Accidental Woodworker

It was ooh and aah time this AM. The tile had set up overnight and it was secure and not moving. This is only the 3rd cherry project that I can remember making. The first was a cherry clock I made about 35 years ago. The second was a shelf that I finally put up on a wall in the bedroom. That only took about 4-5 years to get done. The 3rd cherry project is this cupboard.

I have mostly worked in pine through the years I think for two reasons. The first was pine is cheaper than hardwoods. The second one is my skill level. While it has improved I was of the opinion that it was not good enough to risk butchering a pile of nice hardwoods. That changed with the completion of this cupboard. I think I have now finally arrived at the point where my skill over rides my apprehension about messing up using hardwood. 

this surprised me

This is a steep angle but the magnets are still holding the door shut. Tipped another 10° the magnets let go and the door opened. I have zero doubt about the magnets being able to keep the door closed with the cupboard hanging on a wall.

first glamour pic

I am not a photographer, nor do I want to be one. I'm woodworker who snaps pics of things I make. I have read about how to photograph projects and reduce background distractions. I even tried it a couple of times and decided it wasn't worth the calorie count for me. I really like how the purple colors of the tile play against the cherry. 

interior shot

Adjustable shelf with five positions. The entire cupboard is made from solid cherry except for the back. That is an MDF panel with cherry veneer on both faces.

drawers

The drawers will hold a lot of stuff. Cherry fronts with pine sides and back and drawer slips. The bottom is 1/4" plywood with what looks to me like pine on the up face. If I make another one of these I will cut down the height of the drawers and increase the space behind the door.

side pic

Most all the cherry I used is flat sawn. For the door stiles and rails I tried to use rift sawn or as close to it as I could.

the back

Left the back end of the drawer opening, open. I did that because of the size restriction I could buy for the cherry back panel. On the second one of these I'll enclose it with a cherry panel. Still haven't fixed the boo-boo caused by the nail in the lower left corner.

as a comparison

This was the prototype cupboard I did first in pine. I changed a couple of the dimensions (width about the same/depth & height increased) and hinge/knob details. Other than that it is the sibling I used to learn some tricks for doing the cherry one.

interior shot

Adjustable shelves which I think are a must unless the cupboard is purposefully built for specific storage items. The back is the same as the cherry one - the drawer opening at the back is open too.

I might change the moldings if or when I make a 2nd one. My wife got confused with the moldings and couldn't see initially what was the top and what was the bottom (the drawers weren't in it then). She also loves it which is a rarity with her. She is actively looking for a spot to hang it.

forgot a 4th one

Saw this while I was typing this blog post. I made a cherry table book shelf. I have made a bazillion of these mostly in pine. I also made one of walnut and maple but I think that one is in the boneyard somewhere.

the other end

The windows are getting the full morning sun - they sit about 10 degrees off dead east to the north. I saw a problem with this end. The dado is opening up at the end. I could put a letter opener into it about an inch and a half. I'll have to bring it to the shop and reglue it. Or better than that, screws or miller dowels.

accidental woodworker

PS ordered 1x and 2x cherry miller dowels from Taylor Toolworks - both were on sale.

 I thought today I would be posting the glamour shots of the cherry cupboard. It didn't happen boys and girls. I think I'm done working on it but I have to wait (24hrs) for the tile on the door to cook. I got that done and I'm going to clean up and finish a few other projects I started and stopped. Haven't picked what is next in the queue to occupy my limited attention span.

door magnet and cup

It felt solid this AM. I resisted the urge to check it before I hit the rack last night. I had to give the epoxy time to cook upstairs where it was warmer than the shop.

it is pulling

The door closed and stayed that way. More importantly the door magnet and cup didn't get sucked out and pulled onto to the inside carcass magnet. The attraction between the two magnets is pulling the two together at about this point. It is a strong bond but not too bad to pull the door open against.

nope

I titled the carcass forward and the door stayed closed. I wasn't sure if the two magnets would be strong enough to keep the door shut. Not sure if it will pass this same test with the tile glued on. I'll try that tomorrow.

happy with this

I like the low profile of this door catch. I thought of painting the magnet black but I'm leaving it as is. 

yikes

This was the first nail I tried to drive home on the back. It didn't go well for me. The first two nails bent with the second one giving me fits trying to pull it out. I had to drill a pilot hole for this and all the other nails. I wasn't expecting the cherry to throw such a hissy fit with driving brads into it. I will touch up the area around the nail with shellac.

road trip upcoming

I thought I had some gorilla construction adhesive left but I must of tossed it in the shitcan. I almost went to Lowes to buy another one when I remembered ACE is a two minute drive away. Picked up a tube there to glue the tile to the panel.

feet for the box

I had to spend a few calories evening out the feet - the angles were off. I didn't try to get all four to be within +/- two atoms, just the two front ones and the two back ones.

not exciting me much

After gluing these on I wasn't getting a complete warm and fuzzy with them. They looked bland on the box although it didn't rock at all. I think they need something else to unify their placement on the box. I'll think about it over night.

I saw a pic of a kitchen step ladder that I got an itch to make. I spent over an hour trying to find some ladder hardware. What I found wasn't inspiring in the least. It also looked they like the two spreaders were the same. I think they should be mirror images of each other - a left and right hand version. I have the cheapest ones I could find in a basket while I decide whether or not to buy them.

accidental woodworker

 It seems I'm not alone with bone chilling temps. Every blog I read I see that there are people worse off than I am. I have seen temps down into the minus single digits F. This weather is here to stay in my part of the universe for at least ten more days due to the extended forecast. It may be freezing cold but we haven't seen much in the way of the white stuff. We have at around 10 more weeks for a white blanket to be dropped.

white as a sheet

I had to plane the chamfer and the front edge to remove a lot of dings, dents, and other causalities inflicted on it by Miles and Leo. Eventually it will mellow out and match the rest of the lid. In the interim I will leave it in the sun as much as I can.

still not done

I got the OS loaded yesterday and configured all the computer settings I wanted. I had play around pushing a lot of buttons because I had forgotten how to do a couple of them - like shutting off the time out. This AM I got Firefox, YouTube, and my mail set up. Of course I spent/wasted a lot of time hunting down where I hid the passwords for them.

it is a Stanley #52

I'll be rehabbing this one now that I have the iron headache straightened out. I had already flattened the sole so all I have to do is strip and paint it.

touched up

These are two Preston spokeshaves that I have in the grandson's toolchests. I checked the irons, touched them quickly, and road tested them.

no problems

The handles on the Preston spokeshaves weren't so awkward feeling today. They still are larger than the Stanley or Record ones but they didn't feel funny today. Made shavings easily with both of the them.  The bottom one has a flat sole and the top one a convex one.

Stanley #2

This is in the grandson's toolchest. I gave it to them because of the size of it. I think is sized just right for young, smaller hands. Works just as well as its larger siblings.

nope

In spite of now being able to set it up correctly I couldn't get it sharpen this iron. It kept slipping and shifting while using it. I cranked down on the screws and made promises to it but to no avail. As soon I bore down and applied even a little bit of pressure, the iron would slip. I had this same problem with the LV honing jig for chisels and plane irons. I sharpened this one by hand.

working as it should

Rounded over the edge and also made some full width face shavings. After sharpening the irons it was like I never had any headaches at all with these.

Preston chamfer spokeshave

Took a detour and starting playing around with the Preston chamfer spokeshave. No problems making chamfers, with or against the grain, and both pulling or pushing it.

they aren't even

Did something wrong to get this to come out as is. I think it was because I didn't use the same guide fence as my reference when making the chamfer on both sides.

even

The pic shows the chamfers to be a little skewed but they aren't. The ends are a bit wonky due to that is where the spokeshave first engages the wood. It will take some practice to eliminate that hiccup. I used the same fence as my reference when planing it on both sides. 

within a frog hair

I wasn't trying to do this - it came out this way based on how far apart I had set the two fences. There is a thin flat sliver where the two toes come together.

smallest chamfer

This is the smallest chamfer I could make with it. I don't know how to adjust this for a specific chamfer - so far it has been me just moving the fences in/out from the center. I will keep playing with it because I want to be able to do asymmetrical chamfers, ie, where the two faces of the fences aren't equidistant on the edge. 

done

I put 5 coats on it because 3 didn't look good to my eye. I rubbed it down with Howards feed 'n wax and 4-0 steel wool. This will live next to the boxes of shelf pins and cups.

done

I lost two screws but I have plenty of extras. I brought this upstairs and put it in a corner in the bedroom - it will get the afternoon sun everyday it shines.

cup or a plate

Decided to use the smaller catch. The larger 5/8" is way too big. It would be like squirrel hunting with a bazooka. The magnetic attraction of a 5/8" is way too strong. With the smaller one I have a choice of using the cup with a second magnet or the plate and one magnet.

the winner

I am going with a magnet in the catch and one in the cup. That should be sufficient to attract and hold the door shut.

wee bit awkward

I am slapping myself on the back for leaving the back of this off. It was a borderline postal PITA starting this screw.

I was due for a fuzzy pic

Gimlets to the rescue again. This is the smallest gimlet I have and it is the perfect size for pilot holes for a #4 screw.

2nd attempt

I screwed up the first attempt - I didn't set it back from the edge to account for the door. Instead I set it flush with the edge. Set it back and drilled another pilot hole and this one wasn't far enough from the edge (no I didn't measure, I eyeballed it). I tried to file it because I needed to push it back about a 16th. That didn't work.

3 times was the charm

Had to drill a 3rd pilot hole and that one worked. The catch has about a 1/8" wiggle room to shift it in/out. I got lucky that the 3rd hole covered the 2nd hole. The first hole is not covered and is left for everyone to see.

hmm.....

The cup is a 1/2" OD and the plate is a 3/8" OD. The 1/2" one is too close to the edge.

barely

There is a sliver of wood missing on the edge right where this hole would be. If it wasn't missing I would attempt to drill the hole. Instead I'm going to move the center downward a wee bit.

flush

It took a while to do this. I would drill some and check. I used a fortsner bit and I didn't have a drill stop to help me out. 

another broken screw

I tried it out and it worked and didn't work. The magnet sits in the cup proud of the door so I had to drill the depth for the cup down a few more frog hairs. Of course the ^*@%)*@_)#%(&@*$_@)%*@Q*)_#@*_ screw broke off.  I couldn't get it out but I was able to push it out of the way with a nail punch.

fingers crossed

I might have made it a few frog hairs too deep (maybe). I'm hoping that the two magnets will still be close enough to be able to attract each other.

it worked

Well it kind of worked. The door did close and the attraction and pull was sufficient. However, the magnet in the cup got sucked out and stuck to the magnet in catch. I would super glue the cup and magnet but I nixed that. I have used superglue with these magnets and plates/cups before and it didn't work. Initially it works and secures the magnets/cups/plates but eventually the bond fails. I used 5 minute marine epoxy because that is the only 5min stuff I had.

failed

I waited 15 minutes and tried to shut the door. The magnets attracted and pulled the door shut. When I opened it the cup and magnet from door were stuck to door catch magnet. I put the magnet and cup back in its hole and brought it upstairs to cook where it is warm. I'll wait until the AM before I check it again.

accidental woodworker

 The temp was a balmy 16F (-9C) this AM. When I went grocery shopping this AM it wasn't that bad. The wind wasn't blowing which made it seem like it was warmer than what it was. The next 10 days at night will have average temps in the low 20's. 

it's toast again

This version of Linux Mint I got is buggy. Problems with the audio and funny business with updates along with occasional freezes. Yesterday it went off into Linux La La Land and this AM it was still there. Didn't want to do it but I blew in a clean, buggy Linux OS again.

tight

After one coat the lid opening/closing is tight. I wasn't expecting it to be this snug after just one application. 

came yesterday

Bought a set of 4 for $8. One was selling for $15.

fixing the lid

Sanded the top and outside edges of the rabbets. Kept at until the lid slid in/out with ease.

fixed (?)

Sanded the rabbets until the lid fell off when the box went almost vertical. Not only do I have to account for the shellac but the expansion of the lid come summer.

not worth it

Another cheaply made chinese product. It is goat hair (supposedly) but it is poorly made. A lot of the hairs got deposited on the box and the toy box lid. It isn't as full (thick) as the 1" brush I have used for over 5-6 years.

so far so good

I had one minor glitch with the first install and I had to start again. I forgot to pick erase and format the hard drive before loading the OS.

acting up too

It is looking like the Windows laptop is jealous of the attention I'm giving to the Linux computer. The mouse isn't working like it should. When I click on something, nothing happens. The computer froze on me and I couldn't even shut it down. After 3 fits and starts it was working but I was still experiencing a lot of wait time after a mouse click.

while Linux loads

This is a Paul Sellers jig for sharpening spokeshave irons. I had 5 spokeshaves to sharpen.

sharp cures all

Got a burr on the back, a shiny bevel, stropped it, and did a road test. It was like I had never had any problems with a spokeshave before. I was able to make shavings pushing and pulling it. Problem solved? Time will tell.

first time

Doing a round over was hiccup free and spokeshaving a whole width face was a first for me. No problems making shavings pushing or pulling. I tried it on both faces and got shavings equally so on both.

2nd on

I don't know the number of this Stanley spokeshave. This one doesn't have an adjustable iron. I set the iron with a hammer. Rounded over the end hiccup free. 2 for 2 so far.

3rd spokeshave

#3 making shavings and it seems that I didn't sharpen the irons properly. I don't remember how or when I did them the first time. Got a burr and that is probably what I didn't get on the first go around. 

round bottom sole

I didn't feel any difference in this one over the ones I used before it. The only thing I had to do with it was tip it backwards more so then them.

ditto

This is a round bottom soled Record. Other than that it is identical to the one above. No problems making shavings with this one.

Preston spokeshave iron

This one wasn't working for me. It was clogging after taking 1-2 shavings. The iron is sharp because it is easily chamfering this pine.

it was a senior moment

I had the iron in backwards which explains why it was clogging. This Preston spokeshave has the tightest mouth of all of my spokeshaves. This felt a little awkward to use - the handles are larger than the other spokeshaves. I'm sure that I will get use it with time.

Preston spokeshave sole

This is a flat soled spokeshave and you can see how tight the mouth is. The iron in this can't be adjusted laterally neither. The adjusting nut advances the iron straight down. The Preston iron is also unique and there aren't any to be had in the wild. I searched for months and never even got the slightest hint of one.

came after lunch

These are the only two sizes that Lee Valley offers. I think the 5/8" one is too big for the cherry cupboard door. The smaller one isn't giving a warm and fuzzy it is up to the task.

wrong cups

I have a boatload of these super strong magnets and cups. I had ordered the wrong size cups for the small one but I had plenty of them.

don't have any

I ordered the wrong size magnets for this and I don't have any in my stash. However, I did get lucky and I was able to add them to an order I had placed with Lee Valley just before lunch. Should have the magnets for this next week?

the smaller one

The magnet in this is only 3/8" diameter. The attraction is stronger if you use the cup. I still don't think this is strong enough to keep the cherry door closed. I might feel better about that if the cherry was 3/4" vice 7/8" thick and there wasn't a 8x8 tile glued to the panel. Looks like another delay upcoming.

new tool

There have been more than a few instances where I could have used a chisel like this. Finally bit the bullet and bought the 1/2" one - couldn't afford to buy the set. It is with regret I'm buying this too because I had 3 dog leg japanese chisels that I sold about 12 years ago. I didn't know how to sharpen then and I couldn't sharpen them so I sold them.  This 1/2" chisel is PM-V11 which I didn't know as I thought I had bought the O1 version.

foot long

I got this so I can flush tenons and mortises and anything else of interest. This will satisfy my curiosity about PM-V11 tool steel too. It supposedly holds an edge for a long time?

when I found out

If I need another one of these I'll just have to buy the chisel end. The handle unscrews and can be used for all the chisels in the set.

big difference

The one on the left is thicker and fuller than the chinese one on the right. It is floppy and it doesn't drink up as much shellac as the left one can. I think I'll be buying the $15 dollar one now. The right doesn't leave brush marks but it doesn't feel right using it to lay down shellac.

hmmm........

The iron was shifting in the Paul Sellers jig when I remembered I had this. I tried using it before on a spokeshave but it didn't work out for me.

read the instructions this time

The shiny spots are from the first and only time I tried using this. After reading the instructions I realized what I had done wrong. I'll be trying it out tomorrow on the last two spokeshaves I have left to sharpen.

accidental woodworker

 This AM I was greeted with a temp of 9F (-13C) but the shop was still a toasty 55F (11C). However, it was uncomfortable in the shop. Gone are the days where it had to be below zero, with me wearing a Tee shirt, before I felt cold. The PM session was better then the AM one - I didn't feel like a popsicle. Overnight temps are going to be low going into the 2nd week of feb. Jan and feb are usually the coldest months here in New England.

changed my mind

I flushed the pins/tails last night sitting at my desk with a chisel. In the AM decided to use a solid wood bottom rather then 1/8" plywood. I am not sure how well the solid pine wood bottom will hold up. If it goes south I'll plane it off and glue on 1/8" plywood.

mahogany is out too

Nixed the mahogany lid and I'm going with a pine one. That will make the entire box made out of the same wood.

won't flow out

According to Titebond it says not to use the glue or the material if the temp is below 50F. I tipped the bottle and the glue barely moved. The white glue flowed, slowly, but it did come out. I brought both bottles of glue upstairs to keep warm. 

glued and cooking

Brought this upstairs and set it on a radiator. There isn't anyplace in the shop now that emanates any heat. The new boiler barely feels warm to the touch.

hmmm.....

It was tapered slightly. I planed equally stepping across the board and I was making equal shavings but I wasn't flat across the width. I used the #3 to plane it flat and parallel by eye. 

experiment

This is the spot I chop tails and pins. I butt one end of the board up against the sliding stop on the left. I want to be able to do that standing in front of the vise. The end cap floats so it isn't always flush with the benchtop. It is something I have been meaning to fix but I haven't after a bazillion years. This is a board with a 3 stops - one on the left, one at the top, and one to clamp on with the vise.

I think this will work

I have a stop on the left to butt against with the tails on the right. I like the chopping the tails with them running vertically so I can clearly see if I am chopping them at 90°. The top stop I'm thinking will be used for half blind dovetailing. Not 100% sure on that but this is all scrap and I can make another if using it dictates that.

need two rabbets

For small work rabbets I prefer to use this LN blockplane.  

beads and chamfer work

I planed the rabbets with a slight angle tilting downward into the shoulders. Thankfully I had left the pencil lines and I squared up the angles to 90 with the small record shoulder plane. I purposefully left it long because I still had to plane the beads - that allowed for any tear out from that to be sawn off.

took some fussing

The side to side was tight. I could slide in/out but not without exerting a little oomph to pull it out or push it in. It is incredibly easy to go from snug fitting to one that rattles and has excessive side to side play. I did one wispy shaving at time checking the fit after each one until it slid in/out easier.

didn't forget

sanding the end grain

I sand the end grain (both front and rear) up to 220. Off the saw the ends look and feel rough and stay that way when you apply the finish. Here I'm doing the rear and overall the lid is proud but I'll eat it up sanding the end to be almost flush when I'm done.

just right

I got a good fit. It isn't crammed all together and there is a little extra to add to it down the line.

sliding lid groove gaps

I didn't plan on this but the gaps came out pretty small. Rather than fill them with wood I used wood putty. Also used it to fill the gaps on a couple of the tails/pins.

always forget something

I don't like the squared ends on the grooves. I used to plane a 45° angle there but I switched to rounding them over. Caught while pulling the lid off to do the final sanding before the shellac went on.

first coat

I am only going to put on 3 coats. I'm not sure if I'll be able to resist the urge to do more though. Paul Sellers said that 3 coats are sufficient protection for a shop project.

toy lid

The dark area on the end is from sunlight (?). I didn't know that pine reacted this way. I should have been done it while I was doing the cherry cupboard. Not a big deal as it will be another couple of months before it wings it way back to North Carolina. I'll do the back first, flip it, and then do the top.

accidental woodworker

 I don't know if the snow storm yesterday is going to hold up the Lee Valley order from getting here on thursday. When I checked it this AM it said it got to Shrewsbury Massachusetts on the 18th. Shrewsbury is about an hour north of me. Seems they must be hand carrying and walking it to Warwick. Anyways the back is still off and will be until I get the magnetic catch installed. Which hopefully will happen on the 23rd.

yikes

It was 11F (-12C) when I rolled out of the rack. Three hours later and it had zoomed up 3 whole degrees. The temp for today topped out at 25F (-4C).

wee bit chilly

I have yet to see the temp in the shop dip below 50F (10C). The temp did rise back up to 57F which has been what the shop has been hovering around for a couple of weeks now.

thinking ahead

I won this router off eBay a few years back. Never got around to making it functional. What appealed me was the large base and the two positions to put the iron in. Sort of like a wanna be Preston router.

sloppy fit

The iron is thinner than the diameter of the hole. There also isn't a flat on it to tighten the thumb screw against. The sole is flat but I didn't go into OCD mode checking that.

5/16" drill bit

I measured the current iron diameter and the holes to get an idea of what I have to deal with. I checked the holes for square using a square on the sole against the 5/16" drill bit. Both holes are square to the sole. The drill bit is slip fit - teeny bit of looseness but nothing like what the current iron has.

as is

The iron will cut and make shavings but only for the first 1/2" inward and then nothing. The iron didn't slip or twist in the hole. I was surprised that the thumbscrew could exert sufficient force against it. 

T

from the other side

I checked the board and it had a hump right where I was using the router. Planed it flat-ish and I was able to make shavings going in for an inch. I still couldn't make a complete pass from one side to the other.

The plan is to buy some 5/16" O1 tool bar stock and try to make an iron. Another option is to broach the two holes to take a Stanley router iron. This option will entail me finding a machinist which I haven't had much success with previously. The one thing I don't like about the 5/16" bar stock is the cutting edge of the iron can't be any bigger then 5/16". 

rejuvenated

Done and it only got one ooh and aah. Looks better to me with the finish touched up.

need a box

I checked my stash of boxes and I didn't have any that would work. All of them were way too big just for this. I am at anchor with the cherry cupboard so I'll knock out this while a wait.

prepped

I got the box sized - 1/2" stock I thinned down to 3/8". The lid is going to bemahogany. I had to fill in a groove in so this will be the down side of the sliding lid.

used the dozuki

Tails were done and the pins were in the batters box. The front and back ends are only 3 1/4" and I thought the small size would be awkward to do but it wasn't.

always a good feeling

I had to trim one half pin for the front. I should have trimmed the vertical wall rather then the slant. Got a gap due to that mind fart.

flushing

Ran the #4 around the top and bottom flushing and evening them out.

checking the top

I had a bit of twist that I had to plane. The top has to be twist free because that is the reference edge when I plow the grooves. 

plowing the grooves

This clamping position works. I have tried it a couple of times without any headaches. The quibble I have with it is clamping it in the vise. If the heads aren't far apart the vise will only tighten on one head. I tried using it this way without any problems. If I clamped the bar 180 out it would only close on one head. Which wasn't stable and the clamp moved as I used the plane.

less than a 16th off

Brought it upstairs and put it on a radiator to cook for a few hours.

prepped

Bottom and top ready to be fitted. The bottom is dead on the width and I might make another one. There is zero wiggle room and I'm concerned about it shifting when I glue it on. I'll deal with that tomorrow.

Got two days of AM and PM sessions. The foot is kinda better but will throw me a twinge of pain now and then. It hurt walking this morning when I went to Wally World. The rest of the day was bearable. I want this to go away so I can get back to my post lunch strolls.

accidental woodworker

We got the first big snow fall of winter in my part of the universe overnight. It would have been nice if it had fallen on the 25th of December. On the flip side of the coin it was a fluffy, light, powdery snow. It took me about 40 minutes to clear off the truck and shovel the driveway. My wife clears the snow off her car by herself - I'm not allowed to do it. There is no more of the white stuff in the forecast through the rest of January. Only two more months before spring is upon us.

2 1/2" on the wall

I didn't see any animal tracks when I shoveled this AM. I usually see cat tracks and occasionally rabbit ones but not today.

ta-da

Sneak peek of what is to come. I got one screw in each of the hinges so I could check the swing of the door.

3rd screw

I could feel this one starting to twist off. I tried to back it off but it gave up the ship and snapped off.

I got lucky

I didn't hold out that this would work because there wasn't a lot sticking out to grab on to. If this hadn't worked I would have used my screw extractor and filled it in with a dowel.

fitting the door stop

This isn't needed because of the door stop/magnetic catch I have coming. I didn't like the idea of filling in the notch in the door. That would be visible every time the door is opened. 

yikes!

The door stop worked good at stopping the door. However, I brain farted and didn't account for the setback in the notch.

didn't get lucky

I was hoping that I would have been able to hide the screw holes with the stop. I have to fill these in because they are unavoidable with being seen.

cherry putty

I didn't think this was going to be a good choice. Initially the putty didn't look anything like the cherry cupboard. I still used it and an hour later I was surprised by how well it blended in.

done

There was much joy and rejoicing in the streets of Mudville. The door is within a frog hair of being flush top to bottom on the knob side. The bottom is dead flush and the top is proud by a frog hair.

inside peek

center punch

This is a Starrett center punch and it works like a dream. I get much better results using it over using an awl.

perfectly marked

This punch is made for metal but it makes a good hole in wood and I have yet to have a drill bit wander from one.

knob screw

I was worried that this screw was going to end up in the notch for the door stop. I got plenty of real estate between the head and the notch.

another sneak peek

I centered the door knob top/bottom and on the width of the stile. Usually I will put the door knob off center top/bottom favoring moving it upwards slightly.

attaching the top/bottom moldings

I used black oxide, oval head screws to attach the moldings. 3 at the front and one each at the back. The back ones have elongated holes to allow for expansion and contraction.

the original

I don't use a battery operated drill to install slot head screws. I find it impossible to drive the screws without the drill falling off the screw and ruining the wood as it dances across it. I left the heads of the screws proud. I've had good luck using the yankee driver. I have 3 of them and this is the one that gets the most love from me.

more sneak peeks

I entertained the thought of not using the moldings. I liked the look of the cupboard without them. There wasn't any other use for them so I stuck with the original plan.

hmm.....

This let go while I was installing the shelf pin cups. At first I didn't know what it was or where it had come from. It is the center drawer guide and I had glued it with super glue. I have zero luck with anything I glue together with super glue lasting long term. Glad it gave up the ship now so I can reglue it.

sigh

Got two problems with the shelf. The first one is that it is too long, R to L. The second headache is this shelf pin is off from the notch in the shelf.

glad I left it long

The shelf pin cups stick out a strong 32nd (a 16th adding both sides). The shelf did fit but it was a wee bit too snug trying to slide it by the shelf pin cups.

shaved a few

I barely skim cut a frog hair off of both ends of the shelf.

fixed

The shelf easily fits between the shelf pin cups at all five positions. The shelf now fits and the notches align (all four) on each shelf position too. I found that the shelf pins weren't fully seating on 6 cups. I checked and set the pins flush in all 20 of the shelf pin cups.

fixed

I used a hammer to set the proud pins fully into the shelf pin cups. That cured the back shelf pin that didn't align with the notch.

more shellac

I got a few smudges and the such that I needed to touch up. I'll eyeball the cupboard again in the AM and see if I need to do more shellac work. If I have no more shellac to do, all that is left to do is the magnetic door catch (coming thursday) and getting the back on. Still thinking on how I'll do that - 3 options - 1st one is to glue it, 2nd is to nail it, and the 3rd and final one is to screw it. As of this typing the 2nd option is in the lead.

this killed the lights

I spent 15 minutes searching for this only to find it in my shirt pocket. Immediately shut the lights off and headed upstairs. BTW this is a tool for setting the shelf pin cups in the holes.

accidental woodworker

The left foot still is being an )_@&*%&^%_)(%_{*+_^%(#  a-hole and still hurting. I got some things done in the shop but no where what I wanted. I ran into one snag without resolving it. I'll have to deal with it tomorrow where hopefully I'll be able to manage time in the AM and PM sessions.

not a good omen

Picked getting the tile frame installed first. Of course the first screw broke off and I couldn't get it removed with the slip joints. However, I was able to get the left over screw out with vise grips.

(#@^%(%)*@#*%)(#@

I used a gimlet to chase this screw hole and make it a wee bit deeper. Didn't do diddly because the 2nd screw snapped off too. This time I couldn't get the left over screw removed. There wasn't enough sticking out to grab a hold of.

I didn't want to try and make a replacement rail so that option was out. I thought of using a screw extractor but nixed that too. Instead I decided to use the screw on the left and use super glue to hold the broken off screw in place. The stiles notch over the rail holding it down - got lucky with that.

it fits

I had my doubts with this. Besides the two broken screws, the stiles and rails didn't seem to want to fit anymore. I had to trim one end before it fit between the door stiles. I finally got all the other screws installed but they are all proud of the panel. I was erring on the side of extreme caution so I wouldn't snap off another screw head.

drawer knobs

Everything seemed to be fighting me with the cherry cupboard today. The first two screws I tried I screwed up. Made one too short - not enough threads - and the other one I messed up the threads. I was running them through a 8-32 die to clean up the cut threads (cut down a 2" long screw) but I ran one through one of the relief holes instead of the center thread cutter.

I used blue thread lock on them but the tube I was using was clogged. I ran a large sewing needle through the hole clearing it and a gallon shot shot out when I cleared it. 

Before I killed the lights I also survived dropping each of the knobs twice. FYI neither of them bounced. But I also didn't scratch, dent, or other wise beat up the finish. I will also have to touch up the left drawer because the shellac got marked up somehow?

Maybe tomorrow I'll get the door hung and the door knob installed too. Still thinking on where and how I'll be putting that.

accidental woodworker

After a couple of days of the foot feeling better and almost fooling me it was healed, last night it started hurting again. My right foot was feeling lonely because it was throwing a few twinges of pain my way. I molded my butt cheeks to a chair for most of the day. By late afternoon the foot was feeling better again but I don't know what tomorrow is going to be like.

my daily box

I have been using this to keep the keys, wallet, etc etc in one place since 9/2023. I used to throw everything into my hat before I switched to this. 

two surprises

The first surprise was how long I've been using this box. The 2nd one is how durable these hinges are. I go in/out of this box several times every single day and so far no problems with the hinges. I did not think that they would last this long. These are the larger sibling of the smaller ones just like this. Gives me hope that they will last just as long. I have the smaller set on the bureau I made for Leo.

done

I'm calling the shellac work fini for the cherry cupboard. All that is left is to hang the door, install the back, and screw on the frame for the tile. I didn't go back to the shop last night because of the foot. So I got the last two coats on in the AM session. 

ready for tomorrow

Before I install the back I will hang the door first and the door stop. Having the back off will make that easier to do. According to UPS my magnetic door stops won't be here until thursday. I think I will wait on the back installation until I get that. So it'll be another week before I can ooh and aah over the cherry cupboard.

accidental woodworker

I'm getting tired of applying shellac. Mostly because there isn't anything else I can do. Shellac dries quick but I still have to wait. The stuff having shellac is also occupying every horizontal surface in the shop. I'm making a dent but I'm still not out of the woods. On the flip side of the coin, the pin light at the end of the tunnel got significantly bigger and brighter today.

saved $35

I don't particularly care that I have a cue ball head with some fuzz called a haircut, doing it myself. I do like that I am not paying $35 for it to be done. The VA barbershop has been closed every time I have been at the hospital for the past 3 years. Haircuts there were $12 the last time I got one. I would pay that but the creek would have to rise a mile high before I'll pay $35 again (probably $45 now).

old and new

Both of these are hake brushes and the one on the right has been my shellac brush for the past 6 years. I think it is time to retire it because it leaves brush marks. It doesn't have the 'full' look of the newer one anymore. The left one is 3/4" wide and it isn't leaving brush marks. 

I went on amazon to buy another 1" wide one but at first I couldn't find one. There only seemed to be sets of Hake brushes for sale on amazon. After searching for 1" Hake brush I found one - for $14. There were sets of four 1" brushes for $8 and eight brush sets for $15. All of them are made with goat hair - no mention of any synthetic hairs/fibers. 

inside view

The camera didn't pick up the grain and especially the colors in it. This cherry is a bit awkward to plane but its look out weighs those headaches.

3rd coat

All 3 of the coats on this side of the back were done with the new hake brush. No brush marks to be seen anywhere. I mostly saw them to be at the top and bottom edges. Unfortunately the 4 horizontal marks on the panel are still visible - the shellac isn't filling them in.

came today

After posting a blog about this last week I realized that I didn't have a back up. I also didn't have one of them in the grandkid's toolchest. I looked at getting the one with big wooden handles but opted for the smaller brass handled one. BTW he also sells an accu-burr without handles at all - which is also the cheapest one. 

3rd till

The #80 Stanley and a leather holder with card scrapers lives in the 3rd till. This is where I'll keep their accu-burr. I like the thought of having a back up to use if mine decides to go on walk about.

not done

I was going to call this done but the two uprights on the outside faces each had a couple of white spots. Not sure if they are glue smears or a lack of shellac. I put on another coat of shellac concentrating on the 'white' spots.

left side white spots

I can't think these are glue smears because there isn't any 'gluing' around them. They seemed to disappear after I applied shellac. I'll check them again after dinner. I plan to do another round of shellac then.

almost done

The outside is done and the interior has 3 coats. I'm calling it done after the 4th one is done. The drawer fronts, inside shelf, and the top/bottom moldings I'm also calling done. I have at least two more coats of shellac to put on the door front. I hope to be done with all of it in the AM session tomorrow.

from China again

These came in today and initially I had my doubts about them. They didn't look like they were the same size as the Kreg ones. The chinese ones looked to be thinner but I was wrong.

sizes are identical

Width and length are less than a frog hair off with each other. The grooves in the chinese ones aren't as prominent as the Kreg ones. The chinese ones look like thinner twins of the Festool tenons. I'll be trying them out in the AM.

accidental woodworker

 I'm still slugging my way through getting the finish on the cherry cupboard. It seems like its all I've done for weeks. I'm making a dent in though and I think I see a pin hole of light at the end of the tunnel. I'm optimistic about maybe being done with it early next week.

I slipped a little bit on it today. In the AM I had to bring the truck in for service and in the PM I went with my wife on a road trip. It isn't often that she asks me to go with her on her dead people trips. It was a nice afternoon even though I didn't have a lot to do while she did her thing. 

closing in

The back side of the door is done and I started on the front. I remembered to leave the middle of the panel unfinished. That is where I will glue the tile and it needs to be raw wood.

done?

I got one coat on it and it looks good. I went and looked at it again after dinner and my opinion of it didn't change. Shellac is a wonderful finish that is able to heal itself. I will put one more coat of shellac on it and call it done.

didn't fit

Says it will fit most sprayers but it wasn't a fit for my Moen one. This was the cheapest one that Lowes sold ($9). I'll toss it in my plumbing parts box for a future use.

from Amazon

Is there anything that you can't get from them? Next day delivery and I then spent a bazillion minutes trying to get it installed. 

gave up

I tried my hardest to replace the hose too but I said NO MAS. I could not figure out how to release the existing hose. Along with the sprayer hose were the two hoses for the hot and cold feed. I couldn't see the sprayer hose clearly and I had to rely on feeling for it. That didn't work and I ended up replacing the spray head

I felt my age today first by spending a ton of calories clearing out the space under the sink and running up and down the stairs to shut/open the water main. I had to  flip myself onto my back a bazillion times which got slower and slower each time I had to do it. Lying on my back and looking up to work against gravity sucked pond scum.

The only options I saw were to remove the sink basin and replace the spray hose that way or call a plumber and have him/her do it. Wasn't thrilled with paying out a lot $$$$ so I replaced just the spray head. Not ideal IMO but it is working again. 

The existing broken one stuck open constantly spewing water. I had to whack it against the side of the sink to shut it off. At least I don't have to do that anymore.

I used to do all my own home maintenance but with aging I don't want to do it anymore. But I'm between a rock and hard spot - having someone else do the work ain't cheap. Especially so when both of us are retired.

accidental woodworker

The finishing I'm doing played well with me today because I did a boatload of running around. The first road trip was to the Frame It shop and Maria wasn't there but said she would return at 1100 (opens at 1000). To kill some time I went to Starbucks to get coffee and Lowes to get a replacement kitchen sprayer. Spoiler alert - the sprayer didn't fit. But Starbucks had the decaf coffee I wanted.

Back at the Frame It shop and I got things settled with Maria. I have learned not to ask for a done date. I'll check it next week sometime and I'll be surprised if it is ready then. 

Right after lunch I went to the car wash to get the truck washed. My wife said she was sick of looking at the truck being so dirty that she paid to get it washed. When I got there there were 9 cars waiting. It was a shock because every time I have driven by it, it looked like it was closed. I'll try it again tomorrow.

done

I like the contrast between the bottom and the lid. It is almost like night and day.

lid is off

The left side of the lid at the back is slightly higher than the right. It is tapered low on the right going higher on the left. It also isn't centered, there is more overhang on the right than the left. I don't remember it like this when I first attached the hinges. Don't know what kinked things. 

Not a biggie as this is an experimental box. Used a japanese dozuki to saw the pins/tails successfully. And I used tung oil for the finish with which I am pleasantly surprised by how well it looks and especially how it feels. I have one more box, smaller than this one, that I will dovetail using the dozuki saw again. That is in the batters box.

no brush marks

I made up a quasi french polishing ball to lay down the next shellac coat. I was having a difficult time with the panel on the door. I had puddling and drip marks on it that were giggling at me. I just couldn't seem to lay down the shellac with a brush. The stiles and rails came ok but not the edges of the panel against the stiles and rails.

One of things I read in the new book I got was how to make up a shellac application ball. They recommended this over using a brush to lay down the shellac. I used the ball to shellac all the cherry I had out to be done. It will take more coats than a brush can do but I like the results from the ball over the brush, hands down.

sigh.....

There are 4 horizontal lines on this side of the panel and of course it is the inside face. There isn't a lot I can do to remedy it because it is veneer and it looks to be maybe 2 frog hairs thick. I tried to lightly sand it being oh so careful not to sand through the veneer. They are still there but only visible in raking light so maybe I'll be ok. It will be the back of the interior and not lighted so fingers crossed it won't be noticeable.

I finally found a magnetic door catch for the cherry cupboard. I got it from Lee Valley where I ordered a couple of them. It is exactly what I was looking for. It is small, unobtrusive, and won't be in the way of the shelf placement. I got two sizes, 3/8" and 1/2" and I'll pick one when I get them.

As for the shellac finish I only have the inside of the cupboard and the face side of the door left to do. It is looking like I could be oohing and aahing over it by monday of next week ?????

accidental woodworker from

 I finished the picture frame yesterday and I totally zoned out about bringing it to Maria. Hopefully tomorrow I'll do that if I don't forget it again. The other project with a completed check mark is the box. I just need to put the hinges on it for it to be at ooh and aah stage.

lots of squirrely grain

I also forgot to get shellac on these. After the first coat I could see 3 of them had tear out that I'll need to fix. Thankfully the one I painted the fake gum pockets on looked free of tear out.

one more

The instructions on the bottle said to apply 3 to 8 coats. I got 7 on it and that is all it is getting. The finish still feels new born baby butt soft too. The box looks like it has a finish but the lid is so-so. I think it mostly because how white it is - light doesn't reflect off it like it does on the bottom box part.

I settled

The #3 didn't work any where near as well as I thought it would. Only one of the three cleaned up nicely with it. The other two I had to use a card scraper but I couldn't get 100%l of the tear out cleaned up and smoothed out.

end grain work

I tried to use a card scraper first to clean up some glue on the end grain without success. I had to chisel it away - took two swipes to get it all. I had to be careful with how much I removed because I don't want a gap between the door rails/stiles and this end. 

All I got done today was applying shellac. I got a couple of more coats on with a bunch more to come. I sanded and scraped the book/dvd/cd shelf and promptly forgot to get any shellac on it. I also have the toy box lid that I have to get shellac on. I remembered it today as I was heading back upstairs. Just as well because I don't have any horizontal surfaces left for either one use to apply it.

The foot is better, not 100% yet, but it is getting closer. I can walk barefoot now pain free and I also walk with shoes for long distances pain free. I wish it heal so I can get back to my post lunch strolls. At this pace it will probably be another week before that happens.

accidental woodworker

My foot didn't hurt when I first got up and walked around after waking up. Decided then and there to spend the day in the shop. Went down to it about 0830 and I killed the lights at 1450. The foot had some echoes of pain but nothing that slowed me down. I got a lot done and it was a productive shop day.

nixed it

This isn't super blond which is clear. This blonde shellac has a yellowish hue to it and I don't want to impart any color to the blue. I'm going to leave the blue milk paint as is and keep an eye on it to see how it shakes out with dust settling on it.

first coat

I am putting 3 coats on the entire drawer, inside and out. After that I will put 2-3 more on just the cherry fronts.

shellac popped the cherry

Cherry is my favorite wood and shellac, IMO, looks better than oil on it. I wish I could afford to use it more but I can't. On the other hand pine isn't that much less a BF than cherry.

glue bond failed

About an inch or so at the front let loose. Made a pit stop to reglue it.

almost 9 years old

Fixing this because it is going to my sister Kam. When that happens is anyone's guess but it will be ready when that time comes.

not now

I was going to attach the top and bottom moldings but changed my mind. I think it would behoove me to apply the finish first and then do the moldings. I'll be securing them with screws only so I don't need the surface to be raw wood.

finished prepping the main carcass

Scraped and sanded it with 180 and 220 grit. I tried using the 4 1/2 with the high angle frog but it didn't do any good on the squirrely grain parts. The iron needs to be touched up but I didn't do it. Instead I used a couple of card scrapers.

hmm......

Scraped and when I sanded with 180, it showed a couple spots of plane tear out. It took a few spins on the dance floor before they disappeared.

plane divots

I remember these being caused by the hand plane. For whatever reason the plane was digging in hesitating and tearing out on the lead in. Planed ok for the rest of the trip to the other end. Even tried skewing the plane without much success. The card scraper removed them lickety split for me.

door and shelf prepped

The inside of the door and the bottom of the shelf just got sanded with 180 and 220 grit. The fronts got scraped and sanded. 

sign

Both drawers had splotches on the tails/pins on the sides. Not sure if it was glue or something else - didn't matter as I used a card scraper to remove it. I did it because the sides, especially at the front, are visible when the drawer is opened.

been a couple of hours

Using my japanese 'wooden nails' on holding the shelf in the dado. Used two of them on each end.

I can't tell

I think the nails are made from bamboo but since I can't read japanese I'm not sure. The nails looked like wood but I'm pretty sure the Amazon write up said they were bamboo. However, the package for the nails and the tapered drill bit both said 'Made in China'.

angled

I drilled the pilot holes at a slight angle with the front ones this way and the back ones opposite this angle. Should help with keeping the shelf where it belongs.

sanded

The finish on this is shellac and I will sand it with 180 and 220 and apply a couple of coats. Whatever the nails are, they cleaned up and flushed without any problems with a chisel.

order of attack

The back will get 3 coats on the back and that is it. The top/bottom will get 4-5 and the sides a few more. 

at least one

I will get 3 coats on the inside of the door  before I flip it and do 5-6 on the front. The shelf will get at least 3 and maybe a few more. The moldings will 4-5 and maybe more. It depends upon how they look against the carcass after I install them.

two new to me books

The left one is a bust IMO. I was expecting a higher level of woodworking in it. I don't think any of the plans in it would be liked by Miles or Leo. The other I already a fourth printing of it, this one is a ninth one. Got fooled by the different cover.

mixed a new batch

Based on how much shellac I went through already I knew I might not have enough to do the entire cherry cupboard. Went and got a bottle of Everclear for $36 and I think the last one was maybe $32? Anyways I mixed a batch with 12oz of the booze and 3.4 oz of shellac flakes - 2 pound - ish cut? Noticed that the new batch has a yellowish tint to it and the  one from yesterday is darker.  Doesn't matter much because I plan to mix the two together tomorrow.

accidental woodworker

 Behaved myself and vegged for most of the day reading and watching muted football games. I did spend some time in the shop in the AM. I also went to the shop once in the PM session to get my camera and I was going to work some on the picture frame but that didn't happen. Tomorrow I'll start back up on the cherry cupboard. It will be good to get that finished and out of the shop.

4 coats

The box shows it has a finish more than the lid. Neither of them have a raw wood look anymore. #5 went on today and the 6th and final application will go on tomorrow.

nope

I wanted to put a coat of shellac on the blue paint but nixed it. The only shellac I had was a mixture of gossamer and blonde. That would impart a color on the blue I didn't want. I haven't applied shellac over milk paint before so I don't know what to expect. A coat of shellac will make it easier to clean/dust the frame.

new batch of blonde

I had more than enough shellac flakes but I wasn't sure about the Everclear. Turned out I had just enough to mix up a batch. It will be interesting to see how much it costs this time - the last two bottles I bought both cost more than the previous one.

from flakes to powder

IMO this is the best way to mix shellac. I whiz the flakes in a spice/coffee grinder. It is a powder but no where as fine as a talc powder. I used to put the flakes in a baggie and beat the snot of it.

big flakes

They are big but they are also thin. I did an off the cuff cut mix today. I put 2 1/2 oz of shellac flakes into 6oz of Everclear (pound cut ?). I can't find a can sized somewhere between a quart and two quarts. I can't mix up a batch of shellac and utilize the entire quart can.

dissolved

The shellac powder dissolves easily and readily but I have found that it doesn't stay dissolved. I stirred every 15 seconds or so for about 5 minutes and it stayed in solution. I stopped stirring and ten minutes later it was clumping on the bottom of the can. I easily stirred it back into solution. 

I then used the shellac on a scrap of cherry - I usually wait until the next day before using the shellac. I was curious as to how the shellac would look and feel being used so quickly. Laid down ok and it didn't feel any different when it dried.

scrap I did

I was half expecting to see little undissolved bits of shellac flakes but I didn't. I decided to wait a while longer before applying any shellac to the picture frame.

yikes

I came to the shop in the PM and I was going to apply shellac to the picture frame. However, the shellac had other ideas. The bottom of the can had clumped up solid and I had to use a thick scrap of pine to scrape it up and get it back into solution. I stirred it until this clump of shellac on the stick dissolved. 

I killed the lights here and brought the can upstairs to my desk. I agitated it off and on until I hit the rack. I'll apply the shellac in the AM

accidental woodworker

 The foot ain't healing as fast I as I would like it. It still hurts to walk around but on a brighter note, I'm not limping. When I sit it feels normal after a couple of minutes. So I decided that I am going to limit my shop time to almost zero. I will go to the shop for a few in the morning and nada in the PM. Maybe that will speed up the healing process.

tale of two tung oils

The full strength tung oil is much thicker than the terpentine tung oil. The terpentine tung oil is basically a liquid and the tung oil is like a thick, thick gravy. I used that today on the lid and the box.

There was a difference between applying the two but nothing too exciting. I got the first coat on and 20 minutes later I wiped them both down. So far I haven't seen much of any oil left to wipe off then. The lid and box are showing signs of finish after this first coat of full strength tung oil.

everything I can cross, I crossed

Painted the molding and the inside edge of the frame with what I hope is the final coat of paint. I got the 3rd pic for the frame and I'm hoping to bring it to Maria on tuesday for she can work her magic on it.

Don't know if I will go to the shop to work tomorrow. I will check the frame and put a 4th application of tung oil on the lid and box. I'll have to wait and see what shakes out after that.

accidental woodworker

 I was feeling better today and almost at 90% but that changed as the day progressed. I had to help my wife out at the storage unit the dead people society rents to store their books and publications. I didn't pay attention to the foot and did what my wife wanted me to do. By the time I was back at the barn the foot was hurting again, I was limping again, and getting old sucks pond scum. I think this is going to take a while to calm down and go away. The problem is I am not someone who can sit and veg for 16 hours straight.

no elves came last night

I was hoping that I would have gotten a sympathy visit from them. Until these two are done and gone, I will keep wishing for a 12 foot bench too.

it held

This surprised me because I used the white glue that proved to be crap. However, this bottle of it came from the first or second gallon I bought which were both good. I pulled on this hard flipping and repeating it. It held with nary a hint of letting go.

passed the 2nd test

Beat on it with a mallet for the 2nd torture and it held for that too.

nope

I didn't survive not leaving behind imprints from the clamps. I found the best way to remove these is to sand them lightly (220 or 320) and paint it again. Which is what I did.

white-ish spots

The blue paint didn't come that bad. Almost all of the spots cleaned up with a damp rag moistened with water. I still had to repaint it though. This milk paint fared 100% better than latex paint does with being clamped. 

heel is proud

I didn't see this on clamp up and the fix for it is relatively easy and painless. Since it is painted, planing it flush is the best option.

other end

The same long side other end had a heel proud too. Planed it flush too. After planing the heels flush I had to touch up the chamfers to get them to align going around the corners.

3rd coat

This 3rd coat is not the end but it is the last coat of the tung oil terpentine. I will put on at least 3 more coats of straight tung oil. Still amazed after 3 at how new born baby butt smooth this is. but even after 3 coats I don't see any visible evidence that there is a finish on the lid or the box.

another blue and black coat

The blue paint is done but the black will need another coat. Several hours after I applied it I could still see some planer wash board marks. A lot of them are filled but I could see a few of them. It is mostly in raking light that I could see them so I'll try another coat of paint.

one of 5

I have 5 of these tool totes with all of them being slightly different. I made them all in 1997 with a Leigh Dovetail Jig which I sold. I didn't know what my wife really wanted me to do for so I took a lot of tools I didn't need. I have found that what needs to be done and what my wife explains what must be done are always a bazillion miles apart.

moment of weakness

I have a thing for miniature tools and I saw this recently in an email I got from Lee Valley. I wasn't going to pull the trigger on until I read it was a fully functional tool that can square small scale pieces of stock.

$100

The plane and the shooting board cost a $100. I thought it was a bargain too good to pass up. The fence is square to the plane track - dead nuts.

plane track

I could see that it wasn't parallel to the right side of the jig. The bottom was closer to it then the top was. Easy fix - loosen the screws, put the plane in the track, adjust it, and screw it down tight.

right hand shooting plane

This plane has some heft and weight to it. The only difference from the larger version I could see was that the throat isn't adjustable and the handle flops about. There isn't any way to secure at a specific angle. It even has a to scale Norris adjuster.

hmm......

Not getting a warm and fuzzy with the handle. It is loose feeling and flops up/down without needing a breeze to help it. The full size version has a screw to secure it at an angle of your choice.

out of the box shavings

The iron is A2 and it made shavings as is. It felt sharp but I will strop it and see if the shavings improve any. I squared up the end of 1/16 thick piece of pine.

dead nuts at 90°

I initially sawed this end off square and the plane didn't protest squaring it up. I don't see myself using this a lot but I might on smaller, thinner stock like this. The big boys tend to squash this smaller stuff. I'll have to find a spot to display this when I am not using it.

3 tool miniature herd

I have used these several times for projects. The left one is a 1/4" wide tenon/rabbet/dado plane. Used this to clean up and deepen 1/4" wide grooves. The router plane I used to plow/clean up 1/8" grooves. Both work but not as easily as their bigger siblings. But that is mostly due to their smaller sizes and the need to be a little delicate in using them. They do work, albeit slower and on a smaller scale.

before I forgot again

Swapped out the frog on my 4 1/2 from the standard 45° to the high angle 55° frog. I could have used the 55° frog on the cherry cupboard a couple of times. 

thought I had the middle pitch 50°

I don't use the 4 1/2 much now that I have the LN 5 1/2 and #4. Now I have a plane to tackle the squirrely grain that the other two planes balk at.

RML shavings

Took only one adjustment to spit out equal width and length shavings. The iron needs sharpening so I'll have to remember to do that the next time I sharpen any irons.

accidental woodworker

 The heel felt better today but I don't think I'm healed up yet. I put inserts in my shoes that the podiatrist gave me the last time this popped up. Those seemed to be making the difference. It didn't hurt much walking around and going up/down the stairs wasn't an ordeal. Still didn't get much time in the shop but I am making a dent in my reading.

hmm......

This is in the batters box. My daughter said the pic I asked for should coming my way tomorrow or the day after. I did a dry fit check and everything looked good still.

survived

This was the most stressful glue up I have done in many moons. I started at one corner and on the third one I couldn't get the miter to close. The first corner I did was off - the toe on the long side was strong of the frame corner toe. By the time I got to #3 it was throwing it off. I had to use a clamp to pull the heel in alignment with the frame. 

2nd coat

The shop temp has been at 57F (14C) for the past few days but it didn't seem to have any effect on the tung oil drying. Both the lid and the box were dry everywhere I checked it. One surprising point that I wasn't expecting was both of them being new born baby butt smooth. The tactile feel of this is amazing and it didn't change with the 2nd coat which I checked a couple of hours after applying it.

5 hours later

I am going to keep this clamped and cooking until tomorrow. However, I pulled off one clamp to check the molding. In past uses these clamps tended to leave a mark but there wasn't one this time. That is encouraging because it might mean I don't have to clean, sand, and repaint it, maybe.

the same

I was expecting to have to paint the blue portion. This paint attracts dust and finger prints seemingly forever. I thought for sure the pads on the clamps would have left their imprint but it didn't. I only checked the one clamp but fingers crossed on the others behaving.

finally came in

I ordered a loose tenon jig and tenons back in november(?) and the one pkg of tenons I really wanted have finally arrived. After seeing the measurements of them I bought some more 6mm tenons on Amazon. The only difference is the Amazon ones are 40mm long (these are 38mm) - I'll have to trim a few off millimeters.

been itching to try this

I sawed a couple of test pieces about 8" long and the width is twice the width of one tenon.

first one done

It looks better than it felt doing it. It took me a few strokes to get a feel for it. On my first attempt the depth was short because I didn't go through the entire cycle. The second one got me there. The drill (I used my 1/2" one) didn't seem to lack any power to 'drill' out the mortises. Along with doing a sideways motion you have to also apply a bit of forward pressure on the drilling operation.

short

The left one was deep enough but the right one wasn't. Put it back in the jig and bottomed it out.

success

I'm impressed with how flush this came out. I couldn't detect even one frog hair of difference on any side of this. 

vacuum port

I will have to figure out something for this. My current vacuum hose is bigger than this opening. This is needed to suck out the sawdust from the mortise as you drill it. That is what caused the right one being too short in the depth.

hmm......

The side to side is ok. The extra wiggle room allows for alignment. The top/bottom fit didn't give me a warm and fuzzy. It wasn't a snug fit and that is what I was expecting. It wasn't self supporting but when I turned it upside down, the tenon didn't fall out. I know there is an adjustment to tighten the side to side but I don't think there is one for the top/bottom. I'll find that out when I read the instruction manual again.

cooking

I am a wee bit anxious about this setting up. Not sure if the the tenon will swell sufficiently to create a good glue bond. I'll find out in the AM.

accidental woodworker

 Last night before I went to bed my left foot was feeling better. I wasn't pain free but it had calmed down to a 3-4 on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (look at me and I'll rip your face off pain). I slept through the night and didn't feel a peep out of it. When I got out of the rack my heel immediately shook hands with me. Pain level was at 6-7 and I was limping again. The only time I didn't feel it was after sitting down after a couple of minutes. Another day where I didn't get much shop time.

first trip to the shop

This is the back of the frame and it needs another coat of paint. These two white spots are where some pine chips got stuck to it. 

paint build up

This rabbet had the heaviest build up of paint. This is where the glass and frame will live and it needs to be flat. I will have to paint this because if I don't it could reflect 'white' off the glass. Scraped all 4 rabbets and painted it. I am pretty sure this is all I will need to do paint wise on this frame. After this I hobbled my way back upstairs.

dozuki box lid (2nd trip to the shop)

I used the tung oil with the citrus terpentine additive. I used this first because of it being able to penetrate deeper over tung oil without it. It has a citrus smell to it and it lingered in the shop for hours. 

I was surprised and happy with how well it laid down on the end grain. I had sanded the ends up to 400 grit but I wasn't sure how the oil would look after application. It is smooth to the touch and the look. Sometimes after finish is applied to end grain it can still look rough - like it hadn't been sanded or planed.

I applied a thin coat of the tung oil to the entire box. I wasn't going to do the interior but I left oily finger prints all over it so I did it to. It felt smooth to the touch and much smoother than shellac feels even after a couple of coats. The instructions say to wait 12 hours before applying the second coat. I'll be waiting until the AM tomorrow. 

Slow walked myself back upstairs. I did briefly think of doing something else but my foot interrupted me and nixed that. I tried standing on the fatigue mat that now lives in front of the washer and dryer, but it wasn't helping. I thought it being soft and squishy that my heel would like that. Instead of helping I felt unsteady standing on it.

final trip

It was several hours later and the paint on the back was dry. I put the frame on the towel so it wouldn't pick up any crappola from the bench. That worked well doing that. The back could use another coat because there were a few light spots but this is the back and I'm calling it done.

 The plan for the 3rd trip to the shop was to get the moldings attached to the frame. That didn't happen boys and girls. I forgot to bring a wet rag with me to wipe up glue squeeze out. I wasn't up to going upstairs to do that and come back to the shop. The foot was making its own plans and they didn't include doing this. Killed the lights for the day and headed back to the barn.

accidental woodworker

 Yesterday I went on a post lunch stroll for the first time since I played the bounce test with the sidewalk. I did feel it a wee bit walking up the first hill but the rest of it was uneventful for the most part. What popped up at the half way point was my left heel started to ache then hurt like hell. I've had this headache before and it got worse as the day went on. I was limping pretty good by the time I hit the rack.

This AM it wasn't feeling any better. It hurt to stand and that ramped up if I walked around. It especially didn't feel lovely walking down/up the stairs to the workshop. I didn't get a lot done and I'll mostly be molding my butt cheeks to my desk chair  until this calms down.

needs one more

I could see streaks of 'white' on the frame. Fingers crossed that one more will do the trick.

some good news

I'm calling this one done and putting a check mark in the done column. I have 5 coats of poly on the 4 stretchers so anything wet shouldn't effect it. It is a gloss finish which I don't like. IMO something like this should have a satin look to it.

chamfer work

Standing to do this was barely tolerable. Realized that I don't stand in one spot in the shop for any length of time. I don't sit at all in the shop. I made a shop stool years ago and tried it once. It felt awkward and funny sitting to work at the bench. The stool is now an elevated horizontal storage surface tucked away in a corner.

chamfer done

I use two blockplanes when I chamfer an edge. The big LN is used to waste away the majority. The smaller LN blockplane I use to finesse and fine tune the chamfer down to the pencil lines.

hinging the lid

I'm not a fan of surface mounted hinges. To me that look incomplete and half ass done. I got these hinges from Lee Valley and they are 90° stop hinges. I have two sizes, this is the smaller one with the larger being roughly twice this size. In this situation I am warming up to them being surface mounted (the only way you can install them).

works freely

The veneer was to give clearance for the hinges. The lid opens/closes and stops at 90° I have put these hinges on slightly cocked and I could feel that misalignment opening/closing the lid. Didn't do this time.

ready for the finish

I read the instructions on the finish bottles (tung oil) and it says to sand up to 400 to 600 grit. I stopped at 400.

I think it is done

4 hours after I painted the final coat on it (?) I sucked it up and went back to the shop to eyeball it. It was dry and I couldn't see any 'white' even in raking light. I will have to clean the back side and put another coat on it. It picked up a lot of crappola from laying on the bench. That will happen tomorrow.

maybe done

I sanded these with 320 before I put on what I hope is the final coat. I noticed that the washboard planer marks weren't as pronounced as they were yesterday. Maybe I'll get lucky and this coat will fully fill and level them. This coat of paint looked good laying down and I couldn't see any evidence of the washboard.

before I killed the lights

I removed the hinges to facilitate applying the tung oil finish. 

Not much to show for today and this foot thing put a serious crimp in my schedule. I worked for as long as I could and couldn't stand the pain anymore. In the late afternoon walking to the head didn't hurt as much as it did in the AM. I thought of going back to the shop but by the time I got to the stairs it was hurting as much as it had been in the AM. I was trying to get back to the shop but nixed it. I'll wait it out and let it heal for a few more days.

accidental woodworker