General Woodworking

On a recent blog post I wrote that I have been searching for a Stanley toothing blade for the #12 scraper forever. This morning I saw one for sale on Jim Bode's site for $95. That initially seemed overly rich but this is the first one I've seen in all of my searching. I believe Stanley made these toothing blades in 3 flavors too. I should have pulled the trigger on it when I first saw it. I went back on his site in the afternoon and it had sold. If you snooze, you lose. Maybe a miracle will happen and another will pop up for sale.

ready to go

I had brought this upstairs yesterday after mixing up a batch. I shook and stirred for the entire night. When I checked it this AM it was fine. All the shellac flakes had dissolved.

bottom clamps

I used only glue to attach the bottom dust panel in place. I didn't have any short brads to nail it in place. The smallest brads I have are 3/4" long and I didn't want to nail them in at an angle. Just glue is probably a better choice for this application.

the finishing plan

Applying shellac is all the 'woodworking' that was going to be done today. In the AM session I wanted to get 3 coats of shellac on the bottom of the carcass and the drawers. Wash, rinse, and repeat for drawers and carcass in the PM session.

soaked in

Isn't this exciting? A blog post about shellac drying? The veneer I glued on was still adhered. There weren't any bubbles where the veneer wasn't glued down. It was still tight on four edges around the fronts too.

done and gone

I got 3 coats on everything including the plywood back panel. The shellac from 1/25 is almost empty - there was just enough to do the 3 coats. What little that was left I dumped in to the shellac I mixed yesterday.

sigh

Found another missing piece of veneer. That makes all the drawer fronts a matched set. All three drawers have a missing piece that I will have to fix. Decided to do that after the shellac goes on and I can eyeball the dresser in situ. If I can live with the missing pieces I'll leave them be. But I doubt my OCD will allow that.

)_&(*@($^*%_)@ piece of sh*_(@&*%@_)%t

I haven't used this since I reloaded it with the Linux OS. I turn it on a couple of times a week just bring it up and go online. On sundays I update it but that didn't happen today. One of the lines of computer crappola said there was a BIOS error. This is usually an indication that the CMOS battery voltage is low. I'll put checking that on the list of things to do maybe.

knobs

Glad I caught this on the second coat of shellac going on the drawers and the carcass. I will put 5-6 coats on the knobs due to their upcoming up wear. These paper clamps work great as work holders. No shellac on the tenons.

any bets?

That these will be out of sight and out of mind?

missed it

I put the veneer on the bottom drawer the wrong way. The straight grain at the bottom should have been at the top. There is a collision between the bottom of the middle drawer and the top of the bottom drawer. Not much I can do about it now - can't remove the veneer because I don't have any more oak in my pizza box of veneer.

Other than that brain fart, the drawer fronts look good. I already did a sneak peek with them in the carcass and they looked good. You can't really tell that the carcass isn't oak also.

The goal for the rest of the day is get back to the shop after dinner and get the third and final coat of shellac on everything. I already have two on but I may go more than 3. It depends how I like the look of 3.

accidental woodworker

 I do believe that all that is left before the oohs and aahs commence, is to apply a couple of coats of shellac to the dresser. It hit me just before lunch that I had no more woodworking to do on it. Now that this is done I can turn my limited attention span back to the maple kitchen ladder/stool. 

I think the cherry one is going to be resting for a while before I get back to it. I don't want to use the lunchbox planer in the driveway with the cold temps and snow. After that I don't know what else is on the horizon to challenge me.

last drawer

Brought the drawer back to the shop this AM after it slept all night by the kitchen radiator. I did get this caul covered with wax paper before I glued the veneer on.

got nervous

The caul didn't want to come away. I had to use a chisel to wedge it at the top before it separated.

difficult to remove

I tried the marking knife and that was iffy at best. A fresh razor blade didn't work neither. I couldn't hold it flush to the side to cut with. Tried the veneer saw and that was a dismal failure - the hide glue gummed up the teeth and it wouldn't saw. I finally got it removed cleanly with a chisel. I put the bevel against the side and tapped it with a mallet. The waste came off clean and flush.

veneer repair coming

I planed the veneer proud at the top with a blockplane. This end was brittle and loose - the glue didn't bond that well - a chip came off.

nope

A chunk of the pine came off when I chiseled the angle for the veneer repair. Sigh. Not sure how I'll fix it now. I set this aside and kept on trucking.

cleaned up

Used a card scraper to clean the veneer. There were a few bits and pieces from the caul but I had no problems scraping those off. 

more veneer issues

Clueless as to how this defect came to be. 

right on the edge

After what happened on the first veneer repair I am on the fence with this one. It is hard to see and the underlying pine color is a good match with the oak veneer. This will be another veneer repair I'll sleep on.

can I fix one now?

I gathered up some of the shavings I made with the card scraper and stuffed them in the defect. I then flooded it with super glue.

five minutes later

I block planed most of the waste first followed up with the card scraper. From directly above it I had to search to pick it out. This worked surprisingly well and like hide glue, super glue is invisible to shellac too.

sneak peek sans the knobs

It doesn't look that bad. I had some concerns about the oak being too wild looking in the grain department but it isn't glaring here.

shaker knob choices

The left one is birch (or maple) and the right one is cherry. The cherry is too small for these drawers and especially the middle and bottom drawers. I am using the birch knob for the drawers.

getting close here

Got the holes drilled for the knobs and I'll install them after the shellac. I found some thin pine scraps to use for the drawer dividers. The plan is to divide each drawer into 4 compartments. I think that there are only 4 Miller Dowels - birch, cherry, oak, and walnut.

2x dowels came today

Size comparison between the 1x and 2x. I bought a package deal on the 2x dowels - 40 birch ones and the drill bit which I didn't have. I also got 100 cherry mini ones. That was all that I could find on Amazon.

bottom dry fitted

I thought this was the last of the woodworking but there was a wee bit more. This will keep any crappola from getting into the drawer from underneath them. I screwed the base to the carcass with one hiccup. I am always wary when screwing into end grain like I did here. I used #8 x 2" brass wood screws and all four tightened and felt secure.

sigh

I drilled two holes for screws for the front of the base to be screwed to the carcass. These will seen even with the drawer closed. I didn't think that they would end up this close to front edge.

another big sigh

This was confirmation of what I already knew and didn't want to see.

making 1/8" dowels

The holes are a 32nd under an 1/8". I have 1/8" dowels but they were smooth and were a loose fit in the holes. The dowels I made were a slight friction fit. 

not perfect, but much better

With a casual glance they shouldn't be noticed. 

base molding done

I glued this just to the base - tried not to get any glue on the carcass. I used my pin nailer to clamp them while the glue cooks.

drawer dividers

Smoothed the rough sawn faces and then sawed them to length. I'll do the half laps for them after the drawers have their finish applied to them.

mixing shellac

I buy empty quart paint cans from my local paint store and I use them for my mixed shellac. I finally figured it out that 2 1/2 cups of Everclear and 6oz of shellac flakes will just about fill the can. This is a 2 pound cut of shellac. The batch I mixed last month is almost gone and definitely not enough to do the dresser.

Still having hiccups with blogger. It isn't freezing 5 or more times and it is now down to one freeze up in each of the last 3 days. PITA because to clear it I have close out and go back in. I wish it would go away and annoy someone else.

accidental woodworker

 Everything fell into place so nicely for me today in the shop. I got all the drawers fitted before lunch. I was expecting to spend a good portion of the day knocking them out. The three of them were done before lunch time. In the PM session I got two of the drawer fronts veneered but not without one me-steak and a potential second one.

reference done first

The bottom of the drawer is my reference for fitting them and I deal with that first. All I did was smooth and flush it and checked it for twist.

hmm.....

I thought I was starting with the top drawer but..... It fits in the opening this way but too tight R/L. All I had done at this point was to smooth the bottom.

helping hand

This scrap is as wide as the drawer. I need it to keep the jaws parallel when I tighten the drawer in the other end of the vise. This vise will close on the drawer and toe in the other end without it.

I'm learning

All I had done to this point was to flush the pins protruding proud on the sides. That is all I did and I resisted the urge to take a couple more extra swipes. There is a gap on the front top so the hang up is at the back. From this point on I only plane the top edge for fitting - the bottom won't be touched at all.

wee bit tight

There is a gap on both sides and it is tight on the back right top. The left side top has a frog hair gap.

almost  there

The margins on the front look consistent and the drawer will go in/out but it could be better. It is a wee bit stiff and I want the drawers to open/close freely like they are riding on a cushion of air.

Took the drawer out and made three planing runs around the top edge. I followed that up by planing a slight hollow on the top back between the sides. That did the trick and I got my air cushion open and close.

toothing blade

This is a Kunz toothing blade that fits the Stanley #12 scraper. I have been looking for years for a Stanley toothing blade without any success. I used this freehand to tooth the front face of the drawer in preparation for the veneer.

wow

I had to pinch myself because I had two drawers fitted in less than an hour. 99% of the planing to fit the drawers was done on the top edges. Basically all I did on the sides was flush the pins and tails. Not complaining but I was expecting to do a lot more planing and fitting dance steps.

the top drawer

High corner and opposite of the one on the 2nd drawer. The bottom is laying flat at the back and the front. Treated the first drawer to same treatment as the 2nd one.

done

I can push both drawers almost 3/4 of the way out the back with a gentle tap on the front. Fingers crossed that I won't have any expansion headaches come this summer.

coulda, woulda, shoulda, but didn't

If I had thought this through I would have started fitting the bottom drawer first. That way I could have used the same jaw spacer - I would just have to cut off some for the next two smaller drawers. Duh!

flushing first

The pins were slightly below the tails - I planed the tails flush with the pins and planed the hump flat on this side.

3rd drawer

The fitting of this drawer was going incredibly fast and easy. This is the fit of it after planing the bottom and flushing the pins/tails on the sides. This drawer didn't have any high corners at the back or the front. Planed the top corners flush, smoothed the top, and planed a hollow at the back. Done - drawer slid in/out on a cushion of air.

I was happy that none of the drawers had any hang ups with the drawer runners. I thought maybe the two I put in backwards might have caught the bottom edge of the drawer being a frog hair too low. But that wasn't so, all drawers had no hang ups.

I got to the shop a little after 0900 and all 3 drawers were done by 1019. A little over an hour. I thought I was being optimistic thinking it would take me all morning to get that done.

where it will live

The plan is to clear off this table and put the new dresser here. I am going to move the Dowel Max dresser over here too. I can fit those two here along with this one which has my Tremont cut nails.

glue blocks

I put glue blocks on all 3 drawers to tighten them up. What a difference they made - the sound when hit bottom with and without them was a big difference. I used hide glue to attach them and rubbed them in place and left them to cook.

1/4" back

The back is dry fitted and ready to attach. I will leave it off until after I get the knobs and finish on the carcass and the drawers. After that is done I'll glue and nail it on.

after lunch road trip

Went to the Frame it Shop after lunch and picked up the frame of the grandkids and the parents. This came out fantastic IMO. The frame colors and the mat complement each other perfectly. I went with an asymmetrical placement for the pics - this arrangement is interesting looking IMO.

veneering prep

Made a clamping caul for each of the drawers.

checking the first veneer

Sawing this veneer was not easy. I have a fine tooth veneer saw (50TPI) and cross cutting with it did not go smoothly. The rip saw cuts were ok and easier. But the saw didn't like making cross cuts - it took a lot of calories and dance steps to saw through thin veneer. After the second drawer I used my marking knife to do the third one.

oops

Screwed up the 3rd drawer veneer. I got the length off of the side instead of the front or back. Had to pick out new veneer and I settled on oak only because I could get a continuous grain flow from top to bottom with the two pieces I had.

before the oak veneer

I think this is ash but I couldn't get 3 pieces to match. I played with these swapping them around and trying different looks but in the end I said No Mas and went with the oak.

clamped and cooking

Got two clamped and after dinner I'll try to get the last one clamped and cooking too. I wanted to use these clamps to do it and I ran out of them. Forgot that I had small 5 and 6 inch F clamps clamped on the floor joists I could have used.

fingers crossed

Just realized here that I hadn't put any wax paper between the clamping caul and the veneer. In the past when I have veneered, the hide glue has bled through the veneer. I don't know what to expect with this and if there will be any glue squeezed through gluing the caul and the veneer together.

If that happens, I used hide glue and it is reversible. I will have to pick a new veneer and start over after I remove the veneer. I'm thinking happy thoughts that I won't have to.

optimist

I prepped the last drawer caul with wax paper. That will be ready to use regardless of what happens with the first two drawers.

clamping the veneer dry

The oak veneer is bumpy and wavy. I clamped it dry to see if that would help flatten it some. I'm counting on the caul to flatten the other two veneers and the hide glue to keep them that way. I'll find out if I should have done any pre-flattening treatment when it comes out of the clamps.

accidental woodworker 

PS after dinner work, I couldn't wait and let it cook until the AM

3rd drawer

Got the last drawer front glued, clamped, and cooking.

it was stuck

I was able to get the cauls off. I had use a chisel as wedge and pry them off. this drawer front caul broke into 3 long pieces. If I had let this go until the AM the caul would have been glued solid to the veneer. That white spot above my thumb are remnants of it - I had planed a lot of it off already. Originally it was about 5-7 inches long. A card scraper was working well with cleaning it up and I'll finish up with that in the AM.

2nd drawer

The caul on this drawer was plywood and just some little bits and pieces were stuck to the veneer. The first drawer caul was solid pine. I had to reglue some veneer that lifted at the top right edge. Both of these will camp out in the kitchen overnight next to the radiator.

The latest Standard mandolin is on the bench and will be ready for sale in a few months time. Here’s the story so far….

Cheers Gary.

 There are still piles of the white stuff all over the place. With the temps we are having now (18F this AM ~  -8C) it is going to be around for a while. The first day of spring is March 20th which is a month away. Around these parts, March usually doesn't get snowfall but that may change this year. 

snug fit

The first drawer and I could fit all four corners (snugly) into the drawer opening. It was too wide R/L to check that fit.

middle drawer

Went together off the saw. Doing the bottom was batting next.

bottom fitted

I should have made all of the bottoms when I did the first drawer. That didn't occur to me at that time - I was focused on getting the first one done.

glued and cooking

I brought the drawer and the glue upstairs to the kitchen for the drawer to cook by the radiator and warm up the glue. Shop temp had dropped again to 55F and was back up to 57F around 1000.

last drawer

Labeled the corners and the bottom inside edge. I tried using the cabinetmakers triangle but I didn't like it. With matching numbers at the corners I find that easier to keep on top of what goes where.

1050

I almost got the last drawer dry fitted. I just had to chop the waste in the pin boards before I can do that. I break for lunch everyday at 1100 and I went upstairs a wee bit early today.

2nd drawer

I could only get the four corners to fit on the left side only. The right side all corners were too tight.

3rd drawer

Went together off the saw - dry fit was good. These dovetails are some of the best I've done. All of them seated fully with zero gaps. What gaps I did have closed up with a few taps of the mallet. 

I had a senior moment fitting the bottom On side was proud and like the idiot I can be, I flipped the bottom around and retried it. Got the same result and realized that front to back of the bottom was about 1/8" too long. DUH.

cleaning the insides

I didn't forget to do any of the interiors of the drawers. On these drawers I tried to keep my vertical pencil lines no longer than the baselines. It paid off here because I hardly had any pencil to 'erase'. I'm still learning and picking up tidbits here the there.

happy with this

When I first started doing hand sawn dovetails I never thought I would get to this point. All the tails and pins fit snug and gap free. I struggled for years with getting dovetails to look even half as good as these. But slowly after all the boxes I've made it is finally coming together for me on a consistent basis.

I made my first dovetail box on friday, April 22, 2011, after practicing and trying to make a dovetailed box for about 6 weeks. I had a lot of failures, some successes, but no boxes with four corners of pins/tails that didn't have gaps wide enough to throw a dog through.

still have it

I wish I had kept some of the failures but this is the only one. I haven't looked at it in quite a while and I didn't remember the pins/tails looking this good. I keep jig accessories knobs and such in it. I didn't know that neither.

 Fitting the drawers commences in the AM tomorrow at 0800. Unless the shop temp is 55F then fitting will commence at 0930 or 57F.

accidental woodworker

A couple weeks ago, I made a new fence for an old Worth marking gauge.  In the original, the beam of the gauge got clamped in position using a wooden screw through a tapped hole in the top of the gauge's fence.  The screw was about 3/8" diameter and about 10 threads per inch.

The original from the Worth gauge

For the new fence, I used a machine screw and a threaded insert.  But it got me thinking (again) about wooden screws and nuts.  A couple years ago I finally had success making wooden screws and nuts, but the diameters I was working with were much larger than this (the smallest was 13/16").  So I thought I'd give it a try.

My plan was to start with a screw having 1/2" major diameter and 8 threads per inch.  A 3/8" diameter just seemed too small for now.  Using 8 tpi, (1/8" thread pitch) makes the numbers come out nice.  I started with a 1/2" square blank and on each face, I knifed and penciled lines every 1/8".  The lines on each consecutive face were 1/32" offset from the prior face.  After planing the workpiece round, The lines were still visible and I could connect them with pencil.

Ready to connect the layout lines and get filing

After filing the threads with a square file

This worked fairly well, but I still needed to see if it would fit into a nut with the same thread pitch.  For the nut, I first tried using the method I had success with a couple years ago.  I made a block with a 7/16" hole (the minor diameter of the screw) through a face and then cut a saw kerf in an edge at an angle down to and a little bit into the 7/16" hole.

You can see the 7/16" hole through the front face, as well as the slanted kerf at top of the block

The kerf fits a slim card scraper - you can see the scraper extending into the hole just a little bit

That 7/16" diameter stick in the above picture has a shallow spiral kerf sawn into it.  This stick was laid out very carefully and sawn very carefully.  This was the second try - the first was made from a very porous wood that was clearly not suitable for this purpose.  The one above is maple.

The first attempt got destroyed in use.  There is just not enough meat around those kerfs to withstand a little stress.

A little below those threads, I drilled a 1/8" hole and fashioned a tiny cutter, which is just press-fit into the hole.

The cutter can be seen here - it's got a (roughly) 90 degree point

In use, this spiral-kerfed piece gets placed into the block (the block with the 7/16" hole and slanted kerf), and the slim card scraper engages the kerf.  As the cylinder is turned, it gets pulled into the block and the cutter can cut an inside thread in a workpiece that is clamped to the block.

Here's the cylindrical piece engaged with the card scraper in the block. Note the spacers taped to the front of the block.

Here, I've added a workpiece that had a 7/16" hole bored through it. The block and workpiece are clamped in a bench vise.

In this view from above, you can see the spacers allow you to see between the workpiece and the block.  This way you know when the cutter exits the workpiece as the cylindrical piece is turned.

At first, the cutter is barely showing as you turn it through the workpiece.  After retracting the cutting cylinder, you advance the cutter and run it through again.  And again.  And again ... until the threads are well formed and deep enough.  For threads this size it only takes a few passes.

Here are the internal threads that were just cut

And the screw fits!  Success!

Well, so this post doesn't get too long, I'll end here and pick up next time with a second method.  I'm fairly excited about it because it doesn't rely on the spiral kerf cut into the cutter stick.  Maybe eventually there can be some success with 3/8" diameter sticks!

 Finally started on the drawers and I got one glued and cooking. I also finished up the work on the carcass. However, I'm holding off putting some of the finishing touches on it until the drawers are done and fitted. Other than that it was productive day. On the flip side of the coin my left thumb has gotten achy along with my right wrist. I punished both of them when I planed the stock for the drawers and the kitchen ladder/stool. I am going to take it easy and give these two a chance to relax.

oldies but goodies

I made these 90° corner gizmos in the 1980's. I have another pair that are slightly larger. In spite of their age all four are still dead nuts on 90° according to Mr Starrett. Used them to keep the base corners at 90°.

yikes

This threw a monkey wrench into my after dinner activities. This is what greeted me after taking the clamps off. I glued and clamped it and set it aside to cook.

checking it

The base still fits around the carcass but I don't have the 1/8" wiggle room I had before. It fits with the base glued so that is all that matters.

bearers dry fitted

This was something I could do before I headed back upstairs for the night.

pilot holes

I planed and squared the edge of the bearers that will be against the base. It will be glued and screwed (3 screws) to the base. The two pilot holes on the adjacent edge will be for screwing the carcass to the bearers.

front rail

On the front bearer I can't screw in from the bottom rail because the rail isn't thick enough. Instead I will screw down through the rail into the bearer underneath it.

sigh

These are some of the crappiest dovetails I have done in a long time. I'll be filling them in with wood putty. If this wasn't a shop project I would have made a new base.

55F this AM

The shop felt cold when I came down to this morning. This is the lowest temp it has been so far this winter. The morning temps for the past two days have been 18F and 19F ~ -7.5C. It did zoom back up to 57F a few hours later.

base isn't twisted

The break glue up set up overnight and looked ok this AM. The base was twist free on the top and bottom. I was expected to have some due to the break.

dry fit is good

In spite of using the 90° corner gizmos the base isn't square. The back measured 14 1/4" R/L and it was 14 7/16" at the front R/L. No problems spreading the back to fit. Once the base is screwed to the carcass it shouldn't see any stress at all.

3 molding choices

I didn't get to use the one I wanted but nobody will ever know that.

quarter round

I like this look but the reveal left on the bottom rail is too thin for this molding.

Ditto for #2

This was my first choice but like the quarter round the rail reveal is too thin. 

the winner

I like the size of the reveal this molding leaves. I thought this would win the brass ring because of its size. Not getting a warm and fuzzy with the look of this one so I may go on a road trip to Home Depot and see what else they have in the teeny molding bins.

base back board

I wasn't going to use one of these but both ends of the base curl away outward at the bottom of it. I'll screw this to the bottom rail and use Miller Dowels to pull the base tight to it.

hmm.....

I was planning on using 1/2 blinds at the front but I don't like this. If I leave a 1/8" at the front the tails would be about 3/8" which I think is too small. Switched lanes and now I'll be using through dovetails at the front and back.

pizza box of veneer

I don't want to see the through dovetails on the drawer fronts of the dresser. So I am going to apply a veneer over the 3 drawer fronts. I thought of using cherry, mahogany, and walnut. 

is it pine?

I had some yellow pine but it was way short on the length. This looks like pine but it feels harder than pine. Regardless of that, I'm using it for the drawer fronts. The grain and color closely matches the carcass.

first drawer

Started with the top drawer and middle one is in the on deck circle.

off the saw

First drawer dry fit is good. The diagonals agree with a 32nd. Now I had to figure out how to get a bottom in it. I didn't allow for the back to accept drawer slips. 

bottom dry fitted

Decided to go with a enclosed bottom. I plowed the grooves for the 1/4" bottom on the tablesaw.

on the front and back

The front ones will be covered by the veneer. The ones in the back may stay as is. I initially thought these holes would be on the sides.

the worse two

The gap on these two aren't that bad. As I looked at the others which were all tight, I saw these two last. I tapped them with a mallet and a scrap of wood and I got some glue squeeze out.

clamped it

The drawer stayed square - the diagonals were still within a 32nd of each other. Sometimes when I clamp the tails it pulls it out of square. It is probably the bottom which is holding it square.

quit 15 minutes early

I almost got the second drawer dry fitted. Tails are done and the pins are ready to chop. Should definitely get this one done tomorrow and maybe the 3rd one too. I'm going to put enclosed bottoms in the last two drawers too. 

accidental woodworker

Now that Valentine’s Day has passed, I can share this fun little project.

After finding a suitable scrap of hardwood, I printed a template and glued it on with a thin coat of wood glue. I let it dry for about ten minutes, then used a small plunge router with a ball nose bit to remove most of the waste to a consistent depth, staying well back of the template line.

I switched to a small carving gouge to work right up to the line, leaving a nice, tactile edge that flows into the bottom.

I continued this process around the entire shape, then carefully textured the bottom the same way. Since all the carving was done from the perimeter towards the centre, some carving was inevitably against the grain. Therefore, light cuts, a super-sharp tool, and patient, careful hands were essential to prevent larger chips from being lifted.

Then, it was off to the bandsaw to cut out the profile, followed by sanding – first with a random orbital sander, then foam sanding blocks – to smooth the outside. I was going for a soft feel, so I welcomed the tendency for these tools to round over edges.

Once satisfied with the outside, I used the foam block to sand off the template and gently round over the top edges.

Then I applied a coat of paste wax and buffed it out after it dried.

The third step of the lesson - roughing out
How can we learn the craft of woodworking? People learn in different ways. Some people learn from books and magazines. Some people learn from YouTube. And some people are lucky enough to be taught by someone who knows something. I suppose nowadays most people do some combination of all three. The topic grabs your interest in one medium or another, and you slowly dive into everything else that's out there.

I tend to learn mostly from printed material. My primary formal woodworking instruction was decades ago - and woodturning played only a minor role. But now with our forthcoming treadle lathe I've had to re-learn it again from scratch.

As it happens, I have tons of old material in my library - and by old, I mean dating back to the 17th century, on turning, but the big problem is that I want a systematic approach. I really want a lesson-by-lesson instruction manual on using a treadle lathe. Videos are fantastic for showing a particular operation, but probably less efficient than reading for providing systematic information. I went through all the material I have on lathes. Most of the early pre-19th century material isn't suitable for beginners or is more of an overview than a coherent course. (The 19th century marked some changes in pedagogy in general and the beginning of what we would call shop classes.) A book that that resonated with me is "Elementary Turning" by Frank Henry Seldon. I have an original copy from 1907, but I'm using is the online edition, which is free. You can print out a PDF with pages that lie flat and can be reprinted if they get messed up in the shop. The instruction is designed for a powered lathe but I still find it great. The first lesson is on centering work. The second lesson is on taking a small square of wood and roughing it out into a cylinder using a roughing gouge and a skew chisel. Each lesson thereafter - there are 31 lessons in all - gets more and more involved. The first series of lessons are about basic techniques using a very limited set of tools. Seldon's approach might not appeal to you. There are many ways to learn things. And to a large extent it doesn't matter which lesson you follow, or which guru floats your boat. What is important is a consistent approach that you get by following one systematic approach. Learn from everyone, but initially follow one approach.

In other news, we have a opening for a part-time salesperson (or salespeople) at our Brooklyn showroom for several days a week.

Sales at Tools for Working Wood is an interesting job. You get a range of customers and that's what makes it interesting. We have people who come in who've been doing this for 40 years and will tell you everything you've ever wanted to know about 80 grit sandpaper. After they leave, you experiment yourself to see if you agree. And then a week later somebody, a newbie, maybe just a newbie in that particular area, will come in and you will get a chance to repeat back everything you've ever wanted to know about 80 grit sandpaper. And frankly this is how we learn. You keep your ears open, you keep your brain functioning, and all interactions are really interesting. Some people come in knowing what they want and some need help. Our goal is to point people in the right direction - and as many customers can attest, even if that direction is to a different store or product we don't sell or to the bad news that no such tool or process exists (yet). And you meet some interesting people too. We're looking for people who are interested in woodworking even if they're not experts because while we can teach people woodworking we can't teach you enthusiasm. I suppose I should mention the employee discount, which if you're outfitting a shop is not a bad thing to have. The most important thing we are looking for in the candidate gets along with people and a desire to learn.

We haven't posted this job elsewhere yet. We're hoping someone who reads this blog is looking to work in the craft and woodworking industries. So if you are interested in a great opportunity we'd like to talk to you. Send us an email.

Lesson one - Marking centers
Lesson two - Mounted in the lathe ready to rough out

After roughing out - smoothing with a skew chisel
Done - a pretty smooth cylinder - The instructions say it won't be perfect - mine isn't but I am pretty pleased
Elementary Turning and behind it an illustration from Manuel Du Tourneur, 1792

 I didn't get around to the drawers again today but it is a definite maybe that I'll get to them tomorrow. I have been working on finishing up the dresser carcass first. I'm making good progress on that and I'm betting a lung I'll done with it before the end of tomorrow's AM session. Then I'll start on the drawers because that is all that would be left to do.

faux stiles/rails done

I put the drawer fronts in to eyeball how it would look. Only the bottom drawer is about where it should be - all the drawers will be inset so they will be flush with the inside edge of the front rails.

hmm......

Just noticed this and I'll have to address it. I plan on putting a molding on the sides and across the front. As is at the front, there will be a gap. 

I glued a piece of pine between the two stiles to close the gap. I thought I had snapped at least one pic of it but it appears I did not.

stock for the base

I am not putting a back on the base. It doesn't need one as the back will be against a wall and not seen.

it fit

The dresser fit loosely the inside of the base (base just laid together dry). There should be about an 1/8" of wiggle room R/L.

simple cutout

I had thought about leaving this dresser without a base but I didn't like the look. I think the bottom drawer would be too close to whatever surface it would be put on.

crest rail

Sanded it and glued it in place.

sawing the half pins

Through dovetails at the front corners of the base. I entertained using half blinds but I don't mind the look of through dovetails.

dry fit is good

The dresser will sit on bearers on the inside of the base. They will be positioned such that a 1/2" of the bottom drawer rail will be visible.

this

I didn't go nutso smoothing this. I smoothed the rounded corners and got the straight away square to face. I left it as it came off of the rasp.

cooking

This was the next to last thing I got done today. I might be coming back to the shop after dinner. My wife is giving an internet talk and she is freaking out that me being on line will screw up things for her. She gets nervous before doing her talks and the audience tonight is going to be at least 1500 listeners so she is really freaking out.

bearers

I'll have to be quiet if I work in the shop after dinner. My workbench is almost directly under her desk.....

accidental woodworker

I think I'm finally over the hump with fighting with my diet. From thanksgiving to after the new year I was on a seesaw. However, over the past 3 weeks I've settled back down into watching myself again. My weight ballooned up to a high of  236.2 the sunday after xmas. This past sunday I weighed in at 215.8 so I'm on the correct trajectory. My goal is to get back down to 185-190 and maintain my weight within that 5lb window. Of course this will most likely go to crap once more starting next thanksgiving.

I'm short

 

As I was planing these to thickness I noticed that I was short 3 rails/stiles. Luckily I had plenty of scraps to knock out what I needed on the bandsaw.

front edge piece

Rather then play around flattening what I feathered out yesterday, I scribed fit the top. Instead of working on the drawers I decided to get the faux rails/stiles on. I am gluing them on - no nails or screws.

flushing the front stiles

I got the clamp here to help with the sawing. It is applying pressure right where the saw line is. I let these two cook for 40 minutes before I flushed them.

checking the bottom

I will put a 1/8" thick piece of plywood on the bottom. It won't be structural - rather it will be a dust shield to keep the drawers clean.

and now I rested

I got two rails and two stiles glued on and cooking. I still have to glue on the center stile. I went upstairs and worked on a sudoku puzzle which was making me feel like I had an IQ with a single negative number. It was a medium hard one and I had tried 8 times and failed to solve it. But there must have been magic in the air because I solved it before I headed back to the workbench.

one side done

IMO this looks like a grown up dresser with the faux rails/stiles. It is a shop project but this is something I could use on a larger version of a dresser.

a real big sigh

I had to make this 4 times before I got it right. I sawed the original one short by a 1/8". I then repeated that brain fart 3 more times before I finally got the last one to be a 1/8" long.

it worked

I bought this 90° sander a few years back, tried it once and put it away. It worked well sanding the miniature dresser stiles/rails square. 

The track in this shooting board I got from Lee Valley and I used it with my LN 51 shooting plane. I stopped because the steel, u-shaped stop on the right was wearing a groove in the plane. This sanding shooter fits in the track perfectly. I wouldn't want to use this on thick stock but for the ~1/8" thick rails/stiles it worked better than trying to shoot them square with a plane.

Yeah, its too long

I felt like Pavlov's dog except here I wasn't getting a treat. This center stile will be glued on after the other rails/stiles have cooked enough.

shouda, woulda, coulda, but didn't

The top rail was proud of the stile on both ends and I saw that before I glued it on. However, I had glue on it so I stuck down thinking it would be an easy, peasy fix after the fact. Well boys and girls it wasn't easy, peasy. The chisel plane didn't like dealing with how high the proud was. Sanding it with 120 and 80 grit sanding sticks wasn't working neither. I had to break out my Stanley 10 1/2 to get it close to flush before the sanding sticks took over again and got it flush.

gluing the center stiles

I roughly got it in place by measuring it and then I checked it for square. I had to adjust for that and I had to check the R/L measurement again which was off. I see sawed back forth on this until I finally got it square and equal. I then made a tic mark on the top and bottom of the stile. Removed it, applied glue, aligned the tic marks, and stuck in place. 

cooking

I got a good fit of the center stile between the top and bottom rail. It was snug-ish and I probably didn't need to weigh it down but I did anyways. I don't what any surprises with this later on.

hmm.....

Hadn't noticed this before. The Miller Dowels on the back bearers are peeking out a wee bit from under the stile. I had checked the coverage only with the front one - the back bearers are inset from the edge a further 5/16" more. The front bearers are flush with the front edge.

base stock

I'm short on what I need to finish this dresser. I had originally intended for one of these to be used to make the drawer slips. I have four 6 foot long by 6" wide boards left to pick and chose to make the slips from.

accidental woodworker

less than 2"

It started snowing saturday night after dinner and changed to rain early sunday morning. This snow has a thin crust of ice on it. Underneath the snow was a river of water. Lots of fun shoveling this crappola.

the driveway

My driveway is deeply rutted and they were both full of water. This white stuff isn't slushy - it was a mixture of mostly ice and water. At least the end of the driveway didn't take long to clear away. The snowplow didn't come back again at all today.

I didn't go nutso shoveling or trying to shovel this crap. I only did about 3/4 of it and said No Mas. The rain continued off and on all day. Overnight the temps are going below zero so my driveway might be turned into a skating rink. And the fun doesn't stop here - there is another storm coming thursday.

matched my mood

This is a blurry pic of my rain soaked jacket. The rain soaked all the way through it to the inside.

drawer runners

I want the drawer runner to be flush with the top of the rear bearer. Two scraps clamped on the front and rear bearers ensures than.

leverage

Used the screwdriver to push the runner up tight against the rear bearer.

frog hair high

This is better than having it a frog hair short. I sanded it flush with a 120 grit sanding stick.

drawer side

The gap in the runners is at the front. With the drawer pulled out as far as it can, it should still span the gap. I did this same thing on the miniature dresser I made for my doweling jig.

flushing the Miller Dowels

 

tear out spot

Besides filling in the tear out with super glue and sanding dust, I also had to super glue the brown knot. The RO sander did a good job eradicating most of the tear out except for this spot - it was too deep. I am going to shellac this dresser so that is why I chose sanding dust and super glue as my 'wood putty'.

oops

Confused myself when I worked on the drawer runners on the opposite side. I put two of them with the gap at the rear instead of the front. The sun will still rise in the east tomorrow.

mini Miller Dowels

Got all the bearers done and no hiccups. The bearers are only 5/8" thick and I didn't have any accidents. The dowels will be hidden under the faux rails and stiles.

what tear out?

This looks great. The super glue will be invisible to the shellac too. 

chamfer layout

I like chamfers over round overs. I also like asymmetrical chamfers too. The top is tad less than 5/16" in from the edge. The edge extends down 3/8".

hmmm.....

The top rail is not tight and gapless. There is about a 1/16th there. This isn't something that I can putty in because it just won't look good.

tight and gap free

Used the bullnose to plane the wings at both ends. Kept at it until the rail laid up tight.

the other side

The gap was a little larger on this side but I dealt with it the same way.

ditto

I had to plane this side more than I did with the first one. In the end the rail ended up tight and gapless.

 

hmm......

I have a step on both ends that I'll have to figure out a fix for. Both of them were visible when I eyeballed the dresser head on.

working the chamfers

This pine was squirrely to plane. I got the three of them done but the ends were a headache to do. At the front and the rear the grain didn't like being planed and looked like crap. It didn't matter which direction I came from - got the same amount of ugly looking cheesy holed grain.

another PITA

The top edge of the chamfer tear out in chunks while I was planing it. I had to slow down and plane in snail mode coming from the top going downwards. After I was down to the line I dressed up the top edge with a 120 grit sanding stick. 

back of the dresser

This blow out came as I was planing it coming from the right going left. It shouldn't have done that but it did.

another ditto

The other side end and similar planing but this one was worse. I am thinking of filling these two in with wood putty. They shouldn't be that visible at the back.

step dealing time

I feathered the step back with a chisel and sandpaper. As I was typing this I realized that this will be hidden by the pine strip I'm gluing on the front edges.

the other side

This one is deeper and took a few more strokes with the chisel to make it disappear.

 

done

Eyeballing the front again, this looked a ton better. Instead of the abrupt end, it appears as if it was never there.

this is a first

I shouldn't have gotten any blowouts on the front planing the long grain. Well boys and girls I did. It is on the top left corner and it looked liked an bleeding eyesore. I had thought of planing another chamfer on the bottom but nixed that idea. Instead I put a dutchman in it after cleaning it up making it flat to receive it.

I had to try it

I used super glue and accelerator to secure the dutchman. The next step was to satisfy my curiosity that I would be able to saw the bulk of the waste off. 

yes I could saw it

I didn't have any scraps from the top to match for grain/color - they went bye-bye on thursday (garbage pickup day). This is going to pop but I'm ok with that. Better to see this than the headache of a different fix.

Blogger has been acting up again on me. It is freezing as I type my blogs. It has been going on now for 4 days (today it froze 6 times). I can't reset and resume typing. The mouse pointer will not move and display on the blog when it freezes. I have to close out the blogger and open it again. A PITA but it might mean blogger rolled out a bug fix or an update.

accidental woodworker

Editor’s Note: Buckle up. This will be a long one and will at times feel like James is just ranting. In an effort to pander to his international audience, James is also adding metric parentheticals. Even if using anything other than Freedom Units is anathema to him. I’ve a number of small trips on my […]

 I didn't get as far with the drawers as I thought I would in my mind's plan. I didn't get much AM time but I still put a dent in the drawer making. I don't anticipate getting a lot done tomorrow because it is sunday and a storm is blowing through overnight. I have settled into sunday being a slow and easy day but not this one. I'll have to wait and see how it shakes out. Being in the shop while the aftermath of the winter storm  blows through might be a good place to be.

out of the clamps

It is laying flat with no rocking.

odd rocking

There is no movement when I push on the corners. None of the four caused any movement. However, when I pushed down on the middle it moved up/down a little. I don't understand that but I'm leaving it alone.

on deck circle

I'm putting six 1x Miller Dowels into the top. The top and sides are 15/16" thick which is too thick for the mini dowels.

crest rail

This kicked my butt and made me doubt myself. On a lark I checked the edge for twist and it had a ton. So before I could make the crest rail I tried to plane the twist away.

planed in thickness

I gave up trying to plane the twist away on the edge. I checked the wide faces and it was twisted too. I planed that off and then planed it thickness.

where it landed

Went back to trying to remove the twist on the edge. See sawed back and forth on one edge and I repeated the same fun with the other edge. I checked the wide face for twist and both faces had twisted again somehow. I didn't go postal or nutso, but I did give it flying lessons. I sawed out a new crest rail from the extra stock I had for the drawers.

hmm......

Couldn't get this align and I just did this a couple of days ago. This one here had moved a tad and the screw hole wouldn't center on the insert hole. I had to enlarge it a wee bit with a drill bit.

crest rail work

This worked better than I expected. The grip was excellent and it didn't shift or move at all when I worked the crest rail. The only quibble I had was if it was extended too much it would vibrate, especially so when I used the rasp on it.

done?

I like this look but I think it is too high.

better IMO

A small change and I tried to make it smaller but I wasn't sure I could. I sawed it on the tablesaw and I didn't have a warm and fuzzy doing the first cut. So this height will have to do. This is just to keep things from being pushed/rolled off the top.

tear out

The top is glued up from two boards and each one has their grain running in opposite directions. I used the lally column as a planing stop and I got most of the tear out planed off.

nope

I couldn't make this patch go bye-bye no matter what I tried. I sanded it first with a sanding block with 80 grit followed up with 120 grit in the RO sander. It looked better but it didn't sand it all away.

stopped rabbet

I knifed it as deep as I could first. 

chisel work was next

This was not that hard to do. I got a bit ahead of myself as I wasn't paying attention to how deep I was chiseling.

not pretty looking

I was able to clean it up and make it look presentable. After the chisel work I used my small LN router plane to level the depth as best I could, end to end.

all that matters

The plywood back lays flat in the side rabbets and the ugly top one that no one will ever see.

anyone want some Titebond pie?

This is the glue I used yesterday and today it is dry and ready to use as a frisbee.

dowels done

I'll let these cook until tomorrow. Then I'll saw them flush.

first drawer

The right side was out of square by a couple of frog hairs. I had to scribe it and the left side.

fitted

The drawer front fits snug on all four sides.

2nd drawer

Ditto for the second one. 

3rd drawer

The left side has a teeny gap towards the top. Got confused when planing it, I should have planed from the other end. 

These drawers are going to be overkill as storage for the Miller Dowels. I may have allowed way too much but I think everything will fit with lots of extra room.

drawers are ready for dovetailing

The fronts and backs are on the right side with drawers sides on the left. The drawer sides are all the same length - about a 1/2" over sized. I'll finalize the final length after I do the layout for the half blinds at the front.

drawer runner

Put two brads in this end which will butt into the bearer at the back. This will keep it from moving in the dado.

2 1/2"

This is all that is going to secure the drawer runners in the dadoes. There is a 1/2" gap at the front end of the runner and the front bearer for expansion and contraction.

got one cooking

Killed the lights here because it was 10 after 1500. I should be able to get the remainder of the drawer guides installed tomorrow.

accidental woodworker

Rather than talk about one of my own projects, this week I’m going to recommend checking out Mattias Hallin’s Archivist’s Tool Chest. Last Thursday Mattias gave an absolutely magnificent presentation. He not only explained how he built the chest, but his rationale for choosing an Anarchist’s Tool Chest style chest. He also gave a wonderful insight into pragmatic hand tool techniques.

 About a half hour before quitting time I got the dresser carcass glued and cooking. I had no doubts that I would I get it together before 1500 - as long as I didn't have any hiccups with the stopped dadoes for the top. Spoiler alert, I didn't.

passed the eyeball test

I'm happy with the thickness of what will be the crest rail for the top. The top is slightly more than the 1/8th thicker. Now I just have to pick a profile for it.

top looks ok

As it is here, the top is the same thickness as the sides.

shortest length

These boards are for the drawers and this one being the shortest length determines the size of the drawer. The drawer opener ended up being 12 5/16" R/L. There is going to be a humongous amount of real estate for the Miller Dowels.

shimming the bearers

Cut up some veneer and glued it to the bearers. On one of them I had to glue veneer to both faces of the bearer. There were also 3 of them that I didn't have to glue veneer to.

not snug and barely self supporting (no veneer)

It fell out after being raised up about 2". It will be ok for this purpose.

bottom bearer

This will be glued and nailed in place. For the first part of the glue up I'll just be dealing with the first and second bearers - front and rear. The bottom ones I did after those are done.

works a treat

Of late I've been putting glue on this cottage cheese lid and using a brush to apply it to whatever. The bonus is that after the unused glue has dried it peels right off - it doesn't stick to the lid at all. I get them from my wife who eats cottage cheese for breakfast most days. I have them strewn around the shop.

18 gauge brad nailer

I nailed all the bearers in place with one brad in the middle of each one.

oops times two

I already snipped off most of what poked out to shake hands. I nailed the two offenders at the wrong angle.

mini Miller Dowels

This is why I only used one nail in the middle of the bearers. I will follow up by putting two Miller Dowels into each end of all of the bearers.

glued and cooking

I got this glued and clamped before 1030. I brought it upstairs to cook by the kitchen radiator - the shop temp was only 59F (15C). I went to lunch (for fish 'n chips), ran a few errands, and when I got back to the shop I unclamped it.

this will work

I bandsawed a couple pieces of pine to apply to the front of the carcass. The faux stile/rails will butt into it. It will also give an inset to the drawers of about a 1/8". I don't think I'll apply anything to the front bearers because I like the look of the drawers being inset.

the top face

The older pine I planed I had almost zero tear out with it. This pine was different story as there are several divots of tear out scattered around the top. I could paint it after filling them in with putty but I like the look of this being natural more. I will plane it later some more with the #3 and see how that shakes out.

the bottom inside face

This was how the top face looked before I planed it. This face had a small bit of twist that I planed away. I didn't go nutso and try to get the two faces parallel. Instead I just went for getting both flat and straight.

tool pit stop

I play the bounce test with these winding sticks at least once every time I use them. Inevitably they fall directly on a corner and smash a nice burr. I have to file them when I have troubles nested the two of them together. A couple of seconds with a file and all is well in Disneyland again.

double checking

Had to check it again because I forgot where the high corners were. 

almost cleaned up

I didn't go nutso on this. The only areas that needed to be really clean and smooth are the two ends and the front overhangs. Everything else will be covered and unseen.

twist free, nay nay moose breath

the carcass was rocking on the bench top which was not a good sign. The far right and near left are the high corners. I need the top of the sides to be twist free otherwise the top will be wonky and it will be a nightmare trying to fit the top drawer.

laid out the stopped dadoes

I made my reach under knife marks at the back and the front. I then connected the four of them (two for the L and two for the R) with the 18" rule.

almost a gotcha

As I was setting the carcass aside I thought I had noticed a huge brain fart. I thought I had put the bearers on the top instead of the bottom. Then I realized that I only had a rabbet on the bottom edge and nothing on the top. I was already in crisis mode coming up with a game plan to fix this egregious me-steak.

what a _)*@$^(@)_*%_)*@(_)+%@#_+)%*()+ PITA

I had to flip this to plane the high on the outside high corner. I tried to plane it this way it but it protested and whined too much. I had to flip it, plane it a little, unclamp it, and check the twist with the sticks. I had to do these dance steps 4 times before the twist said bye-bye.

98.8996238854668843%

It is not rocking on the benchtop anymore. However, there is just the teeniest bit of a gap on right edge bottom. I'm leaving this as it is and I'm not going to chase my tail with it.

chopped the stopped dadoes

I left a bit at the end of each dado to chop square after the rest of the dado was down to depth. I am not notching the tops instead the front edge of the top will butt against this. I chopped this close leaving the pencil line.

not easy

This router doesn't like coming into the end like this. It needs a little more length to be comfortable coming into the dado this way. I used this router to get both dadoes to the same depth.

ends squared off

Ready to do a dry fit - fingers and toes crossed.

hmm.....

Both sides are bowed a little with this side being more than the other one.

2nd one going in

I used this clamping method to get the left one started first. After that one was seated about a 1/3 of the way I clamped this side and got it seated.

needed just a little camber

This works like a charm at pulling the bow flat. I have yet to fail using this. After I got both of them seated I used a mallet and a block of wood to full seat both of them into the dadoes.

dry fit clamp up

I was happy with how this looked. The top appeared to be fully seated along the entire length. None of the bearers showed any signs of being stressed or moving. 

started the real glue up

done

 It didn't feel like it took me 9 minutes to get this glued and clamped. It was an easy, stress free glue up where everything fell into step one after the other.

hernia heavy

This weighed a lot more than I anticipated it being. I hauled this upstairs to cook in the kitchen until tomorrow. 

Tomorrow I should be able to start on the drawers. I should be done with this early next week barring I don't have any hiccups or get bit on the arse.

accidental woodworker

(And a pretty old one…)

Today I was starting to assemble the first box of the year, a day after finishing the 2nd box of the year.

This one is a custom piece, including initials and a lock. Today I was planing the pine boards for the top and bottom. It’s a pretty faithful copy of a 17th century box made in Dedham Massachusetts. Like most period boxes, it’s nailed at the corner rabbets instead of glued & pegged – (which is what mine usually are…)

The second box has one of the strapwork patterns on its front, related carvings on its ends. I wrote about it & an old, used box yesterday on my other blog. There’s more photos there –

H: 8” W: 25 1/4” D: 14 3/4”
$1,600 plus shipping in US. Email me or leave a comment if you’d like this box. Check or paypal (with added fee).

Chip-carved box – this one’s different from my usual thing.

I made it maybe 12 years ago, used it for a while, but it’s been sitting in my loft, empty, for several years. It has some bumps and bruises, but functions just as it did when it was new. Decided to sell it – but there’s no price. I’ll take the best offer I get by Sunday Feb 16, 8pm eastern time.

H: 5” L/W: 18” D (side-to-side): 8”

More photos and details on those two boxes over at the substack blog – https://peterfollansbeejoinerswork.substack.com/p/two-boxes-for-sale

If you’re interested in either of them, leave me a comment or send me an email – PeterFollansbee@gmail.com

The chip-carved box:

 

I’ve just put the Top Twenty bass, that you might have seen me restoring last year, up for sale on eBay here’s the listing.

I’ve had great fun playing it, but with my Phoenix bass now complete, it’s time to pass it on.

 Started on the carcass work for the dresser. Got a good days work accomplished and it is looking like a dresser or a bread box depending upon your viewing angle. The goal for tomorrow is to get the carcass glued up and cooking. That should be doable as I only have to chop the housing dadoes in the top for the sides.

they passed

These 3 are the boards I got on monday(?). They are the ones I was most concerned about them doing stupid wood tricks. I only planed one face flat and smooth and all three looked the same.

got enough

This is the stock I plan to use to make faux rails and stiles on the sides of the dresser. The longest ones will be the stiles with the shorter ones for the rails.

back ups

I would rather use the white pine over this but it is available in the on deck circle.

don't like this

I will have to glue something on the front edge of the dresser to hide this joint line. 

hmm.....

I first did an eyeball without the center stile but I like it. Now I'll just have to remember where I put the faux stock and more importantly not use it for something else.

kicking my butt

The inside face of the sides absolutely has to be dead flat, straight, and twist free. Added to the soup is the two sides have to be identical in size. That is what was kicking my butt. With the sides together one way, they are agree 99.99%. If I flip one board 180, they are off. Flipping one 180 shouldn't cause them to not align again.

inside face

One side had a bit twist I had to plane off and the other had a hump that I dealt with. However, after doing that both sides still wouldn't agree when I flipped one 180. But on the other hand they did lay flat on each other even when one was flipped 180.

forgot about this

What I was up against was one end was square to the reference edge but the other one wasn't. When flipped 180 the non reference long edge were off from each other. Broke out this long edge shooting board to get the reference edge dead nuts straight and square to the reference face.

In the end I had to clamp the sides together, mark them, and plane the ends with the bevel up Lee Valley jack plane. After a bit of see sawing I finally got the sides to not only lay flat on each other, but to agree again when flipped 180.

back rabbets

Before I could do the rabbets or the dadoes I had to ensure the sides were identical. The rabbet is 5/16" square and I roughed it out on the tablesaw and hand planed it square and to depth.

story stick

I finalized the sizes of the drawers with this stick. All three drawers will be oversized, especially the top drawer for the mini dowels. All four drawers will get dividers making 4 compartments in each one.  I don't want any surprises with this one being too small.

working the top

My wrist was hurting a wee bit after all the planing I did yesterday but it didn't raise a peep planing the top. 

it is going to be stout looking

I think I will be able to put a small block chevy engine on this when I complete it.

sneak peek

This is the look of the bearers dry fitted. It is still up in the air how I will attach the drawer runners. Plenty of time for that but I'll probably do it the same say I did on the last miniature dresser I made.

bottom rabbet

Dadoes and rabbets laid out for the bearers and the drawer guides. Started with the bottom rabbet sawing the shoulder.

first one done

I had to layout the bottom rabbet twice. I made a mistake the first time due to it being not deep enough. Now the drawer guide fits in the rabbet flush and square.

second side

Sawing the 2nd rabbet shoulder first.

finishing the rabbet

Knifed the depth and broke off the waste with a 1 1/2" wide butt chisel.

Record 5/8" shoulder plane

Cleaned, smoothed, and squared up. Rabbets are done. The second one came out a frog hair over 5/8" - fingers crossed that it won't bite me on the arse.

sigh

All the dadoes are loose and I thought I had reached under so I would have a tight fit. I'll have to glue veneer to the ends of the bearers to close up the gaps.

2nd side dadoes

I sawed all the shoulders on the four dadoes. This is a Buck Bros paring chisel that I've had for over 30 years. It isn't something I use a lot and today I cleaned out a majority of the waste coming in from both sides.

Compass Rose Tool Works router

I like this router a lot. It is easy to set the iron and the grip feels perfect pushing it. The only quibble I have with it is that it has no depth stop. The way around that is to do all you dadoes before making any adjustments to the iron. Used it here to get close to depth.

Lie Nielsen closed throat router

I prefer the open throat router but its iron is dull. Got to depth with this one.

always a good sight

I can still recall that sickening feeling when you put the sides together and you see that the dadoes don't align.

ain't miniature no more

This is going to need a big hole to live in. I've been eyeballing the shop and I'm not finding any said holes.

accidental woodworker

 

But first ...

Whereas the tresoor was ready, there was still one thing to be added to it: our signature. We did not want it to be easily seen, but it should be visible without moving the tresoor. So the backside was not an option, and of course all the front parts as well. We decided on the frame, underneath the lower plateau of the tresoor. on your knees, using a lamp from your mobile phone you would be able to spot 'St. Thomasgilde MMXXII' written (or burned) with a pyrographic pen.