Norse Woodsmith Blog Feeds

 Time to make a start on these big logs.

Look at all that lovely, fresh oak flesh.

Should get some wide panels out of these.

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

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

Her hands handled things differently this time. She’s taller, stronger, more able and fully aware. That’s because she’s on the cusp of being seven in a few days time. There was an inner expectation that what she was about to do would work for her the same as it did for me; three years ago,...

Source

Something you do not see every day, a gilded throne heading down the road.  Image courtesy of my son-in-law.  Just gotta wonder what the back story is.

 

caught it

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

wee bit off

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

off the saw

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

frustrating

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

glued and cooking

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

hmmm......

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

Lie Nielsen #3

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

almost gone

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

profile

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

yikes

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

working again

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

tails

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

wee bit of twist

Both the top and bottom had a little twist.

base

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

accidental woodworker

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

hmm......

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

back of the spice rack pic

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

double door cabinet

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

the miniature hope chest

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

lid

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

glued and cooking

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

one miniature hope chest

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

dutchman needed

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

dutchman pocket done

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

fitted

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

glued and cooking

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

3 hours later

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

3 stencils came

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

it is close enough

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

center stencil

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

tails are ready

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

quitting time

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

accidental woodworker

I have had these small sayings posted in the shop for a long time. I look at them often for their help. The one from the late Sam Maloof, above, is on the door of my drafting setup. I really need that advice! In the photo below, it is from the late James Krenov. It […]

I’ve been making wooden hay rakes today, which has given me the opportunity to try some new techniques. Here is a short video about making the rake tines using an old method that’s new to me. (Is this is my first foray into vlogging?): 

You can watch the Romanian rake maker where I learned this technique here.

The post Rake Tines that Stay (yet are easily replaced) first appeared on Elia Bizzarri - Hand Tool Woodworking.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

done

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

hmm......

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

sigh

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

happy face on

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

accidental woodworker

 

The Roubo frame saw is one of those tools that reminds you how clever old designs really were. It’s a large hand-powered saw built for resawing timber, long before bandsaws and table saws were ever thought of. The name comes from André-Jacob Roubo, an 18th-century French cabinetmaker who wrote about it in his book L’Art du Menuisier.

The saw looks simple at first glance, a long, narrow blade stretched between two stout wooden arms with a crossbar joining them together. But when you use one, you realise how well balanced and efficient the design is. The frame keeps the blade under tension, so it runs straight and doesn’t buckle in the cut. You can tension it tighter than a normal hand saw, which makes a huge difference when ripping long boards down the middle.

The beauty of the Roubo saw is that it’s quiet, smooth, and surprisingly fast once you get into rhythm. It doesn’t fill the workshop with dust or noise, and you can actually feel what the wood is doing. The sawdust curls out gently instead of blasting everywhere. For anyone who enjoys hand tool woodworking, that sort of control is deeply satisfying.

Making one is a project in itself. The frame is usually hardwood, something strong and stable like beech, oak, or even spotted gum. The blade can be bought from a few tool suppliers overseas, or made from bandsaw stock if you’re handy with metalwork. The key is to file and set the teeth for ripping, not crosscutting, and to keep them evenly jointed. It’s worth the effort because once it’s tuned properly, it tracks beautifully and cuts true.

Using a Roubo saw teaches patience and accuracy. You can’t rush it. You learn to read the grain and keep your body lined up with the cut. It’s physical work, but in a good way, the kind that connects you to the material and makes you appreciate the craft. Many woodworkers build one not because they need to, but because they want to experience that connection.

For anyone who works mostly by hand, the Roubo frame saw fills an important gap between a panel saw and a bandsaw. It allows you to take thick boards and create thinner stock for box sides, drawer parts, or even veneer. It’s slow compared to a machine, but it’s also quiet, affordable, and completely under your control.

That’s what I like most about it. The Roubo frame saw isn’t just another tool, it’s a reminder that you don’t need electricity to do serious work. You just need sharp teeth, a steady hand, and a bit of patience.

When I mentioned sharp teeth I meant that’s what really gives this saw its speed. When I first bought the Roubo saw from Blackburn Tools I paid Chris to sharpen it for me. Since I had never owned a saw of that size before I had no idea what sharp should feel like. The teeth were massive and felt sharp to the touch but that might have just been because of their size.

I built a temporary frame out of pine which I am still using by the way and couldn’t wait to try it out. Truth be told I was disappointed. It took me nearly half an hour to resaw a board only about 20 inches long and by the end I was puffed out. Still none the wiser I figured I had fallen for it again, all the hype, and I was no better off than with a regular panel saw. I only reached for it when I absolutely had to.

Quite a bit of time went by and every now and then I would glance at that 400 dollars hanging on the wall collecting dust. Eventually I decided enough was enough and I would sharpen the teeth myself. I pulled it apart and clamped the blade in the saw vice.

I pulled out my file which had never been used and sharpened every tooth with a zero rake making it an aggressive saw.

The setup is really important. First, the blade needs to be centred in the frame and perfectly straight. To centre it, make sure the distance between the blade and both arms is equal. When the spacing is the same on both sides, the blade is properly centred.

Make sure the blade is perfectly straight like an arrow to ensure accurate sawing.

Next, when you tighten the blade, it should have a deflection of about 1/16 of an inch and no more.

Do a pluck test. The blade should give a low, clear ring, not shrill and not dead.

When sawing, it should track straight with no chatter, and the teeth should bite evenly. Over tensioning increases the risk of blade breakage or stressing the frame. On the other hand, if the blade is under tension and moves about 1/8 of an inch (3 mm), the cut will wander.

That’s all there is to it. Once everything was set up, I put it to the test and was very surprised at how fast it cut. I was taking an inch on every stroke, but it wasn’t easy until I got the hang of it. With the saw’s zero-degree rake, it is very aggressive.

That means the saw will catch if you’re not careful. I had to lift it slightly, kiss the surface, and ease into the cut. Before long, I got the hang of it and cut my resawing time from 30 minutes down to 5 minutes. It’s a total game changer and any desire to buy a bandsaw has completely vanished. Chances are Chris never actually sharpened those teeth. I don’t know if I’ll ever find out and, to be honest, I really don’t care anymore.

Using the Roubo frame saw has reminded me why hand tools still have a place in a modern workshop. There is a rhythm and satisfaction in working with a tool that responds directly to your hand, a connection you do not get with machines. It is not just about speed or efficiency it is about the joy of mastering the craft and taking pride in every cut. This saw has earned its spot in my workshop and I know it will be a companion for many projects to come.

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

sigh....

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

new moldings

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

fits

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

nice looking miter

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

bonus

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

correcting a me-steak

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

hmm....

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

the color she picked

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

almost done

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

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

accidental woodworker 

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

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

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

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

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

Inspiration and trial piece Lay out and starting technique

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

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

Use dividers to find center of fan blade Draw arrows to show direction of slope

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

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

I just returned from a week teaching a bird bowl class at Pete Galbert’s in Berwick, Maine. I’ll be settling into my shop for the next few months with lots of projects in mind. I’ll also be thinking about 2026. … Continue reading →

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

fitting the back

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

width fit, height didn't

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

sigh....

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

nope

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

hmmm

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

1/2 pattern done

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

subtle difference

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

back cooking

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

new brush

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

almost done

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

the winner is....

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

sigh....

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

a hiccup

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

done

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

one of two

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

back burner project

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

the next project?????

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

another dead end

From the router switch I found the company that made it and what I think is the part number. Unfortunately it was no help. The company is in England and it only sells wholesale and commercially to businesses. The minimum order is probably a  100,000 bazillion pieces.

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

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

accidental woodworker 

last night

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

success

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

marking the length

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

glued and cooking

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

hmm......

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

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

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

checking the switch first

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

it worked

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

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

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

glued and cooking

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

still sharp

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

in the AM

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

accidental woodworker

 

new spice rack

She wanted the four shelf rack. The outside (stiles/rails) are sawn to finished length with the shelves being over a wee bit. I will do the finished length after I get the shelf dadoes done.

it fits

I might not use this molding but in case I do, it fits on the edge minus a frog hair or two. There were two small flats on either side of the molding that I sawed off on the tablesaw.

I like the 1/2 round molding a lot (used on the test spice rack) and I'm thinking of using them instead. However I don't like the 1/2 round moldings I'm getting off the astragal plane. One side of the round isn't as deep as the opposite side. It takes a fair bit of sanding to get the 1/2 round symmetrical.

tails done

These are easy to whack out. I only have to chop the center waste and saw the two half pins.

 I got the pins sawn but not chopped out. Ran out of time so I'll chop the waste in the AM.

the first spice rack

Made a road trip to the paint shoppe this AM and picked up a quart of 'super white' gloss paint. Got the first coat on it before the lights were killed. It is going to take a minimum of two coats. 

I could see brush strokes after it was dry to the touch. The paint guy said this was self leveling with no brush strokes. I think I'll roll on the 2nd coat and see hows that looks. Another possibility is to use a rattle can. I think the paint shoppe makes rattle cans too. Spraying would lay down smooth sans brush marks.

nope

The spice rack pic has what I am assuming is stencil work. My wife has played around with them but all the stencils she has are too big. I searched on Amazon last night but I didn't have any success finding smaller stencils. I also wanted curved ones  to lay against the curves on the stop rail. There were none of them to be seen and I gave up after searching for an hour. 

accidental woodworker

A partial selection of our Osmo display

Lets face it, carrying niche products entails a lot of explaining and the explaining runs the gamut from the considered to the absurd. We have callers who need help to figure out which sander is right for them. We also find ourselves giving detailed product instructions to callers who have made their purchases on Amazon and despaired of understanding what they bought. We have fielded questions from callers who want us to color-match their furniture on the basis of their description (its a nice rich brown) or help them find replacement parts for perfectly fine hand tools they just bought at a yard sale that need a blade or a part.

There are obvious limits to our ability to answer every question, but we do try to share our knowledge. And admittedly some of our products can be confusing. For example, customers who come to our combination showroom - warehouse - workshop in Brooklyn will be greeted by a display of Osmo finishes. Osmo is a wonderful product line, but its names can be confusing (no, Polyx is not polyurethane and Wood Wax Finish is not a finishing wax) and the color of the name panel on the can has nothing to do with the can's contents color. Enter The Explainer.

The Explainer for Osmo gives an overview of the product line, and the pros and cons of different methods of application. We try to capture feedback from everyone: our own experiences and our customers experiences; highlights from long exchanges with our Osmo rep; tips from YouTube videos that actually worked; instructions in tiny print that might otherwise be overlooked. The point of The Explainer is to distill the range of accurate information and make it practical and actionable.

We often have questions ourselves, perhaps as a product changes over time. Festool, for example, has drastically expanded its offerings of cordless tools - including two cordless vacuums. How do you use these cordless tools in tandem with corded tools (especially the vac and tool combo)? Enter the latest addition to The Explainer.

The point of the Explainers is to get to the point as fast as possible. There is a lot of text involved, but you can use the search function to get to just the part that answers your particular question. We know that some pictures or videos would be welcome in many of the listings (and some videos and blog posts with pictures are included in The Explainer section) but that getting just the right photo would slow the process down enormously. Updating info with the inevitable changes to products and product mixes is challenging enough.

Here is the complete list of our list of our Explainers which are also easily accessible through one of the main menu picks on our website.

Explaining with words also has made us more appreciative of explanatory signage. Here are some of our favorite signs from our showroom.


i(explain,9)

 The first spice rack is done. A little bit of sanding and then I can paint it. I made a road trip to Home Depot and Lowes this AM - moldings from HD and  New Zealand pine from Lowes. Neither place had the 1/2 round moldings I wanted. Lots of quarter round moldings in 3/8" and 1/2" though.

Lowes haul

I wanted to use poplar for this but neither Lowes or Home Depot had enough 1/2" thick poplar in stock. The NZ pine I got at Lowes was cheaper than 4/4 poplar. I was going to buy that and plane it to 1/2" thickness. 

too wide

I bought two different moldings for the spice rack I'm making for my daughter. However, both of them are wider than 1/2". The plan is to rip them down to thin the width. One molding cost $3.64 each and the other was $4 and small change.

who knew

I have never had any success using this to rout a profile. I whacked this one out like I had been doing it for 50+ years. BTW this half round profile is 3/8".

hmm.....

Pretty much satisfied with this. Width is good and the height is too. It looked good on the edges of the spice rack.

I need more practice

The left one was done first and the right one was second. Routing it wasn't the problem, it was sawing it out on the bandsaw.

learning curve

Made two more with the LN 66 just because I was doing so good. Found out that grain direction has to be paid attention to. Another thing I learned is no matter which direction or how light or firm of a touch, the LN 66 doesn't like squirrely grain. This tears out just as good as any handplane would on the same grain.

back stop rail

Glued and cooking. It was a bit awkward clamping it but I managed. Got a good line of squeeze out so I had sufficient pressure from end to end. Set it aside to cook for a few hours.

5/8 astragal

Went back to the astragal plane to make my 1/2 round moldings. It is quicker/easier to use this plane vice the LN 66 beader.

hmm.....

The left one is the size I'm going with. I made the bigger right one for comparison.

confirmation

It is a fit for the width but it is too high. I had to see it in situ to see it. The smaller one is scaled right for this spice rack. (IMO)

done

Four for the rails and two longer ones for the stiles. Plus one extra for an oops on the rails.

laid out for the next spice rack

I did this layout with a rule. Started at the bottom and worked my way to the left to the top. I think my daughter said she wanted the four shelf version. The store bought spice rack comes with 3 or 4 shelves. I'll check on that before I start.

hmmmm..................

It worked out fine when I stepped it off today. I didn't feel like I did anything different today that I had done yesterday????? Played around with the dividers stepping off from different starting points all with the same results. Hate it when I can't duplicate and figure out what I did wrong.

nope

I really thought that this is what I had done wrong but it wasn't. The shelf spacing was consistent but short. And I couldn't duplicate the short height middle shelf. I even laid out a 3 shelf version and nada. It is a complete mystery to me as to how I screwed up the layout with the dividers.

came today

These came from Lee Valley's Nevada warehouse. It is quicker getting an order from Canada. This should hold for a while on sleeves. Maybe when I have to order them again I won't have to deal with the tariff hiccups.

big hole

Missed this - I wanted it on the back but as usual I wasn't paying attention to it and it ended up on the front. The molding hides 99.99% - I filled it wood putty before I applied the moldings.

a first for me

Got the moldings applied to the stiles and rails - glue and pin nails. I put the miters together off the saw. I didn't trim, chisel, or plane any of them. I was surprised by how well the miters looked. I wasn't expecting them to close up as tight as they did right off the poor man's miter box.

done?

You can see the asymmetrical layout on the shelves. Personally I like asymmetrical but in this case it should have been equal spacing.

nope

Thought I was ready for paint but I ain't. I needed to fill in the pin nails with some putty. Decided to paint this and I'll give it away to my sister Kam. She told me that her kids gobble this stuff up and fight over what I give her.

accidental woodworker