Accidental Woodworker

There is the sanding and applying shellac yet to come but I'm calling it done. Posting about sanding/shellac application is like trying to jazz up watching water evaporate. I got the last holder thing glued and it will cook until tomorrow. Maybe by sunday I'll be ready to post the glamour pics. Stayed tuned to this bat channel for updates and pics on the late news.

last night

After dinner I came back to the shop and glued the edge guide holder in the lid. It was cold yesterday but the shop temp didn't dip below 61F with the high being 63F. Today it was colder - the high was 34F (1.1C) - but shop was still a toasty 63F.

checking the fit

It fit yesterday when I tested it and fingers crossed with it glued in place, that it still would fit. The only obstacle I can see is maybe the wrench holder might stick out enough to hit it.

new home?

Trying to place where the guide bushing will reside on the lid. With it here the router won't be in the way as this will fall down towards the front edge of the box.

a big sigh

On the plus side the epoxy set up and it set like a rock. On the flip side of the coin (the brain fart side) I switched the screws. The one for the guide bushing belonged in the circular edge guide holder. I'll have to redo it but luckily I have a correct length 1/4-20 screw.

nope

I wasn't expecting this work and it didn't. It was a light tap, tap, tap effort but the epoxy held nonetheless.

bonus

This is left over from the first circular edge guide holder I made yesterday. More than enough to whack out a 2nd one.

done (ubiquitous blurry pic)

I super glued the sides to the body and used hide glue to secure it to the lid.

wasn't laying flat

There is a raised ridge on the right U shaped leg so the washer wasn't laying flat. I filed a facet on it so it would lay flat on the U shaped legs.

hmm......

I liked placing the circular guide holder here but I needed to ensure that  some part of the router wasn't going to shake hands with it.

more white 5 min epoxy

It sets within 5 mins, sands in one hour, and reaches full strength in 24hrs or more depending upon temp etc. It does sand after an hour without gumming up the sandpaper.

six bits

Decided to make a storage rack for the 6 router bits that came with the router.

drilling the holes

I used a 17/64 drill bit for the 1/4" shank router bits. That is a sufficient amount of wiggle room - I haven't had any problems using this size hole with other bits.

I'm an idiot

I used dividers to step off what I thought was six holes. Turns out it was seven and I should have left it but I sawed it off. Thought of keeping it as I sawed it off.

last check

I had the edge guide, the guide busing, and the circular guide all glued in. Last time to ensure the lid closed and nothing was hanging up on anything. Everything passed. I set this aside to let the circular guide cook and set up.

they gotta go

I've been looking at these two drawers and especially so the right one, while I made the dresser and the router box. They are still bugging me big time. I can't get past the huge gaps on the right drawer so these two are history with replacements to come.

the replacements

Going again with continuous grain left to right or right to left. It just depends on how you look at them.

hand thicknessing

Too much trouble to run one piece through the lunchbox planer. I will start by establishing a reference face and edge. I criss crossed it twice and went straight across twice before I checked it for any twist.

took a few dance steps

The far right and lower left corners were high. Chipped away at it until it went bye-bye.

stickered

I'll let this hang out until tomorrow and give it a chance to do any stupid wood tricks. I don't expect any but I'll give it all the the rope it needs.

lid residents

The circular guide on the right needs to cook and set up. The current shop temp was still a toasty 63F so it shouldn't hinder that. I put a 1/8" spacer between it and the side of the box. It didn't need the clearance but there is some wiggle room.

I didn't get much PM time because my wife and I went out for lunch. After that we strolled around Garden City for a couple of hours doing some xmas shopping. I rewarded myself with some Sweenor's chocolates to have the stamina to do all that walking and waiting. I am now almost done with my xmas shopping. I just have to get one more thing for my wife and something for the grandkids.

accidental woodworker

 I rolled out of the rack early today with the intention of gathering up yard waste to get it curbside. When I looked outside, I saw that it had snowed overnight. I thought that was great because the forecast said rain overnight. By the time I got outside I found that it was raining and the snow was mostly all slush. That nixed the yard waste idea and I starting working on the sudoku puzzle from yesterday. It was kicking my butt and the current one is the 5th time I printed it out and started over again.

holder for the trim router

This was the 5th option and the one I'm going with. This is just to contain the router in the box so it doesn't rattle around when it is picked up and moved about. It is a simple box sans a bottom. It is rabbeted and I would have done dovetails but this is 6mm plywood. My two previous attempts dovetailing plywood were dismal failures.

two other failures

The four other options that failed revolved around me trying to make a cradle for the top and bottom ends. I couldn't orient myself with especially the top - it has weird rounds and moves off into other shapes/angles. I kept sawing the round parts in the wrong axis - instead of this one being horizontal I should have done it vertically. I doubt I would have been happy with it whether I sawed it correctly or not.

glued and cooking

I put spacers in this because the clamps were bowing in the long sides. I did the half moon cutout to facilitate getting the router in/out of it.

small wrench

Started playing with where to put this and stopped myself. If I hadn't I would probably be still obsessing about its placement.

1/8" plywood

The wrench is a  frog hair less thick than the plywood. It is a slip fit pulling and putting it in the holder. I still don't know what this small wrench is for.

put a back on it

I didn't need the back for this to work. I put a back on so I could glue the holder to the box with hide glue. This way I can remove it for whatever reason in the future.

big wrench holder

I really wanted to put the big wrench vertical but the height of the box is about 3/4" short. This was placed horizontally on the front of the box. I put a front and back on the big wrench like I did for its smaller sibling.

all stop

I was opening the box and the lid got away from me fell. It didn't rip the hinges out and I immediately stopped everything and installed a chain fall. 

it fits

I made this box about and 1/8" bigger in the length and the width. I glued it in the box with hide glue.

nope

I really liked the big wrench here. It would be secure and out the way. However, I tried it and I didn't like it. It wasn't as easy to get out as I thought it would be.

2nd spot

I like this for being out of the way but the router/holder is too close. It will throw me into a tizzy fit if I have to fumble to get this out or put it back.

space hog

This takes up a lot of real estate in a couple of planes. This one had to be placed first and I temporarily attached it with super glue so I could close the lid.

good feeling

The edge guide doesn't interfere with the closing/opening of the lid. I got my happy face on here.

1/4-20 brass RH screw

I wanted to use a carriage bolt here and chisel out a recess for the head. ACE didn't have any in the size I wanted so I used this.

which one will win?

This box is big enough to warrant a handle of some kind on the top. I thought of side mounted handles but it isn't big enough for that.

the brass one won

The top panel is only 6mm thick and I don't want to attach the handles with screws, nuts, and washers. I glued a 1/2" thick block to the top so I would have some meat to screw into.

oval head screws

I didn't want to rely solely on the glue bond so I added 3 screws. I swapped out the middle oval head screw and put in a flat head. That is where the edge guide holder was going.

might as well

Added the catch for the lid. I'll remove it and the handle when I apply the shellac

cooking

I preferred placing these on the sides but that wasn't working. I think I have enough real estate to put a block to hold the router bits that came with the router. Currently they are residing in drawer #1.

hmm.......

Time to make another trip to ACE. I didn't have any 5min epoxy and I also needed another 1/4-20 screw and wing nut. I need the epoxy to fill in around the screw so it won't turn when I tighten a wing nut on it.

the easiest one

This is the only guide bushing that came with this router. I don't ever see myself using it but I'll find spot to put it in the box.

done

I got holders for everything now. It is just a matter of gluing them where they will reside in the box. I am going to try and get all 3 of these fitted into the top of the lid.

it is white

I got all three of the screws for each of the holders epoxied in place. This is a marine epoxy and the blurb said it was stronger than normal 5min epoxy. This was probably overkill but hopefully I won't ever have to worry about the screw spinning as I tighten the wing nuts on them. 

I wasn't expecting white and this is the first I've seen this epoxy in this color. I was expecting it to be clear but it doesn't matter here. Once the holders are glued in place no one will ever see this.

accidental woodworker

 The box is coming along nicely. So far I haven't said oops and nothing has gone south neither. I'm at the part where I need to fit the router and the goodies inside of it. I'm going to try and not vacillate like I did with the Dowel Max fitting.

ready to unclamp

I came back to the shop last night to check on this. I was mostly concerned with the temp in the shop - it was 61F (16C) - so the hide glue wasn't going to freeze.

gap

I hit this tail with the plywood and the mallet to separate it after a dry fit yesterday. When I hit this tail I dented it and it didn't swell shut with the glue. I'll fill in this gap with pine wood putty. I got lucky that this was the lone tail that had a hissy fit.

slant lid line

There is no way that I could find where I split the tails evenly. I neither got shorted like this and the opposite end was split or vice versa.

just as bad

I thought this line was flatter but it came out parallel to the top one with it being about an inch lower.

the back

The tails and pins wouldn't have had sufficient meat after sawing the slant which would be roughly at 45 to the face. If I do this box again I'll have to factor in the how I split the pins/tails. They are going to have to be a lot bigger than the ones I did on this box.

teeny bit of twist

I planed the twist away and than I flushed the top 360. I did this first because I am using the top as my reference to mark the lid saw off line.

lid sawn

Went with a flat lid but I'm determined to make a slant top lid. I had planned to saw off the slant lid with the Ryobi saw and a 45 guide.

good enough

I planed the two edges (T&B) smooth and then planed them 360 to even/straighten them out. I didn't go nutso making the joint line invisible 360 - just till the front and side joint lines closed up. 

last one

Initially I was going to plug the holes (8 of them) with walnut but decided on pine. This is a shop box and it doesn't need to advertise plugs for the through grooves.

Along with plugging the holes I had to shim the top/bottom half pins. 7 of them had gaps that I filled with veneer. Only one was gap free.

last defect to fix

The hardest part of this was trying to dig out the waste so this would fit and have something to glue to.

hinges

I wanted to use a piano hinge on this but the 3 short ones I had were too long. Used a pair of butt hinges from ACE. They are decent but they are still too soft. It is way too easy to deform them when tightening the screws.

a left over gap

Didn't dawn on me until I was flushing this that I did it wrong. The end grain should have been facing up and not on the sides. It was gap free on the dry fit so the clamp must have shifted it when I tightened it.

transferring hinge location

Fussed with this for a while trying to equalize the top fit on the bottom. I would get it flush on one side and it would be off on the opposite side. Finally got it and nicked the bottom and installed the hinges.

survived

The hinges didn't come out perfect. The front top is shy of the bottom on the left. The lid is just a frog hair or two skewed. I can push it flush but it won't stay. There is too much slop in the hinges. I'm going to leave it as is and plane/sand the T&B flush on the sides and the front.

I am going to try and get everything in the box with the exception of the router bits. The top drawer of my 4 drawer cabinet has my herd of them. I'll have to drill a few more holes to stow them.

edge guide holder thing

This was the easy part and it was something I thought of doing even before I made the box. I plan on stowing it in the lid. I looked at it and I think I will clear the router in the bottom. That is going to be a PITA to do. I have already made and shit canned two options. I'll start on #3 in the AM.

should be ok

The plan is to glue the holder here and position the router so that when lid closes, the edge guide clears it (will protrude about a 1/4-1/2" into the bottom). From eyeballing it I couldn't see any road blocks with that. I'll find out in the AM.

accidental woodworker

I go the box together today and I wasn't expecting that. I usually plan on getting a lot more than I actually do. I hadn't really thought much about it and I just starting today working on it. I think it might be done by the weekend. (will this bite me on the arse?)

came last night

The wooden nails came from the Lost Art Press xmas guide. There have been a few times where I wanted to use 'wooden nails' and my smallest Miller Dowels were still too big. I thought I had another bag of larger nails coming but I missed putting them on the order. Don't know now if I need them or if I just wanted them because they were available.

The pry bar caught my eye and I like the size of this one. Supposedly it is a scraper along with being able to pull nails and lever things. I am still looking for a mini cat's paw - I lost mine a while ago.

happy face on

Both boards look like they did when I killed the lights yesterday. Glad they behaved but I was expecting to see stupid wood tricks.

only one glamour shot

The Dowel Max storage dresser is 100% done. 5 coats of shellac and a final rub down with Howard's Feed 'n Wax. This is where it will live for now but I may rearrange things on this cabinet and the 4 drawer unit to the right at a later date.

a first for me

I haven't made grooves for any purpose before I did dovetails before. Today I plowed the grooves for the top and bottom panels right after I sized the box parts.

too tight

I know the plywood is 6mm - I bought it from WoodCraft. The iron is 6mm and the panel doesn't fit. I remember it fitting the first time I used it but it being snug. I dealt with the fit later.

tails done

The half pins on the ends are the largest I have ever done. I did it that way so the half pin contained all of the groove.

hmm.......

A knot that fell out. I tried to work around it trying to place it within a pin socket but I gave up on it. I will fill in the void after the box is glued up. The only headache was laying on the slant of the pin. I was able to nick the front and back and when I sawed it I lined them up eye.

pins laid out

I got to this step just before lunch. In the PM session I knifed the baselines, sawed the verticals, and chopped the pins.

double, triple checking

Making sure the router will fit. For whatever reason I thought I had switched the height and width measurements.

not too bad looking

I already knew that this pin fit. I did good lining up the back and front nicks when I sawed it.

easy fix

Fitting a dutchman in this will be easier than trying to do it on the top.

off the saw

I didn't have to trim anything and it was square when I checked the diagonals.

fitting the top/bottom

It was only 2-3 frog hairs difference I had to make up. I still wanted to have a snug fit - I don't want either panel moving once the box is glued up. I used my 120 grit sanding block to sand a chamfer on the edges until it fit in the groove.

oops

The second time in so many days I used my LN 98&99 side rabbet planes. The groove didn't line up at this corner with the other groove. It was off by a strong 32nd. There is no way I could move/adjust one panel into the grooves when the box was together so they had to line up 360.

the 2nd misalignment

I should have plowed the grooves after I had dry fitted the box. I plowed them before so I wouldn't nick any tails doing it after the chopping. In my favor is these two misalignments are kitty cornered from each other. I will make sure that the top and bottom panels are fitted into it these grooves first.

dry fitted

Got the fit of the top and bottom panels on the first try. The fit of everything was snug and breaking it apart was a nail biter. I had to use a block of wood to separate the tail boards from the pins. I had to go slow and easy so I didn't dent the wood. Thankfully I only had to do these dance steps twice.

glued and cooking

Needed help closing up the tails. Two of them have some damage from me hitting them to separate. I'll have to wait until the AM to see whether or not I'll have to shim them.

I don't think I'm going to be able to do a slant top lid on this. I didn't do any before hand layout to account for it. I knew that and I was just going to go with whatever came from sawing it. But looking at what I have to work with I wasn't happy with what I perceived the slant lid would look like. I'll eyeball it again in the AM without the clamps.

I remembered

As I was killing the lights I saw the trim router and remembered to check the collet/router bit size. The router bits are all 1/4" shank. The imperial calipers were dead on a 1/4".

digital calipers

I would bet that this is close enough to call it a 1/4". I haven't used the router yet and other than the wonky wing nut, nothing else has go down the southern avenue of crappola.

accidental woodworker

 I guess you can say that a day like I had today is a good thing. I had to go to the VA to give blood for an upcoming urology appt. My right eye was acting up again so I stopped at express care on the way out. Since this eye thing was recurring I was shuttled off to the eye clinic. I got there at 0945 and I left a little after 1300. I got back to barn after 1330 which pretty negated my shop time for monday.

What was wrong with the eye? Neither the resident nor the doctor could say definitively what it was. I got sent home with antibiotic eye drops. If it doesn't clear up in 7-10 days I get to go back again. I'll be thinking happy thoughts for 7-10 days.

before I went to the VA

I thought I would knock out thicknessing the stock for the trim router box. This kicked my arse up the front and down the back and then it went around the block and did it again. The plan was to establish a reference face now and plane it to thickness when I got back from the VA.

can you see it?

I couldn't pick out the repair I did to the bottom shoulder of the center stile. It turned out so much better than I expected it to. I got the 4th coat of shellac on everything again and went back to thicknessing the stock.

yikes

This is the second piece of stock and I checked it for twist because it was rocking on the bench. I wasn't expecting any twist and certainly not 3 lines worth of it. It took 6 plane and checks before the twist went bye - bye. I went back and checked the first board and it had twist almost as bad as this one.

ain't happening boys and girls

The thinnest part on either board was 9/16" so that was my final thickness. I really wanted 5/8" due to the weight of the trim router but Paul Sellers made a tool chest with 9/16" stock so I should be ok.

pencil line

 I didn't get any whiskers during this thicknessing. Instead I planed down to and just removing the pencil lines.

done

They are within 1 to 2 frog hairs of each other. What is more important to me is they are both twist free, flat, and straight. Also, when I laid one on top the other there wasn't any rocking.

time to relax

This turned out to be quite a chore to do. However, I had a good reference face for thicknessing them now.

4 hours

It didn't register with me until I got back to the shop after the VA. Even though I had to wait a lot the time seemed to fly by. I'm sure glad I had my cell phone and hearing aids - listened to xmas carols the entire time.

I hate )@#&%_)#*^$)(^*$#_)(- computers

The shop computer has been acting funny for the past week or so. It has been intermittently dropping the BT audio feed and going berserk. Now it is hanging on the Linux logo - been there for over 20 minutes. I tried to get into the boot menu  to reload Linux and nada. I couldn't access the Boot Menu to change the boot to the USB drive.

I faffed about with it for 30 minutes and got nowhere and then it started working. I even was able to pair my headphones without any hiccups. The remainder of my time in the shop the computer and the audio worked without any hiccups. As I would say in the Navy, WTF?

new home

I wanted these 3 on one of the doors which are directly behind my workbench. I picked the first cabinet on the right.

final coat

I got the fifth coat on the carcass and just the fronts of the drawers. I'll let this cure over night and in the AM I'll rub it down with Howards Feed 'n Wax.

I was multitasking

But not all of them were producing results. I couldn't get the computer to boot off the USB drive. It is acting like there is a virus on the computer?

done

I chopped a shallow mortise for the thumb screw so they wouldn't spin around on the holder.

done

It is a bit of a PITA to remove the square below the marking gauges. I had to remove the left mini tite mark before I could get it out. I don't use it that often so I'll just have to deal with it as is.

almost a yikes....

I drilled the pilot holes for the screws from the front coming out on the inside face. I remembered as I was drilling that I had this book in the holder here. I would have been extremely unhappy if I had drilled a hole through the book and the holder.

I've changed over the years

This is my Lie Nielsen panel gauge. When I first got it many moons ago I used it a lot. I now mark my work differently and I don't even think of using this as an option. I won't sell it because it is something I got when I embraced hand tool woodworking.

big arse maple panel gauge

I tend to go a little nutso at times under the mistaken impression that bigger has to be better. I made this about 10 years and I used it once. If memory serves me right it will mark out to 32".

Marples marking gauge

This marking gauge is nothing like the old ones. It is made of beech with a plastic thumb screw. I'm going to turn it into a pencil marking gauge. If it goes south on me it won't upset me.

the only one I had

I threaded the hole for a 6-32 thumb screw. I thought I had some larger ones but I didn't find any. I did find a 1/4-20 thumb screw but that was too large for this.

kind of works

I can had tighten the thumb screw and it will clamp the pencil. What I can't or couldn't do, was loosen it after tightening it. I had to use slip joint pliers to loosen it. This 6-32 is too small to be effective so I'll search for a #8 or #10 thumbscrew. I will also epoxy a nut in the beam so the thumbscrew isn't reliant on the threads cut into the beam to tighten the pencil.

ugly plastic thumb screw

In spite of its ugliness it works surprisingly well. I can't move the head once I tighten the screw. 

too small

Operating the thumbscrew has to be with hand pressure only. Using pliers IMO doesn't make any sense. I think even with a nut recessed and epoxied this thumb screw would still be too small to be effective. 

way past quitting time

I'm going to let the stock for the trim router box hang out until tomorrow. Based on the amount of twist I had I won't be surprised if they both do stupid wood tricks. I'll find out in the AM which face I'll be showing.

accidental woodworker

 At least it is done for the time being. All accessories have been quasi french fitted. I am thinking about buying the 1/2" drill guides but that is iffy as I can't think of an instance that I would ever use 1/2" dowels. On the other hand I am curious about the mitering plates. From what I saw on the site they aren't tied to a specific size dowel. 

I put on almost 4 pounds over the thanksgiving holiday which wiped out my losses for the past 3 weeks. Overall it wasn't that bad because I thought I had gained 7 pounds considering what I had shoved in the pie hole from thursday to saturday. Back to being good tomorrow because today I ate the last piece of pumpkin pie that my wife made for me.

one coat of shellac

Rubbed it down with 2-0 steel wool and realized that I hadn't checked the base for twist. Spoiler alert, there wasn't any.

came today

I bought a trim router off Amazon and it came in today. I got a tool only and it has a straight and circular guide included. There is also a vacuum attachment all for $75 delivered.

6 router bits

When I bought this I thought I was just getting the router and the straight guide. What I didn't do was check the collet size. This came from china so it could be metric - 6mm?

I got fooled

I assumed (due to the DeWalt yellow color) that I was buying a DeWalt trim router but I was wrong. The router looks good and appears to be a notch above 1/2 way decent. What made me feel like crap was the lack of a battery - I didn't buy any with it. 

oh what a relief

I didn't need to take any tums because the DeWalt battery is a perfect fit. Another feature I didn't know about this was it is variable speed. I revved it up and down several times and the power felt smooth and constant. No glitches or hesitations ramping it up and down slowly or fast made no difference. This is a 1.5aH battery.

4aH battery

The power ramped up and down just like it did with the 1.5aH battery. The larger capacity didn't feel any different but it should last a lot longer then the smaller capacity one. The important thing to me was the DeWalt batteries fit and work with this trim router. Which was why I bought a tool only.

why I bought it

This is a 1/4" round nose router bit. Note to self - check the collet and determine the size of it. 

where I wanted to use it

I don't have a router table any more. I wanted to use the round nose bit to make the rounded bottom groove for the rod. I didn't want to wait for it to come in (supposed to have come on Dec 5th) so I plowed a square bottom groove.

found a hiccup

The wing nut for the bolt won't thread on it. It looks like crap with the hole in it oval shaped and the threads aren't uniformly spaced. I put this in both a metric and imperial bolt/screw gauge and nada. It could be anything from a 1/4-20 or a M5 or M6. I got nothing definitive checking it. I brought the bolt to ACE and matched a wing nut to it.

found one

Turns out that the carriage bolt is a coarse M5. I don't know how the metric screw sizes work but it fit and it works.

better

Had enough thread to put a flat and lock washer under the wing nut. This gives me a warm and fuzzy that the fence won't move under use.

not bad for $70

This everything that came with the router. I don't know what the smaller wrench is for yet. But when in doubt, read the instruction manual. Which surprising is understandable considering it came from china.

cardboard boxes suck pond scum

Of course this means I'll have to make a storage box for the router and all the trinkets that came with it.

my proposal

I have wanted to make a slanted lid box for a while but haven't. This is the perfect opportunity to try it. I'm using the approximate dimensions of the cardboard box - I rounded up and added an inch or two here and there.

2 sides, a front and a back

I was thinking of running this through the lunchbox planer but I might not. There is a slight cup in the boards and it would be easier to flatten and thickness them in the shop. Besides the arctic express is blowing through town and things are a wee bit on the chilly side.

6mm plywood

I have a 6mm iron that matches this plywood. I plan to use it for the top and bottom of the router box.

hmm........

The offset from the front to the back block is what has been messing up my brain bucket synapses firing correctly. Decided to ignore it and just go for it.

cardboard mortises

Made a dry run with cardboard to check it out. This one was easier to chop than the ones I did for the dowel pins.

not working for me

This router wouldn't take a bite and make a shaving. Didn't think of it at the time but maybe the iron is dull and couldn't get that initial bite?

this one worked

This is an odd looking router but I like it. It doesn't have a depth stop so you have to allow for that. It took a bite without hesitation and leveled both mortises without a whimper.

missed it

Got the mortises chopped for the front and back but I didn't account for this. It is keeping the front and back from sitting down into their mortises.

it fits

The block is bigger than using wood strips to capture the dowel max. There wasn't much wiggle room but I got lucky.

done

I think I have more than enough room to the left of the dowel max for a couple of mitering plates. I think there are two of them but I will check on that.

glued and cooking

Using the weight of the dowel max to 'clamp' the block while the glue sets.

3 coats of shellac

It is starting to show some shine. I will put on at least one and possibly two more coats.

pit stop

I cut my hair and I'm amazed at how much black I still have. My father was all gray by 69 - I wouldn't call it salt and pepper. His was gray with a few specks of black.

planing an edge

I sawed the router box stock to rough width and planed the sawn edges smooth.

ready to go

Tomorrow I'll start on flattening and thicknessing this. I'm shooting for a 5/8" thickness. That could go down depending upon how much I have to remove to plane the cup out.

accidental woodworker

 I really thought I would be done with this today but it ain't so boys and girls. I see sawed back and forth on how to do it with several of the ones I got done changing my mind at the last moment. I got everything done with the exception of the dowel max itself. Well maybe tomorrow I'll finally get the check mark. On a brighter note it is the season for xmas carols which is my favorite part of the xmas season.

before I forgot

I drilled a hole for the 1/4" guide before I wandered off into La La Land with something else. I think there is also a 8mm drill guide for this jig. If there is and I buy it there is a spot for it on the right end of the dowel rod.

laid out

I may have to redo this if there is and I buy the 8mm parts. For now this will hold the 1/4" and and 3/8" dowel spacers. FYI - I checked the Dowel Max site and they have a 10, 8, and 6mm dowel max. On the Imperial side they have 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4". Looks like I need to get the 1/2" parts to complete my Dowel Max experience.

1/4" almost

This wasn't any where the nightmare that I thought it would be. I just had to flatten the bed for the 1/4" diameter part to complete that one.

done

There is enough of the 5/8" top to grab and pull it out of the holder.

ditto for the 3/8"

The only difficult part of this was chopping the mortise for the 5/8" diameter heads. They had to be deeper than the for the rod portion. It was a little tricky digging out the waste and flattening the bottom of it.

done

They are both set deep enough that opening and closing the drawer did nothing to disturb them. Glued the block to the bottom with hide glue. I'll use hide glue for everything so I can reverse it if need be.

don't need this box

I can't think of use for this now that I am not using it for the accessories. I'll put it in the black hole with all the other homeless boxes.

what's left

This is where I had intended to use this box but I changed my mind. Instead I will put a bigger open box in here. It will hold the drill collars, allen wrenches, and an extra 1/4" drill guide bushing.

drill bit holders

I slanted one end so I can tip the drill bit end down and have it clear the holder.

glued and cooking

The 1/4" drill is a little hard to push down on the drill bit. My fingers are too fat and don't fit. I can tip it up if I use a pencil but I think that would annoy me having to do that. I might revisit the 1/4" holder if I think of something.

new box

This is going to be a no lid box and it fills up the space. It is oversized but it affords me a place to put other things in it.

glued and cooking

I didn't run a groove for a bottom. I was planning to glue it on the bottom of the box.

no bottom

I had to satisfy my curiosity about no bottom on the box. Instead I could have glued it to the bottom of the drawer on the edges. Nixed that and I will glue the bottom on and then glue that to the drawer bottom.

glued, clamping, and cooking

I let this set up in the clamps while I filled my face and went on my post lunch stroll.

last two

The dowel max is kicking my butt trying to figure out how to secure it. I haven't been able to think of anything simple to do for it yet.

drill guide block

I put a holder on both of the short sides of this drawer. I'm not sure if the 1/2" one is the same size as the 1/4" and 3/8" ones.

branded

I like to brand my projects on a part of it that isn't removable. Like a drawer that can be replaced easily. This is the center stile of the back and a permanent part of the dresser.

new home

Moving the manuals to the dowel drawer. The dividers are set below the top of the drawer - there is enough room for both manuals to sit on top of them.

no lid box

I like the box and I'm sure it will become a catch all. There is only one itty bitty spot left for something below the dowel pin spacer storage block.

first coat of shellac

I didn't shellac the inside of any of the drawers. Hide glue will not stick to shellac but I did shellac the rest of the drawer. 

it fits

The holder is a slip fit but it is tighter than I wanted it to be. It is made of plywood so I shouldn't have to worry about it moving much. I would have been happier with a few more frog hairs worth of wiggle room.

yikes....

It won't fit in the left hand holder. The top corner is too tight and I couldn't push it down into the holder at all.

it fits now

I chiseled and sanded it until the drill block dropped into the holder. Loose fit but tighter than I like. I'll have to keep an eye on this. I might have to remove it anyway if I buy the 1/2" drill guide block and it doesn't fit.

the red headed, stuttering step child

I got nothing so far. I played with it and moved it around and still nada. Maybe something will come to me in my dreams.

accessible

What I like most about this storage is that I don't have to move around a bazillion things to get to the one that I want. So far nothing is obstructing anything else. I have the dowel max to fit somehow next. That will leave roughly half of the available real estate for a couple of accessory plates for mitering.

accidental woodworker

 I am delaying doing the shellac on the dresser until I am done fitting the accessories for the dowel max. I felt like a girl trying to pick out which shoes to wear with how to do it. I must have changed my mind a bazillion times. By the time 1500 rolled around I only had 3 accessories done. I still have 7 more to go along with fitting out the dowel max itself. I was surprised by how little I accomplished in spite of time flying by today. 

I squeezed in a walk today. It has been almost a week since I strolled after lunch. I could have walked yesterday but I didn't. I think I'm finally getting over all the bending down and kneeling I did to remove the (&@^$%)*%_)@Q^&%)@_Q)_U(# ivy. No trouble walking up the hills and when I came back my legs felt a bit sore but it slowly went away as I got back to working in the shop.

these are history

The 3 marking gauges on the back rail I really liked a lot. They are deluxe marking gauges sold by Lee Valley. They don't work - the heads will not lock down and not move on the beam. There was no way after I had set them that they held it as I used them. I checked them today and they still don't lock down and I noticed another hiccup with them. 

The head is too loose on the beam as in it is cocked. It isn't square to the beam so there is no way it can be accurate. It is shame because I went nutso buying them. I bought each individual one along with extra knives, points, and other doo dads. Totally useless now.

The gauges on the front rail I do use occasionally. I have other gauges in a holder attached to the back edge of my workbench that use mostly. The Drake marking gauges I use a lot and I'll have to find a new home for them. The gauges on the front rail I'll put in my grandson's toolchest, not too sure about the deluxe gauges new home.

Glen Drake wheel marking gauges

The smaller gauges I use more than the big boy one. However, replacement wheels for it are hard to come by now. I got two replacement wheels from Glen Drake himself. Of the two one is toast already - the wheel is chipped in several spots.

new home

I don't have to be concerned about the gas meter. I am getting a new gas line and the new meter will be on the outside of the house. This meter will be going bye-bye.

it will fit

Spent a large part of the AM session making this box to hold the spacers. This was the 3rd option I came up with for them. The idea was make the box and then saw it in two. I could then use one half for this and the other for some other accessory.

changed my mind

I had already shifted lanes on this before I even glued it up. Didn't make any sense to use this after I started to think about placing it in the drawer.

hmm.......

I glued the dowel rod at the back. I can live with the empty space at both ends. The other accessories I spent what seemed liked hours arranging and moving around trying to make sense of the best placement for them. 

this is done

I glued the walls around the spacers so I wouldn't second guess myself about it again. I used hide glue and I will use that for the rest of the accessories too.

sigh

This was working and I almost down to depth when this end suffered a blowout. This was going to be the holder for the 1/4" drill block spacer. This is going in front of the spacer block holder.

done

This is the way I should have done this on the first go around. It was much easier chopping and routing this one to depth. No worries about not having enough meat at the ends to prevent blowing them out.

almost done

Drilled a hole for the two screws that are needed to attach the spacer to the dowel max. I also chiseled a finger grabbie thing to help getting it out of the holder.

3 done, 7 to go

As I was typing this I thought of a better spot to put the 1/4" dowel rod spacer then between the 1/4" and 3/8" metal dowels. I'm doing to drill a hole for it on one of  the empty spots on either end of the dowel rod. That will free up some real estate on the drawer bottom. I might need that for any future accessory purchases.

blonde shellac

I have a little less than 1/2 can left. That should be enough to get 4 coats on the dresser. I will take a good look at it later and I'll mix up a new batch if needed.

accidental woodworker

 I wasn't thinking about the blog being a day behind the rest of the world. I hope everyone had an enjoyable turkey day and no weird relatives showed up. This is a link to Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation here. Lincoln is hands down my favorite present and this proclamation is only a couple of paragraphs. For a self taught man his grasp of the english language was remarkable. It changed my view and understanding of what turkey day is all about.

hmm......

I was the cook today so almost zero time in the shop. I kind of got pulled in a couple of different directions not finishing anything. Started playing around with the storage of the dowel max and its accessories. The 3/8" dowels I had were a wee bit too fat for the dowel max spacers. Chucked them in a drill and ran sand paper up/down it until it was a slip fit. I have a few thoughts on how to use the dowels to hold the spacers that I'll flesh out later.

lamb's tongue spokeshave screws

These threads are in real sad shape. The points of the threads are rounded over and especially so at the bottom lead in. I soaked them in Simple Green over night to clean out the crud in the threads. For the little wear on the spokeshave I'm surprised by how bad the screws are.

the sibling

The lead in thread at the bottom is rounded over is almost occluding the first lead in thread. The internal threading on the spokeshave doesn't look bad but it is hard to get a good look see at them.

6mm is not a 1/4"

I thought 6mm was wider than a 1/4" but it ain't boys and girls. I had to open up the groove with my Lie Nielsen 98 and 99 side rabbet planes. They aren't something I use a lot but at the time they were something I had to have.

LN 98 side rabbet plane

These are tricky to use and even trickier to set up. At least for me they are but that could just be not using them enough. I got the groove opened up and the rod is a slip fit now. 

done?

Not sure I'm liking this. It is the empty 1/4" grooves on either end that bug me but I do like that it extends across the whole width. 

not needed

Changed my mind on using the dowels. They just add another step to the storage of them that isn't necessary. A simple, small, half height box will suffice for these.

the rest of the goodies

These are the remainder of the accessories to fit out in the top drawer.

it is gone

Changed my mind on keeping the other doweling jig in here. There are some dowel max 45 mitering accessories that I think I would like to get that are currently out of stock. Doesn't this guy know about black friday?

Tomorrow I'll start on the shellac and I should be able to put a dent in it. I also figured out where to keep the dresser. I'm losing an older storage rack for marking gauges but having a home for the dresser is more important to me. Besides I don't use the marking gauges stowed there.

accidental woodworker

 Well it is almost done. All the woodworking is done but I still have to apply the finish and make some holding things for the Dowel Max and its accessories. Overall I'm happy with how it turned out. The hardest part of the build is finding a home for it somewhere in the shop.

dust shield

I am only putting a dust shield on the bottom of the dresser. I never intended to put them between the drawers.

glued and cooking

Just gluing it, no screws. Glued it to the bearers only.

can you see it?

The center stile wasn't supposed to be this wide. It is because I didn't rip it to width before I did the grooves in it. It turned out better than I expected it. The width of it is almost a dead on match with the panels. It looks symmetric to the eye though.

2 foot view

I tried to match the color and I think I did good on that. It doesn't jump out at you and slap you upside the head.

last drawer

Decided to put the knobs on the drawers. It really doesn't make any difference whether you apply the finish with them on or off.

crest rail

Glued and cooking. There wasn't any way to add screws so glue will have to do.

remember this?

I didn't know that I had fitted the door already. I checked and I have the latch, the bin pulls, and the hinges for this. I'll jump back to this next week maybe?

#3 drill

I thought I might have been able to drill this out for a 1/4-20 but it ain't happening. The #3 drill for a 1/4-20 tap was too small for the existing hole. I'll have to do some research for the drill size for a 5/16 screw as that is next size up (I think).

worth the trip

Right after lunch I went to Home Depot on Rte 2. That turned out to be a drive into hell and back. A 20-25 minute normal drive took an hour and 15 minutes. Traffic on Rte 2 was horrendous and I didn't hit one light change going or coming. It was still worth it because I got four 4 foot lengths of 3/8" quarter round (thought the quarter round was smaller?) and the same in cove moldings. The quarter round is dead on even with the bottom rail. I wanted to use this molding but I used the cove molding instead.

cove molding

This one is few frog hairs shy of the bottom rail.

two cove moldings

The bigger one at the back comes from Lowes and the smaller one in the front I got from Home Depot.

secured

Finally got the carcass screwed to the base. The first attempt didn't work because one corner wasn't inset and I didn't catch it. The 2nd attempt I had it seated but I didn't have the back up tight against the base. I had to unscrew it and drill new holes for it. The 3rd attempt was the charm, again.

two glues

Used yellow and super glue to attach the moldings. I did the front and sides first. The back long molding was done last.

back molding

I had to do this twice. The first one, while I thought it was long, turned out to be a 1/4" shy. Got it glued and cooking with the 2nd one.

not perfect

The moldings appear to be stuck ok but the miters were slightly open to varying degrees. On the dry fit the miters closed up nicely but with the glue they decided to go nutso on me. I filled in the gaps with pine putty.

first pretty shot

No finish on it so this doesn't count as a glamour shot. 

side pretty shot

I can't wait to see how the shellac makes this pop.

back pretty shot

I like this back assembly a lot. I think it looks better than either a plywood or multiple board back. I should be able to do it better on my next one now that I have one under my belt.

good feeling

The dowel max still fits. I was sure that it would but it is nice to have confirmation.

top drawer

The manuals and the accessories will be kept here.

bottom drawer

I forgot that I have one more woodworking step. I have to make a 4 compartment divider for the dowels.

hmm.....

The doweling jig on the left I think is a General but I'm not sure. I bought this when I was 21 or 22. I bought other doweling jigs but this is the only one I held on to. Thinking of keeping the two of them in this drawer. If not the only occupant will be the dowel max.

too much

Only the middle and bottom drawer are inserted this amount. If the top drawer had been the same I would have left it as I like the inserted look. I had to come up with a way to stop the drawers flush with the front.

the drawer stop(s)

I used screws to be the depth stop - 3 of them - one at each end and one in the middle that will stop against the back center stile.

almost perfect

I didn't have to adjust the screws for the bottom drawer.

done

I had to fuss a bit with the middle and top drawer. All 3 drawers are now flush with the front.

dowel dividers

I used offcut cherry scraps from the panels for the cherry cupboard.

sigh

Got the height of the half lap correct but I missed the notch on the long one by almost an 1/8".

secured with super glue

I used super glue on the bottom of the dividers and I then wicked it into the ends on both the long and short dividers.

half of the total load out

Both of these dowels are 1 1/2" long and the 2" long dowels are out of stock. They didn't give a time for them to be back in stock.

a key?

I planed a piece of 1/8" thick plywood until it fit in the space. I think if I hadn't done this the dividers might have broken their bond.

it ain't coming loose

I wicked super glue into every edge that I could on the key. I don't think the dividers will loosen. They aren't or shouldn't be subjected any stresses and certainly not from the dowels in each compartment.

accidental woodworker

I spoke too soon yesterday. Today is when all the muscles I strained are saying hello. It was a miserable day whenever I walked and moved around. My thighs and calves were screaming at me and bending over was impossible. Of course today I also had the dropsies. Bending over has never been easy the older I get but today I dreaded it. The last time I dropped something I said the the hell with it and killed the lights. Even sitting didn't feel too good but it felt better than walking up stairs or trying to pick something off the deck.

this will work

I glued on strips with super glue and accelerator. 

done

This doesn't look that terrible. I had to plane it a couple of times to get dialed in. This is on the back and won't be visible. It fixed the immediate problem and you have to look twice to notice it.

panels fitted

Changed my mind on how I am going to secure the panel assembly. I glued all the tenons and I will glue the assembly in the rabbets on the back of the dresser.

glued and cooking

Took a break here and let this set up for a while. FYI - it sucks to get old.

hmm.....

Out of the clamps and I got a snug fit. However, the top left corner has a tapered gap that runs for about 3-4". I had to fix this because it will be visible.  I planed the top right end until it was parallel to the top edge.

yikes

The bottom was a little short of the bottom and I knew that. This is from me planing the top edge.

not a problem

Even without the molding, the gap at the bottom is hidden. The dresser sits down far enough into the base to cover the gap.

this hurt

Glued and clamped the back assembly in place. Picking it up and placing against the sharpening bench was something I don't want to do again. I felt like a little girl doing this one simple task. It is the fault of that _)@*&%^)&@%_()@_%(&*$@!_+) ivy.

gaps filled

There were some minute gaps around the tails and pin sockets that I filled in with super glue and cherry sawdust. I don't think anyone else would have noticed them but my nemesis is gaps.

did the same here

I did the same super glue and cherry sawdust on the tails here at the top and the bottom (last week). It is difficult to see that was done and I'm a bit anxious to see how it will look with shellac.

holes for the knobs

I like to set my knobs on a ratio of 5. I step off 5 from one end to the other. I then step in one from each end and that is where I drill the hole for the knob. I stepped off on the bottom so I wouldn't leave pin holes in the drawer face.

finding the center

I use dividers to find the center of the drawer front.

just shy

I like to place my knobs just below the center of the height. Using dividers makes it super easy and almost eliminates the possibility of making a measuring me-steak.

knobs prepped

I don't just glue my knobs in a drilled hole. Firstly the tenon never is a consistent diameter and is usually too loose or too tight for a 3/8" hole - the supposed diameter of the tenons. I drill a small hole near the base and a saw kerf for a wedge.

new to me

This is a Preston lambs tongue spokeshave. I got it from Timeless Tools and Treasures. I got to look over their offerings a day late  and I couldn't believe that no one else had snapped this up.

sole

This doesn't appear to have that much mileage on it. The soles are in great condition. Nice looking mirror images of a lambs tongue profile.

some life left in them

The right iron has been used a lot more than the left one. Its profile doesn't match well on the flat or the rounded parts.

???????

The threads on both of the screws are munged up a bit. They definitely need to have the threads chased. I couldn't get a match with my imperial or metric screw pitch gauges. This Whitworth gauge seems to be a match but I'm clueless on them. This thread is close to a 7-32 and I might rethread the spokeshave and the screws to it. Depends on whether or not I can sort this out as is.

I had to try it

The irons are a match for the sole. The right one is better the left one (as you look at it). I couldn't get anything to show other than initially getting some shavings and then clogging the mouth shut. It is going to take a few laps around the pond to figure this out. The first thing will be to sharpen the irons because they are dull.

5/8 on the left underside

I assume this is the size (width) of the lambs tongue. 

the other handle

Using this type of spokeshave is something that I haven't seen written about or demonstrated anywhere. It is going to be a learn as I go to get a lambs tongue on a board. Which face would that be?

poplar

I don't like using pine to make wedges because I think it is too soft. The knobs are maple and the wedges will be poplar.

done

I wasn't going to make the wedges today but I stayed in the shop long enough to knock them out. I am not sure if I'll do the knobs now or wait until after the finish is on. Either way it was time to kill the lights for the day. And I won't be returning until the AM.

accidental woodworker

I am a little sore now but it isn't much different than when I rolled out of the rack. I was expecting to be hobbled and dreading even blinking my eyes. I got a few check marks done today. 75% of the ivy is gone, the fence is installed, the dresser base is done, and I got the back done (well almost done). Through it all nothing protested although when I stopped for a few I could feel the aches and soreness. Overall it isn't too bad considering I'm less than month away from turning 70.

one of two gaps

Planed the base and found two gaps. Annoying and I could put them at the back but I'm a stubborn SOB about some things and gaps are at the head of the list.

2nd one

Not as bad but this would pop once the shellac goes on. Two choices for addressing it are to put splines in them or fill them with putty. I chose putty because the pine putty is an excellent match to this pine. 

shaker knobs win

Decided to use up the knobs I have. I had 7 of these and I only need 6. I wanted to go a size up from these for the two wider drawers but I only had two. 

setting the base molding

The bottom rail is 5/8" thick and this molding back is 3/8" tall. I want a 1/8" margin between the molding and the top of the bottom rail.

nope

I would have liked to put this molding under the top too but I can't. There isn't a rail there so I could only put it on the sides and back. And that would look goofy.

hmm......

Houston we have a problem. I thought I had this figured but it is off. The molding is higher than the bottom rail. On to the 2nd try.

the 3rd attempt

The 2nd one came out even and the 3rd one was the charm. Got my 1/8" margin then.

75% done

I got the front sides and front molding miters done. I can't do the back molding until I get the back panel assembly installed.

shooting the miters

This shooting board is excellent for shooting small miters and doing end squaring.

bit of a void

Left the back miters and the back molding miters undone. Only the bottom rail on the back matters because the molding will be attached to it. I nailed and glued the bearers to the base. I will screw the bottom rails of the carcass to them. This will allow for future removal for whatever reason.

getting close

Stopped here to make a road trip to Lowes. I bought a 8 foot 1x4 to give up the parts for the back panel assembly.

only need half of this

This board was out in the aisle leaning against a pole. It is almost clear for the entire length. There were two knots that I easily worked around.

done

According the fence guy cedar fencing will soon be a thing of the past. He told my wife that within a couple of years it will no longer be available. I wanted to paint/stain this but my wife doesn't want to. One thing I will do is dig out the bottom of the fence. It is touching/buried in the dirt on most of it. Cedar or not, having the fence in direct contact with the ground will accelerate rot.

wee bit left

It is suppose to rain tomorrow and I'm going to try and dig up the ivy on this part of the fence line. 

how long?

I cleaned this up of ivy a few years ago and I don't think I did that as good as I did it this time. The neighbor behind me told that RV bleach cleaner kills this ivy. I haven't been able to find any of it yet. I'll try the RV dealer on Rte 2 and check what they have. I don't want to have to dig this _@&%*&$@(*$)@(_)%*#_Q&^% crap up again.

stiles and rails

I can get two stiles and rails from one length of these boards.

no twist

Not only was it clear stock, all 3 were also twist free.

thicknessing is next

The back rabbet on the dresser is a few frog hairs over a 1/2". I am going to thickness the stock to 9/16" and then plane it flush.

chamfered the four sides

I have settled into thicknessing stock this way. The chamfer ends at the knife line and that is my cue that I am at the thickness.

full width and length

I used the #6 to remove the bulk of the waste. I follow that up with the #7 and when I get full width and length shavings I start eyeballing the knife lines.

at depth indicator

I use a wheel marking gauge to knife the lines. That allows this sliver to come off as I plane down to depth.

one done two to go

It took me about 30 minutes to thickness the 3 boards. I would still be doing them if I used the lunch box planer.

#6

This is the only plane that I have a cambered iron on. It will hog off a lot wood in a short time. The shavings will curl out of the mouth and curl around my left arm.

last one

All three were close in thickness. I didn't go nutso trying to get them all within +/- 1 atom of thickness. 

grooves done, tenons were next

I sawed the shoulders and split off the tenons with a chisel. I got lucky that none the splitting ran into the center. All of them split off clean and at 90.

this puzzles me

I don't understand how the center stile is short. I cut all three of the stiles to length on my miter gauge on the tablesaw. I am going to fill the gap in. I will glue wood to the bottom rail and plane it to fill the gap in. I don't want to make another center stile.

needs panels

The plan is to glue the top rail and the side stiles. I will also glue the top of the center stile in the top rail. The bottom rail will be nailed only (no glue) to the bottom carcass rail. This will facilitate any repairs/changes in the future. 

AT Restorations is an Estonian woodworker (You Tube) and I see this detail a lot on the furniture he restores. The backs are in this style with the exception there is no bottom rail. The panels are inserted and nailed at the bottom. Clean, simple, and efficient.

All the drawers I have seen have two wide side slips. The bottom panel is inserted into grooves in the side slips and a groove plowed into the back of the front. What has me scratching my butt is how wide the slips are. They are all about 1 1/2" (to my eye) wide. Interesting watching him repair and restore hanging cabinets, coffee grinders, chairs, linen presses, and dressers. He does a lot of art deco from the 20th century  furniture too. It is interesting to me seeing the construction details and his technique for restoring it.

accidental woodworker

 Another short day in the shop again. The fence company is coming back on monday to put up the fence. They got the poles set and then it rained for 2 days. They couldn't work and I couldn't clean up the fence line of the ivy. But that is what I squeezed in today. Spent the morning in the shop and the afternoon pulling up ivy. I'm sore now as I'm typing this and I'm sure a lot of muscles are going to be saying hello to me monday morning.

ready for glue up

I cleaned up the pin sockets and the tails seated much better. I almost forgot to do the cutout base before I glued it.

one inch holes

Doing a simple cutout on the base. One inch drill leaves me with 1/2". Glued the base and set it aside to cook.

first drawer

I got a good bond - there are no gaps anywhere on the outside edges. It was chore taking off all the clamps and stowing them. It has been a long time since I used so many.

trimming the ends

I didn't leave much overhang - maybe a 16th. So far it hasn't bit me on the arse.

good left turn

I'm glad that I nixed using oak for the drawer fronts. This way now the entire build will be done with pine (except for the plywood drawer bottoms).

hump

This surprised me because if anything I was expecting the front to be tapered. The hump was also only in this one spot. Used the #3 plane and it took a few runs before I was flat and straight end to end.

middle drawer

This drawer front shifted slightly and there is this hiccup on the right top. I can't see it all standing a couple of feet away from it. On the fence whether to fix it or just leave it.

done

There is some color and grain that takes this from bland to wanting to take a second look see.

fence line

It will be nice having the fence again. Our house sits higher than the two neighboring houses behind us. There are no secrets if the blinds are left open. We went with a 8' high stockade fence.

)(&$(@^$)@$( ivy

I hate ivy with a passion that is border line psychotic. I gave it my best shot cleaning up as much of it as I could. 

3 1/2 hours later

This is as far as I got before I ran out of gas. The ivy came out from the wall on the right about 5-6 feet into my yard. I removed from the picket fence to in between the tree stumps. 

the other half

This half is in good shape. The neighbor to the left hates the ivy as much as I do. She trims it all the time and it shows. I will try to get back this early in the morning and finish up the ivy patch around the tree stump.

I made a run to Lowes and they didn't have any small quarter round molding. I must have seen it at Home Depot. I bought 16' (only comes in 8' lengths) of a small molding that I'll use instead. I wanted to get a pine board while I was there and I forgot it. I need that to make the frame for the dowel max dresser. Spoiler alert, the dresser won't be done on monday.

accidental woodworker

Ran head long into FUBAR land this AM. I was working on the back panel assembly for the dresser and things went south on the express. I got a nice pile of kindling to show for my efforts. I'll attack it again tomorrow. Hopefully with better results.

veneer

first of two trips

Came down to the shop after dinner last night and got the front slip glued and cooking.

2nd trip

Got the side slips cooking. This was it for shop time today.

bottom plywood stock

I sawed out the bottom for the last drawer in the AM.

laid out the bottom

I sawed this oversized so I could saw off the tear out and fuzzies on the tablesaw.

done

Bottom installed and 3 corners fit and this one is too snug.

almost

This drawer was being stubborn and it took a long time for me to fit. In spite of the time it took and me losing my patience with it, I got it to fit as good as the ones above it.

done

This look isn't that bad on the eyes. The middle drawer on the left has a gap in the tails that I don't like. I am still going to apply veneer over the drawer fronts so the gap will never be seen.

cleaning the drawer fronts

No hiccups with this but one drawer did have some squirrely grain. I got a small spot of tear out but nothing to write home about.

last one

All of the tails were slightly proud and I find it easier to flush them with a chisel rather then use a plane. Little to no chance of breaking out the grain with a chisel.

sneak peek

I have been thinking on and off on what to do about knobs/handles for the drawers. I have some shaker knobs but Paul Sellers has posted a couple of times about making your own vice store bought. I don't like the handles he did but I do like the idea of making them with scraps. I have time to muse more on this.

nope

The big board doesn't sport enough real estate to give up the stiles and rails for the back panel assembly. The other short pieces are of varying thicknesses and would work - I would have to plane them to thickness. However, the majority of them are too short in the length. Not enough for what I need.

stiles and rails

I don't have anymore 1/2" pine but I have 3/4". I planed a reference face and sawed them to a 1/2" thick on the bandsaw.

2 rails and 3 stiles

I used a 1/2" tongue and groove plane to form the tenons and the grooves on the stiles and rails.

ugly looking

The grooves weren't a problem but the tenons were. The shoulders on all the tenons looked as bad or worse than this one. On the bright side on the coin, the tenons fit in the grooves. This is toast and not usable.

salvageable

The rails I could reuse along with the center stile because I didn't make tenons on it. I made two more stiles and tried to plow a groove in them. That didn't work out in my favor. I used the originals to set up for the new stiles. I lost track of what was the reference face and pow, liquid fecal matter up to my armpits. 2nd attempt was a bust and I ended up with a small pile of kindling.

drawer fronts

Decided against the oak veneer for the drawer fronts and I bandsawed off two pieces for the middle and bottom drawers. Initially the first one looked good and I did the second one.

yikes

I wasn't making clapboards for a doll house. The thin end of the taper is still more the thick enough to use for the drawer.

better

I planed the thick end of the taper trying to even it out with the thinner end. I didn't go nutso on it because I'll still need to plane it after it has been glued to the drawer front.

top drawer first

Used bessey clamps on the ends because the veneer is being glued to the end grain of the dovetails. I wanted to get maximum pressure to get as good of a glue bond on the small long grain areas there as I could.

top drawer

I'll let it cook until tomorrow. 

the other two

Ditto for these. I put the one on the bench on the deck on scraps of plywood. Run out of besseys for this. One of them wouldn't cooperate and it is toast. I think besseys have a lifetime warranty or guarantee? 

making the base

Dovetails in the short sides and pins on the long front and back.

done

I plan on doing a cutout but that will be done tomorrow. Dry fit is good and checking the fit of the dresser inside of it was in the batters circle.

it fits

It isn't snug nor is it a slip fit. I purposely made the base ID slightly bigger than the OD of the dresser.

the gap

The dresser is tight against the back and the left side. There will be less than a 32nd if I equidistant the dresser and the base.

cove molding

I don't like the size of this molding so I'll be making a road trip to Lowes in the AM. I think they had small quarter round moldings that would look good and cover any gaps.

accidental woodworker

Hit a speed bump today but it was still a productive one. I ran out of my heart meds - I thought had another bottle but it was vitamin D. So that necessitated a road trip to the VA to get it refilled. Traffic was horrendous in Olneyville Square. It took four light changes before I got through the intersection. The pharmacy wasn't packed at all and I was in and out in less than 30 minutes.

In spite of this I managed to get most of what I wanted to accomplish today done. Two drawers are fitted and the 3rd one is cooking as I type this. I was hoping to get #3 fitted today too but that will come tomorrow. I might be done with the woodworking on this by monday.

fitting the first drawer

I don't take anything off the bottom. I only plane the sides and the top edges to fit the drawer. The back doesn't need any love but I will plane it smooth and flush the dovetails. Step one is checking the fit of the drawer at the corners, front and back.

still learning

As I planed the sides I checked it for square off the bottom edges. The bottom is my reference for everything I do to fit the drawer. The sides were tapered but now both are square to the bottom (and the top too).

getting closer

The drawer was binding before it hit the clamp. I'm resisting the urge to 'take one more swipe.....'. Instead I'm taking no more than 3 and checking my progress. The better I get the fit of the drawer, the better it will act going in/out. I'm not shooting for a piston fit but a drawer that slides in and out easily with an absolute minimum of side to side play.

done

The top to bottom is ok and there is a consistent gap at the top. The side to side is a just shy of snug but I'm leaving it as is. It slides in and out but it did bind and hang up if I pushed it in with anything going in off 90. 

quickie check

The middle drawer barely fits in the opening at the four corners and not at all R/L. I will get the bottom and the slips installed first before I doing any fitting of it.

drawer slips

Using this miter shooting board is a better choice over the donkey ear jig. 

what a joy

This gadget is worth triple its weight in gold and diamonds IMO. It is an absolute joy to use. No more cramped fingers and no more pinching them in between the plane and the jig. The biggest asset is the the improvement in pushing the plane through the stock. Before I use it for the cherry flat moldings I'm going to sharpen and hone the iron.

Off to the VA

Got the bottom slip glued and cooking. It was ready for the sides when I got back from there. I left at 0910 thinking I would be avoiding the school and rush traffic but I was wrong. I think I got stuck in the residual of all the ones running late.

back home

Stepped down whereas I normally do it so the slips are flush.

why it ain't so

The top of the bottom groove (in the pic) should be flush with the bottom edge of the back. If that were so, the bottom of the slip would be flush with the bottom edge of the side. If I had made it flush there would have been an approximate gap of 1/4" between the bottom and the bottom edge of the back.

side slips cooking

I use small scraps of the bottom to keep the sides aligned with the bottom slip. 

figured it out

If I didn't figure it out at least this worked. That half pin on the right side is what screwed around with my brain synapses. I thought about this last night and I doodled with a piece of paper working it out. Before I did this I laid it out on scrap to make sure I was on the right road and not another one taking me into La La Land. Step one was to treat the half pin just like I would on through dovetails. Step off to the right until I got to the other side.

step two - go from left to right

I now have a centered full pin between a half pin on the left and another 'half pin' on the right that has some wood to its right instead of nothing. It was that extra wood that was wrecking havoc with me. 

lunch time

Got the tails chopped and cleaned up and the pins laid out. I went to lunch with my wife and I got back to this a couple of hours later.

almost done

Used this chisel to chop some of the dovetails on the drawers and it split again with 3 pins left to chop. How well, it held up better than I expected it to and this split isn't as bad as the first one. I will try epoxy on the 2nd glue up.

ready for the dry fit

Got the inside faces planed smooth and the pencil marks erased with alcohol.

done

Dry fit was uneventful so I glued it up. No need for clamps as the dovetails were on the snug side. Checked the diagonals dead on and set it aside to cook.

middle drawer

First check again is the corners. The two back ones fit but on the snug side with the front not fitting without some hand taps. The R/L was off by a strong 16th.

step two

Check the reference bottom isn't twisted. (it wasn't)

flush the corners and plane the top edges

I planed the top edges in rounds of 3 - start at one corner and go around 3 times stopping where I started. Check the fit at all four corners. Repeat until it does. For me this took 5 tries.

snug

The other 3 corners are a slip fit and this one is snug. Instead of going around the top 360 I planed only this corner three times. I then did two complete 360 planing runs around the top.

knocking the back down

Planed a chamfer at the back of the bottom to help the drawer go over the back rail.

better

This corner was no longer snug but it wasn't fitting as easily as the other 3 corners. Two more planing runs and it was fitting like its siblings did.

side to side is step 3

This clamping looks like overkill but it isn't. If the 3 foot clamp is absent the drawer back end would tilt up and go forward as I planed. Right around the 1/2 point the plane would nose dive and the back end of the drawer would tip up and go forward. Incredibly annoying. I had to take a lighter shaving with the plane and go slower but this set up worked.

about a 1/3 of the way

It is very easy for me to go from it binding to it shooting out the back like a rocket. So far taking light shavings, working in doing only 3 runs and checking the fit, was working for me. 

almost

It is hard for me to read and see where the drawer is actually hanging up. Here the top is tight against the rail. Noted this and went looking for other hang ups.

left side

It looks like it is clear here but I also checked the other three points of contact - the R/L at the front and the L side here at the back.

two problems

This side is tight T/B (at the front) along with tight against the side of the carcass. The top edge of the back is tight against the back rail. I started this by planing just the back top of the drawer until it had clearance. I then planed the  left side of the drawer 3 times and checked the fit again.

surprised me to no end

The drawer slid in and out like it was riding on a cushion of air. Not at all what I was expecting. I haven't planed the front faces yet and I'll do them when I do the veneering of them.

cooking

As of this typing I plan to go to the shop after dinner and glue in the drawer slips. That way I just have to saw out the bottom panel and I can start fitting drawer #3.

interesting

I barely applied any pressure to the split and it closed up tight. I will definitely try epoxy on this knowing how well the split closed up. The trick will be to get the epoxy into the split. 

accidental woodworker

It rained all day off and on. Rain again tomorrow and saturday morning. Then cloudy skies until thursday. Didn't get my walk in but I kept busy in the shop. Started working on the cherry cupboard and switched to the Dowel Max dresser for the rest of the day. I am going to continue working on the dresser and finish it before I turn back to the cherry cupboard.

found them

I found 4 pine cut offs in the boneyard. I thought I had a lot more than this but I might have shit canned them when I last cleaned it up.

sigh

The two widest pieces I have are both about a 1/8" short. Any of the four would work for the shortest drawer though.

I think .......

....I have pine veneer in my big box of pizza veneers. I found two pieces but I wasn't sure if they were pine or not. The cathedral grain on them didn't look like pine. There wasn't any separation between the late and early wood too. Just as well because neither piece was long enough (R/L) for the drawer fronts.

oak

I would bet a lung that this is oak. This piece is enough for all 3 drawer fronts. The length is a 1/2" longer and the 3 widths won't have much waste neither.

out of the clamps

It is a snug fit T/B and 3 frog hairs too wide R/L.

stopped the door fitting

Decided that it would be better if I cleaned up the door first and then fit it to its opening. I had flushed the four corners on both sides and after trimming the outside edges it was still square.

blowout

I broke off a small sliver and I immediately glued it back. After I pressed it home it disappeared. I taped it or where I thought it was, and set it aside to cook. 

this one looks ugly to me

This one broke off when dry fitting the door together. I used super glue on it and it did not close up nicely. I am going to paint the joint line with black paint when I apply the finish. I have one more like this on the back side of the door that will get the same treatment.

1st drawer

Initially I was going to do this one drawer and switch back to the cherry cupboard. That changed when I felt like doing dovetails more than fitting the door.

done

Had a hiccup with the back of the sides but it didn't hold things up. Got a good fit and no problems getting the diagonals dead nuts on.

another change

I got it glued and cooking when I realized that I hadn't plowed a groove in the front for the bottom. I'll have to use 3 slips for the bottom panel. 

yikes

It ain't square boys and girls. I wanted to use this to trim the 45s on the drawer slips. This is toast unless I can straighten it out and get it square again.

double ended

This side is a lot closer to square but not quite. 

dry fit

Trued the miters up on donkey ear jig. It is a slip fit and it sits higher than I planned. I forgot to account for the plywood bottom. Not a deal breaker as this drawer is 1 1/2" higher than anything I plan to put in it.

oops again

I made this same fiasco with the first drawer. That half pin on the right is what screwed with my brain functioning. I dealt with it by making the half pin a whole lot bigger than I wanted it.

front glued

Glued the front in first and the sides. The panel exerted sufficient pressure on the sides for the glue to set up and bond.

dry fit

This one was a PITA to get the diagonals to agree. I see sawed back and forth on it about 7-8 times before I nailed it. I always do the bottom because that is my reference for everything associated with the drawer.

surprised myself

I didn't forget to clean up the insides of either drawer. I usually catch that after I have glued it up and I'm checking diagonals.

done

Glued and squared up. It was easy because I already knew what the diagonals should be.

first drawer is done

It had several hours to set up. The drawer slips are secure and I installed the bottom and nailed it at the back. 

might as well

The drawer fits in the height (snug) but not side to side. Decided to try and get it fitted.

planing the sides

Wised up and clamped something on the exit end so I didn't blow it out.

no man's land

This is the tricky part of drawer fitting for me. The top to bottom seems to fit whether I put the back into the opening first or the front in first. However the R/L is strong. The opening is square but the drawer side didn't look square to my eye.

I was right

The front end of the drawer on this side is square to the bottom but starting about the 1/2 way point it is out of square. I did this same thing on the right drawer of the cherry cupboard - I planed tapered sides on it. I would like to avoid that with all 3 of these drawers. I'll come back to this in the AM because the clock said it was 1522 and quitting time.

accidental woodworker

 The good weather ends tomorrow with a boatload or rain forecasted. Thursday and friday are both rain days. Sunshine isn't coming back until next thursday. The nice 60F plus temps during the day are history too with seasonable temps in the 40-50F range. Oh well I guess you can say at least it isn't snow.

resisted the urge

I wanted to come back to the shop after dinner and play with it. But I didn't and I let it cook until the AM.

happy face on

The diagonals are off less the width of one black line. I had checked it with 4 clamps on it and it was a 32nd off. I added two more clamps and I saw the sides move but I left it alone. I was happy when I checked them this AM.

Buck Bros paring chisel

I got these chisels over 30 years ago and I can count on one hand how many times I've used them and have fingers left over. Used them today to flush the drawer guides to the front rails. They do work a hell of a lot better now that I can sharpen them. I do try to use them when doing dadoes. It is almost 12" long and it has a longer reach than my bench chisels.

speaking of chisels

This is the chisel that the handle split but didn't separate. I glued it back together and I can't find the glue joint line. I used it to chop the dovetails on the cherry cupboard. I wanted to see how well the glue up would hold up. Extremely well and I'm going to shellac the handle and keep using it.

the top view

I remember seeing the joint line on the top but today I'm not so sure. This glue up is the best one I have done as a repair.

miller dowels

I got two miller dowels in each rail. The only tricky ones to do were the bottom ones at the back. I had to drill for the dowels in between the 3 nails in them.

helping hand

On the other side I noticed that glue was oozing out of the end grain. I didn't see any splits so on this side I used a clamp to ward off any screw ups. No glue oozed out and I had no other hiccups.

the top

Used miller dowels to attach the top to the sides. I don't see any difference between these dowels and dowels that don't come through. Wood movement isn't a problem because the top and sides have the same grain alignment. 

no gaps

I wasn't sure what to expect with this. I used clamps to hold the top on the sides while I drilled and inserted the dowels. I removed them after that and the top didn't move.

ditto

The other side is as good as it.

split or a crack?

This is a side for one of the dresser drawers. There are splits/cracks on both faces. I couldn't spread them apart and break them. This was the only one that extended out to the end. I forced as much glue into the split/crack as I could and set it aside to cook.

it fits

The 1/4" birch panels I bought fit in the cherry cupboard door grooves. I expected the panel to be wobbly and loose and it isn't.

hmm.....

This plywood is a 64th under a 1/4" thick. Along with that it doesn't look that bad with its 3 inner laminations.

door frame dry fitted

No problems dry fitting the door back together. There was some evidence of hide glue but it looks like I did a decent job of cleaning it off of it.

where ?

Used the door to figure out where to cut the panel. Moved it around until I found something I liked. What I was concerned with was the panel grain next to the stiles. The center of the panel will be hidden behind the tile so it only the outside edges I needed to see.

dry fit

I had to clean/chisel off dried hide glue on two tenons - it was keeping the bridle joint from closing without gaps.

glued and cooking

Last time to check that the door is laying flat on all the clamps. I don't want to have to make another door because this came out twisted. The door looked flat so I set it aside.

the warm spot

This new furnace doesn't radiate any where near the heat the old boiler did. It is warmer here than it is by the workbench. I used hide glue for this and I'll brought it upstairs when I killed the lights.

needs a rabbet

The hanging rail needs a rabbet for the back plywood panel.

ready for the panel

Squared the corners and flushed the top of the hanging rail with the carcass.

fits again

I wish I could have this one back again. I had to cut off about a 3" wide piece that isn't much good for anything else.

dresser drawers

The parts are oversized 4-5 frog hairs. I planed the top edges of all the parts and labeled the bottoms. I am going to use through dovetails on this because all the parts are a 1/2" thick. I would have liked the front to be thicker, say 5/8 or 3/4. This is a shop dresser so it will be ok. I have some thin pine somewhere that I might be able to glue on the drawer fronts to hide the dovetails. Just have to find it.

needs a crest rail

Putting this on tops has become a calling card for me. I will say I don't like a plain, flat top. Besides it keeps things from rolling off the back.

chamfer

Used a block plane to chamfer the straight away and a chisel to do the curved ends.

done

Changed lanes and the chamfer got rounded over. I was happy with how the chamfer came out but not how it looked. I couldn't tell/see it on the finished crest rail. Rounded it over with a sanding block and that I can see now.

only a 1/2" thick

I think it was due to the size of the crest rail and the size of the chamfer that doomed it. The chamfer was only a 1/8" in from the edge - kind of small and not noticeable from a few feet away. The color and grain absence fooled the eye too.

double, triple checking myself

Making sure that I have sufficient height for the dowel max and the plywood bottom. I'm going to try and bury the front edge of it in the inside bottom of the drawer front. I'll use slips for the sides. This way I won't have any grooves running end to end. 

accidental woodworker

UPS said they were coming today between 1000 and 1400 with my cherry panels. When I checked at 1530 the pkg was on the front porch. Yeah, one point for the home team. I'll be able to get the door glued up tomorrow barring the creek doesn't rise and the gators get free again.

hmm......

This is very interesting indeed. The groove made with the tongue & groove plane is a frog hair above snug. You could have knocked me out with a feather. I was able to seat the plywood in the groove without snapping off either wall. That really surprised me and I think I'm going to use plywood panels rather than solid wood raised panels.

sanded with 180

Sanded the other face 3 times and once on this face. The plywood seated with hand pressure. I didn't feel like I was stressing the walls and causing them to fail. I tried the three different 1/4" plywood scraps I had and all kind of fit. One spread the walls  - it was the thickest one. I got all 3 seated with a minimal amount of sanding. I'll try planing a shallow rabbet on the dresser panels when that time rolls around.

rabbets and dadoes

Started on the dresser by doing the bottom rabbet first. Chopped the shoulder and then split out the end with a 2" chisel. Cleaned it up with my LN router.

rails dry fitted

One of the 8 rail to dado connections was loose. And of course it was a top front one too. No hiccups chopping the dadoes and they went front to back. I wanted to use a dovetail connection for the front rails but it didn't happen. I cut the front and back rails to the same length. But the front rails would have to be longer than the back ones. 

If I did use the dovetailed rails the drawer openings would have been too small R/L. Decided to butt the rails into the dadoes at the front and back. I didn't have any spare stock planed to the rail thickness so that is why I settled. If this had been for a big boy dresser I would have made new rails.

dry fit

None of the drawer guides fit in the dadoes. I had to plan each one individually to fit its respective dado. The bottom ones I didn't need to plane because the rabbet was a few frog hairs wider than the guides.

ready to go

I did one last dry fit and labeled the rails. 

toe nailing the rails

Used a gimlet to predrill a hole for the cut nails. None of the nails popped out to say hello and neither did anything split on me.

glued and cooking

I didn't think the nailing operation all the way through. I nailed both sets of rails on one side first. There was no way to nail the top rails. I should have nailed just the top rails on one side, put them in the sides, and nailed the opposite end. Wash, rinse, and repeat for the bottom rails.

As it is now one side of the rails are nailed and the other isn't. The bottom rails are nailed on both ends. After this has set up I might be able to nail them but I am not overly optimistic about that. There is limited room to swing a hammer to drive a nail home.

Miller dowels

I have had a lot of success using these and I'll try them out here too. 2 dowels in the end of each rail should work (they're 1  1/2" wide). Also thinking of using them to attach the top to the sides.

for the base

I thought this board was extra and I almost cut it up for drawer fronts. This board is for the base for the dresser.

last thing

Noticed this when killing the lights. I forgot the drawer guides for the bottom. I applied glue only to the front end and about 1" of the guide. I thought of screwing them but the sides are thin and I didn't want to risk a screw poking out to shake hands.

hmmm......

I couldn't understand why this weighed so much. I had forgot that I had added 1/4" birch plywood to the order. Unfortunately for me I can't remember what I bought it for. I was also spent the entire day (until now) thinking it was wednesday and not tuesday.

accidental woodworker

I emailed Lie Nielsen on friday and I got a reply today. They are planning a production run for 2025 for the chisels I want. Tom also said that they will be on the website before they are available. Don't understand that reasoning. However, I do know the correct name for the chisels, or at least what LN calls them. They are drawer lock chisels and they come in pairs.

Like an idiot I had a pair and sent them back to LN because they sliced and diced my fingers. I got quite a few comments saying that is normal and I should have filed the edges. My thinking on that is the machinist who made them should have filed the edges. If and when I get another set I'll keep them and file them if necessary.

I went on the WWW and drawer lock chisels are out there. I didn't find any on eBay but I did find someone selling them on ETSY. A set of two for $180 plus about $10 S/H. I got an email out to them asking what they are made of. LN is A2 and I would rather have O1 steel. I don't know what LN will charge and I don't remember what I paid for the first set I bought from them.

rough dimensions

I made up a drawing so I could start on the Dowel Max dresser. These are mostly minimum dimensions with drawer openings being the maximum.

notebooks

Brought some notebooks to the shop because the loose papers usually don't hang around too long. I transferred all the info from these two loose pages into one of the notebooks.

dresser stock

I can get all the needed parts from one 1" x 12" x 6' pine board. Before I do anything I had to deal with this cup. Not too bad as it is only about a 16th.

breaking down the board

One board will give up the sides, the 2nd one the top, and 3rd one along with the off cuts will supply the rails and drawer guides. I find it easy to prep smaller length boards vice longer ones.

planer table

I dragged the planer table in the driveway and this leg went nutso and broke up. This wood is very dry and even having the bottom edges chamfered didn't help. I glued it back together and set it aside to cook. 

I took less than 30 minutes to plane the 3 boards to thickness. I wanted 3/4" thick stock but I ended up with it being a 64th less than 11/16".

becoming a favorite

I find myself reaching for and using this hammer way more than I thought I would. I thought I would mix it up and use my 12oz rip claw hammer too but not so far. It is hanging out next to the Exeter hammer and it ain't getting any love.

got lucky

There were only 3 pieces that broke off and I managed to get everything back to where it was originally. Too much of it broke off to ignore even though this is a shop item.

one more maintenance item

The bolt was hitting the screw as it came out of the T-nut. I took the screw out and chiseled out a channel for the bolt and set the screw head below that.

ACE hardware road trip

I noticed when I tried to screw the planer down none of the bolts tightened. The 5/16-18 bolts I have had a shoulder the same length as the threads. I needed to either get all threaded bolts or a 5/16-18 die. No all threaded bolts so I went with option #2.

I only need about 3/16 more

I measured the threaded portion against the height of the planer and the planer is a few frog hairs higher.

I need a machinist vise

This was the 2nd option. The first one was using vise grips to hold the bolt. That was working some what ok but it wasn't too secure. This method worked a 100% better and the time it took me to do 3 bolts was the same as time to do the first one.

needed some help

The die made the threads it cut pointy and sharp with burrs. I couldn't get the washers to go over the threads I cut. I had to file them - just a light 360 go around to knock things back a wee bit and remove the burrs.

redid the first one

The dark portion of threads at the bottom is what I cut with the die. All of the bolt heads are within a 32nd of each other when fully screwed down. Don't know how I managed that but I'll take it.

temporary home

Got a wedge taped to the table to help with leveling it in the driveway. I'm going to let the table hang out in the shop for a few days to give the glue a chance to set up fully. It is going back out to the garden shed because I don't have room for it in the shop.

getting final dimensions

All I was shooting for here was the width, depth, and height of the sides. The R/L will be governed by the length of the rails. The drawer openings R/L needed to be a minimum of 10 1/4" for the distance bar for the Dowel Max to fit.

not necessary

I don't use a level before planing an edge. However, I did it this time to see if there was any benefit to it. Spoiler alert, IMO, there isn't one. Whether the board is slightly up or down doesn't mean diddly to me. All I care about is that the plane will clear the stock on the exit end.

5 1/2 first

Whenever a plane an edge I plane the middle for about a couple inches longer than the 5 1/2 is. I plane until it stops making shavings. This board had  hump in the middle. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Regardless I plane until the 5 1/2 doesn't spit out anymore shavings.

dead straight

I use the #8 when planing longer boards.

last board

Usually on shorter length boards like this I may not use the 5 1/2. I did today because there was a hump.

#8 shavings

Once I get a continuous shaving from one end to the other, I'm done. I check the edge for square at the ends and the middle and make any corrections needed. 

cleaning both faces

Had a bazillion planer tracks to remove. The planer knives otherwise are still planing ok so I'll keep dealing with the hiccups until the knives dull.

carcass parts

Sides, front/rear rails, and drawer guides. The top is sitting atop the cherry cupboard. I won't need to play with that until after the carcass is glued and cooked.

1/2" rabbet

This rabbet is for the back which at this typing is going to be a two raised panel frame.

preview

Still undecided how I'll attach the front rails. The back rails I plan to glue and toe nail.

1/2" back

This is an experiment for me. The back will be 'finished' so it doesn't have to placed against a wall. It will be a frame and panel but the panel inserts are up in the air.

tongue and groove plane

The other options other than a frame and panel are bead boards. Another option I'm thinking of is mitered frame with a plywood panel. I would like to try and do the frame part of whatever option with this plane.

hmm......

I expected the blow out on the left. The question mark I had going into this was could I plane a tongue on the end of this board? Question answered and it is in the affirmative. I'll have to allow for the blowout or clamp a sacrificial board on the exit end.

this works for me

I have been watching AT restorations on You Tube for a couple of years now. He does a lot of restorations on furniture where it usually breaks it down to parade rest first. One that I watched the other day had a frame and panel back. I want to try and replicate it on this dresser. This is working so far.

raised panel

Took me a while to get this plane to work for me. Initially it was clogging shut with the mouth stuffed with shavings. Solved that and planed one end and side so I could check the fit of the panel in the groove made by the tongue & groove plane.

rabbet

The panel didn't fit in the groove - it was too narrow and the panel was too thick. I planed a rabbet on the back until the panel fit.

I like how this looks

I have had this plane for 15 years and I have yet to make a panel and frame with it. I have used it several times to make box lids but no raised panels in a frame.I'll have to practice on making a frame to figure out how to size the panel to fit in the frame grooves.

1539

I lose track of time and got into a groove with this. Yes I can use the tongue and groove plane to make the frame. Sizing/making that won't be a problem. I have three options for the panels. Solid wood - I think I can bandsaw some solid wood panels (they will be about 4-5 inches wide?). Raised panels - the only headache I see with them is sizing them correctly to fit the frame. The last option I can think of is to use plywood. I can sand the edges to fit the grooves or plane a rabbet to fit.

accidental woodworker

I think we are finally dead in the water with the cupboard. I could drill the holes for the shelf pins but I want to do that after the finish is done. The door is awaiting parts so that isn't happening to the 19th. I could have made the flat moldings for the top and bottom but nixed it. I need to sharpen the #6 that I use for shooting 45s before I try shooting a cherry 45.

done

I came back to the shop last night and glued the bottom in with hide glue. I used hide glue because I couldn't get the yellow glue bottle in the drawer to lay a bead down. It was ready to go when I got to the shop in the AM.

drawer stops

It was a trick getting both of the drawer stops installed. Both drawers ended up a little wonky due to my planing the sides. That means the drawers didn't go in and out in a straight line. Took a lot of fiddling but I eventually got them done. I just nailed them - no glue - because I might revisit these.

right hand drawer

I started on this one first. I had to put it at the back because it doesn't have slips. It originally was a 6 3/4" long strip, glued and nailed in place. I couldn't get the drawer face to be flush with that drawer stop. I removed it and did the left hand drawer and came back to this one. This drawer stop is 2" long and the drawer is kind of flush at the front. I cut my losses there and settled for as good as I'm going to get it without giving it flying lessons.

more Dowel Max work

I watched all the Dowel Max instruction vids on You Tube and I went back to work trying it out. This is an end to end joint that is dead flush on the 'check mark' faces. I still did something wrong but I got half of it right.

labels

I didn't drill in the edge marked with the 'X'. This jig is dead easy to use but I'm fumbling a bit on matching up my 'check mark' labels with the 'check marks' on the Dowel Max.

dead flush

Drilled the holes again with the 'check marks' aligned.

if you pay attention......

This is an incredible dowel joint. I have never done one that came out this sweet. The face and the top edges are dead flush. They aren't off even a frog hair.

3 hole joint

The jig comes with a 3/8" metal dowel that allows you to offset the jig and keep on drilling holes. I had to try it to see how that would work. No hiccups (followed the 'check marks') and I think I could have gotten a another hole too.

sweet

It isn't dead flush but it is so awfully close that you could ignore the frog hair it is off. 

last one

I had to try a 45 before I quit for the day. I rough cut two 45s for the test joint.

shot dead on 45

There is one thing I have noticed with this jig and it is the stock needs to be square in all directions to be dead flush.

oops

Part of the learning curve. The first hole I drilled I shouldn't have. It was too close to the toe.

hmm......

The miter closed up on the 45 but both faces aren't anywhere near to being flush. I thought that at least one face should have been flush because of the 'check marks' aligning. Turns out that not only weren't the two 45s not the same thickness, the faces aren't square to either edge. I'm still happy with how this came out. I got this jig for help doing 45s. However, it is working so good I might start using it for a lot more joinery.

I need a box

I thought about keeping the cardboard box and using that but nixed it. There isn't any room in it for the 1/4" drill guides and its goodies. I decided to make a dresser to hold the Dowel Max and its accessories along with storage for dowels.

first two drawers

I used plywood to give me idea of the required drawer sizes. I will make them a little bigger than this to allow for any future accessories. The distance bar at the bottom dictates the minimum R/L size.

3 drawers

I don't anticipate needing more than two sizes in the dowels. I only have 3/8" and 1/4" drill guides and I'm stocking 1 1/2" and 2" dowels for both. I might as well start working on this while I wait for the cherry panels to come in.

accidental woodworker