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

accidental woodworker

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 

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 

hmm.......

The bottom one is what the dowel jig did first and what two holes look like. I wasn't happy with the empty space so I drilled two holes and shifted the jig to the left and drilled one more hole. I liked that but it won't work when I drill the corresponding holes in the legs. I can't reference the third hole I drilled.

drilled three

The last hole on the left doesn't have a lot of meat on the outside. I think I'll be ok with it because I will place this so this hole is on the bottom.

it wasn't easy

The jig isn't centered on either the rail or the legs. Positioning the jig needs to be set correctly so the rails and legs align -  side to side & top/bottom. The leg/rail sample was a life saving but it was still easy for me to get confused. I confirmed the placement of the jig a bazillion times before I drilled and I still had calm the heebie jeebies afterward.

first two

Got the top side rails done. The inside face is flush with the legs with the offset on the outside.

oops

I might need a change of plans. The dowels for the next set of rails line up with the first rail dowels. I hadn't thought that far ahead. Decided to move the back rail to the opposite side and that opened up some room. One set will still hit the other but with enough meat for the glue to work on both.

While I was typing this I saw another way to deal with this. I could have offset the 2nd set of dowels by placing them in between the first ones. The 5 inch rails had 4 dowels and the offset ones would have had 4 too. On the next one I'll try doing it that way.

hmm.......

This is the top back rail. I will also do this same layout for the bottom back rail. Not ideal but I think it will be adequate for this application.

first bottom rail

Got the bottom rail on the bottom and the bottom front rail I'm on the fence about. I'm leaning towards positioning the outside face flush. The bottom shelf will overhang on the front edge so any offset there won't be seen.

sides done

The first bottom rail is short - I used it just to check I drilled the holes correctly.

came today

I had ordered these yesterday but I hadn't checked for a delivery date. I don't need the 2" ones but I did need the 1 1/2" ones.

last two rails

These are the top and bottom drawer rails. The top one will be dovetailed into the top of the legs and the bottom one is up in the air. Doweled, tenoned, or set in a notch? 

I quit for the day here. I was dead, bone tired and I was struggling trying to not nod out. The oncology nurse had told this might happen and just go with the flow. So that is what I did for the PM session.

accidental woodworker 

almost done

There were two white holidays on the inside I painted and two dings showing some primer on the outside. It will be a while before I can move this into the boneyard. I haven't gotten around to arranging it.

leg stock

Made a me-steak with the 6/4 leg stock. I thought this was long enough to get 8 legs out of it. I also thought that I had bought another 6/4 board but that ain't so boys and girls.

a wee bit of twist

The board wasn't rocking on the tablesaw and the eyeball didn't see any twist. I took a couple of the shavings off the high ends and called it done.

hmm......

I got 5 legs out of the 6/4 board. The two outside ones will be the front legs. The two back legs have straight vertical grain on two faces and two faces with cathedral grain. Not that pronounced and they will be the back legs.

cleaning up

The tablesaw didn't like ripping this poplar. It stalled and grabbed a couple times when I ripped out each leg. I cleaned up those faces and then did a skim cut on the tablesaw getting all four legs to the same dimension.

close

My Olsen miter gauge wouldn't extend the 45" I needed for the legs. I knifed each leg at 45 and cut them on the tablesaw. I will reference everything off of the top of the legs. After it is together I'll even up the legs at the bottom.

rails

Got all the rails saw to length and width. I still need one more rail - the top drawer rail. Holding off on that for now. I still need 3 shelves, slats, and a top. When I do them I'll get the drawer rail from those scraps.

Miller Dowel jig

the final look

In the end after playing with it for a while adding and removing shims, I finally got it. The back is within a frog hair of being flush with the inside of the leg and the opposite face is inset about 3/16".

hmm......

This jig is for setting the depth of the drill bit and I think I finally figured it out. I thought the measurements on the jig were for the dowel length. It ain't so, it is for the drill depth on one side of the dowel joint. It is very easy to confuse me and I could have avoided it if I had read the instructions. Now that I sorted that out I'm trying to decide whether to use 1 1/2" or 2" dowels. 

ready for drilling

I was going to drill the holes but nixed it. I wasn't feeling 100% so I'll come back to this in the AM. 

Day three from my 2nd chemo cocktail and I felt like total crap this morning. I slept throughout the night. I had hit the rack at 2100 and I got up 4 times for the toilet trot races but I was able to fell back asleep right away. It doesn't look like this round of chemo is going to be as nice as round one. 

Feeling nauseous sucks pond scum so I finally broke down and took a pill for it. I felt better about an hour later with the nauseous feeling knocked back 98%. I had my friday fish 'n chips and so far I've kept it down without the urge to make an offering to the white porcelain throne. Blah feeling slowly dissipated over the day and by the time I killed the lights I was feeling a wee bit better. Fingers crossed tomorrow will be better.

accidental woodworker

 I got on the road a little after 0600, heading north to Highland Hardwoods in New Hampshire. It was a nightmare driving up there. 95 and 495 had several log jams I had to deal with and I don't do good in traffic. Especially so when nothing is moving. The closer I got to New Hampshire it started to thin out but a surprise was waiting for me in NH. They were doing massive construction for several miles on the road to Highland Hardwood. Coming home was much better - no log jams and I sailed through the bazillion mile long construction zone.

$262 worth of poplar

I know I have enough for one and I'm going to try and squeeze out two if I can.

the honey do project

This is what my wife asked me to make for her. Surprised me to no end that she liked this style. It is definitely something that I like and I like a lot. 

painting done

On the front no holidays but there are a few spots to do on the back. The front looks good after two coats. It is smooth to the look and touch with no brush marks.

flipped it

Back went on next. I screwed it into the backs of shelves and nailed it off around the perimeter. No glue because of the paint.

last screw

The back wasn't glued and nailed/screwed. The screws (#6x1") stiffened the bookcase much more than I thought they would. The edges and the top and bottom on the back needed a top coat. I am only putting on one to cover the white primer.

done

I have a couple of spots to touch up. Wrestling it off the workbench and getting it upright didn't go smoothly. One down and one more to go. This one is for Leo I think based on the color of the paint. Both of the grandsons have gray dressers but different colors.

15"

I got 3 boards this wide and one 16" wide. All four of them are 5 feet long.

I'll get started on this in the AM. I made some doodles on paper that will guide me. I'll settle on the height, depth, and width as I start cutting the stock to rough dimensions.

Day two from my 2nd chemo cocktail and no side effects so far. I didn't sleep well last night, I had woke up at 0215 and couldn't fall back asleep. I finally nodded out sometime after 0430 and woke up again at 0515. I hope that I sleep like the dead tonight.

Had trouble getting the wood into the truck at Highland Hardwoods. I had to go old man slow because if I tried going at my normal balls to wall speed I got winded. Getting the lumber out of the truck at home and into the cellar took a long time. I get winded and short of breath now more and more when I exert myself even slightly. I had to rest and catch my breath several times. I don't know if that is due to the lung cancer or the ILD. From what I read about ILD that is most likely the culprit.

accidental woodworker 

ready

I eyeballed the bookcase checking for any holidays and found none. Last night after dinner I had put primer on the molding. This AM I sanded it down with 320 grit, wiped down it down and rolled on the first top coat.

nope

Used a roller to apply the top coat and I like the look. No brush marks and the coverage looks smooth. I had to brush some parts - corners and the molded edges of the shelves.

the left one

Both frames have the same molded outside edge. The left one I got today and it is just a wee bit larger then the right one. That is the one I made first and ran a bead on the inside of edge. I still don't remember how I made that frame. Pretty sure that I ran the bead before sawing the miters but it is still fuzzy.

fuzzy looking but done

Finally got all the of the black scraped off. There are a few scattered spots of black in dings that I can't get out. 

ready for paint

I got all the screws and loose parts wire brushed. The frame came out better then I thought it would - cast iron doesn't shine up as nicely as brass does. I'll wipe everything down with acetone before I paint it.

hmm.......

The plan as of now is to roll on the 2nd coat after dinner. That will have given the bookcase over 8 hours to dry after the first coat.

I got a 'honey can you......' project. I'm going to Highlands Hardwoods in New Hampshire in the AM. I called Koszela lumber and they didn't have all the sizes I needed. My wife likes bland looking wood so I'm making it out of poplar. I need 3/4, 5/4, and 6/4 and only Highland has all three in stock. 

accidental woodworker

it fits

I had my 2nd chemo cocktail this AM but before I left I checked the base and how/if the molding fitted. The base fits well along the front gap free not that it matters much.

left side

This gap is tapered going wide at the front to almost nothing at the back. The gap is because of me planing the tails/pins flush. I didn't check or pay any attention to keeping the corner square.

right side is a little better

hmm......

Got lucky and planing the top of the base was correct. There is a strong 16th between the top of the molding and the top of the bottom shelf. I would have liked it to have been an 1/8" but this is acceptable.

I like it

This is the look of the miter off the saw. I am going with this because it is a paint grade miter and it will look tight and gap free when the paint is on it.

It was 1334 before I made it back to the shop today. The chemo infusion took forever. I got there at 0815 for blood work. I got my premed infusion at 0930 and I left finally at 1220. After filling the pie hole I ambled down to the shop.

sanded

I am gluing the molding to the base only. I will nail (pin nails) it to the base and the bottom shelf. That should be more than adequate for securing the molding. Sanded the primer off with 80 grit.

securing the base

I went back and forth with putting the base on now or waiting until I painted the bookcase and base separately. Nixed that because I have to apply primer to molding after it is secured. Two of the screws poked through and said hello. Replaced those two with 1 1/4" long ones and filled the errant holes with putty.

sigh

I checked the molding dry and it look good to go. I glued and nailed off the front and left side moldings and got a surprise when it came time to do the right one. The front molding ran long about an 1/8". I used a chisel to trim it so the heel was on the outside edge of the side. I didn't chisel it at 45 though. I eyeballed the short leg and checked it - it was way off. I tried several times to adjust the angle by sawing and that wasn't working.

I used a 100 grit sanding stick to getting the mating miter to match. It was easier going then I thought it would be. I eventually got the miter 99% gap free with a minor space at the toe. I filled that in with wood putty. The paint will hide that sin. 

I set all the pin nails and filled them in with putty. After dinner I'll go back to the shop and sand them smooth and apply the primer to the molding.

fixed

Initially I thought having a gap here at the back wasn't a big deal. But I didn't think the gap would be as big as it is. After seeing it I decided to put a shim in around the middle. The shim is about 9-10" long and roughly centered on the back rail. 

done - ish

There are few stubborn spots on the interior that are resisting my charms trying to scrape. Overall I'm satisfied with the removal which now showcases a bazillion dings and casting imperfections. No rush on this and I'll get the last of the recalcitrant paint removed.

hmm......

I found another can of red paint and two cans of black. The red had a skim coat that I removed and it looks viable. The red sample I did yesterday is toast - it was still tacky and more so than it should have been given the warm temps and the 24hrs. Can states dry to the touch in 4-6 hours. Tossed it into the shitcan without getting a pic of.

went 1 for two

The first can of black had thick skim coat with a small puddle of black paint. Tossed that without giving it a second thought. This can was perfect - no skim coat and the paint looked and felt good when I stirred it. I will try it out painting the tenon maker once all the old paint is history.

accidental woodworker 

prepped

Got the base sanded (120 grit) and it is was ready for paint. The tear out I filled with putty felt smooth and flush when I checked it with my finger tips. The bearers/cleats are just screwed on and I will screw up through them to secure the bookcase - no glue there neither.

hmm.......

I would have bet a lung that this was flush yesterday. Not so today. I had checked that the top of the back was square to face but it wasn't. Squared that up and that increased the light under the square. Same headache on the other side to deal with.

fixed

Initially I was going to use veneer but I had to use 5 pieces to get the height needed. Instead I ripped out a thin piece of pine and planed/sanded it until it was flush with the bearer/cleat.

I am going to use the cove molding from yesterday. I took four shavings off the sides and the front which now I think was the wrong way to go. Having trouble trying to visualize if dropping the base will sink the molding down further against the bottom shelf of the bookcase. I'll find out in the AM.

step one

Painting the base is a two stepper. Step one is painting the underside and the inside. Step two, to come, is painting the outside faces of the sides.

flipped a coin

Heads I left the back natural and tails I painted it. Tails won.

one more two stepper

Got the primer on everything except the two outside vertical faces. I'll do them after the paint has dried for a couple of hours.

the oops

Mishandled the router removing it after I had routed the rabbet. It on the back top and it should face a wall unseen. I am not painting the backside of the back panel.

primer coat done

I will let this go until the AM. Then I will lightly sand it with 320 grit and apply the top coat. I have zero confidence that one will cover. On a brighter note I did like the primer coat - it laid down smoothly with no visible brush marks. Will I get lucky with the top coat?

it is working

The paint is coming off effortlessly with the screwdrivers. I got most of the outside done I would say about 90-95%. The inside is scraping off but it is slow going. Hard to hold it conveniently and scrape. Ideally I like scraping having both hands free. 

If I remember hardly anyone is selling pint cans of oil based enamel. I need red and black - my black can had skimmed over and is total crappola. I have a can of red but it is iffy. I slapped some on a scrap to see what it looks like when I check it in the AM.

accidental woodworker 

base is done

Went together off the saw and fit the bottom of the bookcase. Because of the size of the bookcase I increased the height of the base. Raising it up (about a 1/2") makes it easier to access the bottom shelf.

sigh

Dinged this up taking it off the workbench. I can't leave this as is because it looks too ugly.

fixed

I planed the flat on the front edge and routed the chamfer again. Planed it some more and routed it again. I'm leaving this as it is for now.

no more

I could have planed some more and routed the remaining ding on the chamfer. If I had done that the flat would have been thinner then the chamfer. The both of them are about the same now.

oops

Got the base back on and I wasn't paying attention. The top of the back rail should have been flush with the top of the bearer/cleat. Instead I made it flush with the top of the base. I secured the ends into the sides with Miller Dowels. I already have the fix rattling around in the brain bucket.

saw kerfs

I have to remove/flatten/straighten out about 3/16". Made a bazillion saw kerfs staying just above the pencil layout line. 

working down

This worked better and quicker than I thought. I didn't have to make this dead nuts straight R/L nor maintain a specific height.

flush

This is the only spot, here and on the opposite end, that has to be flush with the bearers/cleats. The bookcase will bear down on the back here.

hmm.......

The cove molding is barely a frog hair below the top of the bottom shelf. I had gone to Lowes but the small molding section was as bare as Mother Hubbard's cupboard. I didn't feel like driving to Home Depot but I might make that road trip tomorrow. I don't have a warm and fuzzy about using this molding.

As I was doing this I thought of routing a chamfer on the base. The base fits fairly well on the front and the left side - the right side has a teeny gap. I'm not sure my OCD will allow me to ignore it.

ouch

Got some tear out on this side that was so ugly the wood actually cried. It was one of the areas on pine that tears out on every compass point. 

still soaking

I went searching for my tools from rehabbing planes and nada. I had made several scrapers with sheet rock knife blades and it is them I wanted to use on this. I'm in no hurry and I've been using small blade screwdrivers as scrapers.

accidental woodworker 

done

Routed the the top and bottom rabbets without any hiccups. Well one hiccup but it is on the back and won't be seen. Squared up the corners and it was ready for the back.

Lowes run

I had to buy a full sheet of 1/4" plywood and they sawed it in half. It was a struggle carrying it out to my truck but I managed. I sawed the back out a wee bit wider and longer then needed. I trimmed/planed it until it fit within the rabbets.

hmm........

Seeing the back fitted is making me wish that I wasn't painting this. I like the 'grain' in this plywood a lot.

base

I am only doing a 3 sided base. The back 'side' I'll deal with after the base is glued and cooked. Tails laid out and sawn - the chopping will start in the AM. 

half pins

Last night I slept through the night without getting up once. Closed the peepers around 1030 and woke up at 0530. I had felt bone weary tired before hitting the rack. Today after lunch I felt the same. I haven't this tired/worn out in a very long time.

Of late I've been getting winded quickly. More frequently now I get out of breath coming up the cellar stairs. Carrying the plywood at Lowes was an eye opening. I have never gotten that out breath carrying a light load for such a short distance.

When I'm working in the shop I don't get winded like I do walking up the stairs. I got a wee bit winded planing the dovetails yesterday but I was able to keep going and finish that job.

Maybe this is the 'bone weary tired' that the oncology nurse said I would experience. I cut short the shop time and spent the rest of the day nodding in/out at my desk. If I'm up to I'll finish the base in the AM and start painting the bookcase.

accidental woodworker

first blurry pic

The dial slipped off the auto setting and a few pics came out blurry. Any ways, I behaved and I let the spacer cook overnight. I resisted the urge to play with last night after dinner.

hmm.......

The plan was to use this screwed up shelf to give up a couple of dividers. I had doodled placing them on paper last night and gave up on it. The design and placement of the dividers was asymmetrical but I couldn't find something that I liked. I tried one divider, then 2, ending with 6. Didn't like any of them and the shelves will remain open and clear R/L. 

lucked out

I planed a profile on the edge of the screwed up shelf. I wanted to see how far inboard the profile ran. The outside edge of it was forward of the end of the notch. I didn't want the profile to be at or behind that notch.

done

Molded the profile, and then I sanded it, both sides, with 120 grit. These are ready to glue in.

#4 and #3

I flushed the tails/pins on the outside faces with the #4 & #3 planes. The sides there needed to be flush because I will be putting a quarter round molding against it. Before flipping it I hand sanded it with 80 grit (to remove pencil marks) followed with 120 grit in my RO sander. 

I will  sand the bookcase up to 120 before painting it. I will also be applying a primer coat. I want to see how the wood sanded to 120 helps/hinders the top coats. I have given up on one coat coverage so I know I will be doing a primer coat followed by at least two top coats.

hmm.......

Dry fitted the back stop thing. This is the 2nd fitting, the first one was too tall. This one is an 1 1/8" tall and 32" R/L. I can glue this on without it interfering with routing the rabbet.

choices made

I rounded the top corners but the first choice was a 22.5° but I nixed that. Instead I routed a 3/8" round over - only on the front edge. I left the back squared off.

glued and cooking

I got this glued and cooking around 1030. I let it cook and set until after I got back to barn after filling the pie hole with fish 'n chips.

Miller Dowels

These dowels are for 1/2" stock but the larger ones for 3/4" stock don't leave much wiggle room. They have to be dead nuts on the center line. I have used these smaller ones for years now without any hiccups or failures. Used 3 per shelf on both ends.

done

Back stop thing is glued, clamped and cooking. It was slightly cupped but I was able to align it easily with the back edge of the bookcase. Routed a chamfer on the front and the two sides.

the base

The base will be 4 1/2" high. The two smaller pieces are the cleats that I will screw on the inside of the base and then screw through them to secure the bookcase on them.

hmm.......

The whole bookcase (except the base) had been sanded. Used the wood putty to fill in the gaps from the pins, the chip blowouts, and the bazillion dings. I may have to do another application in the AM when I check this.

Almost done with bookcase #1. I'll make the base in the AM and start applying primer to the bookcase. The topcoat will be the same color as the dressers I made for Miles and Leo.

The past few days have turned miserable again. High temps and high humidity.  The shop was bearably tolerable and keeping the fan blowing on me helped a lot. Don't know when this will break but it is about normal for this time of the year in New England.  

accidental woodworker 

ta da

I did go back to the shop and chopped the stopped dadoes. First thing this AM I got the top seated in the dadoes. I didn't have to trim/shave either end to get them fitted. However it was awkward and a Royal PITA - I could get one side seated and then I couldn't get the other side seated. Then it seated and the other side would pop out. After see sawing and letting loose with my choicest expletives, I finally got them seated and clamped.

glued and cooking

I had to go to the VA to check on a CT test scheduling SNAFU which IMO resolved nothing. Typical government BS. I like the clean look of the front of the sides. Zero glue squeeze out which is expected because I'm painting this. If it was being left natural I would have had rivers of glue.

oops

Too late to fix this and I'll have to deal with it now. I could have fixed it before I glued it but I didn't want to flip the bookcase (clamped) to check it I. I need this to be flush with the sides so the rabbet top/bottom matches the side rabbets.

close

This is a wee bit higher than the sides. I'll plane it flush after it has been glued and cooked. 

fitting the #3 shelf

I planed the right side end and then I sanded both ends, top/bottom, before fitting it in the dadoes. It was still a snug fit but I didn't have any problems getting it seated with a mallet.

nailed it

Got my 1/8" set back. This will probably increase some because I will plane this edge to smooth/clean it up and mold a profile on it.

sawing notches

The middle (#2) shelf is jinxed. I screwed up sawing the notch on the right and ended up matching the the first screwed up notch on the left end. I went 2 for 3 sawing the right side notches which in baseball ain't too bad.

yikes

It doesn't matter that this isn't square. It didn't show when I got the shelf dry fitted and clamped.

top secured

I put 3 Miller Dowels on each end to secure the top for insurance. I'm thinking of using Miller Dowels for the shelves too.

OCD kicked in

Making a new shelf. I was already having trouble dealing with the one screwed up notch on shelf #2 and with two my OCD went into overdrive. I whacked out a new shelf using the original as the pattern.

I like

Glad that I overhung the top instead of leaving it the same size as the sides. I'm not done with making dadoes. I'm thinking of putting a divider on at least one shelf. 

spacer glued and cooking

There isn't much more left to do on this. Tomorrow I'll decide on dividers and how many. Once that is in the bank, I'll make the base and the back stop thing for the top.

accidental woodworker 

I didn't forget

Made a test rabbet to ensure the fit was ok. This is the plywood I intend to use. Lowes sells 1/2 sheets (48 x48) but it is something that I don't see that often in stock. If not I'll buy a full sheet and have it sawn in half.

done

Adjusting the plunge router is/was a ROYAL PITA. It was stiff, uncooperative, and damn near impossible to nudge up/down a frog hair. It took me a bazillion years to get it to the depth I needed. I left it set on it so I can rout the top and bottom rabbets later.

oops

Had a senior moment and made the notch wrong. It would have been dead nuts if the shelf went in on the long edge. Way out in left field with the shelf in its correct position. Since I'm painting this I will save the off cut, glue it in instead of making a new shelf.

fitted it

The plan is to put the shelves in after the top is glued and set. I don't want the shelves binding and stalling when I do that. I made the shelves a wee looser by planing a few fuzzy shavings off of each side at the ends. I just notched the left ends of the 3 shelves. I'll do the right ends once I get the R/L measurement.

hmm......

The right side has a slight cup to it and the clamps pulled the shelf end tight at the front and back ok. Not sure how well the middle was seated. I will have to make some banana cleats to pull the center in.

glued and cooking

Got the first side/bottom glued. I let this cook for a couple of hours before doing the other side/bottom.

the top

The top will overhang the ends and the front by 3/4". 1x12 stock if usually 11 1/4" to 11 1/2" wide. I sawed off 2" from a 1x12 board and glued on a 3" plus wide piece. I didn't like the idea of gluing on a thin piece to get the required width.

hmm......

The other side glued and cooking. I put spacers on the open end that was the length of the ID measurement. I added a second one after seeing this.

putty work

I filled in the missing blowouts, three on the left one and one on the right. I will most likely have to do at least one more application. The side with three of them were deep and putty shrinks.

top prepped

I planed both sides, flushing the joint lines. This doesn't need to anal retentive dead nuts flat or parallel.

off by 3/8"

I measured the diagonals and they were off by too much to ignore. I couldn't get a tape to measure the diagonals again due to the clamp. So I screwed down on the clamp until Mr Starrett said all four corners were square.

marking the top

I measured and sawed the top to R/L length and laid out 3/4" in from each end for the top dadoes. It was close - aligned the right side on the pencil line and the other pencil line was off by a frog hair. I made a knife tic to mark each end.

ouch

The knife line wandered out into La La Land on me. By the time I noticed it, it was too late. Part of the line looks chewed up pretty good but I think I got the knife line square across the width.

ends

The plan is to not notch the ends of the tops. Instead I will dead end  them into the end of the dado. Ensuring that the ends are crisp and clean.

I had to do it

It was past 1500 but I couldn't wait to see how this screwed up knife line turned out. Where the chisel is, it is where the the worse of the chewed up knife line was. It came out pretty good and I'm happy with the recovery.

left side done

I may or may not wander back to the shop after dinner and whack out the other wall. 

done

I really like this - a reproduction of the original Declaration of Independence. Paper made the way it was in 1776 and printed on printing press from the 1700's. Don't know if it was an original or a reproduction press. Now I have to find a hole for it on a wall somewhere.

accidental woodworker 

before I left

I had my appointment with the the VA this AM and before I left for it I had to check this. I had sawn the 3 shelves to length before checking that they would fit. I measured the baselines between the tails because that is the minimum length that the shelves can be.

plenty of wiggle room

I have the left end on the left end tail baseline. The right end is 3/8" past the top of the tails. I need only 5/8" past the baselines for the shelves to fit R/L. I got lucky and I'll do the final length once the carcass is glued and set.

hmm......

The frame has been soaking for a few days now but the paint isn't coming off with the steel wire brush. However, it came off easily when I scraped it with the chisel. The Simple Green softened it enough for it to be scraped. I'm in no hurry for this so I'll let it soak for a few more days. 

PM session

Used my 2" chisel to chop the dadoes for the shelves. I find that I get straighter walls with a larger chisel.

first one checked

I'm getting a lot better at chopping dadoes. All six of them were snug and needed gentle persausion to seat the shelves in the dadoes. The first right one had an added hiccup of being slightly cupped too.

left side

The left side seated a wee bit easier then the right side. Overall I don't think I'll have any problems putting any of the three into the sides when that time comes.

sigh

I missed seeing where these two decided to hide. I had three before this that I managed to find the chip and glue them back in. These two went instantaneously airborne and went under the radar screen. I had planned to leave the bookcase natural but I will paint them now because these missing chip outs.

not quite

I thought I had fully seated this but it wasn't so boys and girls. I'll have to shave the ends of the shelves to fit looser in the dadoes.

7 Pees upcoming

Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance. Or in other words, sloppy fitting joints. I want the front edge of the shelves to be about a 1/8" inset from the front edge. As is all three shelves are about 3/8" too wide.

order of operations

I have to glue the tails/pins together, then mark the dadoes for the top. I need a 1/4" x 1/4" rabbet all the way around for the back. That has to be done on the sides before I do anything else. I can do the rabbet for the top and bottom after the carcass is together. (the 7 pees)

Tomorrow I'll rout the rabbet on the back edges of the sides. I left the rabbeting bit on the side to remind me. I have the step by step order of operation set in the brain bucket but I have mind farted and skipped ahead more than once.

accidental woodworker 

It rained a lot all day long. At times it came down so hard you couldn't see 3 feet ahead. It looked like a slightly gray, blurry wall. The weather report said rain for 3 hours and that ain't what happened. That isn't the bad part of this equation, it was the humidity. The wet wool blanket type that drenches you every time you blink your eyes. The temp was reasonable at 76F - 25C but the humidity was hovering around 92%. I kept a fan blowing on me at my desk and when I was in the shop. Made it bearable and tomorrow is supposed to better.

original chisel set

I bought this set in the late 1970s and used them for years. I also didn't know until several years later that they were metric. Broke them out today to chop the dovetails for the first bookcase. I used them as is only stropping them before chopping the tales.

left side

Got the tails chopped and moved on to the pins next. Both the left and right side went together off the saw. The plan as of now is to glue one side and let that set up and do the opposite side. Once the sides are set I can then mark the stopped dadoes for the top. Like all plans of Mice and Men, it is subject to change.

right side

It was a bit awkward trying to set the left and right side at the same time and I gave up. I had to check the fit solo and it passed.

hmm.......

Got two shelves out this 7 foot board. Got lucky that the distance between the knots was greater the length of the shelves. There were 3 knots in this board, two a couple inches in at each end, and one about the middle.

double, triple checking myself

I only needed 3 shelves and two of them were mislabeled. I will be setting the width of each dado (R & L) directly off each individual shelf so the labeling needs to be correct.

reference edge for the shelves

Before squaring the ends to length, you need a reference that is flat and straight.

30 1/2"

The shelves are done. The span distance for 3/4" pine without sagging is 30-32 inches. My shelves should end up about 30 1/2" allowing for 1/4" deep dadoes on each end. As I typed this I realized that I might have made a boo boo. Before I settled on the length, I should have confirmed the inside width of the bookcase. I'll find out in the AM and if these are toast I'll save them for the 2nd bookcase.

Got my eyeglasses fixed. It took her about 15 minutes to do it. Found out that the holes not lining up was due to the hinge being broken. I hadn't noticed that and don't see how that would have changed the arm and frame holes from aligning. Important thing is I got my shop glasses back. 

accidental woodworker