Hand Tools

I am the delighted recipient of Mrs. Barn’s foodie-ism.  She loves cooking as much as I love puttering in the shop.  One of the benefits of this relationship is that I come down the hill for lunch and supper every day and there is a wholesome real-live meal awaiting me.  She makes all our butter, yoghurt (our breakfast of choice for many years) and ice cream from scratch, as she does with almost everything else we eat.  No wonder my matchmaking sister told me 45 years ago, “I’ve got just the girl for you!”

In recent years as an attempt to reduce our carb and white flour/wheat intake she has been making sourdough bread from einkorn she grinds herself.  Admittedly she parcels it out like I was a junkie, maybe a slice or two a week.  When we went lower-carb years ago I gave up sodas and fruit drinks cold turkey with no problem, Same for wheat pasta and other starches as she has found excellent alternatives (I actually prefer quinoa to rice and pureed cauliflower is almost equal to mashed potatoes).  But bread?  That was way tougher as I had been eating a whole loaf of grocery store bread every week and still love it.

She has compiled a recipe repertoire that I think she should turn into a cookbook (especially the wheat-free treats and sugar-free desserts, but she doesn’t think anybody would be interested.  Sigh.)

Anyway, this video made me think of all this.  I found it fascinating, she found it old news.

sigh.....

This is my main computer that lives besides my desk. It is a Dell T3500 which means it is obsolete. Lately the fans have been acting up. I've lost 60% of my hearing and this AM I could hear the fans laboring while I was in the bathroom with the door partially closed. Time to pony up and fix it.

After searching on line for a while I found out that there are 2 fans in the computer. One on the CPU cooler and two intake fans. I have always hated Dell computers because they purposely make replacing any parts almost impossible. You either buy from them or you have a big ass paper weight. Fans are available still on eBay and I'll have to open the computer up and see which fans are acting up. I have a laptop I can use in the interim. Tomorrow, maybe because it has been almost 20 years since I've played computer tech.

door stop

Found 4 of these buried in the black hole and I am using one as the top door stop. I think I had made these a few years ago when I rehabbed a bead molding plane.

marking

I hung the doors, closed them, and marked the backside of the stop molding.

hmm....distracted

I could have sworn that I had a gap here yesterday. I'll add some veneer in the carcass mortises to increase it.

going slowly

I clamped boards from the back holding the door stop where I had marked it. Taped it in place and checked it with the doors closed. Both doors when up against the stop, were flush on the front.

glued and cooking

I double, triple checked the door stop was on the layout lines on the back of it. I won't have any chances to adjust once the glue has set. Fingers crossed that all will be well in Disneyland tomorrow. Just glue to secure this, no nails or screws.

door astragal

Glued the two parts together. I'll hold off gluing it to the right hand door until the last moment.

quarter round molding

The short right one is fitted. The other three are over length. Once I get the right one glued and nailed, I will secure the two long ones followed by the short left one.

door astragal

This is ready to be glued on. I sawed 45's on the ends and then sanded them started with 100 grit ending with 220.

gap filled

This is the back and I could have let it go but I couldn't. Glued in a piece of veneer.

securing the back

I clamped two boards so I could push the back up against them. This allowed me to secure the back with screws and Miller dowels while ensuring the back was flush.

top

Used five 1 1/2" screws to secure the top.  No glue, just screws. The top stop will hide the screws. 

Miller dowels

Both sides got 5 Miller dowels each. The bottom is free floating. No screws, nails, or Miller dowels for it. I didn't want to unscrew the base to get Miller dowels or screws into the bottom.

no gap

Back frame assembly is in and secure and the light leak I know I had yesterday is gone. I'm still going to put the cove molding here but now it will hide pencil marks I didn't bother to remove. I'll glue and pin nail it in place.

another gap

I can't believe I hadn't noticed and addressed this hiccup already. Same treatment as the back - I glued in a piece of veneer.

glazing bars

I went nutso on this and made double what I needed. Used up most of the waste and off cuts from the bookcase build.

one done

These glazing bars are on the thin side. They aren't thick enough to nail through. I will glue them in place with hide glue. I did one just to check the depth and to ensure that I can fit a pane of glass in the rabbets along with the glazing bars.

I'll survive the brain fart

 A couple of days after my mixing hiccup, both cans are liquid still. No clumps of undissolved shellac in either one. The right can I shook before opening it and the right I didn't shake first.

it is thick

I usually mix a 1.5 to 2 pound cut and the shellac on these stir sticks is pretty thick. Much more so than what I see with my usual mix. I plan to transfer half of each of these two cans into another one. I'll then add alcohol until it looks and feels like my usual mix ratio.

look what I found

I had an empty quart can all along. I had seen this on the cabinet but I assumed it had shellac in it. I was wrong. Tomorrow I'll go to the dollar store and buy a cheap set of measuring cups so I can transfer from the full-ish cans to the empty one. 

accidental woodworker 

done

Got the 2nd attempt on fitting the back panel done. Got the first 3 sides fitted and the last one was a cake walk. This pic was snapped with me standing about 6-7 feet away.

this will work

On the back side there isn't a gap but in the interior there is a tiny sliver of light visible along the top edge. This cove molding is small, unobtrusive and blocks the light.

reusing the mistake

I needed stock for the door astragal and I used this boo boo. I sawed it into four pieces and used one to get the door astragal.

thin or thick

The thicker one is 3/8" thick and it was my first choice for the base. The thinner one is about 3/16".

my hinges

This is an unswaged hinge. There is a healthy space between the leaves when they are parallel.

hinges flat against each other

With swaged hinges the two leaves lay flat against each other when they are closed. Makes it a bit harder to mortise. Hope this helps Frank.

left one done

I chiseled the hinge mortises a little deeper and then evened the four of them with the router.

won't close

I closed the gaps between the hinges and the side of the carcass. But the doors won't close - the right one over hangs the left one about 1/8". This is the uncertainty I have with these hinges. I wasn't sure how deep to make the mortises so I did a little and checked it. Wash, rinse, and repeat until done.

I made another chisel/router run making them a wee bit deeper. That along with planing the latch side of the right door, the doors closed and opened. I got the gap to a 16th. I can make it wider if necessary because I can hide it with the door astragal.

hmm....

This is the right side door and the hinge margin is zero. It is closing ok but I like having some daylight between the door edge and the carcass.

insurance

I put a #4 screw in the ends of the muntins. Probably didn't need it but it is giving me a warm and fuzzy. Muntins are usually mortised into the stiles and rails.

changing lanes

The door astragal on the left is history. The base under the 1/2 round is 1 3/4" wide and it would eat up too much real estate and not leave sufficient room for the knobs. The right base is 1 1/2" but I couldn't find a smaller 1/2 round for it. I found a scrap of pine 3/4" wide by 3/8" thick.

back to thick or thin

I don't like the 3/8" thick base for the astragal. I think it is too heavy looking for the doors. I am going with the thinner base - the size of it doesn't overwhelm the scale of the doors.

sneak peek

Looking like what I envisioned it to be. There isn't much left to do woodworking wise. I'll have to get the glass for the doors and that should be the last thing I have to order/wait for.

fixed

The top of the left door was about a 16th higher than the right. Marked it and then planed it to the line.

door astragal

Rounded over the outside edges on both pieces and sanded them smooth. I'm holding off gluing the two of them together for now. Once I have it cut to length, I will saw the ends at a 45.

the ends

I think leaving the ends at a 45 (which I can saw, plane, and sand) it a better choice than trying to round over the end grain ends.

better

Got a gap now. Before it was a little bit hinge bound at the bottom. Something I hadn't noticed before. I had to add a shim in the carcass side mortise to get this gap.

hmm.....

The shelf width will about 9 1/4". I was shooting for something at 10" or more. Maybe I should have glued up to get wider stock.

accidental woodworker

For the last several months I’ve been prevented from getting into a rhythm in the shop due to a host of wonderful family happenings, sometimes even going for weeks without darkening its doors.  When I do get into the shop I spend a lot of time cleaning, organizing, and tuning up the shop itself.  That really does not require really getting in the flow, I can just spend a few minutes here or there moving nd throwing away. In fact I’m trying to impose a better order and functionality of several shop spaces.

One of the unintended pleasures of the undertaking has been the rediscovery of items I did not even remember I had, at least until I put my hands and eyes on them.  Such is the case with this 3″ x 3″ print, taken with a tiny Kodak Instamatic pocket camera fifty years ago.  This piece was one of the “kits” delivered to the Schindler’s shop in the back of a Mercedes station wagon.  Taking pictures of my projects was simply not part of my operating system back then, but this tulipwood and rosewood marquetry secretaire bore a royal inventory stamped, probably from about 1700.  Along with the other “kits” I worked on around this time, including a pair of bureaus by Riesener, a switch was turned for me that has directed part of my life to this very day.

And I did not even remember this image until I found it while going through a box of ancient stuff.  Heck, I haven’t even thrown away all my papers from college.  My college career lasted from 1972 to 1985, so…

 A friend of Gustav asked if we could make a dedicated cabinet for ribbons that are won/awarded at equestrian events. If you participate in a lot of events, you eventually end up with a bunch of those. She wanted it around 55" x 35" and preferably in light oak if possible.

I normally don't have any oak in stock for building furniture of, but I once got a great tip from Ty Stange: Buy old oak furniture and reuse the materials. 
In the late 70'ies and beginning of the 80'ies, there were some Danish furniture factories that made some good honest oak furniture, but the design is really not something that strikes a chord today. I found a cabinet with stained glass doors at a thrift shop, and paid 27 US$ for it. That was solid oak, furniture grade, and enough to build the entire cabinet from.

After some stock processing, to reduce the thickness, I dovetailed the corners of the main frame. A face frame was made using half lap joints in order to make it a fast build. 
I glued on some strips to help making a rabbet for the back to be glued onto, and that worked pretty good. Due to the original size of the back, I had to glue some reinforcement strips to cover where the back was joined.

The doors were also made using half laps in the corners, and after the glue had dried, I routed a rabbet for the glass to fit into.

The glass was something that I had leftover from the greenhouse, and I could reuse the hinges and pulls from the original cabinet.

A couple of strips with holes in where glued to the sides. I weaved some 1/8" braided line through all the holes, to give something for the ribbons to be attached to.

Finally two magnetic closing mechanisms were mounted, and the cabinet was complete.

I didn't go all wild with sanding, since it will be placed in a stable, but all in all i am happy with the result. 

 

fitting the back panel assembly

I laid the pattern on the back, adjusting it until it looked ok and I marked where I had to remove and where I had to add. I had to add fillers on two opposite edges.

haircut day

It still surprises me with how much dark hair I still have on the roof. I have some distinguished gray at the temples but the rest of the rest is black. It is winter so I cut my hair to a 1/4", the other 3 seasons I mow it down to a 1/8".

ready to plane

Fillers cooked and I laid the pattern on the back and penciled its outline onto the it.

sigh

 One side of the coin has the back fitted. It is a snug fit with no large gaps, a few teeny slivers. On the other side this is a boo boo. This side should be facing into the interior.

the brain fart

I hadn't thought this all the way through. The pattern fits the back perfectly but the rub is I penciled the the pattern the wrong way. I should have penciled the pattern on the back of the panel assembly.

fitting the back

I was oblivious to this  being wrong at this point. All my OCD attention was focused on fitting this. Started by getting the bottom first, then the right side, followed by the top, and finally the left side. 

found out my boo boo

This is the unfinished side of the plywood panels. It doesn't look that bad. There is one white spot on the right panel that I could paint/blend to hide.

this is a no no

This splintered edge is not what I want to see. It looks like crap. I now had two choices, make a new panel assembly or start over from square one with this.

chose option two

I double, triple checked this a bazillion times. I checked that I was laying the pattern correctly on the back face several times before I committed to tracing the pattern on it.

two more fillers

I had two large gaps on the frame - at the top right and the bottom left. My plan was to fit the bottom, right side, and top first. After I got them fitted I would glue the final filler on the left side and fit it.

gotta love McMaster Carr

They are wee bit expensive but they are worth. Ordered these yesterday and got them at 1320 today. These will be used for hinges mostly. A hundred screws in each box for about $10 each.

3 sides fitted

It took a while but I found it relaxing sneaking up on the fit. And I got it correct this time.

last one

I think, at least for me, this was the way to do this. Trying to get all 4 in one shot would too much. The large gap at the top is a frog hair shy of a 1/4". The right side large gap was just shy of 3/16". 

maybe tonight

Got the last filler strip on and I'll let it cook until whenever. I might come back to the shop after dinner to fit but that depends. If not I'll finish this up in the AM.

It is looking like this will be done probably before xmas. I might be able to squeeze in another last minute project to close out 2025.

accidental woodworker 

 

came yesterday

I was tempted to start on these last night after dinner but I didn't. That aside, these 2" hinges will do the job. Nice touch with brass and steel screws but I won't be using either of them. Both are philips head screws and I don't like them. For nice brass hinges like these I want slotted brass flat head screws.

sweet

These hinges cost $34 a pair and they are well worth it. Ball tips are the cherry atop the sundae.

fitting the panels

Laid out the pencil line and planed down to it.

hmm......

The center stile wouldn't align with the dry fit tic marks. However, it is square, on both sides, at the top and bottom. I got both panels dry fitted and I'm happy with how it looks. Forgot to snap a pic of it for proof.

dutchman glued on

I had seen on a YouTube vid where he applied yellow glue to one side and superglue to the other side. No attempt to have clear spots for either glue. I decided to give it a try and see what shook out.

planing the waste

I didn't want to risk sawing any of the waste off. It would have been a awkward working around the clamp and sawing with my non master hand. There didn't seem to be any headaches or hiccups with the mixing of the two glues.

done

This repair will be at the upper left corner of the bookcase. It doesn't look that bad this close and once it is in the bookcase it will be invisible.

glued and cooking

I got the tic marks on the center stile to align. The right side stile ended up a bit proud though. It won't be problem because I still have to plane this to fit the back.

hinge layout

I have come a long way with installing hinges. They don't fill me with dread anymore. I just treat as another step to complete the build.

not perfect yet

The leaf wasn't flush on the left side. Flush on the right though. A piece of cherry veneer brought it up flush.

needs a #5 screw

Not only were the supplied screws philips head, they were too long. They would have been ok in the carcass but not on the door. They were a few frog hairs longer than 3/4" (metric ?) - they would have poked through.

 I didn't have enough screws for the 4 hinges. Blacksmith bolt were I usually buy my screws didn't have any #5x5/8" in stock. I ordered them from McMaster Carr and I should have them tomorrow.

sigh

I blew out the back twice. I only waited the first time a few minutes (used super glue) but this time I let it set for over 30 minutes.

insurance

I clamped a backer at the back and it worked. I didn't blow it out again.

one down, one to go

Left door swings easily in/out. The margins aren't even, the bottom is thinner than the top. They are parallel and consistent though.

nope

The bottom is beyond snug. There is no way this will close. Glad now that I didn't go nutso fitting the doors earlier.

done

Both doors swing in/out freely. No hang ups top or bottom but the doors won't meet/close on latch side. The right door overlays the left one about 1/8".

why they won't close

The gap on the hinge side of both doors is too wide. That is because the hinges aren't swaged. The hinge leafs don't lay flat on each other. I knew that going into this and I expected this. I will break out a router and use it to increase the depth of the mortises on the door and the carcass.

yikes

I was playing around with fitting the back when I stepped away to get something off my workbench. The back fell out of the carcass and on the floor (failed the bounce test). This corner broke. I glued it back together and I'll let it cook until tomorrow.

for tomorrow

Fitting the back into the carcass is going to be a huge PITA. The back is out of square by a 1/4". These glue ups will be used to facilitate making the fitting a wee bit easier.

accidental woodworker

Every day I am at work I spent at least 15 minutes - more like 30 minutes -a day using the showroom treadle lathe. I would do more but I don't have time. And this was the point of designing the lathe in the first place: I need the exercise. Using the lathe, I break a sweat; I can feel my heartbeat go up; and I can feel the improvement in my stamina. I hate going to the gym, and at this point I don't pretend that this New Year will be different. But this is different. I focus on my goal of learning to turn properly and the time just slips by. Eventually my goal is to make certain items. I have a list but I am not skilled enough yet.

And this is what will bring me to the lathe in the future - interest in turning. The important physical benefit is frosting. Consequently I don't have to negotiate with myself, resort to post-workout bribery or make complicated podcast or music playlists to distract myself from (what I experience to be) the monotony of gym exercising.

But there is a learning curve.

Turning in general has a learning curve, but I am also learning the important aspects of turning on a treadle lathes. Pedaling is one example. I am now at the point where I routinely switch feet. I am learning how to position my body so that I am not in the way of moving the tool in a cut - yet still be able to pedal comfortably. I am is getting better, but I am not yet where I need to be, or where I hope to be within a few weeks.

I also had my first accident today. It was pure stupidity and carelessness, as accidents sometimes are. If I had been using an electric lathe, I might have lost a thumb. I was rounding out square stock and stopped pedaling so I could see where I was and I touched the wood to see if it was round. It was far from it and my thumb was dragged and stuck between the work and the tool rest. This was totally avoidable mistake and it served as a real wake-up call. Fortunately instead of causing an emergency trip to the hand surgeon, the accident just caused a mild pain at the base of my thumbnail. I don't even think I will lose the nail.

I counted myself lucky and finished roughing out.

Update on manufacture: We are basically done assembling all the bits and bobs that go into the lathe. The Treadle Lathe is the largest and most complicated hand tool project I can think of by any manufacturer in several generations. We are dealing with multiples of over 100 different parts. All of the parts with three exceptions are sitting here waiting to be assembled. The parts that are missing are a few of the headstocks - we had a CNC milling crash last week and we lost a few days waiting for the machine to be repairs. That's done. We don't feel comfortable finishing the tailstocks until we have assembled a production machine and double- checked the actual center distance from the ways. (It would be just foolish to make an assumption.) And finally the welded frames were supposed to be shipped to us last Wednesday but the trucking company confused bills of lading, reported our shipment picked up and on schedule when in fact it was just sitting at the fabricator. In theory, by the time you read this we will either have frames or we will be waiting for a truck to pull up, which will be followed by a mad dash to assemble the machines. If you have signed up as a pre-sale buyer, you will then get your call to arrange delivery, although that last bit may not happen until January because most of our shop people are on vacation Christmas Week.

We still have lots of work to do on manuals and videos.

All of this is a roundabout way of saying: I expect to spend more time turning and be a better turner in better physical shape starting now.

dipped below 60F

It has been cold for the past couple of weeks, especially the past week and the start of the current one. Through it all the shop temp has hovered between 61F and 63F. I haven't seen 62F at all. The shop is still ok - ish to work in, I'll start wearing sweatshirts if the temp dips any lower. 

setting pin sleeves

This gizmo sets the shelf sleeves with a tap from a mallet. I got it from Lee Valley and it sets 4 different size sleeves. I have 3 of the four. I secure my sleeves with super glue.

done

Before I make the shelves I will get the back installed and the doors hinged. Those being in place will determine the width of the shelves.

brain fart time

The shellac I had ordered a few weeks ago finally came in. I made a stop at the paint store to get 4 empty quart cans but they only one. That was all I needed to mix enough shellac for the bookcase.

the huge brain fart

I can't mix a quart of shellac - the can is too small. So what I usually do is mix three batches. The mistake I made was using way too many shellac flakes - I used 9 ounces instead of 4.5 ounces. 

Ran out of alcohol but I did have enough to get the mountain of shellac dissolved. I have no idea what pound cut of shellac I have. The plan is to get two more cans and distribute the shellac I mixed into the four of them. I'll add more alcohol, guessing what looks good, and go from there.

road trip

The only 6mm birch plywood was a 5 foot square panel that had smashed corners and was warped. So I got these two plywood panels - 2' x 4' with one face prefinished for $19 each. That is cheaper than the Lowes.

hit or miss

I picked up a bag of these 1/4" dowels for my Dowel Max doweling jig. I have bought 1/4" dowels before and they were too loose. It is a crap shoot IMO because the pins will swell and shrink and you have to deal with it.

hmm......

Both of the openings are not square. The left side top right is out. The right side is out of square on the top and bottom corners on the right. I'll make the panels to the size of the larger measurement, and plane them to fit.

story stick

There is over a 1/8" difference at the top and bottom.

yikes

Didn't expect this to splinter out like it did. The face veneer is thinner than a piece of paper.

panels rough sized

Did better with the splinter BS on the right panel. On the right one I knifed the cross cut line. Even the waste side of the cut, which I hadn't knife, came out splinter free.

hmm....

Labeled the joints because I sized the panels to each opening. Both of them are slightly different. What I don't understand is the out of square but all the shoulders lay up gap free.

sigh

This is supposedly a 1/4" panel and the groove is 6mm wide a 1/4" deep. 6mm (0.236) is less then a 1/4" (0.250). The plywood is loose in the groove. There is a healthy gap that I wasn't expecting. I plan to glue the plywood in the grooves so it won't be a problem.

future fix

This was the result of sawing the stile to length. This will be facing into the interior of the bookcase so I'll have to dutch it. I'll do that before I glue the frame and panel up tomorrow.

 

not that bad

The left side frame joints are all tight. The right side and the top of the center stile aren't seated. This is looking like it is going to be a fun plane and fit exercise.

accidental woodworker

Who doesn’t love a nice ribbon bookmark? Older bibliophiles will remember when many fine hardcover editions of literary classics came with a ribbon bookmark. I always loved them, though I’m afraid they aren’t as common as they used to be.

Fortunately, even if your favorite hardcover or leather-bound book doesn’t come with a ribbon bookmark–or if it doesn’t come with enough ribbons–it’s very easy to make your own ribbon bookmarks.

I learned how from a guy named Justin, who was a student of mine. A few years ago, we were both part of a theological discussion group at our university, and one day somebody noticed that Justin’s Bible had probably half a dozen ribbon bookmarks, all different colors. We were a little envious and wondered where he had gotten a Bible with so many ribbon bookmarks. He smiled and showed us how he had made them himself out of some very simple materials.

First I’ll show you how you can add the ribbon bookmark(s) to your book, and then I’ll show you how to make them.

Pretty much every book that’s not a paperback has this handy little gap at the spine. You’re going to attach your ribbons to something long and thin that you can slip into this gap.

Here’s how you do it.

First, make the slip.Use stiff poster board or a sheet of vinyl, just something thin you can punch a few holes in. You can even use a cereal box or something like that. Cut it into a long slip that will fit nicely into the book’s spine. The exact dimensions aren’t important, but if you make it about half as long as the book is tall, you can adjust the length of your bookmarks by moving it up and down inside the spine.

Now get some ribbon. I recommend the 1/4″ wide ribbon that you can get at any fabric store. You can get the wider 3/8″ size if you prefer. Be sure to choose a color and texture that you really like. I prefer plain, smooth polyester ribbon, which is soft and flexible and feels nice in the hand. Other kinds of ribbon are quite stiff or have a lot of texture, which is not ideal for a bookmark. Ribbon is not expensive, so you can get several different colors if you like.

You can attach the ribbon to your slip in many different ways. I decided to punch holes, fold the ribbon through the hole, and superglue it to itself. (I pressed it between a couple pieces of waxed paper while it dried.) You could also put the ribbon through the hole and staple the ribbon to itself. Or you could just tie it off in a little knot, which is how my student had attached his. Just make sure the ribbon can’t pull free if you tug on it a little bit.

With the ribbons attached, cut them to the proper length.

Just make sure you leave enough on either end to drop down into the spine and stick out from the pages.

I was making several of these for Christmas presents, so I put down some tape on my table to help me cut every ribbon to the same length. You may want to customize the ribbon’s length to your book’s size. And you can always leave it a bit long at first and trim it to final length once you’ve installed it in the book.

Don’t forget the singe the ends of the ribbons with a flame so they don’t ravel.

Now slip your new bookmark into the book’s spine, and you’re done!

After just a few minutes’ work, you have made a fine ribbon bookmark to mark your place in your favorite book.

But since these are so quick to make, it would be a shame to make just one. Why not make a few for your other favorite hardcover books. You could even make some as gifts for your bookish friends!

Or maybe it’s time to sit down in front of the fireplace and enjoy your favorite book, enhanced with a ribbon bookmark you made yourself.

Lectio felix! (Happy reading!)

I just finished teaching my last class of the year, on 18th Century Chairmaking. A highlight for me was a trip to our local auction house to view a turn-of-the-19th-Century bow back chair made by the McKim Brothers of Richmond, Virginia (photo from the Leland Little website):

The auction-house folks were gracious enough to allow me to trace the very nice, sculptural seat:

I made a copy of the seat during class the next day and intend to offer it as a variation for future students in this 18th Century Chairmaking Class. Teaching this class was fun, and I’m fired up to do it again. Here’s a few classes for next year (there will probably be more next summer and fall, but this is what I’ve got for now):

18th CENTURY LOOP BACK SIDE CHAIR
March 23rd to 28th, 2026 (at my shop)
May 4th to 9th, 2026 (at my shop)

TRADITIONAL WHEELBARROW w/ PETER ROSS & ELIA BIZZARRI
October 5th-10th, 2026 (at my shop)

I’m doing the lottery system again:  email me by 8am on Thursday (December 18th) to be entered into the lottery for the class(es) you want.  After that, any class opening will be available for purchase through the website shopping cart.

Hope to see you next year!

The post 2026 Chair and Wheelbarrow Classes first appeared on Elia Bizzarri - Hand Tool Woodworking.

I’ve taken a few photos during our snowy December here. I’ve paired them with words from an essay Hal Borland wrote in 1961, from his essay collection Sundial of the Seasons (1964): One of the penalties of modern life is … Continue reading →

first snow this year

This is what fell over night, maybe a little more than an inch. I didn't go to Woodcraft today because of it. Wimped out but maybe I'll bite the bullet and go monday or tuesday.

hmm......

I have enough of this plywood for the panels but I'm not crazy about the grain pattern on it. The opposite face is white. IMO, neither one compliments the pine. So I'll wait to get the birch plywood from Woodcraft.

doing piddly things

Filling time in the shop doing little things. Made a new drilling block for the shelf sleeve for the pins. I don't save these because they get trashed - the hole gets enlarged and eventually won't drill plumb holes.

done

Got the remaining 6 screws installed. I couldn't think of any reason that I would have to detach the base from the carcass.

last set of holes

Got smart this time and added a 3/4" scrap on the edge - the thickness of the back frame ass'y and the doors. Missed doing this on past drilling ops and it interfered with the notches for the shelf pins on the underside. 

ugly gaps

Filled in the few gaps I had with pine sawdust and yellow glue. I got a pretty good color match which surprised me. When I mix pine sawdust with hide glue, it always comes out dark. 

sigh......

The gap is/was filled with hide glue. I tried to dig some of it out with a pick but it wasn't working in my favor. I filled what I was able to pick out with pine sawdust and yellow glue. Of course this is the top and regardless of the homemade putty, they will still probably pop like neon lights.

yikes

I thought I had a huge hiccup on my hands. Initially I thought this gap was due to the 6 screws I installed to attach the base to the carcass. Made me regret that I had planed the doors to quasi fit yesterday. Turned out to be favorable to me.

happy face on

I had the doors switched, L for R, and the door was also upside down. Didn't notice that in the above pic. Got the fit I had yesterday so the screws hadn't pulled or twisted anything.

hmm......

Not entirely thrilled with this back stop thing. The curves at the ends match the cutout in base. I used the cutout from the longest one to make this. I wonder if anyone would even pick up on the match between the two.

prepping the knobs

The tenons on shaker knobs varies a lot. One of these is a 64th plus over 3/8" and the other is a 64th under 3/8". The first step is drilling a hole in the tenons so the wedges don't split the tenon.

holes drilled

2nd step it sawing the slot for the wedge. I have tried to do this with a handsaw but the results have always sucked pond scum for me. 

bandsawing the slots

Doing the slots on the bandsaw works the best. The only headache I have with it is making the slots in the right orientation. This time I got it right.

done

I started wedging shaker knobs years ago. I have had too many of them fail and fall out. I haven't had any problems since I've been doing it this way. The only problem I have with knobs is chips breaking off around the rim of the knobs.

3 times is the charm

Made one extra wedge - used cherry because it was the only hardwood I had scraps to get wedges from. The first two sets I made were too small or not wide enough.

accidental woodworker

When I first built my wall-hanging tool chest, I had only a handful of moulding planes. Basically a quarter set of hollows and rounds, plus a wooden fillister (rabbeting) plane. So the little cubbies at the bottom were more than sufficient for both those and my couple of joinery planes. But since then, I’ve accumulated […]

fitting the doors

With the back I moved on to fitting the doors. Not 100% - just fitted them loose and get an even margin on the top, bottom, and hinge sides. Started with the left door by fitting the bottom first, then the hinge side, and finally the top. Took a while because I was fighting the urge to take just one more swipe the entire time.

done

Fitted the right door next and then planed the shim on latch side of the right door. There is roughly a 16th gap on the top and bottom on both doors.

This is all I got done today. I didn't feel like driving to Woodcraft today and I'll do it tomorrow.

came today

I ordered these off Etsy and they came from England. I assumed they were coming from the USA but I was wrong. They came surprisingly quick considering they came across the big pond. These would have been a better fit for the chest I made for my sister.

Spent most of the day reading. I made a small dent in the pile of books awaiting me, finished one and continued another I've slogging my way through for a couple of months now.

accidental woodworker

In a recent eight-day stretch here at Shangri-la we had more than a foot of snow, much earlier than normal for us in the Virginia (!) highlands.  My pal MikeM lives in upstate New Tork and we note that our weather is basically similar, just one day earlier or later depending on which way  the fronts are moving.  Tomorrow night I think the overnight low will be approaching zero.  That usually does not happen here until late January or early February.

It made me all the more thankful I have a mondo snow blower that can clear the driveway with three passes.  On the other hand, even though it is power-drive it still requires rasslin’ a 350-pound machine on slippery ground. It took about an hour to clear the driveway from the front gate up to the barn.  It took two days for my shoulders and hips to quit barking at me.

Last night as I was heading down the hill for supper I noticed this fascinating formation on the edge of the log barn roof.  I’ve never seen anything quite like this.

Definitely time to get back to processing next winter’s firewood.

sigh....

The thing I was worried about happening, happened. While tapping the tails home with a mallet it split from the base of the tail outward to the cutout. Forced glue into the split and clamped it. I'll be putting this facing the back. 

I've noticed in the past with case hardened stock that it splits along the grain easily. I got lucky with only one hiccup to deal with.

hmm.....

The ends are short and I was thinking of skipping bearers there. The bearers are set down from the top of the base a 1/8".

sneak peek

I like the height of the base. It will make it easier to access the bottom shelf contents. Potential problem is the carcass and the base aren't laying flat against each other.

option one

Cove molding - don't know the size but it looks appropriate.

option two

I am pretty sure that this is a 1/4", quarter round. Don't like this as much as the first one.

option two on the front

There is a margin between the quarter round and the top of the bottom of the shelf. 

option one on the front

There isn't much of a margin with the cove molding. This one is the loser. Option two is the winner with the wider margin.

changed a wee bit again

I screwed the carcass to the base. No more misalignment, or any twist between the two is gone too. The door fit changed a wee bit but overall they were still square in the opening. The left one got snugger at the top left corner and the right one a wee bit looser. I will make any final adjustments/fitting once I get the hinges installed.

Speaking of hinges I ordered them today from Horton Brasses. I ordered two sets of 2" hinges for $75. I wanted the 2 1/2" hinges but the 2" were $5 cheaper each.

thinking ahead

I only have 4 screws holding the carcass to the base for now. I'm not sure if I'll have to take the carcass off again. I am also rethinking the back for the bookcase. I am mulling over 3 options. Option one is to rout a rabbet and put in a 1/4" plywood panel. Option 2 is rout a rabbet and use 1/2" or 3/8" thick solid wood boards. Option 3 is a frame and panel, with the panels being 6mm birch plywood.

door astragal layout

Three sizes of shaker knobs for the doors. All three will fit without looking crowded with an astragal that is 1 1/2" wide. Top and bottom knobs are maple and the middle ones are cherry. The bottom ones are the winners so far

and the winner is....

Option 3 won the brass ring. I like the options 1 & 2 because they protruded less into the bookcase then option 3. However, I like the look of the option 3 more than the other 2. Plowed a 6mm groove in the rails and stiles.

fitting the rails and stiles

Sawed the shoulders with a dozuki, split the tenons with a chisel, and fitted them with the rabbet block plane.  

dry fitted

I had to use a center stile because I can't get 6mm plywood large enough to fit the opening. I like the center stile and the two smaller panel openings. All the joints line up pretty good but I will have to plane them flush after it is glued up.

Road trip to the Walpole Woodcraft tomorrow or sunday. Most likely sunday because the traffic will be less.

better choice

While working on the bookcase I saw a boatload of 1/2 round maple stuck in the joist bays.It is 7/8" wide and I will using it as the astragal. This will also blend in with the 1/4 round on the top of the base.

door catch

This will go on the bottom inside of the left door. The right door will have the astragal attached to it and it is the door that you open first.

accidental woodworker 

There are very few! Yet I, and I think the readers themselves, appreciate what does come in.  By the top trusted, popular, skillful blog-ranking companies documenting online, Heartwood is consistently ranked in the top 10 most popular woodworking blogs in the english/US language. It is between #6 – #9. That rates above some major woodworking […]

 Today I had my post hospitalization check up. I still have the cough and the snot locker filling constantly but I do feel a lot better. The bitter, biting cough I had before is gone. The one now I feel in my chest with hacking up phlegm by the bucket. The cough is gentler and I don't feel like putting a gun to my head when I do cough.

The doc gave me a Rx for a cough suppressant and something to help with the phlegm. On the 29th I have a pulmonary function test and on Jan 9th I have another MRI. That is the one I'm anxious about because it will reveal whether I had pneumonia or lung cancer. The important thing in my mind is that I had an improvement in my condition be taking the pneumonia antibiotics. Fingers crossed till the tell tale MRI.

happy face on

The base stock behaved over night. I was expecting to see the long ones to be curled up like pretzels. The right long has a bit of bow to it but I can easily work around that.

new template

Not much difference in them. The bottom one is only an inch taller than the top one. 

one down and one to go

I put the tails on the short ends so the from the front the view will be square - ish tails vice triangular pins. This is where I killed the lights to go to the VA. New traffic patterns/construction on RTE10 made that a fun ride. Glad that I left early.

filler on the latch side

This had been cooking in the clamps for two days. Unclamped it and sawed the ends flush. I will leave the shim full width until I get the hinges installed.

hmmm.......

Both doors would not lay in the opening square. Penciled the shim overlay and it was tapered. Realized that I had fitted the doors to fit with the carcass in a specific orientation this way wasn't it. Flipped it 180 and both doors laid up square in the opening. The gap on the latch side was now parallel top to bottom. Labeled the top/bottom along with the L and R.

last three

No surprises chopping the pin waste. Another thing I was bit apprehensive about due to the case hardening I saw when ripping the stock.

fits

This baser is snugger than the first one I did. It was a frog hair or two too snug but I managed to get it on. The length has about a 1/8" of wiggle room while the width has none.

base cutout done

I double, triple checked this before I bandsawed out the waste. I have done this in the past with one leg cut out in the wrong direction. Tends to suck the wind out of the sails in a heart beat.

tricky cut out

I couldn't bandsaw the waste in one continuous cut. However, I could gang them together and rasp the cutouts even and smooth.

different op for the long ones

I ganged the two long ones together and rasped the ends together. The long straight run between the ends I did individually.

one more dry fit

I sanded the insides of the base with 80 grit and that helped a wee bit. It was still snug but was easier to get it started. Glued it and put it back on to cook in place. The clamps are there to keep it from sliding down.

Tomorrow I'll get the bearers installed and eyeball how the bookcase looks with the base attached. I should be able to finish this before the new year shakes hands with me.

accidental woodworker 

came too late

Whenever I see these I usually buy them, especially the war time publications. This one is packed with wood characteristics, plans, and repair procedures. I wish I had gotten it before I started the last project for this year.

look familiar

What struck me was the door stop detail at the top and the bottom. The top stop is something I haven't seen before and it would have worked perfectly for my two door bookcase.

after dinner

I went back to the shop, chopped the pins, dry fitted the base, and checked the fit on the carcass. It was a little snug on one corner but I moved the opposite corner until it slipped over the carcass. I didn't bother squaring the base - I used the carcass to set the fit.

template

None of the templates I already had looked good to my eye. Once I'm done using it I'll put with the other templates.

done

Got all four cutouts done with one continuous saw cut on the bandsaw. After cleaning the saw cuts with planes, spokeshaves, and 100 grit sandpaper, I was ready to glue it up.

big sigh

Got the base glued up and all the tails fully seated. The plan was to use the carcass to hold the base as it cooked. However, it dawned me here that I had done a huge brain fart that still the smell still lingers in the shop. I made this base way too big. If fits in this orientation but it is the wrong one.

This is without a doubt one of, if not the #1 bone head me-steaks I have made in the shop ever. I don't know how I hadn't seen this the previous night. I only saw it after the base was glued and on the carcass and I was thinking of the doors. That is when the bells started to ring and echo in the brain bucket.

I don't think this me-steak is something I will be able to recycle into using on something else. But just in case I will stow it in the boneyard after it has cooked.

new base

After the base screw up I left the shop. I got all my xmas shopping done and everything wrapped and ready to go. Stickered the new base stock but I don't have a good feeling about it. The pine seemed to be case hardened a wee bit. I had a devil of time ripping the long pieces. The blade pinched on the kerf for the first 1/3 of the rip cut. Got it done and I'll find out in the AM if this had stupid wood tricks up its sleeves.

one of the first base cut offs

Cleaned up and ready to layout for the shelf pins.

layout done

Didn't plan it this way but it worked out in my favor. The last position on the drill guide is 7" from the bottom and the top one is 7 1/8" from the top.

almost 6"

One good thing about the screw up is the base is now almost at the 6" I originally wanted. I will have to make a new template as the original is 4 1/2". 

Found some brass hinges from Horton Brasses that I like -$83 shipped. I'll dig into my wood stash $$$ and buy them probably next week. But now I have the problem of knobs for the doors. The added headache is I will have to work around the door astragal. There isn't a lot of real estate to play with between the astragal and the knob size. 

accidental woodworker