require more frequent sharpening. Hardness is typically around RC 52-54.
Crosscut robustnessCrosscut teeth are delicate. It is possible to lose a tooth in circumstances such as tough wood, or hidden knots.Crosscut teeth are robust, much harder to damage.
SharpeningReplacement blades are impossible to resharpen. Handmade saws need to go back to Japan to to a qualified sharpener.Teeth can be resharpened many times (by the user). The resharpening can be done inexpensively.
Blade robustnessSaws are easy to damage (if improperly used), because the blade is so thin, it is easy to bend on the return stroke if the saw isn’t properly aligned or tensioned.Blades are much thicker and unlikely to buckle in use. The teeth are more durable than Japanese saws, and unlikely to break.
Dimensioning lumberJapanese saws made for dimensioning lumber have much shorter blades than their western counterparts and therefore might require more effort (stroke) to do the same work.Western saws for dimensioning lumber are larger, and have longer blades. Less effort to do the same work.
Bench useJapanese saws are designed to be used on low benches. As such they are not as effective in all circumstances.Western saws are designed to be used using saw benches, or similar, 2+ feet off the ground.
SawdustPulls sawdust back towards the cut, and the sawyer.Pushes sawdust away from the cut.
VintageVintage saws are expensive, and not always functional.Vintage saws are plentiful and inexpensive, however they do require learning how to restore and sharpen.
WeightJapanese saws are generally designed to be lighter. A thinner blade and a handle made of softwood.Western saws have thicker blades, and larger handles, made of hardwoods, so the saw is heavier.
Blade lifespanA good replaceable blade will last around 2 years, depending on use. Some blades last a long time.Blades will last a lifetime with proper sharpening.
Teeth-per-inchCrosscut: 14-30
Rip: 9-10
Crosscut: 6-10
Rip: 4-7
Dovetail: 14-20
UsabilityRequires the use of Japanese postures, and holding techniques for work.
Generally two-handed use. Requires some finesse due to the thinness of the blades.
Large cuts do require some experience, due to the smaller size of the blades.
Classic western postures, use of saw-horses etc. Mostly used one-handed.
May be less prone to errors for the novice woodworker. Large cuts are easier due to large size of panel saws.
SustainabilityBlades are disposable, but can be transformed into scrapers.High level of sustainability for a well maintained blade.

more happy days.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 It is looking like I am not going to get a lot of shop time this week. I ate a good portion up of another day being out of the shop. My sister Donna who lives in Indiana wanted some Westerly soupy. Which is an Italian cured sausage called soppressata. I love this stuff with scrambled eggs but I digress. So this AM I was driving south to Westerly to get some from the Westerly Packing Company. I ate 1/2 of the stick I bought for myself before I got home. Got her sticks wrapped and mailed out by 1400.

 from yesterday's blog

I noticed this AM when I posted the blog that a couple pics and some verbiage was missing. Don't know why? This is one of those pics. I made RML shavings from each of the planes I am going to sell. I still have to spit RML out of the Miller Falls No 9 handyman plane. All of these planes are ready to go. I will shine them up and knock off any rust spots.

 test run on the LN 5 1/2 and 3

It took a little fussing to get RML shavings out of both of these. The irons are sharp and made decent shavings but I will have to hone them a wee bit more. Big weight difference between the LN 5 1/2 and my Stanley and Rockford 5 1/2s. Not a deal killer but something I'll have to get used to I'm sure. This was the 2nd pic that got dropped from yesterday's blog post.

 Rockford 5 1/2

This was the last pic MIA yesterday. Perfect RML shavings on the first try from this plane.

 I'll have to rework this

I have a tray at the back edge of my workbench that I kept my daily user Stanley herd in. I'm no overly fond of that and I would rather have them here underneath the bench. I need to reset the dividers (first 5 from the far left) so I can get the LN 5 1/2 here. It will go between the LV jack and the LN 4 1/2.

 Yipeeeeeeee!

I got the bearings replaced in the wheel. I got it right after lunch and I had to fight the urge to install it then rather than do my daily walk. I was a good boy and briskly did my usual walk and returned to the shop to put the bandsaw back together.

 not a blurry pic

It is a pic of the wheel free wheeling. The bearings are working like a champ and it took quite a wheel for the wheel to slow down and stop.

 went nutso

The current motor on the bandsaw is a 1/2 HP and I have always felt like the sawing was under powered. It lacked the balls to do curves and stalled when resawing. I got a Grizzly TEFC (totally enclosed fan cooled) 3/4HP replacement motor rated for woodworking equipment. This saw could be had when I got it with up to a 1 HP motor. I think 3/4 will give me more than enough added torque and power. The only hiccup I see with replacing it is with the pulleys. The key on the motor shaft is 3/16" and I don't know the size on the current motor pulley but I will find out tomorrow. Two choices there - broach it or buy a new pulley.

 motor data plate

Everything else matches the the current motor except for the HP and ampere draw. Both motors are a frame 56 which should mean the bolt holes will line up. I also will have the option to wire this for 220V.

 from Lee Valley

I bought a couple of back ordered items from LV and needed to boost the bottom line to get free shipping. I use tweezers a lot in the shop due to the dexterity with the hands ain't what it used to be.

 current herd on the left

I use the 3rd one from the left the most. For picking up small things like screws, washers, etc it excels and keeps the expletives from free flowing.

 2 of 3

I am still awaiting the 10mm drill bit for 1.25 pitch. The big one on the right will get used today - it is for 10mm 1.5 pitch.

 almost didn't get this

This is a 90° square made by Union and I got it from LV. It cost $25 and I hesitated but pulled the trigger on it. I have wanted a smaller 90° square and you get want you pay for. I believe this will be the perfect size especially so the scale of work I do.

nice finish

Not only does this look good it serves to keep the square where you place it. That is one thing that annoys about the LV 90° squares - the backs are smooth and they will move if you don't tightly hold them down.

 new home

I want this square to be readily accessible and close to these other squares.

 another LV toy

Magnetic pencil holders - 3 of them in a tin.

 how long will it last?

The pencil is accessible here and out of the way. I was surprised by the grip of the holder. I pushed the pencil in/out of it several times and the holder didn't budge +/- one atom.

 I had to do something woodworking

Before I killed the lights I made a holder for the new square. 

 blurry pic of its new home

I got this secured with white glue and super glue. I will snap a better pic of it tomorrow after the the glue as set up.

 one last thing

The drill went up and down without drilling hardly anything. My hand drilling was slightly off square and that was all the drill hit. I got almost no shavings to fall out of the hole.

 nope

Another blurry pic. I ran the tap through the hole again and it went up and down freely. No binding or anything and I did it from ends of the hole. The handle still only went down so far and jammed. I obviously didn't get the correct tap. I'm not sure that trying a 1.25 pitch tap will work. The pitch on the handle is definitely not a fine one and 1.25 is next in line. Supposed to have the new clamp arm tomorrow.

Tomorrow is another day away from the shop. My new hearing aids will get fitted and adjusted tomorrow at 1100. These appointments usually take an hour or so. I don't like to start working in the shop and then have to quit to go to an appointment. I'll probably work on the planes cleaning them up and figuring out their individual types and what I did to rehab them. I know a couple of them have replacement handles and front knobs. 

accidental woodworker

Plank and muntin job now completely finished.

Rivers Joinery -

One final trip to Dorset. A last few finishing touches.


There's a fair bit of Devon oak gone into restoring this screen. Then there's the internal windowsills.


The ledge doors with rosehead nails.



New treads for the stairs.


And various other bits and pieces. The whole house is much more in keeping now for a grade 2* 16th century building. Just what it deserves. A pleasure to work on. More of the same please,












big decision.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 brrr.......

The past few days have had the overnight temps close to freezing (0C). That has dropped the temp in the shop 6 degrees F. It had been 63/62 for almost 2 weeks. The first day of spring is right around the corner too. I wanted to get the 2nd coat on the stool but I held off. Before I do #2 I want the temp in the shop to be 60F or higher first.

 Rockford # 5 1/2 iron

The Rockford when I got it had a Stanley iron in it. Over the years I've found that Stanley irons will fit in all the other plane makers. The chipbreaker is a Stanley too.

 shiny and sharp

Got the iron sharp and then I used Autosol on the plane body. The Rockford 5 1/2 has a corrugated sole.

 first try

I got R(ihgt) M(iddle) L(eft) shavings on the first go around. Full width and length - plane is set to munch up any edge chores.

 face shavings

I can't tell any difference between this plane and a Stanley 5 1/2. The Rockford's DNA is indistinguishable from a Stanley. The only difference between the Rockford and a Stanley is the seating for the frog .

 the big decision

This is mostly participated by me donating the Miller Falls planes. These are all the planes I have rehabbed over the past few years. I am not a collector and I will never use all of these. It is time to get them into the hands of someone who needs and will use them. Only one plane is not a type 7 to 12 and that is the 5 1/4 which is a type 16(?). Going on memory with that one.

I have all the Stanley planes from a #2 up to a #8 for the grandsons so I don't need any of these for them. All of them have been used by me in my shop for at least a month and some for man months and even years.

 I have four #3 planes for sale

I am going to keep the far left Stanley #3 because I had my initials engraved on the lever cap.

 two Union Planes

The one on the left is a #3C and I believe it was made by Stanley after they acquired them. The right one is an Union #4. I would like to sell these two as a set but I will break it up.

 4 of 5

I have five #4 planes - these 4 are all Stanleys with one them having a corrugated sole.

 #4 1/2, #5 1/4, & #5

The 4 1/2 has been my daily user for a couple of years. This #5 has a corrugated sole.

 Rockford set of planes

Another group I would like to see go as a set. It consists of a (L-R) #3, #5, and a #5 1/2.

There are few missing planes in the pics as I changed this up as I found a couple of more. I have four #3's , five #4s, one 4 1/2, one 5 1/4, three #5s (2 Stanleys & one Miller Falls), and lastly one #5 1/2 (Rockford).

 two new planes

Lie Nielsen #3 and # 5 1/2. I ordered these yesterday (tuesday) at 1530 and I got them today. Decided that since I was selling the herd I would buy a couple of LN planes to fill in some gaps. 

 not abandoning all my Stanleys

This is going to be my daily user herd. From L to R - LN #3, missing from the pic is a LN#4 (on back order), LN 4 1/2, (missing from the pic) Stanley Bedrock #5 , Stanley #6, #7, and #8. I have used the LN #7 and #8 several times at tool demos and I like them and I don't. Compared to a Stanleys they are very heavy and I guess they are 50-60% heavier than the Stanley equivalent. I don't mind having a mix match like this at all.

 Miller Falls No 8

I am sending this one to be with the other Miller Falls planes I donated. Having the #3 will complete that herd IMO nicely. 

I have one more Miller Falls plane, a #4 that is a handyman. This plane didn't have a machined seat on the plane for the frog to mate to. They also didn't machine the bottom of the frog seat by the mouth. There also isn't a frog adjustment screw for moving the frog. I had that done by a machinist (there is a you tube video on it by Tom from Ox Tools). This plane now performs as well if not better than a regular MF No 9.

accidental woodworker


School of Painting for the Imitation of Woods & Marbles

Tools For Working Wood -

Faux MahoganyFaux Mahogany

If I had to pick the most spectacular "how to" book in my collection, it would have to be "School of Painting for The Imitation of Woods & Marbles / as taught & practised by A.R.van der Burg & P.van der." The original edition was published in 1875; my edition is 1887. While thin, it is huge - medium folio (18 inches or 47 cm) tall. Not only is the book huge, it is filled with samples of work that are printed in fabulous color via the chromo lithographic process. Color of this quality and quantity was rare for any book at the time - and for a book on craft technique, nearly unique.
Faux wood and marble patterns had a real heyday in the 19th century, and this book goes into significant detail on technique and the tools. I don't do graining, but I can appreciate that this is the most comprehensive book on the subject that I have ever seen. I would guess that the reason for its size is to present the color plates in samples big enough so you can both emulate the pattern and see the detail.
closeup of the faux Mahogany plate abovecloseup of the faux Mahogany plate above
You can actually take a look at the entire book on line at the Yale library. The Yale scan doesn't really give a sense of scale and majesty of the original book, but it is complete. My copy has a later binding, but the contents are the same. Here are a few pages to give you a sense of what it is about.
You can see in the closeup of the Mahogany (above) that the detail in the graining is amazing. The two plates for both materials show the original graining and then another layer of detail and depth.
Faux St. Remi MarbleFaux St. Remi Marble

In other news, I will be giving a talk at Makeville Studio this Friday, March 15, 2024, at 6:00PM on Rasps in the Woodshop. It is free and you are all invited.

N.B. I apologize for sub-optimal alignment of the pictures, a result of the book not opening flat. Rumor has it that this may not be the week for experimenting with Photoshop editing without causing an international scandal.

happy days are here......

Accidental Woodworker -

 At 1045 this AM I got some good news. 22 minutes after dialing the TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) and navigating a bazillion phone menus, I finally got to speak to a human being. Nice lady who explained a lot of things I didn't know to me. The upside is I have a pile of money in my TSP plan that is not a retirement account. OPM (don't know what the initials are) is my retirement from the VA. Wow it was nice to feel like an unknowing idiot for once.

I changed the direct deposit on the OPM website (which is the easiest and nicest Federal website I have ever dealt with) from the bank I want to close my accounts on to my other bank account. I opened this one up in 1992 and there is only one stand alone brick bank building in RI. It is located in Wickford which is a good 30 minutes or more from my house one way. I'll deal with that because I try not to go to the bank if I can do it online.

 first coat

Got everything painted except for the step and the top. I'm thinking of putting non skid to those two. I have time to think about it because I still have to get a 2nd coat on the underside.

 calling it done

I brought it upstairs where it is warmer mostly to get it out of the shop. This takes up a lot space.

 it fits

I had to satisfy my curiosity to see if the Delta clamp bracket fit on the Grizzly. It does - screw holes lined up and the sliding clamp arm fits too. The Grizzly clamp arm doesn't move back/forward as nicely as the Delta did.

 rough

Both parts of it where they slide by one another are still rough from the casting process. I'm sure that if I filed it that it would be a huge improvement. I'll take the arm to the paint store and get a rattle can of Grizzly made.

 next project stock

I don't know what this is going to be just yet. This is all the big scraps I have to make something with. I have a bazillion pieces of thin stock that I could make trays or small boxes with but I have more than enough of them. I have plenty of time to think of something.

 possibilities

I couldn't bring myself to toss these were I sawed up the scraps a couple of days ago. These could be useful for making drawer slips for the two drawer projects I want to whack out.

added 3 more

These were in the saw up into scraps pile but I set them aside. I 4 squared all three of them and I added them to the others on the tablesaw.

 MIA

I took out the Stanley herd and put the Miller Falls planes here. The MF planes on are their way westward and I can't find my Stanley 5 1/2. I found the #3 which goes in the back but no 5 1/2. It is a fairly big plane and you think it couldn't hide on me but it is. I thought I had put all four them together on the grandson's big toolchest.

 possible new project

While searching for the 5 1/2 I came across this. I have another one that takes a pendulum (this one doesn't). I had bought a bunch of fancy woods to make sliding lid boxes for wife I could use for the clock box. I asked her about them yesterday and she told she doesn't want anymore. She is no longer the President of the dead people society but is now the editor. She doesn't have to present anything anymore. I might use some of those boards for this clock. 

Paul Sellers last blog post is about making a clock that was one of the first projects on the master woodworking classes. I didn't check the stash today but I will in the AM if I remember to.

Rockford 5 1/2

I don't know much about this plane other than it is from the 1920's. Rockford and Marsh (same company that split?) made handplanes for 4-5 years and then ceased. I never did anymore investigating them. I've had this plane for several years and it is in pretty good shape for sitting idle for so long.

 cleaned up

The iron and chipbreaker had some flash rust on it along with a couple of spots on the plane body cheeks. Sanded from 220 up to 600 removing the rust spots and shining the plane back up. It has a corrugated bottom and I don't have any problems with them. Although I prefer smooth bottom planes first.

 returning it to the herd

The iron looked sharp but I decided to sharpen and hone it. Almost got the bevel established and I'll finish this up in the AM. Mickey's big hand was on on 2 and the little one a wee bit past 4.

accidental woodworker

Making a Rounder Plane: Part 3

Woodworking in a Tiny Shop -

OK, so after gaining the experience of my first couple of experiments, I went into the following with a little more confidence.  I started with a block of poplar 9" long, 2" thick and 2 3/4" wide.  After later adding a 5/8" thick backer, the total thickness came out to be 2 5/8".

This rounder is for 5/8" dowels, so I bored a 5/8" hole through the thickness and then reamed the hole with a 6 degree tapered reamer.  The hole was centered along the length and width of the blank.  For the taper, I made sure not to enlarge the exit end of the hole.  Then I cut out the throat.

Hole reamed

Throat cut out at 30 degrees to a tangent at top of the circle.
The second cut here is at 90 degrees to the first.

You can see from the (roughly) concentric circles drawn on the large end that the tapering did not go as evenly as I'd hoped.  It's tough to get that right.  If I steer the reamer to have the entry hole centered in those circles, then I get the exit end being wonky.  I made pencil marks on the inside of the exit end to gauge progress and to see if I was removing more material on one side than the other.  Well, I was.  I  was getting to one side of the exit hole well before the other side got touched.

Oh well.  I kept going.  Next was to bed the iron.  I made sure the bed was flat and marked for screws.  After affixing the iron, I screwed a backer piece (with a 5/8" hole) to the tool and gave it a test drive.

Marking for screws to hold the iron

Iron in place and backer attached with screws

A first test.  The cut was very rough and I realized the iron was 
not flat on the bed.  (Backer not installed here)

I found that the iron I was using was not flat (not even close); it had a low spot on the top side center (that's the non-beveled side in this bevel down tool).  So I fashioned a cap iron out of a 1 3/8" washer.  This helped flatten it a lot, but was not perfect.

The "cap iron"

Here you can see gap between the iron and bed

Even with this gap, the tool cut pretty well and I produced some dowels with test runs.  I don't have any pictures to show it (though if you look carefully at later pics, you'll see), but I cut sort of a throat in the backer piece too.  I didn't go all the way to the hole - I wanted to have 360 degree support for dowels going through there.  Next pics are test cuts.

First stick cut fits nicely in a 5/8" test hole

Redwood, pine, maple and oak ready for rounding.
All were prepared by making octagonal, then removing facets
to make them slightly smaller than the entry hole. 

Starting the redwood stick

This is the entry side.  I think it helps with alignment to
have the rough stick just a bit smaller than the entry hole.

Maple produces some nice shavings

And this is a nice tight fit

Here's an oak dowel - the shavings are very different from the other woods

They all came out at 81/128".  Just a tiny nudge to the iron can dial them in.

And here's a key element to this that I mentioned in one of the earlier posts.  The iron needs to have it's exit side edge tapered back a little bit to get a smooth cut and a smooth dowel surface.

The pencil is pointing to the slightly rounded edge.  An even more gentle curve would be better.

Up to that point I had the backer piece screwed to the main body.  With the hole aligned very carefully, I glued the backer piece on and cut away the unneeded parts.  Then I cut away some extra material on the ends to make rough handles.  The bungee lathe was used to finesse the handles.

Cut away some material to make handles.
Here you can also see how I shaped the backer in the escapement area.

Shaping on the bungee lathe

Test cut with shaped handles - SO MUCH more comfortable

Put a size label on the exit hole backer

This thing performs great.  It turned out that the misalignment of the tapered hole didn't have much of an effect on the dowels.

But with that success, I decided to make one for 1/2" dowels.  I ran into problems with the tapered hole being more out of alignment with the backer hole.

The dowel is coming out not square to the tool

Here's the entry side.  I've gotta figure out a way to get the
tapered hole and the backer hole in the right alignment.

I'm going to remake the 1/2" rounder and try harder to get the holes to align.

Last thing here: I wanted to include this just to have it recorded somewhere.  When adjusting the bed, I found that the instructions Roy Underhill gave in "The Woodwright's Companion" needed a little tweaking.  He calls for a 30 degree bed angle, adjusted for the thickness of the iron.  But I found that an angle of more like 33 degrees was better.  Although it's possible that if I just made the bed as if the iron was another 1/16" thicker, it would have had the same effect.

And one more last thing.  I found that instead of having the hole centered in the length of the blank, having the hole left of center (for a bed that is angled to the right) by 1/2" would make the throat of the rounder be more centered in the body.  I'll make my next one that way.

frustrating day.....

Accidental Woodworker -

 I didn't get much time in the shop today. What time I did get wasn't enjoyable because I was so worked up dealing with other BS. I got the planes shipped out today and it wasn't that expensive. The pkg weighed in at 17lbs 4oz and with extra insurance it cost less than $40. I was expecting it to be double that. Turned out that this was the bright spot to my day.

Most of the rest of the day I spent running errands and making phone calls. The easiest one was to Grizzly and they are sending me a clamp bracket. One of the best customer service experiences I have ever had. Everything else after that went south on me to varying degrees. 

The one that frustrated me the most was trying to talk to a human at the Thrift Saving Plan - this is my retirement account from the VA. Spent hours punching numbers on the phone dealing with the automated menus. I never got to speak to a human and I never found a menu that addressed my problem. The problem is my retirement is still going to the bank where I want to close out the accounts. 

I tried to do it online and got nowhere. According to what I did I think I got all the information in. Nothing changed from when I first did it 3 months ago. I'll try it again tomorrow because I enjoy being frustrated and feeling like a pile of shxt on my front lawn.

 delta handle

I filed a 'V' notch in the bottom of the Delta handle to make it a homemade tap. It was working albeit slowly. I would screw it in and turn it till it stopped. Back it off and repeat it. Stopped it after playing with it for about 20 minutes. I realized that the threads on the Delta handle are different than the Grizzly handle. Although the Grizzly handle did screw down a little further than it had yesterday.

 the problem solved

According to my tap chart the 10mm/1.25 tap needs a 8.8mm pilot hole. Being 3 thousands off would explain why the handle would only screw down so far. I got a 8.8mm drill on order so I'll have it for the 10mm tap. I also added the drill bit for the 8mm tap I got yesterday.

 too sharp

The corners on the front of the step needs to be knocked back along with all arrisses. Toyed with changing all the screws to brass ones but nixed it. I didn't have enough of them and several these already below the surface. I wonder if putty will stick to metal? I'm going to find out.

 painting the oops

I mostly had to paint brown to cover the black. It only took a few minutes to go 360 around the frame.

 black over brown was next

I only had 3 spots on the black to touch up. 

 6+ hours later

I will need one more brown over black again. I can see a wee  bit of black under the brown and I'll do that in the AM tomorrow.

accidental woodworker

who knew.......

Accidental Woodworker -

 It took well over an hour this AM before I realized that the clocks had sprung ahead. After I get up I usually only look at the time on the computer because that is what I do first thing. I knew it was coming but I thought it was 3rd sunday in march. My wife said she knew it was today but I called BS on that. One of my three Genie wishes would be getting rid of this )(^&$@%*&@P(%)_@ twice a year time shift.

 ACE hardware

Decided to tap the hole for the handle on the new Grizzly jig myself. I had to make two runs to ACE before I got the correct tap. Even then I wasn't 100% sure I got the correct one. Metric taps are labeled differently than imperial. I needed a 10mm tap with a 1.25 spacing. There is a coarse at 1.5 and a fine at 1.0 - this is the space between two threads. I got lucky and got the right one.

 not the same

The handles on the Grizzly and Delta are both 10mm but different pitches. Neither handle will swap to the other one. My metric guide was a huge help with getting the correct sized tap.

 not going to work

The tap handle could only swing a little more than 1/2 way before it hit something. I wanted to use this one because I find it easier to keep the tap running plumb. I had to thread the hole with a smaller tap handle.

 nope

This is as far as I could screw the handle in. Swapped them out and that one didn't go down any further. Chased the threads and the tap ran easily up/down with no binding what so ever.

 I was wrong

I got fooled yesterday with the Grizzly handles. I thought they were wood dyed black but they are plastic. Like this shape better than the tapered conical Delta handles.

I played some more with the threads and got nowhere. I was able to advance the handle a couple of more turns but then nothing. The only thing I can think of is the hole might not have been the 'pilot hole' needed for a 10mm tap. I just assumed that that was done but the threading was forgotten. 


 

 cutting the scraps

I went for a walk after lunch today for the first time since last friday. The cold is gone (I think). Today was the first day after I woke up that I didn't hack up a tea cup of phlegm. After I got back I nodded out at the desk for over an hour. Made it back to shop and sawed up the scraps into smaller pieces.

 sawing stop

I used this to practice sawing. I didn't mark anything but I did eyeball all the cuts to see how square I was doing. I don't like nailing or screwing anything into my bench top but the clamps I tried to use first were in the way.

 for tomorrow

This has had plenty of time to set up. All that is left to do is touch up the brown field and slap on a couple of coats of shellac. Maybe next week I'll get it to Maria at the Frame it Shop.

Looking ahead to this saturday isn't looking too good. The long range forecast is calling for it to be cloudy, overcast, and raining. Thinking about asking my BIL if I can use his cargo van to make the Gurney's run.

accidental woodworker

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