A few lunar eclipses have come and gone since the last time I had day like today in the shop. Doing OT for the past several months had put a damper on what I was able to accomplish on saturdays. OT is back at work but I am cutting way back on that. I'll do 5-6 hours during the week (I'm early to work anyways) but no more saturdays. I'll do the OT just to have some mad money to buy tools and wood. Having the past 3 saturdays off was nice. It took me two to catch my breath and today I exhaled.
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| set up overnight |
I started my day in the shop at 0800 which my wife says is a normal time. However, I was down in the shop at 0600 but I didn't do anything except look at this. I didn't want to make any noise and wake her up.
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| clamps off and step one in checking for square |
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| checking the opposite diagonal |
I'm out of square by about a 1/16 which isn't to bad. Clamping the corners with 90° helpers doesn't guarantee that you will be square once the clamps come off. Something I will have to deal with later on.
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| looks like 2-3 frog hairs out |
Of course the one corner that isn't square is the one where the drawers are going. And it is on the side that will have the larger of the two drawers to boot.
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| it'll go but it is too snug |
I shaved a little off both ends on the shooting board and got the length to be a slip fit. I set this aside for now and turned my attention to making the drawer divider.
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| the drawer divider |
This is 1/2" NZ pine and it'll be ok for this. This is just for guiding the two drawers when they are opened and closed. It doesn't need to fill in top and bottom neither.
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| checking for twist |
The cabinet was rocking as I was trying to knife the drawer guide dado. I thought the cabinet might have been twisted but it isn't.
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| the bottom was the problem |
The bottom had a bit of a hump in it. I planed it flat and the annoying rocking disappeared.
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| dado waste ready to go |
I couldn't get a chisel to make the knife wall on the right dado wall. I could get a chisel in there but it was at too steep of an angle to make the knife wall. I made it with the paring chisel and I needed that to guide the saw. After I sawed the walls, I removed most of the waste with the paring chisel. The paring chisel was long enough to reach within an inch of the end of the dado.
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| most of it chiseled out |
I got the final depth with a hand router.
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| sawing out the drawer guide |
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| drawer guide |
The plan was to to glue the first couple of inches of the guide. I sawed a half lap at the end to allow for expansion and contraction.
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| set back 5/8" |
The front of the drawer guide is set back 5/8" from the front edge of the cabinet. After I get the bottom shelf installed I can make and fit the vertical part of the drawer guide.
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| swapped it out |
I didn't like the first divider I made. I did a bad job of sawing the half lap and I planed a hump in it too. I tossed that one and made another slightly wider and with a better sawn half lap.
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| now I can install the bottom shelf |
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| had to use the side rabbet planes again |
The shelf was going in but it was binding slightly. If this was in partially and it froze, there wouldn't be anything I could do with it. I would have had to saw it into two pieces to get it out. I erred on the side of caution and made it a slip fit. I was able to bang into place with my fists.
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| this is toast |
This is the second (?) time I used this Grace #1 square drive screwdriver. I tried to use it to put a #6 screw into the drawer guide. It was working until I got to this point which is about 1/2 way. Then the shaft started spinning or the handle was spinning around the shaft as I tried to screw this in. This is the third screwdriver in this set to go south on me. I finished driving this home with a cordless drill.
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| securing the bottom shelf |
I put the shelf in without any glue. To keep it in place I'm going to put 3 miller dowels on each side.
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| making the notch for the vertical divider |
I squared a line from the bottom divider up onto the bottom of the shelf. I chiseled a 5/8" by 1/2" notch on the underside of the shelf. Here I'm checking the fit of the notch with some scrap.
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| vertical divider notches, an upside down look |
I was able to get almost all the notch on the shelf with a chisel vertical. I had to do the back wall of it with the bevel of the chisel. The bottom was in the way and preventing me from using the chisel at 90°.
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| vertical divider fitted and glued |
I left this wide purposely to make it easier to handle while I fitted it. I sawed this out of a larger piece of stock.
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| two plane tag team |
I removed 99% of the proud with the scrub plane and flushed it with the 4 1/2.
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| basic cabinet is done |
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I was going to leave this and start in on the drawers and the door but I came back to this. I decided to make two shelves for it first. That will complete all the interior work on the cabinet except for the drawers.
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| loaded it up with a few goodies |
I was hoping to keep the veneer scraper in here but it takes up a lot of room. A lot more than I want to allot for it. The cans are in here to help me gauge where to start drilling for the shelf pins.
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| drill guide for the shelf pins |
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| put in 3 rows of shelf pins |
One shelf will be the same as the depth and a second one will be about 2/3. That is why I drilled a row inbetween the outside ones.
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| oversized shelf just sawn to R/L length |
Both shelves are coming from the old kitchen cabinets.
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| the 2/3 shelf |
My thinking on this shelf is to allow sight of the contents below it at the back of the cabinet. With a full width shelf it's hard to get a peek at the back.
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| ripped the full width shelf |
The full width shelf is a 1/2" less than the depth of the cabinet. I don't want this to interfere with the door closing.
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| notches for the shelf pins |
I like to make these notches for the shelf pins to help keep the shelf in place. This way the shelf is kind of fixed in place and shouldn't come forward when something is removed from it.
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| shelves done |
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| loaded up |
I haven't even finished this and it is already too small. The spray cans of paint are history. I'll find someplace else to stow them. This isn't that heavy as I was able to pick it up off the bench and put it on the 4 drawer tool dresser. Without getting a hernia too.
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| checking the fit |
I was going to plane the groove in the rails and stiles for the door and then chop the mortises. My 1/4" groove made by the plow plane is one frog less than the width of the pigsticker. I can get the pigsticker in the groove but that is because this is soft pine. I chopped a mortise anyways about 1 1/2" long and I didn't chew up the walls doing it. I'll have to make a command decision on this tomorrow. Do I plow the groove first and chop the mortises or chop the mortises first and then plow the groove. Just thought of another option - check and see if one of my 1/4" chisels fits the plow plane groove?
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| making the big drawer front |
I don't remember where this board came from but I'm using it as the drawer front for my right hand drawer. I want something around 5/8" thick because I plan on using half blind dovetails on the drawers.
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| just enough meat left to square up the width |
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| one face flat |
Well one face is almost flat. The board kept moving and changing as I was planing it so I'm not sure if it'll stay this way. I checked this and if I gauge off the reference face, I'll be lucky if this ends up a 1/2" thick. I tossed this and started over.
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| using this |
I can get both drawer fronts out of this board and have a L to R continuous grain flow. Plus it will be easier to flatten both drawer fronts as one piece rather then one at a time. After I have it 6 squared I can saw out my two fronts.
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| this board is in better shape |
I'll saw this too rough width and then start to flatten it. It has a slight cup in it that isn't too bad.
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| this will be sawn off |
This is a visible pitch and resin area of the board that smells good but doesn't accept glue too well. It also gums up the soles of the planes and makes a sticky mess of them.
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| sawn to rough width of 4 3/4" |
The drawer opening is 4 1/2" wide and I went with a 1/4" of extra meat because this board still has to have one edge planed straight and flat. Once that is done I can saw and plane it to 4 1/2".
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| finally got the twist out |
After the twist was planed out, I planed the board to thickness.
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| got lucky |
I got my goal of a 5/8". When I flatten a board now, I do it strictly to get it flat. I've spent too much time on past 6 squares worrying about making my thickness rather then getting a flat squared board.
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| the rest of the drawer stock |
Two backs and four sides. I left them long and together so I when I rip them to rough width I will only have to rip 3 boards rather then 6. I'll cross cut this into the 6 required pieces tomorrow.
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| ripped out the last drawer part |
I got these labeled and to rough dimensions and I'll let them sticker until tomorrow. They are bit over a 1/2" thick and I may lose some of that thickness when I clean them up tomorrow.
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| door stock |
The left board has a nice curve to it. These I cut out individually to a rough length plus 4" on the stiles, 3" for the rails, and 3" for the center stile. I flattened and made straight one edge on all of these. Tomorrow I'll rip them to rough width.
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| drawer and door parts stickered until tomorrow |
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| got some 15 min hi test stripper |
I was going to use this today but I forgot a couple of ancillary things. This stuff is caustic and not nice to look at, breathe, or have it touch your skin. I'll need some heavy duty plastic gloves, eye protection, and a couple of disposable paint brushes. I'll make a Wally World run first thing in the AM.
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| done for all intents and purposes |
The shelves finally feel dry to the touch. No more clammy or tacky feelings, but a bone dry one. I have 3 coats of poly on the shelves and two on the bookcase. I put one coat of poly on the base tonight. Tomorrow this will be out of the shop and on the porch.
Good progress today and hopefully I'll match it tomorrow.
accidental woodworker
trivia corner
She was the second woman to fly across the Atlantic solo and the first to do it from east to west. Who was she?
answer - Beryl Markham
Prevent rust from taking over your tools with these simple tips.
Don't mess with the Leeds Orchard Scythe Team! 
This place deserves peace and quiet while mowing. 
Scything, sunshine, smallholder. 
