Accidental Woodworker

 I am so thankful for those that take the time to read my keyboard diarrhea. Sylvester emailed me and attached a PDF with Toshio Odate's japanese toolbox. The one I've been searching for and gave up trying to find again. Thanx so much.

I searched for this same plan on my 4 computers and nada. Each computer brought up a different first page but none with the toolbox. I don't understand why all 4 don't or didn't all come up with the same first page.

ta da

I still plan to make this toolbox. I have only followed one plan from start to finish, a cherry wall clock I made 40 years ago. Making Toshio's toolbox will be my 2nd one.

last night

I came back to the shop after dinner and glued on the two top battens. 

nailing the bottom on

I went back and forth on this about gluing and nailing it and decided to do both. The bottom is 3/4" thick pine and I don't think just nails will be sufficient to hold it on against any weight.

sigh

This corner split when I nailed. I didn't think it would be hiccup being over an inch from the edge. I was wrong.

shoulda, woulda, didn't

I only had two more corners to predrill but I also predrilled all the others.

top

Glued and cooking. I decided on a solid wood top rather than plywood. If this top goes south, I will use plywood on round 2.

fingers crossed

I forced as much glue as I could in the split, installed the nail, and clamped it. I'm optimistic that this will stand the test of time.

two or three?

This is the bottom and I'm putting battens on it to save the bottom from getting the snot beat out of it. Went with two battens.

bottom done

I had sized the bottom so the length was dead on and the width a strong 16th proud. Flushed it up 360 with a blockplane. Nailed on the battens with nails only, no glue.

sans the top

I like this toolbox and I'm thinking about keeping it. It is a lot heavier than I initially thought it would be. It is also bigger (height wise) too. Neither one is a deal killer though as I'm sure the box will be adapted to its use somehow.

sizing the top

Worked on the width first and then I squared the ends.

dead nuts

Neither end of the top has to be dead nuts square but I made them so anyways.

hmm......

The top fits a frog hair off snug. Since it is summer and the top shouldn't expand anymore(?), I'm going to leave this as is for now and think on it. I'll decided what I want to do with it in the AM.

accidental woodworker

 When I rolled out of the rack this AM it was gray and overcast. No rain and the radar showed a line of rain clouds to the west slowly coming east. I almost decided to go to Gurney's but nixed it. It sprinkled rain briefly around 0900  and stopped after a half hour or so. I coulda, shoulda, woulda, but didn't risk it. Next saturday is still looking to be rain free in the AM.

gotta make something

I was getting the heebie jeebies because I wasn't making anything. I looked at the pine I had in the shop and figured there was enough there to make 4 of the six sides needed for a japanese toolbox. 

I got this pine from Lowes and it is still flat and barely cupped. Forgot about the ugly looking divot right on the edge though. I have the short ends and this longer length will give up the 2 long sides. I'll be doing a dutchman to fill in the divot - rot pocket or dead branch?

not fond of butt joinery

This toolbox is going to be on the larger size and I don't have a warm fuzzy with just nailing it together with butt joints. Instead I'm going with a housing dado. Overall I want it to be a simple joinery project though.

15 3/4"

I don't like the size of this. The ends (IMO) are too long compared to the long sides. The OD based on this would make that dimension a few frog hairs over 17". Decided to surgically removed a few inches from each end.

12 1/8"

I think the ends now balance the box. The OD now is 13 5/8" and the ID width is 12 1/8". Pondering my choices for the lid - I'm vacillating between a two board pine lid or one of 1/2" plywood. The big unknown is how much will the pine expand/contract and effect the fit of the lid?

$73

At Lowes I bought four 1"x10"x4' boards and two six foot 1x3's for the battens. It was a bit of shock to see the cost of this toolbox. Adding in the other pine boards it is a wee bit north of a C note.

divot dutchman

Initially I was going to put in a rabbeted dutchman but nixed it. I was getting a headache trying to figure out the negative and positive spaces. I went with making the notch to the depth of the divot and glued in the dutchman. Knocked down most of the proud with the scrub and flushed it with the woodie.

2nd dutchman

This edge is the bottom and I thought I could contain and hide the divot with the first dutchman. This spot had a void caused by the divot. It would have been hidden by the bottom eventually but I decided on a 2nd dutchman. This will fill in the divot void and give the bottom a continuous edge to glued/nailed to.

finished look

I thought I had snapped a pic of this after the first dutchman showing the divot void but I didn't. One dutchman will be visible on the outside which I was hoping to avoid. It will still fit with this being a toolbox.

dry fit

I'm happy with the fit of ends - I thought they would have been a PITA because they were cupped slightly. There are a couple of short stretches were there are gaps but 80% or so of the dado joints are tight.

glued and nailed

Used four 1 1/2" cut nails at each corner to secure the sides to the ends. The bottom and the end battens will further secure and strengthen the box.

bottom

I will let this cook until tomorrow. This is the reason why I picked 1x10's for the bottom rather 1x12's. I don't like gluing thin widths to a larger width board. 

handles

I really like this detail on this toolbox. I have the battens I need for the top/bottom and lid but before I can attach the top ones I have to get the handles installed.

cooking away

I glued the handles on and I let them cook for a while. After dinner I will go back to the shop and put a couple of screws into the handles from the inside. This toolbox will be capable of holding a lot of weight and I don't want to rely solely on a glue joint on the handles.

accidental woodworker 

 Another nice day in the neighborhood. Cooler with the temp topping out at 80F (27C) with a nice slow, cooling breeze blowing. I walked to Johnny's Chalet for fish 'n chips and took a few extra laps on the way home. I'm hoping that in spite of the big lunch today that I'll drop a couple of pounds come sunday's weigh in. The other hope I'm harboring is that I'll be able to go to Gurney's Saw Mill tomorrow. Wish me luck because the forecast hasn't changed.

done

These went to Maria at the Frame It Shop in the PM. Conservation glass and mats for all four. It will probably be 3-4 weeks before they will be done. That isn't a problem because I have no where to hang them in the house - downstairs or upstairs.

hmm.......

Nope. I thought I had 3 coats on these but if I do I don't like how they look. I put on my big boy pants and put on the 3rd coat.

3 on

They look as good as the first 4 now. Last three are done (when they are dry). I applied the last shellac this AM. Decided to bring these 3 to Maria tomorrow. No sense keeping them in the shop while I wait for the other 4 to be done.

what's left

Last year an ash tree on this spot was cut down. Yesterday the tree service came in with a stump grinder and in 15 minutes it was gone. It was 42" across at the widest point and roughly 6" above ground level.

Norway maple

Ditto for this tree. This one had some gnarly root offshoots and this stump was higher than the ash but only 27 inches across. This one took less than 15 minutes to disappear. 

maple?

I don't remember what type of maple tree this one was. It was roughly the same as the Norway maple dimensions and took about 15 minutes. In less than a 45 minutes 3 ugly looking stumps were gone for a cost of $500.

don't like this

I hadn't realized that the stump guys had laid some of the chips along the whole fence line. I kind of liked the look but I was not happy with it being under the bottom of the pickets. The wood chips would keep moisture there which could lead to the pickets rotting prematurely.

turning green

This is encouraging seeing that what was plain dirt is now turing green. Not grass but whatever it is, it is better than dirt.

pulled away

I'm leaving a strip of the wood chips here by the fence. The bottom of the fence is clear of chips and I'm hoping that the chips will keep the ivy from coming back. I have no illusions that will happen but I can hope, can't I?

looks better than dirt

My wife liked this and so do I. This was all dirt, rocks, paving, and bits of concrete. I had poured urine in this area for a couple of months. Before I covered the dirt patch it was absent of ivy. I plan to continue pouring urine under the bottom of the pickets because the other side is knee deep to an 8 foot tall indian in ivy.

dirty but swept clean

Swept out the truck bed for the first time in a bazillion years. Doing it as good luck for tomorrow being rain free. Pics and updates on the 11 o'clock news.

accidental woodworker 

Two days in a row that were sunny and warm - might be a record. Today's temp topped out at 92F (33C) but a small, steady breeze blowing made my stroll easy to do. Saturday is forecasted to be partly sunny with AM showers. I looked on 4 local weather sites and none of them gave a time for the AM showers. That sucks because if there is a window I could go to Gurney's on I would take it.

almost done

I didn't get much done in the shop beyond applying shellac to the frames. I got one coat on the back and 3 on the front. I like the black color from the paint and the shine the shellac imparts. I'll check them again after dinner for the final quality check. If they pass I'll bring 4 of them to the Frame It Shop tomorrow.

partial

I wanted to start on making a large japanese tool box. The plan was to make Toshio Odate's toolbox but I couldn't find the plans anywhere. I do remember the bottom was 13" and change and the sides and ends were 11/1/2". 1x12 stock is 11 1/4" or less so I was going to glue up what I could with this pine. 

That didn't happen because I want to make this toolbox using his plans. Spent a frustrating 30 minutes looking for the plans in the shop and upstairs with no joy. I searched the internet for over an hour without any luck trying to find them again. I want the plans mostly for the measurements for the top lid and the top battens. I'll keep searching because I don't have enough wood either way.

accidental woodworker 

 After thinking about I decided to let Home Depot install the storm door for the back door. That went south and sideways, did a U-turn, headed north and then back south on the express. Two hiccups with the first being special pre steps were required before the door could be installed. Special moldings for the door due to the size of the opening being only 32" wide. This little change sucked over $80 out of my wallet. The second hiccup and the one that truly sucks pond scum, the storm door is a special order. My opening requires a 79 1/2" high door whereas standard, in stock doors are between 80-81 inches.

The exact same in stock, standard door at HD was $249. The special order door was $646.WTF is going on for a measly 1/2" difference? Of course this egregious change in dimension will take 4-6 weeks to make before I get it. The storm door installation is less than $30 what the back door install cost was.

looks better

The coverage of this first coat of paint is much better than it looked yesterday. I have a good feeling now that 2 coats will do on the back.

front face

This is very encouraging a day later. There are some streaks of light under the black but I'm confident that the 2nd coat will cover it all.

2nd coat coming

I didn't apply any poly to the interior of the box. I am only putting poly on the top edges of the bottom of the box and the bottom edges of the lid. 

done

I checked these four and they looked good. The plan is to get 3 coats of shellac on the front faces of them.

sigh.....

Noticed blobs of paint in three of the four corners. I thought I had checked and caught all the hiccups with the paint yesterday. I used the chisel to remove them and I had to paint them again.

nope.....

I tried the easy way hoping that the paint would fill this in. News flash boys and girls, it didn't. This might be visible because it will be on the side and not the top or bottom. I filled it in with some wood putty. I would have used sheet rock mud but the small container I had was rock hard.

hmm......

I had painted the frames and this box with poly before I went to Home Depot to have my wallet emptied. Over 3 hours later and it is still tacky. Yesterday the first coat had dried to the touch in less than 2. The temp today topped out at 87F (31C) so I expected this to be ready to recoat but it ain't. I'll check out it again after I fill the pie hole at dinner.

I didn't get much done due to spending a couple of hours taking care of the storm door BS. I was hoping to get the picture frames shellaced so I could bring 4 of them to the Frame It Shop but that will have to be postponed - depends on whether or not I can get 2 more coats of shellac on it today.

accidental woodworker 

 I peeked at the upcoming weather forecast and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. Although it is going to cloudy everyday for the next two weeks, most days are cloudy/partly sunny. I only saw one day that was cloudy only. It is an improvement over the crappy forecast I saw two days ago. However, this coming saturday is forecasted for rain at a 47% chance but the next saturday says partly sunny. This is now week 7 I've been waiting to go to Gurney's Saw mill.

3rd coat

I painted the corners where the hanger held the frames last night after dinner. This AM I wasn't happy with how the face side of the frames looked. The coverage looked good but there were 'streaks' on the front faces between the chamfers. Put on a 3rd and final coat. Tomorrow I'll put on the shellac that I had planned on doing this AM.

hmmm.....

Got a comment from Sylvain about putting a battery charger in this. I wasn't going to but after reading it made me think about it. If I take this away from the shop I won't have a charger or a spare battery.

The two small batteries are 1.5AH and the two larger ones are 3AH and 4AH ones. Moot point because only the smaller ones will fit in the lid and allow it to close on the saw. IMO the 1.5AH ones are useless for this tool. Amazon had good prices on Dewalt 20V batteries when I checked yesterday. I'll buy a one more 4AH battery next month.

nope

This spot and to the right are the only two available ones for the battery. It might fit in the right one but it would be tricky to set in precisely. Thinking now of sawing off the bottom like I did for the lid. I'll look it that after I'm done applying the poly.

hate this stuff

On the flip side it does saw incredibly easy. The downside is I'll be picking little white pebbles of it off me for a year. Static electricity made sweeping it up an expletive laden exercise. This is from the new printer my wife bought - the old one wasn't printing color to her satisfaction.

after lunch

The to do for after lunch. Looking forward to seeing how well raising the grain will work on this for the 2nd time.

first coat of poly

When I painted the frames last night after dinner I also put the 2nd coat on the bottom of this box. This AM I put on the 3rd and final coat. First one on the rest of it in the PM.

first coat on the last 3

 There were some places that the paint just didn't want to cover. I went back and forth over them and nada. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how well coverage looks and how the 2nd coat lays down over it.

accidental woodworker 

The weather has turned crappy again. I don't recall seeing a sunny day in the forecast for a month now. The rest of this week (out to sunday) is cloudy or rain. Not a single day of even one partly sunny day. This is past being depressing. Fingers and toes still double crossed that I'll finally get out to Gurney's Saw mill this saturday.

the choice

I considered doing this on the tablesaw but stopped. 3 corners were a few frog hair off square with the last one being a wavy 16th. Using the LN 140 will make a more consistent rabbet.

not a problem

Tons of fluffy shavings without a single whimper.

level

I've been using a level when I make rabbets with the LN 140. I find that it helps with keeping it level and even.

nope

I have two pieces of this pine but I don't like it. This blends in perfectly with the pine box. I wanted what I filled in the rabbets with to be a contrast to the pine box. I checked my extra 'bandings' in the boneyard and found some mahogany that I used. I had some walnut I really wanted to use but it wasn't wide enough. Couldn't use walnut veneer because the rabbets were too deep.

1/8" planing jig

The rabbets are less than a 1/8" deep. I didn't try to plane them +/- an atom thickness of each other.

proud of the rabbets

I used super glue (3 dabs) and yellow glue to secure the bandings. I did the short ends first and let them cook for half an hour before flushing the tops of the bandings.

long ones cooking

I glued the long ones just before I left for my post lunch stroll. I flushed the tops after that and then the sides next.

done

The woodworking is finished and the final step is the finish. I don't like leaving boxes unfinished and for this box I actually considered painting it as a choice.

12" away

I can make out the plywood piles from this distance but anything further away and it blurs into the pine box. It might pop a wee bit more when the finish goes on. Upadates and pics on the 11 o'clock news.

decorations

The plywood is glued on and since I'm not attaching a handle to it, the screws aren't needed. They are only for show.

poly finish

First choice was shellac but I didn't have enough for the box. Since I had the poly, I'm using that instead. The first step is getting 2-3 coats on the bottom. Then I'll apply it to the rest of the box.

out of sight, out of mind

Still haven't touched up the spot where the hanger was. I will make a return trip after dinner to touch them up.

accidental woodworker 

The plan was to stop at Wally World before I went grocery shopping this AM. I was going to buy two pairs of jeans (full length) and have them cut down to shorts. On a lark I looked through the jeans shorts that were hanging on the wall - a wee bit out of reach high up on the wall. I was surprised to find the same shorts I had bought on the Wrangler Jeans site for $3 less. I had my smiley face on as I paid for them and headed out. 

They didn't have size 35 waist jeans (like the website) so I settled for size 36 - 34's didn't fit, I tried. On the walk back from breakfast tomorrow I'll stop in again and buy another pair. That way I can wear one, have one in the wash, and one ready to wear.

sigh....

I wasn't paying attention when I hinged the box. I wanted the saw to be flipped 180. It is a bit awkward taking this out/in with my left hand. Not a deal killer but is is a definite 'aw sh.....'.

wooden handles

I couldn't find anything in a size/style I wanted in a single handle for the top. Decided to make two wooden ones - one on each side. Rounded over the top outside edge. I didn't want a sharp edge biting into my palms.

one more step

I got this idea from plans for japanese tool boxes. It certainly makes it much easier to lift with this feature.

done

I glued and screwed the handles on. I went and back and forth on whether or not to glue them too. In the end I wanted the warm and fuzzy of glue and screws.

I thought the next and last step was going to be a finish. The piles of the exposed plywood edges is bugging me big time. Tomorrow I'll start brain storming ideas on how to best hide them. The bottom 1/4" plywood blends in seamlessly with the pine.

accidental woodworker 

The box I made for the cordless skil saw is almost done. The steps left are figuring out how to handle it and what finish to use, if any. Not too bad of a days work. Other than it being a wee bit bigger than I would like, I'm happy with how it turned out. The potential headache upcoming with it is where will it live?

fully cooked

The box relaxed a little when I took the clamps off which I didn't like seeing. However, the box was still square when I checked it on the top and bottom.

dead space

There really isn't a lot of unwasted real estate above the platform. But there is dead space below it. I thought about how to utilize it and gave up. Too many hiccups trying to figure out to access it.

road test

25 years ago I used this extensively to sand whatever project I was doing. I mostly used it to flatten and flush glue ups. Today I wasn't sure about how it would work. I had accidentally spilled poly on it last month. It turned on and the sand belt stayed on but I had to adjust the belt tracking - it chewed off about a 1/4" before I fixed it.

The sander worked with out any hiccups. The grit was 120 and it sanded the proud tails without any whimpering. The old muscle memory kicked in and I didn't round down on any of the corners. The key to working a 4x24 belt sander is to keep it moving and never, ever, let it go stationary for more than half a second.

lid separated

I purposely made the lid height bigger. I didn't separate it on the first full tail but the second one. I wanted the space to hold saw blades etc etc. Should be adequate for that purpose.

crappy hinges

I like the latches but I don't have a warm and fuzzy with the hinges. I like that they are 90° stop hinges and also that they are flush mounted.

an hour later

I went through every hinge that I had and I finally decided on this set. Two latches for the front and smaller hinges. I had looked on line for solid flush mounted hinges but the only ones I found where well north of $40. If these don't work out I'll use the brass ones in the above pic.

top & bottom

The bottom will be 1/4" and 1/2" for the top. 1/2" for the top for attaching a handle to it. The inside will be used to store saw blades etc. The top being 1/2" will provide strength and rigidity vice using 1/4" plywood.

too much room?

I can fit two 6 1/2" saw blades side by side. I had thought of putting wrenches on the sides but blade changes on this saw are made with an allen wrench. Oops.

top & bottom cooked

Looked for a handle like on the smaller box but I didn't have any. I'll look on Lee Valley tonight for handles.

hmm....

These hinges look too tiny for this. I still went with them because the screws were almost 3/4" long. 

two steps left

Looking at it here I'm thinking that maybe I should use two side handles. Initially I was going to put a handle on the top.

lid stop

The hinges aren't 90° stop hinges. This block of wood will be a stop for the lid when it is opened. Without it the first time the lid would get away from me the hinges would be ripped off.

accidental woodworker 

 Today was another warm day but not as hot as it was yesterday. The temp topped at 91F (33C) so not really that much cooler. However, both days after my post lunch stroll I was soaked with sweat. Halfway through the stroll today my shirt was sticking to my skin like it was glued to it. Saturday's weather is still forecasted to have rain in the AM which precludes a Gurney's Sawmill run. The saturday after next is looking promising for a run though. Fingers and toes crossed on that.

smiley face on

Initially it looked like two coats were the charm. But where the wire hanger held the frame showed a white wood spot. I will have to touch up those four spots with an artist brush.

pin baseline layout

Don't know how I missed it but I didn't knife the baseline on one of the baselines. Not a big deal to transfer a nick from the front to the back.

first one checked

I checked the alignment of the the top and bottom half pins. I was expecting some misalignment but I couldn't remember which corner I had screwed up the knife line on.

2nd corner checked

2nd corner and the pins top/bottom aligned. Looking like I dodged the bullet.

dry fitting

One corner was a wee bit tight and I had to trim one pin for that corner to come together.

ta da

This was encouraging see how much height I had above the saw. However, the goal was to see if the saw fit in the interior of the box.

oh what I relief

I felt like I had taken an Alka Seltzer (the old guys should remember this). There isn't a lot of wiggle room on the width - and I didn't have a quibble with that dimension. I was concerned about the height and no hiccups there to deal with.

proud

I would/will always want my pins tails to be proud. All of the corners are proud to varying degrees. It would appear that knifing that one baseline deeper was the way to go.

the lowest corners

The dry fit went off with no hiccups. All the corners will clean up nicely after it is glued it up. The box is looking a wee bit on the large side. Thinking now that maybe I should have used 1/2" thick pine instead of 3/4". Albeit it would still be the same size regardless of the thickness stock used.

less than a 16th off

I couldn't get the box to stay square without a clamp. It has been a long time since I have had to use a clamp to keep a box square.

2 1/2"

When I had eyeballed this with a tape I thought it was almost 3". I needed this measurement for the next step.

ledger for the platform

The ledger strips are just nailed in place. I will glue and screw them after I confirm the saw will fit as planned.

yikes

I didn't check the bottom (unclamped corners) for square. It said hello when I couldn't get the platform to fit. It was square but the bottom of the box wasn't. I had to clamp it also to keep it square. Once the box bottom was square, I ended up with gaps in the platform. I had tried trimming it before I checked the bottom for being square.

slot for the blade and guard

The chisel has to be the most useful and versatile tool in a workshop. Chopping out this slot was something I would have brain stormed trying to do a different way a year ago. Today it was a no brainer to lay it out and chop away.

done

Nice clean looking slot chopped in plywood. On the plus side this was the easiest and cleanest looking slot I have ever chopped in plywood.

hmm.....

Phew! Not a lot of wiggle room on this side. But there ain't much more on the side with the motor neither.

for front to back

Glued on some strips to keep the saw from sliding front to rear and to the right. Used hide glue in case I need to change their positions.

I used hide glue on the box and with it clamped I will wait until tomorrow to install the platform. I'll glue on a plywood bottom in the AM. I am also thinking of maybe using solid wood for a top/lid. I'll decide that when I get to it.

accidental woodworker 

 Summer officially arrives on the friday the 20th of June. You wouldn't know that by the temps today. It was sunny with clear, blue skies but the temp was oppressive. It topped out at 96F (36C) - a wee bit warm. It wasn't overly humid but there was no mistaking that it was hot.

A few years back I got heatstroke on a post lunch stroll. The temp then had been 85F (30C) so it was ever present on mind as I ambled about today. I took my time walking and it ended up taking me a little over two hours to do it. I didn't experience any of the symptoms I had on that fateful day but if it is as sunny and hot tomorrow as it was today, I'll bring a water bottle with me. Being hydrated will help with the walking.

happy with this

I like the coverage of two coats on the back of the frames. This is so much better than my last outing with this black paint. Doing the grain raising definitely was worth it. Got two coat coverage and the the paint laid down without feeling like sandpaper after it dried.

Lowes run

This blade was $16 and the three 1"x12"x4' pine boards were each $17. I need to have some stock in the shop to play with. This saturday is supposed to be raining in the morning so I won't be going to Gurney's Sawmill. 

measurement time

This was an awkward thing to measure in every dimension that I needed. I think I added enough to be generous hopefully. One dimension I'm not truly getting a warm and fuzzy on is the height. I think I am pushing the limit based on the width of the stock. I don't want to glue up to get a wider board for this box. I plan on gluing plywood on the top and bottom so I don't lose any interior height I would for a top/bottom inset in a groove in the insides.

40 tooth blade

Wow is all I can say. I thought the cut would be clean but there is almost zero fuzzy wuzzies on this saw cut. The end grain cut is baby butt smooth too. I wasn't expecting this nice of a cut with such an inexpensive saw blade. Made me glad I didn't buy the other, higher priced, 40 tooth blade.

the fuzzy part of the cut

The pic says it all. I also cut on the wrong side of the notch in the saw sole. The notch (on the saw sole plate) matches the width between the pencil line and the right side of the board. I should have guided the saw on the left side of the notch and not the right side.

dovetails first

I was a bit on the cautious side of this sawing. There was something nagging me as I sawed these out. I'll have to wait until I got this together to see how well I measured this.

hmm......

It has been a long time since I have made a boo boo like this. When I flipped the board to knife the half pin, they didn't line up from the front to the back. I knifed it to the deeper line. Another boo boo that will shake hands again when I fit it together.

temp at 1320

This was the temp when I got back to the barn (it was 88F when I left). It zoomed up one more degree to 95F for the high for the day.

tails sawn

After I got back I parked my cheeks in my desk chair and chilled for an hour. I went to the shop and killed the lights. I'll chop the tails in the AM. Not sure how far I'll get with the pins.

nice and cool

The shop is 20 degrees cooler than the living room. I put the AC in the bedroom to start bringing the temp down from 89F (32C). I can't sleep if the temp in the bedroom is above 70F (21C).

accidental woodworker

Finally got around to painting the 7 frames I made for some Stanley advertising posters - reproductions. I think I made these 3 months ago?. The plan is to paint them all and then bring them 2 at a time to Maria to be matted and framed. The hardest part of this is where can I hang them? The wall space in the house is on the sparse side. And I have 11 other prints of tools I want to frame also. Same hiccup regarding vertical wall space.

road test time

Slapped a 4AH battery in the new skil saw I bought. I'm going to saw up this piece of 5/8" exterior plywood for its first taste chewing up wood. I went into this blind never having used a battery operated skil saw before.

wow

I used the 18 tooth blade that came with the saw. I sawed half of it cross cut and half rip - as best as I could considering it was plywood. The saw didn't bog on either one and it did throw up the obligatory storm of plywood dust and splinters. 

No hiccups or problems doing a long 48" rip cut. I eyeballed the line I was sawing and the saw didn't pull L/R at all. The kerf was cleaner than I expected it to be. The weight is balanced nicely either holding the saw or pushing it through the wood. The biggest surprise was how quiet it was. No screaming AC universal motor assaulting my ears. I was wearing ear muffs and I could barely hear the saw when it was on. Overall I was impressed with it. Sufficient power, light weight, centered balance, and nicely made. No fluff or casting/extrusion lines with burrs. 

missed it

I used my new allen wrench holder to install the saw blade. I plan on replacing it with a high tooth count blade to make clean crosscuts. I'll look over the offerings at Lowes the next time I go there.

done

7 coasters done and ready to go to North Carolina. I checked and I didn't see any grout bubble holes in any of them.

which color?

After looking at both of them decided to split it. 4 of the 7 will be black and 3 will be blue. I have more than enough to do all 7 one color.

new method

I have done several frames already with this milk paint. On them I didn't raise the grain first before applying the first coat of paint. I wiped down the entire frame with a soaked rag. Virgin territory for me - can't recall having raised the grain before.

hmm......

The frame still felt 'wet'. I can definitely feel a difference between the frames I wet down and one I hadn't. It took well over 30 minutes before the wood felt 'dry' to my touch. Lightly sanded it then with 320 grit.

hanging out

Not sure if I maybe wet the frames down too much. I could feel some grain fuzz when I ran my fingers over it. Before I had raised the grain I had sanded all the frames up 320 grit. Not sure if that played any role in the drying rate. Most resources I checked only sanded up to 180-220.

I like this wax

I am developing a love relationship with this stuff. I like the smell and feel of it along with the ease of application. The fact that it looks pretty good after buffing isn't too hard to take neither. This is the box that I had previously said no finish but it ended up with 3 coats of shellac and one of this hard wax.

first coat

It will take at least one more coat but I can see a difference with this being raised first. I got the first coat on all four and hung them to dry.

PM session

This isn't a true milk paint but a latex version of it. Applied a 2nd coat on the back only. I am only doing 2 coats on the back regardless of the coverage. I'll sand the fronts tomorrow and paint them then. I liked the coverage of the 2nd coat on the back. I'm hopeful that I'll get away with 2 coats on the fronts too.

accidental woodworker

 I thought that it would take a few days to get all the crappola in my pickup sawn up. It took only one day which surprised me. My right shoulder still aches from all the sawing I did along with my lower back. It has been a long time since I went balls to wall like I did today. The upside is I now have an empty pickup bed again.

the last thing

Sawed off the top rail with the hacksaw first. After that I got the sawz-all to cut up the rest. The inner core is some OSB like wood that was like sawing stone. I was going to saw up the bottom panel but I left it whole. Even with the sawz-all it would have been a nightmare to do. It fits in the shitcan and it is going bye-bye on garbage day this thursday.

big screen, 2 storm windows

The two storm windows are very well made along with the screen. I put them on the sidewalk to see if there is any interest in them. If they are still there in the AM I'll put them in the shed. I already have making a wooden door with them percolating in the brain bucket.

PITA

I can't bring this to the dump because it has paint on it. It is a 2x4 piece of 5/8" plywood that I'm not sure how to cut up. But this wasn't the last of it. After I got back from Post Office I noticed 3 more fence rails in the pickup bed. They blended in with the white of the bed. Got them cut up against the protestations of my right shoulder.

new toy

I brought this for my next trip to Gurney's Saw Mill. I buy 12 foot long boards that I saw into 6 foot lengths - by hand on my pickup tailgate. This new toy will make that a whole easier and less stressful on my body. Came from Amazon as I was typing this blog post. It is a bare bones tool ($99) - I already have plenty of batteries. In hindsight I should have held off on what sawing I did today by hand.

accidental woodworker

 My annual eye exam this morning was excruciating. Last year they thought there were some problems with the macular. Checking that involves an intense light that is scanned vertically L/R and horizontally U/D. That brought tears to my eyes and left me with a dull ache at the back of my head that lasted for hours. The good news is there was no change noted when compared to last years scan. I'll endure the intense light as long as it gives good results.

The pupil dilation meds they give me seemed better this year. I had better vision and the usual discomfort waiting for it to wan wasn't that bad. I still had to wear my sunglasses for over 5 hours. 

That was appointment #1. #2 went just a well. #2 was with urology and the doc was pleased with my progress 2+ weeks out from the TURP. I'm still passing blood and scabs/clots with the blood color getting less and less. I still have 4 weeks to go before I'm fully healed.

nope

I went to the Warwick dump but they don't take construction debris. They will accept unpainted wood but not metal storm doors. However, I can cut it up and put it in the garbage can. Based on how much room is available in it each week I think it will take me about 4-6 weeks to be rid of all of it.

the upcoming workload

I didn't get anything done this AM. The appointment and going to the town dump ate up most of the morning. Blurry vision kept me out of the shop. After my post lunch stroll I sawed enough of the fence to fill one shit can. The plan is to saw up all the fence parts and the storm door. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to hacksaw that up. Anyone need storm panels? Not sure if these are standard. I'll put them on sidewalk and see if anyone wants them.

accidental woodworker 

I've been putting off making a dump run for over a week now. My pickup has the old storm door and moldings in it along with 40 feet of an old picket fence. The town dump is a 20 minute ride one way from my house. I have checked on line several times to see if this dump accepts construction debris. The site is as clear as mud on this. If not I'll have to find a statewide dump that does accept construction debris. 

Tomorrow I have two medical appointments at the VA. My annual eye exam is at 0830 and a follow up GU appointment at 1500. I couldn't rearrange the appointments so I'll have to make two trips. The plan is to go to the dump after the eye exam. Fingers and toes crossed that the town dump will accept my load. 

YIKES

Decided to grout the coasters in the AM session. That turned out to be a fiasco. It went not only south, it went sideways and did a U-turn. Things were a wee bit frantic for a few but I was able to salvage it. The first hiccup was the hole I cut on a corner of this quart bag. The first squeeze and a 30 pound blog of grout spit out on the coaster. It took a lot of calories to clean it up.

done

I was frazzled when I finally got the grout in the 7th one. I then spent the next 2 hours wiping the grout haze off the tiles every 15 minutes. I wasn't expecting this to be such a PITA to do. 

I also found a lot more bubble holes in the two tiled tables. Way more than I thought I had. Got all of them covered and smoothed out. Did the wiping the grout haze dance steps with the tables too.

hmm.......

I only got two pieces to fit the holder from one full sheet of sandpaper. I played with optimizing it for while and still only got 2 pieces, it was the best I could do. Tomorrow I'll start raising the grain and sanding the 7 picture frames. With all the other interruptions going on it is shaping up to be a short day shop wise.

accidental woodworker

 

all seven of them

This is next on the hit parade. Made these 7 frames for some Stanley advertising posters. This is all I got done today in the shop - took these from the boneyard and put them on the workbench. The plan was to wet them down with water to raise the grain and then paint them. Maybe tomorrow.

Even I need a day off and lately I haven't been exactly pushing any projects out of the shop. It was raining this AM so I couldn't go to Gurney's Sawmill and next saturday isn't looking too good neither. Got lots of ideas and things I want to try out but can't do it because I don't have any wood.

accidental woodworker 

  I went to Home Depot twice today. The first trip Joe was at lunch so I came back an hour later to meet with him. I wanted to buy the door and pay for the installation today but that didn't happen. HD requires someone come and measure the door. Once they give that info to Joe I have to go back, pick out/order the door, and pay for it all. I was hoping that I could have avoided all this BS because they had already put in a full install back door. Turns out I was wrong, oh so @)%$&@)%*I_@%_ wrong.

raking light

The ladder passed everywhere I looked at it with the light. Packed this up and stuck it in the boneyard. I'll email my sister and see when I can stop buy and drop off all the projects for her and Sue. Doing that will free up 1/2 the real estate in the boneyard.

road test

I don't know the grit of the sandpaper - it is either 100/120 grit. I like this sanding block a lot. The size was just right to grip and control while I sanded this box. It cut through the wood putty and left it flush and smooth. Can't wait until I try the rounded parts on something. I'll keep this on the workbench as my go to sanding block.

big blog of putty

I have on occasion sanded big spots of putty like this and had the sanding block pull it out. Not this time, it is still intact and flush/smooth. I hadn't planned on sanding this box but it was a convenient object to try it on.

sigh

There were 3 spots that still showed a few streaks of white primer. I'm hoping that this will be it. I'll check it again in the AM and see if there is finally Joy in Mudville.

why not

Putting on 3 coats of shellac and that is it. And I'll be done with it today. I'll be heading back to the shop after dinner to slap on the 3rd and final coat.

accidental woodworker 

Note to self: never, never, ever go shopping for a storm door with your wife. I had to rub my eyes repeatedly to make sure that we weren't looking for shoes. My wife obsessed about details that to me didn't mean diddly squat. Two agonizing hours and 3 boxes stores later, she had finally made up her mind. Of course the one she wanted and didn't want to compromise on, wasn't in stock and could possibly be a special order too. I'll find out tomorrow when I go back to talk to Joe and arrange ordering it and getting someone to install it. Decided that I didn't want the headache of doing it myself. Much nicer to ink my name on a check and stand back and watch it being installed.

one more

No drips or build up on the edges to deal with. All that was needed was to complete the paint coverage. There were spots on the shelf and two outside faces that still showed white primer. I'll find out in the AM if I'll need one last coat?????

hmm.....

It is still stuck the plywood the next day. This was encouraging because I was putting the kitchen ladder together next. I really want this plastic washer to keep the back and front sides from rubbing against each other.

sigh

I had convinced myself yesterday that I was putting this together and that would be it. However, there were several areas that needed some poly attention that I just couldn't ignore. Like the coaster holder, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if I'll have to repeat these dance steps again.

together

The washers stuck with a couple of dabs of superglue and stayed in place while I tapped the screws in through the holes. One hole was a bit of PITA to align but I got it without the washer coming loose.

glamour pic #1

I'm thinking now that maybe this would be better used if it was a plant stand. It is too heavy, IMO, to move around to use as a kitchen ladder.

glamour pic #2

I like the X brace on the back. I don't think the back bottom brace would have been enough to keep the back legs parallel. Besides it adds some visual interest to it.

came today

I got this from Jane at Timeless Books. I have learned that you pull the trigger on the book as soon as you see it. Have gone back a day later several times to buy a book but it had sold. I've always had a fascination about anything Shaker.

read chapter one

The Shakers thrived for over a 100 years but they were doomed to die out. They were a celibate society and that offered zero growth. However, they had beyond modern views of male and female roles. They were a lot more than just furniture makers.

fingers crossed

Its been beyond the drying time and it looks good. I will wait until the AM and use a flashlight to cast raking light on it to see if there are any other boo boos to fix.

$5 on Amazon

Saw this on a blog and I was intrigued by it. I bought one with sock drawer money  to road test.

5 profiles

That was the biggest reason to buy this. Two different half diameters and a slanted corner profile. Plus it is small and needs only one hand to use it. Sandpaper changes are held in by friction and it will take any grit I can stick in it.

learning more about it

I am a firm believer in pushing buttons etc to see what happens. Through that I learned that this small knurled knob at the end ratchets. It is just another way to turn the sleeve that advances/retracts the thimble rod. As soon as it stops the ratchet engages only in that direction.

Also learned that a micrometer only measures in one inch increments. That is why you only have a micrometer for 0-1 inch, 1-2 inch, 2-3 inch, etc etc etc.. The largest I have ever seen on the machinists I watch on YouTube is 11-12 inch.

It is now going on to week 5 that the saturday AM is forecasted to be raining. I've been waiting for a sunny one so I can make a run out to Gurneys Saw Mill. I can't make anything if I don't have any wood. This coming saturday is forecasted to be raining and the following saturday cloudy with a 25% chance of rain. Oh well I'll just have to make a double load run when I finally get a clear and sunny saturday. 

accidental woodworker 

I'll lead off with the good news. After 3 months we finally have a back door that we can shut and lock. I no longer have to wedge a 2x4 under the door knob to keep it shut at night. It looks good, the wife is happy, and I'm glad it is over and it didn't cost us anymore $$$$. I understand hidden hiccups but it was nice that nothing burped on this install.

Noticed a big hiccup with Linux today and it is effecting all 3 of my Linux computers. Updates for my Firefox browser(s) have been shut off. From what I saw online in the help forums, I am not the only unhappy camper with this headache. According to the browser enterprise updates have been turned off. I am not on an enterprise system, group, LAN, or association. So far I haven't found anything that is a fix for the problem. Hopefully Linux will sort it out and issue an update(?).

back door

I was kind of surprised by the carpenter who did this. He was young, on time, and professional. Not gabby in the least and made it clear it was not here to shoot the breeze. He put plastic up on both sides of the of door and when he left I couldn't see even one speck of debris left behind.

back door - outside view

This I didn't expect what I saw. Felt so good to see this being done by someone other than myself.

$1000 door

It was nice to see that the jamb wasn't fingered jointed. Top and sides were all one piece, solid wood and almost an inch thick. BTW this is a fiberglass door too.

last application

Fingers crossed that this is the last coat of poly to go on. It isn't as easy to correct surface defects - runs, drips, etc - in poly. Used the scraper to erase the sins and 400 grit to feather it all out. I'll know if it worked or not in the AM.

now it dries

This had 4 drips that ran across the width of the sides, two on each side. I really want this to be over with and out of the shop.

cleaned up

The whole of this platen had poly on it. Luckily for me it scraped off easily with a razor blade. I'm not sure I was as lucky removing poly on the black rubber drive wheel. I'll find that out when I put a new sanding belt in it and road test it.

lesson #1

You needs instructions? Turned I did because I couldn't make heads nor tails out of this. I started with a 1/8" drill bit which should read 0.125 on the micrometer. Gave it my best goofy looks but nada. I could see/understand .12 but I couldn't determine how to read the .005 part.

too many scales

I think I did find the purpose of the knurled ring here to the left of the numbers. I believe it is a locking ring to hold a measurement. Don't know that for sure but I was able to lock the thimble several times and keep it from moving.

hmm.....

The first YouTube vid I looked at and it was from Starrett. It was totally useless IMO. Pointed out some names for the parts but nothing of substance on how to use the micrometer nor how to read it.

I did watch and follow along with 5-6 other YouTube vids and they were heads above the Starrett one. I think I have a basic understanding of how to read it now but I need to find and watch more vids. This group I watched was all on how to read to 0.001 and my micrometer will read to tenths. Which confuses me to no end. 

teeny project, huge PITA

I had to scrape and sand this again for about the 4th or 5th time. Paint drips, build up on the edges, and incomplete coverage were all still laughing at me. I know down in my bones I'll be painting another coat on it tomorrow. Fingers crossed that will be the last one.

almost done

I opted to do the interior trim on the door to save money. I paid for a full install and that included insulating between it top, bottom, and sides.

done

This is awesome to have a back door again. And one that shuts with a nice sound and locks tight. I paid for PVC trim on the outside so I wouldn't ever have to paint it. But mostly I won't have to worry about it eventually rotting away at the bottom like the other door did.

My wife is very excited about this and has already picked out the paint not only for the door, but for the house/trim too. Decided to pressure wash the house and see how much of the paint comes off with that. The south side of the house is the worse for peeling paint. This is the easterly side of the house with the north side in the best shape.

done

Come hell or high water this going together tomorrow. The way I feel about it now is unless any defects are readily visible it is staying as it is here.

hmm......

Super glue doesn't work with a lot of plastic but it is kind of sticking this washer to the plywood. I made these out of a plastic milk container to serve as a friction washer between the front and rear sides as they move against each other. The super glue only has to hold it long enough for me to get the screws installed.

it is stuck.....

But it doesn't feel like it likes it or it will stay attached. Like I said it just has to last long enough for the screw to pass through it and into the opposite side.

accidental woodworker 

 Today my wife and I celebrated 25 years together. We met in 1999 and married in 2000. That certainly makes it extremely easy to keep tabs as the years pile up. Ran around in the afternoon and went out to a fancy restaurant for dinner. I went into in for all it was worth - appetizer, salad, dinner (chix marsala), and desert with a coffee. I'm sure I won't be dropping any tonnage on sunday's weigh in. I smoothed that all over by convincing myself that our anniversary only comes once a year.

I did get some shop time in the AM session but zero in the PM. Just as well because I've been in a bit of fog with the shop lately. No shortage of ideas for projects. It is what to do with what I want to make. Lately most of my itches involve projects a lot bigger than a breadbox. One that won't let me go is making a 18th century double door wardrobe.

lightened up

The box lost the 'wet' look and it isn't too far off the raw natural wood color. You can still tell it has some kind of a finish on it. 

who knew?

An 8oz can of this poly cost $11.99 this 32oz can cost $18.99. Even though I knew the 8oz can would have been enough I bought the big one.  It was a no brainer getting four times as much for $7 more.

LS Starrett 231x

I finally have a 0-1inch micrometer that I don't need. I got it from the HyperKitten tool site for $26. This one reads to tenths but I'm not sure of its age or its accuracy. I don't have any standards to check it nor do I have a warm and fuzzy on how to read/use it. It has 3 things that turn and two of them I'm clueless on. I bought it so I could teach myself how to use and read it.

I plan on sending it out to be checked and calibrated. I have been watching Keith Rucker (Vintage Machinery) for over ten years and he has mentioned several times about a technician he sends his measuring gauges/tools to to be fixed/checked. I'll have to find that YouTube vid with that bit of info.

accidental woodworker