Hand Tools

 Another short day in the shop again. The fence company is coming back on monday to put up the fence. They got the poles set and then it rained for 2 days. They couldn't work and I couldn't clean up the fence line of the ivy. But that is what I squeezed in today. Spent the morning in the shop and the afternoon pulling up ivy. I'm sore now as I'm typing this and I'm sure a lot of muscles are going to be saying hello to me monday morning.

ready for glue up

I cleaned up the pin sockets and the tails seated much better. I almost forgot to do the cutout base before I glued it.

one inch holes

Doing a simple cutout on the base. One inch drill leaves me with 1/2". Glued the base and set it aside to cook.

first drawer

I got a good bond - there are no gaps anywhere on the outside edges. It was chore taking off all the clamps and stowing them. It has been a long time since I used so many.

trimming the ends

I didn't leave much overhang - maybe a 16th. So far it hasn't bit me on the arse.

good left turn

I'm glad that I nixed using oak for the drawer fronts. This way now the entire build will be done with pine (except for the plywood drawer bottoms).

hump

This surprised me because if anything I was expecting the front to be tapered. The hump was also only in this one spot. Used the #3 plane and it took a few runs before I was flat and straight end to end.

middle drawer

This drawer front shifted slightly and there is this hiccup on the right top. I can't see it all standing a couple of feet away from it. On the fence whether to fix it or just leave it.

done

There is some color and grain that takes this from bland to wanting to take a second look see.

fence line

It will be nice having the fence again. Our house sits higher than the two neighboring houses behind us. There are no secrets if the blinds are left open. We went with a 8' high stockade fence.

)(&$(@^$)@$( ivy

I hate ivy with a passion that is border line psychotic. I gave it my best shot cleaning up as much of it as I could. 

3 1/2 hours later

This is as far as I got before I ran out of gas. The ivy came out from the wall on the right about 5-6 feet into my yard. I removed from the picket fence to in between the tree stumps. 

the other half

This half is in good shape. The neighbor to the left hates the ivy as much as I do. She trims it all the time and it shows. I will try to get back this early in the morning and finish up the ivy patch around the tree stump.

I made a run to Lowes and they didn't have any small quarter round molding. I must have seen it at Home Depot. I bought 16' (only comes in 8' lengths) of a small molding that I'll use instead. I wanted to get a pine board while I was there and I forgot it. I need that to make the frame for the dowel max dresser. Spoiler alert, the dresser won't be done on monday.

accidental woodworker

We've been mostly saving old buildings recently. More of that later. We've had a storm raging here for the past two days, and I've been hunkered down, reading about Elm Timber Framing. We have several Elm stumps in the back hedge around 12" diameter. The previous owner had cut them off at 3' high, so they were neither coppiced or pollarded. They have suckered and new saplings are growing up and as we also have ash, that so far has not succumbed to the dieback, I want to help the ash, so I have cut the elm stumps off to the ground, as they will probably sprout again, and who knows maybe one day soon Dutch Elm Disease will have run it's course, and they might make it to maturity.

I have never made anything from elm, so this afternoon I started roughing out a bowl in the covered way. It is far from green now, but I had no problem, making progress with my Dave Budd bowl adze. It never seems to go blunt!

The book by Robert Somerville is a very interesting read.

The most striking thing he introduces is the variety in appearance of Elm trees. I used to live in Brighton, which is a haven for the Elm, but it seems that there may be many more around than the public perception acknowledges, according to Robert. I know of two giants locally, but maybe I'm not looking closely enough, because I mainly have eyes for oak.

Elm is known for it's interlocking grain; the reason it was used for the nave, or the hub of a wooden wheel. I remember visiting Mike Rowland carriage makers maybe 15 years back. They had a stack of nave sized chunks of elm on the outside of their workshop, seasoning. This stump, though, is perfectly straight grained, or maybe I might not have been able to cleave it.

Ran head long into FUBAR land this AM. I was working on the back panel assembly for the dresser and things went south on the express. I got a nice pile of kindling to show for my efforts. I'll attack it again tomorrow. Hopefully with better results.

veneer

first of two trips

Came down to the shop after dinner last night and got the front slip glued and cooking.

2nd trip

Got the side slips cooking. This was it for shop time today.

bottom plywood stock

I sawed out the bottom for the last drawer in the AM.

laid out the bottom

I sawed this oversized so I could saw off the tear out and fuzzies on the tablesaw.

done

Bottom installed and 3 corners fit and this one is too snug.

almost

This drawer was being stubborn and it took a long time for me to fit. In spite of the time it took and me losing my patience with it, I got it to fit as good as the ones above it.

done

This look isn't that bad on the eyes. The middle drawer on the left has a gap in the tails that I don't like. I am still going to apply veneer over the drawer fronts so the gap will never be seen.

cleaning the drawer fronts

No hiccups with this but one drawer did have some squirrely grain. I got a small spot of tear out but nothing to write home about.

last one

All of the tails were slightly proud and I find it easier to flush them with a chisel rather then use a plane. Little to no chance of breaking out the grain with a chisel.

sneak peek

I have been thinking on and off on what to do about knobs/handles for the drawers. I have some shaker knobs but Paul Sellers has posted a couple of times about making your own vice store bought. I don't like the handles he did but I do like the idea of making them with scraps. I have time to muse more on this.

nope

The big board doesn't sport enough real estate to give up the stiles and rails for the back panel assembly. The other short pieces are of varying thicknesses and would work - I would have to plane them to thickness. However, the majority of them are too short in the length. Not enough for what I need.

stiles and rails

I don't have anymore 1/2" pine but I have 3/4". I planed a reference face and sawed them to a 1/2" thick on the bandsaw.

2 rails and 3 stiles

I used a 1/2" tongue and groove plane to form the tenons and the grooves on the stiles and rails.

ugly looking

The grooves weren't a problem but the tenons were. The shoulders on all the tenons looked as bad or worse than this one. On the bright side on the coin, the tenons fit in the grooves. This is toast and not usable.

salvageable

The rails I could reuse along with the center stile because I didn't make tenons on it. I made two more stiles and tried to plow a groove in them. That didn't work out in my favor. I used the originals to set up for the new stiles. I lost track of what was the reference face and pow, liquid fecal matter up to my armpits. 2nd attempt was a bust and I ended up with a small pile of kindling.

drawer fronts

Decided against the oak veneer for the drawer fronts and I bandsawed off two pieces for the middle and bottom drawers. Initially the first one looked good and I did the second one.

yikes

I wasn't making clapboards for a doll house. The thin end of the taper is still more the thick enough to use for the drawer.

better

I planed the thick end of the taper trying to even it out with the thinner end. I didn't go nutso on it because I'll still need to plane it after it has been glued to the drawer front.

top drawer first

Used bessey clamps on the ends because the veneer is being glued to the end grain of the dovetails. I wanted to get maximum pressure to get as good of a glue bond on the small long grain areas there as I could.

top drawer

I'll let it cook until tomorrow. 

the other two

Ditto for these. I put the one on the bench on the deck on scraps of plywood. Run out of besseys for this. One of them wouldn't cooperate and it is toast. I think besseys have a lifetime warranty or guarantee? 

making the base

Dovetails in the short sides and pins on the long front and back.

done

I plan on doing a cutout but that will be done tomorrow. Dry fit is good and checking the fit of the dresser inside of it was in the batters circle.

it fits

It isn't snug nor is it a slip fit. I purposely made the base ID slightly bigger than the OD of the dresser.

the gap

The dresser is tight against the back and the left side. There will be less than a 32nd if I equidistant the dresser and the base.

cove molding

I don't like the size of this molding so I'll be making a road trip to Lowes in the AM. I think they had small quarter round moldings that would look good and cover any gaps.

accidental woodworker

 

I think Matt Cianci and I share a bit of our saw addict stories. There was a long period I read every bit  about old anglo-american saws I could find on the internet. This got slower when I startetd making saws with Klaus in 2009. But I love to read about saws. Matt and I „met“ on the net, when he was building replicas of the old saws.

 

Matt Cianci wrote the book Set & File, published by Lost Art Press. LAP doesn‘t ship to individuals in Europe, but www.rubank.se retails them. Costs me 48 € to my doorstep, but as it was late, I got some cute Bahco clamps as a gift.

The book is wonderfully made.

Matt has a light feather and writes easy to read for me. The detailed manuals to review, sharpen and set a saw are just long enough not to miss a detail and short enough not to bore anybody. If you follow Matts advise and practice, you will end up with sharp saws. From my point of view most important are the detailled clear pictures of the teeth in different stadium. Never saw better picures.

 

I do details differently: I never raise the file on the back stroke. But the important parts are just my taste: Light and look from above, not from the side. Stand while sharpening.

On down fact for european readers: The books is in some parts directed to North American readers. 

Old good hand saws are rare as hens teeth to get in my part of the world as are the Stanley 42x saw sets, wich Matt recommends strongly. I have one myself, but it cost a fortune to get and I‘m not a big fan of it. I like the old Eclipse 77 much more. But since Brexit, they are hard to get, too. The new eclipse 77 made by Spear & Jackson are usable, though.

Same about saw vises. Matt uses a Gramercy, wich I had and sold. Cast iron or wood for me. But I do most of my work on blades of 0.020“ (0,5mm) and thinner.

It is an inreresting book to read for me, writen by a real saw expert. 

For German Reader: I heared there are plans to translate the book to German.

Slow start today. Running this morning in almost 80 percent humidity took the ‘get up and go’ out of me so it was mid afternoon before I wandered into the shop. Continuing to contemplate wood choice I finally just dove in with the cherry left over from prior projects. It’s a bit of a mixture of sizes and it took a bit of sorting before I had the major components identified.

Then it was table saw, bandsaw and planer until the legs were the same dimensions and square and the upper rails all the correct width and size.

I did take the time to ensure that all surfaces were flat before cutting the larger board to make the upper rails, used my planer as a jointer per the usual process.

Sometimes you’ve just got to make a decision and move forward. One little bit of risk I had to consider was that the width of one of the legs was just under size. I could make them all slightly smaller …or I could make sure that the edge is tapered and hope that I don’t taper the wrong side. You can clearly see the leg that needs to be watched in the picture below.

Thinking ahead, the seat of the stool in the article is made of leather and since She who works Leather and Wood is not nearby (Please visit Marilyn’s blog). I’ll have to find an alternate place to get some help. There’s a little shop that I pass occasionally maybe I’ll stop in and see if they can do the seat.

Hit a speed bump today but it was still a productive one. I ran out of my heart meds - I thought had another bottle but it was vitamin D. So that necessitated a road trip to the VA to get it refilled. Traffic was horrendous in Olneyville Square. It took four light changes before I got through the intersection. The pharmacy wasn't packed at all and I was in and out in less than 30 minutes.

In spite of this I managed to get most of what I wanted to accomplish today done. Two drawers are fitted and the 3rd one is cooking as I type this. I was hoping to get #3 fitted today too but that will come tomorrow. I might be done with the woodworking on this by monday.

fitting the first drawer

I don't take anything off the bottom. I only plane the sides and the top edges to fit the drawer. The back doesn't need any love but I will plane it smooth and flush the dovetails. Step one is checking the fit of the drawer at the corners, front and back.

still learning

As I planed the sides I checked it for square off the bottom edges. The bottom is my reference for everything I do to fit the drawer. The sides were tapered but now both are square to the bottom (and the top too).

getting closer

The drawer was binding before it hit the clamp. I'm resisting the urge to 'take one more swipe.....'. Instead I'm taking no more than 3 and checking my progress. The better I get the fit of the drawer, the better it will act going in/out. I'm not shooting for a piston fit but a drawer that slides in and out easily with an absolute minimum of side to side play.

done

The top to bottom is ok and there is a consistent gap at the top. The side to side is a just shy of snug but I'm leaving it as is. It slides in and out but it did bind and hang up if I pushed it in with anything going in off 90. 

quickie check

The middle drawer barely fits in the opening at the four corners and not at all R/L. I will get the bottom and the slips installed first before I doing any fitting of it.

drawer slips

Using this miter shooting board is a better choice over the donkey ear jig. 

what a joy

This gadget is worth triple its weight in gold and diamonds IMO. It is an absolute joy to use. No more cramped fingers and no more pinching them in between the plane and the jig. The biggest asset is the the improvement in pushing the plane through the stock. Before I use it for the cherry flat moldings I'm going to sharpen and hone the iron.

Off to the VA

Got the bottom slip glued and cooking. It was ready for the sides when I got back from there. I left at 0910 thinking I would be avoiding the school and rush traffic but I was wrong. I think I got stuck in the residual of all the ones running late.

back home

Stepped down whereas I normally do it so the slips are flush.

why it ain't so

The top of the bottom groove (in the pic) should be flush with the bottom edge of the back. If that were so, the bottom of the slip would be flush with the bottom edge of the side. If I had made it flush there would have been an approximate gap of 1/4" between the bottom and the bottom edge of the back.

side slips cooking

I use small scraps of the bottom to keep the sides aligned with the bottom slip. 

figured it out

If I didn't figure it out at least this worked. That half pin on the right side is what screwed around with my brain synapses. I thought about this last night and I doodled with a piece of paper working it out. Before I did this I laid it out on scrap to make sure I was on the right road and not another one taking me into La La Land. Step one was to treat the half pin just like I would on through dovetails. Step off to the right until I got to the other side.

step two - go from left to right

I now have a centered full pin between a half pin on the left and another 'half pin' on the right that has some wood to its right instead of nothing. It was that extra wood that was wrecking havoc with me. 

lunch time

Got the tails chopped and cleaned up and the pins laid out. I went to lunch with my wife and I got back to this a couple of hours later.

almost done

Used this chisel to chop some of the dovetails on the drawers and it split again with 3 pins left to chop. How well, it held up better than I expected it to and this split isn't as bad as the first one. I will try epoxy on the 2nd glue up.

ready for the dry fit

Got the inside faces planed smooth and the pencil marks erased with alcohol.

done

Dry fit was uneventful so I glued it up. No need for clamps as the dovetails were on the snug side. Checked the diagonals dead on and set it aside to cook.

middle drawer

First check again is the corners. The two back ones fit but on the snug side with the front not fitting without some hand taps. The R/L was off by a strong 16th.

step two

Check the reference bottom isn't twisted. (it wasn't)

flush the corners and plane the top edges

I planed the top edges in rounds of 3 - start at one corner and go around 3 times stopping where I started. Check the fit at all four corners. Repeat until it does. For me this took 5 tries.

snug

The other 3 corners are a slip fit and this one is snug. Instead of going around the top 360 I planed only this corner three times. I then did two complete 360 planing runs around the top.

knocking the back down

Planed a chamfer at the back of the bottom to help the drawer go over the back rail.

better

This corner was no longer snug but it wasn't fitting as easily as the other 3 corners. Two more planing runs and it was fitting like its siblings did.

side to side is step 3

This clamping looks like overkill but it isn't. If the 3 foot clamp is absent the drawer back end would tilt up and go forward as I planed. Right around the 1/2 point the plane would nose dive and the back end of the drawer would tip up and go forward. Incredibly annoying. I had to take a lighter shaving with the plane and go slower but this set up worked.

about a 1/3 of the way

It is very easy for me to go from it binding to it shooting out the back like a rocket. So far taking light shavings, working in doing only 3 runs and checking the fit, was working for me. 

almost

It is hard for me to read and see where the drawer is actually hanging up. Here the top is tight against the rail. Noted this and went looking for other hang ups.

 

left side

It looks like it is clear here but I also checked the other three points of contact - the R/L at the front and the L side here at the back.

two problems

This side is tight T/B (at the front) along with tight against the side of the carcass. The top edge of the back is tight against the back rail. I started this by planing just the back top of the drawer until it had clearance. I then planed the  left side of the drawer 3 times and checked the fit again.

surprised me to no end

The drawer slid in and out like it was riding on a cushion of air. Not at all what I was expecting. I haven't planed the front faces yet and I'll do them when I do the veneering of them.

cooking

As of this typing I plan to go to the shop after dinner and glue in the drawer slips. That way I just have to saw out the bottom panel and I can start fitting drawer #3.

interesting

I barely applied any pressure to the split and it closed up tight. I will definitely try epoxy on this knowing how well the split closed up. The trick will be to get the epoxy into the split. 

accidental woodworker

The world feels pretty uncertain right now. Conflicts are constant, the threat of nuclear war looms far too close for comfort, and the cost of living is climbing faster than most people can keep up with. Understandably, many are cutting back on luxury spending, focusing instead on essentials. It begs the question: what does all this mean for woodworking as a hobby? Will it remain an accessible and fulfilling pastime, or will it become a luxury that only a lucky few can afford?

Current price from the Australian marketplace. The timber is not even a metre long, it’s definitely not attractive. You can only imagine what the cost would be if it was. A woodworking shop since the 18th century abandoned by its owner to join the fight for the American Revolution in 1770.

Woodworking has always been more than just a hobby. For some, it’s about creating something useful with their hands. For others, it’s an artistic outlet a way to bring beauty and meaning into their lives. But let’s not sugar-coat it: woodworking can be expensive. High quality tools, premium timbers, and the space to set up a workshop can all add up. When money’s tight, these costs might make woodworking feel out of reach for many.

Still, woodworking is a craft with resilience. It’s rooted in practicality, and that gives it an edge in challenging times. Building your own furniture, repairing a damaged table, or making gifts by hand can all save money while giving you something far more personal and satisfying than anything mass-produced. This blend of usefulness and creativity makes woodworking more than just a hobby it can be a genuinely valuable skill.

For those worried about the cost, woodworking doesn’t have to break the bank. Repurposing timber from pallets or offcuts, salvaging wood from old furniture, and working with more affordable materials like pine can open up all kinds of possibilities. Even tools don’t have to be a massive investment. While power tools are convenient, a good set of hand tools can do the job just as well and often bring a more rewarding experience to the process. Starting small, using what’s available, and working on practical projects can make woodworking accessible to just about anyone.

Another factor that might help woodworking survive in tough times is the growing sense of community around it. Shared workshops, tool libraries, and woodworking clubs are springing up in more places, making it easier for people to give it a go without needing to commit to a full setup at home. These shared resources also bring people together, turning woodworking into more than just an individual pursuit. For many, it’s a way to connect with others, learn new skills, and feel part of something bigger.

So, what does the future hold for woodworking? It might not be as widespread or flashy as it has been in better times, but it’s not likely to disappear. Instead, it’ll evolve, becoming more resourceful, more community-driven, and more focused on the things that really matter. Those of us who love the craft have an opportunity here to share our skills, and show others that you don’t need to spend a fortune to experience the joys of woodworking.

Woodworking has always been a reflection of human resilience and creativity. It has weathered countless challenges over the centuries, and it will weather these ones too. It’s not just about what you make—it’s about the connection, meaning, and satisfaction you find along the way. And in a world like this, that’s something worth holding onto.

“Penny Hewitt runs a great class,”  Curtis Buchanan told me after traveling to Vermont to make a pack basket with her.  “She’s personable and laid-back, and she knows her stuff.  You should have her teach at your shop.”

A couple weeks ago, Penny emailed me, asking to do just that.  I’m delighted to have her.  Black ash baskets have interested me since I set up a booth in Jamin Uticone’s tent at a local music festival twenty years ago.  I was demonstrating turning; he was beating on a log with a hammer. Crowds gathered around him like moths to a flame, drawn by the steady rhythmic sounds of his sledge. He peeled the log apart growth-ring by growth-ring, then spent hours scraping the material to a smooth and supple perfection.  He and I were working the same material – ring-porous hardwood – but our understanding and use of the material couldn’t have been more different. I was splitting the log like firewood; he was de-laminating it year-by-year. I was carving it to shape while he was weaving it like cloth.

These days, ash is on the road to extinction, taking this ancient craft with it. Learn how before it’s too late:

Make your own basket and learn one of the oldest crafts in human history. For thousands of years baskets served as indispensable objects in every culture. Carry on the tradition and take home a beautiful, durable and useful basket crafted from responsibly harvested, hand pounded black ash logs. In this two day workshop, you will weave a traditional Adirondack-style pack basket with cedar runners and base and adjustable webbing harness. This roughly 18” tall basket is made to last and be used.

February 22nd and 23rd, 2025 – $550 (visit the class page for more info).

The post Black Ash Pack-Basket Class first appeared on Elia Bizzarri - Hand Tool Woodworking.

With beautiful autumn weather in the air and the hillside bush hogging (mostly) completed, for a couple days I turned my attention to the last remains of the shack that was once someone’s home a hundred years ago.  My brother, nephew and I dismantled and salvaged a great deal of the lumber from the building nine (!) years ago before I was so rudely accosted by a wheelbarrow and the whole project was interrupted.  By the time I had recovered fully from my broken hip it was late winter and the inspiration to finish the task had passed.

Flash forward to now.

As I was wrestling the bush hog around the site recently, I thought the time had come to finally clean up the mess.  I had hoped that there might be some last vestiges to salvage, even if for nothing other than firewood, but that was not the case for 99% of the detritus.  It just all needed to be piled in the truck and hauled to the burn pit at the dump.

Three heaping truckloads later all that was left were two large timbers.  These were the only elements worth salvaging, and even then it was just for firewood.  It’s a real shame, as they were still bearing the axe marks of the men who made this home probably around 1900 or so.

It rained all day off and on. Rain again tomorrow and saturday morning. Then cloudy skies until thursday. Didn't get my walk in but I kept busy in the shop. Started working on the cherry cupboard and switched to the Dowel Max dresser for the rest of the day. I am going to continue working on the dresser and finish it before I turn back to the cherry cupboard.

found them

I found 4 pine cut offs in the boneyard. I thought I had a lot more than this but I might have shit canned them when I last cleaned it up.

sigh

The two widest pieces I have are both about a 1/8" short. Any of the four would work for the shortest drawer though.

I think .......

....I have pine veneer in my big box of pizza veneers. I found two pieces but I wasn't sure if they were pine or not. The cathedral grain on them didn't look like pine. There wasn't any separation between the late and early wood too. Just as well because neither piece was long enough (R/L) for the drawer fronts.

oak

I would bet a lung that this is oak. This piece is enough for all 3 drawer fronts. The length is a 1/2" longer and the 3 widths won't have much waste neither.

out of the clamps

It is a snug fit T/B and 3 frog hairs too wide R/L.

stopped the door fitting

Decided that it would be better if I cleaned up the door first and then fit it to its opening. I had flushed the four corners on both sides and after trimming the outside edges it was still square.

blowout

I broke off a small sliver and I immediately glued it back. After I pressed it home it disappeared. I taped it or where I thought it was, and set it aside to cook. 

this one looks ugly to me

This one broke off when dry fitting the door together. I used super glue on it and it did not close up nicely. I am going to paint the joint line with black paint when I apply the finish. I have one more like this on the back side of the door that will get the same treatment.

1st drawer

Initially I was going to do this one drawer and switch back to the cherry cupboard. That changed when I felt like doing dovetails more than fitting the door.

done

Had a hiccup with the back of the sides but it didn't hold things up. Got a good fit and no problems getting the diagonals dead nuts on.

another change

I got it glued and cooking when I realized that I hadn't plowed a groove in the front for the bottom. I'll have to use 3 slips for the bottom panel. 

yikes

It ain't square boys and girls. I wanted to use this to trim the 45s on the drawer slips. This is toast unless I can straighten it out and get it square again.

double ended

This side is a lot closer to square but not quite. 

dry fit

Trued the miters up on donkey ear jig. It is a slip fit and it sits higher than I planned. I forgot to account for the plywood bottom. Not a deal breaker as this drawer is 1 1/2" higher than anything I plan to put in it.

oops again

I made this same fiasco with the first drawer. That half pin on the right is what screwed with my brain functioning. I dealt with it by making the half pin a whole lot bigger than I wanted it.

front glued

Glued the front in first and the sides. The panel exerted sufficient pressure on the sides for the glue to set up and bond.

dry fit

This one was a PITA to get the diagonals to agree. I see sawed back and forth on it about 7-8 times before I nailed it. I always do the bottom because that is my reference for everything associated with the drawer.

surprised myself

I didn't forget to clean up the insides of either drawer. I usually catch that after I have glued it up and I'm checking diagonals.

done

Glued and squared up. It was easy because I already knew what the diagonals should be.

first drawer is done

It had several hours to set up. The drawer slips are secure and I installed the bottom and nailed it at the back. 

might as well

The drawer fits in the height (snug) but not side to side. Decided to try and get it fitted.

planing the sides

Wised up and clamped something on the exit end so I didn't blow it out.

no man's land

This is the tricky part of drawer fitting for me. The top to bottom seems to fit whether I put the back into the opening first or the front in first. However the R/L is strong. The opening is square but the drawer side didn't look square to my eye.

I was right

The front end of the drawer on this side is square to the bottom but starting about the 1/2 way point it is out of square. I did this same thing on the right drawer of the cherry cupboard - I planed tapered sides on it. I would like to avoid that with all 3 of these drawers. I'll come back to this in the AM because the clock said it was 1522 and quitting time.

accidental woodworker

I grew up with Swiss Army knives at home. My father and grandfathers were all in the Swiss Army, so the knives were ubiquitous at home. But not the red plasticky type ones, the real Swiss Army knives with the handles made of aluminum and four basic tools. There were two of them, and they always came with us, be it for camping or walking. I think in all those years they were never once sharpened. The fancier knives, with a myriad of tools attached were never really a thing. Sure a corkscrew was nice for picnics, but it wasn’t really practical for anything else.

The soldiers version of the Swiss Army knife likely had its origins in the tools used to maintain and disassemble the Swiss Army’s Vetterli rifles, in use from 1869 to 1889. In 1889 they introduced a new rifle, the Schmidt–Rubin (M1889), which also required a screwdriver to disassemble for cleaning. So the Swiss Army decided to purchase a folding pocket knife for its soldiers as part of standard issue. At the same time, canned food was becoming a common ration, hence the need for a can-opener.

(Soldiers’ pocket knife) The Federal Council’s decision regarding the introduction of the pocket knife (also a screwdriver for the 1891 rifle model and a can opener) for our militias is as follows: 1. Adoption of the model with four blades. 2 Free distribution to recruits as an item of equipment. This knife, like cartridge pouches, waist belts and other items, is procured by the federal government itself and distributed to the cantons for the recruits or to be distributed in kind to those enlisted. 3. The option for the enlisted men to keep the old screwdriver when exchanging their rifle or to receive the soldier’s knife for 1 franc in exchange for it. 4. Note of the knife distribution in the service booklet, proof of possession of the same at every official inspection, payment of the full price if a second distribution is made. 5. Equal treatment of special weapons with the infantry. 6. Delivery to the officers on their request also at the price of 1 Fr.

A notice announcing the soldiers pocket knives from Allgemeine Schweizerische Militärzeitung, Nr.6, Basel, Feb.7, 1891.

The resulting knife was designated the Model 1890, and had a blade, reamer, can-opener, screwdriver, and a handle made of dark oak wood. The initial order was for 15,000 knives, which was beyond the production capacity of any Swiss company, and so they were manufactured by the German company Wester & Co. from Solingen.

The company which would later become Victorinox started life in 1884 by Karl Elsener (1860-1918) in the town of Ibach in the Swiss canton of Schwyz. In 1884 Elsener he opened KARL ELSENER Messerfabrikant to manufacture knives and surgical instruments. Elsener began production of the Model 1890 in 1891.

Elsener was not really satisfied with the design of the knife. In 1896, Elsener created a design in which tools were attached on both sides of the handle using a spring mechanism which allowed multiple tools to be attached using the same spring. The original soldiers knife was rather heavy and so Elsener designed his first folding knife, an officers model, patented on 12 June 1897 as “The Officer’s and Sports Knife”, and featured a second smaller cutting blade, corkscrew, and wood fibre grips (although this was never part of any Army contract, and the patent number seems to be missing).

I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland to see what the army does with those wee red knives.

Billy Connolly

In 1893, the Swiss cutlery company Paul Boéchat & Cie (which would later became Wenger), received its first contract from the Swiss military to produce Model 1890 knives. It was situated in Courtételle in the Delémont valley in the Canton of Jura. In 1908 the Swiss Government agreed to buy half its knives from Victorinox, and the the other half from Wenger. While Victorinox laid claim to being the “Original Swiss Army Knife”, Wenger touted itself as the “Genuine Swiss Army Knife”. Interestingly, research shows that there were other manufacturers, for example some of the 1901 versions of the knife were made by Anton Stadler from Zug.

In 1909, Elsener provided all pocket knives with the emblem that is still used today (a shield with cross). In the same year his mother Victoria died. He named the factory after her and soon added “inox” (French for inoxydable, rust-free), to the name Victoria, and “Victorinox” was born. Prior to this, knives were marked ELSENER.

Model	Years	Length, Width, weight	Notes
1890	1890-1901	100mm, 20.5mm, 144g	A steel blade, and wooden knife handles (made of blackened oak or ebony).
1901	1901-1908	100mm, 20.5mm, 144g	A steel blade and wood fibre handle. Similar to 1890 model except for handle material. Both Swiss and German manufacturers.
1908	1908-1951	100mm, 16.5mm, 125g	A number of Swiss and German manufacturers. All have steel blades and wood fibre handles. Three different variants; differing by the type of divider used between the springs (nickel-plated steel, steel).
1951	1951-1964	93mm, 13.5mm, 90g	Three different variants made by Victorinox, Wenger, and Röthlisberger. Variants had stainless steel blades and handles made of synthetic fibres, one Wenger variant being made of ‘Grilon’ (a thermoplastic).
1961	1964-2008	93mm, 12mm, 72g	A great number of variants made exclusively by Victorinox, and Wenger. Handle was made of anodized aluminum, typically silver in colour, but one variant was red. A new can opener is added with a small screwdriver (flat).
2008	2008-	111mm, 18mm, 126g	A complete redesign, enlarging the knife and adding tools. Manufactured solely by Victorinox. Contains the four tools of the 1961 model, plus a Philips screwdriver and a wood saw. The blade has been widened and is now partially serrated.

Table 1: The various models of the Swiss Army Soldiers knife

How was the knife branded as the ubiquitous “Swiss Army Knife”? Early on the soldiers knife was primarily a tool used by soldiers, and “Swiss Army Knife” was a term coined by American soldiers post-WW2 who had difficulty pronouncing the German name “Schweizer Offiziersmesser”, or the Swiss-German term for a pocket-knife, “Sackmesser” (German Taschenmesser).

In recent years the Soldier’s Standard Issue knife has been updated, for only the fourth time in 120 years. The metal handle was replaced by a dual density handle, and more implements were added. The standard blade has been replaced by a one-hand serrated locking blade, and a Phillips Screwdriver and wood saw have been added. Wenger was acquired by Victorinox in 2005, and the company makes an incredible range of different knives. My favourite Swiss army knives are those with the least amount of tools.

Further reading

• Swiss Army Knife Identification
• SAKWiki – Swiss Army Knife Encyclopedia
• Les couteaux du soldat de l’armée suisse – a compendium of Swiss Army soldiers knife variants

 The good weather ends tomorrow with a boatload or rain forecasted. Thursday and friday are both rain days. Sunshine isn't coming back until next thursday. The nice 60F plus temps during the day are history too with seasonable temps in the 40-50F range. Oh well I guess you can say at least it isn't snow.

resisted the urge

I wanted to come back to the shop after dinner and play with it. But I didn't and I let it cook until the AM.

happy face on

The diagonals are off less the width of one black line. I had checked it with 4 clamps on it and it was a 32nd off. I added two more clamps and I saw the sides move but I left it alone. I was happy when I checked them this AM.

Buck Bros paring chisel

I got these chisels over 30 years ago and I can count on one hand how many times I've used them and have fingers left over. Used them today to flush the drawer guides to the front rails. They do work a hell of a lot better now that I can sharpen them. I do try to use them when doing dadoes. It is almost 12" long and it has a longer reach than my bench chisels.

speaking of chisels

This is the chisel that the handle split but didn't separate. I glued it back together and I can't find the glue joint line. I used it to chop the dovetails on the cherry cupboard. I wanted to see how well the glue up would hold up. Extremely well and I'm going to shellac the handle and keep using it.

the top view

I remember seeing the joint line on the top but today I'm not so sure. This glue up is the best one I have done as a repair.

miller dowels

I got two miller dowels in each rail. The only tricky ones to do were the bottom ones at the back. I had to drill for the dowels in between the 3 nails in them.

helping hand

On the other side I noticed that glue was oozing out of the end grain. I didn't see any splits so on this side I used a clamp to ward off any screw ups. No glue oozed out and I had no other hiccups.

the top

Used miller dowels to attach the top to the sides. I don't see any difference between these dowels and dowels that don't come through. Wood movement isn't a problem because the top and sides have the same grain alignment. 

no gaps

I wasn't sure what to expect with this. I used clamps to hold the top on the sides while I drilled and inserted the dowels. I removed them after that and the top didn't move.

ditto

The other side is as good as it.

split or a crack?

This is a side for one of the dresser drawers. There are splits/cracks on both faces. I couldn't spread them apart and break them. This was the only one that extended out to the end. I forced as much glue into the split/crack as I could and set it aside to cook.

it fits

The 1/4" birch panels I bought fit in the cherry cupboard door grooves. I expected the panel to be wobbly and loose and it isn't.

hmm.....

This plywood is a 64th under a 1/4" thick. Along with that it doesn't look that bad with its 3 inner laminations.

door frame dry fitted

No problems dry fitting the door back together. There was some evidence of hide glue but it looks like I did a decent job of cleaning it off of it.

where ?

Used the door to figure out where to cut the panel. Moved it around until I found something I liked. What I was concerned with was the panel grain next to the stiles. The center of the panel will be hidden behind the tile so it only the outside edges I needed to see.

dry fit

I had to clean/chisel off dried hide glue on two tenons - it was keeping the bridle joint from closing without gaps.

glued and cooking

Last time to check that the door is laying flat on all the clamps. I don't want to have to make another door because this came out twisted. The door looked flat so I set it aside.

the warm spot

This new furnace doesn't radiate any where near the heat the old boiler did. It is warmer here than it is by the workbench. I used hide glue for this and I'll brought it upstairs when I killed the lights.

needs a rabbet

The hanging rail needs a rabbet for the back plywood panel.

ready for the panel

Squared the corners and flushed the top of the hanging rail with the carcass.

fits again

I wish I could have this one back again. I had to cut off about a 3" wide piece that isn't much good for anything else.

dresser drawers

The parts are oversized 4-5 frog hairs. I planed the top edges of all the parts and labeled the bottoms. I am going to use through dovetails on this because all the parts are a 1/2" thick. I would have liked the front to be thicker, say 5/8 or 3/4. This is a shop dresser so it will be ok. I have some thin pine somewhere that I might be able to glue on the drawer fronts to hide the dovetails. Just have to find it.

needs a crest rail

Putting this on tops has become a calling card for me. I will say I don't like a plain, flat top. Besides it keeps things from rolling off the back.

chamfer

Used a block plane to chamfer the straight away and a chisel to do the curved ends.

done

Changed lanes and the chamfer got rounded over. I was happy with how the chamfer came out but not how it looked. I couldn't tell/see it on the finished crest rail. Rounded it over with a sanding block and that I can see now.

only a 1/2" thick

I think it was due to the size of the crest rail and the size of the chamfer that doomed it. The chamfer was only a 1/8" in from the edge - kind of small and not noticeable from a few feet away. The color and grain absence fooled the eye too.

double, triple checking myself

Making sure that I have sufficient height for the dowel max and the plywood bottom. I'm going to try and bury the front edge of it in the inside bottom of the drawer front. I'll use slips for the sides. This way I won't have any grooves running end to end. 

accidental woodworker

The Stanley #5 that I found recently at a garage sale came with a poor excuse for a tote screw to hold the toe of the tote.  It was all wrong: wrong head, wrong thread, just plain wrong.

The tote screw as found

Here it is next to a correct screw from another plane. You can see the difference in threads and head.

Unfortunately for us plane enthusiasts, Stanley used a 12-20 thread that did not gain wide use elsewhere and therefore is not made by anyone these days.  At a recent tool show, one of the guys said he had spare tote screws and would bring one to the next tool show. But when I was looking into this, I read somebody suggesting the use of a 1/4-20 screw, modified to fit and I had to try it.  It has the right number of threads per inch, just a larger diameter.

The 12-20 screw has a major diameter of about 0.211".  I started with a 1/4-20 machine bolt that has a major diameter of about 0.248".

A 12-20 tote screw above, 1/4-20 machine bolt below. It was very helpful to have the extra length on the 1/4-20 to chuck it up in a drill without damaging the 1/2" of threads that I needed.

Here, I'm filing 1/2" length of threads to about 0.211" diameter.

I followed that using the edge of a small half round file to deepen the valleys between threads whose peaks I had filed down. I started with a triangular file, but that was cutting way too wide.

Then I filed the head round and then to a rough domed shape and put it  back in the drill to file and sand it smooth

I hacksawed and filed a slot in the head, then cut off the unneeded length of threaded portion.  I'd still like to make this look darker like the correct screw shown in the first picture, but for now, it works perfectly.  If anybody knows a DIY method (using stuff I have - no harsh chemicals) of turning this screw dark, I'd love to know it.

The screw finished

I'm not much of a metalworker, but damn, that is satisfying!

UPS said they were coming today between 1000 and 1400 with my cherry panels. When I checked at 1530 the pkg was on the front porch. Yeah, one point for the home team. I'll be able to get the door glued up tomorrow barring the creek doesn't rise and the gators get free again.

hmm......

This is very interesting indeed. The groove made with the tongue & groove plane is a frog hair above snug. You could have knocked me out with a feather. I was able to seat the plywood in the groove without snapping off either wall. That really surprised me and I think I'm going to use plywood panels rather than solid wood raised panels.

sanded with 180

Sanded the other face 3 times and once on this face. The plywood seated with hand pressure. I didn't feel like I was stressing the walls and causing them to fail. I tried the three different 1/4" plywood scraps I had and all kind of fit. One spread the walls  - it was the thickest one. I got all 3 seated with a minimal amount of sanding. I'll try planing a shallow rabbet on the dresser panels when that time rolls around.

rabbets and dadoes

Started on the dresser by doing the bottom rabbet first. Chopped the shoulder and then split out the end with a 2" chisel. Cleaned it up with my LN router.

rails dry fitted

One of the 8 rail to dado connections was loose. And of course it was a top front one too. No hiccups chopping the dadoes and they went front to back. I wanted to use a dovetail connection for the front rails but it didn't happen. I cut the front and back rails to the same length. But the front rails would have to be longer than the back ones. 

If I did use the dovetailed rails the drawer openings would have been too small R/L. Decided to butt the rails into the dadoes at the front and back. I didn't have any spare stock planed to the rail thickness so that is why I settled. If this had been for a big boy dresser I would have made new rails.

dry fit

None of the drawer guides fit in the dadoes. I had to plan each one individually to fit its respective dado. The bottom ones I didn't need to plane because the rabbet was a few frog hairs wider than the guides.

ready to go

I did one last dry fit and labeled the rails. 

toe nailing the rails

Used a gimlet to predrill a hole for the cut nails. None of the nails popped out to say hello and neither did anything split on me.

glued and cooking

I didn't think the nailing operation all the way through. I nailed both sets of rails on one side first. There was no way to nail the top rails. I should have nailed just the top rails on one side, put them in the sides, and nailed the opposite end. Wash, rinse, and repeat for the bottom rails.

As it is now one side of the rails are nailed and the other isn't. The bottom rails are nailed on both ends. After this has set up I might be able to nail them but I am not overly optimistic about that. There is limited room to swing a hammer to drive a nail home.

Miller dowels

I have had a lot of success using these and I'll try them out here too. 2 dowels in the end of each rail should work (they're 1  1/2" wide). Also thinking of using them to attach the top to the sides.

for the base

I thought this board was extra and I almost cut it up for drawer fronts. This board is for the base for the dresser.

last thing

Noticed this when killing the lights. I forgot the drawer guides for the bottom. I applied glue only to the front end and about 1" of the guide. I thought of screwing them but the sides are thin and I didn't want to risk a screw poking out to shake hands.

hmmm......

I couldn't understand why this weighed so much. I had forgot that I had added 1/4" birch plywood to the order. Unfortunately for me I can't remember what I bought it for. I was also spent the entire day (until now) thinking it was wednesday and not tuesday.

accidental woodworker

I emailed Lie Nielsen on friday and I got a reply today. They are planning a production run for 2025 for the chisels I want. Tom also said that they will be on the website before they are available. Don't understand that reasoning. However, I do know the correct name for the chisels, or at least what LN calls them. They are drawer lock chisels and they come in pairs.

Like an idiot I had a pair and sent them back to LN because they sliced and diced my fingers. I got quite a few comments saying that is normal and I should have filed the edges. My thinking on that is the machinist who made them should have filed the edges. If and when I get another set I'll keep them and file them if necessary.

I went on the WWW and drawer lock chisels are out there. I didn't find any on eBay but I did find someone selling them on ETSY. A set of two for $180 plus about $10 S/H. I got an email out to them asking what they are made of. LN is A2 and I would rather have O1 steel. I don't know what LN will charge and I don't remember what I paid for the first set I bought from them.

rough dimensions

I made up a drawing so I could start on the Dowel Max dresser. These are mostly minimum dimensions with drawer openings being the maximum.

notebooks

Brought some notebooks to the shop because the loose papers usually don't hang around too long. I transferred all the info from these two loose pages into one of the notebooks.

dresser stock

I can get all the needed parts from one 1" x 12" x 6' pine board. Before I do anything I had to deal with this cup. Not too bad as it is only about a 16th.

breaking down the board

One board will give up the sides, the 2nd one the top, and 3rd one along with the off cuts will supply the rails and drawer guides. I find it easy to prep smaller length boards vice longer ones.

planer table

I dragged the planer table in the driveway and this leg went nutso and broke up. This wood is very dry and even having the bottom edges chamfered didn't help. I glued it back together and set it aside to cook. 

I took less than 30 minutes to plane the 3 boards to thickness. I wanted 3/4" thick stock but I ended up with it being a 64th less than 11/16".

becoming a favorite

I find myself reaching for and using this hammer way more than I thought I would. I thought I would mix it up and use my 12oz rip claw hammer too but not so far. It is hanging out next to the Exeter hammer and it ain't getting any love.

got lucky

There were only 3 pieces that broke off and I managed to get everything back to where it was originally. Too much of it broke off to ignore even though this is a shop item.

one more maintenance item

The bolt was hitting the screw as it came out of the T-nut. I took the screw out and chiseled out a channel for the bolt and set the screw head below that.

ACE hardware road trip

I noticed when I tried to screw the planer down none of the bolts tightened. The 5/16-18 bolts I have had a shoulder the same length as the threads. I needed to either get all threaded bolts or a 5/16-18 die. No all threaded bolts so I went with option #2.

I only need about 3/16 more

I measured the threaded portion against the height of the planer and the planer is a few frog hairs higher.

I need a machinist vise

This was the 2nd option. The first one was using vise grips to hold the bolt. That was working some what ok but it wasn't too secure. This method worked a 100% better and the time it took me to do 3 bolts was the same as time to do the first one.

needed some help

The die made the threads it cut pointy and sharp with burrs. I couldn't get the washers to go over the threads I cut. I had to file them - just a light 360 go around to knock things back a wee bit and remove the burrs.

redid the first one

The dark portion of threads at the bottom is what I cut with the die. All of the bolt heads are within a 32nd of each other when fully screwed down. Don't know how I managed that but I'll take it.

temporary home

Got a wedge taped to the table to help with leveling it in the driveway. I'm going to let the table hang out in the shop for a few days to give the glue a chance to set up fully. It is going back out to the garden shed because I don't have room for it in the shop.

getting final dimensions

All I was shooting for here was the width, depth, and height of the sides. The R/L will be governed by the length of the rails. The drawer openings R/L needed to be a minimum of 10 1/4" for the distance bar for the Dowel Max to fit.

not necessary

I don't use a level before planing an edge. However, I did it this time to see if there was any benefit to it. Spoiler alert, IMO, there isn't one. Whether the board is slightly up or down doesn't mean diddly to me. All I care about is that the plane will clear the stock on the exit end.

5 1/2 first

Whenever a plane an edge I plane the middle for about a couple inches longer than the 5 1/2 is. I plane until it stops making shavings. This board had  hump in the middle. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Regardless I plane until the 5 1/2 doesn't spit out anymore shavings.

dead straight

I use the #8 when planing longer boards.

last board

Usually on shorter length boards like this I may not use the 5 1/2. I did today because there was a hump.

#8 shavings

Once I get a continuous shaving from one end to the other, I'm done. I check the edge for square at the ends and the middle and make any corrections needed. 

cleaning both faces

Had a bazillion planer tracks to remove. The planer knives otherwise are still planing ok so I'll keep dealing with the hiccups until the knives dull.

carcass parts

Sides, front/rear rails, and drawer guides. The top is sitting atop the cherry cupboard. I won't need to play with that until after the carcass is glued and cooked.

1/2" rabbet

This rabbet is for the back which at this typing is going to be a two raised panel frame.

preview

Still undecided how I'll attach the front rails. The back rails I plan to glue and toe nail.

1/2" back

This is an experiment for me. The back will be 'finished' so it doesn't have to placed against a wall. It will be a frame and panel but the panel inserts are up in the air.

tongue and groove plane

The other options other than a frame and panel are bead boards. Another option I'm thinking of is mitered frame with a plywood panel. I would like to try and do the frame part of whatever option with this plane.

hmm......

I expected the blow out on the left. The question mark I had going into this was could I plane a tongue on the end of this board? Question answered and it is in the affirmative. I'll have to allow for the blowout or clamp a sacrificial board on the exit end.

this works for me

I have been watching AT restorations on You Tube for a couple of years now. He does a lot of restorations on furniture where it usually breaks it down to parade rest first. One that I watched the other day had a frame and panel back. I want to try and replicate it on this dresser. This is working so far.

raised panel

Took me a while to get this plane to work for me. Initially it was clogging shut with the mouth stuffed with shavings. Solved that and planed one end and side so I could check the fit of the panel in the groove made by the tongue & groove plane.

rabbet

The panel didn't fit in the groove - it was too narrow and the panel was too thick. I planed a rabbet on the back until the panel fit.

I like how this looks

I have had this plane for 15 years and I have yet to make a panel and frame with it. I have used it several times to make box lids but no raised panels in a frame.I'll have to practice on making a frame to figure out how to size the panel to fit in the frame grooves.

1539

I lose track of time and got into a groove with this. Yes I can use the tongue and groove plane to make the frame. Sizing/making that won't be a problem. I have three options for the panels. Solid wood - I think I can bandsaw some solid wood panels (they will be about 4-5 inches wide?). Raised panels - the only headache I see with them is sizing them correctly to fit the frame. The last option I can think of is to use plywood. I can sand the edges to fit the grooves or plane a rabbet to fit.

accidental woodworker

…to discover this carpentry tip.

While working on the greenhouse I brought down my favorite sawhorses but found the ground to be too uneven to use them.  Perhaps I should have chosen my Butterfly Sawhorse instead.  In a moment of inspiration I realized I could create a stable workstation by simply screwing the two horses together at a right angle to create a rough triangle configuration.

Zzzztttt.  Problem solved.

It’s been four years since moving into my latest shop and many projects are complete and onto their new owners. It’s also been four years since I’ve looked through cut offs and scrap stacked on my storage shelves.

While in the middle of a project I keep all of the cutoffs since you never know when you may need to repair a mistake and match color and grain. Over time some pieces get thrown away, but others sit happily on a shelf waiting for a new opportunity.

Shelves behind, stacks in the corner. And behind

After finishing up the recent Bar Stools it became clear that some of the lumber needed a new home. So I began picking through the remnants of Oak and Cherry thinking about a future project.

White Oak on the left and Cherry on the Right. There are many great pieces of lumber but not enough for big projects so I need to come up with something small or several small projects.

Then it struck me….I’ve been using one of the Marley Bar Stools for playing guitar, but that will eventually head to a new home. A stool or two designed for a little music would make good use of these pieces and occupy my spare time as the Hot summer moves into fall. I go many places for inspiration, I thumbed through ‘Shaker Inspiration’ by Christian Becksvoort and noticed a simple stool. Not sure about the seat I did a little more search and actually found an article on this piece in Fine Woodworking Magazine, January/February 2015.

This looks like a likely candidate! Cushy seat, smaller parts from the scrap pile, and something I could use.

I think we are finally dead in the water with the cupboard. I could drill the holes for the shelf pins but I want to do that after the finish is done. The door is awaiting parts so that isn't happening to the 19th. I could have made the flat moldings for the top and bottom but nixed it. I need to sharpen the #6 that I use for shooting 45s before I try shooting a cherry 45.

done

I came back to the shop last night and glued the bottom in with hide glue. I used hide glue because I couldn't get the yellow glue bottle in the drawer to lay a bead down. It was ready to go when I got to the shop in the AM.

drawer stops

It was a trick getting both of the drawer stops installed. Both drawers ended up a little wonky due to my planing the sides. That means the drawers didn't go in and out in a straight line. Took a lot of fiddling but I eventually got them done. I just nailed them - no glue - because I might revisit these.

right hand drawer

I started on this one first. I had to put it at the back because it doesn't have slips. It originally was a 6 3/4" long strip, glued and nailed in place. I couldn't get the drawer face to be flush with that drawer stop. I removed it and did the left hand drawer and came back to this one. This drawer stop is 2" long and the drawer is kind of flush at the front. I cut my losses there and settled for as good as I'm going to get it without giving it flying lessons.

more Dowel Max work

I watched all the Dowel Max instruction vids on You Tube and I went back to work trying it out. This is an end to end joint that is dead flush on the 'check mark' faces. I still did something wrong but I got half of it right.

labels

I didn't drill in the edge marked with the 'X'. This jig is dead easy to use but I'm fumbling a bit on matching up my 'check mark' labels with the 'check marks' on the Dowel Max.

dead flush

Drilled the holes again with the 'check marks' aligned.

if you pay attention......

This is an incredible dowel joint. I have never done one that came out this sweet. The face and the top edges are dead flush. They aren't off even a frog hair.

3 hole joint

The jig comes with a 3/8" metal dowel that allows you to offset the jig and keep on drilling holes. I had to try it to see how that would work. No hiccups (followed the 'check marks') and I think I could have gotten a another hole too.

sweet

It isn't dead flush but it is so awfully close that you could ignore the frog hair it is off. 

last one

I had to try a 45 before I quit for the day. I rough cut two 45s for the test joint.

shot dead on 45

There is one thing I have noticed with this jig and it is the stock needs to be square in all directions to be dead flush.

oops

Part of the learning curve. The first hole I drilled I shouldn't have. It was too close to the toe.

hmm......

The miter closed up on the 45 but both faces aren't anywhere near to being flush. I thought that at least one face should have been flush because of the 'check marks' aligning. Turns out that not only weren't the two 45s not the same thickness, the faces aren't square to either edge. I'm still happy with how this came out. I got this jig for help doing 45s. However, it is working so good I might start using it for a lot more joinery.

I need a box

I thought about keeping the cardboard box and using that but nixed it. There isn't any room in it for the 1/4" drill guides and its goodies. I decided to make a dresser to hold the Dowel Max and its accessories along with storage for dowels.

first two drawers

I used plywood to give me idea of the required drawer sizes. I will make them a little bigger than this to allow for any future accessories. The distance bar at the bottom dictates the minimum R/L size.

3 drawers

I don't anticipate needing more than two sizes in the dowels. I only have 3/8" and 1/4" drill guides and I'm stocking 1 1/2" and 2" dowels for both. I might as well start working on this while I wait for the cherry panels to come in.

accidental woodworker

Things have been busy for me over the last few years and I’ve been very active in the shop with regular things like organization, maintenance, and tweaks to the shop layout. The focus has also shifted towards product development, although I’m approaching the testing phase (if you’re interested in being a tester, subscribe to my blog for updates).

Recently, I realized a simple and quick storage project that would provide some much-needed extra space and organization in the room that often suffers the most from clutter – the bathroom. All that was required was a few scraps of melamine, some edge banding, a handful of screws, and an hour or two.

The inspiration was a cluttered counter, and realization that there was a lot of wasted space in the cabinet below the sink since it had 21 inches of height, but the items inside were much shorter. Adding a shelf was the obvious solution, but a good solution wasn’t that simple. Here’s what I considered:

• Adding a full shelf would restrict sight lines and physical access to the back of the lower level, not to mention the sink drain and water supply lines that were in the way. A large U-shaped notch in the back of the shelf could get around the plumbing. It would need to be removable to allow access for plumbing repairs;
• A shallow shelf at the front, say, 8 inches deep, would allow improved sight lines. However, that still restricted physical access, and a ledge would be required at the back to keep things from falling off the back;
• A removable tray instead of a shelf would allow convenient access to all the contents of the cabinet, but since the European hinges used for the doors don’t swing the doors clear of the cabinet, the tray would need to be either tilted to get the necessary clearance, or made narrower and a support would be required for the narrower tray;
• A shelf mounted to drawer slides would improve visual access to the bottom and physical access to the top, but the shelf would still be in the way. Also, drawer slides are expensive;
• A shelf in addition to a pull-out tray for the bottom shelf would be a good solution except for loss of usable height equal to the tray thickness plus clearance, loss of usable width due to the drawer slides (or height for under-mount slides), and cost; and
• Narrow shelves on the left and right sides of the cabinet, away from the plumbing, would provide limited storage, but allow good line of site and physical access to all items.

I decided that the last option made the most sense for my situation, so set about to make the shelves.

Once I established the size, I cut the melamine shelves to size. Then I created a template to round over the protruding corner from a piece of 1/4 inch MDF. I drew the curve with a compass, cut close to the line with a jigsaw, then finished it with a sander.

I positioned the template on each shelf, aligning it with my fingertips before clamping the template and shelf to my bench. If I were making many, I would have taken the extra time to incorporate stops in the template to automatically align it with the shelves.

Then I installed a large diameter template bit in my router and machined the corners. (Larger diameter bits tend to produce smoother cuts, and allowed to waste away the entire corner saving me the step of removing most of the waste first). To keep from cutting into the bench, I used a pair of stand-offs.

Then I used an iron and roller to apply pre-glued iron-on melamine edgebanding. I found it helpful to start in the middle and work outwards, so a slight misalignment was less likely to result in the edge not being covered at the end. I could have also taped it loosely in place to ensure alignment and worked from end to end.

To trim the edgebanding, I used my flushing plane which has been such a useful addition to the shop. The skewed blade helped ensure I didn’t push the edgebanding off the substrate as I worked.

Finally, I used a foam abrasive block to ease the edgebanded edges.

With that, the shelves were ready for installation.

I used four pocket hole screws to install the shelves – three in the side, and one in the back. Then I loaded them up. The two shelves provided room for dozens of bottles and small containers, freeing up the bottom of the cabinet for larger items. It was very rewarding and satisfying to see the level of organization afforded by this small and simple upgrade.

A final note about tolerances: most saws produce a better quality cut on one side than the other. Since these shelves would be seen from the top only (with the possible exception of the plumber), I didn’t take any precautions to reduce or eliminate chipout and instead made the cuts on my table saw with my flat top ripping blade set about 2 inches above the material. This helped ensure a chip-free top surface at the cost of more chips on the bottom.

On the other hand, a router tends to produce clean edges top and bottom. The straight flutes of the router bit I used produced flawless results on the corners, but a spiral compression bit would be even more reliable.

Compare these two pictures showing the top and bottom of the same shelf. The straight sections were cut with the table saw, and rounded corners with the router.

 Operated in slo mo most of today. There isn't a lot a can do on the cupboard until I get the new cherry panels. That ain't happening until tuesday. Today I got the second drawer done and then nada. All that is left to do on the cupboard is the door and putting the back panel on. 

left drawer

I didn't want to drive myself batty and take 'just one more.....' so I stopped here. The opening isn't square and there is a tad bit more R/L movement then I like. This is going to have be enough.

right drawer

Still on the journey of comparing cherry to pine. The muscle memory tells me it is the same but with a question mark. So far just a wee bit more oomph needed for cherry. No hiccups knocking this out.

too tight

The initial fit is much better than what I did on the left drawer. I didn't want to risk splits again so I shaved the tails a bit. I used my modelers rasp to get them seated.

second one is usually better

Got a gap on the half pins that I don't like especially so when it is visible every time the drawer is opened. Do you shim it with cherry or pine veneer. As an aside, I have both of those veneers.

the sibling

The shallow dado pays great dividends for marking the tails on the pin board. The half pins are better on this side. I am improving my results with dovetails but I still have a wee bit further to go.

they have to match

I am using rabbets on the right drawer to match the left one. The right drawer will be about a 1/2" longer because I didn't have to cut off any tails. I didn't measure the depth of the rabbet - I just planed until it looked deep enough (and square).

fitting the back

I didn't nail the back on this time. After I got the length I glued, clamped it, and set is aside.

glad I checked it

The tails at the front didn't need any clamps. They were snug fitting and weren't moving. I assumed the box was square (with the clamps) but I didn't like the look of it. I checked the diagonals and they were off over a 1/8". 

almost 3 hours later

I waited this long so I could plane it to fit the drawer opening. I haven't had anything go south on me planing like this.

flushed the top/bottom

The front corners needed flushing. I then tried the fit in the opening.

oops

Had a mind meld with a rock. I forgot to plow a groove in the front for the bottom. And I also forgot to cut the back to width not that it matters now. However, in my defense I did have the drawer slips ready to go. I will have to come up with way to get a bottom on this drawer.

hmm.....

The drawer is a slip fit on the top/bottom but a no go on the R/L. I was expecting it to not fit in both dimensions.

disappearing

After my first planing run gaps opened up on the tails. On the 2nd pass with the plane they starting closing up again. Maybe I rasped a taper on the tails when I fitted them?

sneaking up on it

Concentrated on planing the sides as the T/B fit was ok. I got lucky that the grain on the sides cooperated and I was able to plane going from the front off the back.

sigh

Got tapered sides. I spent too much time planing one spot and the sides are uneven. If I planed the sides square removing the tapers, the drawer would have huge gaps. I took a few frog hairs off the thin ends of the tapers and called it done. I'll have to live with it as is. 

Fitting drawers give me fits. In spite of the crappy fit I got I consider this an improvement. For years I would only do overlay drawers whereas I like the look of flush front drawers. I will keep slogging away at it until the day I can ooh and aah over a truly fitted drawer with consistent and even margins.

the drawer bottom

The plan is to glue 1/4" thick by 3/8" wide pine on the inside bottom edge. Then glue the 1/4" plywood bottom on top of them.

bottom fitted

Marked an X on the plywood and the box so I could keep where I was trimming to fit so I didn't screw it up. I think for a drawer bottom this is good.

wee bit of twist

After I planed the twist off I checked the fit of the drawer in its opening. It still fit and the top margin didn't have a noticeable change.

glued and cooking

I don't use spring clamps that often because I'm not fond of them. I find that they either move/shift or they cause what they are clamping to shift move. I waited 5 mins before I applied the clamps to give the pine ledgers a chance to set up. I'll glue the bottom in tomorrow.

accidental woodworker