Hand Tools

Around the beginning of this year Kay and I started thinking hard about prolonging our stay here in Japan. There were a bunch of reasons to stay, despite promises I made to family and friends saying we would be returning to the US. But plans change, and truthfully we are really enjoying life here in… Read More »Tomobe House

The post Tomobe House appeared first on Big Sand Woodworking.

Anybody that wants to get somewhere quickly doesn’t want to ride with me. One of the annoying things I do is pull the car over every half-hour or so to take a 10 minute stroll. This is difficult to do … Continue reading →

My latest conversation with long-time fried Brian Wilson is now available on this Now For Something Completely Different podcast, a labor of love for him to stay occupied in his retirement.  After 55 years of broadcasting he can’t kick the habit.

These sessions could be titled “Don Uncensored” because I talk frankly about a variety of forbidden subjects (there is never any foul language, that only happens inside my head when I make a mistake at the bench).

As always, find it for yourself and avoid it if strident observations offend you.

 

 About a year ago, Gustav completed his exam as a carpenter and got his journeyman's certificate.

Needless to say, I was as proud as a peacock. If I remember correctly, they had 2 days to complete their building assignment and then one day where they had an oral exam.

The building assignments are drawn by lots, and each holds to focus points. There are off course measurements that has to be observed and adhered to, and beside that they also need to make an assessment of the delivered materials and make remarks if they would have sent some of it back in real life if it is twisted or otherwise damaged. 
Gustav had to make an inside corner with a roof that has to be prepared for clay tiles, and the construction of a wall and an opening for a window.

For the oral exam, I think they also drew a lot and had to talk about that subject. Gustav got a question about moisture based problems in wooden constructions.

The building part is made as a small portion of a building to save materials. They have to show how the things are constructed, so they deliberately leave part of the wall and roof uncovered so the censors can see that they know how to place the sub roof and the wind breaker and insulation etc.

When all the projects have been examined, the tradition calls for that the families and the colleagues from the various companies including the masters meet at the school to congratulate and to have a look at the completed building assignments. 

Finally the next day, the school hosts an arrangement for the parents and the masters where the actual certificate is given to the new journeymen.

For someone like me who has got a bit of interest in history and traditions, it was awe inspiring to participate in the ceremony where the certificates were handed over. the certificate itself hasn't changed the last 100 years I think, and the feeling that this ceremony has been going on continuously for the last 500 years or more was just so amazing. The recognition of the fact that this small certificate means the same now as it did back then, and that it is recognized from Australia to Zimbabwe that a carpenter is someone who can build a house or a structure out of wood is just amazing.

Pedder from two lawyers toolworks gave Gustav an ebony handled dovetail saw with a German silver back. That was almost enough to make me want to be a carpenter!

In Denmark if you get straight A's at a journeman's exam, you will get a silver medal. The idea behind that it is not a gold medal is that no handcraft can be perfect, because perfection is divine. And even the most skilled carpenter can't see inside a piece of timber if there is a small defect hidden inside. and that is why silver is awarded as the highest recognition. (Gustav got a silver medal)

 The start of the beginning of the end kicked off at  0900 today. Found the oil based primer and painted the cupboard. Tomorrow the first topcoat will go on and I'm planning on doing at two. I have everything I need to finish the cupboard except for the plywood back. Still haven't made it to Home Depot to check what they have for 1/4" plywood. The last time I checked on that they under layment, CDX, and some lightweight chinese plywood. If I get no joy there I'll buy it at Lowes and cut it myself in the parking lot.

portable chest of drawers

The glue up healed nicely but it didn't align flush top and bottom. I sanded it flush on the bottom (proud there) and feathered it out on the top.

good match

Two feet away I couldn't pick out the glued crack. Up close and personal I could. I checked all the drawers opened/closed easily and I had to plane two of them. I made all of them as loose fitting as I dared.

only one

This is the only loose fitting drawer and the drawer beneath it is the one I need to fix. I can't pull it open. The two large drawers on the left open/close easily and the other two open/close but need a wee bit of oomph.

it worked

I rapped on the back with the mallet and the drawer popped out. I wasn't sure that this would work because the drawer margin top/bottom was tight. I planed this drawer until it easily went in/out. I lightly planed the drawers above and below this one for the same action.

doors batted first

The doors might be a PITA to do. This is an oil based primer so once the paint goes on the door can't be moved and I have to be careful about raising dust in the shop. I only painted one side but I got the other side done in the PM session.

drawer

No oil primer for the drawer front. It has 3 coats of shellac on it and that is a good primer coat. 

worth its weight in gold

This is left over from the rehab I did when I got my hip replaced. My 70 year old knees love it dearly. Started painting at the top and worked down. If I didn't have this or knee pads I would have put the cupboard on the workbench to paint it. I can only take about 1-2 minutes of bare kneeling on concrete.

50 minutes

I painted every surface except for the drawer opening. I only painted 2-3 inches in from the sides and top/bottom. I also have to paint the bottom of the base sides and front. That got done in the PM session too.

oops

Have you ever wondered about where the ubiquitous white paint drops come from? I cleaned this but didn't get it all - it was on it too long before I saw it.

base

I am not priming/painting the bottom of the cupboard. I am only priming the bottom of the sides and the front.

drip patrol

The paint was 99% dry which surprised because it oil based. I was expecting it to be tacky still but it wasn't. I eyeballed the entire cupboard especially checking points like this where multiple surfaces intersect. Paint tends to pool in these areas and I cleaned them out with a razor blade and touched them up again with primer. Another spot for blobs are the vertical and horizontal edges. Brushing tends to leave build up on the arris - I did pretty good on that and didn't find much that needed scraping.

older than dirt

This is a brush spinner that I got when I painted with my father. Stick the brush in it and spin the solvent and paint away. Makes cleaning brushes almost a no brainer. I only use it for oil based products. Latex ones I wash and clean by hand in the sink.

forgot this

I meant to do this last week and it would appear I forgot it. This is at the top of the cupboard and will catch the top edge of the plywood back. I couldn't glue it because I had already primed underneath it so I secured with 3 screws.

FYI

You shouldn't paint the mortises for the hinges. Paint can build up and interfere with how the hinge seats and swings. Another FYI is to remove all hardware and stick something - old screws, toothpicks, rolled up blue tape,..... - in the empty screw holes so they don't fill up with paint.

another sore spot

I don't like installing things like this on a finished, painted project. The downside is keeping the paint off of it. IMO it looks like crap covered with paint. When I apply the top coat in this area I'll use an artist's brush.

Got an early out for today. If I do it right I might (should) be able to get both top coats on tomorrow. The paint has a 2 hour layover time between coats.

accidental woodworker

 The ground on this is sloping.

Let the real carving begin.

As I prepare for the upcoming Historic Trades event over Labor Day weekend I am bringing to completion this latest of my Nicholson benches, originally fabricated for use in the Build A Gragg Chair workshop two summers ago.  Well, something like “completion.”  Given the utilities needed for that exercise the benches were never “finished,” all they needed were to be solid worktables able to hold Moxon and Zyliss vises.

I went back and forth on this; do I add a nice leg vise?  How about twin screw face vise, a/k/a Moxon.

In the end I decided to follow the muse of Mike Siemsen, whose brilliant video is a “must watch.”

I might go back and add a big screw leg vise, mostly for the experience of making the threaded screw, but for now I’m going to use this as a bare-bones bench.  If I have time before the event I will tooth the work surfaces,

How to Choose Antique Molding Planes Different types of historical molding planes, and advice on choosing the best molding planes for hand tool woodworking   By Joshua Farnsworth  |  Published 07 Aug, 2024 How to Choose Antique Molding Planes   By

Woodworking in America 2024 registration is open, with promo code! →

I’ll be the first to say that I don’t do the woodworking commerce thing very well. In fact, I’ve never taken on trying to sell merch, monetizing Giant Cypress, or anything like that.

So this is a bit of a new one for me. The link above takes you to where you can register for Woodworking in America 2024. If you use the promo code “wilbur”, you get 15% off.

Hope I did that right!

And here’s the description for the workshop I’m teaching.

Wilbur Pan — Japanese Tools for the Western Workshop

Japanese tools are a great addition to any woodworking shop. In this session, you’ll learn about Japanese chisels and saws, why they are so great, and how to incorporate them into your shop to make your woodworking better. We may even get into Japanese planes. Spoiler alert: there’s no hype, and you don’t have to work on the floor.

Wilbur Pan is the author of the Giant Cypress blog. He has given demonstrations and talks on Japanese tools and Asian woodworking at Woodworking in America, the Society of American Period Furniture Makers, and Kezurou-kai USA. He has written articles for Popular Woodworking and Mortise and Tenon magazines. He lives in beautiful Central New Jersey.

 I've got sad news boys and girls. I didn't get any paint on the cupboard. While getting ready to sand it I saw another hiccup. I ignored one on the back but I couldn't do that for the front. Hopefully tomorrow I be slapping paint on it. As for the picture frame it suffered the same fate as the cupboard. Saw a hiccups that I had to fix. Maybe I'll get it to Maria friday or saturday.

hmmm......

I wasn't expecting to this. I had painted it again last night after dinner and the red paint still wasn't covering the black then. This morning it is - must have been the drying that did the trick. I was thinking I would maybe get this to Maria wednesday.

one more coat

The back looked ok but there were some scruff marks that another coat of black hid. I waited a couple of hours and put on a coat of shellac.

can't ignore this

The doors are inset and these will shine like a neon light on a foggy night. Before I fixed it I finished sanding the cupboard with 100, 150, and 220 grit.

timber mate

I didn't want to use the wood putty because it takes too long to harden. Paint doesn't care what it goes over and timber mate will set up in a few hours.

gave up the ship

After cussing, threatening, and cajoling this I said NO MAS. I just couldn't get that little piss ant _+)*%&^@)#%^)(_&@_)*%+(@Q screw started for the light bar clip. I could not see what I was doing and I was relying solely on touch which wasn't that helpful. I thought of using super glue to hold it while I screwed while I was upstairs cooling down. I'll try that tomorrow and see how that goes because it wasn't happening today.

a couple of hours later

I did a quick run over the timber mate with a sanding block and it had setup. I'll have to do another coat to form the 90 between the top and the front edge.

what gives?

I sign into my You Tube account upstairs and in the shop. What I don't understand is why the home page on the two of them isn't the same. It must have something to do with the shop computer being Win OS and upstairs is Linux.

picture frame hiccup

The paint is latex and it raised the grain on two sides. It not only looked rough, it felt rough. I sanded all four outside edges with 100, 150, and 220. This is why it won't be ready to go until friday or saturday. 

first of two

Painted the outside again and I'll get a 2nd coat on it after dinner. I am liking the red color a lot more now that I've had a chance to eyeball it dry for a few days. It certainly dries a different color than when it is wet.

fixing time

This split happened how? Don't know but I pulled out all the drawers and brought it to the shop to glue it.

glued and cooking

I expect this to have anymore stupid wood tricks to surprise me with. Fingers crossed just in case.

another fix it

Two of the 13 drawers wouldn't open. The two 6" drawers were throwing a hissy fit. I wasn't sure how the 6" drawers would behave and now I know. The large single 6" drawer still slides in/out easily. These two wouldn't budge a frog hair.

nope

I tried to use the mallet from the inside (with a block of wood) to rap on the inside of the drawer face. Didn't budge, didn't complain, stayed in place like a stubborn mule.

tight

I couldn't get a frog hair in between the drawer top or bottom and the rails. I was able to push the drawer out by hitting the ends with a mallet and a block of wood.

tight against this

After pushing it forward I saw that the top of the drawer was too against this back rail.

knocked the ends down

I had to plane the entire top to get it to slide in/out smoothly.

front

I had to plane the top front of the drawer too. It was going in beautifully but was hanging at the front cross rail.

the sibling

This drawer was clearing the back cross rail but had problems at the front. I could push it in flush and pull it out with a little oomph. I planed this drawer like I did its sibling until it when in/out smoothly.

one more

I double triple checked all the other drawers and this one was hanging up a wee bit. I planed the entire top rim with 4 passes before it opened/closed smoothly.

where it was hanging

It was only this corner that was too tight. I didn't go nutso on this and only planed what was needed for the drawers to open/close freely. I don't want to see this come winter that there was now a 1/4" gap.

another high spot

I could see this spot - just where the back goes into the side- was rubbing on the back top rail. Being able to take the back off (so glad I didn't glue it) was incredibly lucky for me. If not I would have had to wait for winter and see then if I could open these drawers.

two coats shellac

I'm pretty sure that I used the same blonde shellac on the drawers that I mixed up yesterday. After two coats I can't see a color difference. 

I found the sticking drawers a few days ago while I was in the boneyard. Out of curiosity I checked the drawers to make sure I could open and close them. Got the first 13 to open/close but 14 and 15 didn't want to play. The second portable chest of drawers I made has a few sticking drawers still. I have already sanded those drawers twice to get them to open/close. I'll deal with that one tomorrow.

accidental woodworker

In my collection of 3,000+ vinyl albums is the Pink Floyd double live album Ummagumma, with the memorable photograph of their traveling equipment artistically arranged on a landing strip.

It is reminiscent of my own preparations for my upcoming Introduction to Historic Woodfinishing next week in Earlysville VA.  As I’ve said previously, I found out long ago that the only way I could make the workshop complete and beneficial for all the attendees was to provide absolutely everything they need, in terms of workpieces, tools, and supplies.  And that adds up to quite a pile of materials.

At this point I’m about 2/3 of the way there.  All I know is that by the time I pull out of here next Wednesday the bed of my truck will be full.

 

 I thought that I would paint the cupboard today but that didn't happen. I forgot that I still hadn't fully sanded the cupboard to receive paint. I might paint it tomorrow though. I had to fill in more dings and bumps in the cupboard. I was surprised by how many more I found. 

Had the similar hiccup with the picture frame. I am going to try and finish it today after dinner. That may or may not happen. I have the impetus to get it done sooner than later because the pic for it came today.

touch up time

The red paint I put on yesterday did diddly squat covering the black paint. At this rate it will probably take 3 or more coats to cover it. I'll deal with that as it happens.

drawer handle

I missed getting this pic in yesterday's blog post. It is centered R/L and slightly above center T/B. 

I should have gone to Home Depot on sunday to see if their cut off saw was operational but I didn't. HD doesn't carry the same plywood brands that Lowes does. I really like the blonde plywood Lowes sells but I'll go to HD and check out what they have to offer. Either way the wind blows I have to buy a full 4x8 sheet. The cupboard plywood back is about 60"x16" and I want it to be one piece.

like I didn't even paint over it

This is not a good omen. I went back over it again after I had painted 360 around the frame. I could still see the black under the invisible red. 

mallet dings

I wasn't going to fill these in because I planned on leaving it natural. I tried to steam them out but most of them didn't pull up and disappear. Plan #2 is to fill them because this will be painted.

the ding finder

There are a ton more dings than I thought there were. The raking light made them pop. This filler doesn't dry in an hour so I won't be painting this today. I'll sand all of this and the cupboard with a final grit of 220 tomorrow.

sanding scratches

Another thing I looked for that I missed once already, is cross grain sanding scratches from the belt sander. Those will definitely pop when painted. I only found two spots of cross grain that I missed.

checking the doors

Without the raking light I did not see this. This pine has a lot of squirrely grain that reversed a ton on me. I filled in all the grain tear out on both sides of both doors.

new batch of blonde shellac

I should have done this yesterday but better late than never. I need this to finish the drawer inside and out.

hmmm......

I didn't think this one all the way through. I usually only mix a pint but today I opted to go for a quart. 1.5lb cut needs 6oz of flake and 32oz of alcohol. Didn't figure in the 6oz of flake taking up space in the quart can. Instead of 32oz of alcohol I think I got maybe 25oz. The pound cut will be higher than 1.5. Still usable and I'll have to figure out a work around for this.

branded

I usually put my brand on one place but on the cupboard I'm using two. One here on the back of the drawer and on the bottom underside of the cupboard.

one to use, one spare

The o-rings for the water filter came and wow. These are nice and round 360 and the one in the filter has flat sides. I got a lot of years out of it so I can't complain.

got lucky

There was almost nothing left in the can. I got two coats on the bottom and kept going from there. Surprised myself that I also had enough to get two coats on the rest of the drawer. I'll get a couple more on it with the new batch tomorrow.

accidental woodworker

 And here they diverge!

 Today is sunday and I usually piddle in the shop but not today. I am so close to having the cupboard done that I think I got everything done that I could do. The 'Plan' for the AM tomorrow is start painting. I am on the fence with whether or not to prime the cupboard first. I feel, down deep within me, that with or without it I'll be painting 3 coats on it minimum. Oh well stercus accidit (Latin for shit happens).

big gap

Last night after dinner I went to the shop to address this. I tried to saw off a thin sliver of the molding to glue into here but gave up. They all disintegrated while sawing so I filled it in with wood putty.

filled in the pin nails

I wasn't going to fill the pin nails in but just paint over them. Since I used putty filling in the miter gap I filled in all the pin nails. I couldn't paint it so I might as well.

surprised

I sanded the putty and I was expecting it go to bare wood and it didn't. Good start to the day with that.

lower door hinges

This is the second run I made making the hinge mortises a wee bit deeper. I was taking my time because I didn't want to go too deep and hinge bound them.

closed

The margins on the hinge side and the top/bottom are consistent. The close side is tapered. I'm taking it slow and step one was getting it to close. Check.

blurry pic

Spoiler alert there are more of these. What the pic doesn't show is a tapered line going from about a 16th inboard at the bottom to nothing at the top. I planed and stopped after removing the pencil line.

done

Even though the door opening is out of square (the door was dead nuts) the margins look good. The close side margin is parallel top to bottom. You could stare at this for days and never know that it is out of square.

different

My version of the Woodsmith cupboard has the same basic form but this is my take on it. Not sure that is should be called a Mackintosh Cupboard because IMO it does have all the characteristics of that style. Regardless I like what I butchered it into.

road trip

I went to Lowes first to get the plywood for the back of the cupboard. They didn't have full sheets 1/4" blonde wood but they did in 5mm plywood. However, the cutoff saw is still out of order (3 weeks now?). Not having the plywood for the back is the last thing I have to do to say the woodworking on the cupboard is done.

I got the paint from Benjamin Moore store by my house. I picked out a green with a hint of blue in it. The  first color I picked was a dark green and it was almost a dead match for the flower petals in the Egret Tile. I like the hint of blue better.

has to go

I had made the bottom run long so it would be easier to replace if needed. It has to go because I wouldn't have room for a drawer stop at the back.

full length stop

The drawer stop is the cut off from the back bottom of the drawer. Used hide glue in case it needs to be fixed/replaced.

jig

This is the handle for the drawer and it has studs underneath it. The diameter is a 64th under a 1/4". It didn't fit on the first holes I drilled, they were too close to each other. Got it on the second try and when I did the drawer itself.

good idea but it went south

I tried to do a counter bore. The larger hole in the front for the handle studs and a 5/32" hole on the inside of the drawer front for the handle screws. I lost it somewhere in the translation because I drilled right through the drawer front with the 1/4" bit. Didn't even get to say oops on either one.

That had no effect on securing the handle. The screws thread into the studs on the back of the handle. And the screw heads are big enough to cover the 1/4" holes.

wash, rinse, and repeat

The handles for the doors have a different on center spacing. The drawer was 2" OC and this one is 2 1/2" OC.

done

Got this right on the first one. I didn't drill the holes in the doors yet because I want to get them painted first. I'll save this 'drill guide' for when I need it.

door stop

This is for the lower door. The upper door I made the stop go from bottom to the top. I was going to do that for the bottom door too but I didn't like how it looked. Besides on the bottom door I don't have a wide gap like I have on the top door close side to hide.

chamfer

I wasn't liking the squared off look of this frame on the inside of the door. I planed a quick chamfer to calm down my OCD.

hmmm.....

This is the LED lighting for the cupboard. A 12vdc power brick, power leads and a 12" LED light bar. Straight forward to put together and I had no surprises. According to the instructions this brick can power up to eight 12" LEDs in series and it can support 3 separate legs.

works

The only choices for light with this setup is bright or warm. I opted for warm light.

doesn't fit

I wanted the light to fit between the glue blocks. I didn't take into account the connector on the LED on the right. No biggie it comes with two connectors that light bar snaps into. 

light bar connectors

With these I can still put the light bar behind the top rail. I don't want this to be visible at all when looking at it at the front. I checked to ensure that the light bar snaps into them easily.

bottom door stop

This is done now with the exception of securing it to the inside of the cupboard.

counter bored for screws

I was going to glue this in now but nixed it. Instead I'll paint the cupboard and then I'll screw the stop in place.

accidental woodworker

Twenty five bucks!  And I could've gotten more stuff for that same $25, but I just can't handle too much "stuff" around the shop.  These things are REALLY grungy and have not yet been cleaned up.  Here's the haul.

A small box of tools

And all laid out

The Stanley #5 is far from a collector's item, but it alone is worth $25.  And then the Starrett combination gauge with square/45 degree, protractor and centering heads is worth far more than that!

The #5 is probably a type 16 to 19, though I can't tell for sure just yet - I'll investigate further when I've cleaned it up.  It has "VICTORY" and "MADE IN USA" written on the iron, indicating post WW2.  It's also got a bogus excuse for a replacement screw at the front of the tote.  The depth adjuster is black plastic or hard rubber - possibly leftover parts from the shortages during WW2.  I have a feeling it'll clean up to be a nice user.

Stanley #5, type 16-19 (probably)

The Starrett combo gauge will also be a nice user.  I really love Starrett stuff.  The ruler needs a bit of work and the three heads are gnarly with dirt and oil and sawdust, but I'll get to that stuff later on.

L. S. S(tarrett). Co. Athol Mass. U.S.A.

I was really hoping to find more than one auger bit, but they said somebody had just walked away with a bunch of them.  This one is 11/16" ("11" stamped on the square tapered shank) and the lead screw and spurs look to be in good shape.  And it's from Jennings, not Russell Jennings or any other combination of Jennings.  Not sure that says how old or good it is, but I think it'll work like a champ.

C. E. JENNINGS & CO.  No 10 (it took a while to find this marking)

Next is a Stanley #51 spokeshave.  I've got a couple of #151 (or equivalent) shaves with the two depth adjuster nuts, but I've never had one of these older style without the adjusters.  I realize that the adjusters were a major improvement, but I couldn't just let this spokeshave sit there, so I added it to the box.  The blade says "STANLEY" and both the blade and body say "MADE IN USA".  I'll see how well it performs later.

Stanley No 51

Then there was this little pair of pliers/cutters, Stanley #84-120.  It says JAPAN on the other side, so probably made in the 60's to 80's.  But they are in great shape and I needed something like this.

Stanley pliers

Then there were the files.  The little box of Nicholson (made in USA) files made my eyebrows jump when I saw it.  At first I thought it was a box of triangular needle files for sharpening very fine saws, but each file is different.  I have some similar files and I use them all the time.

Box of Nicholson files The tangs have stamped: NICHOLSON - USA and "2XF" (double extra fine?)

Bottom to top profiles: round, oval, thin diamond, square tapered,  half round with safe other side, flat tapered and triangular

The other files I grabbed include a Grobet riffler-type file, two triangular files (a 4" double extra slim Nicholson made in USA and a 6" slim taper file of unknown make), and a knife-edge file.

A few files

Lastly, there were a couple of triangular sharpening stones, one fine and the other a bit more coarse.  You never know when these might come in handy.

Triangular sharpening stones

All for 25 bucks.  I don't always get the chance to get out to garage sales, but this one was fun.  I could have spent a couple more hours there just looking at all the stuff.  There were two scroll saws - one by Dremel and one Craftsman.  There was a Craftsman bandsaw/sander (huh?) - I'd love to get a bandsaw, but this one didn't seem to be that solid.  There was at least one powered grinder.  And so much more.

All for now.  Maybe I'll post later about cleaning some of these up and trying them out.

 I can taste the Mackintosh Cupboard being done. I made a lot of progress on it today and I'm a hop, skip, and a jump from getting the paint on it. The et al is the picture frame. It wasn't ready to go to the Frame it Shop today but maybe it will be ready for tuesday. The shop is closed on monday so I have two more days to whack it out. Thanking the woodworking gods that the paint is latex.

last night

Last night I wanted so badly to stuff anything into the pie hole that I went to the shop to do something. I chopped the half blinds and the drawer went together off the saw. I must have done things right because it was dead nuts on the diagonals after I dry fitted it.

flush

I marked the tails unto the pin board differently for drawer #3. Instead of setting a marking gauge to the thickness of the tail and transferring that to the pin board I used the tail. I laid it on the pin board and marked it with my marking knife. I did it the same way as I did for the back through dovetails. It paid off with my first flush half blinds.

me-steak side

When I planed the rabbet I did the first one on the outside face of the side. Oops. I planed the right face side but only two swipes - just enough for me register it against the pin board. The theory was (fingers crossed) that I would be able to plane this me-steak side flush. The drawer needed to be thinned a bit on the R/L.

little snug

This is as far as I could get the drawer into the opening. This is with the drawer dry fitted. I glued and set it aside to cook for a few hours.

picture frame work

Glued and pin nailed the inside bandings in place first. The outside ones were in the batters box. I was disappointed with the fit of the bandings. One miter is open whereas when I dry fitted these they were all tight and snug. Today they ain't. Note to self - fit and glue it all at the same time.

outside banding holiday

I painted one coat on the top and partially on the face that would be against the picture frame. I didn't get 100% coverage and I'll have to do some touch up with an artist brush for the small spots. See the white spot to the right? That is not the miter that was open, this white spot is a missing piece of the toe.

still not dry

All these marks are from me putting the picture in the vise. I'll be painting another coat of red too.

changed my mind

Decided to not leave the back of the frame natural. Picked black because the outside banding is black.

drawer slips

The drawer was clamped for about 4 hours. I glued in the drawer slips and let them cook while I made a road trip to Lowes.

?????

The left mallet came today and the right one is my dovetail mallet. I had gone on the Blue Spruce website to check the prices of the mallets because they were on sale. My dovetail mallet doesn't look like I love it anymore. I clicked on this small cherry handled mallet to check the price but decided not to buy it. Two days ago I got an email saying it was on its way? WTF? I know I didn't click on anything saying buy it. This is the first time this has happened with me. I'll have to be more careful searching the toy store sites.

flushing the me-steak side

Back from Lowes with a 1/4 sheet of blonde plywood and a tube of construction adhesive (for the tiles). Got the drawer bottom installed and started fitting the drawer. I took my time doing frequent checks to make sure I didn't 'take just one more......'.

fitted

It was still a but snug and the margins on the drawer R/L were off. The vertical part of the opening is also slightly out of square.

flush

I was a bit worried about this, whether or not it would be flush or tapered. It is flush straight across and there is no way to see that it is a multiple glued up front edge.

whoosh

That is the sound the drawer makes being pushed and out of the opening. It glides easily with no binding or hesitations. The pencil lines (on the drawer front) are where I had to plane to make the margin look parallel to the drawer opening. I left it kind of tight because this drawer may shrink come winter time.

fitting the bottom door

Once I get this door fitted and hung I'll be ready for paint. I will go tomorrow and get a quart paint. I am leaning in the direction of a green paint, shade and tone to be determined at the store.

hmm......

My door opening is OTL (out to lunch). The top and bottom at opposite corners are out of square. The door margins at the top and bottom are tapered. I'll deal with that after I get the door hinges installed and the door opening/closing.

might as well

Since I now own this I tried it out chopping the mortises for the hinges. Like its bigger sibling the balance is awesome and the weight is just right. This might become my go to hinge mallet.

won't close

I put the cupboard on the bench on its side to chop the hinge mortises on the inside. There was no way I could have contorted myself doing it on the deck. I had a healthy margin on the close side of the door so I was expecting this to not close. It is only about a frog hair or two that is holding that up.

wiggle room

I didn't chop the mortises for the hinge leaves to full depth. I only did half of it so it would close some of the margin gap on the close side. I'll take a wee bit off of each mortise and check the margin again. I'm sure that the door will close with just a little more to take off.

That will happen tomorrow because it was 1515 and past quitting time. I plan on returning to the shop after dinner and work on the picture frame. I would like to get the red painting fixed and the black holidays on the bandings covered. That should keep me being a good boy and not filling my face. Getting away from the sources of food and doing something helps to kill the urges.

accidental woodworker

The original carving is in a local church, and is made from Beer Freestone. It is a chalk limestone and is creamy grey white in colour. I am putting oak to the side for this one and using limewood (Tilia Cordata) as it is closer in colour. I also want to get used to using lime as I have just bought 5 logs of the stuff for some large sculpture! It behaves very differently from oak, but allows for greater detail, as indeed does Beer Freestone.

The swirling renaissance style of the original is complex, so I am using a method I haven't used on carving before; drawing out the design on paper and then 'pricking through', to transfer the design to the limewood board.

Then using gouges to join up the dots.

Before starting the long way down to the sloping ground. At it's deepest, 15mm or 19/32". Limewood is more brittle than oak, and more care needs to be taken.

This build has been a long time coming and is not without its challenges. It was harder than I thought it would be to construct. Planing the edges exactly 60° and perfectly straight was a little tedious, but with perseverance and patience, the job was a goodin.

 In spite of my previous hiccups and the heat and humidity, I jumped back into the cupboard build. I got the door and drawer hardware along with the LED light for the cupboard last night. So if all goes well on my third trip down memory lane making a drawer and it is successful, I might see some light at the end of the completed cupboard tunnel. I certainly wasn't a speed demon in the shop today. I took my time, second guessing and checking myself as I worked on making the 3rd drawer. Fingers crossed it will fit and slide in/out tomorrow?

4th coat coming

I sanded the paint with 240 before I put on what I hope is the 4th and final coat. I checked the black bandings against the frame color and I liked what I saw. I was thinking of getting another red for the frame but I like how those two colors complimented each other.

back frame

I have been putting a 'frame' on the backs of the frames I have made. I am not fond of putting a rabbet in the frame because it puts the thing in the frame too close to the front face. I like having it pushed back and the back 'frame' becomes the rabbet for the glass, mat boards and whatever Maria needs to stuff in the rabbet.

back frame

Glued, nailed, and chamfered. I am thinking of leaving the back of this natural. It will be up against a wall somewhere in the house and won't be seen. That depends as I may change my mind about this.

3rd drawer parts

I like to pull these off after I run the stock through the saw. That allows me to eyeball the saw blade as I push the stock through the saw.

deja vu

I feel like I could have done the drawer prep blindfolded. I was impatient and decided that I would dovetail the drawer after I got done with planing the stock to thickness.

hmmm......

This is the back and there was some twist in it. It was just at the last 3-4 inches at the end but I can't saw it all off.  There is about an inch that has some twist that would be part of the drawer back. I thought about and decided to keep on trucking with this after I planed the twist away. It is the back and I don't think the twist will come back (fingers crossed).

lunch time

Sides and back marked and ready to plane to thickness. I did that after lunch because I was hungry enough to eat sawdust here.

Wally World

I think these are a bargain to be had at Wally World. 18 face cloths for $5.98. Great shop rags for just about and everything in the shop. This pkg usually lasts me about 6 months.

drawer front fitted

I am wavering on not on leaving the drawer front and doors natural. I like the look of wood against paint but on this cupboard I don't think it will work. That is because of the tiles I am putting on the door panels. The tiles (IMO) are the focal point and the natural wood against the paint will distract from that.

back done

At least I'm not repeating or forgetting what to do this time around. I sawed the width of the back to account for the drawer slip and I made *&^%@#O&Q@&( sure that the R/L of the drawer front and back were dead flush.

I don't know exactly how I screwed up the 2nd drawer back. But I think I didn't push it up against the stop on the miter gauge before I sawed it to length. Did I forget to flip it and saw it to match the front? The way I have missed/forgotten things on this build......

tails for the half blinds

Chopped the tails for the half blind first. I did those second on the first two drawers. 

drawer back tails

As I was chopping the waste my spider sense was nagging me. Something was amiss but I didn't catch at first. I hadn't sawn the half pin off yet. This is something I do first before chopping the tails. I'm glad that I do dovetails in the same manner every time out. It is that out of sequence flow that was slapped me upside my head many times.

caught myself

I started to saw the half pin on the wrong edge. The straight instead of angled half tail alerted me just as I was starting to saw it off. I'll get a patch in this when I glue the drawer together.

back and sides

Got a good fit off the saw - didn't have to trim anything. 

half blinds

I broke the sides and back apart. Tomorrow I'll do the pins on the drawer front. My goal for that is to get the tails in the pin sockets so they are flush or within a couple of frog hairs. + 2 and - 0.

quitting time

I met my goal for today which was to get the tails chopped and ready to mark the pin board. Exceeded that by getting the back tails fitted leaving the half blinds. I should be able to knock them out in the AM and have the drawer glued and cooking before lunch time.

accidental woodworker

 I will be glad to go to sleep tonight and wake up to a fresh, new day tomorrow. Things did not go well for me this AM/PM period. I started it by making the 2nd drawer for the cupboard and ended it with it laying on the deck in pieces. That was the worse that happened along with a lot of small errors and "...how did I forget that...." Quit the shop early and I regretted that too. Upstairs the living room was 85F (30C) and the temp outside was a toasty 96F (36C). Turned the fan on me and read a book.

two coats

Still not thrilled with the color. I thought this would be more of a rusty color. Either way, this needs a 3rd coat. And with the way my day progressed it will need a 4th one. I put the 2nd coat after dinner last night.

hmmm.....

I put the springs over the screws that I got from Rob Cosman and tightened the vise as much as it will go. The drawer part is a 1/2" thick and the jaws are closed too much for it to fit. I have used the moxon for stock thinner than 1/2" So I'll have to do something with the springs.

now I have 3 springs

I used a file and halved one of the springs. Hoping that the jaws will close up more with shorter springs - now 1 1/2" vice 3".

epoxy?

I'm not sure but I think I epoxied the washers in the counterbore. Rob drills this deeper (3/4") for the spring to sit in. I couldn't pull the washer out so I must have used epoxy to secure them.

cut in half

The cut part doesn't coil in like it is at the bottom but the big washers don't mind it as is. They present a large flat surface for this end to bear down on.

this is good

The short springs are over the screws and the jaw is tightened down as much as I could do. I don't anticipate using this to hold paper so this closed width is ok.

the back

Laying out the tails on the back of the sides made me feel like my IQ didn't have double digits. I drew a complete blank on this and I laid it out and erased it 3 times before I got it to something that looked ok. On the bright side the springs were a welcome help with the jaw. 

another brain fart

This didn't look right when I laid out the tails onto to the pin board. The half pin at the top was too large and it flagged me. I stared at this for seemingly an hour before it dawned on me that I had missed sawing the back - it should have been sawn so that the bottom was even with the top of the half pin on the tail board. I feel like I'm making too many of these brain farts lately. 

back dry fitted

I got it right and the sides and the back went together off the saw. Half blinds were in the batters circle.

mini rabbet

I have done half blinds with and without this rabbet on the inside face of the tails. Now I wouldn't consider doing half blinds without it.

off the saw

Got much better results this go around vice the first one. I wasn't out of the woods yet.

proud

This is a lot although it is less than a 16th. 

the other side

This side is a few frog less proud than its sibling. I used a marking gauge to transfer the thickness of the tails to the pin board. From experience I usually am proud but I have been short F/B and with the socket to.

something I rarely do

I can count on two hands how many times I've done this and still one hand to go. I relieved all the outside edges of the tail. Before this I spent some quality time cleaning up tail sockets again.

much better

The pin board isn't dead nuts flush but I can easily plane it flush when I fit the drawer.

took some fussing

The other side didn't want to go quietly. I eased the edges and cleaned the sockets again and they were still proud. They had gone down maybe 1/2 way and stalled. I planed the back of the tails with skew angle block plane. After those dance steps I got better fit than the first one I did.

wow

Came right after lunch and I'm impressed with it. It looks like it is covered in clear epoxy. The colors are bright and the flower is well defined. It also has a better looking margin than the top door. I still have to do some research on what type of 'glue' to use to adhere the tiles to the plywood.

says it is square

To my eye it didn't look square especially so at the back but the diagonals agreed after fussing with it for a bit.

the fatal brain fart of the 22nd century

I should have gone with my eye. The back wouldn't fit in the drawer opening when  I tried it. The front fit albeit on the snug side of things.

yikes

Turns out the back was 3/16" longer R/L, than the front. I was able to break the drawer apart because it had only been glued together for less than 2 minutes.

initial response

I got pissed off at myself for this stupid, _)&#^*)^(*$&))*_ ME-STEAK. I Threw the parts onto the deck I was so disgusted with myself. After I calmed down I picked them up and tried to fix the me-steak. I sawed the back to match the front and reassembled the drawer. One back corner was proud and short depending upon where you looked at it. Salvaging this drawer wasn't happening.

tried too

One of the sides split when I was trying to remove from the back. I was going to try and saw the tails off and re do them That would have made the drawer an inch shorter but I would have been able to put it back together. But after thinking about it I nixed it entirely. I couldn't think of a way to clean up the glued residue. I don't think you can glue titebond over titebond like you can with hide glue.

new drawer #3

I was able to get the 3rd drawer parts from scraps. I didn't have to use the remaining 1x12 for it although that is what I bought it for. I checked and removed any twist in them, smoothed one face with the #3 and stickered them until tomorrow.

did something right

Last thing I did before killing the lights was to make 3 new drawer slips. I had two left over from yesterday but decided to make new ones. I wasn't in the correct frame of mind to try and make a 3rd one to match the other two.

accidental woodworker