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nope

I beat on this for five minutes and it held. I even gave it flying lessons into the wall and it didn't even whimper. 

what will happen

I didn't have any doubts that the chisel wouldn't split it into two. The question after the splitting was the state of the glue joint. The glue line was relatively clean. There weren't any bits of wood bits still adhered to either piece. But that was encouraging - the bond appeared strong but split apart cleanly - that would make removing them easy if needed for any repairs.

cleaning the rabbets

Of the three tools here, the chisel proved to be the one that worked the best. The safety razor was the worse, even a brand new fresh one. The card scraper was simply too large. It was awkward to position it in the rabbet and scrape.

done

Took almost all of the AM session to scrape four rabbet faces for each lite. I didn't go nutso and get them all the way down to bare wood. I feel that I have enough bare wood to glue the retainers to.

build up

I have to paint this rabbet face again. Before I did that I scraped the build up on the edge (arris). I removed it so the glass will lay flat, with no gaps, between the muntins and the glass.

Wally World brush

This brush worked surprisingly well painting the rabbets. This is the one the glass will be laying against. After painting them I ran the brush along the arris removing any build up that was there.

clean

After painting the rabbets I had to paint the muntin faces (opposite side). Did the same after painting strokes ensuring the arris was clean of any build up.

first coat of black

It is going to take a minimum of two coats to cover the green. It might also take three and I'll find that out after the 2nd one. I didn't paint all of the molded profile - I just did the front edge and underneath.

hmm.....

The black is a complement to the green of the cabinet. I don't think painting this is going to mean anything. Once something is placed on the shelf it isn't going to matter if the front edge is green or black. But I'm committed to it either way.

accidental woodworker 

 Made good progress on the glass door cabinet. It is looking like there isn't much more to do with the cabinet. The painting of it is going to be slow with paint something and wait for it dry. Wash, rinse, and repeat a bazillion times. A bit tedious but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.

the next 3 frames

Snapped a pic of the tool pictures for each of the frames. Dropped them off at the Frame it Shop after lunch. On the way back to the barn I stopped by Dairy Queen and got an soft serve. A medium size cone was $5 and change. Good thing I don't often get a urge to fill the pie hole with soft serve vanilla.

planed it

This AM the  two edges looked like crappola again. Felt smooth but I didn't have a warm and fuzzy with the look in raking light. Made two wispy runs with the block plane on both edges. Looking considerable better.

hmm....

At first I thought this was a pitch pocket. It looks like the remnants of a branch. I wiped it with mineral spirits and the rag came away clean. Just to be safe I brushed a coat of shellac over it.

semi gloss

I picked semi gloss because it should shed and not attract dust like stain does. The semi gloss doesn't look any difference to my eye then the satin. It lays downs and brushes exactly the same IMO. Ignore the big ass holiday on the edge. I've missed bigger ones and I painted this - after I had cleaned the brush.

it is going to be a PITA

 I went back to the shop after dinner and played with removing paint from the muntin rabbets. After 15 minutes this is as far as I got. The only bright spot with it is I only have to clean up one face of the rabbet.

done

240 grit sandpaper and a card scraper. A little over an hour to work the entire cabinet. Card scraper worked wonders on clearing and flushing the build ups on the square corners and the paint drips.

working well

24hrs out of the acetone and it is opening and closing freely. Not as loosely as its sibling but freely. I don't have any doubts installing it on the door and it not causing any problems.

test time

Painted one coat of semi gloss on this scrap of pine. The test is gluing the two together with hide glue and seeing what the outcome will be.

it is sticking together

Since I will be placing and gluing the retainers without clamps, I'll test this glue joint without clamps. The retainers will have a leg up to start with. The rabbet will have some paint but the retainer glued surface will be bare wood. Fingers crossed that this works out in my favor.

looking good

The only PITA with this setup is I don't have unfettered access to the shit can. I am not painting the bottom of the cabinet. It is plywood and I'm not obsessing about it because it will never be seen. Besides it would cover my burned in maker's stamp. 

After eyeballing the 2nd of paint I'm confident that I won't have to put on a 3rd. I might have to touch up a few spots that I scraped/sanded down to bare wood though. I'll find out that tidbit out in the AM.

done

Two coats - one satin and one semi gloss. Seeing the door done I'm convinced that keeping it the same color as the rest of the cabinet was the way to go. The accent color would be glaring to the eye.

4 hours later

The glue joint is solid. I couldn't break it apart with my hands nor after I beat it up with a mallet. Encouraging that the bond appears to be secure. I'll beat the snot out of it again with a mallet in the AM.

changed my mind again

My OCD with misalignment of the shelves and the muntins won out. I'm going to paint the molded part of the shelves. I'll slap on a coat of shellac after the black has dried.

#12 hollows and rounds

I've been playing with these every now and then. The goal is get proficient with them so I can make my own moldings. I know what I want and what I like but like everything else in life you have to expend the calories and put in the time. The goal is make at least one set of moldings before I take a dirt nap.

accidental woodworker 

Changing the pitch of a bevelled cutting edge is as much about a changed attitude as the physical change in steel. My hand tool woodworking is indeed high-demand woodworking, and guess what? We want it. When I plough out a groove using a plough plane, I am making a statement that says I want and...

Source

 

hmmm.........

Rethinking the paint scheme again. I'm kinda ok with what I thought I wanted yesterday but today I'm vacillating like a spinning top. That happened after I painted the top and eyeballed the overall look.

working

Still opening and closing smoothly. I don't have a warm and fuzzy with any residual RED locktite waiting to wake up and bite me on the arse. I took this out of the acetone at 0700 and at 1530 it was still opening/closing. Fingers crossed that in the AM it will still be the same.

getting ahead of myself

I missed sanding the end grain here and on the opposite side. Like an idiot I thought two coats of paint would smooth it out. FYI - it didn't. Sanded it down with 80, 100, and finished with 120. Repainted. Lesson learned?

a bit too bright?

This is the accent color that I'm using. This one really made me rethink what will/would be painted this color. As an aside, the coverage was almost one coat only.

too bright?

I was considering painting the whole top including the back stop the accent color. But the molding underneath being the same color would make it over powering IMO. I think a better choice is to paint the backstop and the molding underneath the top.

can you see it?

I painted a scrap of pine black and it is at the front edge of the top shelf. It looks almost like it isn't even there. Not sure I what to paint the shelf front black now. It is something to mull over and I have the time.

Changed my mind on the door. I was going back and forth between painting the muntins or the entire door the accent color. Instead I will paint it the same color as the interior/exterior. I think the liveliness of the accent color would over power the cabinet. 

made a boo boo

The plan was and still is, to glue the glass retainers in the muntin bar rabbets. I will use hide glue for that so it will be reversible. However, I painted the muntin bar rabbets and that will interfere with the hide glue. There isn't enough meat on muntin bars to secure the retainers with nails. I'll have to sand them before I glue the retainers on.

from the center out

Whatever type door you paint, it is always done first painting the center and working out toward the outside edges. Painting the muntins first allowed me to check and remove any drips or build ups. After that I painted the front face.

checking the fit

I had to trim a few of the retainers but they all fit. I was going to paint the retainers (two outside faces) but I ran out of time. I'll do that in the AM. Installing the glass and the retainers will be the last step for this cabinet build?

another boo boo

Missed planing these two edges. It was only after painting it that roughness popped out. I thought of planing it but instead I sanded it with 120 grit only. I kept at it until it felt/looked smooth. 

We are having the house painted. A handyman service working across the street saw my wife painting and came over and gave her a quote. $1500 to strip the shingles and brush/roll on 2 coats. Five guys and the first day they worked 10 hours. First coat went on today and I'm impressed with their work.  Sometimes luck walks up and gives you a big hug. 

accidental woodworker 

If you are going to put a lot of work into making a nice wooden small box, you might as well use fine quality hinges and possibly other products.  So, let us go through options of hinges, lid stays, and locks. I will make recommendations. I will hold off discussion of feet, nobs, and latches. […]

With the fretboard/frets completed, the next stage is to shape the neck.

Cheers Gary

Pic frames are done. I had a few minor touch ups I dealt with in the AM session and by the end of the PM one, fini. Started painting the cabinet. Shelves and interior of it have one coat, and some two. Projecting ahead I think the cabinet will be done painting sometime next week. Don't know who is getting this yet but I enjoyed making it.

oops, I've got a massive headache

This is one of the loose pin hinges that I'm soaking in acetone. I put some RED loctite on the screw portion and I spilled it. Got the loctite in places I didn't want it. The hinge was almost impossible to open after it was closed shut. A search on google said MEK (paint stripper) or acetone will dissolve RED loctite. 

After this soaking over nite, it is opening and closing a lot better. Still not as freely as its sibling but better than yesterday. I won't be needing this hinge for a while so I continued let it soak while I worked on other things.

found one

The 2nd frame I checked had one small nick here. I could see it without the flashlight and with it, it popped. It was the only paint hiccup I found on the 3 frames. I covered it with black sharpie marker and shellaced over it.

3rd frame hiccup

This one wasn't paint but shellac. In raking light I could see where there was a missed spot with no shellac. Easy fix - just apply shellac.

interior

I was happy and surprised with this first coat coverage. Pretty confident that I'll be able to get away with 2 coats - at least with the satin paint. I'll find out how well the semi gloss paint covers tomorrow?

PM session

Got two coats on the interior and I was happy with how it looked. Dropped the shelves in place and got one coat on them. I'll put two on the top sides and stay with one for the underside of both.

hmm.....

Satin paint on the back. Not sure if I'll stay with satin or paint it with semi gloss. Either way this first coat should help with coverage on whatever the 2nd coat will be. I wanted a sneak peek on how this color looked on a paneled part.

hmm......

Originally I was going to paint the muntins the light colored paint and the rest of the door the dark semi gloss color  (the same color as the satin paint but semi gloss). Eyeballing this I'm now thinking of painting the entity of the door front the light color.

maybe not

A light color will bring out a dark one (or is it the other way?). Will the light color on the door will pop the front edges of the shelves? I have to live with the shelf positions but I also want to minimize how much they pop behind the muntins.

Got a comment from Sylvain to paint the front edges black. Painting them black will knock down reflected light and fade them behind the muntins. I have black paint and I think I'll paint up scraps and see how they look before deciding what to paint what.

gone

I couldn't see the joint line between the plywood and the pine nosing. With the paint on I had to get up close and personal to detect the joint line. Not a big deal but I tend to obsess about gaps.

almost 8 hours later

Feeling better about this hinge. It is opening/closing is even better than it was when I checked it at 0700. I am going to leave it in the acetone over nite again. Tomorrow I'll take it out and dry it. Fingers crossed that the RED locktite isn't hibernating on me.

done

The first frame is already topside in the living room. These two joined its sibling at 1503. I need to take pics of the what goes in what frame before I bring these to Maria.

accidental woodworker

The description of this year’s class is identical to previous year’s so I thought I’d just have a gallery of student activities day by day.

I expect I’ll teach this again next summer at Wood and Shop.

I’ve written before about how influential Drew Langsner and his books have been in my woodworking life. But I haven’t mentioned much about his book The Chairmaker’s Workshop specifically. That’s my copy from the ’90s. I love it and I … Continue reading →

 Yesterday I thought I was done with the woodworking on the glass door cabinet but I wasn't. I had two more steps to do that whacked out today. They were the shelves and the glass retainers for the muntin bars. I found the small diamond glaziers points and I have them on order. I was going to buy the gun for installing the points but changed my mind. The gun was $275 which happened be exactly 275 reasons why I didn't pull the trigger. If I did more glass work I might have given it a wee bit more consideration.

shelf

I removed the shelf supports one at a time, applied glued , and screwed them back in place. Predrilled the shelves for 6 screws. Undecided whether or not to glue and screw the shelves to the supports or just screw them.

I will paint the shelves before installing them. That is most likely when I'll finally decide which way the wind is blowing on screws and glue.

two coats

I did make it back to the shop after dinner and got the 2nd coat on. Happy with the coverage. After eyeballing it several times I couldn't find any holidays. Decided to move on to applying shellac to them.

two coats

Shellac is a wonderful finish. Five minutes after I got shellac on the last pic frame, I was applying the 2nd coat to the first one. This paint is a dirt magnet and the shellac is the dirt demagnetizer.

road trip

Satin would not look good against semi gloss. So I made a stop at the paint store and got a quart of the dark color in semi gloss. Now the outside of the cabinet will be all semi gloss. The interior and the shelves will be done in the dark satin color.

No painting done on the cabinet today. Instead, I concentrated on getting the pic frames done. The real estate I was using for the frames to dry I would need for the cabinet shelves. 

new jig

I only spent about 10 minutes searching for the first miter flushing jig I made before saying No Mas. Made the 2nd one out of beech which should last longer than the first one I made out of pine. Standard work flow - marked the groove, knife wall, saw down the walls, chop out the waste, and establish the bottom with a router.

sawing the miters

My opinion of this saw is changing. I've been resistant to using japanese saws but more and more I'm coming around to the Ryobi. I found that it was easier and simpler to cut the two miters on this vice using a western pull saw. I seem to do better sawing plumb with this saw too.

done

I tried doing the miter trimming two ways. The first was with the block in the miter shooting jig. That worked well but the downside was I was also making the block smaller with each one I trimmed/flushed.

The 2nd way I did with them held in the block and trimmed/flushed with a chisel. I did 3 on the shooting board and 3 with the chisel.

done

I trimmed/flushed one end of all of the glass retainer bars. I only had to strop the chisel once. It took less than 30 minutes to whack out almost 50 of them.

worth the calories to make this

One downward swipe of the chisel was sufficient to clean/flush the miter. This jig worked a lot better than the jigs I used for the kumiko panels I made. I had to plane the bottom of the block so that the bars were slightly proud in the groove. That little bit was enough for me to press down on the block and the bar and keep it from moving when I chiseled the miter.

did one before lunch

I had to do at least one lite just because. I find this trim and fit to be relaxing and I only had one hiccup trimming one bar short.

3rd and final coat

 I rubbed down the 3 frames with 4-0 steel wool before slapping on the 3rd coat of shellac. This was the final coat, no need to go nutso and put on 5-6 coats.

done

I fitted all 8 lites with the retaining bars. After that I labeled them all because these won't be installed until the cabinet is done with painting.

3 coats of shellac

I did a quick eyeball and all looks to be good in Disneyland. I'll double, triple check these out in the AM for any holidays. I thought I saw a couple of nicks that I'll have to touch up. Even with potential holidays to fix I don't foresee any hiccups stopping me from giving these to Maria this week.

hmm......

I didn't think this one all the way through. The top shelf doesn't match the bottom shelf position behind the large lites. No going back now and I'll have to live with it.

Hopefully I'll start painting the cabinet in the AM. 

accidental woodworker

 Hit the milestone on the cabinet build today. I got the last of the woodworking done or at least I think I'm done. Up next is painting it which is going to be a PITA. I won't be able to do anything else after the paint gets slapped on the cabinet. The pic frames aren't too far behind and I should be done with them by thursday. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get them to Maria by saturday.

2nd coat

I like this paint's drying time. Within 10-15 minutes it is dry to the touch. Sanded the first coat with 240 and wiped each one with a damp rag. If I need a 3rd coat I'll sand it down before that with 320. It is looking like I can stop at two on the back.

ready for the front

Sanded, wiped down, and ready for the first coat on the front faces.

first coat

I'm happy with the coverage. It is a wee bit thin in a few of spots and the 2nd coat should cover them. Fingers and toes crossed that will be enough. After the paint is dried and the final # of coats is done, I'll slap a couple of coats of shellac on it front and back.

got my paint

The quart of paint I got was pricey - more than I thought it would cost. Decided what I will paint as the light color (light semi gloss). Those will the be the base, the muntin bars, the molding under the top, and finally the back stop on the top. everything else will be painted with the right can (dark color).

first coat on the front

Overall I'm happy with the coverage. It definitely needs at least one more coat. I was surprised at the number of holidays I found after I thought I was done. They were easy to spot too - the white of the pine shone through like a beacon.

The can says you can repaint in 1-2 hours. The plan as of this typing is to return to the shop after dinner and put on a 2nd coat. Think happy thoughts for me.

hmm.....

Dealing with the gaps on either side of the shelves. Since I didn't have a warm and fuzzy about getting the shelf in position with both of the 'gap' fillers, I started out with one only. Glued on, nailed, and planed to fit.

no problems

This side fell into place with zero hiccups. It was bit tight and I had to plane it several times before it dropped in snug. The problem I thought I would have tilting and dropping it into place was nonexistent.

done

It took a few more dance steps finessing the top shelf into place. The fit of either shelf 'gap' filler isn't perfect or dead nuts. With the fillers in place the gaps at the back and front outside edges popped out. I'm still happy about the fit overall but I know next time I can probably do better. One thing I will do is use thinner width strips for the templates.

came today

Got two issues - pretty sure I didn't order a back up copy. I emailed M&T for an address and I'll ship it back to them.

accidental woodworker

last night

Went back to the shop after dinner and played with the front edge support thing. This dry fit looks pretty good, the gap is acceptable. It was hard to tell if there was one or if it was just the dark line between the pine and the 1/2" plywood.

the fix

Knocked off the square edge at the bottom and planed a slight angle on the front face. It was a balancing act between getting a good glue bond surface and not having a )@%^(Q@%&)&*Q)@_%( gap.

glued and cooking

Got a good fit and surprisingly very little glue squeeze out.

underneath

Ensured that I clamped the bottom of the pine to the 1/2" plywood. Counting on this to keep the shelf stiff and straight.

this is complete garbage

This plywood consists of two extremely thin face veneers with a sponge like single ply between them. This plywood is light as a feather and as stiff as wet pretzel. I sanded the plies so it was smooth so I could lay a pencil against it.

good fit (2nd shelf)

The left side is square, or this piece of total crap plywood says it is.

right side

This side was square and it wasn't. I finally zoomed in on the headache, the cabinet side stile was cupped. I saw it clearly when I put the plywood on this side. I planed the stile until the square showed the cup was gone.

hmm.....

The pine was flush except for a small bump here by my finger. It took a few extra calories before I got it flush. Wandered a wee bit into the face veneer of the plywood too.

first one fitted

The fit isn't dead nuts perfect but a 100% better fit than the solid wood shelf I first fitted.

2nd shelf

This one was a PITA. I had trouble with the hot glue sticking. Finally sorted that hiccup out and got my pattern laid out. I sawed it out allowing a generous margin that I planed down to. Am I out of the loop but does alcohol break down hot melt glue?

the gaps

I have scraps leftover from making the bead moldings that I can use to fill in the gaps. The left side is wider than the right one. This is going to be tricky because I want to paint the inside of the cabinet without the shelves in place. I am going to try and secure the inserts to the plywood shelves. However I'm not sure that I'll be able to drop the shelves into place after that happens.

2nd shelf glue and cooking

I didn't screw up making the pine front edge support thing. It came up an exact clone of the first I did yesterday.

first frame layout

I forgot to allow for the inside bead molding. The sides, top, and bottom will be less than 1 1/2". The two between the middle pic will be the 1 1/2" I planned for.

2nd frame layout

This one has all the same kind of tools. The hand plane in the above 3 doesn't quite fit the grouping but it is the best I can do.

3rd one

Not too bad, two of the three blend together. After looking at the three I realized that I have every tool except for the side rabbet plane in the 2nd frame. However, I have a set of left and right side rabbet planes.

grain raising

On the last frames I made I raised the grain before painting them. That helped a lot with the first coat coverage. A bonus with wetting done the frames was the wood putty smoothed up nicely.

waxed

I used this as clamping caul. On the first one some glue squeeze out adhered the face veneer to the shelf. That cleaned up easily and it will be painted but with the 2nd one I waxed it and nothing got glued this time.

change of plans

Rather than cut the shelf supports shorter, I am going to notch out for them.

done

I like this look. It looks to be a bit more finished with the end of the shelf support buried in the front edge support thing.

why I notched

I cut this set down to fit behind the front edge support thing. I still have two full length shelf support sets for the shelves.

why

The cut down shelf support is too short on the front side stile to screw into. As is the screw would be in the groove for the panel.

better

With the full length support the screw will be back from the front edge of it and go into solid wood on the side stile.

sneak peek

I don't like the spacing. I am going to position the top shelf the same distance down from the top as the bottom shelf is up from the bottom.

done

I like this better than the sneak peek but it could be better. Adjustable shelves IMO allow for flexible shelf positions. I got the shelf supports screwed in dry. I will glue/screw them in later. I'm thinking now maybe I should put a board at the back of the shelves to keep that from sagging.

accidental woodworker

I don't need a reason, but happy to have one (to survey a property/job a stone's throw away), to drive down Five Mile Lane to Slapton Ley.

Slapton Ley is a freshwater lake, separated from the sea by a shingle bank. It is a haven for birds in Start Bay, here in Devon. 

The house itself was Grade 2 listed and I always warm to a property with lion head gutters.

It needs the usual box sash repairs and repair work to the porch.

After examining the building I had a look in at Stokenham Church. There were a few nice carving details.

And lots of painted panels. 

This one of a wolf caught my attention.

Then a drive back along the Ley (oh what a pity), to Slapton, to travel back up Five Mile Lane, and onwards to home. 

last moldings dry fitted

I didn't survive this without another hiccup. I cut the miter on the last long one short and I had to whack out another one. Glue and pin nails are in the on deck circle.

1/4" rabbets

I am going with butt joints for the rabbets. They will never be seen and Maria covers them with a gray paper like thing.

The blue tape is holding a super glued blow out. One 1/4" rabbet as per Maria's instructions.

2nd one done

I used 5/8" pin nails and I had a couple blow out and peek up in the stiles - nothing in the rails though. Nailed punched them below and filled in with wood putty. Paint will hide any evidence of it.

wood putty

This tub turned to stone on me. I poured a bit of water in it and it softened the putty to where it was spreadable again. I've used it several times since then without seeing any ill effects from that. I filled in all the pin nails and I'll let the putty cook until the AM.

done

All three frames have the rabbets installed and the nails filled with putty.

went one for two

These are two extra frames I glued up yesterday, I unclamped them and one was twisted and one laid flat. Out of the 3 extra frames, two were twisted and one wasn't. And one of the twisted frames is iffy - it might work with glass installed and matting etc etc.

paint tomorrow?

3 extras on the left, and the 3 good ones on the right. I checked all 3 of the good ones and they were ok. I should get them to Maria sometime next week - thurs/fri?

pattern time

This is what I came up with for fitting the shelves. I cut up some 1 3/4" wide strips of 1/4" plywood and set them in the bottom of the cabinet tight against the sides and back. I used hot melt glue to hold the strips together.

I thought of doing this days ago but I've been putting it off. Getting down on my knees to work on the ground is not easy for me. Getting back up and defying gravity is worse than going down. A concession to me getting older that I have to deal with.

bottom shelf position

Snug fit and it is self supporting. I will glue and screw the shelf supports to the sides of the cabinet and then glue and screw the shelves into them.

first shelf laid out

The bottom left corner is square - it has the factory edge. The top was a frog hair off square and the right side was 2 frog hairs off square.

fitting the shelf

I used the level because it helps with planing. I had to plane two edges to the pencil lines.

happy with the fit

Snug and self supporting which made me happy. The two shelves will be essential in strengthening the cabinet and preventing racking. I don't like the gap on the sides between the stiles. I'll be filling them in when I install the shelf supports.

sneak peek

You'll have to rotate these to hoe they will be in the cabinet. Here I'm looking at the extension of the shelf past the end of the shelf support.

hmm......

The upcoming front end shelf support isn't as straight forward as it looked. I have to make a rabbet for the support to fit on the shelf and have it extend past the shelf supports 5/8". It was tricky for me to picture it my mind and I was prepared to have a hiccup or two doing it.

fingers crossed

I think I got it figured out. The first step was to cut the shelf depth (front to back) to 5/8".

got it

The wide part of the pine is sufficient to mold a profile on it. The thin piece underneath is a wee bit too long but I can cut that to fit. As it is now the shelf support is too long. So I'll have to cut it shorter or the shelf front edge support.

 I sawed it a few frog hairs longer than needed. After it has been glued and cooked I'll plane it flush with the sides of the shelf.

teeny gap

The molding part is proud of the shelf and I'll flush plane it later. There is a frog hair gap between it and the shelf. I wasn't sure where the headache was but I'll deal with it before I glue it up in the AM.

past quitting time

It has been a while since I got in the zone and time slipped by me. If I hadn't looked at the clock I would have kept on trucking.

need one more

The bottom shelf pattern won't work for the 2nd shelf. The back right corner has a strong 1/8" gap. The front is snug and self supporting.

this has to go

I might have to rethink the door stop thingie. I could use the front edge of the shelf to do double duty. Food for thought and I'll deal with that in the AM.

accidental woodworker 

Recently for the umpteenth time (25th? 30th?) over the past four decades I taught my Introduction to Historic Woodfinishing workshop, this time at Joshua Farnsworth’s Wood and Shop School near Charlottesville.  I have already related the transition from teaching at The Barn once my insurance underwriter yanked the plug on liability insurance for students, bringing the “school” component of The Barn on White Run to an end.  Joshua graciously invited me to teach at his place, for which I am very much appreciative.  I’m teaching a Parquetry workshop in a couple weeks, there are openings.

33

The odd thing about teaching workshops at The Barn is that I still have personal liability insurance, the building and its contents are insured as before, but no insurance for students attending classes.  The underwriters would never say why that insurance was being canceled, but my agent thought it was because the nearest full-service hospital is almost 90 minutes away.  Oddly enough I can still host visitors for one-one-one learning experiences, and in fact I have one of those upcoming as soon as we can work out our scheduling hiccups.

One of the great benefits to hosting all the workshops in my own Barn classroom was that everything I needed was right there.   When I teach elsewhere I have to pack up everything for the course.  Everything.  All the supplies, tools, workpieces, everything.  I learned my lesson the first couple times I taught almost forty years ago and sent the students a detailed list of everything they would need.  Every class there was a student or two who arrived unprepared, saying “I didn’t think you meant that,” or “I decided to substitute this or that.”  In every instance the whole class was delayed repeatedly while I tried to come up with a reasonable substitute, but it never worked out to my satisfaction.

Now I just bring everything necessary for the full experience of my syllabus.  Yes, it takes me a week or longer to compile the pile, yes it takes a day to load my truck to overflowing, yes it takes me about four hours to get set up wherever I am teaching.  But it yields the learning experience I want to impart.

And the title of this post?  It took me 26 trips to move everything from my barn into the truck, then 26 trips from my truck up the stairs into Joshua’s shop.  Three days later I had only 23 trips from his shop to my truck as the students consumed the “missing” three tubs worth.

Stay tuned.

I’ve just finished four shrink pots that are available for purchase. They are made from various wood species, which I’ll detail below. All are finished with a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax. The lidded ones all have tight-fitting lids … Continue reading →

extra fine Ebony handle, tapered Nickel Silver (German silver), stainless steel screws.0,3mm thin saw blade 17 TPI rip cut.    Pedderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692353908068506678noreply@blogger.com0

 

#1 unclamped

Double, triple checked that this was laid down flat to the bar clamps. Wanted to start with the frame cooking it flat. Out of the clamps, the frame lay flat on the workbench with no rocking. Happy face on, one down and three to go.

didn't make it

I went 3 for 4. Pic frame #4 didn't cooperate. This one is twisted with the high corner over an 1/8" off the workbench. This is too much to ignore especially so with the glass that is going in here. That glass would be roughly 12" x 24".

5 1/2

This plane performed effortlessly flushing the the corners (freshly sharpened/honed). I did all 3 frames that passed the no twist test in about 5 minutes.

#3

The stiles were a few frog hairs proud of the rails. I flushed them because I will be applying moldings to the outside and inside edges of the frames.

3/16" bead

On the first of the tool break down pics I applied 3/16" bead molding to the inside edge and 1/4" bead on the outside. Washing, rinsing, and repeating for these 3.

got 12 moldings

 I used some scrap 2" wide pine to make the 3/16" moldings. I was able to get 6 moldings from one board - got 12 total from two.

1/4" bead

I could only get 4 moldings from this. On the 3/16" one I got two from the center waste.

sigh

The square one is the center waste and it is too thin to make a 1/4" bead.

the moldings

I sawed the moldings out to be 7/8" high. That way the bead will be a wee bit high of the frame. 

two frames dry fitted

Still trying to decide how I will attach the moldings. One way is to glue and clamp them and the other is use glue and pin nails. The pin nails are ahead by a foot.

frame #3 short 1/4" beads

I had to make two new moldings for the stiles. I had four 1/4" bead moldings left over (from the first tool pic frame) for the short rails. I'll get this one dry fitted in the AM and then get them attached. After that it is paint and bringing them to Maria for her to do her magic.

two new long ones

I made one boo boo with the first round of moldings - mitered a long one too short. Another one I had to shitcan due to the bead being total crappola. That one looked looked like I had made it with a dull butter knife and a rock. Another headache I had to deal with was on the 1/4" beads I couldn't get two moldings for the rails out of one bead. On the 3/16" beads I could do that. I only made two that I need with no back ups. If need be I can get 3-5 more out the scrap I used to whack out these two.

Had a short day in the shop. I had a PT appointment at 1300. That went well and I learned that my right hip isn't any where as strong as my left one is. I can't lift my right leg upwards with a bent knee. Nor can I cross my right leg over my left one while sitting. My goal is to able to do the right over left thing. Updates in 6 months on the 6 o'clock news.

accidental woodworker  

 

hmm......

I placed 3 of 9 pics for the next 3 frames to come. The 9 pics are 6" x 9" and this frame here the pics are a few inches smaller. These pics don't allow much for any separation between them.

breaking down the stock

Confused myself here. I only had to make 3 frames. I had a brain fart and doubled everything up and ended up with 6 frames.

sigh

Cutting this defect out meant I lost one long stile. I had to break down another board.

the stink started here

I looked at these two piles and wandered out into la la land. The right pile is the long stiles for 3 frames. The shorter pile on was the rails - 2 from each board. Instead I assumed the left pile was stiles too and I had to make rails for both piles.

1/2" x 3/8"

These will be used to create the rabbet on the back of the frame for the matting, pics, and glass.

where I went off the deep end

Looked at this and thought I had to make rails. Failed to register in the brain bucket what the left pile was for. I made enough rails for 6 frames still believing that I was only making stock for only 3.

using dowels

The frame went together but I still made a boo boo on it. Not one that demanded flying lessons - my labeling didn't line up. I would have bet a lung I checked and aligned the check marks before drilling. It still went together and that is the important thing.

Dry fit was good. No gaps and the diagonals were less then a 32nd off. The rails and stiles were all proud a couple of frog hairs. That was because the rails and stiles weren't all the same thickness. 

labeled and ready to drill

This is where it finally dawned on me that I had made 6 pic frames instead of the needed 3. I'll make them all and I'll use the best 3 - the other 3 I'll stick in the boneyard.

dry fitted

It was time to fill the pie hole and go on my post lunch stroll.

glued and cooking

Got four of them cooking in the PM session. I would have done more but I only have eight 24" bar clamps. I thought of using my new miter clamping things but I didn't want to couple two threaded rods together. The long leg on the frames is 28" which is 4 inches longer then the threaded rods. Besides with dowels I only have to clamp in one direction.

the only one

Of the 6 frames I did, this is the only one where the labels aligned on all four corners when I drilled the dowel holes. I felt like I drilled this one exactly the same as the other 5 but this one.... 

been thinking on this

The bottom right corner is slightly off square. The left corner is square-ish as is the front threshold. I have been thinking of some way to fit the shelf. The solid wood shelf I did doesn't fit. There is a tapered gap because I had to trim the right side. Since I'm going with fixed shelves I what them to be gapless and snug fitting. News and pics on the 11 o'clock news.

accidental woodworker