General Woodworking

done

It took over an hour to sand, and clean up both spokeshaves. The JB Weld didn't stay 100% in the voids I filled. Enough of it stayed and I'll elevate it after the first coat of paint has dried.

hmm.....

The right iron profile is way off on the right. The flat on the profile is gone and it is beneath the bottom of the spokeshave base. The left one is a better match - the left one is going to take a lot of work to make it right.

ready to hang

Maria had these ready for me when I got there. I think they look great and they serve a purpose other than tool porn. They show the breakdown and parts of everyone of these hand tools.

back hall has a blank wall

This is the only blank wall space left in the house. It is enough for the four frames I want to hang here. Three of the four large frames are going on this wall.

more free space on the opposite wall

One large and one small frame will populate this wall.

not easy

It took me quite a while to hang the four frames because this heebie jeebie ladder placement. I made sure the door to the right was shut tight and latched. If I had fallen from the ladder I didn't want to end up in the cellar. I took my time and if anything felt off I stepped back and changed it. Ate up a lot of time but I got them hung without hurting myself.

not even

The middle one and right one were kind of close - level across the top. Instead of trying to get them even across the top I staggered them. They drop down about a 1/2" from each other. The hanger wires on the back weren't all positioned at the same point on each frame which made trying to hang them from a level line I drew maddening to do.

hmm.....

orphan

I wanted this to be with the other 6 on the right. Not enough room no matter how much I tried to shrink the frames to fit the space.

something to read tonight

Been waiting on this for a while. The durability and coverage of milk paint, IMO, is better than any latex paint available. Making my own on a need to use basis is appealing too.

 accidental woodworker 

 Spent some of the day helping the wife with her shipping books. I had errands after and that made feel like my IQ didn't make it into double digits. Went to the same store 3 times and 3 times I forgot to get what I went there for. I had been in a fog since I got out of the rack. This was one of the days when going back to bed made a lot of sense. Hope I didn't mind fart on the books I shipped.

hmm.....

The JB Weld looks and feels good. I am going to let this go until 24 hours has elapsed. I don't want it falling out on me again.

glue residue

These are 12x12 granite tiles that I glue sandpaper to. I use them to flatten the backs of plane irons and chisels. The sandpaper on them was old and needed to be replaced. Used a heat gun to warm the paper to ease scraping it off. Flooded the tiles with mineral spirits and scraped the residue off with a razor blade.

spokeshave irons

100 grit all the way to 600. Started by flattening the irons I did yesterday again. 

better

I could see a change in them after the 100 grit. The outside edge by the profile had consistent scratches on it. 

done up to 180 grit

Looking a lot better than what I had done yesterday on the worn out sandpaper. 

done

Nice and shiny on the back - flattened up to 600 grit. I was going to use the diamond stones next but I am stopping here. The  burr on the other side of the irons wasn't as large as a plane iron or chisel but I could feel it. Good enough for a molding iron?

wash, rinse, and repeat

Backs done on both sets. One thing I have seen with all the molding planes I have and spokeshave irons, none had anything done to the backs. Certainly nothing that was close to what I whacked out today.

.

hmm.....

Looked down to check the mouth and the iron was parallel to the mouth. The headache was the rabbet on the plane wasn't square. Used my smallest Record plane to square it up. Still can't tell what wood the plane is made of - even with the freshly planed rabbet yielded no clues.

haircut time

A haircut at the barbershop next to the diner where I get breakfast on mondays costs $35 plus a tip. Makes me smile every time I cut my own hair. One month away from being 71 and what hair I have left is still black. Graying at the temples but the rest of the roof is still black.

better

Not a perfect 90 but a hell of lot better than yesterdays offering. The plane felt different this time running the rabbet. Still have to practice more to get the plane plumb as I plow the rabbet.

hmm.....

This is the purpose of this holder. The tang lays in the groove the profiled edge overhangs the front. Allows two hands to sharpen/hone the iron. I needed to make an alteration to it to do the spokeshave irons. I hdd to cut the shoulder at the back of the iron about a 1/2".

small burr

With the shoulder on the holder cut back, less of the spokeshave iron extends past the front edge. Not sure about the burr on these spokeshave irons. I can feel one but it is small and on the concave part of the profile is it hard to detect.

done

After using dowels wrapped in sandpaper and a slip stone, I finished the irons with stropping. They show an improvement over my sharpening from the other day at least visually. Fingers crossed that I'll see an improvement working the edge of the stock.

for tomorrow

Yikes. There is huge difference in the profile on the irons. This is something I don't know how to address. I have only seen one video on making molding plane irons with files and not how to make a new profiled edge. It was time to kill the lights and I'll fumble my way through with these two in the AM.

hmm......

Definitely a difference between the marine JB Weld and the JB Weld I used this time. The 80 grit sanding pad isn't exactly roaring through leveling it. It is going to take some calories to sand it flush. This small spokeshave has the most JB Weld applied. The larger one has only about 10% as much.

it is sticking good

Decided to wait until tomorrow to sand this. That will give it a few more hours past 24 to cure and harden more. I don't think it will give the problems the other one did. I did sand one small spot flush to the metal and it is sticking fast.

accidental woodworker 

The story starts at the top left of the lid and then continues on the backside, the side, the front and ends at the other side.

The casket's reliefs retrace the tragic love story of the Chatelaine of Vergy and a knight. The Chatelaine, niece of the Duke of Burgundy, secretly loves a knight, whom she arranges to meet by sending him a small trained dog. The Duchess of Burgundy, also in love with the knight, tries to seduce him, but the knight rejects her. Rejected, the Duchess takes revenge by accusing the knight of having wanted to insult her. The Duke, angry, draws his sword and threatens the knight. The latter has no other option but to confess his love for the lady of the manor. The Duke witnesses the two lovers' meeting and then reveals the secret to his wife. The Duchess then invites the lady of the manor to a ball where she compliments her on training the puppies. The latter, seeing herself betrayed by her lover, dies of grief. Discovering the tragedy, the knight commits suicide. The Duke finds their two lifeless bodies and seizes the knight's sword. The Duchess's ignominy is revealed, and the Duke beheads her in the middle of the ball. He then confesses to a clergyman and leaves for the crusade. 

The inside of the casket.

Whereas the French Minnekästchen were made from ivory and the Italian ones (cassonetti) were highly ornamented and gilded, the ones from the German language regions were made from carved wood (fruit woods like pear and cherry, and linden) and painted. Kohlhausen (1928) compiled a listing of at least 300 German examples. Unfortunately, I do not have this book, but many other articles describe these chests (for example Kohlhausen, 1925, 1963; Würst, 2005). These caskets were very popular with collectors in the 19th century - so popular that fake Minnekastchen were all around. Of these 300, at least 20 have been identified as fakes (Appuhn, 1984; Diemer and Diemer, 1992). For some, like the Münchener Minnekästchen, the debate is still going on (but in nowadays in favour of being genuine) (e.g. Diemer and Diemer, 1992; Ferber, 2001; Himmelheber, 1984; Wurst, 2005). For my project this debate does not matter. Also the fake caskets were based upon the genuine ones, and both can function as a source of inspiration. In fact, you might view my project as creating a new fake Minnekästchen.

The Münchener Minnekästchen is decorated both on the outside as on the inside. The openwork panels are nailed (gilded) onto the main casket. The inside also has a large inscription in the Middle-German language. Made from linden, with bronze hinges, dated around 1250 from the Upper Rhine region.    Height 8.5 cm, Depth 10.5 cm, Length 23 cm. Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, München, Germany, inventory number R 8071. https://www.bayerisches-nationalmuseum.de/en/collection/00038540

The use of these minnekastchen is pure speculation: love letters, tokens of affection (like hair cuttings), jewellery are mentioned by some. As far as I know, there is no hard proof of the contents of these caskets. However, for the use of the non-love-scene caskets, there is; many of these caskets were used to hold important certificates and bills (Appuhn, 1971, 1972).

Construction of the casket

The panels from the Hernen tresoor were made from oak, with carved gothic arches on them. My leftover panels were suitable for the two small sides of the casket, and I had to make two new larger panels for the front and back, using the similar technique as for the tresoor. This also meant that the side panels had upside down arches. I used a dovetail joint to connect the sides with each other, . Further, I made a groove in the sides with the electric router for the bottom board (an oak panel with a thickness of around 6 mm). The bottom board was chamfered a bit for a tight fir in the groove. Then the parts weres fixed together using hide glue. Finally, the piece was sanded and finished with linseed oil. 

The casket base is relatively thick, around 12 mm and allows for a groove to hold the bottom panel. 

Carving of the casket lid

Left: Ivory casket plaque with a man and a woman in amorous conversation. The man wears a long, flowing robe; the woman is dressed in an Italian-style gown, low-cut and belted under the bust. Dimensions: Height: 5.6 cm; Width: 5 cm; Thickness: 0.35 cm. made in France between 1300–1400. Musee de Cluny, Paris, France, inventory nr. OA2764. Right: Backside of a writing tablet (lower leaf), showing an encounter with a young woman, followed by her servant holding a small casket, offering a rabbit to her companion. The hairstyles and costumes of the figures place these leaves in the mid-14th century.  Musee the Louvre, Paris, France, inventory nr. RFML.OA.2018.24.1.2, ivory with tracesof polychromy. Height 10.6 cm; Width: 5.8 cm.

A small ivory casket with shallow carved reliefs depicting courtly scenes. On the lid, the space is divided by four arches housing amorous encounters: a young man embraces a young woman and takes her hand; he caresses the young woman's belly as she plays with her belt; a young woman crowns the lover kneeling at her feet; a young people are about to kiss. On the front of the casket from left to right: a young man tends his falcon; a lion sits between two pairs of lovers, and a standing young woman makes a gesture of astonishment. On the right side, a young man holds his falcon in his right fist, strokes the chin of a young woman with his other hand, who is carrying a flower.The back and left side show other scenes. The figures are dressed in the long, flowing robes fashionable around the first decades of the 14th century. The silver lock with the silver frets ending in fleurs-de-lis that adorn the lid, the corners, and the body of the chest are modern. The attachment points of the old handle can still be seen on the lid. Musee de Louvre, Paris, France, ivory with traces of polychromy and silver, inv. LP 615. Length: 14.4 cm ; Depth: 8.9 cm ; Heigth: 4.8 cm.

I wanted to have a late 14th century style for the carved lid, as we also portray a group from around 1370.  The French ivory caskets also date from around this time, as well as some 'romance' ivory pieces (see the examples above). However, I liked to create an unique scene for my casket and decided to use two illuminations from the 'Roman de Alexandre' from the Bodleian Library (MS 264) as a source, and combined them into one new scene using Photoshop. This version was printed in a very light black and white version on paper. I tracked the outlines that I wanted to use for carving with a thicker black pen resulting in a carving plan.

The two pages from the 'Roman de Alexandre', Bodleian MS 264, London, UK. folio 59 recto - left scene at the bottom margin, and folio 121 verso - the scene at the top of the second column.

This is the cutout portion of Bodleian MS 264 folio 121v. Note the monkey on the shoulder of the woman on the right.

The cutout portion of Bodleian MS 264 folio 59r. Only the woman was used as the man was missing a leg.

The version with the woman holding the heart mixed in. The monkey has now moved to the shoulder of the woman on the left.

The black and white tracing version of the pattern for carving the lid.

For the lid of the casket I chose a different wood type. I chose linden, because this wood is easy to carve, hardly shows any grains and knots, and also because for its whitish colour resembling the ivory a bit. The carving plan was transfered to the wood by pricking the black pencil lines with a needle. These small needle points in the wood then would be used to reconstruct the image with a pencil. 

A detail of the carving plan showing the needle pricks along the lines of the clothing.

The top left and right of the carving plan was empty. My plan was to add some rose vines filling up these spaces, like in the illustrations in the Manesse codex. Carving was done using an assortment of Pfeil fishtail gouges and a carving knife. The carving itself was relatively shallow, with a maximum depth of 0.5 cm. The finished carving was oiled with linseed oil (making it darker that ivory).

The plant tendrils with flowers and flower buds come from the Codex Manesse (Codex Manesse, UB Heidelberg, Germany, Cod. Pal. germ. 848), fol. 249v: Herr Konrad von Altstetten. Date between 1305 and 1315. http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/cpg848/0494.

I did not take photos from each carving step, but these show some of the progress. In the final photo the ivory blancness of the linden wood is obvious.

Finishing the Minnekästchen

The box was lined with red felt on the inside. The felt was glued to the wood using hide glue (from the gluepot, as this has a short drying time; and not the modern Titebond one, which is too fluid dries too slow for felt). The following step was to add the hinges to the casket. I bought some commercial available medieval type hinges which were pre-rusted. As my casket was newly made, rusted hinges were not to my liking. Therefore, I removed this nostalgic rust with sandpaper and steel wool. Then I blackened the steel by heating the hinge with a gas torch until red-hot, and then quenching it in vegetable oil.

A part of the hinge would overlap with the carving.

The hinges were relatively large. To prevent them from sticking out on the carving of the lid, they were added at the underside of the lid. A piece of wood was removed for a smooth fitting of the hinge. On the backside the hinge was attached with nails that were bent back into the oak. For the lid this was not feasible: either the bent back would be visible on the outside, or they would be bent over the metal of the hinge. Therefore, I planned to rivet the hinge on the lid instead. The square nails were converted into rivets by rounding them with a file, and cutting of the excess metal. A ball-peen hammer was used to rivet the nail against the hinge.

A wooden block with two holes that easily fitted the nails was clamped in a vise. The thickness of the wooden block is such that it corresponds to the thickness of the lid. The protruding point can be filed round to fit the hinge holes.

Some square nails with filed rounded ends.

The nails cut-off to the approximate size of the rivet. 

A rivetted hinge on the inside of the lid.

No small locks were available for purchase, and at the time I was not proficient in locksmithing. So similar to the box of the Vatican courier chess set, two nails with a rope to connect were used to close the casket.  Note that the Münchener Minnekästchen also does not posess a lock. Any remaining parts of the minnekastchen were now also coated with linseed oil.

The finished minnekastchen closed (above) and open (below).

What will be put inside this minnekästchen? Love letters, a lock of hair, or ....  (I won't tell :)

Sources

• Appuhn, H., 1971. Rosa und die anderen Briefladen aus dem Rathaus zu Dortmund. Zur Bedeutung der Sterne und Rosetten an mittelalterlichen Möbeln. Aachener Kunstblätter 41, pp. 267-274.
• Appuhn, H., 1971. Briefladen aus Niedersachsen und Nord-Rhein Westfalen. Museum zur Kunst und Kulturgeschichte der Stadt Dordmund, Schloss Cappenberg. 38 pp.
• Appuhn, H., 1972. Briefladen. Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch 34, pp. 31-44.
• Appuhn, H., 1984. Die schönsten Minnekästchen aus Basel: Fälschungen aus der Zeit der Romantik. Zeitschrift für schweizerische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte 41, pp. 149-160.
• Carns, P.M. 2005. Compilatio in Ivory: The Composite Casket in the Metropolitan Museum Gesta 44, No. 2: pages 69-88. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25067115
• Diemer, D. and Diemer, P., 1992. Minnesangs Schnitzer. Zur Verbreitung der sogenannten Minnekästchen. In: Festschrift Walter Haug und Burghart Wachinger.  Max Niemeyer Verlag,  Berlin, Gemany, pp. 1021-1060. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110937114.1021
• Ferber, A., 2001. Das Münchener Minnekästchen. https://www.grin.com/document/107921?srsltid=AfmBOoqJftTdIN6u0c2FRGkVgBJS250AY9j-apgyQpXE5qADuaQCYcay
• Himmelheber, G., 1984. Das Münchner Minnekästchen - eine Chronik. Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 47, pp. 243-247.
• Hoopes, T.T. 1926. An ivory casket in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Art Bulletin 8(3): pages 127-139.
• Kline, N.R., 2016. From Harmonious to 'Rough Music' on Late Medieval Boxes. In: The Profane Arts. Norms and Transgressions. Brepols, Turnhout, Belgium, pp. 111-127.
• Koechlin, R. 1924. Les ivoires gothiques français (Band 1, 2 and Planches). https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21674, https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21675, and https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21676. (only a small part concerns caskets)
• Kohlhausen, H. 1925. Rheinische Minnekästchen des Mittelalters. Jahrbuch der Preuszischen Kunstsammlungen 28, pp. 203-247.
• Kohlhausen, H., 1963  Ein höfische Minnekästchen-Werkstatt zwischen Maas und Niederrhein um 1430. Anzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums 1963, pp. 55-61.
• Musialik, E., 2022. A 14th century ivory casket with scenes from medieval romances. the newest addition to the socalled coffrets composites group.  Folia Historiae Artium Seria Nowa 20: pages 9-28. 
• Randall, Jr., R.H. 1997. Games on a medieval ivory. Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 56(1/2): pages 2-9.
• Ross, D.J.A. 1948. Allegory and Romance on a Mediaeval French Marriage Casket. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 11: pages 112-142. https://www.jstor.org/stable/750464
• Wurst, J., 2003. Pictures and Poems of Courtly Love and Bourgeois Marriage: Some Notes on the So-called Minnekästchen. In: Love, Marriage, and Family Ties in the Later Middle Ages. Brepols, Turnhout, Belgium, pp. 97-120.
• Wurst, J., 2005. Reliquiare der Liebe. Das Münchner Minnekästchen und andere mittelalterliche Minnekästchen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum. PhD thesis, München, Germany. https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/4623/1/wurst_juergen_alexander.pdf

 I thought today I would be painting the spokeshaves but it didn't happen boys and girls. Ran into a hiccup that I shook hands with me after lunch. Sigh. Had to make a U-turn. That and having my final PT appointment ate up a chunk of shop time today. Glad that I'm retired and set backs while a PITA aren't deal killers.

Stanley Bailey #2

I thought of this plane and I had to take it out of the grandkids toolbox to play with it. RML shavings but I had to fiddle with it a wee bit. Unexpected so I took it down to parade rest and sharpened and honed the iron and started over from square #1.

hmm.....

I could see light between the chipbreaker and the iron except for the very ends. Wasn't getting any shavings jammed up there though. Spent some quality time addressing that that also involved spending time flattening the back of the iron before it went dark.

getting quicker

Bevel is nice and shiny with zero scratches in it. Sharp enough to slice through the air and pull it apart. One thing I noticed from the first RML shavings was the sloppiness of the yoke knob. Zero feeling of the iron moving up or down. This is the only iron/chipbreaker I have for a #2. I still haven't found a #2 iron in the wild anywhere. Been keeping any eye open for that for years too.

excellent RML shavings

I was expecting to have to play with this before I got RML (right, middle, left) shavings to spit out. I bought this plane for the grandkids because it is small. It feels like a toy in my hand. Borderline awkward to use - tote barely fits for 3 fingers. I was able to get RML shavings one handed too. The #3 is the smallest bench plane I use and feel comfortable using.

toy like but functional

You see the scale of this plane in relation to my left hand. Still waiting for either one of the grandsons to try it out. Hopeful that watching the shavings curl up out of the mouth excites them too. Made some face grain shavings - full length and width before putting it back in their toolbox.

Stanley #10 1/2

I used this plane a lot when I first got it. It is about the same size as the #3 and easily does its job with the added bonus of being able to do rabbets. This plane was repaired and it was done well. This plane type suffered a lot of cracks and fractures on the cheeks due to the continuous mouth opening. Author Aldren Watson (Hand Tools book)recommends it over the #3 because of its versatility. Iron was still sharp in spite of sitting in the tool cabinet for several years.

another to do project

Hopefully I'll around to this before the interest wanes. These were drawers that I had made for a cherry cabinet but I didn't use them. Ended up making new ones and these became orphaned. Thinking of making a two drawer thing and fitting them to it.

hmm......

Leftover cherry from ???? I think I have enough here to make the carcass for the two drawers. I will probably have to glue up stock but I think the widest board will work for the top. The sides, back, and the bottom aren't as visible as the top and don't matter if they are glued up.

hmm.....

The JB Weld feels solid but I didn't have a warm and fuzzy with it.

80 grit

This grit was barely touching the epoxy. I thought it would eat it up a lot quicker than it did but it wasn't. The epoxy was built up a lot based on it filling in the defects etc so I could sand it flush. I thought I would knock some of that down with my marking knife first.

yikes

Came off completely. The knife pulled all the epoxy out with ease. It didn't seem to adhere to the spokeshave anywhere I applied it.

wow

See the dot - the epoxy fell out and that is the one spot I wanted filled. The epoxy flaked off when I cut it with the marking knife. Epoxy had gotten hard but nada after that.  

Wally World

I have used this before several times on hand planes, Stanley spokeshaves, and some hand drills. I didn't have any problems with any of them with this JB Weld.

hmm......

The top one is obvious and the bottom one I think is missing a letter(s)? I googled OVELOE and nada. 

the other side

The width of the irons for the lambs tongue are 5/8". Clueless as to what the 2 defines, if anything, for the OVELOE spokeshave.

two days

It is 4-6 hours for this to be dry to the touch and 15-24 hours before use. It is 1445 now and I plan on letting this cure for 24hrs. I'll probably be painting this wednesday rather then tuesday.

planed a rabbet

I couldn't get the rabbet square with the wooden plane. I used the 10 1/2 to do it. After looking at the iron I saw that it was skewed and not parallel to the mouth. Should have checked that before and while using it but I didn't. Assumed that it was still good from its last use.

up against the blade

Did a lot of left turns today and ended up playing with this last one. I can't remember if I had ever do this, even when I first put this saw together.

it's an 1/8" off

This is the closest I can get the indicator to zero. I got this saw and this fence over 20 years ago and the memories aren't even hazy. They are nonexistent especially about this set up. I seem to remember that the measuring tape was already fixed to the tube. I'll have to look up the instructions for it on the WWW. I doubt that I'll use if I do fix it though. But I started to address it and I might as well check it off if I can.

accidental woodworker 

 I awoke this AM and I thought I had lost power overnight. The clock in the bedroom said I was rolling out of the rack at 0554 and the clock in the living room said it was only 0455. Oops, I forgot to fall back and do the _+)@^&$%%)@_%*@ changing of the clocks. I knew it was coming but just not today. Oh well stercus acidit again.

living room

The shop is staying at a toasty 66F - 19C but the living room is even toastier at 71F - 22C. Brought the miniature hope chest to cure there. A week or so should do then I can give it to my sister.

hmm.....

99% of the japanning wiped away with the rag. Gone without a whimper. The steel brush worked wonderfully raising a bit of shine on both of them.

stubborn spot

On both spokeshaves, in the same spot, there was japanning left that the rag wouldn't, couldn't remove. A couple of strokes with the steel bristle brush and it was history. Happy and amazed at how clean the spokeshaves were with just Simple Green.

 In the past I spent a bazillion hours hand scraping japanning without get it all. Soaking in Simple Green did the trick. I hand scraped planes, drills, and a lot of other japanned tools and then I used Simple Green to remove japanning from them too. The only headache with Simple Green is finding something that the tool can soak in.

2nd use

Bow sander worked with the rounded ends of the spokeshave. A smaller one would have been better but I only have this large one.

finally

The filed areas (the mouth) took a long time to do because of the limited stroke of the files. There was a lot of casting defects and roughness in the area where the irons lived. The smaller spokeshave was the worse of the two to clean up.

marine JB Weld

Filled in the voids and defects with JB Weld. It looks a lot worse than it actually is. I expect that most of the JB Weld will sanded off. This should leave a smooth surface when it comes time to paint them.

the big spokeshaves

On this this one I was able to use a small file that fit through the mouth. I could file from the top to the bottom in one fluid stroke. I didn't go nutso on this - just looking to ensure that the bed for the irons is flat.

hmm.....

The iron for the left side was tight and wouldn't go down beyond the 1/2 way point. I don't recall this hiccup when I bought it and I hadn't done anything to shrink it or the spokeshave. Head scratcher for sure. 

partial fix

I filed the two outside edges lightly - just enough to make them shiny and smooth. I also filed the inside cheeks of the left side. The iron now has some lateral adjustment.

surprise

I was expecting this black paint to be toast. Past experience with it has shown me that any non use time between uses and it skims over and turns thick and syrupy and useless as paint. Glad for that because most stores that sold these pint cans don't anymore. I have more than enough to do both of the spokeshaves.

not today sports fans

Wiped this one down with acetone and I was going to paint it. However, I noticed a couple of casting voids that I had to fill it. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to paint them.

still tacky

This is JB Weld is a 5 minute marine epoxy but over 5 hours later it is still tacky. I'll let it go until the AM and hopefully it will be ready to sand and paint then.

glazier point box

It was too early to kill the lights so I decided to shellac this box. 3-4 coats should put a smile on my face. Got 2 coats before I killed the lights for the day.

accidental woodworker

hmm......

My favorite store for buying Simple Green didn't have any. A boatload of of ZEP products but no Simple Green. Wally World had it and I bought this concentrate instead. Supposedly this will make 5 gals.  I only need enough to cover the two spokeshaves in that pan.

took 6 cups total

It didn't quite cover the spokeshaves but it was close. I didn't want to put any more liquid in this thin aluminum cooking pan.

one more

Last coat of shellac on the lid and the exterior. I think that is 8 but I'm not sure.

I don't think so

Both of these spokeshaves came from England so I was expecting them to be metric screws. The screw wouldn't fit in any of the M5 or M6 threaded holes but it fits in the imperial 1/4-20 threaded hole. It didn't feel quite right though. It was loose and initially I thought it was because the screw looked battle worn. It looked like it had been sand blasted, all dimpled and rough.

I tried it in all four of my gauges - metric and imperial - and nada. I'm pretty sure now that it is a 1/4-20 Whitworth thread. They have a 55° pitch thread whereas UNC threads are 60°.

interesting

I took this spokeshave out after letting it soak for a couple of hours. The japanning embedded in the casting defects is already loosening. I wasn't expecting the japanning to give up this quickly.

looking better

I didn't go nutso sharpening this because it is all free hand and I'm not that good at it. I kept at it until I got a burr on the back.

brass washer

The washers in both of the spokeshaves were brass which surprised me a lot. I would have bet a lung that they would be steel. That aside, this washer hole was a few frog hairs too narrow. When I removed it I had to tap it off with a screwdriver and a hammer. Drilled it out until it was slip fit over the screw down to the shoulder.

it ain't easy

I am in the dark about how to use this spokeshave. I'm not sure that it can make a profile on the face. And at what orientation do you push it at? I tried this, parallel to the face, and at various angles balanced on the edge. Tried it on both edges with both irons. The results sucked pond scum.

nope

The profile is a bazillion percent better than the one I tried to get when I first bought this. However, it isn't developed nor is it consistent end to end.

better

Working the edge was easier but the profile didn't change much. I think maybe I should spend a few more calories sharpening. It did matter which side of the spokeshave I used, the profile was the same.  

Working with the grain was better than working against the grain. It tore out a lot going against the grain, more than I anticipated. I expected some but not the amount I got. The grade after this test run is mixed. Not knowing how to use and having to figure it out by trial and error is going to be brutal.

wow

This has been soaking in the Simple Green for about 5 hours and a ton of the japanning is gone. What is left on it I wiped away with a finger. It isn't going to take 2-3 days of soaking to remove all the japanning.

gone

This flat on the back had a thick, shiny chunk of japanning on it. It is gone, completely. This is one spot I was prepared to remove with a scraper. I'll clean them up in the AM for sure.

hmm......

I'll be buying this again for sure. First it is a lot cheaper then buying a spray bottle of it. Mixing it up to refill my spray bottle was easy peasy and I had control over the strength of it. I refilled at 1:1.

accidental woodworker 

 When I killed the lights for the day I realized that I had put a check mark in the done column for three projects. I had forgotten that I had finished one and only remembered it just before I started this blog post. Two of them are or will be going to someone and one will end up in the boneyard.

three knots and a dutchman

The underside of the lid is done. Four coats of shellac is ok for the underside. Only one knot shows through to the up face. I saturated all of them super glue twice before I put on the first coat of shellac.

hmmm......

Test time with the stencils. This is my first attempt at it and on You Tube I saw them being done with brushes and rollers. I'm going to use my wife's stencil brush on the leaf stencil.

questionable

I brushed this and then I dimpled it by hitting the stencil straight up and down with the brush. The biggest question I had was there any bleeding paint beyond the stencil pattern.

no bleeding

The pattern is clear without defined edges. However, there are raised ridges of paint in several spots. Too much paint but no bleed through. On the second one I used a drier brush. Oops, forgot to snap a pic of #2 but it was much better.

done

I kinda like this stenciling. Not exactly well done but it also doesn't look like a monkey did it neither. When I try this again I'll practice a few more attempts more then two. This was only glamour pic I took of project #1. This will live in the boneyard now.

two coats on

I got a third coat on before I went on my post lunch stroll. Only doing 3 coats on the inside and 4-6 on the lid top and exterior. You gotta love shellac because I knew here that I would be done with this today.

chamfer

Chamfered the outside edge of the base to make it look thinner. I thought of doing a round over but I thought a chamfer fit better than it would. Although a round over would have been been the opposite of the cove molding.

glamour pic #1

Calling this done. I have 5 coats on it but I am going to put a couple more on the lid top and exterior. In spite of that I'm calling this done.

back/side glamour pic

Happy with the dovetails on the chest and base. Something I didn't try for was the chest tails and the base tails look to be the same size. The shellac made the tails pop too - no gaps and in spite of being hand done, they look uniform but not machine done.

glamour pic #3

I will keep the lid propped open with the stick for a week or so. That should be enough time for the shellac to cure and harden.

project #3 glamour pic

I'm calling this done. The paint looks good, not perfect, but more than acceptable. There are minimal brush marks and the coverage is 100%.

glamour pic #2

hmm.... I may not be done with this. I assumed that Jessica is hanging this on a wall. I'll have to ask her and if not, I'll have to paint the back. Fingers crossed along with the toes.

interim project

I've had these two lamb tongue spokeshaves for a couple years. Before I start on the two door cabinet I'll rehab these two. The plan is to strip them and repaint along with doing some needed TLC on the irons. I wanted to let them soak in Simple Green for a few days but I don't have anything big enough to put the irons in. Found out from a comment left on one of my plane rehab posts that Simple Green will dissolve japanning. Filing and sanding it off is a PITA. I'll go to Wally World and buy a disposable aluminum cooking pan for that.

Whoever owned these was right handed (?) because one iron is worn and the other is almost unused. I am guessing on the right handed use based on how I would use it. But it is my understanding that these spokeshaves allowed the user to account for reversing grain - left or right.

accidental woodworker 

hmm.....

I initially thought that I hadn't thought the bearers all the way through. I set them down a 1/4" from the top. So I thought that would negate the 1/4"bottom that I had planned on gluing to the bottom. I also thought that bottom of the 1/4" plywood would be flush with the top of the base. I hadn't looked far enough ahead to see that the 1/4" rabbet would house the 1/4" plywood bottom and keep the chest captured in it. DUH!

hmm..... again

There is a 1/4" of the bearers sticking past the edge of the chest. That little bit of real estate is enough to glue a 1/4" piece of plywood to.

fitted

Found a scrap of nice 1/4" plywood in my off cut pile. I sawed it out square to match the ID of the chest. Used a blockplane to shave the lower right corner until it fell into place.

fitting the base moldings

Sawed all four over length by 2". Now that I figured out the bottom for the chest, I almost ready to do the base moldings. Needed to first attach the chest to the bearers.

helping hand

Applied some super glue to the hinges and positioned the lid on them. I find measuring and screwing these type of hinges is hit or miss for me. Super gluing the hinges has worked like a charm for the last 3 hinges (of this type) I installed.

needed some weight

Even though this is an 'instant' super glue I've found out that it isn't unless you hit it with accelerator (which I don't have). A little weight and time and the bond is made.

 I killed the lights here to go to a VA appointment. As I was backing out of the driveway my wife texted me that the VA had canceled the appointment. Worked for me because appointments mid morning really screw up my shop/strolling time.

they are stuck

Lid opened and closed easily. Not even the slightest hint of either of them letting go. I wasn't expecting such a good bond - held long enough to get screws in them. 

stuck real good

Got two of the four screws in each hinge and then I removed them. I wanted to remove the hinge to facilitate applying shellac to the lid but it ain't happening boys and girls. They are stuck on solid - a sharp rap with a mallet did nada. On to plan #2.

base attached the chest

Screwed, no glue, the chest to the bearers.

hide glue

Just in case I or the next owner needs to replace/repair the bottom. 

fitting the moldings

My mini mitering jig - right and left hand moldings can be shot on it. It will also do 90° and that is the one thing I would change. If and when I make another one I will make the 90° bigger. As is I can square stock about 1 1/4" wide and the next one will be around 2".

switched

A 120 grit sanding stick instead of the blockplane. A little slower but no blowout from the blockplane to deal with.

done

Used super glue and yellow glue to attach the moldings. Where I could nail the molding was too thin even for a pin nail. I didn't have a warm and fuzzy about that being secure. An hour later the moldings were stuck tight still.

helping hand

I wasn't thrilled with wee bit of glue surface for the plywood bottom. If I had thought ahead more I could have secured the bottom with just these. Nailed on with no glue - again to facilitate repairs if needed.
 

last stencil came today

This is the one I'll use on the white spice rack. Perfect size and it was the only 4" stencil with a flowery motif that I could find.

fingers crossed

Hopefully this is the last coat. If it is I'll let it cure for a week or so and ship it out to Jessica.

two coats

I found enough shellac flakes to make one cup of a 2 pound cut. That should be sufficient to finish the chest. For all intents and purposes this done except for oohs and aahs.

I ordered another pound of flakes and the price went over $11. I was expecting it to be much worse. With S/H it was $70. Ouch 

accidental woodworker

after dinner work

Finished the pins and checked the base for square. Check. Put the chest inside the base, check. It fit with less than a 16th all the way around. I'm not that fond of these skinny tails. They may look visually good but to me I see a tenuous fit that looks fragile. I should have go with one tail based on the width but I didn't.

fixed

The half tail on the left broke off while cleaning up the half round. It felt secure this AM and the base was ready to glue up.

I showed it who was the boss

When I sawed out the base I removed the labels at the corners. I applied glue to all four corners before I saw that brain fart. The first time, I put two corners together, the other two wouldn't. Broke it apart and tried another combination that didn't work neither. When I tried to break it apart (long side) it split into two. 

I (usually) don't go nutso anymore when I make a bad me-steak but today I lost it and went postal on it. Just as well because this base was questionable. One rap on a long side (to the left of the mallet) and it snapped into two. Not even a hard rap. That and a big red knot lent credence to  destroying this one and making a new base.

sigh

I didn't want to but I had to use a cut off (that I didn't want to use) to get the stock for the new base.

single tail

I felt better making the new base with single tails. I think it is a better fit with the width of the base.

I can learn still

I didn't make the same me-steak this time. I labeled all the pins and tails this time where they won't disappear. I didn't do it on the first base because I thought I didn't have to.

ta da

Base #2 has the same slip fit that the first one had. 

base cut out

One inch fortsner bit drilling a 1/2" on each one. Wash, rinse, and repeat for the short sides.

glued and cooking

I didn't bother to check the diagonals on the base. It had to fit as is so it didn't matter that it was square.

hmm.....

Cut this down from 2 1/4" to 1 1/2". Visually the 2 1/4" height looked too tall for the scale of this. Next up was what to do with the ends. Angled, left as is, or round overs? Then the profile, chamfer or something with an electric router.

ready to glue on

Rounded the ends and routed the same profile on it as the lid edges.

moldings

I have more than enough for the top of the base. It was a toss up between this cove molding or a 1/4 round. The cove one only because I can nail it more easily than the 1/4 round molding.

needs one more coat

Still not done and after painting the last coat I let this cure for a couple of days. I wasn't happy with how it felt after I sanded it. It felt cold and clammy but today it feels warm and dry. I'll put on another coat (final coat hopefully) in the AM.

bearers done

Glued and nailed rather then glue and screws.

finishing the base

Bases are easy to do - you don't have to do any clean up on the interior.

)@&%)*@_%(_)+5()^*&^% gaps

Mixed hide glue and pine sawdust to make my own wood putty. Two corners (tails) needed some help. I thought I had closed them up on the glue up. Used this because I am using shellac as the finish on this.

no mortise hinges

These hinges are easy to install because they don't require a mortise. However, they leave a gap between the lid and the chest which I don't like. I made the notch for them to be within a frog hair flush.

looking for screws

I don't understand how or why hinges are sold without screws. That is like selling a car without tires. I don't have any #5 or #6 screws long enough. I do have some but they have oval heads and I need flat head. I'll make do with what I have until I can order some.

glued and cooking

I'll be heading back to the shop after dinner tonight. My wife is away at a dead people's event and I will no have no adult supervision until saturday. There isn't much more to do on this chest. Attach the lid, the bottom, and screw the chest to the bearers, apply shellac and ooh and aah.

accidental woodworker 

 Time to make a start on these big logs.

Look at all that lovely, fresh oak flesh.

Should get some wide panels out of these.

It can take a while to get the split started on these big logs....and then pop, the sound of it giving up....music to my ears.

There's a bit of twist along the 7ft length, but I'm mainly interested in wide, short panels from this, the fattest part, so I can live with the twist.

caught it

Glad for muscle memory and doing dovetails the exact same way each and every time. Initially I laid out the tails the wrong way and caught it when I flipped the board to lay out the tails on the opposite end.

wee bit off

The opposite face on the joint line was almost dead on flush. It took less than 5 minutes to flush this face.

off the saw

Each corner went together with a few gentle taps with a mallet.

frustrating

I went back and forth on trying to square this up before I finally got it. The seesawing just pass equal diagonals had me seeing stars and wishing I could give this box flying lessons.

glued and cooking

Finally got it after applying glue. First it was an 1/8" off and then a 16th and then a few frog hairs. Ten minutes after this I checked the diagonals on the opposite side and they were off a 1/4". Resolved that without going nutso which surprised me. After this 2nd round of squaring I got the top and bottom diagonals to agree within less then a 16th.

hmmm......

Got a pitch pocket to fill with a dutchman. This will be facing the interior of the chest with the lid closed.

Lie Nielsen #3

This smoother is the last step. Removes plane tracks like a dream. No sandpaper regimen can hold a candle to it.

almost gone

This pocket wasn't that deep and I recall seeing some of these pitch pockets going from face to face.

profile

I didn't want to put a chamfer on this. This is an ogee (?) profile I think. Just enough detail without being over the top.

yikes

This is the profile I wanted - my favorite Preston wooden molding plane. This was the first try and the 2nd one was on an off cut from the lid. It was just as ugly looking.

working again

Smoothed the pins and tails with this arrangement. Thinking maybe I should try to make a low workbench for hand planing? This worked but it did tend to want to walk forward with the planing strokes.

tails

It cleared the top edge by an inch. I'll drill some holes in the uprights so I can move the platform up.

wee bit of twist

Both the top and bottom had a little twist.

base

Got one corner done before I killed the lights. Glue up in the AM. Rethinking the bottom 1/2" plywood as overkill. I'll make a road trip to Lowes and get a 1/4 panel of birch 1/4" plywood.

accidental woodworker

 Got a request for a box from a family member. Me, being me, I suggested instead of a box I make a miniature hope chest. Not much more difference between making a box and the chest. So before I get started on the next project I'll be whacking this out.

hmm......

This is all I have left from last trip to Gurney's sawmill. I was eyeballing it to ensure I had enough to make the double glass door cabinet.

back of the spice rack pic

This is the pic that drove me nutso. As far as I can tell from the pic the back is one piece of something? Another point of contention are the hangers positioned at the top. They will cause the front of the spice rack to tilt slightly forward and down. I will make sure that Jessica doesn't hang her spice rack from the top rail.

double door cabinet

Figuring out what I need to glue up and how many. I am making this to be a dresser (?). I don't like a depth of 11" (1x12 stock) and I didn't want the depth to be a normal dresser depth neither. I settled on 16" deep so it could also be used as a bookcase or a storage/display cabinet.

the miniature hope chest

All of the stock for this box is coming from off cuts from previous projects.

lid

The lid stock (two boards) had a slight cup to them. Before I glued them up I flattened the concave side of the board.

glued and cooking

One face is aligned pretty good on the joint which will be the up face. The other side is off a couple of frog hairs on the joint line. I'll deal with that after the lid comes out of the clamps.

one miniature hope chest

Overkill but the bottom will be 1/2" plywood. I don't have any 6mm plywood and with either one, it won't be visible. I have some 1/4" plywood but it felt too flimsy and I don't trust it for a bottom.

dutchman needed

Big ugly looking pitch pocket that I will hide with a dutchman. This is the before pic.

dutchman pocket done

I would have had to go deeper to fully remove the pitch pocket but this was sufficient. It is roughly 3/8" deep as is.

fitted

The length fit but the width was way too tight. I shaved off the long edges until it was a snug fit.

glued and cooking

This is one of the long legs for the bottom base. The dutchman will be placed on the inside and at the top.

3 hours later

To think I once dreaded trying to use a dutchman. Easy peasy and please don't bite me on the arse now.

3 stencils came

I don't need the 4th one. I am planning to use only the middle and far left one for the white spice rack.

it is close enough

I got this one because it is small and it has a curve to it. I am thinking of putting this stencil on each end. I can reverse the stencil to do either side. I will have to cut some off the bottom of the stencil to fit in this spot.

center stencil

Not sure which is the top and bottom on this stencil. I am positioning so it flows upward. Like the other stencil I'll have cut some off this stencil too. The pattern is 4" and the space available it 4 3/4".

tails are ready

Using the Moxon vise a lot more lately. Bending over at the face vise is becoming problematic for me. My back doesn't like bending over that low to saw tails and pins. Wish I had a 12' bench and could mount this permanently.

quitting time

Got into a rhythm and lost track of time. Mickey's big had was on 3 and his small one was on 4. I find dovetails to be soothing to do especially more so that I can do them reasonably well. There is something meditative about the whole process that appeals to my OCD. Glue up in the AM for sure. 

accidental woodworker

As a child, I loved journals. I bought many. Each had so many pages with so much potential. I still have them to this day. But aside from my name, they remain untouched. That’s because while I loved the idea of creating a record of my thoughts and ideas, the challenge of filling it with content worthy of the journal was too much for me.

What went wrong? I misunderstood the purpose. The journals were tools for me to record my thoughts and ideas that may or may not one day be realized into something larger. They were not meant to be great themselves.

The idea of creating something perfect was getting in my way of creating anything at all. My vision was preventing all productivity.

Now, when creating anything, I will start anywhere. Write a few words, draw a few lines, make a few cuts, swing an axe. Just make it bold and make it permanent.

No pencils here. No undo button. These allow for revisions and second guessing.

Once the first stroke has been done, I can assess my progress. Do I like it? Should I include or exclude it? This is how some of my best work is done.

Sometimes many revisions are necessary to arrive at the end result, but if the previous revisions don’t survive (e.g. were erased/undone), there is no way to study and learn from the them and understand why the end result is as good as it is.

Right now, this is a blog post. Yesterday it was an idea (actually, it was a different idea). Tomorrow it could be a book, or a billboard, or a tattoo.

Didn't get much shop time today. Spent most of it getting the furnace going which made my wife happy. I patted myself on the back that I had paid for an automatic water level gizmo. Well worth the extra $500 (IMHO) it cost. Turned on the thermostat and the water level automatically filled. I vacuumed the furnace inside/outside and the dust collected on the piping wasn't that bad. Considering how close it is to the shop there wasn't a lot of dust on it.

done

I was surprised by how well this went. The moldings stayed in place after pressing down on them for a few. I was able to get all four on and nothing slipped or shifted when I applied the clamps. 

hmm......

One thing I plan on doing is buying more threaded rods and cutting them down. All the ones I have are 24" long and the router box is roughly 12" x 11". Thinking four rods 12" long and four more at 18" should do the trick. Amazon has 12" rods in a four pack for >$10 but I couldn't find 18" or 36" lengths.

sigh

It is going to take another coat - a 3rd one. I sanded it down with 320 and wiped it with a rag and vacuumed it. I rolled on the 2nd coat and it laid down much better than the first coat which was brushed on. It probably would have been better with a 2" roller but I couldn't find any. I had to use a 4" roller and it was awkward trying to roll the interior of the spice rack.

happy face on

5 hours later and the moldings look good. Especially the bead portion on the miter toes. Clean, with the profile intact. I will have to slap a couple coats of shellac on them before I can call it 100% done.

accidental woodworker

 For all intents and purposes, Jessica's spice rack is done. I got the paint for it today and the first coat is curing. I could have done a 2nd coat today but I decided to let this one dry until the AM. It has been cold at night lately with temps barely above freezing and the shop temp is hovering around 62F. Day time temps are barely making it above 60F so it is prudent to give the paint extra time to cure.

sigh....

Just noticed this and I had a brain fart. I had tossed this missing molding in the shitcan last week. Didn't penetrate the skull that this is where it belonged. I thought it was an extra I made.

new moldings

Made a double set because I don't have much wiggle room on the long legs - which are 12 1/2". The moldings are 12 3/4" long which means I don't have much room to say oops. 

fits

Decided to use this mitering jig over shooting the miters in the donkey ear jig. Took a few to widen the groove for the moldings.

nice looking miter

Just as clean and sharp looking as it would come off the donkey ear jig.

bonus

The bead portion of the molding is clean. No ragged out or blow out to be seen. The donkey ear jig chews the bead up.

correcting a me-steak

I didn't scrape the shellac when I glued the moldings on. FYI you can glue over shellac but it will fail. Scraped it 360 concentrating on getting the plywood edges clean of shellac. I'll glue the moldings on in the AM.

hmm....

Big difference in the two spice racks. I know now that I was too centered on the pics of the spice rack Jessica sent me. The back on that one was one piece and and that drove me on how I made these two versions.

the color she picked

As you can see the coverage was splotchy in few spots. I brushed on the first coat and I will roll on any number of subsequent coats.

almost done

I'm not going to buy the spice containers for this one. The shelf spacing is way too wide for them. I am still going to give it to my sister and she can decide what use it gets. 

On monday I'm supposed to receive 2 of the 4 stencils I ordered. The top back stop needs something visual to anchor it. Fingers crossed that at least one of them will fit under the center round top.

accidental woodworker 

After nearly 70 years in production, Shopsmith, the maker of the Mark V and Mark 7 woodworking machines, is on its last legs and facing liquidation unless a person or group buys them.

https://www.shopsmith.com/store-closing?fbclid=IwVERDUANqJURleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHr6hUpmcULQ58Iv_Ns7bzi1SLTYOG–pFk9Erde5_bNM2cEVgvyzn43hlAWa_aem_gZwCa98Nw06dGSo3BI0wFA

I never used a Shopsmith but always see used ones for sale on Marketplace. My understanding is that the accessories were proprietory so you were locked into only their brand of stuff. It didnt seem very user friendly to me, so I never considered buying one.

Did you own and use a Shopsmith? How is the machine? Was it a “jack of all trades, master of none” type of tool? I’ve always been curious.

Do you have a boatload of money and want to buy the company? Now is your chance. They may be liquidated by the end of the month. They are located in Dayton, OH and apparently it’s how Scott Phillips got his start with his TV show “The American Woodshop”.  The story goes he worked for Shopsmith at the time and did some How-To videos on using the machine. Someone saw his videos and asked him to do a new woodworking TV show (or something like that. He knows the story a lot better than I do).

Those of you who follow my work know that I’m often inspired to create a frame when I go into Diane’s studio and see a work in progress. Well, recently I saw a dancer that she was painting and immediately thought Flamenco and visualized the fans I’ve seen Flamenco dancers use. Next thing you know I’m searching the net for pictures!! Once I found a picture of the fan to use the next hurdle was figuring out how to make a pattern and transfer that to each corner of the frame. Adding to the challenge is that the frame has a 15° slant to it so using a compass wasn’t an option. The frames size allowed for a circle with a 2″ radius so the first step was to use the Pages program and print off a couple of circles of that size, that’s the gray piece in the right photo. I’m a big fan of using plastic from lettuce containers to make my templates. The paper is attached to it with spray adhesive then cut to shape. For the circular piece in the center I used a 7/14mm gouge to not only cut the template but also the wood. The outside was carefully cut out with scissors and the location of the frame miter was marked on it as well.

Line the template up with the sight edge and the miter to draw the circle (3/4 of one actually). you need a way to divide the circumference into an even number of parts. The only way I know to do this is to use dividers , if you’re not familiar with these they’re the black tool in the right picture. Set up the dividers on paper, not your wood — you’ll be doing a lot of trial and error work to do this so paper is easier to erase! As a furniture maker I use them a lot to divide a given space into equal sized parts and layout dovetails. To use them you “guesstimate” a size you think would work, adjust the dividers to that size and then “step it off” from end to the other end. The goal is for the last step off to end exactly at the end of the piece. Until it does you’ll need to make very small adjustments spreading the legs more or less until you get equal sized fan blades. Keep the dividers at that setting, you’ll need them for each corner. Note: I’ve tried to explain this the best I could but it is confusing, here is a LINK for a short article I found on the net.

Here are the tools used. After using the template to draw the outer circle and the inner circle on the wood I first used a 7/14mm gouge to outline the inner circle. Start at the sight edge and use the dividers to divide the space, I’d suggest using a pencil rather than the point of the divider as it could show in the carving. Now, use a flexible straight edge lined up with the corner of the miter to draw a line to the marks you made using the divider. See the picture, top right. This line is the high point of the fan blade.

Once your corner looks like the left hand picture it’s time to divide the fans — I strongly suggest only doing two blades at a time to save confusion. Measure and make a mark at the center on one blade. Use the dividers to mark the centers of all of them, you may need to eyeball and adjust if it doesn’t look quite right to your eye. The right hand picture shows the arrows drawn to remind me which way the slope goes. Here’s the order that worked for me and the tools I used for this project:

• Use 1F/8mm skew to cut angled line from outside to middle line at the bottom of 2 blades, draw your arrows to indicate slope direction
• Use 3F/6 to cut to desired depth at end of the blade. I also used a 2/10mm and 2/14mm to blend the carving into the rest of the frame
• I used what I call my golf ball skew, it’s an old Marples skew fitted with a golf ball which lets me make curved or straight free hand cuts. Make a straight cut down the middle line from the inner circle to the end of the fan blade
• The goal is to have a tapered cut that slopes to the middle line and down to the end. For me, the best tool was a 3/4″ very sharp bench chisel. Take very light cuts and work from both sides trying to stop your cut before hitting the other side. Definitely practice these, you can’t put the wood back!
• You will probably need to deepen the cut at the end of the fan blade to maintain a sharp edge.
• The grain direction changes on every cut due to the miter and to add to the challenge my profile has a 15° angle too.

I needed a lot of practice before I got what I considered acceptable results. The profile is about 3″ wide and what I call my 15° profile. I plowed a 1/4″ bead on the sight edge for a detail and also to create a definite stopping point for the fan. The tool I started with at first was a 1/16mm double bevel skew since that’s a “carving chisel”. Wasn’t happy with how it worked, difficult to create that smooth slope I was after. Then tried a 3/4″ cabinet chisel and it gave a much smoother cut. Also easier to hold and control than the fishtail skew.

Here’s one corner of the 18″ x 24″frame freshly finished with RMP finishes milk paint in Arabian Night Black. I’ve used their product on quite a few frames and like its appearance. You can mix up a small amount so there’s very little waste. To apply it they sell quality foam brushes which leave a nice finish. I usually apply 2 coats and then smooth them out with a 2500 grit nylon pad. To seal the milk paint my preference is OSMO 3043, satin. A thin coat is applied with a chip brush and then wiped dry with blue shop towels. Don’t rub it down too hard, some of the milk paint will come off and you’ll see it on the towel! After 24 hours or so, apply another light coat and since the first coat sealed the milk paint there won’t be any transfer. I’ll post a picture of the completed frame and painting on my Instagram once they’re both dry and assembled.

 Jessica's spice rack is basically done. A little bit of sanding in the AM and it will be ready to paint. She is going to order the paint from the paint store but I don't know when or if she has done that yet. I'll find out later on tonight. Now that that is behind me I have two more projects on the horizon. One is a box or something like that for my sister Donna and the other is still simmering on the back burner. News and pics on the 11 o'clock news.

fitting the back

Ripped the back based on the measurements and it didn't fit. I had to trim a few more frog hairs off the width and height.

width fit, height didn't

The bottom right corner was the culprit. A few shavings with a blockplane and I got it fitted. Glued and nailed it off.

sigh....

When I routed the rabbet I filled in the shelf dadoes with a scrap. What happened was the router sent the filler flying and I hadn't noticed it. When I did the other five I taped the filler in place. That worked and since this is the back I'm leaving this as is.

nope

The 1/2 pattern I made for the first spice rack wasn't working on Jessica's. It was too high and I didn't like the size and flow of the curves on it. Time to make a new one - this one will be the same size on the height.

hmmm

This isn't visible when looking at the spice rack when it is vertical. I will fill the gap in with paintable caulking. I'll get a tube the next time I go to Lowes. BTW - I am giving this to my sister Donna. Her birthday is next month and I asked Jessica where she bought her spice containers.

1/2 pattern done

I like this one a whole lot more. I especially like the size of the middle and where the two outboard curves intersect it. 

subtle difference

The one for Jessica's spice rack is the one I'll do again if anyone else in the family wants one. The spice containers will be taller then the outside curves. On the white one they are taller than the spice containers.

back cooking

No screws again but I did explore using dowels. Biscuits was nixed right away due to the 1/2" thickness. Thought of using bamboo nails but the rabbet was playing havoc with the brain bucket so I nixed that too. Relying on glue only just like the first one. Used the cutoffs to give a parallel grip for the clamps.

new brush

While I was waiting for my paint at the store I saw this brush and bought it. It is a square brush with a tapered end. Worked like a charm for painting the 90° places. According to the pics on the cardboard sleeve it came in, it is a sash brush. I'll be trying it on my next 'window' project for sure but it sure worked a treat painting this.

almost done

I am still surprised by how easily and quickly I whacked this out. From looking at the pics I was expecting it to be more difficult and longer to do. Stopped here to think of the moldings - 1/2 rounds or the ones I bought at Home Depot.

the winner is....

Decided to use the HD moldings. After all it is my interpretation of the pic Jessica sent me. 

sigh....

I had one nail from the back blow through the shelf. Thankfully this will be painted and this sin will be hidden under putty and paint.

a hiccup

I had to take one more swipe and this was my reward. I will fill this in with wood putty and paint over it.

done

I applied the molding just like the pic showed them. Mitered at the top and bottom and butt jointed everywhere else. It doesn't look that bad and doesn't offend me as much as I thought it would.

one of two

This and one other piece 1/2 this length is all that is left. Used up more of it then I thought I would.

back burner project

I have two of these and I was thinking of making two more glass door cabinets. I was playing around with the layout for the lites.

the next project?????

Why not a two door cabinet? This would be an interesting cabinet build and something I haven't done before. By the time I killed the lights I decided this will be next. A two door cabinet with a drawer (or two drawers) underneath them. Or maybe one drawer (or two drawers) above them? 

another dead end

I checked the switch again for continuity and it varied. A couple of times it looked good but if I moved it the reading went out to lunch. Plastic gets brittle over the years and I would bet a lung that is what is wrong with this switch. Moot point now.

Thought about buying a used router off eBay for parts but I would probably run into the same hiccup with the switch. 

accidental woodworker 

last night

After dinner I went back to the shop and chopped out the pins. Went together off the saw. One corner wouldn't seat fully but a few gentle taps with a mallet and it closed up. Glue up came in the AM.

success

Laid out the shelf positions and all of them agree with a 32nd or less. The tallest spice container is 3 1/8" tall and the four shelf openings are about 3 5/8" strong. A 1/2" of clearance should be enough without excessive dead space.

marking the length

Marked the length one frog hair over. I was surprised that with these 3 shelves installed it didn't square up on its own. It was easier squaring it up with them than without them. 

glued and cooking

I will always double check the diagonals after clamping. I have been bit too many times with the clamps pulling it out of square. Less than a 16th off between the diagonals clamped which is better than without the clamps.

hmm......

Sanded it down with 240 and got another coat on it. Brush strokes were a lot less visible this time. I will be putting a 3rd coat on because I can still see 'whitewashed' pine.

)&(^%@%(+@(^%+_

One more rabbet to go and the router )&Q$)(*&^@%_)@*%&@ quit.

checking the switch first

Big open with the switch off as expected but with it on, I was reading 5-6 meg ohms. The switch is toast and I still had one more rabbet to rout.

it worked

I removed the leads from the switch and jumped them together with a piece 14 gauge house wire. Router worked which made me feel better. There is a variable speed control board that could have been the problem too.

Taped the jumper together and finished routing the last rabbet. I checked 3 sites for replacement parts, 2 of them didn't list the switch at all. The one site that did list it had it as having no replacement. 

However, they did have the part number and the manufacturer number. But the part number given was a dead end as was the manufacturer number. It looks like I'm stuck up sh...t creek with no paddles.

glued and cooking

The dovetails had cooked for about 4 hours. I ripped the shelves to width and glued them in place. The spice containers are 2 1/4" front to back. The width of the of the shelves are 2 1/2".

still sharp

Used it to square up the four corners. Not as sharp as it was when I did the first spice rack but still sharp enough to do the 2nd one. The web was thinner on this one and the corner with blue tape blew out pretty good. All four corners broke but this one needed some tape to hold it together.

in the AM

I will let this coat cure until tomorrow. I'll sand it down again with 320 this time and I'll roll on another coat. Hopefully it will be the last one.

accidental woodworker