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Making a tap guide for my lathe turret.
Of all the tools we manufacture the drafting rules are my favorite. I have one that I use everyday. It's the rule I use when I'm measuring something because of a customer query, if I'm trying to find the right stock to make a part, or if I have to part something off on a lathe to make sure it's the right length. Now the difference between a drafting rule and a regular rule is that the drafting rule has thin edge, which gets it close to the thing you are measuing or layout and and there is less parralax error. Ours version also has end grads, which is really handy for measuring short things when you simply don't have space for the entire length of the ruler. This is very handy when I am working on the lathe.

Starrett used to make a drafting rule, and I have one and that's where we got the idea that maybe we should reintroduce it. The Starrett drafting rule only had a bevel on one edge, ours has a cove which looks and feels nicer but more importantly it means if you press down on the one side of the ruler the other side lifts up and it's easier to pick it up.
So a few years ago we started making them. We discovered we had no idea what we were doing. When you mill the cove on one side the brass wants to buckle and the scrap rate was horrendous. So when we ran out of initial batch we stopped making them. About 2 years ago, we ordered material to make more of them, thinking we would do it better. But we gave up pretty quickly.
We still have the stock, and I have another idea about fixturing, but hustling to produces Gramercy Tools Treadle Lathes, I just haven't had the time to figure out if we have a good path. Maybe next year if I have time. However, we found a very small number of English rulers (8) buried in the warehouse that we didn't know we had, along with two English / metric (2) rules. We just put them up for sale now. If you've been jonesing for one now is your chance. Click here.

In other news this past weekend I once again visited the Poster House Museum to see there awesome exhibit "The Future Was Then: The Changing Face of Fascist Italy". This was eyeopening to me as I never really understood much about Fascist Italy before WW2.




PS

 Two days in a row with an appointment but at least this time I knew I had this one. It was PT to help me with my right hip - I can't lift my right leg upwards from a seating position. However, it screwed up not only my shop time, it set back my post lunch stroll. All and all it worked to my advantage. Started applying shellac and all the drama with the strolling and the appointment wasn't so bad.

one more day

I got 4 coats on the toolbox and the till (includes post dinners application too). The lid is drying on the tablesaw. Two more days at the most and I'll be snapping glamour pics of it.

accidental woodworker 

Almost made it and I would have too. But, a monkey wrench got throw into the gears today. I use a desk flip calendar as my planner and when I flipped today over an appointment for orthopedics popped up. It really screwed up my agenda for today big time. I would have gotten the toolbox done today but that didn't happen boys and girls but maybe tomorrow......

hmm.....

The spacer strip I glued at the top was proud of the notch for the strap. A minor hiccup fixed lickety split with a few strokes of a chisel. As an aside, I believe chisels, next to saws, are in the top 3 most useful woodworking tools.

dovetails won

If the till had been made with plywood I would have mitered it. Dovetails are a better choice for solid wood. I don't have good luck with solid wood miters holding together.

tails done

This is as far as I got before I had to leave for my doctor appointment. 

dry fit

It was a little looser than I wanted but it was still self supporting. I didn't reach under as much when I marked the pins off the tails.

happy face on

The till slid R/L without any problems. The sliding action wasn't sloppy and it didn't bind anywhere along the length of travel.

flushing the bottom

No twist when I checked but 2 of the corners were proud. Before I ran the groove for the bottom I had to flush it up.

major brain fart

I had looked at my reference labels and when I sawed the groove instead of placing them down, I left them up facing me. Sigh. Flipped them and sawed the groove correctly.

last one

Sawed a couple 1/8" thick strips to fill in the errant grooves. Got a snug fit and it looked pretty good when I planed them flushed.

ta da

The woodworking is done or at least I thought it was done here. Close but no cigar yet.

last one

Had to fill in four holes left from the plowing the grooves.

insurance

Added three #10 x 1" brass wood screws. ACE only had round head, slotted screws so I had to file the center one down flush to the top of the handle.

came this close

This is the last of the woodworking and I still have the other end to sand. As far as I know this is it. After the other end is sanded, I can start slapping on shellac.

accidental woodworker 

sigh....

This paint is sold as a 'one coat coverage' paint. I have tried every trick I learned about painting and I have yet to achieve said 'one coat coverage'. I tried a bazillion different brushes and nada. The only thing I found that worked was to flood the wood and push the paint around with a palette knife leaving a heavy thickness on the wood. On a brighter note, I got the coverage I needed with one primer and two top coats.

rounding the front edge

Quicker, easier, and a whole lot quieter than using an electric router. And it doesn't take that much longer neither.

clearance

Wish this was a wee bit more but it clears the handle. There isn't anything I could do increase it so I'll live with it.

this works

Notched the front and attached the leather strap to the underside of the lid. This will clear the lid and hold it shut. 

bonus

The strap clears the handle and once on the other side it holds the lid open.

everything fits

My 24" level fits too. I could pick up the toolbox (with these planes and the level) with one hand but it was heavy. The handle held - I didn't see any flexing or movement it in when I picked it up which was encouraging. I think when this toolbox is packed it might be a two handed transport.

hmm.....

I was going to start snapping the glamour pics but I changed my mind. There was one more step before I did that.

scratching the bald spot

I want a sliding till. Something shallow that will hold the little things like tapes, pencils, marking gauges, etc etc etc.. Once that is whacked out, then it will be done.

bearers

Wish I hadn't shitcanned all my scraps. The bearers aren't equal but that works in my favor. The larger one will be placed against the side with the hinges. The slight protrusion of the hinges will eat up some of the bearer real estate and the larger bearer will compensate for that.

helpers

These two will keep the bearers at the same point down from the top regardless of the differences between the two.

my opinion

I got these 3 rules because they are the same style that Paul Sellers uses. They are both imperial and metric and I've had them for several years. But I can't get my head wrapped around them. They are visually busy and crowded. I especially have problems with the graduations on the imperial scale. I like 8ths and 16ths and I don't see the necessity of 32nds and 64ths in woodworking. I tried to use the 18" scale to layout the screws on the bearers and gave up. I used my wooden rules laid out in 8ths and 16ths to do it.

no glue

Just screws just in case I change my mind or if I need to repair/replace it.

what to call this?

These two pieces of pine are a wee bit thicker than the hinge plates. That will allow the till to slide past the hinges without binding or rubbing on them.

dumb founded

My wife finally saw and came over to look at this. She asked me who it was for and I said it was for Amanda or her sister Bonnie, who ever wanted it. She said she wanted it which floored me. If you held a gun to my head I would have never said she wanted this or even liked it. I don't know where is going to put it but that is her problem.

hmm......

The opening is tapered. It is wide on the right and it thins a 16th going to the left. There is plenty of room on the bearers to account for tapered wiggle room.

shutters are done

Got the final coat on the back this morning. They will rest here and tomorrow I'll hang them.

till stock

The stock is 1/2" thick but I'm thinking of thinning it down to 3/8". I'll make the command decision in the AM or PM.

sizing the ID

I want the till to be large enough to hold a 12" rule. The height will be 2" roughly - the bearers are set down 2 1/8". Next up is dovetails or miters along with how the bottom panel will be installed? I can figure that out with sweet dreams overnight.

accidental woodworker

Here are the angle gauges that I use for the method discussed in the previous post.  The size for all is about 4 1/2” long, 1 1/2” wide, and 1/2” thick  and made from cherry or African mahogany. They about 10 to 20 years old.  The sharpening angle goes back about 1” for all the […]

 Out in the autumn sun, to trim the pegs, and tie in the rails carving to the stiles carving.

 

not looking good

Got the other side primed after dinner and first thing in the AM, I got the first top coat on the back side. Based on the primer coat and what I saw after the first top coat, it is going to take a minimum of two coats.

got fooled

Going on the top coat looked promising. Twenty minutes after applying it I could see the primer coat peeking through. 

toolbox lid

Been in the clamps for two days and no surprises when I unclamped it.

not flush

Used the chisel to scrape off some glue squeeze out. The piece I glued on wasn't flush anywhere along the length on both sides.

done

Flushed on both sides in less than 3 minutes.

flushed on the ends

 I realized that I have been spelling the name of this saw. It is a Ryoba, not Ryobi. That aside I used the Ryoba to flush the ends of the glued on piece. I find this saw is better at sawing off thin slivers vice a western saw. Smoothed the saw cuts with the low angle blockplane.

parallel

Marked the ends of the lid parallel to the ends of the toolbox. The toolbox isn't square across the ends at the top on this side. It is also not straight and square across the long sides R to L. Wee bit of a headache fitting things and it reminds me of when I first started out going down this rabbit hole. Been a while since I've had to deal with something this far out of whack.

tapered

I eyeballed marking the parallel and planed down to and removed the pencil line.

left side

Happy with how this looks - much better than the before one. This gap is now even from front to back.

right side

Right side looking just as good as the left. Now I'll have to deal with the non OCD gap. This will allow all kinds of garbage to fall past it into the bottom.

screwed only

I'm not sure that I will stick with this. It cuts off light sneaking past the gaps and it is a resting place for any debris. But I can't think of another way to deal with it.

it fits

The gap is a frog hair less than a 1/8". I checked Lee Valley where I got these hinges and they don't sell any other, only 3/4". I'm not waiting for the strap hinges and instead I'm using these.

hmm.....

I had been thinking about the best way to install these hinges. It is important that the back edge of the lid be flush with the back of the toolbox. The lid swing arc is tight and it is based on these two being flush.

superglue to the rescue

This worked on the first attempt. The lid barely cleared the handle - I'll round over the top edge of the lid to open up some clearance there. When the lid was fully opened the hinges let go of the bond. Put some more glue on the hinges and left them clamped. I'll check on them after dinner. 

accidental woodworker 

Veritas released their new saw set: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/118411-veritas-saw-set

 I had the chance to test a prototype earlier this year. First impression: 

Wonderfully made tool. 

 Smooth comfortable handle. 

Clear view on the teeth. 

Wide flats to rest on many teeth. 

Extrem slim hammer, to meet the tiniest teeth. 

An anvil adjustment with letters, not numbers. No more confusion.

Any downside? Not really. The set weights double or more than the Stanley 42x, wich it was mostly inspired by. And I have the same problem as I have with the Stanley 42x: I cannot set blades in my saw vise, because the handle and the vise need the same space.  

 

 

 

   

Throughout this whole process of repairing the north side of our house, something that had been nagging me was the tilt of the building. The level and direction of tilt varies a bit throughout the building, and it’s most pronounced on the north side. So, before closing up the walls I decided to see if… Read More »Tomobe – North Side Plastering

The post Tomobe – North Side Plastering appeared first on Big Sand Woodworking.

In answer to Joe Leonetti’s request for more information on working it with hand tools, I can say mesquite is more predictably unpredictable and then unpredictably predictable than most any wood. There is nothing in any way uniform or straight-grained about this remarkable wood and there is no doubt that it is a thousand times...

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I didn't get much done in the shop on either the toolbox or the glass door cabinet. Errands to run in the AM, 2 hour post lunch stroll, and house work in the afternoon. That felt good because it was actually something that I finished. I have one more thing to finish but no one but the wife and I will know when that will happened.

I like these hinges

These hinges are designed for 3/4" stock and the sides are roughly 5/8". Not a deal killer - a thin piece of veneer will make up any shortfall. Still clueless on where or even who I ordered the strap hinges from. I'll have the same headache with them too - they are meant for use on 3/4" thick stock.

nope

I sawed off the front of the lid. As much as I liked it I knew it wouldn't last. In one day it had already suffered two big chips in the toe. This pine isn't working because the far end dog legs. It is straight and flat until about the 3/4 point where it twists to the left and slightly upward.

better match

The dog leg board was quarter sawn and this one is flat sawn like the lid is. It isn't a color/grain match but it is a better match than the quarter sawn one.

found a use

My small japanese tool boxes have a purpose now. I have four boxes of nails that I can fill them with.

what's inside

Super glued one of the nails to the lid to ID what is inside.

last set of shutters

My wife is/was hesitating about painting these. Rather than wait for her to do, I decided to whack it out. Step one was super gluing all the brown knots including the faces. There is one red knot on one shutter and it is on a side edge. Red knots will bleed through paint but since this one is on the side I'm leaving it unsealed. If and when it bleeds through it won't be noticeable.

primer

I doubt that I will get away with a primer and top coat. I'm betting the odds highly favor at least two top coats. After dinner I plan on returning to the shop to prime the opposite face. Tomorrow I'll try my hardest to get both sides top coated. Any  takers on the odds?

accidental woodworker

 Just a few photos for you................

When we hand sharpen a tool, such as a chisel or plane blade, it must be accurately and consistently held at the desired angle to the stone. Most woodworkers and most teachings use an angle holder. With some exceptions such as tiny or odd blades, I generally do not. I do have a metal gauge […]

Recently my brother and his wife were visiting, and their routine included a long evening walk.  One of the walks was in the aftermath of an early evening rain, with this being the result.

In the 1988 movie Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder, as Lydia, professes her strangeness with quiet self-assurance: “I myself am strange and unusual.” About a year ago I was asked to incorporate that line into a piece, and the idea developed in … Continue reading →

 Pedderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692353908068506678noreply@blogger.com0

out of the clamps

Looks good but it is rocking a lot.

confirmation

Front left and the back right are high - the sticks show 1 1/2 lines out of whack.

box miters

This is the best looking mitered box that I can remember doing. Miters are flush along the toes and at the top and bottom. It laid flat on the workbench with no rocking.

flushing the tenons

The tenons didn't swell when glued and close up as tight as I expected them to. They have acceptable  gaps that I can live with.

wavering again

I had kind of decided on overlay sides last night and I was still driving on that road when I came to the shop. Now that it is time to put the pedal to the metal, I'm questioning myself again. Looking at the inset on the right and the overlay on the left, I decided to go with inset sides. I don't like the end grain look on the overlay. The inset side is cleaner looking and I can accept the 1 1/2" loss of interior space.

another choice

If I put the keepers in the bottom they would have been 3" wide. Keepers in the lid are only an inch wide. Of the two I prefer have them in the bottom but I didn't want to make 3" keepers - I could have made 3 sets of keepers for the lid with them.

first one done

Scribed and planed to the pencil lines. The left side was square and the right side was out of square - the end leaned in a wee bit. The fit is snug and self supporting but there a sliver of a gap. I clamped it and that did nothing for closing it up. I'll live with it.

left side

This is what I wanted to be on the right side but I'll take one out of two.

much better

Opposite side and gapless this time. I left the pencil line this time and that paid off. On the other side I planed it away leaving just a hint of it.

left side

This side is square between the end the bottom. No gaps. I thought of redoing the other side with the teeny gap but nixed it. I didn't want to use another board out of my Gurney sawmill stash.

helping hand

I put 4 Miller Dowels in both ends to reinforce the bottom/end connections.

Container Store haul

The small plastic boxes are no more - haven't been sold for several years. One of the reps there found these for me. They are stackable and twist lock into each other. The glazier points in the pkg above the mouse will go in one of the smaller ones. The others I'll toss into my junk drawer.

nope

Lid doesn't fit in either orientation. It is an almost fit so a little work with 100 grit sandpaper (because it was on the workbench) loosened the fit.

done

A couple minutes work and it fit - snug and only in this orientation. A few more calories and the lid fit both ways.

laying flat

No rocking, not even a teeny bit. No finish as of this typing but that is subject to change.

hmm......

The board had a bit of twist and a cup to it. The original plan was to flatten the outside face and leave the interior face as is. It didn't work because I couldn't get the outside face flush with the ends and the bottom. The inside face which I had flattened was supposed to be the outside face but it had to face the inside due to the scribed and planed end. I had to flatten both faces but I didn't go nutso trying to make the faces dead nuts parallel.

just screws

Went back and forth on glue and screws and decided on just screws. I put five in the bottom and 4 in each end.

fitting the lid

Should I leave it overhanging a wee bit? 

no overhang

This is the clearance I have with the lid opened. With the overhang it wouldn't clear the handle.

potential hiccup

I planed the front edge of the lid to match the slope of the ends. I'm not sure the toe of the lid won't fracture and chip as is. I am thinking now of ripping off the angle and gluing on a new edge piece. Another hiccup is the clasp for the lid - will it clear the handle when the lid is opened?

The strap hinges I ordered didn't come on monday. I deleted the confirmation email so I don't have a way to check on it. Maybe it is coming this monday? I'm already thinking of alternative hinges just in case.

accidental woodworker  

The gift notion of my possibly becoming a maker came to me in 1963; it’s taken a lifetime to achieve my ambition. Of course, that does not mean that it is only achieved late in life. It simply means that the journey had the power and dynamism to start it, to begin the journey, and...

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And here we have it; the completed bass!

Thanks for watching, cheers Gary