General Woodworking

hmm.......

This back doo dad thing needs to be secured now. There isn't any way for me to clamp it after the top is secured. And speaking of the top, it is going to be tricky to do. I will have to place the carcass on the top upside down so I can screw the table top clips. The doo dad thing is going to be a PITA then.

centered

I got the top, the doo dad thing, and the carcass aligned on the center. The overhangs are less then a 16th off. I thought I would have trouble getting an even overhang because the the top was out of square. It looks good to the eye and no one is going to measure it.

 

hmm......

I have cleaned up glue squeeze out a bazillion different ways. A toothbrush, hands down, has been the easiest and cleanest way to remove it. I've had toothbrushes in the shop for years and never used them. I saw a japanese You Tube woodworker using a toothbrush to clean up squeeze out. I won't be using a rag and a putty knife to clean it anymore.

cooked for 3 hours

Probably wouldn't have mattered but I planed the doo dad thing flush with the back edge of the top. 

overkill

I used 5/8" pin nails to temporarily hold the top while I screwed it. Two of the pin nails were proud and I hammered them flush. I'm not going to bother with setting and filling them. Who (besides me) looks at the inside front of a drawer?

hmm.......

Missed filling in two. I filled in the back and the opposite side yesterday and missed these two.

snug fit

I sawed a piece of the same wood as the drawer box. Used a chisel to shape it to fit the hole. When the drawer is opened now you won't see any holes.

another oops

The end grain on the ends was coarse and rough to the touch. This would look like crappola with shellac on it. Sanded the ends from 80 to 180. My 220 sanding sticks need fresh sandpaper.

slight gap at the bottom

The gap was a lot bigger. I had loosed the screws on the inside at this end and clamped the drawer front to the drawer box. Tightened the screws again but I didn't get it all. I did manage to get the opposite flat and tight. There is a slight cup to the drawer front that wasn't there yesterday.

branded

I like to apply the brand to a fixed, non removable part of anything I make. The top is removable as is the drawer and shelves.

for tomorrow

I had a little over 3 ounces of flakes so I mixed up a 1 lb cut. I'll have to put on a lot of coats to build it up. I have pound on order.

hmm.......

The end grain chamfer is a little rough. I was expecting this to be smooth coming off the router. I felt it when I playing around with the doo dad thing.

done

I didn't need to go through all the grits. 150 and 180 made it baby butt smooth. I did the three shelves also. Now I think I'm done with the woodworking.

canned shellac

The left can is almost empty but the right is full. I intend to use the spray shellac on the vertical slats. If it is sunny in the AM I will try to get 4-5 coats on them before the lunch bell rings.

accidental woodworker

Sandusky Tool Co. was in business from 1869 to the mid- or late-1920's.  I used to think it was named for a person, but it was named for the city in which it was located, Sandusky, OH (about 50 miles west of Cleveland).  This rabbet plane started life as a 3/4" wide plane.  It was a little shy of that when I got it, but it's thinner now after I had to plane one side a bit to get it back in shape.

Sandusky 3/4" Rabbet

The logo on the toe.  Looks like it also has a "146".

On the heel: I think this originally read "3/4"

Thanks to the Internet Archive, I could find a 1925 Sandusky catalog, and there was a #146 skew rabbet plane shown.  The 3/4" size sold for a whopping $1.40, though that was probably a lot in 1925 dollars.

The plane needed some truing up.  The sole was not flat - it was a bit high just behind the mouth.  And the right side was twisted such that behind the mouth, the plane body stuck out about 2 mm more than it did ahead of the mouth.

High spot on the sole behind the mouth

You can see by eye how much higher the body was by my finger than it was ahead of the mouth.

I planed the sole and right side flat and square to each other.  I did these things with the iron installed, but safely out of the way of my bench plane iron.  With the iron and wedge installed and tightened, a check of flatness on the sole gave a different result than when the iron was out of the plane.  I didn't bother truing up the left side of the plane.  That doesn't make any difference in how I'll ever use it.

Sole and right side square to each other

For the iron, I ground a new bevel and ground a little of the right side so it would sit in the plane right.  When set up as I've read it should be, the right side of the iron should sit proud of the plane body by a few thousandths of an inch.  I went though a few iterations of grinding and fitting in the plane until I was happy with how it looked.

I also noticed during these fitting steps that the iron's bed (back wall of the mortise) had a step that didn't allow the tang to move right of center.  So I fixed that with a chisel.  Fortunately that didn't affect the fit of the wedge, though I might still mess with that a bit.

After sharpening and honing the iron, I made test cuts in pine and oak.  Both came out good, though it's always a challenge to get an unfenced rabbet plane started.  I prefer to cut the rabbet a little shy of the width line, then clean up with sideways cuts to the line.

Cutting a 1/2" x 1/2" rabbet in pine

Cleaning up the side wall, pulling the plane back toward the camera

I think this will be a nice plane.  It's practically perfectly quartersawn and the grain patterns on the sides are beautiful.

Update: I've used the plane a few times now and it's a real winner!  It outperforms a homemade 3/4" straight-across-iron rabbet plane that I made long ago.  The skewed iron really makes a nice difference.

Bill Anderson shows how to Identify Antique Molding Planes to Discover Rarity and Historical Significance Affiliate Disclosure: When you purchase through certain links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission, at no cost to you. Learn more.

last one

What a PITA installing the back screws on the bearers. I hope that the next time I make one I'll remember this hiccup.

hmm......

Replacement shelf fitted. No more gaps at the front/rear between the legs.

another sneak peek

I sawed another shelf and the top first thing this AM.  This is the new shelf fitted along with the top dry fitted. I didn't feel like screwing the other bearers on to see what all the shelves looked like. This was good enough to give me a sense for the overall look.

Lowes run

Laid 1/4" spacing on all four sides and attached the drawer front with pin nails. I was happy with the fit of it and secured it with six 3/4" #6 FH screws.

still catching

With the drawer front applied the drawer is catching again. The bottom edge of the drawer box was catching on the top forward edge of the bottom rail. I rounded it over removing the arris - it helped but it was still catching. I don't know what else I can do to stop it so I'm leaving it as is.

last one

Planed the top and the 3 shelves smooth. The step for the final prep is to sand the end grain edges - 80 grit up to 220.

routed the chamfers

Routed a chamfer on the drawer front first. The top and the three shelves I chamfered just the sides and the front. Left the back squared off.

had to check the look

I like the look of the chamfer. Readily evident at the front and not so much on the sides. At the back from 4 feet away I couldn't tell you if it was chamfered or squared off still.

I was hoping to get this fully prepped today and ready to apply shellac. That didn't happen boys and girls. The shelves and the top are ready for shellac but the carcass needs the arris knocked back on the legs and the slats. But I think the all the woodworking is done. I'll have to screw the table clips and the shelves but that is a minor operation. 

I had to quit early because tomorrow is garbage day and I had to saw up some branches. They won't take anything that is longer then 3 feet. I had to drag two 33 gallon shitcans full of yard waste out to the curb. That was a chore. What should have taken 3 minutes got stretched out to 20. The shortness of breath is getting worse. I had to stop and rest several times bringing them curbside. Maybe I'll sleep good tonight because I'm feeling dead tired as I type this blog post.

accidental woodworker

The view from our booth

I don't have much of a blog this week because I've been busy preparing for Handworks. Handworks is the best hand tool show in the world. The show is held in Amana Colonies, Iowa, next Friday, Sept. 4th, and Saturday, Sept. 5th, 10am - 5pm both days. Admission is free. Here are some pictures from the last one - in 2023. We showed off our prototype folding treadle lathe at the last Handworks, and this year we'll have lathes for sale, along with lots of other stuff. The real attraction for us, however, is getting a chance to meet in person so many people who have supported us over the years. It's wonderful to see the energy behind hand tool woodworking. People have a great time.

So this past week we have been putting things in boxes and putting the boxes on pallets. I'll be representing TFWW at this year's show along with Alyson, whom many of you have spoken with on the phone or in person.

You can get a sense of the influence and excitement Handwork generates with the following story. A customer came in this week mostly to buy Festool, but he also loves hand tools. At the spur of the moment he decided to go to the show and began looking at plane tickets. I'm hoping that many of you reading this post can indeed find attendance worth the airfare, long drive, etc. Friday is usually mobbed; Saturday is a little mellower - but a great time is had by all.

The reason that all the pictures except one are from the Festhalle Barn, where are booth is, is that being a vendor, unfortunately, I never get a chance to see the show and rarely leave the barn. If I grab you by the shoulders and ask you keep an eye on the booth for a little while - it's because we need a break.

Roy Underhill doing the keynote speech. This year it's Chris
Alan Dorsey explaining what's going on with the treadle lathe
Pat Leach's booth of vintage tools which was across the aisle
Awesome display of miniature tools by Paul Hamler
Demo rasps and saws at our booth
The one time I got outside at saw stuff in the tent

 

half laps done

The shelf bearers fit perfectly F/B. These were on the to do list for today. Spoiler alert - got to them in the PM session.

can't see it

Got lucky that the errant groove is the front of the drawer. I hadn't tried to match it for grain/color but I stumbled into it. It took me a while before I could pick it out.

fitting the drawer

It is a snug fit on the height and no go on the R/L. This is ground zero and I'll have to account for the drawer opening being out of square.

drawer planing set up

The clamp on the left (by the coffee cup) keeps the drawer tight to the workbench edge and from lifting up. The 5 1/2 tends to lift up the back end as I planed forward. 

knocking down the top

I got the side to side partially fitted but the top needs to be dropped down a few more frog hairs. There is only a paper width of clearance and I want at a minimum a 32nd.

hmm......

I thought I had the side to side but I was wrong. It is hanging up before the 1/2 way point.

one step forward, one step back

At this point I had already planed the top edge 3 times. There some clearance but the drawer while being pushed in was binding and being uncooperative. However, I like the process of planing, checking, and fitting. One important thing I have learned is to resist the urge to take one more swipe. That is the difference between a smooth in/out and a sloppy, binding, hesitant in/out.

wee bit more than 1/2

The first half is smooth but the back corners of the drawer are up tight on the side rails. There is clearance at the front so I only have to plane in about a 1/3 from the back of the drawer. This is because of the out of square hiccup.

done

Drawer slides in/out easily and smoothly. There is no annoying shifting and binding as the drawer goes in/out.

top needs more love

Although the drawer is moving in/out ok there still is barely more than a paper thickness of clearance. I almost went nutso on this but caught myself and calmed down. I made four passes and I was happy with the gap I had at the front between the drawer top and the top drawer rail.

hmm.......

The arris on the back was catching on the bottom drawer rail as the drawer was pushed it. Planed and sanded the arris off and all was well in Disneyland again.

hmm........

Due to the out square hiccup, the drawer front needs a little more love. I want the applied drawer front to lay flat against the legs and the rails. I will have to plane off a taper that is about a 16th at the widest point.

fixed

I got some tear out planing the taper but not a problem, It will never be seen again once the drawer front is secured to the drawer box.

nope

This was going to be the drawer tilt doo dad but not anymore. Centered on the back means there is a conflict between it and the table top clip slot.

the work around

Going with two tilt doo dads positioned between the table top clips. I am going to screw these to the underside of the top. The front to back length is about 1/4" short which is for expansion. That gap will be placed at the drawer front.

hmm......

Forgot that I had these - hide glue brushes. I had wanted to buy more of them but the French company stopped making them. Found these while working on my bar clamps.

came yesterday

I couldn't find the little tubes of this so I bought these - the cheapest price I saw. I also two more clamps, I have 14 of them not 12. The bars I got from my old work in the attic. These were the hangers for the fluorescent lighting circa 1958. The bars are thick walled and heavy, perfect for clamps. Now I don't have to deal with the clamping heads rotating as I use them. 

ok

Drilled a pilot hole in the bottom of the shelf bearers. Checking to make sure that the screws aren't too long.

finally

Trying to get the screw in the back of the shelf bearer was a miserable job. I tried a bazillion different methods and the vise grips got the Kewpie doll prize. It was still slow going due to the space constraints I had to deal with. Glad that I only have four of these to do.

the goodie parade

The big problem with the back screw, other then the lack of space, was I couldn't get a pilot hole for the screw. I'm securing the bearers with brass #8 round head screws and they suck for trying to screw into wood without a pilot hole. So what I did was to vise grip a #8 sheet metal screw to make the pilot hole for the brass one. Worked fine on the first two but it was slow going.

sneak peek

Got the shelf bearers for the top shelf done. I will remove the bearers and the shelves before I slap on the shellac. It would be a ROYAL PITA to do that with all the shelves/bearers in place.

nope

I wasn't getting a warm and fuzzy with this shelf. The gap on the left was noticeably wider than the right. This part of the carcass is relatively square when I checked it. The top is off 3/16 and this space is a strong 16th off.

better

The vertical slats aren't in line with the inside edge of the legs and that was throwing me off a lot. I got the shelf to be snug at the front between the legs and the same for the back. I had to plane the outside edges at the back a little to get the shelf to fit properly.

happy with the fit and look

I am going to chamfer the edges of the shelf. Thinking of just doing the front and sides and leaving the back squared off. Plenty of time to figure that out. 

Tomorrow I'll finish the shelves and make the top. The drawer front I'm thinking will be 1/2" poplar. Lowes has 1/2" poplar and a 1x4 would be perfect. The drawer opening is 3" and a 3 1/2" wide poplar board would span the opening by a 1/4" on all sides,

accidental woodworker

Plow plane to cut beads Completed Profile

Before I talk about carving just a brief explanation of how I create my closed corner frames. They begin with 5/4, rough Basswood. Most of the time I use what I call my 15° profile so it will accommodate a stretched canvas. I lucked out on this piece of Basswood, it was actually 6/4 so my 15° profile method wasn’t needed to fit the canvas. If you’re unfamiliar with that method and are interested in it here’s a LINK to that post. After the machine work is completed I always use my bronze smooth plane to eliminate any marks left by the planer. For this profile 3/16″ beads were plowed to leave a 2″ wide area for the carving. Sight edge has a slight chamfer and is rabbeted to accept the canvas. Once the profile is complete the profile is mitered and assembled using biscuits. Frames are glued and clamped and allowed to dry overnight before any other work begins.

Left & Right Chisels Used Noting Chisels used on Frame

This may seem like overkill and I don’t always find the need to do it. Since there are 4 corners and 8 hopefully similar designs it’s very easy to get confused and …. one wrong chisel cut is all it takes to mess things up! To me it’s worth the time to at least flip the pattern in a Pages program so that I have a left and right to look at, believe me; when you are bent over the bench and it’s 105° in the shop the mind gets a bit fuzzy. Sometimes I’ll write notes on the wood too. After I’ve done two of the corners most of it is in my memory but still; better safe than sorry! Without a doubt, there are some minor mistakes you make that are easy to conceal but in my experience these precautions save time and possible confusion in the long run.

Initial Outlining of Design Initial grounding out with #2/5

The way I prefer to carve is to first outline the design with the appropriate chisel. I use a a small, 11oz. brass mallet for that initial outline. That is followed up by grounding the design out, generally I only use a #2/5 and start 1/4″ +/- from the outline. Next the chisels are used to outline again but this time only with hand pressure, going all the way around the design. On the second round of grounding out I’ll use the widest #2 , #3, or whatever will work to get the area around the design about 1/8″ deep. The reason I prefer my outlining technique over using a V-chisel is the limited space and grain changes especially by the miter. For me it’s too easy to slip with the V-chisel in tight areas, especially between leaves. Keep in mind that a picture frame; unlike carving a piece of wood that can be repositioned to accommodate grain direction, can only be accessed from the outside edge of the frame.

There’s a lot of wood that needs to be removed at the miter so using the widest chisel that fits is a wise choice. Small fishtail chisels and spoons are helpful as well. I try to get an all around depth of 1/8″. The areas between leaves require small tools, one of my favorites for that is a small Pfeil spoon gauge #2a/3 which allows me to almost “pluck” the insides out after they’re outlined. Chiseling is followed by lightly sanding with 220 grit paper. The leaves and stems are modeled, separated , etc. until I’m satisfied with the overall look of the frame. Wood is a living thing and subject to changes in how it works, cuts, smooths, etc. More often than I’d like to think it’ll happen that one side of the miter works like butter and the other side feels like it’s made of granite!

Sweet Sunshine by Diane Eugster

Here is the completed work. The painting is oil on stretched canvas and measures 20″ x 20″. For the finish I used Real Milk Paint from RMP Finishes. It’s a product I’ve been using for quite some time and I really like it. This is their Arabian Black topcoated with dewaxed Platinum shellac. What I like about it is that it comes in a powder so there’s no waste. Two ounces of powder, mixed with water is plenty for a frame of this size. I apply it with a foam brush and use Mirlon 1500 and 2500 pads between coats to smooth it out. The shellac is sprayed on with a mini airbrush from NoName this little gun will put down a 3″ wide pattern so is perfect for my frames. I allow the shellac to fully cure for about a week and then use a short, stipple brush and rottenstone to reduce the natural gloss of the shellac. The final step is an application of Liberon Black Bison neutral wax.

I realize this got a little bit long winded (no surprise!) but if you were able to get some information from it I’d appreciate hearing from you. Many times I’ve mentioned how my blogs serve to continue my teaching career and sharing but also to remind myself down the road the many ways I’ve conquered a challenge in my woodworking — John

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Festool’s Y-Adapter is designed to allow you to connect two hoss to a dust extractor. The long neck provides the necessary clearance for it to work with their compact CT MINI, CT MIDI, and CT15 dust extractors which have ports inside the hose garage. However, that long neck makes it stick out a lot from the front of any other dust extractor, including their CT SYS, CTC SYS, CT 26, 36, and 48 models. Made of a single piece of antistatic plastic, it is not adjustable in any way.

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 The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. There isn't much left to do on the honey can you project. I just have to finish the drawer, put on the top and the three shelves and I'll be done. A couple of days to slap on some shellac and I can be oohing and aahing maybe this coming weekend.

drawer stock

Got a snug fit on the height and the R/L. I didn't have to be so fussy with this because I am applying the drawer front to the drawer box.

last one

Went together directly off the saw, no trimming necessary. 

flushing the bottom

Before I could do the grooves for the bottom, the bottom had to be flushed and straightened out.

oops

Got the bottom fitted and saw a boo boo. I brain farted when I sawed the grooves for the bottom. I don't know if this is the back/front of the drawer or not. If it is I'll put this at the front.

the fix

I used one of the off cuts from the drawers to fill the groove. This isn't the first time I've been to this rodeo.

drawer runners

These will be screwed on only, no glue. These are a high wear item and just being screwed will make it easier to replace them.

double checking

The drawer runners are square and straight to the front leg and bottom drawer rail.

hmm........

The shelf bearers got thrown a curve ball. The inside edge of the front leg isn't in line with the inside face of the back leg. This will make the shelf bearers a wee bit interesting to do.

test bearer

I had an extra bearer and used it check that my layout was correct. It is looking like I won't be able to center a screw at the back but I'll find out for sure when do it.

I am going to change the shelf spacing because it will no longer be adjustable. I had played with it briefly but nothing is carved in stone yet. I'll do the final spacing when I have the two middle shelves to play with.

the front edge

This looks a bit softer than leaving it squared off. This may get rounded in the final iteration. Depends on which compass point the wind is blowing from.

for the AM

Got the angle done on the bearers and in the AM I'll do the half lap for the back end. Three shelves and the top are on the A list for the AM too.

accidental woodworker 

 The last word! The Nava New Model mandolin and its happy owner!

Cheers Gary

 

sigh

As I was eyeballing this I saw two gaps that I know weren't there on the dry fit up. Way too late for an immediate fix now.

ugh and double drats

The bottom shoulder is tight but there is a 1/8" gap on the top one. How? Maybe it has something to do with the top being 3/16" out of square?

right side

There isn't a gap on the right. The 'gap' is actually the pencil layout line. The teeny gap here I would call borderline acceptable.

drilling jig

The plan was to use two adjustable shelves. I had initially planned for two shelves to be 10 1/2" apart. These shelves will be11 1/4". I glued two pieces of 1/2" thick plywood together and after it has cooked I'll drill the holes.

nope

I was going to make the drawer box out of 3/4" poplar but nixed it. That is too thick IMO so I'm using 1/2" thick New Zealand pine that I've had in the shop for a couple of years. I will apply the drawer front to the box which will be 3/4" poplar. I'm going with an overlay drawer front, not an inset one.

yikes

There isn't any room to drill holes on the back legs. There also isn't any room for the back of the shelf neither - the slats are in the way. Change one upcoming.

done

I chopped three slots for the table top clips. I forgot to do them with the router before I glued it up.

top drawer rail

I put a one inch #6 screw into each tail on the top drawer rail. I will attach the top to this rail with a couple of screws. The screws will beef up the rail and strengthen it against the pull of the top. Glued in a shim to close up an ugly looking gap on the left tail.

bearers

The bottom shelf will be fixed and secured to the bearers. One each on the four sides.

hmm......

The heads on these clamps will not stay tight. It is annoying when using them and the head flops around. I have 12 of them I'll try red loctite on each of them. Spoiler alert - ran out of Red Loctite, more on order.

happy face on

The left end of the bottom rail which had the big 1/8" gap. I had to stare intently at it at the distance I shot the pic and had trouble finding it.

ditto

The left side looks just as good. I can't say the same for the top rail gaps. I filled them with the long grain shims facing out. At least 2 of the 4 came out ok.

accidental woodworker 

last chance

Eyeballed the sides for a while before the glue up. I was thinking about what to do next and if gluing the carcass up would interfere with that. I couldn't think of anything but I went topside for a coffee break first.

Lowes run

Decided to add pocket screws to the front and back, top/bottom rails to strengthen them. I was a little shocked at the cost - this haul was $49. Cheaper options were available on Amazon but I didn't want to wait for it to come from them.

instructions

The instructions are clear and a little confusing at the same time. There is no indication for 1" stock. It jumps from 3/4" to 1 1/2". I was putting the  pocket screws in 1" thick stock. I had to play with it on a scrap of 1" thick stock to figure out how to set the drilling guide. It took me 5 tries before I got it.

step one

I glued the dowels in to each rail, each end first and let them cook for an hour. This should cut down the time needed to glue and clamp the carcass up later. Made the Lowes run while these dowels were cooking.

done

This step gave me the heebie jeebies. I must have double, triple checked myself continually a bazillion times. Didn't catch her but I drilled the pocket holes on the back top rail on the wrong face. Missed that there weren't any slots for the table top clips on the same face.

hmm.....

I did twenty bazillion checks of the connection before I drilled the pocket holes. I kept confusing myself because I was flipping the rail from one side connection to the other the wrong way. I finally sorted it out but delayed doing it. I went topside and filled the lunch pie hole.

update

I bought this glue bottle last year (?) and so far I'm happy with it. I thought the size would be a PITA to keep refilled but that hasn't been a headache at all. I next thought I would give it flying lessons because it dispensed glue through a tiny opening. Again, not a hiccup at all. I've found the amount of glue it dispenses actually worked in my favor. I  found out that I don't have rivers of glue squeeze out to deal with like I did with pint/quart Titebond dispensers (which clog shut regularly).

I had tried this bottle because I was tired of the other dispensers clogging shut. This one isn't perfect and it has clogged on me a couple of times. Clearing the clog was easy and it was due to me not cleaning the tip after each use. Even with this infrequent hiccup it performs 100% better then other dispensers I've tried.

yikes

I had clamped up the carcass and moving it around on the workbench the top back rail came off. I had to run a clamp from the bottom rail to the top to pull it back into alignment.

hello idiot

Not paying attention before doing the drilling. At least it is at the back and won't be seen. I had sawn out a1/8" thick piece of poplar to fill it but nixed it. 

clamped and cooking

I checked the diagonals on the inside of the top and they were off by 3/16". I checked it late and I couldn't fix it. I tried clamping across the long diagonal and nada - it didn't budge a frog hair.

next project

I'll need a box to stow the Kregg pocket screw jig. I will make it big enough to hold four boxes of screws - I'm missing the 1" & 2" sizes. I'll finish this maybe tomorrow but definitely some time next week. 

accidental woodworker 

nice feeling

My layout triangle is correct front and back and side to side. I have only been labeling my stuff this way for a few years and it has saved my bacon numerous times. The sides are solid with an inch of dowel spanning each leg/rail connection.

ain't working

This has been my go to scraper to cleave the back corners. I can't get it to go down anymore than this. Same headache on the left side too.

sigh

The front outside corner split when I chopped the pin socket. It was a clean split and I was able to slather glue along the entirety of it and clamp it. The dovetail is gappy but it is a snug fit. The top doesn't matter as it will be covered and I will add a nail or screw in the tail.

better

The right side came out better. Still a wee bit gappy but still snug fitting.

it fits

Got the back top rail fitted along with the top drawer rail. On the dry fit all looks well in Disneyland. I wanted to make sure that I got the baselines correct.

I wasn't going to.....

But I'm glad I did. This was going to be the bottom drawer rail but it is short by about a 1/2". Tossed this one and sawed another one.

it isn't short

I half lapped the ends and I checked the fit. The distance between the end of the rail and outside of the leg is a 1/4". That 1/4" is the notch that I'll chop in the inside edge of each leg.

half lap dovetail

I didn't saw the tail slopes because I couldn't get the saw started. Instead I did the slopes with a chisel. Checking and adjusting them ensuring the edge is square to the face.

right side

The top edge of the dovetail is flush with the outside edge of the leg. The dovetail was a wee bit too snug for the pin socket. A little trimming and fussing with the pin socket and I ended up with a gap free, snug fit.

came today

I had met Mike a few years back at tool meet. Nice guy, easy to talk to and makes woodworking look incredibly easy. I think I saw and touched this toolbox then too. I don't need another toolbox but I like this one and the plans are in the book.

hmm.......

The drawer height shrunk on me. I was, or thought I would have a 4" drawer but the opening is 3" now based on the positions of the drawer rails.

left side

The first step is to whack out the notch. Then set the rail in it and knife the tail on to the leg.

wash, rinse, repeat

Do the same for the right side. Took my time doing both and both notches fitted up tight. That was goal for this bottom rail. I wanted the joint to be a wee bit more than snug and gap free.

dry fitted

Extremely happy with the left side fit. This joint will be highly visible in the finished project and it gets a big check mark with a happy face emoji.

ditto

Both sides are read to shine. They are both a few frog hairs proud but I'll plane/sand them flush after it has been glued and cooked.

success

Got the entire carcass dry clamped with no headaches. All three of the rails on the front are aligned and square to the legs. The dimension at the top is less than a frog hair off from the bottom. I'm calling it good to go.

drat, and double drat

I have a gap at the front on the left and right side. I thought I had knifed the back of the tail short so the shoulders would be pulled in tight. It would appear that I brain farted and went in the wrong direction on that. 

Thought of making a new rail but I have never laid out tails from the pin socket. I'll make some poplar veneer and fill the gaps in with that. I'll also do an overhang at the front with the top putting the top rail in shadow helping to hide it some.

hmm......

I am going to have to extend the clip slot from the left end over another 1/4". As is it is too close to the front rail and won't allow for expansion and contraction to the top.

So far I'm not experiencing any chemo side effects. Fingers crossed that joy continues. My 3rd chemo cocktail is scheduled for the first of Sept. I'm still getting short of breath with the most mundane of tasks. I don't push it when it happens and I slow down until I am back up to speed. The only annoying hiccup is the coughing. It has increased and I'm having  continuing coughing fits that can run for several minutes.

Some of them I hack up phlegm but most of them are dry. I also seem to cough without anything productive being done. I don't get any warning nor do I know how long I will try to hack parts of my lungs. Lately I've been coughing at night but so far it is only when I am awake for the toilet trot races. I have yet to wake up coughing. Movement seems to be what sets me off coughing but movement is hard to avoid.

But it is what it is and I'm going to call pulmonary and ask for a different cough medicine. They gave me a pill that I take in AM but I think it is doing diddly squat for keeping me from coughing so much.

accidental woodworker 

glue up time

I'm going to glue the sides first. Started by gluing the dowels in the legs. I did it this way so I minimize myself brain farting and stinking up the shop. 

hmm.......

The depth for these dowels is a few frog hairs more than 5/16". Not what I would have liked but I think it will be ok. Ideally I would have liked it to be at least 3/8". The top will be secured as will be the bottom shelf. That will help keeping it square and together. I've been thinking of maybe putting pocket screws in the back rails to help things out. Just a thought that is echoing in the brain bucket.

glued and cooking

test set up

I am using table top clips to hold the top on. Used my router and a solid carbide 1/8" bit to rout the slots. Been thinking of getting another router because this one is awkward to use for this. I'm not use to this style router but routers, regardless of style, are ridiculously expensive.

not flush

The rail was almost flush but not quite - less than a 32nd towards the bottom. Flushed it leg to leg with the 5 1/2.

2nd side table top slots

It was lunch time but I managed to get the layout for the clip slots done before I headed topside.

top drawer rail

I used the back top rail to get the distance between the baselines. This top rail is thick enough so the top of the drawer will clear the table top clips. Undecided on how to attach the top to this rail. Choices are table top clips or screwing through the rail into the bottom of the top. The 2nd choice simles for me so far.

bottom drawer rail

This was my 2nd attempt on how to do the bottom drawer rail. The first one was a notch that didn't quite look good to my eye. And that had nothing to do with now crappy the joint looked. I like the dovetail look better over a square notch joint. 

However, this one went south on me on the express. I had too many layout and knife lines and confused myself repeatedly on which one to use.

the winner

This will be visible and I don't mind this look. Another option was a mortise and tenon but the rail is one inch by 3/4". The tenon would be awfully small and it would need to support the drawer R/L. This joint with the dovetail will keep the R/L from moving. The rail is also notched a 1/4" into the leg and that will support the drawer.

how it looks

I used this joint on the grandson's dresser for the drawer rails. I first saw it when Paul Sellers used it. It is a a tricky joint to do and I'll have to be at my best when I commit to doing it on the honey can you project. (still haven't come up with a name for it)

accidental woodworker

Mixing & Using Traditional Shellac for a Lovely and Very Easy Wood Finish on your Furniture Affiliate Disclosure: When you purchase through certain links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission, at no cost to you. Learn more. In this video, Will

bumblebee orchid pic

This is a birthday present for my son in law. It is almost a month late but I got it out to him today.

hmm......

The back rails are a little longer than the side ones. Between the legs and the first slat (on either end) is about 2 1/4". I hadn't checked or noticed the difference before doing the layout. If I had I could have spaced the slats out a little more. 

done

Whacked out these quicker than the others before this. No splits and all the mortises are clean and nice looking.

first one fitted

I had made two of the slats a wee bit wider than then other three. Two of the mortises were wider R/L than the others. I'm glad I checked them with the two extra slats from yesterday before I ripped out the 5 needed for this.

done

Got it fitted and together. The slats are ready to go as they were all planed on all four edges. All that is left is to sand the rails and I can start the glue up.

inevitable

Got a split across 3 mortises. Didn't happen when I chopped them but when I was fitting the center slat. After I got the last two fitted I glued and clamped it.  I had clamped across the split while chopping the last three. 

fixed

This side assembly I had put the bottom rail on backwards yesterday. I reassembled it correctly to check it with no hiccups. 

side and back sub assemblies

I sanded the rails with 120 and 180 grit. Before I glue them up I have to come up with a plan for the dowels. I had drilled the holes for 2" dowels but with the dowels having to by pass I need to do a dry fit up before I commit to glue. I'll start on that happy journey in the AM.

accidental woodworker 

Between 1905 and 1943, Stanley manufactured the No. 52 Chute Board and Plane. In 1909, the Chute Board Plane No. 51 was made separately available.

While a modern chop saw or table saw can instantly create a glass smooth square cut, hand saws can give an accurate cut, but not something glass smooth. I have never owned a table saw; I have done all the work in making furniture completely by hand. I didn't do this because of high-minded purity. But as someone who lived and did my furniture-making in an apartment, I simply didn't have space or soundproofing for a table saw. With practice and paying attention, sawing something square is not that difficult. But even a great saw edge isn't perfect because the saw marks leave a rough surface. For joints that are not seen, that's usually fine. For anything visible, however, you need a clean straight edge.

The way you create a clean straight edge is by shooting the edge with a plane. There are millions of guides on the internet on how to do this, but the basic theory is you place the work flat in a fixture, and - with a plane on its side - you plane the end grain front to back. Chute board planes were invented to make this easy. Most chute board planes had a skewed blade to promote a slightly better attack angle on the end grain of a wood. The skewed blade also helped push the wood down against the shoot board that the wood was braced against. The better planes also had angled handles - easier to hold. If you used a Stanley No. 9 Cabinetmaker's Block Plane for shooting, you could get an accessory "Hot Dog" handle that fit on the side so that the plane was easier to hold. With a traditional miter plane, or a regular bench plane, you just grabbed the side of the plane.

With an accurate shooting board, you could not only make the edge of a board clean and smooth, but also dead square. The work rests against a fence on the shooting board, and the plane is guided square by riding in a trough on the side.

With a fence on a shooting board set at 45 degrees, you also can make perfect miter joints.

For centuries, wooden fixtures were the way this was done. Making what is essentially a bench stop with a ledge for the plane is pretty straightforward. The trick is building a fixture with a perfect, accurate, 90 fence. In 1905, Stanley introduced a very expensive, but not very popular, Chute Board Plane and Board. It was $10.00 in 1915, which was a lot of money. I've had one for about 30 years. What I love about mine: it's actually pretty comfortable to use with that slanted handle; it's dead accurate; and it produces a great result. I attached a wooden sacrificial fence to mine, because when I'm doing something precise I prefer having support all the way up to the edge of the work. I've never really used it for any miters. Both Lie-Nelson and Lee Valley have created their versions of this plane.

The original plane had a holddown for the work. I didn't get it with my plane. Aftermarket replacements are available, but I never got around to getting one, and I've never really missed it. The plane is heavy and there's momentum behind it. It is beautifully machined and extremely accurate. I find just only has one flaw with it: unlike every other Stanley bench plane, it has a frog that is not adjustable. So you cannot stick a Hock or other aftermarket thicker blade (with their performance benefit) into the plane without widening the mouth with a file - which I'm simply not willing to do. Such an alteration would seriously affect the plane's resale value. When I got my plane I did need to replace the blade and I got a replacement blade from Karl Holtey, who ground one up thin for me special in an exotic alloy. It's an awesome blade.

When I'm doing cabinet work, the plane rests against a stop on the right side of my bench. It happens I don't use my vise much so it never gets in the way. Most my clamping is done with holdfasts and a tail vise on the left hand side of the workbench.

 

working on the slats

Getting the length between the rails and adding 5/8" for the mortises. I sawed the length of the slats 1/8" less then the OAL.

3 down with 2 to go

Cleaned up the four edges of the slats with planes and then fitted the top mortises first. For the most part the mortises were fairly close and I only lost one slat. I had planed it like the previous 4 but it came up short on the R/L of the mortise. I checked and it was too loose for the remaining 6 mortises. 

first side done (right)

I got the bottom rail on backwards but it didn't matter because the dowel holes are centered on the ends. I'll correct this when I do the glue up. 

left side slats

Wash, rinse, and repeat for the other side assembly.

I'm not coughing much in the shop but it still happens. I have noticed that I am a lot slower than I used to be. Not helping much with me pulling my head out of my arse and making stupid me-steaks though. (like above) Working slower and not as long anymore. But as long as I can trot down to shop I'll continue making sawdust and butchering wood.

hmm......

I like the sides but there appears to be a big hole of nothingness on the back. I checked the pic again it is appears that there is a solid back. I am not fond of that look. I understand that is most likely to keep objects on the shelf from falling off at the back. 

more slats

Slats won't be the barrier that a solid wood back (1/4" plywood) would be but I like the slat look on the back. I have two slats left over but I'm not a fan of even numbers, I like odd much better.

3 slat layout

I like this look but there is still a lot of 'oops' spacing for things to fall and play the bounce test with Mr Floor.

huh

I stepped off the top one with dividers starting one inch from each end - kinda like a dovetail layout. The bottom one I divided it into three with dividers starting from one end and going to the other. Not much of a noticeable difference between the two.

Since I have to make one more slat to go with three I might as well make 5 and match the sides. Although the back won't be as visible as the sides, it should be an adequate backing to keeping things from falling out the back.

accidental woodworker 

first one done

Checking that the depth is 3/8" deep on each one.

helper

This spans the two rods of the vise and I set the narrow rails on top of it. Solid base to chop the mortises on.

oops

I was being careful, taking teeny whacks so I wouldn't do this. Didn't help as I still split the outside face from the left corner of the mortise to the end and halfway past the mortise on the right. I guess I was lucky because of the four rails, this was the only split I had to fix.

mortising half done

I was getting quicker the more mortises I chopped. Finished the two narrow rails and started on the tall boy rails.

After I had chopped the tall boy mortises, I checked all of them were at the same depth. It wasn't so boys and girls. The combo square had slipped from 3/8" to a 1/4". I had to deepen 9 mortises to get them to at least 3/8". 

hmm......

The vertical slats are a frog hair less than a 1/2" thick. I can two slats out this 6/4 board (actual 1 3/8"). I should be able to get all ten from this one board with extras if needed.

spoke too soon

This 6/4 off cut (the only one I have) is a 1/4" too short. I'll have to use 5/4 or 4/4 stock to get the slats from.

5/4 stock

Checked and rechecked and went back to get slapped one more time. There was no way I could resaw this board and get two slats. I can only get one out of it. 

not superstitious

Had to use two 5/4 boards to get 13 slats. I only need ten for the project.

wee bit oversized

I purposely did this and I will plane each end of each slat to fit its respective mortise. I want them to be snug so there will be no gaps. 

hmm.......

The width is smaller than the thickness of the slats. However, on the R/L, it is oversized slightly on all but 4 mortises. It is looking like it is a frog hair under. Based on previous slat work I've done, the mortises shrink and tend to close up tight on the slats. Fingers crossed that these 4 aren't too short.

stickered

I'll let these hang out until the AM. One is bowed a little and another is bowed a lot. Having 3 extras is paying off already.

why I did extras

These are the off cuts and I'm sure that I can use them for some future use. The 2nd one in from the left bowed as I sawed it. That is the one that gave up the slat that bowed the most. Fingers crossed that I only need to scrap two. But if not, I have one last 5/4 board I can rip out a couple of more.

 accidental woodworker

mortise layout

Going with 5 vertical slats, one inch wide by 1/2 inch thick. The slats need to be installed before I can glue up the sides.

big brain fart

I thought I was done with the dowel jig but I wasn't. I had broke it down and stowed in when I realized that I still had four more to do. I couldn't remember what shims I had used so I had to by trial and error find the right one again. I missed the first one even though it was awfully close. The 3rd one was the charm. The new dowel holes lined up with the reset jig - the test piece aligned flush with the original rail on all four sides.

sigh

When I found the missing dowel holes. I had done the back bottom rail but I didn't do the two bottom side rails.

me-steak

At least I only drilled one hole on the wrong side of the layout line. Glued in a dowel and this won't be visible in finished project. The bottom shelf should cover it.

hmm......

Mitered two dowels and checked to see that shook out. It will work and the tricky part will be getting the mitered faces to align. I think I will glue the sides first and let them cook, then do the back.

2 done

Only 18 more to go. This was it for today. I wasn't feeling as washed out tired like yesterday but I decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. I'll pick back up on the mortises in the AM.

accidental woodworker