Hand Tools

 The temp today was 22 degrees lower than the temp yesterday. It was also cloudy with a cold breeze blowing. Needless to say I didn't get any exercise planing the cherry and it ain't looking too good for next week neither. The forecast has rain and cloudy skies until next weekend. I'll have to find an interim project to fill in the void that is coming.

protectors

I stuck these between the metal corners and the box. Without them the metal corners leave impressions there. A couple of silvers of it stuck to all four corners.

a little chisel help

Only one piece threw a hissy fit removing it. The rest came off clean with the first swipe. The recalcitrant one took 3 swipes but in the end there was no evidence of it left.

it fits

I clamped an auxiliary fence to the tablesaw and buried the saw blade in it. I used that to make a shallow rabbet for the banding. Nailed the fit with a test piece and did the same with the box. The banding is flush with the face of the box. And I'm putting one at the bottom and top edge only on the bottom half of the box.

hmm.....

Not liking this look. I am covering all the exposed edges of the plywood (on the box). That means two pieces here, one for the bottom of the lid and the top of the bottom half of the box. With the banding it looks funny to my eye. The solid mahogany banding is an 1/8" thick so it will be roughly a 1/4" thick there.

solution

Mahogany veneer. It is as thin as a piece of paper and two together are barely a frog hair thick. I get to have the plywood edges covered and not distract my eye from the banding.

Lowes road trip

Got what I need to make the tables for Amanda. The 2x2 piece of plywood is rated for tile. The silicone is to attach the tiles to the plywood substrate. The box has the 1" square tiles - the ones Amanda picked out and 5 bags I bought. I still have to get the paint and some 'L' shaped moldings. But I am going to try and make the 'L' molding myself. I don't remember seeing 1/2" 'L' molding at Lowes or Home Depot.

I am going to make a second table to give to Amanda. The 2nd table will have 4 different colored tiles whereas Amanda's tiles are all the same. I could even start on making the tables next week.

pics wouldn't rotate

These are two of the ones I bought. The black ones I'm not thrilled with - they looked better on the ETSY site than they do in person.

it worked

I had to tape the veneer to keep it from moving but it sliced through it like a hot knife through butter. 

switching the banding

Sometimes you get lucky. Both of these are the same width and thickness. I like the one I'm holding more than the single one at the top. I have just enough to band both the top and bottom. So I'll have to be on top of my game because I don't have any oops to give.

keepers (?)

I don't want to hinge this box but instead I'm going with a lift off lid. I resawed some mahogany to make the keepers. Doing that gave me enough stock to get the required 4 pieces.

hmmm.....

It is better but not perfect. All of the resawn pieces are tapered. It isn't as bad as I was getting and I don't know exactly why it happens. I have minimized the amount of the taper by pushing the bottom of the stock up against the bandsaw fence as tightly as I can while pushing it through the blade. That helps a ton but I still get a wee bit of to deal with.

+/- a half of frog hair

First I planed the taper away checking for flat by eyeballing it. I then flattened the largest piece and flattened and checked all the others against it. I checked for flatness between them with my fingertips. I didn't go anal on it but I got good, consistent results. More than adequate for keepers.

should be ready for tuesday

Got the first coat on the front side of both. One more coat on sunday and monday and both of these will be done. Then I can go nutso on painting the Stanley poster frames.

accidental woodworker

 With spring here now for a week, I am going to plane up the cherry tomorrow or sunday. Today the mercury got pushed up to 64F (18C) and the overnight temps are now are on above freezing (0C). I'm at a standstill with the maple ladder - waiting on screws and what finish to apply? I have to make a run to Lowes to get some clear silicone adhesive and I will check on non slip stair strips. 

As for the finish I might go with satin oil poly because I don't think shellac will hold up nor offer much protection. Getting poly will involve another run to Koszela's lumberyard. I have grown rather fond of General Finish products. I would rather buy in person than order it online.

behaved themselves

No major stupid wood tricks overnight. The left one has a crook in it on the far end but I can get what I need from the opposite end. The wonky part will be waste.

no burr anymore

I could not find my accu-burr gadget. I searched the shop for over an hour without finding it. I didn't even come across any crumbs pointing me in any direction it might have been. Checked all the spots I think I would have put it but nada. Got frustrated with myself that I couldn't remember where I had )_@*%$&^*@%_*@_)%() put the @#)%U)WT%)_QWU)^T)QPEWT thing. Took a time out and went topside and had some coffee.

found it

I was grasping at straws when I looked in this box for it. The box was behind the shop computer - out of sight and out of mind. I put this box on the table with all the toys I have in miniature dressers and boxes. Hopefully I won't go through this the next time I need the accu-burr.

upcoming

I am going to try and apply banding to the box I am making. The plan is to band the bottom edge of the box for sure. Thinking of doing the top edge too but that depends - I'll have to eyeball it to see if I would like that look. I think it would also behoove me to practice on some scrap before I commit to doing the box.

almost

I used the thinner of the two walnut boards for the bottom. I planed a rabbet along the outside edge and fitted it. The first check revealed I was too long on the length and then too wide on the width. Corrected for both of them on a shooting board. When I could close up the box tightly on the miters with hand pressure I was done.

planing a bevel

I have 3 fielding planes, one was way too big for this small panel. The other two were also too big. I thought that the Philly plane one would have worked but it didn't. I planed the bevel with the #4 and the LN low angle block plane.

not yet

Fitting the bottom to seat fully in the grooves of the box. I had to do a few dance steps planing and checking but eventually I got it done.

fitting the top

This portable vise worked a treat doing both the top and bottom. I got the top fully seated on this end but it wasn't fully in on the opposite end. 

success

The box miters fully closed up with hand pressure - all the toes and heels were gap free. This walnut board came from a woman's make up dresser that I took apart and made new drawers for it. It is good enough for this box.

sectors

Two of these I made and the far left one I will eventually make into a small sector. The 2nd one from right is toast. It is OTL and that is being kind. It isn't even remotely accurate. I couldn't find any documentation on how to make a sector and of the 5 I made (only two survive) all but one were failures. The far right one I made with Brendon Gaffney at Lost Art Press a couple of years ago.

hit or miss

This sector gives me fits because I can't seem to get repeatable results with it. Some of the lines are accurate while others are slightly off. I want a sector that is reliable each and every time I use it.

Lee Valley straight edge

When I was doing plane rehabs I used this check the flatness of the plane soles. I could have used my combo square to get a good enough check but I thought I would have other uses for it. I was wrong - this is the first time I looked at this in about 5 years?

jumped into the deep end

Bought a sector from Red Reproductions made by Acer-Ferrous tool works. Made from 1/4" aluminum with a brass hinge. I got it mostly for the lines scale and for the leg splay and angle function. I have making a chair on the bucket list and being able to set and check this should prove to be handy. Buying this emptied the wood buying savings.

no inside edge lines

There are several short You Tube vids on the Red Rose site that explains how to use this sector for each of the functions engraved on it. I had to watch the line function You Tube again because I forgot how to do it. It is going to take some time and practice to get proficient with it.

glued and cooking

I used the piggly wiggly glue because it dries clear. I had a hard time getting this glue to flow - soaking it in boiling water (nuked in the microwave) softened it but it wouldn't soften and flow. I nuked it for 20 secs in the microwave and that made a mess. There were 4 pin holes in the bottle that I didn't know about. Made a mess in the microwave and on the bottle too.

Other than the hiccup warming it up, I didn't have any problems spreading the glue on the miters. It didn't set up before I got the clamps on. I had plenty of time to position and move things before I tightened the band clamps. I'll let this cook until tomorrow.

what finish?

I filled that the gaps I have in the X brace with veneer and I'm calling that done. First choice for the finish is something clear like poly. I am also entertaining painting some of it. Not the entirety but maybe just the legs and applying a clear finish on the rest. I got lots of time to make the command decisions about it.

accidental woodworker

I haven't gotten much time in the shop yesterday or today. Spent some time helping my wife out with her storage unit. She wanted to remove some shelving I put together for her a few years ago. She wants to transit from mailing books from the storage unit to having it go directly from the printer to the requesting party. She hopes to get there before she has to replenish the storage unit shelves. Got a few things ticked off and I should get more tomorrow.

knocking the sharp point off

Didn't saw this one plumb on the front. I took care of that with the chisel.

last one

The back legs didn't get as much knocked off. Did better sawing the last 3 straight and square.

shortening the screws

Blacksmith bolt still doesn't have the screws I want in stock and I'm not waiting anymore. I will paint the heads of the pivot screws with black enamel oil based paint.

done

It took some filing to clean up the threads after I hack sawed them to length. I thought I had a 1/4-20 die but I didn't. I'll look into getting one. I will use red locktite on the acorn nuts to keep them on the screws. 

nice and shiny

This shelf liner worked well with keeping the brass stationary while I sanded them. Started with 220 and ended with 600.

already gone

It has been less than 2 minutes and the brass has already dulled. The shine is almost gone completely. I don't have any lacquer and I don't like using it. The smell of it lingers forever and it gives me a wicked bad headache. The brass will just have to have a patina.

hmm.....

I hadn't noticed that the pics on this calendar were different sizes. The are 9 of one size and 3 that were slightly smaller. (BTW the paper cutting gadget is sold by Wally World - it's in the paper/gift wrapping aisle and Amazon)

doing some layout

I wanted to use this frame but it is too big. The margins around the perimeter and between the pics would be too wide IMO.

need 4 frames

Decided to go with 4 frames, each holding 3 pics. Three of them will be the same size with the 4th one a wee bit smaller.

been a while

Sawing a piece of walnut in half, kind of. I really only need one piece but I'm shooting for two. This wasn't the easiest one I've sawn in two with the ryobi but I got it done. Maybe it was just me a bit rusty from not doing it.

tiny curly qs

This walnut had a hump in the middle and the grain reversed there too. Got some real ugly tear out when I tired to plane it first with the 5 1/2.

the curly q maker

I have had this iron for as long as I've owned this LV low angle jack and this is the second time I've used this toothing iron. The first time was to try it out when I first got it. Used it today for the first time for a real application. Planed it end to end with this iron followed by the 5 1/2. Almost zero tear out on the follow up as long as I didn't take a lot of passes.

one done

One is thicker than the other but that is ok. The left one is done, the right one is next. I plan to use them for the top and bottom on this box. I started this last year (?) and I will complete it as a in between project. I still have to plane/clean up the opposite face on both.

both are done

I didn't go nutso and try to get both of them the same thickness. There isn't any need to do that. Once they are in the grooves you won't be able to see how thick they are. I stickered them and tomorrow I'll make the rabbets to fit the grooves.

accidental woodworker

This is the culmination of the wooden screw rabbit hole I've been in for several weeks.  It started from a Worth marking gauge I was given some years ago, the screw from which didn't fit the inside threads in the fence very well.

It all started from this

It turned out that the inside threads were the problem - they got wallowed out a bit and the screw would no longer hold.  So with my experience a few years ago making larger wooden screws and with the help of some online videos, I figured out how to make threads of the appropriate size: 3/8" major diameter at 10 threads per inch (3/8" - 10, for short).

To pull it all together, I made a new marking gauge.  The major challenge with this one was making the wooden thumb-screw.  I'll get to that in a little bit.  But first, I made a prototype marking gauge fence from scrap wood to see if I could create inside threads through the top and extending to the mortise that houses the beam.

I needed the prototype marking gauge to be at a specific height in the threading box, so I planed a scrap piece and super-glued the fence to it. Then ran the tap through the fence to make the inside threads.

And it worked very well.  Here's the original wooden screw in that tapped hole - a nice snug fit.

Later I made a fence blank from walnut and repeated the procedure on the real thing.

Here's the walnut fence getting threaded

and I got a nice fit here, too

The walnut took the threads pretty nicely

Next I tested a 3/8" diameter piece of walnut to see how well it would take outside threads.  I had soaked it in mineral oil for a few days, and it worked out pretty well.

Testing a 3/8" walnut dowel for outside threads

And it fits an inside thread nicely

With that adding confidence, I laid out a wooden screw on a walnut blank.  I was careful to lay out precisely to keep things aligned.

Laid out the shape using the original as a guide

Then sawed and rasped the to-be-threaded end a little oversize and tapped it through a dowel plate for a fairly accurate 3/8" diameter.

The extra material on the right in the above picture is so I could mount it in the threading box.  I formed that into a 5/16" diameter so I could use one of the couplers I'd already made (I realize that might only make sense if you had read the previous posts about threading small diameter wood).  Then I cut the outside threads and tested them in the walnut fence.

It fits nicely and it locks the beam solidly!

I cut off the extension on the back end and shaped the thumbscrew head similar to the original.  I also cut off about 1/2" of threads so that there's only about 1/8 to 1/4" of threads above the fence when the screw locks the beam.

At this stage, there's just a little shaping to do and then some coats of shellac.  Like my last marking gauge, I added wax to all outside surfaces, except the bottom of the beam.  That exception will help ensure the beam won't slip in its mortise during use.

It's looking like a marking gauge

I added measurement lines on the side of the beam that is visible to me (a right-hand dominant person) when in use.  I find the lines very useful on the original Worth gauge, and I don't know why more marking gauges don't have this feature.

I laid out these lines carefully - they go out to 6"

Almost forgot to mention - I made the pin from an old 3/32" drill bit.  It was annealed (though it was still very hard after annealing) with a torch and sharpened using a drill and hand-crank grinder.  It was a little loose in the 3/32" hole in the beam, so I bent it a little bit and now it holds well.

And here is the glamour shot.  When the screw is tightened, the beam will not go anywhere.  It clamps as solidly as a rottweiler on a postman's leg.

It's a beauty

I'm done with wooden screws for now.  It's time finally to move on to other things.

 No more cable TV but I got my Firesticks last night around 2030. I got one installed (not 100% sure of that) on the living room TV. I had to do it 3 times because it updated twice and after each update I had to install from the beginning again. All I wanted to see was the prime video screen when I sign into Amazon prime on my computer. Never made it anywhere near that point. And fun ain't over yet because I get to repeat all that fun when I install it on the bedroom TV.

I wasn't expecting a ton of buy this and check out this trial offering. All I wanted was access to prime video of which there is a button on the Firestick remote. But pressing it just had me selecting and downloading and entering PINs for what I don't or didn't know. I gave up installing it and and the bedroom one is waiting in hot standby. 

One last tidbit is I want to install Amazon Silk so I can surf the net and You Tube hopefully. I watched and read how to do it but so far nothing on my Firestick home screen matches/agrees with anything I saw on the instructional downloads. 

screw blocks

Glued and screwed these to the center stretcher and I'll screw the plywood to them after they have cooked.

done

Why I wanted this shelf. Usually the 3 on the bottom lived on the top shelf or on the toolchest behind it. I'm hoping that I don't have to play musical chairs with these 3 as much now. They have made multiple round trips from here to tablesaw to the drill press table (not necessarily in that order) sometimes a bazillion times a day.

not working

I want to sand these up to 600 grit and I made a 'holding' insert for  them out of 1/8" plywood. The brass is proud of that but only by a couple of frog hairs. I'm not sure that this will work but I'll give it a try.

thick veneer

I stuck two pieces of the thickest veneer I had but it won't be sufficient. I can barely feel a difference between two veneers and no veneer.

too tight

The right side, outside leg is bowed and it is too tight. I should have planed this before I attached the X brace and the stretcher. Didn't so I get to do it now.

got a hump

Planing this hump wasn't the nightmare of busted knuckles I thought it was going to be. It was a bit awkward but I was able to plane it flat.

had to pull it

Because of the grain direction I had to orient it this way. I was able to plane about 3/4 of the way inward from the outside edge. I really don't have to get it up the braces and stretcher because the legs don't close up fully against each other.

took a while

The left inside leg had a small hump too but it was easier and quicker planing that one flat. The right side is now flat from end to end.

the front legs

Removed the end blocks for the dowel and the screws from the treads. (Blacksmith bolt still hasn't stocked the 2" screws I want). There was a minuscule bit of a hump on the front legs. I planed the both outside legs flat from end to end.

dragging

Moving one end causes the opposite end to pivot and move about a third of the way down the straight edge. That tells me that this is flat when repeating from the other end does the same thing.

much better

These leg sandwich loosely with the front legs now. No rubbing anywhere when sliding them up/down or pivoting them up/down. Before I planed this, it was fitting snug and would only go down about a 1/3 of the way.

fully laying flat

The right outside leg at the top bows outward a wee bit. However, the outside legs are fully seated on the front legs and they move with no binding whatsoever.

didn't forget them

The front face on both got some scratches and debris on them from sitting on the standoffs. Cleaned, sanded them up, and painted them again. Tomorrow I'll get back to applying the clear poly to them. It is looking like they will be ready to go to Maria next week sometime. 

new thing to frame

There are 12 pics of various hand tools taken apart and laid out. This calendar dates from 2015 and I have walked by it for years without paying any attention to it. I am going to cut out the pics and install them in a frame. As of now I'm thinking of grouping them in 3 or 4 per frame. That is subject to change. 

accidental woodworker

Just before 1130 I got the new high speed internet installed, tested, and working. We went from 100MB to 500MB and as usual with upgrades I didn't see a uptick. I'll give it a few days and see if that opinion changes. 

Internet is working and the Verizon tech told me about something called Amazon Firestick. Basically it makes a dumb TV into a Smart TV. I have two on order and I can't wait. Supposedly you can stream on the TV along with surfacing the internet. That is something I'm really interested in - I want to be able to watch You Tube on the bedroom TV. The two sticks are scheduled for delivery between 1700-2200 today.

folded

This is as much as I can fold the ladder up. One leg is hanging up on the oval head screws. Blacksmith bolt responded to my email and the flat head, black oxide, screws I want should be back in stock tomorrow. This ladder is heavy, a lot more so than I would like for a kitchen helper.

1 1/4" radius

The plan was to hacksaw off as much of the waste as I could. That didn't go so well because the hacksaw blade I had was dull and wouldn't cut this brass easily.

triangle file

To give the saw a helping hand I used the file to make a kerf for the saw to follow. That worked a little better but the blade still struggled to cut the brass.

Yikes!

It took a boatload of calories to clear all the crappola that was covering the disk sander. I left it on the shelf and rounded the brass corners there. This sander weighs in the neighborhood of 100 lbs.

done

I like this look a lot more than as a rectangle. The round overs didn't raise much of a burr neither. I was expecting it to be bigger and ready to slice and dice my fingers.

circle jig

Found this while clearing out space for the tech to run his wires and such. I thought I had lost this. I will ensure that I put this with the two cut off sleds for the bandsaw.

wow

Another find clearing out the crappola. After finding it I remembered it. I never installed it because at the time I didn't know how to do the saw blade kerf. Doing that now is not a mystery anymore. As of now I don't know if I'll use it. After all I just made 6 MDF inserts.

gone

80 grit sanding block knocked off the square edges lickety split. The only sharp points left on the ladder are on the bottom of the two legs.

the after pic

I threw away a ton of crap I had on the ledge above the stool/oscillating sander. Ended up with some empty space that I can fill up with new crap.

1/2" CDX plywood

Most of the day was wasted waiting on and helping out the tech. Decided to do something that I have been meaning to do for a while. I got reminded of it when I saw this in the corner of the boneyard. A bottom shelf for the set up table.

squaring the ends

I got the width done on the tablesaw because I had two factory edges to use. The length I had to square one end. I didn't go nutso on this because it wasn't necessary for the application.

done

Planing plywood isn't difficult at all. The Lee Valley low angle jack ate it up without hesitation.

sigh....

I had a senior moment brain fart. I wanted to mark and cut at 33 1/4" and I marked it at 32 1/4". Why? Because I was thinking (out in left field) that I should saw it long to square up the other end and then cut it to final length. But I measured wrong and that turned into liquid fecal matter real quick. Lucky for me I had 3 more pieces of 1/2" plywood to start over again with. 

hmm....

I wanted to get this bottom shelf installed in one piece. That didn't happen because I couldn't get the plywood to cooperate with me. The diagonal between the legs on the long side was a couple of inches shy allowing the plywood to fit. I had installed a center stretcher on the bottom when I made this table just in case this happened.

notched and fitted

Flipped it up so I could eyeball how the two pieces lie on the center stretcher. The two don't split it exactly on half but it is close enough. The two pieces lie flush with each other too. I think I'll just put a couple of screws in each piece to hold it down. No glue. It would be a nightmare trying to remove it if I had to.

 

more horizontal storage

I will concede that maybe this is a me-steak but it may work out for the better. This table has found a home positioned directly behind the tablesaw. So far it is working and I haven't had any desires to give it flying lessons. I can keep things on this shelf that I leave out on the big roll around tool chest.

 

Latest Lost Art Press book

This book is unlike any other LAP book I have gotten from them. Heavy paper, crisp drawings, and in color. I wish they had come up with this one first.

not want I expected

When LAP said this was in color I jumped on board with both feet. I was expecting the illustrations to be 'colorized' but they aren't. However, IMO it is well worth the price.

accidental woodworker

For those who know me personally (or who have followed me for long enough), you’re aware that I am atheist. I grew up very Catholic. And like all good Catholic boys, the only vestige of my Catholicism now is periodically invoking the name of the Father, the Son, the Blessed Mother, or whatever Saint fits […]

Although I have yet to see and touch it in person, my long time friend Jersey Jon sent me this picture of his new copy of the new Roubo on Furniture.

It’s not R2D2, it is R2V2.

As always. it is available over at Lost Art Press.

I returned home a week ago from the most recent Bowl Exploration class at Peter Galbert Workshops. This was the third time I’ve taught this class and each iteration has seen a change or two. This time around, we carved … Continue reading →

 I plugged and chugged all day and at 1548 I snapped a pic of the kitchen ladder done with the exception of a finish. I didn't think I would get to the finish line today but I did. The last couple of steps just fell into place with no hiccups for me. I also still have to do some round over work on the brass stop plates. I'll do that tomorrow.

needs to be cut down

I had a larger acorn nut that I wanted to use because it more closely matches the ones I'm using on the leg pivot screws. This is a 8-32 nut  and it must be lacquered because it is shiny as a bright day. The larger ones are all dull with a patina.

nope

I had already cut this down 4 times already and it is still too long. I thought of used two of them but one will do it.

finally

Got it tightened down after 5 attempts. I still don't know how to gauge how much to cut the the pliers. Being brass it was easy to shear off even a wee bit.

checking the fit

Checking to make sure that the back legs fit over the front ones. 

glued and cooking

I glued the X brace on and I let it cook for an hour before putting in screws.

brass RH screws

Used one screw at each notch. Chose brass to match the acorn nut and machine screw at the X crossing.

worked a treat

The first notch I sawed I dug into the leg. I cut off of piece of the water jug and used that as a wear surface.  I didn't dig in or leave any sawing scars on the other 3 notches. I put this away with the flush cut saw.

3 screws

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how many screws to use on this along with where to place them. In line (which I used) or on a slanted line top to bottom. What I was concerned with was having all the screws in line and having them potentially splitting the leg. The screws are 2" apart so that should be far enough where one would split the grain and have it run into another screw.

hasn't changed

This book is from LAP and I compared it to a another workshop reference book and they agreed. The LAP book I believe was first published in the 1930's. I used three #12 screws in each plate.

end blocks

The maple dowel is held captive with an end block on each leg. Just screwed in place - no glue. This will allow for any repairs or upkeep needed.

plates attached

I am going to round over the top edges and the top and bottom outside corners. I want those to be large - 1 or 1 1/4". Still puzzling over how to do the edges. The large radius corner round overs I think I can do on my 12" disc sander.

legs won't fold inward

It looks like I will have to round over a large chunk of the leg to allow it to pivot. When I did this I had checked it and then I only needed to clip the point directly to the left of the screw.

not much to remove

As I swung the leg in/out I penciled the marks and there isn't a lot that has to go bye bye. I used my 80 grit sanding block to round over this point.

done

I was surprised by this fix. I thought it would still hang up on some other hiccup that I failed to catch. Leg pivoted in/out without any hang ups or other issues. 

hmm......

Noticed one more step to do when I snapped this pic. The top of the front legs are squared off. I think that would look and feel better if it was was rounded over. The other one was after stepping on it I think I should have have put 3 steps on it. I felt like something was missing when I was standing on the 2nd step. 

accidental woodworker

 My wife got back to the barn today a little before 1300. Unlike the trip down to North Carolina she stopped for the night in New Jersey on the way home. She is going back to NC next month again but by herself. I might have surgery before than I want to stay close to home until I'm fully healed. I'm hoping to make it down there at least once this year. Fingers crossed and I'll be thinking happy thoughts.

wee bit shy of flush

Before I screw the stretcher on planed this leg flush with the stretcher. The other end it ok - its flush.

3 of 4

No glue yet, just screws. I still had yet to ensure it folded up and there was sufficient clearance between the legs.

hmm......

The oval heads on this side are holding up the legs closing further. On the opposite leg there is clearance. I checked and I don't have any flat head screws, black oxide or plain steel, to replace these. I checked Blacksmith Bolt and they didn't have any of what I wanted in stock. I got an email out to him and I should have a reply next week sometime. Until then I am kind of dead in the water again.

laying out the x brace

The plan was to get this first leg notched and fitted. Then lay the opposite one on it, layout where they cross and knife it and its notches in the leg.

sigh

I had to reset and redo the layout. The bottom of the cross brace was too close to the bottom stretcher. Missed that when I sawed this notch on the wrong side - There were three knife lines and I picked the wrong one.

slightly proud

This was planned. I left this a wee bit proud to give me some wiggle room for adjustment after the brace is seated in the leg notches. I did this half lap first and then the last two leg notches.

done

This is more for show then application. The look is good but the notches are a botch job. I used the dozuki to saw them and hindsight that was a me-steak. The cut happening on the pull or push didn't play out well for me. My notch cuts came out barely adequate and certainly not what I know I could do better on.

gap

Not only did I saw on the wrong side, my cuts on the far side were off the layout line. On some they were in the waste and a few in the good meat. I wasn't expecting the dozuki to wander off as it did.

wrong side

I did pretty good on the side facing me and sawing on the layout line. Can't say the same for the opposite side I couldn't see. I went into this confident and without feeling any heebie jeebies about sawing. Even after the first errant sawing I still felt good and that didn't change until the last one I did. The results I got were disappointing considering I approached this like it would be a nothing event to knock out.

the best one

Had problems with the notches too. I got a lot of tear out with this maple. I was expecting it to be clean and easy (its a hardwood?) and it was almost the direct opposite of that.

the best looking one?

Overall I don't have a warm and fuzzy with my X brace. I am considering painting it now so I can hide all the sins I see with it.

flushed

Happy with how this came out. I wish the walls were bit tighter but as is it is self supporting.

worse notch tear out

This notch broke off a big chunk when chiseling it. I was erring on the side of caution and chiseling upwards from the bottom of the notch upwards to the middle. One piece broke off from one side to the other and took out the entire knife line on this side of the leg.

This isn't readily visible and won't be so when opened for using it. I am going to sleep on painting this and decide it tomorrow. One idea floating around the brain bucket is to paint it 2-3 colors?

the best one on the back?

Maybe I'm being too critical of myself but I really hate gaps. I wanted all the joints to be snug, tight, and self supporting. Almost with any of that doesn't cut it for me.

crossing glued

The X brace is a 1/2" thick and screwing it could be tricky. Drilling a pilot hole won't be easy. The glue may be sufficient but I'm sure this brace will be used to open and close the legs. Another thought for securing it further is using a machine screw and a nut. I have some small sizes along with acorn nuts in brass.....

Did some serious eyeballing of the back here. The brace is clamped to the legs and it honestly didn't look all that terrible. My wife looked at and didn't notice anything. I told her before hand about the gaps there and she said it looked fine to her.

a 'can you' project......

These are glass tiles roughly 1" square. You can see through them. Daughter #2 asked me to make a table for her with these tiles. She gave me a pic of a table she liked and it is for putting drinks on. I have never worked with such small tiles but I'm concerned with how to secure them to the substrate?

Because you can see through them I would think that using thin set isn't a good choice. I'm thinking of using epoxy over a substrate that is painted the same color as the table is. Not sure how that will look so I plan on seeing if I have any extra tiles and I'll make a sample substrate first. This doesn't have to be done until august so I will have time to order extra tiles if I need to.

accidental woodworker

 The post man came early today while I was eating lunch. He brought a couple of books I had ordered from the LAP (Lost Art Press) a couple of days early. The thought was to leaf through them while filling the pie hole and then go back to the shop. What happened was me reading half of one book and it was 1330 before I realized how much time had elapsed. I'm sure I'll be finished with it before the sun comes up tomorrow.

the left one

It blows my mind that craftsman were able to make the things they did with just dividers and straight edges. The hound & Eye is the book that captured my attention and I just plowed through it. I thought I had both of these but I was a good boy and checked my library first. I didn't have either one so I ordered them. I think this completes my herd with all the books these two authors have written.

done

I came back to the shop last night and got the 4th and 5th coats of shellac on these. Looking at the sides I can't tell that I had sanded half of the original finish off and applied 5 more. The (left one) back molding is almost a perfect match to the door stiles.

the other side

I like the top back apron. The height is just right where it doesn't look like a correction for a brain fart.

Yikes

It took a lot of calories to get this lid off. I obviously didn't clean the rim the last time I used this. On the flip side it worked in my favor by completely sealing it and keeping oxygen from getting to the finish.

 I transferred the contents of this can into an empty quart paint can. I filtered it through a filter that I use for shellac. The filter caught a ton of debris. I got the first coat of this finish on the backs of the two frames.

needed a 1/4" dowel

I'm using the brass rod as a sleeve for the 1/4" machine screw to move against rather than having it rub and move on wood. The dowel is so when I saw off the lengths I need (4 of them), the saw won't collapse the brass tube.

driving it home

The 1/4-20 screw with the button head was use to drive the tube home. This way the end of the brass tube won't get deformed from the hammer blows.

1/4" fender washers

I really don't want to use these washers - they would have been used between the legs. I had gone to ACE to find some plastic washers and Nada. On the drive home I thought of making my own plastic washers out this plastic lid.

worth its weight in gold

I used this to drill the four 9/32" holes I needed for the brass tube. This ensured that the holes were 90° to the face of the legs. This goes from a 1/8" to 3/8" by 64ths. There a companion to this that goes up to a 1/2". So far I haven't had a need for anything beyond 3/8".

found an old water bottle

I didn't want to use the first choice because I use them for glue ups. I am going to double up the washers because this plastic is thin. Along with making the legs swing freely, I also want the washers to provide a wee bit of space between the legs.

drilled chamfers

I couldn't find any black oxide oval head 1/4-20 machine screws. Using flat head ones and I'll paint the heads black - these are plain steel.

acorn nuts

I'll cut down the screws and top them with these nuts. I got them from Blacksmith bolt and they weren't cheap. I wasn't expecting them to cost what they did. Instead of buying 25-50 I only got 8.

hmm......

Got some decisions to make on this. I found some brass 'U' shaped channel but the price of it was insane so this will have to do. I still think it is a better choice then using wood stops. how many screws? brass or black oxide? finally how to round over the exposed edges?

sigh

I was getting ready to get the 2nd coat of poly on when I noticed there was a ton of build up on the outside edges - on both sides of the rabbet. Had to take a step back and scrape it off.

how did I miss this?

This leg is out of square. The opposite side is square but it tapers upward from there to this corner. Another brain fart to deal with.

fixed

Bullnose plane and some chisel work. I'm square now in the four corners but I had to take a couple of steps backward. On well, stercus accidit.

tomorrow

There isn't that much left to do to complete this. I have to do some cleanup on the left leg here. The notch for the bottom stretcher is proud of it but flush on the right leg. After I get this glued and screwed to the legs I'll plane it flush. 

accidental woodworker

Last time, I had some success threading 1/2" dowels and fitting them into 1/2" wooden nuts.  I had used a three sided box with dadoes that housed blocks.  One block holds a machine screw and nut with a specific pitch.  The end of the screw was modified to hold either a dowel ready to have outside threads cut, or a tap ready to cut inside threads in another block.  Another block simply gets an inside thread cut into it or it houses a cutter to cut an outside thread on a dowel that is fed into it.

Here's the box set up to cut outside threads on a dowel

After some experimentation, I made some improvements.  First, I wanted to angle one of the sets of dadoes so that the cutter mounted to it would cut outside threads at the proper pitch angle.  For the 1/2" - 8 threads and the 3/8" - 10 threads that I'm working with, this angles turns out to be around 5 degrees.  Without this angle, the V-shaped threads cut into a dowel would not be symmetrical: one side would be more vertical and the other side more angled.

This shows the angled block to account for the pitch angle. The previous picture shows a straight-across block.

Second, I realized that my outside thread cutters were cutting a much wider thread than I want due to cutter angle and geometry.  So I modified the cutters to make a narrower cut (no pics of that).

Third, I made improvements to the methods of connecting the screw to a dowel.  Originally, I had used a piece of rubber hose and hose clamps, but these tended to slip.  Later, I made wooden couplers that used set screws to lock the screw and dowel in place.

Here's an early experiment with 5/16" tap cutting inside 3/8"-10 threads in a block.  The machine screw has 3/4"-10 threads and the coupler is made from plastic tubing, hose clamps and a split wooden ring to adapt the 5/16" dowel to the 3/4" ID plastic tube.

Now is where I get into 3/8" diameter screws with 10 threads per inch.  I use a 5/16" dowel for cutting inside threads.  In earlier experiments I just drilled a hole through a 5/16" dowel and stuffed a cutter in the hole to make a tap.

The little cutter was made from a steel hinge, rectangular in cross section and fit tightly into the round hole drilled through the dowel.

That worked, but after the first use, the hole got wallowed out and the cutter wouldn't stay in place.  So I decided to try a different way to hold the cutter in place.  This method uses a set screw in the end of the dowel to lock the cutter in place.  But as you'll see, there were issues.

Drilled, tapped and put a set screw in the end of the 5/16" dowel. Before tapping the hole, I fit the dowel into a 5/16" hole drilled in scrap. This kept the dowel from breaking apart as I tapped.

Made a new cutter from an old 1/8" drill bit

After annealing, it shaped easily with hack saw and files

But after a few times tuning it into a (hopefully) new nut, it was destroyed. This one was made from relatively soft red alder.

I made another 5/16" dowel from beech, hoping the harder wood would hold up better.  Then I ran it through another 5/16" pilot hole and it worked without getting destroyed.

 I am finally done with the big picture frame. I am not doing anything more with it. I couldn't see any snaking raised grain on it even in raking light. So the home team finally wins. The experiment frame came out good but it still took 3 coats of paint to cover it. Raising the grain with a wet rag paid off and I will definitely do that before I start in on the 7 Stanley poster frames. 

I didn't get the frame to Maria this week. But on the flip side she won't be open on monday so I'll have sat/sun/mon to apply the water based poly to them. I have gloss oil poly and I may use that, maybe. I am not a fan of shiny, glossy picture frames though. I prefer a satin or at the outside a semi-gloss.

2nd one

Used a butt joint on the bottom and miters at the top. I could have also used a butt joint here too but I like the cleaner look of the mitered joint.

offcut is short

It would be long enough if I used a butt joint not for a miter. I used one of the screw ups from the original frame.

top back rail detail

I nixed using a simple round over on the top corners mostly because there isn't anything else round on either cabinet. Everything about both of them is rectilinear. Going with a shallow, long angle instead.

don't like the look

I am definitely not getting a warm and fuzzy with this. I thought of decreasing the length of it but killed that too. I didn't think that would warm me up any at all.

KISS

I'm sure everyone is familiar with KISS - keep it simple stupid. Well you can't get anymore simpler than this. And I like it a lot but there is one thing I can't quite put a finger on about it.

KISS pt 2

This is where my finger landed. I sawed the height down to a little more than an inch from 1 1/2". This I like and IMO it fits in with rest of the lines of the cabinet.

sigh

This popped out when I sanded the frame with 220. I didn't see any evidence of this before sanding. I'll have to wait and see what it looks like at quitting time after the paint has dried for several hours.

ready for shellac

Both the panel back moldings and the top back rail are secured only with screws - no glue. That should be more than adequate for keeping them in place. With the back panel it should be was easier to hang this on a wall or leave it to sit on a table. 

side/back peek

I flushed the back molding with the sides. I used a blockplane to get it close and sanded them flush with 80 and 120 grit. I don't mind the  color/grain difference between the molding and the sides. I'll be able to make a better determination of that once I get 4-5 coats of shellac on them.

a first for me

I don't recall ever using nails on a miter joint. There wasn't any meat at the top here to screw this molding to so I glued it. 4 hours later I put two nails into the miter - one from each side of it.

came early

UPS said these were coming any time up to 1900. They were on the front porch when I came back from lunch. The bags have black oxide set screws for normal use. The box has black set screws that are corrosion resistant. Both of them are the same size with flat bottoms.

trying it

The metal insert set screws are painted. It is still flush with the table top years later - the paint is like a glue. I'm going to 'paint' my set screws with super glue. Fingers crossed that they won't vibrate and move like the sheet metal screws do.

the bottom & top

I flooded and filled both sides of the set screw holes. I put the insert into the tabletop and I road tested immediately. No problems making a couple of rips and crosscuts on some scraps.

sneak peek

The woodworking is done, the shellac prep is done, and finishing is in the batters box.

hmm......

Drilled the hole out to 9/32 which is the OD on this brass tube but it doesn't fit. I set it aside for now and I'll deal with fitting it in the AM.

finally

What a relief it was to check the big frame and not see anymore _)&*@*@_%(_+@)*%^)(*&^)@$%)_*)_(*+%@ snaking raised grain. I was ready to say No Mas with this if there was more cursed raised grain.

two coats on

I got another coat on before dinner and the plan was to get a 5th one on before I hit the rack. You won't know that outcome until sundays blog post.

accidental woodworker

A Year’s Worth of Work for Paul Sellers since my ribs were broken by an assailant in Abingdon. This is how I recovered and why. I’m sorry it’s such a long post, but it is a year in the saddle for me. My Longest Single Blog Post Yet I often ask myself the question and...

Source

It would have been an easy shot. The calf particularly would have been a quick butcher with tender meat soon to be cooking over a fire. For a moment, I thought about priming the pan of my rifle, but decided against it. We couldn’t really carry the rest of the meat, it would be wasted, and we probably didn’t have that much further to go. Maybe another day or so. We had hard tack and jerky enough.

Besides, if we did shoot it, our luck would be that the rancher would come over the hill and catch us doing so.

Still, the idea of fresh, juicy meat cooked over a fire was tempting.

We kept walking, staying with the aspen trees that bordered the lower area of the field. About 20 minutes later, another odd image appeared — a pickup truck came bouncing across the field, straight towards us. He waved. We waved. He pulled up, rolled down the window, and asked: “Are you two hunting? It’s not muzzleloader season yet.”

“No. We’re walking down to the Fort Bridger Rendezvous.”

He didn’t look completely convinced. I noticed the shoulder insignia, Wyoming Fish and Game. Were we in Wyoming already?

Despite his initial skepticism, he could see we were dressed the part of fellows walking to a shoot, or maybe a freak show, and not really dressed like deer hunters. I had leather leggings, elk skin, a cloth breech cloth, cotton old-style shirt. Jeff was dressed similarly, except he was wearing jeans. I had a .45 caliber flintlock rifle, Jeff was packing my 12-ga flintlock smoothbore. We each had a blanket rolled up with our personal items inside, tied with a strap over our shoulders.

The officer looked us over a few times, then said “Are you doing any fishing?” There was a small creek running through the open area. It did have fish, though the biggest were about six inches long. “No.” We didn’t have any obvious fishing gear. “OK” and he drove off.

I was glad we didn’t have calf blood on our clothes or hands.

***

Two days prior, we had left from high on the north side of the Uintahs, at Elizabeth Ridge, in Utah (elevation 10,235 feet) intent on walking into Fort Bridger, Wyoming (elevation 6,674 feet). This was the third annual Rendezvous, Labor Day weekend of 1975. I had been to the previous two Fort Bridger Rendezvous events. The Mountain Men of the Wasatch, of which I was a member, were the originators and organizers. 

I have a bunch of things I've made over the past few years that I don't have room for anymore. So I decided to gather them up and give them to my sisters, Sue and Kam. Donna won't be  getting anything because it is too expensive to ship boxes to her. Sue and Kam will divvy up the goodies and decided who gets what. 

With that in mind, there are two tea cabinets I made over two years ago that they will get. However, I didn't put backs on them because they are meant to hang on the wall via a french cleat. I made five and 3 of them sit on tables. Even though I explained that they were designed to hang on so the wall becomes the back. Since that ain't working out before these last two go to them I will put a back on them. That is what I dealt with today.

they are looking good

The smaller frame I'm calling done. It needs the back side to be painted to be 100%. The larger frame initially looked good but.....

nope

On the right long leg I could see a few snakes of raised grain. From 6 feet away I couldn't see it but I can up close. Once the satin poly goes on it will pop and be visible from 6 feet.

one more time

I inspected the other 3 legs and they were ok. In raking light I caught another snake on one of the 3 legs. Drat, and double drat.

time to get tough

This is getting old real quick. Sanded it lightly with 220 and then I wet the leg down with a wet rag to raise the grain. After it dried, sanded it with 220 and painted it again. Hopefully for the last time.

tea cabinet

Cabinet as is. I had already taken the door off and flushed it with the bottom of the cabinet last year. Originally all the doors extended past the bottom by a 1/8" because they were designed to hang on a wall. This is something my sister Donna asked me about. I told her to saw a 1/8" off the door bottom.

look see from the back

I couldn't find the site I bought the tea sets from (pot, cup, saucer, tea bag holder). Even my wife couldn't find it so these are going out sans tea sets.

1/4-20 set screws

I got a box of sheet metals screws too. One set screw at ACE was 79 cents and I refuse to pay that price for 24 but I did buy four so I could do one insert. After I got home I ordered 50 of them - two pkgs of 25 ea - from McMaster-Carr. I bought two different types and with S/H and taxes it set me back $36.

needed an insert before staring on the tea cabinets

I got the old insert under the new one. The blade can't retract down enough so it is below the bottom of the insert. 

first headache

It split when I drove the nail home. This is to keep the insert from flipping up. I filled the split with super glue. This won't be a problem and won't effect flushing the insert with the tabletop.

2nd headache

The nail at the front wasn't low enough so it was causing the insert to be tilted. I had to fill in the first nail hole and drill another one just below it. After that it was easy to level and flush the insert with the tabletop. I used the 4 set screws I bought from ACE and tomorrow when the McMaster-Carr order comes in I'll replace them.

put the original back in

Used my 80grit sanding block and leveled and flushed the insert to the tabletop. I'll use this one until new one goes in but I'm going to save it. It might be useful to have one that I can abuse and trash if needed.

white line

This is the problem child frame. I sanded this ever so lightly but it was raised. I could feel it with my finger tips. This can't be plane tracks because they are straight. I have never seen a bowed or S shaped plane track.

wet it down pretty good

Fingers crossed that this will finally end this. You would think that with all the paint coats that they would have built up and buried this by now.

PM session

Just before lunch I got the moldings for the back sawn out. The plan is to put the rabbeted moldings on the back and slip a 1/4" panel in them.

post lunch Lowes run

I like this plywood a lot. Especially so the face veneer on this side. It looks like it is quarter sawn?

tossed into the shitcan

There is no need for the french cleat system anymore. This frees up some space in the top shelf area.

one down, one to go

I think this plywood compliments the pine nicely.

hmm......

Me thinks I didn't think this through all the way. The frame for the plywood is good but I didn't account for the gap at the top.

this will do the trick

This is 1 1/2" high and an inch longer than the top. Haven't decided yet what to do with the top. Leave it square as is or round over the top outside corners or saw an angle on them?

started on number two

Removing the french cleat on this too.

not pretty

This one didn't break off as cleanly as the first one. To my eye it is ugly looking. I think I'll glue a thin piece of pine over it to cover. I'll try to match it to the one at the front.

time to quit

Confused myself and paid the price. One of these is left over from the first one I did. It is not the same dimension as the molding for the 2nd one. I sawed the miter in the wrong direction on two and the other two I sawed short on the length.

before I killed the lights

I made another set of rabbeted moldings for the 2nd cabinet. I should be able to get these on in the AM session tomorrow and get some shellac on them.

accidental woodworker

 After talking it over with my wife yesterday, she canceled the cable TV portion and kept the internet service. A technician has to come to the house and set up. That is supposedly coming this tuesday between 0800-1200. I have no problems with no TV because I rarely watch it now. My favorite/watched shows are on PBS and 99.99% of them are on You Tube. 

My TV/internet bill with Verizon started out at $149 and last month I paid $214. Over the ensuing years TV offerings that I did watch were summarily taken away and absolute garbage channels given as replacements. 3 of them were spanish programming and 'nada' is the only spanish I know. The only channel my wife watched was changed to Hi Def with no replacement so she is fine with the TV being gone. My only headache might come this football season - but I'll wait and see how that shakes out.

hopeful

I did go back to the shop after dinner yesterday but I didn't do anything with the frame. I decided to let it cook until the AM. It looked good then and I lightly sanded it with 220 grit and it appeared to be clear - no raised grain. I painted it again and the initial look was encouraging. However, 3 hours later when I looked at I saw another raised grain snake. I'll be washing, rinsing, and repeating again. At this rate it will be april before I get the frame to Maria.

the experiment frame

Before I sanded this, these round dots weren't visible. They popped out after sanding and there are 4 of them now. Yesterday I only saw 2. The all disappeared after I painted it. Fingers crossed that I'm done with it.

almost all the way

This is the largest Yankee screwdriver I have and it drove the screws 99% of the way down. The small part left I screwed fully down by hand.

I really like how the screw heads look against the whiteness of the maple. These black oxide screws are becoming my favorites. More so then my beloved brass ones.

sigh.....

These covers are R and L handed and I blew it. I wasn't paying attention to that when I routed the chamfer on them. Had to back up here and make another one.

Yikes

The dark area on the insert is where I mistakenly threw a wet rag. It swelled up over a 1/8th of an inch. I don't know of anyway to fix a boneheaded boo-boo like this so I'll have to make a new insert.

another big sigh

I meant for the other side to be facing out - it is clear like its sibling on the left. If this bugs me when it comes time to screw it on the leg I'll make a new one. I have enough maple to make at least 5 more of these.

done

I tossed the extra one so it doesn't confuse me which doesn't take much with me.

might as well

I had already scraped off about 14 pounds of the nasty looking congealed sawdust from this worm gear. This one elevates and lowers the blade (height). That is why I couldn't fully lower it beneath the tabletop. I spent a few more calories scraping and sucking up another 14 pounds of sawdust.

the original insert

I can't use these blade stiffeners with this insert. Another thing I don't like about it is the gap is too wide. My insert was a zero clearance insert - nothing but sawdust got sucked down beneath the tabletop.

too wide

I sawed a lot of boards to get thin strips to use as banding. This insert sucked up and destroyed a lot of them which is why I made my own. Another reason why I made my own is my insert also cut down a lot on fuzzy wuzzies on the bottom of the boards I sawed.

overpriced 1/2" MDF

Made a road trip to Lowes to get a quarter sheet of this for $27. The last time I bought it I'm sure it was less than $10. I have made inserts out of 1/2" plywood but I didn't like them. The didn't last long as MDF and they weren't as smooth. Plywood tended to be grabbie when pushing stock over it. 

making 6

Decided to make 6 at once. This way I won't have a odd piece of MDF left over. The length of this is 13 1/2" long and after cutting that off, I was able to get 6 inserts out it.

template routing

Used the tape and super glue trick. Zero problems with any of them.

slip fit

Checked and all of them fit just a few frog hairs from snug.

layout done

Four holes for the leveling screws and one hole for a finger grab. At the top I'll put a clipped 4 penny nail that will act to keep the insert from pivoting up when pressure is on the front of it.

need some screws

Initially these leveling screws would vibrate and change the height of the insert. I would adjust it and it would repeat shortly afterward. The last time I did it I applied super glue to the internal threads to build them up and strengthen them. That worked better than I expected and I'll use the same method on these six. I'll have to make a run to ACE hardware because I don't have any small sheet metal screws.

The plan is too make two inserts and stow the others somewhere that I will not remember where I put them. Maybe I'll figure out a hole to stick them in that I will be able to remember. This insert has served me well for several years so I got longevity out of it.

 accidental woodworker

It's not everyday you are asked, to come and take your pick from a freshly thinned wood, that is almost exclusively cherry. I haven't had any fresh cherry for a fair few years, so to be faced with a cherry woodland on the verge of spring, with piles awaiting selection is a rare treat.

I think I will celebrate, by carving a spoon, for Clare and Nigel, the woodland owners.

Split with the froe, into halves, quarters, billets.

Axe a crank. Sketch an outline. The cherry grain has provided me with a centreline.

Saw down to the line.

Axe to the line. Same with the profile, then out with the knives. Time to catch the last few rays of the sun. Almost Equinox.

And we have a spoon. The first of many, I imagine, given the big pile of cherry logs next to me.

From tree to log to spoon, before the sun went down.

I offered some of the cherry to Mick, but I don't think he wants, to carve a spoon; says it's too much like a religion. That made me smile, I used to do a lot of Buddhist meditation; nowadays carving is my meditation. People do all sorts of things in the name of religion, but I've never heard of anyone doing bad in the name of carving spoons! I do treat my chopping block like an altar, though, I guess.

 Got the wife's crate/box done along with the Kreg loose tenon box. That was done woodworking wise but needed a finish. The platform is done and once the finish is dry I can use it. Started back on the maple kitchen ladder after that.

I called Verizon and I got lucky in that I finally got to talk to a human. A foreigner who obviously didn't speak english as his first language. I managed to navigate the maze of the frog leaps from one robot representative to the next the one before getting to him. A second after he said he would check my account, the connection went dead. I'll try it again tomorrow.

only one glamour shot

Done. The wife liked the pics I sent her which is the most important thing. I put it in her office to collect dust until june.

done

I will leave the lid propped up for a week or so to give the shellac a chance to set and harden. I put all the goodies back in it without it effecting that.

hmm......

The grain under the paint was still raising with each coat. I have already put on 2 and this one is the 3rd.

going bye-bye

I don't see any need for the back of the tread to extend past the leg. I am going to plane the small triangular part off.

close

I planed away a majority of it before I glued it up. 

glued and cooking

Didn't realize it but I made a minor me-steak. I had eyeballed and thought though what the next step would be before and after gluing the treads. Or so I thought. I missed that I should have drilled the holes for the maple grab dowel first.

black oxide, oval head screw

I plan on putting two, 2 inch #12 screws in both ends of the two treads. I don't want to rely solely on the glue bond.

the missed hole

The hole for the maple dowel. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get a drill with the bit on the inside. It wasn't problem - I had plenty of room.

color is not a match

The platform will do what I want it to do. I can't abide by the mismatch color in the pic though. The TV cabinet is poplar stained walnut. The camera shows it orange whereas it is a lighter walnut brown than the platform.