Hand Tools

After being out of the loop for the past three weeks I’m finally easing back into the world of donsbarn.com.  My first stretch of being out of circulation was sublime as the clan gathered to celebrate the Incarnation.  An extra special treat were the hours spent in my basement workshop with two of my little guys, repairing toys and explaining all the tools.  That tradition will continue for the rest of my life.

The second interruption was pretty ridiculous as I’ve been fighting Fauci Flu for the past two weeks, including a bizarre visit to a clinic that refused to offer any pharmaceutical response strategy other than some piddly cough drops.

Anyway, I recently reflected on the fact that two of my most faithful blog correspondents, PM and PM, have nearly the exact same name and they are a great source of things for me to look at.  This video came from that route and is immensely entertaining.

Looking forward to resuming a vigorous schedule of activities here in Shangri-la.

will it keep time?

I'm taking the clock movement hiccups one step at a time. Set the clock up to see if it will keep time. Yesterday I hadn't done that, I was just listening for the Bim Bam.

nada

It has been 20 minutes and the hands haven't moved. I don't have a warm and fuzzy with this movement.

movement #2

This one appears to be keeping time. I saw movement in the hands in less than 5 minutes.

hmm.......

Been about a half hour and the clock seems to agree. I left this as is to keep on trucking. After a couple of hours the time was working but no Bim Bam at all.

this is odd

There is no way to connect a battery on this side of the movement. But it shouldn't be necessary. The two C cells on the right drive the speaker and one AA battery is sufficient to run the time.

hmm......

The pendulum swinging arm is MIA. Couldn't find it anywhere in the shop. Noticed that the back of the movement case is not fully seated. Problem solved? No. A gear was rattling around in the case that I put back. 20 minutes later, still no movement in the hands and nothing out of the speaker.

picture frame time

Ripped the stiles and rails to a rough width. Make one edge flat and straight. After the other three were done, I ripped them to the final width.

one dry fitted picture frame

I doweled the frame together - 3 dowels at each corner. The frame is square with the diagonals less than a 16th off.

dry clamped and still square

I couldn't get a tape measure in diagonally because the clamps were in the way. This is my largest pinch rod and I only had 4 frog hairs left to extend. As an aside the diagonal is 47 5/16".

sigh

I was being careful but I was not double triple checking myself. Filled in the errant holes and I had to redrill one hole on the other three.

double triple checking it

The inside dimensions are 2" more than the size of the poster. I didn't fully think this all the way through. Eyeballing the size of the frame I can see I don't have a chance in hell of hanging this anywhere in the shop or the house. 

back frame stock

I got all the back frame stock out of the extra stiles and rails I ripped out. I had four extras that decided to perform stupid wood tricks. Fingers crossed that I'll be able use them. They are thin and I should be able to position/secure them as needed.

glued and cooking

Still square when checked with a square and the diagonals were dead on.

nope

I'm not happy with how this is coming out. Getting lots of tear out and the beading planes are constantly jamming. And this still isn't done. I still have to rip/plane them to the final width.

I broke down and bought a small portable router table top. My trim router should fit the predrilled plate. I have a 1/4" beading router bit to use. I looked on line for a smaller beading bit but I couldn't find one. 

accidental woodworker 

I have spent the last five years designing and then making pieces for a real family living in a real but quite ordinary family home. The average UK or European-sized home is more compact than those I came to know in the USA and Texas, and I chose this because globally, it was better to...

Source

 I strolled today for the first time in weeks. When I got sick I started filling the pie hole non stop. I wasn't walking and I think from when I got sick till today, I walked maybe twice? Paying the price now as I have piled on 42 pounds. T shirts are getting tighter along with my jeans and pants. Went back on the diet wagon monday and it is tough to do. Especially after eating whatever and as much as I could. After the eye opening cost of pants/jeans I bought at LL Bean, I can't afford to get a new wardrobe.

not impressed

These are a lot smaller but they feel flimsy. The bars are thick but the tabs that get the screws are thin and bend when a gentle breeze blows over them. I didn't have a warm and fuzzy with these.

new frame coming

I'll squeeze this in while I make the clock.

hmm.....

I had enough numbers for a clock. Thinking of using these on the upcoming clock build.

clock face templates

Made these two several years ago. They are a great help with positioning the numbers.

setting the iffy lid stays

First step is to attach the hinges.

nope

Played with the lid stay on the workbench and I thought I had figured it out. This is as far as the lid will close. All I got from this was three more holes to fill in.

this sucks

The stays came with no instructions or templates. This didn't come out the way I thought it would. Nor did it come out the same way I had played with it on the workbench.

poorly made

I had to flatten one of the tabs that bent when I screwed it to the lid. After I took it off I tried to turn the same tab and it popped off. All the hinge points and the tabs are peened in place. I easily pulled the hinge bars apart along with the other tab. These are garbage. I saved the bars and tossed the tabs into the shitcan.

shoulda, woulda, coulda, but didn't

I should have gone with a chain stay from the git go. I had a chain snap on me when I lost control of the lid and it fell back. It works and fingers crossed it will stand the test of time.

sigh....

I filled in the wrong holes These two are for the hinges, not the (@%)*)@%*_*@)*%$ lid stay. 

hmm.....

Thinking of making the clock from cherry. This is the cherry I had in my scraps stash. I think I can build the clock I want without having to glue up anything.

a test

I had one rough sawn board that I flattened one face and squared an edge to it. I was curious to see if this would be too strenuous for me to do. It wasn't. I didn't feel fatigued nor do I get winded. After seeing the grain pattern I am thinking of using this board for the sides.

Most of the cherry is 7/8 thick or a few frog hairs thicker then that. For the clock I'm thinking of doing, this is too thick. I'm leaning in the direction of 5/8" or a wee bit less than that. 

1/2" thick cherry

 I forgot I had this and after eyeballing it, I think it is too thin. 3/4 looks too thick so 5/8" thick stock is ringing the bell for me.

test time

This is a quick jig so I can figure out the pendulum swing.

got it

The swing is about 5 1/2 to 6 inches right to left. I need this in order to set the inside width of the clock case.

The movement is not a bim bam, it plays two different tunes. Both count out the hours after playing the music. However, I could barely hear either tune even with my hearing aids turned up. There is no way anyone could hear the music or the hour count once it is in a clock case.

hmm.....

Something is amiss in Disneyland. I couldn't get either one of these two movements to spit anything out of the speaker. Both will play music or do bim bam. Neither one of them seemed to want to play nice. I let them go for an hour and heard nada. I had a wicked headache here and I killed the lights. I'll play some more with this in the AM.

accidental woodworker 

2025 was not a banner year for my woodworking.  I did very close to nothing in the second half of the year due to knee problems and ensuing knee replacement surgery.  I've been getting back to it lately, albeit slowly.  Hopefully 2026 will be a better year.  That said, here's what I got done in 2025.

Projects

This year started out with a (sort of) Shaker handled step stool.  It was a great project from a joinery standpoint, with dovetails on the front corner and multiple through mortise and tenons at the rear.

Shaker step stool with heart-shaped handle for the wife

In May, I made a picnic caddy for my sister.  This was my take on a similar item we saw at a restaurant, and it came out great.  It's got dovetailed corners, dividers in dadoes, and a bottom fitted into grooves in the sides and ends.

Picnic caddy

Also in May, I made a Paul Sellers project: a woven seat stool.  This also went to my sister.  This was an easy project, but I really wanted to try a seat weaving pattern I had not done before.  The weave isn't perfect, but it's good enough.

Easy woodworking, but tedious weaving

In July I made a quick cutting board to replace the plastic one we had been using for years.  This maple board has been very handy.

Another easy and quick project

Finally, I'm just finishing this project now, but it was mostly made in July through December of 2025.  It's a miniature chest of drawers that I hope my 2 1/2 YO granddaughter will use as a box for jewelry or treasures.  It's made of red alder, which I think is a very attractive wood.

Shellac yet to come

Tool Making or Rehab

In January, I made a new iron for my homemade extra-course scrub plane.  The old iron I had found at a garage sale, but it turned out not to be good tool steel.  The new one is from a piece of O-1 steel and I shaped it, hardened and tempered it, flattened the back and sharpened it.  It's thinner steel than the old iron, so I had to modify the wedge to accommodate the change.

Shaping the bevel with a file

In February and March, I was focused on threading small diameter wood.  I had done larger diameters, typically 1-2", a few years ago, but I was interested in trying diameters of 1/2" and 3/8".  It was a big time sink, but eventually I had success with a homemade "machine" that could cut the inner and outer threads for these sizes.  This was helped immensely by a YT video from Paul Hamler.

Overhead view of threading machine clamped in vise

Eventually it allowed me to make this thumb screw for  a marking gauge shown below

That walnut thumb screw was the finishing touch on a marking gauge I made in March.  I really love this gauge.  I knifed and marked 1/8" graduations on one side of the beam.

A walnut beauty

The impetus for the marking gauge was an old Worth marking gauge that I had been given years ago.  The mortise in the fence had gotten too big for the beam, and the wooden thumb screw to hold the beam in place was no longer holding.  So I made a new fence and wood/metal thumb screw and the gauge is a user tool again.

The old (right) and the new

Odd contrast in woods, but it works great now

I found this snipes bill plane at a tool show, but the body was bent and the boxing was warped.  I managed to get it into better working condition.

The front showing the profile

I can't recall where I found this old screwdriver.  It's got "POLAND HITEST" stamped on it.  But I cleaned it up and now I have a big honkin' screwdriver in the kit.

POLAND HITEST screwdriver with wooden scales

For some years now, I've used a makeshift small router plane that utilized a 1/8" chisel as the cutter.  But I always wanted something better.  In June, I made a better small router, using modified Allen wrenches as the cutters.  It has come in handy, and it works well.

The small router

Miscellaneous

In January, I made a spreadsheet that would help me calculate radius, given an arc width and desired bulge of the arc.  This was helpful when looking at the camber of the scrub plane iron.  But the spreadsheet can also be used when figuring out an arc at the bottom edge of a table apron or a rail component of whatever furniture you want a curved rail on.

A simple little spreadsheet

Well, that's it.  I hope 2026 will be a better year for projects.  My knee is doing much better now, but my leg gets tired quickly and I'm just not used to being on my feet for long periods.  Hopefully that's nothing that more shop time won't cure.  To all who read this, I hope you have a healthy and productive year!

 

 The plan in the AM was to start a new project. That didn't last long as I jumped down the computer rabbet hole head first with a jet pack assist. Spent most of the day running around with my head up my arse. I needed a DVi double male monitor connector and nada. I went to Wally World where they didn't have any legacy monitor cables. From there I went to Staples which had what I wanted but I would have to order it on line.

 Made a detour to the local LL Bean store to exchange a xmas gift. Unfortunately LL Bean had liquidated the present and it was no longer available. I got a gift card and bought a pair of jeans and chinos. I can't believe the prices for the pants - both cost $69 and change.

I bit the bullet after dinner and headed out to Best Buy which is on Rte 2. At least it wasn't a parking lot but I caught every _)@*&)#&%_)Q@*)% red light going there and coming home. Best Buy followed Staples - they had the cable but I would have to order it online.

nonsensical work

This top edge had a rabbet that I planed off with the scrub plane. I then squared it off with the 5 1/2. Why? Because I wanted to do something that didn't matter and make a pile of shavings. 

new project

It is going to be a clock. I can't remember what this clock movement speaker spits out. Knowing me it is most likely a bim bam counting out the hours. It doesn't matter because next to boxes, I like making clocks. It has been a long time since I've made one.

starting from square one

The tech at the computer store said he couldn't clone my drive. The pins were too iffy so I'll be starting from ground zero with a fresh OS install. Hoping that Firefox saved my bookmarks but I doubt it. I'm not lucky that way. This is where the saga with the DVi cable commenced.

considered a legacy connector

I had some monitor cables and surprisingly enough, my wife had more than I did. The downside was none of them worked. We didn't have any DVi cables with a double DVi connector. The connector to the left I thought was a HDMI connector but none my HDMI connectors would fit. And I  had a DVi to HDMI cable too.

I should have been slapped upside my head. I forgot that the desktop computer upstairs had a double DVi cable. Duh. The laptop connector to the upstairs monitor is HDMI to HDMI, there is no DVi connector on the laptop.

hmm......

 The monitor kept saying there was a fan failure. The fan failure was the bird cage one which cools the memory sticks. The failure was being caused by the power cable. Routed the cable so that is wasn't in the way of the fan blade rotation. After that the fan failure messages disappeared.

ran diagnostics

This was a good sign. I wanted to make sure I hadn't broke something with all the work I did installing/removing the fans and the hard drives.

don't have a warm and fuzzy

This is a Linux OS USB installer stick. I played around with trying to get the the OS installed and nada. I kept seeing error messages while installing it. Once I did get it installed in compatibility mode it froze. I had problems with this installer with the shop computer.

it passed

I ran the memory test from the USB stick which is more comprehensive than the memory test on the computer diagnostics. It passed with flying colors. I bought another USB installer from ETSY with the latest Linux mint version. I should have it either saturday or monday. 

I'll get back to the regularly scheduled channel of woodworking in the AM.

accidental woodworker 

Author Note: I drafted this post several years ago but am just now getting around to publishing it. Although I don’t make a lot of spoons anymore, I still want to share this handy technique that I’ve used over the years to fix little voids, not only in spoons but also in furniture.

If you have ever found yourself carving a spoon, and you’ve gotten down to making the final, finishing cuts only to realize that there are a couple bug holes or a bit of tear-out that’s just too deep to carve past, you know that sinking feeling that you’ll just have to toss this almost-finished utensil in the burn pile and start over. 

Or will you? 

Not all flaws are fixable, but there is a way to safely and effectively fill in some small flaws and save that nearly-finished spoon from the burn-pile. It’s a common trick that I picked up from a wood turner. 

All you need is bit of very fine-grained fill material and regular CA glue (superglue). Here’s how it works: 

First, find a good fill material. You have lots of options, and some of them are probably lying around your shop already. If you want a relatively invisible fill, try using sawdust from the species you’re working. Use a fine-toothed saw or even coarse sandpaper to produce the dust. The finer the better. You can also use organic substances, such as fine coffee grounds. I have also successfully used crushed stone–you can get many different kinds on the internet. Again, get the finest grains available. I especially enjoy using brightly colored materials that turn the flaw into a decorative feature. Just be careful, as some powdered materials (like metals) can be hazardous to work with. 

Second, use the right bonding agent. It’s just regular superglue. The thinner the better–not the gel kind.

Now for the technique. For a fairly shallow void or crack, fill it with the fill material, and mound the material up over it just a little. Flood the whole area with superglue. Let it dry completely. You can speed it up with heat from a hairdryer or heat gun. Then scrape or sand it level. You can put your finish right over it, though you should be aware that the superglue can affect how some finishes penetrate, so don’t over-saturate the surface with the superglue. You need just enough to saturate the fill material completely.

For projects with a lot of holes to fill, as on the tabletop above, I made myself a little fill-kit. The bag of sawdust is for filling in the bottom of deep holes so I don’t have to use as much of the nicer, expensive fill except at the very top. The green powder is crushed malachite stone. (Again, exercise caution in use, as it can be toxic in its powdered state.) The baby spoon is for putting the fill in precisely the right place, and the old toothbrush is for moving it around and making sure every corner of each gap is filled in before applying the superglue.

For deep voids, you may need to use a couple layers of fill. For little cracks, use the point of a knife to spread the crack a bit to allow more of the fill to enter. Then apply the superglue. With a bit of practice, you’ll figure out what works in different situations. If you need to fill a crack or void that runs into an edge, use masking tape to shore up the fill while it dries.

Once the superglue is hard and dry, I scrape the fill level with a card scraper. You can also sand it level, but it will take a lot longer. The whole process takes just a couple minutes. It really is that easy.

But how well do these fills hold up in everyday use?

I’ve stress-tested them in my own kitchen, and I’ve found they are very durable, even on the business end of a spoon or spatula.

These glues are typically good up to about 230F, and since boiling water doesn’t get any hotter than 212F, you’re not likely to soften the glues in any kind of water-based dish. (If you’re plunging wooden spoons into boiling oil, which can get a lot hotter than water… well, please stop. You’re going to catch something on fire.)

If you really need a glue that will outlast the wood, there’s always the original JB Weld, which is good up to about 500F. The only drawback is the ugly gray color, but you can tint it with lampblack. Use a bit of soot scraped off any smooth surface that’s been near an open flame. You can use a candle flame to blacken the blade of an old butter knife if you like. Mix the soot into the epoxy, and it should turn nice and black. 

I need to emphasize that there are limits to the size/type of flaws that you can fix using this technique. It’s best for filling in small gaps–little cracks or shallow voids that would otherwise get bits of food stuck in them. It’s ideal for filling in a bug hole or two, or for filling a wide but shallow gap. But it won’t increase the structural integrity of the utensil, so make sure the utensil is good and sturdy without the fill. I don’t think I would use this technique to try to fix end-checking in the bowl of a spoon, which is the most common kind of flaw you’ll see in a wooden spoon. Not all flaws are worth trying to fix. 

But once you start using this technique on wooden spoons, I think you’ll find it very effective. And you might find it useful on other woodworking projects, too. 

I’ve just finished two tall shrink pots. Each represents an experiment with texture and pattern, respectively, and I plan on making a small example of each to take along to my classes at Pete Galbert’s later this year. Meanwhile, both … Continue reading →

 Finally got the bookcase done and it is going to daughter #2 later on this month. Until then I'll have to find a hole for it in shop or the boneyard. I also need to point out that this wasn't the last project for 2025. It was the 2nd to last one but either way it is done and oohs and aahs were long and satisfying.

ready to hang

Waxed both doors and buffed them. Cleaned the glass of shellac by scraping them with a razor blade followed up by glass cleaner.

essential

This is what is called a radio man ratchet screwdriver. It is incredibly awkward trying to hold the door in place and start screwing in the screws with a hand screwdriver. This ratchet screwdriver is light and the perfect size for initially driving the screw home. Made hanging the doors a wee bit easier. The only headache I had with it was it like to roll away right onto the deck

helping hand

Sawed a shallow rabbet in a scrap of pine. I will use it hold the door latch at the proper height.

the latch

I don't remember how I installed this the last time but makes sense to me. This way the latch stays square and in place while I mark for the screws.

glad I did

I didn't wan to make any errant holes in the door so I decided to first do it on a scrap of pine. It would have been too low if I hadn't tried it this way first.

done

I had looked at this with the two parts reversed and it took up about the same amount of real estate. The part that is attached to the door rolls up over the part on the shelf and drops down and locks the door.

not perfect but....

Still having nightmares about this left door. However, the right door closes up against without it having a a door latch.

first glamour pic

I'm calling this done but it still needs a latch/catch for the right hand door. The doesn't lay flat on the left door. At this point I decided a putting in a magnetic catch. I got one from my neighborhood ACE hardware.

glamour pic #2

If I make another one of these it will be wider. That is the only quibble I have with this. 

glamour pic #3

This is a big project that is going to eat up a lot of shop real estate until it goes bye bye.

side/back glamour pic

Next to cherry, pine is my favorite wood. I just wish it was a wee bit harder to take the dings from building it.

it's possible

Glamour pic #4 of the back isn't horrible. It could be shown as is. The only defect is the top left edge of the panel. It is chipped and torn out a bit.

 

hmm.......

I think I have enough width on the top door stop to mount the magnetic catch.

less than $2

This surprised coming from ACE. I find most of their offerings to be a wee bit high. But they are convenient being down the street from me. And it came with screws.

fans came

I forgot about these coming today. 

catch installed

The magnetic pull on this catch was higher then I expected it to be. I had to balance closing the top close to being able to open the door one handed. I pulled with for few and closed the gap some more.

done

New fans in and tested. A whole lot quieter - I could hear the old ones but not the new ones. The new fans turned silky smooth. Monday I'll try to find a computer shop to clone my drive. If I can't I'll install Linux Mint on the new SATA drive and start over again.

accidental woodworker 

Please join us in wishing Paul a happy 76th birthday! Can you believe he is 76? We can’t! Thank you for all your support for him. He loves showing you all his work and has much planned for the year ahead. – Paul’s Family

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came last night

All three came at the same time even though Amazon said two were coming on the 5th. I might buy another blue pigment, this one has shiny things in it. I want a flat blue color. I'll have to think on it for a while.

how to waste hours

We had an Epson ink jet as the main printer but it went south. After days of paper jams and ink jet headaches I tossed it. I bought this Canon 6030w because it supposedly is Linux ready. That ain't so boys and girls. The drivers supplied didn't work. I loaded and deleted them a bazillion times before I cried NO MAS.

On the Canon website, the drivers offered were garbage. They had none for this model laser printer - I loaded and tried the ones offered but none worked. After pissing away hours I gave up loading drivers. I have to add, that I needed the drivers to access the WiFi.

The printer came with a USB cable and that worked but it also gave me fits. I didn't have a free USB port on the laptop. Everyone one of them were taken for the keyboard, mouse, etc. I thought I had saved a USB hub but if I did I couldn't find where I hid it. So I ordered two of them from Amazon - insurance in case one won't work.

The printer worked with the USB cable with no problems. I use it 99% of the time to print out my sudoku and crossword puzzles. The added headache is the printer USB cable was short and I don't have anywhere to put it close to my desk (because no WiFi). Where I want to put it would require a 8 foot USB cable and I don't like using USB cables that long.

Needless to point out, the time line on the bookcase has slipped once again. I finished getting shellac on the doors before I started playing with the printer around 1000. I said NO MAS with that at 1408. Maybe tomorrow I'll ooh and aah along with letting out a long breath of relief.

why???????

I saw a half can of this on eBay for $250. I've had this can for a bazillion years. I don't use it much because the smell of it gives a headache. I'm using it to wax the door fronts - this knocks down the brush marks and smooths it out.

needs a 2nd application

About 90% of the doors got smoothed out. What didn't get smoothed sticks out too much IMO. I rubbed and shined the first coat and tomorrow I'll do a 2nd concentrating on the spots that are being a PITA.

accidental woodworker

Happy New Year, everyone! Hopefully everyone has fully recovered from their New Year’s Eve partying and is back in the shop. I certainly am. As with every new year, I try to tackle a few small but important projects (I call them “fixgasms“) around the shop. The term is not exclusive to the workshop. A […]

 I think this is the last step for the bookcase before the oohs and aahs commence. I still haven't come up with an idea for latching the right hand door. I don't have a warm and fuzzy that the door will stay shut on its own. I have time to figure that out. I'll have to find someone that wants this because I don't have the room for anywhere in my house. I'm hoping that daughter #2 will say yes to adopting it.

still no lid stay

I went to ACE and my neighborhood hardware store, and neither had a small lid stay. They both had the exact same one I had that was too large. I searched Amazon for 30 minutes before I found one. It will work and I hadn't expected it to be so hard to find a small one. 

Jewelry box lid stays were too small and most of the Amazon offerings were for large, heavy lids. All I want is the lid won't flop over and rip the hinges off. And no, I didn't want to use a chain as lid stay - I have had too many of them snap off on me. IMO this lid is too large/heavy for a chain stay.

done

Back side of the doors are done. Four coats of shellac and they look good. I am glad that I planed the glazing bars flush with the muntins.

almost done

Four coats on the front but it will get at least one more. I'll get one on after dinner and decide after that if more coats are needed. Either way I'll hang the doors in the AM or PM tomorrow.
 

hmm......

Applying shellac only to the bottom as it won't be visible. The rest will be painted. The interior of the of the miniature chest will get shellac too. I applied shellac to the underside of the lid - for now. I may end up painting it but for now the plan is to go with shellac. 

This was it for today's output. I don't know what the next project for Ralphie's workshop will be. My stash from Gurney's is almost gone. I only have four 1x12 boards left. I really want to start on the desks for the grand kids. That will involve making a road trip to Highlands in New Hampshire.

accidental woodworker

Been a while since I last posted. I made a small video of my current project rather than writing about it. There is an aweful lot that many lessons could be derived from it, but I just found it a little simpler to show it to you rather than go into any great detail on how I arrived making a smooth round table by hand.

 Today is a holiday. I didn't know that and I didn't know until my wife told me that. After lunch I went to ACE but it was closed. No biggie, I thought it was because it had snowed and they were closed because of that. Almost  two hours later, and after going to 3 other ACE stores that were closed, I headed back to the barn. I wanted to get a small lid stay but that will be delayed until tomorrow.

last night after dinner

Took the left door off so I could plane a tapered rabbet. I couldn't wait until the next day before I did it. Before I did the rabbet I planed the glazing bars down to the muntins.

sigh

The middle screw hole is toast. Both the top and bottom screws were pulled out by the weight of the door. I filled them in with unfinished maple golf tees.

2nd round

Missed getting a pic of the fit after the first planing run. Not all of the taper was gone - I would guess ta mate that 95% of it was. I had planed down to the layout line on the first run. On the 2nd one I planed the lines away. The 2nd fitting had to wait until the AM.  

happy face on

The 2nd planing run was the trick. I am happy with how the right door is laying up against the left one. Tiny bit of a gap at the top but I am not going to obsess about it.

hmm......

The margin I have is more than I expected. But it might be in my favor come summer time. I don't anticipate the doors to move much but this will afford some room for it.

80 grit

The bottom shelf had gotten dirty with all the times I put and took the doors off. IMO the quickest way to clean it was to sand it.

the forgotten pic

I don't understand these two doors. Both of them lay flat on each laying here on the bench. Why, how, and what is causing the left door to toe in at the bottom when it is attached to carcass.

attaching the knobs

 The centering of the knobs on each door was different. The right one is centered on 1 3/8" while the left on an 1 1/8".

hmm.....

The knobs don't look unbalanced to my eye. The astragal serves as a distraction for the eye.

more shellac work coming

Sanded both doors, inside and outside with 80 grit. A few planing defects popped out that I had missed. I sanded the edges of them smooth, feathering them out as much as I could.

sigh

One knob didn't fully seat. I noticed it when I sanded the door.  It had only been a few minutes which made it easier to remove. Sawed off the knob and drilled out the tenon. I checked to make sure the next knob fully seated dry first.

done

I hadn't checked before but the tenons on the knobs weren't the same length as the thickness of the stiles.
 

2 coats

I applied shellac on the muntins (both sides) and the inside face. Four coats on the back and then I'll flip them and put 4-5 coats on the front faces. Rehang the doors for the final time (?) and figure out a door catch/latch for the right one.

accidental woodworker

 Made progress on mopping up the bookcase today. I'm going out on a limb but I am confident that I'll be done with the bookcase this weekend. I didn't get any sleep induced ideas but this AM I finally thought of something. It wasn't what I wanted but I have too many calories expended on this already. Starting over again at square #1 or #2 is not an option.

over 14 years old

I can date this as being made before 2011 because the drawers aren't dovetailed. A painted bookcase because the wife wanted it painted. Pretty much the same theme as the current one, sans the drawers. I don't remember having any hiccups with the doors on this.

door astragal detail

I should have looked at this when I did the astragal on the bookcase in the shop. This one has a bead and the two doors are rabbeted on the latch/knob edges.

left side door

I plan on putting this catch on the current bookcase too. You can swap the two parts of this catch. The left door is held in tight to the top door stop and the right  door closes up the rabbet without any type of door closure, latch, magnet, etc.

rehung the doors again

Stood here giving it the absolute goofiest looks I could muster. That usually cracks something open in the brain bucket but not today. I took the doors off and laid them on the bench to see how the two laid up against each other.  No taper between them - the closing side was flat and straight top to bottom. (forgot to snap a pic of that).

hmm......

The right side isn't square at the bottom or the top but the left side is. I don't see any connection/cause between this and the taper between the doors. Besides I planed the left and right side doors to fit their respective openings.

right side door

I thought maybe the hinges mortises weren't aligned and that was causing the taper. However, both the stiles on the right hand door are dead nuts square with the top and bottom shelf. Scratch that off the blame list.

ta da

Problem solved. This I can understand causing the taper. It is a 1/4" off square at the bottom. It is square at the top though. Now that I know what the monkey wrench in the gears looks like, I'll have to put on my nuclear powered thinking cap and big boy pants  and figure out how to fix it.

lid stay

I thought I had a smaller one but as usual I couldn't find where I hid it. This one still had the directions with the measurements. I think these are handed - either left or right. This one is a right hand but I reversed the layout to use it on the left. I just naturally wanted to install it on the left so I did.

)(&@%)*%_)_)^_*)#)_%#

As an aside, the comment is called a gralix. The first time I installed it, it opened and closed. It was hard to open initially so I repositioned where it was secured to the lid. Now the lid won't close any further than this. Removed the lid stay and filled in all the screw holes.

sigh

This screw hole split when I plugged it. I will make a road trip to ACE and buy a smaller lid stay. I have several pairs in my stash but they are all for larger and heavier lids.

step one of the final fix

The top of the doors need a full length stop to close against. Getting a new one installed is in the on deck circle.

checking the stop

Clamped the right side of the door stop to see how the left door is laying against it. There is a 2 frog hair gap which I like.

wash, rinse, repeat on the right side

Gap disappeared at the far end of the door stop. Not sure how to address this here. Both doors line up flush on the front face where it matters. If need be I can plane a few frog hairs off there.

The door stop is installed dry, no glue, with only 3 screws. After the doors are 100% done, I will put in two more screws.

hmm......

I had to stop and think about this for a few. I wanted to ensure that I wasn't looking at this from left field. The gap at the bottom is a strong 1/4" and it peters out around 18" up.

taper layout

The bottom gap is 3/16". That will give me a 16th of wiggle room to play with. Up next is setting the rabbet plane and planing a tapered rabbet going from 3/16" at the bottom to nothing at the top.

layout

Pencil wasn't working on the shellac. I used a micro black sharpie to lay out the lines.

took a while

I don't want a wide margin between the astragal and the rabbet. I had a devil of a time setting the fence on the rabbet plane. It took 9 attempts before I got where I wanted it.

almost

With the left door hung again (the billionth time), The rabbet at the bottom is few frog hairs shy of being flush with the front edge of the bottom shelf. What I was hoping for - I have wiggle room to remove more. 

happy face on

95% of the gap is gone. This was a good time to kill the lights for the day. Tomorrow I will plane a wee bit more at the bottom and fingers crossed, I'll get 100% of the taper to disappear.

accidental woodworker

The next few posts will cover a major woodworking task: how to join boards together from an end-grain edge to a side-grain long edge. As you are planing and designing a project, it helps to be aware of the many available options. To make a project, we want to engage in effective, pleasant working tasks […]

Last week, as I anticipated another road trip for us all together around our star, I carved this ornament. Here’s my sketch of the design in my notebook. I cut a circle out of a thin (3/8″) basswood board, painted … Continue reading →

scrap

This was the original lid for the miniature chest. I ripped off the back stop and then the curved front.

yikes

There was almost 3 lines of twist according to the sticks. Step one was removing the twist on one face and making it flat and straight.

on to step two

Decided to make parallel faces. It has been a while since I have thicknessed a board, I made this one so.

done

Ended up with a board 9/16" thick. I don't need it but I'll keep it in my off cuts stash.

back to the bookcase

I will have to take off and put on the doors several more times before I can call the bookcase done. Putting the hinges back on the doors is the first step. Became aware of another potential problem - what and how will I install a door catch?

PITA upcoming

I find trying to get a screw started in the hinges awkward to say the least. Having to do it at a minimum 3-4 times sucks pond scum.

hmm.......

Both doors hung but the right one ain't cooperating. It is hitting at the bottom and tapers up and away towards the top. With the left door open, the right one will close straight.

nope

At first I thought this was hinge bound. But that wasn't causing the right door's tapered closing. If this was hinge bound, the door wouldn't close fully and it does.

hmm.......

The door is not twisted so that isn't why I have a tapered closing.

2nd check

Other than a hump on where the muntins cross, the door is flat in every plane I checked. I planed the muntins and the glazing bars flush and removed most of the hump but not all of it. The front face is flat and I don't see how this hump on back could cause the taper. Just in case, I planed what I could.

big gap

There is a slight bow in the top door stop. This end on the right side doesn't matter. It has no effect on the taper. Another dead end.

it is square

Next up on the list to check was the top front and bottom front edges were in the same plane. I checked that in a bazillion spots from left to right and right to left. A couple of spots had a some light between the straight edge and the square but nothing to cause this problem.

removing the stop

Going back to square one and that means removing the top door stop. It wasn't difficult removing it but it did leave an ugly scar. Thankfully it is at the top and the next door stop will hide it.

nope

Noticed that this top hinge was not butted up tight against the back. Fixed that and I had high hopes it was the cure but it wasn't so boys and girls.

not frustrated yet

Both doors will lay flush. The left one is few frog hairs proud on the left side stile and it toes in a strong 32nd at the center. The right one looks better than the left with it being close to flush at the top and bottom.

two hours later

I put a door stop at the bottom and nada. With the stops removed and the doors closed on each other, with no taper, I was at a lost as to what the )(&^@#Q%__)(Q^%Q+_+(+(*^%^%@) problem was.

a shaker knob

 I had bought this several years ago and never used it. The piece at a right angle to the shaft can positioned anywhere along its length. It can be turned and capture the right door to the left one. Thinking that maybe it will pull the taper to zero.

Not sure if I'll use it but I ran out of ideas for why I had the taper on the right door. I called it quits for the day here. Maybe something will light the bulb in the brain bucket overnight and tomorrow I'll fix this hiccup.

accidental woodworker